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A SONY Z2 XPERIA RTH T WO TABLE 99 R10 9

GROUP TEST: Best on a budget

Three bargain compacts compared. Which should you buy?

REVIEWED: Making a comeback?

Is BlackBerry’s new Z3 enough to convince you not to switch to Android?

SUPERTEST!

HOW TO: Upgrade a Huawei P6

Frustrated you can’t get Android 4.4 on your smartphone? Let us help.

ISSUE 5 | JULY 2014 | HTXT.CO.ZA

LAPTOP OR HYBRID? Five top Windows 8.1 machines rounded up and reviewed.

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Contents

www.htxt.co.za August 2014

ISSUE #06

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

SPRINGING INTO SEASONAL ACTION

nyone else started to turn off their bar heaters already and put away their winter woolies? I remember being told that Joburg only has two seasons and spring and autumn are merely passing thoughts, but this year we seem to be warming up slowly, just like the rest of the world. And the same is true of the tech world which is already starting to gear up for the festive frenzies. We’ve been inundated with phones and tablets to review this month, many more than we can fit into a monthly magazine even when they’re subject of our amazing cover feature (page 19). Fortunately, htxt.africa’s Tech Made Easy is much more than a mere magazine, we’re a community of people who believe technology really can change the world for the better, and you can join us online at htxt.co.za. We’ve got daily news, reviews and features and a great bunch of people on our forums too. See you there. Adam Oxford Editor-in-Chief htxt.africa

MTN launches supercheap smartphone 19 14

Operator’s sub-R500 Steppa is firs

obile operator MTN has launched South Africa’s first Android-powered smartphone that’s available on pre-pay for less than R500. It certainly an African first, and may even a world one: as far as we know, there’s no other smartphone in this class PUBLISHER: Brett Haggard – brett@htxt.co.za available for less than $50 anywhere. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Adam Oxford – adam@htxt.co.za That makes it quite a milestone in MANAGING EDITOR: Tiana Cline - tiana@htxt.co.za putting high-tech handsets within the HARDWARE: David Greenway – david@htxt.co.za reach of everyone. Which is awesome. GAMES: Deon du Plessis – deon@htxt.co.zaThe phone itself isn’t, of course, hugely WRITER: Lungelo Shezi – lungelo@htxt.co.za powerful. It’s based on a Qualcomm reference design, so it has a 1GHz single SENIOR DESIGNER: Quinton Hoffmann – quinton@htxt.co.za core Snapdragon processor, a 3.5in ch DESIGNER: Jessica Hurwitz – jess@htxt.co.za screen and a mere 2MP camera on board. More limiting is the fact that there’s ADVERTISING: Dorothy Haggard – dorothy@hypertext.co.za only 512MB of memory and 1GB of storag Sengezo Jubane – sengezo@hypertext.co.za e on-board. The screen is a decent enough multitouch affair, which takes up most

t of its kind.

It’s a milestone which puts hightech handsets within the reach of everyone…

of the front of the device. There’s no physical keyboard. It also runs a positively ancient versio n of Google’s Android OS, Gingerbre ad. Still, that does still mean it’s able to access BlackBerry Messenger, which is hugel y

important for South Africa. Sadly, MTN has confir med that there ’s no plans to upgrade the Steppa to a more recent version of Android, although local hackers are investigating the possib ility of unlocking the phone and flashing a custom firmware. There’s an FM radio though, along with a microSD port for upgrading the storag e. What you don’t get, however, is a fast HSPA radio for high speed internet access – you’ll have to settle for plain old 3G. All in all, though, it’s a heck of a phone for the price. Not even Nokia can come close with its Asha range of semismartphones, which start at about R799 and don’t have access to half the numb er of apps and services the Steppa has. Like the sound of this super budget smartphone? See our full review at

WHAT IS THAT ‘‘Bit.ly’ STUFF ALL ABOUT?

htxt.africa’s Tech Made Easy is Bit.ly shortens web addresses, produced by: Hypertext Media, 102 on 11th, making easierCAU to paste them CLIMATE CHA NGEitWILL SE MORE Highlands North, 2192, Johannesburg STORM DAM AGE into character-limited services IN SA More news at Two scientists from Contact Us: like Twitter or Facebook. They Wits have ed a paper Email: info@hypertext.co.za also serve aspublish shortcuts to which web says that South Africa may be at pages with long Type go to htxt.co.za Tel: (011) 023-8001/4 increasaddresses. ed risk of tropica l storm damag the Bit.ly URL seen e. in the exerpt Fax: 08654 83304 Our content is licensed under a Creative 6 | TECH MADE EASY | MARCH 2014 Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 3.0 Unported Licence. Other rights may apply for non-original materials.

I am a cy 6kR for clpictured one intoBit.ly your/Nww browser, forming over Madagasexample, and you’ll go directly car

the article page.

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FACEBOOK BUYS WHATSAPP FOR R200BN Facebook has just dived into its war chest again to make another big purchase, this time it’s buying the popular messaging service WhatsApp. Bit.ly/1nPD8wj

Typ e into this c you ode r bro web wse r WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 1

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Contents ISSUE #06

Need to know

This months biggest headlines

5 6

Electric dreams Joburg gets a major digital festival. News round-up Stuff drops covergirls. Doctors print blood vessels. Women in Tech blog launches. Centurion team remote control glider to space. SA’s most popular brands revealed. Hardware news Google plans Android upgraded. VAIO notebooks are back. HTC announces One (M8) for SA. Alcatel Lucent goes high end. Galaxy S5 mini launched. Gaming news Serious Games conference scheduled for September. Koi San anti-poaching game announced. Steam hardware stats revealed. Flight Sim X gets new lease of life

www.htxt.co.za August 2014

28 31

Photos Made Easy

Everything about the imaging

35 39 44 47

The best reviews

5 smartphone essentials Must-have for your handset. Should you buy: Laptop, tablet or hybrid? The best new designs for notebooks compared. BlackBerry Z3 It’s a budget BlackBerry, but is it enough to save the company? Mecer Smart Life M785/ Jabra Sport Wireless+ A South African tablet and a great Bluetooth headset.

Photo news Garmin launches traffic cam. Canon goes solar. Sony’s new sensor revealed. Which is the best budget camera for you? Three awesome little snappers on test. What is depth of field? And how can you control it? How to use flash Guide to exposing yourself at night.

How to...

Comprehensive tutorials from the team at htxt.africa

Hardware, games, gadgets more...

14 19

Sniper Elite 3 Rebellion’s gripping sniper sim is back and better than ever. Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark/Divinity: Original Sin The best and the worst games of the month, but which is which? Mobile games reviews World of Tanks Blitz The Walking Dead Season 2 Angry Birds Epic Sky Force 2014 Rival Knights

49 51 52

How to update the Huawei P6 Firmware that fell off the back of a lorry. 5 public sector apps for Windows 8.1 The best the Windows Store has to offer. How to make the most of a Nokia Asha Microsoft might have canned it, but there’s life in the old phone yet. WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 3

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© 2014 Nokia. All rights reserved. Data charges may apply. All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Device colours & price may vary by operator or retailer, and are subject to availability. Speciﬁcations correct at time of going to print. E&OE.

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NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

Electric dream Why the Fak’ugesi festival could be a tech showpiece for Joburg.

“W

e had some problems getting the name past the linguists,” laughs Professor Christo Doherty, “It’s street Zulu for ‘putting in the electricity’*. It’s also used for dancing, as in ‘increase the energy’ or ‘pump up the volume’.” The name in question is the Fak’ugesi Digital Africa Festival, an arts event designed to celebrate the role of technology in pan-African development. The Johannesburg Centre for Software Excellence is based in a small part of the complex which will eventually become the Tshimologong Precinct, a full city block around the old Inc nightclub which was purchased by Wits and is currently being converted into a giant shared workspace that its founder are hoping will become the epicentre of the burgeoning tech community in and around Braamfontein. Inspired by tech hubs like Google’s Campus in London, Tshimologong will not only be a key venue for the festival when it kicks off in mid-August with the Agile Africa conference but has also helped to inspire the whole thing. In its first year, the core of Fak’ugesi will be to bring together existing events such as indie gaming and geek celebration A MAZE/Interact, and the Unyazi Festival of Electronic Music which has been running annually since 2005. In addition, Doherty and his co-founders are also bringing Social Media Week to

More news at go to htxt.co.za

South Africa for the first time. Even more impressively, Maker Faire Africa is also scheduled to make an appearance as part of Fak’ugesi, although there are a few details to confirm yet. There’ll also be a program of smaller events happening in and around central Johannesburg, which will draw upon the internal talent of

“The core of Fak’ugesi will be to bring together existing events such as indie gaming and geek celebration A MAZE/ Interact, and the Unyazi Festival of Electronic Music…” the five departments of Wits involved in planning and outsiders from other academic institutions and tech hubs in the city, like the University of Johannesburg and JoziHub. The first event, Agile Africa, takes place on 11th and 12th August and the last – Social Media Week Johannesburg – finishes on 26th September. There’s no shortage of tech conferences in, around

WITS GETS AFRICA’S FIRST AMS RADIOCARBON DATING LAB Local university get continent’s first machine for dating the age of archeological artefacts, while will help scientist study early development in the region. Bit.ly/1jsEUYm

and about Africa. What sets Fak’ugesi apart is the number of open events that will appear under its banner. Being inclusive is important to Doherty. He believes one of the biggest problems with South African education as it is is the lack of exposure children have to new technologies and its potential. Unless they know what’s out there, they can’t begin to be inspired into careers working with it. The first cohort of students on Wits’ own Games Design course is due to graduate this year. One of the most striking events is likely to be the Cascade installation, which will be both an ongoing project throughout the festival and also a series of workshops that will produce exhibits for A MAZE/ Interact. There are plans for day long hackathons and evening events too, but Doherty says that the full program hasn’t yet been finalised. While this year’s festival is looking strong already, it’s what Fak’ugesi has the potential to become if the team behind it get it right. Can it grow into an event worthy of mention in the same breath as the Edinburgh Fringe or Sundance Film Festival but with a uniquely modern and African flavour? It’s not beyond the realms of possibility in the mind of this writer. Let’s see how it all pans out. Bit.ly/1tMfWq3 *And also taking out the electricity by illegally leeching directly from powerlines in townships.

