Tech Info

HP TouchPad

2011-02-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

So the HP slate has been scrapped, but that doesn't mean HP has left the tablet market, enter the HP TouchPad. The recently released tablet from HP is running the same WebOS as the Palm Pre, as opposed to windows 7 which was to run on the slate. HP acquired Palm last year and since then has released the Palm Pre 2, and now is set to release the Palm Pre 3, and TouchPad. Like the BlackBerry Playbook's interaction with Blackberry handsets, so too will the TouchPad have interaction with the Pre 3. One feature shown off by HP was the ability to simply touch the Pre to the TouchPad to load the same webpage on your Pre as is loaded on the TouchPad. This is great if you have both devices or if you have friends with Pre 3's. HP has gone the route of the iPad in screen realestate, unlike many other soon to be released talets with 7" screens. Like most newly released tablets trying to compete for market space against the iPad, the TouchPad will also include compatibility for flash and html5. The TouchPad also comes with beats audio inside, which should prove to have superior audio quality compared to other tablets, and has a 1.2ghz dual cpu processor, which should add to the multitasking abilities. One other feature I like about the touchpad is the photos app. It allows you to view photos from your device, as well as Facebook, photobucket, and snapfish all in one location. However, the TouchPad includes only a front facing camera which can be used for video conferencing, but no rear facing camera, this is a bit of a draw back for me. The TouchPad looks like a great device, however pricing has yet to be announced which keeps me from making a buy/no buy decision. I'll post the specs below, and as always thanks for reading and check out my youtube channel @ berkvens852.

Operating system HP - webOS
Display - 9.7-inch XGA capacitive, multitouch screen with a vibrant 18-bit color, 1024x768 resolution display
Keyboard - Virtual keyboard
Email1 - Microsoft® Exchange email with Microsoft Direct Push Technology
POP3/IMAP (Yahoo!® Mail, Gmail™, AOL, Hotmail®, etc.)
Messaging - Integrated IM and SMS
GPS - A-GPS (3G models only)
Digital camera - Front-facing 1.3-megapixel webcam for live video calling4
Sensors - Light sensor, accelerometer, compass (magnetometer), and gyroscope
Media formats supported:
Audio formats: DRM-free MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV
Video formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
Wireless connectivity - Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication;
Bluetooth® wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
Memory - Choose either 16GB or 32GB internal storage
Battery - Rechargeable 6300 mAh (typical) battery
Connector - Charger/microUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Headphone jack - 3.5mm stereo headset/headphone/microphone jack
Speakers - Internal stereo speakers and Beats Audio™
HP Touchstone for TouchPad Compatible
Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-CPU APQ8060 1.2GHz
Dimensions Width: 240mm (9.45 inches)
Height: 190mm (7.48 inches)
Thickness: 13.7mm (0.54 inches)
Weight Approximately 740 grams (1.6 pounds)

Mobile Gaming

2011-01-31T17:07:00.000-08:00

Mobile gaming has come a long way from the original Nintendo gameboy. A world that was traditionally ruled by dedicated gaming devices is now being taken over by mobile devices such as Apple's iPhone, and phones running on Google's Android OS. Nintendo hopes to combat this rise in mobile phones as gaming devices with its soon to be released 3DS, while Sony has just unveiled its newest rendition of its PSP, but is it too late? The 3DS will come with a 3D screen that requires no glasses to view the effect, and also features built in cameras allowing the user to take 3D photos. The new offering from Sony the PSP 2, has a host of new features that create almost a cross between a gaming and mobile device. The big draw here coming from the processing and graphics capabilities which means titles currently seen only on PS3 may make an appearance on the PSP 2. However, what I see as the main advantage in mobile gaming that Nintendo and Sony don't have, is the ability for anyone to create games for their devices. With Apple, and Android, and even Rim's OS, anyone with varying degrees of coding expertise can create a game, which leads to a large variety from which users can choose from. The games, allbeit may not be of the same sophistication as those found on dedicated devices, but this may be all users want from a mobile gaming device. We will have to wait and see what happens when Nintendo and Sony bring their devices to the market. As always, thanks for reading

Asus Eee Slate

2011-01-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

Tablet computers are popping up everywhere now, and Asus has joined in with their Eee Slate. The Eee Slate is essentially a high powered netbook in tablet form. As always lets first take a look at the specs which are actually very impressive for a tablet device.

