a PDF

SACM OCTOBER 2009
S A
C O M P U T E R
W W W.SACM.CO.Z A
M A G A Z I N E
LIVE THE TECHNOLOGY LIFE
R32.95 (INCL VAT) VOL 17 ISSUE 06 10.2009
CONTENTS
S A
C O M P U T E R
M A G A Z I N E
ON THE COVER
Photographer: IVOK STUDIO – Home of Photo
Model: Jade – Alushi Management
Makeup: Desiree de Goede - Oohlala Makeup
VOL 1 7 I S S UE 06
10. 2 009
With each notebook they bring
into the market, the product
is not only more focused, but
also features much better
specifications. This is very
evident in the GT729. It is
without question the most
powerful notebook here.
Neo Sibeko, Group Test, page 30
FEATURES
INSIGHT
70 HYPERLINK YOUR WORLD
26 IN FOCUS
Ever wanted to ‘right-click, save
as an object’ in the real world?
Well, now you can. Regardt van
der Berg takes a look at QR tags
and how they can be used.
MSI Wind Top AE2200
All-in-One PC
72 CREATING A STAR
ON EARTH
36 GROUP TEST
Energy crisis. Did those two
words send a shiver up your
spine? Then, let Rodain Joubert
tell you how future advances in
nuclear fusion might help you
sleep a little easier at night.
28 IN FOCUS
Leica Pradovit D-1200
Objects of Desire – Apple
MacBook Pro 15-inch; Lenovo
ThinkPad X301; MSI GT729; Sony
VAIO VGN-SR46; Toshiba R600
62 VERSUS
Lian Li PC-V2010 vs.
Cooler Master ATCS 840
74 15 APPS TO GET THE
MOST OUT OF YOUR MUSIC
COLLECTION
64 PHOTOGRAPHY 101 PART 6
Regardt van der Berg and Alex
Jelagin bring you 15 of their
favourite audio apps.
66 HANDS-ON HOW TO
Part 6: Image-editing Basics
Make music using only a Webcam
and some cardboard cut-outs
68 HANDS-ON HOW TO
Speed up your work routine
69 HANDS-ON HOW TO
DIY cable management
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
3
CONTENTS
REVIEWS
38
40
42
44
46
48
49
49
49
50
51
51
51
52
53
53
53
54
56
57
58
58
59
60
60
60
Yeastar MyPBX
Acer Aspire Timeline 4810T
Nokia N97
Sony VAIO W115XG Netbook
Canon LEGRIA HF S100
Compro VideoMate Network
Camera IP50W
Genius G-Shot HD520
MSI G31TM-P35
Leadtek WinFast PalmTop
DTV200 H
CoolIT Systems Domino
A.L.C. CPU Cooler
Canon i-SENSYS LBP3010
Genius DPF-801 Crystal
Digital Photo Frame
Skullcandy Hesh
DrayTek Vigor 3300V MultiWAN Firewall with VoIP
Sony Ericsson W995
Canon Speedlite 270EX
LG KS360
Windows 7 Ultimate
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2
Advanced SystemCare
Free Version 3
Wii Sports Resort
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
Photoshop Lightroom 2
Adventure
MacBook Pro Portable
Genius
Electronics Self-Teaching
Guide
REGULARS
03
06
08
18
20
22
24
76
78
Ed’s Note
Feedback
Bulletin
Gameplay
Apple Life
Upgrade
What’s Hot
Interview: Feisty Females
gaming clan
Interview: Conrad Leigh, MD
of Lab 88
COMPETITIONS
79 WIN: A rAge gaming rig
valued at over R70,000
80 Subscribe and WIN: One of
three Motor Monkeys
80 WIN: Three copies of Section
81
4
8 for Xbox 360
WIN: Three copies of
Windows 7 Ultimate
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
ED'S NOTE
Betcha didn’t know
YOU CAN USE WINDOWS 7
FREE FOR FOUR MONTHS
Technology to
bridge the gap
s you page through this month’s SACM, you will
notice a number of barcodes, or tags as we call
them, floating around the pages. Officially known as
QR tags, these two-dimensional barcodes allow us to
bring content in the magazine a little closer to you by
utilising your mobile phone. The functionality of these
barcodes reaches much further than the pages of
this magazine, and there could be a promising future
for this technology if it is embraced by consumers.
There is more information on it on page 70 and I am
very interested in your views on this technology. I am
specifically interested in finding out if this is something
you would use. Please feel free to e-mail me at regardt.
[email protected] and don’t forget to make
your subject heading ‘QR Tags’.
High-end notebooks these days provide a good
balance of power and portability, but they come at a
price. Our roundup this month looks at five of the best
high-end notebooks currently in South Africa; and if
you are looking for something to replace your clunky
desktop, Neo and Geoff will answer all your questions on
the topic.
This month, I am also introducing my brand-new,
two-page Ed’s note. The extra space will be dedicated
to bringing you the stuff that doesn’t always make it to
print. I’ll also be using it to provide feedback on things
we are working on, and interesting information I come
across each month.
A
Think of QR codes as a right
mouse button to anything
physical. Anything you want
'more information about'
just click.
Pick of the month
QR Tag Business Card
My new business card will contain all
my information on a QR tag, allowing my
contact details to be quickly imported
onto someone’s phone. You, too, can
create your very own QR tag business
card. All you need to do is check out
these Websites: www.kornnuts.com/dev/
barcode/qr_biz_card.php or www.ventipix.
com/in/solo/
COVER CD
Leaf again provided a cover CD containing their tagging
software, as well as the Pinpoint desktop and mobile
software featured in last month’s magazine. Again,
I filled up the CD with applications and utilities just
before we sent it off, so simply click on the SACM link
on the CD’s ‘auto-run’ menu for all the apps featured in
SACM this month, plus a few more we liked.
Regardt van der Berg
Editor
LENOVO THINKPAD
During the testing phase for the notebook roundup this month,
Geoff insisted on trying out the claims made by Lenovo that the
X301 sports a spill-resistant keyboard. So, I phoned the Business
Development Manager at Lenovo, Julian Pienaar, and asked him if we
could empty a glass of water on the keyboard. We had our doubts
that the request would be approved, but Lenovo was more than
willing to let us spill some water on their R27,000 notebook. The
demo was rather impressive, and I was surprised at the amount of
water that this notebook can handle. Once the water was poured
over the notebook, the machine shut down automatically. We turned
it on its side to drain the excess, dried off a few parts, and like magic,
the X301 worked again. It was an impressive demo and one we would
not recommend you try – unless, of course, you have a ThinkPad.
6
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
As most of you should know,
you can run Windows 7 without
a serial key for 30 days before
the software requires a key and
activation. What you might not
know, however, is that you can
reset this timer a maximum of
three times, giving you a total of
120 days without needing to enter
a serial key - and it is dead easy.
The great thing is that it is totally
legal. All you need to do to rearm
your trial version of Windows 7 is
to follow these steps:
1. Click Start > All Programs
> Accessories > Click
Command Prompt (make sure
you are logged in as the system
administrator).
2. In the Command Prompt window,
type the following (there is a
space after slmgr): “slmgr –
rearm”
3. Restart your PC
If you run this command at the
end of your 30-day trial period,
you could enjoy four months of
free Windows 7 usage. After this,
you will need to enter a serial key
and activate it; otherwise your
operating system will lock you out.
CUSTOM LEGO SETS
You can create and purchase a
boxed copy of your very own LEGO
creation. Yip, you read correctly:
LEGO recently launched its new
Factory portal (http://ldd.lego.
com/), a key element of which is the
LEGO Digital Designer - a nifty piece
of software that allows you to use
any brick in the LEGO catalogue
to build your own models. As you
build, you can check the price of
the model in its current form; and
when you are done, you can upload
the model to the LEGO factory and
purchase the kit as you built it. You
can even design your own box. I
spent an hour or so on a model and
the price came in at around R1,000
- not bad for a custom LEGO model,
but pricey nonetheless. On a
slightly different note, I recently
discovered CreativePlay (http://
creativeplay.co.za), an online South
African LEGO store. The catalogue
is pretty comprehensive, and if you
are a LEGO Mindstorms fanatic,
you’ll be able to buy extra parts for
your robot.
Due to the current fluctuations in the
exchange rates, prices printed are
subject to change without prior notice
editor
regardt van der berg
[email protected]
managing editor
lauren das neves
[email protected]
gaming editor
alex jelagin
technical writer
neo sibeko
staff writers
geoff burrows
dane remendes
contributing writers
russell bennett
derrick cramer
simon dingle
josh feldman
rodain joubert
copy editor
nati de jager
COVER STORY
I have been testing two Sigma lenses we
received for review from Tudor (www.
tudortech.co.za). The lenses sent to
me include the wide-angle 15mm f2.8
EX DG Diagonal Fisheye and the everpopular 50mm f2.8 EX DG Macro lens.
Contrary to my beliefs when I just
started photography, third-party lens
manufacturers provide every bit of
quality demanded from photographers,
and the two lenses I am testing are
prime examples of this. On the day of our
photo shoot for this month’s stunning
cover, I took along my Canon 450D
and the 15mm Diagonal Fisheye lens.
Considering that the studio is rather
small, a lens this wide does the trick.
At 15mm, there is not too much barrel
distortion, but the slight curve around
the corners gives the shot a gritty feel.
I also enjoy using the 15mm Diagonal
Fisheye for architecture; again, the
slight barrel distortion creates a very
nice effect on straight lines. The 50mm
lens, on the other hand, creates really
stunning portraits. This is thanks to
the sharp depth of field the large f2.8
aperture creates. Keep an eye out in
next month’s Photography 101 for more
information on these lenses.
Competition Winners
March APC competition: John Hegers – Wierda Park //
May Intersoft competition: Matthew Klein – Garsfontein;
Ronel Lombaard – Cape Town; CJ Fourie – Weltevreden
Park // May iTour competition: Amandla Makasi; Dr.
Yinka Oloruntoba // MAY DOW competition: Luke
Babich – Durban; Arno Niewoudt – Paarl // May
Freecom competition: Vaughn Clarke // June
H.A.W.X competition: Jason Hall – Edenvale; Julian
Bode – Rooihuiskraal // June Intersoft competition:
Marne Page – Ladysmith; Adelle Nothnagel – Tzaneen;
Samuel Takalo – Sandringham // June Simplicity Online
competition: Dominic Muller – Uvongo
art director
chris bistline
assistant art director
chris savides
photography
chris bistline
dreamstime.com
ivok studio
EVERKI CAMBER
Just before we went to print this
month, Linx Distribution (www.
everkistyle.co.za), the distributor
for Everki bags locally, delivered a
few of the bags and carry cases
in their new range to us. The one
that caught my eye is the Camber,
a rather innovative bag designed
for netbook or compact notebook
owners. I was particularly
interested in this one, as my
MSI U100 netbook was getting a
little scratched and abused in my
large notebook bag. What makes
this particular bag so interesting
is that it features a protective
outer shell, which is designed in
such a way that there is plenty of
space for a charger, mouse, and
a few other miscellaneous items.
The straps can be attached to the
bag in a variety of ways, allowing
you to customise the way you
want to carry it around.
Sadly, the Camber is just
too small to house the 13inch MacBook Pro.
sales manager
dave gore | +27 82 829 1392
[email protected]
Win
I have two Everki Camber
bags to give away courtesy
of Linx Distribution. All you
need to do is send me an
email with the subject heading
“Everki Competition” and I’ll
randomly draw two names.
Winners will be notified via
email, competition closes 31
October 2009.
sales executive
cheryl bassett | +27 72 322 9875
[email protected]
marketing and promotions manager
jacqui jacobs | +27 82 778 8439
[email protected]
office assistant
paul ndebele
publisher
michael james
tide media
p o box 237
olivedale
2158
south africa
tel +27 11 704 2679
fax +27 11 704 4120
subscriptions department
[email protected]
internet
www.tidemedia.co.za
printing
ctp johannesburg
distribution sa
jmd
Copyright 2009 Tide Media. All rights
reserved. No article or picture in this
magazine may be reproduced, copied
or transmitted in any form whatsoever
without the express written consent
of the Publisher. Opinions expressed
in the magazine are not necessarily
those of the Publisher or the Editors.
All Trademarks and Registered
Trademarks are the sole property of
their respective owners.
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
7
FEEDBACK
Letter of the Month
MEDIA PLAYERS
irst of all, I must comment on a great
magazine over the past years. I have
always enjoyed it. This month (Vol 17, Issue
02 06.2009), I was glad to see the article
on media players, as I have always had a
fascination for them. I see that you have
mentioned media as movies, music and
photos. Most of the media players are HD
players supporting 720p or higher - some
with HDMI for video/audio output. This is
all cool, but what they don’t tell you is the
different file support like AVI, DivX and
many others. The big thing about media
players is the HD supported video formats
like MKV, H.264 and MPEG-4 that could
output 1080p. Then with audio, FLAC, a
''F
relatively new format, do they support this
and other newer formats? A lot of these
players in the review won’t support these
file formats. I have already bought about
four media players because of the changes
in media formats over time. Also, what
would be nice to know is about the updates
available for these media players: is it done
by download or can you connect directly
to the Internet via ADSL router, cable
or wireless to do updates online? I have
the iSonic MP-2522 at the moment; this
product was not bad a couple of months
ago, but now its lack of comprehensive file
support is becoming obvious. Anyway, what
would be nice is another article, but this
time with consoles and media extenders
such as the Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360
and so on. Keep SACM rolling.”
– MKG
Regardt: Thanks for the article suggestion.
We’ll certainly look into the idea. As for
your query about updating media players:
this unfortunately is manufacturerdependent and varies quite a bit. The most
common way to update the firmware on
your media player is to download the image
file from the
manufacturer’s
Website and
manually update
the software.
Each issue, the writer of our Letter of the Month will win a Garmin Navigation System!
Send your comments, questions and feedback to [email protected]
NO DISK NO MAG
recently had the misfortune to
purchase SACM to discover that
there was no cover CD. I shook the
magazine – this way and that. I looked
at it from all angles. I flicked through
the pages and I had already decided
to go and wring the neck of the poor
fellow who sold me the damn thing at
the CNA, when I read somewhere in
the magazine that there would be no
further CD. Okie, dokie, so that’s the
way it is. Well, that was your choice
to sell the magazine without the CD.
Okay, so my choice is also simple: I
won’t buy it if there is no CD. No CD =
no purchase. (Also expressed as Sieg’s
formula of choice.) So, my money has
voted and you have lost one regular
purchaser. Sincerely.”
– Siegfried Karl Heiriss
''I
Regardt: As I said in the July Ed’s note,
the cover CD is not gone forever and
we had to make the tough decision
between dropping the page count of
the magazine or the cover CD. It is sad
to lose you as a reader and I hope you
return once the cover CD is back.
NO SACM IN ZOMBIE LAND
have been living in Nigel for five
months now, and every store I go
to doesn’t have SACM; only NAG and
PC Format – how boring. I want to read
something good while I stay in this
one-horse town where the dogs walk
two by two, cause they’re scared the
kids might bite them. Please tell the
suppliers of your perfect magazine to
do something about these zombies;
they don’t know what they are missing.”
–Alan Buff
''I
8
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
EARLY TECH DAYS
AND FOND MEMORIES
i Regardt, I’m glad to see you’re
still with SACM. I’m a long-time
on/off supporter and will surely be able
to dig up some vintage SACMs from
way back in the good old days. Brings
back good memories and I remember
learning quite a lot from the mags in
''H
my early tech days. Anyway, love the
new look and feel and must say that the
cover is fabulous with the rock girl and
the Warbeast. Very nice composition
indeed. I’ll surely look out for each new
issue every month. Or simply subscribe.
Keep up the great work on such a firstclass mag.”
– Peter Maxwell
Photography
competition
Photography 101 is your guide
to taking better photos
Regardt: Thanks for your long-time
support. I also browse through the
old magazines from time to time, and
the old tech certainly holds some fond
memories. I am actually planning to
rebuild the entire SACM catalogue
so please send me some info on your
earliest copies. Subscribing is always
the best way to get this magazine
every month, so if you e-mail our subs
department and tell them I referred
you, I’ll make sure they add six extra
months to your subscription. If anyone
else is interested, I have three more of
these specials up for grabs. The first
three readers who take out a 12-month
subscription and quote “Ed’s subs
offer” on their subs form will get six
months added to their subscription.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE
don’t know how to stress enough:
I love messing around with my
computer. Windows 7 will give me
a new opportunity to do just that.
Unfortunately, I am capped at a gig,
so it is impossible for me to download
Windows 7 RC! I would really appreciate
it if you could send me a copy of it,
even if it is without the key and I have
to obtain my own key from Microsoft.
I have used every operating system,
from Windows 95 to Vista Ultimate,
and I would really like to try this one.
Loving SACM every month.”
– Robert Johnson
''I
Regardt: Seems like the Windows 7
keys offer was in high demand. Robert,
you are in luck: I have one more copy
left and I’ll send it your way.... with
a key. Enjoy it and send me some
feedback once you have played with it a
bit more.
WRITE FOR SACM
would like to thank you and the
SACM crew for the wonderful job
that you are doing. I am one of those
who buy SACM every month to read
about the latest technology. It is very
exciting because I get to know new
technology and where it is heading. I am
requesting to volunteer to be part of
the testing team. I am very passionate
about testing computers, gadgets and
software. I am currently doing software
testing at the Johannesburg Stock
Exchange. I will be available after hours
or during weekends - if you require my
services. I would really appreciate it
if you would consider my request. NB:
I am not expecting any remuneration
from Tide Media; I have a steady job at
the JSE. I am doing this because I love
IT – more especially gadgets. Regards.”
– Tshifhiwa Raphalalani
''I
Regardt: While we don’t have any
freelance positions, I might be able to
use a talented writer for an upcoming
project. The person needs to be an avid
SACM reader and know technology. If
you (or any other reader) are interested
in this opportunity, please send me
an article about technology, a review,
or an opinion column of no more than
1,000 words. Please make your e-mail’s
subject line “The Omega Project” so
that the spam filters will let it through.
And if your writing dazzles us, we’ll
contact you.
Submit your best photos based
on our monthly assignments
and you could win the new
Canon Powershot SX110 IS
valued at R3,999 as well as a
copy of Corel Paint Shop Pro
PHOTO X2 Ultimate valued
at R999. To enter you need to
create a free Flickr (www.flickr.
com) account and join the SACM
Photography 101 group (www.
flickr.com/groups/sacm)/)
Read this month’s Photography
101 for your assignment.
Corel Paint Shop Pro PHOTO X2 kindly sponsored by DDS
www.directservices.co.za
Powershot SX110 IS kindly sponsored by Canon
www.canon.co.za
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
9
BULLETIN
Socially
Mediated
by Rodain Joubert
Facebook fools
M
aybe I should consider myself
privileged. I am, after all, one of those
rare few who stumble onto a place like
Facebook and realise that it’s not a good
idea to befriend the boss and slag them off
with a drunken status message a week later.
Not only is this rude, but experts agree that
it’s a rather poor career move. That’s unless
you’re a professional comedian, of course.
Which you probably aren’t. At all.
Similarly, enlightened readers may laugh
off this scenario. “Nobody is that foolish!”
I hear you cry. Unfortunately, this just
isn’t the case. Wrecked economy aside,
people all over the world are losing their
jobs because of dumb stuff said on places
like Facebook. Some of these scenarios are
‘cast-iron templates’ of the raw stupidity
displayed above. Others are more subtle:
like uploading pictures of that wicked party
you went to last night after skipping work
with a swine flu excuse. Or maybe you
couldn’t resist diarising your trip to the
local coke dealer, and made it abundantly
clear that it wasn’t the black and fizzy kind.
That’s going to ruin your career at the local
kindergarten.
No matter how tight a particular site’s
privacy policy may be, users need to wake up
and realise that they’re entering information
into a public domain. Imagine that you’re
sitting in the bar with your mates, ranting
about some thing or another. Now imagine
that this bar is occupied by everybody that
you know. There’s a loudspeaker dangling
in front of your mouth and everything that
you say is recorded for future infamy. The
icing on the cake: your voice is broadcast
in moronic Internet-speak. Not a pretty
scenario by any standards.
This is what happens every time you say
something stupid on the Internet.
Yes, it’s unrealistic to assume that we
don’t get angry, sad, tired or otherwise
more human at some point or another. And
it’s cool to share it with your online buddies
if that’s your sort of thing. But please - for
the love of all that is pixelated - don’t ever
cross that barrier between “I had 2 much 2
drink on Strday nite :(” and “I’ve got some
children locked in my basement.”
Think before you write. The Internet is
listening.
Armed with his trusty laptop, a penchant
for the written word and a lust for
adventure, Rodain wanders around the
country to experience life ... and then
write about it.