UNDERSEA CABLES SET TO MONITOR EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS There’s a vast network of ocean floor data cables keeping the world connected, and scientists want to use these underwater networks to look for unusual siesmic activity. Bit.ly/1tqdmXx

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 5

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

3D printing adds blood vessels to its repertoire

he medical use of 3D printers has been fairly muted when compared to commercial use, but the University of Sydney has made a huge breakthrough by replicating the blood vessels in human organs. With the help of Harvard, Stanford and MIT, the collective have bio-printed artificial vascular networks i.e. blood vessels, which is necessary to grow large complex tissue organs. “Imagine being able to walk into a hospital and have a full organ printed with all the cells, proteins and blood vessels in the right place, simply by pushing the ‘print’ button in your computer screen,” says study lead author, Dr Luiz Bertassoni. Having the ability to bio-print blood vessels is a huge step forward for medical 3D printing, but Bertassoni adds that this is only the first step in a more complex process, but at least progress is being made in the field. “While recreating little parts of tissues in the lab is something that we have already been able to do, the possibility of printing three-dimensional tissues with functional blood capillaries in the blink of an eye is a game changer,” Bertassoni concluded. Bit.ly/1nRudzf

Stuff drops half naked cover girls, says tech mags are no longer for “guys only”

o the great chagrin of female geeks everywhere, popular technology magazine Stuff has featured an often scantily clad woman on the cover of almost every issue since it launched 18 years ago. But that’s abou to change. Stuff editor-in-chief Will Findlater has said that it will no longer use cover models because they are now seen as alienating readers. When Stuff first made its debut, it catered specifically to men who were into everything tech and featured half naked women specifically so that it would be placed next popular men’s magazines like Loaded, FHM and GQ on store shelves. But it how has a 40% female readership. Last year, Stuff tested the waters when it carried out market research and started dropping half naked cover girls as a way to determine how it would affect readership. That seems to have worked well as the magazine saw a six to 10% rise in sales. “We want the cover to reflect what is about: the best technology in the world,” Findlater told The Telegraph.

Blog celebrating SA women in tech launches

new blog dedicated to honouring and profiling South African women in tech has just been launched. Women in Tech ZA aims to be a resource for women in the sector to network and showcase themselves, their fields and expertise. “The idea for the site came from Paul Scott (a very nice man who programmes and has an interest in such things), who created the blog and handles the tech side of it. He hadn’t gotten around to doing anything with it and asked a few months ago if I would take it over as I’m better placed to get it going (given my 15 years covering the sector and 17 years in publishing). I said sure, asked a whole bunch of people for nominations of women to profile and then got bogged down in work and sat on it. This week, finally, I came up for air and decided to get it going,” says Samantha Perry, the woman behind the site. Bit.ly/1nRufHu

Bit.ly/1nRu2Ea

More stories at go to htxt.co.za

8 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

ans of Sony’s VAIO range of Windows laptops can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the VAIO brand has survived the breakup with Sony which happened earlier this year. The two new lines of notebooks - the VAIO Pro and the VAIO Fit – will look immediately familiar as models directly from Sony’s range of notebooks without the Japanese company’s branding. The VAIO Pros offer the same Sonymade Triluminous, full HD, touch screen displays, Intel Haswell processors and solid state drives as their predecessors did which should make them just as good as the Sony versions of the notebooks. The VAIO Fit on the other hand will offer a range of processors and display options to cater to a more budget friendly audience. The new VAIO notebooks will more than likely never make it to South Africa as the company has said that it will first focus on being successful in Japan. Bit.ly/1nRv6YH

FLORIDA ROAD, DURBAN: NOW WITH FREE UNCAPPED WIFI Free internet connectivity is attracting many of Durban’s small business owners who have taken to using restaurants in the area to work. Bit.ly/1mMBjoi

MOBILE OPERATOR MTN LAUNCHES PREPAID VISA CARD Never mind the eWallet, this card from MTN comes with a one-off R29 charge and can be used to draw funds from a mobile wallet at ATMs or till points. Bit.ly/1qML1qL

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

Idol Alpha unveiled for South African market

n a market dominated by Samsung and Apple, smaller smartphone makers have to fight fiercely to get noticed by the public. It’s not easy when there are so many, but Alcatel OneTouch reckons it’s built itself up over the last four years to be taken seriously, and with its latest phone — the Idol Alpha — it might be right. Alcatel OneTouch smartphones has been available in South Africa for some time, but this will be the company’s biggest push into the local market. The smartphone aims to bring a fashion element to high-end models with a number

of distinct design aspects – it has no physical buttons and features clear, glass-like rounded edges at the top and bottom that light up when you get a notification or incoming call. In terms of specifications, the Idol Alpha features a 4.7-inch screen, measures 138x66.6x7.5mm, runs on Android 4.2 and has a 13.1 megapixel camera on the rear. For power, the 1.2GHz Cortex A7 quad core processor and 16GB internal storage runs on a 2 000mAh battery. Available for R5 999, the Idol Alpha will stocked by Vodacom and MTN. Bit.ly/1nRvkPH

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 Mini announced

The HTC One (M8) launches in South Africa

he HTC One M8 is one of the most anticipated Android smartphones of 2014. The HTC One boasts a quad core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor like the one used in the Sony Xperia Z2 as well as 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The memory is expandable by up to 128GB using a microSD card and a 2 600mAh battery which is smaller than Samsung’s Galaxy S5 flagship. As with last year’s HTC One, and the HTC One Mini, the company’s new flagship features a 4 megapixel camera with the large 2µm ‘UltraPixels”. The theory behind the lower resolution and larger pixel size is that the camera will be able to catch more light in a shorter period of time

KID(12) SKIPS SCHOOL TO MAKE SPACEPANTS, THE VIDEO GAME With the help of his game developer dad, Sam created a clever single-room endlessrunner game for iOS and Android. Bit.ly/VO4X1d

creating better looking photos which will still be large enough to look good on the social networks they are most commonly shared on. However, the new HTC One (M8) comes with a second camera that allows it to capture depth as well, so that you can change the focus in the gallery after the photo has been taken. The front-facing BoomSound speakers also make a return from last year’s flagship which should mean that the sound from music and videos being played on the One M8 will be incredible. The new HTC One M8 will be available on Vodacom’s Smart S contract at R499 a month and for a flagship cash price of R11 119. Bit.ly/1nRvFlk

SAMSUNG’S PROFITS ARE DOWN NEARLY 25%, HERE’S WHY... The second three months of the company’s financial year are a disaster, mainly because the market has finally started to catch up on Android. Bit.ly/1oFlpZC

ike the look of Samsung’s latest Galaxy S5 flagship but worried the asking price is a bit rich for you? Don’t worry, the firm has announced a cut down S5 Mini just for you. The Galaxy S5 Mini has the same outward appearance as its larger counterpart which, given its naming convention, makes perfect sense. The Galaxy S5 Mini also sports the same IP67 dust and water resistance of the flagship, but the microUSB port at the bottom of the phone does not have the same (rather annoying) cover that the Galaxy S5 needs to keep the port dry and the phone operational - it’s simply left open. It’s also good to see that the display of the Galaxy S5 Mini is now at a respectable 720p HD resolution instead of the frankly poor 540x800 display of the S4 Mini last year. The Galaxy S5 Mini will be available in the same four colours that the S5 is available in, namely Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue and Copper Gold. Bit.ly/1nRvINV

OH THE THINGS YOU FIND ONLINE THE POETRY OF GOOGLE SEARCH Google search’s autocomplete function is a handy tool to navigate your way to whatever you are looking for quickly, with some bizarre results. Bit.ly/1jsZA2d

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 9

NEED TO KNOW: GAMES

Steam stats reveal PC gamers’ favourite hardware

The first serious games conference is coming to SA

ontrary to popular belief, videogames aren’t just for fun. The first-ever conference on making serious games is happening in South Africa at the end of this month held at the Quest Conference Estate in Vanderbijlpark. The organisation works very closely with the Serious Games Institute of Coventry University in the UK; together, they work towards helping developers create apps that teach real-world skills through the gamification of the learning process, that is by making learning more like a game. There will be several talks spread out over the conference’s duration that aim to educate attendees about the benefits of making games that teach useful, real-world skills as well as tips on how to go about making them.

id you know that the majority of PC gamers with systems capable of DirectX10 and DirectX11 play their games using Intel’s HD Graphics 4000 chip? Or that 8GB of RAM is the most popular amount of system memory for gaming with Steam? Well now you do, thanks to the results from Steam’s latest hardware survey. It’s always interesting for gamers to go through the list expecting certain items (quad core CPUs, dedicated graphics cards with 2GB of VRAM or more, and multi-monitor setups) only to find out how different the real-world usage figures are. As it turns out, the vast majority of gamers play in 1080p (so on only one screen), most of their PCs have dual-core processors and Windows 7 64-bit is by far the most popular operating system among the people of Steam. Steam gamers believe Intel and NVIDIA offer the best value for money when it comes to performance-oriented upgrades, Windows 7 is way more popular than Windows 8 (but 8 is slowly catching up), and that multi-screen gaming is still the reserve of the ultra-rich. Bit.ly/1s1YNFK

