Vol. 1 Issue 1
100% Canadian, 100% Free
Different Dimensions: 3-D technology in the home? It’s closer than you think
Summer Action: Reviews of the hottest new game releases for Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP
Buying a Digital SLR: What to know before jumping into the market to buy your first DSLR
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Contents
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Homework Helpers TechKnow provides a list of various laptop suggestions for going back to school
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The Key to Higher Learning Besides storing data, USB keys can also be used to store and run numerous programs... we list the best ones that you can get for free
14 Back to School with Google Docs While there may be many substitutes for Microsoft Word, Google Docs is free and is a great medium for collaboration 17 Free-to-Air Satellites If you’re looking to cut down on costs without cutting down on channels, an FTA satellite could do the trick 20 It’s for You! The bell isn’t the only thing ringing for back to school — check out these phones 24 Buying Your First DSLR What to know before moving from a simple digital point-and-shoot to a digital single lens reflex camera
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27 Battlefield 1943 We’ve got the latest Battlefield in our sights 28 Fight Night: Round 4 EA delivers a knockout of a fighter 29 Rock Band Unplugged With a PSP Rock Band you can really take your fantasy music career on the road 30 Console Gaming Corner Gaming at home is in for some twists and turns... and so are its players 32 Get Your Gaming for Nothing Why PC gaming isn’t dead: a look at one sustainable business strategy 34 3D Entertainment How 3D tech might be making its way into your home entertainment system 37 Up Next A look at TechKnow Mag’s content for next month
TechKnow Magazine 136 Craighurst Ave, Toronto, ON, M4R 1K2 Phone: 416-898-9563 Fax: 416-487-7807
Editor-in-Chief Dorian Nicholson editor@techknowmag.com 416-823-5059
Advertising Sales Darcy Weir sales@techknowmag.com 416-898-9563
Editor-at-Large Andrew Moore-Crispin edatlarge@techknowmag.com
Business Consultant Karim Rizk sales@techknowmag.com
Contributors Helen Bradley, Andrew Carruthers, Kevin Freeman, Gord Goble, Mike Palermo, Ray Richards, Marc Saltzman
Distribution Ontario TorStar Distribution Services British Columbia Trader Printed in Canada by Richter Web
Graphic Design Clipperart clipperart@gmail.com
August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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EDITORIAL
Dorian Nicholson Editor-in-Chief
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TechKnowmag – Toronto – August 2009
Hi there and thanks for picking up TechKnow Magazine! As this is our inaugural issue I should tell you a little bit about what makes this magazine better than any other technology magazine that you could have picked up. Firstly, you’ll notice that you didn’t have to pay a cent to pick up this issue and flip through these pages. That’s not too bad, and proof that we’d much prefer you saved your money to pay for more important things… like a computer upgrade or a cool new gadget. And with all of the products we’re planning on putting to the test, we’ll be offering our expert opinions — free of charge — on what’s hot and what’s not in the world of computers and consumer electronics. Follow along with the growth of Canada’s only free technology magazine by grabbing next month’s issue (and the one after that, and the one after that...) from the same place you grabbed this issue. Secondly, we’ve got a wide variety of topics to cover, and some of the best writers in the field to cover them. Whether it’s the latest and greatest in PC components or netbooks, smartphones or digital cameras, video games and accessories, or pretty much anything else in the realm of computers and consumer electronics, we’ll have it covered by some of the best in the biz. Our writers are all veterans of the gruelling — and wildly entertaining — world of tech journalism and have been watching developments in their respective areas of expertise for years. As for me, you may recognize me if you managed to pick up HUB: The Computer Paper in the past year or so. I was editor for a time and, before that, a simple tech scribe. While I was there but a short while (in the grand scheme of things) it was long enough to get me hooked on the tech industry and the way it is shaping the lives of people across the globe — be it for business or simply for pleasure — at a rate never before seen. For that reason my friend Darcy and I decided to start up this magazine so that we could witness those changes from front row seats, and we’re here to take you along for the ride. This month’s issue theme is back to school, and we’ve got a few articles that you should read if you’re looking to start the new scholastic year with some brand new tech toys. Whether you’re heading back to high school or going off to college, university or a technical school, we’ve got some suggestions about what you might want to bring along. Andrew Moore-Crispin has rounded up a few choice cell phone considerations for getting back to school, weighing the pros and cons of each. While the iPhone 3GS might be the most hyped cellular device at the moment, there
are other choices to consider — and a nifty device you might never have heard of. Marc Saltzman has put together an article listing a wide range of portable PCs, each geared towards a different type of student. There are standard laptops, smaller-sized netbook computers, and fully-blown desktop-replacing laptop computers. While the performance ratings (and price) may vary in each group, we’ve got more than enough listed here for you to find one that suits your needs. Also on the computer end of things, Helen Bradley has put together a great list of pointers for when you want to hook up with classmates and get things done with Google Docs. It’s part of the Google Apps suite, it’s free, and it’s an awesome tool for collaboration. You’ll also notice some other great sections besides the PC portion such as the aforementioned Mobile Tech — a great place to watch for smartphone news and application reviews — our Digital Imaging section, where Ray Richards takes you through the need-to-knows of Buying Your First DSLR, and Gamer’s Corner. There we’ll have reviews by Mike Palermo and Kevin Freeman on a few of the coolest games to hit the console market thus far. At the same time, Gord Goble talks about what’s going to keep the television side of the gaming market fresh while Chad Sapieha writes on how PC games can do exactly what TechKnow is doing and provide an amazing product without charging for it… all while staying in business. You’ll also hopefully enjoy Andrew Carruthers’ first part of our feature series on free-to-air (FTA) satellites and how they can show you some channels that you never knew existed all for one low startup cost. It’s more than a costsaving measure for some; it’s also a hobby. We hope you enjoy the first issue as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together. We’re hoping to provide you with many more over the years to come. And if you have any opinions or feedback, feel free to share by sending them to letters@techknowmag.com. Looking below you’ll even notice there’s a prize if we select your letter to be letter of the month. For info on that contest and more, go to www.techknowmag.com. But now, without further ado. I’ll let you get back to the meat of the mag. We just finished our first issue and can’t wait to get started on the next one. We hope that you feel the same. Enjoy the magazine, Dorian Nicholson Editor-in-Chief
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Homework Helpers You’d think students have enough weighing on their minds and wallets as the school year approaches. Yet there is one more major decision to be made: what kind of laptop computer you should buy to get you through the school year. After all, a PC (or Mac) is more of a necessity than a luxury for students these days, be it to write essays, research on the Net, crunch mathematical calculations or collaborate with fellow classmates via webcam. Or in all likelihood, all of the above. The good news is prices for computers have never been so low, but because there are countless options out there, buying a new machine can be an overwhelming proposition — especially as you try to wade through all the “geek speak.” No worries, we can help. The following are a few recommended models that range in price, size and features.
Acer (above)
Petite Power Netbooks are one of the hottest computer categories these days — those tiny and lightweight laptops designed primarily for email, web surfing and word processing. The Acer Netbook AOD50 ($279.99; www.acer.ca), for example, is a 2.6-pound computer powered by an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of system memory, integrated Wi-Fi and a webcam. View your photos and videos quickly thanks to its 5-in1 memory card reader and 10.1-inch display. Keep in mind, though, that this netbook runs the open-source Linux operating system to keep costs down. If you prefer Windows, however, Lenovo’s first 12-inch netbook — the IdeaPad S12 ($529; www.lenovo.com/ca) — offers a number of features not typically found in one of these affordable mini PCs. This includes a large 12.1-inch screen, full-size keyboard and new graphics options with the NVIDIA ION platform (including support for smooth, 1080p high-definition video playback). Depending on what you’re using it for, the IdeaPad S12 netbook can last up to six hours between charges. Hard drive space tops at 160GB, system memory starts at 1GB. Even lighter, but costlier, is Sony’s extraordinarily petite VAIO P Series Pocket-style PC ($999.99; www.sonystyle.ca). About the size of a business envelope, this 1.4-pound PC can slip into a purse or jacket pocket yet offers an 8-inch screen with near fullsize keyboard, and also offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technologies. The VAIO P series PCs are available in one of five colours: crystal white, classic black, onyx black, garnet red and emerald green.
Sony Vaio (left) 6
TechKnowmag – Toronto – August 2009
CONTEST
Calling All Readers! Have a comment about the mag? A particular story that you liked? A favourite piece of technology that we didn’t mention in one of our roundups? Well if that’s the case, or if you just feel like having your voice heard, send an email to letters@techknowmag.com. Not only will your letter be featured in our Letters section, you’ll also be eligible for a TechKnow prize pack.
