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January 2011

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www.connectmag.co.za

VOL02 Issue #09

January 2011

FEATURES 10

Seeing is Believing: 3D TV Becoming popular across the globe, should you take this technology home?

14

Face-to-Face Apple’s new video calling software

18

Easy Peasy PDFs Understand the secure file format simply called the PDF

20

Back to School Software The best interactive learning experiences for your kids

24

Calling all Chatterboxes Become a master messenger

28

Digital Health Technology and your wellbeing

18

24

REGULARS 04 06 08 68 70 72

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

REVIEWS 34 40 44 45 46 48 50 54 56 57 60

Top 5 Notebooks Monitors Projectors Printers Media Players Cameras and Camcorders External Hard Drives Gaming Accessories Software Books

GAMING 62

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

Reviews

SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@connectmag.co.za ADVERTISING Dorothy Haggard dorothy@connectmag.co.za Contact Hypertext Media Communications (011) 023-8001/4 info@hypertext.co.za FAX 08654 83304

Connect is a joint venture between Hypertext Media Communications and Incredible Connection

ed’s note

n i g n i Stay ershape

A

Subscribe now and you could one of four awesome Acer Aspire One 532H netbooks!

nother year has come and gone, but 2010 was memorable in many ways. It brought with it the Soccer World Cup, much-needed infrastructure (which continues to alter the face of our landscape) and an ever-improving technological space. If you’ve just decided to get interested in the digital world, now is the perfect time as 2011 is sure to bring with it even more interesting developments that enhance every aspect of our lives.

No matter your age or understanding of technology, there is always something suitable that’s worth a look. In the January issue of Connect, we’re focusing on back-to-school software that will add value to toddlers, teens, tweens and hard-working high-school students.

Did you know, for example, that there is an educational software series called Big Boet? Or what about the Get Ahead packages that offer grade-bygrade learning and revision assistance? With great graphics and multimedia backings, educational software can be a wonderful way to introduce kids to computers. Explore more on page 20.

If you’re like me, there’s a good chance you’ve seen one or two 3D movies by now and are curious about taking the technology home. Is it worth it? What hardware would you need? Deon du Plessis has done all the research so you’ll know exactly what to expect if you’re intending to take your television-viewing experience to the next dimension.

Google chat, MSN messenger, Skype… everyone

uses something to chat to friends and family, locally and across the globe. In this issue of Connect, we’re going back to the basics of instant messaging. With so many options, there’s probably more to this typing talk than you imagined, which is why, on page 24, we’ll reveal the simple science of it all, and more.

In fact, we’ve even analysed Apple’s new video chat option, FaceTime. Have an Apple computer or an iPhone? You’re definitely going to want to invest in this. Find out more about FaceTime on page 14.

But before you go spending hours on end chatting online, are you sitting correctly? Is there adequate lighting? Being safe on the computer isn’t just about protective proxies; how you type can make all the difference, and so can the chair you sit on or the placement of your screen.

Ergonomically speaking, your cyber wellbeing should not be overlooked and in this issue of Connect, we’re giving you top tips to digital health.

Read more on page 28.

From reviews you can use to advice from a muse, Connect Magazine is truly the technology magazine that speaks your language. And as an added bonus, 500 lucky readers might find a card in their issue that offers a year’s free antivirus protection from Norton! What are you waiting for? Here’s to a year of gadgets, gaming and great times.

Enjoy the issue, Tiana Cline Editor

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

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4 | connect | January 2011

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news A Kindle for Web and Google Chrome

Internet Explorer Ups its Security Microsoft’s IE9 browser will have tools that control what data is collected about what a user does online. The tools will allow people to control what information is known about their web life. The tools will let people stop a site they are visiting sharing information about what they do with other sites. Users will be able to create lists stating that their data will only be shared with sites they want to see it. In IE9, Microsoft is planning to introduce what it calls “Tracking Protection Lists” that it says will work like the “Do Not Call” lists that limit who marketing firms can cold call. The lists will be defined by users and limit the sharing of data only to those sites that a user is happy to see the information. When switched on, the system might mean that some adverts or other features do not appear when users visit sites. Anyone will be able to write a list and share it with others so they can get the same protection, said Microsoft. The tracking system will be turned off by default and users will have to “opt in” to use it. Microsoft said early versions of the tools would be included in the version of IE9 due for release in early 2011.

When Amazon launched Kindle for the Web earlier this year, we all cried “what?!” The service let you preview small snippets of Kindle eBooks in your browser, and that was about it. It kind of proved itself as a way to promote books on other sites, thanks to embedding features, but it remained a curiosity. Now Amazon has announced an update, bringing the full Kindle experience to the browser, and also to Google’s new Chrome Web Store, meaning any notebook running Google’s Chrome OS. You’ll be able to read entire books on any web-connected device, and if you embed books on your site and people read them there, you’ll earn affiliate fees. Kindle seems to be the default option for reading eBooks: There’s a Kindle app for pretty much everything, and Amazon has the biggest catalogue, too, which is especially if you don’t live in America. Putting the Kindle on the web is smart, and shows that Amazon is more interested in selling Kindle books than selling Kindle hardware.

Wireless Printing for Apple HP’s AirPrint wireless printing for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is now available as a free software update with Apple iOS 4.2. An embedded print function within apps on these devices will allow users to automatically find a HP ePrint-enabled printer on wireless networks within users’ Wi-Fi range, and print to it with one touch - without the need to install drivers or download software.

HP’s existing and upcoming ePrint enabled printers are unique in their ability to support direct printing from iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices through AirPrint – no other printing companies offer this capability today. HP is empowering customers to print whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want. Anytime, anywhere.

App of the Month: FNB Connect Looking for a cost-effective solution for sending text messages, making calls to friends overseas or instant messaging on-the-go? Download the FNB Connect software and you’ll be able to make VOIP calls using your phone, pc or laptop. There are no initiation fees or contracts to sign, all you need to do is download the application. Available for the iPhone, Android and Nokia platforms, when you sign in you’ll receive a unique 087 number and R10 Free anytime airtime to use. If you need more, it’s an easy as topping up your balance using your FNB account.

When you’re connected to 3G or Wi-Fi, all calls to 087 numbers are Free and while you’re making a phone call, you’ll earn eBucks as well. And until January 2011, you’ll be able to call any mobile or landline number (both local and international) any time of the day or day or the week for only 25c per minute.

FNB Connect has also partnered with various ISP provides to ensure you’ll always stay connected at popular Wi-Fi spots across the country. Download the app, and you’ll receive

6 | connect | January 2011

a password to connect to networks at coffee shops, airports and other perfect places. Because FNB Connect uses push notifications, you can receive phone calls even if the app is closed which means friends can call you on your new 087 number whenever and wherever.

But there’s more! You can send SMS’, send and receive faxes, use instant messaging and access the FNB Call Centre Free. Lost your bankcard? The number is there. Having problems with Online Banking, the number is there. This all-in-one app also contains local emergency telephone numbers, data cost calculators and the ability to record your phone conversation if need be.

If you use FNB Connect, you’ll quickly be able to sort out Forex by working out the rates (no need for another app) and instead of driving around looking for the closest FNB ATM or branch, the FNB Connect contains a useful locator that will pinpoint the bank closest to you on a map for easy reference.

Visit www.fnbconnect.co.za for more information.

QUICK LOOK • R10 free airtime to call any number any time for new registrations • Free Voice at selected Wi-Fi Hotspots • Free calls to FNB contact centres for Connect Talk customers • Free on-net calls • Free Digital phone (software application) • Free Sign up! No Contracts!

• Free Instant Messaging (Chat) • Free 7GB E-mail Boxes powered by Google • Earn eBucks • Fax service • Purchase Wi-Fi Vouchers • International calls from R0.25

techno jargon // by Deon du Plessis

This month, we dissect some of the tougher terms seen in the magazine, and hopefully give your brain a workout so that it’s ready to return to work and school.

8 | connect | January 2011

HDR

Wall-colour compensation

ATI EyeFinity

Stands for “High Dynamic Range”, and is used to describe the technological process that ensures scenes with a lot of lighting contrast, i.e. very dark and very bright areas, are captured accurately by a camera without losing the details hidden in these areas. In the context of the Sony Alpha 33 camera review on page 47, its “Automatic HDR” feature is used to create attractive pictures by taking three images in rapid succession, but at different exposures – each shot slightly brighter than the previous one. The camera uses the differences between all three images to create a single picture that uses the best aspects of each image, which enables photographers to capture scenes with a lot of contrast while still retaining the detail of parts of the shot that are hidden by too much or too little light.

When a projector outputs an image to a surface that is not white, it has to compensate to keep the image as true to its original colouring as possible. This is referred to as wall-colour compensation, and it is a feature Acer has incorporated into many of the projectors that bear its name.

EyeFinity is graphics card maker ATI’s proprietary technology that lets gamers output their computer graphics to an array of monitors. The maximum number of supported monitors at the time of writing is six. The idea is to place all six in such a way as they make up a single viewing area which can then be used as a single screen by the computer. Of course, to keep things looking good the graphics card that is used needs to be very powerful, which is why this feature is only available in ATI’s newer 5000-series and 6000-series cards.

“In the cloud” IT companies are increasingly providing services that only require a customer to connect to a set of servers via the Internet in order to access it. The Internet, as a whole, has been referred to as “the cloud” in IT circles, which is why services that reside somewhere other than on the customer’s home or business network are referred to as being “in the cloud”. An examples of an “in the cloud” service is Google Mail (http://mail.google.com/mail), as all the hardware needed to send and receive e-mail messages exist on Google’s premises in Mountain View, California, and all anyone needs to make use of it is a computer and an internet connection.

CCD Image Sensor CCD stands for “Charge Coupled Device”; these are electronic devices that are used to convert light into digital data so that it can be recorded by a camera.

Bigger CCDs are capable of higher resolutions and better image quality in low-light situations, and are typically found in more expensive cameras. Some video cameras have what is called a “3CCD” system that uses three separate CCDs to capture light in the blue, green and red spectrums, which results in better-quality images.

Incredible Connect All PC or notebook computers purchased at Incredible Connection stores will, as from November 2010, come bundled with a voucher for ADSL data. The value of the computer determines the value of the ADSL voucher.

Buyers can choose how they’d like to receive their bandwidth, with options including over a 3-, 6-, or 12-month period. Choosing a shorter period allocates more bandwidth per month. An ADSL modem and an ADSL-enabled telephone line are needed to make use of the voucher, however.

Native resolution PictBridge PictBridge is a standard for allowing digital cameras to print directly to a printer without needing to be connected to a computer. If a camera is “PictBridge compatible”, it can plug directly into a printer via its USB cable, and send pictures to be printed.

LCD monitors use liquid crystals to display images, each one acting as a single pixel. A maximum number of crystals are used in any given screen; due to the way in which these crystals are arranged next to one another, when a screen resolution is selected that is less than the number of crystals used in the screen’s construction, each LCD cannot represent a single pixel, and is instead representative of only a portion of a single pixel. Due to the tiny gaps between the liquid crystals, the resulting image does not look as sharp as it should. When a resolution is chosen that coincides with the exact number of liquid crystals that the screen has, the image looks razor sharp, as each crystal represents one pixel of that image. This is what is called a screen’s “native resolution”.

Surround sound When technology is used to reproduce the experience of sound seeming to come at the listener from all angles, this is called “surround sound”. It is entirely artificial, and is achieved by playing sounds though multiple speakers placed in strategic positions around the listener. This is more commonly found in movie cinemas, but it is increasingly to be found in the home, courtesy of multi-speaker home theatre systems.

Headphone creators are also getting in on the act, with some high-end products shipping with 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound capabilities.

Standby power consumption Many gadgets and devices can be put into a state called “sleep”, where they are still technically powered, but their functions are diminished. In this state, they use a lot less power than when they are fully powered, and the measure of this smaller amount of power is what is referred to as a device’s “standby power consumption”.

The Samsung monitor reviewed on page 44, for example, has a standby power rating of only 0.4W, meaning that is all it consumes to keep its power light blinking and to maintain an awareness of whenever a key is pressed to bring it out of standby mode.

Kinect for Xbox 360 Microsoft has finally brought its take on motioncontrolled gaming to market, and has called it Kinect.

It’s a clever play on words, as jumping around madly in front of your TV is a very kinetic activity (kinetic meaning full of motion). There were over 15 titles available for Kinect at launch, with many more in the pipeline. Kinect enables gamers to dance, fight, kick and jump their way through their games instead of sitting idly on the couch moving their fingers rapidly over the wireless controller. Now, the gamer IS the controller.

www.connectmag.co.za | 9

know your 3D //by deon du plessis

10 | connect | Januray 2011

This month, Connect looks at 3D HD TVs for the home and answers the question of whether South Africans should buy into the concept.

I

f you’ve ever wondered what comes after high definition televisions, we have the answer: 3D. 3D technology is making a comeback in cinemas across the world thanks to growing popularity among movie-goers, and is being incorporated into HD TVs as well, to bring the 3D experience into the home.

If you’ve only just bought an HD TV and are groaning at the thought of needing to buy another TV, don’t fret. Because 3D TVs are still prohibitively expensive, the adoption rate among the average consumer, especially in South Africa, is pretty low at the moment. So a new 3D HD TV is more a ‘nice to have’ than a ‘have to have’.

Still, it’s a fascinating technology that warrants a closer look, especially as it has changed since its resurgence in the ‘80s and 90s. So sit back and relax as we take you through what 3D is, how it works and why there is a good chance you’ll be excited when 3D HD TV prices drop in the near future.

The basics Human eyes are able to perceive depth in everyday life because they are positioned slightly apart from each other. This produces two separate images of the same scene, seen from slightly different angles; these are sent to the brain, where they are blended together to form a single image. The brain uses the differences between the two images to determine distance, which is then perceived as depth.

In order to reproduce this on a flat screen, 3D projectors and screens play two images of the same scene at the same time (one for each eye). These images are overlaid on top of each other and are skewed either to the right or the left, depending on which eye they are intended for. This skewing is how each image appears to be presented from a slightly different angle.

3D glasses are needed to help the brain merge both pictures into a single image that appears to come out of the screen at the viewer, i.e. it has the illusion of depth. In the old days, the 3D effect was achieved by presenting the viewer with two overlapping images of the same scene that were coloured differently. When the viewer popped on a pair of glasses with colour-coded lenses that revealed only one of the two images to each eye, the resulting view combined in the viewer’s head to form a three-dimensional image. This older technology was referred to as ‘anaglyphic 3D’, but it wasn’t perfect and typically presented viewers with a rather low-resolution and off-colour result.

www.connectmag.co.za | 11

know your 3D

Passive 3D HD TVs are on the way The advances in passive 3D technology that allow for better image quality and higher resolutions are being used to produce passive 3D TVs that work with cheap 3D glasses, but these will only hit the international market in 2011. They will eventually appear on SA store shelves, but the “when” is anyone’s guess at this point.

New and improved 3D Today’s 3D has improved dramatically, and is able to present movies in full HD resolutions (720p, 1080p) and in full colour. The 3D experienced in cinemas is called “passive 3D”, which uses an enhanced version of anaglyphic 3D technology to produce threedimensional movies. The advantage of this approach is that the audience only needs cheap, lightweight glasses with different-coloured lenses to watch the movie in 3D.

Getting active ‘Active 3D’ is used in most 3D televisions on sale today as they make use of `active liquid crystal shutter glasses’, to show 3D content. These powered 3D glasses work by blocking out alternating images sent to the right and left eye at a rate of around 120 times per second, synchronised over infra-red or Bluetooth with what the TV is displaying.

Depending on the manufacturer, these glasses are either rechargeable or use watch batteries, and are good for up to 80 hours of viewing before needing a recharge.

There are two disadvantages to this approach: powered glasses only work for the make of TV they were intended for, so you can’t watch an LG 3D TV using Samsung glasses. The second is cost, as powered 3D glasses also cost about a grand apiece, an expensive prospect for a family of four.

On the bright side, active 3D is less likely to cause discomfort or give viewers headaches.

12 | connect | Januray 2011

Is a new TV an absolute necessity?

The need for a screen with a high `refresh rate’ (the number of times the TV updates the screen in a second) is part of the reason why older HD TVs cannot be upgraded to 3D, and the reason why new 3D HD TVs have refresh rates of 120Hz and higher.

The technology of the actual television screen is different as well, which is the other reason a move to 3D will require the purchase of a new TV. Since 3D HD TV prices are in the ‘ridiculous’ range for most South Africans (upwards of R25k), this is not wonderful news.

The good news is that, as with any consumerfocused technology, the prices will drop over time as adoption rates pick up internationally. Anyone who bought a 40” LCD HD TV in December for R8 000 or less will attest to that.

Let’s say I do have the cash…

If you’re one of the fortunate few with wads of disposable income and a hankering for a 3D home cinema experience, you will need to buy both a 3D HD TV and a Blu-ray player capable of 3D movie playback. If you already own Sony’s excellent PlayStation 3 console, rejoice, for Sony’s forward thinking means you already have a 3D Blu-ray player. If you don’t, a fully-updated PS3 is highly recommended as it’s not that much more expensive than a standalone 3D Blu-ray player, plus you can use it as a media centre and play awesome games on it, some of which can also be enjoyed in 3D.

Get closer

Game on!

Gaming in 3D is a truly `next-generation’ experience and one we highly recommend. Sony has several titles already available for 3D televisions. These include Gran Turismo 5, Wip3out, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Pain, Super StarDust HD, as well as Mortal Kombat, Crysis 2, Tron, Shaun White, Ghost Recon, MotorStorm: Apocalypse, and NBA 2K11.

Nintendo is bringing out a new DS handheld gaming console called the 3DS in early 2011.

This handheld marvel produces 3D imagery that does not require special glasses to view, and is backwards-compatible with older DS titles. It can also display movies in 3D, and Nintendo has brokered deals with several major movie studios to bring their 3D titles to the 3DS.

Can the cable cope?

Some of our more technicallyminded readers might be wondering if a new HDMI cable is required for 3D content-viewing. They would be right in thinking that the amount of data a 3D movie generates is greater than for a regular 2D movie but, happily, the HDMI standard is more than capable of handling the additional load. So no, a new HDMI cable is not a requirement for an upgrade to 3D.

Should you be fortunate enough to be in a position to buy a 3D HD TV, we strongly suggest you go as big as possible. Sitting closer to the screen than usual is also advised if you really want to be drawn in, as TV borders can impair the 3D experience.

You’ll never reproduce the overwhelming awesomeness of watching a 3D movie at your local cinema, but by sitting closer and buying a 3D TV with minimal borders, you can come close.

The LG Infinia 47LX9500 we reviewed in the December issue is an excellent choice for a 3D HD TV. It is almost entirely borderless and at 47”, it’s big enough to comfortably fit into the average living room. The 3D visuals it put out were simply incredible and convincing enough that objects took on what felt like genuine depth and weight. We were very sorry when it went back to LG and were left wondering how to scrape together the necessary R43k to buy one of our own.

Lasting appeal 3D is not the gimmick we thought it was a few years ago – it’s here to stay. As exciting as the technology is, though, it’s still overpriced for the average South African consumer. Those who can afford it will find only a few titles available in the 3D Blu-ray format, but this will certainly change in the coming year. Gaming will probably also enjoy a push to 3D, particularly on Sony’s PlayStation 3 platform, which is already 3D-enabled.

Buying a 3D HD TV at this early stage is definitely worthwhile, then, and although 3D content is a little thin right now, that will change as the technology gains a foothold in homes across the world. So while being an early adopter means a large initial investment, it should prove worthwhile in the long run.

www.connectmag.co.za | 13

video calling //by tamaryn watkins

e c a f o t e c a F

with Apple’s

FaceTime FaceTime is a new technology from Apple that enables video calling over Wi-Fi to anywhere in the world, using your iPhone 4, iPod Touch or Mac. Connect gives you the low-down on FaceTime and how to use it on just about all of your Apple gadgets.

