Friday, February 11, 2011
Yesterday Microsoft announced the release candidate of Internet Explorer 9, which is very close to the final product. Here’s a screenshot tour of the most interesting new stuff, as well as answers to your questions.
The most important question is should you install this version? And the answer is absolutely yes. Even if you don’t use IE, it’s better to have a newer, more secure version on your PC.
What’s New Under the Hood in Release Candidate vs Beta?
If you want to see the full list of changes with all the original marketing detail, you can read Microsoft’s Beauty of the Web page, but here’s the highlights that you might be interested in.
- Improved Performance – they’ve made a lot of changes, and it really feels faster, especially when using more intensive web apps like Gmail.
- Power Consumption Settings – since the JavaScript engine in any browser uses a lot of CPU power, they’ve now integrated it into the power settings, so if you’re on battery it will use less CPU, and save battery life. This is really a great change.
- UI Changes – The tab bar can now be moved below the address bar (see below for more), they’ve shaved some pixels off the design to save space, and now you can toggle the Menu bar to be always on.
- Pinned Sites – now you can pin multiple pages to a single taskbar button. Very useful if you always use a couple web apps together. You can also pin a site in InPrivate mode.
- FlashBlock and AdBlock are Integrated (sorta) – there’s a new ActiveX filtering that lets you enable plug-ins only for sites you trust. There’s also a tracking protection list that can block certain content (which can obviously be used to block ads).
- Geolocation – while a lot of privacy conscious people might complain about this, if you use your laptop while traveling, it’s really useful to have geo-located features when using Google Maps, etc. Don’t worry, it won’t leak your privacy by default.
- WebM Video – Yeah, Google recently removed H.264 from Chrome, but Microsoft has added Google’s WebM video format to Internet Explorer.
Keep reading for more about using the new features.
Questions You Might Have
You probably want to get to the screenshots, but first, here’s a couple of answers to questions you haven’t asked yet.
- No, Internet Explorer 9 does not work on Windows XP.
- Yes, you can install IE9 over top of the beta version if you had that installed.
- Yes, If you have 32-bit Windows, you should install the 32-bit version.
- Yes, If you have 64-bit Windows, you should install the 64-bit version (which includes the 32-bit version). Not sure? Here’s how to see what version of Windows you have.
- Yes, you should upgrade to this version.
- Yes, if you click this link it will take you to the download page.
Again, even if you don’t use IE as your primary browser, it’s better to have this new, more secure browser than smelly old IE8.
Now You Can Move the Tabs Below the Address Bar (Again)
The biggest problem with IE9 for most power users is that the tabs and the address bar are on the same row, which quickly turns your tabs into tiny little unusable tab-lets. Did I just write that?
Now you can simply right-click on the tab bar to move the tabs to a separate row.
And now you’ll have a lot more space. The impressive thing is that even with the change to use two rows, it’s still pretty compact compared to other browsers.
Sadly there’s no option to put the tabs up top.
Pinning Multiple Sites Together
This new feature is slightly confusing at first, so we’ll walk you through it—imagine first that you’ve pinned a site to your taskbar, by simply dragging the site’s icon down to the taskbar. Easy.
Now browse to another URL in that window, and then right-click on the icon on the left-hand side, and choose “Add as a home page”. This will add that page as well, so the next time you open up that pinned site, it will open both.
The much simpler method, however, is to just go to the Tools icon on the right-hand side of IE’s tab bar, choose Internet Options, and then put the URLs you want in there.
You’ll notice that both of the ones that I added are now in here.
How to Enable “FlashBlock”
Internet Explorer has a pretty useful feature that blocks any ActiveX controls from running except for sites you specify them on—since the only plugin required for most sites is Flash, that essentially makes this a FlashBlock feature.
Just head to the Tools icon on the right of the tab bar, then Safety –> ActiveX Filtering. That’s it.
Now the next time you go to a site that needs Flash, click the little circle with the line through it, and turn off ActiveX Filtering for that site.
I really wish this feature was in Google Chrome, and every other browser.
Enabling Tracking Protection (Possibly Ad Blocking)
You can enable the Tracking Protection feature through the same menu as the previous feature, and once you do, it will pop up the Manage Add-ons screen, where you can select the “Your Personalized List” item on the right.
Once you do, you can enable it, or click Settings to see more.
Under here you can choose to automatically block everything, or just choose the content you want to block. It’ll show the most frequently used stuff, and let you block it. If you aren’t seeing enough there, adjust the 10 down to 3, and you’ll see more.
