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December 2010

Storage

Space

e cloud Comfort in th

Beginning a

blog

we show you how!

mobile magic

Show off your Smartphone

R14.95 incl. VAT

: e d i u G gift Gadget

t c e f r e s P t c u 5 d 2 Pro

Top

Reviews MONITORS LAPTOPS CAMERAS PRINTERS SOFTWARE cellphones GAMES

www.connectmag.co.za

VOL02 Issue #08

FEATURES 10 Holiday Best Buys 25 of 2010’s nicest products

16

Security – Do You Really Need it All? Part three of our antivirus feature

20

Simply Storage Looking online for better and bigger options

22

Mobile Magic Buying the perfect cellphone peripheral

26

Blogging for Beginners From the sign-up to the start, it’s all here

16

26 10

December 2010

REGULARS 04 06 08 74 78 80

Editor’s Letter News Trouble-free Technobabble Tamsin the Tech Tannie Competition Disconnect

REVIEWS 32 40 46 48 50 52 54 56 63

Top 5 Notebooks GPSs Printers eReaders Sound Peripherals Software Books

GAMING 64

PUBLISHER Brett Haggard brett@connectmag.co.za EDITOR Tiana Cline tiana@connectmag.co.za

TECHNOLOGY Deon du Plessis EDITOR deon@connectmag.co.za JUNIOR WRITER Tamaryn Watkins tamaryn@connectmag.co.za CONTRIBUTORS Tamsin Mackay Adam Oxford ART DIRECTOR Jason Palmer jason@connectmag.co.za

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echnology has become personalised.

No longer are consumers expected to buy a generic product that looks a certain way. Customisation is key and you have the choice of what goes inside and out, be it the memory you need in your laptop or the colour of your mouse. Just about everything is adaptable in today’s digital world.

With so many options, how do you buy the right gift? It’s the season of giving, which is why in this issue of Connect we’ve put together a list of 25 great buys. This perfect-product list captures the spirit of 2010 by showing off the best of the best across every category. Be it a printer or portable music device you’re after, go to page 10 for our complete gadget guide.

Hands up if you only use your mobile phone to send text messages and make phone calls. I didn’t think so. Smartphones have thousands of applications, with most offering high-megapixel cameras, e-mail access and gaming ability. But there’s even more out there. On page 22, Connect offers a mobile makeover where we help you find complimentary cellphone accessories such as hands-free kits, protective cases and docking stations. We also give you great buying advice and tips so you’ll know what to look for and why.

December sees the final part of our security special with Deon getting into the finer details of what makes the security software you’re about to buy a good one. Virus protection is a must, but some software packages you can really do without.

4 | connect | December 2010

What is worth the price? Read an learn on page 16.

Five-hundred lucky Connect readers stand a chance of winning a year’s free protection from Norton Internet Security. Does your copy have a lucky card in it?

Blogs are bigger than ever so if your New Year’s Resolution for 2011 is to start one, Connect will show you how by covering all the basics – you’ll be up and running before you know it. Another trend worth noting is cloud computing. Instead of using up all the memory on your computer, leaving it sluggish, or cluttering your desk with discs and drives, you can safely store your media online. Turn to page 20 to find out where and how.

If you’re a gamer, the end of the year is the right time to buy a few new titles. Every video game console has a large selection of great games to cater for every age group and genre. Wii is no longer the only motion-controller on the market – both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 will get you moving. And don’t forget the portables. If it’s gaming you’re after, we’ve played every title we could get our hands on. Read all the reviews on page 64.

2010 has been a great year for technology, and here’s to an even better 2011. We hope you enjoy this bumper December issue of SA’s only technology magazine that speaks your language.

Let’s keep connected.

Tiana Cline Editor

Editor’s photo by Dan Elkabir / www.lightscapespdd.com

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news Win a Captured Moment

Microsoft: Back with a Bang

A new website and competition is helping to give valid exposure and online support and rewards to local budding amateur photographers.

Anyone who has taken a shot they think has merit, can now upload their picture on the new www.somethingisaw. co.za and be given professional appraisal. All uploads are also entered into a competition that gives weekly and a grand monthly prize. Olympus is the main brand behind the new “Something I Saw” website which has been created for everyone who loves photography. It is the first online support for anyone who has keen eye for photography – and it doesn’t matter what photographic equipment has been used either. It’s all about the image and what that image says. The something saw website is a new world for people who are keen to learn more about photography and how to take great photos as it has discussion forums, a blog, tutorials, advice as well as a series of photographic competitions. Visitors to the site are encouraged to upload their shots to enter the competition and entrants’ chances to win are increased if they get others to also register and vote for their shot.

Prizes include cameras from Olympus and Sigma and SanDisk top of the range memory cards. The site also allows photographs on the site to be purchased so there’s an added incentive to upload pictures For information on how to enter and the prizes visit www.somethingisaw.co.za

Microsoft launched its much-anticipated Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system, hailing it as a “fresh start for the smartphone” and promising a new user experience that will shake up the marketplace. The new phone is critical to Microsoft’s efforts to make new gains in the huge smartphone market, which despite the success of the iPhone and Android, is still relatively untapped globally. It also represents a new approach towards integrating products and services from across the company into the phone to create a richer experience and greater productivity. The phones are expected to be available to the general public by early December on most of the major mobile networks. Initially two HTC models will be available – the HTC 7 Mozart and the HTC 7 Trophy. The Windows 7 phone helps users get more done in fewer steps, thanks to a unique ‘hub and tile’ interface. The tiles offer people quick and easy access to their most valuable information as well as real-time updates from the web such as news, appointments or friends’ status. Users can also create their own tiles from whatever content they choose, such as web sites, photos and music. The phones also come with a mobile version of Internet Explorer and include support for editing Microsoft Office documents. They also have strong social media integration, with Facebook photos, music and contacts are pulled into the phone and distributed appropriately.

Complete information about Windows Phone 7 features and capabilities can be found at www.windowsphone.com

iPhone App of the Month: Star Walk Whether you are Star Wars or Star Trek fans, astronomy beginners or amateurs discover stars, planets, constellations and more with Star Walk. The most amazing, high quality, dynamic and realistic stargazing guide on Earth. It makes astronomy easy for everybody. How it works? Tilt your iPhone device upwards and Star Walk will show you the sky, it’s that simple. So whether you’re trying to impress a date with heavenly knowledge or exploring space to satisfy your curiosity, Star Walk puts the universe in the palm of your hand.

Price: 2.99 US Dollars

Local Kids Experience Nintendo Two young entrepreneurs from Soweto have come up with a novel solution for keeping local kids off the streets and safe indoors: Amos Mtsolonga and Musa Maphongwane realised that there was a desperate need in their hometown of Soweto to keep children occupied, educate them about technology and let them experience the fun of Nintendo games, all at a nominal fee. The two formed a partnership when they decided to create an all in one gaming station for the locals. When they realised the costs of renting in a shopping mall would be too high, they decided to purchase a container, which could house several TV’s, Nintendo Wiis, as well as benches. Fully

6 | connect | December 2010

kitted out inside, and branded creatively by a local graffiti artist, Kasty Gaming Zone was born. Up to 800 children per week visit the Kasty Gaming Zone, some of them walking from as far as 10 km away, and for only R1 to play for 10 minutes, its no wonder that after only a few months, one container grew to 7. When asked about their rapid growth, the two say that they hope to have 100 containers in the next five years. Its no surprise to hear of such ambition from these two young men, they have, after all been backed by Sir Richard Branson, and won the coveted prize of R100, 000.00 and mentoring from the Branson School of entrepreneurship.

techno jargon // by Deon du Plessis

Welcome to another edition of Tech Jargon, where we take techie terms and turn inside out to reveal more of the mysteries within!

8 | connect | December 2010

Dingbats

Oversaturated

Refresh Rate

Not only is a dingbat an absent-minded person, it’s also a decorative font. The use of dingbats goes back to the early days of typesetting when they were used as decorations to spruce up documents. Microsoft Office’s version of the Dingbats font is called Wingdings.

If a colour is saturated, it appears bright and vibrant and as close to how it’s supposed to look as possible.

Oversaturation is a description of colours that appear exaggerated, making them too bright and unnaturally colourful.

Cloud computing

USB 3.0

Server computers that are accessed over the Internet form what is called “the cloud”. Services from “the cloud” are tasks that are processed on these servers and not on your computer. Examples of services from the cloud include real-time antivirus protection, any web-based e-mail service like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Google Mail etc., online storage services like Microsoft’s SkyDrive and more. The primary advantage of cloud computing is that complex IT services can be delivered to people who do not need to manage or administer the servers themselves.

The USB standard is what we use to connect devices like printers, cameras, keyboards and mice and other devices to our computers. The standard in widespread use today is USB 2.0, which allows for data transfer speeds of up to 57MB/s. USB 3.0 is the long-awaited new version, and although it’s not in widespread use yet, today’s newest PCs come equipped with USB 3.0 ports. These new ports can handle data transfers at speeds of up to 572MB/s, a tenfold increase over USB 2.0.

This describes the number of times a screen is updated. A high refresh rate is best for smooth, lifelike movement. In games, the faster a graphics card can update the screen, the better the graphics look; this is referred to as the “frames per second” being produced. For the best results the number of frames per second being put out by a system’s graphics card should be as close to the refresh rate of a computer monitor as possible.

RAM Icanhascheezburger.com This is undoubtedly one of the funniest sites on the Internet. Be warned, however, that it’s a productivity and time sink, and if your boss catches you he/she will be very cross. Once the disciplinary is over, don’t be surprised if you catch THEM on the site, laughing their heads off. If you like cats and the funny situations they lend themselves to, you’ll absolutely love this site. It’s also completely kid-friendly and is packed with tons of genuinely amusing Internet humour.

A computer has two kinds of information storage – permanent in the form of hard disk drives, and temporary in the form of RAM. RAM consists of physical memory chips that store information temporarily; this information is lost the second the computer is powered off. Information stored in RAM can be accessed much faster than information stored on hard disk drives, and the more RAM a computer has, the better it can handle running multiple programs at the same time. RAM stands for “Random Access Memory”.

Pixelated When an image looks like it’s made up for very small but visible blocks, this is referred to as it being “pixelated”. With today’s excellent image compression techniques this is only visible if you magnify an image by a large margin; for the most part, modern-day images are clearer and sharper than ever.

Washed out When an image on a computer screen or a photograph looks like it was put through a washing machine which subsequently drained them of vibrancy, they can be said to look washed out.

Access time This is a measure of how fast an electronic system can retrieve data. For example a hard drive’s access time is determined by its seek time (the time it takes for the drive’s arm to reach the correct track on the spindle), the time it takes for the drive’s platters to start spinning and lastly how long it takes for the drive to bring the appropriate sector of the platter to the read/write arm, which is largely affected by the physical rotational speed of the drive. Typical hard drives average around 8ms (milliseconds) for each seek operation – that is one eighth of a thousandth of a second.

32-bit and 64-bit At its most basic, 32-bit and 64-bit are descriptions of the amount of data a processor or operating system can handle. A 64-bit operating system/processor can handle more data than a 32-bit operating system/ processor in the same time period; think of it as drinking with two straws instead of just one. The benefits of 64-bit over 32-bit is the amount of memory that can be used. 32-bit is limited to a maximum of 3.3GB (which is why you’ll often see computers with 32-bit operating systems being sold with 3GB of RAM), whereas a 64-bit operating system can make use of up to 128GB of RAM. There are many benefits of large amounts of system RAM, chief among them is the ability to run more programs at once and faster general performance from your operating system.

Steam Not the “evaporation of water” kind, Steam is an online game service run by the people that made Half-Life 2, launched back in 2004. Anyone can sign up, create an account and download and install the Steam application. Once installed, Steam gives users access to a large library of games that can be paid for with a credit card and downloaded directly to a PC. The advantage of this is all games purchased are yours for life, and you no longer need to worry about storing DVD cases anywhere, or having the DVD in the drive while you play as games are automatically authenticated through the application.

Steam periodically has sales that reduce the prices of selected games, so you can pick up some excellent titles for a really great price. Head on over to http:// www.steampowered.com for more info.

www.connectmag.co.za | 9

buying guide //by Deon Du Plessis

holiday

best buys

It’s that time of year again where giftbuying is on everyone’s mind. We have put together a list of 25 of 2010’s nicest products in an effort to help you score brownie points with your Significant Others/children/ teachers/friends.

10 | connect | December 2010

Apple LED Cinema Display 27” It’s big, it’s expensive but it is without a doubt the finest monitor you can buy for your Mac or PC. Apple has always insisted on only the best for its computers, and this 27” behemoth represents the very best of the best in display technology. It uses LED backlighting for amazingly vibrant colours and lowered power consumption; it boasts a massive native resolution of 2560 x 1440, and it is 27 inches wide from corner to corner which translates to a huge amount of screen real estate.

Regardless of whether you’re a PC or a Mac, if it’s exceptional visuals you’re after, this is the screen to go for. R6 999.95

Apple iPod Touch 32GB While the classic iPod started it all, the iPod Touch has become the de facto standard for portable media players.

With the latest generation, Apple has improved on the Touch recipe by introducing its amazing Retina Display technology to the device. This improves the clarity of the already-amazing screen and ensures that no jagged edges are anywhere to be seen.

Throw in 32GB of memory for all your music, movies and games and access to the always-handy iStore, and you have a media player for modern times. Oh, and its sound quality is pretty good, too.

R2 999.95 Acer Aspire TimelineX 5820TG Acer’s original Timeline notebooks demonstrated that what consumers really want is a notebook that lasts all day. The TimelineX range improves on the original design with hardware powerful enough to deliver a very good mobile computing experience that lasts a full work day.

This is the slimmest and lightest full-blown notebook that Acer has ever brought out, and it’s aimed squarely at busy and highly mobile people that work in a Windows environment. Its slick exterior, polished looks, 8-hour battery life and thin build all come together to create a highly desirable, all-business work notebook.

R10 999.95

Apple MacBook Air Even die-hard Apple fans will be surprised by the amazing new range of MacBook Air notebooks. They are the thinnest and lightest notebooks Apple has ever brought out, so much so that on picking one up, it’s hard to believe it’s a full-powered notebook. These ultra-thin devices are superbly designed and manufactured and are capable of delivering a very good mobile computing experience thanks to Intel’s Core 2 Duo processors, solid-state hard drives and Apple’s excellent Snow Leopard operating system. A MacBook Air is truly an amazing gift for the Mac user in your life.

From R8 999.95 to R14 999.95

Apple iMac with Intel Processor Designers, directors and creative people of all types will be impressed with Apple’s latest all-in-one desktop computer, the 4th-generation iMac. Not only does it look as good as ever, but it’s powered by a new Intel processor architecture and graphics

by ATI for faster-than-ever performance regardless of the tasks being thrown at it. Choose between the stunning-yet-compact 22” version and the massive, larger-than-life 27” model; with both models you’re getting a powerful performance machine that won’t clutter your desktop with wires, all the while adding a touch of style to your work environment. All-in-one computing has never looked so good.

• iMac 21.5” Intel Core i3 @ 3.06GHz / 4GB RAM / 500GB / ATI Radeon HD 4670 / SD R12 999.95 • iMac 21.5” Intel Core i3 @ 3.2GHz / 4GB RAM / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5670 / SD R15 999.95 • iMac 27” Intel Core i3 @ 3.2GHz / 4GB RAM / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5670 / SD R18 499.95 • iMac 27” Intel Core i5 @2.8GHz / 4GB RAM / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5750 / SD R21 999.95

Apple iPod Nano 16GB If you don’t need something as big as the iPod Touch and you’re more interested in a rugged but highly portable media player that you can wear to gym or while you run, the iPod Nano is the player for you. It’s tiny, far smaller than last year’s model, but it has a touchscreen instead of Apple’s traditional click wheel. Its interface is as intuitive as ever, it operates smoothly and sound quality is fantastic. 16GB of storage in such a tiny device is more than enough to take your favourite tracks with you, and even enough for a movie or two as well.

R1 599.95

Alienware M15X If it’s a beast of a notebook you’re after that can game as hard as it can work, look no further than the aggressivelooking, ultra-powerful Alienware M15X gaming notebook. It has better hardware than the average desktop PC and produces the kind of frame rates in demanding games that cash-strapped nerds can only dream of. It boasts a Blu-ray drive for ultra-sharp HD movie playback, a massive Terabyte of storage space and its keyboard is lit up like a Christmas tree for easy viewing in the dark. This is definitely a gamer’s dream notebook – the Dot-Com millionaire kind.

R21 999.95

www.connectmag.co.za | 11

buying guide //by Deon Du Plessis Canon EOS 550D Camera There are many die-hard Canon followers among the ranks of professional photographers, and for good reason. Canon makes excellent camera equipment, and the 550D is no exception. It’s not the cheapest DSLR camera and is somewhat complicated for beginners, but it has the potential to become an indispensable tool with a bit of practice. It has an 18MP image sensor, EXPEED2 processing, a 3” LCD screen, its buttons are easily accessible and its menu system is intuitive, and it is future-proof thanks to the range of Canon lenses it supports. In all, a great DSLR camera and one which experienced photographers will surely appreciate.

R8 699.95 HP PhotoSmart Plus e-All-in-One Printer D110a HP’s new environmentally-friendly all-in-one PhotoSmart printer has everything a tech-savvy consumer could want.

This excellent printer has a touchscreen interface, one-touch wireless setup (with a supported WPS-enabled router, of course), it used four individual ink cartridges with the option to use XL cartridges for maximum efficiency, memory card slots for easy photo printing and is Energy-Star qualified for optimal electricity usage.

This is the kind of printer that will easily find a home in busy modern households - it’s as easy to use as it is feature-rich, and HP’s quality inks will ensure that all photos printed with it will last long into the future. R1 299.95

HP Pavilion DV6-3060 It has taken a few years, but reasonably powerful notebooks can now be had for significantly less than R10k. HP’s DV6-3060 is a fantastic example of this: not only is it powerful enough to run Windows and productivity software impressively quickly, but it costs only R9k. Its brushed aluminium exterior looks like it belongs to a notebook costing a good few

Navigon N70 Premium Live GPS If you’ve used a GPS before and disliked the way the interface elements seem to crowd the screen, Navigon has a GPS for you. The N70 has a new feature called Motion Sensor that automatically removes interface elements like Points of Interest and the options menu and only reveals them again when you move your hand towards the device.

This frees up the rest of the generous 5” screen to show you more of the area you’re driving through, which makes driving safer as your concentration can be on the road, where it should be, and not on your GPS. R2 499.95

12 | connect | December 2010

TomTom GO 650 Live GPS After the successful launch of the GO 750 Live device in South Africa, TomTom introduced a smaller version and called it the GO 650 Live which is available at a walletfriendly price point. The 650 has a 4.3” screen, hands-free Bluetooth support, can respond to voice commands and comes with a year’s subscription to TomTom’s Live services. These include the amazing IQ Routes service that takes into account traffic patterns, rush hour conditions and even school crossings to help you avoid delays and arrive at your destination faster. Renewing the Live services annual subscription fee costs only R499.95.

thousand Rand more, and overall it offers the kind of style and performance that only a few years ago would have cost a lot more. As such, it’s a fantastic work notebook that won’t look out of place in even the swankiest board rooms.

R8 999.95

Kodak PlaySport Camcorder If any members of your family are interested in shooting videos of themselves, their friends or you clowning around on the beach or in the pool, Kodak’s PlaySport camcorder is an excellent gift idea. It’s waterproof up to a depth of 3m, it shoots full HD video as well as 720p at 60 frames per second, it takes 5MP still images and it’s encased in a rugged rubberised exterior that can survive romps on the beach and drops from waist-height. While its video and still image quality is not for those who value such things, it’s perfect for a young person who just wants something simple to capture the moment.

R1 699.95

Xbox 360 Slim with Kinect Microsoft has shown how much it cares about its Xbox 360 brand by bringing out a new, slimmer version of its console. The new model is quieter and cooler than the previous one, is clad all in black and is slightly smaller overall, too. Also new to the Xbox 360 stable is the Kinect camera, an interesting and innovative device that lets you use your whole body to control your games without the need for a handheld controller. It even lets you control media playback with the wave of a hand. Say goodbye to couch-bound gaming as you dance, fight, kick and more to control the on-screen action!

• 250GB Slim Xbox 360 with Alan Wake and Forza 3 R2 999.95 • Kinect Camera with two games R1 999.95

Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary Nintendo Wii Can you believe Super Mario Bros. has been with us for 25 years?

To commemorate this milestone, Nintendo is releasing a limitededition red Wii console as well as a red DSi XL. Fans that wish to celebrate with Nintendo will get a red Wii that comes with Wii Sports and Super Mario Bros. 2, as well as a preinstalled copy of the original Donkey Kong that first introduced Mario to the world back in 1981. Since Mario and Luigi have given so much to gaming, many fans will jump at the chance to honour their contributions, and what better way to do it than with a bright red Wii? R2 499.95

PlayStation Move Move is Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s Wii motion-controller, and it is fantastic technology that lets you interact with your games with your whole body. Yes, you still have a controller in your hand but the Move is so sensitive and easy to use that it will soon feel like an extension of your arms as you realistically play Volleyball, fire arrows, throw Frisbees, fight enemies and much more! Sony may not have brought motion gaming to consoles first, but even though they are late to the party their version is excellent, and is thus highly recommended.

