Microsoft Office goes Online – A Move to beat Google Docs?

Any business needs word processing . From word-star to fox pro to lotus and then word. After microsoft office launched word, it almost crushed all competition for ages. After years google came up with google docs. An online version of word processing which in any man’s opinion is a nice alternative. Google docs can definitely do almost all common operation that a word processor can. I personally was impressed by how efficiently google docs works. Well did google doc take off well ? Companies were not happy in using a cloud based third party sever to hold their important information and google hasn’t done much in offering alternatives . Recently google bought docverse a company that specializes in document processing. This move may be to gain experience and infrastructure to monopolize the domain .

 

Free is not a part of Microsoft Office’s history. The Business Division, whose chief product is Office, brought in $19 billion in sales in fiscal 2009, more than a third of Microsoft’s $58 billion in sales for the year. It generated more than half of the company’s operating profit — $12 billion of the overall $20 billion. I mean WHOA!!!!!!!!

But Microsoft’s ability to sustain these numbers is being challenged by the new way people use technology.

To counter Google Docs, Office will also take the cloud way but with a little different prespective .Office Web Apps will offer more features and what the company claims is a better visual presentation than its competitor. But Office Web Apps will not have all the features of Office 2010, which is being priced from $119 to $499, depending on the version.

Observers say an Office that embraces the cloud is just the beginning for Microsoft. As Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has said, “we’re all in” when it comes to the cloud. Microsoft has built large data centers in Houston, Chicago, Ireland and other locations to launch cloud services.

I guess time has come where a different way of e-earning has to be figured out. One can’t just survive with ads for a long time . If a new way of earning through web appear . I’d expect more apps to come . Well,will microsoft office web app beat google docs. For once i think the microsoft has the experience and technology in this domain. Only time shall tell the success story .

Read More

Microsoft Surface Tablets: 6 Reasons it will make your iPad look Ancient

Microsoft Surface Tablets are probably the latest buzz on the Internet. People have already decided to part ways with Apple, after seing the specs of the new Windows 8 powered tablet devices by Microsoft.

Long before there was the Apple iPad and now there is the Microsoft Surface Tablet. Microsoft is taking its tablet industry one step ahead by launching these touchscreen tablets.

 

1. Fastest Processors on the Planet

 

The Surface tablets will come in two versions, the Windows RT version and the Windows 8 Pro version. The RT version will run on Nvidia’s ARM chipsets and the Operating system will be Windows RT.

While the Windows 8 Pro version will run on Intel’s latest generation Ivy bridge processors and will be powered by the Windows 8 Pro operating system.

 

2. Windows 8 Operating System+Metro Style Apps

Windows 8 operating system which is still under development is supposed to make its debut on these Surface Tablets. The Metro Style dashboard and apps are probably the only WOW factors on Windows 8.

Although the concept of Windows 8 was taken a tad poorly by reviewers because it is designed more towards the touchscreen interfaces, its applications will now carry that extra Oomph when it will be previewed on Windows 8 Pro Surface tablets.

3. Full-HD Displays: Time to WOW

 

 

Both the RT and Windows 8 Pro will have the same size displays on-board i.e. 10.6 inch cleartype HD panel, although the Pro version will be a Full HD (1080p) display and you are likely to enjoy it more because it also gets you 6 hours of battery life with a 42W battery.

Magnesium casing will further protect the body and give you the added textured finish to your Surface tablets.

 

4. Touchpad (SURFACE): One of a Kind

 

What makes these tablets unique are their touchpads! The Surface tablet (unlike the iPad), will have a physical keyboard and a trackpad too which can be fixed onto the keyboard with the help of covers which will allow you to use it as a touchpad.

Additionally, a built-in kickstand will offer you the much needed ease of use. Oh did i tell you, there’s also a pen input? Yes this is not an ordinary pen, the digital ink will flow when you touch the screen with the pen, by which you can hand draw almost anything take a digital Mona Lisa for example hehe…top that iPad!

