VILIV S10 BLADE NOW SHIPPING IN THE US

The Viliv S10 Blade convertible tablet style netbook has finally started shipping in the US. You can now place your orders through US retailer Dynamism and you will get a free battery and a 10% discount. A little over a fortnight ago, there were reports that the netbook had been delayed due to some factory issues. But now it looks like the issues have been sorted out.The S10 models that ship now

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JOOJOO ANNOUNCES 3G MODEL AND USB SUPPORT

Fusion Garage will release a 3G enabled version of its 12 inch JooJoo tablet within three months, CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan has said. The 3G enabled JooJoo will be available subsidized through wireless carriers.It will cost less than the WiFi only models. Within a month or so JooJoo will also start recognizing USB memory drives. The JooJoo ships with a USB port. The company's decision to open up

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HANVON DELAYES ITS MULTITOUCH TOUCHPAD B10

It isn't uncommon for tablets to get delayed or canceled. The Hanvon Touchpad B10 tablet has suffered the same curse: it has been delayed. Hanvon was planning to ship the tablets on March 25. But that date has come and gone by and the tablets are reportedly still in the volume production stage and will ship to Chinese buyers towards the month of May. There is still no launch date for the US or

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MSI BUILDING ANDROID AND WINDOWS 7 TABLETS

Apple has proved that tablets can successfully run smartphone operating systems. The company's flagship iPad tablet runs the iPhone OS. Other companies are also building tablets running smartphone operating systems such as Android. MSI, for instance, is building tablets running both Android and Windows 7. The company is expected to show off the tablets at the Computex trade show in June.

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ASUS EEE PC 1015P HITS FCC

The Asus Eee PC 1015P has hit the FCC. No image of the sleek machine sporting a brushed aluminum exterior is available at the moment. But the Eee PC 1015P label was on display at NextGadget which means that the netbook will be heading towards the US shores soon enough.The Eee PC 1015P is expected to have an Atom N450 processor, a matte display and a wide keyboard. The battery is expected to power

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HP COMPAQ AIRLIFE 100 TO HIT SPAIN NEXT MONTH

HP is all set to become the first major PC maker to release an ARM-based smartbook running Google Android. The company's Compaq Airlife 100 is expected to be available in Spain starting next month through the wireless carrier Telefonica Movistar.To purchase the smartbook you will need to make an upfront payment of 229 Euros, plus 48 Euros per month for wireless service. The Compaq Airlife 100 is

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WHY APPLE REFUSES TO USE A CAMERA ON THE IPAD?

Of course, taking pictures on the iPad with its huge viewfinder can be fun, but it will have limited value, as you can use a smaller and cheaper digital camera to get high quality photographs. In fact, the best reason to use a camera on the iPad is for video chats. And Apple knows video chats with the iPad would be a cool, futuristic feature.So why isn’t a camera included? It's simple, because a

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EIGHT ANNOYING THINGS ABOUT THE IPAD

If you’ve just received your iPad, you may have been working with the new tablet non-stop ever since. You may love it so much that you ignore your MacBook Pro for awhile.But, slowly you have come to the realization that it isn’t all roses and sunshine. You find a few annoyances, missing features, weird effects and bugs. No, it’s not the lack of Flash support and the absence of USB ports, we all

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HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT LAPTOP BATTERY CHARGER?

You’re at 25,000 feet and the flight attendant informs the passengers that they can use electronic devices. You slowly remove the laptop from its case and put it on the seatback table. When you hit the power button, it is as lifeless as that cold airline tuna sandwich. If you are not anywhere near the wall-socket then the problem maybe on the battery itself or perhaps the battery charger, also

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GOOGLE CHROME TO SOLVE THE GREAT PRINTER-DRIVER ISSUE BY USING CLOUD BASED PRINTING

Running an Open Source OS on your netbook has its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, you don’t have to pay the license fee. On the flip side, there is no guarantee that all peripherals you plug into your computer will work with a free OS such as Linux or Android. Your printer, for example, may require special drivers to work with a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu, Fedora or

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MORE ANDROID TABLETS COMING FROM CHINA