14 | connect | Januray 2011

P

ortable video-calling technology is more than just a great way to keep in touch. It’s also a useful business tool. Recently, Apple introduced the world to FaceTime, bringing video calling to certain Apple devices, making it possible for you to call an iPod Touch from an iPhone 4, or a Mac from either of these, and vice versa.

One of the reasons you’ll love Apple’s mobile video calling is that it uses a Wi-Fi connection, which means you won’t be paying international cellular rates and you won’t have to worry about an unstable Skype connection or delayed webcam feeds.

Why FaceTime?

It’s simple: switch FaceTime on, and it works.

For iPhone 4, iPod Touch and Mac users, this minimal-setup solution to video chatting takes away the `where do I plug in my microphone?’ or `I can’t see you’ issues. It’s this simplicity that will probably be the biggest reason people will turn to FaceTime for staying in touch.

Using an iPhone 4, you can place a FaceTime call from the following apps: Phone: While on a phone call, you can tap the FaceTime icon to invite the other party to a FaceTime call.

Contacts: Tap the FaceTime icon to place a FaceTime call to the contact you are viewing.

QUICK TIPS Using your Apple ID on more than one iDevice: If your Apple ID is linked to your Google Mail account, it’s simple to share the same information across your devices. It’s simple a matter of modifying your standard e-mail address by adding a plus sign and characters between your username and the @ symbol.

An example would be: `connect+iPhone@gmail.com’, or `connect+MacBook@gmail.com’, depending on which device is being used.

Change your perspective: You can view your contact’s video stream in either portrait or landscape mode, and if they’re using an iPod/iPhone and they change the orientation of their device, your display will be automatically updated.

You can also enter full-screen mode and mute the audio.

You don’t need Wi-Fi if you’re using FaceTime on your Mac: The iPhone 4 requires you to have a Wi-Fi connection in order to make a FaceTime call, as does the iPod Touch.

But the Mac doesn’t—if it’s on a wired network, or even on a cellular 3G broadband USB dongle, it can make and receive FaceTime calls.

Don’t forget to use the back-facing camera on your iPhone 4 or iPod Touch: The front-facing camera is still a novelty for most, so it’s easy to forget it’s there. What’s great about it is that you can show the person you’re chatting with what you’re looking at, without losing face-to-face contact.

On the FaceTime screen you’ll see a little icon that lets you switch between the two cameras.

www.connectmag.co.za | 15

video calling

OTHER VIDEOCALLING OPTIONS Not everyone has an iPhone 4 or the latest iPod Touch, nor does everyone own a MacBook. If you need to stay in touch with someone, below are some worthwhile, free video-calling options.

Skype: (http://skype.com/ intl/en-us/get-skype) For your computer, there’s no better FaceTime alternative than Skype, which allows you to make free video calls to other Skype users. The mobile version, if your handset is supported, allows you to make free Skype-to-Skype calls and low-cost calls to phones abroad on Wi-Fi or 3G networks.

Magical Mac FaceTime The FaceTime app for the Mac computer is still in beta phase. What this means is that you’ll be able to download it, and use it, but it might still have a few bugs and you’ll have to update regularly, as Apple further develops the product.

Google Talk: (http://mail.google. com/videochat) Video chat right from your Google Mail, or using Google Talk, if you have a webcam. It’s as simple as downloading the voice and video chat plugin, and installing it. Once you’ve selected the contact with whom you wish to video chat, click the camera icon next to their name, or the phone icon to make a voice call.

How To Install and Use FaceTime for Mac 1 Go to www.apple.com/mac/facetime and click `download now‘. After your install, you’ll find the FaceTime app in your Applications directory, ready to be launched.

2 After you’ve downloaded and launched the application, if you don’t have an Apple ID, simply select an e-mail address (or phone number) that you want to designate as your FaceTime username. You’ll be sent e-mail verification. You can specify more than one number or address as Apple keeps a database that sees your Mac linked to the address/number you specified. FaceTime callers will automatically be able to place a call to you, if they have your details.

3 After logging into the FaceTime app, you’ll see your list of contacts populated from your Address Book; selecting a contact will show you their details.

Unfortunately, the one they’ve picked to be the FaceTime contact isn’t highlighted in any way so you’ll have to send a quick e-mail or make a phone call to confirm with your friend. This shouldn’t be too much of a hassle, unless you have multiple e-mail addresses/phone numbers for one person.

4 You call a contact off your contacts list and an invitation pops up on their screen. Once it’s been accepted, the video call can begin.

16 | connect | Januray 2011

FaceTime is designed to stay running in the background so even if you physically quit the application, it will stay open so that you can be notified of any incoming calls.

If you want to turn your webcam off and be unavailable for calls, you’ll need to go into the main FaceTime menu and select `Sign Out’.

“If you want to leave FaceTime running in case of an important call, but you don’t want to be interrupted unnecessarily, go to `Preferences’, and on the right column you’ll see an `On/Off’ button. Clicking that will mean no one can call you.” If you remain logged in, but were away from your Mac and someone called you, you will receive notification of missed calls at the top of the menu.

It’s great to hear a voice, but it’s even better to see the face that goes with it!

Fring: (http://fring.com/default.php) There’s a mobile version (check handset compatibility) that allows you to make voice calls, video chats and IM with your AIM, Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger contacts.

Tango: (http://tango.me) This mobile videocalling service works on your iPhone or Android device that works over 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi. Yahoo Messenger: (http://messenger.yahoo.com) Allows you to video call over both Wi-Fi and 3G, and you’re not limited to iPhone-to-iPhone calling either. iOS to PC or Android is now also possible, making Yahoo!

Messenger the first cross-platform video-calling app to cover Android, iOS and the desktop.

advertorial

W

off Advertorial on the right foot

hile it’s great to have a break over the festive season, looking forward to a fresh, New Year that’s paved with opportunity is just as uplifting an experience as spending a couple of weeks unwinding.

And even though those in the know believe 2011 is due to be a cracker of a year, since getting through 2010 proved to be more of an uphill battle than most of us anticipated, it’s a good idea to build a plan for the coming year that covers you, if things don’t go according to plan.

And let’s be honest, there’s no better time than the beginning of a year to build a contingency plan – after all, you should be refreshed and fighting fit from a good rest.

As any successful businessman or financial expert will tell you, the best contingency plan anyone would hope for

is a savings account that you invest some of your monthly income in – just for emergencies’ sake.

Before you can get to that point however, you’ll need to get all of your debts under control and plan for all of the expenses you’re likely to encounter throughout the year.

Start off 2011 with a little budgeting exercise and remember – build in some ‘wiggle room’ for the rising costs we’re all likely to see over the coming year.

While you’re at it, take a good hard look at your debts and plough as much of your spare cash into getting your monthly installments settled and out of sight.

Once you’ve done that, put some money away for a rainy day. You never know what the weather forecast is at the beginning of a year.

The new Connection Card is all about benefits!

Whether you’re a new member, or an existing cardholder simply needing to exchange your old card for a new one, the Connection Card now has incredible benefits just waiting for you to take advantage of!

The new Connection Card gives you:

R250 off* a purchase of R3 000 or more, a FREE monthly Connect Magazine along with your monthly statement and a voucher on your birthday!

For those who already have the new card, congratulations, we look forward to your next visit and trust you will enjoy your shopping experience with us.

If you haven’t switched yet, visit any Incredible Connection store countrywide before 31 January 2011 to take us up on this fantastic offer!

Choose it. Charge it. Take it home. *Terms & Conditions. R250 discount voucher redeemable on a single purchase of R3 000 or more. Discount voucher valid for 2 months from date of issue.

Connection Card financed and administered by Maravedi Financial Solutions (Pty) Ltd. Maravedi is an authorised financial services and registered credit provider. NCRCP74.

67578B CONNECT ADS.indd 1

2010/11/16 2:12 PM

back to basics //by tiana cline

Easy Peasy

PDFs It’s safe, simple and sometimes frustrating.

Connect helps you understand the secure file format known as PDF.

18 | connect | Januray 2011

P

DF (Portable Document Format) is a compact file format that provides a way for computer users to create, view and share documents electronically. It is a widely accepted and (almost) always compatible format that works for any computer, on any platform.

Created by Adobe Systems and launched in 1993, the PDF was geared towards providing a solution for organisations to exchange reliable documents electronically. Since then, the need for a secure file format has widened, with most people using PDFs at home as well as the office.

PDF Pros PDFs retain the look and feel (graphics, font, layout) of the original source file. Basically, a PDF is an on-screen representation of what the document would look like if it were printed out.

Since a PDF is essentially an on-screen printout, the PDF’s size is often much smaller than the original source file. The PDF format, therefore, enables the sharing of documents among parties easily.

PDFs can be made more secure through the use of encryption technology. By encrypting their PDFs, users can help prevent the PDFs from being edited unless the recipient has the decryption password.

For the most part, one would use a PDF file to duplicate an original document with all its formatting. The PDF is, in essence, a carbon-copy `image’ of a document. It’s similar to a scanner that takes a picture of the document and electronically sends it when you attach the scanned file to an e-mail. Add in the fact that a PDF is a contained file format, and it becomes the perfect tool to send and receive files such as bank statements, electronic newsletters, journal articles and more.

There are two types of PDFs: those created by computer applications, and those created as images by peripherals such as a scanner. The PDFs that are scanned in as images look like PDFs but do not contain any textual information. This makes them usable at a visual level only, unless you have sophisticated optical character recognition technology (OCR).

All that is needed to access a PDF file is a PDF viewer, such as Adobe Reader, Foxit Reader or even iBooks for the iPhone and Stanza on the iPad. Once downloaded, a PDF viewer will let you view and use PDF documents on- or offline.

Most importantly, PDFs can be downloaded onto any computer, for free. This is one of the reasons why this file format is so accessible and convenient. Anyone with a reader (and there are many free, secure options) can view a PDF file document.

HOW TO Save a document as a PDF file on a Mac: 1 Open the document you want to save as a PDF file.

2 Choose File > Print.

3 Choose a command from the PDF pop-up menu.

4 To create a PDF file, choose Save as PDF. This creates a digital master PDF file. All graphics are at full resolution, and the file includes each font character it uses.

5 To create a smaller PDF file, choose Compress PDF. This compresses some images in the file, and produces a PDF file that may be smaller than a digital master PDF. It's especially useful if you need to e-mail the file or if you don't plan to print the file.

6 To create an encrypted PDF file, choose Encrypt PDF and enter a password. Anyone who wants to open the PDF file will need to enter that password.

7 To create a PDF-X file, choose Save as PDF-X. PDF-X is a subset of PDF that's used in the printing industry and contains the minimum information needed to print the document.

8 To create a PDF file and use a PDF workflow to process it, choose the workflow's name.

To view and interact with PDF files, Adobe Reader is the global standard for reliably viewing, printing and commenting on PDF documents. It's the only PDF file viewer that can open and interact with all types of PDF content, including forms and multimedia.

To download the latest version of Adobe Reader (free for PC and Mac), go to: http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Another option is Foxit Reader, which is a small, fast and feature-rich PDF viewer for Microsoft Windows that allows you to open, view and print any PDF file. Foxit PDF Reader is secure and simple.

To download the latest version of Foxit Reader (free for PC only), go to: http://www.foxitsoftware.com/downloads/

QUICK TIP: You can also create a PDF file of a document by clicking the Preview button in the Print dialog, and then choosing File > Save As in Preview.

www.connectmag.co.za | 19

buying advice //by tamaryn watkins

Back to

Software All the advice you need to create a digital learning lab for your children at home, using innovative educational software. Connect takes a look at some of the best software packages available in stores, to help you decide what will be most useful for your child.

QUICK TIP: Once you select the software that’s right for your toddler, you’ll want to help him navigate it, and offer any assistance. As soon as he’s ready to take the driver’s seat, back off and let him work independently, but make sure you’re available to monitor progress and offer feedback.

20 | connect | Januray 2011

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et’s face it; technology is a big part of our children’s lives.

Whether it’s multimedia DVDs, computer games or TV shows, they’re hooked. So why not encourage them to use technology as a learning tool?

Educational software, often called “edutainment” can provide a foundation for young children and build upon their learning skills.

Pre-school Learning: Ages 3 to 5 At this age, children are in the beginning stages of learning, so it’s critical to give them the right stimulation.

Look for programs that introduce foundational concepts like the alphabet, how things work, counting, colours, shapes, early number recognition and critical thinking.

These are all vitally important in early childhood development. It’s also important that the programs focus on enhancing a child’s social awareness.

Games that allow the child to play with their favourite storybook characters, or complete an adventure or puzzle, can help teach morals and the value of family and friendship. Don’t forget software that teaches basic computer skills, like mouse-clicking and typing, as these will equip children with the skills they’ll need throughout their lives.

Connect recommends Jump Start Advanced Preschool: the complete get-ready-for-school 4-CD package that teaches over 50 skills in phonics, counting, music and art, languages and more. It’s perfect for preparing your child for preschool and beyond.

Jump Start Advanced Kindergarten: helps a child build on essential skills, like maths, reading, music and art. There’s also a new Pet Playground that allows your child to adopt a virtual pet they can play with, groom and train, teaching them responsibility.

2 Type! (Grade R-8): will help children develop their keyboard skills and spelling patterns (using a colour-coded interface).

Music ToolKit (Grade R-8): teaches your child all about musical concepts by playing and recording simple melodies. The ToolKit covers rhythm and pulse, harmony, as well as allowing your child to compose music.

Big Boet Toddler Age 2-5: introduces toddlers to vocabulary and concepts, assists with visual memory and perception, body awareness and basic mathematics. There’s also a creativity component to this software, making it wellrounded.

Primary School Learning: Ages 5 to 12 Instructional software for this age group will build upon the learning and skills development that occurs in school. As a parent, it’s important to enhance your child’s way of thinking by providing reinforcement outside of the classroom. Educational software programs address things like study and homework help, critical thinking skills, reading, writing, maths and other academic subjects.

Ask yourself what you want your child to gain from using the software.

Does she need help practising certain skills? Or is your goal to immerse her more deeply in a subject (like maths or biology) with which she struggles? If your child is curious and passionate about a particular subject (like dinosaurs or music), she may enjoy exploring software that offers comprehensive skills enrichment.

It’s also important to consider a child’s preferred learning style, such as listening (audio), seeing (visual), or hands-on work. Choose a product that matches his or her learning style, and it’s likely to be a success.

TOP TIP: Make sure the software you choose has enough of a challenge and reward system, so that the child is kept stimulated and is rewarded for progress.

Connect recommends The Big Boet Series: is bilingual educational software that helps children develop reading, mathematics, critical thinking and concentration skills. Difficulty of tasks and challenges adjusts automatically according to a child’s performance, and regular progress reports are given. Available from Grades R through 7.

The Get Ahead Series: is designed to make learning and revision fun, and helps children achieve better results. A strong life-orientation focus also helps kids develop awareness of, and skills to deal with, the world around them. Available for Grades 1 through 7.

www.connectmag.co.za | 21

buying advice

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High School Learning: Ages 12 to 18

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Once a child is in high school, chances are there will be a few areas with which he or she might need assistance. At this level, instructional software can be used in place of extra lessons, for revision purposes and exam preparations.

Supplement your child’s educational resources with computer software like Britannica, which can help with research assignments and homework. Help them learn a new language with the right software, as well.

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Connect recommends Britannica 2010 Ultimate Edition: this software is the equivalent of a university library, on your child’s desktop. Wellresearched, comprehensive and reliable, with 84 to 107 000 articles (depending on the version) and 166 000 links to online content, there’s something for the school learner, university student and curious adult.

Get Ahead Mathematics: teaches children clever techniques to master their maths. They’re packed with interactive revision and assessment exercises and are available for Grades 7 through 12.

Berlitz French Premier (also available in Spanish and Italian): this software works on Mac and PC, and you can even play it in the car. Load it up on an iPod or MP3 player and your child can take this language assistant anywhere.

22 | connect | Januray 2011

Designed for learning, built for kids: Edutain’s Classmate Netbook Technology can open many doors for young, enquiring minds, and the Classmate is the perfect learning assistant for a young learner. It has a 9-inch touchscreen, which can be flipped around, to offer tablet PC functionality, making it easy to use when sharing with another person. This child-friendly netbook has an Intel Atom 1.6Ghz processor, as well as 1GB of RAM and a 60GB hard drive – this isn’t some slowed-down gimmicky product!

Along with other features, such as being water resistant and having Wi-Fi, the Classmate netbook comes with two 2 Simple software titles (2 Type for typing instruction and 2 Animate, which makes navigation and use of this device easier by animating icons) as well as the Big Boet math series.

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instant messaging guide //by deon du plessis

CH TTER B Becoming a messenger

P

eople love to talk. It happens in person, on the phone, via e-mail and short text messages, in chat rooms online and, last but not least, via chat programs.

These chat programs, referred to as `instant messaging applications’, enable you to create and maintain a list of friends with whom you can communicate whenever you’re both online at the same time. Messages can be typed and then sent, arriving

24 | connect | Januray 2011

at their destination milliseconds after the Enter key is pressed, even if that destination is thousands of kilometres across the globe.

Today, these programs have evolved, letting people communicate using webcams, text messages and audio conversations. Plenty of other functionalities have been built in, like sending and receiving files, sharing desktops, even multiplayer gaming.

It’s also possible to speak to more than one person at a time as teleconferencing facilities (the ability

Using only a computer and the Internet, you can send short messages to friends and family almost instantaneously using free instant messaging services.

Connect shows you how.

R B X?

maestro! to include many people in a single conversation) come as standard in most of today’s popular programs.

Using a headset with a built-in microphone, conversations can be had as if the people involved were in the same room as you.

Video-calling has also formed part of the core services provided by these free chat applications. All you need is a webcam and a good Internet connection (384k and up is recommended), and if your chat partner has the same on their end, you

can watch each other while you talk.

There has been no time in history quite like this, where such large-scale communication can take place, with the only cost involved being Internet access, a cheap headset (optional) and a PC or Mac.

WINDOWS LIVE MESSENGER Formerly known as MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger now forms part of Microsoft’s Live Essentials 2011 suite of basic software. It was previously bundled with Windows XP, but it was removed completely from Windows Vista and 7.

These `essential programs’ include many useful applications for basic tasks like mail, document creation, storing and displaying photos and movie creation. Messenger is by far the most useful, however, as it is fully-featured, easy to use and even integrates with social networking services like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Features: • Text-based chat • Video-calling • PC-to-PC voice calls • File sharing • Emoticons (also known as `smileys’) • Send text messages to mobile devices • Facebook/LinkedIn/MySpace integration (you can update these services directly from Messenger) • Status updates • Real-time games with your contacts • Remote assistance (give control of your PC to a chat partner) • E-mail integration with Hotmail • Videoconferencing • Include multiple text chat partners in a single chat room Get it from: http://explore.live.com

The Apps In tech-speak, the programs that provide instant messaging are called ‘clients’. The following section contains a list and description of four of the most popular IM clients around...

www.connectmag.co.za | 25

instant messaging guide //by deon du plessis

YAHOO! MESSENGER Yahoo! Messenger has long competed with Windows Live Messenger, and it offers a similar range of features with its own look and feel. If Microsoft isn’t your favourite company in the world, Yahoo!’s Messenger is a neat alternative.

Best of all, you can still have text chats with friends that use Windows Live Messenger. Yahoo!

Messenger does a few things Microsoft’s chat program doesn’t, however. By subscribing to a prepaid service called Phone Out, users can call their friends and family on their mobile or landline telephones at reasonably good rates. Phone In is another service that gives your computer a telephone number, allowing telephone users to call your PC for a monthly service charge. In all, Yahoo! Messenger is a versatile IM program that offers some really cool extras.

