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May 2011
2
fastfacts Things you didn’t know about computers...
Cloud 9
best Inside Microsoft’s rer yet! Internet Explo
Key essentials
Keep your mouse and keyboard in shape
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Reviews MONITORS LAPTOPS CAMERAS PRINTERS SOFTWARE cellphones GAMES
www.connectmag.co.za
VOL02 Issue #13
FEATURES
10
May 2011
26
Ready, ‘Net, Go! We have website software buying advice for you
14
Keyboard and Mouse Advice Keeping your peripherals perfect
16
Did you Know? Fun facts that make the machine less mysterious
20
Gear up Globetrotters! A guide for travelling with the technology
26
9 Reasons to get Internet Explore 9 Microsoft’s new power browser
14
20
16
REGULARS 04 06 08 68 70 72
Editor’s Letter News Trouble-free Technobabble Tamsin the Tech Tannie Competition Disconnect
REVIEWS 30 36 44 46 48 49 50 53 54 56 57 58
First Look Top 5 Cameras Music devices Storage Videogame peripherals Accessories GPS Mobile phone covers Printers Software Books
GAMING 62
PUBLISHER Brett Haggard brett@connectmag.co.za EDITOR Tiana Cline tiana@connectmag.co.za
REVIEWS Deon du Plessis EDITOR deon@connectmag.co.za TECHNOLOGY Christo van Gemert EDITOR christo@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
I
Subscribe now and you could win a Belkin Surf router, worth R999!
4 | connect | May 2011
t was Gregory R. Pearson, vice president of sales at Intel, who said it best: “Not only does technology change the way we live and what we do, it’s simple technology that is making ordinary devices different.” Add a camera to a mobile phone and you can now take, edit and share pictures with family and friends (and even buddies on your social networking sites) across the globe. But it’s not only cellphones that have become an integral part of mainstream digital culture. Connectivity, through the World Wide Web, is something we all rely on. How do you make technology simple but still get to know some extraordinary gadgets? By reading Connect, of course. Welcome to Connect’s second birthday issue! Not only do we have a lovely prize to give away (check out our subs page), we’ve packed the magazine with great features. For instance, there’s an easy way to set up a website without having to pay someone else to do it for you. If you’ve been thinking about taking your business online, go to page 10 to find out how. We’re also taking a look at two computer peripherals you probably use every day – the keyboard and mouse. Whether battery-operated, wired or Bluetoothed, basic keyboard care extends way beyond dousing it in soapy water. On page 14,
we chat about how the different types of keyboards work, and provide tips on how to best keep them lint- and grime-free. Have you ever wondered why your computer has 2 or 4 gigs of RAM, and not 3 or 5? Or perhaps you’re curious about how small computers can be, or how big they were once upon a time. In this issue of Connect, on page 16, our technology editor explores some of the coolest facts about computers – just what you need to sound a bit more tech-savvy than your friends. Going on holiday? Travelling with technology can mean a backpack crammed with chargers, cables and connectivity devices. But there’s more, for in-flight entertainment, you’re going to need noise-reduction headphones and how do you pick a suitable seat? Never fear, we have the ultimate travel guide on page 20… so gear up globetrotters! And in our reviews section, you’ll find first looks (products to watch out for) and reviews you can use when out shopping. From printers to cameras, GPS and storage devices, it’s all there, and more. And don’t forget to check out our great gaming pages. Happy birthday, Connect Magazine. Here’s to another year of simple, suitable and simply marvellous tech advice. Tiana Cline Editor
Editor’s photo by Dan Elkabir / www.lightscapespdd.com
t c e n Con o! w T s n Tur
news Opera 2011 is Out With a significant speed bump for Opera’s Turbo browsing mode, new Speed Dial features and some more HTML5 support, the final version of Oprah 11.10, the acclaimed desktop web browser, is out. Says Opera: The latest version compresses sites even more, making it up to four times faster than previous Turbo releases, and 15 percent faster than Opera without Turbo. Turbo’s new compression tricks now take advantage of Google’s WebP image format to shrink photos and graphics before you download. (WebP is Google’s effort to improve on JPG, making images smaller without degrading the image quality. So far only Opera and Chrome support the WebP image format.) The other big news in this release is the change to Speed Dial, which shows frequently, visited site thumbnails in the new window or new tab view. Speed Dial in Opera 11.10 is more customisable and allows you to set how many thumbnails you’d like to see. Another new feature in Opera 11.10 is automatic updates for plugins like Adobe Flash. To download Opera 11.10 for Mac, Windows and Linux or find out more information, go to: http://www.opera.com/browser/
Three New Adobe Photoshop Touch Apps Photoshop junkies will be excited by the release of three new Adobe table apps: Eazel, Colour Lava and Nav. But what is Photoshop Touch? This is a (free) update to CS5 that will allow the programme to speak to iOS, Android and Blackberry tablets wirelessly. According to Gizmodo.com, “The possibilities of the Photoshop Touch SDK are truly endless. People would be able to use their iPad or Honeycomb tablet to do things like fully control Photoshop tools, from brushes to colours to layers. In effect, this transforms your favourite tablet into a control surface for your favourite image editing software, just like there are apps that could work a control surfaces for music and video editing software.” Colour Lava allows you to mix colours in a natural way, like a real paint palette while Eazel is a painting application for iPad that works independently from the Adobe desktop version and uses new technology to simulate paint media. And using Nav you can create a custom palette with 16 of your favourite tools, as well as use it to pick colours or zoom. It will also allow you to navigate up to 200 documents already opened in Photoshop CS5, access their information, allowing you to reorder them to suit your workflow, and even zoom into the documents at will. Look out for these editing apps on the iTunes, Android and BlackBerry App Store.
iPhone App of the Month: WiFi Photo Transfer The iPhone has a great camera, and even better apps to take pictures… but getting those to your computer can be a painful task involving a USB cable, iPhone – sometimes it’s easier to just send the picture to your preferred e-mail client. Not anymore! WiFi Photo Transfer makes it easy: Just start the app and enter the displayed address into the address bar of your browser. It works with any computer that has a modern browser (like desktop or portable computers, iPads, or even another iPhone) that is on the same WiFi network as your phone – it’s simple yet useful. Price: Free 6 | connect | May 2011
eBooks Overtake all other Reading Formats The Association of American Publishers is reporting that eBooks outsold their print counterparts in February, with sales coming out to more than $90 million. That comes a month after Amazon reported that Kindle eBooks were outdoing paperbacks. Paperbacks sold $81.2 million last month.
Pokéwalker More Accurate than Other Pedometers in University Study According to researchers at Iowa State University, the Pokéwalker - an add-on device for the HeartGold and SoulSilver Pokémon titles - is the most accurate device for counting steps. The results were presented recently at an experimental biology conference by Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, an Iowa State professor who has been studying the Pokéwalker’s usefulness since its release. This study, which found the Pokéwalker most accurate counting steps taken on a treadmill at four different speeds, is a first step in on-going research on the device, and how it encourages physical activity among kids. “Pokémon is a big toy for kids,” Lanningham-Foster said. “And that’s why I was so interested in it is the idea that we have yet another active gaming format for kids.” (Kotaku.com)
techno jargon // by Deon du Plessis
Many of this month’s collection of jargon terms deals with photography, with a few others thrown in for good measure.
8 | connect | may 2011
D-pad
D-SLR
This stands for “directional pad”, and is usually a plusshaped key found on remote controls, video game controllers and cellular telephones. They are usually completely digital, offering only results related to the direction you’re pressing, with no intermediate values.
This stands for “Digital Single Lens Reflex”, and is used in reference to cameras that bridge the gap between entry-level compact cameras and high-end camera equipment. D-SLRs offer the more advanced (but not entirely professional) photographer more control over their shots, while also offering digital assistance to make doing so easier than it would be with a professional-level camera.
Tablet PC Way back in ancient times, a tablet was a flat piece of rock or wood for carving writing into. In modern times, “tablet” means a wide and flat computer that is controlled by touch-sensitive screen. These appear to be gathering momentum as far as technology trends go, with every major company bringing out their version of what a tablet PC should be. So far, Apple is winning the race with its excellent iPad tablet PCs.
Vertical banding Vertical banding is said to occur when a laser printer’s output is marred by visible bars that run the length of the page. It happens because of the way laser printers print – with the use of wide rollers that spread laser toner onto paper before it is burned in place. It’s not a really big problem as laser printers are primarily used for general document printing, but it becomes apparent when photos are printed on laser printers not intended for that use.
ISO (cameras) In broad terms, ISO is the rating of a camera’s sensitivity to light. Images captured at low ISO ratings are usually brightly-lit, and the darker a scene becomes the higher the ISO sensitivity needs to be set in order to capture it accurately. As ISO ratings increase, electronic noise (visible artefacts) becomes visible as the camera’s electronics attempt to compensate for the lower light levels. Generally-speaking, more expensive cameras deal with electronic noise far better than inexpensive ones.
Autofocus The ability of a camera to automatically focus on the subject or scene it is being pointed at is called autofocus. This is a function built into the lens; the motor that controls the autofocus function is audible (it’s a squidgy little whine), which can sometimes be heard when video is being shot. Having an autofocus function helps photographers who don’t want to manually adjust their camera’s lens so that their subjects are in focus.
image quality when compared to screens made using cheaper TN (twisted nematic) panel technology, but it is far more expensive. The screens seen on most store shelves use TN technology, as the compromises in image quality are not hugely noticeable unless you’re a designer, plus they are far more affordable. If you want the absolute best, however, you’ll definitely want an IPS screen as side-by-side with screens that use TN panels they are streaks ahead. Just bring your credit card and bank manager, however, as they are pricy. Apple’s beautiful Cinema monitors are examples of screens that use IPS technology.
Macro photography Capturing close-up images of tiny objects is referred to as Macro photography. Cameras with Macro capabilities usually indicate this with a minimum distance the camera must be to a subject in order to capture the image clearly and with fine detail. The smaller that number, the better the camera.
Dock Connector
Panorama
A plug on an electronic device that provides an interface between the device and a secondary piece of equipment can be called a dock connector. In the case of Apple’s products, each one has a ‘universal dock connector’ that lets people connect their iPods and iPhones to computers and audio devices using a standardised connection.
A panorama in non-photographic contexts is an unbroken scene surrounding the observer, and in photographic terms it’s an image that has been created of a scene made up of several images that have been stitched together using software. Many modern cameras have this capability, with some of the more recent ones only requiring the user to move the camera across the desired panorama in order to capture it as opposed to taking several individual images and stitching them together after the fact.
nVidia CUDA A graphics card is a dedicated piece of hardware that only processes information needed to get images onto a screen. This is very different to a central processing unit, or CPU, which processes all information necessary to run programs, operating systems and perform complex calculations related to doing so. CUDA is a processing technology created by graphics card-maker nVidia that lets a graphics card handle similar tasks to a CPU, dramatically increasing the overall processing power of the computer it’s installed in. This helps in tasks like video processing, and can speed up tasks like video editing, video creation or other tasks that require intensive mathematic calculations. nVidia refers to CUDA as a “parallel processing technology”.
IPS (screen technology) In-line Plane Switching is what IPS refers to, and it’s a screen panel technology that goes into the best computer monitors and TV screens. It offers superior colour reproduction, viewing angles and
Router vs. modem vs. modem router A router is a piece of equipment that routes data from one point to another using advanced addressing techniques. A modem, on the other hand, is a device that decodes modulated sound into digital information that can be used by a computer. Modem is a combination of two words, “modulate” and “demodulate”, the technical actions it performs in order to send and receive information. Modems and routers are separate devices – a router doesn’t necessarily have an integrated modem, and a modem doesn’t necessarily have a router component, but it is possible to combine the two, which results in a “modem router”. A modem router is a device connected to the Internet using a telephone line, and it is also able to send the information received from the Internet to computers connected to it using wires or a wireless connection.
www.connectmag.co.za | 9
website software buying advice //by deon du plessis
Ready, ‘Net, Go! It’s no longer a big or expensive undertaking to set up a private or even a business website. With GoNetReady’s new website solution packages, an affordable, fully-functional and professional-quality website is only a few clicks away.
10 | connect | May 2011
W
hat do you do if you want to set up a website? Until recently, the answer was to do it yourself or pay someone else to do it for you. Doing it yourself requires time, skill and technical knowledge; paying someone else to do it can get very expensive, very quickly. What to do, then, if your needs are not great and your budget is tight, but you’d still like to grab a slice of the e-commerce pie by taking your business online? The short answer is to buy a product that gives you a website in a box. A company called GoNetReady (GNR) has one such product, called Websites Now, which gives you exactly that. The reason behind choosing GNR’s solution is simple: for a very low price – relative to the cost of having your website developed elsewhere – you can get yourself a professionally-designed website that can be customised to your needs within a very short time frame. The speed at which GNR’s solution enables your new website to be up and running is one of its most attractive features. If you were to walk into a store and buy the Websites Now box first thing in the morning, it’s possible your new website could be live by the afternoon. Obviously the more complex the site, the more time it will take, but even the most complex sites can be deployed very fast relative to the time other methods require. This is because GNR owns all of the tools needed to create and maintain a website, and these are professional-level tools that are powerful enough to satisfy even the website needs of massive corporations. Having witnessed the creation of a basic website personally, we can vouch for the fact that it is possible to be up and running within minutes – the tools at GNR’s disposal are seriously that powerful.
Going live Once you’ve purchased your “website in a box”, there are only five easy steps needed before you’re ready to start customising the website. 1 2
3 4
5
Connect to the Internet. Enter your unique product key. Register your details. Select your subscription payment method. Accept the terms and conditions.
You have now created your own profile on GNR’s systems. When you log in via the user-friendly web interface, you’ll see your site’s basic layout and a list of modules that can be used to customise it. Since everyone’s basic layout is identical, you’ll want to change that to make your site unique.
Design indaba To get that done, you need to contact GNR or Incredible Connection’s On Site techies to set up an appointment to have the site designed to your specifications. This is not a free service, however, but rest assured that the cost involved (R1 500 once off) is far less than it would be to employ a professional web-design company to make your site for you.
DIY If you have the time and inclination, you can purchase the exact tool GNR’s staff will use to create your website. It uses an interface very similar to that of Office 2007 and later, and the demonstration we attended made the actual process look incredibly easy thanks to the tool’s amazingly intuitive interface. Buying this tool and designing the site personally is by far the best way to gain the greatest amount of control over your website. Best of all, it doesn’t require a degree in programming to master.
More options If you don’t want to design your site yourself or pay someone to do it for you, there are over 2 000 preconfigured website skins to choose from, each costing just $9.95 (around R70) each. These have all been professionally designed, and going this way is arguably the easiest and fastest method to get your site up and running.
www.connectmag.co.za | 11
website software buying advice
It’s up – now what? Once your site has had its look and feel established, it’s time to populate it with functionality. Every GNR customer gains access to a selection of free applications that can be used to customise the site’s functionality, with the option to add more advanced, business-class applications at a later date for a nominal fee. As GNR’s approach to website design is completely modular, adding or removing functionality is as easy as clicking a mouse button. Options include a comprehensive e-commerce module that can have you listing products for sale and accepting payments within hours of being set up, as well as the incredibly quick integration of a wide range of social media services like Facebook, Twitter, Digg and hundreds more. Would you like to set up an Internet forum where members can post their thoughts on a wide variety of topics? It’s covered by the Forum module. Do you need to create and manage events and bookings? No problem; just choose the Events module that adds a calendar to your site and also handles registrations and billing. Best of all? There are more than 25 free modules to choose from to make your site exactly what you want it to be.
12 | connect | May 2011
Free modules include: E-Commerce – a simple yet secure shopping interface for adding goods and services that can be chosen and paid for by shoppers FAQ – a database of customisable Frequently Asked Questions Surveys – ask your visitors questions for quick and convenient feedback Blogs – all the functionality needed to start a blogging site that doesn’t look like it was made using WordPress Feedback – a comment module that lets visitors leave feedback on your pages
Premium content If your needs go beyond the basics, GNR has a business-class product that grants access to a range of business-specific applications. It’s a more expensive initial purchase and monthly hosting fee, but not hugely so, and it comes with preconfigured modules that help you set up websites that handle the particulars of specific industries.
Industry-specific modules include, among others: Auctions Real Estate Restaurants Fashion Motor Vehicle Sales & Service News & Publishing
What’s in the box? Since you’re not being sold software as such, the box contains the details needed to sign up with GNR online as well as an extensive collection of tutorial videos that take you through the entire website-creation process. You also get your first month’s hosting for free, and are allocated 1GB of storage space on the server and 5GB of Internet traffic. The Lite version allows you to create up to 40 pages of website content, and the Business version gives you up to 100 pages.
Internet intricacies A website’s files and data need to be hosted on a server somewhere, it needs a web address (also called a “domain name” or “URL”) and it needs to remain on a server that is “live” on the Internet 24/7/365. This all costs money, of course. Happily, all of this is taken care of by GNR’s support staff, and all you have to do is keep paying the monthly hosting fee of $29 (Lite edition, around R200) or $58 (Business edition, about R400).
The bottom line This solution makes it so much more affordable for the average South African to start their own website. It puts the necessary tools into the hands of local entrepreneurs who can now take their businesses online for a fraction of what it would have cost a year ago. That can only be good for the local economy. For further details, enquire in-store, or log on to http://www.gonetready.com and see for yourself.
www.connectmag.co.za | 13
keyboard care //by christo van gemert
. . . o t t o How n
break your
keyboard and mouse!
The keyboard and mouse are probably the bits of your computer you touch the most. You use them every time you’re at your desk, and with that hand contact comes germs, injuries and breakages. Here’s how to keep your desktop kit in top nick.
