ISSUE 96 September 2011 ISSN 1726–3358

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SA’s LARGEST TECH MAGAZINE

Spring in your Tech

Samsung X900

Tablets, now with keyboards

Thin, light and beautiful

TECH OUTDOORS ISSUEWWW.TECHSMART.CO.ZA

The best gear for thegreat outdoors

Asus Slider

Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. No material, text or photo graphsmay be reproduced, copied or in any other way transmitted without thewritten consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed are not necessarilythose of the publisher or of the editor. We recognise all trademarks andlogos as the sole property of their respective owners. TechSmart shall notbe liable for any errors or for any actions in reliance thereon. All priceswere correct at time of going to print.

Editor TechSmart & TechSmart.co.zaMike Joubert > 083-290-2889michael@techsmart.co.zaBusiness manager George Groblergeorge@smartpublishing.co.zaPrint media managerSuzanne Rallsuzanne@smartpublishing.co.zaSales Manager Chantell Nell-Marais > 082-780-4696 chantell@smartpublishing.co.zaAdvertising (Agencies)Carmel Ann Singh > 079-515-8708carmel@smartpublishing.co.zaDesigners Brett Wilson, Otto UeckermannContributors Mike Joubert [MJ], Hanleigh Daniels [HD], Ryan Noik [RN],Linda Pretorius [LP]Accounts & subscriptionsRonel Keet > 012-362-2732accounts@techsmart.co.zaDistributionRenier van Vuuren > 082-555-6866renier@smartpublishing.co.za

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Kaspersky & MicrosoftWe have three copies of Kaspersky Internet Security2012 featuring hybrid protection to give away, and ifyou’re not lucky there how about winning an amazingSamsung Omnia 7 running Windows Phone 7?

» Competition

17

The latest Tablets Looking for a tablet? Don’t miss our reviews of three ofthe latest 10" Android tablets hitting the SA market.Read more about Asus’ Slider, the Motorola Xoom andSamsung’s hot Galaxy Tab 10.1 write here.

» Tablets

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21Garmin Forerunner 610We take the new Forerunner 610 GPS training watch fora run to test out its all new touchscreen capabilities. Howwell did it perform? Read here to find out.

» Gadgets

EDITORIAL & HIGHLIGHTS

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11Tech OutdoorsWith spring officially arriving we’ve rounded-up allthe best running and outdoor gadgets to put a bounceback in your step. Come on summer!

» Features

1711Climb aboard the tech bus

Sometimes you’ll wait ages for a bus and then several comealong at once, and this was indeed the case for big tech

news in August. The mighty Google bought Motorola Mobilityto strengthen its patent portfolio (see p7), while HP admitteddefeat by calling an end to its WebOS-based TouchPad tablet,before we here in SA could even get a sniff of it (we lament itspremature departure on p25). In the same announcement HPalso stated that they might consider full separation of itsPersonal Systems Group (PSG), which includes theirnotebooks and desktop PCs, through spin-off or othertransaction. If all this was not enough, one of the businessworld’s most prominent CEOs, Steve Jobs, called an end to hisamazing tenure at Apple’s helm, now serving as chairman ofthe board of directors (see p3).

With all the hard news out of the way, our Outdoor issue isall about finding the best gear to take on the great outdoorsthis spring. Winter felt way too long and I for one cannot waitto get back into the sun.

Enjoy the issue,Mike (michael@techsmart.co.za)

The Outdoors Issue ›› September 2011

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Asus Republic of GamersMARS II GPU

Asus calls thislimited

edition graphicsprocessing unit,

the “world’sfastest, most powerful

graphics card”. Withgood reason seeing that

combines twin Nvidia GeForceGTX 580 GPUs and sports a massive

3 GB of GDDR5 video memory.No.1 on our Xmas 2011 wishlist, no RRP or release dateis available yet.

SonyHandycam 3DHDR-TD10

Watchingmovies

in 3D andplaying

stereoscopic games is one thing,taking 3D home movies and makingyour own 3D masterpieces is quiteanother. Sony’s HD 3D Camcorderenables you to switch between recordingmovies in 1920 x 1080 in 3D or full highdefinition 2D, while 3D content can alsobe previewed on the camcorder’s LCDscreen. It retails for $1500 (R10 800).No local release date is available yet.

TOP TECH TITBITS

Google stunned the industry when itannounced that it will be acquiring

Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion inorder to “Supercharge Android,enhance competition, and offerwonderful user experiences”. Thepurchase is motivated by Google’sdesire to strengthen its patentportfolio, in order to shield it againstlawsuits from the likes of Apple andMicrosoft (see more on p9). GoogleCEO and co-founder Larry Pageexplained that Motorola will be run as aseparate business and that the Googlewould continue to work with otherhardware partners who have basedtheir phones on the Android platform.(bit.ly/googorola)

HP dropped a bombshell of its ownwhen it announced that it was

discontinuing its TouchPad tablet lineand webOS-based smartphones. Thisfollows a poor adoption rate in the US,despite a $100 price cut on the device.In the same announcement, thecompany confirmed that it wasconsidering a full or partial separation ofthe Personal Systems Group division,which encompasses consumer PCs andmobile computing devices. This has leftmany industry commentators withoutimmediate answers to why HP would dothis, seeing that HP is the number onenotebook manufacturer in the world.The separation is far from a done dealthough. (bit.ly/touchgone)

HP drops TouchPad, might spinoff PC division

Google munches MotorolaMobility

NEWS

Sony 3D DEV-3and DEV-5binoculars

Sometimescatching a

glimpse of thatelusive bird ormember of the big fivehappens so fast, that theremay not be time to reach for the camerabag. Enter Sony’s new DEV-3 and DEV-5binoculars, the world’s first digitalbinoculars with full HD (1080p, AVCHD2.0 format) video recording and a 3Dmode. It’s out in November in the US forthe pricey sums of $1400 and $2000(approximately R10 000 and R14 420)respectively.

RazerSwitchblade

portable gaming PC

If you’re enthusiasticabout portable gaming,

then no doubt you’ve heard aboutthe Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PSP

Vita. How about the Razer Switchblade?The device, which is based on an IntelAtom processor and is currently indevelopment, features a multi-touch 7"screen, a dynamic tactile keyboard, andan intelligent user interface that adjusts

the configurationand key layout on-the-fly based ongame contentand userrequirements.

HOT NEW PRODUCTS

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As the chief executive officer of oneof the most successful technology

companies in the world, Steve Jobs’resignation from Apple helped to makeAugust one of the big IT news monthsof the year. However, Jobs will stay onin the company, to serve as chairmanof the board, director and “Appleemployee”. He quickly urged the boardto name Tim Cook as his successorCEO of Apple, which it has.

In an open letter, Jobs stated: “Ihave always said if there ever came aday when I could no longer meet myduties and expectations as Apple’sCEO, I would be the first to let youknow. Unfortunately, that day hascome.” $1

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Apple CEO SteveJobs resigns

A drop in the ocean

The Earth was a suffocating place about2.3 billion years ago. But a paper in a

recent issue of the Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences, saysoxygen may have been around 300 millionyears earlier. Spurred by earlier findings offossilised traces of chemicals calledsterols, which contain oxygen, scientistsgrew yeast cells under two differentconditions. Without oxygen available, theyeast happily took up sterols from theculture medium. But when tiny amountsof oxygen were introduced, the cellsstarted to make their own sterols. Theresults suggest that as blue-green algaeslowly got the hang of photosyntheticallyproducing oxygen, other oxygen-dependent organisms immediately used it.The eventual oxygen spike thus occurredonly once more colonies of the blue-greenalgae caught on, leading to an oversupplyof the life-giving gas. Lucky for us. [LP]

The case for parallel universes:bit.ly/morethan1

IBM produces first ‘brain chips’: bbc.in/iwantbrain

» More hot science

Sci News

Aliens may destroy humanity to protectother civilisations: bit.ly/spareme

Coffee break

Tell-tale signs of your coffee breakmay soon be a thing of the past, say

physicists in a recent article in thejournal, Nature. Paper stains from, forexample, spilt coffee are caused by theshape of the particles suspended in thefluid drops. By systematically stretchingperfectly round particles suspended inwater, the researchers showed thatmore oblong particles tend to cling toone another because of strongattraction forces. The oblong shapeprevents the particles from flowingevenly to the edge of the water drop.As the water evaporates, they thus getstuck on the paper. A drop of soapadded to the mix, however, broke thesurface tension of the water drops andallowed even evaporation of the fluid,leaving no stains behind. The findingsmay be useful for printing and paintingtechniques.

Twist and turn

The perfect golf swing is all in the hips.And the shoulders it seems, with a

study that recently appeared in theJournal of Applied Biomechanics, showingthat the pros have got it down to a tee.Scientists recorded three-dimensionalimages of a group of pro golfers’ as wellas amateurs’ swings. Analyses showedthat the pros all tilted their shoulders to asimilar degree, displayed a similar degreeof twist relative to the shoulder tilt andexerted similar peak turning force whenhitting the ball – which they all did reallywell. Amateurs, though, displayed amuch more variable style and, notsurprisingly, clubbed the ball with lessforce. The study shows that thecombination of the correct shoulder tilt,hip swing and turning force is the key togolfing success, while simultaneouslyminimising injury risk.

