Wireless Outdoor Security Camera System

Searching for a worthy security camera available in the market nowadays? I hope this piece will help you find a worthy spy camera that is appropriate for your needs. What is a security camera? Security camera or wireless security camera is a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera that will transmit a video and audio signal to a wireless receiver through a radio band. There are wireless security camera available in the market nowadays requires one cable for the power but there are also wireless security camera that are battery powered.

The growing need of a spy camera in every household has been growing to safeguard themselves and their loved ones from thieves and burglars. There are many options of spy camera that is gladly available in the market nowadays. Essentially, there are house owners that don’t know what they desire and need in selecting the right spy camera for them.

The first alternative is the outdoor spy camera. If you need to safeguard your house from the outside, then this outdoor spy camera is the best alternative for you. This will keep the intruders to stay away from your house because they know that your house is secluded and secured.

Try to think about that your outdoor spy camera is weather proof. Climate proof means that it can stand whatever the climate is. Also make sure that your spy camera is infrared so it can catch a sight at hours of darkness.

The next alternative is the indoor spy camera. This spy camera is constructed inside the house for security reasons. For example, that there is an intruder that will sneak in inside your house this spy camera will catch the picture of the intruder.

There are also security systems that have a activity detection device. In case that they will notice something or someone is moving, they’ll turn on the alarm its either in a flashing glow, sound signal or a combination of both, this will provide you the alarm or your neighbor in case that you are away.

So buy a spy camera now!

Wireless Air Freshener Camera, Discreet Form of Hidden Camera

Spy cameras have been for quite some while now; they are mainly used for security purposes. the world that we live in is no longer a safer place; we need protection from the potential dangers in the form of hidden cameras. the technology has reached great heights when it comes to the video industry. the earlier models were quite bulkier and cumbersome to handle but now the smaller sized ones make it so easy to place it anywhere of your choice.

If you are in constant suspicion of your nanny or your better half or your employees, the one solution that will put all your answers to bay is the wireless camera. the point of choosing a camera that is easily hidden is of crucial importance to catch the culprit red handed. Some years ago who would have thought that a normal looking air freshener would hold a camera that captures your every move. Well it is all possible now, and the best part is it beautifully blends in the environment enhancing the interiors. But, this decoy air freshener is the perfect location to place a full-color nanny cam that will capture and record everything that’s happening in front of it – and nobody but you will know about it.

It is the most hassle free device you will find in the market, with no installation of cables and wires it is so easy to set up. it operates on a battery that comes with a dual pack of rechargeable batteries making it all the more comfortable for you. the length of the video recording is entirely dependent on the model chosen; however it can store up to say 12 hours of data. When making a choice if the picture quality is grainy then the video is no proof against the crime. But with this latest innovation you get high quality picture.

Once you establish the connection, all you have to do is attach the transmitter to a PC, or a monitor for further supervision. Monitoring others is an invasion of privacy and however some of the nannies appreciate if they knew that a nanny camera is existent. they would see it as a bridging gap between the parents and kids. However it being discreet is the main reason if you were to catch your cheating partner.

Whatever the reason for spying, this security camera is in the affordable range of cameras. it gives you an edge over the peers and you can be in control as an owner and business man. Make the most of the technology for a secure future of your loved ones and protect your belongings.

Review Memorex iPod Dock Spy Camera

The Memorex iPod Dock Spy Camera (developed by Atlantic Electronic System, Inc.) is a cleverly conceived nanny cam that exploits the popularity of the ubiquitous iPod player. Replete with built-in speakers, the nanny cam can play music through an iPod in addition to covertly recording video. While we love that the spy camera offers robust dual functionality, built-in DVR and a motion detector, users will pay substantially more for this nanny cam than comparable models that are disguised as other common objects.

Features:

We love this all-in-one hidden nanny cam primarily because of its unique twofold functionality. A spy camera that can also play music is not only convenient but also offers a very convincing guise, perhaps more so than other household objects commonly used to hide covert cameras (think teddy bears or alarm clocks).

We were surprised to discover this particular camera has all the features we would expect to find on top-notch nanny cams. Apart from a motion detector and standalone recording (saved on an internal memory card), the spy camera boasts timed recording shut-off once motion in front of the camera ceases and auto-cycling recording (what the manufacturer terms as 'auto-recycle'). This feature ensures recording continues uninterrupted by automatically deleting the oldest recording once the camera's memory card is full. Furthermore, all of the camera's recordings are time and date stamped.

We were surprised that the spy camera does not have a compatible remote control; most regular iPod docks come with a remote control, so it seemed odd that this nanny cam didn't have one at all.

Recording Options:

The nanny cam fails to impress when it comes to recording options. Aside from the motion detector, the only other functionality worthy of a mention is its ability to take still pictures. However, this feature seems somewhat ineffectual since there's not a remote control that can be used to remotely take the image. It seems to us that having to push a button directly on the iPod dock to capture digital images would defeat the whole covert purpose of a spy camera.

Design:

While it may not score high marks when it comes to recording options, it offsets such shortcomings with decent design. A high viewing angle of 85 degrees ensures a broad field of view, while the camera's CCD image sensor (considered superior to comparable CMOS sensors) boasts quality color video.

A few things we really like about the spy camera are its low lux rating and RCA video output. The camera has a low lux rating of 0.5, which means it performs well in low-light conditions. Additionally, the camera's RCA video output allows users to connect the device directly to a television or monitor for instant viewing. Or the included memory card can easily be removed from the camera and inserted into a computer for viewing as well.

Our one complaint is that the device is a bit bulky for an iPod dock; however, price wins over aesthetics with this low-cost dock, as many comparable iPod dock hidden camera devices are priced well over $500.

Video Output:

The nanny cam's video output is mediocre at best. With a sole resolution of 320 x 240, the video is grainier and lower quality than that of most competitors. Additionally, the container format of the recordings is MPEG-2, which is compatible with most computers but relatively outdated, with much newer formats available in other recording devices.

Summary:

The Memorex iPod Dock Spy Camera definitely ranks average when it comes to nanny cams with built-in DVR. While it has limited recording options and a steeper price tag than comparable models, the nanny cam is ideal for homeowners who would actually take advantage of the spy camera's dual functionality.

Review Hidden HD Spy Sunglasses and Action Sports Camera for Outdoor Sports, Skiing

Review Hidden HD Spy Sunglasses and Action Sports Camera for Outdoor Sports, Skiing

Capture the world as you see it with our Hidden HD Spy Sunglasses and Action Sports Camera for Outdoor Sports, Skiing (8GB). These cool sunglasses bring a whole new dimension to your favorite outdoor activities. With its high impact body and polarized anti-glare lenses, these glasses let you easily record videos of all your favorite outdoor sports and share them on YouTube!

Take A Look At These Amazing Numbers
These amazing Spy Sunglasses take 30 frames per second videos in the popular AVI format and at high definition 1280 x 720 resolution! It also comes with a free 8GB micro SD card so you will have enough storage capacity to capture hours of high quality video and audio. But that's not all...

Record Video at the Touch of a Button
Recording video on the Sunglasses is as easy as wearing them. Power on the glasses then presses the record button. It’s just that easy! Even better, everything can also be controlled by a remote control, so you don't have to touch the device at all... unlike other spy cameras which arouse unwanted suspicion because you keep fidgeting with it.

Perfect for Your Active Lifestyle
These awesome Spy Sunglasses are also ideal for reliving the moment at carnivals, festivals, shows and outdoor concerts. Capture all of these events without anyone knowing that you are recording everything just by looking at it - How cool is that?! These Sunglasses literally captures everything you see, and they do it with amazing clarity and detail - and style!

Imagine yourself slinging dust down the Slickrock Trail in Moab or climbing the sandstone face of Kissing Camels at Garden of the Gods - all captured on stunning video and audio that you can easily transfer to FaceBook and YouTube. Not only will you have bragging right to your adventure exploits, but you'll have proof of it too!

Functional and fashionable, the Spy Sunglasses Camera is the best choice for journalist, MT climbers, hikers, sports enthusiast, travelers and etc. Buy one for yourself today, or order in bulk to sell and profit. Available from your best source for wholesale electronics, Chinavasion.

At a Glance...

1. 8 GB micro SD card included!
2. User friendly
3. Stylish design
4. Virtually undetectable pinhole lens
5. Capture high quality audio and video
6. Records 30FPS video at 1280X720 resolution
7. Water Resistant

for further information, click here

Logitech Alert Security Camera Review: Surveillance Can Be Fun

The Logitech Alert motion-detecting security systems are pretty high quality cameras—15FPS/720p wide-angle lens—and convenient—they're powered and networked over your home's electrical system. I don't want to be a security guard, but monitoring my own house is now fun.

The Price
$300 for the 750i indoor version, $350 for the 750e weather-proof outdoor version with night-vision. An additional $80 a year if you want the Alert Web and Mobile commander—managing the camera via a web browser or your iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, inside or outside your home network. You can view the cameras for free, on web and mobile, but you can't get all the features of the desktop software suite on the web or on the phone unless you pay.

The Verdict
Convenient, useful and quite good quality when you compare them to video systems normally included with home alarm systems.

