Tech Nukem

The leading provider of high-quality audio peripherals for PC and video game platforms, Turtle Beach has announced the launch of its 3rd-generation wireless gaming headset, dubbed as Ear Force X41, which features digital RF wireless technology, 7.1 channel Dolby surround sound, XBOX LIVE Chat and tactical advantage of 3-D positional audio while playing popular XBOX 360 game titles including Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, HALO 3, Left 4 Dead, Grand Theft Auto IV and Guitar Hero.



“We listened to suggestions from XBOX gamers who own our second generation wireless headset, the Ear Force X4, and decided to take the X41 to a whole new level by improving nearly every aspect of the original design.” said Peter Ronick, Director of Marketing. “The X41 includes a dedicated Digital Signal Processor for creating an accurate 360 degree sound field with the latest Dolby Headphone HRTF algorithms. It provides an unprecedented sense of immersion that’s further enhanced by CD-quality, uncompressed, digital RF wireless technology.”

Features Of Turtle Beach Ear Force X41:

* Dolby 7.1 channel surround sound aimed for improved surround sound accuracy
* Digital 2.4 GHz RF wireless technology delivers CD-quality game sound and crystal-clear reception
* Dolby Pro Logic IIx reproduces full-range special effects in the surround channels and enhances stereo sound
* Chat Boost dynamic talkback expander automatically increases incoming chat volume during loud game sequences
* Eliminates game sounds picked up by chat mic
* Independent controls for game audio and chat volumes
* Mic Monitor mixes your voice into the headphones so you can hear what you’re saying
* New “battery booster” circuit in the headset extends battery life for up to 25 hours
* Heart-thumping bass boost adds sonic realism
* Soft, fabric mesh cushions let users’ ears breathe, adding comfort during long gaming sessions

Turtle Beach’s Ear Force X41 Wireless Digital RF XBOX 360 gaming headset that incorporates oversized 50mm speakers is slated to be available at Best Buy and other major US retailers in coming September for approximately $200.

The global market leader in high-performance computer memory, power supplies and flash memory products, Corsair has announced its new 128GB Flash Voyager GT, which the company claims as the world’s fastest 128GB USB flash drive, supporting up to 32MB/sec of read speeds and up to 25.6MB/sec of write speeds.



“High performance is a key requirement for super-high capacity flash drives, such as the 128GB Voyager GT, simply because it is able to store such a large volume of data,” said John Beekley, the VP of Applications for Corsair. “The 128GB Voyager GT is nearly twice as fast as other high-capacity flash drives, which means less time waiting for your music, video or office files to copy to and from the drive.”

According to Corsair, the latest Flash Voyager GT USB drive utilizes an unique dual-controller architecture to achieve SLC-levels of performance using MLC NAND flash memory.

“The 128GB Flash Voyager GT is ideal for those who need access to a huge volume of data in a format that’s convenient, durable and extremely fast,” commented Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing at Corsair. “The 128GB Flash Voyager GT can store massive video, photo and music libraries, yet it’s less than half the size of a solid-state drive, effectively obsoleting less-reliable, portable mechanical hard disk drives.”

The new Corsair 128GB Flash Voyager GT that sports a durable, water-resistant rubber housing for protecting purpose is now available through its authorized distributors and resellers worldwide.

Download enthusiasts who always do a lot of downloading from the Internet, e.g. photos, videos, files, software, etc, might be of the opinion the current browsers available can do a little bit more to make them more download-friendly. If you are looking for a browser which is customized with more tools for downloading, the free and so called media browser (instead of web browser), Wyzo, might be something you can consider.

Powered by the famous Mozilla Firefox, the free Wyzo browser in fact doesn’t offer advanced features that you can’t find from other browsers. The strength of this browser is it integrates the BitTorrent capabilities and a set of tools that smoothen and accelerate the download tasks. With Wyzo, users will find it is easier and more manageable to handle their torrent of downloads particularly inexperienced torrent users. Users do not need to source for extra or standalone Bit Torrent program and spend time to learn how to use Bit Torrent. Users can use Wyzo to browse the internet and download torrents from the same browsing environment.



Besides facilitating Torrent download, Wyzo also offers other extras such as Mouse Gestures, Coollris and Quick Switch Tab. Mouse Gestures allow users to execute various commands and user scripts with five types of gestures; Coollris will transform the browser into a lightning fast and cinematic way to look for video media contents; and Quick Switch Tab improve active tabs switching. Wyzo also supports a more secure browsing environment for safer web surfing.

Wyzo has rolled out the latest Wyzo 3.0.3 which can be downloaded via the link here. The browser works in both Windows and Mac OS X. The Linux support is coming soon.

A team of researchers in Purdue University have reached a technology breakthrough with the new invention of band-pass filter as resonator utilizing MEMS, or better known as Microelectromechanical system. The new band-pass filter unique structure and design is believed to be able to filter off unwanted noise for much more effective radio frequency transmission in daily life.


The new resonator is fabricated using silicon-on-insulator technology and it can be used to filter off unnecessary radio frequencies, by passing only the designated incoming signal for more effective transmission to as compared to existing filtering technology. More importantly, the design is tiny enough that can be used to drive for much smaller form factor, low power mobile devices while able to scale up its performance with sharp and accurate filtering characteristics especially useful in mobile communication. Besides being used in mobile phones or 2-ways radios, the usage model can be extended into both medical and military segments as a mechanical memory element that can store data pattern based on different vibration modes.

More details will be published in research paper during an American society of Mechanical Engineers’ Third International Conference held on September 2nd. Meanwhile, prototypes are in progress with simulation data to prove the concept feasibility before actual implementation in end products.

ARM based processors are doing quite well in dominating mobile phones market and now is on the way to capture some new market segments even in netbook or nettop market currently occupied by X86 based processors. You may have heard a lot of potential netbook designs using ARM solution, but this seems to be solid one with the news released from Always Innovating. Just recently, the company has just announced a new Touch Book that claimed to be the world’s first detachable netbook available for consumer markets.



The Touch book is featured with a revolutionary design and fresh outlook that able to differentiate from the rest of X86 based solutions. What make it so unique are its innovative design that can work as conventional netbook or a standalone tablet with a detachable keyboard further enhanced with operable touch screen interface. More importantly, it is powered with thermally efficient 600MHz OMAP3530 SoC (System-on-chip) from TI (Texas Instruments) that can prolong the battery life up to 10 hours while able to offer sufficient CPU cycles for processing. Apparently, it incorporates the advantages of smartphone design while able to add in relatively huge 8.9-inch touch screen with 1024 X 600 resolutions display for greater web browsing experience while on the move.

Regardless of all these great feature sets, the ARM based Touch book may have to stick back to Linux Operating System. Nevertheless, the final version of software stacks will include OpenOffice 3.1, Adobe Flash, Skype VOIP (Voice over IP) as well as famous 3D accelerometer based applications like those being deployed in Apple’s iPhone devices. Always Computing is ready to ship Touch Book to some early pre-order customers and at a retail price of $300 (tablet only) or $400 (full system), it is expected to capture some significant market shares that used to be dominated by Intel Atom based solutions.