Get it from: http://messenger.yahoo.com

SKYPE

Features: • Text chats • PC-to-PC voice calls • Emoticons • Call mobile and landline telephones from your PC Conference calls Video calls Group video calls Screen sharing Send text messages to cellphones • Facebook news feed

• • • • •

26 | connect | Januray 2011

Skype is the all-singing, all-dancing communications program intended for professionals and tech-smart users. While home users can and do use it, the extensive feature list on offer here might overwhelm some, and be total overkill for the average user. Skype is now more than just an IM application – it’s a telephony suite!

In addition to offering text chats, video and audio calls, Skype users can call landlines and cellphones from their PCs, get their PC its own telephone number that anyone with a phone can call as long as Skype is running, send SMSes to cellphones, and buy telecommunications gadgets through an integrated online store. Skype call rates are competitively priced, too, and will cost you far less than calling international numbers from your mobile or landline phone. You’ll need to purchase credits from Skype, of course, but it’s easy to do with a credit card and is completely safe and secure. Call quality on Skype is arguably better than with any of the other applications, so your chat partner will sound like they are in the room with you. While it does not boast much integration with social networking services (there is only a Facebook news feed feature), Skype offers enough that you won’t miss them.

Get it from: http://www.skype.com

Features: • Text-based chat • Video-calling • File sharing • Status updates • Emoticons (those `smileys’) • Send text messages to mobile devices • PC-to-PC voice calls • Phone Out Service: Call landlines and cellphones directly from • • • • • •

the program Phone In Service: Let landlines and cellphones call your PC Chat with users of other instant messaging clients Online games that can be played with friends E-mail integration with Yahoo! Mail Videoconferencing with multiple participants Create chat rooms with multiple text chat participants

GOOGLE TALK (GTALK) Google entered the instant messaging fray in 2005 with its take on what an IM application should be. Sticking with its principles of simplicity and ease of use, Google designed Google Talk to be one of the most compact, efficient and user-friendly chat applications on the Internet. This comes at the cost of the extra features offered by everyone else, but for straight-up text chats with the option to share files, update your status and make audio calls, it really doesn’t get any simpler than this. Recently, Google added video chat capabilities to Gtalk via an additional download. The interface is minimalistic, the download is quite small and it’s easy to see that Google Talk believes in giving users access to only the features they are likely to get the most use out of. There are no frills like games or the ability to talk with telephones and cellphones. What you get in place of those is a program that loads quickly, is easy to use and just works.

Get it from: http://www.google.com/talk

Even More to chat about ICQ and AIM are the two most popular chat programs in use today: ICQ Get it from: http://www.icq.com With over 50 million users, ICQ is huge worldwide, particularly in the US. Like many other apps, it offers voice, text, and video chat facilities, but it is different in that it actively encourages the formation of communities of like-minded individuals.

AIM Get it from: http://www.aim.com Since South Africans don’t have much to do with AOL (America Online), AOL’s instant messaging program is not particularly relevant. For those curious types or people with lots of friends living in the US, it might be worth checking out as it integrates with many popular social networking websites and provides all the opportunities for social interaction anyone could ever want or need.

Features: • Text-based chats • PC-to-PC voice calls • Video chat via a separate (free) download

• File sharing • E-mail integration with Gmail

• Status updates • Conference chats • Record audio clips and send them to friends as voicemail messages

MULTITASKING MAGIC There are also multiprotocal IM clients available which let you chat with all your friends across more than one instant messaging platform. Below are three of the most popular multiple-account chat programs. Best part? They’re free.

ADIUM (Mac)

FRING (MOBILE)

Get it from: http://www.fring.com Use Fring to make free mobile calls, video calls and chat live from your cellphone.

Fring also supports IM clients like MSN Messenger, GoogleTalk, AIM, ICQ, Facebook and Twitter, all through one central, integrated phone book. Fring is free to download and free to use to make calls, video calls, instant messages and more – all you use is your phone’s Internet connection. Available on iPhone, Nokia and Android phones, check out Fring Stream for a a chronological list of all tweets, Facebook updates, recent chats and calls, all in one place! It gives you easy access to your social life, with simple sorting capabilities.

Get it from: http://adium.im/ Adium is a fast and free instant messaging client which supports AIM, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, Yahoo! Japan, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu and more. Only available for Apple, Adium features WebKit message display, tabbed messaging, encrypted chat, file transfer, and more. With a host of customisable extras to download, not only can you change the look of your Adium chat, you can choose a different dock icon every day, download new alert tones and sign up for useful plug-ins.

DIGSBY (PC)

Get it from: http://www.digsby.com Digsby helps you manage all your IM, e-mail, and social network accounts from one easy-to-use application.

Digsby lets you chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, Facebook Chat, and Jabber with one simple to manage buddy list. It provides notifications when new e-mails arrive and lets you perform actions without having to go to your inbox while also keeping you up-to-date on what’s happening on your social networks with pop-up notifications and a news feed of recent events for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace.

www.connectmag.co.za | 27

healthy living //by tiana cline

Precise Posture Good posture can prevent back, neck and shoulder strain. How do you sit? According to safecomputing.com, an ergonomic chair is an essential part of a good workstation, offering support to your back, legs, buttocks and arms, along with reducing exposure to awkward postures, contact stress and forceful exertions.

An ergonomic chair should be highly adjustable, including not just a knob for lowering and raising the chair, but

adjustability in the back tilt and the height of the arm rests. Also look out for a chair (not plastic) with a sturdy frame and padding that supports your body without losing shape.

When it comes to posture, sitting is often more of a problem for people than standing. It’s so easy to slouch in a chair, and slouching adds to preventable fatigue.

If your computer monitor is too far away, you’ll crane your neck forward.

Follow these simple steps to sitting: Keep your shoulders down, away from your ears, and shoulder blades drawn back – your head should align with your body. Your hips should be even underneath you on the chair, with legs forward and feet on the floor in front of you, aligned under your hips. Crossing your legs at the knee will throw your posture off, and tightly crossed legs can also hinder circulation. If you are prone to lower back pain, you may find that a firm cushion placed in the small of the back gives you the support you need.

28 | connect | Januray 2011

ing e b l l e w l a t i Your dig

Staying in

CyberShape Are you a healthy computer user?

Technology is an unavoidable part of our day-to-day lives, yet it should be used with some caution.

Sit and stare at a computer for hours on end and you may be causing long-term damage to your body. Connect is here to help.

Keep Clean

Eye's Right Staring at a computer screen the entire day can easily damage your eyes, especially if your home or office workspace contains inadequate lighting or a glare. Eyestrain linked to computer use can lead to longterm vision problems and it’s quite common. A British study has shown that eyestrain (and other bothersome visual symptoms) occur in 50 to 90 percent of computer users. Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is becoming a common problem for people who spend many hours every day in front of a computer screen. Sometimes, simply rearranging your desktop to create better ergonomics is all you need to keep eyestrain at bay.

Avoid eye ills with these quick tips: • Take regular mini-breaks and remember to blink.

• Upgrade your screen for a clearer, easier-to-see display – bigger is better.

• Eliminate exterior lighting with blinds and minimise inside glare.

• Adjust your PC’s display settings so the screen’s brightness is about the same as the room in which it stands.

• Exercise your eyes by staring, rolling and focusing on near and far objects.

• Invest in an anti-glare protection screen.

How many people use your computer? Do you share an office printer? Germs, dust and dead skin cells are a few of the nasty things that contaminate your digital space.

According to Chuck Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, the average workstation has 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet. How does this happen? Dust, germs, hair, food particles and dead skin cells accumulate over time.

If not removed, your phone or keyboard could be the cause of your returning flu. A study conducted in North Carolina found every keyboard tested to be positive for a bacterium that causes infection in the blood stream.

The solution is simple: Frequent hand-washing. You could also keep a pack of disinfectant cloths in your drawer and regularly wipe down your phone, keyboard, mouse and any other shared surface.

www.connectmag.co.za | 29

healthy living

Look out for these handy ergonomic products at your local IT shop: Belkin Laptop Cooling Pad Logitech N700 Ergo-Tilt

www.phatcat.co.za

Location, Location The location of your laptop or desktop monitor can make a difference. And, surprisingly, many get it wrong when deciding where to place a screen.

According to ergonomic experts, computer monitors should be situated just below eye-level as this will help reduce backward head and neck tilt and straining associated with an incorrectly positioned monitor.

If you place the monitor too low, it will place excessive pressure on the neck muscles.

In the same regard, if you’re working at a low desk, the monitor should go on a stand or elevator to raise it to the correct height. The proper viewing distance of a monitor is approximately one arm's length away from you – always make sure that you can see the on-screen text clearly. Elevating your laptop to the right height will not only save your neck and eyes from possible damage, the ventilation below the computer allows cool air to circulate underneath your laptop, thereby reducing heat build-up and improving performance.

www.phatcat.co.za

Handy Work More than half of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) cases diagnosed are related to the workplace. CTS occurs when the nerve leading from the forearm to the hand becomes compressed and is irritated by the structures surrounding it. If you struggle to hold objects or experience pain in your wrist when using a computer mouse, it could be the start of something more serious. Being aware of the risk of CTS is important, as its treatment is painful, expensive and not always successful.

The correct position for healthy wrists is to keep them in neutral: ensure that your forearms, wrists and hands are in a straight line while you're typing.

Another option is to purchase an ergonomic keyboard that is designed to minimise muscle strain, relieve stress on the fingers and arms, and combat a host of computer-related problems.

Tendonitis, or Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), is another common problem experienced by excessive computer users, who are most likely to develop it in the wrist or hand. When tendonitis is not treated and the symptoms become worse, it can develop into Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendon of the wrists, caused by the incorrect positioning of the hands.

Physiotherapists suggest putting ice on the sore area, squeezing a stress ball for a few minutes a day and learning keyboard shortcuts to reduce the amount of repetitive mouse work you do.

30 | connect | Januray 2011

PC0

wired connections ˚ Download speedometer bar that measures the download speed of your network ˚ Push Button Security (Wi-Fi Protected Security) ˚ Lifetime Warranty

G N I T T E G U O Y RA E U PAID FOR? O Y T A HW G N I T T E G U O ARE Y OU PAID FOR? Y T A N Wireless USB Adapter H W F5D8053

Does the modem you are about to Router buy, does!!

The BELKIN N+ Modem check these boxes?

N+ Modem Router F5D8635

www.phatcat.co.za

FREE INSTALLATION

Call 0860 011 700 Available at Incredible Connection stores only Terms & Conditions Apply. E&OE

˚ USB Storage Port for easily connecting USB Hard drives to your network ˚ Gigabit ethernet ports for reliabel high speed wired connections ˚ Download speedometer bar that measures the download speed of your network ˚ Push Button Security (Wi-Fi Protected Security) ˚ Lifetime Warranty

with the purchase of a

N Wireless USB Adapter F5D8053

Modem Router.

The BELKIN N+ Modem Router does!!

Within a 50km radius of major centres

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FREE INSTALLATION with the purchase of a

For more information and our products visit www.belkin.com

Call 0860 011 700 Available at Incredible Connection stores only Terms & Conditions Apply. E&OE

Does the modem Modem Router.

Within a 50km radius of major centres

For more information and our products visit www.belkin.com

PC00XXX - Connect January.indd 1

13/12/2010 11:20

product reviews // by Deon Du PLessis

Back to school ... still not cool

REVIEWS

I

t’s back to school/work time again, and I trust you’ve all had a restful, fun, interesting and overall very pleasant holiday season. It’s now time to buckle down and work again, but with the silly season behind you and all that holiday food in your belly, the year is probably looking pretty good. I wish all our readers and their families a prosperous, happy and safe 2011.

This January we have a few cool products for you. My favourite was the ATI graphics card, but then I’m a gamer from way back. The card really is tremendous for the money you’re paying, and anyone even casually interested in gaming can get some good bang for their buck, while simultaneously ensuring their PCs can handle today and tomorrow’s most demanding titles.

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.

32 | connect | January 2011

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FujiFilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Camera Norton Internet Security 2011 Ion Products Logitech G930 Wireless Headphones ATI Radeon HD6870 Graphics Card Packard Bell Butterfly XS Notebook Dell Inspiron 11z Dell Vostro V3500 Business Notebook Samsung B2330H LED-backlit 23” LCD Monitor Acer X1110 3D Projector Bundle Canon Selphy CP 800 Photo Printer Sony Alpha 33 Camera Bundle Western Digital WD TV Live Media Player Speedo Aquashot Underwater Camera Sony SX63 Video Camcorder Logitech C510 Webcam Western Digital Elements 2TB Desktop USB Hard Drive Iomega Skin Portable 500GB USB Hard Drive Nitho 4 Charge Station for PS3 Sony Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 PCTools Internet Security 2011 QuickBooks Pro Accounting Software Books

advertorial

Multifunction Magic THE LEXMARK GENESIS S815 4-IN-ONE

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exmark understands that it’s not just today’s business environment that is fastpaced, home life can be pretty demanding too. That’s why Lexmark has designed the Genesis S815 4-in-1 with both workaholics and home users in mind – it prints, scans, faxes and copies all kinds of documents quickly and efficiently, with results that are as attractive as they are cost-effective.

Up close and personal with the S815 4-in-1:

• Capable of one-touch copy, scan, fax and e-mail, the Genesis S815 is all about handling your administrative tasks and saving you time.

• Its innovative vertical design means it won’t take up much desk space • An 11cm web-enabled touchscreen makes it easy to navigate, and customised according to your needs.

• The S815 utilises Flash Scan technology which means it can be used to • • •

• •

display digital photos, allowing you to personalise your workspace.

This Flash Scan technology also means you’ll be able to scan documents in just three seconds, and you’ll be able to preview the end result before you copy, scan or fax.

This device is equipped with N-class Wi-Fi technology, which makes networked-sharing of this device simple and easy to set up, whilealso promising faster transfer speeds and three times the network coverage.

The S815 can connect directly to the Internet, and you’ll be able to set up and access - through Lexmark SmartSolutions - automatic RSS feeds on key areas of interest, photo-sharing websites and Evernote content. Twitter messages will be displayed on the touch screen in real time too, allowing you to be more engaged, inspired and organised.

Not only capable of looking good, the S815 also produces high quality prints, using Vizix inks, Lexmark’s patented ink technology that makes use of separate cartridges to reduce wastage and increase output quality.

The Genesis S815 produces laser-quality text documents at speeds of up to 33 pages per minute in black and 30 pages per minute in colour – that’s pretty impressive!

Lexmark’s Genesis S815 is priced at R 3 499. It comes with a three-year guarantee and lifetime telephone-based support, allowing you to use the device at home and at the office with confidence.

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LG Infinia Borderless 47LX9500 3D LCD TV

3D looks incredible on the 47LX9500, which is a stunning 47” LED-backlit screen that delivers all the depth you’ll experience at the cinema. Just don’t forget to purchase enough glasses for the whole family. It’s very big, the image quality is excellent and its 3D capabilities make it a future-proof investment.

Samsung HMX-H104

The ideal camera for aspiring cinematographers as it shoots full HD video at 1 920 x 1 080-pixel resolution for footage that’s an exact pixelby-pixel match for today’s very best large-screen HD TVs.

Sony DCR-SR 68

Record engaging 1 920 x 1 080 HD video and intense still photos directly to the built-in 80GB hard disk drive.

The SR68 can record video and stills simultaneously.

34 | connect | January 2011

FujiFilm Finepix Real 3D W3 Camera NEED TO KNOW • Incredible 3D and 2D compact camera • Two separate 10MP lenses • Stereo audio recording • 3.5” display R5 999.95 (Mega Stores only)

A look at the front of the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 is all it takes to know that this is not your typical point-and-shoot compact camera. What might give it away is the fact that it has two lenses. Yes, two. Each has its own 1/2.3” CCD image sensor with an effective resolution of 10 megapixels that work together to record images or video for viewing in 3D. Admittedly, we were surprised to hear that this compact was capable of taking 3D pictures.

We were even more surprised by the fact that it can shoot 3D videos as well.

The best part about this camera? Definitely the fact that you can view your footage right there on the camera’s 3.5” screen in 3D. The display makes use of something called lenticular technology, allowing you to view footage without needing special glasses. You can also hook this cam up to a 3D-capable television to view your spectacular movie creations. Of course, for this part, it helps to have those 3D glasses ready.

The folks at FujiFilm love to show us how they’re innovating along with the changes in technology, and they’ve clearly been bitten by the 3D bug.

Get in on the 3D action, and create your own home blockbusters with the Real 3D W3 camera.

If you were wondering how all the 3D stuff works, this camera uses an updated Real Photo image processor, which synchronises the shutter zoom with 0.001-second precision, while adjusting the lens simultaneously adjusts exposure, focal points and white balance in response to information received from both sensors. So you’ll be, in essence, replicating the way human vision works – each eye sees a slightly different picture, and your brain processes the images and presents them to you in one threedimensional picture.

Likewise, this camera records two images, at different settings, on its two lenses and merges them into 720p 3D movie clips in 24fps, at 1 280 x 720 resolution for high-definition 3D viewing. Each lens has a 3x optical zoom, and technology like Superb Intelligent Flash and Anti-Blur work to ensure that the picture is as crisp and clear as possible.

The 3D images captured by the camera are impressive – provided you can frame an interesting picture. As the technology is relatively new, there are still some kinks to be ironed out and one of them seems to be 3D shots taken close-up. Shots taken closer than the (recommended) 1.5m distance are a bit blurry. Extreme close-ups aren’t even worth attempting. To get the ideal picture, you’ll have to carefully frame foreground and background subjects, but with a bit of practice, it won’t be long before you’re comfortable with doing so. All images are saved as MPO format and, just in case you didn’t nail the 3D framing and you missed the moment, there’s a 2D picture taken on a single lens that’s saved at the same time.

A sturdy and capable 2D shooter, the W3 is great for those looking to add new depth to their home movies. Considering its capabilities and despite a few quirks, it’s a well-priced gadget for early adopters of 3D tech.

Noteworthy specs • 2 x 10.0megapixels CCD sensor 1/2.3” CCD • 34MB internal memory • SD/SDHC card expansion • HDMI 1.4-3D compliant, HDMI mini-terminal

Pros

Cons

• Can record images and video in 3D • You don’t need 3D glasses to view your images and videos in 3D on the camera’s hi-res screen • Loads of automatic scene selections and shooting modes

• Optical zoom is inaccessible when recording video • It can be a bit tricky at first to frame the foreground and background to get that proper depth effect that is 3D • Placement of two lenses means that sometimes your fingers can intrude on the shot • 3D-capable screen and glasses necessary for 3D content playback on an external screen

Overall rating

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Norton Internet Security 2011 NEED TO KNOW • Comprehensive protection for your PC • Very easy and fast installation • Protection for up to 3 PCs for a year R699.95 – 3-PC 1-year licence

For the past few years, Norton has been changing its reputation for the better, and all the improvements that have been promised have actually been delivered. Proof of this was last year’s Internet Security suite, which impressed us mightily. This year, Norton faces the challenge of not only putting out a great security product, but of actually improving over last year’s excellent version. In this, we’re very pleased to say, they have succeeded.

After the less than 2-minute installation (a pleasant surprise in itself), all that is needed is to sign into an existing Norton account or open a new one. Once that is done, the program is ready to go, and will function in the background without bothering you with a hundred different questions.

That is the beauty of NIS2K11 – it does its thing in the background, doesn’t impact noticeably on system performance and yet keeps you completely safe from attacks.

One of last year’s standout features, Norton Insight – how Norton protects against unfamiliar malware – is better and faster than before.

There is also a new tool called Norton Power Eraser that aggressively targets troublesome infections.

The interface retains Norton’s black-and-yellow look, and packs together everything you might need access to in a hurry. Getting to the various settings is easy enough, and there are a lot of options that you can check out and tweak if you wish. You really don’t have to, though, as the program does really well without your help, but die-hard techies will appreciate the option to dig.

