How ARM will impact Intel market

The hard battle between Intel and AMD seems to be long way to go. While Intel clearly has the upper hand in client processors and AMD is playing catch-up, there is another battle brewing for PC processors, particularly in notebooks. Here, we will discuss about the battle for the “secondary” processor and how this battle will not pit Intel against AMD, but rather, x86 architecture against ARM. And it’s not looking good for x86.

Dell and lenovo have come out with the “instant” laptop, which has capability to instantly access mail, calender, web without full boot up of the machine. They run a version of the Firefox browser for Web surfing and provides direct connection to Exchange, GroupWise or IMAP/POP3 e-mail systems through direct memory access. Also included is a dedicated document viewer for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files, dedicated Wi-Fi and a VPN for secure connectivity. In essence, what Dell has done with Latitude ON is provide an embedded “smartphone-lite” device that uses the main screen, keyboard, power and memory systems.

What makes the Dell and Lenovo approach interesting is that first, they utilize low-cost, low-power, ARM-based chips adapted from the smartphone industry. Second, they provide dedicated-function processing. And third, each subsystem is capable of being functionally extended, possibly even by third parties through a future API to include additional convenience and protection capabilities.

It is safe to assume that other manufacturers will follow suit and provide coprocessor subsystem in business and higher-end consumer machines—particularly as prices for ARM chips continue to fall. It is also highly likely that additional functionality will be added over time.

Finally, it is apparent that neither Windows nor x86 will be the preferred platforms utilized by these coprocessor subsystems—at least until x86 can match the low cost and low power of ARM (potentially with future Atom chips).

The bottom line: With the potential of one or more coprocessors per PC, ARM has a lucrative path in which to infiltrate the PC market—a market it has never impacted. While it’s unlikely that ARM will displace x86 for the core processor anytime soon, it nevertheless gives ARM a large potential market of many millions of units—a fact not lost on ARM licensees (for example, Texas Instruments, Freescale, Qualcomm and Samsung).

However, the coprocessing subsystems potentially offer another point of machine failure and/or instability, especially in corporate settings where consistency, security and device management is critical. Companies should be careful when and how to deploy these coprocessor-enabled systems until they prove their worth.

source : www.eweek.com

Xperia X10: Keep in touch with style

Managing Facebook and Twitter updates becomes even easier with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.

When you look at the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, the first thing that will grab your attention is its large 4in screen.

The screen dominates the front of the smartphone and is capable of displaying beautiful and vivid pictures.

The X10 runs on Android 1.6 which is a tad older than other smartphones in the market which use Android 2.1.

I'm really new when it comes to the Android operating system or even smartphones so it took awhile to adapt to the user interface. I found it cool that I could switch screens by just swiping my finger horizontally or vertically on the screen.

However, I was not thrilled that applications took a littler longer to launch. As I am a little impatient, the screen will be covered with fingerprints due to repeated tappings by the time the app actually launched.

Full Review of Dell Latitude E6510

Durability, security, and performance. That's what any business notebook shopper is looking for in a good workhorse. And the 15.6-inch Latitude E6510 delivers all of the above, starting with a sturdy yet attractive Tri-Metal case. You also get a Core i7 processor and discrete Nvidia graphics for serious power, plus a high-resolution (1600 x 900) display. Add in a host of data protection features and you have a pretty solid package. But is this notebook worth nearly $2,000 (RM 6,100)?

Design

At 14.7 x 10 x 1.3 inches and 6.6 pounds (with 9-cell battery), the E6510 sits right on the borderline between a bulky notebook you can tolerate carrying and a weighty workstation you just have to leave on the desk. If you're willing to lose a few hours of battery life, you can opt for the less-powerful 6-cell battery, which brings the weight down to a much more reasonable 5.5 pounds.

The subtle, yet attractive design ID of the entire Latitude E Series hasn't changed much, but why mess with a good thing? The smooth, aluminum lid comes in three colors: Slate Silver, Regal Red, and Regatta Blue. Our review unit came with the Regatta Blue lid, which looked stunning, particularly when paired with the silver battery. When you open up the lid, you'll notice a completely matte black bezel, keyboard, and deck, accented with attractive light blue status lights that match the lid. The push-button latch adds another touch of class.