Designed for taking aerial photography or video for aerial observation and recording purposes, the new Draganflyer X4 is a small, affordable and reliable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that carry lightweight wireless video and still camera suitable for industry use. It is another UAV by Draganfly Innovations under the Draganflyer series.



Compared to Draganflyer X6 which was released end of last year, Draganflyer X4 is a trimmed version with lower specifications and of course price as well. Weighing 680gram with battery and bodied with carbon fiber, the Draganflyer X4 features 4 carbon fiber rotor blades and 4 motors. The X4 copper is equipped with advanced flight sensors and comes with 3 accelerometers, three gyroscopes, three magnetometers and a barometric pressure sensor. The flying detective allows multiple camera modules to be installed and attached to it depending on users’ needs. Users can opt for the
25/812.1 MP digital still camera with 720p video recording, low light video camera, thermal imaging video camera or micro color video camera. The flying object can be controlled remotely via an OLED touch screen. Besides remote control, the X4’s advanced autopilot feature also helps users
to get their job done.

The Draganflyer X4 will be useful for aerial monitoring purposes. Users can use it to monitor huge compounds such as a big factory, farm, campus, development site, etc. The price for this interesting flying object is estimated at about $10,000.

Windows Explorer in Windows 7 has going through a major cosmetic change to make it easier to use and navigate. One change is done to navigation pane. Windows 7 users will notice that Windows Explorer classic default tree view of folders and directories as in Windows Vista
and XP is been replaced with various sections namely Favorites, Libraries, Homegroup, Computers (but with unused or uninserted floppy and CD, DVD or Blu-ray Discs drive hidden) and Network.



In previous Windows operating system such as Windows Vista and Windows XP, Windows Explorer navigation pane usually is made up of a folders tree that starts with Desktop, with easy access to personal user folders, public folders, Computer which expands to all disk drivers, floppy disk drive, and optical CD, DVD, Blu-ray ROM or RW drive, Network, Control Panel and Recycle Bin.

With the cleanup and simplification of Windows 7 Explorer’s navigation pane, some items no longer be directly accessible in the navigation pane. For example, Control Panel, Recycle Bin and %SystemDrive%\Users\ folder, which stores personal documents and data. These folders are hidden by default in Windows Explorer of Windows 7, as shown in illustration on the left, but can be revealed and shown on navigation pane with little trick as shown below which revert Windows 7 Explorer navigation pane back to classic style.

How to Reveal and Show or Display Classic Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer of Windows 7

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Click on Organize pull down menu.
3. Select Folder and search options.
4. In the General tab, tick the check box for Show all folders option under Navigation pane section.



The result is good old classic navigation pane with folder tree starting from Desktop in Windows 7’s Windows Explorer as shown below. Remove Libraries folders from Windows 7 Explorer to make it more classic.

The worldwide leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices, Logitech has announced the availability of its new rechargeable Logitech Harmony 900 remote, which features redesigned RF (Radio Frequency) technology, full-color touch screen and intuitive button layout, aiming to bring your home entertainment experience to a next level.



Features of Logitech Harmony 900:

* Completely redesigned RF system controls home entertainment devices in a range of up to 100 feet away
* Intuitive button layout divides into 4 distinct zones (numbers; traditional DVD controls; D-pad with volume and channel up/down; and on-screen menu buttons)
* Full color touch screen allows users to choose the devices they want to control
* Place the included IR blaster and two mini blasters on the cabinet shelves near the devices you want to control

“Like all Harmony remotes, the Harmony 900 simplifies home entertainment, which is particularly relevant with more and more people staying home to watch movies on their big-screen TVs and enjoying surround sound and hi-def video from the comfort of the couch,” said Ashish Arora, vice president and general manager for Logitech’s Harmony business unit. “Unfortunately, more remotes and more wires tend to be byproducts of increasingly sophisticated home-entertainment systems. With the Harmony 900 remote’s RF technology and ability to control up to 15 devices, you can say good-bye to the clutter while gaining better control of your devices.”

The new Logitech Harmony 900 remote that bundled with a recharging cradle, rechargeable battery, power supply, IR blaster and 2 mini blasters will be available in the U.S. and Europe in coming September for about $400.

Sony has finally admitted the graphics issues related to Nvidia chip that is believed to be impacting its VAIO series PC
since last year. If you recall, Nvidia has officially acknowledged the defect due to its GPU (Graphics Processor unit) that being designed in most of the high end PC including Dell, HP and Apple, resulting in free repair and recall action from the manufacturers to calm down some of the end consumers.

However, Sony doesn’t seems to find any issue on its Vaio series after a thorough investigation together with Nvidia last year until the recent announcement. The potential defective graphics chips were believed to be built into 14 Sony Vaio laptop models and could cause graphics display issue, video distortion, blank screen and all sort of funny graphics related issues. The symptom occurrence will be more frequent if the system has been exposed to heat which is always a design challenge when trying to embed a powerful graphics chip into space constraint laptop casing. The root cause was confirmed by Nvidia to be due unreliable underfill material joining both the chip die to package that would crack overtime, which pose a serious reliability issue to end users.

No details on how many units were impacted but the Japanese company actually stated that only a small amount of computers were affected. Nevertheless, Sony will offer a free repair to those affected VAIO models up to four years since it was bought.

Netbook is famous for its competitive price and lightweight which is about to replace low end notebook in consumer space. In order to differentiate from other rivals’ solutions, Gigabyte has tried to come out with an innovative netbook design that integrates with touch screen tablet PC functionality. Named as T1028X/G, it is featured with a rotatable touch screen LCD that can be flip and fold down for easy portability while on the move.



As compared to its predecessor T1028M that was based on Intel Atom N270 series processor, the new T1028X/G series is powered by a newer and much more powerful N280 processor running at 1.66GHz that can provide significant processing capability for normal office applications. Besides, it is designed with bigger screen size of 10.1-inch, as compared to 8.9-inch in its previous version, which at the same time able to scale up the screen resolution from previously 1024 X 600 pixels to current 1366 X 768 pixels for greater viewing experience. Although some do expect better performance in terms of hardware video decode capability but in reality, the chipset companion chip is still stuck with 945GSE with ICH7M as similar to its predecessor. Other specifications include an a 1GB DDR2 RAM, 160GB SATA hard disk drive, ExpressCard slot, Ethernet port, 802.11b/g/n wireless technologies, a built in 1.3-megapixel camera module, USB ports and many more. Not to be lack behind, it offer an optional support for HSDPA cellular modem as well as WiMAX module for seamless connectivity while traveling around.

No pricing and availability yet, the netbook will be reaching consumer market soon, competing against other existing solutions in this competitive market space.