W
e spend a lot of time at our computers, and it’s inevitable that parts of our regular life start mixing with our digital life. We eat, snack and drink while browsing YouTube or playing games. These are already hazards. Then there’s the chance of making things worse when attempting to clean these peripherals. Let’s take a look at how to best clean and keep them in working condition.
14 | connect | May 2011
Keeping it clean!
Oh crumbs! Thinking of having a sandwich or pie for lunch? If so, it might be best to keep a fair distance from your keyboard. Stale crumbs go hard and will get solidly wedged under a keyboard’s keys. If you have one of those new-style keyboards with the low-profile keys (like you would find on a laptop), be extra careful: these keyboards have less key travel (the distance they travel when pushed in) and foreign objects make it easier to get a key stuck. If you’re using a laptop keyboard, the same warning applies. Sometimes there are ventilation holes and sensitive circuitry where crumbs can cause damage. Quick tip If you want to see how much gunk gets stuck in your keyboard, unplug it and take it outside. Hold it upside down and start shaking it. You’ll be horrfied at all the junk that falls out.
Cleaning your mouse and keyboard is not complex, but you need the right stuff to get the job done. In this case: a can of compressed air (R120), dust-cloths (R20) and a bit of isopropyl alcohol (R50). 1 Disconnect the keyboard or mouse from the USB port. If you have a wireless device, remove its batteries. 2 Start with the compressed air and used it to blow out dust, hair, crumbs and other unwelcome grossness. 3 If things are still not looking good under the keys or you want to be extra sure it’s clean, you can remove the keys using a flat-tipped screwdriver. Keys on a regular keyboard pop off easily, but laptop-style keys need a bit of care (and possibly a thinner tool). 4 Once all the loose dirt is gone, dab a dust-cloth with a bit of alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol is inert and will not cause damage to the electronics, should it get in there. It also helps remove stubborn dirt that comes from months of keyboard and mouse use. 5 The cleaning alcohol evaporates quickly, but let the devices dry out for a few minutes
Water hazard For obvious reasons, liquids should be kept far away from any keyboard and mouse. Electronics don’t dilute that well, you see, and the sticky residue from your Coke will make operation more difficult long after you’ve dried out your gadgets. Certain keyboards come with a spill-proof design that lets them “take a hit” from up to 200ml of water. Without going into how it works, these particular designs keep water and liquids away from the sensitive bits and allow for easy drainage.
Be gentle The keyboard and mouse are just bits of electronics, and have no emotions. They don’t understand when we vent our frustration by smacking the spacebar extra hard, or clicking on that icon a few times more than usual. Go easy on the button-pressing and your desktop toys will last a long, long time.
Tidy those wires If you’re intent on using a wired mouse and keyboard, for whatever reason, taking care of the cords is a good idea. The synthetic materials used for the wires can sometimes go brittle and cause fraying. Avoid bending them too sharply and having them shut in drawers or squeezed between a desk and a wall. If the insulation material on a cord gets damaged, use some electrical insulation tape to patch it up and prevent water from seeping in.
Battery blues Microsoft and Logitech have a wide selection of wireless mice, keyboards and desktop sets, to help us break free from a corded hell. With this wireless convenience comes the responsibility of checking up on those batteries. Some devices have integrated rechargeable batteries, but others use regular, disposable cells. It’s important to replace these soon after they go flat, lest a cell ruptures and causes damage to the mouse or keyboard. If you’re going away on holiday, it’s also advised to remove the batteries completely in case they run flat and rupture. Not a huge threat, but a good precaution to take. Quick tip If your device uses AA batteries, buy high-quality rechargeables from brands like Energizer, Duracell or Uniross. These are designed not to fail in a catastrophic fashion, and to last very, very long on a single charge.
www.connectmag.co.za | 15
fast facts //by christo van gemert
Did you
know
?
If you’ve ever pondered the difference between a megabyte and a megabit, or lost sleep wondering how your computer magically turns electricity into on-screen images, we’ve got the guide for you. These and more are explained in this new monthly segment, where we make your computer less mysterious. 16 | connect | May 2011
Tiny, tiny transistors You might have heard about Intel and AMD, who make the processor (or CPU) that’s inside your computer. While it is not the only bit of your computer, it is the most important part. Modern processors run at speeds of up to 3.8GHz – that’s 3.8 billion hertz, or cycles. A processor can perform many functions in each cycle and microprocessor engineers are working on making them even more efficient. The first Intel microprocessor was called the 4004 – a 4-bit processor designed for a programmable electronic calculator. It ran at less than 1MHz. Today’s processors have multiple cores – each core is a separate processor – capable of completing billions of instructions per second. Modern processors are either 64-bit or 32-bit, depending on the application. Most fascinating of all is a processor core’s physical construction. It’s a single piece of silicon that has hundreds of millions of switches called transistors. Despite there being so many transistors on a single chip, a processor core is only the size of an adult’s thumbnail.
Bits versus bytes Are you mystified by the speed of your Internet or wireless connection? Here’s a handy explanation. Transfer speeds are usually quoted in bits per second (or megabits per second). File sizes are quoted in bytes (or megabytes). Now whip out that calculator. One byte is eight bits. Similarly, one megabyte is eight megabits. So an Internet connection or wireless network that can transfer at 8 megabits per second will take one second to transfer a 1-megabyte file. A modern home wireless network is capable of transferring at speeds of up to 300Mbit/s. The fastest hard drives on the market can transfer data at up to 6Gbit/s – that’s gigabit: one thousand times faster than a megabit. The average MP3 file is around 5 megabytes in size, while a high-definition movie is about 4.5GB (4 500MB) in size. Next time you consider an Internet connection, bear in mind that its speed is rated in kilobits per second or megabits per second. A 384Kbit/s line will be fine for surfing and checking e-mail, but larger file downloads will be very slow – 4Mbit and 10Mbit connections are much faster.
Makin’ mouses Look at your computer mouse. Chances are it has either a Logitech or Microsoft logo on it. Despite the dominance enjoyed by these two companies, neither was involved in the production of the first mouse. The first prototype pointing devices surfaced in the late 1960s. Some were part of classified military projects, while the first commercial mouse came from the German company Telefunken, in 1968. Xerox is credited with developing the first ball mouse, which was used from 1972 until 2001, when Microsoft unveiled the first consumer version of the optical mouse. Modern mice are all optical, using either an LED or laser to provide visual tracking. They take many thousands of photos per second to orientate themselves and use the tiny visual differences in each photo to translate it into on-screen movement.
www.connectmag.co.za | 17
fast facts Computer Confidential: Secrets and shortcuts that make life easier!
Suspended animation You can save yourself a lot of time waiting for your computer to start up by simply suspending it. Modern computers (anything built in the last 5 years) have suspend, sleep and hibernation functions. When your computer boots up regularly, everything has to be loaded into memory from scratch. Using one of the abovementioned functions, the computer simply goes into a lowpower state, saving electricity, but can resume to where you were in mere seconds.
Synchronise your clocks All aboard the data bus While we’re moving towards wireless for some of our connections – such as keyboards, mice and network equipment – we still have to rely on corded communication for other devices. The fact is, wired transfer is still the most reliable means of connecting digital things. Fortunately, we’ve come a long way since the first, chunky cables. Before USB (universal serial bus) came along, transfer speeds were very low. An MP3 file would have taken five and a half minute to transfer. On the first USB ports, the same file would take less than four seconds to be copied. On the latest USB ports, more than 100 MP3 files can be transferred in a second. USB ports also supply power to certain devices, such as mouses, keyboards, USB drives and speakers. This cuts down on the need for power cables. If you’re shopping for a new computer, try finding one that has USB 3.0 ports, the latest and greatest version. New Apple computers will have something called Firewire, alongside the USB ports, and there’s a brand-new technology called Thunderbolt, which we’ll see more of in the coming year.
Storage stories Nowadays we think nothing of the fact that we can carry around 8GB or 16GB smartphones, but it’s actually quite a hefty amount of storage to have in a pocket. A regular computer hard drive is four times the size and six times the weight of the largest iPod. If you think that’s impressive, the precursors to current computer hard drives were gargantuan dinosaurs. IBM created the world’s first hard drive, a double-door fridge-sized device that weighed more than a ton. It could only store 4.4 megabytes – less than the size of a single MP3 file. In 1980, the world saw both the first 5MB hard drive for home computers and the first 1GB hard drive, for enterprise use – it weighed 250kg and cost $40 000. Ten years later, the first 100MB laptop hard drive surfaced, and in 2005, the first 500GB drives went on sale. Storage is so cheap today, that it’s possible to buy a 2-terabyte hard drive (2 000GB) for less than R1 000. The largest single drives on sale today are 3TB in size, while Samsung will ship a 4TB unit before the end of the year – enough storage to back up nearly 900 uncompressed DVD-quality movies.
18 | connect | May 2011
For those who have Internet connections, here’s a fun fact: your computer automatically synchronises its clock with international timeservers online. The system is called simple network time protocol (SNTP) and over the Internet, it can synchronise the clock of a digital device with an accuracy of 10ms – a hundredth of a second. This is an easy way to make sure you have the right time, and it beats the heck out of dialling 1026 to hear the time lady.
Save that video There is a lot of original video content online, and if you’ve ever wanted to save a funny clip on YouTube, you’re in luck. There are a few online services that will make it simple to download videos from the sites offering them – and it’s completely legal. One such service is www.savevid.com. Simply copy the link for the YouTube video you want to save, and visit SaveVid. Paste the link there, and it will give you a direct link to download the video.
Google harder If you’ve only been using Google to search for sites, prepare to be amazed. It also has other functions. Next time you’re visiting the ol’ Goog, try typing in a simple sum, like 2 938/92, or 222 + 1 193. Google can also give you currency conversions: try typing “100 US Dollars in Rands” and you’ll be given the value in local currency. If you’re looking for a word’s definition, type “define:” followed by the word.
A new Start A little-used function in Windows is its ability to have the taskbar repositioned. Click and drag the taskbar to any edge of your desktop, and see if the new position is more to your liking. This works with any version of Windows, but Windows XP and later might require you to unlock the taskbar before repositioning it. To do this, right-click on it and remove the checkbox next to “Lock Taskbar”.
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travelling technology //by Brett Haggard Feel the pain of long-haul travel melt away with this handy guide.
Gear Up,
Globetrotters! E
xperiencing different cultures, sampling new cuisines and taking in the scenery of another country are intriguing prospects for most people. But the thought of getting from sunny South Africa to Europe, the United States or Asia is an entirely different story. For most people, sitting in a small, uncomfortable airline seat for at least 10 hours if you’re headed to Europe (or well
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in excess of 18 hours if you’re off to Asia or the United States) is not the most attractive prospect. That said, there are a couple of (technology-assisted) ways one can make the proverbial miles melt away. From noise-cancelling headphones, to tablet PCs, portable media players and gaming consoles, there are a number of technology staples no traveller should be without on a plane.
But technology can also be very useful when planning your trip. The Internet is invaluable when it comes to getting the best prices and seeking out solid advice on travel decisions. When you’re done reading this story, all you’ll need to do is decide where you want to go, set some travelling cash aside and pack the essentials – our technology tips will take care of the rest.
Media mogul The night before you fly is also an awesome time to get your media in order. Hit the Nokia Music Store (music.ovi.com) to supplement your current music collection and take the time to set up playlists with different kinds of music – chilled out or classical music for relaxing, or rock/dance music for getting your brain moving on the other end of that long-haul flight. Playlists also allow you to simply hit Play on your iPod or portable media player once your flight is airborne and not have to worry about changing tracks, or finding new music to listen to if you’re halfasleep. The night before your flight is also the perfect time to rip DVDs to digital video files you can watch on your notebook, iPad or iPod Touch, or to download a couple of e-books for enjoying on an eReader. When it comes to ripping DVDs, you might have to bend the official rules slightly. Legal circles frown on the practice of ripping DVDs to video files that can be played on a variety of media players and computers, but providing you don’t pass those files onto anyone else, you should be fine in the eyes of the law.
Plotting and scheming The Internet is the single most useful invention of the modern age. While the informational nature of the Web means it’s a great resource for researching a destination before you get there, the sheer scale of the Internet means it’s great for getting tips on what to do and where to stay. Start by reading the Lonely Planet (www. lonelyplanet.com) guide for the country or city you intend travelling to and get a decent overview of what to expect as well as the sentiments of community members that have been there. Now that you’re sure about your destination, save some money by making an online travel booking. Head to your favourite airline’s website to get a sense of what the flight is likely to cost (as well as the occasional special) and then try to beat it by visiting a site like Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.co.za), Expedia (www.expedia.com) or by searching Google and Bing. The same goes for hotel bookings, which can be made online using your favourite hotel chain or by some clever ‘googling’. Seek and ye shall find…
TIP Use a local website to get the best prices. So, while you’ll have to use a South African airline for your international flights, use a site like Priceline (www.priceline. com), Kayak (www.kayak. com) or similar when making internal flight bookings in the United States.
TIP Use Handbrake (www.handbrake.fr) for Windows and Mac to shrink and convert your ripped DVDs into files you can play on a media player. And since it supports a number of profiles that cater for the most popular media players on the market, it’s a piece of cake. TIP Decent devices make all the difference. The iPad is without a doubt one of the most useful devices to have in your arsenal when travelling. Apart from its amazing battery, which is good enough for 10 hours’ worth of continuous video playback, it’s also great for reading books, magazines and playing games. Never leave home without it.
Before you fly Twenty-four hours before you fly, hit the airline’s website again. This time, use your booking reference number to log in to your reservation, and check in online. This little extra step will ensure you’re aware of any obstacles – like a delayed flight or some weather issues – what your travel time to the airport will have to be and, most importantly, it will allow you to reserve an aisle, window or, if you’re really lucky, a seat with extra leg room. TIP When it comes to choosing the best seat in the house, look no further than Seat Guru (www.seatguru.com). Type in your flight number and it will show you an overhead-seating plan of your flight, along with seats’ proximity to toilets, the kitchen and other amenities. It also colour-codes seats so you know which are the most comfortable ones.
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travelling technology Sounds like success With your media prepared, you should have plenty to watch, listen to and read during those hours in transit. But the headphones you choose to use during the flight have a great deal to do with your level of enjoyment, comfort and overall wellbeing. A decent set of noisecancelling headphones is the difference between a sore head coupled with sleep deprivation, and a smiling, happy traveller with a couple of hours’ of shuteye under the belt. Noise cancellation, quite simply, blocks out unwanted noise and in doing so, allows you to create your own quiet place wherever you are. The ability to block out the drone of airline engines allows you to sleep and arrive more refreshed. Again, the Internet and magazines like Connect are a great source of information on what the technology world has to offer. It comes down to personal preference. Choose a pair of headphones with more than 80% noise cancellation. In our experience, headphones that wrap around your ears as opposed to earbuds that fit inside the ears are more comfortable. Decent noise cancellers will cost between R1 000 and R5 000 a pair, depending on the brand and design. TIP Monster’s ‘Beats by Dre’ Studio edition headphones are perfect for travelling. Apart from the level of comfort their soft, over-ear design affords during extended wear, their noisecancelling ability is remarkable. They’re also massively accomplished as standard headphones, producing strong bass, clear trebles and more than enough midrange sound. Their carry case and folding design is also perfect for travel.
Insider tips... Roam Free
Sights and Sounds
In the Bag
Make sure you have roaming on your cellphone if you want to remain in contact. Just stay away from data usage by disabling data roaming in your phone’s settings menu. It’s also best to divert all your calls to voicemail before you leave. Set a voicemail stating you’re abroad and request that callers send an SMS instead of leaving a message. This will make communication far more cost-effective.
Take a combination still/video-capable camera with you to save space and make the most of your memories. Sony’s new Alpha 55 gets our vote for versatility and value for money. It’s a seriously capable digital SLR with a variety of lenses available for it and a 1 080p video camera to boot. Its panorama sweep-shooting mode is also the most awesome way of capturing a lovely vista in high-resolution glory. Get the best from the Alpha 55 by adding Sony’s 75-300mm lens to the bundled 18-55mm lens and get a portable tripod for stability’s sake.
Decent luggage is important. But a carry-on bag that’s big enough to hold all your technology, as well as some choice items from Duty Free, and is comfortable enough to carry for an extended period of time, is invaluable. Spend a little extra on a bag from Crumpler, Built or Golla and don’t be afraid to take your gadgets into the store with you to accurately gauge the amount of packing space you’ll need. A decent technology bag is an investment, so buy the right one the first time around.
How to To set an unconditional divert on Vodacom, dial **21*08214 and the last nine digits of your cellphone number into your phone, followed by the # key, and press send/dial button. If your phone number starts with 072, substitute the 08214 for a 07214. Also remember to cancel call diverts by dialling ##002# and pressing the send/ dial button from your cellphone when you arrive back in South Africa.
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Gadgets on Lockdown The fact that crime takes place all over the world and not just in South Africa usually comes as a surprise to first-time travellers. For that reason, it’s a good idea to check out what people are saying about the hotel you’ll be staying in. Make sure there’s a safe large enough to house all of your valuables when you’re out and about. Taking a cable-lock along for your notebook is also an excellent idea since it allows you to attach your computer to a table or something large and immovable – giving you the piece of mind to enjoy your sightseeing.
inside internet explorer 9 //by deon du plessis
9
reasons to
love ie9
Microsoft has put a galactic effort into making IE9 the best version of Internet Explorer yet, and we’ve got 9 great reasons why you should upgrade today!
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1
it’s fast!