Chinese PC makers are all set to hit the market with a crop of tablet PCs. These machines sport 10 inch and smaller displays and run Google Android. They are not yet available internationally, so if you happen to live outside of China you may not be able to purchase these machines at the moment. Another problem with these Android tablets is that Google has not yet opened the Android market for

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ACER ASPIRE ONE 521 TO HAVE AMD PROCESSOR

The Acer Aspire One 521 will reportedly have a 1.2GHz AMD V105 single core processor. The V105 chipset belongs to AMD’s Nile lineup. It has 512KB of L2 cache and a total power draw of 9 watts which makes it power efficient by AMD standards. The V105 supports DDR3 Memory. The Aspire One 521 will also reportedly have ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 discrete graphics. You can’t probably expect to get

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New Details About the HP Slate

If you're a PC person and you've been thinking about making the switch to Apple because you just can't resist those neat little iPads, wait! Hewlett Packard is coming out with its own version of the tablet computer, called the "Slate." Last week, the computer maker released some details about the new computer. The Slate's screen is going to be smaller and have a lower resolution than the iPad but it has more features - from cameras to Adobe Flash Support.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer first mentioned the device at the January Consumer Electronics Show, but of course the constant talk of Apple's iPad drowned out any hype of what could become the device's biggest competitor. But how does it stack up against it?

For starters, the Slate features two cameras, the iPad does not. One works for things such as video conferencing and the other is a high-resolution, three megapixel camera for taking pictures. There's also the SD card reader that holds up to 128GB, a USB 2.0 port (iPad dosn't offer this), audio and HDMI out. And the slate runs on a 1.6 GHz Atom microprocessor compared to the one-GHz A4 on the iPad.

On the downside, the Slate's screen is smaller - 8.9 inches compared to the iPad's 9.7 inches - and the screen resolution is higher: 1024x600 to the iPad's 1024x768. However, the Slate can run higher-def videos 1080p (iPad only goes up to 720p).

The Slate will run an HP-developed touchscreen interface and Windows 7 Home Premium compared to the iPad, which runs the iPhone operating system. But many industry insiders are saying that the real appeal of the iPad isn't the device itself, but instead, the number of apps you can buy from Apple's app store (over 150,000) and with Apple's new deals in the publishing world, you can now or soon read a number magazines, best-selling books, and comics on the the device.

There's no word as to when the Slate will be released, but it looks like the 32GB model (with Wi-Fi) will sell for about $550 and the 64GB model (also with Wi-Fi) will sell for about $599. The entry-level iPad, which is 16GB (with Wi-Fi) sells for about $499. The 32GB model sells for $599 and the 64GB model sells for $699.

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NEXT-GEN ATOM CHIPS TO CONSUME MORE POWER THAN THE EXISTING ONES

We have already heard that Intel is getting ready to launch a dual core Atom processor for netbooks. Now more details have emerged. According to Fudzilla, the next generation Intel Atom processors will use a 45nm chip with a clock speed of 1.5GHz. This chip will consume more power than the current Atom chips, but that is hardly suRprising since the new chips have two processor cores. According to

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ASUS EEE PC R101 AND R101PX SPECS EMERGE

Amazon Germany has uploaded the product pages for the Eee PC R101 and R101 PX. These are the German versions of the Eee PC 1001PX which will be released in the US soon. The Eee PC R101 and R105 look like slightly tweaked versions of the Eee PC 1001P currently available on the market. The Eee PC R101 has a 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels. It is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450

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SYSTEM76 STARLING EDUBOOK IS CLASSMATE PC WITH LINUX

Linux computer builder System76 has unveiled a new laptop called System76 Starling EduBook. The mini-laptop is essentially a rebadged Intel Classmate PC. It has a 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels and a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor. But unlike most Classmate PC models which have Windows XP or Windows 7, the Starling Edubook will ship with Ubuntu 10.04 Education Edition Netbook

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NEC LAVIE LIGHT NETBOOK UPDATED WITH WIMAX AND ATOM N470

NEC has updated its LaVie Light netbook. In terms of looks the new model isn’t much different from earlier models from the company, but it has a relatively faster CPU, more RAM, more storage, built-in WiMAX mobile broadband support and a high capacity SDXC flash card slot. According to news reports, the LaVie Light netbook is now available with a 1.83GHz Intel Atom N470 processor, 2GB of RAM and