Bit.ly/1zbomYf

Play the poacher fighting, rhino-riding SA game

ancy a 2D side-scrolling LIMBO-like game that casts you as an African warrior who takes on gun-toting enemies? Crocopede (also known as Lukas De Kock) has spent the last three months working on just such a game. His game sees the player taking on what look like poachers (but who could just as easily be soldiers) in a distinctly African setting, and players must kick and spear them all to death or summon leopards, rhinos and elephants to maul them. There are secret areas to be discovered and fireflies and fruit to be collected, too, along with a stealth element and some jumping puzzles. It’s currently called Xoi San, a play on Khoisan which we all know to be

two groups of Southern African people; Xoi San is actually a Chinese dish so the title is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. (The name will probably change, though, as Crocopede has received feedback that questions casting what appears to be a Khoisan warrior in the lead role when the Khoisan people are, in fact, quite peaceful.) De Kock released a video showing off how the game plays – not only does the game look beautifully stylised with its silhouetted characters and gorgeous African sunset background, but it ends with the player riding a rhino into battle! Watch it here: Bit.ly/1jsRhU9 If Xoi San looks like something you might enjoy, head over to Steam Greenlight now and show your support. Bit.ly/1s1Z5MU

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NEED TO KNOW: GAMES

Flight Simu making a c Microsoft is working on an “Acceleration” expansion pack to be released on Steam later this year.

icrosoft’s Flight Simulator X was considered to be the definitive flying simulator when it was launched in 2006, but time and technology have not been kind to it. With better graphics cards and more powerful machine, the game’s visuals haven’t aged very well. The aviation simulation genre has a huge community and plenty of add-ons, mods and maps have been released in the past – and even today. Microsoft did release a followup a couple of years ago, simply called Flight, but it didn’t really take off (boom boom). Now the firm has announced that it has entered into a licencing agreement with Dovetail Games to develop and publish all-new flight products based on Microsoft’s flight technology. As part of the agreement, Dovetail Games have also been given permission to distribute Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Gold Edition through Valve’s Steam platform, which will be sold as Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition. “I am delighted to be working in partnership with Microsoft as part of this agreement,” said Paul Jackson, CEO of Dovetail Games,

More news at go to htxt.co.za

12 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

UNIQUE XBOX ONE DESIGNS YOU’LL NEVER HAVE There’s something just so amazingly cool about custom console designs, but this bunch on display at SDCC might never never be in your hands. Bit.ly/1rF3ms1

DOTA 2 BAGS FIVE CHINESE GAMERS ONE MILLION DOLLARS EACH A big money gaming tournament for player’s of Valve’s RPG-em-up crowdsourced R110m in prize money. Bit.ly/WBelph

imulator X is a comeback in a press statement. “We are thrilled to be exploring new flight simulation opportunities using Microsoft’s technology, and look forward to using our extensive expertise of Steam publishing to successfully bring Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition to a broad new audience on the Steam platform. This partnership is perfectly timed to support our expansion into new areas of simulation.”

BroForce gets an update and two new bros

“Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X was considered to be the defininitive flying simulator when it launched in 2006...”

Kevin Perry, executive producer at Microsoft added that Dovetail Games, the studio behind the hugely-popular Train Simulator series of games, was the natural choice to take over Microsoft’s flight sim franchise. “When it comes to licensing our simulation engine, Dovetail Games is the obvious choice for us to work with. We respect their approach in terms of delivering premium quality simulation games and look forward to seeing their vision of the next chapter in flight simulations unfold.”

NO DOOM FOOTAGE FOR YOU BEFORE 2015 Despite having over 16 minutes of in-game footage to show off, the team behind the game said the game is not yet ready for mass consumption. Bit.ly/1ltO0yZ

he South African developers of the indie game BroForce have just released a new “Death from Above” update for the game. It was released to coincide with the 4th of July holiday weekend in the US, but is near essential for players internationally too thanks to its over the top satrirical action. The update doesn’t just fix a bunch of things, it adds the option to rain death down on enemies from elevated positions using directional fire, hence “Death from above”.

It also adds two new bros: the grenadechucking Colonel James Broddock and Cherry Broling, a female bro that has a machine gun for a leg. Geek points for knowing which action flicks they’re from. That makes two female bros in the bro line-up, the other being Ellen Ripbro, a bro based on none other than the xenomorph-slaying badass from the Alien movies, Ellen Ripley.

SOME OF THE SMALLER CHANGES MADE: • Made GR-13 jump back correctly • Fixed Boondock Bros avatar showing incorrectly for a second • F12 now toggles HUD (rather than just hides it) • Fixed Windows in City (and elsewhere) breaking after a radio tower start. • More Agressive/Less Forgetful Mookopter • Fixed Bombardment Flashes getting stuck during Time Bro Motion • Improved Camera Trigger Actions • Fix Dual Shock 3 controllers crashing on Macs (thanks Unity!) • Many fixes related to Macs and startup

FAMOUS FREERUNNER BECOMES UBISOFT’S FIRST CHIEF PARKOUR Michael “Frosti” Zernow will be serving “in a strategic advisory role, ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of parkour. Bit.ly/1rJnzu3

• Fixed lack of propane momentum when stepping off propane tanks • Improved Z ordering of background foliage • A lot of work on the announcer voice • Made muzzle flashes stick to guns • 5% faster mook reaction times • Scriptable enemies in Level Editor (WORK IN PROGRESS!) • Ellen Ripbro’s plasma damages terrain more • Broniversal Soldier has a higher rate of fire for his primary weapon • Villagers 2.0 • Bros can stand on mook parachutes. • Placing unused terrain pieces in your levels will no longer break the levels • Fixed outlines on some parallax pieces

FLY DRAGONS THROUGH MAPS BASED ON REAL-WORLD DATA Nokia’s HERE map technologyi ncorporates the road layout, points of interest, traffic conditions and more into its unique environments. Bit.ly/1rJnC9l

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 13

top accessories for your smartphone Protect, power, augment! If you have a phone, you probably need the following five items. MACAROON PERSONALISED IPHONE COVER Cases not only protect your phone from significant damage, they allow you to express a little bit of who you are and what you like. These snap-on shell cases from local printhouse Macaroon are made to reduce the impact of everyday wear-and-tear on your phone. Not only are they sleek and lightweight, you can choose from a number of stylish designs, logos or simply use your favourite family photo. Personal and practical – what’s not to love? From R380 Bit.ly/1kKYrxY

GP PORTABLE POWERBANK CHARGER One day, smartphone batteries will last for days between charges and no-one will need to carry around spare cables or batteries. In the meantime, though, if you have a smartphone you’ll need one of these. The GP Portable PowerBank XPB 20 not only charges your phone, but also any other mobile device with a USB port. It also lasts up to 16 hours with a single 10-hour charge.

From R420 Bit.ly/1p0O8av

SMAAK ULTRA CLEAR HD SCREEN PROTECTOR FOR IPHONE 5 Touchscreen phones are more vulnerable to scratches and damage, mostly due to their larger screens and exposure to external elements such as dirty hands, tables, sharp keys and so on. Smaak’s Ultra Clear HD screen protector for the iPhone 5 reduces screen glare and has a scratch-resistant coating, offering a smooth, non-messy finish for your phone. Smaak also has a range of screen protectors for other top smartphone brands like Samsung, HTC, Sony Xperia and BlackBerry. The best bit? You get a pack of two.

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CLIP-ON 180° FISH-EYE CAMERA LENS Snap wide-screen shots, take cool videos of parties, document travel footage in a funky new way, or zoom in on your mate’s face for laugh-out-loud effects. Whether you’re an amateur or pro mobile photographer, Clip-On’s 180° Fish-Eye Camera Lens is made from quality aluminium and helps you to take even better photos with your smartphone. Simply attach it to the rear camera lens and you’re good to go.

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14 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

ILUV MOBIDOCK STEREO SPEAKER DOCK iLuv’s Mobidock is a simple stereo speaker system that streams music from your mobile phone. Suitable for virtually any type of smartphone that uses a microUSB port, the Mobidock also works with a Kindle Fire or Touch ereader. You can also use the iLuv Mobidock to charge your phone without having to remove it from the speaker or plugging a charger cable in. What’s more is that the myBot robotic arms secures your smartphone to the dock in either portrait or landscape orientation, which means any size phone will fit. From R912 Bit.ly/1p0NZ6X

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SUPERTEST

D L U O H S T A WH YOU BUY…

laptop, hybrid or tablet?

The new generation of transforming ultraportables bring choice, convenience and confusion with their new form factors. Let us help you decide what you need.

he last few years have brought advancements in the hardware available to computer manufacturers have given rise to a new generation of laptops, tablets and hybrids that are more powerful and more efficient than ever before. But with so many options available the question still remains as to what the best

choice for the average person is. This month we’re taking a look at a collection of these computers, all kitted out with touchscreen displays, to hopefully find an answer to that question. In the notebook category we have the range topping X1 Carbon from Lenovo up against the business focused Dell Latitude

E7240 and the budget entry from HP, the Pavilion TouchSmart 11. The convertibles are represented by the HP Split X2, while the out and out tablet of the group is Mecer’s C22G Executive tablet with its included snap-on keyboard cover.

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SUPERTEST

DELL LATITUDE E7240 SOLID, POWERFUL, BUT EXPENSIVE

oth light and portable, the Dell Latitude E7240 is a fantastic size and weight for the business professional on the move. The beautiful 12.5 inch full high definition display is one of the best we’ve seen and produces great colours both indoors and outside but it comes at a serious premium. With an Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM powering it, along with a solid state drive to speed up loading and start times, the Latitude E7240 makes light work of the day-to-day mundanities of office work. Battery life is impressive considering the modest size of the battery, but it’s also because of the thin, light nature of the battery pack that carrying a second would be an option for those who need to guarantee a full day of use.

There is a full selection of ports with a full-sized HDMI and Ethernet port and 3 USB ports on offer and even a docking station that makes things even easier for those looking to use it in the corporate environment.

DETAILS Design

Performance

Value for Money

Overall

R33 000 A surprisingly small battery on this pricey machine.

HP SPLIT X2

SPLIT PERSONALITY NOTEBOOK

t’s heavy, bulky and comically large when removed from its keyboard dock, but HP’s Split X2 could be an interesting proposition for those who want fantastic battery life and the ability to detach the screen into a tablet. The 13 inch tablet would be more useful if the resolution was higher than the, decidedly average, 1 366x768 unit fitted. But should you choose to go for the Split X2 you can look forward to dramatic battery life thanks to a secondary battery inside the keyboard dock. All of the physical connectivity is on the keyboard dock making the tablet rather useless as a full Windows PC once it has been disconnected. The Core i3 processor supplied in our review unit was good for daily activities like email and browsing the internet, but as soon as anything began to tax it, the sound it emitted was similar to that of a jet engine on the runway.