SCI NEWS ECO NEWS

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Get ready for planting season in SA.www.plantingseason.co.za

Discarded alligator fat can be convertedinto biodiesel. http://cnet.co/fatallig

One hour of TV = 22 minutes less life. http://bit.ly/killertv

» Other interesting eco news

Ford & SunPower join forceson green car tech

Ford and SunPower have teamed upto provide a high-efficiency rooftop

solar system, providing Focus Electriccar owners with enough renewableenergy production, to offset the energyused for charging. The 2.5 kilowattSunPower system will produce anestimated 3000 kilowatt hours ofelectricity per year and employs high-efficiency solar panels that generatearound 50% more electricity thanconventional panels and also utilisesless roof space.

It was sized to accommodate acustomer that drives approximately.1600 km per month. The cost of havinga green charging solution for your eco-friendly car comes at a high costthough, with a base price of just under$10 000 (almost R72 000).

Nashua Mobile saves paper,plants trees

Nashua Mobile launched an initiative inSeptember 2008 via which they

hoped to get their clients to convert toelectronic billing. The companycommitted to donating R10 to Food &Trees for Africa (FTFA) for everycustomer that opted to receive electronicbills as opposed to printed paper bills.Nashua Mobile has now revealed thatdue to the success of this project FTFAhas already been able to plant over 7278trees across South Africa, as well as totrain and pay stipends to 146unemployed people within disadvantagedcommunities. With their latest cheque ofR383 480, FTFA will be able to plant afurther 4262 trees across the country,bringing the total number of treesplanted to 11 540.

Philips winner of L Prizecompetition

Last month the US Department ofEnergy announced that Philips Lighting

North America has won the 60-wattreplacement bulb category of the BrightTomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize)competition. The Department of Energy’s LPrize challenged the lighting industry todevelop high performance, energy-savingreplacements for conventional light bulbs,which will save American consumers andbusinesses money. Philips’ replacementbulb holds the potential for massive powersavings, because if every 60-wattincandescent bulb in the States wasreplaced with the 10-watt L Prize winner,then the American nation’s power savingswould amount to a whopping 35 terawatt-hours of electricity or $3.9 billion annually,as well as avoiding 20 million metric tonsof carbon emissions.

Eco News

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TechSmart (TS):Did you expect theGoogle purchase ofMotorola Ability?Megan Nicholas(MN): No, it wasa completesurprise for us.

TS: How has the SAmarket taken toAndroid?MN: The SAmarket doesn’t

know a lot aboutAndroid, so it’s an education process.Worldwide, Android has a 50% marketshare – two years ago it was next tonothing. We are sitting on 6-8% and wewill follow this trend.

TS: You have two really solidofferings – the Xoom on thetablet side (see p17 forreview) and the Atrix on the

smartphone side. Are youhappy with these?

MN: I am, but don’t forget wehave other phones coming up. Thelower-end Android, the MotorolaFire, will retail for about R1700and is a QWERTY touch phone.There is also a higher-end

QWERTY touch – the more solidMotorola Pro with a bigger screen.

TS: A number of other tablets are runningthe Tegra 2 processor, just like the Xoom.What is the differentiating factor?MN: We future proofed the devicemaking it MicroSD card ready, so youcan go add all the way up to 32 GB ofextra storage. The Webtop software withwhich you can go on to Citrix that is on

the Atrixsmartphone isalso available onthe Xoom onthe Android

2.1 platform[this allows for a

virtual Windowsdesktop]. You also

have USB hostsupport, so you can

connect the device to anexternal USB flash disk.

TS: The Atrix smartphoneseems to be a few steps ahead

of the competition. Tell us more.

MN: The main driver will be the HDMultimedia Dock with which you canconnect to a TV. For the man on thestreet it’s easy to use. The notebookdock is suitable for the corporatemarket. Companies are looking to puttheir field marketing agents on theLapdock, since with this you can dockyour smartphone in the Lapdock, do fullreporting on it like a regular notebookand send orders immediately.

Apart from being purchased byGoogle, Motorola Mobility

launched the Atrix smartphone andXoom tablet locally. We talked toMegan Nicholas to discuss theseinteresting developments.

Interview: Megan Nicholas,Country Director,

Motorola Mobility

TechSmart (TS): Sowhat’s importanton the newBlackBerry Curve9360?Rob Orr (RO): Iwould say threemain things. Weare bringing thenew BlackBerry 7operating systemto the Curvefranchise; there

are new Facebook browsingcapabilities; while the new LiquidGraphics user interface is also onboard.The 9360 also offers improvements inthe form of an 800MHz processor – thefastest on a Curveyet, a new displayresolution of 480 x360 pixels, GPS,Wi-Fi, memoryimproved to 512MB and a sleekbacklit keyboard.

TS: What are youmost excited about inthe new Curvemodels?RO: There are lots,but if I have to pick Iwould say the design.The Curve range hasalways been veryapproachable and formany it’s their firstsmartphoneexperience. Ourindustrial designershave done a marvelousjob and the Curve’sname is now reflected inits design, with a curvedslope on the front andback. The new BlackBerryCurve 9360 takes thehardware, software and

communication to the next level.TS: Why do you think BlackBerry is sopopular here in SA?RO: The things that make BlackBerry

are BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)and further enhancedmessaging capabilities.BlackBerry has broughtsmartphone technology to anew segment, and for manyit’s their first experience onthe internet. Furthermore it’scost effective and costcontrolled.

TS: Tell us a bit more aboutBBM 6.RO: BBM 6 takes themessaging experience andenhances it. For example thedevelopers have worked onthe chat user interface, youcan post your status onBBM, allow friends to joingames and access newcontent and servicesstraight from BBM. Wehave 67 million BlackBerryusers, with 50 million BBMusers, across the globeright now. BlackBerry isgrowing in a number ofemerging markets, suchas Venezuela and Dubai,but also, for example, in

the prepaid sector in the UKand the Netherlands.

The new BlackBerry Curve 9360has been released internationally

and is a lot sleeker (11 mm) andfaster (800 MHz processor) than itsolder Curve brothers. We talked toRob Orr, vice president for ProductManagement at Research InMotion, about the new features.

Interview: Rob Orr, Vice President for ProductManagement,

Research InMotion

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The Motorola Atrix docked in the Lapdock to form a notebook.

For AndroidAfter a long waitSouth Africans arenow also privy toGoogle MapsNavigation (Beta)for Android runningsmartphones ortablets. GoogleMaps Navigation isan internet-connected GPSnavigation or‘satnav’ system,which providesturn-by-turn voicedriving directionsas a free feature of Google Maps. Theupdate followed Google’sannouncement last month that it hadreleased Google Maps 5.9, adding voiceand ringtone notifications for TransitNavigation (beta) as well as addingsupport for tablets, while bubblebuttons are making a reappearance,helping to add call and navigate buttonson the main map. Transit Navigation forpublic transport employs GPS todetermine a user’s current locationalong their route and then alerts themwhen it’s time to get off the bus ortrain. [RN]

GPS navigation received a boostover the past several weeks in theform of a new update for NokiaMaps as well as Google MapsNavigation (Beta) being madeavailable for South Africa.

9

the quickest and mostenvironmentally-efficient route. NokiaMaps traffic includesupdates on congestion,road closures, roadworks and other trafficincidents, colour-coding roads as red,amber or greendepending on trafficflow. The mapssoftware comes pre-loaded on all Nokiasmartphones, andprovides free turn-by-turn voice guided navigation, while thetraffic service is available on all touchSymbian smartphones.

Nokia South Africa’s Patrick Henchieexplained that Nokia Maps included100% coverage of the road network(554 239 km), with speed limits formajor roads and lane guidance for allmotorways. Along with walk navigation,which is available for Joburg and CapeTown, Nokia Maps for desktop(http://maps.nokia.com) has also beenupdated and now includes photo-realistic 3D imaging of Cape Town,amongst other major global cities, suchas San Francisco.

Nokia South Africa’s latest update toNokia Maps, version six, which will

run on a range of Nokia touchscreenphones, including the 5230, N97, N97mini, N8, C7 and C601, is a freedownload that is available from the Ovistore or as a software update within theexisting Nokia maps application. Thecompany explained that the latestupdate shows people real-time trafficconditions, enabling users to pre-plan

Need to go somewhere? Just take out your smartphone ›› Nokia and Google update their map applications

HTC, in regards topatents relating to userinterface, design andhardware.