IT Market Study in Brazil 2010

Brazilian IT spending is expected to bounce back in 2010, following strong growth in computer sales in the first half of the year. Government and retail demand drove most of the growth, as Brazil's economy made a robust recovery, while still-sluggish business demand is expected to pick up in H210. Demand for IT products and services is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% over the forecast period, making Brazil one of the best-performing global IT markets. A National Broadband Plan announced in May 2010 should help to drive future growth in demand for IT products and services.

After 2010, the fundamentals of low computer penetration and growing affordability should keep the market on an upward path. Despite current economic uncertainty, a PC penetration rate of less than 25% indicates plenty of room for market growth. Infrastructure investments following the award of the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio de Janeiro is expected to drive new spending on IT systems and solutions.

Review Starcraft II: Hell, it's about time

StarCraft 2: Wings Of Liberty returns players to the Koprulu Sector to settle the score between the Terrans, the Zerg and the Protoss. Let's hope you've built enough pylons.

Back in 1998, Blizzard released one of the most popular and influential games of its time,StarCraft. The strategy game pitted the resourceful Terrans, the ancient Protoss and the relentless Zerg against each other in a battle of strategy and resources.

Twelve years later and after the clamouring of its myriad fans, Blizzard has finally released the sequel.

StarCraft 2 returns to the frontlines of the Terran-Protoss-Zerg war, bringing with it some nifty new units, a polished new 3D interface, familiar gameplay mechanics and the continuation of an epic story set against the backdrop of a war-torn distant future.

After the long wait, what do gamers have to say about this?

Hell, it's about time!

Samsung PX2370: Review

The Samsung PX2370 monitor has a number of features that makes it great for gamers and movie enthusiasts.

SAMSUNG has been steadily updating its monitors with LED backlighting technology, and the PX2370 represents the high-end for these new models.

What makes the PX2370 different from the B-series model we reviewed a while back is that the PX2370 has a much wider colour gamut which covers 100% of the sRGB standard and boasts some other "Magic" features.

Five new Lumix cameras

LX5

Panasonic has bolstered its Lumix line of digital cameras with five new models, namely the DMC-LX5, FZ40, FZ100, FX700 and FT10.

Panasonic 3D camcorder

HDC-SDT750

Panasonic has unveiled the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750, at a press event in Japan.

The camcorder, when attached with a special 3D conversion lens, is capable of shooting amazing true-to-life 3D videos.

The 3D attachment uses two lenses to capture two images simultaneously - just like the human eyes - to form a 3D video.

The HDC-SDT750 records video in full 1080p resolution in AVCHD format with 5.1-channel audio.

Cisco introduces home energy touch-controller

Cisco has recently launched their new smart gadget to control home energy usage to maximize its efficiency. it isa 7-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive touch screen. Running Ubuntu Linux for MID on a 1.1GHz Intel Atom chip, the Home Energy Controller connects to smart thermostats and appliances over 802.11n WiFi or gigabit ethernet using protocols including ZigBee. It then lets you keep tabs on your electricity usage, and suggests ways you could improve — assuming you’re using the tablet for its intended purpose instead of watching hardware-accelerated videos on Mediafly, browsing the included app store, or (potentially) using it as a phone of some sort

HP Officejet 4500 G510 : Reviewed

The HP Officejet 4500 G510 is a relatively compact AIO printer that gets the job done.

The HP Officejet 4500 G510h is an all-in-one printer that comes with all the standard features - print, copy, scan and fax.

It has a relatively boxy design with a mix of glossy and matte finish. The glossy finish, although nice, will attract fingerprints and is easily scratched.

Alienware M11X: A netbook built for games

Gaming notebooks are generally bulky and weigh a ton but not so with the Alienware M11X.

ANNOUNCED earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Dell's Alienware M11X netbook is certainly an impressive piece of hardware packed in a small form factor.

Indeed the M11X is a small gaming netbook that packs a powerful punch when it comes down to performance, capable of running modern games while keeping things nice and light for easy transport.

On the outside, the M11X is a stylish netbook that feels very well built. Its compact form factor allows the netbook to easily slip into your travel bag when you need to hit the road.

