techsmart 89, february 2011, the green issue

Asus N43SLOur first Sandy Bridgemachine tested!

smart ®

SA’s LARGEST TECH MAGAZINE FREE!

ISSUE 89 February 2011 ISSN 1726–3358WWW.TECHSMART.CO.ZA

Lean, mean, green machinePorsche 918 RSR

THE GREEN ISSUE

Lexmark GENESIS S815Is that really an AIO?

techsmart.co.za l February 2011 1

Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. No material, text or photo graphsmay be reproduced, copied or in any other way transmitted without thewritten consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed are not necessarilythose of the publisher or of the editor. We recognise all trademarks andlogos as the sole property of their respective owners. TechSmart shall notbe liable for any errors or for any actions in reliance thereon. All priceswere correct at time of going to print.

Editor TechSmart & TechSmart.co.zaMike Joubert > [email protected] manager George [email protected] media managerSuzanne [email protected] managerCarmel Anne Singh > [email protected] managerAnneke Claassen > [email protected] Brett Wilson, Otto UeckermannContributors Mike Joubert [MJ], Hanleigh Daniels [HD], Johan Keyter [JK], Linda Pretorius [LP]Accounts & subscriptionsRonel Keet > [email protected] van Vuuren > [email protected] smart

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EDITORIAL & HIGHLIGHTS

Tel: 012-362-27321218 Arcadia St, Hatfield, Ptawww.smartpublishing.co.za

TechSmart exclusively uses the LG W2794V monitor for all reviews.

CES: The Most Amazing (Electronics) Show The major trends that emerged from the halls of CES this year

Lean, mean and green driving machinesGreen does not necessarily mean slow anymore

» Features

Asus N43SLOne of the first notebooks with a second generation IntelCore i7 - tested and reviewed.

Motorola Flipout.This weird little rectangular phone looks like a distantrelative of SpongeBob SquarePants, just way smarter.

» Reviews

Web Time WastersThe best websites to waste your time

Tech Jargon Busters, CES editionAll the latest tech jargon from the floors of CES explained

» Regulars

The Green Issue ›› February 2011

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Call now for your service/repair requirements011-803-6635 l www.maxtec.co.za

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Did you know that Maxtec can repair all leading brands of tape storage devices?

Jan the month of gadgets

January was indeed a month for gadget lovers to get excitedabout. A large amount of new devices were introduced, the

bulk of which came from the Consumer Electronics Show, heldin Las Vegas. As we do each year we cover the major trends ofthe event as well as look at some of the hot products on showon p7. A mini battle is also brewing with both Nintendo andSony revealing their next generation portable gaming devices.The Nintendo 3DS’ big benefit is being 3D enabled without theneed for glasses (see p17). On the other hand Sony’s device, codenamed Next Generation Portable, carries massive onboardprocessing power while also being 3G capable, opening up theroad for online gaming.

South Africans are of course now also officially privy toApple’s magical iPad. But with talk of the iPad 2 being announced later this year, how desirable will this first version belocally? One thing is for sure, we can brace ourselves for a number of tablets up for sale soon.

Starting this month, we are distributing our magazine nationally – so welcome onboard Cape Town and Durban.

Enjoy the issue, Mike

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TOP TECH TITBITSNEWS

SA gets going with digital Kinect on your PCSony’s root key hacked


Sony is sitting with a major headacheafter the root key for the PS3 was

hacked. With the root key exposedusers can theoretically run any customprogram, be it software or games, onthe PS3 while tricking the console intothinking it’s authentic. The electronicsgiant has hit back with a restrainingorder against the parties involved – famous hacker George “geohot” Hotzand hacker group fail0verflow. Sonyalso claimed that they violated both theDigital Millennium Copyright Act andthe Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,while also knowingly opening up theconsole to piracy. The root key hackcannot be corrected by a software update to the system, furthering Sony’sheadache.

Is Minority Report gesture based control for Windows on its way?

According to technology site WinRumours, Microsoft is preparing anofficial Kinect Software Development Kit(SDK) and driver support for Windowsbased PCs. The Kinect is a device builtfor the Xbox 360 that allows for manipulation of games via body motioninstead of regular controls. The releaseof the SDK will allow programmers tocreate software and games for WindowsPC, paving the way to fully control thenext Windows interface using gesturebased input and voice commands alone.The Kinect sold eight million units in itsfirst 60 days on market. Microsoft hasalso welcomed hackers to create newuses for the device.

Communications Minister Roy Padayahcie has announced that

South Africa will adopt the DVB-T2 digitaltelevision standard, with all analogueterrestrial broadcasts to be switched offby December 2013. This concludes aprocess that has dragged on for fiveyears, allowing the country to finally prepare itself for the move towards digital. Digital broadcasting would require set-top boxes for older televisions in order to receive the signal,with Government initially earmarkingR2.45 billion to subsidise these to poorerhouseholds. The switching off of the analogue signal also frees up spectrumfor wireless broadband connectivity.

›› Jan tech recapMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

BMW teams upwith Nvidia to better vehicle- information systems.

Chinese websiteposts pictures ofthe mythical SonyPlayStation phone.

Blizzard announces WoW:Cataclysm sold4.7 million copiesin first month.

MySpace fires500 employees.

South Africaadopts the DVB-T2 digital television standard.

OpenGL 4.1 nowsupported on c ertain AMDGPUs.

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10 11 12 13 14 15

17 18 19 20 21 22

24 25 26 27 28 29

MTN South Africaappoints LamboKanagaratnam asits new chief technology officer.

Facebook gets valued at $50 billion dollars afternew funding fromGoldman Sachsand DST.

For all this and other daily news,visit www.techsmart.co.za.

Apple CEO SteveJobs goes onmedical leave.Tim Cook takesover.

Hugh Hefnertweets that oldand new Playboyissues will bemaking it to theiPad.

Google announcesthat co-founderLarry Page willbecome CEO inApril.

10 billionth appdownloaded fromApple App Store.

Nintendo spillsthe beans on the3DS (See p18).

The ConsumerElectronics Show(CES) kicks off inLas Vegas (see p9).

AMD reveals newHD 6000M GPUseries.

Black Eyed Peasmember will.i.ambecomes Intel’sdirector of creative innovation.

Sony reveals thePSP successor,codenamed NextGenerationPortable.

Apple launchesMac App Store with1 million appsdownloaded in firstday.

Fifa 11 starts theyear on top of theUK video chart

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Wikipedia celebrates its 10thbirthday.

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LG ElectronicsSouth Africa appoints newCEO, JM Lee.

LG to bring threenew notebooks toSA, including a 3Done.

Apple iPad available in SA.

INTERVIEW

techsmart.co.za l February 2011

Darling Wind Farm, situated 70 km north ofCape Town, is one of only a few renewable energyprojects operating in SA. TechSmart talked to Nicolas Rolland, director of wind farm management company G7 renewable energies, about this green initiative.

Conceived by Cape Town-based OptimalEnergy and originally designed bySouth African-born Keith Helfet,South Africa’s very own all- electriccar, Joule, has been drawing allthe right attention overseas.

TechSmart: Darling Wind Farm has fourwind turbines generating power rightnow, with plans for a further six. Whenwill they be ready to go? Nicolas Rolland: The plan to extend thewind farm with another six turbines arestill at study level; before implementingsuch a plan various outstanding pointsneed clarification such as the type of turbines to be used, the electricity tariffapplicable and the extent to which it applies.

TS: Is the wind power industry growing? NR: Wind energy has been showing double digit growth over the last twodecades and is expected to keep thesame pace for the years to come. Climatechange mitigation is on the agenda ofmost nations, including South Africa, with

TechSmart talked toJaco van

Loggerenberg, media& events manager atOptimal Energy, aboutwhat Joule’s been upto.