20 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

SUPERTEST

HP PAVILION TOUCHSMART 11

TOUCHSCREEN WINDOWS ON THE CHEAP

hile its appearance may be the blandest on display in our shootout but there is no doubt a place in the world for the HP Pavilion TouchSmart. At just 11 inches diagonally across, the display of the Pavilion TouchSmart is the smallest that we have and with a resolution of just 1 366x768 it is also the least impressive. Because of its diminutive size the keyboard feels cramped and will be uncomfortable to anyone looking to write something of any substantial length even though the keys possess sufficient travel and feel to them. The trackpad has individual buttons for both left and right click and responds well to inputs although, like the keyboard, it is on the small side because of the limited amount of space available. With a budget price comes a budget look and feel

and the build quality of the TouchSmart 11 definitely suffers because of a lack of premium materials. There was a visible gap between the lid and the base of our review unit, which was both irritating and worrisome for the longevity of the notebook.

DETAILS Design

Performance

Value for Money

Overall

R5 099 A smart-looking computer thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s touch capable but feels cheap.

DETAILS Design

Performance

Value for Money

Overall

R10 950 If battery is all that matters, this number from HP will do just fine.

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SUPERTEST

LENOVO X1 CARBON

ALL THE ELEMENTS OF GREATNESS

enovo’s ThinkPad range of notebooks has always been strangely beautiful with their utilitarian, no-nonsense designs and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is no different. Crafted from the usual ThinkPad soft-touch materials on the outside with a carbon fibre frame that holds all of the components in place keeping them safe even in the event of a sharp fall. Besides for two small quirks the backlit keyboard is the finest we have ever used on a laptop. The keys have a fantastically long travel and a responsive feel to them that even some desktop keyboards fail to achieve. The ‘backspace’ key has had a third of its total

size taken away to make way for a ‘delete’ key while the ‘CAPS Lock’ key has been replaced with the ‘Home’ and ‘End’ keys, two adjustments which take a few days of usage to get used to. In the highest specced model, which we were lucky enough to test, you’ll find more than enough grunt from an Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB of RAM and startup times are lightning fast with the included solid state drive. The high end display is a magnificent 2 560x1 440 resolution and looks great from all angles which is important since it can fold completely flat

DETAILS Design

Performance

Value for Money

Overall

R25 000 Perfection comes at a price. Bit.ly/1qP9I8L

MECER C22G EXECUTIVE TABLET SURFACING A STRONG COMPETITOR

rawing on inspiration from Microsoft’s Surface tablets, Mecer’s C22G Executive Tablet has a similar snap-out kickstand to keep it propped up on a table while you type on it but unlike the Surface’s wide stand the C22G has a thin stand that is all but useless when trying to prop it up on your lap when a desk isn’t available. Like the Surface, the Mecer has a magnetically attached keyboard that also acts as its cover. While the trackpad is better than we expected it to be, the lifeless keyboard is difficult to love. Using a Sandy Bridge generation Intel processor means that the battery life is not as good as it could have been using a 2014 Haswell version which made extending battery life a priority. One bright point however is the fact that the 11.6 inch full high definition display produces a bright picture with rich colours.

DETAILS Design

Performance

Value for Money

Overall

R9 000 Bright colours, poor keyboard.

22 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

available at leading retail outlets

SUPERTEST

WINNER W

hen it comes to picking a winner the truth is that there isn’t a definitive answer about which form factor has proven to be the best during our test. What we can say for sure is that the current state of computers is by far and away the best that it has ever been with both battery life and performance having made the greatest strides forward. Both Dell and Lenovo have extremely competent notebooks in the Latitude E7240 and the X1 Carbon that would make anyone who spends their days typing away on a keyboard extremely happy for having either one to work on. From a local perspective Mecer is producing some fantastic devices at a great price and we’re excited to see what comes from them in the next few months.

EDITOR CHOIC ’S E

BUYING A NEW NOTEBOOK OR CONVERTIBLE

Look at the display – adjust the brightness of the display and see if the colours wash out when it gets brighter. Also look at text and make sure that the resolution is high enough to make text look good, the last thing you want is to get eyestrain from your notebook.

24 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

Spending a bit more to get the latest CPU is usually a good idea, especially with laptops. The current generation of processors, especially the Haswell processors from Intel, have been designed with long battery life in mind.

Pick it up and feel it – Look at the build quality of a sample in store to see how well everything fits together. Also feel how heavy it is considering that you’ll more than likely have to carry it around with you more than once a day.

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REVIEWS

DETAILS

BlackBerry Z3

• Display: 5 inch capacitive touch screen, 540×960 resolution at 220 ppi • Operating System: BlackBerry 10.2.1 • Processor: dual core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 • Memory: 1.5GB of RAM • Storage: 8GB (expandable by up to 32GB using microSD cards) • Battery: Non-removable 2 500mAh • Camera: 5 megapixel rear, 1.1 megapixel front-facing • Networking: 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 • Dimensions: 140×72.8×9.3mm • Weight: 164g • Other: FM Radio R2 999

The best BlackBerry for the price but not, sadly for BlackBerry, the best budget smartphone.

nce king of the smartphone manufacturers, BlackBerry has been hard hit by the combined efforts of Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and even Microsoft’s Windows Phone. The BlackBerry Z3 is the first ‘budget’ smartphone running its BlackBerry 10 OS. At 164g it’s not a light phone by any stretch of the imagination but most of that heft is concentrated in the lower part of the phone which seats it quite nicely in hand. The BlackBerry Z3 is powered by a dual core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage - more than enough to keep the Z3 chugging along nicely even with multiple applications open simultaneously. The display will be considered large by many users at 5 inches but the display resolution of just 540×960 pixels and the subsequent 220ppi pixel density isn’t enough to trouble the record books but is strangely still rather crisp when you look at it. Rounding out the hardware is a 5 megapixel camera at the back, a 1.1 megapixel unit up front and a 2 500mAh battery to power the lot. It has the same fantastic software based keyboard as the rest of the touch-screen

26 | TECH MADE EASY | JULY 2014

BlackBerry 10 range as well as the same fantastic BlackBerry Hub that keeps all of your messaging, no matter the service used together in one place. The big news for BlackBerry users (or potential BlackBerry users) is that BlackBerry OS 10.2 allows you to install Android applications direction onto BlackBerry smartphones. The Z3’s 540×960 resolution display managed to pull a fast one on us by actually turning out to be rather fantastic. Obviously text and images were not as sharp as they would have been on a 720p or 1080p display but there was seldom a time when the extra resolution was necessary. A low resolution display and a general lack of native apps to install to drain battery life from the BlackBerry Z3 means that the 2 500mAh battery is more than ample enough to get you through a day of use. Most will find that it can even be extended into the middle of day two before succumbing to the allure of the included microUSB charger. The BlackBerry Z3 is aimed squarely at the market that embraced the BlackBerry 8520 four years ago. While it may represent similar value to its spiritual predecessor times have changed enough

to ensure that the Z3 has a significantly more difficult time of making their case. With options like the LG G2 Mini and the Motorola Moto G from the Orange online store it makes it difficult to recommend the BlackBerry Z3 to all but those specifically looking for a BlackBerry. It’s not to say that for the R2 999 price tag the BlackBerry Z3 is a bad device, in fact the opposite, if anything, is true of the phone. The problem is that there are some exceptional phones at the same price point that just offer more. Bit.ly/1s22b3i

SCORES Design

Performance

Battery Life

Value for Money

Display

Interface

Overall

REVIEWS

More reviews at

DETAILS

Mecer Smart Life M785

Dimension: 200x134x7.75mm Weight: 400g Camera: 0.3MP front and 2.0MP rear R1 884

A powerful and well-priced tablet for the masses.

he Mecer Smart Life M785 may resemble a white iPad mini, however, the 8-inch tablet’s entire body is made of plastic with a metalliclooking finish on the back.It does have a 7.8 inch Gorilla Glass screen, weighs in at 400g and is just 200x134x7.75mm. It comes with a folio case mind you, so in the end the differences are negligible. Mecer tablets all run Google’s Android operating system, and sadly the Mecer Smart Life M785 is a little behind most. It runs Android 4.2 (two releases back from the

current builds). It’s powered by a quad core Cortex-A7 1.2GHz chip and has 1GB RAM expandable up to 32GB by Micro SD. We’ll give the Mecer Smart Life M785 credit for its performance and battery life – it doesn’t lag too much when running multiple apps and a single charge gave a good 18 hours of battery life. The M785 also has built-in GPS and 3G (voice and data) so you can slot your SIM card in to make phone calls, send SMSes and browse the internet via mobile

data. For a more in-depth review of Mecer’s new tablet, go here: Bit.ly/1rhPRN6.

An eink ereader to love: Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite Since it launched in 2007, Amazon’s Kindle has been the bookworm benchmark by which all ereaders are measured. Bit.ly/1kbr9xn

SCORES Design

Performance

Value for Money

Ease of Use

Overall

Hands-on with the amazing new HTC One M8 The first thing was the incredible attention to detail in both the design and assembly of the phone. Bit.ly/1nTmyL3

DETAILS • Networking: Bluetooth 3.0 • Other: FM Radio R1 499

Jabra Sport Wireless+ A world-class wireless headset with high quality sound for you when training.

f you like music and are involved in outdoor activities like running or hiking, then the Jabra Sport Wireless+ headphones are aimed at you. The Bluetooth wireless headphones lock in over your ear and come with a selection of seven different eargels – soft silicone inserts that customise the fit of the headset inside your ears – that almost guarantee a snug fit for your ears. Setup is a breeze with a voice guided tutorial from the headset once it enters pairing mode and best of all you can pair the headphones to more than one

device so you can be listening to streaming music from your tablet and still answer a call from your smartphone on the headphones. Call quality on the headset is as good as one can expect from a wireless Bluetooth headset with voices coming through clearly. With a roughly 4 hour long battery life the only people that won’t find the Jabra Sport Wireless+ to have enough juice is the ultra-distance runner. Even for those of who are slow runners, a 60% full battery is enough to complete a half marathon. While the Jabra Sport Wireless+ is hardly

the best set of headphones you will use, they are fantastic for their purpose.

