ct_43_nov_12

November 2012

Shopaholic?

Secure shopping with Kaspersky’s Safe Money

The Social Network Super Security Tips!

Going...

Mobile!

Faster On-The-Go Connectivity

R14.95 incl. VAT

BStorage g on l l a m s

Portable Storage Basics!

Top

Reviews Printers LAPTOPS CAMERAS Tablets SOFTWARE cellphones GAMES

Ultimate Portability.

Ultimate Power.

Sony recommends Windows® 7.

Sony VAIO range available at Incredible Connection

VPC-Z227 “Beyond the Ultimate” • • • • • •

VPC-SB38 “Power wherever you need it” • • • • •

Windows 7 Pro 64-bit Intel® Core™ i7-2640M Processor 2.80 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.50 GHz 750GB HDD 4GB RAM 13.3” Led Backlit Display

Works the way you want.

Windows 7 Pro 64-bit Intel® Core™ i7-2640M Processor 2.80 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.50 GHz 256GB SSD 8GB RAM 13.1” Full HD Led Backlit Display Includes Power Media Dock with Blu-ray, and high speed graphic support

VPC-F237 “Dive into 3D” • • • • •

VPC-EH Series “Power and Simplicity” • • • • •

Up to Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Up to Intel® Core™ i5-2450M Processor 2.50 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz 500GB HDD 4GB RAM 15.5” LCD Display

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Intel® Core™ i7-2860QM Processor 2.50 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.60 GHz 640GB HDD 8GB RAM 16” Full HD 3D Led Backlit Display

VPC-YB Series “Mobility to take you places” • • • • •

Windows 7 Home Basic 32-bit AMD Dual-Core Processor E-450 (1.6 GHz) 320GB 2GB RAM 11.6” LCD Display

www.sony.co.za/vaio

www.connectmag.co.za

issue #43

november 2012

10

FEATURES 10

Back to Basics All you need to know on mobile connectivity

14

Giggy Bank Slimmer and better external storage

18

Help Needed?

Support for Windows 8

20

Secure Online Shopping Stop keyloggers and malware with Kaspersky Safe Money

22

The Social Network Tips and tricks for Facebook and Twitter

24

History of Windows How Microsoft’s OS came to dominate the PC market

26

What is an App Store?

A handy mobile download directory

22

24 26

REGULARS 04 06 08 68 72

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

REVIEWS 30 34 45 52 54 55 56

First Look Top 5 HDD Roundup GPS Speakers Software Accessories

GAMING 58

Reviews

ed’s note

y t e Saf st!

Fir I

n this issue of Connect, we’re talking security.

When you shop or bank online, do you think twice before typing in your credit card details?

You should. To protect yourself from people with less-than-noble intentions, flip to our article on Kaspersky’s Safe Money, one of the key features of Internet Security 2013 (page 20). Also, have you ever wondered how safe you are on social networks? If you’re constantly being bugged by Twitter “bots”, you might be sharing too much personal information or clicking on dodgy links.

For some tips and tricks, head to page 22.

Now that Windows 8 is finally here, Deon du Plessis will you talk you through Microsoft’s domination of the PC in our popular “History Of” series (page 24), as well as offer an overview on their handy support system (page 18). Other features to look out for include going back to basics with mobile connectivity (Is 3G the way to go? Go to page 10 to find out.), and a look at expandable storage (page 14).

With a bumper gaming section this month – be sure to read our reviews on Assassin’s Creed 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Rocksmith – November is the time to invest in a console. PS3 or Xbox 360? 3DS or Wii U? The choice is yours.

The November issue of Connect is bundled with a free mobility and gaming buyer’s guide to help you make even better buying decisions.

Enjoy the issue!

Tiana Cline EDITOR

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

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

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

Contact Hypertext Media Communications (011) 023-8001/4 info@hypertext.co.za FAX 08654 83304

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07/09/2012 15:25

in the news...

Here is the news Journalists around the world have been celebrating the first birthday of Newsstand, Apple’s front page app which is used for selling digital versions of print magazines and papers.

In the UK, tech publisher Future Publishing announced that it made £5m (R70.3m) via Newsstand sales in the first 12 months, while US publisher Conde Naste says it has sold more than half a million apps for Wired, Vanity Fair and GQ. Which raises the question, have tablets got us all reading again? During the last 10-15 years, hundreds of well known newpaper and magazine brands around the world have been forced to shut up shop in the face of competition from the internet. But a year on from the launch of Apple’s Newsstand service on iOS, and it seems that some of those that remain are finding success by making digital editions for iPad tablets.

So if you enjoy reading the latest news on your latest gadget, raise a glass to Newsstand for its birthday.

Did you see this?

Daredevil parachutist Felix Baumgartner may be the only human being to have broken the sound barrier without the use of a powered vehicle, but he has a far more important accolade to add to his list of accomplishments too. The live feed of his freefall jump from the edge of space last month broke the record for the highest number of simultaneous viewers on YouTube too.

Baumgartner used a helium balloon to rise to an altitude of 39km, before stepping out of the small capsule that carried him up and plummeting back to Earth. The drop lasted for four minutes and 20 seconds before Baumgartner deployed his parachute, during which time he reached a velocity of Mach 1.24 (1,342km/h).

YouTube reported that more than eight million people watched the live stream of the event, and millions more have watched replays from different camera angles – including a head cam – since the event.

Now hear this To go along with its brand new Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft has announced a new online music steaming service which allows Windows users to play what they want, when they want it for free.

The service, dubbed Xbox Music, is available through the Modern UI of Windows 8 and looks and operates in a similar way to the Microsoft Store. It boasts a library of more than 30 million songs, from which you can select your own playlists and tracks. The only inconvenience is that you’ll need to put up with an advert playing every few tracks or so.

If you don’t want the ads, they can be disabled by paying for a premium subscription. A small monthly payment will entitle you to access the Xbox Music library on the Xbox 360 as well as Windows phones and tablets – which means you have access to almost any song you can think of, any where you want it.

And the best news of all is that Xbox Music will be officially available in South Africa too, with exact launch dates and prices to be confirmed.

App of the Month: Bad Piggies Just when you thought you’d seen everything Angry Birds has to offer, along comes a new game in the series that’ll make you think about the plight of the peeved pigeons and their ilk in a different way.

Bad Piggies is the latest puzzler from Finnish developer Rovio set in the Angry Birds universe. This time, however, instead of firing avian ammunition from a slingshot to knock down structures, you must take control of the egg stealing pigs and work out how to swipe a shell or two before the birds catch you. The fun part is that must power the porcine protagonists to the Angry Bird’s nests using a series of ever more outlandish vehicles that you build yourself.

Sounds complicated? It’s not at all. Bad Piggies has exactly the same combination of easy learning curve with fiendishly

complex puzzle solving as Angry Birds – it’s a winning formula.

If that’s not enough to entice you back to the Angry Birds’ world, then perhaps this will entice you. The rumour is that the next Angry Birds game will make use of a certain major sci fi licence to include cartoon Jedi and robots... you heard it here first.

6 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

1157

techno jargon // by Deon Du Plessis

8 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

For this month’s edition of Tech Jargon we’ve dished up a few more terms for you to chew on! Bon appétit!

CGA CGA stands for Colour Graphics Adapter, and it’s an early-80s technology that upgraded the awful monochrome (single-colour) graphics of old computers to a whopping 4 colours. While those 4 colours were mainly of a pinkish hue, CGA still looked better than the awful amber or green graphics that ruled the day until then.

Data centre

EGA

When it is said that online information lives “in the cloud”, what is really being said is that information is being stored in a massive complex full of computers that is accessible via the Internet. That massive complex of computers is referred to as a “data centre”.

Enhanced Graphics Adapter. EGA was the evolution of CGA, and it made it possible to display graphics using 16 colours at once. As you can imagine, it was a huge upgrade over the 4 colours of CGA, allowing for a more colourful palette and truly “enhanced” graphics.

Telepresence

VGA

Using technology to project yourself into another location that’s actually far away is called telepresence. This could be a means of talking to someone on the other side of the world using Skype, a way of performing a delicate medical operation by connecting to a robot that follows your commands via the Internet and other scenarios.

VGA is where graphics started getting interesting. Standing for Video Graphics Adapter, VGA displayed a phenomenal-for-the-time 256 colours, allowing for 16 shades of 16 different colours. The results were almost literally mind-blowing, as people could now see on their screens graphics that actually resembled real life. Games in particular got a lot better once VGA became the norm, with visuals that dazzled, enhancing the gaming experience further.

Aliasing/Anti-aliasing This is a design term used in Web design that indicates undesirable visual elements like the appearance of jagged edges on things that are meant to appear smooth, like the curves on the letters O and S. Antialiasing is a term you’ll see used in gaming jargon, as it’s a technology built into graphics cards that smoothes the appearance of jagged edges, making them look as smooth and curvy as they were intended to look by the game’s designers.

Augmented reality This term is going to see a lot of play in the coming years. To augment something is to add to it, making augmented reality essentially what you see around you, with additions that are added through technology. Google’s awesome Google Sky application that lets you identify star constellations by lifting your phone heaven-wards is an example of this – it overlays your reality with digital information, thereby augmenting it. A set of wearable glasses that displays information about your surroundings also qualifies. We hope to see a LOT of AR-centric gadgets appearing in the next few years, as the potential applications are staggeringly cool.

File Sharing As simple as this term sounds, it carries with it a lot of negative connotations. At its core, it means the sharing of files, and refers to perfectly legitimate services that make it possible to upload a file to a server and send the address to friends/relatives/co-workers/ family so that they may download it. The flip side of this, and the one you may see in the media the most, refers to rampant Internet piracy in which software is essentially stolen from its makers and made available to download – for free – by anyone with the knowledge of how to find it.

Flaming Ah, flaming. Many an Internet user has participated in an online forum where polite discussion of the topic at hand, whatever it might be, devolves into a mud-slinging, insult-wrangling fiasco that serves no constructive purpose. “Flaming” refers to aggressive, angry responses by other forum users to a post that results in a massive “Internet argument” breaking out, also called a “flame war”.

www.connectmag.co.za | 9

mobile connectivity //by DEON DU PLESSIS

We take a look at the gradual evolution of mobile connectivity, from its early days and low speeds right up to its current high-speed, lightning-fast incarnation.

Ever Faster We Go 10 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

r o

T

hanks to the explosive growth of cellular technology, nearly everyone on the planet has a cellphone. Each phone is packed with cutting-edge wireless communications electronics that enable it to make phone calls and access the Internet, and the vast majority of them can connect to Wi-Fi networks in homes, businesses and coffee shops.

We’re going to look at the various technologies that have made cellphones so indispensable for keeping in touch, from the humble GSM radio that makes phone calls possible, to the super-fast LTE radio that’s capable of amazingly fast downloads.

Wi-Fi If your phone doesn’t have a Wi-Fi radio, it might be time for an upgrade. Being able to access wireless home, business and airport networks from your phone is a great way to save on the costs that using a cellular network’s data would normally incur. Just be sure to only enable Wi-Fi on your phone when you need it, as it will run the battery down faster than if it was off.

TOP TIP We recommend that your phone isn’t set to automatically update its operating system or any of the apps you might have downloaded; this uses a lot of data, and can incur unexpected data charges if your phone suddenly decides to download an update while you’re on the road. Rather check for and install updates manually when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network.

GSM GSM stands for Global System for Mobile communications, and it is a standard that describes how cellular networks communicate with mobile phones. It was created so that mobile phones from different countries could talk to one another, and by 2005, 75% of the world’s cellular networks supported the standard. Competing standards include CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access).

TOP TIP If you’re travelling abroad, remember that some countries still have cellular operators that use the CDMA standard.

Unless your phone specifically supports it, you won’t be making or taking calls there. Your options are to buy a phone with CDMA compatibility (your local service provider should be able to help), or to simply rent one in your destination country for the duration of your stay.

GPRS General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a technology that GSM networks use to deliver data (not voice) to cellphones, and it’s not very fast, with a speed range of between 56kbits/s and 114kbits/s. If you remember the bad old days of 56k dial-up modems, GPRS is only slightly faster than those were. GPRS is what the bigwigs at huge companies call a “best-effort” service, meaning that sometimes it works really well and speeds are good, and other times the opposite is true, and which one you experience is pretty much a case of “pot luck”.

EDGE EDGE stands for Enhanced Data Rates for GPRS Evolution, and from the name you should correctly guess that it does the same thing GPRS does – deliver data to cellular telephones – but at a faster rate. EDGE is capable of speeds of up to 1mbits/s under perfect conditions, but usually hovers around the 400kbits/s mark under general conditions. Both EDGE and GPRS form part of GSM networks

3G 3G stands for “third generation”, and refers to a collection of technologies that allows cellular networks to send and receive data at a tremendously improved speed. 3G networks still use GSM standards for making phone calls; the advancements present in 3G technology have more to do with improved data transfer speeds that make surfing the Internet, video-conferencing and streaming much quicker.

www.connectmag.co.za | 11

mobile connectivity

UMTS UMTS, which stands for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, is a part of the IMT2000 standard set that 3G networks utilise to make better use of the available frequency spectrum, and it is because of this that 3G networks are faster than their GSM forebears. As you’ll see, there are several sub-standards within UMTS that enhance these speeds even further.

HSPA High Speed Packet Access. This family of protocols exists within the UMTS standard, and grants phones that are compatible with it ever-increasing connection speeds. HSDPA, for example, supports download speeds of up to 42mbits/s, and HSPA+ (also called “Evolved HSPA), one of the latest HSPA protocols, provides theoretical download speeds of up to a generous 168mbits/s, with a 22mbits/s upload speed. If your phone supports either of these, you should have no trouble surfing the Internet, streaming HD movies to your phone from services like YouTube, making video calls, and other tasks that usually require a lot of data to operate smoothly. Just be sure to monitor your data usage – the more you use, the faster you will eat up your data allowance and the more you’re going to pay at the end of the month for any out-of-bundle downloads.

LTE LTE is where things get interesting. It stands for Long Term Evolution, which, as its name implies, means it’s here to stay, and for a while. It’s not yet deployed in South Africa, but all of the big cell companies are trialling it in preparation for a proper rollout in 12 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

all major centres in the not too distant future. The reason you should be excited at this news is that LTE is the fastest mobile connectivity technology available today, with download speeds of up to 300mbits/s and upload speeds as fast as 75mbits/s.

The high upload speed will be particularly welcomed by people who use applications that need to send a lot of data over the air.

The last word What do all of these tech terms mean for you? Not all that much unless you’re shopping for a new cellphone.