Next month we’re giving away a copy of McAfee Total Protection 2009 to the writer of the Letter of the Month. Send in your comments for your chance to enter!
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August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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Bodacious Batteries
Pricey But Nicey
Students need a long battery as they tote their PC from lecture hall to dorm room to the library for a study session. The Asus Eee PC 1005HA “Seashell” netbook ($389.99; ca.asus.com) is ideal for students who don’t have time to find an AC outlet to recharge the PC as it offers an “all-day” battery that lasts up to 10.5 hours. This Windows XP machine includes a 160GB hard drive (plus 10GB of complimentary online storage) and integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth v.2.1 (perfect for streaming stereo music to compatible headphones). If you need something that lasts even longer — perhaps you’re going to school out of country and want something to last on long plane rides to and from home — HP’s EliteBook 6930p (from $1,199; hp.ca), when configured with an optional ultra-capacity 12-cell battery ($179.99), is the first laptop that can last up to 24 hours (depending on what you’re using it for, of course). The 4.7-pound laptop features a 14.1-inch widescreen LCD display (or available with an optional mercury-free Illumi-Lite LED display), Intel Core 2 Duo processor, shock-resistant 160GB hard drive and up to 4GB of system memory.
While a global recession might not be the best time to launch a $2,499 laptop, Dell’s stunning Adamo (www.dell.ca/adamo) — the Latin word for “to fall in love with” — is an uber-thin laptop (13.03 x 9.5 x 0.65 inches) with durable chassis (milled from a single piece of reinforced aluminum), stylish backlit keyboard and host of personalization options. Available in Onyx and Pearl colours, specs include an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 128GB Solid State Drive, 2GB of system memory, edge-to-edge 13.4-inch 16:9 HD glass display, Wireless N and Bluetooth. Too bad, though, it doesn’t have an optical drive or removable battery. If your next laptop must also be your entertainment solution, Sony’s 3.4-pound VAIO Z790 Series notebook (from $1,981; www.sonystyle.ca) houses an integrated Blu-ray Disc player for high-definition movie playback on the 13.1-inch LED widescreen (plus HDMI output for a big-screen TV). Powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS chip and up to a 256GB SSD drive with G-Sensor shock protection, this PC is for both work and play. Similarly, the new 13.3-inch MacBook Pro ($1,399; apple.ca) is a gorgeous laptop that features an Intel Core
Dell Adamo
2 Duo processor (at 2.25GHz), 160GB hard drive, 2GB of system memory and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor. Unlike the stylish Dell Adamo, this MacBook ships with a dual-layer DVD burner (supporting 8.5GB recordable discs), plus it includes an integrated webcam, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Touch of class
HP TouchSmart tx2
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TechKnowmag – Toronto – August 2009
HP has recently launched the TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC ($1,299; hp.ca), the world’s first multi-touch consumer notebook. The 12.1-inch high-definition widescreen can be used like a laptop or spun around 180 degrees and flattened to hold like a clipboard — and then you can use your two fingers to flick, pinch and tap to control your media. Specs include 2.2 GHz AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core processor, 4GB of system memory and a 320GB hard drive. Entertainment seekers in search of a desktop replacement for their dorm might want to pick up the Toshiba Satellite P500 (from $1249.99; www.toshiba.ca), an 18.4-inch laptop powered by an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, up to 1TB of hard drive space, HDMI output and harmon/kardon speakers for your music, games and movies. Facial recognition technology helps protect your key files by identifying you as the administrator, while the same webcam can be used to make video calls to friends. By Marc Saltzman
The Key to Higher Learning GIMP’s mascot
For students heading back to school, the most useful piece of scholastic kit you grab in the back to school rush might actually be that inexpensive USB key. Sure, you can store all your projects on it, you can create a “sneakernet” to literally run files back and forth between computers. You can even keep your summer holiday snaps, favourite albums, even a video or two. But if you install your favourite and most oft-used applications right to your USB key, you’ll never be without your preferred email program or your
August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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TechKnowmag – Toronto – August 2009
favoured word processor, spreadsheet or presentation software. You can even carry your browser along with all your browsing history, bookmarks, saved passwords and so on. Using your own browser that writes its cache and history right to your USB key means you leave no trace of your online actions on the host computer. This is particularly useful when borrowing a PC or using a school or library PC.
A Word to the Wise As this may well end up being your most frequently used back to school tool, make sure you choose a decent USB key. Some points to consider: Make sure the key itself is not such an irregular shape, lest you find it doesn’t easily fit into an open USB port. While the USB connection is standard, the placement of ports (on keyboards, on the front or back of PC towers, even on laptops) varies widely. Get the highest capacity you can afford. We’d recommend at least 4GB with 8GB or even 16GB being considerably more useful. That said, you could get away with a key as small as 256MB, if you’re prepared to be highly selective in which applications
Calc (below)
Making Your Apps Portable
Frets on Fire (above) Math (below)
The aptly named PortableApps suite (www.portableapps.com) is a ride-along program that you install on a USB key. PortableApps only works on Windows PCs however. Running your chosen applications from a USB key is incredibly easy; choose the version of the software you want (platform only, 1.3MB; Suite Lite, 150MB or Suite Standard, 355MB). If you opt for the platform only, you can start rooting around the PortableApps site for the applications you want. If you opt for the standard suite, you’ll have just about everything you need: Firefox browser, Thunderbird email client, Sunbird calendar manager, ClamWin anti-virus, a couple of simple games, a media player and the full OpenOffice.org suite, a free and open source replacement for Microsoft Office and that includes a spreadsheet program similar to Excel, a word processor program similar to Word, a presentation program similar to PowerPoint and several other items.
You Hold the Key
you choose to install to it. You’ll also have very little room for your own data too. As we’ll be installing a bunch of applications onto our USB key, we’ll want to make sure we still have room for everything else we want to carry along. While USB keys (and flash memory in general) has dropped to prices unheard of even a year ago, you sometimes get what you pay for. We’re not suggesting you grab the most expensive USB key you can find, but those super inexpensive unbranded USB drives you’ll sometimes see in point-of-sale drop bins can be more trouble than they’re worth, in our experience. This is one case where brand name is the best way to go. Look for keys from SanDisk, Kingston, Corsair, Lexar or other trusted names. You could also use an SD or other memory card (though you’ll need a reader) or your iPod or other MP3 player. You could even use a Zip disk, if you were feeling retro... good luck finding a Zip drive though.
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TechKnowmag – Toronto – August 2009
Now, any time you use a public or shared computer, and even when you’re at home or working on your own laptop running any version of Windows, plug your USB key in and everything you need is present and accounted for. Launch applications from the PortableApps menu that appears in the bottom-right of the screen and that functions very much like the Windows Start menu. You’ll always have your web browsing history, your add-ons and bookmarks with you, always have the latest version of the project you’ve been working on all semester. In short, this is the key to make any computer you use your own. By Andrew Moore-Crispin
Top 10 Portable Apps No Student Should Be Without TechKnow’s picks for the 10 great software suites; all free, all good and all available as a desktop application or as PortableApp software to take with you. 1 OpenOffice.org - While Microsoft Office is offered to students at a deep discount, it’s hard to beat the free OpenOffice.org. 2 GIMP - The most powerful free photo and image editor going has gone portable. This is the open source equivalent of Adobe’s Photoshop, though lacking some of the polish. 3 Mozilla Firefox - Arguably the best browser and with PortableApps, you can always have access to your favourites, history and any add-ons you’ve installed. 4 Eraser - Don’t trust Windows to delete a file. Eraser makes sure deleted data disappears without a trace. 5 Pidgin - Have all of your instant messaging accounts in one place. Supports Gtalk, MSN, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, Skype and many other IM services. 6 Notepad++ - A marked improvement over Windows’ own Notepad, Notepad++ supports syntax editing, macros and has a tabbed interface. 7 Frets on Fire - A take off on Guitar Hero, this music game is open source and relies on the user community to program new tracks, adding to the hundreds already available. 8 VLC Media Player - Handles just about any video file format you can throw at it. Small, lightweight and reliable, it’s the only video player you’ll ever need. 9 7-Zip - Compress or decompress files into or from a wide variety of formats, or use the .7z format for the best compression going. 10 InfraRecorder - Burn just about anything to just about anything: this is a lightweight but powerful CD and DVD recorder.
Back to School with Google Docs When you need to work with others during your school year, Google Docs has just about everything that you need. Google Docs is free, it includes a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation tool so there is everything you will need to prepare your assignments and class projects and it is easy to share files and work on them with others. Here are some features that every student will love about Google Docs.
