Reviews of Computer Hardware, Software, Mobile Phones, and more

Mono-Laser Printer: Samsung ML-2850D

2009-06-29T04:58:00.000-07:00

This is truly a blazing fast mono-laser printer from Samsung. The ML-2850D can thrash out a massive 28 pages per minute, backing up the claims made by the manufacturer. Not only is the print speed high but the image quality is good too. The 1200 x 1200 dpi (Best quality) printing mode scored well in our grayscale linearization test.

This sturdily built device has average looks for an office printer, with a dual-tone gray and black body. It can hold up to 250 sheets of paper in the input paper tray and 150 sheets in its output tray. The printer uses the Samsung 400 MHz ARM processor coupled with 32 MB of internal memory which can be extended up to 160 MB for faster job spooling in a SOHO environment. The ML-2850 also has an optional second paper tray which can be attached for handling different paper types. The tray needs to be purchased separately. The manual paper feed does not have a tray of its own, but has a small door instead that acts like a paper tray when open and a dust protector when closed.

The ML-2850D also supports duplex printing, and can print a page on both sides in approximately 10 seconds. We tried testing the duplex printing speed using a 113 page PDF document, and the printer churned out the whole job in less than eight minutes, which averages to around 14 pages per minute.

The printer has an MRP of Rs 12,999 and it comes bundled with one toner cartridge which can print up to 2000 pages (assuming each page has 5 percent ink coverage). The duty cycle is 30,000 pages per month, which is more than sufficient for most small offices. Those looking for a mono-laser printer which performs well at a low cost should consider the Samsung ML-2850D.

Mouse and Mouse Pad: Belkin Washable Mouse and Mouse Trap

2009-06-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

People who have spent time cleaning and drying their much-loved input devices will tell you how much of a pain it really is to free them of dirt accumulated over years. Belkin has recently launched the Washable Mouse which should come as a relief to all you clean freaks out there. It has a 1200dpi sensor and is designed such that it can be used on a variety of surfaces.

To begin with, the mouse is completely sealed. Even the optical sensor at the bottom is enclosed to prevent water from entering the device. Instead of having a scroll wheel it has a touch sensitive scroll pad that allows you to scroll vertically as well as horizontally. Just remember that horizontal scrolling only works in Windows Vista. The vertical scroll was responsive and worked well; but the most we could scroll horizontally was one word at a time. Practically speaking, the mouse could have done without the horizontal scroll feature. The short USB cable makes it suited for use with laptops.

We decided to test Belkin’s claim that the mouse is washable. We held it under a running tap and washed it thoroughly. It worked flawlessly after wiping it dry, though we could smell the liquid soap we used to clean it with for quite some time afterwards! Make sure you wash only the mouse and not the USB plug.

Belkin also offers an innovative mouse pad-cum-carry pouch which they call the Mouse Trap. You can carry your mouse and other essential items such as USB flash drives, memory cards, pens, wallet, and so on. When unzipped, the pouch transforms into a circular mouse pad. The Mouse Trap has a circular rubber lining on the exterior to prevent it from slipping while in use.

Internal TV Tuner Card: AverTV Speedy PCIe

2009-06-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

PCIe TV tuner cards are not everyone’s favorite devices because they are a Avermedia though insist on calling their PCIe TV tuner card the “Avermedia Speedy” and it may be a lot of things, but being speedy is not one of them. It takes quite a long time to install the card and it also takes forever to tune all the channels. However aside from the mind-numbing slowness of the card at tasks, the features of the card overall was actually quite good. This device works very well with Windows XP and Windows Vista Media Center versions. The remote which comes bundled with the card is a bit bulky but it works fine and you can use the Media Center remote for the card as well. The AverTV media center has everything you would need but since it is so expansive this can make it slightly difficult for new users who have never used a TV tuner card before. Since the device uses PCIe x1 slot, it is ideal for slim Home theater computers. The TV tuner card saves PCI slots that can be used for other expansion cards such as sound or Ethernet. Another advantage of the card is that it is small and takes up less space inside the cabinet. However it heats up slightly even when not in use which could lead to problems if used extensively S-video input for camera or VCR.

One more bundled feature worth noting is an S-video to composite converter, so you can use video devices such as DVD player, camera, game consoles, set top boxes and so on. The card has an FM radio function which has good signal quality and is so sensitive that it even picks up frequencies which do not exist! It can also record FM, which can be handy if you want to get that song you wanted but could not find. You can also pause live TV with the timeshift function. This is ideal when you are watching a movie or a match and you do not want to miss the climax, when you need a snack or an emergency bathroom break!

2.1 Speakers: Altec Lansing VS2521

2009-06-25T03:35:00.000-07:00

The Altec Lansing VS2521 is a 2.1 channel PC speaker system, with a unique design that allows you to use the speakers horizontally or vertically. Unfortunately the VS2521 has performance and ergonomic flaws and so is difficult to recommend.

The speakers stand just over 8 inches tall and they don’t take up too much of your desktop space. The right speaker connects to the sub woofer and also accommodates the volume, bass and treble controls. These controls are placed close to one another and make it difficult to adjust without touching the other controls. Along with the controls, the speaker comes with a headphone output and auxiliary input jack that allows you to connect any external audio source, such as an MP3 player.

Sadly, the speakers do not have a power button, it is inconveniently located on the sub-woofer, so you will have to keep reaching to the woofer to switch the speaker on/off. Also, the controls have no fat indicator, making it difficult for listeners to know their exact settings and since the weight is more towards the front, the speakers tend to tip over when adjusting the controls. The speakers’ base are designed in such a way that you can join the base together and use this as one single unit, thus maximizing your desktop space at the cost of sound quality.

As far as the audio is concerned, the VS2521 performed well on acoustic and orchestral tracks. Throw in some electronic music or hip-hop and the picture changes completely. Bass heavy tracks actually cause a slight distortion. The bass doesn’t quite get distorted on every song, but if you want a speaker system that performs well, its sub woofer has to perform.

TFT Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 2243 NWX

2009-06-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

The Samsung SyncMaster 2243 NWX is a 22-inch TFT monitor which has stylish design. It has a feather touch control panel in the front, right-bottom corner which makes the TFT panel stand a class apart from other conventional TFT monitors.

The monitor has an image aspect ratio of 16:10 with a dynamic image contrast ratio of 8000:1. Unfortunately, this TFT panel is not equipped with a DVI input, which leaves you with a regular D-Sub connector for graphics cards with analog output. It doesn’t have any built-in speakers either.

The body is richly designed with a glossy black finish exterior, and so the aesthetic appeal is the only factor that stands out for us. Its black glossy body also invites cleaning the bezel regularly as dust collects easily. Images on the TFT panel are sharp and clear, making this monitor ideal for basic computer applications, gaming and watching
movies.

The viewing angle is a good 170 degrees, but tends to change the colors from bright to darkish when viewed at extreme angles. The additional features include MagicBright 3, Off-timer, Image Size, Color Effect, Customized key, MagicWizard & MagicTune.

If you are looking for an elegant monitor for your desktop, this glossy finished feather-touch model could be a good pick. But keep in mind the absence of DVI input and the flimsy build quality.

MP3 Player: SanDisk Sansa Clip

2009-06-16T04:02:00.000-07:00

While Apple continues to rule the world of digital music, their prices allow budget players to sweep in with less expensive products which almost match up to the performance of the iPods. This is where the Sansa Clip fits in. About the size of a matchbox, the Sansa Clip is one of the most compact players around.

The Sansa Clip comes with a detachable belt clip which makes it ideal for the gym. The Sansa Clip is made up of a plastic body with slight metallic finish. True to its form the Clip is pretty light with good button tolerances apart from the power switch that is a bit shaky. The rectangular one inch OLED screen is crisp and vibrant and is easy to navigate as compared to the Creative Zen Stone Plus.

Below the screen is a circular, five-way click pad which helps you to scroll through songs, artists, playlists and various other features. Although the controls are arranged in a wheel pattern, they are actually buttons. The wheel does not spin at all. The player also has an independent ‘Home’ button which takes you directly to the player’s navigation panel.

PC Case: Cooler Master Centurion 590

2009-06-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

The choice of a PC case depends on what you’re going to place inside it. One may either prefer an entry-level case to fit in a budget PC or a high end one to house a gaming rig or a server. The new Centurion 590 from Cooler Master is a mid-tower case that is targeted at the upper mainstream audience and offers a bunch of handy features and excellent cooling. Let’s find out what they are and how cool Cooler Master’s new Centurion is.

The Centurion 590 is all black and sports a meshed front bezel inlayed with foam-based dust filters from within. The entire bezel is lined up with 5.25-inch bay covers except for the top portion which features an I/O panel comprising two USB ports, front audio jacks, FireWire port and power button. To install the drives, you first have to remove the bezel. Since the case features a tool-free design, you don’t need screws to fasten the drives into the bays. You can fit up to four hard drives in the removable cage that occupies three of the bottom 5.25-inch bays. A 120 mm intake LED fan (1200 RPM) fitted in front of the cage cools the hard drives and is visible through the meshed bezel.

Graphics Card: MSI R4870X2

2009-05-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

AMD’s strategy at the moment is to focus its design and development efforts on the midrange market and not the top end, using multiple GPUs in a CrossFire configuration to cater to hardcore gamers rather than a single, all-powerful GPU. After seeing how admirably cards based on AMD’s 4850 and 4870 GPUs have been performing against their competitors, it’s even more interesting to take a look at the 4870 X2.

The board is huge and heavy, due to its massive dual-slot cooler. From the underside you can see the two GPUs and a bridge chip in between. The two GPUs run at 750 MHz, for a total of 1600 stream processors and 2.4 teraflops of graphics processing power between them. The bridging subsystem is an improved version of that found in 3870 X2 cards, with twice the PCIe bandwidth as well as a dedicated “sideport” link available between the two GPUs. The other important feature is that each GPU has 1 GB of superfast GDDR5 RAM, for a total of 2 GB soldered onto the board. Unfortunately, the mechanics of CrossFire require that both sets of RAM are filled with exactly the same content at all times, meaning the effective total is still only 1 GB although memory bandwidth shoots up to 230 GB/s.

Mobile Phone: Bleu 466X

2009-05-10T04:19:00.000-07:00

The dual-band Bleu 466X sports a candy bar form factor and is pretty light weighing only 77 grams. The phone is targeted specially at the Hindu audience and oozes with spirituality starting right from the packaging. The phone comes packed in a flashy orange box that bears the photo of lord Ram on the magnetic lid.

The package contents include a charger having a USB port, 512 MB microSD card, stereo headset and a USB data cable which also doubles as a cable for the charger. The microSD card is preloaded with 230 MB worth of exclusive content comprising 15 holy wallpapers, ring tones, two hours worth of bhajans in MP3 format (including the popular Hanuman Chalisa) and a 75 minute edited video of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. Yes, the same Ramayan which used to be aired on Doordarshan every Sunday morning in the mid-1980s. You would be impressed by the number of features packed in this phone, after considering its low price.

The 466X boasts a bunch of multimedia applications along with FM radio and support for streaming stereo audio over Bluetooth (A2DP). A 0.3 megapixel VGA camera is also present on the rear of the phone. When you connect the phone to the computer, the camera can also be used as a webcam.

Laptop: Dell Studio 15

2009-05-05T04:01:00.000-07:00

The Studio 15 is Dell’s answer to the sleek, flashy Sony and HP laptops we’ve been seeing for years now. Dell Inspiron laptops are usually bulky and boring, while their XPS cousins look good, but are quite expensive. The new Studio line sits somewhere in between, with style oozing out of every surface, loads of configuration options, and decent pricing too.

Available in multiple matte colors (or a glossy grey with matte colored trims), the Studio 15 uses smooth curves with sweeping angles to create a distinctive look. A unique pattern of uneven white ridges runs over the lid (of the grey version we received for testing) and the palmrest area, continuing through the Dell logo as well as the trackpad. The overall wedge shape is accented by an angled hinge, which positions the LCD screen a little lower and further back than one would expect. A contrasting black patch encloses the keyboard, and all the button markings and LEDs are a subtle white. The slot-loading optical drive and power/Wi-Fi buttons in the hinge barrel add to the laptop’s style. The overall effect is a welcome departure from Dell’s older grey boxes.

Dell includes its own instant-on MediaDirect application for playing audio and video files, and a custom, pop-art inspired default wallpaper.

Smartphone: ASUS P320

2009-04-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

The first characteristic of the phone that one notices is its light weight. Even with the battery inside it, it feels light as compared to its contemporaries. The P320 is a 2G GSM phone with GPRS and EDGE support. It however lacks 3G connectivity which can cause the phone to lose some points in a world that’s fiercely embracing the technology. Other connectivity specs include Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support, Wi-Fi and USB 2.0. (Is infrared getting extinct?). The modest 2.6-inch touch screen stares right back at you when you look down at the phone. Beware of the hyper sensitivity though.

It runs on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional platform with flawless compatibility, thanks to the 64 MB RAM. It is powered up by a TI OMAP 850 processor (201 MHz). It provides with 128 MB ROM (which is mostly used up by the pre-installed applications) and support for both microSD and microSDHC cards. The biggest disappointment in the phone is the camera. Most people who opt for PDAs don’t really seek the best cameras in the business but then Asus should have put in a bit more effort into this one. The 2.0 megapixel camera promises resolutions of 1600 x 1200 pixels with autofocus but somehow the end result isn’t all that pleasing. The dedicated camera key for shooting is helpful.

Wireless IP Camera: Air live WL-2000CAM

2009-04-13T04:06:00.000-07:00

The WL-2000CAM wireless camera from Air Live is designed to meet your surveillance needs. It is easy to install, and can be monitored and configured using any internet browser via the local network or the Internet. It features a 0.25-inch progressive CMOS sensor and is capable of 10x digital zoom. Connectivity options are Wi-Fi 802.11 g and 10/100 Ethernet.

The LEDs are normal bright white LEDs which can be turned on permanently or configured to auto mode for low light conditions. The camera comes with an IP scanning utility which helps locate it on your local network and configure it. Once you configure the IP address of the camera (either a static or dynamic IP), it can be controlled and monitored from the browser. If you use the wireless option, it can only be connected to Wi-Fi router, not directly to a computer through an ad-hoc connection, which is a little disappointing. It features WPA encryption for added security. You can monitor the video feed from any location in the world on a computer or mobile phone by assigning a live IP to the camera, and setting the gateway and DNS addresses. The camera has a built-in microphone, and you can even connect a speaker. The product is bundled with a power adapter and a wall mounting stand.

GPS Receiver: Adapt AD-750

2009-04-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

If your mobile phone or PDA supports GPS navigation software but doesn’t have the satellite receiver built in, the Adapt AD-750 Bluetooth GPS receiver can help you zip around town instead of getting lost. Plenty of such devices come with a GPS receiver as a standard feature, but this is an inexpensive way to add full GPS navigation to compatible devices on the cheaper end of the spectrum. The device itself is about the size of a cigarette lighter, and is pretty plain apart from a single power/function button and two multicolored status LEDs. Just switch it on and it’s detected by your Bluetooth-enabled cellphone. Pair the device with the default passcode ‘0000’ and you’re ready to go. The AD-750 pairs flawlessly with a Nokia E51, a basic smartphone which comes with the Nokia Maps application but no built-in GPS. It is possible to pinpoint one’s location, set routes, and use all the software’s navigation features. Like all GPS devices, you’ll need to be outdoors to get a decent signal, and it does drop from time to time.

The AD-750 can be charged from a computer’s USB port or from the mains. A universal power adapter and car socket adapter are also included in the box. Documentation is provided on a CD, but you probably won’t ever need to refer to it. The battery is rated for 10 hours, and it can be used while commuting for a week without seeing the low battery warning.

Power Supply Unit: Huntkey Titan 650 W

2009-03-26T04:27:00.000-07:00

Huntkey’s Titan650 power supply is aimed at those who are building a new computer for use as a workstation PC or a server. Adequately supplying power up to 650 watts, this SLI-ready PSU is also sufficient for powering mid to high-level gaming rigs. It has enough power connectors to run up to 12 hard drives simultaneously (4 SATA + 8 PATA drives), which is something to consider when building a file server system. The power supply unit is slightly heavier than other conventional 650 Watt power supplies by a few 100 grams more and that may or may not be of concern to heavy-power users.

The PSU is built with an internal low-speed 120 mm cooling fan which increases airflow and also reduces the noise level of your computer. The PSU also has a built-in protection systems circuit which features over-voltage, over-power, short circuit and no-load-operation protection. Also along with line input fuse protection, the power supply has a lower chance of breaking down and helps protect expensive peripherals which might be connected. The manufacturer claims the PSU to have an efficiency of up to 80 percent, which helps save power while operating stably even under heavy load.

The Titan650 is equipped with two 6-pin PCIe power connectors, making it adequate for running today’s power-hungry graphics cards in SLI or CrossFire. Sadly, the unit’s cables are not modular, thus suffocating the inside of the cabinet with cable clutter, choking airflow and making the cabinet look ugly.

Memory: A-DATA Vitesta Extreme DDR3-1333+

2009-03-17T03:40:00.000-07:00

DDR3 memory isn’t mainstream yet due to the limited number of available motherboard chipsets which support it, coupled with its high price. But that doesn’t stop power users from splurging on high-end hardware to keep pace with the latest technology. If you belong to this league and want high-end DDR3 memory, here’s a low-latency memory kit from A-DATA that promises solid performance.

The Vitesta Extreme DDR3-1333+ modules are available in 2 GB and 4 GB dual-channel kits and are packed in red heat spreaders with chrome A-DATA logos running across them. The memory runs with 7-7-7-70 timings and operates between 1.75 and 1.85 Volts.These timings are not the most aggressive for DDR3-1333 but are certainly better than the CAS latency of 9 found in most entry-level DDR3 modules. The fastest DDR3 memory we have come across so far is the Kingston HyperX DDR3-1375 which runs at 5-7-5-15 timings.

The modules were tested on the Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra chipset and the timings were set manually to match its rated specifications. The FSB to memory ratio was set to 1:1. To overclock the memory, the FSB was increased from 1333 MHz to 1500 MHz while keeping the CPU speed constant (FSB 375 x 4). The CAS latency was loosened to 8 to allow the memory to run at a higher frequency

The Vitesta Extreme DDR3-1333+ is a good option for power users who want memory which performs better than standard DDR3 modules. There’s also plenty of headroom for overclocking.

USB TV Tuner: SVB IPCTV

2009-03-09T03:49:00.000-07:00

The SVB IPCTV external USB TV tuner box is just about good enough for watching television programs on your laptop or desktop PC. Unfortunately it is quite bulky and does not have much aesthetic appeal. It has a sturdy body, but can’t stand vertically and save space. Installation of the drivers and software is quite simple and fast, and the TV interface is very easy to follow. Although the product specifications say 125 channels can be tuned in using a TV antenna or local cable network, you can get more than 350. Scanning for channels is very fast, but once it is set up, changing channels is slower than usual.

The IPCTV allows timeshifting to conveniently pause a live television broadcast on the fly. It has A/V inputs which can be used for connecting a set-top box, video camera or other input source. The credit-card-sized remote can control basic operations, but it does not have a menu/setup button, which forces you to get back to the mouse to scan for channels, fine tune, adjust brightness or contrast and turn timeshifting on.