R699.95

Sony Vaio VPC J118 Touchscreen PC If you like the idea of an all-in-one computer but you don’t want an iMac, you’re in luck – this touchscreen PC from Sony runs Windows 7, it’s stylish but compact, and it’s got some pretty decent hardware under the hood. A wireless keyboard and mouse and a built-in wireless networking connection means you won’t be caught up in cables, and the Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of system RAM at its core means you won’t be waiting for Windows. It also has 500GB of storage space for all your media, made all the more accessible by its responsive touchscreen. R15 999.95

Kinectimals This cute family game is all about adopting and raising a pet of your choice, all using Microsoft’s new wireless controller system, Kinect. Scratch your pet behind the ears by physically performing the action and watch your virtual hands do the same! Throw balls, play fetch, hide from your pet and more in this really cute, fun family game. Enjoy high-definition graphics and unprecedented interactions with your virtual characters that are based on your body movements, your face and even your mood!

R399.95

Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote Every lounge that is overrun with remote controls needs a Logitech Harmony One remote. It can take over the control duties of up to 15 different devices so you can throw all those old remotes away and never again trip over them or get upset that they are cluttering up the place. Logitech has an evergrowing library of supported devices, so even if you buy something today that isn’t immediately compatible with the Harmony One, in time it will be. The design is sleek, making the remote comfortable to hold, and buttons are placed within easy reach for ultimate convenience.

R2 499.95

Wii Party Social gamers will love Wii Party – it has over 80 mini-games to be played with and against friends, and while these games generally don’t last long, they are so much fun that you won’t even notice. Balance a floating ship by placing Miis in strategic positions, race horses by simulating riding-crop movements, chop vegetables, outrun a rolling ball on a mine cart, play hide and seek by hiding a Wii remote and much, much more await you!

It’s the perfect game to bring out at braais, giving you and your friends the chance to roar with laughter, get competitive and even work together. Best of all, it comes bundled with a Wii remote!

R599.95

www.connectmag.co.za | 13

buying guide Samsung Galaxy S If you thought at first glance this was an iPhone, you could be forgiven as Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphone does bear a striking resemblance to Apple’s wildly-popular 3rd-gen phone.

It is powered by Android 2.2, features a super-responsive Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen and has awesome touches like an ‘augmented reality’ GPS service that will show you points of interest located in the direction the phone is being pointed.

It’s a little less solidly constructed than the iPhone, but the super-fast performance and massive feature list that includes things like a built-in ereader easily make up for it. It’s a lot less expensive, too! R5 499.95

HTC 7 Mozart Windows Phone 7 is Microsoft’s latest effort at creating an operating system for a mobile phone, and it’s brilliant. HTC’s Mozart is one of the first Windows Phone 7 phones to hit the market, and it’s gorgeous. Its solid aluminium backplate adds weight and style, and its large AMOLED capacitive touchscreen is highly responsive to touch. Windows Phone 7 uses Tiles and multiple Home screens to give access to phone, social networking, Xbox Live integration, multimedia functionality (and more), and the interface is slick and lightning-fast. HTC’s engineering is as excellent as ever, making this one of the best Windows 7 Phone phones available in SA. Price: TBC

Nokia N8 Nokia has pulled out all the stops with the new N8 smartphone. To really wow consumers, they opted for an all-metal backplate, a huge capacitive OLED touchscreen, a thoroughly-impressive 12MP camera and a totally revised operating system, complete with a more userfriendly interface. The end result is a somewhat bulky, but incredibly responsive and media-friendly smartphone that will have Nokia fans feeling vindicated that the company has not, in fact, been left in the dust by the likes of Apple and Samsung. The N8 is a brilliant effort from Nokia, and showcases their extensive design experience and a newfound understanding of real-world customer needs.

R5 499.95

14 | connect | December 2010

Blackberry Torch 9800 The Torch a Blackberry smartphone with a full physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a gorgeous capacitive touchscreen and it runs the brand-new and much-refined Blackberry 6 operating system. It has a very competent web browser, universal search functionality, can handle all the media you’re likely to want to carry with you (music, video, podcasts etc.) and supports a bevy of Home screens for true personalisation. Its handling of social networks, one of Blackberry’s strengths, is as solid as always, and this all comes together seamlessly to make the Blackberry Torch 9800 one of the best Blackberry phones ever released. R6 699.95

Apple iPhone 4 The best has just got better. Sure, there were problems at launch but Apple has sorted those out and the iPhone 4 is, as expected, now the most desirable phone on the planet.

The Retina Display technology Apple has used is worth the price alone – even if you stare incredibly closely at the iPhone 4’s screen, you will not see any jagged edges. It’s incredibly smooth and responsive, even more so than pervious iPhones, and colours are bright making for a beautiful user experience. The ease of use Apple fans have come to expect is here too, as is integration with iTunes and the App Store. Grab one for a gift that is sure to impress!

• 16GB: R7 999.95 • 32GB: R8 499.95

Turn it up!

Turn it up!

With better sound

With better sound

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internet security part III //by deon du plessis

Security ? l l a it d e e n ly l a e r u Do yo What makes for a good security solution? Connect takes a closer look at popular security software features and gives you the skinny on which ones you have to have, and which you can do without.

16 | connect | December 2010

T

oday’s security software comes with so many features that supposedly add to the safety of your computer when it’s online, it can be hard to tell which ones are essential and which ones you can live without. In the last part of our security series, Connect goes through nine necessary security software features to help you choose the package that’s best for you.

1

Program Safety

Being able to compare the programs on your computer to a list of files that are known to be safe is very useful in today’s world. Not only does it speed up scan times as many files are marked as being completely safe in the initial scan (and thus don’t need to be scanned again unless they change), it also ensures that malicious software posing as legit files won’t be accidentally run by an unsuspecting person, resulting in infection.

Importance > Very high Not only does it speed up scan time, but it ensures that all the programs you run won’t damage your computer in any way.

2

Firewall

Having an effective firewall is essential in any security software. Fortunately, every security package from free to paid-for has one, and all of them are more difficult for a hacker to defeat than the basic firewall included with Windows. A firewall is a set of security instructions that protect an individual computer or sections of a network from unauthorised access by restricted programs and users; the word was originally used to describe a method to block a fire from spreading.

Importance > Very high Everyone needs a firewall to control what comes into and goes out of their Internet-connected computer, for the safety of individual PCs as well as that of home and office networks.

3

4

Anti-phishing/Identity Protection

Phishing is the act of soliciting identifying information from a computer user. Deceitful tactics like impersonating a legitimate website are used to harvest personal details entered by unsuspecting people. This information can then be used to impersonate that person for purposes of fraud or outright theft. Phishing is the digital equivalent of having your credit card stolen, and it is thus very important to have the ability to thwart such attacks in any security software.

There is a two-fold approach to protecting consumers from such attacks. The first is through legitimate website detection and monitoring. This watches the addresses of all websites visited, compares them to a list – held centrally by the security software company – to determine whether they are legitimate or not. When websites that are known to contain security risks are visited, users are informed of the risks and advised to steer clear.

The second approach entails encrypting all personal details using security software. This can populate data fields found on websites automatically, but is only done when the site has been verified as legitimate. It means trusting your security software with your information, but doing so is a safe bet if you stick with established brands.

Importance > Very high if you bank or shop online

Antivirus

The ability to prevent damage to a computer by malicious software is central to any security company’s strategy, and is thus one of the most critical components of any security software.

Every security package available today has an antivirus (AV) component, but what varies between them is the overall effectiveness of the AV module. Independent testing website AVComparatives.org performs annual tests on the antivirus software that comes out every year, and rates each package accordingly.

What AV-Comparatives.org tests for is the detection rate (what percentage of harmful software is detected), the number of falsepositives (legitimate files that are detected as threats), and the speed of the on-demand scans offered by each package.

The August 2010 testing revealed that McAfee and BitDefender’s antivirus programs have detection rates above 99%, while AVG, Symantec, Kaspersky and PCTools have detection rates above 98%. These are all excellent scores and will provide users with a high degree of protection.

Importance > Very high

5

Encryption/Secure Storage

If you work with sensitive data or are just a very private person, securing sections of your hard drive that only grant authorised users access can be rather important. This is not a standard feature on security software, though, and you may have to look to dedicated programs for this functionality.

What it does is set up a specified amount of hard drive space that can only be accessed by authorised parties. Identification can be performed using fingerprints (most notebooks sold today come with a fingerprint scanner), a mugshot taken by a webcam (likewise), or a password. The stronger the password, the better – it is highly recommended that passwords for sensitive information be as complicated as possible to decrease the chances of being easily hacked or guessed.

Importance > Not vital for the average user, but essential for private people or anyone who works with sensitive data and anyone who regularly experiences notebook theft.

www.connectmag.co.za | 17

internet security part III

8

Cloud Protection

With an ever-increasing number of daily attacks that malware signatures cannot immediately address, it is vital that your security software has another way of protecting you that goes beyond an antivirus module. Protection from `the cloud’ means being in constant contact via the Internet with your security vendor’s server farm, a massive collection of powerful server computers that constantly monitor all the data sent in by everyone that uses their software. These servers are able to anticipate attacks and provide protection to customers in real-time, so even if a virus or a malware outbreak occurs somewhere, the widespread damage that would be caused without cloud protection does not happen.

Importance > Extremely high As the number of daily attacks increases, it becomes impossible to address threats quickly using antivirus definitions and thus a more immediate, powerful method is needed.

6

Online Backup

Some vendors offer online backup as part of their package. Advantages of this include being able to store important files at a remote location that is secured by enterprise-level (read: extremely professional) protection, giving you access to it from wherever you have Internet connectivity and not tying it to a single physical PC. If more space is needed, more can be had for an annual fee. However, free online storage is available from several companies (Microsoft’s SkyDrive and its 25GB of online storage being a good example).

Importance > Not very important Due to free alternatives, and not a major reason to choose one package over another.

7

Performance

Performance is a big factor. You really don’t want your security software to make your PC slower than an old 286. Happily, many security vendors have poured great effort into making their software faster than ever, without impacting on system performance. Symantec in particular has come a long way, and today leads the pack in terms of overall performance/smallest system impact.

Importance > Very high People shouldn’t have to pay a performance price for proper protection.

18 | connect | December 2010

AV testing site Antivirusware.com rates the overall impact on system performance of popular antivirus software as follows: 1 Norton Antivirus 2010 2 Kaspersky Antivirus 2010 3 BitDefender Antivirus 2010 4 McAfee VirusScan Plus 2010 5 AVG Antivirus 9.0 (New AV software released in late 2010 will be tested in the coming months, so be sure to check back for updated results.)

9

Parental Controls

If you’re a parent, being able to monitor your kids’ activities on the PC can be pretty important. This is what Parental Controls offer, and more. They allow you to determine how often your kids can use the computer, restrict the types of websites they can visit and programs they can launch such as Instant Messaging Clients, and prevent them from fiddling with important system files.

If you’re at all worried about what your kids get up to when you’re not around, Parental Controls can even tell you what the kids have done on the computer. It’s a bit Big Brother, but a valid response for parents concerned about their kids’ online safety.

Instant Messaging monitoring is also possible, and you can either bar access entirely or choose to be warned when certain phrases appear. This helps reduce the chances of your kids falling victim to online predators. It’s not a perfect science, of course, but it can prove to be an effective preventative measure.

Importance > High if you have kids and are concerned about their online activities; not at all if you don’t share your computer with anyone.

online media storage //by Tiana Cline

simply

storage Looking online for bigger and better storage options

No more memory to keep your photos? Is that e-mail attachment too big to send?

Online media storage may be the simple solution to those extra memory needs.

20 | connect | December 2010

A

desk cluttered by blank DVDs, USB sticks and bulky external hard drives can lead to all sorts of technology dilemmas.

From scratched discs to lost USBs and the possibility that your hard drive may crash, leaving all data unrecoverable (worst-case scenario), storing your media when the space on your computer runs out can be tricky. And what if those files you need to attach to an e-mail are just too big to send? The answer is easy: online media storage.

Convenient and cheap, what storing your media on the Internet really means is that you’ll have access to your files wherever there is an Internet connection.

Think of YouTube and FlickR, websites where people across the world upload, store and share their video and photographic content.

Upload, Store, Share There are many online options for media storage, mostly in the form of free Internet websites that only require you to register an account. This is for security reasons so you can choose what you want to share and with whom. It also stops others from accessing your files.

Many of the online media storage options also allow you to organise your files with personalised folders (or galleries) and others even allow you to directly edit files without having to download it to your computer’s hard drive first.

With storage getting cheaper and bandwidth better, there are hundreds of places to put your data. It’s important to know that most databases use complex security measures to make sure information is safe and protected.

Six Space Solutions 1 MediaFire This powerful business site is also ideal for someone at home who needs an easy way to host and share any files, including documents, presentations, videos and images. Every month, more than 88 million people use MediaFire to send and receive over 474 million files.

Need to know > Unlimited uploads, downloads and storage. No sign-up is required and there are no speed limits.

Website > http://www.mediafire.com

2 DropBox DropBox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically. You can share files in only a few clicks. A copy of your files are stored on DropBox’s secure servers. This lets you access them from any computer or mobile device. A nice touch is the free application for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android, which lets you access and manage your DropBox on the go.

Need to know > DropBox is free for Windows, Mac, Linux and your mobile phone. There’s 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.

Website > http://www.dropbox.com 3 Windows Live SkyDrive

The only downside to storing your data online is the time it takes to upload or download a file. The worse the bandwidth, the longer it will take.

Other than that, using the cloud is a clever way to store what you need, access it when you want it, and share it when you want to.

Store, access and share thousands of documents, photos and Microsoft Office files using Windows Live SkyDrive.

SkyDrive passwordprotects files so you control who has access to them; it also makes sharing easy. With permissions that you control, you get to decide who has access to your documents, photos and Office files. Share with individuals, groups and networks you belong to, or, if you’d prefer, with no one at all.

Need to know > 25GB of free online storage, SkyDrive works with Microsoft Office for both the Mac and PC platforms.

Website > http://skydrive.live.com

4 Apple MobileMe iDisk With MobileMe iDisk, it’s easy to store, access and share files online. There’s plenty of storage space – even large files are no problem. Just add the files you need to your iDisk, and whatever you upload will be there for you to download using a web browser on any computer or using the iDisk app for iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

Need to know > Sign up for a free trial or pay for an individual subscription that comes with 20GB of combined e-mail and file storage, 200GB of monthly data transfer.

Website > http://www.me.com 5 Ubuntu One Ubuntu One is your personal cloud. But it’s not just about syncing files – whether you need to access your contacts, notes or bookmarks from any computer or the web, enjoy your favourite music from a cloudintegrated store or stream your entire collection to iPhone and Android mobile phones – Ubuntu One has raised the bar on personal clouds.

Need to know > Ubuntu One is free to join – the basic plan includes 2GB of storage. If you buy music from the Ubuntu One Music Store, it’s delivered directly to your personal cloud.

Website > https://one.ubuntu.com 6 CloudApp CloudApp allows you to share images, links, music, videos and files. Here is how it works: choose a file, drag it to the menubar and let it take care of the rest. CloudApp provides you with a short link automatically copied to your clipboard that you can use to share an upload with co-workers and friends.

Need to know > For Apple users only, CloudApp is a simple, useful and cute copy-paste application that puts a small black cloud onto your menu bar.

Website > http://www.getcloudapp.com

www.connectmag.co.za | 21

cellphone accessories //by tamaryn Watkins

e t a m i t The Ul

mobile

makeover

All the latest gadgets and gizmos to maximise your mobile phone.

22 | connect | December 2010

N

o matter if you have a BlackBerry or an iPhone, a Nokia or an HTC, there’s a wide variety of headphones, docking stations, protective cases and so much more out there, all designed to make your mobile experience more colourful, more entertaining and more practical.

This month we look at all the extra accessories.

FOR THE MOBILE AUDIOPHILE Let’s face it – the standard earphones that come with cellphones these days are boring and the sound quality is not great, but you use them anyway because you need them and you’ve never actually seen anything else worth buying.

Earphone Advice: If you’re looking to use a headset at work, look for earphones that feature noise-cancelling technology as this will make it easier to immerse yourself in the task at hand without being bothered by environmental noise.

There are excellent in-ear ‘phones that will block out everything but your breathing while delivering excellent sound quality. These are best for portability and comfort, but if you’re after ultimate sound quality and amazing noise-cancelling capabilities, there is no beating over-the-ear ‘phones.

TIP: If the headphones come with a 3.5mm audio jack, you can plug them into just about any audio device. Look out for those that come with a travel bag, if you want to keep your audio purchase from getting damaged or broken in transit.

Personal Audio Enhancers: Finding the perfect earphones or headphones for your needs > SkullCandy Full Metal Jacket: There’s nothing neutral about audio presentation here and the emphasis is on deep, thumping bass that makes for fun listening. This headset does double-duty as a mobile phone headset for hands-free calls. Skip and pause tracks, answer and end calls, all using this headset. > Skullcandy HESH headphones: These headphones come with a travel bag and because of the 3.5mm audio jack, you can plug them into just about anything – a PSP, iPod, cellphone, MP3 player or laptop and the in-line volume controls add a layer of convenience. > HeartBeats by Lady Gaga: These in-ear ‘phones are designed to deliver music the way the artist intended you to hear it, with amazing clarity, deep bass and powerful range complete with all kinds of detail you missed before. These are also smartly tangle-free. > Monster Beats Studio

by Dr Dre: A hardcore, studioquality set of over-the-head cans with a closed-air circumaural design to deliver comfort and block out external noise. They’re also capable of doubling as a headset for your mobile device, whilst allowing you to control music too.

MOBILE PROTECTION Even when a phone is well built, it is bound to take a few knocks, so giving the casing some protection is advisable. Fortunately, you’ll find plenty of choice when it comes to phone covers! Simple or psychedelic, supple or rigid, transparent or opaque… there’s something for everyone.

Got you Covered: A cellphone case can cover all or most of your phone, depending on the design. They are generally made from plastic or silicone. A cellphone pouch, on the other hand, is simply a bag for your phone and these are usually made of leather, nylon and plastic, allowing a cell phone to be placed inside and taken out when needed. In terms of protection, a cell phone case/ skin is preferable as a pouch does not always cover the phone in its entirety, and when taken out of the pouch, the phone is completely without protection.

A pouch is a good idea for a phone that spends a lot of time in a handbag or briefcase while a case/skin is a good idea if that phone has a habit of getting dropped often, as it provides the most protection.

TIP: It’s all about screen protection. Regardless of whether you buy a case or a pouch, there’s no point in protecting the body of the phone and not the face. Most skins come with a clear screen protector sticker, but these can be difficult to put on and don’t last forever .

www.connectmag.co.za | 23

cellphone accessories ON THE ROAD Yes, you can get a fine for holding your cellphone (never mind talking on it) while driving. But no longer does having a hands-free kit in your car involve an installation by a rocket scientist – today it’s all about clip-on-and-forget kits. And because sometimes we prefer to listen, rather than talk, while in the car, there are also many mobile accessories that have been designed to turn your car into your personal concert hall.

SHARE YOUR MOBILE MUSIC Docking stations and speaker stands make it easy to plug in and share your music with others.

Choosing a Docking Station: If you’re looking for portable speaker solutions, look for something that’s either rechargeable or makes use of batteries. For the most convenience, a solution that offers both is obviously ideal. They are so handy and powerful these days that a stationary docking station can easily become a permanent fixture in your living room.

Size and location is also an important thing to consider, as is the ability to use the speakers/ docking station with other devices. Look for other bells and whistles like built-in FM tuners, alarm clocks, and CD players.

TIP: The audio solution you choose for your mobile phone will obviously depend on the device you have - some are made exclusively with iPods and iPhones in mind but most will work with any music phone that uses a 3.5mm audio jack. Whether you have an iPhone, Nokia or any other music phone, a docking station will turn your phone into the heart of a compact and portable entertainment system.

Take the hassle out of handsfree: If your mobile phone has a speakerphone functionality, you might want to simply look at getting a docking station so that you don’t actually have to hold your phone to operate it. Bluetooth earpieces are comfortable, easy-to-use gadgets that are useful both in and out the car. There are also speakerphones that mount to your sun visor, that work using Bluetooth as well.

TIP: The most important feature of a hands-free kit for your car is Bluetooth, as this allows you to use any Bluetooth-capable phone with it. If you spend a lot of time on the road, and are always using your phone, a kit that has a charging cable that plugs into the cigarette lighter is highly recommended, or failing that, one that is solar-powered.

Pimp your Ride: > Griffin AutoPilot: Control your iPod or iPhone directly using this tactile-feedback device that outputs all audio directly to your car’s sound system using an auxiliary cable. Auxiliary input port required, of course.

Surround Yourself with Sound: > Logitech Wireless Z515 wireless speakers: This wireless rechargeable speaker gives you 10 hours of rich, untethered, full-stereo sound and lets you stream music from your notebook, iPad or iPhone wirelessly. A 3.5mm audio jack means that you can plug in any other music device in, too. Also comes with a travel bag. > Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus Docking Station: If you’re looking for a take-everywhere sound solution for your music phone, but you’re not willing to compromise on sound quality, then this is what you’ve been looking for. This excellent omnidirectional station delivers up to ten hours of rich and full music playback, no matter where you are in the room. > Philips DC570 Digital Player Speaker Tower: a 2.1 system with a built-in subwoofer, boasting 100W of output power and support for a variety of music file formats and inputs – including 3.5mm audio and USB. That makes this a flexible, variable audio solution for rocking out with your music phone, PlayStation, Xbox, notebook or television providing the audio.