- 12.1" capacitive multi-touch LED-backlit HD IPS display (1280x800)
- Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
- Intel Core i5-470UM processor (1.33GHZ with Turbo Boost up to 1.86GHZ)
- 64GB/32GB solid state drive
- 4GB/2GB system memory
- High-speed wireless N and Bluetooth v3.0
- Mini HDMI, 4-in-1 card reader, USB 2.0 port and 2.0MP webcam
- Web surfing with Flash support

This large tablet is only a mobile processor away from being a full fledged notebook computer (it also appears to have a wireless keyboard option and stylus). Specs aside, what I find impressive about this device is that it appears to be running a full version of windows home premium. The tablets out now are all running some version of mobile OS, and for a tablet computer I would have expected a modified version of Windows phone 7. This is very appealing to the consumer who wants to still be able to do everything they can with their laptop, but still have the convenience of a tablet. However you should also take into consideration that this is a 12.1" screen, so size-wise, it is still about the same size as larger netbooks offered now. The screen however is not the only large thing about this tablet, it also comes with a large pricetag. You can pre-order the Eee Slate now for up to $1100 for the 64GB model, which is on par with a good laptop on the market. The specs look good, Windows 7 is definitely appealing, but the price is a bit high, which is to me takes it out of the running. As always, thanks for reading, and check out my youtube channel @ berkvens852

BlackBerry PlayBook

2011-01-12T06:38:00.001-08:00

Hey Guys, it's been a long time since my last post, partly busy, partly just never got around to it. So what's this post about? Something I am very excited about, and I know most of you are too. The BlackBerry Playbook! Now I know most of you have already seen the promotional video for the device already as it's been announced for quite some time now, but I'd like to talk a bit about what I think of the device. First off let's take a look at the specs.

* Full computing power in a tablet format
* 1 GHz dual-core processor
* 1 GB RAM
* Symmetric multi-processing
* Full Adobe® Flash® 10.1 enabled
* Built-in support for HTML 5
* No-compromise rendering of text, graphics and video
* 3G network access using your BlackBerry® smartphone as a modem
* 4G network access available on BlackBerry® 4G PlayBook™ tablet
* Wi-Fi® 802.11 a/b/g/n
* Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR
* Front facing 3MP camera, rear facing 5MP camera (full 1080p video capture)
* HDMI output

Now, just looking at the specs alone, this tablet is clearly set to outperform the iPad as well as the existing android tablets on the market. To me, the most exciting feature of this tablet is Full Adobe Flash support, something you don't see on the iPad. What this means is you can now take full advantage of the internet on your tablet device. Recently demonstrated was Facebook. With flash support you can actually play your favorite Facebook games right on the tablet, instead of downloading an app like you would do on your iPad! Also shown is the Playbook's ability to show the full content of websites such as Facebook and Youtube, instead of a slimmed down mobile version. Another plus for me is having BlackBerry Messenger on the tablet. If you own a BlackBerry, you more than likely frequent BBM and having it in a larger format that you can use at home or on the go is awesome! True multi-tasking is also exciting. The ability to play a video on Youtube while making changes to your calendar, or messaging someone on BBM is excellent. Full 1080p video capture, and output via the HDMI connection is astounding. I can only hope that Skype will make an appearance on the Playbook utilizing the front facing camera as they have now done with the iPhone 4. So what is my recommendation regarding the Playbook? Buy it! If you are in the market for a tablet currently, hold off until the release of the Playbook. The specs are amazing, the capabilities are above and beyond, and developers are working hard to make sure that app world is stocked and ready to go upon release. Pricing has yet to be annouced, but I would guess it will be comparable to that of the iPad/Galaxy tab. As always, thanks for reading, and check out my youtube videos, my channel is berkvens852.

2010-08-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys, this is going to be a quick review of the Altec Lansing Expressionist Bass FX3022 speakers which I unboxed on my youtube channel (check it out if you haven't already). I wasn't really shopping for speakers but when these speakers came on sale for only $50, regular $150, I decided to pick them up and try them out. I did a quick check on cnet.com beforehand to see what they thought, and one thing that I noted was they said these speakers perform better in a home theatre environment as opposed to music. Before I get into the review, here is a quick rundown on the specs. These are a unique 2.2 design, where a bass speaker is incorporated into the base of each satellite. The wattage is not very high, with only 25 watts rms. The down firing subwoofer loacted in each satellite is 9 watts, and the system response is 40Hz - 16kHz (-10db). Now the first thing I did with these speakers is set them up with my laptop and test them out with some music via itunes. Now I should also note that these speakers lack a bass and treble control, and only allow you to perform volume up and down. This is a bit dissappointing, as when listening to music I found the treble a bit harsh as you turned up the volume. The bass also seemed a bit weak, even when listening to music with heavy bass. I then decided to test them out in a home theatre application by hooking them up to my tv's audio out, and as mentioned in the CNET review, these speakers really came into their own. Movies sound great, especially action movies, and gaming is exceptional as well when tested playing COD4 Modern Warfare 2. I promptly swapped my Logitech z-2300 system to my laptop, which performs nicely with music, and made the Expressionist Bass system my new tv speakers. Now to sum it up, are these speakers worth the $150 price tag? I would have to say no. At this price range I would expect a bit better sound quality as well as bass and treble control, but for the $50 price I paid, you can't go wrong. As always, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my upcoming review on Sony's noise cancelling in ear headphones.