With no user intervention, Norton swings into action when the computer is idle. Tasks like scanning executable files to determine which are legitimate, basic scans and definition updates are done in this time. This helps to avoid situations where the computer slows down unexpectedly while being used. Even the best programmers cannot write security software that does not slow down a PC when in full swing, and avoiding kicking into high gear by targeting idle time for necessary operations is a great way around the problem.

Norton Antivirus 2011

Even if you go the `install and forget about it’ route, you’ll be comprehensively protected by NIS2K11. Its antivirus module is winning awards for efficiency this year, as in previous years. The intelligent firewall doesn’t block legitimate programs and effectively blocks attempts to breach the system. Spam won’t bother you much either. With all that and more built into the software and with three licences (i.e. protection for up to 3 PCs for a year), NIS2K11 is a really smart buy.

If all you want is antivirus protection, the same excellent AV solution that comes standard with NIS2K11 can be purchased on its own.

FEATURES • Antivirus • Anti-phishing • Anti-spyware • Anti-spam • Identity Protection • Norton Reputation Service (how old a file is, where it came from) • File Insight (whether files on your PC are legitimate or not) • Mini updates every 5 to 10 minutes • Behavioural protection • E-mail & IM monitoring • Intelligent two-way firewall • Network mapping & monitoring • Bootable recovery tool • Bot, worm, rootkit detection • Parental control management • 2GB of online backup storage

PC Tools Internet Security 2011

The only other security package that comes almost as highly recommended as NIS2K11 is this one from PC Tools.

perfect companions

Pros

Cons

• Works silently but effectively in the background • Install and forget or tweak to your heart’s content • Intelligent firewall really is intelligent

• Some things take a bit of hunting to find (how to open ports, for instance) • Parental controls are still accessed via an external website • Sheer volume of options might intimidate new users

Overall rating

USB Flash Drive You’ll need one of these if you prefer using bootable USB drives rather than recovery CDs, both of which NIS2K11 allows you to create.

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Iomega Screenplay HD TV Link

This is the ideal portable multimedia player/adapter, allowing you to stream digital content from any USB hard drive to your TV. Compatible with most popular audio, video and image formats, it’s also easy to set up and use.

Western Digital Elements 2TB

This no-frills USB hard drive has plenty of space to store all the digital files you’ll create with Ion’s great range of products.

StuffIt Deluxe

StuffIt uses advanced compression technology to compress photos, MP3s, PDFs and Microsoft Office documents into archives that are 100 percent compatible with both Macintosh and Windows. Increase your efficiency and productivity with faster file transfers, file security, and smaller, spacesaving backups.

36 | connect | January 2011

Ion audio products Ion Tape Express R499.95

Ion are leaders in consumer audio and entertainment technology and if you have boxes of cassette tapes lying around unused in your garage, you’ll be pleased with Ion Tape Express. It’s a portable tape-toMP3 conversion player that comes with its own headphones.

This easy-to-use device allows you to give new life to old cassette tapes by converting them to MP3 format, so you can listen to them in your car, on your computer or your iPod. The Tape Express has an easy-to-use USB connection to transfer the music on your tapes to your computer, instantly turning them into MP3 files.

The device’s portable design fits into virtually any bag and runs on battery or USB power when connected to a computer. It comes with Ion’s exclusive EZ Tape Converter software. This powerful but easy-touse program guides users through transferring their music and can even integrate with your iTunes Music Library.

Ion Video 2 PC 699.95

Video 2 PC is a video conversion system that captures, converts and improves the quality of nearly any video and audio original, delivering high-quality digital videos that are stored on your computer.

These you can watch on your PC, record them onto DVD, or load them onto your portable video player, PSP or iPod. This device is easy to connect to VCRs, camcorders or any other video playback device. It’s as simple as plugging in the 3 colour-coded cables on the one side and then plugging the USB cable into your computer, and you’re ready to record.

Helping you in the process is EZ Video Converter, which is straightforward to use and has Ion’s exclusive Lookbetter technology that automatically analyses and improves the audio-visual quality of your videos.

IOn Profile LP R999.95

A modern take on the turntable, this device transforms your LPs into MP3s, and doubles as a home-stereo record player. To facilitate the conversion process, you’ll get EZ Vinyl-Tape Converter software, which will guide you through the process, step by step, to converting all those golden-oldies into modern digital music files.

The Profile LP is designed with a contemporary, low-profile look in mind and comes with its own hinged dust cover, for when it’s not in use.

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Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930 NEED TO KNOW • Wireless headset designed for gamers • 7.1 Surround Sound on your head • USB dongle acts as a wireless signal transmitter • Recharges using a USB cable R1 999.95

Wireless headphones are definitely the way forward. The lack of wires means an uncluttered computer area and one less thing to trip over, and having to recharge them is a small price to pay. They are usually not cheap, however, but if the sound quality and comfort are good enough, they are well worth the purchase price.

Logitech’s new G930 Wireless Gaming Headset falls into the `worthwhile purchase‘ category. Sure, they’re expensive, but the build quality, comfort, lengthy battery life (up to 10 hours) and overall sound quality are so good, you’ll soon forget that hole in your wallet. The fact that they work wirelessly is the pièce de résistance, with a pretty good range to boot.

The first thing you’ll notice when picking up these headphones is that they’re rather heavy. This is a good indicator of their overall construction quality which, while mostly plastic, is actually very sturdy, as well as adjustable to suit different head sizes. You’ll also notice the ear cups are pretty big. This is so that they fit over your ears, creating a sealed sound stage that makes the audio sound even better.

We noticed while wearing them that our ears only lightly touched the inside of the speakers. The only areas where we were aware of pressure were around our ears, where the cups’ soft padding is situated, and on top of our heads, where the headband rested. This translates into a comfort level we’ve not seen in headphones before. We gamed, watched movies, and listened to music for over four hours straight, with no need to take a break due to discomfort.

And the sound… wow! The sealed ear cups make everything from movies, to games, to music sound rich and warm. The fact that all other sounds are almost completely blocked out made the overall listening experience hugely immersive.

Once the software has been installed, you get access to the headphones’ 7.1 Surround Sound feature, and you’re able to tweak the volumes of the individual speakers to taste. In games, the effects are incredible – sound gains depth to the point where you’re able to identify the direction it’s

Sennheiser HD202 Headphones

coming from to a much greater degree than you can using the headphones in stereo mode. It really has to be experienced to be believed.

The G930 also has an adjustable microphone that can be used to talk to others, either in-game or using an instant messaging program. You can also change your voice using the software, but this is just a gimmick.

Situated on the left ear cup are three buttons, the power switch and the Surround Sound switch. The three buttons can be customised to functions of your choice, and are set up as Play, Next Track and Previous Track by default. They work with most popular media player applications.

We must say, though, that they get a little sweaty on warm days and in warm rooms. This is hardly a design flaw that can be held against Logitech, just a reality of using these headphones in South Africa’s subtropical climate.

If you want one of the best consumer-level headphone sets available on the market today, it’s hard to go wrong with Logitech’s new G930 Wireless Gaming Headset.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Wireless technology: 2.4GHz RF • Range: Up to 12m (unobstructed) • Battery: Up to 10 hours of continuous playback • Charger: USB cable • Charge time: 2.5 hours • Ear cup: Up to 26dB of noise isolation • Ear cup rotation joint: Aircraft-grade aluminium • Frequency response: 20Hz – 20KHz

Pros

Cons

• Sealed ear cups reduce external noise and improve audio quality • Surround Sound feature works fantastically in games and movies • Build quality is very good, up to Logitech’s usual standard • Remain comfortable even after prolonged use

• Voice-morphing feature is a bit of a gimmick • They can get a little sweaty when used in warm rooms • R2k is a lot of cash for a set of headphones

Overall rating

These headphones have no microphone and are not as comfortable as the G930, but they are still good for listening to music and playing games. Best of all, they’re priced really well.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops This amazing first person shooter is made even better when enemy movements can be pinpointed by sound, explosions and gunfire are rich and deep, and you’re immersed in its incredible soundscape by a decent set of headphones.

Logitech G700 Wireless Gaming Mouse – Special Order Only Why stop at just wireless headphones? Take your gaming to the next level with this excellent, highly-responsive and very comfortable wireless gaming mouse from Logitech.

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If you’re lucky enough to own a monitor capable of displaying 3D content, the HD6870 comes with ATI’s HD3D technology that will let you play games in 3D. Separate purchase of 3D glasses required.

nVidia GeForce460GTX

This is still an excellent graphics card if you’re an nVidia fan. It’s also compatible with nVidia’s 3D Vision kit that will get you started on 3D gaming if you have a compatible monitor.

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ATI Radeon HD6870 1GB Graphics Card NEED TO KNOW • High-performance graphics card for a mid-range price • 1GB of GDDR5 video memory • Runs DirectX 9, 10 and 11 games with ease R3 499.95

Just Cause 2 This is one of the most demanding yet most beautiful games to be released in the last year or so. Enjoy free-roaming, chaos-causing mayhem in a fictional South American country in full HD and with all the effects at maximum.

Samsung P2770H 27” LCD Monitor When you’ve got great graphics, you want to show them off. What better way to do that than with a really big LCD monitor like this one from Samsung?

38 | connect | January 2011

A few months back, we reviewed another graphics card, nVidia’s GeForce GTX460. It was nicely priced and offered very good mid-range performance for said price. Times have since changed, and ATI, nVidia’s chief (and only) competitor, has brought out its latest Radeon graphics cards, which have been designed to compete in the same mid-range performance category. Now, for slightly more than you would have paid for the GTX460, you can get an even more powerful card that is sure to keep your game performance flying for a good few years to come.

When the HD6870 was released, the single-GPU performance king was ATI’s Radeon HD5870 card. While that remains true even now, the HD6870 is able to come within a few percentage points of the HD5870’s performance, while costing significantly less. It also runs a lot cooler (important for the longevity of computer components) and uses less electricity than the HD5870 does. That’s a win on a number of different fronts.

Since an HD5870 can be found online for prices up to and including R6 500, the HD6870’s price of R3 500 is fantastic news for gamers on a budget. While it’s fair to say the HD5870 will beat the HD6870 on any test you care to run, what’s important is the margin by which it wins.

The question that remains is therefore: is that margin big enough to justify spending close to double the money? The answer, of course, is a resounding `no’.

If you’re wondering what a `more powerful graphics card’ actually means, it means that all the fancy effects that make games look so good can be enabled without any worry that the graphics’ speed will suffer.

Anti-aliasing, for instance, is a technology that smoothes jagged edges and has been known to cause a drop in frame rates (a measure of how fast a game’s graphics are being displayed). With the HD6870, anti-aliasing can be enabled up to its maximum setting without compromising a game’s playability. While this has been done by a number of graphics

cards up until now, it’s unheard of to find such amazing performance at this price point.

So, with one of these, you can play your favourite games at the highest possible resolutions, with all the graphical bells and whistles enabled, and not worry that your games will become an unplayable slide-show. As an added bonus, this card’s performance is so good, you’ll even be able to use it to play future games at a fast pace, so your PC will be future-proof for a few years at least.

Installing a graphics card does take some technical know-how, and upgrading to one of these cards should probably be handled by professionals or experienced friends. That being said, doing so is highly recommended – the performance benefits on offer are well worth the effort, and the price brings it within reach of all but the most miserly of gamers.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Engine clock: 900mhz • Video memory clock: 1 050mhz • Video memory: 1GB GDDR5 • Form factor: Double-slot (takes up two slots in your case) • Motherboard • DirectX supported: DX9, 10, 11 • Power supply: 500W and higher recommended • Power consumption: Approx. 300W under load, approx. 140W when idle

Pros

Cons

• Game performance is simply superb • Powerful enough to last more than just a few years • Enable all graphical bells & whistles without a performance penalty • Power use and heat generation are minimal

• Installing one takes some technical expertise • No real benefit outside of improved game performance • Power supply of 500W and greater is recommended

Overall rating

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Ergonomically Speaking Logitech ergonomically-designed accessories: comfort that you really can feel.

L

ogitech’s accessory range is all about comfort while computing.. This month, we take a look at some of their desktop and notebook accessories that are designed to minimise strain on your wrists and fingers, while maximising productivity, functionality and usability.

Logitech Laptop Accessories: tilt your world

Spending many hours with your laptop resting on your legs can mean that your wrists are placed at an awkward angle while typing.

You’re probably also craning your neck uncomfortably by looking downwards most of the time. Logitech have tried to make dedicated laptop users as comfortable as possible when creating their laptop accessories. > Here’s How: Logitech lapdesks and notebook risers are adjustable to your personal needs. Notebook risers work to raise the screen to a more comfortable level. Lapdesks do the same job, even when your laptop is on an uneven surface, like when it’s balanced on your knees. They are also designed to keep the heat generated by the laptop away from your body.

Logitech Mice: it’s all about the creature comforts

If you spend a large portion of your work day using a mouse, you’re repeating the same hand and arm movements, hundreds of times a day. Even the slightest difference in design can make an impact on your comfort. Logitech mice are made to be supremely comfortable. > Here’s how: They’re designed to fit your hand perfectly. The mice are sculpted to fit the palm of your hand like a handshake, allowing your hand to relax, instead of being cramped around the mouse. With their rubberised edges, Logitech mice offer a better grip, which means you won’t strain your hand lifting and moving your mouse all day long. Logitech’s mice also have slick, low-resistance feet that allow them to glide more smoothly than your average mouse. When the mouse resists less, you don’t need to work as hard.

Logitech Keyboards: hit the right key with comfort

On average, each person hits about 2 million keystrokes a year. That’s at least 2 million times a year that you strain your fingers and wrists. Logitech hardware is designed to reduce the impact these tiny movements have on your fingers and wrists. > Here’s How: Logitech’s Wave keyboards have a wave-shaped contour to support the varying lengths of your fingers and keep the pressure off your fingertips, unlike most keyboards, which treat all your fingers the same. The curve means comfort, and to keep you from having to twist into an unnatural position when you type, gently curving rows of keys support the natural resting position of your hands without splitting the keyboard. A cushioned, contoured palm rest helps position your hands comfortably on the keyboard. Plus, it gives you a cushy place to rest your palms when you’re not typing.

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Logitech V-10 Notebook Speakers

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

Logitech Wireless M305 Mouse

Gorgeously patterned accessories are starting to come out of Logitech and we simply adore these dinky little Bluetooth mice. They have tiny nano receivers and excellent battery life!

Bookeen Cybook Orizon eBook Reader

Built-in wireless functionality, a hardware keyboard and a touch-sensitive screen put this eReader in a league of its own. It also isn’t only restricted to the eBook format, as it supports a variety of popular electronic document formats too.

40 | connect | January 2011

Packard Bell EasyNote Butterfly XS SU7300 NEED TO KNOW • 11.6” laptop • High-definition display • 1.3GHz Intel Celeron SU743 processor • Feature-packed, runs on Windows 7 Home Premium R7 999.95

The Packard Bell Butterfly XS SU7300 is one of those gadgets that sits somewhere between a netbook and a notebook. Despite being unsure how to classify this laptop, there are a few things that were very clear to us right from the beginning: it’s an entirely versatile piece of hardware that attempts to deliver the portability of a netbook while still being crammed with the thinking power of a larger notebook.

Usually, a reduction in size to achieve portability means a lowering of specs. Not so with the Butterfly XS. If you’re an entry-level user (meaning you’re either a first-time purchaser or aren’t relying on this machine as your primary computer), you’ll find all of the features to be carefully thought-out. We’d imagine that this machine would handle most of your day-to-day tasks with ease. Rest assured that battery life is not something that was sacrificed for size, either. The Butterfly XS might be small, but it packs a six-cell battery that can last for up to 8 hours on a single charge.

It’s this long battery life and versatility that make the Butterfly XS so attractive. Its simple, functional design is the size of an A4 notepad and despite being compact and readily portable, we liked that it came with a full-sized keyboard, and the multi-gesture touchpad makes for easy scrolling, pinching, zooming and rotating.

The Butterfly XS is also heavily loaded with entertainment-centric features, and it’s one of those rare ultra-portables that come with a built-in optical drive DVD rewriter. It’s also endowed with a highdefinition(720p) 11.6” (1 366 x 768 pixels) display, an HDMI port and advanced graphics processing. All this means the Butterfly XS is perfect for watching movies or burning DVDs on the go.

Brainpower comes from the 1.3GHz Intel Celeron SU743 processor, which is teamed with 2GB of DDR2 memory, so a bit more than the average netbook. For everyday tasks and entertainment, the Butterfly XS scores well and the 2 048MB RAM, combined with a 320GB HDD, is more

than adequate. The netbook side of the Butterfly XS’ split personality shows in its connectivity options: connect to the world around you with gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1, which is great for working on the move. The Butterfly XS also offers a host of plug-and-play options with a 5-in-one card reader, three USB 2.0 readers and an HDMI output.

For communications, there’s a built-in microphone and webcam.

The Butterfly XS comes loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium, Adobe Photoshop Elements 7, standard Norton Security software and Nero 9 Essentials for burning data and movies. Further proof that the Butterfly XS is not intended to be a person’s primary computer is the fact that Packard Bell offers its Xsync USB dongle with the machine to make synchronising with your main PC straightforward.

You’ll find a little something of everything inside this machine to tickle your fancy – there’s brains, beauty and entertainment, too.

Noteworthy specs • 11.6” HD display • 1.3GHz Intel Celeron SU743 processor • 2GB of DDR2 RAM • 320GB HDD • Ethernet, Wi-Fi, optional 3G and Bluetooth • 5-in-one card reader, three USB 2.0 readers and an HDMI output • Built-in microphone and webcam

Pros

Cons

• Three USB ports, an HDMI port and a 5-in-1 card reader is a LOT of plug-in potential • DVD rewriter is not something usually seen on a machine this size • Loads of options when it comes to handling multimedia

• Not powerful enough for a serious Photoshopper, which is why it comes with Photoshop Elements • Slightly heavier than most netbooks • Screen edging seems a bit flimsy and the full-sized keyboard might be cramped for some

Overall rating

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Dell Inspiron 11z NEED TO KNOW • Occupies the gap between netbooks and notebooks • Powered by Windows 7 Home Premium • Higher screen resolution than average • Comes with a bag, an external DVD writer and R2 000 worth of Internet bandwidth R7 999.95

Dell’s Inspiron 11z is a product that sneakily avoids absolute definition, as it occupies the space between netbooks and notebooks. Since `subnotebook’ is probably the best description considering its hardware configuration, that’s the one we’re going to stick with for this review.

The best reason to buy a product like this is if you’re not looking for a full-blown notebook, but still need reasonable processing power for everyday tasks. Netbooks have a tendency to underperform when it comes to demanding tasks like playing back high-definition video or doing even basic things like touching up photos and light video editing. So the fact that the 11z has a dual-core Pentium SU4100 processor means it will easily outperform any netbook you care to pit against it.

Great looks don’t hurt, either, and the 11z’s attractive polished red finish represents a nice departure from the usual metallic silver/grey/polished black/matte black that notebook makers favour. It’s quite sturdy too, while also being thin and lightweight, weighing in at only 1.38kg and measuring a slender 2.5cm at its thickest point.

Another way the 11z differentiates itself from a mere netbook is with its 11.6” screen. Unusually, it has a respectable native resolution of 1 366 x 768, which provides more space for applications and the Windows desktop, which should appeal to anyone who has felt limited by traditional netbook screens. LED-backlighting coupled with a glossy finish ensure that images are bright and colours pleasingly intense. This makes the 11z a very attractive all-rounder that’s suited to photograph- and video-viewing as much as it is to general use.