TechSmart: What’sthe international

response been like for Joule? Any big orders?Jaco van Loggerenberg: Joule hasbeen very well received internationally.Our display at the Geneva Motor Showwas a major success and there has beenplenty of interest generated from there.

wind power remaining the most reliableand cost effective renewable energysource for the time being.

TS: What is the wind energy potential inSA?NR: Wind energy in South Africa has agreat potential thanks to the size of thecountry but also some exceptionallywindy areas securing consistent wind energy resources at any time trans-formed and supplied to the national grid.The industry can also be increasingly localised in SA as we have the skills andmeans available in the country to manufacture such equipment locally.

TS: From your perspective – what arethe best solutions for SA’s energy crisis?NR: More wind parks is what I see as

Electricity in the wind

Darling Wind Farm – Quick Facts• In one year the four wind turbines

produce the yearly electricity consumption of 700 average SAhouseholds.

• Length of the blades = 32 m, slightlymore than the length of a tenniscourt.

• The turbines start producing power ata wind speed of 8 km/h, reaching full

potential at 54 km/h, and starts shutting down at 97 km/h.

• The blades rotate slowly at a constantspeed of 32 revolutions per minute regardless of the wind speed.

5

Lean and mean, SA’s very own electric machine

data to be collected from these vehicleswill again provide the opportunity to improve on the current design, and thiswill be implemented in the productionversion.

TS: When will South Africans be able tobuy one?JvL: Joule will be available for purchasefrom 2014.

TS: Any cool new projects in thepipeline?JvL: Our focus is currently on the successful commercialisation of Joule,but we do have some great ideas on thedrawing boards.

As we only start production in 2014 weare not currently taking orders, but wehave had numerous requests, not onlyfrom buyers but also from partners anddistributors who would like to be involved.

TS: Have you made any improvementsto the vehicle?JvL: The Joule prototype and marketingfleet is now completed and these four vehicles will be used to engage with customers and to collect valuable testdata. These prototype vehicles representthe third iteration of our motor, batteryand drive system, each with considerable improvements. The test

optimal in assisting to solvethe current crisis. We havenothing to lose, all to gain!Wind power projects canbe implemented wayquicker than any otherpower plants – it tookonly 104 days for a wind turbine to be commissioned from agreen field near Port Elizabeth last year. Italso has the long-term potential to allow the localisation of an entireindustry, instead of relying on overseas supply and sometimesextremely specialisedengineering.

FEATURE

As the biggest consumer electronics show in the world, CES is the go-to event for gadget lovers. Held each yearin Las Vegas, CES does much to highlight big developments on the tech front, basically forecasting what is layingahead for consumers in the next few years. So what were CES 2011’s hot topics? Read here to find out.

If we did not know better we wouldhave thought the CES show halls were

constructed of tablets – there were justthat many. The vast majority featuredGoogle’s Android operating system, andcertainly one of the most impressivewas Motorola’s flagship, Xoom. It’s theworld’s first tablet running on the dual-core Tegra 2 processor (see right), whilealso sporting Android Honeycomb (seep25), Google’s operating system builtfrom the ground up for tablets.

When it comes to most powerful, theprize must go to Asus’ EP121. It features an Intel Core i5 CPU plus alofty 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB SSD(solid-state drive), giving it the horse-power of a good mid-range notebookrather than a tablet. It runs on Windows7, as did a good number of other tabletson show, which led to questions beingasked about Windows 7’s suitability fortablets, seeing that Windows 7 was notbuilt with touch-screens in mind. Microsoft is confident enough with thecurrent OS since they did not say aword about an upcoming tablet OS release.

With such a large number of tabletson show, and a lot heading to SA, onething is certain – very fewwill have major commercialsuccess.

TABLETS FOR ALL


Qualcomm’s 1 GHz Snapdragonprocessor was the star of CES last

year, and this year the title belongs tothe aggressive Nvidia Tegra 2 system- on-a-chip (SoC). It’s the world’s firstmobile dual core processor, featuring theARM Cortex-A9 MPCore CPU (see right)with 1 GHz of processing power percore. The interesting thing though isthat Tegra 2 includes a graphics processor too, allowing devices sportingthe chip the ability to run 1080p videowithout the need for a separate GPU, allwith very low power consumption.

We first got sniff of the Tegra 2 whenLG announced their Optimus 2X, theworld’s first dual core smartphone, lastyear. At CES the Tegra 2 chip sproutedlike mushrooms, also making an appearance on Motorola’s Atrix 4G andDroid Bionic smartphones, plus on a number of tablets, including Acer’s Iconia Tab A500, Motorola’s Xoom,Dell’s Streak 7, LG’s G-Slate and others. Interestingly enough it’s also making themove to in-car infotainment systemsfrom Audi, BMW and Tesla.

NVIDIA’S TEGRA 2 SYSTEM-ON-A-CHIP

THE RISE OF ARM

THE MOSTAMAZING (ELECTRONICS)SHOW!CES 2011, LAS VEGAS

Best of the rest of the tablets:• Acer’s dual core Iconia Tab A500 with Clear.fi media sharing system• Kno dual-screen tablet/reader aiming to become the textbook of the future• Azpen X1 tablet giving you the best of both worlds, dual-booting Windows and Android

See page 9 for all the hot products!

One of the most important happenings at CES this year was the

amazing ground covered by a chip manufacturer from the UK, known asARM. The ARM chip architecture seemsripe for the picking as Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, announced in hiskeynote speech at CES that the nextmajor Windows release, Windows 8, willalso run on ARM architecture. This is avery important move for Microsoft, sincein the consumer space Windows runs onx86 processors coming from Intel andAMD. With this move Microsoft is acknowledging the importance of ARMarchitecture (usually licenced to be produced by third-party companies suchas Nvidia and Qualcomm) in smaller devices such as tablets, smartphonesand netbooks.

ARM CEO, Warren East, said the technology is scalable up to the desktopand even supercomputer ranges, andwith Nvidia announcing their Project Denver plans to develop new premiumprocessors based on ARM, the big Intelvs AMD debate might just get a newplayer to deal with.

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FEATURE

It would seem like Motorola is backwith a vengeance judging by the

killer products they had on show. Witha delicious 10.1" screen (bigger thanthe iPad) and some killer looks, theXoom tablet was many show goers’overall best in show device, mainlythanks to it being the only tablet thatran Android 3.0 dubbed Honeycomb.Honeycomb was designed by Googlespecifically for larger screen devices,making the Xoom feel like a tablet instead of an overgrown smartphone. Italso includes 32 GB of onboard storage, a front and back facing camera, Flash support and HDMIout. We’re also holding thumbs for akiller price.

1. MOTOROLA XOOM

We’ve not really seen any responsefrom PC manufacturers that

comes close to Apple’s wafer-thinMacbook Air, but at least Samsung ispushing things in the right directionwith their delightful 9 series thin andlight notebook. With a second generation 1.4 GHz Core i5 Processorand 128 GB SSD storage, it weighs inat just over 1.3 kg thanks in part to its Duralumin body. Yummy.


GM showcased their EN-V, short forElectric Networked-Vehicle, at CES,

pointing towards concerns about trafficcongestion, parking availability, air qualityand affordability as reasons why this petite vehicle might just be the future ofinner-city travel. We can’t imagine thatVictor Matfield or Bakkies Botha will bedriving one of these soon.

The Nvidia KEGputer is a joint venturebetween Nvidia and Sierra Nevada

Brewing Co. and melds together a monster gaming rig with a fully functional58 litre beer keg. Liquid cooling and refrigeration ensures both cold beers andsmooth performance, while the rig is outfitted with two EVGA GeForce GTX 580GPUs and a ton of other insane specs.Unfortunately the chances of seeing thisgem in a store is about the same as completing Black Ops smashed on thekegputer’s fine draft.

