gladget magazine - may 2013

7/28/2019 Gladget Magazine - May 2013

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ISSUE

31

/Vol.3

May

2013

FreeOnline Mag

Revie

wsincluding

Epson,MSI,Jab

ra,Nokia,SteelSeries

and

m

ore...

Securing socialmedia accounts

PasswordPriority

www.gladgetmag.com

MSI aims for the PC gamer market

Shouldnewsonthe

internetbepaidfor?

WhatCost

?

AndroidOSisa

lla

bout

customisation


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www.gameccamag.comTaking fun seriously!


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www. gameccamag .comISSUE

47

/Vol.4

May2013

FreeOnline Mag

Head back to life in the Metro...

Zombie SlasherA new island and lots of undeadin Dead Island: Riptide

Two War!Army of Two returns

Army of Two:

The Devils Cartel

Injustice:

Gods Among Us

Monster Hunter 3

Ultimate

Luigis Mansion 2

Tiger Woods

PGA Tour 14

and more...

Super-Fight!DC Superheroes do battle in

Injustice: Gods Among Us


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From the Editor

Did You Know?YouTube, W-Fi, Alexander Graham Bell and more...

Tshabablabber

Do we need another franchise splashed everywhere?

Get Gaming

The move towards specialised gaming PC components

Proper Password-Protection

Dont get hacked!

What Price Kowledge

Will the future reliability of information be determined

by the depth of our pockets?

The Personal Touch

Android is all about customisation...

Lookng Back: 1972

Gaming madness begins

Reviews

Lots of great stuff you want to get!

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12

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26

Inside

This Months CoverMSI enters the gaming PC

component race. See our feature on

page 12...

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MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming Motherboard

SteelSeries Apex Raw Gaming Keyboard

Razer Kraken Pro Analogue Gaming Headset

Razer Deathadder Essential Ergonomic Gaming Mouse

Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost Graphics Card

Belkin Dual-Band Wireless Range Extender

Ferrari by Logic3 T250 On Ear Headphones

Jabra Street2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset

Nokia Lumia 920 Smartphone

MSI GTX 680 Twin Frozr III Graphics Card

Nokia Wireless Charging Pillow by Fatboy

MSI HD 7970 Twin Frozr III Graphics Card

Razer Abyssus Essential Ambidextrous Gaming Mouse

Ferrari By Logic3 R200 On Ear Headphones

Asus E2KM1I-Deluxe Mini-ITX Motherboard

SanDisk Extreme 16GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Belkin 4-Port Flex-Hub

Epson EH-TW550 Home Projector

Injustice: Gods Among Us (PS3)

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (X360)

Army of Two: The Devils Cartel (X360)

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 (X360)

Reviews

Editor:

Katia Taliadoros

[email protected]

Writers:

Alex Scanlon

Andy Taliadoros

Charlie Fripp

Iwan PienaarLein Baart

Pippa Tshabalala

Rob Edwards

Suvesh Arumugam

Walt Pretorius

Letters:

[email protected]

Competition Entries:

[email protected]

Newsletter Subscriptions:

www.gladgetmag.com

Design & Photography:

1337 Media

Marketing Contact:

Katia Taliadoros

[email protected]

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Copyright 1337 Media CC 2009 - 2013

GLADGET Volume 3 Issue 31

May 2013

GAMECCA is published by 1337 MEDIA

technology. simply.

All rights reserved. No content may

be reproduced, copied or transmitted

without the express permission of the

publishers. Opinions expressed arenot necessarily those of the editors

and publishers. All Trademarks and

Registered Trademarks are the sole

property of the respective owners.

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BoundariesUnlimited?by Katia Taliadoros

6

Fromt

heEditor

In the 18th Century, Englishsocial theorist JeremyBentham created an

institutional building which waspanopticon in nature: Panrefers to inmates and opticonmeans to observe. This gavethe watchman of the facility theopportunity to watch the inmateswithout their knowledge.

Since then this concept hasbeen embraced by many whowant the power to controlor entertain, or entertain tocondition control. What isdiscomforting is that we, as avoyeuristic society, delight insupporting most reality shows,giving us the opportunity to relishin expressing our judgement overevery poor soul who wishes toachieve their 15 minutes of famein a social media environment.

For all those of you who are

Ben Elton fans, a favouriteof mine is his original 2007bestseller Blind Faith. This is anambitious, fictitious story basedon a disturbing future realityin which all forms of privacy,information, confidentiality,isolation, retreat or simplesolitude are considered criminalacts against the governmentand its people. In fact, if onedid not post their whole lives

online it was considered aperversion. It is a future wherea population is dumbed down bya lack of education, as their solesource of absorbing knowledge

is filtered through an un-reliable information core calledGooging and tubes.

A panopticon society, gonewrong on so many levels

In our reality today, we havehints of these extreme scenariosslowly infiltrating into our dayto day living. Albert Einsteinsaid: It has become appallinglyobvious that our technologyhas exceeded our humanity.One can only but wonder wherewe are heading and what liesin store for childrens futurerealities. Certainly, technology,information and social mediahave made life richer and somuch easier, but are we ashuman beings, with the bazaarnature we encompass, reallyready for the exponential growthin technological change? Or willwe head towards a similar fate

where our intention towardsinformation and education maybe challenged by our selfish needto take control?

As far as information isconcerned, the internets vastknowledge base is so incrediblyawesome and yet it can be soawesomely unreliable. Wheredo we find the balance insifting through our sources,especially when social media

is starting to become thenumber one source in revealinginformation and news? Who dowe believe or trust? The issueof free information versus paid

information is also troubling; willour pockets have to define thelegitimacy of information in thenear future?

So what can we do? Yourguess is as good as mine.Gertrude Stein said: Everybodygets so much information allday long that they lose theircommon sense. We all have totake responsibility for our actionsand their consequences; whyshould this be any different. Withevery challenge in life, whethercollective or not, I believe thatthe first step towards finding anysolution is awareness!

In this months issue, Suveshdelves a little deeper into thissubject as he takes a look at theaccuracy of online informationin his feature What PriceKnowledge. Ivan brings to lightthe basics of passwords, as

the key to opening your virtualreality of digital data and Pippa,once again, inspires us with ThePersonal Touchusing apps inAndroid customisation. Checkout the review section if you arelooking for a motherboard or agraphics card you may findsomething worth your while.

As for me, I will leave you withthis thought: For a successfultechnology, reality must take

precedence over public relations,for Nature cannot be fooledRichard P. Feynman.

Hope you enjoy the Mag... it isfree information and it is legit!g

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DidYou

1that one of most popularprogrammes in the world is FutureSplashAnimator?Well, technically it is, but not really. FutureSplashAnimator was created by designer Jonathan Gay in1996 as a vector-based animation editor for Gayscompany FutureWave Software. FutureSplashAnimator was used back in the day on websites suchas Microsofts MSN, Foxs official The Simpsonswebsite, but was bought by Macromedia in 1996,

who promptly changed the name to MacromediaFlash. Skip ahead nine years, and the product wasturned into the one we know better today - AdobeFlash.

2that broadband is classified asfaster than 1.2Mb?

The worldwide standard for broadband hasbeen set at 1.2Mb/s through various standards.This speed was specifically chosen to be labelledas broadband, as it has enough capability to forstreaming high definition video, playing onlinegames and sending and receiving large amountsof data. But in South Africa the situation is a littledifferent. The Department of Communications haverepeatedly said that the classification of broadbandin the country is anything faster than 256Kb/s. Thisis due to a number of factors, but most importantlythe infrastructure for widespread deployment of1.2Mb/s internet isnt readily available.

3that Comic Sans was created in1994?

Whether technology users love it or hate it, ComicSans is one of the most popular fonts around theworld. Not only are users committing font-crimes onwebpages, presentations and slideshows, but thefont is widely used in birthday cards, comic books,restaurant menus and signs. The font was createdby former Microsoft font designer Vincent Connare,

who also designed Trebuchet and some of otherWingdings. But even the creator is very fond of himown creations, as he once Tweeted that ComicSans is the best joke I ever told.

Know?

Regular


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by Charlie Fripp

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4that Wi-Fi doesnt stand for anything?Wi-Fi has become one of the most widely used

technologies across the world even in developingnations. It allows users to connect to the internetthrough a wireless portal no matter where they are as long as they are connected to the Wi-Fi networkand in range. But contrary to popular believe, the wordWi-Fi isnt an acronym nor does it stand for something.Phil Belanger, a founding member of the Wi-Fi Alliance,explained that it was just a made-up word. Wi-Fi

doesnt stand for anything. It is not an acronym. Thereis no meaning. Wi-Fi and the ying yang style logowere invented by Interbrand, and we asked them tocome up with the name and logo that we could usefor our interoperability seal and marketing efforts. Weneeded something that was a little catchier than IEEE802.11b Direct Sequence.

