Even with a higher-resolution screen, the TouchSmart IQ816 is noticeably more responsive than the IQ506. The TouchSmart interface works just like the touch interface on the iPod touch and iPhone: You simply tap the screen with your finger. You can control the PC and TV functions this way, as well as Windows Vista. In fact, HP enabled the input panel for handwriting recognition and on-screen keyboard functions by default. Loading all these extra features has its downside, however. It results in longer start-up times and a taskbar that has more icons on it than your average NASCAR racer has sponsor stickers. Even so, once everything is loaded, the touch interface is snappy. Touch is particularly good for moving things around, like navigating media libraries. If you prefer, you can also use the included wireless keyboard and mouse.

Like its sibling, the IQ816 works well in a home environment, such as a kitchen, den, or home office. You can surf the Web and do e-mail over a wireless network; you can leave handwritten notes to family members on the screen; you can use it as a DVR/HDTV/Blu-ray player—and, oh yeah, it’s a full Windows PC. There’s a webcam built into the bezel atop the screen. Inputs include five USB ports, a FireWire port, and a 5-in-1 media-card reader. The IQ816 also has a Pocket Media Drive bay, which fits HP’s proprietary Pocket Media hard drive cartridges.

There’s a bit of crapware on the IQ816’s hard drive, and it’s a little intrusive: A few ads show up in the Welcome Center for stuff like Snapfish and “My HP Games.” Thoughtfully, there’s a full copy of Microsoft Works on the hard drive instead of the almost-ubiquitous Office trial. HP includes only a 60-day trial subscription to Norton Internet Security 2008, which really should be 15 months, as on some of HP’s Pavilion PCs.

So how is the IQ816’s performance? At multimedia tasks, it’s not too bad. I clocked it at 41 seconds at Photoshop CS3 and 1:23 on the Windows Media Encoder test. Both are respectable scores for a multimedia PC, and you can’t get much more media-oriented than the IQ816. You should be able to do all the DVR, media-encoding, and light photo-editing tasks that the average media-savvy family does after vacations or special life events. The system’s nVidia GeForce 9600M GS graphics, which are optimized for notebooks, are competent for everyday tasks, but not gaming. The system’s 18-frame-per-second (fps) score on Crysis and 21 fps on World in Conflict mean that the latest games are beyond its abilities.

The IQ816 adds a slot-loading Blu-ray reader to the DVD burner functionality found in the previous TouchSmart PCs, and this makes a difference if you’re into HD video. For Blu-ray, it’s strictly a reader, not a burner, which isn’t much of a drawback considering the price of BD-R media these days (around $10 per disc). The IQ816 has a built-in ATSC/HDTV tuner, and you can use the system as an HDTV DVR. Blu-ray movies and over-the-air HDTV look crisp and clean on the IQ816, though not quite as lifelike as on the Sony VAIO VGC-RT510Y, which, to be fair, costs almost $2,000 more. The Sony RT and its LV series cousin both have HDMI inputs, which trump the IQ816. HDMI inputs make the Sony models true HDTV replacements, since you can hook up a cable or satellite set-top box via HDMI. The IQ816 lacks HDMI input.

The closest rivals to the HP TouchSmart IQ816 are the 24-inch Sony VAIO VCG-LV190Y and the new 24-inch Dell XPS One. (Look for my review of the latter in the coming months.) The Apple iMac isn’t a direct competitor because it lacks HDTV and Blu-ray optical drive options, even in its top-of-the-line 24-inch model. Despite the IQ816’s innovative touch screen, the Sony LV190Y retains the Editors’ Choice for all-in-one PC/TV combos, thanks to a more TV-centric focus and much-needed HDMI input. Take a look at the IQ816 if you’re looking to put a PC in your kitchen. For the bedroom or den, the VAIO is a better choice, though it’s more expensive by $800. In the end, I think the Sony is worth the price, since it works much better as an HDTV replacement in looks and functionality.

BOTTOM LINE:
HP’s newest TouchSmart is bigger and better, yet some quirks remain. If you want a huge touch-screen PC and are prepared to pay a premium, the TouchSmart IQ816 is worth a look.

PROS:
Large widescreen. Touch-sensitive interface. Blu-ray. 1080p-compatible display. Wireless everything. Speedier than the IQ506. ATSC HDTV tuner. Pocket Media Drive bay.