Alcatel’s OneTouch Idol Alpha making local comeback. A number of models have made their way onto South African shelves, but the company is betting big with the OneTouch Idol Alpha. Bit.ly/1pc2Y0E

SCORES Design

Performance

Battery life

Value for Money

Overall

Three deep-diving underwater cameras We round up some underwater snappers to pit against each other, to see which one delivers the best on performance and usability. Bit.ly/1rrG6vW

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REVIEWS

DETAILS • Publisher: Rebellion • Platforms: PlayStation 3/4, Xbox 360/One and PC • The good: The new kill-cam is like the game equivalent of a popcorn movie! • The bad: Buggy, we wish it had more polish. From R499 for the PC version to R799 on PS4

Sniper Elite 3

It may not be the best sniper simulation out there, but it’s undeniably fun to play and the new kill-cam is just fantastic.

he third Sniper Elite game brings with it a new warzone, bigger levels, brighter explosions and improved X-ray kill-cams. It’s essentially the game equivalent of a popcorn movie, delivering little in the way of substance but making up for it with pure unadulterated fun, and while some might lament the absence of a good plot or memorable characters it’s still good in its own right. That’s because SE3 is better than its predecessors in every way. It has moved out of dreary Europe and into North Africa for a change of scenery, it has better graphics, a more detailed kill-cam that extends to vehicles as well as human enemies, huge levels that take hours to complete and a touch of open-world design that lets you tackle objectives in whatever order you like. Best of all it has co-op multiplayer that lets you play through the entire single-player campaign with a friend, and competitive multiplayer that’s very different to Call of Duty and Battlefield, requiring less running and gunning and far more patience as you hunt down fellow players while trying to remain undetected yourself. So if you enjoyed Sniper Elite V2, even just a little bit, you’re going to love number three.

Awesome reviews at

go to htxt.co.za

28 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

That being said, if you’re already a veteran of the series you won’t be surprised to hear that as much as it has to offer, the game is also not very polished. Its artificial intelligence isn’t very clever and some could argue that its levels aren’t very inspired; textures occasionally pop in and the action tends to be less punishing of a gung-ho approach than you’d expect of a game with the word “sniper” in its title. Explosions are nice and all, but you shouldn’t hear them again on loading a save after the fact. You also get aiming assistance that shows you where your bullet will land with a little red mark on all but the most difficult setting, which removes the satisfaction to be had from figuring out how the wind direction and the distance to your target will affect your bullet’s trajectory. You can also save anywhere right up to Sniper Elite difficulty, which is very useful for savespamming the difficult bits but which may undermine the spirit of the game. If you don’t like the shot assistance, Authentic is the mode for you; if you’re not a fan of the graphics well, at least it’s not boring old blown-apart Europe again. If you hate that you can save anywhere, don’t do it, or that playing aggressively isn’t

UBISOFT’S HACK-EM-UP IS HERE: WATCH_DOGS REVIEWED An incredible blend of hacking, driving and shooting in a gorgeous, fully-realised openworld near-future setting. Is this Game of the Year 2014? Bit.ly/1hOtY6o

immediately punished by insta-death, play on Authentic. And those annoyed by the stupid AI and glitches, well, they’ve got a point and Rebellion needs to patch those. The challenge of Sniper Elite 3 is to get into the enemy location, take out enemies one by one so that they don’t all come rushing at you at once. You do that by sneaking around and sniping them from a distance, if possible, or taking them down with your silenced pistol if they get too close. Sniper Elite 3 is not perfect, but when it works it’s oh-so-satisfying to play. For a more in-depth review, go here: Bit.ly/1lTojHh.

SCORES Graphics

Killcam

Multiplayer

Stability/Bugginess

Longevity

Overall

IT’S TIME TO KILL CYBORG HITLER! WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER The script isn’t very polished, the acting is a little hammy and everything is so gloriously over the top that you can’t help but enjoy it. Welcome back William Joseph “B.J.” Blazkowicz. Bit.ly/1inNEsA

REVIEWS

DETAILS

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark By far the worst Transformers game released so far. Stay away.

ransformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (RotDS) is perhaps the worst Transformers game ever made, and a fine example of how poor execution can absolutely ruin even the best of settings. Its potential-stuffed central concept of giant transformable alien robots fighting each other on Earth is constantly undermined by uninspired level design, hammy voice acting and dull, repetitive action that didn’t thrill and engage so much as make me wish I could stop playing and go do something else. Throw in a confusing story that’s told from the perspectives of both the Autobots and Decepticons, a badly-spaced checkpoint

system that will have you re-playing unnecessarily difficult sections of the game over and over again and an overly-long single-player campaign (14 chapters!) and you don’t have a game, you have an annoying mess. It’s not all bad, though: it has a fourplayer co-op “Escalation”multiplayer mode that has you fighting off wave after wave of AI enemies while upgrading the level with turrets and other defences, and an upgrade system that unlocks boosters and weapons that provides a sense of progression. Unfortunately two okay-ish points in an otherwise messy, badly-executed game are not enough to

• Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U and PC From R499

recommend Dark Spark. For even more, go to: Bit.ly/1nMJlOC

SCORES Graphics Quality

Level Design

Story & Writing

Multiplayer

Longevity

Overall

EDITOR CHOIC ’S E

DETAILS

Divinity: Original Sin

• Platforms: PC and Mac $39.99 (R440) via Steam.

Old-school ideas with new-school execution make this one of the best RPGs.

ivinity: Original Sin is Larian Studios’ Kickstarted RPG that marries some delightedly old-school RPG design principles – as well as some exciting new ideas – with modern-day graphics. The result is a charming, challenging and gorgeous turnbased RPG that will capture your heart, visual cortex and tactical mind in one fell swoop. While you might come for the old-school charm, you’ll stay for the turn-based combat and delightfully complex elemental system that puts tons of options at your disposal. Fire, poison, ice, water and air-based effects interact with one another in interesting ways: poison explodes when lit, wet opponents freeze

and electrify easier, dry enemies are more susceptible to burning and so on. Each battle becomes a test of your wit, requiring the right tactics for the right opponents, and figuring your way through each encounter just doesn’t get old. Add in a huge world to explore, fantastic writing with a surprisingly clever main narrative, co-operative multiplayer and a flexible character system that doesn’t pigeonhole you into any single warrior archetype and you have a wonderfully entertaining RPG that older fans and young ones alike will thoroughly enjoy. Read the in-depth review here: Bit.ly/1jWdfzg

SCORES Graphics: 8

Tactical Depth: 9

Story & Writing: 8

Co-op: 8

Value for Money: 10

Overall

9 WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 31

REVIEWS

5 fun games for your phone Not only are this month’s best mobile games all ace, you can try them all for free too. What are you waiting for? Get playing.

WORLD OF TANKS BLITZ (iOS) orld of Tanks is a really well-done multiplayer shooter that pits sevenplayer teams against one another in pitched tank battles. Each match earns you experience points and credits which can be spent unlocking additional tanks and upgrades, but you can always take a shortcut by buying in-game gold with real money that can be converted to credits. The levels on the mobile version are a little smaller, but they make for fast, frantic multiplayer matches with strangers that will keep you coming back for more. Free (in-app purchases)

SKY FORCE 2014 (Android, iOS) ky Force 2014 harks back to arcade shooters that pit a single ship against wave after wave of incoming enemies, with boss battles punctuating the end of each level. It’s absolutely gorgeous to look at and it plays using just one finger. Your job is to move the ever-firing ship in such a way that you’re dodging bullets while landing your own shots on enemies, collecting powerups and weapons and earning enough cash for upgrades that make your little ship unstoppable. Free (inapp purchases)

THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 2 (Android, iOS) uide the heroine from the first season, Clementine, in a completely new adventure set in the Walking Dead universe. This narrativedriven game is more about the characters than the setting, and illustrates very well just how people are as much a threat, if not more so, than the undead are. Superb storytelling, unsettling choices and attractive celshaded graphics await those brave enough to give season two a go. Free (in-app purchases)

ANGRY BIRDS EPIC (Android, iOS) ngry Birds Epic is a story-driven RPG that has your Birds wandering around a huge cartoon world, fighting their mortal enemies the Green Pigs in turn-based combat while earning loot that can be crafted into upgrades that make them better fighters. Of course, you’ll be encouraged to spend real cash on that loot as a shortcut to powering up your Birds, but have a bit of patience and you can unlock it all through regular play. Free (in-app purchases)

RIVAL KNIGHTS (Android, iOS, Windows Phone) his highly-original mobile game has you pitting your manual dexterity against virtual opponents in that very kingly of sports, jousting. Time your start just right to get a speed boost, tap the screen to get your horse’s speed just right, and then aim your lance at your opponent’s weak spot to smash him off his horse. You earn coins along the way that are used to upgrade your armour and your lance, and there are single- and multiplayer modes to take part in. Free (in-app purchases)

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Film and shame bad drivers with Garmin’s new dash camera

hanks to Garmin’s new Dash Cam Series, South Africans can capture all the action that is part of our commuting journey – taxis and all. The new Dash Cam Series forms part of Garmin’s Automotive range of products. “Dash Cam is a high-definition camera that mounts to any vehicles’ windscreen to continuously record a 120 degree wideangle view of the road while driving. Once the Dash Cam is installed, the camera

remains fully automated and it will start recording when the engine is turned on and stop when it is turned off,” Garmin said in a press statement. Of course, whether or not dash cams are legal in South Africa may be open to debate. They’ve certainly caused controversy and fallen foul of the law elsewhere in the world, raising issues of driver safety while being operated. The camera records in Full HD 1080p, 720p or

WVGA video files in a continuous loop to a 4 GB microSD card, which can also be upgraded to 32GB. The camera integrates a G-Sensor so that it starts or stops recording as a car is moving or stops – and saves the current, last and next recordings. It has a 2.3-inch colour display, GPS tracking functions and retails for about R2 600.

