techsmart 99, dec 2011, the best buys issue

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ISSUE 99 December 2011 ISSN 1726–3358

2011: Best of the best

DStv WalkaDigital TV goes portable

WWW.TECHSMART.CO.ZA

Our top 5 notebooks, tablets,smartphones

Vodafone Webbook

THE TOP 5AWARDS

smart

2011

A netbook for the masses

HOLIDAY BEST BUYS

Taking on the Top 5

The annual awarding of ourTop 5 products usually goes

along with a fair amount ofexcitement in the office. Apartfrom signalling the end of theyear, it gives us some time totake stock of all the good, badand ugly tech that made itsway through our hands.

The products featured inthe Top 5s are ones we spent agood deal of quality time with,enough to write a fair review,which you’ll find in full onwww.techsmart.co.za.Compiling the awards doespose some difficulties though;

for example the late release of the iPhone 4S in South Africameant we did not receive it in time for possible inclusion in ourlist of the Top 5 high-end smartphones.

This year we split smartphones into entry-level (sub-R3000)and high-end models, while the rise in popularity of tabletsmeant that, for the first time, theres also a Top 5 tablets.Unfortunately, we could not work our way through all theexcellent gaming titles appearing in 2011, which made a fair Top5 games simply not possible.

Congratulations to all those included, and specifically ourwinners, whom you can read about from pages 9-13. Here’s toan even better 2012.

Enjoy the issue,Mike ([email protected])

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] Enquiries Marlien vd [email protected] (Agencies)Carmel Ann Singh > [email protected] Brett Wilson, Otto UeckermannContributors Mike Joubert [MJ], Hanleigh Daniels [HD], Ryan Noik [RN],Linda Pretorius [LP], Jason Silva [JS]Accounts & subscriptionsRonel Keet > [email protected] van Vuuren > [email protected]

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EDITORIAL & HIGHLIGHTS

1

Battlefield 3 So how much fun is gunning it with online multiplayer inBattlefield 3? Read here to find out.

» Games

Vodafone WebbookVodacom’s Vodafone Webbook brings computing to themasses with a sub-R1500 netbook. Here’s our review.

» Hardware

17

Top 5 products of 2011So which products can be named 2011’s best of thebest? Our Top 5 notebooks, tablets and smartphonesare not to be missed.

Holiday Best Buys ›› December 2011

TechSmart and Smart Publishing would liketo wish all our readers and advertisers a

peaceful and happyfestive period.Your support and feedback throughout 2011 was greatlyappreciated. May 2012 bring the love, thought andunderstanding to make not only South Africa, but theworld, a better place to live in.

40

Win! Win! Win! 3x Battlefield 3 and 8 x Jabra Active headsets up for grabs!Find out how to enter here.

» Competitions

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» Feature

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LG Plasma Pentouch TVIf you have ever had the urgeto have a really big touch-screen display that you couldscribble freely on, somewherein the region of 50" (R10 999)to 60" (R25 999, 3D enabled)

for example, then LG’sPlasma Pentouch TVs maybe up your alley. Bothoffer viewers the abilityto interact with thescreen as they wouldwith a virtualwhiteboard. So nowyou can drawpictures, makenotes and editphotos usingnothing morethan a specialpen and thescreen.

Asus EeePad Transformer PrimeAs big fans of Asus’ Eee PadSlider SL101, we had grandexpectations for thecompany’s latest tablet. Asusdidn’t disappoint as the 8.3mm thin Transformer Prime isthe world’s first tabletpowered by Nvidia’s newTegra 3 quad-core processor(see news above). It operateson the latest Android 4.0 OS(Ice Cream Sandwich), whilesporting a battery life of 12hours. Nolocal releasedate isavailableyet.

Samsung Galaxy NoteIs it a smartphone? Is it atablet? Neither, it’s anAndroid 2.3 hybrid of thetwo, with a middle of theroad 5.3" screen. The noteboasts a HD Super AMOLEDdisplay (1280 x 800, 285ppi), a powerful 1.4 GHzdual-core ARM Cortex-A9processor and 16 GB ofinternal memory. Mostdistinctively, its pen-inputtechnology enables users towrite and draw on-screenwith the provided stylus,while an 8 megapixel cameraoffers above average photocapture. Expect to payR8000.

HTC EVO 3DHTC has thrown its hat intothe local 3D smartphone ringwith its EVO 3D that boaststwin 5 MP cameras. Withthese it can capture 3Dphotos or record video at720p resolution, both ofwhich can be viewed in 3D

onscreen (a lovely 4.3"with 540 x 960resolution) withoutthe need for those

horrible 3D glasses. The HTCEVO 3D is already availableat select retailers locally atan RRP of R6888.

3

Top Tech Titbits ››

Following its announcement earlierthis year that it would be

partnering with Microsoft, the Finnishphone giant finally revealed sometangible Windows Phone devices inits arsenal. More specifically, theseinclude the Nokia Lumia 800 andLumia 710 smartphones, which bothrun off the Windows Phone 7.5Mango operating system and arepowered by a 1.4 GHz Scorpionprocessor. Even so, Nokiademonstrated that it would notabandon the lower-end of themarket, evident by its announcementof the Asha family of Series 40mobile phones, which are powered bya very competent 1 GHz processor.

<<NokiaLumia710

>> NokiaLumia800

As a sign that progress marchesinexorably on, Nvidia’s latest Tegra 3

processor (codenamed Kal-El) wasofficially unveiled. This quad-coreprocessor promises PC-classperformance levels, better battery life,as well as improved mobile experienceson both tablets and smartphones. Morespecifically, Tegra 3 will apparently offerup to three times the graphicsperformance of Tegra 2 and up to 61%lower power consumption. According toNvidia, this will translate into anindustry-leading 12 hours of battery lifefor HD video playback. Already Asus hasshowcased its impending tablet equippedwith the new processor, the Asus EeePad Transformer Prime (see below).

Nvidia Tegra 3 unveiledNokia goes Windows Mobile

NEWS

HP to keep PSG

After an eventful few months forHP, which saw their Personal

Systems Group (PSG) division(responsible for PCs) fated to bespun off into a separate entity orsold off, PSG instead received areprieve. New HP CEO, MegWhitman, who replaced the firedLeo Apotheker, marked a 180degree reversal from herpredecessor’s plans when shepledged that the division would bestaying within the company. Shedescribed the move as being “rightfor customers and partners, right forshareholders, and right foremployees.” As the world’s no. 1 PCvendor, we would hope so.

Hot New Products ››

40.

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A royal roar

To be the king of the animals, youneed the voice to match. And a lion

does. According to a study published in aNovember issue of PLoS ONE, it’s theshape and structure of a lion’s vocalcords that give it its fearsome roar.When scientists analysed the vocalchords of three lions and three tigers,they found that a deep layer of fat givesthe chords a flat, square shape ratherthan the triangular shape seen in mostother species. Because of the squareshape, air moving past the vocal folds letthem vibrate at 200 Hz or less. Althoughhuman voices also typically vibratebetween 100 and 200 Hz, big cats’ roarssound much scarier because they uselung pressure more efficiently to producesounds than humans do. Roar!

Future wars may be fought by synapses:bit.ly/synapsewar

Proof found for Unifying QuantumPrinciple: bit.ly/quantumproof

» More amazing science

Sci News ››

New computer chip that mimics thebrain’s neurons. bit.ly/chipneuron

Scare tactics

Stress kills, at least when you’re aninsect. Researchers wrote in a recent

issue of the journal Ecology, that themere sense of predators could lead toyoung dragonflies’ death. In the study,dragonfly larvae were raised in tanksthat also held insect-eating fish. But thetanks were divided into twocompartments so that the fish couldnever actually get to the bugs. Yet, thepossibility of becoming a fish mealcaused enough stress among the larvaeto significantly lower their survival rate:at least 2.5 times fewer larvae survivedthan those with a carefree upbringing.And even if stressed-out insects didmake it safely through childhood,another 11% died while morphing intoadults, compared to only 2% of insectsthat were raised in a fish-freeenvironment. [LP]

Mind map

If you’ve lost your way, it’s all in yourhead. Really. According to a study

published in a recent issue of Science,the cerebellum at the back of your brainis your personal navigator. Based oninput from the outside world, like sights,smells and sounds, a brain region calledthe hippocampus creates a map of yoursurroundings. But to put the info togood use, it seems to need input fromthe cerebellum about where your body isin space. Scientists found that withoutexternal input, mice with a faultychemical messaging system between thecerebellum and the hippocampus couldnot reach a specific destinationsuccessfully. This suggests that withoutguidance from the cerebellum, the bodycan’t do much with the internal map ofits surroundings. No more blaming theGPS lady.

SCI NEWS ECO NEWS

5

Siemens claims most efficient gas turbine inthe world: bit.ly/siemensgas

Australian government to tax the country’s500 biggest polluters: yhoo.it/Ozcarbontax

Carbon-capture and storage (CCS) at UKplant: bbc.in/CCSPeterhead

» Other interesting eco news

Advanced bio-fuel powered jettakes flight

Continental Airlines undertook thefirst US commercial flight powered

by advanced biofuels. Flight 1403, aBoeing 737-800, departed from theBush Intercontinental Airport inHouston, Texas, last month toChicago’s O’Hare International Airport.A blend of sustainable biofuel andpetroleum-derived jet fuel was used,with this algae-based biofuel blenddeveloped by renewable oil and bio-products company Solazyme. Solazymeproduced the world’s first 100% algae-derived jet fuel for both commercialand military applications, with Unitedsigning a letter of intent with thecompany to purchase 20 million gallonsof jet fuel per year for delivery as soonas 2014.

LED light system becomessmarter

Intelligent LED lighting system makerDigital Lumens has announced

daylight harvesting capabilities will beemployed within its newest LED lightingfixtures. Just like your smartphone’sdisplay boasts an ambient light sensorto determine the levels of available lightand set the backlight accordingly, thesenew fixtures include integrated lightsensors, which automatically adjust thelight output to suitable levels. Managedby new LightRules software, the daylightharvesting system has the potential todeliver an additional 50% energysavings. LightRules software also reportson the amount of energy saved via theuse of daylight harvesting, in order toprovide useful feedback for facilitymanagement.