 

5. MS Office 2013: Ahead of the future

If you are a student and use Microsoft Office often (i know i do), the RT tablet will come with Office 2013 alongwith the Windows RT, and the guys at the Guardian are already regarding the RT tab as the best MS Office experience.

Fast typing on a tablet is obviously not possible, mostly because of the touchpad and Surface tablets eliminate that drawback by giving you access to physical keyboards.

 

6. Slimmer than the iPad

 

Images credit: laptopmag.com

Measuring at a mighty 9.3mm thickness, definitely less than the iPad, the Surface tablets weigh at 676g which is give or take the same as iPad. The RT tablet will be available in storage size of 32GB and 64GB whereas the Pro version will offer you 64GB or 128GB storage spaces.

USB 3.0 connectivity can only be seen in the Pro version, whereas the RT houses the (not so) outdated USB 2.0, and microSD slots are available in both the Surface tablets.

Pricing and Release

Microsoft hasn’t yet officially announced the pricing of these tabs though from what the engadget guys are speculating, these tablets will be more or less in the $500-$700, again that’s just a rumor. Steve Ballmer is planning to release these tabs late this 2012, although Verge is already expecting it in October.

Hands crossed, these Surface tablets will surely be a great competitor to the iPad and unless the guys at Apple are thinking of something unique for their next iPad these tablets will surely hit a home run this summer.

Read More

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is ready for Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S2

Samsung's most popular phones which comes in the galaxy series that is the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S2 will get the update to the latest mobile operating system called the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. A South Korean phone manufacturer called the Sammobile.com announced the latest update for Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S2.

The testing conducted on Galaxy S2 was a huge success. So this made the Samsung to receive the Android 4.1 update. Samsung mobile site mentioned that the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 7.7 is ready for the Jelly Bean update. But the Samsung did announced the update officially.

 

Google’s new version of Android that is the Jelly bean is an added release, The best feature is the fluid like user interface. Google will provide the new operating system directly to the vendors very shortly and the users have to wait for sometime till the network providers test the new operating system and make clear that everything works fine before giving the update to the customers.

The Unlocked version of S3 and S2 will be getting the first updates of the new operating system and the locked version S3 and S2 have to wait. But the Samsung mentioned that all the owners of S3 and S2 whether it is locked or unlocked must receive the updates at the same time because for Samsung they are exactly the same.

Read More

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review – Gameplay and Rating

Ubisoft has recently launched this amazing game called Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, this game is the next installment of the Ghost Recon Series, which were very popular from the last one decade. As the name suggests, this fifth installment of the series ropes in futuristic environment and gameplay. This PEGI 18 rated game has been released for PC, PS3 and XBOX 360. The release was delayed several months for various reasons. As a result it came out with better features and improvements. Playing this game from the past few days, we have observed a lot of pros and cons. putting to them together, here we go, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review

Graphics:

While the game is set in a full ction packed environment, even the graphics are very much satisfying. The game is built on the enhanced version of Ubisoft’s YETI engine. Few of the wonderful features of the YETI engine are the real time Dynamic shadows & lighting, Dynamic physics, Heat wave & effects and Dynamic fire & smoke. Games like Beowulf and the previous ghost recon releases were already popular because of this YETI engine technology.

Coming to Future Soldier, the in game cut-scenes, realistic environment and has minute level detailing. This give the users a real time cinematic experience. But hold on, if you are a Call of Duty or Battlefield fan, then the graphics might seem a little mediocre. In some situations the faces look waxy and the background have low level details unlike the other high end games. More or less the graphics of the game are pretty satisfying thanks to the volumetric lights, ambient occlusion and powerful anti-aliasing.

Gameplay:

This cover shooting based third person game is set at various locations including Norway, Pakistan and Russia. When the player aims down the sight, game shifts the camera to first person view unlike the usual third person shooters. The players have to make use of stealth during the campaign mode. If this game is played like other action games the player will find himself in the midst of heavy enemy fire. But the three features which give the players a realistic experience are the Sync Shot, Adaptive Camouflage and Gunsmith. In the midst of mission, the Ghosts perform ‘multiple kills at an instant’ aka ‘synchronous kills’ as each member of the squad takes one enemy down at the same time.

