FREE!

smart

SA’s LARGEST TECH MAGAZINE

®

ISSUE 98 November 2011 ISSN 1726–3358

HP Pavilion dv7

Similar name,dramatic differences

Walking the webThe best sites, apps, data rates revealed

WWW.TECHSMART.CO.ZA

All-purpose powerhouse

Apple iPhone 4S

THE INTERNET ISSUE

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 > 083-290-2889michael@techsmart.co.zaBusiness manager George Groblergeorge@smartpublishing.co.zaPrint media managerSuzanne Rallsuzanne@smartpublishing.co.zaAdvertising Enquiries Marlien vd Westhuizenmarlien@smartpublishing.co.zaAdvertising (Agencies)Carmel Ann Singh > 079-515-8708carmel@smartpublishing.co.zaDesigners Brett Wilson, Otto UeckermannContributors Mike Joubert [MJ], Hanleigh Daniels [HD], Ryan Noik [RN],Linda Pretorius [LP]Accounts & subscriptionsRonel Keet > 012-362-2732accounts@techsmart.co.zaDistributionRenier van Vuuren > 082-555-6866renier@smartpublishing.co.za

smart

M A S S M E D I A S P E C I A L I S T SSMARTPUBLISHING

distribution

Distributed by

98 180 averagecopies per month

Consumer: Male[Apr – Jun 2011]

www.smartpublishing.co.za

EDITORIAL & HIGHLIGHTS

3

Please, sir, can I have somemore apps?

It’s mainly thanks to my Androidsmartphone that I’ve come to

the conclusion that PCs are justtoo cumbersome. Due to the vastamounts of apps available thesedays, doing almost anything onyour phone is as easy assearching for the appropriate appin the marketplace and thendownloading it. Try for examplefinding a data usage trackingprogram for your PC and you’relead down many alleyways,leaving you uncertain that thesoftware you're about todownload is safe and effective.

That’s why I’m really excitedabout the upcoming Windows 8.It seems as if Microsoft took aleaf out of their Windows Mobile

(their operating system forsmartphones, competing against Apple’s iOS and Google’sAndroid) book, to provide desktops with a more smartphone-centric look and feel. The quick availability and usage of appsare supposed to be part and parcel of the set-up, with thishaving the potential to drastically alter the way we compute onnotebooks and desktops. If Windows 8 is as effective asMicrosoft recently pitched it, then we are in for a veryinteresting 2012.

Enjoy the issue,Mike (michael@techsmart.co.za)

No Recovery – No Charge.No Quotation Rejection Fees.No Assessment & Evaluation Fees.

Call Data Gate & Distribution

Call: 011-467-3817www.datagate.co.za

Unbeatable Service & Turn-Around Time

Hard Drive Failure?Data Corruption?Data Recovery and Virus Removal performed onall PC’s, Mac’s & iPods etc. Including Hard drives,CD’s, DVD’s, Camera SD cards etc.

RAID failure?(Assessment fee applies)

Unit 81A Studio Park5 Concourse CrescentLonehill, Gauteng

The Data Recovery and Virus Removal Specialists

Nokia N9The N9 will most probably be Nokia’s only MeeGo runningsmartphone. Which is a shame because we really liked it.

» Smartphones

15

Toshiba Satellite L755-17u This new notebook from Toshiba may be mid-range, but itstill boasts some impressive features, performance and add-ons.

» Hardware

11

29The Canon ExpoWe talk to Michelle Janse Van Vuuren to find out more aboutthe upcoming Canon Expo.

» Interviews

9The Big Issue: BlackBerry BlackoutSo what exactly happened during last month’s BlackBerryoutage and what is the fallout?

» Regular

17

The Internet issue ›› November 2011

iPhone 4S: What you need to knowSo it’s not the iPhone 5, but the 4S still contains a number ofgood improvements. 17

9 15

29

11

R23

bill

ion.

Am

ount

of re

venu

e gl

obal

ly t

hat

virt

ual g

oods

will

acc

ount

for

in 2

011.

1. Canon EOS 1D XCanon’s latest professional top of therange camera has enough features tomake any photographer drool. With a new18.1 megapixel full-frame sensor, dualDigic 5 processors, an ISO range from100-51 200 (expandable up to anunheard of ISO 204 800), 14 frames persecond shooting speed and of course fullHD (1920 x 1080p) video, the EOS 1D Xis the Ferrari of DSLRs. Now to find thechange for its $6800 (R54 970) askingprice.

2. Vodafone WebbookSometimes the hottest products aren’tthose that are the most expensive, butrather, the most accessible. The VodafoneWebbook weighs less than 1 kg, sports a10" LCD screen, 512 MB RAM and 4 GB ofstorage space. It is further powered by an800 MHz Mx515 ARM Cortex A8 CPU.Most notably, the netbook costs anaffordable R1499, and is also availablefrom Vodacom with a prepaid StarterPack for R1899, which includes a modem,SIM card and 100 MB of data per monthfor 12 months.

3. Google Galaxy NexusThe new Google Galaxy Nexus,manufactured by Samsung, is the firstsmartphone to operate on Android 4.0 IceCream Sandwich (see news above).

5

Powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-coreprocessor, this 4G-enabled device sportsa massive 4.65" Contour Display within aslim 8.84 mm profile. Using Near FieldCommunication you also can sharewebpages, YouTube videos, maps,directions and apps by simply tapping twophones together. Eat your heart outiPhone 4S.

4. Motorola Droid RazrRemember the ultra-cool flip-out Motorola

Razr from the mid-2000s? Fresh from theGoogorola factory is the new revisedMotorola Razr. The updated one thoughdoes not flip-out, but comes with an ultra-thin frame. According to Motorola its 7.1mm profile makes it the slimmestsmartphone to date. The Razr is poweredby a dual-core 1.2 GHz TI processor, has1 GB of RAM, operates on Android 2.3.5(Gingerbread) and brags with a 4.3"Super AMOLED Advanced display with aqHD (540 x 960) resolution.

Top Tech Titbits ››

The technology world was shaken asone of its icons, and the leader of

the highly successful Apple, SteveJobs, passed away after a long battlewith pancreatic cancer at the age of56. Jobs was universally hailed as avisionary who was responsible forrevolutionising technology with anumber of innovations, including theMacBook, iPod, iPhone and iPad. Jobswas paid tribute to by technologyluminaries, the US president and fansalike. His death came barely a monthafter he had resigned as the company’sCEO, citing that he could no longerperform his duties, and asked theApple Board to appoint Tim Cook in hisplace.

BlackBerry users suddenly foundthemselves without access to email,

the internet or messaging as Researchin Motion had a core switch failure in itsinfrastructure in October. The serviceoutages, which lasted for three daysbefore being fully restored, affectedEurope, Latin America, the Middle Eastand Africa, before spreading to Canadaand North America as well. Makingmatters worse, RIM provided nofeedback until the second day. After theissue had been resolved, RIMimplemented damage control measuresto try win back the confidence of itsglobal network of users. For the fullstory, and all that it entailed, read ourBig Issue on p11.

BlackBerry BlackoutR.I.P. Steve Jobs

NEWS

Google Ice Cream Sandwich

Google unveiled its latest and eagerlyawaited Android 4.0 operating

system, named Ice Cream Sandwich.The new OS is designed to run on bothtablets and smartphones, and hosts anumber of noteworthy features. Androidusers can look forward to keyboardimprovements, resizable widgets,revamped Gmail integration and asignificantly faster browser whichenables them to sync their bookmarkswith Google Chrome. The new OS alsoboasts Android Beam, which enablesusers to instantly share webpages,YouTube videos, maps, directions andapps by tapping two phones together,providing the devices support near fieldcommunication.

Hot New Products ›› 1 2

3

4

22 F

ebru

ary

2012

. D

ate

on w

hich

Sou

th A

fric

ans

will

be

able

to

buy

Son

y’s

Play

Sta

tion

Vita

han

dhel

d.

Paint shop pros

It seems our early ancestors hadmixing paint down to a tee. A team of

scientists write in a recent issue of thejournal Science, that they havediscovered the remains of paint mixingtools in Blombos Cave near Mossel Bay.The small toolkits consist of ochre-richrock powder, grindstones, bones andcharcoal in two abalone shells. Thepaint was possibly used for both walland body decoration. Using a datingtechnique called optically stimulatedluminescence, the researchers wereable to date the find to about 100 000years ago. Since common use of ochrepigments was previously thought tohave developed only later in the StoneAge, the new finding is an importantbenchmark for the evolution of mentalprocesses in humans. And you thoughtliving 100 000 years in the past wasdull.

Six-legged robotic bug sheds light on theevolution of flight. bit.ly/buggingfly

Challenges in developing a car that cantravel 1610 km/h. bbc.in/fastestinworld

» More amazing science

Sci News ››

An amazing video of quantum levitationin action. bit.ly/ibelieveicanfly

A breath of fresh air

When it comes to that stuffyfeeling, your nose knows.

According to a report in a recent issueof the open access journal PLoS ONE,the physical nasal obstructionexperienced during a cold or allergyisn’t the only thing that makes youfeel congested. Scientists asked 44volunteers to breathe air of normalhumidity at room temperature, dry airat room temperature and cold air andthen rate the feeling of congestion.Breathing cold, dry air was associatedwith the least discomfort. Theresearchers think that sensors insidethe nasal passages monitor thetemperature and humidity of airpassing through and that thecombination of cold and dry air signalsunobstructed flow. The findings maybe used to develop new treatments forstuffy sinuses.

Happy tweet

Alittle birdie tells us that mornings arehappy hours. Researchers write in a

recent report in the journal Science, thatthey tracked Twitter messages to studyhow people’s mood changes during thecourse of a day. The team analysedtweets of almost 2.5 million peopleacross 84 countries over two years,recording expressions of emotions suchas enthusiasm, delight, alertness,distress, fear and anger. Positiveemotions tend to peak early in themorning, but gradually dip during theday. Another positive peak was seenclose to midnight. Positive tweets werealso more often sent over weekends,although the early morning peaksoccurred about two hours later than onweekdays. The results suggest that workstress puts a damper on positiveattitudes. You don’t say.

SCI NEWS ECO NEWS

7

How Apple and Greenpeace buried the ecohatchet. cnet.co/greenerApple

Winner of new generation electricity pylonannounced. bit.ly/pylonstyle

The US state of Texas sets new record forwind-power output. reut.rs/Texaswind

» Other interesting eco news

Plugging into the power ofsocial networking

Social networking behemothFacebook has announced that it

has formed a new partnership with theNatural Resources Defense Council(NRDC) and software service companyOpower. This partnership will exploitthe power of social media in order toraise consumer awareness aboutissues of energy efficiency. Thesecompanies are developing a new socialenergy application for Facebook thatwill enable users to compare theirhome’s energy usage against thenational US average of similar sizedhomes, as well as with that of theirfriend’s homes. Users will also be ableto enter energy-saving competitionsand share tips on how to become moreenergy efficient.