The quest to find apatent lawsuit shieldIn order to protect its

partners from Androidpatent lawsuits Google needed to securea wealth of patents under its patentportfolio, so it started shopping around. Ahalf-hearted bid ($900 million) for NortelNetwork’s patent portfolio of over 6000patents and patent applications failed.Instead it was claimed by an alliance of,amongst others, Apple, Ericsson,Microsoft, Research In Motion and Sonywhose winning bid was five times asmuch ($4.5 billion). In the meantime,Google purchased over 1000 of IBM’spatents and also took the contentiouspatents war issue into the PR arena,stating that there’s “a hostile, organised

campaign against Android by Microsoft,Oracle, Apple and other companies,waged through bogus patents [lawsuits].”

Googorola is bornNow it seems Google has played its trumpcard with the announcement that it will beacquiring Motorola Mobility for $12.5billion. “Our acquisition of Motorola willincrease competition by strengtheningGoogle’s patent portfolio, which willenable us to better protect Android fromanti-competitive threats from Microsoft,Apple and other companies,” Google CEOand co-founder, Larry Page, explained.

Many questions can be posed as aresult of this deal, including whether theMotorola patent portfolio is strong enoughand if all manufacturers using Android arestill equal. The more pertinent questionfor us though is what could Google havecome up with for Android, if it spent $12.5billion on its development rather thandefending Android from lawsuits? [HD]

MOBILE APPS

The Google patent war hassteadily gathered steam, with

legal battles being fought on manyfronts. Redmond-based softwaregiant, Microsoft, started itssystematic “sign patent agreement orget sued” campaign against many anAndroid original equipment manufacturer(OEM). According to reports, thecompany is receiving a lovely $5 forevery HTC device being sold and iscurrently making more money offAndroid than it is off its own WindowsPhone OS.

Another Silicone Valley heavyweight,Oracle, sued Google stating that Android“knowingly, directly and repeatedlyinfringed” on its Java-related intellectualproperty (latest is that Google might bewilling to settle with Oracle). This whilethe biggest fish in the tech companypond, Apple, started waging its own largescale battles with the biggest Androidsmartphone maker Samsung as well as

With a leading market share in the burgeoningsmartphone market and 500 000 handsets ac�vatedeach day, Google’s Android opera�ng system (OS)seems unstoppable. But now its growth is s�fled bya number of companies claiming copyrightinfringement on patents used in the popular OS.

THE BIG ISSUE

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Vibram Fivefingers Bikila LSIf Hobbits had the need forrunning shoeswe’re quitesure it wouldlook a bit likethis. Vibramstarted the

“barefoot” running crazewhich has now taken therunning world by storm. Their new BikilaLS’s closed quick lace system makes suredifferent foot types fit comfortably, andapart from looking unlike any other runningshoe, the Vibrams can also bemachine washed. R1499.

Nike+ SportWatch GPSpowered by TomTomWorking in conjunction withthe Nike+ sensor (althoughnot needed), the Nike+SportWatch GPS tracks not onlydistance, pace and time, but now alsomaps your route thanks to help from thefolks at TomTom. Once done you downloaddata to your PC via the included USBconnection. This cheeky timepiece giveslittle run reminders, while alsocongratulating you for a hard workedpersonal best. Unfortunately we’ll have towait until February 2012 for a local debut.

It’s time to shake off that winterfat and hit the road again. Luckily

there’s some excellent tech-filledgear to get you up and running inno time.

Also check out the the Garmin Forerunner610 on p21.

Spring has sprung and if you’reheading to the great outdoors,

the following tech gear isessential.

FEATURE

Tech Running

Great gearfor that PB

The great techoutdoors

Must haveoutdoorgadgets

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PumaCompleteTrailfox 4When itcomes tothe greatoutdoors, youdon’t want tosuffer due toinadequate trailrunning shoes. Puma’s Trailfox range hasbuilt up quite a reputation over the pastfew years, with the new CompleteTrailfox 4 looking set to continue in thistradition. With ldCELL cushioning forimproved shock absorption, directionallugs to help with footing and a forefootframe for added support, there’s no trailthis shoe can’t tackle. R1199.

Nike Vapor Flash jacketRemaining visible at alltimes is the name of theroad safety game whilerunning. Nike’s newVapor Flash jacket has areflective laminated facethat ensures 360-degrees of visibility inlow-light conditions. Andwhile one side is highly visible, thejacket can also be reversed to be wornwhen not sweating on the road. It costs apretty penny though, retailing at R2999in Nike stores only.

ten metres, freezeproof to minus tendegrees Celcius and shockproof fromheights of up to 1.5 metres. The camerafurther features full HD (1080p) videoand includes a built-in GPS, electroniccompass and integrated worldmap, enabling users togeotag their imagesand track their routewhen exploring.

Bear GryllsSurvival KitThe name BearGrylls issynonymous withsurvival underextreme conditions. Therefore when heendorses a survival kit, you know it’sgoing to be worth taking notice of. TheBear Grylls Survival Kit contains a Gerberminiature multi-tool, miniature light,hand saw, signaling mirror and number ofother survivor essentials that is a must incase of outdoor emergency. R649 fromThe G.A.D.G.E.T. Shop.www.thegadgetshop.co.za

Panasonic ToughbookPanasonic’s Toughbook range are built foroutdoor abuse and its line-up includesfully rugged, semi-rugged and businessrugged notebooks that are designed towork in extreme conditions or less thanideal situations. The latest fully rugged

models have received aperformance upgrade inthe form of 2ndgeneration Intel Corei5 vPro processors.This should add evenfaster performance,with the CF-31 forexample boasting a 13.1"high brightness LCD (1200 nits)and battery life of between thirteen andtwenty hours. Most importantly it’s dustand water resistant and has passed adrop-shock free fall test up to 1.3 meters.Call Vanessa on 011-313-1492 orvcoopasamy@pansolutions.co.za.

Motorola Defy+The Motorola Defy+smartphone is the go-todevice when you want aphone that’s waterresistant, scratch resistantand dust proof. It featuresthe same life-proof designof the Motorola Defy (ourreview: bit.ly/defymoto),but comes with a 1 GHzprocessor that the runs 25% quicker thanits predecessor’s 800 MHz Cortex-A8processor. Additionally, it comes pre-loaded with a CardioTrainer application,which no doubt trail runners and joggerswill find a use for. We might just see aspring release for this phone. [RN]

NikonCoolpixAW100If cameraswere people,the NikonCoolpixAW100 camera would be the adventureryou read about in National Geographicwho is bushwacking through the Amazon,barefoot. This 16 megapixel cameraboasts a 5x zoom and is waterproof to58

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compare well to othersmartphones featuringCPU speeds of 1 GHz,with top of the linemodels sporting dual-core chips. That said, theE6’s battery life is muchbetter than the usual oneday fare, lasting wellover two days. Alsoonboard is 802.11n Wi-Ficonnectivity, support forUSB flash drives,Bluetooth 3.0 and aneight megapixel camerathat has a dual-LED flash

and HD-ready (720p)video recording. Nokia’s E6

boasts a solid 8 GB of internal memorythat can be boosted by adding a microSDcard of up to 32 GB.

ConclusionNokia’s E6 makes for a decent offering,retailing for R4499, which nets you a freecar charger, leather pouch and a handywindscreen dock for when you employOvi Maps to guide you whilst driving.Symbian Anna is a much needed upgradeto Symbian^3 and looks a little moremodern too, but still doesn’t rival iOS orAndroid. [HD]

Full review: bit.ly/NokiaE6review

Before unveiling itsfirst Windows Phone7 OS poweredsmartphone, Nokiaseems content tocontinue withSymbian-operatingmobile devices suchas the new E6. It runsthe new SymbianAnna OS, whichsports some underthe hood andcosmetic improvements.

SMARTPHONES

Nokia’s E6 comes with a very grip- andpocket-friendly (115.5 x 59 x 10.5

mm) design, with an easy-on-the-fingersQWERTY keyboard. Besides the keyboard,the smartphone features a 2.46"capacitive touch-screen boasting a VGA(640 x 480 pixels) resolution that packsmore pixels per inch (328 ppi) than theiPhone 4’s superb Retina Display (326ppi). It translates to photos, websites andvideo looking very good indeed.

Symbian AnnaThe E6 runs on Symbian Anna with whichNokia hopes to bring its mobile OS on

Nokia E6 ›› Business savvy touch-and-type experience

par with modern rivals such as Androidand iOS. Symbian Anna sports a freshlook and the ability to have five home-screens with faster movement betweenthem due to real-time scrolling. You lackthe OS customisation levels of rivalsincluding Android though, and whilstaccessing functionality is simple, thesame convoluted menu structurecharacterised by other Symbian versionsremains.

FeaturesKeeping things running smoothly is a 680MHz ARM 11 CPU, but we did experienceinstances of occasional lag. It does not

same slot that holds the battery in place.Additionally, the 3.7" screen, whilecapturing its fair share of fingerprints, isbright, clear, and offers up saturated andvivid colours that made the most of theDesire S’s screen size.