10
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
New on
PlayStation
This is a great new service
that offers PSP owners
even more options for
entertainment on the go
and makes [the] PSP a
must for comics fans.
Isabelle Tomatis,
European Marketing
Manager, Hardware
and Platforms, SCEE.
More cool stuff,
smaller packages
ony Computer Entertainment
has announced a range of new
products and services to augment
the entertainment experience
on PSP, PlayStation 3, and
PlayStation Network. Firstly,
the new PlayStation 3 has been
unveiled, offering 120 gigabytes
of hard drive storage space, as
well as being smaller, lighter,
and ‘lighter’ on energy usage.
Furthermore, it comes in 25%
cheaper than the previous model,
which has also been reduced in price to
the same price point. (So, what’s the point
of buying the old model then?) A system
software update improves the aesthetics
and navigation of the PS3, whilst also giving
access to optimised TV, though it is unclear
whether, or how soon, South Africans will
have anything to enjoy via this feature.
Furthermore, a PlayStation Network videodelivery service for the PS3 and PSP will go
live next month, which will offer hundreds
of movies - from Hollywood blockbusters to
local-market content - for rental or purchase
in standard or high definition. A digital-reader
service for the PSP will become available in
December. The first offering will be Digital
Comics, with hundreds of comics available at
launch, and more added monthly - with names
such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the
S
Fantastic Four from
Marvel, as well as graphic novels
and titles from indie and local publishers.
“[The] PSP’s new digital reader offers an
unprecedented consumer experience that will
extend the world of Marvel from print pages
into the hands of fans around the world. We
are excited to be part of this launch,” said Ira
Rubenstein, executive vice president, global
digital media group, Marvel Entertainment.
The gaming experience on the PSP will be
enhanced by ‘minis’, a new category of bitesized games on the PlayStation Network.
These ‘minis’ will be available as of this
month, alongside the launch of the PSP Go,
the latest and most portable PSP. Two new
colours will be available for the PSP-3000 as
of next month.
State of Spam
SNIPPETS
A monthly report by Symantec
BLUETOOTH MEETS TV
Soon, we will be seeing television sets with
Bluetooth capabilities. This will allow people
to use their cellphone as a remote control,
connect wireless headsets to the TV, and
stream music from a media player to their
television or speakers attached to their TV.
A mobile phone connected to the TV would
allow different users in the house to call
up personalised profiles filled with content,
recommendations, and perhaps other social
features.
AMD 785G CHIPSET
REGIONS OF ORIGIN
Region of origin represents the percentage of spam messages reported coming from certain regions and
countries in the last 30 days.
hile overall spam volumes averaged 89%
of all e-mail messages in July 2009, spam
volumes continue to fluctuate. During July
2009, image spam continued to have an impact,
reaching 17% of all spam during one point in
July. Health spam decreased by 17%, while
product and 419 spam saw increases of eight
and three percent respectively month over
month.
The following trends are highlighted in the
August 2009 report:
• Spammer’s Opinion Poll: President Obama
and Michael Jackson;
• Spammers Cast Their Spells to Produce
Harry Potter Spam;
• July 2009: Spam Subject Line Analysis;
• Spying Can Be Dangerous;
• Scammers Try to Sneak In ‘Unvoiced’ Using
Voice-over-IP Services.
In this State of Spam Report, Symantec
took a closer look at the top subject lines
that are appearing in spam messages.
With spam levels so high, it is interesting,
but not altogether surprising, that the top
subject lines used by spammers are often
subject lines used in legitimate messages by
valid companies. There are multiple reasons
why spammers might use ‘common’ subject
lines such as Hey or Hi:
W
AMD’s new 785G chipset has been
released, constituting AMD’s latest
mainstream offering, aiming to bring
affordable performance to a wide range
of desktop PCs, especially ones running
Windows 7. The new chipset offers
improved graphics: up from Radeon HD
3200 graphics to HD 4200, enabling the
motherboard to support DirectX 10.1,
and updating from HDMI 1.2 to HDMI
1.3. Boards using the 785G chipset also
support ATI Stream technology, which will
provide performance boosts in software
such as Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft
PowerPoint. The 785G isn’t intended for
power users and gamers playing the latest
triple-A titles, but rather as an economical
alternative for mainstream users.
RAM MARKET STILL QUIET
• Spammers want to evade anti-spam filters
to get the spam message into a user’s
inbox. As security companies and the
Internet community pay more attention
to the reputation of Websites and e-mail
senders, spammers are not only hiding
behind well-established and reputable
brands, but they are also using a mixture of
spam and legitimate tactics to try to evade
anti-spam filtering to ensure the delivery
of their message. Using subject lines often
observed in legitimate messages is one
tactic that spammers continue to use.
• Spammers want the end user to open their
messages. By using subject lines that are
often used in legitimate messages, a user
is more likely to open the spam message.
It seems that the worldwide economic
recession hit memory manufacturers quite
hard. Most are still posting losses, though
the trend over the last few months was
definitely a positive one, and a recovery is
expected by the middle of next year, or a bit
sooner. The upcoming release of Windows 7
is expected to stimulate demand, but only
once the new OS enjoys significant adoption
rates. The gradual uptake of the Core
i7 platform should also help, as it allows
use of DDR3 memory, which is also being
implemented extensively in laptops, due to
its greater power efficiency.
NETSCAPE CREATOR RETURNS
Marc Andreessen, the creator of the
Netscape browser of ages ago, has
returned to the browser space, backing a
new company called RockMelt. After the
defeat of Netscape at the hands of Internet
Explorer, Andreessen became a Silicon
Valley investor, and is now on the board
of Facebook. His new company is staffed
by former executives from a company
called Opsware, which Andreessen also
co-founded. Apparently, Andreessen is
interested in developing a browser that fully
leverages the capabilities of the modern
Internet.
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
11
BULLETIN
Confessions of a
son of the pixel
by Josh Feldman
Tweet Power
J
anis Krums. She is the US, Florida-based
blogger who ‘broke’ the news earlier
this year by tweeting that now-famous
picture of the US Airways plane that
crash-landed in the Hudson River in New
York City. Thanks to Krums’ iPhone and
a dash of speed, she beat America’s socalled professional media to the site and
broke the story first.
Old news by now but it got me thinking
about how Twitter truly is a groundbreaking tool, and it reminded me of
an article posted by Frank Beacham on
TVTechnology.com about the control shift
of media from the elite to the masses.
Sure, I’ve written previous articles about
my personal love for story-telling purism,
but there’s no denying that the control
of video production and distribution has
shifted to all those who own a mobile
phone with picture-capturing capabilities,
which is pretty much everyone. Let’s look
at the protests in Iran that occurred in
the aftermath of the election. The Iranian
government attempted to shut down or
block mainstream lines of communication,
including phone lines, satellite dishes and
text messaging. Twitter played a crucial
role in getting information out to the
world about the ensuing chaos. Twitter
was used to direct the world to video
clips, photos and written material related
to the protest. Tweets were tagged with
“#IranElection” so that users could find
them more easily. The technology was also
used in Iran for denial-of-service attacks
against prominent government Websites.
TVTechnology.com notes a Nielson
Online report dated May 2009, which
found Twitter to have grown faster than
any other Website, boasting a rise in
its unique visitor tally of 1,500 percent
year on year to 18.2 million. Facebook
still ranked first in May with 75.4 million
unique visitors, an increase of 190 percent
over May 2008. Just a couple of years ago
there were few indeed who could have
predicted such a shift in control of the
organisation and delivery of information,
news and media. As for where we’ll be
in another two years, who knows? In the
meantime, it’s out with the iPhone and
onwards to making my next movie…
Josh Feldman spent 10 years “paying
his dues” as a KTV Presenter. Since
then, he spends most of his time writing,
producing, directing and playing with his
“camera parts”.
12
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Space tourism
is coming
irgin Galactic’s ‘Mothership’ Eve is the
world’s largest all-composite aircraft.
It features an unusual twin-hull design,
with the port hull pressurised and housing
the crew and any passengers, while the
starboard hull is not pressurised, capable
of accommodating cargoes that are less
‘fussy’ about breathable air. VMS Eve
is designed to carry SpaceShipTwo to
its launch altitude of over 50,000 feet
(about 15km), from where it can take
itself the rest of the way into space.
As well as enabling ‘piggyback launches’
of SpaceShipTwo, a small satellitelaunch facility will soon be provided by
Eve. The first ‘captive carry’ flight with
SpaceShipTwo is expected to take place
before the end of the year.
V
MS Office on
Nokia devices
Microsoft and Nokia are working together
to put a version of Microsoft's Office
productivity applications on Nokia
handsets. Under the terms of the
agreement, the two companies have
begun working together immediately to
design, develop, and market productivity
applications for mobile professionals,
bringing Microsoft Office Mobile to Nokia's
Symbian devices. They will also do the
same for other Microsoft communications,
collaboration, and device-management
software.
The applications will first appear on
Nokia's business-orientated Eseries
phones, but will eventually extend to other
Nokia models. However, the two companies
will remain fierce mobile competitors even
as they collaborate to bring Office to more
mobile workers.
Microsoft sued... again
A Texas judge recently ruled that Microsoft cannot sell Word in the
United States because of a patent infringement. Judge Leonard
Davis, of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas,
ordered a permanent injunction that “prohibits Microsoft from
selling or importing to the United States any Microsoft Word
products that have the capability of opening .xml, .docx or DOCM
files containing custom XML,” according to an announcement by the
plaintiff, i4i Inc. In its complaint, i4i alleges that Microsoft willingly
violated its 1998 patent (No. 5,787,449) on a method for reading
XML. Davis also ordered Microsoft to pay i4i more than $290
million in damages. Microsoft spokesperson Kevin Kutz said: “We
believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe
and that the i4i patent is invalid. We will appeal the verdict.” (This
article was typed using Microsoft Word.)
SNIPPETS
We're awed and amazed... to be celebrating one
billion Firefox downloads. That's one billion times
in the last five years that you and the rest of the
Mozilla community have made the choice to make
the Web better.
http://onebillionplusyou.com
Bigger small
hard drives
Western Digital has announced
two new laptop hard drives, which
‘beat’ the previous record of
500GB by offering 750GB and 1TB
of storage respectively. The new
Scorpio Blue drives are, however,
3mm thicker than typical 2.5inch drives, so they will not fit
into drive slots in all laptops. The
company has positioned these
drives as a ‘particularly good fit’
for portable storage solutions (i.e.,
portable USB drives). The drives
use the SATA 3Gb/sec interface,
and feature WhisperDrive (noise
reduction), ShockGuard (protection
from vibrations and impact),
and SecurePark (head-crash
protection) technologies.
Immersion Corporation recently
demonstrated a concept that applies
haptic (kinetic sensing such as touch
and vibration) technology to personal
computer applications to offer immersive,
touch feedback-enabled experiences in
next-generation laptops, tablets, and
ultra-portable computers. Immersion’s
TouchSense technology, combined with
remote awareness, enables multi-modal
(sight, sound and touch) user experiences.
The company demonstrated a game
prototype integrating graphics, sound and
haptics for a unique immersive experience
in which two players volley a pinball between
two networked tablet computers. Players
can feel the action of the ball in play through
haptic feedback while touching the screen
and holding the computer, even when the ball
is in play on the other computer – whether
across the room or around the world.
SLI GOES ON
NVIDIA has announced that Intel and several
other manufacturers (primarily motherboard
and graphics card makers) have licensed
its SLI multiple-GPU technology for use in
upcoming products. Nothing surprising here:
the technology has been supported for a
long time - no reason to expect any change
in that.
WOW HEADSET
Creative Labs has released a World of
Warcraft-branded wireless headset. It was
first shown at Blizzard Entertainment’s
BlizzCon convention, sporting LEDilluminated Alliance and Horde glyphs.
It uses the THX TruStudio PC audio
technology, and is also available in a wired
version.
New largest HDD
Hitachi has released a new hard
drive, which is the new largestcapacity model. The Deskstar
7K2000 delivers 2TB of storage
at 7,200rpm. It also, of course,
features current technologies for
power efficiency, heat reduction,
and reliability, and uses the SATA
3Gb/sec interface.
ALIENWARE EXPANDS REPERTOIRE
Re-configurable supercomputer
Current electronic devices primarily fall into
two categories: dedicated systems that
are designed to carry out one task and do it
efficiently; and general-purpose computers,
which can undertake a variety of tasks, but
do so less efficiently as a result of their ‘jackof-all-trades, master of none’ design. Novo-G
is a re-configurable supercomputer developed
at the University of Florida, and it attempts
to ‘take the best’ from both worlds. The idea
is that the processors can be interconnected
in different ways when performing different
VERY TOUCHING
computing tasks. The concept has been
around for some time (some 40 years), but
the technology to implement it has not.
Novo-G offers vastly faster performance
in specialised tasks (in the order of 10
to 100 times), and much reduced power
consumption (10% to 20%). Reconfiguring
the hardware mappings apparently takes less
than a second, and while this is currently
done during the design and specification
of the task, in future we may see runtime
reconfiguration capabilities.
At QuakeCon 2009, high-end enthusiast PC
manufacturer Alienware displayed its new
Tactics Keyboard and Tactics PC Mouse.
These broaden the company’s foray into the
peripherals market, which started off with a
headset and a monitor not long ago.
MOBILES IN MOTION
Market research company iSuppli
predicts that by 2010, as many as
one-third of mobile phones will use
microelectromechanical systems such
as accelerometers, inclinometers, and
gyroscopes. Thirty-eight percent of new
Nokia handsets include accelerometers,
while Samsung and LG have also jumped
on the MEMS bandwagon, using three axis
devices. iSuppli predicts that the market
for MEMS for mobile phones will more than
triple between 2008 and 2013.
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
13
BULLETIN
Voice of
Reason
by Russell Bennett
With great Power
W
ith locals clamouring to get their hands
on more bandwidth and bigger pipes myself included - to join the global network and
enjoy true broadband at last, a couple of news
items piqued my interest this month - just a
week after SA’s very own broadband-focused
conference, Broadband 2009, was hosted to
great acclaim by ITWeb’s dedicated team.
It began with one of those amusing little
relics: a frightfully traditional religious group
who accused Websites of wrecking our
interpersonal communications skills and
therefore relationships. My. So many people
still just don’t get it, do they? This one is
just like the guy who said, “Hell, these new
factories certainly do pump out the smoke.
That must be bad for the environment
somewhere along the line!” Then again,
the same institution opposed that societal
transformation as well...
Then, a pair of shockers - excuse the pun
for later - came out of that bastion of the
Internet itself, whose population of Internet
users outstrip the entire US citizenry – China!
This place has a lot of bandwidth going about.
And there’s one tale about hospitals having
to be banned from treating Internet addicts
using shock therapy; and another detailing
how one hapless teenage technophile was
beaten to death at his ‘training camp’ for
curing the same malady.
Internet addiction. Now there’s no way to
deny the issue. There is a potential problem
here. But how many kids are fatally thrashed in
a bid to separate them from their cellphones for
ten minutes (for many years acknowledged as
something of a sinister global explosion)? The
telephone before that… the TV. PCs?
China still isn’t exactly the freest place
in the world. And that’s certainly a part of
the problem. But it did get me wondering if
maybe we’d be experiencing a microcosm of
these same problems once we’ve got tens of
gigabytes and hopefully one day even sub60ms roundtrip times to internationally-hosted
servers and not just local ones? Could we
handle the responsibility of proper, widespread,
affordable broadband connectivity?
Come to think of it, though: before
broadband, would we even have heard about
something like this?
Until, of course, my page didn’t open fast
enough. Then I decided, you take your chances,
so let it roll...
Russell Bennett can be considered a veteran
in the local IT industry, his love for technology
shadowed only by his love for cars, another
field of expertise he has ranked up in.
14
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Electric
cars
Nissan leading
the charge
issan has unveiled the final
prototype of its electric
car, which is due out next year.
In addition to connection to the
power grid, the electric vehicle
will also connect to information
networks, with Nissan referring
to the system as EV-IT (“electric
vehicle information technology”).
EV-IT includes an on-board
transmitting unit connected
through mobile networks to a
global data centre. Drivers will
be able to view the driving radius
within range of their battery
charge level on a navigation map,
and also find information about
available charging stations within
range. The charging system can
be turned on or off remotely, or
on a schedule, and battery levels
can also be monitored remotely.
An iPhone app will give access
to these functions, along with
controls for various elements
such as the air conditioning. This
means that a car’s interior can be
heated or cooled to a comfortable
temperature while it is still
plugged in, rather than depleting
the battery once on the move.
Thereafter, the temperature
needs only to be maintained, which
will use less energy.
N
Sneaky photography
A new low-light photography method - called “dark
light flash photography” - has been developed. The
system uses infrared and ultraviolet light frequencies
in its flash, with appropriate filters, alongside regular
photography, to create its images. The camera first
takes a flash picture using those invisible wavelengths,
then immediately follows it up by a regular, but unlit
shot. The first image provides shape definition, but
yields colours that don’t match our normal vision. The
second image corrects that by providing approximate
colouring (being in low light and without a visible flash
mean that it is fuzzy and indistinct). An algorithm then
analyses both images, using the second image to apply
the correct colours to the first. The technique is not
yet perfect, as some materials absorb both UV and IR
radiation, meaning that these areas come out looking
black, but development is ongoing. The levels of IR and
UV have been found to be equivalent to 1/100th of a
second of exposure to sunlight, so even being snapped
130,000 times a day is safe. The flash is
almost invisible, appearing only as a
brief, dim purple glow. Celebrities,
prepare for a completely new
paparazzi nightmare age!
Ultra-secure hard drive
Apricorn has introduced the Aegis Padlock,
a portable, encrypted hard drive that
keeps data secure even if the device is
removed from its locked enclosure. The
drive encrypts data in real time, and
its enclosure is fastened by unique
torque screws, which are difficult to
remove without a specialised torque
screwdriver. Even if opened, the
encryption on the platters would still
have to be cracked – a very difficult
task requiring a mainframe computer.
Digital music gains
ground
Analyst firm NPD Group
released findings about
current music-sales
patterns. CD sales are
accounting for 65%, while
paid digital downloads
claim the remaining 35%.
However, the latter is
gaining ground, and is
expected to achieve
parity with CDs by the
end of next year. The
largest single outlet
overall is iTunes, which
has claimed 25% of all
music unit sales this year.
BY THE
NUMBERS
3.0
USB 3.0, dubbed Super-Speed
USB, will offer transfer speeds
of 4.8Gbps compared with HighSpeed USB’s 480Mbps transfer
speeds.
Source: In-Stat
###
17
The new Razer Naga mouse has
17 buttons, 12 of which are
placed where the thumb is for
right-handed gamers.
Source: www.razerzone.com
###
44.5
Twitter drew 44.5 million unique
visitors in June. Facebook’s audience
has already passed 225 million.
Source: comScore
###
48
Microsoft’s new Xbox 360
hands-free game controller will
be using “Natal” technology.
Natal plots 48 different points
on a person’s body, such as
hands, feet and elbows, to
create a wire-frame virtual
mannequin that mimics a
person’s movements.
Source: Microsoft
###
53
2,100 avid PC gamers will play
for 53 consecutive hours at
the NAG LAN @ rAge from 2-4
October.
Source: www.rageexpo.co.za
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
15
BULLETIN
Guest
Column
By Consumer Dan
Overpriced ADSL
I
recently had the privilege of going
through the process of transferring my
Telkom telephone line from my old, to
my new place. Although you might think
that I am going to rant about the terrible
service and long waiting periods, for
once their speedy service delivery and
friendly help impressed me. The problem
I have with Telkom is their ridiculous
pricing structure. I am sure every Telkom
customer has, at some point or another,
tried to figure out where Telkom gets its
pricing structure from. Let me add my
voice to the masses.
What really got me thinking about this
price issue was when I transferred my ADSL
line. My very fi rst bill after the move came
in on close to R1,500. I have always been
a little bothered by the amount I have to
pay each month simply to get access to
Telkom’s ADSL infrastructure, but enough is
enough. For those of you who do not have
ADSL, here is a bit of a shocker. Just to get
ADSL access I have to pay R413 per month
for my 4MB line. Included with that is the
price for my landline (which I never use, I
might add, but it is compulsory), but there
are no other services or benefits I get. I just
have to pay Telkom in excess of R400 to
use ADSL. Is it just me, or does this sound a
little out of sync?
Now, I know that Telkom still has a
massive hold on the market and I know
things will change in the next two to four
years, but why has Telkom been allowed
to rip off South Africans this much. Even
worse, what about those people who
cannot afford the high prices of ADSL?
Should they not be allowed access to the
Internet because they cannot afford these
ridiculous prices?
