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Tranquil PC’s NUC case provides entirely-passive cooling and optional VESA mount compatibility, at the cost of an increased device footprint.

Quiet computing specialist Tranquil PC has launched a pair of new passively-cooled chassis, designed specifically for the Intel Next Unit of Computing (NUC) ultra-compact motherboards.

Brought to our attention by the guys over at FanlessTech, the Tranquil NUC cases are compatible with both Intel NUC motherboards thus far unveiled – the D33217CK, which features Thunderbolt capabilities, and the D33217GKE, which instead has gigabit Ethernet compatibility.

Moving the NUC to a Tranquil PC case does mean sacrificing a little desk space: while the NUC motherboard itself measures just 10cm on a side, and the official case only a little more, the Tranquil NUC – as the aluminium chassis has been named – measures 11cm x 16.4cm and is 4.7cm tall. That’s still pretty compact, but not quite as impressive as Intel’s official NUC case – until, that is, you take note of what the Tranquil version lacks: fans.

Constructed from solid aluminium, the Tranquil NUC cases are designed to operate entirely passively, acting as a heatsink with a claimed surface area of 11,000cm². The result is a case capable ofdissipating the heat output of the NUC’s Ivy Bridge Core i3-3217U without the annoyance of a whining fan – something small form factor systems, which typically can’t spare the room for a slow-turning 92mm or 120mm fan, are notorious for.

Tranquil PC claims the cases are easy to fit, and come with all fittings, screws and a pre-wired power switch and power LED which is fitted to the rear of the case. The company further claims that the passive system offers cooling in excess of the fan-based official NUC case, reporting temperatures of between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius lower with the Tranquil NUC case fitted.

Both cases are available to buy now direct from Tranquil PC, priced at £99. A VESA plate, for mounting the case to the back of a TV or onto a wall, is also available for an additional £17.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bit-tech/news/~3/vmZy9l8bxiQ/1

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GamingRipplesWeb/~3/ohtaWjkY7PU/

(Credit:
CNET)

“The Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) is a great phone, but should I wait for the iPhone 5 instead?”

This is the kind of question we CNET editors are asked all the time, and with good reason. In the breakneck pace of the smartphone world, there’s always something good now, but something better around the corner — and you want your investment to last.

In some ways, the answers are obvious if you prefer one OS over another, have a
Mac at home, or need a phone right now. However, if not, there’s a lot to like about each platform’s super phone (we surmise; one of them hasn’t even been announced), and we can’t make your decision for you. So here’s what we’ll do. We’re going to break it down by some of the phone features that we think could sway your decision.

Design
When it comes to first-class materials, Apple has Samsung beat. That is, if you like glass on both sides of your handset, and an industrial look and feel. In the Galaxy S3, Samsung unabashedly sticks to its plastic preference, but has managed to make it look and feel sleeker and more desirable than in past Galaxy S devices. The GS3 also features a Gorilla Glass 2 cover, which we expect Apple to announce as well in its mystery
iPhone.

Size is the other issue. Rumors point to an
iPhone 5 with larger screen real estate, but an only-slightly taller profile. Apple’s phone would still fit in the hand about the same way. Compare this to the Galaxy S3, which dwarfs the iPhone 4S. We like its smooth, comfortable feel, but some people will simply find it too large.

Screen
Apple has made it abundantly clear that it’s obsessed with screen quality. And now that the MacBook Pro is sporting the Retina Display, it’s safe to assume the next iPhone will be equipped with the same technlogy. Though the iPhone 4S has the brighter and sharper display of the two phones, the Galaxy S3′s HD Super AMOLED display has the richer color contrast. Some argue that the GS3′s AMOLED screen technology oversaturates, and in some cases we do find that to be true.

However, the human eye can only register so much. As displays get sharper in high-end devices, getting into the minutia of screen comparisons won’t matter towards user experience as much as size does. And as we previously stated, the Galaxy S3′s 4.8-inch screen may seem like overkill for some, but it’ll definetly feel less cramped than the iPhone, even if the iPhone 5 does generate its expected 4-inch screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S III screen is dimmer than the HTC One X (above) and the iPhone 4S (below.)

(Credit:
Josh MIller/CNET)

Camera
If the camera specs for the new iPhone remain in line with the current model (as in it’ll still have an 8-megapixel lens and an A5 chip), then we’ll let our shoot-out shots between the S3, the iPhone 4S, (and the HTC One X), speak for themselves. We found that both cameras had their specific strengths and weaknesses under certain conditions.

However, Apple is never one to pass up a chance to lift smartphone camera standards and some rumors about report an interchangeable lens and a high-definition front-facing camera would call for another camera showdown.

