Connect Issue 02 by Charl Malherbe

JUNE 2009

ONLY FOR SALE AT INCREDIBLE CONNECTION

GET CONNECTED Hooking up your home network

DESKS, CHAIRS AND SCREENS Kiss your neck and backaches goodbye

LCD BUYING GUIDE

GET YOUR

IS BIGGER REALLY BETTER?

GAME ON(LINE) Your PS3 and the net

& Win! ONE OF FOUR LEXMARK PRINTERS

TOP

REVIEWS R14.95 incl. VAT

Photo

Smarts PROFESSIONAL-LOOKING PICTURES IN 5-SIMPLE STEPS

THE Y EAS WAY

MONITORS LAPTOPS CAMERAS PRINTERS SOFTWARE CELLPHONES GAMES

ISSUE #02

JUNE 2009

FEATURES

10 Connect your Home Why wireless networking works and how to set it up

14 24

iGoogle One homepage, all the information you need!

16 Buying a Screen Is bigger better? We answer all your LCD queries

20 Connect your PS3 to the Net Simple steps to online gaming with Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s console

22 Comfy Computing Ergonomic accessories, tips and tricks

24 Adding Punch to your Pics 4 easy tricks to edit with success

REGULARS Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Letter News Trouble-free Technobabble Tamsin the Tech Tannie Competition Disconnect

04 06 08 68 70 72

REVIEWS Top 5 PCs, Laptops, Notebooks Accessories Printers Routers Home media Cameras Software

30 36 38 40 42 44 48 52

GAMING Reviews

PUBLISHER Brett Haggard brett@connect.co.za EDITOR Tiana Alswang tiana@connect.co.za CONTRIBUTING Johann Barnard EDITOR johann@connect.co.za

TECHNOLOGY Deon du Plessis EDITOR deon@connect.co.za CONTRIBUTORS Tamsin Mackay Craig Ritchie Adam Oxford ART DIRECTION Infiltrate Media www.infiltratemedia.co.za

SUBSCRIPTIONS

subscriptions@connect.co.za

ADVERTISING Dorothy Haggard dorothy@connect.co.za CONTACT Hypertext Media Communications (011) 783-7886 info@hypertext.co.za

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

ed’s note

ALL WIRED UP

FREE MOBILE GAMES! Electronic Arts is giving all Connect readers a chance to game on the go. Try out EA’s best cellphone games, all you need to do is SMS Demo to 388EA. GAME DEMOS INCLUDE: • • • • • • • • • •

EURO 2008 FIFA09 Puzzle Bobble Trivial Pursuit Boom Blox Monopoly H&N World Edition Need for Speed Undercover SimCity Metropolis Spore Tetris

t’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the vast amount of cables, chargers and wires all over the place. The problem? There’s too many! Sometimes we just don’t realise how technology has overtaken us – we have become dependant on the many things we use on a day-to-day basis to simplify our lives… and instead of making things easy, it’s a clutter of cables. From the charger of my old phone to the one I need for my upgrade, to the headphones, laptop cables – two, of course, after the screen on my other died – to external hard drives, a Nintendo DS an Sony PSP charger, the must-have electric toothbrush, my Xbox 360 – it never ends! I’m often surprised to see a clear space with all this technology lying around. But when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t have it any other way, this is the age of information after all! This month’s issue of Connect is the second issue of the wonderful technology monthly that speaks your language. It’s the only magazine which offers simple buying advice, helpful workshops and a plethora of easy-tounderstand reviews that promise to make your buying experience that much easier. In this issue, we take a look at the wireless home. That’s right – connecting everything technological to each other without the hassles of cables! This feature answers all the questions you’ll need to know from setting up a router to decoding the complicated wording – draft-n? Firmware? You’ll know it all. Being able to access all the information you need on the net is great… but what if that information came looking for you? If you already have a free Google e-mail address, you may have stumbled across iGoogle, a great way of personalising the first web page that opens to one that

4 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

shows you snippets of incoming e-mail, Facebook updates, a 5-day weather forecast and anything else you need, even if it’s an inspirational quote or daily recipe from Betty Crocker! Neck, shoulder and backache, tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome – sound familiar? We hope not, because sitting in front of a computer, at the office or at home, in the incorrect position without taking a break can be detrimental to your health. Follow our quick tips and consider some ergonomic accessories and you’ll be one step closer to digital health. Never mind staring at a screen, what screen do you buy after you’ve had enough of those clunky, yellow-gray space helmet lookalikes? Our reviews editor and technology authority, Deon du Plessis, helps you out with sound screen advice. Add some gaming (the delightful Sims 3 launches this month), our resident tech tannie and some other bits into the mix and you’ll find the June issue of Connect to be packed with everything you need to make your digital space a happy one. Getting connected is easy, isn’t it? Enjoy the issue, Tiana

CONTRIBUTOR

CRAIG RITCHIE Craig Ritchie has been a freelance journalist since 1996, writing for local and international surfing magazines for about a decade before adding computer gaming publications into the mix as well. He’s been a lifelong gamer since his Acorn Electron and ZX Spectrum days in the mid 80s, before moving onto a 10mhz IBM compatible, and it’s been pretty much PC only for him ever since. Craig is also currently studying a Masters Degree in Philosophy at Rhodes University, focusing on the best forms of regulation and governance of the Internet.

letters to the editor using search tools 08 Find it easily Free e-mail you can search with mail archiving et with ‘that’ e-mail down, die Access your e-mail on a diet ut your inbox • Instead of hunting Put Pu on the Standard from anywhere the ‘Find’ button Window. for items using nclutter your inbox un lp unclutter of the main Outlook where you in the world by will will help to a Toolbar at the top ng your e-mails search bar Ar Archivin • Archiving reeferenced e-mails signing up for a free option reveals a freequenttly referenced older, less frequently sent the mail, ing older, • Selecting this This will help moviin by moving web-based e-mail of the person who rd-drivve orr server. hard-drive hard r that will can input the name make for as locaation on the and such new location inbox r account, our y your other info you remembe lity lity of the subject or any up the functiona peed up speed sp Google Mail, Yahoo reelevant e-mails. nt, relevant the search. recen e recent, help narrow down seearching of more selecting the by selecting by Hotmail. easier eaasier searching or still, rchived c archived a be specifi e-maills can – e-mails button to the right • You can be more Itt’s reallyy simple • It’s he main Outlook th under the ‘Options’ menu menu in the ‘Advanced Find’ …’ from the file With web-based choose to rchive… ‘Archive…’ can u o you yo x o box bo ons use optio of the search bar. w. From this options mail becoming Inbox or Sent search, you can Window. Window older such aass your want to filter your folder fo • If you simply increasingly arrchive a single the ‘Show in Groups’ ither archive either eit using ailbox. by mailbox. m ur o your yo Groups in rs folders can sort your mail in popular these days By’ menu or simply ems, orr all of the Items, Ite o Archive and this n Auto ‘View>Arrange xists in exists Received, lity also ex amongst students, option under the ncctionality functiona Th func • The the ‘Tools>Options…’ header (From, Subject, b in the her’ tab ‘Other’ sole-traders and click on each column d under the ‘Oth nd by that detail. bee found w. window. alphanumerically ook window Outlook n Outlo travelers, accounts main Size, etc) to sort enu of the mai menu m now offer large mail storage space, by backing up iruses the door viruses v contacts nd and a your junk customisable Protect how spam, 5 SShow 05 0 interfaces, access 09 your address book of being -freee is a matter to live text and spam-free your and g your inboxx spameeping regularly back up • KKeeping mail address to e-mail video chat, and that you should ve your e-m give ho you giv that it is lost or who • In the same way ary off w wary w en an e-mail containing open many other useful in the unlikely event re you ope before Address Book. . g twice befor cell phone contacts hinking thinking th ward chainmail functions. forward back up you Outlook o, don’tt forw failure Also, nt. Also sender chment. stolen, you should attachme and a hard drive an attac ous or is from a piciou y unpredictable, suspicious oks susp looks You n e-mail look • PCs are notoriousl at any given time. hen aan When • W You can even set up o mark it as junk. est to surprise on you best be your n’ recognisee,, it’s n’t could spring a nasty Window select the Import and don’t ou don you yo your web mailbox ck look through quick a quic ave Outlook have h ly eriodically periodical • From the mail hould p should sh any legitimate as a POP server to the File menu. o makee suree that to to Export option from file’, then ‘Comma pam/JJunkk folder Spam/Jun Sp receive your mail lassified and move cclassifi ‘Export to a file’ ectly select correc n incorrectly in from Wizard asn’t been hasn’t • Using the through Outlook. -mail h select Contacts e-mail e(Windows)’ and ‘Not you will be able der. Separated Values folder. This is a great way his fold this th iitt and click on the descriptive name a elect sel select it ply give m save it sim simply list, and will the th case, the folder to keep work Finish and it • Iff that’ss the oolbar to move select Next, then tandaard TToolbar tton in the SStandard Sender private e-mail hard drive. button to identify it by, unk’ but Junk’ Ju ree to ‘Add the agree ts folder on your d agr box and Inbox separate. ck to the Inb ack to your My Documen back ail bac m mail ist’. backup. afe af Senders LList’ in your standard data o the SSafe to yourself, or include mail idea good a you from Handy tip: It is ftwaree should protect software ction soft protection been ur virus protect You Your dy tip: Yo Hand Handy s and ct your computer has uspect su suspect signature you if t but with s a viruses, contact ous malicious ate response mostt malicio an and, failing that m scan ful fulll system Personalise/autom hould run a fu cted, youu sshould infec infected, ffice replies 10 Out of Offi chnician. technician. lified tec quali qualifi e-mail with all of ff each and every of signing off will appear in the which yourself the hassle Save • a custom signature, ith multiple with rivatte w p private your details by creating eep your mail Ke Keep message. tab of the body of each new 06 m 06 ailboxess mailboxe the ‘Mail Format’ then select signature under • Create a new ‘Signatures’ button, a ther family members other rom o from menu. Select the rate fro then compose separate ‘Tools>Options’ select ‘Next’ and g your mail separ eeping Keeping • Ke asy. easy. signature a name, e is ea from ‘New’, give your he same machine the using th us in the editor. reatee a new identity create and colours and an cr ccan send personalised signature use various fonts ook Express you Outlook n Outlo • In lbox settings to details. You can mailbox yourr mail switch enu and inputt • List all your contact menu he File m th the period ox, then simply inbox, an image. yourr own inbo or for a signifificant in insert leave mail even ive e ce annual rece receive nd an and ffice on ou’re done. you’re to let people n you of the offi when • When you’re out nother identityy utlook to e-mails, it is courteoussend your Outlook back to aanother ba ate a new O create ally ou can creat are unable to respond you you automatic Outlook will when New a soft o Assistant’ Microsoft n Micro ffice • In d then create u and ‘Out of Offi enu menu File m mail. know. Outlook’s ata Filee under the D Data enu. to any incoming menu. ols m Exchange Server, Tools he Too the customisable response ccount under th using Outlook with Account E-mail A Ewhen using only available when • This feature is and is not accessible ffice environments offi mostly used in office filters select th mail filters with er wit lutte cclutter the ‘Tools’ menu, POP mail. ut through the ut Cu Cut be found under ffice Assistant’ can your message and 7 an 07 0 • The ‘Out of Offi nd rules and ffice’ option, enter Out of the Offi , you the ‘I am currently it’s working oursself to subfolders g mail yyourself OK to activate it. you to make sure istributing for d distributin select it an h th than test you. for ather R Rather • nction are away function is fun to have someone rm this perform of the dates you • It’s a good idea vee Outlook perfor can have ca notifying people n under the ‘Tools’ ption option erts’ opt Alerts’ your message brief, Keep Rule’ • he ‘Rules and Ale the ‘New person. elect th Select select • Se contact ow, ndo Window, ook Win Outlook and list an alternative n the main Outlo enu in m menu struction in the instruction ryy ins anatory explanato | 25 ow the self expla follow nd follo an and NECT.CO.ZA WWW.CON izard Wizard Rules W Ru

Yes… Connect is a magazine that is produced in conjuncGET YOUR tion with Incredible Connection. BECOME Send Xbox better ONLINE AN E-MAIL For that reason, I assume, the E-MAIL 10 TOP TIPS GENIUS SEARCH magazine title is what it is and INK WITH SUCCESS PAPER PIXELS OH MY! copies are on sale only in Incredible Connection stores. I was very Subscribe &Win! TOP impressed when I picked up a I’ve just read Concopy of Connect today. It’s a glossy, nect - what an awehigh-production value publication Stuck? some publication that delivers some salient advice - even a true IT-idiot and good content. The cover price like me could underof R15 is very reasonable. Within stand it all it’s really quite brilliant! the covers, readers will find reviews I learnt quiet a lot from the feaThe entire Connect team get an ture “Become An E-mail Genius”in of hardware and software together enormous congrats from me! Connect’s first issue. I always with a few how-to guides. Aimed Antonella Desi, Craighall made mistakes when sending out more at the technophobe than emails to people, I would send a at the technophile, concepts and certain email to a wrong person terminology are explained in basic or my email would contain gramterms. I like the fact that prices are Regarding the magazine, I mar errors etc. After reading the provided for all reviewed products wanted to congratulate the Con“become an email genius” sector, and also the Perfect Companion nect team – I didn’t think I’d see section accompanying the reviews. I learnt to save drafts which gives the day when I’d read an IT mag If Connect is just a marketing paper me time to go over and over my AND understand it. The content email before sending it out. for Incredible Connection, it’s was really impressive and I even It makes it easier for me bevery well disguised. For a locallylearnt stuff! Found myself lying in cause I don’t have to follow up produced magazine, Connect is of bed the other day, thinking if ideas with a phone call to apologise a high quality. for future editions ... sad but true. Manfred Hertenberger, for grammar error or wrong use Keep up the good work, can’t www.hertenberger.co.za of words. I also always ignored wait to see the next issue. all emails that went to my Spam Leticia Smith, New Zealand folder and ended up loosing communication with the cliDrowned phones, blinking ents. I learnt from Connect printer lights and mouse problems to check my spam and if LIFE IN TH solved! FAST LANE I know the address, add Letter of th E the he month: th: How to choose a broadband the sender’s email to safe Internet connect ion sender’s list. By that I don’t loose work related emails because they shoot straight to my inbox. Reading about the auJust wanted to drop you a mail to tomatic customisable resay congratulations on a fabulous sponse to incoming mail publication! I devoured it last WANT TO is going to make my work night, and I have to say it’s been TALK TO THE CONNECT TEAM? up to date next month when I Your magazine helped me such a long time since I enjoyed an IT go for leave I don’t have to worry a lot in deciding what system to mag like that. E-mail your feedback to about my clients as they will be use for a home ADSL connection. It’s entertaining, funny and most tiana@connect.co.za notified that I will not be at work It was the right article at the right importantly, really informative and Fax your letter to time. A good magazine for normal useful; the layout being just beauti- automatically by the customable 011- 7837886 automatic response I read about people who are not involved in ful is an added bonus! from Connect. Thanks to Connect, the IT industry Two thumbs way, way up to Post your letter, I am learning so much and that and do not always understand you and your team! Look out for addressed “Connect is making my work easier and the more technical magazines. my subscription – I’m in for the Magazine”, to 39 6th more professional! Well done! long haul. Avenue, Highlands Thank you, Mike, on www.Connect.co.za Best regards North, 2192 Nthabiseng Mopeli, Tembisa Paula Agor, www.groundworx.co.za 4 04 0

MAN KERMAN SUCKER N SUCK

ail//BY SHEREE send better e-m

MAY 2009

CONNECT YOUR CONSOLE

re effective 10 tips for mor nicat n ion u icatio mun online commu

FIND WHAT YOU NEED ON THE NET

y ustom stationer ccustom your mail with 01 Spice up text text on a plain people use black le ble • Although most customisab customisa nd, stationery (a s) can ions) white backgrou ombination co and picture combinat selection of colour spice up your e-mails. preset presset stationery the selection of • Choose from own. your available or create under under the ‘Mail y Picker’ option • Use the ‘Stationer …’ menu of the tions… ‘Tools>Options…’ Format’ tab in the main Outlook window. selectiion of designs from a large selection • Take your pick ore Stationery’ Mo using the ‘Get More available online window. button in the custom tertain or annoy your ente entertain either will A quick note: this functionality friends and colleagues.

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Outlook Express

Outlook and Outlook Express are two of the most commonly used e-mail applications available today. But few people take the time to master them and get them to sing. Here’s a collection of handy tips for new and veteran e-mail users.

better with better with Prevent a faux-pas e-mail etiquette SMS. an SMS. g an m as sending same e-mail is not the gal leg n a legal on Se • Sending e-maiil hass taken world, e-mail propriiatttee appropria n the business • In th the appropr with d wit be treated tatus and should status st style. al s, rammaticcal grammati g words, d words denssed condense using cond ot not You should avoid • Yo n you are n hen when isms w the argon and colloquial jargon ja ook uses th utlo Outlook recipient. O no amiliar with the familiar fa mailss so there is e-mails e-m compose to ord Editor Word W g. terne nternet In xcuse for misspellin eexcuse ansfeer rates, Internet transfer data tra t’s ven with increased • EEven ad caps. It’s nload download by down s. nts. nt ments sage is still limited usage u he attachme the the size of th o mportant consider important im imitt the size of be easy to llimit E-mail etiquette E the ffers the offers hile it may not While • W utlook off Outlook words ns, O ions, presentation m mistakes and choose your tc.) from spreadsheets or Type up a draft s, bmp, etc.) (jpgs, (j files (jpgs SShortenings: R wn to bility to resize picture 3MB aability 02 more carefully er file, down per instead innstead of are, for standard B pe near now their th ‘How RU?’ e-mails with sizes. e example, way of preparing ore manageable more m mage image stage. This • Drafts are a great innstead of ‘How are instead packed full of im them at a later e-mail, sending entire of n as An A MB. 2MB. an 2M the intention than while they are y Numerals such you?’ be less tha down thoughts Gr8 attachments, can at allows you to jot 4 instead of For and gives you the and ng mind of selecting selectin select as ents iss as easy still fresh in your aand C U L8R instead and re-edit it attachments image attachme revisit your mail ight w to: Resizing your How File Explorer, rright G and See you later; Great ows Fil opportunity to Windows the Windo pieent’ “send”. Recipient’ ail Recip hotos you require from To>Mail Complicated the pphotos Send To>Ma ‘Send L Lingo: he ‘S before you click all you need and choosing tthe your current e-mail end the send king on the selection clicking clicki technical jargon te yes to the romptt to either sen prompt • In order to save the Outlook pro zed size resized window and respond ion. This will launch option. optio that th will be lost -mail withh tthe res ee-mail to do is close the will prepare a new inal or resize, which original origi on o the recipient; prompt to save. sms: . achments. Colloquiali C attachments attac protect you from the draft will not only Mate, M Homey, Luv, give you time Handy tip: saving a e-mail, but will also etc. Lekker important an Bru, B button. losing frustration of you hit the send check your words before to think and double

ONE OF FOUR

AspireOne

Using Microsoft Outlook and

THE EASY WAY

24 | CONNECT

3 03 0

| MAY 2009

tech tannie

I just ju bo bought ough ght a new mouse silverr shimmer mousepad in n the R R1000 100 00 price range, I’d bought (it’s all The red light on my alll about colour co-ordination, but it won’t wo on’t work work k on my glass printer doll). And won’t stop flashing. And here’s why… If table. What What am m I doing doing wrong? How you lift do I make it stop? your lovely you’ll discover Frikkie can can’t n’t click click, k, Bosk Boskburg skburg a red (or Lulu going loco, Sandton blue)) light shining from her base. This mean means ns that she is an optical Now No ow that’s that at’s a fabulous fabulous question! mouse and, while First of all you could while they are really I forked fo orked o out have at ut o on good at n a simply divine workking on most surfaces, working least told me which mouse complete co ompleete with printer this with Swarovski they will was. I mean, seriously, alwayys struggle with always crystals just ju ust thee othe have you SEEN a reflective or other her day. It went how many different shinyy surface, or any diff perfectlyy with m fferent models there myy d surface with diamante iamante desk and are out there. For all too much much detail. Your best pen holder. hold der. Butt I digress…Yes, I know yours is dig gress…Yes, I too bet is to powered use by free-range chickens a plain black mousepad discovereed thatt myy discovered sparkly darling from or the China and the red light’s surfacce of your desk. surface was refusing refussing to warning o tackle They really are tacckle the gorgeous you of impending fl fascin fascinating nating creatures, computer ock death. But, mice. because I’m that kind From m their old trackball of person, I’ll days (when try and help you anyway. you had had to clean out all You’ll need sorts of gunk to do a couple of checks. and they they often ended up Start off dying ff by seeing if any paper quitee easily) to these is jammed in your optical babies printer. You should that use a tiny camera have two or three to take ways of opening it 1,5000 pictures per second. up to up to look inside. They use Whatever you do, don’t digitaal image processing digital stick your technology fingers in there unless to translate traanslate these pictures you’ve turned into the off ff the power. At best positi position tion of your cursor you’ll get a free on the perm, at worst you’ll transfforming the movement screen, transforming still be there of your until someone reports hand d into digital signals a funny smell. that your If you do find a paper comp computer puter can use. Amazing. jam, try and Now remove it slowly. If if only ly I had the space to it is stuck deeply tell you all within the unit you abou about ut laser mice… can try following the manual instructions on how to Optical Opti release the rollers but ical zoom! Digital ical Digit Zoom! if that is Zoo oom!! I just don’t get it. more than you’re prepared a bit it. Which one do do I need ne eed when to take when I buy a digitall camera? digital came on then send it in to era? be repaired by Mish Sh Mish Shutterfi hutterfifish, the manufacturer. Your sh, Benoni other option is that you have run out of ink. Take a Oooh, O ooh, tthere’s look at your more recent here’s nothing better better than printouts – if than n taking photos is th there! they’re blurry or faded Especially when Especially when yyou ou can zo then that’s zoom oom in and catch your neighbour n eighb bour ste your culprit. If these stealing ealing your daff daffod ffodils. two d ils. But B steps ut there’s th h fail ere’s nothing worse w when hen tthey hey come then the only other o out as thesee blurry option I can off y nagmerries nag gmerries because your offer ffer ccamera ameraa is crap you is to turn off crappy. ppy. So here’s ho ff your PC and printer how ow it w works. orkss. Digital zoom takes th the he part parrt of thee image for a good image you want 20 minutes wan nt brought brou and then go ughtt closer and then digitallly enlarg digitally enlarges back and try again. it ges it, not a real zoom If this doesn’t zoom at at all. alll. The quality of your im image mage is is irreversibly irreveersibly lost using work then you should g this technique take it to the te e chni nique because re the really th he same it’s manufacturer. Some sam me as manually enlarging en nlargin problems are ng an n image over and over again using again using image-editing too delicate for untrained im mage-editing software. sof oftwaree. Each hands. Eacch time you bring part off the part t picture that piccture closer it loses losses quality. quaality. Now optical leenses are lenses zoom are likee the rush at an Ed Edgars sale – they literally move you closer you clo oser to tthe he o object bject you w want. ant. SSo, o, th the he higher the optical zoom rating zoom rating on on your camera, the the furtherr away you take your take can be to yo our photo pho oto while while still getting gettting a really reallly crisp shot. What re need really need to This section sponsored you o be asking is what whaat your ur megapixel by: meegapixel rating should be on your be your optical op ptical zoom camera! cameera! In short, it depends. If you li to play like play around aro ound with image-editing imagee-editin ing software so oftware to create funky eff funky effects and so on, then you should you sh hould d look at a higher megap megapixel pixel rating ratting because because you u can always alwayys use the software zoom in. How zoom However, wever, if you prefe to prefer er to just ju ust shoot sh hoot and print, then go for a higher go higheer optical optical zoom ra rating ating b because ecaause then the quality will have will havve to be be in the zoom itself. itseelf. Sorted. So orted. d.

