Kindle 3 is now Amazon's best-selling product ever
The staggering Christmas sales of Amazon's third generation Kindle reader has propelled it to the company's best-selling product of all-time.The aggressively-priced Kindle 3, available for as low as £109 in the UK, overtook the Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows book as the online retailers top seller.
Amazon reckons that the new low price has encouraged more buyers as customers don't have to choose between a Kindle and an LCD tablet like the Apple iPad.
"We're seeing that many of the people who are buying Kindles also own an LCD tablet," says Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. "Customers report using their LCD tablets for games, movies, and web browsing and their Kindles for reading sessions."
Record breakers
Amazon is also reporting that 158 items per second were ordered from Amazon.com on peak trading day in November and that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was the most downloaded book on Christmas Day.
On Boxing Day the company also revealed that the Kindle 3 was the best-selling product over the festive period, eclipsing the Toy Story 3 DVD, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Take That's latest Robbie Williams-infused album.
So much for the iPad killing the Kindle....
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IBM foresees 3D holographic mobile calls by 2015
The latest research from computing giant IBM claims that consumers should be able to buy mobile phones by 2015 that will project small 3D holographic images of the person they are calling.
The latest future forecasting comes straight out of International Business Machines' Almaden Research Center campus in the Santa Teresa Hills of San Jose, California.
IBM also claims that, in addition to 3D holographic mobile calls, our mobile tablet PCs and laptops will be able to be powered by kinetic energy.
Annual future-gazing list
Every year the New York-based company asks its 3000 researchers to find five ideas which they think will become entrenched over the next five years.
3D holographic mobile conversations are at the top of the 2010 list of predictions from IBM.
"These are all stretch goals, and that's good," Discern analyst Paul Saffo. "In an era when pessimism is the new black, a little dose of technological optimism is not a bad thing.
"[IBM] has continued to do research when all the other grand research organizations are gone," added Saffo.
IBM invested $5.8 billion in research and development last year.
"All this demonstrates a real culture of innovation at IBM and willingness to devote itself to solving some of the world's biggest problems," said Josephine Cheng, a vice president at IBM's Almaden lab.
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Latest humanoid robots learn to use objects as tools
The latest humanoid robots being developed in Japan are learning to use obstacles in their way as tools to help them achieve specific tasks.In what may well be seen in the future as a major breakthrough for robotics AI, the humanoid robots are also learning to walk in a way that is very similar to an elderly person.
HRP-2 is your friend
The HRP-2 robot learns to use obstacles blocking its path to its advantage.
The HRP-2 has been developed at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba.
The new robot made its public debut at the rececnt Humanoids 2010 conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
The new robotics paradigm
The Institute's Sébastien Lengagne argues that: "Roboticists usually just see objects as obstacles to be avoided…But they can help us."
"If I ask you to look below your desktop, you will put your hand on the desktop for support," he adds. "But most methods will try to get the robot to do the task without touching the desktop."
It can perform basic tasks such as leaning on a table to balance itself while kicking a ball, as New Scientist reports.
You can see a video of the HRP-2 in action over at New Scientist's website.
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Toshiba outsources chip production to Samsung
Toshiba is set to significantly restructure its silicon chip manufacturing operations in 2011, outsourcing some production to Samsung and selling a manufacturing plant to Sony.Toshiba Corp plans to reduces its non-memory chip exposure in an effort to claw back revenue, following an operating loss of $3.4 billion in its 2008 financial year, in the midst of the global financial crisis.
System chip design
Outsourcing to Samsung and others is part of the plan to cut capital investment outlays in the next financial year starting in April 2011.
"Thanks to this tie-up Toshiba will gain a stronger position," said Yumi Nishimura, a senior market analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets.
"In a situation when bigger capacity is required, the burden of capital investment can be too big for one company, so the accord is a positive factor for Toshiba."
Toshiba has also announced that it will sell its system chip production line in Nagasaki to Sony. That line produces chips for Sony PlayStation 3s – and is located in a factory already owned by Sony.
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Toshiba outsources chip production to Samsung
Toshiba is set to significantly restructure its silicon chip manufacturing operations in 2011, outsourcing some production to Samsung and selling a manufacturing plant to Sony.Toshiba Corp plans to reduces its non-memory chip exposure in an effort to claw back revenue, following an operating loss of $3.4 billion in its 2008 financial year, in the midst of the global financial crisis.
System chip design
Outsourcing to Samsung and others is part of the plan to cut capital investment outlays in the next financial year starting in April 2011.
"Thanks to this tie-up Toshiba will gain a stronger position," said Yumi Nishimura, a senior market analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets.
"In a situation when bigger capacity is required, the burden of capital investment can be too big for one company, so the accord is a positive factor for Toshiba."
Toshiba has also announced that it will sell its system chip production line in Nagasaki to Sony. That line produces chips for Sony PlayStation 3s – and is located in a factory already owned by Sony.
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Samsung to launch 4-inch Galaxy Player at CES
Samsung is set to launch a new 4-inch screen Galaxy Player at CES 2011, according to latest reports.Samsung Hub claims that the new Galaxy Player will be unveiled in Las Vegas next week.
Samsung's new Player at CES
The Samsung fansite claims that the new Samsung Galaxy Player will feature a high res 4-inch LCD display with an 800 x 480 resolution.
The Galaxy Player is said to be running Android 2.2, with Samsung's additional TouchWiz layer, if the screenshots shown on Samsung Hub are anything to go by.
The new Galaxy Player will feature a 1GHz CPU, and feature a 3.2 megapixel camera on the back as well as a front-facing camera, all powered by a 1200mAh battery.
Samsung is already said to be planning access to Android Market for the new mini Galaxy Player.
Expect a lot more on Samsung's new Galaxy Player from CES 2011 in Las Vegas next week.
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Sony set to double image sensor production
Sony is set to double its output of image sensors in 2011, investing a cool $1.2 billion in a planned expansion next year.Sony clearly expects the demand for smartphone cameras and digital cameras and camcorders to continue to grow rapidly throughout 2011.
Japanese government subsidies
Sony Corp's internal investment of $1.2 billion in image sensors also includes a deal to buy back a semiconductor production line from Toshiba Corp, costing around $600 million.
Sony will make use of part of the factory in Nagasaki, southern Japan, for the production of CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors and the development of new wafer processing equipment for CMOS image sensors.
The consumer electronics giant will make use of Japanese government subsidies to assist environmentally friendly businesses.
However, it is not yet clear exactly how much money Sony will receive from the Japanese government for its planned expansion.
Sony clearly has ambitions to catch-up with and overtake digital camera market leader Canon, with the objective to quickly ramp up total production of image sensors, including CCD and CMOS sensors, to 50,000 units a month by March 2012.
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Sony set to double image sensor production
Sony is set to double its output of image sensors in 2011, investing a cool $1.2 billion in a planned expansion next year.Sony clearly expects the demand for smartphone cameras and digital cameras and camcorders to continue to grow rapidly throughout 2011.
Japanese government subsidies
Sony Corp's internal investment of $1.2 billion in image sensors also includes a deal to buy back a semiconductor production line from Toshiba Corp, costing around $600 million.
Sony will make use of part of the factory in Nagasaki, southern Japan, for the production of CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors and the development of new wafer processing equipment for CMOS image sensors.
The consumer electronics giant will make use of Japanese government subsidies to assist environmentally friendly businesses.
However, it is not yet clear exactly how much money Sony will receive from the Japanese government for its planned expansion.
Sony clearly has ambitions to catch-up with and overtake digital camera market leader Canon, with the objective to quickly ramp up total production of image sensors, including CCD and CMOS sensors, to 50,000 units a month by March 2012.
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Skype rumoured to unveil iPhone video calls at CES
Skype is expected to make an announcement about bringing its video-calling service to the iPhone at CES 2011 in Vegas next month.A keen-eyed Skype user spotted a mistakenly posted help document that revealed Skype will finally be bringing its video calling to the iPhone.
Video calling goes primetime
Engadget noted that Skype has been telling everyone that it'll be making a "series of video-related announcements" at CES next month.
Skype reps are set to participate in a panel at CES entitled "Video Calling Gets Ready for Primetime."
This in addition to the 'Skype on iPhone' help document that was posted early all points towards a major mobile VoIP announcement on the way in Vegas.
No word on Skype's plans to launch its video-calling on other platforms such as Android or BlackBerry.
However, we will be on the ground in Vegas next month to bring you the official word from Skype regarding the future of mobile video calling.
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Skype rumoured to unveil iPhone video calls at CES
Skype is expected to make an announcement about bringing its video-calling service to the iPhone at CES 2011 in Vegas next month.A keen-eyed Skype user spotted a mistakenly posted help document that revealed Skype will finally be bringing its video calling to the iPhone.
Video calling goes primetime
Engadget noted that Skype has been telling everyone that it'll be making a "series of video-related announcements" at CES next month.
Skype reps are set to participate in a panel at CES entitled "Video Calling Gets Ready for Primetime."
This in addition to the 'Skype on iPhone' help document that was posted early all points towards a major mobile VoIP announcement on the way in Vegas.