I tested the 750i internal system, and setup was quite easy—only one or two degrees harder than setting up a webcam. There are various ways to mount the device—on a stand, with a suction cup, or screwed into a wall with a rack-type mount.
How it works

It's completely wired. Unlike the Vue, which is battery-powered and wireless, or other security cameras, which are AC-powered and wireless, the Logitech Alert avoids both battery-replacement hassles and wireless interference. It even has audio! All you have to do is plug the powerline-enabled camera into a wall socket (power strip does not work), and a second powerline network receiver into another socket, next to a router or switch. The receiver then goes Cat5 into your home network, and out to the internet.

To view live or recorded streams, you can either use the Windows-only Logitech Alert Commander, or subscribe to the Alert Web to get the web-based, anywhere-accessible version and the cellphone viewer. If you don't need to do cellphone viewing, you can approximate the web-version by keeping a PC on at all times at home, and then VNCing into it when you're outside your house. Video quality will be a bit worse, but most of the time you don't need the video to be that smooth anyhow.

There's an included microSD card inside the camera to save triggered events, and you can also have your Logitech Alert software automatically download those events to your PC as well.
Eye in the sky, in your home

I tested an indoor version that was pointing out of a window looking over the front door—which is essentially the same task the outdoor version would accomplish. It allowed me to see who was at the door, or, if I wasn't home, to get motion-activated alerts when something happened. Some neat use cases:

Getting a full-body view of the person at the door, instead of just a chest-up peephole view
Emailed alerts of when the Fedex or UPS guy came
Automatically recording and archiving triggered events, so you could see whether or not the Fedex guy actually rang the bell or if he just threw the package and left


And if you place the camera, or multiple cameras inside your house:

Seeing if a pet or infant got into an area they weren't supposed to
Archived video in case you suspect your roommates are using your computers without permission
Documented evidence of sleepwalking and sleepeating
Pet cam
Baby cam

And so forth.
How it looks

The 750i has a 960x720 @ 15FPS camera with 130-degree wide-angle lens that covers a pretty big area at a decent frame rate. You can zoom in if you want, but I prefer the zoomed out full view. Here's a sample video of me coming back from a lunch run. It's pretty darn good—Logitech knows how to make webcams—especially compared to, again, more traditional home security cameras. This video's slightly compressed when uploaded to our system, but you can get a good sense of how it looks.

Is it worth it?

That kinda depends on you. If you live in an area where burglary is an issue, or if someone's regularly stealing your UPS packages, Logitech Alert is a decent idea. If you want to set up a quick and easy pet or baby cam, or if you have a maid or guests you don't quite trust with your valuables, there's the indoor version. At $300/$350, these cameras are cheap enough that you can start out with one, see how you like it, and have the option to expand to more if necessary.

SAMSUNG Introduces New 9 Series Laptop

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, today announced the 9 Series, a durable, ultra premium, lightweight laptop computer at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The 13.3-inch 9 Series offers mobile professionals and power users a sophisticated laptop equally suited for work and entertainment. Thanks to a stunning design, Samsung’s hallmark SuperBright Plus display and Intel performance processing power, the notebook ushers in a new era in mobile computing. The 9 Series will be available on display at Central Hall booth #12006, January 6-9, 2011.

“Weighing less than 3 lbs., Samsung has designed the 9 Series to stand out, completely reimagining the notion of the traditional laptop,” said Scott Ledterman, director of mobile PC marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. “When designing a premium laptop like the 9 Series, Samsung wanted to offer an unforgettable experience without limitations. The 9 Series laptop successfully combines elegant styling, performance and ease of use in an ultra thin and lightweight package.”

Unparalleled Styling
The 9 Series is made from material known as Duralumin, typically found in advanced aircrafts and offers construction quality twice as durable as aluminum, all while keeping the laptop weight under 3 lbs. To develop the 9 Series with the use of this new material, Samsung created an exhaustive testing process to ensure that the notebook is not only extremely sturdy, but also constructed with the perfect look and feel for technology savvy users.

The 9 Series’ naturally flowing design takes cues from the sleek styling and sophisticated beauty of a premium sports car. The silhouette evokes thoughts of speed and performance with an ultra-thin 0.64 inch profile. Additionally, the naturally flowing arch maximizes the laptop’s ergonomic appeal, making it easier to use and a natural fit for the human grip.

Ultra Vivid Display
The 13.3-inch 9 Series features a LED-backlit screen, offering users the highest quality visual experience expected from Samsung, thanks to SuperBright Plus display with 400- nit brightness. Digital images and multimedia are brought to life on the 9 Series, assisted by a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and true-to-life color reproduction (16 million colors), enriching the computing experience for end users.
Additionally, the wide 160-degree viewing angle allows users to appreciate breathtaking screen images from a variety of vantages points, making the 9 Series easy to use whether in a user’s lap, on a desk or shared in a communal space. The laptop’s ambient light sensor adjusts the display brightness based on surrounding lighting conditions and reduces user eye strain. This innovative feature is complemented by an automatically adjusting backlit keyboard that adapts to darker light conditions with greater illumination.

Innovation Inside
The 9 Series integrates the second generation Intel® CoreTM i5 processor, affording users the latest in performance computer technology. Intel HD graphics, combined with the new processor, deliver crystal-clear visuals, vibrant colors and smooth high-definition (HD) video and audio playback.
Ensuring users are ready anytime anywhere, the 9 Series makes use of Samsung’s new power-efficient lithium polymer batteries, and achieves up to 6.5 hours of battery life on average. Lithium polymer batteries extend the life of the product with double the lifespan for up to three years or 1,000 charging cycles. Additionally, various charging settings, like a “Battery Life Extender Mode” and “Express Charging Mode” empower users with options to get the most from their experience.

Signature Samsung Technology
Samsung’s Support Center ensures all content stays safe and can help troubleshoot any particular problem. Accessible with a keyboard shortcut, the Support Center helps users manage their system settings or arrange for a tech-support web chat. Samsung’s Back-up & Recovery Solution also allows users to create and restore back-ups of system data on the device, or on a network or removable storage device.

Lastly, focusing on convenience and connectivity, the new 9 Series boasts USB 3.0, Bluetooth 3.0, built-in WiMax and utilizes the latest in Wi-Fi and USB Sleep & Charge technologies.

The Samsung 9 Series is scheduled to be available in February 2011, starting at $1,599. All Samsung mobile PC products are available through Samsung resellers and distribution channels, which can be located by calling 1-800-SAMSUNG or by visiting www.samsung.com.

Key Specs:
• CPU: Second Generation Intel® CoreTM i5 Processor 2537M (1.40 GHz, 3MB; turbo up to 2.3 GHz)
• Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 bit) / Windows® 7 Professional (64 bit)
• Memory: 4GB DDR3
• Storage (max): 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Screen: 13.3-inch HD LED-backlit SuperBright Plus display (400 nit)
• Resolution: 1366x768
• Graphics: Intel HD GT2 Integrated Graphics
• Speakers: 3 watt (1.5W x 2) stereo speakers and 1.5 watt sub-woofer
• Battery: Lithium Polymer; up to 6.5 hours
• Wireless: 802.11b/g/n; WiMaxi
• Weight: 2.89 lbs.

About Samsung Electronics America Enterprise Business Division
Based in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung’s Enterprise Business Division (EBD) is a division of Samsung Electronics America (SEA), a U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd. (SEC), the world’s largest technology company based on revenue. As one of the fastest growing IT companies in the world, Samsung EBD is committed to serving the needs of consumers ranging from the home user to the Fortune 500 elite and supporting the valued channel partners who serve our customers. Samsung EBD offers a complete line of award-winning color and mono-laser printing solutions, desktop monitors, laptop computers, digital signage solutions and projectors. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com or call 1-800-SAMSUNG.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning, digital consumer electronics and home appliance products, including HDTVs, home theater systems, MP3 players, digital imaging products, refrigerators and washing machines. A recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology, Samsung is the HDTV market leader in the U.S. Please visit www.samsung.com for more information.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 174,000 people in 193 offices across 66 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

5 How to remove malware

If you suspect that your system is infected and you need to manually remove the malware, follow these steps:

• In order to remove malware manually, you should be in Safe Mode first. Press the F8 key when you start your computer in Windows, and select the 'safe mode' option on the screen. If this procedure does not work, try changing the start-up option, if necessary, to boot from floppy/CD and insert a clean boot disk or CD. Then reboot.
• Run an up-to-date antivirus program from a clean CD. Note all suspicious files it detects or save the scan report.
• Use malware-specific removal tools (see AntiVir Removal Tool). They can repair (if possible) infected files and registry entries and they can remove other malware-related files from the infected system.
• Manually disinfect the system:
  
  1. Find and terminate malware processes and remove non-malware files related and used by malware. Tips: apart from the suspicious file names enumerated in a scan report, identify irregular file names or directories, strange file properties (hidden files, no file version or supplier name, abnormal file dates…); look-up the malware name on the Internet, to find out more details about the files it uses to run;
  2. Eliminate malware entries from the Registry, INI files, Services (Windows NT), Start Menu, Task Scheduler;
  3. Check the installed screensaver programs, games and other utilities;
  4. Delete web browser cache (Temporary Internet Files) and browser history, cookies and other suspect temporary files;
  5. Empty the Recycle Bin.
• Install an up-to-date antivirus program on your system.
  Reboot.
• Run a complete disk scanning.
• Make a habit of elementary security rules!

Kind Of Viruses

Adware

Adware is software that presents banner ads or in pop-up windows through a bar that appears on a computer screen. Those advertising spots usually can't be removed and are consequently always visible. The connection data allow many conclusions on the usage behavior and are problematic in terms of data security.

