Laptop technology - Razer launches high performance Blade gaming laptop

Many people have ditched the powerhouse desktop PC in favor of the portability and convenience offered by a laptop. Where gaming is concerned though, mobile options powerful enough to deliver the kind of smooth visual experience necessary for today's immersive games tend to be on the bulky and heavy side.

High performance gaming hardware specialist Razer is aiming to change all that with the release of the Blade gaming laptop. Just 0.88 inches thin and weighing under seven pounds, Razer's new gaming monster packs a second generation Core i7 processor, high performance NVIDIA graphics and a full HD 17.3-inch display into its full aluminum chassis.

Although it's true that gaming consoles have crept into many homes and resigned the dedicated PC workhorse to gather dust in the corner, most serious gamers prefer the latter. Gamers looking to take to the road, however, are often faced with trading off performance or portability. Razer hopes to sole this by problem by squeezing a host of powerful high-end components into a laptop that weighs just 6.97 pounds (3.16 kg) and is 0.88-inch (22.35 mm) thin - the Blade gaming laptop.

The laptop features a second generation Intel Core i7 2640M Processor running at 2.8GHz (3.5 GHz with Turbo Boost) on an Intel Mobile Express Series 6 PCH "Cougar Point" chipset, supported by 8GB of DDR3 memory. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M GPU comes with NVIDIA Optimus Technology which keeps a watchful eye over battery performance by swapping to less power-hungry integrated graphics when gaming performance is not needed and bringing on some GeForce power when it is needed. There's also 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 video memory capable of handling those all-important fast frame rates and supporting DirectX 11.

More other business:

• Dell Inspiron 1520 akku
• Hp Pavilion DV1000 akku

Visuals are rendered on a spacious 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution LED backlit display, underneath which sits a full-size keyboard sporting a brand new gaming-oriented "Switchblade User Interface" to the right. This is comprised of a multi-touch LCD display that can also display in-game information and ten fully customizable, dynamic, adaptive physical game command keys.

There's a not-too-miserly 320GB 7200rpm SATA HDD for storage, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 wireless networking, a USB 3.0 port in addition to a couple of the USB 2.0 variety, a built-in high definition webcam and a 60Wh battery.

The Razer Blade will be available in the U.S. by the end of the year at a cost of US$2800.

Tagcloud: Laptop technology ,Razer gaming laptop , Dell Latitude D820 akku  , dell inspiron 1526 akku

Are you buying your college-bound student a laptop?

Gone are the days of hours spent in the computer lab, hoping the printer doesn't run out of ink before it's time to produce your term paper. Today's college students are practically required to own their own laptop, and in some cases, colleges give out very strict instructions to new students about the specs of the laptop. And yes, some do require your kid to show up to the first day of class with a laptop in hand.

Before you max out your credit card on a machine for your 18-year-old, take a look at these three rules for buying a laptop for a college student. You might just save some cash, as you're shelling it out for the next four years.

1. Don't Go Cheap

You want this laptop to last at least four years (in some cases more), so don't grab the bargain laptop. And definitely don't just get your kid an iPad, she needs something much more substantial. The good news is many colleges have partnered with computer companies to offer really significant discounts on laptops. Before you buy, contact your school to get the inside scoop on laptops, as well as any software requirements the school might have. Additionally, some places allow financial aid to consider the laptop cost as a factor, and financing the laptop over four years is also an option.

2. Do Spring for the Warranty

While you usually want to avoid money traps like an extended warranty, consider that many laptops at college campuses will be exposed to coffee, beer, and lots of late night snacks. But even more so than the "oops, I spilled my beer bong on my keyboard" problem is the theft issue. Communal living means far more chances for laptops to walk away from owners. Check to see if your homeowners' insurance covers your college student in the event of laptop damage and theft before opting for the extra coverage.

 3. Have a Backup

Sure you can load up your child with flash drives and beg them to back up their work, but teenagers and 20-somethings don't only think they are invincible, they think their stuff is too. So do provide your child with an extra hard drive and/or all the drives he can handle, but also look into Google Chrome cloud file storage and other services for your kid's work. And teach them how to use it -- every single day.

More other busines:

• Ibm ThinkPad R60 akku
• Asus F3 akku
• Hp NC6000 akku
• Ibm ThinkPad R51 akku

Tagcloud: student  laptop , Hp Pavilion DV5 akku  , Toshiba Satellite A100 akku

 

HP TouchPad Tablet - A win for Apple's iPad

HP TouchPad was released barely a month ago but the tablet never took off and HP pulled the ejector handle. A win for Apple's iPad. A lose for those who bought an HP TouchPad.