We’ve provided these terms so you have a better understanding of what all the techspeak on most cellphone boxes actually means; basically, what you’ll be wanting is a phone that supports one of the faster protocols, or if you have a real need for speed, LTE connectivity.

Lastly, we’d like to remind you to bear in mind that LTE is not yet available in South Africa on anything more than a trial basis. Fortunately, from what we’ve heard, plans are that at least some (if not all) of our local operators are going live with their new LTE networks in December 2012, so higher-speed mobile connectivity is almost upon us.

Now, the only remaining challenge is to bring permegabyte charges down from the stratosphere they currently occupy…

Intelligent printing

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The Kodak HERO 5.1 All-in-One Printer, retail at a recommended price of R1299, is Google Cloud Print Ready and Kodak Email Print Ready, and allows consumers to print from anywhere, for less.

outh African consumers now have access to intelligent printing systems that are easy to use, and offer high quality photos and documents with the lowest average cost-per- page.

Kodak All-in-One Printers offer something very unique in the industry – high quality printing with affordable ink – backed by more than 100 years of leading Kodak Image Science.

The Kodak ESP C310 and C110 Allin-One Printer is an entry level wifi printer retailing for a recommended price of R999.

The Kodak ESP Office 2170 All-inOne Printer for the home office, offers four great functions, print, copy, scan and fax in a compact design and retails for a recommended price of R1 499.

The Kodak ESP C110 All-in-One Printer is the entry level non-wifi printer with similar features as the C310 at a recommended retail price of R799.

All Kodak All-in-One Printers use Kodak 30 Series Inks that deliver exceptional quality and cost-per-page ink value. The system uses a one size fits all philosophy across its all-in-one range, meaning they all use the same model black and colour ink cartridgesa, available in either standard or XL sizes.

High Quality Printing with Great Ink Value!

The big obstacle for home printing in South Africa has been the high cost of ink. Kodak has solved this problem by providing consumers with affordable ink that delivers long lasting, high quality photos and documents. Kodak’s proprietary pigment-based inks provide richer, more vibrant colors, and significant fade resistance and instant dry advantage over dye-based ink systems. With Kodak, consumers get crisp, sharp text documents, brilliant graphics and Kodak Lab-Quality Photos that are smudge, and water and fade resistant and last a lifetime.

Colour: R149

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back to basics //by Christo van Gemert

Tons of terabytes The very first computer hard drives were lumbering, external boxes that linked up using fat cables. Soon, they were replaced with slimmer internal models. But now we’re back to external storage – and it’s better than ever. Here’s why.

T

he advantages of internal storage are numerous. Carrying around a self-contained laptop or tablet is an obvious one, but there’s also the convenience of not tripping over cables, along with the clutter-free environment that results from that.

In fact, we’ve been moving towards smaller computing devices that are meant to do all our bidding for a while now.

The idea of carrying around a computer or phone that still needs additional attachments sounds so yesterday.

Somehow it’s not quite as backwards as that when it comes to storage. Yes, it would be a hassle to plug a hard drive into your tablet every time you want to use it.

However, what happens when you’ve filled up the 16GB or 32GB that it has as standard?

Sometimes it’s not as easy as adding a memory card. That’s where certain kinds of external storage can really change the way you use computers and access information.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s start at the beginning.

14 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

What’s in your pocket?

The most basic kind of external storage is the “throwaway” kind – the 1GB flash drives that cost very little, and are only used for temporary storage, or sharing small files.

It’s easy to have a 4GB flash drive on your keyring, with some files you have to move between home and work. After all, with limited or slow Internet connectivity, it’s not quite that easy to mail yourself huge documents or projects.

SD cards join flash drives and other memory card formats in the pocket storage category. They represent cheap and quick ways to add temporary storage to a computer, tablet, or phone, and are great for moving files between them.

There are different kinds of flash drives, too. You get the cheap and disposable 1GB or 2GB sticks, which, for less than R100, can be passed around as freely as floppy disks or CDs. Then there are the high-speed 16GB and 32GB sticks that you’d hang onto as a more permanent means of storage for larger files. These will be available with USB 3.0 compatibility, so files transfer even quicker.

Handbag bytes

You ess bee?

Universal Serial Bus, or USB, is the type of connector that most modern storage devices use.

The latest version is USB 3.0, which supports transfer speeds in excess of 400 megabytes per second. While your 16GB USB 3.0 flash drive won’t be quite that speedy, it’ll definitely benefit from being used on a USB 3.0 port. If you only have a USB 2.0 port on your computer, the connector is the same and the flash drive will operate normally – files will just transfer a little slower.

Moving up from USB flash sticks, we get portable hard drives. These are the compact hard drives – about half the size of a DVD case – that plug into your computer using a single cable, usually USB. They draw power over USB and don’t require a bulky external power brick.

What are they good for? A lot of things, it turns out. Let’s say you have an Ultrabook, one of those new laptops that are very thin and light, but only have around 120GB of onboard storage. They’ll still have USB ports, and that’s when you go and buy a 500GB or a 1TB portable hard drive to boost the storage capacity of said Ultrabook. Of course, this same scenario works for any laptop computer.

Portable hard drives can be used on the go, and the storage capacity they add affords you the ability to lug around huge amounts of music or even a few movies. If you use your laptop for work and pleasure, you can store a separate set of data on your external hard drive just to keep things neat and tidy. Think of them as big flash drives, with a more permanent storage capability. You can quickly add a huge amount of storage to your computer without taking it apart to upgrade it. www.connectmag.co.za | 15

back to basics

Desktop data

Seamless storage

If you have a home computer – one that’s on a desk, with a big monitor, a keyboard, and mouse – then you’ll know that external hard drives are dumb. After all, if you want to upgrade the storage, you can just open up the case and add a whole new 2TB or 3TB internal hard drive, right?

Yes – but also, no. There are desktop computers, such as the Apple iMac and other competing all-in-one machines that make hard drive upgrades a tricky issue. It might be simple to upgrade the internal hard drive, but there could only be a single bay. Since these machines are likely to be used for housing large amounts of data, you’ll need the ability to add storage.

That’s where desktop external drives come in.

They’re almost like portable hard drives, but they’re bulkier and have big power packs to juice them up. These drives will connect using USB, but because they’re based on faster technology, they will transfer files a lot quicker than portable solutions. They’re also available in very large capacities – 2TB, 3TB, and 4TB external drives are not uncommon.

All that external storage is perfect for a very important thing: backups. There’s a lot of space, and you can have your entire computer backed up to an external drive, after which you can store it securely, such as in a safe. It all depends on how important your data is.

External storage doesn’t end with those hard-wired dinosaurs on your desk, though. The new era of external storage is aimed at giving you access to all of your data – movies, music, photos, and backups – from any devices, and any location.

A device called a NAS (Network Attached Storage) is a special kind of computer called a network appliance. As its name implies, it is a storage device attached to the network, using wireless or wired connections to share the data to all your connected devices. A movie file stored on a NAS can be played back from a home theatre computer in the lounge, or even on a tablet while you’re lying in bed. A regular NAS will give you access to your files as if they were local drives on your computer, but even more advanced models have the ability to stream multimedia content to your Xbox or PlayStation.

Not only that, but they can be configured to automatically run backups of your computers, download files from services such as BitTorrent, and give you access to your files from the Internet.

Previously, external storage was the only way to get data into your computer, but soon it’ll be the best way to access your data outside of it.

16 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

how to //by deon du plessis

Get help with...

Windows 8 Don’t let Windows 8 turn into Windows Hate.

An extensive array of support and help options is available for Microsoft’s newest operating system – if you know where to look.

18 | connect | November 2012

W

indows 8 is finally here! Microsoft’s latest PC operating system launched late last month, and is now available internationally at prices that will surprise and delight. Whether you are upgrading an older Windows XP system for R699.95 or that new PC you purchased in July for a very respectable R125, chances are good that you’ve found yourself asking a question or two about Windows 8 to which your friends don’t know the answer.

That’s where support can help to save the day, but where to look? In this feature, we offer several ways for you to find the help you need to make the transition to Windows 8 an easy one.

From the Horse’s Mouth Calling a company for technical support is so 1999, but in this case, it’s actually quite helpful. Best of all, it’s available to anyone with a phone, and this being South Africa where we have more cellphones than we have people, that’s everyone and his dog.

If you hit any kind of snag, or you just want to chat with an official representative of Microsoft about a problem or question that’s been bugging you, pick up the phone and call 0860 2255 67.

Have your Windows 8 product code handy, as they will probably ask you for it to confirm you’re a legitimate user and not a pirate, and be prepared to navigate through quite a few automated options before you come through to a live person.

Microsoft’s Community If the answer you’re looking for isn’t anywhere to be found on support. microsoft.com, you have another option. By navigating to http://answers. microsoft.com and selecting the Windows category, you can choose from a large number of questions that members of the Microsoft community have already posted. Choose the Windows 8 category, and browse through the many questions that have already been asked and answered – chances are that if you’ve thought of something to ask, someone else has thought of it already and posted the question. What’s nice about this site is that if you can’t find your question anywhere, you can ask it yourself and someone should come back to you relatively quickly.

An Unofficial Source

If all else fails, Google it!

The Actual MS Website As is to be expected, Microsoft has an extensive array of support options on its Website. Simply point your browser to http://support.microsoft.com, click on Windows and then Windows 8 from the menu that appears. A huge selection of support categories will come up, and all you need to do is find the one that’s most relevant to your query and click on it.

If, after diligently searching through all four of these options you still don’t have a satisfactory answer to your query, you could always plug it directly into Google and follow the links that come up.

The likelyhood of others experiencing the same issues or asking the same questions are very high.

If you’re willing to venture into slightly wilder waters, another forum exists that is 100% dedicated to answering questions about Windows 8. It’s not an official Microsoft site, however, and the answers are not moderated and checked for accuracy by Microsoft employees so there is some risk to the endeavour, but it’s a great place to get feedback from people just like you who are trying to make sense of all the changes introduced by Windows 8. Head on over to http://www.eightforums.com and post your question or browse through the large number of questions that have already been asked.

www.connectmag.co.za | 19

safe money //by TIANA CLINE

Safer

Online Shopping I How to protect yourself when buying anything using the Internet.

t’s never been easier to be a virtual shopaholic. You see something online – a book, a pair of shoes and (sometimes) all it takes is one click before the desired product is on its way to you. It’s as simple as typing in your credit card details or using a banking service like PayPal… but how confident are you that your personal information is secure? Do you trust the Web? When working with online banking and payment systems, there is an option for a second layer of security.

Browser Power One new solution for protecting your online transactions is Safe Money, which is included in Kaspersky’s Internet Security 2013 anti-virus software. Essentially, Safe Money is an easy-to-use set of security utilities that protects your credit card and bank account.

One of the best Safe Money features is a protected “Safe Browser” mode which separates all of your money-related online activities from anything else you do. It also checks the authenticity of shopping sites which means that if Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 is installed on your computer, 20 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

it will recommend that the Safe Money protected browser is used when a security issue comes up.

Under the Hood

In the background, Safe Money checks an open website to make sure it’s authentic. And if all is secure, and you click in a text entry field (for a password or credit card number, say), the programme automatically pops up an on-screen, mouse-controlled virtual keyboard to help you avoid keyloggers.

Safe Money makes it easier to trust that the sites you’re shopping on are real – no matter if you’re getting groceries from Woolworths or buying a new wardrobe at Mr Price online, it’s important to get the best security and protection, not only when banking online, but for all of your other money-related Internet activities as well.

TYPE TIP A keylogger – keystroke logging – is a hardware device or software program that records real-time computer activity, including any pressed keyboard keys and combinations. This could potentially record your passwords and other private details.

C1200595

Experience colour like never before.

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socially responsible //by Tiana Cline

Social

security Spammed on Facebook? Twitter account hacked Here are some tips and tricks for safer social networking.

Password Protection You’ve heard it all before – don’t use the same password for everything, make sure your password is a combination of letters and numbers, don’t write down your passwords where someone can find them.

According to the experts at Microsoft, sharing information about yourself online – like when using a blog, Facebook or Linkedin – makes it possible for someone with less-than-noble intentions to gain access to your account. To break in, hackers simply search online for the answers to your security questions, such as your birthday, first pet or mother’s middle name. So if a site allows you to make up your own password questions, be smart and create questions and answers that cannot be found with a quick search.

Mobile apps such as mSecure and 1Password are great for storing anything from your credit card to insurance details on your phone. On your desktop or notebook, a good option is Norton Identity Safe – a free tool from anti-virus specialist Symantec.

Use Norton Identity Safe to create a single master password, then store all your login details in its secure Online Vault, which will automatically fill in these details for you when you browse.

Get it here: https://identitysafe.norton.com/

22 | connect | November 2012

Sharing is Caring Have you ever “Googled” someone? What comes up is usually their online presence – news stories they’ve commented on, online work they’ve done, popular tweets, etc. The question is, how much do you want people to know about you? And are you careful about what you share?

Sometimes, Facebook comments, tweets and photos take on a life of their own online. But it’s possible to remove them and delete your online presence. It’s important to remember that the social network is a public place, and any photo, video, e-mail, Facebook status update, tweet or blog post could eventually be seen by anyone. So while deleting a tagged photo or status update is easy, removing a sent e-mail, unfortunately, is not. However, if you’re using e-mail software (like Mail or Outlook) and realise you’ve just addressed a message to the wrong person or written something inappropriate, look immediately in the e-mail program’s Outbox folder. Take charge of your online reputation – Google yourself and begin to filter unnecessary content.

Don’t Just Click When e-mail spam comes in to say you’ve won the UK lottery, or that a mysterious donor from Jamaica is leaving his billion-dollar inheritance to you, you usually don’t click on the attachment. The same caution should be used when unusual links come in from friends on a social networking Website.

Common examples include receiving a DM (direct message) on Twitter than says you’ve been tagged in a photo, or that people are saying things about you in a post. On Facebook, stories can be posted on your timeline without your permission once your account has been hacked.

Scan Scams Protecting yourself online is also about keeping the contact details of those in your social network safe. To avoid giving away your friends’ e-mail addresses to phishers, always click “do not allow” when a social networking service offers to scan your e-mail address book.

When you join a new social network, you might receive an offer to enter your e-mail address and password to find out if your contacts– people you know – are on the same network. The site might use this information (without permission) to send e-mail messages to everyone in your contact list or even everyone you’ve ever sent an e-mail message to using that e-mail address. Always remember to read a Website’s privacy policy first…

Add-on Extras Be careful about installing any unnecessary extras.

Many social networking sites like Facebook allow you to download 3rd-party applications that let you do more with, or customise your personal page. And yes, it’s possible that your Facebook troubles stem from a rogue app that you accidentally installed or were tricked into installing. (Every Facebook app has certain permissions to your account. Some of these permissions you can modify, while others you cannot. Your best bet is to remove all the Facebook apps you find suspicious.)

