htxt.africa's Tech Made Easy - September 2015

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Contents

www.htxt.co.za

ISSUE #19

September 2015

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

FESTIVE SEASON AHOY

C

an you believe September is already here? We can’t, and this year has been crazy enough that we don’t even want to think about the manic slide into the festive season that’s about to kick off.

SA has already had a tumultuous year what with the rand doing its best impression of the Titanic, but at least there have also been a few nice things to keep our spirits up.

For starters, video-on-demand services are launching left and right, with the latest one being ShowMax that offers a pretty decent – if not entirely up-to-date – lineup of TV shows and movies for just R99 a month.

If you’d like to find out more about it, head over to page 5.

And then there are some pretty amazing games out right about now. I spent a lot of time with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain this month, and I just couldn’t get enough. It’s the best open world sneaker-shooter-PMC-simulator I’ve ever played, and a welcome return of Snake and a fitting farewell to Hideo Kojima. You’ll find my review on page 29.

Operator’s sub-R500 Steppa is firs And that’s all from me, your new TME editor. Enjoy t of its kind. the issue! obile operator MTN has Cheers important for South Africa. launched South Africa’s first Android-powered smartphone Sadly, MTN has confir med that there Deon ’s

MTN launches supercheap smartphone

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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: Nick Cowen - nick@htxt.co.za putting high-tech handsets within the DEPUTY EDITOR: Deon du Plessis – deon@htxt.co.za reach of everyone. Which is awesome.

TECH & NEWS: Charlie Fripp – charlie@htxt.co.za The phone itself isn’t, of course, hugel y STARTUPS & STUFF: 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 screen and a mere 2MP camera on ADVERTISING: Dorothy Haggard – dorothy@hypertext.co.za board.

More limiting is the fact that there’s Sengezo Jubane – sengezo@hypertext.co.za only 512MB of memory and 1GB of storag e on-board.

The screen is a decent enough multitouch affair, which takes up most

41

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

5

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

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htxt.africa’s Tech Made Easy is At the bottom of almost every produced by: Hypertext Media, 102 on 11th, article in Tech Easy CLIMATE CHA NGE WILLMade CAUSE MORE Highlands North, 2192, Johannesburg STORM DAM AGEsee you’ll IN one SA of these strange More news at Contact Us: sts from short codes.Two It’sscienti a Bit.ly adress Wits have published a paper which says Email: info@hypertext.co.za shortening link, which means that that South Africa may be at when you type it into web go to htxt.co.za Tel: (011) 023-8001/4 increas ed riskyour of tropical storm damag browser it will take e. you to a longer Fax: 08654 83304 Our content is licensed under a Creative 6 | TECH MADE EASY | MARCH 2014 Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 4.0 International Licence. Other rights may apply for non-original materials.

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Contents ISSUE #19

www.htxt.co.za

September 2015

Need to know 5

36

6

8

27

10

n d s n.

The important stuff in SA tech ShowMax has launched in SA We’ve got the skinny Maker Faire Cape Town A home-made glove controls drones with gestures Local maker builds a wind-up music player Tech News Round-up Herotel’s fast, affordable internet SA youths do well at the WorldSkills contest Games News Rockband 4 needs a converter Sweden wants to add esports as a school subject Xbox One’s Windows 10 streaming has improved A new dashboard is coming to the XB1 in November

The best reviews 15

B

22

31

24 29

Games and gadgets to buy in September Office Laptop Supertest Three office laptops go head-tohead Mionix Nash 20 Headset A surprising gem from a relative unknown Game Reviews Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Sunless Sea Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Mobile Games Fallout Shelter The Walking Dead

Photos made easy 31 33 35

Top camera news and How Tos

Camera news SA’s first-ever Instameet gets underway at the end of the month Workflow Tutorial How to structure your photographic workflow Another Four Photo Challenges Challenge and grow your skills with these fun exercises

Our Office Special 36 38 41 42

Articles especially for small businesses Account for Everything We answer the age-old question: Sage or QuickBooks?

Inkjet Office Printer Roundup Three arrive, but only one leaves Desktop or Cloud?

Should your business be looking at cloud services?

5 Security tips to keep business data safe Easy ways staff can keep your data safer at work

The stuff at the back

The best bits, right where you know where to find them

44 47 48

Maker Heaven Here’s how to 3D print your very own Mars Rover Win a TV Want a new TV? Of course you do Month in Stats The numbers that matter

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NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

NASPERS’ SHOWMAX: What you need to know

Thinking about signing up? Here are a few things to consider beforehand.

S

howMax officially launched in South Africa in late August, and you might be wondering what you should know about it and whether you should sign up. Here are a few questions and answers that should help you decide.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO WATCH IT?

Oddly, a lot of people on Twitter wanted to know if you need a decoder or satellite dish to view it. No, you don’t – the only thing that you need is an internet connection.

You access the website, register and you are all good to start watching movies and television series.

WHAT INTERNET CONNECT DO YOU NEED TO WATCH?

The content on ShowMax is currently only available in 720p video resolution. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is that you only need an internet connection of at least 2mbps to view content. The bad part is that 720p isn’t exactly crystal clear.

HOW MUCH CONTENT IS AVAILABLE?

A lot. By Naspers’ estimates, there are about 750 complete television series available to watch, and while it didn’t divulge exactly how many films there are, it did say that across the entire service, all the content equates to about 11 000 hours of viewing time.

DOES IT HAVE GAME OF THRONES?

If you haven’t seen Game of Thrones yet, then you are in luck. ShowMax does have the hugely-popular series (all five seasons actually), but one thing that could have caused some confusion from the launch, is that ShowMax doesn’t have Star Wars.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

R99 a month. That gets you everything the service has to offer, and once you’ve signed up you have seven days to try the service out for free before your credit card will be charged.

IS IT BETTER THAN NETFLIX?

Well, that depends on your tastes. The service has a lot of films, but many of them are also available on Netflix. To be honest, it would be silly to have a ShowMax subscription and a Netflix subscription. But if you want to go the legal route without having to struggle with geo-locking, then ShowMax is for you.

HOW LONG WILL CONTENT BE AVAILABLE FOR ON SHOWMAX?

Most of the content will be available for 12 months from the moment it has been added. ShowMax says content will constantly be added, so there is no worry that you will one day wake up with nothing to watch.

HOW UP-TO-DATE ARE THE SHOWS AND FILMS?

Most ongoing TV series are available one to two seasons behind the US release date. ShowMax told us that that it buys the streaming rights in the second buying window (where the first window would be up-to-date streaming). If you want to stay current with your favourite series, ShowMax is not for you. If you want to binge watch through multiple seasons of non-current shows, then ShowMax is perfect. In terms of films, you’re looking at a good couple of years behind box office release.

WILL SHOWMAX HAVE ORIGINAL SERIES AND FILMS?

Yes! At the launch event, ShowMax General Manager John Kotsaftis said that ShowMax will commission original South African content in the future.

DOES IT HAVE AFRIKAANS SHOWS?

Yes it does, and some impressive titles at that. TV shows like Villa Rosa, Binnelanders, Agter Elke Man and even Orkney Snork Nie and Vetkoek Paleis are there.

DOES IT HAVE KIDS’ SHOWS?

Yes – Perrenial favourites like Shaun the Sheep, Teletubbies, Paddington Bear and even older shows like Gummi Bears are all there. Bit.ly/1i0np1f

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 5

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

This homemade glove can control a drone using gestures

A

group of makers calling themselves the Modern Alchemists meet regularly in Cape Town, and were present at Maker Faire in August in force. One of our favourite toys they’ve built is this: a glove that turns gestures into commands for remote piloting a drone.

It was built by Tobias Georg Overbeck, who was soldering and tinkering with it at the Faire before unveiling his creation to the crowd.

The result of his labour was a black glove that wouldn’t look out of place in a Minority Report sequel. You might not know it by looking at it but that module on the glove is actually a controller for a drone.

To get the drone off the ground Overbeck closes his hand, the more he closes his hand the more lift he gets. We never saw him wielding a fully closed fist though he was concentrating very hard on keeping his hand open during our chat with him so as not to power up the drone while we were standing close by.

