PC World Philippines

Dell Mini 5 to Take on iPad With Amazon, Kindle Integration?

Fei — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:01:31 +0000

By Chris Brandrick
March 12, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - Dell’s upcoming Mini 5, which was first shown publicly at this years CES, will be made available in a range of colors and will also feature integration with a host of Amazon services, according to a recently leaked internal document.

The leaked information, which was originally posted on Engadget, details that the Android-powered tablet may be available in a number of “premium finishes.” The document also mentions that the Mini 5 will be available in a range of colors and designs.
Beyond the personalization options, the first leaked page sadly didn’t offer any other new information about Dell’s upcoming tablet , simply listing its features, such as the front-facing video camera, dock connector, and capacitive touch-screen. However, a second leaked page offers some more interesting tidbits that were previously unknown.

The second page details a content partnership that Dell may be entering with Amazon. The document states that the Mini 5 will integrate with Amazon’s Kindle, MP3 and Video services, and will include a Kindle reader app

Could this partnership with Amazon be seen as a move to compete with the upcoming iPad? Apple’s tablet has the iTunes and iBooks Stores, so supporting Amazon’s services could help Dell bring something similar to the table.

For those eagle-eyed readers, you may have spotted that the leaked documentation refers to the Snapdragon-powered device as the ‘Streak’, a name that first surfaced late last year. As for whether this is just the internal codename for the upcoming product, or an official change away from the Mini 5 moniker is currently unknown.

Dell have yet to confirm a solid release date or final price for the device.

Resize Windows 7’s Taskbar Preview Thumbails

Fei — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:00:46 +0000

By Rick Broida
March 12, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - Much as I love Windows 7’s window-preview thumbnails, which pop up when you mouse over any running program in the taskbar, I find them almost useless. Why? Because the thumbnails themselves are too small.

This is especially true on systems with large, high-resolution monitors. On my 22-inch LCD, for instance, the thumbnails rarely give me a clue as to what’s actually inside the program. So what’s the point of having them?

Fortunately, I’ve discovered the awesome Windows 7 Taskbar Thumbnail Customer 1.1 (W7TTC for short), a free utility that lets you make thumbnails just about any size you want.

There’s nothing to install: Just run the program, then drag the Maximum Size slider somewhere north of its default. (I tried doubling it to 400, then went all the way to the maximum: 512.) Click Apply Changes, then mouse over a running taskbar to see the results.

Yay! I’ve been waiting for a solution like this, which has been available for Vista for quite some time. And as you can see in the screenshot (click to make it larger), W7TTC offers several other taskbar adjustments as well, including spacing, margins, and delay time (i.e. the wait before thumbnails actually appear).

Amazingly, this little app was developed by 12-year-old Kishan Bagaria. He just made this 41-year-old Windows user very happy.

Twitter Becomes More Proactive About Phishing

Fei — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:00:13 +0000

By Ian Paul
March 12, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - Twitter is finally being proactive about the large number of phishing scams that have plagued the micro-blogging service in the past year. On Wednesday, Twitter introduced its own anti-phishing service designed to protect its users from these types of attacks. The new security measures will focus on Twitter direct messages (DMs) — private tweets addressed to a specific user — and corresponding e-mail notifications. Twitter believes DMs are the primary source of Twitter-based phishing attacks, and has not yet announced any plans to extend the new service to regular Twitter messages.

DMs will now be routed through Twitter’s anti-phishing service to “detect, intercept, and prevent the spread of bad links,” Del Harvey, director of Twitter’s trust and safety team, wrote in a recent blog post. After Twitter has approved a link, it will be delivered to users via a new ‘twit.tl’ URL instead of bit.ly, tinyURL or other link-shortening services. Twitter also claims that if a bad link gets through to a user via e-mail, the company would still “be able to keep that user safe.”