5that Youtube freezes some videoviews at 301?

Viewers of popular videos on Youtube might havenoticed that sometimes a particular video will havethousands of likes on the site, yet only have 301 views the number of viewers who actually looked at thevideo. Well, Youtube sometimes freezes the view counton purpose in an effort to stop fraud and to determinewhich views are legitimate, and which ones are frombots or people who arrived at the video by accident orbaiting. Views on Youtube are seen as a form of onlinecurrency, and the more views a video gets, the higherthe income for some users.

6that Alexander Graham Bells voicecan be heard 130 years later?

Technology truly is amazing. Back in the 1880s,Alexander Graham Bell invented the frontrunner to thetelephone that we all know and use today. During theprocess and while experimenting with different ideas,Bell managed to record his own voice onto a waxdisc. Well, that recording has now been retrieved bythe Smithsonian Museum in the US, and they played

back his original recording. Making use of some clevertechnology, they created a digital reconstruction of therecording and extracted the sound waves from it. Bellsvoice can now be heard for the first time, 130 yearsafter it was recorded. . g

Comic Sans, Wif and Alexander GrahamBell... fun facts from the tech world.


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Amazing FranchisePippa Tshabalala

10 g l a dg e t31Authors photograph by Adrian Louw

Im not quitesure why - youdthink I would be

somewhat cynicalby now - but I amperpetually amazedat the number offranchise games thatare released, oftenaimed unashamedlyat our children,whenever a newanimated movie hitsthe circuit.

Im formally trainedin animation, so Ihave no shame inadmitting that I lovewatching animatedmovies. In fact somany animated shortsand features thesedays are not aimed

at children at all, andanimation is in facta wonderful way toaddress difficult andambitious subjectmatter, while stillmaking it accessible.

That said, manyparents rush to taketheir children to thelatest cartoonon circuit, and the

result is that notonly are they thenoften coerced intobuying the DVDfor their child aswell as all the otherclothing/stationary/crockery/whateverelse there is brandedparaphernalia. Dontget me wrong, Imnot saying youshouldnt buy these

things for your child,Im certainly guiltyof giving in to thefact that my son is

obsessed with Carsand Jake and theNeverland Pirates,but it really gets tome when I can see anobvious attempt atmaking money fromwhatever distributoris responsible for themovie.

What I find moreinteresting however,are the accompanyingmobile/tablet gamesthat are releasedalongside said movie,many of which arefree. Although someof them have in apppurchases, this isntalways standardpractice, and so Imintrigued as to the

purpose. Is it merelyto raise awarenessand develop brandloyalty? Is it toencourage thepurchase of otheritems (such as theaforementionedclothing etc)? Theserationalisations makemore sense when thegame is in many ways

a replica of the eventsin the movie, or atleast related in someway, but the gamesthat really baffle meare free mobile gamessuch as The Croods.

Created byRovio, The Croodsmobile game ismore a strategy, orat the very leastcollection, game

than you would expectfrom such a fun andfast paced movie, andI cant really imagine

that it would appealto many children, or atleast none who havethe attention span ofmy son anyway. Itsan incredibly slowgame, not bad, butjust uninspired. Yes,you can spend realmoney through in apppurchases, but whileplaying StarCraft andusing cheat codesto speed up yourbuilding is frownedupon, it appears socialgame developerssuch as Rovio in factencourage this formof cheating.

I suppose if yourgame is free todownload and play,

and other peopleare the ones rakingin the cash fromlicensed items in thefranchise, (becauseof course I totallyknow how thatworks) you have tomake your moneyback somewhere. Soat lets say, $0.99 foreach in-app purchase,

with a conservativeestimate of 1 Millioninstalls on Androidalone, the turnoveris probably relativelysignificant. Ofcourse, this is all

just speculation andmusing on my part,I have absolutely noidea how any of thisworks feel free toeducate me if you

wish, but I have towonder how much of acut DreamWorks getout of my $0.99c?g

Opportunity!


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Interview

The modern video game

industry owes everything

to the development ofcomputer technology. Even

video game consoles, in

their current and upcoming

forms, have a lot of computer

influence in them. While

computers and video game

consoles came at roughly

concurrently, the present state

of consoles includes a lot of

hardware and architecture

that arose from the computer

tech industry. It is somewhat

odd, then or perhaps not,

if you really think about it

that PC gaming has seen a

decline, while many players

move towards consoles.

PC gaming surges ahead with f

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cussed components.

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Interview

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Feature

For many years, PCs were the most powerfulmachines on which to experience games. Theystill are, in fact, but many will cite reasons

like the almost eternal need to upgrade for theirmove towards the more user-friendly consolesystems. These days, a PC game easily be rated byits ability to play the latest games. Where gamingsoftware was once simple, it now representssome of the most complex programming around.Gamers demand not only excellent graphics, butalso intelligent enemies, good sound and realisticphysics. All of these factors, and more, contribute to

the fact that, to run the latest games properly, youneed a powerful PC.

While there has been a decline in PC gamernumbers, the simple truth is that there are stillmillions of gamers around the globe who turn to thePC as their source of entertainment. Competitivegaming still takes place mostly on PC platforms, andthe growing popularity of ideas like eSports and onlineplay is seeing increases in PC gaming activity. Moregamers are entering the market, and many of themare looking for reliable PC equipment that will providethem with fast and effective performance.

The evolution of the common computer into themodern gaming PC was a slow one, at least interms of this fast paced industry. The first real steptowards realising the potential of these machines


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During the 1990s, another definitive gamingcomponent underwent its evolution. In fact, thisparticular component is the one true identifier of amodern gaming PC: the graphics card. This device,in its modern guise, handles many of the functionsthat games require, including graphics (obviously) andphysics calculations. No gaming PC serious gamingPC is without a graphics card. While motherboardssometimes offer integrated graphics solutions, nonecan truly compare to the dedicated performance ofthese devices, which are sometimes doubled up insidethe PC for more power.

As the PC gaming industry grew and evolved, aplethora of other devices and components sprang

was the creation of the sound card. Until 1988, soundcards were not common at all. But manufacturerslike Creative Labs soon popularised the idea ofrealistic sounds, which lead to more than just gamingadvances. In fact, sound has become an integralpart of the modern computer, as people use theirmachines to listen to music, watch movies and evencommunicate verbally with others around the globe.Sound has become integrated most motherboardsnow offer full surround sound on-board, oftenaugmented by chipsets that improve the quality ofthe audio. One of the first moves towards the modern

gaming rig, the sound card, has once again becomesomewhat uncommon.


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Interview

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up. Whether peripherals like specialised mice,keyboards and headphones, or components likefaster RAM and solid state drives, the video gamerusing a PC as his main source of gaming hasbenefitted greatly. But these other components arenot indicative of gaming in the same way that thegraphics card is.

Recently, a number of component manufacturersstarted promoting another essential gaming device;the motherboard. Among these companies is MSI,a Taiwanese component manufacturer founded in1986.

With a strong sense of the importance of thegame market firmly in place, MSI have launched a

range of products designed at improving the overallPC gaming experience. One such product range arethe Z77 gaming motherboards, which use specialisedLAN systems to ensure smooth networked gaming,as well as improved device ports, military class IIIcomponents, multiple graphic card optimisation, topnotch audio and more to enhance PC gaming.

The motherboard, though, is not like the graphicscard I that it is an integral part of any PC system.A computer simply cannot exist with it. Will theZ77 range, and others like it, be able to evolve intodistinctive gaming components, rather than those

that straddle a line between gaming and generalcomputing? It seems that this is the direction that

Feature


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gaming PC. The integrated 27 inch non-glare screenworks with top notch components, like a GeForceGTX670M graphics processor and 3rd generation IntelCore processor to deliver a level of gaming experiencenever before seen in this kind of computing solution.

With companies like MSI pouring a lot of timeand effort into evolving hardware better suitedto computer based video gaming, it is likely thatthe activity will not only grow stronger, but indeedflourish. As more and more South Africans enter themarket with South Africa being a strong bastionfor PC gaming the future of the activity, thanks to

forward thinking component manufacturers, looksvery bright indeed.g

MSI wants to go, although time will be the true judgeof that.

In addition to the Z77 motherboard range, MSI arealso producing high-end graphics cards as part oftheir gaming range, signifies by the bold dragon logoon the packaging (and, in some cases, even on thecomponents themselves). AT the time of writing theNvidia 650Ti is the chipset of choice for this gamingrange.

The way people perform their computing tasks haschanged over the years, too, and to this end MSI havenot only included the impressively specced GE60and

GE70 gaming notebooks in their gaming stable, buthave also produced the worlds first high All-In-One


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Love it or hate it, socialnetworking is here to stay.It seems that for every

example of an interesting post,there are dozens more of lunchphotographs and inane comments

about what a certain Kardashianis up to.