In Windows 7, when a user uses mouse to double click or press Enter key to open, explorer or drill down on a drive or folder, the folder trree on the navigation pane of Windows Explorer does not automatically expand the navigation pane’s tree to show and display current folder or directory user is at. In other words, Windows 7 Explorer’s navigation pane will stay at top level of a drive or folder, and does not expand the sub-folders branches, unless user manually expand the folder tree.

The behavior of Windows 7 Explorer is a total change from Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 or earlier Windows operating system, where the Windows Explorer’s navigation pane will always automatically expand the folder tree to show the deepest or lowest level of folders been opened or arrived at.

Windows 7 actually does possess such ability to automatically expand navigation pane of Windows Explorer to current folder, but it’s turned off and disabled by default. For users who prefer that the navigation pane expands to follow their path into nested folders, the trick is indeed easy.

How to Make Windows Explorer Automatically Expand Navigation Pane to Current Folder in Windows 7

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Click on Organize pull down menu.
3. Click on Folder and search options.
4. Under the “Navigation pane” section, select and tick the check box for Automatically expend to current folder option.


5. Click OK.

With the setting enabled, the navigation pane of Windows 7 Explorer will automatically expand when user goes to sub-folder.

Sony Ericsson has unveiled its new fashion phone which named as Jalou. The compact clamshell phone has been designed for the style-conscious with a small form-factor measuring just 73mm long.




Featured with a 2-inch display which can be transformed into a mirror at the touch of the button, Jalou is also equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording function. It also integrated with A-GPS, FM radio for the users to enjoy the music while on the go, a Walk Mate step counter which can be used to keep track of exercise. In addition, it is Bluetooth enabled and supports 3G.

Besides, the company has also teamed up with Dolce & Gabbana to make a special edition of Jalou. The Jalou Dolce & Gabbana edition has been designed with a rose-colored finish and 24K gold plating. It also comes with three satin bags to protect the phone or hold accessories, a Dolce & Gabbana branded headset with gold accents and supports D & G content.

The Jalou phones are expected to be available in fourth quarter.

2K Games has announced that the latest offering in the legendary award winning Sid Meier’s Civilization series of strategy games – Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution, is now available for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, which features 16 playable civilizations, multiple difficulty levels and built-in tutorial, containing hundreds of hours of gameplay from world’s premier game developer Firaxis Games.



“Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution was a big success for us last year on the consoles and handheld systems,” said Christoph Hartmann, president for 2K. “Now, the iPhone platform gives us the opportunity to introduce an entirely new audience to the addictive gameplay of the Civilization franchise.”

“We’re thrilled to deliver our signature strategy game on such an exciting and dynamic platform,” commented Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games, and lead designer on Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution. “We choose platforms based on where we feel consumers will have the best gameplay experience with our titles, and the iPhone allows us to introduce this gameplay to mobile consumers – new and old.”

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution game for iPhone and iPod touch is now available via Apple’s App Store for $4.99 (introductory price for first 48 hours) and $9.99 thereafter (standard price).

Libraries is a one of the new features in Windows 7. Libraries is essentially virtual folders described in a .library-ms file that aggregates content from various physical folder and directory locations (with support to include shared folders on networked systems) to present in a unified view in Windows Explorer.

Library provides conveniences such as searching in a library will automatically federates the query to the all folders included in the library, including those that located in remote systems, in addition to searching on the local system. Library also supports transparent saving of files and folders into library with the backing of physical location, where the default save location for a library can be configure by the user.

In Windows 7 Explorer, Libraries special folder is prominently displayed on the navigation pane, with four default libraries for different file types: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos, which pre-configured to include the user’s profile folders for these respective file types, as well as the computer’s corresponding Public folders.

Not all users will like the Library feature in Windows 7 though. Some users may prefer to manage and organize their files with just normal folders. Furthermore, Library takes up a rather large area of screen estate in the Windows Explorer navigation pane, effectively causing regular folders tree harder to access and reach.

Windows 7 does not by default provides ability to disable or turn off Library feature. The best workaround is by hidden unused or unwanted Libraries from navigation pane view in Windows Explorer. With the following registry trick, it’s possible to “disable” and remove Libraries feature from Windows Explorer in Windows 7. Actually, Libraries which is tightly integrated with Windows 7 shell is not completely removed and totally disabled. After the registry hack, Windows Explorer navigation pane will not have trace of Libraries shortcut anymore, but Libraries are still been used and accessed when user clicks on Documents, Pictures, Music or Videos links at Start Menu. However, Libraries will not be seen when Windows Explorer is started up, and default folder will be directed to My Documents instead.

How To Disable and Remove Libraries from Windows 7

Download and apply the following registry registration entries file to remove Libraries in Windows 7. See the code below to know which registry keys and values that is going to be removed, and if necessary, backup the affected registries.

remove-libraries.reg

Alternatively, copy and paste the following code into a text editor such as Notepad, and save as a file name with .reg extension, then double click to run the .reg file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A302545D-DEFF-464b-ABE8-61C8648D939B}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
“{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}”=-




Log off and log on or restart the computer after applying the registry hack, which will delete the above registry keys and/or values. No Libraries folder or shortcut will be shown in Windows Explorer’s navigation pane, and “Include in Library” item on Commands bar will not work too. Note that if you click on Documents, Music, Pictures or Videos link directly in Start menu, it will trigger Libraries view.

For user who decides to restore and re-enable or turn on back the Libraries feature in Windows 7, download and apply the following registry registration entries file instead:

restore-libraries.reg

The innovative leader in the production of a variety of digital cameras, PENTAX Imaging Company has introduced its newest waterproof, dustproof 10MP digital camera, named as PENTAX Optio WS80, which able to withstand depths up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) for up to 2 hours continuously, featuring triple anti-shake protection aimed to deliver a blur-free images.



Main features of PENTAX Optio WS80:

* 10 megapixel CCD image sensor and 5X optical zoom lens with highly water-repellent SP (Super Protect) coating
* Large 2.7-inch LCD display with 230,000 dot resolution
* High sensitivity up to ISO 6400
* Records 720p HD video at 30 frames per second
* Fast Face Detection technology detects up to 32 faces in a mere 0.03 second
* Smile Capture automatically releases the shutter while a subject smiles
* Blink Detection alerts users if the subject’s eyes are closed during the exposure
* PENTAX Shake Reduction (SR) technology includes Pixel Track SR, Digital SR, and Movie SR, aiming to stabilize your images and video
* PENTAX Auto Picture mode automatically selects from 8 shooting modes for optimal result
* High-speed AF system with Auto-Tracking function
* Available in 2 bold (his-and-her’s designs) – black with orange accents or white with purple accents

The new compact and lightweight PENTAX Optio WS80 which measures 92 (W) × 60 (H) × 22 (D) mm and weights about 105g is scheduled to be available in September 2009 for around $250.