8. NVIDIA KEGPUTER

The Razer Switchblade tablet/netbookhybrid is basically a mini netbook

designed for one thing, playing PC gameson the go. It runs Windows 7 and sportsa 7" capacitive touch-screen with a 1024x 600 pixel resolution, but the killer feature is its “magical” keyboard. When agame is launched the keys transition to fitwith the game you’re playing, in otherwords, instead of display the usual letters, your keys can now accommodatespell or weapon slots, making WoW forexample that much easier.

6. RAZER SWITCHBLADE

2. MOTOROLA ATRIX 4G

Sony went big on 3D this year, showcasing it on not only their TVs

and notebooks but also on the Bloggie3D camera. This compact handheld 3Drecorder can capture high definition(1080p) MP4 video and 5 megapixelstill photos in 2D or 3D, paving theway for anyone with blue paint tomake an Avatar sequel. Captured content can be played back in 3D without glasses on the camera’s 2.4"LCD display – without the need for sillyglasses.

7. SONY BLOGGIE 3D

Amouse is a mouse is a mouse right?Well not exactly, seeing that

Microsoft’s Touch Mouse has a matrix ofcapacitive touch-sensing electrodes covering it, thereby making it accessibleto multi-touch gestures. By for exampleflicking a thumb over the side you canscroll through pictures or tabs in a web

browser, while more gestures, including flicks, pinch-to-zoom

and panning are supported aswell. Gently petting it will result in the mouse followingyou everywhere. Not.

3. MICROSOFT TOUCHMOUSE

CES 2011: WE WANT THIS NOW!THERE WERE A BUNCH OF STAND-OUT PRODUCTS ON DISPLAY IN LAS VEGAS THIS YEAR.HERE ARE OUR TOP PICKS:

One of the stars of the show was Motorola’s Atrix 4G smartphone,

ticking off all the best features includingnext generation 4G connectivity, 16 GB ofonboard storage, 1 GB of RAM and ofcourse the powerful Nvidia Tegra 2 1 GHzdual core processor running the show.Enough to power a regular computer youmight say? Well yes indeed, since whenconnected with the Atrix’s notebookdock, it launches Motorola’s Webtop appto power this notebook/ netbook. Doesthis pave the way for future smartphones to do the same? If processing power is anything to go by,yes, but costs involved in producing the

docking stations might be the deciding factor.

5. GM EN-V ELECTRIC CAR

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$50 billion. Recent record valuation of Facebook. Seem

s like a billion dollars isn’t cool anymore.

Green VehiclesLean, meanand greenDRIVINGmachines

It seems like Greendoes not equate toslow and pokeyanymore, if looking at the latest eco-friendly technology powering some oftoday’s most advanced boats,planes and cars.


Solar energy is nothing new, but laterthis year it’s going to be employed in

an unprecedented demonstration – fuelling a boat on a round-the-world trip.The 85 ton Türanor, with its Tolkien inspired name meaning “power of thesun”, was recently launched in Germany.The 31 metre long vessel is the largestsolar-powered boat in the world and iscovered by rows of photovoltaic solar

panels, encompassing more than 600 sqmetres. The vessel will attempt to circumnavigate the globe thisyear at an average speed of 7.5 knots, guided by a team of meteorologists to ensure it gets as much sunlight as possible.The 54 717 km journey will be conducted across the equatorand if successful will prove the true potential of solar energy.

While solar-powered boats and planes are undoubtedlyamazing pieces of technology, it’s not exactly something

that the average Joe is going to take a ride in. That doesn’tmean that the average person can’t benefit from green technology, as we saw from the number of green cars spotted atthe recent Detroit Auto Show.

Definitely capturing the prize as the best-looking was the new918 RSR hybrid supercar from Porsche, pictured above. Underneath its ultra-light carbon fibre body hides a 563 horsepower (hp) 10 300 rpm V8 motor coupled to two front-wheel drive electric motors for a monstrous total of 767 hp. Aflywheel booster system which stores energy when the vehiclebrakes also makes an appearance, releasing 160 hp bursts atthe push of a button.

Wanting to prove that Porscheisn’t the only German carmaker with a green touch of insanity, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new SLS AMG E-Cell prototype. This new supercar brags with four electric motors equating in apretty crazy 526 hp. It enables

the Benz to go from 0-100 km/hin a blistering four seconds flat. Mercedes gives drivers threedistinct driving options, Comfort, Sport and Sport+. In Comfort mode the car only uses 40% of its capabilities, mak-ing this the preferred everyday (for whoever drives somethinglike this everyday) setting. In Sport mode 60% of the E-Cell’spower can be tapped while Sport+ makes the full extent of itspower available to the driver. Regenerative braking and touch-screen controls also make an appearance, making this prototype look pretty complete in our eyes.

Moving on to something a littlemore realistic to the averagewallet, Ford unveiled its newzero-emission, all- electric FordFocus Electric. According toFord the car will “cover enoughrange to meet the daily driving requirements for most

Americans” and will reach a topspeed of 135 km/h. The vehicle can be charged at home via its240 volt charging station, and is expected to take only three tofour hours to charge. Eco-friendly materials were used in the interior of the vehicle while an EcoGuide system advises driv-ers on the most efficient uses of their new electric plaything. A MyFord Touch mobile app is also on the way, allowing driversto charge the vehicle remotely, receive alerts or even warm upthe air conditioning beforehand on a cold morning. [JK]

Türanor solar boat

Taking to the skies, theSolar Impulse (HB-SIA) is

the largest and most successful solar- powered aircraft in existence. The planeweighs a mere 1 600 kg (thinkmedium-sized car) but sports a

wingspan larger than that of the mammoth Boeing 747. Constructed of lightweight carbon-fiber, the plane has 12 000solar cells adorning its 64.3 metre wingspan. These cells absorbenergy from the sun, saves it in high-performance batteries, andthen uses this energy to power its four electric motors. Last yearthe Solar Impulse became the first sun sponsored aircraft tosustain flight for more than 24 hours, flying for 26 hours and 9minutes and reaching a maximum altitude of 8 564 metres. Acircumnavigation of the globe is planned for 2012.

Solar Impulse solar aircraft

Green cars

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Available from March 2011, pre-order yours now!

Geforce GT 540M GPU with a verypotent 2 GB of memory of its own, enabling the N43SL to serve asboth a business and gaming machine.

Display and audioThe notebook is equipped witha 14" LED backlit display witha 16:9 aspect ratio, perfect for

From the first glance it’s clear that we’redealing with a fashion conscious device

here, with the top of the lid outfitted in attractive silver, with shades of black, aglossy design bordering the display and abrushed metal palmrest completing thepackage. Although the keyboard was a bitbland, the touchpad worked well, alsosupporting advanced gestures such aspinch to zoom capabilities.

FeaturesApart from snazzy looks, the true strengthof the N43SL lies in its internal capabilities. During benchmarking thenotebook definitely lived up to all theSandy Bridge hype – in fact it was thesecond highest scoring notebook we’veever tested. This is mainly due to theAsus’ Core i7-2630QM CPU with eightcores running at 2.0 GHz. Supporting theprocessor is 3 GB of RAM and a Nvidia

• 14" LED screen• Core i7-2630QM CPU + 3 GB RAM• Nvidia Geforce GT 540M GPU• 650 GB HDD

» Quick specs

HARDWARE

Asus N43SL ›› (Sandy) Bridging the gap

The Asus N43SL is the first notebook we’ve testedthat runs on Intel’s advanced new Sandy Bridgearchitecture. Sporting a blazingly fast second generation Core i7 processor. Let’s just say DaleSteyn’s got nothing on the N43SL.