If you have questions, gripes gripes, s, IT pains or just seek some solace solace, e, e-mail Tamsin, the tech tannie at techtannie@ connect.co.za.

She might just send you a koeksister or milk milkktart recipe to eas ease se the pain.

68 | CONNECT | MAY 2009

Aaargh, I dro dropped opped my cell into the loo and it’s got my life on it! Can I fix it? My friend told me that I should put it into a bag of rice – is this an urban myth? Sad Sasha, Randburg

I am assuming you’ve yo already whipped your phone out the water, but just in case you’ve been sta staring taring at it since you emailed me, I suggest you get it out of there as fast as possible. If yo you ou can’t get to it within 20 seconds get the ba battery attery out of there fifirst. rst. Electricity and water are arre like a braai and winter – just not lekker together – so if you cut the power you havve a better chance have of saving your phone. Haaul your SIM card Haul out at the same time – you u may be able to save some data, especially if it’s GSM. Pat the SIM dry and leave it. Once you’ve rescued your phone, shake it and usse a towel to pat it use dry. Paper towels are a valid choice but be careful of soggy bits of tissue e catching in the more, how shall I say, intimate intimatte parts. Then remove all the covers and extras so you expose as much so phone flesh as Beau Br Brummel on a Sunday

stroll. Don’t usee a hair ha dryer or anything anything that could blow thee damp dam mp deeper inside in nside – use your vacuum cleaner clleane ner to suck ou out ut the moisture. Hold the vacuum vacuu um nozzle nozzle over each each open area for as long g as 15-20 minute minutes, es, but keep a little distance to o avoid avo oid the build d up of static electricity.

Now you can n leave leav ave your phone pho one in a bag of uncooked rice ricce overnight, ovvernight, if you you absolutely have to.… Personally Perssonalllly the only thing I drop into thing my rice is corianderr for that extra extr tra flflavour avour - I don’t see why I should sho ould waste a good bag of rice in the recession. recesssion n. I prefer using usin ing a desiccant instead. If you don’t don’t’t know whatt I’m talking about, they’re those thosee lekker, toxic ic sachet eff efforts fforts you get with your yo our shoes and handbags. haandbags. Bung a couple of those tho ose in n a bag with your phone and check on itit in the the morning. morning.. If you see humidity or moisture mo moistu ure then repeat repeeat the steps above. Wait at leastt one day after afteer all this before you test your phone. phonee. If it refusess to work with the battery, tryy it with witth the charger charg ger as you may need a new battery. baattery. y. If this fails take t ake it to the manufacturer and and make make sure you yo ou tell them what you did. They’ll They’ y’ll figure it out ou ut anyway.

Q:: Q

A:: A

internet connection/ /

BY DEON DU PLESS PLESSIS SIS

Option O ptiion 1:

Hard H ard li lines ines - A ADSL DSL

Choosing

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“Optical zoom lenses literally move you closer to the object you want. The higher the optical zoom rating on your camera, the further away you can be to take your photo.”

WWW.CONNECT

Need N ee ed to to kn know now

.CO.ZA | 69

Internet access at home is an essential part of modern living. There are many ways to the Internet, and of connecting since each of them has bene´ ´ts and drawba cks, choosing the right connection for your needs can be a little dauntin g.

Thankfully, sis Plessis Deon du Pless ug ough thro s just been through has oo ook is process. He ttook this thi entt fere different ook at the diffe lo a look ons atio dera consid ons and considerations options optio n hen when o bear in mind wh to he searching for the hatt’s th connection that’s ou. yo right for you.

MONTHLY M ONTHLLY C COST OS ST Line Rental Line Reental from from m Telkom Telkkom – R108 ADSL connection ADSL coonne on ectioon – rranges anges betweenn R133 and and R540 R5 ADSL ADSL SL AAccount ccoun unt – AAverage veerage cost is R600 per Gig Gigabyte gabyte te of data

S SPEEDS PE EEDS 3384kbps, 84kkbpps, 51 512kbps 12kb kbbps aand nd 4Mbps

H HARDWARE ARD DWA DWAR ARE REQUIREME REQUIR RE EQUIREMEN MENTS NTS AADSL DSL SL ro router outerr – RR400 4 0 to R2000

onnect Connect C commends ec rrecommends

ADVANTAG A DV VANT TAG GES: ES S:

Alwa Always-on ways--on

SL for home Internet ADSL connectivity. connnectivity. It’s costeff effective, fast, and highly reliable.

Fastt

Low w late latencies encies

Fixed ed co cost ost Networkable Netw worrkable

DISADVANT D IS SAD DVA ANTA AGES: AGES:

10 | CONNECT | MAY 2009

Youu need ed a Telko Telkom kom pphone hone

line

No m mobility obbility out outside tside of your home hom Req Requires quirees expens expensive sive hhardware ardware

Do youu pay for bandw bandwidth width up front oorr as you go? • Do youu need mobilit mobility? ty?

Did you know?

The Seac Seacom com high-capacity high-cappacity data cab cable ble that connectss the east coast of Africa to the rest of of the world will wi be completed completeed in June 200 2009. 09. It has the poten potential ntial to lower the he cost of Internet access in South Af Africa frica considerably siderably,y, so we recommend recomme mend you avoid sig signing gning up for any 2244 month contractss before then, as nnew ew and more ent enticing ticing offers are re a very real poss possibility. sibility.

Option 2:

Fixed and Mobile

– iB iBurst Burst

This form of wireless Internet via antennae over licensed connectivity is delivered radio frequency

spectrum. It is typically slower than ADSL, but on the upside is rather portable, so you can take your wireless modem with you wherever coverage permits. As long as you stay within the coverage area of your service provider, you will be connected. Because of the pure physics involved with wireless connectivity, latencies tend to be higher than ADSL. That means it’s not the ideal solution for online gaming or other tasks that require lightning quick response time. This is a popular option for many home users, however, since no phone line is needed and there are no additional monthly costs other than your subscription fee to the ISP of your choice. There are strong disadvantage s, though, like the price of the wireless modem required and the fact that your surrounding geography and impact on your connection’s weather conditions can signal strength and speed.

Need to know MONTHLY COST

R89 (1 GB) to R1249 (10 GB) depending on the package you select. The up-front modem cost can be mitigated by signing up for a 24-month contract.

SPEEDS Expect anywhere up to 1Mbps

HARDWARE ARDWARE REQUIREME NTS Wireless Modem – R2439 and up

ADVANTAGES:

Connect recommends

Always-on

Mobile Internet within coverage

No land-line required ISP cost is total cost

area

Mobility limited to coverage area Signal is affected by poor weather and geography Speeds are not very high

WWW.CONNE

6 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Consulting your ISP before signing up to determine the signal strength at your premises.

DISADVANTAGES:

Expensive to set up

CT.CO.ZA | 11

techno jargon // BY DEON DU PLESSIS

TROUBLE-FREE TECHNOBABBLE A jargon-busting glossary to understand IT speak

AI Artificial Intelligence is programming that tries to behave in intelligent, human-like ways by learning and adapting. BACKBONE The core of any network, able to carry huge amounts of data at very high speeds. BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE This is a program or operating system’s ability to run older software and read files created in older versions without any glitches. Microsoft Word 2007 being able to open Microsoft Word 2003 documents is an example of this. CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME Arm and wrist pain associated with spending too much time at your keyboard, typing in an incorrect posture. ENCRYPTION The act of making data unreadable to anyone except the receiver. It uses complex mathematics to scramble data, and only a unique key on the receiver’s end can unscramble it. DEVICE DRIVER The piece of software that tells your operating system (Windows, Linux etc) what to do with a particular piece of hardware. FIREWALL Security software designed to monitor the communication transmissions into and out of your computer. Stringent firewall rules determine what can pass through your system, in theory reducing the likelihood of malicious software infecting your computer. MULTITASKING The act of performing more than one task at a time. Uncommon in the average male, this is a function females and computers do particularly well.

GEEKING OUT What we here at Connect are guilty of – the act of using and enjoying technology, but to excess. If you wish your consciousness could be downloaded to a robot because you feel your flesh and bones just aren’t efficient enough, you’re geeking out. Perhaps a more relatable example would be hooking your PC up to your Xbox 360 so you can stream movies and music between the two, and then using the Bluetooth function of your phone to control everything. WYSIWYG An acronym meaning “What You See Is What You Get”, most commonly applied in computing to design applications that display final content that looks very similar to how it looked during editing. FTP The File Transfer Protocol is most commonly used to transfer files over the Internet. An FTP server is a server computer dedicated to receiving transferred files, and is commonly used for file storage on the Internet. IP Intellectual property. This applies to copyrighted ideas created through the application of deep thought and hard work; these include fictional characters and their associated “universes”, essentially dreamed up by their creators. An example of an IP would be all the characters in Marvel’s comic universes - any creative works based any of Marvel’s characters need to be licensed through Marvel. TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. This is the piece of software that allows devices to communicate with each other over networks. Each device is assigned a TCP/IP address, also known as the IP address for short, which gives them an address within a network from which to send and receive data. Think of an IP address as your home address, and other devices as everywhere you can reach from your home.

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 7

news

Slim Acer Aspire One D250 makes European debut Arriving in Europe is the 10.1-inch netbook that uses Atom N270 or N280 processors and supports 3G broadband. Standard RAM is 2GB, while permanent storage consists of a 160GB hard drive preloaded with Windows XP Home. New IT minister for South Africa Naledi Pandor, the former minister of education, was appointed as the new minister of technology and sciences in May 2009. “I am very honoured as usual to be deployed and appointed to a government position by our President,” she said. “It’s a great privilege, I am still getting used to it…” Acer’s K10 Pico, India’s first pocket projector Acer has announced the availability of the pocket projector in the Indian market. As one of the smallest and lightest projectors in the market today, combines DLP technology with LED lamp technology for clear and detailed images up to 60 inches diagonal while a contrast ratio of 2000:1.

Daydreaming? New Canadian research shows brain areas associated with complex problem-solving are highly active while we have our head in the clouds!

E3 2009 E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo) is a massive video game conference that takes place in Los Angeles every June. Although last year was closed to the public, this year’s event (which also happens to be the 15th anniversary of E3) once again promises to be a busy three days of previews, interviews, gameplay demos and new announcements. Exciting games on display at the expo include God of War 3, Brutal Legend, Bioshock 2 as well as a new Tony Hawk game. Looking at the consoles, the Nintendo Wii is showing off its Wii Motion Plus – an addition to the controller that makes it more sensitive – and Microsoft is making the kind of noises that generally indicate it’s about to announce

something really big on the Xbox 360 side. We should also find out whether or not Sony plans to slim the PS3 down and drop its price to save on shipping costs and stimulate interest in the brand like they did for the PS2 and the PSOne before that. With Sony having recently posted its first earnings loss since 1995, chances are good that a diet PS3 will land before the end of the next financial year to avoid a repeat performance. There is a great deal of hope that E3’s return to its flashy, loud and half-dressed model-littered roots will return the conference to its former glory, and once again earn it a place in the hearts of game developers, publishers, journalists and buyers across the globe. Watch this space!

California goes even greener California’s transit authority is trialling a 27kW High-Gain Solar Array to harness solar energy for a greener energy footprint. In conjunction with Skyline Solar, the transit authority hopes that going green will reduce its monthly energy bill from Pacific Gas & Electric. Train your brain using your PC Exercise with Dr. Kawashima is the latest game from the popular brain training series supervised by prominent Japanese neuroscientist Dr. Kawashima who believes that our brains, just like our bodies, need regular exercise to stay active and healthy. Filled with all-time favourites intended to stimulate different parts of the brain and keep minds active, the game will be available on PC DVD.

8 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Cheaper PS3 coming? When asked recently how Sony plans to boost PS3 sales in the next financial year, Sony CEO Nobuyuki Oneda responded with “Well, I think you have to guess what will be our pricing strategy”. While cryptic, this certainly does hint at a possible PS3 price cut before the end of March, 2010. We can only hope.

3DRealms still in business – Broussard Despite letting the entire Duke Nukem Forever team go in early May, 3DRealms CEO George Broussard has assured fans that the company is holding on to the Duke Nukem franchise and will continue development of Duke Nukem Forever, despite a $20m development cost thus far and heavy pressure from publisher Take Two Interactive to take over the rights to the franchise. Legitimate music downloads hit SA! Nokia’s online music store, located at www.music.nokia. co.za, is now open, offering all South Africans with Internet access the opportunity to download music at only R10 per song, or R100 per album. All songs are digitally protected, to help combat piracy. Iomega announces new eGo Portable Hard Drives The next-generation Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive will feature USB 2.0-powered models with superior ruggedness and the broadest suite of bundled data protection. Available in four different colours and up to 500GB in capacity, each drive is backed with a three-year limited warranty.

wired home //BY DEON DU PLESSIS

We answer some basic questions about wireless networking to help you understand what it is, why you need it and how to set it up in your home.

CONNECT YOUR

HOME

What is wireless networking? It is a way to connect all wireless networking-enabled devices in your home to each other and the Internet, without the need for cables.

Why do you want it? For file sharing, multiplayer gaming and Internet access for all wireless devices. As a side benefit, it also means no messy and unsightly networking cables to clutter up your home.

What do you need? A wireless router and a wireless USB adapter for desktop PCs or a wireless-enabled notebook computer will get you going.

What does IEEE 802.11b/g/n on the routers in the shops mean? This merely refers to the wireless standards that these devices support, meaning they will work with all PCs and notebooks that use the same technology.

Which router and USB adapters should I buy? Ones that support the IEEE 802.11n wireless standard.

10 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Why? IEEE 802.11n gives you the widest wireless range and highest data transfer speed, which are essential for a quick and responsive network. Objects in your home will also interfere less with your wireless signal strength due to the way IEEE 802.11n devices operate.

What if I opt for a cheaper IEEE 802.11b/g router? These routers have lower range and transfer speeds than those of devices supporting the newer standard. This can lead to breaks in network connectivity, and may require some reshuffling of your desktop to ensure the strongest possible signal strength.

What’s this draft-n nonsense? The final specifications of the next standard in wireless networking have not been completely finalised, but there is a working draft version, referred to as “draft-n”, being used in devices temporarily until the standard is finalised early next year.

Will I need to buy new networking equipment when IEEE 802.11n is finalised? No. Existing draft-n devices will be easily upgradeable to the final standard through a firmware update.

What on earth is a firmware update?

What are the basic principles I should be aware of?

Firmware is the general term for physical memory chips found in devices that store permanent information and instructions for their operation, but that can also be overwritten with newer software when necessary. Reasons to update firmware include new, refined instructions to improve performance, or to establish new functions.

Wireless security is nothing more than scrambling all data sent and received over your home network. This is done by using a technique called encryption, which the router does automatically by generating encryption keys. The strength of these keys (that is, the degree of difficulty involved in working them out by someone with malicious intent) is indicated by what is known as “bit length”. Most routers support 64-bit and 128-bit encryption keys. To you, the primary difference between the two will be their length – 64-bit keys consist of 13 characters, and 128-bit keys are 26 characters long. Only letters A to F and numbers 0 to 9 are used to generate wireless security encryption keys. The number of possible character combinations is mind-boggling, which is why the system is so successful. By setting up each device on your wireless network to use this key, you are letting your router know that it is okay to send and receive data to and from them. Any device attempting to connect without the correct key will be denied access.

Is that difficult to do? This can be complicated, but if you’re unsure of what to do, technical assistance is available. Expect to pay an hourly rate for a task that will take less than ten minutes in experienced hands, or consider asking a techie friend for help.

Once the router is powered on, is that it? Definitely not. You need to set up security on your wireless network; if you don’t, anyone with a wireless adapter can connect to your network, steal your shared data and access the Internet through your router. Worse, with free reign, intruders can search for documents containing sensitive information and use those to go on to impersonate you for online purchases and all sorts of other fraudulent activities.

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 11

wired home WE USED A BELKIN N1 ROUTER AS THE BASIS FOR THIS ARTICLE. WE HOOKED IT UP AND SET SECURITY UP AS FOLLOWS:

Wow, that’s pretty sweet! How do I set it all up? This varies by router make and manufacturer. Typically, the router’s manual will contain instructions on how to get basic access to the router’s control panel via a web browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox. You will need a standard network cable, (usually included with your router) that you connect to your computer’s network port. Luckily it only fits into one port, so finding that isn’t difficult. Plug the other end into an available port on your router. You will automatically be allocated a network address, also known as an Internet Protocol (IP) address. You now have a way to communicate with your router. Open a browser window, and in the address field at the top of the screen, type in the default router address found in the manual preceded by “http://”. Press Enter, and you may be prompted for an administrator’s username and password. The default values for both of these will also be in your manual; they are typically “admin” and “admin” respectively. We strongly encourage you to change the default password at the outset. Now you will see the router’s main interface. While there are cosmetic differences between router makes and models, their interfaces are very similar. What you are looking for is a section called WLAN, for Wireless Local Area Network. In here you can enable wireless LAN access and configure security options. Once you’ve chosen WEP, WPA or WPA2 security (representing good, better and best security standards) and generated your keys, you need to choose the key you’ll be using on your network, and write it down. When you attempt to connect to your wireless network from another computer, notebook or Wi-Fi enabled cell phone for the first time, you will be prompted for the security key. Enter the one you wrote down, press OK, and you should, with any luck, be granted immediate access to your wireless network. Since the key is now stored, you won’t be asked for it again until you change it yourself on the router. Security “best practices” encourage changing encryption keys at least monthly, but for a home environment this isn’t really necessary. Now all that’s left is to configure Internet access on your router, and voila, you’re all set up. You’re secure, your network is fast, and if you’re running 802.11n equipment, its coverage area should extend throughout your home, and even beyond. Imagine sitting on your patio, surfing the web from your laptop without wires trailing from it … Wireless Networking truly opens new worlds to you.

1. 2. 3.

Installed Router, hooked it up to power and the telephone line.

Used wireless access functionality built into the computer’s operating system to scan for and connect to available networks. Wireless network was found; we were asked if we want to connect and set up the router – we said ‘Yes’.

We selected LAN settings and specified the IP address for devices on our network.

We went looking for wireless security settings. We found it, entered the encryption key and saved the new settings.

We reconnected all our devices up to the network again, scanned for available wireless networks and entered the security key when prompted.

DONE!

ALL DEVICES ARE SECURELY CONNECTED TO THE WIRELESS NETWORK.

12 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Belkin Modem Router N+ Unparalleled range; fast throughput; easy-to-use network-storage feature; affordable. – NYTimes.com GCN Lab Reviewer’s Choice Award winner: Belkin N1 Vision Wireless Router. – GCN.com

Belkin’s N+ Wireless Modem Router is based on the draft 802.11n 2.0 technology which provides a wireless network that has the range to easily cover any size home or office. The N+ Modem Router has the bandwidth and speed for handling media intensive applications that take up large amounts of your bandwidth. A USB storage port on the back of the router enables you to connect USB storage devices

PC00184 - Belkin N+ & Review adv1 1

such as an external hard drive or thumb drive to the network. Now you can centrally store and share media content and files from the USB hard drive to every computer on the network. The N+ Wireless Modem Router is the central connection point of your wireless network. You can add up to 16 computers to your Wireless Network with additional desktop and notebook adapters. Lifetime manufacturer warranty.

5/19/2009 12:21:00 PM

iGoogle //BY BRETT HAGGARD

LET THE CONTENT

FIND YOU!

Using iGoogle in a couple of easy steps!

t might be a little corny, but it’s true – the Internet is the most amazing tool for keeping up to date with world events. But a lot of people find the task of visiting a variety of websites to get the information they’re looking for a little difficult. After all, the political commentary tends to be on one website, the general news on another, the weather on yet another and more specialised content, such as ‘quote a day’ or ‘daily biorhythms’ on still other websites. The best way to find your way to these websites is Google, but not in the way you’re thinking. iGoogle, a feature that’s been around for a year or so now, does all the hard work for you. It’s what’s called an aggregator and as this name suggests, it aggregates all of the content you’re interested in and puts it in a single place where it’s easily accessible. iGoogle in fact, will even aggregate things such as your own e-mail, documents, stock tickers and other vital information. It does this through little purpose-built applications called gadgets – in a nutshell, if there’s a gadget for a feature or piece of content you want access to, you’ll be able to add it to you iGoogle page.

14 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Telling iGoogle who you are

• There’s two ways iGoogle can recognise you. • The first is through allowing it to place a cookie (a placeholder of sorts) on your computer, but since this is not recommended from a security perspective, taking the second route, namely signing in with a username or password is easier and safer.