Backdoors

A backdoor can gain access to a computer by going around the computer access security mechanisms.
A program that is being executed in the background generally enables the attacker almost unlimited rights. User's personal data can be spied with the backdoor's help, but are mainly used to install further computer viruses or worms on the relevant system.
Boot viruses

The boot or master boot sector of hard drives is mainly infected by boot sector viruses. They overwrite important information necessary for the system execution. One of the awkward consequences: the computer system cannot be loaded any more…
Bot-Net

A Bot-Net is collection of software bots, which run autonomously. A Bot-Net can comprise a collection of cracked machines running programs (usually referred to as worms, Trojans) under a common command and control infrastructure. Boot-Nets server various purposes, including Denial-of-service attacks, etc., partly without the affected PC user's knowledge. The main potential of Bot-Nets is that the networks can achieve dimensions on thousands of computers and its bandwidth sum bursts most conventional Internet accesses.
Dialer

A dialer is a computer program that establishes a connection to the Internet or to another computer network through the telephone line or the digital ISDN network. Fraudsters use dialers to charge users high rates when dialing up to the Internet without their knowledge.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)

Botnet drones are usually able to attack servers, too: by sending numerous requests to a server from many infected clients simultaneously, they slow the server down. The server can no longer answer regular user requests.
EICAR test file

The EICAR test file is a test pattern that was developed at the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research for the purpose to test the functions of anti-virus programs. It is a text file which is 68 characters long and its file extension is “.COM” all virus scanners should recognize as virus.
Exploit

An exploit (vulnerability) is a computer program or script that takes advantage of a bug, glitch or vulnerability leading to privilege escalation or denial of service on a computer system. A form of an exploit for example are attacks from the Internet with the help of manipulated data packages. Programs can be infiltrated in order to obtain higher access.
Grayware

Grayware operates in a way similar to malware, but it is not spread to harm the users directly. It does not affect the system functionality as such. Mostly, information on the patterns of use is collected in order to either sell these data or to place advertisements systematically.
Hoaxes

The users have obtained virus alerts from the Internet for a few years and alerts against viruses in other networks that are supposed to spread via email. These alerts are spread per email with the request that they should be sent to the highest possible number of colleagues and to other users, in order to warn everyone against the "danger".
Honeypot

A honeypot is a service (program or server), which is installed in a network.
It has the function to monitor a network and to protocol attacks. This service is unknown to the legitime user - because of this reason he is never addressed. If an attacker examines a network for the weak points and uses the services which are offered by a Honeypot, it is protocolled and an alert sets off.
Keystroke logging

Keystroke logging is a diagnostic tool used in software development that captures the user's keystrokes. It can be useful to determine sources of error in computer systems and is sometimes used to measure employee productivity on certain clerical tasks. Like this, confidential and personal data, such as passwords or PINs, can be spied and sent to other computers via the Internet.
Macro viruses

Macro viruses are small programs that are written in the macro language of an application (e.g. WordBasic under WinWord 6.0) and that can normally only spread within documents of this application. Because of this, they are also called document viruses. In order to be active, they need that the corresponding applications are activated and that one of the infected macros has been executed. Unlike "normal" viruses, macro viruses do consequently not attack executable files but they do attack the documents of the corresponding host-application.
Polymorph viruses

Polymorph viruses are the real masters of disguise. They change their own programming codes - and are therefore very hard to detect.
Program viruses

A computer virus is a program that is capable to attach itself to other programs after being executed and cause an infection. Viruses multiply themselves unlike logic bombs and Trojans. In contrast to a worm, a virus always requires a program as host, where the virus deposits his virulent code. The program execution of the host itself is not changed as a rule.
Scareware

The term scareware refers to software which has been designed with the intent to cause anxiety or panic. The victim could be tricked and feels threatened and usually accepts an offer to pay and have the inexistent threat removed. In some cases the victim is seduced to cause the attack himself by making him think this intervention will successfully remove the threat.
Script viruses and worms

Such viruses are extremely easy to program and they can spread - if the required technology is on hand - within a few hours via email round the globe.
Script viruses and worms use a script language such as Javascript, VBScript etc. to infiltrate in other new scripts or to spread by activation of operating system functions. This frequently happens via email or through the exchange of files (documents).
A worm is a program that multiplies itself but that does not infect the host. Worms can consequently not form part of other program sequences. Worms are often the only possibility to infiltrate any kind of damaging programs on systems with restrictive security measures.
Security Privacy Risk (SPR)

The term "SPR/" ("Security or Privacy Risk") refers to a program which can damage the security of your system, trigger program activities you do not want or harm your private environment.
Spyware

Spyware are so called spy programs that intercept or take partial control of a computer's operation without the user's informed consent. Spyware is designed to exploit infected computers for commercial gain. Typical tactics furthering this goal include delivery of unsolicited pop-up advertisements. AntiVir is able to detect this kind of software with the category "ADSPY" or "adware-spyware".
Trojan horses (short Trojans)

Trojans are pretty common nowadays. We are talking about programs that pretend to have a particular function, but that show their real image after execution and carry out a different function that, in most cases, is destructive. Trojan horses cannot multiply themselves, which differenciates them from viruses and worms. Most of them have an interesting name (SEX.EXE or STARTME.EXE) with the intention to induce the user to start the Trojan. Immediately after execution they become active and can, for example, format the hard drive. A dropper is a special form of Trojan that 'drops' viruses, i.e. embeds viruses on the computer system.
Zombie

A Zombie-PC is a computer that is infected with malware programs and that enables hackers to abuse computers via remote control for criminal purposes. The affected PC, for example, can start Denial-of-Service- (DoS) attacks at command or send spam and phishing emails.

Google Adds Site-Filtering Feature to Search

Ever wish you could keep certain sites from showing up in your Google search results? Thanks to a new feature being rolled out right now, you can. Google announced the debut of a site-blocking search tool via its official company blog on Thursday. The tool is simple to use: When you click on a site in a Google search and then go back to Google -- presumably because you weren't satisfied with what you found -- you'll see a new option on the results page to block the site from future searches. All you have to do is click it, and the site will never show up for you again.

Your search site-blocking preferences are saved in your Google account, so you'll have to be logged in for the feature to work.

And don't worry: Your search-blocking changes aren't set in stone. Anytime a site is omitted from a search because of your blocking, Google will display a small message letting you know something's been removed. You'll have an option to unmask the hidden results, if you're so inclined. You can also manage your virtual blacklist via your Google search settings.

The Google search-blocking feature will become available to everyone over the next few days. As of now, it'll function only in English and only for users on Chrome 9 or higher, Internet Explorer 8 or higher, and Firefox 3.5 or higher.
Google Search Filtering: The Bigger Picture

If this whole thing has you feeling a sense of déjà vu, don't worry: You aren't losing your mind. Google announced a similar search-filtering feature about a month ago in the form of an extension for the Chrome browser. The extension did almost the same exact thing as this new feature, except for the fact that it worked on the browser-level instead of on Google's own servers.

It's all part of Google's steady efforts to combat the presence of search spam -- a fancy term for low-quality entries that show up in search results. Google has increasingly come under fire for search spam in recent weeks, with some bloggers and pundits saying the company's level of search-result junk is spiraling out of control. The concerns revolve largely around so-called "content farms," or sites that generate lots of pages with little real value. Many of these sites monitor popular search queries and create pages for the sole purpose of attracting traffic, even though they have no original or relevant content to offer.

Google also recently adjusted its search algorithm to try to keep those sites from cluttering up results. The change, announced in late February, is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites and give higher rankings to sites with more original and in-depth material.

Origin Genesis: Liquid-Cooled Behemoth Masters Benchmarks and Budgets

Origin GenesisThe performance desktop category plays host to all manner of pricey, powerful PCs. Despite being a relative newcomer to our rankings, Origin has fit right in, topping our charts and our benchmarks with premium components and generous overclocking. The company's latest update to its Genesis is no exception. (The Genesis line is also one of the priciest, though the new version will cost less than its near-$7000 predecessor -- specifically, $6399, as of 1/12/2010.)

The all-new Genesis packs Intel's second-generation Core i7-2600K CPU -- overclocked to a staggering 5GHz, and kept stable with liquid cooling. Origin has further outfitted the machine with 16GB of RAM, and just over 2.1TB of storage -- which includes a pair of 128GB solid-state drives in RAID 0. It earned a score of 223 on our WorldBench 6 benchmark suite, making this overclocked goliath the fastest machine we've seen to date.

Gaming performance was equally impressive, thanks to the three Nvidia GTX 580 GPUs arranged in SLI. In S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, it reached an average of 101 frames per second. And in the graphically intensive Just Cause 2, we saw an average of 47 frames per second.

Like its predecessor, the latest Genesis is housed in the Corsair 800D chassis. In fact, apart from the updated hardware, it is largely identical. The case is large and spacious, offering hot-swappable hard-drive bays on the front, as well as room inside for more 5.25-inch drives. It's also largely tool-free, with side walls that pop off at the push of a button. The graphics cards are held in place by thumbscrews, but the rest of the bays are accessible by way of sliding plastic latches.

My favorite new chassis feature? The remote-controlled lighting. You can pick your preferred color or simply cycle through them, bathing the interior of the machine with psychedelic rave lights. Sure, it serves no functional purpose. But sometimes bragging rights are their own reward.