Social Phishing

Phishing scams are often used to harvest log-in credentials for social networks and financial sites by encouraging users to log in to phony versions of legitimate Websites. These types of scams often entice users to click on a bogus link to check out a new video or log in to a particular service to verify some data. The fake Website can then either inject some form of malware onto your computer or steal your log-in credentials to the legitimate site. Typically, phishing messages use URL shortening services to mask the phony site’s actual Web address.

Malicious activity like this has become a regular problem for social networking services and tools, and some are starting to be more proactive about dealing with the issue. Bit.ly checks all links created using its service against three independent malware blacklists to help fight phishing and malware scams. Bit.ly is Twitter’s default link-shortening service.

Another URL-shortening service, Tr.im does not specify how or if it monitors for phishing attacks, as far as I could tell anyway, but it does have a spot on its Webpage where users can report suspicious or spammy tr.im links. TinyURL does not publicly state it protects against abuse of its service, but states at the bottom of its homepage that it forbids illicit uses of its services.

Facebook last month instituted an automated security system in partnership with security firm McAfee, after being targeted with its fair share of phishing scams. The new system is supposed to help detect user accounts that may have fallen prey to malicious activity; however, Facebook’s malware strategy may not be as effective as it could be, especially since it’s designed, at least in part, to sell McAfee security software to its users.

Google’s new social networking experiment Google Buzz is also reportedly proactive about phishing scams. Google recompresses images sent to Buzz and scans all links in Buzz against its blacklist of Websites, according to Webpronews. Google also reportedly has spam detection and abuse monitoring in place for Google Buzz comments.

The Problem with Lists

Of course, the downside of any Website blacklist is that it will never be large and agile enough to catch the newest scam sites. Since the use of blacklists is the most common way modern Web browsers and security services protect users against malware, the best defense is still to trust one’s own instincts.

Be wary of oddly worded or unsolicited messages you receive through social networking sites, and make sure you don’t log in to a site based on a link you received via e-mail. More importantly, make sure the site you’re trying to log in to is the real thing by verifying you have the right URL in your browser’s address bar — Facebook has a brief explanation about legitimate URLs here. Automated protection against phishing scams and malware is a great help, but in the end it’s no substitute for common sense.

Facebook Updates May Share Your Location Soon

Fei — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:01:00 +0000

By Jared Newman
March 11, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook users may no longer have to type out their whereabouts in status updates, as the site may soon let them tag their locations automatically.

Several anonymous sources told The New York Times that Facebook will unveil geolocation features at its yearly f8 developers conference in late April. Facebook spokeswoman Meridith Chin wouldn’t confirm the rumor.

Details are scarce, but the Times says Facebook’s geolocation features will have two components: One is offered directly to users for sharing locations with friends, and the other is an application programming interface for third-party developers to build location sharing into their Facebook apps.

My gut reaction is nervousness, given that Facebook doesn’t have a spotless privacy track record. Most recently, the site changed its privacy settings to encourage more public activity that isn’t limited to your friends list. One can imagine a similar fiasco where Facebook springs location sharing on its 400 million users without adequate explanation.

Fortunately, the Times reports that Facebook’s location sharing will likely be opt-in, as indicated by recent changes to the site’s privacy policy. Facebook staff reportedly know that location features could turn into a fiasco, so they’ve been proceeding with caution, working on the project for almost a year.

If handled properly, Facebook location sharing could be pretty cool. Imagine being able to connect with people around you in Farmville to create a sort of hyperlocal commune, or the ability to get pinged by iLike when lots of people are congregating at a nearby music venue. Location services are a tool that Facebook should have by now, but given the privacy concerns, it’s understandable if the site needs time to get it right.

Samsung Introduces eReader

Fei — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:00:34 +0000

By Robert S. Anthony
March 11, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - At a splashy event in New York’s Time Warner Center, Samsung dove headlong into the electronic book market with the Samsung eReader, a $299 device which allows you to take notes in the margins and share content with other Samsung eReaders.