2010-08-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Big News!!! The newest edition to the Blackberry line was unveiled today, the Torch 9800. This device is similar to the palm pre in the face that it has both a touch screen and slide out full qwerty keyboard. The device will come equipped with the new OS6, which is MUCH improved upon over previous OS' and is geared more toward the consumer market. Here is a complete rundown of the specs.

•Brand new form factor – Touch/QWERTY combination smartphone
•BlackBerry 6 – Featuring:
•Context-sensitive pop-up menus for more relevant options
•A new WebKit browser for faster and more robust performance
•Integrated social feeds including the ability to update multiple social networks from a single screen
•Engaging multimedia experience
•Universal Search to uncover results throughout your smartphone – from Contacts, Apps, data and the Web
•Sleek design with a touch-sensitive trackpad located on the front face of the device
•The first BlackBerry smartphone to include the new BlackBerry App World pre-installed, supporting carrier billing through AT&T, making it easier for customers to discover and purchase applications
•3.2” 360 x 480 capacitive touch screen display
•Vivid 5.0MP camera with flash, auto focus, image stabilization and geo-tagging
•Support for 3G networks (HSDPA)
•512MB Flash memory, 4GB on‐board memory, microSD/SDHC memory card slot (4GB card included, cards up to 32GB supported)
•Built-in GPS and Wi‐Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
•Network Support
•GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
•HSPDA/UMTS: 800/850/1900/2100 MHz
•Approximately 4.4” x 2.4” x 0.57” (closed), 5.8” x 2.4” x 0.57” (open)

Now while the hardware may not be revolutionary in comparison to other phones out there on the market, the OS certainly is a big step forward for RIM. For those us who are big into social media, the ability to receive updates, as well as post to multiple sites through a single application is welcome news. The new OS also comes with app world pre-installed showing that they are hoping to delve further into what Apple has already capitalized on. This device looks promising for RIM, and appears to be just what the consumer Blackberry user was waiting for. No Canadian launch date has been set yet, but it is said that it will be carried by at least Rogers, and Telus when it does. Also be sure to keep your eyes open for news of Blackberrys tablet which is getting more attention as of late. RIM has recently purchased the domain name blackpad.com, could this device go head to head with the iPad? Again, thanks for reading :)

2010-06-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since the unveiling of the iPhone 4 so I thought I'd take a few minutes to talk about it. First off, there's no surprise to the appearance of the phone as many of you would have seen the leaked photos on the net and heard all about how they got there. The phone comes with many new features such as a high res screen, front facing camera for video calls over wifi, high def video recording with the ability to edit videos using the iMovie app, as well as the long sought after multi tasking ability. I've never been a fan of the iPhone, but I must say I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of these. Would I trade in my Blackberry for it? Probably not, though I can already see the people lining up to trade in their 3G's and 3GS's. Now keep in mind, that OS 4 will still give existing iPhone users many of the same features, but the new hardware is much more appealing, in my opinion anyway. So if you've been waiting to get an iPhone, I'd say hold out just a little bit longer and get the iPhone 4, or wait for the prices to drop on the existing 3G and 3GS models. As always, thanks for reading, and keep and eye out for my next post once I've had a chance to test one of these phones out.