Another drawback is that the tuner does not output audio via the same USB connection, but has an audio out which needs to be routed to your PC’s line-in jack. Recording on the fly in the compressed MPEG4 format is supported, which helps increase the amount you can record.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212

2009-03-02T01:35:00.000-08:00

The efficiency of a CPU cooler depends on the design of the heat sink, type of fan and materials used. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 was slapped on an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 to find out how effective this colossal cooler is.

The Hyper 212 is designed like a tower and stands a whopping 160 mm tall. The heat sink has two stacks of aluminum fins with four copper heat pipes running through each of them. The heat pipes transfer heat from the copper base to the fins. The stacks of fins aren’t rectangular and have their inner corners curved to facilitate airflow. The heat sink is exactly as wide as the nine-bladed 120 mm LED fan that is fitted over it. This high-airflow fan has a fixed speed of 2000 rpm, which ensures excellent cooling when combined with ample surface area provided by the fins. Mounting brackets for an additional fan are bundled in the kit, if you need even more cooling. The Hyper 212 comes with a tube of high-viscosity thermal paste and mounting hardware for both Intel LGA 775 and AMD socket 754/939/940/AM2+ motherboards.

Installing the cooler is very simple and doesn’t require much effort. However, if you want to fit in an existing PC, it might be a messy, since the cooler doesn’t have a screwless design and you need to remove the motherboard to fit the back plate.

Game Controller: SVB Racing Wheel

2009-02-26T03:35:00.000-08:00

When you do get that feeling make sure you never use the USB-V18H3 racing wheel by SVB—ever. It does not do half of what it says it will do and even as a steering wheel itself, it is an abject failure.

The manual states that it has three modes, Digital, Analog and Negcon (which is a controller made for the Playstation to REPLACE steering wheel controllers). Force feedback is also something that they claim to have. There is also a handbrake and gear stick as well as racing paddle shifts behind the wheel for acceleration and deceleration behind the wheel. Foot pedals are also provided as well and seem to be the only things that work properly.

The controller seemed promising at first, it was easy to assemble and we were ready to play in no time. It was all downhill from there. The buttons which can be mapped are all actually incorrect which means that button 1 is detected as button 0 in the game. The controller was tested while playing Codemasters’ excellent title, GRID and right from the start the steering did not respond. In analog mode, the steering would only respond to extreme turns and that too it would still oversteer. Basically it meant you just keep crashing into walls all the time.

External Storage: Maxtor oneTouch Plus 1 TB

2009-02-17T03:28:00.000-08:00

With plenty of room for all your data needs, the OneTouch 4 Plus 1 TB from Maxtor is for sure a data warehouse. Powered by an external adapter, with one USB 2.0 and two FireWire ports, the OneTouch is a pleasant looking external drive. The OneTouch 4 Plus offers a whopping one terabyte of storage space to backup your system’s entire hard drive contents including the operating system. It also comes with the Maxtor SafetyDrill utility for backing up your system.

You can back up or synchronize your data, or create an image of the operating system on the external storage. This image can later be restored, in case of a system failure or virus/spyware infection, using the bootable rescue CD supplied with it. The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus is built using a 7200 RPM 1 TB hard drive with a 16 MB buffer. The read and write speeds are quite good. It is fast and large enough to accommodate all the audio, photos, video, documents and other files which we tend to accumulate in this age of broadband connections. The device is not too heavy, but is too bulky to carry around regularly, hence making it restricted for desktop computers.

The OneTouch 4 Plus is equipped with a Kensington lock port which helps protect it from theft. The package includes one USB cable, one FireWire 400 cable, a power adapter, the synchronizing and backup software (preloaded on the hard drive itself) and a rescue disk.

Personal Computer: Zenith SmartStyle PC

2009-02-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

The Zenith SmartStyle PC is built around a 1.86 GHz Intel T2140 mobile dual-core processor and 945GM chipset. The 17-inch LCD monitor runs natively at 1440x900 pixels. It comes with 1 GB of DDR2-533 memory, 224 MB of which is shared as video memory, and a 160 GB hard drive to take care of your storage needs. The DVD writer is mounted vertically on the left panel. Shutting the drive tray could be an issue. It needed a little force to close.

The speakers are built into the unit and are situated at the base of the display. There are six USB port, two PS/2 ports, audio jacks, a 4-in-1 card reader, and VGA and Ethernet ports. The stand can be pushed back flush with the unit, allowing it to be mounted on a wall. The configuration is good enough for entry-level and basic home computing needs, but the lack of space for upgrading components in the future would be a problem for more demanding users.

The SmartStyle PC’s build quality is about average and the bundled mouse and keyboard felt and looked pretty cheap. A better keyboard and mouse set could have taken the scores a notch higher. The base is stable and much better than some LCD monitors which shake at the slightest touch.

Multimedia Hard Drive: Lacie LaCinema Premier 500 GB

2009-02-09T01:50:00.000-08:00

Multimedia hard disks are new, dynamic and useful companions for people who love to take their data with them. They have added benefits other than just storage because they let users not only store data but also play media straight off the hard disk. In today’s world, portability and versatility are key features which have to be taken into consideration when buying any kind of new hardware.

In this dynamically changing sector, Lacie has been consistently churning out hard disk drives which are beautiful and still very efficient. They have now extended their efforts to create great hard disks by launching the LaCinema Premier 500 GB hard disk and getting more involved in multimedia hard disks. The hard disk promised a lot and we were on hand to see if it could deliver on all the high standards that it claims to set.

Lacie has created this drive to be a sensible replacement to your DVD player and so it plays a wide array of file types. It can play standard audio and video file types such as AVI, DVD-video, MP3, WMA and some others as well as display photos file types such as JPEG, PNG, BMP and GIF. The most important features for this drive have to be the various outputs it is compatible with. The drive can be connected with composite video, S-Video, HD component video and thus can be used on almost all TVs, making it very versatile. Another interesting feature that needs to be taken into consideration is that while the drive does not support HDMI, it does take into account HD scaling if used in HD component video.

Graphics Card: Zotac 9800 GTX+ ZONE

2009-02-01T03:23:00.000-08:00

With both ATI and Nvidia releasing arrays of new cards every couple of months, it’s not easy to decide which card to go in for. Recent high-end cards have already been replaced by ones that not only boast higher clock speeds but also built using smaller manufacturing processes. These cards deliver resolutions beyond 1600 x 1200, and allow you to play the latest games with the quality settings maxed out. The Zotac 9800 GTX+ ZONE from Zotac comes with a passive cooler to eliminate the noise generated by conventional cooling solutions.

The 9800 GTX GPU uses a 65nm manufacturing process, with a total of 128 stream processors running at 1688 MHz. The main advantage that the 9800 GTX+ series has over the GTX is a superior 55nm manufacturing process. The GTX+ still uses 128 stream processors with 512 MB of memory running at 1100 MHz. The difference is that clock and shader speeds are a little higher, at 740 MHz and 1836 MHz respectively. The Zotac 9800 GTX+ ZONE uses NVIDIA’s reference PCB, the only change being the cooler. The standard cooling system has been replaced by a complete self-contained water cooling system that requires no end-user maintenance. It consists of a water block that sits on the GPU, a pump, and a 120 mm fan on a radiator module which is connected to the pump and water block via a black hose.

Mobile Phone: Samsung U900 Soul

2009-01-28T03:28:00.000-08:00

With a pleasing blend of style and functionality, the Samsung U900 Soul manages to live up to its name. Not many phones in the market blend aesthetics and good specifications so well. It has a touchpad as well as a regular tactile numberpad for dialing and text input.

The U900 has a firm slider and a 2.2-inch screen with 16 million color support. This does justice to the amazing pictures captured by the 5 megapixel camera. The captured videos are surprisingly clear and the camera tackles the problems of shakes and jerks pretty well. It is blessed with a powerful flash as well as autofocus and can capture pictures at resolutions of up to 2592 x 1944 pixels.

The audio recorded during video shooting is a bit of a letdown but this is covered up by all the plus points that the phone’s camera has got going for it. The keypad gets locked every time the slider is closed, so make sure you don’t slide it down while in the middle of some important task. The keypad is convenient to use, even for those with stubby fingers, thanks to the large buttons. Using it with the slider open isn’t as troublesome as it is in case of previous Samsung sliders. The U900 Soul has a cool touchpad in place of a regular D-pad that allows for interactive touch control.

Netbook: Acer Aspire One

2009-01-27T01:03:00.000-08:00

The word “netbook” has now become the standard with which we describe miniature laptops with 7–10-inch screens, low-power components and budget pricing. Every hardware manufacturer seems to be testing the market with at least one model, and Acer’s first leap into this market is called the Aspire One. In terms of core specifications, there’s nothing very different about this device. The 1.6 GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 1024x600 pixel screen, 120 GB hard drive and Windows XP as the operating system are all standard fare for netbooks now; it seems that every single model from every single company has the same specifications. The configuration is fine for basic productivity applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel, web surfing, and audio/video playback. Just don’t expect to run any heavy multimedia or graphics design programs.

However Acer has tried to differentiate its offering a little. It’s wider and deeper than the original Asus EEE PC, but is quite well styled, and available in multiple colors. The hinges are a little too weak and plasticky for our liking, but the angled design does give the Aspire One a unique look. They keyboard was cramped, but not too uncomfortable to type on. Thankfully, the [Shift], [Ctrl] and [Windows] keys are in the right places, and the arrow cluster is of a decent size.

Digital Camera: Kodak EasyShare M1063

2009-01-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

The M1063 is a run-of-the-mill digital camera which has nothing that catches the eye other than its large 2.7-inch LCD display. Kodak has kept this camera very simple and straightforward without many features. The camera is fitted with a 3x zoom lens which has a focal length of 32-96 mm (35 mm equivalent). You can zoom 5 times further using digital zoom, but don’t expect brilliant results. The maximum aperture at the widest angle is f/2.8 and the shutter speed ranges from 4 sec to 1/1400 sec depending on the lighting conditions.

The M1063 is about the size of a pack of cards and weighs around 175 grams with the battery. The face of the camera looks stylish with a metallic ring around the lens and a horizontal bar in the middle which lends to the grip. The sides have a glossy chrome finish. The top of the camera has a mode selection dial, on/off switch, and buttons for flash and shutter release. The left side features a USB port and a tiny speaker for audio playback while viewing captured videos.

The camera offers seven shooting modes—video, macro, landscape, auto, fast shutter, scene, and high-ISO. You simply have to select the appropriate mode, point at the subject, and shoot.

Charging Hub: The Sanctuary

2009-01-25T02:46:00.000-08:00

Gone are the days when electronic gadgets were just fashion statements. Today, plenty of people have more than one cell phone and a dozen other gadgets that need to be charged. Since different manufacturers use their own proprietary charger pins, you might find your table cluttered with wires for so many devices. The Sanctuary aims to be an elegant, one-stop solution for all your charging needs.

As the name suggests, the Sanctuary from Bluelounge is capable of charging over 1500 different devices including cell phones, MP3 players, PDAs, Bluetooth headsets, all in one single location. The tray has a reversible black and tan velvet cover on which your gadgets can rest without any risk of picking up scratches. Underneath it lies a universal charging block with eleven different cables, each labeled with its respective brand. A standard USB port is also provided for other devices using your own cable. To keep things in order there are two hooks built into the tray to help you to neatly rope those cables so only as much as you need sticks out.

The downside of this design is that the eleven cables, though a little short at approximately 9 inches each, are permanently attached to the power block thus allowing each cable to charge only one device at a time. As a result, if you own more than one gadget of a particular brand, you’ll have to wait till you finish charging it to plug in the other.

WIRELESS-N ROUTER: Dlink DIR-615

2009-01-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

Stepping into the Wi-Fi N world, D-link’s DIR-615 802.11 draft-N router has a few nice features but is otherwise quite ordinary. With build quality that is a little more than average, this wall-mountable wireless router isn’t very aesthetically pleasing but still has loads of features. The router supports standard WEP (64 and 128-bit encryption) and WPA/WPA2 wireless encryption. Additionally, it has a WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) configuration feature which when activated can connect to any D-link wireless device and configure it with the click of a button.

Configuring the router for WAN access is very simple with the setup wizard. It can connect to the Internet using static, DHCP, PPTP and PPPoe options. Other features common to most wireless routers are MAC address cloning, port forwarding, MAC address filtering, SPI firewall, NAT, and remote management. One good feature we noted is the option to configure and save all the settings before finally rebooting the router unlike others. Thus, configuring the router is easier and faster.

The ability to monitor the router using its internal logging feature also places it one step ahead. You can configure it to send the logged reports through an SMTP gateway to a specific email address at a scheduled time/date or even when the logs are full.

Also another good feature is that the router automatically searches for firmware updates and notifies the administrator via email.

External Storage: SanDisk Cruzer Titanium, 4 GB

2009-01-23T01:59:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago 4 GB USB flash drives were too expensive to consider. But with huge price drops, 4 GB is now the lowest capacity you should consider. Though 1 GB and 2 GB drives are OK for storing office documents, they are heading towards extinction.

While some flash drives are smaller than a fingernail, others are built like battle tanks. Packed in a titanium-coated metal shell, the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium is one of the latter. This drive is so rugged that SanDisk claims it can withstand over 900 kilos of force. It was put through some torture tests to find out how tough this piece of metal is.

The Cruzer Titanium weighs a just over 20 grams and sports a retractable USB plug. The translucent slider button glows blue when plugged in. The drive ships with U3 software and comes with U3 versions of McAfee VirusScan (trial), Skype, CruzerSync and two games. CruzerSync is a file backup utility with the ability to encrypt data.

It was hurled at a concrete wall several times and a bike was driven over it. When it was plugged in, it worked perfectly. The performance was also speedy, with an average read speed of 20 MB/s.

External Storage: Verbatim SmartDisk 120 GB

2009-01-22T02:24:00.000-08:00

With the ever-increasing need for storage space, even high capacity drives are never enough. Investing in an external drive is practical because not only do they allow you to save huge amounts of data, but they are designed for rough use and are still compact enough to carry around.

The Verbatim SmartDisk comes in a neat silver-black plastic casing and is powered over the USB 2.0 interface. It can hold up to 120 GB of data. The casing, though elegantly designed, is a little bulky for a 120 GB. It also feels quite flimsy and doesn’t look like it will be able to handle too much abuse. The sides of the drive light up when it is connected.

The SmartDisk comes preloaded with Nero BackItUp 2 Essentials, a program that allows you to back up and synchronize your data to the drive. It also comes with a double-headed USB cable that allows you to take power from a second USB port in case one alone can’t supply enough.

Rotating at 5400 rpm, the drive’s read and write speeds for a single 2 GB file was around 27 MB/s whereas transferring multiple files of the same size slowed down the transfer rate to 17.5 MB/s.

Speakers: Logitech X-240

2009-01-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

It’s very rare to come across entry-level 2.1 speakers that deliver pristine sound quality. After having tried out plenty of budget entry-level speakers in the past here’s our take on the Logitech X-240, which boasts a total output of 25 watts RMS and some innovative features.

The Logitech X-240 is a 2.1 speaker system comprising a toaster-sized subwoofer, two satellites and a control pod. The satellites are completely sealed units, each housing a single 51 mm driver at the center for delivering mid-range (vocals) and high frequencies (treble). In order to direct the sound to listeners’ ears, the satellites are angled about 75 degrees backwards. The subwoofer is a wooden unit fitted with a 101 mm down-firing driver for delivering low frequencies (bass). There’s a knob behind the subwoofer to adjust the bass level. The control pod connects to the subwoofer with a 1.8 meter wire.

There’s a second wire behind the control pod that connects to the source with a 3.5 mm stereo pin. The control pod features an innovative silver strip, which when pulled out acts a stand for an iPod or other portable audio source. The left side features a line input for such a device, and a headphone jack and volume control knob are also present.

TFT Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster T220

2009-01-20T01:12:00.000-08:00

At the first glance, the T220 comes across as a stylish LCD TV as opposed to a normal 22-inch monitor. The bezel is made of a deep red frame with a transparent hard-plastic coating. Samsung calls it “a touch of color”, to set it apart as a premium lifestyle accessory. The power button is touch sensitive, and regular buttons for the menu, brightness, and selection of video source are placed on the right side of the frame.

With a native resolution of 1680x1050, gaming and watching DVD movies on the T220 are brilliant. The contrast ratio of 1000:1 and response time of 2 ms ensure that images and videos are crisp, vibrant and stutter-free. The back panel is designed to shield the DVI (digital) and VGA (analog) ports, also allowing for good cable management. However, these are the only ports, unlike other monitors which have USB ports and a webcam too.

Apart from the dynamic looks of the T220, the menu interface is quite intuitive and simple to use and the brightness buttons allow adjustment without digging through the whole menu. The Source button allows swapping between inputs.

While winning on looks, the T220 loses points on its build quality. Unfortunately, the narrow neck of the pedestal and the weight of the panel makes the monitor wobble when it is being shifted or when your desk shakes. And the only possible adjustment is a 30-degree backward tilt.

Graphics Card: Palit Radeon HD 4850 Sonic

2009-01-19T02:42:00.000-08:00

Unless you are a hardcore gamer, you don’t need to look any further than the wide range of reasonably priced mid-range graphics cards for smooth game play along with some eye candy in applications. At present, Nvidia’s GeForce 9800 GTX+ and AMD’s Radeon HD 4850 are the hottest deals in this category. Of course the 9800 GTX+ supports additional features such as PhysX and GPU-based computing (CUDA). But the HD 4850 offers a similar level of pure graphics performance at a lower price point which makes it a sweeter deal if you’re on a tight budget.

The biggest problem with the reference design of the HD 4850 has been the unsatisfactory cooling fan, as a result of which temperatures can shoot beyond 80 degrees C. Palit, a Hong Kong-based PC components manufacturer has made a smart move by customizing the HD 4850 with a heat pipe-based active cooler. Any guesses how cool it runs?

The HD 4850 Sonic is factory-overclocked and runs at 685 MHz, a full 10 percent faster than the reference speed. Unlike the reference design, this card requires a dual-slot housing because of the custom cooler which stands 40 mm in height. The cooler is 153 mm wide and is fitted with a 65 mm fan in the center to cool the fins which dissipate heat from the pipes which carry it up from the base.

Graphics Card: Zotac 9500 GT

2009-01-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

Cards built around the 9500 GT can come with either GDDR2 memory running at 500 MHz or GDDR3 at 800 MHz. The Zotac 9500 GT is built around 512 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus. The core speed is 550 MHz, and with 32 stream processors and a 65 nm manufacturing process, this card gives even the 8600 GTS a run for its money. So, budget computer users may rejoice. The Zotac 9500 GT uses stock speeds, but you can choose to pay a little extra and get an overclocked version of this card. In the box, you get adapters for converting DVI to VGA and HDMI, and component and SPDIF cables for video and audio respectively. This card along with its adapters, offers multi-monitor support as its rear panel features two DVI ports and a video out port.

This Zotac card has a single-slot design and no additional power connector is required, which directly translates into lower power consumption and heat dissipation. The active cooling design for the card enables effective cooling.

This card will certainly attract casual gamers, those who want to use Vista’s fancy Aero interface, HTPC enthusiasts who need HD video acceleration more than high-end gaming performance. In fact, the card is an ideal pick for people looking for multiple display output options for an HTPC.