Dell has included a keyboard that is 92 percent the size of a full desktop keyboard, and is pleasant to type on, with excellent key feedback. It lacks a keypad, but the design of the keys themselves is attractive enough to make up for the fact. The touchpad is a bit of a weak point, though, as up/ down movement-sensing is too slow and left/right sensing is too fast; if you were to draw a circle on the touchpad, for example, you’d get an oval on the screen, not a circle.

The 11z has much of the hardware you’d expect on a notebook, like

wireless b/g networking, a memory card reader and a webcam, but no built-in DVD drive. Fret not, though, as for your money, you’ll also get an external DVD writer. Further extras include a nice carry case and, as is the norm now throughout Incredible Connection stores, free ADSL bandwidth (with the purchase of a desktop or notebook computer).

This particular bundle comes with R2 000 worth of connectivity, which translates to 52GB. With Windows 7 Home Premium taking care of the operating system side of things, the Inspiron 11z is a very nicely-rounded piece of kit. Its 2GB of RAM is modest, but the hard drive makes up for this at a pleasantly chunky 320GB, so there’s plenty of space for applications, videos and pictures.

There’s lots of value for money to be had, and decent subnotebook performance means it’s faster than a netbook, but still a wee bit slower than a full-blown notebook. Overall, the 11z is a great buy if your needs are modest, yet more demanding than a netbook can satisfy.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Processor: Intel Pentium Dual-core SU4100 @ 1.3GHz • Memory: 2 048MB RAM • Storage: 320GB SATA-II hard drive • Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit • Connectivity: IEEE 802.11b/g wireless networking, 10/100 wired LAN, Bluetooth • Outputs: HDMI, VGA • Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA4500 M • Display: 11.6”WXGA (1 366 x 768) LED-backlit display with 1.3MP webcam • Ports: 3x USB 2.0 • Card reader: Yes, 3-in-1

Pros

Cons

• Better performance on offer than a netbook can muster • Extras offer some brilliant value for money, especially the bandwidth • Screen resolution is higher than that of the average netbook

• It’s almost essential to use a USB mouse over the touchpad • You can get a notebook for a similar price • Wireless networking is not of the N variety, so shorter range and slower speed

Overall rating

For R1 000 more, consider HP’s excellent DV6-3060 notebook. It has a Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive and a gorgeous 15.6” LED-backlit screen.

Acer Happy Netbook

Never has a series of netbooks looked as bubbly as this one, which earns its `Happy’ name courtesy of a range of fun colours. Grab one if your computing needs include a lightweight but basic travel companion.

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Built Netbook Sleeve When on the go, it’s always useful to have something in which to keep your netbook or notebook to reduce the chances of sullying that attractive finish. Built bags are great for this purpose!

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Dell Vostro V3500 Business Notebook Dell Vostro V3300

This is the V-series’ smallest entrant. With only a Core i3 processor, it’s not quite as beefy as its more powerful siblings, but it’s still fast and versatile enough to make for a competent work notebook.

Dell Vostro V3700

The biggest of all V-series Vostros, the V3700 is a beast of a machine. It has a generous 17” LED-backlit screen and a very quick Core i7 processor, making it the showboat of the range.

Samsung XL2370 LED-backlit 23” LCD Screen

Notebook screens are pretty cramped when compared to a regular LCD screen. This one from Samsung is not only large, it does full HD resolutions and is backlit for a more intense and colourful image. It’s a great companion to any notebook.

42 | connect | January 2011

NEED TO KNOW • A 15.6” notebook designed for business users • Powered by Intel’s Core i5 processors • Security features to keep the notebook and its data safe R10 999.05

A lot of fuss has been made of notebooks that buck conventional trends, but sometimes all anyone actually wants is a powerful and sturdy laptop that’s packed full of features. Dell’s Vostro notebooks fit that description.

They provide a no-nonsense computing experience that is tailored for business users, with far more emphasis placed on performance, durability and security than dashing looks designed to appeal to teenagers.

Rather, the Vostro V-series has somewhat more serious looks, and is available in three designs: metallic silver, red and bronze. Each of these is attractive enough to be at home in even the most austere boardroom.

Instead of garish and striking, Vostro notebooks have a subtle and understated appeal, thanks to their chromed Dell logos and reinforced magnesium-alloy chassis.

Of the three notebooks in the range, the V3500 offers the most balanced set of hardware options. Its LED-backlit screen is a pleasantly-sized 15.6” so it’s not overly bulky; it has a mid-range yet powerful Core i5 processor and runs Windows 7 Professional (64-bit). Four gigs of RAM keep applications responding quickly, and 500GB of storage space provides plenty of storage for business data.

With this hardware, the V3500 is more than capable of running any business software you care to throw at it while keeping the Windows experience zippy and responsive. Opening spreadsheets, creating presentations and e-mails, generating reports and accessing applications running on remote servers are all tasks that the V3500 will handle easily, with horsepower to spare.

The V3500 is not all work and no play, however, as its graphics capabilities are quite impressive thanks to nVidia’s very capable GeForce 310M graphics processor. This means your between-meetings entertainment can include 3D games running at a playable rate.

The keyboard is backlit, making typing in the dark or a dim airplane cabin that much easier. Since security is a concern for businesses of all sizes these days, there is also a fingerprint reader that makes sure only authorised people can unlock the operating system. Dell offers additional services, like secure storage `in the cloud’ (i.e. on a server somewhere else, accessed via the Internet) for valuable data that cannot be placed at risk by being stored on a laptop hard drive.

Wireless b/g/n networking is included, as is Bluetooth connectivity, multiple USB ports and HDMI output for presentations on HD TV sets or

projectors. The DVD drive is writeable, so important data can be backed up even when you’re on the move.

The V3500 ships with a 6-cell battery, giving you around 3 hours of up-time between charges. That time, of course, is dependent on how the notebook is used – don’t expect a full 3 hours if the notebook uses Wi-Fi extensively, plays back high-definition video or performs any other CPUintensive task for extended periods.

Dell have included a number of useful software packages with the V3500, like Office 2010 Starter Edition, Roxio CD Creator and a 30-day trial of McAfee SecurityCenter. As a further nice-to-have extra, Dell’s standard 3-year, `Next Business Day’ support warranty is also included.

So, if you’re looking for an affordable yet powerful notebook computer for business use that comes with a great range of security features and useful added extras, Dell’s Vostro V3500 is a very good option.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Processor: I5-460M(2.53GHz) • Display: 15.6”Widescreen, High Definition (1 366 x 768) WLED Anti-Glare • Biometrics: Fingerprint reader • Camera: Integrated 2.0MP camera • Memory: 4 096MB (2 x 2 048) 1 333MHz DDR3 • Hard drive: 500GB Serial ATA (7 200 Rpm) • Optical drive: 8 x DVD+/-RW drive • Battery: Primary 6-cell 56W/HR LI-ION • Graphics: nVidia Geforce 310M (512MB) • Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), USB ports • Operating System: Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) with recovery DVD • Software: Microsoft Office Starter 2010, Power DVD 9.5, Roxio Creator 10.3 Software, McAfee SecurityCenter (30-Day trial), Adobe Reader 9 • 3-Year Next Business Day Onsite Service

Pros

Cons

• Excellent Windows and business app performance • Security features ensure data remains safe when used correctly • Lots of added extras give good value for money

• Screen resolution is only 1 366 x 768, which limits desktop space • Some may consider the understated looks to be a bit stuffy • A 9-cell battery would provide better battery life, but at least it’s an optional extra

Overall rating

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Samsung SyncMaster B2330H 23” LCD Monitor NEED TO KNOW

PlayStation 3 Gaming Console

The PS3 connects easily to the Samsung B2330H via HDMI, and the resulting sound can be piped out to headphones or speakers using the screen’s 3.5mm jack. Easy!

Xbox 360 Gaming Console

If you’re more an Xbox fan, connect your 360 up in the same manner and let the Xbox Live SA joy commence!

Logitech Z5500 5.1 Speakers

If you love thumping bass and games, movies and music to be played at exceptionally loud volumes with zero distortion, Logitech’s awesome Z5500 speakers are for you.

44 | connect | January 2011

• Widescreen Full HD LCD monitor • Ideal for gaming and general computer use • Has one DVI and one HDMI input R1 699.95

The approximate price point of 22” screens has long been around the R1 700 mark , but no more. For that price, you can now pick up a 23” LCD, and it’s not a no-name obscure brand either – it’s a Samsung.

Bigger screens have many advantages, not least of which being the fact that you’ll have an even greater area on which to view games, movies and even your operating system’s desktop. We’ve long championed the benefits of widescreen gaming and the joys of watching a DVD or Blu-ray movie using every inch of available screen, and we’re very pleased to see these benefits being made more affordable.

While a 22” screen can do these things too, 23” screens have a native resolution of 1 920 x 1 080, which eagle-eyed readers will recognise as being Full HD, also called 1080p. Generally, 22” screens have 1 680 x 1 050 as their native resolution (Full HD HD 22” screens do exist, though), which means a 23” screen is better for things like gaming in HD. Also, never underestimate the visual impact of the extra space that 23 inches brings, even when compared to a 22” screen.

Samsung’s B2330H is not the world’s most perfect monitor, but at this price, that’s not to be expected. It’s not LED-backlit, for starters. Yes, it’s nice to have as LED-backlighting makes onscreen images `pop‘ (i.e. gives them amazing vibrancy and depth of colour), but it’s not absolutely essential. Especially if all you want is a nice big LCD screen, but don’t want to spend a fortune.

That being said, the B2330H monitor ticks all the right boxes for budget buyers. It has a 5ms response time that is more than good enough for gaming and watching movies without seeing any motion blur. It’s generously large at 23” and supports full HD. It has an HDMI port to connect gaming consoles, DVI/VGA inputs for notebooks and PCs, and a 3.5mm audio output so you can connect it up to an external sound system.

The controls are touch-sensitive, but they don’t light up, so in poor light, they’re not the easiest to operate, plus they are not massively sensitive. The onscreen menu system is easy to navigate but, happily, you

probably won’t need to adjust the screen at all since the image quality is really good right out the box.

Samsung states the B2330H has a standby power consumption of only 0.3W, which is excellent for your electricity bill. A blue light indicates power, and blinks on and off when in standby mode. There is no way to ensure it stays completely dark without physically turning the screen off, though, which may annoy some people.

The B2330H is also glare-resistant, ensuring bright light is not easily reflected off its surface.A very attractive polished black finish rounds out the design.

Samsung have designed a very competent monitor that’s big enough, has enough inputs to satisfy most usage scenarios, and image quality that is very good for gaming, watching movies and everyday productivity tasks.

The absolute star, though, is its price, making it very easy to recommend.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Response time: 5ms • Size: 23” (58cm) • Native resolution: 1 920 x 1 080 (1 080p) • Connectors: HDMI, DVI, VGA, 3.5mm audio out • Contrast: 70 000: 1 • Brightness: 300cd/m2 • Horizontal/vertical viewing angle: 170º/160º • Speakers: No • Stand function: Tilt Only • Weight: 4.95kg

Pros

Cons

• Very competitive price for a 23” screen • Excellent for gaming, movie-watching and even work • HDMI input makes connecting to gaming consoles very easy

• No LED-backlighting • Only one HDMI port means multiple HD sources can’t connect at the same time • Touch-sensitive menu controls are not very sensitive and do not light up

Overall rating

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FujiFilm Finepix Real 3D W3 Camera

This is not your typical pointand-shoot compact camera.

In fact it has two lenses. Yes, two. Each has its own 1/2.3” CCD image sensor with an effective resolution of 10MP that work together to record images or video for viewing in 3D. We were surprised to hear that this compact was capable of shooting 3D – even more so by the fact that it can shoot 3D stills, as well as do video and, of course, 2D.

Acer X1110 3D Projector With Glasses NEED TO KNOW • 3D-ready projector • True 24p frame rate for a cinema-like experience • 2 500 ANSI Lumens brightness • 6 000-hour lamp life R4 499.95

A quick look through the ‘what’s showing’ section on any cinema’s website will bear evidence to just how popular the 3D viewing experience is becoming these days. This means that the goal posts for the ultimate home entertainment experience have shifted. 3D televisions are expensive, and are mostly unjustifiable purchases. However, there are always those who want to be early adopters of new technology, and the Acer X1110 3D projector will allow you to do just that, without breaking the bank.

The Acer X1110 3D projector is capable of outstanding performance and is well worth its price tag for the display of rich colours and superb clarity, delivering intense 3D entertainment. What’s more, with this projector, you’re getting a true 24p frame rate, which is as close to an in-cinema experience as you’re likely to get, sitting on your couch. The X1110 impressed us with its display – images are brilliant, even from a distance. We attribute this to the 2 500 ANSI Lumens brightness with SVGA resolution, which sharpens all details and allows you to manually select the level of display detail required for your viewing experience.

The display is even more enhanced by Acer ColorBoost II+ technology, which reproduces natural colours perfectly. Want to buy a 3D projector but are worried about the colour of the walls in your family room? The X1110 makes use of wall-colour compensation, which means that no matter what the colour of the wall, your display will still be accurate.

Acer prove yet again that they’re committed to producing ecoconscious products. The Acer X1110 utilises EcoProtection technology

that dramatically reduces power consumption from 5W to 1W while in standby mode, helping to save energy. Other eco-friendly features include a 6 000-hour lamp life, a power-saving ECO mode, and automatic shutdown after a pre-set period without signal input, all of which help prolong your projector’s lamp life.

We’d imagine that the installation of this projector would show you how flexible this device is. Digital zoom and pan lets you magnify the interesting details of your displayed content and move images to a preferred spot, so no matter where your couch is, you’ll get the front-row view. To fully enjoy this projector’s 3D technology, you’ll need a computer equipped with a 3D-capable graphics card, which you’ll more than likely have to purchase, or a PlayStation 3 that is already capable of displaying 3D content. What you won’t have to purchase is the special glasses – the Acer X1110 comes with a set of 3D viewing glasses, but if you want to share your viewing experience with others, you’ll need more of these specs, obviously.

While the X1110 does not support high-definition resolutions, it does allow you to experience an immersive viewing experience at a fraction of the price of a far more expensive 3D solution, and is thus highly recommended.

Pros

Cons

• Power-saving functionalities are impressive, auto-off function is convenient • Watching 3D content is very cool • Superbly impressive display, even on a colour wall

• Only comes with one set of glasses • Requires a computer with a 3D-capable graphics card • Does not support HD resolutions natively

Overall rating

Acer Emachines V700 HD Projector

With home entertainment taking off in a big way, an HD projector is a big deal and the V700 not only has a native projection resolution of 1 280 x 720 (i.e. 720p), but it can also handle other resolutions, all the way up to 1 920 x 1 080 (1080p).

LG Infinia Borderless 47LX9500 3D LCD TV

3D looks incredible on the 47LX9500 as it’s a stunning 47” LED-backlit screen that makes you feel like you’re at the cinema. It’s enormous and the image quality is incredible.

www.connectmag.co.za | 45

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Samsung SPF-87H Digital Photo Frame

Relive your memories in crystal clear high resolution.

This digital photo frame has loads of display options and a shuffle capability that makes for a unique experience every time you turn it on. It sports 1GB built-in memory.

Canon Selphy CP800 Photo Printer Bundle NEED TO KNOW • 4 800 x 1 200 dpi resolution • Print borderless 4” x 6” photos in as little as 63 seconds • USB- and PictBridge-compatible direct print • View images on a 6.2cm LCD screen R1 199.95

Canon Powershot A490

Effortless shooting is a given with this compact’s smart auto feature that applies optimum picture settings without you having to do a thing – up to 13 different shooting scenes. The camera is also capable of capturing video at VGA resolution with sound.

Sandisk MicroSD 2GB Memory Card

Slot directly into your camera’s adapter for plenty of space for all your photos and video clips. It’s easy to load and even easier to use, giving you a hassle-free storage solution.

46 | connect | January 2011

Digital cameras and mobile phones have changed the rules about taking photos – now everyone’s a photographer. It’s easy for anyone to take their own photos, but problems creep in when it comes to sharing them. Luckily for those of us who are snap-happy, the Canon Selphy CP800 compact photo printer changes everything about how and where to print photographs.

In other words, with the Selphy CP800, you can print your photographs anywhere, any time. It’s compact, lightweight and easy to pack along on trips and outings. It’s all about convenience and portability – you’ll see this printer is serious about both, as it doesn’t have to be connected to a computer to print.

It’s ideal for setting up at parties or weddings as the Selphy’s built-in card slots allow users to print from their compatible memory cards or directly from PictBridge-enabled digital cameras. There’s even the option of wireless printing. With an infrared-enabled mobile phone, it’s a simple affair of pairing phone with printer before it spits out your party snaps in bold, vivid colour. Plus, you can use the large, 6.2cm LCD colour viewer and control panel to easily tweak images before printing, ensuring pictureperfect prints, every time.

If you’re wondering about print quality, this compact photo printer makes use of ink sublimation thermal transfer technology with Canon Fullphotolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE). FINE uses an innovative print head with nozzles that eject consistent, precise ink droplets to create an outstanding print resolution of up to 4 800 x 1 200 dpi, making for intense detail. It delivers prints that are as close to photo-lab quality as you’re likely to get.

You won’t have to wait as long as you would at a photo lab either,

which is part of what we loved about this device. Print a gorgeous 4” x 6” photo in just over a minute. Obviously print quality is optimal with Canon inks and papers. The inks are incredible and, when used in conjunction with the specialised paper, your prints are supposed to last 100 years, so you can rest assured that your grandchildren’s grandchildren will be looking at your photographs, as they were meant to be viewed: perfectly.

It’s easy to set up and use, anywhere, and it works without hassle.

Consumables are easy to insert and swap out when they’re done, making it seriously user-friendly. We also loved the fact that it is conveniently compatible with both Mac and Windows. It’s this, along with its small size and plentiful connectivity options, that make the Selphy CP800 compact photo printer the new way to view, print and share your photos this year.

Noteworthy specs • 6.2cm tilt LCD • Range of print sizes • Auto Red-Eye Correction • Print from memory card, camera and USB stick • Software with voice guidance Pros

Cons

• Multiple connectivity options are a definite win in our books • Your pictures are automatically corrected and optimised before print • Slideshow functionality lets you view photos and select what you want – much like Flickr • This purchase comes with a travel bag and a pack of photo paper

• Ink settles pretty quickly if you don’t use it for an extended period of time, which means you’ll have to run a few test prints to get quality back up to par • Not as quick as we’d have liked, but quality of prints more than makes up for it • Needs to be plugged in to a wall socket; battery pack is an optional accessory

Overall rating

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Sony Alpha A33 with 18-55mm lens NEED TO KNOW • DSLT as opposed to DSLR means faster frame rates; • Full support for HD Video shooting; • Range of lenses available; and • Easy to use panorama ‘sweep’ feature.

R7 499.95

While they look pretty intimidating and have classically been the mainstay of serious photographers, Digital Single-Lens Reflex or DSLR cameras have been becoming more popular and accessible to the masses for a good few years now.

Helping this trend take a giant leap however, Sony has tweaked the SLR designs being used by the Nikons and Canons of the world for more than a decade now and replaced moving mirrors with translucent ones. Cameras that use this new technology are called ‘Single-Lens Translucent’ cameras, or SLTs. The side effects of this new design are the ability to shoot at faster frame rates, better autofocusing during video shooting and an overall lowering of the time between depressing the shutter button and a picture being taken. SLT cameras are also much quieter than their SLR cousins.

As the ‘translucent’ part of SLT’s name suggests, a translucent mirror is employed instead of a moving mirror and prism. The translucent mirror allows 70% of the light shining through the lens to strike the imaging sensor, while the other 30% is reflected to an autofocus sensor, which in turn keeps the camera’s lens in focus.

In the absence of an optical viewfinder, the camera samples an image off of its main image sensor (16 MegaPixels on the A55 and 14 MegaPixels on the A33) and displays this on an electronic viewfinder or on its or 3” (7.5cm) LCD screen.