The world’s leading designer and maker of display panels, NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc. has announced the launch of its new 23-inch 16:9 widescreen LCD monitor with 1920×1080 HD resolution – NEC MultiSync EA231WMi, which NEC claims as their first desktop display to exhibit DisplayPort technology, aiming to deliver a diverse amount of additional input connectors.



“Our innovative 23-inch product offers a variety of new technologies to our desktop line, bringing the best features available to our customers and achieving the highest standards for ergonomics and environmental friendliness,” said Lynn Gu, Product Manager of NEC Display Solutions. “The EA231WMi is a ‘green display’ that utilizes several features for the user’s advantage, creating settings that lengthen the display’s life and working cohesively with any environment in which it is placed.”

Key features of NEC MultiSync EA231WMi:

* One-touch button ECO Mode for significant power consumption savings
* Ambient light sensor for automatic brightness control
* 4-way ergonomic stand with 110mm height adjust, pivot, tilt and swivel
* Carbon footprint meter to track carbon saving
* DisplayPort, VGA and DVI connectivity
* 270cd/m2 brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio and 14ms response time
* EPEAT Gold compliance, Energy Star 5.0 and TCO 5.0
* New cabinet design with intuitive, multi-directional NaViKey
* Space-saving, down-firing multimedia speakers with headphone jack
* Dynamic Video Mode with 5 presets for real-time optimization of image quality

The new NEC MultiSync EA231WMi LCD monitor that incorporates built-in 4-port USB 2.0 hub and carrying handle is expected to be available later this month for about $380.

The largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq has announced its new elegant laptop Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX, which comes with 15.6-inch LCD display, 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900 processor, and 3GB of DDR2 RAM. The new Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX also equipped with Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics card, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 ports, multi-format card reader, express card slot, Ethernet port and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. In addition, the laptop runs on Windows Vista Home Premium operating system and has an industry-standard one year parts-and-labor warranty. Moreover, the new Presario CQ60-417DX laptop has comes with Compaq BriteView technology which be able to helps increase the contrast and sharpness on the screen.



Features of Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX

* 15.6-inch LCD display with 1366 x 768 pixel resolution
* 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900 processor
* 3GB DDR2 800 MHz memory can upgradable to 8GB
* 160GB hard drive(5,400rpm)
* Mobile Intel GM45 chipset
* Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
* Built-in stereo speakers, headphone/microphone
* Ethernet, 802.11 b/g WiFi
* Three USB 2.0 ports
* Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
* Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 operating system
* One year industry-standard warranty

The new Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX measures just 1.7-inch thickness and weighs only 6.6 pounds. The laptop will be available for abouth $399 through selecting leading retailer.

CSS is a Cascading Style Sheet
language which use to style web pages that written in HTML and XHTML. Instead of remember all the CSS code, you may use CSS editor
tool to make your life easier. ArduoCSS is a CSS editor tool which features with intuitive and easy-to-use interface.



The tool allows the users to edit or create a new CSS with the classic text editor with syntax highlight or with the user friendly managed interface. The users are also can test the CSS in a particular page which show the style sheet in external html pages. In addition, the ArduoCSS has been integrated with a simple wizard that able to optimize and clean the sheet. This feature use the CSSTidy tool which made by Florian Schmitz.

ArduoCSS includes the following features:

* Edit CSS files through visual interface.
* Edit CSS through text editor with syntax highlight.
* CSS compression to optimize site performance.
* Preview in external CSS files.
* Edit CSS property through dialogs.
* Show preview of the editing file.

The ArduoCSS is available as a free download from here and requires .NET Framework 2.0 to run.

Fujifilm has announced its new 10 megapixel digital camera – Fujifilm FinePix Z35, which comes with conspicuous design and trend-setting style. The new Fujifilm FinePix Z35 is equipped with 2.5-inch LCD screen, 10 megapixel CCD sensor, 18 MB of internal memory which can expanded with the SD card and Fujinon 3x zoom lens. In addition, FinePix Z35 also features Picture Stabilization Mode, Face Detection, ISO up to 1600, Blog Mode, Fujifilm’s Scene Recognition Auto (SR Auto) technology, Micro Thumbnail View and support VGA video recording with 640 x 480 pixel resolution at 30fps in AVI format.



Features of Fujifilm FinePix Z35:

* 2.5-inch LCD screen
* 10 megapixel CCD sensor
* Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens
* Support SD card
* Maximum iso sensitivity up to 1600
* Scene Recognition auto (SR AUTO)
* Face detection function with automatic red-eye removal
* Picture stabilization mode
* Blog mode
* Micro thumbnail view

The new Fujifilm FinePix Z35 digital camera is available in five colors: Marshmallow White & Pink, Quartz Black & Silver, Apple Green, True Blue and Deep Purple. The Fujifilm FinePix Z35 measures just 23.9 mm thickness and weighs 100 grams. It will be available in the UK starting from September 2009 with pricing to be announced nearer to the date of the launch.

Olympus has added a new camera
to its ultra-slim Stylus lineup which named as Olympus Stylus 7010. Olympus Stylus 7010 comes with a 7x optical wide-angle zoom (28mm-196mm equivalent) lens with mechanical Sensor-Shift image stabilization. The wide-angle zoom lens is perfect for capturing large groups of people and focus faraway subjects closely. The new Olympus Stylus 7010 is equipped with 2.7-inch Hyper Crystal II LCD display, 12 megapixel resolution and TruPic III image processor that provide more accurate colors, true-to-life skin tones, and faster processing speeds. In addition, the Stylus 7010 integrates Dual Image Stabilization function to reduce blur, AF Tracking technology to keep subjects sharp when in motion and Intelligent Auto Mode that analyzes a scene and chooses the best scene mode for users. Furthermore, it also comes with Shadow Adjustment Technology to automatically optimizes contrast and an in-camera panoramic mode to stitches multiple images into panoramic photos.



Specifications of Olympus Stylus 7010

* 2.7-inch HyperCrystal II LCD screen with Backlight Boost
* Ultra-compact 7x optical wide-angle zoom
* TruPic III image processor
* 12-Megapixel image sensor
* Dual Image Stabilization
* AF Tracking
* Intelligent Auto
* In-Camera Panorama to create a super-wide composition
* In-camera Magic Filters for giving your photos special effects
* xD memory cards (micro SD with adapter)
* VGA movie capture

The new Olympus Stylus 7010 is available in three colors: Starry Silver, Titanium Grey and Candy Pink. The Stylus 7010 measures just 97.5 x 55.7 x 26.2 mm and weighs only 125g (without batteries and media card). The Olympus Stylus 7010 currently available for $200 through leading retailer. It will also include a wrist strap, camera Win/Mac USB cable, audio/video cable, Li-Ion rechargeable battery and charger, MASD-1 (microSD Adapter), CD-ROM manual, warranty card and OLYMPUS Master 2 software (CD-ROM).