CONS:
Short (60-day) subscription to Norton Internet Security. Screen doesn’t quite fill the bezel. Blu-ray drive is player only. Some crapware.

www.pcmag.com

Prepare the Workspace

To begin, if you’re not already in Print Layout view, switch to it via the View tab—you need to see what the page really looks like as you work. Also on the View tab, in the Show/Hide group, click Ruler to help you position and measure objects, then Thumbnails to give you a running view down the side of what your pages look like. When you determine your page requirements, come back here and click Gridlines; these help you position objects on the page. To change the grid spacing, click the Insert tab and add an object to the page (a shape, for example), yielding the Format tab, and then on the Format tab click Align | Grid Settings.

Use Text Boxes

Instead of Word’s standard page, employ text boxes to hold your text, tables, and graphics files. To do so, click Insert and choose Text Box in the Text group. Word reveals the Text Box Gallery, which offers numerous choices, but for now choose Simple Text Box. Enlarge the box to whatever size you want, then type or paste inside it. Add tables, clip art, or graphics files, all of which integrate into the text box (although Shapes do not). When you have as much material in the text box as you want, drag it wherever it belongs on the page, using the rulers and the grid to help position it. Repeat the process, adding as many text boxes as necessary (you can even overlap them).

Text Control

Fine control over text is available from the Paragraph and Font dialogs. In the Paragraph section (on the Home tab), use the Spacing controls to exercise precise control over (among other things) the distance between the lines of text—you can adjust the Before and After spacing via the arrows or by typing in a point size, and you can set exact line spacing as well. In Font, the Character Spacing tab gives you control over how the letters, numbers, and symbols appear. Select the text in the document and scale it, expand or contract it by specific point sizes, and raise or lower it on the line, again by specific point sizes. The dialog displays the result before changing the actual document.

Word offers numerous other layout options, including page color, page border, and a wide variety of built-in galleries, but the major tools for text layout are those encountered here, which allow precise control of placement, spacing, and appearance.

The internet portal’s co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang made the comment despite the fact Yahoo rejected a $33 (£21) a share offer from Microsoft back in May.

Mr Yang’s suggestion also came hours after Google pulled out of an internet advertising partnership with Yahoo.

“To this day the best thing for Microsoft to do is buy Yahoo,” said Mr Yang.

“I don’t think that is a bad idea at all, at the right price whatever that price is. We’re willing to sell the company,” he told a packed ballroom at the Web 2.0 summit in San Francisco.During the on stage conversation in front of a standing-room only crowd, Mr Yang was asked why the company did not take the $33 a share offered back in the summer. The company’s share price closed Wednesday below $14 (£8.80) a share.

“They walked away from a public offering and we were ready to negotiate. We wanted to negotiate a deal. We felt we weren’t that far apart.

“At the end of the day, they withdrew and they have since been clear about not wanting to buy the company,” explained Mr Yang in a rare public appearance.

Microsoft did however come back and offer to buy the search part of Yahoo, but a deal was never struck.

Again Mr Yang said the offer then was not good enough but he still remained open to persuasion.

“As far as a search deal goes, we are open-minded about it. The last time we felt the deal was not a good one for the company but that doesn’t mean we won’t do one.”

When asked if any negotiations were pending with the software giant, Mr Yang said “There is no new news.”

Microsoft declined to comment.

And when quizzed about a possible deal with AOL, Mr Yang played coy with his host John Battelle.

“Buying AOL? I can’t talk about that, John. If I told you I would have to kill you.”

‘Disappointed’

While Yahoo is still holding the door open to Microsoft, Google closed one earlier in the day on a deal the two companies had struck up over search advertising.

After four months of scrutiny from the Department of Justice, Google decided to back out of the agreement it had made to provide advertising around the internet portal’s search results.
jerry yang
Mr Yang told the summit “I am passionate about Yahoo”

It had been estimated that the venture would have been worth around $800m (£500m) a year to Yahoo.

“Pressing ahead risked not only a protracted legal battle but also damage to relationships with valued partners,” said Google’s chief counsel David Drummond.

Mr Yang said he was “disappointed that they [Google] didn’t want to defend this deal.”

But he felt that in his mind, the government scuppered it.

“I really thought the government in this case does not understand our industry. They have a market definition that I think is too narrow and I think things like this tend to have unintended consequences for our entire industry.

“So I clearly don’t agree with what the viewpoint is, but they are the government and they can decide on these things.”

Mr Yang pointed out that the Google partnership was not crucial to its bottom line and that it was “incremental” to its overall growth plans.