FeaturesWhile it may not be enough to stand aloneas a feature, for those who tend to browsethe internet on their smartphone, theDesire S’s does boast the ability to reflowtext from websites to fill the screen. Forany screen smaller than the 4" mark, thismakes a considerable difference, that,when paired with the bright screen, madea bit of internet surfing on the Desire Sthat much more feasible. Beyond thebasic functionality, which the Desire Shandles beautifully, it also has a few otherfeatures on offer. Along with its VGA frontfacing camera for video calling, theDesire S is also home to a five megapixelcolour camera, with a flawless auto-focus and LED flash as well as 720pvideo recording.

ConclusionThe Desire S is another sought aftersmartphone in HTC’s lineup that webattled to find fault with, that offersa slick interface in a compact yet‘big enough’ package. It retails forR4988. [RN]

There is a certain level of qualitywe have come to expect from HTC,and picking up the Desire Sconveys this at first touch.

The Desire S is somehow compact andsizable enough at the same time, with

a reassuring weight and slight heft thatrenders it neither overly heavy norunpleasantly bulky. However, it’s whathappens when you turn on a device(using a thankfully slightly raisedpower button on the top) thatmatters, and on this count, theDesire S does not disappoint.HTC has opted to include thelatest version of Android’s

Gingerbread (2.3.3), andoverlay this with it Sense (2.1)interface. At this point, HTCknows what it’s doing withSense, and on the Desire S itshows. The Sense interface fliesbetween integrated social feeds,

HTC Desire S ›› Compactly capablethe best apps arrangement in thebusiness and intuitive accessibility tonumerous functions, all while retainingAndroid’s familiarity.

PerformanceGeneral phone navigation is fast andfluid, thanks in no small part to the 1 GHzCPU, which is joined by 768 MB of RAMand 1.1 GB of internal storage. Of course,this can be expanded with a microSDslot, which is neatly hidden beneath the

13

“The phone issomehow compactand sizable enoughat the same time.”

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regular motorised hard disk. An auto-sensing backlit keyboard, thatautomatically lit up as the environmentin which it was being used becamedarker, gave just the right amount oflight to make finding the keys easy.However, the fact that the trackpad’smouse-buttons are also sensitive totouch can make it difficult to operate.

While lacking an optical drive, severalports were hidden behind two flaps onthe sides of the notebook. Theseincluded a micro SD slot, a 3.5 mmheadphones jack and one USB 2.0 aswell as a mini Ethernet, mini HDMI and aUSB 3.0 port. Instead of a brick sizedcharger, the 900X’s mini charger is a bigbenefit when travelling, making thesystem truly portable.

ConclusionDespite the touchpad issues, the 900Xhit just about every note. The brightscreen, solid yet light build, illuminated

keyboard and quick boot timeswere some of ouroutstanding features, andmade the 900X a superb

thin and light notebook. Itretails for a pricey

R14 000. [RN]

Full review:bit.ly/samser9

Despite being thin and light at 1.31 kgand measuring 327.6 (width) x 227

(depth) x 15.7 mm (height), the 900X isnonetheless solid enough, thanks to itsDuralumin cover. Moreimportantly, the reduction inweight hasn’t come at theexpense of performance.

PerformanceApart from looking extremely stylish,the 900X ran smoothly on an IntelSandy Bridge Core i5 CPU (1.5 GHz),with 4 GB of memory on the 64-bitWindows 7 Home edition. For a thin-and-light unit it ran quietly and producedlittle discernible heat, while offering an

“The 900X takesunder 20 secondsto boot up from apowered downstate.”

impressive battery life of between five tosix and a half hours before requiring avisit to the charger. The 13.3" screen,which boasted 16 million colours, a solid1366 x 768 resolution and a good 400nit brightness, was sharp and clear.

Feature packedMost notable was the notebook’s quickresponse time, taking under 20 secondsto boot up from a powered down stateand, if in a sleep state, waking in an

impressivethree seconds.This was duein part, tothe 900X’srespectable128 GBsolid statedriveinstead

of a

HARDWARE

The Samsung 900X notebook iswafer-thin and light enough tocarry just about anywhere, butstill manages to pack someimpressive features.

Samsung Series 9 900X ›› Thin, light and powerful

15

The G74Sx’s all black exterior may notscream high performance notebook

as loudly as some other gamingnotebooks of its ilk, but it has plenty of

computing muscle in its stead. At 4.28kg, the G74Sx is not a notebook thatyou would ever venture to try balance onyour lap for extended periods of time,rather, it’s more akin to a highperformance car for gaming. It seems tolend itself to serving as an ideal LAN orgaming notebook when you want to slaythe most demanding of games andapplications.

See me roarThe G74S packs an Intel Sandy BridgeCore i7 (2630 QM) processor, and awhopping 16 GB of DDR3 RAM. It cameas little surprise that it delivered some ofthe best benchmarking scores we’veever recorded.

However, running on an Nvidia GeForce

Make no mistake, Asus’ G74Sx isa beast in size, in performanceand in price.

Asus G74Sx ›› This beast is a beautyand one USB 3.0, a Blu-ray player andfor more extreme performance, onetouch overclocking.

ConclusionAt a battery life of around two and a halfhours, it would be reasonable to expectthe power brick to be constantly closeby. However, this matters little, as theG74Sx seems to be built for the gamingenthusiast who does not want to settlefor anything less than optimalperformance. It retails for a hefty R26 999. [RN]

GTX 560M with a massive 3 GBdedicated video memory, full 1080p highdefinition and a screen resolution of1920 x 1080 was apparently not enoughfor Asus. It needed to ensure thenotebook was really cutting edge, andthis it has accomplished with the built-instereoscopic (3D) 17.3" display. The 3Doption is there and it does work,provided you don’t mind wearing 3D

glasses, which require power from one ofthe notebook’s USB ports. Either way,our test game, Crysis 2, with all thesettings turned to maximum, lookedspectacular and played smoothly on theG74S’s crisp and clear screen both withand without 3D turned on.

Everything elseAlong with one terabyte (1000 GB) ofhard drive space, the notebook furtherboasts a full sized keyboard and notepadwith a generously size trackpad,both of whichwerecomfortable touse. Thisaccompanies Wi-Fi(802.11n), an HDMI port, three USB 2.0

“It came as little surprise that it delivered some of thebest benchmarking scores we’ve ever recorded.”

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but unlike a full sized notebook theSlider’s keyboard comes across a bitcramped. Once you know how, thekeyboard is easy to slip out, while at thesame time it tilts the screen allowing fora more comfortable viewing angle.

The added keyboard does come witha downside, as it adds considerableweight and size to the device. It pullsthe scales at 960 g, while itscompetitors range between 595 g onthe Samsung 10.1 to 765 g on theAcer Iconia A500.

Ports galoreAnother stand-out feature ofthe Asus Slider is the amountof ports found on the unit.The added keyboard allowedAsus to include both a fullUSB 2.0 port and amicroSD card slot, while

a miniHDMIport can alsobe found, although youwould have to bring your ownHDMI cable to this tablet party.

There are loads of 10’ Android tabletsin market, each offering pretty much

the same with slight variations here andthere. Asus’ Slider SL101 is the first onethat really brings something different tothe table. This of course in the form of avery useful slide-out QWERTY keyboardthat went a long way in impressing us.

Now with keyboardTyping on a tablet can be an awkwardexperience, which can be made a lotmore comfortable by either a stand thatraises the screen into a morecomfortable position, or a separatestand-alone keyboard. Asus’ slide-out

offering is slightly superior, since thekeyboard is always attached andsurprisingly comfortable to work on.Comfortable can be a relative term,since compared to typing on glass it’sboth more responsive and a lot easier,

“Another stand-out feature of the AsusSlider is the amount of ports found onthe unit.”

TABLETS

16

performance didn’t disappoint. Weexperienced no lag when navigatingthrough the Honeycomb 3.1 interface,while performing common tasks andopening and closing applications wereequally as responsive. Playback of1080p full high definition video on thedevice was a sight to behold. Simplyput, video, which renders at 30 fps,looks awesome on the Tab.Additionally, as a somewhat portablegaming device, the Galaxy Tab

For starters, the Galaxy Tab 10.1’smost noticeable differentiator is its

8.6 mm thinness and low weight of 595 g. Despite its solid construction andits 10.1" size (almost half an inch largerthan the iPad 2’s 9.7"), the Galaxy Tab

proved to be neither ungainly norovertly heavy.

Equally as important, the GalaxyTab 10.1’s screen was excellent,offering deep blacks, superb contrastand vivid colours at a WXGA 1280 x800 resolution that coped admirablywith direct light. However, its glossycoating did readily attract fingerprintand necessitated constant cleaning.

A real performerWith an Nvidia Tegra 1 GHz dual-core processor, Galaxy Tab 10.1’s

“The race for the definitive Android tablet is far fromover, but with the Galaxy Tab 10.1, there is a clearcontender of what anAndroid tablet can be.”

performed equally as brilliantly. Ourbrowsing experience was similarlyimpressive. Multi-touch, opening andmanaging multiple tabs workedflawlessly, making zooming into pagesand navigating between multiple tabs apleasure.