Internet Explorer 9 has been designed from the ground up to take advantage of modern-day hardware. Instead of having your processor burdened by intensive visual processes, IE9 hands these complicated tasks over to your video card. The result is incredibly smooth Web videos (even those in High Definition!), crisp and clear text and more true-to-life colour reproduction. JavaScript is an area with which previous versions of Internet Explorer have battled, but no more! With a new JavaScript engine, IE9 can process even the most complex Web content with ease. If you don’t believe us, load up Google Mail in IE8 and then again in IE9 and see the difference in load times for yourself.
3
2
Compliance with modern Web standards
For techie types, this change is by far the most important. Web standards are the building blocks on which websites are created, and they provide a standardised foundation on which to build websites so that all browsers compatible with those standards can display sites correctly. Compatibility, then, is very important, and unlike previous versions, Internet Explorer 9 is fully compliant. This may not sound like a big deal, but for Web developers working with CSS 3 and HTML 5, it’s huge. Finally, they can develop websites that take full advantage of the advances offered by these modern standards without being forced to build in the workaround solutions needed to get Internet Explorer to display their sites correctly.
Refined interface
While Microsoft made good inroads into making Internet Explorer 8’s interface look quite attractive, it still felt somewhat cluttered, especially in comparison to competing browsers Chrome and Firefox. Internet Explorer 9 brings with it a super-streamlined and minimalistic look that compares favourably to Chrome. Microsoft’s engineers left only the Forward and Back buttons, the address bar, space for tabs, and three icons – Home, Tools and Favourites. In a nod to Firefox’s attractive design, the Back button is slightly smaller than the Forward button. Notifications have been moved so that they no longer pop up and take your focus away from whatever you were looking at. They now appear at the bottom of the screen and don’t demand your attention. Microsoft has stopped assuming their technical messages are more important than what you’re doing.
4
New tab management
Internet Explorer 9’s tabs work like they have in other browsers for quite some time. It’s now possible to tear tabs off the main Explorer window so they appear in their own window, and you can open a new page and drag the tab into another window and have it added to the queue of tabs at the top of the screen. If you prefer, you can even arrange the tabs below IE9’s address bar, a handy feature for times when there are lots of open tabs. IE9 is also snugly integrated into Windows 7, complete with Jump lists (options that appear when the icon is right-clicked on the Task Bar), the ability to be ‘snapped’ to the left and right of the screen and you can even ‘pin’ websites to your taskbar like you can other programs. Simply open the site you want and drag its tab onto the Task Bar, and voilà, it can be launched with a single click.
5
New download manager
When downloading files in the past with Internet Explorer, using a dedicated download manager was recommended just in case the browser closed unexpectedly. Now, Internet Explorer 9’s new download interface can pause and resume downloads (if the server you’re downloading from supports it, of course), and lets users flag files as malware, copy the link to the file and open the folders in which files are saved. There’s also a search function, and the default folder files are saved to can be modified here as well. Basically, Internet Explorer users have a window from which downloaded files can be centrally managed. This replaces the individual windows that used to open when files were downloaded in previous versions. If IE’s new download manager looks familiar, you’re probably familiar with Firefox.
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inside internet explorer 9
8
Windows 7 integration
By pinning websites to your Task Bar, you gain functionality specific to those sites through Windows 7’s use of “Jump Lists”. For those not in the know, a “Jump List” is a context-sensitive menu that appears when a program’s Task Bar icon is right-clicked. In this case, the list that appears when a website’s pinned icon is right-clicked contains links to some of that site’s functions. If you were to pin Facebook to your Task Bar, for instance, its Jump List contains links to Facebook’s Messaging, News, Events and Friends modules, making accessing those simpler as it eliminates the need to load the page first before clicking on the relevant links. Windows 7’s window preview function lets you see a graphic preview of the websites you have open when you hover your mouse over the Internet Explorer icon.
9
6
Improved add-on management
Add-ons are programs that extend the functionality of your browser, and include things like spellcheckers, social media interfaces, weather reports and much more. The only problem with add-ons, other than possible incompatibility with your chosen browser, is that they can cause the browser to perform slowly or cause unexpected errors at the worst times. Internet Explorer 9 now manages add-ons intelligently by monitoring add-on performance and giving you the option of disabling them as the browser starts up. It will even tell you which add-ons are affecting IE’s load time. You can then disable or remove add-ons as needed to keep IE9 loading and performing as it should.
7
Sometimes the images, videos and advertising embedded in web pages come from third-party sites (i.e. not the site you’re surfing). While these can make your experience with favourite websites even better by having content suggested to you based on your browsing habits, they can also provide that information to third parties, thereby allowing them to track your surfing habits across multiple websites. Tracking Protection in IE9, which is disabled by default, can be activated to prevent this. Once you’ve added a specific website to your list of tracked sites, Internet Explorer 9 limits the amount of information that is sent to that site, effectively blocking its ability to track you. IE9 also lets you block ActiveX controls (software that helps multimedia content run on a website) on a per-site basis, giving you the protection necessary to browse the Web in peace.
Combined search and address bar
The Search window, last seen in Internet Explorer 8, is gone. Now, it’s possible to initiate searches from within Internet Explorer 9’s address bar. This eliminates another element from the interface without compromising on functionality. Better than that, you can now select from over 40 different Search providers. By clicking on the Search icon on the address bar (the magnifying glass) and then Add, you’ll bring up a big list of Search providers and you can add any or all of them to IE9’s Search window. Switching between providers like Google, Bing and Yahoo! takes only two clicks – the magnifying glass on the address bar, and then the icon of your desired provider. Once selected, all searches entered into the address bar will be performed by the provider you’ve chosen, until you choose differently. Easy!
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Tracking Protection and privacy
If you’d like to download Internet Explorer 9, you can grab it from Microsoft’s IE9 site. Head on over to http://www. beautyoftheweb.com and click “Download Now”. Have a look at the demos while you’re there to see in action the features written about in this article.
advertorial
the Logitech way Gone are the days when workers were tethered to desks because that’s where the technology that enabled them to do their jobs was located. Now, mobile phones and laptop computers can keep people in touch wherever they are, and Logitech has a fine range of accessories that nicely complements this emerging lifestyle and gives it even more appeal. Z305 Laptop speakers
Just because you’re at the office, working on your notebook doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have great sound, and with Logitech’s excellent Z305 laptop speaker you can have both mobility and great sound! The Z305 is a very compact speaker system consisting of a bar-like main body that is designed to be clipped to a notebook’s lid. It uses a USB cable to connect, and is very easy to transport. Despite its compact build, the Z305 speaker is loud and crisp and easily better than most notebook speakers, giving you excellent audio even when you’re at the office.
USB Nano Receivers
You can now connect up to 6 of Logitech’s keyboards and mice to your computer using a single, very slim “Unifying” USB dongle Logitech calls a “nano receiver”. If you have a keyboard and mouse set at work that makes use of it and another one at home, for example, you wouldn’t need a second dongle to use the home set when you move your laptop between work and home. Best of all, a Unifying nano receiver is so tiny you won’t even need to remove it from your laptop’s USB port during transit. Webcam C910
Webcam conversations are great and all, but only the most up-to-date notebooks make use of High Definition webcams that let you chat using high-resolution video. If you use regular video chats as a business tool, you’ll know that fuzzy, laggy video can put a damper on professional meetings. The solution is to use an external webcam like this one, as the C910 can record and transmit 720p video. It comes with Logitech’s fantastic Vid Internet chat program that has HD video chat support built-in – all you have to do is provide the Internet connection and voila, you’re chatting on the go, in high-definition.
Portable Lapdesk N315 with retractable mouse pad
Anywhere Mouse MX
One device that uses Logitech’s nano receivers is the Anywhere Mouse MX. It’s small and compact for easy transport, but it packs a lot of muscle into that diminutive exterior. Logitech developed an imaging technology called Darkfield that allows for tracking even on reflective surfaces, and mice that have it, like this one, can even be used on glass as a result. This gives users unparalleled freedom to use their mice wherever they happen to be – just what a mobile worker needs.
Using a notebook computer on your lap is convenient, but it can get uncomfortable and make your legs warm over time. It also makes it hard to use a mouse, as mousing on a couch is not as comfortable or wrist-friendly as using a flat, smooth surface. Enter the N315 Portable Lapdesk, an ergonomic and lightweight plastic surface designed for notebooks up to 15” that insulates your legs against heat, and a retractable mouse pad that tucks away when not in use. Now, you can be comfortable, cool and you can use a mouse while operating your notebook away from your desk.
product reviews // by Deon Du PLessis
It’s our birthday!
Contents
T
he older I get, the faster time seems to fly by, and these last two years have positively sprinted past! Can you believe that it’s been two years already since we launched Connect? It’s been a fantastic ride so far, and I’ve had the privilege of reviewing all manner of tech every month, for the past 24 months! It’s good work if you can get it! In this issue, we have another eclectic mix of hardware on review. We kick off the section with more First Looks and, I have to say, what I’ve seen of Nikon’s D5100 D-SLR so far has me drooling over its potential! Christo, the newest member of our team, has had a riot playing with Parrot’s new AR.Drone, a remote-controlled helicopter that is controlled with an iPhone, as well as Nintendo’s amazing new 3D handheld gaming console, the 3DS. It’s been a fantastic month! We hope you enjoy the reviews. 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.
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30 32 33 34 36 38 40 42 44 45 46 48 49 50 52 53 54 56 57 58
First Look – Dell Monitor Series First Look – Acer Iconia Tablet Series First Look – Nikon D5100 Vodafone Mi-Fi R201 Parrot AR.Drone Nintendo 3DS Exspect Wii Drop ‘n’ Charge Kit SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 2GB Music Player Olympus Stylus Tough 3000 12MP Camera Sony Cybershot WX7 DStv Drifta Western Digital Elements Play Multimedia Drive Wireless Xbox 360 Controller with Transforming D-Pad Zaggmate iPad Case Cobra MicroTalk MT-600 Walkie Talkies TomTom Via 110 Griffin Flexgrip iPad Covers Canon iSENSYS LBP5050 Colour Laser Printer Nero Video Premium HD Books
product FIRST LOOK
Product
Specs
Dell Series: • Panel Sizes: 22”, 23” and 24” • Panel Type: TN with LED backlight • Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9) • Maximum Resolution: Full HD 1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz • Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 8,000,000:1 (estimated) • Brightness: 250 cd/m2 (typical) • Response Time: 5ms (typical) • Viewing Angle: 160° vertical/170° horizontal • Pixel Pitch: 0.248mm / 0.265mm / 0.277mm • Connectivity: VGA, DVI-D (HDCP), HDMI (DVI and HDMI cables not included) • Energy Rating: Energy Star 5.0 compliant • Stand: Tilt adjustable • Power consumption: 22”/23”/24”: 20W/24W/20W (Typical) – 28W/30W/30W (Maximum)
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Dell ST2220L, ST2320L and ST2420L LED-backlit LCD Monitors NEED TO KNOW • LED-backlit widescreen LCD monitors • 22”, 23” and 24” models • Save power with Energy Star 5.0 compliance Availability: June
Widescreen LCD monitors are “where it’s at” these days. Gone are the big, chunky Cathode Ray Tubes of old, replaced by thinner, more energy-efficient and nicer-looking LCD screens. But the evolution of the screen didn’t stop there – today’s LCD screens are different products to LCD screens of even five years ago. Almost everything about screens has changed. Today’s monitors use a wide screen aspect ratio so that they present a better movie-watching and gaming experience, they make use of LED backlighting - a far brighter and more energy-efficient technology than Cold Carbon Fluorescent Lighting (CCFL) ever was – and they are far thinner as a result. HDMI inputs and high resolutions have also gained in popularity, reflecting the advent of High Definition video sources like Blu-ray players, gaming consoles and even DVD players. Contrast levels have also improved. LED-backlighting technology gives screens greater control over specific areas, resulting in blacker blacks and brighter colours without the bleeding of light areas into dark areas, which could easily ruin a scene. Today’s screens have dynamic contrast ratings measured in millions to one, not thousands to one. The power consumption of consumer products is another area coming into sharp focus. As a result, many manufacturers are doing their utmost to make products that comply with energy-efficiency standards like Energy Star. In LCD screens, superior power efficiency is made possible
through LED-backlighting, which uses far less power while producing brighter light than older CCFL technology. This is an all-round win for everyone as power costs are lowered while image quality and colour reproduction improves dramatically. Touch-sensitive controls are the way forward, if modern design trends are anything to go by. Many of today’s screens use the heat or pressure of fingers to activate control buttons, and the end result is smooth and attractive monitor bodies not cluttered with physical buttons. These three monitors from Dell have been crafted using these advances as guiding principles, and they represent an excellent balance between image quality, user- and power-friendly features and affordability. They range in size from 22” to 24”, they’ve been designed with attractive aesthetics in mind, they comply with the Energy Star 5.0 standards and best of all they promise to be very affordable. They’re also indicative of Dell’s commitment to the environment, as harmful materials like arsenic and mercury are not used in their construction. While they’re not on the absolute cutting-edge of screen technology (these are TN panels, not IPS), these screens incorporate enough advances to give them a lot of appeal for home and office users. They’re great for gaming, movie-watching, productivity tasks and general Internet use, and they won’t break the bank. If you’ve been waiting to replace your old screen, you’ll have the opportunity to do so in style once these new screens from Dell hit store shelves in June. Excitement potential
product FIRST LOOK Product
Specs
Tab A500 • 1GHz nVidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor • 10.1” display @ 1 280 × 800 • AMD Radeon HD6250 graphics • A 2MP front camera and a 5MP rear camera • 1GB RAM • 16GB SSD storage • HDMI output • Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb with Flash support • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and optional 3G
TAB A100 • 1GHz nVidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor • 7” display @ 1 280 × 800 • AMD Radeon HD6250 graphics • A 2MP front camera and a 5MP rear camera • 1GB RAM • 16GB SSD storage • HDMI output • Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb with Flash support • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and optional 3G
Iconia Smart • 1GHz Snapdragon processor • TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours • 480 x 1 024 pixels, 4.8” • 8GB internal storage, 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM • Android 2.3 • GPRS/EDGE/3G/Wi-Fi • MicroSD slot – up to 32GB • 720p video @ 30fps • 8MP camera with autofocus and LED flash
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Acer Iconia Tablet Series NEED TO KNOW • Acer’s take on the tablet PC phenomenon • 720p movie playback and HD webcam for HD video chats • 10” and 7” form factor with brushed aluminium finish Availability: May 2011
Going on the fact that every major computer maker is jumping on the “tablet computer” bandwagon, it’s safe to say that tablet computers are the “next big thing”. Analysts at many big companies think so, anyway, which is why we’re seeing the likes of Motorola’s Xoom, Dell’s Streak, BlackBerry’s Playbook, HTC’s Flyer and others either hitting the market soon, or having just launched. Acer, a really big dog in a pack of Great Danes, is no exception, and 2011 will see the company bringing several Iconia-branded tablet computers to market. These include two tablets with Google’s Android 3.0 mobile operating system, the Tab A500 and Tab A100. Acer also has a hybrid smartphone/tablet PC up its sleeve called the Iconia Smart, a device with a big 4.8” screen and all the functionality of both smartphones and tablets. The local availability of the Smart is not known at this time. The Tab A500, the biggest of these new Android-powered tablets, has a 10” screen that supports a resolution of 1 280 x 800, which is sharp enough to play back 720p HD movies. It has a dual-core processor from nVidia, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of solid-state storage and two webcams, one sporting 5MP and the other 2MP. Having a webcam on each side makes it possible to have two-way video chats as well as take pictures and shoot video.
The Tab A100 is a much smaller device, with a 7” screen and less RAM (512MB) and storage (8GB) than the A500, but it’s arguably a size that’s slightly easier to manage. It’s also an Android device, and is aimed at people who want a tablet but don’t need a huge screen and are willing to sacrifice a bit of performance for the lower price point it will probably occupy. Acer has, of course, skinned Android 3.0 with its own look, including its own applications and services with the tablets. This is by no means a bad thing, although we look forward to getting hold of these to see just how deep the branding goes. That they use Android means all devices will have access to the Android Marketplace, where a huge range of applications can be easily and cheaply purchased, which can enable even more functionality in these tablets over time. Perhaps the most unique of these new devices is the Acer Smart. It’s longer than a smartphone, but not as wide as a tablet PC, and you’ll need deep pockets – quite literally – to incorporate it into your lifestyle. Still, having both phone and tablet functionality with you at all times is pretty cool. Tablets are fantastic travel companions, as they generally last longer on a single charge than notebooks and give you a bigger screen on which to enjoy movies than a phone does. It remains to be seen how well these devices perform, of course, and so we’re very excited to see them for ourselves. Excitement potential
product FIRST LOOK
Product
Specs
Nikon D5100 D-SLR Camera NEED TO KNOW • Replaces the ever-popular D5000 • Shoots 16.2MP stills and full HD movies • Unleash your creativity with a range of special-effects shots Availability: June 2011
Rumours of the D5100’s imminent release set the Connect office abuzz with speculation: will it be better than its popular predecessor, the very capable and extremely popular D5000? While the answer to that remains to be seen, we must say it looks extremely good on paper. For starters, the D5100 is about 10% lighter and its body more compact than the D5000 ever was, making it potentially easier to handle. It comes with a 16.2MP image sensor, it can shoot both movies and still images at high resolutions, and it has a whole range of new effects that can be added to your compositions to make your photos and movies just that much more special. You can turn subjects into miniatures with Miniature Effect’s very clever perspective trickery, take gorgeous black-and-white night photos using Night Vision, and even emphasise up to three colours of your choice using Selective Colour, which highlights only the colours you chose and turns the rest of the image to monochrome. Another cool-sounding feature is High Dynamic Range imaging, a technique that has the camera take two simultaneous photos at different exposure settings. Both images are then combined to create a final, striking image that makes the most of the different light levels of each picture. To capture images in low-light situations as well as fast-moving subjects, the D5100 has an impressive ISO rating of 100 – 6 400, which can be electronically boosted to a ridiculous 25 600. The higher the ISO setting, the more sensitive the camera is to light. Nikon promises
NIkon D5100
“minimal noise” in high-ISO, low-light images, which means night shots and dark scenes in general won’t be marred by visual artefacts caused by the electronics doing their work. That will probably remain true up to ISO 1 600 or so, with noise slowly becoming visible the higher you climb through the ISO ratings. The screen on the D5100 is now mounted on a variable-angle arm that can be rotated into a great number of different positions, allowing photographers to shoot pictures from just about any angle. It’s also a 720p High Definition screen, with a pixel count of 920 000, so expect shot previews to look pretty good. When shooting movies with a D-SLR, the autofocus motor is sometimes audible and can potentially ruin your videos. While the D5100’s autofocus motor is said to be fairly quiet, on the off-chance that even this is “too loud”, Nikon has provided a 3.5mm microphone jack that can accommodate a dedicated microphone that won’t pick up the sound of the motor at all. Switching to Live View – a mode that displays on the LCD screen whatever the camera is pointing at – is now done by a switch that’s mounted next to the function selector dial. This move is sure to please users of the D5000, as the Live View switch was previously mounted on the camera body, in a spot that was easy to accidentally bump. These are only some of the highlights of the D5100, so there’s plenty more to discover. Even just these features are enough to leave us impressed and keen to get our hands on the real thing. By the looks of it, the “advanced beginner” photographer category the D5100 caters to just got a lot more interesting.