Nissan details its 2011 FuelCell Stack

Nissan has released its nextgeneration Fuel Cell Stack (FCS,

2011 Model) for its Fuel Cell ElectricVehicles (EVs), which boasts significantpower density improvements up to 2.5times better than its 2005 model. Thisallows it to achieve a world’s best of 2.5kW per liter according to the carmanufacturer, with the company alsoreducing the overall size of the FCS byover half compared to conventionalmodels. All these improvements haveluckily not resulted in an increase in theprice of the unit though, as Nissanreduced the usage of both platinum aswell as parts variation to one quarter,bringing down the cost of it to one-sixthof the previous model.

BrightSource planning its 3rdmega solar plant

Solar energy firm BrightSource Energyhas filed an application for certification

with the California Energy Commission, todevelop three 250 megawatt solar powerplants (750 megawatts nominalcombined), in California’s RiversideCounty. If approved, the Rio Mesa SolarElectric Generating Facility will useBrightSource’s next generation 250megawatt solar plant design, whichreduces land use by 33% compared tosimilar solar plants. The electricitygenerated by the proposed plants isenough to serve over 300 000 Californianhomes during daily peak hours and thecomplex will reduce CO² emissions byalmost 20 million tons over its 25 year lifecycle. If approved the Rio Mesa plant isexpected to be complete by 2016.

Eco News ››

6 Sta

rs.

Gre

en S

tar

SA r

atin

g aw

arde

d to

Vod

acom

for

its

Voda

fone

Inn

ovat

ion

Cen

tre

build

ing

in M

idra

nd,

to b

e la

unch

ed e

arly

201

2.

Protecting the Stuff that matters.Norton™ Internet Security: Your power against online threats.Stop viruses, spyware, online identity theft, and more with the powerful protection of Norton Internet Security.

Able to quickly detect and eliminate online threats, Norton Internet Security uses four unique layers of protection to prevent threats from ever reaching your computer, without slowing you down. Plus it gives you easy access to NortonOnline Family so you can protect your kids from online dangers.

The result? Superior protection with fast scan speeds and low impact on your PC’s performance. So you can surf, shop,bank, and socialize online safely, without annoying slowdowns or interruptions.

For more information, visit http://www.norton.co.za/

Toshiba talkstechnology

The IT industryhas seen its fair

share of turmoil oflate, and in manyways has beenundergoing asignificant shift inits business modelsover the years.Gargarella

explained that whilethe market for technology products hasremained the same, in the past ten yearsthe number of IT vendors has exploded,to include Toshiba, Lenovo, HP, Asus, Acer,Samsung, Mecer and Sahara.

Another change in the IT space hasbeen the reduction in profit margins,which has compelled PC vendors to aimfor greater volumes. Gargarella elaboratedthat notebook prices cater to particularincome groups, with more expensive PCscatering to a smaller market segment ofpeople in a higher income group. But,making a device more affordable opensvendors up to a larger market of lowerincome earners. This, he continued, hasmade selling lower priced devices moreprofitable than higher priced ones, andaccounted for the recent trend of seeinghigher-end features, such as a Blu-rayplayer, in mid-range notebooks at moreaffordable prices.

The challenge to usersGargarella lamented that manyconsumers go into a shop and use their

In an informative interview withDomenico Gargarella, regional general

manager for Toshiba Southern Africa,TechSmart uncovers Toshiba’s view ofthe PC industry, and reveals the mostimportant question users need toanswer before buying a new PC.

Interview: DomenicoGargarella, Regional GeneralManager for Toshiba SouthernAfrica

INTERVIEWS

hard earned money to buy old technology,because people don’t know what thetechnology on offer can deliver or whatvalue it can bring to their lives. This isexacerbated by the fact that technology ischanging so quickly, with almost everymonth bringing new developments, aswell as the fact that people are constantlybombarded with new technology to cometo terms with.

He pointed out that, while many peoplethink that any computer will allow them todo whatever they want, there existed abig difference between computers that aresuitable for office and internet browsingand those geared for photography,multimedia work and video editing. “Myadvice to users before they go buy a newcomputer is to take a moment and askthemselves why they want a computerand what they want to use it for. If buyerswait one more month before making theirpurchase, they could save money and buya better model,” he added.

To the pointAccording to Gargarella, the good news isthat amid the changes technology isundergoing and bringing, it is ultimatelybecoming more human-centric, enablingpeople to do more with less time andexpanding their freedom. [RN]

when the pressure mounted to find outthe cause of the problem and fix it.Despite belatedly reassuring that thecompany was working to restore servicesas fast as possible, outages continued fora third day, spreading to Canada and theUS and affecting even more BlackBerryusers.

While the company eventuallyidentified the problem (a core switchfailure within RIM’s infrastructure), aformer RIM employee revealed to theGuardian that the Canadian company hadbeen ignoring problems with its serverarchitecture for years, asserting that thecompany had neglected to considerscalability until 2007, when there werealready eight million active devices.

The AftermathAfter three days of service outages, theproblem was resolved, with RIM makingconsecutive announcements to update

9

TH

EBIGBlackBerry holding company Research in Motion (RIM) experienced a crisesof epic proportions last month as the BlackBerry Internet Service went down,leaving millions of their customers facing a communication blackout.

The BlackBerry

BLACKOUT

One day of service outages stretchedinto two and then three, leaving

them unable to send and receive emails,disconnected from BlackBerry Messenger,and cut off from the internet on theirdevice. Users fumed, taking to Twitter,Facebook and the internet to beg andplead with an inauspiciously quiet RIM tofix the problem.

BlackBerry Blackout While the outages initially affectedEurope, Latin America, the Middle Eastand Africa, users were left in the dark asto why they couldn’t access the servicesthey were paying for. Somewhat fittingly,RIM received scathing criticism for itsfailure to communicate with its affectedglobal customers until the second day,

customers on their progress.Nonetheless, the damage has been done,and in the aftermath, the companyscrambled to try win back the trust thathad been lost. Apologies were issued,and a programme was hastily put in placeoffering users free apps and technicalservice contracts, while locally cellularprovides stepped up to offer theirBlackBerry customers remuneration.

Beyond the debacle, and the cost ofrebuilding its customers’ confidence, thethree day BlackBerry blackout begsseveral as yet unanswered questions:Can BlackBerry users confidently rely onRIM for consistent service, or was this thefirst of many service failures thatsmartphone users will be plagued with?Can RIM cope with its current client base,even as they pursue greater marketshare? Time will tell; for now, thecompany has its work cut out for themproving that they can be trusted. [RN]R

787.

Val

ue o

f pr

emiu

m a

pps

that

Bla

ckBer

ry u

sers

can

dow

nloa

d in

com

pens

atio

n fo

r th

e Bla

ckBe

rry

serv

ice

outa

ges.

If Toshiba’s AT100 was a rugby player,it would be strictly forbidden to play

anywhere else but tighthead – seeingthat although it might be hefty, it alsoseems very rugged. The AT100 pullsthe scales at a stout 765 g and makesits presence felt with a thickness of15.8 mm. Compared to the thin andsleek Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1’s 565gand 8.6 mm, it’s almost double thethickness.

Granted the Samsung is on theopposite end of the scale, being thethinnest tablet currently available. Butthat said, the only tablet beating theToshiba on thickness is the Asus Slider,which in its defence contains a slide-out keyboard.

But all the portsThe AT100 does not do things in halfmeasures, seeing that you’ll find a fullsized USB and HDMI port, while an SDcard slot is also present. The full USB

Toshiba’s AT100 tablet might bebigger and heavier than thecompetition, but it includes somegood full sized ports in its arsenal.

11

Toshiba AT100-100 ››The boy with a fullUSB port in his side

TABLETS

Pretty straightforwardToshiba provides the straightforwardAndroid Honeycomb 3.1 interface withnot much offered in terms of skinningor pre-installed apps.

We’re not always too stressed aboutpre-loaded apps, since it’s so easy todownload from Android Market, but wedo like gratis document andspreadsheet editing apps, which youunfortunately don’t receive with theAT100.

Currently there is no 3G enabledversion available, so your AT100 willconnect via Wi-Fi. The Toshiba AT100-100 is currently available in a16 GB version only, which retails forR4999. [MJ]

Full review: bit.ly/at100tosh

port makes it possible to quicklytransfer data from a colleague’s PC toyour tablet via flash disk, although it isnot that good at providing quick accessto the content on your flash disk sinceit does not allow quick access to a fileexplorer option.

Next to the USB port is a full sizedHDMI port, handy if you want to viewcontent on your HDTV, with thechances very good that you’ll alreadyhave an HDMI cable lying aroundsomewhere to do this.

The full SD card slot on top of theAT100 makes the AT100 useful forphotographers who want to quickly andeasily view enlarged shots of picturesjust taken, while also backing up theircamera’s SD card to the 16 GB ofspace found on the AT100.

“The AT100 doesnot do things inhalf measures,seeing that you’llfind a full sizedUSB and HDMIport, while an SDcard slot is alsopresent.”

colour scheme, lending the notebook anundeniably classy appearance. Adding tothis, we also appreciated its reassuringlysolid build.

SpecificationsBearing in mind that the Satellite L755is a mid-range notebook, with arecommended retail price of R6999, itstill impressed performance wise. Abrilliant 15.6" display, offering a 1366 x768 resolution is joined by the capableIntel Core i5-2410M processor clockedat 2.3 GHz, and a 640 GB hard drive.

The included 4 GB of DDR3 memory canbe further expanded to 8 GB, while the

capable Nvidia GeForce GT 525Mgraphics card has 2 GB of

video memory. Ingeneral usage we foundthe notebook to

perform flawlessly. The notebook’s battery life was

adequate, offering up to four and a half

hours on a charge, depending, as usual,on usage patterns. Sound was aboveaverage, and although not the loudestwhen cranked up to full volume,remained free of distortion when musicwas played through the notebook’sspeakers.

Added extrasThe next notable and appreciatedsurprise on the notebook is the inclusionof a Blu-ray drive, complemented by anonboard HDMI port for outputting Blu-raymovies to one’s TV. It is joined by twoUSB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 port,which supported Sleep and Charge. Thisenables users to use the notebook tocharge their devices while the notebook ishibernating, in sleep mode or even off.Additionally, a multi-card reader can befound on the front of the notebook, justbeneath the trackpad.