2010-05-26T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, this is a post that explains one reason why your wifi may not be working with your Rogers Blackberry Bold 9700. My wifi stopped working when I changed my phone plan. I has a my 5 plan, and a bundle which included personal email and IM as well as caller ID and voicemail. This was fine, however for only $2 more I could get 500mb of data to be used for anything, and my 10 instead of my 5. I thought this was a reasonably good deal, so I opted to change to this plan. Immediately after switching to this new plan, my phone would no longer connect to wifi. Where I could previously use email, and IM over wifi, I could no longer. I spent numerous hours with tech support, each time only to find that there were no issues with my phone, but with no other options available, they decided to replace my phone. The replacement arrived, and I was excited at the thought that maybe it would work. Alas, it still would not let me connect to wifi. I was no farther ahead and tech support still could not understand why it would not work. I had a few different explanations however. One agent said it could be that my internet is through Aliant, not Rogers (this however was false because it functioned before, and tested at the Rogers store). One agent told me that you can't do IM or email over wifi because it uses Blackberry's network (I tried not to laugh at that one). One agent told me that they don't guarantee that data services will work over wifi (great selling pitch). I was finally at the point where I was willing to switch back to my old plan which seemed to be the cause of it all. The last agent who made the changes informed me that this would most likely not solve my problem since "data is data", but I told him to make the changes anyway. The minute the change was made, the wifi logo went white, and connected, and all my messages populated into my email accounts. I asked this agent if there were any restrictions reguarding using data over wifi as opposed to the Rogers network, as this was my only reasoning, but he informed me there were not. I'm still at a loss for why a simple plan change disallowed my wifi data use, but it's fixed and that's what matters. So, if you have recently made changes to your plan, and your wifi data usage no longer works, try switching back, it should fix it for you. Hope this helps! thanks guys

2010-05-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Back at it. It's been about 3 weeks since I picked up my new laptop, so I think it's finally time for a review. If you haven't checked out my unboxing video yet, I'll give you a quick rundown on the specs. It is a Toshiba A500-01X, sporting a core i5-420M processor (2.26ghz, up to 2.53ghz with turboboost), 4gb's of DDR3 ram, 640gb hard drive (5400rpm), NVIDIA geForce 330M gpu (1gb dedicated), 16" 16:9 LED backlit HD display, and built in Harmon/Kardon speakers. This computer is all about speed, from the core i5 proccessor, to the NVIDIA gpu, this computer handles multiple tasks with ease, and minimal lag. Now as far as boot times are concerned, I wasn't throughly impressed. After switching to fast boot in the bios, and disabling some programs on startup, the speed was increased somewhat, but not much. Running multiple tab's in IE8 and loading hd videos on youtube is fairly quick qith the gigabit ethernet card, or wireless n connection. Rendering HD video, or applying filters in Photoshop is also sped up by the on board gpu. Reading and writing files to the large hard drive is about standard, not as quick as you would see with a 7200rpm drive, but sufficient for my use. The display is very bright and vibrant due to the LED backlighting, however some shades of red appear a bit pinkish, but you adjust to it. Now I have had issues with the display driver, and have not found a solution as of yet. The issue is that the display driver will stop responding and the screen will go black temporarily. This seems to be a common issue with the A500 series. Toshiba only recommended that I resinstall the driver, or to a system restore (I only tried the driver so far). Moving on the the speakers. This is my third Toshiba laptop with Harman/Kardon speakers, and as usual they are the best speakers built in speakers I've heard in a laptop. They are fairly loud, and clear at all levels. From watching videos, to listening to music, they perform nicely. There is one other issue I need to mention about this laptop. I've been having trouble downloading and installing certain Windows updates. It seems that I constantly need to restart my computer to finish installing these updates, but they never appear to install, also some will fail to download. All in all this laptop is very nice, and to me the pro's far outweigh the cons. I hope to do a video review soon, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading :)

2010-04-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys, today I'll be doing a brief review of the BlackBerry Bold 9700, including video review. I've had the bold for about 2 weeks now and all I can is that I am thoroughly impressed. The screen is bright and vibrant, it's blazingly fast, and the overall design is beautiful. Let's talk about speed, the speed of this phone is unlike any BlackBerry I've experienced before, from loading applications, to navigation to boot time, this has got to be the fastest BlackBerry yet. With 3G wireless capabilities to back it up download speeds are incredible. Now let's take a look at improvements. The new track pad is amazing! Though taking a few minutes of playing with to get used to, it is much more responsive than previous track balls, and is less prone to failure. The rubberized buttons feel much better than the previous chrome look buttons, and are more durable than the latter. The phone feels great in the hand, a good weight, and faux leather back gives an added grip. One of the other improvements over other BlackBerry devices is that the micro usb port has been moved back to the top left hand corner of the phone as opposed to the bottom right, which makes texting while charging much more manageable. The keypad also feels good while typing, the keys are spread out nicely and offer good feedback. The only downside I've found to this phone is the fact that it does not allow UMA calling, other than that this phone is nothing short of amazing and will be hard to top by future models. Again, thanks for reading and check out the video review below.