• If you have a Gmail address, you already have the credentials you need to sign-in to iGoogle. If you don’t however, sign up for Google’s services – they’re free and extremely powerful. • Once you have a username and password, navigate to ‘www. google.co.za/ig’ in your web browser and sign-in by clicking on the ‘sign-in’ link in the top right corner of the screen.

iGoogle in fact, will even aggregate things such as your own e-mail, documents, stock tickers and other vital information. Head start • You should be redirected to a default iGoogle page, showing a listing of the most popular content at the top of the screen, your Gmail on the left hand side of the screen, as well as a clock, a tab suggesting you should set-up weather and some news headlines. • As the dialog suggests, choose some content from the box at the top of the screen and click lic on the save button. • What Wh renders now, is your first iGoogle homepage. If it looks a bit bland, that’s just because we haven’t fully customised it yet. Hold on to your seats – this is where it gets interesting. • You’re looking for two links, called ‘Change theme from Classic’ and ‘Add stuff ’ – both in the top right corner of the screen

Customising the look and feel

• You can’t look at Google’s Classic theme without thinking it was expressly designed to make you explore what else is on offer. From Chinese teahouses to your preferred cartoon characters, movie stars and art-inspired interfaces, there’s a ton of different looks and feels; or skins you can apply to your home page.

• (A local favourite is the one designed by Desre Buirski, the same lady that designs the famous trademark Madiba shirts.) Use the search bar on the right of the page to find themes that suit your mood.

Click on the ‘Add it now’ opti option next to the theme you like and see how yo your home page changes. If you don’t likee iit, go back to the ‘Change theme from XXX’ X’ link and carry on playing.

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 15

iGoogle Adding content

The more important part of iGoogle is the content and we’re moving onto that right now. The ‘Add stuff ’ option is where you find what you want displayed on your iGoogle page.

Search through the droves and droves of gadgets for what kind of news, updates, nd other content that interests quotes and you. From Facebook and Twitter updates to working or out the exchange rate and a simple p language translator – trust us, it’s th there.

Add what you want, remove what you don’t. Use the little options (arrow) menu item on each gadget to customize it – either by changing appearance, the number of entries it shows, or ion the case of the Facebook gadget, which account it relates to.

ike the So what happens if you don’t like ply drag order of your gadgets? Well, simply them around the home page, like you would a window.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

GET PLAYING…

AND DON’T FORGET TO SET WWW.GOOGLE.CO.ZA/IG AS YOUR HOME PAGE!

16 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

monitors // BY DEON DU PLESSIS

inc

Number issues Screen size: The size of an LCD monitor is the measurement of its screen, diagonally from corner to corner. This size is generally advertised, although the ‘viewable area’ is marginally smaller due to the monitor casing that covers the outer edges of the actual screen. Resolution: A screen’s resolution is the number of pixels it can display, measured vertically and horizontally and is always written as a big figure multiplied by a smaller figure, like 1650 x 1080.

MONITOR

buying advice Ever wondered which monitor to buy?” By the time you finish reading this article, you will know everything to make an informed, intelligent monitor purchase… all on your own.

Aspect ratio: A screen’s aspect ratio is the ratio of the horizontal to the vertical, so 1680 x 1050 means the screen has a 16:9 ratio, which is therefore a widescreen monitor. Non-widescreen monitors have a ratio of 4:3. The aspect ratio of computer monitors have evolved from 4:3 to 16:9 and now 16:10 to accommodate new formats. These bigger, better monitors let people watch movies on their home PCs, play widescreen-supported games and work in more efficient ways.

You always secretly knew it

any people spend a lot of time staring at their computer monitors. Buying a new one, either to replace an old, clunky screen or to upgrade to a larger screen size can be a bit tricky, as not all new screens are created equal. They range in size, width, LCD panel type, body build and quality, and choosing one that’s right for you is largely dependent on what you want to do with it and how much you’re willing to spend. The trend in monitor manufacture has moved from producing regular Cathode Ray Tube monitors (CRTs - older screens with glass tubes that look like space helmets) to flat Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). LCDs are better in almost every way to CRTs: they take up less space on your desk, they use less power, look a lot more modern and are much easier to handle. Forget CRT monitors entirely and rather consider an ultra-modern LCD screen.

A bigger screen is a smarter purchase as there’s nothing quite like sitting down in front of a screen so big you have to move your head from side to side to take it all in. It’s better from many perspectives too – you can open programmes and position them side by side on a wider, bigger screen for improved ease of use. While you can swap applications with only two keystrokes (Alt and Tab), productivityrelated tasks are a breeze when you can simply click between applications. Size benefits don’t end there – text is clearer and bigger at high resolutions, and for leisure activities like widescreen gaming and movie-watching, big screens are streets ahead. Games that support widescreen resolutions provide a wider view of the game world than regular monitors, a tactical advantage in games that benefit from a wide field of view. Movies also take on a whole new meaning as you can view them in their original letterbox format. WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 17

monitors

Contrast ratio: This denotes is a screen’s ability to display rich darks and bright whites, and is rated as the difference in luminance between the lightest and the darkest areas. The latest marketing trick is to quote high contrast ratio numbers like 20 000:1; while this is true, it’s a measurement of contrast over time as opposed to the ability to change from light to dark immediately. This is known as dynamic contrast ratio, and we believe static contrast ratios are more accurate. Check your box carefully for mention of a dynamic contrast ratio. An LCD sporting a 5000:1 static contrast ratio will perform better than one with a 5000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 1000:1 static contrast ratio.

Brightness:

WHAT

to look for On the technology side, the following are what we advise you to look for when it comes time to hit the shops:

Low response time: Screens with quicker response times will display moving images better. “Ghosting” is a phenomenon in which moving images leave slight trails on monitors that have refresh rates greater than 12ms (milliseconds), giving a distorted look. Modern screens rated at 8ms or faster provide the kind of performance in which there is not even the remote chance of ghosting and distorted moving images. The fastest monitors on the market are as low as 2ms, offering the smoothest viewing.

High viewing angles: LCDs have a tendency to distort onscreen images when you look at them from extreme angles; which is something CRT monitors never suffered from. LCD screens that advertise viewing angles of between 160 and 175 degrees are worth investigating. 18 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Measured in candelas per square metre (cd/m2), a screen’s brightness is a very important consideration if you know you’ll be using it in a brightly-lit office or room. This one is simple - the higher the rating, the better the screen.

Size: Widescreen LCDs are by far the best option. 20inchers offer the best value as they are inexpensive while still offering a very pleasant widescreen aspect ratio. 22-inchers occupy the “sweet spot” - the point where value-for-money meets impressive size. 23inchers are starting to find their way to market and will likely replace 22-inchers in the near future, but for now 22-inch screens occupy that sweet spot. 24, 26 and 30 inch LCDs are luxury buys, for gamers or professional designers who absolutely demand massive amounts of screen space.

Build quality: The build of the screen’s surrounding plastic should also play a part in your purchase decision. Flimsy plastic means less durability, while a stand with limited angling options will severely dampen your enthusiasm for your purchase. All great stores will have screens on display; we highly recommend you look very closely at each and don’t be afraid to push and pull them into the desired position to see if they feel right to you. If sales people give you the beady eye, ask them for assistance, but whatever you do make sure the screen you’re considering lives up to your quality expectations.

get your PS3 online /// BY BRETT HAGGARD

GET ET YOUR

GAME ME ON (LIN (LINE) Connecting your our PS3 to the Playstation Network

ony’s Playstation 3 is a gaming and multimedia powerhouse. But outside of its ability to wow you with stunning visuals, phenomenal gameplay and the most immersive movie playback using its Blu-Ray DVD player, if you haven’t connected your PS3 to the Internet and begun exploring the PlayStation Network (PSN), you’ve done your console a disservice. Not only is the PSN fully available in South Africa (unlike Microsoft’s Xbox Live which has to be lied to before it will grant you access to it) it’s crammed with content you can actually use – like games demos, news about upcoming

titles, as well as downloads such as music, videos and more. While it might be a little premature to expect users to download Blu-Ray movies from the Internet instead of heading off to the video store (movie file sizes vary between 4GB and 8GB), the reductions in Internet connectivity costs we’re due to see in the next three to four months could mean ‘going to movies’ means clicking a couple of buttons on your games console’s remote control. Until that becomes a reality however, you might want to begin exploring and testing out some of the functionality on offer – after all, you already have the mother of all gaming consoles right?

REQUIREMENTS: PLAYSTATION 3 • Broadband Internet – either ADSL, 3G or wireless from Neotel or iBurst • Wired or wireless home network (see cover feature for more info, if you don’t have one yet)

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 19

get your PS3 online

THE PROCESS:

2 Part 1 – Getting connected 1. 1

2. 2

3. 3

4. 4

Before you can begin enjoying the wealth of content available on the PSN, you’ll have to get your console connected to the Internet. I’m assuming you’ve already set your home network up – preferably using Wi-Fi – and that you’ve gotten the devices in your home to share an Internet connection. If you haven’t, go back to our cover feature and take care of those steps first. If you’ve got a wired network, simply connect an Ethernet cable between your home router into the Ethernet port on the back of the PS3, head into ‘Settings’ and then ‘Network Settings’ within the console’s user interface. Now scroll down to ‘internet Connection’ and make sure the option says ‘Enabled’. After that, head down to ‘Internet Connection Settings’; say ‘yes’ to the dialog about this action disconnecting current connections and choose the ‘Easy’ option. From the next menu, choose ‘Wired Connection’ and follow the remaining instructions. The console should configure itself from here.

20 | CONNECT | MAY 2009

55.

66.

77.

Wireless connections are a little more complex, escpecially if you have security enabled on your home network. Instead of choosing ‘Wired Connection’ after ‘Easy’ in ‘Internet Connection Settings’, you need to now choose ‘Wireless’. Next, choose ‘Scan’ and within a couple of minutes, the name or SSID of your network should show up in the list. Choose your network from the list and use the left stick to accept the options that follow. When it comes to entering the network security key, press the ‘x’ button on the controller and using the on-screen keyboard, enter the network password for your Wireless LAN. Once you’ve done this, click right with the left stick again. Click the x button twice again, once to accept the settings and once to test them. If everything went according to plan, your PS3 should be connected the Internet.

5 7

Part 2 – Updating your console and hitting PSN 8. 8

9. 9

Once connected to the Internet, your console will no doubt require a system update – expect a donwload between 150MB and 200MB in size. Updating is easy - simply head into the ‘Settings’ and ‘System Update’ settings, click through the options and wait for the update to complete. Once downloaded and installed, you’ll see the console reboot and you should once again, see the user interface.

10. 10 Now head into the secondlast option on the main menu, namely Playstation network, click on the option to ‘sign-up’ and follow the instructions. 11. 11 Once you’re done with these steps, you can log into the network and begin looking around… Enjoy!

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 21

ergonomics // BY TIANA ALSWANG

Comfy

COMPUTING Long hours stagnating behind a computer, slouched over can be really bad for your health. We investigate some tips and tricks to keep you posture-perfect.

MOUSE MANIACS

ack, shoulder and neck pain, tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome – doesn’t sound appealing, does it? Poor posture, which can lead to more severe back and neck problems, is often the result of an uncomfortable working environment. The wrong chair, incorrect monitor height and not moving around can lead to eye strain, back pain and sore wrists. The main causes of ergonomic health

22 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

disorders are awkward posture, frequent repetitive motion tasks (mouse-clicking or typing), vibrations, a poor workplace setup, sitting in the same position – in a poor posture – for long periods, and inadequate lower back support. Symptoms of these injuries include pain in the wrists, forearms, neck or back; dry, itchy or sore eyes; blurred or double vision; cramping; reduced grip strength in hands; reduced range of motion in the shoulder, neck or back and tension headaches.

• Use your elbow – not your wrist – to move your mouse. • Take breaks from using your mouse, every 15 – 20 minutes • Use keyboard shortcuts – this will vary the nature of your activity, and will reduce mouse-time. • If you surf the web a lot, or edit long documents, consider a mouse with a scroll wheel, to reduce repetitive arm motions. • Try using your other hand to operate your mouse.

WHAT IS ERGONOMICS?

POSTURE PERFECT What is the correct posture for a computer-based worker? • Push your hips back as far as they can go in your chair. • Adjust the seat height so that your feet are flat on the floor, and your knees at the same height or slightly lower than your hips. If your feet don’t reach the floor when you’re at the optimal height to work, then invest in a footrest in order to correct your posture. • Adjust the back of the chair to a 100 – 110 degree angle. • Adjust the armrests so that your shoulders are relaxed. • The keyboard should be directly in front of your body, with the section most frequently used in the centre. • Adjust the keyboard height so that your shoulders are relaxed, your elbows slightly open and your wrists and hands are straight. • If your keyboard can tilt, make use of this feature to maintain a straight wrist position. • Keep your mouse as close as possible to the keyboard. • Your screen should be centred in front of you, above your keyboard • The top of the screen should be about 5 -10 centimetres above eye level. • Sit at least an arm’s length away from the screen, and position the screen to reduce glare. • Place your telephone within easy reach, on the side of your non-dominant arm if possible. If you can, use the speakerphone or a headset if you have to do something else while you’re speaking on the phone. • Avoid eye fatigue by refocusing on an object away from your monitor periodically. • Be sure to take a 5 – 10 minute break every hour, when you get up and move away from your desk.

Griffin Elevator

Ergonomics is the scientific discipline of optimising the interaction of human beings with their tools and environments to maximise safety, health and comfort. Basically, ergonomics is about designing an environment according to human needs, in order to optimise human wellbeing and overall performance. If you’re expecting to spend long hours in front of a computer, increased productivity can mean little changes like seating, desks, light, ambient noise and temperature. The principles of ergonomics are often applied to the workplace because many injuries and illnesses - such as Repetitive Stress Injury, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Musculoskeletal Disorders – happen on the job and are caused by our interaction with technology.

More than a chair!

Belkin Cooling Stand

Logitech Split Keyboard

If you’re struggling to sit comfortably behind your laptop or desktop at the office or at home, it may be because the screen isn’t at eye level. In fact, this is virtually impossible if you consider that your keyboard has to be on your desk! A good place to start is to consider some accessories that can help overcome these problewms. Start with an Ergotilt – this stand changes the angle and height of your notebook and keyboard. Griffin’s Elevator Desktop Stand is an aluminum and plastic lift that elevates your notebook computer almost 15cm off the desk, providing more ergonomic positioning. Belkin’s Cooling Stand not only prevents your laptop overheating – something that damages battery life – the gentle slope improves typing comfort and reduces wrist strain while also raising the screen height to help ease neck strain. Keyboard designers have also thought ergonomically with split keyboards that are particularly important for people with large hands who may not be comfortable with their arms directly in front of them – a split keyboard is often curved slightly, giving a more natural position.

Take a break Microsoft Split Keyboard

KEYBOARD KINGS • Use a light touch when typing – the tendons from your fingers connect near your elbow, so striking the keys too hard might lead to elbow injuries that you wouldn’t normally connect with typing. • Keep your wrists straight – not bent up or down. • Keep your elbows at a slightly open angle – 90 degrees or greater • Keep your shoulders relaxed, and your elbows at your side. • Don’t use wrist rests as arm rests while you’re typing – they’re called rests for a reason… • Even though they mostly use the letters-side of the keyboard, many people centre the whole keyboard in front of them. Isolate which part you use the most, and position it directly in front of you • Consider using keyboard shortcuts or macros for tasks that are repeated often.

If you spend a full day in front of a computer, it’s time to stand up and get moving. Although using ergonomic chairs and laptop stands can help, it also helps to remember proper posture while in motion. Even at home, taking notice of how you sit in front of the computer - notebooks are big culprits when it comes to ergonomic sins. Once known as laptops, these items of tech frequently break all the rules – users can sit, slouch, flop or lie just about anywhere while using them, as they are not restricted to any particular formal working environment. Even if you’re tempted to stretch out on the couch while you’re working on your notebook at home in the evening – don’t! Rather sit correctly at a proper workstation. WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 23

photo editing // BY JOHANN BARNARDD

4ADD PUNCH EASY STEPS TO

TO YOUR PICS

Taking photos with your digital camera is fun, quick and simple. But how do you give them ‘punch’? Connect leads you through some basic editing steps to give your photos oomph!

24 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

espite the convenience that digital photography has brought, the truth is that the quality of the raw digital images still lack a certain vibrancy and depth. The good news is that this can be brought out in a couple of very simple and quick steps. In last month’s issue of Connect we discussed how to download and manage your photos using Windows’ in-built Picture Gallery application. So, staying with the same application, we take you through some of the basics of editing to bring them to life. To enter the photo editing mode in Windows Picture Gallery, select the photo you wish to edit and then click ‘Fix’ in the top menu bar. This will open the photo in a larger view, with

a set of editing options appearing on the right side of the window. Let’s assume that your photo looks OK, but that you want to see if it can be improved by adjusting elements such as the exposure (lightness or darkness) or level of colour saturation. Your ‘get out of jail free card’ in this instance is to simply hit the Auto Adjust button. This feature adjusts the image to what it believes is a reasonably-exposed photo. It’s possible there may be no discernible change to the photo, which means that it’s probably an already wellexposed image. You can either accept these changes or reset the adjustments to make your own tweaks to the photo, which is where the other adjustment settings come in.

HINT: To undo any or all of your adjustments, click on the ‘undo’ button at the very bottom below the adjustment settings.

Editing

functions

1 Adjust Exposure

To adjust the exposure of the photo, click on this setting and a slider bar appears on which you can set the brightness as well as the contrast between light and dark areas. Move the brightness and contrast bars to the point where you believe the main subject of your photo (a person’s face, for example) is neither too dark, nor too light.

2 Adjust Colour

The colour temperature will adjust the general hue of the photo between blue and red, while tint adjusts the general hue between green and red. Play around with these slider bars to find a setting that is most pleasing or accurate. Saturation sets the intensity of the the colours in the photo. The richer the colours, the more striking it will appear, although moving the slider bar to the other end of the scale will produce de-saturated photos that give you a very different, but interesting effect.

There are three different setting types under this option: Colour Temperature, Tint and Saturation.

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 25

Editing functions Continued

photo editing

3 Crop

The crop feature adjusts the size of the photo by allowing you to ‘zoom in’ on the part of the photo that’s most important or interesting. When you click on this option, you will see a standard rectangle that shows you what will remain, with those parts of the image to be cut out appearing behind a grey screen. You can change the shape and size of crop area from the drop-down menu presenting choices of standard photo dimensions. To change from a landscape to portrait orientation, or vice versa, click the ‘Rotate frame’ option under the drop-down menu

ADVANCED PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE There are literally as many different photo editing suites as there are camera brands. While they vary in functionality and features, the choice will depend on your needs and level of skill.

COREL PAINT SHOP PRO X2 (R899.95) is a popular and useful suite that combines ease of use with full professional power.

4 Red-eye Reduction This powerful function quickly and easily removes those horrid red eyes that are sometimes caused by the camera’s flash. Once you’ve clicked on this option, you can then click and drag around the individual pupils that are red. As soon as you release the mouse button the redness magically disappears!

PHOTOPLUS X2 DIGITAL STUDIO (R999.95) is a powerful Windows Vista-certified image editing and organising suite packed with useful features.

SONY PHOTO GO (R349.95) is comparable in functionality to Windows Picture Gallery as it allows you to import, manage, edit and print photos quickly and easily.

26 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Basic Wireless

Wireless-G ADSL2+ Gateway

Wireless Productivity

WAG54G2

Wireless Productivity

• Wireless-G Router with 4-port 10/100 (Fast Ethernet) switch for sharing a high speed wireless Internet connection.

Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router

WAG160N

WRT160N

• High-speed ADSL2+ Modem gives you a fast, “Always On” connection to the Internet.

• Internet-sharing Router and 4-port Switch, with a built in speed and range enhanced Wireless Access Point.

High Performance/Entertainment

Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54G2 • All-in-one Internet-sharing Router, 4-port Switch, and Wireless-G (802.11g) Access Point.

N+

Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router WRT610N • Two bands of Wireless-N for high-performance wireless entertainment.

What do I need at home? To start a network, you first need to figure out whether your broadband is cable or ADSL (ETISALAT). If you use cable, you will need a Linksys router. If you use ADSL, you will need a Linksys Gateway.

If you add a Linksys Adapter, Range Extender or Wireless PrintServer, to your network, just make sure that the Router and Adapter match, to maximise performance and range (e.g. Wireless-N router with Wireless N adapter).

Choose a Router that is Right for You Linksys by Cisco offers a router to meet your needs whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been living wirelessly for years.

Basic Wireless

WAG54G2

WUSB54GC

WPC54G

Wireless productivity WAG160N

WUSB600N

WPC600N

WMP600N

N+

High Performance / Entertainment

WRT610N

WMP54G

WUSB600N

WPC600N

WMP600N

LINKSYS BY CISCO PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE AT ALL INCREDIBLE CONNECTION OUTLETS

For more information on our products email us at lcloete@cisco.com or visit our website www.linksys.com/za/ Linksys, Cisco and the Cisco Logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries. Other brands are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Maximum performance derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications. Actual performance can vary, including lower wireless network capacity, data throughput rate, range and coverage. Performance depends on many factors, conditions and variables, including distance from the access point, volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, operating system used, mix of wireless products used, interference and other adverse conditions. Copyright © 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

PRODUCT REVIEWS // BY DEON DU PESSIS

MYVU, REVIEWS Top 5 PCs, Laptops, Notebooks Accessories Printers Routers Home media Cameras Software

30 36 38 40 42 44 48 52

YOUR VIEW?