It may have taken you months to be persuaded, but switching to Microsoft Windows Vista is certainly not a PC death sentence. With the release of Vista Service Pack 1, you can now enjoy a higher degree of program compatibility, an increased speed when copying large files and connecting to networked PCs, improvements in BitLocker encryption, and a configurable search option.We know that Vista takes some getting used to—new translucent interfaces, constant security prompts, and Sidebar gadgets, oh my!—but you can’t live in the shadow of Windows XP for much longer. With a little hand holding, we can make your Vista experience smoother (and more beguiling) than ever. Here are 198 tips and tricks to get the most out of Windows Vista.
— Next: Start-up & Security

Start-up:

Remove Unwanted Dual Boot in Vista
One Vista user keeps getting a dual-boot message at start-up, even though he removed the other drive. Find out how to clean up an unwanted dual boot.

Avoiding OS Conflict
System Restore supposedly gets deleted on Vista every time one boots to XP. Is there any way to avoid this?

Avoid Confirmation at Start-Up in Vista
Here’s a way to let specific programs run with automatic user authorization at PC start-up.

Unblock Start-Up Programs in Vista
It would be great if the end user could modify the authorized list.

Use a Vista Restore Point to Log On to a System
If you’ve recently set a new password and forgotten it, this is a quick way around the problem.

Vista Log-In Hacks
There are a few things you can do to tweak the Welcome/log-in screen, for convenience and greater system security.

Security:

Enhancing Vista Security with EFS
In addition to encrypting on a file-by-file basis, you can encrypt all the files inside a given folder automatically by encrypting the folder itself.

Tame User Account Control
You can get rid of Vista’s annoying security prompts, but doing so may place your system at risk.— Next: Programs & Utilities

Programs & Utilities:

Can I Delete from the Virtual Store?
Need help cleaning out programs you don’t need or want in Vista?

Install an Ancient Printer in Vista
There is a way to install an old printer on Vista without receiving a message that the PCL6 driver is not compatible.

Default Programs
One of Vista’s most attractive new features makes uncovering important settings easier than it was in XP.

Boost Compatibility
Try running compatibility mode to get legacy software to work.

Living an Outlook-Free Life with Windows Vista
Windows Vista comes with full-blown PIM functionality. Can you use it to shake your Microsoft Outlook addiction?

Quick Fixes for Five Nasty Vista Problems
Windows Vista certainly has its quirks. Here are some common conundrums and how to thwart them.

Whip Vista into Shape
Microsoft Windows Vista is a pretty muscular operating system, but it still needs toning. These three utilities give your new OS more speed and endurance.

Watch TV on your Vista PC
You can watch TV without a cable box by following these simple steps.
— Next: Files & Folders

Files & Folders:

Vista Folders Always Start at 800-by-600
One user just wants every window to be the same size, and for that size to be larger than the default. Can the default be changed?

Make Vista Show Picture Thumbnails
Here’s how to show thumbnails of the picture files in your Vista picture folder.

Vista Icons Lose Their Filenames
Only seeing icons with no filenames in Vista? You can restore the settings easily to get them back.

Send Faxes and Scan Documents
The odds are good that your PC has an integrated fax modem. Take advantage of it.

What to Do with an Iso File
For those who have an .iso file and can’t seem to make it work: The answers are here.

Search Folders
Vista has improved the history functionality of Windows Explorer.

Copy as Path
A new feature of Vista allows users to copy folder paths.

Compact Folders in Windows Mail
Tweaking defaults in Windows Mail can help you free up more space and keep your e-mail organized.

Can’t Create Groups in Windows Contacts
It’s dead simple to group specific contacts in the Windows Contacts folder in Vista.

Find the Cookies Folder in Vista
Oh where, oh where can the Cookies folder be?

Going Up
You might have noticed a familiar button missing from Vista’s Windows Explorer: It’s the Up button, which used to take you to the previous level in the path.

Those Aren’t My Favorites
Vista’s version of Windows Explorer has a few key navigational changes from Windows XP.

Expanded Shortcut Menu
You can add useful options to the right-click menu on any file or folder in Vista.

Compatibility Files
To keep legacy apps running, Vista lets them pretend to write to their familiar file locations. But when you go to look for those files, you won’t find them!

Remove Metadata from Pictures
Remove hidden details from pictures and documents.

Raw Images
Vista’s new Photo Gallery is powerful and flexible, but out of the box, it works with JPEG and TIFF images only.— Next: Performance

Performance:

What’s Holding You Back?
Does it seem as if something’s dragging on your Internet connection?

Horribly Slow Browsing in Vista
What could be tripping up Web browsing in a seemingly Vista-capable PC?

