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	<title>Laptop Release Review News &#187; internet</title>
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		<title>Google Makes Moves, Russian Spies, IPhone Woes</title>
		<link>http://www.laptop-release.info/1250/google-makes-moves-russian-spies-iphone-woes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.laptop-release.info/1250/google-makes-moves-russian-spies-iphone-woes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:40:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gadget]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.laptop-release.info/1250/google-makes-moves-russian-spies-iphone-woes/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Google tops headlines with rumors about the company's social-networking plans, more changes it made in China and an acquisition during what proved to be a slower-than-usual week for IT news as we ease into the summer here in Boston, where we've been treated to some gorgeous days of late. We've clustered Google's news at the top for your reading pleasure and will end our list this week with some "how to" tips that may come in handy for the lazy days ahead (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), ending with some news from Australia where wintertime is buzzing, so to speak. 1. Web abuzz on talk of Google Facebook killer : Speaking of buzzing -- the Internet was (and still is) full of chatter that Google is developing a social-networking service that will take on (and take out) Facebook. Given how much Google already knows about us, and its obvious path toward world Internet dominance, we can't say this comes as a surprise. 2. In its battle with China, Google takes a step back : But it was a bit of a surprise to hear that Google had moved to placate Chinese officials a couple of days before the company's license to operate there was up for renewal, announcing that it would no longer redirect search traffic from China to its Hong Kong search engine. 3. Google buys ITA for $700M to boost travel search : About that world dominance path ... 4. Russian spy ring needed some serious IT help : Of course, there was a heavy IT angle to the news that a Russian spy ring was charged with snooping on the U.S. 5. Apple address iPhone 4 reception, promises software update : So much for the claims that users just don't know how to hold their new iPhone 4s. 6. The ignominious fall of Dell : Recently unsealed court documents claim that Dell knowingly sold faulty computers, leading to a lot of wondering about both the company's past and its future. 7. You are here: Scary new location privacy risks : We never have understood why it would seem to be a good idea to broadcast our location, even if we are where we're supposed to be. 8. How to build a computer : Here's a summertime (or wintertime below the Equator) project. 9. How to jailbreak your iPad (plus 8 things to do with it) : Well, we know what we'll be doing this holiday weekend. 10. Vuvuzela sales trump Aussie loss : We don't need a location-based service to tell anyone where we are since it's easy enough to find us these days by following the buzzing sound. (That said, we've come to a new appreciation for the mute button.) ]]></description>
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		<title>Remains of the Day: From Russia With Techno-love</title>
		<link>http://www.laptop-release.info/1244/remains-of-the-day-from-russia-with-techno-love/</link>
		<comments>http://www.laptop-release.info/1244/remains-of-the-day-from-russia-with-techno-love/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jun 2010 05:20:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gadget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cheap laptops]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conde-nast]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[IPhone]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[silicon-valley]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ With the iPhone 4 launch over and done with , the Internet has settled down to a nice simmer over whether or not you have to hold your phone as Steve Jobs directs . While better minds than ours debate the proper etiquette--maybe you should hold your pinky out, like you're drinking tea!--let's investigate the remainders for June 25, 2010. Russian president visits Apple HQ (Twitter) Russian president Dmitri Medvedev has been visiting Silicon Valley this week--among his latest stops, 1 Infinite Loop, where he met with Apple CEO Steve Jobs and became the first proud Russian to snag an iPhone 4 . We'd ask where he's going to get his cell phone service, since the iPhone won't ship in Russia until later this summer, but he's the president: in Russia, iPhone service gets him. Jason Bateman--out of line at iPhone event (TMZ) Imagine the scene: you've taken grueling hours out of your busy day to wait for the iPhone 4, and then up zips that kid from The Hogan Family to skip the whole darn line--you'd boo him too. Sorry, Jason, but any goodwill Arrested Development earned you has now been squandered--I hope it was worth it. (P.S. We can still be FaceTime friends, right?) Conde Nast's Bob Sauerberg on Wired for iPad, take two (PaidContent) Wired's iPad app, which was largely criticized as expensive, will drop from $5 to $4 for the next issue. In related news, you can now get a full year's subscription to the paper magazine in your cereal box, so, you know, options. iPhone 4 vs EVO 4G: Total cost of ownership (Consumerist) BillShrink compares the iPhone 4 and the EVO 4G, one of the latest and greatest Android phones. Turns out that the iPhone 4 actually has a lower total cost of ownership--if you opt for the 200MB data plan and don't go over your limit. Also, you can get a Mercedes Benz for less than a Honda Civic, if you only drive it slowly in your driveway. ]]></description>
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		<title>Dell in Talks Over Google Chrome OS, Report Says</title>