• Effective pixels: 16.2 million • Picture control: Landscape, monochrome, neutral, portrait, standard, vivid, user-selected • Storage media: SD/SDHC/ SDXC • Continuous Shooting Mode: 4fps • ISO sensitivity: ISO 100 - 6 400, boostable to ISO 25 600 equivalent • Dynamic AutoFocus Mode: 11 3D-tracking autofocus points • Accessory shoe: Yes • Live View Shooting: Yes • Movie format: .MOV, from VGA up to Full HD (1 920 x 1 080) • LCD monitor size: 3”, 920 000 pixels • Interface: Audio/Video out, HDMI output (Type C HDMI connector), USB, 3.5mm Microphone input • Battery life (in shots): 660 • Approximate weight: 560g (body only)
Excitement potential
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top
5
product reviews
related
products
Smartphones
Android phones and Apple’s iPhone have the option of sharing their Internet connections with other devices, through an option called Mobile Hotspot. This is a free software feature, and can save you some cash if you already own one of these devices.
Data Bundles
If you’re going to be using the R201 extensively, it might be wise to get one of the many competitively-priced data bundles available. A 1GB or 2GB bundle will be good for an average month, while 5GB would be better for daily usage.
perfect companions
Sandisk 8GB MicroSD Card Instead of sharing files using a memory stick, you can slap a microSD card in the R201 and have a networked file share, accessible by everybody on the network. That’s loads simpler than getting up and handing over a storage device.
34 | connect | May 2011
Vodafone Mi-Fi R201 NEED TO KNOW • Mobile hotspot with 3G connectivity • Battery-powered • MicroSD slot for shared storage R1 229.95
In today’s world of ubiquitous connectivity, it’s hard to imagine ourselves without Internet access. We surf the Web at home, at work and on the go, for a variety of purposes: checking e-mail, keeping in touch, finding information and conducting business. Being stuck without access can be a real hindrance, be it the fault of the service provider or power company. Notebook users have the latter problem licked. Modern notebooks have between 3 and 7 hours of battery life, so it’s possible to finish at least half a day’s work without power. But with Internet access out of the equation, that productivity could be cut down to zero. Mobile connections, of course, are the answer to this conundrum. Put yourself in an office of 5 people, with only one USB mobile modem, and another problem presents itself. While this is just one example, there are many other scenarios in which you’d need to share your Internet connection with a few people. And that’s exactly what the Vodafone Mi-Fi R201 lets you do. This unassuming little white box, with a slider switch and black display, is a battery-powered wireless access point and a 3G modem. Pop in a data SIM card and power it up. Go through the steps of connecting to the wireless network it creates – the same steps you’d go through at home. In less than five minutes, you’ll have an Internet connection to share. Setup can be tricky, but the provided instructions do their best to simplify the process. When it’s powered on, the R201 creates a wireless network with its default name. When attempting to connect, users will be prompted for a password. Both this password and the network name are listed on the back of the battery door. These details can be customised, too, using a Web interface. When you’re connected to the access point, just point your Web browser to its configuration page and almost everything can be customised.
Two things determine its usability, though: network speeds and battery life. To its credit, the modem in the Mi-Fi is capable of speeds of just over 5.5Mbit/s. It may be branded with that network’s new red logo, but we popped in a Cell C SIM card and things worked fine. Internet speeds on both networks averaged out at just under 4Mbit/s – not as fast as the dedicated Cell C speed stick (whooosh!) but plenty fast for the convenience it offers. The connection is also pretty stable, but this is really dependent on the signal in the area where you’re using it. Battery life, however, is a bit lacking. On average, we were able to squeeze about 4 hours out of a full charge. If you’re hoping for a full day’s access, without charging it through USB, you’re out of luck. If you’re using it at a coffee shop, 4 hours may be more than your coffee quota, though. For convenience, the R201 is superb. It’s stable and fast enough to be a permanent solution for Internet access if your budget can accommodate the data rates on cell networks. Leave it plugged into a charger and it’ll go on for days and days without a hassle. There’s even a microSD slot next to the SIM slot. Pop a memory card in there and you can have a permanent network file share, for music or documents. It’s well worth its asking price, and a great investment if you rely on the Internet for your daily needs. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Wireless connectivity: 802.11n • Network security: WEP, WPA2, WPS • Slots: SIM card slot, microSD card slot for storage • Battery: Included, recharges through USB • Weight: 90g Pros
Cons
• Stable networking • 3G access works flawlessly • File-sharing on network
• Low battery life • No HSPA+ support • Tricky setup for beginners
Overall rating
We Have a Winner! In the March issue of Connect, HP asked readers to submit their best photos to Connect via e-mail. These were received and printed out using HP’s innovative ePrint technology, a new way to print that doesn’t require cables or drivers or a complicated install process to get photos and documents from a computer to a printer. We received many submissions, all of which were printed by the ePrintenabled Photosmart Plus printer we had set up at the Connect offices. The best submission we received came courtesy of Mr. Johann Scheepers; congratulations to you, Mr. Scheepers, you have won an HP Photosmart Plus printer!
PRINT FROM ANYWHERE, FROM ANY MOBILE DEVICE.1
hp.com / ePrint 1. May require an Internet connection to the printer. Feature works with any Internet and e-mail capable device. For details hp.com/gp/ePrintCenter
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36 | connect | May 2011
perfect companions
AR.Drone battery Fifteen minutes is not an awful lot of flying time, so to get the most fun out of the AR.Drone, it’s best to invest in a spare battery. They’re not too pricey, and one can charge while the other gets used.
Parrot AR.Drone NEED TO KNOW • Fully functional quadricopter • Controlled via iPhone app • Dual cameras for video and photos R2 999.95
Many folks will know Parrot as the company that makes Bluetooth hands-free kits for cars. What people might not know is that this French company’s been around since 1994, and has launched a few products that are more than just add-ons for mobile phones. We’re talking speaker systems, digital photo frames, designer iPod docks and more. Then there’s the product featured on these pages: the AR.Drone. It’s quite something, just looking at it. Its construction is dominated by the four rotors – earning it the name quadricopter – and the centre point is that alien-like pod. All five points are important, though. Each of the rotors provides a significant amount of downdraught and the centre pod houses clever circuitry that helps the drone balance itself out and keep level. What sets this apart from the huge selection of regular radio-controlled hobbycraft is its control interface. Instead of having an intimidating multi-channel radio control with an extendible antenna, the AR.Drone is controlled through the AR.FreeFlight application running on an iPhone (or iPod Touch, iPad, or an Android phone). This gives it an incredible amount of geek cred, further helped by the fact that is has two built-in cameras. One faces forward and the other faces downward, and both can stream live video to the display of the controlling device. This lets you live out any spy fantasies as you pilot the AR.Drone around the neighbourhood, checking out the neighbour’s dogs and pestering cats. The official app doesn’t allow for it, but there are premium apps available that let you use the drone’s cameras to take pics or record video. Flight controls are simple, but it will take some practice to master the art of being a quadricopter pilot. Once you’ve pushed the take-off button, it’ll hover at 1m, and from there on in, it’s all in your hands. One control
axis adjusts power, for higher or lower hovering, and heading, to make it face a different direction. A second set of controls is used as the cyclic, moving it forwards, backwards, left and right. If this sounds too complicated, don’t worry. The software limits the copter to certain angles and heights, by default. This makes it easy to experiment as a beginner, and remove the limitations as you get more flying hours under your belt. Should things get too hair – such as the wind picking up and overpowering the flight controls – there are emergency procedures to bring your expensive toy back to earth with a slight thud, but no replacement bill. Basically, the AR.Drone is the ultimate gadget. It can’t do anything useful like deliver packages or connect you to the Internet. It’s geek nirvana at its finest, and we like it. Our only concern is with the battery life: a single charge yields a usable 15 minutes or so of flying time, while recharging the pack takes six times as long. A second pack would be a good additional purchase.
iPod Touch If you don’t already have an iPhone or iPod Touch, the latter is the easiest (and cheapest) way to get in on the AR.Drone action. Besides making for a great AR.Drone controller, it’s also a damned fine smart device and music player.
NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Design: 4-rotor quadricopter • Battery life: 15 minutes (est.) • Recharge time: 90 minutes (est.) • Connectivity: 802.11g wireless
Pros
Cons
• Safe to fly indoors and outdoors • Various iPhone apps available • Excellent range
• Low battery life and long charge time • Requires an iPhone or iPod Touch • Quite expensive
Overall rating
Parrot Free Flight This is the official AR.Drone app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. As the name indicates, it can be downloaded for free on the iTunes app store. It offers everything you need and allows full control of the device.
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Nintendo 3DS NEED TO KNOW • 3D gaming without glasses • Dual cameras for 3D photos • Second touchscreen for interactive input R2 799.95
Nintendo is no stranger to 3D. The world and its dog might only just have started going gaga for this glasses-based craze, but the big N has been assaulting our visual senses with attempts at 3D since the ‘80s. Its first go at the technology was the Famicom 3D System, which hit shelves in 1987. This glasses-based system plugged into the Famicom – the Japanese version of the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System – and only had seven titles. It wasn’t a huge success. Nintendo gave 3D another bash in 1995. The Virtual Boy 3D hit shelves in the middle of that year in Japan. By December, it had been discontinued. Only 22 games were released for the platform. It was a huge flop. In both cases, the application of 3D was hampered by cumbersome technologies. Gamers don’t want to wear glasses because it’s uncomfortable for long-term use and also makes you look like a right idiot. Fortunately, some big advances have been made in the last few years and when Nintendo announced the 3DS, we were confident that it would be a case of “third time lucky”. Unlike the first two attempts, this is completely handheld. You can finally game on the go, with 3D to boot. Of course, the big noise here is that top display, where most games will be strutting their stuff. It manages to pull off 3D visuals, like you’ve seen with Avatar or other 3D films, without the need for glasses. Best of all, it works. The technology behind this does have some disadvantages, though. There’s only one view angle: straight on. A bit to the left and a bit to the right will have your brain scrambling to make sense of the offset 3D image. A bit up or a bit down, and it’s all a blur. That said, it’s not hard at all to 38 | connect | May 2011
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Nintendo DSi XL
The precursor to the 3DS is still on shelves, and worth a buy if only for its fantastic catalogue of games and amazing battery life. It might not have 3D, but its two large displays still make it impressive.
perfect companions keep the top display level with your face at comfortable distances. To make things easier, there’s also a slider that’ll adjust the depth of the 3D effect. It’s advised to reduce the effect the further you move the display from your face. Human eyes aren’t designed to resolve depth at further distances; playing at max depth while holding the 3DS at arm’s length will lead to weary eyes in a hurry. It’s not just a regular DS with 3D graphics, though. The new innards are signficantly more capable and the games – at least the limited selection of launch titles – look good. Given time, developers will be putting the 3D effects to really good use. Even the games included on the console are fun. Nintendo’s chosen to take advantage of titles that are enabled for augmented reality. Basically, the games use parts of your environment to generate a game world. These don’t specifically need 3D (there are iPhone and Android games that use augmented reality), but the added bonus of seeing your surroundings in 3D, on screen, is really cool. One of the games, AR Raiders, even lets you take a 3D photo of a friend’s face and then uses that to generate flying enemies. The enemies have to be shot down by moving the console around – thanks to an accelerometer and gyroscope it can accurately detect movement – and it’s a lot more interactive than just pushing buttons. That brings us to the controls and button layout. The 3DS only brings one major change to the table: an analogue directional control. It’s called a slider pad, and it joins a regular digital D-pad, two shoulder buttons and four face buttons. Thanks to the console’s smaller design, though, the placement of the D-pad is a bit uncomfortable. The 3DS slides around a bit and there’s no way to get a good grip when using the D-pad. Joining the button woes are the Select, Home and Start buttons that underline the bottom display. They look like touch buttons, but actually need to be clicked in. Add to this the fact that the bottom screen sits raised, rather than flush, and it all
just looks and feels a bit clumsy. No doubt, we’ll see face-lifted versions of the 3DS that have a more resolved design for the bottom half of the console. It’s easy to forget about button placement, though, especially when you’re in the middle of a good game. That’s when the biggest flaw hits home, hard. The regular DS and its derivatives enjoyed great battery life, but the 3DS makes do with about three to three-and-a-half hours of 3D playtime. It is backwards-compatible with regular DS games – playing those sees time between charges stretch to around 5 or 6 hours. You’ll be charging this often, especially when using the Nintendo social features that require it to be on standby most of the time, rather than powered off. Is the 3DS for you? If you want some gaming on the go, and your eyes can adjust to the 3D, then yes. Try one out in a store before committing. Although pricey, it’s a functional glimpse at the future of 3D interactive entertainment.
3D Games Flip to the gaming section on page 60 and have a gander at the reviews for the selection of 3DS launch titles. Some of them have fantastic visuals that really show off the new dimension.
NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 3D display: 3.5” • Touch display: 3” • Cameras: Dual back-facing cameras for 3D, single front-facing camera • Storage: 2GB built-in, SD card slot (2GB included) Pros
Cons
• 3D works brilliantly • Streetpass and AR games are great fun • Backwards-compatible
• Sub-par battery life • Price • Uncomfortable button placement
Overall rating
8GB SD Card The included 2GB SD card might suffice for now, but as more features are enabled and we get access to the download store, 8GB will be better suited for all the downloadable games.
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PowerMat Recharge Station
The PowerMat recharging solution is designed for more mainstream gadgets like the BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod and Nintendo DS. Each device needs its own “backing plate” (sold individually) to be able to make use of the PowerMat’s recharging services.
perfect companions
Exspect Drop ‘n’ Charge Kit for Xbox 360 It’s Exsactly the same recharging pad bundled with a rechargeable battery for an Xbox 360 controller. Grab this instead if you’re more into your Xbox than your Wii. Exspect Drop ‘n’ Charge Battery for Xbox 360 If you love ‘em both the same, then all you need is the rechargeable battery pack for your Xbox 360 controller, and you’re ready to rock.
40 | connect | May 2011
Exspect Wii Drop ‘n’ Charge Kit NEED TO KNOW • Charges your Wii remote wirelessly • Comes with a rechargeable battery • Indicator lights flash while charging R499.95
A few months back, we reviewed a really cool product called the PowerMat. It’s a pad that connects up to the main electricity supply and then, with the proper attachment on your mobile device, can recharge the device’s battery without any need for a cable to connect the two. It’s a great idea, and while it doesn’t eliminate charging cables completely, it is a solid step in the right direction. Exspect has noted the convenience of wireless recharging solutions, and has brought out a wireless recharging pad for all batteries in its “Drop n Charge” range. Included in the box is a Wii remote battery, but the device also works with Exspect’s Drop n Charge Xbox 360 controller and Wii Fit Board batteries. The pad itself is a flat piece of plastic with space for two Wii remotes, with a light down either side that is either red when there is power but no Wii remote, or blinking green when a battery is present and charging. The beauty of the solution is that the batteries will recharge even if they’re not inside their respective devices. You can just place them on the recharging platform and they’ll recharge until full. The other advantage is that recharging can also take place when the batteries are snugly fitted into their devices. The convenience this offers will be apparent to anyone who has needed to remove a battery from a silicone-covered Wii remote in order to get at the battery compartment. Now, whenever the remote indicates it is low on power, all you need to do is place it on the recharging pad, and wait a while until the battery is once again full. The pad itself is made entirely of plastic, and uses a combination of white and grey for a rather utilitarian look, but that’s no big deal as functionality is far more important in this case than looks. It has an on/ off switch at the top and space for the mini-USB connector, so it can be turned off when not in use.
