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June 2012

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S o ny r e c o m me nd s Wi ndows ® 7.

Balanced Mobility Power in Mot ion . VAI O S Series

All models use Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit and come with a 3 year collect-repair-return warranty

VPC-SB37

VPC-SE17

VPC-SB28

VPC-SA36

• Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit • Intel® Core™ i5-2520M Processor 2.50 GHz with Turbo Boost • 4GB Ram / 750GB HDD • AMD Radeon™ HD 6470M 512MB Graphics • 13.3" HD Display with LED Backlight

• Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit • Intel® Core™ i7-2620M Processor 2.70 GHz with Turbo Boost • 4GB Ram / 640GB HDD • AMD Radeon™ HD 6470M 512MB Graphics• • 13.3" HD Display with LED Backlight

• Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit • Intel® Core™ i7-2640M Processor 2.80 GHz with Turbo Boost • 4GB Ram / 640GB HDD • AMD Radeon™ HD 6470M 1GB Graphics • 15.5" Full HD Display (1920 x 1080), LED Backlight

• Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit • Intel® Core™ i7-2620M Processor 2.70 GHz with Turbo Boost • 8GB Ram / 256GB SSD • AMD Radeon™ HD 6630M 1GB Graphics • 13.3" HD Display with LED Backlight

SRP: R10 999

SRP: R12 999

SRP: R13 999

SRP: R19 999

VPC-SA28 • Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit • Intel® Core™ i7-2620M Processor 2.70 GHz with Turbo Boost • 8GB Ram / 256GB SSD • AMD Radeon™ HD 6630M 1GB Graphics • 13.3" HD Display with LED Backlight • EMBEDDED 3G • Blu Ray Reader, DVD Reader & Writer SRP: R25 999

www.sony.co.za/vaio

www.connectmag.co.za

issue #38

June 2012

10

FEATURES

10

Bigger isn’t Better Get more bang for your buck when buying tech

18

Digital Reader Learn more about what you can do with your Kindle!

22

More than Search Welcome to the world of Google

26

History of Graphics The humble digital pixel

28

Clean your Keyboard How dirty is your office space?

30

What is Ivy Bridge?

All about Intel’s new chipset

18

28

22

REGULARS 04 06 08 68 70 72

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

REVIEWS 34 38 48 54 56 58 60

First Looks Top 5 Portable Hard Drive Round-up PCs Networking Webcam Accessories

GAMING 62

Reviews

®S

The stylish and easy-to-use BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 smartphone.

Stylish QWERTY design that’s lightweight and ultra-slim Real-time social messaging with the enhanced BBM™ including BBM-connected apps Advanced BlackBerry ® 7 Operating System with Liquid Graphics™ Increased power to browse quickly and smoothly Upload in a click with plenty storage for all your pictures, music and videos

Accessories

BlackBerry®7 OS

Premium Skins

Leather Pockets

Soft Shells

blackberry.co.com/curve-9360

© 2012 Research In Motion Limited. All rights reserved. BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

11135 IDEA ENGINEE

Sleek and Sociable.

ed’s note

g n i Go e! n i l On W

Subscribe now and you could win an amazing HP Folio 13 Ultrabook.

See Pg70 for more details.

elcome to the world of Google. So much more than a search engine, Google is a Web giant that offers more tools than we could ever have imagined. In this month’s issue of Connect, Christo van Gemert unpacks the Google portfolio (page 22). Maps, media, mail, and more – we’ve got it covered.

In tech, sometimes bigger isn’t better. Take a digital camera, for example. More megapixels, and thus a higher price tag, don’t necessarily mean better image quality. There are cheaper options on-shelf that feature fewer megapixels but will actually give you better colour in your photos. From monitors to hard drives, we show you how to get more bang for your buck on page 10.

For lovers of digital literature, there’s a handy Kindle how-to (page 18) offering tips on how to get more from your eReader. Found some free books online, but don’t know the next step? We’ll guide you through it.

We’re proud to announce that, from this month, the digital version of Connect magazine is officially available from the Apple iTunes and Google Play Store. (Have an Android smartphone or tablet? This is for you!) So if you missed last month’s issue, you can get it now, as well as the entire library of Connect back issues, free of charge.

To keep up-to-date with the latest copy of Connect, subscribe now and you could win an amazing HP Folio 13 Ultrabook – see page 70 for all the details.

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

Enjoy the issue, Tiana Cline EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR Jason Palmer jason@connectmag.co.za Junior Designer Jessica Hurwitz jess@connectmag.co.za CONTRIBUTORS Tamsin Mackay Adam Oxford

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

in the news...

PRINTER PERFECT Not all printers have to be big, black and bulky. HP recently unveiled their new ENVY 110 e-All-in-One Printer. It has a slimline design, is wireless, and sports a range of premium features, including outstanding print performance, printing on the go (with HP ePrint), Web connectivity and a high-resolution touchscreen.

Love apps? This printer comes with a full suite of them. Once connected to the Internet, users will have instant access to printable Web content from the touchscreen control panel. Examples include maps and directions from Google Maps, puzzles and games (Web Sudoku) and colour-in pages from DreamWorks Animation.

The ENVY 110 also happens to be the planet’s only PVC-free printer, which means it reduces environmental impact by saving resources.

App of the Month: Daily Five (Android) Connect’s sibling publication, called Daily Five, is a new, locally developed application that’ll deliver tech news right to your Android-powered phone. Content will include news, reviews, tips, and a daily list of 5 must-have gadgets or must-know facts – all for free. The app is designed to use as little data as possible while still providing the most important technology news for the day, as well as enabling users to share their favourite bits of news via Facebook, Twitter or e-mail. Rather than opting to deliver content to a news site, it’s available on the go, in bite-sized chunks that are easier to consume on mobile devices.

GET IT NOW > Support for more platforms is in the works, but in the meantime, Android users can point their browsers to HYPERLINK “http://www.dailyfive.tv”www.dailyfive.tv.

GLOBAL INTEL SCIENCE FAIR Nine bright South African scientists-in-themaking will be rubbing shoulders with more than 1 000 like-minded young scientists in Pittsburgh, USA, for the world’s largest high school science research competition – the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Intel’s Corporate Affairs Director, Parthy Chetty, says: “Our own 9 finalists (all between the ages of 15 and 19) have blown local judges away with their innovative projects.”

Finalists were selected from a record 68 countries this year, and Chetty explains that all of them have 2 things in common: a curiosity for how the world works, and a need to solve challenges the world or their community may be faced with. And with US $ 3 million worth of total awards and scholarships up for grabs, local learners responded with astonishing inventions.

BUILT FOR AFRICA Here’s another reason to support Samsung – the company recently announced their “Built for Africa” range of products. Samsung undertook extensive research and development to create innovative products that have been specifically tailored to the needs of the African consumer. (Designed for optimal use in regions with high temperatures and humidity, and in communities where power and water supplies are limited.) These include TVs with built-in power surge protectors, and triple protector technology for air conditioners to ensure durability, power surge protection and safeguarding against high temperatures and humidity. Samsung’s dual-SIM technology means a longer-lasting battery life on phones, with battery standby times of up to 25 days.

6 | connect | JUNE 2012

advertorial

Kodak inkjetmovies.

Live life. Make printer scoops top award

Kodak has been named the winner of PC Advisor’s Prestigious Printer of the Year 2012 Award.

P

C Advisor singled out Kodak’s 7.1 Hero as the most cost effective and efficient printer currently available. The PC authority further went on to describe the Hero 7.1 as “a credible and wellrounded package. All models within the Hero range benefit from built in Wi-fi and extremely low running costs, but we think the 7.1 is the best option for home printing.” Their review continued to state, “It’s better than many dedicated photo printers we’ve tried, and will save you space and money to boot. If photographs are important to you, this is the all-in-one printer you need to pick, and it won’t cost you a fortune to run.”

Bob Ohlweiler, Director and Vice President, Consumer Inkjet Systems, Europe, says that the company is both proud and delighted with this achievement. “This is a great triumph for Kodak. We have committed to saving consumers money on printing, whilst providing products of the highest quality,

and we believe that this award is a clear indication that we are doing just that.”

This accolade confirms Kodak’s standing as a leading player amongst inkjet printers. Kodak’s range boasts the lowest ink replacement costs in the industry, making them extremely cost effective, while simple control panels, paper sensors and pre-set driver settings ensure user-friendliness.

As such, Kodak’s inkjet printers are ideal for all users. The perfect office accessory for those working from home who need to produce high quality prints, executives will find them equally useful. Meanwhile, with Kodak inkjet printers producing photographs equal in quality to any picture printed at a photo lab, they are also a sound choice for families who cherish those precious moments caught on film.

“This exciting endorsement shows us that we are most definitely answering our market’s needs, and our goal is to continue doing just this,” Ohlweiler concludes.

techno jargon // by Deon Du Plessis

8 | connect | June 2012

The world of technology is littered with jargon. We explain a few of these terms in greater detail in this month’s jargon-busting pages.

IMAP Stands for Internet Message Access Protocol, and is a piece of programming that handles e-mail retrieval. An IMAP server is essentially a computer dedicated to managing e-mail.

POP3 Post Office Protocol. Similar to IMAP, the Post Office Protocol also manages e-mail, just in a slightly different way. Most e-mail applications can handle both.

Gimbal A gimbal is a mechanical invention that allows an object to spin along a single axis. One of the many uses of gimbals is giving surveillance cameras, like the one reviewed on page 58, the freedom to rotate.

PoE Power over Ethernet. Any device that supports PoE can draw the power it needs to operate over a network cable, provided that cable is also plugged into PoE-capable networking equipment.

Trackpad A trackpad is the traditional mouse-cursor control scheme for portable computers. It consists of a touch-sensitive area that moves the mouse cursor according to how the user’s finger is moved across the trackpad’s surface. Trackpads also have at least 2 buttons for rightand left-clicks, and interpret individual finger-taps as left-clicks.

Clickpad USB 3.0 Also called Superspeed USB, USB 3.0 is the latest standard for connecting peripherals like portable hard drives to computers. It is much faster (up to 10 times faster) than USB 2.0.

A clickpad is a surface on a portable computer that is used to direct the mouse cursor. It’s different from a trackpad in that, instead of having dedicated left and right mouse buttons, its entire surface is a button.

Pressing down on its left side is the same as left-clicking, and on its right side is the equivalent of a right-click.

Windows Phone 7 Microsoft’s operating system for mobile phones is very different from other mobile OSes as it is tile-based. Microsoft specified that any manufacturer that made a handset for Windows Phone 7 would meet the minimum hardware requirements as set out by Microsoft, which is why WP7 phones are so fast and responsive.

Discrete graphics card There are 3 types of graphics cards – those that are present on the computer’s motherboard (onboard), those that form a part of the processor (embedded), and, lastly, separate products entirely that plug into the motherboard’s PCI Express slot (discrete). In general, discrete graphics cards offer the best graphics performance of all 3, but advances are being made in onboard and embedded solutions to make them perform faster too.

Mirror-less dSLR A mirror-less camera is one that – surprise! – uses no mirrors to capture images. By replacing the mirrors in dSLR cameras with electronics, manufacturers free up a lot of space, which means the camera can be reduced in size while still retaining everything that makes dSLRs so desirable, namely their speedy performance, fast autofocus, manual controls and the ability to use interchangeable lenses.

Fixed focal length lens Also called “prime lenses”, lenses with a fixed focal length cannot zoom in at all. These lenses are identified by their designation, which will include a single number followed by “mm” (e.g. 50mm), as opposed to 2 numbers (24mm – 70mm).

www.connectmag.co.za | 9

buying advice //by Christo van Gemert

Bigger

ain’t better In the fast-moving world of technology, it’s easy to get lost in the specs and be fooled into buying the latest and supposedly greatest.

Sometimes, the bigger numbers aren’t always better – it’s possible to be modest and still have a powerful piece of kit on hand.

Hard drive help

Where some of the other modest proposals on these pages are about getting the best bang for your buck, rather than choosing the highest number, choosing a hard drive is a bit trickier. Again, it’s a case of “you can’t have enough”, but sensibly speaking, it’s unlikely that most home users will ever use more than 1TB (1 000GB) of space. The main culprit for chewing up lots of space, again, is video footage. Games can also take up a lot of space, at about 4GB to 10GB per game. But just buying a 3TB hard drive off the shelf is a case of throwing money at a problem. While a 3TB drive – the largest single disk you can buy – does give you bragging rights, it’s more sensible to opt for a 2TB or 1.5TB hard drive. The rand-per-gigabyte ratio on those has better value. It’s also perhaps wiser to have 2 smaller drives for your data, because when 1 fails, you won’t lose everything.

Quick tip If price isn’t an issue, but performance is paramount, you can look at buying an SSD (which stands for Solid State Drive). SSDs use microchips to store data, rather than magnetic platters, and are incredibly fast. They’re expensive, though, and don’t offer a lot of space right now – the biggest models are 256GB or 512GB.

10 | connect | JUNE 2012

Powerful processors About 10 years ago, when processors were still bought and rated using their clock speed – a megahertz or gigahertz speed rating – it was pretty much accepted that you’d buy the fastest one to get the job done. Things are different now, because even the “lowly” Intel Core i3 processors are fantastically capable. It’s possible to have one of those in a machine and it’ll ease through movie-editing, gaming, and other intensive tasks. The value-for-money sweet spot is the Intel Core i5 range, which sits a rung above the Core i3, and below the pricier, high-performance-oriented Core i7 processors. This way, you’ll have more than enough performance to tide you over for the next year, and just enough performance for the 2 years after that, when more demanding applications are released.

Quick tip There are various models of the Intel Core i5, all of them quad-core variants.

If you’re building a machine or buying a pre-built box, aim for the Core i5 2 400 (3.1GHz) or Core i5 2 500K (3.3GHz).

More than enough RAM There was a time when memory was like rope – you simply couldn’t have enough of it. For some hard-core gamers or performance enthusiasts, that’s still the case, but for home users, it’s ridiculous to have more than 8GB of RAM. Sure, it’s nice to have 16GB or more, but the reality is that you could get away with 2GB, and sit pretty with 4GB. RAM isn’t expensive anymore – in days gone by, just 32MB would be considered luxurious, and set you back more than R1 000. Now you can get a 4GB stick for R350.

The only time you’ll need 8GB or more is when you’re doing video- or photo-editing, playing the latest games, or running complicated virtual machine software, such as VMWare.