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.

hat a month! I’ve never reviewed as many products, as I did last month, and it was all worth it when the letters from you, our new Connect readers, came in to say how the information that was given was in just the right way at the exact right time. The only thing better than a satisfying job is a satisfying job that helps people, and by all accounts that is exactly what we achieved with our first issue of Connect – the technology magazine that speaks your language. Here’s to more of the same: helpful reviews that promise you easier buying advice! This month we review more than twenty products and we cover some really interesting gadgets in our Top 5, like the Myvu Solo and Crystal

“personal media viewers” – iPod video players that you can wear like a set of sunglasses. Other top fivers include a standard-def camcorder from Samsung that records to memory cards, as well as HTC’s second Androidbased phone, the HTC Magic which appears to have improved on every aspect of the original HTC Android G1. Even Microsoft gets in on the innovation bandwagon, and has been hard at work trying to make the humble mouse even mightier with its new “Blue Light” tracking tech that makes mice more mobile on many new surfaces. Read our review on page 32 to see if they succeed! If you have any suggestions, tips, amusing technology-related pictures or cat videos you’d like to share with us, by all means do so. Drop me a line at reviews@connect.co.za and who knows, maybe your name will end up in print in an upcoming edition. Until the next issue, happy gadgeting! Cheers, Deon

TOP

PRODUCT REVIEWS PERFECT COMPANIONS SD/SDHC Card These memory cards come in many different sizes, but we advise to buy the biggest your budget will allow. When it comes to storage for your imaging devices, there really is no such thing as too much storage space!

Samsung SMX-C10 Flash-based Camcorder NEED TO KNOW • YouTube uploads at the touch of a button • SD/SDHC Memory Card Recording • Palm-sized video recorder R2699.95

SAMSUNG has launched a new range of standard definition handheld camcorders that are designed to blow you away with functionality, style and a very reasonable price point. For all intents and purpose, the company has succeeded. The SMX-C10 camcorder has been ergonomically designed to fit snugly into your hand, and the casing has been brightened with Samsung’s patented “Touch of Colour” finish that subtly infuses a hint of colour into the case’s black plastic. The included LCD opens out from the unit’s body, and can tilt and pivot into a wide range of positions in order to allow you to keep an eye on what the lens sees from virtually any angle. Using the camera is really a point and shoot affair, making it immediately accessible to ordinary people looking to get into video creation and editing. Open the camera, choose your shooting options using the on-screen menu, point the camera at your subject and press record. There is even a handy time-lapse feature that lets you capture images at various intervals, but only up to 30 seconds apart. Still, it’s good for capturing a sunset, or an equally as slow-moving scene for later reconstruction. Videos are limited to a resolution of 640x480; while not very high, this is more than enough to shoot DVD-quality movies. The H.264 compression codec (a piece of software that codes and decodes video data) is extremely efficient, resulting in smaller video file sizes than other codecs can offer and as a result, you can get up to six hours of standard-definition video footage onto a 16GB memory card. On a single charge that lasts up to 2 hours and 40 minutes, you’re guaranteed not to run out of space. 30 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

The biggest draw of the C10 is undoubtedly that it writes video data directly to SD/SDHC (Secure Data High Capacity) memory cards. Memory card prices have come down in the last few years, and a 16GB SD/SDHC card can be picked up for around R500. Its bigger brother, the C14 (not out yet) comes standard with 16GB of Flash memory built-in, but is also expandable via an included memory card slot. The C10 has been designed with the home user in mind: along with elementary editing capabilities built into the C10, users are encouraged to upload their videos directly to YouTube with the single touch of a button on the side of the camcorder. Editing can also be achieved by hooking the camcorder up to any USB-equipped PC thanks to Samsung’s built-in intelli-studio software. Inexpensive, compact, comfortable to hold and with a range of versatile functions, the SMX-C10 is a powerful camcorder that just about anyone can use to capture standard definition footage, edit it on the fly and have it uploaded to YouTube before the lulz have even subsided. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • • •

10x Optical Zoom Time-lapse recording Uses SD/SDHC Cards only – no built-in storage 230 000-pixel 2.7-inch LCD Hyper Image Stabilization H.264 Compression Support PROS

CONS

• Compact, sexy design • Swivelling LCD screen • Youtube uploads

• Standard-def only

OVERALL RATING

Pinnacle Studio 12 For that extra professional touch to your home movies, consider Pinnacle Studio 12 Ultimate, with Dolby 5.1 encoding for true surround sound.

LG Dual Layer DVD Writer Once you’ve edited your masterpiece, burn it to DVD so you can send it around the world, or just show it off at a family braai. LG’s Dual Layer DVD Writer will help you get this done fast.

PRODUCTS

SONY HANDYCAM DCR SX60

TOP

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Myvu Solo and Crystal NEED TO KNOW • iPod videos in sunglasses format • Lightweight & comfortable • In-ear sound R3999.95 (Crystal), R2999.95 (Solo Plus)

SOUTH Africans rejoice! Seriously futuristic and somewhat irreverent gadgetry has hit the country with a vengeance – now you too can watch iPod videos with a sunglass-type gadget strapped to your head! Yes, we’re not kidding. And no, it’s not as dorky or useless as your practical South African mind may be thinking – serious! Well, maybe a little dorky. Take a close look at the product image above and consider what your friends would say if they were to see you wearing them. That being said, the Myvu “personal media viewer” is certainly an intriguing piece of kit, dork-factor of te nie. It’s essentially an LCD video player nested in a frame that hangs over your eyes like a regular set of sunglasses and lets you watch videos that look as if they’re a lot bigger than they do on a normal iPod screen. And it works, too. Using any iPod capable of displaying video (thirdgeneration and up) all you need to do is put them on, plug your iPod into the glasses, set it to TV Out, start your video and voila, it appears seemingly in the air in front of you (we know – we waved our hands at it repeatedly to see if we could touch it). You can still see around it so you don’t shut the world out entirely, but the included earphones sit inside your ear, contouring to the shape of your ear canal, and that does block out everything but what you’re listening to, so please don’t drive with it on. Walking isn’t recommended either – it’s very easy to get distracted and bump into things, not least of all other people. Any movie that your iPod can play will play in the Myvu glasses. Our only real concern was that extended viewing of 90 minutes or more produced a slight headache due to the eye fatigue that naturally develops during use, so we don’t recommend you watch the Lord of the Rings movies back to back. The glasses come in two flavours, the more expensive but higher-

resolution (640x480) Myvu Crystal and the Myvu Solo Plus, a pared-down version of the Crystal that still offers good viewing, but at the lower resolution of only 320x240. The Crystal’s higher resolution delivered far crisper visuals, comparable to DVD-quality, while the Solo displayed what felt like the videos we’d seen on our iPods, just slightly bigger. These glasses come in handy during travelling or even just lazing around at home looking for something to do. The whole point of the device is that it’s a “personal media viewer” that you can take with you anywhere – imagine sitting on a plane, watching your own movies without needing to hold your iPod up to your face and getting a decent viewing experience since you’re also shutting out engine noise with the included headset. While certainly gimmicky, for the frequent traveller this may be a great way to address the entertainment problem on any extended journey. All in all, we’re rating the Myvu a solid 4; it’s new, it’s high-tech and it certainly has a place in the gadget collection of avid technology collectors. Just please avoid prolonged multi-movie sessions and when your head starts to hurt (and it will), take a break. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • • • •

Exclusive SolidOptex technology Crystal Resolution: VGA (640x480) Solo Plus Resolution: QVGA (320x200) 4 hours battery life USB rechargeable battery Works with most 3G+ iPods (not Shuffle) iPhone compatible PROS

CONS

• Lightweight and comfortable • Unique way to watch iPod videos • Extremely high-tech, quite possibly cool

• Extended viewing can cause eye fatigue • Walking with them on is hazardous • A teensy bit gimmicky

PERFECT COMPANIONS

iPod Classic 120GB Store up to 120GB worth of music, movies and TV shows on the iPod Classic. Hook the Classic up to a set of Myvu personal media viewer glasses, and enjoy a virtual cinema wherever you are.

OVERALL RATING

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 31

TOP

PRODUCT REVIEWS

PRODUCTS

Microsoft Mini Explorer Mouse NEED TO KNOW • Wireless mouse • Works on virtually any surface • Small but sturdy R999.95

FINALLY, a mouse that works on virtually any surface. This is thanks to Microsoft’s patented BlueTrack Technology, which is based on a much larger beam, set at a more oblique angle than the usual red beams found in most optical mice. BlueTrack is a definite step up, and works on wood, granite, marble and reflective surfaces that traditional optical and laser mice can’t handle. Our various trials yielded outstanding results. Other than it struggling with clear surfaces such as glass or transparent plastic (which were still usable to a certain extent, even if somewhat frustrating), it handles pretty much every other surface one can find, opening up many more workspace possibilities. It’s even totally usable on wood – and not just smooth wooden boards, but gnarled and knobbly bark as well – meaning that if you ever have to put together a PowerPoint presentation on a fallen tree trunk in the middle of the forest, then you are in luck. The Microsoft Mini Explorer Mouse is slightly smaller than your average unit, but still fits comfortably in the hand, with access to the standard buttons, the 4-way scroll wheel and the two side-buttons all feeling very natural. As we have come to expect from high-end mice, the buttons are all fully customisable for easy access to short-cuts or commonly used functions. We were also very pleased with the design and quality of the tiny 3.5cm micro transceiver, as it not only provides excellent, reliable wireless responses from the mouse, but also uses a frequency of 2.4GHz for a range of up to nine metres. When not in use, the small USB transceiver snaps perfectly into 32 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

LOGITECH G15 KEYBOARD

place underneath the mouse for easy storage and portability. What is more, inserting the transceiver immediately turns the mouse off, saving battery life. The mouse is powered by just one AA battery, and Microsoft reckons that should last an average of four months. Coming in just shy of R1000, this mouse is no doubt only going to be of interest to those for whom a standard mouse just can’t meet the demands of their working environment. For the majority of users, a much more affordable optical mouse which can be run on one’s lap or on the body of the notebook computer itself would be a better choice. BlueTrack will no doubt start appearing in more cost effective models in the coming months, so maybe hold off until then. All in all, the Microsoft Mini Explorer Mouse is an excellent, innovative piece of technology with the most advanced movement tracking we have ever seen. As such, it will prove a great purchase for those who would definitely take advantage of the benefits of its BlueTrack Technology.

Keyboards don’t get much more high-end than this. In addition to Logitech’s usual outstanding design, illuminated keys and an LCD display mounted at the top of the keyboard set the G15 apart, allowing for gaming or typing in the dark, and the LCD screen displays handy information that is even customisable per application.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • BlueTrack Technology • 4-way scroll wheel • Customisable buttons

MICROSOFT HABU MOUSE

PROS

CONS

• Wireless reception very reliable • BlueTrack works exceptionally well • Good ergonomic design

• Pricey for a mouse • 2.4Ghz transceiver has potential to interfere with other wireless signals

OVERALL RATING

Collaboration between Microsoft and renowned gaming peripheral designer Razer resulted in the Habu mouse, a gaming mouse for bigger hands that has selectable sensitivity settings for tweaking responsiveness to your liking.

TOP

PRODUCT REVIEWS

PRODUCTS

HTC Magic NEED TO KNOW • Runs Android operating system • Incredibly feature-rich • Great mobile Internet device R6599.95

THIS is a phone that really has it all. In fact, it might be right to consider it a mobile touchscreen computer that can also make phonecalls – it is a very advanced, very powerful PDA that packs a lot of punch into its little white shell. In some respects, the HTC Magic stands testament to how voice calls are now just one of myriad ways we connect with other people, as it is very much an Internet-oriented communication and organisation device. The HTC Magic comes pre-installed with a WebKit based browser (the same technology which powers Apple’s Safari) but of course users will be able to install another browser if they so prefer. Given that the phone’s Android operating system was originally developed by Google, much of the preinstalled software is geared towards Google services such as Gmail, Google Maps, Google Talk and YouTube. All of these are a cinch to use, provided the phone is getting clear enough 3G or HSDPA signal through which to connect to the Internet. GSM speeds, while supported, will ultimately prove a little too frustrating given how data-intensive many of the applications are. The touchscreen, measuring a decent 8cm, is a very pleasing size and tapping and dragging are responsive and not at all clumsy. The display is sharp and crisp, and navigating websites, reading messages, viewing photos and videos are all very satisfying. One standout feature of the touchscreen is the ‘long click’ ability, which enables users to hold a finger on an area of the touchscreen and another application will load depending on what has been selected. For example, long clicking on a particular song in a playlist might load up YouTube to search for music videos from that artist, or a long click on contact details on a web page or a particular location in Google Maps can create a new entry in the address book. And the features just keep on coming: the HTC Magic is also a fully functional Global Positioning System, has a 3.2 megapixel camera, video capture, an accelerometer sensor for auto-rotating and handwriting recognition for those who prefer scribbling notes over tapping away on the full

Qwerty software keyboard (the slideout keyboard of previous HTC models is no longer present). Not only is there predictive text, but also corrective text so “dont” will become “don’t”, “friday” will become “Friday”, and so on. Despite all the praise, this phone is admittedly not without a few minor faults. For a start, some people may find the plastic casing makes the phone a little too lightweight, and a more solid-feeling metal or stronger plastic may have been a better design decision. Also, we definitely felt that with all that the phone has going for it, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack would have been simple to include, but unfortunately, it is sorely missed. Also, there were occasional times where the touchscreen was a little unresponsive and the camera’s photos were really nothing to write home about. Still, we were nevertheless very happy with the HTC Magic and, to be honest, quite pleasantly surprised. Where past models have suffered from poor build quality and unreliable software, HTC seemed to have stepped up their game with the Magic, and we’d even go so far as to say that this is their best outing to date. If you need a versatile PDA and good photos are not that essential, then we strongly suggest you give this phone a look.

APPLE IPHONE

The iPhone has earned a reputation as the ultimate cellular telephone, and rightly so. The iPhone boasts the most responsive touch screen on any phone, ever, coupled with innovative functionality and a great deal of storage for your music and movies as well as a thousand other features you’ll only discover after months of use.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • •

7.2 Mbps HSDPA 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi 192mb RAM 320x480 touchscreen 3.2 megapixel camera PROS

CONS

• Great variety of features • Android operating system means great expandability • Responsive touchscreen for the most part • Powerful 528 MHz processor handles exceptionally well

• Plastic casing could be a bit more solid • Scroll button seems slightly redundant • No 3.5mm headphone jack

OVERALL RATING

BLACKBERRY 9000 BOLD

Arguably one of Blackberry’s strongest entries into the mobile phone arena, the Bold is a phenomenal phone for business users and high powered politicians. Fully featured, fast and responsive, the Bold is a great move for RIM.

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 33

TOP

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Samsung Ecofit P2070 20” LCD Monitor NEED TO KNOW • 33% lower power consumption • Crisp, sharp images • Vibrant colour reproduction • Ultra-slim design R1999.95

THE power consumption of the everyday devices we surround ourselves with has come under the spotlight lately. Global warming concerns as a result of human activity have compelled big corporations to develop products that do what previous versions have done, while consuming less power. The idea being, we still do what we’ve always done before only now without consuming as much electricity, thereby reducing the amount of harmful pollution pumped out by fossil fuel-burning power plants. That’s the idea, anyway. Samsung prides itself on leading the way when it comes to new technologies, their latest efforts indicated by the development and production of a range of ecologically-friendly LCD monitors, fittingly dubbed ‘Ecofit’. The main appeal of these monitors, ranging in size from 20 to 23 inches, is the fact that their typical power consumption is up to 33% lower than previous monitors in the same size category. The P2070 boasts a typical power rating of 26W with a standby power rating of less than 1W. That’s very impressive right there, instantly appealing to anyone looking to lower their “environmental footprint”. The P2070 is a gorgeous, modern-looking 20” screen that is 47mm thick at its widest point. Its slim design is partly responsible for its reduced power consumption; it also provides the immediately noticeable benefit of needing less packaging, a long-term environmental saving that really shows just how much thought Samsung has put into the Ecofit range. Perhaps the most important aspect to these new, ecologicallyfriendly LCD screens is there is no sacrifice of image quality necessary to achieve the lower power rating. The P2070 has a maximum and native widescreen resolution of 1600 x 900, 34 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

PRODUCTS and coupled with a very low response time of 2ms, can display smooth, blur-free moving images. Samsung’s MagicBright smart colour management technology delivers rich, vibrant colours, with selectable presets for movie, game and regular desktop viewing. At only 250cd/m2 brightness, the screen appears a little dark from some angles, but seen straight-on brightness seems “just right”. It ships without built-in speakers or any kind of audio inputs or outputs, landing it squarely in the traditional computer monitor usage category of PC-based casual gaming and home and office productivity tasks, which it handled beautifully. Image quality was excellent, displaying sharp, crisp images with bright, vivacious colour reproduction. Samsung’s reputation for quality screens is well-deserved, and the company’s new Ecofit range doesn’t disappoint. This is a monitor well-suited to everyday use, as well as a good choice for casual gamers and watching the odd movie. Its only limitations are the number of input options, namely DVI only, and some may lament its lack of speakers but then those generally disappoint so that’s no real problem. Consider this if you’re energy-conscious and are looking for a mid-sized monitor for home or office productivity work and you do some light gaming on the side.

SAMSUNG P2370

Not an Ecofit monitor, this 23” LCD will eat more power than the P2070 will; it is, however, pretty big and sexy. An extra three inches larger diagonally produces a whole lot of extra viewing area, as well as a bigger price tag, but for a very similar viewing area to that of a 24” monitor, you won’t be paying a 24” price.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • •

Contrast ratio: 50,000:1 Dynamic, 1,000:1 Static Power consumption: 26W Typical, <1W standby Brightness: 250cd/m2 Weight: 3.3kg Physical adjustment: Tilt only PROS

CONS

• Excellent image quality • Uses up to 33% less power • Ultra slim design

• DVI-only input • A bit small for hardcore gaming • No speakers

OVERALL RATING

SAMSUNG T260HD

Samsung’s gorgeous rose-tinted 26-inch monster, the T260, is the perfect luxurious gift for the gamer in your life. With enough screen real estate to have you turning your head from side to side to take it all in and image quality to have even the most cynical jaw on the floor, the T260 is utterly stunning in every respect. Use it as your computer screen or break out the HD gaming by hooking it up to your Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 using its handy HDMI port. Don’t expect it to be power-conscious or pocket-friendly, however.

PRODUCT REVIEWS 3GB of RAM may seem like a very odd amount, but it is done for very good reason: 32-bit operating systems can only make use of a maximum of 3.3GB due to limitations in 32-bit instruction sets (it’s a programming thing). While all 32-bit versions of Windows Vista will report a full 4.00GB of installed memory, they won’t be able to use it all, causing 700mb of RAM to be completely useless. The best compromise is to sell notebooks and computers with 3GB of RAM, providing maximum value while still providing enough RAM for topnotch 32-bit performance.

HP Pavilion dv3-2030ei Entertainment Notebook PC NEED TO KNOW • Great performance • Ultra portable • Deceptively powerful R12999.95

COMING in at only 32cm wide and weighing just over 2 kilograms, this is an incredibly mobile yet deceptively powerful little computer. Billed by HP as an ‘Entertainment Notebook’, that title belies the productivity potential of this impressive little beast. At its heart we find an Intel Core2 Duo T6400 processor running at 2GHz, a great spec for a mobile CPU and more than capable of meeting the demands of Microsoft’s Vista operating system, which comes pre-installed. Graphics are powered by the Nvidia GeForce G105M, with a dedicated 512mb of video RAM which can be boosted all the way up to 1790mb by dipping into system RAM. It is a DirectX 10 capable graphics adapter, and with its generous memory and the right tweaking the G105M can handle some mid-level gaming graphics just fine, and of course DVD playback and all of Windows Aero – Vista’s graphical user interface – runs perfectly smooth. The DV3-2030ei is no slouch in terms of memory and storage either, with 3GB of DDR2 RAM (upgradable to a maximum of 8GB) and a sizey 320GB hard drive. It is stacked with other impressive features and specs too, from the smooth, slick and very comfortable keyboard, to the clear and bright 16:9 aspect ratio widescreen monitor, and of course the full-featured LightScribe DVD writer. There’s also a very handy 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for SD cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards so that you can copy directly to and from your digital camera or MP3 player’s storage without needing to hook them up via USB. Oh, and for those concerned about security, this notebook features the now common integrated fingerprint reader that we see on so many portables these days. The DV3-2030ei is also a communications workhorse, with integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN adaptor and support for 802.11b/g wireless networks, Bluetooth networking and Infrared comms. We would have preferred 36 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

PERFECT FECT COMPANIONS OMPANIONS

an 802.11n compatible wireless adaptor, but we may well have to wait for the next generation of notebooks before that becomes standard. Nevertheless, the he built in webcam with digital microphone and high quality 3D Sound Blaster Proo all contribute to seeing the DV3-2030ei provide great out-of-the-box support for Skype, Google Talk and other VOIP and video conferencing software. As consumers, we’d all like to see manufacturers showing more confidence in their notebooks by providing more than the standard 1 year carry-in warranty which HP offers with this machine. While this does cover parts and labour, it is still annoying that the customer has to go to such lengths to deal with faults that are essentially attributable to the manufacturer. If you want better support, you’ll have to shell out extra for onsite cover or to protect against accidental damage. These extended warranty plans do last up to 3 years, but just be warned that HP does not have the best reputation for after sales support in South Africa. (Consult www.hellopeter.com to see for yourself) That cautionary word aside, we were on the whole incredibly impressed by HP’s latest notebook outing, and the combination of high-performance, ultra-portability and reasonable price should see the DV3-2030ei high on any potential user’s wish list. All in all, an excellent machine that delivers an all fronts.

Long life: HP Lithium-Ion 9-cell Extended-Life Battery Take a 9-cell Extended Life Lithium-Ion battery with you on the road to give yourself more than double the 2030’s default 6-cell battery life.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • •

3GB RAM, supports up to 8GB NVIDIA GeForce G 105MX 320GB hard drive 5-in-1 Digital Media Reader

Bagged:

PROS

CONS

• Great power at a great price • Excellent RAM possibilities • Tons of extras and connectivity options

• No support for 802.11n wireless

OVERALL RATING

Targus Leather Notebook Bag Targus combines sturdy and stylish leather with their renowned notebook bag design, and the result is this functional, yet pleasing bag that comfortably carries your notebook, papers and odds and ends needed for a typical day at the office.