• 

HP TouchPad discontinued: The HP TouchPad is displayed in San Francisco, June 27. In a dramatic reshuffling, Hewlett-Packard Co. on Thursday, said that it will discontinue its tablet computer and smartphone products.

Hewlett-Packard are giving up on their TouchPad tablet after a painful defeat, Thursday. The company is also ditching other hardware using TouchPad's operating system, meaning more discontinued products may be announced soon.

The HP TouchPad was announced in February but from the outset they had techies questioning key decisions. The launch was set for months later in the summer, which had many scratching their heads. It wouldn't nab the back to school shoppers, or compete with any scheduled iPad release. At the time it also seemed like an awfully long way off.

Then, on July 1, the TouchPad was released to mild fanfare and curiosity. It was immediately scorned for a lack of apps, sluggish performance, clunky user experience, and frequent errant keyboard presses.
RELATED: 10 most intriguing tablets of 2011

But the news wasn't all bad. Many users liked them, and average user ratings on the Best Buy website (if they can be believed) were on par with the iPad 2's ratings.

But still sales weren't picking up. In just five weeks HP dropped the price of the TouchPad drastically to entice buyers. But consumers didn't bite, and reports came in that many were waiting for yet another price cut.

What a difference a week makes.

Reports began coming in that Best Buy had sold less than 10 percent of their inventory of 270,000 TouchPads and was trying to sell them back to HP to no avail. Meanwhile, Apple had sold 9 million iPads the previous quarter and were backordered for weeks. Apple couldn't make units fast enough, and TouchPads were starting to look like bricks in store inventories.

Before the news of distressed inventory at Best Buy made big news, HP had already come to a decision. On Thursday, HP announced it would discontinue production of the TouchPad.

CEO Leo Apotheker said in a conference call, "Our TouchPad has not been gaining enough traction in the marketplace. We have made the difficult but necessary decision to shut down the WebOS hardware operations."

That means that it won't just be the TouchPad that is affected. WebOS, inherited by Palm, Inc., which they bought last year, is used in HP smartphones as well. While no specific models were named, expect many to be discontinued.

SHOCK TO USERS

Just one week before, early adopters were up arms that they had been punished for buying early after HP announced the $100 price cut. No word on support for the TouchPad, but discontinuing operations indicates TouchPad users can expect the short end of the stick on that front.

Users weren't the only ones left shocked that HP seemed to have gotten it so wrong.

The announcement that HP would be discontinuing WebOS devices was followed by favorable reactions on Wall Street. At its high, HP stocks were up 13 percent, Thursday. However, by the end of the day stocks had fallen and were down 6 percent overall at the closing bell.

More othe rbusiness:

• hp nx5000 akku
• sony vgp-bps2a akku
• Acer AS07B31 akku

Tagcloud: HP TouchPad Tablet , Apple's iPad , Msi Wind U100 akku  , ibm thinkpad r61 akku

iPhone requires less support and related resources compared to Android or BlackBerry handsets

Apple fans don’t really need additional reasons to worship at the altar of Steve Jobs, but they’re getting them anyways.

Yes, research firm ClickFox claims the iPhone requires less support and related resources compared to Android or BlackBerry handsets.

How, you ask?

Well, a ClickFox analyzed support calls related to smartphones received by North American carriers. After disregarding calls related to billing and carrier plans, they found something really interesting: the iPhone  is actually quite efficient. That’s because the calls allowed them to determine the iPhone isn’t much of a financial drain to support - comparatively.


  
Here’s where it gets tricky, though, so you might want to take the claim with a few grains of salt, because ClickFox is not (publicly) releasing all its data.

Therefore it’s kind of difficult to see just how much easier iPhones are to support compared to other devices.
   
Still, ClickFox analytics director Lauren Smith told InfoWorld  the financial numbers indicate the differences are meaningful to the carriers’ bottom lines. He claims that BlackBerry users cost North American carriers about $46 million more per year in support than iPhone lovers, and Android users cost $97 million more per year.
   
That’s definitely not chump change phone fans.
   
But let us get into the proverbial nuts and bolts. The reasoning behind ClickFox’s claim is this: BlackBerry and Android handsets typically require multiple customer service staff to resolve an issue or problem. This means calls  have to be transferred, or the caller needs to be put on hold while the tech support people have a confab.
   