Despite the cavernous chassis, there's actually little room for tinkering. Like its predecessor, the Genesis is liquid-cooled. A network of tubes across the CPU and the GPUs make the case's internals cramped, and the 5.25-inch bays are largely blocked by the reservoir. The Genesis packs a multiformat card reader, a Blu-Ray burner, and audio controls up front, but you aren't going to be able to fit much else in there. The motherboard's PCI slots are similarly blocked by the liquid-cooled GPUs.

Connectivity options abound. Hidden behind a panel on the face of the machine are four USB ports and one FireWire port, along with the headphone and microphone jacks. The aforementioned multiformat card reader offers a fifth USB port.

On the rear, you'll find a Serial PS/2 keyboard and mouse combo port, dual gigabit ethernet ports, a pair of eSATA ports, 7.1 analog and optical audio ports, a Bluetooth receiver, and a whipping eight USB 3.0 ports, making this one of the first machines we've reviewed that's focused on next-gen connectivity. The graphics cards offer a total of six DVI ports, and three Mini-HDMI ports.

Origin's updated Genesis outpaces Maingear's $8000 Shift Super Stock in general performance, and price. But that's largely a testament to the the impressive performance we've seen out of Intel's Sandy Bridge offerings. And when you don't have a $1000 Core i7-980X CPU or a custom paint job on your balance sheet, you can afford to lower costs -- or in Origin's case, to add more RAM and an internal light show. But despite being the first of many Sandy Bridge desktops to pass through our gates, you can bet that this behemoth won't be bested any time soon.

IDC: Windows Phones to Overtake iPhone iOS by 2015

The Windows operating system for smartphones is expected to gain market share in the next few years thanks to Nokia, eventually leapfrogging the iOS system used on Apple's iPhone. But Google Android will remain atop the field.
That's according to International Data Corporation's latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report. IDC predicts Android will have 43.8 percent of the market in 2015, followed by Windows Phone at 20.3 percent. Apple's iOS will trail at 16.9 percent. The future projections would be a significant improvement for Windows Phone, which will account for just 3.8 percent of the market by the end of this year, according to IDC's figures.
At the end of this year, Android is projected to have the most market share at 38.9 percent, IDC says, followed by Nokia's Symbian at 20.6 percent, and then iOS at 18.2 percent. However, Nokia has declared Symbian dead and its current market position relates largely to Nokia's traditionally dominant position in global markets, particularly those outside the U.S. IDC noted in its Thursday report that Nokia has committed to support Symbian devices until 2016.
Last year, Nokia declared an audacious switch to Windows Phone for its mobile devices. This is what fuels IDC's predictions, although IDC hopes Nokia's take-up of Microsoft's mobile OS will be trouble-free. Bearing in mind Nokia is far from healthy these days, with sales forecast updates putting its stock price into free-fall, this is far from assured. The Mango update of Windows Phone 7, due at the end of this year, is also fuelling IDC's predictions.
IDC expects nearly 1 billion smartphones to ship in 2015, more than double the 472 million projected to ship this year. It says expanding markets as well as falling handset prices and cheaper data plans will fuel the growth. IDC also says feature phones, which dominate the handset market right now and are built around features such as music playback, will decline in number.
If true, IDC's estimates for 2015 represent a mirror of the early personal computer market in the mid-1980s when Apple pioneered technological standards and gained significant market share but then lost ground to the clone market of PCs running the identical, easily-licensed operating system. The difference here is that Google Android takes the role of MS-DOS and in IDC's projections Microsoft is largely relying on a single hardware vendor -- Nokia -- for an upward surge in its fortunes.
Success in the mobile arena would be new for Microsoft, which despite investing millions of dollars in mobile since the 1990s, has never seen the kind of return on its investment it's found elsewhere. While the smartphone market has been growing, Microsoft's market share has been plummeting.
An issue not taken into account by IDC is Google's legal troubles relating to Android software patents, which could stunt its growth and even make manufacturers less likely to use it on their handsets.
Apple might also diversify its iPhone range, which could significantly increase the iOS market share. After launching the iPod, Apple split the product line into Touch, Shuffle and Nano models, and could easily do so with the iPhone. There have been many rumors suggesting Apple might launch an iPhone Nano, for example, which as well as being smaller than the iPhone, could also be targeted at a more budget conscious audience that simply can't afford the premium-priced existing models.
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Hidden Camera Video Spy Pen Review

Original Sphere Pen Camera – Hidden Video Spy Pen in Silver-trimmed Black Executive Pen. A Sphere Gadget Technologies brand product. 640 x 480 pixel. 4GB. Comes in original Sphere gift box. Descriptions : NOTE: Please ensure you purchase from an authorized Sphere seller. Ensure the product you receive looks exactly as shown in the images. Customers have experienced receiving counterfeit Sphere products from unauthorized sellers and left negative reviews. ** The original SPHERE spy pen to catch your family and friends on video without them noticing! Encased in this elegant looking executive pen is a 2.0 megapixel CMOS lens that captures video in super-clear HQ 640 x 480 pixel resolution. Thanks to the Micron Chipset processor, video saves in a smooth 30 frames per seconds – the frame rate you get from most full-sized digital cameras! The SPHERE spy pen also takes JPEG still images at 1600 x 1200 photo resolution, all at the push of a button. 4GB of built-in internal memory that can store over 1 hour 30 minutes of video footage. Viewing and copying files is easy – unscrew the barrel of the pen to reveal the USB port which connects to your PC or MAC. No adapters/cables or drivers needed. Once connected, the unit becomes a conventional 4GB flash drive. Simply drag and copy files to transfer the video and images onto your computer in minutes! Turn pen tip to extend ballpoint pen to write just like any other pen. Perfect for sales, law enforcers, spy shopping, pranks, parties, spy games, home movies, internet fun, lawyers, evidence collection and more. *Compatible with most Windows PC and Apple MAC O/S. * Video files plays back under most video playing software including Windows Media Player, Quick Time, Real Player, VLC, WinDVD, PowerDVD and more. Also comes with KMplayer video playing software. **Built for performance, quality and reliability. —To protect your legal liability and interests, audio recording feature has been deliberately disabled in this model. Consequently, this product complies with 18 U.S.C. 2512 (criminal procedure: wiretapping law) making this the first and only LEGAL surveillance spy pen in the market today.

The original spy pen designed and developed by Sphere Gadgets Technologies. Version 3.51, new 2011 model.

4GB built-in flash drive allows more than 1.5 hour of HQ video data recording, or store up to 8,000 still pictures.

Powered by SGT’s Micron Chipset – the advanced video capture enchancement processing unit.

Inconspicuous hidden CMOS camera in pen offers steathy video recording at 640 x 480 pixel resolution, or

Plug-and-plays into your PC and/or MAC computers. Built-in Li-ion battery charged by USB from computer or wall socket.

Capture still images at 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution.

Compare of Original Sphere Pen Camera – Hidden Video Spy Pen in Silver-trimmed Black Executive Pen. A Sphere Gadget Technologies brand product. 640 x 480 pixel. 4GB. Comes in original Sphere gift box.

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All About Chrome OS Laptops

The spotlight on Day Two of the Google I/O developer event here in San Francisco was firmly on the company's Chrome OS. After six months in which only a prototype was available, laptops running Google's Chrome operating system will finally come to market for consumers, businesses and education. Two Chrome laptops, one made by Asus and one by Samsung, will be sold by Best Buy and Amazon in the US starting June 15. And Google announced inexpensive lease deals that will give businesses laptops and other infrastructure, support and end-of-life hardware replacements for just $28 per user per month.

The keynote was every bit as news-heavy and action-packed as the first day keynote: Google also unveiled some Chrome OS upgrades that give users more control over locally stored files, along with announcing several key HTML5-related updates to its Chrome browser. But the announcement that got some of the biggest cheers was this one: Angry Birds will become available as a desktop app in the Chrome Web Store!

The huge hall here at the Moscone Center was nearly full, with around 4,000 developers, media people and others.

Chrome Laptops for Consumers

The Samsung Chrome OS laptop will have a 12.1 inch display, "all-day" battery usage, Wi-Fi and an option for Verizon 3G service. The Wi-Fi only version will cost $429, while the 3G version will go for $499. The Acer Chrome Book will have an 11.6-inch screen and Wi-Fi, and will sell for "$349 and up."

Google's slogan for the Chromebooks is "Chromebook: Nothing but the web." The argument behind it is this: The Chromebook is almost completely an internet device. If you can do your work and access your content on the web, you don't need the virus updates, slow local services, and endless startup process that can plague a conventional PC.

But Google clearly knows that asking users to give up the security of a local hard drive and conventional desktop software is a hard sell. So it tried to make businesses a particularly compelling offer.
Google wants businesses to use the new Chromebooks to quickly and inexpensively update their laptops to run a modern OS. Google says half of all company-owned PCs in America still run Windows XP.

To make the Chromebooks fit in better in the office, Google is working on a "Chrome Box", a flat square box that connects Chromebooks to large monitors and company file systems.

And here's the kicker: Google says it is offering businesses the Chromebooks, the Chrome Box, full support, full warrantee service and automatic end-of-life equipment replacement at a price of $28 per month per user. (I think I heard a couple gasps around me when this was announced.)

In short, Google is seriously upping the ante in its challenge to Microsoft in the workplace. It's already making inroads with its Google Docs cloud-based productivity apps, but now it has dramatically sweetened its offer to provide the OS and even the hardware, too. At this price, Google's offer could be a very attractive to many businesses.