It has become both a blessingand a curse that people canupdate their status from virtuallyanywhere in the world thanksto the pervasiveness of themobile lifestyle. Whether it is asmartphone or a tablet, we havecome to rely on these devicesfor just about anything. Onlinebanking, shopping, settling a pubquiz dispute, or just doing thesocial networking thing, there islittle arguing the benefits of beingconnected everywhere we go.

Our phones and tablets haveevolved into repositories of allour valuable information. Thinkfamily photographs, video clipsfrom your last holiday, yourcredit card details, or just logindetails to social networks. Buthave you taken the time to thinkwhat would happen if your trusty

mobile assistant were to be lost orstolen?

Falling into the wrong handsmight mean being locked out ofsocial networks while a strangerposts all sorts of damaging thingsor sharing those photos you tookin the early hours of the morningafter having just one too many.Definitely not ideal. How aboutgetting access to your bankaccounts and transferring your

hard-earned cash to an offshoreaccount?Our need to remain logged-in

to the apps on our mobile devicesis more a matter of conveniencethan anything else. Imagine havingto sign in every time you want topost something or to access youremail. Yet, anybody who has hadtheir personal details exposed viaa lost or stolen device will havewished they had spent a bit oftime to secure their device.

Granted, emptying your bankaccount is a little far-fetchedseeing that financial institutions

are taking extra securityprecautions that involve all sortsof additional verification for mobileapps. Yet, that does not mean youare not at risk should the deviceget lost.

With all the personal informationstored on your mobile device andthrough email, there is always thepossibility that your identity couldbe stolen and used for all sorts ofnefarious activities.

Impractical though it may seem,the only reliable way to make sureyour apps are never exposed, is tolog out each time you are finishedwith them. This will ensure thateven if your phone or tablet isstolen there would be no way yourpasswords can be changed or yourdata stolen.

The first line of defence is toalways use a password to protectyour device, making sure thatit is set to kick-in after a littleinactivity. Whatever method ofprotection you use there is a lotto lose if your mobile sidekickfalls into the wrong hands so it isbest to use as much protection aspossible.

Effective password creation,be it for a computer, mobiledevice or anything else, is notdifficult. However, there arecertain guidelines that should beconsidered. For example, usinganything relates to informationthat could be learned is notadvisable; pets names, maidennames, dates of birth and thelike are not advisable. A betterroute would be to use a word that

is not common, or doesnt holda traceable link to you. BurgerKing, for example, suffered ahacker attack because one ofthe companys vital passwordswas whopper123 hardly aneffective protective measure.

Should you choose to go witha word that you can remembereasily (as opposed to a randomcollection of letters, numbers andpunctuation marks, which is, ofcourse, the ideal but may prove

more difficult to remember) youcan purposely misspell the word.The password can be further

strengthened by replacing letterswithin it with punctuation marksor numbers. For example, E mightbe replaced with 3, and A with @.

Ideally, a strong passwordis made up of a random

arrangement of letters, capitalletters, numbers and punctuationmarks. Whether these are used asa completely random sequence,or as an uncommon word that youcan remember, combining theseelements ups the odds against thepassword being cracked.

Further, varied passwordsshould be used for differentaccounts and devices that requirethem. Also, you should changeyour passwords on a regularbasis, to ensure the integrity ofyour accounts and devices. Withthis in mind, creating a system forpasswords that you can adhere to,to ensure that you will rememberthem, is a great idea. However,if a system is discovered by acybercriminal, they may be ableto exploit it. Any system that youuse should still contain random,non-referenced words, numbersand symbols. Also try to avoid

repetition of sequential symbols,or obvious sequences (like 2,4,6or a,b,c).

While we could provide youwith examples of effectivepassword systems, that wouldprove counter-intuitive afterall, if you can read them here, socan cybercriminals. Rather, thebest advice we can give is foryou to take the little time it wouldrequire to construct a number of

effective passwords and passwordsystems, which can be adjusted atleast four times a year. And makesure that you can remember them;printing passwords out on a pieceof paper is not as secure as youmay think. If you devise a good,robust system, and rememberhow it works, recalling anyspecific password should be easy.

Fighting cybercrime issomething that everyone whouses modern technology is

responsible for.Effective password protection

is a way of doing your part.g

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byIwanPienaarProper

Password - Protection

19

Securing your online presence


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Weve reached a stage in the evolutionof the internet where a lot of peopleget their news on the internet first.

Most reputed news channels attract newsreadersto their stories from links on their social mediapages and accounts. Many traditional newspapersand magazines put as much focus on their internetpresence (if not more) as they do on their printoutput. And there are now many online sourcesof information, which has the advantage of beinginstantly up to date and almost live. The lateststatistics show that while television remains themain delivery source of news to the public, theamount of people getting their current events fromthe radio and newspapers has steadily declinedwhile web watching has dramatically increased overthe past four to five years. Television also peakedaround 2002 and has declined by approximately14%, while internet news following has increasedby approximately 40% in the last few years. Thedramatic rise includes access through mobile

phones. The rise in mobile browsing has also beenbolstered by the advent of apps, which most of thenews agencies now have.

In the wake of this, many agencies have re-introduced paywalls, spearheaded by the New YorkTimes, who was amongst the first to revive thisconcept to their news service back in early 2011.Simply put, a paywall is a system that preventsaccess to digital content without a paid subscription,and the concept is now synonymous with newsand academic online publishing. The norm hadpreviously been free registration, usually resulting

in polite spamming of some sort, which most wereprobably generally OK with. However, we shouldhave suspected that at some stage the free luncheswould be taken away. While the last of the majorinternational newspapers, like the WashingtonPost, fight desperately to resist the trend towardspaywalls, many South African news sites havealready adopted the model, from Die Beeld toBusiness Day, charging up to R99 per month forsubscriptions.

The scheme has come across a lot of criticism, andthere have been several modifications and revisionsto make the scheme work. Some like the Times

and The Wall Street Journal (who were the first toinstitute a paywall back in 1997) introduced hardpaywalls, where no content could be accessed atall. Other opted for soft paywalls, either using avariety of free and mixed content. The metering ofcontent is also considered a soft model, wherea user may access a limited amount of contentuntil they reach a free usage limit for the day, atwhich point further content browsing is blocked.Several of them have since revised their offers inthe wake of slow growth of subscriptions as wellas criticism of the ethics of forcing the public to

pay to stay informed of important events. Majorinternet players like Google, pushed for a more opensystem like First Click Free, which would onlycharge for repeated viewing of the same content.Ultimately, the jury is still out on the fairness of

the system, most have voted with their wallets (ormore accurately, they have abstained). While NewYork Times had already publicised that emergencycontent, such as stories on Hurricane Irene wouldbe free to view, they recently also disabled theirvideo paywall to boost their online traffic, allowingfor unlimited views on video content, which does notcount towards the 10 article metered soft paywall.

So where does one find the news without payinga fortune? Social media has always been a shakysource of reliable information. The cherry on tophas to be the recent hacking of Associated PresssTwitter account. The hacker used the hijackedaccount to tweet false reports of bombings at theWhite House, which led to massive drops on theDow Jones stock exchange. The account was quicklysuspended, and the market eventually recovered,but the power of false news had already madewaves. After a hacker recently hacked Burger KingsTwitter account back in February to post pictures ofMcDonalds menus (snidely remarking that Burger

King should really have chosen a better passwordthan whopper123). Twitter has now come under fireto introduce more verification on Twitter accounts,with many calling for two-step verification on verifiedaccounts.

So perhaps paying for news is the only way tomake sure that one actually gets verified and reliablenews. However, the question of paywalls camesharply into focus during the recent terrorist attacksin Boston, when multiple explosions killed andinjured participants (including two South Africans)and crowd members at the finish line of the Boston

Marathon. The tragic event overtook the onlinearena, not through news agencies, but through socialmedia, specifically Twitter. I happened to be onlineat the time, despite the time difference, and canremember the wave of sudden tweets and re-tweetsthat suddenly overtook my Twitter feed. As manyof the people on the ground tweeted what they sawand heard, there was a feeling of being connectedto the event somehow, as it was happening thereand then. In fact, it seemed insensitive somehowthat some news agencies and tech sites continuedto tweet unrelated news, possibly scheduled beforehand or unaware of the unfolding tragedy. Many US

news sites only reacted later, while local news mostlypicked up the story the following day.

So just as news agencies have to evolve withreaders to meet their needs in expectation togenerate revenues, perhaps we as news consumersneed to evolve the way that we interact withinformation. When there is a limited stream ofinformation, we narrowed our selection and choseagencies and formats that we identified with business orientated magazines or tech-focussedjournals. With a flood of information constantlyvying for our attention, well perhaps have to

verify information from multiple sources before wecan assume a certain presentation or viewpointis substantiated. Luckily there is no shortage ofsources to give us a varied, balanced and hopefullyinexpensive perspective on world events. g

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What PriceKnowledgeOnline News... should I pay to believe?