Toyota expands Prius hybridfamily

Toyota has announced a new additionto the eco-friendly Prius range, the

Prius c, which will make its US debut inJanuary at the 2012 North AmericanInternational Auto Show in Detroit. Thecompany stated that the Prius c istargeted at youthful car buyers whorequire fuel efficient vehicles. TheJapanese car manufacturer expects class-leading fuel economy of 50 mpg (milesper gallon, around 21 km/l) for inner-citydriving, the highest city fuel range of anynon-plug-in vehicle. Its green credentialswill not, however, translate to limp-wristed performance on the N1, since thec is powered by a 1.5-liter DOHC four-cylinder, 16-valve engine with VVT-itechnology.

Eco News ››

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No.1

FEATURE

This year has been many things, but uneventful on the technology front was never one of them. IT companies weresuing, merging, consolidating, re-inventing and, well, blacking-out. So what exactly was the big news? Well here areour Top 5 tech news stories of 2011.

Top 5 Tech News of 2011

In a highly unexpectedmove (not even Motorola’s

local country manager knewabout it), Google stunnedthe industry when itannounced that it will beacquiring Motorola Mobilityfor $12.5 billion. This inorder to “SuperchargeAndroid, enhancecompetition, and offerwonderful userexperiences”.

The acquisition isbelieved by many to beGoogle’s response to theongoing patent wars (seesee no.3), and a desire tostrengthen its patentportfolio in order to shield itagainst patent lawsuits fromthe likes of Apple andMicrosoft. Google CEO andco-founder Larry Pageexplained that Motorola willbe run as a separatebusiness and that Googlewould continue to work withother hardware partners,such as Samsung and SonyEricsson, which have basedtheir phones on the Androidplatform.

Nokia’s burningplatform – the jump toWindows Mobile

The year began with abrutally honest

admission by Nokia that itwas in trouble, with noproduct close to offering anexperience that rivalledGoogle’s Android or Apple’siOS. By February thecompany was prompted toannounce that they willabandon the “burningplatform” that is theSymbian OS, and jump intobed with Microsoft andtheir Windows Mobileoperating system.

Fast forward a fewmonths to November, andthe company had launchedits Windows Phone-basedLumia 800 and Lumia 710smartphones into acompetitive market (seepage 3), with another high-end model and a Windows8 tablet planned for thefuture. Time will tell if itwas the right move, but wehave a feeling that therelease of Windows 8 nextyear will do WindowsMobile devices a lot ofgood.

Patent wars: thebullets of technologytitans

BlackBerry Blackout: Serviceunavailable

Who will forget the feweventful days in

October when darknessspread across the country.Meetings were cancelled,email went unopened,Facebook was not updated,and people had to resortto, shock-horror, textinginstead of BBMing. Thanksto a core switch failure insome critical infrastructure,RIM’s popular BlackBerryInternet Service went allbelly up. The serviceoutages, which lasted forthree days from the 10thOctober, before being fullyrestored, affected Europe,Latin America, the MiddleEast and Africa, beforespreading to Canada andNorth America. For many, itwas RIM’s lack ofcommunication about thecrisis that frustrated, withnot a word forthcominguntil the second day. But,life goes on, and manyBlackBerry users whopromised to switch brandsare still lovingly doing the“BlackBerry Prayer”.

Death of an icon: Steve Jobs diesIt was the singular news

that shook the technologyworld, industry leaders,presidents and fans alike, asthis year saw the worldbidding farewell to SteveJobs. Jobs passed away aftera long battle with pancreaticcancer at the age of 56.Universally hailed as being avisionary, Jobs wasresponsible forrevolutionising technology

with a number ofinnovations, including theApple Mac, MacBook, iPod,iPhone and iPad. In a bigway, he changed the way werelate to technology.

Many justifiablyquestioned Apple’s futureafter the death of its leader.However, Jobs had taken thisinto account; after resigningas CEO prior to his death, heasked the Apple Board to

appoint Tim Cook in hisplace. Additionally, heapparently planned at leastfour years’ worth of productideas for Apple for the timeahead. Rest in peace Steve.[RN]

I now pronounceyou merged: Googlebuys Motorola

In 2011 the battle for marketshare was not fought in

shop windows, but rather incourtrooms, as legalwrangling about illegal patentusage came to a head. At onestage it felt like everyone wassuing everyone else, but oneongoing battle stood out:Apple vs. Samsung. It startedback in April, with Apple suingSamsung for alleged patent-and copyright violations in theGalaxy line-up of smartphonesand tablet PCs. Samsung thencounter-sued the Cupertinocompany in South Korea,Japan and Germany, allegingten patent infringements. Skipeight months and Apple hadmanaged to stop the sales ofSamsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 inAustralia and Germany.

To give an idea of thepower of patents, it is saidthat Microsoft is now earningmore money out of Google’sAndroid than their ownWindows Phone, thanks tocross-licensing agreementswith the likes of HTC ($5 fromevery HTC device sold) andnow also Samsung.

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No.1When we first

spotted theSeries 9 at theConsumerElectronics Showearlier this year,we knew Samsung

had a winner. This thin-and-light notebook needs to beseen to be believed, since at1.31 kg and 15.7 mm it wasby far the sleekest unit thatarrived at the TechSmartoffice this year. Featuring a

FEATURE

Intel’s second generation Core processors made their way into a number of new notebooks this year. CodenamedSandy Bridge, it brought with it enhanced processor speed, while decreasing power usage and heat output. Weloved it, and a number of machines loved the extra power too. Here are our Top 5 notebooks of 2011.

Top 5 notebooks of 2011

Featuring an Intel Core i72630QM CPU rated at 2.0

GHz, this 15" machineimpressed from the start. Itfeatured Asus’ trademark goodlooks, a blazingly fastprocessor and also a keypad tokeep number crunchers happy.Those weren’t the only peopleleft with a smile, since thanksto a Nvidia GT 540M GPU, itwas also capable of doing aspot of gaming. The cherry ontop? Sound courtesy of Bang &Olufsen.

We also enjoyed theN53SV’s ice cool palm rests,which made typing a less heat-intensive affair, but would haveliked a more ergonomicallydesigned keyboard.

“The N53SV’s speedy i7processor and excellentsound combines to make thisstylish Asus as comfortable inthe office as it is at home.”

bit.ly/n53asus

LenovoThinkPad X1

ToshibaSatellite L755-17u HP Pavilion dv7

Samsung Series 9 900Xhead-turning Duralumindesign, the Series 9 hascurves in all the right places,plus the specs to back it up.

Processing was provided bythe solid Intel Core i5 2537MCPU, while the Series 9 alsofeatured a 128 GB Solid StateDrive that allowed it to bootup under 20 seconds from acold start. Although themousepad could have beenbetter, and a dedicatedgraphics card would have

helped with gaming,the Samsung Series9 still comes out ontop. Expect a lot morenotebooks looking likethis next year, as theultrabook craze heads toSA. [MJ]

Asus N53SV

We said:

Full review:

“Samsung’s 900X notebookis slim, sleek and as much apleasure to hold and to useas it is to look at.”

We said:

If business is tough on theroad, but you still need to

make an impression in theboardroom, then the ThinkPadX1 is the machine for you. Itmight not be the lightest thin-and-light out there, weighingin at 1.72 kg, but it is Chinesecomputer giant Lenovo’sthinnest ThinkPad yet,measuring a mere 17 mm.Featuring a very capable IntelCore i5 2520M processor, theX1 further impressed with asuperb keyboard. But it wasits ability to take the knocksthat sealed the deal, thanks tothe ThinkPad’s roll-cageprotection and a 13.3"Corning Gorilla Glassprotective screen.

When we tested thisSatellite L755, we had

to do a double take on theprice. For a recommendedretail price of R7000, do youreally get all this? Includedwas the very capable Core i52410M processor enhancedby the excellent NvidiaGeForce GT 525M GPU (with2 GB of dedicated memory),the striking 15.6" LED backlitscreen and a numberpad.Granted we weren’t fans ofthe keyboard or trackpad,but the inclusion of a Blu-rayplayer on what is essentiallya mid-range machineensured that the ToshibaL755 makes an appearanceon this list.

As a desktop replacementmachine, one can expect a

powerful processor (Core i72670QM, running at 2.20GHz) and a big screen (17.3"HD LED BrightView). The HPPavilion dv7 delivered all thisin a very stylish, brushedaluminium package whichproved that big can indeed bebeautiful. It will be ascomfortable at home as it is inthe office, since also onboardare 8 GB of RAM, an AMDRadeon HD 6770 GPU andBeats Audio speakers. Add tothis an almost excessive 2 TBworth of storage space formusic, pictures and movies,and you have yourself anextremely solid notebook.

“Lenovo has managed totrim enough of the excessfat that can turn a notebookbag on the shoulder into amedieval torture device.”

bit.ly/x1lenovo

We said:

Full review:

9

No.5No.4 No.3

No.2

bit.ly/toshiba755Full review:

bit.ly/hpdv7reviewFull review:

“Toshibas Satellite L755 couldbe the poster child for whataffordable computing couldlook like.”

We said:“The HP Pavilion dv7 is amassive multimediapowerhouse wrapped up in avery stylish package.”

We said:

TOP NOTEBOOKAWARD

smart

2011

bit.ly/series9samsungFull review:

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No.1As the year

progressedand we started toget to know whatto expect fromthe Android gang(10" screen,

Honeycomb, Tegra 2 SoC –see repetition above), itbecame glaringly obviousthat nothing is going tocome close to Apple’ssecond incarnation of theiPad. Released in March, the

FEATURE

Nevermind if you had any specific use for one, somewhere along 2011 you most probably wished you had a tablet.Most of the new entries were Android-based, some considerably better than others. The rise of tablets gave theTechSmart crew something to get excited about (at least initially), so here, for the very first time ever, we bringtogether our Top 5 tablets of the year.

Top 5 Tablets OF 2011

We know you have to useBridge to connect to

BlackBerry services, and ofcourse there are not manyapps available, and it’s alsotrue that email integrationcould have been better, butboy did we enjoy thePlayBook’s interface. Basedon RIM’s QNX platform, theBlackBerry Tablet operatingsystem showed theshortcomings of Android’sclunky Honeycomb OS,making us wish for a quicksweep-up or sweep-down onother tablets. Unfortunatelythe amount of cons weighedtoo heavily to rank thistablet any higher.