2010-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, exams are done so it's time to get a new post out. Apple has had a few big announcements over the past few weeks, one of them being the announcement of iPhone OS 4 and the new macbook pro lineup. So Apple has finally done it, they have finally designed an iPhone OS that can support multitasking! No longer will you need to close out of one app in order to use another one. This has been much awaited and couldn't have come at a better time with the release of the iPad. I myself find it annoying have to close out of IM programs if you want to use the internet at the same time, so I will more than likely paying to upgrade my iPod touch. Now, as exciting as this is, multitasking has been avaialble on smart phones from other manufacturers for years, so how does Apple justify the wait? They claim that it was an issue of battery life, being able to maintain an acceptable charge life while supporting the multitasking ability. I find this explanation skeptical, but still am happy the time has finally come. In the past OS upgrades have been free for the iPhone, and $9.99 for iPod touch users such as myself. The other news from Apple is the new macbook pro lineup, which really only differs from the previous in processing power both in the form of cpu's and gpu's. The core i5 and core i7 processors from intel are now available as an option, as well as upgraded graphics cards from nvidia. This extra power will cost you tho, for a core i5 equipped macbook pro you'll have to shell out $1849, and as much as $2349 for an i7 equipped. Now is all this extra processing power worth the extra cost? My opinion is no. The Apple OS is already fairly quick, and if your only looking for power, you can get an equivalent pc for much cheaper, such as the HP envy which you can pick up on ebay for around $1200. Thanks for reading and also stay tuned for a review of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 which I picked up last week.

2010-03-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, in a follow up to my last posting regarding preliminary info on the Nintendo 3DS, I'm going to use this post to talk more about the latest 3D technology. 3D TV'S have finally hit the shelves in Canada with Samsung now selling it's 3D TV's at your local Futureshop. Now everything you watch can be seen in amazing 3D other than the conventional 2D that we're used to. The glasses are now battery operated unlike the classic red and blue glasses we've seen in the past, and the overall viewing quality has been greatly improved. With more and more movies being released in 3D and even some major television stations making the move to 3D, 3D TV may just be the next standard in household viewing. Now if you're looking to truly take advantage of the 3D experience, you'll also want to look into getting a 3D blu-ray player, which will run you around $400 (which is alot when most people have just recently switched to standard blu-ray). Now if you already have a PS3, don't worry, you won't need to shell out an extra $400 for the 3D blu-ray experience. Sony has stated that a firmware upgrade will be available for the PS3 which will allow the system to process 3D blu-ray disc's. Sony also claims that the PS3 will be able to output the 3D picture in full 1080p! More 3D TV's are set to be released in Canada over the summer, including 2 models from Sony. 3D blu-ray players are currently being offered by Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic. If you, like I, have been waiting for 3D to become mainstream, we're not quite there yet, but almost. Thanks for reading

2010-03-23T07:25:00.001-07:00

Nintendo DS to go 3-D! If you have been considering picking up a Nintendo DS or DSi, you may want to postpone your purchase til later in the year. Nintendo made a brief announcement that it will be releasing an updated version of the Nintendo DS line within a year that will feature a 3-D screen that does not require the use of special glasses, and will be compatible with previous DS games. More details on the 3DS are set to be released in June at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angelas. 3D is definately the future of gaming. Thanks for reading and look for more info in June.

2010-03-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

Lockerz Lockerz Lockerz! Hey guys, I'm back to let you all know about a great new site out there called Lockerz. While watching iPod touch unboxing videos on youtube I came across a channel that dealt only with Lockerz prize unboxings which got my attention so I decided to check it out. What is Lockerz? Lockerz is an exclusive free site that awards you ptz (points) that can be redeemed for amazing prizes like iPods, macbooks, iMacs, cash, any of the latest gaming consoles and more! So how do you get ptz? Getting ptz is very easy, all you need to do is show up everyday and you automatically get 2 ptz. You also get ptz for inviting friends, and their newest feature, watching videos. Trust me getting ptz is easy, I just signed up yesterday and already have 238 ptz! (a wii is only 250 ptz) Now as far as signing up goes, Lockerz is an exclusive non-exclusive site in which you must be invited to join by one of your friends. Signing up is absolutely free, all they need is your address to know where to send your prizes. If you want to get in and start earning ptz now too, let me know and I'll send you out an invite. Also, once you have 20 friends invited you'll earn double ptz for everything you do! Thanks for reading, I know this post isn't like my usual posts but I just had to get the word out!