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The

PersonalTouch

Feature

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And other ways to get the most out of your Android phone


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Customisation. Toutedas the cornerstone ofevery Android phone.

That said, how much do youreally customise your phone? Aringtone here and there, a new

message notification. Oooh,look I can change the colour ofmy status bar!

The fact of the matter is thatwhen most of us get a newphone, we might fiddle with theimmediate settings to find abackground that is aestheticallypleasing, a ringtone thatdoesnt completely grate onour nerves (and everyonearound us as is the case inmy office!), and a messagetone that we can actuallyhear, very few of us attemptto do things like installing newlaunchers, customise iconsand lock screens, and set upa phone that can look and feelcompletely different to thestandard operating system.

But that can change, and thismonth Im going to introduceyou to a couple of apps thatcould completely change your

life. Or at the very least theway you use your phone.

One of the things Iexperimented with first was theidea of the launcher. Im whatwould be considered tech savvyotherwise I wouldnt be in thisindustry, but somehow this wassomething I found intimidating.Your launcher is the softwareon your phones that launchesall other applications, and is the

defining look and feel of yourphone. I experimented with acouple of different launchers,including the Go Launcherwhich although popular andhighly rated on the Play store, Ifelt was a bit clunky and I didntmuch like the look and feel of it.

I ended up, after a bit ofresearch settling on theNova Launcher, which notonly is pretty to look at,but also speeds up theresponsiveness of the screenquite substantially. This for mewas a very pleasant surprise,

as one of the things Ive beenbattling with in transitioning tomy Galaxy S3, was the lag. Asis the nature of most Androidoperating systems, you dostill have to kill background

processes manually, but overallmy phone now runs a greatdeal smoother.

Nova has some awesomecustomisable features.Including a dock that you canswipe through in the samemanner as your multiple homescreens, so youre not limited to

just 5 icons as your favourites ifthere are applications you usefrequently.

You can also import yoursettings from your defaultlauncher, which means youdont need to spend agesreorganising the stuff youvealready set up. Consideringthat this was the biggestdeterrent for me in switchingto a new launcher, it madeit much less painless. Itsnot completely seamlessas you have to reload yourwidgets, but its definitely not

a mammoth task of movingeach and every one of yourapplications back into place.

If you so wish, you can alsouse gestures to open up certainapps, which is a big time saverif youre one of those people.I cant say its something Iuse frequently, but it makessense if you have loads of appsand dont want to spend timesearching for the one you want.

With Nova Launcher (or morespecifically Nova LauncherPrime, the paid version),you can customise how youtransition from screen toscreen, can put folders in yourApp Drawer at the bottom ofyour screen for added flexibilityand enable unlimited customtabs.

The next step is the lockscreen. Again, after a bit ofresearch, I found one thatcompletely suits me HoloLocker. Its simple, based ona standard lock screen so its

familiar but it has additionaloptions that push it just thatlittle step further. Holo Lockeris another app that has both apaid and free version, but thefree version really isnt worth it

in this case. The customisationis limited and you may as wellstay with your standard locker.That said, its not expensive,and the full version workedmuch better than I expected.

You now have an option toset what your backgroundwallpaper is, which isnt newand innovative certainly, but itspart of what sets the free andpaid versions apart. You canalso, with the installation of asmall, free plugin, called HoloNotifier (irritating because youneed to download an additionalapp but nevertheless) get allyour unread counts directly onyour unlock screen.

Holo Locker also allows youto customise which apps youcan open directly from yourlock screen in the same manneras the Galaxy lock screen.

Obviously there are many

aspects of the lock screenwhich are much the same asthe standard lock screens onmany Android devices, howeverthis one just functions a littlesmoother than the defaultsystem that came with mySamsung.

Unlike iOS, the basisof the Android system iscustomisation, and making yourphone look and run in a manner

suitable to your lifestyle isthe first step towards this.There are a variety of differentlaunchers available on the PlayStore, and while these aremy favourites, its certainlyworthwhile experimenting withwhat works for you and yourAndroid phone depending onyour requirements.

You may be required to forkout a little cash to upgradefrom free to full versions, buton the whole its worth it to getthe look and functionality yourphone is capable of.g

byPippaTshaba

lala

23g ladge t 31


24/72

1

972 was a time of change in the world, asthe old began to give ground to the new. LedZeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, the

unholy trinity of heavy metal, was horrifying millions ofparents worldwide, while the Godfather was inspiringthugs to at least pretend civility. It was also time ofdeep sorrow, as the Munich Massacre and BloodySunday threw ideological conflict centre-stage, andTricky Dick began sweating bullets as the WatergateScandal began to unravel before his eyes.

The age of space exploration had largely begunto falter at this time, with the Moon no longer theunattainable dream it had been. This wasnt to saythat it was dead however, as January saw AmericanPresident Richard Nixon announce the commencement

of the now defunct space shuttle program, and theMariner 9, launched in the previous year, transmitted7392 images over the course of 1972, completelymapping the surface of Mars, until it was turned off.

This year saw the end of the Apollo program, and

with it the death of many a boyhood dream. Both theApollo 16 and 17 were launched this year, and EugeneCernan became the last man to have walked on themoon to date. The Russians kept on though, with theunmanned Luna 20 landing and collecting samples ofthe Moons soil, which was subsequently shared withFrench and American scientists.

The technological front was relatively quiet thisyear, however 1972 did mark the founding of CrayResearch by Seymour Cray, the man who is almostsingle-handedly responsible for the rise of thesupercomputer. This was also the year HP inventedthe first hand-held scientific calculator (both thesaviour and curse of high school kids worldwide),the HP-35. The unit, which had a battery life of

approximately three hours, sold over 100000 units inits first year alone, a staggering figure consideringthe price tag of $395, or approximately $2200 dollarstoday.

1972 was a colossal year for gaming, due in no small

LookingBack

g ladge t 31

1972ByLein

Baart

Gaming Madness Begins

24


25/72

part the release of the Magnavox Odyssey, the veryfirst gaming console. Invented by Ralph H. Baer (theFather of Video Games) the Odyssey was a huge leapforward over the scarce electrical gaming machinesof the past. Shipping with two controllers, operatedby two knobs that determined the players horizontaland vertical positions, as well as an assortment ofaccessories such as cards, paper money and dice,the Odyssey also contained support for a light gun,another first for its time. While the console itself wasincapable of rendering colour graphics, surprisinglydue to cost factors rather than technical limitations,this deficiency was catered for with television overlaysthat sold with the games. The Odyssey, unlike theconsoles that were to follow, was also the forbearer of

ROM cartridges, with a total of twenty seven gamesreleased across eleven cartridges.

Despite the monumental achievements of theOdyssey, it was quickly overshadowed by anarcade system released later that year, one which

would thrust gaming into the public consciousness:PONG. Designed by Allan Alcorn in what wasinitially supposed to be a training exercise, asAlcorn had never worked with games, the potentialwas soon spotted by Atari co-founder NolanBushnell. Inspired by Tennis for the Odyssey, afact that Bushnell only admitted when Magnavoxslawyers came knocking, Alcorn made severalcritical adjustments, including digital scorekeeping,increased ball speed over time and segmenting thepaddles so that different angles of return could becreated. All this culminated in an arcade machinethat skyrocketed in fame and popularity, and almostby itself launched the video game industry as amajor financial market. PONG alone created a

legacy of consoles designed exclusively to play avariant of the original, with everyone from Searsto Nintendo hopping on the band wagon, andcementing Ataris name in the annals of video gamehistory. g

g ladge t 31 25


26/72

ReviewsHighlights

SteelSeries Apex Raw

Gaming KeyboardPower in your pocket

Ferrari by Logic3 T250

On Ear Headphones

Multimedia on the move

Nokia Lumia 920

Smartphone

Active HD gaming

MSI GTX 680 Twin FrozrIII Graphics Card

Top notch graphics

30

40

44

46

In this months issue we have a wide variety of hardware,including some awesome new motherboards and graphicscards from MSI and Asus. But that is not all - we also have

reviews of great peripherals from Razer and SteelSeries, audiosolutions from Logic3, a great projector from Epson and much

more.As the year approaches the half way mark, the world of

technology is, once again, getting very interesting. And wereright here to tell you all about the excellent products you canenrich your life with g

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6

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by Walt Pretorius

T

here has, for some time now, been a strongdrive towards PC gaming in the componentmarket. In most territories, PC gaming has

seen a somewhat steady decline over the last fewyears, thanks to the rise of higher end consoles. Thatspartly the reason why products like this have startedemerging. Here in South Africa, where PC gaming isstill strong, we reap the benefits, with hardware thatis far more focussed on the PC gamer, rather than justPC users in general.