Quick tip If you are planning to upgrade to more than 4GB of RAM, be sure that you are using a 64-bit version of Windows. Earlier versions (32-bit) will not recognise or use more than 3GB of RAM, no matter how much you’ve physically installed. www.connectmag.co.za | 11

buying advice Going graphical If you’ve bought or built a desktop PC for playing games, chances are you’ll know what a graphics card is. For those who don’t, it’s an add-in card that slots into the motherboard, and its sole function is to make pretty graphics, using very, very fast graphics processors.

Most gamers will always be on a budget because it’s a simple case of spending money on hardware, and having no money left for games – not the best predicament to be in. Thankfully, the 2 companies that design and manufacture graphics processors, AMD and nVIDIA, also have performance tiers for beginners, mainstream users, and performance enthusiasts.

Mainstream users can forego the ultimate performance, and save some money, by opting for a graphics card with an AMD Radeon 7770 or an nVIDIA GeForce GTX560. Unfortunately, the naming schemes on graphics processors aren’t very intuitive, but cards using those processors should cost around R2 500 or less – anything in that budget will be able to power your games for the next 12 to 18 months.

Camera clues As we’ve been saying over the last few months, more megapixels don’t really matter. Some digital camera manufacturers have started scaling back the image sensors (the microchip that has the megapixels) on their cameras, focusing instead on having betterquality pixels.

Image sensors in compact cameras are tiny, and to cram 14 or 16 megapixels onto that space presents some technical challenges. The result is that photos can have the incorrect colour, or the camera performs badly in low-light conditions.

By contrast, a modern 10-megapixel camera will have far better colour accuracy and low-light performance than a comparable 16-megapixel camera that is cheaper. Don’t be afraid to consider the camera with fewer megapixels, and bear in mind that it only really matters when you are planning to print photos on A4 pages. That’s unlikely, when most digital photos are shared via Facebook or e-mail, where they are resized to less than 2 megapixels

Quick tip Megapixels are one thing, but don’t let the numbers game fool you when it comes to the zoom lens on a camera. The quality of the glass in a 5 x zoom lens can be a lot better than the parts in a 16 x zoom lens. Bigger zoom lenses also require complex stabilisation systems so that your photos don’t blur when fully extended.

12 | connect | JUNE 2012

Quick tip It gets even more confusing, because even though nVIDIA and AMD manufacture their specific graphics processors, the cards in which they’ll be found are made by 3rd-party companies such as Gigabyte, Asus, MSI, Sapphire, and XFX. Prices should be similar, though.

Modest monitors A mega monitor sounds like a great idea on paper, but can be a nightmare in reality. The general consensus in both the Connect offices and judging from the sales numbers is that a 23” widescreen monitor is the best value for money. Not only that, but a 23” monitor is the ideal size to have on your desk, when running at a resolution of 1 920 x 1 080 (or full HD resolution, as its known). It’s okay to go smaller when space becomes an issue, and even 21” monitors can have a high resolution, but larger monitors become a hassle. A 27” display sitting 60cm away will cause eye strain, and if it’s only running at 1 920 x 1 080 (as most of them do), then you’ll just have big, ugly text and graphics, rather than silky-smooth images. There is a place for a 27” or 30” monitor, but the ones that have highenough resolutions to make them usable are also very expensive – 4 times as much as a good 24” display.

Quick tip If you really need the display area, consider linking up 2 monitors.

Most modern computers have the ability to drive 2 24” monitors without any additional hardware or complicated setup, and it makes for a great multitasking desktop environment.

Acer recommends WindowsÂŽ 7

Spotlight

SIMPLY BETTER SINCE time immemorial the technology world has been striving to deliver no compromise computing. And with the arrival of Acer’s new range of Ultrabooks, it’s mission accomplished.

Not only does this new breed of mobile computers boast the ultimate in portability, tipping the scales at under 2.5 kg and the measuring tape at a mere 21mm thick, they deliver the ultimate in performance and aesthetics too.

Core i3, i5 and i7 processors take care of the most demanding tasks, while solidstate hard disks shrink boot, sleep and resume times. And rounding these sought after features out, a sleek industrial design with combinations of modern materials like Aluminium alloys imbue understated minimalism and beauty.

Impossibly thin, mind-blowingly light, extremely capable of getting the job done and aggressively priced, these easy on the eye mobile computers are what the future of computing is all about.

Acer recommends Windows® 7

NO COMPROMISE COMPUTING IN A PRETTY PACKAGE

Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 and M5 Computing is no longer a bland affair and with the sleek design and comprehensive feature set present in the new Aspire Timeline Ultra M series, the best looking and best performing mobile computing experience can be yours.

The M3 and M5 are pure-bred Ultrabooks in the sense that they give users a choice between the latest Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors, hard and solid state disk storage and an eight-hour battery, while still managing to deliver a dimension and weight combo that’s astounding (21mm thin and 2.3kg respectively).

But Acer isn’t content with producing run-of-the-mill Ultrabooks.

And that’s the reason the M series it kitted out with a bright, 200nit, 15.6-inch display that has a 1366x768 resolution, includes an optical drive and has graphics processing that benefits from both an Intel HD Graphics processor and an NVidia GeForce 640M. Intel’s HD Graphics processor is used interchangeably with NVidia GeForce 640M depending on powersaving needs and the performance level required.

All of these features culminate in a range of Ultrabooks that perform like high-end notebooks, look and feel like ultraportable marvels and still manage to tick the right boxes when it comes to good value for money.

8

Spotlight

THE NEW STANDARD IN ULTRABOOK COMPUTING

Aspire S3 and S5 While Ultrabooks are one of the most practical form factors of mobile computer available today, their value proposition has a great deal to do with their ridiculous thin-ness and futuristic industrial design.

And turning heads is what Acer’s Aspire S series of Ultrabooks is all about.

The S3 weighs in at a mere 1.34kg and has a svelte 17.5mm thin chassis, yet it manages to still include staples of the Ultrabook value proposition like a choice of Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, hard and solidstate disk storage options, a high-resolution 13.3-inch display and an eight-hour battery.

The S5 takes this to the next level however.

Acer has managed to shrink the weight of its flagship Ultrabook down to 1.3kg and the thickness of its chassis down to 11.2mm, but still managed to deliver the goods in the specifications department.

Component for component, the S5 matches the S3.

Because it’s so thin though, Acer had to design a special hydraulically-controlled door, called MagicFlip under which the machine’s expansion capabilities.

But, that’s what you get for making an Ultrabook that’s too thin to incorporate two USB ports, a Thunderbolt port and an HDMI out port.

Spotlight

Acer recommends Windows® 7

ACER ADVANTAGES InstantOn Ultrabooks are all about elegance and performance and Acer’s M and S series show they’re more than a pretty face with features such as InstantOn, which save users time where they need it most i.e. when booting their computer up, putting it to sleep and waking it from sleep.

Acer’s Ultrabooks boot up in around 30 seconds and wake from sleep in under two seconds, meaning there’s no longer time to make a cup of coffee before you’re productive in the mornings (unless you really want to).

InstantConnect/AlwaysConnect In the same way that fast boot times help users make the most of their efficiency, better WiFi performance can have a serious impact on a user’s productivity.

Acer InstantConnect shortens the time it takes to sign onto a wireless network for the first time, and does the same for each subsequent sign-on.

Simultaneously, Acer AlwaysConnect allows the Ultrabook to remain connected to the Internet over WiFi (even when it’s in sleep mode) and pre-emptively download e-mail, update feeds from social networks and perform other updates.

That means, when a user opens the lid of their Acer Ultrabook, they’re ready to get productive.

Clear.fi Media creation and consumption is one to the primary reasons users purchase a new computer today. But, getting your devices to work together and your media to traverse your in-home airwaves without a hitch is always a great deal easier than it sounds.

With Acer Clear.fi however, it’s every bit as easy as it sounds.

Clear.fi automatically connects all of the devices in a home network, gathers media files from those devices, categorizes them as Videos, Photos, or Music and then allows the user to enjoy that media from any device, in any room.

For further information please call Acer Sales on: 0861 Acer SA (223 722) or visit www.acer.co.za For regular updates visit our Acer Africa Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. *Specifications and price vary dependant on model and configuration.

how to //by Brett Haggard

. . . e r o m Do

with your Amazon’s Kindle is one of the most ingenious gadgets ever invented. Here’s a quick guide to maximising your Kindle and filling your eReader with more eBooks than you could read in your lifetime.

A

mazon’s Kindle is a fantastic device – it mimicks the experience of reading a printed work without any of the hassles associated with lugging around a gigantic, heavy book.

It’s also a great way to buy books.

In electronic format, Amazon’s books are cheaper than the printed versions, in some cases by as much as 35%.

They’re also delivered instantaneously, meaning you can browse and buy from anywhere you happen to be.

The benefits become even more attractive when you delve outside of the traditional Amazon Kindle ecosystem.

But did you know that there are a number of electronic stores and libraries that offer eBooks either at a greatly reduced cost, or for free? In fact, some authors have begun self-publishing and distributing their books on their own Websites, since it allows them to forego paying Amazon a commission, and in doing so, make a little more money off each sale.

You don’t even need to look for books that are specifically designed for the Kindle. Using some clever manoeuvring, you can take electronic books that were designed for another eReader (in formats such as ePubs, PDFs and even rich text) and transform them into the Kindle’s native “.mobi” format.

18 | connect | June 2012

BOOK SEARCH Amazon’s electronic bookstore is both massive and comprehensive. But, as big and well-stocked as it is, Amazon’s collection of books isn’t likely to satisfy everyone’s needs completely.

After all, people’s preferences for one or another kind of written matter vary almost as substantially as music tastes do. When it comes to googling for literary content, your mileage may vary. Generally speaking, heading over to your favourite authors’ Webpages and refining searches using as many criteria as possible (like, for example, “eBooks on paranormal romance”) helps a great deal.

Quick Tip If you’re not in the mood to trawl the Internet, check out the following sites: ebooks.com books.google.com free-ebooks.net drmfree.calibre-ebook.com South Africa’s own Kalahari.com All of these sites have great catalogues and books vary in price from free to very competitive. You might not get the book in the format you want, but that’s nothing the next section of this guide can’t solve.

www.connectmag.co.za | 19

how to //by Brett Haggard GAME ON Kindles are not multitasking tablets, they’re eReaders.

But did you know you can also play games on the Kindle? From your home screen (press the home button), tap in the key combination of Shift-Alt-M and be amazed as the Kindle turns into a pocket Minesweeper game. From the Minesweeper screen, press the G key and you’ll be able to play “GoMoku”, a pretty rudimentary (but fun) version of Five-in-a-row.

You can also browse the games that have been exclusively developed for the Kindle, like BlackJack, Hamster Habitat and Hidden Expedition: Amazon.

Unfortunately, you will require a US Amazon account to access this content. But again, that’s a challenge some deft googling can get you around.

LITERARY CONVERT You’ve downloaded some new books, but they’re not in the right format? This is where Calibre comes into play. Calibre is a multiplatform e-book management application that is, for all intents and purposes, a solution that’s similar to iTunes, only for books and the Kindle.

Amazon designed the Kindle to interface directly with its electronic store and, as such, lives its entire life never needing to be plugged into a computer.

Calibre proves that that was a questionable decision.

Not only does Calibre allow you to keep all of your eBooks in a single, convenient and easy-to-manage location, it allows you to convert them from one format to another at the click of a button, and upload all of that converted content to your Kindle. So, while there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find the eBooks you want to read in PDF, ePub or RTF format, Calibre will help you transform them into the Kindle’s chosen “.mobi” format in minutes.

20 | connect | June 2012

While it in no way rivals the immersive experience of using a tablet, notebook or smartphone, the Kindle’s “experimental” Web browser, picture viewer and MP3 player features are great for using if you’re in a bind.

Web browsing is rather clunky without a mouse or touchscreen, and it is monochrome only (depending, of course, on which Kindle you have). But it gets the job done and is a damn sight better than not having access to your g-mail or a Google search.

The same goes for the MP3 player and picture viewer. Both aren’t great when compared to tablets, but they’re useful features when needed. Accessing these features is as simple as plugging the Kindle into your Mac or PC and dragging media into its internal flash memory. For pictures, supported formats include .JPG, .GIF and .PNG. You’ll also need to create a folder in the root of the Kindle’s storage called ‘pictures’ and press Alt-Z from the home screen to access the picture-viewing app. MP3s are even simpler. Just drag these into the root of the Kindle’s flash and you can listen to music while you’re reading.

All About E Ink Amazon’s fantastic E Ink “Pearl” screen, as its name suggests, actually consists of electronic ink instead of pixels like conventional screens do.

This is the secret behind the Kindle’s ability to display text with an unbelievably high contrast level, and its ability to remain as easy on the eyes as reading a paperback.

The only time the Kindle’s E Ink screen uses any power is when a screen is changed or a page turned, and it’s an infinitesimally small amount of power.

This means that the Kindle has a battery life of about 2 months.

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all about Google //by christo van gemert

More than...

Google might be synonymous with search, but the Web giant offers many other valuable services and tools for Internet users. You can almost run your entire life online, with just one login.

W

hat started out, in 1997, as a simple Web page with a search box, has turned into a word that is the standard Internet term for search.

Google has had its name turned into a verb, and saying “just google it” is not as strange as it would’ve been 10 years ago. But the search mogul has other tricks up its sleeve. It offers products that will let you store information online, connect with friends, share photos, and discover the world around you.

Super search The first search algorithms used by Google have now been tweaked and revised to deal with the most complicated thing a computer can do: understand humans. It used to be the case that you’d only type a few keywords into a search engine, but now it’s possible to type simple questions such as “What causes solar flares?” and get relevant information.

This is thanks to 3 things: firstly, Google is getting better at understanding actual questions; secondly, its PageRank algorithm makes it very easy to return

22 | connect | JUNE 2012

accurate results for questions that have been asked before; the third thing is that information on the Web is being classified properly, and that makes it easier still for Google to retrieve.

The best innovation in the last few months has been Google’s image search. It’s fine when you need to find a picture of a cat or a car, but there’s a new feature called reverse image search. This lets you upload a photo and Google will find similar pictures, or point out Websites that have higher-quality versions of that picture. It’s also useful to see which Websites are using your photos!