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Canon provides solar power to rural areas I n a joint venture between camera manufacturer Canon South Africa and non-profit organisation Segametsi Hope SA, the two have joined forces to provide the communities of Orange Farm, Khatorus and New Jerusalem with solar power. Forming part of the Lighting Rural Africa Project, Canon sponsored R250 000 worth of solar lighting units, which will see solar lighting solution installed into three million households in Africa in a staggered installation approach. “South Africa is blessed with

abundant sunshine which is a clean, unlimited and free source of energy. Through this programme we can help needy households harness the sun’s energy to power the lights in their homes, while cutting down on their energy costs,” said Canon SA’s marketing manager, Michelle Janse van Vuuren in a press statement. But this is only the second step in the project, as 58 solar lighting units have already been installed in the previouslydisadvantaged households of Vosloorus and Thokoza. The aim is to reach

as many households as possible with further funding from the Department of Trade and Industry. “Solar power is a viable and environmentally-friendly alternative to electricity and other energy sources like paraffin. A small solar unit like the ones we have sponsored deliver on the internal and external lighting requirements of RDP homes and informal houses, providing reliable lighting that is far safer than candles and paraffin lamps,” concludes Janse van Vuuren.

Curved image sensor to pave way for cheaper lenses P hotographs are two dimensional, so it stands to reason that camera sensors should be flat — right? That Christopher Columbus of camera technology — long-time sensor pioneer Sony — has gone and made a concave sensor for digital cameras. Apparently it will pave the way for cheaper, smaller lenses and higher photo quality. And it will eliminate the wellknown imaging issue known as vignetting where the edges around an image will be much darker than the rest of the image. Sony explained in a press statement that as the light hits an image sensor, the flat surface doesn’t always capture equal amounts of light. “However, since the light is perpendicularly on the sensor the entire surface can solve this problem on the curved plane CMOS sensor. It can also be used to simplify lenses, as the curved CMOS sensor corrects the ‘Petval field curvature.” Lens manufacturers have to go through a costly process to correct the “Petval field curvature”, which makes them heavier and more complex. The curved image sensor would eliminate the need for such expensive lenses.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 37

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SUPERTEST

WHICH IS THE BEST…

Low cost compact camera?

Find out which budget snapper is right choice for you.

o one is disputing that photography can be an expensive hobby, but for the same argument it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Sure there are camera bodies and lens kits that would cost a pretty penny to acquire and maintain, but there are also much cheaper options out there. Having an affinity for photography doesn’t mean that you need to have the latest and greatest snapper straight out of the gate. It is usually a good idea to acquire a budget or entry-level compact camera first, even if it is just to practice the framing of your shots. And that is exactly why we choice to run three entry-level compact cameras down the gauntlet – they might be small and inexpensive, but they certainly pack some punch. WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 39

SUPERTEST

CANON IXUS 265 HS

COLOURFUL AND FEATURED-PACKED

anon is probably best known for its high-end digital SLR models and the long lenses, which can become very pricey indeed. So with a legacy and a reputation as one of the best camera makers around, it is good to know that it transferred that knowledge to the little cameras as well. To make a comparison, the IXUS is identical to any top-notch SLR, just in a much smaller casing. You will still get great images and ease of use – but just with something that you can slip in your pocket. HANDLING Small compact cameras all seem to cater for users with tiny hands, and the IXUS is no exception – albeit to a slightly lesser degree (or maybe we just have big hands). But with that said, we are yet to encounter a camera where the buttons, knobs and switches are completely misplaced. The top of the IXUS is the spot where you will find the Power button, the zoom control and the shutter. Oddly enough, the button to initiate a video recording is situated on the back panel, and not next to the shutter, as with Canon’s PowerShot SX700 HS. For the rest of the operations, it’s rather easy to press the review, menu and WiFi connection buttons. The only problem with the Function and Display selectors is that they are almost flush against the Macro and Flash options, so you might press them inadvertently.

40 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

IMAGE QUALITY Thankfully as cameras get smaller and less expensive, manufacturers haven’t opted to skimp on the image quality. The IXUS is equipped with a 16.0 megapixel backilluminated CMOS sensor, so the images are crisp with a flurry of detail. With a sensor of that size, images should come out 4608 x 3456 when set to an aspect ratio of 4:3. Working in tandem with a sensor of that size, is Canon’s proprietary DIGIC 4+ processor, which works some more behind-the-scenes magic to make sure that images remain grain-free at the highest settings. In terms of zoom capabilities, you can zoom up to 12-times with the optical option while retaining good quality, whoever with the 24-times digital zoom some image loss will occur. It’s not specific to this model in particular, but rather something that plagues all compact cameras that don’t have the ability to interchange lenses. Another problem that small cameras suffer from is taking good quality images in low-light conditions. Surprisingly, the IXUS coped rather well. PERFORMANCE The generous CMOS sensor coupled with the DIGIC4+ processor and it’s the low-light capabilities serve up a formidable camera, best suited to those who want to pack a punch in their purse or sling bag. The ultra-wide angle and zoom performs when it matters, but just remember that the image quality will

deteriorate the more you zoom in with the digital option. While most SD cards should be enough to house a plethora of images, it can connect to a WiFi network to download images, or they can be transferred with the built-in NFC. The battery should last for about 190 shots, but when flipped over to Economy Mode, which will be stretched to about 280 shots.

KEY FEATURES • 12x optical zoom with ultra-wide angle • zoom to 24x with great quality • 16.0 Megapixel CMOS • Auto mode with 32-scene detection • 7.5cm (3.0”) LCD screen R2 300

SCORES Handling

Image Quality

Performance

Value

Overall

SUPERTEST

NIKON COOLPIX S3600 STYLISH, SLIM COMPACT WITH WIFI

ameras, and especially the compact variety, enjoy an annual release cycle, with new models being introduced into the market every year. The COOLPIX S3600 was announced by Nikon earlier this year, and is part of a collection of five new COOLPIX models for those who are looking for something compact, yet still powerful enough to capture all the action.

HANDLING With all cameras of this size, it’s incredibly important that all users find it easy enough to work around the buttons. While things have to be designed with “compact” in mind, the power button might prove to be a bit of challenge for user with bigger hands – it’s fairly small when compared to other models. As for the rest of the button layout, they are all situated in the normal position. The top comprises of a generous shutter button together with the zoom trigger. The back is largely dominated by the 2.7-inch screen, and the menu, playback and Scene selections are to the right of it. Just as with the Canon, the video record button is on the backend, so it could be an awkward transition to make if you quickly want to capture video. It would have been better if the button was located next to the shutter. But, press it only once, and it starts recording video immediately. IMAGE QUALITY Delivering pictures with 20.1 effective megapixels, the quality is at the top end of the range when compared to other compact cameras in the same price. Going at full tilt,

images should be around the crisp 5152 x 3864 mark when the compression rating is set to its highest. That means that it will record the most information into the image. If storage space is an issue, the camera does have a number of modes, which will reduce the size, and compression of the images – with the lowest clocking in at 1600 x 1200 at 2 megapixels. But the beauty about this camera is that there are two different 20 megapixel settings to choose from. Both will deliver stunning images, but the 20M* setting is where you will get the most detail in your frames – but just be warned, those images will be around 8Mb big because of the added information. The camera also performs pretty well at night, with a number of modes to select from. There will naturally be a bit of noise no matter what mode is used, but the images are very decent. In short, the COOLPIX S3600’s image quality would be very hard to beat when it comes to compact cameras for under R2 000, as they are crisp, clear and packed with detail. PERFORMANCE Looking for something to pop in your bag while you travel, going out at night or just because you like having a camera around, the COOLPIX S3600 will be a great option. It is capable of zooming in eight times, so that will make sure that distant object come a bit closer. It’s not the biggest zoom on the market, but somewhere you have to make a trade-off between zoom and megapixels. The focus on the zoom might also take a couple of seconds extra to find its bearings, but it’s not a deal-breaker. As mentioned the screen on the

back is only 2.7-inches, so the image might not look that great at first. But there beauty will be apparent as soon as they are transferred to a computer screen. It performs well for its price, but there are a couple of niggles that might annoy some users – like the metallic body that can be scratched easily and poor image quality of the screen.

KEY FEATURES • 8x optical zoom • Wide-angle 25 mm to telephoto 200 mm lens equivalent • 20.1 effective megapixels • WiFi connection to share and transfer images • 2.7-inch screen R1 400

SCORES Handling

Image Quality

Performance

Value

Overall

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 41

SUPERTEST

FUJIFILM FINEPIX T560

SMALL BUT POWERFUL

definitely helps when reviewing images. What’s also great about the FinePix T560 is that you can edit images on the camera, things like crop and redeye removal. On the largest setting, images should be around 4 608 x 3 440, which is big enough to enlarge at a photographic store. Users have a wide range of shooting modes and scenes to select from, which always makes things easier for inexperienced photographers. A generous battery is also included in the package, and going at full tilt you should get about 230 images out of a single charge – that’s more than most. And users shouldn’t be afraid to take the FinePix T560 wherever they go, as scratches and dings won’t show up as easily on the hard plastic body.

elatively new onto the South African market, the FinePix T560 is one those compact cameras that shouldn’t be judged on it size, but rather its capabilities. While it may look like a timid image capturer, it is everything but that. Easy to use, lightweight and with a small frame, it will make for an easy accessory to any day out. HANDLING As mentioned with the previous two cameras in our super test, these little cameras are not exactly built for, and dare we say, manly hands. But it is the trade-off that has to be made with compact cameras – small size will invariably have small buttons and settings. But with that said, the buttons on the back-end are almost flush with the body, so there is no need to actually press them very hard, which helps. While there is no dedicated Movie record button, the Shutter, zoom controls and Power button is situated on the top end. The back houses the rest of the controls that you would expect: Playback, Selector and Review button. For basic use, it’s perfect as there are no frill or fuss – everything is where it should be and the menus are easy to get around.