To the pointFor the specifications and performance onoffer, not to mention the included Blu-raydrive, the L755 is very aggressivelypriced. While the notebook may be letdown slightly by a keyboard and trackpadthat would benefit from some tweaking,the L755 is still a beauty of a mid-rangeoffering. It has a RRP of R6999. [RN]

Full review: bit.ly/sattoshiba

“For the specifications andperformance on offer, notto mention the includedBlu-ray drive, the L755 isvery aggressively priced.”

The first and easily most distinctivequality that struck us when opening

up the Toshiba Satellite L755 was itsappearance. The 15.6" notebook isgraced with a weave-like hexagonalpattern across its silver lid and palm rest,which attractively complements its blackand silver

The Toshiba Satellite L755 may bemid-range, but it still boasts someimpressive features, performanceand add-ons.

Toshiba Satellite L755-17u ›› Classy meets cost-effective

HARDWARE$3

5 (R

277)

. Pr

ice

of t

he w

orld

’s c

heap

est

tabl

et,

the

And

roid

2.2

-ope

ratin

g Aak

ash,

laun

ched

in I

ndia

last

mon

th.

Thesecan be viewedon the 17.3" LEDbacklit screen, offering aresolution of 1600 x 900,which is HD ready butunfortunately not full HD.If you do get tired of yourdigital movie collection,the dv7 comes standardwith a Blu-ray player too.This makes the Pavilion apowerful entertainmenthub, rounded off by a veryimportant feature foundon some of HP’s newnotebooks, namely itsintegrated Beats Audio.Beats by Dr. Dre iscurrentlyresponsible forsome of the bestheadphones on themarket. On the dv7you’ll find threeregular speakers arranged justunderneath the screen and below thepalm rests, while a subwoofer is locatedunderneath the machine. Thisconfiguration, along with Beats Audio,means that you don’t have to worryabout tinny or underwhelming sound atall if you are looking to play movies orlisten to music via your notebook.

ConclusionWith two Terabytes worth of storage, ablazingly fast processor working hand inhand with a powerful graphics card, andBeats Audio providing better than the restaudio, the HP Pavilion dv7 is a massivemultimedia powerhouse wrapped up in avery stylish package. It retails for R16999 and is available from IncredibleConnection, Dion Wired and the HPExperience store in Sandton City.

The dv7 unit that arrived at our office(6b51ei) features an aluminium

brushed-metal chassis with an almostdark-brown tint. Opening up thenotebook you’ll find the full sized Chiclet-styled keyboard with number pad,surrounded by the same brushed-metal,stylishly outlined with a silver-finish. It’s aclassy look for a very high specednotebook, with the dv7 strong on bothperformance and entertainment.

All out performanceAs far as performance is concerned, thedv7 sports a very powerful 2ndgeneration Intel Core i7 processor. The i7range of processors is at the current topof the Intel consumer processor stablewhen it comes to performance, with theCore i7 2670QM, running at 2.20 GHz,definitely no slow poke. Combined with 8GB of RAM it makes for a flawlesscomputing experience, but the clincher isthe AMD Radeon HD 6770M (2 GBDDR5) graphics card that’s also onboard.In combination, the CPU and GPU willmake short work of video or 3D graphicswork, while also providing excellentgaming performance. Equally as notableis the fact that if you unplug thenotebook, the dv7 switches to the lesspower hungry Intel graphics, helping toextend battery life.

You’ll also find 2 x USB 2.0 ports and 2x USB 3.0 ports, ensuring that datatransfer is future proof and blazingly fast.A full HDMI port is also present, plus amulti-card reader.

More than enough for mediaTalking of future proofing, one thingyou need not worry about with the dv7is storage space, seeing that you havenot 1 Terabyte (TB) of storage, butrather 2 x 1 TB (5400 rpm) just tomake sure. This leaves more thanenough space for an extensive library ofdigital music and movies.

A number of the desktop replacement notebooks that entered ouroffice recently were aimed squarely at the gaming market. Thisusually means unusual designs, with the units looking more likeUFOs that landed instead of a regular notebook. HP’s extremelystylish Pavilion dv7 notebook offers a more traditionalapproach to design, while not skimping onperformance.

13

HARDWARE

MultimediaPowerhouse

“This makes the dv7 apowerful entertainmenthub, rounded off by a veryimportant feature, namelyits integrated Beats Audio.”

HP Pavilion dv7: What you need to know

The

Top

6 PC

mak

ers

wor

ldw

ide:

HP,

Len

ovo,

Del

l, Ace

r, Asu

s an

d To

shib

a.

The die is cast as Nokia will beemploying Microsoft’s WindowsPhone 7.5 Mango operating system(OS) as its primary smartphone OSsoon. Regardless, the Finnish phonegiant managed to produce its first(and probably only) MeeGo-operating smartphone in the N9.

Measuring 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1 mm,the stylish N9 polycarbonate body

flows seamlessly into its curved 3.9"AMOLED (480 x 854, 251 ppi pixeldensity) ClearBlack display. There are nobuttons present on the front of thissmartphone, leaving you are completelydependent on the touchscreen tonavigate the mobile OS.

MeeGo takes a swipe at UI convention Luckily the MeeGo OS makes it easy todo so, since you can swipe your waythrough three home-screens. The firstwill be familiar to all Nokia users as it isdedicated to applications. The secondscreen features social networking feedsincluding Facebook and Twitter, as wellas notifications for calls, messages (SMS

Nokia N9 ›› HelloMeeGo, GoodbyeMeeGo

and MMS) and the like. The final home-screen is for open applications andallows users to easily switch in betweenall live apps that they have opened.MeeGo does an excellent job of bringing

Nokia in-line with Android and iOS,and it’s actually far more intuitiveto use than both its OS rivals. Itsonly drawback is that the NokiaStore only contains a few MeeGosupported apps.

FeaturesPowering the N9 is an ARM Cortex-A8OMAP3630 running at 1 GHz, withgraphics being handled by a PowerVRSGX530 GPU. Although this might notbe on par with the dual-core chips in theGalaxy SII and iPhone 4S, it still allowsfor a smooth and speedy userexperience. The N9’s 8 MP Carl Zeissauto-focus camera enables you tocapture some beautiful photos, whilstalso enabling the recording of HD-Readyvideos (720p @ 30 fps). Nokia’s Maps,their free turn-by-turn drive and walknavigation with voice guidance, also

“Nokia’s N9 is themost exciting andcoolest smartphonethat the company hasproduced for a while.”

Sony Ericsson (SE) aims to deliver aunique social music experience viaits Live with Walkman smartphone,which boasts a dedicated Walkmanhardware button that provides youwith instant access to the musicplayer.

Push the dedicated Walkman button ontop of the device next to the 3.5 mm

jack and you are immediately transportedto your music player. Here you’ll also findthe on-screen Infinite button, cleverlylinking the current artist playing to newcontent the likes of music videos onYouTube, artist info pages on Wikipediaand song lyrics searches on Google. Ifyou’re one for listening to music via theonboard speakers, the SE Live withWalkman should be right up your alley,seeing that it features Sony’s xLOUDExperience. This enhances audio outputon the phone’s loudspeakers, especiallyon the higher levels, for much louder andclearer audio compared to what otherphones can offer.

The grip-friendly (106 x 56.5 x 14.2mm) Live with Walkman sports an

Sony Ericsson Live withWalkman ›› Marchingto the Walkman beat

attractive curved design, similar to SE’sXperia mini but not as stylish or thin asthe Xperia arc. This device is not just aglorified entry-level device, since it ispowered by a very capable 1 GHz

processor (make not specified), allowingfor speedy navigation through the mobileoperating system (OS). In this case,the OS is the up-to-date Android2.3.4 (Gingerbread), but heavilycustomised with SE’s Timescapeskin. The latter adds some handyfunctionality to the standard Androidinterface, such as Facebook Inside Xperia2.0, that enables deeper socialnetworking integration.

FeaturesYou navigate the OS by employing thephone’s 3.2" (320 x 480) scratch-resistant capacitive touchscreen, whichfeatures good viewing angles and nicelysaturated colours. It is however moresusceptible to displaying glare in directsunlight when compared to, for instance,Apple’s Retina display. The phone’s fivemegapixel camera is also capable of 720p

15

“If you’re one for listening tomusic via the onboardspeakers, the SE Live withWalkman should be right upyour alley”

video, while a 2 GB microSD card makesit into the box.

ConclusionSE’s Live with Walkman boast somedecent specs, most notably its XLOUDsound enhancements, as well as a trulyfunctional Android skin and Walkmanfunctionality. It would have been evenbetter if it sported media control buttons(like the BlackBerry Curve 3G) directly onthe device. It can be yours for an RRP ofR3699. [HD]

makes an appearance, and so too somehandy pre-loaded apps includingFacebook and Twitter.

ConclusionNokia’s N9 is the most exciting andcoolest smartphone that the companyhas produced for a while, sporting abeautiful design, a very intuitive UI andexcellent features. Will users haveaccess to firmware updates and amultitude of apps in the future? Of thatwe are not so sure. For this reason it’shard to recommend the N9 even thoughwe feel owners will love the device itself.It goes for an RRP of R5999. [HD]

SMARTPHONES11

0 x

50.7

x 9

.7 m

m.

Dim

ensi

ons

for

the

Nok

ia 7

00,

whi

ch t

he c

ompa

ny c

laim

s is

sm

alle

st s

mar

tpho

ne in

the

wor

ld.

work with a user’s iPhone, iPad, iPodtouch, or Mac to automatically andwirelessly store their content in iCloudand push it to all their devices.

Cupertino also introduced Siri, anintelligent digital assistant for theiPhone 4S. Siri will assist users to makecalls, send text messages or email,schedule meetings and reminders,make notes, search the web, find localbusinesses and get directions.According to Apple, Siri understandscontext, allowing users to speaknaturally when you ask it questions. Auser can ask questions like: “Will I needan umbrella this weekend?” and itunderstands that you are looking for aweather forecast.

Better camera and videoiPhonographers will be happy about the4S’s new eight megapixel rear-facingcamera. The iPhone 4S also sports anew custom lens, a larger f/2.4aperture and an advanced hybrid IRfilter that produces sharper, brighterand more accurate images. Besidesgreatly enhanced stills, this newsnapper allows for the recording of fullHD (1080p) videos (much like theSamsung Galaxy SII).

Despite the disappointment of noiPhone 5, the 4S is selling extremelywell, having notched up four million soldin just three days after release. If allgoes well, South Africans can expectthe 4S to land here in December. [HD]

After much hype Apple finallyannounced its follow-up to theiPhone 4 last month. It is not theiPhone 5 as many (including us)expected, but rather the iPhone 4S.