With Wi-Fi 802.11n, the Tabmaintained a strong and stableconnection to our wireless router, whileits battery gave us up to ten hoursdepending on our usage pattern. Whilethe Tab does have a three megapixelrear camera and a two megapixel frontcamera for video-calling, itdisappointingly does not have a slot for

adding external storage.

ConclusionThe Galaxy Tab 10.1 is not perfect(a lack of additional ports beingone) – but it is close enough tomake it a superb, impressive tablet.The race for the definitive Androidtablet is far from over, but with theGalaxy Tab 10.1, there is a clearcontender of what an Android tabletcan be. The 32 GB Wi-Fi and 3Gversion, which is at present the onlymodel available, retailsfor R7500. [RN]

Full review:bit.ly/samtab10

Samsung has launched its latestsalvo in the tablet wars with a10.1" Honeycomb device that isthe thinnest and lightest to date.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 ›› Thinnest 10.1" tablet by far

Armed with a Tegra 2 processor and1 GB of RAM, the Asus Eee Pad SliderSL101 is equal in power to other 10"Android devices in market, but with thebig plus of an included slide-outkeyboard. If you’re going to take lots ofnotes, write emails or create the odddocument, you should seriouslyconsider the Slider. Our model was Wi-Fionly with 16 GB of space. It retails for

R5999 and comes with a nicepouch. [MJ]

The wise say tablets are for mediaconsumption, not media creation.Asus’ Slider tablet with slide-outQWERTY keyboard begs to differ.

Asus Eee Pad Slider SL101 ›› Keyboard convenience

TOP PRODUCTAWARD

smart 94%. Percentage of respondents in a survey of 1100 tablet buyers w

ho considered the iPad to be their device of choice.

While it seems as though almostevery manufacturer is rolling outits version of an AndroidHoneycomb tablet of late, it wouldbe easy to forget that Motorola’sXOOM was actually the world’sfirst Honeycomb tablet.

TABLETS

On its surface the XOOM is actuallyquite attractive, with its black

screen and silver accents aroundthree quarters of its diameter, andwhile it’s also on the thicker andheavier side at 708 g, its anodizedaluminum composition lends it asolid, even rugged, feel. Mostnotably, the XOOM’s 32 GB capacity isaccompanied by both an onboardmicroSD slot and micro USB port,which is something that some otherHoneycomb tablets (like Samsung’s10.1) still inexplicably lack.

PerformanceAs we have come to expect from 10.1"tablets, the XOOM boasts the Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor, which copedas well as expected with all the generaltasks we could throw at it. It providedsmooth transitions between pages whennavigating, responsive pinch to zoomand it blistered through applications

While we wish that the 10.1" WXGA(1280x 800) screen would have been abit brighter at its maximum setting, andmatched the Galaxy Tab 10.1’s, it wasnonetheless adequate enough to becomfortable to read and view.

Features and foiblesThe sound on the XOOM is excellent,offering, crisp, loud, clear sound even atthe 50% mark. With a five megapixelrear and two megapixel front facingcamera, HD 720p playback, up to tenhours battery life and 802.11n Wi-Fi,the XOOM has all the right features for atablet of its class. The one minorannoyance was the placement of thepower button on the back of the devicenext to the left speaker.

ConclusionSince the Motorola XOOM’s globalrelease, we have seen the likes of theAcer Iconia A500, Asus Transformerand Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, whichmeans that the XOOM has a fairamount of competition now. Whileits build and obvious quality iscommendable, we suspect that thenext generation of XOOM’s willneed something extra todifferentiate it more or help it stay

ahead of the tablet pack. It retailsfor R6599. [RN]

Motorola Xoom MZ601 ›› Room to Xoom

17

such as YouTube, Google Maps and theoccasional game and handled browsingthe internet and opening multiple tabswithout a hitch. No Android tabletthough can match the smoothexperience of the iPad.

“Its anodized aluminumcomposition lends it asolid, even rugged, feel.”

Kaspersky Internet Security 2012’s cutting-edge, hybrid approach todigital security combines innovative, cloud-based technologies withadvanced antivirus protection to deliver a faster, moreeffective response to today’s complex,ever-evolving threats.

The Omnia 7 runs on the newWindows 7 platform and features asuper quick 1 GHz processor, 8 GB ofstorage and an excellent 4" SuperAMOLED screen. When you sign in toyour Windows 7 phone with aWindows Live ID, you unlock serviceson Windows Live, Zune, and XboxLIVE that can make your phone morethan a phone.

What we said: “Windows Phone 7boasts a much cooler, design-conscious look and feel compared toprevious versions.” bit.ly/samwin7*review unit.

What we said: “Kaspersky InternetSecurity 2012 is a verycomprehensive security packagewhich is quiet but effective.”http://bit.ly/kasp12

Go to www.techsmart.co.za and clickon the Kaspersky competition on theright hand side to enter. Thecompetition runs from 1 to 31September 2011. Terms and conditions apply.

To enter go to www.techsmart.co.zaand find the competition on the righthand side. The competition runs from 1to 31 September 2011. Terms and conditions apply.

3 x copies of KasperskyInternet Security 2012are up for grabs, worthR399 each.

Stand the chance to winthe excellent SamsungOmnia 7* smartphonecourtesy of Microsoft!

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You know from the start that the 14.5megapixel Olympus Tough TG-310 is

not your usual little compact, seeing thatit looks rock solid. According to Olympusit can survive drops from 1.5 m, which is

typically what most cameras aresubjected to at least once during thecourse of their lifetime. We’ll actuallybet that it can survive a gooddistance more since its build qualityexudes confidence. Olympus wentto a great deal of trouble to also

count of 280 000 compares unfavourablywith say for example the Canon G12’s461 000. With no optical viewfinderpresent you’re dependent on the LCDscreen at the back to view whateveryou’re shooting and when doing soimages are simply not displayed crispenough. This makes composition afrustrating experience, since only whenplaying back images will your pics displaysharply. For such a rugged camera thesize of the buttons is also a slightconcern with a number of them a bit toosmall. It’s especially the dainty powerbutton that needs attention and we

preferred the design on theprevious TG-3000, but luckilythe shutter button is nice andlarge.

Final wordDespite this the Toughimpressed with a number offeatures, such as interestingfilter effects and HDMI out,making an appearance, while720p video recording is alsoincluded. Whether yourvacations consist of trips to themountains, bush, sea ordesert, the Olympus Tough TG-310 makes for the perfecttravelling companion. It retailsfor about R2099. [MJ]

light, fish eye effect, monochrome, supervivid and slow motion movie, amongstothers. Apertures on offer range in ½stop increments from f2 to f8, whileshutter speed range incrementally from15 seconds to 1/1000 of a second.Additionally, the IXUS, which records toSD cards, offers an impressive 24 mmfocal length at its widest zoom range,motion tracking, several auto-focusoptions and most notably, full (1080p)high-definition video.

QualityIn terms of the quality of the imagesthemselves, the IXUS producedconsistent and above average results, ina variety of lighting conditions, including

indoor, low light, outdoor, with orwithout flash and at various ISOsettings, of which the IXUS goes upto 3200. Additionally, the modes –and their in camera processing –worked as advertised, offering anumber of no fuss creative options.

ConclusionFor a mid-range compact camera,the IXUS was a pleasure to hold, touse and to photograph with,offered an abundance of easilyaccessible features and producedimpressive images. It has an RRPof R3150. [RN]

The IXUS is styled such that it seemsto slide and rest comfortably in one’s

hand, as if daring you not to cradle thecamera’s noticeably curved and pleasingshape. On the front of the body, only

the 4.4 x optical zoom lens and flashare noticeable, while the top of thecamera is almost as minimalistic,with just a power button, full HDswitch, zoom and shutter release.Indeed, the one thing you won’t findon the IXUS is an overwhelming

While we love and turn to oursmartphone camera as much as thenext photographer when a quickand casual snap is called for,there’s still something to be said foran ergonomic, solid and dedicatedcompact camera. Canon’s IXUS 310HS is exactly that.

number of buttons or dials to set thecamera’s functions. That task is left tothe 3.2" touchscreen which covers theback of the camera. The screen, which isno doubt one of the camera’s moststriking features, serves triple duty asviewfinder, the screen from which tocheck one’s photos and control panel forthe camera’s functions.

Feature setFunctions are a plenty, with theabundance of modes on offer includingProgram mode, Aperture Priority, Shutterpriority, portrait, high speed burst,

handheld nightscene, low

Canon IXUS 310 HS ›› Ergonomic ease

“The screen, which isno doubt amongst thecamera’s most strikingfeatures, serves tripleduty”

19

The Olympus Tough legacy is quitea mean one – build a rock solidcamera that can roll with thepunches and make it as user-friendly as possible. The latestaddition to the range, the TG-310,is no exception – providing ruggedgood looks in quite a small body.