Horribly Slow Browsing Revisited
Where on the Start menu do you access a place where you can even type a command?

ReadyBoost
With Vista’s ReadyBoost, you can use any high-performance CompactFlash or SD card with a USB 2.0 card reader to increase your PC’s performance.

Controlling Defragmentation in Vista
In Vista, Microsoft removed the flashy analysis report because defragmentation just isn’t something you have to watch. But if you’re desperate to get some kind of analysis, try this.

Extra RAM Isn’t a Waste in Vista
The issue with either Windows XP or 32-bit Vista really isn’t the OS itself, but the legacy of the old IBM PC.

Limit Space Used by Windows Resource Protection
Windows Resource Protection takes up a lot of space on your hard drive. Is it safe to limit how much it uses?

Conserve Battery Power
Get an extra 20 to 30 minutes of battery time.

Turn Off Annoying Prompts
You can turn off annoying prompts by deactivating User Account Control in the User Accounts Control Panel.
— Next: System Tools & Maintenance

System Tools & Maintenance:

Installus Interruptus
What to do if your Vista installation gets interrupted.

Clean Install Using Vista Upgrade
You cannot use an upgrade key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista, so here’s what to do.

Tweaking SendTo in Vista
Installing SendTo PowerToy into Vista doesn’t work, but there is a way around it.

Windows Sidebar
The Windows Sidebar is more than meets the eye. Find out how to maximize its uses.

Take Smarter Screen Shots
Learn how to use the Snipping Tool.

Recover Vista’s Wayward Snipping Tool
After downloading the latest update from Microsoft, the snipping tool in Accessories is no longer there. What happened?

Get a Health Report from Vista
Vista can run a complete and well-organized diagnostic report highlighting potential problems.

Keep Vista from Adding “Shortcut” to Shortcuts
Here’s how to tweak the Registry so that any shortcut’s title or label merely repeats the original object’s title or label.

How to Disable Autorun/AutoPlay in Windows XP/Vista
There is a way to disable Autorun for good.

Partitioning Bad?
Does partitioning have a place in the twenty-first century?.
— Next: Customizing

Customizing:

Be Time-Zone Aware
In Windows Vista, you can add additional clocks to the system tray.

I Want My Aero!
What to do to get the window transparency effect in Windows Vista.

Vista’s Flash for the Rest of Us
Aero, the translucent interface in Microsoft Windows Vista, has somewhat hefty system requirements and guzzles CPU cycles. Here are a few Aero utilities that will work on most PCs.

Virtualize Your Keyboard
If you’re running Vista on a Mac via Boot Camp, you can use the virtual on-screen keyboard for keys the Mac doesn’t have.

How to Expand Your Recycle Bin
You can set your Recycle Bin’s size in Vista.

Have Kids? Use Parental Controls
Block inappropriate Web sites, set up a time schedule for playing games, limit use of instant-messaging software, and create boundaries for browsing the Internet.

Command Prompt Magic
Do big jobs with a single command line.

Using Quick Launch
The Quick Launch bar became more convenient in the jump from Windows XP to Vista.

Quick Launch Eyestrain?
Tweak your Vista interface to look more like the upcoming Windows 7 by taking advantage of a little-known feature.

A Tab Too Far
When you’re Alt-Tabbing through open applications and files in Windows but accidentally Tab past the window you were looking for, you don’t have to cycle through them all again.

More and Better Help
When using the Windows help system, it’s usually advantageous to include Microsoft’s online database in your search.

Help for FreeCell Addicts in Vista
Don’t let quitting in the middle of a game affect your win/loss record. Here’s how to get around it.

Create a Shortcut to Lock a PC
Slice steps off your system log-off routine by putting a log-off shortcut on your desktop.— Next: Solutions Series

SOLUTIONS SERIES

Make Vista Great, Part 1: Fix Windows Explorer
Surprisingly, most of Vista’s annoyances are fixable. If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do some tweaking, you can turn Vista into a pretty great OS. First up: Fixing Windows Explorer.

Make Vista Great, Part 2: Fill in the Missing Pieces
You might expect a new operating system to improve on or excise older elements that are no longer necessary or just plain don’t work. So why is Vista missing stuff that users, well, miss? Here are some tools to fill the holes in Windows Vista.

Make Vista Great, Part 3: Improve Performance and Stability
There’s a lot you can do to improve both performance and stability on your Vista PC, easily meeting or surpassing XP standards on sufficient hardware.

Make Vista Great, Part 4: Solve Ultimate Edition Envy
Believe it or not, you can get most of the Ultimate Edition’s goodies for free, no matter which edition of Vista you have. Here’s a breakdown.