Thinking of it logically, what are
the true costs involved in the ADSL
connection between my home and my
ISP? The infrastructure has been around
for many, many years, so surely the price
could be more affordable that what it
really is. This is the kind of thing that
bothers me, but I fear that without more
active support, we’ll just have to cough
up the money if we want the speed and
stability of ADSL. Telkom FAIL.
If you have a problem with a retailer or
service provider, Consumer Dan is at hand.
Simply e-mail consumerdan@tidemedia.
co.za and tell him your story. All e-mails
will remain anonymous and all cases are
considered on an ad hoc basis.
16
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
Darkfield Laser Tracking
his imposing-sounding moniker refers
to Logitech’s new mouse-tracking
technology, which allows its mice to be used
even on high-gloss surfaces such as glass
or polished metal. Traditionally, optical mice
(including laser models) have struggled on
such surfaces, because their sensors require
textural features to create an image of
sorts, which they use to track movement
T
against, and these surfaces offer few such
features. What the new Darkfield technology
does is to locate microscopic particles and
scratches on the surface using dark-field
microscopy. The new Logitech Performance
Mouse MX and the Anywhere Mouse MX
(a more portable model intended for use
with notebook computers) employ the new
technology.
United at last
Logitech has released keyboards and mice with a tiny
USB receiver that allows multiple peripheral devices
to connect to just one receiver. The 8mm-long device
can control up to six peripheral devices (in the Logitech
Unifying product range). The system uses Logitech's
2.4GHz wireless connectivity, along with 128-bit AES
encryption. The first compatible mouse, the M505, was
released in August, while the K350 and K340 keyboards
came out in September. The K705 Marathon mouse
is expected to be available early next year, with more
Unifying products to follow thereafter.
SSDs grow
Samsung has introduced a
256GB solid-state drive,
aimed primarily at the gaming
market, according to the
company. Samsung promoted
the product by encouraging
participants in the World
Cyber Games 2009 to
experience gaming on SSDpowered gaming stations at
the event.
Action figures: on screen!
This month, toy manufacturer Mattel is releasing a range of
action figures that incorporate augmented reality technology,
based on characters from the upcoming film Avatar. The toys
will ‘come alive’ on a home computer when scanned using a
Webcam. Each action figure in the range has a unique i-TAG,
which, when scanned, reveals special content on screen. The
animated 3D models will show off various moves, and when two
i-TAGs from the same Battle Pack are scanned together, the 3D
characters will interact with each other on screen. The i-TAG
technology has been developed by augmented reality specialist
Total Immersion.
Simulating a chunk of Internet
Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore
have run more than a million simultaneous Linux kernels
as virtual machines. This technique allows them to more
effectively observe the behaviour found in malicious botnets
(networks of infected machines that can operate on the
scale of a million nodes). Botnets are difficult to analyse
since they are geographically spread all over the world.
The ‘million-virtual-machine’ cluster allows researchers to
watch how botnets work, and explore ways to stop them.
Previously, the largest number of kernels that had been run
at once was 20,000.
See it, touch it
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a system
that creates 3D holograms that are accompanied by a tactile
element. The Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display consists of
a holographic display, a couple of Wiimotes, and an ultrasound
phenomenon called “acoustic radiation pressure.” While the
holographic and motion-sensing elements are self-evident enough,
it is the last component that makes all this possible. Its radiated
ultrasound can create light sensations on skin. The prototype
demonstrated a user feeling a raindrop hit their palm and feeling a
small virtual creature running across their palm. Holodeck, anyone?
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
17
GAMEPLAY
Fun and Games
by Alex Jelagin
Controller-free gaming
icrosoft has publicly shown off its
new Natal game control system,
which uses no handheld controllers
(though, arguably, “controller-free”
is something of a misnomer, as the
system itself is the controller, just not
requiring a user to physically handle
it). The system, which is intended for
use with the Xbox 360 console and is
expected to enter commercial availability
soon, primarily uses thermal imaging
techniques, along with sophisticated
software, to find and ’watch’ people in
action, and translate their movements
into in-game actions. The system also
M
A communicable disease?
A
friend of mine is an avid overclocker, and also
dabbles a bit in ‘DIY-esque’ modding jiggerypokery. I must confess that, for a long time, I scoffed
at overclockers because they are malcontents who
are forever seeking greener grass. Yes, well...
With my recent upgrade to a Core i7 PC, I discovered that
this new architecture is literally built to be overclocked. Okay,
whatever... Oh, but wait – you can do it quite easily, without
the need for intensely technical tweaking, a lab coat, and
a cap with a propeller on it (though, arguably, a lightsaber
might help, I’m told...) As it turns out, a considerable amount
of this tuning can be done within Windows, which for me
is very significant, as I am an ‘uptime junkie’ – I don’t like
to even have to reboot my PC, much less do so in order to
poke around in the BIOS. Suddenly, this previously arcane
art is starting to become quite tempting, to me the sceptic.
Nevertheless, soon enough I discovered that some of the
more powerful overclocking options do, in fact, still require a
reboot. Never mind, squeezing extra performance out of my
CPU would, at the moment, be completely pointless. Instead,
I’ve become enamoured of the power-saving features of
the new motherboard, which allow the fans to wind down
during low system load periods – very nice.
However, while my CPU is kicking the ass of anything I
throw at it, the same can certainly not be said about my
ageing and somewhat budget graphics card. So, when
NVIDIA recently released a driver update that fixes previous
versions’ supposed ability, yet actual inability, to manually
overclock on the fly, my interest perked up. Here is suddenly
the ability to, quite simply, immediately, and without fuss,
push my GPU a bit further. Hmmm! Of course, a major
concern about overclocking is that, because it involves
pushing the equipment harder than it technically is meant
to be, there is the risk of compromising system stability
(remember, I’m an uptime junkie, so having my machine
crash and need a reboot is highly undesirable to me!). Or,
worse yet, permanent damage to equipment (which would
be costly to replace, seeing as overclocking generally voids
warranties – and long periods of downtime!) Previously the
manual fan setting for the GPU didn’t work, but now it does.
Again, loud, pensive, and intrigued “hmmm!” So, tonight I
will be starting proper experiments in this regard. Hopefully,
I won’t burn out any components...
As mentioned previously, this friend of mine also likes to
do cosmetic modifications. Much like the overclocking, or
perhaps even more so, I used to look at this with disdain. Do
you want to look at your PC, or do you want to actually use
it? Then, while visiting a shop that I frequent, I spotted they
had some cold cathode tube lights. Red ones, blue ones, and
a green one. I took them all. Then I spent a couple of hours
installing, then moved them around from time to time, until
I was satisfied with their placement and the resulting effect.
Now I have a setup where I can choose a red-based or a bluebased colour scheme, or go into full-on Christmas tree mode
and turn everything on at once! Ironically, my PC’s ‘window’
faces a wall at least 99% of the time... Oh well.
The upshot of all this is that I am now convinced
that tweaking and tinkering ought to be classified as
communicable diseases!
18
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remembers various users’ shapes and
characteristics, allowing users to log in
simply by presenting themselves to the
system. It will also keep track of gradual
changes in a person’s physique - for
example, in the case of growing children,
or people whose weight is changing over
time. So, a system that can identify a
person by ‘looking’ at them and then
interpreting their actions. Can’t help
but think that, combined with voicerecognition technology, we’re not too
far off from the days of 2001: A Space
Odyssey’s HAL9000. “What are you
doing, Dave? Dave?”
Gatheryn
M
indFuse Games recently entered
its massively multiplayer online
world Gatheryn into public Beta
testing. The Island of Elymia (where
the action takes place) is a virtual
land with a Victorian steampunk
theme. Airships and various steampowered machinery abound, and the
visuals are really attractive. The
game is primarily intended for casual
audiences, with a variety of mini
games and activities, but will also
include content that is appropriate
for more serious gamers. You can
check out www.mindfusegames.
com for more info (or join the Beta
program, if it is still open by the time
you read this).
UPCOMING RELEASES
Sacred 2: Ice and Blood
Expansion (PC)
Risen (PC, X360)
Saw (X360, PS3)
Air wars by remote control
More WoW
At this year’s BlizzCon, Blizzard announced the next
expansion to World of Warcraft, titled Cataclysm,
which is scheduled for release next year. As well as
new areas and quests and the like, the expansion
will introduce new playable races and classes, and
some new in-game mechanics.
T
he US military has for long been quite
progressive in its attitude toward
videogames. In fact, a number of years
ago it published a game called America’s
Army, which was basically a collection of
first-person shooter/simulator games and
other media that was also intended as a
public relations and recruitment tool. Now
the US Air Force is taking it to a whole
new level: as of this year, it is training
more pilots to fly remote-controlled drone
aircraft from ground operations centres,
than it is schooling pilots to fly manned
aircraft. We wonder: do they inculcate
their recruits with awareness of the cost
of these drones, considering that the
remote pilots are not risking their own
lives? Or will they earn ‘achievements’ in
engagements for incurring no losses of
these very expensive ‘toys’?
There has been considerable outcry at the fact that
both Diablo III and StarCraft II have been announced
as not to have LAN play support. In response, Blizzard
has revealed that it is actively working on some way
around this. The company is being characteristically
tight-lipped about particulars, but it may involve a
solution where players authenticate online, but the
in-game network traffic then takes place over the
LAN. While Blizzard has not categorically confirmed
this, we can only hope it is the case.
C&C 4: Tiberian Twilight
Professional Gamer
Training Academy
Blizzard to address
no-LAN complaints?
Started by British pro gamer Kathy Zablotzky,
the Professional Gamer Training Academy has
now launched its Internet-based training video
service. The founder’s background is particularly
suited to this sort of enterprise, as professionally
she has been involved, for over a decade, with
training instructors in a variety of fields, and she
also happens to be a professional gamer. The PGTA
hires some of the UK’s top gamers as trainers, first
teaching them the art of teaching. More information
can be found at www.pgta-training.com.
while back we hinted at the coming of
the next Command & Conquer game.
Since then, the information has been made
publicly available, along with the moniker of
“Tiberian Twilight.” Here are some pretty
pictures of what we can expect. The game
is scheduled for release next year.
A
A miniature
vampire empire
Back in August, Sony announced the upcoming
introduction of PSP Minis (1 October), which are
‘bite-sized’ games for the handheld console. They
are intended to be no larger than 100MB in size
each, and priced accordingly. One such that has
been announced as a launch title for the range is
Vempire (“vampire empire”), a casual (this is a
common theme with the Minis) puzzle/strategy
game. In it, players will collect artefacts and powerups, and will need to strategically ‘problem-solve’ in
order to become king of the monster empire.
Tekken 6 (PS3)
Ghostbusters (PC, X360,
PSP, Wii)
Fallout 3 Game of the Year
Edition (PC, X360, PS3)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
(PC, X360, PS3, PSP)
Silent Hill: Shattered
Memories (Wii)
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
19
APPLE LIFE
Apple
Bites
by Simon Dingle
Snow Blind
The Snow Leopard bares its claws
A
t the time of writing this, Snow
Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) was not
yet available – but had just topped the
Amazon sales list on pre-orders. The
next big cat aimed at your Mac has some
awesome features, although most of
them are hidden under the hood. And by
the time you read this, it will be available.
Snow Leopard will also be the first
release of the operating system that
runs exclusively on Intel-based Macs. It
requires 1GB of RAM, 5GB of hard drive
space, and promises a more robust
utilisation of system resources.
And you can bet it was released
when it was for a reason – one month
before Windows 7 become commercially
available.
The new OS X has a lighter footprint
and introduces a new technology from
Apple called OpenCL, or open computing
language, that leverages the capabilities
of the GPU for all applications (not just
graphics-rich programs that require it,
similar to NVIDIA’s CUDA integration or
the capabilities that Microsoft says will
be included with DirectX 11).
One of the most significant additions
to the operating system and Apple’s
competition with Microsoft is hard-wired
support for Exchange that is built into
10.6. Once again, it is no coincidence that
Microsoft has scrapped Entourage for
Mac as part of Microsoft Office for Mac,
replacing it with Outlook for Mac in the
next version.
For office workers who have dreamt
of a Mac, but faced nightmares in terms
of integrating the platform with that of
a corporate network, this is a godsend.
Exchange compatibility has been one of
the barriers keeping people on PCs. No
more.
64-bit optimisation is also improved
in 10.6, barring some apps, like iTunes,
which Apple is yet to recode.
There are other improvements too,
but essentially, Snow Leopard is a faster,
more powerful and nimbler cat than
its direct predecessor. And it has to be.
Because Windows 7 rocks. But if anyone
asks you, I didn’t just say that.
Simon Dingle is a freelance writer,
speaker and broadcaster. He has been a
slave to Apple for five long years.
20
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
Snow Leopard’s Out
And no, the price is not a misprint
or Apple users, the launch of Mac OS X
10.6 Snow Leopard has been one of the
most anticipated launches this year. While we
are planning a review of the operating system
in the next issue, for now, here is something
to ponder about: the recommended retail
price of this new OS is R329. Yip, that is
correct: Apple’s latest OS is retailing at
roughly six times less than Windows Vista
Ultimate 64-bit edition. We tried to get hold
of the final Windows 7 pricing, but we were
unable to get confirmed prices by the time
we went to print. Even better is the fact
that a Family Licence for Mac OS X 10.6 is
a mere R529. The family pack allows you to
install Snow Leopard on up to five machines
- perfect for a family of tech-savvy Apple
users. Now, let’s hope Microsoft gets its
pricing in line and responds competitively.
To get your hands on Apple’s latest OS, you
can head over to www.zastore.co.za or you
can visit an ‘official’ Apple Store near you.
Remember, you must have an Intel-based
Mac in order to install the new Mac operating
system and because this is an upgradeonly OS, you’ll need Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
installed to run this upgrade.
F
WORK IN PROGRESS
Applications that are incompatible
with Mac OS X 10.6
There are a few applications that are incompatible
with the new Mac operating system. Once upgraded,
these applications will be moved to a folder called
“Incompatible Software” and will not be able to run on
the new OS:
• McAfee VirusScan, ver. 8.6
• Norton AntiVirus ver. 11.0
• Internet Cleanup 5 ver. 5.0.4
• Missing Sync for Palm Sony CLIE Driver ver. 6.0.4
• Silicon Image SiI3132 Drivers ver. 1.5.16.0
These software applications will not be moved to a
separate folder but will be blocked from running:
• Parallels Desktop ver. 3.0
• Ratatouille ver. 1.1
• Aperture ver. 2.1.1 and earlier
• Keynote ver. 2.0.2 and earlier
• Director MX 2004 ver. 10.2
• SPSS 17 ver. 17.1
In most cases, updates for these apps or updated
versions of these applications are available from the
software developers’ Websites.
RUMOUR MILL
This source claims that the
two touch-screen prototypes
- made of aluminium, but in
the shape of big iPhones –
were in a factory in Shenzuen,
China. One of them 'was
running Mac OS X 10.5'.
www.gizmodo.com
Cool Trick
These are unconfirmed stories that
have heated up the Internet over the
last few weeks.
Command
Purpose
Shutdown
Shut down your Mac. Will NOT save
any open files.
Restart
Restart your Mac. Will NOT save any
open files.
Logout
Log out of your Mac. Will NOT save
any open files.
Sleep
Put your Mac in sleep mode.
IP
Get your Mac’s IP address. Your Mac
will reply with its current IP.
iSight
Snap an image with your Mac’s iSight
camera. Your Mac will reply with the
picture posted on TwitPic.
Screenshot
Get a screenshot of your Mac. Your
Mac will reply with the picture posted
on TwitPic.
say [phrase]
Your Mac will speak the phrase in the
default voice.
torrent
[torrent
URL]
Your Mac will download the torrent
and open it in the default torrent
client
% [command]
Your Mac will execute the custom
shell command. Note: this is disabled
by default for security and must be
enabled to use.
These are applications you can download for your
iPhone or iPod touch from the App Store.
GEARS
MORE APPLE TABLET NEWS
It seems that one of these
days we may actually move
stories on the Apple Tablet out
of the Rumour Mill and into the
Bulletin section in SACM. In a
recent post on Gizmodo (www.
gizmodo.com), the Website
claims that it has heard from
a reliable source that Apple is
not only working on a 10-inch
tablet, but also a 13-inch
and 15-inch version. It is also
claimed that these tablets will
be running the full Mac OS X
operating system.
Control your Mac from
anywhere using Twitter
Similar to TweetMyPC; TweetMyMac (www.themacbox.
co.uk/tweetmymac/) is a useful application that will allow you
to take iSight snapshots, screenshots, or your IP address
by simply sending your Apple Mac a message. You can even
remotely shut down your Mac or even start a download
if you wish. All you need to do is download the application
from the developer’s Website, configure your Twitter
account, and you are done. The software will interpret the
Twitter messages you send to your PC and will perform the
requested task. Below is the list of commands.
DOWNLOADS
Category: Social
Networking
Size: 0.8MB
Price: $2.99
If you are a gamer,
chances are very
good that you are a
Steam subscriber.
Gears is a handy
application that
will allow you to
connect to the
Steam community when you are away
from your PC. The interface is neatly
designed and is reminiscent of the desktop
application that you are used to. You
can use Gears to see anyone’s profile on
Steam. You can view your game stats,
purchase games on your account, and
access all the game information you can
absorb.
CHORDMASTER
LE
Source Gizmodo.com
THE APPLE TABLET COULD
BE GREAT FOR GAMING
Cult of Mac (www.cultofmac.
com), another news Website,
recently commented on the
Apple Tablet. More specifically,
it focused on the Apple Tablet
as a gaming device and how
it could change the way
we interact with out PCs.
According to the Website,
playing games on the Apple
Tablet could be akin to playing
games on the iPhone - it will
just be a richer experience.
Game controls will be reliant
on gestures and on-screen
controls. The larger screen
surface will make control easier
and will allow you more room to
manoeuvre your game.
Category: Music
Size: 8.1MB
Price: Free
This nifty
application is a
mobile, guitar
chord library.
Chordmaster LE
allows you to view
each cord in the
first position, and
you can strum the virtual strings to play
the cord. The interface is intuitive and
actually makes learning much easier than
book-based tutorials. There is also a full
version of this application available, which
gives you access to a larger chord library.
DAILY MUGSHOT
Category: Social
Networking
Size: 0.5MB
Price: Free
If you have seen
the YouTube
video of the
photographer who
took a self-portrait
of himself each day
for a year, then
you’ll know what
this app was designed to do. Daily Mugshot
is a free service that allows you to take a
mug shot of yourself each day, have your
photo uploaded to a server, and then, at
the end of the project, you can create an
animated sequence.
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
21
UPGRADE
Sony Memory Stick Handycam series
The latest additions to Sony’s range of full-HD camcorders
offer a wide range of features. The HDR-CX520 features
64GB of internal memory, while the HDR-CX500 has 32GB
of storage space. They can store up to 26 hours and 55
minutes of HD footage and feature support for optional
memory-stick data storage. Both models are equipped
with Sony’s exclusive ‘G Lens’ and ‘Exmor R’ CMOS sensor
technology. They’re capable of high-speed data transfers
via a USB adapter, making the capture and transfer of
high-resolution videos and images a hassle-free and efficient
affair. www.sony.co.za | TBA
Cooler Master Choiix U Cool Notebook Pad
This lightweight, ergonomically designed notebook pad promises to
protect your legs from laptop-generated heat when resting your
notebook on your lap. The U-shape design facilitates airflow to
keep your laptop cool and running smooth. The skid-proof fabric
that encases the pad provides stability and ventilation, and the pad
is available in blue, black or green. It has been designed with 15-inch
widescreen laptops in mind. www.frontosa.co.za | TBA
Creative ZEN Mozaic EZ3000 Portable Media Player
The stylish design of this portable media player isn’t the only thing this gadget
has going for it. It’s capable of playing music and videos (you can view photos
on it as well) on its 1.8-inch TFT full-colour display. Available in 4GB and 8GB
capacities, the player has a built-in speaker, integrated FM radio, a voice
recorder and an alarm clock. The Mozaic EZ3000 ‘rounds this all off’ with the
convenience of plug-and-play functionality. You can easily connect the device
to your PC and simply drag and drop files to and from the player.
http://za.creative.com/ | R949-R1,209
22
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
EZ-FAN MB884 Hard Drive Enclosure Cooler
A cooling device that has been designed to work with most 3.5-inch single-bay
external hard drive enclosures, the MB884 utilises an 80mm x 80mm fan to
absorb heat generated by an enclosure. The fan is powered via USB and the
cooler has a retractable clip that is used to attach it to an enclosure. The fan isn’t
noisy either, with a noise level of 24 decibels while spinning at 2,000 rotations
per minute. It even features an on/off switch for added convenience. The cooler
is available in black or white and is perfect for anyone who worries about the
temperature of their hard drive enclosure. www.frontosa.co.za | R160
Olympus Pen E-P1 Camera
The E-P1 12.3-megapixel camera combines the still image
quality of a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera with
the audio/video quality of an HD camcorder and a high-end
audio recorder. It features auto adjustment for 19 different
automatic scene modes (including night scenes, portraits
and landscapes), while the Face Detection function reduces
the chance of blurred subjects, even if they’re moving.