You should be careful with using the Automatic block here, because it appears to block some things required for certain sites to function, like common javascript libraries such as jQuery.
Tweaking Performance for Battery Life
To tweak the power / performance settings, head into Power Options –> Edit Plan Settings –> Change advanced power settings, and then scroll down to the bottom of the window.
Now you can configure the settings if you want, though we’d advise just leaving them be.
Go forth, and download it.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
LG Optimus 2X review: Double the potential
Introduction
Begun the dual-core revolution has. And there’s no scouting time – the offensive starts with the big guns. The LG Optimus 2X is not just counting on the fancy Tegra 2 name to generate the sales – it is a powerful smartphone through and through.
LG Optimus 2X official photos
The fancy camera with Full HD video recording alone is enough to bring any handset into the limelight and the fact that it’s not even the Optimus 2X key feature speaks volume. As far as hardware evolution goes, the Optimus 2X promises to be one of the biggest steps forward in the mobile phone industry.
Key features:
- Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
- 10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
- 4.0" 16M-color capacitive IPS LCD touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
- Android OS v2.2 Froyo with LG Home launcher
- Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, ULP GeForce GPU, Tegra 2 chipset
- 512 MB RAM
- 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging
- 1080p video recording @ 24fps, 720p@30fps
- 1.3 MP front-facing camera with videocalls
- Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
- GPS with A-GPS, digital compass
- 8GB internal storage and microSDslot for up to 32GB cards
- Accelerometer, gyroscope, and proximity sensor
- microHDMI port with HDMI mirroring
- Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
- Smart dialing, voice dialing
- DivX/XviD video support
- Innovative gesture controls
- Adobe Flash 10.1 support
- Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancement
- LG Optimus GT540 Unlocked GSM Quad-Band Phone with 3 MP Camera, Android OS, Touch Screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth--International Version with No US Warranty (Black)
Main disadvantages
- Despite similar technology LCD isn’t quite as impressive as the iPhone4 screen
- No dedicated camera key and no lens cover
- 1080p recording isn’t well polished
- No Android 2.3 Gingerbread at launch
- Audio quality is only average
- Below average speaker loudness
There are always a few compromises necessary with modern-day smartphones, but those are brought to a minimum with the Optimus 2X. You have a relatively good display (large, too), lots of oomph under the sleek hood and an excellent snapper at the back, plus all but the kitchen sink in the connectivity department.
LG Optimus 2X live shots
Or at least that’s what papers will make you believe. Our experience, however, has thought us better than blindly believing the fancy PR talk. The excellent first impression certainly helps the Optimus 2X cause, but we’ll only be able to recommend it wholeheartedly if it passes the test of a full review.
So, shall we start? Join us after the break for the hardware review.
Continue reading at: http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_2x-review-564.php
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Black Berry 9780 sale!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Turn Your Desktop Into a Real 3D Multi-Touch Desktop
The way a Windows desktop behaves, has not been changed since thirteen years. Its all the same, rough and rigid icons lying dumbly at the cold desktop. Now is the time you can give your desktop a little extra. Bring your desktop to real 3 Dimensional life like. Arrange icons in a pile or groups. It takes just a few clicks or your finger movements to do with all the data at your desktop to arrange it in the way you want it in a real 3D environment.
BumpTop is a fun, intuitive 3D desktop that keeps you organized and makes you more productive. Like a real desk, but better. Now with awesome mouse and multi-touch gestures, you will experience your desktop as never before. Your desktop doesn't have to be a boring graveyard for lost and forgotten files anymore! Transform it with BumpTop. Create the desktop that suits your needs and style. MAC and Linux versions are also available.
Multitouch features require Windows 7 touch hardware support.
Desktop 3D Enhancement
Multi-touch Screen 3D Desktop
Download BumpTop
Download BumpTop (Windows) (13.6 MB - Free Version)Read more: http://www.techmynd.com/turn-your-desktop-into-a-real-3d-multi-touch-desktop/#ixzz1Bn1muRYx
Top Ten Performance Car Upgrades
No matter how cheap or expensive our cars are, we treat them like our babies and make sure that they have all that they need. This is why you should upgrade them regularly!
1. Electric FansJust like a computer, cars have fans that work over time to make sure that you car does not come to a screeching halt every time the engine heats up. Most cars come equipped with mechanical fans and while they get the job done, they also take a lot of out of the car.