The slide-open unit features a six-inch, 600-by-800-pixel, 8-gray-scale electronic ink display and uses a magnetic resonance stylus instead of a touch screen. Samsung announced a relationship with Barnes and Noble which allows the eReader to access B&N’s arsenal of more than a million e-books and e-magazines as well as access to Google Books.

The unit can handle ePub, Adobe PDF, text, BMP, and JPG formats. In addition to 2GB of internal memory, enough for 1,500 books or 2,400 memos, it offers a microSD slot for additional storage capacity. The eReader offers Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity for wireless headsets and other wireless audio devices and a Wi-Fi adapter for Internet access.

One differentiator from the crowd of e-readers the Samsung model joins: With the eReader, you can write notes and annotations in the margins of an e-book just as you would in a physical book. Tim Baxter, president of the consumer electronics division at Samsung, also noted that the unit can share content wirelessly with other identical units. “Reading can be as personal or as social as you want it to be,” he said.

Even though Barnes & Noble offers its own e-Reader, Nook, Barnes & Noble doesn’t see a conflict, since the Samsung eReader would bring more users to the B&N e-book marketplace.

“We want to enable e-reading everywhere,” said Kevin Frain, executive vice president of e-commerce operations at Barnes & Noble.

He noted that the Samsung eReader would be completely compatible with the Barnes & Noble ebook marketplace, including the LendMe feature, which allows you to loan content to other eReader users for up to two weeks. The Samsung eReader will be sold at a number of retailers, but not Barnes & Noble, however.

In practice, when I tried the Samsung eReader’s electronic resonance stylus, I found it allowed for accurate text highlighting. However, I experienced a delay between the time I raised the stylus from the screen and the time the highlighting appeared.

Sliding the slim unit open revealed a center rocking navigation control flanked by two control buttons as well as twin speakers, which can be used with content that supports text-to-speech technology. The device also has a headphone jack, and can play MP3 files. The right side of the unit has a convenient volume control rocker, while the bottom has a miniUSB port for connecting with a computer.

The unit can read PDF files, but it can’t reflow PDF text. The eReader has a proprietary Outlook sync utility which allows you to import your calendar into the unit. The eReader can also wirelessly share content with other Samsung e-Readers either on a one-to-one basis or to a group of recipients.

Samsung says the eReader will be available soon at major retailers.

Microsoft Office 2010 Technology Guarantee: FAQ

Fei — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:00:57 +0000

By Ian Paul
March 10, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - Thinking about purchasing Microsoft Office, but you want to wait until Office 2010 comes out of beta? Don’t bother; just pick up a copy of Office 2007 between now and September 30, and you’ll be eligible to get a free upgrade to Office 2010, thanks to Microsoft’s Technology Guarantee Program.

Microsoft apparently reconsidered its upgrade policy, after announcing in January that upgrade editions would not be offered for Office 2010. The Technology Guarantee Program has some restrictions, however, so here’s the breakdown of everything you need to know to get your free upgrade.

Who is eligible for the Tech Guarantee?

To be eligible you have to purchase the complete Microsoft Office 2007 or single programs from the productivity suite between now and September 30, 2010. Purchases must be for a new copy of Office 2007 bought from Microsoft or an authorized reseller, and can be standalone purchases or bundled with the purchase of a new PC.

Who is not eligible?

This is a promotional offer for home users only. You are not eligible if you have Office 2007 through a volume license (typically business owners with five computers or more); promotional or not-for-resale copies; or bought Office 2007 through the Home Use Rights or Student Select programs. Students, however, are advised to check with their retailer as you may be eligible for an Office 2010 upgrade through that store.

I bought a copy of Office 2007 on eBay. Does it qualify?

No. Microsoft says, “eBay sellers or sellers reselling used product are not authorized retailers,” and therefore products purchased this way are not eligible for the Tech Guarantee.

What are the deadlines?