 

Another cool feature in the game is Adaptive camouflage which makes the Ghosts almost invisible. Gunsmith allows the gamers to customize their weapons extensively and test it before taking up a mission.

Sound:

The developers have done a wonderful job in the sound section as the sound effects and sound detailing is brilliant. Even the smallest of the sound effects are wonderfully inserted and give the gamers a cinematic experience. While the sound effects are brilliantly done, the soundtrack of the game is pretty much  satisfying. The dialogues may not be that effective, but they do leave an impact after playing the game. On the whole we recommend you to plug in a quality headphones, to enjoy game the in game intensive sound effects and background score.

Multiplayer:

The game provides intensive cooperative, campaign game types. Coming to Multiplayer mode, Future soldier has four different game modes namely Conflict, Decoy, Saboteur, and Siege. Conflict provides the gamers with a wonderful team death match experience. In Decoy mode the players must secure objectives out of which one is the main objective and others are decoy. Saboteur mode has a explosive located in the midst of the map and the team’s objective is to get it to the enemy spawn and detonate it. In the Siege mode one team must attack and capture an objective which the defenders are defending. The Guerilla mode allows four players to play in co-op mode and their main objective is to capture a HQ. Later waves of enemies will attack and try to get the HQ back. Multiplayer mode gives the gamers to choose one of the three classes namely Rifleman, Engineer and the scout.

Conclusion:

On the whole, Ubisoft has done a wonderful job in making an action game which is different from its competitors. Graphics and sound gets the player heavily involved in the game. Multiplayer  mode is also very addictive. If you haven’t played the game yet then we recommend you to grab the game, turn on your headphones and Game on !

Pros:

• Cinematic cut scenes
• Realistic Sound Effects.
• Engaging Multiplayer Modes.
• Futuristic Technology.

Cons:

• Graphics could be better at some instances.
• One time use code is provided to play multiplayer. Used copies may not get full online access.

If you are looking for more detailed info, you can always check the official website. Please share your thoughts via comments and let us know how you like playing this Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review.

Read More

Microsoft Office 2013 Preview – First Look

It’s finally official, Microsoft Office 2013 has been announced and will probably release early next year. The last version of the world’s most used productivity was released 3 years ago and is starting to show it’s age. Microsoft’s new minimalism mantra introduced with the Metro interface is clearly visible in the upcoming Office 2013. It’s the biggest change to the Office suite ever. Everything is different yet strangely, familiar. The biggest change is probably the versions it will be available in. There’s the quintessential Office 2013 and there’s the new Office 365. Office 365 is basically the professional version of Office 2013 that will be subscription based instead of the usual single license retail version. Also, it will include a few more online services and will be more cloud based. Read on for more of the Office 2013 preview.

Microsoft Office 2013 Preview – What’s new?

Changes are both cosmetic (check out the new logo!) and internal. Office 2013 is finally making the leap to mobile devices and it will be available on tablets as well. Office 365 is the cloud based service, but even the desktop Office 2013 will be cloud integrated, although limited compared to the former. Now all documents will be linked across any Office 365 installations anywhere by linking your Microsoft Windows Live ID. By default, everything is stored on Microsoft’s SkyDrive. It makes transferring documents via portable storage media a thing of the past. Furthermore, even drafts of unfinished documents are saved periodically, so in case of a power outage or such the document is still safe! So what else is new? The Metro interface inevitably makes it’s way into Office 2013 and the UI is an extension of Microsoft’s new aesthetic. All the unnecessary tabs and buttons are now gone but the ribbon menu started with 2010 remains, although it can be hidden. The buttons are now more spaced out and have larger fonts, presumably for the touchscreen versions. Speaking of touchscreen differences, Microsoft has clearly designed the new Office with tablets and mobile devices in mind. A nice new feature is read mode, where users can turn a document into a book form to be viewed easily on mobile devices. However, documents cannot be edited and the book form is full screen.