Hackers can and will use these applications to steal your personal information. To download and use 3rdparty applications, take the same safety precautions you would with any other program or file that is downloaded off the Internet.

www.connectmag.co.za | 23

flashback //by Deon Du PLessis

90s

80s

Windows 3.1

Windows 95

Launched on April 6, 1992.

The successor to Windows 3.0 introduces 32-bit disc access and demands 1MB of system RAM and a minimum of an Intel 286 processor. As a result, it is more stable than Windows 3.0.

It also introduces icons that can be dragged and dropped.

Launched on August 24, 1995.

Windows 95 is a consumeroriented operating system that uses an advanced graphical interface. It introduces the concepts of a “Start button”, “desktop” and “task bar”, and provides simplified “plug and play” functionality that makes installing new devices really easy.

Windows NT Launched on July 27, 1993.

This is the first fully 32-bit version of Windows and is designed to work with a wide variety of computer hardware.

It introduces Microsoft’s NTFS file system, which supports individual files bigger than 2GB, and proves popular with big companies because of its advanced features.

Windows 1.0 Launched on November 20, 1985. Windows 1.0 is Microsoft’s first-ever operating system that uses graphical elements (as opposed to text commands) to give the computer user control over their PC.

4 object(s)

1 object(s)

Late 2000s

The history of...

Windows

We detail the most significant milestones in the evolution of Microsoft’s Windows, from its humble beginnings in 1985, to its domination of the PC desktop environment in 2012.

24 | connect | November 2012

3 object(s)

Early 2000s

Windows 2000

Windows XP

Launched on February 17, 2000.

Windows 2000 is touted by Microsoft as being the most secure version of Windows ever made, and includes support for Active Directory Services and storage fault tolerance. The OS is designed for laptops and desktops for both private and business use, as well as on servers.

Launched on October 25, 2001.

Windows XP boasts the biggest visual overhaul since Windows 95 and delivers the unique user ‘eXPerience’ that makes the OS one of Microsoft’s most popular. It is the first Microsoft OS to use activation over the Internet or by phone to help prevent piracy.

Windows 98 Launched on June 25, 1998. Better support for USB and USB devices, improved stability over Windows 95, and desktop enhancements like the Quick Launch toolbar mark Windows 98’s successful entry into the Windows lineup. The OS’ networking capabilities are greatly improved, too.

Windows ME Launched on September 14, 2000. Aimed at home users, it features an enhanced user interface that makes use of several features introduced in Windows 2000, as well as Windows Movie Maker software that gives users basic and easy-to-use video-editing tools. Due to changes made, some older utilities do not run and that, in conjunction with user perception of its instability and system bugs, leads ME to be the least successful of all Windows products.

3 object(s)

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Windows 8

Launched on January 30, 2007. Vista brings the new Aero interface to Windows, which uses 3D acceleration to make certain visual elements look prettier. It also brings a new search function and changes the Start button to a round button featuring the Windows logo, as well as a host of changes to the underlying code for many of its critical sub-systems. Its hardware requirements are quite high, which draws criticism from some quarters.

Launched on July 22, 2009. Windows 7 is a huge improvement on Vista: it performs faster, uses fewer hardware resources and offers even more security options. New to 7 is the concept of a Homegroup, a networking feature that makes it easier for computers on a home network to communicate. The Taskbar receives a visual makeover as well.

Launched on October 26, 2012. Designed to take advantage of a new generation of desktop and mobile computers, Windows 8 incorporates touch-friendly functionality in just about every aspect of its operation. It’s even faster than Windows 7 in some tasks, but its biggest change is the new Start Screen that replaces the Start button and menu with a full screen of apps and options. Windows 8 integrates with Microsoft’s new Windows Store, where thousands of apps and games can be purchased or downloaded for free.

www.connectmag.co.za | 25

what is it? //by CHRISTO VAN GEMERT

What is...

an App Store If you’ve been reading about the iTunes App Store or Google Play marketplace, and still don’t know what they are, let us take a moment to explain.

26 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

A

pp stores are centralised places for users to get software for their smartphones, tablets, and even computers. While that sums up what they are, there’s a bit more to the story.

See, back in the days when software roamed free on the vast, open plains of the Internet, it was difficult to hunt. This was before the age of ubiquitous search – so if you had a phone that supported the installation of 3rd-party software (what we now know as apps), you had to search for it the hard way. Sometimes you wouldn’t know about an app’s existence until another person who’d discovered it talked about it, or shared it.

So when Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, it approached this idea of software on mobile devices with a different view. At first, it urged developers to create Web apps.

These were Websites that could be saved as apps on the phone, and perform certain functions. Web apps were very limited.

Apple realised this, thanks to user demand, and the next version of the iPhone supported what would officially become known as apps.

Rather than having apps available from any old source, Apple chose to collect them all in a place where users could easily pay for and download them. This also gave a layer of security: everything in the app store is “official”, and has gone through a vetting process to get there. It’s the same as buying goods from a roadside vendor, versus an official outlet in a mall.

Fast-forward a few years, and they’re all the rage. There are app stores for many different platforms, and software is now more readily available than ever.

Store Directory • Apple devices – iTunes App Store • Android devices – Google Play Market • Windows Phone devices – Windows Phone Store • BlackBerry devices – BlackBerry App World • Nokia devices – Nokia Store • Samsung devices – Samsung Application Store (Android-based) • LG devices – LG Application Store (Android-based)

www.connectmag.co.za

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05003 FujiFilm Connect Mag XF1 Ad_FINAL_Paths_nc.indd 1

2012/10/01 3:29 PM

product reviews // by Deon Du PLessis

ANOTHER BUSY MONTH

Contents

W

ho can believe it’s November already? What’s so nice about the end of the year is that everybody seems to ramp up their efforts to get awesome products on the shelves, and this November is no exception!

We got to review some awesome stuff again this month, including the amazing new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, a surprisingly-good portable speaker and Nuance’s excellent Dragon Dictate 3 software. It’s good work if you can get it!

We were particularly lucky to be sent Adobe’s top-of-the-range Creative Suite 6 software, a collection of programs that make creating images for a variety of applications possible in a million artistic ways, and we’ve reviewed it for your perusal on page 34. There was a ton of info to cover, and we’ll be expanding on it all in upcoming issues.

With December knocking on our doors, we hope you’re giving thought to how you’re going to handle this year’s gift-giving season. We certainly are!

Until 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.

28 | connect | NOVEMBER 2012

30 32 34 36 38 40 42 45 53 54 55 56

First Look - Apple iPod touch First Look - Apple EarPods Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 6 Dragon Dictate 3 Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Epson Workforce Pro WP-4535 Printer DSTV Walka 7 Portable Hard Drive Roundup TomTom Start 60 GPS Shox Spin Speaker Adobe Elements 11 Accessorise!

product FIRST LOOK

Apple iPod touch 5th-gen NEED TO KNOW • Portable media player • New 4” Retina display • 16GB or 32GB of memory • Weighs just 88g Available now

The 5th generation of Apple’s iPod touch is an absolutely stunning product. On paper, that is – we haven’t been fortunate enough to snag a unit for review, but what we have seen is so awesome, we just had to share so you, too, can plot your way to organising it as a Christmas gift.

The first thing you notice about the new touch is its size: it weighs only 88g. That’s less than a slab of chocolate! The second thing is how thin it is – about half as thin as the iPhone 4S’ body. It’s not the same length, though – no, the new touch is about as tall as the iPhone 5, which is a centimetre or 2 taller than the 4S. Of course, the screen has had to grow to accommodate all the extra space the new design unlocks, and it’s now the same size as the iPhone 5’s screen, which is 4”. Apparently, Apple’s reasoning behind the tallernot-wider design decision was to allow people to continue working the interface with only one hand, as with earlier touch generations.

30 | connect | november 2012

In a first for the iPod range, Apple has taken the same approach to the device’s housing as they have to their MacBook notebooks – it has been fashioned from a single piece of aluminium, which gives it a high-quality look and feel. The 5 colours Apple has chosen for the touch – black, aluminium, red, green and blue – are also not painted on; they are chemically bonded to the metal. This “gives you a material that shows off the colour, and a colour that shows off the material”, according to Apple’s marketing-speak. The net result is a gadget that looks exceptionally advanced, not to mention expensive and pretty.

Fans of the iPhone’s Retina display technology that makes everything on-screen look so incredibly crisp and sharp (a side-effect of the high number of pixels occupying each square inch of screen) will be pleased to know that the new touch also comes equipped with a Retina display. The same amazing multi-finger touch sensitivity can be found here too.

Under the hood, the touch is powered by the same A5 dual-core processor that makes the iPhone 5 so responsive, and also has a new graphics processor that’s 7 times faster than the one in the previous generation iPod touch. The implication of this is everything you do on the iPod touch will look better and happen faster than ever before. Well, that’s the theory, anyway, although with Apple’s impressive track record, we’re confident it will prove to be true in a noticeable, real-life way.

Product

Specs

Apple iPod touch 5 th-gen

The touch’s camera systems have benefited from an overhaul as well.

Now there is a 5MP iSight camera on the back of the device with an LED flash that’s so good, you might be tempted to ditch your current point-andshoot camera. It comes with tons of useful and cool features that will make whatever you shoot look incredible.

The front-facing camera supports a resolution of 720p, which makes Face Time conversations more detailed than ever before, and the rear-facing camera with its bigger sensor can shoot video clips in 1 080p.

One of the most amazing things about the new touch is that despite the bigger screen, higher resolution, faster processor and the large amounts of graphics-processing capabilities that its slender exterior hides, Apple claims it will still play music for 40 hours and video for 8. This may not seem like much, but considering it has even less space for a battery than ever before, that’s a stunningly impressive feat.

Brand-new to the touch series is Siri, Apple’s now legendary voicerecognition service that follows voice commands. If you’re thinking the touch seems more and more like an iPhone without the phone bit, you’re not alone – we’re starting to think the same.

Another addition is a new proprietary connector that Apple calls “Lightning”. Unlike its older, bigger forebear, the Lightning connector is tiny and simply slides into the socket regardless of which way it’s being held

– there is no “wrong” way to do it. This may seem like a small concession, but we’re pretty sure this one tiny innovation will save many people a lot of irritation.

Lastly, the touch uses Apple’s new iOS6 operating system, an evolutionary step forward that refines and fine-tunes many of the features that made iOS5 so good.

So, are you drooling yet? We are. If the new iPod touch is even half as amazing in real life as it is on paper, we’re positive Apple will have another hit on its hands.

Pros

Cons

• The thinnest and lightest iPod touch yet • New Retina screen •Great battery life • Powerful graphics chip

• None that we can think of

Excitement potential

• Capacity: 16GB or 32GB • Wireless: 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 • Display: 4” widescreen Retina display with Multi-Touch IPS technology • Resolution: 1 136 x 640 at 326 pixels per inch, 800: 1 contrast, 500cd/m2 brightness • Camera: 5MP iSight camera with Autofocus and LED flash and HD video-recording, 2MP front-facing • Input and output: Lightning Connector, 3.5mm audio jack, built-in speaker, mic • Power and battery: Up to 40 hours of music playback, up to 8 hours of video • Headphones: Apple EarPods • Sensors: 3-axis gyro, accelerometer

www.connectmag.co.za | 31

product FIRST LOOK

Apple EarPods w Product

Specs

Apple EarPods • Headphones type: Earbud • In-line volume control: Yes • Noise cancelling: Yes • 1/4” adapter included: Yes • Will it cure cancer: No, but Apple wants you to think it will

NEED TO KNOW • Redesigned earphones for Apple products • Designed around a common ear-canal shape • Provide better audio and comfort than ever before ETA: Now

For years, the biggest complaint levelled against Apple products has been the truly horrible earphones that come in the box, because they have been exactly that. It wasn’t really the audio quality not being anything special that was the problem; it was that they were just so uncomfortable to wear after only a short while.

So finally, Apple decided to re-engineer their earphones, and the result of their efforts is these, the new EarPods. They look dramatically different, as they’ve been specifically engineered to fit comfortably into the largest number of people’s ear canals. Apple achieved this by launching a huge study of ear shapes, and through many, many trials eventually established a common earphone shape that would fit comfortably into the biggest number of ear canals without causing discomfort.

The new EarPods are also very durable. They are sweat- and shockresistant and will carry on working even if you are running your heart out on a treadmill at a gym, or pounding your way around an offroad track in the burning heat, all while sweating buckets. That’s what Apple says, anyway, and of course we know a few people who’d be only too happy to sue them should those claims not be true.

Comfort is one thing, and in-ear earphones staying in place when you’re moving around a lot is another. Fortunately, the new contours of the EarPods ensures they will definitely stay put even if you headbang along to your favourite song for minutes on end. That’s great news for anyone who listens to music while running or training or doing any other strenuous activity, although, to be fair to the older Apple earphones, they did a pretty good job of staying put, too, under similar circumstances.

32 | connect | november 2012

The insides of the EarPods have also been given a makeover, and Apple has put considerable effort into improving their acoustics. By using both rigid and flexible materials in the construction of the EarPods’ diaphragm (the bit in any speaker that produces the sound you hear), Apple’s engineers claim to have reduced sound loss while at the same time boosting sound output, resulting in much better audio quality than was previously available in the older earphones.

They also added several acoustic vents to each EarPod to improve the quality of the bass by providing a way for the air inside to escape. Apple is so pleased with the EarPods that they openly claim in their marketing materials that they “rival high-end headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more”.

The way the PR people go on about it all, you’d think these were the best in-ear earphones ever made, and that’s probably the point – that’s what you’re supposed to think. Here at Connect, we’re a little more sceptical when it comes to such claims. We’re just glad Apple finally chose to do something about the one thing we’ve hated about their products for a long time now, and we look forward to hearing for ourselves just how much of these overly-elaborate measures have improved on the listening experience.

Pros

Cons

• Apple has FINALLY overhauled their awful earphones • More comfortable for more people to wear for longer • Acoustic vents enhance sound quality

• Could be a whole lot of hot air

Excitement Potential

© 2012 Kaspersky Lab ZAO. All rights reserved. Registered trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

I don’t want to know whether people can access my personal data, i just want to know it’s locked down.That’s why I use Kaspersky Internet Security. www.kaspersky.co.za

www.kasperskyafrica.com www.phoenixsoftware.co.za Tel No: 0861 746 3649

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product reviews

Adobe Creative Suite 6 NEED TO KNOW • Completely rewritten with 64-bit support • Tons more features in every application • New pricing/licensing options • Much more suitable to digital content production Available on request

Adobe is the undisputed leader in software for the creative professional. But don’t take our word for it – ask a photographer, graphic designer, layout artist or web/mobile web developer what their feelings on Creative Suite are, and there’s a very good chance they won’t stop singing the software’s praises.