You have to purchase and activate your copy of Office 2007 by September 30, 2010 to be eligible for the upgrade. You also have to request your Office 2010 Tech Guarantee upgrade by October 31, 2010.

What are the Office 2010 Tech Guarantee limitations?

This is a straight up trade. You only get one Office 2010 suite for every corresponding Office 2007 product. However, some versions of Office 2010 have added new programs, such as OneNote, that weren’t a part of the corresponding 2007 suite. you can see complete details below.

Also, you can only get 25 Tech Guarantee upgrades per person. Microsoft has this restriction to encourage users with larger needs to sign up for volume licensing deals.

There are no refunds for Office 2010 software ordered through the Tech Guarantee program.

What do I need?

When it comes time to redeem your Office 2010 upgrade you will need to know the date of purchase for your copy of Office 2007, your Office 2007 25-character Product ID and a Windows Live account (if you don’t have a Windows Live ID you will be prompted to create one). Microsoft also advises you to hold onto your receipt as proof of purchase for Office 2007, since Microsoft may ask for information from your sales bill.

Why do I need a Windows Live ID?

Microsoft says it will be storing your Office 2010 Product Key through your Windows Live ID in case you need to download Office 2010 a second time.

How do I get my Office 2010 Upgrade?

You can download Office 2010 as soon as it’s commercially available in June. Make sure you’ve activated your copy of Office 2007, and then visit Microsoft’s Office 2010 Technology Guarantee Website to download the upgrade. You can also request a DVD for a fee if you prefer not to install your upgrade through the Internet. Microsoft hasn’t said how much it will cost to get the upgrade DVD.

Make sure you sign up for an e-mail reminder here (click on “Sign up for a reminder” button) so you won’t miss out on the Office 2010 deal.

What version of Office 2010 do I get for my copy of Office 2007?

You get the corresponding version of Office 2010 to your Office 2007 suite. Home and Student 2007 users get Home and Student 2010 . Office 2007 Standard and Basic users will get Home and Business 2010. Small Business, Professional and Ultimate users get Office Professional 2010.

Check out the included chart, to see a complete list of Office 2007 to 2010 upgrades.

Which programs are in each version of the Office 2010 suite?

Microsoft Office Professional 2010: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access and Publisher.

Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

All suites include the 2010 version of each program.

Taking Good Concert Photos

Fei — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:00:09 +0000

By Dave Johnson
March 10, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - Recently, one of my favorite musicians of all time–Paul Hiraga, the driving force behind the Seattle-based alternative rock band Downpilot, performed in my living room for an intimate crowd of 30 friends. I mention this because I’m still a bit ecstatic, but also because it reminded me just how difficult it can be to get good photos of a musician on stage–whether that stage is in a dark club, at a school auditorium, or even your own home. In the past, I’ve described how to make the best of difficult lighting, and those techniques are helpful in a situation like this. This week, though, let’s focus directly on what we can do to capture musicians and other public performers in the act, so to speak.

Know the Rules

Before we get into the mechanics of taking concert photos, don’t forget that most venues have rules about photography. Sometimes those rules are fairly draconian: “No photography allowed.” Other establishments specify no flash photography, which, as we’ll see later, isn’t much of an issue because a camera flash will rarely have any effect on your photos in a concert situation.

These days, though, with the rise of camera phones, I’m increasingly seeing vague rules like “no professional cameras permitted.” What the heck does that mean? Ask the management or a security guard, and you’re unlikely to get much clarification. And for good reason–this gives management the flexibility to allow casual photographers to take snapshots with camera phones and small point-and-shoot cameras, but if they see something they don’t like–like a guy with a 500mm lens–they can halt action without being pinned down to enforcing specific rules.

You can find out the venue’s photography rules by checking the fine print on the ticket or searching the Web site. For smaller clubs, you might even give the management a call, since the photography policy might be driven by the artist who is performing, and so the rules can change from show to show.

It’s all About Light

The hardest thing about concert photography is that it’s usually pretty dark. Correction: It’s usually really dark. That means you’ll probably get lousy results with a camera set to automatic or program mode.