A similar offer is being extended to education, but the price per month per user for schools is only $20.
Improvements to OS

The biggest problem with the Chrome OS to date is that it's been so completely about the web that you really miss being able to do things like download and install apps or play music or video content on the local hard drive. You just couldn't do that in the first iteration of Chrome OS.

Knowing this Google appears to have made some real-world concessions in response to the problem. It has added a file manager, where you can store music and video files you've downloaded. There's also a new media player in the OS that you can use to play the content. This alone makes me want to give Chrome OS another chance.

Google says the OS will stream content from Hulu and Netflix and the new media manager will plug into the new Google Music Beta and Google Movies services. The OS handles photos better now too. Users can now plug in a camera to the Chromebook, move photos from the camera, then store them in the cloud.
Chrome Browser Improvements

The day wasn't all about the Chromebook. Google announced today several cool new HTML5 tricks for its Chrome browser. Google has been a strong proponent of HTML5, which it says developers can use to develop one version of a Website or service that will have advanced capabilities, and most importantly, work on "all modern browsers."

Google has built some impressive APIs for the Chrome browser that will help developers create cool web pages faster. For instance, developers can use a Google API to build voice recognition into their apps. Google says it has also improved the hardware acceleration of its browser, which revs up the graphics card in the PC to render highly dense, colorful animated graphics.
Google also made several announcements about its Web App Store, where Chrome users can grab apps to run in the Chrome browser. Google says that people spend twice as much time in Chrome apps compared with apps on other platforms, and make two and a half times more purchases within the apps.

When the guy who made Angry Birds took the stage here it was clear that the popular game had come to the desktop as a Chrome App. Huge applause. Developers, it appears, love Angry Birds too. (It occurred to me that employers everywhere should mourn the time and productivity that just went out the window with the announcement of a desktop-based game as addictive as Angry Birds.)

The only thing developers love more: Keeping as much money as possible from the sale of their apps. Google got uproarious applause with the announcement that it will take only a 5 percent flat commission on each app sold by a developer at the Web Store. Apple, by contrast, takes a 30 percent commission on app sales.

Finally, Google announced today that everybody in the room will be getting a Chromebook, so I will give it a thorough run-through and let you know if the "Web book" is finally, really, ready for prime time.

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Review HP EliteBook 8460p

HP's new EliteBook line looks much like models in the older EliteBook line, such as the EliteBook 8440w we reviewed 15 months ago. Yes, the external skin offers a more pleasing brushed aluminum aesthetic, but it's still a little clunky looking. You could call it the gray flannel suit of laptop computing.

The latest EliteBook 8460p is the smallest model in the EliteBook lineup, with a 14-inch screen and a weight of about 5.5 pounds. The new model is equipped with one of the latest-generation Intel Core CPUs. Our review unit carried a 2.5GHz Core i5 2520M with a maximum turbo boost speed of 3.2GHz. HP's configuration also included 4GB of RAM, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit edition, and a Radeon HD 6470M mobile GPU.

The Radeon HD 6470M is fully DirectX 11-compliant, but it's unlikely to give you much of a performance boost in current-generation DX11 games: Its 3DMark 2011 performance score is a modest 598. T play hardcore games, you'll have to dial down the resolution and detail settings substantially.

But the EliteBook 8460p is all about business, not play, and HP includes a robust package of software that caters to business users. HP ProtectTools, for example, gives end users and IT managers fine-grain control over security features, such as drive encryption and user login control. ProtectTools includes facial-recognition software that can work in concert with your Bluetooth-enabled phone to verify that the person logging in is really you.

HP Power Assistant is a reskinning of the Windows Power Management controls, but it isn't deeply buried and it's substantially more user-friendly than its predecessor. Like ProtectTools, Power Assistant supports remote management by IT system administrators, if the right HP management suite is running on the server.

The laptop's overall performance was about average for a system of its class, with a PC WorldBench 6 score of 124. Battery life is quite good, at well over 5 hours in the PCWorld Labs' battery life test.

The keyboard's feel is excellent, with good tactile feedback during touch-typing sessions. HP supplies both a pointing stick and a trackpad, plus two sets of buttons located to provide optimal support for each pointing device. Even though I'm a trackpad user, I liked having both sets of buttons at hand, since I could easily reach one button or another with different fingers while touch-typing. The trackpad is well-designed, too--not too sensitive and offering good support for multitouch-gesture recognition.

Another plus is the matte-finish LCD panel in place of a glossy glass display. Matte finishes sometimes yield somewhat muted color saturation, but the resulting display is much more usable because it minimizes reflections and glare. Video playback quality was excellent: DVD upscaling showed only a little edge enhancement, and we noted good detail levels on the native 1366-by-768-pixel screen. (HP also offers 1600 by 900 resolution as an option.) High-definition playback scaled down to native resolution looked very nice.

On the other hand, the overall audio quality through the built-in speakers was abysmal. Without the SRS audio enhancement software activated, maximum perceived sound levels were very low, and music had a tinny, grating quality. With SRS switched on, the speakers' perceived loudness went up, but the sound stage seemed muddy and treble was completely lost in the midrange. I played around with different settings, but ultimately I couldn't improve the music-listening experience. Surprisingly, movie audio quality was somewhat better, though still muddy sounding. I strongly recommend that you use headphones or external speakers if you plan on listening to a lot of music.

The EliteBook 8460p we tested shipped with a 320GB Hitachi hard drive and a DVD-recordable optical drive. The hard drive seemed a bit sluggish, and the system took several minutes to boot. HP does offer larger-capacity hard-disk drives as well as several solid-state drive options. On the optical front, you can add Blu-ray as an option.

The system comes with plenty of connections, including a USB 2.0 port on the right side that's designed to make charging USB-connected mobile devices easier. The other USB 2.0 port on the right is a combo eSATA port. Two SuperSpeed (USB 3.0) ports are on the left side.

The left side also houses an ExpressCard slot, a four-pin FireWire connector, and the optical drive. A VGA connector, ethernet, and an actual V.92 modem connector is built into the back. A full-size DisplayPort connector is available on the right side, as are a pair of audio mini-jacks--one input and one output. Our unit shipped with 802.11n, Bluetooth, and gigabit ethernet. Cell-phone-style mobile broadband cards are available as an extra-cost add-on.

The preconfigured model of the 8460p delivered to PCWorld is priced at $1199--a touch high for a midrange business class laptop with its configuration and performance. However, it's price is considerably lower than that of any custom-configured unit.

Overall, the HP EliteBook 8460p offers decent performance, a good display, and a great keyboard in an unassuming exterior design. The price for preconfigured models is reasonable, given some of the system management features built into the EliteBook. So if you're looking for a fairly light business-class all-purpose laptop that gets the job done without being flashy, the 8460p deserves closer inspection. Just remember to bring your own headphones.



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Mini Wireless Spy Camera 2.4GHz Color Spycam

Introducing the World's Smallest "Truly Wireless" COLOR Spy Camera. Measuring about the size of a dime, concealing this camera is not a problem. The transmitter uses the 2,400MHz "switch phase" circuitry to GUARANTEE no interference from cordless phones.

Digital circuitry ensures no lost video from external wireless devices. Range is a minimum of 300 feet through walls. In an open area the transmission range jumps up to 600 feet.

The color sensor is Sharp brand so you can expect excellent quality. The best performing color wireless cmos camera on the market, PERIOD.

Feature :

Operation is SIMPLE. Anyone can use this amazing wireless camera.
Simply snap a 9 volt battery onto the camera/transmitter unit
Attach The Wireless Receiver To Your VCR or Television
THAT IS ALL THERE IS TO IT!


Covert video surveillance has never been easier. With the ability to use a single 9 volt battery, concealment is no problem. Hide in a plant, a book, a video case, air vent, automobile, the only requirement is to make sure the small pinhole lens is facing the video surveillance target. When properly placed, the wide camera angle will give you a complete view of a normal size room.


Spesification :


Color 420 Line Sharp Sensor @ 2 Lux
600 Foot (line of sight) Range
300 Foot (through walls) Range
Operates on a Single 9 Volt Battery
Matching 2.4GHz Wireless Receiver Included
Size = 2/3" Cube
Field Of View 80 Degrees
Pinhole Style Lens
NTSC (U.S.A.) Video System


Usage :


Nanny Camera
Residential Surveillance
Small Business Surveillance
Automobile Security / Back-Up Camera
R/C Enthusiast in Airplanes and Helicopters
Motorcycle Helmet Camera
Great For Any Application Requiring Small Size and Portable Use


Content :

1 Full Color Miniature Wireless Video Camera
1 Perfectly Matched 2.4GHz Wireless Receiver
1 Video Cable For Receiver To VCR/TV Hook Up
2 9V Battery Clips for Camera and Receiver
Satisfaction of Owning The World's Smallest Color Wireless Camera





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Hidden Spy Camera Sunglasses DVR Camera Video TF Card Black Red Blue

Specification

• Product Name: 2GB 4GB 8GB Hidden Spy Camera Sunglasses DVR Camera Video TF Card Black Red Blue
• Effective: 2011-05-20 - 2011-06-19
• Item Code: g153012278
• Catalog: Spy Sunglasses
• Package Size: 30 * 30 * 20 ( cm )
• G.W./package: 1.500 (kg)
• Short Description: 2GB 4GB 8GB Hidden Spy Camera Sunglasses DVR Camera Video TF Card Black Red Blue Grey DVR68 freeshipping
  2GB 4GB 8GB Hidden Spy Camera Sunglasses DVR Camera Video TF Card Black Red Blue Grey DVR68