Quick tip There are search operators to get even more information from Google. Try typing “time” or “weather”, and then a city name, to get the time or weather for that city. Google will even do maths, track flights, or display real-time stock tickers. For more search features, visit http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/ features.html.

Discovering Earth One of the most powerful Google products is Maps, which gives you a Web interface from where you can explore detailed city maps for many of the world’s countries.

Even South Africa has street maps on Google, thanks to the company’s efforts ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Maps is joined by Street View, which gives you actual photos at street level, so you can pay a virtual visit to your destination, to familiarise yourself with landmarks. It’s an easy way to prevent yourself from getting lost.

Then there’s Google Earth, a sort of full 3D version of Google Maps, in application form, for your desktop PC. Google Earth lets you spin around the planet, zooming in on highly detailed satellite and topographic maps of all the continents – yes, including Antarctica. Cities in 3D are being added, and there are many additional extras being developed to plug into Google Earth, such as historic maps, landmark encyclopaedias, travel planners, and more.

Quick tip Google Earth is also available for Android and Apple mobile devices, so you can browse the Earth from anywhere that has Internet access – and learn about your surroundings.

Office and mail If you don’t feel like spending a lot of money on Microsoft Office, but need occasional access to something that can compose a document or open a spreadsheet, then Google Docs is probably your dream product.

It’s not quite as powerful as Microsoft Excel or Word, but you get access to the most-used features of those applications in an easy-to-use Web interface – for free, and accessible from anywhere in the world. Google Docs also offers free storage for your documents, and integrates with 2 other “office”-type products: Gmail and Google Calendar.

Gmail is perhaps the most well-known offering, and recently all users received an upgrade to a 10GB mailbox. If somebody using Microsoft Outlook sent you an appointment or meeting request, Gmail would be able to accept that request and add it to your calendar. If you’re using an Android phone, this becomes a very powerful tool, since the Google online features will wirelessly sync to your phone.

Keep informed Since Google started out as a way to index and search the growing pool of information on the Internet, it’s one of the best ways to keep informed.

All that information can be consumed from a central location and, depending on how you like it served up, there’s a Google solution.

News junkies can use Google News to keep track of all the major news outlets’ headlines in real time. Fans of RSS feeds or popular blogs can use Google Reader to subscribe to thousands of different Websites, and then have that information delivered and presented much like e-mail. It’s a great way to stay on top of your favourite topics.

Stockbrokers and money gurus can use Google Finance to have real-time stock prices displayed during trading hours. Even print media can now be searched, thanks to the Google Books project, which archives books in the public domain, and magazines. Certain publications that have copyright protection can also be searched, but only partially – full excerpts will still require a purchase.

Life If you’re a devout Google user and eschew Facebook for privacy concerns, then the big G has you covered. Google Plus is a social network that plugs into almost every other Google product, including Gmail, YouTube and Picasa – the photo-sharing service competing with Flickr. Pictures you’ve shared on Picasa can be viewed as albums belonging to your Google Plus profile. Plus isn’t just for you and your friends, either. It has Web-wide use, since you can use your Plus social account to recommend Websites and even click “+1” on search results (further enhancing the accuracy of Google’s results).

If you feel that not enough of your life and information is entrusted to Google, there’s also Google Drive, the online “cloud storage” solution. This lets you have a local folder on your computer in which you can store up to 5GB of documents, photos or anything else. Anything in that folder is then automatically uploaded to your online Google Drive folder, making it an excellent backup solution for important documents.

If you feel like starting a blog to let the world know about your thoughts, Blogger is another Google product you can use. It’s been in operation since 1999 and is one of the most popular blog hosts on the Web.

Quick tip It’s possible to buy your own Web domain for your business, and run the mail, and office applications, through Google. Simply go to Google Apps at http://www.google.com/a.

www.connectmag.co.za | 23

all about Google Software While Google is a software company, it’s not until recently that it’s actually made the kind of software you download and install – everything is Web-based.

It’s quite fitting, then, that one of its software offerings is a Web browser that works even better with other Google products. Chrome is fast and lightweight, and when it was introduced, it pioneered a few important features that have since been copied by competing Web browsers.

It also runs on an open-source Web-rendering platform called WebKit, so it remains bang-up-todate with the fast-evolving Internet.

Chrome has even branched off into an operating system called Chrome OS, a lightweight, Web-dependent operating system for the ultimate netbook. It’s in active development but has a low-key presence because of the recent shift to Ultrabooks.

Google’s major software project, though, is the increasingly ubiquitous Android mobile operating system. It’s already on smartphones and tablets, but its open source nature means it can be adapted to run on TVs, set-top boxes, notebooks, and other appliances. It’s supplemented by the Google Play store – formerly known as the Android Market – where you can download apps, music, books and movies.

Entertainment Another service your Google account will let you log into is YouTube, the go-to provider for video entertainment and sharing. Google acquired YouTube in 2006, and brought some of its expertise to the table. Even though it’s part of Google’s portfolio, YouTube still has an independent look and feel, and remains a self-contained company.

Regular users can upload videos up to 15 minutes in length, or 20GB in size. Partners and content contributors can have that limit raised to 12 hours, which promises good things for the future, when independent documentarians and filmmakers distribute full-length films on YouTube. In the last few months, we’ve seen a strong push for themed “channels”, where premium videos are produced and added by well-known presenters. One day we’ll simply hook up our PCs to our TVs and use the Web exclusively for our entertainment needs.

Quick tip You don’t even need a PC to use YouTube. The Xbox, PS3 and certain media-streaming devices will all bring the YouTube experience to your TV, in glorious HD.

24 | connect | JUNE 2012

And more…

Unfortunately, not all of Google’s services are usable in South Africa. There’s Google Shopping, for example, which lets you search for and find the best deals on a product you want. Also available are Google Offers for bargain hunters; and Google Wallet, a payment service similar to PayPal. Along with some other search-specific features on Google (which sometimes rely on you being in a specific country), these aren’t available to South Africans right now. With a local Google office, though, we are sure to see some products that do benefit us.

flashback //by Deon Du PLessis

. . . f o y r o t s i The h

display technology Our timeline highlights important milestones in the humble screen’s journey from a single-colour CRT to the billion-colour monsters they are today.

1964

1897 Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) German physicist Ferdinand Braun invents the earliest version of a “Cathode Ray Tube”, a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a screen coated in a fluorescent substance.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) The Radio Corporation of America develops the first working Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). Liquid crystals are ideal for use in displays due to their low power consumption and their ability to block light or allow it to pass through them.

1968

1967 Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) VFD technology is invented in Japan and used to display numbers and characters in bedside digital alarm clocks, microwaves, car radios and video cassette recorders.

Eggcrate display Eggcrate displays use incandescent light bulbs arranged in a grid that light up in specific patterns to represent alphanumeric characters.

1971 1964

1954 Colour CRT The first colour TVs go on sale in the US.

26 | connect | June 2012

Monochrome plasma display Plasma displays use gases trapped between 2 sheets of glass that illuminate when struck by light. The first plasma screens only produce a single colour (orange).

1968 Light-Emitting Diode (LED) First created in 1927 by a Russian scientist, LEDs are only massproduced for use in electronic displays in 1968 by The Monsanto Company, a massive multinational corporation.

Twisted-nematic Liquid Crystal Display The invention of twistednematic LCDs solves numerous problems that had plagued basic LCD technology, making possible the creation of screens using LCD technology as the basis.

2007 Active Matrix Organic LED (AMOLED) OLED is refined further. “Active Matrix” refers to the fact that each pixel in an AMOLED screen has its own “address”. This gives the electronics that control on-screen images greater control over individual pixels, resulting in improved image quality.

1997 In-Plane Switching (IPS) Hitachi develops In-Plane Switching technology to address limitations present in LCD screens, most notably their inaccurate colour reproduction, slow response times and poor viewing angles.

2003 Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) The first OLED displays emerge. Screens made using OLED technology use a layer of organic compounds that give off light, and are capable of displaying extremely deep black levels. They are even thinner and lighter than LED displays.

2009 High Definition and 3D Revolution Monitors with 1080p High Definition resolutions are the most commonlysold monitors in the world. 3D TVs start appearing on store shelves.

The Future…

2004 Electronic paper A method of displaying computerised text on a very thin display in a way that mimics the appearance of ink on paper.

Field Emission Displays, Mitsubishi’s Quantum Dot Laser TV and Ferro Liquid Displays are just a few of the technologies that may one day replace plasma and LCD. Whatever happens, the future of display technology is looking very bright indeed.

1997 Full-colour plasma display Philips introduces the American public to the first 42” full-colour plasma TV designed for consumers. It goes on sale at 4 Sears stores in the US for $14 999.

www.connectmag.co.za | 27

how to //By Tiana cline

Clean your...

Keyboard W

hen was the last time you springcleaned your keyboard? According to a recent UK study, the average desk has 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table, and 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.

And it’s not only eating at your desk that is the filthy culprit. Collective bacteria from hair follicles, smoking, dust, personal hygiene, and even sneezing can all add to the accumulation of dirt. To prevent grime, sticky keys and health problems such as recurrent stomach bugs, it’s important to clean you desktop keyboard.

Step five For stubborn marks and stains, lightly scrub the keys with the toothbrush – you can also use an eraser for this, but rub gently so as not to break the mechanism underneath the key’s face plate.

Step six To ensure the keyboard is completely dry before you plug it back in, keep it (upside down) overnight on a towel.

Side Step For coffee, tea and other spills, try to soak up as much excess liquid as possible with a towel – keep your keyboard unplugged for at least 24 hours.

Step one Get an old toothbrush, a pack of antibacterial wipes, cotton earbuds, a lint-free cloth and some suitable cleaning fluid.

Step two Unplug the keyboard and take out its batteries.

Step three Turn the keyboard upside down and shake it to get rid of loose crumbs and dirt.

Step four Wipe the entire surface, focusing on each key – follow this by going around each key’s side with an earbud.

28 | connect | JUNE 2012

DIRTY TECH Never mind your keyboard, your mobile phone, desk phone, mouse and even the area where you rest your hands has, on average, 10-milllion bacteria microbes growing on it. To sanitise your space, keep antibacterial wipes and water-free hand sanitiser in your desk drawer.

To clean the screen on your smartphone or tablet, use a soft, lint-free or microfibre cloth. Never use a paper-based towel as it can leave behind scratches and residue.

what is it? //by DEON DU PLESSIS

What is...

Ivy Bridge?

Intel keep their processor updates ticking over with the latest addition to their Core series.

I

n 2005, processor-maker Intel committed to what they called a bi-annual “tick-tock” cycle of processor development. On the “tick” cycle they would reduce the physical size of their processors, while the “tock” cycle would introduce brand-new “architectures” – basically, processor technology that works in new, different and faster ways.

What are the benefits?

Computers with Ivy Bridge processors will use less electricity without sacrificing performance. This means notebook batteries will last longer while still performing well, and businesses that have lots of desktop computers will see their power bills come down. To put it in car terms, an Ivy Bridge processor is like a 1.4l engine with a turbo that performs at the same level as a 1.8l engine while using less fuel.

What’s been improved?

What is it?

Ivy Bridge is Intel’s codename for its next generation of computer processors, and represents the “tick” part of the 2-year development cycle as they are made using a newer manufacturing technique that enables Intel to pack more transistors into their housing. Internally, Ivy Bridge chips are similar to Sandy Bridge processors, but with a few tweaks and some new features that help to improve performance. Intel has referred to Ivy Bridge as a “tick+” because of these refinements.

Ivy Bridge processors now have even better graphics capabilities thanks to the new Intel HD Graphics 4000 chip that is integrated into the high-end models. Intel says this new graphics chip is 2 times faster than the previous generation’s, which means smoother 3D graphics.

Other improvements include support for faster memory speeds and a better random number generator (useful in things like security and encryption).

How much faster?

Official word from Intel is that Ivy Bridge processors will perform anywhere from 5% to 15% faster than Sandy Bridge chips, while the new HD Graphics chips will offer performance that’s 10% to 20% faster.

We say Ivy Bridge is fantastic news for mobile computers.

Batteries will last longer than ever, maybe even cracking the 10-hour mark while maintaining excellent overall system performance. Desktop systems won’t benefit as much, though.

30 | connect | June 2012

www.connectmag.co.za

product reviews // by Deon Du PLessis & Christo van Gemert

VALUE IS KING

Contents

A

fter playing with several Ultrabooks this month, I have to confess something – I am in love. The two Ultrabooks I got my hands on were all so good that I’d happily buy either of them out of my own pocket. What shocked me the most was the Samsung Series 5 13” – it’s not only a brilliant Ultrabook, but it’s surprisingly affordable too! It seems manufacturers are finally starting to get it right, which is fantastic news for you and me.

There are several products in our reviews line-up this month that I wish I could have put in the top 5, but, alas, there is only so much space to go around. I was particularly impressed with the Bluelounge accessories that I reviewed on page 60 – not only are they good-looking and very handy, but they’re priced well too. It’s a real pleasure seeing high-quality products appear on store shelves at really affordable prices.

That’s all from me for now, so enjoy the reviews and we’ll talk again next month.

Cheers Deon

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

32 | connect | JUNE 2012

34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 54 56 58 60

First Look – Lenovo X1 First Look – SanDisk Eye-Fi Memory Card Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Nokia Lumia 710 Samsung Series 5 13” Ultrabook FujiFilm X-Pro 1 Adonit Jot Pro Stylus Hard Drive Roundup Huntkey Value Gaming PC TRENDnet 500mbps Powerline Adapter TP-Link Wireless Surveillance Camera Bluelounge Accessories

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product FIRST LOOK

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 NEED TO KNOW • Thin and light notebook • Uses full-voltage Intel Core processors • Business- and consumer-friendly ETA July 2012

The X1 is a very attractive notebook that’s been designed to appeal to both business users and consumers. Its surfaces are covered with a black rubberised finish that does not attract fingerprints, and the chassis itself is much thinner than any other ThinkPad on the market. The front and side edges are tapered, giving the X1 a deceptively slim profile. It isn’t as thick as a regular notebook but it’s also not ultra-thin, so by going with the wedge look, Lenovo is setting the X1 apart from other ThinkPads while retaining the thickness necessary to pack in the kind of hardware business users will find useful.