		<link>http://www.laptop-release.info/1234/dell-in-talks-over-google-chrome-os-report-says/</link>
		<comments>http://www.laptop-release.info/1234/dell-in-talks-over-google-chrome-os-report-says/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:35:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.laptop-release.info/1234/dell-in-talks-over-google-chrome-os-report-says/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Talks are under way between Google and Dell to bring Chrome OS , the search giant's cloud-centric operating system, to Dell's computer l ineup, according to a Dell executive. Dell wants to be "on the forefront" of "unique innovations" like Chrome OS that will hit store shelves in the next few years, Amit Midha Dell's president for greater China and South Asia recently told Reuters . No official announcements have been made by either Dell or Google, and despite the confirmation of talks by a Dell executive it's not clear when or if Dell would actually produce a Google Chrome OS-based computer. Google recently announced that Chrome OS devices would be launched at some point between the fall and the end of the year. Dell's Interest in Chrome OS When Google announced Chrome OS , the company said it was working with a number of technology firms to produce Chrome OS devices, including Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba. Dell, however, was notably absent from that list. Nevertheless, the Texas-based manufacturer's interest in Chrome OS is hardly surprising. Shortly after Google announced Chrome OS in July 2009, Dell said it would consider testing Chrome OS for future products. Several months later, a Dell employee released a free download of Chromium OS for Dell Mini 10v computers on a company blog. Chromium OS is the open source project that Chrome OS is based on. Chrome OS Chrome OS is essentially a version of Google's Chrome Web browser and a set of device-specific hardware drivers. Unlike full-featured operating systems like Windows or Mac OS X that primarily use desktop-based applications, Chrome OS is capable only of accessing the Web and Web-based applications like Google Docs or Microsoft's Office Web Apps. However, in recent months several new features have appeared that may help Chrome OS overcome at least part of its Web-only limitations. In April, Google announced the Cloud Print project that would give Chrome OS devices wireless printing capability via the Internet, bypassing the need for a library of printer drivers installed on the PC. Before Cloud Print was announced, it was unclear how Chrome OS would interact with peripheral devices like printers. Then in June, information about a new remote desktop feature called Chromoting for Chrome OS appeared on Google's Chromium OS discussion threads . Chromoting would enable Chrome OS devices to remotely access and use full-featured desktop applications installed on a Windows computer right in the browser. Google has not officially announced Chromoting as part of Chrome OS. Dell's addition to Google's list of potential partners would bring four of the top five computer manufacturers in the U.S. under the Chrome OS tent, and all of the top five computer makers worldwide. Dell was the second-largest computer manufacturer in the U.S. behind HP during the first quarter of 2010, according to separate reports from research firms IDC and Gartner Worldwide, Dell came in third behind HP and Acer. Connect with Ian on Twitter ( @ianpaul ). ]]></description>
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		<title>The Life-changing IPad</title>
		<link>http://www.laptop-release.info/1214/the-life-changing-ipad/</link>
		<comments>http://www.laptop-release.info/1214/the-life-changing-ipad/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Jun 2010 01:10:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gadget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cooking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[documents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dropbox]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Those who've purchased an HDTV understand that when making such a purchase you don't simply buy the TV. You have to upgrade your cable or satellite TV account for HD. And since you have this glorious picture, are you really going to settle for the weak stereo sound built into the TV or cough up the money necessary for a surround-sound receiver and speakers? And then there's the hunk of furniture large enough to hold the thing. The iPad has a similar power to compel change. After a couple of months with Apple's tablet, these are some of the changes it's wrought in my life. Sitting pretty When Steve Jobs first demonstrated the iPad he didn't do so standing up. Rather, he settled into a comfortable chair and rested the iPad against a crossed leg. And he did because the iPad's easiest to command when it's nestled in your lap. Regrettably, that position isn't good with an office chair and will eventually get tiresome even in a swank leather chair like Jobs'. No, to my mind, the perfect chair for the iPad is one that you can adjust to support your legs while, at the same time, allowing you to recline slightly. And no chair I can think of handles that job better than that icon of the 70s-the beanbag chair. I chose Sumo's $149 Omni model . Available in 10 colors, this large (5.5 by 4.5 feet) beanbag chair is covered in ballistic nylon and filled with polystyrene foam beads. Place it against a wall and you can make a couch shape. In a standalone position you can turn it on its side and fashion a lounge chair. Either way, you can mold the chair into a form that allows you to work with the iPad without straining your neck, back, or arms. Working it out Much as I love my job, it can be a sedentary pursuit and, after awhile, it starts to show in added weight and shorter breath. I'd resolved to get more exercise this year and to do that I acquired an elliptical trainer. Like most people who purchase exercise gear, I