Description

Features:
Support several audio formats, e.g. wmv, mp3, wma, and other music formats.
Polaroid Lens from brand makers
User friendly operation button for easy control
With extended memory slot for TF/MicroSD Card
Easy connection with PC/Laptops, no driver needed
Built-in 2GB memory with extended memory for as long as 5 hours video recording
Sleek and elegant design suits for both men and women users
Real time recording
Recommended for journalists, traffic , travelers and students
Product Specifications:
Product Size 170mm x 160mm x 40mm
Physical weight 39grams
Speed Read>700kbs, write>500kbs
USB 2.0
Power supply Embedded 550mAh Li-polymer Battery
Power duration 4-5 hours
Power Adapter 5V DC/500mAh
Power Consumption <0.4W
Memory Built-in 2GB-8GB, Support TF/MicroSD card, .4GB
Resolution 640x480 1.3mage photo :1280*1024
Video Format AVI
Recording Speed 30fps
Working temperature 0°C - 60°C
Storage temperature -20°C - 80°C
Player Quicktime, Real player, codec
Menu Language English
Operating System Windows 98/ /XP/2000/Vista



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Hands On With the Samsung Chromebook Series 5

Hang on, folks, because mobile computing has just got a bit more interesting. Google’s Chrome OS is finally ready for the wild--two years after its launch—and the Samsung Chromebook Series 5, due out on June 15, will be one of two laptops to showcase Google’s Web-based operating system.
When Chrome OS was first announced two years ago, I wondered if we really needed another mobile OS. Many of my questions still stand, especially given the runaway success of Android. But after taking the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 for a spin tonight, I was pleasantly surprised to see how far some aspects of the laptop and its OS have come.

From the outside, the Chromebook looks like any other ultralight laptop, save for the Google Chrome logo on the outside cover. It measures 11.6 by 8.6 by 0.8 inches, compact, but not especially svelte.
Its weight doesn’t impress, either. At 3.3 pounds, it’s no featherweight like the Apple MacBook Air; however, at least the Chromebook felt deceptively lighter than it is, a phenomenon I’d credit to how well-balanced the laptop felt in hand. I was surprised by how easily I could grip the Chromebook in one hand, actually.

One of the big selling points of Chromebook is its near-instant-on capability. It starts up in under 10 seconds from a cold boot, and it's ready to use as soon as you open the lid to wake it from sleep. The latter mirrors the sense of immediacy one gets with a Google Android 3.0 tablet, but that cold boot time remains an important differentiator. Android continues to have overhead bottlenecks that cause startup and shutdown times to take some time. None of the Android 3.0 tablets I’ve tested have wowed me with their boot times; and for a couple, I literally was able to grab some iced tea and down half of it before the tablet came to life again.

While some of the Chromebook’s startup zippiness has to be credited to the design of Google’s Chrome OS, some of it, perhaps, could be due to the components inside. The Series 5 actually runs components that echo today’s netbooks: It has a 1.66GHz dual-core Intel Atom N570 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 16GB mSATA SSD (used for caching data locally). Those specs are meatier than what you’ll find in an Android tablet today.

Physical connectivity on the Series 5 Chromebook is minimal. All ports along the sides are tucked away beneath covers, except for a lone USB 2.0 port at the far right rear of the laptop. You get an SDHC card slot at front, another USB 2.0 port beneath a cover at the left, a video-out port, and a full-size SIM card slot (on the 3G-capable white and titanium models). The 3.5mm headphone jack doubles as a microphone input as well; and the Chromebook has a 1-megapixel Webcam for video chat.
The island-style keyboard felt very roomy and comfortable for my touch-typist fingers. I liked the smooth and roomy trackpad as well; it wasn’t stiff, as I’ve found with other touchpads that double as the mouse buttons. The keyboard swaps out the function keys of yore for a row of browser-friendly keys, though the idea of having navigation buttons like page back, page forward, refresh, and new window situated so far up on the keyboard seems like it may be counterproductive (I’d prefer such keys to be more handily situated, but I’ll need more time with the laptop to tell how well they work in practice).

I was encouraged at the Google I/O keynote introducing the Chromebook to hear about the file manager that’s been added to Chromebook. I’ve been tracking the challenges of native file handling in mobile operating systems, and was eager to give this feature a try on Chromebook.

My torture test was simple: I pulled out a random USB drive and attached it to the USB port. Chrome OS quickly recognized external storage was attached, and up popped the file manager as another tab in the Chrome browser on-screen. I was able to view my folders and files, select a file, preview the image in a pane at right, or double-click to open the image.

The high-resolution images didn’t always automatically resize to fit the screen (as they do when you double-click on a photo in Microsoft Windows Explorer and open it Window Photo Viewer), but they looked good on the 12.1-inch, 1280 by 800 pixel display. Really good. Colors were vibrant and accurately rendered--no small trick, as we’ve seen from Android 3.0’s snafus. The file manager remains limited for now--the version I used lacked the ability to do basic file copy functions--but a Google rep promised that functionality will be in place soon.
While nosing around the Chrome OS interface, I looked at how apps appear in the Chrome browser (see the image above) I also tried replicating my usual Web browsing experience in the Chromebook’s Chrome browser. (Hrm. I think I just tested how many times one can put Chrome into a sentence.) The usage I was trying to gauge here was the scenario that sees 30-some-odd tabs open simultaneously--and that’s just in one window. While I learned about a couple of interface shortcuts, like jumping to a different tab by pressing the tab number and a key combo, while talking with Google reps about this scenario, I learned that right now, it’s not easy to move among scores of open tabs. Those tabs were reduced down to tiny tabs with just “…” as a tab identifier—and that’s no way to figure out what’s actually on that tab.

Considering these tabs will, in the Chrome OS universe, represent your open documents, media files, applications, and Web pages, this is an interface challenge that Google will need to crack, and soon. Google reps said that several approaches are being considered, but nothing has been nailed down as yet. Of course, this is where Chromebook and Chrome OS’s regular updates, currently scheduled for once every six weeks, will come in handy.

I’m not convinced that everyone will want, or even need, a Chromebook. But what I saw so far looks to have promise. And with pricing for Samsung’s models starting at $430 for the Wi-Fi version, and $499 for the 3G version, the Chromebok looks set to give standard netbooks and ultralight laptops some new competition.



Source : http://www.pcworld.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Everything There Is To Know

The Android tablet race is about to get a dashing new contender.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 will officially launch next week, the company announced on Thursday. The Galaxy Tab will go on sale in New York City on June 8, with a limited number of units available at the Best Buy in Union Square. The device will reach stores nationwide nine days later, on June 17th.


So what's Samsung's new Galaxy Tab all about, and is it right for you? Take a quick scan of the high points -- and the low ones -- and see what you think.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 design has certainly earned a lot of attention. The company originally unveiled the device in February -- then, after seeing Apple's iPad 2, decided to pull back the product and go back to square one.

The new Galaxy Tab is billed as the world's thinnest tablet, beating out Apple's offering by a hair: The 10.1 Tab is 8.6 millimeters thick compared to the iPad 2's 8.8-millimeter size. The Galaxy Tab is also slightly lighter, at 565 grams compared to the iPad 2's 601-gram weight.

Look, when it comes down to it, the differences are pretty -- shall we say -- slim. The point is this: The Galaxy Tab is really freakin' thin. Capisce?
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: The Hardware

Size aside, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 rocks a Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM. It has a 3MP camera on the back and a 2MP camera on the front. The Tab can record video at 720p with 30 frames per second.

The new Tab's 10.1-inch screen has a resolution of 1280-by-800 pixels. Its battery, a 7000 mAh unit, is said to be good for nine hours of continuous use on a single charge.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: The Software

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Tablet

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 ships with Android 3.1, the latest version of Google's Honeycomb OS. In an interesting twist, Samsung is shipping the tablets with Google's stock Android software -- but plans to update them at some point "in the near future" to add in its proprietary TouchWiz UI. Depending on your perspective, this may be a good or a bad thing.

Like most Android devices, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 fully supports playback of Adobe Flash content.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: The Storage

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes in both 16GB and 32GB models. Neither model supports external storage via microSD, according to a Samsung representative.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: The Pricing

Samsung's 16GB Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab 10.1 will cost $499. The 32GB Wi-Fi model will cost $599. You can place a pre-order at any Best Buy store beginning June 8 (only the New York City Union Square store will have them in-stock on that day). Starting June 17, the tablets will be available nationwide at Best Buy, Fry's, Amazon, Micro Center, Tiger Direct, and New Egg. Sprint will also be selling the Wi-Fi tablets later this summer.

If Wi-Fi doesn't cut it for you, Verizon Wireless will soon offer 4G versions of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 as well. The 16GB 4G model will cost $529.99 with a two-year contract; the 32GB version will cost $629.99 with a two-year contract. Verizon is currently accepting pre-orders but has yet to announce when the 4G models will ship; a spokesperson tells me a date should be announced sometime "in the coming weeks."