Though it weighs more than your average netbook, it still feels light enough to be carried around.

The reality or the Independent mobility platform

In just 10 years, the wireless smartphone market has gone from virtually nonexistent to becoming a household term worldwide. At the start of the millennium, Research in Motion (RIM) was pretty much the only significant vendor selling what were then called "wireless PDAs." Today, there are no less than six major operating systems for smartphones. Currently, they account for 14 percent of overall mobile device sales, but it is expected that by 2012 they will make up about 37 percent of global handset sales.

Today, scores of smartphones are offered on the market, offering consumers and businesses a wide variety of options for both personal and enterprise needs. However, they have also presented a challenge for organizations looking to deploy enterprise-wide mobile solutions. Given all the device choices, as a business or IT executive, what are you to do?

If you have already embraced mobility for your workforce, great! However, there are a number of new smartphones coming to market at a breakneck pace that enterprises are trying to seamlessly integrate into their strategy. Conversely, many organizations have yet to implement a mobility strategy of any kind because of the daunting number and constantly evolving amount of choices on the market. How can you ensure that your investment is not obsolete by the time you deploy?

Platform is the answer

What's the answer to both scenarios just mentioned? In a word: platform. When planning a mobility strategy, the natural inclination may be to start with one device type and lock into it for simplicity and manageability. But today's hot device could be tomorrow's paperweight. A platform approach to mobility can minimize the dependency on the device by ensuring that new devices and technologies are easily integrated into the mobile solution.

Using a mobility platform, IT does not have to use multiple software tools to manage users and applications across multiple device types. They are freed up to design and deploy the best possible applications without being constrained by device limitations or management and control concerns—today and in the future. Also, because IT can easily manage multiple types of smartphones, business users can choose the appropriate device type for their work profile without overburdening IT resources.

With the ability to adopt anything from a rugged Windows Mobile device for technicians to a BlackBerry for salespeople or an iPhone for management, business units can use whatever devices best suit the job at hand and the unique wants and needs of the users. This freedom of choice will help to drive adoption and increase the usability and effectiveness of the applications on workers' devices.

When an enterprise adopts a mobility platform that supports multiple mobile devices, it provides its employees with unprecedented tools for productivity and efficiency. It also empowers IT to discover and create new applications to maximize mobility from end-to-end.

How to Buy a Wireless Router

It's hard to imagine a modern home or business network without a wireless router, but that doesn't mean it's easy to pick the right router. Our guide can help you pick the best one for your network.

Routers are an essential element of modern business network, and they're an indispensable tool in the home, too. A wireless router lets your computer connect to the Web so that you can read favorite Web sites, check e-mail, IM friends, or teleconference with colleagues. If you want to do this without cluttering your setup with Ethernet cables, a wireless router is a must. And, if it's your first time going wireless, don't worry about giving up wired speed. All wireless routers offer at least some degree of wired connectivity, allowing you to get the best of both worlds.

The wireless router market offers many different types of routers that are tailored to tackle specific needs. Vendors offer everything from very basic single-band routers designed to simply get your computer online to advanced dual-band routers that contain bonus features (such as a built-in digital photo frame). With numerous models, options, and offerings available, purchasing a wireless router is no simple affair. You may need to research the features in order to wade through the marketing hype in order to determine which router is best for your home or home office. Our Wireless router buyer's guide will help you do just that.

Determine Your Usage
A single home user who just wants to Web surf doesn't require the same type of router as a heavy-duty gamer or small business. A single-band router like the $149 Cisco Valet Plus is a basic, decent performer that would suit the needs of anyone looking for simple Wi-Fi connectivity and easy setup. By contrast, the $359 D-Link Xtreme N Duo Media Router has power-user features such as Traffic Prioritizing; Virtual Servers and UPnP support. The Xtreme N is likely to be more of value to gamers, multimedia enthusiasts or anyone with advanced networking needs. A good rule of thumb: The more expensive the router, the more features it will contain. Higher price, however, doesn't necessarily mean better performance; in our testing, the Cisco Valet Plus performed just as well as pricier, more feature-rich routers.