Now media integration and document sharing has also been made easier. YouTube videos can be directly embedded without having to actually save the clip and Flickr photos can be attached without any fuss too! Document sharing takes on a whole new meaning through SkyDrive, presentations and documents can be shared and edited with permissions by multiple people which is a great feature for teams and groups. Individual programs also get new features, like PowerPoint now has an option to show the  next slide in advance along with the present slide to the presenter while the screen facing the audience displays only the present slide. Excel gets a neat new feature called Flashfill that predicts data and fills cells automatically, for example formula calculations or templates in similar cells are predicted and filled automatically.

 

Last year, Microsoft bought out Skype and it will be integrated into the Office productivity network. Home Premium editions of Office will reportedly come with 60 Skype call minutes. This bodes well for the actual “productivity” in the namesake since video conferencing and on the fly editing are two extremely useful features. Microsoft also acquired a enterprise oriented social network called Yammer, so future integration with Office is definitely on the cards. Also, this time around, you will be able to view and edit PDF documents in Office itself. Apart from all the new features, Office is not much more….let’s say polished. There’s little visual flourishes, animations and effects even for mundane tasks like creating a table and it feels rather cool. Icons are also now glossy and overall almost everything has been changed to go with the new Metro look. We are pretty excited and really like this new interface. Installation is also now web based, so make sure you’re connected to the internet during installation.

Microsoft Office 2013 Preview – Editions and Requirements

As of now, no pricing details or release dates have been announced, but we do know the editions Office 365 will be coming out in:

• Office 365 Home Premium: Includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access and Publisher, 20 GB SkyDrive space and can be installed for 5 users.
• Office 365 Small Business Preview: Adds “professional mail, shared documents and HD videoconferencing” to the previous edition and can be installed for 10 users.
• Office 365 ProPlus Preview: Includes all of the above, adds InfoPath and Lync and can be installed for upto 25 users, 5 installations each.
• Office 365 Enterprise Preview: Includes all of the above along with SharePoint online and Lync Online.

The system requirements are as follows:

• 1 GHz Processor
• 1 GB RAM for 32-bit OS and 2 GB RAM for 64-bit OS
• 3.5 GB free space
• Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012

So there you have it, the next generation Microsoft Office 2013 preview. If you’re interested in trying out the consumer preview of Office 365, click here to download it. Tough luck for Windows XP and Windows Vista users though, you can’t use Office 2013. You know what that means, it’s probably time for an upgrade!

Read More

Nexus 7 vs iPad 3

Do you have your mind set in joining the bandwagon and getting a tablet PC for yourself? 10 years ago, no one could have imagined that tablet PCs will be this popular. The tablet market has become saturated with many of the popular brands entering the fray.

Just recently, Google finally unveiled their own tablet, the Nexus 7, at the Google I/O Conference in San Francisco, California last June 27, 2012. I'm sure many of you are asking just how will it fare against the reigning, dominant tablet PC today, the Apple iPad 3. Let's find out.

1. Aesthetics

What's the first thing you usually look at when you're considering purchasing any gadget? It's "the looks." At first glance, the Nexus 7 looks like a small tablet with its dimensions at 7.81(L) x 4.72 (W) x 0.41 (H). A silver frame surrounds the front glass while the rear cover has a rubbery, textured coating to it which provides a good and firm grip. The beveled bottom and painted silver trim gives it that thinner, sleeker look. With Asus as its hardware's manufacturer, you can be sure of this product's build quality. It also weighs a modest 340g (11 oz).

As for the iPad 3, there really isn't anything that changed from the 2nd generation, on the outside that is. It is slightly more tapered on the edges which gives it that thinner feel. Its dimensions are 9.50 (L) x 7.31 (W) x 0.37 (H) and weighs 652 g (23.00 oz). As usual, the colors offered are black and white.