Apple iPhone 4S:What you need toknow

It can be argued that if only Apple gaveit a different form and dubbed it the

iPhone 5, many critics’ harsh words wouldhave been silenced, but for an expectantApple fan base, news of “only” a 4S cameas a disappointment. Nevertheless, the4S is significantly faster than itspredecessor, powered by a dual-core A5chip (most probably 1 GHz), which alsohandles processing on the iPad 2. Despiteits increase in speed, Apple stated that itwill still be able to maintain a battery lifeof up to eight hours of 3G talk time.

Siri, iOS 5 & iCloudWith the launch of iPhone 4S alsocomes the launch of iOS 5, which sportsmore than 200 new features, the likesof Twitter integration and Apple’s BBM-esque iMessage IM (instant messaging)application. Also launched with the newiPhone was Cupertino’s iCloud service,which is a set of free cloud services that

“If only Apple gave it adifferent form and dubbedit the iPhone 5, manycritics’ harsh words wouldhave been silenced.”

No iPhone 5,but some goodimprovements

Huawei’s IDEOS X1 smartphone,otherwise known as the Gaga(apparently no relation to the oddballsinging sensation of the samename), is an Android device thatlooks set to bring the barrier to entryfor smartphones below theimportant R1000 level.

This does not mean, however, thatusers have necessarily been given

the short end of the feature-rich stick.Weighing in at a miniscule 100 g, theGaga runs off the older Android 2.2(Froyo) and packs a 528 MHz processoron the Qualcomm MSM7225 chipset –pretty much in-line with other entry-level models. Joining it is 256 MBinternal memory, although this can beextended up to 32 GB using themicroSD slot. The Gaga also supportsboth 2G and 3G networks.

One of the more noticeable places topick up if a phone is entry-level is thescreen. In the Gaga’s case you’ll find asmallish 2.8" capacitive touchscreen, ata so-so resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.It might not be the best in the

Huawei Gaga (U8180IDEOS X1): What youneed to know

SMARTPHONES

17

business, but it’s a reasonable sacrificefor full smartphone capabilities underR1000.

Feature setWhile the three megapixel camera iswhat we would expect on a budgetoffering, some high end features arealso included on the phone. Theseinclude geotagging of pictures, Wi-Fi802.11n and the ability to use thephone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Assisted GPSalso makes an appearance, as does anFM radio, which is still a handy andappreciated addition to any phone.

Most importantly, Huawei’s offeringcan further accommodate a variety ofapps, including Twitter and Facebook,which can be downloaded from theAndroid Market. This adds a wholeheap of extra functionality to the phonewhich regular feature phones cannotprovide.

Battery LifeParticularly important on any phone isits battery life. On the Gaga, theLithium-Ion battery is rated as offeringup to 336 hours standby time and upto four hours talk time. An HTML webbrowser caters for internet surfing,while an included document viewer andH264 video player should meetproductivity and video watching needsrespectively.

The Huawei Gaga comes withrecommended retail price of R999.Fo

ur m

illio

n. F

ollo

win

g its

14

Oct

ober

laun

ch A

pple

sur

pass

ed t

his

sale

s fig

ure

with

its

iPho

ne 4

S in

jus

t th

ree

days

.

17.0

7 m

illio

n, 1

1.12

mill

ion

& 4

.89

mill

ion.

The

res

pect

ive

num

ber

of iP

hone

s, iP

ads

and

Mac

com

pute

rs A

pple

sol

d du

ring

its

fisca

l Q4,

ach

ievi

ng a

net

pro

fit o

f $6

.62

billi

on

However, even the entry level TiGamer is an impressive highperformance PC, as all of thePCs boast AMD’s high-end FX-8150, which sports eight cores,clocked at 3.6 GHz, along with8 GB Corsair memory.

The biggest differenceacross the range is thegraphics card. The range startswith the highly capable GTX550 Ti 1 GB overclocked, andthen moves to include aNVIDIA GTX 590 or AMD HD6990 on the FX 8150 ExtremeGamer. Visit www.evetech.co.za

for more information.

19

HARWARE

when going on holiday,both locally andinternationally.

The device, which caneither be worn like awatch or strapped ontoone’s bike, can displaycurrent speed, averagespeed, distance, altitude,pace, laps and currenttime. The sportscomputer further boasts64 MB of built-inmemory, and can storeup to 200 000 waypoints.

Thanks to the i-gotUGT-800’s waterproofdesign, it can endure up to

one metre underwater for 30minutes, while an operatingtemperature range of -10°C to 50°C makes itfurther suitable for avariety of weatherconditions. Also in thepackage is Sports Analyzersoftware to organise one’sworkouts and the @trip PCsoftware, which enablesusers to share theiradventures online.

The i-gotU GT-800 GPSgoes for R1099 from TheG.A.D.G.E.T. Shop on 012-346-2726, or visit

www.thegadgetshop.co.za.

i-gotU GT-800 GPSand sports computer ››Track and record

Cellular data prices

Connectingfor less

The i-gotU GT-800 GPS caters fornumerous outdoor and sportingactivities.

Web surfers who aren’t luckyenough to have a fixed ADSL lineinstalled at home, can make use ofthe cellular networks’ mobileconnectivity options. Check out thistable for a contract and prepaiddata pricing comparison betweenthe major network operators.

Particularly aimed at photographers,travellers and sportspeople, the 51 g

device includes GPS functionality, apedometer, stopwatch as well as acompass. Importantly it also logs yourroute, which can be particularly helpful

* Fair usage policy kicks in after limit is reached ** Night Owl – Additional data amount (equal to your initialdata amount) to be used between 00:00 & 05:00 AM *** 2 GB anytime data & 1 GB Midnight Surfer

Evetech AMD FX(Bulldozer) Gaming PCs›› Extreme performancemade affordableIn mid-October, AMD launched itslatest salvo in its bid for unrivalledperformance, announcing its newAMD FX family of desktop CPUs,which included its range of eightcore processors, appropriatelynicknamed Bulldozer.

The biggest surprise however,was the price, proving

to be surprisinglyaffordable. Evetechhighlights this with arange of eight gamingPCs equipped withthe new processors,starting with the FX8150 GTX 550 TiGamer at areasonable R8299,and then increasingin between R500 andR1500 increments tothe top end FX 8150Extreme Gamer.

Cell C’s postpaid offers Cost per MB Prepaid data prices Cost per MB

500 MB @ R129/pm ±26c

1 GB @ R199/pm ±19c

2 GB @ R299/pm ±15c 3 GB @ R749 ±25c

5 GB @ R599/pm ±12c 12 GB (1 GB/pm) @ R1499 ±12c

Vodacom’s contract data pricing Cost per MB Prepaid & Top-up Cost per MB

500 MB** @ R149 ±30c

1 GB** @ R249 ±24c

2 GB** @ R349 ±17c MyGig 2 @ R369 ±18c

5 GB** @ R789 ±15c MyGig 2.5 @ R429 ±17c

8ta’s postpaid data + promotion Cost per MB Prepaid data promotion Cost per MB

650 MB @ R195 30c

1.5 GB @ R280 ±19c

3.2 GB @ R500 ±16c 3 GB @ R149 *** ±5c

5 GB @ R800 16c

MTN’s contract data pricing Cost per MB Prepaid data prices Cost per MB

500 MB @ R189 ±38c

1 GB @ R289 ±29c

2 GB @ R149 ±7c 2 GB @ R389 ±19c

Uncapped Lite* – 3 GB @ R289 ±14c

GADGETSDATA

vtech DDA200BT DECTphone ›› Landline andcellular connectivityin oneWhile most cordless phones free youfrom wires, they are still restricted tolandline use. The vtech DDA200BTDECT phone does not suffer thislimitation, offering users the ability tomake and receive both landline andcellular calls from a single phone.

• Duo Handsets• Blue backlit display• Integrated Bluetooth• 100 Name & Number phonebook• Digital Answering Machine• Gap Compliant• Caller ID

The vtech DDA200BT DECT phoneplays to the strengths of both

cellular and landline basedcommunication, while niftily integratingboth forms of connectivity.

Bluetooth on boardFor example, the device’s built-inBluetooth enables one to downloadcellular phone contacts to thephone, as well as pair it with aBluetooth headset or smartphone.A Bluetooth headset, paired withthe vtech DDA200BT DECT phone,can then also be used for landlineconversations. Additionally, bothBluetooth and landline calls can beput on hold, and the device will

Quick specs:

TELEPHONYhandsets, or use multiple handsets forconference calls. The vtech DDA200BTDECT phone also does double duty as adigital answering system with up to 15minutes of recording time, alsoincorporating caller ID and call waiting, aswell as functioning as an intercomsystem.

Landline not requiredHowever, one doesn’t need to have aland-line to take advantage of the vtechDDA200BT DECT’s features on offer, ascellular calls made or received with thedevice use standard cellular minutes.The phone features a slim andergonomic handset with a highresolution 98 x 67 pixels LCD display,and can accommodate up to onehundred phonebook entries. Additionally,up to twenty outgoing calls and thirtyincoming calls can be logged. The vtechDDA200BT DECT phone will be availableat Telkom Direct Stores from middleNovember with an RRP of R899 andthe option of easy payment terms.

22

“The device’sbuilt-in Bluetoothenables one todownload cellularphone contacts tothe phone, as wellas pair it with aBluetooth headsetor smartphone”

automatically reconnect if the Bluetoothconnection is lost.

Double dutyOne of the phone’s distinguishingfeatures is the ability to simultaneouslyuse one handset for a cellular call whileanother is used for a landline call. Userscan further transfer calls between

26%. G

rowth of the sm

artphone market annually up until 2015, according to the ID

C.

NRK series and theNetshield NKU series is that the NKUseries includes an output transformeror inverter. An internal isolationtransformer offers 100% isolation fromthe input AC line. It is ideal for theprotection of sensitive electronicequipment such as patient-care,computers and laboratory instruments.It is available in 1KVA-15KVAtower / table top versions which includeinternal batteries. The 10KVA and15KVA includes a maintenance bypassswitch. It is also available in 10KVA-400KVA rack mount versions,with external batteries.

Netshield NIK series(Line-interactive)This range consists ofhigh reliability, highefficiency and goodvoltage conditioningUPSs. It is a line-interactive UPS thatis ideal for rack ordistributed serversand/or harsh powerenvironments. It is the most commonUPS to be found and in this type of unit,the separate battery charger, inverterand source selection switch have all beenreplaced by a combination inverter /converter. The main advantage of this isthat it is always connected to the output,powering the equipment. The designallows for faster response to a powerfailure than a standby UPS, although itdoes not provide protection as well asthe online UPS does. The range isavailable in 1KVA, 2KVA and 3KVA andoffers the option of internal batteries orexternal batteries.