For now, both cameras offer the same amount of megapixels, high dynamic range, and zero shutter lag. But if want something featured-packed, the GS3 has a lot of options. True, we don’t know what sort of services the new iPhone will offer, but the GS3 already has panoramic shooting, burst shot, two sharing modes, and other fun shooting settings like “cartoon” (a la “A Scanner Darkly”) and “beauty” (a la this-is-not-real-life).

Processor
Samsung and Qualcomm teamed up to put a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor in the GS3, which makes it one of the fastest phones in the U.S. Apple is all about advancing its processors with each succeeding model. Rumor is that Apple will promote the 4S’ A5 chip to a faster A5X chip. We’d expect the same quad-core graphics processor as the iPad 3. However, don’t get too caught up in processor specs (after all, quad-core prowess is still shrouded in myth). Both phones’ internals will impress.

Data speeds
The Samsung Galaxy S3 and Apple iPhone 5 will be evenly matched once the iPhone comes along with its expected (and anticipated!) 4G LTE support. Just keep in mind that not every carrier supports LTE (like Sprint and T-Mobile), and some networks are faster than others.

Availability
Both the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 will be easy to get. The GS3 will be available on T-Mobile, ATT, Sprint, Verizon, U.S. Cellular, and even C Spire (a regional carrier.) Apple will surely let its carrier partner gravy train keep rolling with the Big Four, and (way later) down the line, it could also pass the iPhone 5 to Cricket and Virgin Mobile, following suit with taking the iPhone 4 and 4S prepaid.

Price
In the U.S., the Samsung Galaxy S3 is starting on-contract at $199.99 for the 16GB and $249.99 for the 32GB model (it’ll differ by carrier.) As for the iPhone, the 4S on a designated network has a retail price of $199.99 for its 16GB version, $299.99 for its 32GB, and $399.99 for its 64GB model. And, if the rumors prove true, the newest generation won’t be any cheaper. With luck, Apple will remain steady on price, which would make a 32GB Samsung SG3 more cost-effective.

Conclusion
Whether or not a phone is right for you depends on a whole bushel of personal values, but the bottom line is that when you compare the main features and specs, the GS3 is good enough to recommend on its own against the iPhone 4S.

However, if you’re open to either OS (as we are) and you’re in no rush to buy a phone, here’s what we’d do. We’d go ahead and wait until Apple’s announcement this autumn. If the iPhone 5 fails to impress you, the Galaxy S3 has proven itself a worthwhile device with plenty of bells and whistles. And if in your estimation it falls to Apple’s charms, you’ll be fully informed and clear from any pangs of buyer’s remorse.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/5BMkCkylCwE/

The first inaugural NY Tech Day, hosted by the 69th Regiment Armory.

(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)

NEW YORK — Today, more than 200 startups, most from the Big Apple, came together for the first NY Tech Day, their chance to show off their wares to a gathering of more than 1,000 press, investors, and members of the public.

While the companies’ offerings were diverse and rather uneven, there were some that stood out, and CNET did its best to pull together a list of the best that were on display:

FoundIt
FoundIt is a useful service with an analog approach. The idea is to help you recover lost belongings. By signing up, you receive a sheet of stickers, each with an ID number assigned to your FoundIt account. Affix a sticker to your phone, your wallet, or anything worth recovering, and the finder can contact FoundIt via a phone number or by entering your code number on FoundIt’s Web site. FoundIt then notifies the owner via text message or e-mail that the item has been located.

(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)

The service starts at $9.99 for 12 stickers and a year of access to the FoundIt Web site. Depending on the preferences of the owner and the finder, FoundIt will either put both parties in touch directly, or it allows for anonymous exchanges, where the finder can direct the owner of a lost item to retrieve it at an intermediate site.

FoundIt says its stickers can survive a trip through the dishwasher or the washing machine. They also come in various sizes, as well as QR codes. You might not love the idea of a label marring the aesthetics of your
iPhone, but you’d probably also rather increase the odds that it will be returned to you if you ever misplace it.

Voicebunny
A service for content creators, Voicebunny is a spinoff of Voice 123, a Web-based voice-over booking service. By relying on Voice123′s network of more than 100,00 vocal talents, Voicebunny can turn around custom voice work in under five minutes.

Where Voice123 offers various ways for you to select and negotiate a fee with specific voice actors, Voicebunny is more automated. Simply type in a script, select a language and the general category of actor, suggest a few comments on the tone and you submit your order. Voicebunny routes it to its talent pool, and within five minutes or so you get an audio file.