2. Electric Fuel PumpSimilar to the mechanical fan, the regular pumps steal that power which should work towards moving the wheels faster. This is why you should go out and buy its electric counterpart and keep your car in sparkling condition till you decide to buy a new one!
3. Air InductionWe all know how horsepower is created- the air that is sucked in by the car’s engine travels till the fuel and creates the mixture. Naturally, if this amount can be enhanced, the horsepower will subsequently increase as well. Air Induction units do just that and the best part is that they tap into the fuel economy as well.
4. CarburetorsIf the air induction unit des not appeal to you, you can always increase the capacity of your carburetor and add to the existing horsepower. This means that if you have a 4 barrel capacity, you should add to it and make it 6 barrel. Fortunately, many companies out there create state of the art carburetors because they understand that a small change could make all the difference.
5. Fuel InjectionUpgrading a carburetor will do the trick as well and this is possible if you transform it into a fuel injection. This performance car upgrade will increase the horsepower that your car runs on and keep the readings precise.
6. Performance ChipsPerformance chips are easy to install and their applications are flexible, as long as you buy the right one. That being said, these are available in two categories- while some are programmed, others come along with modifiers. The horsepower will increase, your car will run faster and have greater mileage.
7. Exhaust SystemWe all know that every vehicle creates a lot of smoke and if that is not removed, it can enter the engine and meddle with its overall performance. Adding extra air to the engine is important but so is getting rid of it. However, every country has different laws as far as this performance upgrade is concerned so be very careful.
8. TurbochargersTurbochargers fit into gasoline engines and this is done mainly to increase the speed of the vehicle. The extra gas is tapped into and used to move the impellor and the result is that it transforms itself into fresh air. Even though this is slightly more expensive than the other upgrades, it is worth it.
9. Nitrous OxideThe reason for inserting Nitrous Oxide into the engine is straightforward- it will attack the fuel, send it into a frenzy and therefore, enhance the horsepower. This upgrade is available for every model and every car in the market. The method that you want to use largely depends on you.
10. SuperchargersSuperchargers are attached to the vehicle and serve as an air compressor for forced induction of an internal combustion engine. The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally-aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be provided and more work to be done per cycle, increasing the power output of the engine.
Will the iPhone 5 Recognize Your Face?
By Bob Bhatnagar - Published September 29th 2010 - 20:47 in Apple • face recognition • iphone 5 • iphone hardware • iPhone Software • News • next generation • Polar Rose
With full face detection and tracking of faces in video, the solutions Polar Rose delivers could change how you interact with your iPhone. Now that the iPhone 4 has a front-facing camera, passcode lock could end up going the way of the dinosaurs.
Imagine holding your iPhone up and the device automatically unlocking to reveal your home screen. The neat trick is that your iPhone won't do this for anyone else. If the software on the iPhone recognizes your face, this replaces your passcode. Some Apple patents have recently been revealed that could lead to iPhones recognizing the shape of your hand, which could also replace the four-digit passcode.
Other interesting uses for the technology include automatically tagging people in photos and recognizing FaceTime callers from contact information. As the photographs taken on the iPhone improve, various image analysis algorithms could also be used to automatically classify and organize photos by type or subject.
Apple's iPhoto currently recognizes faces in pictures for tagging purposes. It's possible Apple is looking to improve and expand this functionality. Polar Rose removed its free tagging services for Facebook and Flickr earlier this month, citing interest from larger companies in licensing their technology. Staying true to form, Apple has not confirmed the acquisition of Polar Rose.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Less Than 0.4% of Android Users Running Current OS
More than 90% of iPhone users are running the most current OS, but a mere 0.4% are running the latest version of Android. The disparity highlights the poor practices of OEMs and phone carriers.At TechCrunch they’ve complied some stats from around the web demonstrating the radical disparity between the currentness of Android and iPhone users operating systems. 90% of iPhone users have the current version of iOS (and a significant number of the remaining 10% likely have jailbroken phones and are waiting for a stable iOS 4 jailbreak). Conversely only 0.4% of Android users are on Android 2.3; even when generously adjusted to include the prior revision (2.2) the number only climbs to a paltry 51.8%. Why is this?
Obviously, this isn’t the Android users’ faults. The problem is that the OEMs and carriers are holding these updates up for a wide variety of reasons, 99 percent of which are undoubtedly bullshit. Here’s a perfect example. Supposedly, the Android 2.2 update is all ready to go for Samsung Android phones on T-Mobile, but Samsung doesn’t want to push it out so that they can entice people to buy the newly announced Vibrant 4G+ instead.