“Despite all its shortcomingswe really enjoyed our timewith the PlayBook. Muchmore so than on a number ofAndroid tablets.”

bit.ly/blackplaybook

Toshiba AT100-100

Asus Eee PadSlider SL101

Samsung GalaxyTab 10.1 P7500

Apple iPad 2iPad 2 is the torch bearer towhat tablets should be. Thinand light, fast andresponsive, with loads oftablet-specific apps and anintuitive interface, plus thegeneral feeling thateverything just works, theiPad 2 is more than worthyof its number one spot. Atthis rate, it does not looklike any other tabletmanufacturer will surpassApple soon. [MJ]

BlackBerryPlayBook

We said:

Full review:

“It will beincredibly difficult tocatch up to the head-start Apple has had with the iPad,and now of course the subsequentimprovements on the iPad 2.”

We said:

It quickly became apparentthat tablets will simply not

provide a vast variety ofports (the iPad does not eveninclude a microSD slot). TheToshiba AT100-100 provedotherwise, offering a full USBport, a full SD card readerand a full-sized HDMI port.

This allows one to add alot of extra memory, or toquickly copy data off aflash-drive. It did come at acost to size though, withthe AT100 being one of“bigger boned” tablets outthere. Of the five tabletsfeatured here, it was alsothe least appealing on thedesign front.

The general consensus isthat tablets are good for

content consumption, notcontent creation. The AsusSlider SL101 begs to differ,and tried to shake thingsup with a built-in slide-outQWERTY keyboard. And weliked it, a lot. Not only didit help with typing, but thekeyboard also doubled as aconvenient stand for whenyou’re watching a movie orsurfing the net.

The Slider isn’t quite theone to get if you’re lookingfor a lightweight tablet – itdrew the scales at a hefty960 g, the most of all thetablets we’ve tested.

Weighing a mere 595 g, theleast of all the tablets we’ve

tested, the Samsung Galaxy Tab10.1’s 8.6 mm thicknessmatches that of the iPad 2. Addto this a bright, scrumptiousscreen, plus Samsung’sTouchWiz user-interface thatlivens up Honeycomb a bit, andyou have yourself certainly thebest Android tablets currentlyavailable. It could have donewith more ports, and we weren’ttoo pleased with the ‘watermark’issue found on some of the firstunits, but for its slick look andweight-watching measurements,Android tablets did not getbetter than the Galaxy Tab 10.1this year.

“The Toshiba AT100impressed with its ability toread directly from a flashdisk, while it also has a fullSD card slot and HDMI port.”

bit.ly/at100tos

We said:

Full review:

11

No.5 No.4 No.3 No.2

bit.ly/assliderFull review:

bit.ly/galtab10Full review:

“If you’re going to be takinglots of notes, write emails orcreate the odd document,you should seriously considerthe Asus Slider.”

We said:“The race for the definitiveAndroid tablet is far from over,but with the Galaxy Tab 10.1,there is a clear contender ofwhat an Android tablet can be.”

We said:

TOP TABLETAWARD

smart

2011

bit.ly/ipad2iwantFull review:

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Samsung Galaxy Gio

No.1Besides the Gio,

Samsung heldanother card up itsbudgetsmartphone sleeve– the excellentGalaxy Ace. Like

the Gio, it is powered by an800 MHz processor, butfeatures the ARM 11 asopposed to the Gio’sQualcomm processor. It alsooperates on a more up-to-date version of Android,

We saw an incredible rise in smartphones during 2011, with a number of entry-level offerings becoming morepowerful, bringing faster processors and up-to-date operating systems to the mobile-loving masses. Google’sAndroid OS dominated the scene, powering the majority (52.5%) of smartphones sold within the most recent quarter (Q3), not to mention all our top five budget smartphones.

Huawei IDEOS X5 HTC Wildfire S HTC ChaCha

Samsung Galaxy Acenamely 2.3.3 (Gingerbread)and boasts a 5 MP auto-focussnapper with LED flash, ascompared to the Gio’s average3.15 MP camera. What reallysealed the deal was the Ace’sslightly bigger frame (112.4 x59.9 x 11.5 mm) and, moreimportantly, a larger 3.5"display made from GorillaGlass. The Ace makes theentry-level smartphoneexperience a thoroughlyenjoyable one. [HD]

“The R2999 pricetag ofthe Samsung GalaxyAce comes in slightlyhigher than that of HTC’sWildfire S (R2888), butthe Ace does offer morespec bang for your buckwith its faster CPU andadded screen real estate.”

We said:

Huawei’s IDEOS X5smartphone isn’t the

most exciting Android-running mobile around, butyou do get some very nicemid-range specs for itsbudget pricetag. Thisincludes a large 3.8" (480 x800) capacitive touch-screen,as well as a 5 MP camerathat can record HD-readyvideos (720p @ 30fps). It ispowered by an 800 MHzScorpion CPU, ensuring thatthings run smoothly with theAndroid 2.2.1 OS. With theX5 it’s easy to see whyChinese manufacturerHuawei is fast becoming asmartphone powerhouse.

The sturdily constructed HTCWildfire S impressed thanks

to stylish looks. With an ivorycoloured cover nicelycontrasted by a silver soft-touch plastic finish around thesmartphone’s edges andcamera, it is reminiscent ofHTC’s Flyer tablet. It alsoboasts a 3.2" Gorilla Glasstouchscreen for extra protectionand durability – a reallyimpressive feature on a budget-friendly device. UnfortunatelyHTC’s Sense interface requiressome processing oomph, andthe 600 MHz SnapdragonMSM7227 CPU were not alwaysable to cut it, resulting innoticeable lag.

Unlike the Wildfire S, theChaCha is powered by a

800 MHz processor, whichmanages to run Android 2.3(Gingerbread) and HTC’supdated Sense interfacesmoothly. Like the Nokia C6,this is a touch-and-typedevice that sports both aQWERTY keyboard and a 2.6"(480 x 320) touch-screen.

A more exclusive featureof this phone is its Facebookintegration, boasting adedicated Facebook buttonwhich, rather counter-intuitively, doesn’t take youto your news feed, but ratherdefaults to a status updatefield.

“It might not be the cheapestbudget-conscious Android-powered smartphoneavailable, but its good speclevel also reflects that.”

bit.ly/IdeosX5

We said:

Full review:

No.5 No.4 No.3 No.2

bit.ly/WildfireSFull review:

bit.ly/HTCchaFull review:

“A capable budget performersporting a great lookingdesign, an excellent interfaceand specs, but let down bythe sluggish processor.”

We said:“Beyond its obvious Facebook-centric approach, the ChaChastands alone as anexceptionally attractive, well-built and feature rich device.”

We said:

TOP ENTRY PHONEAWARD

smart

2011

bit.ly/samgalaceFull review:

Top 5 entry-level smartphones of 2011FEATURE

Like its Springbok namesake,Samsung’s Gio blast its way

past the opposition straight toour number two spot. This littlepocket-rocket measures 110.5 x57.5 x 12.2 mm and weighs inat just 102 g, but it punchesabove its weight due to thepresence of zippy 800 MHzQualcomm processor. Count inan excellent 3.2" touchscreenwith nicely saturated colours,plus the fact that out of all themodels here it’s also thecheapest (R1999), and the Giobecomes even more appealing.Its unassuming looks might notdistinguish it from the budgetcrowd, but underneath it packeda real punch.

“A well rounded budget offeringfrom Samsung, boasting somegreat budget features such as acomparatively quick 800 MHzprocessor and 3 MP snapper.”

We said:

bit.ly/SamGioFull review:

12

200 million. N

umber of activated A

ndroid devices. 550 000. Android activations per day.

Top 5 high-end smartphones of 2011

No.1Samsung’s

Galaxy S IIlooks like thetype of devicesomeone in the60s would predictwe here in 2011

would be working with. Itimmediately catches theeye, in no small part due tothe beautiful 4.3" screenplaced on a body that is only8.5 mm thick. But don’t letthat fool you into believing

FEATURE

This year a number of high-end smartphones moved to more powerful dual-core processors, at the same timestretching screen size to 4.2" and beyond. We loved every minute of this specs arms-race, and now we are happy topresent our Top 5 high-end models.

It’s not often that 3D reallydoes bowl us over, but the

Optimus 3D did just that.Boasting a beautiful 4.3"screen with a resolution of480 x 800, a sturdy buildand a speedy dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9processor, and you alreadyhave the makings of arespectable Android 2.2phone. Add in a 3D screenwhich doesn’t requireglasses, and two fivemegapixel cameras (withresolutions of 2560 x 1920pixels) that are able tocapture both 3D still imagesand 1080p video, and youhave a winner.

“The Optimus 3D’s mostcompelling distinction is theuniqueness of being able toproduce and share one’s own3D images and video.”

bit.ly/lgop3d

Nokia N9 HTC Sensation

Samsung Galaxy S IIthe S II is all about styletrouncing substance.

A dual-core 1.2 GHzprocessor with a full 1 GB ofRAM helped the S II shoot tothe top of our benchmarkingscores, while it doesn’t letup with 16 GB of storage, asharp 8 MP camera, full HDvideo recording and a GorillaGlass display. It’s notdifficult to see why the S IIhas sold more than 10million units worldwide while

ranking as our topsmartphone of 2011. [MJ +RN]

LG Optimus 3D

We said:

Full review:

“This phone will be a top-seller and already booked aplace under 2011’s top 10smartphones.”

We said:

With the N9, Nokia showedthat they still knows how

to produce phones that areboth cool and exciting.Equipped with a 1 GHzprocessor and 1 GB of RAM, itprovided a speedy andfaultless performance, whilethe curved 3.9" AMOLEDClearBlack display is excellent.Even the MeeGo OS isexciting, and a lot better thanthe company’s previousSymbian OS. The trouble isthat it lacks apps, with Nokiaalready turning its attention toWindows Phone. Having saidthat, we are really lookingforward to the new Lumia 800that is very similar to the N9.