No word on Skype's plans to launch its video-calling on other platforms such as Android or BlackBerry.
However, we will be on the ground in Vegas next month to bring you the official word from Skype regarding the future of mobile video calling.
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Rumour: rear-mounted speaker for iPad 2
Leaked pictures of iPad 2 cases suggest that the forthcoming new tablet PC from Apple is set to feature both a camera a rear-mounted speaker.The latest case image was spotted on retails goods wholesaler Alibaba.com clearly showing a hole in the back of the case where a purported iPad 2 camera will sit.
One year on
Apple is expected to reveal more about the plans for the iPad 2 in January, a year on from the initial unveiling of the iPad by Steve Jobs.
The pics of this latest iPad 2 case are from a company called C & T Industry based in Guangdong, China.
In addition to the hole for a rear-facing camera at the top, the case also sports a speaker grille on the bottom rear side. Ideal for those that don't necessarily like using headphones with their iPads in the comfort of their own home, yet want a better sound reproduction from their tablet.
Flat-backed design
The iPad 2 is also rumoured to feature a completely flat back (in the tradition of the iPhone 4) unlike the iPad's slightly curved rear.
The new iPad is also rumoured to be 0.12 inches thinner than its predecessor, feature a higher-resolution screen and be capable of FaceTime video chat.
Additionally, some sources are suggesting the new iPad may have an SD card slot and a dual core processor.
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Review: WorkSmartLabs CardioTrainer
Much as everyone agrees that the best camera is the one you have with you, the convenience of your mobile phone makes it a great boost to fitness. CardioTrainer isn’t one app, but a whole suite – some parts free, some parts Pro – and varies in terms of usefulness.Still, it’s a handy collection. The main app offers one-click tracking of your workouts, charting your position using GPS, and working out a rough estimate of calories burned based on your speed and stated activity.
It offers voice notifications of milestones (literal or figurative), as well as music control and Facebook integration if you want to show off.
By default, you access your archives with a code – no registration required – but you can tie your progress to a Google account for easier access.
The Pro version is geared around telling you what to do rather than just tracking your action, with programs, difficulty levels and interval training. It’s a $9.99 package.
This part of the suite works well, but some of the others feel a little rough. These include Calorific, which tries to simplify the tedious job of counting calories, but often confuses with its explanations of what you should record ("Chocolate bars are small or medium, depending on the size of the bar. A small piece of candy is tiny."), while the weightloss planner ($2.99) only factors in one dedicated workout per day, and not, for instance, your walk into work.
Still, they’re optional, and fullyfunctional trials are available. If getting fit is what you crave, CardioTrainer works well.
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In Depth: Linux in education: a genuine alternative
Using free software in education is not just about saving money. It's also about preserving choice, not locking a student's experience into a certain way of doing something. With Linux, there's no vendor lock-in. Free software is more likely to be open-standards compliant, and it's going to be more open to different languages, localities and curricula.
It also removes what can sometimes be a barrier to learning; using the same software on your own machine at home. And because there's usually more than one piece of open source software for a job, free software makes it easier to broaden your experience and look at a variety of methods for completing that job.
All of which is essential in a world where technology is turned on its head every five years and where training needs are so unpredictable. It's also never too early to start training in IT skills, and in the UK at least, computer training starts for many at primary school level.
For some, this will be their first experience of a computer. It's also likely to be the first time they've had any kind of formal training on how to use one, and these first impressions are going to last. So there's a strong argument that teaching should be as unbiased as possible.
Yet for a variety of reasons most schools favour Microsoft. There's nothing wrong with this, as experience with Microsoft's ubiquitous products is never going to be wasted, but as Linux users, we all know there might be a better option.
Linux and open source offers a genuine alternative, with many advantages over proprietary training that aren't costrelated, although there's no reason why this can't be part of the overall solution.
Early starter
The best thing about Linux training in education is that there are already people doing it. There are establishments up and down the UK that have decided to include Linux on their syllabus and make a concerted effort to provide their students with the choice.
So if you're a parent frustrated with the lack of options for your child, or you're maybe a student who wants to learn Linux skills from the outset, there are places to go and people to speak to. They may be able to help you make the difference. But even if you can't influence the training regime at your local establishment, Linux can still play a part.
Unlike in schools, Linux and open source software isn't badly served by professional training. It's this kind of training that pits Linux against Microsoft's certification, and it's the kind that prepares IT people for the real tasks they face while dealing with Linux systems.
The Linux Professional Institute, for example, has been dishing out qualifications for over 10 years, and its LPI certification levels have become something of a standard for Linux system administrators.
LPIC-1, for instance, covers all the basics of running and maintaining a simple Linux system, from dealing with the command line and helping new users to installing, configuring and connecting a workstation to the network. But more importantly, you don't need any prior experience before starting on the course, and this has made it a great entry point for some of the more adventurous schools in the UK.
Case study 1
Barnfield College in Luton, Bedfordshire, is an establishment that offers plenty of further education opportunities for students to take on to a university or workplace. The college has a well-established computing curriculum, including all the common Microsoft applications, web design and data management.
But more interestingly for us, it also offers a comprehensive range of Linux courses, including an Introduction to the desktop, and uses Linux as the basis for some of its web development programmes.
John O'Neill, deputy head of Computing and IT at Barnfield, told us a little about how Linux training became part of the prospectus,
"Barnfield College has been offering Linux training courses since 2004. Back then it was an in house-devised course running Red Hat 5.2. Over time we have evolved our provision to include a range of distributions including Damn Small Linux, SLAX, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSUSE.
"Barnfield College has always prided itself on offering courses at the forefront of technologies. In the early part of the decade the college was an established Novell house using Netware 5. Students were given the opportunity to build and manage Netware servers as part of their coursework. Novell's acquisition of OpenSUSE inspired the teaching staff to investigate this new contender to Network Operating Systems," he told us.
When we asked him what the biggest challenge had been in supporting Linux alongside more mainstream operating systems, his answer was a logistical one, rather than a philosophical one:
"The biggest problem to the teaching team has been the need for maintaining adequate Network Security on our corporate network, while gaining access to Linux repositories. This has been resolved by the introduction of a dedicated teaching LAN with its own access to the internet."
The breadth of Linux training offered at Barnfield is also significant, covering both user and administrator roles.
"Linux is integrated into the majority of our course provision and is used to teach students ranging from Level 2 user qualifications through to foundation degree and, of course, the vendor qualifications," O'Neill explained. "Interest in these courses remains high due to the tutor's passion and the ability for students to create their own distributions. The Barnix live CD being one such incarnation. This was developed by two of our 18-year-old BTEC National Diploma students back in 2004," he added proudly.
The Barnix distribution can still be found on Distrowatch, and despite being around six years old, still looks in good shape for a distribution built around a technology that's no longer available, in an attempt to ape an operating system that's no longer supported.
But it's the potential to access new technology without having to jump through software acquisition hoops that also makes Linux a good choice. As O'Neill put it:
"Linux gives our students unparalleled access to technologies ranging from VoIP through to in-depth security testing along with traditional desktop usage." This is why the college has extended its Linux courses to integrate LPI-based certification alongside the CompTIA accreditation the college has offered for sometime, as O'Neill explained:
"Following the inclusion of LPI with CompTIA, Linux+, which the college has traditionally delivered, now simplifies vendor certification for students, and not only meets the requirements of industry partners, but also gives a clear pathway to certification."
Which leaves the most important question. If you want your child to study Linux at their local institution, how should parents and interested parties make it happen?
"Colleges can use Linux across the range of their curriculum. It gives learners access to both GUI and command line interfaces, and even Microsoft is revisiting the command line with their Power Shell interface," he states.
"Tutors need to be aware that Awarding Bodies will accept evidence obtained from many different operating systems as part of their coursework. Students and parents can be assured that skills learnt through the use of open source operating systems and applications only serve to better demonstrate the breadth of knowledge they have of cutting-edge technologies used in all business sectors."
Case study 2
Another college that's taken Linux to its heart, and one that's making it a vital part of its curriculum, is Forth Valley College in Falkirk, Scotland. Like Barnfield, Forth Valley is another further education college that positions itself for school leavers, adult learning and employers, and offers a similar range of subjects to the Bedfordshire establishment.
We asked Tony Dyer, a lecturer at the college's Department of Applied Science and Computing, how Linux had made its way into the curriculum.
"We have always had a version of Unix to allow students to enhance their skill set." he told us. "In the last 15 years we have used Linux, starting with Red Hat to SUSE to Ubuntu and Fedora. We continue to believe that our students benefit from being exposed to environments other than Microsoft, as the workplace tends to have a heterogeneous rather than a homogeneous setup. The opportunity to offer our students a vendor neutral, internationally recognised qualification on top of their HNC/HND and other vendor qualification was too good to ignore."
Tony also believes that the current trend for cost-cutting could result in increased demand for Linux skills:
"In the current climate of austerity, we also believe that Open Source in general could prove attractive to businesses, and we can contribute by having trained and certified people available to meet business needs and the requirements they have to retrain staff."