HARDWARE

27(0) 86-111-4428 • marien@netshieldsa.com

www.netshieldsa.com

Advertorial

UninterruptedPower Supply:an essentialcompany tool

AUPS unit’s main function is to supplypower to the server and other

selected equipment when there is apower failure, allowing enough time to:

• shut down the server in order for itnot to become corrupt, or

• start the generator to supply power.

In other words, a UPS provides batteryback-up when the electrical power failsor drops to an unacceptable voltagelevel. A UPS system typically alsoprovides surge suppression and mayprovide voltage regulation. Netshield’sNRK and NRK–J 6KVA and 10KVA UPSunits now offer a software component(UPS2000) that enables you toautomate back-up and shut downprocedures in case there is a powerfailure when you are away from yourcomputer.

A UPS can either be offline, onlineor interactive:

• Offline: Will supply power only whenpower fails

• Online: It supplies power the sameway mains provide power

• Interactive: Supply power frombypass through transformer

An Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)can mean the difference between agood day at the office, or one spentoffline and/or trying to recover data offa crashed server. Netshield’s UPSrange is here to help.

For enquiries on any of these products, contact Netshield on 086-111-4428 or 012-841-0320, or visit www.netshieldsa.com.

23

Netshield NRK series (Online)The Netshield NRK1000 – 6000 andNRK1110S series provide 2-20 minutesto perform one of the above mentionedactions, depending on the percentageload that needs to be backed up. Thesehave built-in batteries, where theNetshield UPS NRK1000L to NRK1110Lseries, consisting of a higher qualitycharger and inverter, can provide anunlimited amount of time needed toperform these actions.

The 1KVA, 2KVA and 3KVA rangescome standard with an LCD display thatindicates how full the battery is, howlong it will run and what the voltage is,for example. Also onboard is an RS232communication interface which allowsyou to connect to an optional SNMP(Simple Network Management Protocol)external module. This module enablesyou to connect to the NetshieldMonitoring software or monitoringsoftware of your choice.

The 6KVA and 10KVA ranges comestandard with an LED and an LCDdisplay, providing a visual indication thatthe UPS is running, as well as addedinformation. UPS 2000 software isincluded to enable the UPS toautomatically start shut downprocedures, as well as a manual bypassswitch, EPO terminal and USB cable. AnEmergency Power Off (EPO) systemserves as a safety mechanism and isintended to power down a single pieceof electronic equipment or an entireinstallation from a single point byactivating a push button, for example incase of fire or electrical shock.

Netshield NKU series (Online)The difference between the Netshield

7.1

mm

. W

idth

of th

e M

otor

ola

Dro

id R

azr,

mak

ing

it, a

ccor

ding

to

the

com

pany

, th

e th

inne

st s

mar

tpho

ne a

vaila

ble.

8.8

4 m

m.

Online data storage is a technologywhich allows people to store theirdata on the internet. With broadbandspeeds becoming faster andbandwidth pricing dropping everyyear, more and more people areinterested in purchasing online datastorage from internet serviceproviders (ISPs) or data serviceproviders.

25

For more information – please contact Tumi Pooe on 011-785-1000 or Boitumelo.pooe@hp.com.

Advertorial CLOUD COMPUTING

HP’s movetowards the cloud

The Personalisationof InformationTechnology

But what about business critical data?If companies are looking for storagespace for some non-sensitive data, thenthere are basic solutions available.Business critical data, which is a lot moresensitive, requires a different type ofstrategy whereby a customer can hostthat data in their own datacentre usinghybrid cloud models, or by maintainingan online data storage strategy thatrequires additional security, whichinclude data encryption andauthentication for data to travel acrossthe network.

Today, vendors offer online datafacilities. At HP we have built suchsolutions, one that comes to mind is theone we built for Sir Paul McCartneywhere he has over 300 TB of personalphotos, music recordings and memoirsstored in his own datacentre in the UK aswell as hosted data in our USdatacentre. This way he always hasaccess to his information.

HP is also able to help customers bytransforming their applications andmaking them more adaptable to nextgeneration technology in convergedinfrastructures like we have. Added in ourIP, we have been able to implement ourenterprise security plans into customersolutions as well as have the ability toachieve a hybrid delivery model.

In these types of cases, userstypically pay fees based on the amountof space they need. Service Providerscan provide you with a fully managedand secure solution with 24 x 7 technicalsupport and monitoring.

space for storage. There is no need foryou to purchase and install additionalstorage hardware – and we know howlong the process takes for customers toprocure additional capacity for theirstorage environments. Another beautifulfeature about online storage is that theuser can access data from any locationwith a computer and internetconnection. This is convenient forbusinesses and home computer usersalike.

Hard to do rightOnline storage is vitally important buthard to do right. It’s mostly a backupfunction, and not enough people do it.But it doesn’t have to be that wayanymore. With technologicaladvancements, HP have multi tenancy ofdata, data provisioning and the ability tomanage customers’ data through itslifecycle. Companies can quickly andconfidently implement online strategiesto encompass both private, public andhybrid cloud strategies depending ontheir need.

What is also becoming important forcompanies is their ability to effectivelyand efficiently back up their data andmeet regularity requirements.Computers are susceptible to hard drivecrashes or virus attacks, so the need todo data backups frequently is the safestway to protect data from getting lost. Sowhen companies want to move to a nextgeneration type of datacentre strategy,they should consider how they want toimplement their strategies.

Acompany would request a certainamount of storage that the service

provider offers online. This means the ISPwill be saving the organisation’simportant files on its server, givingcustomers an agreed size of storage forcapacity. This doesn’t only provide anadditional flexible source for companies tostore their data but also acts as a backupmechanism and provides an effectivemethod of sharing data with others.

It’s getting betterIn South Africa the cost of bandwidth hasshown a significant drop in price whilstthe Quality of Service has been increasing– which means customers can adoptdifferent strategies for their onlinestorage sapabilities which can includepublic, private or a combination of bothpublic and private cloud – hybrid cloud.

One advantage of online data storageis that it is easy to expand. Wheneveryou reach the maximum capacity limit,you can simply purchase additional

26

We specialise in- Samsung TVs- Vodacom Contracts (Authorised Chatz Dealer)- Siemens Gigasets/Cordlesses - Apple products (Authorised Apple reseller)- Cellphones- Repairs to Cellular and Computers

Contact us

www.igniting.co.za

info@igniting.co.zazihaad@igniting.co.za

Prices include VAT | E&OE

All our products are original. Allphones are

local.

012-374-0569082-355-2010 / 082-379-8786

Igniting is listed on Bid or Buy andare authorised Apple resellers

24 monthwarranty

R4999Incl VAT

Blackberry9800 Colours:White & Black24 monthwarranty

R2399Incl VAT

Blackberry9300

Blackberry8520

Nokia500

NokiaE6

R4699Incl VAT

Nokia N9

R5999Incl VAT

R6599Incl VAT

Samsung Galaxy tabletP7500 10.1 inch

R1699Incl VAT

R2399Incl VAT

24 monthwarranty

24 monthwarranty

24 monthwarranty

24 monthwarranty

R499Incl VAT

Dual Sim24 monthwarranty

Nokia x1-01

R5499Incl VAT

Blackberry9900

24 monthwarranty

R5999Incl VAT

Blackberry9810

24 monthwarranty

R5999Incl VAT

SamsungGalaxy S2

24 monthwarranty

76% and 73%

. Percentage of male and fem

ale users of MXit respectively w

ho are older than 18.

For the firsttime Norton

calculates thecost of globalcybercrime: $114billion annually.Based on thevalue victimssurveyed placedon time lost dueto theircybercrimeexperiences, anadditional $274billion was lost.In South Africa,more than 4646online adults fell

victim to cybercrime every day in thelast year, suffering a staggering $573million in direct financial losses and anadditional $995.4 million in time spent

resolving the crime. With 431 millionadult victims globally in the past yearand at an annual price of $388 billion,based on financial losses and time lost,cybercrime costs the world significantlymore than the global black market inmarijuana, cocaine and heroin combined($288 billion).

According to the Norton CybercrimeReport 2011, over 8 in 10 adults (84%)in South Africa have been a victim ofcybercrime in their lifetime. Amongthese, 74% have fallen prey in the last12 months alone.

Disconnected from the problem“There is a serious disconnect in howpeople view the threat of cybercrime,”said Kara Rawden, senior marketingmanager, Consumer – Middle East andAfrica Symantec Corporation.“Cybercrime is much more prevalentthan people realise. Over the past 12months, over 6 in 10 adults surveyed(62%) in South Africa have sufferedfrom online crime, while 35% haveexperienced offline crime, yet just 20%

think they are more likely to become avictim of cybercrime than physical worldcrime in the next year. And while 94% ofrespondents agree that more needs tobe done to bring cybercriminals tojustice, only 22% said that theyreported cybercrime to the authorities.Fighting cybercrime is a sharedresponsibility. It requires us all to bemore alert and to invest in our onlinesmarts and safety.”

The disconnect between awarenessand action is further illustrated by thefact that while 74% of respondentsglobally say they are always aware ofcybercrime, many are not taking thenecessary precautions. 41% of adultsindicated they don’t have an up-to-datesecurity software suite to protect theirpersonal information online, less thanhalf review credit card statementsregularly for fraud (47%), and 60%don’t use complex passwords or changethem regularly.

For more findings from the NortonCybercrime Report globally, please visit:http://norton.com/cybercrimereport.

Norton calculates the cost of global cybercrime: $114 billion annually Cybercrime cost South Africa US $573 million last year

ADVERTORIAL

Kara Rawden, SeniorMarketing ManagerConsumer – MiddleEast and AfricaSymantec Corporation

27

Cybercrime is big business online,also costing South Africans millionsof rands each year.

16.8

mill

ion,

17.

07 m

illio

n &

<20

mill

ion.

Num

ber

of s

mar

tpho

nes

Nok

ia,

App

le a

nd S

amsu

ng s

old

during

in t

heir la

test

qua

rter

s, m

eani

ng S

amsu

ng is

now

the

top

sm

artp

hone

mak

er.

Start your day with yourfavourite FM radio station or3 soothing nature soundsand look at the time go byon your ceiling with its builtin projection clock (nighttime only).