The package comes with a mains plug that has a USB port on it, which the cable plugs into. The cable has a regular USB plug on one end and a mini-USB connector on the other, which means it can be plugged into a computer’s USB port if a wall plug is not available and still get the charging job done. Instead of the entire pad being able to recharge batteries, specific placement of each battery is necessary in order for the pad to recognise that one is present. This is indicated by a slightly textured grey box on the pad, and the batteries need to be placed directly over this before recharging starts. Positioning batteries is incredibly easy, of course, but the ideal situation would be a pad that recharged batteries no matter where they are placed on its surface. You’ll need to purchase additional rechargeable battery packs if you have Xbox 360 controllers, multiple Wii remotes or a Wii Fit Board that you’d like to use with the Wii Drop n Charge Kit. On the whole, this is an elegant solution to the need for batteries in gaming devices, and one we are happy to recommend. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 1 x dual charge pad • 1 x USB charge cable • 1 x AC charge adaptor • 1 x Wii remote charging battery
Pros
Cons
• Rechargeable batteries are the way forward • No need to wrestle with remotes to replace batteries anymore • It’s just so easy to simply rest controllers on the pad for recharging
• Only one Wii remote battery pack in the package • Batteries have to be positioned ’just so’ to register on the pad
Overall rating
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SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 4GB Music Player Apple iPod Nano
Apple still has the market cornered when it comes to devices that everyone has heard of and wants. The 5th-generation Nano is the second-smallest iPod, and has a touch-sensitive screen.
Apple iPod Touch
The Mac-daddy of portable media players, the Touch can do it all. It plays movies and games, runs applications bought at the iTunes store, and will also play your music for you.
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16GB MicroSD Card The cost of memory cards has come down so much that for a ridiculously small amount of cash, a whopping 16GB of additional storage can be procured for use in any number of compatible devices.
42 | connect | May 2011
NEED TO KNOW • Affordable portable music player • 2GB of storage plus a microSD expansion slot • Solid clip keeps the player on you at all times R499.95
A few years ago, as iPods were gaining in popularity, SanDisk brought out its own music player to compete with the likes of the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle. It was called the Clip, and it was a competent player in its own right, but users complained of poor-quality plastic and a clunky interface that marred its overall appeal. SanDisk listened to the feedback, and in response released a new version of the Clip, called the Clip+. It’s everything the original player was, and more. It’s still an incredibly tiny yet affordable audio player with excellent sound, and retains the clip that gives it its name. But it’s now made out of high-quality plastic and the overall design has been tweaked to make it more attractive and user-friendly. The original Clip’s controls were located on a round piece of plastic that looked like the iPod scroll wheel, but they were not touch-sensitive. Happily, they have been replaced by a practical, five-button control system. The fact that the new controls are tactile and not touchsensitive is great news for anyone who relies on tactile feedback and not visual cues to operate their music players while they are exercising. Like the original Clip, the Clip+ has a tiny colour screen that can be used to navigate through the menu system to locate music, create playlists and adjust settings. It’s not wonderful to look at, but at this price, it doesn’t really matter. It’s certainly good enough to choose songs and change equaliser settings. Apple’s music players are tethered unapologetically to Apple’s iTunes software, which can be either good or bad, depending on whether you like iTunes or not. If you fall into the “not” category, the Clip+ will undoubtedly give you something to cheer about – you can use Windows Explorer or Mac OSX’s Finder interface to drag and drop music onto its internal storage once it is connected over USB. All copied music files immediately appear in the device’s library. You can also use Windows Media Player to manage it, but honestly, you’re better off just dragging and dropping files onto the Clip+, as it’s far simpler to do it that way. The quality of the Clip+’s audio was quite a surprise – it’s really,
really good. Some would say it’s even better than Apple’s, but that depends quite heavily on the earphones you use with it. The default earphones aren’t amazing, but they will get the job done. We recommend replacing them with something decent at your earliest convenience if you really want to get the most out of the Clip+. Another pleasant surprise was the microSD card slot. If you run out of space on your Clip+, you can always stick in a microSD card and voilà, the Clip+’s capacity increases. Since microSD cards are cheap these days, you can easily grab an inexpensive 4GB Clip+ and expand its storage to 20GB with a 16GB microSD card for only another R300 or so. Despite being big Apple fans, even we’re impressed with SanDisk’s Clip+. For only a few hundred rand, you can get a fantastic listening experience in a device that’s even smaller than an iPod Nano, and all you’ll really be missing out on is the Apple’s style and polish. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Supports MP3, WMA, secure WMA, Audible, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, plus audio books and podcasts • Expandable microSDTM and microSDHCTM memory card slot • Digital FM tuner with 40 presets • Long-life, rechargeable battery with up to 15 hours of continuous playback • Built-in microphone to record your thoughts on the go • Large, bright (OLED) screen with a simple user interface • Solid state flash memory for skip-free music playback • A wearable clip for hands-free portability • Compatible with Windows 7 and Mac OSX
Pros
Cons
• Control buttons are much nicer to work with • Excellent sound quality for such a low price • Drag & drop music management is a real pleasure
• Doesn’t have the same prestige as an iPod • Tactile control buttons are a bit 20th-century
Overall rating
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX7
This compact camera not only shoots 16.2MP images, it also records full 1 080p video and can record panoramic views using what Sony calls a “3D Sweep”.
Nikon Coolpix S3000
If durability isn’t on your list of must-have features, this 12MP point-and-shoot camera from Nikon may be what you need.
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2GB SDHC Memory Card What’s better than 1GB of internal storage? 2GB of storage! With SDHC cards, you can buy as much storage as your budget will allow.
44 | connect | May 2011
Olympus Stylus Tough 3000 12MP Camera NEED TO KNOW • 12MP waterproof, shockproof camera • Rugged body is great for adventuring • 1GB of internal storage plus space for SDHC cards R1 999.95
The Olympus Stylus Tough 3000 is a compact camera that has been designed for rugged, outdoor activities. It’s impressive for a consumerlevel device: the camera is waterproof to a depth of 3m, shockproof so it won’t break if dropped, and can be operated in environments as cold as -10°C. Folks who enjoy outdoor activities will find a lot to like here. With a battery installed, the Stylus Tough 3000 weighs a fairly hefty 160g. The camera’s metal body is the reason for the heaviness, but it’s what renders the Stylus Tough 3000 able to survive a fall of up to 1.5m without being smashed to smithereens. Waterproofing is achieved with rubber seals that surround the buttons on the camera’s rear. The compartment housing the battery, SDHC card slot and the HDMI and USB ports are sealed within a water-tight side compartment. As long as the compartment’s cover has been pushed in correctly, the camera will be totally safe to a depth of 3m underwater. With a 12MP image sensor, the Stylus Tough 3000 can take some pretty detailed shots, and it comes with a great many scene settings that can be selected to suit the shot’s conditions. There’s also an ‘iAuto’ mode that automatically selects the best settings for photos based on lighting conditions, etc., which works pretty well. There are no truly detailed exposure options that can be tweaked beyond white balance and ISO settings, though, so this is definitely a point-and-shoot camera aimed at more casual users. As far as actual picture quality goes, the Stylus Tough 3000 takes goodquality photos. Images get a little ‘noisy’ above ISO 200, but overall, the camera shows a fairly good focal range (the ability to keep all elements of a shot in focus), colours are just right and red-eye was nowhere to be seen in any of our test shots. Low-light pictures didn’t come out nicely, though, so we don’t recommend this as a camera for night shots. The Stylus Tough 3000 also shoots HD videos, which means you can capture your adventurous exploits in 720p HD. The built-in mini-HDMI port allows you to display the movies you’ve shot on your HD TV even before you’ve downloaded them to your PC for editing. If you don’t own an HD TV, you can still view your videos courtesy of the USB cable that is bundled in the box that outputs videos to a regular TV.
Using the camera confidently will take some time to master, as the menu system is a bit convoluted. Navigating it using the rubber-covered keys on the camera’s rear requires reference to the manual to get right the first few times, and the 2.7” LCD screen can be difficult to see clearly in bright sunlight. Two of the best uses of the Stylus Tough 3000 were panoramic scene shots (which came out beautifully) and close-ups. Two modes are available for close-up shooting, namely Macro and Super Macro. Both of these were great for capturing highly detailed photos of subjects that were as close as 2cm from the lens. Overall, the Stylus Tough 3000 takes decent pictures and solid HD video, and while it’s not perfect, it’s ideal for outdoorsy types who want a durable point-and-shoot to accompany them on their adventures. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 3.6 x wide optical zoom • Dual Image Stabilisation • HD Movie and HDMI Control • 12 megapixels • 6.9cm/2.7” LCD • In-Camera Panorama • iAuto mode • Advanced Face Detection incl. Shadow Adjustment • AF-Tracking • Magic filters • In-camera manual • Beauty mode • USB battery charge • TruePic III image processor Pros
Cons
• Won’t break from rough handling or water • Taking underwater pictures and video is cool • Close-ups and panoramas look really good
• Some shots are grainy, and lowlight shots are not great • Controls and menu system are a bit fiddly • LCD screen can be hard to see in bright light
Overall rating
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Sony Cybershot WX7 NEED TO KNOW • 16-megapixel still photos • 1 080p full HD video • Captures 3D photos and panoramas R2 299.95
We’ve come a long way in the world of point-and-shoot cameras. Just a few years ago, camera manufacturers like Nikon and Canon were touting 6-megapixel and 8-megapixel digital SLR cameras – the high-end models used by both amateurs and professionals. Now, it’s easy to get a phone with a 12-megapixel camera built in. Of course, a dedicated camera is always going to work better than the snapper in your phone, and that’s where it gets interesting. Almost all of the cameras in Sony’s new range feature a 16-megapixel . The model on test here, the stylish and compact WX7, is lighter and smaller than a pack of cigarettes, yet its 16-megapixel sensor is coupled with a 5x optical zoom lens. Its rear panel is dominated by a large 2.8” display, with some controls lined up neatly to the right – sorry, southpaws! Video is the next big thing, and Sony’s no stranger to moving pictures. To that end, the WX7 is capable of recording video at up to 1 080p (full HD) at 50 frames per second. Slap a big memory card into it, and you’ll have lots of high-def footage to complement your photographic memories. Of course, the big numbers are useless if the camera’s actual performance isn’t up to scratch. Fortunately, the sensor is one of the new Exmor R models, meaning better colours and good low-light performance. ISO can be cranked up to 3 200, but this won’t produce the sharpest results. In fact, anything higher than 400 won’t look spectacular when printed, so rather use the flash for low-light shots instead of relying on high ISO settings. For the uninitiated who’d rather be done with complexity and just snap some pics, the WX7 has two all-in-one modes. There’s intelligent auto, a no-frills automatic mode for everyday use. When you get into trickier situations (such as low light or movement), the superior auto mode can be used. This attempts to sharpen up photos and remove noise (seen as graininess) from low-light snaps. There is no manual mode, but the fact
that the camera is simple to use is a real boon for people who don’t want to get lost in menus and complex adjustments. In the way of clever features, it has the usual face detection and smile shutter, making it easy to get pictures of restless children or the like. Its party trick, though, is a 3D photo mode. It doesn’t have the dual-lens setup like true 3D cameras, instead taking two photos that are slightly offset. This emulates actual 3D cameras, which take two simultaneous photos at different offsets. It works really well, but you need a 3D TV or monitor to view the images – the display on the camera is two dimensional only. It’s also capable of shooting 3D panoramas, using the iSweep Panorama mode. Even in 2D mode, it’s really intuitive: press the shutter once and pan the camera. It automatically assembles the photos and makes a near-seamless super-wide angle shot. Do the same in 3D, and the results are simply fantastic – but, again, reliant on a 3D display. For the money, the WX7 is a great pocket camera. It might not have the overall clarity of some higher-end models, but for day-to-day use and non-technical users, it’s very good. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Still images: 16 megapixels • Video footage: HD 1 080p • Storage: SD card and memory stick duo slot • Lens: 5x optical zoom • ISO range: 100 – 3200 • Extras: HDMI output, Smile Shutter, SteadyShot, Tracking Focus, Intelligent Auto mode, 3D photos and 3D panoramas
Pros
Cons
• Panorama mode works really well • Good value for money • Full HD video and 3D photo mode
• Picture quality isn’t as sharp as we would have liked • Average low-light performance • Only about 230 shots per charge
Overall rating
Canon has the low-light problem licked, with its Ixus 310HS. A 12-megapixel sensor and 4.4 x zoom lens fit into a tiny body, with touchscreen controls and full HD video to boot.
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16GB SD Card 3D photos and HD footage end up consuming a lot of space. Get a 16GB memory card for hundreds of photos or hours of footage, without needing to worry about running out of room.
Lowepro Rezo Camera Pouch Keep your compact camera safe with one of the many bags in Lowepro’s Rezo range. There’s a main pouch for the camera and additional compartments for stashing memory cards and batteries.
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DStv HD PVR
If you’d rather record your TV shows and watch them in HD, instead of watching them on the go, the HD PVR is the perfect tool. Just take note that it’ll need a special satellite dish configuration with two dual-band LNBs or a quad LNB setup.
YouTube
If you don’t feel like paying for a decoder and subscription fee, you can spend many hours browsing the best TV channel on the planet: YouTube. Tons of cat videos, comedy goofs and documentaries are free for the viewing.
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iPod Touch Arguably the cheapest way to watch some mobile TV, if you don’t already have a Windows computer. The iPad also has a longer battery life – but even then it’s hamstrung by the Drifta’s weak battery performance.
46 | connect | May 2011
DStv Drifta NEED TO KNOW • Mobile TV on your iPad, iPod, iPhone or Windows PC • 12 TV channels • Battery-powered for use almost anywhere R599.95
Whether your kids are counting cars and playing board games on the backseat, or watching DVDs and mashing buttons on their Nintendo DS, there’s no denying that entertainment on the go is always a bonus. It keeps them busy, and you sane. If you’re fortunate enough to own an iPad, or the kids have an iPod Touch, there’s now one more way to pass the time. No, it’s not through one of the thousands of games available for those devices, but rather through mobile TV. DStv recently launched the Drifta, its mobile TV receiver and decoder. This little battery-powered device delivers 12 channels of subscription entertainment, wirelessly streaming it to Apple iDevices or a Windows PC. It’s made possible through the DVBH standard, which stands for Digital Video Broadcast for Handhelds. This does mean the broadcast signal won’t exactly be as good as the regular DStv signal, never mind the HD version, but what you lose in fidelity you gain in portability. Try lugging around your decoder and TV next time you want to get some news on the go. The Drifta box is tiny and almost nondescript. Black, with two logos, its only features are a power button and an extendible antenna. The latter is quite fragile when extended, so take care when moving it around. It has a rechargeable battery – replenished via USB – that’s good for around 3 hours of viewing. This isn’t stellar, so long journeys might require the assistance of a USB charger in the car. At least you don’t have to worry about your iPad running out of juice before the Drifta does. Setup is a bit of a finicky process. The Drifta is powered up and will establish its own wireless network. On the viewing device, either an iDevice or a Windows PC, the accompanying Drifta software is started up. This software searches for the Drifta… and that’s where it can go a bit awry. Sometimes it’ll find it, other times the software just keeps searching before giving an error message. Powering off and then starting
up the Drifta fixes this. Still, it’s a hassle that shouldn’t happen on modern devices. Once running, it’s fairly straightforward. The software interface is intuitive, showing information about the shows currently airing on each of the channels, along with a progress bar indicating how far along they are. There’s also information about upcoming shows. In use, it’s actually a really pleasant experience. There are two down-sides, though. First is the channel selection. Sadly, due to licensing issues, there are none of the “good” DStv channels: Discovery, Movie Magic, MNet and MTV are not available through the mobile solution. Sports fans will be delighted, though. DStv owns the rights to rebroadcast content on its Supersport channels, so Supersport 1, 2, 3 and Blitz are available through the Drifta. Other channels include the Cartoon Network, Sony Max, Africa Magic and Trace Urban. These are included in the premium bouquet, for R36 a month. There’s a selection of free channels, too, comprising eNews, CNNi, Channel O and E! Entertainment. The second, much more crippling drawback is the limited DVBH coverage in South Africa. So far, only the major centres have decent coverage, although this should be expanded in due time. For the moment, though, it puts out of reach the fantasy of watching live TV all the way to Durban, while in the car. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • TV channels: 12 • Battery: Included, charges via USB • Battery life: 3 hours approx. • Platforms: iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone and Windows Pros
Cons
• Affordable subscription • Good sports coverage • TV on the go
• Low battery life • No movie channels • Limited coverage
Overall rating
Ava ila I ncr b l e at Co n e d i b l e n ec S oo t i o n n!
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Western Digital MyBook Since the MED200X has no internal storage, now would be a good time to invest in an external USB hard drive. A 1TB drive costs very little, and can store nearly 200 full length high definition movies.
Mede8er MED200X NEED TO KNOW • HDMI-equipped media player • USB ports for external hard drives • Plays digital video, photos and music on your TV R999.95
Belkin HDMI cable HDMI is a single cable that can transport both high definition video and uncompressed audio. Belkin’s high quality cables are perfect for connecting the Mede8er to your HDTV.
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Mede8er MED500X
If the MED200X seems a little too underpowered for your media-consuming needs, its bigger brother could be what you need. The MED500X can be had with an internal hard drive, and also boasts network connectivy, with support for Internet streaming services.