24 | connect | December 2010

> Griffin iTrip: Plug the iTrip into your car’s cigarette lighter and plug your iPhone/iPod into it. Hit the SmartScan button and then tune your car radio into the frequency displayed on the iTrip screen, press play, and voila – you can play your phone/iPod’s sound through your car speakers. > Exspect iPhone In-Car Holder: Avoid traffic fines by mounting your iPhone in your car using this handy dock and using your phone’s speakerphone for calls.

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blogging for beginners //by tamaryn Watkins

. . . o t w Ho

start a

Are you one of those people who’ve heard about this blogging thing, but aren’t sure you need it, or, if you do, don’t know how to go about setting one up? Read on, as Connect gives you the breakdown of blogging and answers all your questions. Right from “what is a blog?” to “where do I sign up?”, we have the basics of blogging covered.

26 | connect | December 2010

What is a blog?

The word stands for `web log’ and they’re effectively online diaries, collaborative spaces, political soapboxes, breakingnews outlets, and recipe books. Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them out there, in all shapes, languages and sizes. Simply put, a blog is a website, and you use it to write stuff on a regular (or not so regular) basis. The latest content shows up at the top so visitors can see what’s new. Anyone can set one up, that’s the easy part – it’s thinking of something interesting to post each time you blog that’s the tricky bit.

What kind of blog should I start?

That’s entirely up to you. But a good place to start is to decide what kind of blog you’d be interested in reading.

Here’s a list of the top 10 most popular blog types: Personal: A personal blog covers all aspects of your life – from work, to friends and parenting, relationships and life experiences. If you’re blogging about your own life, your blog will fit into the `personal blog’ category. It’s a good way to keep friends and family scattered all over the world informed on what’s happening in your life, without having to e-mail them individually.

Business: Blogging about your business or the services you provide could be an interesting way to attract new visitors to and raise awareness about your brand or product.

Travel: Blogs about jet-setting around the world, backpacking through the jungles and snapshots from your African safaris are perfect

for those people who earn their frequent flyer miles with busy travel itineraries. Blogging about your travels is a good way to keep a record of your memories and share photographs and experiences.

Lifestyle: Fancy yourself a bit of a restaurant critic? Or a fashion guru? Want to share your delicious recipes with others? Writing and commenting on lifestyle-related topics could open your eyes to a whole new blogging world.

Entertainment: Do you attend the theatre often? Love going to the cinema? Always looking out for a new band to watch, museum display to check out or art exhibition to wander around? You might want to document these experiences on your blog.

Politics or news: A blog is an excellent place to voice your political opinion, or to make your views on the latest news known.

Photo/video: Photo journals are perfect for documenting photographic experiences or tracking your progress on getting yourself acquainted with a new camera or video camera.

They’re also great ways to get feedback on your work and suggestions from other photographers.

Technology: If you love gadgets and are constantly downloading new apps and trying out new technology, chances are you’ll find a blog to be a useful place to share your news and reviews.

Cars: If you’re a petrol-head, you might want to share your fascination with all things fast and shiny with like-minded people, on your blog.

Life, the universe, and everything: As you’ve no doubt gathered by now, you can write about anything and everything on a blog. There are no hard and fast rules, so make it your own.

Where should I start a blog?

There are many free blogging platforms out there, but the two main blogging service providers are WordPress and Blogger. Which one you choose to go with is as personal a choice as deciding on your blog subject matter. Both will give you a free blog site with its own address http://www.yourblog.blogplatform.com.

This is the address you’ll give to friends who might want to read your blog.

Wordpress > http://wordpress.com Blogger > http://blogger.com It’s as simple as heading over to each address and following the instructions to create a new account and start your blog.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll be taken to the page where you’ll enter your blog content, and upload photos or videos.

You’ll have the option of allowing people to comment or not.

Then all you have to do is write your post, click the “publish button” and your work will be live. It really couldn’t be easier.

www.connectmag.co.za | 27

blogging for beginners Wordpress or Blogger?

In the blogging platform showdown, we look at features and functionality of Wordpress versus Blogger: > Changing the look and personalising your blog: Blogger: Easy-to-customise templates to choose from.

Wordpress: Choose from standard templates that are customisable to various degrees. > Importing content from existing blogs: Blogger: Only from other Blogger blogs.

Wordpress: Import from Blogger, Yahoo! 360, Type-Pad, MovabIe-Type, Blogli, Israblog, Posterous, Vox.com, Live-JournaI or another WordPress blog. > Image storage: Blogger: 1 Gigabyte Wordpress: 3 Gigabytes

Mobile blogging: there’s even an app for that!

Tumblr for iPhone (http://tumblr.com/docs/ apps): Update your Tumblr blog with this easy-to-use iPhone app.

BlogPress Lite: Contains many of the great Blogger features you have come to know into a simple yet powerful mobile application for blogging from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Wordpress for BlackBerry (http://blackberry. wordpress.org/ download/): Install the Wordpress app to your BlackBerry smartphone and be able to create new posts and add photos taken on your BlackBerry, while you’re on the move.

But wait, there’s more If you’re looking to join a community, you might want to check out Tumblr.com. Here, you can post photos, quotes, videos, songs or text and find like-minded people to follow, and have them follow you back.

Posterous.com is perfect if you’re looking for a fuss-free blogging platform that will allow you to post from anywhere, to anywhere. You can set it up so that you can blog via e-mail from a mobile phone (you’ll be able to send an e-mail to post@posterous.com and have the subject line be the post title, and the e-mail body the content). You can also set it up so that when you blog, the blog post is cross-published to Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or a variety of other options.

How do I get more readers?

Tell your friends and family. Share your blog posts on Twitter and Facebook. Find blogs that are similar to yours and start commenting. The more you comment on other people’s blogs, the more likely they are to read yours and keep coming back, if your content is interesting. You could also register your blog with a blog aggregator – these are services that gather content off blogs and put them into a directory for other people to browse and discover.

Afrigator.com: Register here, if you’re an African blogger. See all your blog traffic (that’s how many hits your blog gets) and other blogs that link back to your content. Find new blogs to read and get noticed by other African bloggers.

MyScoop.co.za: Register your blog with myscoop.co.za and see blog posts aggregated by category and popularity.

28 | connect | December 2010

> Being selective about whom you share your blog with: Blogger: You can set it so that only invited users with a Google account can read your blog.

Wordpress: You can invite up to 35 Wordpress users to read your blog, or password-protect each individual post. > Adding more functionality to your blog, with widgets and plugins: Blogger: Has a wide range of ready-made widgets to choose from – create polls, news feeds, photo boxes, lists from Blogger’s list of widgets. Any third-party widgets can be added easily too.

Wordpress: Widgets are more temperamental and slightly more challenging to install. Only recommended for the adventurous, as there are millions of possible plugins and widgets available for Wordpress. > Check your vitals: Blogger: Lets you check your stats and find out which of your posts were the most popular.

Wordpress: More extensive stats and you’re even able to see what search terms lead people to your blog. > Group blogging: Blogger: Content creators are separated into Administrators and Non-Administrators and in order to give someone publishing rights, you have to make them an Administrator.

Wordpress: Has different levels of content authors. You can let people upload or edit content, or you can let them publish content – obviously a smarter option for a group blog. > Commenting: Blogger: Visual confirmation, spam-filtering and moderation options, but no editing of comments.

Wordpress: Moderation, comment editing and Akismet spam protection.

A Blogger blog is a good place to start if you’re uncertain of the whole blogging experience, and you’d like your hand held throughout the process. If you’re familiar with the concept of blogging, or you’d like a bit more of a challenge, we’d recommend Wordpress.

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product reviews // by Deon Du PLessis

Happy holidays!

W H

W H

REVIEWS

W

elcome to the best time of year, everyone! It’s time to finish off those lastminute assignments and then kick back and relax for a week or so, eating and drinking and being merry (but not at the same time and definitely not while driving!). I wish all our readers a fun, rewarding and safe holiday seasaon, and my heartfelt thanks for all your support.

On the reviews side this month we were most impressed by the Sony Vaio bundle you’ll see on page 36 – Sony has put together a cracker of a deal that is sure to tempt many technology lovers.

On page 38, the MacBook Air notebook will wow even Apple’s most enthusiastic fans with its sleek looks, ultra-thin build and amazing battery life. If you’re looking for a very impressive Christmas gift, you know where to go!

Merry Christmas to all and happy 2011!

Cheers.

Deon

While we make every effort to ensure pricing is accurate before we go to print, sometimes through circumstances we have no control over, the prices in Connect may differ from those you’ll see on store shelves. In all cases, shelf pricing takes precedence.

30 | connect | December 2010

32 33 34 36 38 40 41 42 44 46 47 48 50 52 53 54 55 56 58 59 60 61 62 63

Cybook Bookeen Orizon eReader LG 47LX9500 3D LCD TV Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse Sony Vaio Bundle Apple MacBook Air HP G62-A11 Notebook Acer Aspire One Happy Netbook Kodak PlaySport Camcorder Kodak EasyShare C183 Compact Camera Navigon N70 Premium Live GPS Garmin nuvi 1300T GPS HP PhotoSmart Plus Nokia N8 Smartphone Sennheiser/Adidas MX 680 Sports Earphones Philips DCM278 Entertainment System Apple Magic Trackpad Logitech M305 Mouse MacFonts 2 Office 2011 For Mac iLife ’11 Software BitDefender Total Security 2011 Norton Internet Security 2011 for Mac 4POS Point of Sale Software Books

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If reading isn’t your cup of tea, you might want to consider a hand-held gaming device to keep you entertained. The DS Lite gives up to 19 hours of play on a single recharge, and with wireless connectivity, you can join your friends’ games too.

Bookeen Cybook Orizon eReader NEED TO KNOW

iRiver Story eReader

This ebook reader makes up for its lack of a touchscreen interface with support for a wide range of ebook file formats, MP3 playback and expandable storage courtesy of a memory card slot.

Sansui MP4 player

This perfectly affordable media player lets you create playlists of music, photos and videos. So take your media wherever you go – to the gym, out for a run, to the office, or even lying on the couch for some relaxation.

• 6” ePaper display • Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity • Touchscreen interaction • 10 000 page-flip battery life R2 999.95

There’s no shortage of choice when it comes to buying an electronic reading device. You’re given yet another product to add to your list of potential purchases with Bookeen’s latest offering: the multi-touch Cybook Orizon eReader. It uses a new kind of e-ink in conjunction with what they’re calling `Caress touch e-Paper’, which works with a motion sensor to provide a slick multi-touch reading experience. So now when people say, `But you can’t feel and touch the actual book’, you can tell them that they actually can touch the book, just not in the way they’re used to.

The Orizon makes use of new e-paper technology that is capable of around 16 levels of greyscale (essentially varying degrees of black and white) and has a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. We’ve yet to see touch technology in an eReader that works without compromising the screen’s readability. With the Orizon, however, it’s not a concern. Even beneath a blazing summer sun, the Orizon’s screen is perfectly visible.

And the touch. Oh the touch of the Orizon is something worth experiencing. You can make notes, highlight passages to remember key points, or adjust the font size simply by moving your fingers, thanks to the beauty that is the screen’s multi-touch capability. The technology that powers it? That would be the `Caress touch e-Paper’ mentioned earlier.

As for portability, this little beast is no thicker than a magazine,

32 | connect | December 2010

so it will fit in perfectly next to your netbook or files in a briefcase or backpack. Although, chances are that once you’ve discovered that the Orizon includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and that it’s equipped with an unrestricted web browser capable of downloading content that’s readable on your device, you might just leave the netbook at home.

Internal storage of 2GB gives you sufficient room to store between 500 and 1 000 e-books and there’s microSD expansion, of course, in case you run out of space.

The final vital piece of information you need to know before buying any eReader is the e-book formats that it’s capable of reading. The Orizon can read Adobe ePUB/PDF (with or without DRM), TXT and HTML files; photo formats (16 level greyscale); JPEG, GIF and PNG, so it’s perfectly capable in that regard. Add to this a three-week battery life, or approximately 10 000 page turns, and you’ve got yourself a winner for sure.

Happy reading!

Pros

Cons

• Comes pre-loaded with 150 titles to get you started • Unlimited browser capability with Wi-Fi connectivity • Books are downloadable directly to the device without needing to sync • Works with Mac and PC

• A bit expensive for some wallets

Overall rating

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LG Infinia Borderless 47LX9500 3D LCD TV NEED TO KNOW • Incredibly thin LCD TV • Gorgeous 47” LED-backlit screen • Capable of displaying compatible movies in 3D R42 999.95

Screen technology has moved ahead at a brisk pace in the past few years. We’ve moved from the bulky old CRT monitors to sleek new LCD ones, and beyond even those into thinner LCD screens that are lit from behind by power-efficient LED technology. Screens have evolved from a squarish design into the widescreen beauties on sale today, affecting everything from desktop monitors to TV screens.

It’s the end of 2010 and 3D screens are finally hitting the market in a big way, thanks to Hollywood’s use of the technology in many of its latest blockbusters. Getting it into homes is the next step, and this is being helped by vendors like LG, who are making high-quality, ultra-sleek TV screens that are facilitating the move to 3D. The 47LX9500 is one such screen, and it’s a beauty.

Never underestimate the power of a 47” full-HD screen to make you really, really want a new TV. Add in the fact that it’s LED-backlit, making the colours it displays that much more intense than LCD, and it may be hard to resist the urge to reach for your credit card. At R43k, though, it’s not cheap.

The Infinia’s borderless design is simply spectacular. The basic idea is to use as much of the TV’s face to display an image, and it works beautifully.

The border around the screen is so thin it’s hardly noticeable, and it also somehow manages to make the screen appear even bigger than its 47” would suggest. Since 47” is pretty generous to start with, this is a nice touch.

The one feature you’d arguably buy this TV for is its 3D capability, and we’re pleased to say that 3D looks incredible on the 47LX9500, with all the depth you’ll experience at the cinema. You’ll need a 3D-capable Blu-ray player (a PlayStation 3 works just fine) and 3D movies, of course, as well as LG’s powered 3D glasses. Be sure to charge them before use, as they do not work without power. While the 3D home experience is never going to beat that of a 3D cinema, the one on offer here is still pretty darn good. Just don’t forget to purchase enough glasses for the whole family.

The screen can accommodate up to three HDMI inputs, a single device that uses a Component cable (such as a standard DSTV decoder), and it

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outputs sound through either a 3.5mm jack or an optical audio-out port.

Older systems that use RCA cables for sound input are not supported but, presumably, if you can afford a screen of this calibre, you’re not using an old hi-fi system for your entertainment centre’s audio. Thankfully, the screen has built-in speakers if you have no other sound options, but these are not ideal and a third-party sound solution is highly recommended.

The stand is another area that LG could improve upon. Setting up the screen is not intuitive, as the base fits onto the screen in a way that is not immediately apparent. While the whole thing is completely stable once the stand is connected, without the instructions, putting everything together may prove to be a bit of a challenge.

Overall, though, this is an incredible screen. It’s very big, the image quality is excellent and its 3D capabilities make it a future-proof investment. Now if only it didn’t cost the same as a small second-hand car…

NOTEWORTHY SPECS

Move Starter Kit Controlling games with movement is what the Move is all about, and it’s even more awesome when done in front of a massive TV.

• Technology: LED-LCD • LCD backlight technology: LED-backlit LCD • 3D technology: Yes • Resolution: 1920 x 1080 • Display format: 1080p • Refresh rate: 480Hz • Aspect ratio: 16:9 • Pixel response time: 5ms • Sound output mode: Stereo • Total output power: 24 Watt • Audio controls: Balance, Bass, Treble Pros

Cons

• Superb viewing experience in both 2D and 3D • Borderless design is undeniably classy • LED-backlighting makes for a thin, attractive design

• Built-in speakers are not the greatest • Mounting the stand to the screen is not an intuitive process • The price may put mere mortals off

Overall rating

Sony PlayStation 3 The PS3 supports 3D Blu-ray playback courtesy of a free update, making it an excellent companion for any large 3D screen.

Xbox 360 Slim Console Microsoft has a solid library of Xbox-exclusive games that will look just as good on this screen as anything Sony can put out.

www.connectmag.co.za | 33

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Logitech Performance Mouse MX

This premium mouse from Logitech features Darkfield technology, which lets you use it on just about any surface. It also looks very sleek and hi-tech; it just doesn’t fold flat.

Microsoft Arc Keyboard

If you really want to show off, try combining the excellent Arc Touch mouse with Microsoft’s equally arcobsessed keyboard.

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Sony Vaio VPC-F117 Notebook Complement this notebook’s good looks with an Arc Touch mouse. It’s a combo that is sure to get people’s attention.

Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse NEED TO KNOW • Wireless mouse that folds flat • Touch-sensitive scroll pad, no wheel • Comes with an ultra-compact USB receiver R899.95

Microsoft’s new Arc Touch mouse improves on its predecessor in every way. While it still retains the original arched design, this year’s model does four things the original Arc mouse didn’t: it folds completely flat for easy storage rather than just ‘in half’, it uses Microsoft’s cutting-edge BlueTrack technology so it can be used on just about any surface, and it has a tiny USB receiver that won’t stick very far out of a USB port.

The fourth difference is the touch-sensitive pad used for scrolling through web pages and documents instead of the more traditional scroll wheel. It’s not just a flat piece of plastic, either – the scroll pad also provides force feedback to let you know that you’re scrolling. This feature can, of course, be turned off using Microsoft’s included software, but it’s a nice touch and one that is sure to be appreciated by people who don’t like devices that provide no confirmation of touch-based input.

The scroll pad does not just scroll by a pre-set number of lines each time it’s flicked; it’s also sensitive to how quickly it’s flicked. A fast flick results in pages scrolling by at speed; a slow one gives a much more reserved result. It’s nice to see Microsoft including such a subtle feature.

In a further nod to user-friendliness, Microsoft has heeded criticisms of the original Arc mouse by removing all side buttons. Now, what you get is a right- and left-click button, the touch pad and a third programmable button that takes the place of the clickable button found beneath the scroll wheel of other Microsoft mice. For those not interested in anything but the basics, this is a good thing, but anyone who likes side-mounted buttons for their Forward and Back functions will surely miss them. Whether this is good or bad depends entirely on what kind of mouse user you are.

The mouse’s primary feature, its `arc’, is what makes it comfortable to hold. While it’s not the biggest mouse ever, it should fit the average hand with no problem. It takes a bit of getting used to, though, especially

34 | connect | December 2010

if you’re used to a more hefty mouse. The arc will probably make you very aware of the air flowing beneath your hand, where the body of a more traditional mouse usually is. This is no problem, though, but it may discourage people from adopting the Arc Touch mouse as their primary input device.

This mouse is extremely well-suited to travel. The fact that it folds completely flat makes it simple to slide into a notebook bag. Its tiny USB receiver is good for notebooks as it won’t need to be removed before packing up the notebook. It uses two AAA batteries, which should last a good few months before needing replacement. The fact that it switches off when folded flat means that with careful use, this time can be extended even further.

Performance-wise, this is an excellent mouse. There is no lag as a result of being wireless, and motion is smooth thanks to its high resolution. This makes it good for casual gaming and great for daily use. We’re happy to recommend it to anyone looking for a mouse that’s out of the ordinary.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Format: Wireless USB • Tracking technology: Microsoft BlueTrack • Scroll wheel: Yes, touch-sensitive • USB receiver: Yes, nano-sized • Wireless technology: 2.4GHz

Pros

Cons

• Convertible design is well-executed • BlueTrack technology allows tracking on most surfaces • Nano receiver is very convenient

• Some may lament the absence of side buttons • Takes a bit of time to get used to the design’s feel • A rechargeable option would have been nice

Overall rating

Copyright © 2010 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec Logo, Norton and the Norton Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Sony VPC-EB37 + Compact Camera + Blu-ray Movie Bundle

If your needs are slightly more reserved, Sony has another bundle on offer that includes its rock-solid VPCEB37 notebook, a Cybershot DSC-W350 camera and a single Blu-ray movie.

Sony Vaio VPCW216AG Netbook

Netbooks offer a great compromise between computing and mobility. This one from Sony is one of the better ones available. Best of all, it won’t cost an arm and a leg.

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Sid Meier’s Civilization V Prepare to lose sleep in your bid to guide humanity from caves to space and beyond in Sid Meier’s epic new strategy title.

Sony Vaio VPC-F137 bundle NEED TO KNOW • Includes a 16.4” notebook, two Blu-ray movies and an HD video camera • Hardware so powerful, it will even impress hardcore gamers • Also comes with two Adobe photo-editing software packages R22 999.95

Nobody seems to know the adage that ‘Christmas is the time for giving’ as well as Sony. One look at this package will confirm that, and while the price is over R20k, if you think about it for a second, you’ll realise just how generous it is. Not only do you get a branded 16.4” notebook from a company renowned for its commitment to quality, but it has so much power under the hood that it justifies the price on its own.

Throw in a video camera capable of recording at full-HD resolutions, two software packages from Adobe that cost a few thousand rand on their own AND two Blu-ray movies and it’s plain to see that the asking price is more than reasonable. In fact, it’s a steal.

Any computer running a Core i7 processor from Intel is immediately worthy of your attention. The mobile version that powers the VPC-F137 notebook is the third-fastest CPU available for notebooks today. That, coupled with 8GB of DDR3 RAM, makes this notebook impressively fast.

Our experiences with Sony notebooks and Windows 7 64-bit have always been superb, but this particular configuration takes excellence to a whole new level: the notebook chews through even the most intensive tasks with ease and horsepower to spare.