One of the more recent additions to the fray is thegaming motherboard. MSI have now joined companieslike Asus in producing these devices, and gamers havea fair amount to crow about when it comes to theseproducts. However, it is the added extras that bring

the most noteworthy improvements, rather than thegeneral board itself.

The MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming Motherboard is aflagship product for the range, and it brings with itseveral ideas that work extremely well for gamers.But not all of these are endemic to the idea of gamingmotherboards. Lets be honest; we have seen multi-GPU compatibility, military class components and easyoverclocking before.

Even though these arent entirely original concepts,they do serve the gamer better in the fact that theyhave been tweaked for gaming. The board is extremelyrobust under strain, which is where it will spend mostof its time with a dedicated gamer. Other systems, likeKiller E2200 Ethernet, have been designed specificallyfor gaming applications. The inclusion of elements likeSound Blaster Cinema chipsets mean better surroundsound, and the reworking of PS/2 and USB portswith triple gold plating means that the board respondsbetter to high end gaming peripherals.

Will this motherboard provide gamers with anedge? Well, thats something that only time willanswer, but testing did show a rather capable high-end motherboard, which is what gamers will need.The added responsiveness in areas like peripheral

interfacing and LAN connection are sometimes difficultto quantify specifically, but the general performance ofthis motherboard is undeniably excellent.

And then there is the question of looks. If your PCcase doesnt have a window, youre probably going toend up cutting one into it, just to show off the designof this motherboard. The all-black board is finished withred accents, and even has heat sinks in the shape ofdragons (the theme that MSI have chosen to go with intheir gaming motherboard range). It certainly looks thepart so much so that hiding one in a case borders onsinful.

The improvements to the board in terms ofgaming are largely tweaks and using higher gradecomponents. But the improvements are there, makingthis a very decent option particularly if you are aserious gamer. g

Weap


29/72g ladge t 31 29

Score

92

Summary

Although it is very similarto other high end, MSIboards, it has tweaks

that certainly enhance agaming experience.

ManufacturerDistr ibuter:

Onl ine:RRP:

Manufacturer: MSIDistr ibutor: Pinnacle Afr icaOnl ine: www.pinnacle.co.zaRRP: Approx R2 500

Tech Specs:

Intel Z77 Express chipset

4 Dual-channel DDR3

DIMMS

Sound Blaster Cinema chip

4 USB 3.0

10 USB 2.0

SLI / Crossfire support

Pros

Looks great

Excellent

performance

Sensible tweaks

Cons

Very similar to

other high end

boards.

Thats what it says on the box

nof Choice


30/72

WW

e have mentioned before, in a previous issue,that SteelSeries arent about the fancy stuff.This company produces peripherals that gives

gamers what they need, rather than introducing tons ofunnecessary flash. And the Apex Raw Gaming Keyboardstands testament to the logic behind that thinking.

That said, this device is not without its special features.These are mainly in the form of 17 macro keys, each withtwo layers. The sum total is 34 programmable keys thatcan very easily be accessed, allowing players to speed uptheir gaming performance wonderfully.

With five of these running down the left side of the

keyboard, and a further 12 above the function keys, theApx is a little larger than the average keyboard out there.This also allows for an enlarged ESC key, as well as avery generous space bar.

The overall design shows a good connection with the

needs of gamers. It might not have all the flashier bits, butthe well-spaced, backlit keys are very clearly marked, andelements like the arrow keys have been modified to includetwo diagonal forward direction keys. Even the W key hassmall, tactile bumps on it to help the user find the all-important WADS configuration without having to tear theireyes from the screen.

The keys are low profile and relatively quiet, particularlywhen compared to some of SteelSeries earlier models,which were rather noisy to say the least.

The whole thing is tied together by a rather robust,weighty design. It doesnt feel fragile at all; the user will be

able to carry this keyboard with them to LAN parties and thelike, without having to worry about fragility. That counts forthe feet as well. Instead of having the usuable, often flimsyfold-away feet that allowed the user to adjust the angle ofthe keyboard, the Apex Raw comes with non-slip rubber feet

p

g

y

30

Specialfea

turesspeedupgamingperformanc

e

& St

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that can be changed at the rear of the keyboard, allowingfor a higher or lower angle. The downside is that this takesa little more time than flipping out those old folding feet.The upsides well, the keyboard doesnt skid around whenin use, and the feet themselves arent going to break if youlook at them funny.

An additional SteelSeries key unlocks extra functionality,including multimedia controls and the ability to disable thatoften annoying Windows key.

All of this is supported by a software that uses SteelSeriesEngine technology to unlock even more options for the user.Various customisations, as well as complex macros, can be

set using this rather easy-to-use suit.And it looks good, too. The keys are clearly marked, and

the overall effect is an understated elegance that looks a bitmore serious than some of the more ostentatious keyboardsout there. In all, a solid, understated option.g

31

lish

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Score

89

Summary

It looks plainer than theaverage gaming keyboard,but it possesses all theright kind of features toenhance gaming.


Onl ine:RRP:

SteelSeriesMegarom

ww w. me ga ro m. co .z aAp pr ox R9 00

Tech Specs:

17 macro keys

2 macro levels

Non-slip rubber feet

Corded

Enlarged space bar and ESC key

SteelSeries Engine software

support

Pros

Well built

Clearly marked

keys

Non-slip feet

Cons

Adjusting angle

takes a little longer

by Alex Scanlon


32/72

g

g

32

Video games, for the moment, are at theforefront of offering the consumer an immersiveexperience second to none.

Their storylines and graphics capture our attentionand, for the time we spend playing them, transportus to fantastical worlds where we control the ultimateoutcome.

As engrossing as these games are visually, nothingquite facilitates our complete immersion as when we arestimulated with their audio prowess. Experiencing a gamewhile being visually and audibly focused completes the

immersion and the escape becomes all the more real.Enter the Razer Kraken Pro Analogue Gaming Headset.

Stylishly green, comfortable and wonderful to listenthrough, this gaming headset is primed to take yourgaming experience into a whole new dimension.

One of the main considerations of a good set of gamingheadphones is comfort. You might spend hours with themon, so youll want to find a set that not only sounds good,but fits well too. The headset features 40mm neodymiumdrivers, which are surrounded by a very generous amountof foam padding and covered by a soft faux leather.

Each ear cup has an opening large enough toencompass the ear completely and the whole thing canbe folded up making the Kraken slightly more compactand portable.

The headsets soft feel on the sides of my head meantthat I was able to wear them for long periods without myears feeling fatigued or uncomfortable.

The headbands adjustment feature, which can slideout on either side, has been designed to encompassmost head sizes and I liked the fact that the adjustmentsettings were neither too tight or too soft, whichprevented adjustment loss.

The headset also has a retractable microphone that ishoused inside the left ear cup and, with its adjustable

arm, can be positioned comfortably.The cable that Razer have provided is generous enough

at 1.3m long and they have included an additional 2mlong audio / mic splitter cord although I would haveliked to have seen a braided or flat cable to make cable-tangling impossible.

The microphone was clear and I had no trouble withothers hearing me speak, but it did pick up noise comingfrom the headphones, especially on high volume settings.The sound output was solid, with balanced voice and avery well defined bass, but the mids and highs seemedlost; drowned by its over-enthusiastic bass capabilities.

Ultimately this is a gaming headset and the sounds ofgunfire and explosions will have you feeling shellshockedafter a prolonged gaming session. In summary, Razerhave done a great job on this headset and have left mewith a virtual post traumatic stress disorder and a greaterlove for blowing things up! g

Kraken

g ladge t 31

Em

bras

ing

PTSD...and

loving

it!


33/7233

Whip!

Score

81

Summary

Explosive sound with acomfortable fit.


Onl ine:RRP:

RazerCorex

ww w. co re x. co .zaAp pr ox R9 00

Tech Specs:

40mm drivers

Retractable microphone

Over-ear design

1.3m cable

2m extension cable

Pros

Comfortable

Retractable

microphone

Very well defined

bass

Cons

Non braided cable

No in-line volume

control

by Andy Taliadoros

g ladge t 31


34/72

g

g

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The H

Ifyo

u

re

ale

fty

,

you

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be

le

ftou

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35/7235

The right mouse is essential, because yourelikely to spend a lot of time holding it. Thatmeans that comfort is essential, and comfort

comes right down to design. Ergonomics haveeverything to do with how long the mouse will feelgood, as do materials. These are things that Razerunderstand and they manage to produce comfortablemouse devices more often than not.

The problem with the Razer Deathadder is that itwill only feel good if you are right handed. Despitethe move towards ambidextrous mouse design thatRazer (and numerous other manufacturers) embarkedon a while ago, we still see a large number of designs

that leave lefties out in the cold.In fact, the Deathadder is so right-hand oriented

that simply giving in and using it with the left handis not only uncomfortable, but also impractical. Themouse features five buttons; left and right, scrollwheel and two added thumb-accessible buttons onthe left side. And enterprising left handed user maybe able to work with that, but the mouse is actuallycurved to sit comfortably under the right hand.The curve is subtle, but it is there none the less.While right handed users will enjoy the ergonomics,including a good amount of little finger support

thanks to the curve, left handed users need notapply.