Olympus Tough TG-310 ›› When the going gets tough

“We’ll actually bet that itcan survive a gooddistance more since itsbuild quality exudesconfidence.”

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make the TG-310 waterproof (up to 3 m)with most of the buttons rubberized andthe battery/SD card slot securely lockingvia a two-step process. Although it’s notnecessarily a feature that South Africanswould make use of that often, the Toughwill continue to work in sub-zerotemperatures of up to -10°C, soremember that when you’re up for askiing holiday in Lesotho.

But why so small?One of the biggest problems weexperienced with the camera was theLCD screen at the back. Its 2.7" screensize is pretty much standard, but its pixel

These surges and spikes are mostoften caused by lightning strikes

but can also be triggered by powercuts produced by, for example, loadshedding. A lot can be done as faras protection is concerned;however, it is best to begin bydescribing the magnitude of thethreat from which one needsprotection.

The first stroke of lightningduring a thunderstorm can producepeak currents ranging from 1000 –100 000 Amperes with rise times ofone microsecond. It is hard toimagine, let alone protect against,such enormous magnitudes.Fortunately, such threats only applyto direct hits on overhead lines,which is a relatively rarephenomenon. More common is theinduced surge on a buried cable.When lightning hits the ground, itcreates a ripple effect similar to adrop falling into water. These ripples cantravel up to five kilometres, makingtheir way through buried cable whichcan cause damage to unprotectedequipment.

Another cause of harm to equipmentcomes from power cuts or powersurges. Electricity can be described as ariver which flows into different channels.When one channel is closed, the watermust still go somewhere, causing someof the other channels to reach peaklevels.

The best protection

A) For buildings/businesses withserver roomsCompanies simply cannot afford to notpay attention to high-voltage surges

16A max and is suitable for smallerenvironments.

The NLMAINUNIT-2U-E has onelow power meter probe containing 16kettle (IEC) connectors giving out16A max, as well as two high powermeter probes, each providing 32Amax. These devices are suitable forlarger environments.

B) For field offices/SOHO/ homeenvironmentThe NLSP surge protection rangeconsists of standalone units availableto protect general equipment andTelkom lines. These units each haveone plug point where the user canadd a short extension lead withadditional plug points if more thanone device needs protection, as longas the total does not exceed 16A. Animportant additional feature is theinclusion of technology that detectswhen damage occurs, which is then

visually indicated through an LED light.This gives users the advantage ofknowing when the unit has taken a fatalstrike and needs to be replaced.

The range consists of:• NLSP-M-M: To protect equipment

such as a PC, Hi-Fi or TV• NLSP-ADSL-M: To protect internet

access and telephone lines• NLSP-E1-M: To protect all G703 lines

and PABXs• NLSP-ETH-M: To protect all network

applications including 10/100/1000and POE protection in one unit.

For enquiries on any of these products,contact Netshield on 086-111-4428 or012-841-0320, or visitwww.netshieldsa.com.

and spikes. To this end, Netshield offersa range of protection equipment,including the following, for the serverroom:

The NLMAINUNIT-2U-E andNLMAINLITE-2U-EThe NLMAIN-range offers protection toX21 Telkom lines and also has aninternal SNMP device that enables theuser to connect to monitoring software.There are two extra slots available toeither expand to X21, Ethernet or E1. Ifstill further expansion is needed, thereare chassis that can be added toaccommodate further protection forX21, Ethernet and E1.

The NLMAINLITE-2U-E has only onelow power meter probe containing eightkettle (IEC) connectors. It provides

Netshield ›› Surge ProtectionHARDWARE

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You CAN rely on Netshieldto protect your server room

You CAN’T rely on the weather

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It is unfortunate, but a fact oflife, that PCs, computer relatedproducts, process control anddata communicationsequipment can be damaged byhigh-voltage surges and spikes.

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GADGETS

With almost all new smartphonescoming out with touchscreens, itwas only a matter of time beforesport watches went the samedirection.

This is indeed the case with the newForerunner 610, which boasts a new

resistive touchscreen. The 610 is a lotsmaller than some of the GPS watches onthe market, and although it still looksvery sporty, it moves slightly away fromthe usual oversized sport design.

Now with touchThe shift towards touch is very naturaland on a watch like this, where there arelots of menus to work through, it’s anobvious benefit. But the fact that it’s aresistive touchscreen is both good and

bad. Good because even when joggingwith gloves you won’t have problemsscrolling through the menus, but also aproblem, since it’s simply not as accurateas a capacitive touchscreen (as featuredon most smartphones).

But enough of the negative, since the

Garmin Forerunner 610 ›› Touch trainingForerunner 610 is actually a very goodrunning solution. The watch tracks yourrun via GPS (can be turned off whenindoors), and gives constant feedbackabout pace, distance, calories burned andof course time. There are a number ofvery good features onboard, andalthough it might not make your trainingphysically any less strenuous, it surehelps to enhance it. Take for exampleprogrammable interval workouts or alertswhen you reach a certain distance orpace. You’ll also find an auto lap featurewhich can be set according to distance,while a virtual training partner shows youhow far ahead, or behind, your goal youare.

Heart and soleWe would recommend purchasing the610 in the bundle which combines thewatch with a heart rate monitor (HRM).

Garmin has done a lot to betterincorporate the HRM with the 610 toimprove training than, for example, withtheir previous FR60. The watch nowoffers customisable training modes whichcan be based on heart rate zones, whilethe 610 is also the first watch from

“Although it might not make your training physicallyany less strenuous, it sure helps to enhance it.”

The ThunderBoltLightning

Detector is ahandheld devicethat detectslightning strikesand tracksactivethunderstormsup to 120 kmaway andcalculates theestimatedtime ofarrival so asto give anindication ofhow muchtime one has toseek shelter. Thedevice also shows,using flashing LED lights,audible alarms and via TextMessages on its LCD backlit

display, if thereis one storm

or multiplestormsnearby, ifthestorm is

headingaway andnot a threat,

and how longit is safe towait until

resumingoutdoor

activities. Thistime is continuouslyupdated and

detects if the stormslows down or stalls.

The ThunderBoltLightning Detector is availablefrom The G.A.D.G.E.T. Shopon 012-346-2726 for R6699.

ThunderBolt Lightning Detector ››Avoiding Thor

Garmin to incorporate Training Effectcapability from Firstbeat. With this youcan measure the impact of your trainingon your aerobic fitness.

Apart from a few niggles with thetouchscreen, the Forerunner 610 is a veryimpressive training partner. With loads offunctionality, better HRM incorporation aswell as both online and offline storageand viewing of training data, the 610comes highly recommended.Unfortunately it’s priced high at R4010and, when bundled with heart ratemonitor, goes for R4595. [MJ]

$1.0

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Lightning bolts can have a devastating if not fatalimpact on the human body, and, given our summerstorms, a handheld Lightning Detector could be alifesaving gadget for those who work or playoutdoors.

221 278 929. Num

ber of malicious program

s detected and neutralised on Kaspersky users’ PCs during July 2011 alone.

22

Terms and Condi�ons apply. Stocks are limited. E&OE. Prices may change without no�ce due to Rand Dollar fluctua�ons. All prices quoted are cash or EFT only and Incl VAT.

Printer Repairs l Repairs l Upgrades l Projector Repairs l LCD Screen RepairsAll repairs done in our workshop

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system menu as well ascycle through the iPodor iPhone’s menus andsub-menus.

The dock workswith the iPhone,iPhone 3G and all 4th-generation or neweriPod media players,including the iPodtouch and anyfeaturing a clickwheel. Luckily it isalso “Works withiPhone” certified.

Get the iKick501iPod Speaker Dock fromPlanet Electronics on 0860-65-64-63 or visitwww.planetworld.co.za. Theprice is R2499

The CorsairForce Series

GT 120 GB SSDhas sequential

read speeds ofup to 555 MB/s,

with sequential writespeeds of up to 515

MB/s. This translates todisk operations that are

up to four times fasterthan the fastest mechanical

hard drives. In other words,the Force Series offers real

world benefits to anyone who workswith music, movie and graphics files.And because SSDs have no movingparts, they can handle shock, vibrationand temperature changes far in excessof traditional hard drives. Additionally,the absence of moving parts meansthat the drive remains quiet, withoutnoise or vibration.

The Corsair Force Series GT 120 GBSSD is available from Evetech(www.evetech.co.za) for R2623, butR2499 for payments made viaelectronic funds transfer.

Using a PC can be significantlymore enjoyable when youare not waiting for it tostart up, load yourgame, save your filesor launch yourapplications. Tothis end, theCorsair Force Series3 Solid State Drive(SSD) makes a significantdifference to general computing.

Corsair Force Series GT 120 GB Solid-State Hard Drive ›› Step up to SSD

The KICKER iKick501 speaker dockpacks a punch in a portable form.