48 | connect | May 2011
Digital media has become all the rage in the last two years. There are online services with video and audio content, such as YouTube and iTunes. Even our discs at home can now be copied (or ripped, as the geeks say) to have them easily accessible on our hard drives. In fact, there are software packages that will help you convert your DVDs to digital video formats, and most music players will convert your audio discs into MP3 format with just a few clicks. But all these files are useless just sitting on your computer. When friends come around you don’t invite them to the computer room to watch a movie. Carrying the computer outside to play some banging party tunes is also not ideal – somebody might get carried away and spill a drink on it. Dedicated media players that perform these functions have been available for quite some time, now. Most are priced above R1 500 and offer everything you’d expect – they’ll stream videos from YouTube and play music from a varliety of online radio stations. When it comes to video files on hard drives, they’ll play the regular AVI files, in addition to the newer MKV file format used for high definition content. Mainstream audio and photo formats are also supported, as well as the more obscure file formats for all three content types. The Mede8er MED200X supports all of these and plays them without a hassle. It even has an SD card slot, for easier playback of photos and video clips from your digital camera. Also present are two USB ports for external hard drives: no internal hard drives here, it’s just simple plug-inand-play using external storage. Around the back there are analogue video and audio connectors for older TVs, and they are joined by an HDMI output for more modern displays. Should you require digital audio (via a fibre optic cable – not
included), a port is available for that, too. The only thing missing from this compact media player is a network port. The lack of networking brings its price down. At just on R1 000 it’s one of the cheapest media players on the market. It also highlights how important network connectivity is: unless you have an external hard drive stuffed with digital media, the player feels a bit barebones. Sure, it plays files without problems, but having access to online updates, movie information, YouTube and streaming audio feels like a must-have feature. If web connectivity is essential, Mede8er does offer the MED400X which boasts a network port but costs around R400 more. Internet-enabled media players often have the ability to fetch movie posters and information online. This way, when you select a movie, it shows the information about that film. Mede8er offers a free software package that will do this for the movies on your hard drive, so it shouldn’t be a big deal that the MED200X doesn’t have web access. In the end, its interface is not going to win any design awards and competing players from Iomega and Western Digital have prettier graphics and more intuitive layouts for their menu systems. If you have a few movies on a hard drive and just need a box to plug them into for viewing on your TV, this will do the job just fine. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Connectivity: 2x USB 2.0 ports, 1x SD card reader • Outputs: Compositive video, RCA audio, optical audio, HDMI • Video output: Up to 1080P Pros
Cons
• Compact design • Support for many formats • Great value
• Tatty remote control • Really bland interface • No HDMI or optical audio cables supplied
Overall rating
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Wireless Xbox 360 Controller Receiver for Windows
Wish you could play games on your PC using your Xbox controller? Now you can with this USB receiver that picks up the controller’s wireless signal and translates it into Windows-speak!
Wireless Xbox 360 Controller with Transforming D-Pad NEED TO KNOW • Slightly revised Xbox 360 controller • Directional pad can be rotated for better control • Comes with a Play and Charge kit R699.95
The Xbox 360’s controller has been praised for its comfortable, chunky design ever since it first came out way back in 2005 (2007 for local gamers). It wasn’t perfect, however, and over the last 6 years, gamers have laid the odd complaint over the sensitivity of the controller’s directional pad at Microsoft’s feet. In case you’re not a gamer, the directional pad (also called the D-pad) is the plus-shaped button on the controller, and it’s not the most oft-used button on the device. In the cases where its use is essential (changing weapons, giving orders, calling in airstrikes, etc.), it’s quite easy to nudge the button in the wrong direction, resulting in unintentional consequences during gameplay. While not a train smash, there are games that use the D-pad exclusively for control. These tend to be older arcade games, many of which are available through Xbox Live’s on-demand game download service. It is while playing these that imprecise D-pad control can lead to much frustration and gnashing of teeth. While it’s somewhat puzzling that it’s taken 6 years for Microsoft to address this fault, we’re glad to say this is exactly what they’ve done with this new wireless controller and its “transforming D-pad”. Now, the controller has two possible settings for the D-pad: the default position, where it mimics the function and feel of the original controller’s D-pad, and the new one. If you give the D-pad a twist, the plus rises up quite a bit and it becomes a lot firmer. It is this stiffness that helps to make it more precise. Another change comes in the form of a tiny, almost imperceptible tweak to the design of the analogue sticks. Now, each stick has a slightly deeper indentation for your fingertips, and the four dots on the original controller’s analogue sticks are gone, replaced by a single dot in the centre of each stick’s surface. The new controller’s surface is slightly more textured as well, giving it a nice finish that feels pleasant to touch. There is a noticeable difference between playing arcade games on Xbox Live with this new controller over the original. If you’re an old-school
arcade gamer, the new transforming D-pad will be an absolute godsend. Microsoft has also included a Play and Charge cable in the box, along with a rechargeable battery in addition to a regular battery pack. The cable is 3m long, which gives players room to move while they charge their controller, and it connects to the controller using Microsoft’s proprietary charging port. The controller’s looks have also been overhauled, as it now features a black/silver/grey/white design. It looks good on the whole, but the A/B/X/Y buttons are no longer brightly coloured, which may confuse gamers new to the Xbox experience. Overall, this is the controller to buy if you’re in the market for a new one. Not only is it wireless with a rechargeable battery, but it can be recharged while you play and the new transforming D-pad is there in case you need it. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 2.4GHz wireless technology with 30-foot range • Transforming D-pad gives tighter control when it’s needed • Use up to four controllers simultaneously on one console • Integrated headset port for Xbox Live play • Adjustable vibration feedback for longer battery life • Great new look with a matte black finish and gloss accents • Comes with a 3m Play and Charge cable • Regular battery pack and rechargeable battery pack included • Use the Xbox 360 Guide button to keep track of your friends, access your games and media, or power your Xbox 360 console on and off
Pros
Cons
• Transforming D-pad works far better than the old one • New grey/black/white look is subtly stylish • Tweaks to the analogue sticks and overall texture are a nice touch
• Play and Charge kit is not strictly necessary • The A/B/X/Y buttons’ dull colouring may put off newbies
Overall rating
perfect companions
Xbox 360 Slim The new Xbox 360 console is black, thinner than the original and quieter too! The 250GB model offers the best value for your money since you can copy games to its hard drive for faster load times.
Chat Pad and Headset for Xbox 360 Controllers Typing passwords and chatting with the on-screen keyboard is painful. Clip one of these Chat Pads to your controller and type away on Xbox Live with your thumbs like you’re at your keyboard! Also comes with a headset.
www.connectmag.co.za | 49
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Apple iPad Keyboard
The fruit company’s very own keyboard is just as functional as the Zaggmate, with an even slicker design. Of course, it is a separate unit and doesn’t form a handy case around your iPad, but that’s the price you pay for looking stylish.
Belkin Grip Vue iPad Case
If you don’t need a separate keyboard but want a slim, snug case for your iPad, Belkin’s Grip Vue is ideal. It slips around the iPad and provides a decent amount of body protection, without hindering access to the touchscreen.
perfect companions
Apple iPad It’s the obvious choice, here. Without it, the Zaggmate is useless, and with a proper keyboard, the iPad is a bit more pleasant to use for extended periods of time.
50 | connect | May 2011
Zaggmate iPad Case NEED TO KNOW • Wireless keyboard dock for an iPad • Full-function keyboard, with iPad-specific keys • Connects using Bluetooth R999.95
Apple’s iPad has enjoyed immense success since its launch last year. With its recent arrival on local shores, we’ve also seen an influx of accessories and add-ons for this landmark tablet. There are protective leather cases that fold out into stands, rubber wraps that protect it from bumps, SD card readers that allow it to copy pictures taken on your camera, and more. Apple’s official range of accessories includes most of the above, as well as an iPad keyboard. The latter is of interest to those looking to use the iPad as a part-time computer. This means it would need to be capable of extended periods of text input – which is a fancy way of saying it’ll need a proper keyboard. Thankfully, the operating system on the iPad allows it to pair with almost any Bluetooth keyboard. If you have a keyboard you’ve been using with your laptop, and it features Bluetooth, it’ll work just fine for typing up documents on your iPad. There will be the small matter of certain keys not working, but for the most part, text input should be a breeze. Apple’s own effort offers all of this convenience and has keys that perform special, iPad-specific functions – and so does the Zaggmate iPad case with built-in keyboard. The Zaggmate iPad case is finished in the same aluminium used for the iPad, so it has a matching wardrobe. Simply take the iPad and squeeze it in face-down. Its back panel is still exposed, but the vulnerable touchscreen is now safely tucked away. The party trick is the Zaggmate’s keyboard. The iPad sits snugly thanks to protective neoprene strips, so removing it is a bit tricky. Once unwedged, the Zaggmate’s keyboard is ready for business. To help make it properly useful, there’s a flip-up stand for propping the iPad up in either portrait or landscape orientation. Connection, as with the Apple keyboard, is made via Bluetooth. It’s simple and reliable. During testing, it never failed. The iPad and keyboard
can both go into sleep mode to conserve power; simply pressing a key on the Zaggmate will wake it up in just a few seconds. It also has the same special function keys offered on Apple’s keyboard. There’s a key that replicates the home button on the iPad, along with one to put it into sleep mode. The Media playback keys will control the iPod app perfectly, and the volume keys work a treat, too. In fact, docked in the Zaggmate, the iPad looks and feels very similar to an actual laptop. But there are some problems. As a keyboard, the Zaggmate falls short in two areas. The first is the size of its keys, which are small and cramped. It’s reminiscent of the first netbook keyboards and takes some getting used to. The second problem is a bit more serious. Part of the case construction is a metal ridge that runs along the left and right of the keyboard. It’s very difficult to keep your palms comfortably placed on the keyboard, and half the time you end up typing with your hands hovering at an uncomfortable level. For those with bigger hands, this will be a deal-breaker. Design issues aside, it’s a clever concept that does add value. If you’re willing to relearn typing on the smaller keys, it’ll be a good travel companion. Its excellent battery life helps secure that position. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Connectivity: Bluetooth • Layout: Standard 102-key layout, special-function keys • Battery: Integrated, rechargeable via Bluetooth • Weight: 370g
Pros
Cons
• Stable Bluetooth connection • iPad function keys are handy • Great battery life
• Small keys and cramped layout • Construction feels cheap • Metal edges cause discomfort
Overall rating
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Garmin Oregon 450
If you’re out exploring, using your Cobra walkies to keep in touch, something like the Garmin Oregon might be of interest. It lets you track your trails and keeps maps of where you’ve been during your hiking exploits.
Cobra MicroTalk MT-600 Walkie Talkies NEED TO KNOW
Olympus Stylus Tough 3000
If you can’t get a hold of a buddy using radio comms, use a camera to document what he’s missing. The Olympus Tough range is ruggedised for outdoor use, making it perfect in dusty or wet conditions.
perfect companions
The Great Outdoors Obviously, sitting inside and talking to your buddies using walkie talkies isn’t quite the same as exploring the great outdoors. Or hitting the road, each in your own car, and using these to keep in touch. Get some fresh air and use tech at the same time – win/ win.
52 | connect | May 2011
• Up to 5km range • 8 channels and 121 privacy codes • Two in a set R499.95
Walkie talkies were always the coolest toys while growing up. You’d get a set for Christmas or your birthday and spend the entire day playing army with your dad or brothers. Come in Bravo 1, come in. Of course, as we’ve grown up, the uses for them seem to have dwindled. Why would you need a set of radios to talk to a buddie? This problem is compounded by these radios’ inability to be used as an open channel, as is the case with cellphones. Instead, you have to take turns talking. Out in the wild, though, it’s a different story. If you spend any amount of time doing camping, hiking or game-viewing, you’ll know that relying on cellphones is a joke. There’s little to no reception out in the sticks, and what’s there is usually unreliable. Short of using smoke signals, good ol’ two-way radios are the best fallback for bush communications. They’re not even expensive anymore. A case in point would be this chunky set of Cobra MT600 walkies. At a lick under R500, they’re good value, especially for occasional use. Keep them in the car and they’ll be ready for use most of the time – the batteries last very long – and they’re sturdy enough to withstand most knocks. You can’t exactly go into a paintball battle with them, but they’re gonna take a licking. Setup is fairly simple. Power them on, select the same channel and privacy key on both devices and Roger is your 10-4. An intuitive button layout sees the talk button fall to finger without you needing to extend a digit. The channel select and volume buttons are cleverly placed, too. In use, you’ll get a good 1km or so in a very crowded area. This is well short of the 5km range advertised by the manufacturer – probably a figure
calculated on paper for a best-case scenario. With line-of-sight, in an area without lots of radio noise and interference, expect closer to about 3km. Despite being short of the quoted figures, it’s still a long distance. Just think of the practical uses: a game drive, following a friend’s car, or hiking up a mountain. In both cases, you’ll rarely be more than a few hundred metres apart, making these ideal to keep in touch without relying on unpredictable cellular networks. The Cobras also have a ton of other features for those who need more than just a push-to-talk radio. It supports VOX communication, using headsets (not supplied), and radio channels can be made private. It’s compatible with other PMR radios, too. It’s not an everyday tech purchase, but one for now and then if you’re looking for a cool gadget, and at this price, it’s handy to have a set around. You never know when you might need them. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Units: Two walkie talkies • Batteries: Rechargeable cells, included • Quoted range: 5km • Channels: 8 • Radio compatibility: PMR 446 Pros
Cons
• Sturdy build quality • Great battery life • Hands-free-capable
• Mediocre range • Lots of crosstalk • Requires open space to work best
Overall rating
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Garmin Masterpiece
Garmin’s newest navigator yet is called the masterpiece – and they aren’t joking. It’s super slim and has a modern featureset, including a touch screen similar to that on the iPhone and a lifetime traffic subsciption.
TomTom Via 110 NEED TO KNOW • New generation navigation device • Bluetooth hands-free support • Large 4.3” display R1 999.95
Competition is heating up in the personal navigation market. The device manufacturers not only have to compete with one another, introducing new navigation units each year, but there’s also the smartphone scourge. People with iPhones, BlackBerries and Androids are wising up to the fact that they can get navigation software for their phones. Not only is the software cheaper, it also means there’s one less device to carry around. And given the data capabilities, phones can have more up-to-date maps, as well. That said, dedicated navigation devices will always be more convenient. They have their own batteries, ship with their own windscreen mounts and use the power socket in your car. In the case of the new TomTom Via range, they also offer features we’ve had on our phones for a while. The Via 110 boasts voice commands to input addresses and it also has Bluetooth connectivity: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. TomTom’s aim with the Via models is to make them easier to use. Fewer steps are required to enter an address, and navigation starts as soon as you’ve confirmed the details. Sadly, with the 110 it’s a huge pain to operate the device using the display. It’s slow and unresponsive, requiring patience when pushing the virtual buttons to enter a destination. Some of the higher-end TomTom models use capacitive glass displays like those you find on smartphones, but the Via 110 has an older tech screen using resistive technology. The voice commands are a good backup, but they don’t always work perfectly – especially in a noisy car. Plus, you still need to activate it using an on-screen button. A dedicated hardware button would’ve been a much better bet. Bluetooth handsfree calling is easy to set up but it’ll only be really
handy if your car’s cabin is quiet. It won’t exactly stand toe-to-toe with a radio-integrated system, but it’s a good way to stay out of trouble by not talking on your phone while driving. Finally, there’s the routing. TomTom’s maps are very up-to-date, so getting lost or finding yourself in an area that isn’t mapped is an unlikely scenario. The Via even has lane-assistance features to keep you in the correct lane on a multilane road. Where it does fail is in outright speed. During testing we found it to via late with instructions, sometimes instructing us to turn right in fifty metres when the junction was right next to us. That was while travelling at “I’m lost in the neighbourhood” speeds – it had plenty of time to process information and give us advance warning. This can be prevented by looking at the screen and seeing where to turn, but that defeats the point of having voice instructions. The sluggish navigation and unresponsive display make it hard to recommend the Via 110. At the price, it’s also hard to justify it over one of the older Go models, some of which have traffic integration and cost just a few hundred rand more.
Navigon iPhone software
If you use an iPhone and want make even better use of its functionality, load the Navigon navigation software. It uses the iPhone’s internal GPS and gives it the exact same functionality as a standalone unit – including optional traffic information.
NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Display: 4.3” • Battery life: Up to 2 hours • Memory: 2GB internal memory • Weight: 183g TomTom Via 125 Pros
Cons
• Slim design • Compact, integrated mount • Voice control system
• Touch screen is not responsive enough • Slow to give commands • No traffic detection
Overall rating
The 110’s bigger brother has some features that make it stand out, including access to the traffic network and a bigger display. It shares some of the nicer features on the 110, including the handy integrated mount and voice command system.
www.connectmag.co.za | 53
product reviews
perfect companions
Apple iPad 16GB with 3G An iPad cover without an iPad is just a cover. Apple’s tablet computer is nothing short of amazing, and one of the only truly must-have items for gadget enthusiasts everywhere.
Apple iPod Touch 32GB The Touch is by far the best portable multimedia player available. Its screen is smooth and responsive, audio quality is fantastic and it’s even great for watching movies.
Apple iPhone 4 The iPhone 4 is as good as you’ve heard it is, combining the awesome power of the Touch’s multimedia capabilities with a cellphone’s functions.