Customizing Windows Vista, Part 1
We show you how to personalize Vista top to bottom, from the Control Panel to Related Tasks.

Customizing Windows Vista, Part 2
Here are even more ways to personalize Vista, including the Start Menu, folder options, and search.

System Maintenance with Windows Vista, Part 1
We’ll show you how to ensure your system is running at optimal levels, using Vista’s built-in maintenance features.

System Maintenance with Windows Vista, Part 2
With just the tools provided with Windows Vista, you can dig much deeper into the processes occurring behind the scenes.

Vista and Internet Explorer 7, Part 1
Our latest book excerpt will help you get the most out of Vista and its browser.

Vista and Internet Explorer 7, Part 2
In Part 2 of our book excerpt, you’ll learn how to get the most browser security out of Windows Vista and IE7.

59 Ways to Supercharge Windows
With our 15th Annual Utility Guide, we highlight 59 tools that instantly improve Windows (including Vista).
— Next: Video Tech Tips

VIDEO TECH TIPS

Optimizing Vista
Does Vista seem slower than XP to you? Do the security warnings annoy you to no end? We have the tips to help you speed up that CPU and to eliminate those security warnings.

Verifying Your System Files in Vista
ExtremeTech’s Jason Cross demonstrates how to verify the integrity of your system files in Vista.

Turn Your Power Button into a Power Button in Vista
Here’s how to make that power button on the start menu into an actual on/off power button.

Save Your Search in Windows Vista
Make and save a custom search folder that will update whenever anything changes on your hard drive.

Vista’s Parental Controls
ExtremeTech’s Jason Cross takes a long walk through the Parental Controls of Windows Vista.

Add Extra Clocks in Vista
Do you need to keep track of time for other than your own time zone? DL.TV’s Scott Asnault will show you how to add clocks to Windows Vista.

Use Windows Vista Defender to Set Start-Up Apps
Choose which Vista applications launch during start-up by using Windows Defender.

System Monitors for Vista
Optimize your Windows Vista experience using its Reliability and Performance monitors.

Take Control of Your Vista Experience
Is the New 3D Desktop in Vista making you dizzy? Do you miss the old XP-style menus? Here are two tips to help you take control of your Vista experience.

Article written by Jennifer L. DeLeo, pcmag.com

Brushed aluminium and glass it is, and it’s a bit thinner – doesn’t sound like much on paper. Even once the announcement was made and pictures flooded the internet, it didn’t look as though Apple had done a great deal this time round. So it’s a bit thinner, they’ve used new materials and given the keyboard an eating disorder – big deal, you’re probably thinking. Until you see it all in the flesh, that is.The new iMac is really streamlined and the materials give the whole setup a new feel, to the point where you’re looking at your white iMac and thinking that it actually looks somewhat fat and tacky. Unbelievable, but true. Environmental friendliness has been integrated with cutting-edge design this time around; the casing is cut from one piece of aluminium, making it truly seamless and very green.

The screen is now encased in glass, another environmental consideration, but one that also works in a design sense as it adds to the overall quality. The display is noticeably glossy when turned off, and once it’s running you really notice how much richer the colours get. Blacks look especially gorgeous, being given extra weight by the new black screen surround.

The iMac keyboard has also undergone a major revamp, being almost identical in feel to the keyboards on Apple’s MacBook models. It gives the sensation of being light-fingered and a faster typist, and rudimentary tests have proved it actually can help you type faster and more accurately.

Using information from TypingTest. com and comparing results using the new and old iMac keyboards, we found a 4WPM increase and four per cent accuracy increase on average when using the latest model. The new function keys admittedly take a bit of getting used to but controlling iTunes from the keyboard is handy, as is the ability to access the Dashboard.

In terms of performance, the dual core processors hardly broke a sweat in the many tests we gave them. With a gigabyte of Ram as standard, the new iMac looks equipped to deal with the average user’s needs straight off the bat.

The new Ram upgrade capabilities are a bonus for serious users who want a bit more bite in their Mac. This silver beauty can have a maximum of 4GB for memory and, although ours came with an ample 320GB hard drive, they can be built to order with up to 750GB for the 20-inch and 1TB for the 24-inch. Serious stuff. Processors range from 2.0 dual core to 2.8 dual core, offering enough speed for most people. Our test model had a 2.4GHz processor, and was more than quick enough.