When you’re always on the go, youdon’t have time to wait on theweatherman. Get full weatherforecasts, accurate time & date,temperature, humidity & air pressure

readings at your fingertips.

www.TheGaDGetShop.co.za

This Jumbo Weather Clock with Weather Forecaster, isextra-large and is ideal for the home or office, with alarge LCD display for easy & clear viewing at distance.The time is displayed in large digits over 8cm in heightalong with the date, day and moon phase.

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

A great tool for anyone who likesto fish! The Angler’s Edge is thehandheld weather instrument thatis specially designed with thefisherman in mind. The Angler’sEdge predicts fish activity andfeeding behaviour based onenvironmental conditionsincluding barometric pressuretrend, moon phase, andsun/moon position.

Franchises Now Available!

Weather Forecaster WallClock – JW102

I-GOTU GPS LOGGER

PTA – Brooklyn Mall (012) 346-2726

JHB – Randridge Mall (011) 792-4912

CNT – Centurion Mall (012) 643-0967

ANGLERS EDGE PLUS

The Automotive LED Light by LED Lenser will be there and ready whereveryou go. Plug this small flashlight into a car’s cigarette lighter, and itwill charge as you drive. This “moon” lightcasts light only where you want it, keepingunwanted light from distracting the driver.

Fenix TK35 is a convenientextremely high intensity multi-functional flashlight. Featuring in max820 lumens output, offering four brightness levels,two different flashing functions and a signallingmode, it definitely can satisfy various lighting needsin different environments.

Fenix LED Torch – TK35

LED Lenser Automotive LED Light

Projection Clock – EW103Weather Forecaster – SL102

i-GotU GT-800 is a sophisticatedGPS & Sports Computer that’shandy for various outdoor andsports activities. It has a built-inpedometer, Stopwatch, CurrentSpeed, Average Speed, Distance,Altitude, Pace, Laps, Moving Time,Current time, GPS Compass andProgrammable GPS logging.

28

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

Laptop Batteries

HP Probook 4525s Acer TM5760 Acer TM5742

R4659 R6395 R5299Laptop Chargers

HP, Acer, Compaq, IBM, Dell, Fujitsu Siemens, Mecer, Sony, Asus, Toshiba, Packard Bell, LG, Lenovo, Proline, Gigabyte, Apple Mac, BenQ, Sahara, and many more….

1292 Heuwel Avenue l Centurion, 0157 l (Next to GWM) l Prices Quoted are CASH or EFT only!

012-663-1155 | www.laptopcity.co.za l sales@laptopcity.co.za

From

Gigabyte E1500

R3595

Celeron Dual Core 2.1GHz2GB DDR2 Memory320GB SATA HDDDVD Writer15.6" LCD + Web CamWireless LAN Windows 7 Starter2 Year Fetch & Return Warranty

From

Deep Cool N600

R175 R230 R695

Intel Core i3 2.53GHz2GB DDR3 Memory320GB HDDDVD-RW15.6" LEDDisplay +, Webcam, Wireless LANWindows 7 Professional1 Year Fetch & Return Warranty

SMS

RECEIVE OUR PRODUCT PRICELIST

INSTANTLY!

TO 41876laptop your email address

AND WE WILL CALL YOU BACK

spac

e

R2 per SMS

R5895

Gigabyte Q1585N

Intel Core i5 2.27GHz4GB DDR3 Memory500GB HDDDVD Super Mul� Writer, 15.6" LED Display, 1GB NVidia GeForce GT335, Wireless LANWindows 7 Professional2 Year Global Warranty

AMD Phenom Triple P8202GB DDR3 Memory500GB HDDDVD-RWWireless LAN15.6 HD Display +WebcamWindows 7 Basic1 Year Warranty

Intel Core i5 2.53GHz2GB DDR3 Memory500GB HDDDVD-RW15.6" LED Display +, WebcamWireless LANWindows 7 Professional1 Year Fetch & Return Warranty

10. Am

ount of countries the epic patent war betw

een Apple and S

amsung is currently being w

aged in.

PC Tools is dedicated to building and supplying consumers withsimple, effective and affordable PC protection and performance tools.For over twelve years, they have offered industry-leading and award-winning products to tackle the world’s evolving threats and securitychallenges. For additional information, visit www.pctools.com.

Win 10 x PC Tools Performance Toolkitsand 10 x PC Tools Internet Security Suites!

Go to www.techsmart.co.za and click on the competition box on the righthand side to enter. The competition runs from 1 to 30 November 2011. Termsand conditions apply.

massive win!

What we said: “FIFA 12 takes up the benchmark mantleof its predecessors and sets a new standard in terms ofgameplay and realism, while also adding authenticitywithin the manager mode.” Review on p40.

You asked for it, we’ve got it – 3 x copies ofFIFA 12 are up for grabs, worth R599 each!

Go to www.techsmart.co.za and click on the FIFA 12competition on the right hand side to enter. Competition runsfrom 1 to 30 November 2011. Terms and conditions apply.

WIN!

The Canon Expo is coming to theSandton Convention Centre from 9– 11 December 2011. TechSmarttalked to Michelle Janse vanVuuren, marketing manager atCanon South Africa, to find outmore about this big event.

TechSmart (TS):The Canon Expo

will be the first timethat all yourconsumer andselect product linesof your businesssolutions will be ondisplay. Why thelong wait?Michelle Janse vanVuuren (MV): Atonly 12 years old,Canon SA is a

relatively new company in the biggerCanon family. We wanted to observe howour counterparts in other territories, suchas Turkey and Dubai, have done it beforetaking on the task. We’ve now visitedthese and this year we decided that weare ready to bring it to South Africa.

TS: The Canon Expo must havecontributed to your move to not exhibitat the Film and Photo Expo in October?MV: Yes, that is correct. It was aninternal business decision we took, sinceone cannot be at every show andexhibition unfortunately. The Canon Expoalso allows us to exhibit more of ourproducts, such as our large format anddocument solutions scanners.

TS: How many Canon products will be ondisplay?MV: This has not been confirmed yet, butin every one of our categories there willbe at least one of the products. Every

29

INTERVIEWS

Interview: Michelle Janse van Vuuren, Marketing Manager, Canon South Africa

All you need to know aboutthe Canon Expo

single category in the consumer imagingrange for example will be represented.

TS: How much is the entrance fee?MV: It is completely free. This is a once-a-year opportunity for people to interactwith Canon directly, and the Expo buildson our free Road Show that is verysuccessfully hosted annually.

TS: Will visitors be able to purchasewhen there? MV: Yes, the consumer imaging productswill be available for sale, and we willhave an actual Canon warehousestorage/ sales facility there. For enquirieson the business products, leads will betaken and followed-up by the dealers.

TS: Will there be specials?MV: There will be lots of show specials,with pricing being available on thewebsite at the end of November.

TS: And of course all the Canon expertsare there to give a hand?MV: All our local people are onboard,and there’s even a few Europeanproduct managers who will also beassisting.

TS: You have also decided to incorporatethe popular Canon EOS Roadshow intothe Expo. Tell us more.MV: The Cape Town, Durban and PortElizabeth legs of the Roadshow willhappen prior to the Expo in November.The Johannesburg Roadshow will beincorporated on the Saturday morning.

TS: Have any of the speakers beenconfirmed?MV: For the Roadshow (Cape Town,Durban, PE) they are Lee Slabber andTrevor Hardaker. For the Expo we have anumber of worshop speakers on theFriday, Saturday and Sunday who’snames will be listed on the Canon SAExpo website closer to the time.

TS: You are also running the massive SAphotographic competition ‘11 with R150000 worth of prizes. Can anyone enter?MV: Yes, but pictures need to have beentaken on Canon hardware. Terms andconditions for the competition are onlineat: www.csaexpo.co.za.

TS: Why can one only enter one photoper category?MV: It comes down to managing thevolumes of photos that needs to bejudged, but also to make those whoenter really think about their best shots.We want people to discuss their pictureswith others and really get aconversation started before sendingtheir entries.

TS: Lastly, what is your opinionregarding Canon’s latest productannouncements?MV: I’ve been working at Canon now for12 years, and when new productsappear it never ceases to amaze me. Forexample, when the S95 compact cameout, we all thought heaven came. Nowthe S100 is here and it’s just so muchbetter than the previous version.

For more information on the Canon South Africa Expo 2011 go to www.csaexpo.co.za.

204

800.

Max

imum

ISO

rat

ing

offe

red

by C

anon

’s n

ew f

lags

hip

DSLR

, th

e EO

S 1

D X

.

Beyond the hype, cloud is indeed astrategy that proves beneficial to end-

users and profitable for technologysolution providers. Cloud-based,business-class solutions are accessible,affordable and available today forbusinesses of all shapes and sizes.

One thing is certain: the cloudcomputing market is still on pace forrapid growth. Consider the followingrecent statistics:

• Research firms IDC predicts the publiccloud market to grow from $16 billionin 2009 to $27.4 billion in 2014. Thisrepresents growth at over five timesthe rate for traditional IT products.

• While global IT services spendingtotaled $793 billion in 2010,representing 3.1% growth year onyear, Gartner expects 6.6% growth in2011 to $846 billion, partly driven bythe growing adoption of cloud services.

• More than half (56%) of theorganisations surveyed for CompTIA’sSecond Annual Trends in CloudComputing study, published earlier thisyear, said their investment in cloudcomputing will increase by 10% ormore over the next 12 months.

With cloud computing, a small companycan look like a big company because theyhave easy and affordable access to abroad expanse of applications andservices that not long ago were availableonly to deep-pocketed large enterprises.

Another big advantage of the cloud isthat an SMB can access the computingcapacity it needs when it’s needed, andnot have expensive excess capacitysitting idle during non-peak times. Withcloud computing an SMB can dial up a 20-lane highway of network capacity for itstwo busiest hours of the day, and scale

back to two lanes of capacity for the other22 hours. The pay-as-you-go cloud modeleliminates the start-up costs associatedwith purchasing, maintaining andupgrading new IT hardware and software.

Cloud resources available from CompTIAAs the leading trade association for theglobal IT industry, CompTIA has investedsignificant resources in the last few yearson cloud computing initiatives – onmarket research; on education trainingand tools for IT solution providercompanies. Most recently also on a newcloud skills certification for ITprofessionals.

Among the cloud education andtraining programs available throughCompTIA are the Cloud Channel TrainingWorkshop, a one-day fast-track courseintended to help solution providers takeadvantage of the substantial businessopportunities in delivering cloud solutionsto customers, and to help them recognisethe differences between selling traditionalsoftware licenses and offering cloudservices. Workshop attendees learn howto develop a successful services practicein support of cloud solutions byleveraging best practices on how tomarket and sell cloud solutions andmanage ongoing customer relationships.