Sony Vaio CS16G Pink NEED TO KNOW • Available in Pink, Red, Brown, Black • Ideal for students and creatives • Solid performance R12 999.95

STUDENTS and people that think laptops should be available in more than just black will be overjoyed to hear that someone at Sony agrees with them. Sony’s new 14”Vaio CS16G that comes in brown, pink and red, in addition to the more traditional jet black, and it’s aimed squarely at a more fun-loving section of the population. Fortunately it is also backed up with the kind of specifications that will make even the more serious-minded out there think twice. A powerful E8400 Intel Centrino processor clocked at 2.26GHz takes care of processing duties, a generous 250GB hard drive is able to store a good mix of productivity applications as well as the files they generate, and 2GB of RAM gives you plenty of room for nippy manoeuvreing within Windows Vista Home Premium. While performance isn’t what professional techies will call amazing, the CS16G is more than capable of handling the kind of everyday tasks a mobile computer will be expected to perform without the average user feeling a need to pull their hair out. It’s the thoughtful touches that make this notebook so appealing. Pink all over, even down to the keyboard’s keys, Sony has taken no prisoners when it has come to decking the CS16G out with attention-grabbing colour. They’ve also put a great deal of thought into the keyboard itself, as typing on it is very pleasant thanks to soft and responsive keys. For those looking to get something that’s technologically advanced as well as acceptable to girlfriends who don’t necessarily see the worth in all those complicated-sounding terms, the CS16G will certainly fit the bill. We’re not saying all girls automatically love pink, but there does seem to be a relationship between how colourful something is and the likelihood of the fairer sex taking an interest, and this is something Sony is trying to capitalise on. An integrated webcam is available to keep you in touch while on the go, and its operation couldn’t be simpler – fire up your instant messaging client, and use its video conferencing features to talk to friends, family and colleagues. Don’t expect high quality visuals, but then this is a general webcam technology shortcoming as opposed to anything Sony is doing wrong. The CS16G’s memory card reader is another handy feature that will

let you copy images and files to and from SD and SDHC memory cards usewd by digital cameras. Sony’s “Clear Bright” screen technology keeps the screen brightly illuminated, even in high-light environments, but be warned, it is a little reflective. A maximum widescreen resolution of 1280 x 800 is supported, images and text are very clear and sharp, and Windows Vista’s Aero interface runs beautifully. Light gaming is possible, but games won’t look nearly as good as they would on a PC. Impressively, the CS16G makes wireless-N network connectivity possible – it has a built-in IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n adapter. This is an unusual inclusion as most notebooks have been content with shorter range and slower b and g support, so kudos to Sony for pioneering the way! Battery life is quite short at around two hours, with intensive use dropping that figure further, making the notebook not as useful as we’d like on, say, plane trips. An extended battery can be purchased, tripling that two hour figure, but that’s extra expense. Using Sony’s “Vaio Optimize” feature to balance power with performance, we managed to extend the CS16G’s battery life by another half an hour or so. Performance dipped a bit when we did, but not so much that we got annoyed. This is a notebook well-suited to a student’s lifestyle with good, solid performance; it also has very appealing looks and a keyboard that we really enjoyed typing on, good for long hours spent typing up assignments.

PRODUCTS

SONY VAIO CS26G/P

Very similarly styled to the CS16G, this laptop is kitted out with more powerful hardware that will propel your Windows Vista Business experience to new heights. 3GB of system RAM is nothing to sneeze at!

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • • • •

Intel Centrino E8400 CPU 2GB DDR RAM 250GB Hard Drive Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 NVIDIA GeForce 9300M Graphics Wireless IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n networking Integrated Webcam PROS

CONS

• No more boring black • Fastest wireless network support • Comfortable keyboard

• Battery life seems short • Reflective screen

OVERALL RATING

ACER TRAVELMATE 6592-3G

Acer’s sturdy Travelmate notebook series is rugged and travels well. The 6592 has the added bonus of integrated 3G capabilities that mean you don’t need to hook it up to your phone or a 3G modem to connect to the Internet.

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PRODUCT REVIEWS

PRODUCTS

LOGITECH MX REVOLUTION

Logitech V550 Mouse NEED TO KNOW • Solid, comfortable and portable • Responsive optical beam • New way to carry laptop and mouse R799.95

IN some ways, it feels as though we have already reached the pinnacle of mouse design, both in terms of functionality and ergonomics. The only real substantive progress we have seen in the way of technology in recent times is Microsoft’s BlueTrack (see review on page 32) and even that will only appeal to a limited market. And so it is that Logitech has released a great wireless mouse that does everything right, yet bundled it with a not-sooutstanding innovation which is in some ways trying to headline the show. Dubbed ‘Clip-and-Go’, this new feature is a small docking point comprised of a metal square with a peg in the middle. The 3cm docking point is designed to be attached to the top of a laptop via a strong adhesive on the underside, and the V550 then clips onto it. The upside of this, or so Logitech claims, is that you need only carry your mouse and laptop in one hand, freeing the other hand for holding papers, operating mobile phones or drinking expensive coffee. The thing is, we don’t know if this is enough of an issue for most people, and it might appeal only to those whose work sees them walking, with their laptop, to many offices within the same building numerous times a day. Otherwise, why not just chuck the laptop and mouse back in its bag while you carry it? And while we’re on that point, a laptop with the V550 attached to the top probably wouldn’t fit into most standard laptop bag compartments, which means the “Clip-and-Go” offers no benefit to long distance travel. That’s not to say the attachment itself doesn’t work well – quite the opposite in fact. The connector at the bottom of the mouse is of a very high build quality and attaches so well that one can actually lift the laptop by the mouse – but we don’t recommend that. So while this 38 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

feature is not of much use to us, and we also hope that the relatively high cost of this mouse isn’t going towards recouping the Clip-and-Go’s research and development costs, it may well prove very valuable in certain professional or academic environments. Some might also find the design of the V550 a little uninspiring, but that’s only because Logitech has not chosen to prioritise aesthetics over ergonomics, and from the outset one will notice how incredibly well this mouse fits in the hand. It is very comfortable to operate, and the optical sensor is reliable and offers very accurate on-screen pointer movement. In brief, this is a solid and responsive mouse with a storage and carrying ‘feature’ that most people probably won’t even take advantage of. At its core, the V550 is very good at what it does and, while pricey, is a reliable and accurate wireless mouse with a small and unobtrusive USB transceiver, very long battery life (up to 18 months on two AA’s) and a truly comfortable feel in the hand. Coming in at just under R800, though, it is a little on the pricey side and unless the Clip-and-Go is particularly appealing, you may well be just as satisfied by a cheaper competitor. Definitely a mouse to consider, but we recommend you look at cheaper alternatives as well. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Wireless • Clip-and-Go dock • 18 month battery life PROS

CONS

• Very small USB transceiver • Solid and sturdy in the hand

• No side buttons • Clip-and-Go more of a gimmick than a true innovation

OVERALL RATING

If you truly wish to justify spending almost a thousand Rand on a cordless mouse, there is only one choice - Logitech’s MX Revolution. This is the most comfortable mouse we’ve ever used, it is delightfully weighty and its scroll wheel is silky smooth and has a useful “free scrolling” mode for extra long documents and web pages.

MICROSOFT BASIC EXPLORER MOUSE

This entry-level mouse from Microsoft is truly everything a mouse needs to be – affordable, sturdy, comfortable and pleasant-looking. There are no frills whatsoever, all you get is two buttons and a scroll wheel, but its solid performance and simple comfort will easily win you over.

AIData LAPstation NEED TO KNOW • Ergonomic notebook stand • Alternative docking solution • Adjustable height and angle R499.95

KOREAN accessory manufacturer Aidata has put together a great optional extra for those who have to spend more time on their laptops than most. Serving as both a tray for sitting, literally, on top of one’s lap, or as a docking stand on a desk, the LAPstation is an intriguing piece of kit with some impressive and conscientious design decisions. The base of the LAPstation is a soft and comfortable polyurethane composite, and sits comfortably on one’s lap both while seated in a chair or on the couch, or even reclining in the comfort of one’s bed, where more and more computer-based work and play is taking place nowadays. For desk-based use, we feel that the LAPstation would serve users best when used in conjunction with an external keyboard and a cordless mouse, with one’s laptop then serving primarily as the display. This is definitely a more ergonomic choice than using the notebook on its own, and will go some way to reducing arm, back and neck strain for those who have to use their notebooks for hours on end. What is more, the LAPstation has a lot of potential for workspace efficiency, given that it houses compartments for storing cables, adaptors, and other odds and ends. As such, it can reduce the amount of clutter on one’s desk. The combination of angle and elevation cause the laptop screen to be much closer to eye level, which works much better than the old tilting the screen and looking down method of notebook operation we have become accustomed to. The fact that the angle is adjustable from a flat 0 degrees through to 25 degrees and the height can range a slightly less impressive yet still useful 10-14.5cm adds a degree of customisability for a range of desk heights and seating positions. The LAPstation also sports built in mouse trays on both sides, meaning that both left and right-handed users have a platform on which to operate their mice. While a nice feature that could come in handy on some surfaces, we found that cordless optical mice didn’t really require the use of the trays. This could be a good solution for outdoor use, however, so is something to bear in mind. On the whole, this is an impressive notebook accessory but we can’t help but feel that the potential market for it is somewhat limited. Most people want to reduce the amount they have to carry, not add something else to their dayto-day inventory. As a result, it might be a decent option to leave at work or on the desk, despite the fact that it has a handle for easy portability. Furthermore, those interested in a docking solution would get considerably more value from something which adds the features of a true docking station, as other than an adjustable stand, the LAPstation’s primary feature is a single USB-powered fan for airflow underneath one’s notebook that isn’t completely quiet. In summary, decent enough at what it does, but far from an essential purchase.

PRODUCTS

GRIFFIN ICURVE SILO LAPTOP STAND

A similar, if less complicated product, Griffin’s iCurve Silo Laptop Stand will do much the same as the LAPstation will – it raises and ventilates your laptop but to a much higher level. Recommended for use with a separate keyboard and mouse.

ERGO-TILT

This product simply elevates notebooks and angles them for much more comfortable use. Inexpensive and simple, gadgets like these are often the best solutions.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • USB powered cooling fan • Adjusts from 0° to 25° • Can support laptops up to 5kg

PROS

CONS

• Ergonomic, functional design • Very comfortable base • Easy to carry

• Left and right handed mouse trays don’t add much • Lacks the features of a true docking station • USB fan noise might annoy

OVERALL RATING

AIDATA LAPCOOLER

Cool and raise your laptop with AIData’s simple LapCooler. It is heightadjustable, fits 12 to 17 inch notebooks and the fan is powered by a USB port.

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PRODUCT REVIEWS

PERFECT COMPANIONS P

Paper: HP Everyday Photo Paper HP’s affordable, semi-gloss photo paper is perfect for everyday printing that will make sure photos are sharp, but won’t break the bank.

HP OfficeJet 6500 NEED TO KNOW • All in one solution • Easy wireless setup • Great onboard features R2999.95

THE Hewlett Packard OfficeJet 6500 is an excellent all-in-one printing solution that’s perfect for the small business environment. Combining a printer, scanner, photocopier and fax, the OfficeJet 6500 also boasts automatic twosided printing, with obvious benefits to time, cost and of course productivity. The OfficeJet 6500 is also fully wireless-compliant, meaning that thanks to its built-in 802.11g wireless networking capabilities it can be placed wherever it is most convenient – something which will serve as a vast improvement over other printers that have their position dictated by an office’s network cabling infrastructure. The printer does still have a standard Ethernet connection for offices that are not wireless-enabled, and comes with a USB 2.0 port if it only needs to be connected to a single machine. Installation and setup was a breeze – even if the software took longer than expected to install. Wireless connected first time, and Hewlett Packard was kind enough to include a USB cable – a simple, cheap yet often essential extra that has to date been a necessary additional purchase, and we wish more manufacturers would follow suit. As could be expected from a maximum colour resolution of 4800x1200 dpi, we were extremely pleased with the results. Photographs printed very well, especially when using 4x6 paper specifically designed for photos, and of course standard use for web pages, MS Office documents and other general printing requirements were all great. Potential buyers might be interested to learn about HP’s Smart Web Printing feature, which allows one to select individual elements from different websites and print them all onto one page, saving paper and organising information exactly as needed. The official word from Hewlett Packard is that the OfficeJet 6500 can print over 30 pages per minute in either black and white or colour, but testing proved that this is definitely only possible in draft quality, and high 40 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

quality prints come closer to 6 or 7 pages per minute – still very respectable performance given this machine’s class. One more thing to note is that HP has opted to use four individual print cartridges, a great decision meaning you’ll never have to replace an entire cartridge when your cyan is used up but magenta and yellow still have a healthy amount left. Further value is provided by the machine’s versatile memory card support, meaning you can print photographs directly from your SD, SDHC, MultimediaCard, xD-Picture Card or numerous other standard memory sticks used by digital cameras. Yet another impressive bonus is the ability to scan any document directly to PDF format which is saved directly to a memory card, without any need for PC. Another nicety is that iPhone and iPod users are able to print directly from their handheld devices, and while this might not add much value to the average office user, it’s still an extra feature that could come in handy for some. While the OfficeJet 6500 comes in at a very decent price and can print great quality at impressive speeds, we urge potential buyers to bear in mind that for large volume printing, a laser printer would still be more economical. For basic office prints and copies, however, inkjets are more than adequate and Hewlett Packard’s OfficeJet 6500 is one of the better options out there.

Paper: HP Premium Photo Paper This is HP’s glossy photo paper for that authentic photo look and feel. Premium Photo Paper is fade resistant, economical, and ideal for snapshots that you’d like to store in an album.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • Up to 4800x1200 dpi • 802.11g wireless support • 4 individual print cartridges PROS

CONS

• Tons of features • Great quality and speed • Excellent memory card compatibility • Includes USB cable

• Automatic feeder tray must be handled with care • Poor choice for volume printing

OVERALL RATING

Greatest hits: HP Photo Album All that hard work taking pictures and printing them deserves to be displayed in something special; HP has just the album!

advertorial

Connect chats to Romain du Gardier, the area manager for SADC countries and Indian Ocean Islands for Logitech. Why do you enjoy working at Logitech? One of the few IT companies with amazing new products coming up each and every year, with great innovations and designs, highly customer focused, with a fantastic company culture and that keeps challenging itself and its employee to get better and better.

PRODUCT FOCUS

LOGITECH ILLUMINATED KEYBOARD You’ve just gotten home. It’s dark but you still have e-mails to write, people to chat with, blogging to do. While everyone else is in the dark, you’re getting ready to shine. This keyboard lights up to provide precise illumination that can be adjusted to suit your needs. Only the characters are illuminated, so you get just the right amount of light. V550 NANO CORDLESS LASER MOUSE FOR NOTEBOOKS You’re on the move all day—from your desk to your next meeting and back, from the living room to the kitchen. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a mouse that you could just attach to your notebook and go? Now, you can. The Logitech V550 Nano cordless laser mouse for notebooks has an innovative Clip-andGo dock that allows you to clip your mouse to your notebook… and go. Easy-to-attach, easy-to-remove dock is compatible with all notebooks and gives you one less thing to carry.

What Logitech products do you use every day? I’m fortunate to get access to almost any of our products, so currently at my desk I work with a Logitech illuminated keyboard, Z5 speakers, an MX 1100 Mouse and a “Quickcam pro 9000” webcam. When I’m travelling or on the road, I use a Vx Nano Notebook Mouse, a Quickcam Pro for Notebook, a cordless presenter and a cordless number pad for notebooks. In these 2 separate configurations I can literally work in the best type of set up, with the maximum flexibility where ever I am. The first product Logitech launched in 1982 was a mouse. What products make up the Logitech brand? We are still known primary as “a mouse” vendor also in this country when I ask people if they know Logitech brand, the answer I get in most cases is: “yes, you guys make these little Webcams, right?”. Anyway, mouse category is definitely still a very important portion of our business and this year again, you’ll see, we’ll be coming with some amazing new mice. On the other hand our product offering over the years has definitely developed nicely and together with Incredible Connection, most of these categories are available to the public in their store. Our main categories are: mice, keyboards and desktop, Webcams and PC headsets, consoles and PC Gaming accessories, Digital Music players (MP3 players) and our secondary brand: Labtec.

Which products are the most popular and why? In each of our categories we have great products. Customers love the design and technology we bring to them. Currently we have the V550 nano exclusive to Incredible Connection for example which is one of our latest cordless NB mouse, with a unique feature that enables you to attach it to your Notebook when you’re going to meetings for example. Logitech has won a number of innovation and design awards, which products stand out in particular? We have a lot of different categories, each of which have awards products. One of the latest awards we won was with our universal remote control, Harmony one. It’s a fantastic product that enables you to replace all your remote controls with just one, only problem in this country being the Internet broadband access which limits the potential of such great products. Why does Logitech continue to be a bestseller? We like to think that we bring affordable luxury to our customers when it comes to PC, Gaming peripherals and CE products. It’s a very unique and emotional feeling that people get with our products. We put the customer at the center of our attention when we develop new ideas and products to enable them to have the best possible experience with their digital world through our products. It’s all about bringing them the quality solution they are looking for, at an affordable price, with the best design and technology available for today and for tomorrow.

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PRODUCT REVIEWS

Belkin Wireless N+ USB adaptor NEED TO KNOW • Ultra fast • Excellent range • Great security options R999.95

BELKIN has done very well for itself here with a wireless adaptor that’s not only sleek and attractively designed, but also offers excellent performance at the highest of speeds. Housed on a dark, glossy stand at the end of a 1.2metre long USB cable, the Belkin Wireless N+ USB adaptor will appeal to even the most aesthetically conscious of computer users, while satisfying the most demanding of wireless networking enthusiasts. The adaptor supports the cutting edge 802.11 Draft-N 2.0 wireless standard, which delivers data transfer at an outstanding (and theoretical) 300mbps – a speed surpassed only by gigabit LAN connections. As such, the Belkin Wireless N+ USB adaptor could be the ideal solution for those looking to upgrade their home or office network speed. Note, of course, that an 802.11 Draft-N 2.0 compatible wireless router will be required to take full advantage of the potential speeds, but even without one, the USB adaptor is fully backward compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks and provides excellent connectivity to these standards as well. Those interested in this handy little device should also consider that the Belkin Wireless N+ USB adaptor might prove a perfect travel accessory. Not only will it give great performance with any existing wireless network you might encounter while on the move, but users can expect much higher speeds than 99% of their existing laptop wireless adaptors because the Draft-N 2.0 standard has yet to be widely incorporated by notebook computer manufactures. So in effect, using this adaptor can be seen as a form of network future-proofing, as it will not be too long before airports, hotels and so on have all turned to the faster and more reliable Draft-N 2.0 standard. For those who require secure wireless connections, the Belkin Wireless N+ USB adaptor supports WPA/WPA2, 64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption, as 42 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

well as Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), meaning your data and privacy is safe and secure wherever you are connected. Furthermore, the unit itself has a bright LED which informs you of the state of your connection and the level of security used. The range on this unit was absolutely outstanding, no doubt thanks to its use of MIMO’s intelligent special multiplexing (a fancy way of describing multiple radio transmitters and receivers that significantly increase performance through improved range and signal strength). Users can expect full-bar reception even through a number of solid walls, meaning these are ideal wireless solutions for the vast majority of home and office computers. We have heard reports of reception as far as 100 metres when used in conjunction with the Belkin Wireless-N+ router, and that kind of range should really satisfy any business or personal needs. Now, R999.95 might seem a tad pricey at first glace, but is actually not at all bad when one considers that this USB adaptor is at the cutting edge of wireless technology and performs like a dream. As such, the Belkin Wireless N+ is an excellent piece of connectivity hardware and does a perfect job of ushering in the latest in wireless networking standards.

PRODUCTS BELKIN N+ ROUTER

Maximise the performance of your N+ USB adaptor by pairing it with the router it was always intended to operate with.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS NETGEAR RANGEMAX N WIRELESS-N PCI ADAPTER

• 802.11 Draft-N 2.0 wireless • 300mbps data rate • MIMO radio technology

PROS

CONS

• Great design • Cutting edge tech • Excellent signal strength

• New technology is expensive • Few Draft-N 2.0 networks around

OVERALL RATING

A little bulkier than compact USB network adapters, Negear’s Rangemax N wireless adapter for desktop PCs is nevertheless a very fast connection to your network, even providing improved speeds when used on an 802.11b/g network.

Belkin N1 Vision Router NEED TO KNOW • Supports up to 16 wireless LAN users • ADSL connectivity • Digital readout R3999.95

YOU might be looking at that price tag and wondering just how anyone could justify charging so much for a router. You wouldn’t be alone, either, as that thought certainly crossed our minds when the N1 arrived at our offices. A few hours later, however, and we had an answer – it’s incredibly easy to use and it improved the speed of our wireless office network noticeably when compared to the router it replaced. No more dropped connections, either; the N1’s performance was rock-solid and as stable as a tee-totalling judge right from the start. We all agreed - that’s definitely something worth paying for. Belkin’s N+ router, reviewed last issue costs R1k less, runs on the same draft-n standard and looks only marginally less sexy, so why then would you choose the N1 instead? They both offer ADSL access, four ultra-fast Gigabit Ethernet ports, both have all the security features you need and both are configurable and operable from a web browser interface. So what’s so special about the N1 Vision? For starters, it comes with three aerials for extra range, higher speed and reduced wireless signal interference from objects in the environment compared to the N+, which only has two aerials. This means that the N1 Vision’s coverage area and the strength of its wireless signal should be moderately higher and stronger than the N+, practical for densely-populated or just very large office or home environments. That’s the theory, anyway – tests showed the N1 wasn’t as fast as the N+, so even though we experienced a speed increase over the wireless modem we’d been using, the N1 doesn’t offer best-in-class performance. For the consumer, this translates to file copies that are slower than they would be with the N+, even if not by much. Next, it has a handy LCD readout that conveys information about your network. This includes things like bandwidth usage over the last 24 hours by each device on your network, useful for identifying abusive devices. While this is undoubtedly a good thing from a management perspective, it may be the bane of your bandwidth-hogging employees’ or relatives’ lives, as no longer can excessive downloads be blamed on bandwidth thieves or the phone company’s incompetence. Other readouts include broadband speed (for those moments when you’d like to laugh – or cry – at what local companies want us to believe is “broadband”), real-time upload and download speeds and even just a simple time display. The N+ definitely doesn’t have these. Strangely, none of the readouts are accessible via the router’s web interface. It’s a minor gripe, but an odd oversight nonetheless. Just as strangely, its performance is average, at best, getting beaten quite comprehensively by the N+ at both long and short range. Perhaps most pertinently for a prospective purchaser, the N1 Vision offers a simple, CD-free installation procedure that just about anyone can follow and execute. Being rather experienced at doing those kinds of things, we were pleasantly surprised at just how easy it was. Turn router on, enter routersetup

PRODUCTS

LINKSYS WIRELESS-G BROADBAND ROUTER WRT54G2

in a browser window on a computer with a working wireless card and get instantly connected to the router’s interface and a step by step wizard that had us operational in minutes. So, the differences are not insignificant. While we are impressed by the N1 Vision, we just can’t tell you to go pick it up over the N+ as its performance simply does not justify the price tag, and you can hire someone to set the N+ up for a fraction of the extra R1k the Vision costs. If you can’t live without the information offered by the N1’s digital readout and you think a simple setup is just the ticket and the highest performance isn’t a priority, however, Belkin’s N1 Vision will more than satisfy you, price tag and all.