No powerhouse notebook would be complete without a largeLEDbacklit full-HD screen or a Blu-ray drive, both of which this one has. You can now watch HD movies in all their glory wherever you happen to be, and if you need to, you can use the drive to burn data to DVDs as it is fully writeable. Sony’s screens have always been the best after Apple’s, but this one is so good, it might even rival the best that Apple has to offer. This makes using the notebook and watching movies on it very cool indeed thanks to the bright, vibrant colours the screen displays with its 16.4 inches.

Playing games is just as cool thanks to Sony’s choice of nVidia’s excellent GeForce GT 450M mobile graphics processor. This card is so fast, it makes the average desktop 3D accelerator look old and stodgy in comparison, to the point that it will even satisfy hardcore gamers with a thing for eye candy.

36 | connect | December 2010

It’s also packed with Sony’s usual array of value-add software, including WinDVD, Sony’s hardware diagnostics and Sony Care applications. These can be safely and easily uninstalled if you don’t need them, but it’s nice that they are included.

Just in case you missed our wholehearted endorsement, the notebook in this bundle is well worth the cash – it’s fast, it’s gorgeous and it’s crammed to the gills with extras. Add in the fact that it also boasts Sony’s usual stylish looks and a comfortable Chiclet-style keyboard, and you have a notebook that any hardware enthusiast would be proud to own.

A full-HD video camera – Sony’s HDR CX-110 Handycam – along with video- and photo-editing software from Adobe (a company with a welldeserved reputation for excellence) and two Blu-ray movies round out this utterly brilliant bundle. If you’ve been waiting for the year-end deals before buying a notebook, wait no longer – this is it.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Operating system: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit • Processor: Intel Core i7 740QM @1.73GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.93HGz • RAM: 8GB DDR3 • Storage: 750GB • Display: 16.4” Full HD (1920 x 1080) LED-backlit • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT425 1GB • Optical: Blu-ray with DVD SuperMulti Reader/Writer • Photo Software: Adobe Lightroom 3, Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 • Extras: Sony Handycam HDR-CX110, 2x Blu-ray movies

Pros

Cons

• Astoundingly good notebook performance • Demanding games and Blu-ray movies run beautifully • Tons of extras AND a full-HD video camera • Did you see the price?

• Stocks will probably dry up within seconds of the bundle hitting shelves

Overall rating

FAST, POWERFUL PROTECTION AGAINST VIRUSES AND SPYWARE. PROTECTION AGAINST IDENTITY THEFT AND CYBERCRIMINALS.

Free security software won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Just maybe your identity.

Allow

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Every click matters.

Fast and light protection from PC security threats.

Copyright © 2010 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec Logo, Norton and the Norton Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Apple Macbook Pro:

Designed for a little more ‘heavy-lifting’ the Macbook Air’s larger cousins have Core i5 and Core i7 processors that are quick and power conscious.

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Built Neoprene Bags: You’ve got a precious little machine like this, so it’s only right you protect it with some quality luggage. Available in a host of designs, colours and sizes, Built bags are some of the best.

Crumpler Slip: Keep dust and scratches off of your keyboard and screen with this pure silk marvel.

Doubles as a cleaning cloth and portable mousepad.

Apple Macbook Air Need to know • Choice of 11” and 13” models • Lightest, thinnest mobile macs ever • Full size keyboard and trackpad • 64GB to 256GB of SSD storage 11” – From R8 999.95 13” – From R12 999.95

At the keynote address he delivered at the beginning of the year to announce the arrival of iPad, Apple boss Steve Jobs slated technology vendors for the invention of the class of diminutive mobile computers referred to as netbooks.

At the time, he said that netbooks are nothing more than inferior notebooks because of their hampered processing power, smaller storage capacity and in many cases, limited battery life.

With the release of the new generation of Macbook Air, you’d be forgiven for assuming that Jobs has reconsidered his criticisms and done exactly what he said Apple would never do i.e. release a netbook.

But, the reality is that the new machines in the Macbook Air range have so much more to offer than an average netbook.

And enrobed in that amazing aura Apple seems to finish each of its products off with, it’s sure to become a game-changer.

Available in 11” and 13” derivatives, Apple’s signature industrial design has been applied to the two new Airs. That means they look great, feel great in-hand and are impossibly thin – 0.3cm at the front and 1.7cm at their back hinge.

Both units have a full-size keyboard and trackpad, as well as a crisp and bright LED backlit screen, two USB ports and an audio-out. The 13” also gains an SD-Card reader, which is a useful addition considering neither machines have a built-in optical drive.

So far they sound like netbooks, right?

Well, one look at their performance-influencing internals and its clear that top-notch technology has been used to make these machines fast, powerconscious and capable of handling most of what users can throw at them.

On the processing front, the 11” gets a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and the 13” gets a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo, both backed by 2GB of RAM. That means both machines are pretty well-equipped for running software such as Microsoft’s Office 2011, Apple’s iWork and iLife suite and to some degree, more demanding applications like Adobe’s Photoshop.

Storage is taken care of by a choice of 64GB or 128GB of Solid State Storage (SSD) on the 11” model, and 128GB or 256GB of SSD on the 13”.

38 | connect | December 2010

The benefits of SSD over conventional magnetic disk are noticeable on both the performance and power consumption fronts.

The SSDs inside these machines are about double the speed of the highest performing notebook drives out there (Seagate’s new Momentus XT) and even better on random reads and writes.

This translates into applications that boot impossibly quickly and an instant-on/off when sleeping or waking the machines from sleep.

On the battery consumption front, the SSDs and heavily-tweaked components deliver about 5 ½ hours of operation on the 11” and 7 ½ hours of operation on the 13”.

While one could get by on 64GB of storage, it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.

128GB or 256GB of storage is recommended, and even then, most users would have to rely on an external hard disk for carrying media like music, video and still pictures around with them.

Outside of storage capacity concerns, these are truly great machines and likely to become the staple of mobile executives who find themselves spending the majority of their time in planes, trains and automobiles.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.4GHz (11”), 1.86GHz (13”) • Memory: 2GB, max 4GB (both) • Storage: 64GB/128GB (11”), 128GB/256GB (13”) Solid State Drives • Screen: 1366 x 768 (11”), 1440 x 900 (13”), LED-backlit (both) • Battery Life: Up to 5 hours (11”), up to 7 hours (13”) • Graphics: nVidia GeForce 320M with 256MB DDR3 Shared (both) • Wireless Networking: Airport Extreme IEEE 802.11b/g/n (both) • Card Reader: 5-in-1 (13” only) • Bluetooth: Built in (both)

Pros

Cons

• Thinnest, lightest Macs ever • Core 2 Duo processors fast enough for most tasks • SSDs add a nice performance boost; • No-compromise mobile computing • Between 5 ½ and 7 ½ hours of battery life

• Lack of optical drive a challenge for some; and • SSDs are great for performance, but not for capacity.

Overall rating

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Sony Vaio VPCW216AG Netbook

If mobility is more important than power, Sony’s very capable VPC-W216AG netbook is your best bet for a portable PC that performs well, looks good and doesn’t weigh a ton.

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Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse This beautiful new wireless mouse from Microsoft not only looks good, it folds completely flat for easy transport – perfect for easy storage in your notebook bag.

Acer G245HA LCD Monitor Never underestimate the appeal of a big widescreen LCD. This 24” beast from Acer is sure to make everything you care to put on it look amazing, from spreadsheets to games.

HP G62-A11 Budget Notebook NEED TO KNOW • AMD-powered budget notebook • Modest but competent hardware • Fingerprint-resistant finish R5 999.95

HP has a notebook to suit every pocket, and its G62 budget range is a brilliant place to start looking for a basic notebook for general office use.

This one, the A11, is powered by an AMD Athlon processor. If you haven’t heard of AMD before, all you need to know is it makes microprocessors that perform far better than their price would indicate, and this is very much the case here. This Athlon processor is inexpensive, but easily keeps up with Intel’s mid-range Core 2 Duo processors which means plenty of Windows performance without a significant price tag.

Before you’ve even taken note of the processor, you’ll notice the G62’s looks. HP has given the G62 a beautiful fingerprint-resistant finish; often complaints are levelled against modern gadgetry about how they attract dust and fingerprint residue that make them look unattractive, but not in this case.

The 15.6” screen is, as is the norm these days, LED-backlit. The two benefits of this technology are lower power consumption for the notebook as well as the ability to show off beautiful, rich colours. The resolution is a mid-range 1366 x 768, so you won’t be able to view high-definition movies in all their 1080p glory, but since this is not an entertainment notebook that is no real loss.

The graphics card powering the G62’s visuals is likewise more a workhorse than an entertainment product. ATI may make good notebook graphics hardware these days, but this Mobility Radeon HD4250 is more suited to 2D graphics (think Windows 7’s Aero theme) than it is to gaming. It will run the odd game, but don’t expect good performance or detailed graphics.

Everyone is using Chiclet-style keyboards lately, and the G62 sits firmly on that bandwagon. This is a good thing, however, as Chiclet-style keyboards are very comfy to type on and they look fantastic. HP has also included some basic quick-launch keys along the left edge, which can be customised according to your own personal preferences. The G62 also has a trackpad with a single button whose right and left edges work as right

40 | connect | December 2010

and left clicks. It takes some getting used to, but it works well in the end.

You’ll also get a smattering of ports, from the traditional VGA outputs and USB ports to an HDMI output for hooking the G62 up to an HDMI-equipped projector or even a big-screen TV. Wireless networking is the b/g/n variety (so lots of range and high-speed connectivity), and it supports Bluetooth as well for easy file-sharing and connecting with your cell phone/Bluetooth headset. You get 320GB of storage space too, which while a little south of average, is still more than enough for productivity purposes.

The modest specifications on offer here are made to seem better than they are by the excellent Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

Microsoft’s latest and greatest OS not only looks good, but it is fast and responsive as well.

If you’re looking for a notebook for work purposes and your budget is in the R6 000 range, the G62-A11 is a very good place to start. It’s not perfect, but it will certainly get the job done.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Processor: AMD Athlon P320 @ 2.1GHz • Memory: 3GB DDR3 • Storage: 320GB • Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit • Ports: USB, HDMI, VGA-out • Webcam: Yes • Card Reader: 5-in-1

Pros

Cons

• Excellent price for a work-oriented notebook • Windows 7 runs well even on this modest hardware • Fingerprint-resistant finish is a stylish touch

• Graphics card best at 2D; definitely not for heavy games • Quick-launch keys are easy to bump unintentionally • Storage space is workable but not generous

Overall rating

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Acer Aspire One A150 Happy netbook NEED TO KNOW • Intel Atom Processor N550 • 250GB hard drive • Comes with a Bluetooth mouse • Up to 8 hours of battery life R2 999.95

This 10” netbook from Acer is different from its predecessors that all feature names made from numbers and letters. This one actually comes with a far more memorable title: Aspire One Happy. Seriously – who wouldn’t want a netbook that Aspires to make One Happy?

Happiness aside, let’s not forget that this is, in fact, an Acer One D255 that’s gone under the knife and had an extreme makeover. It’s available in a range of colours that Acer calls Hawaii Blue, Lavender Purple, Candy Pink, and Lime Green. Ooh la la! On first impressions, the Happy reminded us a lot of Apple’s MacBook, and while a little smaller it’s every bit as slick and polished on the outside. It’s 24mm thin, weighs a mere 1. 25kg and also sports a comfortable and stylish Chiclet-stype keyboard. Its size means the Happy netbook travels easily, and is able to slip into handbags and briefcases with ease.

We’re also happy to see that there are not two, but three USB ports, a VGA port, a 2-in-1 card reader and a LAN port. On top of all this, the Happy incorporates advanced communication technologies, including Wi-Fi, an embedded 3G connection and Bluetooth so you can share photos and music with other Bluetooth-enabled devices. As such, connectivity and peripheral support will never be a problem with this netbook. If the multi-gesture touchpad - which incidentally supports two-finger scroll, pinch, rotate and flip - doesn’t cut it for you, this netbook comes with its own Bluetooth mouse, making it accessible to everyone.

If multiple operating systems make you happy, prepare to smile, as the Happy comes loaded with both Windows 7 Starter Edition and Google’s awesome Android 2.2 operating system. If you’re putting on your social butterfly face, you’ll launch Android to chat with friends and browse through social networks. When you need to put on your business face, simply switch to Windows 7 and make use of all the productivity functionalities it affords.

In terms of thinking power and computing muscle, the Happy sports an Intel Atom Processor N550 processor running at 1.5GHz. This is a far cry

from the average netbook that is kitted out with Intel’s weaker N270 Atom processor. The Atom N550, combined with Intel’s Mobile NM10 Express chipset and 1GB of DDR3 memory provides a very responsive Windows 7 Starter experience.

In another break from netbook norms, Acer has given the Happy series a whopping 250GB of storage. The display is a 10.1” LED-backlit beauty, and the actual visuals are powered by Intel’s integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 card.

Whether you use it at home or on the move, the Aspire One Happy sets you free from power cables for up to 8 hours, so you can keep in touch with what is going on in your social networks, finish your presentation at the airport or check your e-mails and surf the web as much as you like. If you absolutely have to recharge, the Acer MiniGo adapter has interchangeable AC converters so you can charge wherever you are.

It’s clear that this is an evolutionary step forward for netbook design, and we hope other manufacturers will follow suit.

Verbatim 2.1 Speakers

The lightweight speaker solution for your netbook that connects using a single USB cable. Pack up and take with you, as this speaker set comes with its own travel bag.

Noteworthy specs Office 2010 Home & Student

• Genuine Windows 7 Starter Edition • Intel® Atom Processor N550 (1MB L2 cache, 1.5GHz) • 1GB DDR3 1066 SDRAM, 250GB hard drive • 2-in-1 card reader • 10.1” (1024 x 600) TFT display • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 • 802.11b/g/n WLAN, 10/100 LAN • Webcam

All most people need is Word, PowerPoint and Excel, which this package provides along with OneNote.

Pros

Cons

• Can last eight hours before needing a recharge • This netbook isn’t just pretty, it’s pretty capable.

• Plenty of connectivity options • Better-than-average netbook performance

• Keyboard might feel a bit cramped for some.

• Pastel colours might be a bit off-putting for some guys.

• Windows 7 Starter Edition is a wee bit too basic

Overall rating

Logitech Wireless M305 mouse

Gorgeously patterned accessories are starting to come out of Logitech and we simply adore these dinky little Bluetooth mice and their cute nano receivers.

www.connectmag.co.za | 41

product reviews

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Kodak PlaySport Pocket Camcorder NEED TO KNOW

Adobe Elements 9 For powerful photo editing capabilities without the complexity of PhotoShop’s interface, you can’t go wrong with Adobe’s excellent Elements 9 software.

Apple iLife ‘11 Part of iLife’s collection of handy programs is iPhoto, Apple’s user-friendly photo management software that lets you make photo books, arrange your photos however you like and much more.

HDMI Cable If you want to watch your underwater antics on an HD TV, you’ll definitely need one of these.

• Shoots 1080p video underwater • Rugged design can withstand rough treatment • Fits easily into a pocket R1 699.95

If you’re interested in a camera that will let you capture HD movies while on holiday at the beach without any worry that it might not survive the experience, the PlaySport pocket camcorder will interest you. It’s rugged, it’s waterproof up to 3m and it shoots videos in a variety of resolutions – including 1080p – and as long as you’re not left-handed, it’ll make a nice addition to your gadget collection. It’s not the camera to go for if you’re at all serious about image quality, but it’s a really nice gift for a teenager who may be more interested in capturing footage than in amazing overall clarity.

This is because the PlaySports camera has a rubberised finish that protects it from the jostles and bounces that will inevitably happen while it’s being carried around in a pocket. It can also survive the odd drop from waist height, so parents of butter-fingered adolescents needn’t worry about it breaking after careless use.

The device’s button layout is such that it favours right-handed people, with thumb-accessible buttons laid out on the left side and a d-pad in the middle; left-handed people will undoubtedly find it awkward to hold and use. The relatively small 2” screen is decent, and while it looks a little washed out when viewed outside in bright sunlight, it’s good enough for basic needs.

The star of the show is the PlaySport’s HD video capabilities, both above and below water. It can be set to record at 720p at 30 or 60 frames per second, as well as in WVGA resolution of 848 x 480, so it’s quite flexible.

A filming mode it calls “H20” compensates for the change of colour that comes with shooting underwater, so that the video looks like the scene does to your naked eye and not so saturated with too much blue. It’s not mandatory for underwater filming, though, and has to be manually activated.

It’s hard to describe the image and video quality without making the PlaySport camcorder sound bad (which is definitely not the intention as it’s a pretty nifty little device). When we say that it’s not the best you’ll ever see that does not mean it’s absolutely terrible, just that it’s adequate. To the untrained eye the HD videos the PlaySport produces will probably look quite nice, but it definitely battles to give videos the level of detail you’d

42 | connect | December 2010

expect from a device capable of “high definition”. The stills camera only has a 5MP sensor so they aren’t the most amazing either, but it’s all right for facebook pictures and other such non-serious applications.

The PlaySport uses SD cards for storage, and only has a tiny bit of builtin memory so an SD card is a must, and of course the bigger, the better.

There is an HDMI output port so you can hook the camcorder directly up to an HD TV for immediate playback and a USB port for transferring files to a computer.

This is a great gift for an active teenager – it won’t break after being dropped, it films underwater and the quality is good enough for casual use. It’s not the be-all and end-all of camcorders, but at this price, it’s a pretty good bargain.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Sensor type: 5 MP CMOS • Zoom: 4X digital • Image stabilization: Electronic • Display size: 2.0” • Storage: 128 MB internal memory, SD/SDHC card expansion slot (up to 32 GB) • Focus modes: Normal • Focus range: 1m–infinity • File formats: Video: H.264 (MOV), AAC LC. Still: JPEG • Capture modes: 1080p—1920 x 1080, 30 fps, 720p/60 fps—1280 x 720, 60 fps, 720p—1280 x 720, 30 fps, WVGA—848 x 480, 30 fps • Still – 5.3 MP, 16:9 widescreen, interpolated • Microphone: Yes – monaural • I/O interface: USB 2.0 (high speed), AV out, HDMI • Tripod mount: ¼”, Standard • Weight: 128 g without battery Pros

Cons

• Rugged build makes it drop-resistant • Shooting underwater videos in HD is pretty cool • Fits nicely into a pocket for easy transport

• HD video does not capture huge amounts of scene detail • Still pictures don’t come out well in low light • Heavily favours right-handed people

Overall rating

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Kodak EasyShare C183 Compact Camera NEED TO KNOW • 14MP compact camera for everyday use • Easily uploads pictures and videos to the Internet • Facial recognition feature lets you tag friends and family R899.95

Fuji Finepix JZ500

If you want a 14MP compact camera that’s a little more complex but takes 720p movies and wide-angle photos, this one from Fuji is a great choice.

Nikon Coolpix S8000

The S8000 is another compact camera with a 14MP image sensor and the ability to take wide-angle photos. Grab it if you prefer Nikon to Fuji.

Nikon D3100 DSLR

This much more expensive camera is more versatile under a wider number of shooting conditions, and takes better images than any of the ones already mentioned.

Exclusive to Incredible Connection Kodak knows a thing or two about imaging, seeing that it has been in the business for almost 120 years. With the new EasyShare C183 compact camera, the company shows that not only does it know imaging, but it also knows people.

This camera’s main features are designed to appeal to social, active, 21st-century people who love to capture their daily lives digitally, and upload the resultant footage and images to popular content-sharing websites. While its 14MP image sensor and 5x digital zoom is worth a mention, it’s the fact that all images and videos captured by the C183 can be quickly and easily uploaded to several popular Internet sites that will undoubtedly get all the attention.

The idea is you take a picture or video, press the Share button on the camera, select the website you’d like to upload it to, and the next time you connect to your PC via USB cable, the photo or video will be automatically uploaded. This is only after you’ve set up the software, of course, but, thankfully, this is a once-off occurrence. All you have to do is enter your username and password for the sites you’re a member of, and the computer uses this to send your images and pictures whenever your camera connects.

Facebook, YouTube, photo-sharing site Flickr and Kodak’s own Kodak Gallery service are all supported right out the box. If you’re not a member of any of these yet, all you have to do is sign up (it’s free) and, within minutes, you can be ready to share your life online.

The C183 has a fairly sturdy body, a nice and bright 3” LCD screen, an LED flash and the aforementioned 14MP image sensor that takes highresolution HD images. Overall image quality is good, if not the greatest you’ll ever see, but this is still more than good enough for taking pictures at a braai, at work, of friends just hanging out and other everyday scenes.

The camera struggles a bit in low-light situations so don’t expect fantastic quality there, but scenes that use the flash come out nicely, and brightly-lit scenes are, of course, best.

The C183 has an automatic scene adjustment mode called Smart Capture that adjusts settings for optimal results so you don’t have to, and it can recognise up to five faces per scene. You can also name each face for a maximum of 20 stored name/face combinations, and use that to index your pictures. This makes them easier to sort through at a later stage.