Unlike Voice123, Voicebunny isn’t necessarily meant to disrupt the prevailing voice-over booking model. Rather, its aim is to make spoken content readily available to anyone that might want it, be it a blog, an informal video, or otherwise. Pricing is also variable. Enter a big bid to attract top talent and a fast turn-around time, or go low if you’re not too concerned with speed or quality.

As a quick test, this sample cost me $15 and it took about five minutes to show up in my in-box.

Voicebunny sample
Listen now:

And if you’re unhappy with the results, you can always reject the first take and try again.

TheMutual
TheMutual seems like the one discounting site that doesn’t smack of a sketchy business model or uninspired me-too-ism. Where TheMutual sets itself apart is through its charitable giving. Of your $10 monthly subscription fee, $8 goes to charity. You can choose to send your money to a single cause, or distribute it between a number of causes, all focused on environmental and sustainability issues.

In exchange for your fee, not only do you get that warm, altruistic glow, you also get to chose from TheMutual’s list of discounts, which it calls perks. Options include discounted material goods, but also discounted services, and admission to local events. TheMutual says because vendors can offer you deals from month to month, they will avoid the crush of entitled, one-time customers who can overwhelm businesses that use other discount promotions.

Solidoodle
Solidoodle founder Sam Cervantes worked for General Electric for four years before lending his engineering services to MakerGear, where he helped design the Mosiac 3D printer we built earlier this year. After a stint at MakerBot, Sam started his own 3D printer shop, Solidoodle.

Solidoodle is aiming for the budget niche of the 3D printer market. Where MakerBot’s Replicator sells for around $2,000, and a Mosaic build-it-yourself kit from MakerGear costs about $1,000, the Solidoodle sells pre-assembled for $499.

The Solidoodle has a smaller build area than the Replicator, and it can’t print in multiple colors. It also requires you to use the Skeinforge and Prongerface software, which offers a not insubstantial learning curve (note to 3D printer vendors: software usability should be high on your to-do list). Regardless, at $499, the Solidoodle is the most accessible 3D printer to date, pre-built or otherwise. I expect 3D Systems, which has mass market dreams for its $1,299 Cube 3D printer, will take note.

Yapp
These days, it seems just about everyone has built a mobile app. But while that’s not really true, Yapp wants to bring that perception to life.

Yapp is a mobile app development platform for the masses. The company’s idea is that anyone can — and should — be able to build their own app, and its tools are designed to make it possible.

In the early going — Yapp is in private beta right now — it is focusing on apps built around events. So users can create new apps for things like weddings, conferences, birthday parties, and the like. And Yapp thinks that most people will be able to build their new tool in about 10 minutes.

To be sure, these are not apps ready for the masses, but neither are they supposed to be. They’re not, for example, meant to be publicly available through Apple’s App Store or the
Android Market. Rather, these are apps that users will make available to their friends and family through e-mail invites, Web-based short URLs, or QR codes. Then, those people will run their new event app inside Yapp’s so-called “Yapp Box.”

With a wedding app, a bride and groom could give their guests a tool that lists any related events, like a bachelor party or rehearsal dinner, and their date, time, and address. At the same time, there could be a guestbook, where people can share their photos from the wedding, and a curated photo gallery where the bride and groom can post specific photos they want to share.

App designers have a series of themes to choose from and some stock design choices. Ultimately, Yapp apps will probably all share a common look and feel, but users probably won’t care.

Sleep Bot
Most people get less sleep than they need. That’s something that the folks behind Sleep Bot think they can help with.

Currently available for Android, Sleep Bot is a sleep management platform designed to help people track their daily sleep and come up with insight into their rest patterns.

Users start by “punching in” when they go to sleep, and punching out and rating their night’s sleep when they wake up. Essentially, the app keeps track of users sleep performance, letting them see things like how much they sleep from night to night, what time they go to sleep, and the hours they’re generally asleep.

The company is “working on” a motion tracking tool that integrates an accelerometer to gauge users’ tossing and turning during the night. Ultimately, the idea behind the app is that knowing their sleep patterns can help people sleep better, and be more productive.

My Stream
My Stream is an interesting take on music sharing. Essentially, it’s a digital, wireless version of headphone splitters, an iPhone app that lets people stream their audio files to nearby friends over a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.

My Stream lets users share their songs and playlists with up to five people via Bluetooth and up to 30 people via Wi-Fi.

(Credit:
My Stream)

At any given time, users can share their music with up to five people over Bluetooth and up to 30 people over Wi-Fi. And in addition to sharing individual songs with friends, users can also share playlists from their iPhone. The app allows any combination of individual song plays and playlist plays, up to the limits of the wireless connection.

Artists and record companies may well like My Stream because all songs that stream through the service come with a Buy Now button, meaning that instead of getting no benefit when someone uses a headphone splitter, artists now have a way to make a little money off of users sharing their music.