No business-friendly portable computer would be complete without plenty of ports, and the X1 does not disappoint. Arranged along the rear of the machine are a USB 3.0 port, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs to connect to external displays, and an eSATA port that doubles as a USB 2.0 port. The right edge plays host to an SD card reader, and on the left edge you’ll find a place to plug in a microphone which hides behind a flexible rubberised cover along with a USB 2.0 port.

34 | connect | JUNE 2012

Embedded in the X1’s exterior is something Lenovo’s engineers call a “rollcage chassis”. A rollcage in a car is extra reinforcement in the body that keeps the driver safe in an accident, and the X1’s chassis performs a similar function – even if it were to be dropped (from a maximum height of 1.6m), the rollcage ensures the X1 and its data will survive.

The X1’s screen (with its native resolution of 1 366 x 768) is made from Corning’s scratch-proof and incredibly strong Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass makes the screen quite reflective, though, which may not go down well with business users who prefer screens with a matte finish. Gorilla Glass makes up for its glossiness by keeping colours looking bright and maintaining clear visuals even when viewed in bright rooms or under direct sunlight.

Driving the X1’s visuals is Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 chip that’s more than capable of displaying movies and games. It won’t beat an Alienware notebook in raw gaming performance terms, but for everyday use and maybe the occasional 3D game, it’s competent.

Like 3G tablets, the X1 can remain connected to the Internet even without a Wi-Fi network present, thanks to a SIM card slot – very useful for business people who spend a lot of time away from their offices. Other noteworthy features include a Dolby Home Theatre sound system that’s good for entertainment as well as video and call conferencing, a 720p HD webcam, and dedicated volume controls located to the right of the keyboard.

Product

Specs

As a result, the X1’s battery performance is expected to be slightly less than that of the average Ultrabook. Lenovo says the 38wH battery that ships with the X1 is able to keep it powered for “up to 7 hours”. This can be extended to “up to 10 hours” through the purchase of an additional “slice battery” that slots in underneath the X1’s chassis. These figures might not earn the X1 any world records, but they’re certainly higher than those of the average business notebook.

The real genius of the X1’s design is that it retains everything that has made the ThinkPad the serious business person’s notebook of choice, while introducing subtle changes that improve on the ThinkPad design.

Take the new keyboard as an example – the surface of each key is beautifully scalloped to accommodate the curve of the user’s fingertips.

The keys’ low profile has more in common with the Chiclet design seen in other manufacturers’ models, yet they still offer the familiar chunky feel that ThinkPad users know and love. They can be backlit with the touch of a button, too, making them easier to see in low-light situations.

Other features unique to the ThinkPad range have also been kept, like the tiny red nub that controls the cursor and the dedicated right- and left-click buttons. New to the range is a clickpad – a touchpad whose left and right sides double as mouse buttons.

Interestingly, Lenovo isn’t calling the X1 an Ultrabook because it uses full-voltage Intel Core processors, and not the Consumer Ultra Low Voltage

(CULV) chips that Intel’s Ultrabook specification calls for. Full-voltage processors use more power, which lessens battery life, but the trade-off is that they deliver better overall performance.

By using the rock-solid ThinkPad brand as the X1’s foundation and adding in consumer-friendly features that make it attractive as an everyday machine for non-business users, Lenovo is making a very smart move.

Excellent build quality, impressive durability and the uncompromising performance offered by its full-voltage processors go a long way toward making the X1 the machine of choice not only for business users, but anyone looking for a solid, reliable notebook computer.

Pros

Cons

• Superb build quality • Retains business appeal while also attracting consumers • Full-voltage processors outperform Ultrabook chips

• Battery life might not be super-long

Excitement Potential

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 • Processors: Full-voltage Intel Core processors • OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit • Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM • Storage: Solid State hard drive options from 160GB • Screen: 13.3” LED-backlitwith Corning Gorilla Glass @ 1366 x 768 • Display: Intel HD Graphics 3 000 • Ports: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, HDMI, DisplayPort • Connectivity: b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3G • Battery: 38wH (Slice Battery optional)

www.connectmag.co.za | 35

product FIRST LOOK

NEED TO

KNOW

SanDisk “Eye-Fi” Wireless Memory Card NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU WILL NEED • An SDHC-compatible camera. Eye-Fi cards works in hundreds of cameras, including Canon, Nikon, Casio, Panasonic and more • A broadband Internet connection to set up your Eye-Fi card.

• A Wi-Fi router compatible with 802.11b/g/n on the 2.4GHz band. Note: 5 GHz band is not supported • A computer with Windows XP (SP3)/Vista/7 or Mac OSX (Intel) 10.5, or 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

• 100MB of free space.

• A compatible iOS or Android device (required to use Direct Mode only)

36 | connect | JUNE 2012

• Regular memory card with Wi-Fi features • Uploads photos wirelessly to PC/Mac/Android and Apple phones • 4GB of storage ETA: July 2012

SanDisk has come up with an amazing new type of memory card, one that not only stores your digital photos and videos, but can upload them to various devices automatically over Wi-Fi as well – all without you needing to lift a finger.

The best part is that it looks no different from any normal SD card.

It’s the same size and shape and will fit into any gadget that can save photos and videos to an SD card. The difference is that it has a built-in Wi-Fi radio that allows it to transfer the movies and photos you take whenever it comes into range of a wireless network to which you’ve given it access.

It works not only with PCs and Macs, but also with Android and iOS phones. SanDisk says the setup process is incredibly easy – plug it into the USB reader it comes with, run through a few options (like selecting the network you’d like it to use and providing the correct password) and then download and install the Eye Fi app onto whichever device you’d like it to communicate with. Then, whenever you come into range of the selected network and your computer is on and connected at the same time, the Eye Fi card automatically pushes all new photos and videos you’ve shot over to it.

The Eye Fi card can also be set up to use a “Direct Mode”, which interfaces directly with Android and Apple phones and iPads without any need for a Wi-Fi network. By connecting directly to those devices using their Wi-Fi connections, the card can push its contents to them over the air (the Eye Fi app needs to be present on each device for that to happen, of course). This way, it is possible to upload that photo you’ve just taken to Facebook, or your latest hilarious video to YouTube without needing to be close to your computer or home network.

We’re excited to see these new cards taking over from regular SD cards. They have the potential to make the act of taking and uploading videos and photos to the Internet just that much easier, and that’s never a bad thing.

Pros

Cons

• Simplifies uploading of media to the Internet • Exactly the same physical size as regular SD cards • Enables on-the-go uploading without a Wi-Fi network

• Might be more expensive than regular SD cards • Not much choice in terms of capacity

Excitement Potential

Samsung recommends Windows® 7.

Introducing the new Samsung Series 9 Notebook. Cast from aviation alloy and powered by a 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processor, it’s the latest innovation in fast computing performance. At only 16mm, its ultra thin, lightweight streamlined arc design make it more than just a notebook. It’s a true reflection of strength and sophistication. What defines you?

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Intel® Core™ i5 Processor 2537M (1.4GHz, 3MB) • Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64bit) Operating System 4GB (DDR3) System Memory • 13.3” SuperBrightPlus© Anti-Reflective HD LED Display • 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) Up to 7 Hours Battery Life** • Weighs only 1.31kg

www.samsung.com/notebook Copyright© 2011 SAMSUNG Electronics Co, Ltd. Screen images are simulated. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Core and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. ** Battery life based on Battery Mark test scores that will vary based on configuration.

SAM_SERIES9_7374_CT_F

FIND OUT MORE

top

5

product reviews

Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook NEED TO KNOW • High-end consumer XPS 13” Ultrabook from Dell • Rigid chassis with a tapered edge • Super-smooth clickpad R18 999.95

Dell’s product people have done a superb job with the XPS 13: it looks and performs every bit like the high-end Ultrabook it’s touted to be.

Its premium design, respectable hardware and the tapered, super-slim yet impressively sturdy body will even turn the heads of MacBook Air fans. It is the closest we’ve seen anyone come to reproducing the mythical appeal of Apple’s quintessential “ultra-portable” computer, and that’s no mean feat.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, Dell’s engineers chose to model the XPS 13 on its existing XPS range of premium notebooks. As a result, the chassis is made almost entirely of metal, which gives it that premium look, yet at the same time it’s surprisingly thin and small. So much so, in fact, that it appears even tinier than other Ultrabooks from competing manufacturers.

There is a downside to this lack of bulk, though. To achieve such a striking build, the XPS 13 has had to make a few sacrifices: it’s surprisingly light on ports. The edges are home to only a handful – 1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, a headphone jack and a DisplayPort plug. This isn’t good news for business users who might need to plug in a network cable every now and 38 | connect | JUNE 2012

then, or for anyone looking to connect their XPS 13 to a projector that only has a VGA or DVI input for a presentation.

While the XPS 13 has Wi-Fi capabilities, it’s not “best-in-class”.

Rather, users only get 802.11b/g connectivity, which gets the job done of connecting to a wireless network, but it doesn’t have the long range or high speed of N-class Wi-Fi. It shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, though. Most users probably won’t notice much of a difference unless they position themselves far from their network’s wireless router.

The review unit we received from Dell had a beefy Core i5 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 128GB Solid State hard drive (SSD). It ran Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, and came preinstalled with a whole bunch of Dell software that was nice to have, but nothing really essential. The time it took to boot up from cold was remarkable – less than 25 seconds to the Windows desktop, and resuming from sleep took a maximum of 5 seconds. Thank the SSD for that awesome performance.

Curious about the performance of Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 chip, we installed Quake 4 (by today’s standards an “old” game). We had to use a bit of technical magic to get it onto a machine that doesn’t have a DVD drive, but we succeeded, and were impressed at how well it ran, even on very high settings. That means the XPS 13 can even handle the odd game – another amazing feat for this Ultrabook.

The screen on the XPS 13 is rather good as well. It’s very bright and colours are rich, making movies and photos come alive. We played a hi-def

related

products

HP Folio 13

HP’s excellent Folio is also very thin and fast, but is aimed more at business users looking for features like an Ethernet jack and video outputs.

Acer Aspire S5

movie file to see if HD video processing would pose a challenge, and it didn’t – the movie played perfectly. The audio was good too, pleasantly rich and detailed.

Keyboards and key layout can sometimes make or break a portable computer, and we’re pleased to say that Dell nailed both here. The keys offer a very good typing experience by being nicely spaced and bouncy, and, to top it off, they are backlit as well so you can see them better in the dark. The key layout is smart, too – Dell placed the Control key where it’s supposed to be, on the very edge of the keyboard. Some companies (*cough*Lenovo*cough*) place the Function key in that position, which can be annoying to have to work around.

The clickpad is absolutely superb. So many companies try and fail to make something on par with the amazing touchpad found in Apple products, but somehow, Dell succeeded. The one they gave the XPS 13 is beautifully smooth, responds to taps and presses, and is just a pleasure to use. If we had to nitpick, we’d moan about the pressure needed to make it click, but you can always tap instead so it’s a moot point.

The payoff to sacrificing things like N-class Wi-Fi is that the XPS 13’s battery lasts a long time. We got around 7.5 hours of real-world use from it before needing a recharge, which is fantastic. It wasn’t intensive use, though – we surfed the Web, sent e-mails and created documents instead of gaming and watching hi-def movies. Your mileage will vary based on what you do, of course.

Few products have impressed us like the XPS 13 has. It’s not only one of the most attractive Ultrabooks we’ve seen, it backs up those looks with great battery life and good everyday performance, and really, that’s what it’s all about.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Processor: Dual-Core Intel Core i5-2467M @ 1.60GHz • Memory: 4GB DDR3-1333 • Operating system: Windows 7 Professional • Storage: 128GB SSD • Display: 13.3” LED-backlit @ 1 366 x 768 • Connectivity: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth • Ports: 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, DisplayPort, headphone jack Pros

Cons

• Strikingly thin design • Performs well in everyday tasks • Decent battery life • Fantastic keyboard and silky smooth clickpad

• Not a great deal of port options • Pressing on the clickpad can require lots of pressure • Only 802.11b/g Wi-Fi

Overall rating

If thinness equalled desirability, the S5 would be the most wanted Ultrabook of them all – it’s less than 15mm thick at its maximal point.

perfect companions

TRENDnet TEW-664UB 802.11bgn Wi-Fi Dongle N-class Wi-Fi is an absolute must but you love everything else about the XPS 13, consider buying an N-class USB wireless network dongle like this one from TRENDnet.

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related

products

Nokia Lumia 710 Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia’s first flagship Lumia 800 has a super-bright AMOLED screen and supermodels looks, and costs a lot more than the 710.

Samsung Galaxy S2

Still one of the best nonApple smartphones around, Samsung’s Galaxy S2 runs the Android operating system and has an amazing screen.

perfect companions

Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB Not an Xbox gamer yet? Grab a 4GB console and start your journey!

40 | connect | JUNE 2012

NEED TO KNOW • Nokia’s budget Lumia smartphone • Runs Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) • 3.7” capacitive multi-touchscreen R3 999.95

In just about any handset-maker’s phone line-up, there are flagship products that cost the earth, and are designed to impress mightily with amazing features and super-sexy looks. These are later followed by “budget” phones with fewer features and a slightly less polished exterior, but also a dramatically more affordable price-tag.

The Lumia 710 is Nokia’s budget phone follow-up to the 800, and while it’s clear Nokia has taken a few liberties with the design in order to bring the price down, it’s also clear that despite this, the 710 is still a very good phone.

That may be because on the inside, it’s not all that different from the Lumia 800. Let’s take a look at what sets them apart.

Where the Lumia 800 had supermodel looks, the 710 is a lot chunkier with its thick body and rounded edges. The main internal differences (the ones you are most likely to care about) are camera quality (5MP for the 710, 8MP and a Carl Zeiss lens for the 800), internal memory capacity (8GB vs. 16GB), weight (125.5g vs. 142g) and battery strength (1300mAh vs.

145mAh).

The 710’s screen is perhaps the most telling of its budget status – the 800 has a gorgeous AMOLED screen that displays amazingly bright and fantasticlooking colours and has excellent viewing angles, while the 710 only has a TFT LCD that looks, in comparison, pretty washed out. The thing is, unless you’re a designer and colour is your livelihood, the screen won’t bother you much – it’s serviceable and it works well, and that’s what counts.

These relatively minor shortcomings are more than made up for by the fact that the 710 costs significantly less than the 800, while performing just as well in everyday situations. By that we mean that it runs apps, browses the Internet, displays 3D games and plays back movie files very smoothly, and that’s what really counts. Sure, it might be cool to show off an expensive, flashy phone, but it’s far more important that the phone works well when you need it to, and in that the Lumia 710 succeeds beautifully.