BELKIN N+ WIRELESS ROUTER

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • IEEE 802.11draft-n 2.0 compliance • 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports • WPA, WPA2-Personal, 64-bit/128-bit encryption security

PROS

CONS

• Incredibly easy to set up • Handy digital readout • Very stable

• High price • Pedestrian performance for the price • No readout access via web interface

OVERALL RATING

For ADSL access and wireless connectivity for a small area, consider an inexpensive Linksys Wireless-G broadband router. Sure, it only supports the slower and shorter-range IEEE 802.11b/g standards, but this should be enough for most homes or offices with basic connectivity needs.

The N+ is cheaper and faster than the N1 Vision at the same range, and easily handles the raw tasks you buy a router for at pace. While it’s not the prettiest device ever invented and there are no frilly extras, its performance is more than worth the price.

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PRODUCT REVIEWS

Losing your USB key will pose an inconvenience, but TISS offers backup support that will verify your identity using the information you provided during setup, and provide a new key and ensure you’re set up as securely as before the key loss.

PRODUCTS

TARGUS DEFCON CL CABLE LOCK

T3 SecurityKey NEED TO KNOW • Effectively locks your data down • Minimal disruption of your computer usage • Easy to install and use • Strong steel casing • 256-bit encryption R499.95, bundled with BitDefender

THE T3 SecurityKey is a very simple way of securing your PC and its data. It consists of a control panel that is installed onto your PC and a very heavy, steel-encased USB key. To make use of it, all that is required is to install the software, connect the key, register with TISS and you’re off. The procedure is extremely straightforward, helped along by a very easy-to-follow instruction leaflet. Once everything is set up, you are prompted to reboot your PC and log in from scratch. The T3 security key adds an extra layer of protection by forcing you to log into the profile you created when you set it up, as well as into your PC or notebook (if you use a user account with a password, that is). You can do this with or without the USB key installed and you’ll be allowed in to your computer. What the T3 key gives you the ability to do is encrypt a portion of your hard drive that is accessible only if the correct username and password are entered, and the USB key is present. This means you can allocate however much hard drive space you like to one or more secure “File Vaults”, which can then be used as normal hard drives, but only when the security key is present and you have correctly logged into the T3 control panel. They appear as hard drives within Windows Explorer for easy access. Without the key and the control panel identity verification, the encrypted drives don’t even appear; this means that if your notebook or PC gets stolen, the thieves won’t have a clue where your sensitive information is, or even that it’s there at all. Even high tech software used in data recovery won’t be able to unlock it thanks to the high-strength 256-bit encryption the software uses. Luckily, TISS also offers free anti-theft insurance, but of course, terms and conditions apply so we recommend you read them carefully when signing up. 44 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Several other features like an audit trail and the ability to block access to websites of your choosing exist, but it’s undoubtedly the encrypted File Vaults that lend the T3 SecurityKey its greatest appeal. Using a computer with the software installed is only one step different to normal usage, in the form of an extra login. Removing the USB key once you’ve authenticated yourself immediately causes File Vaults to disappear, and returns you to the initial T3 login screen where you will need to enter your credentials again. Once back into your system, you have a normal computer environment to work in, just without any encrypted drives to use, and no website access control or audit trails to view. The only problem we could foresee with the setup involves the quality of the USB drive – while encased in heavy steel and foldable to protect the USB contact, the plastic on which the contact rests feels a little flimsy, meaning it may break quite easily. While it might be done for good reason (so that the drive can be neatly folded up for storage and transport), it’s a weak point in an otherwise sturdy security package. If you have sensitive data that you want nobody but you to have access to, this is a highly recommended, effective and incredibly easy to use solution. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • •

Windows 2000/XP/Vista USB 1.1 Port or faster Minimum 256MB RAM Minimum 50MB Free Hard Disk Space CDROM Drive

PROS

CONS

• Secures data effectively and easily • International anti-theft insurance • Audit trail, web access protection

• Insurance terms and conditions • Plastic contact a little flimsy • Heavy steel covering

OVERALL RATING

A combination lock and a 2.1m steel cable will help secure your notebook to heavy objects and encourage would-be thieves to look for an easier target.

REXEL ALPHA CONFETTI

Shred up to three confidential documents at a time with Rexel’s Alpha Confetti. If only Enron had had these babies in ’05, they might still be in business…

FINGERPRINT READER

Add biometric verification to your security setup to really bamboozle bumbling bandits.

1 Terabyte Iomega Ruby Red eGo Portable Hard Drive RELATED

NEED TO KNOW

PRODUCTS

• 1 Terabyte of storage • Excellent backup solution • Backup software included • USB 2.0 connectivity R2599.95

BUYING more storage for your computer or home network is likely never going to become a non-issue. There is no such thing as too much space; ask any IT geek who’s been in the business for 20 years or more, we guarantee they’ll all say the same thing: “I remember I got a hard drive that had X megabytes/gigabytes - HUGE for the time - and I thought I’d NEVER fill it, but I did! And fast, too!” As the digital media we consume has grown in size, hard drives have become ever bigger, culminating in sizes that we would have thought completely unthinkable even just a few years ago. Iomega’s Ruby Red 1TB eGo external hard drive falls into that “unthinkable” category, capable of storing a full one thousand gigabytes. That’s over 250 000 music files with an average size of 4MB each, and space enough to store the entire contents of every book ever written since the dawn of time many times over. It’s getting a bit ridiculous, to be honest. What would anyone ever need with so much space? Never fear, the complex nature of our everyday interactions with computers ensures that there is plenty you will need storage space for. Apart from the obvious media storage, something that is essential to any responsible computer user is data backups, and that takes care of a significant amount of anyone’s available hard drive space. Anyone who has ever lost data due to the absence of backups will tell you, it’s not pleasant. Losing all your photos, e-mails and documents that have accumulated over the years is a bigger psychological blow than most people imagine… until it happens to you. And this is why companies like Iomega have developed external hard drives that are ideal for backing data up. Being portable, they can be moved from PC to PC extremely easily, and having USB or eSATA (an external connection that hooks directly up to your motherboard’s hard drive

VERBATIM 2.5” 500GB SILVERDRIVE

communication channels – much faster than USB) connections makes it easy and fast to back stuff up. Backing up is generally no more than copying the files you need to an external hard drive. For people that like to automate this process, Iomega has included EMC’s easy to use Retrospect Backup Express software that allows you to set times for backups, and to choose what gets backed up. At the end, all you really need is a simple backup solution with a lot of space. Iomega’s eGo Ruby Red 1TB portable hard drive has all that, plus it looks quite nice with its shiny red finish. More, you don’t really need.

Carry around 500GB of storage in your pocket - literally! Verbatim’s portable drive solution uses a tiny 2.5” notebook hard drive that needs less power, weighs less and is smaller than regular portable drives, but still with tons of space.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • •

Fast 7200RPM Hard Drive 8MB Cache USB 2.0 Connectivity Mac and PC compatible

PACKARD BELL SILVER 160GB

PROS

CONS

• Simple to use • Tons of space for backups • Attractive red case

• USB 2.0 can be slow for large files • 8MB Cache could slow transfers • No eSATA connection

OVERALL RATING

160GB may not seem like much, but it’s still handy for those on-the-go storage needs. Stylishly silver and ridiculously compact, Packard Bell’s Silver line of portable hard drives fits in your pocket, and your budget.

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PRODUCT REVIEWS THX certification is a process whereby audio and visual hardware is assessed for certain performance requirements by the THX team; these people really know their stuff, having developed professional cinema audio/visual systems for George Lucas. If the device passes the test, it means THX professionals have verified its performance characteristics to comply with the baseline established by the THX standard. For consumers, this means they can buy with confidence, knowing their selected product will deliver an excellent audio/visual experience.

PRODUCTS

Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speakers LOGITECH X-230

NEED TO KNOW • Two satellite speakers, one subwoofer • Very loud but very clear • Ideal for gaming and movie-watching R2999.95

LOGITECH is arguably one of the world’s finest peripheral manufacturers, and the company is known for the amount of effort it puts into the design and construction of its products. Having used a great many of them over the years, we can confidently say that this commitment to quality really does show. Logitech speakers, in particular, are highly sought after for both their performance and looks. The company caters for all manner of needs, too. Sure, a full-on 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup is every music-obsessed, movie-watching, gameplaying computer user’s dream, but it’s not always practical from a space perspective as not everyone has the room for so many speakers or the inclination to mount them where they will produce the best results. Enter Logitech’s Z-2300 speaker system, with its two satellite speakers and single subwoofer. While not the smallest set in the world, it is certainly manageable once you’ve found a space for the rather large subwoofer; the two satellite speakers, although tall, have a relatively small base footprint, meaning they can occupy the edges of a computer desk quite unobtrusively. The included control unit that controls master and bass volume is a little bulky, though, but placing it underneath an LCD monitor should keep it out of the way and within easy reach. Since it also has a headphone jack built in, you will definitely want to keep it close. The look of the Z-2300 speakers is silver and rather boxy; this is perhaps the only design decision we question, as something a little more modern-looking with rounded edges might have been a little more appealing. Of course, to each his own, so we won’t be too hard on Logitech for it. Most pertinently, you don’t buy speakers to look at them. 46 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

The THX-certified sound, which is the primary reason you should seriously consider these speakers, is excellent for the price you’re paying. Bass is rich and deep without distorting, and the satellite speakers make sure that sounds in the mid to high ranges (usually dialogue and nonexplosive sound effects) are accurate. Even at maximum volume, which is certainly loud enough to bring the neighbours running, the rich bass remained distortion-free and dialogue wasn’t lost in the roar. Only if you’re what is referred to as an “audiophile” (a deeply committed sound enthusiast with an ear for detail) will you find fault with the sound reproduction of the Z-2300 speakers. For the average person at home, these will impress, without a doubt. Explosions in movies and PC games will shake the ground, literally, which is definitely what you want. Only your downstairs neighbour, if you have one, may disagree.

If your budget isn’t quite this generous, a much smaller set of 2.1 desktop speakers will give you PC sound, they just won’t be quite as loud, nor as clear at higher volumes. The X-230 speakers are for people who don’t need to blow the roof off with their PC’s sound, but who like high quality peripherals.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • • • •

Total RMS power: 200 watts RMS Satellites: 80 watts RMS (2 x 40W) Subwoofer: 120 watts RMS Total peak power: 400 watts Frequency response: 35Hz - 20kHz Amplifier: Ultra-linear, high capacity analogue Satellites: 2.5” polished PROS

CONS

• Superb sound for home users • Rich bass, clear mid and high range sound • Excellent 2.1 sound solution

• Your neighbours may hate you • 3.5mm jack limits console interoperability • Rather boxy looks

OVERALL RATING

LABTEC SPIN 46 MOUSE

Labtec products are good for basic functionality on a very tight budget. These speakers will give you sound, but don’t expect to rock your home with these alone.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Olympus Tough-8000 NEED TO KNOW • Incredibly sturdy and shock resistant • Waterproof and can handle extreme conditions • Excellent image stabilisation R5999.95

Canon PowerShot D10

THE ‘Tough’moniker is well suited to this little device as it is able to handle cold of up to -10 degrees Celsius, has a 2-metre drop shock resistance and can withstand up to 100kg of pressure. Due to it being designed for rugged outdoor use, and the fact that it is fully waterproof up to a depth of 10metres, this is the ideal piece of kit for a variety of adventure sports fans. Given that many of the photographs taken by the Tough-8000 will be in less then pristine environments, it was great to see that sensor-shift image stabilisation is now an automatic built-in feature which compensates for inevitable camera shake. In terms of picture quality, some of the shots were definitely not as sharp as we would have liked, and grain becomes a bit of an issue at higher ISO settings. Photographs taken indoors definitely lacked the quality of their outdoor counterparts, but then again this isn’t an all-purpose camera and a much cheaper point-and-shoot would be a good accompaniment to have for general photographic purposes, saving the Tough-8000 for those times when its durability features are required. To round it all off, Olympus has implemented very easy to use touch control which will be of most use to scuba divers or anyone shooting while wearing gloves - various options and commands can be controlled just by tapping on the side of the camera, which is incredibly useful for when you are unable to press the buttons themselves. Highly recommended for those whose lifestyle demands a sturdy camera.

NEED TO KNOW • Great design for underwater use • Sturdy and durable design • Impressive image stabilisation R4699.95

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • •

Waterproof to 10m 2m shock resistant 3.6x Zoom (28-102mm) 3968 x 2976 max resolution 12 megapixel image sensor

PROS

CONS

• As sturdy as you could hope to find • Tap control very useful • xD-Picture and microSD memory card support

• Not the best all-purpose camera • Visible grain at higher ISO settings • You’re paying for that toughness

OVERALL RATING

• Great choice for underwater use • Very bright and clear LCD display • Well-priced for a tough device CONS • Not an ideal general-use camera • Some might not like the bulbous look • Video capture nothing special OVERALL RATING

48 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

THIS is Canon’s first foray into the world of durable underwater digital photography – this point-and-shoot model is waterproof, shock proof and can handle freezing down to -10 degrees Celsius. Clearly, the PowerShot D10 is intended to be solid competition for Olympus’Tough-8000 model, but there are some subtle differences between the two devices. For one, the PowerShot D10 sports larger buttons as standard and a bulkier design which makes it considerably easier to grip with gloved hands. The Canon model is also not quite as resilient as the Olympus Tough8000, however, with am ever so slightly lower drop height and pressure threshold. Still, it is by no means a sensitive device and will handle some pretty extreme conditions. One notable standout of the Powershot D10 is its very bright 2.5-inch (6.4cm) PureColor LCD II display encased in a 2mm clear plastic cover, which means you get a durable and well-protected screen without sacrificing viewing quality underwater. The only drawback is that because it is so suited to underwater use, the PowerShot D10’s design is not as compact as one might want in a generalpurpose point-and-shoot, and you probably won’t be comfortably slipping this into your pocket. Another way to look at this, however, is that Canon has designed this with clear intentions in mind, and has not sacrificed any core qualities so as to widen its potential market. In summation, we would definitely recommend the considerably more affordable PowerShot D10 over the Olympus Tough-8000 for those specifically looking for a good underwater digital camera, but the Olympus model for more general rugged outdoor use. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • •

Waterproof to 10m 3x Zoom (35-100mm) 4000x3000 max resolution 12 megapixel image sensor

Olympus SP-590 NEED TO KNOW Largest zoom lens yet Wide array of shooting modes Good video capture R6299.95

Pentax K-m Digital SLR two lens kit NEED TO KNOW • Two great lenses included • Excellent entry-level equipment • Impressive specs R8499.95

PENTAX has done very well for itself with this entry-level setup, with the K-m sporting an array of features and specifications that will satisfy most budding professionals and high-end hobbyists alike. A very fair R8499.95 will net you this camera and two great lenses, an 1855mm and 50-200mm lens, and we were very happy with the image quality produced by both. Another plus is just how user-friendly this device is, with a great menu interface, easy access to specific functions and a useful help button just next to the shutter. We only had two main issues with this camera, and neither of them are deal-breakers in any way. First off, the flash can be a bit of an underperformer and might occasionally let you down, so thankfully there is a hotshoe connector for attaching a better unit if you prefer. Second, it is not always clear exactly what the autofocus has settled on, as no indication is given on the screen. As a result, viewing the images on your computer might yield slightly different outcomes to what was expected. Again, though, this is more of a potential risk than a definite occurrence, but it is still worth bearing in mind. While perhaps not as ‘pretty’ as the Canon equivalents and feeling slightly more bare-bones than some other professional kit, the fact that this camera comes with two very good lenses and has a sturdy build and captures excellent quality images makes this the perfect piece of equipment for those starting down their photographic path, offering excellent value and usability at a great price. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 10.2 megapixel image sensor • 3872x2592 max resolution • 3.5 frames per second burst shot

NOW this piece of kit has an impressive lens indeed. Featuring a massive 26x optical wide-angle zoom, which works out to the equivalent of a 26-676mm telephoto lens, this is the widest range of any point-and-click digital camera we’ve seen to date. At 12 megapixels, the combination of high resolution and solid lens deliver excellent picture quality, and the wide assortment of settings, options and tweaks on offer should satisfy even advanced photographers who want to play around with its numerous features. The huge LCD display is sharp and precise, and coming in at almost 7cm wide allows for very accurate previewing of your shots and comfortable menu navigation. One noticeable gripe is that it doesn’t support the industry-standard RAW format, meaning this is not a camera for budding professionals. However, if your needs do not require RAW’s massive file sizes, then this shouldn’t be of any concern whatsoever. Potential buyers should also note that some shots taken in low-light were a little less than perfect, and so you may have to play around with the settings to get the ideal shot. Then again, we imagine that Olympus has intended that this camera’s target market is not the simple point-and-click hobbyist, but rather the intermediate to advanced level amateur who’d be aware of these things anyway. Something we were very happy to see is that the SP-590 supports either xD-Picture Card or microSD memory cards, meaning this camera will fit right in with whatever storage format your other equipment uses. To top off this great camera, the SP-590 also boasts 640×480 resolution video recording with very pleasing results – a great addition to an already feature-rich camera which makes this camera highly recommended and well worth the asking price for the more-than-casual user. NOTEWORTHY SPECS

PROS • Great price • Professional features • Simple user interface • Supports RAW format CONS • Built in flash could be better • No visual indication of autofocus point

• 26x Zoom • 12 megapixel image sensor • 640x480 video capture

PROS

CONS

• Great wide-angle shots • Amazing zoom • Good advanced features • Impressive video quality

• High speed action shots not always the sharpest • Low light photos need extra care

OVERALL RATING

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PRODUCT REVIEWS

Fuji FinePix S1500 NEED TO KNOW • Versatile lens • Excellent amateur camera • Great look and feel R3299.95

Canon EOS 500D

THIS is a great piece of kit – and not just because of the very reasonable asking price. With a lens that goes as wide as 33mm but can zoom all the way to 396mm, the FinePix S1500 is a versatile and very high-end amateur digital SLR that should satisfy the needs of 99% of average users out there. The S1500 feels very comfortable from the get go, with a solid grip and a handy button layout, resting nicely in the hands without being too heavy. It does come with a base 23mb of onboard storage, but that’s not going to last anyone very long at all, and you’ll be wanting to plug in an extra xD-Picture Card, SD or SDHC memory card for any real kind of storage. Photographs are limited to only JPEG format, with no option for other file types nor the industry standard RAW format, but coming in at a maximum resolution of 3648x2736, the 10 megapixels on offer by the S1500 – and the fact that it yields incredibly sharp and clear results – should be more than enough for Fuji’s intended hobbyist market. What is more, although this camera can be handled as a simple point-and-shoot, the ability to manually select aperture and shutter speed settings mean that the S1500 can serve as a great stepping stone for those who one day hope to step up to the world of full digital SLR. With its excellent picture quality, awesome zoom lens and great price, this is a highly recommended camera for beginner or intermediate users. NOTEWORTHY SPECS • 10 megapixel image sensor • 12x optical zoom • 640x480 video capture at 30fps PROS

CONS

• Great price • Almost 400mm zoom • Very versatile

• No RAW output • Not quite a DSLR, not quite a pointand-shoot

OVERALL RATING

50 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

NEED TO KNOW Professional equipment High definition video capture Outstanding image quality R12499.95

CANON’S latest outing has definitely caused a stir in the professional community, sporting their excellent DIGIC 4 image sensor as well as full HD video capture. As could be expected from the price range and the target market, the Canon EOS 500D and the included 18-55mm lens offer flawless image quality and all of the features one expects from professional-level equipment. The EOS 500D of course hosts the regular Canon EF / EF-S lens mount, which is a standard feature of all of Canon’s upper-range models allowing for lens interoperability between camera bodies. On top of its many expert features, this camera would also be a great choice for action sports photographers or anyone needing to take sequence shots, as it can fire off an impressive burst of 3.4fps for a total of 170 jpegs or 9 RAW images, meaning you can catch the perfect frame at whatever quality suits your needs. The HD video capture was impressive, but there is a noticeable difference in quality between the 1080p setting which records at 20fps and the considerably smoother 720p at 30fps; most users will no doubt opt for the latter. All in all, the Canon EOS 500D is an outstanding, five-star piece of kit, but the near R13,000 launch price definitely precludes some potential buyers from being able to afford it. We also were a little unsure whether it is worth a full R4000 more than the older generation EOS 450D, so we recommend holding off a few months to wait for a price drop if you don’t absolutely need this camera and its DIGIC 4 image sensor right now.