Apart from that, the iMac comes with all the same great features we’re used to: iSight camera, internal mic, plenty of USB ports, FireWire, Front Row and, of course, iLife ’08. The other particularly impressive aspect of the update is the change in price; it’s now cheaper than ever to buy a 20-inch iMac. At £949 you not only get a fast, reliable machine with a host of amazing features and an impressive new creative suite, you also get a good-sized LCD display with a sumptuous glossy look that makes colours jump out at you, all encased in a remarkably small unit.

The overall look for the iMac has changed. It seems as though the shift has been to make the new model pair up more with the iPhone, whereas older iMacs were paired with the iPod. A brilliant ploy by Apple, backed up by a brilliant machine – it’s difficult to see how anyone could fail to be impressed by this computer.

The E6400 weighs 5.6 pounds with its 9-cell battery; that makes it heavier than the HP 6930p’s 5.3 pounds (4-cell battery) and the Lenovo T400’s 5.2 pounds (6-cell), but not by much. Keep in mind, too, that its 9-cell, 85-Wh battery is by far the biggest, which translates to longest-lasting, so it’s easier to forgive the extra heft. Another thing about the nine-cell: It protrudes an inch from the back instead of from the front, as with the previous D630. (There are also smaller 4- and 6-cell battery options available.)

The E6400’s 14-inch widescreen is as bright as the 14-inch screens on the T400 and the 6930p. And it’s matte, too, so you don’t get the glare coming from the glossy ones found on consumer laptops. The 1,440-by-900 resolution is the same as you find on the T400 and the 6930p, with an option to go down to 1,280-by-800 for those who want to save $129.

The interior gets a complete makeover as well. The resurfaced keyboard is smoother than the D630’s and delivers a superb typing experience, but it’s still second best to the T400’s. As with the D630, you have dual pointing devices—a touchpad and a pointing stick. Though not as responsive as Lenovo’s TrackPoint technology, the pointing stick doesn’t feel as stiff as the D630’s, or even the 6930p’s. The mouse buttons seem bigger and are as silent as the T400’s. The palm rests, I would argue, could have used a brushed aluminum treatment similar to that of the frame, but that’s an aesthetic preference, not a functional one. The one keyboard feature that the E6400 has over the T400 and the 6930p is an ambient backlit keyboard, which is a terrific addition that is very useful in poorly lit areas like planes, conference rooms, and hotel rooms.

A wide selection of features makes the E6400 as versatile as the 6930p and the T400. The most significant addition, in my opinion, is the SD slot. Everyone, even business professionals, carries digital cameras, and having a built-in reader makes life that much easier. The 6930p and the T400 have had card readers for almost a year now. The E6400 comes with four USB ports, one doubling as an eSATA port. It has a FireWire port, an ExpressCard (or PC Card) option, and VGA-out like the 6930p and the T400. It also has a dizzying range of hard drive options, but I think that the 160GB, 7,200-rpm drive my system was configured with was a good choice. You can go up to 250GB ($55) or save some money by settling for an 80GB drive. As in the T400, pricier options (a 64GB or a 128GB SSD, $450 to $600) are available. SSDs have a reputation for bolstering battery life and data transfer speeds, as well as extending the lifespan of your laptop.

The test configuration also came with mobile broadband, also known as a cellular modem, which accesses a wireless 3G network, similar to a cell phone. Verizon’s EV-DO modem was activated on this system, and it worked flawlessly using Dell’s ControlPoint wireless software. I roamed around New York City and managed average download speeds of 800 megabits per second. If your company is willing to spring for the expensive plan ($60 to $80 per month), mobile broadband is one of those features that can save you from serious downtime in remote areas where Wi-Fi is not available. Not to be outdone, though, the 6930p and the T400 have a new technology called Gobi wireless, in which different data carriers (such as AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and Vodafone) can be integrated into one laptop.

As with the D630, the E6400 is highly configurable. Although the configuration I reviewed doesn’t have the raw horsepower of the T400 and the 6930p, you have the option of choosing faster—albeit more expensive—parts. The 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 is probably a better option than the 2.8-GHz processors found in the T400 and 6930p, as it is energy efficient and fast enough to tackle any workload, not just word processing and Web surfing. It also creates room in your company’s budget for other features, like mobile broadband. Although this configuration comes with 2GB of memory, it isn’t DDR3 memory like that of the T400. You get a marginal performance boost from DDR3 memory (over DDR2) in applications like photo editing, database programming, and video encoding, but its absence here is not a deal breaker. And although the nVidia Quadro NVS 160 graphics card is terrific for 3D-related tasks, the E6400 lacks switchable graphics—the ability to switch to an integrated graphics chipset to benefit battery life when needed, as the T400 is able to do.