Like Barnfield, Forth Valley has taken the decision to integrate the widely adopted LPI certification system into its training and qualification, and also cover a wide range of Linux skills and abilities. Dyer gave us an overview of what's on offer,
"Within our existing full-time computing courses, we are covering a large percentage of the LPIC-1 syllabus. And for students who complete their year successfully, we offer the chance to do a one-week intensive add-on course to cover the additional material to meet LPIC-1 requirements. We also offer the option to take the exams at our on-site test centre. In addition, there is an ongoing project at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to map the LPIC-1 onto a Professional Development Award (PDA) that would be standalone and part of the HNC/HND framework. We are also currently running an 18-week evening programme to deliver the material for LPI-101 and LPI-102 exams that together gives the student LPIC-1 certification."
Tony also had some strong ideas on whether there were any advantages that Linux might have over its competitors.
"We don't feel that it's a contest between Linux and Microsoft or others," Dyer told us. "The broader and more detailed the knowledge and skills our students have, the better placed they are to gain a good job."
It also appears that Linux training of the sort offered by Forth Valley will easily slot into existing established qualifications, such as an HND. This could be a definite advantage if your child is interested in pursuing a career in Linux, but can't find a course locally, or is worried that the eventual qualification might not be recognised by universities or employers.As Dyer told us:
"The existing HNC/HND framework covers about 80 per cent of the content of LPIC-1. It is hoped in the emerging new framework that all of LPIC-1 will be covered and will have its own PDA."
We then asked whether a student's Linux experience was more likely to be used for further study, or within the workplace.
"Industry is using Linux extensively as a server platform, and Google and others are putting Linux into mobile devices and smartphones." he said. "This gives further opportunities for our students to access employment. Students can use their development skills to program Linuxbased devices and their administration skills to configure and run Linux servers."
This means that Linux students are leaving college with a cutting-edge education that hasn't made any compromises. Or as Dyer puts it:
"Our students will have more opportunities to gain meaningful employment through having a broader skill set and a more comprehensive understanding of computing. We are committed to enhancing all our students's employability."
"So far, the students have been really enthusiastic and excited about what the training can offer them."
If you can't find a college or school close to you that takes Linux seriously, it might be time to get in touch with the people who make the decisions. If other colleges are making a success of their Linux courses, and integrating them into wider IT qualifications, then there's no reason why the same can't be done elsewhere.
You only have to prove there's enough demand, and without getting in touch and letting them know, many institutions won't be aware that there is.
Get proactive
Many of the colleges that we've spoken to are more than happy to help people who want the same level of coverage for their local college, and it's likely you'll find a great deal of support in local user groups and parent associations.
Many schools, for example, are happy to use the experience and services of professional parents to help improve the provision of technology and training to pupils.
And even if parents can't get directly involved with the education, there's still a great deal they can do to source, install and run PC hardware, and hopefully, Linux.
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Review: iA Writer
Black text on a white background. No fonts. No formatting. Writer is Notepad with a price tag, on one of the most expensive toys around, and it's as simple as apps get. At least, at first glance. The more time you spend with it, the more you appreciate just how well it does its job – stripping away the distractions of writing, and focusing on the important job of putting words onto electronic paper.
There are other apps that offer the same thing, such as Elements, but none with Writer's thought and attention on hand to turn minimalism into a feature rather than an excuse.
For starters, it's not simply black text, but a very readable font, beautifully spaced. As with all iPad apps, you'll ideally use a wireless keyboard to type with, but if you don't, the standard touchscreen keyboard has been given a facelift, with extra punctuation keys, and one-tap skips to the beginning and end of each word. Once you've used them, you'll long for them to be part of the standard iPad controls.
We're not too keen on the option that greys out everything except the line you're working on in the name of helping you stay focused, but you can choose not to use it. Other features include word and character counts, as well as an estimate of how long your current document will take to read out.
As a final touch, Writer connects to Dropbox to get your documents on and off the iPad for typesetting and printing. It seems limited and we didn't expect to like it, but we came to love Writer.
Much like the iPad, it's proof that simplicity can be beautiful.
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Buying Guide: Best monitor: 12 LCD screens tested
Picking where to put your pennies when it comes to pricing up a PC can be a pain. Buying the best of everything would sidestep the problem neatly enough. In reality, lottery winnings and banker's bonuses are hard to come by. Compromises must be made. But if any component deserves a large chunk of your dosh, it's undoubtedly a flat panel.
For starters, the screen is quite literally a window into the workings of your PC. It's the one component that influences the user experience every time you sit down and fire up. Put another way, a shader-packed graphics card is great for games. For everything else, it's a billion transistors twiddling their thumbs.
A high-end CPU admittedly has a wider repertoire. For most things, most of the time, however, a cheap quad-core chip delivers all the performance you can actually use.
So, a good PC monitor gives more and it gives it more often. That's not all. Flat panels do not develop as rapidly as most PC-related technologies. Buy a high-end pixel pumper today, and it will be looking old hat inside six months; Performance boosts of 50 per cent or more from one generation to the next isn't unheard of. Likewise, CPUs, hard drives, you name it. But not screens.
A great example here is our very own Dell 30 incher. It's over three years old. That's an eternity by the standards of most PC components. But it's still a stunning screen. In terms of scale and resolution, in fact, it hasn't been bettered.
What's more, it probably has at least a year or two as a high-end screen left in it. In that context, if you'd paid £800 in 2007 you can spread the cost over five years. Suddenly, it doesn't look so expensive.
That's not to say flat panel technology is at a stand still. As we'll see, there are some interesting developments afoot in all parts of the market. But what it does mean is that is that a quality monitor is almost definitely the best long-term investment that you can make for your PC. With the general case in favour of flat panels all sown up, it's time to get specific.
The PC monitor industry is currently dominated by a single screen technology, the liquid crystal display or LCD for short. However, there are several variations on that theme. Not all panels are equal.
LCD panels explained
Getting to grips with the three main LCD panel types is therefore your first and most important step towards flat-panel perfection. However, it's also handy to have a basic understanding of how an LCD panel works. Every picture element or 'pixel' in a liquid crystal display contains – you guessed it – liquid crystals.
A typical LCD panel is made up of thousands, if not millions of these pixels arranged in a grid. Behind this grid is a backlight. Shove an electric current through the crystals courtesy of a pair of transparent electrodes and – presto-chango – they realign.
In simple terms, there are two basic positions or states the crystals can assume, one that blocks light and one that allows light through. Strictly speaking the crystals don't actually block light, they polarise it and in combination with static polarisation filters light either passes through the LCD panel or is blocked.
Anyway, the crystals can assume a huge number of intermediate positions between on and off, allowing some but not all light to pass through. What's more, in a colour LCD panel every pixel is made up of three individual elements covered by filters in the primary colours: red, green and blue. Vary the intensity of light passing through each of these elements and you end up with a full palette of per-pixel colours. Clever, eh?
If that's the basics, the details of how each panel controls the crystals vary considerably and that throws up some very obvious differences in image quality. Which brings us to the first of our flat panel triumvirate: cheap 'n' cheerful Twisted Nematic. Usually known as TN, its raison d'etre is quite simply to be the most affordable full-colour active-matrix LCD technology.
Consequently, TN panels aren't exactly renown for world-beating visual fidelity. The trouble with TN In fact, TN panels suffer from a number of inherent image quality problems. Poor viewing angles are perhaps the most obvious give away that you're looking at a TN panel.
The problem here involves the way the liquid crystals in a TN panel are effectively fixed at one end. When a current is passed through, the crystals bend or 'twist', hence the name. However, this is not as effective or accurate as crystals that are free to fully rotate.
The upshot of using this particular technology is that light tends to leak out at undesirable angles and that means that colours can look odd if the panel is not viewed from directly in front of it. Then there's the fact that the default position of the crystals in a TN panel allows light through. Combined with the restricted crystal movement, this tends to result in poor black colours, limited contrast and an overall watery, washed out appearance. Put simply, TN panels are leaky when it comes to light.
Those bendy crystals make for relatively poor colour accuracy, too. However, it's not all bad news. The limited range of crystal movement does have one upside – quick response. Put a current through a TN pixel and the crystals jump to faster than any other panel type. That means sharper moving images. Perfect for games and films, in other words.
In-Plane Switching
Next up is In-Plane Switching or IPS. This technology is effectively everything that TN is not. In other words, it's pricey but pulchritudinous [Ed - the dictionary says 'bootiful!'].
For starters, the crystals in an IPS panel are free to fully rotate about their axis. They also have a pair of controller transistors per picture sub-element where other panel types have just one. The net result of which is that IPS panels control light better than any other LCD technology. That translates into the most accurate and realistic colours and the widest viewing angles. And that's why you find companies, such as Apple trumpeting the use of IPS panels in devices like the iPhone 4.
In many ways, IPS is the finest LCD tech available at the moment. IPS is not, however, the best by every metric. The extended range of movement the crystals can achieve makes for longer response times and blurrier moving images. IPS panels are also not all that hot at completely blocking out the backlight.
VA, the halfway house
Indeed, that's a trick done best by our final panel tech, Vertical Alignment. There are two types of VA panels, PVA and MVA. The former is more common, but the basic principles are common to both of them.