TV Tuner: Avermedia AVerTV DVI Box 1080i

2009-01-17T03:02:00.000-08:00

The AverTV DVI Box lets you watch cable TV on any monitor or plasma/LCD TV which has a DVI input. It can also connect to your graphics card, DVD player or any other video source. With multiple input options, the unit is ideal for entertainment on your desk at home or at work. Let’s take a glance at its impressive feature set.

The AVerTV unit is a little bigger than a CD holder and looks more like a modem or router standing on your desk. It doesn’t demand much space and is easy to install and set up. It comes with a well-written manual for novice computer users. The device displays video feeds received from the cable TV signal as well as a graphics card in your computer, allowing you to toggle between them on your display screen or even watch both simultaneously using PIP mode. This mode uses your desktop as the primary and the cable TV as secondary display. So if you are tired of the monotony at work or you simply want to keep track of the stock market, the PIP mode can really come in handy. In this mode you can also minimize, maximize and change the position and level of transparency of the cable TV frame on the screen.

Motherboard: Biostar TA790GX3 A2+

2009-01-15T02:37:00.000-08:00

The TA790GX3 A2+ has a standard ATX design and is powered by AMD’s 790GX chipset that supports AMD’s quad-core Phenom processors. The chipset is powered by the Radeon HD 3300 graphics core and comes with 128 MB of DDR3-1333 MHz memory integrated into the board.

The board supports hybrid Crossfire that allows you to combine the performance of the IGP with a discrete graphics card. Gamers who are looking for performance have an extra PCIe x16 slot at their disposal and so two discrete graphics cards can run in dual Crossfire mode, but at half the bandwidth. Also the board comes with an auxiliary power connector that allows you to power up your graphics card in case the PCIe power is not enough. Apart from these great features, the board also supports up to 16 GB of DDR2 memory. Another nice touch is that the board sports all-solid capacitors which generate less heat thus increasing the board’s lifespan.

The SB750 southbridge gives the board six SATA ports, Gigabit LAN, 7.1 channel audio, 10 USB ports (six via headers), 1 VGA/DVI output and an HDMI port. The board also has a 4-phase power design that provides steady power to the CPU for better efficiency and stability.

Motherboard: Zotac GeForce 9300

2009-01-14T03:18:00.000-08:00

The 9300 is a mainstream, yet powerful chipset and has an LGA 775 socket that supports most recent Intel CPUs, including Celerons, Pentium 4s and the Core 2 series. We tried dual- and quad-core Core 2 processors, and both worked fine.

With support for Microsoft Windows XP and Vista (32 and 64 bit), the board can hold up to 8 GB of DDR2 RAM running at 800 MHz. The board has DVI and VGA outputs as well as an HDMI for watching HD movies on your LCD TV. 8-channel HD audio is also provided via onboard ports. Other ports include six SATA, one IDE and four USB ports with eight additional internal headers. Expansion slots include one PCIe x16 and two PCI 2.1 slots. Hybrid SLI is supported, in case you want to go that extra mile with graphics. For a FireWire port, an onboard header and a bundled bracket are provided. The package also includes two SATA cables, a user manual, and driver disc.

The most noticeable part of this board is the cooling fan on the chipset, which is required to keep it cool during intensive and continuous usage. The board is well laid out with ample breathing space for the RAM modules and large CPU coolers.

Camcorder: Canon FS11

2009-01-12T00:33:00.000-08:00

Canon’s FS11 flash memory based video camera is one easy-to-use gadget for budding Steven Spielbergs. Excellently built and light-weight, the FS11 is convenient to use and has good ergonomics. The 16 GB of internal flash storage and SDHC card slot give users two flash-based options for storing and sharing their images and video.

The camcorder has excellent build quality with easy-to-use, well-designed buttons. The device has a 2.7-inch wide TFT display with a 5-way directional joystick for menu navigation and five other buttons for playback functions. The device could have done with a touch screen because when the display is rotated, it gets a little odd to use the controls flipped to the top of the panel.

Accessing videos has never been this easy on a video camera. Just plug the camcorder into any computer and a drive letter pops up under ‘My Computer’ so you can copy the videos across. You can burn, share or manage your videos and images using the bundled software. Built using a 1.07-megapixel 1/6-inch CCD sensor, still images can be captured with a decent resolution of 1152 x 864. Though the quality of photos and videos are very much above average, a little fringing of colors in brightly lit areas is noticeable.

Mobile Phone: Nokia N96

2009-01-09T01:04:00.000-08:00

At first glance, the N96 looks like it is a touchscreen device, thanks to the large front face and hidden keypad. However, it’s just like the N95 with a more curvaceous body. The N96 is powered by a powerful 264 MHz Dual ARM9 CPU and 128 MB of RAM. It works on the updated and improved Symbian OS 9.3, (S60, v3.2) operating system. If you step out into the market and ask anyone what the best feature of the N96 is, the most common answer would be the storage capacity. It has a whopping 16 GB of internal memory and supports up to 8 additional GB via a microSD card slot. This adds up to a mammoth 24 GB of storage on a phone!

The 2.8 inch-screen is bright and clear enough to make your media viewing a comfortable experience. Thanks to the little collapsible stand placed around the camera, you can sit back and enjoy your videos in 16 million colors. Besides the large number of supported video formats that the phone can brag about, you can also enjoy DVB-H TV. It also has an FM radio with RDS. Another exciting feature is the great navigation capability of the phone. The built-in GPS is delightful and is complemented by the excellent Nokia Maps application.

Mouse: Level One BLM-3000A

2009-01-07T03:34:00.000-08:00

While most wireless mice operate on infrared and other radio technologies, the Level One BLM-3000A wireless mouse works on the Bluetooth standard. The ergonomics of this optical mouse attracts attention; its jet-black exterior and its slim design give it an added appeal. It features two buttons with a central scroll wheel and it has a LED-based optical sensor although mice with laser sensors have already entered the market.

The mouse is powered by two AAA-sized alkaline batteries, which come bundled along with a Bluetooth dongle, quick setup guide, driver CD and a carry pouch. Setting up the device was child’s play. Install the drivers, follow the instructions and you’re done. While the keys and the scroll wheel responded nicely to touch, its slim yet longer design made the task of operating the device easier. This mouse was easier to use and operate than many laptop mice that we have seen. The keys were nicely spaced and their size was adequate such that they could be pressed easily.

However, the mouse lagged in the performance benchmarks. Although it features a resolution of 800 dpi, its sampling rate was 79 Hz. This is a very low speciﬁcation when compared to that of a PS2 ball mouse with a sampling rate of 95 Hz and far below that of the Microsoft wireless optical mouse 2.0 with a sampling rate of 112 Hz. Its battery life is to reckon with; it lasts for over a month thanks to its power saving features.

External Hard Drive Case: Zippy ET-35UIS

2009-01-05T09:33:00.001-08:00

Zippy ET-35UIS external hard drive case supports not only IDE drives but also SATA drives as against its counterparts. Like most of the 3.5-inch cases, this one too draws power from an adapter bundled in the package. It sports a sleek aluminum shell with a glossy ﬁnish; the rear panel features an on/off switch and a USB port. The advantage of having an external case is the freedom to carry your data wherever you go. Just jam a 3.5-inch IDE or a SATA drive into the case and it turns into a portable drive. Since the drive has support for SATA as well, a SATA cable is pre-ﬁtted on the PCB next to the IDE cable header. Depending on the type of the drive, you can use the bundled Molex or SATA power connector. An IDE cable is provided for IDE drives.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the case, it was tested with the Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 hard drive. Everest Ultimate 2006 was used for synthetic tests. For real-world scores, the transfer speeds of 1 GB single as well as multiple ﬁles between the hard drive and the RAM drive to assess the read and write speeds were recorded.

An 80 GB SATA drive and this case would approximately sum up to Rs 3,900—a great bang for the buck for an external 80 GB drive!

Test Scores:
Everest Ultimate 2006
Sequential Random
Read 32.2 MB/s 32.3 MB/s
Write 26.4 MB/s 26.3 MB/s
Real world
Single ﬁle Multiple ﬁles
Read 31.3 MB/s 28.6 MB/s
Write 28.6 MB/s 25.7 MB/s

Internet Skype Phone: Polycom Communicator C100S

2009-01-04T00:53:00.000-08:00

The Polycom Communicator C100S is specially built to work with one of the most popular applications for Internet telephony—Skype. You can make PC-to-PC calls anywhere in the world using Skype, free of cost. You can also make PC-to-phone calls using Skype but for a small fee that is much less than what you would normally pay for a landline or a cell phone call. The C100S comes with 30 free SkypeOut minutes (used to make calls to landlines) and one-month free Skype voicemail.

The C100S is a hybrid device—it has a speaker on the top, two microphones at the bottom and a 3.5 mm headphone port. You need to ﬁx a ferrite bead at the end of the headphone cable plugging into the device to prevent Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) from affecting the device through the headphone wire. The speciﬁcation of the ferrite bead has also been included.

The C100S connects to the computer using a USB cable. This cable is 3 feet long and wraps itself around the back of the unit making the C100S a truly portable device. The cover of the USB cable enclosure also acts as a stand for the device, placing the device at an angle of 45 degrees from the horizontal surface.

Internal DVD Writer: LiteOn SOHW 1633s

2008-12-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

The LiteOn SOHW 1633s is an internal DVD writer that adheres to the EIDE/ATAPI interface. Although the 1633s is labeled a 16x DVD writer, it is capable of writing DVD+R media at 16x while it writes DVD-R only at 8x speeds. Like most writers, this device has a standard buffer size of 2 MB and features a buffer underrun protection system. This ensures that you will not waste media when trying to write data to it. Like all other drives, it supports DVD+RW and DVD-RW formats at 4x. It can even write to dual layer DVD media at 2.4x. It does not support writing to DVD-RAM media but again its use is rare and buying DVD-RAM media in retail is almost unheard of. It can write to CD media at 48x, which is pretty much standard.

The LiteOn SOHW 1633s is a half height drive, which means it can easily ﬁt even in the cramped spaces of small cabinets as well as small form factor PC systems. It is a no-frills drive without an additional front bezel, which means one cannot match the drive in case the cabinet color is changed. The front side features essentials like the eject switch, a status LED and emergency drive opening hole.

Server Cabinet: VIP ZB01B

2008-12-10T03:17:00.000-08:00

The VIP ZB01B server cabinet looks sexy with its black steel body. This cabinet deﬁnes space at its best—it is big and airy and equipped with the required cooling options. It provides excellent airﬂow, which is the most important factor in choosing a server cabinet as such a cabinet normally has more peripherals compared to a normal PC and therefore requires more efﬁcient cooling and airﬂow.

The front bezel of the cabinet swings open like a door, giving you access to the four optical drive slots and the power buttons. Each slot has a 120 mm fan at the front and the back; these work as the intake and exhaust fans respectively. The fan positioned right beside the hard drive cage when used as a RAID array helps in lowering the temperatures of the storage subsystem. Another neat feature is the mounting of the hard drive, ﬂoppy drive and the optical drives; just push in the side plates on the respective drives and slide them into the respective drive bays. The cabinet has a unique locking system for the expansion cards for which no extra tools are required. There are two extra slots for two 80 mm fans on the sides of the cabinet.

Memory: Kingston HyperX KHX8500D2K2/1G

2008-12-02T03:43:00.000-08:00

With the introduction of AMD’s Socket AM2 platform, all the new platforms (Intel and AMD) support only DDR-2 memory. Also, with the release of Microsoft Windows Vista and Ofﬁce 2007, memory requirements will take a giant leap. You will require at least a gigabyte of memory to run Windows Vista without any hiccups. Frequency up to 667 MHz can provide enough juice to a basic system. But if you are an enthusiast, high frequency and tight memory timings are what you will need. Aimed at enthusiasts, the Kingston KHX8500D2K2/1G is a 1 GB low-latency dual-channel memory kit. It comes as a matched pair of 512 MB modules having a frequency of 1066 MHz and timing of 5-5-5-15. To dissipate the heat at high frequencies, the modules come ﬁtted with aluminum heat-spreaders.

Higher bandwidth hardly makes any difference in games with two or three additional frames. However, you need it for multi-tasking and resource-hungry applications. By default, platforms can support a maximum frequency of 800 MHz. To push it further, motherboard and processor clock speeds need to be bumped using multipliers and FSB settings in the BIOS. The advantage of having a frequency of 1066 MHz is that the memory can handle tighter timings at high speeds thereby offering greater ﬂexibility while over clocking.

Web Camera: Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000

2008-11-18T03:41:00.000-08:00

The VX-6000 is Microsoft’s new web cam integrated with the new Windows Live Messenger. It also works on Yahoo and other similar instant messengers. The new avatar of Windows Live Messenger has a separate module for video chatting, very similar to that of Skype.

Software installation is pretty straight forward—pop in the disc and install the software and drives. Remember that you need to install the software before you plug it in. Microsoft cautions users with the removable bright green fluorescent tag on the USB adapter and a prompt to install the software ﬁrst. OS compatibility is with Windows XP only. The web cam comes with a flat circular stand that allows it to easily perch on CRT monitors. For LCD monitors, the base opens up imparting a nice tight grip.

One distinctive features of the web cam is its ability to record high-deﬁnition videos at a resolution of 1.3 megapixels (1280x1024 pixels). Note that the regular CRT television resolution is 640x480 pixels. Still images can be interpolated up to 5 megapixels. Video can be recorded at 30 fps. Recording at such a resolution comes handy if you are into video blogging. Another cool feature is face-tracking. The web cam follows your face as you move within its 71-degree wide-angle frame.

Motherboard: ECS KA3 MVP Extreme

2008-11-14T02:54:00.001-08:00

ECS EliteGroup is known for manufacturing feature-rich and cost-effective motherboards. The KA3 MVP Extreme is their first Socket AM2 (successor to Socket 939) board to hit the market. This is a CrossFire board that uses ATI’s Xpress 3200 chipset with two PCI-e 16x slots. A single PCI-e 1x and 2 PCI slots are also squeezed onto the ATX board.

The Northbridge and Southbridge have passive heat sinks—the latter being very small in height and size. A 40 mm fluorescent yellow exhaust fan blows heat from the voltage regulators out of the board. As far as package contents are concerned, this board comes packed with SATA cables, an extra USB/Firewire panel, an additional parallel port bracket and an eSATA bracket. An additional BIOS chip has been provided that can be used to flash problematic ﬁrmware.

This is one colorful board. The PCB is purple and on it you will see orange, red, yellow ochre, blue, bright yellow and green. To complete this riot of color, the PCI slots are accompanied with flashing blue diagnostic LEDs. At first glance, the board seems bare with minimum clutter and open space between the memory, Northbridge and the CPU. The 16x PCI-express slots are positioned too close to each other and they are separated by a 1x PCI-e slot and a CMOS battery. There should have been enough space to house two cards with large heat sinks.

External TV Tuner Card: Leadtek Winfast Palm Top TV

2008-11-11T03:39:00.000-08:00

Leadtek’s Winfast Palm Top TV is an external TV tuner power house. This device is so tiny that it looks like a small car without wheels and fits snuggly in your palm. A complete media center, it substitutes your TV, FM, and VCR. To use the FM function, you will have to connect an external antenna. The main software which controls the tuner is called WinFast PVR. It is easy to use and comes with a manual.

The Palm Top device doesn’t need an external power supply as all other TV tuner cards do. To power the device, all you have to do is plug it into your computer’s USB port. Next, after setting up the device and the software, is tuning the channels. The user gets to specify the region, which gives the device preset instructions to speed tuning. The tuning is real fast—it takes not more than a minute to tune 100 channels.

One unique feature incorporated in the device is Picture-in-Picture (PIP), using which the channels can be categorized as per your requirements. You can watch two channels at one time; although that’s a tad difficult, Winfast PVR allows you to view one main screen and one sub screen at the same time. Befitting the perfect media center experience, this device allows you to pause, rewind live television and play instant replays. Take your breaks during a TV show or movie and never miss a scene again.

Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon X1900XTX

2008-10-18T05:19:00.000-07:00

The Sapphire Radeon X1900XTX features the R580 core GPU which is the same as that of the X1900 series with the exception of a bumped up clock speed of 650 MHz. This additional 50 MHz comes handy in games that rely on pure GPU clock speeds.

The card features 512 MB of GDDR3 memory, which is pretty much standard with most recent graphics solutions. The memory clock has been beefed up and it runs at 775 MHz. What sets this card apart from others is its 48 pixel shader processors, which increase the performance of shader-heavy games.

Another great feature is that it supports FSAA and HDR simultaneously. For games that support HDR and FSAA, this feature provides for great visuals.

The Sapphire Radeon X1900XTX features an actively cooled, copper-based heatsink, thereby providing cooling to the GPU as well as the GDDR3 memory. It ensures overclockability without losing out on stability.

The heatsink is designed in a way that it channels the hot air directly out of the chassis unlike the stock Nvidia cooling system that retains the hot air inside the cabinet system. The card features two DVI connectors and an S-video connector for connecting display devices like TV.

Multimedia Smartphone: Nokia N91

2008-09-29T04:12:00.000-07:00

Apart from providing storage space for over a thousand songs, the N91 comes loaded with some powerful features. Its "active desktop" is similar to that of the N70 with shortcuts to contacts, messages, calendar, visual radio, camera and the built-in web browser. You will never run out of space for saving all your contacts-30 MB is quite generous. It is a 3rd edition Series 60 phone that comes installed with Symbian OS v9.1.

On the messaging and e-mail front, the phone supports POP3, SMTP and IMAP accounts. This means you can access mail accounts that use any of these protocols. Photos taken with the 2 MP camera produces decent results at 1600x1200. Video clips are recorded at a maximum resolution of 352x288.

Real Player is used to play any video you record onto this device. It supports the video that is encoded in H.263, 3GPP or MPEG-4 format. The phone supports an array of popular PC and mobile formats for playing music such as MP3, AAC, AAC+, WAV, WMA, M4A, AWB and AMR.

The N91's shell is made of stainless steel; the overall build of the phone with a sliding mechanism is excellent. The buttons on the phone are placed for easy single-handed use.

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S182

2008-09-26T04:50:00.001-07:00

Samsung is the first company to release a DVD writer with a write speed of 18X. The DVD writer uses the OCTO edge technology which allegedly delivers improved performance. This writer supports all the CD/DVD media available in the market including single layer and dual layer media. It has a write speed of 18X for both DVD+R and DVD-R. The drive has a write speed of 8X for Dual Layer DVD+R and DVD-R, which is the highest for any writer at present.

This drive also has a DVD-RAM write speed of 12X. In addition to all these, Samsung has incorporated plenty of new technologies like the SAT (Speed Adjustment Technology), TAC (Tilt Actuator Compensation) and Double OPC (Optimum Power Control) into this drive. It also has the mandatory buffer under run protection which is a norm in all drives these days.

It takes a spiffy 7.27 minutes to write 4.34 GB of data using Nero at a 16X write speed. Samsung does not bundle any 18X media with this drive.

It takes the drive 7.57 minutes to read an entire 4.34 GB DVD. It clocks 2.05 minutes to extract a 1 GB VOB file using DVD Decryptor during the DVD video file extraction test.

It takes just 86 seconds to rip three tracks from an audio CD. The Nero CD-DVD Speed Tool also delivers impressive results, clocking an average speed of 12.2X.