That is, of course, until it comes to discussing the price. CS6 is not what you’d call cost-effective. Adobe is able to charge what it does for the suite because most of the core components it contains – Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and, of course, Acrobat – are the best offerings in their respective disciplines.

34 | connect | November 2012

Connect got a chance to play with the Master Collection, the version of the suite that comes with close to every bell and whistle available. And it was super-impressive. New features (too numerous to go into great detail about) have been included across the board.

Some of the applications have had interface facelifts. The most important change, however, is the 64-bit support CS6 now enjoys. That means the suite is able to make much better use of operating system enhancements, newer processor technologies that have come to the fore over the past year or two and – when it comes to truly heavy tasks, such as those Photoshop is partial to – big main memory volumes.

Unlike some of the previous iterations of Creative Suite that had numerous creative professionals questioning the value for money offered

by Adobe and weighing up whether an upgrade was, in fact, necessary, CS6 takes some giant leaps forward. And that should leave the question of value well behind.

Applications in the Master Collection – the proverbial ‘big daddy’ of CS6 bundles – include Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash

related

products

Adobe Photoshop Elements 11

The ‘lite’ version of the benchmark photo retouching application, Elements has some fantastic new features that allow it to compete quite competently with other consumer-focused imaging applications out there.

Professional, Flash Builder 4.6 Premium Edition, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Acrobat X Pro for Creative Suite, Bridge, Adobe Audition, SpeedGrade, Prelude, Encore, and Media Encoder.

The Master Collection isn’t for everyone, though. Adobe has 3 other bundles – Design Standard, Design and Web Premium, and Production Premium – that have subsets of the applications included in Master Collection for a more suitable price.

Design Standard is the entry-level (and most popular) offering, bundling together Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat X Pro, Bridge, and Media Encoder.

One step up from there, most notably Design and Web Premium, adds Photoshop Extended to the product mix of Standard, but also Flash Professional, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks.

Production Premium is a little different. It comes with Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Flash Professional, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Acrobat X Pro for Creative Suite, Bridge, Adobe Audition, SpeedGrade, Prelude, Encore, and Media Encoder.

You might have picked up that some bundles include Photoshop, while others include Photoshop Extended. Extended is differentiated by the inclusion of additional tools that assist in the creation and editing of 3D visuals. Other than that, they’re virtually identical.

While there’s a ton of new features in Photoshop (over 60% of the features are brand-new), the biggest bonus for us is the speed boost. This stems from Adobe’s new 64-bit Mercury Graphics Engine, which benefits from the presence of a decent 3D graphics card.

With InDesign, there aren’t quite as many differences. The ones that are there are fantastically useful, though. Our favourite is ‘Alternate Layouts’, which, as the name suggests, allows for layout artists to easily reflow content for different form factors and mediums.

A great example of this is porting a 2-page magazine spread for viewing on an iPad. The artist simply selects “iPad” from the ‘Alternate Layout’ menu and immediately the right dimensions are set up for the new design and all of the content is copied into that workspace. It doesn’t quite do all of the work, but it simplifies things somewhat.

Rounding things out, Illustrator hasn’t seen a great deal of enhancements, but the changes that have been made to it are worthwhile.

Our favourite new Illustrator feature is the upgraded image-tracing engine. It allows illustrators and artists to turn practically any image into vector art in just a few seconds – and then convert it to a pattern to reuse in other projects – with plenty of options for the final output. It’s crazyfast and accurate, which is just what the doctor ordered.

As you can imagine, we’d need multiple pages to list every single enhancement and change to the products in the suite. So, instead, we’ll be taking a closer look at the core applications in isolation over the coming issues of Connect.

Keep your eyes peeled for those reviews.

Pros

Cons

• New features make CS6 Adobe’s best offering to date • Performance enhancements save time • The new focus on digital content creation is great, considering thesmartphone/tablet era

• As always, price is a contentious issue

Overall rating

Adobe Photoshop Touch for iPad

It’s right there in the name – a version of Photoshop for iPad. It’s by no means the fully-functional software available as part of the CS6 suite, but there are some nice retouching options that allow you to survive while on the road.

perfect companions

Alienware M17x Gaming Notebook The M17x’s Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and Solid State hard drive will prove invaluable when it comes to the processing needed to make the most of Adobe’s software.

www.connectmag.co.za | 35

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product reviews

perfect companions

Dragon Dictate 3 NEED TO KNOW • Software that converts spoken words to text • Very accurate out the box • Can cut down on writing time quite dramatically • Great for creative writers who type slowly From R2 499.95

Logitech H555 Headset This USB headset works brilliantly with communications software, games, music and movies, plus it folds up easily for convenient transport.

Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student This package includes the basic document-creation programs home users and students will find most useful: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

Dragon Dictate 3 is Nuance’s latest dictation software for Mac OS, and it offers users the chance to save a lot of time by capturing their speech and transcribing it to text. Version 3 offers better out-the-box accuracy which improves even further the more you use it.

When you first run Dragon Dictate you will be prompted to train the software using your voice. The initial voice training process involves reading a block of text to teach the software the nuances of how you speak. You will also need to pronounce the punctuation you are using so the software knows how to structure your sentences.

The training process includes a recommendation that you speak in a fairly measured voice in order to ensure better accuracy. There are a few options when it comes to training the software. The first is to do additional voice training using more text that becomes increasingly complex as you progress. You can also upload your own text to teach the software about your writing style and add specific terms and phrases which you use to ensure better accuracy when you dictate those.

It is definitely a good idea to buy a decent headset microphone and, although Nuance provides one in the box, the Logitech H555 Headset we used during testing produced even better results and thus is highly recommended.

We were pleased to note that the software’s accuracy is pretty good outof-the-box. That said, voice training is vital if you want the best accuracy, and you should also take the time to complete the tutorials and learn the various commands which you can use to correct errors in the transcription as you go. We picked up on a bug in Mac OS or, more specifically, an issue which arises when Dragon Dictate runs on Mac OS when AutoCorrect and TextExpander are both enabled in Mac OS. For some reason these 2 options conflict with Dragon Dictate and the most effective solution appears to be disabling both while using Dragon Dictate. If you don’t do this, you may encounter a number of transcription errors when using common applications like Microsoft Word, Apple Mail and other applications with text interfaces.

36 | connect | November 2012

The bottom line with Dragon Dictate, as with any voice recognition software, is that you need to use it fairly often and train it to recognise your voice that much better. The more you use Dragon Dictate, the more accurate it becomes.

We compared Dragon Dictate 3 to the voice dictation software that ships with Mountain Lion, Apple’s latest desktop and notebook operating system and Mountain Lion’s results were fairly accurate in comparison. The one big difference is that Mountain Lion’s dictation software sends your voice recordings to the cloud for processing whereas Dragon Dictate processes your dictation right there on your computer.

As we write for a living, using Dragon Dictate 3 showed us just how much time can be saved by talking instead of physically typing everything out, especially once its accuracy improves after training and regular use. If you find that you have a fair amount of writing to do on an on-going basis Dragon Dictate is very easy to recommend as a first choice.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • CPU: Intel-based Mac computer (2.2GHz Intel Core2 Duo processor or greater recommended) • Storage: 4GB Hard Drive Space • Supported Operating Systems: OS X Lion (10.7) or OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) • RAM: 2GB and above recommended • Optical Drive: A DVD-ROM drive for installation • Headset: A Nuance-approved noise-cancelling headset microphone for Mac (included in purchase).

• Note: An Internet connection is required for automatic product activation (a quick anonymous process).

Pros

Cons

• Impressive accuracy • Gets more accurate with regular use • Cuts down on typing time

• Mountain Lion’s own dictation app is pretty good and it’s free with the OS • Enabling AutoCorrect and TextExpander conflicts with Dragon • Not a cheap solution

Overall rating

Dell recommends Windows® 7.

Share great memories from unforgettable trips.

Relive your fun together with an immersive multimedia experience.

Dell Inspiron 15RSE

Dell Inspiron 17RSE

Recommended Retail Price

Recommended Retail Price

• Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM Processor • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64BIT) • 15.6” FHD (1366X768) WLED TrueLife Display • 8192MB (2x4096) 1600MHz DDR3 Memory • 1TB SATA (5400RPM) Hard Drive • 2GB AMD Radeon HD 7730M Graphics Card • FREE McAfee SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription • 3 Year On-site Warranty

• Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM Processor • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64BIT) • 17.3” 3D FHD (1080p) LED TrueLife Display (Includes 3D Glasses) • 8192MB (2x4096) 1600MHz DDR3 Memory • 2x 750GB SATA (5400RPM) Hard Drive + 32G mSATA3 SSD • 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 650M (3D) Graphics Card • FREE McAfee SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription • 3 Year On-site Warranty

Colour: Moon Aluminium

Colour: Moon Aluminium

R13 999.95 Incl. Vat

R19 999.95 Incl. Vat

Buy a Windows 7 PC and get Windows 8 Pro for R125.00*. * Offer valid June 2, 2012 through January 31, 2013, for complete details visit http://windowsupgradeoffer.com

3rd gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor.

Dell.co.za/Inspiron Now available at you nearest Dell retailer.

Prices and specifications are correct at date of publication and may change without notice. Dell, the Dell logo, and Inspiron are trademarks of Dell Inc. Microsoft, Windows, Windows 7 and the Windows 7 logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Ultrabook, Celeron, Celeron Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom, Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon, Xeon Phi, and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. For more information about the Intel processor feature rating, please refer to www.intel.com/go/rating. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the trademarks or trade names of other entities used to refer to them or their products. Copyright 2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Dell Computers (PTY) Ltd. P.O. Box 71170, Bryanston, 2021, South Africa. E&OE

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5

product reviews

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 NEED TO KNOW • Samsung’s iPad killer • Thin, light chassis • Crisp HD display • Built-in digitiser for note-taking/sketching • 21Mbps wireless broadband connectivity R7 999.95

Apple is the dominant player in tablets today, but the numerous extras available with the Samsung 10.1” Galaxy Note could change that.

The Galaxy Note is thinner and lighter than the iPad, measuring just 9mm thick and tipping the scales at 600g. It has impressive stereo speakers set into either ends of its body, and boasts a high-quality look and feel. It also sports an interesting party piece – a digitiser pen that’s the direct result of Samsung’s collaboration with stylus and digitiser guru Wacom.

Apart from the obvious ability to transform a tablet into a great notetaking device, the S-Pen – Samsung’s name for the digitiser – is great for sketching and doing other artsy things with your tablet. It might not seem like an important differentiator, but after a couple of hours of using 38 | connect | November 2012

the S-Pen, you realise what’s been missing from other tablets.

Yes, there are 3rd-party stylus-type pens available for the iPad. But they’re really kludgy and lack the precision offered by the fine-nibbed S-Pen. The S-Pen is also pressure-sensitive, meaning – just as a pen or pencil would in the real world – it has the smarts to sense how hard the user is pressing and adapt results by making lines and hand-written text darker or thicker.

The side button is programmable and is great for either switching between virtual nibs (like a pencil and eraser) in some applications, or quickly launching other applications or features. And because the Note 10.1 can tell the difference between a fingertip and the S-Pen, you can use it without worrying about resting part of your hand on the touchsensitive surface and confusing matters even further.

To show off the pen’s features, Samsung ships the Note 10.1 with a handful of free applications that demonstrate the full usefulness of having a digitiser handy.

Apart from the S-Pen, the 10.1 has one other trick up its sleeve.

Samsung has always included a microSD slot for increasing the amount of available flash in their tablets, and the Note 10.1 is no exception.

With 64GB memory cards for cameras and other portable devices

related

products

New iPad

beginning to hit an affordable price range, the Note 10.1’s support of microSD cards is a real bonus. Imagine 32GB worth of internal storage, coupled with 64GB of added storage, and one additional card in your bag, just in case you need it. That’s a pretty cool feature.

So is it an iPad killer? Well, that depends on what you want to use it for. The iPad is all about media consumption, so if you want to look at pictures and other visual media in stunning life-like detail, right now it’s in a league of its own.

The Note 10.1 just doesn’t deliver the goods in the resolution department to compete with Apple’s offering. For most folks, however, the Note 10.1’s 1 280 x 800- pixel display will be more than enough.

Pictures look good, web pages are crisp and legible, and 720p videos are just stunning on the Note’s screen.

Throw in a quad-core processor for decompressing high-resolution videos and the microSD card slot for expanding memory, and the Note 10.1 gains even more credit with movie and music buffs.

So, if you’re after pure visuals, get an iPad. But if you’re looking for a more versatile device that can be used for real note-taking and other forms of content creation, the Note 10.1 (32GB Wi-Fi and 3G) is a great choice.

The benchmark in tablets, the new iPad’s party piece is its ridiculously crisp Retina display and extremely polished iOS ecosystem.

Extremely high quality in its build and iconic in its design, it’s no surprise it’s a firm favourite.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 1.4GHz dual core processor • Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system • HSPA+ 21Mbps wireless broadband • 32GB built-in memory, expandable through microSD • 10.1” 1 280 x 800 screen • 3-megapixel rear camera • 2-megapixel front camera • 7 000mAh Li-Ion battery Pros

Cons

• Thin, light device with great build quality • Crisp, 720p screen • Includes a digitiser pen for notetaking and sketching • Expandable storage • Fast 3G

• It’s not an iPad • Android 4.0 not quite as polished as iOS • A little pricey

Overall rating

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Essentially a Note without the pen, this is a truly beautiful option to consider. If you’re unlikely to be taking notes and drawing, it’s a great media consumption device.

www.connectmag.co.za | 39

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5

product reviews

perfect companions

Epson Workforce Pro WP-4535 DWF Belkin Play N750 DualBand Router Don’t underestimate the usefulness of a wireless network in your home or business. This one from Belkin covers a large area and has 2 USB ports for a printer and USB drive.

HP Envy 4 Ultrabook Be the envy of your work colleagues with this stylish Ultrabook from HP. It even has a full-sized Ethernet port for easy wired connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Samsung’s latest Galaxy Tab 2 is a beauty – at 10.1” wide, its screen is huge, and impressive capacitive touchscreen technology and a fast processor translate into fast responses to your touches.

NEED TO KNOW • Fast office inkjet printer • Prints, scans, copies and faxes • Wi-Fi and Ethernet network connectivity • Prints from e-mail, directly to the Cloud, and from mobile devices R2 999.95

If you’re a business owner and are looking for a fast, reliable printer that can do anything an office printer should be able to do, we’re confident you’ll find a lot to like in this particular model from Epson.