2010-03-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

To buy a new laptop, or not buy a new laptop? Hey guys, so I've been pondering this question for the last few weeks, and still haven't come up with a decision. Core i3? i5? i7? dedicated graphics? hard drive capacity? These are just a few of the questions floating around my head. To catch you up, I'm currently using a toshiba a300 satelite laptop with an intel centrino t5800 processor, 4gb ddr2 ram, 250gb hdd and integrated graphics. Pretty much any laptop out there running with an i3 processor would be an improvement... but do I really need more speed when everything works fine as it is? To me the answer is obviously yes! I've grown tired of this laptop and it's time to move on, but when do I buy, do I buy now and get an i3, or do I wait a few months and go i5 or even i7, and then I eventually get back to the same old question, do I really need more power... Then there's also the question of will an i processor and ddr3 ram really give me a noticeable improvement... Let me know what you think

Why not to buy an iPad

2010-03-15T04:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I thought I'd take a few minutes to let you know why you shouldn't buy an iPad. Now I have to admit when I first saw the new iPad come out I was pretty excited, and combined with the low price tag (relative to other Apple products) I was all set to purchase one upon release. However, as I continued to read up on the device, I realized that to me the iPad is virtually useless. Here are a few reasons why you may want to reconsider purchasing an iPad for yourself.

1) If you already have an iPod touch, or an iPhone, don't waste your money on what is essentially a larger version.
2) In relation to reason one, OSX is not installed on this device, it uses a similar version of the iPhone OS.
3) No camera. Though this is sure to appear on future models (if there is any).
4) Storage capacity. The amount of storage on these devices is minimal, however since there is no OSX installed, this may not be a draw back for most.
5) SD card reader is not included (can be purchased seperately), as well as a tactile keyboard.

Essentially as many reviews have stated previously, the iPad is an overpriced e-reader, underpowered netbook, and just a larger version of the iPod touch. Now that being said, if you don't have either of the devices listed in reason 1, and have an extra $500, then this device may be of consideration, but don't expect to gain anything other than screen size.

I hope you found this useful,

Allan

Sony Bravia KDL32L5000

2010-02-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

It's been awhile since my last post, this semester is alot more work than last and takes away from blog time. This blog is about the 32" LCD Sony Bravia KDL32L5000 that I picked up on boxing day. At first glance the tv looks very clean and modern. The clean, even width, bevled edges of the frame make it visually appealing even when turned off. The specs of this tv include 13000:1 contrast ratio, 720p resolution, 60hz, and 8ms response time. The colour of this tv is very vivid, and the black levels, though not as deep as a plasma, are very good as well. Blu-ray movies look phenomenal on this TV, and although it is only 720p, with the 32" screen size 1080p wouldn't be very distinguishable. In fast action scenes, you do get a little bit of motion blur, but this can be expected from only 60hz refresh rate. The speakers in this tv also do a decent job of mimmicing surround sound. Another bonus to this tv is that it includes 3 HDMI ports, as opposed to the standard 2 in a tv this size, which is handy when pretty much everything supports HDMI now. One thing that I noticed while watching The Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day on blu-ray, is that the night scenes appeared very pixelated, though this may be caused by the cameras used to film it. Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase and would reccomend it to anyone looking to purchase a 32" tv. Thanks for reading.

Microsoft Lifecam Cinema

2009-11-20T20:29:00.001-08:00

I just picked up Microsoft's newest webcam in their lifecam line, the lifecam cinema. I saw this webcam in the Staples flyer advertised for $59 down from $89, so I decided to do some research online as to how this camera performed. From what I could see, this camera seemed to be a bargain for the price, with many reviews rating it higher than the logitech pro 9000. The specs of this camera are excellent for the price. 720p HD recording, auto focus, and clearframe technology all point to this camera being good quality... and after only 5 minutes use, it is by far the best webcam I have seen! When using the camera in msn messenger, the picture is crystal clear, and there is no lag which I found with my previous camera. The noise cancelling microphone works great, and this camera is excellent in all light levels. When in a room that had no light source, you could still see clearly what you were looking at, I was impressed! Also the autofocus on the camera works very well, especially if you are trying to show someone small print. Just hold the type, or item in front of the camera for a few seconds and it automatically focuses in so clear that you feel like its right in front of you. The new lifecam software in Windows 7 is also much improved over the previous version. Your videos, pictures, or audio files now show up at the bottom of the window where you can play them, delete them, or have one click access to Windows movie maker to edit your video. For the price this webcam can't be beat, so if you're in the market for a new webcam, take advantage of the sale Staples has on now!