Hard Drive Case: Vantec NexStar 3 NST-360SU

2008-09-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Today, there are a multitude of hard drive cases available in the market. Most of them take in a 3.5-inch parallel ATA hard drive and interface with the PC through the Hi-speed USB 2.0 interface. Other than this, they are pretty much head-to-head in performance. The only way manufacturers can add value to these devices, is by throwing in a couple of extra features.

The NST-360SU is Vantec's latest addition to their NexStar series of external hard drive cases which have always been a class apart. It features a glossy "Onyx Black" body with a mirror finish. Unlike most cases which are meant for parallel ATA hard drives, this one supports SATA hard drives. To use the drive, you simply need to power up the case with a power adapter and connect it to a USB port.

What sets this drive apart from its counterparts is the inclusion of an eSATA port on the rear panel. This means you can even connect the device directly to an eSATA port if your motherboard supports it.

If your motherboard doesn’t feature an eSATA port, you can still enjoy blazing transfer speeds using the bundled SATA to eSATA bracket. A stand to keep the drive standing vertical is the icing on the cake.

External TV Tuner: Pinnacle PCTV Pro USB

2008-09-10T05:28:00.000-07:00

Pinnacle has released its latest innovation in the external TV tuner card category, the Pinnacle PCTV Pro USB. The PCTV Pro is small enough to sit comfortably in the palm of your hand and its silver body will look perfect on your desk.

The PCTV Pro can be connected to your PC using a USB cable; it supports high-speed USB 2.0. You can connect your antenna or your cable connection to the port on the rear of the tuner. At the front you will find the audio connector, two video connectors and the video input. The S-Video input can be used to connect your camcorder, video recorder or DVD player, from which you can view your videos or even edit them. You can use any video device that delivers an S-Video signal or a composite video signal in PAL, NTSC or SECAM irrespective of the video system used as input to that device.

The PCTV Pro has an infrared remote that gives you access to all your entertainment needs from a comfortable distance. The PCTV Pro comes with the Pinnacle MediaCenter software that offers features like TimeShifting and direct-to-DVD or hard drive recording. This tuner supports formats like MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and DivX.

Wireless IP Camera: Level1 WCS-2030 wireless IP camera

2008-09-09T04:12:00.000-07:00

The WCS-2030 is basically a video surveillance system which transmits images using the TCP/IP protocol. It basically uses a digital sensor to capture data unlike a CCTV camera which typically uses the analog mode of data capture. It uses a 10/100 Mbps high speed Ethernet as well as an 802.11g based wireless system to transmit captured data. This leads to seamless integration with an existing computer network system.

Although the camera is capable of recording VGA-quality video, it can only do so at 10 fps. So objects that move really fast and really close to the camera, even if they are captured, will only show up as a blur. The frame rates can be increased by lowering the resolution to 320 x 280.

The device features a 4 mm lens with an aperture size of F/2. This implies that the camera will be able to take in a wide field of view. It also implies that the camera should be able to capture images in low light conditions. It also features an omni-directional microphone for recording audio.

The image quality of this camera is above average though not exceptional. It picks up details even in low light conditions, although it has some trouble detecting motion in those situations.

PC Case: Cooler Master Elite 300

2008-09-08T04:04:00.000-07:00

When it comes to products related to cooling, Cooler Master is a relatively well known brand. They have introduced a new ATX cabinet which keeps up with Cooler Master’s motto of cooling.

The Cooler Master Elite 300 is a sleek black ATX cabinet which has a 350 Watts Thermal Master Power supply unit installed in the cabinet. The front bezel of the cabinet has a black mesh which gives this cabinet a very interesting look. This cabinet is built solidly and is very sturdy in design. The Elite 300 provides you with a tool free design which allows for quick assembly and maintenance for all your peripherals.

Since the front panel is designed with a steel mesh, this provides you with superior airflow which in turn enhances your cooling performance. The front panel has a sexy blue power light which improves the overall look of the chassis.

The cabinet has two 120 mm fans-one in the front and the other at the back. These fans are pretty quiet and provide ample cooling. Another USP of the front panel is that it makes it easier to clean the front air filter. This drive has another good feature-the mounting of all your removable drives like your floppy drive, hard drive and CD/DVD drive has been made very easy.

Multi-Functional Device: Canon PIXMA MP530

2008-09-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

The MP530 succeeds the MP500 in Canon’s Pixma series of ‘all-in-one’ multifunctional device. The MP530 multifunction device differs from the latter in size and weight (it is larger and heavier). It has an automatic document feeder and doubles as your fax machine but lacks a flash media reader. It also has support for cameras that are PictBridge or ExifPrint compliant. So, you can connect your digital camera directly to the printer.

This bulky printer comes fitted with foldable input/output trays, while the ADF and CD/DVD tray needs to be fixed manually prior to software installation. Driver CDs for Windows-based and Mac-based computers are also provided.

The MP530 is a silent printer though due to its weight and the speed at which it prints documents it will need to be placed on a stable surface to avoid undue sideways movements. It was able to print ten sheets of text in 57 seconds while a standard quality print pushed the time to 1 minute 20 seconds. There were no signs of ink smudging and the grey scales were accurately reproduced.

The 48-bit depth scanner produces quality scans. Photo quality prints are excellent. The copier can be controlled completely via the control panel.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-945GM S2

2008-09-04T04:28:00.001-07:00

This board supports up to 2 GB of maximum memory which should be more than sufficient for most practical purposes whether you are a designer or a power user. The board also supports one IDE connector for your optical drive and 4 x 3 Gbps SATA connectors which provide ample growth for your storage needs. This setup would only be ideal if you used a single optical drive on the IDE connector and a SATA hard drive for storage.

This board does not support RAID so if you are a casual user, it won’t make too much of a difference. Although, the motherboard has onboard graphics, it also has a single PCI-E 16x slot for adding an additional graphics card which would keep gamers happy.

The motherboard comes with two additional PCI slots and a single PCI-E 1x slot as expandability options. You can easily plug an additional TV tuner card into the extra PCI slot. A Realtek 8111B GbE chip provides network connectivity and ensures that your motherboard integrates seamlessly into you gigabit Ethernet office network.

An ALC883 sound processor provides 7.1 channel audio to ensure that users can make full use of your multi-channel speaker system. As far as adding peripherals are concerned, this motherboard supports the RS232 and the parallel port.

iPOD Speakers: Altec Lansing inMotion 9 iPOD

2008-08-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Altec Lansing IM9 is a portable speaker system designed with the iPOD in mind. The USP of this device is its compact form factor-it is only 76 mm thick which makes it slimmer than most speakers in this category. The jet black color with silver corners lends the device an understated appeal. It is almost as small as a notebook but slightly thicker. The center of the speaker system contains a recessed area into which the iPOD can dock.

The top of the speaker system features the power button, volume controls and the eject button which opens out the iPOD tray. The buttons are seamlessly integrated into the speakers, but the volume controls fail to impress as they are hard and not so responsive.

Although the speakers are lightweight and portable, one strongly misses a handle that could have been fixed on the rear side of the speakers without compromising the shape and build quality. However, it does include a backpack for carrying it around. A rear flap is provided which helps the speakers stay vertical. They can be placed flat as well.

The battery in the speaker system lasts for almost a day. This should get you through your entire picnic but if you are planning to take it on a long trip, be sure to carry extra battery packs along. As far as the sound quality is concerned, the lows and the mid-frequency ranges are not up to the mark.

Portable Media Player: Kingston K-PEX 100

2008-08-29T03:22:00.000-07:00

The K-PEX 100 may remind you of a hand-held gaming device. You can play games on it, but you can do a whole lot more besides-you can listen to songs, watch videos and movies, share photos, listen to the radio, and even read text files. To squeeze in all your media files, the player packs in 2 GB of flash memory. If that is not enough, you can slide in a miniSD card and boost its storage capacity. The player supports most of the popular audio and video formats.

Apart from MP3 and Wav which all players support, it can also handle WMA, Ogg and Audio ASF formats. Video formats include MPEG-1 and 2, ASF, WMV and AVI. The K-PEX 100 also boasts of support for line-in and voice recording, as well as an integrated speaker. If you have media files on a USB flash drive, you can play them off the drive using the USB host feature. Finally, you can enjoy the show on its slick 5 cm TFT display.

Like its feature set, the list of accessories runs long. The player comes with a protective silicone case, USB host cable, line-in cable and lanyard. To top it off, you get a bundled 256 MB miniSD card with a miniSD adapter free.

Mobile Phone: Nokia 6131

2008-08-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

The Nokia 6131 is a Symbian Series 40 (3rd edition) which comes with a decent set of features. Though this phone looks like a higher-end version of the 6101, it is the successor to the Nokia 6125. The 6131's special feature is the button near the hinge on the top right hand corner of the phone. Pressing it opens the clamshell phone instantly, making it easier for single-handed use. (But you will hear a rather unsophisticated "click" when you do that.

The phone comes equipped with a vibrant internal LCD display, capable of reproducing 16 million colors. The external 256,000 display is also sharp and text is legible. There is 11 MB of phone memory available to enter up to 1000 contacts. There is no way you will ever run out of address space. Additional memory in the form of a microSD slot is provided, which can be inserted/removed without switching off the phone. You can transfer files via the Pop-port to the PC or bluetooth/infrared. Audio formats like AAC, MP3 and WMA can also be stored on the phone or on microSD as the built-in media player supports them. Games like Soccer 3D and Sudoku are a welcome change from the usual Nokia fare.

The Nokia 6131's user interface is quick and intuitive. Since this phone runs on the Series 40 platform, there is no way to keep any application running in the background. Audio playback over the speakerphone is good while the earphones could have been better, as they have a tacky appearance.

Media Center PC: Lenovo 3000Q

2008-08-26T04:48:00.000-07:00

The stylish all-silver Lenovo 3000Q is powered by the Intel Pentium 4 640 3.2 GHz processor on the Intel 945G platform. Being a mainstream PC, it sports 512 MB of DDR2 memory, a 160 GB SATA hard drive and a 16X DVD combo drive. Even though the motherboard has integrated graphics, the PC comes fitted with a 128 MB GeForce 6200 graphics card for better gaming performance. The gorgeous 20-inch 16:10 widescreen display with a native resolution of 1680x1050 will allow you to enjoy high-definition content and wide-screen gaming.

The most striking feature is the Digital Media Platform and the Jog Dial which allow the user to switch between music, movies, games or live TV. The Digital Media Platform integrates all the features of the Windows Media Center including the looks. Apart from the Jog Dial with its illuminated ring, the base of the monitor sports audio and mic jacks, along with 5 USB ports on its sides.

Considering the system configuration, the performance of the system is very good. But there are quirks which need serious attention. Since the graphics card doesn’t feature DVI output, the video interface is analog, even though the monitor has DVI input. Also, the TV tuner card doesn’t have an integrated FM tuner and there is no bundled IR remote control either.

Memory Card Reader: Kingston MobileLite 9-in-1

2008-05-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

As the name suggests, the MobileLite is indeed a convenient multi-format card reader that can be flaunted like a fancy keychain. As opposed to standard desktop card readers, this one boasts of a cool USB flash drive form factor. Plug it directly into a USB port and you can start transferring music, videos, and data.

Its versatility lets you use a range cards from devices like mobile phones, digital cameras etc. Let’s look at the features to check which cards are supported by Kingston’s newbie.

FEATURES and BUILD QUALITY

The unit features sliding plastic tabs to hold the cards in their slots—very useful, and they also protect the cards from damage. The plastic used for the shell and the interiors seems to be durable. This card reader has the provision for a neck strap for carrying it around, also ensuring that the cap doesn’t get misplaced. The MobileLite supports SD/SDHC, microSD, miniSD, MMC, RS-MMC, MMCplus, and MMCmicro cards. It’s understood that in a compact form factor like this, integrating a CF card slot isn’t possible, but Memory Stick support would surely have added a sparkling gem to this Kingston’s crown.

Copying 1 GB of music (approximately 250 songs) from a PC to a miniSD and microSD card took around 4 minutes and 7 minutes respectively, while reading the same amount of data took around 2 and 6 minutes respectively which shows it has
good speed.

VERDICT

The Kingston MobileLite 9-in-1 is an excellent buy if you want a fast multi-card reader in a compact form factor. And if you have memory cards lying around waiting to be used, just slide them in and you effectively have a USB flash drive!

Hard Disk: Western digital AV 500 GB

2008-05-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

The WD5000AVJS is a 500 GB desktop hard drive belonging to the Western Digital AV family. While drives from this family are compatible with desktop PCs, they are specially designed for digital video recording products such as digital video recorders (DVRs) and set-top boxes (STBs) as well as surveillance video recording applications. Due to the demanding nature of AV applications, these drives are blazingly fast. Hence, tasks like capturing and streaming multiple audio and video files simultaneously are a cakewalk for this little speed demon.

FEATURES

The WD5000AVJS boasts the highest capacity in the AV family—other available capacities are 80, 160, 250, and 320 GB. Being the largest, it has three platters of 166 GB each, spinning at 7200 rpm. The drive employs a number of innovative techniques to optimize seek speeds and lower noise emission and power consumption. The most striking feature is IntelliSeek—using this feature, the drive optimizes the movement of the actuator so that the head reaches the sector it needs just in time to read or write the next piece of information—this reduces power consumption. Another interesting feature is Preemptive Wear Leveling, which reduces uneven wear on the platter surface caused by repetitive read or write, by frequently sweeping the drive arm over it.

VERDICT

Buy this hard drive if your applications demand high read/write speeds and you won’t be disappointed.

PC Case: Zebronics Fat Cat

2008-04-23T04:55:00.000-07:00

Merely sharing a name with our editor won’t guarantee the Marco high marks, so Zebronics has added some cool features to this computer case. The Zebronics Marco has an LCD display and some new and interesting booting capabilities.

FEATURES

The front panel of the Marco has a big round power button that looks like a volume control, but is unfortunately very easy to hit accidentally. The power supply is uniquely placed on the front of the case. However, the power connector is placed in its usual place on the rear panel. This new arrangement requires the optical drives to be placed a bit lower than the positions in other cases with the same size. This necessitates a reduction in the number of optical drives to two 5.25-inch and two 3.5-inch drive bays in the case.

Installation is a breeze and its arrangement helps with cable management for most motherboards. Since the power supply is placed directly above the drives, there are no power cables going across from one end of the case to another.

The Marco’s power supply is rated at 400 W and is very stable. The idle voltages are 12.36 and 5.20 Volts for the 12 and 5 V rails respectively, while the output at full load was 12.20 Volts.

The cables are adequately long, though few in number. There are no six pin SATA or even PCI-E power connectors. The Marco’s power supply won’t be able to handle any high-end graphics cards.

The LCD on the front panel shows the current time with a clock that runs independent of the computer—this can feel strange as it requires you to set the time in two places on the same computer. Below the display are controllers for two fans, one of which comes with the case. There is a 120 mm intake fan on the sliding side panel and space for two more 80 mm fans on the rear panel. The front panel also has two USB ports and two 3.5 mm jacks for headphones and a mic.

BUILD QUALITY

The internals of the case are rounded in most places. The hard drives are mounted on easily removable plastic rails that enable tool free installation. The drives themselves go inside a drive cage that is securely bolted in the cabinet.

The USB headers are configured for standard motherboards and do not require the user to go through the usually arcane user manuals.

VERDICT

The Zebronics Marco is pretty good with all its functions and unique internal layout. However, it is surely a little overpriced, considering small touchés such as the absence of SATA power connectors.

Network Attached Storage: Buffalo Linkstation Live

2008-04-17T00:11:00.000-07:00

The Buffalo LinkStation Live 250 GB is the latest in Buffalo’s range of Network Attached Storage (NAS). This device is the size of an average dictionary. Small yet powerful, this little baby can store all your data and multimedia files in one location. This is one of the smallest NAS devices we’ve tested so far.

FEATURES

The Buffalo LinkStation Live 250 GB is wealthy in features. Like its predecessors, this model also has built-in FTP and iTunes media server functionality. However, this device has only one Ethernet port to connect to your local network. In comparison, the Buffalo Terastation Pro II has two Ethernet ports so that you can connect to both, a local network, for local data storage, and the Internet, to access your data anywhere in the world. All the data that is stored on the device can be secured with usernames and passwords.

Another feature embedded in this NAS device is the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) media server capability. This feature is used to stream audio, music, or video from a common storage device to any household streaming-capable audio or video device, such as a television, handheld media players, or a computer via wired or wireless LAN. To know more about DLNA certification, visit ‘http://www.dlna.org’. To find products that are DLNA certified, visit ‘http://certiication.dlna.org/products’.

Storage on the device is handled by a SATA hard drive spinning at 7200 RPM. Sadly the device has the facility to accommodate only one hard drive, limiting the storage space. This drive can be replaced only by a trained professional, unless you can do it yourself, but you may void the warranty of the device by this action. You can always use the USB port on the rear of the device to connect an external lash drive or storage device and expand the storage space capacity. In addition, you can use the device as a print server over the local area network.

PERFORMANCE

Although configuring the device is very user friendly, the web browser interface is a tad slow. The LinkStation Live 250 GB can be configured to use either the XFS or EXT3 file system. It can be connected to Apple and Windows machines since it runs on Linux configured with Samba.

Additionally, this device can be triggered to beep so that it can be physically located in a large house or office. The LEDs on the front panel can be configured to glow at five different levels of brightness, and to glow only at night to save power.

VERDICT

The Buffalo LinkStation Live 250 GB is a nice and compact NAS for office and home use with built-in FTP and media server capabilities.

Speakers: Logitech Z-10

2008-04-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

The standard of desktop audio just got raised! The Logitech Z-10 speakers look good, sound good, and fee good. They’re powerful enough to fill the space around a normal computer desk with quality sound. Rated at 30 Watts RMS, the Z-10 can be pretty loud.

FEATURES

The speakers have two bi-amped drivers each, with reflex ports on the rear. This requires the speakers to be positioned with an object or wall behind them for good bass response. When placed correctly, the frequency response is tight and impresses on all fronts. The lows go down well and the highs do not distort. The speakers have a decent amount of stereo imaging. The sound stage is so wide that it can feel like sounds are emerging from behind you. The speakers connect to a computer via USB, and work as their own sound card.

The digital USB connection bypasses your computer’s soundcard, which means that a pure audio signal reaches the speakers. The sound is actually processed inside the speakers—it is unaffected by a range of external factors. If you have run out of USB ports on your computer or if you want to connect your MP3 player to the speakers, you can use the alternative standard 3.5 mm connector. There is also a headphone jack on the right speaker for late-night listening sessions.

The USB connection also works as an interface for the packaged LCD monitor software that allows you to display information such as CPU and RAM usage or the current date and time. The amber-colored LCD can also be used to display current track information, and the onboard buttons can control playback. The driver disc installs plugins for most popular media players including iTunes, Winamp, and MusicMatch Jukebox. The display system in use is the same as the one used in Logitech’s G15 keyboard—this makes it compatible with all the modifications and plugins available online. This also presents a problem as only one display can be used by the software at a time, so if you just happen to have a G15 keyboard, you’ll lose the functionality of one of them.