Sounds about right to me. I have a perfectly functional HTC Hero from Sprint and it took them nearly a year to release an upgrade from Android 1.5 to 2.1. Sprint has halted the upgrade path for the phone so it will not be officially receiving any upgrades to Android 2.2 or 2.3. I liberated my phone with a custom ROM but I’m in the extreme minority when it comes to phone purchasers. Those of us slinging around custom ROMs and jailbreaks are not your average cellphone owner.
Check out the full article at the link below for more information and additional breakdowns of cellphone OS via phone and carrier.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Mobile Show down for 2011
It’s January again, and that means the annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off last weekend in Las Vegas. The show is the tech industry’s first chance of the new year to show off and announce new products and technologies. This year’s show featured everything from automotive technology to set-top boxes and 3DTVs, however mobile devices stole the show. The hottest buzzword this year was probably “Honeycomb tablet,” referring toGoogle’s next Android OS, version 3.0, that is optimized for tablets. If it wasn’t that, it was definitely swirling rumors of Verizon’s iPhone 4.
To give you a quick rundown of the best of the show, here are my top 5 things from CES 2011.
Motorola Xoom
Arguably the best of theHoneycomb tablets was theMotorola Xoom; a 10.1-inch Android 3.0 tablet that’s loaded with features aimed at premium web, gaming, and media experiences. The screen uses a capacitive touch interface and displays with a resolution of 1280 x 800, comparable to small HDTVs. It also includes built-in WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth v2.1, USB 2.0 support, and HDMI output along with Adobe Flash support. If you’re looking for something to call an “iPad Killer,” this is it. A WiFi-only version is expected to be out in April of this year with a Verizon 4G version in May. Powering this feature-packed tablet is my next pick, the NVIDIA Tegra 2.
NVIDIA Tegra 2
NVIDIA showed off its next generation “system on a chip,” the Tegra 2. This little powerhouse is going to be at the heart of many of the next mobile devices you’re going to see for at least the next year.It’s a dual core ARM CPU clocked at 1 GHz with Ultra Low Power GeForce graphics that provide 1080p video playback & recording as well as HDMI output. Naturally, it also handles audio and image processing, too. All of these capabilities combined are capable of delivering impressive performance never before seen in mobile devices, in everything from general use multitasking to taxing 3D gaming.
Motorola Atrix
Also powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 2 is the Motorola Atrix, a fascinating new smartphone that can dock with a computer laptop shell or a TV. The Atrix runs on Android OS 2.2, features a 4-inch touchscreen, and will have front and rear-facing 5MP cameras. As for storage capability, it will have 16 GB built-in with support for microSDHC cards up to 32 GB. With those features and its Tegra 2 processor that would be impressive enough. But wait, there is more! As previously mentioned, this smartphone can dock with a notebook shell accessory that will immediately give you all the convenience a notebook offers; a larger screen, a full size keyboard, and USB ports. It will also connect to your HDTV via HDMI or through an HD dock that will turn the TV into a full size display and use the phone itself as a mouse. The Motorola Atrix was announced to launch in Q1 of 2011.
Casio Tryx
The Casio Tryx is a 12 MP digital camera that with a 3-inch touchscreen that is built with swivel and pivot functions that give you all sorts of unique shooting options. The outer frame swivels and pivots around the lens & screen section so you can pose it at almost any angle or hang it from a suitable surface to add interesting angles to your shots. It shoots stills at up to 12 MP of course, but it also can record full HD video at 30 frames per second. The Casio Tryx is due to go on sale in April 2011 at or around $250.
Polaroid GL20 Camera Glasses
Lady Gaga and Polaroid team up to make sunglasses with a 5 megapixel digital camera and 
two 1.5-inch OLED screens behind the lens that display the images. Don’t I have to mention Lady Gaga? I’m not sure what the practical application for these is going to be, or if they’ll even go on sale, but if you wear them, you’ll definitely get some attention. There is no official release date yet for these.
two 1.5-inch OLED screens behind the lens that display the images. Don’t I have to mention Lady Gaga? I’m not sure what the practical application for these is going to be, or if they’ll even go on sale, but if you wear them, you’ll definitely get some attention. There is no official release date yet for these.It’s always exciting to kick the year off hearing about the toys we’re in store for. What were some of your favorites?
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