54 | connect | May 2011
Griffin Flexgrip iPad Covers NEED TO KNOW • Silicone covers that protect iPads • Available in black, white, blue and purple • Cut-out sections for all ports R399.95
If you own an iPad, you’ve probably experienced moments of panic when you’ve drawn near anything that even remotely looks like it could damage your Precious. As such, you may have seriously considered getting a cover for said iPad so that its surfaces remain in their original pristine condition. If you have, we invite you to consider this cover from iPod/iPad accessories maker Griffin, called the Flexgrip. It’s made entirely out of silicone, and feels almost like satin beneath your fingers. Well, weird, rubbery satin, but you get the drift – it feels nice. Anyone who’s been in a modern kitchen lately will be immediately familiar with the texture of the Flexgrip cover, as it’s made out of the same silicone as modern cake pans, baking sheets, cupcake trays, etc. This also means it’s heat-resistant, and won’t go up in flames if you put it in the oven. Of course, we highly recommend you don’t do that… not unless you’re intending to upload the resulting video to YouTube, that is. The Flexgrip impressed us right from the outset. It feels really pleasant to the touch, is made out of thick silicone so it won’t wear or tear easily, our office iPad slipped easily into it, and it remained snugly secure around the iPad throughout the duration of our testing. The fit is absolutely perfect, while also ensuring it’s not an hour-long adventure getting the iPad out of the cover again. Perhaps the best thing about the Flexgrip cover is that it comes with holes cut in precisely the right places so that the iPad’s dock connector, volume controls, microphone and headphone ports are not covered. Better still, the holes don’t crowd the ports either, so when accessories are plugged in, they also fit snugly. From looking at it, we believe the Flexgrip gets its name from the
two indentations on the back of the cover. When holding a Flexgripcovered iPad, our fingers naturally sought out these indentations and we discovered it even easier to grip the iPad as a result. This and the flexible nature of silicone are the most probable reasons behind the name. There are two minor issues that bear mentioning. The first is that the Flexgrip does not offer any protection for the iPad’s screen, but other products can do that and the screen itself is scratch-resistant, according to Apple, so no biggie. The other is that it won’t fit the iPad 2 as snugly when it finally arrives in South Africa. That’s a fairly superfluous worry as we’ll probably not see the iPad 2 hit local stores for a good few months yet. In the meantime, this product allows first-generation iPad owners to rest easy in the knowledge that the body of their Precious is protected. That’s pretty much all there is to the Griffin Flexgrip, but sometimes simple is, indeed, best. It’s durable, easy to slip on and take off, comes in a variety of colours and the level of protection it offers iPad owners is more than worth the asking price. As a bonus, it’s also oven-proof. Win! NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Easy-to-grip flexible silicone skin for iPads • Tough silicone case protects against scratches, dings and dents • Snug fit with access to multi-touch display, all connectors, and controls
Pros
Cons
• Silicone does a great job of protecting against scratches • Ports are not obstructed by the cover at all • Indentations on the back make it really easy to grip
• The screen is left totally unprotected • Probably won’t fit the iPad 2 • Won’t protect an iPad from a fall
Overall rating
advertorial
I
n case you haven’t heard, the consumer protection act (CPA) that’s been getting so much airtime of late has come into effect. And as the name of the act suggests, it’s all about protecting the consumer’s rights. You will in all likelihood notice quite a difference in the way retailers, services businesses and individuals selling a good or service treat you. That’s because the penalties for not abiding by the rules set out in the act are quite onerous. On the upside though, from now on there’s a far smaller chance a consumer – people like you and me – will walk away from a transaction dissatisfied. While things are pretty detailed when you get down into the nitty gritty, we thought we’d give you a glimpse at some of the highlights. This extract shouldn’t be considered legal advice though – rather get yourself a copy of the act (http://www.dti.gov.za/ccrd/cpact09.pdf) and take a read through it. It’s fascinating stuff.
Highlights include: • Consumers will now have up to six months to return faulty or unsafe goods. Choices include having the goods repaired, replaced or fully refunded; • Goods ordered online have to be delivered at an agreed date, time and place. If they aren’t you’re free to reject them when they arrive, in essence canceling the agreement. You also have the right to inspect your purchases before accepting them, and reject them if you’re not satisfied; • VAS rates – those expensive, hiked text-messaging rates used for SMS competitions – are gone. You’ll now be charged the standard network rate to enter SMS competitions; • Auto-renewing contracts are history. Companies can’t build clauses into their contracts that autorenew. They’ll have to contact you between 40 and 80 business days before your contract expires. They have to give you the option to continue your
Advertorial contract, change its terms or cancel it. The contract will continue on a month-to-month basis until you make your choice; and • You will now be able to cancel contracts (like a cellphone contract) at any time, providing you give the company 20 days’ notice – in writing – and you’re able to pay then anything you owe to the date of cancellation. Importantly, you will no longer have to pay them out for the full value of the contract.
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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.
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Canon iSENSYS LBP5050 Colour Laser Printer
Monochrome laser printing means fast prints, sharp text and affordability that colour lasers just can’t beat. This one from Samsung is quite small and compact, for extra convenience.
• Colour laser printer • Connects over USB • Good choice for general documents R1 699.95
HP Laserjet CP1025nw
If your office has a wireless network, this colour laser printer from HP has built-in wired and wireless networking, allowing greater freedom in its placement.
Canon iSENSYS LBP5050n
The only difference between this and the LBP5050 is that this printer has an Ethernet port so it can be joined to a wired network, and enjoys slightly easier sharing across an office.
56 | connect | May 2011
NEED TO KNOW
If you’re looking for a colour laser printer and have no need for wireless or even wired network connectivity, Canon’s LBP5050 is a pretty good option. It’s simple to set up and use and doesn’t come with the annoying software that some other manufacturers like to include. In short, it will please home users and people in small offices looking for a basic yet competent colour laser printer. Unpacking the printer is probably the only part of owning an LBP5050 that will pose any kind of challenge, and even that is an overstatement as it’s a pretty simple process. It’s nice to see Canon putting some thought into its packaging. Getting the printer out of the box is easy as there are two cardboard handles that help slide the printer out without needing a second person to hold anything. Once all the tabs and packaging tape have been removed (it’s all clearly outlined in the accompanying instruction documents), all that’s needed is to plug the printer into a power outlet, and then attach a USB cable. Unfortunately, one was not included in the box, but a quick search around the office yielded a spare and we were quickly connected. Installing the printer can be done using the included driver CD, or you can just plug it into your Windows machine and let Windows Update find the right driver for you (provided you’re connected to the Internet, of course). The CD is probably the quickest method, but we couldn’t pass up the chance to test Windows. We are happy to report it passed with flying colours, quickly locating the driver and downloading it. Once installed, a test page was sent to the printer, which came out within 20 seconds. Printing bigger documents added to the time the first page took to emerge, but multi-page documents printed quite fast once the printer got going. A 5-page plain-text document took 50 seconds to print, with the first page completely out at the 25-second mark. The quality of printed text is laser-sharp, as it should be. While the
LBP5050 is not a photo printer, we sent a few pictures to be printed anyway, just to see how they would come out, and we were pleasantly surprised. If you’re printing personal pictures to hang up around your office or home, the LBP5050’s image quality is pretty good. Some pictures were affected by vertical banding caused by the roller mechanism, but for the most part, photos came out looking good. Of course, if you’re serious about your photos, there is no beating a dedicated inkjet photo printer. The LBP5050 is quite a big laser printer, weighing a fairly heavy 18.4kg, and it will definitely take up a lot of desk space. We recommend a dedicated stand on which to place it to avoid cluttering up your work area. That may require a long USB cable, though, but these are easily available. If you need networking functionality, the LBP5050 has a bigger brother with a built-in Ethernet port. If USB is good enough for you and all you need is a good-quality, reliable colour laser printer for your desk, this one will do just fine. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Print speed: Up to 8 ppm colour (A4); up to 12 ppm mono (A4) • Printing method: Colour laser beam printing • Print quality: Up to 9 600 x 600 dpi with Automatic Image Refinement • Print resolution: Up to 600 x 600 dpi • Warm-up time: 0 seconds from Standby; approx. 25 seconds or less from Power On • First Page Out time: Mono: approx. 22 seconds or less; Colour: approx. 28 seconds or less • Duty cycle: Max. 25 000 pages per month • Connectivity: USB 2.0 only Pros
Cons
• Affordable colour laser printing • Very easy to install and configure • Text is laser-sharp
• It’s quite a big and heavy printer • No built-in network options • USB cable is not included
Overall rating
related
products
Nero Video Premium HD NEED TO KNOW • Video-editing and playback suite from Nero • Create videos with transitions, text and soundtracks • Save, burn to disc or upload your creations to the Internet • Able to edit and create HD videos in many popular formats R799.95
Nero Video Premium HD is a video-editing and playback suite that is capable of editing and creating High-Definition videos, as well as working in a wide variety of other formats. It can create DVDs and Blu-ray discs complete with chapters and a professional-looking menu system, as well as slideshows using your photos. The application also uploads videos to the Internet, exports them directly to and from a video camera, saves them to a file and even extracts audio streams from video files. Supported online video services include Nero’s “My Nero” video-hosting service and YouTube. It’s a pretty solid all-round video-editing suite ideal for beginners and journeyman videographers. Nero’s approach to the software is a bit odd, though. Instead of a single application from which to perform all tasks, the designers have made the package out of multiple programs that do different things, and switching between them can be confusing. Nero’s Vision Xtra is the package’s main application, and is where you’ll be doing your editing and uploading. Operating it is straightforward if you’ve used video-editing software before. The interface isn’t cluttered and interface elements work quite intuitively. If you’re a complete beginner, it may take some time to grow accustomed to the interface’s layout, but once you have a project or two under your belt, using the software will undoubtedly be a lot easier. What we really liked about the software was the ease with which we could put together basic videos. Stringing a number of clips together, for instance, complete with a soundtrack, scrolling/rotating/spinning text and some really cool transition effects took only about half an hour. Nero includes tons of effects to choose from too, which is nice. Once the process was complete, the project needed to be rendered, i.e. saved into its final form in our selected video format. This was the slowest part of the process. The actual clip was just over 2 minutes long, but the rendering process took around 8 minutes on our high-end office PC due to the fact that we chose 1 080p as our desired format. Standard-Definition videos took a lot less time to render, so all in all, we have to say the underlying code in Nero Video Premium HD is pretty efficient. The application takes advantage of nVidia graphics cards (but not ATI apparently) to cut down on processing times. The MediaHub application scans your hard drive and assembles all
the media files (music, images and video) it finds into a single window, presumably for easy access. The inclusion of this software is a puzzle, though, as Windows already does this, and faster. Being able to also make slideshows using our photos was a pleasant experience, as the pre-configured slideshow formats were actually quite nice, and helped us put together a very attractive slideshow in under three minutes, with professional results. There were plenty of updates that needed to be downloaded and applied when the software was first installed. This isn’t a bad thing, as it’s always good to keep software updated, but if you’re in a hurry to get going, it may be a bit annoying. Overall, Nero Video Premium HD is a competent video-editing package aimed at entry-level videographers looking for an easy and fast way to make their videos look a wee bit more polished and professional.
Sony Vegas
Sony makes excellent videoediting software, but it’s not for the faint of heart or the easily-intimidated. Prepare for amazing results, but only once you’ve mastered its intricacies.
perfect companions
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • Windows XP SP3 (32-bit), Windows Vista SP1 or later (32- and 64-bit), Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate (32- and 64-bit) • 2GHz AMD or Intel processor, 512MB RAM (1GB RAM for Windows Vista or Windows 7) • For Blu-ray disc playback and HD video editing: Intel Core II Duo 2.2GHz processor, AMD Athlon 64 x 25 200+ 2.6GHz or above, 2GB RAM • 5GB hard drive space for a typical installation of all components (including templates, content and temporary disk space) • DirectX 9.0-compliant graphics card with 3D acceleration, 16-bit colour, and a minimum of 128MB video memory • For Blu-ray disc playback: graphics card: NVIDIA 8600 and above, ATI Radeon HD 3800 and above • DVD disc drive for installation and playback, Blu-ray disc-capable drive for BD playback. CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc recordable or rewritable drive for burning and video authoring • DirectX 9.0c revision 30 (August 2006) Pros
Cons
• Clean interface makes for intuitive editing • Tons of effects, transitions, DVD menus and more from which to choose • Save video to and from a wide variety of sources and destinations
• MediaHub application’s inclusion is a bit puzzling • Support for nVidia’s CUDA tech does not benefit ATI owners • Installation installs individual applications
Overall rating
Apple Cinema 24” LCD Monitor Apple’s Cinema series is arguably the nicest range of LCD monitors on the planet, suitable to professional-level design work as well as for watching movies and playing games.
Western Digital 1TB External Hard Drive You’re going to need a lot of storage if you’re planning on doing plenty of video-editing. Happily, storage is cheap these days, and this 1TB drive will last you a good few months.
www.connectmag.co.za | 57
book reviews
NEED TO KNOW • By Christina T. Loguidice and Bill Loguidice • 264 pages
Wii Fitness for Dummies If you’re new to Nintendo’s awesomely fun gaming console, reading this book will take you through everything you need to know to make the most of three exercise-centric Wii games: Wii Fit Plus, EA Sports Active: Personal Trainer and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010. At first glance, it may seem this book was written for people too lazy to just turn on their Wii and play the fitness games mentioned, but this isn’t true. Reading Wii Fitness for Dummies will help people unfamiliar with the motion-controlled exercise game genre maximise the impact of the exercises, while
CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide
NEED TO KNOW
• By Quentin Docter, Emmett Dulaney and Toby Skandier • 1 152 pages
The A+ course has long been the beginner’s entry point into the world of computer hardware, and if you’d like to take the A+ test in pursuit of a qualification in the IT sector, this is the book to get. It’s a pretty big tome, weighing in at over 1 100 pages, but it contains all of the lessons, practical advice and practice tests necessary to groom the reader for the CompTIA A+ exam. It’s not easy reading, and will require some real-world hands-on experience before it makes sense. However, it’s easily one of the best books to read for a basic, grassrootslevel understanding of how desktop computer hardware comes together. 58 | connect | May 2011
Readers will gain the skills needed to confidently take computers apart, put them together again, troubleshoot and load the operating system – all practical skills needed in today’s competitive IT environments. An accompanying CD has Sybex’s advanced testing software that provides interactive, multiple-choice quizzes that prepare the reader for the real thing. If you’re interested in getting your A+ certification, it’s hard to go wrong with this book.
also keeping them from hurting themselves. There are also hints and tips on the optimal way to approach each activity. There’s a wealth of information here, and the book is easy to read, with plenty of illustrations. While it could be argued that simple common sense and time spent with each fitness game covered is just as effective a method of coming to grips with the games, it could just as easily be argued that going in as an informed gamer is the safer approach in the long run.
Fetch: The Yellow Puppy That Gets Knowledge Books Straight To You! www.fetch.my is a fast, immediate and convenient portal that is designed specifically for IT and professional reference needs, so if you need books, but don’t have the time to hit the book store and get them, just.....let our yellow puppy fetch them for you! The focus remains on technical titles of all skill levels that are designed to meet the needs of IT professionals. In addition to our technical titles we have an expanded range that includes computing related subjects; such as telecommunications, engineering, science, medical, business, management and academic titles. There is also a selection of health and reference titles to choose from, In total there are a massive 50 000 book titles available on the portal!. This portal is terrific because it provides books that are crucial for those who want to upgrade their skills or formalize their IT industry experience and knowledge. This includes university students as well as school leavers who want to embark on a career in IT but cannot afford to attend a tertiary institution. www.fetch.my is also a portal for e-Learning and e-Books. Intersoft Certification Solutions (ICS) present a “best of blended-learning solution, incorporating a vast amount of learning resources and tools - all harmonized into one training programme”. ICS offers high-availability and comprehensive certificationfocused learning programmes that include Microsoft Official e-Learning, Reference Books, Virtual Labs, Practice Tests, Learning Tools, Online and Additional Resources. So if you need to find technical knowledge, look no further than www. fetch.my. FETCH offers you everything at a click of button.
game reviews //By Tiana cline
The 3ds is here! You’ve created a Mii, played Face Raiders and even completed a StreetPass quest. Now it’s time to invest in the best 3DS has to offer. With a number of launch titles (and more to come), Connect has rounded up six of the best that are worth the bucks.