BUILD QUALITY

The speakers are well built and feel really solid, almost like professional-grade monitoring systems. They have a pretty large profile, making them look impressive on any computer desk. The front panel is glossy and adds to the aesthetic value of the speakers. To maintain the look, Logitech has bundled a lint-free cloth to wipe away dust and fingerprint marks that will accumulate very quickly. All the controls on the speaker are touch-sensitive, so there is no question of them getting damaged or wearing out. This has its own set of problems, and can be quite a pain as the controls are activated even if they are touched by wires or papers strewn across the desk. The power supply is built inside the left speaker. The speaker’s power cord, however, is not replaceable.

VERDICT

The speakers perform really well and look extremely good. The USB-based connection is something new in India and it works! Go ahead and buy these if you can afford them as we highly doubt you’ll get to see anything more impressive.

Wireless Media Streamer: Pinnacle PCTV To Go HD Wireless

2008-03-06T22:12:00.000-08:00

The Pinnacle PCTV To Go is a device that streams video from a video source such as a DVD player, set-top box, handy cam, or PC to any Wi-Fi enabled device. A video player program—PCTV To Go Player—is bundled with it. You can install the player on your PC or laptop and watch the video that is streamed from the PCTV To Go device.

In addition to being your online TV screen, the PCTV To Go Player has a number of features that enhance your viewing experience. With it, you and other viewers on your network can connect to a video stream from any number of such devices that it detects on the network You can pause or rewind live content and control the features of your video source using an on-screen remote control. You can record and save video clips to an online album to either play back later or to burn it on to a DVD.

You can also adjust video quality or switch to another video source. If you connect the PCTV To Go to the Internet, you can stream your videos to anywhere in the world.

FEATURES

Setting up the PCTV To Go is quite simple. All you need to do is connect the cables from your video source to the device and then connect the device to the network via a standard CAT-5 or Wi-Fi. Once you have made the connections properly, you need to install the bundled software on the computers on which you would like to view the streamed content.

The device features composite, S and component video (for HD content from an HD source) as well as stereo audio inputs and outputs. There are two WLAN antennas and one 100 Mbps Ethernet port to connect to an existing network. It also has a video output to connect to a television. If the television supports Wi-Fi streaming, it can be connected to the device wirelessly. However, Pinnacle PCTV To Go Player runs only on the Windows operating system.

An infrared transmitter is included in the package which can be positioned facing your video source. You can control the transmitter through the device using the remote control feature available in the Pinnacle PCTV To Go Player. This software supports remote controls for any model of DVD players or set-top boxes currently available in the market.

PERFORMANCE

The software automatically searches the network for a PCTV To Go device and starts playing the streaming content. It is possible to pause, record, and replay the streaming content. The audio and video quality of the device is good, and you can watch the content in both normal and wide screen modes.

On a laptop, it is able to detect the device over a relatively long range. The range of the device can be extended by installing access points, but the results we got would be sufficient for even a relatively big house.

VERDICT

If you have a large family, PCTV To Go is a great device for you. It can stream content to all the family members’ rooms. However, the whole family will have to watch the same content as the device does not support multiple video streaming. Though the device is a tad expensive, it gives you the option to pause live content and record it for viewing later.

Printer: Canon Pixma iP2580

2008-03-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

Multifunction devices hit the sweet spot on all counts when it comes to investing in a printer— you get a printer, scanner and copier in an all round package. These devices have become so affordable that you can get one for a price as low as Rs 4,500. This amount is much less than what you would have to shell out for an individual printer and a scanner. However, if your budget is tight or you’re constrained by space on your desktop and need a plain Jane inkjet printer, here is something interesting that Canon has to offer.

FEATURES

The Canon Pixma iP2580 is an inkjet printer packed in a glossy black shell with silver highlights on its sides. The printer looks like a slim rectangular plastic block until you lift the upper half of its top cover to expose the sheet feeder. When positioned upright, it acts as a support for papers stacked vertically in the feeder, which can hold 100 sheets.

The two buttons with integrated LED indicators on the top left of the printer are the only controls available—one is a power switch and the other is the resume button. Even though the design is compact, the printer will eat into your desk’s real estate due to a simple flaw in design—there’s no paper-out tray. This means, the paper will land on the floor if you place the printer on the front edge of your desk. Hence, ensure you can spare enough space for paper to roll out before buying this printer.

To install the cartridges, you have to lift the entire top cover which opens like a car’s bonnet. This brings the carriage to the extreme left into a special space chiseled only for installing cartridges. Both the tri-color and the black cartridges have integrated heads. The maximum print resolution (color) supported by the printer is 4800x1200 dpi.

PERFORMANCE

The printer takes around 20 seconds to initialize after being switched on. Apart from being able to print a borderless 4x6-inch photo within 55 seconds, this printer doesn’t claim much. The iP2580 boasts a speed of 13 ppm for black (normal mode) and 7.8 ppm for mixed text/color graphics (normal mode). Surprisingly, it could roll out only 6 ppm and 2 ppm respectively in our tests. It took exactly 55 seconds to print a 4x6-inch borderless photo in normal mode.

It would be unfair to compare the results of this printer to that of a photo printer. However, at this price, the output quality is highly commendable. The color reproduction is excellent with good overall contrast. It gets slightly better in the best quality mode, as the grey tones improve a bit. The formation of text is also quite sharp even in draft mode. Overall, this printer is satisfactory.

VERDICT

Pick the Pixma iP2580 if you want an easy-to-use inkjet printer that can deliver great results at a sweet price.

Graphics Card: XFX GeForce 8600 Gt Fatal1ty

2008-02-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a modest GPU with good value for money and performance enough to satisfy your average gaming needs, then the XFX 8600GT Fatal1ty will interest you. It has a beautiful fanless cooling design and above-average performance for a mid-range card.

The 8600GT Fatal1ty is basically a factory-overclocked version of the stock 8600 GT GPU. While the stock 8600GT has its core clocked at 540 MHz and memory at 1400 MHz, XFX soups up the Fatal1ty with a core speed of 620 MHz and memory clock running at 1700 MHz The 8600 GT Fatal1ty has 32 unified shader units, full support for DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0 like its brethren from the GeForce 8 family. The two dual-link DVI outputs support resolutions of up to 2560x1600. Nvidia’s PureVideo HD technology ensures that you never encounter hiccups while playing high-definition content on your PC.

The brilliantly designed passive cooling system is very impressive. The heatsink is placed on top of the GPU core and it is connected with heatpipes to aluminum cooling fns situated on top of the card which dissipate heat faster and more effectively. Even though the cooling system is passive, it does its job seamlessly. You will not hear a sound as there are no fans, and the card will stay cool too! This card borrows its design from the XFX 7600 GT Fatal1ty.

Colin McRae Dirt stresses the card to the max, and in the 1280x1024 test with 2x AA enabled, it was able to give only 13 FPS! With a resolution of 1024x768, and settings at high, the game was playable without any stutter.

It performs seamlessly on mainstream games, and with standard settings it even does justice to current high-end games. I wouldn’t recommend this card for gaming enthusiasts, but for the average gamer, the XFX 8600GT Fatal1ty is a brilliant buy.

Projector: Canon Multimedia Projector lV-7265

2008-02-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

Presenters ahoy, the Canon LV-7265 is a projector that surely targets heavy PowerPoint users. Let’s scan through its features.

FEATURES

The projector’s display unit is based on three 0.63-inch TFT LCD panels it by a 200 Watt, 2500 lumen lamp. It claims to offer a contrast ratio of 600:1, and a native resolution of 1024x768.

The projector weighs around 3 Kg, has a footprint of 12 x 10-inch and can be attached to a ceiling if necessary. It has three adjustable legs allowing it to be placed on uneven surfaces.

The projector has inputs for VGA, DVI, S-Video, and Composite video sources, and has a VGA output to connect an additional display. In addition, it supports High Definition Content Protection (HDCP), for viewing copy-protected HD content. The menu is well laid out and includes options for everything from auto keystone correction and color balance adjustment to changing the color of the ‘no signal’ error screen. These menus also have meters that show the lamp life, and reminders to clean the air filters.

The contrast ratio of the projector is impressive, and the output is clearly visible even in a well lit room. Response time is excellent, with no ghosting. This projector is not suitable for watching movies even though it can support 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, because the color balance and skin tones aren’t very good. The blues are a bit restrained and skin tones have a slight green tan to them. The LV-7265 took a boring 55 seconds to power up which is quite long, but it powered down in 35 seconds fat.

The projector’s manual is too basic. It offers only a setup guide and a few maintenance procedures such as replacing the air filter and lamp. There is a chart included that lists the image sizes you’ll get depending on how far the projector is placed from your screen. The package also includes a 6-feet long VGA cable, a power cable, and an IR remote control. There’s also a USB to IR dongle so you can control your presentation on a PC with the same remote without any need for a driver. The remote also has controls to go through each and every menu item on the projector’s menu screens. In addition, it has buttons for zooming into part of a frame, volume control for the built-in 5 W speaker, and a no-show button to quickly blank out the projector. A common feature that is missing here is a simple laser pointer on the remote—an invaluable tool for presentations.

VERDICT

This is a superb projector for presenters and instructors, and doesn’t need a dark room for presentations.

Mobile Phone: Nokia E65

2008-02-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

Nokia’s E Series phones have come to define the quintessential business application device. Sporting a host of features on the connectivity, messaging and application fronts, these phones deliver a good arsenal of capabilities for today’s demanding corporate worker. Created around an enticingly lithe form factor, this device still maintains serious capability within the two halves of its sliding body. Let’s take a closer look.

At first glance, one immediately appreciates the heft (or lack thereof) of this phone—it fits very snugly into the palm of your hand. True to the company’s standards of build quality, this phone’s construction is a pleasing blend of plastic and metal. The screen is bound by a finely textured metal, while the rest of the body consists of a high-quality matte plastic, ending a classy demeanor to the device.

The front façade of the device sports a bright 16-million-color, 2.2-inch screen with a resolution of 240x320, delivering a crisp display. A cluster of buttons beneath the screen—13 in all—allow convenient navigation through menus and answering calls, with additional dedicated keys for the phone book and closed user groups. This phone’s slider is solidly implemented, with a reassuringly taut spring mechanism resulting in no perceptible play between the two halves when they are fully opened or closed. Flick it open and the main keypad is revealed. Unlike most phones of this size, the keypad is perhaps one of the best we’ve seen—it features gently raised keys that are compactly yet comfortably arranged. The button backlighting is even, making the device easy to use even in pitch darkness.

Besides the applications that are usually bundled with this phone series (including QuickOffice, HP printer, Zip, Adobe Reader etc), there is a unique application called Team Suite that lets you define a group of users to whom you can send group messages or make conference calls via the dedicated button beneath the screen. On the connectivity front, you will find Bluetooth v1.2, EDGE for Internet surfing at up to 296 Kbps and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g that can also be used for Voice over IP (VoIP) calls. For business messaging, the phone supports Mail for Exchange 1.5, RIM BlackBerry Connect v2.1 etc, to keep you perennially connected by e-mail. On the multimedia front, the phone has MP3 support, and an integrated 2-megapixel camera which delivers acceptable results. However, the absence of an integrated LED flash makes it unsuited to photography in low lighting conditions.

The package includes a 256 MB pinky-fingernail-sized MicroSD card. You need to remove the battery cover to extract the memory card, but you needn’t power down the phone. The phone is charged via the new power connector hence you can’t use most older Nokia phone chargers.

VERDICT

While the phone’s interface is not blazingly fast to use, it isn’t especially slow either. There are a couple of quirks though—the placement of the ‘pen’ key is on the right side of the phone, making text selection and some Internet browsing functions somewhat awkward because you need to press this button in conjunction with another on the keypad. Also, the phone returns a ‘Network Busy’ message a tad too often while trying to dial numbers, but that could be specific to our network conditions.

Portable Media Player: Creative Zen Vision W

2008-02-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

Movie buffs rejoice! The long-awaited Zen Vision W portable media player sporting a wide screen display has finally arrived. The Zen Vision and Zen Vision M are both good in their own respects, but the massive 4.3-inch widescreen display sets the Zen Vision W apart. Apart from jiving to your favorite tracks, you can now enjoy movies in 16:9 widescreen format while you’re on the move. Let’s move on to find out what more this stunning gizmo has to offer.

FEATURES

Packed in a robust all-black shell, the stunning Zen Vision W will surely make heads turn. It boasts a music player, video player, voice recorder, FM radio and picture viewer. Switching on the player brings you to the main menu, from where you can select the desired function. The audio formats supported by the player include MP3 and WMA, but it lacks support for OGG and lossless formats such as FLAC. After synchronizing your music library using Windows Media Player or Creative Sync Manager, the player automatically sorts the music by artist, album and genre so it becomes easy to browse through the entire collection, especially while creating playlists. If you fill up the entire player with music, you can carry around 7,500 songs in your pocket. However, you would want to reserve some space for carrying a couple of movies as well.

The player supports a range of video formats including AVI, MPEG-1, 2 and 4 and WMA. The most striking feature is its native support for DivX and XviD—you can dump your DivX movies onto the player and it will play them without a hitch. If your movies are in the conventional 4:3 format, no issues! Using the Stretch to Full mode, you can upscale the display to 16:9 and utilize the entire screen, eliminating the vertical bands on either side.

Although the 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 480x272 is sufficient while you’re on the move or sitting on a couch, you can also connect it to your TV to share photos and videos with others. The battery life is rated at 13 hours for music and 4.5 hours for movie playback.

The player also features a recorder which can be used to capture voice through the built-in microphone, or FM radio programs. Finally, if you run out of space, you can throw in a couple of extra gigabytes by sliding a CF card into the provided slot.

PERFORMANCE

The user interface is quite intuitive with neatly laid out menus, which will make operation easy even for a first-timer. The bundled earphones deliver a good audio experience with good uniformity across all frequency bands.

Video playback too is crisp and stutter-free, with good color reproduction and overall contrast.

VERDICT

This player is meant mainly for those who want to enjoy movies on the go, but a bit bulky if you want something solely for listening to music.

Backup Utility: O&O DiskImage 2 Professional Edition

2008-02-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

For most of us, our computer is an extension of ourselves, without which many of us feel handicapped. So, a system crash is almost like fracturing a hand. If you do not want to go through the agony of losing your data, you should definitely be armed with a backup utility. One such application is O&O DiskImage 2 Professional Edition that does much more than just creating backups for entire drives.

DiskImage 2 Professional Edition is the latest version of the backup utility from O&O. The main interface of the application is quite appealing with all the options listed on the main screen itself. The main interface is designed well and you do not have to waste time hunting for the right option between tabs. Simply select the function you want and get going. The options include ‘Imaging’, ‘Incremental Image’, ’Restoration’, ‘Copy Drive’, ‘Mount Image File as Drive’ and ‘Write Image File(s) to CD/DVD’.

From the six options it offers, the first two are used for making images of your drive and saving them. Exercise caution while using the ‘Copy Drive’ option as it makes an exact replica of one drive on another drive, deleting the files on the destination drive in the process.

The ‘Program Settings’ menu contains the back-end settings of the application. Using the menu to configure the application is very simple. This is because you just have to select a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ for most of the options listed on the three sub-menus. The three sub-menus are ‘General’, ‘Imaging’, and “Restoration’, which are all intuitive to use.

There are separate windows for the main functions such as Imaging and Copy Drive. Under both imaging tools, there are various imaging options that range from a simple backup to Forensic Imaging, which is very practical during emergencies. It makes an exact raw copy of defective storage devices—even with Linux file systems. Subsequently, you can integrate the image as a virtual drive and sift through it with recovery tools to save as much data on it as possible.

O&O DiskImage 2 allows you to create an ISO file of a drive and save it. You can mount the file for later use. This is useful if you just want to view how the contents of the drive looked like before changes were made. DiskImage has also an in-built CD/DVD burner that lets you burn ISO files on to optical storage media including Dual-Layer DVDs.

MP3 Player: SanDisk Sansa Shaker

2008-02-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

This MP3 player gets its name from the fact that its design resembles a salt or pepper shaker. Standing no taller than a regular dining-table salt shaker, it performs quite well and has excellent sound quality. This player seems to be targeted mainly at the pre-teens, judging by its rugged design and ease of use. The Shaker has no onboard memory for storing music, but there is space for up to 125 songs on the 512 MB SD card that it comes with. The advantage of using a removable card is that it gives you the option of upgrading its storage capacity in the future.

FEATURES

The Shaker has only the most basic playback features. Control buttons are nicely placed on rotating strips on the top and bottom. To set the volume or change the current track, you just have to slide one of the button strips left or right. On the top of the Shaker lies an in-built speaker, which plays back music at a decent volume when headphones are not plugged in. The body of the Shaker has two audio output jacks, so two people can listen to music at the same time by connecting two pairs of headphones.

The player works on a single 1.5 Volt AAA battery. To reveal the USB connector, SD card slot and the battery compartment, the base of the player needs to be opened by twisting it anticlockwise. The base of the player has rubber padding to prevent the device from slipping when placed upright.

PERFORMANCE

When a set of MP3 files amounting to 100 MB were transferred using the supplied USB cable, the transfer speeds were 34.73 seconds and 10.25 seconds for copying to and from the device respectively. The device detects as a mass storage device and songs just need to be dragged and dropped onto it. Additionally, you can also use the device as an SD card reader.

VERDICT

If the player had a display panel and equalizer settings, it would be more attractive. Overall, it is a nice MP3 player for your kids.

Hard Disk: Western Digital Caviar se16 WD7500AAks

2008-02-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

For one whole year now, the 750 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 has been the largest hard drive around. But with the recent addition of the WD7500AAKS to the Caviar SE16 family, Western Digital has given Seagate a sprint for its money. This new three-quarter-terabyte mammoth not only shares the position of the largest, but also steals the title of the fastest desktop hard drive.

FEATURES

The WD7500AAKS crams 750 GB of storage space onto four platters Thanks to perpendicular recording technology, Western Digital has managed to pack each platter with 187.5 GB of storage space. Like all other 3.5-inch desktop-class hard drives, this one also features a spindle speed of 7,200 rpm and 16 MB of buffer memory which is now an unsaid standard for high-capacity hard drives. Apart from the regular features, this drive boasts a couple of technologies that optimize seek times and make it more shock-tolerant and reliable. Using what WD calls the ‘IntelliSeek’ feature, the drive can calculate the optimum seek speed for the head to reach its destination sector just in time. The drive also features a mechanism called ‘SecurePark’ that parks the head off the disk surface during spin up, spin down, and when the drive is off, thereby improving non-operational shock tolerance.

PERFORMANCE

It is a treat to watch the WD7500AAKS cross the 90 MB/s speed mark. In real-world file transfer tests, the drive peaked at 85 MB/s even though the multiple-file write test proved a bit torturous. The drive is so fast that it even outperforms the lightning-fast Western Digital Raptor WD1500-ADFD in sheer transfer speeds.

VERDICT

Configure four of these in RAID 0 and you’ll have the fastest array!

Printer: Canon Laser shot LBP5300

2008-01-26T21:21:00.001-08:00

Immaculate precision and solid quality are uncompromised virtues that the Canon LBP5300 printer offers. We’ve all printed heaps of data on our black and white laser printers in our offices over the years. This printer promises to take on that load and also do justice to colored documents such as PowerPoint presentations, e-books, and PDF files. While it might find space in your office, the LBP5300 is not a photo printer and one certainly cannot expect good photo prints from it.