Songza
If you like music, there’s a good chance you’ll like iPhone and Android, is that users can choose to listen to a wide array of custom, curated, playlists that have been vetted by music professionals. All playlists are more than three hours long, and users can choose from a very long list of genres.

A look at the general concept for Songza’s new concierge service, which it has just added to its existing personalized streaming playlists.

(Credit:
Songza)

With its new concierge service (for iPhone only), Songza is hoping to attract users looking for good music to come to them. Essentially, the tool takes the time of day into consideration and serves up suggestions for playlists that are deemed appropriate for certain kinds of situations, like dinner parties, working or studying, and even “between the sheets.”

Songza draws its playlists from a legal library of 18 million songs using the same license as Pandora, meaning that users can enjoy the music without worrying that the RIAA is going to kick down their door.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/_evq8LoI7C4/

The first inaugural New York Tech Day, hosted by the 69th Regiment Armory.

(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)

NEW YORK–Today, more than 200 startups, most from the Big Apple, came together for the first NY Tech Day, their chance to show off their wares to a gathering of more than 1,000 press, investors, and members of the public.

While the companies’ offerings were diverse and rather uneven, there were some that stood out, and CNET did its best to pull together a list of the best that were on display:

FoundIt
FoundIt is a useful service with an analog approach. The idea is to help you recover lost belongings. By signing up, you receive a sheet of stickers, each with an ID number assigned to your FoundIt account. Affix a sticker to your phone, your wallet, or anything worth recovering, and the finder can contact FoundIt via a phone number or by entering your code number on FoundIt’s Web site. FoundIt then notifies the owner via text message or email that the item has been located.

(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)

The service starts at $9.99 for 12 stickers and year of access to the FoundIt Web site. Depending on the preferences of the owner and the finder, FoundIt will either put both parties in touch directly, or it allows for anonymous exchanges, where the finder can direct the owner of a lost item to retrieve it at an intermediate site.

FoundIt says its stickers can survive a trip through the dishwasher or the washing machine. They also come in various sizes, as well as QR codes. You might not love the idea of a label marring the aesthetics of your
iPhone, you’d probably also rather increase the odds that it will be returned to you if you ever misplace it.

Voicebunny
A service for content creators, Voicebunny is a spin-off of Voice 123, a Web-based voiceover booking service. By relying on Voice123′s network of over 100,00 vocal talents, Voicebunny can turn around custom voicework in under five minutes.

Where Voice123 offers various ways for you to select and negotiate a fee with specific voice actors, Voicebunny is more automated. Simply type in a script, select a language and the general category of actor, suggest a few comments on the tone and you submit your order. Voicebunny that routes it to its talent pool, and within five minutes or so you get an audio file.

Unlike Voice123, Voicebunny isn’t necessarily meant to disrupt the prevailing voiceover booking model. Rather, its aim is to make spoken content readily available to anyone that might want it, be it a blog, an informal video, or otherwise. Pricing is also variable. Enter a big bid to attract top talent and a fast turn-around time, go low if you’re not too concerned with speed or quality.

As a quick test, this sample cost me $15, and it took about five minutes to show up in my inbox.

Voicebunny sample
Listen now:

And if you’re unhappy with the results, you can always reject the first take and try again.

TheMutual
TheMutual seems like the one discounting site that doesn’t smack of a sketchy business model or uninspired me-too-ism. Where TheMutual sets itself apart is through its charitable giving. Of your $10 monthly subscription fee, $8 goes to charity. You can choose to send your money to a single cause, or distribute it between a number of causes, all focused on environmental and sustainability issues.

In exchange for your fee, not only do you get that warm, altruistic glow, you also get to chose from TheMutual’s list of discounts, which it calls perks. Options include discounted material goods, but also discounted services, and admission to local events. TheMutual says because vendors can offer you deals from month-to-month, they will avoid the crush of entitled, one-time customers that can overwhelm businesses that use other discount promotions.

Solidoodle
Solidoodle founder Sam Cervantes worked for General Electric for twelve years before lending his engineering services to MakerGear, where he helped design the Mosiac 3D printer we built earlier this year. After a stint at MakerBot, Sam started his own 3D printer shop, Solidoodle.

Solidoodle is aiming for the budget niche of the 3D printer market. Where MakerBot’s Replicator sells for around $2,000, and a Mosaic build-it-yourself kit from MakerGear costs about $1,000, the Solidoodle sells pre-assembled for $499.