Once airborne, manoeuvring the drone is quite simple. Moving forward requires you to tilt your hand forward and moving left or right would require you tilting your hand left or right. As simple as that seems, the work that went into making this glove is way above our pay grade, especially when you consider that Overbeck printed and etched his own PC boards.

The controller glove features a tiny LCD display and switches that make programming the drone on the fly easier. The glove is powered by a battery pack as you would expect from one of those “standard” controllers. Bit.ly/1PxBr5r

This wind-up mp3 player can take audio books and lessons off-grid

I

t’s good to be reminded of cool stuff you’d almost forgotten about. Like the awesome Lifeplayer, which won the SAB Foundation’s innovation award in 2011 but has been little heard of since.

We bumped into the Lifeplayer at Maker Faire Cape Town in August. The sturdy unit comes with a lot of features, but the main draw is undoubtedly its audio abilities: AM/FM radio, three short wave radio bands, voice recording, playback and broadcasting, and the ability to load whatever is needed via microSD. The Lifeplayer can also be connected to other speakers to increase its claimed hundred-person range.

What makes the Lifeplayer much more interesting is the ways you can power it. It accepts traditional DC that can be provided by the mains or a car battery, but when they’re in short supply (as they always are), you can use the solar panel at the top of the unit.

If there’s no power and it’s an overcast day, there is a hidden crankshaft that can be extended in order to wind up the clockwork generator using good old-fashioned elbow grease.

The Lifeplayer isn’t available to buy as it’s meant for the humanitarian and aid sector, so count yourself lucky if you never have to use one. We’re glad we got to play with one without being at risk.

Makers.htxt.africa attended Maker Faire Cape Town as a guest of CAD House and Sahara Systems, two of South Africa’s leading suppliers of 3D printers and maker gear.

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6 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

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NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

Isizwe ceo Knott-craig jnr plans to bring cheap internet to the masses with Herotel

A

lan Knott-Craig Jnr, CEO of Project Isizwe’s free WiFi initiative, has announced a new company called Herotel, which is set to bring “fast and affordable” connectivity to the masses.

Instead of offering just another wireless internet service provider (WISP) Herotel, which launches on April 1st, 2016, will act as a consolidator of existing local WISPs to make it easier for consumers to install broadband in homes and businesses.

“South Africans need fast, reliable and affordable broadband and are increasingly looking for an alternative to ADSL,” said Knott-Craig.

“WISPs already satisfy this craving with net profit margins reaching as high as 40 per cent. However, due to the fragmented nature of the industry the WISPs suffer from lack of coordination,” he said. “Herotel plans to consolidate the disparate regional wireless broadband providers under a national brand and unlock the economies of scale.”

Herotel was born through the acquisition of data centre operator, Snowball and internet service provider, Cloud Connect, which are currently being merged to create one network and brand.

The company is also funded by three big players in the business and investment industry, notably, former FNB CEO Michael Jordaan, former Rand Merchant Bank, CEO Mike Pfaff and CIO Derek Prout-Jones. Bit.ly/1NAAUCa

SA youths place among top half of countries at WorldSkills competition

T

wenty one South African students who represented the country at the 43rd WorldSkills International Competition last week have placed among the top half of 59 participating countries in the contest.

Team South Africa placed 27th overall, outranking developed countries such Ireland, Portugal and the US. Micaela Newton was awarded a Medallion for Excellence in the “Restaurant Service” category.

During WorldSkills International, students participate in various challenges and tasks related to their industries and their performances are judged according to how they match international standards of quality.

The team competed in 19 skills categories

More stories at

including Mobile Robotics, Mechatronics, Beauty Therapy, Restaurant Services, Web Design, Dry Walling and Plastering, Automobile Repair, IT Software Solutions for Business and Cooking, among others.

“You competitors gave your best under stressful circumstances. You made us proud South Africans. All experiences are lessons learnt that influence our future. You have touched and changed the lives of many here in Brazil so when you get back home continue with the making a change in somebody’s life,” WorldSkills South Africa CEO Raymond Patel told the team.

The next WorldSkills International Competition will be held in Abu Dhabi in October 2017. Bit.ly/1hFrzMx

THIS RC CAR WAS TAUGHT HOW TO DRIFT USING MACHINE LEARNING

go to htxt.co.za 8 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

Trial and error and some pretty clever code was all it took to get a remote controlled car to learn how to channel the Fast & Furious movies.

Bit.ly/1EGKBMF

WHATSAPP IS ALMOST AS BIG AS FACEBOOK NOW The messaging app has hit a very impressive user threshold of 900 million active monthly users according to its CEO Jan Koum.

Bit.ly/1IPFk0m

ADVERTORIAL

Aorus X5

THE MOST POWERFUL 15-INCH GAMING LAPTOP EVER

T

he Aorus X5 is billed as “Earth’s most powerful 15-inch” laptop in the company’s official literature. That’s a bold statement for any manufacturer to claim. Does the X5 live up to the hype?

Let’s start with the basics: the Aorus X5 is a gaming laptop that you could get away with taking into a boardroom, yet which has an incredible amount of punch under the hood.

The sleek black case with some nifty laser etching on the lid might indicate that this isn’t a run-of-the-mill workhorse, but those who play games would quickly spot the enlarged vents on the side which allow the X5 to run some of the best graphics around without overheating.

Inside the X5 there are dual graphic cards: both 8GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M SLI GDDR5s, paired with an Intel 5th Generation Core-i7 processor.

The laptop sports Nvidia G-Sync which eliminates tearing, an Xsplit Gamecaster

and a built-in video encoder which permits gamers to stream their gameplay via Twitch when on the go.

Several years in the making, Nvidia’s G-Sync technology promises to synchronise the display’s refresh to the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) render rate, so images display the moment they’re rendered. The result is that scenes appear instantly. Objects are sharper. Gameplay is smoother.

A quick test of the display with the G-Sync turned off and then on and the smoothness was instantly noticeable, and seamless in transition.

The 15.6-inch, 2 880x1 620 IPS panel display looks mighty fine too, with great colours and contrast. It scores P12 000+ in 3DMark 11, which is pretty much as high as you could hope for in a laptop.

But it’s not just about the screen. As you’d expect there’s a backlit keyboard, but this one comes with individual macro keys. Gamers can assign up to five profiles

for instant shortcuts on these keys and also store up to 100 sets of personalised macros and assign 25 of those as “active” for super-fast access. There’s great attention to detail reflected by the tracking pad too - a glorious glass affair with a laser-etched Aorus logo and, much like the rest of this machine, it looks and feels top of the range.

All of this weighs in at a mere 2.5kgs and is 22.9mm thick, which we have to say is pretty impressive given the power packed within.

An added bonus: you can set the Aorus X5’s fans in one of four modes depending on the scenario, from Quiet for normal browsing (or meetings), to Gaming for maximum cooling when you’re blasting your way through another zombie horde.

This sexy beast is available @ Evetech. co.za, and we’re expecting it to move pretty fast.

So if you want to buy an Auros X5, get your orders in on the double, soldier.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 9

NEED TO KNOW: GAMES

You’ll have to pay if you want to use old instruments in Rock Band 4

P

layers won’t be able to use their old Rock Band peripherals in the upcoming Rock Band 4, unless they’re prepared to cough up some cash.

Developer Harmonix revealed all the instruments that will be compatible with Rock Band 4, but did say that if you have an Xbox One, you will need a special $20 adapter for those plastic band parts to work.

There is a bit of good news and bad news though: the good news is that the adapter will be included in the disc-only version of the game. The bad part? Well, the Xbox One version of the game will be $20 more expensive than its PlayStation 4 counterpart.

Here are seven new songs that have also been added to the track listing: • Cake – “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” • Little Big Town – “Little White Church” • Lucius – “Turn It Around” • The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – “The Impression That I Get” • The Protomen – “Light Up The Night” • Soundgarden – “Superunknown” • Tijuana Sweetheart – “Pistol Whipped” Those are some pretty sweet tracks admittedly, but it kind of feels like living room rebels are already having to pay ‘The Man’ in order to enjoy them with their old gear. Don’t quit your day jobs just yet, kids! Bit.ly/1JioYyS

Sweden adding eSports to the curriculum of three schools

W

hen the Dota 2 “The International” Tournament concluded, it saw winners Evil Geniuses walking away with $6 634 661 in prize money. That massive sum does make one ponder, how would you go about becoming a professional gamer?