The first thing you should do is increase the ISO. How high should you go? As high as your camera will allow. If you have a setting for ISO 1600 or 3200, dial it in. You’ll need every bit of sensitivity you can get, since the light on stage is a tiny, tiny fraction of the light typically available indoors with standard house lights. Yes, using a very high ISO will result in photos pocked with digital noise, but that’s a necessary tradeoff when shooting in very low light conditions. And digital noise is similar to the “grain” that you used to get in high-speed film, so it can actually lend a certain ambiance to your photos. Here is a shot of my son in a school concert, taken at 3200 ISO.

If you prefer, you can reduce the noise afterwards using a noise reduction filter in your photo editing program. Check out “Reduce Digital Noise in your Photos” for details.

Setting the Exposure

Most musicians probably don’t move around the stage all that quickly (exceptions, of course, include David Lee Roth and Mick Jagger), but a fast shutter speed is important nonetheless. In fact, that’s why we set the ISO to the highest possible value–by making the sensor more sensitive to light, we are able to get a faster shutter speed in the dark.

The easiest way to get a fast shutter speed is by using your camera’s Shutter Priority or Program mode. In Program mode, most cameras will default to the fastest shutter speed possible when in a low light situation. If you choose the Shutter Priority mode, though, you should then spin the control dial until you get the best shutter speed available–which, in a dark club, might realistically be only 1/15 or 1/30 second. Those are not lightning-fast exposures, but might be the best you can hope for.

Even in my own home, which was lit pretty well, you can see that I was unable to prevent motion blur on Paul Hiraga’s strumming hand–but that’s okay, since it shows there’s some action taking place.

Steady as She Goes

Once you’ve got your exposure locked in, it’s time to freeze the action. Be extra careful to support the camera securely and gently press the shutter release to minimize camera shake. Hold the camera as steady as possible through the exposure–if you have the jitters, it’ll show in the photo. And take a lot of pictures, trying to time your shots for times when the subject is as still as possible. Don’t even try to capture the action as the guitarist struts across stage–it’ll probably be a blur. I’ve had the best results during solos when the guitarist is really concentrating on the instrument, and not moving around as much, or during interludes between songs, when the musician is bantering with the audience or checking the instrument’s tuning.

In the Light

Finally, don’t forget that there are great opportunities to shoot musicians in good light as well. Daylight, outdoor music festivals are a chance to take pictures without worrying about cranking the ISO or shooting in a dark room. Here, I’ve got a shot of 50 Foot Wave’s Bernard Georges performing in the late afternoon.

What Photo Editor Do You Use?

What is your favorite photo editing program? Are you happy with the way I use Adobe Photoshop Elements to demonstrate editing techniques, or would you rather see me mix things up with another program?

Caring for Your Laptop

Fei — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:00:05 +0000

By Lincoln Spector
March 10, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - Jeremy Sutherland wants advise on keeping his laptop healthy

Last month I discussed general PC maintenance, so this time I’ll stick to laptop-specific issues. You’re more likely to damage a laptop than a desktop PC (no one has ever driven off, forgetting the desktop on top of their car), and once damaged, laptops are harder and more expensive to repair.

Keep the battery cool. Today’s lithium batteries wear out no matter what you do, but you can postpone the inevitable. Avoid heat and use the battery as little as possible. If you’re going to be running on AC power for awhile, shut down or hibernate the computer, remove the battery, and work without it.

Be careful about eating and drinking. Spill coffee on your desktop keyboard, and you’ll have to spend $15 on a generic replacement you can plug in yourself. Spill it on your laptop keyboard, and you could short out the motherboard. I’ll admit that I use my laptop in cafes just like everyone else, but I put my tea as far from the electronics as my table allows.