A lot of the credit for the 710’s ease of use goes to Microsoft’s excellent mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7 (WP7). WP7’s incredibly clean tile-based “Metro” interface makes using the phone a truly easy experience.

Tiles are big enough that they are easy to hit with a finger, and the layout is so slick and intuitive that it won’t take inexperienced users much time at all to grow accustomed to it.

Windows Phone 7 is awesome because it brings together many of Microsoft’s services into a single device, and interfaces beautifully with any Windows 7 PC. Best of all is its integration with the Microsoft’s Xbox Live gaming service. If you’re an Xbox gamer, you can sign in with your profile, interact with the Xbox Live Marketplace, and even download games that help you add to your Gamerscore total.

To sweeten the deal even further, Nokia has included its very good Nokia Drive GPS software that will guide you to your destination just like a full-price GPS would. Furthermore, you have access to the Nokia Music store via a built-in app.

So, should you get a Nokia 710? Our opinion is definitely YES – it’s an excellent smartphone at a really good price.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Display: 3.7” TFT LCD with multi-touch capacitive touchscreen • Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass • Storage: 8GB internal, no memory card slot • Camera: 5MP with autofocus and an LED flash • Connectivity: b/g/n Wi-Fi, GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA/HSUPA • Video: 720p @ 30fps • Operating system: Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango • CPU: Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon • Messaging: SMS, MMS, e-mail, Push e-mail, IM • Battery: Li-Ion 1300 mAh • Talk time: Up to 6 hours 50 minutes

Pros

Cons

• Windows Phone 7 is a fantastic operating system • Responsive and easy-to-use interface • Costs less than the Lumia 800

• Screen can look a little washed out • Only a 5MP camera and no Carl Zeiss lens • Body design is rather chunky

Overall rating

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Samsung Series 5 13” Ultrabook NEED TO KNOW • 13” Ultrabook from Samsung • Beautiful silver aluminium finish • Incredibly thin and lightweight • 5-hour battery R9 999.95

Samsung is getting ever closer to perfecting the Ultrabook recipe with its new Series 5 Ultrabooks. There are 2 models in the lineup, a 14” that comes with a built-in optical drive, and the one we were sent to review, the somewhat understated 13”. Both machines are superb in the hardware department, with the 14” model offering only slightly more with its bigger screen and DVD drive.

On unpacking the 13”, we were impressed even before we turned it on. Its lightweight build and sleek, tapered design had us in geek heaven as it was the lightest, most attractive chassis we’d seen.

Neither the Lenovo nor the Dell we saw this month could top it in the looks department. We even managed to carry it comfortably using only 2 fingers.

42 | connect | JUNE 2012

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Samsung Series 5 14”

On opening the chassis, we were greeted with the Series 5’s glossy screen and Chiclet-style keyboard. No multimedia keys or extra function buttons adorn its interior, and a stylish Power button is the only key found outside the core key set. The chassis doesn’t click closed, so opening it is a matter of carefully pulling the 2 lids apart using a raised plastic edge as leverage. The absence of a click when closing the Ultrabook for transport might worry some, but it wasn’t a feature we missed.

In terms of ports, we found an HDMI output, a 4-in-1 card reader, and, most surprising of all, a full-sized Ethernet jack in addition to the usual USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. Samsung’s clever engineers managed to include the Ethernet port by creating a plastic hinge that clicks open when a network cable is needed, and closes when it isn’t, keeping the lines of the Ultrabook sleek and attractive at all times. It’s a little flimsy, though, and we worry that it might break with extended use. Happily, ours didn’t during the review period.

The oddest port of all is the tiny VGA slot that uses a dongle (included in the box) to give the Series 5 a VGA output. It’s a nice touch, and one that users of projectors and screens still punting VGA as their primary means of connection will surely appreciate.

Looks aside, the real pleasure of this Series 5 Ultrabook comes when turning it on. Booting to the desktop takes less than 30 seconds from a cold start, and resuming from sleep happens in less than 5, all thanks to the system’s 128GB Solid State drive and pleasantly-quick Core i5 processor. Windows is also very nippy – programs load quickly, windows open and close with speed. We could find no fault in the speed of its everyday operations.

We were pleased to note that Samsung didn’t flood the Series 5 with unnecessary software. We found a 60-day trial of Norton Internet Security 2012 and Microsoft’s Office 2012 Starter Edition pre-installed on the system, along with a customisable floating menu provided by Samsung. There are several pre-installed Wild Tangent trial games, and they are surprising in their goodness: we found trial versions of Bejeweled 2, Plants vs. Zombies and even Peggle on the system.

Samsung’s screen technology is as good as ever, too – the 13” LED-backlit screen on the Series 5 13” is bright (300 nits) and nonreflective. Colours look amazing, and on full brightness, image quality is impeccable.

The Series 5 13” appears to be a jack-of-all-trades, as its entertainment options are pretty good as well. Intel’s HD 3000 graphics

chip that forms part of the Ultrabook platform (and therefore this system) is a very competent embedded graphics solution, able to play most 3D games at moderate frame rates, with only a few quality compromises needed to achieve them. When it comes to video, 720p movie playback is no problem at all, even over a network, although it did struggle a bit with full 1 080p files (but that could have been the network’s fault, so we won’t take off points for it). Sound was surprisingly full and chunky.

Lastly, the touchpad. Samsung has gone with a more traditional touchpad that doesn’t click when you press on it. Instead, the Series 5 13” has a no-nonsense surface on which to glide your fingers, and 2 buttons to click. It works beautifully, too, even if it doesn’t feel quite as smooth to the touch as others.

There is very little to dislike about the Samsung Series 5 13” Ultrabook. It has excellent everyday performance, handles entertainment well, and its battery lasts for around 5 hours of casual use. It’s an excellent replacement of an existing work notebook due to its lightness, performance and portability.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Processor: Intel Core i5-2467m @ 1.6GHz (Turbo to 2.3GHz) • Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit • Memory: 4GB DDR3 (max 8GB) • Storage: 1 28GB SSD • Graphics: Intel HD 3000 with Wi-Di • Display: 13.3” LED-backlit @ 1 366 x 768, 300 nits brightness • Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth • Ports: 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA (via dongle), Ethernet • Battery: Up to 6.4 hours

Apple MacBook Air

Apple’s MacBook Air started the rush to create the thinnest, most lightweight yet still powerful portable computer, and even now remains one of the best products in the category.

perfect companions

Pros

Cons

• Very good everyday performance • Fantastic as a work machine and for everyday use • Excellent value for money

• Ethernet jack hinge is a little flimsy • Touchpad surface is low-friction but not entirely smooth • Operating system limits business usefulness somewhat

Overall rating

Samsung has also released a slightly bigger Series 5 Ultrabook, the 14”. Hardwarewise it’s nearly identical to the 13”, the differences being its slightly bigger screen, a 24GB Solid-State drive with a 1TB spindle-based hard drive that provides both speed and capacity, and finally a built-in DVD drive. Some sacrifices were made on its thinness, but it still manages to remain a sleek, attractive machine in its own right.

LG Slim Black External SuperDVD Rewriteable Drive Still using CDs and DVDs to install programs? Grab one of these external drives and you’re good to go.

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Fujifilm X-Pro1 NEED TO KNOW • 16-megapixel mirrorless camera • Interchangeable lens system • Hybrid viewfinder R17 995.95 (body only) – Only Available Online

Last year, the maestros at Fujifilm gave us the delectable X100, a 12-megapixel mirrorless camera that was aimed squarely at people who grew up with the boxy film cameras of old.

We love the X100 – it is a fantastic piece of equipment. The manual controls and its fixed lens mean you have to go back to basics and learn all about photography to get excellent results from it. Fuji say it’s a professional-level compact, and we agree. The X-Pro1 moves things up a notch.

It’s a chunky machine. Where the X100 felt just right, this – with a bigger, 16-megapixel image sensor and interchangeable lens system – feels cumbersome to handle for extended periods. Making it more clunky is the initial selection of 3 lenses, which are all primes. This 44 | connect | JUNE 2012

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products

Sony NEX7

means a fixed focal length, although there is talk of a zoom lens in the works. Using the manual focus rings on the lenses is also an exercise in frustration, because it relies on a digital focus system.

The X-Pro1 is a similar concept to the X100 – give true photographers unparalleled image quality, with no compromises.

Photography enthusiasts will love working around the limitations of the 3 lenses – an 18mm, 35mm and 60mm – but after swallowing the R18 000 price tag of the body itself, there’s bigger hurt for your wallet, for each of those lenses. Be prepared to pay around R7 000 for the 2 wide lenses, and about R7 500 for the 60mm. That’s more than R40 000 in total, before you’ve even got a flash, since it lacks a built-in light gun.

Are the compromises and high price worth it? Yes, but with an exception. This isn’t the same as buying a Canon EOS 600D SLR camera and a few lenses. The X-Pro1 has very professional features, in a consumer-friendly layout. Everything can be left in auto mode and you’ll simply have a very expensive camera that produces better images (but doesn’t take better photos) than a R3 000 point-andshoot. Get your hands dirty with the manual controls, however, and it’s an extremely satisfying experience to get the right shot.

And there will be many of those shots. The image sensor (the digital chip that captures light through the lens) in the X-Pro1 is unique. Physically, it’s the same size as the chips you will find in digital SLR cameras like the Nikon D5100 and Canon EOS 1000D, but rather than getting entangled in a megapixel war, this has a modest 16 megapixels. The “magic” comes in with the way Fuji has opted to design the sensor and certain filters on it. The end result is that even mediocre photos have a special look and feel to them. It’s difficult to explain, but in conjunction with the superb prime lenses, this sensor captured some remarkable scenes in the hands of our reviewers, none of whom are professional photographers. Colours are simply brilliant, using any of the 3 Fuji film “modes” or monochrome filters. Noise,

under low light, is extremely well contained – indoor photos can be printed out on A4 pages and still look as sharp and crisp as those taken in ideal lighting.

There’s a common misconception that having more megapixels or a “big camera” will help you take better photos. It comes down to many things, like control of light and glare, composition, and colour balance. This Fuji, however, helps your snaps look good even if you abandon half of those principles.

That’s the thing, though. If you don’t have a deep knowledge or passion for photography, this will be lost on you. It’s too expensive to just have around, unless you want to boast with it. But hobby photographers who want a special piece of equipment would be well served to put this on their wishlists.

Sony’s mirrorless competitor sneaks in with a lower price, and a few more lens options.

Nikon J1

The newcomer from Nikon doesn’t have the same specs, but comes in at half the price.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Sensor: 16 megapixels • Video: Up to 1 080p • Lens system: Fujinon X mount • ISO range: 100 – 25 600 • Rear display: 3.0” • Storage: SD card slot

perfect companions

Pros

Cons

• Phenomenal image quality • Hybrid viewfinder is great • Excellent low-light performance

• Extremely pricey • Bulky design • Manual focus is terrible

Overall rating

Sandisk 16GB SD Card Images from the X-Pro1 are large, and it’s best to have tons of storage on hand.

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perfect companions

Adonit Jot Pro Stylus

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NEED TO KNOW • High-quality stylus for use with capacitive screens • Made from aluminium and steel • Rubberised thumb grip for comfortable handling R399.95 ( Mega Stores Only)

Apple iPad The latest iPad is the most beautiful and powerful tablet made so far, with its Retina display, beefed-up processor and graphics capabilities.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S Fans of Samsung and Google’s Android operating system are not left out – the Jot Pro is just as accurate with this tablet, it just doesn’t attach magnetically to the bezel. Now you can add some accuracy to your Draw Something creations!

46 | connect | JUNE 2012

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Kickstarter.com is an up-and-coming Website that’s gaining attention from around the world. The premise is simple: it makes it possible for anyone with an idea to appeal to the Internet for funding, the proverbial “kick-start” that gets things going. The beauty is anyone who finds a project they like can choose to back it by donating cash.

Adonit’s Jot stylus was one such idea. It was pitched to Internet users as “the stylus the world’s been looking for”, and 4 975 people liked it enough to donate money toward making it a reality. One of the reasons behind the project was the proliferation of gadgets that use touchscreen technology.

There are so many, reasoned the creators, and fingers are just not accurate enough to do the kinds of things paper has proven to be so good for, like natural drawing and handwriting.

The Jot, they argued, would provide the user with a pen-like device (a stylus, in other words) that could be held naturally, as one would hold a pen or pencil, and could be used to write and draw accurately on touchscreens. And that’s exactly what they created with their Kickstarter cash. Once the Jot took off (and it did in a big way), they created the Jot Pro, which is even better.

When the Jot Pro arrived for review, we were immediately blown away by its quality. It’s made from aluminium and steel and is quite heavy, giving it an air of class. Furthermore, it has a really nice-feeling rubber grip that gives it added stability in the hand. It’s also magnetic, which allows it to attach itself securely to an iPad’s bezel. This prevents it from rolling off the table or your lap when you stash the tablet to go and do something else quickly. We were a bit disappointed to find out that the magnet only works with the iPad 2 and the latest iPad. Pity.

The Jot Pro also comes with a heavy metal cap that covers the nib when it’s not in use, and attaches to the rear of the stylus when it is. This

is important as the nib of the Jot Pro is worth protecting – it’s a small, round but flat piece of clear plastic Adonit calls the “precision disc”, and it’s attached to the nib by way of a tiny ball socket. Due to the brilliant design, the precision disc is always flat on whatever capacitive screen you’re pressing on, no matter how the stylus is being held, and since it’s clear, the position of the nib is always visible (hence its accuracy).

Drawing with it on any capacitive screen mimics the feel of using a pen/pencil on a piece of paper amazingly well. No more can you blame your fingers if your Draw Something partners can’t guess what you’re trying to illustrate!

The Adonit Jot Pro easily surpassed our expectations and then some by surprising further with its very low price tag, an amazing feat considering the quality of the product. If you own an iPad, this is by far the best stylus to get for it, and still a great choice even if you own an Android tablet. It really is that good.

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NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Precision disc: This thin, clear disc is the reason why the Jot Pro is so accurate.

• Ball point: Hold the stylus any way you like, as the ball socket ensures that the precision disc is always in the correct position.