Because of the lower-clocked processor, the E6400’s SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score wasn’t as impressive as the T400’s and the 6930p’s, trailing the latter pair by 16 and 18 percent, respectively. On video-encoding tests, Photoshop CS3 scripts, and CineBench R10 scores, the E6400 outperformed the 6930p but couldn’t catch up to the T400. But as I said before, there’s more than enough power to accomplish typical work tasks. The E6400 was configured with a battery-efficient processor plus an 85-Wh battery for one reason: awesome battery life. On the MobileMark 2007 battery test, the E6400 achieved 5 hours 32 minutes, which basically translates to an entire cross-country flight. If you opt for integrated graphics instead of the nVidia Quadro chipset, battery life could potentially top 7 hours. But if you had the option of switchable graphics, like the T400 does, you could get the best of both worlds.

Despite some stiff competition from Lenovo and HP, the Dell Latitude E6400 is a tremendous upgrade over the original Latitude D630. A new metallic look, assorted colors, and a retouched interior are signs that design is an important criterion in the corporate world. There are plenty of features and processing parts to choose from, although the test configuration is pretty much rock solid. If you had to nitpick, however, the Lenovo T400, which is our Editors’ Choice, has the slight edge from the features and pricing standpoint.

More Computer Deals and Dell Computers

Quality camerawork
The camera is proficient, as you’d expect from Nokia, and handily packs autofocus to improve image quality further. There are limited special effects and video recording too, but otherwise it’s a straightforward, point-and-shoot snapper.

It’s also a quad-band phone with dual-band 3G and, like most high-end Nokia phones, packs an FM radio. Since this is a Nokia Series 40 operating system, everything is very speedy and responsive too.

The banana-fingered may find the keys a little too diddy for comfort, but at least they’re regularly shaped, if not widely spaced. The 6600 Slide has a great, smooth sliding mechanism, and its size, though small, fits in the hand perfectly.

Direction pad woes
The keys on the front of the phone are two rocker switches, which work well, and an aluminium direction pad, which is less successful. You’re fine when you want to push up, down, left or right but pressing in to confirm a selection is less reliable.

This is far from the only phone direction pad to suffer from this and you get used to it, but it’s not ideal.

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More Mobile Phone Deals

That said, the Mini 12 is definitely an interesting little experiment from Dell—a mutant mashup of netbook and notebook that might hit some heretofore undiscovered sweet spot, or simply look verrry attractive to some given the current economic climate. Update: Full press release below—apparently it’s a Twitter machine too:

Slim, Stylish and Well-Connected: Introducing the Dell Inspiron Mini 12

* New Addition to the Dell Inspiron Mini Line Expands Personalization Options
* Available First in Japan Through Bic Camera, Kojima and Sofmap Stores
* Includes Windows Vista Home Basic, Webcam and Bluetooth

ROUND ROCK, Texas—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Dell today introduced the Inspiron™ Mini 12, a small, easy-to-carry Internet companion that you can fine tune to fit your specific needs and deeds. Like its counterpart the Inspiron Mini 9, the Mini 12 is ideal for teens, tweens, travelers and “Tweeters” to surf the Web1, chat with friends, blog, stream content, upload photos or enjoy online videos, music and games.

The Inspiron Mini 12 is available initially only in Japan through Bic Camera, Kojima and Sofmap stores and other retail outlets. It will launch online globally by late November with configurations starting under $600 (U.S.). Ubuntu and Windows XP® operating systems also will be available before the end of the year.

Buy Dell Computers at www.computer-deals.com.au

The News:

* With a starting weight of only 2.72 lbs.1 and only 0.92 in. thick1, current standard features on the Inspiron Mini 12 include:
o Windows Vista® Home Basic, built-in webcam, 1GB of RAM and a choice of 60 GB or 80 GB hard drive1, providing ample capacity for mobile applications, content creation and storage.
o Built-in Bluetooth® and 802.11b/g wireless.
o A sharp 12.1-inch WXGA display, offering wider viewing angles and exceptional brightness.
* Dell provides a variety of service offerings and add-on options to help ensure devices are easy to use and maintain optimal performance, including:
o Dell Support Center: Quickly access Dell service and support from an icon on your desktop that provides automated fixes, software upgrades and tools to help keep your system up-to-date and running efficiently.
o DellConnect™ Remote Assistance1: Dell experts help diagnose and solve PC problems via an Internet connection (available only on Windows-based systems).