The Solidoodle has a smaller build area than the Replicator, and it can’t print in multiple colors. It also requires you to use the Skeinforge and Prongerface software, which offers a not insubstantial learning curve (note to 3D printer vendors: software usability should be high on your to-do list). Regardless, at $499, the Solidoodle is the most accessible 3D printer to date, pre-built or otherwise. I expect 3D Systems, which has mass market dreams for its $1,299 Cube 3D printer, will take note.

Yapp
These days, it seems just about everyone has built a mobile app. But while that’s not really true, Yapp wants to bring that perception to life.

Yapp is a mobile app development platform for the masses. The company’s idea is that anyone can–and should–be able to build their own app, and its tools are designed to make it possible.

In the early going–Yapp is in private beta right now–it is focusing on apps built around events. So users can create new apps for things like weddings, conferences, birthday parties, and the like. And Yapp thinks that most people will be able to build their new tool in about ten minutes.

To be sure, these are not apps ready for the masses, but neither are they supposed to be. They’re not, for example, meant to be publicly available through Apple’s App Store or the
Android Market. Rather, these are apps that users will make available to their friends and family through email invites, Web-based short URLs, or QR codes. Then, those people will run their new event app inside Yapp’s so-called “Yapp Box.”

With a wedding app, a bride and groom could give their guests a tool that lists any related events, like a bachelor party or rehearsal dinner, and their date, time, and address. At the same time, there could be a guestbook, where people can share their photos from the wedding, and a curated photo gallery where the bride and groom can post specific photos they want to share.

App designers have a series of themes to choose from and some stock design choices. Ultimately, Yapp apps will probably all share a common look and feel, but users probably won’t care.

Sleep Bot
Most people get less sleep than they need. That’s something that the folks behind Sleep Bot think they can help with.

Currently available for Android, Sleep Bot is a sleep management platform designed to help people track their daily sleep and come up with insight into their rest patterns.

Users start by “punching in” when they go to sleep, and punching out and rating their night’s sleep when they wake up. Essentially, the app keeps track of the user’s sleep performance, letting them see things like how much they slept from night to night, what time they go to sleep, and the hours they’re generally asleep.

The company is “working on” a motion tracking tool that integrates an accelerometer to gauge users’ tossing and turning during the night. Ultimately, the idea behind the app is that knowing their sleep patterns can help people sleep better, and be more productive.

My Stream
My Stream is an interesting take on music sharing. Essentially, it’s a digital, wireless version of headphone splitters, an iPhone app that lets people stream their audio files to nearby friends over a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.

My Stream lets users share their songs and playlists with up to five people via Bluetooth and up to 30 people via Wi-Fi.

(Credit:
My Stream)

At any given time, a users can share their music with up to five people over Bluetooth and up to 30 people over Wi-Fi. And in addition to sharing individual songs with friends, users can also share playlists from their iPhone. The app allows any combination of individual song plays and playlist plays, up to the limits of the wireless connection.

Artists and record companies may well like My Stream because all songs that stream through the service come with a Buy Now button, meaning that instead of getting no benefit when someone uses a headphone splitter, artists now have a way to make a little money off of users sharing their music.

Songza
If you like music, there’s a good chance you’ll like Songza, a personalized streaming service that has been around for awhile, but which has just launched a new concierge feature.

The idea behind Songza, which is available for iPhone and Android, is that users can choose to listen to a wide array of custom, curated, playlists that have been vetted by music professionals. All playlists are more than three hours long, and users can choose from a very long list of genres.

A look at the general concept for Songza’s new concierge service, which it has just added to its existing personalized streaming playlists.

(Credit:
Songza)

With its new concierge service (for iPhone only), Songza is hoping to attract users looking for good music to come to them. Essentially, the tool takes the time of day into consideration and serves up suggestions for playlists that are deemed appropriate for certain kinds of situations, like dinner parties, working or studying, and even “between the sheets.”

Songza draws its playlists from a legal library of 18 million songs using the same license as Pandora, meaning that users can enjoy the music without worrying that the RIAA is going to kick down their door.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/8FJMlcaPJBc/

With Intel’s next-gen CPUs arriving late spring/early summer, and Windows 8 coming to new PCs sometime around October, it’s easy to recommend that laptop shoppers hold off on any new purchases until one or both of those are available.

Or, is it? We’ve opened up the question for point/counterpoint debate, with Scott taking the position that you should definitely not buy a laptop right now, and Dan saying we shouldn’t be slaves to a release calendar, and just buy what you want, when you want it.

Scott:

Of course you should wait for a laptop. Isn’t it clear? Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors are just around the corner. Nvidia has a new graphics platform for laptops. Windows 8 may still be a ways off, but the underlying hardware is set for a significant CPU upgrade in a matter of mere months, which will affect future Apple laptops as much as Windows ones.