• Magnetic cling: Allows the Jot Pro to attach magnetically to an iPad 2 or the latest iPad. • Rubber grip: It provides even greater control over the Jot Pro while also adding comfort.

• Heavy metal: Aluminium and steel design adds a really pleasant heft to the Jot Pro. • Protective cap: This covers the precision disc when it’s not in use.

• Compatibility: Works with all capacitive touchscreens.

Pros

Cons

• Stunning high-quality look and feel • Magnet provides attachment options • Very accurate

• Magnet only works with iPad 2 and the new iPad

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Winner PC Security category.

Survey of 5 000 people by Nielsen.

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It's more than just data. It's your life.

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product roundup

Backup

Plan!

By Deon du Plessis

External storage is a must these days. We’ve rounded up three different drives to see what’s on offer, how they are different and what each provides for the cash.

Photos, videos, sound clips, music, movies – these things and more are now available via the Internet, and it’s all data that has to be stored somewhere. As a result, hard drive capacities have skyrocketed; what used to be enough storage capacity for the average user has turned into barely enough today, to the point where external hard drives are becoming a musthave rather than the nice-to-have of yesteryear.

Because of their popularity, we have gathered together 3 external hard drives that you’ll find on store shelves today and taken a critical eye to them.

We look at what’s in the box, we examine their looks, we mull over their capacities and finally, we make them jump through hoops to see what they have to offer when it comes to performance.

We do this in order to bring you, our loyal readers, a little more detail on the benefits of external drives. If you’ve been putting off buying one because you’re not convinced they’re all that, read on – we may change your mind yet!

48 | connect | June 2012

Verbatim USB 3.0 SuperSpeed 1TB Desktop Hard Drive What’s in the box?

This 1TB drive is Verbatim’s entry-level model. Fortunately, it’s everything you need in a single package, and it doesn’t go overboard by heaping on the features or impressing with massive capacity. In the box you’ll find the drive, a power adapter with removable plugs (one British and the other South African), a manual and a USB 3.0 cable. Pretty Spartan, then.

On the drive itself we found 2 programs: a free version of Nero BackItUp and Burn (handy for creating automated backup jobs and, oddly, recovering data from CDs and DVDs) and Verbatim’s GreenButton software. GreenButton is used to put the desktop hard drive in an ultra-low power consumption state when it’s not in use, which both saves on power and extends the drive’s lifespan.

Overall we very much liked the Verbatim drive’s aesthetics, and when combined with the quality of the packaging and the appealing colours Verbatim has chosen for it, we have to admit to being mightily impressed. This is a very attractive external hard drive.

Is it fast?

Yes it is. In our testing we benchmarked a USB 2.0 drive and got an average transfer speed of 33.5MB/s. The Verbatim drive, using the same benchmark, achieved an average transfer speed of 83.5MB/s. That’s almost 3 times the speed, so yes, this is a quick drive relative to its USB 2.0 cousins.

R1 399.95

How’s it look?

Quite nice, really. Verbatim has chosen a very attractive and rather understated look for its SuperSpeed Desktop Drive: heavy metal and plastic have been used in its chassis to create a somewhat “high-tech-brick” look that is oddly appealing.

In a design decision that goes against the norm somewhat, this drive has been designed to lie flat. It also has a ventilated underside (to keep the drive from overheating) dotted with rubber feet that make sure it doesn’t slide around. The front of the drive only has a single LED light on it that illuminates when it’s got power, and blinks when data is being copied to or from it. The rear of the device hosts the power plug, the USB 3.0 port and the on/off switch.

Pros

Cons

• Attractive drive design and excellent packaging • Almost 3x faster than USB 2.0 drives • Good value for money

• Extras aren’t overly impressive • Only 1TB of storage

Overall rating

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product roundup

Toshiba STOR.E ALU 2S 500GB 2.5” What’s in the box?

stylish exterior if anything. Or we could be seeing things. The point is, this is a very plainlooking external hard drive.

We thought Verbatim’s packaging was Spartan until we saw what Toshiba had in store for us. This 2.5” drive’s packaging is understandably a lot smaller than the Verbatim drive’s as it’s a 2.5” product, but even so Toshiba really didn’t give customers a whole lot with it.

All we found in the box was the drive, a USB cable, a warranty leaflet and a quick start guide. The contents of the drive itself were no better – all it contained was an electronic manual in PDF format, and a launcher that launched a viewer program.

Srt of. We fired up our trusty Explorer application and did some frenzied copying, and discovered that the Toshiba drive performed slightly slower than the Verbatim drive did, but not by a huge margin.

How’s it look?

R999.95

As it’s a far smaller drive physically, the Toshiba is a lot more compact. It also feels quite heavy, and its brushed aluminium chassis is very solid. It’s an unremarkable product otherwise. There are no ventilation holes or power switches to give its surfaces character.

The Toshiba logo indicates the top of the device, and a barcode designates its underside, and that’s as close as the drive gets to anything resembling ornamentation.

When it’s plugged in, a blue LED light illuminates to indicate it has power; the light also flickers when there is activity on the drive.

Overall this drive is all business, and it conveys a sense of business-like austerity with its 50 | connect | June 2012

Is it fast?

Pros

Cons

• Completely portable hard drive solution • Requires no external power whatsoever

• Unremarkable packaging • No extra goodies • 500GB is only “okay”, not great

Overall rating

Seagate GoFlex Desktop 3TB Hard Drive What’s in the box?

Seagate has a good head start on the other 2 drives with its massive 3TB capacity – 3 000 gigabytes is a lot of space. Seagate’s box contents were very similar to Verbatim’s.

Everything is attractively packaged, and we found the drive, a power adapter and 2 plugs (1 British, 1 South African), a USB 3.0 cable, a Quick Start Guide and Seagate’s Limited Warranty pamphlet.

On the drive itself we found a free 31-day trial of Memeo Backup Premium, Memeo Auto Sync, Seagate’s DashBoard drive management software and some digital user guides for each package. Not a bad selection at all.

grip and a white LED light that indicates power. Seagate also included 4 thin LEDs that light up according to how full the drive is, making this the most interesting of these drives’ fascia designs.

Is it fast?

Most definitely. Our benchmark revealed an average transfer speed of 147.3MB/s, which handily clobbers the Verbatim and Toshiba drives and makes this the fastest drive of the lot.

Clearly, Seagate knows a thing or two about making good hard drives.

R2 299.95

How’s it look?

While the drive is a clear-cut winner in terms of its overall capacity, it loses out somewhat in the looks department. At first glance it’s quite nice to look at as it’s very glossy, but that glossiness is also a fingerprint magnet which you discover over time - every time you touch the drive, you’ll leave fingerprints all over it.

The plastic Seagate has used is also quite flexible, but not in a good way. Even though the product is heavy overall, there is a definite plasticky feel to it that we didn’t absolutely love.

In other ways, it’s quite nice. It stands on its end like a book so it takes up minimal space (although this also makes it a little unstable), it has plenty of ventilation holes, rubber feet for

Pros

Cons

• Very fast and very high-capacity external drive • LED lights indicate how full the drive is • Nice selection of bonus software

• Plasticky build quality • Glossy finish attracts fingerprints • It’s not very stable standing on end

Overall rating

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product roundup

E d it Choor’s ice

We’re going to give first prize to the Seagate drive here – it’s super-fast and offers the best value for money thanks to its massive 3 000 gigabytes of storage. It’s not perfect, though - its build quality could be better and we’d have preferred a matte finish to avoid it collecting fingerprints, but these blemishes are slight when considering the sheer usefulness on offer.

One last note: On paper, USB 3.0 technology is very fast and has the ability to produce data transfers that are indeed 10x faster than that of USB 2.0. However, in the case of external hard drives that use it as the transfer interface, their real-world performance is limited by the drive technology.

This is why external drives that aren’t solid-state produce good, but not great speeds.

Quick look...

Verbatim USB 3.0 SuperSpeed 1TB Desktop Hard Drive • Capacity: 1TB • Cache: 8MB or higher • Drive: SATA - Hi-speed • External power: +12VDC Input • Interface: 1 x USB 3.0 • Drive dimensions: 202 x 114 x 40mm (L x W x H) • Product weight: 1kg approx.

52 | connect | June 2012

Toshiba STOR.E ALU 2S 500GB 2.5” • Capacity: 500GB • Cache: 8MB or higher • Drive: SATA - Hi-speed • External power: None Required • Interface: 1 x USB 3.0 • Drive dimensions: 14.5 x 77 x 120.3 mm (L x W x H) • Product weight: 175g approx.

Seagate GoFlex Desktop 3TB Hard Drive • Capacity: 3TB • Cache: 16MB or higher • Drive: SATA - Hi-speed • External power: +12VDC Input • Interface: 1 x USB 3.0 • Drive dimensions: 158 x 124 x 44mm (L x W x H) • Product weight: 1.08kg approx.

product reviews

Huntkey Value Gamer PC NEED TO KNOW • Entry-level Intel Core i3 gaming PC • Just the PC – no peripherals and no operating system • NVIDIA GeForce GTS450 1GB graphics card R6 499.95

Desktop PCs may seem very old-fashioned given how technology has favoured “going mobile” over the past few years, but they remain popular with gamers. PC gaming is huge in South Africa, arguably even bigger than console gaming, and it’s a rewarding pastime. Not only are PC games much better-looking when compared with console games, PC hardware is upgradeable and there are a ton of peripherals available to enhance the gaming experience further.

The only real downside is that it’s somewhat complicated and expensive (relative to the complication and expense of a dedicated games console), which tends to put off newcomers. If these two potential stumbling blocks don’t bother you, great – you’re ready to start shopping for your first gaming PC. If you’re not sure what you need to get started, consider the GeniSAT Huntkey Value PC we were sent to review. It’s a modestly-specced desktop PC. It’s not particularly flashy, but it’s not the ugliest PC we’ve ever seen either. Without a monitor, keyboard or mouse, it costs R6 499.95. To complete it with a monitor, keyboard and mouse of your choosing, you should budget for another R2 000. To add an OS, add an extra R1300.

The reason it’s a “value” PC is that it’s been put together to fill the needs of a beginner gamer, or a family looking to buy their first PC with the aim of maybe playing the occasional game, and that’s exactly what it does. It’s also handy that the package consists of only the box containing the guts of the PC, as buyers aren’t forced to buy a screen, keyboard and mouse if they already own those things.

54 | connect | June 2012

perfect companions

To test the PC, we installed Windows 7 Home Premium (the 64-bit edition) and downloaded and installed all the latest updates. The PC proved to be quite responsive, which means the entry-level Core i3 processor and 4GB of system RAM are more than fast enough to make daily use a pleasure, not a chore. We did all the things a home PC will be expected to do – we surfed the Web, composed e-mails and documents, and really enjoyed the PC’s overall responsiveness. It wasn’t on par with a system running an SSD, but then it’s also a lot cheaper.

Once the system was up-to-date, we popped Crysis into the DVD Combo drive and installed it. Another update later (argh), and we were ready to see how well the system’s graphics card would handle one of the most demanding PC games of all time. The result was what we expected – not so bad that the game was unplayable, but not so good that the graphics were silky-smooth, either. As a rule, any game that runs at 30 frames per second or above looks smooth to the observer; the built-in benchmark ran at just over 19 frames per second, which, while playable, was not great.

We weren’t too worried, however. Crysis is a notoriously demanding game (plus it ran just fine once we downgraded the graphics quality).

So we tried something else, a game not known for its visuals, but highly popular due to its frantic and fast gameplay – Call of Duty 3. That one absolutely flew at a blazingly fast frame rate at the highest-possible detail level – exactly what a Call of Duty gamer needs. We then tried an RPG called The Witcher. Not a brand-new title, but it has good-looking visuals and we were pleasantly surprised to see that the system ran it quite well, with only the occasional slowdown when a lot was happening on-screen. It was definitely playable.

From these and other games we tested, we could see that the Huntkey system battled in places, especially with all the details turned up, but not so badly that the games were ever unplayable. As a result, this is a really good gaming PC for families or individuals on a budget. It will give them the pleasure of playing games while also providing a very solid hardware

platform on which to build an even better PC down the line. As a side benefit, any system designed for gaming also delivers better everyday performance for Web-surfing, e-mail and productivity than many budget systems due to their superior hardware.

A better graphics card is all this system needs to boost its already-solid gaming performance, and one can be purchased at a later stage as budgets allow. Everything else that it has is more than quick enough to deliver a good daily computing experience. As such, it truly is a value-packed desktop PC and one we’re happy to recommend.

Samsung Syncmaster S20A300B 20” LED Monitor This screen is excellent as a first-time gaming monitor. It’s not too big, it’s affordable and it runs at a native resolution of 1 600 x 900.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Processor: Intel Core i3-2100 @ 3.1GHz • Memory: 4GB DDR3-1333 • Storage: 1TB Seagate SATA-II hard drive • Optical: 24 x SATA DVD writer • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTS450 1GB 128-bit • Power supply: 450W with a 14cm fan • Mainboard: Asrock Z68 with USB 3.0 • Operating System: None

Pros

Cons

• Packed with value, as the name claims • Good enough to play most games on medium settings • A great introduction to PC gaming and a basis for future upgrade ambitions

• Fairly plain chassis • You still need to buy a screen, keyboard, mouse and Operating System

Overall rating

Logitech Compact Keyboard K300 This sub-R200 wired USB keyboard is sturdy and comfortable, and shows off Logitech’s usual commitment to quality and reliability.

Verbatim Optical Mouse While a fancy gaming mouse is nice to have, the less exotic ones like this one from Verbatim will do just fine as a mouse for everyday tasks.

www.connectmag.co.za | 55

product reviews

related

products

Netgear NeoTV 550 Media Player

Play back movie and music files on your TV using this solid media player, and use your home network to keep it full.

perfect companions

TRENDnet Wireless Router TEW-691GR Before you rush out and buy a powerline adapter, get a wireless router and check out its reception all over your house first.

TRENDnet Wireless Access Point TEW-690AP If your wireless signal is low in places, consider a wireless repeater that amplifies the wireless network’s signal further.