‘Shadow adjustment’ ensures that you no longer need to
worry about the extreme contrast between dark and bright
areas, because the camera compensates for extreme light
variations. The E-P1 also has image stabilisation for still and
movie modes. www.olympus.co.za | TBA
Skullcandy Mini Com Headset
This sleek and lightweight single-ear headset has been
designed for online gaming and chat. Connected via two
3.5mm jacks, it boasts ultra portability and as such is
perfect for use with high-end gaming laptops (or any other
laptop really). www.skullcandy.com | R299
Corsair Flash Voyager Mini USB Drive
The newest member to the rugged Corsair Flash Voyager family of USB drives;
the Flash Voyager Mini makes use of a cap-less retractable connector plug that
can be easily opened with a flick of the thumb. The all-rubber housing makes for a
flash drive that is water-resistant and shockproof. The Flash Voyager Mini has a
ten-year limited warranty and is available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB models.
www.frontosa.co.za | R130-R499
Logitech Portable Speaker S125i
This portable speaker set weighs in at less than 500 grams, making it perfect
for people seeking a portable audio solution for their iPod or other music player.
The S125i runs on AC or battery power. When powered by four AA batteries, the
unit can pump out tunes for up to ten hours. It can be used to charge your iPod
thanks to the integrated Apple Universal Dock Connector, and also features a
3.5mm auxiliary input that’ll allow you to connect most portable media players to
the S125i. There’s also a ‘Bass Boost’ button, just in case you’re not happy with
the standard bass output. www.logitech.com | R799
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
23
WHAT'S HOT
CLICK
HERE
Snippets
LISTEN
www.callingallinnovators.
com/southafrica/
Attention all you budding
mobile and Web application
developers! Nokia is looking
for uniquely South African
applications that will run on
their phones. There is more
than $125,000 to be won
for the best submissions,
so get coding now. You only
have until 31 October to
publish your application via
the Ovi Store.
Comes with music!
okia is pioneering the way
we listen to music on their
cellphones. They have enabled their
XpressMusic range of phones with
a new Comes With Music service.
Bundled with any new Nokia 5130,
5530 or 5630 is a code that will
allow you to access the store and
download an unlimited number of
digital music tracks from the SA
Nokia Music Store for one year. The
bonus is that you get to keep all the
downloaded tracks even after the
one-year period is up. This offer is
available exclusively through MTN,
Cell C, Nashua Mobile and Autopage
cellular (sorry Vodacom users – we’ve
got nothing for you!).
http://music.nokia.co.za
N
www.langames.co.za
Want to find out about a
LAN event happening in
your neck of the woods?
LanGames is a community
site where gamers can
check what LANs are being
hosted and where.
www.microsoft.com/
genuine/
Since the end of January,
more than 384,600 South
Africans have voluntarily
downloaded the Microsoft
Office Genuine Advantage
(OGA) tool to help them
see whether their Office
applications are authentic
or not. Of these, about a
third has been found to be
running non-genuine copies
of Office. Click on ‘Validate
Windows’ or ‘Validate
Office’ to check the status
of your software.
www.ubuntu.com
Ubuntu's 9.10 Linux-based
operating system, also
known as Karmic Koala, is
readying itself for release
on 29 October.
CLICK HERE
Using technology to reduce your carbon
footprint
A new wireless electricity monitor, called
the Owl, has just been released by local
company, Radiant. In a nutshell, it measures
the electrical current in your home and
then calculates the amount of power being
consumed and the costs involved.
“Monitoring electricity usage with the
Owl is the first step to saving energy in
the home,” says Graham Chick, Radiant’s
executive director for electrical product
development. “The Owl consists of two
components. The first is a transmitter
unit, which needs to be fitted into your
electricity distribution board by a qualified
electrician. The second is a receiver with an
LCD monitor that can be taken anywhere
in the home. It displays electricity usage
in real time and the rand value thereof,
by applying your own particular municipal
electricity tariff, so you no longer need
to wait for your monthly electricity bill
to know how much you’ll have to pay. The
Owl also stores cumulative historical data,
allowing you to compare your electricity
usage from month to month.”
A digital, interactive version of the renowned 16th century Mona Lisa painting was recently
one of 61 hi-tech replicas on show in the "World Classic Interactive Arts Exhibition" in Beijing.
This was the first time that 3D technology, holographic technology, and voice-recognition
technology have been used to bring classic works of art to life.
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
MWEB’s mobile site,
MWEB.mobi, now
gives you access to
your e-mail and your
MWEB account.
You can also check
out breaking news,
sport headlines,
financial information,
weather, movies and
entertainment news.
Nokia N97 users can
now download a free
widget from https://
store.ovi.com/, which
will give you access to
News24’s content.
The Xbox 360 Elite is
now priced at R3,399
and the Xbox 360
Arcade at R2,499. The
Xbox 360 Pro with a
60GB hard drive will
be phased out across
South Africa.
DID YOU KNOW?
24
Acer customers
who buy a qualifying
Windows Vista-based
Acer PC before 31
January 2010 will
be able to get a free
licence for Windows
7 once it is released.
Go to www.acer.com/
windows7upgrade/ for
more info.
The Quantum Research
Group at the University
of KwaZulu-Natal has
trapped and cooled
rubidium atoms to
a few millionth of a
degree from absolute
zero (-273 degrees
Celsius). This will
allow them to conduct
research in quantum
computing.
Google Translate
is now in nine new
languages, including
Swahili and Afrikaans.
Go to http://
translate.google.
co.za/. The “Tools”
menu on Google Docs
now also includes a
“Translate Document”
feature.
READ
!
DIARISE THIS
The ins and outs of online trading
If you’ve always wanted to
venture onto the Internet to do
some online buying and selling,
but you haven’t had the know-how
or even any idea where to begin,
then this book is a must read.
Your Guide to Buying and Selling
on bidorbuy is a 256-pager that
starts with how to register on
bidorbuy, and goes on to covers
topics such as how to buy safely
and how to sell items at a profit.
Look out for it at Exclusive
Books. www.bidorbuy.co.za
Local career opportunities in the
film and TV industry
The Gauteng Film Commission
has published the Guide to
Getting Started in Film and TV.
It’s a free PDF download from
their Website www.gautengfilm.
2 October
box
FIFA 10 [PC, X, Wii,
org.za, and was compiled
with input from professionals
working in the industry. The
content includes the types of
career opportunities available
in the industry; the production
process and skills required
during each phase; tips on how
to get noticed, scholarship and
bursary opportunities available;
a detailed list of Gautengbased training and educational
providers; and support and
industry organisations active in
South Africa.
2
360, PS3, PS
DS, PSP]
World
As 2010 FIFA
rts to
Cup fever sta
A Sports
build in SA, E
s latest
is releasing it
game
football video
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
25
IN FOCUS
MSI Wind Top
AE2200 All-in-One PC
RRP: R10,999 | Distributor: Corex (010) 223-2220 | Online: www.corex.co.za
he “general purpose” PC is
developing a new identity as
the “all-in-one” category, and
such models combine desktop
and notebook PC technologies
T
to deliver something in-between.
The MSI Wind Top’s features and
specifications make it ideal for
media handling, Web browsing, and
other home applications.
REACH OUT
The integrated webcam can be used
for Internet video communications with
friends around the globe. The microphone
and headphone jacks allow a headset to
be connected, as required by whatever
videoconferencing software is being used.
GET TO GRIPS
The keyboard that ships with this model is
slick, attractive, and compact, and won’t take
up much desktop space. The keys themselves
are distinct, and have a very pleasant feel.
The mouse is very much aimed at entry-level
users, who aren’t expected to interact much
with the desktop (other users may opt to
connect a third-party mouse.)
HOOK IT UP
There is an impressive selection of
connectivity options. In terms of networking,
both wired Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi, up
to the new Draft-n standard, are available.
There are 6 USB ports, as well as the
abovementioned audio and HDMI. Additionally,
an external VGA monitor can be connected.
There are microphone jacks at both left and
rear. There is also an eSATA connector at the
rear, providing high-speed connectivity to
modern external hard drives.
UNDER THE HOOD
The Wind Top is powered by a Dual-Core Intel
processor. Reasonable gaming performance
is delivered by the ATI Radeon HD 4650
graphics card, which also delivers HighDefinition video. Memory comes in at 4GB,
and permanent storage comes in the form
of a 500GB hard drive. Despite the high
specs, the system features a low-powerconsumption, low-noise design.
26
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
GET IN TOUCH
To properly leverage the touch-screen, MSI
provides a touch-oriented user interface,
which grants access to several categories
of applications, including productivity,
entertainment, and others. This attractive
interface consists of large and distinctive
icons that animate slickly. Directly beneath
the screen is an array of illuminated touchsensitive hot-spots which provide controls
for screen brightness, volume, and the like.
HIGH DEFINITION
This 22-inch widescreen LCD delivers a
native resolution of 1920x1080, rendering
this system HD ready. Below the screen
there is a pair of integrated stereo speakers
adequate for desktop use. There are SPDIF
out and stereo analogue out ports, as well as
an HDMI, which carries its own audio, should
you choose to connect to a large-screen TV
or a projector.
IN FOCUS
Leica Pradovit D-1200
RRP: R135,000 | Distributor: Tudor Technology | Online: www.tudortech.co.za
DESIGN
TECHNOLOGY
The Leica Pradovit D-1200 is the first highend digital projector from Leica. It sports a
sexy magnesium body and weighs less than
3.5kg. The Leica Pradovit D-1200 is one of
the smallest HD projectors in its class.
Sporting DLP (digital light-processing)
technology, the image produced by this
projector is bright and crisp and allows you
to project at a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200
pixels. In terms of actual brightness, the
1,400 ANSI lumen rating will ensure that
you are able to project your photos, video or
presentation in almost any environment.
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
When it comes to connectivity, there are
almost no input options that this projector
doesn’t support. You can connect a PC or
notebook using the VGA and DVI ports, and
you can connect your DVD or Blu-ray player
via HDMI or composite connectors - this
method even allows you to connect your
game console for an out-of-this-world gaming
experience. It even has support for audio over
optical cable.
THE LAMP
IMAGE RANGE
The Leica Pradovit D-1200 can be used to
project an image at a range from one metre
to 15 metres and it is capable of producing a
screen width of between 0.5 metres and nine
metres. The image diagonals range from 0.6
metres to 11 metres.
28
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
Projector owners know the importance of
a good lamp. The Leica Pradovit D-1200 is
equipped with a 220W FusionPlus VIDI UHP
bulb from Philips, with a life expectancy of
approximately 3,000 hours for standard
applications and approximately 4,000 hours
for save-performance applications.
GROUP TEST
Objects
Desire
Of
MEET THE REVIEWERS
Neo:
Being a power user and having grown
accustomed to high-end desktop
computers, I’m used to a responsive
system that is not only stable, but reliable.
I spend many hours watching DVDs, playing
games and watching some HD content. A
notebook should have at least a DVI output
for me to consider it, and preferably an
HDMI output as well. Good audio quality
is also a must. While I might not use the
built-in speakers, they should, when called
upon, deliver clear and crisp audio. The
keyboard should also be well spaced and as
close to the standard, desktop QWERTY
keyboard as possible. Sufficient USB ports
are also necessary, since at any given time,
I might have up to five USB devices plugged
in. Besides the typical dual- or quad-core
CPU that some notebooks feature, more
important than the number of cores is the
amount of memory, as 2GB is the absolute
minimum in 2009.
Geoff:
Portability is my biggest concern when
it comes to notebooks. I hate being
attached to the wall socket, so battery
life is important - but the screen needs to
be bright and clear enough to make long
hours of typing or reading as painless as
possible. I like to browse the Net from
all over the house, so it’s important for a
notebook to be physically comfortable on
my lap, and small and light enough to be
moved around without too much hassle.
While it’s important for a notebook to
have multimedia capabilities, it needs to
deliver everything in a small package that
doesn’t get too hot or noisy. If a notebook
can manage all of that, while still managing
to deliver smooth video playback and the
occasional game, it gets my vote.
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Notebook computers have always been desirable
hardware. Besides the obvious benefits of
portability, lately they have become somewhat of
a fashion statement too, and some are practically
mobile entertainment units. This month, Geoff
Burrows and Neo Sibeko tested the best notebooks
money can buy, and bring you the low-down on
what you’ll get for your money.
egardless of what people use their
notebooks for, one thing is certain: every
notebook owner wishes their machine had more
power. This is the one area where progress
is slower than it is in the desktop space and
it has, for the most part, to do with battery
technology. While it is possible to cram just
about every component available for desktop
computers into a reasonably sized notebook,
the battery life would be dismal. While battery
technology improves at a less-than-impressive
rate, the power required for increasing
computational capability is faring much better.
Choosing a high-end notebook can often
be a difficult choice. Besides the usually
hefty price tag, settling on a brand and/
or specifications can be an equally daunting
task. People who need desktop-replacement
notebooks for gaming will often find
themselves disappointed by the options
available. However, if your requirements
include a power machine for office or design
R
work, then there are plenty of options to
choose from.
Apart from the system specifications, a
notebook’s usability will ultimately determine
how one feels about the device. A cramped
keyboard, sub-standard display or a track
pad that’s not sensitive enough will ruin
any notebook, regardless of how great the
hardware components are. The overall user
experience is what counts in the end.
High-end notebooks come in all shapes
and sizes, and this month we decided to
compare a variety of models classified as
‘high end’. Although these notebooks don’t
compete directly, these are the models you
will be looking at when searching for topof-the-line hardware. We not only looked at
the performance of each notebook, but we
also took into consideration ease of use,
aesthetics, and the overall user experience.
So, if you are in the market for a high-end
notebook, read on.
FINAL VERDICT
Neo:
If I had to pick a notebook, I would definitely
go with the Sony VGN-SR46: it is the
second most powerful notebook tested,
and also happens to be the cheapest. Not
only does it look great, but it also has great
features. The MSI is certainly the most
powerful and has just about everything you
could think of. The Sony unit strikes the
perfect balance between price, power and
functionality.
BENCHMARKS
The Last Remnant Benchmark
Download: http://downloads.guru3d.com
This is a real-time scripted
benchmark for the game The Last
Remnant . It’s typical of what a
modern-day game looks like. It leans
heavily on the graphics processor,
but also benefits from a fast CPU.
The higher the frame rate, the
better the experience. The bare
minimum in this context is 15fps.
3DMark06
Download: www.futuremark.com
3DMark has been the standard for
measuring system performance for
many years now. While it is mostly
used to measure next-generation
3D-rendering speed, it is an excellent
benchmark for overall system
performance: it has a separate
CPU test, which benefits from the
memory subsystem and obviously an
efficient and fast CPU. The higher the
CPU score, the better the system
performance. In 2009, nothing should
score lower than 1,000 points.
Geoff:
My pick is the Sony VGN-SR46: it’s small,
looks great and packs enough punch to
handle gaming and media playback. On
top of all of that, it’s the cheapest in this
roundup. While it’s not as powerful as the
GT729, the VAIO has a definite charm and
level of sophistication only rivalled by the
MacBook Pro.
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GROUP TEST
Lenovo ThinkPad X301
RRP: R27,499 | DISTRIBUTOR: Lenovo | ONLINE: www.lenovo.co.za
NEO:
In terms of
specifications,
the ThinkPad X301 and Toshiba
R600 are closely matched: they
have similar processors and their
performance is about equal.
However, the Lenovo has many
more features, which make it
more attractive. The notebook
not only features 3G-capability
and GPS functionality, but it also
has a display port output, despite
using an underpowered Intel GMA
graphics processor. With 2GB of
DDR3 memory and an excellent
120GB solid-state drive, it is
very responsive and has excellent
battery life. Where the X301 is
not so ‘convincing’ is in its design:
it definitely looks like something
from the mid 90s. It is the least
attractive out of all the notebooks
here. Other than the dreary looks,
there’s not much to fault the unit
on. It is not a match for the Sony
notebook and costs significantly
more, but the addition of a solid-
state drive and 3G-capability
means that you have Internet
access virtually anywhere where
you can get a GPRS/3G signal.
The benchmark results place
it just above the Toshiba unit;
but this is clearly a business
machine and in that context, it’s
a relatively good notebook.
Aesthetics: 1 | Performance: 3 | Features: 4 | Overall: 3
BENCHMARKS
3DMark06 CPU: 1,094
TLRB: 7.79fps
Aesthetics: 3 | Performance: 3 | Features: 5 | Overall: 3.5
GEOFF:
I If you’re
looking for a
notebook that you can expect to
last you for a while, the Lenovo
X301 might be just what you’re
after. It’s packed to the rafters
with useful, business-orientated
features, and offers excellent
mobility. For those who are
concerned about reliability, the
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X301 features a protective
roll cage (to keep its sensitive
innards safe during a tumble),
a spill-resistant keyboard, and
drop protection for models with
conventional hard drives (this
model’s SSD is naturally unaffected
by impact, much like a flash drive).
There are plenty of features for
the travelling businessperson
as well, including 3G, HSDPA
and optional GPS, as well as the
expected Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The
addition of backup software is a
welcome feature, and typing on
the comfortable keypad is made a
little easier in the dark thanks to
the built-in typing light. The rugged,
rubberised finish might not appeal to
everyone, but it gives the impression
of a machine that will last for ages.
While the performance is hardly
stellar, the device’s SSD does
improve operation in and around the
operating system, which makes
up for the reduced amount of
RAM. Overall, its performance
is completely acceptable, and
should be more than enough for
business use.
Sony VAIO VGN-SR46
SACM
BEST ON TEST
RRP: R14,999 | DISTRIBUTOR: Sony | ONLINE: www.sony.co.za
NEO:
The Sony VGN-SR46
is the least expensive
in this roundup, but in terms of
specifications, it’s a match for
the other notebooks. While it
features the Radeon 4570, it is
nonetheless a mobile part and the
performance numbers show in
TLRB with an average frame rate
of 7.14fps at the display’s highest
resolution of 1,280 x 800 - the
best playable resolution was at
720 x 480, which resulted in
18.35fps. The VGN-SR46 features
an HDMI output, and the graphics
processor supports full 1080p
HD acceleration, which makes it
perfect for watching DVDs and
HD video streams. The rest of the
specifications are good, with a
dedicated 512MB of VRAM, 2GB
of DDR2 RAM (the test unit came
with 4GB), and a respectable
320GB SATA hard drive. The
2.53GHz Core 2 CPU rounds off
the system well and delivers plenty
of performance. Not quite the ideal
desktop replacement, but at the
price you’d be hard-pressed to
find anything that’s significantly
better. It may not be the most
stylish notebook to emerge from
Sony, but it is without a doubt a
worthwhile notebook to consider if
you are looking for a powerful, yet
reasonably priced notebook.
Aesthetics: 3.5 | Performance: 4 | Features: 5 | Overall: 4.5
BENCHMARKS
3DMark06 CPU: 1430
TLRB: 18.35fps
Aesthetics: 4 | Performance: 4 | Features: 5 | Overall: 5
GEOFF:
Here we have
what one
might call a multimedia notebook. It
combines good specs with a small
form factor; meaning it’s light enough
to carry around with you, but doesn’t
‘panic’ when the need to play an HD
video or a quick game of Call of Duty
arises. The VGN-SR46 has stylish
looks, and feels very comfortable.
Using the keyboard might take some
getting used to, due to its individually
spaced keys, but they feel smooth
to type on, and the touchpad also
has a great feel to it. There’s also
plenty of power. Operation within
the OS, opening applications and
general office use are quite quick,
thanks to the beefy processor and
generous amount of RAM. On top
of the specs, this notebook also
has a good screen. It’s smaller than
the 15.4-inch standard you might
expect, but the screen has excellent
visual quality and a decent-enough
resolution of 1,366 x 768, which
is sufficient for browsing the Net
and typing documents. There’s
also a pretty generous software
bundle, including Adobe Photoshop
Elements and Premiere Elements.
The five quick-launch buttons (with
three modes) are customisable, and
are a nice touch. While it might not
‘live up to’ some mid-range gaming
desktops, there’s no reason why the
VGN-SR46 can’t replace your lowerend gaming machine or typical office
machine for day-to-day use, unless
the small screen size puts you off.