Blue screen is nothing new for windows user and it happens when windows encounter critical system error which can cause to system shutdown in order to prevent further damage. The causes of blue screen are normally due to incompatible DLLs or bugs in kernel of the operating system, physical faults such as faulty memory, power supplies, overheating of computer components and hardware running beyond its specification limits. When blue screen happen, it will create a mini dump file which contains information about the crash and this information could be very useful to analyze what is wrong that caused the blue screen. Now with BlueScreenView, it allows you to view the mini dump file information easier and faster, besides ability to highlight suspected drivers that caused the crash as well.



BlueScreenView is able to scan all mini dump files created during blue screen crash and displays the information for quick glance. Every crash generates its own dump file and these dump files are listed in the upper pane with filename, date/time of the crash, and the basic crash information as displayed in the blue screen such as Bug Check and 4 parameters. To view the details of the device drivers loaded during the crash like product name, file version, company, address in stack , from/to address and etc, you can view it at the lower pane and drivers that their addresses found in the crash stack will be highlighted with pink color, that will definitely help you identifying suspected drivers that cause the crash easily. Currently, the lower pane has 3 different view modes (Options -> Lower Pane Mode) in which you can switch to any one of them as you preferred. All Drivers mode displays all drivers that were loaded during crash and drivers that their addresses were found in the stack will be marked with pink color. Only Drivers Found In Stack mode displays drivers with addresses found in the stack of the crash only and Blue Screen in XP Style mode displays a blue screen that similar to what windows displayed during crash.

BlueScreenView v1.00 is absolutely free to download and without an any installation required, just run the executable file to display dump file details. While it is compatible to run on Windows XP/Server 2003/Server 2008/Vista/7, only 32-bit system is supported and dump files generated by 64-bit system will not be able to read by BlueScreenView at this moment.

Apple Inc’s iPhone is famous for its multi-touch capabilities thanks to the capacitive touch screen embedded into its display LCD module. It is not only offering an easy and convenience way of navigating through your mobile devices with finger but also providing a much more sensitive and responsive touch screen display with greater user experience. However, occasionally you may want to have a very precise touch using stylus and have you ever wonder how good would that be if the capacitive touch can be coupled with resistive touch capability? Here is how the innovative idea from RIM (Research in Motion) that will able to fill the gap. Just recently, the famous mobile manufacturer has just filed a patent on how to have both resistive and capacitive touch screen feature integrated into a single mobile device.


By combining both resistive and capacitive touch screen module into a single device, users will be able to get the best out of it. Firstly, users
can enjoy the simple touch with fast response without the need of having any stylus. Besides, they will able to use the stylus for more accurate touch whenever necessary especially on a tiny screen. However, don’t expect it to be cheap since the existing technology with capacitive touch screen is still far more expensive as compared to resistive touch technology. And this hybrid technology could mean even higher cost which would contribute to the whole product BOM (Bill of Material) cost and eventually be reflected into final retail price.

No exact date on when this will be implemented on actual device, or it could be purely a brilliant idea as of now but really hope that the new hybrid technology can be more affordable and be implemented in next generation high end Blackberry devices.

Not long after Acer released its Aspire nettop powered by Intel Atom 230 suitable for average consumers’ usage, now seems that Gateway is ready to continue its momentum by offering a rebranded version based on Aspire targeted for higher end market. Just recently, Gateway has introduced a new version, named as QX2800 that is powered with Intel Atom N330 duo-core processor
while still pairing with powerful Nvidia Ion 9400M graphics chipset.



Although both of them looks similar (except with white and black color), there are some improvements being made to the Gateway QX2800 especially in the hardware specification to handle much intensive applications. The most significant one is obviously the change from single core to duo-core Intel Atom processor support with the QX2800 powered by Intel Atom duo-core series N330 clocking at 1.6GHz. Besides, the hard disk space has been tripled from originally 160GB to 500GB so that it can be differentiated better tailored for user groups that need higher performance and memory capacity. Other than these, both of them still stick back to Nvidia’s Ion chipset, which is sufficient enough in offering a significant graphics decode capability improvement as compared to Intel native chipsets such as US15W or 945GSE chipsets. Other unchanged specifications include the 2GB memory RAM, a similar 802.11b/g/n wireless module besides other peripheral interfaces such as HDMI output, USB 2.0 ports and etc.

No pricing information yet, but since the hardware specifications have been upgraded and not to surprise that the selling price will be much higher than Acer Aspire model. The QX2800 will be preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium suitable for all users.

Not long after Toshiba announced the world’s first 64GB SDXC standard memory card for consumer market, now Sony has also finalized specifications for the new memory stick XC standard. According to the source, the new Memory Stick XC will able to achieve the maximum capacity up to 2TB, just as similar to the SDXC standard defined by SD Association.



Besides higher capacity, the Memory Stick XC will utilize a much more advanced exFAT file system, as compared to PRO series that still rely on FAT12, FAT16 or FAT32 format. By looking at the specification, the Memory Stick XC Duo can scale up to maximum of 160Mbps (theoretical value) with a guaranteed minimum reading and writing speed of 32Mbps at 4-bit parallel data transfer running with 40MHz maximum clock frequency. More importantly, the new memory stick will carry the same form factor as existing memory stick and hence it makes the backward compatible possible.

While no news on when it will be available yet, consumers may have to wait for a while in order to enjoy such a higher capacity and greater performance Memory Stick XC. As similar to SD XC card, it may start up with smaller capacity such as 64GB or 128GB before a true maximum 2TB capacity memory stick is ready to commercial market.

Green cell phones will definitely appeal to nature lovers. The make and design of a cell phone reflect the status and lifestyle of the user; Sprint and Samsung’s collaborated brainchild, Reclaim, is made from 80% recycled material including bio-plastic materials derived from corn. The phone is PVC and BFR-free. The QWERTY-friendly device features a stereo Bluetooth and a 2-megapixel camera.



The phone also comes in environmentally-friendly packaging. Besides constituting 70% recycled material, the package is printed with soy-based ink. Putting its money where its mouth is, every $2 of the profit earned will be donated to Nature’s Conservancy’s Adopt. The phones come in two colors – Ocean Blue or Earth Green.

Perhaps you are experiencing something wonderful or watching a nice movie and you desperately want to share the joyful find with your buddies in Facebook. Of course you can always log in to Facebook and update your profile status accordingly. However, one of the fastest and most effective ways to do so is via SMS.


Facebook has made life easier especially for users who always travel and have no time to access their accounts with a few new useful features. One of these features is to allow users to update their status via a short text message sent out via their mobile phone. Users who want to take advantage of this facility can always log in to Facebook and register their mobile phone to the Facebook account. Once the phone is registered and activated, users can then update their Facebook status via SMS. Of course the mobile phone feature more than just allow users to update their status via SMS. Users can also receive notification for friend requests, messages, wall posts, and status updates from friends, search for phone numbers, upload photos/videos, etc.

To activate a mobile phone, users need to sign in to Facebook. Go to Settings and click “Account Settings”.



Click on to the “Mobile Tab”.