Single Band vs. Dual Band
While researching routers, you will inevitably stumble across the term "bands". The 2.4- and 5- GHz bands are the frequencies in which wireless communications operate. 802.11 B and G standard devices use the 2.4 GHz band, while 802.11N can use either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band. A single-band, 2.4-GHz router, like the $65 Asus RT-N11 EZ Wireless-N Router is geared toward simple wireless networks. On the other hand, a dual-band router like the $119 Cisco Linksys E2000 Advanced Wireless-N supports both 2.4- and 5-GHz frequencies. The 5-GHz band is better equipped for throughput-intensive work within your home network such as gaming and file streaming. In fact, as mentioned in our "Setup and Small Home or Business Network" article, you will also get better internal network performance.

Know Your Standards
Knowing which standard the majority of devices on a network support is important in deciding which router is best for your setup. For example, if you want to connect two slightly dated laptops which house 802.11b/g wireless cards to the Internet, and you have no need or plans to upgrade your client devices anytime soon, you could get away with a cheaper, single-band 2.4 GHz 802.11N router. Why? You can run the router in "Mixed Mode" setting, which will let the router connect to B and G clients. Secondly, only N routers can connect at the 5 GHz band, so you only need a 2.4 GHz router for B and G clients. A decent option would be a router like the Cisco Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router, which is available for under $60 (if you can swing the extra $70, however, the Valet Plus is the better option).

If you have a mix of B, G and N devices (as most of us do), your best bet is to go with a simultaneous dual-band router like the $169 D-Link DIR-825 Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit. This model excels at automatically connecting devices to the appropriate band, without user intervention. There are other dual-band routers that are good choices as well, like the $119 Linksys by Cisco Dual Band Wireless N Gigabit Router. This model requires user to be savvy enough to know how to configure settings so that all devices (be they B, G or N) can connect to the correct 2.4-GHz or 5-GHz band.

PC vs. Mac
We have tested numerous wireless routers from a variety of vendors, and have determined that it the make or model makes little difference on a Windows network. There's some anecdotal evidence from readers and the blogosphere that a network consisting of all Apple products works best with an Apple router. Many chimed in on an article about iPad Wi-Fi connectivity. Several readers stated they had none of the connectivity problems with their iPad when connecting it to an Apple AirPort.

Routers should theoretically work across the board for Windows, Apple and Linux clients. If you have an all-Apple or predominately Apple environment, save yourself any potential hassle and go with a router from Apple.

Coverage Area/Antennas
Router antennas can either be external or internal, with the former seemingly delivering stronger signals. One of the fastest Wi-Fi routers we have tested is the $79.99 D-Link DIR-825 Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit, which has two external antennas. In some cases, it's possible to purchase signal amplifiers or upgrade the antenna to one that's more high-powered. The one drawback with external antennas is that they can be more problematic to discretely situate in a home than a router with internal antennas such as the Linksys Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Router, which is built with Linksys/Cisco's familiar sleek design. Also, it's true that anything that sticks out can be broken off.

Accordingly, don't discredit routers with internal antennas. For most home purposes, new routers like the $179 Cisco Linksys's E3000 High Performance Wireless N Router have an almost unheard of 6 internal antennas with 2x3 transmit/receive. We have not tested the router yet (look for the test soon) but the E2000, which is the mid-router in the E series, was a decent performer that only has 3 internal antennas.

Keep in mind, despite whatever the antenna design is, large areas may sometimes need more than one wireless router for coverage. The average range for wireless coverage is 180 feet max indoors and 1,500 feet max in an open space—that's devoid of concrete walls or any other interference!

Feature Set
Most wireless routers have some basic functionality; port forwarding, DHCP, firewall and NAT are a few of the features inherent in just about every router within the last three years. There are routers with lots of extra features for advanced users, like the $129 Belkin Wireless PlayMax Router. The PlayMax has features like Guest Access, Channel Bonding (to boost wireless signal), Access Control and a Bit Torrent client. While we can't recommend the Play Max at this time, (further testing on it is to follow) because of underwhelming performance, the features set is truly impressive and is one that should appeal to avid gamers, torrent users, or even small businesses.