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33
GROUP TEST
MSI GT729
RRP: R21,999 | DISTRIBUTOR: Corex | ONLINE: www.corex.co.za
NEO:
MSI has a history
of manufacturing
gaming notebooks that can be
used as desktop replacements.
With each notebook they bring into
the market, the product is not only
more focused, but also features
much better specifications. This
is very evident in the GT729. It
is without question the most
powerful notebook here. The
component list is not comparable
with any other notebook, but
surprisingly enough, it’s not the
most expensive notebook. The
system sports 4GB of DDR3 RAM,
an ATI Radeon 4850 graphics
processor, a 500GB hard drive,
a Blu-ray Disc player, a 2MP
Webcam, a subwoofer and just
about anything you would expect
in a high-end desktop from a year
ago or so. While some may find
that it’s a little too big, it is a
desktop replacement and these
notebooks tend to be bulky. With
that, however, you receive a much
better screen, which means you
don’t necessarily have to plug in
an external display. If you wish to
make use of a display, the notebook
has an HDMI output. Overall, it’s
rather hard to fault this notebook
on anything. It truly is a desktop
replacement, suitable for even the
most demanding power users.
Aesthetics: 4 | Performance: 5 | Features: 5 | Overall: 5
BENCHMARKS
3DMark06 CPU: 3,024
TLRB: 40.1fps
Aesthetics: 3 | Performance: 5 | Features: 5 | Overall: 4
GEOFF:
Representing
the ‘true
gaming laptop’ segment is the
MSI GT729. It’s big, it’s heavy,
it eats batteries for breakfast,
and it packs the specifications
to make it all worth it. Looking
at the slick, black-and-red colour
scheme, you can tell that this
laptop means business. It’s
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imposing enough to take to a
LAN, but not gaudy or over
the top - it looks ‘just right’
for its size. And size it has,
in mountains. The widescreen
17-inch display can handle
resolutions usually reserved
for 20-inch desktop monitors;
which is a let-down, considering
just how dull the screen is. It’s
excellent for gaming but office
work on anything less than
around three-quarter brightness
just isn’t sufficiently readable for
my liking. Features are aplenty
here, most notably in the form
of a Blu-ray optical drive; which
makes this device perfect as a
multimedia work horse. Gaming
is obviously excellent on the
GT729: it’s capable enough to
render games on the higher
quality settings and still deliver
perfect frame rates, and doesn’t
turn its nose up at high-end
design work either. If you’re
looking to replace almost any
desktop system with a portable
version, this is one machine to
pay attention to.
Toshiba R600
RRP: R23,370 | DISTRIBUTOR: Toshiba | ONLINE: www.toshiba.co.za
NEO:
Toshiba’s R600
is the most
underpowered notebook here.
However, it is actually an
ultra-mobile notebook, and
in that context, it’s great.
It features a 1.2GHz CPU,
160GB hard drive and 2GB of
RAM. The unit has respectable
specifications for an ultra
mobile,but 3DMark06 was
unable to run and resulted in
a system reboot, and TLRB
delivered a pitiful 7.3fps at a
low 800 x 600 resolution. No
matter the resolutions, the
frame rate would not improve,
so gaming is definitely not an
option on this unit. It looks
good, but with the small 12inch display, it is just out of
place and is without question
the worst entry of them all.
The R600 is certainly not to
be recommended for anything
other than basic office work,
very old games and watching a
few DVD movies once in a while.
For anything else, it’s best to
look somewhere else, as there’s
certainly much better value in
the other notebooks.
Aesthetics: 4 | Performance: 1 | Features: 1 | Overall: 2
BENCHMARKS
3DMark06 CPU: N/A
TLRB: 7.3fps
Aesthetics: 2 | Performance: 2 | Features: 2 | Overall: 3
GEOFF:
“Small
notebooks
need small specs” is a mantra I can
almost hear the Toshiba engineers
chanting as they developed the
R600. On a quiet day, “Lightweight
means cheap-feeling plastic”
echoes in the distance. The R600
is a strange notebook because it
costs at least four times more
than a similar-performing netbook.
Yet, aside from the inclusion of
an optical drive, it delivers no
massive advantage over it. It’s
not slow, by any means; merely
acceptable, moving through the
operating system and applications
at a decent pace. While the looks
might appeal to some, the plastic
feels flimsy and leaves the upper
part of the unit a little ‘bendy’. It is
small, however, which is certainly
a good thing when it comes to the
ultra-portable market. The screen’s
resolution matches that of the
Sony’s, delivering crisp visuals and
plenty of viewing area for Websites
and documents. The R600’s biggest
draw card is its weight. At a little
over one kilogram, it’s small and
light enough to be popped into your
briefcase or bag. If that’s exactly
what you need from a notebook,
and don’t like the idea of buying a
netbook, the R600 might just do it
for you. I can’t imagine it replacing
your desktop, however, unless you’re
on the road constantly and need a
device on which to perch for an hour
or so each night.
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35
GROUP TEST
Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch
RRP: R25,499 | DISTRIBUTOR: Core Group | ONLINE: www.zastore.co.za
NEO:
If there ever
were an obvious
notebook that would be a
suitable desktop replacement,
it would be the MacBook Pro.
Yes, it’s an entirely different
platform to the others, but it is
amongst the most powerful and
is actually the equivalent of the
Sony notebook, save for the use
of a NVIDIA 9400 instead of the
Radeon 4570. It features a duallayer DVD reader, Webcam, Mini
DisplayPort (needs a separate
adapter), FireWire connectivity
and just about anything you
would expect in a high-end
notebook. The brilliance of the
MacBook Pro, though, is in how it
all comes together. The system
is incredibly quick, and there’s a
host of features hidden behind
the simple interface of the
operating system. While we were
not able to run any benchmarks
on the MacBook, what is very
apparent is the speed at which
everything operates on the
notebook. In fact, it seemed
faster than all the others, save
for the MSI unit. This could be
OS X, the notebook components
or a combination, but it is
definitely a pleasure to work on
and certainly would be a great
desktop replacement should
you need it to be. It may be the
second heaviest notebook here,
but it more than makes up for its
weight in everything else.
Aesthetics: 5 | Performance: 4 | Features: 4 | Overall: 4
BENCHMARKS
3DMark06 CPU: N/A
TLRB: N/A
Aesthetics: 4 | Performance: 4 | Features: 5 | Overall: 4
GEOFF:
It’s clear
that the
MacBook Pro is out to take
the high-end notebook market
head-on, with its powerful
specs and traditional nearclinical minimalism. The device
is quick and it performs quite
well. It’s not a tiny device, or
a particularly light one; but
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then, it’s not aiming to fit
into your handbag. Its goal
is to perform the duty of a
mid-range desktop, which
it does admirably. All of the
standard and extra features
are expectedly present, making
for a decent-enough selection,
especially when compared to
the (almost) no-frills offering
of the Toshiba R600. The large,
multi-touch track pad makes
movement through the OS a
breeze, allowing for intuitive
gestures to perform certain
tasks. The keyboard is also
of excellent quality, and looks
fantastic in backlit black
against the rest of the device’s
stark, silver housing. It’s also
incredibly quiet, especially
during regular office work when
the processor isn’t being taxed
too heavily. While the MacBook
Pro 15-inch is fairly wide, it’s
extremely thin, which makes it
seem lighter than it really is,
making for a very comfortable
and easily transportable
notebook.
HARDWARE REVIEW
Yeastar MyPBX
DIY VoIP goes hybrid
RRP: R4,695 | DISTRIBUTOR: Scoop Distribution | ONLINE: www.scoop.co.za
oing VoIP’ as an SME sounds really
appealing on paper. Substantial cost
savings, total elimination of inter-branch onNet communication costs, and various funky
new features that come with the new voice
transmission protocol and its management
systems are all good things.
The problem is that to migrate to VoIP,
you either need to build your communications
structure around the tech from the start,
or migrate your existing systems in one huge
expensive chunk, or run both a regular PSTN
service and the new VoIP carrier side by side,
thus actually increasing your bills as well as
the complexity of the system. As an SME,
after all, your communications infrastructure
is probably your most critical ICT asset, and
any failures will ‘cost’ business. You really
need to be able to mix the convenience and
cost savings of VoIP with the reliability and
simple abundance of legacy PSTN.
Yeastar reckons it has the solution in its
MyPBX hardware-based ‘Hybrid VoIP’ IPPBX. This little unit will integrate PSTN and
SIP-carrier trunks as well as conventional
analogue or IP-based handsets, allowing you
to migrate in stages without fear of bringing
your all-important communications system
'G
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crashing down for who knows how long. You
then define which outgoing calls use which
trunk for precise cost management, and it
will happen regardless of what sort of device
the user is holding in his or her hand - your
newer IP phones or traditional analogue
handsets will sport the same system
features and can be routed from or to using
the same rule set.
So, just like a regular PBX, this is basically
a router for phone lines. At the back, there
are 16 RJ-11 ports - eight for PSTN lines
(FXO) and eight for conventional analogue
handsets (FXS). There is also a pair of
10/100 RJ-45 ports to link it up to your LAN
infrastructure, on which you could have any
number of IP Phones or SoftPhones. (Yeastar
suggests a limit of 100, although the device
set-up menus indicate that it can handle
more. More than 100 IP Phones running
over a 10/100Mbps LAN, or 4MB ADSL
link for that matter, probably wouldn’t be a
good idea.) The LAN is also your link to your
Internet connection as the ultimate carrier
for your IP telephony traffic.
As a professional, business-orientated
device, the Yeastar MyPBX is chock-full of
options. The administrator is placed in full
control of absolutely every facet of your
voice communications infrastructure: from
defining extension numbers to establishing
call groups and call routing options to take
advantage of these groups. For those on
bandwidth-limited connections, you can
adjust the compression from conventional
PSTN a-law or u-law codecs (running at
64Kbps in both directions) to the somewhat
lower-quality GSM codec (13.3Kbps in both
directions).
All the functions of a conventional PBX
are built into the MyPBX, including an
Automated Assistant with customisable
IVR, full voicemail support with the option
of forwarding voice mails to e-mail accounts
straight from the MRI (MyPBX Recording
Interface), and it provides easy call
conferencing regardless of the source. It is a
richly featured PBX.
And it’s all accessed via an at-firstintimidating but very comprehensive Web
management console, which by default will
start on the status of your telecoms network
summarised on one page, detailing the status
of every configured trunk and extension.
Naturally, the unit is not locked-in to any
providers and will make use of any SIP trunk
Edit names and ID tags associated with each and
every extension for smoother communication channels
IN DETAIL
What is this?
An all-in-one VoIP box with useful
support for legacy devices.
you have access to with the right details
entered.
Speaking of SIP providers, just search for
“SA SIP providers” and you’ll get a decent
listing. You can browse and sign up with the
provider of your choice – they range from
the biggest guns in SA networking down to
small, localised players. These professional
services will be the easiest way to go, and
are generally quite affordable, but have a bit
of a shop around.
Otherwise, of course, there are even
cheaper options about. This being the middle
of the bumpiest recession in world history,
I went for the latter when I realised that
the only VoIP provider I was already signed
up with was Vox, and they don’t provide
standalone SIP accounts - it has to go
through their connectivity hardware. You
can try IPTel, or SIP2SIP or FonoSIP, which
is a pay-per-use service. There’s also a local
alternative from Rheid Communications, and
Yeastar even offers a software-based, SIPto-Skype trunking solution, which we don’t
have on hand; but I’d imagine wouldn’t be too
tough to configure with the MyPBX.
Establishing the PSTN trunks is a lot
easier; just remember to reset the Tone
Region under General Settings from its
default to the South African setting. As
a whole, it’s really rather easy to set up
and configure. If you’re a bit worried about
setting up such a critical part of your small
business yourself, get an IT professional to do
it, and he or she should have no real problems
with this device.
For such a reasonable investment, you
can bring new professionalism to a chaotic
communications environment while managing
your communications costs far more
effectively. Yes, it’s the normal IP-PBX sales
line, but the flexibility of this hybrid system
does make for a far easier migration and
brings the worlds of IP and PSTN-based
telephony together quite seamlessly.
Considering the affordable nature of the
hardware itself, someone with decent ICT
ability can set up and establish his or her own
highly efficient office solution (or will be able
to afford to pay an IT pro for a few hours if
need be). And correctly setting up a system
like this will likely save you at least as much
as it costs in a year, depending, of course,
entirely on the volumes of communications
passing through your office.
– Russell Bennett
Plus
+ Total configurability of every element
+ User-independent VoIP routing
Minus
– Requires some networking
knowledge
Specs/Features
8 x FXS ports
8 x FXO ports
2 x 10/100Mbps LAN
Native IVR and Automated Attendant
MRI for voicemail, call recording
Factory reset button
Alternatives
Cisco/Linksys VoIP routers
Yeastar’s MyPBX is ideal for the SME
and makes setting up a digital PBX
system relatively straight forward.
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39
HARDWARE REVIEW
LED backlighting means a more
even backlight, thinner screen,
and lower power draw
Gesture-based touch interface
opens up new possibilities
IN DETAIL
Acer Aspire Timeline 4810T
Slim and light, yet goes the distance
RRP: R8,999 | DISTRIBUTOR: Acer | ONLINE: www.acer.co.za
otebooks are constantly gaining ground on
their desktop counterparts, a trend that
makes perfect sense, given that a notebook offers
advantages in terms of portability and versatility.
However, not everyone expects the same things
from a laptop. Some people may desire a desktop
replacement; and in such cases, what they need
is a fairly bulky unit in order for it to be able to
accommodate a similar level of performance. On
the other end of the spectrum, we have what have
become known as netbooks: the very small and
extremely portable devices that are generally about
half the size of a typical notebook, used primarily for
Internet access and basic everyday tasks. In the
middle ground between, we find the ‘typical notebook’.
What do most people want a notebook for?
We can generalise that to be office work, e-mail,
Internet browsing, perhaps a basic game or
two, and maybe to play some movies (often to
a connected monitor of some sort). For such
applications, very high specifications are not
required – in fact, if anything, they would go to
waste (the term “overkill” is often used in such
scenarios). But what is desirable in such instances
is a unit that is comfortable to use, light and
compact, and one that can operate without AC
power for a respectable amount of time. This is
exactly what this model delivers.
The model we reviewed weighs in at around 2kg
N
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(the other models in the product line range between
1.6kg and 2.4kg), which is pleasantly light. It is
also very slim, largely due to its LED-backlit LCD,
which renders it incredibly thin (and yet, it doesn’t
feel flimsy). This LED-lit approach also results
in another excellent benefit: it draws a lot less
power. In this regard, this notebook truly shines.
It ‘advertises’ 8+ hours of battery life, and I must
say I was initially sceptical. But, with a typical
usage model (doing some work in Word, browsing
the Internet while connected to my home network
via Wi-Fi, and with the Wi-Fi connection active
even while the notebook was idle), I found that the
battery life approached ten hours. This, for me, is
unprecedented, and truly blew me away!
The Timeline 4810T doesn’t feature gaminggrade specs, but this is okay. In fact, the ‘weaker’
CPU and graphics are ‘responsible’, along with the
LED-lit LCD, for the unit’s power efficiency (along
with intelligent power-saving profiles that can be
activated). And as for comfort, I have no complaints
either. The keyboard, in fact, is unusually
comfortable, and also looks great with its unusuallooking design. The touchpad supports gesture
commands, which is also pretty neat. Input/output
ports are adequate, and this unit even includes
HDMI out, so you can hook it up to an HDTV to
watch movies.
– Alex Jelagin
What is this?
A general-purpose notebook that offers
exceptional mobility.
Plus
+ Slim and light
+ Good battery life
+ Strong Wi-Fi reception
Minus
– Only three USB ports
Specs/Features
CPU: Intel Core 2 Solo 1.4GHz
Memory: 2GB DDR3
Hard Drive: 320GB
Graphics: Intel GMA 4500M HD
Operating System: Windows Vista
Home Premium
• Display: 14-inch HD LCD (1,366 x
768)
•
•
•
•
•
Alternatives
Lenovo IdeaPad U350
For anyone who needs computing on
the go, where extreme performance
is not required, but battery longevity
is important, this is a good choice. The
low power draw also means it runs
cooler, so it won’t burn your lap. At
last, a true laptop.
HARDWARE REVIEW
The hinge mechanism that keeps the
slider in place feels really solid
The 5-megapixel digital camera
automatically activates when the
camera slider is opened
IN DETAIL
What is this?
The N97 is a multimedia and Internet
phone that offers plenty of features
and a keyboard to make messaging
easier.
Nokia N97
Plus
Nokia finally has a device for the iPhone generation
Minus
RRP: R7,999 | DISTRIBUTOR: Nokia | ONLINE: www.nokia.co.za
t has been a while since I got really excited about
a Nokia smartphone: the E71 definitely filled the
gap, but as an Internet-connected device, it didn’t
really ‘live up’ to be a serious contender in this
space.
From a design point of view, the N97 is a sexy
device, albeit a tad bulky. The extra thickness
is because of the full QWERT Y keyboard hidden
under the LCD. The keyboard elegantly slides out
when the screen is pushed back. The screen is
permanently tilted at an angle when the keyboard
is revealed; and the screen automatically rotates
to landscape mode, making surfing the Internet or
typing mails much easier. The keys are small and
take a while to get used to, but as with any phone
keyboard, it is easily mastered. To the left of the
keyboard, you will find a D-pad that ‘acts’ similar to
a mouse, making it easy to navigate the Internet or
the phone menu.
The built-in 5-megapixel digital camera is also
one of the better built-in cameras we have come
across - the built-in flash works well for subjects
close to the camera, but outdoors this camera
delivers great pictures. As one would expect, there
is plenty of on-board memory that can be used to
capture video and store applications. At 32GB, you
can even store your music collection on your phone.
If you do have loads of music on your phone, you will
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+ 3.5-inch wide LCD
+ Customisable Home Screen
+ Camera quality
love the built-in FM transmitter too. This handy
feature allows you to listen to your music over your
car or home radio quite easily.
The reason why this is touted as an iPhone
competitor is because you are able to place
application widgets on the Home Screen. There
are loads of apps to download for free or purchase
from the Ovi Store (https://store.ovi.com) and it
supports all of the social-media tools as well as the
Nokia Music Store.
Having used this phone for just over a month now,
I am pleased to say that I love the user experience.
Having access to applications such as Facebook,
my news feeds and e-mail, right from the desktop,
makes a huge difference to how I interact with
the software. I also had no problem setting up my
Hosted Exchange and Google mail accounts. The
touch-sensitive screen works well and there is no
real need for the external stylus that bundles with
the phone. The only criticism I have is that the
software could have been a little more responsive
when navigating it using the touch-screen interface.
The Nokia N97 is certainly one of the best
multimedia smartphones to hit the market this
year; and if Nokia improves the software and brings
down the prices of apps on the Ovi Store, this could
be Nokia’s best iPhone killer yet.
– Regardt van der Berg
– Touch-screen sensitivity
Specs/Features
• Operating System: S60 5th Edition,
Symbian OS v9.4
• Memory: 32GB
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, HSDPA
• GPS: A-GPS
• Weight: 150g
• Dimensions: 117.2mm × 55.3mm
× 15.9mm
Alternatives
HTC Dream
iPhone 3GS
It is good to see that Nokia has finally
developed a phone that can compete
with other smartphones on the market.
The keyboard and touch-screen
combination offers a lot of flexibility
when it comes to using the product,
and if you want a mobile phone that
truly shines as an Internet connected
device, then this is it.
HARDWARE REVIEW
1.3MP Webcam offers
better-than-average quality
Memory Stick Pro slot
IN DETAIL
What is this?
Ultra-portable netbook with Sony’s
build quality and style.
Sony VAIO W115XG Netbook
Sony enters the netbook market with their trusted VAIO branding
RRP: R5,999 | DISTRIBUTOR: Sony | ONLINE: www.sony.co.za
y now, netbooks are not new to anybody. Every
single notebook manufacturer has at least one
netbook in their line-up, and some even have several
lines of netbooks. And understandably so, since this
is the one market segment that continues to grow
despite the economic downturn and the general
slowdown in PC sales.
Sony has a rather impressive history with the
VAIO range of ultra-portable notebooks, in terms
of looks, performance and attention to detail.
With the W series, Sony has continued in the
same tradition, it seems. The W115 not only looks
aesthetically impressive, but also features one of
the best displays we’ve ever seen on a netbook.
Given Sony’s expertise in displays in general, it’s
no surprise that the unit we tested had vibrant
colours, a brilliant contrast ratio and was in general
a pleasure to use.
As with all netbooks, it features a 1.3MP
Webcam; but with the Sony unit, quality is once
again better than expected, which can probably be
attributed to Sony’s expertise in virtually all things
visual.