Click the “Register for Facebook Mobile Texts”. On the “Activate Facebook Texts” box prompted, fill in the information accordingly.



Users will thence receive a confirmation code via their mobile phone. Enter the confirmation code will activate the mobile account officially.

Via SMS service, users will enjoy another option and do not necessary need to rely on their laptop or computer to update their Facebook status anymore. The setback of this service is it does not support all countries but is limited to certain countries and certain mobile service providers only.

The global leading maker of personal peripherals and accessories, Logitech has announced the availability of its two new wireless presenters – Logitech Professional Presenter R800 and Logitech Wireless Presenter R400, which offer users a plug-and-play simplicity, laser pointing, wireless convenience and intuitive slideshow controls that easy to find by touch, aiming to enhance your presenting experience.



Highlights of Logitech Professional Presenter R800:

* Easy-to-set timer (displayed on a 1 x 1/2-inch LCD display) with silent, vibrating alerts (vibrates while 5, 2 and 0 minutes left to present)
* Supports a range of up to 100 feet (30 meters) thanks to 2.4 GHz wireless technology
* Powerful, brilliant green laser pointer for high-impact presentations

“When you give a presentation you want to engage with your audience, not the technology,” said Rory Dooley, senior vice president and general manager for Logitech’s Control Devices business unit. “Packed with features that are designed to make you a better presenter, the Professional Presenter R800 and Wireless Presenter R400 eliminate the need to run back and forth to your computer or interrupt your PowerPoint presentation to tell your colleague to go to the next slide.”


Highlights of Logitech Wireless Presenter R400:

* Battery power indicator ensures users always have the power they need to finish their presentation
* Supports a range of up to 50 feet (15 meters)
* Red laser pointer

“Great presentations are truly aided by the right peripherals,” said Yehia Oweiss, Regional Director of Logitech, UK & Ireland. “Loaded with features, Logitech’s new wireless presenters help make you a better presenter.”

The new Logitech Professional Presenter R800 and Logitech Wireless Presenter R400 that feature contoured shape aimed for great grab feeling are expected to hit UK and US market in coming September for about £70 ($100) and £45 ($50), respectively.

Registry is one of the critical components in Windows and any corruption to it can cause Windows fail to boot up. That’s why backing up registry on periodic basic is important so that you can restore it at any time when there is any issue caused by registry related error. With Regbak, you can now backup your Windows system registry easier and faster, and then you can restore in simple steps when necessary.



RegBak is freeware and tiny utility that is able to create backups of windows registry files to a location of your preference. Besides backup, it also allows you to restore these registry backup files at anytime if needed. To backup registry file, just execute regbak.exe, By default, it will suggest registry backup files kept under a folder named by using today date at %SystemRoot%\Regbak path where %SystemRoot% is Windows installation folder. If you would like to change to other paths, just click Browse button to change to your preferred path. After that, you need to select registry hives to backup like System, Current User and other available hives (System and Current User will be selected by default), then click Next and it will prompt you to create a new folder if it is not exist, just click Yes to create the new folder and click Start button at the next screen to start the backup process. There are two methods you can choose to restore registry file, start Regbak by running regbak.exe, then click “View Backups” link at bottom, or you can go to Regbak backup folder which is typically under backup location at %SystemRoot%\Regbak, then look at the subfolder(s) which are named by using date of when they are created. Go in to a backup folder that you wish to restore, then run REGRES.EXE and it will guide the whole process to restore registry files. Another great feature that worth to be highlighted here is the registry backup files created by Regbak is supported by Windows Recovery Console, meaning that you can restore registry from Windows Recovery Console when Windows fail to boot up. Please refer to the user guide for more details of how to restore registry from backup.

Regbak 1.0 is absolutely free to download and it is compatible to run on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/2003 for both 32 and 64-bit. If you think it is useful, just go to download it at here.

Wonder how nice would it be if we can use our voice to control the alarm clock so that it can be turned on, snooze or set the right time without the need to physically set it in traditional way. Now with a bit of innovation and integration of voice control technology, you will be able to enjoy the convenience especially during your bedtime. Known as iTalk Voice Alarm Clock, it can be activated by voice control with few common commands that make your life easier in digital home.



In order to activate the voice control and command, just say “Hello iTalk” and the clock is ready to serve you. Users can say “Set Alarm” and it will turn on the alarm setting for you to configure the alarm time. One of the very useful functions that is worth to be mentioned here is the snoozing feature. Without the need to wake up to try to snooze the alarm clock, just say “Snooze” and it will activate the function to give you more time for extra rest. On top of these, there are additional six commands including “what time is it”, “alarm sound”, “help” and many more that will definitely simplify the control function.

Alternatively, users can switch back to conventional manual control function just like normal clock. However, at a retail price of $70, it may set you back unless you really need some embedded technology
even for simple clock device.

Sony has officially announced the launch of its new pocket-sized electronic book readers – Reader Pocket Edition (PRS-300) and Reader Touch Edition (PRS-600), which feature Sony’s award-winning industrial design, 512MB onboard memory, and E Ink Vizplex electronic paper display with 800×600 pixels resolution and 8-level gray scale, aiming to enhance your digital reading experience.



Features of Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300:

* 5-inch electronic paper display
* Stores up to 350 standard eBooks
* Supports up to 2 weeks of reading enjoyment on a single charge
* Available in navy blue, rose or silver color

“We firmly believe consumers should have choice in every aspect of their digital reading experience,” said Steve Haber, president for Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “Our goal is to expand the market and provide greater access to what consumers want to read when they want to read it — whether they buy, borrow or get it for free.”

Features of Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600:

* Responsive, menu-driven 6-inch touchscreen panel enabling quick, intuitive navigation, page turning, highlighting as well as note taking with the swipe of a finger (or included stylus)
* Built-in Oxford American English Dictionary allows users to look up a word by simply tapping on it
* 5 adjustable font sizes
* Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD memory expansion slot
* Available in red, black or silver color

The new affordable Reader Pocket Edition and Reader Touch Edition that bundled with an attractive protective sleeve and USB cable will be available later this month for retail price of $199 and $299, respectively. In addition, the new releases and New York Times bestseller titles in Sony’s eBook Store (ebookstore.sony.com) will now be available for around $10.

It’s pretty easy to change time zone by using Control Panel’s Date and Time applet GUI. In Windows 7, the operating system
also includes a command line utility named TZUtil.exe, which allows user to change a system’s timezone by typing command in Command Prompt window.


TZUtil or Windows Time Zone Utility can be used to display current time zone ID or set the system timezone to specified time zone ID, with support to disable Daylight Saving Time adjustments (if applicable) for the time zone with _dstoff suffix.

How to Use TZUtil to Set or Display Time Zone

1. Click on Start -> All Programs -> Accessories, and click on Command Prompt, or simply type Cmd in Start Search and hit Enter.
2. Use the following TZUtil syntax to construct the command:

TZUTIL

Parameters available is /? (displays usage information), /g (displays the current time zone ID), /s (sets the current time zone using the specified time zone ID, with the _dstoff suffix disables Daylight Saving Time adjustments for the time zone), and /l (lists all valid time zone IDs and display names).