“The notebook definitely lived up to all theSandy Bridge hype”

predicts really good things for 2011. Badnews is that Asus informed us that theN43SL won’t be making its way to SouthAfrica, in its stead the company will be bringing in the Asus N53, which is basicallya same spec model. The N53 will be pricedat R10 999 and should be available locallyfrom the middle of February. [JK]

Full review: http://bit.ly/n43sl

13techsmart.co.za l February 2011

As the tablet arms race heats up, the MasterPad finallymakes its appearance on local shores. The company calls it“the world’s most advanced tablet PC.” Here’s a rundown ofthe Windows 7 tablet.

WHAT YOU NEED

TO KNOW

MasterPad

DisplayThe MasterPad features quite a largedisplay, measuring in at 11.6", it’s largerthan that of the iPad and Samsung’sGalaxy Tab. The multi-touch display hasa native resolution of 1366 x 786 pixels,which is comparable to that of most newnotebooks.

Under the hoodThis tablet is quite the powerful beast asfar as tablets are concerned. The deviceis equipped with a 1.6 GHz Intel AtomN450 CPU, the same processor that isfound on many of today’s leading netbooks, as well as 2 GB of RAM. TheWindows 7 OS though can be resourceintensive. Also onboard is a 32 GB solidstate drive (SSD).

Ports and connectivityFeaturing two USB ports, an HDMI portand SD card reader, the Masterpad isquite generous when it comes to connections. It also includes wirelessconnectivity in the form of wireless LAN,3G and Bluetooth support – a solidrange of features.

Extra’sA built-in webcam (photo and video) aswell as a mic is also present on the device, perfect for some Skyping on thego.

Operating systemThe MasterPad runs a full version ofWindows 7 Home edition (64-bit) andcomes with the tablet-friendly Bossa

Nova 2 graphical user interface. BossaNova 2 offers a touch friendly webbrowser and features such as a dedicatedFacebook option and touch-based musicbrowsing managed to impress, whileapps for popular websites are also supported.

Microsoft friendlyWhile Windows 7 on a tablet can have itschallenges, users don’t have to get usedto another OS, while programs such as Outlook, Excel and Word functioned correctly.

Available from Planet Electronics onwww.masterpad.co.za or 012-348-0650 from R7299 (incl VAT).Available from March 2011.

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enjoying high definition entertainment.Throughout use the display was crisp andclear and displayed full HD (1080p) videos perfectly. Even on the audio side theN43SL managed to impress, with thisnotebook’s Bang & Olufsen system pumping significantly more decibels thanyour average notebook.

ConclusionWith good looks, monstrous performance,high quality entertainment features and itsgeneral ease of use, the Asus N43SL

Please note: Prices subject to change without notice. E & OE

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[email protected]

IPad Bluetooth

Keyboard

ION LP to

Flash

Message ballSennheizerheadsetRS170

This

wireless

head-

phone

system

comprises

of a pair of

wireless

headphones

and a multi-

purpose transmitter which also

functions as an ‘easy-charge’ cradle

and docking station.

Swann PenCam and RemoteCamSwann Security, the global leader in

security monitoring solutions, proudly

debuts its latest covert surveillance

offering the Swann’s RemoteCam™

and PenCam captures color videos in

AVI format and colour still images in

JPEG format with the press of a button.

The Bluetooth Keyboard

Portfolio pairs easily

with your iPad and

includes a built-in stand

that positions your

tablet for easy typing as

well as for watching

movies or reading.

The ION Profile Flash is a

turntable built to convert records

to MP3s. This unit isn’t designed

with computer interfacing in mind,

and can record directly to SD

cards or USB flash drives. These

recordings can then be used in

SD card enabled devices such as

TVs, cell phones and computers.

Fun Kitchen GoodiesMake kitchen time fun and

enjoyable with your kids using

these kitchen Goodies, the

Crocodile can opener, Rabbit

peeler and Pizza Shark Cutter.

Just record your message, throw it to

a friend and they can listen to it. Then

they can re-record over your message

and toss you a reply.


89%. Percentage of all em

ails sent during 2010 estimated to be spam

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Terms and Condi�ons apply. Stocks are limited. E&OE. Prices may change without no�ce due to Rand Dollar fluctua�ons. All prices quoted are cash or EFT only and Incl VAT.

Printer Repairs l Repairs l Upgrades l Projector Repairs l LCD Screen RepairsAll repairs done in our workshop

From

Laptop BatteriesHP 4520s Samsung X120 Acer 5742G

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Motorola Flipout ›› Being a square

The Motorola Flipout feels a great dealdifferent to other phones running on

Android 2.1 (Éclair), mainly due to itflipping the bird to more establishedform factors. Its compact and sturdysquare pivot design enables its 2.8"touch-screen to rotate, revealing a five-row QWERTY keypad with a

separate row for numeric keys underneath. This easy to use keyboardallows for speedier typing for long messages and emails, as well as comingin handy for extended MXit sessions.

The capacitive display might not beon par with higher-end devices, but it isstill a bit smoother to operate than thatof LG’s inexpensive Optimus One’s, although the Optimus’ screen has a

Motorola’s Flipout boasts a coolsquare form factor and Androidgoodness at an affordable price.

512 MB RAM makes sure that the OSruns smooth on most fronts, although

there can be some noticeable lag on occasion, for instance when you view

your photos and vids in the gallery.Browsing the web is a so-so

affair given the smallish display, while battery life wasn’t the best and we averaged about half a day(around 12 hours) with mild

usage, not even thinkingabout switching on Wi-Fi.

Final WordThe Flipout brings somethingdifferent to the party than allthe other Android smartphones– an interesting design twistthat proved to be actually quitefunctional. Although battery lifeand screen resolution couldhave been better it’s still a verydecent entry-level smartphone.

Using it you’ll be in for a lot of attention since the square form-

factor is definitely a talking point. [HD]

“You’ll be in for a lot of attention since the square form-factor is definitely a talking point”

better resolution, displaying pictures andicons in clearer detail.

Other featuresThe Flipout also boasts easy to set up802.11n Wi-Fi, a 3.5 mm audio jack, 3GHSDPA, live wallpapers as well as Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP. Motorola hasopted to use the TI OMAP3410 600 MHzprocessor, which along with the included

• 67 x 67 x 17 mm, 120 g• 2.8" multi-touch screen,

320 x 240 pixels• TI OMAP3410 600 MHz

processor, 512 MB RAM• HSDPA, 802.11n Wi-Fi

» Quick specs


MOBILES

Nokia’s C6 can be described as abudget version of the former range

topping N97 mini, and although it mightstill sport the old Symbian OS (SymbianSeries 60, release 5) it offers good

quality and value formoney. The C6 hasthe standard touch-screen lookof previous Nokia devices such asthe 5800 Express

Music or the 5230, with the added advantage of a slide-out QWERTY

keyboard. We found this widefour-row keyboard easier totype on than the MotorolaFlipout.

The C6’s 3.2" resistivetouch-screen displaysmedia well, but doesn’tsport any new functionalitysuch as pinch-to-zoom(you use the out-datedtap-to-zoom) that onefinds on capacitive displays.

Same old, same oldBesides the same display, form factor, OS

(Symbian Series 60, release

• 113 x 53 x 16.8 mm, 150 g• 3.2" resistive touch-screen• ARM 11 434 MHz CPU, • HSDPA , 802.11n Wi-Fi

» Quick specs

“A user-friendly devicethat provides most ofthe required featuresin a compact and useful form-factor”

Nokia C6 ›› Nothing wrong with nothing newNokia’s budget friendly C6 might not be the fanciest device, but impresses with its reliability and user-friendliness.