The CompTIA Quick Start Sessions(bit.ly/compses) are 45-60 minutepresentations that offer solution providersa simple “how to” approach to start a newbusiness model or practice. Thepresentation on cloud provides a basiceducation on cloud computing and offersactionable steps for IT channel leadersattracted to this emerging technologydelivery model. Session attendees alsoreceive the CompTIA Cloud/SaaS QuickStart Guide (bit.ly/compqsguide).

A broad selection of printed anddownloadable guides for the IT channel isavailable from CompTIA’s library ofresources (bit.ly/compresource). Theseguides include fast-fact informationsheets, advanced self-guided workbooksthat help solution providers enter into anew business market within 10 weeks;and whitepapers.

For individual IT workers, CompTIA, inpartnership with ITpreneurs, the leadingprovider of competence developmentsolutions for IT best practices, will thisyear introduce a new cloud computingskills credential. Scheduled for availabilitythis December, the CompTIA CloudEssentials certification exam will validateknowledge and understanding of cloudcomputing principles and concepts,including what cloud computing meansfrom a business and technical perspectiveand what’s involved in moving to andgoverning the cloud.

Given that the majority of clouddeployments today and into theforeseeable future are a mix of publicclouds, private clouds and on-premiseequipment from different vendors, avendor-neutral certification such asCompTIA Cloud Essentials will prepare ITprofessionals to work with confidence inany cloud environment. Exam content wasdevelopment in consultation with subjectmatter experts from leading organisationsin the cloud computing market, includingAmazon, Citrix, Google, Microsoft,Rackspace and VMware.

The certification is intended for ITprofessionals who work in companiesutilising cloud computing solutions today,or contemplating doing so; and individualsinvolved in the selling of cloud services.Though not required, it’s recommendedthat candidates for the CompTIA CloudEssentials exam have a general workingknowledge of how an internal or externalIT organisation operates and has one totwo years of IT experience.

TRAINING

The cloud beckons

31

By Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer of CompTIA

Cloud computing is one of the mosthyped IT strategies in recent years,with technology vendors scramblingto provide cloud-enabledtechnologies and businesses tryingto figure out if this new model candeliver on its promises of costsavings and business efficiencies.

For more information on CompTIA or any of their certifications, visit their website on www.comptia.co.za or call 011-787-4841/3.

Advertorial

Todd Thibodeaux is the president andchief executive officer of CompTIA, a non-profit trade association dedicated toadvancing growth of the informationtechnology industry through educationalprograms, market research, networkingevents, professional certifications andpublic advocacy.

About the Author

1.1

mill

ion.

Num

ber

of T

witt

er f

ollo

wer

s in

SA,

of w

hich

onl

y 40

% a

re a

ctiv

ely

twee

ting.

32

AUTHORISED RESELLER

137 Mopani RoadHennopsparkCenturion

Tel: +27 (0)12-654-0559Cell: +27 (0)82-561-5051

Email: info@3d-printer.co.za

Web: www.3d-printer.co.za

Make personal manufacturing a reality. Affordable, desktop 3D printing for anywhereEasy to set up 3D printer from under R30 000.Desktop-sized with touchscreen control panel.Features super large print area (up to 275 x 275 x 210mm) with a double or triple head options.Reads directly form USB drive – no PC connectivity required.No maintenance contract necessary.

BFB 3DTouch

R25 700

RapMan 3.1

R9900

Excl VAT

Excl VAT

30 million. S

amsung m

anaged to surpass this combined global sales m

ark with its G

alaxy S and S

II smartphones.

Hi M. You can download the easy-to-use free version of Switch

sound file converter fromhttp://cnet.co/getSwitch (½ MB, skipthe added extras). Using this you candrag and drop the files you wantconverted, choose the file type you wantconverted to, and watch this programquickly do its business.

Hi there PC Medic. Do you perhapsknow of an easy to use conversion

program that will help me to convert themovies and series I have on my PC intoa format that will play on my iPhoneand iPad? Thanks, Angelo.

Ola Angelo.Download the

YouTube Downloader(around 5 MB) atcnet.co/YTD2go, whichenables you to easily convert your videosinto high quality output formats forvarious mobile devices, including Apple’siOS-running devices and Sony’s PS3 andPSP. Be careful to check what options areselected before downloading.

PC Medic ››November 2011

Hi PC Medic. I need a programthat helps you change wma and

flac audio files to mp3. Please help. |M. Zafar.

» Tips for Windows 7: Adding “copy to” and “move to” to right-click menuIf, like us, you frequently copy andpaste (or cut and paste) files inWindows 7 in order to move andorganise your data, then you’ll find thatadding the “copy to” and “move to”

functionality to your right-click mousemenu, cuts down on the amount of clicksand time you spend doing this. First,download the registry tweak zip folderfrom bit.ly/pastecopy. Then install both of

the registry files housed within the folder,by simply double-clicking on them. Nowyou’ll be able to cut and paste or copyand paste info to a folder with a singularright-click of your mouse.

QA

Q

A

Send your questions to:

info@techsmart.co.za

Web Time Wasters ›› Selected sites to spend some quality time with

LumosityMoodstream Zefrank’s kaleidoscope

This is a slightly bizarrebut nonetheless fun

pattern maker to messabout with. The idea behindit is that you draw with avariety of drawing tools andcolours in one section, andthe site produces ahypnotic, animatedkaleidoscope in an adjacentwindow. You can customisethe line thickness,transparency and theoverall quality, and addanimated and static shapesto the pattern you create.Add to this an extensivecolour palette and you havean endless assortment ofmesmerising kaleidoscopesthat can be produced tokeep you entertained forhours.

www.wechoosethemoon.org moodstream.gettyimages.com/ bit.ly/zefkal www.lumosity.com

We Choose the Moon

PC MEDIC INTERNET

33

Some say Bill Gates is his personalbutler, while others believe that RIMkept so quiet after the BlackBerryservice outage because he told themto. We call him the PC Medic andhe’s here to answer your PC relatedqueries.

If you always wanted torelive the Apollo 11 lunar

landing, We Choose the Moonshould be top of your agenda.The site offers an interactiverecreation of the first missionto the moon and is dividedinto eleven stages thatincludes photos, video, audio,animation and commentaryby the astronauts involved.Additionally, you can use theMission Tracker to navigatethrough the mission at yourown pace, starting fromlaunch right through to thelanding. The flash-based sitecan take a while to load,depending on your connectionspeed, but it brilliantlycaptures the drama andexcitement of thismomentous occasion.

Getty Image’s Moodstreamis, if nothing else, an

excellent way to mixtogether a variety of images,music and video clips toevoke a particular mood. Thesite is primarily aimed atencouraging creativity andfostering brainstormingsessions. Streams aredetermined by how youtweak a series of slidersranging from happy to sad,calm to lively, humorous toserious, nostalgic tocontemporary and warm tocool. Additionally, you canchoose from several presetssuch as Inspire, Excite,Refresh and Intensify. If youjust want to gape at sometop notch imagery, it fillsthat role too.

Lumosity offers acustomised brain training

regime that focuses ondeveloping memory,attention, flexibility, speedand problem solving abilities,through more than 35 gamesand exercises. The site alsohas some serious noteworthysupport from researchers atStanford, UCSF, Berkeley andHarvard in the US. Besidesfrom signing up for a braintraining regime, the siteadditionally boasts some veryenlightening information onbrain training andneuroscience in general. Thispurports that one’sintelligence and cognitiveabilities are never fixed at acertain age, and fostersappreciation of the brain.15

. Th

e nu

mbe

r of

the

late

st it

erat

ion

of G

oogl

e’s

Chr

ome

brow

ser,

whi

ch in

corp

orat

es a

red

esig

ned

tab

page

.

smart ®

TechSmart influencespurchasing decisions in75% of our readers.** From the 2010 TechSmart Reader Survey

To advertise in our “Best Buys” December 2011 issue, please contact:

Carmel SinghCell: 079-515-8708Email: carmel@smartpublishing.co.za

Suzanne RallTel: 012-362-2732Email: suzanne@smartpublishing.co.za

WispSketchBook Pro Extensive NotesThe Invisible Universe

Android Apps of the month

35

The Invisible Universe isone of the most

interesting apps we’ve comeacross. It uses the GPS inone’s Android (2.2 and up)device to show the night skyas the naked eye cannot seeit, namely in a variety ofwavelengths that include X-ray, ultraviolet, infraredwavelengths, and as ionizedgas. The views then shownare reminiscent of lookingthrough a portal into anotherworld. At 20 MB, the app isendlessly intriguing, and thenext best thing to having amulti-million rand telescope.

Wisp is one of the moreenchanting games

you’ll find in the AndroidMarket. It uses thegyroscope of one’s Androiddevice (2.0 and up) to guidea forest sprite through up to30 levels, while gatheringelemental abilities to solveand progress through aseries of puzzles. Sublimeartwork and even bettermusic make this a gamethat is as relaxing as it isenticing to play. Well worththe download, with anextended paid version alsoavailable. [RN]

For drawing or painting onAndroid, we still haven’t

found an app for Honeycombtablets that beats SketchBook– whether the paid Pro version(R400) which offers morebrushes, or the free Xpressversion. The app enablesartistic types to draw andpaint on their tablet withrealistic airbrushes, pens,pencils, markers and brushes,all of which can be fine-tunedand customised to createdistinctive effects. Multiplelayers and the ability to drawstraight lines and shapes,makes it an artist’s dream.

Extensive Notes offers ahost of features that

make it well worth a look.The ability to organise notesinto folders is complementedby the flexibility to create anaudio note, video note, to-dolists and password protectedprivate notes. Additionally,one can create a paint note,either drawing with one’sfinger or stylus on a canvasor importing an image viathe gallery. The app workson Android 1.6 and up, andhas both free and paidpremium versions (a cheapR15) available.

With over 100 000 apps available for Android smartphones at the AndroidMarket, TechSmart would like to help you get to the good ones first. Here areour top Android Apps of the month.

How to tie a tieBump CartoonaticStick Cricket

Apple iOS Apps of the month

If the current seriesbetween South Africa and

Australia has got you in themood to hit some virtualballs out of the park, thenStick Cricket is the app to doso. Here you pick yourfavourite national team andafter a turn in the practicenets, you can take on theworld’s best in WorldDomination mode, or try tobeat your best scores (andsome of the best bowlers inthe world) in All Star Slog,whereby you aim to makethe highest total within fiveovers.