Sure, you can buy a perfectly good laptop right now…but why would you, when the benefits of Ivy Bridge seem significant, especially for integrated graphics? I wouldn’t have recommended you buy an
iPad in February, and for the same reason I wouldn’t recommend you buy a laptop now, unless you don’t mind owning a product that feels outdated by May.

If you wait, you’ll get more computer for the same money. Plus, there’s a good chance that some significant redesigns will emerge, with thin ultrabooks on the rise and Windows 8 emphasizing touch screens and larger touch pads.

Dan:
The first thing you learn in this industry is that there’s always going to be something newer and better (and possibly more expensive) — and it’ll usually be released just as you’re pulling the shrink wrap off the gadget you just bought.

Case in point: on the very day last fall that Apple announced a series of modest MacBook Pro updates, a reader wrote in to ask if he should get the new model, or if an even newer one was right around the corner. My longtime rule of thumb has been: if you want or need something like a new laptop, just go out and get it. Otherwise, you’ll spend your entire life worrying about whether something newer or shinier is about to come out.

Besides, the next-gen Intel Core i-series processors don’t look like they’re going to be as revolutionary as the last leap. Integrated graphics will be better for casual gaming, but they’ve said that about every Intel update for years — and gaming still isn’t great on systems without a dedicated GPU. And, Windows 8 has some fun widgets and different views, but how many people do you know still rocking Windows XP (hint, a lot)? It turns out that an OS update is one of the things a lot of people find they can live just fine without.

(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)

Scott:
When you’re this close to a new product release — as we are with Ivy Bridge, which should hit somewhere between late April and May — you’d kick yourself if you bought a last-gen model with less impressive specs for the same price. You get more each year, and not just in terms of processor: sometimes, that means more RAM or more hard-drive space for your money, too.

You can’t chase new technology forever, but don’t be stubborn and ignore an upgrade that’s literally around the corner. I guess if you’re desperate for a computer now and your laptop is just plain dead, go ahead. What’s the hurry, can’t wait a month or two? Newer operating systems and software have a way of eating up resources, and using them on new hardware, rather than installing them on your current system, can always help stave off the Spinning Wheel of Death just a bit longer.

Dan:
Yeah, Ivy Bridge is reportedly coming in April/May, but only for the high-end quad-core versions. The everyday computers are coming even later than that, and who knows when your favorite laptop is actually going to get an upgrade; some PC makers take six months or more to roll out new models.

Finally, here’s the unpleasant truth about most people’s laptop habits. Today’s laptops are more than enough for what you need. Last year’s laptops are also fine. You can probably even go back another year or two before that.

Why? Because you’re not doing genome sequencing or running a CGI render farm. You’re on Twitter. You’re sending a few e-mails. You’re watching Netflix. Maybe you’re playing the latest farm simulator on Facebook.

For years, people have bought too much laptop, and it’s time we all stop worrying about specs, and start worrying about finding a laptop that works for your lifestyle, whether it’s one that’s easy to type on, light enough to throw in your bag, or one that just looks cool.

What do you think?

Should someone in the market for a new laptop buy now? Or wait for next-gen CPUs or Windows 8? Vote in our poll, or let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/7Nzote3OTfo/

Illuminate your PC – Part 1

This is the first part of a three-part guide on how to illuminate your PC. In the first part, we’ll be covering the basics then moving on to intermediate and advanced techniques. We’ll be taking a look at lighting to your PC using cathodes and LEDs and also talking about more advanced techniques such as using acrylic and making illuminated panels for your PC.

There are plenty of ways to add illumination to your PC, and if you haven’t tinkered with cathodes, LEDs or light strips yet, then you’re definitely missing out on a fun and rewarding way of making your PC unique and great to look at.

However, it’s not just a case of reaching for a bunch of cathodes and sticking them inside your PC. Following a few simple rules will mean your PC looks professional rather than giving the Las Vegas strip a run for its money. In essence, it’s more important to actually illuminate your hardware than to simply make your PC bright enough to be able to see the bones in your hand.

Decide on a colour.
The choice of colour is as important with PC lighting as it is with clothes or bedroom walls. Get it right and it looks great; get it wrong and your PC can often end looking much worse than before you started. Unlike clothes and bedrooms, though, it’s usually best to use just one colour and definitely avoid any lighting that offers rainbow effects or something similar.

Click to enlarge
Strictly speaking, white isn’t a colour, however white cathodes and LEDs are all the rage at the moment and are great for highlighting acrylic details. They’re also the best choice if you’re looking to build a super-clean system. Thankfully, they’re available in practically any guise, including LEDs, Cathodes and light strips meaning they’re as versatile as lighting of any other colour.