Most significantly, the default, current-free position of the crystals blocks light from passing through. This allows the deepest and most convincing blacks of any LCD panel technology and the greatest contrast between dark and light tones. That in turn allows for the richest, most saturated (if not the most accurate) colours.
In most other regards, VA panels are a perfect halfway house between TN and IPS panels. They're more colour-accurate than the former, but lack the fidelity of the latter. Likewise, VA screens are halfway between the two when it comes to viewing angles and pixel response.
Screen tricks
If that's the crucial panel types covered, there are a number of secondary screen technologies that are worth understanding. Until recently, backlight technology had been essentially static for a decade or more. You could have any backlight you wanted, as long as it was based on Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL).
More recently, LED or Light Emitting Diode technology has begun to assimilate LCD monitors, having already become de rigueur in high-end HDTV sets. It's important to appreciate that current LED monitors are still based on LCD technology for the panel itself. It's only the backlight that is LED powered.
All the usual LCD caveats therefore apply. However, LED backlights do deliver a number of important advantages.
For starters, they use less power. They also respond more quickly, making dynamic contrast technology more viable. But most of all, they produce purer light, allowing a wider gamut of colours.
Another factor that effects image quality on any monitor is digital image processing technology. At least, that's what the manufacturers would like you to believe. The most widely publicised is dynamic contrast. The theory behind dynamic contrast makes a lot of sense.
Games and movies vary in brightness from outdoor daytime vistas to dingy dungeon scenes. Why not vary the backlight to suit? That's just what a lot of monitors are now capable of doing. The result, on paper at least, are incredible contrast ratios measuring in the millions to one.
In practice, dynamic contrast doesn't really deliver. More than anything, it tends to crush detail in darker scenes.
Another lesser known digital enhancement technology is pixel overdrive. The idea here is to improve pixel response. It's achieved by pumping excess voltage through the liquid crystal in an attempt to get them to move more quickly. In practice, it does just that. But it also has a tendency to cause the pixels to overshoot the target colour state. When that happens, the colours can go a bit, well, weird.
That's not all. When used in VA panels, overdrive can cause another problem, the dreaded input lag. This involves a tangible delay between the output signal from the video card and the resulting image update on the panel itself. As an end user, you notice this in the form of sluggish mouse responses on the Windows desktop or laggy inputs when playing games.
Pick a panel (or two)
That's key technologies covered. Now it's time to pick a panel and that means setting a budget, choosing a size and deciding on the resolution. When it comes to the latter, your choices have become more limited of late.
Nearly all 22 to 24-inch panels now sport the standard full-HD 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. On the upside, that means that even bargain basement 22-inch panels below £150 offer as much desktop real estate as many larger screens. In fact, you have to go all the way up to the likes of Dell's £700-plus U2711 27-inch monitor or HP's £1,200 30 incher before you actually get more pixels than a cheap HD 22-inch monitor.
It's also worth remembering that the pixel pitch, or pixel size, on a 22-inch HD monitor is much smaller than that of a 24-inch or larger HD monitor. That impacts image quality in a number of mostly positive ways such as improved clarity and sharpness.
A more ambiguous benefit of a tighter pixel pitch is smaller text, which will or won't bother you depending on your eyesight. A further knock-on effect is that with 22-inch HD monitors, the pixel pitch is so small it's debatable whether anti-aliasing is really necessary.
So, there you have it. It may seem like there's a lot to learn when it comes to picking a panel. But the key lessons are simple enough. First, remember that all panels are not equal. If a given screen is large and cheap, it's probably based on a TN LCD. Second, the latest LED powered monitors are desirable but not the huge leap forward manufacturers would have you believe. Finally, don't assume that a bigger screen will have a higher resolution, that's rarely the case.
Hit the next page for the monitor reviews...
HANNS.G HP222DJ0
£134 22-INCH
When does a cut-price screen becomes a flat-screen false economy? It's tempting to think the Hanns.G HP222DJ0 is plenty cheap but not particularly cheerful. After all, by at least one obvious metric it's well behind the competition.
This is an old school 16:10 aspect ratio screen where the rest of the known universe has gone 16:9. The old-school means full 1080p HD is not on the menu here. Instead, you must make do with 1,680 x 1,050.
Read the full HP222DJ0 review
LG E2350V
£149 23-INCH
A 23-inch monitor with a full-HD 1,920 x 1,080 pixel grid for under £150? Impressive stuff. But that's not all. The brandspanking LG E2350V adds a voguish LED backlight to what already seems like a bonkers bargain.
Then there's the screen bezel hewn from transparent purple plastic and sporting a glossy finish, not to mention HDMI and DVI connectivity. It's a great package.
Read the full LG E2350V review
IIYAMA E2271HDS
£150 22-INCH
When it comes to screens, bigger isn't always better. At least, that's the hope for the new Iiyama E2271HDS. By most metrics it looks competitive with the £150 monitor brigade.
But at 22 inches in overall screen girth, it's a little short on stature. While the E2271HDS might be smaller than some of the competition, it's still a full-HD panel, packs 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and sports an LED backlight.
Read the full Iiyama E2271HDS review
BENQ EW2420
£158 24-INCH
This is it, folks. The holy grail of LCD monitors. The messiah of flat panels. A truly affordable large display powered by something other than a TN panel, in other words. We give you the new BenQ EW2420 24 incher, yours for a whisker over £150 and sporting a VA panel. Cue much rejoicing.
That's cheaper than many 24-inch TN monitors. But somehow the EW2420 also packs an LED backlight and delivers the real-HD deal courtesy of a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel grid.
Read the full BenQ EW2420 review
BENQ V2410T
£162 24-INCH
Spare a thought for the BenQ V2410T. Until recently, it was an extremely attractive 24-inch monitor. Not only does it sport a full-HD 1,920 x 1,080 pixel grid. It also packs an LED backlight and a fully adjustable stand.
Not bad for around £160. Problem is, BenQ itself has only gone and launched the even more desirable EW2420, taking the 24-inch plus LED recipe and adding VA panel technology to the mix.
Read the full BenQ V2410T review
SAMSUNG LD220Z
£225 22-INCH
Got a desktop replacement laptop and fancy adding a second display in dual-monitor mode? Then the Samsung LD220Z Lapfit Touch is for you. It's a 22-inch full HD screen designed for portable PCs. As the name suggests, this has full multi-touch functionality.
In fact, it doesn't even need special drivers. Connect via USB to any Windows 7 PC and the touch capabilities are enabled. Ergonomically, it works well enough and it's a slick-looking screen thanks to the minimalist design and glossy black bezel.
Read the full Samsung LD220Z review
IIYAMA E2710HDS
£235 27-INCH
When it comes to sheer visual drama, there's no substitute for square inches. You need a really large display like the Iiyama E2710HDS. What you do not need, however, is a banker's bonus to afford one. An impressive 27 inches of flat panel is now available for under £250.
Still, it's no surprise to find the Iiyama E2710HDS gives you little extra apart from those inches. The panel technology is, of course, trusty old TN and the native resolution is 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.
Read the full Iiyama E2710HDS review
SAMSUNG PX2370
£238 23-INCH
Desktop monitors with cheap TN panels have been the bane of our computing lives in recent times. But what about desktop monitors with expensive TN panels?
Enter the Samsung PX2370: a paradox in a flat panel. Without doubt, TN screen technology has improved dramatically in the last 18 months. But can this 23-inch TN panel justify its hefty price tag?
Read the full Samsung PX2370 review
HANNS.G HZ281
£279 28-INCH
There can be only one winner in the battle of the big, budget-priced screens. But will it be this 28-inch Hanns.G HZ281 monitor or its nemesis, the 27-inch Iiyama E2710HDS?
The 28-inch Hanns.G obviously squeaks it for square inches. However, the HZ281 also sports a 16:10 aspect ratio. That makes the size differential in square inches even larger. But it also means the HZ281 has more pixels.
Read the full HZ281 review
ACER GD245HQ
£289 24-INCH
Whether it's gaming or movies, it seems the whole world is going mad for stereoscopic 3D. Does that make the 3D-capable Acer GD245HQ the monitor of the moment?
By most metrics, it's a pretty ordinary panel. It's a 24 incher with a TN panel, a CCFL backlight and the standard issue 1,920 x 1,080 HD pixel grid. None of that would be bad if it weren't for the near £300 pricing.
Read the full Acer GD245HQ review
DELL U2711
£766 27-INCH
Can PC monitors be too big? Speak to owners of über 30-inch displays and you may be surprised by the answer. That's where the Dell Ultrasharp U2711 steps in.
At 27 inches, it's significantly smaller than ultra-panels such as HP's ZR30W. But thanks to a monster pixel grid of 2,560 x 1,440, it gives very little away in terms of native resolution. It's also quite a bit cheaper than most 30 inchers. But you still get a first-rate feature set.
Read the full Dell U2711 review
HP ZR30W
£1,189 30-INCH
Think about computing giant HP and we suspect images of corporate cubes leap to mind more readily than sexy screens. But there's no doubting the new HP ZR30W is an absolute stunner.