5) and ARM 11 434 MHz CPU, the C6 alsohas the same 5 megapixel camera withautofocus and LED flash that the N97mini sports, sans the Carl Zeiss optics.Regardless of the latter, the camera takesreally good quality photos and videos.The OS does seem a bit more stable thanon the N97 and 97 mini, although thevery noticeable lag issue is still present.

The C6 has a fairly solid feature list including GPS with a-GPS support, Bluetooth version 2.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi802.11 b/g, 240 MB of internal storagethat is upgradable to 16 GB with the useof a microSD card (2 GB card included).

Final wordThis phone might be considered old-techby users of newer devices such asNokia’s N8, but for those that don’t require every feature known to man orcan’t afford to dish out on range toppingmodels, this is a user-friendly devicethat provides most of the required features in a compact and useful form-factor. No retail price was availableat time of print. [HD]

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©2011 DYMO, a Newell Rubbermaid company

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HOW ARE YOU PROTECTINGYOUR SERVER ROOM?

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Thanks to the built-in GSM module, anescalating alert notification is sent to theappropriate personnel member’s mobilephone as soon as a problem is detected,enabling proper measures to be taken toensure that IT equipment remain fullyfunctional and optimally configured. TheGSM module can send out more thanone SMS, alerting the relevant authorities which might include the firedepartment, plumbers or other relevantmembers of staff – a unique feature ofthe NVIROMON package.

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The S815 sure doesn’t look like aprinter, since this AIO ditches

conventional design with most of itsbulk ascending upwards. TheS815’s design change lies mainlyin the vertical positioning of thescanner, defying the usual flat-bed position. Apart from being ahead-turner (yes, we are talkingabout an AIO here), this shapealso wins you back some deskreal estate.

As far as styling is con-cerned the S815 is one ofthe best looking AIOs we’veever encountered. Granted itdoes not take a lot to beat the restof the pack, but you can see thatLexmark pushed the boundaries, with the S815 flagship providing ample evidence of the company’s resurgence. An almost flat black panel adorns the front of the device providing avery modern iPad-like feel. Centred to the top is a large 4.3"WQVGA colour touch-screen, which makes this AIO a straight-forward affair to use thanks to its clear and easy to understanduser interface (although with some lag present). The side of thedevice is covered by the more conventional metallic grey.

PerformanceAs seen on other Lexmark and HP printers, you can download amyriad of apps, such as a basic calculator and Google’s Calenderapp, enabling you to add to the AIO’s functionality. It must beconnected to both a PC and the Wi-Fi network to download theseapps.

Apart from design, certainly the most striking feature on theS815 is the use of a 10 megapixel Mono CMOS image sensor todo the scanning. Lexmark calls it Flash Scan, performing a scanpreview virtually instantaneously while A4 pages are completelyscanned in at a blistering pace of around four seconds. Thesecan be saved as either a JPEG, PDF file or as a document (.doc)on your flash drive or PC. Flash Scan makes you actually want toscan something instead of dreading the usual cumbersomescanning process.

Printing is done at a good quality (especially on photo paper)at resolutions up to 2400 x 1200 dpi for black and up to 4800 x1200 dpi for colour. Jobs are also completed at a fast pace, whileone of our favourite features, automatic duplex printing, is alsooffered. Where the AIO is lacking though is with the input traythat only accommodates 100 A4 pages, meaning a lot of refillingif your office prints a lot.

Final wordThe Lexmark GENESIS S815 will not only make the heads turnwith its unconventional, fashionable looks, but is also a beastwhen it comes to scanning thanks to Lexmark’s Flash Scan system. The S815 delivers good quality printouts at a fast pace,only being hampered by its input tray size limit. The S815 doesn’t come cheap at about R3499. [HD]

Lexmark GENESIS S815 ›› Is this an All-in-One?

“As far as styling is concerned theS815 is one of the best lookingAIOs we’ve ever encountered.”

HARDWARE

All-in-one (AIO) devices aren’t normally the ones toget the tech party started, but the arrival of the Lexmark GENESIS S815 looked set to change thesedevices’ usual dull tag.

1 billion. Mobile broadband subscriptions around the globe end of 2011 according to Ericsson.


unfortunately does notswitch from one tray tothe next if one becomesempty. Printing jobsare done at an excellent pace withgreat quality on mostsettings, especiallywhen printing photos onCanon photo paper. Theprinter’s output tray also automatically drops down by itself if youare printing and forgot to pull it down,while automatic duplex printing workswell and is simple to set up.

Additional featuresScanning can be done to a maximum ofA4 sized pages at an excellent maximumresolution of 4800 x 4800 dpi. Jobs canbe saved in various formats (includingPDF and JPEG) on your PC or onto a

Canon’s big black beauty consumes afair bit of desk real estate, measuring

470 x 368 x 173 mm and weighing achubby 9.2 kg. It sports a 3" colour TFTdisplay, boasting numerous touch- sensitive buttons to handle the differentsettings and functionality. Canon callsthis the Intelligent Touch System, andwe found it not only simple to use but italso provides the printer with a distinguishing feel different from otherrun-of-the-mill interfaces. The frequentlyused buttons remain lit, whilst the rest ofthe buttons remain inactive (and unlit)until required, a nice touch as you are

not overwhelmed by the sheer quantityof buttons to press.

Paper handlingThis AIO can be loaded with 300 sheetsof paper using its two trays, but

Canon PIXMA MG6140 All-in-One ›› Continuing a respected line

“the PIXMA MG6140 builds on the very solidofferings we’ve come to expect from Canon.”

memory card (such as SD or memorystick). The MG6140 also offers easy tosetup IEEE802.11 b/g Wi-Fi. Canon digitalcamera or camcorder users can use theFull HD Movie Print software to print pictures directly from HD video frames –an interesting and very useful feature.

Final wordWith its user-friendly interface, printingfrom HD videos and excellent printingquality, the PIXMA MG6140 builds on thevery solid offerings we’ve come to expectfrom Canon. It carries a recommended retail price of R1899. [HD]

HARDWARE60

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We spent some quality time with Canon’s PIXMA MG6140,which offers high quality print jobs at an impressive paceand also boasts an unusual, yet simple-to-use interface.

Sony NGP ›› The latest low-down GADGETS GREEN PRODUCTS

ECO CHARGER ›› Your batteries are not flat

Throwing them away adds to landfillwaste and is environmentally-

unfriendly. While the move to rechargeable batteries has solved thisproblem to some extent, it seems no matter how hard you try, Alkaline batteries just keep popping up. The ECOCHARGER cuts to the heart of the matterby recharging regular Alkaline batteries.

Alkaline batteries cannot be fully

Do you always wonder what to dowith your old AA and AAA batteries once they are depleted?

recharged; rather it’s filled up to about90% - 95% each time when recharged.An individual circuit monitors each battery ensuring that voltage and temperature remains safe and efficientduring the recharge process.

There are two chargers available: Thenotebook charger (R199) is a handyproduct for the office since it connects toa USB slot to recharge two batteries simultaneously, making light work ofwireless mouse or keyboard batteries. Alarger ECO CHARGER (R399) with the capacity to recharge four batteries at atime, is available for home purposes.

Both these chargers can recharge bothAA or AAA batteries, while it can alsocharge rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. It’s available from www.eco-charger.co.zaor call 011-432-6048.

Efergy e2 wireless electricity monitor ›› The electricity watchdog

Eskom last month again asked the public to save power and the e2

wireless electricity monitor seems a goodway to start.