For example:

TZUTIL /g
TZUTIL /s “Pacific Standard Time”
TZUTIL /s “Pacific Standard Time_dstoff”
TZUTIL /s “GMT Standard Time”

The last command will set the PC time zone to Greenwich Meridian Standard Time (GMT or UTC).

Tip: To get a list of available time zone IDs, type TZUTIL /l.

Gaming segment is always a hot market full with stiff competition in both pricing and performance. While trying to compete against other rivals’ solutions, Sony
has been working continuously to further reduce its BOM (Bill of Material) cost while still able maintain its original quality. Just recently, the Japanese console maker has disclosed that they managed to further reduce PlayStation 3 console costs by a significant 70 percent, as compared to when it was first launched back to 2006.



Although the exact figure of how much it cost to build the system is unknown, but with the original estimated system cost of around $800, the new cost can be expected to stay at $240. If you recall, Sony was actually absorbing loss of $50 per console unit sold but was hoping to able to make profit with its gaming titles sold to consumer markets. The main contributor to the cost reduction is believed to be due to popularity and common use of Blu-ray drive which was way too expensive when available last two to three year time. Besides, the smaller processor technology with much stable mass production process and lesser yield loss are able to keep the cost further down as direct benefits to both manufacturer and consumers.

No firm date on when the actual selling price will be reflected yet, but this is definitely a good news for Sony PS3 fans that are looking to own an affordable console system as the cost reduction may potentially drive a ‘slim down’ version of PS3 at cheaper retail price soon.

As an effort to make SSD (Solid State Device) more affordable and popular in PC market, Intel Inc is collaborating with Micron to come out with a next generation 34-nm process technology SSDs with lower cost. However, the shipment may need to be delayed or halted after the giant chipmaker confirmed the data corruption issue happened on all its new series SSDs.


The symptom doesn’t occur in normal applications and it will only surface when users set password in BIOS drive but later decide to change or disable it. If there is a power loss or the PC is turned off, users will not able to access the data and the hard disk drive will becomes inoperable. As an interim solution, Intel Inc is advising its customers so that they don’t change or disable the password that had been set in BIOS initially and further assures that there will be a new firmware update specifically target on this erratum released to customers within next two weeks time.

No actual root cause being disclosed yet, even though the company has confirmed that the software fix will able to rectify the issue without the need to return the physical units. Currently the software fix is still under validation but Intel further stressed that consumers may not able to recover the data stored in SSDs as it may be overwritten by the latest firmware update. Nevertheless, the giant chipmaker reacts quite efficiently that reduces the impact with manageable situation to resume the shipment once it has been resolved with software fixes.

Sometimes you may want to split windows to multiple regions in order to ease for comparison or reference from each other at one glance. Instead of adjusting windows to the size manually, that could probably take some of your valuable time which could be quite frustrating and irritating. Now with MaxTo, it is able to let you displays windows to multiple regions as you defined easily.



MaxTo is a tiny utility that will stay at system tray silently. To split windows to multiple regions, right click the MaxTo tray icon and select Change regions -> Main. You will see there is a window displayed that allows you to split windows to multiple regions as you like. You can choose to either split it horizontally, vertically or even split according to profile list by selecting load profile button. Once you are done with the splitting regions, just click Done button. To split windows according to regions as what you have defined, just maximize any windows (if it is already maximize, then you need to minimize and then maximize it) and MaxTo will intercept the maximize event and move the window to fit inside the region where your mouse cursor is in. One of the great features that worth to be highlighted here includes the support of two different regions configurations, meaning you can have two different type of regions setup. The setup mentioned above is the main setup and will be active all the time. The alternate setup can be configured by right clicking on the tray icon, then choose Change regions -> Alternate. To activate alternate region, just hold Alt key while maximizing the window. If you would like to maximize the window to the entire monitor as usual, just hold Shift key while maximizing the window.

MaxTo is absolutely free to download and it supports all the current versions of Windows XP/Vista/7 (both RC1 and Beta) for both 32 and 64-bit. Consumed less than 200KB of your hard disk space, it is a very useful utility that can improve your daily productivity.

One of the major challenges in designing mobile processor is how can they squeeze the core performance out without significantly impact its power consumption. Although Intel Atom, a X86 based processor is great in performance with maximum clocking at 1.6GHz, but it suffers excessive current drawn that affect the portable devices’ battery life. Just recently, Samsung, one of the ARM licensees is collaborating with Intrinsity to come out a new series of ARM Cortex-A8 based processor targeted for mobile market. Codenamed as Hummingbird, it is planned to be clocking at maximum of 1GHz, scaling up the performance up to 2000MIPS while still maintaining its low thermal envelope.

Hummingbird core will be supported by 32kB data and instruction on-die cache besides ARM neon multimedia extension. If you recall, Apple Inc’s latest 3G S iPhone is based on Samsung S5PC100 running at 600MHz and has been rated as one of the most powerful mobile devices in consumer market. And now with the Hummingbird in development cycle ready for next generation iPhone, consumers can expected a much smoother and faster mobile devices suitable for high end market with much more CPU cycles available for other processing tasks.

No price and actual available date yet,this will definitely post some threats to Intel next generation Atom Moorestown processor as well as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon series in mobile market.

PDF is a common format that has been used widely in both home and office
environment but sometimes you may have to deal with its inconvenience of editing and that is how some of the online service such as Free Online MergePDF or software utility like PDF Sam Alpha 2.0.0 comes useful with. In case you are not truly satisfied with any of them, here is another free utility that you can consider. Named as ArduoPdfMerger, it is a free PDF merger and splitter that simplifies the editing process without the need for you to stay connected for merging and splitting capabilities.

Once install and launch the software utility, you will be brought to a simple GUI. Over here, most of the functions are self-explanatory with simplified icons that allow users to add, delete, move up or down any files or entries in the list. Users can simply browse for any PDF files and there are two pre-processing options with one that allows the files to be split into individual page to ease up the merging process. As usual, the final modification files can be stored in destination folder predefined during the setup process. After completion, just click on ‘Process’ button and it will execute the conversion immediately.

Currently Arduo PDF merger is still in alpha stage and consumed around 1.4MB of you hard disk space in Windows system, it is quite useful especially when you are dealing a lot with PDF files edition in you daily work.

Have you ever wished that you could see inside your mouth
to check how clean (or dirty) your teeth are? Yucks! Sounds like what mums would do for kids who dislike thorough brushing. Or check that out that little mouth ulcer causing so much pain and discomfort? Thanko’s USB Dental “microscope” lets you do just that. It comes equipped with six LEDs and a small CMOS camera so you can shoot (640×480) JPEGs/BMPs or 1280×1024 resolution video. The results can be downloaded into a computer.