56 | connect | June 2012

TRENDnet 500mbps Powerline Adapter (TEW-405E) NEED TO KNOW • Use your home’s wiring as your network cabling • Minimum of 2 adapters required • 4 Ethernet ports each R699.95

With more and more household gadgets asking for a network connection, having a home network is a necessity. There are several options for achieving this, the most popular of these being a completely wireless solution. But as with any technology, wireless networking has limitations; reliability and signal that reaches everywhere it’s needed being examples of these. Another option is to run network cables to every room. While certainly possible, it will require quite a lot of work to ensure the cables remain hidden.

Or you could simply purchase powerline Ethernet adapters. They plug into any free wall socket and send the network signal around your home using the house’s existing wiring. This one from TRENDnet will do the job.

It comes with 4 Gigabit-capable Ethernet ports that allow it to connect up to 4 devices to your router per plug point.

That’s great news for anyone who needs to get their smart TV, Xbox 360, media player and PlayStation 3 connected to the Internet. They can all plug into the adapter via their Ethernet ports, making it incredibly easy and fuss-free to connect them to the home network without needing to run untidy cables from the router to the TV area.

We received a pair of these adapters for review. What makes them so special is that they’re rated at transfer speeds of “up to 500mbps”.

Powerline adapters are generally rated at far slower speeds, so we were interested to see if these ones performed noticeably better.

Setting them up was as easy as pie. All we needed to do was plug them into their own wall socket and connect the included Ethernet cables.

Seconds after plugging them in, their LED lights lit up as they found each other on the wires and our test PC reconnected to the Internet right away.

No further configuration was needed.

Distributing a network signal using the electrical wiring of a home is complicated, and the performance you get is often determined by factors like the quality of the building’s copper wiring, over which you don’t have

much control. We found in our testing that we typically achieved speeds of just over 220mbps, as shown by the included software utility that indicated connection quality and speed.

While we had hoped for higher, that speed was still fast enough for us to watch a 1 080p HD video file stored on our media player located in the living room, on a PC located in another part of the house. This is actually quite good as it means the connection created is fast enough to be useful. Furthermore, your mileage may vary as your home might be wired differently to ours, resulting in better performance.

What we really liked was that each adapter functions as a 4-port Gigabit router and devices that are connected will be able to copy information between themselves at full Gigabit speeds. It’s only when copying between devices connected to separate adapters, using a home or office’s copper wiring, that speeds are limited to a maximum of 500mbps.

We really love the idea of using these adapters to reduce cable clutter at home, and they worked very well in our testing. It’s a pity we weren’t able to enjoy the full 500mbps speed, but that’s hardly the adapters’ fault.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Interface: 4 x Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 ports • Speed: Powerline up to 500mbps, Ethernet up to 2Gbps with Full Duplex mode per port • OS compatibility: Windows 7 (32/64-bit), Windows Vista (32/64-bit), Windows XP • Dimensions: 105mm x 75mm x 73mm • Weight: 147g • Power consumption: 6.4 Watts (active), 0.97 Watts (standby) • Operating temperature: 0 to 40 degrees Celsius

Pros

Cons

• Replaces unsightly network cables • Very easy to set up and install • 4 x Gigabit Ethernet ports on each adapter

• A minimum of 2 adapters required • Real-world performance lower than 500mbps • Not a cheap solution

Overall rating

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product reviews

perfect companions

TP-Link Wireless Pan/Tilt Surveillance Camera NEED TO KNOW • Surveillance camera suitable for day and night • Rotatable camera lens (354° horizontal pan, 125° vertical tilt) • Controllable from within a Web browser • Model number TL-SC4171G RTBA

Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2.0 Storing big video files on your network is made easy with Netgear’s ReadyNAS Duo v2.0.

It takes up to 2 hard drives and has USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet connections. Hard drives sold separately.

TRENDnet 450mbps Wireless Router TEW691BR A network powered by this router will enjoy wide wireless coverage and fast transfer speeds of up to 450mbps.

58 | connect | JUNE 2012

We were sent a wireless day/night surveillance camera from new company TP-Link to review. It’s touted as an inexpensive yet effective way to keep tabs on anything that’s important to you.

What makes this an interesting product is its ability to tilt and pan, the fact that it can capture video footage in both day and night time, and that it’s accessible via the Internet as well as your local network using a Web browser. Best of all, it’s mounted on a motorised gimbal and can be directed to point almost anywhere.

The camera connects to a network using either wired or wireless connections. Wireless connectivity means you are free to place it somewhere convenient, as long as that’s in range of your network signal. If you have the technical know-how, it can even be configured to be accessible from any Internet-connected device (including tablets and smartphones) anywhere in the world, thanks to a function called “Dynamic DNS”.

The initial installation required a wired connection to our network, and once things were up and running, we were able to view the “live” image via a Web browser. Image quality was good, with nice-looking colours during the day and clear black-and-white imagery at night. It was so clear, in fact, that should you ever pick up any shenanigans captured after dark, you’ll see it as if it happened in a well-lit room. The zoom available is only digital, however, which makes the zoomed-in image quite fuzzy.

Unfortunately, this limits the camera’s usefulness in large areas.

The camera can start recording when it detects motion and sends out an e-mail with an image alerting you to the incident. Once it stops recording, it can be set to upload the footage to an FTP server of your choosing. All recorded footage is stored somewhere on your local

network, so it might be a good idea to either have a Network Addressed Storage (NAS) device packed with hard drives, or a PC on your network with at least one drive dedicated to storing it.

It’s even possible to program the camera to patrol an area, with preprogrammed sweeps that happen at specified intervals. Included in the package is a mounting kit for mounting it on a wall.

Now, all of this sounds amazing, and it is, but we need to add a caveat – getting everything up and running requires quite a high level of technical knowledge. You’ll need fairly advanced knowledge of networking, how to set up Dynamic DNS, all about e-mail servers (server addresses, passwords, security etc.), wireless network security and more in order to set it up. We managed, but it was far from an easy process, so we recommend enlisting the help of a qualified technician.

As a low-cost security option, this camera gets the basics right. If you need a more comprehensive solution, a professional installation is a better bet.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Pan/tilt range: 354° pan/125° tilt range • Pan/tilt speed: Max. 60°/sec pan speed, max. 80°/sec tilt speed • Pan/tilt controls: Remote manual control, 32 pre-set positions, 4 patrol tours • Digital zoom: 10 x digital • Video compression: Motion JPEG; MPEG-4 • Audio I/O: Built-in microphone & external input connector Pros

Cons

• Clear images recorded in both daylight and at night • Wireless connectivity frees it for easy placement • Motion detection and patrol functionality are useful

• Very technical installation process • Not suitable for the monitoring of large areas • Camera’s maximum resolution is only 640 x 480

Overall rating

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This documents powerful printer things do come small and packages. and at upproves to A3+.that Thereally Canongood PIXMA iX6540 offersinquality speed

with a print resolution of up to 9600dpi and a 10x15cm photolab-quality print For more information go to www.canon.co.za in as little as 36 seconds. Individual ink tanks help increase efficiency whilst also reducing costs and with the online Solution Template service you can download business templates directly into Word to easily create professional documents.

This powerful printer proves that really good things do come in small packages.

For more information go to www.canon.co.za

product Accessories

NEater is better!

From clever gadgets that help neaten the cable situation in offices and homes, to add-ons for iPads and notebooks, accessories company Bluelounge has it all. Check out these 6 handy and wellmade gadgets they sent us for review.

Refresh Price: R899.95

This compact charging station can charge 3 or more devices at the same time, from a variety of different manufacturers. It has 6 connectors in total – 2 for iDevices, 1 micro USB, 1 mini USB and 2 regular-sized USBs. It has space for 3 devices to charge simultaneously while resting on its rubberised top tray, but with some clever arrangement on your part and the right devices, it’s possible to use all 6 connectors at the same time. It’s small enough to rest comfortably on a nightstand, kitchen counter-top, on office desks and other surfaces that place free space at a premium.

Features: • 6 connectors, including 2 regular-sized USB connectors • Rubberised top tray prevents scratches to your gadgets • Compact build takes up little space • Available in Jet Black, Polar White and Fresh Pink

Sumo Price: R139.95

Don’t you hate it when cables slip behind your desk because they weren’t plugged in at the time and you bumped them accidentally? So do we – which is why we loved the Sumo. It’s a very heavy block of plastic and steel that has channels on its underside through which cables can be threaded. Its sticky feet keep it locked onto your desk/ bedside table, and they are sticky enough that, short of an earthquake, your cables aren’t going anywhere. We found it to be a simple but brilliant solution to the problem of cable slippage.

Features: • Micro-suction feet adhere to most surfaces, including glass • 2 grooves beneath the Sumo direct cables • Available in black and white 60 | connect | JUNE 2012

CableBox/ Cablebox Mini Price: R349.95/R229.95 With so many electronic devices around, it’s common for homes to have at least 1 power strip that’s packed with power cables, causing an unsightly mess. Bluelounge’s CableBox and CableBox Mini products solve the problem by hiding the mess inside their stylish exteriors. Simply place the power strip inside the box, arrange the cables neatly so they fit through the cable outlets on either side of the boxes, close the lid and voilà, no more mess. In a nod to practicality, the underside is fitted with 2 rubber feet that make sure the boxes don’t slip.

Features: • Suitable for both wide and long power strips/surge protectors • Lots of space inside each box to accommodate power adapters • CableBox available in black and white • CableBox Mini available in black/white/yellow/blue/green/pink/orange

Nest Price: R149.95

This small plastic wedge is a lot smarter than it looks – you can rest your iPad on it in several positions, giving you multiple options as to how you’d like to use it. The most obvious position is relatively flat, which makes it easy to type on. If you’d like to watch a movie or play a game, a tiny cradle slides out that is used to support the iPad at a more severe angle, in either the vertical or horizontal position.

Rubber lining cushions keep iPads undamaged, and its hollowed interior can store small objects like keys and USB storage devices.

Notebook Kit (Cool Feet + Cableyoyo) Price: R149.95 This package combines Bluelounge’s Cableyoyo and Cool Feet products to form a kit that will help ease the cooling and cable-management problems faced by most notebook users. It comes with 2 Cableyoyos that peripheral cables (for mice, printers, keyboards, etc.) can wrap around so they’re not scattered across your work area, and 2 sets of “feet” for notebooks. These feet raise notebooks above the desk by a few centimetres, elevating them to a more comfortable angle while also creating better airflow, which encourages improved cooling.

Features:

Features:

• Dual-angle stand for iPads • Soft rubber frame and rubber cushions • Storage space for small objects • Available in black/white/blue/green/pink/orange

• Adhesive plates for the feet to stick onto • 2 Cableyoyos with adhesive undersides arrange cables neatly • Carrying pouch included

SpaceStation Price: R849.95

Even though notebooks have batteries that let them work for a few hours before needing recharging, the desks that they rest on are almost always home to unsightly cables. The SpaceStation is Bluelounge’s innovative solution to that mess: it’s an extended desktop organiser with internal coiling pins that cables can wind around for easy and neat storage. It even has a built-in USB hub that lets up to 4 USB devices connect easily, with only 1 USB plug needing to reach the notebook, resulting in an extremely neat, clutter-free desk on which to work.

Features: • USB hub and cable management • Page and business card holder • Hovers 5mm above the desk’s surface for easy cable access • Wide, non-slip and padded surface www.connectmag.co.za | 61

game reviews

Max Payne 3 R599.95 (XBOX 360) From the publishers of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne 3 is a revolutionary 3rd-person shooter from Rockstar.

Several years have passed since the events of Max Payne 2 and right now, Max is working at a private security firm for a rich man in Sao Paulo, Brazil. No longer a cop, Max is close to washed-up, drunk and addicted to painkillers. Max’s latest assignment sees him protecting real-estate mogul Rodrigo Branco and his 2 brothers. Trying to forget his past and a life that was taken away from him, Max Payne is a just a regular guy with an extraordinary set of skills.

Max Payne 3 has a fluid animation system with incredibly realistic on-screen movement thanks to Natural Motions’ Euphoria Technology and Rockstar’s Advanced game engine. So when Max performs a tough move and slams to the floor, it really looks like it hurts. And when he gets up after rolling or ducking, how he moves depends on what type of firearm he is carrying and how he fell down.

If Rockstar’s detective thriller L.A. Noire was the next-gen game to reinvent in-game facial animation, Max Payne 3 is doing the same for character movement. The developers put in hundreds of hours of custom motion-capture for individual characters, which means it’s not only the protagonist who moves realistically in the game.

Love the action? Rockstar has reimagined the gunplay mechanics of a 3rd-person action shooter by implementing the precision targeting of a 1st-person game. They’ve also redesigned weapons and tactical movement systems to make the game both immersive and cinematic.

What does this all mean? Not only can Max dual-wield different weapon combos, the animation takes into account the weight and recoil of each gun. The weapon detail is also something to note: hammers cock back, slides move, shells expel from the chamber, and so much more. How Max turns, runs and dives for cover is based on what he is holding and how, all leading to some exciting and varied action sequences.

Unlike many of the popular Rockstar titles, Max Payne 3 is not an open-world adventure. However, every game area is detailed, with the ability to destroy nearly everything in sight. The characters in the game feel alive – sweat will appear on Max’s brow and blood will soak the clothing of his enemies.

As the 3rd game in this popular series, Max Payne 3 stays true to the franchise but has a lot of new features and add-ons that keep the gameplay fresh. Combine these factors with the series-defining slowmotion “bullet time”, and you can be sure that Max Payne 3 is a game worth the wait.

62 | connect | june 2012

NEED TO KNOW • The return of the revolutionary shooter • Fast action – running and gunning • Slow it down with shoot-dodging • James McCaffrey, the original voice of Max, is back

>>consider this<< The Darkness 2 We love the Darkness 2â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fervid Quad-Wielding gameplay that allows you to slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with Demon Arms while simultaneously firing 2 weapons.

>>Coming soon<< BioShock Infinite You are former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to a lost city to rescue a young imprisoned woman. Learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in cloud combat, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

www.connectmag.co.za | 63

game reviews

Prototype 2

NEED TO KNOW

• Explore an apocalyptic New York City • Evolving mutant powers • New abilities

Sniper Elite V2

NEED TO KNOW

• Realistic bullet physics • Sneak and snipe in World War II • Co-operative multiplayer story mode In Sniper Elite V2 you play the role of Karl Fairburne, a sniper who’s part of the Office of Strategic Services intelligence agency.

Your mission is to infiltrate and gather intel on the German V2 rocket programme, during World War 2, using your trusty sidekick: a Springfield sniper rifle.