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ACER ASPIRE 1825PTZ NOW SHIPPING IN GERMANY

The Acer Aspire 1825PTZ is an 11.6 inch tablet PC with a low power Intel CULV processor. This machine is not yet widely available for purchase, but Amazon.de has started shipping the tablet in Germany for 599 Euros or about $808 US. For that price you will get a 1.3GHz dual core Pentium SU4100 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and Windows 7 Home Premium. The 11.6 inch multitouch

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SHARP UPDATES NETWALKER; DROPS KEYBOARD

Sharp has updated its Netwalker PC-Z1 by dropping the keyboard. The new model is dubbed Sharp Netwalker PC-T1 and sports the same 5 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels as its keyboard-equipped sibling. But unlike the Netwalker PC-Z1, the PC-T1 uses a stylus and resistive touchscreen for input. The PC-T1 is powered by an ARM-based processor. Other features include 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, audio,

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Tips for Protecting your Laptop Data

Recently, I learned the hard way that it's important to protect your laptop. When a virus wiped out my hard drive, I lost Word documents, work information, personal pictures and videos...well, the list is endless. But even then, I know it could have been much worse. What if my laptop had been stolen or being as forgetful as I am, I left it unattended somewhere? What if someone had hacked into my information? I use my laptop for everything from shopping to paying bills to keeping up with my bank accounts and it would be so easy for someone to steal my identity or gain access to confidential information.

Almost 12,000 laptops are lost each week - yes, week - in United States airports and only about 30% are ever returned to their owners. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to protect your data from the wrong people.

1. Passwords - Both your admin account and the user account should have a unique password, and some laptops allow you to set a boot password in BIOS (this one should be unique from your Windows passwords). These won't keep hard-core criminals out of your data, but they will deter your every day busybody. In both the BIOS and your user account, you can make your settings so that if someone enters the wrong password X amount of times, they get locked out of the account. And of course, don't easily guessed passwords.

2. Fingerprint Recognition - Lots of laptops come with fingerprint scanners these days and it's in your best interest to take advantage of them. It only takes a few minutes to scan each of your fingers into the system. Again, a criminal with extensive knowledge is not going to let fingerprint scans stop him, but the average person won't be able to access your data.

3. Encryption - Encryption is the best way to keep your data under wraps. You can move the drive to a new system and it is still encrypted, making it almost impossible for someone to access your data without access to your key. There are several programs you can use to encrypt your hard drive. These include: BitLocker Drive Encryption and TrueCrypt.

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Redbox Ready to Give Netflix Some Competition

Streaming video is becoming increasingly popular. People can stream movies and televison programs directly to their TV or laptop within seconds. I know that I use my laptop all of the time to watch streaming movies that are included with my Netflix account. Now a recent survey conducted by Redbox has revealed that they might be preparing to give Netflix a run for their money. If the survey is to be believed, Redbox is contemplating streaming movies over the Internet for a small percentage of what Netflix charges.

Before discussing this latest possible development, let’s go back in history a little bit. Netflix first came on the playing field when they began offering essentially unlimited video rental for a fraction of the price that major video-rental chains charged. Netflix forced many different video-rental stores out of business. Why would someone want to pay somewhere around $5 for one single movie when Netflix offered there cheapest plan for just $4.99. Redbox then entered into the realm with their dollar-per-video-per-night rental plan. This caused even more problems for chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. Now Redbox is surveying people to see if they would be interested in a low-cost video streaming service.

The survey that Redbox conducted asked people to rate how interested they would be in a rental service that cost about half of what the same plan would cost from Netflix. The plan that the survey was questioning people’s interest in cost $3.95 a month and included unlimited streaming video access and four free kiosk rentals.

Now don’t think that this new streaming service from Redbox is a done deal or anything yet. A spokesman said, “It's not necessarily an indication of something that Redbox is interested in doing.” Redbox just wanted to get a feel for how people would react to them supplying such a service.

Netflix started their video streaming service in 2007. Their “Watch Instantly” movies were definitely slim pickings. As a Netflix member myself, I’ve noticed that selection is getting better as of late, but it still isn’t great. Hopefully, if Redbox continues with this idea they will provide a better selection of online material than Netflix has. A $3.95 per month unlimited streaming access would really put a dent in Netflix’s side, if Redbox really had a decent selection. To get unlimited streaming access with Netflix, you have to go up to the $8.99 per month plan.