Not so much a sensationas a quiet statement,

HTC’s flagship won ourhearts with its subduedstyle. Equipped with a dual-core processor and a verysmart 4.3" screen, theSensation’s secret weaponresides in its software.Sense 3.0 is HTC’s userinterface skin and iscertainly the best in thebusiness, making an excitingaddition to a sometimesboring Android OS. Add tothis full HD video recordingand the Sensation is exactlyhow a smartphone shouldlook like in 2011. (Seereview on p19).

We were very happy to seeSony Ericsson getting back

in the game with last year’sexciting X10. It does seem likethey are building a bit of a legacy,since this year’s Xperia arc was asight to behold. It’s a minute 8.7mm round its waist and barelypulls the scales at 117 g, allwrapped up in a beautiful blackbody, which in our humbleopinion makes this 2011’s sexiestsmartphone. An excellent screenplus the inclusion of a mini HDMIport to connect the phone to anHDTV did a lot to impress, butunfortunately no dual-coreprocessor and a lack of full HDvideo recording prevented usfrom ranking it any higher.

“Nokia’s N9 is the mostexciting and coolestsmartphone that thecompany has produced for awhile.”

bit.ly/reviewnokian9

We said:

Full review:

13

No.5 No.4 No.3

bit.ly/sensathtcFull review:

bit.ly/sonyearcFull review:

“It is a flagship phone that isnot flashy, instead providingone of the best interfaces inthe business.”

We said:“Compared to other phoneswith similar specs we couldn’tbelieve that Sony Ericssoncrammed everything in such athin body.”

We said:

TOP HI-END PHONEAWARD

smart

2011

bit.ly/samgalFull review:

Sony Ericsson Xperia arcNo.2

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HTC Sensation

Sense and sensibility(2.3.4) to such an extent that it almostmakes for a fresh Android experience (wehonestly cannot wait for Android 4.0 IceCream Sandwich). The “Unlock Ring” forexample allows for a quick-dragmanoeuvre to swiftly go to your mail,phone, camera or messages, while theway Sense arranges your apps (All,Frequently used and Downloaded), is a bigimprovement on the regular long list ofapps to scroll through. Add to this anumber of visually appealing widgets(weather, photos, favourites) that can beloaded onto different screens, and youhave yourself a best-in-business interface.

The 3D and animated elements ofSense are helped along by a very capabledual-core 1.2 GHz chipset (featuring aQualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon). TheSensation also carries a commendable 8MP camera which includes someinteresting effect filters, while it’s alsocapable of 1080p movies. Interestingly,during benchmarking (Smartbench2011), its Productivity Index score of1905 could not match the dual-coreperformance of the Motorola Atrix (2792)and fell way behind the excellent 3990 ofthe Samsung S II.

VerdictThe HTC Sensation is an impressivephone on all accounts. It is a flagshipdevice that is not flashy, instead providingone of the best interfaces in the businessand solid performance. R5888. [MJ]The Sensation is the current flagship

of HTC’s range here in SA. Does ithave what it takes to take on the otherbig guns?

“It is with Sense 3.0 thatwe feel HTC has a jumpon the Androidcompetition.”

Media players, including the likes ofthe PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

systems, are nothing new, nor is theability to play one’s music, movies,photos and internet files directly on TV.However, the biggest problem withtransmitting content to one’s HDTV is

often the formats of files themselves,which can make playing content moredifficult than it ought to be. This iswhere Asus’s O!Play Mini Plus Smart TVset-up box comes in.

For starters, the neat and compactO!Play was a breeze to set up, andwithin five minutes of plugging in thedevice and attaching an HDMI cable, we

Want to watch digital movies onyour TV? The O!Play Mini Plusmakes it a breeze.

Asus O!Play Mini Plus Smart TV set-up box

had movies playing in full1080p high definition.

SupportEqually as important as ease ofuse though, was the bevy ofsupported formats. For video, thisincluded mpeg 1, 2 and 4, H264,.mp4, .mov, .avi, .asf, .wmv, .flv, .vob,.mts, .mkv, .ts, .dat and our personalbackup format of choice, .iso. Formusic, .mp3, .wav, .aac, .ogg, .flac,.aiff were supported as was Dolby

Digital Plus and DTS surround sound.The video and the sound quality whenwe played back a compressed moviebackup in .iso for the former, and .mp3and .aac files for the latter, wasexemplary. The sound and videoquality were disarmingly good andplayed through our 5.1 sound systemwithout a hitch.

“The O!Play delivers what it promises,and ended up being a gadget we couldeasily envision becoming an integralpart of a home entertainment setup”

Full stream aheadThe device further features built-inwireless and an Ethernet port, which canbe used to stream content from theinternet, such as YouTube videos,internet radio, movies from subscriptionservices and podcasts. This can eitherbe done by connecting an Ethernet cableto the device, or by using the built-inWi-Fi to connect wirelessly to one’snetwork. Content can then be sent fromthe network to the device. Anotherequally viable way to load content ontothe device is by connecting an externalhard drive or flashdrive via USB orplugging an SD card into the integrated4-in-1 reader.

To the pointThe O!Play delivers what it promises,and ended up being a gadget we couldeasily envision becoming an integralpart of a home entertainment setup. Formore information phone AsusTEK on011-783-5450. [RN]

Streaming made simple

MEDIA PLAYERS

Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy S II, whichcan be described as the boisterous

Kanye West of smartphones, theSensation is not a showboat. This despitethe fact that, just like the S II, it alsoboasts a 4.3" screen and a dual-coreprocessor. In our opinion the Sensation isa more stylish device, thanks to itstoughened plastic and aluminium design,that features a grey, dark brown andblack motif at the back. It does notappear as large as the S II (more like theoriginal Galaxy S) while it’s also verycomfortable in hand, mainly due to athickness of 11.3 mm that does notcompete with other cardboard-thinsmartphones. The screen’s resolution of540 x 960 pixels (still not close to that ofthe iPhone 4 though) went far to makethe most of HTC’s visually rich Sense 3.0user interface.

A touch of (common) SenseIt is with Sense 3.0 that we feel HTC has ajump on the Android competition. Itmanages to enhance Android Gingerbread

SMARTPHONES

15

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While the Wise Touch tablets will offerGoogle’s regular Android market,

and all the functionality offered by theAndroid platform, the tablet’sdistinguishing feature is its preloadedSouth African applications.

Essential supportThe company explained that the mainproblem with other tablets, includinglarge brand name devices, was thatpeople don’t know where to take them forrepairs, advice, training or education. Tothis end, the company is focusing 30% ofits efforts on support, which includesmore than thirty walk-in repairs centerscountrywide, along with telephonicsupport for Android tablets. The companycautioned users against purchasing “justany tablet”, rather to focus beforehandwhat functionality the tablet can deliver.

“We believe tablets should be aconsumable type product and any familywould end up with many tablets in thehouse. Especially with our focus oneducational content, the parent and kidswould possibly each have their own,”commented Wise management.

Education tooEducational content will also be bundledwith the Wise Touch tablet, which will

include the public school syllabus. Additionally,the company is currently workingwith universities, privateschools and colleges to developtheir own educational contentand they will use the Wise Touchas the tablet of choice.

Touch shoppingWise management explainedthat the majority of the contenthas been developed on behalf ofSouth African brands and pre-loadedon the tablet. This localised content ispresented in the form of a WiseShopping Mall, Wise Business Park anda Wise Education Centre.

The Wise Shopping Mall & Business Park features a variety oflocal shops in more than 10+ departments with over 80+applications through which the user may browse and purchasefrom. These include local retailers, travel shops, banking, ticketoffices, toy stores and more. Also arriving soon is the ability toenjoy the morning's magazines or newspapers featured in theMall's Newsstand as well as the ability to order takeaway from SA'sfavourite restaurants and franchises from the Food court.The 10" Wise Touch tablet will have a retail price below R3500, the7" 3G tablet will cost less than R2500 and the entry level 7" Wi-Fiversion will be available for R1700. All of these are expected to beavailable from the beginning of next year. Tablets will be availablefrom mid-January, but purchase online now fromwww.wisetablets.co.za to receive a 5% early bird discount.Resellers welcome.

What you need to know: Wise Touch tablets

South Africantablet users willsoon be able totake advantageof a new tabletentry gearedparticularly forthe local market,the Wise Touchtablet range.These will beavailable witheither a 7", 8", 9"or 10" capacitivemulti-touchscreen and willrun on Android2.3 Gingerbread.

Affordable tablet catering specifically to South Africans’ needs

This Ubuntu Linux 10.04-operatingnetbook weighs less than 1 kg,

boasting a 10" (1024 x 600 resolution)LCD display, which offered a betterviewing experience than expected. Ourunit had a sleek matt white cover, whilethe body is constructed out ofhardened plastic, which did not looklike it was particularly fond of taking aknock.

Underneath the hood and performanceAt a low-cost of R1499 (including VAT),you wouldn’t expect the Webbook’sspecs to set the netbook world alight,and this is indeed the case. Poweringthe device is an 800 MHz Mx515 ARMCortex A8 CPU, which for generalperformance was not always up toscratch. Whether you’re starting theFirefox web browser or viewing yourphoto collection, there is a verynoticeable lag. Storage capacity does

Vodacom has made the low-costVodafone Webbook available locally,bringing a simplified netbook tousers that can be easily used toconnect to the web.

Vodafone Webbook netbook

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not fare much better than theprocessing performance (or lackthereof), since the Webbook onlyhas 4 GB of internal flash-basedspace, most of which is taken up bythe Ubuntu Linux operating systemand pre-loaded apps. These includethe excellent OpenOffice 3.2 fordocument viewing and creation,and Mozilla Thunderbird foremail.

Pros andextrasIt’s lack ofstoragespace seesyou relying on USBflash disk drives to accessyour multimedia, and there are twoUSB 2.0 ports (one on each side), aswell as on cloud-based storagesolutions, the likes of Microsoft’sSkyDrive and Dropbox. To access thesecloud-based storage services, theWebbook comes equipped with Wi-Ficonnectivity to connect to a companyor home network, while you can alsopurchase the device with a Starter Packthat includes a Vodacom USB modemfor connectivity on the go.