Three schools in Sweden have decided to take the guesswork out of doing just that and have added competitive gaming, - or eSports as its more commonly known - to the curriculum. The subject will be presented in a similar format to physical education where players will be able to practice and hone their skills in games such as Dota 2 and Counter Strike: Global Offensive.

More stories at

Guest lectures will be presented by eSport professionals and personalities, which shouldn’t be hard to source given Sweden’s plethora of eSports heroes such as Starcraft II player Johan “Naniwa” Lucchesi and Dota 2 “The International 3” champions, Team Alliance.

According to Gosugamers Magnus Alehed, a principal at one of the schools that will be offering the subject, said “… there have been some frowning noses and some wondering why they get to play computer games during school hours, but we aim to kill the myth that it has to be a bad thing”.

The burning question however, is what the long-standing value of a subject like

MORTAL KOMBAT X NEW DLC: WHO WE’D LIKE TO SEE

go to htxt.co.za

10 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

The htxt.africa team lists the characters they’d like to see beating the hell out of each other in future MKX DLC packs. Arnie’s T-800 ftw.

Bit.ly/1QfAnEc

this is. As an extramural activity there is no reason why schools can’t form teams to compete against other schools after hours.

As a subject however, the educational value of learning how to quick scope is somewhat questionable.

There are already a number of schools in South Africa that have competitive gaming teams as an extramural activity. The chances that these schools decide to follow in the footsteps of Sweden and make it an official subject however, are minimal at best.

Bit.ly/1JuKNdB

DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED PRE-ORDER “INCENTIVE” PROGRAMME ANNOYS FANS It’s actually quite a smart offer that unlocks more bonuses the more people pre-order the game, but unsurprisingly fans don’t like it and have taken to the internet to moan.

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NEED TO KNOW: GAMES

Xbox One to Windows 10 streaming should look much better now

M

ajor Nelson has announced a new update for Windows 10 PCs, which brings 1080p/60fps streaming to the Xbox app, meaning streaming games will look a lot better than it has so far.

The update rolled out in August for every PC running on Microsoft’s new OS, bringing with it a new quality setting under the Xbox app’s settings called Very High.

Choosing it will ensure better visuals during

streaming so long as your home network can handle the added data load.

Having used the Xbox-One-to-Windows10-streaming feature of the new Xbox app soon after the Windows 10 launch, we noticed more than a bit of compression and a less-than-sharp resolution while playing a streamed game over a wired connection, so it’s good that the update will address this.

But that’s not all: Microsoft is also adding more functionality to the app, most

notably the ability to compare games and achievements with your Xbox Live friends which has been strangely absent thus far. So much for the Windows Insiders providing feedback that MS actually listens to – that should have been in there at launch – but that’s water under the bridge, now.

So goodbye, muddy and somewhat washed-out 720p streaming, and hello 1080p/60fps goodness! Bit.ly/1LzIaOd

New Xbox One dashboard interface coming in November

B

ack at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Microsoft told us that they’d be changing the Xbox One dashboard interface this year. And at their huge Xbox-fest last night in Cologne at Gamescom, they told everyone when to expect it. The answer? November 2015.

But that’s not all, backwards compatibility with 100 Xbox 360 games will roll out at the same time, giving Xbox One gamers access to Microsoft’s library of older games that can be installed and played on the Xbox One. Should you own any of them already, simply insert the disc into your Xbox One, download the updated files and you’ll be able to play without paying again.

It was also revealed that all Xbox 360 games

More stories at

STUDIO LETS STRANGERS DIRECT ITS REAL-LIFE FIRST PERSON SHOOTER

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12 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

This is awesome. A studio strapped a camera to an actor’s head, set up a zombie apocalypse in their backyard and let Chatrouletters direct the action. Bit.ly/1KRbzCn

that will be included in future Games with Gold monthly giveaways will be backwardscompatible, so you won’t even have to own an Xbox 360 to enjoy them. So essentially, if you have an Xbox One you will be getting four free games a month.

The one feature Microsoft talked about that we here in SA won’t be able to take advantage of is the ability to record free-to-air HD TV channels on our Xbox Ones directly, sadly.

So there’s plenty going on in the Xbox camp, with lots to look forward to in the coming months, especially as Windows 10 is now out and we can start to see exactly how the OS and the Xbox One will complement one another. Bit.ly/1WRAr1E

THE DUKE NUKEM OWNERSHIP LAWSUIT HAS BEEN SETTLED The dispute over who owns the rights to Duke is over: Gearbox does. They’re the people who saved Duke Nukem Forever from being vapourware back in 2011. Hurrah?

Bit.ly/1Kwp8bO

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Find out here.

E

veryone and his dog is selling business laptops these days, and often they appear quite similar. That can cause a bit of confusion when it comes time to buy one, so we’ve rounded up some particularly promising ones to see which we’d go for if we were you.

We have three potential work laptops

for you to mull over, all of them with their share of pros and cons, but ultimately we set out to answer the question of which one we feel is the most deserving of your cash.

We’ve based that on which offers the most useful set of business-friendly features and combines that with good looks, great build quality and an attractive price.

And remember, when buying a business laptop, you’re stuck with it for a few years, so it pays to buy right up front.

REVIEWS THIS WAY!

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 15

SUPERTEST

DELL INSPIRON 15 3542 DETAIL • Processor: Intel Core i5-4210u • RAM: 4GB DDR3 • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 840M GPU • Storage: 1TB HDD • Display: 15.6-inch screen @ 1 366x768 • Connectivity: 802.11n Wifi + Bluetooth 4.0 • Optical: DVD-Writer • Operating System: Windows 8.1 Professional R7 999

I

nside the Inspiron is an Intel Core i5 4210u which is a low voltage processor that helps to contribute to the Inspiron’s 6 hour battery life.

It also has an NVIDIA GeForce 840M GPU, powerful enough for the odd spot of gaming but not for anything serious like Battlefield. The integrated GPU found on the processor is powerful enough to handle slide shows, HD movies and whatever else the average businessman wants to do.

The parts that you will actually touch are perfectly solid. The keyboard is one of my favourites simply because it’s well-spaced and sturdy. The touchpad is large with what can only be described as massive left and right-click regions. The Inspiron has a touch

screen which responds quickly when touched, and lets people take advantage of Windows 8.1/10’s touch-friendly features. Just don’t expect your fingerprints not to mar its surface, however.

We didn’t really like Dell’s bloatware, though. In fact if you want the vanilla Windows experience then best you hop into the Control Panel and clear out all the useless software that comes with the Inspiron.

You might think that after all this the Dell Inspiron 15 3542 is not a contender in this roundup, but on the contrary its reliability, subtle styling and a very attractive overall design make it great value for the asking price.

If you do decide to buy one, we highly

recommend that you get it with a three-year Onsite warranty for that added peace of mind.

SCORES Build quality

7

Screen

8

Performance

8

Battery life

7

Price

9

Overall

8 WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 17

SUPERTEST

TOSHIBA TECRA Z50-A0444 DETAIL • Processor: Intel Core i5-4300u • RAM: 8GB DDR3 • Storage: 500GB HDD • Graphics: Intel Graphics HD 4400 • Connectivity: 802.11n Wifi + Bluetooth 4.0 • Display: 15.6-inch screen @ 1 366x768 • Extra: Fingerprint scanner • Operating System: Windows 7 Professional R13 499

T

oshiba’s Tecra Z50 is a businessfocused laptop that comes packed with features to make your office on the road feel a little more comfortable. Firstly it is very light which is surprising considering it is not the thinnest laptop on the market. Inside you’ll find a nippy Intel Core i5-4300u with 8GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD. Higher-end variants pack in an SSD and honestly, I would have preferred a 256GB SSD, for both reduced power consumption and the extra performance it would offer.

Just like the Inspiron, the Tecra has a large touchpad with left and right click regions as large as the Dell’s making it very comfortable to use. The backlit keyboard is coated with a soft-touch coating that makes it feel like your finger tips are touching silk rather than plastic and when you actually type on the keyboard the result is excellent.