IMAGE QUALITY The 16 million pixels image sensor produces some really great images. While it is not as much as the Nikon COOLPIX S3600, it has a number of advantages over it. The high end of the ISO stretches up to 3200, meaning that low-light images will clear enough. But with that comes a degree of noise on the images, something which invariably can’t be overcome without a little bit of technical help. But for all other situations there is the Automatic Scene Recognition to make things easier. The camera’s Macro made brings subjects closer, but it could struggle sometime to get the subject in perfect focus. Speaking of bringing things closer, the 12x Optical zoom is decent, but there will be some image quality loss when making use of the 24x Intelligent Digital zoom. Also, to help with image quality, it has a lens shift-type Optical image stabiliser. PERFORMANCE In general, the Fujifilm FinePix T560 performs well under most circumstances, with a decent zoom and 16 million pixels image sensor. The 3.0-inch LCD monitor is slightly larger than most compact cameras, which

CONCLUSION

If this supertest has proven one thing to us, it’s that size doesn’t relate to a camera’s ability. While the three models in question might be small, they all equally pack a punch. But unfortunately there can only be one winner, and in this case it is the Canon IXUS 265 HS. While its image sensor was smaller than the Nikon, it seemed to have just a bit better overall quality. It is also the most expensive of the three models, but it really proves why 42 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

it comes at a premium price. The 3.0-inch LCD screen is easy to operate and images are clear, while the 12x optical zoom with ultrawide angle lens provides better clarity with less noise. But that is not to say that the other cameras should be avoided. Each one has their own merit, but sometimes it is better to take a step back with the CMOS sensor, and couple that with the Canon’s DIGIC 4+ processor and you have yourself a winner.

KEY FEATURES • Wide-angle 24mm and 12x Optical zoom • 16 million pixels image sensor • 3.0-inch LCD monitor • WiFi connection to share and transfer images • 24x Intelligent Digital zoom R2 000

SCORES Handling

Image Quality

Performance

Value

Overall

EDITOR’S CHOICE

DO PHOTOGRAPHY! Visit camerastuff.co.za or our walk-in stores to view our wide range of camera accessories

Join our workshops, events & outings visit www.camerastuff.co.za/hq/events for more information

CameraStuff online store - www.camerastuff.co.za | e-mail - info@camerastuff.co.za Johannesburg - (011) 880 4155 | Cape Town (021) 200 1334 JHB - Tuscan Place, 373 Jan Smuts ave, Craighall Park Cape Town - 117 Roeland Street (cnr De Villiers Street), Zonnebloem

HOW CAMERAS WORK

HOW DOES DEPTH OF FIELD WORK? Make subjects stand out by putting them in focus.

epth of Field is a curious optical phenomenon which has long been the most valuable weapon in the portrait photographers’ army. It’s easy to describe, harder to define and tricky to master, but it shouldn’t take you too long to pick up the basics. We are of course talking about Depth of Field (DOF), and when done correctly, can produce some really stunning images. We have all seen images that make use of DOF, and works best when subjects are close to medium-length away from the photographer. *WHAT IS DEPTH OF FIELD?* Depth of field is, quite simple, the total amount of a picture which is in focus when the shutter is taken. Photographs with a narrow depth of field keep the sharp area within a few centimetres of the actual focal point of the frame, which means anything closer or further away than the subject of the shot will be blurry. Photos with a wide depth of field, on the other hand, will have everything you can see in sharp relief. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? As you can tell from the descriptions above, depth of field can drastically change the nature and impact of a photograph. Portrait or macro photographs work best with a narrow depth of field, so that the subject of an image is sharp but everything else is just non-distracting background colour. The same with sports shooters, who’ll

44 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

want viewers to look at the action, not around it. Landscape photographers, on the other hand, will want their pictures to be taken with a wide depth of field so that everything in front of the camera is visible and sharp. HOW DO YOU CONTROL IT? Controlling depth of field is much easier than you might think. The reason for the effect is complex (see boxout) but ulimately it boils down to size of your camera’s aperture. At wide apertures – noted by low F numbers like F2.8 – depth of field is narrow. At high apertures – noted by high F numbers like F22 – depth of field is wide. The tricky part is balancing depth of field against the other elements of exposure, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity. A wide aperture means you can use a fast shutter speed, but also that the depth of feild will be narrow. On the other hand, trying to get a wide depth of field might with a narrow aperture means slowing down shutter speed to let more light onto the sensor (see our guide to exposure last month). You run the danger of introducing camera shake in the whole of the image, not just the bit you want blurry. HOW CAN I DO IT? The easiest way to start experimenting with depth of field is to set your camera to Aperture Priority and go from there. Lock it a low F-stop if you want narrow depth of field and vice versa for total sharpness. Your

camera will fill in the rest of the exposure details for you, all you need to do is practice and shoot.

THE FORMULA FOR DOF There is a number of factors that come into play when making use of DOF, such as subject matter, movement, camera-to-subject distance, lens focal length, selected lens f-number, format size, and Circle of Confusion (CoC) criteria. Before starting on the formula, you need to know the CoC of your camera:

Canon APS-C = 0.018, Nikon APS-C = 0.019, Full frame sensors and 35mm film = 0.029. You could also use this basic formula: CoC (mm) = viewing distance (cm) / desired final-image resolution (lp/ mm) for a 25 cm viewing distance / enlargement / 25. Once you have the CoC and the Hyperfocal point is precalculated, the entire formula would look like this:

2Nc (m + 1)

DoF =

m 2

(

Nc f

N = Lens f-number c = Circle of Confusion m = Magnification f = Lens focal length

)

CMY

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HOW TO: PHOTOS

How to use flash and exposure compensation What do you do when the camera doesn’t see the scene the same way you do?

which is housed in special reflective materials positioned on tripods. We’re not going to get into those, as you will probably never use them for casual photography.

TYPES OF FLASH The most common type of flash is the one that is built into most camera models. These pop-up flash units are pretty good for taking casual images in low-light environments, but they are not very effective in doing anything more than highlighting the subject from straight on. It’s from using the built-in flash that the dreaded redeye-effect appears in photos. Then you get a flashgun, which is actually just a fancy name given to what is generally known as just a flash. They slot into a camera’s hot shoe, the small metallic area that is usually on top of the built-in flash. While they can be pretty expensive, shop around for cheaper options. Professional studio photographers will link their flash trigger with multiple remote flash units,

HERE IS HOW YOU DO IT It is true that most digital SLR cameras on the market have incredibly high ISO levels, which makes it possible to shoot in almost complete darkness, but by using a flash correctly you can create art. One of the first steps towards successful flash shooting is knowing your equipment – which actually goes for all new pieces of hardware. Before you take it for a flash around town, sit down and read the manual and even read up on how other photographers have used it. For the purpose of this article we will just look at basic flash, so don’t feel confused if you have heard the terms rear curtain sync or off-camera flash before but don’t know what it is. For successful flash shooting, you have to decide before-hand what type of mood do you want to create. Do you want to highlight a specific feature? Do you want to bounce light an object? Or do you just want to illuminate a general area? There are specific techniques for each of those scenarios, but the most generally used is Master Fill-in flash. That is where you use flash to eliminate the dark areas or shadows created by other light sources, such as the

here is a general rule in photography that the camera will be able to record whatever the human eye can see, as the two work very similar in principle. But sometimes you need a little bit of help to get the right setting or mood, and this is where making use of a flash comes in. Lighting plays a huge role in setting the tone for the shoot, and even when it seems as if there is enough surrounding or ambient light, there probably isn’t.

sun when outdoors. Fill-in flash is one of the easiest flash techniques to master, and all you have to do is position yourself so that the flash will “fill in” the dark areas. Here the pop-up flash will work brilliantly, but it won’t hurt to experiment a little bit with angles and flash intensity. WHAT IS EXPOSURE COMPENSATION? Most cameras have a button that read Av with a plus and a minus sign inside a square. Well, congratulations, you have found the exposure compensation buttons. In simple terms, it allows you to manually change the brightness of your images. You can use exposure compensation to fine tune your settings for low-light photography, or where the ambient light is too harsh. It is similar to setting the brightness or contrast on a television set. While the camera’s native software is pretty good at compensating for light issues, pressing the + button will lighten the exposure, making white colours brighter. The opposite is true for the – button, as that will make the entire image darker. As with most things in photography, it is better to experiment with different settings and scenarios and see which ones work the best for you and the situation that you are in.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 47

COMPETITION

WIN!

A SONY XPERIA Z2 TABLET WORTH R10 000!

An outstanding opportunity to win one of our favourite Android tablets.

t’s ridiculously thin, stupidly powerful, has an awesome battery and – to top it all – is waterproof. No, we’re not talking about adding a fourth member of the South African Navy’s fleet of submarines, we’re talking about the awesome Sony Xperia Z2 tablet which we’ve got in our hands right now to give away to one of you. The X2 is one of our favourite tablets on sale at the moment. It’s got a beautiful

10.1inch IPS display with a pin sharp resolution of 1 920x1 200 pixels, and is powered by Qualcom’s latest quad core Snapdragon 801 processor. It flies, in other words, and makes Android feel as comprehensively powerful as a fully fledged desktop OS. And yet when you look at it edgeways... let’s just say that at 6.4mm high we’ve held thicker pieces of paper. It’s elegant, feels nigh

on indestructible and was the worthy winner of our Editor’s Choice award when we reviewed it here. Have we sold you on it yet? Good. Because if you want to win a Sony Xperia Z2 tablet, all you have to do is point your browser at the address www.htxt.co.za/winanxperiaz2 and answer the following question. It’s easy to enter, so what are waiting for?