While the result isn’t quite as crisp and clean as an optical viewfinder, the A33 and A55’s electronic viewfinder is one of the best in the business.

Thanks to SLT however, the A33 and A55 feature maximum frame rates of 7fps and 10fps respectively, while they can both shoot in continuous mode at a frame rate of 6fps.

These fast frame rates are obviously great when it comes to shooting sport or any other form of action, but also for shooting panoramic pictures using the innovative ‘sweep’ mode.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX5

Instead of taking a number of pictures in succession and ‘lining’ each shot up with the next, users simply hold the shutter button down and sweep the camera from left to right or right to left and it takes care of the rest, stitching the pictures together on the fly.

SLT is also awesome when it comes to shooting video and both cameras are capable of Full HD video recording. With Sony’s truly brilliant ‘SteadyShot’ feature enabled, footage comes out stable and while it might not sound like much, the cameras’ ability to record up to 29 minutes of video at a time in this mode is pretty remarkable.

The Alpha 33 can also do automatic HDR (High Dynamic Range) shooting, technology that combines three pictures taken at increasing exposure levels into one image for truly awesome results. Add in a digital spirit level helps keep shots level and a built-in GPS (GPS are only available on the A55) and these cameras really have the ability to give the entry-level to midrange DSLR offerings from Nikon and Canon a run for their money.

And at the price points these new SLT cameras come in at, it’s not surprising there’s this much noise being created about them in the market.

Noteworthy specs • 16MP (A55) and 14MP CMOS sensor (A33) • Max frame rate of 10fps (A55) and 7 fps (A33) • Full HD Video shooting • Sony SteadyShot Inside • Digital Viewfinder • 3-inch (7.5cm) LCD • Auto HDR means great picture quality Pros

Nikon D3100 DSLR

Nikon fans are thoroughly enjoying the D3100; it’s a great choice for a not-so-new photographers looking to get a little more serious about their hobby.

Cons

• Great picture quality • Digital viewfinder not as crisp as • Fast frame rates optical viewfinders • Nice added extras like HDR and • Camera body is not as robust as Panorama Sweep that of some DSLRs • Extremely competent DSLR competitor Overall rating

This little compact 12mp camera takes quite impressive photos, even in low-light situations. It can also shoot 3D pictures that can be displayed on a Sony 3D HDTV.

Canon 550D DLSR

If an entry-level DSLR is what you’re after, Canon’s 550D is a fantastic place to start. Canon cameras are known for their image quality, and the 550D continues this fine tradition.

www.connectmag.co.za | 47

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Mede8er Media Player

This locally-made HD media player is constantly evolving, and in its current form, it’s one of the best HD media players on the market, with support for lots of different media formats.

perfect companions

LG 47LG9500 47” 3D HDTV HD movies look best on brilliant screens, and this is certainly one of those. At 47” wide, it’s pretty big, and being LED-backlit means colours are vivid. This screen truly brings HD content to life and it also does amazing 3D.

Logitech Harmony 700 Universal Remote If you have the desire to trade in your remote controls, this rechargeable one from Logitech comes highly recommended, as it can replace the remotes of up to six devices.

48 | connect | January 2011

Western Digital WD TV Live Media Player NEED TO KNOW • Internet-connected compact HD media player • No internal storage – add your own via USB • Browse YouTube directly from the device R1 399.95

Western Digital’s products are making their way onto local store shelves in a big way. As it’s a company best known for its hard drives, it should come as no surprise that Western Digital also make products that encourage you to buy their drives.

The WD TV Live Media Player is one such device. It’s a media player that has no drive of its own, and requires you to plug in external data sources like memory sticks and portable hard drives. At this price, that’s not a bad deal considering a lot of people already have memory sticks and portable hard drives.

Because there’s no built-in hard drive, the unit is small and compact and its rather sophisticated dark metal finish will complement any contemporary living room. It has a power switch on the front, two USB ports, an HDMI output for HD TVs, component and composite outputs for SD TVs and an optical output (also called an S/PDIF digital output) for digital sound. It comes with a tiny remote control unit that does everything except control volume, but since all modern TVs have remotes these days, it’s not a critical omission.

The point of having a media player in your living room is to play high definition movies, music and display photographs on your TV instead of on a comparatively small computer screen. There are many HD movie file formats, however, and up until recently, many media players were unable to play them all. This is changing, and the WD TV Live unit can play all popular file types, from .AVIs to .MPGs to .MKV movies without problem.

As for the future, it’s nice to know that Western Digital also releases periodic updates that keep the device up-to-date.

The WD TV Live also comes with a wired network port that allows it to connect to a home network and the Internet. The advantage of this is it can stream movies, music and photos from other devices (PCs, notebooks) directly over the network, and make use of online services like YouTube, Flickr and Internet radio stations. Netflix streaming and Blockbuster On Demand, American movie-streaming services, are unfortunately not available to South Africans.

The WD TV Live’s interface is slick, so even people new to media players

should have no problem getting to grips with it. An initial setup process may be necessary to customise the WD TV Live to your home entertainment system setup, but thanks to the easy menu system, it will be done in a flash.

Movie and music playback is as simple as browsing to the location that contains the file and selecting it with the remote. Photos are likewise quite simple, and can be displayed individually or in a slideshow format – perfect for showing friends and family your latest holiday snaps.

The box does not contain an HDMI cable, which could be an inconvenience if you don’t have a spare one lying around at home, but apart from that, there is very little to complain about. The WD TV Live is a fantastic little media player that plays the most popular media file types and more, its interface is clean and easy to navigate, and it’s affordable. If you’re in the market for a great media player and you already own a variety of USB storage devices, the WD TV Live might be for you.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS Requirements: • Standard or high definition television with HDMI or composite video connections • Home network and broadband connectivity for online services • USB 2.0 memory stick or hard drive Package Contents: • HD media player • Compact remote with batteries • Composite AV cable • Component AV cable • AC adapter • Quick Install Guide Pros

Cons

• Plays popular HD movie and music formats • Network connectivity means contentstreaming from other devices • It is small, compact and its metallic finish looks great

• No HDMI cable in the box • Additional external storage is needed • Some online services not available in SA

Overall rating

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Jump in the deep end with this waterproof, 10MP camera that’s light, compact and easy to carry around wherever you go. It sports a 3x lens, 2.5” LCD and basic-point-andshoot operations, for easy underwater (up to 3m) happy snaps.

Speedo Aquabeats 1GB WaterProof MP3 Player NEED TO KNOW • 1GB MP3 player with headphones • Waterproof to a depth of 3m • Comes with an arm strap R999.95

Speedo Aquashot Waterproof Camera

This lightweight 5MP camera is waterproof to a depth of 3m, and looks remarkably similar to the Aquabeats MP3 player. It also floats to the surface and is remarkably easy to operate blind.

Apple iPod Shuffle 4GB

For a more traditional portable music experience, Apple’s tiny iPod Shuffle 4GB is a great choice. Just whatever you do, don’t dive into the pool with it.

50 | connect | January 2011

Portable music players are to mobile music in the 21st century what the Walkman was to the 80s. The problem is, being entirely electronic and somewhat fragile, modern MP3 players have not played well anywhere but in cool and dry conditions. Sure, many can be strapped to arms for a workout or a run, but eventually the sweat produced during those activities poses a threat to the device’s continued operation.

Speedo, the company best-known for its contribution to the world of swimwear, has a solution to those problems in the form of its new Aquabeats waterproof MP3 player. It’s Speedo’s latest portable music player, but one that can be submerged in water to a depth of 3m, and it comes with waterproof headphones that keep the tunes pumping while the wearer swims laps.

The Aquabeats features large, easy-to-find buttons that perform Stop, Play, Previous Track and Next Track functions and volume up/down, and it can be clipped onto clothing or onto a goggle strap. A 3.5mm headphone jack is plugged into a socket on its edge, and the design is entirely buoyant, so it’ll float to the surface if it ever comes unclipped accidentally. It comes in pink, green and black, giving buyers a good choice of colours.

As it’s quite lightweight, wearers will hardly notice the Aquabeats, especially when clipped to goggles via the head strap. Listening to music underwater is a novel experience that works quite well, but over time, the small movements a body makes while swimming have a tendency to allow a small bit of water into the ear, which interferes with the sound a bit. It’s not a deal-breaker, of course, but it does mean the occasional pause to empty the water out and re-seat the earphones. When the ear canal is water-free, the Aquabeats earphones produce very good sound, more than good enough to accompany whatever physical activities the wearer is participating in.

Speedo has included an arm-strap that holds the Aquabeats in place.

Its design is rugged so it will withstand the constant ups and downs of

jogging, rowing, gymming and the like, and the Aquabeats will remain in place thanks to the Velcro strap that encapsulated it.

There is no LCD screen to display the song currently playing, but since this is a music player intended to accompany physical exertion, it’s not a major oversight. The Aquabeats comes with software that can be used to copy music to the device; it’s merely functional, though, so don’t expect a stunningly gorgeous interface. Windows Explorer can just as easily be used to drag and drop music files onto the device via USB as it treats the Aquabeats like a regular USB drive. There is no option to create playlists or shuffle the songs, however, leaving the music to play in the order the files are arranged on the device’s 1GB storage.

1GB of storage is enough room for about 250 songs of average length.

While this isn’t a lot, it will easily store enough music to last the duration of a workout. More would be nicer, but 1GB should be enough for most people, especially considering how the Aquabeats MP3 player is intended to be used.

Speedo’s Aquabeats MP3 player provides a great-sounding musical accompaniment to an active lifestyle, and best of all it won’t break if dropped or it gets wet.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Storage: 1GB of Flash memory • Connectivity: via USB 2.0 cable • Operating System compatibility: Windows XP/Vista/7 • Included in the box: USB cable, arm band, earphones, MP3 player, software • Waterproof: To 3m Pros

Cons

• Listening to music underwater is undeniably cool • The device won’t break if dropped or it gets wet • Lightweight design means wearers will hardly notice it

• 1GB of storage is a good start, but more would be better • Water can still get into ears when used underwater • A few more colours would be nice

Overall rating

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Sony Handycam DCR SX63 NEED TO KNOW • 60x digital zoom • Instant-on feature • Compact, take-anywhere design • 2.7” touch control display R3 299.99

The only diminutive thing on the Sony Handycam SX63 is its size.

Everything else is larger than life and feature-packed beyond what we’d expected from such a compact little video camcorder. It has 16GB of flash memory, a built-in LED video light, a 2.7” touch LCD display and, the icing on the cake, a professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens.

In terms of looks, the SX63 is an attractive little camcorder roughly the size of a can of Coke. It’s not only beautiful, but it’s also multi-talented and doubles as a stills camera. This camcorder supports both Memory Stick Pro and SD/SDHC cards, should the built-in 16GB flash memory be insufficient for you. When it comes to more plug-ables, a proprietary AV output and a composite cable are included with the SX63, so you’ll be able to plug it into your TV to watch your footage, or into your computer, to edit said footage.

When it came to using the SX63, it was a simple matter of flipping open the touch screen display (we’d like to note that there’s no viewfinder, which we liked) to reveal two rows of buttons for power, backlight compensation, turning on and off the LED video light and to change over to Playback mode. We made a nice little discovery here – there’s another I/O port too, a mini USB. This pushes the SX63’s convenience score much higher. As for the touch display, it’s crisp and looks much larger than 2.7”, and works extremely well to help you frame your shots.

The SX63 was designed for hassle-free recording, so there’s not much in the way of extra shooting options. We found that the majority of our recording was done with the SX63 set to Auto for white balance, scene selection and focus. The autofocus was responsive, although responsiveness is relative to how far you’re zooming out on something.

There are some scene selection modes that allow you to accommodate the scene’s conditions for better pictures, and you can also control white

balance. A great additional touch (excuse the pun) is the fact that you can get more hands-on with focus and exposure, simply by touching any area on the display, from which you’d like the SX63 to draw its information.

With a recording resolution of 720 x 480, you’re getting standard definition video quality, so don’t expect it to be amazing. But, for what it is, it’s perfect for uploading content to the web to share with friends and family. While it might be true that you can get much better video from an HD camcorder, you’ll be paying a lot more. Remember here that you’re getting SD video footage, which is not as taxing on your average laptop or desktop to play or edit.

This trade-off on video quality gets you a lot of storage space, a 60x zoom lens and a truly compact camcorder that you can take along on your adventures. Definitely seems worth it to us.

Canon Legria FS306 Silver

Not only does the FS306 shoot great-looking SD movies, but its tiny size means you can take it with you wherever you go. It also records straight to memory card so you can quickly and easily share your movies.

Noteworthy specs • Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens • 60x optical zoom • Built-in zoom microphone • Scene selection modes: Auto, Twilight, Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Sports, Beach, Snow • SteadyShot image stabilisation

Samsung F40

If you’re looking for a camcorder for easy, quick videos under a diverse range of conditions, with oodles of user-friendliness and quality, look no further than the F40.

Pros

Cons

• 16GB is loads of space to store videos and there are many connectivity options for transferring and viewing your footage • Compact size means that it fits neatly into a jacket pocket, backpack or handbag • Touch display is responsive and works well for controlling focus and exposure

• You’re likely to get better photographs from your cellphone camera • Battery life isn’t very long at all • LED video light only really helps in low-light situations for close-up subjects

Overall rating

Sony SX44

Shoot clear, remarkable HD video footage with this handy little camcorder that’s ready to rock as soon as you open the LCD display.

www.connectmag.co.za | 51

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product reviews

related

products

Logitech Quickcam C250 Webcam

This 1.3MP camera is compatible with all IM platforms and is simple to use with its plug-and-play capabilities. Best of all, it’s USB-powered, making for portability and simplicity.

Logitech Premium Notebook Headset

Looking for a convenient computer headset that allows you to listen to music, take part in voice chats, and make use of speech recognition software? Look no further.

This headset gives you all the functionality you need when you’re mobile. Best of all, it folds up into a plastic travel case.

Logitech ClearChat

Adjustable, padded headband and plush ear pads as well as a rotating noise-cancelling microphone make this the perfect companion for PC-based chats, listening to music while you work and gaming.

52 | connect | January 2011

Logitech C510 HD webcam NEED TO KNOW • Video-Call in fluid HD 720p widescreen • Secure quick-clip for notebooks • Portable fold-and-go design • 8MP still camera R599.99

The Logitech C510 HD webcam is all about bigger and better video self-expression – it delivers wide-angle, high-definition 720p video capture that’s simply superb. What would you do with one of these webcams? The answer to that is – just about everything. – Video-chat, blog, stream live video and upload to Facebook and YouTube with just one click.

Got something to say, but want your video to be high quality and impressive-looking? Get yourself a Logitech C510 HD webcam. Where can you use it? Anywhere you can take your laptop. With a secure quick-clip, this gadget is fastened to the top of your laptop and you’re ready to start recording. When it’s not in use, it can be packed away in its own compact storage case. What’s really nifty about this webcam and makes for supreme mobility is its 360-degree capability. This means you can rotate the camera in any direction to video yourself or a group of friends, adding an element of sociability to your video capture functionalities.

This webcam also doubles as an 8MP stills camera. The auto-focus feature (stills and video) automatically adjusts image quality (exposure, contrast, brightness and colour), depending on the lighting in the room, or you can manually set the image quality. For video, sound quality is impressive as well, and more than matches the picture quality.

The C510 HD also works with Skype, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger, although we’d recommend you give these a skip and try the Logitech Vid HD application. It’s installed as part of the webcam setup process and is ready to use straight away. When you’re ready to make a video call, Vid uses your friend or family member’s e-mail address to connect. The person you wish to contact then need only accept your e-mail invitation to participate in a video call on Vid, and you’re both connected and ready to chat. It’s as simple as that!

With this webcam, Logitech have added an element of fun to videochatting and video-recording. If you want to have (good, clean, fully-clothed) fun with your C510, you have to try the Logitech’s Video Effects and Video Masks. These apply different effects to your video or allow you to ‘wear’ a mask, using your own facial features. Use your mouth and eyes to animate

clouds, a lion, a clown or the Mona Lisa – there are numerous creative possibilities!

Another clever feature from Logitech is the motion detection functionality. If you’ve ever wanted to know what your kids get up to at home when you’re not there, or wondered what your housekeeper does all day, then the C510 will help you satisfy that curiosity. Simply activate this feature and the webcam will turn on whenever motion is detected in the vicinity in which you’ve placed it. It automatically records and saves what it sees.

Overall, this webcam is perfect to set up and keep at home, with your desktop PC, or take along on your travels, should your notebook not have its own built-in webcam. The Logitech C510 hits the sweet spot between price, portability and quality and it’s definitely a Connect-recommended purchase.

Basic System Requirements • Works with: Windows XP (SP2 or higher), Windows Vista or Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit) • 1GHz • 512MB RAM or more • 200MB hard drive space • Internet connection • USB 1.1 port (2.0 recommended) • For HD 720p video-calling and recording on Logitech Vid HD: • 2.4 Intel GHz Core 2 Duo • 2GB RAM • 200MB hard drive space • USB 2.0 port • 1 Mbps upload speed or higher • 1 280 X 720 screen resolution Pros

Cons

• Easy to set up – we liked that the Logitech Vid app was installed during setup too, as it was ready to use immediately • Folds up and packs away for travel and the quick-clip is a welcome addition • Uploading to Facebook, YouTube and the like is quick and easy

• Video effects and masks that are meant to attach to your facial features aren’t always 100 percent accurate • Software takes a long time to install in Windows and can be annoying with its pop-ups and prompts to register

Overall rating

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© © Th Th

WHO SAYS YOUR PORTABLE STORAGE HAS TO BE BORING? KNOCK OUT

WHO SAYS YOUR PORTABLE STORAGE HAS TO BE BORING? Express your unique style with the new

Skin™ Hard Drives by

Iomega®. With three RED HOT

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KNOCK OUT RADICAL

Express your unique style with the new

Skin™ Hard Drives by RED HOT

Iomega®. With three RADICAL

unique designs and up to 500GB of capacity,

Skin Hard Drive by Iomega is USB 2.0 and includes Iomega Protection Suite software (via download), the Drop Guard™ feature, and a 3-year limited warranty when you register your product.

Skin Hard Drive by Iomega is USB 2.0 and includes Iomega Protection Suite software (via download), the Drop Guard™ feature, and a 3-year limited warranty when you register your product.

©2010 Iomega Corporation, Iomega, and the stylized “i” logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Iomega Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. ©2010 Iomega Corporation, Iomega, and the stylized “i” logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Iomega Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

The Skin logo is a trademark of Skin Industries. 1GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes.

The Skin logo is a trademark of Skin Industries. 1GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes.

you can store your

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product reviews

related

products

Western Digital Elements 500GB Portable Hard Drive

The Elements range also has portable drives that require no external power. They retain the matte/glossy plastic design of the desktop drives as well as the activity light at the back.

Western Digital Elements 2TB External Hard Drive NEED TO KNOW • Glossy and matte black external USB hard drive • 2TB of storage space • Simple yet elegant design TBA

Iomega Skin 500GB Portable Drives

Iomega has brought out a new range of portable USB 2.0 hard drives and slapped some stickers (called `Skins’) on their cases to give them added appeal. Choose from 3 sports-oriented designs.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk 3TB Desktop Hard Drive

Seagate’s external drive with its 3TB of storage can’t be beaten on the capacity front.

It’s also modular, and uses docks that provide different connectivity options to suit the customer.

54 | connect | January 2011

The addition of Western Digital to the lineup of companies supplying external hard drives to Incredible Connection is both a good and a not-so-good thing. It’s good because it’s always nice to have competition between manufacturers as that drives down prices. It’s not so good as the company’s design division appears to enjoy sleeping more than it does designing.