44 | connect | December 2010

The C183 captures video at a relatively low resolution, though (640 x 480 @ 30 fps), but it’s acceptable for a budget camera like this and good enough for the odd moment a video camera might be called for at whatever social gathering is being attended.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive camera for general-purpose, everyday use and you don’t demand excellent performance under less-than-perfect conditions, the C183 is worth considering. Sharing your pictures and videos easily is very attractive in today’s digital, connected world. The image quality on offer here is easily good enough to let you share your life with friends and family over the Internet.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Effective pixels: 14MP (4 314 x 3 242) • LCD: 3” (7.62cm), 230 000 pixels • Image storage: Optional SD/SDHC card; maximum supported card size: 32GB • Internal storage capacity: 32MB internal memory • Taking lens: 3x optical zoom; f/2.9-f/5.2; 35mm equivalent: 32-96mm • Digital zoom: 5x continuous • Auto focus control: Still: Continuous and Single AF • Face detection: Yes • Face recognition: Yes • ISO speed (in Program mode): Auto: 64-400 Manual: 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 • Electronic Flash: Auto flash; Auto, Fill, Red Eye, Off • Burst mode: Maximum 3 pictures @ 1.5fps; Auto Exposure, Auto Focus, Auto White Balance executed for first shot only • Communication with computer: USB 2.0 full speed • Microphone: Yes • PICTBRIDGE support: Yes • Tripod mount: ¼” • Weight: 175g with card and batteries

Pros

Cons

• Sharing pictures and videos is really as easy as it sounds • The LCD screen is big and bright enough in direct sunlight • Does not take long to learn how to use the camera effectively

• Does not include Twitter as a location for photo/video uploads • Image quality could be better (but is acceptable for this price point) • Camera body is a little on the thick side

Overall rating

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Lexmark SmartSolutions

L

exmark has introduced a number of new printers that are equipped with touch-sensitive LCD screens, namely the Pro905, Pro901, Pro805 and S605. These screens are used as each device’s primary interface, and each printer can also be connected directly to the Internet via Wi-Fi and/ or network cable. This allows Lexmark to get creative and expand each printer’s capabilities through the implementation of what the company calls “SmartSolutions”.

SmartSolutions are a collection of “apps” for your printer; they can be created by linking several manual steps together into a single shortcut, or they can be downloaded from the SmartSolutions website and provide new features like RSS feeds, news updates and more.

Once your printer is registered with your SmartSolutions account (a mandatory part of the setup process), you can create new SmartSolutions online and have them sync quickly and easily with your printer.

To properly highlight the benefits of SmartSolutions, consider this scenario: Every month, or week, you fax your timesheet to

your HR department. The timesheet is stored as a file on your network; all you have to do is create a SmartSolution that prints that specific file, and in future all you’ll need to do is keep that file updated, and simply hit the “Print Timesheet” SmartSolution icon on your printer and you’re done.

The steps necessary to scan a document to a .PDF file can likewise be shortened to a single button. These - and many other functions can be represented by a corresponding SmartSolution, which effectively reduces the number of steps needed for you to perform everyday printing, scanning or faxing tasks.

SmartSolutions are not only useful for simplifying tasks, they can also help you resupply. For instance, it is possible to download a SmartSolution that will not only tell you which retailers near your current location stock Lexmark ink cartridges, but it will also provide you with contact details, directions and a map!

If it’s news you’re interested in, another SmartSolution will bring the BBC News website to your touchscreen – handy for checking the headlines while you’re at the printer!

Through SmartSolutions, Lexmark can add additional functionality, which in turn brings you even more value while also extending the life of your printer. Head on over to http://smartsolutions.lexmark.com to learn more, or to www.lexmark.co.za for more information on Lexmark’s Pro905, Pro901, Pro805 and S605 SmartSolutions-enabled printers.

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TomTom Start

If you’re looking for basic, affordable navigation functionality to get you from Point A to Point B, with minimal fuss, the TomTom Start is a good place to…. start.

TomTom XXL 530S

This portable GPS navigator is made for bigger hands with its 5” touchscreen.

Its new, two-button user menu and sensible interface with optimised icons makes using it hassle-free. This navigational device will provide you with turn-byturn voice-guided directions, including street names, to anywhere in Southern Africa.

Griffin PowerJolt Black-6130

Every road trip needs a soundtrack and the PowerJolt allows you to take an iPod on the road and listen to music.

It also keeps the iPod fully charged.

Navigon 70 Premium Live NEED TO KNOW • 12.7cm display touchscreen in 16:9 format • Live traffic, fuel, events information • Functions as a Bluetooth handsfree kit • Loads of truly helpful functionality R2 499.95

There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a strange part of town with no idea of where to go because your GPS is still busy re-calculating.

Actually, there is something worse, and you’ll know how this feels if you’ve ever sat less than 10km from your destination and had the GPS tell you that the approximate arrival time is 3 minutes, when it’s bumper-tobumper traffic all the way and you haven’t moved in over an hour.

The Navigon 70 Premium Live is designed to be the perfect solution for all of these common motorist frustrations. It’s not just the screen on this device (all 12.7cm of it) that’s enormous. Expect an enormous amount of help and stress reduction from Navigon Live services as well. Live what?

Live everything. These are service notifications that give you the latest information on fuel prices, local events, speed traps and traffic updates – all live, all up to date. Mobile Safety Camera Live shows you both stationary and mobile cameras and if you spot one that isn’t listed, you can report it and share it with other Navigon users.

Not only are you kept up to date on the traffic situation around you, which should do wonders to ease your stress levels, but there’s also Active Lane Assist, which shows you what lane you need to be in, and even reminds you to indicate when changing lanes. The Navigon also notifies the driver of speed limits and any upcoming radar speed traps, and has Bluetooth 2.0 hands-free functionality, which means you won’t get caught for talking on your phone while driving.

Furthermore, you will never ever have to drive around aimlessly, looking for something to do. Switch on your Navigon and Events Live will tell you what’s happening around you and supply all the necessary information. All you have to do is select your favourite categories in a city or region and the Navigon will take you there.

The thing we liked most about the Navigon 70 Premium Live is its level-headed practicality. There’s none of the unnecessary fluff like extra voices, or changing the icon for your car on the display – just practical,

46 | connect | December 2010

useful, helpful features. There’s the new, improved City View 3D that makes travelling through unfamiliar cities much easier, as buildings are displayed realistically, which lets you orient yourself with visual landmarks.

There’s also Reality View Pro (in our opinion one of the best features for a GPS, ever), which shows roads not as little lines on a map, but as proper roads with lane markings, so you can see what to expect up ahead.

The second-best feature on this device, for us, is the Text-To-Speech, as it goes beyond `turn left at Empire Road’. The Navigon 70 not only reads out distances, but also the names of roads and exits, so that you can concentrate on the road ahead, without having to hunt for elusive road name signs.

The Navigon 70 Premium Live is a brilliant travel assistant if you’re one of those people who need a map to get to the corner café. It’s helpful, easy to use and packed with functionality that actually makes a difference and saves you time.

System Requirements • Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X 10.5 or higher • Minimum 500MHz CPU • 512MB RAM minimum, 30MB available hard drive space • Internet connection, DVD drive, Adobe Acrobat Reader

Pros

Cons

• Reality View Pro, City View 3D and Text-To-Speech functionality are an excellent combo, and make it much easier to navigate • Being told what lane to be in before making a turn is incredibly helpful • Bluetooth hands-free car kit works with any Bluetooth phone • Parking Assistance helps you find a parking spot, anywhere

• It’s quite big and bulky • Only works with newer versions of the Mac and Windows operating systems

Overall rating

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Garmin nüvi 1300T NEED TO KNOW • 4.3” widescreen display • Easy-to-use touchscreen interface • Turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names • Select fuel-efficient routes R2 199.95

Some GPS devices out there have a lot of fancy functionality. The problem with this is that when there are too many bells and whistles, it’s easy to forget what the device is actually intended to do. When manufacturers over-complicate the basics, it’s not a good thing for the end-user.

If you’re looking for a GPS device that does exactly what it’s intended to, with minimal bells and whistles, then you might want to consider the Garmin nüvi 1300T. A thin new design and wide screen make this a highly-portable, easily-viewable navigational assistant. Whatever the weather, whatever the time of day, you’ll be able to see map details, driving directions and everything else, in full colour on the easy-to-read 4.3” display.

One of the things we like most about Garmin is their ability to keep their devices simple and the user experience effortless. The nüvi on-screen menus are logically arranged, with clearly labeled icons that make it easy to enter your data, and get to the information you need to arrive at a destination quicker. When you switch it on, you’ll be greeted with two simple questions: `Where To?’ and `View Map’. Touch the colour screen to look up addresses or services and get voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions that speak street names to your destination. It’s preloaded with Garmap Southern Africa street maps.

The Where Am I? function is great if you need to find the closest hospital, police station, fuel station, a nearby address or intersection. If you’re one of those people (and we all are sometimes) who forgets where you’ve parked the car, the nüvi will even remember for you. It automatically marks your position when you remove it from the windshield mount, so you can navigate with nüvi on foot and find your way back to your car.

Not only is this nüvi an affordable purchase, but it will save you even more money by allowing you to be fuel-efficient. The ecoRoute functionality is a green feature that calculates the most fuel-efficient route as well as tracking your petrol usage.

Some handy travel tools include a world travel clock with time zones, a currency converter, as well as a measurement converter and calculator.

Even more useful is the anti-theft feature – Garmin Lock – which protects the device, and your addresses and personal information. All you need to do is set an unlock destination, and the device will only unlock when you return there.

All in all, it’s a solid effort from Garmin, and we absolutely adore how efficiently it worked, and how easily it got us to where we needed to be.

Most importantly, we appreciate the fact that there’s nothing complicated or overly confusing about this gadget.

Noteworthy specs • Text-to-speech directions • FM traffic-compatible • Where Am I? emergency functionality • ecoRoute • Photo navigation • Compatible with Windows 2000 or later and Mac OS X 10.4 or later

Pros

Cons

• It’s useful for when you forget where you parked your car (and who hasn’t?)

• The ecoRoute is an excellent `green’ feature • Simplicity and ease of use is what we’ve come to expect from Garmin

• Some of the features, like public transport navigation, are obviously not applicable in SA • Lane assistance and speed limit notifications would be appreciated for this price

Overall rating

Plug this gadget directly into an iPod or iPhone and do the SmartScan thing. Easy, wireless listening while your Garmin is directing you to your destination.

Exspect iPhone In-Car Holder

You can now take that important phone call, and access all other functions while your iPhone is docked in your car.

TomTom GO 650 Live GPS

The GO650 is the most affordable of TomTOm’s HD Traffic-enabled GPS devices.

The HD Traffic service updates the GO 650 every 2 minutes with new traffic information, helping you avoid delays.

www.connectmag.co.za | 47

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HP OfficeJet Wireless 8500

If you need a general-purpose office printer that can scan, fax, copy and print and you also need wired and wireless network connectivity, look no further than HP’s excellent OfficeJet Wireless 8500.

Lexmark Prevail Pro705

If your needs are somewhat in the middle of the road, Lexmark’s Prevail Pro705 printer can help. It also scans, faxes, copies and prints and comes standard with Lexmark’s XL high-yield cartridges.

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Netgear Wireless Router Wire your home for network connectivity with Netgear’s reliable and speedy DG834UK ADSL router.

HP PhotoSmart Plus e-All-in-One Photo Printer NEED TO KNOW • High-quality photo printer for home use • Prints common file types directly from e-mail • Wireless network connectivity only R1 299.95

If you enjoy printing photographs at home rather than taking them to a camera shop, HP’s new PhotoSmart printer is well worth a closer look. It prints shop-quality photos and brilliant-looking graphics, and can handle the odd document. Setup is straightforward and connecting to a wireless network is easy too. If your printing needs are modest, the PhotoSmart Plus will certainly fit the bill.

The PhotoSmart Plus’ unique point is what HP calls `ePrinting’. You could be forgiven for thinking this has something to do with being energyefficient, but you’d be wrong. ePrinting is the ability to print out files sent to the printer over e-mail, as long as they are in one of the supported formats. HP has built-in support for the most common file types in use today, which means you can send PDFs, Word and PowerPoint documents (so far support for the 2003 and 2007 versions has been confirmed), BMP and JPEG images, and .TXT files to the printer directly from your e-mail program.

There is a brief setup procedure needed before you can do this; it involves registering the printer on HP’s ePrintCenter website and getting an e-mail address assigned to it. Once that is done, all you have to do is open your e-mail program, enter the address, attach the file you want printed and hit Send. Since so many people own smartphones with built-in e-mail capabilities, this feature will probably have a lot of appeal.

It’s also somewhat of a novelty to send a file for printing directly from your phone while you’re at a friend’s house and have it ready for collection when you get home. If you don’t want to run the risk of strangers sending random files to your printer, you can set up a list of allowed senders and blocked senders quite easily.

The other point of appeal here is the large LCD TouchSmart touchsensitive screen that is used to control the printer. The touchscreen is also where you’ll access HP’s Web Apps, a collection of applications that can be accessed directly from the printer without the need for a PC. You can print out maps from Google Maps, photos shared on Snapfish.com, colouring-in

pages that feature popular cartoon, TV and movie characters, and a lot more. HP is always adding to the number of Web Apps on offer, so chances are good you’ll find something to like.

The Photosmart Plus can also do more common tasks like scanning and copying, although there is no option to send faxes or print on two sides of a page. Overall document quality is good but, of course, a printer better suited to general office document printing like a colour laser will produce better-looking general documents. Graphics and photos, on the other hand, come out beautifully. The PhotoSmart Plus is particularly good at producing realistic-looking skin tones so expect great-looking people pics.

Speed is solid too, as 6” x 10” photos print in about a minute, A4 photos in around four.

While it’s not ideal for general office use, it can handle the odd general document well enough. In all, the PhotoSmart Plus is easy to use, simple to set up and puts out pretty good photos, making it a great buy for home users interested in printing more photos than work documents.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Functions: Print, copy, scan, Web • Direct photo printing: Yes, via memory cards and USB sticks • Cartridges: Four – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (XL high-yield cartridges recommended) • Connectivity: IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth • Paper-handling: 125-sheet input tray, 20-sheet photo tray • Scanner resolution: Up to 1 200 dpi (optical), up to 19 200 dpi (enhanced)

Pros

Cons

• Printing via e-mail is a fun and useful feature • Photo quality is very good and photos last long • TouchSmart screen and Web Apps are fun and easy to use

• Not ideal for general document printing • No way to connect to a wired network • Manual duplexing only

Overall rating

48 | connect | December 2010

31

Our way of protecting the environment

Bring in any old technology and we will either re-furbish and donate it to those in need or we will ensure that the items are disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner with Enviro Connection and Desco.

Enjoy discounts off your purchase of a new printer cartridge or toner when you bring in your empty ones.

(Terms & conditions apply)

3135 Connect Enviro AD.indd 1

2/12/10 12:21 PM

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini

One of the smallest touchscreen phones on the market, the X10 Mini makes up for its small size with an incredible feature-set and a very responsive capacitive touchsceen.

Nokia N97 Mini

All of the power and functionality of the N97 has been packed into a neater, smaller, more handbag-/ pocket-friendly handset.

BlackBerry Bold 9700

Expect all of the mobile messaging magic from BlackBerry, a full QWERTY keypad, optical trackpad navigation and 3G capability.

Nokia N8 NEED TO KNOW • 12MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics • 720p video recording • Symbian ^3 touch operating system • 3.5” AMOLED display R5 499.95

In a line-up of carbon-copy touchscreen phones, all vying to look like the iPhone, the N8 manages to stand out. This is due to its aluminium construction and an avant-garde mix of curvaceous sides offset by smooth lines on the top and bottom. Another thing that’s different is that there’s no battery access, nor do you have to remove the back cover to insert the SIM card – that pops in on a little tray, accessed on the side of the phone.

The feature that’s sure to set this device apart from others in its category is the camera. It sports the world’s largest image sensor (for a smartphone – 12MP) and has a Carl Zeiss lens, a Xenon flash, as well as an on-board photo-editing app for complete memory-making usefulness.

The only negative is that the camera juts out of the back of the phone, somewhat marring the clean, sleek lines. This is easily made up for by the fact that the N8 shoots HD-quality 720p video.

With the N8, not only do you get 16GB of internal memory, but you can also plug in a USB drive or stick using the supplied mini-USB to USB cable to transfer files between the phone and a USB device, or play media directly from the USB device. There is even an HDMI output that can be used to connect the N8 to an HD TV, allowing for HD movie playback straight from the phone, complete with Dolby Digital Surround Sound.

Combine this functionality with a 12MP camera, 3D gaming capabilities and a music player, and you’ve got yourself a nifty multimedia device. A built-in FM transmitter lets you play music directly through the car stereo without needing an intermediary device. Grab all the music you want directly from Nokia’s Ovi Music Store, using the “Comes With Music” service, which grants you 6 months access to music (subject to digital rights management protection). If you hate DRM-protected files, you can also purchase music without DRM, for a little more. For times when you’re not in the mood for your own music, you can listen to the radio using the N8’s built-in FM radio.

50 | connect | December 2010

Nokia’s new Symbian ^3 operating system brings some nice changes with it. The N8’s touch operation is smoother and slicker than in previous versions. We found the kinetic scrolling and single-tapping to select something or activate an application to be much more consistent and responsive. The operating system’s look and feel have been designed to be both familiar to faithful Nokia users and simple enough for new users to learn, quickly. There are also customisable Widgets, displayed on the Home screen, to make your life even easier.

While primarily a multimedia phone, the N8 does communication pretty efficiently. There are instant messaging options, an excellent mail app as well as threaded conversations. There’s also a wide range of connectivity options, from 3G to Bluetooth 3.0 and WLAN b/g/n, so wherever you are, you’ll be connected.

The N8 is an extremely capable phone, and its myriad features and stylish looks make it a viable alternative for the iPhone-haters out there.

Noteworthy specs • 3.5” AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 360 x 640 pixels • 16GB storage, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM • 16GB storage, expandable to 32GB • 12 MP@ 4 000 x 3 000 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Xenon flash • Symbian^3 OS

Pros

Cons

• Comes with a variety of adapters for the charger, as well as a car kit • Pretty impressive camera that works well in most lighting conditions • Battery life is much longer than we expected

• Camera sticks out a little bit on the back of the phone • SIM card slot can be hard to pry open • Although Symbian ^3 is supposed to reduce clicks, the fact that a new window pops up every time you need to input information is annoying

Overall rating

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Picture Perfect There’s no doubt that the latest cameras and photographic equipment can be intimidating and complicated to a first-timer, so the last thing you need is for your photo-editing software to be complicated, too.

So what are you waiting for?

A

dobe Photoshop Elements is the perfect blend of high quality retouching and editing tools presented in an easy-to-use interface that lets you manage and enhance your photographs for sharing online or in print.

Get step-by-step guidance to achieving the photographic results you want: say you wanted to create a reflection effect or adjust the lighting in a photo; you’ll be given help, all the way. Relevant how-to guides appear when you need them.

Apply common photo fixes, fast: one-step shortcuts allow you to do fixes like whiten teeth or adjust colour, contrast, and lighting, within seconds. Get the best result by choosing from a selection of previews.

Be Inspired and create: amazing printed photo creations such as scrapbook pages, photo books, calendars, and cards are easily created from templates or directly from your imagination.

Instantly unclutter or repair your photos: the perfect fix for photos cluttered with tourists or passing cars – use the Spot Healing Brush which perfectly blends even the most complex background.

Create fuller panoramas with less hassle: the Photomerge Panorama functionality fills in jagged edges as automatically stitches together multiple horizontal or vertical photos, to create the perfect panoramic scene.

Create dazzling photo effects: easy-toimplement edits will help you create professional looking photos with reflection effects, perfect portraits and more.

Create richly layered photos, effortlessly: There’s nothing more impressive than being able to reveal one portion of a photo through another photo, and you’ll do this by using layer masks to control the transparency of specific areas. Trust us, it’s easier than it sounds.

Get the look you’ve been admiring: Easily match a favourite photo style like a dramatic high contrast or a beautiful vintage tone using Photomerge Style Match to analyse the stylistic features of any photo you choose. It will then automatically apply those qualities to your own photo.

Automatically organise all your photos and videos: there’s also a free 2GB online storage space for you making it easier for you to back up and ensure you don’t lose your precious memories.

Share your gorgeous photographic creations on the web: in interactive Online Albums with your choice of animated templates and music.

In c r Co n n e e d i b l e c tion Ad o a possib be have m nd ade i t le for powe yo u t o ro o E l e m e f A d o b e Ph w n t h e o to s h n t s at r epea op a n ev te d Incred price. Sim er to be p ib l t h i s D l e C o n n e c y g o t o a ny tion s ec em d e a l o b e r f o r a g to r e r r live d e m o e at .

For more information visit www.adobe.com/africa

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Sennheiser/Adidas MX 680 Sports Earphones iPod Nano 16GB Apple’s mid-range media player offers the best bang for your buck, and its size is nicely-suited to armbandmounting and exercise.

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Sennheiser HD202 Headphones

For a really good over-the-ear headphone set, it’s hard to go wrong with this great pair from Sennheiser.

Skullcandy Ink’d earphones

If you’re more concerned with making a style statement than you are in earphones that won’t fall out of your ears, Skullcandy’s Ink’d earphones may be for you.

NEED TO KNOW • In-ear headphones for active sports people • Unique “AirFin” keeps these earphones in your ears no matter what • Sweat- and moisture-resistant design R649.95

The 21st century has seen an explosion of gadgetry hit the market, to the point where a lot of people own some sort of portable music player.

Active people in particular have taken to the iPod craze, and it’s not uncommon to spot multiple people in any given gym working out while listening to music.

This kind of physical exertion is not usually gadget-friendly, however, as electronic gadgets generally don’t get on well with sweat and vigorous movement. The headphones that accompany any iPod purchase, for example, aren’t designed to stay in your ear while you run, and being damp for any length of time will shorten their lifespan considerably.

Fortunately, the proper application of engineering know-how is the answer to this problem. Sennheiser, a German company with a good reputation for its high-quality audio equipment, has teamed up with sports brand Adidas to bring to market a set of in-ear headphones that addresses all of these concerns.