used it religiously for a couple of weeks and then slacked off. The iPad has brought me back to it. I have a Sole E55 elliptical trainer , and it has a couple of features that make it iPad friendly. The first is a passthrough audio system that sports a 3mm (miniplug) audio input jack and a 3mm headphone port. String a cable between the iPad and the input jack and then plug your headphones into the headphone port. Should you fall from the elliptical machine after a particularly draining workout, you don't risk pulling the iPad from its stand. And that stand is the other attractive feature. The E55 has a large LCD display that tracks the progress of your workout. I find watching it about as enjoyable as staring at the clock in my fourth-grade civics class-when, in heaven's name, will this be over? But below that display is a shelf just deep enough to accommodate my iPad. Once on the machine I can fire up the Netflix app, access an episode of The X Files stored in my Watch Instantly queue, and sweat away in a nicely distracted fashion. Typically you find these kinds of machines at the gym, and just as typically they have similar shelves. Coupled with an iPad, they may compel people to take greater advantage of their gym memberships. Think mobile With its larger screen and faster processor, the iPad is a better productivity device than my iPhone. As such, I wanted to use mine for real work rather than "work I have to do on my iPhone because I have no alterative." The hitch is that doing real work often requires moving files between devices, a way to open files in different applications, and an input device more flexible than the iPad's virtual keyboard. To address the first issue, I resolved to get serious about Dropbox . Dropbox is a service that provides 2GB of free online storage as well as tools for easily syncing stored data between devices (including your computer). I've had a Drobox account for quite awhile but used it mostly for making large files available to friends and colleagues. With the assistance of the Dropbox app for iPad and the Dropbox folder on my Mac, I have easy access to my documents on both my Mac and iPad. But you can't edit those documents in Dropbox. Fortunately, the Dropbox app contains a helpful Open In pop-over that allows you to open files stored on Dropbox in other applications. One app that's proven to be particularly helpful is DataViz's $15 Documents To Go Premium – Office Suite . Using Documents To Go I can open and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files as well as text files bearing the .txt extension. As for an input device, I wasn't a fan of Apple's $79 Wireless Keyboard ( Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mice ) until I acquired an iPad and spent a couple of hours typing on the iPad's virtual keyboard. While I'm faster typing on the iPad's keyboard than I am on my iPhone, I'm far faster still using a physical keyboard. Apple's Wireless Keyboard is small enough to put in an iPad bag, it carries Volume and Brightness keys that I find helpful, its Arrow keys make selecting text easy, I don't have to switch screens to type numbers and punctuation, and the battery lasts a long time. Take a stand I suspected that I'd use my iPad in a lot of different rooms throughout my house, but I hadn't thought much about where I'd put it in those rooms. For example, as the family cook, I've turned to Condé Nast's free Epicurious app and Weber's $5 On the Grill outdoor grilling app. But I generally have my hands full when cooking and need the iPad at a viewable angle. It dawned on me that as I was using the iPad as a cookbook, it made perfect sense to place it in a cookbook holder stand . These things are sturdy enough to hold a heavy cookbook, and, unlike iPad-specific frame stands, some come with acrylic shields, which should protect your iPad when your cooking takes an adventurous turn. In the living room, I have a not-so-grand piano and, as those who own pianos understand, it operates both as a musical instrument and a place to hold pictures of your loved ones. As such, it's become the resting place for the family iPad, where it displays slideshows. I rest it in Apple's $29 iPad Dock so it can charge while acting as a digital photo frame. The bedroom is a tougher nut to crack. While the iPad may be a great device for reading books, unless you sit straight up in that chaste Mike-and-Carol-Brady way, it's tiring to hold one for more than a couple of chapters. The cheapskate's way out is to plump up a fluffy pillow, place it at your body's mid-point, and prop up the iPad against it. If you care for a dedicated solution, you might look at Padded Spaces' $40 Prop It Up , an adjustable stand that works on your lap as well as it does on a reclined belly. Making connections I've used Apple's $49 AV cables in the past-mostly on business trips so I can watch movies on my iPod or iPhone on the hotel TV. I'm now using the Component AV Cable at home. Unlike with the iPhone 3GS and earlier, Apple allows third-party applications to output video via the iPad's dock connector port. One of those supported applications is the Netflix app. While I have Netflix on both the Mac mini and Blu-ray player attached to my AV gear in the family room, the back-bedroom TV has no connection to the Internet. Thanks to my iPad and AV cable, it now does. And then there's photography. In league with Apple's $29 iPad Camera Connection Kit ( Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mice ), the iPad is starting to change the way I take pictures. Typically I go out to shoot, snag what I think are some perfectly wonderful images, return home, review the pictures on my Mac, and throw out nearly every one of them because I've failed to focus correctly or misjudged the light. I can now toss the iPad in my camera bag along with the iPad Camera Connection Kit and, while on location, string a USB cable between my camera and the iPad dongle and review what I've shot. Real photographers can make judgements based