It's a 30-inch monster with a high quality IPS panel and a monster resolution of 2,560 x 1,600. It comes with a massive price tag to match, of course. But the HP ZR30W is an awful lot of screen.
Read the full HP ZR30W review
And the best monitor is...
The market for vaguely affordable LCD monitors has been dominated by mediocre TN panels with samey image quality for some time now. Mercifully, that has finally begun to change.
Firstly, BenQ has blown things wide open with it's ridiculously cheap new 24-inch VA screen. Here's hoping that becomes a trend. Even if it's a one off, however, there are reasons to be optimistic.
The rapid adoption of LED backlights is giving a welcome boost to image quality across almost all price points. Moreover, panel manufacturers are beginning to get to grips with the inherent shortcomings of TN technology. The best TN panels of today aren't far off matching IPS panels from a few years ago.
On that optimistic note, it's time to wheel out the prizes. Bringing up the rear is Hanns.G's 22 incher, the HP222DJ0. In isolation, it's not a bad panel for around £130. But you get so very much more for an extra £20 in terms of everything from size to resolution and image quality.
Next up is Samsung's PX2370. It's a surprisingly poor showing, but there's no getting around the fact that this 23-inch monitor is horribly, horribly overpriced.
Another Samsung display takes the next slot. It's also overpriced, but the LD220Z Lapfit Touch does have a number of unique features, including multitouch capability, to justify its £225 tag.
There's absolutely nothing ordinary about HP's majestic 30 incher, the ZR30W. It's a fabulous screen. Problem is, it comes at a fabulous price.
Dell's gorgeous 27-inch U2711 is pretty pricey, too. But £700-odd feels much more attainable than nearly £1,200. In either case, if you can afford them you won't be disappointed. It's going to be literally years before anything significantly better than this pair comes along.
If £700-plus is out of the question, do not despair. A pair of very serviceable large-scale screens is available for a fraction of the cost. The Iiyama E2710HDS is bright, powerful and gives you 27 inches of full HD for just £235.
Even better, if only marginally, is the Hanns.G HZ281. It gives you an extra inch and a few more pixels along with an equally powerful backlight and decent image quality. All of which means there can be only one winning panel.
You might think it was obvious from the beginning. But the BenQ EW2420 still had to deliver on the enormous promise of a 24-inch VA panel, plus LED backlight for just over £150. It's not a perfect screen, but it's by far the best budget monitor currently on the market.
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Tutorial: 5 best uses for OS X smart folders
One of the things Apple has been very keen on since the original Macintosh is the idea of making technology less complicated. By making things simpler and more streamlined, and decreasing complexity (sometimes – although not always – at the expense of very direct control), Apple has honed user experiences that have taken the industry in new directions.
Nowhere is this clearer than in file and media management. Take a terrifying trip back to the distant past (well, the early 80s), and file systems were all about making you work with command lines. Apple obliterated this with Mac OS, encouraging a pointer-driven desktop metaphor that still exists in OS X and rival operating systems.
However, with the huge number of files users juggle today, the drag-and-drop file system has become unwieldy, forcing users to spend hours filing documents, and then rifling back through nested folders to unearth them at a later date.
In the Spotlight
With OS X 10.4, Apple introduced Spotlight, its first blow against the traditional file system. The idea with Spotlight is that you use a search term to find what you want, and the list of suggested items dynamically updates as you amend your term. In many cases, this renders the file system obsolete.
And with Spotlight also came the ability to save and edit searches, based on user-defined criteria, as smart folders.
Smart folders in Finder are actually a type of virtual folder, a concept first fully championed by the innovative BeOS, but that's since been taken on wholesale by Apple. Prior to Spotlight's arrival, Apple had trialled the concept in iTunes (as smart playlists) and iPhoto (as smart albums), but it's now integrated directly into Finder, along with Mail (as smart mailboxes) and Address Book (as smart groups).
Although there are variations in the way virtual folders work in these apps, it's important to understand that they are a relatively generic concept. In the same way that you don't re-learn how to cut, copy and paste in different applications, don't think you have to start from scratch when you've mastered virtual folders in iTunes and then move to iPhoto or Mail.
There are common themes with virtual folders. You create and name the container, and then use one or more conditions and values to define what the container provides access to, regardless of where the items are stored on your Mac (or the library of an application, in the likes of iPhoto). Depending on your wishes, you can set the container to include items that match all or any defined conditions. (iTunes goes further, providing the potential for more complex logic via nested groups of conditions.)
Containers can be edited later, so you can update conditions when needed. Also remember that virtual folders really are virtual – if you delete a smart folder in Finder or a smart album in iPhoto, the items that were in it are unaffected.
How to effectively use virtual folders
1. Smart playlists in iTunes
iTunes offers the most powerful implementation of virtual folders in Mac OS X, enabling you to nest groups of rules. Create a smart playlist via File > New Smart Playlist (or Option+Command+N).
In the Smart Playlist window, select a criterion from the left-most menu and add values using the second menu and the field. Use the + button to add extra rules. Rules can be deleted using the – button, although there's no undo. Create nested rule sets using the … button. Use all or any match menu item(s) to determine whether results depend on all or any conditions being met.
For example, set Artist is [The Beatles] and Date Added is in the last [12] months; all then returns Beatles tracks added in the past year, but any returns all Beatles tracks and all tracks by other artists added over the past 12 months.
Good uses for smart playlists include returning dynamic lists of highly rated tracks, those you've not heard recently, those you've recently added, or a combination of these things. To edit an existing smart playlist, select it in the iTunes sidebar and go to File > Edit Smart Playlist.
2. Smart groups in Address Book
In Address Book, File > New Smart Group (or Option+Command+N) starts the process. Conditions are based on fields within a card, including notes; if you're a member of a football team, you could add [football team] to the Notes section of relevant contacts, and then create a smart group with the condition Note contains [football team].
If you check Highlight group when updated, groups are highlighted in the Address Book sidebar when changes occur. To edit a selected smart group, go to Edit > Edit Smart Group. Since Address Book integrates with other OS X applications, you can type a smart group name into iCal or Mail, and the application will automatically replace it with the members of the group.
3. Smart albums in iPhoto
File > New Smart Album (or Option+Command+N) creates a smart album, and conditions are defined in a sheet. With iPhoto, conditions can be based around tags applied to photos (manually or automatically), including description, date, face, keyword and rating. There are also hardware based options.
You can set up date-based smart albums (Date is in the last [1] months), an album of iPhone pictures (Camera model is [Apple iPhone 4]), or a smart album of your imported iOS device videos (Keyword contains [movie]). To edit a selected smart album, go to File > Edit Smart Album.
4. Smart mailboxes in Mail
If you get lots of email, Mail's smart mailboxes are invaluable. Mailbox > New Smart Mailbox gets things started, and conditions similar to iPhoto. Checkboxes towards the bottom of the sheet enable you to toggle the inclusion of messages from Trash and Sent. Mailbox > Edit Smart Mailbox enables you to edit a smart mailbox.
Good ideas for smart mailboxes include: creating a repository for unread mail (Message is Unread and Message is not in Mailbox Junk); date-based collections (such as Date Received is in the last [7] Days); and overlooked emails (Message is in Mailbox Inbox and Date Received is not in the last [7] Days).
5. Smart folders in Finder
Creating virtual folders in Finder differs from other applications. After going to File > New Smart Folder (or Option+Command+N), a new Finder window opens. You then define conditions in the window.
To add keywords, type them in the search field. By default, few criteria are available, but you can access more via the Other… option in the search attribute menu; you can also check In Menu checkboxes in the selection sheet so your favourite attributes will show up in future. Click Save to save your smart folder.
By default, they live in ~/Library/Saved Searches and the Add To Sidebar option adds them to Finder sidebars for easy access. To edit a smart folder, open it in Finder and select Show Search Criteria from the Action menu (the one with the cog icon).
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Xbox chief: 2011 is all about the Kinect
Microsoft's Stephen McGill has insisted that 2011 will be the Xbox 360's year of the Kinect. The Xbox chief believes that, despite a 'brilliant' line up of games for the 360, it will be the motion controller Kinect add-on that defines 2011.
"As for the future, we've got a brilliant line-up for 2011 but it's ultimately all about Kinect," McGill told CVG.
Blow people's minds
" Kinect is going to blow people's minds. They're [already] buying it, but we've got a line-up of Kinect games that will blow people away."
Microsoft was aiming to sell 5 million Kinects by the end of 2011, with reviewers conceding that several underwhelming launch titles did not detract too heavily from the potential of the device.
TechRadar'sKinect reviewsuggested that the Kinect was turning the Xbox 360 into a much more rounded console.
Many major developers will unleash their offerings for the Kinect next year, and hopes are high that the motion and voice controller will begin to show just why Microsoft is so excited about the device.
Via CVG
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HTC 7 Pro UK release date set to January?
The HTC 7 Pro – the latest Windows Phone 7 Handset – could be set for a UK release date in January. The German O2 site has suggested that the eagerly awaited handset will be available early in 2011, after missing out on an early projection of a Christmasarrival.
The HTC 7 Pro brings a QWERTY keyboard (that's the Pro bit) along with all the familiar offerings of the first raft of Windows Phone 7 handsets.