The combined efforts of these two companies have resulted in the MX 680 Sports Earphones, a high-quality set of in-ear headphones that have been designed with very active people in mind. This is because the MX 680 has what Adidas calls “EarFin” technology: each earphone has an odd-looking piece of plastic attached to it locks the earphones in place so that they won’t pop out of your ear even if you’re sprinting along the road.

There are several sizes to choose from too, catering for different-sized ears.

The cables that attach the MX 680s to your iPod/iPhone/audio device are likewise cleverly-engineered: they are reinforced with Kevlar, a material so tough it’s used in bullet-proof vests. As a result, the cables won’t break or wear out, and they will also retain their flexibility even in very low temperatures.

Sennheiser has also thought of different usage scenarios, as the MX 680s are attached to a very short cable that makes it easy to plug into an arm-mounted music device since there are no extraneous bits of cable to worry about. For those times that a longer cable is required, there is an extension cable that has an in-line volume control on it that gives the MX

52 | connect | December 2010

680s a lot more reach, as well as a clip in case you need to hook the cable onto your shirt.

It must be said that these earphones don’t completely seal out external sound. While noise-cancelling headphones are usually the kind you should go for, the need for a jogger to remain aware of their environment is important enough that the need for a sealed sound environment can be overruled. They are, however, sweat and moisture-resistant, so you can sweat away or even run in the rain without worrying they will die on you.

Sennheiser has included multiple foam tips for different-sized earholes, so there’s no chance they won’t fit. Finally, the sound quality on offer is pretty good, if not amazing, but they are loud enough that they will offer a good listening experience in the situations the MX 680s are likely to be used in.

If you’re an active person that likes jogging or working out vigorously, these are a great buy. They won’t fall out of your ears, sound quality is pretty solid and they are Kevlar-reinforced for added durability.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Frequency response: 18 - 20000 Hz • Sound pressure level: 118 dB • Impedance: 16 Ω • Total harmonic distortion: < 0.5 % (1 kHz, 100 dB SPL) • Jack plug: L-shaped 3.5 mm • Cable length: 0.6 m symmetric + 0.6 m extension cable with integrated volume control • Weight: 12g • Ear coupling: Intra-aural

Pros

Cons

• Even vigorous movement won’t dislodge them • Cables are reinforced with Kevlar • Extender cable is handy for generalpurpose use

• Best for outdoor use • The feel of the “AirFins” may take some getting used to • Not the best for non-athletic use

Overall rating

perfect companions

Philips DCM278 Micro Hi-Fi System NEED TO KNOW • Plays CDs, the radio and music from USB devices • Stands on its edge and takes up minimal space • Play and charge your iPod with the handy dock R1 699.95

Philips has a long history of making electronics for the home, among a wide range of other devices. Its speaker systems have proven to be popular with owners of portable music players as they have offered an appealing combination of audio fidelity and iPod compatibility. The latest one, the DCM278 Mini Hi-Fi, is no exception.

The DCM278 has a rather rectangular design, but don’t be fooled – it’s actually very slim when seen from the side, and it is this slenderness that gives the system its pleasingly trim footprint. As such, it will fit on shelves or side tables quite comfortably.

At first glance, you might wonder where you’d dock an iPod. This is one of the things we like so much about this system – it has a tray that slides out when pressed that houses the iPod connector and a USB port. It’s a little bit flimsy as it bends slightly when pressed downwards quite hard, but with some care, that should not be a problem. When you’re listening to the radio or a CD, the tray tucks neatly back into the device’s body, keeping the overall presentation very tidy.

Once your iPod is docked, it can be controlled with the remote and the control buttons that are located on the system’s upper edge, and all iPods that use Apple’s Universal Dock will work.

Oddly, in this iPod-obsessed world, the DCM278’s most impressive feature is not its iPod docking station – it’s the awesome motorised sliding door that protects the CD player. The door’s opening and closing motions are silky-smooth, and it’s tempting to just keep pressing Eject to watch it work. While this does not impact on the DCM278’s performance or aesthetics, it’s a very cool feature that we’re sure proud owners will enjoy showing off.

Other functions include an FM radio, a blue LCD display, an alarm clock and the ability to play back audio files stored on a USB device. Most importantly, the DCM278 has a built-in equaliser that lets you choose pre-configured settings based on the kind of music you’re listening to.

Bass boost is also present for those times when your music needs deeper thumps, although bass reproduction is not particularly solid.

For a compact stereo system, the sound quality is only average as it’s only rated at 5W. This is still good enough to be used in a kitchen or a bedroom by a casual listener, though. The alarm function is not recommended if you’re looking for a bedside alarm clock. You can set a time to wake up, but there is no Snooze button to temporarily turn the alarm/music/radio off while you catch a few more Zzzzzs.

This mini Hi-Fi’s last trick is the fact that it can be wall-mounted. It’s a handy feature for anyone wanting to place it somewhere out of the way.

Overall, the price and feature-list of Philips’ DCM278 micro Hi-Fi system give it a lot of appeal. If you don’t mind only average sound and you’re not going to use it as an alarm clock, it’s a good buy for casual kitchen or bedroom use.

related

products

Logitech Pure-Fi Anytime

If you want a music player/ alarm clock with very good sound quality and decent volume, you’d do well to check out Logitech’s Pure-Fi Anytime iPod docking station.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Speaker Output Power: 2 x 5W • Playback media: CD, CD-R, CD-RW,MP3-CD, WMA-CD, USB flash drive • Display type: LCD • Eco power standby: 1W • Loader type: Motorised • FM radio station presets: 20 • 3.5mm headphone jack: Yes • Auto digital tuning: Yes • Remote control: Yes, 31-key remote

Pros

Cons

• Charges your iPod while it’s docked • Sliding CD player door and iPod docking tray is attractive • Playing music from a USB drive is convenient

• Sound quality is only average • Alarm clock functionality could be improved • Bass is not particularly thumping

Overall rating

Apple iPod Touch 16GB Drum roll... an iPod! The Touch is arguably the most amazing iPod of the lot. It has a brilliantly responsive touchsensitive screen and its sound quality is superb.

Related Products

Verbatim 16GB Memory Stick

Pack this stick with 4 000 MP3 files and get yourself a really, really big library of music to play through the DCM278.

www.connectmag.co.za | 53

product reviews

related

products

Apple Magic Trackpad NEED TO KNOW Microsoft Arc Mouse

This awesome new mouse from Microsoft is wireless and folds flat for easy transport.

Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard

This keyboard is designed for typing comfort. It’s ultra-thin and spill-resistant, making it a good desktop companion if you don’t like rubber.

Microsoft Wireless Presenter Mouse 8000

A powerful wireless slide presenter, media remote and presentation pointer that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand.

• Wireless trackpad • Aluminium finish • Multi-touch gestures • Requires 2 AA batteries R899.95

There are two kinds of people in the world – those who love using a trackpad and wish they could use a trackpad on their desktop like they do on their laptop, and those who use a mouse. We’re convinced that the people who prefer a desktop mouse do so because they haven’t tried using the Apple Magic Trackpad yet.

Until recently, Apple had only one computing product left in its lineup that didn’t support multi-touch: its desktop Macs. Well, not anymore. With the introduction of the Magic Trackpad, Apple has brought its multi-touch click pad from the MacBook Pro over to the desktop world in the form of a large, square, aluminium-and-glass Bluetooth peripheral.

The Magic Trackpad is intended to provide a viable alternative or companion device to the ever-reliable desktop mouse. In terms of looks, less is always more with Apple, and on this device you’ll find no icons, logos or buttons, just a smooth pad with a thin seam at the top bordering its glass surface.

The Trackpad is tilted at an elevated angle and looks similar to the Apple Bluetooth keyboards that are sold with iMacs. If the two are placed side by side, the keyboard and trackpad will line up neatly to look like a matching set. In terms of size, there’s plenty of room for fingers of all sizes as the Magic Trackpad is 80 percent larger than the MacBook Pro’s already-spacious trackpad.

As with Apple’s notebooks, the Magic Trackpad’s entire surface area is clickable, so you can press downward on any part of the pad and you’ll register a left click. The only hassle that we had is that there’s no right-click. You’ll either need to assign an option key on your keyboard to hold in conjunction to pressing on the trackpad that will register as a right-click, or you can simply tap the pad with two fingertips. Either choice yields the same result, and we got used to it rather quickly.

In terms of system requirements, this device uses Bluetooth to

54 | connect | December 2010

connect and Mac users must have OS X 10.6.4 at a minimum to use it.

In other words, if you’re still on Leopard, you won’t be able to use this.

Amazingly, Apple decided to make the Magic Trackpad compatible with PCs, too. It works with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, but the functionality is far more limited as you can only use the standard clicks and two-finger gestures.

Speaking of two-fingered gestures, the Trackpad’s full functionality is obviously enjoyable (at this stage) for Mac users. But what a difference it made to our desktop computing experience. One-fingered mouse gestures include tap-to-click, dragging, drag-lock and a secondary click can be assigned to either corner of the trackpad. Two fingers will let you scroll, rotate, pinch to open and close, screen zoom (with toggle key, move preferences, and image-smoothing checkbox), and secondary-click. Three fingers let you swipe to navigate (think flicking through photo albums in iPhoto) or dragging to move windows around. Four fingers let you swipe up/down for Exposé and left/right to tab-switch between apps.

With all that finger action, who needs a mouse?

System requirements • Bluetooth-enabled Mac computer • Two AA batteries (included) • Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.4 and latest software update • Windows XP, Vista or 7

Pros

Cons

• Brings the convenience of multi-touch to desktop computers • Works with Macs and Windows PCs • Slick, easy to set up and use

• People who don’t like the trackpad on their notebook probably won’t enjoy this product • Functionality for Windows is very limited, and not worthwhile • Only works properly if placed on a flat surface

Overall rating

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products

Logitech M305 Bluetooth Mouse NEED TO KNOW • Wireless – 2.4 GHz connectivity, USB wireless receiver • Optical movement detection technology • 1 000 dpi movement resolution • Scrolling wheel, rubber side grips R299.95

Small, compact and colourful. That’s how we like our… mice.

And Logitech has the perfect mouse for everyone, with a range of colours and patterns from which to choose. This little metallic-pink mouse meets all of our requirements for the ideal mobile mouse: it fits a small hand perfectly, it’s Bluetooth, and it has a teeny-tiny nano receiver that is so unobtrusive that you can forget about it once it’s plugged in. It fits snugly into the USB port on the side of any notebook, so there’s no worry about it falling out or getting lost.

If you do actually need to take the USB nano receiver out, you don’t have to worry about it getting lost. It took us a while to actually make this discovery, but there, on the underside of the mouse, is a little lever with a tiny icon on it that pops open for battery access and for storing the receiver smartly and conveniently. Obviously the M305 is batterypowered. Battery-powered mice are great, except for when there’s no auto-sleep function and you’re like us and forget to switch off the mouse when stepping away from your computer. The M305 has this vitally important auto-sleep function if you forget to switch it off. Good news for the forgetful mousers.

Like we said, this mouse fits a small hand perfectly and feels like it’s rather smartly ergonomically designed. The true test of a mouse (at least for us) in terms of useability is how comfortable it is to use left-handed.

We have to say that the M305 must be as perfect for right-handers as it is for those who favour the left. It’s also completely comfortable to use without having to switch the right and left click around, like we’re told some people do. The scroll wheel is comfortable, and the only thing that might annoy you is the actual whirring noise it makes as you scroll up/ down rapidly.

Mouse action is quick and tracking is accurate. Both the right and left click are very responsive, and the mouse handles any click-happy finger

well. It flies smoothly through some quick switching browser tabs and alternates between mail and documents and images in the blink of an eye, as we multi-tasked our way through the day.

When we looked up this little peripheral on Google Images, we were surprised to see how many different designs this mouse comes in – a whole rainbow of colours and a plethora of interesting/edgy/ intriguing designs. This just goes to show that Logitech is among the few who realise the potential in treating personalised/unique computer peripherals like fashion accessories, and making sure that these accessories don’t sacrifice functionality in favour of aesthetics.

With a gorgeous mouse that perfectly complements your netbook, it’s much easier to justify this kind of purchase than that pair of killer heels you know you’re just going to wear once, and then banish to the back of the closet.

This will be the mouse you use every day, everywhere. Take it from the coffee shop to the office and back to your kitchen table. This mouse will be comfortable regardless of where you use it.

System Requirements • Windows XP, Vista or 7 • Mac OS X 10.4 or later • Linux kernel 2.6 or later • USB port

Pros

Cons

• Available in a variety of designs and colours, there’s a perfect match for everyone • Small and fits unobtrusively into any laptop bag • Auto sleep function saves battery when you forget to switch it off

• Whirring noise the scrollwheel makes when rapid-scrolling could be annoying • Might feel a bit dinky and awkward in a really big hand

Overall rating

Apple Magic Trackpad

Ditch the desktop mouse, and discover a whole new world of multi-touch gesture input with this shiny new Bluetooth peripheral from Apple.

Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710

This desktop set consists of a chunky keyboard complete with rubberised wrist-supports and a mouse that’s curved for supreme comfort. Featuring Unifying technology, these two devices are paired to one receiver, and with a three-year battery life, you never have to worry about power.

Microsoft Arc Keyboard

This keyboard is extremely lightweight, wireless and portable, making it possible for you to move it from room to room, depending on where you need to be.

www.connectmag.co.za | 55

product reviews

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Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac

Elements is a beginnerfriendly program that takes just the essentials from Photoshop and presents them in a clean, easy-to-navigate format, making it a simple task to edit digital photos and create vibrant albums.

MacFonts2 NEED TO KNOW Aperture 3

Apple’s version of photo-processing and management software that gives you everything iPhoto doesn’t – more choice, more functionality, better organisation and more intelligent features to create photographic masterpieces, easily.

VMWare Fusion 3

The possibility of running Windows apps within Mac OS X without major limitations is a reality with VMWare Fusion 3. You can even run graphicsintensive PC games alongside Mac applications and still get the full Mac experience.

• True Type and Open Type fonts for your Mac • Over 1 000 fonts on the disk • Font Manager allows temporary or permanent installation of fonts R269.95

It takes a certain kind of person to be a fontaholic. That person usually designs their own greeting cards, calendars and personal stationery, using their computer and printer. That person is also often frustrated by the limitations presented by the standard fonts that usually come with Microsoft Word and Publisher and other such creative software applications.

MacFonts 2 allows you to truly get creative with typography in all your projects. More importantly, it introduces you to a world of fonts that exists free from the torture that is subjecting your eyes to Comic Sans and Times New Roman.

The beauty of this software is that it’s easy to install; like all Mac software, it’s simple enough to be self-explanatory. How it works is by installing a font manager into your applications folder, which then allows you to preview the various fonts and install them. This is where it gets tricky, though, and it’s not a simple across-the-board, one-time installation of 1 000 fonts. You have to install each font, one by one. There is NO way to install all of them at the same time.

Not only that, but you have to have the CD in the Mac while you install the font. We imagine this is so that you’re not tempted to be a software pirate, and offer to give every other Mac owner you come across 1 000 free fonts in a few minutes. This is one of those times where anti-piracy measures are a pain, but a necessary one.

Once they’re installed, though, they work like any other font, and are

56 | connect | December 2010

available for use on all applications on the Mac, so you can use them in every piece of software on your computer, that allows you to customise fonts. Despite the inconvenience of having to keep the CD on hand at all times, we could not fault the range and variety of fonts available.

We found that they were a visually pleasing addition to the standard fonts library and the range was fantasic – from smart calligraphy-type fonts to very modern and sleek fonts. There was even an interesting range of dingbats.

So if you’re a creative (but casual) user of fonts, and just want a variety to choose from, without having to connect to the Internet and search for them, then this product may well be perfect for you. However, you should remember that it’s purely for personal use; it’s not intended for commercial, design purposes. If you’re a professional designer, this is not the software for you.

System Requirements • Mac OS X • CD-ROM Pros

Cons

• Install extra fonts into your library of fonts without having to search for them on the net • Available for use across all applications on a Mac

• Fonts have to be installed one by one, which can be painstaking • It takes a while for the application to open each font to install, and there’s no indication on the screen that it’s actually working

Overall rating

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But setting a budget and sticking to it is not as difficult as it sounds – simply make a list of your monthly

expenses and offset them against your income. And where some of your expenses are variable, like what you spend on groceries, petrol and your telephone each month, set yourself reasonable limits and stick to them.

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As with everything, debt can be useful if managed correctly. Make sure you build it into your budget and maturely, consider your options.

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2010/11/16 2:12 PM

product reviews

related

products

Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac Need to know Microsoft Office Professional 2010

If you’re a Windows user, you’d do well to grab a copy of Microsoft’s biggest Office 2010 suite for PC as it offers solid improvements over the 2007 edition.

perfect companions

13” Apple MacBook Pro Of course, if you’re considering Office 2011 for Mac you’re already a Mac user. Just in case you’re not, a MacBook Pro is a great place to start a relationship with Apple.

Apple Magic Trackpad While Apple’s notebook trackpads are good, they are not as slick or stylish as the new Magic Trackpad, a wireless add-on that gives you a trackpad wherever you want it to be.

• Top productivity suite for Mac • Rewritten for Intel-only computers • Support for Office Live and SharePoint • Improved Exchange integration R1 199.95 – Home and Student Edition (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) R2 499.95 – Home and Business (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Microsoft Office for Mac has for a good while been the most popular third-party software suite for the Apple platform.

And considering the awesome job it has done historically of allowing the Apple-loyal to function relatively seamlessly in a Windows-dominated world, that statistic is by no means surprising.

As the reviews begin rolling in for the 2011 edition of the productivity suite over the coming months, Microsoft will surely be rubbing its hands with glee.

By all accounts, 2011 is a vast improvement over the 2008 edition.

It’s faster, more feature-rich, shares a far more intuitive and uniform interface across all of the applications in the suite and, probably most significantly, is available for far less money than any of its predecessors.

The design decision that will have most of the Office for Mac power users dancing with joy, however, is the fact that Entourage has been killed off in favour of Outlook.

The great purple monster has been replaced with a new, written-fromthe-ground-up version of the popular personal information management tool that’s been the mainstay of the Office suite on the Windows platform for well over a decade now.

And it’s like a breath of fresh air, bringing snappy performance, a more logical layout and a refreshing yellow colour scheme (by contrast to the purple colour scheme Entourage made use of) to the mix.

More significant than those changes, however, Outlook for Mac 2011 brings far better support for Exchange groupware environments, with some users reporting that the functionality is on a par with the Windows version of the software.

Outlook also offers far better support and performance on industrystandard groupware protocols like POP and IMAP. This is great news for small business owners who make use of consumer-grade mail and groupware servers.

The rest of the applications in the suite, namely Word, Excel

58 | connect | December 2010

and PowerPoint, have also received some love on the interface and performance fronts.

Microsoft says that every part of the suite has been completely rewritten from the ground up in Apple’s Cocoa, meaning it’s noticeably faster than its predecessor and now only supports Intel architectures.

The famed ‘ribbon’ interface has finally also made its way into Office for Mac. Its intuitive nature means users should get to the most used features in their applications quickly and without having to drill through droves of menus.

Following in the footsteps of its Windows counterpart, Office 2011, rather significantly, now also includes support for Microsoft’s enterprisecentric SharePoint collaboration server and consumer-focused Office Live services.

While SharePoint integration means a great deal to enterprises, Office Live support means Mac users are finally able to share data and documents with each other using the web. They can even get down to doing some light document editing and reviewing using the web-only tools provided, if they’re using a public computer.

Like Office 2010, the integration with Office Live stretches right into the applications themselves, where users can open and work with documents stored within an Office Live web-share right inside of Word, Excel or PowerPoint, do some serious work on the document and then save it back to the cloud.

Overall, Office 2011 brings some much needed polish and support for Microsoft’s own services to the mix. With this release, Microsoft has placed Mac users on an equal footing with Windows users.

And quite frankly, it’s about time…

Pros

Cons

• Entry-level package fantastic value for money • Better performance than Office 2008 • Outlook replaces Entourage • Office Live services provide collaboration for small businesses

• Home and business price point means Outlook costs R1 500

Overall rating

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iLife 11 NEED TO KNOW • New versions of iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband • iWeb removed from mix • Comes bundled with all new macs • Powerful media features for beginner Mac users R499.95 (single user) R799.95 (family pack)

Anyone who has spent more than a half hour with an Apple computer will have made use of iLife, the bundled suite of media software for retouching and sharing photos, editing and creating impactful home videos and organising or creating music. The latest edition, iLife 11 sees the retirement of iWeb, but fantastic improvements in iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband.

Starting with iPhoto – the most important tool in the suite – Apple has eased the editing process and seriously beefed up the way users share content with friends, family and the like over social networks, e-mail and even in the real-world via photo books.

This means there’s a new full screen view that blacks-out the desktop and other applications, bringing users’ pictures to the forefront and allowing for more focus when editing or looking through photos using the faces, places, albums, projects and events views.

On the sharing front, there’s closer integration with Facebook that sees users simply clicking a couple of options to upload a single photo or collection of photos to their wall or an existing album and the ability to automatically download all of the comments being made on those photos by their Facebook friends.

Apple has also though of how users easily share photos that aren’t on Facebook and with the new e-mail themes, users can send custom e-mails with selected photos, arranged the way they want. Next up, iMovie gains a massively overhauled audio editor and one-step effects that make home movies more professional. The audio editor separates out sound effects, voiceover and music tracks and gives detailed waveforms for each, allowing

for more granular tuning of audio. One-step effects as their name suggests, with a single click allows users to add instant replays, jump cuts, flip effects and more.