The specifications are as one would expect of
most netbooks on the market. It makes use of
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Intel’s Atom N280 CPU. The CPU in our test unit
was clocked at 1.6GHz, which resulted in a very
responsive system, with performance boosted by
the 1GB of high-speed DDR2 memory instead of the
512MB you find in some other units.
Windows XP Home Edition came preloaded on
the system, with McAfee antivirus software and
a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office 2007. Sony has
done a stellar job at not bundling or pre-installing
less-than-useful software like other manufacturers
do with their netbooks in an attempt to add value
to their products, which ends up slowing down boot
and shutdown times.
Overall, the W115 is a good showing of what one
can expect of the VAIO W series. Hopefully we will
see an ION-based version of the netbook. But until
then, this will have to do. If you’re in the market
for a netbook but want something that stands
out a little from the plethora of netbooks on the
market, the VAIO W115 is where you may want to
start looking. It doesn’t offer anything significantly
better than what you can get from another
manufacturers’ products, but it does look much
better than what competitors have to offer.
– Neo Sibeko
Plus
+ Intel Atom Processor N280 (1.66GHz)
+ 1GB of RAM
Minus
– Not unique in any way
Specs/Features
• CPU: Intel Atom Processor N280
(1.6GHz) dual-core CPU
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 RAM
• Hard Drive: 160GB 5,400rpm drive
• Operating System: Windows XP
Home Edition SP3
• Display: 10.1-inch (1,366 x 768)
Alternatives
Dell Mini i9 netbook
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
There’s nothing really unique enough
about this netbook to separate it from
the plethora of others with exactly the
same specs. The display is, however,
amongst the best available on the
market, and that makes the W115XG
one of the more desirable netbooks
around.
HARDWARE REVIEW
An optional, external DVD writer is
available, which lets you burn your videos
directly to disc without the need for a PC
Video output is in the MTS file format,
but the bundled software can convert
this to any format you want
Canon LEGRIA HF S100
Shoot Digital HD like a Pro
f you’re a home-video enthusiast who’s been thinking
about moving up a notch and taking your video quality
to the next level, it’s time to go full HD. While it’s
certainly possible to spend R30,000 and upwards on
a high-end camera, it wouldn’t hurt to get the quality,
customisability and a collection of the features from
such a device in a package that’s smaller, cheaper
(although hardly ‘cheap’) and easy to use. This is
exactly where the Canon LEGRIA HF S100 fits.
The most notable feature of this camera is its
support for video capture at a resolution of 1,920
x 1,080. Of course, the device needs to have the
other hardware to back up that resolution to
ensure top quality, and here, the LEGRIA doesn’t
disappoint. Video quality is fantastic, only really
slipping in poor lighting conditions (which is aided
somewhat by the built-in spotlight), where it tends
to become a little grainy. The process of capturing
video is a breeze, with easy access to settings
while recording. There are also a few features for
editing videos and setting up playlists directly on
the device, which is handy when using the device
to play back footage directly to a TV or monitor
(courtesy of the HDMI output). The LEGRIA even
has support for additional devices such as an
external light or microphone, as well as a tripod.
The LEGRIA can also function as a still camera,
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What is this?
A high-quality camcorder for the
budding professional.
Plus
RRP: R14,999 | DISTRIBUTOR: Canon | ONLINE: www.canon.co.za
I
IN DETAIL
capable of taking photos of up to 8MP. As you
might expect from the video quality, the photo
quality is also quite impressive. There is a built-in
flash to help with low-light shots, as well as a dualshot mode that lets users take 6MP snaps while
recording video.
There are a few issues with the HF S100. The
most glaring problem will be encountered before
you even switch on the device, as it’s pretty
obvious that the package contents are somewhat
lacking. There’s no memory card (although the
slightly pricier HF S10 includes 32GB of built-in
memory), no HDMI cable, no shoulder strap, nor
even a carry case. At least there’s a battery in
the box. The bundled software is also a bit of a
headache, prone to crashing and simply ’doing
nothing’ when tasked to do things like open the
editing studio. A few strange design decisions are
worth mentioning: the device is only detected by
the computer when connected via the rear USB
ports, and the power is required to be connected
when in USB mode. Additionally, you’ll need to have
a Class 4 SD Card if you want full HD - anything
less only supports resolutions up to 1,440 x 1,080
at a quality setting of 12Mbps, but this should be
ample for most users.
– Geoff Burrows
+ Great quality video and photos
+ Loads of features
Minus
– Disappointing bundle
Specs/Features
• Video: Full HD (1,920 x 1,080),
Up to 24Mbps
• Still: 8MP
• Output: HDMI
• Storage: SD Card support up to
32GB
Alternatives
Sony HDR - CX12
(R11,999)
While there are a few problems with
the package and software that come
with the LEGRIA, there is very little at
fault with the main part of the device
itself. It delivers excellent quality, ease
of use and tons of features.
HARDWARE REVIEW
The LED can be enabled or
disabled – the latter for more
discreet surveillance
The stand can be
used normally, or
wall-mounted
Compro
VideoMate
IP50W Network
Camera
IN DETAIL
What is this?
Now you can be Big Brother – and watch (digitally)
RRP: R1,099 | DISTRIBUTOR: Frontosa | ONLINE: www.frontosa.co.za
igital technology makes possible and
accessible a whole lot of things that previously
required specialised, and usually expensive,
equipment. Take, for example, CCTV (closedcircuit television). Previously, one would need not
only the cameras, but also appropriate cabling
and a specialised monitoring and recording unit
(something like a fancy but disproportionately
pricey VCR). Nowadays, computer networks are
very commonplace, so it makes sense to use that
existing infrastructure for security surveillance.
That’s where IP cameras come in: they connect
to a network (wired or wireless, depending on the
camera model – this particular one can handle
either) and their stream can be inspected on any
computer with the appropriate credentials.
The IP50W (the W denotes that it is wirelesscapable) needs to be connected via a wired network
in order to be configured (this is standard for such
devices). A utility is included to ‘sniff out’ Compro
IP cameras on the network. Viewing the feed itself
can be done from the included application, or in a
Web browser (this requires the installation of an
ActiveX control). The user is required to log in with
a valid username and password, thus preventing
unauthorised spying. Configuration is generally
straightforward, but can be a bit flaky. Basically,
if you are not fairly conversant with networks, it
may be a good idea to get someone who is to set
this up for you. The viewing utility allows up to
ten simultaneous feeds, effectively turning the
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computer into a veritable security centre.
The camera’s physical attributes are
predominantly good, with a very sensitive
microphone. The camera can record at resolutions
of up to 640 x 480, its low-light capabilities are
excellent, and there is a low-light mode to further
improve on that, albeit at the cost of frame rate.
The viewing angle is narrower than I might have liked
– at 46 degrees, it is not adequate to cover a whole
room even if mounted in a corner. I understand that
Compro want to sell more of these cameras, but,
seriously, 46 degrees is too narrow – 60 degrees
would have been okay.
Where this product truly shines is in its
recording and alerting mechanisms. With the
application running, you can set it to record on
a schedule, continuously, or upon triggering of a
variety of events. These events include motion
being detected in the view field, a change of scene
based on addition or removal of items, detection
of a human face (even if still), or detection of
sound. The software constantly keeps a buffer of
the recent stream, allowing it to be quite smart:
the recording starts a few seconds before the
event that triggered it (and no, this is not magic
– the abovementioned buffer makes this possible).
Furthermore, such events can be programmed to
send an alert, such as sending an e-mail or a text
message, or to play an alert sound (which includes a
variety of sirens and the like).
– Alex Jelagin
A camera that connects to the network
and can be viewed from authorised
computers.
Plus
+ Versatile mount
+ Good low-light visibility
+ Powerful software
Minus
– Configuration requires familiarity
with networks
– Narrow field of view
Specs/Features
•
•
•
•
Wireless: 802.11b/g
Resolution: Up to 640 x 480
Frame Rate: Up to 30fps
Viewing Angle: 46 degrees of arc,
horizontal
• Formats: Motion JPEG, MPEG-4
• Min. Illumination: 1.0 lux
• Wall-mounting capability
Alternatives
Logitech Indoor Security Camera
Despite a narrow field of view,
this camera delivers good overall
functionality. Its software is
particularly powerful, allowing several
of these devices to form a complete
video-surveillance security system.
HARDWARE REVIEWS
Genius G-Shot HD520
IN DETAIL
RRP: R1,499 | DISTRIBUTOR: TVR Computers | ONLINE: www.tvr.co.za
hen money’s tight and your creative urges
call to you, budget-range products are
often appealing. This camera, for example, might
look like an instant hit on paper, but doesn’t
perform as well as it should.
Video quality is poor, providing grainy shots
indoors and blurry shots outdoors. There’s
no optical zoom, so you’ll have to rely on the
(not-too-terrible, but less-than-desirable)
digital zoom or your trusty feet if you need
close-ups. The focus can be adjusted between
two presets: macro and landscape, which
leaves mid-distance objects suffering from
lack of focus sometimes. Not even the audio
quality is decent – generating a just-audible
buzz during all recordings. As a saving grace,
the still camera isn’t actually too bad; it even
has a built-in flash.
W
There are
plenty of
strange design
quirks to go
with the poor
quality video.
The device can
also function
as an MP3
player (although
it can’t play
files while
you’re doing
anything else,
like recording video),
voice recorder and e-book reader (without
PDF support). The zoom and focus buttons
are in a strange place, requiring the use
MSI G31TM-P35
H
DIP switches instead of the normal BIOS
overclocking options. Some systems will
work with the overclocked settings and
other won’t. But if it does work, it will be the
easiest and simplest way to gain additional
performance without having to ‘learn’ about
the overclocking process.
Overall, this is a basic motherboard, aimed at
those on a shoestring budget.
– Neo Sibeko
Leadtek WinFast
PalmTop DTV200 H
V-tuner and FM add-on cards for the
desktop PC seem to be something that
is readily available but not broadly adopted.
This month, the first time in nearly three
years, I tested a TV tuner for my PC and I
was pleasantly surprised with the results.
The Leadtek WinFast PalmTop DTV200 H is an
external USB TV tuner and FM radio receiver,
which allows you to watch and record TV on
your PC or notebook. The software, although
mediocre, is easy to use and configure, and
I was watching a local broadcast channel
in next to no time. Although the bundled
antenna does the job, plugging the unit into a
more powerful antenna certainly did the trick
and the reception thereafter was beautiful.
+ Decent still camera
+ HD recording
– Poor quality video
– Poor audio quality
Specs/Features
•
•
•
•
Video: Recording up to 1,280 x 720
Still: Photo capture up to 11MP
Output: HDMI, AV and USB
Storage: Up to 8GB SD Card support
A budget-range palmcorder that should suffice if
you’re just getting started with video recording,
and aren’t too fussy about quality.
of both hands to operate the device if you
want a steady shot. Otherwise, it’s a fairly
comfortable camera to hold, but has a rather
cheap feel.
– Geoff Burrows
Plus
Minus
+ Easy OC switch
+ All Solid Capacitors
+ USB Safeguard
– Limited graphics
chipset
Specs/Features
• CPU Support: Intel Pentium 4 / Core 2 (LGA775)
• Chipset: Intel G31 Express + ICH7
• Memory Support: 2 x DDR2 667/800MHz
The G31TM-P35 motherboard is ideal for those
on a tight budget looking for a basic work or HTPC
motherboard.
IN DETAIL
RRP: R850 | DISTRIBUTOR: Corex | ONLINE: www.corex.co.za
T
Minus
IN DETAIL
RRP: R499 | DISTRIBUTOR: Corex | ONLINE: www.corex.co.za
ome theatre PC motherboards are plentiful.
From high-end ones supporting assisted
graphics-acceleration technologies (e.g., SLI
Boost), to the very low-end ones that are
intended for systems that will be used mainly
for basic video functions, they all have their
intended user and a corresponding price point.
The G31TM-P35 is one of the boards at the
lower end of the scale. It features an older P35based chipset, and as such makes use of the
GMA 3100 graphics chipset – the GMA 3100.
There’s no HDMI, DVI or display port out; just
the regular VGA D-sub output – the integrated
graphics chip doesn’t support any form of DVD
or HD video acceleration.
The G31TM-P35 does, however, feature
a nice overclocking feature, which uses
Plus
The PalmTop DTV200 H can be configured to
work like a PVR decoder, and you can even
connect it as a secondary TV on your DStv
PVR or dual-view decoder should you wish to
watch DStv on your PC or notebook. For this
to work, you will need an antenna extension
to where your PC is. The kit also bundles
with a remote control that can be used with
Windows Media Center - a handy bonus.
– Regardt van der Berg
Plus
Minus
+ PVR functionality
+ Dual-function remote
– Software needs
better UI design
Specs/Features
Supports: DVB-T TV, analogue TV and FM radio
System Requirements
Processor: 2.8GHz processor or faster
RAM: 256MB or more
This hybrid TV box will allow you to watch TV or listen
to FM radio on your desktop PC or notebook. The
PalmTop DTV200 H can also be used to connect to a
VCR, video camera, and even certain game consoles.
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
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HARDWARE REVIEW
Display shows operating temperature
and fan speed
Maintenance-free
liquid-cooling system
CoolIT Systems Domino
A.L.C. CPU Cooler
Self-contained liquid-cooling system for your CPU
RRP: R999 | DISTRIBUTOR: Phoenix Software | ONLINE: www.phoenixsoftware.co.za
nthusiasts have employed water-cooling for
more than ten years now. Over the years, the
performance has improved; and installing these
systems has also been simplified.
CoolIT is only the second company to bring
water-cooling to the common person - gamer or
not. Anybody who can mount a traditional heat sink
on a CPU can now enjoy the numerous benefits
of a water-cooled system. Not only does watercooling allow for lower operating temperatures and
reduced noise levels, but water-cooling – according
to some – also increases CPU lifespan, which is
always welcome (especially now with the warmer
months upon us).
The Domino A.L.C. unit is a self-contained,
maintenance-free water-cooling system. It
literarily isn’t any more difficult to install than a
regular air cooler with a back plate. Everything
that one needs to cool the CPU is contained in
one unit, which works as the radiator, reservoir
and pump. For additional convenience, the display
and the fan are also attached to the same unit,
meaning that only two parts need to be installed.
The CPU block needs to be mounted and the
main unit mounted on the side or rear of the case.
Once that is done, it’s only a matter of plugging
the power cable into one of your motherboards
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fan headers and turning on the system. You don’t
need to do leak testing, bleeding of the system and
other such procedures. It is truly a plug-and-play
cooling system.
Given the dimensions of the parts, it will
obviously not outperform one of the more
specialist or DIY water-cooling kits on the market.
However, these don’t feature the maintenancefree functionality of the Domino A.L.C. system. For
sheer convenience, we have to give the system top
marks, as most will be able to install it within ten
minutes (you’ll need nothing but a screwdriver at
most).
It managed to keep an overclocked i7 CPU cool,
even through several loops of intense benchmarks;
and most certainly performed better than our
chosen Thermalright Ultra 120 air cooler. It was
also very quiet, even with the fan setting turned
up to its maximum rotational speed.
If you’re in the market for an air cooler for one
of the more recent CPUs like the i7, the Domino
A.L.C. is certainly worth looking at, as it will
outperform all air coolers, but still remain whisper
quiet and have looks to match. With the Domino
A.L.C. cooling system, there’s no need to buy an
air cooler any more.
– Neo Sibeko
IN DETAIL
What is this?
Self-regulated liquid-cooling system.
Plus
+ Cooling performance
+ Easy to install
Minus
– Short tubing
Specs/Features
• CPU Support: AMD AM2/AM2+/
AM3 / Intel LGA775/1366
• Noise Levels: 19.2dBA - 39.4dBA
• Fan Speed: 1,030rpm - 2,550rpm
• Radiator Dimensions: 157mm x
133mm x 25mm
• Weight: 562g
Alternatives
Koolance Exos-Al
Corsair H50 CPU Cooler
The Domino A.L.C. CPU Cooler is the
simplest and easiest-to-install watercooling solution available. It may not
have the performance of dedicated DIY
units, but its performance is better
than what any air cooler can provide.
HARDWARE REVIEWS
Skullcandy Hesh
IN DETAIL
RRP: R699 | DISTRIBUTOR: Luks Brands | ONLINE: www.skullcandy.com
kullcandy is a brand that is well known for
high-end products, featuring both good
audio fidelity and a variety of styling options.
Pretty much anybody can find a pair whose
aesthetics they like, from subdued, elegant
designs, to some that are decorated over the
top, in a variety of themes that includes pop
culture genres, sports, music bands – you
name it. Sometimes they come with random
little extras: one of the GI series, for example,
comes with (oddly enough) a pouch containing a
bottle opener, while the new Metallica-themed
pair is bundled with an album from the band!
As suggested above, Skullcandy products
(ranging from ear buds upward) all feature
uniformly good sound quality. The pair I tested
delivered excellent clarity, though bass
frequencies (while reproduced) were a bit weak.
S
This is something that is
very difficult to get right
in headphones: they lack
the size to reproduce the
very low frequencies properly.
My only other complaint is the
fact that it seems that these
headphones are designed for
people with small heads. The fit is very tight,
and you have to open up the headband quite far
(off your head, in fact) in order to not get your
head squeezed. Likewise, wearing them around
your neck while not using them is not really
viable, unless you enjoy being strangled.
Skullcandy headphones are all quite pricey,
but you get what you pay for. As well as
good sound quality, they also feature good
manufacturing standards. The units feel
Canon i-SENSYS LBP3010
RRP: R1,349 | DISTRIBUTOR: Canon | ONLINE: www.canon.co.za
ll-in-one printers are very popular,
particularly for the small office or home
office, but they do have their drawbacks. For
starters, they generally occupy more room,
which is understandable given that they pack
more functions. They also often contain a
component that the user doesn’t require: for
example, many people no longer have any need
for faxing; or, perhaps you already have a good
flatbed scanner, so you don’t need another. In
such situations, dedicated printers come into
their own: they print, they do it well, and they
do it for a long time.
This monochrome laser printer, because it
doesn’t use an ink cartridge, but rather toner
for laser printing, yields many times as many
pages. In addition, not being ink-based, you
A
Minus
+ Beautiful, varied styles
+ Good sound quality
– Often a bit ‘tight fitting’
Specs/Features
• Speaker Diameter: 50mm
• Cable Length: 1.2m
• Plug Type: 3.5mm (gold plated)
Audio enjoyment with a splash of visual flair. The
range covers all sorts of usage types, including
general listening, gaming, and even products for
music DJs.
sturdy, yet comfortable. The headband is
strong, but well cushioned, and there is no
flimsiness in evidence.
– Alex Jelagin
IN DETAIL
Plus
Minus
+ Tidy fold-away design
+ Toner-saving features
– Noisy
– No network connectivity
Specs/Features
never get pages crinkling from moisture. This
particular model impressed me by being quite
compact – its footprint is small enough to
fit on most desks alongside a PC. Also, when
not in use, various ‘bits’ can be folded away,
out of the way. Unfortunately, being an entry
model, this one has no network functionality,
wired or wireless, but can only connect to a
PC via USB. However, it can, of course, be
shared on the network via its host PC. Print
quality is good, and you can adjust the toner
Genius DPF-801 Crystal
Digital Photo Frame
RRP: R1,299 | DISTRIBUTOR: Axiz | ONLINE: www.axiz.co.za
he last time I had a look at a Genius photo
frame, I was not too impressed. This month,
they sent me their top-of-the-range model, and
I was glad to find that this one is far superior.
The DPF-801 is an 8-inch LCD photo frame
with a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, and it
features a rather beautiful glossy black finish.
The frame also features an SD, MMC, and
Sony Memory Stick card reader, while the two
USB ports allow for PC connectivity or simply
reading images off a USB flash disc. The DPF801 can also display video clips with sound, and
you can connect a set of earphones to listen
to audio or watch a video clip. There are loads
of transition effects to choose from when you
use this digital photo frame in slideshow mode,
Plus
• Print Speed: 14ppm (A4)
• Resolution: Up to 2,400 x 600dpi
• Interface: USB 2.0
This is a very good choice for someone, running a
business or department off a PC, who routinely needs
to print out documents.
density, which means that if you are prepared
to sacrifice a bit of quality, you can make your
toner go further.
– Alex Jelagin
IN DETAIL
Plus
Minus
+ Beautiful design
+ Easy to use
– A multi-card reader
would’ve been better
Specs/Features
T
LCD Size: 8 inches
Dimensions: 220mm x 180mm x 32mm
Weight: 600g
and you can also standardise the display mode
across all your images. The image quality of this
photo frame is good and there are no artefacts
on the photos it displays. The bundled remote
control is a nice touch, but I fear it might go
largely unused.