Key manufacturer
HTC has, of course, been a key manufacturer of handsets that sport Microsoft's operating systems, even before the software giant managed to bring itself bang up to date with its latest offering.
Given the familiarity with Microsoft products in the average enterprise IT department, Windows Phone 7 is likely to be a popular choice, especially with the addition of a QWERTY keyboard.
It will, however, need to show that it's a worthy competitor to RIM's BlackBerry, which has become the handset of choice of many businesses in the past five years.
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In Depth: 60 best free PC software downloads from Microsoft
Chances are, you know that alongside Windows and Office, Microsoft makes a number of apps that are free for all. But the actual number might just surprise you. When we started counting up all the best free Microsoft apps, we thought we'd find 20 or 30. In the end, by the time we'd reached 60, we realised we'd have to stop, just to fit them all in. And because this is Microsoft, these apps aren't just OK, they're good. Great, even.
There's a free program or service for just about every aspect of PC use, from headline-grabbers such as Windows Live Essentials and Microsoft Office Web Apps to smaller but no less useful tools such as Microsoft Autoruns, Security Essentials and Desktops.
It's not just about work, either; Microsoft is responsible for lots of apps that are enjoyable and fun to use. See through the eyes of the world's telescopes, play a game or two or – better still – create your own with Kodu Game Lab. The list just keeps on growing.
Some of the programs here are unfinished, and clearly marked as such. That means there's a chance you may run into problems using them – nothing major, but take a System Restore point before you proceed, just in case.
We also recommend you don't attempt to install every program in this list in one go; you'll quickly bring your computer to its knees. Instead, pick out tools that excite you and give them a go.
With the Windows Live apps, you can choose the ones you want when you download the Windows Live Installer program. So, what are you waiting for? You're about to make your PC more efficient, secure and fun without spending a thing.
Microsoft Office Web Apps
www.office.live.com
This must be one of the company's biggest giveaways; you can now have access to the core features of Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for free through your web browser.
Just log on with your Windows Live ID to create new documents or upload existing ones from your computer to your Windows Live SkyDrive account, then edit them in your browser window. Even if you already own a copy of Microsoft Office, this useful freebie enables you to access your documents from any webconnected computer.
Windows Live Mail
explore.live.com/windows-live-mail
It's simply the best free email tool there is – essential for Windows 7 users, and a step up from both Microsoft Outlook Express and Windows Mail, too. Reasons to upgrade? It works brilliantly with multiple email accounts, gives you offline access to web-based providers such as Hotmail and Gmail and organises your mail intelligently into conversations.
It also integrates cleverly with a built-in calendar, enabling you to organise your life, too. Windows 7 and Windows Vista users can also enjoy the new photo email option, which enables you to share dozens of pictures without clogging up other people's inboxes.
Windows Live Hotmail
www.mail.live.com
The beauty of a web-based email account such as Windows Live Hotmail is that it enables you to access your messages from wherever you happen to be. If you log on through your browser, you can also reap the benefits of lots of other useful features, such as a junk mail filter and access to your other accounts, calendar and contacts list.
Outlook Connector Pack
explore.live.com/outlook-hotmail-connector-pack
If you want to get access to Hotmail in Microsoft Outlook 2003 or later, install this add-on, which comes with Windows Live Essentials 2011. Once it's set up, just create a new account in Outlook, choosing the option to manually configure when prompted to access the Microsoft Outlook Hotmail Connector option.
Free Microsoft Office Templates
www.office.microsoft.com/en-gb/templates
Need some inspiration for, or a helping hand with, your next Office document? Just visit the Templates section of the Office website (see the link above), where you'll find a mind-boggling number of useful options.
They're divided up into dozens of categories, which cover all of the major Office applications, and can be accessed through each of the individual Office programs when you create a new document.
Microsoft Producer For PowerPoint
www.office.microsoft.com/en-gb/downloads/redir/DC001075497.aspx
This free-to-use add-on for PowerPoint makes it incredibly simple to create web-based presentations from existing PowerPoint slides. You can also use it in association with other media sources, such as video, audio and images.
You'll need to use the Microsoft Office Animation Runtime plug-in unless you're running Office 2007 – a handy download link is provided on the Microsoft Producer download page.
pptPlex
www.officelabs.com/projects/pptPlex/Pages/default.aspx
This tool enables you to zoom into and out of your PowerPoint slides, as well as jump between non-sequential ones. Once it's installed, launch PowerPoint and view the video tutorial to find out how to use it.
Forgotten Attachment Detector
www.officelabs.com/projects/forgottenattachmentdetector
Do you often forget to attach files to important emails? Stop embarrassment by installing this add-on for Outlook 2007 and 2010. It flashes up a warning if it thinks you've forgotten to include attachments with your message.
Free images and clip-art
www.office.microsoft.com/en-gb/images
Need to jazz up an Office document with some relevant imagery? Thousands upon thousands of free photos, clip art and other illustrations are available at the Office website – download individual pictures through the site or use the Microsoft Clip Organizer tool (part of Office).
Noreplyall Outlook Add-in
www.research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/researchdesktop/noreplyall.aspx
This tiny extension adds two buttons to the Ribbon in Outlook 2007 and 2010, enabling you to prevent people in the same organisation from forwarding or clicking Reply to all when they get the email you're about to send out.
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack
www.support.microsoft.com/kb/923505
This tool enables users of Office 2000, XP and 2003 to open, edit and save documents in the new 2007 formats in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Install it and the functionality is immediately available in Office's File Open and Save As dialogue boxes.
Ribbon Hero
www.officelabs.com/ribbonhero
The Ribbon interface was a great step forward for Office 2007 and 2010, but if you want to get the most of it, install Ribbon Hero.
It monitors what you do in Office and makes suggestions as to which features you should learn about that could help you do your work more efficiently. It also helps you learn about the Ribbon interface using games and tasks that can be played with your friends and colleagues.
Canvas for OneNote 2007/2010
www.officelabs.com/canvasforonenote
Struggling to stay on top of your notes? This standalone app enables you to view, edit and organise your notes as though you'd laid them all out in front of you on a desk for easy access. Click a section to zoom in on it. You can then view and edit individual notes quickly and easily in the usual way.
Microsoft Office Viewers
Website
Don't have access to a copy of Office on another computer? You can now install special Viewers for Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, Visio or PowerPoint documents, enabling you to open, look at and print your work without having to download Office.
Microsoft SharedView
www.connect.microsoft.com/site94
This online meeting tool can be used for both professional and personal collaborations. Just log on using your Windows Live ID and start a session – it works like Windows Meeting Space in Windows 7, except that the program functions with Windows Vista and Windows XP, too. It also enables you to share individual applications, or even your entire desktop, and distribute important files as handouts.
TrueSpace 7.61
www.caligari.com
Imagine this: an incredibly powerful 3D modelling application that's yours for free! TrueSpace enables you to create 3D models, landscapes and photo-realistic objects for all kinds of purposes via a point-and-click interface – you can even use it to design your dream home. Head to the Caligari website for a helpful series of comprehensive tutorials that will familiarise you with this powerful tool.
IEToys
www.bayden.com/ietoys
Add extra features to Internet Explorer with this free collection of add-ons, most of which are accessible simply by right-clicking the page or selected text. Hide distracting images from a web page, look up words in an online dictionary, encyclopedia or search engine, and fix malformed web links. IEToys also automatically optimises Internet Explorer to take advantage of fast broadband connections when downloading files.
Desktops
technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/sysinternals/cc817881.aspx
Too many open windows? Desktops enables you to organise programs and windows in up to four virtual desktops – switch via the Notification tray icon or by assigning hotkeys; perfect for comparing several open windows without having to resort to the taskbar.
PageDefrag
technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/sysinternals/bb897426.aspx
This tool enables Windows XP users to examine and – if necessary – defragment key system files when the PC is next restarted, giving their computer a performance boost.
Internet Explorer
www.microsoft.com/ie
Are you running the latest version of Internet Explorer on your PC? Windows 7 comes with version 8 already installed, but Windows XP and Windows Vista users should update to the latest model for better performance. You can also try the upcoming Internet Explorer 9, which promises speedy browsing among other advanced features.
Microsoft Fix It Center
fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal
Microsoft offers a collection of quick-fix tools to accompany many Microsoft Knowledge Base articles, and the Fix It Center troubleshooters bring them all under one roof, giving you quick and easy access to a wide range of solutions.
The program is currently in beta, and only available for Windows XP and Windows Vista. Windows 7 users are directed to the Microsoft Fix It Solution Center, where the tools are available as standalone downloads.
Malicious Software Removal Tool
www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove
This is designed to detect and remove a wide range of known infections from your computer. It can't protect you against viruses in the first place – that's a job for your security software – but if something gets on to your system, it may be able to help with removing it. The program is updated once a month through Windows Update, when it scans your computer for possible infections; to run it manually, download it from the link above.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/cc184924.aspx
Give your computer, as well as any other networked PCs you use, a once-over for security problems with this free tool. It works by verifying that your system is fully patched with the latest Windows updates, and examines it for specific areas of weakness. For example, it can flag up whether or not adequate protective software has been installed.