Rounding the suite out, Garageband has come of age for those wanting to create a hobbyist home recording studio. Flex Time and Groove Matching help amateurs fix timing, rhythm and overall feel of their recordings with a couple of clicks, while new guitar amps, stompbox effects and more allow for a larger variety of sounds to be added to recordings. Overall, iLife 11 is a worthwhile upgrade in terms of features, but the fact that a number of Apple pundits have complained about the new applications being sluggish and missing key things some users relied on before, such as being able to reveal photos in the Macintosh finder and specify the size of an image to be attached to an e-mailed means exercising caution is wise.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Adobe Photoshop Elements

This package brings many of the core features in Photoshop to the average man in the street and gives iPhoto a good run for its money.

• OS Required: Apple MacOS X 10.6.3 or later • Memory: RAM 1 GB - HD 5 GB • DVD-ROM drive • Internet connection • 1280 x 768 monitor resolution

Pros

Cons

• Full screen views and Facebook integration make iPhoto more user-friendly • New audio editor and one-step effects add power to iMovie • Flex Time and Groove matching allow for elimination of amateur errors in Garageband

• Some key features missing from iPhoto • Some users report sluggish performance

Overall rating

Adobe Premiere Elements 9

Designed to bring the core features of the professionalgrade, Movie editing package, Premiere to consumer users, this is a strong competitor to iMovie.

www.connectmag.co.za | 59

product reviews

If you’d like to try before you buy, head over to BitDefender’s website at http:// www.bitdefender.co.za and download a 30-day trial version of BTS2011

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BitDefender Total Security 2011 NEED TO KNOW • Fully-featured home/office security software • Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced User views • Packed with helpful tutorial videos R499.95 – Single license R599.95 – 3-user license R699.95 – 5-user license

Norton Internet Security 2011

This excellent security package from Symantec offers cutting-edge security features with minimal impact on system performance.

Kaspersky PURE

This package includes all of Kaspersky Internet Security 2010’s features plus a host of new ones that further ensure online family protection at all times.

BitDefender Total Security 2011 is exactly that – a total security solution for both work and home PCs. It has had a bit of an interface rework since last year’s edition, and it has all the features needed in a modern security software package.

Before it’s even installed, BitDefender performs a system scan to ensure your PC is not infected. It also picks up whether other security software is installed, and offers to uninstall it for you as running multiple security programs simultaneously is never wise. During the installation process, users can configure Parental Controls and online backup options – BitDefender allocates each user 2GB of free online storage for important files.

The first thing you’ll notice is the new interface that favours blue quite heavily, and that it can be used in Basic, Intermediate and Expert modes.

The difference between these is the level of access given to the user over the program’s inner workings. Basic mode is fine for beginners, whereas Intermediate will probably work best for people with some PC experience.

The Advanced view should only really be explored by adventurous types or people not intimidated by a vast array of options.

BitDefender Total Security 2011 has all the components needed of a security program: antivirus protection, anti-spam measures, anti-phishing capabilities, a firewall component, parental controls, the ability to encrypt instant messaging conversions, the aforementioned online backup, and more.

It is these “and more” features that elevate the program above other competing packages: the program also comes with a handy suite of tools that include a registry cleaner, a file shredder, a defragmenter utility and even a utility for cleaning up your PC. There is even a mode that prevents security functions from interrupting a game, as well as a laptop mode that disables certain functions from running to conserve battery power.

Unfortunately there is a cost: BitDefender Total Security 2011 does not have zero impact on your system’s performance. Our test PC with its modest specifications (Core i3 processor, 4GB of system RAM, Windows 7 64-bit) experienced slight performance degradation after BitDefender was installed. Not big, mind, but enough to be noticeable, especially when retrieving e-mails. The program also asked for a system restart – twice –

60 | connect | December 2010

before it was happy running in the background. The process of verifying websites returned by Google searches also took more time than we’ve noticed with other packages.

The firewall feels like a step backwards, too, as it leaves it up to the user to decide what to do when an unknown program tried to access the Internet. Other security software packages make the call on the user’s behalf based on program behaviour. We thought this to be a little bit strange, not to mention confusing for inexperienced users. The fact that the firewall is otherwise very solid and easily able to protect a PC from external hacks and port scans makes up for this somewhat, so it’s not all bad.

BitDefender Total Security 2011 offers comprehensive protection for any modern PC. Its impact on system performance is not zero, but the sheer number of features on offer as well as the level of user control it provides is a good trade-off. Plus, at R699.95 for the protection of up to 5 PCs, it’s really good value.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP SP3 (SP2 for x64), Vista (SP1), Microsoft Windows 7 • Available hard disk space: 1 GB free space • CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.66 GHz) or equivalent processor • Memory (RAM): 1 GB (Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows 7)

1.5 GB (Microsoft Windows Vista) • Internet Explorer 6 (Internet Explorer 7 recommended) • Yahoo Messenger 8.1 • Microsoft Windows Live Messenger 8 • Firefox 3.x • Thunderbird 3.0.4 • Outlook 2003, 2007, 2010, Outlook Express, Microsoft Windows Mail • Adobe Flash Player 10.0.45.2 • .Net framework 2.0 Pros

Cons

• Comprehensive protection, good value • Tune-up tools are a useful added extra • Very user-friendly interface complete with tutorial videos

• System performance impact is not zero • Firewall asks for input when it shouldn’t • IM encryption works only with other BitDefender users

Overall rating

related

products

Norton Internet Security 2011 for Mac Roxio Toast Titanium 10 for Mac

This software does more than just burn discs; it’s also a media-creation and extraction tool.

Norton 360 Version 4.0

Norton 360 delivers the ultimate balance of automated and customisable flexibility for Windows users looking to comprehensively protect their computers.

Kaspersky Pure

A complete package consisting of anti-virus, firewall, and anti-malware software that also facilitates password management, back-ups and assists with tune-ups.

NEED TO KNOW • One-year protection for two Macs • Provides shorter scan times • Unobtrusive operation • Total Internet security package R299.95

Apple fans are quick to boast that they don’t have to bother with anti-virus protection for their Macs, as Apple security is absolutely watertight. The truth of the matter is that Macs are not virus-proof – that’s a misapprehension. Even Mac users now need to actively avoid falling prey to phishing scams and proactively protect their credit card credentials and identities.

That’s where Norton Internet Security For Mac 2011 comes in. You’ll need this particular solution if you connect wirelessly to a network and want to protect your computer from opportunistic threats and block hackers from accessing your Mac. It provides security that allows you to safely download files, removes viruses from e-mails, blocks worms and stops spyware from accessing your data.

Norton Internet Security 2011 for Mac also inspects every single website you visit and detects any potential phishing traps. It lets you bank and shop online without worrying about identity theft with Norton Identity Safe. Finally, you can fill in forms on websites that require personal information without having to worry about data being harvested and used illegally. The automatic blocking and removal of new threats means you don’t have to lift a finger to be secure.

When it came to the initial set-up, it was as simple as slotting the CD into the Mac’s optical drive, and following the on-screen prompts.

We were initially impressed that Internet Security for Mac required only 195MB of hard drive space to perform the installation, which meant that the application wouldn’t be a space-hog, nor would it slow down any of the other processes.

Once the install had taken place, however, a further 168.6MB needed to be downloaded via the auto-update facility. This seems like a lot until you remember how many new threats crop up daily. Once you’ve gotten through the initial update, all subsequent updates are comparatively small.

This particular package consists of a location-aware firewall, phishing protection, anti-virus and vulnerability protection. The location-aware firewall gives you more security where you need it, at public Wi-Fi hotspots and the like. When the program’s firewall detects that you’re

not in one of your `trusted’ zones, it automatically beefs up security. If you’re worried that having Internet security software on your Mac is going to mean a whole lot of annoying pop-ups and notifications, fret not. It’s a simple case of changing some settings to be notified only when and if something serious is found. You can set automatic scans to happen periodically, or you can manually scan your system or certain parts of it, on command.

There was nothing annoying or invasive about Norton Internet Security for Mac 2011’s operation. In fact, the only notification that popped up in the browser was a little ribbon under the address bar that said `no fraud detected’, which we actually found more reassuring than annoying. It took a mere 40 minutes to scan through the 583 563 files on the MacBook Pro we used to review the software and at no time did we notice a difference in the computer’s performance.

At the end of the day, internet security is just one of those things everyone has to think about, even Mac users. We’re pleased to say that Norton Internet Security 2011 ticks all the right boxes, and comes highly recommended.

System Requirements • Mac OS X 10.4.11 or higher • Intel Core processor • 512MB of RAM • 250MB available hard disk space • Internet connection • CD ROM or drive Pros

Cons

• Very easy to install and use and most tasks run in idle time • Intelligent firewall and best antiphishing protection we’ve seen • Fully-featured parental control, which is handy if you have kids using the net for school projects • Protection is provided even across IM clients like Yahoo! messenger and iChat

• Multiple charts in reports and numerous settings and configurations may confuse some users

Overall rating

www.connectmag.co.za | 61

product reviews

perfect companions

Emachines’ EL1700 Desktop You don’t need a high-tech PC to run a Point of Sale till – even an entry-level PC like this one from Acer’s emachines division is powerful enough to get the job done.

Microsoft Basic Mouse If you don’t have a touchscreen, a mouse is a good second-best option for input. This one from Microsoft is sturdy, responsive and comfortable to hold.

Samsung ML-1660 Mono Laser Printer An inexpensive monochrome laser printer is more than good enough for printing business reports. This one from Samsung is all that, and more.

4POS Business Software NEED TO KNOW • Comprehensive Point Of Sale software for SMEs • Easy to use, fast to set up • Be up and running in less than an hour R1 700 per licence

Running any kind of retail business is not a small undertaking, even when said business is not the biggest or selling to the largest of markets. It’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears, especially where software is concerned. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to have unnecessarily convoluted solutions sold to you by overzealous salespeople. Not only won’t you use half the features, but it’ll cost you far more than it has to.

This is where software like 4POS comes in. Everyone involved on the technical side of retail knows that ultimately, it’s the speed of the Point of Sale solution that determines its effectiveness, and if it can also be user-friendly and easy to learn, all the better. An affordable price-point would be nice, too.

4POS checks all of these boxes, as it’s priced very attractively, is quick to install, has an easily-navigated user interface, and integrates so quickly into virtually any retail environment that only an hour after the initial setup, retailers can be using it live, in-store.

Whether you’re trying to run a butcher, restaurant, bottle store, corner café or even a full-blown supermarket, 4POS can capably run your Point of Sale PCs. It supports touchscreens and barcode readers that make for easy input at till points; it monitors stock levels versus sales; it can be programmed on-the-fly with user-configured shortcuts, and more. Best of all, it generates reports that are easy to read, which managers can use to get snapshots of where the business is at any time.

The interface is best suited to low-resolution screens, which is fine for till points but not great for widescreen monitors. Initially, all the options available can be a wee bit intimidating. That being said, though, after only an hour or so of use, even the most technologically-challenged business owner or employee will be able to use the software effectively. 4POS offers free telephonic and remote support via the Internet to help users

62 | connect | December 2010

through the teething process, as well as training should it be necessary (although this has a cost attached).

We especially liked the Learning Mode, in which the software populates an inventory database with products that are entered directly at the till point. It is in this manner that a store can be up and running within an hour without the need for a lengthy database-creation process.

The software’s speed is the final point that will appeal to a lot of store owners. There are no lengthy load screens, all calculations are done immediately, and touching buttons to ring up items gives instantaneous results. As speed is vital to any Point of Sale system, 4POS does very well.

Lastly, at only R1 695 per licence (i.e. per PC being used as a till point) and with no ongoing monthly costs per installation, it makes very good sense for small business owners looking for a way to move away from Point of Sale and towards Profit on Sale instead.

FEATURES • Point of Sale • Stock Control • Debtors/creditors • Reporting • Touchscreen support • Barcoding Pros

Cons

• Learning Mode makes starting up very simple • Reports are detailed but very easy to read • Useful in any kind of retail environment • Free telephonic and remote support options

• Interface is best suited to lower resolutions • Initially the many options are a little intimidating

Overall rating

book reviews ®®

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NEED TO KNOW

• By Neal Goldstein • 432 Pages

Apple’s App Store has so many users that a popular application can net a developer a significant amount of money. That alone is reason enough to want to develop applications for Apple’s popular phone; if you’ve been feeling a bit in the dark as to how to go about it, this Dummies book will shed some light on what you need to do. It’s not a step-by-step guide, but it will introduce aspiring and experienced programmers to Apple’s open Software Development Kit, walk them through getting their apps into the App Store, porting apps from the iPhone to the iPad and vice versa and more. As always the language used is casual and often amusing, making this a fun introduction to a potentially lucrative programming career.

Twitter Application Development for Dummies

NEED TO KNOW

• By Dusty Reagan • 456 Pages

Twitter is a social media phenomenon, attracting millions of daily users and constantly adding to its already-massive userbase. Just like Apple’s App Store, a successful application for Twitter has the potential to make boatloads of cash for the developer. Author Dusty Reagan walks readers through the process of conceptualising and monetising an idea, as well as what kind of applications are most likely to do well. He provides insights into the whole process, drawing on his experience as a developer of Friend or Follow, one of Twitter’s most successful applications. The book is interesting, engaging, and provides aspiring programmers with a solid foundation from which to launch into the world of Twitter application development.

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game reviews //By Tiana cline Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood R699.95 Brotherhood is the third game in the Assassin’s Creed series but the first title to feature a multiplayer option.For those new to the Ubisoft game, a lot has improved since the beginning. Originally, Assassin’s Creed had historically epic and expansive environments, but was a bit repetitive on the gameplay side. Set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing Jerusalem apart, you stepped into the role of Altaïr, an assassin in the making. The second Assassin’s Creed game took place in Renaissance Italy, where a new protagonist, Ezio Auditore, got entangled in a mix of family, vengeance and conspiracy, befriending Leonardo da Vinci and taking on Florence’s most powerful families along the way. With an equally impressive location but a much better storyline, Assassin’s Creed 2 improved upon what was already becoming an increasingly popular game.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood sees the return of Ezio (already a master assassin) and takes you to the marvellous city of Rome.

The single-player campaign is well written and places Ezio at a pivotal stage in his life. Now that he has conquered the art of assassination, what’s next? To be the leader of the brotherhood, of course, the official order of the assassins.

This life change brings with it new gameplay features for Ezio, such as being able to recruit new assassins into the brotherhood, assigning them missions in the city and taking their skills to the next level. It’s only after this crucial training that they will become an integrated part of missions, helping Ezio where needed.

Like its two previous titles, AC: Brotherhood is historically accurate and depicts a different world in such detail that you’ll immediately become engrossed in the game. From the costumes of the NPCs to the buildings, every aspect has been thought through and it all comes together to make the title look and sound as good as it plays. There are some major improvements, from the faster-paced combat system (with more aggressive AI) to the advanced horseback manoeuvres. Not only can you now fight on horseback, Rome is a big city so you’ll need to have a faster way to get around.

But what makes AC: Brotherhood unique, giving it new depth and dimension, is the multiplayer mode. Here, you’ll be able to choose from a range of characters, each with their own signature weapons and assassination techniques, and play against friends. The multiplayer mode also comes with unique abilities (not seen if you play on your own), like the speed boost.

Multiplayer means you can now also match your assassin skills against others online in different game modes and finally find out who the best assassin is. Is it you?

Even though the third game remains in Italy, the multiplayer mode is a natural fit for the already-impressive gameplay and works well within the historical game world.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood may be the third game in the series and a fantastic sequel, but keep in mind that the game isn’t Assassin’s Creed 3 – that’s still to come. It is, however, a full game that brings with it a solid storyline and must-play multiplayer mode. Ezio is back and better than ever.

64 | connect | December 2010

NEED TO KNOW • Ride, fight and hide in the great city of Rome •Play Ezio Auditore and create your own brotherhood • See who is the best assassin online

Where did Desmond go?

In the first AC game, players were surprised to learn that Altaïr was not the protagonist at all! Enter Desmond Miles (the time is now), the descendant of a long line of assassins who swore their allegiance to the Assassin Order. He is initially forced to use a machine, called the Animus, created by Abstergo Industries – the modern front of the Knights Templar – to relive the memories of his ancestor Altaïr, in his quest to locate a lost piece of Eden.

Eventually escaping, Desmond once again uses an Animus (now improved to the Animus 2.0) to explore the memories of his second ancestor, Ezio, in order to learn the ways much quicker. In AC: Brotherhood, more of Desmond’s stirring story is revealed.

>>consider this<< Mafia II This pistol-packed period piece transports players to Empire Bay, a fully realised and immersive urban cityscape set in America during the 1940s and 1950s. The action unfolds with white-knuckled car chases, explosive gunplay, compelling characters and an engaging narrative set against a backdrop of meticulously detailed period environments that showcase the difference a decade can make. www.connectmag.co.za | 65

game reviews

Disney Epic Mickey

NEED TO KNOW • Use paint and paint thinner to change the world • Choose the best path to become an epic hero • Explore and solve challenges in an alternate world • Classic platforming levels inspired by Disney’s animated films and shorts • Collect ovetr 75 Disney pins Who is Mickey Mouse? Lovable friend of Goofy and Pluto? Mascot for Disney World? Or does he have a darker side? When Mickey was first conceptualised, he wasn’t quite the happy-go-lucky cartoon character we know today. He was edgy and quite mischievous. Disney Epic Mickey is an exclusive Wii title that brings the mighty mouse back.

As Mickey, you’re propelled into Wasteland after a little painting mishap. This alternate world (ruled by Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney’s first cartoon star) is home to Disney’s long-forgotten characters and attractions.

Mickey is given the power to wield paint and paint thinner to dynamically change the world while determining his path to becoming an epic hero.

Through the use of this unique paint and paint thinner, the key components of animation and Mickey’s tools for impacting his world, you’ll be able to shape how the story unfolds.

Even though the storyline you play through is linear, the actual game world is an open one filled with many choices.

How you approach puzzles is key. You can decide who you want to befriend, and who not, who will make a great ally and whether you’re going to take on a mission. And once you’re chosen a path, what direction will you go in to finish the quest? It’s all up to you. The world of Epic Mickey is an open and colourful place, with plenty to explore and do. If you’re feeling creative, you’ll really get into the game. The way the environment looks once you’ve finished wielding the magic paintbrush and where the characters end up makes all the difference. What Disney has added to this action platformer is a bit of a role-playing element that only increases the game’s playability.

If you like the Disney lore, you will appreciate the effort that went into making this game. It really is epic. R499.95

>>Consider this<<

>>Get this<<

Epic Mickey Remote Charging System Charge your Wii remote controller and illuminate the night with the Epic Mickey Wii Remote Charging System. This iconic collectible features our mischievous hero, Mickey Mouse, and his nemesis, the Evil Blot.

Epic Mickey Paintbrush Secondary Controller Break free from the Mad Doctor’s clutches, set out in pursuit of the mysterious rabbit Oswald, and defeat the Evil Blot with the Epic Mickey Paintbrush Wii secondary controller for the Nintendo Wii system. This iconic collectible is modelled after Mickey Mouse’s paintbrush in the game, and features a 60cm cord and a soft foam tip.

66 | connect | December 2010

Fall Out N

“The future’s not just

bright, it’s positively brig

thermonuclear.”

– Of Offici Offi fic ciial al Xbo box Ma Maga M agazi gazi ga zine ne e

Fallout®: New Vegas™ © 2010 Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company. Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Fallout, Fallout: New Vegas and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Bethesda Softworks LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Developed in association with Obsidian Entertainment Inc. Obsidian and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Obsidian Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Windows, the Windows Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and “Games for Windows” and the Windows Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft.”. “2”, “PlayStation”, “Ô, and “À” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Fall Out New Vegas PC Format.indd 1

31/08/2010 13:42

game reviews

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Expansion Pack

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

NEED TO KNOW

NEED TO KNOW

• Continue the journey of Starkiller, Darth Vader’s fugitive apprentice • Unleash the Force with more power and precision • Fight through all-new challenge levels

EA Sports MMA

NEED TO KNOW

• Disciplines, rule sets, locations and fighters from all over the globe • Use Photo Game Face to create your own roster of fighters • Train with Randy Couture, Pat Miletich, Rickson Gracie and Bas Rutten

68 | connect | december 2010

Coming >>soon <<

The first Force Unleashed game got mixed reviews – some people loved using the Force, others couldn’t wait to use the Force on it. The Force Unleashed II continues the story. Starkiller is out to discover his own identity and reunite with Juno Eclipse. From the impressive cutscenes to the fun new powers (the deceptive Mind Trick turns enemies against their allies), the game has a lot to offer. If slicing and dicing your enemies or fighting them off using dual-wield lightsabers is what you’re after, this is it. Wii gamers will especially enjoy the 4-player showdown challenge. Unfortunately, the gameplay can get repetitive. That aside, fans will love every minute, even if the game’s a bit on the short side. R599.95

• Requires a full copy of World of Warcraft to play • Level cap to 85 with 5 talent points • A revamped game featuring exciting new locations • Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars The LEGO franchise continues, this time including all the characters from both seasons of the animated TV series.

Look out for brand-new battle modes and an upgraded level builder. Play either as a Jedi or Separatist with all-new character abilities.

In case you didn’t know, mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport that is becoming incredibly popular. Allowing for many different techniques and skills, it’s surprising how few games have looked at this fighting phenomenon. EA Sports MMA may be new to the genre, but their league license and technology know-how have come together in style. The presentation is exciting and the gameplay is so realistic, you’d have to be careful not to get blood on your gloves. With a career and campaign mode, as well as the ability to stream multiplayer matches over the net or use the hype camera, EA haven’t left anything out of the ring. R499.95

>>Consider This<< WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 Enjoy all your best game modes as well as new additions, an updated physics system and extensive customisation options.