It’s also worth considering any details on your case. If it has red details, such as logos or switches, then opting for green or blue lighting is a bad idea. In general, the lighting should match these details, except of course for white lighting, which is pretty much universal. If your PC is water-cooled, the tubing or coolant colour should decide the colours of your lighting. The only exceptions to the rules may involve the use of UV lighting, but we’ll get to that later.

Which lights do I need?
This question may seem obvious, but there are many factors that you should consider before clicking the buy now button. The inside of modern PC cases can be very different – some are modularised, others have mid-sections, while others have huge gaping voids. For a uniform dousing of light for a large area, the humble cathode is a good choice, but LED-type lights offer more intensity, produce less heat and are more flexible.

Click to enlarge

LED light strips are very popular at the moment and are much more flexible. They’re available in a variety of colours, including white and UV, with pre-made sets available from the likes of Phobya and BitFenix in its Alchemy range of modding gear, while lighting company Phenoptix offers customisable strips, which, if you’re up for a bit of soldering, you can chop to specific lengths.

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Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GamingRipplesWeb/~3/2G62jzkaCvM/

The second-generation Microsoft Surface unit, named SUR40.

(Credit:
Microsoft)

Some 10 months after its introduction, Microsoft has opened up presales of its second-generation table computer.

Microsoft and Samsung today said the new unit, which starts at $8,400, is now available for preordering in 23 countries, with a release to follow in early 2012.

The computer, called SUR40, made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, and is Microsoft’s second attempt at large-scale multitouch computing. It sports a more powerful processor, new system software, and new sensor hardware that promises to make touch recognition more accurate.

Unlike the first-generation model, which worked with a combination of projectors, the newer model uses a flat-screen panel from Samsung that can be used horizontally, or mounted vertically on walls. As a result of the new design, the unit is cheaper than the first generation’s $12,500 price tag.

The technology that powers the touch recognition is called PixelSense. It uses 2 million sensors that have been built into the panel to pick up visible or infrared light. It’s not powerful enough to recognize something like a person’s fingerprint, but it gives the unit more accuracy when it comes to being able to differentiate users by the size of their fingers as well as where they’re sitting on the board.

SUR40 remains a specialty device aimed at businesses, as opposed to consumers, with a price tag that’s about twice the price of a top-end TV and computer. Earlier this year, initial customers were listed as Dassault Aviation, Fujifilm, Red Bull, Royal Bank of Canada, and Sheraton Hotels Resorts Worldwide.

Here I am getting a quick look at the SUR40 at
CES, shortly after its introduction:

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/QZi0b-R5XrY/

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)

Members of the popular photo-sharing app Instagram are finding unique and creative ways to use their retro photos outside of the app. Casetagram is the latest to come along and provide another outlet for budding photographers to share their work.

Casetagram allows you to create a custom
iPhone case, displaying your own personal Instagram photos.

To begin creating your Casetagram case, visit the Web site and click on the “Try for Free!” button. You will then be asked to sign in to your Instagram account and authorize Casetagram to access your photos.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)

After you have done that, you will be taken to a blank iPhone case, with a grid laid out on it. On the left side you can change the grid, the color, and the filter applied to your photos.

After you have selected a design combination you are happy with (don’t worry, you can continue to change it and adjust it), you can either start placing photos on the case, or you can choose to let Casetagram randomly place photos from your Instagram feed.

Click to enlarge

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)

Along the bottom of the screen you will see your Instagram photos lined up. Placing them onto the case you are designing is as simple as dragging and dropping. Notice the arrows on either end of the photo lineup; clicking on either one will allow you to browse through all of your photos.

An example case created using my Instagram photos randomly.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)

When you are finished, click on Save. You will see a progress bar pop up while your case is saved. Once the magic is over, you will be presented with a “Buy Now” button.

The Casetagram cases start at $34.95 and top out at $39.95, depending on case color.

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Logitech’s new Wireless Boombox is labeled “for iPad,” so why does it use Bluetooth instead of AirPlay?

(Credit:
Logitech)

Big-name iPhone/iPod speaker manufacturers like Bose and Logitech have recently rolled out new products designed to wirelessly stream music from your iOS devices using…Bluetooth. Wait, wasn’t AirPlay supposed to take over in this space, promising better compatibility, range, and sound quality? It was, but as good as AirPlay is, it’s not a great choice for
iPod speakers this year, especially with the Bluetooth alternative. Here’s why.