RichCopy
technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.04.utilityspotlight.aspx
RichCopy is designed to speed up large file transfers over the network, mainly by copying multiple files at once to make maximum use of your network's bandwidth. It's aimed largely at power users – click Settings to see a bewildering array of options – but it can also be used simply by choosing your source and destination directories (click Connect to select your network destination), then clicking the Copy button to let it perform its magic.
Windows Search 4.0
www.support.microsoft.com/kb/940157
Windows XP users jealous of how quickly searches are performed in Windows 7 and Windows Vista can benefit from the same super-fast technology with Windows Search 4.0. Once installed, allow time for your drive's contents to be indexed and then use the Search box on the taskbar to gain quick and easy access to all your precious files, wherever they're hiding.
AutoRuns
technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx
Start-up programs hit Windows performance twice over – firstly by extending the time it takes to start Windows, and then by hogging valuable system resources, giving your computer less to work with. Autoruns enables you to see what's starting with Windows, identify unknown items and disable or delete anything nonessential to make your computer faster. Windows 7 and Windows Vista users should run the program as an Administrator in order to make changes.
ClearType Tuner Power Toy
www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartypepowertoy.mspx
This enables you to calibrate your display to make your text sharper, clearer and more legible, which can only help those tired eyes. It's built into Windows 7, while Windows XP users can download a Control Panel applet from the Microsoft Typography website; Windows Vista users should use the online tool to calibrate their displays.
Windows Live Messenger
explore.live.com/windows-live-messenger
Microsoft's instant messaging tool has come of age – the 2011 version is designed to be the social hub of your online life, giving you access to social networking sites and your Windows Live account. Behind all of this is the same great chat tool, perfect for staying in touch via text, voice and video.
Windows Live Writer
explore.live.com/windows-live-writer
One of the drawbacks of blogging is that it usually has to be done through your browser while you're online. Windows Live Writer changes that – you can access your page through a more civilised interface, composing posts offline and publishing them when you're good and ready.
Windows Live Movie Maker
explore.live.com/windows-live-movie-maker
You'll be surprised at how easy transforming a collection of video clips and photos into a movie can be. Windows Live Movie Maker ensures it's a breeze without compromising on quality – with just a few clicks, your movie can be burned to DVD or distributed over the internet via YouTube. And with HD support, you can really make the most of your camera's capabilities.
Yule Log Visualisation
Website
Warm your cockles – virtually speaking – with this visualisation of a roaring fire, designed for Windows Media Player. Access it by switching to the Now Playing mode, then right-click to the left of the playback controls and select Visualizations ➜ Yule Log ➜ Yule Log. Perfect for Christmas time.
Kodu Game
fuse.microsoft.com/project/kodu.aspx
Why get frustrated playing other people's games when you can design your own from scratch? Kodu Game Lab employs a simple point-and-click interface – it's aimed at children, but adults will appreciate the efforts made to make programming more enjoyable. We recommend checking out the video tutorial before you begin.
Windows Media Player 11
www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player
If you're still running Windows XP, upgrading to version 11 of Media Player is a must. The interface is slicker and friendlier, burning CDs is less troublesome and a new Sync tab ensures that sharing music with your portable device is easy.
Windows Live Photo Gallery
explore.live.com/windows-live-photo-gallery
Import, organise and edit your photo collection without hassle using this powerful cataloguing tool. Windows Live Photo Gallery also boasts some nifty ways of sharing your photos, with tools for creating panoramas, slideshows and even movies. Once complete, you can upload your pictures to various online services, or send them in a photo email.
Microsoft Image Composite Editor
www.research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/ivm/ICE
Stitch together several overlapping photos to create a widescreen panorama. It can be saved as a single file or shared through the PhotoSynth website (see opposite).
Microsoft Silverlight
www.microsoft.com/getsilverlight
Many interactive websites and several applications require the free Microsoft Silverlight plug-in to be installed before you can enjoy their content. Get it from the web address above or install it as part of Windows Live Essentials.
Microsoft Zune Player
www.zune.net
This online music and video store has expanded to include unlimited music streaming as well as sales of songs and movies. All of this is accessible through the sleek Zune Player, which is worth looking at as an alternative to Media Player, even if you don't plan on using the service.
Games For Windows - Live
www.microsoft.com/games/en-gb/Live/Pages/livelaunch.aspx
This program puts you in touch with millions of other gamers, offering in-game chat and messaging to boost the atmosphere and add an extra edge to your experience. After you've signed in you'll be able to download a game, Tinker, for free.
Bing Maps 3D
www.bing.com/maps
View the web in 3D to make it easier to find and locate the information you're after. You can navigate with your mouse and keyboard to pan, tilt and move around the landscape, and even create your own 3D objects.
Worldwide Telescope
www.worldwidetelescope.org
Enjoy the best imagery from the world's ground- and space-based telescopes, including Hubble. Look out for the Guided Tours tab – a great place to get started.
Microsoft Photosynth
www.photosynth.net
Photosynth goes one step further than Microsoft ICE, enabling you to create a 360° panorama from photos quickly and easily. You'll need to sign up for free access with your Windows Live ID, and your finished results are uploaded to the same site, either for public consumption or private sharing.
Server Quest II
www.microsoft.com/click/serverquest
Indulge in some retro gaming with these re-imaginings of classic games, such as King's Quest. The graphics are old-school, but it's a great way to spend a quiet afternoon.
Microsoft Photo Story 3
Website
It may only create a photo slideshow, but Photo Story 3 does it exceptionally well. Import your photos, then follow the wizard to create your sequence, adding captions, transition effects, minor corrections and a soundtrack. The finished collection can be shared online or burned to DVD using Windows DVD Maker.
Team Crossword
www.teamcrossword.com
This game is designed to enable you and a group of friends to tackle puzzles on a daily basis, with the aim of posting the fastest time for completion. It works through your Facebook account, making it easy to share with other people.
Bing Twitter Maps
fuse.microsoft.com/project/Bing-Twitter-Maps.aspx
Another Silverlight plug-in, this enables you to view tweets geographically, letting you see who's posting nearby.
Christmas Trivia Pack For Windows Media Center
Website
This zip file holds pictures with Christmas trivia and quiz questions – just copy them into a suitable folder inside My Pictures and direct Windows Media Center to the file via Pictures and Videos. Click Play Slideshow to make them run in the background on your TV. You can also create your own trivia and slides in your image editor.
Microsoft Expression Encoder 4
Website
Although this tool is targeted at web developers, Expression Encoder 4 has a powerful feature set for video enthusiasts, too. Import clips, edit, de-interlace, crop and add overlay effects, then output the finished result to a WMV file, perfect for sharing over the internet. There's even a handy screen-capture tool built-in, too. You need to install .NET Framework 4.0 to run this program.
Virtual PC 2007
www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/support/virtual-pc-2007.aspx
While Windows 7 Professional users get Windows XP Mode built-in to resolve compatibility issues, those with Windows XP and Windows Vista can get similar functionality with the Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 program.
You need to provide your own legitimate copy of Windows to use it, but once it's set up you'll have access to all your old software again. Note that the add-on throws up a warning about not supporting Home editions of Windows, but it should still work.
Insomnia
Website
This tiny free tool does one thing, and one thing only: when you open the program, it prevents Windows from going to sleep. If you're about to download a large file or burn a DVD and you don't trust your computer to stay awake during the process, this is really handy. Just launch Insomnia and the problem is automatically solved.
Windows Live Skydrive
skydrive.live.com
How would you like a generous 25GB of free, online, password-protected storage space? Well, that's exactly what Windows Live SkyDrive offers – all the extra room you could possibly need to share your favourite photos, important documents and more.
It's designed to integrate with other Windows Live services, too – 5GB of it can be synchronised with other computers via Windows Live Mesh, for example, while Office Web Apps also uses it to store your online folders.
Windows Live Family Safety
www.essentials.live.com
Worried about what your children might be getting up to when they spend time online? This free tool enables you to monitor what they're looking at. If necessary, you can restrict access to the web, programs (including games) and even the computer itself, ensuring that they don't push their boundaries too far.
Settings are stored in your Windows Live ID, enabling you to configure the program on multiple PCs in the home. Plus, the latest 2011 version links in with Windows user accounts, making it even easier to run.
Windows Live Mesh
explore.live.com/windows-live-mesh
If you often work between two or more computers, you'll know how difficult it can be to ensure that the latest versions of your documents are available no matter which machine you're sitting at. Windows Live Mesh doesn't just enable you to synchronise selected folders between PCs and Macs – it keeps your Internet Explorer and Office settings aligned, too.
What's more, you don't even need your computers to be switched on and connected at the same time for the program to work – Live Mesh comes complete with 5GB of online storage, which can be used as an additional form of backup. What's not to like?
JouleMeter
www.research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/joulemeter
Get a decent estimate of your Windows 7 PC's power consumption by installing and running this tool – you can immediately gauge how much electricity your desktop or laptop is using by accessing the taskbar application. Alternatively, run the calibration tool to enable Joulemeter to test your set-up and produce a more accurate assessment.