Our experience with the WP-4535 started off really well with an easy installation process that took less than 15 minutes to complete, including software. Installing the cartridges was also a no-brainer as there is only one way to insert them. The cartridges themselves are quite large in size, indicating a decent potential page yield. We must point out, though, that the ones that come with the printer are only “starter” cartridges that have a lower yield than the ones consumers are expected to replace them with.

The WP-4535 has both Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, so you’re free to set it up whichever way is most convenient. Ethernet is the easiest as all it requires is to plug a network cable into the printer, but even going with Wi-Fi isn’t difficult as you can set it up through the printer’s setup software. If neither option suits, you can always connect to it directly using USB. By default, the printer beeps every time you press a button on its control panel, which we quickly turned off as it became annoying after only a few presses. We were pleased with the simplicity of the control panel interface and liked that the LCD screen is clear and the buttons are laid out in an intuitive manner.

The WP-4535 has 2 paper trays, one at the front, and one at the rear, with a paper capacity of 330 sheets. An automatic document feeder (ADF) sits atop the printer that makes scanning and copying multi-page documents convenient. Duplex printing and copying – printing on both sides of each sheet of paper – is also possible.

Speed-wise, the WP-4535 is very impressive. We managed to get the full 16 pages per minute in black, and colour documents came out at a rate of 11 pages per minute. It doesn’t take long for the first page to appear, either, and we got a definite sense of urgency from the printer every time a job started – when printing, it sounds like it’s anxious to get you your

40 | connect | november 2012

documents as fast as it possibly can.

To test Epson Connect, we mailed the WP-4535 a Word document as an attachment, and both the e-mail and the Word document printed within seconds of pressing Send. We scanned documents to “the Cloud” (in this case, Dropbox) right from the control panel and managed to print from an Android smartphone and tablet by downloading the Epson iPrint app. It was all incredibly easy to do, as well, so kudos to Epson.

The WP-4535’s build is the only thing we didn’t really like. Parts of the printer (the ADF and paper output tray in particular) feel like they are made of brittle plastic that might not stand up to the odd bump. Overall, though, we were very impressed with the WP-4535’s performance and functionality and are happy to recommend it as the replacement for whatever you’re currently using for your office document needs.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Technology: Epson Micro Piezo drop-on-demand inkjet technology • Print speeds: Up to 16ppm (black), 11ppm (colour) • Maximum duty cycle: Up to 20 000 pages • Recommended monthly volume: 500 to 1 600 pages • Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet • Paper handling: 330-sheet paper capacity, Automatic Document Feeder, 150-page output tray • Fax speed: Up to 33.6kbps • Duplex printing: Yes • Power consumption: 19W (operating), 9.5W (Ready), 3.8W (Sleep), 0.3W (Off) • Regular cartridge page yield: 1 200 (black), 800 (colour) • XL cartridge yield: 2 400 (black), 2 000 pages (colour) Pros

Cons

• Fast print speeds in colour and black • Epson Connect adds useful functionality • Easy setup procedure • Lots of connectivity options

• The build quality is not very sturdy

Overall rating

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5

product reviews

related

products

DStv Drifta Mobile Decoder

This tiny decoder converts DStv’s DVB-H signal into a Wi-Fi signal so you can watch DStv on your iPod, iPhone, iPad, PC or Mac.

DStv iDrifta

Simply plug the iDrifta into your Apple gadget and watch TV on it without messing around with Wi-Fi.

perfect companions

Sennheiser HD205 Headphones Enjoy high-quality audio and the privacy afforded you by your own headphones connected to your Walka 7 with Sennheiser’s excellent HD205s.

DStv Walka 7 NEED TO KNOW • New Walka with a bigger screen • Get mobile access to 13 channels • No extra subs costs to DStv Premium subscribers R899.95

Earlier this year, MultiChoice launched the first Walka, a handheld device that resembled a very small tablet or cellphone, on which viewers could watch a selection of channels. At only 3½ inches , the Walka’s screen was tiny, rendering onscreen text illegible and providing a solid, but not particularly impressive, viewing experience. So when we heard of the launch of the new 7” Walka, aptly called the Walka 7, we were keen to see if MultiChoice had finally nailed the formula.

First impressions were good – the Walka 7 is a very well-crafted device with a pleasant heft and solid feel that speaks volumes about its overall build quality. There are a few buttons arranged around its top right corner, and these are for turning it on and off, changing channels, and adjusting the volume. Everything feels good, too, like buttons won’t break even after many moons of use. The only bit we were concerned about was the aerial, as it is quite flimsy and feels like it might bend or break if bumped or pulled too hard. Fortunately, it’s a telescope aerial and easily collapses back into the Walka 7’s housing when not in use.

We were very happy with the picture quality as it’s sharp and colours are good. There was no ghosting in fast-moving scenes, either. So, overall, the Walka is a very, very watchable device. Sound isn’t fantastic, but it’s not utterly awful either thanks to the device’s tiny 1.5W stereo speakers.

We did notice that plugging headphones into the Walka 7 resulted in the best listening experience, though, making the speakers the best choice only when more than 1 person is trying to watch at a time.

Battery life is about 6 hours between charges, which is twice that of the original Walka. Inside the box, you’ll find a USB cable for charging, a stand for convenient viewing, and a USB charger. The stand works particularly well, keeping the Walka 7 at just the right angle for viewing on a desk.

MultiChoice has given Walka 7 customers the option of 3 bouquets to choose from. The 1st is the completely free e-mobile package, which includes eNews, SuperSport Blitz, CNNi, and Channel O. The 2nd costs

42 | connect | november 2012

R49 per month and includes everything in the e-mobile package as well as SuperSport 1, 2, 3, 4, AfricaMagic, M-Net Series Mobile, Sony Max, Disney XD, and Discovery. The last bouquet is free to all DSTV Premium subscribers (as in there is no additional monthly charge) and comes with everything in the previous bouquets as well as M-NET Mobile.

If wanting to purchase the Walka 7, you’ll need to bring along a valid TV licence, just like you would if you wanted to buy a regular TV. When you get it home, you’ll need to link it to your existing DStv account by going through MultiChoice’s call centre. You should also know that not all areas of the country are covered – DStv’s mobile offerings are only available in the country’s major metropolitan areas, so be sure to check online whether your area is covered before you buy.

The Walka 7 is a solid evolution of the original Walka, and its low price and multi-tiered bouquet offerings make it a pretty compelling buy and a fantastic gift for the TV lover in your life.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 7” screen @ 800 x 400 • 2 x 1.5W speakers • Stand included in the box • e.mobile (Free): eNews, SuperSport Blitz, CNNi, Channel O • DStv Mobile (R49 per month): SuperSport 1, 2, 3, 4, AfricaMagic, M-Net Series Mobile, Sony Max, Disney XD, Discovery, plus all channels in the e.mobile package • DStv Mobile for Premium subscribers (free to Premium subscribers): All channels in the DStv Mobile package, plus M-Net Mobile

Pros

Cons

• Good picture quality • Solidly-built product • Nice bouquet selection

• Weak aerial • Not all of SA is covered • No TV licence, no Walka 7

Overall rating

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product roundup

Pocket-sized

Storage

There is no such thing as “too much storage”, and that’s what makes 2.5” portable hard drives such brilliant gadgets to have around.

We’ve rounded up 4 drives that are available today in an effort to show you what each one offers.

Owning a portable hard drive is a must in today’s media-rich world, especially if you’re not tethered to a deskbound PC, and you have a lot of friends with whom you enjoy sharing your movies, music and photos.

With hard drive technology being where it is –stable, reliable and fairly fast – you might have asked what the differences between all of the available drives are, and whether they’re varied enough to justify buying one drive over another. It might have occurred to you that it’s wisest to simply choose the biggest one that suits your budget best and be done with it – after all, isn’t the number of gigabytes a drive can hold more important than any frilly extras the manufacturers can throw in?

As is the case with a lot of technology, the answer is both yes and no, with the absolute final answer depending on what you are going to be doing with that portable hard drive. If all you want is a drive on which to store a few movies and music files so that your drive-less media player has a source of data, then yes, how fast the drive is and how many

By Deon du Plessis

extras it has won’t be important. If, however, you transfer a lot of HD video footage between computers and are looking for a quick drive with which to do it (and a network isn’t a practical solution), then both speed and capacity are going to be important considerations.

If you’re willing to wait a bit for your files to copy, but need backup and security software to ensure your data is never accessed by unauthorised parties, then you’ll want a big drive with that sort of software thrown in, with speed not as much of a concern. Lastly, you may want to use the drive with your Mac’s FireWire port or Intel’s new-fangled Thunderbolt ports, in which case multiple connectors become of interest.

So you see, with such a diverse range of needs to fill, very few portable hard drives will satisfy every requirement. We invite you to sit back, relax and read through the roundup we’ve put together for you this month, in which we look at 4 of the 2.5” portable hard drives that are available for purchase.

www.connectmag.co.za | 45

product roundup

Seagate Backup Plus 1TB About

The Backup Plus is a pleasant-looking 2.5” portable hard drive that has a whole Terabyte of storage space. For those not in the know, that’s 1 000 gigabytes of data which, for a portable hard drive, is a respectable amount of space. It uses a USB 3.0 connector to hook up to your PC or Mac, is formatted for Windows out the box but, thanks to a clever driver that lets Macs read the NTFS file system, it also works on Macs without needing a reformat. It’s available in a range of bright colours to satisfy the desire to own technology that isn’t boring-looking.

working with should you have several multi-coloured Backup Plus drives connected.

Get it if:

If you believe your future needs will include connecting to computers that use transfer standards like FireWire or Thunderbolt, this is a great option. It’s also brilliant for people who want to back up their online photos and would like to make uploading videos to YouTube an even easier process than it already is. It’s particularly well-suited to people who need a highcapacity but physically compact drive for general backups.

What makes it unique?

The ability to use different adapters (sold separately) to connect to computers using FireWire or Intel’s new Thunderbolt port is an important differentiator. Seagate has made it incredibly easy to simply unplug one adapter and snap another in, which makes the drive extremely flexible for use in just about any situation. Although additional adapters will cost you more, it’s a good trade-off in the long term.

It also lets you back up the photos you’ve uploaded to Facebook, share photos stored on the drive to Flickr and Facebook, and even upload videos directly to YouTube. It wouldn’t be a “Backup Plus” drive without backup software, and Seagate has included its own Seagate Dashboard software that allows you to perform backups. Interestingly, the Seagate Dashboard also reflects the colour of the connected drive, making it easy to see which drive you’re 46 | connect | November 2012

Don’t get it if:

This one isn’t for you if you won’t ever need to change the connector type on your portable hard drive, and USB 3.0 is fast enough for your needs. Ignore it if you don’t care about backups and just want a basic drive for the storage of files that you won’t mind losing, or are single-use files like videos for viewing on a drive-less media player that’s hooked up to your TV. R1 699.95

Cipher Wave Fusion 3 1TB About

This drive is a fairly standard 2.5” hard drive from a functionality perspective. It has a USB 3.0 interface so it’s quite fast. It also has LED indicator lights to show you when power is on and when there is activity on the drive, and it’s enclosed in an aluminium casing that makes it rather durable. It has a decent amount of storage space at 1TB. It comes with CipherArchive backup software and a 1-year warranty. If that warranty seems a bit short, you’ll be happy to know it can be extended to 3 years by registering it on the CipherWave Website within 7 days of purchase. Both PCs and Macs will be able to use it, and a set of drivers and utilities come with it that make it easy to update the drive’s firmware and format it into your preferred file system.

This is a drive for people who might not be as soft on their tech as others. With its rugged exterior and aluminium case, the CipherWave Fusion 3 should be able to last under a more casual approach to gadget-care. If you’re into media and carrying around big files, the Terabyte of storage space will provide plenty to be happy about, and, of course, USB 3.0 provides a good data transfer rate, as it does with the other drives in the roundup.

It’s also a great way to support a local company, and the warranty, while not the longest in the roundup is long enough that you might replace the drive with something newer before you’re no longer covered.

What makes it unique?

Reasons not to get it:

CipherWave is a proudly South African company that produces a range of IT-related products.

The Fusion 3 drive is assembled here, too, so it’s not just another foreign import (although the actual hard drive itself is from Western Digital). It’s also the only drive in the roundup that comes with its own handy carry-bag.

The guys at CipherWave have put a lot of care and attention to detail into the design, giving the Fusion 3 a rugged appearance as well as a fair amount of durability and resistance to knocks and drops. For those who like to mix it up with a splash of colour, the drive is available in a range of hues: Executive Black, Indigo Blue, Satin Red, iPod White, Chequered, and Pink.

Don’t choose this drive if your needs are not served by 1TB of storage, a rugged exterior or a warranty that’s shorter than 5 years. It’s also not recommended if you require security software directly from the manufacturer that encrypts and protects your data.

Reasons to get it:

R1 599.95

www.connectmag.co.za | 47

product roundup

Verbatim Store ‘n Go SuperSpeed USB 3.0 500GB About

This drive is perhaps the most ordinary of the drives in this roundup. All it really has to offer is its USB 3.0 interface, 500GB of storage capacity and a slick design. That may not seem like a lot, but should be enough to attract buyers with basic needs. It’s formatted with FAT32 so that it works with both PCs and Macs, but of course that means you’ll not be able to copy files bigger than 2GB to the drive until it’s formatted with NTFS, as that’s a limitation of the FAT32 file system.

as opposed to the retailer you bought it from to get that warranty honoured.

Reasons to get it:

This is ideal if your storage needs aren’t complicated, and you’re just looking for a basic but USB 3.0-compatible portable hard drive that will let you back up your data or simply use it as a storage mechanism for non-essential data. It’s also a great buy if you’re suspicious of the overall quality of storage devices and want the peace of mind that comes with Verbatim’s impressive 7-year limited warranty.

What makes it unique?

Verbatim ships this drive with a number of software packages that add a bit of value to its otherwise unremarkable offering. Included is Nero’s BackItUp & Burn Essentials software, a full backup suite that lets you choose what to back up and to set a schedule, as well as restore files from previous backups. There is even an encryption option that password-protects your backups so only authorised users can access them.

Then there’s Verbatim’s “Green Button” energy-saving software that lets you manually put the drive into a low-power state when you don’t need it so that it uses less electricity. Lastly, there is a Verbatim-designed utility called Formatter that lets you easily format the drive with the file system that suits your needs. All software is Windows-only, however.