Computing for the masses

Final wordThe Vodafone Webbook can providemany local users with a cheap netbook,and a low-cost way to access the web. Itmay not provide mind-boggling netbookperformance, but its R1499 asking price(or with a prepaid Starter Pack atR1899) should be enough to sus yourcomplaints. Our advice would be to goto a Vodashop and actually play aroundwith the Webbook to see how you feelabout its performance. [HD]48

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After recently releasing the Drifta USBand making the Drifta DStv Mobiledecoder compatible with certainAndroid devices, DStv Mobile hasannounced the Walka Handheld TV.

Quick specs

• Dimensions: 110 x 79 x 14 mm• ARM 9 200 MHz processor• 3.5" LCD screen (320 x 240 resolution)• Mini USB port for charging and firmware upgrade• 3.5 mm headphone jack• Built in speaker 0.7 W• Battery life: 3.5 hours • Built-in extendible Rod antenna

This portable television has a 3.5" viewingscreen and does not need to pair with

the Drifta or Drifta USB, seeing that itconnects automatically to the DStv MobileDVB-H broadcast signal. After activating theWalka through the MultiChoice call centre,users will be able to access up to 16 DStvChannels in the genres of sport, music,news, cartoons and general entertainment.The content line-up includes the two brandnew channels that were recently added; M-Net Mobile and the Discovery channel. Thesame channels are available across all DStvMobile capable devices for the samesubscription of R36 per month. DStvPremium subscribers pay no subscription toaccess the DStv Mobile for Premiumsubscribers package which includes the M-Net Mobile channel.

“We are proud to introduce South Africansto the Walka device which is designed tofurther enrich the mobile TV viewingexperience,” explains Mark Rayner, generalmanager, DStv Mobile. “It’s a must have,mobile TV viewing can begin the momentyou switch it on. Our research has shownthat there is interest in a dedicated mobileTV viewing device to ease accessibility andimprove usability of the mobile TV service.We anticipate that the Walka will be wellreceived by the market and hope oursubscribers find it as another useful way tostay in touch with DStv channels,” saidRayner.

The Walka is available at MultiChoicecentres and selected retail outlets from 1December 2011 at the recommended retailprice of R649. Proof of a valid existing TVlicence will be required when purchasing theWalka. DStv Mobile coverage is available inthe nine major cities of South Africa, somake sure the DVB-H network covers yourarea by visiting www.dstvmobile.com.

19

What’s in the box?

• Walka TV device• USB Cable: Mini-A Male to standard type A Male• USB power adapter• Earphones• Quick Guide/Manual• Hand lanyard• Sucker stand

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<< Airflow pattern for raisedfloor configuration with hotaisles and cold aisles.

Terry Erdle is theexecutive vice presidentfor skills certification,for CompTIA, theleading tradeassociation for theworld’s informationtechnology industry. He

is responsible for the association’s globalcertifications programs, including productdevelopment and delivery, partnershiprelationships and cooperation with theeducation and training communities.

Samsung notebook, sponsored by Incredible Connection: Stuart Reid.

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About the Author

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

Further training and education a necessity

By Terry Erdle, Executive Vice President, Skills Certification, CompTIA

The winners of the CompTIA, Incredible Connection, CRS and Kasperskycompetition, as featured in the October 2011 issue of Techsmart, are:

Competition Winners

The call for more training is spot-on, butthis isn’t just a matter for employers to

address. It’s a three-way dance involvingthe employers who invest in ongoingtraining to keep their employees’ skills upto date; the individuals who commit to aregimen of lifelong learning; and theeducation, training and credentialingcommunities that deliver content andprograms that are current and relevant tocontinually build and enhance the skills ofthe global workforce. Technologypermeates every facet of everyorganisation, accelerating the transition toa knowledge-based, information-intenseeconomy. At the heart of transition iseducation and training, not just fromgrades 0 through 12, or for those whomove on to colleges and universities, butfor all workers (and their employers) who

seek careers that are personally,professionally and financially rewarding.On-going training and education is not aluxury, it’s a necessity.

Technology is changing training optionsAdvancements in technology haveenabled a broader range of trainingofferings, such as online self-study andwebinars, to keep workers’ skills up todate. This allows companies greaterefficiencies as they can better tailor andsupport training methods based on whatworks best for them.

The Social Web has rapidly become theprimary venue for social interaction. It’swhere we go to communicate, interactand learn. Whether through blogs ortweets, RSS feed or e-communities, wikisor podcasts, individuals are using thesetools to link to one another based oncommon interests. The use of these toolsis becoming more prevalent in thelearning realm, too.

A 2009 CompTIA survey of 1500+ ITprofessionals found that 36% utilisedsome type of internet-based studyapplication, while one in five participatedin an online training session led by aninstructor. Looking ahead, all signs pointto an even greater leveraging oftechnology as students and instructorsseek more flexibility, collaboration andinteraction.

Students more engagedStudents and instructors are moreengaged when training and learning

incorporates Web 2.0 tools and socialmedia. Web 2.0 tools allow content to betailored and personalised, even down tothe individual student level. Similarly,students can quickly and easilycommunicate with the instructor whencourse content is on the mark or not. Thatallows the instructor to assess andimprove course material based onimmediate feedback.

E-learning made possible by Web 2.0tools goes beyond use in compliancetesting or straightforward, one-dimensional training scenarios. Onesolution is to use tests based on the modelof confidence-based learning, whichmeasures a learner’s knowledge quality bydetermining both the correctness of theindividual’s knowledge and confidence inapplying this knowledge. This combinationyields a profile of the individual’sknowledge base, and identifies thedifference between what the individualthinks they know and actually know.

At the organisation level, early adoptershave found that blogs, social networkingand customer forums offer the biggestbang for the buck among Web 2.0 tools interms of measurable benefits. And comingsoon to a desktop or handheld near you isWeb 3.0 and 4.0, featuring rich media withfull high definition video, sound and evenemotive and touch features.

Lifelong learning is no longer limited bycalendars or schedules. With Web 2.0 toolsand beyond, it can take place at virtuallyany time and at any place. It’s up to all ofus to use it.

In a recent column in The Wall StreetJournal, Wharton School professorDr. Peter Cappelli contended thatreported shortages of skilled workersis a myth and an illusion. He believesone of the main reasons why jobs gounfilled is because employers areseeking perfect candidates ready toperform from day one without anytraining or ramp-up time. The bettersolution, Dr. Cappelli argues, is foremployers to seek out workers whocould fill open jobs with just a littlemore training.

Make a commitment tolifelong learning

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• Norton User Experience – From thestreamlined main user interface,Norton 2012 offers quick access toNorton Cybercrime Index, NortonOnline Family and website ratingsservice Norton Safe Web.

Norton 2012 also continues to set theindustry bar for protection and

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Pricing and availability Norton Internet Security 2012 is nowavailable for purchase through variousretailers and the Norton online store atwww.norton.co.za. The suggested retailprice for Norton Internet Security 2012is approximately R490, which providesone year of protection for up to threePCs. Norton Internet Security 2007 orlater users with a valid productsubscription are eligible to receive thelatest product updates via thesubscription service model. For moreinformation, visit the Norton Updatecenter at http://updatecenter.norton.com.

Protecting people and their informationNorton has also announced a newoffering under its Norton Everywhereinitiative that goes beyond internetsecurity and gives consumers the powerto protect themselves and their familiesacross multiple devices and platforms.Norton Online Family for Android andiOS users is now out of beta, and thisfree mobile application allows parentsusing Norton Online Family to view theirchildren’s online activities and manageeach child’s “House Rules” from theiriPhone, iPad and iPod touch or Androiddevice. www.norton.co.za

Norton launches 2012 product,extends “Norton Everywhere”initiativeConsumer business extends security leadershipand continues to expand to mobile devices

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“For the past few years we havewitnessed an explosion of devices,platforms and applications for consumersto enjoy. However, with these excitingchanges come new digital dangers and aneven greater need for consumers to beprotected from cybercrime,” said KaraRawden, senior marketing manager,Consumer – Middle East and Africa,Symantec Corporation. “As a world leaderin security, Norton will continue striving toensure that our customers are protectedwherever they go, whatever digitalexperience they choose to have.”

Norton 2012 security productNorton 2012 brings key new features toaddress emerging threats and powerfulprotection against one of today’s greatestconsumer concerns: ensuring onlinepersonal information remains confidential.Additionally, Norton brings a powerfulcombination of reputation, file, behaviourand network based protection to providetheir most comprehensive security todate. Key security technologies andusability improvements, include:

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Cases:Belkin’s cases not only complementtoday’s mobile lifestyle, but also cater tothe different ways a phone is carried.Whether you carry your phone in yourpocket, in your hand, in a bag or whileexercising, Belkin makes it easier toaccess your phone’s features at any time.

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Screen overlays:To keep your devicelooking as good as new,

Belkin’s extensive range of screenoverlays for the Samsung GalaxySII, iPhone 4 and 4S, iPad 2, iPodtouch and nano is designed toprovide your screen with the bestprotection.

Strong yet thin, the Anti-Smudgeoverlays resist fingerprints, make-up transfer and dirt build-up. TheClear Screen overlay ensuresoptimal screen visibility withoutaffecting the touch screen’sfunctionality. Part of the new rangeis the Mirror overlay which givesyour screen a high quality mirroreffect that is perfectly reflective.

Belkin also offers an Anti-Glare screen guard with a

matte finish to reduceharsh reflection in bright light.Fitting the cases and screen overlays is fast

and easy. The overlays can be purchased inpacks of three for smartphones and in a single

pack for tablets and iPads. All packs include acleaning wipe and smoothing card to rub away creases

and bubbles.Tudortech supplies Belkin products in South Africa. For

stock list details contact [email protected] or foradditional product information visit www.belkin.com.

Belkin covers and screen overlays

A case for every character

With theimminent

arrival of theiPhone 4S here inSA, it’s a goodopportunity toenhance yourphone withBelkin’s range ofcovers andscreen overlays.With a case forevery characterincluding theiPhone 4 (which iscompatible withthe iPhone 4S)and SamsungGalaxy SII theaccessories offera stylish way tokeep yourphone’s surfaceprotected whileon the go.

27

To start with, just like the previousversion, Internet Security 2012

offered a quick, no fuss installation.Beyond entering our product code andafter a quick five minute installation, wewere presented with a screen thatreassured that we were now ready tostart configuring our security settings. Tostart with, Norton Internet Security 2012offered up a clean, uncluttered interfacedivided into three sections: ComputerProtection, Network Protection and WebProtection. Beneath this though, lay awell organised abundance of features.