FEATURES

This printer doesn’t have much to boast of in terms of features. An indicator on the front panel flashes green indicating that the printer is ready for printing, and there are other indicators for paper jam alert, toner status, and paper load. Other than the regular USB connection, it can also be directly connected to an office network. Setting up the printer and its drivers is child’s play. The printer also has a multi-purpose tray in case one wants to use a special size or type of paper to print on. When connected to a network, one needs to make sure that the printer’s driver is installed on all the machines that need to use it. This is because Windows XP SP2 does not natively support it as yet. It can be used on a network without having drivers only if shared with a machine that has the drivers installed and is running the same operating system.

BUILD QUALITY

The quality of its exterior plastic is excellent and the design oozes elegance. Unlike most network printers that have buttons all over their body, this one simply has one button which is used for canceling the job. All other operations are software-driven. It has three contact points; a power jack, a USB connector and an Ethernet port.

PERFORMANCE

Plain text: Plain black & white prints in economy mode are good, but prints in normal mode deliver darker prints with higher contrast. The time taken to print a single sheet is same in both modes. Combi Document: Print a combination of text and colored clipart in this mode. The text is graded in different font sizes, from the fairly large text to the most miniscule (2 point). Surprisingly, even the tiniest font size is easily readable without a magnifying glass. And of course the colored clipart also score full marks in this mode. Photo printing: Since this printer is not a photo printer, one cannot expect high quality photo prints. Although the quality of the photo prints isn’t up to the mark, one can still print photos or images in documents, or for reference purposes. The LBP5300 prints 21 pages in one minute no matter which mode you are using—economy, normal or colored documents. It takes 40 seconds for the LBP5300 to power up to the ‘ready’ mode when it is switched off.

VERDICT

The LBP5300 is ideal for an office setup, with its speed and clarity. Text and colored documents are its specialty but it isn’t meant for printing photographs.

PC Case: Amigo B1 - Transparent

2008-01-25T20:17:00.001-08:00

Want to show off all the killer gear inside your computer, (if you have any)? Why not try a transparent case? The Amigo is one case that demands lots of modding, and as much aesthetic attention as you can give. Installing most components (especially the power supply) is quite troublesome. This case is meant for showing off really high-end gear. The case features eight 3.5-inch drive bays and four 5.25-inch bays. There is just one intake fan (on the front of the case) compared to the four exhaust fans which is not very healthy for airflow. There is one exhaust fan on the top, two on the side and one on the rear. A PC speaker is also present on the case. The shiny power and reset buttons are on the front, on the right of the intake fan. The front panel also has USB and audio ports. These audio ports do not connect to headers on the motherboard but have 3.5mm jacks that come out from the rear of the case and connect to the audio ports of the motherboard. The build of the case is quite solid, and the acrylic panels are 50 mm thick all over. However, due to the thickness of the acrylic panels, special longer screws are needed that can pass through the panels and hold the drives. Longer screws are included with the case but they are inadequate in number. There are only four of these screws for hard disks which means you can only attach 1 hard drive with the included screws. Drive installation is further complicated because the drive bays do not have any rails on them, which means that they rest solely on the screws and can’t be slid in easily. The panels are finished well and are joined by screwing them into blocks of acrylic. This type of construction means that the whole case can be torn down into individual sheets by simply removing all the screws. The drive enclosure however is made out of two panels of molded acrylic that have been screwed into the top and bottom panels. The surface of the case is easily prone to scratching, and by the end of the installation ordeal you could have a healthy number of scratches on the panels. The concept of this case itself is quite appealing, however the implementation is not very graceful.

Graphics Card: Asus EAH2600XT

2008-01-24T20:55:00.001-08:00

So far Nvidia has been mesmerizing us with its DirectX 10 graphics monsters; but this time around it’s ATI’s turn. The first DirectX 10 card from ATI, the Asus EAH2600XT can be compared to Nvidia’s GeForce 8600 GTS, for it more or less shares the same specifications.

One of the most interesting features of the 2600XT is the lack of an external power connector, due to the 65nm manufacturing process which is why it consumes less power compared to other mainstream graphics cards. Another advantage is its wide heat sink that covers the RAM chips, keeping them and the rest of the card cool and dissipating heat evenly. The EAH2600XT is equipped with 256 MB of DDR3 RAM running at 700 MHz on a 128-bit interface. Its core runs at 800 MHz and comprises 120 unified shaders. The two DVI connectors allow the option for dual display, and the TV-out/S-video connector allows connection to a TV.

The EAH2600XT is a good performer, but when compared to the Nvidia 8600 GTS, it’s clear why no one would go for ATI. The card was tested using an AMD 690G chipset-based motherboard, an Athlon 64 X2 6000+ processor and 2 GB of DDR2-800 RAM working in dual channel mode. Game benchmarks such as Doom 3 and F.E.A.R. were used at resolutions of 1024x768 and 1280x1024, both with and without anti-aliasing. For a mainstream card, it gave pretty decent scores. But when it was compared with the 8600 GTS using the same rig, it was disastrous! The 8600 GTS battered this card without mercy. 3DMark was tried on Windows XP as well as Windows Vista. The card couldn’t run this test on either of the operating systems, but this cannot be pinned down to a problem with the card, the drivers, or 3DMark itself.

Investing in a graphics card is something we don’t do very often, and at the end of the day we want our money’s worth, right? It’s simple; when the Nvidia 8600 GTS is available with a negligible difference in price, there is no reason for someone to settle for the ATI Radeon HD 2600XT.

Printer: Kodak EasyShare photo printer 500

2008-01-23T21:13:00.001-08:00

The Kodak EasyShare Photo Printer 500 might be small in size, but it proved to be pretty well fed on features. The printer uses the standard dye-sublimation technology which is used in most photo printers currently in the market.

The EasyShare 500 is a neat, lunchbox-size unit, with a flap screen on top and two flash card slots on the front. All the controls for the printer are on the top panel while the power and USB ports are at the rear. A USB host port on the left panel allows for connecting cameras and flash drives. The printer comes bundled with a power brick and two cables—one three-pin and one two-pin. The printer uses a three-pass printing method, with each pass layering one of the three colors of the CMY color space. The printer can function without a computer, either by reading photos from a PictBridge-compatible digital camera, from USB flash drives, or even from an 8-in-1 card reader that supports nearly every type of flash card available. The screen and onboard buttons allow selecting and previewing pictures, with options to carry out basic image touchups on the device itself. There is also another slot on the front panel which can hold a Kodak Wi-Fi card. It even has Bluetooth support, which worked very well with all the devices we tried using it with. The printer is hard-coded with the passkey ‘1111’, which can be used to pair it with any Bluetooth compliant device. To set it up as a Bluetooth printer for a PC, one simply needs to install the wireless printing driver and pair the computer with the printer. However this functionality does require the installation of a separate driver.

The printer performs quite well on the test prints; however, some color gradation errors are noticed at higher lightness values. But since photographs generally do not have lightness levels that go really high, it shouldn’t matter much for a casual photographer. The sharpness of the results is jaw-dropping, with very well represented intricate details. Colors look accurate in daylight, with authentic skin tones and color levels. The prints are coated with a protective layer in the last printing pass, which also makes them smudge-proof. The maximum paper size is 4 x 6 inches. Kodak currently offers the photo paper and a color cartridge that lasts for about forty prints in a package bundle that works out to a projected price of Rs 13 per print (depending upon usage conditions and the detail of the images printed).

The printer is good at what it is supposed to do and also throws in extra goodies such as Bluetooth printing and support for printing directly from flash drives. It’s good that Kodak kept the Wi-Fi functionality optional, thus keeping the price down for those people who won’t find it really useful. The prints are of very good quality; however the cost of the consumables could get a bit painful. The product is well designed and will find good use in a household that likes to keep memories on a physical medium.

Digital Camera: Canon PowerShot A570 iS

2008-01-22T21:23:00.001-08:00

The PowerShot A series of digital cameras from Canon have always delivered excellent blends of capabilities and performance at reasonable prices. With the A570 IS, Canon has included an image stabilizer, face detection and even ISO1600 sensitivity to its lengthy list of features.

The 7.1-megapixel A570 IS has a lot more to offer than other mainstream digital cameras. It’s packed with features that will please both beginners and amateur photographers. With modes including Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual, you have complete control over exposure parameters. If you aren’t familiar with exposure and white balance settings, you can use the built-in modes and presets depending on the scene. The camera has 13 shooting modes including Portrait, Landscape, Indoor and Video capture. With 4x optical zoom coupled with an image stabilizer, you can capture distant objects without any blur. Canon has also added Face Detection to the Digic III processor to keep faces in focus in portraits and group photos.

The all-silver A570 IS sports a retro look with a boxy design and a 2.5-inch LCD in addition to the optical viewfinder. Weighing around 235 grams with two AA batteries and an SD card installed, it balances well when held to shoot. Like its counterparts from the A series, this one too has a good grip. With the fingers hugging the battery compartment, you can use your index finger for the shutter button or the zoom lever. The thumb can be used to comfortably navigate the mode dial or the control panel on the rear. The controls panel features a layout similar to other A series digicams with the menu, function and directional buttons arranged neatly to the right of the LCD display. The user interface is very intuitive without complex menu hierarchies. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes for even a first-timer to master the functions.

The A570 was put to test by taking a couple of indoor and outdoor shots. In addition to the automatic mode, the shutter priority, aperture priority and manual modes were used at various SO speeds and zoom levels to evaluate its faithfulness in color reproduction, contrast and image detail. Like all of the other Canon digital cameras, this one too excels in color reproduction and sharpness. The level of detail captured was quite commendable, and noise levels were low in well-lit scenes. However with the ISO set to maximum, the images captured were too noisy. In the outdoor tests, there was negligible purple fringing around edges of bright objects. The overall performance of the camera is excellent except for the time taken to write images to the memory card. You have to wait for six seconds until you can zoom into a picture you’ve just shot.

The A570 IS will be a treat for those who want an excellent camera without burning a hole in their pockets.

PC: VU Boss PC

2008-01-21T22:31:00.001-08:00

The VU Boss PC employs Intel’s Mobile on Desktop (MoDT) technology which brings the advantages of mobile computing components to desktops. As a result, the PC is squeezed into an ultra-compact form factor.

The Boss PC is powered by the entry-level Core 2 Duo T2050 clocked at 1.66 GHz along with 2 GB of DDR2-533 memory, making it a mainstream machine suited for basic office and home applications. This PC is even more compact because of its mini-ITX motherboard based on the Mobile Intel 945GM chipset, slot-loading DVD-combo drive, and 2.5-inch 80 GB SATA hard drive. The PC houses a 56 Kbps modem, gigabit Ethernet controller, three USB ports and 5-format card reader, and comes loaded with Windows XP Professional. For screen-hungry workspace and multimedia applications, the PC comes with a 22-inch TFT monitor which has a response time of 5 ms, and contrast ratio of 700:1. If you want to use an existing monitor, you can save Rs 25,000 right there.

The package comes with a VESA mount bracket for clamping the PC unit to the back of the TFT monitor. But then you will have to reach behind the monitor each time you want to access the optical drive or the USB ports. The wireless keyboard features a trackball on its top right corner, and the tactility is similar to a laptop keyboard—a regular desktop keyboard and mouse would be more comfortable to use.

Since the machine is powered by an entry-level dual-core processor with only a 533 MHz FSB, don’t expect it to be a workhorse. It can handle light multitasking, but it will stagger under heavy load. VU could have added more muscle power by fitting in one of the more powerful variants of the Core 2 Duo that has an FSB of 667 MHz. But that would have made it expensive. The TFT monitor with an optimal resolution of 1680x1050 offers plenty of workspace, however the colors seem a bit drab and the brightness isn’t up to the mark. You will enjoy watching movies on the big screen, but stay away if you’re a designer.

This PC is ideal for desktops constrained by space, or for those who want to flaunt a lifestyle PC.

Smart Phone: o2 XDA Zinc

2008-01-20T21:23:00.001-08:00

The highly awaited O2 XDA Zinc recently hit the Indian market. A lot is expected from this smartphone, so let’s take a look at how it fared in the tests.

The O2 XDA Zinc is a triband phone, and works with GSM 900, 1800, and 1900 networks. It also supports 3G and the WCDMA 2100 standard—however this feature is still not of any use in India For further connectivity there is GPRS class 10, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, and Bluetooth v1.2. The 2-megapixel CMOS-based camera on the rear of the phone is complemented by a second VGA camera on the front for video conferencing. The main camera has a fixed focus, and thus when you hit the shutter button there is no pre-focus lag. However this also means that all objects that fall in or out of the focal plane will appear blurred.

Since this handset is a smartphone, there is a powerful 520 MHz Intel PXA270 XScale processor in it. This compares well with all other smartphones up against it in the market. The phone ships with Windows Mobile 5.0, but is eligible for a free upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.0 via the O2 website. There is 64 MB of RAM to feed the processor, and 128 MB ROM to store data on the phone itself. The bundled version of Windows Media Player can play MIDI, MP3, WMA, WAV, AMR-NB and AAC files. You can add support for more formats by installing compatible applications.

These standard formats can even be used as ringtones on this smartphone. The phone’s 2.8-inch screen looks nice and has a pretty wide viewing angle. The touch sensitivity is comfortable, and is usable even without the stylus. Web browsing is fun, however Internet Explorer seemed a bit slow when compared to browsers on other phones. The phone came with a mobile version of MS Office. It was tested by copying Word and Excel files to the phone. The Word files were fully editable and the Excel files worked with all their formulas, calculating cell values in real time.

The XDA Zinc has two speakers to play stereophonic sound, but they are placed next to each other so there is no real benefit while playing a stereo file. The orientation of the display seamlessly changes to landscape as soon as you pull out the keyboard. The backlit QWERTY keyboard feels good for the fingers and the key placement is pretty comfortable, except for the two soft keys on the topmost row that somewhat squash the W, E, U, and I keys. The main camera on the rear of the phone does not have a lens cover, but is well protected. There is also a self-portrait mirror just above the camera, and a strobe flash on the side.

Even though the phone has a powerful processor and adequate RAM, it gets bogged down with some applications, for example Web surfing. The phone’s battery gave a standby time of around 100 hrs with heavy usage with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled, and around 180 hrs with normal usage. This phone has all the components of a powerful communication device but for this price, something close to perfection is expected.

Laptop: Asus G1S

2008-01-19T20:56:00.001-08:00

If you re a gizmo freak and don’t mind coming across as an attention hogger then you’re going to love the Asus G1S. If you can ignore its bulky form factor while flashing this bling thing, then look no further. This is also your chance to get your hands on the first DirectX 10 gaming laptop.

The G1S has a feature set of such caliber that this baby might fall prey to envious eyes. The Asus G1S is based on the Santa Rosa platform, with an Intel PM965 chipset and it is powered by a 2 GHz Core 2 Duo processor. This machine also boasts a next-generation DX 10-capable Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT GPU. And there’s 2 GB of RAM along with 256 MB of dedicated graphics memory to blast your games on its 1440x900 pixel LCD screen. It also has a sporty-looking 1.3 megapixel webcam. The storage capacity is pretty decent at 160 GB and for external storage it has a LightScribe-capable DVD writer. A PCMCIA slot, a multi-card reader, jacks for TV-out, FireWire and audio add to its relentless feature set. And that’s not it! In a first for laptops, you’ll also find an eSATA port and an HDMI output on the rear panel.

The loud, polished exterior and the flashy green lights on either side of the lid make it look G. I. Joe-ish. It’s too loud for our taste, but some people will love showing it off. The lights are painfully irritating to look at, but they can be disabled using the in-built software. The keyboard is comfortable to use, and the colored W, A, S, and D keys for FPS gamers compliment the laptop. The glossy finish of the body is impressive, but is susceptible to fingerprints and scratches, which are quite unpleasant to look at. Unfortunately, the screen tends to shake like a leaf, so basically the hinges aren’t a strong point of the G1S. If you’re in a job that involves field work, then you might want to consider something much lighter.

As a platform, this one is sufficient for a reasonable level of gaming. Looking at the scores one would realize that 36 fps in FEAR at 1440x900 with 2x AA turned on is commendable, but not enough to wow a hardcore gamer. Thanks to the generous amount of main memory and the dedicated graphics, this notebook is able to handle the resource-hungry Windows Vista along with its Aero visual effects. To top it off, being able to play games in this environment is pretty neat. The overall performance of the Asus G1S is excellent. The G1S scored 4788 in the PCMark test which is commendable for a laptop.

If you want a desktop replacement that doubles up as a gaming machine as well, then go for this mean machine. But if you’re a hardcore gamer, you might want something more powerful.

Mono Laser Printer: WeP Laser 1600+

2008-01-18T20:56:00.001-08:00

The Laser Fine 1600+ from WeP is an easy-to-use monochrome laser printer. Its interface design couldn’t be simpler, with just two buttons. Appropriate for home and small offices, this Laser Fine delivers prints up to 16 pages per minute. So let’s get inside and see what more this printer has to offer.

The printer is not so feature rich, but is undoubtedly easy to use as the front panel has just one button (the cancel button) and two LED indicators (Ready and Error). Just below the cancel button is a Smart LED Index chart, which reveals the codes for different errors and the status of the printer when it is in operation. The printer offers two choices of interface—a USB and a Parallel port—which is a boon to users who have older computers without USB ports The printer’s driver wizard gave us some trouble while installing it on Windows Vista, but it worked fine when the driver was installed manually. Unlike regular laser printers, the toner unit comprises of two separate elements—the toner cartridge and the drum. The toner cartridge has to be installed in the drum unit and then inserted in the printer, which means if the drum is worn out, it can be purchased and replaced separately.

The Laser Fine performed well in speed and quality tests. A standard Word document was printed with only text and then with some clipart was added to it, which resulted in speeds of 16 PPM and 10 PPM respectively at both 600x600 and 1200x1200 DPI modes. The quality of both modes was checked and it was found that text was best displayed at 600x600 DPI while graphics had optimal results at 1200x1200 DPI. So if you want to print good presentation text documents only, there is no need to print at 1200 DPI.

The Laser Fine 1600+ is an excellent printer for those looking for decent and good quality black-and-white prints at home and office.

IP Camera: Senao SL-500W

2008-01-17T21:10:00.001-08:00

Ever wanted to know who is at your door at night? Is it your neighbor’s dog messing up your garden and you did not know how to prove it? Do you want to catch the troublesome brat from your neighborhood who rings your doorbell and runs away? Here’s a reliable gadget that can help you. The wireless MPEG4 day/night CCD camera from Senao can be on the vigil for you It is small and easy to configure, and can be mounted on any wall. Just set it up and view the video through your web browser. If you are away from home, you can view and record the video feed over the Internet.

This camera is a feature-rich device that can be used equally well during day or night. The camera has 12 infrared LEDs mounted around the lens. These LEDs help capture images and video at night when it is dark. The camera comes with a driver CD, a power adapter, and a mounting stand with screws. The device is quite easy to configure and install. The only problem with the wall mounting unit is that there is no way to physically secure the camera itself if you are using it for outdoor surveillance. It does not have any screws to secure it and could be easily stolen from the mounting stand. Hence, this device is best suited for large shops, malls, and offices where constant surveillance is required.