Of most interest is perhaps Verbatim’s incredible 7-year limited warranty that you’ll find no other storage product in this roundup offering. That means if the drive fails within 7 years, you’ll get support from Verbatim. Just be aware that you may need to deal directly with them 48 | connect | November 2012

Reasons not to get it:

If you want a drive that offers a bit more versatility on its connectivity, and software that does more than simply help you perform backups and formats, this hard drive won’t be suitable.

Also, don’t get it if the Green Button software sounds a bit gimmicky, with limited usefulness – after all, the power and money you’ll save in the long term by keeping the drive in a lowpower state when not in use is so low as to be negligible. Plus, even if doing that extends the drive’s lifespan (which it should), it’ll probably be replaced long before it breaks anyway.

R999.95

WD My Passport 500GB About

The My Passport external drives are Western Digital’s premium portable storage devices.

They’re designed to look good, are available in a range of capacities from 500GB all the way up to 2TB, and, in short, they are brilliant drives for the cash.

This one is the entry-level My Passport drive, with only 500GB of storage. It’s another USB 3.0 drive so it’s pretty fast, and it comes with a selection of software from Western Digital that makes owning and using it quite simple.

It comes pre-formatted with NTFS, so Mac users will need to format the drives before they can use it.

What makes it unique?

The look and feel of the drive set it apart right off the bat. It’s very nicely built, and feels solid and chunky to hold. The software Western Digital has provided on the drive include WD Utilities and WD Security, which are handy programs that let you format it and monitor the drive’s condition as well as manage the drive’s security features. Both programs are compatible with Windows and Mac OS X. WD Backup provides a Windows-only program that lets users choose the files and folders they’d like to back up. It can also be put into an “automatic” mode that backs up important data as it is being used, and that’s probably the easiest solution.

Being able to protect your backed-up data with password protection and hardware-level encryption using WD Security is just the icing on an already-delicious cake. It’s a great way

to ensure nobody else can access your sensitive information without your password. Just be aware that if you forget the password, there is no way to reset or unlock the drive and your data will forever be unavailable.

Reasons to get it:

This drive is great if you like your portable storage device to look and feel good in your hand, you have a USB 3.0 port on your computer that you’d like to make use of, and your storage needs are served by a 500GB drive. The My Passport drive oozes style and high quality from a looks perspective alone and is thus highly recommended if how your technology appears to others is important. It’s also a great option if securing whatever you’ve backed up with passwords and encryption is important.

Reasons not to get it:

If 500GB isn’t enough storage space for you, how your drive looks is unimportant, and security features aren’t a priority, don’t get this hard drive. It’s also not a great buy if you want to connect using something other than USB. R999.95

www.connectmag.co.za | 49

product roundup

E di t Choor ’s ice

Of all the drives in the roundup, Seagate’s Backup Plus stood out as the best buy of the lot. It’s the interchangeable adapters that sold us on it, as that provides a level of versatility the other drives simply couldn’t match, even though the adapters are an additional cost. But the Backup Plus is also big on space at 1TB, and in storage terms, more is definitely better.

It can be hard to separate portable hard drives from each other when it comes down to the reasons for owning them and the ways they can be used, but this one offers so much versatility that we’d choose it over any of the others. But that’s us; your needs may be different.

The beauty of modern product development is that no matter which one of these drives you like best, you will always get a certain amount of use, functionality and value from your choice. Just evaluate your needs carefully and let that guide you to the portable hard drive that will give you the best value for your cash. For us, that is definitely Seagate’s Backup Plus 1TB.

Quick look...

Seagate Backup Plus 1TB

Cipher Wave Fusion 3 1TB

• Capacity: 1TB • Price: R1 699.95 • Cache: 32MB • Drive: SATA – Hi-speed • External power: Provided via USB cable • Interface: USB 3.0 (default), FireWire and Thunderbolt through addon adapters • Warranty: 2 years

• Capacity: 1TB • Price: R1 599.95 • Cache: 64MB • Drive: SATA – Hi-speed, 7200RPM • External power: Provided via USB cable • Interface: USB 3.0 • Warranty: 1 year, extendable to 3 years by registering with CipherWave within 7 days of purchase

50 | connect | November 2012

Verbatim Store ‘n Go SuperSpeed USB 3.0 500GB • Capacity: 500GB • Price: R999.95 • Cache: 32MB • Drive: SATA – Hi-speed • External power: Provided via USB cable • Interface: USB 3.0 • Warranty: 7 years limited

Western Digital My Passport • Capacity: 500GB • Price: R999.95 • Cache: 32MB • Drive: SATA – Hi-speed • External power: Provided via USB cable • Interface: USB 3.0 • Warranty: 2 years

product reviews

TomTom Start 60 GPS NEED TO KNOW • GPS with a huge 6” screen • Over 60 voices to choose from, including Afrikaans • Free daily map updates R2 499.95

TomTom’s Start 60 turned out to be a lot less of an entry-level GPS and more of a product that does everything you might need a GPS to do, a surprise given the name. It’s not TomTom’s most cutting-edge device as it lacks the company’s excellent HD Traffic service, but what it has is easily enough to make it the GPS of choice for a budget-conscious buyer who doesn’t want to pay a premium but still wants a competent navigation device.

For starters, the design of the Start 60 is about as good as we’ve seen from TomTom. It’s made of a sturdy plastic with a matte finish that feels good to touch, and the mounting bracket is a genius all-in-one affair that has you pressing the device to your screen and turning a dial to create the seal that keeps it in place. In a welcome twist, the bracket works as a dual-mount system and can be mounted by sticking to a windscreen or a flat surface. It doesn’t matter which way, either, as the GPS rotates the right way up according to how it’s mounted.

We weren’t wild about the placement of the USB port used to charge the device, though, as it’s hard to get to if you need to plug in the cable while the GPS is mounted on your windscreen. Same goes for the location of the power button, but it’s not much of an issue once you learn where it is and how to press it blind.

At six inches, the screen is absolutely huge – the biggest we’ve seen from TomTom so far. It’s nice and high-resolution, too, so graphics are crisp and incredibly clear. We also liked that the menu system is straightforward – if you have eyes and a brain, you can easily tell where you need to go by simply reading the screen.

52 | connect | November 2012

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TomTom LIVE 1005 World

The Start 60 is, of course, touch-sensitive so you can tap it with your finger, and TomTom’s implementation of resistive technology in the screen strikes a lovely balance between responsiveness to presses and not reacting if the screen is inadvertently bumped. That’s because resistive touchscreen technology responds to the pressure of your push rather than just touch, as a capacitive screen would. The benefit is that you don’t have to worry about accidental touches activating things you never intended to use.

With no HD Traffic service, the Start 60 won’t give you real-time information on road conditions, but it does use TomTom’s IQ Routes service to predict when you’ll get to your destination. It takes into account the history of your chosen route using information like the average speed at specific times of the day as gathered by TomTom’s intelligence network to predict when you’ll get where you’re going. It wasn’t always accurate during testing, but then road conditions in Joburg change on a day-to-day basis so we can’t be too hard on the Start 60.

We loved how the Start 60 found GPS satellites very quickly on startup – it usually took a minute or less for the satellites to be located. Recalculating routes also happened really fast, and the overall responsiveness of the device proved to be very, very good. Using it during the review period was a real pleasure and we’re convinced consumers will appreciate the device’s speed, too.

TomTom has poured a whole lot of effort into making their GPSes user-friendly and customisable, and we were astounded to see a selection of over 60 voices to choose from. There are 14 English voices that speak with various accents (English, American and Kiwi), but the biggest surprise was the 2 Afrikaans voices – Doreen and Nelson. They speak impeccable Afrikaans and give clear directions. At this rate, TomTom might actually one day release voices in more of South Africa’s 11 official languages, but that time is not now. Still, it’s progress and that’s never bad.

Prominently displayed on the box is the fact that daily map updates

are free. That means any changes the TomTom user community makes to the maps are made available to be downloaded to your device whenever you connect it to your PC for updates. Even better, TomTom also promises that if their core maps are updated within 90 days of your device being registered, you will get the update for free as opposed to paying for it.

This is definitely one of the best non-HD Traffic GPS devices we’ve used from TomTom. The features, the look and its performance are all a lot better than its price would suggest. If it wasn’t for the absence of the HD Traffic service, we’d have Top 5’d the Start 60 in a heartbeat. As it is, the Start 60 is a competent, capable and fast GPS that is ideal for budgetminded buyers.

If you want the best of TomTom’s GPS range rolled into a single device, grab the LIVE 1005 World and enjoy avoiding unexpected traffic thanks to TomTom’s HD Traffic service.

Garmin nüvi 50

If Garmin is more your brand, check out the nüvi 50 instead – it has a 5” screen and does turn-by-turn navigation, complete with spoken street names.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Battery life: Up to 2 hours of continuous use • Mount: Passive, foldable windscreen mount • Display: 6” resistive touchscreen @ 800 x 600 • LIVE services connectivity: No • Spoken street names: In French and English only • In the box: Start 60, USB cable, car charger, surface cleaner, flat surface mount

perfect companions

Pros

Cons

• Large screen is clear and easy to read • Startup and general performance is excellent • 90-day Map Guarantee and free community updates • Afrikaans voices

• Placement of USB port and power buttons • Still only 2 Mzansi languages • No HD Traffic service

Overall rating

A Car A navigation device is not as useful without a car. Check out your local dealerships and choose the car that best fits your budget.

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product reviews

related

products

Shox Spin Mini Speaker NEED TO KNOW • Portable speakers with Bluetooth • Clever twisted design with a smooth rubber finish • 2 speakers and a passive subwoofer • Also works as a hands-free speaker R599.95

HTC One X

With 16GB of storage space and Bluetooth connectivity, HTC’s One X smartphone can easily be the centre of your music enjoyment experience.

iPods

Grab your favourite iPod and hook it up to the Shox Spin speakers using the included 3.5mm audio cable.

Sansui Life E-tab 801 Tablet

The E-tab 801 might not be the nicest tablet ever, but it’s an affordable alternative to the big guns in the tablet world, plus it has Bluetooth and lots of storage for your music.

It’s not often we’re impressed by miniature speakers, but this particular set from Shox was a delight to use from the moment we opened the box.

On taking the Spin speakers out of their box, we immediately noticed the lovely rubberised finish that Shox’s engineers decided on. It felt so nice under our fingers, we couldn’t help but take an instant liking to them. We also found an instruction manual and 2 cables in the box – a USB charging cable and a 3.5mm cable for connecting gadgets to the speakers.

The instruction booklet is written in a style that made us think Shox is extracting the urine a bit, but in a good-natured way. Fortunately, it was also clearly written and contained a lot of useful information, like why the Spin’s Power button was blinking blue and red when we turned it on.

Turns out it was in Bluetooth pairing mode. A quick read later and we had paired our phone to the speakers, and were streaming our favourite tunes to them over the air. It was really very simple to do, and the range of 15m held true but only if we maintained line-of-sight between us and the speakers – putting walls between them and the phone doing the streaming resulted in skipping audio. Fortunately for the review, we know that was the fault of Bluetooth and not the Spin speakers as we’ve had similar experiences with other products.

While paired, we were able to use the Spin speakers as a wireless handsfree kit. The built-in microphone wasn’t that great, though – we were told that if we sat back and talked normally, it sounded like we were far away to the caller on the other end of the line. Still, it’s a nice feature to have.

There are 2 things that sold us on the Spin speakers: the design and the sound quality. The design should win awards if it hasn’t already – we absolutely loved the twist that makes them look so unique. The sound quality turned out to be a lot better than we were expecting, too, as we discovered they’re capable of volumes loud enough to disturb people in other rooms.

54 | connect | November 2012

While there was some distortion at their loudest levels, it’s manageable. At moderate volumes sound is crystal-clear, and the speakers are more than capable of providing a decent listening experience for most uses.

If you don’t want to stream audio over Bluetooth or your favourite music player doesn’t support it, you can always just plug it directly into the Shox Spin speaker using the 3.5mm cable provided in the box. Bluetooth is just nice because it eliminates the need for cables, but at least you’re covered both ways.

We can definitely recommend the Shox Spin as a replacement for the average notebook or tablet’s speakers as it makes watching movies, listening to music and game audio on those devices so much better than their built-in speakers can manage.

Lastly, the battery. The Shox Spin lasts up to 5 hours on a single charge, which is more than enough to get you through whatever social event you’re attending and impress your friends at the same time. Not bad at all for such compact speakers.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Audio power: 7.5 Watts • Speakers: 2 speakers and a passive subwoofer • Wireless connectivity: 15m Bluetooth range • Other: Hands-free calling • Supports: iPods and other devices using 3.5mm jack • Battery: 5 hours • Recharging: Over USB • Use with: Tablets, MP3 players, laptops, smartphones, e-readers Pros

Cons

• Unique design with a pleasant feel • Bluetooth streaming eliminates cables and is easy to set up • 3.5mm cable connects gadgets that don’t have Bluetooth • Surprisingly good sound quality overall

• It distorts a little at its highest volume • Audio skips if Bluetooth device isn’t in range or behind walls

Overall rating

Adobe Photoshop Elements 11

perfect companions

NEED TO KNOW • Easy-to-use photo retouching software • Simplified user interface • New filters and effects R1 399.95

Photoshop is a well-known brand for Adobe. The popular image-editing software is behind the term “shopped”, which describes a photograph that has been manipulated to show something the original shot didn’t have in it. It’s so powerful that images can be completely recomposed while remaining utterly convincing.

Sadly, Photoshop is also a very expensive software package. The base version of Photoshop CS6 – the latest incarnation of the professional software – costs more than R7 000. That’s a hefty chunk of money for the average home user, especially since you can buy both an entry-level notebook and a digital camera for that kind of money. Photoshop is also incredibly complex. It’s fine for professionals, but less than ideal for average consumers who just want to prettify their photos.

Adobe knows this, and to remedy both those things, it created Photoshop Elements. The name is indicative of what is in the box: all the basic elements of the Photoshop experience. There’s none of the complicated stuff, and the pricetag is a lot more palatable.

That’s not to say that Photoshop Elements is watered down and useless, though. In fact, this 11th iteration is superb, and is the best version of the lite package so far. It takes all the complicated effects and procedures you’d pull off in big-boy Photoshop, and makes them very accessibly through simple, guided procedures.

It’s the biggest change for Elements 11, compared to previous versions.

There are 3 modes of operation: simple, guided, and expert. Each assumes an increased level of computer literacy. That said, even simple mode offers users access to powerful features for bringing out the best in their photos.