Computer protectionUnder the computer protection section,common tasks such as initiating a scan,seeing our history, and which items had

Norton Internet Security 2012

All but thekitchen sinkIt’s a sad fact that in our digitalworld, security is simply essential.To this end, we decided to putNorton Internet Security 2012through its paces.

been quarantined, were front and centre.Additionally, features such as Insightprotection, antivirus, and antispywarewere also available. SONAR protection,which provides proactive real-timeprotection from unknown threatsdepending on the behaviour ofapplications, was also an option.

Network ProtectionUnder Network Protection, we wereoffered vulnerability protection from astaggering number of programmes thatwere known to be susceptible to attack.While Internet Explorer showed a notsurprising count of 92 vulnerabilities,Windows XP topped thelist with 140. A networksecurity map is alsofound here, whichshowed at a glancewhere and why ournetwork wasn’t secured.Our wireless networkwas included in this –and if you’re one ofthose computer userswho has not securedyour wireless networkwith a security key, thatwould be revealed here,along with guidelines asto how to fix it.

Web ProtectionUnder this section, wewere first tasked with

setting up Identity Safe, a passwordprotected feature which can store andprotect sensitive information such asusernames, passwords, physical addressand credit card numbers and thenautomatically fill these in as required.Once done, we could then enter our log-in for protected websites, createinformation cards (such as credit carddetails), and set parental controls.

To the pointNorton Internet Security 2012’s featuresare logically accessible according to theirfunctions, while there is enough depth togo beyond the surface and customise

one’s security settings toone’s own preferencesand personal usagepatterns. It neitherhogged memory norprocessing speed, withthe exception of runningfull scans. Althoughthere is some workinvolved in getting themost out of it, for peaceof mind and theimperative cyber securitythat comes with living ina digital age, we believeit is time well worthinvesting. R490 for threeusers for one year. [RN]

Full review:bit.ly/nortonis2012

ADVERTORIAL SOFTWARE11

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We have a widerange of OregonScientific products

available – WeatherStations, Digital Rain

Gauges, Projection Clocksand many more! Theseproducts make an ideal Christmas gift.

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The Bear Grylls range ofGerber products are of an

excellent quality and made by one of themost trusted of the world’s cutlers. You can’t go wrongwith a Gerber, well made and reasonably priced.

Please note: Prices subject to change without notice. E & OEFranchises Now Available!

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Show off your photo memories with our widerange of digital photo frames available from7 to 15 inch displays and featuring classicwooden or black frames. Set your photos tomusic with MP3 audio playback and watchyour favourite digital home videos.

Control it withyour iPad,iPhone or iPod touch(and now also Androiddevices) using the built-inaccelerometers which will sensewhich way you tip the phone andmaneuver the AR.Drone accordingly.

Digital Photo Frames

Flashback to the glory days of gaming withiCade! iCade integrates your iPad into anauthentic, arcade-style cabinet complete withjoystick and buttons! Impress your friends,family and co-workers with iCades great-looking retro design, and then challenge

them for high-scores on the mostentertaining iPad accessoryimaginable!

This ingenious inventionscrews into any recessedlight socket,transforming it into awireless speaker, andproviding bright LEDillumination. Set has 2speakers and basestation with iPod dock.The light contains a 5W LED light bulband 10W, 2.25 inch full range speaker.

LIGHTBULB SPEAKER SYSTEM

Bear Grylls knives

Set it according to your map scale and it measuresyour planned route in kilometers, miles or nauticalmiles. Given a known speed it can also calculate howlong it will take to cover the rest of the trip.

AR Drone Map MeasurerPlus

Oregon products

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28

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HP 635 Deepcool N7

R285

ThePerfectXmas gift

256 GB. A

mount of data that can be stored on K

ingston’s Hyper 3.0. R

6799. Its retail price.

As many athletes and activeusers take their cellphonesand MP3 players on the roador into the gym, there is adefinite need for earphones that staysecurely in one’s ears while workingout or doing strenuous exercise.

The Jabra Active headset fills this nicheperfectly, fitting snugly into one’s ears

and staying there. The Jabra Active further offers a discreet

imbedded microphone for taking andmaking calls, along with wind noisereduction, as well as an on-cord volumecontrol and a clip for attaching theheadset to one’s shirt. They aredistinctively designed, which thecompany explained is intended to followthe contours of the ear. Appropriately,the buds, which offer three differentsize eargels, are sweat and waterresistant.

The sound on offer is ratherimpressive, rendering both satisfyingtreble and deep bass, which shouldprove enough to blot out mostambient noise. A carrying case isincluded. The Jabra Active headsetretails for R425, visitbit.ly/jabraactive for more info.

Jabra Active headset ›› Music andtalking on the move

With the amount of datastored on portable storagemedia, the likes of SDHC,microSD and Compact Flashcards, increasing thanks to HDvideo, having a quick and easy way toget data onto your PC is becoming more important.

The Kingston Media Reader USB 3.0 flash memory reader isfor those lucky enough to have a USB 3.0 port available on

their PC. With the Kingston connected, your data transfer ratefrom your flash memory to your PC increases considerably.When connected with a Superspeed (USB 3.0) slot, it providesa transfer rate of up to 5 Gb/s – up to 10x more than USB 2.0.This resulted in significantly faster data transfers, for examplecopying 225 MB of music from a microSD card took us around35.3 seconds on a USB 2.0 connection. When the MediaReader was plugged into a USB 3.0 slot, this same amount ofdata took just 11.9 seconds. A movie file (1.38 GB) fromSDHC card took 64 seconds on USB 3.0, and over 90 secondson USB 2.0.

It comes with a recommended retail price of R222, visitbit.ly/kingstonsa for retailers

Kingston MediaReader USB 3.0flash memoryreader ›› Fastflash memorytransfer

29

In Battlefield 3, players stepinto the role of the elite U.S.Marines where they willexperience heart-poundingmissions across diverselocations including Paris,Tehran and New York. Readthe full review on page 40.

Battlefield 3 rates asone of the best onlinemultiplayerexperiences ever. 3 x PC copies are upfor grabs.

Go to www.techsmart.co.za andclick on the Battlefield 3competition on the right hand sideto enter. Competition runs from 1to 31 December 2011. Terms and conditions apply.

WIN with EA andBattlefield 3!

Made for those who love both music and an active lifestyle, thespecial Jabra earbuds won’t pop out while exercising. Best is, youcan now make and receive phone calls while on the road, in thegym or on your bike.

TechSmart is giving away eightexcellent Jabra Active headsets!

Win withJabra!

To enter visit www.techsmart.co.za and look for the competition block onthe right hand side of the page. Entries close on 31 December 2011.Terms and conditions apply.

GADGETS$7

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Unicorn DashRepligo Reader Perfect Viewer StumbleUpon

Android Apps of the month

31

With literally millions, if notbillions of websites

online, the chances of missingout on some gems areextremely high. StumbleUponenables users to discover newsites by simply clicking abutton. This free app, whichrequires Android 1.6 and up,does this by offering upinteresting websites for theuser’s approval. Giving a site athumbs up, enables thediscovery engine to ‘learn’what you like. Alternatively,users can also specify theirinterests or enter searchterms and have only sites thatmatch these shown.

Unicorn Dash is quitesimple in concept, but in

play, it is pretty addictive.You play as, you guessed it, aunicorn that has to run as faras possible across a series ofdisjointed cliffs. However,littering the hand-drawnledges are obstacles you caneither jump over or chargethrough. Additionally, greengems and blue shields litterthis horizontal platformer’slandscape, and timing yourjumps appropriately enableyou to gather both.

Enchanting backgroundsand music make this free 7.1MB title a must play.

Opening, reading andespecially editing PDFs is

invariably a painfulexperience, particularly onsmall screens. RepligoReader goes a long way toeasing this annoyance byenabling one to view PDFsas well as annotate and fillout PDF forms, as well asadding sticky notes andhighlighting text. The appalso integrates with Gmail,Dropbox and Evernote, andfunctions very well as an e-reader for ebooks. The fastand responsive productivityapp works on Android 2.0and up, and costs R39.

If you want to turn yourAndroid device into a

comic book reader, or arejust looking for a capableimage viewer, then PerfectViewer is ideal. The freeapp supports multiple fileformats, including JPEG,PNG, GIF, BMP, as well ascompressed formats suchas CBZ, ZIP, CBR, RAR, 7Zand CB7.

A freely available pluginoffers PDF support as well.The app, which runs onAndroid 1.6 and up, offersboth left to right and right toleft reading and five viewingmodes.

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 are our top Android Apps of the month.

White ChristmasHelicopter Builder 3D Find my iPhoneInstagram

Apple iOS Apps of the month

Instagram is an iPhoneclassic and in a big part

responsible for the rise ofiPhonography. With this appyou are able to choose fromseveral filtered effects toliven-up boring pics. Theseinclude tilt-shift that enablesyou to focus on a particularsection of the photo, inkwellwhich is a classic black andwhite filter, as well as sutrowhich lightens the centre ofthe image. You can share thephotos over Twitter, Facebook,email or invite friends whoalso have this app installed toa private stream.

Seeing that it’s Decemberand the holiday season is

upon us, we thought it fittingto include and Xmasapplication. This app enablesusers to get into the Xmasspirit by incorporating fallingsnowflakes into photos andinserting props such as Santaand Rudolph the red-nosedreindeer. Both the front- andrear-facing cameras can beemployed to snap the picsand once you are donecapturing the moment, youare able to save it to yourphone, email it or upload it toFacebook or Twitter.

If you were a fan of the TVseries Airwolf or have

dreamed of getting into thepilot seat of your very ownhelicopter, then HelicopterBuilder 3D will enable you togive lift to those aviationaspirations. It allows you tocreate your own helicopterand then take to the skiesfor a test flight. If you wantto add some firepower byway of rockets, or wish toalter the look of yourcreation, you can simplyhead back to the builder tocustomise body, rotors, or toadd accessories.