Some routers have USB ports for connecting a printer or storage device, the D-Link Xtreme N Storage Router. Not only does it have USB ports, but it has a slot for 2.5-inch SATA drive and doubled as a digital photo frame. This may not be a router option for anyone, but if you have additional networking needs and may be low on space on ports to connect extra devices, a fancy router like the Xtreme N Storage may be a good bet. Prepare to shell out some cash as this router listed for $300.00 at shipping.

Security
Most routers currently support standard WEP security as well as the more secure WPA and WPA2. If you want to control what users can access when they are connected to the router, you are doing to want one that offers decent Access Controls. Cisco's Valet Plus has very effective Access Control settings plus Parental Controls that allow limiting internet use based on time of day. Guess Access and an ability to create multiple SSIDs are also important security measures if you are using the router for a small business. Together, these two features let you, for example, segment your network into seperate areas for guests and trusted users.

Wired Connectivity
Most wireless routers have Ethernet ports for hard-wiring devices to can take advantage of the greater transmission speeds that wired Ethernet has over a wireless connection. For faster transmission rates, invest in a router that has Gigabit Ethernet ports like the Netgear RangeMax Wireless-N Gigiabit Router. Use the Gigibit Ethernet ports to wire gaming consoles, NAS drives, or any other type of multimedia server that have Gigabit Ethernet adapters to take advantage of the faster performance.

Two new GPS units from Garmin

Nüvi 1460

Garmin has launched two new car navigation GPS units in Malaysia, namely the Nüvi 1460 and the Nüvi 1350.

Both units feature larger fonts and icons for easier navigation, English and Chinese handwriting recognition, junction view, and come preinstalled with Singapore and Malaysia maps.

There's also Garmin's ecoRoute feature which tracks fuel usage to help save money.

The company said both units are about 25% slimmer than previous models.

Nüvi 1350

The main difference between the Nüvi 1460 and 1350 is that the 1460 comes with a large 5in screen and Bluetooth connectivity for wirelessly linking with a mobile phone for handsfree calls, whereas the 1350 comes with a smaller 4.3in screen and no Bluetooth.

The Nüvi 1460 and 1350 cost RM999 and RM810 respectively.

Pocket size router from Aztech

The Aztech HW553 isn't quite pocketable but it's certainly portable. Weighing just 40grams, the device is a wireless portable router which turns a person into a mobile wireless hotspot.

The HW553 comes with support for most 3G/3.5G modems and supports the 802.11n wireless technology so it's always ready to go when you are.

The device doesn't actually come with a 3G modem as it has a USB port that accepts and has drivers for most of the common USB 3G/3.5G modems on the market. Aztech claims the device supports more than 80 types of 3G modems.

If you already have a wireless service provider with such a modem, it's usually a matter of plugging it in to the HW553 and it'll just work.

Apart from USB modems, the HW553 also accepts regular ADSL modems which use an Ethernet connection and has an additional USB port on the back that accepts portable hard disk drives or even a USB printer, allowing you to access those devices on your network.

The HW553 retails for RM249

The world's smallest sound driver by Radiopaq

SMALL AND POWERFUL: Radiopaq has developed a new range of miniature headphones called Dots, which promise superior audio performance at a reasonable price.

WITH today's all-in-one portable gadgets consumers are looking for earphones that are just as portable.

Multimedia brand Radiopaq has developed a new range of miniature headphones called "Dots." The colourful earpieces come with "unrivalled, superior audio performance and quality for price," said the company, making them perfect for young listeners - or those predisposed to losing their earphones.

The earphones pack in the world's smallest sound driver (around 50% smaller than those found on traditional earphones) and come with noise isolation, tangle-resistant cables, a gold-plated 3.5mm stereo jack plug, and silicone ear-cushions for a comfortable fit.

High end audio manufacturer Klipsch and Japan's Audio Technica have designed some of the smallest and lightest in-ear headphones in the business however both models - the Klipsch Image and the Audio Technica ATH-CK100 - come with price tags between US$300 and US$500 (RM970 and RM1,615).

Headphone.com has put together a selection of in-ear headphones that combine great sound with a small and convenient package. The guide can be found here: bit.ly/4wcPG0.

Dots are available in black, white, blue, pink, purple, green and red online for about US$23 (RM75). - Relaxnews

Source: www.radiopaqproducts.com