None of this makes the Deathadder a bad mouse.In fact, right handed users will likely love the overallshaping of the mouse, and the non-slip coating thatcovers the top sections is an added comfort bonus.The side grips also add a feeling of comfort andreliability, allowing the user to quickly identify theirmost comfortable grip positions.

The mouse has a generous seven foot braidedcable that ends with a gold plated USB plug. Inaddition, it is fitted with the expected low-friction

feet, which allow it to glide effortlessly at any speed.Speaking of speed, the 4G optical sensor in theDeathadder is rated at 6400 DPI, with an ultrapollingrate of 1 000Hz, providing a one millisecond responsetime. In simpler terms, its really fast and sensitive.

Naturally, the mouse is fully compatible withRazers Synapse 2.0 software, meaning that userswill be able to customise it to their hearts content;this includes button assignments and sensitivities, ofcourse.

On the whole, the Deathadder is an extremelyeffective mouse, and manages to remain versatile.It doesnt have all the flashy bits that some of their

other devices sport, but when it comes down to fast,smooth and effective performance, the Deathadderhits all the right notes. As a general mouse, and evena general gaming mouse, it is a good option as longas you are right handed. g

g ladge t 31

nder

Score

82

Summary

This well designed mouseis comfortable andeffective... but only if youare right handed.


Onl ine:RRP:

RazerCorex

ww w. co re x. co .zaAp pr ox R6 50

Tech Specs:

5 programmable buttons

6400 DPI

4G optical sensor

1 000Hz ultrapolling

Ergonomic design

Pros

Very comfortable

Responsive

Glides beautifully

Cons

Not ambidextrous

byAlexScanlon


36/72g ladge t 31

Enhancing the brand yet again

Graphics cards are a complicated purchase,

because consumers have so much tochoose from. There are two major chipset

manufacturers. Each of these produce variouschipsets in each generation. And then there areeven more brands, each generally using these variedchipsets, who produce ranges of cards using differentideas although these ideas often result in similareffects.

Two of the biggest bragging rights these daysare temperature and noise, or more correctly, lackthereof. Keeping a card cool has many benefits,including longer life spans and greater overclocking

potential. Noise well, no-one wants a noisy PC, andthe graphics card is often a massive contributor toexcessive operational volume levels.

These are two of the things that Asus manage toget right with their range of graphics card solutions.The Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost is such a card,

managing to deliver excellent performance with lower

heat and noise levels.The GTX 650 makes use of flattened copper heat

pipes that are in direct contact with the GPU to helpkeep things cooler. These are combined with generousheat sinks and a twin fan system, which (altogether)helps keep the card significantly cooler than referencemodels.

Cooling is also enhanced with the use of super alloycomponents. These, in addition, help reduce vibration,which results in the aforementioned quieter operation. Italso leads to a longer lifespan Asus claim 50 000 hours(roughly five years) for this device.

The card is powered by a GeForce GTX 650 chipset.While this isnt the top of the line, it still performsadmirably. One would be hard-pressed to distinguish thedifferences between this chipset and the 680 without acollection of benchmarking programmes doing the job. Inaddition, the card offers 2GB of GDDR5, which is a very

6

p

36

The Al


37/7237g ladge t 31

decent amount indeed. Considering that most people

will use their graphics card primarily for gaming, andthat most games wont ask for more than 1GB of videoRAM, that leaves plenty of manoeuvring room for addedperformance.

For those that want to squeeze more out of theirgraphics card, this device certainly has the ability forit. Because it is an OC edition, the user can almostendlessly tweak and fiddle with settings to get thatextra grunt out of the card. This is made easier thanksto the included GPU Tweak software, which provides theuser with a simple, effective way to make adjustments.A monitoring widget will also allow real time checking of

performance.Asus has long been one of the leading brands for awide variety of computer components, and the GeForceGTX 650 Ti Boost keeps that reputation going strong.It certainly is a strong contender when making graphicscard purchasing decisions. g

Score

85

Summary

The GTX 650 Ti Boostoffers everything one wouldwant from a graphics card performance, quietnessand cooler operatingtemperatures.


Onl ine:RRP:

As usAs usww w. as us .c omTB C

Tech Specs:

GeForce GTX 650 Ti chipset

2GB GDDR5 RAM

Super alloy components

DVI-I port

DVI-D port

HDMI port

DisplayPort

Pros

Good performance

Very quiet

Easy overclocking

Cons

Not a top-of-the-

line chip

byWaltPretoriusternative


38/72

Tpoint of our home or office.

Well, that particular problem is easily solved withthe Belkin Dual-Band Wireless Range Extender. Thisdevice, which looks a lot like a Belkin router, works inconjunction with existing Wi-Fi router. It, in principle,extends the range of Wi-Fi coverage to a greater area,as well as eliminating potential dead spots. It will evendrive your Wi-Fi coverage into the garden.

The Range Extender makes use of dual-band speed,covering 2.4GHz and 5GHz rather effectively. This alsoresults in a more stable signal, and helps lead to thatelimination of dead spots we mentioned earlier.

In addition, as we have come to expect from Belkin,the device is extremely simple to set up. Its a little morethan plug-and-play, really, and therefore is simple to usefor anyone with even the most basic wireless networkingknowledge.

It also comes with something that many Wi-Fi home

Technology is something that we should alwaysmarvel over. But it becomes easy to forgetthat we live in a truly advanced age, because

technological advancement has become so ubiquitousthat we hardly notice it anymore. We spend our daysmaking use of technological wonders that, just a fewyears ago, were the realm of science-fiction withoutso much as a thought about what amazing things wecan do with it. We have become spoiled by it the onlytime when we truly pay attention, it seems, is when thattechnology doesnt live up to our expectations.

This often stems out of the fact that we dont

understand the tech, and are ignorant of itscapabilities. Wi-Fi, for example, is a wonderfullyuseful concept, allowing for wireless networking ofa multitude of different devices. But it has a limitedrange. Instead of figuring out where that rangeextends to, we complain that it doesnt reach every

g

38

Range

g ladge t 31

Getting more out of your Wi-Fi literallyby Rob Edwards


39/72

users seem to forget about: preset security. Letsbe honest; the chances of someone leeching yourunsecured Wi-Fi are pretty significant, particularly ifyou live o work in a densely populated area. Extendingthe range just increases those chances, but properlysecuring your network (as this device allows you to do)will prevent people nicking your bandwidth or accessingyour private network.

Along with all of this, the Range Extender comes withfour LAN ports, which will allow non-Wi-Fi devices to beused as well. This is particularly handy for multimediadevices, like TVs, which may not have wireless

capabilities.Creating a truly connected wireless home or officecan be a challenge, because technology still needs toprogress in this field. But using a device like this RangeExtender will help you get closer to that lofty ideal, andit will do so easily and effectively.g

39

Score

88

Summary

Its an extremely sensibleto any home or officenetwork that relies on

Wi-Fi.


Onl ine:RRP:

BelkinTu do rt ec hww w. tud or te ch .c o. zaAp pr ox R1 00 0

Tech Specs:

Dual-band

Preset security

Easy setup

4 LAN ports

Pros

Easy to use

Works like a charm

Cons

More LAN ports

would have been

sweet

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by Walt Pretorius

LL

ast month we looked at the remarkable T350headphones from the Ferrari by Logic3 range.

This time around, the younger brother ofthat excellent headset is up for testing, with theinevitable question of does a higher price pointmean a better product? hanging in the air.

The T250 is a step-down from the T350 in a fewways. Most notably, it is a smaller headset in termsof physical size. Additionally, it lacks the activenoise cancellation of the T350, which might be adetractor for some. On the other hand, the smallersize means greater portability, and the price point ofthe T250 certainly is more attractive.

The headsets are, quite honestly, very similar.Both use high grade metals and quality leatherfinishes to emulate the elegance of Ferrarisroadsters, resulting in headphones that look stylishand expensive. The T250 has the added benefit ofbeing foldable, adding to the portability advantagethat it has over the larger T350.

Headphones come in three varieties, in terms ofear cups: over-ear, on-ear and in-ear. While on-earsolutions are arguably the least comfortable, theT250 manages to provide a very decent amount ofcomfort, even after extended periods. Thats largelythanks to the ultra-soft, leather covered ear padsand headband, which apply surprising little pressure

to the users head. The leather covering help inthis regard, too, with a soft, pliable leather addinga luxurious feel to the device. The metals used arealso light weight, so the T250 weighs a lot less thanone would assume at first glance.