This app is an essentialsecurity tool if you own an

iPad and iPhone. It will enableyou to employ another iOS-operating device to locateyour missing iPhone and toprotect the data stored on it.All you have to do is installthis free app on another iOS-powered device, launch it andsign in with your Apple ID.You will then be able to locateyour missing smartphone ortablet on a map and also beable to perform functionsincluding displaying a please-return-to-owner message orperform a remote wipe.

Apple’s App Store houses the largest selection of applications (over 500 000)available in the world. TechSmart brings some of the best free apps that the AppStore has to offer.

SMARTPHONE APPS60

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Not sure what to buy that special someone?Here are some great gadget gift ideas.

Belkin Music Receiver

www.belkin.com

HOLIDAY BEST BUYS Holiday Best BuysRapMan 3.1 3D printer

So what do you give the man thathas everything this Xmas? How

about the ability to print his own 3Dobjects? With four motors, a controllerboard and the print head, the amazingRapMan 3.1 3D prints whatever CADdrawing it’s provided with via its SDcard slot. For those looking to buildthe RapMan 3.1 3D printer fromscratch, or for a pre-constructed unit,call CAD House on 087-944-2072/3.

www.3d-printer.co.za

Starts from

R9990Belkin’s Music Receiver enablesmusic lovers to play music from

their iPod touch or iPhone throughtheir home stereo or stand-alonespeakers, wirelessly. This niftyreceiver delivers stereo sound andthe ability to control one’s playlistdirectly from one’s device from thecomfort of the couch. Belkin’sBluetooth Music Receiver is nowavailable at the retail price of R599.Tudortech supplies Belkin products inSouth Africa. For stockists [email protected].

www.thegadgetshop.co.za.

Remember the days of playingDonkey Kong at the corner cafe?

The retro iCade marries the high-tech functionality of an iPad with thenostalgia of arcade style gaming, byoffering seamless integration into anauthentic, arcade-style cabinetcomplete with joystick and buttons.The iCade is compatible with 100classic Atari games. Call TheG.A.D.G.E.T. Shop on 012-346-2726.

Interactive Whiteboard system

www.businessdatacom.com

The Interactive Whiteboard systemfrom Mimio converts your normal

whiteboard into an interactivewhiteboard in minutes. It’s easy touse, portable and much moreaffordable than other interactivewhiteboard solutions. As a special forschools only, buy two Mimio Teachunits and one Mimio View for only R16 965 excluding VAT (save R4960excluding VAT). Contact them [email protected]

32

Digitus Wireless 150N USB Adapter DN-7045

For more information contact Nology (www.nology.co.za) or 012-657-1317.

If your notebook or office PC doesnot include Wi-Fi, the Digitus

Wireless 150N USB Adapter DN-7045can fix this problem in no time.Offering Wireless-N speeds of up to150 Mbps. Advanced Security with128 bit WEP, WPA and WPA2encryption to keep your wireless

network safe and secure.

The VKOM WNL108 firewall router,aimed at the home user, featuring

Wireless-N connectivity (Max 150Mbps) and enables users to shareADSL access with a downstream rateof up to 24 Mbps, while the firewallfeature protects one from intrusionsand hackers. This plug and play routeroffers a web-based graphic userinterface for quick and easy networkmanagement.

R119

VKOM WNL108 firewallrouter

iCade iPad arcade machine

R1699

R599

Special Offer

R16 965

R564

HOLIDAY BEST BUYS

33

Holiday Best Buys Not sure what to buy that special someone?Here are some great gadget gift ideas.

Both units include Bluetooth. For more info contact Spirit Data on 011-781-6992/7926 or email [email protected].

Looking to buy a tablet this Xmas?How about the Spirit M6500 that runs

on a powerful 1.2 GHz dual-coreprocessor? This 7" Android 2.2 tabletdoes not only connect via Wi-Fi, but isalso capable of making calls or down-loading data via 3G/ GSM connectivity. Ithas heaps of ports including a mini HDMIand a mini USB port. With 8 GB ofonboard memory, and the ability toexpand on this via microSD card, theM6500 is a must-have this Xmas.

Available in red, black or white.

One of the benefits ofthe Spirit tablets is

the low cost ofaccessories. Take forexample the leather lookcarry-case with embedded keyboard(R250), which not only protects the tabletbut also makes typing a breeze. There isalso a car mounting bracket (R68) whichallows one to make use of the SpiritM7500 and M6500’s GPS capabilities. Acar charger (R68) ensures that you neverrun out of juice while on the road.

Spirit M6500 7" tablet Spirit M7500 7" tablet

The Spirit M7500 tablet is anothergood choice for your Xmas stocking,

seeing that, unlike the M6500, it hasboth front (1.3 MP) and rear (5 MP)cameras. Running Android 2.2 with an800 MHz processor, this 7" tabletfurther boasts Wi-Fi and 3G connectionplus the ability to make cellular calls. Italso has a mini USB port with astandard USB converter dongle includedin the box, while its 8 GB worth ofmemory can be expanded to 32 GB viamicroSD card.

R2965

R250

R68

Spirit Data Accessories

beyerdynamic DTX 101 iEearphones

For more info contact Technology Innovated Distribution on 010-5000-111.

We’ve been using the DTX 101 iEearphones at the office, and we

can only describe them as a treat forthe ears. Featuring Neodymiumacoustic drivers, these earphones fromGerman company beyerdymanic,delivers excellent sound while doing alot to cancel ambient noise. If you

want to treat yourself to goodsound this Xmas, this is it.

R999We know that headphones have

become a bit of a fashionstatement of late, but if you’relooking for sound to match, then theTesla T50P headphones are for you.Usually the domain of soundengineers, it includes Teslatransformers which provideextraordinarily precise and detailedsound. A must have for audiophiles.

beyerdynamic T 50 Pheadphones

R3600

www.catsdigital.co.za

Digital Capacitive Bluetooth Stylus/Phone

For iPhone, iPad, Galaxyand smartphones

R699

This highly sensitive capacitivetouchpen is unique in that it

combines both stylus and phonefunctionality into one slim device.The stylus is ideal for tablets, such asthe iPad and Galaxy Tab, as well assmartphones and the iPhone. Thedevice’s features include a built-inSuper Quality ISSC chip and supportfor Skype calling, while sustaining aBluetooth connection of up to 10metres.

We offer a free booking service by means of ournew website and a call centre with qualifiedbooking representatives providing a personalisedservice. Go to www.StayPlayEat.co.za today tofind holiday bargains

More than just a guide,www.StayPlayEat.co.za provides anonline booking service with real-timeavailability and specially negotiateddiscounted prices.

Come

Champagne Castle Resort

Don’t delay, book NOW! 087-980-1111 URL: http://spe.bz?b326b4

It is a getaway commanding an equally extraordinary location at the foothills of the CentralDrakensberg. For visual impact, recreational variety and luxurious splendour, the hotel is prettyclose to being an ultimate experience. Whether you walk or hike, go trout fishing or horse riding,play golf or tennis, swim or bowl – everything at Champagne Castle has been configured toembrace the magnificent amphitheatre of the Little Berg.

KwaZulu-Natal – Drakensberg

DISCOUNTED RATE (5%)

Mabalingwe Game Lodge

Don’t delay, book NOW! 087-980-1111 URL: http://spe.bz?48b5f7

112 km outside of Pretoria, with the Waterberg mountains forming a tranquil background, liesMabalingwe Nature Reserve. Ideally situated for Gauteng travellers, the 12 500 ha reserve hoststhe big five, 260 bird species, hippos and crocodiles. Mabalingwe has a range of accommodationincluding catered, self-catering and camping options with swimming pools and playgrounds. Thisnature reserve comes highly recommended.

Limpopo – Waterberg


Chaka’s Rock Chalets Self-catering

Don’t delay, book NOW! 087-980-1111 URL: http://spe.bz?ca087a

The fully self-contained chalets each have ceiling fans, M-Net, selected DStv, shower over the bathwith toilet and basin. You can enjoy starry evenings around your own private braai facility andeach unit has one under cover parking and one extra parking available. The kitchen is fullyequipped with microwave, fridge, energy saving oven and hob as well as the full complement ofcutlery and crockery.

KwaZulu-Natal – Coastal

Only R1 254* per unit per night | Jan – March 2012 special | Self-catering | Sleeps 6

Only R1 596* per unit per night | Jan – March 2012 special | Self-catering | Sleeps 8


Don’t delay, book NOW! 087-980-1111 or visit our website www.StayPlayEat.co.za

TravelStayPlayEat Travel welcomes you to our travel portfolio of topdestinations, accommodation options and activities from all overSouthern Africa and Beyond.

Only R770* per person sharing per night | Jan – March 2012 special

*Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast, Morning and Afternoon Tea & Coffee included

R1 795**Kalahari Bush Camp

R415* per person sharing per night | Jan – March2012 special *Peak | No mealsincluded |Meals must be pre-booked

R350** per person sharing per night | Jan – March2012 special **Off-peak | No mealsincluded |Meals must be pre-booked

per camp per night | Jan – March 2012 special **Off-peak | Sleeps 10

Web Time Wasters ›› Selected sites to spend the holidays with

SpringleapSourcemap Smashwords

If you love to read, andare constantly searching

for new, different ebooks,Smashwords is an excellentsite to go spend some timeon. Essentially a hub forindependent authors andpublishers, the site enablesusers to download free ormoderately priced ebooks,or publish and sell their ownto a global readership.Books are available in arange of categories,including adventure, sci-fi,fantasy, thrillers,biographies, cooking andpoetry. Well worthbookmarking (pun fullyintended).

www.picnik.com http://sourcemap.com www.smashwords.com www.springleap.com

Picnik

INTERNET

35

Picnik is an online photoediting site which enables

you to choose photos fromyour PC, Picasa, Photobucket,Flickr or Facebook to editthem to your heart’s content.Some functionality includescropping, resizing, andadding special effects,shapes and frames withoutever having to install a photoediting program on your PC.It does offer some additionalpremium functionality forthose who subscribe (R200 ayear) but the free version isa very handy way to editphotos online withoutshelling out for a dedicatedprogram.

Sourcemap is an unusualwebsite for all the right

reasons, namely that ofpromoting social andenvironmental awareness. Ithelps consumers track theimpact of their choices byshowing where and howproducts originate plus theircarbon footprint (impact onthe environment). The siteexplains that its goal is toenable people to makesustainable decisions. This isdone through offering up‘sourcemaps’ which trackswhere things – mostspecifically food, beverages,clothing and electronics,amongst others – originate.