Getting started To get started with Google Docs, visit docs.google.com and if you do not have a Google ID, sign in to create one. In Google Docs you have the ability to create new documents such as a text document, a presentation, a spreadsheet or a form by selecting “New” from the dropdown list and choosing the type of document to create. You can also upload documents from your computer and Google Docs can read a range of formats including Word and open document text, like those created in OpenOffice.org.
Share your work
The Google flashcard gadget lets you create interactive tests very quickly. 14
TechKnowmag – Toronto – August 2009
One neat feature of Google Docs is that you can share documents and work on them with others very easily. To see this at work, create a new document and then from the main work area, select the checkbox to the left of the document and click the “Share” button and choose “Share with others.” You can now share this file with anyone in one of two ways. You can let them collaborate with you so they can edit the document as well as adding more people to its edit list or you can allow them to simply view it. So, for example, if friends ask you for copies of notes you took in class, you can share the notes with them but not allow them to change the notes. You do this by adding their email address to the list and selecting them “as Viewers”. They will receive an email invitation that will let them have access to the file. For working on a school project with others someone will need to get the process started by creating a new document. They then share the document with other users making sure that they choose the “as Collaborators” option next to their addresses so that everyone can work on it. Shared items appear in the “Shared With” list in your Google Docs dashboard area. Next to each filename is a list of the people that it is shared with. If the document is one that you didn’t create but one that was created by someone else to which you’ve been invited to collaborate, you can open it as you would any other Google Docs document by clicking on its name. You then work on it and save it when you’re done and everyone else can then see the edits when they are next online. When you are working with a Shared document you can click the “Share” button to see things such as who has access to the document, you can invite people to have access to it if you’ve been given this permission by the document owner and you can set notification rules. For example, you can request an email if there are changes to the document so you can keep track of a project that you are working on with others.
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Working Online or Off One benefit of Google Docs is you don’t need to have your computer with you to work on a project. Google Docs saves your documents on the Google servers so that you can access them from anywhere using just your web browser. If you want to have the benefits of working online at college but offline at home, for example, there is an offline feature that is accessible from the Google Docs main window. If you select this and download and install Google Gears then Google Docs will sync your files to your local computer so you can view and edit documents when you aren’t connected to the web. You can only edit documents however, and spreadsheets and presentations can be viewed offline but not edited. When you next connect and log in to Google Docs the files are synched again.
Work with Templates Google Docs has lots of handy templates you can use and adapt to your needs. To see these in action, choose “New” then “From Template” and select the “Student & Teachers” category on the left. One useful template is the flashcards sample which you can click to open in Google Docs’ spreadsheet tool. This uses the flashcards gadget and it lets you create a series of words or questions in one column and the answers in a second column. You then select your data and the flashcards gadget displays the questions for you so you can test your knowledge. You can shuffle the cards, flip them so that you see the answers rather than the questions and you can also delete cards so you can remove those you’re comfortable answering and leave only those you’re having trouble with. You can also share the spreadsheet so others can use it for test practice too. Also in the templates collection you will find projects and research papers that you can use as a reference for laying out similar documents that you need to create. This will help you see how to design and format reports and assignments and will save you some of the planning work.
Google Docs documents can saved in one of a number of formats for printing and sharing.
Saving Your Work When you have finished working on a document in Google Docs you can save the document to your local computer by selecting the checkbox for the file in the main dashboard area and, from the “More Actions” dropdown list, select the “Save” option for the file type you want to create. For example, you can save files as PDFs that can be downloaded to your computer and printed or emailed. You can also email documents from inside Google Docs by selecting the “Share” button and select “Email As Attachment.” This allows you to email a completed project, for example, to your teacher without the need to print it. You can also publish presentations as a web page. Google Docs has everything that a student needs to create great looking reports and assignments. It also makes it easy for you to work with others so group assignments will be easy to manage and complete — wherever you happen to be. By Helen Bradley
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TechKnowmag – Toronto – August 2009
Documents, spreadsheets and presentations can be shared with others for viewing and editing.
Free-to-Air Satellites Every couple of months our cable provider gives us a message from the cable gods requiring a sacrifice of no less than $160 (or thereabouts) for the privilege of watching Tom Vu infomercials and mill shows that cost tens of dollars to produce. So You Think You Can Bore Me? Beautiful car, beautiful house, beautiful girl, all this can be yours if you take Tom Vu’s, “How to Own a Canadian Cable Company” seminar. Why, we’re spending over $950 a year for the privilege of watching grainy Seinfeld reruns which could have been purchased, completely and utterly, for $120. The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert are available over-theair and well, the Trailer Park Boys, bane of nouveau-riche-cowboys who own cable companies everywhere, is not running new episodes either. In fact, you could rent unlimited movies, three at a time, for three different people from an online video store for the cost of cable.
August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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FTA Satellite Glossary Azimuth
The horizontal direction from east to west that you aim your satellite dish to get a signal from a particular satellite.
DBS
Direct Broadcast Satellite. Television or radio transmissions meant to be directly consumed by home satellite systems as opposed to being redistributed by cable or terrestrial rebroadcast.
Elevation
The vertical angle that you aim your satellite dish to get a signal from a particular satellite.
FTA
Free-to-air. Television or radio signals that are transmitted by radio waves through the air which are not encrypted in any way.
LNB
Low Noise Block converter. A device that converts the very high frequencies used in satellite signals to lower frequencies that a regular, high quality cable can send to your satellite receiver.
LNBF
Low Noise Block converter Feedhorn. An LNB integrated with a feedhorn. The feedhorn collects the radio signals reflected from the “dish” part of the satellite dish.
OTA
Over-the-air. Signals that are transmitted by radio wave as opposed to cable.
Hyperbole aside, when it comes to cable or pay satellite, the buy or substitute tipping point may have been reached for many, particularly if you’re affected by the recession. For instance, my wife likes all of three current shows on television and I like none. It would cost us roughly $150 to own this year’s new shows when they come out on DVD, allowing $800 to be spent catching up on purchases of MASH, Seinfeld, Frasier, Friends and Law and Order to fill in the time. Buy Casino and Goodfellas for $30, play them 15 times each and you pretty much have the cable TV experience. Still, buying DVDs isn’t quite a nicotine patch for the channel surfing habit and if you’re a sports fan, you’ll be hard pressed not to give up the bread in exchange for the circus.
Dishing Out Channels An additional option to help escape the subscription tithe is to augment your local overthe-air (OTA) channels and DVD collection with a free-to-air (FTA) satellite system. FTA means no subscription fees. Starting at a couple of hundred dollars for a kit, you can get access to over 150 channels including ABC, PBS, some Fox and Retro Television Network affiliates, an unholy amount of Christian stations and if you’re a foreign language speaker, everyone from Armenia to Yemen should get one of these immediately. A single foreign language channel subscription can add upwards of $17 a month in addition to basic cable, meaning the dish will pay for itself in only a few months. A great gift for the grandparents to keep
in the know about the old country. Along with a couple of hundred bucks, you are going to need to ensure you can actually use a satellite dish where you live. Firstly, you should have a pretty clear southern exposure and the legal right to put up a dish. Many condos have restrictions on satellite dishes, even small ones. The more satellites you want to receive from, the broader your southern exposure needs to be. To really start digging into it, you need to identify which satellites have the channels you want to watch and then check if you have line-of-site to those satellites. The first step is to go to a website such as lyngsat.com or ftalist.com and search for channels. Let’s say ABC News Now. That lives on a satellite called Galaxy 28. Looking for stuff on LyngSat takes a little getting used to but the key thing to look for is a little “F” in the System/Encryption column that denotes it as a free-to-air channel. FTAlist.com is easier to deal with but less complete. Now go to dishpointer.com and put in your address, in my case I’ll put in Broadview and Danforth, Toronto, (a snooty enclave for Canada’s wealthiest writers otherwise known as the Writer’s Block) then choose Galaxy 28 from the drop down menu. Voilà, I now know I need to point about 14° west of due south (azimuth of 193.6°) and tilt up about 39°. The dishpointer.com site is very helpful as it uses Google Maps which gives a detailed satellite photo of your home and its surroundings.