When home, turn it into a desktop. You don’t always need portability. When working at your desk, plug in a full-sized monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Not only does this get around the food and beverage problem discussed above, but it protects items far more valuable than your laptop–your arms, hands, and eyes. You can’t set up a proper, ergonomic working environment with a small keyboard attached to a small monitor.

Find the right carrying case. Before taking it on the road, pack the laptop properly. Depending on your carrying preferences, look for a carrying case, backpack, or shoulder bag with a padded section designed especially for a laptop. (I use a backpack because the even distribution of weight is better for my spine.)

Clean the keyboard properly. When keys starts sticking, it’s time for a cleaning. Shut down the PC. Keep it open as you turn it upside-down and very gently tap on the back so that crumbs fall out. Then use a can of compressed air (you can buy this at any computer store for a few dollars) to blow out whatever is still stuck. Be sure to read the instructions on the can, first. Then turn the PC upside-down and tap it gently again to get the last bits out.

Clean the screen when it needs it. If you can’t see the email for the dirt, it’s time to do a little cleaning. Start with a dry, microfiber cloth–the sort you get at an optometrist’s office (you can also buy them at photo and computer stores). Move it in circular motions. Be gentle, but apply slight pressure on particularly stubborn spots.

If that doesn’t clean the screen, make your own cleaning solution by mixing distilled water (make sure it’s distilled) and white vinegar in equal proportions into a spray bottle. Turn off your laptop. Spray this mixture lightly onto the microfiber cloth, not onto the monitor. Wipe as described above, then wait ten minutes before booting up.

Apple’s iPad hype machine rolls into action at the Oscars

Fei — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:01:41 +0000

By Dan Nystedt
March 9, 2010

TAIPEI - Apple chose the Oscars on the ABC television network to air its first iPad commercial on Sunday night in the U.S.

The Cupertino, California, company kept the ad simple, showing the device set on someone’s lap and being used for a range of activities, from viewing pictures to surfing the Internet and reading e-books. The commercial has already been posted on YouTube.

Apple often chooses high profile TV events to place ads for its products. The company unveiled the Macintosh personal computer during Super Bowl XVIII in its popular 1984 commercial, for example, and has also aired iPhone commercials during past Oscars.

The iPad, a 9.7-inch touchscreen computer with no physical keyboard attached, is due out in the U.S. on April 3, though people can pre-order the device starting Mar. 12, according to Apple. A version of the iPad with Wi-Fi only will be available initially in the U.S., with 3G-enabled iPads coming out later in April.

The device will be out in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. in late April, the company said last week.

Intel investigating sale of fake Core i7 chip

Fei — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:00:13 +0000

By Sumner Lemon
March 9, 2010

SINGAPORE - Intel acknowledged Monday that at least one counterfeit version of its Core i7-920 processor made its may into the U.S. market, and said it’s trying to determine how many more are out there.

On Friday, hardware site HardOCP reported that one of its forum members received a counterfeit processor from Newegg, an online seller of computers and components. Instead of a processor, he found a fake processor and a plastic mold of a heat sink and fan.

The fake processor, sold as a standalone or “boxed” chip, came with an instruction manual comprised of blank pages. In addition, sticker on the outside of the box misspelled the word ’socket’ as ’sochet’ and other words on the box were spelled incorrectly — subtle but clear indications that the contents inside were not genuine.

It was not immediately clear how the counterfeit chip ended up for sale at Newegg. HardOCP reported that when notified of the problem, Newegg shipped a genuine processor to the affected customer. Newegg could not immediately be reached for comment.

In a brief statement, Intel acknowledged the existence of the fake chip and said it was investigating.

“Intel has been made aware of the potential for counterfeit i7-920 packages in the marketplace and is working to identify how many and/or where they are being sold,” said Nick Jacobs, an Intel spokesman, in an e-mail. “The examples we have seen are not Intel products but are counterfeits.”

“Buyers should contact their place of purchase for a replacement and/or should contact their local law enforcement agency if the place of purchase refuses to help,” he wrote.