This wireless energy monitor displaysthe amount of kW your household consumes while also showing the cost perhour of the electricity used. To make youaware of your carbon footprint the e2 also

No one wants to return to thedark days of 2008 where load-shedding caused black-outs everywhere.

tracks your CO2 emissions. When youturn on certain appliances it shows exactly how much power they utilise,making intelligent choices regardingpower usage possible. Energy consumption data (days, weeks, months)is saved on the device, and it’s easy toconnect the e2 to a PC to get info for example on your consumption curve viathe elink software.

The e2 works by clipping the suppliedsensor and transmitter around the liveoutgoing supply cable from your meterbox, saving you from having to hire anelectrician.

The Efergy e2 wireless electricity monitor costs R899. Visitwww.efergy.co.za for more info.


25 billion. Num

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itter during 2010.

According to local distributors, SterKinekor, the Sony NGP will be “very aggressively priced” and will be released in South Africa on the sameday as the international release. No release dates have been revealed yet,the best we can say is that it should behere before the end of the year.

When and for how much?

It may have taken a couple of months and more than a handfulof leaks, but now we're finally able to lay our eyes on Sony's newNGP or 'Next Generation Portable'.

Sticking with Sony’s elegant design philosophy, one thing almost everyone

can agree on is that the NGP looks good,with the ‘Super Oval Design’ form factorgiving it both a familiar and futuristic feel.The handheld’s main screen is a 5" OLED (organic light emitting) display whichSony says will deliver “visually strikinggraphics never seen before on a portableentertainment system.” This display is ofcourse a touch-screen, meaning gamerscan control characters in the game world

with the traditional buttons as well asswiping motions on the touch-enabled display. In addition to the main display atthe front, the NGP will also incorporate acapacitive multi-touch touchpad on theback of the device. This allows for a multitude of new control and gaming options to be explored, with motions suchas “touch, grab, trace, push and pull” tobe supported.

Super-powered handheldSony’s NGP is without a question themost powerful consumer handheld deviceto ever see the light of day. Equipped withone of the advanced new APU (accelerated processing unit) systems, theNGP combines the traditional CPU andGPU onto a single chip. On the raw processing side a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 sees service while aSGX543MP4+ GPU takes care of graphically demanding situations.

This makes the device extremely powerful, and while no more in-depthspecs are available just yet, we saw someamazing demonstrations of originalPlayStation 3 titles being played on thehandheld. The original Uncharted andeven Metal Gear Solid 4 was seen runningon the little handheld, cementing Sony’sclaim that the NGP will be capable of PS3-level graphics.

“Sony's NGP is without a question the mostpowerful consumer handheld device to eversee the light of day.”

No more discsIt has been revealed that different versions of the NGP will be availablewhen it goes on sale, some including 3Gconnectivity while others will simply beequipped with Wi-Fi. Luckily Sony has decided to do away with the UDM-formatdiscs on which current PSP games aredistributed. Instead the NGP will use asmall flash based memory card to storean entire game as well as add-on contentand save data. The question now is willgamers go for the 3D charm of the Nintendo 3DS, or the brute force of theNGP? [JK]


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The Nintendo 3DS will, like its predecessor the DS, feature two

screens. The bottom touch-screen willbe controlled by a telescoping styluswhile the top screen will display the 3D images. Players will be able to adjust

the level of 3D effects via a 3D DepthSlider if it becomes uncomfortable tothe eyes, or turn it off completely. Motion and gyroscopic sensors are alsobuilt-in, enabling games to react to thetilting movement of the device.

Apart from a built-in music player, advanced internet browser and the Nintendo eShop, the 3DS will also becapable of taking 3D photos, making itboth a 3D camera and gaming device inone. Augmented reality technology isalso present, using its cameras to superimpose graphics onto the realworld. As if that were not enough,

Nintendo included a pedometerthat counts your steps as youmove around in the real world, allowing gamers to earn “PlayCoins”, which can be traded forbonus content.

Stay connectedIf owners choose to activateit, the StreetPass feature will be capableof exchanging information with othernearby 3DS systems as their ownerspass near you, while another feature,dubbed SpotPass, will allow the 3DS toconnect to compatible public Wi-Fi connections, upon which it will automatically receive new content andupdates. [JK]

Last month Nintendo held a major unveiling for its upcoming 3Dhandheld, the Nintendo 3DS. Judging by the response it received,Nintendo is set to dominate the handheld market all over again.

The 3DS will retail in the US for asuggested $249 (R1750). Although nolocal pricing is currently available,local fans can expect to pay betweenR2000 and R2500. According to CoreGroup, distributors of Nintendo products in South Africa, the 3DS willbe available locally on the 25th ofMarch, a full two days before theYanks can lay their hands on it.

Nintendo 3DS ›› What we know so far

When and for how much?

“The device will also be capable of taking 3D photos, making it a 3D camera and gaming device in one.”

Water colours

You can’t have it all – even if you’re oneof the most prolific predators of the

sea. New research published in the journalNaturwissenshaften, reports that sharksare most likely colour blind. It’s surprising,though, seeing that their close relativesrays and chimaeras have quite a colourfulview of the underwater world.

Scientists analysed the retinas of 17shark species and found that the majorityhad only rod cells, which respond only tolight and dark. Those that did have somecolour-sensitive cells could respond tolight of only a single wavelength. Togetherthe results mean that sharks probably seeeverything in different shades of a singlecolour. The scientists hope that the findings will help to develop swimminggear with lower visual contrast to helpmake swimmers less attractive snacks.

It’s a guy thing

Scientists have been pulling out theirhair for a while to figure out why men

lose theirs. But now a research team report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, that they may have foundthe root of the problem. Follicles frombald and non-bold patches of scalp appear to have the same number of stemcells, but bald scalp has far fewer progenitor cells. Progenitor cells are amore mature form of stem cells and arethe driving force behind hair growth. Thismeans that both scalp types have the potential to sprout hair, but because offaulty stem cell activation, it just neverrealises in bald scalp. The finding hasgiven scientists a head start in developing cell-based therapy so that guys won’thave to leave their hats on forever.

Music moods

You know that pleasurable chill whenyou hear a really good piece of music?

Scientists say it’s all in your head. According to an article recently publishedin Nature Neuroscience, emotionally pleasing music activates our brains’ rewardcentre in the same way as more tangiblepleasures like food and sex. Brain imagesshowed that hearing good music, and evenanticipating it, cause the feel-good hormone dopamine to surge through yourbrain. Dopamine is known to be involvedin activating the emotion centre of thebrain in response to pleasures that are biologically important. The new findingsthus suggest that dopamine is releasedeven when the reward is abstract andcould explain why music, which has no obvious survival benefit, has been so significant through human history. [LP]

Living microorganisms introduced intovideo games. http://bit.ly/bioticgame

Mindfulness meditation trainingchanges brain structure in eight weeks.http://bit.ly/medbrainchange

» Other interesting stuff

Sci News

Beamed thermal propulsion mightpower low-cost space travel usinglasers. http://bit.ly/hotlazers

SCI NEWSGADGETS

If you hold a soft spot inyour heart for the classic

territory conquering strategygame, Risk, then Warlight isdefinitely a website worthchecking out. Just be careful,this one is especially addictive. With the basicpremise of taking over theworld, this free to play turn-based board game can beplayed online with friends orby yourself against AI opponents, even allowingplayers to create their owncustom maps when that worldmap starts getting boring.The game also includes fog ofwar, battle cards (such as reinforcement or spy cards)and a whole host of finelytuneable settings.

Web Time Wasters

The Venus Project

What if mankind can movebeyond politics and war?

Some might say that this willnever happen, but the folksover at The Venus Projecthave other ideas. It seemslike they have thought abouta number of very serious problems facing modern society, including unemployment, over- population and the earth’secological problems, a bitlonger than most. More importantly they don’t justcomplain about it, rathercoming up with some interesting, forward-thinkingsolutions. Go here to see howlife might be if we move pastoutdated traditional forms ofthinking.