18 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

In what is no doubt a move to attract Lenovo die-hards the Tecra has a pointing stick nestled among its keys for those who do not like to use the touchpad or a mouse.

But perhaps most importantly, the Tecra has a fingerprint scanner – exactly what businesses interested in securing access to their IT resources will want. It works beautifully, too, and once set up logging in required just the swipe of a finger.

Those who still use optical discs (CDs, DVDs) will need to look elsewhere because Toshiba has not included an optical drive.

This isn’t the biggest issue given that very few people still use optical drives but it can be a little inconvenient on those odd occasions you will need to read a DVD. The Tecra Z50 not only performs well but it looks the part. Toshiba has ensured that while the Tecra isn’t over-the-top flashy, it is at least

eye catching and will impress your colleagues and clients equally, and has just enough of a business focus to be useful in securing vital data.

SCORES Build quality

8

Screen

7

Performance

8

Battery life

7

Price

7

Overall

7

SUPERTEST

ACER TRAVELMATE TMP455 DETAIL • Processor: Intel Core i7-4510U @ 2.00GHz • RAM: 8GB DDR3 • Storage: 1TB HDD • Graphics: AMD Radeon HD8750M, Intel HD Graphics • Connectivity: 802.11n Wifi + Bluetooth 4.0 • Display: 15.6-inch screen @ 1 920x1 080 • Optical: DVD Writer • Extra: Fingerprint scanner • Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit R14 599

N

ow this is the sort of business laptop other business laptops should aspire toward. It’s not only good-looking, but it’s got a great blend of hardware features and performance that make it a pleasure to use on a daily basis, in just about any business situation imaginable.

Want to hook it up to an older projector?

No problem, there’s a VGA port. Need to show your presentation on an HD TV? Go for it, use the full-sized HDMI port. Want to back up gigabytes of important work data quickly? Plug in a USB 3.0 external hard drive into the lone USB 3.0 port and start copying. And should you still have software on DVD that needs installing, there’s even a DVD drive.

Throw in a fingerprint reader located between the left and right mouse buttons, an SD card reader for quickly pulling pictures from cameras and one of the nicest non-

Apple keyboards we’ve seen (complete with a full-on number pad!), and you have a winner purely on features and looks.

But it gets better. This particular Travelmate only drops the ball on one piece of hardware - its non-SSD hard drive – but otherwise, it’s superb. Its Core i7 chip and 8GB of RAM is more than enough to chew through Excel spreadsheets, run business applications and let you get on with creating documents and sending emails without frustrating you with poor performance.

While an SSD would make it even faster, in our time with it, we found it to it respond very quickly in everything except bootup, which we felt took about 20 seconds too long. This drive’s saving grace is that it offers 1TB of storage, so while it’s not super fast, it’s at least pretty generous.

Lastly, The TMP455’s 1080p screen is exactly what busy business people need to

run applications side by side, something that we’re so pleased about we’ll even forgive its relatively shoddy viewing angles.

This may be the most expensive laptop in this roundup, but its general build quality, polish and features have us mighty impressed indeed. Definitely one to consider.

CONCLUSION

I

t may come as no surprise to you that we liked the Acer the best.

Admittedly it’s quite expensive, which can be a deal-breaker for South African businesses looking to keep costs down, but it does so well on just about every other front that we can’t not award it top honours.

It’s also unusual to see Acer offering a 1080p screen; more often than not laptops at this size are stuck with far cheaper 1366 x 768 screens. But that leaves them looking ugly, and offers far less screen space for the thing people actually want to do with their 20 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

laptops – run programs, often side by side. On a 1080p panel, that’s not a problem at all.

Throw in a very fast Core i7 processor, and you have a laptop that can run any business program with ease, and not keep you waiting.

And since it also offers the widest selection of ports, a DVD drive and a fingerprint scanner, it is a shoe-in for the best business laptop of the bunch.

R’S EDITOIC CHO E

SCORES Build quality

8

Screen

8

Performance

9

Battery life

7

Price

5

Overall

9

REVIEWS

DETAILS • Driver type: Dynamic, 50mm, Neodymium magnet • Impedance: 32 Ohms 15% at 20kHz • Connector: 3.5mm gold-plated • Cable Length: 3m • Weight: 398g R1 699

Mionix Nash 20 Headset A quality headset for the fussy listener

W

hen it came to audio equipment in the past, you could either cough up for a set of studio-grade headphones and a decent professional microphone, or you could buy a headset that’s packed with features but lacks in the sound quality department.

Thankfully Mionix, a Swedish company, has changed this and created the Mionix Nash 20, a headset for the fussy listener that ticks all the right boxes.

COMFORT

The Mionix Nash 20 (the Nash) is fitted with memory foam on the ear cups as well as the headband. The memory foam moulds to the shape of your ear and your head while you wear it, but springs back to its natural shape when removed.

As such it’s possible to wear the headset for hours in comfort. It’s also very well ventilated so you never feel stuffy or hot wearing it even though its ear cups are covered in leather.

The semi-closed back design of the ear cups allows for air to flow between the speakers and the ear, creating a more natural sound while not allowing much, if any, sound to escape.

The end result is a comfortable headset that has great airflow without sacrificing audio quality.

Unfortunately the rubberised exterior coating is prone to having fingerprints cling to it, so cleaning it can be quite a pain.

22 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

SOUND QUALITY

When gaming, the Nash puts out sound so clear, you can actually pinpoint audio aspects and background effects in games you might have missed wearing other headsets.

This is thanks, in part, to the Neodymium magnets in the Nash’s speakers, which create a piston-like motion that moves the membrane around the speaker, which in turn moves the air that creates sound waves.

The result is the Nash can use the same power that every other headset uses, but produces better sound with it.

DYNAMIC RANGE

We’ve only included low and high frequencies in our testing, because these are the frequencies that most headsets overlook. Mid-range frequencies are easy enough to account for but getting the right low and high frequencies out of any speaker is tricky.

Mionix has done well here, missing only the very low bass frequencies usually found at 20Hz. The Nash also misses the high frequencies at the 20-22kHz range, though it should be noted most humans have trouble hearing these very high frequencies.

The result? Headphones that are so good they expose the compression of low-quality MP3 files, while reproducing the high-fidelity audio of uncompressed FLAC beautifully. That means these are

not the headphones to use if all you have are low-fi MP3s.

MICROPHONE

The audio captured by the Nash’s microphone is good, albeit quiet; it also hums a bit when you crank up the gain, which you’ll have to do by 10dB before it picks up your voice properly, and the arm doesn’t bend much.

It’s not a deal-breaker, but with the attention to detail that went into the rest of the headset, you have to wonder why the microphone feels like an afterthought.

VERDICT

The Nash seems targeted at gamers that want quality sound as well as comfort.

While the headset offers that, it does come at a price that may put the average user off. If you’re all about sound quality, however, the Nash 20 is worth considering.

Bit.ly/1XPAviM

SCORES Comfort

9

Sound

9

Microphone

6

Value

7

Overall

8

REVIEWS

DETAILS • Available on: Xbox One only • Developer: The Coalition R599

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition

It’s the Gears you love, with a new coat of paint fit for current-gen

B

eyond some expected visual pizazz, you’re likely wondering what this Ultimate Edition of one of the Xbox 360’s greatest launch titles boasts to earn the rather bold adjective in its title.

Well, in addition to looking a lot prettier, the Ultimate Edition comes with five additional campaign missions that were included in the PC release of Gears of War back in 2007, and once the original Gears games become backwardcompatible with the Xbox One, you’ll get those for free as well.

But who really cares about single-player or the series’ overwrought stories? No, the

DETAILS • Available on: PC only via Steam • Developer: Failbetter Games R260

real reason you should get the Ultimate Edition is for the game’s iconic multiplayer battles, which are intact and as good as ever.

Even though there’s no Horde Mode (made popular in Gears 2 and beyond), there’s still tons of fun to be had in the old game modes and a handful of new match types like King of the Hill and the new 2v2 Gnasher Execution.

Ultimately, it’s still the only game on Microsoft’s latest console that allows players to wield a chainsaw/bayonet, and that alone is worth another look.