A few examples of some free-to-air satellite and aerial products
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The Sky’s the Limit
FTA Websites ABA DSS FTA satellite forum www.abadss.com
DishPointer Online dish pointing calculator www.dishpointer.com
FTAList List of FTA channels in North America www.ftalist.com
LyngSat Worldwide list of satellite channels www.lyngsat.com
Another thing to consider is where you’ll actually mount your dish around your home. It should allow somewhat reasonable access to facilitate cleaning and adjustment as well as being as short a distance as possible to your TV. Also, you should be aware that FTA satellite channels are somewhat temporal things. They change, disappear and new ones become available every so often. This is something to expect and a reason why online channel guides exist. It’s also part of the fun. Assuming you have a clear line of site to the satellites you want and a reasonable place to mount it, you need to make some choices about the type of equipment you’re willing to splurge for. If all the channels you want reside on one satellite, you can get the most basic setup. If you want to get multiple satellites and they’re not too far apart, you can opt for attaching multiple LNBs (Low Noise Block converters) to an elliptical dish. If the
different satellites are too far apart to be picked up by one dish, you can get a motorized dish for a bit more money. Another thing to consider is you need to buy a separate tuner for each television that you want to watch separate channels on. You’ll also need a “dual” or “quad” LNB. These types of LNBs output two or four concurrent signals to feed separate tuners. We’ll go into the more detailed aspects of FTA satellite in the next instalment of this series. If you work really hard at it, and I mean really, a system can cost up to $600 or more but that’s still pretty cheap considering you don’t have any ongoing costs. If you buy DVDs for the shows and movies you watch repeatedly and rent the rest, you should be able to shave some money off your total television spending without having to hold a dinner conversation or read a book. Hard times, hard choices. By Andrew Carruthers
Antennas
Over the air (OTA HDTV) Channel master Antennas, pre-amps and Antenna mounting hardware
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Wall Mounts
Other Items
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August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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It’s For You! The bell isn’t the only thing ringing for back to school
Look around on the bus / subway / train heading to high school / college / university. You’ll see the next generation. Some engrossed in the required reading for their particular program, some playing a Nintendo DS or Sony PSP and many, many more fiddling with their cell phones. In fact, a new cell phone is probably among the most requested bits of back to school kit. TechKnow runs down three possibilities for a great back to school mobile. One that lets students stay in touch, keep track of their classes, snap high quality photos, listen to music, record and watch video and just generally keep in touch on the go.
Apple 16GB $199 w/ 3-year contract, $680 w/o contract www.apple.ca/iphone
Pros: Thousands of apps available Powerful media environment High cool factor
Cons: Pricey Service plans pricier still No expandable storage
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iPhone 3GS While the media storm surrounding the launch of the iPhone 3GS has abated and the hype has (thankfully) died down, the phone’s impact remains. And as a back to school phone, you could do a heck of a lot worse. The wealth of applications available on-device and on the App Store virtually guarantees course-specific downloads like periodic tables, advanced scientific calculators, and just about anything you can think of. If you’re well-heeled, if you’re living off a sizable trust fund or if someone else is picking up the tab for your service fees, the $70 defacto minimum monthly service fee for a few minutes of conversation and a bit of data will be easier to bear. For those soon-to-be students whose summer income has long since disappeared on registration, books and beer, the iPod Touch deserves a look, given that it runs many of the same apps that make the iPhone such a hot commodity and includes the same Wi-Fi connection options as its phone-packing brethren. The S in 3GS stands for speed, and if you’re making the move from the original iPhone 3G or even the firstgeneration iPhone, you’ll definitely see and feel the difference.
Nokia $200 w/ 3-year contract, $400 no contract www.nokia.ca/5800
Pros: Excellent touchscreen Good media applications Non-smartphone means cheaper service plans
Cons: No full HTML browsing Applications hard to find Applications difficult to install
5800 XpressMusic A non-smartphone that packs in some sweet smartphone features, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is an impressive mobile. It’s got the best touchscreen implementation of any non-smartphone we’ve seen to date, and we’ve seen our fair share. The software QWERTY keyboard with haptic (virtual button vibration) feedback alone is almost worth the cost of admission. Consider the included extras that come in the box — a stand for hands-free video watching in landscape mode, a TV-out cable to get your phone on the big screen, stereo headset with in-line mic and more — it’s a worthy mobile for the school-bound. It handles media with aplomb, has on-board Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi, rocks a decent quality 3.2MP camera and has a build quality that just feels right. These features come at a premium though: don’t expect to be seeing this phone offered up as one of your carrier’s freebies any time soon. Out of the box, the 5800 XpressMusic has a dedicated media application, a good mapping application that makes use of the on-board GPS, an instant messaging app that works with Windows Live Messenger or Yahoo! Messenger clients and a couple of other apps. Good thing, too, as the download and install process for grabbing a new application is at best, often convoluted and at worst, painful.
$179
$239
$139
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Sony Ericsson $250 w/ 3-year contract, $450 no contract www.sonyericsson.ca/C905
Pros: - Powerful 8.1MP camera - Great camera features - Multiple connections including Wi-Fi
Cons: - Only assisted-GPS on board - Numeric keypad for text entry - Camera is fixed lens (no optical zoom)
MDCI is the world’s leading provider of blank media & accessories. If your business revolves around quality data storage devices, look no further.
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Cyber-Shot C905 If you’re used to capturing postage-stamp sized pictures on your current mobile phone, the leap up to 8.1 megapixels will bring a smile to your face. And speaking of smiling faces, the Sony Ericsson C905 packs in some pretty powerful camera functions typically reserved for dedicated point-and-shoot cameras. Things like a “smile shutter” mode where the camera won’t take a pic until it sees the subject’s pearly whites, face detection, a macro mode, exposure value adjustment and lots more. While it won’t replace your dedicated point-and-shoot camera (especially since this is a fixed-lens affair which means no optical zoom), it’ll put your VGA-shooting phone cam to shame. The phone also features Wi-Fi, which is useful for saving your data plan when uploading pictures or downloading music. Also there’s a variation on GPS which will help you find your way. However, only Assisted GPS (A-GPS or aGPS) is offered. AGPS tracks your location by using cell phone towers. The good: You’ll get a location fix much faster than with a non-assisted GPS. The bad: If you’re off the network you’re out of luck. Packing a GPS (even the assisted variety) has benefits beyond the obvious in a camera phone like the C905; you can associate geotag data with your pictures so you can see where in the world your pics were snapped. You can even plot them right on a map. While the numeric keypad is a hindrance when trying to input text, photophiles might be able to forgive. By Andrew Moore-Crispin
Dell $99 www.dell.ca/wasabi Pros: No ink cartridges required LiIon battery for portable printing Wallet sized prints with adhesive back Cons: Power adapter bigger and heavier than the device itself Won’t best a stationary inkjet photo printer Paper only available online
Wasabi PZ310 mobile printer If you’re tired of the photos you’ve snapped languishing in your mobile’s memory, Dell’s Wasabi may be just the ticket. This small, lightweight and quick portable printer connects to your phone via Bluetooth or to your point-andshoot camera via PictBridge to print out walletsized photos in about 30 seconds each. Using a licensed technology called ZINK (Zero Ink), there are no ink cartridges or consumables beyond paper to replace. Notable, however, is that the Wasabi printer doesn’t work with iPhone, though both of the other phones we’ve covered here along with a list of others (including BlackBerrys) are fair game. Once a print emerges from the printer, it’s good to go. There is no drying time required and the 2x3-inch ZINK paper for the Dell Wasabi peels to reveal an adhesive back. Replacement paper is only available for purchase online and goes for about $25 for a package of 48 pieces.
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August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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Buying Your First DSLR Well, you’ve decided; you’re tired of the out-of-focus, motion-blurred, grainy snapshots you’ve been taking with your point-and-shoot, and are about to take the plunge — investing in a digital single lens reflex camera, or DSLR for short. The problem is, with such a dizzying array of options available, what should you be looking for? What’s important versus simply nice-to-have... and what really doesn’t matter at all?
Megapixel Myths For years now, manufacturers have been touting megapixel count as the primary concern for would-be camera buyers. “Bigger is better” they assert, even offering up 12 megapixel and higher products in the point-and-shoot arena. While there are indeed certain advantages to a higher megapixel count, such as increased crop latitude and the ability to print on larger media, there are a variety of negatives as well to take into account: • The more megapixels you pack onto a sensor, the more noise you are going to get at higher ISO settings; i.e. when light conditions aren’t ideal, your photograph will be more grainy. • More megapixels means more megabytes. This results in not only more storage space required on your computer, but also slower speed when processing these images, given your machine has to deal with more data. • Lower frame rate (the number of photos you can take in a sustained burst) is a result of larger files — your camera can only process so much information at a time. • A steadier hand is required at lower shutter speeds with higher megapixel cameras.