Source : http://www.pcworld.com

Acer Aspire 8950G Aspires to Multimedia Greatness

When I first hauled out the Acer Aspire 8950G from the backpack, I almost dropped it--not because it was that heavy, but because it was lighter than expected. This massive (I hesitate to say "notebook") desktop replacement system sports an 18.4-inch, true 1080p LCD panel. At 8 pounds, 5 ounces without the power brick, it's lighter than some smaller systems that have been through the lab here. Even with the 120-watt power supply, the weight falls just a little short of 10 pounds.
It's still too big to carry around, but it could make for a useful living room PC. The system includes an Intel Core i7 2630M quad-core CPU clocking in at 2GHz and maxing out at a Turbo Boost clock of 2.9GHz. The CPU is complemented by 8GB of DDR3 DRAM and 64-bit Windows Home Premium. Driving that big, bright LCD panel is an AMD Radeon HD Mobility 6850M discrete GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 video RAM. Given the GPU's pedigree, I expected greatness when it comes to gaming performance as well as reasonably good video playback quality.

The game tests brought me back to earth, however. The Aspire 8950G is a cut above many laptops when it comes to overall gaming performance, but you'll still need to dial back graphics settings to about "medium" to get good frame rates in current-generation games. Far Cry 2 ran at 44 frames per second (DX10, "optimal" settings), while the recently released DiRT3 mustered 20 fps, and Total War: Shogun 2 eked out only 16 fps. (These tests were run with all graphics settings maxed out, but antialiasing disabled.)

Performance in desktop applications proved robust, however, with the unit earning a strong WorldBench 6 score of 128. The battery life of this massive unit was a surprisingly good at 4 hours, 41 minutes. The 750GB, 5400-rpm Toshiba hard drive is capacious, but seems a little slow on bootup. A system like this deserves a Blu-ray drive, and Acer delivers one, in the form of a Panasonic unit that doesn't generate a lot of distracting seek noise.

The keyboard has a good feel, with nicely done tactile feedback, but the layout could be better. The arrow navigation keys are tiny and clustered tightly together. The dedicated numeric keypad, however, offers widely separated keys, making its use as a 10-key pad easy.

While the keyboard is mostly good, the trackpad is mostly bad. It's extremely sensitive, and you'll often see the mouse cursor flying wildly across the screen. That's partially curable via some control-panel settings. However, someone at Acer decided that building media control keys into the glass surface of the trackpad is a good idea.

It's not. Really, it's not.

You can use the trackpad either as a pointing device or as a set of media-control touch-sensitive buttons, but not at the same time. This feature is toggled via a gigantic button placed between the two main mouse buttons. That means you can accidentally enable the media control keys all too easily, and suddenly your mouse isn't responsive. Unless you're looking at the trackpad, you won't know why. Luckily, the big volume-control wheel directly beneath the trackpad works whether or not the media-control feature is enabled.

The handling of standard-definition video scaled up to the full 1080p resolution of the screen is a mixed bag. DVD playback seems noisy, though edge enhancement is thankfully minimal. Blu-ray high-definition playback looks much better, but overall video quality is still a touch soft.

Audio sounds fairly good through the built-in speakers. Acer ships this model with Dolby audio-enhancement software, which helps movie playback substantially--the virtual surround sound works fairly well, though the surround "speakers" are still more front than rear. You still don't get much bass, though, so low-frequency effects are often missing. Music playback is less robust. In stereo mode, vocals take on a dirty, edgy quality, though the speakers sound fairly good in pop and rock.

The Acer 8950G is a capable digital media system that can handle current-generation DirectX 11 games if you're willing to dial down detail settings a bit. High-definition playback is generally pretty good, but not exceptional. At roughly $1500 as configured (price as of June 7, 2011), it's a balanced set of compromises that falls short of perfection, but gets the job done.



Source :http://www.pcworld.com

Asus EeePC 1215B: Netbook or Ultraportable?

It's an ultraportable, it's a netbook, it's an ultraportable, it's a netbook... Judging by its size, screen real estate, and features, Asus's 3.3-pound Eee PC 1215B is an ultraportable. However, it's priced at only $450 and sold as part of Asus's netbook line. Alas, the performance of its AMD Fusion E-350 CPU just muddies the waters further; while significantly above average for a netbook, it falls well below the norm for ultraportable laptops.


Whether considered as an underpowered ultraportable or a supersized netbook, the Eee PC 1215B is a well-designed, comfortable-to-use laptop. A thoughtful combination of matte and glossy blacks gives the unit a sedate but classy overall appearance. The status lights are out of the way on the front of the unit, and the power button, while directly underneath the display, is dim enough that it won't intrude on your viewing experience. The keyboard is a tad on the soft and quiet side but still quite easy to type on. The touchpad offers excellent response as well, and its restrained silver trim makes it easy to locate on the keyboard deck, though the rocker button is a tad stiff.

The 1215B's 1366 by 768 display delivers a sharp image with a decent if not overly impressive amount of usable brightness. However, the backlight on our test unit bled badly on the upper left corner, to the point of distraction. Whether this is a one-off defect or a design flaw, we don't know, but check yours out before you leave the store.

The 1215B's port array is considerably above average: It includes, besides two USB 2.0 ports, an always-on USB 3.0 port, VGA and HDMI ports, an SC card slot, audio in and out, and a Kensington lock port. Connectivity is comprehensive, if not quite state of the art. Bluetooth is on board to accompany the Wi-Fi and ethernet; however, the Wi-Fi is single-band 2.4GHz only, and the ethernet is 10/100, not gigabit. The specs on Asus's site claim a/b/g/n wireless, but the hardware IDs in Device Manager showed that its Broadcom chip is the 4313, which supports only b/g/n. Asus has confirmed that U.S. versions of the 1215B are b/g/n only.

As to the tweener performance: The 1215B's WorldBench score of 52 is well above the Atom-powered netbook norm, but far slower than that delivered by the Intel Core processors found in many ultraportables, and even slightly slower than the other Fusion E-350-powered units we've tested.

Being slower than other E-350s is more likely due to the number of background applications and services, rather than to the healthy 2GB of memory or the capacious 320GB, 5400-rpm Seagate ST932032 hard drive. Note: if you're thinking of installing a solid-state drive, the 1215B is old-school in burying the hard drive within the body of the unit. The task of removing it is clearly daunting enough that I dropped the idea.

The 1215B's gaming frame rates are a huge tease. With midtwenties frames per second at medium detail on less-stressful games, it gives just enough performance to invoke wistful thoughts of what might have been. As it is, most modern games are unplayable. On the other hand, the Eee PC 1215B played every video stutter-free, even high-def 1080p, at high bit rates. By comparison, the Webcam is pixel-challenged, providing only 320 by 240 resolution.

Software detritus sitting atop the 1215B's Windows 7 Home Premium operating system includes the Bing toolbar and quite a few Asus utilities, although most are actually somewhat useful and not sucking up a lot or space or CPU cycles. Microsoft Office 2010 Starter is on board as well as Trend Micro's Titanium antimalware software.

Battery life on the Eee PC 1215B is hardly record-breaking, but decent enough given the chipset and performance: 5.5 hours is about enough to get you from coast to coast if you don't tax the unit unduly.

If you're looking for the ultraportable form factor and ergonomics without the ultraportable cost, then the Asus Eee PC 1215B is a product you should consider. The performance is middling at best, but for everyday chores and video, it's more than adequate.



Source : http://www.pcworld.com

Toshiba Portege R700: Super Slim, Super Fast, Super Hot

Toshiba's new Portégé R700 surprised me with its mature styling, serious muscle, and ridiculously light heft. Despite being a true ultraportable, this machine is quite powerful--Toshiba somehow even fit an optical drive on it! But a few unpleasant surprises make the whopping $1599 price tag less appealing.

The 13.3- inch laptop accommodates three USB plugs (one a USB/eSATA combo), headphone/microphone jacks, an HDMI plug, a VGA plug, an ethernet port, a memory stick port, an optical drive, a 128GB solid-state drive, a Core i7 620M running at 2.67GHz, and 4GB of RAM--all tucked into a 12.44-by-8.94-by-0.66-inch frame weighing 3.2 pounds (the rear of the unit fattens out to a width of just over 1 inch). That's power to spare for most on-the-go users, as reflected in an excellent WorldBench 6 score of 128. Factor in a battery life of almost 6 hours, and you have the makings of a pretty awesome ultraportable laptop.


The screen is a reasonably good LED-backlit matte LCD, filling out a resolution of 1366 by 768 easily enough. Colors were good, but the R700 struggles to fill large black areas in video. The Intel HD integrated graphics solution is more than adequate for playing modest video; it even playing through the HDMI port without difficulty. Horizontal viewing angles are excellent, but vertical viewing angles most certainly aren't. The audio can't fill a room, the speakers get a bit shrill at high volume, and there's no bass to speak of--so rely on the headphone jack instead.


The laptop's black plastic interior complements its black metal lid. The "Toshiba" emblazoned on the lid itself, and the two hinges provide silver accents. Almost everything feels very sturdy, and the keys have remarkably little flex. The display lid, however, is a bit too thin and flexible.


The R700's gigantic touchpad invites occasional accidental contact, but none of the touchpad responses I triggered slowed my work on the machine significantly. If it does become an annoyance, you can tap a handy little button between the keyboard and the touchpad to deactivate the touchpad altogether (or to toggle it back on).


Unfortunately, this laptop has three major drawbacks. Foremost among these is the keyboard, whose Chiclet-style keys are incredibly far apart and mushy to the touch. Second, the powerful technology packed in the small space generated quite a bit of heat along the left edge and bottom of the machine. And third, the fan used to dissipate the heat was noisy. For me, these shortcomings made using the R700 less comfortable, but they weren't deal breakers.