One aspect of all of this that wasn’t discussed was which devices Redbox might stream to. Netflix already streams to three different video game systems, the Apple iPad, and very soon it will be streaming to the iPhone. The spokesman for Redbox said, “Redbox certainly understands that the entertainment model is continually evolving.”

It will be interesting to see where all this goes. All I know is that if Redbox comes out with a $3.95 per month streaming plan with even a half decent selection, I’m going to definitely be switching from Netflix.

Suggested Reading:

Change Your Font. Save Money.

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New Keyboard Dock for the Apple iPad

There has been quite a bit of hype lately surrounding Apple’s new iPad. Its a very interesting creature. The greatest selling point is definitely it’s sleek appearance. The shiny, brushed aluminum backed gadget is almost elegant looking. One of the reasons for this attractiveness is the absence of a keyboard. The problem with being keyboard-less is that many people will not be able (or maybe not want) to huddle over the device to punch on the on-screen keys for an extended period of time. Even when you set the iPad on a table or desk, there is still an annoying wobble that you must deal with due to the it’s slightly bowed back. Well, for iPad users who miss the traditional keyboard that comes with laptops and desktop computers, Apple has released a solution. There is now a iPad Keyboard Dock that provides you with the comfort of a keyboard while also holding your iPad upright for easy visibility. Those who couldn’t part with their keyboard can now feel completely at home with their new iPad.

The keyboard dock is very conveniently designed. It is small (0.5 x 11 x 4.5 inches HWD) and wireless. It is constructed with a brushed aluminum shell that features 77 fully separated, shallow keys that make typing on the iPad a breeze. The dock has a raised back that allows the keyboard to be slightly angled forward for ease and comfort. At the back of the keyboard, there is a power connector and a Line Out that lets you easily hook up speakers for the iPad. You’ll need a 10-watt power adapter to be able to utilize the dock, but this is included when you purchase the iPad. With that adapter, there is also a detachable USB cable that is included as well. This allows you to connect the keyboard directly to your computer so that you can sync the two devices. You are also able to use a few other accessories with the Keyboard Dock including the iPad Camera Connection Kit and the iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter. Another advantage to having the Keyboard Dock is that if you have the iPad docked, the keyboard will charge your device.

If you don’t want to deal with the annoyance of attempting to type for long periods of time on the iPad then the Keyboard Dock is just what you are looking for. It will make you feel right at ease with typing anything. It will be available in late April and will be listed for $69.


To read more about the iPad and mobile technology visit our Working On The Go Blog.

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Acer's New Aspire Ethos TouchScreen Laptop

This week, Acer announced its new Aspire Ethos laptops. The laptops have a secondary touchscreen, which doubles as a touchpad. The new technology is meant to help users navigate through multimedia content. The touchscreen is placed below the keyboard where a touchpad would normally be located and it displays movie and music navigation icons. According to spokesperson for the company, the icons allow you to do thing such as adjust volume or go through images.

In a press release, Acer said, "The media console is now combined with the touchpad, providing a set of commands all managed by a single key and a completely new approach to entertainment control." They also stated that the new technology leaves the laptop's surface looking clean and elegant.

According to PC World, Acer is not the only company looking to make touchpads a little fancier. Synaptics is adding gesture functionality, which allows users to perform routine tasks more quickly. They also report that Intel has suggested auxiliary screens that display widgets that allow you to do things such as type Twitter messages replace touchpads.

The new Acer laptops feature Advanced Micro Devices ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5000 series graphics cards, which are great for watching HD DVDs. They can also be bought with Blu-ray Disc drives and they each run Intel's Core i5 or Core i7 processors. The laptops also include Acer's Arcade Deluxe multimedia management software, which allows users to take more advantage of the touchpad controls and makes it easier to share content through YouTube, Facebook, and Flickr.

The Ethos 8943G will have a 18.4-inch screen and the Ethos 5943G will feature a 15.6-inch screen. Each one will have up to 1.28TB of storage through two 640GB hard drives, as well as including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Release dates and prices are not yet available.

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