PROS • Professional-level camera • Full HD video capabilities • Innovative DIGIC 4 image sensor CONS

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • •

4752x3168 max photo resolution 1920x1080 max video resolution 15.1 megapixel image sensor Up to ISO 12800 equivalent sensitivity

• 1080p video is sub-standard • Expensive launch price OVERALL RATING

PRODUCT REVIEWS

PRODUCTS

Anime Studio 5 NEED TO KNOW • Create animated shorts • Mac and PC Compatible • Tools for simplifying complex animations R899.95

ANIME Studio 5 is an animation program for both Windows and MacIntosh computers that aims to simplify the animation process of small clips. It has to be said up front that this is not for the inexperienced animator, as its intricate controls and detailed interface will require not only experience in creating graphics in other programs like PhotoShop, but patience and a willingness to go through a bit of trial and error, too. The software is, in essence, a cut-down version of its bigger brother, Anime Studio Pro, which costs around four times more and offers a wider range of features for the professional animator. The idea behind Anime Studio 5 is to provide professional and budding animators with the tools necessary to create short clips without needing a full-on studio at their disposal, and in this the program largely succeeds. It allows you to use artwork from a variety of sources, and even includes a selection of characters and content for you to manipulate to your heart’s content for a bit of practice and experience. You can create South Park-like cut-out animations or go the whole hog and make your own anime characters, complete with lip-synching and automated fill-in-the-gaps animation that uses a skeletal animation technique as a guide. One of the most-touted features of Anime Studio 5 is its ability to add bone-like structures to animated characters in order to allow the animator has greater control over their movements. The idea is to create “bones” throughout the character’s structure, and then manipulate those to mimic actions like walking. The program even lets you specify a start and an ending position for these bones, and then fills in the intervening steps, thereby shortening the animation process. While this can and does work, the amount of time anyone other than professional animators will need to invest in order to gain the familiarity necessary to pull of the task is not insignificant. Despite promotional material to the contrary, this is most certainly not for first-time animators, as it will likely frustrate them long before they’ve mastered even the basics. Expect to spend long hours online searching for advice on how to get the

ANIME STUDIO PRO 5

program to do what you want it to, as the included help files and videos are not hugely helpful. Even for experienced users, it’s definitely not a program that can be picked up and made to dance in only a few minutes. There is a bright side, though - once you’ve become familiar with it and gained some experience with the sometimes-fiddly bone system (bones don’t always behave as expected), it is possible to create truly professional-looking animations. The program also supports outputting your movie files to popular formats like AVI, MOV and even Flash for easy uploading to the Web so that once you’re done, you can easily share your creations with the world. So, while Anime Studio 5 certainly offers a great deal of animation functionality, it’s not the easiest program to learn. We don’t recommend inexperienced animators pick it up with the intention of becoming the next Trey Parker and Matt Stone overnight, but for more experienced folks or extremely patient amateurs, it can certainly help bring your imagination to life.

For even greater complexity aimed squarely at professional animators looking to produce lengthy features, look to Anime Studio 5 Pro. Import 3D characters and add complex effects like smoke, clouds and snow for that refined, professional look.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • • • • •

Win98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista MacOSX (10.3.9 or later) 50MB Free hard drive space 256MB RAM CD-ROM Drive

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

PROS

CONS

• Skeletal animation system • Import images or use included • Output to AVI, MOV or SWF

• Very difficult for beginners • Bone system not always accurate • Included tutorials somewhat unhelpful

OVERALL RATING

The image creation software by which all others are judged, PhotoShop is expensive but so amazingly powerful that there is little it can’t do to a 2D image. Create any 2D scene your heart desires, and subtly edit photographs to bring out the best (or the worst) in your subjects.

52 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

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PRODUCT REVIEWS

Dorling Kindersley Learning Ladder - Year 4 NEED TO KNOW • By teachers, for kids • Covers the school syllabus • Fun exercises make learning easy R249.95

EVER since the rise to popularity and affordability of CD-ROMs, educators have been using the medium to teach. With plenty of storage space for audio, video and text, CD-ROMs have provided the perfect vehicle with which to entertain and educate children. Dorling Kindersley, an international publisher of reference books for children and adults, was one of the early adopters of the technology, and the company now has a very wide range of software packages designed to help teach just about anyone with a multimedia-capable PC a whole lot about the world around them. As the global recession has deepened and people have been looking for ways to save money, an interesting trend has emerged – the popularity of teaching software that can be used in conjunction with the school syllabus has risen dramatically in compensation for cutbacks in expensive extra lessons. Dorling Kindersley offers a range of software specifically targeted at young school-goers that enhances and expands upon the information being taught throughout the school syllabus. Called the DK Learning Ladder series, each year of the school syllabus is broken down into a single package, used to provide students with an easy to use and above all fun way of deepening their understanding of what they learn at school. In this, the DK Learning Ladder series succeeds spectacularly. The software is incredibly easy to install as it runs almost entirely off the CD itself, with only a small installation necessary to get started. Once into the program, the user is exposed to a very simple interface with clearly labelled buttons to press that take them wherever they want to go. Students need to create a profile, and thanks to a very well laid-out and colourful interface doing so is incredibly easy. Don’t worry about your kids not knowing what’s expected of them, the software makes it all very clear. In Year 4, students can use a variety of interactive lessons to improve their spelling and vocabulary, construct sentences properly and even work on their reading comprehension. Maths skills, something many kids have 54 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

PRODUCTS

problems with, are encouraged using clearly explained lessons that start out simply, slowly building up to the more complex concepts. Fractions, number comparisons, multiplication and basic geometry are all covered in a way kids can easily relate to. A basic introduction to scientific concepts is also on offer, and kids can explore basic information, presented in a three-dimensional format, on a variety of subjects like Life (the human body and how it works), forces like gravity and momentum and even light and the Earth. Dorling Kindersley offers a wide range of educational software specifically geared towards supplementing the materials taught at school, from preschool all the way up to grade 12, and for parents interested in putting their kids’ fascination with all things digital to good use this is a fantastic way to help them learn. DK software follows the UK syllabus, however, so don’t expect anything specifically African in there, but the information is general enough that students of all ages will undoubtedly find it relevant.

JUMP START SERIES

The Jump Start series of educational software similarly targets schoolgoers up to 14 years old. With friendly, funny animations and production values closer to that of a children’s TV show, Jump Start software engages as well as educates kids with fun and relevant activities.

NOTEWORTHY SPECS • • • • • • • • • •

Windows 98/Me/2000/XP*/Vista Pentium 120MHz or higher 48MB RAM for Windows (512MB for Vista) 640 x 480 screen resolution 16 bit colour, 256 colour screen Double speed CD-ROM 20MB hard drive space 16-bit sound card Loudspeakers or headphones Mouse PROS

CONS

• Easy to use interface • Useful exercises build skills • Learning is actually fun

• Follows the UK syllabus • No African localisation

OVERALL RATING

BIG BOET SERIES

For a truly South African educational experience, pick up Big Boet software, aimed specifically at English and Afrikaans-speaking South African learners, covering the local syllabus up to Grade 7.

PRODUCTS

ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA DISCOVERY SERIES: THE UNIVERSE

Encyclopaedia Britannica DVD Ultimate 2009 NEED TO KNOW • Over 100 000 detailed articles • Written by experts • Fact-checked for reliability R899.95

WE had an interesting debate in the Connect offices recently: Are paid-for DVD encyclopaedias even relevant anymore now that the Internet can potentially offer up volumes of information on just about any subject imaginable? If you have Internet access, do you really need a static encyclopaedia, even if it is on DVD? The answer surprised us: Yes, you do. Each has its own set of advantages, but the overwhelming opinion is that while the Internet might be a sea of information, its depths require significant plumbing in order to yield the information you’re seeking. Sure, it’s faster these days than ever before, but it’s still a rather time-consuming resource to make use of, and, more importantly, the accuracy of the information you’ll salvage is in question. Yes, you read that right – the Internet doesn’t know everything. While it is an incredibly useful tool that allows you to cross-reference information, it’s not what anyone would call “authoritative”. Even Wikipedia, the Internet’s online and free encyclopaedia, is not entirely dependable, with articles frequently getting written or edited by people that aren’t experts on the subject at hand. The site’s open approach to users generating content has also led to some pages being deliberately sabotaged for political or personal reasons, and it is an ongoing battle to keep the site accurate. This is where products like the Encyclopaedia Britannica DVD Ultimate 2009 are useful. Exhaustively researched by tireless professionals and mostly written by experts in their fields, the content in the digital Encyclopaedia Britannica is as close to the most up-to-date information available today. Due to the fact-checking processes in place, you’re far likelier to get accurate answers from that research tool than you are from the Internet.

So what, then, does the DVD version have to offer? It is an all-in-one research tool with an integrated dictionary, thesaurus and atlas, and the main body consists of “libraries” by category, all laid out in a userfriendly browser configuration for easy navigation. There is the main library as well as a student section for 10 to 14 year olds and a young child’s library for much younger researchers. Articles are neatly put together, and often feature helpful illustrations and photographs as well as videos and sound clips. There are over 100 000 articles that can be searched with over 20 000 accompanying images, and close to a thousand video and audio clips for your perusal. Articles contain a great deal of information on influential people, including biographies of modern world leaders, religious, political and creative figures of history as well as a wealth of information on history and society, arts and entertainment, geography and travel and science and technology. This is a one-stop reference shop, which also includes web links for further study. Incredibly easy to use and with a wealth of accurate, well-researched and well-presented information, the Encyclopaedia Britannica DVD Ultimate not only rivals, but bests the finest of what the internet has to offer in terms of raw, verifiable and accurate information. Our suggestion is to use both resources wisely, as both have a place in your search for the truth.

Delve even deeper into the secrets of our universe with this detailed, interactive reference product.

ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA DISCOVERY SERIES: THE WEATHER

Take your very own personal trip through nature with this professionally animated, in-depth discovery CDROM.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • • • • • • • • •

Microsoft Windows® XP (with SP2) or Vista Pentium III or equivalent processor 512 MB RAM (1GB recommended) 1.97 GB free hard-drive space (4.2 GB for Full installation) DVD-ROM drive 1024x768 resolution, 16-bit colour Sound Card and speakers recommended Printer recommended Internet access recommended PROS

CONS

• Accurate, up-to-date information • Put together by experts • All-in-one research tool

• You need a PC to access the info

OVERALL RATING

ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA DISCOVERY SERIES: THE HUMAN BODY

Be fascinated with the inner workings of your own body and find out more than you’ve ever wanted to.

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 55

PRODUCT REVIEWS

A QUICK LESSON IN GERMAN Hello: Hallo Goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen See you later: Bis Später See you tomorrow: Bis Morgen Nice to meet you: Es ist nett Sie kennen zulernen Good night: Gute Nacht Good morning: Guten Morgen Good afternoon: Guten Tag How are you: Wie geht es dir? I’m fine: Mir geht es gut I don’t understand: Ich verstehe nicht Thank you: Danke Schoen You’re welcome: Keine Ursache What’s your name? Wie ist Ihr Name Please: Bitte Good luck: Viel Gluck

Learn German Now! NEED TO KNOW • Over 15,000 Words • Hundreds of Useful Phrases • Full Motion “Big Picture” Video • Native Speaker Pronunciation • Record, Playback and Compare • Conversation Practice • MP3 Audio for iPods or other players • Interactive Games • Online Testing R449.95

IT doesn’t make a difference if your motives are aspirational or intellectual, learning a foreign language is not only tough, it is also something that takes time. And the more time you spend with the language of choice, the faster it will be to learn. Often, the easiest way to master a new language is a dedicated combination of listening, reading, writing, speaking, and – most importantly – studying new words and phrases regularly. It also helps, of course, if you’re in the right context (or country!) to begin with which is why the Transparent Language Now products really caught our eye – this computer software, which runs on both the Mac and PC platform, offers to help you learn the language of your choice in an interactive way – videos, games, conversational practice…it’s all in one nicely packaged box. Although French, Italian and Spanish are also available in this range, we decided to review the German programme. To begin with, you don’t necessarily need a basic understanding of German although there are quite a few similarities when compared to Afrikaans. Those with basic German-speaking skills to those completely new to the language will be able to benefit from the training as it takes basic vocabulary and helps you quickly progress to more advanced comprehension and use. Learn German Now! gives German learners what could be an engaging multimedia experience and the one, stand-out element of this software series are the immersive videos – they’re packed with the sights and sounds of real people speaking and interacting in German. There are four immersion scenarios on offer: A Reunion in Tubingen, Conversations, Fundamental German and Survival Phrases – perfect if you’re planning to visit the European country. Interactive conversational practice sessions in pronunciation add a new dynamic to the software. Here, a native speaker reads a word and you repeat it into a microphone and an audio monitor compares how close you get to the correct pronunciation. 56 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

You’ll use the prompts and the integrated speech features, then record your voice and replay the whole conversation with the lines you’ve recorded. It might take some getting used to, but it is definitely an effective method to getting real-world experience using your new language. You can also decide on your own learning pace by choosing when you need translation and when you don’t – it is about teaching yourself to respond quickly and accurately. Games, to make the learning experience enjoyable as you slowly begin to sharpen your skills, include a crossword puzzle to help build vocabulary skills and Plug-n-Play: here you complete sentences from the dialogue by dragging words on to the screen. Unscramble, and Video Unscramble are for grammar where you’ll learn all the correct rules by placing words, and video clips in the proper order. Lastly, Vocabulous! helps you learn needed skills as you type missing words – if you’re looking for spelling practice, that can be located in the dictation area of the software. A nice touch to the series in the on-the-go compatibility where you can take your learning to MP3 format and listen to German on your portable music player. If you can get past the not-so-modern presentation, you will really gain a lot from Transparent Language’s Learn German Now! Despite the fact that the videos are dated and that the onscreen interface is unattractive, unexplanatory and difficult to navigate, there is a lot to learn and you will definitely boost your German. If you’re looking for a language package that is a little better in looks, we recommend Berlitz.

PERFECT COMPANIONS

Eine kleine gerät: Apple iPod Nano In 8 hot colours, the newest iPod has a built-in accelerometer, a curved design and great new features. The Genius feature finds the songs in your music library and makes a playlist for you. Available in 8 GB and 16 GB models, the 8 GB puts up to 2,000 songs or 8 hours of video in your pocket.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • • • • • • • •

Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 or higher Windows XP 128MB RAM 165 MB disk space to run with CD-ROM in drive Sound card, speakers Optional Devices: Microphone for recording iPod (Video or Nano) to display pictures & sound or other MP3 player for sound (all MP3 players may not support the picture display) PROS

CONS

• Lots of words • Fun games • You can listen to words on your iPod

• Outdated videos • Overall presentation isn’t great

OVERALL RATING

Sprechen sie Deutsch? Logitech USB Desktop Microphone Experience plugand-play convenience and enhanced digital audio quality with the Logitech USB Desktop Microphone. You also get true digital quality and a noisecanceling technology to filter out unwanted background noise and deliver better voice recognition, better voice command, and better voice recording.

game reviews //BY TIANA ALSWANG

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WE PLAY THE

SIMS 3!

“Although your Sim could call a friend, visit another area or go on vacation, he was always limited to his own property or interrupted with a loading screen and he certainly couldn’t take stroll across the road… until now.”

58 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Now you can create over a million unique Sims and control their lives…

THE SIMS 3 R349.95

NEED TO KNOW •Create any Sim you can imagine and give them personalities •Customise every detail from body type to facial features, hair styles and more •Control your Sims’ destinies as you pursue their Lifetime Wish… or not •Change everything from clothing to houses, patterns and colours – you are the architect in this game! •Direct Sims movies using a cast, a set, soundtrack, a story and editing during gameplay

It’s been ten years since Electronic Arts and Maxis first released a Sims game. A lot of people were skeptical – how would game developers manage to simulate human life? But the game, a virtual dollhouse of interactions and creative architecture, took the world by storm and became the bestselling PC title of all time, a mainstream phenomenon loved by everyone who got their hands on it. Expansion packs followed by the dozens and a second iteration was launched in 2002. Customisation – the ability to change every detail from how your Sim dresses to their environment – has always been a key feature of the gameplay. Thousands of user-created websites offered Sim fanatics even more options to download clothes, hair styles, objects and textures to make the experience unique… but there was always one problem: cabin fever. Although your Sim could call a friend, visit another area or go on vacation, he (or she) was always limited to his own property or interrupted with a loading screen and he certainly couldn’t take stroll across the road… until now. The Sims 3, which players have been anticipating for over a year, is everything that was missing and more. What the third Sim game brings is a virtual town populated by dozens of characters that live their own lives. You can control one character, or a family, but instead of being preoccupied with humdrum tasks (like endless trips to the bathroom), the focus is fun. Capable Sims definitely equals more enjoyable gameplay! The Create-a-Sim mode has over 60 personality traits – you pick just five to make a unique character and they are reflected in Sim behaviours, conversations and choices. Ultimately, the point of the gameplay is to fulfill your Sim’s destiny after you’ve decided what they want from life… but every scenario is different and there are short-term goals as well as you progress. The Sims 3 is only for PC and Mac but doesn’t require high-end graphics to run. Expect an adaptable, addictive and creative game with a complimentary online website that offers even more virtual fun – it’s worthy every cent.

>>CONSIDER THIS<<

SIMANIMALS SimAnimals is a cute game that lets you interact with animals in their natural surroundings in an immersive and tactile way. Controlling an on-screen animated hand, you can touch, move and pick-up everything you see from foxes and bears to trees and flowers. On the Wii and Nintendo DS, you’ll love the comedy and commotion of the American wilderness.

>> COMING SOON<< MYSIMS RACING Want to race to the finish line and save Speedville? In MySims you’ll test your reflexes, strategy and skill by customising cars, completing challenges, and winning championships as you face tricky opponents and tough tracks. Awesome power-ups (like a heat-seeking watermelon and bubble dropper) make the gameplay multiplayer madness… and much better than Mario Kart Wii.

OVERALL RATING

WWW.CONNECT.CO.ZA | 59

gaming reviews

SPORE GALACTIC ADVENTURES

GET >>THIS<<

WILL Wright, game developer extraordinaire, created Spore, a multi-genre massive single-player online metaverse video game. Sounds like a mouthful, right? Instead of simulating one part of life, the original Spore attempted to simulate everything in an evolutionary way and did it successfully. Divided into different stages (and game genres), you take a creature from being a tiny microscopic organism to a highly advanced space explorer. The first real expansion pack, Spore Galactic Adventures, takes one Spore creature from zero to hero – as says the tag line – and branches out the space (and final) stage of the gameplay into an

intergalactic adventure, weapons included. Beaming down to planets for the first time, your creature is now a fully-fledged space captain. What does that mean? We’re talking infinite adventures across the galaxy, battling epic monsters, horrific enemies and embarking on arcade-style puzzle quests. It’s about ranking up your captain and in true EA-style and this means customisation with loads of exciting game-changing items and accessories like a Plasma Pulser, Hypnomelder and Swarm Magnet. Of course, all of this can be shared online too so you can compare your captain’s winnings to another. To boost the value of the expansion pack even further, Galactic Adventures includes an Adventure Creator where you can build a mission from scratch and get it rated online. The possibilities are as infinite as the cosmos… welcome aboard cadet. R249.95

SPORE CREEPY & CUTE PARTS PACK (PC) To get more out of Spore, the cute and creepy add-on provides more than 100 new creature-building components themed in two distinct styles—charming, cartoon-esque creatures and scary, monster-like creatures. A must for creative types.

ANIMAL CROSSING: LET’S GO TO THE CITY

NEED TO KNOW • Endless possibilities in a relaxed world • Up to four people from your household can live and work together to build the perfect town • Customise your town, your house and yourself • Months of gameplay value

60 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

>REQUIRES<

NEED TO KNOW • Upgrade your space captain • 32 new game-changing accessories and abilities • Create and share unique missions on personalised planets

SPORE (PC) An everything simulation, EA’s Spore is a game where you can create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilisation and even sculpt entire worlds. It’s your own customisable universe with a galactic (literally) multiplayer mode and limitless worlds to explore and play.

FOR those who enjoy nonviolent, blood, guts and gore-free gaming, Animal Crossing on Wii is the answer. Let’s Go to the City follows the successful DS game – it’s colourful and cute! Your character arrives in a small town and now has to meet and make friends with all the interesting animal residents. After buying a house from Tom Nook, it’s up to you. The added city element opens up the environment and also means up to four friends, using the Internet, can visit your town. There is a lot to do in Animal Crossing. Activities from the previous games like fishing, gardening and bug collecting are included. You can also design new clothing patterns, change the town tune, create constellations and dig for fossils – there is always something to do in Animal Crossing and because the game operates in real time, it is incredibly dynamic. Certain types of butterflies are only there in the morning, flowers are seasonal and while some characters are night owls, others are grumpy first thing in the morning. If you don’t turn on the game and you may miss a market, art sale or special holiday features. This element really makes the gameplay addictive and exciting – you’ll want to see every detail! Buy this game if you’re looking for something a bit slower that takes more than a day to finish. R599.95

CONSIDER >>THIS<<

Exspect Wii illuminated Cooling Stand Before you know it, 10 minutes of gaming has turned into 3 hours! Longer gaming means a hotter console and this could result in damage. This stand is designed to hold the Wii upright and secure, stylishly topped with illuminated blue décor and a built-in fan ensures the console remains cool.

WARIO LAND: THE SHAKE DIMENSION

NEED TO KNOW • Turn the Wii Remote controller sideways to run, jump and smash through side-scrolling stages • Each stage is an obstacle course of puzzles, enemies and hazards • Look out for undiscovered secrets and treasures DON’T confuse Mario with Wario. Nintendo’s mascot, the jolly Italian plumber, is Mario and he’s the one we like. Wario, on the other hand, first appeared in 1992 (in the handheld game Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins) as an evil villain and final boss. Now that he has his own series, he makes a second appearance on the Nintendo Wii, this time with a 2D side-scrolling adventure. The story begins when Wario receives an antique globe and telescope that allow him to travel to the once-peaceful Shake Dimension, now conquered by the Shake King. With the assistance of his longtime lady rival, Captain Syrup, he must deal with the Shake King, free Queen Merelda and – most importantly for Wario – get his hands on a very sweet bottomless coin sack. This journey will take Wario to five continents with each level being more dangerous and filled with traps. Wario has to free a Merfle and then has a limited time to return to the starting gate. Although Wario can jump and dash, he has some special new moves: shake the Wii Remote and Wario will punch which will knock out enemies, he can also pick up enemies and shake them for herbs and, if you’re lucky, gold! Wario Land: The Shake Dimension is great old-school gaming with some delightful Wii-twists. R599.95

FAST FACT: The name “Wario” is a blending of Mario’s name with the Japanese adjective warui meaning “bad”; hence, a “bad Mario”.

gaming reviews

THE GODFATHER II

NEED TO KNOW • Rob, extort and murder your way to riches • Open-ended criminal gameplay • Excellent acting and writing • Buggy, but not broken

THE Godfather II is an open-ended game loosely based on the second Godfather film. It lets you create your character and engage in all the criminal activities Mafia families are known, respected and feared for. The aim of the game is to take over as much of the city as possible, business by business, until you control everything. There are three cities in contention, each with its own set of businesses that need a little “persuading” to let you run things. Exceptional acting and professional writing means the story is as gripping as any crime movie, and the gameplay is quite engaging as you romp your way through cities, fighting everyone from the police and business owners to rival families. You pull off missions with AI-controlled henchmen who have different skills that can be upgraded over time, and all experience earned in online matches against other “families” carries over into the singleplayer game. It’s not a perfect game, with quite a few bugs (an inability to jump over some objects and very patchy enemy and henchmen AI, for instance) and graphically it could use a polish, but it seems that criminal urges and a virtual playground in which to indulge them goes a long way towards keeping gamers happy. R599.95

CONSIDER >>THIS<<

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Set to be the most realistic modern military conflict game yet, in Operation Flashpoint 2 you’ll have to survive the chaos and rapidly evolving situations of modern warfare, experiencing the intensity, diversity and claustrophobia of platoon combat.