INTERNET

Formspring

Replacing the status boxwith a question box is

what lies behind the phenomenal success of fledgling social networkingsite Formspring. The site allows you to register an account, link it with Facebookor Twitter, and then answerquestions posed on the site.Typical questions include“How would you describeyourself in 3 words?” and “Ifyou could date any celebrity,who would it be?” The sitecurrently has 20 million accounts with over 3.5 million unique visitors everyday, that’s a lot of questions.Plus they’ve just managed toraise $11.5 million for furtherexpansion.

Zooniverse

The Zooniverse is the internet’s largest and most

popular citizen science website, dedicated to expanding human knowledgein several scientific fields, especially astronomy. Whatmakes Zooniverse specialthough is that anyone can takepart, no PhD required. Volunteers can sign up to theproject they find the most interesting and immediatelystart helping out. One suchproject, Galaxy Zoo, lets usershelp to identify and classifysome of the millions of far-away galaxies photographedby satellites and telescopesaround the globe. During itsfirst year, Galaxy Zoo attractedalmost 150 000 volunteers.

http://warlight.net www.formspring.me www.galaxyzoo.org www.thevenusproject.com

Warlight


53 billion visits. Traffic on 43 file-sharing sites, such as RapidShare, carrying pirated film

s and music.

Android Apps of the month

Dropbox

We’ve talked about Dropbox before and

surely it must be one of thesimplest ways to save (orsync) files in the cloud, tobe retrieved either on otherPCs or your Android (orother) phone. The Dropboxapp of course makes thisprocess a whole of a loteasier, allowing you also tosave pictures or videos fromyour phone to the cloud.Just watch those datacharges.

SmartRunner

With over 100 000 apps available for Androidsmartphones at the Android Market, TechSmartwould like to help you get to the good ones first.

Speedtest.net

If you’re anything like usyou must have used

www.speedtest.net to determine the speed of yourinternet connection. Withtheir Android app you get todo the same with yoursmartphone connection.

It’s quick and fast, showing us in less than aminute that MTN on the Motorola Flipout is giving usa download speed of 1991kbps and upload speed of238 kbps.

Slice It!

Maybe not as addictive asAngry Birds, but

challenging it sure is. TheSlice It! puzzle game allowsyou to cut things, more importantly cut it into thesame surface area. Easy youmight think, but wait tillyou’re past the introductorylevels – it made us wish thatwe paid a little more attentionin trigonometry class. Slice It!should lead to a lot less frustration on larger, more accurate screens.

The SmartRunner app is oneof the easiest and best

ways to track your running,hiking or biking route using aGPS enabled Android phone.Once connected your run isrecorded very accurately with-out fuss. SmartRunner keepsthe interface clean to quicklygive access to important datasuch as current speed and distance covered. After yourrun you can quickly upload itto their website to study yourroute and stats in more detail.

Wi-Fi DirectWi-Fi Direct is a newmethod of wirelesslyconnecting a device tothe internet or to

another Wi-Fi Direct device and is similarto Wi-Fi except for the fact that it doesn’trequire an access point (AP) to operate.With Wi-Fi Direct, devices can communicate directly with one anotherwithout the need for an access point (suchas a wireless router), and either devicecan serve as access point. This means that devices from smartphones to gaming devices to digital cameras can connect toeach other and transfer and share contentbetween them. LG’s Optimus Black smartphone comes with Wi-Fi Direct.


PC Medic ›› First aid for your PC

Hello PC Medic. I bought a 3G dongle to catch up with some work

after hours, but my email (using Microsoft Outlook 2003) does not want tosend when I use it. What’s wrong? JoshCassidy

Hi Josh. When using the dongle youwould have to change your SMTP

settings on your outgoing mail to correspond with that of your serviceprovider. Under the Tools section on themain Outlook page, click on “E-Mail Accounts”. Make sure that the “View orchange existing e-mail account” option isselected and click “Next”. Click on the“Change” tab and type in the appropriateSMTP address (listed to the right) withinthe open space next to “Outgoing mailserver”. Click “Next” and finally “Finish”.

MTN: mail.mtn.co.zaCell C: mail.cmobile.co.zaVodacom: mail.vodacom.co.za8ta: smtp.saix.net

Just remember to change it back againwhen arriving at work.

What’s up PC Medic? Is there anyfreeware available for recording

your Skype phone calls?

You can download Pamela Basic 4.7(http://bit.ly/pamskype, under

6 MB) for free, which will allow you torecord up to 15 minutes per Skype call asan MP3. If you want to do away with thisrecording time limitation, you can upgrade to the professional version givingyou an unlimited call recording time, plus

It is said that sweat from his brow is able to pass the Turing test and thathe has been playing PSP2 and Nintendo 3DS games since 2009. The PCMedic is here to answer some of your tech related queries.

Q

Q

A

A

» Tips for Windows 7:

some other added functionality for aroundR190.

Hiya PCM. Can you recommend anyfree programs to do some light

photo editing?

We use GIMP in the office to dophoto resizing as well as some light

editing. You can download the 19 MB fileat http://bit.ly/getgimp.

25

GETTING SMART WITH TECHNOLOGY

Quicker access to your most usedfolders.Within Windows 7 you are able to pinoften used folders (such as the one

containing all your work docs) to thetaskbar on the bottom. Simply dragthe folder to an open space on thetaskbar and release. A small little

folder icon will appear, right click on itand your pinned folder along withother frequently used folders will appear.

Q

A

Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb, isGoogle’s latest instalment in its successful line of Android operating systems (OS). The big thing about Android 3.0 is that it has been built fromthe ground up to support new tablet devices streaming into the market andalready we’ve seen the Motorola Xoomrunning on it. The new OS sports a holographic user interface, home-screencustomisation, Google Maps 5 with 3Dinteractions, redesigned widgets as wellas over 100 000 available apps on theAndroid Market.

System-on-a-chip (SoC)A system-on-a-chip orSoC is a microchipsystem in whichall the individualcomponents areintegrated into asingle circuit (chip).So, instead of havinglots of components spread around on amotherboard, a SoC integrates them ina single chip. A good example of this is

Jargon Busters ›› CES 2011

This month we look at a few new technological innovations straightfrom last month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas,Nevada.

the Tegra 2 SoC developed by Nvidia. Itintegrates both the CPU (central processing unit), in this case a Dual-coreARM Cortex-A9 running at 1 GHz percore) and GPU (graphics processingunit) on the same chip, also including1080p Video Encode, Image Signal andaudio processors.

DVB-T2DVB-T2 stands for Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial, and is an upgrade to the existing DVB-T, the world’s most widelydeployed digital terrestrial television system. It was recently selected by theSouth African government to become thebroadcasting standard through which

SA’s digital television signal willbe distributed. DVB-T2 offers a30-50% increased efficiency in its

use of spectrum compared to DVB-T and thanks to its higher bit

rate is suitable for carrying HDTV(high definition TV) signals. High

definition television channels in the UK,Italy, Finland and Sweden are currentlybroadcasting using DVB-T2. [JK] A

lmos

t 20

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5000 hours of 80 000 individual clips. YouTube footage used, all shot on 24 July 2010, made into a 1½

hour movie called Life In A

Day.

The iPad’s pop-up on-screen keyboard can provide an easy way

to type on the device, but when pushcomes to shove do you really want totouch-type your way through a number of documents? The iPad Bluetooth keyboard makes typing abreeze while also including abuilt-in stand to positionthe iPad for easy typing, reading ormedia consumption.R999 from TheG.A.D.G.E.T. Shop on012-346-2726.