The Versatile Nikon D3
Aside from the negatives listed above, the advantages preceding them aren’t that great. How big do you really want to print anyway? I’ve produced 13 x 19” prints from a 6MP file with no discernable reduction in quality. Consider what is arguably the best DSLR on the planet at present: the Nikon D3. This nearly $6,000 camera body (lens not included) has only 12.1MP at its disposal; yet produces stunningly sharp 20 x 30” gallery prints with ease from its files. Unless you’re printing billboards, you probably don’t need more than that. What is important when it comes to megapixels is the ratio of them to the sensor size. What makes the D3 so impressive is that despite the huge, full-frame (23.9 x 36.0mm) sensor it houses, the pixel count is relatively small — enabling it to produce nearly noise-free images in very low-light conditions.
Shooting in the RAW If you’ve been using a point-and-shoot to date, you’re probably used to producing and working with JPEGs. Certainly, this image format keeps file sizes small and requires little post-processing; however, that’s pretty much where the benefits end. When moving up to a DSLR, ensure your camera supports RAW as well. RAW is a digital negative format which provides a number of advantages over JPEG: • No set white balance — if you screw up your white balance settings in-camera (say taking a photo under fluorescent light when your camera is set for daylight), you can change it to the correct value after the fact with no ill-effects. • Greater latitude in exposure (i.e. higher dynamic range, or the range between highlights and shadows in your photo). • RAW is lossless — it’s what comes out of your sensor before being processed, while JPEG is a compressed, optimized version of that information resulting in data being lost which you can’t take advantage of after the fact... once it’s gone, it’s gone. 24
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• The higher available bit depth (often 12 or 14) in RAW files as compared to 8-bit JPEG images allows smoother tonal gradation, especially in shadows and highlights. • RAW files can be reprocessed by new RAW converters as they become available, leading to potentially better and better results from the same image. A JPEG is a JPEG; what you see, is what you get, and every alteration can lead to a further degradation in quality. On the other hand, the downside of RAW is that the images come out of the camera looking somewhat dull and not very crisp... they require processing. So, from a time perspective, this seems a disadvantage; however, given the greater level of control and superior end result after processing, most serious photographers feel the extra expenditure in time is well worth it. Of course, if you have to process images, you’ll need a RAW processor. The best on the market at present (excluding a camera manufacturer’s proprietary ones) include Adobe’s Camera RAW, which may be found at the heart of their Lightroom and Photoshop products, and Apple’s Aperture application. As these range between $200 and $700, it’s definitely a consideration to be factored in when purchasing a DSLR. However, don’t let this dissuade you if your budget is tight; there are also decent free RAW processors available, such as RAW
Therapee (www.rawtherapee.com) which should get you up and running in no time.
Lens Lore As you explore the world of DSLRs, you’ll come to realize that camera bodies come and go, but lenses are forever. A great lens is an investment that you’ll more than likely be able to sell for almost what you paid for it years down the line, while camera bodies rapidly decrease in value as new models become available. When buying your first DSLR, you’ll find many salespeople urge their customers to purchase an accompanying “kit lens” — often a mid-range zoom with a variable maximum aperture determined by focal length. Examples would include Nikon or Canon’s 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 which sell for under $200 separately. While the flexibility of the zoom is a great asset, these low-end lenses will soon find themselves in your junk drawer or on e-Bay given their limited utility. Their primary weakness lies in the fact that as you zoom out, more light is required to make a good exposure; so in reduced light scenarios, you are forced to either decrease shutter speed (potentially introducing motion blur), or increase ISO (adding noise to your image). Additionally, your depth of field (the portion of the image in sharp focus) choices are reduced, limiting your artistic expression.
A good rule of thumb is in most cases to never buy any lens that doesn’t have a constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 or less. While these lenses are considerably more expensive, they’ll serve you over a lifetime. If budget is a constraint, a prime (fixed focal length) lens may be purchased for almost the same money as a kit lens, yet has the benefit of wider apertures and better glass... and you simply zoom with your feet. Great examples of this are the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8. The former is a pro lens which sells for under $400, while the latter is almost as good and retails at around $159. Canon also has these lenses which are similarly priced though a little more expensive for the f/1.4 and a little less for the f/1.8. Not only are these lenses timeless, but they’ll actually teach you to be a better photographer as you learn to work around the limitations of fixed focal length.
Next Time... You’ll have noticed that thus far I’ve only been talking about Nikon and Canon — find out why in the next issue where we’ll continue our discussion on what you need to know when making your first DSLR purchase. By Ray Richards
August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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PHOTO CONTEST
Summer Photo Contest! Win a Copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Premiere Elements 7
We here at TechKnow Magazine appreciate the warm weather as much as any other red-blooded Canadian. Sure, this summer might not have been the hottest on record — some areas have actually been hit but unnaturally frequent cold weather and lightning storms — but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to preserve the good times with some crisp, digital pictures for years to come. In fact, it’s all the more reason that you should get out and try to snap up some summer shots while the good weather is still here. To sweeten the deal, TechKnow Magazine is offering up the latest copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements for the picture that our photo experts deem to be the best. Two runners up will take home either the latest version of Photoshop Elements or Premiere Elements, giving you three chances to win! These programs are the best that Adobe has to offer for photo and video editing, and will make touching up your favourite memories a breeze.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and embrace your inner shutterbug, because the summer won’t be here forever, and neither will this contest. Details: Deadline is September 18. Winners will be announced in October’s issue. To enter, please send your photos with detailed information — including date taken, camera used, f-stop, shutter speed and any editing software used — to contest@techknowmag.com. To confirm eligibility, please be sure to include your full name, address, phone number and occupation.
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Good Luck!
Battlefield 1943 Windows Xbox 360 PS3 Pros - Destructible Environments - The purest version of an already amazing game - Tanks, planes, boats, and mayhem
Cons - Only three maps could hurt longevity
Rating 4.5 / 5
It’s hard to believe that the original Battle 1942 was released almost a decade ago… okay it’s only been seven years, but that’s still quite a while. The game was such a success that it spawned a number of add-ons and sequels, such as Road to Rome, Secret Weapons of WWII, Battlefield Vietnam, and Battlefield 2. Last year developer DICE took the series in another new direction with Battlefield: Bad Company. It was the first game in the Battlefield franchise to emphasize the single-player experience and was built on completely new technology known as the FrostBite Engine. Fast forward to July 2009 and it looks like DICE has returned to their roots with the release of Battlefield 1943. Whereas other additions in the franchise tested new waters in one way or another, 1943 uses a much purer form of Battlefield gameplay. How pure exactly? Well, the only game mode available is Conquest (the same mode that made the original game famous), there are only three maps, all of which are set in the Pacific (Iwo-Jima, Guadalcanal, and Wake Island), and players can choose from only three non-customizable classes (ranger, infantry, and scout). But make no mistake; even though the bells and whistles have been stripped away, Battlefield 1943 is arguably the most fun Battlefield game available. The rules for Conquest mode are quite simple. Each map is broken up into different regions, each with its own HQ (marked by a flag). When an HQ is captured, the team that holds it can then use it as a spawn point. Naturally, the team with the most spawn points has the
tactical advantage (as enemies will spawn from fewer and fewer locations), but they also have the most to lose. This tug-of-war is balanced amazingly well in 1943; if one area is heavily fortified an air-raid (or any airplane attack for that matter) can turn the battle in the opposition’s favour. With up to 24 players and a slew of different vehicles (jeeps, planes, artillery), the matches can get really intense really quickly (as it does with most BF games). 1943 takes things a step further by using DICE’s FrostBite engine, whose technological claim to fame is destructible and deformable environments. Nothing is more bewildering than having your cover blown out from around you by a tank or air-raid. Aside from that, FrostBite is a substantial graphics overhaul compared to previous Battlefield games (excluding Battlefield: Bad Company, of course) and runs at a solid framerate regardless of the amount of action taking place on screen. Overall, I’m just surprised by how much DICE learned from previous iterations of the game. Everything that has been re-implemented in 1943 has been done with incredible polish and accuracy. One of the best examples I can give is the spawn times, it’s a tiny detail but one that makes a huge difference in the amount of enjoyment you get out of the BF1943 experience. The spawn rate dynamic and changes duration depending on how you died (suicide is bad) and how well you were playing. If you’re dying every 60 seconds the respawn times are relatively painless, if you’re kicking a bunch of butt you’re held a little longer in order to give the other team some time to breathe. Again, it’s nothing new and the changes aren’t major, but 1943 seems to do it better than most other games out there. Being that Battlefield 1943 is essentially “Battlefield Lite” and is available only through digital distribution via Playstation Network, Xbox Live, or Windows, the price is somewhat reduced at about $20. It’s worth every penny. If you’re a fan of the franchise (especially the earlier games) or competitive multiplayer in general, 1943 is right up your alley. On the flip side, if you’re new to the game, 1943 is the perfect platform to jump from. By Mike Palermo