Powered by an internal amplifier withdigital signal processing for rich sound,the dock features a square shapedreflex subwoofer on the back of theunit and a pair of 127 mm woofers andsilk-dome tweeters.

If you also have other sources ofmusic, including MP3 or compact-discplayers, other smartphones or desktopPCs and notebooks, a mini jack inputenables easy connection. Additionallythe KICKER also includes RCA stereooutputs that allow for further audioconnections and to display video fromyour phone or iPod to a TV.

The iKick501 dock comes with a thininfrared remote to navigate the iK501’s

The nice thing about modernsmartphones, especially theiPhone, is that you always haveyour music with you. But whatwhen you don’t want to listen viaearphones? This is where theKICKER iKick501 speaker dockcomes in.

23

RMS Power 2 x 20 watts

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Power Supply 22 Volts, 2.7 Amps

Width 488 mm

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For people streaming movies, playinggames or making VoIP calls, this can

be a very frustrating experience. It ispossible to simply connect PCs viaregular Ethernet cables, but this can lookunsightly when cables are not laid

Being on a wireless network is awonderful thing, but somebuildings make it very difficult forthe wireless signal to traveleffectively.

KICKER iKick501 iPod/ iPhone Speaker Dock ›› Just the right amount of kick

packincludestwo 2075AV 500wiredHomePlugadaptors withgigabit interface,which is alsoavailable as singleunits to expand onthe network. It retails for R1025. PhoneNology for more info on 012-657-1317.

properly. Luckily there is a solution in theform of wall plug Ethernet adapters, suchas Billion’s BiPAC 2075 kit. With thissolution you can use your home’s powercables to network data traffic. You plugthe one adapter in the wall socket closestto your broadband router and hook it upto the router or modem via the suppliedEthernet cable. The other adapter thengoes to another wall socket in whicheverroom it is needed in, connected to PC viaincluded Ethernet cable.

The BiPAC P108 AV 500 Mbps starter

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• It’s going to rule the socialnetworking scene

• Google what?• It will find niche appeal with

geeks, but not with mainstreamusers

• Who cares, Facebook doeseverything I need

• It will go the Google Wave route& fade into obscurity.

31%

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What do you think of Google+?

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especially excited about was Just Type. ThewebOS envisioned enabling users to starttyping and then decide what they want todo with that text – include it in an email,update their status, or use it as the basisfor searching the web.

Apps with heartAnother feature that seemed to be uniqueto HP’s tablet effort was the reportedlaunch of a dedicated electronic magazine,Pivot, which would have highlightedparticular webOS apps. Forget the closedApple App store or the fragmented Androidstore, HP seemed intent on providing theirapp efforts with some heart.

A final feature worth lookingforward to was the integrationbetween webOS based devices.In fact, one of these featureswas the ability to seamlesslyand wirelessly transfer filesbetween webOS based devicesby touching them to oneanother. In itself, this issomething that Android wouldhave been wise to take note ofand learn from.

Rest in peaceThe loss of these innovations does notbode well for HP or for companies that arespurred on by each other’s uniqueapproaches to common problems. Nordoes it benefit those of us who love anduse technology either. [RN]

It’s not every day that a technologycompany of HP’s profile makesshattering announcements. But itsannouncement that it wasdiscontinuing its TouchPad line maywell have left technologyusers and the technologyspace a little poorer for itsabsence. So says RyanNoik, who investigatesthis further.

Huawei IDEOS S7 Slimbit.ly/s7slimreview

BlackBerry PlayBookbit.ly/blackplay

Acer Iconia A500 bit.ly/mJT44o

Opinion: Innovation lost

Looking to buy a tablet?

Go to techsmart.co.zato read our reviews first!

GoodbyeHP TouchPad

While there is no shortageof alternative tablets,

technology thrives oninnovation, and HP’s own mobileoperating system, webOS had a numberof interesting approaches to commontablet tasks that we were actually lookingforward to seeing first hand. While thecompany stated that it wasn’t abandoning

the operating system, without compellinghardware (such as tablets andsmartphones) to run on, it seems like thefuture of webOS is even murkier thanthat of the company’s personal systemsdivision (see p3).

Features lostThis is a shame because, as a platform,webOS has a number of things going forit. The first is multitasking via a card-

based approach to applications. Eachapplication was represented by its own‘card’, which could be flicked through likeshuffling a deck of playing cards.Applications, which could be ordered onthe fly, would have been closed by‘flicking’ them, as if tossing them off thescreen. Another of the features we were

TECHSMART OPINION

HTC Flyer bit.ly/j6Dr2H

Asus Transformer bit.ly/moL4RR

Apple iPad 2 bit.ly/ipadipad2

26

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XtremeMac DuoInCharge Duo is a dual charging dock for iPod, iPhone

and iPad. With a 2.1 amp rear dock, you can charge

your iPad and iPod/iPhone simultaneously or you can

charge any combination of iPod or iPhone models.

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i.Gear Agent KeyboardThis wireless Bluetooth iPad2 keyboard case is made

of a lightweight aluminium alloy that provides additional

protection. The Li-Ion battery gives up to 45 days of

standby or 4 hours of uninterrupted writing.

This small iPod/iPhone laser projector with its rich

and vivid laser colours amplifies your photos, movies

and more, up to 200”. High resolution (WVGA

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While carbonmade.com isa platform to upload

your own portfolio, you couldliterally spend hours sittingand staring, with your mouthagape, at beautiful imageryfrom close to six millionimages and almost 400 000portfolios on its example pagefrom illustrators,photographers, graphicdesigners and fine artists, toname a few. These are wellworth a visit, especially whenyou’re in the mood for anartistic pick-me-up. One ofthe artists alonehttp://kait.carbonmade.comoffers a sumptuous portfolioof concept art, illustrationsand 3D renders.

Web Time Wasters ›› Specially selected sites for some quality time online

The End

Although this site can takea while to load depending

on your broadband speed,once it does, it’s bothsurreal and spellbinding.Part game, partphilosophical journey, youbegin by creating andcustomising your avatar andthen embarking on yourjourney to discover who youare (Mystic, Awakener,Crusader or Truthteller)across worlds aptly namedBody World, Mind World andSpirit World, on the way toThe End world. If this allsounds very esoteric, that isbecause it is, but is wellworth your time and one sitewe strongly recommend.

Computer Arts

In case merely looking atdigital art makes you

yearn to create some ofyour own, Computer Arts isa good place to start. Withhundreds of tutorials in PDFformat available for freedownload, as well as thesupporting files to followalong established artistsand learn their techniques,the site is an artist’s goldmine. Tutorials can befound in categories,including 2D (illustration),Photoshop, new media, 3Dand animation. While thesite is the home of the UKbased magazine,refreshingly, you do nothave to sign up.

Sporkle

In case you thoughtgames were a waste of

time, you clearly haven’tvisited Sporkle yet. The sitehosts numerous quizzes,which range from providingtrivial diversions to beingused for educationalpurposes. Quizzes areavailable in categoriesincluding geography,entertainment, science,history, literature, sportsand language, as wellmovies, television and ‘justfor fun’. Each category hasits own featured dailygame, and making things alittle more interesting,some quizzes are timedchallenges.

www.carbonmade.com www.computerarts.co.uk www.sporkle.com http://playtheend.com/game

Carbonmade

privy to this info, only you. Here youcan also change rules for a number ofother details such as “Religious andpolitical views”, “birthday” and“Interested in”.

Hello PC Medic. I take my portableHDD with me to work almost

every Friday to swap some TVseries with my

colleagues. Is there afree and easy-to-use software

program I can use topassword protect certain

personal folders on my HDDand USB flash drives? N. Cassady.

Hi there. You can download (853 kb) Folder Latch

(http://cnet.co/foldlatch), which willenable you to protect and lock yourfolders and files from unauthorisedusers. It’s really simple to employ andwill password protect files and foldersup to 3.5 GB in size.

PC Medic ›› First aid for your PC

Hiya PC Medic. I recently brokeup with my girlfriend and I

need to change myrelationship status onFacebook. How can I dothis without it showing upon friends’ News Feed?Anonymous for a reason.

Hi A. All you have to do is click onthe “Accounts” tab and select

“Privacy settings”. Click on “Customisesettings” and under the “Things I share”list, click on the drop-down menu nextto “Relationships” and choose the“Customise” option. Change this optionto “Only me” and no one but you will be

» Tips for Windows 7: Your info support life-line for all things Microsoft:

If you are having problems whilsttrying to complete a task within asoftware program on a PC, then themost useful shortcut is the F1 key.

When you press this key within mostprograms, such as Microsoft Word, Excelor even Apple’s Safari browser, a helpwindow will open. This window will offer

you tips specific to the active program.It’s a helpful starting point for a widevariety of problems you mightencounter on your computer.

Some say the internet is kept aliveby the power of his dreams, whileit’s believed that he is the “i” iniPhone. We call him the PC Medicand he’s here to answer your PCrelated queries. Q

A

Q

A

PC MEDIC INTERNET

27

20 m

illio

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ers.