ENTER AT WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA

TO ENTER Point your web browser at www.htxt.co.za/winanxperiaz2 and complete the following question: How many submarines are there in the South African Navy? 3, 4 or 34 The closing date is 5th September 2014. Terms & Conditions apply – full details on the competition entry page.

48 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

/WINANXPERIAZ2

HOW TO…

How to update the Huawei Ascend P6 to Android 4.4.2 The P6 is one of the most surprising gems we had the chance to review last year. Here’s how to keep it running along with the best.

he European version of the Android software has been released and contains all of the files that you need to upgrade your Ascend P6 from Android 4.2.2 to 4.4.2 without rooting your phone. All you need is a 2GB or larger microSD card, the time to download 2.7GB of files to a computer and around 30 minutes to do the actual updating. Here’s how:

build B112 to B125 (Android 4.2.2) to B132 (Android 4.2.2) to B510 (Android 4.4.2). To avoid any problems you must do the same three in the same order, or the B510 update will not work and you risk potentially bricking your phone.

CHECK THE BUILD AND MODEL NUMBERS OF YOUR HUAWEI ASCEND P6 Head to Settings>About phone and check in the first line that the model number is ‘HUAWEI P6-U06’ then scroll down to find the ‘Build number’. Most South African P6s (as far as we can tell) shipped with the build that ends in ‘B111’ or ‘B112’ which are the ones we will be using for this upgrade. If your phone is not the P6-U06 model and isn›t using the local firmware versions then we cannot guarantee that the update will work properly.

GET YOUR MICROUSB CARD READY AND UPDATE

DOWNLOAD THE FOLLOWING FILES For the update we will be going from

Learn more at…

go to htxt.co.za

Here are the files you need: Bit.ly/1ndq0V5.

3handset and power on When you get to the homescreen go to 4Settings --->System Update ---> Local Insert the microSD card into the

update ---> Confirm --->Upgrade

5been done.

Repeat until all of the updates have

For the B125 and B132 updates

1the ‘dload’ folder onto the sdCard. Make sure the UPDATE.APP file is 2inside the folder. Open the .zip file for the Transfer

Skip to step 3

For the B510 update

1‘UPDATE.ZIP’ Make sure the UPDATE.APP file is 2inside the folder.

Rename the downloaded .zip folder

Skip to step 3

KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE: HOW TO TRACK A STOLEN SMARTPHONE The pocket sized supercomputer that travels with you contains a wealth of information about who you are. Bit.ly/WeKljf

WARNING Upgrading firmware is not a perfect science and there is a risk that it may fail. If so, your phone may be irreparably damaged. In choosing to follow this guide you are assuming this risk for yourself and we shall not be held responsible should something occur that damages your phone. We have performed this update ourselves to confirm that it has worked.

HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR COMPUTER’S GRAPHICS CARD This is probably the best way to make your games look better and run faster, and happily it’s quite an easy process if you follow these simple steps. Bit.ly/1sXRgaW

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 49

1THREAD_6013_TEC

POWER TO YOUR NEXT STEP We all have a next step. Make yours getting more creative with photography.

Take your next step at www.canon.co.za | www.facebook.com/canonRSA | twitter.com/Canon_SA Follow us:

facebook

twitter

ÂŠ Lorenzo Agius. Canon Ambassador

1THREAD_6013_TEC

HOW TO…

5 PUBLIC SERVICE APPS Whether you’re looking for the nearest police station, or the interesting bits of our Bill of Rights, you’ll find it all in the Windows 8.1 app store.

FOR .1 WINDOWS 8

SAPS STATION FINDER You know how there’s never a cop around when you need one? Well, now you can find them yourself with this handy app. It’s basically an overlay on top of Bing maps that shows you where the nearest cop shop is; of course, the app needs to know your current location to give you the best results, but you don’t absolutely have to give it out. You’ll get contact numbers for each station when clicking on them, as well as directions from your current location. Pretty handy, then. Free

STATSSA CENSUS INFORMATION Curious about the results of the national census, taken in 1996, 2001 and 2011? This handy app gives you all of the data collected, broken down by region. It shows how many men and women there are in all nine provinces, the number of households that have flushing toilets, the age makeup of the population and many other interesting facts that a curious mind could devour. It’s a simple app, neatlypresented and easy to navigate. Free

SA PUBLIC HOLIDAYS South Africa’s rich history has had an interesting side-effect: we have an absolute ton of public holidays that pepper the South African work year, and it can be a genuine a challenge to keep track of them all. That’s why this app was invented: to make it far easier to know when each day is and the historical significance of each. It sports a simple interface with very readable explanations of each day’s significance, and offers a quick and easy way of keeping track. Free

SA BILL OF RIGHTS Reading the actual Bill of Rights is a huge undertaking and requires a good foundation in law to truly appreciate. If you want the short version that gives you just what you as a private citizen need to know, then this app is for you. It basically takes the most pertinent passages from the Bill of Rights and makes them available in easily-digestible chunks in order to inform all South Africans (with computers, smartphones and internet access) of their rights as enshrined in our world-class constitution. Free

INSIDE NELSON MANDELA This app is an homage to Nelson Mandela, and serves to let curious knowledgeseekers find out a little more about the man behind the legend. It contains news relating to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a long and detailed biography, facts about the great man that you might not know and a selection of tasteful wallpapers for your Windows 8.1 desktop. You can also browse a selection of Madiba’s most famous utterances, giving you deeper insight into one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. Free

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 51

HOW TO…

How to make the most of your Nokia Asha Before turning your Nokia Asha mobile phone into a doorstop, here are five things you can still do with it.

ven though Microsoft bought Nokia in its entirety, it recently announced that it will be killing off the Asha range – but not all hope is lost. We have compiled a list on how to make the most of your Asha device, even after all support disappears over the next 18 months or so. SOCIAL MEDIA If you haven’t done so yet (where have you been?), you should really install the most popular social media applications before they are gone. Messaging service WhatsApp is making its service available for free to Asha 210 users for the phone’s lifespan. The majority of the Asha phones come pre-installed with Facebook and Twitter, but if you deleted those, better grab them from the Nokia store while you can. Mxit is in there, too. MEDIA PLAYER Even after support for the Asha phones have been discontinued, it doesn’t mean that should stop using it completely. Yes, you might have upgraded to a better, slicker Lumia 1020 or 1520, but an Asha phone will make for the prefect portable

52 | TECH MADE EASY | AUGUST 2014

music player. The Asha 200 and 210 comes supplied with 32GB of storage, which is enough to save about 52 hours of music. That is a lot of music for an afternoon run. And being used as a dedicated music player, the battery will last even longer than when used as a primary phone. So it’s a win-win for everybody. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TOOL While having all the social media apps installed is a good thing, companies can also use Asha phones to their own benefit. The battery life on most Asha phones are astounding, so using the phones as a business communication tool is a very good idea. As an example, the Asha 501 has up to 48 days of stand-by time, while the 503 has 35 days of standby time. It might not be an employer’s first choice of phone, but it makes for a great alternative if off-site works needs to be done. There are also a ton of free business apps available in the Nokia store. DOUBLES UP AS A GPS Getting stuck in a part of town that you aren’t familiar with can be hugely

frustrating, and if you don’t have a GPS you have to rely on the navigation app on your smartphone – which can drain the battery rather quickly. But, by installing Nokia’s HERE maps on your Asha you will never be far from a GPS service. Assuming that you have acquired a new smartphone in the meantime, you can leave the Asha in your car, and use it as a dedicated GPS unit. HERE has maps for 196 countries, supports turn-by-turn directions, and can provide you with Real-time traffic information. RISK-FREE ALTERNATIVE PHONE It might not be the most glamorous thing in the world, but your soon-to-be-defunct Asha will double up as the prefect phone when you go out for a night on the town. How often who you heard of someone dropping their shiny smartphone in a drink, or dropped it on the dance floor only to have it ruined forever. Well, pop the Asha in your bag and off you go. You will still be able to keep in contact with everybody while painting the town red, but if something had to happen to your Asha, it certainly would be the end of the world.

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egular readers will probably be aware by now that like most people in the photography industry, we’ve been incredibly impressed by Japanese camera manufacturer Fujifilm. Its X Series of cameras has truly changed the way people think about digital photography. A lot of its appeal is due to the retro aesthetics which will take you back to the golden age of photography, calling to mind the rangefinders that revolutionised photojournalism. Yet these snappers absolutely cutting edge when it comes to features - the X-Trans sensor at the heart of most modern

Fujifilm cameras have a unique sensor layout that captures awesome picture quality in low light conditions, and thanks to the fact they don’t have an optical low pass filter, X-Trans sensors are sharper than typical digital cameras. What’s best about Fujifilm cameras, though, is that we’ve got two to give away. One lucky reader will win the camera that launched the X Series, the Fujifilm X100. The camera has a classic rangefinder look and has been the darling of street photographers since its launch. A runner-up will win the super compact and highly stylish Fujifilm XF 1 worth R2 995.

Why the pros are switching to Fujifilm’s X Series Local photographer Neill Soden is part of Fujifilm’s X-Photographers. He currently focuses on street and evironmental portraiture, but also does a lot of family shoots. Fujifilm is making waves out there, extent. This has personally improved my own photography tenfold. but their cameras have many Not only is the camera perfect for every day use, but it performs beautifully reasons to be as loved as they are. on a paid jobs, and compliments your bigger gear, depending on your The X100/s has become my go-to shooting style. camera, because it is small, light http://www.neillsoden.co.za / @neilsoden and discreet. The size makes it easy to carry around with Neill Soden has been shooting since 2006 and you wherever you has a very strong history of photography in might go, while the the family. silent shutter allows one to shoot without drawing attention. This enables you to take photographs with ease, while still getting the superb quality you would expect only from the bigger models. The built-in ND filter helps for shooting any time of the day, without having to carry more gear. The fixed focal length forces you to work with what you have and use the camera to its full

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