First, the good. This external hard drive comes with a whole lot of storage, so it’ll serve you for a good long time before you need to consider deleting content or buying another unit. It’ll take quite a while to fill two Terabytes, even if you’re a fan of High Definition movies and TV series (obtained completely legally from legitimate sources, of course).

The actual look of the drive is pleasing to the eye, too. Western Digital has opted for classic black plastic, with a matte finish providing a bit of grip for the drive’s top and underside, and a polished glossy finish for the sides. As this is a desktop hard drive, it’s quite large, which means the casing has to accommodate it. The result is a case that’s actually pretty thick, which is why the drive is heavy and bulky. Since its intended usage model is that of a drive that sits on a desk, permanently connected to a PC via USB, this isn’t a bad thing, and may only cause mild annoyance when it needs to be moved.

Its power requirement is the other reason it will remain tethered to a desk throughout its lifespan. The power brick is built into the plug, and the cable is a pleasing 1.5m or so, which is pretty standard for a drive of this type.

The evidence for the argument that the creators designed this drive in their sleep is the absence of a power switch – for a powered desktop drive, this is a must-have. Further evidence of a lack of forethought is the fact that the activity indicator light is located on the back of the drive, where the power and USB cables plug in. Since this light also indicates whether or not the drive has power, it’s a rather daft choice of location as

the drive appears designed not to face away from the user, as would be necessary to see the activity light. A light on the front of the drive would have been a much more intelligent design decision.

Western Digital also doesn’t include any additional software with the drive, like other manufacturers do, but since this lowers the drive’s price it’s not a bad thing. The Elements 2TB drive is completely empty when you open the box, although it is at least formatted so it can be used right away on a PC (Mac users will need to format it themselves).

Despite these negatives, the drive is attractive enough that it may inspire a purchase on looks alone. Its performance is in line with other USB drives, boasting sustained transfer speeds of around 40MB per second. While not amazing, it’s not rubbish either.

So, while this particular foray into semi-portable desktop storage has its share of flaws, it’s still a product with lots of appeal. It looks good and places a lot of storage at your disposal, which may trump the need to see an activity light or a switch to turn the drive off when not in use.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Interface: USB 2.0 • Dimensions: 36.14mm x 179mm x 124.5mm • Weight: 1kg • Storage: 2TB • Finish: Matte black, glossy black • External Power: Yes, via 2-prong plug

Pros

Cons

• 2TB is a whopping amount of storage space • Polished and matte black exterior is undeniably attractive • PC users can plug it straight in and use it without formatting first

• No extra software is included • Power/activity light located on the back of the drive • No power switch for times when the drive is not needed

Overall rating

related

products

Iomega Skin 500GB Portable Hard Drive NEED TO KNOW • Portable USB hard drive • 500GB of storage space • Sticker design by Skin Industries R1 299.95

The need to differentiate everyday products from those of the competition has apparently taken root. First, we reviewed Verbatim’s GT-branded range of portable hard drives that offered nothing new apart from a snazzy design on the casing and a higher price-tag. Now it’s Verbatim’s turn to try their hand at creating appeal while bringing little else to the party.

Iomega has partnered with a sports apparel company Skin Industries (apparently a well-known US `sports-fashion’ brand) to bring consumers three new portable hard drives with fun designs on their cases. The three designs – Knockout, Radical and Red Hot – are, to be fair, quite attractive if you like biker girls and tattoos (and who doesn’t?) and they definitely do catch your eye. If you like generating a buzz and attracting attention when you whip out your portable hard drive, the new Skin range will do the trick quite nicely.

If, on the other hand, you buy portable hard drives for their capacity and performance, there is no real reason to buy this one over any of a half dozen others that don’t feature snazzy designs on their exteriors. The best thing the new Skin drives have going for them is their capacity, which, at 500GB, is very good.

So who are these drives aimed at, then? We feel they will appeal to people who disagree with the reigning design philosophy that has portable hard drives looking rather dull and uninspired, and to those who favour spice over boring functionality. Young people in particular may appreciate the edgy patterns, with artistic types who enjoy expressing themselves through the products they choose to support close behind them.

Being the nerdy but fair types we are here at Connect, we accept that some gadgets may appear boring and staid to people who appreciate artistic appeal over, say, the awesome power of a six-core processor cooled by liquid Nitrogen to stop it bursting into flames as it breaks the 5GHz barrier. On the other hand, it boggles the mind to think that adding the kind

of artistic touches intended to appeal to this demographic should cost a few hundred bucks extra.

There are some saving graces, however. The drive is quite rugged and can survive drops of around half a metre or so, and comes with Iomega’s Protection Suite software bundle. This is made up of a 12-month subscription to Trend Micro security software for Mac or PC, a backup utility and 2GB of free online storage from MozyHome Online. These need to be downloaded from the Internet, though, and are not stored on the drive. The speed of data transfers should satisfy the average user.

So, the new Skin portable hard drives from Iomega are functional, have pretty cool designs on them to help you stand out from the crowd, and come with added extras that deliver some unexpected value. That each drive costs a little more than the average portable hard drive may worry those just looking for a functional mobile storage device, but it should not deter anyone interested in making a personal statement with their technology choices.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 500GB storage capacity • Preformatted and hot plug-and-play • No AC adapter needed • Compatible with PC and Mac • USB 2.0/1.1-compatible • Transfer rate of 480 Mbits/s • Three-year limited warranty (with product registration) Pros

Cons

• 500GB of storage space • Added extras like security software and online backup storage • Half-metre drop protection

• The cool design costs extra • Underneath it all lurks a pretty average portable hard drive • Extra software has to be downloaded, as it’s not included on the drive

Overall rating

Verbatim GT Portable 500GB Hard Drives

If you’re more a fan of classic cars than edgy tattoo-like patterns, Verbatim’s GT range of portable 500GB hard drives is a solid alternative to Iomega’s Skin range.

Seagate FreeAgent Go 500GB

These drives are definitely frill-free, but will also cost slightly less than drives adorned with fancy designs.

Metallic silver plastic is also quite classy in its own right.

Iomega eGo Silver Portable Compact USB hard drive

This modest design offers more substance than flash, which is exactly the kind of quality you want in a portable hard drive. It also offers capacities of 320GB, 500GB and 1TB.

www.connectmag.co.za | 55

product reviews

related

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Original Wireless PlayStation 3 Controller

Every PS3 comes with at least one controller, but to really enjoy the console with friends, you’re going to need more than just one. A lot more!

Nitho PS3 4-Charger Station NEED TO KNOW

Sony PlayStation Move Starter Kit

A single Move motion controller will set you on your way to motion-controlled gaming fun. Included in the box is a disc containing demos of some Move-compatible games like Sports Champions and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11.

Exspect Twin Charge Dock for Xbox 360

This charging station is the same concept but for Xbox 360 controllers. It’s limited to only two controllers at a time, though, but is just as convenient and is easily tucked away in a corner.

56 | connect | January 2011

• Recharge up to 4 PlayStation controllers at once • Handy dock stands out of the way, reducing clutter • Recharges original PS3 and Move controllers only R649.95

Sony’s PlayStation 3 gaming console is fantastic for many reasons, one of them being the fact that its controllers are entirely wireless, with a built-in rechargeable battery. To recharge these, a USB cable from the USB port on the front of the PS3 to the controller is needed, and the controller needs to be hooked up for a good few hours before it is completely recharged.

Anyone who has done this will acknowledge that it’s not the most elegant solution. Sure, the battery life is excellent, lasting easily over 30 hours per charge, but eventually, the controller will need to be juiced again and leaving it dangling from the PS3 while that happens looks pretty untidy.

This is why third-party (i.e. not Sony) companies have come up with novel ways to recharge PS3 controllers. One of these companies is Nitho, and they’ve designed a very stylish stand that can recharge up to four PS3 controllers at the same time. There is space for two controllers to recharge on the stand itself, and then there are two USB ports that can have cables connected to them (included in the package), which are then connected to a further two controllers.

On the surface this may sound like just another place to connect unsightly cables. While that is pretty accurate, at least the stand can be positioned somewhere out of the way, which can’t be done with a PS3.

Since the included cables have mini-USB connectors, they can be used to recharge Move controllers too. If you have two regular PS3 and two Move controllers, a single Charger Station should sort you out and let you recharge the lot at once.

The stand has two clear plastic brackets that the PS3 controllers rest on, which glow blue while recharging and green once the controllers are fully charged. The design is solid, and there is a power button that makes charging convenient. Turn it on when the controllers are mounted on the brackets to charge, and turn it off if all you want is a place to rest them once you’re done gaming.

It’s a simple concept, elegantly executed. It should please parents who hate having controllers lying around the lounge all the time, and gamers who just like things to be neat and tidy when the PS3 is not in use.

Admittedly, it’s not an essential product that every PS3 owner has to go out and buy, but it’s a great idea for a gift for any neat freak.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Charge station for 4 Sony PS3 wireless controllers (including up to 2x Move) • Blue/green lights indicate charging status • Powered by a 220V-5V 1000MA AC adapter • 2 USB to mini-USB cables, 80cm long, are provided for recharging 4 controllers at once

Pros

Cons

• Charging up to 4 controllers at a time is handy • Blue/green charging indicator lights look cool and are useful • Easier to position out of the way than a PS3

• Not an essential purchase if cable clutter doesn’t bother you • Still needs cables to connect 4 controllers at once

Overall rating

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Sony Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 NEED TO KNOW • Video-editing software for intermediate to advanced users • Create your own DVD, complete with menus and chapters • Tutorial DVD included in the package R1 999.95

Choosing the right video-editing package can be a difficult task. Sony’s Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 has a lot to offer prospective movie creators, including a slew of professional-level features that will take your movies to places unreachable by free software like Microsoft’s Windows Live Movie Maker.

We must state upfront that this package is not for anyone looking for an uncomplicated video-editing suite. It’s going to take time to master its many facets, plenty of patience on the part of would-be Spielbergs and a lot of time spent watching the tutorial DVD, exploring help files and watching tutorial videos on YouTube.

That said, those who do this and earn themselves a solid understanding of how the software works will be able to turn a collection of amateur video clips into a DVD movie, complete with a title screen, menu and chapters, just like a Hollywood movie DVD. The software even exports to the Blu-ray format, playable on all Blu-ray players (provided you have a Blu-ray writer, of course).

Before you start, a powerful PC with a lot of memory is a must. Editing high-definition movie clips, which the software supports, needs plenty of memory, and even PCs with the required 2GB (as stated on the box) will battle with 1 080p movie files. We recommend 4GB of RAM and a 64-bit operating system; more, if possible, for the smoothest experience using Movie Studio HD Platinum 10. If you’re not going to fuss with HD, 2GB of RAM will be sufficient.

Once those requirements are satisfied, anyone with the will to do so can create excellent-quality movies made up of clips melded together with seamless scene transitions, special effects like ultra-slow motion and fast forward, set to a soundtrack of their choice, and more.

Before adding individual clips to a bigger project, the software can make corrections, like sharpening up blurry videos, adjusting colour saturation and even stabilising shaky clips. It will take some practice to get everything `just right’, of course, but the potential is there.

On the one hand, we can hold the steep learning curve against the software. But on the other hand, the results that are possible with a bit of

Pinnacle Studio HD

effort (okay, a lot of effort) make going through the process well worth it.

As the saying goes, nothing worth doing is ever easy.

Many popular HD file formats are supported, so you can import HD camcorder footage directly into the software. Just be sure to have a lot of hard drive space available as HD footage takes up quite a bit of space.

Along with the main program and tutorial DVD, you’ll get Sound Forge Audio Studio, which lets you create and edit audio files. Also included is DVD Architect, the software you’ll use to create a professional menu system for your movie and burn the resultant files to DVD or Blu-ray discs.

For the money, Sony is offering a lot of value.

Sony Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 is an excellent product if you have the time and inclination to get to grips with its inner workings. If not, there are simpler programs out there that will help produce similar results, just without as much professional-looking polish.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

perfect companions

Western Digital Elements 2TB External Desktop Hard Drive Working with HD movie files is going to take up a lot of hard drive space, so a big external drive may become necessary. This 2TB drive from Western Digital offers plenty of space for a good price.

• Windows XP with Service Pack 3, Vista with Service Pack 2 or later, Windows 7 • 1GHz processor, multi-core recommended for HD video-editing • 200MB hard drive space for program files • 1GB of RAM, 2GB recommended for HD (Connect recommends 4GB) • USB 2.0 connection for importing video from camcorders • DVD-ROM drive for program installation • DVD-writer or Blu-ray writer for burning movies to disc • Microsoft .NET Framework (included on DVD) • Internet connection for product registration and activation

Pros

Cons

• Professional-quality movies are possible, with effort • More tools and features than we have space to mention • Supports many HD movie file formats

• Very steep learning curve for beginners and intermediate users alike • Complicated-looking interface can be rather intimidating • More than the stated 2GB minimum is needed for smooth HD video-editing

Overall rating

This HD video-editing software is a little easier to get to grips with than Sony’s offering, and is recommended for beginners looking to get their feet wet in the world of video-editing.

Sony Vaio VPC-F127 This laptop is so powerful, it can easily run Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 without slowing down, thanks to 6GB of DDR3 RAM, a Core i7 processor and a Terabyte of hard drive space.

www.connectmag.co.za | 57

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PCTools Internet Security 2011 NEED TO KNOW Norton Internet Security 2011

The latest version of Norton’s excellent security suite is even better than last year’s version, and it gets everything right.

It’s quiet, effective and uses very few system resources.

Highly recommended.

PCTools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus

This standalone package is the best part of PIS2K11 – its excellent anti-malware capabilities have won plenty of awards, making it worth a closer look.

Kaspersky PURE

Kaspersky PURE is a very good security suite with a simple interface that cleverly hides a great many user-tweakable options.

58 | connect | January 2011

• Security software designed to protect the modern Windows PC • Incorporates all features of the award-winning Spyware Doctor antivirus program • Very good rootkit detection and removal rates R149.95 – 3 Licences

PCTools has an antivirus program called Spyware Doctor that has won awards the world over for its efficiency and impressive malware and virus detection rates. The company has built on that foundation and launched a new suite of software security tools that combines Spyware Doctor’s functionality with a firewall and antispam module, in a product called PCTools Internet Security 2011.

The software’s installation is straightforward, and upon updating and rebooting, the user is presented with a neat-looking interface that’s pleasantly colourful. The main options of Scan, IntelliGuard (the intelligent system monitoring feature), Antispam and Firewall are all here. Several buttons down the left side of the screen launch a system scan, allow you to tweak IntelliGuard’s settings, launch any of the included troubleshooting tools and change the program’s general settings.

The firewall included in PCTools Internet Security 2011 (let’s call it PIS2K11 from here on out) creates a list of applications known to be legitimate and allows them to access the network. Unlike other software, when an unknown program is detected, PIS2K11 asks the user what to do instead of discreetly handling the offending program. This is a bit of a step backwards, as other software – Norton Internet Security 2011 springs to mind – does the same thing but silently, without requesting user intervention. It also leads to more annoying popups assailing the user than is strictly polite (and desirable).

The software does have an impact on system performance, as boot times (the time it takes to reach your desktop) are lengthened, opening websites takes a little bit longer and the software’s behind-the-scenes operation uses up more computing power than other products do. On a powerful system this will hardly be noticed, but PCs with average specifications may not cope as well.

Fortunately, there are good things about PIS2K11 that make it a worthwhile purchase. The protection on offer is top-notch, as it protects effectively against viruses, malware and even rootkits. Rootkits are nasty pieces of malware that embed themselves so deeply and sneakily into a PC that they can be easily overlooked by sub-par security software, turning unwitting PCs into members of an underground `botnet army’ (see Tech Jargon) that hackers can use to direct cyber attacks against targets of their choice.

The addition of the firewall and antispam modules is a smart idea by PCTools, but the firewall’s execution leaves a lot to be desired, especially as

other software does the same thing, but better. The performance impact is another flaw, as the trend has been towards security software that is less noticeable than before, while still being highly effective. On that score, PIS2K11 only gets it half-right. Luckily, it’s the `highly effective’ part that makes up for the performance impact somewhat.

Still, it’s hard to recommend this package over others. Norton Internet Security still trumps most security programs available, operating silently in the background, not impacting on system performance and yet maintaining an extremely good record against even the newest and most vicious malware. If you’re a fan of Spyware Doctor and would like to expand its capabilities, grab a copy of PIS2K11. If you prefer your security software to be lightweight and almost entirely invisible, we recommend you look elsewhere.

NOTEWORTHY FEATURES • Built on award-winning Spyware Doctor antispyware technology • ThreatFire Behavioral Intelligence features technology to block new threats faster than traditional signature methods • Advanced rootkit detection technology identifies and removes hidden threats from your PC • Memory Scanner helps eradicate threats lurking on your PC • Download Guard stops new threats by checking your downloads against a cloud-based network • Multi-layered browsing protection • Site Guard blocks you from visiting potentially unsafe or phishing websites and from downloading threats through your browser, IM or e-mail • Cookie Guard automatically removes potentially malicious tracking and advertising cookies • Browser Guard stops automatic downloads, fake AV and malicious files from compromised or exploit websites • Constant real-time IntelliGuard protection stops potential threats before they infect your PC Pros

Cons

• Highly effective against Internet threats • Neat, nice-looking interface • Particularly effective at detecting and removing rootkit infections • Excellent pricing for 3 software licences

• Performance impact, while slight, is still noticeable • Firewall requests user intervention too frequently • Other software does more, better

Overall rating

perfect companions

QuickBooks Pro NEED TO KNOW • Accounting software for small- to medium-sized businesses • Cleverly-designed and user-friendly interface • Company snapshot feature for easy referencing R1 099 (SimpleStart) R2 699 (Pro) R4 399 (Premier)

Businesses of all sizes need some form of accounting software, as without it, it’s nearly impossible to track all the money coming in and going out of the organisation effectively. It’s also difficult to establish whether any money is being made, how much stock is moving through the store and how much money is owed to creditors and owed by debtors. In short, having some kind of accounting software is essential to keeping a business’ doors open. Those with a good product will likely be in business long after those with a casual attitude to record-keeping have folded.

QuickBooks has been present in the South African market for some time.

It’s an internationally-developed accounting package that has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the early 1990s. Along the way, its local representatives have helped tweak the program so that it’s relevant to South African businesses.

The latest versions on offer are easily the best QuickBooks programs the company has ever released. The mid-range package, called QuickBooks Pro, is aimed at small- to medium-sized businesses. It comes with all the functionality necessary to ensure the easy processing of the everyday transactions such businesses are likely to require. QuickBooks SimpleStart is for small, home-based businesses and Premier is for medium- to largesized companies.

The interfaces of all three look very similar, but obviously the built-in functionalities will differ. Pro and Premier have a snapshot function that easily illustrates where the business is at at any given time. From the snapshot it’s easy to see how much money is owed and to whom, how much is owing and by whom. Top customers can be tracked, as can fastselling stock items; charts can be added that indicate the breakdown of the business’ total income. It’s also completely customisable, with a total of 12 different data sets that can be added to the default view. This snapshot view lets business owners quickly see which areas of the business need attention, a useful tool in anyone’s book.

Cash flow reports, VAT management and the ability to handle multiple currencies (complete with up-to-date exchange-rate information) are also present and accounted for. The best part about QuickBooks is that

everything is presented in an easy-to-understand manner, and all that is needed to grasp its workings is some business savvy and basic computer knowledge.

The setup process has been designed to be extremely easy. Users are quizzed by the software, which establishes what their needs are. The program enables or disables features accordingly. The interface is very attractive and easy to use, and if any problems are encountered, there are extensive help files and tutorial videos that can help people overcome them. Live support is also available over the phone, if necessary.

Payroll is available but only through a separate program. There are different versions that cater for 1 to 20 employees (Quick Payroll Lite) and 1 to 120 employees (Quick Payroll).