1. Bluetooth works nearly identically to AirPlay on iOS devices
   When we reviewed LG’s LSB316 sound bar with built-in Bluetooth, we were surprised at how easy the Bluetooth feature worked with our
   iPhone 4. It felt exactly like AirPlay, offering the same compatibility between apps and it even uses the AirPlay icon. If nobody told you it was Bluetooth, you probably wouldn’t even realize you weren’t using AirPlay.

2. AirPlay products are prohibitively expensive so far
   If you really want AirPlay, you can plunk down $600 for the BW Zeppelin Air Speaker, but that’s about four times more than most people want to spend on an
   iPhone speaker. JBL’s On Air Wireless costs $350. Even iHome, known for its budget iPod speakers, is charging $300 for its AirPlay-equipped iW1.

   We’ve heard rumblings that AirPlay licensing and technology can add as much as $100 to the price of an iPhone speaker. While we can’t confirm that exact cost increase, there’s no denying that iPhone speakers with AirPlay are just too expensive. Until manufacturers can make an iPhone speaker with AirPlay that costs more like $150 or $200, they’ll stick with the cheaper, similar Bluetooth option.

3. You (probably) won’t hear loss in audio quality on an iPhone speaker
   One of AirPlay’s advantages over Bluetooth is its lack of audio compression. That’s a significant advantage if you’re listening on your home stereo, not so much if you’re listening on an iPhone speaker that’s already not designed for critical listening. And it’s worth pointing out that current Bluetooth audio is much better than the initial incarnations, where the quality downgrade could be quite drastic.

4. Range isn’t as important on an iPhone speaker
   Bluetooth’s range is limited to about 33 feet, whereas AirPlay can stretch as far as your home Wi-Fi network. The lack of range may matter in some instances, but most times you’ll be staying in the same room as the iPhone speaker, so this isn’t a big factor.

5. Bluetooth works without an existing Wi-Fi network
   What Bluetooth lacks in range, it makes up in portability. AirPlay needs to use an existing Wi-Fi network, so that excludes many locations outside your home–think tailgate parties, parks, and possibly even your own backyard. Since Bluetooth creates its own ad hoc network, you can use it anywhere as long as you stay close.

6. Bluetooth is universal, whereas AirPlay is limited to Apple products
   AirPlay is great, but it only works with iOS (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) devices. Bluetooth is compatible with all those iOS devices, plus tons of non-Apple devices, most importantly Android phones. It’s much easier for manufacturers to create one model that works with virtually every smartphone, rather than limiting themselves to the iOS market.

What should I buy now?
It’s hard to recommend any of the current AirPlay-equipped iPhone speakers, given the steep prices. In the meantime, check out our roundup of top portable Bluetooth speakers, which will work with all current iOS devices and offer very similar functionality.

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The Web is a great resource for the disciplined shopper. You can research the price of an item you want; shop around; collect coupons and offer codes; and pretty much make sure you’re getting the best price known to mankind for anything, at any moment.

A new site, Decide.com, takes the research a bit further, helping you decide if the moment, not just the price, is right to buy. If it’s not, the site will advise you to wait.

There are other services that offer historical pricing, including Shopobot, which does a good job of illustrating historical price volatility of items; and Retrevo, which maps products to a generic life-cycle curve. Neither of these services is as clearly focused at predicting future prices, though.

Decide.com was founded by Farecast (now part of Bing Travel) execs Mike Fridgen and Oren Etziono, and, like Farecast, is based on what appears to be a brawny system for ingesting not just historical pricing data but also textual analysis of news content, rumors, and what CEO Mike Fridgen calls “model lineage” data that is used to predict when products are going to be superseded by their next model.

Decide.com tells you if you should hold off before buying that new gadget.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)

The revenue model is straightforward. As other price-finding sites do, it makes money from sending transactions to online stores.

I tried a preview of the site (both the standard and the mobile version–an actual mobile app is forthcoming), and found its advice on purchase timing to mostly mirror the opinion of product experts on the CNET reviews team. It was a bit more aggressive with “wait” recommendations than our editors would be, though the reason for the advice was always given (such as, there’s a new version likely to come out in three months). To illustrate the potential attraction of this service, one reviewer asked me to look up a camera for her. Nobody here has ever asked to use my access to a preview version of a Web site before (except Google Wave…so maybe that’s not a completely reliable metric of success).

I like this service because it tells consumers what a retailer never will: That prices are likely to go down on a product, or that a new version is likely to come out soon. It will also give buyers some confidence that what appears to be a good price actually is.

Farecast was acquired by Microsoft in 2008 for a reported $115 million. I’d say a similar fate awaits Decide.com. But I’d buy now, before the price goes up.

See also: Top sites for saving money on tech.

Article source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-20072141-250/decide.com-for-gadget-buyers-timing-is-everything/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Crave