The highlight here is guided mode. This lets you drag a photo into the editor and provides a panel that has common tasks. From there, it’s possible to enhance and fine-tune colour, skin tones, contrast, and brightness. Photo composition can also be altered, in addition to rotation and straightening tools being on offer. Each task has instructions with it, so you get to learn about what you’re changing – and education is important, because when you outgrow the step-by-step changes, you can advance to expert mode.

After touching up your photo, there’s also the option to apply photo effects to achieve results similar to those you’d see in popular mobile phone apps such as Instagram. Adobe has even included a few Photo Play effects to show off the power of Photoshop compared to run-of-the-mill photo-editing apps.

Expert mode is where hobby photographers and advanced amateurs can spend time playing with powerful tools. This mode has the same level of control as manual mode on a digital SLR camera – powerful, but complex. Thankfully, there’s an undo button if things go wrong.

The interface for Elements 11 is a huge improvement on previous versions. Aside from the 3 operating modes, buttons are big and clearly marked. Everything is a little more accessible on screen rather than hidden in menus. Sadly, some bits of old Photoshop versions remain – certain filters use the old-style dialogue boxes, rather than the pretty, guided dialogues for the new filters. And it’s also a bit of a resource hog. Our test machine took a bit of time to complete certain tasks, despite more than meeting the minimum requirements. Those with really old computers might want to upgrade before getting stuck into this.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Simple layout: Big, prominent interface elements make it easy to find the buttons you need.

• Guided editing: Step-by-step instructions for achieving great-looking results for your photos, without using a manual.

• Filters: Effects filters let you be creative and turn normal photos into sketches or graphic-novel creations.

• Organisation: Organise your photos by album, location, or people, using the Photoshop Elements organiser.

Pros

Cons

• Very easy to use • Built-in photo organiser • Still has powerful features for enthusiasts

• Requires a fast machine for best performance • Still has old, clunky dialogue boxes • Certain effects and filters can be gimmicky

Overall rating

Sony NEX 3 A lovely compact camera with interchangeable lenses – perfect for taking photos that you can enhance using Photoshop Elements.

Macbook Air 13” If you’re serious about photography, you’ll want a new, powerful laptop. The Macbook Air is thin and light, so great for travelling, but still has a speedy processor.

Seagate 2TB External Hard Drive If you take your photography seriously, you’ll need lots of storage for your pics. A large external hard drive will do the job perfectly.

www.connectmag.co.za | 55

product Accessories

Trip Savers Here is a selection of gadgets that will make any car journey go by smoothly and quickly.

Supertooth Buddy Bluetooth Car Speakerphone Instead of buying a traditional hands-free kit for your car, consider grabbing one of these awesome devices – it’s a Bluetooth speaker that mounts to your car’s visor. Simply pair your phone with it, and use it to answer incoming calls and talk to your callers without bothering with cables and earphones.

Thanks to its Multipoint Bluetooth technology, you can pair it with more than one phone so you can continue working with both business and personal

phones even while you’re driving. The device’s microphone has been specially designed to absorb vibrations, reduce noise and cancel echo, meaning excellent audio, all the time.

Features: • Multipoint Bluetooth technology • Outstanding audio quality • Automatic connection – no need to re-pair devices • Sleek design

DSTV Walka 7

TomTom Go Live 1055 World While it’s possible to navigate South African roads using your cell phone, nothing beats a dedicated GPS for performance, speed and reliability. TomTom’s Go Live 1055 World is one of the best GPS devices available, with its large 5” screen and HD Traffic service that shows you – in real time – how busy the roads are. It can also act as a hands-free kit thanks to Bluetooth integration, and TomTom’s excellent Latest Map Guarantee will let you have any new maps that are released for the device within 90 days of your purchase. Try it and see – HD Traffic will easily save you time and aggravation on the roads and it is worth the cost of the device all on its own.

Features: • 5” touchscreen • IQ Routes for smartest route.

• HD Traffic service on main and secondary roads • Bluetooth for hands-free calling • Latest Map Guarantee (90 days)

56 | connect | november 2012

DSTV’s Walka 7 is MultiChoice’s newest handheld TV that you can take with you.

As long as you’re within the prescribed coverage areas (all major metropolitan areas are covered), you’ll be able to pick up DSTV’s mobile channels and keep abreast of sport and news as you travel without resorting to the radio. The Walka 7’s 7” screen is big enough that onscreen images are crisp and smooth, and audio quality is good enough to keep multiple viewers entertained. Choose from several bouquets of TV goodness, and enjoy watching TV on the go.

Features: • 7” screen • Choose from 3 bouquets of TV shows • Lasts for up to 5 hours on a single charge • Headphone jack

SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 4GB If someone in your car isn’t a big fan of your choice of travel songs, one of these is the solution. Sandisk’s Sansa Clip+ is a 4GB MP3 player that offers a fairly basic and affordable alternative to more expensive iPods, but it’s still a capable performer with just enough storage space and audio capabilities to give music lovers the sound and privacy they need to enjoy their own tunes. The LCD screen makes navigating through the menu easy, and getting music files onto the device is as easy as dragging and dropping them, as you would files onto any memory stick.

Features: • 4GB of storage space • Drag and drop music files • Earphones included • LCD screen shows music titles

InCarBite Quick Go Mount Entertaining passengers in the back seat with an iPad has never been easier. Simply clip the InCarBite iPad Mount to either of the front seat headrests and let them watch to their hearts’ content.

There are 2 Quick Go Mounts in each package, one that simply mounts the iPad, and another that mounts and charges the attached iPad, and neither one needs any tools at all to successfully install.

Both mounts allow the viewer to adjust the angle of the iPad for the best possible viewing experience. For even more convenience, a built-in FM transmitter allows you to stream any music you have on your iPad to your car’s sound system.

Features: • Mounts to car headrests • No tools required • Viewing angle is adjustable • Charge your iPad

Nintendo 3DS Handheld Games Console The 3DS is the latest of Nintendo’s handheld games consoles, and boasts a 3D screen that doesn’t need special glasses! Graphically, it’s not as amazing as Sony’s handhelds, but the glasses-free 3D is certainly mind-blowing and extremely well-executed.

Kids will love the wide range of family-friendly games that Nintendo specialises in, and the extra layer of 3D turns games that might otherwise be a bit graphically uninspired into something jaw-dropping.

Keeping the kids entertained on long trips can be as easy as putting one of these in their hands and firing up the latest Zelda game.

Features • Glasses-free 3D screen • A huge range of games to choose from • 3 to 5 hour battery life • Available in a range of colours

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game reviews

Assassin’s Creed III R599.95 From the crumbling streets of Jerusalem, to the dark underbelly of renaissance Italy, the Ubisoft development team sure likes to go big when it comes to the settings of the ambitious Assassin’s Creed series.

The 3rd adventure brings the American Revolution to life as you step into the boots of Connor Kenway. (The war between the assassins and the Templars has now moved to colonial America.)

AC3’s new protagonist is a warrior, the son of a Native American mother and British father, who is forced into battle after colonists destroyed his homeland. AC3’s story is filled with secrets and twists, and spans an epic 30 years (1753 to 1783 is the exact time frame, historically speaking). Classified as more of a stealth game with adventurous elements (you are a master assassin, after all), AC3 is about taking cover, running across rooftops, and taking on secret missions. You can stay hidden on the sidelines, or get involved in a full-blown war – it’s up to you.

The game world is big – nearly double the size of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. You’ll get to explore the legendary battlefields of Lexington and Concord, and the crowded streets of Boston and New York (lovingly recreated using 18th-century maps). If you appreciate historical accuracy, you’ll love the fact that Connor will come across historical figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in the game – AC3 is as multicultured and detailed as ever!

When compared to other AC games, the in-game controls are different. In AC3, the combat is far more fluid – Connor can also use his instincts, in the form of tracking skills, to learn what happened after an event. Something else to look out for in AC3 is a change in climate. In the summer, Connor can move with ease, but in winter, the snow-covered Appalachian wilderness makes it harder to get around. It’s beautiful yet brutal at the same time – Connor can even hunt the wildlife if need be.

On the technical side of things, AC3 uses an all-new graphics engine called Anvil Next. Not only does this control the dynamic weather system mentioned above, it also introduces more realistic character animations and AI interactions to the game. Thanks to Anvil Next, thousands of characters can appear on screen simultaneously, perfect for a full-scale American Revolution battle between the British colonists and American rebels. This exciting and picturesque era brings different, time-appropriate weapons such as tomahawks, rope darts, bows and arrows, and more. In the cities, for example, the soldiers use guns, but these are one-shot rifles.

Assassin’s Creed III looks set to be an exciting chapter in Ubisoft’s ever-popular game series. So popular, in fact, the pre-order surpassed the previous games combined. Let the American Revolution begin!

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NEED TO KNOW • New characters and locations • An open world • Action-adventure and stealth

>>Consider this<< Assassinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creed III: Liberation Exclusive to the PlayStation Vita, this is the 1st AC game to feature a female protagonist. Meet Aveline, a deadly assassin who will use every weapon and ability in her arsenal to win freedom for her land and her people.

>>Coming soon<< GTA V Not much has been said about the next Grand Theft Auto game, but what we do know is that it will take place in the city of Los Santos and looks set to be the largest and most ambitious game yet.

>>Get this<< Dishonored A stealth game with a 1st-person perspective, Dishonored is Bethesdaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tale of a supernatural assassin driven by revenge.

www.connectmag.co.za | 59

game reviews

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

NEED TO KNOW • New playable race and class • Level cap increased to 90 • 5-player “Dungeon Challenge” time trial • Pet minigames Can’t get enough of Blizzard’s MMO? Mists of Pandaria is the 4th World of Warcraft expansion pack in 8 years, and it comes with a whole new continent to explore, as well as a new (playable) race, the enigmatic Pandaren.

Pandaria is a beautiful world of rolling farmlands, golden fields and flowering forest ruins – the game looks great. Presentation

Resident Evil 6 NEED TO KNOW • 4 full campaigns • 7 lead characters • Over 20 hours of gameplay

aside, the focused storylines and clever quest design are also something to note. The gameplay feels polished and fun, whether you’re in the middle of a murderous battle, flying across the landscape, or riding on the back of a giant mythical creature.

Looting is an important as ever, and there’s also the familiar dungeon-running, and less intimidating “scenarios” for WoW newbies. Don’t like fast-paced PvP? Look out for challenge-mode dungeons, where you race to the end for rewards, and a new Pokemon-esque pet battle system that is fun and surprisingly indepth. Does Mists of Pandaria add enough new content to keep the gameplay exciting? Absolutely. It’s also the perfect expansion pack for a higher-level WoW player.

R329.95

For a game series that is now 15 years old, Resident Evil sure has changed a lot. In the 1st survival horror (PSOne) title of 1996, there were zombies, puzzles and limited firearms and ammo. Today’s Resident Evil 6 is more of an action-packed shooter. And with 4 full campaigns, 7 lead characters and an intricate plot that ties everything together, it’s a much, much bigger game.

But does bigger mean better? Set in 2013, 10 years after the original Raccoon City incident, RE6 is a dangerous place thanks to the C-virus, a new biological weapon that is threatening to leave a post-apocalyptic world in its wake. Expect realistic and detailed environments (with some incredible lighting and sound effects) that really add some ambience to RE6’s gameplay – there are also a few new and seriously scary enemies to take out.

Unfortunately, for all the enjoyable campaign moments, there is also some monotonous gameplay, which takes away from the fun. And when you consider RE6 has over

>>Get this<< Guild Wars 2 A visually stunning MMO that offers a massive role-playing environment combined with innovative combat mechanics, dynamic events, and customised personal storytelling.

20 hours of gameplay, it can be a tedious single-player experience. Luckily, you can also play co-op multiplayer (or with an AI partner) and there are other new modes like Agent Hunt, where you play the enemy, which is always fun. RE6 is an ambitious game that will take you on a memorable journey. If you can look past its obvious faults, you’re in for a great, zombie-filled adventure.

R699.95

>>Get this<< Silent Hill: HD Collection Two classic, spine-chilling Silent Hill titles from the past with enhancements, including true highdefinition graphics.

60 | connect | November 2012

COD

CODBOII_SP_connect.indd 1

2012/10/19 03:59:47 PM

game reviews

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

NEED TO KNOW • Tactical turn-based strategy game • Re-imagining of the original XCOM • Emotionally-engaging gameplay

In XCOM: Enemy Unknown, you’re the commander of a secret organisation tasked with defending the Earth against an alien invasion. Through combat, research and intelligent allocation of the very scarce resources at your disposal, you will learn about the alien menace and discover new ways to send them packing – or die trying.

The game is split into 2 parts: the organisation of your base, which is where you do research, manufacture goods and allocate your resources, and the brilliantly re-imagined turn-based combat that made the original so memorable.

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>>Consider this<< Despite the lick of modern-day paint and console-friendly controls, this is old-school XCOM to the core. Combat is brutally unforgiving, even on Normal mode, and when your soldiers die, they’re gone for good. Surviving soldiers who prove themselves on the battlefield rank up and gain new abilities over time, and these can really turn the tide of battle, making it essential to protect your experienced troops as much as possible. Losing a soldier who’s been with you for a while provides a real sense of loss and regret, and steels players to make better decisions the next time around.

New to the series is multiplayer, in which you can challenge a friend to a one-on-one turn-based battle using a mixture of both alien and human units. Each unit is worth a certain number of points, and since you only have a limited number to spend on units each round, you will have to allocate them carefully. It’s a surprisingly flexible system that makes multiplayer games a whole lot of fun, especially given the tension that the turn-based system inevitably inspires.

If you think you’ve got the nerve, we highly recommend playing the game’s Iron Man mode, in which you are given only one save game to mark your progress.

This forces you to deal with every situation without the ability to re-load a saved game when things don’t go your way, amplifying both your achievements and your failures. It’s a remarkably engaging and emotionally-charged experience, one unlike any other in gaming today. It’s tough as nails, though, so bring your A game.

XCOM: EU is a one-of-a-kind game, and it’s absolutely superb.

Strategy fans will enjoy its rich tactical depth, sci-fi nerds will love its forays into the fields of theoretical physics and old-school fans of the original game will fall in love all over again. We certainly did.

R399.95 (PC) / R599.95 (Consoles) (Available on special order only)

Doom 3 BFG Edition Re-mastered for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, DOOM 3 and its expansion pack offer enhanced visuals that immerse you in the demonic world like never before.

>>Retro Buy<< Halo Wars A strategy game based on the legendary Halo universe, in campaign mode, you will command the armies of the UNSC warship “Spirit of Fire,” consisting of familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind.

www.connectmag.co.za | 63

game reviews

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse

NEED TO KNOW • Third-person action adventure • Play as Stewie or Brian • Competitive or co-op multiplayer modes Did you know that Family Guy is one of the most-watched shows, reaching over 33.5 million viewers weekly in America? It’s also the number one TV franchise on DVD with more than 25 million copies sold! In good news, the game is written by the same guys (Mike Desilets and Anthony Blasucci) who do the show. Back to the Multiverse is an expansion of a fan-favourite episode of Family Guy entitled “Road to the Multiverse” where Brian and Stewie go time jumping into alternative universes.