Bit.ly/1NcsCRc

Remastered-ness

8

Nostalgia factor

9

Graphics

8

Replayability

8

Bonus content

8

Overall

8

Sunless Sea

Horror – and quite possibly cannibalism – on the high seas

T

he year is 1887 and Victorian London has fallen on hard times. The Big Smoke suffered a calamity, sinking beneath the surface of England, obliterating the city’s roads, byways and Burroughs. London now exists by an ocean the locals call the Underzee. The city is surrounded by perpetual darkness and not much is known of what exists beyond her harbour. Local authorities are offering good money to vessel captains who are willing to venture out into the black and report back their findings. Sunless Sea’s titular ocean is teeming with danger – giant crabs, sharks, tentacled beasts and enemy ships sidling through the dark – but its true horrifying power is the effect it can have on the people who traverse it.

In their efforts to survive the uncharted waters, players will be responsible for some great and terrible deeds, from rescue and salvation to cannibalism and

24 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

SCORES

murder, and the abyss they travel through will teach them a lot about themselves and the depths to which they’re prepared to sink.

Each time players successfully return home safely, the exhilaration they feel will be rapturous. This is a truly memorable PC-only game that’s definitely worth your money. Bit.ly/1Fl9toa

SCORES Graphics

9

Sound

9

Atmosphere

9

Replayability

9

Value for money

10

Overall

9

REVIEWS

DETAILS • Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC • Developer: Kojima Productions • The Good: Superb stealth, gorgeous graphics • The Bad: Online lag, microtransactions R799 (console), R599 (PC)

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The only pain you’ll feel is regret if you don’t go and buy this game right now.

T

he Phantom Pain is a love letter to fans, penned by Hideo Kojima himself, that apologises for making them wait so long for a new chapter in the Metal Gear saga. It contains everything they could possibly want in a Metal Gear game, and then some.

This includes, of course, the obligatory nigh-on-nonsensical story. It blends elements of the supernatural with a narrative set firmly the world of the hightech military and all of this is wrapped in the structure of an open world, offering players multiple open-ended approaches to each mission.

Mind you, outlandish stories are an established part of MGS so that aspect of The Phantom Pain is all but expected from Kojima, who most certainly delivers in just the way fans would expect.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is huge, sprawling, open-world action game that gives players the freedom to tackle missions however they like. It encourages stealth primarily because that is the MGS way, but it also allows for a more action-oriented approach if that’s more your thing.

Playing as Punished “Venom” Snake, players must recover from the events set in motion at the end of Metal Gear V Solid:

Ground Zeroes and build up their forces, all while trying to figure out what Cipher, TPP’s enemy force, is up to. That’s about as much as we can reveal about the plot without spoiling anything, but suffice it to say some pretty weird stuff is going on.

Doing that requires managing Mother Base, Snake’s forward operating base that houses his soldiers, does the research needed to unlock better weapons and serves as a break from the action between missions in Afghanistan and Africa.

Mother Base forms quite an important part of the game, and turns out to be one of many aspects of TPP that are integrated brilliantly into both the story and the in-game experience. As a developer, Kojima may have his flaws, but poor game design is not one of them.

In the open world, you can move at your own pace, but once you come across one of the many outposts and bases dotted around the two maps, the challenge is to infiltrate them undetected. Almost always, these compounds are swarming with enemy soldiers, and dealing with them is the player’s primary challenge.

The Phantom Pain is humongous, with a lot of missions and side missions that range from rescues to kidnappings to tasks

involving the theft of blueprints and more.

Thanks to some jaw-dropping moments and consistently-excellent sneaking and shooting action, it’s the best Metal Gear game to date.

It’s just a pity the launch was marred by overwhelmed servers that caused playing the game in online mode to lag and stutter a lot, and the fact that Konami even offers microtransactions (real money for in-game currency to upgrade Mother Base with) is irritating.

Happily, that’s the only gripe in an otherwise superb game. Don’t think, just buy it, you won’t be sorry.

Bit.ly/1hVwlW3

SCORES Graphics

10

Gameplay

10

Story

7

Soundtrack

10

Microtransactions

3

Overall

9 WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 27

MAKING THE WORLD CONNECT

Future Proof Internet Connectivity with ZyXEL’s all-in-one VDSL Modem Router

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REVIEWS

DETAILS • Developer: Scopely • Platforms: iOS & Android Free, with in-game purchases

The Walking Dead: Road to Survival Battle zombies and your fellow survivors in this fun mobile game.

W

hile the console game based on The Walking Dead was a huge flop, the newly-released mobile game bearing its name is tons of fun.

Out on iOS and Android, The Walking Dead: Road to Survival is part-RPG and part turn-based combat, as you struggle in the Georgia woods to rebuild your community and survive as a group.

In case you’re wondering, the mobile game centres around characters from the comics and not the TV show, and its story is penned by Walking Dead novel writer Jay Bonansinga so it’s definitely better than your average mobile game.

DETAILS • Available on: iOS, Android • Developer: Bethesda Game Studios Free, with in-game purchases

When not building up or harvesting resources for your village, you are tasked with fighting enemies, including plenty of zombies. This is done with a turn-based combat mechanic and four different character variations like Quick, Strong and Armoured.

Each character takes a turn to attack a selected enemy, and then it’s the enemy’s turn. Its RPG-lite elements mean characters can be levelled up and equipped with better gear. It’s tons of fun, if a bit simplistic, but it’s great for the odd bus trip or bathroom break.

The game is available for free, so if

you’re a Walking Dead fan, you’re in for hours of (cheap) enjoyment.

SCORES Graphics

8

Gameplay

8

Pay-to-win

4

Longevity

7

Overall

7

Fallout Shelter

Who knew managing your own Vault could be so much fun?

I

f you finished New Vegas a while back, but are still missing things like super mutants, raiders and sawedoff shotguns in your life, Bethesda’s free Vault-sim, Fallout Shelter, will make you feel SPECIAL again. This isn’t a Fallout port for your phone or tablet, it’s essentially Tiny Tower set in a postapocalyptic world. You have to make a perfect Vault, keep everyone inside happy then send out dwellers to survive and scavenge the Wasteland.

Completed tasks gain you lunchboxes (also available for real money) and caps to be spent upgrading your resourceproducing rooms. The more people in your vault, the more building options you will have. Sometimes potential residents arrive out of nowhere, but if you want real growth, you can also drag two dwellers of the opposite sex into the living area and, er, let nature take its course.

Even if you’re the best Overseer, raider attacks, Vault fires and radroach infestations will keep occuring so you’ll need plenty Stimpaks and Rad-away to keep everyone smiling.

Is Fallout Shelter’s Bethesda’s (unofficial) Kickstarter for Fallout 4?

Maybe. Are the lunchboxes worth real money? We’re not convinced.

SCORES Graphics

8

Falloutiness

10

Addictiveness

9

Fun

7

Longevity

7

Overall

8 WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 29

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PHOTOGRAPHY

INSTAGRAMOGRAPHERS! SIGN UP FOR THE FIRST NATIONAL SA INSTAMEET

Want to meet peope, take photos and have a bit of fun? Instameet’s for you.

F

or a couple of years now, South African Instagramographers (yes, there’s a term for Instagram photo enthusiasts) have been having Instameets in towns and cities to meet new people and take amazing shots of their local area.

Now, all Instameet fans will get to gather at the first ever national edition of the social gathering.

Whether you’re a pro or are just like the rest of us who like to think we’re close to being one thanks to a few ‘nature’ shots, you’re invited to join the national Instameet that will be happening in Graff Reinet in the Eastern Cape from the 24th to 27th

September.

The Instameet is being organised by the @southafrica account and South African Tourism. Co-ordinated photo-walks and sunrise missions will give you the chance to explore, but apart from taking shots of one of the most beautiful regions in the country, you’ll also get to enjoy adventure activities.

You’ll have to cover your own travel and accommodation expenses, so whether you want to stay in a hotel, lodge, camp site or a relatives, it’s up to you.

To help users save a bit, a travel subsidy was made available, the first 100 users to sign up were offered a R1 000 travel and

accommodation subsidy and the next 100 got R500 off. The bad news is, at the time of writing this story, there were already 200 people registered for the event, so all subsidies have probably already been taken up (unless there are any glitches or changes).