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You love your old vinyl butyour new iPod is just

oh-so convenient. Use theION Profile Flash turntable to convert all your difficult-to-replace LPs to MP3s. The Profile Flash’s no-mess, no-fuss set-up requires no PCsince it records straight toSD card or USB flashdrive. R2099 fromThe G.A.D.G.E.T.Shop on 012-346-2726.www.thegadgetshop.co.za

ION Profile Flash

• Tablets, tablets, tablets,tablets, tablets.

• The dominance of Android.• Smartphones everywhere.• Diablo III, hopefully.• 4G networks.• 3D but without the glasses.• Smart TV.• Nintendo’s 3DS.• Obviously something Apple

creates.• Google’s Chrome OS.

Facebook: http://tiny.cc/TSFB Twitter: @TechSmartMagNewsletter: http://tiny.cc/tsnews

FOLLOW US

22%

21%15%14%10%8%3%3%2%

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TechSmart.co.za online poll results

What will be the biggest tech trend of2011?We hope you enjoy SA’s largest tech

magazine and this monthly trip into theworld of gadgets as much as our Gauteng readers have for the past eight years. Feedbackis always welcome, so send any comments andqueries to [email protected].

Recently we’ve received a few concerned enquiriesabout hawkers on street corners trying to “sell” TechSmart magazines. TechSmart would like to state that our magazine iscompletely free, mahala and gratis. Anyone trying to sell, or giveyou a copy for a small “donation”, is definitely not in the employof our company, and we don’t encourage this action.

Finally, our business distribution have continued to make inroads into major office parks and business areas in Gauteng,with 10 000 copies per month making their way to companiesvia our friendly delivery team. If you have a company or shopthat would like to receive copies of TechSmart, please send amail to [email protected], and hewill check if you fall in a delivery area (JHBand Pretoria only, sorry Cape Townand Durban, we’re not there yet!)

TechSmart Distribution: Some facts ›› Cape Town, Durban, Hawkersand BusinessesFirstly, let’s begin by welcoming all ournew Durban and Cape Town readers.We’ve been distributing magazinesdown to Durban since November 2010,and starting this month TechSmart isalso available in the Western Cape.

smart distribution

GADGETS


INCREASETake advantage of TechSmart magazine’s 100 000copies distributed every month! Advertise in our print directory from as little as R900 per month.To advertise call Anneke on 012-362-2732.

your company’s visibilityThe TechSmart Business Directory


BUSINESS DIRECTORYTo advertise in the Business Directory please call Anneke 012-362-2732

Competition runs from 1 – 28 February 2011

Scan documents to your emailand distribute it from there toother people.Tips from Lexmark for those of us looking

to improve our printing practices, for thebenefit of the environment.

Did you know? 1 in 6 pages printed in the workplace are neverused! Let’s protect the planet together. Let’s stop printing waste!

Want to win Lexmark’s excellent INTERACT 3-in-1 printer?

How? Join our Facebook page(http://tiny.cc/tsfb) and comment on anyof our daily postings. The best commentwins the Lexmark! This month’s winner is Ofentse Letsholo who commentedon “All you need to know about the Nintendo 3DS”:“Wow wow wow, what a magnificent little device. I thinkit should be priced between 3 and 5k, it’s too much of amagnificent machine to be priced that low.”

The Lexmark INTERACT is a 3-in-1 printer, scannerand copier with touch-screen. It includes papersaving Eco Mode and a three year guarantee withlifetime phone support.

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14

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GAMES

Available on the PC and PS3, DCUO isthe only MMO currently available on

the console. Veteran MMO players maylament the PS3 version as not having thesame amount of control as the PC, butthroughout play we found the PS3’s controls to match up nicely. The only issues we encountered were the tediousregistration, installation and update procedures, but once these are out of theway it’s only a matter of time until Metropolis praises your name... or fearsit.

StoryDCUO’s story is introduced in an amazingcinematic cutscene showing Lex Luthor viciously killing Superman, and the evilBrainiac invading the earth right after.Luthor then travels back in time withtechnology that can turn ordinary peopleinto superheroes, and proposes theystand together against the greater threat.Throughout the game the main storylineinvolves preventing Brainiac from conquering the world, although heroesand villains still clash on the sidelines.

» The Bad

The expansivehero creation options and awesome storyline.

Lengthy updates and monthly feesfelt like Kryptonite.

» The Good

MMO’s (massively multiplayer online) games have exploded in popularityin recent years, with World of Warcraft leading the online charge. NowSony Online Entertainment has delved into a new project, envisioning agame which turns ordinary players into extraordinary superheroes.

DC Universe Online ›› The hero is you

GameplayThe first step is creating your characterand players have a myriad of options attheir disposal, from gender to powers,weapons, costumes and choosingwhether to be a hero or villain. Yes, inDCUO you can play as good or bad andalso choose an established DC characterto “mentor” you. Creating a characteraligned with the Joker for example willhave you doing his dirty work, whereasaligning with a hero sees similar but morejustice focused missions.

Action in the game takes some cuesfrom WoW, such as ability recharge times,but for the most part consists of fast-paced melee brawls. Depending onhow you create your character you canalso fly at supersonic speeds, run up skyscrapers and much, much more.

OnlinePlayers can choose to go the lone-wolfroute if they like or they can form theirown version of the Justice League andbattle alongside one another. PvP (playervs player) arenas are also supported and

an Arena mode is present where you canfight with your favourite established heroes.

ConclusionAs with all MMO’s, time will tell whetherDCUO will be successful or not, it’s tooearly to judge the game accurately at thisstage, but for the most part it deliveredan impressive and fresh experience to theworld of online gaming. Bar falling into atub of radioactive waste, DCUO is thebest way we know of becoming the nextgreat hero or villain. [JK]

After notorious hot-head Kratos defeated Ares and ascended to Mount

Olympus (right between GoW 1 and 2)he is tormented by nightmares from hispast relating to a long lost brother, separated by force whilst they were bothstill kids. Looking for answers he goes ona quest to find him, and as can be expected from Kratos it’s all but peaceful.

The game’s developer, Ready at Dawn,has done wonders with Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP), as this is simply the best looking PSP game barnone. Although not nearly at the samelevel of the last instalment, God of WarIII, for the powerful PS3 system, all thegraphics such as the environments,

Following in the wake of God of War III for the PlayStation 3, God of War: Ghost of Sparta brings the mythological storyline and thrill-a-minute visuals to Sony’s little portable gaming system.

» The Bad

Some excellent finishingmoves against the bosses,including playing the Cyclops’ optometrist.

The fact that this is the last PSP version Ready at Dawn will be makingfor the PSP.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta ›› War on the PSP

» The Good

weather effects and especially the in-game cut scenes look extraordinary considering the limited graphical powerof the PSP.

Combat systemThe control scheme is intuitive and makesit easy to dispel foes, including a selectionof bosses such as Kratos’ own mother Callisto, who goes from frail- lookinggranny to hideous beast in the blink of aneye, plus death itself, or rather thegame’s final boss, Thanatos, the god ofdeath. Also making for a nice break in between the combat are the variety ofpuzzles which you’ll need to complete tomake it to the following area. Although

not as challenging as say Tomb Raider forexample, it does add another dimensionto what is an otherwise straightforwardhack and slash game.

Final wordFor any PSP owners out there, God ofWar: Ghost of Sparta is simply a musthave. It is right on top of our best PSPgames along with Metal Gear Solid: PeaceWalker. The game’s violence-filled journeydraws you in from start to finish, complete with stunning visuals and compelling storyline. Although not reallybrining anything new to the series, Ghostof Sparta is well worth the R299 askingprice. [HD]


23 June 2011. On this date S

ega’s Sonic the H

edgehog will outrun his teens and turn 20.

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techsmart 89, february 2011, the green issue

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