August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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Fight Night: Round 4 Xbox 360 PS3 Pros - Lifelike action makes the game immersive - Online play gives the game great replayability - Character customization has a lot of depth - Achievements\Trophies are better thought out than in the previous game
Cons - Difficult training sessions hold you back from really getting what you want from your boxer - Somewhat easy to get away with cheesing your opponent
Rating 4.4 / 5
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EA Canada has taken over the reigns of a popular franchise to bring us the best incarnation of the Fight Night series so far. Those of you who have played Fight Night Round 3 will notice an improvement in the control stick implementation and more emphasis on countering rather than on just hoping haymakers connect. It is, however, a little easy to get away with throwing the same punches over and over and having the AI opponent just eat them. Visually, Fight Night is stunning and really makes full use of high definition gaming with its detail and realism. Camera flashes as you catch another fighter with a counter punch are a great deterrent for turning the match into an all out slugfest. Legend mode has seen a lot of improvements in its user interface and in the amount of control you have over your career. You can choose the date of your fights thus giving you more time to train and boost your stats. You now have the option to view your career statistics and track your progress from fight to fight. Much like other EA titles you will receive mail from your trainer telling you about upcoming challenges and giving you hints on how to prepare for fights. The good news is you don’t have that chump rival to deal with from the last game. Your career is more oriented around how you box in a specific match. If you have a great fight with one opponent a rematch challenge will be issued automatically. One downside of the game is that most training missions are tough to complete with the rating of champion and you tend to be better off taking the half
points you get if you decide to auto train. This is especially frustrating as with a few tweaks this could have been a real fun part of the game — instead it’s just a chore. The most entertaining thing about this game is customizing your own boxer, taking him online, and slugging it out with a human opponent. You can even upload photos of yourself, or anyone for that matter (inlaws or Jonas brothers make for good fodder) and create a boxer from scratch. Online matches tend to get quite explosive and most people opt to throw punches rather than box with any real technique making it really highpowered and exciting. It’s also fun to put something slanderous on your boxer’s trunks just to let other players know you’re not a very nice guy. As far as gameplay goes you’re not going to have much more fun in a fighting game. It has RPG elements that make it addicting. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat play out in this game as you try to make your way to the top. No one wants to retire as a bum. This game is definitely worth owning whether you enjoy the sport of boxing or not. There is probably not a better two player versus game that will induce more trash talk between you and whatever friends you have over. Hats off to EA for making a game that I know I’ll spend hours playing and enjoying. By Kevin Freeman
Rock Band: Unplugged PSP Pros - Great graphics, sound, and overall polish - Awesome on-disc track list and downloadable tracks - Everything you love about Rock Band, but portable
Cons - No multiplayer (online or adhoc) - Being a portable, there are no instrument peripherals
Rating 4/5
Between Rock Band and Guitar Hero (both originally developed by the geniuses at Harmonix) the rhythm/music genre has finally taken video gaming by storm. Sure, there were plenty of attempts to make an easily accessible “music” game prior to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but none have reached the popularity of either title. The number of units sold measures in the millions; the amount of additional tracks downloaded via micro-transactions is even higher. With a cash cow that big it’s no wonder that the publishers (in the case of Rock Band, MTV games) wants to release a version of the title on every platform available, including handhelds like the Playstation Portable. Rock Band Unplugged is the series’ first outing on Sony’s portable and more than lives up to its namesake. Technically speaking it’s impressive how the developers of Unplugged, Backbone Entertainment and Harmonix, were able to create such a fulfilling Rock Band experience on a portable without the instrument peripherals. The game comes with 41 tracks (nine of which are Unplugged exclusives while the rest have
been pulled from previous Rock Band games) and has all the game modes you’ve come to love, including World Tour, QuickPlay, and Training for those really difficult songs. Unlike the portable version of Guitar Hero, Rock Band Unplugged actually uses all four instruments (guitar, bass, drums, and vocals). Of course, being a portable game this had to be handled a little differently from the other games in the series. The four coloured “note” buttons are mapped to the up and left d-pad and the triangle and circle face buttons of the PSP, with the others being used to enable Overdrive (think of it as playing a console version of GH or RB with a regular system controller). What’s different is that all four instrument tracks are playing simultaneously and you switch between them using the L and R buttons. The balance (and difficulty) comes from having to properly go back and forth between instruments while the notes for them are incoming otherwise you risk failing out with that given instrument. It may sound complicated, but it’s incredibly smooth and quickly becomes second nature, which is usually how it is with all RB games. All of this adds up to a Rock Band game that, while slightly different, is more or less a PS2 version of the game that you can take on the go. Awesome! In fact the only drawback to Unplugged that I can think of is that, unfortunately, it doesn’t have any multiplayer. And while multiplayer is, admittedly, one of the things I like most about Rock Band, it’s a worthwhile trade in exchange for having a portable version that retains everything else about the franchise that makes it entertaining. Amazing track selection and challenging (yet fun) World Tour progression makes Unplugged a must-buy for us would-be rockers on the road. By Mike Palermo
August 2009 – Toronto – TechKnowmag
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Console Gaming Corner Welcome to TechKnow’s inaugural Console Gaming Corner – a comfy little spot where we muse about the current state of console games and the systems that support them. If you're into gaming in a big way, or even if you’re merely an interested observer, this is your refuge. Sadly, one cannot adequately muse about the current state of gaming without first musing substantially about its recent and rather pronounced sales decline. And that is where we shall begin. Back in late winter of this year, console gaming was ballyhooed as one of the few sectors in the entertainment business (in fact, in any business) that hadn’t yet been severely impacted by the economic downturn. That it apparently had ridden out the recession a-okay was a factoid utilized by many within the industry to prove just how totally awesome their industry was. But my, how the tide can turn.
Limited Invulnerability The slide began in March, and only intensified as the year shuffled along. By June, there was little doubt console gaming wasn’t nearly as untouchable as it once had seemed. Overall, according to respected market research firm NDP Group, revenue had plunged a whopping 31 per cent from one year prior. Hardware, software, peripherals — nothing was immune. Sales of console systems — the boxes that play the games — took the hardest hit, falling 38 per cent. Though Microsoft’s Xbox 360 actually picked up a little steam, both Nintendo’s Wii (down 45 per cent) and Sony’s Playstation 3 (mega-dropping 59 per cent) suffered direct broadsides. Why the disparity? For starters, Microsoft has been the only manufacturer of the three to cut the price of its next-generation system. Both Nintendo and Sony have steadfastly maintained their comparatively elevated price points despite oodles of rumours to the contrary and calls for price reductions from fans, industry speculators, and insiders and developers alike. More to the point, Microsoft’s console simply has more good games. The Wii, as even Nintendo fankids will
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admit, is more about the controller than the software. Sure, a motion-sensitive controller is way cool, but what happens when a player has covered the rather basic game lineup — sports, fighting, etc. — and simply runs out of new, interesting, captivating stuff to do? What happens if he or she wants to play games that are more complex than the Wii or the Wiimote can support? As for Sony, having a system with a much higher price point than any other box on the market and a distinct unwillingness to reduce that price point aren’t the only problems. The PS3 is — by most accounts — a more difficult platform for which to develop games. And that, in turn, keeps the number of new titles to a minimum. Sales of game software, meanwhile, fell almost 30 per cent from June 2008 to June 2009. There are plenty of explanations for the drop, including an increasing appetite for used games, a migration by some players to mobile games, and a seemingly refreshed enthusiasm for PC gaming. Moreover, some insiders feel it’s been too long between revolutionary advancements — the current next-gen systems, even the distinctive Wii, have been with us for several years now, and many titles are merely sequels to previous titles. But whatever the reason, the cold hard fact is that we’re simply not buying as much gaming gear as we once were. The pendulum will most certainly swing in the other direction when the economy finally turns around, but how far it swings is another question altogether. Something else, something new, will likely be needed to propel console gaming skyward again.
Level Up The 2009 fall and Christmas game lineup might be the ticket, as might advancements in downloadable content, the rumored development and release of marginally stripped-down, budget-priced versions of current systems, or perhaps even brand new consoles from other manufacturers. We’ll take a look at some of these possibilities in upcoming issues, though right now we’d be remiss if we didn’t quickly explore something we know is bound to impact the landscape.