Reg

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ilest

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Send your questions to:

info@techsmart.co.za

Explain to us what your job entails?I am part of the Solutions Departmentin our company and we install andsupport document account software aswell as device management software.My company is responsible forimplementing and supporting printingsolutions for our clients.

How did you decide which certificationsto choose?Since starting out at Smart OfficeServices, I realised that we work a lotwith networks and encounter a lot ofnetwork related issues, as well asquestions pertaining to the network.When hearing other IT consultantsspeak and using terminology you don’tquite understand, just made it evenmore of a necessity to study andfurther myself.

Which CompTIA certifications did youselect and why?I selected the CompTIA Network+certification, reason being that it’s astepping stone to other certifications. Ibelieve that understanding the basicsand the fundamentals of networkingcreates a solid foundation whenpursuing other certifications in thesame direction.

Tell us more about your trainingexperience.When I heard that our company hadgiven us an opportunity to do theCompTIA Network+ certification atTorque IT, I jumped at it. This hasbeen one of my ambitions and to beformally certified is always a benefit.The training was given by PatrickYoung, who is a very helpful individual.He was extremely patient in hisexplanations when we didn’tunderstand something, and used“everyday” scenarios to help usunderstand it better.

Torque IT is a reputable trainingcompany and a Platinum partner of theCompTIA Authorized Partner Program(CAPP). The lecture rooms arespacious and well equipped, breaks areon time and since we were doing theevening classes, supper was alwaysgreat. Torque IT went out of their wayto cater for our dietary needs.

How was the actual testing experienceat the test centre?Well like everyone out there writingany sort of formal exam, I wasextremely nervous. But after I wasseated at my desk and in front of thecomputer, I just imagined that I was athome in front of my PC studying.

Has certification made a difference toyour job and how you perform it?A typical example of how it helped isthis: we often experience slow printingor slow login speeds to our devices. Asa solution we would speak to thenetwork guys to force a port to 100full duplex, from auto negotiate, andthen we would turn our devices to bethe same. Before doing the N+certificate, this was just something wewould do because it was a solution.But now I understand the reasons fordoing this.

Would you recommend CompTIAcertifications to other ICT professionalsand why?CompTIA being internationallyrecognised, is ESSENTIAL. It addsvalue to your academic profile andhaving done any CompTIA course andcertification, just shows that you as anindividual are a competent andknowledgeable person to have on ateam.

In your opinion, does being certifiedreally make a difference to employersin South Africa?Yes definitely, it is of great importanceto have that formal qualification. Whenapplying for any position without anyformal qualification, it makes it almostimpossible for you to land thatimportant job. I’m sure that as anemployer you would want to hiresomebody who is formally qualified, formany reasons. Would you haveconfidence in a person who just sayshe knows what he is doing, ascompared to a person who has studiedand has the qualifications to prove thathe knows what he is talking about?

Does getting yourself formallycertified actually help? We talk toIsmail Hassim, software andsolution support consultant atSmart Office Services, to learnmore about the qualificationprocess, writing exams and thebenefits involved in a CompTIAcertification

Getting formally certified: The reasons why

TRAINING

For more information on CompTIA or any of their courses, visit their website on www.comptia.co.za or call 011-787-4841/3.

28

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About Smart Office Service. Smart Office Service is a national multi-brand Office Automation Service company specialising in on-site servicingof document input and output devices on Pay Per Use basis, deliveringconsistently high quality service for over 38 000 devices. For moreinformation visit www.smart-office.co.za.

29

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30

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We are currently acquiring new dealers. Call Business Data Communication – Distributor on 082-859-1984, email us sales@businessdatacom.com

or visit our website www.businessdatacom.com

By using the MimioPad you are free to move around the meeting room and still able to work interactively with your screen or board.

Turn your whiteboard or flipchart into an interactive presenting tool with the Mimio. Capture yourflipchart or whiteboard notes to your PC and turn them into text. Used for meetings, conferences,planning and training.

Capture your business brilliance Multi-functionAudienceVoting Keypads

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new

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UFC startsinnocuously

enough, by allowingyou to input yourheight, weight andgender. Then, after abrief test of how manypush ups, sit ups andjumping jacks you can

perform in a minute, the game gets to theheart of the matter: training.

Light my fireThis is divided into Workouts, QuickWorkouts, Activities and Programs, alongwith multiplayer games. While Activities –which include free striking, hit the mitts,and speed bag, for example – can last upto a few minutes, Programs are moreintensive training regimes that can last upto two months. Also found under Activitiesare well presented unlockable videos

The idea that you could turn yourconsole into a personal trainerand use motion control to get fit isnot exactly new. UFC PersonalTrainer (UFC) is the latest attempt,now bringing mixed martial artstraining to your console and livingroom.

UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System ›› Fighting fitgrouped by general fitness, injuryprevention, striking technique, andgeneral information. Programs, activitiesand quick workouts are further gearedtowards addressing one of three majorgoals: building strength, reducing weightor increasing endurance.

Is it a workout that works? Under workouts, you can choose to trainwith virtual avatars of Mark Dellagrotte(muay thai), Mark Jackson (mixed martialarts) or Javier Mendez (kickboxing).Whichever you choose, the workouts onoffer do work, incorporating staples ofexercise such as warm up routines,shoulder stretches, push-ups and tricepextensions for example, and not all evenrequire the use of a controller, and thuscertainly do get one’s heart racing andmuscles burning. To its credit, theproduction values of both the graphicsand the sound are of high qualitythroughout, combining animatedtrainers who do each exercise withyou, along with real videoinstruction in-between.

Just note that you have

to clear a space in your living room –typically filled with sofas, tables andchairs – to create the ideal space. Youalso require a PS Move to play this game.

ConclusionAs a personal fitness trainer, UFC has awealth of information on the mixedmartial arts in particular and fitnesstraining in general, and does offer it in aslick and engaging manner. Provided it isdone in a suitable environment, UFCPersonal Fitness Trainer is a worthycontender in the current roster of fitnessgames that can be found on consoles. [RN]

GAMES

32

What would happen if the chillingSilent Hill mated with the horrificResident Evil? Shadows of theDamned tries to provide theanswer.

Shadows of theDamned (SD)

brings together thetalents of ResidentEvil 4’s director ShinjiMikami and the manbehind the terrifyingsounds in Silent Hill,Akira Yamaoka. Within

SD you assume the role of the oddlynamed demon slayer Garcia Hotspur, whohas sent countless numbers of the Devil’sfallen army on a one way trip back tohell. Understandably, this has left himwith a less than favourable reputation inthe realm down under (and we don’tmean Australia). Fleming, the lord of thedemons, decides to kidnap Hotspur’sgirlfriend, Paula, giving our hero no otherchoice but to follow them down to hell.

Environment and atmosphereThe City of the Damned isn’t really thetype of place you would find in anThompsons Tours travelling brochure.

Shadows of the Damned ›› One hell of an enjoyable tripBesides not being as picturesque as sayRome, the place is filled with dilapidatedbuildings, hoards of demons and bosseswho definitely haven’t friended you onFacebook. There’s also a number of reallygraphic and horrific scenes. Luckily youwon’t navigate this dangerousenvironment alone, as you are aided by aformer demon called Johnson. Besidesbeing able to transform into anassortment of weapons, Johnson alsopossesses a vast selection of clever andfunny one-liners, which will lighten up thedark atmosphere of the surroundings.

Speaking of light, as in Alan Wake,there is an element of light vs. dark in thegameplay. Some areas are bathed indarkness which cloaks demons in animpenetrable aura of strength andeventually eats away at your health. Theonly way to counter this is to fire a lightblast at a mounted goat’s head to lightenthe area up and dispatch your foes. Thereare a number of these unnecessarilyweird concepts in the game, and this,coupled with the commentary of Johnson,does detract from the scariness factor ofthis title.

ConclusionFilled with tense moments (especiallywhen the waves of demons outnumberyour bullets), Shadows of the Damned

provides for some engrossing gameplayas you go through one hell of a journey(both literally and figuratively) to saveyour girlfriend. That said, it could havebeen a lot scarier seeing that it’s basicallya Resident Evil game with hell as itsvenue. [HD]

Unified communications (UC) is the integration ofreal-time communication services such as instant

messaging (chat), presence information, telephony(including IP telephony), video conferencing, data

sharing (including web connected electronicwhiteboards aka IWB’s or Interactive White Boards),

call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unifiedmessaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax).

(Wikipedia)

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Voice over InternetProtocol (Voice over IP, VoIP)is a family of technologies,methodologies,communication protocols,and transmissiontechniques for the deliveryof voice communications andmultimedia sessions overInternet Protocol (IP)networks, such as theInternet. Other termsfrequently encounteredand often usedsynonymously with VoIP areIP telephony, Internettelephony, voice overbroadband (VoBB),broadband telephony, andbroadband phone.[Wikipedia]