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
Nintendogs + Cats
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
The one thing that must be said about the LEGO videogame series is that they really add a ridiculous amount of content to every title. And in 3D, this doesn’t change one bit. You’ll spend days working your way through Clone Wars-inspired levels, spending time in the hub, unlocking new characters and special bonuses. With silly cutscenes and puzzles to ponder, it’s a familiar game, but fun nonetheless. The new space combat missions (where you get to pilot a starship) are a welcome gameplay addition. A single-player title that is aimed for kiddies, the only disappointment for older gamers is the lack of cooperative play. R399.95
This virtual pet simulator is as charming as it is cute. From picking a pup and naming it, to teaching it new tricks, going for a walk or entering competitions, the 3DS version of Nintendogs is simply adorable. In 3D, the textures of the dogs are impressive and they really pop out of the screen at times, sometimes even giving you a lick. Kittens are a great new addition to the gameplay, but you’ll have to earn enough money to be able to bring one home. If dressing up a dog is your kind of fun, Nintendogs will melt your heart. R499.95
How do you take such a big title and make it work on a handheld console? Don’t be fooled by the size: Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is the longest game you’ll play on the 3DS – for now. This turn-based tactical combat title will have you protecting your soldiers, attacking the enemy and, ultimately, working hard to accomplish the mission objective. The 3D environments are detailed, making the gameplay that much more engaging – every move must be considered correctly to win. Try one of the epic two-player competitive matches and you’ll be hooked. Each campaign can last over 15 hours and it only gets better as you unlock once-off scenarios and new maps. R499.95
60 | connect | May 2011
Ridge Racer 3D
Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition
PilotWings Resort
One of two racing games in the 3DS’ launch lineup, Ridge Racer is definitely the most iconic. It was a classic as far back as the first PlayStation and helped launch the PSP, Xbox 360 and PS3. Now, for the first time in 3D, it takes to the stage with familiar cars, tracks and gameplay. The action is easy to get into and hard to put down, more so now that the 3D effect really sucks you in. Confetti, leaves and debris fly into the camera, briefly obscuring your vision, which really adds to the depth. It’s a classic that can’t be missed. R499.95
Capcom’s iconic brawler gets a 3D twist. Every fighter from the Street Fighter series is here (and there are 35 to be precise), which makes this a remarkable, all-in-one package. And while 3D doesn’t add too much dimension to the one-on-one action, there is an exclusive 3D versus mode, which changes the camera angle. The controls are well executed, especially the accessible touchscreen that now has a customisable 4-button system. From bonus car-bashing challenges to collecting figurines (that fight if you StreetPass and your DS is “sleeping”), SSFIV truly has something for everyone. There’s even multiplayer… R499.95
Nostalgic gamers will remember the very first Nintendo flight sim – it was a classic! PilotWings Resort takes gamers back to the skies for some soaring (although slightly repetitive) action. If you played Wii Sports Resort, you’ll immediately recognise the game’s location: Wuhu Island. Here, you’ll perform challenges using a hang glider, rocket belt or plane, each device using its own unique control mechanism. Selecting a Mii, you can pick between Mission or Free Flight Mode, and then complete over 40 challenges to earn stars, some of which take a while to perfect, or scour the island for hundreds of collectible extras. R499.95
www.connectmag.co.za | 61
game reviews //By Deon du plessis
Crysis 2
NEED TO KNOW • Shoot and sneak through the ruins of New York City • Use an advanced nanotech-infused combat suit to defeat an alien invasion • You are humanity’s only hope (again!) The first Crysis was a very impressive technology demo from a small developer in Poland called Crytek and it featured some of the best visuals ever seen in a computer game. The sequel took a somewhat more accessible approach, choosing to focus more on content, gameplay and story than sheer graphical wizardry, although the visuals are still impressive. In Crysis 2, gone are the lush jungle scenes from the first game, replaced instead by the ruins of New York City. This time you’re fighting against a new threat called the Ceph, a race of aliens whose jellied (but armour-reinforced) bodies resemble octopi and squid. You start the game as a soldier responding to the initial invasion, but in no time you’re up to your eyebrows in sea water after your transport helicopter is hit by alien gunfire and you plummet into New York’s harbour. Shortly before expiring, you’re rescued by a mysterious figure wearing a strange combat suit. After a mystifying interaction with him, you inherit his suit – modern-day armour powered by nanotechnology that can become invisible, augment the player’s strength and even absorb bullet impacts for a short time. The game takes players through the destroyed remains of New York City, where you come across collapsing buildings and bridges, subways that are in ruins and massive sinkholes that have destroyed entire neighbourhoods. The graphics are
top-notch and, best of all, they don’t demand a high-end PC to look their best. Combat is frenetic and fast-paced, and players will need to make clever use of the nanosuit’s cloaking, armour and super-strength modes to defeat the aliens. What the Ceph lack in natural body armour they make up for in numbers and it’s fairly easy to get overwhelmed if you don’t watch out, even on normal difficulty. There are plenty of weapons to make things go boom, and gunshots and explosions are particularly satisfying to hear. The nanosuit really makes combat come to life, and encourages players to think tactically rather than just run in with guns blazing. The game is suitably lengthy – expect around 13 hours for the single-player campaign – and once that is over, the multiplayer will keep you busy for a good while longer. Crysis 2’s multiplayer component pits nanosuit-wearing players against one another, and lets them earn experience points, which unlock suit and weapon upgrades. If you like shooters, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of Crysis 2. It has a solid storyline, excellent graphics and a seriously fun multiplayer component that’ll have you playing long after you’ve sent the Ceph packing. R349 (PC)
>>Get this<<
>>Consider this<<
Call of Duty: Black Ops Blops was one of last year’s biggest games – and for good reason. Its dramatic but frantic single-player campaign, set against the backdrop of the Cold War, was only outdone by its stellar multiplayer.
62 | connect | May 2011
Crysis (EA Classics) By now, the average gaming PC should be able to run Crysis comfortably. It’s well worth a revisit, as this is the game that set the graphics bar so high way back in 2007.
“IT FEELS LIKE BOLD NEW GROUND FOR THE RACING GENRE”
IGN
24.05.11
WWW.DIRT3GAME.COM
13
© 2010 The Codemasters Software Company Limited (“Codemasters”). All rights reserved. “Codemasters”®, “EGO”®, the Codemasters logo and “DiRT”® are registered trademarks owned by Codemasters. “DiRT 3”™ is a trademark of Codemasters. All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license. This game is NOT licensed by or associated with the FIA or any related company. Developed and published by Codemasters. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows Vista Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the ” and “À” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and ‘Games for Windows’ and the Windows Vista Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft. “2”, “PlayStation”, “PS3”, “ Inc.
game reviews //By Tiana Cline
SOCOM 4: Special Forces
NEED TO KNOW
• Experience what it’s like to be an Ops Commander • 14 robust single-player missions • Unrivalled 32-person competitive multiplayer • 5-player co-op mode
WWE All Stars
NEED TO KNOW
Coming >> soon <<
The SOCOM series is known for its stunning online multiplayer. The fourth addition to the tactical-shooter franchise puts you in the shoes of Cullen Gray, an Ops Commander and the leader of a 5-man NATO Special Forces squad deployed near the Strait of Malacca. Your teammates’ nationality is dependent on where the mission takes you. Overall, you’re in for a solid, six-day campaign that’s beyond
the typical bounds of military shooters – no spoilers here! Integrating the PS Move, there’s also a new command system and the ability to use real-time UAV surveillance drones. Expect difficult missions, endless gameplay and dynamic enemy AI that will keep you on your toes. R599.95
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier As a member of the elite Ghost Recon, you are among the few who possess the power, the adaptability, and the cognitive fortitude of the future soldier. Specialised in every area of combat, equipped for survival, and trained in absolute discretion, you are entrusted with the missions no other soldier can handle.
The Sims Medieval
NEED TO KNOW • Quest-based gameplay • Middle Ages-type objects, goals and environments • A standalone Sims title 64 | connect | May 2011
No, this isn’t another expansion pack for your virtual dollhouse. The Sims Medieval is an entirely new take on the popular EA franchise. Yes, you create characters and customise your environments, but this title is less heavy on the micromanagement side and has a detailed paintjob inspired by the Middle Ages. Every detail has been adapted to fit the time period, be it the costumes the Sims wear, the talk bubble options or the cooking… gruel on the fire, anyone? Curing the sick with leeches, engaging in swordplay and sending bad Sims to the gallows keep the new theme comical and you can tell that the developers put effort into creating an historically accurate game. But that’s not the only difference – Medieval Sims has quests, stories and goals that give the simulation an interesting RPG angle. Pick up this Sims game and be surprised – it’s an enjoyable, quirky and playable trip back in time. R349.95
• Arcade-style action • The best roster of WWE superstars and legends • Four fun character classes For a while now we’ve been waiting for a WWE game that’s just good old fun. The last few releases have been super-serious, with technical moves and submission holds, so we were overjoyed when All Stars came along and broke with tradition. It’s more arcade-like in its gameplay, with over-the-top moves and action. Instead of all the action being on the ground, in complex grapples, you can now powerslam your opponent from 10m in the air. The 31 wrestlers featured span two generations of WWE all-star lineups, and there are many fond memories to relive if you used to follow the sport back in the day. R499.95
>>Get this<< Fight Night Champion Round 5 Move, attack and dodge with the speed and power of the best champions, contenders and pretenders in the world of boxing.
>>Coming soon<< Mortal Kombat Driven by an all-new graphics engine, fan favourite Fatality is back. Mortal Kombat introduces a number of new gameplay features, including tag team and, exclusively for the PS3, Stereoscopic 3D.
“2”, “PlayStation”, “PS3” and “À” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “Ô is a trademark of the same company. “Ô” is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation. “Blu-ray Disc” and “BD” are trademarks. SingStar™ Afrikaanse Treffers ©2011 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd, 10 Great Marlborough Street, London, W1F 7LP. Developed bySCEE London Studio. “SingStar”, “My SingStar” and “SingStore” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. All rights reserved.
Download new songs via the SingStore™*
13L
Afrikaanse Treffers
30 original tracks on PS3 with support for high definition music videos, plus access to the SingStore®. Including artists like Kurt Darren, Bobby Van Jaarsveld, Bok Van Blerk, Juanita Du Plessis, Romanz and many more. (25 tracks on PS2)
game reviews
My Fitness Coach: Club
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
NEED TO KNOW • Exercise at home • Developed by fitness professionals • Personalise your workout, set goals and track your progress
NEED TO KNOW • See characters, locations and scenes in LEGO • Over 20 levels • Combat, puzzles and two-player combat
>>get this<< Your Shape: Fitness Evolved Start your fitness routine with cardio boxing, integrate some Bollywood moves and end with a Zen Thai Chi session… without ever having to leave your living room!
De Blob 2: The Underground
NEED TO KNOW
• A colourful platformer • Mix paint and complete mind-bending puzzles • Friendly, family fun 66 | connect | May 2011
From Harry Potter to Indiana Jones and Star Wars, if it’s popular, it’s going to become a part of the LEGO game universe. LEGO PotC captures all the swashbuckling charm of the 4 Disney movies but sticks to the much-loved LEGO game format of stud collecting, cute cutscenes and two-player cooperative action. Everything has been “blockified” and there are now more than
Get >>this<<
Using your videogame console as a fitness tool is becoming increasingly popular thanks to top games like My Fitness Coach from Ubisoft. MFC: Club for the Wii and PS3 take workouts to the next level, with the game specifically tailored to the platform. On the Wii, you get a USB camera to create picture-perfect movements, while the PS3 version lets you sweat it out to your favourite tunes. Great (downloadable) add-on packs include personalised workouts, dance-related fitness programs and a variety of cardio and toning exercises to expand the overall gameplay experience. R299.95
70 playable characters, most with unique abilities such as Captain Jack’s compass that always points him to whatever his heart desires. Not only are the graphics great, this is the first LEGO game that will have you going under water. Shiver me timbers! R499.95
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Brand-new battle modes for unique, head-to-head cutlass combat and an upgraded level builder make this LEGO title something to be reckoned with.
Originally on the Wii, De Blob presented some fun, platforming action. The multiplatform sequel has you, once again, playing a cute blob who has to (along with his robot sidekick Pinky) liberate Prisma City from Comrade Black, an evil dictator bent on removing colour from the world. With gorgeous animations (in 3D, if you have the PS3 option) and a catchy soundtrack, your blob will suck up colours as you bounce your way around levels, avoiding enemies, mixing paint and opening new areas. A nice touch is the 2D stages and gravity-shifting puzzles. Overall, De Blob 2 is a sweet, family-friendly title that will keep you smiling as you make the different environments look complete and colourful. R499.95
>>Get this<< LittleBigPlanet 2 Sackboy’s second adventure has a brand-new epic story where your quest is to save the LittleBigPlanet itself! On your journey, you’ll run, bounce, swing and even grapplehook your way to success.
>>Consider this<< Kirby’s Epic Yarn Kirby’s first console platform game since the Nintendo 64 days introduces a creative new look based on animated yarn and a world of cloth and textiles.
T BC Mortal Kombat software © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by NetherRealm Studios. “KINECT, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. ” ”, “PlayStation”, “PS3”, “ “ and “ “ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Mortal Kombat, the dragon logo, NetherRealm Studios, NetherRealm logo and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. WB GAMES LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s11)
tech tannie
Sweet like a lemon
with a sting like a bee, Tech Tannie buzzes about to save the day…
issue of the month: Q: A:
What is the difference between Honeycomb and Android 3.0? I keep seeing these terms but have no idea what they mean. Confused Karl in Cape Town Ya, hey, I tell you, these nicknames tech giants slap on their products can get pretty confusing, can’t they? Basically, Android 3.0 and Honeycomb is exactly the same thing. Honeycomb is the pet name, if you will, that Google gave the fledgling operating system when it was first announced and it has kind of stuck. Android 3.0 is essentially the operating system that’s been created specifically to work with pads, or tablets, as some people call them. It’s all about making them work more efficiently, giving them great features, and allowing a lot of user customisation. The system has been integrated into the next generation of tablets such as the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and the Motorola Xoom. There have been some issues with the system, but it is finally up and running and the first tablets boasting this new operating system have been released. You should give it a try, as it’s pretty impressive – it even made me sit up and take note.
If you have questions, gripes or just seek some solace, e-mail Tamsin, our friendly tech tannie at techtannie@connectmag.co.za 68 | connect | May 2011
Q:
I’ve just bought a new laptop with the ability to get online, etc. I have Windows 7 Home Edition. I am connected to my sister’s main computer and her modem in order for me to get online with my laptop. I see Windows 7 is able to fax and scan. I would love to do this, and have tried to set it up, but get stuck at every turn. I have put in the name of my sister’s modem, but that doesn’t work. Is there any way I can tie in any current settings I see in my network area or on my sister’s computer to the info that is required in the fax set-up requirements? I just need to know what info they require to get it going. Lost Lesedi in East London
A:
Ag, I’m sorry to hear about your struggles with that operating system. While Windows 7 is a vast improvement on previous Microsoft operating systems, it still has its quirks and foibles. So, you’ve managed to get connected to the Internet, which is great. Now we just need to figure out why your system isn’t responding. The problem here has nothing to do with your expertise. You’re doing everything right. The problem is that the fax and scan facility for Windows 7 demands you use a fax modem, not a standard modem. A fax modem allows your computer to transmit documents as faxes; it is designed to transmit and receive documents and so works slightly differently from a standard modem. You can get a modem that offers both standard and fax capabilities and, if you plan to be regularly connected and performing both tasks, you should consider getting one of these. A standard fax modem is usually inexpensive and the long-term savings you’ll get from it should pay it off in no time. If this doesn’t work, if your sister’s modem does have fax capabilities, then please let me know (with as much detail as possible) so I can figure out what else is going wrong. Good luck, bokkie.
Q:
My computer has been running quite slowly lately and my friend suggested I degfragment my hard drive. What on earth does this mean and why do I need to do it? Fragmented Frik in Franschoek
A:
The hard drive is a lovely thing and does a lot of hard work during its lonely life. As it takes in files, stores them, saves them and deletes them, the changes are stored at different locations on the disk. So you take a file, save it, change it, save it again and these amendments are saved to different locations across the hard drive. As this process happens again and again with more and more files, your computer has to look in many different places before it can open a file. This slows the computer down and has you waiting for ages to get started on your work. This is all really simple and quite logical. Imagine you are writing a book in a series of notepads; each pad has different information and as the pile of notes grows, it takes you longer and longer to find something specific you’ve
Q:
written. To fix this problem is also simple. If you are running Microsoft, open the Disk Defragmenter by going to the Start button and typing `Disk Defragmenter’ in the search bar. When the icon appears, click on it and select Analyze System. It will take a bit of time for the system to scan your disk(s) and give you a prognosis. Follow the onscreen instructions carefully and select Disk Defragment if the system asks you to do so. You can even schedule your PC to undertake regular defragmenting weekly or monthly. I really advise this as it ensures the smooth running of your system. And you’ll appreciate the extra oomph you’ll get once it’s done. However, if your system is still crawling along after you’ve finished this process, send me a complete description of the problem so I can see if I can figure out what’s wrong.
I recently installed Skype on my PC but still can’t have video chats with my friends overseas. What’s wrong? Annoyed Anonymous in Nelspruit
A:
You really aren’t giving me very much to go on here, are you? I mean, do you have an error message coming up? Did you click on the icon that says “Video” when you started the call? Or, and here’s the real question, do you have a webcam installed? You see, Skype lets you use video but without a webcam, it can’t do anything more than suggest you buy one.
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disconnect //By adam oxford
The Bug Catcher
Believe it or not, my dearest friends and family, I am not your tech support.
I
t’s Sunday night. For most people, it’s the time when they doze or chat idly in front of the TV or by the side of the pool. It’s a time for somnambulance and heavy eyelids, when, with a belly full of braai and beer, your body and mind get one last chance to recuperate before the mental and physical assault course of another working week begins. But it’s not like that for me. Oh no. It’s Sunday night, and I’m sitting in front of a family member’s website, trying to work out which particular line of code out of 10 000 or so has broken their WordPress theme so they can’t update their blog. Because it’s oh-so-vitally important for the world to know what they’ve been up to over the weekend, I have to sacrifice the precious last five hours of mine. I’m not even a web expert, really. I can find my way around a bit of basic HTML, but I’m having to learn what I need to know to fix this problem as I go along. Anyone from my generation who played around with computers in their youth will be familiar with this scenario, though. We are the techie ones, the go-to guys and gals who know how many bits it takes to byte. When friends and family phone to ask if we have any idea why their desktop is upside down, we’re the ones who know that it’s quicker to drive to their homes and flip their monitor over than spend time explaining that they must have moved it when they were cleaning. We don’t mind it too much, especially when appreciation is shown in the form of food, money or other payments in kind. Just don’t expect us to leap into action like an overenthusiastic fire officer who’s spent the whole day polishing their pole just in case they get a chance to use it. Especially bad – yet surprisingly common – times to call us are during work hours or Sunday evenings. Or any time, if PC problems are the only reason you’ve picked up the phone and dialled my number for the last five years and yes, I’m looking at you here, dad. Geeks have feelings too, you know.
72 | connect | May 2011
I often wonder if it’s the same for children today – the so-called digital natives. Everyone under the age of 25 is a nerd now, with their iPods and iPads, HD TVs, Android netbooks and smartphones. Does the alpha geek still exist, or does everyone have the ability to diagnose their own IT problems? After all, the only skill you really need to master is being able to phrase the question correctly to Google. Whether your computer is refusing to boot because of a corrupted MBR, or it’s opening the same window 30 times because you’ve left a book lying on the keyboard, someone out there has had the same problem before and posted on a forum about it. All you have to do is find them. I suspect, though, that even among today’s tech-savvy teens, there are still those who have the dubious honour of being the ‘one who is good with computers’. Because it takes time and a particular mindset to put your life on hold for 24 hours or more while you figure out why a game won’t run or Photoshop has turned your gran’s hair green, rather than just delegate the problem to someone else in return for cash. And sadly, those of us who have that bent eventually come to accept their position in the great game of social soccer. After all, if I wasn’t fixing this website tonight, I’d probably be fixing my own.
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