Registration for the Instameet closes on 23rd September.

The Instameet organisers encourages people to share rides to Graaf Reinet and take photos of the ride down to the town. A competition for the best journey photos will be announced soon. Bit.ly/1PxzKFc

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 31

HOW TO…

Maintain a proper photographic workflow

This month we have a few tips on how to go about ensuring your photos turn out amazing after the fact.

W

hat you do after you’ve captured the moment with your camera is just as important as the moment itself, and sadly this is where many photographers come unstuck. If you don’t have a workflow that is structured, chances are you will lose interest, and that’s a tragedy.

Here are a few simple workflow tips that every photographer should be using that will make their post-processing lives a whole lot easier.

STEP ONE: SHOOT RAW

If your camera is capable of shooting RAW, use it. You will be using more space on your memory cards and hard drives, but they’re quite cheap these days so don’t let a lack of space stop you. Shooting RAW will give you the latitude to fix mistakes like over- or under-exposing shots in postproduction.

STEP TWO: FILE STRUCTURE AND BACKUP

Once you have finished shooting, it is vital that how you store your images makes sense. They should all be saved in a specific place, not scattered across random folders on different computers and hard drives.

Buy an external hard drive just for your photography; this is a non-negotiable step as it ensures that should your computer crash or get stolen that your images are

safe.

When your shoot is over, download your images as soon as possible. By doing this, your images are guaranteed to be safe, and you can format your card and be ready for the next shoot.

STEP THREE: DESCRIPTIVE FOLDERS

Create a year folder on your external hard drive, and inside this folder create a folder for the current month you are working on.

Inside this month folder, create another one for the shoot you’ve just completed and name it something relevant to the shoot.

Your folder should read something like “Pam and Paul Maternity – 10 October 2015”.

STEP FOUR: WORK ON COPIES

Create another folder inside this descriptively-named folder and call it “RAW Images” or “Negatives”, something to indicate unedited images. Now create a copy of your “RAW folder” and call it something like “Temp Production”; this will be the actual folder that you’ll work on.

The reason for doing this has to do with working on a copy of your RAW images, not the original files.

STEP THREE: SEPARATE FINISHED PHOTOS

Create one last folder and call it “Edited” or “Prints”, something that will let you know that these images are ready to go. You can now edit away in whatever software you like, safe in the knowledge that whatever you do to the images, your original work is untouched.

STEP FOUR: DELETE EXTRA RAW FOLDERS

Once you have finished your edit, delete the extra RAW folder as you no longer need it. You will now have two folders, one with your originals and one with your edited images. Because of how you set up your file structure, you’ll also be able to find your images easily – simply navigate to the year and month the shoot took place.

STEP FIVE: ONLINE BACKUP

Because there is nothing worse than losing your images, you simply must save your images to an online cloud storage service like DropBox or OneDrive. This should be done on a daily or weekly basis.

It’s somewhat cumbersome, but developing a good workflow will ensure that you’ll always know where your work is, and help to ensure that you always know where you are in the editing process.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 33

HOW TO…

Four more photo challenges Here are four exercises to add a bit of frivolous fun to your photography

S

elf-improvement is the ultimate goal of life, and it follows that it’s true of photography, too. So on to this month’s photo challenges, which will help you do just that.

As ever, if you’ve tried any of these challenges, we’d love to see your results on our Facebook page or on the forum over on htxt.co.za.

NOT QUITE A SELFIE Here is another fun one: you have to be in all of these images. Make use of a tripod, reflective surfaces, your cellphone in camera mode or whatever you can come up with. This is not a “selfie” contest, so no “duck faces”, but the more you experiment the more interesting ideas you will come up with. Once again, the idea behind this is to push you to see new and different ways of making images work.

TAKING STEPS For this exercise, go somewhere new, somewhere you have not photographed before. Pick a number - any number - and go for a walk in any direction you wish, taking the same number of steps as you’ve just picked.

Don’t spend ages looking for the image you need to spot something fairly quickly, shoot it and move on. You should find you’ll start looking ahead for interesting scenes and events that are about to happen.

LUCKY DRAW Write down a whole bunch of individual words on scraps of paper, drop these scraps into a bag and then head out to your local park. Now stick your hand in the bag and pull out one scrap and shoot 5 images that depict the word on the paper. Continue to do this until you have run out of words.

You can make this exercise a little harder if you combine it with the “Not quite a selfie” exercise above to really push your creativity.

JUST IN CASE YOU’RE DRAWING A BLANK, HERE ARE A FEW SUGGESTIONS: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Shallow depth of field Reflections Happy Negative space Shadow Running Blue Circle Panning Soft focus Action Sound Blur 7 Signs Weather The Letter “N” The Elements

GROUP SHOTS Our fourth idea is to get together with a group of friends and take on these and other challenges as a group one Saturday morning; this is a great way to learn from other photographers, have a fun day out and produce some really fun photos. You will all see something different, and that is exactly what photography is about.

The world changes very quickly and as a photographer, you need to be ready to capture those moments; this will help you to keep an eye what is happening around you.

JUST THE START These are just a few ideas to help you get those creative juices flowing; you can look at the recent exercises and perhaps combine three or four of them into a whole day of shooting, just for funsies.

The most important lesson you can learn from this is that photography should never feel like a chore, and you should always enjoy having your camera in your hands.

Bit.ly/1Ux39AW

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 35

HOW TO…

Account for everything

Staying on top of your business accounts is the most important thing in the world. Here’s the top two packages compared.

A

ccounting software or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is a necessity for any business in the 21st century. We can of course compile quotations and invoices and keep books by hand but automating the process takes less time and costs less than hiring an accountant to do the job for you.

There are many ERP software packages on the market but some are very restricted in their functionality for South Africa and support services are often very tricky to get a hold of. Luckily there are two solutions which have excellent support structures in South Africa; Quickbooks and Sage Pastel.

To remain unbiased we will compare the Sage Pastel Xpress Start Up (we’ll refer to it as Sage or Sage Pastel from here on out) software which is designed with small businesses in mind and Quickbooks Pro

36 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

which is a step up from SimpleStart, but contains most of the core functionality you will need.

PRICE

Before you begin using the software you need to buy it. Sage Pastel retails for R2 600 and Quickbooks comes in at a slightly higher R3 299. It may seem like the obvious choice is Sage Pastel but the price alone is not how to determine which ERP you should be using.

COMPATIBILITY

If you still happen to use Windows XP you’re going to have to upgrade your operating system. Both Quickbooks and Sage require Windows Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10. If you’re using a Mac you’re out of luck as well: both packages are incompatible

with Mac OSX and iOS. The good news is that both Sage and Quickbooks have online software that is compatible with Mac OSX. If you would prefer to use these solutions, just be sure to account for their associated internet costs.

USING THE SOFTWARE

Quickbooks allows multiple users while Sage only allows one. While this may work for you if you’re controlling the books once you need to expand and hire an accountant Quickbooks gives greater scope for expansion by allowing multiple users.

Both programs offer quick start features to get you ready to work as soon as possible.

Sage Pastel uses templates that you can customise where Quickbooks uses a set of predetermined questions to setup your dashboard.

HOW TO…

Common perception is that Sage Pastel is more for the accountants and Quickbooks is more directed at the business owner trying to do their books. While we do agree in some aspects, Sage Pastel has a number of features that Quickbooks doesn’t have that we feel are beneficial even if you won’t be using them right away.

Where Sage starts showing the chinks in its armour is when it comes to doing financials.

Sage Pastel only allows you to do 2 financial years’ worth of books where Quickbooks is unlimited. While you can import up to 5 years’ worth of financial documents, you can only start and work on 2 years per license with Sage.

Both pieces of software are integrated with Microsoft Office as well as web-based email systems such as Gmail or Outlook. This may seem like a small insignificant thing but in reality the integration of these services really increases productivity and keeps all your financials in one place so they don’t go missing.

THE BEST FOR YOUR BOOKS?

The entire reason you’re reading this is to find out which one keeps the best books.

Both Sage and Quickbooks offer a general ledger section, a cash flow section as well as a balance sheet. Both allow you to upload customers and file their quotes, invoices and receipts in individual folders. Should you already be using an ERP package, Sage and

Quickbooks both offer import services that match most of the popular file extensions.