The configuration utility tool is quite easy to use. The camera can be used in both wired and wireless modes on your network. You may assign a static IP address or leave it to DHCP mode to get an IP address from the DHCP server on your network. The wireless can be set to ad-hoc mode too if you do not have Wi-f infrastructure at home or at your shop. You can set it to record mode using the bundled software, and record the video feed straight to your computer’s hard drive. The software allows you to split each video into either 10 MB or 50 MB files.

The utility tool can monitor four cameras at one time. You can schedule all cameras to start/stop recording at specific intervals. Also, you can activate a built-in motion detector and have the captured images sent directly to a specified e-mail address at a user-defined time. Configure the camera with a live IP address and watch/record the video from across the globe. The camera settings can be configured directly through the browser interface. The video resolution can be set to QCIF/CIF mode or 4CIF mode with frame rates ranging between 1, 3, 7, 15, and 25 fps. The quality of the video can also be set between 64 Kbps and 1200 Kbps. You can define 10 users with passwords who can be authorized to view the video feed. The camera has an additional I/O port to connect a DC-Iris lens to adjust the brightness of the video images for specific purposes such as outdoor use. The device also has a digital interface connector, which can be used for triggering alarm devices.

This camera is a useful device for your home/office surveillance needs.

Graphics Card: Asus En8500 gT Top

2008-01-16T21:24:00.001-08:00

With the launch of its entry-level GeForce 8 series graphics cards, Nvidia is now ready with its lineup of DirectX 10-based graphics cards for every need and budget. Let’s see what lies within the Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT which targets budget consumers.

With TOP’ (which stands for Top Overclocking Performance) appended to the model number of the card, the EN8500GT TOP belongs to Asus’ series of factory-overclocked graphics cards The core and memory of regular 8500 GT cards are clocked at 450 MHz and 400 MHz respectively. Asus has gone a long way ahead and pushed the speeds to 600 MHz and 700 MHz respectively with great ease. This surely calls for a good cooling system, and Asus has topped the card with a customized active cooling fan. The heatsink spans 90 mm in diameter and is cooled by a 65 mm fan fitted in the center. The rear panel of the card features D-sub and DVI ports. Component video output is provided via a bundled component output dongle. The card also comes bundled with the full version of WTCC’s (World Touring Car Championship) official game, RACE.

To assess the performance of the EN8500GT TOP, its performance was compared to the non-overclocked Galaxy GeForce 8500 GT to illustrate the effect of overclocking on the stock speeds. The scores clearly show that a speed boost of 33 percent in core speed and 75 percent in memory speed delivers a 40 percent jump in overall performance. This clearly justifies the premium that the card commands over standard GeForce 8500 GT cards that are available for around Rs 6,200.

Even though the EN8500GT TOP offers 40 percent better performance than the regular 8500 GT, the overall performance still remains entry-level. Don’t expect this card to belt out playable frame rates at high resolutions with anti-aliasing enabled. If you want something more powerful, the next best option is the GeForce 8600 GT.

External Storage: Western Digital MyBook Pro Edition II, 2 TB

2008-01-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

With the adoption of perpendicular recording technology, storage capacities of hard drives have attained new heights. This has been more prominent in the 3.5-inch category in which the maximum capacity has now soared to a terabyte. Since these hard drives also come packed in external storage devices, devices laden with a walloping 2 terabytes of storage space are now easily available.

One such mammoth is the 2 TB variant of Western Digital’s MyBook Pro Edition II family of storage devices.

Before getting into the specifics of the drive, have a look at what 2 terabytes or 2000 gigabytes translates into: the space required by 425 DVDs, 2850 CDs or 2000 1 GB USB flash drives The MyBook Pro II packs in two 1 terabyte hard drives belonging to Western Digital’s Caviar GP (GreenPower) family. These drives are configured in RAID 0 and hence show up as a single 2 TB drive. Using the bundled RAID configuration utility, you can configure the drives in RAID 1. However, this would halve the capacity to 1 TB as the other drive would be used for mirroring. The 2 TB drive also comes bundled with a backup and recovery application called EMC Retrospect Express, which offers useful features such as full-system, selective, incremental, and scheduled backups. A neat feature of the drive is the capacity gauge—a blue illuminated ring on the front that indicates the amount of used/empty space on the hard drive.

The outermost ring flashes during drive activity. In addition to this, the hard drives are user-replaceable. By following the instructions in the user guide provided on the installation CD, you can safely replace or upgrade the hard drives yourself.

This Western Digital MyBook Pro II offers three interface choices for transferring data—USB, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800. At a transfer speed of 30 MB/s, it would take around 2.5 to 3 hours to back up an entire 320 GB hard drive.

An eSATA interface, which can do the same job in less than half the time, would have been a big bonus for a drive of such a massive capacity.

The question is: what will you do with that much space? It would require around 500,000 MP3 songs, 2,800 DivX movies or 571,000 digital photos to completely fill up the drive. If you have music, movies, or photos that add up to two terabytes, you can pack this drive and use it as a media hub.

You can even use it to back up hard drives of all the PCs in a workgroup on a smaller network. In short, this drive is ideal for applications that demand insane amounts of storage space.

Motherboard: Asus BLITZ Formula

2008-01-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Belonging to Asus’ Republic of Gamers line of motherboards, the BLITZ Formula offers mind-blowing performance that is certain to woo overclocking enthusiasts. While it features one of Intel’s latest chipsets, it is targeted towards hardcore gamers.

The Blitz is based on the Intel P35 chipset and is packed with some serious hardware. It supports up to 8 GB of DDR2-800 MHz RAM and has six SATA ports and ten USB ports. It has two x16 PCIe slots to support Crossfire at 8x speed. Based on the ADI1988B codec, the SupremeFX daughter card delivers eight channels of high-definition audio Between the PCIe slots you’ll find what Asus calls a ‘Crosslinx chip’ comprising of a special graphics controller which optimizes PCIe allocation.

The BIOS is a treat for overclockers with support for tweaking FSB, multiplier and voltages, memory timing and so on Moreover the board ships with goodies such as Q-connectors (for easy front panel connectivity), angled SATA cables, FireWire & USB brackets, water-cooling pipes and an externally visible LCD screen on the back panel. Performance and gaming enthusiasts can enjoy the bundled full version of 3DMark 06 Advanced edition, the full version of STALKER and the antivirus software Kaspersky.

The board features an excellent layout, with the components well spread out. Similar to the Asus Commando, there’s sufficient space around the CPU enabling you to install larger cooling devices for the CPU. While overclocking, you can install a water-cooling kit for the CPU. Fans are bundled to cool the voltage regulators. The all-solid capacitors ensure a longer life span. SATA ports are well placed at the bottom-right corner of the board, enabling easy cable routing. Keeping the convenience of enthusiasts in mind, power and reset buttons are placed next to the USB headers at the bottom, and the clear CMOS button is placed amongst the rear panel connectors.

The results were astounding when an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66 GHz was used in one test. The BLITZ supports FSB speeds upto 1333 MHz. Intel’s upcoming 45 nm processors works at 1333 MHz FSB, imagine that! To check the graphics, the game benchmarks were pushed to 1600x1200 with 4x AA activated and the results were great.

If you’re looking at a long term investment in a board that overclocks well and supports the next generation of Intel processors, go for the BLITZ.

Smart Phone: o2 XDA Flame

2008-01-10T22:06:00.001-08:00

The O2 XDA Flame just entered our Test Center. Let’s check out whether it’s really better and meaner than its siblings. The Flame is a tri-band phone with support for the GSM 900, 1800, and 1900 standards. Additional connectivity is present in the form of 3G, GPRS class 10, Bluetooth 2.0, and Wi-fi 802.11 b/g. There is no support for HSCSD, HSDPA, or EDGE so high speed internet users are in for a big letdown.

The phone comes with Windows Mobile 5 pre-installed, along with mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. These are fully featured, with support for even the more advanced features in Microsoft Office, such as formulae in Excel and animations n PowerPoint. The phone is still being tested for compatibility with Windows Mobile 6 so there is no way to upgrade the OS at the moment. The Flame has a huge display that measures 3.6 inches diagonally, and can display a resolution of 480 x 640 with 65K colors. This display, when rotated to the landscape orientation, can display content at 640 pixels wide and 480 pixels n height, which is the same resolution that we remember running Windows 3.1 at on our 14-inch monitors just over a decade ago! The main 2-megapixel camera is on the rear of the phone, and is capable of autofocus, which is quite snappy.

The physical construction seems pretty solid. Another VGA camera on the front of the phone can be used to take self portrait shots and will be of additional use when video conferencing is available in India. Button layout is a standard Pocket PC affair, with two soft keys, a Windows key, one shortcut button, and call and end buttons all around a five way direction pad. On the hardware front, the PDA phone uses an Intel XScale PXA 270 processor that runs at 520 MHz, which makes it similar to its siblings. The difference here is that at 128MB, there is a much larger amount of RAM compared to other phones in the series.

The phone is a big leap in terms of graphics technology, as it is the first one available in India that has a dedicated GPU; the Nvidia GoForce 5500, to handle graphics processing. However we did not see any apparent increase in performance during regular usage. Video playback was smooth and graphics were crisp, but we cannot attribute that to the presence of the GPU. The phone, though targeted at business users, has a number of entertainment options built in. There is an FM radio, Windows Media Player Moblie and even composite TV-out functionality that works well for presentations with PowerPoint. A TV-out cable is included in the package, and connects to TVs through a standard composite RCA connector.

For storage, the Flame has 2GB of memory onboard, plus support for microSD cards that go in a slot on the right side of the phone. For even more storage options, the phone supports USB OTG (USB On The Go) through its standard miniUSB connector, allowing access to files on any USB mass storage device. This connector is also used for syncing to a computer and for charging the phone. Looking at the phone side of things, call quality is really impressive and the device exhibits good network reception. The handsfree speaker is very loud for a phone and has impressive sound quality. However it is quite big at around 5 inches long and almost 3 inches wide. It weighs around 190 grams. The 1620mAh Lithium Polymer battery lasts almost two days with light usage but will need to be charged every day with heavy multimedia usage.

Mobile Phone: LG KE970 Shine

2008-01-10T22:04:00.001-08:00

This shiny phone from LG has gained a lot of hype of late. Let’s check it out to see how good it actually is.

The exterior of the phone is really reflective—sometimes to the point of irritation. However, it can become quite a highlight in a nightclub with good lighting. The screen is also shiny making it prone to fingerprints. Its shine also becomes a problem outdoors in daylight as the display is not bright enough to counter sunlight. The phone has an 800 mAh, 3.7 volt battery that has a life of around one and a half days with selective use of GPRS and Bluetooth. The scroll roller is a really good concept and looks quite cool. However, its implementation is not that user-friendly. The interface doesn’t respond to quick rotations, so you can scroll only one line at a time. Going through menus is painful. You will find the scroll roller to be very unintuitive while viewing websites.

The menu structure has the standard LG interface, and can be shuffled between list or grid mode. Shortcuts come in the form of direct access to menu options by keying in number sequences. The menu automatically selects ‘Messaging’ as the default option for quick access to the messaging features. When composing messages, the number input mode can be selected by holding down the ‘*’ button.

One gripe is that there is no option to add words to the T9 dictionary. The phone can receive e-mail through the GPRS connection and there is a special e-mail box that stores these mails. Up to 40 mail messages can be saved in each account, and up to four accounts can be defined with 200 mails in total. One really cool feature is the Scheduled SMSes that can be pretty handy for scheduling birthday greetings or even for setting up SMS reminders for other people.

The phone can store up to 1000 contacts with multiple details. While saving contacts, you have the option of selecting SIM or phone memory for storage. Contacts can be assigned to groups that have specific ringtones and defined icons. The phone supports Bluetooth A2DP, so stereo headsets can also be used, plus there is the standard file transfer support.

There is no option to transfer files from and to the memory card through Bluetooth, which is a glaring omission for a multimedia cable phone. Among the multimedia features is an MP3 player with support for bitrates up to 320 kbps, but there’s no support for variable bitrates. Also, you can set AAC and AAC+ files as ring tones. The phone can be connected to PCs with its proprietary USB cable. It can be accessed from a PC using the PC sync application included in the package or the ‘Mass Storage’ device mode. However, the wireless features switch off while transferring data from a PC, therefore no calls or SMSes can be received in this mode. Strangely, the phone needs to have a SIM card installed for it to be used even as a mass storage device. The 2 megapixel camera is placed on the rear of the phone. Its maximum resolution is 1600x1200 pixels. The camera application is quite nice and easy to use, but strangely there is no digital zoom in the still picture mode, even though the manual says so. There are controls in the camera application to enable and disable auto focus. This application can also take videos at 176x144 pixels and has digital zoom enabled on it.

The phone is really good as a fashion accessory but the features are average for its price.

MP3 Player: Cowon iAUDIo7

2008-01-06T20:54:00.001-08:00

Cowon returns with yet another exciting media player—the iAUDIO7. Resembling a black beast with a red eye, this player has a great appetite as it comes with 8 GB of storage space. As Pods are becoming easily affordable, all other media players need to have some ‘X factor’ about them to attract a buyer. Let’s see if the iAUDIO7 has it or not.

The iAUDIO7 is packed with features just like all other models in the present generation of Cowon players. This one plays back music, videos, FM radio, displays images and text, and does it all convincingly. The ‘swing touch interface’ consists of just three buttons (play/pause, browse, and a bar for going back and forth in playlists and folders) which makes it a minimalist’s delight. The microphone in this model is particularly good at capturing voice in loud open environments. You can also adjust recording parameters in great detail to get the optimal output in terms of quality and file size. Unlike many other brands that manufacture media players, transferring media files to Cowon players is always just a drag-and-drop process (with other brands, you might have to use a program that comes along with it, à la iTunes). Equalizer presets, display customization, timers and individual settings for music, video, FM playback are all in place in the ‘Settings’ menu. So, swing away with the cool interface and get exactly what you want in terms of settings and customization.

The iAUDIO7 is molded in metal which makes its chassis sleek and sturdy. The screen is a little too small to view videos or even images without squinting. The ‘swing touch interface’ works really well with this design making the player very easy to operate. All you need to do is just tap the appropriate button instead of pressing it; this also guarantees the durability of the player. The earphones are great in terms of comfort, size, and sound—running around your neck and wrapping around your ears. Battery life is fairly good, and the unit will need to be charged only once in a couple of days even with heavy usage.

The iAUDIO7 is a decent performer across different media. The quality of sound is not up to the mark of other players from Cowon, but it’s good nevertheless. The bass response is a little suspect in this model; it is just not crisp enough. It’s no fun watching videos or viewing images on the tiny screen.

Digital Camera: Fujifilm Finepix A800

2008-01-05T19:52:00.001-08:00

The A800 is the most high-end budget camera from Fuji’s stable. This is one shiny camera that looks quite good. However, the performance is questionable. So, let’s jump straight in the details.

The shiny exterior of the camera makes it look as if it is constructed of steel and seems sturdy. The 8 mm - 24 mm Fujinon lens allows an optical zoom of 3x. The ‘amorphous silicon’ coating on the 2.5-inch LCD screen actually works and does improve visibility when you are shooting outdoors. Additionally, there is an option to temporarily increase LCD brightness to improve the LCD’s visibility even further. DC power, USB, and AV connectors are placed on the left panel. The USB connector on the camera is a standard mini-USB socket. This camera has a 1/1.6-inch CCD, which is quite standard for this price level. The sensor can manage sensitivity levels up to ISO 800, which in numerical terms is half of what other brands offer. The 10 MB of internal memory can store a maximum of four shots at 8 MP. For removable storage, Fuji now offers support for SD cards, while retaining support for its legacy xD cards. The rear panel has a mode dial to choose between shooting modes and a display/back button to enable/disable OSD options and go back a level in the menu structure. Next to this button is a Preview button that can be held down to turn on the camera directly in preview mode. Under these buttons is a cluster of five buttons for navigation that also double up as direct access buttons for deleting pictures, enabling macro mode, opening menus, and for choosing the flash and timer modes. The power button is on the top panel and is recessed into the body to prevent accidental triggering. The top panel also has the shutter button with a zoom ring around it.

With the mode dial, you can choose between Auto, Video, Baby, Digital zoom, Red eye, Image Stabilization, and Portrait modes. Another option called SP mode has various Scene modes under it. You can choose between the usual selection of modes including Sport, Landscape, Night, Natural Light, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Sunset, Underwater, Flower, Party, Museum, and Text. Additionally, there is a manual mode. This is the only mode that allows users to specify the ISO setting. All these modes are properly explained on screen when the mode dial is turned and a mode is selected. This is a really nice and lucid feature for novice photographers to understand what each of these modes offer, besides being just esoteric symbols.

The camera took around 2.5 seconds to come on, and around 1.5 seconds to take the first shot in a well-lit environment. Because there is no continuous or burst mode, quick repeated shots cannot not be taken. Taking multiple shots by pressing the shutter button again and again gives pictures at 3-second intervals. The quality of the pictures is good in terms of color levels and saturations, with little to no fringing. However, the sharpness of pictures, especially in interior conditions, is a disappointment. In one instance, a subject’s hair looked like a solid black blob even in a well-lit room. When shooting at 8 MP, some amount of detail is expected to be seen, but this camera failed to deliver in all lighting situations. Macro mode is bearable in daylight, but even that gives fuzzy edges as soon as you move indoors.

Laptop: HP Compaq 6910p

2008-01-01T05:39:00.001-08:00

The laptop doesn’t have flashy add-ons. It’ll simply give you what you need—good performance and comfort. Welcome the HP Compaq 6910p.

Mainly intended for mainstream and office applications, the HP Compaq 691 0p offers a good feature set. Built around the Intel GM965 chipset, it is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T7100, 1.80 GHz processor. This platform along with 1 GB of DDR2-667 RAM and a 160 GB hard disk makes it a good mainstream laptop. The 14.1-inch screen at a native resolution of 1280x800 provides adequate workspace. A striking feature is the touch sensitive panel on top of the keyboard that allows you to control the volume level, launch HP’s Wireless Assistant and Info Center. The laptop also features standard connectivity options such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, IR, and FireWire. There are three USB ports and an SD and MMC card reader. The fingerprint scanner acts as an additional security measure.

The 691 0p looks business-like and straight forward. The matte black color complements the sturdy body and slim design. Weighing a little more than 2 Kgs, it’s pretty convenient to carry around. The high-quality hinges make the screen pretty stable, so the turbulence while traveling in a car won’t bother you. The keyboard, touch pad and the mouse buttons are pretty comfortable to use. In case you are accustomed to the pointing stick, that too is integrated in the keyboard. The fingerprint scanner can get a little annoying because it activates every time your palm slides over it while typing. However, it can be disabled from the pre-installed HP protect tools security manager.

Windows Vista performed credibly well on this platform in spite of the resource-hungry Aero interface. Keeping this in mind, Windows XP is bound to fly without many glitches on this laptop. However, running high-end games or other heavy applications on this laptop wouldn’t be a good idea. This laptop isn’t meant for highly intensive processing, but it is ideal for office applications and light entertainment. With considerable workload, the machine remains pretty cool at all times which should ensure a longer lifespan. The battery is good for about 4 hours, 20 minutes—enough to watch a movie and still have battery life to carry on.

If you’re looking for a laptop that offers good performance and most of the features required in a business environment, this is a good choice for you.