The R700 is a fantastic machine for a specific niche: laptop users who want to combine lots of power with extremely light weight. If you want to change the specific components, Toshiba makes it very easy to customize your machine when you order it (I would drop the solid-state drive in favor of a bit more storage on a traditional hard-disk drive, for example).






Source : http://www.pcworld.com

HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition Laptop $875

HP's dv7t Quad Edition laptop runs on the new Intel second-generation Core i7 CPU and comes with goodies like a Blu-ray player, HDMI connection, and a 6GB of RAM. It's loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium and has a 17.3-inch display. When we reviewed the first dv7t, we deemed it "high-octane performance in an extremely shiny package.

The HP dv7t Quad Edition usually starts at $1250 for a base model, but you can use coupon code NBQ5286 at checkout and pay only $875. Shipping is free





Source : http://www.pcworld.com

HTC Sensation 4G Review

The HTC Sensation 4G ($200 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile) pretty much has it all: a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the latest version of Android (Gingerbread), and 4G speeds on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. When I first played with Sensation 4G, I was blown away by its beautiful hardware, gorgeous display, and slick user interface. After spending a few days with the phone, my opinion of it hasn't changed; but I did run into some troubling issues with its antenna.
Death Grip Issues?
There has been quite a bit of rumbling about the possibility that the Sensation 4G has "death grip" issues similar to those that plagued the iPhone 4. Sites are reporting that when you hold the Sensation in a certain way, you can lose Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G connectivity. According to a Swedish Website called Nordic Hardware, the problems occur when you lay the phone flat in the palm of your hand.

I decided to take matters into my own hands (no pun intended) and conduct a series of informal tests in which I mimicked the way that the Nordic Hardware folks held the Sensation 4G in this video. I streamed a movie trailer over 4G from HTC Watch and managed to choke the video three times during playback, though I had to move my hands around quite a bit and grip the phone to kill the 4G signal and send the video into buffer mode. When I performed the same test over Wi-Fi, I couldn't kill the Wi-Fi signal, no matter how hard I tried.

I also tested T-Mobile's HSPA+ network in various parts of San Francisco, using the FCC-approved Ookla app. Again, I found that how I held the phone seemed to affect its data speeds. In three tests conducted in the South Park neighborhood of San Francisco, I recorded an average download speed of 1.82 megabits per second and an average upload speed of 0.79 mbps when I held the phone by its edges. But in three tests immediately afterward in the same location, this time with my hand covering the phone's back cover in the "death grip," the phone delivered an average download speed of 0.83 mbps and an average upload speed of 0.64 mbps. These test results suggest that holding the phone in a certain way may have contributed to the observed degradation in data speeds.

One caveat: T-Mobile does not have a very strong 4G signal in the South Park neighborhood of San Francisco (where PCWorld's offices are located). When I asked the company about these issues, HTC replied, "Every phone experiences a slight variation in signal strength when the antenna is covered in its entirety by a palm or fingers, however under normal circumstances this does not affect the performance of the phone."

I view my test results as worrisome, but not conclusive. We will be conducting more of our own tests over the next few days. Stay tuned for a video and our test results.

Thin, Curved Design

I love the way HTC unibody phones look and feel, but it's getting hard to distinguish one from another, with their solid gray or black battery covers. Thankfully, HTC has mixed up the color scheme with a tritone paneled battery cover for the Sensation 4G.

You'll also feel a change in design when you hold the Sensation 4G. Despite having a 4.3-inch display, the phone doesn't feel oversize. Large phones such as the HTC EVO Shift 4G and the HTC ThunderBolt are wider and more difficult for me to use (I have small hands). The qHD display technology allows the phone to be relatively narrow, so it's easier to hold and use in one hand. Measuring 4.96 by 2.57 by 0.44 inches, the Sensation 4G is quite thin as well. And because the display is slightly concave, it won't get scratched if you place it face down on a table.

The Sensation 4G's 4.3-inch Quarter High Definition display has a resolution of 960 by 540 pixels arranged in a 16:9 aspect ratio. That resolution is one-quarter of a full-HD 1080p frame (hence the name), or three-quarters of a 720p frame. The HTC EVO 3D for Sprint, which we saw at CTIA last month, has a qHD display, too, but it uses a parallax barrier to create 3D images.

The screen on the Sensation 4G yielded spectacular images: Colors were bright yet not oversaturated, details looked sharp, and animations in the user interface--and native video--played back smoothly. In bright sunlight, however, the display completely fades. Don't phone manufacturers know that people need to use their phones outdoors sometimes? I had a very hard time finding a phone number to let some friends know that I was outside their apartment.

You'll find the usual touch-sensitive buttons below the display: Home, Menu, Back, and Search. The headphone jack and the power/lock button sit at the top of the phone. A very long chrome volume rocker occupies the left spine, with the micro-USB port situated below it. The left spine and the bottom of the phone are bare. Note that there is no HDMI port or MHL port for connecting the Sensation 4G to your HDTV.

New Sense User Interface

Like the EVO 3D, the Sensation 4G sports the latest version of the Sense user interface, with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) running underneath. Sense is the prettiest of the Android overlays, and the latest version has some sweet features.

One of these features is a new customizable lock screen, which works similarly to the newly announced lock screen in iOS 5. You can pick a theme for your lock screen (the phone offers quite a few of them to choose from) and then select four apps that you visit most frequently. When you turn on your phone, you'll see the four apps at the bottom of the screen. To unlock the screen, simply drag the circle into position over an app, at which point you'll jump straight to that app. Thanks to this feature, you don't have to go through multiple menus to reach your e-mail or other frequently accessed items.

The new version of Sense has a spruced-up Walls system, too. Rather than having to flick back and forth between your walls, as you do in the stock Android operating system, you can flick the Sensation 4G's screen to make the walls spin. The effect is reminiscent of a rotating carousel. And like the older version of Sense, you can pinch anywhere in your homescreen to see thumbnail-size images of your walls.

You'll find a clutch of new widgets in Sense, but my favorite is the gorgeous new Weather widget. HTC has a solid tradition of creating visual weather apps, and it's nice to see the company continue to improve them.

Multimedia

The Sensation 4G also comes loaded with HTC's new movie and TV show streaming service, Watch. You can download videos from Watch and start viewing them immediately. Watch is well integrated into Sense, so finding the videos that you want to view is easy. The app's interface is clean, and movies are easy to find, but the library is pretty sparse at this point. You'll find some newly released movies like Due Date and some classics like Top Gun. If you're looking for something in particular, though, you're not likely to find it (no Spinal Tap!). A few popular TV shows like Chuck and Gossip Girl show up, but you're limited to one or two seasons of episodes.

On the plus side, video from Watch played back smoothly and looked great on the Sensation 4G's display. Audio accompanying the video sounded crisp and clear when piped through the Sensation's external speakers, with ample volume.

Unfortunately, the Netflix Android app is not yet available for the Sensation 4G. Watch has potential, but HTC needs to add more content to keep customers happy.

Camera

HTC Sensation smartphone: indoor photo.Like the EVO 3D and the ThunderBolt, the Sensation has a back-facing 8-megapixel camera and a front-facing camera for video chat. HTC says that it has tweaked both the hardware and the software to improve the back-facing camera's shutter speed. I noticed and appreciated the quicker speed in my hands-on tests. It doesn't matter how good a camera's image quality is if the device suffers from shutter lag, since the delay makes snapping photos of people or animals incredibly difficult.

Colors in my outdoor photos looked vivid yet natural. Details could have been sharper, but HTC Sensation smartphone: outdoor photo.overall, I was very pleased with how the snapshots turned out. Photos taken indoors also looked pretty good. There was a bit of a dark cast to the colors, but details were fairly sharp, even when the photo was blown up. The flash does a decent job of lighting up photos without completely blowing them out (except for whites, as evidenced by the middle Furby's chest in the test photo above).

You can shoot video in 1080p thanks to the dual-core processor, but I was disappointed with its overall quality. Playback was choppy, and the colors had a strange cast to them.

Performance

Call quality over T-Mobile's network was fairly good. A few of my friends reported that my voice sounded somewhat muffled. One reported that the background noise (traffic and wind) was quite distracting during our call.

Thanks to the dual-core Snapdragon processor, the Sensation 4G handled every app I threw at it perfectly. Angry Birds Rio played smoothly and looked terrific on the phone's lovely display. Even when I had multiple apps open, the Sensation 4G did not seem to slow down.

We haven't had a chance to formally test this HTC phone's battery life. Its 1,520mAh lithium ion battery has a vendor-rated talk time of 8.3 hours and up to 12 days of standby time. My unit went a full day of heavy testing before I had to recharge it.

Bottom Line

If you're in the market for a new phone this summer, you face a tough decision: There are a lot of hot phones available. Hey, that's not a bad thing at all! The Sensation 4G has some impressive specs and a gorgeous design, and I love the new updates in the Sense user interface.

The phone's possible antenna issues are disturbing. As we learned from the Apple iPhone 4 fiasco, trying to avoid holding a phone in a certain way is not a reasonable limitation to impose on users. And though I had to try to kill the Sensation 4G's signal, I succeeded in doing it. We'll be doing more testing in coming days. For now, I recommend the HTC Sensation 4G, but you should be aware that antenna problems could interfere with your data speed.



Source : http://www.pcworld.com