– Regardt van der Berg
The Genius DPF-801 Crystal Digital Photo Frame is
easy to use and nice to look at. Its lack of a multimemory card reader is the biggest drawback to an
otherwise great product.
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51
HARDWARE REVIEW
The management interface is
more streamlined than ever
DrayTek Vigor 3300V
Multi-WAN Firewall with VoIP
Strong VPN features and auto-failover, perfect for the SME
RRP: R5, 719 | DISTRIBUTOR: Draytek | ONLINE: www.draytek.co.za
rayTek’s Vigor 3300V is the latest in the
manufacturer’s line of enterprise-class
infrastructure hardware, delivering on the company’s
‘corny’ tagline of “Vigorous Internet Access.”
The 3300V is a big, rack-mountable unit, and
although aesthetics are pretty meaningless with
this class of hardware, our test unit actually came
painted in a rather fetching shade of blue, rather
than the expected beige off-white.
Although the “V” in the product nomenclature
stands for VoIP, our unit came without the optional
ports installed. You can have two sets of four FXS
or FXO ports added in, but ours came with just
the standard four LAN and four WAN ports on
the front panel, making it look rather ‘port-lean’
considering the bulk of the unit itself.
Those four WAN ports can be set up either to
‘load-balance’, providing the combined performance
of all the WAN links available to your network, or
to act as failover circuits. We configured four DSL
512Kbps connections, and ‘load-balanced’ between
the first two, with the second pair as failover links.
The result was a fulsome 104MB/sec throughput
rate, with the added bonus of yanking one DSL line
unceremoniously from its socket, resulting in not
even a hiccup in user connectivity or throughput.
The new links just seamlessly kicked in the moment
the one primary WAN connection went down.
It seems like a shame to share this highly reliable,
speedy Internet connection with just four LAN
users, but fortunately, the 3300V is also a master
at establishing VLANs with other downstream
switches, as well as at creating VPNs across the
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‘cloud’. It supports 200 simultaneous high-speed
VPNs, all running at once, in fact, with robust
security for each tunnel.
Even with all four WAN links merged to create
a substantial 2MB pipe, though, the various types
of traffic the Vigor will be sending and receiving
could create delays and, inevitably, lost packets
with potential dropped connections. To manage this
risk, the administrator can establish QoS policies
through the Web-based management interface to
ensure that priority traffic is prioritised on the
WAN link.
We expect a sound security system behind
DrayTek’s solutions, and the 3300V is no different.
There’s a comprehensive firewall, which will by
default protect against DoS attacks and similar
cyber threats, but also includes content-filtering
functions more commonly associated with parental
control in a home-based environment than
enterprise networking.
The management interface has become more
and more streamlined since we first looked at a
DrayTek solution, and the 3300V has the best
version we’ve seen so far. Rich in configuration
options, these settings are also well organised into
sub-categories, making it quick and straightforward
to navigate straight to the setting you want to
tinker with. Despite the slickness, however, this
is still not a piece of equipment for casual users,
and knowledgeable and experienced network
administrators will be able to get so much more
from the device.
– Russell Bennett
IN DETAIL
What is this?
The 3300V is a secure, multiple-path
high-performance WAN enabler worth
looking at, if you need that sort of thing
in your enterprise architecture.
Plus
+ Seamless failover
Minus
– Not for beginners
– No WLAN
Specs/Features
• 10/100 LAN: 4 ports
• WAN/DMZ: 4 ports
• VoIP slots: 2
• Max. IPSec VPN tunnels: 200
• Additional Features: Firewall,
Content filtering, Load balancing,
QoS, VoIP
Alternatives
VipriNet Multichannel
VPN router 1600
Cisco 7400-Series
The DrayTek’s Vigor 3300V provides all
the WAN, QOS, and VOIP features any
small company could use to effectively
secure their data and expand their
voice capabilities.
HARDWARE REVIEWS
Sony Ericsson W995
IN DETAIL
RRP: R6,500 | DISTRIBUTOR: Sony Ericsson | ONLINE: www.sonyericsson.com
ony Ericsson’s phones are traditionally split
into a few categories. Take, for example,
their C and W series of phones: the C series
(and, on occasion, the K series) generally
contains the Cyber-shot-enabled phones and
are renowned for the quality of their cameras.
The W series is targeted at the entertainment
seeker and music lover, with a wide range of
entertainment-related options packed into
these handsets. The W995 is a strange
beast then. It bridges the gap between the
two series by not only offering a wide range
of multimedia options for music, games and
video, but it also has a great 8.1-megapixel
camera (complete with face detection, auto
focus and image stabiliser), extras such as
A-GPS functionality and some very interesting
applications. It’s a feature-rich handset that’ll
S
satiate a variety
of needs. Not only
that, but the phone
looks great and its
construction is solid.
The only complaint that
I have about the phone is
that the interface can be
very sluggish. It’s as if the
designers had packed in too
many fancy features without
ensuring that the phone’s hardware
could handle the load. I’m just nitpicking,
however, and the fact remains that the W995
is the perfect handset for anyone looking for a
phone with a ton of entertainment options and
some nifty added extras.
– Dane Remendes
LG KS360
T
intuitive. The
QWERTY keypad
feels surprisingly
spacious, making
the KS360 suited
not only to text
messaging in the
traditional sense,
but also for handling
instant messaging
and e-mail. The PC
Suite software that
ships with this unit
is fairly conventional,
offering all the basic functionality you
might want – backing up or restoring contacts
and messages, and transferring media. Speaking
Canon Speedlite 270EX
RRP: R1,999 | DISTRIBUTOR: Canon | ONLINE: www.canon.co.za
ven though most digital cameras these days
come with a built-in flash, the light provided
by these on-board flash ‘guns’ are not always
sufficient for shooting in low-light conditions.
The Canon Speedlite 270EX is an entry-level
flash aimed at Canon EOS and PowerShot
users and provides a few nifty features
without costing an arm and a leg. Replacing the
Speedlite 220EX, the 270EX features a more
compact design and uses two AA batteries
instead of the four required by its predecessor.
Apart from the useful flash-bounce and zoomhead functions, there are no other settings you
need to configure; everything is done on your
camera. I used this flash for about a month and
a half, and after the first night’s usage, it was
very hard to go back to the on-board flash on
my EOS 450D. The Speedlite 270EX provides a
E
Minus
+ Fantastic camera
+ Nice mix of features
– Clunky interface
Specs/Features
• Storage: Memory Stick Micro up to 16GB
• Connectivity: GSM, GPRS, EDGE 850/900/
1800/1900, UMTS, HSPA 900/2100
• Camera: 8.1 megapixels
The W995 is a brilliant all-round handset that
complements its audio/entertainment-related
features with a few added extras.
IN DETAIL
RRP: R1,799 | DISTRIBUTOR: LG South Africa | ONLINE: za.lge.com
his handset is locally available on some entrylevel contracts, and offers a very decent
option in terms of value for money for a QWERTYkeypad phone. Overall, this is a very capable
model, despite a couple of, shall we say, puzzling
design choices. For instance, the KS360 doesn’t
support 3G, which I had pretty much understood
to be a standard feature in all modern handsets,
even entry-level ones. Also, it has a touch screen,
but the touch-based functionality is limited
only to dialling (from the contact list and direct
number dialling). The Web browser is very limited,
and you can ‘forget’ about viewing a page that is
not specifically made for mobile access. However,
despite these niggles, in other respects this
phone shines. It has a slick, attractive styling,
and the menu system is appealing and quite
Plus
much broader area of illumination. The recharge
time is under four seconds, and there is no
irritating hum when the flash recharges – it is
completely silent.
– Regardt van der Berg
Plus
Minus
+ QWERTY keypad
+ Good battery life
– No 3G, only GPRS
– Pitiful Web browser
Specs/Features
• LCD: 2.4-inch
• Storage: Up to 4GB microSD
• Camera: 2 megapixels
The KS360 surprises by offering both a QWERTY
keypad and touch dialling in an entry-level model.
Comfortable to use, and looks good.
of the latter, the MP3 player application is neat,
with a basic spectrum analyser, and there is an
FM radio, too.
– Alex Jelagin
IN DETAIL
Plus
Minus
+ Bounce head
+ Uses only two AA
batteries
– None
Specs/Features
• Guide Number: 27 max. (50mm)
• Discharge Angles: 0, 60, 75 and 90 degrees
• Minimum Recycling Time: Around 3.9 seconds
There is no doubt that every serious amateur
using a Canon EOS or PowerShot camera should
invest in one of these flash units. It will almost
certainly change the way you approach night-time
photography.
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53
SOFTWARE REVIEW
The auto preview window makes it easy to view files without opening them
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate
Vista's replacement is surprisingly mature out of the (RTM) box
RRP: TBA | DISTRIBUTOR: Microsoft SA | ONLINE: www.microsoft.co.za
hen Windows Vista was released,
hardcore techies and average users alike
revolted against it. And it wasn’t just about
the price, either. No, hundreds of thousands
of users, whom Microsoft were hoping would
be drawn in by the pretty new look, were in
fact repelled by the dodgy performance of the
original release and some issues with older
hardware. Not to mention the annoying User
Account Control, which, fortunately, could be
disabled pretty easily.
I wasn’t one of them. I persevered with
Vista Ultimate and found that these initial
bugbears were quickly sorted out - and the
OS proceeded to provide me with a couple
of trouble-free years of operation. In fact,
after actually upgrading my old XP machine to
Vista Ultimate, a route I never took thanks to
the tragedy of previous upgrade experiences
(most notably that hideous abortion that
Microsoft doesn’t speak about anymore and
didn’t really exist, Windows ME), I haven’t had
to reinstall Vista once. Got to say, it’s the
first Windows OS I can make that claim about.
It even survived three motherboard changes in
the process!
This isn’t to say that Vista was perfect.
Oh no, far from it in fact. It was clearly an
‘unfinished’ OS upon release, the legacy of lots
of development backtracking and last minute
changes. But some personal perseverance and
the release of the SP could get you beyond
these foibles. And for those without the
patience, well, XP remained a fine alternative
provided you could do without DX10, which
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most people could.
Anyway, I decided a clean install for Windows
7 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) would be
preferable to an upgrade, largely so as not to
destroy my old Vista partition in case of any
disasters. In preparation I went ahead and
found the requisite Windows 7 64-bit drivers
for my key hardware, prepared a separate
160GB partition, and took the plunge.
Installation is undoubtedly a fair deal faster
than with Vista, although I did come across
some issues with an old DVD-RW drive from
Iomega. Yes, it’s a 2.4x device - which goes
to show just how old it is - but it’s been
astonishingly reliable and is the reason I
trust anything that comes across my desk
from Iomega to work pretty flawlessly. But
the Windows 7 installer uses a strange,
supposedly ‘ultra-compatible’ CD-ROM driver,
which didn’t want to ‘know’ my troubles. With
a newer Samsung drive installed, we were
away.
Windows 7 ‘makes a very good impression’
when it first boots. It’s fast to boot,
marginally quicker than Vista, and fast to
reach a ready-to-work state after logging in
as well. Again, I had some initial issues with
my slightly quirky last-gen hardware. The
strangely piggybacked Marvell RAID controller
on my BT2 Extreme was picked up as just a
“Standard IDE controller” and caused some
major drive-access sluggishness. I had to
force the upgrade to the correct Marvell
driver, as Windows was happy to leave it
with its default driver instead. Correct
driver installed, and the “better than Vista”
performance claims popping up all over the
Web started to look truer, although it isn’t
exactly a ‘monumental’ difference.
Although the user experience is very akin
to Vista, Windows 7 is far better developed.
In RTM form, it ‘feels’ like a mature OS,
directly comparable to Vista SP1, despite
the unfairness of lining up an RTM against a
mature, extensively patched build.
There is a host of features in Windows 7
that makes it far nicer to use. Like pinning
your applications to the Taskbar, for instance,
and the inclusion of Jump lists to these pinned
apps, which we guarantee you’ll love and dearly
miss once you’re used to them. Yes, okay,
Mac-using friends all scoff at the fact that
this is an idea pretty much lifted straight out
of OS X, but it’s great that it’s there and that
it works so well.
We also appreciate the improved UAC (User
Account Protection), now with four levels of
strictness rather than the pretty pointless
‘On’ and ‘Off’ of Vista (which has most power
users turning what could really be a useful
security feature completely off for the sake
of convenience). And a useful power-saving
feature, Sleep Mode, might not sound the
newest, but anyone who has endured the
50/50 hit rate for actually successfully waking
a desktop PC from sleep under any previous
version of Windows will appreciate that now,
this function appears to operate flawlessly at
long last!
Windows 7 is definitely a more streamlined,
The Control Panel now looks cleaner and makes it easier
and faster to get to the options you want
IN DETAIL
What is this?
lighter-weight environment than the resourcehungry Vista as well, which is actually quite
strange, considering that many people now
have the requisite hardware to run a bloated
OS without much trouble. Still, Windows 7’s
more efficient use of system RAM, cache,
and even disk space frees up those potent
resources for actual computing tasks again,
which is nice.
Overall, the OS is undoubtedly very slick,
very responsive, and a whole lot more user
friendly and intuitive to navigate through. Take
the new Control Panel as an example: there
are fewer main categories to work through
and, if you know what you’re looking for, you
can access the right dialogue with one click.
There are some silly touches, like the removal of
the ‘Up one level’ button in Windows Explorer,
although you can get around this by changing
your Explorer settings (under ’Organise’,
‘Properties’) to show the full tree view.
Even the different SKUs (builds) available
now make more sense than with Vista, which
really looked like arbitrary ‘feature slashing’ to
justify the astronomical price of the all-singing
Ultimate package. Although Enterprise and
Ultimate remain pretty much identical at the
top of the SKU list, versions like the ultralightweight Starter edition will really make
sense come the next generation of ultramobile netbook devices next year.
The OS now natively supports many more
media types (including M4R and MOV, without
iTunes or QuickTime installed, for instance)
and more modern hardware (SSDs and
mobile broadband interfaces ‘enjoy’, we hear,
significantly more robust OS integration).
Strangely, the world itself appears to have
shifted its focus since the release of Vista as
well. Back then, those obscure performance
charts showing 5% performance advantages,
which we hardcore testers so love to
generate and base our absolute conclusions
on, are largely being ignored with the Windows
7 upgrade. Instead, the world simply wants to
know, “Is it a better user experience overall?”
rather than, “Will my 1,600MHz DDR3 get
20.1MB/sec throughput rather than 19.9?”
The answer is an unreserved yes. Windows
7 delivers the nicest user experience of
any Windows OS to date, including strong
performance for the techies and benchmark
addicts, making it pretty much the best of
both worlds.
“Is it worth the asking price then?” That one
is harder. We’d say so, yes. But then again,
we live at the cutting edge, always hankering
for the latest and greatest. For the average
user, when you buy a new PC next year, it
will likely come with Windows 7 pre-installed;
and it’s probably worth your while to stick to
what you’re comfortable with until then. There
are undoubtedly game-changing features in
Windows 7, but if, in these financially troubled
times, you choose instead to wait until the
upgrade is absolutely necessary, it’s not like
you’ll be falling behind your Windows 7-using
peers in day-to-day productivity - especially if
you’re using Vista already.
– Russell Bennett
The latest and greatest Microsoft
operating system. The de facto desktop
standard for the next few years.
Plus
+ More modest hardware
requirements
+ Everything’s been tweaked and
optimised
Minus
– Obscure hardware will have
initial issues
System Requirements
• CPU: 1GHz or higher
• Memory: 1GB or more
• Free Hard Drive Space:
16Gb of available space
• Graphics: DirectX 9 Graphics card
with WDDM 1.0 or higher
• Internet: Recommended, but not
required
Alternatives
Mac OS X Snow Leopard
(Requires an Apple Mac)
We didn’t buy the “fastest Windows
ever” hype and still don’t; but Windows
7 is undeniably a better OS than Vista
ever was and does offer a very easy-toget-along-with UI.
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55
SOFTWARE REVIEW
Sporting a sexy user interface and
plenty of settings to fiddle with,
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 will
not only allow you to manage your
photos but you can now also apply
localized edits.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2
Turn your PC into a true digital dark room
RRP: R2,930 | DISTRIBUTOR: Adobe | ONLINE: www.adobe.com
lthough called Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2,
this application offers a completely different
user experience and function to the popular Adobe
Photoshop software. Lightroom 2 is aimed at serious
amateur and professional photographers who want
to manage and edit images using software optimised
and dedicated to the task. Moreover, if you work with
RAW image files, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 will
give you improved support and editing capabilities.
This software is based on a modular system, and
includes the following modules: Library, Develop,
Slideshow, Print, and Web. Each module plays
a part in working with or sharing your images,
although Library and Develop is where you will most
likely spend the most time.
As someone who has thousands of photographs
stored on disc, I found the Library module incredibly
handy to quickly find, batch edit, or simply organise
my photo collection. Strangely enough, I still
prefer Picasa’s organiser, but the Library module
is undoubtedly far superior and feature rich.
[Update: by the time this issue went to print, I had
completely migrated away from Picasa.]
When using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2, I
spent most of my time in the Develop module.
This aptly-named module is where you edit your
images. Although the editing capabilities of
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IN DETAIL
What is this?
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 is an
essential photo organiser that has
some mid-level editing features built in.
It is also a great RAW file converter.
Plus
Photoshop Lightroom 2 are not as powerful as
that of Photoshop CS4, editing your photos with
this software is far easier and should cater for
around 80% of your editing needs. For the other
20%, you’ll be glad to hear that Lightroom 2 was
designed to integrate seamlessly with CS4.
Probably the biggest and most requested
new feature in Lightroom 2 are the local editing
capabilities. Unlike its predecessor, you are now
able to apply accurate enhancements such as
dodging or burning without needing to export your
image to Photoshop.
Although the Slideshow, Print, and Web modules
are self-explanatory, it must be noted that Adobe
managed to improve on tasks we usually take for
granted. In this case, creating a slideshow, printing
a variety of layouts, and even creating HTML and
Flash-based Web galleries is as easy as click and
create. You have full control over your creating and
even if you are new to photo editing, you’ll be able
to master these modules in no time.
While it might be difficult to justify the price
tag if you are not a professional photographer, it
is hard to deny that Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
2 is a great software title that is perfect for
Photoshop users.
– Regardt van der Berg
+ Supports 64-bit operating systems
+ Non-destructive photo editing
+ Better RAW support
Minus
– Price
System Requirements
• Display: 1,024 x 768 pixels
• Memory: 1GB
• Operating System: Windows XP
(32-bit and 64-bit) or higher;
Mac OS X v10.4 or higher
Alternatives
Apple Aperture 2 (R1,999)
(Mac only)
Lightroom 2 is one of those apps you’ll
probably never miss if you don’t have
it. But once you integrate it with
Photoshop CS4, you’ll wonder how you
ever lived without it.
SOFTWARE REVIEW
The interface is neat and well-organised, giving
you access to a variety of tools from the word go...
... but advanced users can also dig in
and tweak the program to their liking
Advanced SystemCare
Free Version 3
Welcome to the full-body massage of computer maintenance
RRP: Free ($19.95 for Pro version) | DISTRIBUTOR: IObit | ONLINE: www.iobit.com
dvanced SystemCare is one of those rare allrounders that do a very good job at pretty much
everything. It's as simple as that. This is an all-in-one
system cleanup tool that can easily kick most rival
software in the teeth for many of the tasks that it's
put to. Defragging, registry fixing, game optimising,
junk file cleaning, privacy sweeps, RAM management...
these are just a few things that the software can
take care of for you, and it's refreshing to see that
these utilities provide genuine, honest-to-goodness
results.
I came across this software after looking for
something - anything - that could take care of my
then-beleaguered PC. I'd tried just about everything
to address my system instabilities, or so I'd
thought: after a small download, a quick install
and a few clicks, Advanced SystemCare helped
me remove several dozen pieces of undetected
spyware, a few thousand messy registry entries
and about a gigabyte of junk data. All using just the
default configuration.
Advanced SystemCare offers a slick and friendly
interface that allows just about any user to run
basic diagnostics, but its real strength lies in its
extensive customisability and the menagerie of
independent apps that it sports, meaning that
experienced users can get even more out of the
program if they're serious about system cleaning.
All in all, it sports an impressive 22 system tools,
A
several diagnostic processes, a few maintenance
routines, and the ability to create system restore
points in case you do something silly. Of these, the
most useful tools I've come across are the RAM
optimiser (one of the best of its kind), the start-up
manager, the cloned files finder, the disk cleaner
and the registry defrag, though many more can
easily come in handy for the average user.