Playing as either Stewie or Brian (each with their own unique abilities and weapons), you’ll battle known Family Guy characters as you advance through “Multiverse” themedlevels. These include a world controlled by the Amish and another run by frat boys, all in Stewie and Brian’s pursuit of Stewie’s evil twin (Bertram) who has returned and is hell-bent on destroying Quahog.

Friends love Family Guy too? Back to the Multiverse has co-op and competitive multiplayer levels too. There are also extra challenge levels, multiplayer maps, costumes and playable characters that can be unlocked through gameplay. With the same quirky (mature) humour and familiar characters, every Family Guy fan will love this offbeat game - giggity giggity! R599.95

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron NEED TO KNOW • Play Autobots and Decepticons • An in-depth single-player campaign • Design your own Transformer War for Cybertron – the prequel to this title – was a brilliant action game featuring a 12-hour single-player campaign with full 3-player co-op and loads of fun multiplayer modes. Picking up where the first game left off – Cybertron is now a postapocalyptic world where the Decepticons and Autobots are at war. With more diverse environments and a colourful graphical art style, the game’s overall presentation is completely different to its sand-coloured predecessor. Looks aside, you’ll find yourself playing a specific Autobot or Decepticon at the beginning of each chapter – while this does make the gameplay appear more linear at first, you’ll soon be impressed with how it actually opens up some interesting gameplay mechanics. In one part, you’ll be using Cliffjumper’s cloaking ability, next, Jazz’ grappling hook… it’s more than shooting guns. Fall of Cybertron is a polished game with a brilliant story-driven campaign – it’s fun, fast and filled with nostalgia. If you love Transformers – the toys or the movies – you’ll enjoy this game. R599.95

64 | connect | November 2012

>>Consider this<<

>>Download this<<

Bond Legends

Ben 10: Omniverse

007 Legends features an original, overarching storyline tying together six classic Bond movies, concluding with this year’s 23rd movie, Skyfall, making it the most diverse Bond gaming experience yet!

In this fast paced action-adventure game you’ll battle as both Young Ben and Teen Ben, switching between 13 playable alien heroes and fighting in action-packed levels inspired by the new TV series.

Rocksmith NEED TO KNOW • Learn how to play guitar • Buy the standalone game/cable • Over 50 tracks • Co-op multiplayer gameplay

There is a lot of scientific research into the benefits of video games, be it brain training, fostering creativity, sports rehab or edutainment for younger kids. Rocksmith introduces a new era of musical education – playing a musical instrument. And we’re not talking about the plug-in plastic guitar with coloured buttons from Guitar Hero either – Ubisoft’s Rocksmith is about connecting a real electric guitar and learning how to strum the classics. Rocksmith is as simple as using the “quarter-inch” specially-designed USB cable to plug in any electric guitar to your gaming console or PC. Want to add another guitar? Buy another cable. Don’t own a guitar? You can get a game bundle that includes a Gibson Les Paul Jr. Perfect for beginners to the instrument, the game has a lot of menu options and will equip you with everything you need to get started. The presentation is sleek and simple – once you get the hang of where everything is, the game is easy to navigate.

As you work your way through the game’s set list, you’ll be presented with optional tutorials as well, called technique challenges, which are based on your personal performance.

And over and above Rocksmith’s guitar tutor element, there’s

a bevy of amps that let you customise your tone and use the console as an amplifier-pedal combo, complete with several unlockable tone options.

If you’ve played Guitar Hero, the rhythm-based gameplay in Rocksmith will be familiar – you basically have to hit the correct note, at the right time, as it comes down the screen. It starts off simple, but the game’s “dynamic charting system” means that the difficulty will increase as you improve. It’s intuitive and makes the game easier when you struggle. And the better you get, the more notes will come, even chords at times, and eventually you’ll be able to complete a song at your own pace. A nice touch is the less serious arcade mode where minigames (like shooting zombies) teach you must-know guitar-playing techniques.

Looking at the track list, you’ll find music from The Black Keys, The Cure, Franz Ferdinand, Kings of Leon, Muse, Nirvana, Radiohead, Soundgarden and the Rolling Stones, to name just a few. There are over 50 songs to learn in the game but nothing overly complicated. (The best part of a title like Rocksmith is that once you know a song, you’ll be able to play it unplugged… without the game!)

Unlike Guitar Hero or EA’s Rockband, Rocksmith is not a party game. Yes, there’s the option of co-op multiplayer and strumming through a tune together, but it’s less of a “bring all your friends home for a jam session” game and more about simply learning to play the guitar. Rocksmith is both smart and fun – a great addition for any aspiring musician’s game library.

R2 499.95 (game and guitar) R349.95 (cable) R899.95 (X360/PS3 game) R699.95 (PC game) (Available on request)

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game reviews

MUSIC MATCH

Medal of Honor: Warfighter

NEED TO KNOW • Based on real-world events • Extensive multiplayer modes • Play for your home team Medal of Honor (MoH): Warfighter tells the story of U.S. Tier 1 soldier (Preacher) as he returns home from overseas only to find his family torn apart from years of deployment. Trying to pick up the pieces of his marriage, Preacher is reminded of what he’s fighting for – family. But when an extremely deadly explosive (PETN) penetrates civilian borders and his two worlds collide, Preacher and his fellow teammates are sent in to solve the problem.

What makes Medal of Honor: Warfighter the most realistic war-game yet? First up, it was written by two Tier 1 operators and follows their personal story. Because the events that occur in the game are based on what actually happened to these soldiers, there is a surprising amount of depth and realism to the gameplay, that makes you emotionally attached to the characters. There are so many little, often heart-breaking, moments like a phone call to a spouse, finding out what happened in a mission after a character blacks out... Warfighter is told through the eyes of military families and manages to unveil intimate insights into the sacrifices of these warriors on the ground.

The gameplay missions are also based on real-world events - from rescuing hostages in Abu Sayyaf’s Basilan, Philippines’ stronghold to assaulting Al-Shabaab’s “Pirate Town” on the Somali Coast, you really experience the action as it might have 66 | connect | November 2012

unfolded as you hunt down the global threat of PETN. Besides a solid single-player campaign, multiplayer gaming means Tier 1 on a global scale: there are 12 different Tier 1 units from 10 different nations (the British SAS, Australian SASR, German KSK and Polish GROM) which means you can play for your home team, you don’t have to be an American soldier!

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>>Buy this<< Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Pushing the boundaries of what CoD fans have come to expect, Black Ops II will propel you into the near future, a 21st Century Cold War, where technology and weapons have converged to create a new generation of warfare.

>>Consider this<< Spec Ops: The Line Spec Ops: The Line packs a full range of single and multiplayer features complete with competitive and team-based modes, as well as the ability to rank up and customise characters from two different factions.

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The new instalment of the military shooter series will feature a score composed in part by Linkin Park co-lead singer Mike Shinoda, as well as the song “Castle of Glass” from their newest album Living Things. The music video for the single will also include gameplay footage.

18V

tech tannie

Like a flurry of miggies around a

ROtten Apple, Tech Tannie flutters in to dish out social media advice galore.

issue of the month: Q:

I recently started my own Website and decided to go with WordPress as everyone I know recommended it. However, I am having some issues and could really do with your help. I cannot find my Plugin menu anywhere and my site is loading extremely slowly. Wordy in Welkom

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 | November 2012

WordPress is an excellent choice, but it is also quite a steep learning curve and I spent more than one night glaring at my screen while trying to figure out why the site wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do. Fortunately, one of the issues I encountered is the one you describe – no Plugin menu. You see, there are 2 types of WordPress accounts – free and self-hosted. On a free WordPress site, your URL usually looks something like this: www.oohthisismysite.wordpress.com; a self-hosted site will look like this: www.ooohthisismysite. com. The latter asks you to pay for hosting fees and for the domain, while the former is free, and because it is free, you cannot add plugins of any kind. So, in order to do that, you’ll have to pay. You can see all the differences between self-hosted and free here: www.wpbeginner. com/beginners-guide/self-hostedwordpress-org-vs-free-wordpress-cominfograph/?display=wide. When it comes to the other problem you have, it could be anything from your connection, to your hosting provider, to the content you use. This is a far more complex issue and you can only really figure out what’s causing the problem by troubleshooting each one.

Q:

I recently started a profile on LinkedIn and would like to add my Twitter account and really make my profile shine. Do you have any ideas?

LinkedIn Cape Town

A:

I do love LinkedIn. I’ve met quite a few brilliant people on there and managed to source some superb tech advice and connections. To get yourself really zipping about on LinkedIn, there are a few things you can add, do and make. First up, to add your Twitter account, go to the Settings icon on the top-right-hand side of the page, scroll down to Twitter Settings and then follow the onscreen instructions on how to set it up.

It’s worth noting that you will really have to monitor what you say on Twitter after this, otherwise people will stop following you on more than one social media platform if you tell them about what you had for breakfast or why your foot hurts. Make sure that when you build your profile, you add in a lot of information that is relevant to selling your skills, talent, etc. Your love of toenail clippings may seem fascinating to you, but it isn’t relevant to a potential employer. Unless they sell toenail clippings…

You should try to get references from other people on LinkedIn, too. These are read by the talent hunters that trawl the site on a regular basis, and glowing reviews from people who’ve worked with you in the past are always a good thing. Other tips from social media pros include optimising your content for search engines so that employers hunting for, heaven forbid, “toenail-clipping experts”, will find you because you’ve used the right keywords, tagged your skills and expertise in a comprehensive list, and added links to your Website and work so that they can instantly see what you’re all about. The easier you make it for prospective employers and clients to read your LinkedIn profile and get the information they need, the better it is for you.

Q:

There has been a lot of hype around privacy on Facebook, and how people can read my private messages or see my personal details. How can I protect myself? Facebook in Johannesburg

A:

Actually, the whole privatemessage-published-on-Facebook thing was a mistake, simple human error that blew up into a huge drama because people are always stressing about Facebook and privacy. Yes, they do use your information to sell advertising and lots of other things that aren’t particularly savoury, but if you delve into the bowels of your settings, you can sort out your Facebook privacy to suit you. Just be sure you stay on top of the news and any changes that might take effect in the future, as Facebook has a tendency to make sweeping changes that need quite a bit of digging around to resolve. I could sit here and use up valuable page space to talk you through the various settings and explain how they work and how to set them up, or I could direct you to the social network’s brand-new help centre that

has been redesigned to make your life a lot easier. Go to www.facebook.com/ help and you will see advice on how to build your Facebook page, how to reach more people, information on the privacy basics, as well as a list of the new features on Facebook.

Here you’ll also find a list of the top questions asked by other users and a search bar that you can use to type in your request. The help centre is vastly improved from previous incarnations and you should be able to find answers to everything you need to know. If not, e-mail me and I’ll sort you out in a heartbeat. It’s also worth noting that if you go into the Privacy section on Facebook, you should make sure that information is really only disseminated to your Friends if you are truly paranoid about just anyone seeing what you do with your life.

www.connectmag.co.za | 69

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disconnect //By adam oxford

Just give me

the bill!

What exactly is a “microtransaction” anyway?

I

remember when money was easy. Some time ago, circa 1975, I established a routine for acquiring stuff via legal purchase, which was to be a familiar trend for most of my life. “I’d like some sweets, please,” I would squeak to the patron of a local sweet store. “Sure,” said patron would reply. “That will cost you some money.”

At which point I would hand over an amount of coins and receive, in exchange, their net worth in boiled sugar and paper bag. It was all so embarrassingly simple, there was no way it would last into our age of high-tech convenience. Apparently, I no longer pay for things, I conduct “microtransactions”. Cash is no longer king, something called NFC is. Even credit cards have been app-ified.

I’ve been around the global tech scene for most of my working life, so I have a higher tolerance of jargon than most. I catch myself talking about 3G, WiFi and even 128bit encryption, only to be met by my parents’ baffled stares. I have to pause to reflect that while my dad was always proud of what he did, he never tried to force me to understand tensile stress and yield stress limits of cyclical loads before telling me that rocking on my chair at the dinner table would probably result in me breaking it.* So I’d probably sound like a bit of a pratt if I told him he needed to make a microtransaction rather than just pay for something. The world is changing rapidly around us, and the geeks who are changing it often fail to communicate clearly with mere mortals. They invent language to describe what they are doing, because often it hasn’t been done before. But sometimes the process goes too far and new words are coined to replace perfectly serviceable old ones not yet past their sell-by date. Usually, this is not the fault of the geeks, but their marketing teams – who love neologisms almost as much as they love money itself.

Sorry – life. I mean life itself. Of course. Normally, I’m happy with this state of affairs. A large part of my career has been spent operating as an unofficial translation service between people who can think in 1s and 0s, and people who have to live with the stuff they turn numbers into. But there are some words that would have been better left at the brainstorming session where they were thought up.

Take, for example, Google’s latest initiative. It’s rather clever. The company has announced that it has partnered with some news

* My father was, at the start of his career at least, a metallurgist.

72 | connect | November 2012

providers to trial a pay-as-you-read-type scheme. You get the first few paragraphs of an article for free, but if you want to carry on reading, you have to click a button that debits your Google Wallet account a couple of rands for the privilege.

Editorial standards around the world are falling into disarray as news organisations struggle to work out how to get paid for the stuff they publish, so it’s a clever way to keep everyone happy. If you just want to know what’s going on, the first couple of paragraphs of a news piece should suffice (according to old-fashioned journalistic principles, anyway. I’ll refrain from commenting on the writing styles of many current commentators). If you want to read the in-depth analysis or just happen to like a writer’s prose, pay to get the entire feature. It’s a truly digital business model that might just succeed.

Succeed, that is, if they change the name. I won’t name and shame, but I recently saw a headline that talked about this, written thus: “Google joins the microtransactions market”.

There are so many crimes against language that have been committed in the name of technological progress that it seems unfair to single this one out for criticism, but it’s such a meaningless phrase that does nothing more than replace a useful one. If we start making microtransactions to pay for pages, must house or car purchases become macrotransations? Or are they merely enormotransactions and the macro is saved for the giga-stuff, like company mergers and Apple shares? It does nothing more than obfuscate and confuse, because back in the real world, we don’t do “microtransactions”.

We pay for stuff. And – within reason – we’re happy to. Unless we can’t find it because they changed the name!

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