NERO 8

2007-12-30T05:12:00.001-08:00

Nero ceased to be just a CD/DVD burning tool quite some time ago. It was transformed into a multimedia suite—but this transition had its pros and cons. There were some who were pleased with the applications bundled in the suite, but many criticized the increase in number of functions which made Nero bulkier, more sluggish, and more complicated to use. Now that Nero 8 is out, the decisive question is—is it actually better than the previous version? The answer: yes and no. Nero 8 has some new and highly practical features such as the option for recovering data from scratched CDs. However, the overall performance of the suite suffers because of this increased number of functions.

STARTSMART: The most important development is also the most obvious one: Nero has thoroughly revised its launch pad ‘StartSmart’. Everything has become simpler now—great for beginners who will now be able to find individual modules more easily. If you give the main interface a close look, you will find that the Copy and Burn functions have been combined. These functions are meant for the most important tasks—or those that Nero considers important. These include copying, burning data or audio, and ripping CDs. The functions work perfectly. But then one wonders, is it necessary to use another tool for burning different disks when we already have Burning ROM, Nero Express etc.? Although there is more than one option for burning data in Nero, there is no clarity on which option works well for which task, hence beginners might prefer using Nero Express because it provides a simpler way to burn a disc. The SmartStart tasks area in Nero 8 is almost identical to that of its predecessor. Only the arrangement and categories have been modified—so users won’t intuitively know where everything is. It was better when ‘Burn Slideshow’ was under ‘Photo and Video’ in Nero 7 than under ‘Create and Edit’ in this version. What is more important to note is the poor performance of the program. Those who rely on the specified minimum system requirements (1 GHz Pentium III, 256 MB RAM) will have to wait for a good one minute for the application to start.

VISTA GADGETS: Nero 8 also offers functions that run exclusively on Windows Vista. The manufacturer emphasizes the mini-application Nero DiscCopy, a tool for the Vista sidebar that copies CDs or DVDs at the press of a button. However, one must be restrained in one's enthusiasm for the widget. There is no doubt about the fact that it performs well, but it sometimes has a mind of its own. In one test, Nero DiscCopy gave the message ‘burning error’ for a copy-protected source DVD. This kind of message can confuse beginners. On the other hand, many users are happy about the fact that they can duplicate CDs and DVDs that are not copy-protected with just one click. The ‘Rich Preview’ function is not very impressive. It gets integrated with Explorer under Windows Vista and displays a mini player for music and video files and a preview for image files on the right hand side. But Vista also provides a similar function by default. You can use this function in Windows Explorer by clicking on ‘Organize Layout Preview Window’. And what does Nero do? It just integrates its ‘Rich Preview’ with the standard Vista toolbar. This makes little sense. The Nero preview offers three additional background colors but this too has a flip side—the Rich Preview bar appears only when the file type is linked to Nero.

NERO VISION 5: This program functions quite well for making videos. It arranges image and movie files very neatly when it burns them to a CD or DVD. Nero Vision 5 does this by offering numerous animated 2D and 3D templates to arrange the files with. The user can also create trendy menus in seconds with the templates. Current video formats or movies from camcorders serve as the source material. However, creating such trendy menus on Blu-ray media is not possible using Nero Vision 5. HD disks have to settle for a plain list menu to allow them to be played in the multi-session mode. A user can pep up a movie by adding video and text effects or by adjusting sharpness, color, and gamma correction filters. However, he has to first edit individual soundtracks in Nero Wave—only volume can be adjusted later in Vision. On the other hand, the H.264 encoder delivers brilliant quality for all jobs. Picture sharpness and detail are exemplary for all formats including from iPod size to HD on Blu-ray disks. However, there are very few finishing options for professionals. The options are limited to pre-defined quality levels, specifying bit rates, and choosing one of only two available encoding methods. The worst piece of news for all Vista users is that Vision suffers from an unacceptable level of instability when it is running on Windows Vista. You will soon get frustrated if you are not into the habit of saving after finishing every step.

RESCUEAGENT: Nero ‘RescueAgent’ recovers the contents of scratched optical media and thus could be invaluable for users. The tool works by reading data in the RAW format and then writing it as a whole to a hard disk folder which you can burn later. However, ‘RescueAgent’ absolutely refuses to function on some of Vista test PCs. Most probably, the tool does not cooperate when the drive is connected via a PCI adapter. However, the process of recovering data from scratched disks might test your patience. It required almost 30 hours for tracking data on a scratched 400 MB CD in the test, and it saved only 100 MB. Free programs such as ‘IsoBuster’ or ‘IsoPuzzle’ also restored only 100 MB, but provide more extensive options which drastically reduce the recovery process.

OTHER NEW FEATURES: Thanks to ‘SecurDisc’, Nero can now generate encrypted optical media. But you will need a newer DVD writer that supports this. There are new features for Web 2.0 as well. For the first time ever, videos can be downloaded or uploaded directly to or from the Web. Nero Vision is linked to YouTube, MySpace, and obviously the Nero portal ‘My Nero’. InfoTool has also been upgraded and it now includes ‘HD Readiness’, a feature that can check for weaknesses in the PC if there are problems in playing HD disks. What is annoying is that one requires a plug-in that costs $29.99 (Approx Rs 1183) to play Blu-rays in Nero Showtime. The plug-in is also supposed to add menu templates for DVD, Blu-ray, and HD-DVD formats.

VERDICT: Nero has resolved to convert its program into a multimedia suite. The new features are aimed at beginners, but there is a chance that they might get confused by the large number of options. Also, because most options target beginners, professionals might not find it appealing. Although some of the new ideas are good, Vista features are mere gimmicks and Nero should quickly solve the problems with Vista by developing a patch. I would advise you to wait for the upgrade before buying Nero 8.

Web Page Editor: Microsoft Expression Web

2007-12-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

These days, if you come across a design application that hasn’t been developed by Adobe, then there is a high possibility that you have found the Elixir of Life! Such is the market share of Adobe in design applications However, all that might just change as Microsoft, the big daddy of software, plans to capture the design applications market with its own suite of programs called Microsoft Expression Studio. This suite contains Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design, and Expression Media. Web is a web editor, Blend is a user interface design tool, Design is vector and raster graphic design tool, and Media is a digital asset management tool.

When Microsoft announced its intentions to enter the market for design applications, it was greeted with frowns from the designers’ community. But it became clear that Microsoft was serious about design applications when they launched Expression Web earlier this year.

Expression Web is the successor to FrontPage, Microsoft’s much-maligned HTML editor. With Expression Web, Microsoft has tried to transform its casual web page editor into a professional application. Since its first appearance, this application has been considerably refined and could actually impress the users.

Microsoft has killed off its old HTML editor, FrontPage, which hardly ever managed to generate standards-compliant files. On the other hand, its successor, Expression Web meets and surpasses every standard. This HTML editor offers many functions that will be useful for beginners as well as professionals in website designing.

Expression Web is completely dependent on Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for the layout and provides several CSS templates. This makes it easy for even beginners to make an entry into the Web world in no time.

With Expression Web, even the XML files that are required for implementing RSS feeds can be elegantly integrated into websites and edited in the source text. It can import numerous Frameset, CSS, and Dreamweaver templates (DWT files). However, if you want to use PHP, then you will have to stick with the popular Adobe Dreamweaver for the present. Microsoft does not even mention PHP in the help section and relies on its own product—ASP.Net. Support for PHP will be available only after the next upgrade, which is supposed to hit the market early next year.

Web pages can be edited in the draft mode or you can directly edit the source code. For more efficient editing, the syntax can be highlighted in different colors. To make design work easy, Expression Web displays the source code in a structured manner with just one click. The compatibility check knocks off any errors on the website. Blunders such as incorrect or missing end tags are thus immediately caught. A wizard sifts through the source code and deletes superfluous comments and spaces—this help compress the code to some extent.

Personal Finance Software: Money Plus Home and Business, Quicken Home and Business

2007-12-25T05:17:00.001-08:00

The 2008 editions of the leading personal finance packages – Microsoft’s Money and Intuit’s Quicken– try to simplify money management by making some features accessible even if you don’t launch the full application. Users who are looking for one application to manage both their personal and small-business finances will find Quicken’s offering more robust.

Microsoft has renamed its package Money Plus, the “plus” being a new system-tray applet called Money Insights. Click on its icon, and you can view customizable minireports in any of three categories: Cash Flow, for monitoring specific accounts; and Bills, for getting reminders of upcoming obligations. Money Plus 2008 lets you link transactions with electronic documents such as check images. Money Plus doesn’t add the documents to your data file; it simply provides a link to a location on your hard drive.

The free and trial versions of financial services – credit reports, a tool for helping children monitor their allowances, investment reports – that Microsoft adds in Money Plus Premium for an extra $10 aren’t overly impressive. Money Plus Home and Business adds a trial for the Web-based payroll service PayCycle, as well as extra software tools for people who mingle their personal and small-business finances.

Quicken 2008 Home and Business, on the other hand, is a meatier choice for small companies thanks to improvements that help you track one or more businesses separately. One useful tool is the new tagging feature, which essentially allows for the grouping of expenses from several categories. You can easily see all transactions relating to a business or a specific family member, for example.

Like Money Plus, Quicken introduces a system-tray applet, the Billminder Gadget, which lets you view upcoming transactions and bills without running the program. More users might be pleased to see PayPal on the list of financial institutions that support downloading of transactions to Quicken account registers.

Quicken’s other innovations are fairly routine, but it maintains its edge over Money Plus in one important way: Intuit still lets you download transaction data to Quicken for three years after you buy, while Microsoft forces you to upgrade Money every two years to maintain online services.

For anyone who needs a full-featured personal finance manager, Money will please if you want quick access, but Quicken continues to offer a slight advantage overall in features – especially if you are a small-business user.

Firewall: Comodo Firewall Pro 2.4

2007-12-24T09:30:00.001-08:00

Malicious programs always behave in a typical pattern. For example, Trojans try to execute a command with the help of an installed application. To be prepared for such attacks, you need to check whether the identification for such attacks is activated in Comodo. To activate the function, you need to go to ‘Security - Advanced - Application Behavior Analysis – Configure’. In here, you can configure the application according to your needs. You can find most of the configuration settings such as defining a new trusted application or a new banned application.

Apart from features such as finding updates for the application and sending suspicious files to Comodo’s lab for further analysis, other features that are included under the security tab are two wizards: one that lets you define rules for a new network you want your computer to get connected to and one that lets you set pre-defined rules for applications that are require to be connected to the Internet in order to function.

The ‘Scan for Known Applications’ wizard can scan your computer for popular applications, such as instant messengers, Web browsers, and automatically create rules for them. This avoids those traditional pop-ups of firewall that requires you to intervene every time an application tries to connect to the Internet. This is a real advantage of using Comodo firewall because you are saved from all those irritating queries asked by regular firewall applications.

Comodo firewall also blocks individual system files on demand. To configure this feature, click on ‘Component Monitor – Refresh’. Now you will see a long list that consists mainly of DLL files. Comodo firewall explains the function of the file and in most of the cases this helps you understand the function of the DLL files listed. This helps you decide what to block; for instance, the ‘wzcsapi.dll’, which is responsible for WLAN access, when you are not connected to any wireless network. The ‘Network Monitor’ allows you to add your own network control rules and also prioritize them. In this way you gain a good control over the application and can configure it as you wish.

Overall, it is a decent firewall application that not only protects your computer, but also keeps you informed about the various activities. Though, it is a freeware, it offers most of the features offered by its shareware counterparts. So, you must try this firewall application at least once and see how well it functions.

Operating System: Fedora 7

2007-12-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

Referred to as Fedora Core since its inception, this Red-Hat-sponsored Linux distribution is now called Fedora. The word ‘Core’ was used to distinguish the main Fedora package from those of the Fedora Extras project, which provided add-ons to Fedora Core. The difference between these two repositories was that Red Hat maintained Core, and a team of volunteers maintained the Extras. From this release on there is no distinction between the Core and the Extras package repositories anymore. Fedora 7 now ships with the latest software packages that drive the system, including the Linux 2.6.21 kernel, GNOME 2.18, KDE 3.5.6, and X server 1.3.

Fedora’s commitment towards true open source software meant that the distribution cannot have any MP3, Flash or Java codecs, but a quick Google search will have you playing all your media files in minutes. Try out the system-config packages if you have recently switched to Fedora. They make system administration a walk in the park. One such package is ‘system-config-display’, which runs out of a terminal to start an xserver and help you choose the right driver and screen resolution, in case you switch monitors or graphic cards. The Fedora forum and wiki are bookmarked in Firefox, making it easy for new users to find help. Composit is installed during the desktop installation and can be started from the ‘Enable Desktop Effects’ option on the ‘Desktop Effects’ menu.

It takes a couple of hours to customize Fedora 7 and iron out the little issues that might arise because of plug-ins or incompatible drivers. Afterwards, Fedora works well. The DVD has most packages that users need to install later, which is good considering the slow Internet connections most of us have.

With its simple graphical system administration tools, Fedora 7 is a great replacement for the Windows desktop, if you are ready to enter the world of open source software.

Software: Phoenix Windows Data Recovery 3.0

2007-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

When disaster strikes and your hard drive crashes, what do you do? If you perform regular backups, it’s no big deal. But let’s face facts; most of us don’t really have good backup strategies. Here’s where Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery 3.0 comes in.

The box is rather bare, containing only a CD case. A complete lack of printed documentation is not a good sign. The case contains a USB hardware lock, but this can be confusing for first-time users. It looks a lot like a thumb drive, and there is no indication that you need to plug it in. The error message without the key plugged in is quite cryptic: “No hardware dog present.” This error could be a little more descriptive.

The software is quite well designed. It looks professional, and the well laid out interface makes it easy to get down to recovering your data. The online documentation and help files are reasonably good.

The first test was a simple recovery of files deleted from the Recycle Bin under Windows Vista. As expected, the software was easily able to recover the files. It didn’t fare so well with a formatted partition though. This is not a limitation of the product, more a feature of Windows Vista. In Vista, a full format actually gets rid of everything by writing zeroes to every sector of the disk, and no recovery software can deal with this. Partitions formatted under Windows XP can for the most part be recovered.

These simple tests done, it was time for more serious recovery scenarios. After creating 15 partitions of various sizes and copying a collection of files into each, the computer was booted into Linux and the partition table was completely destroyed by moving partitions around, changing the sector size, and setting the partition table to an Irix partition. This time around, the scan was run in Raw mode, an option that scans each and every sector of the drive for files. This can take quite a long time. It took a 160 GB HDD well over four hours to be fully scanned.

Results were a mixed bag. Some of the files showed up, but most did not. More than 60 percent of the files were lost, which is not very good. It does not fulfill its promise of complete data recovery and there are competing products that managed to do a much better job. Slightly easier tests involving two partitions and a marginally corrupted partition table yielded better results. The software was able to recover 80 – 90 percent of the files, which is fairly good.

Stellar did not really live up to its name. It is priced Rs 5,500 and one would expect a better level of support for badly corrupted file systems. However, the torture test is not really something that a home user would face, and in most other cases, it did a decent job. If you are not very technically-inclined, the telephone support and the easy-to-use interface will be very useful.

Video Card: ATI 2900 XT VT2D512E

2007-12-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

512 MB of DDR3, dual-link DVI outputs, Video in/out, and HDMI with HDCP round off the feature list. MSI throws in a free bundle of the Black Box from Valve. This is good value, since it consists of three good games, namely Half Life: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. Though Valve cancelled the retail version of the Black Box, this coupon is still valid.

The chip is built on an 80nm process and uses something close to 720 million transistors. Core clock speed is on the order of 740 MHz for R600 with memory running at 825 MHz. The 2900 XT, in common with other R6xx parts includes an audio processor on their hardware. This will accept audio streams and send them out over their DVI port through a special converter to integrate audio with a video stream over HDMI. Nvidia does not have anything like this in their current cards.

The card has a high power draw. The card has PCI-Express 2.0 power connectors. These expand on the current 6-pin power connector to offer up to 150 Watts over an 8-pin connector. This power connector enables video cards to pull up to 300W of power just for themselves. With 75W delivered through the slot, 75W through a 6-pin PCIe power cable, and 150W coming in through an 8-pin plug, there is lots of power to play with. ATI provides a little 6-pin to 8-pin converter, so in case your SMPS is an older one, you’ll still be able to use it.

This is a great card. Unfortunately, there are better cards out there. With a price of Rs 26,500, ATI’s greatest is just too expensive. Nvidia has a cheaper GeForce 8800 GTS with 640 MB of RAM that matches, and sometimes beats, this card. The more expensive GeForce 8800 GTX handily outperforms it. This is the same problem that has plagued all the ATI products in this generation. If this card was priced around Rs. 20,000, it would be a great buy. As it stands, it is similar to the ATI 2600: You’d really have to be an ATI fan to buy this.

Motherboard: ZEB 650i SLI

2007-12-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

ZEBRONICS – known for their cabinets and SMPS, also have on offer other components. Of these is a select set of motherboards, one of which is the ZEB 650i SLI. As the name suggests, it employs an Nvidia 650i SLI chipset, supporting all 775 socket CPUs of Intel, including quad core processors. This board makes for a sensible investment if you are going the Intel route.

Compared to other motherboards that employ the 650i chipset, this Zebronics is only slightly slower. For example, to complete WorldBench 5.0’s multitasking test, this Zeb 650i SLI took 305 seconds, while the MSI P6N SLI, the fastest 650i based motherboard, did the task in 287 seconds. The Zebronics is slower by 6 percent. This difference comes down by half – 3 percent slower in the Office XP component of WorldBench 5.0.

A test run of DOOM 3 with an Asus 7900GT graphics card showed that gaming performance has not taken any hit. It is in fact on par with Intel’s new P35 chipset based boards, having managed 227 fps at 800x600 resolution and low quality settings.

SLI capability will keep gaming enthusiasts happy, giving them the option of adding a second identical video card at a later time. In fact, this board has three PCIe slots, with two of them marked as x8 for SLI operation and one of them being full x16 speed compatible. Of course, you can use any slot for a single card as well, as full x16 PCIe bandwidth is hardly utilized. A PCIe x1 and two PCI slots are also included.

It is good to see 2 IDE channels which give greater flexibility in connecting older hard disks or optical drives. A total of five SATA ports give ample room for adding hard disks, but sadly there is no RAID support. This is disappointing, given the fact that this is an SLI board and enthusiasts would want to have the option of RAID, with hard drive prices falling.

USB ports on the rear panel are four in number, with two more headers on the board. This gives you a total of eight USB ports, while the packaging claims ten. Similarly, Zebronics touts dual Gigabit LAN – while there is only one LAN port. Strangely, there was no SLI bracket included in the box – something that is supplied with almost every SLI motherboard.

Other features include 8-channel audio, coaxial S/PDIF and eSATA. The back panel also includes an LCD that shows two character codes to indicate the motherboard status or error messages. Unfortunately, there is no documentation of what the error codes mean. A COM port also finds presence on the rear panel, which is surprising as this interface is almost obsolete. Another USB port in its place would have made more sense.

At Rs 5,000, the ZEB 650i SLI offers excellent value for money. Performance is on par with other 650i SLI based motherboards; it offers decent expandability and is SLI capable. It has its shortcomings though – no RAID and poor documentation. At this budget however, buyers will find these excusable. If you are not after established brands in the motherboard business, the ZEB 650i is a good buy.