Whats most important, though, is the soundand in this area, the T250 matches the T350 inalmost every regard. The sound quality is excellent,which is surprising considering that the headphonesmake use of 40mm drivers. That said, the T350s usethe same drivers, and the sound quality there wasalso exemplary. The only true difference between

the two is the active noise cancellation system,which is handy for listening to music and the like atlower volumes. Quite honestly, though, we didntmiss the hiss that came from the noise cancelling.The T250s performance, combined with the leatherear pads, means that very little unwanted soundwill interfere with the users experience, makingthe t350s noise cancelling a luxury that isntalways necessary. (That said, it is really good noisecancelling.)

In the end, purchasing the T250s instead ofthe T350s means spending less money withoutcompromising on the most important aspect of a setof headphones: great sound. It also comes with thestandard (for this range) three detachable cables,which add mobile functionality to the mix. On thewhole, an excellent option for those looking for astereo personal audio solution.g


41/72g ladge t 31 41

Score

90

Summary

It might be the little brotherof the T350, but the

T250 headset still has allthe right move...


Onl ine:RRP:

Logic3Ap ex In ter ac ti veww w. ap ex in t. co .zaAp pr ox R3 30 0

Tech Specs:

40mm drivers

On-ear configuration

3 detachable cables

Stereo

High grade materials

Foldable

Pros

Looks awesome

Excellent sound

Easy to carry

Cons

No active noise

cancelling

AcrobatAwellbalance

performancewitha

coup

leofc

o

oltricks..

.


42/7242 g ladge t 31

Anawesome

audiocompanio

n

Long


43/7243

From as early as 1872, a company called the Great

Northern Telegraph Company opened the firsttelegraph connection from Northern Europe to

Japan and Hong Kong. Over the years this networkconsisted of 15,600km of telegraph cables and becamethe most sophisticated network in East Asia.

The Great Northern Telegraph Company was laternamed GN Netcom and under the Jabra brand, launchedthe worlds first Bluetooth headset for mobile phones in2000, the Jabra BT100.

Their 140 year history of connectivity solutionscontinues today in a myriad of products and one ofthose products we will be looking at today is the Jabra

Street2.This unique Bluetooth 3.0 compatible unit effortlessly

connects and pairs with virtually any Bluetooth-enableddevice. Its primary function, through its A2DP feature, isthat it enables you to listen to music streamed wirelesslyfrom your laptop, mobile phone or mp3 player withouthaving to touch your player to control your music.

Combined with Jabra Street2s earphones (whichblock out background noise) and its AM3D PowerBass with Virtual Surround Sound, this small devicepumps out clear, crisps and smooth sound. Comfortenhancements on the earphones also includeinterchangeable ear pieces which let you choose thebest fit.

Control options on the dog-tag include play, pause,skip tracks, volume and answering incoming calls whenits connected to your smart phone. In fact you couldconnect the Street2 to two Bluetooth devices using itsmultiuse feature.

Taking a call on the Street2 is easy enough through its4mm Omni-directional built-in microphone, which meansyou dont have to pick up your phone to talk. The musicpauses and the call connects automatically. When thecall has ended your track continues from where it leftoff.

With only two hours of charge time, the Street2 willgive you a standby time of up to 230 hours, eight hoursof talk time and seven hours of music playback, whichmakes this device a great travel companion.

Connectors featured on the unit are one 3.5 mm audiojack on the top right of control unit and a charging orconnecting Mini USB port at the bottom.

There are a couple of ways of wearing the Smart2;either around your neck with its distinctive dog-tagstyle pendant, or using its cloth clip. It comes in twocolours (white or black) with a metallic front designincorporating the six controller buttons, surrounded by a

rubber covering for protection purposes.The Jabra Street2 not only connected my phone,my mp3 player and my laptop wirelessly to itself, butmore importantly it connected me to all of them and itaccomplished that with style and grace, just as if it had140 years of development behind it.g

g ladge t 31

Score

86

Summary

Powerful sound with acompact design.


Onl ine:RRP:

Ja br aWi nt ec So lu ti on sww w. mo bi le ga dg et s. co .z aR800

Tech Specs:

Bluetooth 3.0

Auto pairing

Music streaming

Digital Signal Processing

(DSP)

Pros

10m operating range

Multiple connections

Interchangeable

headsets

Cons

No cover on the

Charging Port

by Andy Taliadoros


44/72

p

44

Nokia have got quite a bit of ground to coverif theyre to recapture their reputation as aleading mobile handset manufacturer. For

whatever reason, the company has been left eating thedust of Apple and Samsung products, and with otherentrants (like HTC) producing strong contenders, Nokiapretty much have their work cut out for them.

Their answer is the extremely brightly coloured NokiaLumia range, with the Lumia 920 being one of the biggermodels that consumers can add to their consideration

list. The handset is a bit smaller than the Galaxy S3 (anobvious comparison, thanks to Samsungs very strongpresence in local markets) and yet manages to weighjust a touch more. And while Samsungs phone mighttend towards more muted colours, the Lumia 920 isavailable in a range of hues that range from stylish toeye-watering. Our review unit was a shade of yellowthat can only be called obnoxious, but various othercolours can also be purchased.

Under the hood, the 920 packs a dual-core 1.5GHzprocessor, which is nothing to sniff at. This is supportedby a 1GB RAM package, and 32GB of on-boardmemory. With no memory expansion slot, thats allyoure going to get, but it still is a fairly generousamount for a mobile phone. In addition users haveaccess to 7GB of cloud storage, which may work out forsome while proving impractical for others.

In addition, the 920 has an 8.7 megapixel camera (abit better than the S3s) and all the bells and whistlesexpected from a modern smart phone. On paper, it isawesome.

However, Nokias choice of OS leaves a bit to bedesired. While I am personally a fan of Windows, I dontlike Windows 8, and I certainly dont like WindowsPhone 8. It feels cluttered and clunky, with individual

icons taking up too much real estate on the main screen.When compared to Android and iOS applications, it justfeels unintuitive and nasty to work with.

Its a taste thing, sure, but personally I dont see itdoing the 920 any favours. When you have competingOS systems that are extremely well established andsupported available, it seems like a strange move to gowith an operating system that still has to prove itself byand large. This is doubly true when the handset itselfneeds to crash through a few barriers to try and reachpreviously enjoyed heights.

In short, the Lumia 920 is not a bad phone, but it lacks

some of the refinement of other smartphones on themarket, in looks, design and in performance. The OSwill also make purchasing this device a matter of taste.Whether the 920 will recapture Nokias former gloriesremains to be seen, but the strong competition makes itdoubtful.g

I

g ladge t 31

Nokia


45/7245

eas

Score

79

Summary

While not a bad phone,certain aspects of the920 leave a bit to bedesired...


Onl ine:RRP:

NokiaKokia

ww w. no ki a. co mAp pr ox R8 90 0

Tech Specs:

4.5 inch screen

1.5 GHz processor

1GB RAM

32GB storage

8.7mp camera

Wi-Fi enabled

Bluetooth enabled

Pros

Bold

Good control

placement

Cons

OS

Heavy

byRobEdwards

g ladge t 31

boldSmartphoneinaction


46/72

6

p

g ladge t 3146

Agraphicspow

erhouse,

y

byWaltPretorius

I

t must be said that a lot of marketing materialwe base our purchasing decisions on is entirely

theoretical. Take, for example, the claim thatMSI make on virtually every graphics cardspackaging: 10 year lifetime (under full load. Werenot trying to accuse them of distorting the truth, oranything, because were well aware of the fact thattheyre not going to wilfully scupper their reputationby making false claims. But I would like to knowhow they determine that claimed lifetime, beyondtheories and calculations that dont involve actuallytesting the product for ten years.

Not that they could, in all fairness; the rate thattechnology is advancing is truly staggering, andputting a product through that kind of extensivetesting is impractical. It would result in a ten-yearold product hitting the shelves. In a world wheremany technologies only stay new for a fewmonths, that simply wouldnt work.

Cynicism aside, it is one of the elements thatMSI use to promote their new GTX 680 Twin Frozrgraphics card. It might be a bit spurious, though,because very few people serious about graphicscard performance will last that long withoutupgrading. Perhaps they should concentrate onthings like the fact that this card, sporting an NvidiaGeforce GTX 680 chipset, is really, really quick.

They could also add to that the fact that it offersthe user2GB of GDDR5 RAM, which is a really nice,chunky amount. Not the most weve seen, sure, butstill chunky.

One of the aspects of the card indeed, of thewhole Twin Frozr range that they do talk a lotabout is the excellent cooling system built intothe device. Numerous other media outlets havepraised the design, which uses elements like twinpropeller-style blades, nickel-plated copper bases,high-density heat sinks, multiple heat pipes and adirect contact design to carry heat away from the

important bits of the card extremely effectively. Theresult of this well designed system is cooling that issignificantly more effective than that of referenceunits (those being the units produced by Nvidiaas guidelines for manufacturers). The Twin Frozrsystem is also significantly quieter.