An example of the Natal experience for Xbox 360 (far left) which is endorsed by Steven Spielberg
That “something” is motion sensitivity. Clearly, as anyone who’s ever Wii’d before can tell you, a motion sensitive controller is nothing new. Such a device is, after all, the one very prominent advantage the otherwise comparatively rudimentary Wii has had over its rivals ever since its debut in late 2006. But what if you could merge the far superior visuals, the sophistication and computing power, and the potential of the PS3 or the Xbox 360 with a motion sensitive method of control that may well surpass even that of the Wii? What if you could saunter on over to your PS3 or 360 and use its standard gamepad for hardcore games, or adopt a motion-sensitive approach for more casual games? What if both Microsoft and Sony finally recognized that Nintendo was really on to something here and poured their considerable resources into developing something better? Would such an event ultimately kill the Wii? Would it turn console land back into a two-horse race? We’ll begin to find the answers to these and other probing questions when, in the spring of 2010, Sony brings to market its own version of motion sensitivity. Though it doesn’t even have a name thus far, the PS3 motion controller is a definite go and was demoed for the very first time at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. And, from the reports of those in attendance, the prognosis is positive. Not dissimilar from the Wiimote in size, the PS3 motion-sensitive controller will look more like a wand than a TV remote. It’ll feature a spherical, colorchanging light on top — like all good magic wands — and at least some buttons and a trigger. It will also use a variation of force feedback rumble technology to deliver physical sensations to the user. But Sony’s big boast thus far is its precision. According to Kish Hirani, Head of Developer Services at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, the device is so precise that it’s “scarily good.” Hirani continues,
“You’ve physically got a chalk in your hand, you’re in front of the blackboard and you’re writing. That’s the level of precision involved.” SCEE’s Vice President of Research and Development Paul Homan concurs with Hirani, noting, “It’s another generation forward (of the motion controllers currently on the market) or even a couple of generations.” What games will support it and what games won’t, or what games will actually benefit from it are not known at this point, but it’s not hard to see that a PS3 equipped with motion-tracking technology equivalent or superior to that of the Wii must put a scare into Nintendo execs. Yet Sony’s magic wand would seem to be a mere stepping stone when compared to Microsoft’s upcoming take on this whole motion-sensitive thing. Forever banishing the idea of a controller altogether (at least until consumers wrap their heads around the concept and vote with their dollars whether it’ll take off), is “Project Natal,” as it’s been dubbed, essentially makes the gamer the controller.
Get in the Game If you’ve ever seen a video snippet of a motion capture session, where an athlete or an actor or a celebrity moves about in front of a blue background while cameras record his or her actions, you have the gist of Project Natal. In a Natal-equipped system, a module is attached to the Xbox 360 base unit. The module houses a highly complex camera/sensor array that tracks a player’s movements, a microphone, and a ton of sophisticated software/firmware. The device is no mere gimmick; Microsoft promises it will be so accurate that it can track up to 48 body joints. Indeed, those who have auditioned it have reported the technology is capable of recognizing and dealing with even the most subtle of actions — the nod of a head, the twist of a wrist, even a facial gesture.
Driving a car, for example, involves sitting on your couch, raising your arms in the air as if you were gripping a steering wheel, and pivoting your feet as if you were punching the gas and brake. Word is that if you mistakenly jerk the “wheel” or apply too much pressure to the gas or brake “pedals,” you’ll suffer the same consequences you would if you were using a real wheel and pedal unit. But car racing is apparently just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. A Natal-equipped system will recognize your gender and general shape and load an avatar that looks just like you. It can start up a conversation with you, detecting emotions and reacting and replying at least somewhat sensibly to your speech. And, according to reports, it will handle multiple players just as well as it handles a single player, and, perhaps more importantly to serious gamers, it displays no latency. Among those who have already tried a Natalized Xbox is Steven Spielberg, who has said about the technology, “This is a pivotal moment that will carry with it a wave of change, the ripples of which will reach far beyond video games.” High praise indeed. Of course, experienced gamers know all too well about empty promises and demonstrations of apparently amazing new concepts that never end up translating to the retail market. Project Natal is not due for release for at least another year, and perhaps quite a bit longer, and even then we wonder if it’ll really do all Microsoft says it can do. We can only hope. In the meantime, check back with us next month when we turn our attention to the most anticipated, most promising console games due for release before Christmas 2009. We’re sure there’ll be one that’s just perfect for you. By Gord Goble
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Get Your Gaming for Nothing, Get Your Frags for Free We’re all familiar with the notion of free PC games, but that familiarity informs us that free games usually come with plenty of strings attached. Whether it means you can play for only a tantalizingly short demo period, that you have to suffer video advertisements between levels, or that you have to spend money on virtual items and power-ups to be competitive, few games are truly without cost. Not so for Battlefield Heroes. The latest game in Swedish studio DICE’s popular open-world war
franchise can be played indefinitely without ever paying a dime. The software is free to download, there are no subscription fees, and you never have to buy a thing.
Free for All As free games go, it’s surprisingly robust. It’s got a fun and humorous vibe, but its core design is quite similar to that of other Battlefield games. Players spend their time navigating giant maps in tanks, jeeps, planes, or on foot looking for control points to capture and hold, often with the aid of powerful emplaced guns. And you can do a few things in Heroes that they can’t in other Battlefield games, like, say, hopping onto the wing of a plane piloted by a buddy and sniping enemies on the ground. What’s more, characters follow a lengthy and engaging growth track with hundreds of experience levels and scores of personal missions to complete. Reward points spread over a few different categories are earned while playing and can be used between matches to unlock new abilities, equipment, and goals. It looks good, too. Taking a page from Valve Software’s Team Fortress 2, the game’s artists have rendered the world and characters in cartoon form. This is clever for a couple of reasons: first, it’s a perfect fit for the game’s laid-back atmosphere, and second, cartoonish graphics can look sharp without requiring the sort of hardware horsepower demanded by games that try to depict intense realism. Indeed, the game is small enough to be downloaded in just a few minutes and renders beautifully even on older machines not intended for gaming. So it’s pretty, deep, plays on almost any PC, and offers the same style of play found in games that normally retail for $50 or $60. Why would EA offer it up for free?
Customized Characters Battlefield Heroes is based on the company’s new Play 4 Free business model, which lets players have access
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Battlefield Heroes is entertaining, sophisticated, and doesn’t cost a dime. Is it possible that it could also be good business? to a game for free but offers virtual items — costumes, equipment, et cetera — through an online store. The difference between Battlefield Heroes’ store and those of most other play-for-free PC games is that virtually all of the items you can buy — including those that modify a player’s performance — can be earned simply by playing the game. The store is just a shortcut for people who would rather buy items rather than earn them and those who want to personalize their avatars with goofy items, like, say, a ten-gallon hat. There’s an advertising component as well, but it, too, is surprisingly subtle. There are locations within the web interface that are designed to house ads, but they are no more bothersome than the sorts of banner ads to which Internet users have long grown accustomed. Servers are available for sponsorship, but the advertising is no more invasive than a message that pops up during the loading screen stating the name of the company sponsoring the game. The point is that EA is working hard to give PC gamers what they’ve always wanted: A high-quality free game that comes with no complaint-worthy caveats, such as players who buy their way to the top of the leader board or frustratingly in-your-face ads.