2. Display

Screen resolution and display has always been the "bread and butter" of Apple. It doesn't want to lose out on this, ever. For the tablet market, the iPad 3 shows who's the boss with a 9.7 inch display, a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels and a pixel density of 264 ppi. Despite the Nexus 7 sporting a respectable 7 inch HD display, resolution of 1280x800, and pixel density of 216 ppi, it is simply nowhere near the iPad 3's display capabilities. Of course, there are setbacks for the awesome display offered by the iPad 3 such as battery life, added weight, and extra cost.

3. Processor

Now comes the part where the competition for processing power supremacy is heating up. The name of the game is "Quad Core." The Nexus 7 doesn't disappoint with its 1.3 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with a 12-core GPU. You'd think that having 4 cores is already plenty enough but Nvidia was kind enough to add an extra core to work on tasks at a low frequency. This feature works best for tasks that run on active standby mode and music/video playback.

On the other hand, the iPad 3 runs on a 1 GHz dual-core A5X chipset. Your initial thoughts would probably be that the Tegra 3 processor should win hands-down but you'd be surprised. Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple Inc., revealed that the "X" in the "A5X" stands for quad-core graphics. This means that if the Apple A5 was already twice as fast as the Tegra 3, then the A5X is 4 times as fast. Of course, this is only his claim and further tests will need to be carried out but that will be up for discussion some other time. It would have been better to see the A6 chipset though. Note that both tablets come with 1Gb onboard RAM.

4. Storage

When it comes to storage, the Nexus 7 offers a 8GB and 16GB versions while the iPad 3 comes in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. If you're looking for the biggest storage capacity, there's no question that the iPad 3 is the better choice. The downside for both tablets is the lack of expansion slots. It's really a mystery to me as to why most brands prefer not to include the option to expand storage capacity.

5. Battery Life

The Nexus 7 is powered by a 4,325 mAh battery while the iPad 3 boasts of 11,560 mAh battery. Despite the almost triple battery capacity of the latter, this doesn't translate to having a longer battery life. As mentioned earlier, the high retina display of the iPad 3 has some setbacks which includes battery life. Google claims that the Nexus 7's battery can last up to 9 hours ( approx. 8 hours if actively used) and Apple claims around 10 hours.

6. Operating System (OS)

At last, we come to the "heart" of the tablet PCs, the OS. Once again, disappointment besets us as the rumored iOS 6 release for the iPad 3 has been pushed back and we only have the iOS 5. It is an enhancement-filled update which includes some small features, such as the redesigned Camera app and face detection, and some bug fixes.

The highlight, of course, is the latest version of the Android, 4.1 Jelly Bean, the successor to 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (these names really give me a sudden craving for sweets). No, it's not a major overhaul but it is a much-improved version of the Ice Cream Sandwich. Latency is no longer an issue when it comes to navigating around the apps. Browsing on the web is a breeze with the pre-loaded Google Chrome browser. The newest feature is called "Google Now" which is Google's answer to Apple's Siri. It predicts what information you will need like the weather for the day, traffic conditions, and even the arrival times of the trains as you stand on the platform. It gathers useful information based on several things like your current location and calendar events. It uses this information to give you the what you need, when you need it.

I can't wait to see what Apple will come back with in their OS6 release this Fall.

7. Camera

There's not much going on for the Nexus 7 for their camera except that it has a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for decent enough for video calls. The iPad 3 has a 0.3 megapixel camera for FaceTime and a 5 megapixel rearview camera.

8. Connectivity

Both tablets offer 802.11 b/g/n Wireless Fidelity so this is a non-issue. They both have Bluetooth capability as well. The biggest difference is that the Nexus 7 does not have 3G capability, at least for the moment. This leaves the iPad 3 uncontested for this segment.