SyncToy 2.1
Website
This handy tool enables you to keep the contents of two folders – one of which can be a shared file over your network – synchronised. Multiple folder pairs can be created, and you can preview any changes to be made before agreeing to them.
Windows Easy Transfer
Website
You've just bought a new computer with an upgraded version of Windows and are wondering how you'll be able to transfer your key files and settings to it from your current PC. As long as you're running Windows Vista or Windows XP, just download Easy Transfer and let it do all the hard work for you.
Windows NT Backup Restore Utility For Windows 7
www.support.microsoft.com/kb/974674
This storage tool, supplied with Windows XP, isn't compatible with later versions of Windows. If you backed up using the program and need access to your data in Windows 7, download this courtesy of Microsoft. After installation you'll find it under Start ➜ All Programs ➜ Accessories ➜ System Tools.
ScreenRecorder
Website
This screen-recording program is simple to use: launch the program, select whether to capture the whole screen or a specific open window or program, and start recording. To stop, click the big red button before saving the file in an efficient, compressed format.
Windows Memory Diagnostic
oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
Strange behaviour – such as random crashes – could point to problems with, or even failure of, hardware. Find out if your PC's memory is the culprit with the help of this free testing tool. It's included on the Windows 7 and Windows Vista installation discs, but can also be downloaded from the link above and burned to a floppy disk or CD.
You'll need ISO Recorder if you're running Windows Vista or Windows XP. Memory Diagnostic will then test your RAM and let you know if it needs checking or replacing.
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Review: Buffalo LinkStation Mini 500GB
This palm-sized NAS drive is designed for home use. Its fanless, well-ventilated enclosure means it runs almost silently, and it's small enough to fit just about anywhere. Inevitably for a drive this size, it uses 2.5-inch hard drives. The model reviewed here offers two 250GB drives, but a twin 500GB version is also available.
You can set it up as a RAID 0 drive to enjoy the full capacity of the installed drives, or RAID 1 to mirror your data and protect against drive failure, but the drives aren't user-accessible, so you can't replace a failed unit.
The LinkStation Mini's feature set belies its size. It has a built-in BitTorrent client, an iTunes server and a print server should you wish to connect a USB printer. You can stream media to a DLNA-compatible device, which is good news if you own a PS3 or Xbox 360.
The LinkStation Mini's WebAccess feature enables you to store, share and access files from any web browser on a PC, Mac or iPhone, and backup is provided by the bundled software. You can control group and user level security.
The LinkStation is easy on energy consumption; Buffalo claims it uses 60 per cent less than most NAS devices. It can be set up to switch off with your PC, but if you want to access files via the internet or your network, it's best to leave it on.
The LinkStation Mini puts in a performance that matches its larger competitors. Its price per gigabyte ratio isn't great, but if you shop around you can save quite a bit on the RRP. You can't upgrade or replace the drives without invalidating the warranty, but it's well worth a look.
Related Links
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Amazon's Kindle tops its top 10 Xmas sales list
Amazon has announced its biggest Christmas sellers, and it is its own Kindle device that tops the chart, beating the Toy Story 3 DVD into second place. In fact, the top four sellers are all from different genres, the Kindle from electronics, Toy Story 3 from DVD, Call of Duty: Black Ops from gaming and Take That's latest album Progress making up the best-selling quartet.
But the well-priced and critically acclaimed Amazon Kindle has brought in the bucks for the online retail giant, and the purchase of digital books for the device will only serve to cement the company's dominance in the market.
"This was the first Christmas that Kindle and Kindle 3G have been available from Amazon.co.uk and the demand has been exceptional," said Brian McBride, Managing Director of Amazon.co.uk Ltd.
£109
"At only £109, Kindle has been on the top of Christmas Wish Lists all over the country this year and we expect to see many people visiting the Kindle Store over the days that follow Christmas to take advantage of the massive selection of low-price Kindle Books available," he added.
Apparently, 27 items were being ordered every second at the peak of its Christmas buying period – and a total of 2.3 million items were bought on the busiest day – Monday 6 December.
Top 10
1.Kindle (3G + Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi only)
2.Toy Story 3
3.Call of Duty: Black Ops
4.Progress – Take That
5.Inception
6.Jamie's 30-Minute Meals – Jamie Oliver
7.Now That's What I Call Music! 77
8.Eclipse
9.Downton Abbey Series 1
10.Just Dance 2 (Wii)
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Tutorial: 14 Thunderbird tips to help you take control of your inbox
Can't manage your inbox? Want to deal with attachments more efficiently?Revive your email account with these quick Thunderbird tips.
1. Filter messages into folders
An inbox with only one main folder is a definite recipe for disaster. Not only will you receive spam mixed up with messages from trusted contacts, you'll end up with too much mail to deal with all at once. To get round this, create new folders (usually via File > New Folder) and then set up rules or filters for each one.
2. Back up and restore your mail and contacts
Hard drive crashes are always possible, but your email can be saved in a flash. In Thunderbird, just copy your profile (C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\Defaults\Profile) to another drive to back up your emails. To restore backups, copy each folder you archived to the original location.
3. Work faster with mail templates
To create a new template and use it as the basis for future emails, make a new message, add your text and formatting and select File > Save As > Template. To use this example as the basis for a new mail message, select the Templates folder and then double-click the one you just saved.
4. Tag your messages
Alongside filters, tags are the best route to a tidy inbox. In Thunderbird, the default ones are 1) Important (red), 2) Work (orange), 3) Personal (green), 4) To Do (blue) and 5) Later (purple), but you can add your own. Highlight a message and press a number from 1 to 5. Filter rules can also be used to apply tags.
5. Compact messages
To compact all folders in Thunderbird manually, click the account on the left and then select File > Compact Folders. If your mailbox is too large then try working with one folder at a time by right-clicking on one and choosing "Compact this folder ".
6. Make attachments as small as possible
The Auto Zip Attachments extension enables you to compress attachments automatically prior to sending, manually compress with the Auto Zip button, add a comment and password-protect zips.
7. Encrypt emails
Using a personal email certificate such as the free Thawte option, you can digitally sign your emails so that recipients can see they're really from you. You can also encrypt your messages so that only the intended recipients can view them, offering you real security.
8. Use IMAP rather than POP3
Most email clients support IMAP and POP to access messages from the server. If you're using a popular webmail client or a personal domain, you should be able to use IMAP, which is good for multiple machine use because it automatically synchronises. Handily, it can also be organised server-side.
9. Plan ahead
Lightning is Thunderbird's personal organiser, and can be bolted on to the mail client to act as a handy calendar. It even has event filters.
10. Display birthdays
This add-on displays birthdays from the address book as events in Lightning. Now you'll never forget a friend 's special day again.
11. Copy Gmail
To make Thunderbird more like Gmail, turn on the threaded view. Go to Tools > Options > Advanced > General and click Config Editor. Now search for the preference "mailnews.thread_pane_ column _unthreads". Double-click to change the value to "false".
12. Add Gmail power
Another Gmail-esque extension is GMailUI. The Expression search type enables you to enter multiple Gmail-like operators into the field, such as " from:amazon subject:order".
13. Navigate quickly
Install the Nostalgy extension to copy or save a message. You can also use it to switch to any email folder quickly with the [C], [S] and [G] keys.
14. Transfer mail
The Mail Redirect add-on is ideal for exporting Thunderbird messages to another address without having to forward them. It preserves all the message headers and bounces them to a new destination.
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Google providing Boxing Day hangover cures
Google is aiming to help people with the inevitable Boxing Day hangover, with the search giant conjuring up the remedies being sought by people across Europe. Google has looked at the top searches for hangover cures from several countries across the world, and rooted out some interesting cultural differences and some fairly obvious similarities to boot.
"During Christmas time, people tend to party more, and to drink more too," explained Google.
"How well prepared are people to recuperate after a long night out? What kinds of hangover remedies and tips are user searching for?"
Oatmeal?
According to the Brits, oatmeal is a good way to get over a hangover, the French like their medicine beer and sugar is a sure anti-hangover remedy according to the Spaniards," the search giant added.
"Italians prefer to go to the gym to combat hangovers, Germans rely on cucumber and pickled herring to cure a hangover, the Polish have lemon to get over a long night of drinking and coffee is internationally recognized beverage against hangovers."
We're happy about the coffee, but not entirely convinced that we fancy cucumber and pickled herring for a hangover cure. Or at all, quite honestly.
UK
Oatmeal hangover
berocca for hangover
Alka seltzer hangover
Canada
coffee hangover
pedialyte hangover
pickle juice hangover
France
Sertraline
Smecta
Miel après cuite
Germany
prevent hangover
hangover remedy
cucumber and pickled herring to cure a hangover
Spain
Vitamine B12
AlcaSeltzer medicin
Beer sugar hangover
Italy
gym after hangover
milk after hangover
drink after hangover
Switzerland
magnesium pills against hangover
Isostar against hangover
cell salts against hangover
Poland
aspirine for hangover
lemon for hangover
alcohol for hangover
Australia
hangover food
caffeine hangover
bread hangover
South Africa
hangover remedies
hangover solutions
coffee hangover
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