This device is not about taking pretty pictures to thrill your loved ones. On the contrary, the results are inevitably gross and disgusting. They lead to but one conclusion – you need the services of your dentist. The Japan-based company specializing in spy camera gadgets figures it’s a necessary evil. For about $80, you can document hard evidence to convince yourself and your loved ones to pay a visit to the dentist.

Man’s life is very much hooked up with electronic gadgets nowadays. One common problem with too many gadgets around is in recharging these gadgets. If you are a frequent traveler who always flies from one country to another, surely you will understand the pain where your charger cannot be used in some countries due to the different electrical output. You can’t access important information as the battery is running flat. To assist frequent travelers or globetrotters to overcome this practical problem, the famous pocket projector manufacturer, BeamBox, has added another mini lifestyle product, Mili Universal Charger, to their list.



Mili Universal Charger is a mini, compact and practical universal charger which comes with four interchangeable adapters that can enable users to use it without problem in UK, US, Australia and Europe. The adapters suit the US, UK, EU or Australian-style sockets. Besides supporting various socket formats, Mili Universal Charger also allows users to charge their gadget in the car via a car charger adapter that comes along with it. Users can just plug the charger into the cigarette lighter socket to do the charging work. Another interesting feature of the BeamBox’s Mili Universal Charger is the dual USB port which allows users to charge two devices at the same time. Users will be notified when their devices are fully charged by a change of colour in the two LEDs mounted.

For a mere $28.50, users can get the universal charger with a choice of nine different colors: blue, purple, green, yellow, and orange.

One of the leading global manufacturers of premium audio solutions for home, personal and commercial use, Klipsch has announced the release of its new Image S2m in-ear headset, which features a compact in-line microphone that allows users to answer or end calls with the touch of a button, delivering strikingly realistic sound thanks to the customized 5.8mm moving coil driver per channel.



“Not only do you get our stunningly precise sound and stellar comfort with the S2m, this affordable headset simplifies busy on-the-go lifestyles—you can take calls while commuting or exercising without skipping a beat,” said Don Inmon, director of marketing and product development for personal audio, Klipsch . “And with Wi-Fi access, you can even use the S2m to place free Skype calls—a really great benefit for iPhone and iPod touch users.”

Highlights of Klipsch Image S2m:

* Compatible with virtually all mobile phones that incorporate a 3.5 mm headphone jack
* Durable, integrated strain relief at every cable connection point to help prevent wire damage
* Precise, comfortable fit for long-term wear thanks to the exclusive oval ear tips that naturally fit the contours of the ear canals
* Integrated button also lets users track forward/track back as well as play/pause songs on Apple’s iPod classic 120GB, iPod nano 4th generation (video), iPod touch 2nd generation, iPod shuffle 3rd generation as well as iPhone 3G S
* Amazing intelligibility easily picks up users’ voice without having to talk directly into it
* Superior noise-isolation design dramatically reduces background noise

“Once you have the right fit and seal, these headsets are virtually impossible to feel,” said Mark Blanchard, senior acoustic design engineer for Klipsch and inventor of the company’s oval ear tips.”When we began studying three-dimensional ear impressions, it was discovered that nearly everyone has an oval-shaped ear canal. We couldn’t believe that no one else had yet considered the anatomical shape of the ear canal when designing in-ear headphones.”

The new Skype-compatible Klipsch Image S2m in-ear headset that available in piano black finish is expected to be available this month for around $60.

Always open multiple Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office PowerPoint document windows, in addition to many more Windows Explorer and a couple more instant messaging such as Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk and other chat window frames? If you’re the one that fits the description above, it’s simply hard to find a window that need to use among so many opened application windows, especially when using Alt+Tab keyboard accelerator, or even Win+Tab live Aero preview task switcher keyboard shortcut.


Windows 7 (download Windows 7 RTM ISO) and Windows Server 2008 R2 has included a useful function that allows user to quickly task switching between open windows or frames of a single individual application program only. By using the same-app task switcher trick, user can easily switch and jump between all open windows of a running application, making the task of finding window to work at simpler.

How to Quickly Task Switch Between Window Frames of Same Application in Windows 7

Press and hold the Ctrl key, then click on the application icon or button on the Windows 7 Taskbar. A window frame of the application will open. Continuously clicking on the application icon or button on the Taskbar will switch and rotate between different open windows of the specific application only, significantly improve task switching speed when compared with using Alt+Tab or Win+Tab which rotates between all open windows of all different applications.

The trick above works on all applications that can have multiple or more than one windows open (but not tabs).

Windows operating system comes with a built-in basic Disk Defragmenter, that can perform disk defragmentation process properly, which is performed to increase read and write access speed by rearranging files stored on a disk to occupy contiguous storage locations, minimizing disk read travel time and maximizing transfer rate. However, Disk Defragmenter in Windows but does not usually provide advanced configurable settings.

The release of Windows 7 (and Windows Server 2008 R2) saw further improvements and enhancements to Disk Defragmenter utility. Since Windows Vista, Disk Defragmenter already includes an option to automatically run at scheduled times using Task Scheduler. This ability is continued in Windows 7 (download Windows 7 RTM ISO) and Windows Server 2008 R2. Disk Defragmenter also uses low CPU priority and the low priority I/O algorithm so that it can continue to defrag using reduced resources (less CPU and disk read/write activity) when the computer is in use.

In Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, users can now start both analyze disks and defragment disks process on all or selected disks from Disk Defragmenter GUI. The graphical user interface of Disk Defragmenter also includes more detailed progress status such as percentage of consolidation and defragmentation already done, although there is still no map of disk defragmentation. One major feature added is ability to simultaneously and concurrently parallel processing and defragmenting more than one disk drives or volumes.

How to Concurrently and Simultaneously Defragment Two or More Volumes or Partitions in Windows 7

Just click on Defragment Now button for each and every volumes, disks, or partitions that end-user wants to start defragmentation right away to perform parallel defragmentation among those volumes. Alternatively, user can also use /m switch of defrag.exe command-line utility to run the operation on each volume in parallel in the background.

With various new features added, Disk Defragmenter command-line interface, defrag.exe, has also included several new parameters or switches which can be used when running the defragmentation operation to locate and consolidate fragmented files on local volumes to improve system performance. For example,

/E – Perform the operation on all volumes except those specified.
/H – Run the operation at normal priority (default is low).
/M – Run the operation on each volume in parallel in the background.
/T – Track an operation already in progress on the specified volume.
/U – Print the progress of the operation on the screen.
/V – Print verbose output containing the fragmentation statistics.
/X – Perform free space consolidation on the specified volumes.

By using “defrag” command line utility, user has additional control ability of running defragmentation operation at higher level of priority so that defragmentation runs faster with more CPU and system resources.

For example,

defrag /c /h /u /m

Command above will defragment all volumes in parallel in the background at normal priority with progress status displayed on screen.

More parameter and usage example can be seen by typing defrag /? in Command Prompt window.