9. Price

We finally come to probably the most important factor, at least for most people...the price. The base model of the Nexus 7 (8GB) will retail at $199.00 while the iPad 3's base model goes for $499.00. Sure the gap in pricing is highly evident however, one has to look deeper and see which will give you more value for your money.

In the end, what's the verdict you may ask? At the end of the day, it all comes down to your personal preferences, as usual. If you're after a kick-ass display, go for the iPad 3. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, then try out the Nexus 7. Another consideration would be that the number of applications available in Google Play is not nearly as many as the apps available in Apple's App Store. Always ask yourself what you need more than what you want.

Read More

A Movie on Steve Jobs Biography

It is officially announced that the bio of Apples co-founder 'Steve Jobs' by Walter Isaacson's is becoming a movie, The screenplay for the movie will be written by the Academy Award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin who had written "The Social Network".

Sony announced that the screenwriter has accepted the job. “Steve Jobs story is a very unique one and not only that he was one of the most influential and revolutionary men of all time," Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal said in a statement. 

"There is no writer working in Hollywood today who is more capable of capturing such an extraordinary life for the screen than Aaron Sorkin; in his hands, we're confident that the film will be everything that Jobs himself was: captivating, entertaining, and polarizing."

Ashton Kutcher playing Steve Jobs

In the Technology World Aaron Sorkin is best writer known for his Academy Award-winning "The Social Network," The story is based on Mark Zuckerberg who built up the Facebook Empire and he also wrote screenplays for several films, plays, and TV shows, such as "The West Wing," "Moneyball," and "A Few Good Men".

George Clooney, Steve Jobs & Noah Wyle

After the Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died from a rare form of pancreatic cancer  at the age of 56 ,Sony grabbed the rights to Walter Isaacson's best-selling bio "Steve Jobs". Sony signed the deal for $1 million according to the Web site Film. There are rumors that Sony was looking for George Clooney or Noah Wyle to play the role of Steve Jobs.

Read More

ThinkPad X1 Carbon - world's thinnest Ultrabook from Lenovo

Lenovo announced world's thinnest Ultrabook which is set to run Intel's brand new third-generation Ivy Bridge processors the brand new 14-inch ultrabook, the ThinkPad X1 carbon. The Ultrabook is very light weight at just three pounds (1.8kg) and just 18.8 millimetres thick.

"We crafted the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with premium carbon fiber material in order to make it incredibly thin and light, yet durable," said Lu Yan, senior vice president at Lenovo Think Product Group, when speaking to Maximum PC. "Our new ThinkPad laptop portfolio embodies much of the innovative thinking exemplified in the X1 Carbon, such as a backlit keyboard, super-bright high definition display, Dolby Home Theater, and rich communications features that balance business performance with personal use."

The keyboard has changed from the traditional style to newer backlit chiclet-type keyboard.  The ultrabook is equipped, with two USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, a Mini DisplayPort, headphone port, SD card slot, 720p HD webcam with face tracking and a fingerprint reader. The 14-inch display comes with a resolution of 1600x900 pixels, offering 300 nits of brightness with wide viewing angle.

There are other features like the "Lenovo's rapid charge" allows the battery to charge around 80% in just 30 minutes. For cellular connectivity it has an integrated 3G solution. The price of this Ultrabook is still not declared 

Read More

iPad 2 Receives Battery Update

The memory of the public is pretty weak and that is evident each time a new device with all the new technology incorporation is released in the market. The seem to forget the predecessor almost instantaneously, no matter how long they have been fans of the same. It just becomes an obsolete piece of junk for them. Well, the creators of these devices still treasure them and they do try their best to do something for the once glorified devices that they had created, but are now being treated as old and incompetent. A clear example of this is the Apple iPad 2 that has been in the limelight till it was shown the door by its own successor, that is the New iPad, which is the third generation of the iPad. The iPad2 receives battery update and no one is really talking about it, because they are busy cheering the New iPad.

While the iPad is fading out of the minds of the people, the creators of this little wonder are doing their bit and they have actually updated this device with a new and improved battery which has clearly enhanced the efficiency of this tablet PC.