So, in the end, what you have is a very powerfulgraphics card, sporting up-to-date chipsetsand packing tons of RAM, that runs cooler andquieter than many others on the market. With thesupport of MSIs simple-yet-effective Afterburneroverclocking software, it becomes a great choicefor those who want their gaming graphics to lookawesome, without turning the room into a sauna orsuffering overly-loud components.

Realistically, the range hasnt changed much withthis new addition but, quite frankly, it hasnt had to.This is a great graphics card, all said and done.g

Shh..


47/72g ladge t 31 47

Score

87

Summary

It might not look verydifferent from other TwinFrozr units, but this onepacks power in all theright places...


Onl ine:RRP:

MS IPinnacle Afr ica

ww w. pin na cl e. co .z aTB C

Tech Specs:

GeForce GTX 680 chipset

2GB GDDR5 RAM

Twin Frozr cooling technology

HDMI port

DisplayPort

DVI-I port

DVI-D port

Pros

Runs cool

Very quiet

Lots of power

Cons

Identical looks to

any other high-end

Twin Frozr card

tagain

Cool


48/72

Call me a cynic many have but I am battlingto be impressed by the Fatboy charging pillow.See, we have had wireless recharging for a

while now. Magnetic induction is nothing new, really,not in this fast paced technological world. Stickinga wireless charger in a pillow (which takes up morespace than a conventional magnetic induction plate)and slapping a brand name on it seems a little too farover the gimmick line for my taste.

That this device does its job is undeniable, and thefact is that your phone will be a little more protectedthan it might be with other wireless chargers. It

doesnt require any product modification, either,which is nice it will work right away. It takes lesseffort than using a normal phone charger, too, but ifplugging a cable in to your phone is too much effort,you may need to rethink your laziness levels.g

byRobEdwards

SleepTight

gg

y

y

48 g ladge t 31

Score

75

Summary

Put your phone to bedwhile it recharges... doesthat seem a little silly?


Onl ine:RRP:

FatboyNokia

ww w. no ki a. co mTB C

Tech Specs:

Wireless recharging

1.8m cable

Large charging area

Energy efficient power supply

Pros

Your phone wont

get scratched

Convenient

Cons

Tell me this isnt a

gimmick...

Has it really come to this, ladies and gentlemen?


49/72


50/72

Ithey are generally rather small. It certainly is next to

impossible to perceive these differences with the nakedeye. And yet the historical loyalty that consumers feelto either of these chipsets is still strong one mightdenigrate an Nvidia chipset in favour of Radeon, or viceversa, based purely on past experiences, and not onwhat is actually going on at present.

Add to the mix the fact that these chipsets are usedby numerous manufacturers, like Gigabyte, Asus and,of course, MSI, to produce graphics cards (with theirranges invariably containing examples of both) andthings get really difficult.

That said, different manufacturers use varied ideas

when putting their cards together. So a card from onemanufacturer using chipset A may run very differently toa card from another that uses the same architecture. Inthe same stable, though, the differences are minute.

In short, this HD 7970 looks and performs very

It gets tricky, sometimes, when reviewing items

that are extremely similar in design and function.In this issue we also review MSIs GTX 680 Twin

Frozr III graphics card which is, quite honestly, a greatcard indeed. So when we took the MSI HD 7970 TwinFrozr III card out of its box with all due care andreverence, of course it was a little disconcerting tosee a device that looked pretty much identical to theGTX 680.

Therein lies the challenge (and to a degree, theridiculousness) faced by consumers when they wantto buy something like a graphics card. The industryis divided into two distinct camps: the Nvidia and the

Radeon sects. But when these chipsets are compared,nowadays at least, there really is very little differencein performance. It takes a good degree of testingwith specialised software to see the main differencesbetween these chips and, if any are discovered at all,

p

50

Certainly from another mother

g ladge t 31


51/72

similarly to the GTX 680. It runs quietly, and very

cool, thanks to MSIs clever Twin Frozr system (whichemploys all manner of heat dissipating devices in ratheringenious ways).

One element that does set the HD 7970 apart from(and slightly above) the GTX 680 is that fact that is has50 per cent more VRAM. Instead of 2GB, it has 3GB.Thats a very chunky number, and one that does improvethe performance although, once again, its almostimperceptible to the average user who is judging theperformance experientially, instead of using an array ofbenchmarking software.

So it comes down, then, to that almost unreasonable

loyalty that people feel towards the manufacturers ofthe basic chipset. If you prefer Radeon (and you wantthat bit of extra RAM) then this certainly is the betteroption. Other than that, you can expect the sameunassuming, effective MSI quality.g

51

Score

89

Summary

Comparing the HD 7970and the GTX 680 resultsin very few differences,aside from the chipsetmanufacturer and a bit ofextra RAM on the former.


Onl ine:RRP:

MS IPinnacle Afr ica

ww w. pin na cl e. co .z aTB C

Tech Specs:

Radeon HD 7970 chipset

3GB GDDR5 RAM

Twin Frozr III technology

HDMI port

DVI port

2 Mini DisplayPorts

Pros

Quick

Quiet

Lots of RAM

Cons

May result in some

tough purchasing

choices

byWaltPretorius

g ladge t 31

byWaltPretorius


52/72

R

y

g

52

R

azer certainly has a mouse for everyoccasion. Many of these devices are highly

specialised, with carefully positioned buttonsincluded for specific types of PC gaming. The thingis, though, that very specialised mouse devicescome with a generally impressive price tag. And,quite frankly, you might not need all those high-end bells and whistles. With that in mind, Razeralso produces mouse units that serve more generalpurposes, albeit at the expense of extra buttons andsuper-refined features.

One such mouse is the Abyssus. It is one of themouse simple mouse devices we have seen fromthe Razer stable. It is a three button mouse andthats counting the scroll wheel. That means no sidebuttons, no toggles for changing DPI settings, noneof that. The Abyssus is as basic as a mouse gets.

Actually, that isnt entirely true. For example, onthe underside of the mouse are two mechanicalswitches; one changes the DPI rating, and the otherchanges the polling rate. The versatility of beingable to change mouse sensitivity is there, after all,even if it is hidden on the bottom.

Most serious, or even semi-serious, gamers willfind the positioning of these switches counter-intuitive. After all, changing DPI on-the-fly shouldntrequire lifting the mouse, taking your eyes off of the

screen and selecting a new setting via a relativelysmall switch. Changing sensitivity instantly makesup party of many gamers strategies, particularly inFPS games, but the Abyssus wont allow for that.

Then again, this device isnt really meant for thatkind of player- as mentioned before, Razer haveother options that would suit them. Rather, theAbyssus is aimed at a more casual gamer, someonewho needs a mouse that is effective and accurate,but doesnt require tons of special features toenhance their gaming. In fact, without all the extrafeatures, it becomes a really effective all-rounder,

enhanced by Razers ergonomic, ambidextrousstyling.Our review unit is the Mirror Special Edition,

but this moniker sounds fancier than it actually is.In essence, this means that the upper surface ofthe mouse is really, really shiny and thats aboutit. Still, this mouse (and normal Abyssus units)offer a good performance. Up to 3 500 DPI sensorperformance combines with a maximum of 1 000Hzultrapolling, tied together by a 3.5G infrared sensor.That means, in laymans terms, that the mouse isdecently sensitive, and the various settings meansthat the user can trim their experience fairly easily

(although not in the heat of battle.)Overall, its a good mouse for those who want

something a little better than the run-of-the-mill, butwho dont want to go hog wild on features that theymay not use. g

g ladge t 31

Theby Alex Scanlon


53/7253

AplainerRazeroption

g ladge t 31

Score

79

Summary

The Abyssus is anessential mouse... thatmeans no major bellsand whistles. But theperformance is still there...


Onl ine:RRP:

Manufacturer: RazerDistr ibutor: CorexOnl ine: www.corex.co.zaRRP: Approx R500

Tech Specs:

Up to 3 500 DPI

1 000Hz Utrapolling

3.5G Infrared sensor

7ft cable

Ambidextrous

Pros

Straight forward

Effective

Stylish

Cons

Not quite on-the-fly

Life


54/72

SS

tyle is something we all think about, whether

we admit it or not. Someone saying thatthey dont wear expensive designer labels,

or prefer to walk around in shorts and a T-shirt, aremaking those statements out of a personal senseof style. Fashion and style arent always the samething.

Style is certainly something that people considerwhen they pick personal audio solutions, andthere are few quite as stylish as the wide range ofFerrari by Logic3 products. With ranges based onFerraris F1 team as well as their roadsters, theseheadphones offer something for almost every taste.

The Scuderia range is comprised of those thatcelebrate Ferraris F1 performances, and theyinclude the rather stylis

gladget magazine - may 2013

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