Just when you thought your Azeroth adventure couldn’t get any better, Cataclysm came along, opening up parts of the world never seen before, like Uldum, Grim Batol and the great Sunken City of Vashj’ir beneath the sea. The story beings when Deathwing the Destroyer returns – nothing is left untouched by the cataclysmic event. With two new races in the game, the cursed Worgen (Alliance) or the resourceful Goblins (Horde), you’ll love the revamped environments and exciting guildlevelling and character-progression systems.

There’s also more high-level raid content, with optional challenging versions of all encounters.

It’s an expansion pack not to be missed.

R299.95

>>Get this<< Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer A MMORPG set in the Hyborian Age, you must explore the dark roads of the Empire and walk the path of the Godslayer as you unravel a deep storyline full of brutal conflict and political intrigue.

>>Buy this<< World of WarCraft: Wrath of the Lich King With the opening of the Dark Portal, the heroes of Azeroth have given little thought to the frozen wastes of Northrend and the terrible, ancient powers that await them there.

idealab.6843.Connect

game reviews

Professor Layton and the Lost Future

Just Dance 2

NEED TO KNOW • Over 165 new puzzles and you can download more • Enchanting hand-drawn animated sequences • Try the new `superhint’ option when stuck in a rut

NEED TO KNOW • More than 40 popular songs • Each track features its own choreography • All-new dancing modes and moves moving… and count calories along the way. The music selection is varied and more songs can be easily downloaded.

Crank up Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out”, Blondie’s “Call Me” and more.

R399.95

SingStar + Dance Strut your stuff solo or get moving with a partner. Up to four players can sing and dance; all you need are two microphones and Move motion controllers.

The story begins as the esteemed professor gets a letter from 10 years in the future. And if you know anything about the very popular Layton games, the tale merely holds together the puzzle element of the gameplay. At every turn you’ll be tasked with solving puzzles using all the DS has to offer. Don’t be fooled by the friendly graphics and childish script; you’ll be stumped by riddles so tough, you might resort to using a hint, or even a super-hint. The Lost Future is a challenging and entertaining Layton game suitable for everyone with a DS. R449.95

Comming >>soon<<

Consider >>this<<

Get ready to move! Wii’s vibrant dancing game, Just Dance, has just gotten even better. The concept is simple and the gameplay is a whole lot of fun. In addition to the classic mode (dance and score), you can have a dance-off with up to 8 of your friends. Do a mixed, but matching, choreographed duet or simply get

Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle You’re off to Montdol in search of a special garment, the Mask of Miracle. This enchanted piece has the ability to grant wishes to the wearer… but someone found it first and now the town is in trouble. Solve this mystery on the 3DS!

>>Comming Soon<<

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

NEED TO KNOW

• Both cops and racers get into the action • Connect and share racing know-how with friends • Increase the intensity by using multiple weapons 70 | connect | December 2010

Need for Speed is a driving series from EA that seemed to have lost its way with a few not-so-good titles. Hot Pursuit reinvigorates the franchise with a game that looks as good as it plays. From the arcade action experience to the cop chases, it’s all here, plus a driver social networking experience where you can log into the Autolog, see your friends, share data, challenge them to races and keep up with who’s doing what, even in single-player races. As long as you’re online, you’re connected. Be sure to play the Hot Pursuit mode to get to the finish line before you’re busted.

R499.95

Gran Turismo 5 Gran Turismo 5 will contain more than 1 000 perfectly recreated cars ranging from the latest supercars to the cars of NASCAR and WRC.

>>Get this<< WRC the game The dynamic driving game features 78 different rally stages and over 550km of varied road conditions from the 13 countries that host a round of the WRC.

game reviews

Fable III

NEED TO KNOW • A rich, role-playing adventure game • Players’ choices have real ingame consequences • The revolution is just the beginning…

In Fable III, players must gather followers to dethrone Albion’s tyrannical ruler by performing quests and mastering guns, melee weapons and spells. The game’s morality system allows players to be as good or as evil as they’d like to be, with actions being reflected dynamically in the player’s appearance and weapons that evolve according to his or her actions. Lionhead

Final Fantasy XIV Online have completely revamped the interface and simplified many of the tasks players complained about in Fable II, providing a smoother gameplay packed full of the usual Fable charm and warmth. A must-have for fans of the series. R699.95

Take on the role of War in this blistering action game as he battles his way through hordes of enemies in a quest to discover why he has been summoned to Earth.

GET >>THIS <<

CONSIDER >>THIS <<

Darksiders

Fallout: New Vegas You’re on a post-apocalyptic mission through the Mojave to discover just what happened to that package. Interesting and entertaining, you’ll be engrossed from the start.

Enslaved

NEED TO KNOW • A Western re-imagining of a Chinese classic • Fight, jump and shoot your way through post-apocalyptic New York • Compelling and emotional narrative drives the action Enslaved is the tale of two unlikely companions – main character Monkey and the girl he is bound to – and is set in overgrown, post-apocalyptic New York. The narrative is driven by their forced alliance; they need to work their way through the devastated landscape to freedom after the slave ship carrying them crashes. As Monkey, players will jump, fight and shoot their way through New York using anything for cover and acrobatic moves aplenty. Enslaved is a fun, action-packed adventure that fans of engrossing storytelling should not pass up. R699.95

NEED TO KNOW

• MMORPG set in the Final Fantasy universe • Rich game world to explore solo or with friends • The most beautiful graphics of any MMORPG to date Square Enix have crafted a beautiful MMO with the latest online Final Fantasy game. It’s not perfect, though, as its interface needs some cleaning up and its mission structure can be restrictive and repetitive. But there are some excellent visuals, a fun crafting system and a flexible class system that seasoned MMO players will appreciate. Progress is a bit slow, however, and the game’s lack of tutorials and in-game explanations of how things work might put some off. The hard work necessary to progress can be rewarding, but overall, FFXIV does not offer the jump-in-and-play experience needed to appeal to the average gamer. R399.95

>>Consider this<< World of Warcraft Blizzard’s phenomenal online role-playing game is still the best in the business. A truly massive world, almost uncountable quests and a huge player population will draw you in like no other MMO can.

>>Buy this<< Final Fantasy XIII

>>Retro Replay<< Heavenly Sword Even though it’s a few years old, Heavenly Sword still boasts striking visuals and a unique, action-packed story that will enthral and challenge mature gamers.

72 | connect | DECEMBER 2010

On PS3 and X360, this top-rated RPG takes you on a journey through the cityworld of Cocoon and the outerworld of Pulse. Execute powerful attacks with weapons and magic, and summon the enigmatic Eidolons with an evolved Active Time Battle system.

tech tannie

Like Klippies and Coke on a

hot day Tech Tannie solves your problems in a single gulp…

issue of the month: Q:

What are URL shorteners and why do I need one? It seems that everyone is talking in a strange language, saying things like “bittly” or somesuch.

What is this? Confused in Clovelly, Cape Town

A:

Nice to see you catching up with the online world there, Confused. It’s not like South Africans are in the dark ages, you know. While internet is expensive, we still HAVE it! How can you not know about the delights that are URL shorteners? These are the most helpful creatures in the world. Have you ever tried to read a long URL to someone in the office? Or e-mailed one to a friend only for it to break up in translation? Long URLs are painful and annoying, so URL shorteners are delightful and helpful. They are the ice to your Coke, the spanner to your taxi – essential and useful for day-to-day life. There are plenty of URL shorteners to choose from. One of the longest-standing is TinyURL (http:// tinyurl.com), which offers you a brilliant feature – a one-click bookmarklet for your browser that you simply click on and, boom, your URL is shorter. Other options to try include ReadthisURL (http://readthisurl.com), which is great for memorable URLs that make sense, MemURL.com for keyword-optimised URLs (useful for blog posts and the like), and Bit.ly (the one you referred to as “bittly” in your e-mail). Bit.ly (http://bit.ly) is very popular for microblogging sites like Twitter as it can be incorporated into your Twitter platform and used automatically – it certainly helps you with the 140 word limit – as well as Facebook, Gmail and your e-mail. So, there you have it, those are URL shorteners and that’s what they do.

Simple.

If you have questions, gripes or just seek some solace, e-mail Tamsin, our friendly tech tannie at techtannie@connectmag.co.za 74 | connect | December 2010

Q:

I have way too many pictures on my computer and honestly don’t know how to sort them, store them, or edit them properly. Do you have any ideas?

Pictured in Plett

A:

Again, this is a big question this month. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me how to handle their growing collection of images. I hear you! After just one lekker holiday by the sea, I have enough photos to go to the moon and back. Well, not really, but it’s a lot. I happen to be using several different systems for sorting and managing my images and all of them are free. Let’s start with those picture-editing and managing programs that will work with both Windows and OpenSource. If you are one of those delightfully inquisitive folk who have invested in Ubuntu or Linux for their computer, then these programmes will work a charm. You can download Picasa (http://picasa. google.com) for free. Ts is a Google-based application that lets you tag and store photographs in any way you choose.

It’s a hefty download file, though, so if you’re not running a massive internet connection, I suggest you do this just before going to bed, letting it happily download overnight.

Picasa does take a bit of getting used to at first but it boasts great editing tools (you can crop, highlight, remove red-eye and much more) and it also has face recognition software, which makes sorting images SO much easier! GIMP (http:// www.gimp.org) is another fabulous image-editing platform. It’s free, open source and works on most operating systems. GIMP, however, is not for the faint-hearted. You will need to set aside time to get your head around the various controls and learn how it works. Once you’ve done that, though, it is truly fabulous. GIMP offers you plenty of scope for creativity – you can even venture into the realms of Photoshop-style image manipulation – and you can even animate your images. Awesome stuff, and it’s all for free!

Of course, the big gun in photo editing and managing is Adobe’s range of products. They do offer Adobe Photoshop for free on the internet but this only has a small fraction of the features available in the full product. If you are really into your photography, you should seriously look at investing in Adobe Photoshop. It costs a packet, but it has so much functionality that you’re going to be immersed in it for months. I own Adobe Photoshop and use it to manipulate my images, but I use Picasa to manage and group them.

The choice, really, is dependent on your budget, your level of expertise, and how much time you’re prepared to invest in photographic storage and editing. For those who want a quick fix with easy access, Picasa is the answer, but those of you who want to really get down and dirty will really appreciate Photoshop or GIMP. And choosing between those will be all about budget…

Q:

How do I back up Outlook? I lost a load of e-mails and files when my computer crashed and I really don’t want that to happen again.

Outlook in Onderstepoort

A:

This month I’ve had similar questions from loads of different people. How do I back up my files? How do I rescue Outlook? It’s clearly been a month of wayward computers. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get started.

Microsoft Outlook automatically stores your messages, calendar appointments, tasks and other such malarkey in two specific ways – as a .pst file on your hard disk, and on the Microsoft Exchange Server (if you use this). What you need to do, before your hardware dies, is back up these .pst files on a regular basis. You can use either a CD-ROM or an external hard drive to do this. To start with, close Outlook and Messenger. Then go to Start>>Run and write “control panel” into the open box. Don’t include the inverted commas. Then press Enter. Click on the Mail icon, click on Show Profiles and then select your profile. Click on Properties>>Data Files and then select the Personal Folders Service (pst) that you want to back up. If you have more than one of these, you’ll have to back up each one separately. Now, click Settings and write down the name of the path and the file name that appears and, because these files can get moerse big, click on Compact Now in the Settings window. Close all the windows, then use the file name noted down earlier to copy the file. Use either Windows Explorer or My Computer to find it.

Then simply copy it across to your hard drive or CD-Rom. Voila! Backup done. I

really do recommend you invest in an external hard drive for all backups as it is far easier to manage and control. It also takes up far less space than a pile of backup CDs (or DVDs if you prefer). If you followed all of these steps and couldn’t FIND a .pst file, then you either have your files stored on Microsoft Exchange Server or you haven’t set up Outlook to save them. To find out where your .pst files are stored on the server, go to Tools>>Options>>Mail Setup>>Email Accounts in Outlook. In the Account Settings, tab click on the Data Files tab and if the Name field has the word “Mailbox” followed by an e-mail name, then Outlook stores your data on the server. If you are the administrator, follow the path to find the files and back them up the same way as described above.

Now, let’s say you’ve just done all this fabulous hard work and then your computer dies a horrible death, or you move computers.You can transfer these backups by following these simple steps.

Copy the .pst file you saved onto the hard drive and make sure that the ReadOnly box is NOT checked. Open Outlook, go to File>>Import And Export>>Import from another program or file>>Next.

Then select Personal Folder File and click Next again. Write the path and name of the .pst file you are importing, click Next, select the folder, and click Finish. And you’re done… It sounds complicated, but actually it’s really easy, especially if you’re working with Outlook 2007.

www.connectmag.co.za | 75

t c e n n o c now!

Buy a computer from Incredible Connection and get free ADSL data – no questions asked…

T

he Internet is, without a doubt, one of the most important – if not the most important – technological development in the history of humankind. From being able to provide us with a veritable smorgasbord of information on every topic imaginable, to its ability to tear down the barriers of distance and allow family and friends to cheaply and reliably communicate with each other, the Internet has become such an integral part of our daily lives that without it, computers might as well be elaborate paperweights.

And with international undersea cables landing on our continent, the quality of service and accessibility of the Internet is improving. There’s quite simply never been a better time to fully immerse oneself in what the connected world has to offer.

That’s the reason we’re excited about ‘Incredible Connect’, a new ISP offer that sees Incredible Connection customers getting free ADSL data with every notebook, netbook or desktop computer purchased from mid-November – watch press and instore for details.

76 | connect | December 2010

advertorial

DID SOMEONE SAY FREE DATA? That’s right, Free.

The deal is simple: buy a computer from Incredible Connection that costs under R6 000 and get a R1 500 (39GB) ADSL data voucher. Buy a computer from Incredible Connection that costs between R6 000 and R10 000 and you’ll get a larger ADSL data voucher to the value of R2 000 (52GB).

If you spend over R10 000 on a computer from Incredible Connection however, you’ll qualify for a R2 500 (65GB) ADSL data voucher and be able to surf to your heart’s content.

You can choose how to use your entire ADSL data voucher up in monthly increments that suit you.

That means, you can use the entire value of your ADSL data voucher up in one month, or divide it up into equal parts of anything up to twelve months. The only proviso is that the minimum amount per month is 3GB and that you’ll have to decide how you want your ADSL data voucher to be divided up, when you redeem it.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A LINE OR ROUTER? While you can easily give your voucher to a family member or friend and let them benefit from free ADSL data (it’s fully transferrable), doing that would be defeating the purpose.

So, if you don’t have an ADSL line, you can order one from Telkom, or straight off the Incredible Connect website.

The benefit of doing the latter is that an extra R500 will be added to your voucher, which means an extra 13GB of free data. And the same deal applies, if you already have an ADSL line and switch it across to Incredible Connect.

If you don’t have a router, the Incredible Connect website (or your nearest Incredible Connection store) is a good place to start looking for one.

Add a router to the mix when ordering a new ADSL line or transferring an existing one to Incredible Connect and you’ll qualify for a discount on the purchase price of your router.

That means you can scoop up a wired router from R299 and a wireless model from R749 – both delivered straight to your door.

If you don’t want to go through the rigours of installing it yourself, there’s even an option to get an Incredibles OnSite technician to come out to your home or office and do it all for you. It will cost you R499 to buy a wired router and have it installed, whereas it will cost you R999 for the same arrangement, but with a wireless router.

And if don’t have Internet access, you can always order your ADSL line and router through the Incredible Connect call centre: 0861 INCREDIBLE (462 733).

FEED Y PASSIOUFR ONEED Y PAS OU R U SIO R O Y D E FE A N N O D PASS52I SL DAATA GB VO D W O U C H39EGR SL DA TA R T HB VO TAW ADSL DA R O R U C H E R E T H 65GB VO U C H H

FREE FRE E E E R FR 200 R0 150 T R O W 0 0 0 R25

Registering on the system So now that you’ve bought a computer and been handed your free ADSL data voucher, how do you use it? Well, that depends on your situation and level of expertise.

IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING INTERNET CONNECTION AND KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND THINGS: 1 Point your browser at http://www.connect.co.za /free; 2 Follow the on-screen instructions, entering the unique code on the inside of your voucher pack and your tax invoice number from your till slip when asked to; 3 Enter your new Incredible Connect username and password into your router; and 4 Enjoy!

IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING TELKOM ADSL LINE, BUT NO INTERNET CONNECTION: 1 Phone Incredible Connect’s call centre on 0861 462 733 and have your unique ADSL data voucher code and tax invoice number close at hand; 2 Follow the call centre agent’s instructions to get your connection set up correctly; and 3 Enjoy!

What else should I know? > If you purchased a computer from Incredible Connection any time after (and including) the 1st of August 2010, you will be eligible for a free ADSL data voucher as outlined above. All you need to do is bring in your Incredible Connection till slip before the end of December and you’ll be given a voucher that correlates to the value of your computer purchase. > Incredible Connect data vouchers need to be redeemed before the 30th of June 2011 and the speed of the connection offered depends directly on your chosen line speed. > ADSL lines are available at speeds of 384k, 512k, 4Mbits/ sec and, in some areas, 10Mbits/sec. If you move your ADSL line to Incredible Connect, for a 384k line you will pay R147.00 per month as opposed to R152.00 per month through Telkom. And the prices improve the higher capacity line you take! For a 512k line you’ll pay R315.00 instead of R326.00, and for a 4096k line you’ll save even more, paying R399.00 as opposed to R413.00 through Telkom. An increased line speed and cost is in addition to a standard voice line rental of R133.50 per month. > The service also comes with a complementary e-mail address with the @connect.co.za suffix. > The connectivity offered by Incredible Connect is a premium service that is balanced across the two largest undersea cables feeding South Africa – Seacom and SAT-3 – and as such, is redundant and delivers higher performance than most connectivity solutions on the market. > Users can expect the service to perform at speeds of 0.33MB/s on the downlink front and 0.11MB/s when it comes to uplink speed on a 384k line. At the top end of the scale, the service on a 4Mbit/sec line should see downlink performance of around 3.1MB/s and uplink performance around the 0.27MB/s mark. > The Incredible Connect call centre operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be reached on 0861 462 733. > More information is of course, always available online at http://www.connect.co.za

www.connectmag.co.za | 77

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disconnect //By adam oxford

junkmail

Don’t answer your e-mails; it only encourages them!

L

ast week I committed the cardinal sin of the modern workplace. I went on holiday.

Then I made the problem worse. I didn’t turn on my e-mail autoresponder.

Usually, going away means coming back to 200 or 300 unread e-mails of varying importance in my inbox, and four days of late-night working just to catch up with them. There have been many times in the past that I’ve avoided taking a day off, because I’d have been more exhausted from taking a break than I would have been staying at my desk Last week, though, I had a cunning plan to try to make things a little less painful.

It should have been foolproof. My wife and I went to visit my parents, mainly to allow our daughter some valuable grandparentbonding time. It doesn’t happen often – working out a map of where our relatives live looks like Jackson Pollack has invaded our GPS. Because visiting family is often two parts filial duty to two parts enjoyment, I took a laptop. I thought this would help me avoid those uncomfortable silences late in the afternoon when seven adults – my brothers and sisters were around too – begin to crave a little more personal space. By asking for time to check my e-mail, I reasoned, I’d create an opportunity for everyone to go off and do their own thing for a while, and I’d manage to keep my inbox clear.

It didn’t work.

In hindsight, there were two big problems with my experiment.

The first was that by not physically severing my umbilical cord to the internet, the little jobs that I thought I’d stay on top of kept me working until 3am most nights I was away. The second was that nothing fills an inbox faster than replying to e-mails.

People’s reaction to an autoresponder that says, ‘I’m out of the office until Wednesday’ is either to try again on Thursday or, more frequently, realise that they probably didn’t need to get hold of you in the first place. Send them an e-mail that begins, ‘I’m actually out of the office until Wednesday, but I’ll try to have a look before then’ and you’ll quickly get two or three follow-ups asking for something else that it should be obvious you’re not going to be able to do until you’re back in the office.

80 | connect | December 2010

So, instead of coming back to 200 or 300 unread mails, I had over 500 black lines in my inbox.

Looking at it now, I can see that this doesn’t just happen when we’re away. The more efficient we are with e-mail, the more e-mail we generate. Every time one is answered, two more jump up to take its place. It’s like electronic quicksand: the faster you try to free yourself, the more quickly you’re overcome.

Some estimates reckon that office employees spend up to 40% of the working day answering e-mail, and an even greater amount of time recovering from the mental distraction. There have been many days when the only real work I’ve done has been after 5pm.

How many of those pressingly urgent things that seem to require immediate attention really do? Not as many as we think, that’s for sure. Part of me is convinced that if I only spend one hour a day replying to e-mails and ignore everything I didn’t have time to read, I’d vastly cut down on the amount of traffic coming into my inbox, and wouldn’t be any worse off in terms of actual work coming in.

I’m not brave enough to try this, of course, because every time I do, I become convinced that at some stage in the last five minutes since I checked, someone has mailed me to make me a millionaire or – more likely – tell me I’m fired.

I am determined not to carry on, Canute-like, in a futile attempt to push back the tides that are overwhelming my inbox. I have yet another plan to save my sanity.

I’m changing my e-mail address. That’ll show them.

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