The company has slashed the prices of this tablet, in the recent past, and that was a clear indication, that there was something new that was ready to be launched.

What people did not really know was that the company had made certain amendments with respect to the hardware of the iPad2 and it is now functioning better than ever. The best part is that this little enhancement may actually make the iPad2 a much better choice that its own successor.

People have been invading shops in a bit a bid to lay their hands on the New iPad and there have been long lines of people just waiting for shops to open, the day the New iPad was made available in the markets. Also, as the prices of the iPad2 have been slashed and the WiFi version of the same with a memory capacity of 16GB is now available for Rs.24,500. In case you go in for the WiFi and 3G version of the iPad2 then you will have to dish out a sum of Rs.32900 for the 16GB model.

The iPad2 with the lower prices have been given a new epithet, not by Apple but by the online stores that are selling them and they are now called the iPad2.4 as these ones are different from the ones that were first introduced by the company and their rates have been slashed, as well.

Here is a list of the features and specification of the iPad 2.4, as it is being called by some online retail stores.

A 32nm LP Soc has replaced the 45nm SoC that the iPad2 had when it was first launched. This may sound like Greek to you in case you are not a hardware professional. Well, in plain terms it just means that the battery of the  iPad2.4 provides the user with 2 hours extra as compared to the previous version and that surely is a lot. When the performance of the iPad 2.4 was compared with that of the New iPad, the iPad 2.4’s efficiency outmatched it.

Other features remain the same, and that is good enough. You can only imagine what these 2 extra hours of power back up mean and that too for a tablet that has had its rates slashed.

Now, the question arises about the identification of this iPad 2.4. Does it look any different from the original iPad2? The answer is, no. Both the tablets have an identical appearance. In such a case, how will you differentiate between the two? Well, you will get to know that, when you actually use the tablet.

The original iPad2 is running on the iOS 5 and that is the latest operating system from the house of Apple. Well, not anymore as the iPad 2.4 actually runs on the iOS 5.1 which means that there are certain changes and enhancements, which are miniscule that have been made to the iOS. So the only way to get to know which iPad you are holding is by actually using it.

The New iPad has created waves, like all the other Apple products, and that was expected. But, what remains to be seen is whether the iPad2.4 turns out to be a better monarch than it’s younger brother. The iPad receives battery update is a clear indication that Apple will not let its products be lost in the light of the new ones that have been launched by them.

Read More

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 to be released in India

The Samsung Galaxy Tabs have been a huge success in the Indian markets and Samsung has understood the needs of the Indian customers and are continuing to produce devices that fulfill the needs and expectations of the customers and not be delicate darlings when it comes to maintenance. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 to be released in India this month and that sounds like great news to the users of the presently available Galaxy tabs as this one is going to prove to be a great upgrade.

If you are using any of the Galaxy tabs that are available in the Indian market, I’m sure that you have heard of the Samsung Galaxy 2 310 that was unveiled at the Samsung Forum 2012, but has not been released in India, till now. Well, you just need to wait for a week or two more as the company has announced that they will be releasing the tablet device in the coming few weeks. As, the tablet was unveiled a while back and there have been no major updates about it in the recent past, I’m assuming that you need a quick refresh on the features and specifications of the device.