on what's on their camera's display and in its histogram. I, however, am not a real photographer and the iPad gives me a helpful leg up so that I can make adjustments on-site. What's next Although I've made significant changes to incorporate the iPad into my life, work remains to be done. For example, while Dropbox and Documents to Go are a decent band-aid for moving and editing some files, that band-aid shouldn't be necessary. For a device that acts as a light-duty laptop much of the time, having to physically connect the iPad to my Mac to transfer and sync media and data seems archaic. I'm also a little surprised that we haven't seen more speakers that include docks that accommodate an iPad. Most of the speakers designed for the iPod and iPhone can't hold an iPad and, even if they could, their dock connector port doesn't provide enough power to charge the iPad when it's awake. Ideally we'll see such speakers that not only provide good sound, but allow you to orient the iPad in landscape mode so you can comfortably watch videos on it. In the meantime, Bluetooth speakers may be the answer. Home slice In the two months that I've had the iPad, it's brought welcome changes to my life. When I'm not in my office, the thing is almost constantly at my side-ready to check e-mail, perform a casual Web search, and entertain and educate my family. I look forward to the additional changes it brings as Apple and third-parties find new ways to exploit its many capabilities. [Christopher Breen is a senior editor at Macworld.] ]]></description>
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		<title>New Life for Old Computers</title>
		<link>http://www.laptop-release.info/1167/new-life-for-old-computers/</link>
		<comments>http://www.laptop-release.info/1167/new-life-for-old-computers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 May 2010 00:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ They're collecting dust in storage rooms and taking up extra space in your garage or office. They can't handle today's applications, peripherals or operating systems. Yes, older computers are a nuis Graphic: Diego Aguirre ance, like the brother-in-law who sleeps on your sofa for a few months. But tossing tech gear into the garbage is not exactly environmentally correct. Better ideas: Recycle older computers or retrofit them to serve a new purpose. Luckily, older PCs and their kin are more than capable of handling a bunch of new uses; you can turn them into anything from gaming rigs to media stations where everyone in your family can rip CDs and fill up their MP3 players. Here are my top 10 choices for what to do with a PC that's past its peak as a primary computing device but still has plenty of life in it for other uses. I've tried all of these, and I let you know how well these projects have worked for me. (And for another stroll down tech memory lane, check out " Vintage Video: 15 Funniest Tech Ads " and " The 25 Funniest Vintage Tech Ads .") 1. Use an old laptop as a guitar amp One excellent use for an old computer is to re-imagine it as a guitar amp. You'll need an audio interface to connect a guitar to the computer, and you'll need used computer speakers. For my amp, I used a seven-year-old Apple iBook G3 that was loaded with OS X 10.4 (Tiger). That older operating system could be a problem, because most of the newer apps that work as guitar amps -- including Native Instruments' Guitar Rig 4 Pro and the free version of Sonoma Wireworks' RiffWorks T4 -- require OS X 10.5 ( Snow Leopard ). A Gibson electric guitar, a Cakewalk UA-1G audio interface, Reaper software and an old iBook combine to create a great guitar amp. I ended up using Cockos Inc.'s Reaper because it's shareware; you can buy it for $60 after 30 days ($225 for the full commercial version). It works well on older Macs because it's a light app that doesn't use all of the latest bells and whistles of the Mac OS Core Audio components. The software has guitar distortion sounds, delays and grungy hard rock settings. Now that I had my amp, I needed an audio interface. I already had a Cakewalk UA-1G , which is a slimline device with just one volume button, a quarter-inch port for the guitar and an attached USB cable. The driver for the UA-1G worked great with the iBook 3G running OS X 10.4. I connected a pair of powered speakers and brought my iBook back from the dead, ready to rock. Interestingly, the sound quality on this older iBook was still quite amazing, mostly because it's not necessarily the Mac that's generating the sound -- your computer becomes a fancy controller for the audio interface. In fact, quality (and the all-important power output) depends more on the speakers you use. I used a pair of Boston Acoustics RS 334 floorstanding speakers that sounded outstanding. 2. Use an old notebook as an e-mail terminal With some older laptops, the trick is where you set up the system and not necessarily whether it's fast enough for every computing activity. For example, I used a five-year-old Toshiba Satellite 4600 to set up Yahoo Mail in full-screen mode (in Internet Explorer, just press F11). I then placed the computer in a hallway where any member of my family or a visiting friend can jump on it to check for messages. Use an old laptop as an e-mail terminal; you can run the browser in full-screen mode by pressing F11 so that it hides other applications and options. Granted, this terminal is not adequate for anything beyond basic Web browsing and e-mail, but it's only a click away for those who just need to write a quick note or update their Facebook or Twitter status. The old Toshiba laptop is not fast enough for any other computing activities, but it has a bright screen and the keyboard works well (minus one missing function key). Because I keep just my e-mail up on the screen with no other apps running, this sluggish laptop works just fine for typing up e-mail replies, even if you can't use other apps. ]]></description>
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