Unlike all the other war-based shooters, this isn’t a firstperson run-and-gun affair. You need serious patience andstealth skills to get around. Being spotted by an enemy soldier will have them call for help and quickly put an end to your progress. The sniping is extremely satisfying. Get it right, and the camera goes into slow motion, following the bullet path until the moment of impact. Occasionally you’ll get an X-ray camera that shows the full penetration and exit path of the bullet – it’s gory, and definitely for adults only.

Bullet physics are also hyper realistic, and you’ll have to account for wind and drop, as well as deflection – hitting one target will cause the bullet to deform and deflect into a possible second target. Bundled with a number of online modes and additional missions, this is a seriously fun and addictive game.

R599

64 | connect | June 2012

>>Consider This<< Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 Coming out later this year, SGW2 will give players more of the stealth and skill-shot fun seen in Sniper Elite V2, in a modern day setting.

>>Get This<< Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 The quintessential war game, Modern Warfare 3 lacks outright sniping and realistic physics, but has a very impressive online component that’ll keep you coming back for more.

The first Prototype followed the story of Alex Mercer, who was infected by the Blacklight virus and started developing mutant powers.

The second game now picks up where Mercer, still on a mission to stop those responsible for the virus, employs the help of James Heller.

Sadly, for Heller, Mercer chooses to infect him, endowing him with the same powers – but also a means to take on the sizeable military presence in NYZ – New York Zero, the nowquarantined New York City.

Heller starts off with simple abilities, but as you progress you unlock more powerful skills, and eventually gain access to super strength, gliding, jumping, and speed. Also available to you are the ability to control other mutants in the city, as well as shape shifting and arms that can transform into tendrils.

It feels a bit “more of the same”, and the graphics aren’t that impressive, but the new abilities and intriguing storyline will definitely satisfy fans of the original. R599

>>Get This<< Prototype Before you pick up the sequel, get the first game to get a handle on the backstory, as well as a better appreciation of your new abilities.

DiRT Showdown

NEED TO KNOW • Pick-up-and-play controls • Speed, style and destruction • Split-screen multiplayer and 8-player online racing For every fan of the racing genre, there’s a video game equivalent. From Forza to F1, Mario Kart and MotorStorm, every publisher has something to offer. The original Colin McRae rally game from Codemasters appeared in ’98, with today’s DiRT Showdown being an arcade spinoff of the popular sports series.

With pick-up-and-play controls, you’ll find yourself with a bit of an adrenaline rush as you speed, trick and smash your way to the top, competing against rivals and in front of thousands of fans.

There are 3 broad categories to DiRT Showdown’s stunning world of action-sport racing. First up, you will use nitrous to blast past rivals and negotiate courses filled with ramps, multiple routes and obstacles in destructive racing events.

What Codemasters is calling “gaming’s most advanced damage engine” will be pushed to its limits in demolition derby events, where you’ll smash and crash your way to victory in jawdropping, bone-jarring style. Last up are the Hoonigan events.

Here, you will be able to demonstrate your freestyle driving skills in massive, free-roaming open-world stunt parks with new and accessible controls.

Looking online, DiRT Showdown consists of split-screen multiplayer, 8-player online racing, on and offline quick-fire party games – there’s even YouTube integration. New to the game is the ability to issue a Showdown Challenge – this is where you’ll compete with friends both on and offline.

And in the career mode, you’ll find yourself travelling the world to exotic destinations like Miami, San Francisco, London and Tokyo. With over 50 different events across 4 championships, DiRT Showdown is a racer that will challenge you, not matter the weather or time of day. The game also has an exciting mix of licensed (just not in the crashing events) and bespoke cars, all powered by the EGO Game Technology Platform. This means you can expect phenomenal graphical performance in the form of realistic damage, off-road action and pile-ups.

DiRT 3 welcomes a world of destruction derbies and drifting, mostly leaving old-fashioned rallying behind.

R599.95

>>Consider This<<

>>coming soon<<

MUD – FIM Motocross World Championship This is the only game to exclusively feature the FIM MX1 and MX2 World Championships, as well as the amazing Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. Perform freestyle tricks to show off their skills on 14 different bikes, 84 riders and 12 official tracks.

Forza Horizon Not much is known about Horizon – a teaser trailer with a desert setting is all we have to go on! This is the first Forza racer being developed by UK developer Playground Games and will be a more arcade-style spin-off of the series.

www.connectmag.co.za | 65

game reviews

Sorcery

NEED TO KNOW

• Use the PlayStation Move controller • 5 unique realms • Spells, potions and puzzles

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

NEED TO KNOW

• A 10-hour storyline • 8 spectacular locales • Deploy over 50 cuttingedge, military tech weapons Future Soldier follows the story of 4 soldiers, a troop of the most elite US special forces who are investigating an international weapons smuggling ring. Why Ghosts? They’re untraceable, fighting from the shadows and equipped with the most advanced combat technology. You’re Sergeant John Kozak, a new squad member who will take a team of 3 veteran operators from the heat and dust of Africa to the Arctic Circle.

Future Soldier’s gameplay is a mix of stealth and brutal closecombat moves. There’s also co-op and multiplayer modes – you can play through the 14 campaign missions with up to 3 friends.

You’ll perform highly-coordinated takedowns and devastating large-scale strikes utilizing multiple viewpoints with Cross-com, the ultimate squad battlefield tool. New to Future Soldier is A.T.L.A.S, an Augmented Reality system that allows the display of real-time intel, providing live feedback on the evolving battlefield situation. For cutting-edge technology, high-tech weaponry and state-of-the-art single and multiplayer modes, Future Soldier is a Ghost Recon game worth playing. R599.95

>>Get This<<

>>Coming soon<<

Battlefield 3

Borderlands 2

Feel the impact of bullets and explosions, drag your fallen comrades into safety, and mount your weapon on almost any part of the terrain.

Battlefield 3’s cutting edge animation, spectacular visuals and real as hell battle gameplay attack your senses and make you feel the visceral warrior’s experience like no other FPS.

Borderlands 2 blends FPS and RPG – team up with up some friends for 4-player online goodness or go old-school with 2-player split-screen and spend hours leveling up your character and equipping them with one of the millions of in-game weapons.

66 | connect | June 2012

Developed exclusively for the PlayStation Move, what better use for the wand-like peripheral than actual magic? Sorcery is fantasy adventure game where you become a wand-wielding wizard, transported into a lush yet dangerous land. The story goes that the Nightmare Queen has broken an ancient pact with mankind and is now threatening to conceal the land in eternal night. Stepping in as a young sorcerer’s apprentice, it’s up to you to master the mysterious arts (with an Irish Folklore twist) and fight back the creatures of five unique and magical realms. With visuals similar to what you would find in a Zelda game, there’s also puzzle-solving and potions. (Alchemy consists of eight spells that can be used in exciting combinations.) If Harry Potter-esque magic is your thing, Sorcery’s low-level character customisation and battles will certainly enchant you. R399.95

>>Get This<< The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Beautifuly detailed, CD Projekt’s tale of dragons, magic and more in one of the most playable, dark and engrossing RPGs out.

Coming 15 June!

To a smartphone or tablet device near you.

Android App On

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issue of the month: Q: A:

If you have questions, gripes or just seek some solace, e-mail Tamsin, our friendly tech tannie at techtannie@connectmag.co.za 68 | connect | JUNE 2012

OLED, HD, LCD, LED. What’s with all these acronyms and what on Earth do they mean? DDF in Durban

Ah, bokkie, come on, we South Africans love a good acronym so you should just be nodding your head sagely when peeps speak of these things. But if you really want to know, here’s a little breakdown for you: OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, and LED stands for, you guessed it, Light Emitting Diode. An OLED display uses a film of organic semiconductor material between 2 electrodes to create lovely rich colours. These displays work without a backlight so your blacks will be deeper and the display itself can be thinner and lighter than the ones you see sporting an LCD (more on that later). You’ll find OLED displays use less energy and emit less light per area than the LED, and they are used on TVs, monitors, mobile phones and things like PDAs and watches. There are advantages and disadvantages to both but OLED is that little bit more environmentally friendly. HD stands for High Definition which, in itself, has its own little dramas and theatrics. People constantly argue over what constitutes true HD. All I can say is that if you are planning on buying a new TV, then look at one that has 1 080p minimum instead of 720p; the difference is obvious. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and is commonly used on flat-screen TVs using the modulating properties of liquid crystals. They sound cool, look cool and are used all over the place, like in aircraft cockpits, signs, monitors and TVs, among other things. They were the big step up from the ancient, enormous CRT displays that we used to have on our desks.

Remember those monsters? Well, LCDs are a lot more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, not to mention easier to move around the house.

Q: A:

Q:

Should I start using Twitter? How do I get the most out of it?

Tweeting in Tamboti

A:

Ag, this one is a kak question. The thing is, Twitter is either a complete heavensent-dream-come-true-wonderchild, or it is as bewildering as all hell. I tend to vacillate between the 2. Twitter needs work and it can eat up time like nobody’s business. One minute you’re “just checking your tweets”, and the next it is midnight and you can’t move because your legs have stopped working. If you really want to get the best out of Twitter, you need to streamline your account so information is streamed into different categories and is easier to keep track of. Someone once said that sending out a tweet is a bit like “tacking a postcard in a post office and hoping someone will read it” and it is quite true, unless you’re Ashton Kutcher or Justin Bieber, that is. So, create Twitter groups and add different people to each, use a Twitter manager like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to manage and view these effectively, use hash tags to track common topics, tweet fairly regularly, but don’t bore people to death with what you ate for breakfast or why you chose pink toilet paper, and ask questions.

Also, don’t forget that people follow people they find interesting, and who show an interest in them, so do just that. Ask how they are, comment on their latest tweets, and be genuinely involved in what they are doing.

Is my Facebook information safe?

Secure Suzy in Springs

It depends on what you mean by “safe”. Are there armed criminals attacking Facebook’s HQ right now in order to get your address?

No. Is there an army of ninjas in your shrubbery thanks to their discovering your whereabouts on Facebook?

Unlikely. However, you do need to ask yourself what you are prepared to tolerate on Facebook, because they are selling YOUR information to advertisers and making a nice wad of cash in the process. Apart from the entire mountain range of debates and ethical issues surrounding that particular problem, I find it rude. I think the cash should belong to the people whose information it is. But I digress.

What you need to do is assess what information remains private and what stays in the public eye. Just remember that no matter how private you make your Facebook account, and how much you block strange apps, everything you put on the Web can be found by someone else and the many clever little search engines out there. Yes, you can lose your job because you posted something rude about your boss on Facebook, even if he/she is not a Friend and can’t see it in your stream – the internet CAN. Adjust the personal information on your profile

– nobody needs to know that you are a champion Parktown prawn eater – and go through the privacy settings and set everything to Only Friends, or Custom manage these to Only You if you really want some privacy. On the Privacy Settings area, also adjust what information your friends can share about you, and, while you’re at it, stop them from being able to tag you in photos. You may be smart enough to not post inappropriate pictures but there is always that one person… That done, it’s time to abandon Groups you joined in the first giddy Facebook days by clicking on the Leave Group link of each of their pages and dump every single application you joined unless you absolutely have to keep it.

Facebook has made this as frustratingly slow and difficult as possible, probably in the hope you’ll fall over in a comatose heap, drooling from the mouth, about halfway through.

Fortify yourself with coffee and keep on going. It will take ages but soon your Facebook account will be a clean, bright and beautiful thing that only reveals information you want it to. So yes, it can be “safe” but you will have to make it that way. Alternatively, delete your account and never use it again.

That’s pretty safe.

www.connectmag.co.za | 69

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disconnect //By adam oxford

Battle for my The Internet thinks it knows me better than I know myself. I beg to differ.

L

ike most journalists, I read and watch a lot of online news during the course of an average day. This is partly because it’s my job to know what’s going on, and to figure out the best way to report it; mostly, it’s to make sure my peers aren’t doing better than me.

For many years, my daily routine would begin with a skim-read of bookmarked sites, then a look at a list of stories generated by a dull but functional RSS feed aggregator. If you haven’t come across RSS before, it’s a way of compiling the headlines from multiple Websites onto 1 page and arranging them in reverse chronological order, so you can decide which stories you want to look at without actually opening a Web browser.

It’s a bit like a beauty pageant for sub-editors, to see who has the sexiest headlines that draw you in. Unfortunately, RSS has, like all beauty pageants, corrupted the very thing it set out to celebrate.

The art of the newspaper headline writer has been lost to an increasingly prosaic way of winning readers who simply don’t have time to appreciate a good pun.

I’m hoping the latest generation of news-reading apps for smartphones and tablets will reverse that. Programs like Feedly, Flipboard, Google Currents and Zite are all attempting to turn the informational chaos of the Web with its millions of new stories every day into a format not dissimilar to an old-fashioned magazine. They use your RSS bookmarks to generate personalised digests with large pictures and plenty of arty white space, with easy-to-read fonts and virtual pages that can be ‘turned’ on a touchscreen. It’s clearly the future of news.

But some of the creators of these apps argue that they have the intelligence to know what stories you want to read before you’ve read them. Zite, for example, will look at the sites you have stored in Google’s Reader service and analyse your Twitter feed to get an idea of your preferences. Then, as you click on links within Zite, it will remember what sort of pieces you read the most and download more like them from sites you may never have heard of or visited before.

In theory, it sounds great – a way of discovering Websites and writers you’d normally miss out on but who might appeal to your taste. In reality, you can end up getting swamped with so many stories about the same news event that there’s no

72 | connect | JUNE 2012

brain time to read anything else. When the news you read becomes too personalised to your existing tastes, your perception of the world can become very narrow.

There is one other flaw.

I’m a compulsive link junky. I can’t help it – if I see a link in a story, I almost have to click it, even if I don’t actually read the page it takes me to. So when I fire up Zite on my tablet, I tap on everything I can see in front of me. As a result, the app is – I think – having a hard time working out what it is I actually want to read.

If I see myself through Zite’s eyes, I’m interested in computers and photography, world affairs and politics. Which is fair enough. But I’d also be a knitting fanatic – because I followed a link to a pattern for a crocheted Millennium Falcon – with an unhealthy interest in street lamps (don’t ask).

Although now that I mention it, a woollen light that plays the Star Wars theme and doubles up as a Web browser would be pretty cool, wouldn’t it?

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