The QuickBooks range of software caters for all business needs. It is a highly-polished, easy-to-use product that will help business owners manage their business affairs more efficiently. It’s also affordably priced, with plenty of support available should it be needed.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • 500MHz Intel Pentium III (or equivalent) with at least 256MB RAM • For Windows Vista users: 1.2GHz Intel Pentium III (or equivalent) with 1GB RAM • 1GB of disk space (additional space required for data files) • Internet Explorer 6.0 or better required (6.0 provided on CD, requires an additional 70MB) • Microsoft .NET Framework Common Language Runtime 1.1 (provided on CD, requires an Additional 150MB) • Requires 9MB for Timer • At least 256-colour SVGA video • Minimum 1 024 x 768 resolution • All online features/services require Internet access with at least a 56 Kbps modem (broadband recommended) Pros

Cons

• Included integration with popular MS Office programs like Word & Excel • Quiz at setup ensures only what you need is enabled • The Snapshot view is very handy for conveying vital business info

• There are cheaper accounting packages out there

Overall rating

MS Office 2010 Home & Student Word, PowerPoint and Excel are the most commonly used programs out of Office’s entire suite. Grab them all in this affordable package aimed at home users and students.

Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 If you’re going to be spending a lot of time inputting data, it’s best you do it using as comfortable a keyboard and mouse set as possible. This wireless one from Microsoft should fit the bill.

Western Digital Elements 500GB For backup purposes, a USB hard drive is a good idea.

Not only does this one have lots of storage space, but it’s completely portable and can be locked away as needed without much fuss.

www.connectmag.co.za | 59

book reviews

Adobe Photoshop CS5 – Top 100 Tips & Tricks

NEED TO KNOW

This book is aimed at intermediate Photoshop users looking to improve their existing Photoshop knowledge and enhance their productivity. It’s jam-packed with useful bits of obscure Photoshop information like little-known shortcuts and time-saving tips and tricks that, when properly used, can dramatically cut down on design time.

Lynette Kent has kept text to a minimum, instead relying on detailed images and illustrations to pass on her knowledge. The book is practical and takes readers through tasks step-by-step rather than laying on the theory (which they should already know anyway). Tasks are rated by difficulty in an easy-to-see manner, and the author includes new spins on common tasks for added value.

Even seasoned designers will get something out of the book, and while all 100 tricks won’t necessarily be new, it’s still a great read.

• By Lynette Kent • 288 Pages

Microsoft Office Home & Student Step by Step

NEED TO KNOW

• By Joyce Cox • 672 Pages

Whenever a new version of Office comes out, a slew of books inevitably follows.

This one by veteran author Joyce Cox provides readers with a step by step guide through the majority of Office 2010’s features, both new and established, in a very relaxed and pleasant manner.

Readers will be taken through Office’s various tools that are there to help bring documents to life; themes, templates and the various formatting tools are all discussed and demonstrated. If spreadsheets have confounded you, the book also delves into those and shows ways to perform calculations and effectively manage the masses of data that usually populate them.

Detailed explanations and clear images are the order of the day here, and in no time readers will be familiar with the inner workings of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

60 | connect | January 2011

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game reviews //By Tiana cline

Donkey Kong: Country Returns TBA Take a trip down memory lane with your favourite ape. Donkey Kong is back, this time on the Wii, and will take you on the classic platforming adventure you’ve been waiting for. It’s everything you would expect from Nintendo and more, with clever level design and a few fun ideas to keep the gameplay fresh.

In this adventure, you’re Donkey Kong, the smiling gorilla probably better known now from popular titles like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros.

Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong’s best friend chimpanzee, is also in the game, at your side, but not as a playable character. In the single-player mode, Diddy Kong can be summoned when you need extra help crossing a jump (he has a jetpack on his back) and in other creative situations. Each level is jam-packed with everything you already know and love about platform games. From the usual enemies to the typical environment features (rising lava, spiked ravines, mine carts, crumbling platforms trees to swing on), Country Returns does just what you would expect it to, and looks good doing it.

With colourful graphics that truly come to life, and side-scrolling surprises, the game manages to capture all the fun of the 1994 hit (for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System), and more. Of course, Country Returns takes full advantage of the Wii’s motion controller and you’ll use it to perform specific moves like pounding the ground, rolling into enemies and blowing air.

Over and above all the new moves and challenges, each level contains secret areas and collectibles. If you collect the bonus objects that spell out K-O-N-G, you’ll be rewarded with something quite substantial. If you don’t get them all, you’ll definitely still have fun trying. Keen on even more of a challenge? Country Returns has a pulse-racing Time Attack mode that will have you attempting to complete a stage as fast as possible in order to get a gold medal.

Unlike platform games of old, the level design in Country Returns is varied and always fun. Instead of running and jumping and more running and then more jumping, there are parts where you’ll find yourself in a mine cart jumping over enemies or riding Rambi the rhinoceros. In other parts, you’re in a speeding barrel, shooting through the air collecting bananas and avoiding bombs.

It’s dangerous being Donkey Kong. Spiky traps, falling boulders and deadly enemies are around every corner and the game can be quite challenging at times. Need help? Country Returns all-new two-player cooperative mode allows you to work together with another player in order to complete a fun-filled series of challenges, puzzles and tasks to reclaim Donkey Kong’s stolen banana stash!

Donkey Kong: Country Returns is an exciting blast from the past.

It also happens to be a great game that will entice new players to the platforming genre and give those nostalgic for a bit of retro fun exactly what they’ve been waiting for.

62 | connect | January 2011

NEED TO KNOW • A new co-operative two-player mode • Classic sidescrolling, platforming fun • Donkey and Diddy Kong are back • New moves with the Wii Motion Controller

>>consider this<< Super Mario Galaxy 2 If platforming fun on the Wii is what you want, Super Mario Galaxy 2 reenergises the genre with new levels and power-ups. In the game, Mario gets to team up with his dinosaur buddy Yoshi, who adds new possibilities to the gravitydefying gameplay.

>>Get this<< Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem At the grand opening of Marioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new theme park, the first 100 guests receive a mini Pauline toyâ&#x20AC;Ś but Donkey Kong is number 101! Instead of walking away empty-handed, he grabs Pauline and heads into the park. Now Mario must rescue Pauline by guiding Mini Marios through over 200 new action-puzzle levels filled with traps. Grab your stylus and place girders to cross pits, build conveyor belts, set springs, or even place warp pipes to solve the various levels. www.connectmag.co.za | 63

game reviews

Rock Band 3

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

NEED TO KNOW • 83 of the best bands • Access to a music library of over 2 000 songs • 100-button pro guitar and a keyboard peripheral

SingStar + Dance You love to belt out tunes, but how about adding some choreography to those lyrics? SingStar + Dance takes the next-gen karaoke experience to the next level using the PlayStation Move.

EA SPORTS Active 2

NEED TO KNOW

• Endorsed by David Beckham • Includes a heart rate monitor • The number-one-rated fitness game • Downloadable workouts that work

64 | connect | January 2011

pro guitar. Not only will you develop real-life music skills playing the game, you’ll also have fun doing it. Customise your band, play in new venues and rock the ultimate jam session with 6 of your closest friends.

R449.95 (standalone game)

Consider >>This <<

get >>This <<

If you’re starting to feel like games in the music genre are looking a little too similar, Rock Band 3 will change that.

Featuring an incredible 83-song set list, Rock Band 3 has more music than any other music game around, backed by innovative gameplay modes and new instruments. In addition to guitar, bass, drums and solo vocals, Rock Band 3 adds a keyboard and an `experts-only’ 100+ button

NEED TO KNOW

Just Dance 2 Those who are more interested in showing off some moves than warbling out mainstream melodies will love this dancing game that features over 40 songs, each with its own choreography.

Why trek to the gym or hire a personal trainer when you can have the ultimate fitness programme in your living room?

Now for the PS Move and Xbox Kinect (but still available for the Wii), EA SPORTS Active 2 is a fun workout that delivers real results. Included in the box is a heart rate monitor to help you control the intensity of your workout. The gameplay consists of a 3-phase, 9-week programme that provides a fitness roadmap to help you stay on track of your fitness goals.

Additional mini-exercises are also available to download, keeping workouts fresh and inspiring. And if you need a little extra support, log onto the online hub and share all your fitness stories with friends. R849.95

>>Consider This<< Get Fit with Mel B The former Spice Girl will be your very own personal trainer in an exercise game with more than 200 tailored exercises, 6 types of aerobics disciplines and a nutritional programme with 6 different meal plans and 140 recipes.

• New combat and weapons system • Bigger bosses, more enemies • Stunning visuals and story Picking up where the first PS2 game ended, Kratos may now be in control but his dreams are haunting him. To free himself of the ghosts, he embarks on a dangerous, mythological monster-filled quest for vengeance. Even on the smaller screen, this PSP game looks detailed, with each location coming alive as you go along – and sometimes this means lots of blood, gore and decapitated enemies. Your trusty blades of Athena are now the ultimate weapon of choice – you can set them alight and create even more damage. From the puzzles to the engrossing story, Ghost of Sparta is the PSP game you’ve been waiting for. R299.95

>>Consider this<< God of War: Collection If you missed the first two God of War games that were exclusive to the PlayStation 2 console, Sony have remastered these beloved titles and made them available for next-gen gamers. A must-have.

>>Retro Buy<< Prince of Persia Prince of Persia opened up an entirely new chapter, introducing a fresh Illustrative art style, evolved combat system, open world structure and dynamic AI – most notably in the form of the Prince’s powerful ally Elika.

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What I capture here

game reviews

Vanquish

NEED TO KNOW • A sci-fi shooter of epic proportions • An engaging and immersive storyline • Upgrade your weapons as you go

Monopoly Streets

>>Consider this<<

>>Comming Soon<<

Mass Effect 2

Dead Space 2

From the makers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect 2 is a dark role-playing game where you get to command a unique team of amazing characters on a perilous mission in the most dangerous regions of space.

With renewed determination and an arsenal of tools to dismember Necromorphs, engineer Isaac Clarke will bring the terror to space – survival isn’t the only thing on his mind this time around.

Gran Turismo 5

NEED TO KNOW

• More than 950 stunning cars • Over 20 locations and 70 track variations to master • Compete on the world stage in online multiplayer modes 66 | connect | January 2011

NEED TO KNOW • A new way to play an old favourite • Places, tokens and streets come to life • Themed boards and tokens Since 1935, more than 275 million copies of Monopoly have been sold in 111 countries and 40 languages. EA has reinvented Monopoly at street level, adding an exciting new dimension to the gameplay. What would it be like on the streets to which you’ve claimed ownership? What would the buildings look like in the more established areas?

The city comes to life with 3D-animated

Consider >>this<<

From the creator of the Resident Evil game series, Vanquish can only be described as a chaotic, third-person action title that’s both fun and futuristic. You’re Sam, a US government agent kitted out with an ultramodern battle suit, in a world where Russia and the US are at war over the planet’s remaining resources. Sam is a trained martial arts expert, and is equipped with weapons galore. Besides the typical shooter action, Sam can move at an ultra-fast pace, slide in style or even slow down time. Vanquish is a visual masterpiece with an overwhelming amount of workable detail in the already massive sandbox-style environment. It’s an over-the-top sci-fi shooter you’ll want to play again and again. R699.95

tokens charging down the roads and the traditional Monopoly spaces (such as `Begin’ and `Free Parking’) becoming actual places. For enthusiasts of the game, this is a dream come true.

Monopoly Streets is an added bonus to an already-loved game.

R499.95

Truth or Lies You’ll be squirming on the edge of your seat as you answer some of the most provocative questions in this 8-player (or less) party game. Someone will get caught.

Will it be you?

Jaw-dropping cars, real-life tracks and diverse racing styles are what make up one of the most anticipated games of all time. It’s been 6 long years since the last GT game. So, has it been worth the wait? Definitely! GT5 looks great and plays even better. From the photo-realistic graphics to the dynamic weather that reacts just as water should, no detail has been excluded. Inside and out, the car models are as perfect as the environments in which they race. The presentation, sound and controls are slick, offering fan-favourite gameplay modes like GT, Arcade and Licence Test, with the new option to race in NASCAR and WRC events. Gran Turismo 5 is nothing short of spectacular.

R699.95

>>Comming Soon<< DRIVER San Francisco With its timeless setting, unique car handling and renewed playability, DRIVER San Francisco revitalises the classic freeroaming, cinematic car-chase experience.

>>Get this<< Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Experience the gripping and heart-racing action of both cops and racers. NFS: Hot Pursuit seamlessly links a fully defined single-player career with a groundbreaking multiplayer experience across all race modes.

tech tannie

Just like a really

lekker potjie Tech Tannie cooks up the right answers to your problems and makes them mooi…

issue of the month: Q:

I have spyware on my computer and I don’t know how it got there! I don’t download anything so it can’t possibly be from me. What’s going on?

Sneaky in Sterkfontein

A:

If you have questions, gripes or just seek some solace, e-mail Tamsin, our friendly tech tannie at techtannie@connectmag.co.za 68 | connect | January 2011

Ag, nee. Seriously? So let me ask you this: have you been downloading your software updates at all? Hmm? Because, you see, if you don’t have your software – such as Windows Update – downloading, well, updates, then you have spyware, my friend, because your PC isn’t protected. These updates contain vital information that will keep out the bad guys. Let me tell you why – the nice men who make these sneaky software goggas that climb into your PC and do bad things are constantly changing and updating them so that they can break through your protection. If you don’t keep those updates coming, the bad guys will get in and will pretty much cause chaos. So go to Windows Defender, sort out your settings so that any updates are automatically installed, and download those. You have to download something, you know. And this is it. Do it now. Go to Control Panel>>Windows Update>> Change Settings and select the box that says Install Important Updates Automatically. There you go, Bob’s now your auntie and you’re sorted.

If you don’t have any antivirus software or protection on your computer, other than the included Windows Defender, then please go and get some immediately. AVG offers a free trial on the Internet, or you can invest in Norton Antivirus or McAffee for a really intense barrier against online infection.

Please do it! You don’t want to be that friend who happened to send a virus to all friends and family members (not to mention co-workers) and destroyed their systems.

Q:

Sometimes my Microsoft software drives me mad.

It freezes, stops working, shuts down, or tells me something incomprehensible has gone wrong.

Seeing as I want an instant fix, can you tell me how to get help when I need it? Software in Stellenbosch

A:

Actually, there’s a great little trick to help you (sort of) recover from a random software collapse with MS Word or Windows.

It’s the magic little F1 key. Press that little doodad and a help window should pop up immediately. Make sure you are in the programme you need help with first, though, otherwise it will pull up a help window for whatever programme your mouse happens to be lurking on. Now I know that this is a fabulous opportunity for me to roll my eyes and go, “Microsoft” and possibly throw in a nice tutting noise for good measure, but I have to say that at least they try to help you. The menu that appears with F1 isn’t the best in the world, to be honest, as it’s lengthy and difficult to search, so expect to spend some time trying to troubleshoot your issue. If you really get stuck, drop me a line and let’s see if we can figure out the problem another way.

Q: A:

I need to wipe my browser history clean and would be ever so grateful if you could tell me how. Clean Katy in Cape Town

Ah yes, cleaning the browser history. Have you been a bad boy, visiting sites you really shouldn’t?

Well, lucky for you, it isn’t too hard to wipe your browsing history but it all really depends on the browser you use. If you’ve moved across to Google Chrome, then got to the Spanner icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen, click on it, and then click on Options. There, under Privacy, you’ll see a button saying Clear Browsing Data. Select it, tick the boxes you want cleared, then click Ok. Chrome will then erase your browsing in a flash. To avoid having to wipe your history every time, why not just go to the Spanner icon and select New Incognito window and it will automatically keep every action off the browser history. If you are using IE8, go to Tools>>Internet Options>>General>>Browsing History and select Delete. You can then remove

all the files and clear all records. Internet Explorer also offers you a secret browsing mode known as InPrivate browsing, which you can use to conduct all such secretive missions in the future. The third browser I’m going to tackle is Firefox. Go to Tools and select Options. Then click on the Privacy icon and you’ll be given several different options with which to work.

You can tell it to never remember history, set custom settings, and even adjust for how many days you want the browser to remember your history. If you don’t want it to remember anything, then just select Zero. And you’re done. There you go, that’s a basic overview on how to delete your browsing history. Just remember that these methods remove the cache on the browser but a clever human, such as my esteemed self, could easily uncover browsing information through other methods, so this is not foolproof.

Q:

I keep getting a really bizarre error message on my screen whenever I try to use Microsoft Word 2010. I didn’t write it down so I don’t know what it said but there were a lot of zeros and letters in it. Please help me!

Oh! in Olifansfontein

A:

Ja, so thanks a huge bunch for giving me lots of information to go on, hey? It’s not like Microsoft don’t have a ton of error messages that change depending on the issue, the programe or the time of day (not really, I made that last bit up). Since you’ve managed to be as unhelpful as possible, while demanding the moon on a stick, I shall, because I’m feeling a surge of generosity, help you. Take your error message and go here: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_fixit_main#tab0. Or take the actual message, write it down, and google it – the solution shall magically appear.

www.connectmag.co.za | 69

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g n i t n i Squ s at the mall screen

I need bigger displays... or better eyes.

I

developed – if you’ll pardon the pun – a passion for photography after buying my first digital camera about ten years ago. The freedom to shoot hundreds of identical shots and see instantly which ones were any good helped me understand how to take a good photograph in a way I’d never really understood before.

Before the dawn of digital, I was crippled by lack of space to set up a darkroom of my own and the prohibitive cost of developing film over the counter.

For many years, I shot with a very capable Nikon digital SLR. The traditional look and feel of the camera appealed to me, but not as much as being able to peer into a glass viewfinder and see what the camera sees `through the lens’. Although the viewfinder itself was just a couple of centimetres across, I never had an issue working out what was in focus or controlling the depth of field in my finished photos.

Recently, however, I upgraded to one of the new generation of mirrorless cameras with interchangable lenses – the Panasonic GF1. This has all the image quality and creative flexibility of a professional SLR like my old Nikon, but in a beautifully slim and compact body. It looks for all the world like the classic Leicas that were the trademark tool of masters like Henri Cartier Bresson. Indeed, Leica make the lenses for Panasonic, and it’s as close as I’ll come to owning a system from the venerable – but expensive – German firm.

The downside of the small body is that there’s no glass viewfinder that looks straight down the barrel of the lens. You’re forced to rely on the screen on the back of the camera in order to compose shots, just like a mobile phone or digital compact. In itself, that’s not a bad thing. I found it easy to adjust to this new way of holding a camera, stretched out in front of you like a holy offering to the photography gods, and it’s got a large screen that’s fairly high resolution for its type.

72 | connect | January 2011

The problem is that no screen quite matches up to the old pentaprism system of analogue optics. On my GF1, I struggle to work out what’s in focus before taking a shot. Worse, even after checking it on the screen, when I look back over my pictures on a large computer monitor, something that I thought was crisp and sharp isn’t, or there’s the tiniest amount of camera shake that I couldn’t make out before. It’s getting embarrassing, having to admit to friends that the magical moments I thought I’d captured have turned out to be a Dali-esque swirl of grotesque horrors.

Perhaps I’m getting old, or at least my eyes are. Maybe I’ve made myself blind trying to read the news headlines on an iPhone. There’s a whole generation of talented snappers who have no idea what a pentaprism is or what it was once used for. They seem to be able to capture action shots on a mobile phone like lions closing in for the kill. I don’t know how they do it. While I’m still fumbling to get the camera app started, they’ve shot their magnum opus. Are their eyes simply sharper than mine? Have they learnt to memorise and understand tiny details that make no sense to me?

And where will this lead? Is the human race going to evolve eagle-like vision and be able to read the letters on a page held up half a mile away, and the cognitive power to extract detail from what they see?

In which case, they probably won’t need cameras anyway, will they?

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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