Stuck with an asymmetricalknot in your good-looking

tie? The ability to tie a good-looking tie ranks quiteprominently in the list of thingsa man needs to be able to do.Luckily this app schools theignorant in easy how-to steps,whilst it will also educate thosealready gifted in the art tobroaden their tie tying horizons.There are 12 different ways fortying a tie, such as posh windsormethod. Both the illustrationsand directions are very clearand makes the job of learning totie a tie worry – but not knot-free. [HD]

Using Bump you will be ableto easily become friends

on Facebook, follow someoneon Twitter or share yourcontact info, location info,calendar events and more bysimply bumping your twosmartphones, or smartphoneand iPad or iPod touchtogether. You choose what youwant to share with the otherperson, then hold your mobiledevices next to each otherand gently bump themtogether. You can send amessage (IM) to contacts whoyou have added as friendsinside of the Bump app.

Cartoon and animationlovers will adore

Cartoonatic as it will enablethem to shoot actualcartoon-style video in realtime. There are ten differentartistic effects to choosefrom including Pencil Jetty,which makes it appear likeeverything in the video wasdrawn with colouringpencils. In-app purchasesare also available includingadding more effects,advertisement removal aswell as the ability to capturecartoon still images insteadof just video.

Apple’s App Store houses the largest selection of applications (over500 000) available in the world. TechSmart brings some of the bestfree ones to your attention.

SMARTPHONE APPS$8

1.5

billi

on.

Am

ount

App

le h

as f

or s

hort

and

long

ter

m in

vest

men

ts,

whi

ch is

$7.

7 bi

llion

mor

e th

an t

he o

pera

ting

bala

nce

of t

he U

S g

over

nmen

t.

Need fasterinteraction? Joinus now on:Twitter: @techsmartmag

Facebook: facebook.com/techsmartmag

To receive our newsletterhttp://techsmart.co.za/user_registration

• I will stick with BlackBerry – the service it offers isjust too handy. The crisis will pass.

• I have already bought another phone.• I will not be upgrading to BlackBerry again• Crisis? What crisis?• I am undecided. Will see how long this crisis

continues and then decide.

51%

20%15%9%5%

TechSmart.co.za online poll results

BlackBerry users – due to the BIS crisis:

36

TechSmart ONLINE

HTCAndroid is boring, bring me my iPhone!SamsungSony EricssonLGHuaweiMotorola

31%29%22%9%4%3%2%

Android users – who manufactured your smartphone?

TechSmart.co.zaRolling out all the latest technews, reviews and interviews.

In WRC 2 you’ll find all the teams, circuits and manufacturers of the 2011 season in onegame. Enjoy the real thing with official car liveries and improved graphics which makeeverything from the cockpit to the vegetation, weather and impacts more realistic. Youare also able to play with more than 30 different car models in 13 official tracks and 5Super Special Stages in 4 offline and 4 online modes.

TechSmart in conjunction with Ster Kinekor Entertainment brings youthe most awesome WRC 2 competition ever. Win your choice of 3 xWRC 2 games! But that is definitely not all – if you win you also get at-shirt + cap + screen visor + seatbelt cover.

Go to www.techsmart.co.za and click on the WRC 2 competition on the right hand side to enter. The competition runs from 1 to 30 November 2011. Terms and conditions apply.

WIN! WRC fans read here!

Samsung Series 9 900Xbit.ly/samser9

Acer Iconiabit.ly/iconiaacer

Dell Inspiron N5110bit.ly/delln5110

Asus U36Sbit.ly/asusu36s

Sony VAIO Zbit.ly/zvaiosony

Looking to buy a notebook? Visit www.techsmart.co.za before you do.

91.8 million. Total num

ber of PCs shipped w

orldwide in the third quarter of this year.

37

BUSINESS DIRECTORYTo advertise in the Business Directory please email marlien@smartpublishing.co.za.Spr

ing

2012

. Spe

cula

ted

rele

ase

date

for

Win

dow

s 8.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY To advertise in the Business Directory please email marlien@smartpublishing.co.za.

38

©2011 DYMO, a Newell Rubbermaid company

We are currently acquiring new dealers. Call Business Data Communication – Distributor on 082-859-1984, email us sales@businessdatacom.com

or visit our website www.businessdatacom.com

By using the MimioPad you are free to move around the meeting room and still able to work interactively with your screen or board.

Turn your whiteboard or flipchart into an interactive presenting tool with the Mimio. Capture yourflipchart or whiteboard notes to your PC and turn them into text. Used for meetings, conferences,planning and training.

Capture your business brilliance Multi-functionAudienceVoting Keypads

Used for team work,promotional discussions,presentations, conferenceevaluation, demographicallyprofiled data, real time feedback,corporate training, customersurveys, shareholders meetings,risk management workshops.Rental and sales.

200. The number of new

features that can be found in Apple’s new

iOS 5.

39

BUSINESS DIRECTORYTo advertise in the Business Directory please email marlien@smartpublishing.co.za.

THE INK REFILLING EXPERTS

• edible inks – R150 per 100g bottle• sublimation inks – R150 per 100g bottle• small & large format inks – from R65• cartridge refilling tools/supplies• cartridge chips & resetters• refillable cartridge sets• refill training and business start-ups

ts@thefillingstation.co.za www.thefillingstation.co.za

IncreaseTake advantage of TechSmart magazine’s 75 000 copies distributed every month! Advertise in our print directory fromas little as R900 per month. To advertise please emailmarlien@smartpublishing.co.za

your company’s visibilityWith the TechSmart Business Directory

90%

. Pe

rcen

tage

of or

gani

satio

ns t

hat

Gar

tner

res

earc

h pr

edic

ts w

ill s

uppo

rt c

orpo

rate

app

licat

ions

on

devi

ces

owne

d by

end

use

rs b

y 20

14.

Those looking for amajor upgrade in

the beautiful game’sgraphics will bedisappointed, seeingthat the majority ofFIFA 12’simprovements aren’tcosmetic in nature.

There are only minor graphical upgradesincluding more detailed player modelsand stadiums, as well as an enhancedmenu system that is easy on the eye.

Gameplay gets steroid treatmentThe big focus is rather on gameplayenhancement, with FIFA 12 sporting anew player impact engine that deliversreal-world physicality in every interactionon the pitch. You’ll notice players jostlingfor the ball in a more realistic manner,making the experience feel even moregenuine. Tackles also benefit from this

After spending a year of honing itsskills on the practice pitch, FIFA 12enters the virtual gaming arena,sporting new gameplay features andslightly improved graphics

FIFA 12 ›› Thebenchmark raises thebar once more

new physics engine since you have toboth time and position them better,whilst the new precision dribbling featureadds greater on-the-ball control in playermovement. On defence, a new tacticaldefending feature ensures for a moreenhanced experience whilst you keep theopposition from finding the back of yourgoalie’s net. This new system places thesame degree of importance onpositioning, intercepting passes andtackling.

Choose your role Within the manager mode, you get to runthe club, taking part in such day-to-dayactivities as buying and selling players,recruiting football scouts, as well assetting up and managing the youthsquad. New to this mode is the fact thatstar players, the likes of CristianoRonaldo and Wayne Rooney, require amore hands on approach. Play them toomuch and they’ll ask for rest, benchthem too often and they won’t be in ahurry to renew their contract cometransfer season. To skip dealing with thediva-esque demands of star players, optfor player mode, which will see youtaking charge of the football actionhappening on the pitch, whilst playermanager offers the perfect mix of boththese modes.

Conclusion FIFA 12 takes up the benchmark mantleof its predecessors and sets a new

standard in terms of gameplay andrealism, while also adding authenticitywithin the manager mode. FIFA 11owners will be happy that they made theupgrade due to the major gameplaystrides that EA has taken with its latesttitle. A ticket to the ultimate virtualfootball experience on the PlayStation 3will set you back R599. [HD]

Full review: bit.ly/12fifa12

GAMES

40

Launching in the same time-frameas the highly anticipated Batman:Arkham City, another superherogame, Spiderman: Edge of Timeswung its way onto our radar.

Spiderman: Edge ofTime (EoT) starts off

promisingly enough, withattractive graphics andsome excellent voiceacting. In EoT, you playas two Spidermans – thefirst is Peter Parker, inpresent day New York

(the Amazing Spiderman) and the secondis a sleeker, more futuristic Spiderman,Miguel O’Hara, from 2099.

Spin me a storyThe game’s premise is refreshingly notsuch a simple one, involving a power-mad scientist in the future named WalkerSloan, who goes back in time to launchthe sinister corporation Alchemax beforeit was originally founded, in a bid tobecome an even more domineeringforce. This transforms the world into ableak, dystopian version of itself andleads to present day Spiderman’s deathat the hands of Anti-Venom, so O’Haraintervenes, enlisting Parker’s help to stop

Walker and undo the damage Walker hasdone to the future.

Quantum causalityThe game’s main hook is that what oneSpiderman does in his time affects theother in theirs. As the two Spiderman’sboth make their way through themassive labyrinthine complex that isAlchemax, they need to work togetherand the clash of characters is part ofwhat makes the game entertaining. Onenotable part of this is you see, via screenin screen displays, how each Spiderman’sactions effect each other’s world.

Flies in the ointmentThe areas which let down the gamethough lie in its environments –both Spidermans are frequentlycooped-up in crawling throughbland corridors or the unremarkablebowels of Alchemax, and we feltneither were given freereign to use their web-slinging abilities to themaximum. Additionally,the enemies are oftenunremarkable and‘samey’. This is a pity,because the variety ofunlockable and upgradeableabilities that are available to both

Spidermans during the course of thegame are actually fun to discover anduse.

To the pointEdge of Time is not in our opinion a badgame at all, in fact, it’s often entertainingand even quite a good one at times.Admittedly it doesn’t rise to the heightsof greatness we hope for from superherogames nowadays, but its seven hourcampaign still merits a play through,particularly for those who can’t getenough of Spidey. [RN]

Spiderman: Edge of Time ›› Tangled web of entertainment

Early 2012. New

launch window

for the highly anticipated Diablo 3.

E & OE, terms & conditions apply. All prices exclude VAT. Contact us to see if your area is covered.

Call us on 086 100 9375 www.xdsl.co.za l info@xdsl.co.za

• Internet• Hosting• VOIP• Services (VPN, Mail, Firewall)

Tired of problems?Connect your business to Metro Fibreand enjoy hassle free service.

Services offered on Fibre:

• Speed • Scalability • Reliability• Quality of Service

Installation starting from R5 500 – Monthly starting from R4 750 pm

• Route 21 Business Park • Corporate Park North • Limbro Park• Rivonia • Long Meadow

• Isando • Bryanston • Illovo• Sunning Hill • Midrand

XDSL can provide Fibre in the following areas:

Areas to be covered soon include:

XDSL OpticalCoverage Map