Features and Specifications of the Galaxy Tab 2 310

This tablet is powered by a 1GHZ dual core processor that is sure to be better than the ones that were present in the predecessors of this tablet. Also, there is 1GB internal storage capacity and that seems to be good enough for the tablet.
Coming to the display of the tablet, it is packed with a 7 inch display which means that this tablet belongs to the “small display” brigade. It is based on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and that is the USP of this tablet as the operating system will ensure that the user has the time of his life while using this tablet. The apps and the features that come along with this operating system are truly unmatched and the combination of the hardware components and the software ensure that the user gets all the tasks done without even feeling it.
The other general features of the device include a 3MP rear facing camera and a front facing VGA one that is for the purpose of making video calls and it does its job quite well.
For connectivity, the device has the HSPA+ 21MBPS, WiFi Direct and the USB 2.0 port present and that is good enough, given that the device is 3G enabled.
The company claims that this is the first of their tablets that has been integrated with the All share Play service, which is basically a cloud based service that has been developed by Samsung. This feature clearly indicates that Samsung is all set to lock horns with Apple’s iCloud in the near future.
The device can be used right out of the box as it comes preloaded with certain apps and there is the TouchWiz user interface that has been integrated as well, so you will not have any issues getting your tasks done as the interface is highly interactive and simple too.
The device will be available in the market in three variants on the basis of the memory capacity. There will be three versions present and they are the 8GB, 16GB and the 32GB version.
The company recently stated that they have scrapped their plans of launching the Galaxy Nexus, the first handset with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in India and that has cause widespread disappointment among the Samsung fans in India. The launch of this device seems to be a consolation to this and it is left to be seem if the tablet is able to live up to the expectations of the customers or it sinks under the disappointment that has been created due to the Galaxy Nexus not being released.
As far as the price of this tablet is concerned, the company is tight lipped about it but we are expecting this device to be priced around 23 grand and that seems to be slightly on the higher end.
Whatever the case may be we are waiting in anticipation for this tablet as the new iPad has already been launched in India and we know that there is clearly no comparison between the two, a tussel between the products of these two companies is what everyone likes to see and also with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 to be released this month, there is sure to be an increase in the takers of the Galaxy tab as this is sure to be priced lesser that the other ones in the family.

Read More

Top 5 best External Hard Disk Drive

Having an external hard disk to support the hard disk that your system houses is imperative and that is because there is a whole of data that needs to be stored and your internal hard disk and you may just fall short of space. But with an external hard disk, you can have all your data stored in one place and you just need to carry it around and connect it to any system and “Poof”, all your data is available on that system. Here are the top 5 best external hard disk drive.

Western Digital WDBACX0010BBK

This hard drive will make the creation of the backup of all your data really easy as fast as well. You also have the option of formatting the entire hard disk and then use it as a support drive for the internal hard disk. It has a capacity of 1TB and that is more than enough for you to store all your movies, songs, pictures, documents etc. Also, the drive only makes use of the USB for power and that adds to its portability.

 

Freecom – TOUGH DRIVE 3.0 1TB

The name of this external hard drive gives out almost all the information that you would want about it. If you are intrigued about the name, as in the “Tough” part, it just means that the hard drive is rugged and it can withstand a fall of upto 2mts. It has a storage capacity of 1 TB and that is lot of space for you. What you do not get from the name is that it has the USB3.0 integration and thus, the data transfer is lightning fast and creating backup is a child’s play.

Freecom Mobile Drive Mg – 500GB for Apple

This external hard disk drive has a capacity that is lesser than the ones that I have mentioned above and it has been designed only for Apple devices, thus it has a sleek design that will enhance the look of your device. It has an inbuilt USB3.0 port and thus data transfer takes place in a matter of seconds and the best part is that the port is downwards compatible which means that it can be connected to a USB2.0 port with a USB cable and it will work just fine.

 

Kingston Digital HyperX SSD

This solid state drive is one that will be liked by those who do not really need one that has a lot of storage space as they do not have a lot of data to store. The drive comes in 90GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB variants. There is an upgradation kit, a screwdriver and cloning software that comes bundled along with the drive and it is powered by a SandForce SF-2281 processor. Also, it has the USB power connection and does not drain the system of charge when in use.

Transcend Store Jet 25H2

This hard drive from Transcend can store data upto 1TB and is pretty efficient. It has the USB2.0 integration and that is the only discouraging factor of the drive. There is a power saving mode that is present and that lasts for 10 minutes, which is more than enough time for transferring data. The device is protected by a solid encasing and thus it is safe from shocks and jerks. The best part is that it does not require any driver installation unlike most external solid state drivers.

Read More