Profit Potential Wired Magazine Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson, author of the new book FREE: Why $0.00 is the Future of Business, has long been espousing the notion that there are plenty of ways to make money while seemingly giving away products consumers want most. In EA’s case, the publisher seems to be banking on the idea that they can give away their primary commodity — a video game — if they can attract enough people to play that game. Let’s plug some numbers into the logic. You could either get 100,000 players to spend $50 each on a game to earn $5 million in revenue, or you could give the game away to five million players for free and hope that ten
per cent of them will spend $10 each on virtual items and wind up with the same result. And that doesn’t factor in advertising. With an audience 50 times the size of a pay-to-play game, the title suddenly becomes far more attractive to advertisers, opening up an entirely new and potentially lucrative revenue stream to the publisher. There’s no telling what EA’s real goal numbers are (or how much they might be selling ads for), but less than a month after its release EA announced that more than a million people had downloaded the game — so many people, in fact, that their servers were overloaded, resulting in problems joining games and excessive lag (EA was working on the problem at press time). Failure to accommodate demand sucks, both for EA and the people playing, but it might also be taken as an indicator that Battlefield Heroes is even more popular than EA had expected. Of course, the game isn’t exactly breaking new ground. Free-to-play strategy and role-playing games have been around for a decade, and are especially popular in Asian countries such as South Korea. The key differences with EA’s new offering are that its production values are a heck of a lot more impressive than the majority of free games, and that players never feel like they need to spend money on microtransactions in order to stay competitive with everyone else. Put another way, it feels like a game you ought to pay for. To be sure, there will be a segment of gamers who will look on Battlefield Heroes as a dumbed-down shooter, lament its lack of gritty realism, and grow frustrated with the quality of competition, as represented by the non-invested gaming public. Still, Battlefield Heroes is an undeniably intriguing, exciting, and possibly even prophetic development in the world of free-to-play PC gaming. By Chad Sapieha
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3D Developments The glasses are for the kids. That’s the message that has been repeated time and time again when the voices advocating the threedimensional entertainment business begin to speak. It’s not that children are the only ones that are interested in seeing their favourite characters in 3D — far from it. No, the problem is the slow adaptation of the entertainment industry to accommodate a newly reinvented medium, one that has huge profit potential and might just be the hottest thing to hit television since colour. “We’re at the cusp of an entirely new movement in digital communications, totally unlike anything seen in my lifetime,” says James Stewart. “Nobody went back to black and white for anything other than creative
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reasons… I see it likewise with 3D in the future.” And he’s referring to the near future. Of course, Stewart has a vested interest in making sure that the news of the next big development in visual media is heard by all. As owner of Geneva Film Co. (and producer, and director) Stewart is definitely counting on the success of 3D innovation. And he’s a man who puts his money where his mouth is. While his company may do the bulk of their work — mostly advertisements — in two dimensional film, the Geneva Film Co. (www.genevafilmco.com) has done some significant work shooting in 3D as well. “We’re the only company on the planet that produces 3D ads,” Stewart says mildly. “In the history of
Why three-dimensional entertainment might be the biggest thing since colour TV advertisement, there have probably been five commercials shot in 3D… we’ve produced three of them.” If Stewart’s excitement isn’t immediately detected in his voice, you can tell that it’s there by the way he tells the story of how he got into the market for making 3D content. Jaws 3D piqued his interest, but it wasn’t until seeing a three-dimensional demo by Japanese broadcaster NHK that Stewart started to become the self-proclaimed 3D evangelist that he is now. But that took some time. “I think in the last decade I’ve lost my cynicism with technology,” Stewart says. “We produced some of the first content in digital 3D, and it was quite a magical moment. Imagine producing the first television commercial. ‘Why advertise on TV if you can advertise over the radio?’ some might ask. But they never went back.”
And indeed, with the success of such films as Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3D and Journey to the Center of the Earth, paired with the hype surrounding James Cameron’s Avatar — also in 3D — growing steadily, it would seem that 3D entertainment is on its way to being a home staple within the next couple of years. Yet the problem is one resembling the “chicken and the egg” dilemma, at least according to Stewart. While producers such as Stewart are eager to create content, there is currently a lack of infrastructure to support sending the message to the home market. On the other side of that coin, theatres, television manufacturers, and cable providers are reluctant to start paving the way for 3D content when such content is relatively scarce. It’s an argument that makes sense. And one which Neil Schneider finds grating to the ear. Schneider is the
Two of the products available by Wazabee, a 3D shell for laptops and iPhones (above)
James Stewart with the dual cameras required for 3D shoots (left). Shooting for Geneva Film Co. (right)
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The employees of Geneva Film Co. are hard at work (below)
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President and CEO of Meant to be Seen (www.mtbs3d.com), a group devoted to advocating stereoscopic 3D in video games not only to players, but developers as well. “I feel frustrated when I hear about the chicken and the egg statement,” Schneider says, audibly perturbed. “It’s not a real problem… but let me elaborate. In the field of stereoscopic cinema it is a problem. You need the displays, and you need the standards. But for games, Blitz Games Studios is a great example, they have their games working on all the standards available at home, and now manufacturers are coming out with 120Hz display panels.” That 120Hz refresh rate is important for 3D technology requiring shutter glasses. Those shades help the eye simulate three-dimensional perception by rapidly opening and shutting each eye alternately, with every odd image to one side, every even image to the other. That equals out to 60Hz per eye. With those components affordably available, the only thing left for the 3D computer games market is to have more titles available in 3D. And Schneider says that the most powerful fuel to get that fire going is gamer demand. “I’m amazed at that disproportion between 3D cinema and gaming,” Schneider states. “3D movies are doing very well in the cinema — making anywhere from two
to three time what a 2D equivalent would — it’s a convincing statement. But this isn’t coming from customers; it’s coming from the industry. Customers are saying gaming. From the point of view of customer demand, 3D gaming will be first to be adopted.” So much for the chicken and egg theory in that department. Yet Stewart subtly rebuts the chicken and egg argument as well. “Well, I have a 3D iPhone that can take 3D pictures,” he says nonchalantly. Um, what? He points me in the direction of the manufacturer’s website. It’s called the 3DeeShell, made by Wazabee, a Spatial View brand (http://wazabee.net). It costs $55, and yes, it really exists. Apps are even available through Apple’s App Store, and allow pictures to be taken in 3D. And because of the parallax barrier screen no glasses are required, not even the shutter variety. Whether that’s an example of a chicken or an egg, something has definitely started to materialize in the realm of 3D entertainment. “Currently cinema requires glasses,” Stewart says. “However, Spatial View makes commercial television displays that don’t require glasses. But glasses-free tech is more expensive. At this point the more expensive glasses-free televisions are in the $60,000 range, but that’s where plasma TVs used to be. It took a decade to come in.” It all adds up, and Stewart admits that things are starting to move in the right direction. He says that at this year’s Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) there was a 3D screen at every display manufacturer’s booth. There was even a 3D PS3 that the folks at Sony were somewhat quiet about. But if Stewart and Schneider’s hopes are soon to be realized, the volume behind 3D entertainment is soon to rise considerably. Schneider’s group is set to make a major announcement in August, and hit what he calls “Phase Two.” While he couldn’t reveal exact details at the time of printing, they may be released by the time you read this article. At the same time, Stewart says his side of things is bound to heat up thanks to the upcoming Avatar. “At conferences with James Cameron, the way he talks is going to reinvent the industry… jaws drop, it’s going to be very good for business,” Stewart says. But ultimately, as Schneider says, the final word will come from the consumers. By Dorian Nicholson
Up Next TechKnow Magazine September 2009 Welcome to the last section of the magazine, Up Next, where we talk about some of what to look forward to in the next edition of TechKnow. As with every month, you can look forward to new and exciting stories in our regular sections on PCs, Mobile Electronics, Digital Photography and Video Games, where we’ll write about the latest products to enter those respective fields. Other things to look forward to include the brand new Letters section where readers get to voice their opinions, and the Last Word page where Andrew Moore-Crispin will be giving us his insights on the trends in the tech industry. Not to be forgotten either are the next instalments in our series of articles by Andrew Carruthers, Gord Goble and Ray Richards. Andrew Carruthers will be going into detail about how to get the most out of an FTA satellite setup, Gord Goble will be rounding up a list of games that will be on every gamer’s wish list come Christmas, and Ray Richards will give you some more advice on what to know before buying your first digital single lens reflex camera. Of course, you’ll only see those great stories if you pick up the next issue, free of charge. Stay connected. Be in the know.
TechKnow Magazine
Feature Story We take a tour of the Personal Computer Museum in order to get a glimpse of where our tech roots started. Computers have come a long way over the past couple of decades and we’ll be looking at computers dating all the way back to 1976. Take the tour with us and learn how our PCs have evolved into the multi-tasking machines we know today.
FTA Satellites In the second part of our three part series on free-to-air satellites, Andrew Carruthers will be going into further detail about how these machines work, and then how to set them up. Once you have the technical know-how to set up your own system, you too could be an FTA hobbyist. Pick up the next issue to read more.
Gamer’s Corner Gord Goble talked about some of the impressive technology that will soon be revolutionizing the way we play console games. In the ongoing Gamer’s Corner column, he’ll be talking about what games we can be looking forward to playing as the year draws to a close. Sure, they won’t be available for a couple of months, but that doesn’t mean you can’t read about them now!
Digital Imaging Ray Richards further explains what you need to know before purchasing a digital single lens reflex camera and makes some suggestions for initial equipment. While many of you out there may be comfortable with your high-quality point-and-shoot cameras, there’s no mistaking the versatility and functionality of a DSLR. We explain why next month.
Letters Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and yours could be in print if you send it in to letters@techknowmag.com. Send us your input today to be entered into our contest and for a chance to have your name appear in Canada’s only free technology magazine!
The Last Word Andrew Moore-Crispin will be giving us his insights into what’s happening in the world of computers and consumer electronics. As this will be a regular feature starting next month, this will be your place to find out what’s making waves in the tech industry and why it should matter to you.
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