Additionally, Quickbooks can be set up to send monthly statements, ledgers and other information to your accountant’s Dropbox folder. Handy!

Reporting is covered very well in Quickbooks, which allows up to 14 reports to be compiled. Sage Pastel however, only lets you do this at the upper echelons of its product range; unfortunately its Xpress Startup software is not in that category.

SO WHICH SHOULD YOU PICK?

While both offer similar functionality they are not without their flaws. Sage Pastel seems to be aimed at professional accountants rather than the small business owner, and Quickbooks has functionality that most businesses need, and will need, until they grow.

Our final word is that we believe ERP systems should be bought the same way houses are: with one eye on now, and one eye on future requirements.

SUPPORT

CONTACT DETAILS

Both Sage Pastel and Quickbooks offer comprehensive telephone and email support 24/7. Support staff are friendly, and willing to help where they can.

Sage Pastel: www.pastel.co.za, Sales: +27 11 304 3600 Quickbooks: www.quickbooks.co.za, Sales: 0861 726 657

Having an accountant on text or a call away would help you immeasurably, because as good as Sage and Quickbooks’ support structures are, you may not be able to reach them at those crucial times as they’re not available 24/7.

Sage Pastel support: +27 11 304 3000 QuickBooks support: 0861 726 657

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 37

HOW TO…

Office Inkjet Printer Roundup Looking for a new printer for a small-to-medium-sized office? Check out these hard-working injkets from HP, Canon and Brother.

B

uying a new inkjet printer for your office can be a bit tricky; technology has changed, ink cartridges now last

longer and printers are faster than ever.

So we’ve rounded up three of the latest ones from big-name manufacturers to help

you decide which one is right for you - HP’s 8610 Pro, Canon’s slick but daftly-named office machine or Brother’s workhorse.

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M

HP OFFICEJET 8610 PRO ALL IN ONE Ideal for a small to medium office R2 999

HP’s proven track record of quality and reliability continues with the 8610 Pro – this is a serious printer for serious office use.

It’s also the most expensive in our roundup, but that’s because it offers everything an office could need – it scans, faxes, copies and prints and it has one of the nicest touchscreens around that responds quickly to presses.

Pages come out in black at a rate of 20 pages per minute, and colour at just over 7 pages a minute, so it’s not the fastest of the three, but its quality is just brilliant. This is definitely the printer to go for if consistent quality across all document types – including photos – is what you’re after.

You can also print from phones, directly from email and even via WiFi Direct if you like, making it suited to any office use you can imagine.

SPECIFICATIONS • Cartridge cost: R599 (Black, 2 300 pages), R399 x3 (C/M/Y, 1 500 pages each) • Print Speed: 19ppm (black), 14.5ppm (colour) • Functions: Print, Scan, Fax, Copy • Connectivity: WiFi, USB 2.0, Ethernet, ePrint • Cartridge models: HP 950XL (Black), HP 951XL C/M/Y • ADF: 35 Sheets

38 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

CANON MAXIFY MB2340 A brilliant little all-rounder R2 499

Now this is a slick printer that not only works hard, but looks good doing it. And it’s fast, too – Canon’s Quick First technology will have you collecting pages seconds after hitting Print, and you’ll get 23 black pages per minute when printing in black and 15 colour pages in colour.

The quality you’ll get is also excellent, putting the Maxify neck and neck with HP when it comes to producing sharp business documents, and just pipping it to the post in terms of speed.

Most surprising about the Maxify is its inclusion of dual paper trays, giving you space for 500 sheets of paper so you won’t have to fill it as often as you would with the other printers.

The high-quality touchscreen flanked by buttons is super easy to use, and there’s a USB port right on the front of the printer for easy acces.

WiFi, an Ethernet port and the ability to scan to and from various devices – tablets included – have us quite impressed.

SPECIFICATIONS • Cartridge cost: R380 (Black, 1 200 pages), R240 (colour x 3, 1 020/780/935 pages each) • Print Speed: 23ppm (black), 15ppm (colour) • Functions: Print, Scan, Fax, Copy • Connectivity: WiFi, USB 2.0, Ethernet • Cartridge models: PGI-1400XL BK, PGI1400XL C/M/Y • ADF: 50 Sheets

BROTHER MFCJ200 INKBENEFIT A very hard worker, for the least cash R2 399

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This little workhorse of an inkjet offers a handy combination of durability, affordability and ink cartridges that print over a thousand pages each.

It’s also a multi-function, giving you access to the functions any business needs, namely scanning, faxing, printing and copying, all packaged up neatly with an interface that even your most tech-phobic employee will be able to figure out without much hassle.

It’s seriously so simple that if they struggle, it might be time for a Talk that includes the words “made redundant”, “retrenchment” and/or “You’re fired”.

And for your more advanced people, the J200 even has an app – iPrint & Scan - that lets them print right from their phones over WiFi. The great price, excellent build and ease of use offered by the J200 really is fantastic, making it perfect for a cost-conscious small office.

SPECIFICATIONS CY

CMY

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• Cartridge cost: R174 (Black, 2400 pages), R150 (colour x 3, 1300 pages each) • Print Speed: 27ppm (black), 10ppm (colour) • Functions: Print, Scan, Fax, Copy • Connectivity: WiFi, USB 2.0 • Cartridge models: LC539XLBK, LC535C M and Y • ADF: 20 Sheets

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on’t miss any of the most important national and international tech news! Our parent website, htxt.africa, sends out a fact filled email every single day. With over 5 000 subscribers its one of the biggest communities of readers in the country – so don’t miss out, sign up today!

Still not convinced? Our email newsletter subscribers also get access to exclusive competitions and offers just for them. And don’t worry – if you don’t like it it’s easy to unsubscribe and we’ll never sell your details on to spammers either!

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HOW TO…

Desktop or Cloud? Which is right for your business?

The days of buying boxes full of CD-ROM software are over: everything is cheaper and faster in the cloud. Or at least, that’s what they’d have you believe...

A

nyone who’s buying software for their business today has an important decision to make: do you buy a bunch of discs (or a download) for your PC, or do you use products based in the so-called “cloud”.

We’ve put together this little guide to help you choose.

WHAT IS THE CLOUD?

IT’S THE MODERN WAY TO SELL SOFTWARE, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT CLOUD COMPUTING IS? “The cloud” is a catch all term for software that runs on a server a long way away from your desktop PC. Traditionally, for example, you might have installed a copy of Microsoft Office on your desktop in order to do tasks like word processing, check your email or look at a spreadsheet.

Today, however, you might go to Google Docs in your web browser and do all the same things online.

The chief advantages of using cloud software for your business are that it’s often more cost effective than buying desktop software, and can run much faster without needing to upgrade your PC. The other advantage is that any documents or files you work on are saved online, so are accessible from any device anywhere without having to copy them to a USB key and they’re automatically backed up too.

Plus, most cloud software also comes with a related app that will let you access the software from your tablet or phone. Great for accounting (see page 36). As an added bonus, you never need to update cloud software with big patches or downloads the latest version will always be running

online.

Of course, there are disadvantages too.

If your internet connection goes down, for example, you might not be able to access important files that aren’t stored locally.

And if you’re paying a monthly fee for usage it might work out more expensive than desktop software too.

Most importantly, however, if you’re going to use cloud services make sure you know the basics of digital security (see page 42). If someone gets into your online account, they could get access to all your important business information in one go.

CHOOSING AN OFFICE SUITE

Every business needs to use an office suite of some sort. Here are the most common options available to you.

DESKTOP LIBREOFFICE WWW.LIBREOFFICE. ORG WHAT IS IT? A fully featured office suite with word processor, spreadsheet app, database and more.

WHY YOU SHOULD It’s free to download and install, and is compatible with most rival formats. Most of what it’s missing, like online syncing and file sharing, can be worked around using another tool like Dropbox.

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T Doesn’t have sophisticated online features of rivals, so there’s no automated syncing with a mobile app, for example. Not great for document collaboration either.

CLOUD GOOGLE DRIVE DRIVE.GOOGLE.COM WHAT IS IT? If you’ve got a Gmail account, you’ve got access to Google Drive, which puts storage, wordprocessing, spreadsheet and presentation software in your browser.