COD: Modern Warfare 2 Review

2009-11-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

It's been close 5 days since I got my hands on Modern Warfare 2 and I gotta say it is highly addictive! There's no better word to describe this game than Amazing! The graphics, the detail, and action are phenomenal. Whether it be campaign mode, or online multiplayer, you'll definately be blown away. I started out playing multiplayer, which I prefer to campaign, and was surprised at the amount of detail in the maps. Multiplayer is one of my favorite aspects of the game, you constantly have to be on the look out for other players, and no one game is the same. I've now moved on to play campaign mode. I usually find campaigns boring, and just a pointless part of the game (I never played much of the campaign in Modern Warfare), but so far I've been impressed. The plot, although a bit hard to follow, combined with the impressive graphics make for one action packed campaign. I did find that you really need to pay attention to the mission between levels or else you'll find yourself somewhat lost, especially when your bouncing around the globe between Russia, South America, and the US. Fighting the militia in South America is somewhat chaotic, the opposition doesn't appear to have much tactic and attack at will. When fighting against the Russian army, it is a bit more difficult, they have a higher skill level in fighting. There is also coop missions you can play with friends, but are not a part of the campaign. I would have liked to see an offline coop ability in the campaign, but other than that, this game is definately worth checking out.

COD: Modern Warfare 2 (first impression)

2009-11-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

I finally got my hands on Modern Warfare 2 on Friday after a wait that was felt way too long! I haven't had a whole lot of time to play it so far, so this will just be a first impression of the game. Previously on Modern Warfare I mainly stuck to multiplayer, which I personally find much more entertaining, and I have continued that with the latest release. My version is for PS3, and I have to say, the graphics are amazing! Gameplay is fast paced and the detail is incredible. It took a little bit of practice to get used to using the PS3 controller, as opposed to mouse and keyboard, but now it's becoming fluid. If you've played COD4 you'll notice that not much has changed in the overall look and feel of the game, the overall design is nearly identical, but feels more polished. If you're into war games, or loved COD4, you should definately get your hands on a copy of Modern Warfare 2! I'll have more information as I progress through the game.

COD: Modern Warfare 2

2009-11-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

The much anticipated sequal to Call of Duty's Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, hits shelved tomorrow (midnight tonight at Future Shop). I was lucky enough to get in on Future Shop's pre order sale, which offered the game for only $49.99, and will hopefully be able to change my order to in store pickup so I can get my hands on it tonight! Modern Warfare was, and still is, probably the most popular game in the series, and Modern Warfare 2 looks to expand on this games greatness. I can't wait to play it, and will let you know my thoughts on the game once I do.

HP Envy Series

2009-11-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

The new HP Envy laptop series will definately make you the envy of your friends. The HP Envy, referred to by HP as the "Technology of Luxury" is precision crafted work of art. There are two models in this product line, a 13.1" model, and a 15.6" model. The Envy 15-1050CA offers exceptional performance in a less than 1" thin chasis. The heart of this beast is an Intel Core i7-720 processor that offers 1.6ghz quad core processing with 6mb of L2 cache, and a max frequency of 2.8ghz. The standard 6gb of DDR3 ram also aid in the multi-tasking process. The glass display is LED backlit and boasts and astounding 1920x1080 native resolution! To help power this display, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 chip is used, which offers 1gb DDR3 vram, and up 3835mb shared memory. The LED backlit display also use adaptive brightness technology which automatically adjusts the display's brightness for different lighting conditions. The integrated webcam also used IR LED technology which allows for video capture even in no light situations. The hard drive installed in this laptop is a 500gb SATA drive, and other features such as wifi, bluetooth, and dual layer dvd drive come standard. The magnesium/aluminum chasis is laser etched with a subtle design which makes it stand out amongst other laptops. To purchase a 1050CA, it won't come cheap at a price of $2199. One of the cons I did notice about this laptop, is that although it has a full HD screen, there is no blu-ray drive installed. The styling appears to be very similar to that of a the new macbook pro series as well. Overall this laptop is both aesthetically pleasing, and performance oriented, and I would definately reccomend you check it out. http://www.hp.com/.