Now to contrast how different the Apple experience is, Smith confirmed that iPhone user issues are often  resolved in a single session.
   
The average cost of soliciting extra help to fix an issue is about $4. This means that around 11.5 million BlackBerry incidents required additional assistance - along with 24 million Android incidents. 
   
So maybe the BlackBerry is less user-friendly than the iPhone, but Android has them all beat. For example, while BlackBerry users generally need to have calls transferred or followed up at a rate of 37 percent, Android owners require additional help about 77 percent of the time compared to iPhone fanboys.
   
Smith claims the advantage offered by the iPhone originates from what Apple fans have been saying all along: Cupertino boasts an optimized hardware and software design. iOS and the iPhone hardware are more intuitive, so they're easier and faster to troubleshoot, he theorizes.

 

If the data ClickFox is promoting is true then it has a clear message. iPhone users will cost less to deal with than BlackBerry and Android users.

   

Keep in mind that the InfoWorld article referenced above is geared towards a business audience and it might not apply to casual users, which makes up a large part of the tech market.

   

Also Click Fox’s report is available online. You may be prompted to register with your email address if you want to read it. It briefly covers the cost issues in four pages, but it might have been more useful to get a better firsthand breakdown of how the calls impact the cost of supporting users.

   

If ClickFox has detailed data like that, they’re only giving it to people who they deal with that are willing to pay for it.

 

More other news:

• toshiba pa3536u akku
• acer aspire 6930 akku
• samsung aa-pb2vc6b akku

Tagcloud: iPhone , support , Android , BlackBerry , Dell Latitude 2120 akku  , hp pavilion dv6 akku

Apple iCloud: What it is, and What it Costs

With Apple revealing iCloud price details along with the beta version of iCloud.com, now seems like a good time to explain what the service is to anyone who missed Apple's announcement in June.

iCloud basics

iCloud does not replace local storage on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. What it does is keep your data in sync between any Apple device or PC that you own. For example, if you're writing a document in Pages on an iPad, that document will automatically be available for editing on your iPhone or a PC, with no need to transfer files by e-mail or USB.

iCloud also remembers your device's settings, apps, home screen layouts, ring tones and text messages, so all of that information is available if you upgrade or replace your iPhone or iPad. Think of it like the backup function in iTunes, but through the Internet instead.

Which apps use iCloud?

Apple's iWork productivity software -- Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- can sync documents through iCloud. Contacts, Calendar and Mail will also be updated automatically across multiple devices. A new service called Photo Stream allows you to download your 1,000 most recent photos to a computer or other iOS device for 30 days. You can also store a device's entire camera roll in iCloud for longer.

Third-party apps will be able to use iCloud as well. Rovio, for instance, could make Angry Birds data available across devices so your iPhone and iPad will show the same progress through the game. It's up to developers to implement these kinds of features.

What's included for free, and what costs extra?

Apple will provide 5 GB of iCloud storage for free, but iTunes music, apps, books and Photo Stream don't count against that total. iCloud storage is consumed by documents, mail, app data, your full camera roll, settings and other device information. Additional storage costs $20 per year for 10 GB, $40 per year for 20 GB and $100 per year for 50 GB.

Apple suggests that 5 GB of storage should suffice, but that depends largely on whether you're storing lots of photos and videos on your Camera Roll, and how much app data you're backing up. The former should be easy to determine -- you can already see in iTunes how much data is used by photos and video -- but the latter will be harder to pin down until we see how many developers adopt the service.

Who is this for?

People who own multiple iOS devices will get the most out of iCloud, because it saves the hassle of manually transferring data between iPhones, iPads and so on. Owners of a single Apple device may still appreciate iCloud's automatic backup function, which makes replacing hardware easier.

 

iTunes is separate

One possible point of confusion with iCloud is how iTunes purchases factor into the service. When you buy music from iTunes, it can be automatically synced to all of your iOS devices, and it won't count against your free storage. A paid service called iTunes Match is completely separate from iCloud, and syncs any music you haven't purchased from iTunes for $25 per year.

More other news:

• Dell XPS M1530 akku
• Acer AS07B41 akku
• Dell Inspiron 1501 akku

Tagcloud: Apple iCloud , Dell Latitude D620 akku  , Toshiba PA3534U-1BRS akku