Source www.gizmodo.com

When Apple unveiled the iconic first generation iPhone, it tried a new business model that no other handset maker had dared consider: demanding a chunk of the carrier’s monthly plan fee. For that payment, the carrier got exclusivity on selling the iPhone in its country, and Apple was able to sell a very expensive device for what appeared to the consumer as a cheaper up-front cost.It also allowed Apple to sell the phone at its own stores without taking on the burden of signing up customers to a contract on the spot. Effectively, it greased the wheels for those iPhones to walk out the door of the Apple Store without the same sort of pain usually involved with buying a mobile phone.

Of course, it was really just a subsidised phone handset dressed up in a different way. Nokia has been doing it for years — it sells a phone to a carrier for $500, which the carrier sells to the customer for $99 and then recoups the upfront cost over the course of the contract through the monthly plan fee.

In Apple’s case, the phone was sold the phone to the carrier for a reduced price, with Apple  receiving the full price of the phone over time through the carrier revenue sharing model.

Of course, as became very obvious just weeks after the official launch of the iPhone, the revenue-share model didn’t work at all, thanks to hackers who were able to break every layer of protection in the iPhone repeatedly, making it possible to walk into an Apple Store, buy the iPhone (which was supposed to be usable only once activated with a carrier), run a simple utility and unlock the iPhone for use on any carrier.

Customers also hated being forced to buy the iPhone from a carrier of Apple’s choice, rather than their own. There are numerous reasons people choose one carrier over another, and being forced to be with a particular carrier just to buy an iPhone grated Apple’s loyal fan base in the same way being forced to use a Windows PC at work does.

As Apple looked to expand its iPhone coverage around the world, it must have drawn the conclusion that the one-carrier revenue sharing model wasn’t going to work. It had the most chance of succeeding in the retarded US telecommunications market, which frequently sees particular models of phone being sold only through one carrier. In most other parts of the world, most phones are sold through all carriers in a country, and carriers compete on pricing and coverage rather than handset exclusivity. If it failed there, Apple must have known it would fail even more miserably elsewhere.

Now, it seems that Apple and the carriers are embracing the opportunity to sell iPhones totally unlocked. Australian telco Optus will sell iPhone 3G handsets for use with prepaid SIM cards for $AU729 for the 8GB model or $AU849 for the 16GB model. They can be unlocked free of charge after six months, or a $AU80 payment any time before then (including at the time you buy the phone) will give you an unlock code for the phone.  This means a totally unlocked iPhone 3G can be yours for $809 for the 8GB model or $949 for the 16GB model.

As a result, the market for new iPhones on eBay won’t be going away any time soon — though at those prices, carriers will still be making plenty of money selling unlocked iPhones.

What is yet to be seen is how Apple will sell the iPhone through its own Apple Stores. An Apple Store Sydney employee confirmed to me that people would be able to buy the iPhone there from 11th July, but it will be curious to see whether Apple will only allow people to walk out of the store after going through a carrier activation process.

Visit the Apple Store or visit Discount Electronics for cheap deals on iPhones

Forcing customers through a carrier contract and activation process seemed the  most likely thing for Apple to do after so many first-gen iPhones were cracked and Apple lost the carrier commission, but if carriers themselves are selling the iPhone for use with prepaid SIM cards, which allows the customer to buy an iPhone without signing a contract, will Apple allow that as well? We certainly hope so. It would be unfortunate if customers of Apple’s own stores were treated as second-rate customers compared to those who walk into a mobile phone carrier’s shop.

Meanwhile, for users of lonely first-generation hacked iPhones in Australia, Optus has confirmed that it will allow users to sign up to an iPhone plan with their own iPhone. We’re still waiting to hear back on the details — whether it will require a contract, or whether BYO iPhone plans will be contract-free.

Source: apcmag

The Office Web applications will be lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Using the apps, you can use a browser to create, edit, and collaborate on Office documents.

“We raised the stakes with Office Web applications. With this development, people can benefit from Office as a service on their browser, as a downloadable application on their phone, and as software on their PCs,” said Chris Capossela, senior vice president, Microsoft Business Division. “This is the kind of flexibility that our software plus services approach makes possible, and is helping us deliver the kind of innovation that businesses and consumers expect from Microsoft.”

Microsoft will deliver the apps through Office Live with ad supported and subscription versions. Business customers have the option of using a hosted subscription service.

“We are deeply committed to offering our customers the technology they need to succeed. To that end, we’re investing in software plus services for the long term, something that sets us apart from our competitors,” said Capossela.

www.macworld.com