COMING >>SOON<<

2K Czech’s Mafia II is a mob experience like no other featuring gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and vehicular exploration. You play Vito, new to the world of organised crime, trying to make a name for yourself…

NEED TO KNOW • Stylish hack- and- slash, sword-toting fun • Voices like Samuel L Jackson • Based on the Anime series by the same name • Soundtrack by Wu Tang Clan’s The RZA

62 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

traditionally fits into this genre, the developers have pulled the fight scenes off with an element of style seldom seen in computer games today. Afro Samurai is definitely not a game for the younger crowd. It comes with a serious age restriction that stems from the ton of blood exposed in the game and the mass use of expletives carried out as only the master, Jackson, can. With a soundtrack compiled by Wu Tang Clan’s The RZA, there’s nothing like kicking back after a hard day at the office with a little bit of stylish swordsmanship and a banging hip hop backdrop of tunes. R599.95

>GET THIS<

CONSIDER >>THIS<<

You’re no longer in Civil War-era Georgia, but in the Aztec ruins of Mexico. This is the wildest West ever depicted! Play both McCall brothers in an intense storyline full of greed, lust and lawlessness.

• Play as Wolverine in third-person • Brutal hand-to-claw combat • Violent finishing moves • Impressive boss fights • Next-gen graphics

THE game that accompanies the recent release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine is definitely not for the little ones. The developers have taken the brave approach of providing very graphic and extremely brutal illustrations of just how serious Wolverine’s claws are by not only allowing, but encouraging players to tear through hordes of enemies in a very literal sense. Unusual for a movie tie-in, this is actually quite a good game. While slightly shallow in terms of story, which parallels and overlaps that of the movie, the brutal gameplay more than makes up for it by throwing plenty of enemies at you, all rendered in highresolution, next-generation graphical glory, giving you ample opportunity to practice the slicing and dicing that Wolverine’s claws are famous for. Use ultra-violent finishing moves to make sure enemies stay down, and chain together attacks to take on groups of foes and the very difficult but spectacular boss monsters that pepper the levels. Older fans of the X-Men will appreciate the new unabashedly gory approach to superhero games, as this is nothing like the neutered, family-friendly games based on movies we’ve seen in the past. And that’s a good thing, as they weren’t exactly masterpieces of the art form; this, on the other hand, is the game more mature fans have been waiting for. R699.95

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Terminator Salvation

The toy has been around for over 45 years, but now there’s a movie and action-adventure game for the mini-military heroes. Civilisation is in danger and a new hero must emerge – game on!

Based on the Warner Bros. film, players assume the role of John Connor, a soldier in the resistance, battling for survival against Skynet in an actionpacked third-person shooter.

CONSIDER >>THIS<<

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

NEED TO KNOW

Mafia 2

AFRO SAMURAI

NINJAS are cool. Samurais with afros and Samuel L Jackson’s voice are even cooler. In Afro Samurai, as the name suggests, you play a Samurai with an afro that’s out to avenge his father’s death. The storyline takes you through a number of new areas to explore and some epic boss fights. It’s not your conventional ‘hack and slash’ game however – the storyline has been carefully written to divulge another small detail with each turn and the battles are anything but standard, with the action slowing down to a crawl as ‘Afro’ carves slow-motion holes in his opponents and takes them apart piece by piece. The game truly strives to epitomise the concept of ‘blood is beautiful’ and instead of the overload of gore one would normally expect from a game that

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

gaming reviews FAST FACT: Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg helped LucasArts craft the story for the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.

ANNO 1404

INDIANA JONES AND THE STAFF OF KINGS

NEED TO KNOW • Set in the Orient • Explore a strange and fascinating island world • Build and customise your own metropolis • Has a fully modifiable sandbox mode

CONSIDER >>THIS<<

ANNO is a popular series of real-time strategy and city building games. Set in the Orient, the game takes you to an oriental landscape where you’ll learn about the culture and technology and watch how local trade and diplomacy grows. Transported to this beautiful island, before you know it you’ll have a high-flying economy, a virtual metropolis in the making! Easy to control, this is a game for the strategically minded. It takes careful and elaborate planning to fulfill your citizens’ needs to make your empire really prosper. You’ll have to learn to interact diplomatically with the foreign culture, make agreements and raise your diplomatic status. New technology means you’ll be able to produce oriental goods like mosaic, coffee and carpets. Climatic challenges mean figuring out a way to make the dry land fertile using your newfound allies. What also makes the gameplay interesting are the customisable objects and environment – your city will be unique if you take the time to do so. You can really get creative, embellishing the landscape or finding an undiscovered island to make your own mark in history. A second mode in Anno 1404 is a modifiable sandbox. Anno 1401 is a rich and engrossing strategy title with an oriental flair that will definitely appeal to fans, but hopefully also entice new PC players to the genre. R399.95

Jumpgate Evolution This fast-paced, space combat MMO lets you play as one of three human nations struggling for survival in a distant galaxy. It’s an immersive and action-packed space adventure with a ton of spacecraft to fly.

NEED TO KNOW • Wield your Wii Remote like Indy’s signature whip • Explore exotic locations around the globe • Experience thrilling chases and control vehicles • Unlock four-player versus mode • Discover more than 20 artifacts and rewarding unlockables

CONSIDER >>THIS<<

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

INDIANA Jones, the archeologist, manly man and original explorer has a new game up his sleeves. Staff of Kings takes you back to 1939, the year World War II began, and Indy is looking for the historical staff of Moses. (Think splitting of the sea, Pharaoh’s plagues and so on…) Like all the excellent Indiana Jones games (the Wii version of The Staff of Kings includes an unlockable version of the brilliant point-and-click adventure, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis), the hero will travels across the globe on his epic quest. From San Francisco’s Chinatown to Istanbul, the Sudanese desert and Nepal, you’ll even end up in the jungles of Panama using the whole Indiana package – his whip, fists and wits as you fight against Indy’s nemesis, Magnus Völler. In the Wii game, there are helpful icons over enemies, obstacles and items and everything you pick up can be used as an improvised weapon. The combat in the game is great as you use the Wii Remote and nunchuk to fist fight but you can also lasso that whip to yank an enemy off his feet. The combination of puzzle-solving and good ol’ action keeps the gameplay fresh. Everything about The Staff of Kings makes it an Indiana Jones game worthy playing. From the familiar theme music, which definitely hypes up an atmosphere for third-person adventuring, to the fact that this is, plain and simple, one great looking game. Price: R499.95

Step into the shoes of the Autobots or Decepticons, select an available mission and pick from the largest range of playable Transformers as you drive, fly, fight and blast your way through the game.

COMING >>SOON<<

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Return to Hogwarts and help Harry survive a year of exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical potions class and taking the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory… just don’t get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements.

Ice-Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

CSI: NEW YORK

SCRAT, Sid, Manny and Diego are back in an all-new 3D adventure. It’s 15 levels of action-packed gaming in the frozen wastes of prehistory. If you love the movie, you’ll enjoy the game! R599.95

FOLLOWING on from the original Escape from Butcher Bay, Riddick’s ship is captured by a mercenary vessel, Dark Athena, which harvests people to use as drones. Fight, shoot, brawl and sneak through this action-packed FPS. R699.95

PLAY as actual characters from the hit series in a brand-new graphic novel art style with interactive mini-games, interrogations and original cases crafted by writers from the TV show. R299.95

64 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

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gaming reviews

FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4

NEED TO KNOW EA SPORTS ACTIVE CONSIDER >>THIS<<

PREVIEWS

WII Fit may be great for balance, but if you’re looking for a full-on workout, EA Sports Active is the game for you. Developed by fitness experts, you’ll feel like you have a personal trainer in your living room. For the best upper and lower body workout, the game includes a resistance band as well as a strap that snugly fits around your leg with a pouch to hold the nunchuck. You begin the game by creating a personal profile – this conveniently tracks your progress, no matter if you choose the 30-day challenge (20 minute daily workouts) or customise a quick routine. From running on a track to bicep curls and cardio boxing, there are lots of fun exercise options and well as a warm-up. Helpful feedback videos show you how to do the exercise correctly so you’ll reach your fitness goals. EA Sports Active also integrates the Wii Fit Balance Board. If you get EA Sports Active, you’ll be able to chuck out your gym membership – this is the easiest way to track how many calories you’ve burnt and evolve your routine into something a little more intense. R599.95

PROTOTYPE You are the prototype. Your name is Alex Mercer. You are a genetically mutated man without memory, armed with amazing shape-shifting abilities, hunting to discover what created you and determined to make those responsible pay. Prototype promises gamers an open-world action game like you’ve never seen before!

66 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Packaged with the original Wii Balance Board, Wii Fit turns your living room into a gym. Learn overall balance and stretching with yoga poses or get your heart pumping with fun cardio games.

COMING >>SOON<<

EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis A first from EA and a first from a tennis title – racket-mad gamers now play at Wimbledon! Pick one of 23 players (including McEnroe) and perform Wii Remote forehands and backhands on the virtual court.

OVERLORD II Who wouldn’t want to play an evil, minioncommanding dark lord? Or shall we say lad, as you’re now the spawn of the previous game’s antihero. The sequel has a Roman twist making your minions smarter, now able to wreck scenery, ride wolves and ultimately fulfill all your nasty doings. Bad is the new good.

Championship Manager 2009 Managing a soccer team, what could be better? This game puts you firmly in control and includes a fully animated 3D match engine for football finesse.

WOLFENSTEIN Many say Wolfenstein 3D was the first game to make the First-Person Shooter genre what it is today. The upcoming Wolfenstein game takes the player back to World War II where it’s up to special agent BJ Blazkowics to shut down Himmler’s dreaded Übersoldat program…

>>COMING SOON<<

Wii Fit

THE champ is back! If you’ve never played Fight Night, you’ve been missing out on an awesome boxing game. EA’s Fight Night Round 4 features boxing greats like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. (There also some newbies like Sergio Mora, Roy Jones and Kelly Pavlik for extra measure.) Get in the ring for a full next-gen experience that is so detailed, the individual fighting styles of every boxer are perfectly captured. Bob and weave like Tyson or reach out like Ali using his hand speed and quick feet – the all-new physics animation really captures the impact of every punch, blow and tumble. As you play, you’ll also notice how fatigue, adrenaline, footwork and timing make a big difference. Fight Night Round 4 is incredibly realistic and manages to take boxing simulation to the next level using a re-written gameplay engine. On the PS3 and Xbox 360 next-gen platforms, you need realism, even when it means you just missed whacking the other boxer in the face! The game includes a career mode but you can also take on your friends, getting in the ring as one of the legendary heavyweights to become a true champ. R599.95

>>CONSIDER THIS<<

NEED TO KNOW • Real exercise that is fun and functional • 20-minute circuits • A personal trainer in a box • 30-day challenge to efficiently track progress • Includes a leg strap and resistance band

• Dynamic visuals, new questions and question types • Earn extra points by guessing whether your friends know the answer in the playing Facts & Friends mode • Track your best categories over time with your custom profile

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Calling all golf pros and those new to the green game, Tiger ’10 now has real-time weather and a TV-style presentation with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and the Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman.

ASHES CRICKET 2009 If you’re keen on some realistic batting, bowling and fielding gameplay, Codemasters’ fullylicensed cricket game has it all, including all the official players, kit, and equipment. Featuring all five Tests, gamers will also be able to play Test matches, One Day Internationals, 20 over games and a series of challenge modes.

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, EA SPORTS, and the EA SPORTS logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. Grand Slam is a registered Trademark jointly owned by Australian Open, US Open, French Open and Wimbledon. Roland-Garros French Open is registered trademark of the French Tennis Federation. Used by permission. The USTA and the US Open Ball and Flame design are registered trademarks of the United States Tennis Association. The Tennis Australia logo and the Australian Open logo are registered trademarks of Tennis Australia Ltd and must not be reproduced or otherwise used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Tennis Australia Ltd. Approved by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon. All sponsored products and company names, brand names and logos are the property of their respective owners. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The mark ‘TIGERWOODS’ and the TW Logo are trademarks of ETW Corp. and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of ETW Corp. The name, likeness and other attributes of Tiger Woods reproduced on this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and/or other forms of intellectual property that are the exclusive property of ETW Corp. or Tiger Woods and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of ETW Corp. or Tiger Woods. PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR and Swinging Golfer design are trademarks of PGA TOUR, INC. and used by permission. All other sponsored products, company names, brand names, trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.

tech tannie

Strained eyes, wonky hard drives and netbook quandaries solved. If you have questions, gripes, IT pains or just seek some solace, e-mail Tamsin, the tech tannie at techtannie@ connect.co.za. Dishing out advice like boerewors – hot and a little bit scary when you look inside…

68 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

Letter of the month: Q:

My eyes get very tired when I look at my computer screen, is there anything I can do to prevent this as I spend a lot of time working on my PC? Or am I doing something wrong? Messed-up Mdele, Sandton

I sincerely hope that I am not addressing a young man who spend all night partying and has had two hours sleep over two weeks. Otherwise I’ll find you, my china, and sort you out for wasting my time. But…if you are a hard working oke who’s suffering from eye strain then I have the solution for you. And you won’t have to stick a cold spoon or half your vegetable patch on your face either. First off you need to adjust the way you look at your monitor. If your chair and monitor are positioned so that you are staring dead on then your eyes are going to platz. You need to tilt your monitor so you are looking down at it – this way your eyelids aren’t working like crazy to stay fully opened. Now, don’t go and stick it at your feet and kill your ergonomics. Just give it a nice little degree of change so your eyes are flowing naturally downwards. Secondly try and drag yourself away from your computer every hour or so. Make some rooibos, or time them with the electricity cuts, and you give your eyes a break. While the lights are out (the power cut, remember?) do eye-aerobics. That way nobody can see you. Hold a finger up close to your eye and then

slowly pull it away while keeping a focus on it. Lekker. That counts as a gym session… The third thing you need to work on is the ambient lighting in your office or room and your monitor’s settings. Try to limit reflections on your screen by placing the monitor facing away from the window and changing the ambient lighting to slightly less than the brightness of your screen – that way your eyes won’t have to work hard adjusting to variant light sources all the time. Play around with your monitor settings so the screen isn’t too bright or dark. Try and achieve a happy medium where your eyes feel relaxed at the end of a long day. It’s not going to be an instant fix either so don’t send me angry emails that your eyes aren’t partying in ten minutes. Throw the changes about a little and wait for the day your eyes say a hearty dankie. While there are plenty of other tricks you can use to ease up your eyes you may want to look at the size of your monitor. If you’re peering into a tiny screen for hours on end then it’s time to invest in more screen real estate. Whoever said size didn’t matter was lying to you and was ashamed of their small monitor. A larger screen, either LCD or TFT – forget the CRT my friend – may ultimately mean that your eyes aren’t squinting desperately to see a single sentence. And most ultra-portables, such as the Eee PC, have the connectivity to attach to a larger monitor so you can use them for longer periods of time.

Q: Q:

I’m shopping for a new computer but I noticed the Intel logo is different – they seem to have a star rating at the bottom? What does this mean? Star-spangled Stan, Bloemfontein

Now this is a rather lekker new system that Intel have put in place. Each of these star ratings tells you a little bit more about what that slice of technology can do for you. So, for example, there’s this moerse Intel Core 2 Duo processor with so much power it can punch through a wall faster than Bruce Lee on steroids, and it will get a nice, fat five star rating. Five stars in Intel speak is ultimate intelligence and breakthrough technologies that maximise your computing speed and possibilities. Delish. I’ll take two please. However, that doesn’t mean that a one star rating is kak. The one star rating assures you of value and reliability whenever that hardware is present. So it’s a win-win for you. Using this system you can then figure out exactly what you need at a single glance. It’s also a fabulous way of balancing your budget with your needs. So if you’re after a fast and energy-efficient processor then anything from three stars up is going to be your baby. If you just want something reliable and cost-effective, nothing hugely fancy, then look at anything from three stars down. If you want to take a look at all the different ratings and what processors they refer to then go to www.intel.com/consumer/rating.htm and choose your processor from that extensive list. Frankly I’m delighted that this has happened. I love it when people make my shopping easier, now I can spend more time surfing for melktert recipes… I asked the nice people at Intel and they gave me this nifty guide below: INTEL PROCESSOR RATING SYSTEM EXPLAINED Desktop

Notebook

1 Star

Value and reliability

2 Star

Dependable and proven

3 Star

Smart, fast, energy-efficient technology

4 Star

Advanced intelligence, premium technologies and speed to help you do more

5 Star

My brand new external hard drive is refusing to work when I use it between my home and work computers. What’s wrong? Media maniac Melissa, Benoni

Why doesn’t anybody think to furnish me with essential details like, say, their computer specifications? Do you go to the doctor and expect him to make a diagnosis based on the sentence, “I feel a bit kak”? While it would have been a lot easier for me to answer your question if I had some idea as to what kind of computers you’re using, the operating systems they have and what brand of external hard drive you happen to have bought, I may be able to throw a couple of bones your way. To start with, if you’re transferring files between a PC and a Mac then you’re entering into a pretty technical world of pain. My suggestion would be to get someone who’s nice and geeky

Why do I need to buy a lens for my new digital camera? Surely they’re not that important, after all this thing is packed with technology isn’t it? Lucy and her lens, Sandton

I am going to assume that the camera you have clutched in your well-manicured hands, happens to be a digital SLR camera. I won’t go into the details as to exactly what SLR stands for but if your camera is heavy, doesn’t fit in the palm of your hand and is packed full of settings juicier than elephants eating overripe marulas then it’s a DSLR. And, yes, the wide variety of lenses you can get will

to help you out with formatting your drive to FAT32. Then these two okes should communicate with each other just fine. If the problem is between two PCs, then you should see if you have the latest device drivers and software updates. No, I don’t mean the drivers that use a spanner in a taxi. These are the “controllers” as it were, of the motherboard’s communication systems. By making sure these are up to date on both machines you may find that your drive will work like a dream. Don’t forget to upload the latest drivers for your hard drive either. You’ll find these at the various manufacturer websites. So if, for example, you have a Maxtor External HDD then go to the Maxtor website and go to Support, you’ll find the latest drivers and downloads right there. Bear in mind that the amount of time that this is going to take is entirely dependent on your bandwidth, so be prepared for a long evening of staring at the computer and filing your nails.

revolutionise your photographs. From macro lenses that can take extremely close-up shots of that dung beetle waddling through your garden to zoom lenses that will check out the lion’s teeth it gets in so close, you have a lot to choose from. Spend a bit of time getting used to your camera and understanding aperture and shutter speeds first though. Otherwise you may find yourself feeling frustrated with the more demanding lenses. Many lenses are so sensitive you’ll also have to invest in a tripod (no, not that’s not the same as a potjikos pot) otherwise you’ll get camera shake and blurry shots.

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E THE GREAT

ICON CON

72 | CONNECT | JUNE 2009

very time I try to set-up a new piece of PC hardware, I feel an urge to hunt down the person who started the trend for replacing written instruction manuals with simple pictograms. Some days, I want to shake them by the hand. Others, I want to shake them by the neck. We all know why manufacturers have switched away from acres of informative prose to a line drawn system of international hieroglyphics. It’s because all high quality, expensive consumer electronics have traditionally been supplied with poorly translated instruction manuals. Take this recent example of the bad old ways. According to the seminal website on the subject, www.engrish.com, you can still be directed to “tune up power volume to aproposity, before put it into the jeck (sic)” when buying a set of headphones. Some people, whose first language isn’t English, complain that manuals are never provided in their native tongue. Instead of worrying about why so many popular languages are overlooked for translation, though, they should be relieved their words have so far escaped the rough mangling of others. That was the past, though. Now we can all have our intelligence insulted thanks to the growing use of icons in computer manuals. On the one hand, they’re a great idea. When fitting a new hard drive, for example, we may be exhorted to “take a left and slippery a module (the slippery is on carrying to take the “L” word sign)” and “limit a both ends of pillar card the flexibility” (from http://tinyurl.com/dxlyx4). But at least there’s a little sketch below that we may be able to make sense of with our screwdrivers. The trouble is that rather than building a world where assembling a new PC is as straightforward as mimicking the actions of a series of simple stickmen, we’ve actually created a universal language of confusion. Pictures and diagrams are more often an alternative to, rather than a tool for, clarity. The reasoning seems to be that since they’ve made the effort to break out the crayons, the designers needn’t bother thinking the problem of communicating complex technical information to end users through any further exposition. Thus we get the motherboard manual which shows a photograph of three pins and instructs us to put the jumper in the “on position”. Or the DVDs which foxed Macintosh computer owners by appending the words “No Apple slot in drive” to a picture of an optical disc with a cross through it. What they meant, of course, was ‘don’t use in Apple computers’ because the effects of doing so were tragic and expensive to fix. Needless to say, the warning was too hard to heed for most. So what’s to be done? We all know that the world would be a better, calmer place if a little more thought was put into the preparation of instruction manuals. And both icons and text have their place in informing the consumers of the future. I propose we deploy the resources of our universities in order to improve this mess. Let’s employ language students to parse sentences and check for obfuscation. It shouldn’t be expensive: they’ve spent so many hours perfecting the art of brevity and clarity with their text messages and Twitter feeds, let’s unlock the earning potential they’ve built up. My suggested price structure starts with a simple 30 page printer manual, for which the reader will receive one Big Mac Meal or can of //insert name popular local lager here. Rook or something isn’t it?//. Then we can tap up the art schools to do something about the pictures too.