WHY YOU SHOULD Everything on Google Drive is free and works seamlessly with native apps for Android phones too. Plus, there’s a lot of other cloud services which can sync with Google Docs too.

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T While Google Drive can read and export common file formats, like Microsoft’s .docx, it’s not got the best compatibility around.

Plus, if someone gets into your email they get into everything else you have too. And, there’s no way of working on things offline.

CLOUD & DESKTOP MICROSOFT OFFICE 365 MICROSOFT.OFFICE.COM WHAT IS IT? The granddaddy of office suites has been updated for the modern world and has both online and offline components too.

WHY YOU SHOULD It’s an absolutely powerhouse and the new version of spreadsheet app Excel is particularly strong. You can work online or off, and it integrates with everything else Microsoft. The mobile phone apps are good too.

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T It costs a monthly fee in perpetuity.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 43

HOW TO…

Top IT security tips for your business Your business data is precious; these tips will help keep it safe.

T

oday’s businesses face significant challenges when it comes to keeping confidential data safe, and not just from disgruntled ex-employees - every business connected to the internet risks being targeted by clever hackers who know their way around a firewall.

Fortunately, there is something you as a business owner can do to make being hacked a lot less likely or easy, and that’s educate your staff on the right security measures to follow. Here are five security tips we highly recommend implementing.

TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

What’s safer than a door with one lock?

How about a door with two locks. That’s what two-factor authentication offers, and is essential to combat hackers impersonating your staff to gain access to your sensitive data. It usually involves two different ways of confirming the identity of any employee attempting to access your business’s IT systems – most commonly a password as well as a code sent by SMS to their cell phones - and only if both challenges are passed are staff allowed in.

42 | TECH MADE EASY | SEPTEMBER 2015

PASSWORD MANAGER

If employees tend to forget their passwords, consider using a free password manager like LastPass. It stores passwords for websites and other internet services behind some pretty hefty encryption, filling those details in automatically when prompted. Just be sure to tell your employees that their LastPass password needs to be long and complicated.

MALWARE SCANNERS

Ensure every PC – and Mac – in your business has security software installed that actively monitors threats and scans for malware on a regular basis. Never underestimate the costs you’ll save with an initial outlay for security software compared to what you’ll spend trying to recover from a successful attack.

TEACH EVERYONE IN YOUR COMPANY TO DO BEST PRACTICE

Make sure every employee knows what constitutes a truly secure password, that they understand how two-factor authentication works as well as why, exactly,

they’re being inconvenienced by all of the security measures standing between them and company data. Teach them about internationally-accepted best practices when it comes to IT security.

ENCRYPT YOUR HARD DRIVE

Adding a layer of encryption to the hard drives in all business notebooks and desktops using software like Microsoft’s BitLocker is a great way to ensure that even if your hardware ends up in the wrong hands, the business data it contains is protected.

PASSWORD PROTECT WINDOWS

Consider deploying Windows Hello across your organisation; Windows Hello uses a combination of PIN codes, biometrics and gestures to grant or deny access to company resources, and thanks to some great work by the folks at Microsoft, can’t be easily fooled. At the very least, password-protect Windows so thieves can’t just take your business computers, boot them up and have easy access to hard drive contents.

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Now you can 3D print your own Curiosity rover Thanks to NASA, who released the files for anyone to download and use.

I

t seems like ages ago that NASA landed the Curiosity Rover on Mars but in reality it happened just over 3 years ago. To celebrate the three year milestone NASA released two apps.

Mars Trek lets people browse through visualisations of Mars pieced together using 50 years of research and Experience Curiosity which lets people get an idea of a day in the life of the rover.

Recently NASA gave us something a bit more, tangible. Files that allow users to 3D print their own miniature Curiosity Rover

were uploaded to Nasa’s 3D Resources website which already has a number of very cool 3D models for anybody with the equipment and love for space exploration to use.

Just note, our featured image is a LEGO rover; that’s not what you’ll be printing (but it sure is cool, right?).

Maker magazine Make: pointed out that the printable files NASA has been uploading recently have improved at every turn. This particular set of files can be used by the newcomers that want to hit

print and get to building as well as the experienced user that wants to tinker with the designs. They also speculate that the tabs included in the files are designed to assist in bed adhesion spurring on thoughts that the files were printed before being released to the community.

If you have a 3D printer and were looking for an awesome project then head over to the NASA 3D Resources site (http://1.usa.gov/1Ne2tOk) and download the files to print your own Curiosity Rover. Bit.ly/1MSJLio

MOBILE COMPUTING MOBILE COMPUTING I live each and every day to the fullest. I’m out the door in the morning and don’t stop until I get home at night. I need my electronic devices at my side – protected and accessible – keeping Ime live each and every day tomakes the fullest.

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A BRAND SPANKING NEW 55" SUHD LG SMART TV !

What’s better than a jolly big TV? A jolly big free TV that does 4K!

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ant to win a huge, cutting-edge TV? Of course you do!

This one from LG is just the ticket: it’s a 55-inch behemoth, and boasts a panel that’s as sharp as we’ve seen and colours that almost literally pop off the screen and into your face thanks to its Super Ultra High Definition technology.

In case you need a refresher, SUHD is 4K with better colour, and it produces images so sharp and real-looking that it becomes hard to spot the difference between what you see on the screen, and any real-life scene your eyes are actually looking at.

Sure, there’s not a lot of 4K content around yet, but hook the TV up to a decent internet connection - totally possible thanks

to the magic of WiFi and WebOS - fire up YouTube’s selection of jaw-dropping 4K videos and you’ll see exactly what we mean.

To enter, all you need to do is send us a tweet containing a picture of yourself standing in front of or near your current TV looking all sad at how pathetic it is, compared, with the hashtag #sadtvissad.

We’ll choose the best submissions and make a judgement call as to who appears the saddest, and let that person know their TV-related misery is almost at an end. We cannot be held responsible for ending any other sadness you may be suffering, though; we’re not bacon.

But don’t make your pictures too sad we don’t want to see people standing over

purposely-broken TVs just for the chance to win a new one!

If you don’t want to send us a tweet or you’ve never heard of the twitter, you’re welcome to email us your sad TV pics instead, which can go to info@htxt.co.za.

Compose your email with “A sad TV viewer is me” in the subject line.

If you’d like more information on the competition or the TV itself, point your browser to http://www.htxt.co.za/sadtvissad and soak up all the details.

And that’s it. Go get creative, and good luck! The closing date for entries is the 15th of October.

POINT YOUR BROWSER AT HTXT.CO.ZA/HTXT.CO.ZA/SADT

TO ENTER

VISSAD TO ENTER!

If you want to stand a chance of winning this awesome TV, send us a tweet with the hashtag #sadtvissad and a photo of yourself standing in front of or near your current TV looking all sad at how pathetic it is, compared.

The closing date is the 15th of October, 2015. See the entry form for the Ts&Cs.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 47

STATS

SA tech

The numbers that sum up the best of the month

in stats

South African users have spent over R21 000 000 on cheating website Ashley Madison.

Bit.ly/1KPPsYG

32 hackers and traders were charged with illegal trading stemming from information stolen from unreleased press releases, which netted the group an excess of R14 billion.

Bit.ly/1UeOpXb

Crowdfunding services are growing ever more popular, and overall there are 4 different types that are changing commerce, according to Thundafund’s Daniel Shaw. Bit.ly/1PAdWIS

Just 40 percent of matrics will write Maths exams in 2015, a tragedy for any country lacking in scientists and engineers.

Bit.ly/1LCLkRi Enjoy this free copy of htxt.africa’s Tech Made Easy? There’s loads more stories like these, plus in-depth features and news published daily at our website www.htxt.co.za.

New video on demand service ShowMax costs just R99 a month, and streams its 11 000 hours of TV shows and movies using “adaptive streaming” technology at quality up to 720p.

You’ll pay just R49 for a gigabyte of mobile data from RSAWEB, which can download at 3G and LTE speeds of “up to 45mbps”. Bit.ly/1fKxkqk

NEXT MONTH

And if you want even more, keep your eyes peeled for issue 20 from 1 October in all good technology retailers.

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