Windows 7 Review

2009-11-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

It's been over a week since I installed Windows 7 on my laptop (and since my last post) so I'm going to give a brief review. First off, when booting up with Windows 7, the process still is about as slow as it was with windows Vista. I have also installed Windows 7 on a partition on my desktop, which boots very quickly. There seems to be a correlation between boot time and the amount of programs and files stored on the hard drive. When using Windows 7, however, multi-tasking is improved in terms of speed and ease of use. The feature I like the most is the ability to preview, view, and close windows with the new task bar. This is especially useful when I, like many of you, have multiple tabs open on Internet Explorer. Now instead of looking through the tabs to find the page you were looking for, you can simply view the preview for all of the tabbed pages and click on the one that you wish to go to. You can also close different tabs without going back to the tab which is also very convenient. The libraries icon on the taskbar is also effective for easily gaining access to your documents, pictures, music, and video libraries. Above all, after a week of use, I would still highly reccomend upgrading to Windows 7. Also, for all the students out there, Microsoft is offering a student deal to upgrade to Windows 7 with an amazing price of only $39.99 Canadian as opposed to the $125 price in stores. Here is the link for the student deal: windows7.digitalriver.com/store/mswpca/en_CA/DisplayHomePage. thanks for reading

Windows 7 Installation

2009-10-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

Windows 7 has arrived! My copy of Windows 7 arrived in the mail on Monday, and was immediately installed on my laptop. I was a bit nervous about the installation process, since I was leaving all my files and programs in Microsoft's hands during the upgrade process (of course I didn't back them up first). I had also heard of the upgrade process taking a long period of time, so I started the upgrade, and left it while I went to class. When I arrived home about 2 hours later all that was needed was for me to enter in the license key, and Windows 7 was up and running shortly thereafter. All of my programs, files, and settings were exactly as they were previously in Windows Vista (very slick). So after using 7 for approximately a day (and some prior experience) I have to say I absolutely love it, and highly reccomend it to others. There are a few new features that I find excellent. The first feature is the new task bar, which was criticized for being a knock-off of Apple's dock. I immediately removed all of my program shortcuts from my desktop and pinned them to the taskbar, allowing for a much cleaner looking desktop. The aero peak function of the taskbar is excellent when using tabbed browsing, you can now jump right to the tab you need without searching through them in the web browser. A second feature I really like is the ability to snap windows to the sides of the screen, which allows you to view two windows at once, both occupying half of the screen (especially useful for research papers). Also the new larger display desktop button located in the lower righthand side is much more efficient. Now all you have to do is mouse to the bottom right corner and click, without having to look for the button. There are many more features, but the last thing I will mention is speed. Vista, amoung other things, was known for being slow. 7 allows your computer to run much faster therefore allowing for easier more efficient multi-tasking. Windows 7, a must for all! Thanks for reading

iMac 2009

2009-10-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

The latest iMacs are now available for pre-order. The main idea of the iMac was to create an all-in-one device, with the main emphasis on the display. The display will definately be the first thing to catch your eye on the newly designed 2009 lineup. The display's are larger, more pixel dense, and are designed in the 16:9 widescreen format. When ordering an iMac you are first confronted with the choice of display size. Previously you had a choice between 20", or 24". Now you have the option of either a 21.5" or a massive 27" display. The 21.5" display has a screen resolution of 1920x1080 (full high definition 1080p), and the 27" display has an impressive 2560x1440 resolution (well beyong full HD). Apple has also stuch with their current trend of LED backlighting, and has implemented this technology in the new iMacs. You will also notice when looking at the display, that the glass now carries through all the way to the edge of the case, unlike the previous generations. But enough about the display, Apple hasn't stopped there. On the inside, what really matters are the specs. Apple has made the base processor the 3.06GHZ Intel dual core (which previously was it's top of the line processor) and has now included the quad core Intel i5, and i7 processors. Need ram? How about 16gb's? You can cram up to 16gb's of DDR3 ram into these new iMacs, and storage space is nicely equipped with the 2TB HDD option. Now we can't forget about the peripherals, Apple has now included the wireless mouse and keyboard as standard options, but this isn't the standard wireless mighty mouse, it is the new magic mouse. The entire surface of the new mouse is a touchpad, and allows users to perform the same multitouch gestures on the mouse, as they would on a macbook or macbook pro. Now let's talk about pricing. The base price of the 21.5" model is $1299, and the base price for the 27" model is $1799. With specs like these, and a price like that, if you are due for a computer upgrade, definately check out the new iMacs. See video at the bottom of this page outlining all of the features of the iMac. Thanks for reading

2009-10-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

My latest blog "Tech Info" will be a place for me to share my thoughts on new and existing technology. I'll provide information on upcoming technology releases, and first hand reviews of technology as I obtain it. The main technology I will be talking about is computers, however I will still provide information in other areas such as TV's and gaming. My first post will be on the newly updated Apple iMac, to be followed by my review of Windows 7, as soon as my copy arrives in the mail. Hope you will continue to check out my other blogs (life at X, and Local TV Matters). Thanks