It’s not often that wecome across good

customer service, but whenwe do it’s worth talkingabout it. Springleap.comhas some excellent t-shirtsavailable and when one ofour orders got boggeddown, they went out oftheir way to sort us out.Their prints are out-of-the-ordinary, while you can alsosubmit your own design incompetitions that run onceevery two weeks. So if youdon’t mind a t-shirt thatgets delivered directly toyour doorstep, withSpringleap you won’t gowrong.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

• Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

• FIFA 12

• NFS: The Run

• Batman: Arkham City

• Uncharted 3

• Gears of War 3

• Battlefield 3

• Zelda: Skyward Sword

28%

16%

13%

10%

10%

7%

6%

4%

4%

2%

TechSmart.co.za online poll results

This will be my next gaming purchase:

Need your Tech fix faster? Join us now on:

TechSmart.co.zaRolling out allthe latest technews, reviewsand interviews.

TechSmart ONLINE

Twitter: @techsmartmag

Facebook: facebook.com/techsmartmag

To receive our newsletterhttp://techsmart.co.za/user_registration75

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY To advertise in the Business Directory please call Marlien on (012) 342-5141

36

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 [email protected]

your company’s visibilityWith the TechSmart Business Directory

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We are currently acquiring new dealers. Call Business Data Communication – Distributor on 082-859-1984, email us [email protected]

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.

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While InsomniacGames’ latestRatchet andClank: All 4 One(A4O) title isdifferent to itspredecessors,it’s no less fun.

GAMES

From the very start, the game beginswith the series’ trademark humour.

Add to this a growing variety ofdeliciously oddball weapons andsumptuous environments, and A4Oimmediately made us want to play more.Most notable changes include thecharacter models which reflect a slightlymore cartoonish look, and the camera,which has been pulled back slightly toaccommodate co-operative play.

StorytimeThrough a bizarre twist of fate thebuffoon Captain Qwark is made Galacticpresident, and goes to accept the‘Galactic Tool of Justice’ award withRatchet and Clank in tow. Unbeknown tothem, it is a ruse by their nemesis, DrNefarious. His plans are interrupted by anew menace called the CreatureCollector which deposits the foursome onanother planet, which has become ahome for some of the most dangerouscreatures across the galaxy. This forcesthem to work together to survive andunravel the mystery behind theircapture.

Once again you have a quicklyexpanding arsenal at your disposal. Youstart off with the combuster and plasma-bomb launcher, which expands to includethe doppelbanger (a deployable decoy),Mr Zurkon (the slightly psychopathic and

Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One ›› Co-operative Contender

Full review:bit.ly/ratchet4

hilarious bodyguard) and the blitzer(melee gloves) to name but a few.

Co-operative ChaosThis sets the stage for the four playerco-op, in which up to four players canassume Ratchet, Clank, Qwark andNefarious to traverse this beautifullyvaried world. We found that two playeroffline co-operative player was ideal, andwhile four player co-op was a great deal

of fun, it does present some of thegame’s drawbacks. These include thefrantic pace of the game, and less timeto explore the rich and variedenvironments. However, the game canalso be played completely on one’s ownwith an AI buddy (namely Clank).

To the pointA4O oozes charm, personality and qualityout of every pore, and is yet anotherdistinctive entry into the Ratchet andClank universe. The fact that we wantedmore and more, is one of the reasonswhy Ratchet and Clank has remainedamongst our favourite series for so long.Our advice: don’t miss it. [RN]

“All 4 One oozes charm,personality and quality out ofevery pore.”

39

There are somegames that wecannot wait tostart playing,and those thatwe never wantto stop.Uncharted 3 isquite easilyboth.

Uncharted 3:Drake’s Deception suckedus in from the beginning, with a

clever twist that left us chuckling. While itis not essential to have played theprevious two titles, doing so certainlyaids in the feeling of returning to the livesand exploits of treasure hunter NathanDrake (Nate), his mentor Victor Sullivan(Sully), as well as Elena and Chloe whomake a welcome return.

Nate and Sully’s friendship is more fullyexplored this time around, alongside anengaging flashback to how the two firstmet. This highlights the game’s mostnotable strengths, namely superbcharacterisation and engrossing storytellingthat continues throughout and thatcomplements the title’s superlativegraphics and sound.

Where did he go?This time round Nate and Sully arefollowing the footsteps of the great FrancisDrake, who spent some unaccounted timeon a mission for the Queen. However, theyare not the only ones following the famousexplorer’s trail, as they find themselveshaving to contend with a secret society ledby the chillingly ruthless KatherineMarlowe, with sinister motives of its own,while searching for the fabled Atlantis ofthe Sands. This leads players from one cityto the next, uncovering secret pathways

and hidden chambers, and intotantalisingly esoteric puzzles (there aremore of them than in Uncharted 2).Additionally, jaw dropping actionsequences are frequent, as one battlesthrough Marlowe’s formidable forces.

GameplayCombat is mostly familiar when it comesto wielding a variety of weapons, althoughyou can still only carry one small firearmand one larger assault weapon, such as ashotgun, along with a few grenades.However, hand-to-hand combat has beengreatly improved, made more engaging aswell as offering more ways to defeat anopponent unarmed, while the trademarkplatforming and animations are as smoothas ever.

Joining a thrilling campaign is anequally superlative co-op and multiplayermodes, such as team deathmatch,plunder, team objective and free for all.Co-op arena and Co-op adventures arealso included, and make for a no lessthrilling and immersive experience.

To the point Uncharted 3 offers a stellar action gamingexperience and is quite simply amasterpiece in the current generation ofconsole games. We cannot recommend ithighly enough. [RN]

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception ›› Greatness, again

As one of thebig first personshooterfranchises outthere, Battlefield3 (BF3) has a lotto prove,especially with acertain ModernWarfare 3 alsoaiming at thelucrative Xmasmarket.

Full review:bit.ly/2012pes

Full review:bit.ly/bf3online

Battlefield 3 ›› Winning the online battleGAMES

40

Since the dawnof modernfootball gamesa rivalry hasexisted betweenEA’s FIFA seriesand Konami’sPro EvolutionSoccer range.

On the one side, you hadthe ultra-realistic PES

range which could on manyoccasions run circles roundFIFA in terms of gameplayand graphics. Unlike FIFAthough, it would fall prey to

the red card known as the lack of licencedteams. For the most part PES 2012 ticksall the boxes you look for in a footballgame – excellent graphics, challengingand authentic gameplay, as well asimpressive player and stadium models.

PES 2012 is lagging a few pacesbehind FIFA 12 when it comes to playeranimation, due to FIFA 12’s new playerimpact engine that makes collisions andinteractions between players, as well asplayers with the ball, and the referee,come off as a lot more genuine. As PES2012 doesn’t have these elements, itsgameplay feels a lot more arcade-likewhen compared to the simulationgameplay within FIFA 12. This isespecially evident when taking PES’s fast-paced gameplay and fighting-gameinspired button combos for special trickmoves into consideration.

There’s no I in teamThe new Teammate Control system is oneof our favourite new additions to PES

2012. This allows you to take control ofone of your AI-controlled teammateswithin a given gameplay situation. Forinstance, whilst you are taking a free-kickor corner kick, you not only control theplayer making the kick, but by moving theright analogue stick on your joypad, youcan also move a teammate into the spacewhere you are kicking to. This also worksgreat whilst you are trying to make yourway through the opposition’s defence.

Fantasy football league – less authentic,but does it matter?The biggest issue that most gamers willhave with PES 2012, is one that thefranchise has experienced from the verybeginning and that is lack of licensing. Forexample, only Manchester United andTottenham Hotspur are represented withinthe Barclay’s Premier League, which iscalled the English League.

Final wordPES 2012 boasts excellent graphics andarcade gameplay, but it misses out onmost of the licence fanfare and simulationstyle gameplay of FIFA. PES makes up forit with fast-paced arcade fun that willhave you controlling the ball as skilfully asan overpaid Ronaldo. R269 for the PCversion. [HD]

PES 2012 ›› Fanning the football fires

While previousincarnations have been

well received, there hasbeen some critique levelledagainst the single-playercampaign, while multi-playeralso had a few niggles. Let’s

get it out of the way then – if you arelooking for a hang-on-tight rollercoasterof a single-player campaign, you can dobetter than BF3. But if your interest is ina most-excellent multiplayer experiencethat will suck away most of your free-time, well step right this way gentlemen(and ladies).

Multiplayer carnageBF3 takes the best from Battlefield 2,including excellent maps accommodatingdifferent playing styles, a large array ofvehicles including jets, and combines itwith the limited player classes fromBattlefield 2142. The result is certainlysome of the best multiplayer action everexperienced online, with the PC versionsupporting up to 64 playerssimultaneously. Helping to keep thingsinteresting in multiplayer, is BF3’sexcellent stats and progression system.As you gain more experience you rise inrank, while better weapons and upgradesin equipment are also provided. It can bea bit daunting for new players to start out

in multiplayer, since it might feel thatemptying a cartridge into a moreadvanced player does next to nothing,but it forces you to invest the time andeffort into gaining more experience.

Game playOne of the biggest changes in BF3 is theincreased focus on strategic game play,with BF3 making large strides to focusmore on team-play than ever before. It isquite possible to not take down a singletarget, but still rank as one of the bestplayers in the game. This is because thegame rewards players handsomely forteam-based play, such as providing medand ammo packs, engineering repairs,spotting targets, flag capture assists, killassists etc.

ConclusionWhen you buy Battlefield 3, you’re notbuying it for its single-player campaign(told via flashbacks experienced by StaffSergeant Henry Blackburn, currentlyunder interrogation by the CIA), sinceits real fire-power lies in multiplayer.We’re happy to report that DICE havelearned from the previous Battlefields’mistakes to make BF3 certainly one ofthe best, if not the best, onlinemultiplayer experience. R399 for the PCversion. [MJ + JS]

End 2012. Reported launch date for Microsoft’s follow

-up to the Xbox 360 gam

ing console. 22 February 2012. Local release date of the PlayS

tation Vita.

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techsmart 99, dec 2011, the best buys issue

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