Better still, it's fast: not once did Advanced
SystemCare choke up my system any more than
was necessary (defrags and heavy scans aside). It
has a reasonably light memory footprint, and for all
intents and purposes is actually quite non-invasive
when it deals with your computer. Although the
software provides you with the opportunity to run
it in the background and perform scheduled tasks,
it's also quite possible to just run it once, check
that your PC is in working order and then squirrel it
away until you decide that it's needed again.
Upgrading to Advanced SystemCare Pro will set
you back about R200, but it offers a broad range of
perks, including enhancements for most of the tools,
automated and scheduled tasks, technical support,
and the ability to use it for commercial projects. If
you're impressed by the free version and want more,
this shouldn't be a difficult purchase - even the basic
package would be well worth the mint, and your
system's going to thank you for using it.
– Rodain Joubert
IN DETAIL
What is this?
An all-in-one system-maintenance kit
that replaces and enhances standard
management functions.
Plus
+ Stable
+ Efficient
+ Does most jobs well
Minus
– Basically just the free version’s
limitations
System Requirements
• Operating System: Windows 2000,
XP, Vista, 7
• Versions: 32bit and 64bit
• File Size: 7.8MB
Alternatives
TuneUp Utilities
CCleaner
Advanced SystemCare isn’t just a jackof-all-trades. With a staggering variety
of tools and an incredible amount of
power under the hood, this should be
a worthy replacement for most other
maintenance software.
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57
GAME REVIEWS
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Wii Sports Resort
RRP: R650 (bundled with Wii MotionPlus) | INTERNET: www.wiisportsresort.com
RRP: R599 | INTERNET: www.fire-emblem.com/radiantdawn
ire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
takes place on the fictional
continent of Tellius. The warring
kingdoms of Crimea and Daein
have finally put their quarrels
to rest after Crimea’s defeat of
Daein. The problem is, Crimea
handed rule of Daein over to the
powerful Begnion Empire, which
rules the land with an iron
fist and little regard for the
wellbeing of Daein’s citizens.
The young men and women of
the conquered kingdom are put
to work in slave camps under
horrible conditions, prompting a
small band of these young men
and women to join one another
in an uprising against their new
rulers. Calling themselves the
Dawn Brigade, these are the
characters that come under
the player’s control (initially,
at least – the player gains
control over various factions
throughout the course of
the game). The game is best
described as a turn-based
strategy title with some light
RPG elements. Radiant Dawn
is a sequel to the GameCube
title Fire Emblem: Path of
F
58
Radiance, and most of the
characters from the previous
title appear in this one as
well. Players advance through
various chapters, leading their
units in battles (which take
place on square-based grids)
along the way. The player’s
units gain experience and ‘level
up’, thereby increasing their
statistics and abilities. Items
can be picked up and used by
units, and the game provides
the player with a number of
different tactical options
during combat (such as by
gaining a height advantage over
enemies). The game can be
quite difficult (some may even
say it’s too difficult), something
which gamers seeking a
challenge will appreciate. My
biggest problems with the
game are technical issues: the
lack of voice-acted dialogue
can be irritating at times, and
the visuals are below average.
Radiant Dawn is nevertheless
a good title that offers some
great tactical gameplay for fans
of this type of game.
– Dane Remendes
t’s more Wii Sports! This time
around, gamers are transported
to an island resort filled with a
number of fun activities, most
of which are new (such as the
swordplay and wakeboarding
mini games), while others have
made a return from the original
Wii Sports (like golf and bowling).
Much like Wii Sports, Wii Sports
Resort is simply a compilation
of various mini games that has
players using the Wii Remote
(and occasionally the Nunchuk,
as well) to control virtual oars,
swords, bowling balls, jet skis,
and other in-game instruments.
The biggest new addition to this
familiar formula is the support
for the Wii MotionPlus controller,
which is bundled with the game
and is beginning to look more and
more like a great investment
for Wii owners. The MotionPlusenhanced controls are fantastic:
the enhanced accuracy provided
by the little gadget is apparent
I
in most of the mini games on
offer. One round of the swordplay
activity (or a virtual game of
table tennis) is all it will take
for you to come to appreciate
what the MotionPlus brings to
the party. Most of the activities
are quite fun, especially when
playing multiplayer. Successfully
completing an activity will
unlock a new variation of that
activity (beating your opponent
in a game of table tennis, for
example, will unlock a new mode
in which you simply have to
focus on returning the ball –
each ball returned earns you
points). Wii Sports Resort is
essentially another compilation
of party games that you’re
sure to whip out when you’re
entertaining guests. It’s still
a lot of fun, however, and the
best thing about it is that
purchasing the game will get
you the MotionPlus controller.
– Dane Remendes
Plus
Challenging
Good tactical gameplay
Plus
MotionPlus-enhanced controls | Fun multiplayer
Variety of mini games
THE SCORE
THE SCORE
Platform: Wii
Genre: Turn-Based Strategy/RPG
Game Type: Hardcore
Score:
Platform: Wii
Genre: Sports Simulation
Game Type: Casual/Hardcore
Score:
Minus
Sub-standard visuals
Lack of voice acting
Minus
Nothing
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
RRP: R399 | INTERNET: www.tenchu4game.com
his fourth instalment in the
Tenchu series brings it back
to its roots, while updating it for
modern gaming capabilities. Certain
dead-weight elements present in its
immediate predecessor have been
dropped - thankfully - and the game
now focuses on its primary premise.
For those of you unfamiliar with the
series, Tenchu games have the player
assuming the role of a ninja assassin,
and the game mechanic thus centres
around stealthily moving about,
staying in the shadows, avoiding
many enemies, and killing them
stealthily whenever possible – direct
confrontation is generally to be
avoided. There are two protagonists
in this new version, one male and one
female, and the story switches you
between them as needed.
The game’s artistic presentation
features a highly emotive soundtrack,
which often accompanies
impressionistic, action-video
sequences. Overall, it is highly emotive
and immersive. In terms of the game
T
dynamics, it is played in the third
person, with the player staying in
the shadows whenever possible. You
can walk, run, jump, climb, shimmy,
and swim. The inventory is not
bewilderingly complex: basically, you
have your sword, your shuriken, and
a bamboo pipe that acts as a snorkel
or as a water container, to allow you
to douse flaming torches and such.
Most of the game revolves around
figuring out how to get around unseen
– creep through this bush, dive-roll to
the next, creep along in that shadow,
get in that bush, put out the lantern,
sneak up behind the guard and
stealth-kill him or leave him alone, as
appropriate. This is the basic pattern,
yet it is surprisingly engrossing – you
could pretty much think of Shadow
Assassins as a sort of puzzle game.
While the ten missions don’t
provide an extremely long
progression, the pace of the game
draws out the enjoyment most
pleasantly.
– Alex Jelagin
Plus
Not just mindless action | Great visuals
Stirring music
THE SCORE
Platform: Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PS3
Genre: Stealth Action
Game Type: Casual/Hardcore
Score:
Minus
A bit short
Could be repetitive at times
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59
BOOK REVIEWS
IN DETAIL
MacBook Pro Portable Genius
RRP: R374
What is this?
The all-in-one reference guide for new MacBook Pro
users. This book has all the tips and tricks you’ll ever
need to know.
DISTRIBUTOR: Intersoft | ONLINE: www.intersoft.co.za
aking the switch from Windows to Mac
can be daunting, especially for someone
who has never used Mac OS X. Fortunately,
there are a number of useful ‘guides’ out
there to make the transition as easy as
possible, and this is where MacBook Pro
Portable Genius swings into action.
The book offers simple tutorials: from
setting up your network, creating a
MobileMe account and even the simplest
of tasks such as changing your desktop
background. Pretty much every topic you
could think of is covered in this guide.
The steps are numbered and well laid out,
M
and also include
screenshots,
so you won’t be
wasting any time
trying to figure
out things the
hard way. You can
read Portable Genius from cover to cover,
or if you’re stuck on a specific topic, you
can refer back to the index and jump to that
section in the book.
Being a new Mac user, the transition
has been extremely easy because of this
helpful reference guide. The author offers
All New Electronics
Self-Teaching Guide
simple and easy-to-follow instructions for
the most basic tasks. I’d have no hesitation
recommending MacBook Pro Portable Genius
to anyone switching from Windows to Mac:
it’ll be the single most helpful tool in setting
up your new MacBook Pro.
– Dave Gore
What is this?
If you have an interest in electronics and want to learn
more about this fascinating topic, then this book will
satisfy all your beginner to intermediate needs.
DISTRIBUTOR: Intersoft | ONLINE: www.intersoft.co.za
T
Author: Brad Miser | Pages: 400
ISBN: 978-0-4702-9170-2
IN DETAIL
RRP: R529
hese days, virtually everything around us
contains electronics of some sorts. If you are
the type of person who tinkers with gadgets and
like to build or dismantle expensive electronics,
then this might be a book that will appeal to you.
Moreover, if you want to learn electronics or
need a refresher course, this book will be equally
suited. This self-teaching guide reminds me of
my Technica N4 textbooks, but the information
is much better presented and it is a whole lot
more comprehensive. This book covers topics
such as transistors, resonant circuits, AC and
DC theory, as well as power supply circuits; and
Info
Info
has a chapter on
oscillators. Not
surprising is that
this book is an
update to the 30-year-old classic that has been
the textbook for many electronics students.
The author manages to cram a lot of information
into the pages, which include theory, questions
and answers, and diagrams to understand the
basics better. All New Electronics is the best
electronics guide I have read to date - and believe
me, I have seen a few.
– Regardt van der Berg
Author: Harry Kybett, Earl Boysen | Pages: 426
ISBN: 978-0-470-28961-7
IN DETAIL
Photoshop Lightroom 2 Adventure
RRP: R624
What is this?
Photoshop Lightroom 2 Adventure is an easy-to-follow
guide for getting the most out of this software.
DISTRIBUTOR: Intersoft | ONLINE: www.intersoft.co.za
e received this book a few days after
the software had arrived from Adobe,
and even though the software is intuitive
and easy to get around, there are many
features and processes that would take an
unnecessary amount of tinkering to figure
out. The one thing I really liked was that this
book reads like a step-by-step tutorial, and
the large screenshots and high-res photos
make this a very inspiring book to follow. The
hands-on guided tour, led by the author Mikkel
Aaland, will have you mastering Lightroom
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2 in no time. The
book was written in
collaboration with
18 professional
photographers
and five Adobe Lightroom team members.
The group travelled to Tasmania to not only
explore and test this software, but also
bring you the amazing shots featured in this
book – hence the word Adventure in the title.
The chapters on black and white and special
effects, as well as the article on colour-tuned
Info
Author: Mikkel Aaland | Pages: Mikkel Aaland
ISBN: 978-0-596-52101-1
photos are particularly useful. Photoshop
Lightroom 2 Adventure is the unofficial
manual of the software and should be the
book bundled with each copy of Lightroom 2.
– Regardt van der Berg
VERSUS
Lian Li PC-V2010 vs.
Cooler Master ATCS 840
LIAN LI PC-V2010 | RRP: R3,499 | ONLINE: www.frontosa.co.za
COOLER MASTER ATCS 840 | RRP: R2,999
| ONLINE: www.sybaritic.co.za
ith so many gaming cases on the
market, full-tower cases often are
neglected in reviews. The reason for this is
simple: they're big, often heavy, and have
none of the ‘out-there’ gimmicks such as
neon lights, Perspex case windows and
other pretty, but wholly useless features.
We’re not even past the intro and you should
realise that these cases aren't targeted at
the average gamer, but more the hardware
enthusiast. So, without further ado, let’s
pit the Lian Li PC-V2010 against the Cooler
Master ATCS 840 and see where we get.
The choice of these two cases makes sense
if you look closer: both are about the same
size, weigh about the same, sport the same
high-quality brushed-aluminium finish, and
most importantly, target the same market.
Furthermore, both have a history to live up
to. The Cooler Master ATCS brand is known
for its quality, while the predecessor to the
V2010, the V1010, was dubbed a legend by
many (including Lian Li themselves); and so,
like a thoroughbred horse, we're going into
this with high expectations. Rather than
reviewing the two cases in full (because,
quite frankly, with this amount of features,
each could take up two pages), we will
identify key features that someone who
would consider buying these cases would
look at.
W
The Lian Li V2010 is
clinical, the apex of quality,
and makes good use of
the space it has.
SIZE - BIG TOYS FOR BIG HARDWARE
Perhaps the most obvious feature of
these two cases, size is probably the first
thing you’ll notice. They really are massive
compared to your average ATX case, and
with good reason. You see, these cases
are designed to house full-sized, extended
ATX motherboards such as dual-CPU server
boards (the Intel Skulltrail for example).
Furthermore, each case has mounting slots
for two PSUs: the ATCS 840 splitting them
at the top and bottom of the back panel,
while the V2010 has them side-by-side at
the bottom. With features like these in mind,
running ordinary hardware in these cases
seems bizarre, to say the least. As for
3.5-inch mounting bays, while the ATCS 840
puts up a good showing with six, the V2010
goes the extra mile to accommodate eight
in another unique positioning arrangement,
albeit with some problems (which we'll get to
in a bit). Lastly, 5.25-inch bays. With seven
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and six respectively, the V2010 and ATCS
840 cater to an almost nonexistent market.
I personally cannot see anyone planning to
fill more than three 5.25-inch bays. So, with
the V2010 slightly ahead in terms of size,
due to some innovative use of the space,
let's move on to the next important part of
the checklist: features.
FEATURES - AIMING FOR TWO
DIFFERENT TARGET MARKETS?
In this area, Lian Li and Cooler Master
have decided to tackle two very different
target markets. Lian Li has designed their
case with precision in mind - small, almost
unnoticeable features that you wouldn't
really notice until you have to make do
without them. From thumbscrews that hold
the PSUs in place, to a support brace with
PCI-E cardholders, the V2010 ‘tries’ to add
more features to make it stand out. Cooler
Master has done something far easier, and
in my mind more logical. What they have
done with the ATCS 840 is to take triedand-tested features and make them better
- a lot better. From the slide-out drive
holders, complete with anti-vibration rubber,
the button that fastens and unfastens the
items in a 5.25-inch bay, to the holes in the
motherboard back plate, allowing for cable
management, Cooler Master has made a
case with practical features that most can
relate to. A typical example of this is the
removable motherboard tray feature that
both cases support. While the V2010 uses
a system that has you fighting and pulling
at the tray to release it from the screws,
the Cooler Master has a handle attached
to the tray; and after removing the two
thumbscrews, a light pull is all that is
needed to make the tray slide out, thanks to
the bearing system.
One last feature that shows the difference
between the cases becomes apparent as you
power up. Thanks to its variety of well-placed
fans, the ATCS 840 remains cool and quiet,
even when all of the hard drive bays are full
and an SLI rig is running. Unfortunately,
the same cannot be said for the V2010.
Sporting just two fans, as opposed to the
six that the Cooler Master can support,
it will be near impossible to make use of
high-performance drives in all eight drive
bays in the V2010. As for a high-end rig, the
temperature in the V2010 was worryingly
high - some 20°C higher than the ATCS 840
after an hour of stress loading.
don't have any of that, but what they do have
is very thick, brushed-aluminium shells. Not
only does this look great, but the scratch
resistance is a welcome bonus. After this
similarity, however, the V2010 has it all
its own way. Aluminium drive bay covers,
aluminium plates as extras, not a single rattle
- the V2010 is built like a spacecraft. In fact,
wherever anything is removable or extra,
Cooler Master has opted to ‘bundle’ the ATCS
840 with plastic - a good attempt, but pitiful
in the face of the V2010. Don't get me wrong;
the ATCS 840 is a piece of quality work when
compared to your average case - it's just that
the V2010 is so much more. All this quality
comes at a price, though: more often than
not, the plastic bits on the ATCS are often
features not found on the V2010. Quality
sacrificed for features? You be the judge.
companies seem to think so. Enough
nitpicking and on to the packaged bundles;
and here we once again see Lian Li pull
ahead. Featuring a compartmented screw
holder, a motherboard raiser screw, PCI-E
braces and a spare PSU cover made out of
aluminium, Lian Li spared no expense. By
contrast, Cooler Master has bundled a big,
plastic contraption that fits onto the back
of the case. While it does have a use, making
use of it ruins the cases image, and due to
its construction (i.e., the cheapness of the
plastic used), you would constantly worry
about it breaking off each time you moved
the case. Cooler Master also bundles PSU
supports in case you would like to make use
of the top PSU bay. These are plastic too,
and seem pathetic in the face of their solid,
aluminium Lian Li counterpart, complete with
padding to cushion the PSU.
EXTRAS - BECAUSE THEY CARE
BUILD QUALITY - BECAUSE AT THIS
PRICE, IT HAD BETTER BE BUILT WELL
At the price of these two cases, one would
expect solid, gold drive bays and diamondencrusted activity lights. Well, no, the cases
The first thing you’ll notice about both
bundles is the insane amount of screws
each case comes with. Even if you filled
each case to its limit, you'd be left with
handfuls. More is better? These two
LOOKS - ELEGANCE OVER
‘MIND BLOWING’
Last on our checklist, but not least
influential, is how much eye candy each
case offers. Firstly, pictures don't do these
cases justice; they are far bigger than they
seem (more so when you do a head-to-head
comparison with a standard case). The
ATCS 840 sports the odd mesh grill here
and there, nodding to the other cases made
by Cooler Master and their gamer focus,
but apart from that, nothing that even
the oldest of people would consider "too
young and ‘smancy’" (actual older person
comment). It is imposing, though, and a
glance at it will convince you of the power
it holds beneath its outer shell, whereas
the V2010, with its smooth curves and its
conservative grill, can only be considered
‘ballerina’. Sure, the size makes it a rather
large ballerina, but the point remains:
neither case is ugly - far from it. As soon as
you get used to the imposing size, you will
soon fall for the elegance that is so rare in a
market dominated by chrome, neon, UV, and
all sorts of odd adornments. The two cases
reviewed here don't try to look good. They
don't have to. They just are.
CONCLUSION - WHICH IS BEST?
What they have done
with the ATCS 840
is to take tried-andtested features and
make them better a lot better.
Even though these cases have so much in
common, it seems that they were built with
two separate parts of the same market
segment in mind. The Lian Li V2010 is
clinical, the apex of quality, and makes good
use of the space it has. The Cooler Master
ATCS 840 has many innovative features,
has improved on long-lasting tradition, and
has ample space and cooling for anything
you throw at it. Two cases that exceed
expectations. Neither will disappoint you,
and despite the high price tag, both are
worth every cent. They both get five out of
five, so we declare this duel a draw.
– Derrick Cramer
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63
PHOTOGRAPHY 101
Image-editing Basics
We have covered this topic before,
but one can never learn enough about
image editing. This month, we will look
at a few tips to help you get the best
out of your photos before you share
them with the world.
By Regardt van der Berg
he best way to edit photos
is to apply subtle changes.
When you have to tinker too
much, you run the risk of turning
an otherwise great photo into
a mediocre piece of digital art.
The idea behind image editing
is to enhance your photo just
enough to make it stand out.
Subtle Tweaks
To illustrate this example,
have a look at my attempt at
basic image editing. This photo
was originally taken using the
Program mode on my Canon SX
1 IS. Because this photo was
taken at midday, the colour
seems a little faded and the
image is a little washed out.
To make this photo ‘pop’, I
opened it with Adobe Lightroom
- your favourite image-editing
application will also work - and
proceeded to apply a few subtle
tweaks. To begin, I adjusted the
brightness levels and darkened
the photo slightly. Doing so
brought out a few more details
on the huts, which were not
visible in the original photo.
Enhancing the dark colours also
means that the sky went from
a light blue to an intense, deep
blue colour that really works
well with the green grass. As
you will see, even the grass lost
some impact because of the
harsh midday sun. To correct
this, I applied a slight green
tint to the bottom part of the
picture. This can be tricky,
depending on the image-editing
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application you use, but Picasa
has a great and easy-to-use
tint feature that will mimic this
job beautifully. To end off, I used
the sharpening tool to ensure
that the image looks crisper
than the original. I was careful
not to overdo the use of the
sharpening tool, as it, too, can
ruin a photo if used incorrectly.
Before
After
CROP CAREFULLY
I also have another version of
this photo in which I cropped
the photo to about 60 percent
of its original size. This shifted
the focal point completely and
created a vastly different ‘feel’.
Don’t be afraid to be creative
with your crop tool. Also, try
to remove anything in your
photo that is distracting. You
can use the crop tool for this
if it is something on the edges
of your photo (such as a tree
branch). If you are a little more
experienced, then you can use
the clone tool in your favourite
image-editing application to
remove the unwanted object.
WINNING ENTRY
ASSIGNMENT: SELF-PORTRAIT
Taken with a Canon EOS 350D f4 @ 1/125
Gareth Cawood
ASSIGNMENT: SUBTLE EDITS
This month’s assignment is one
of the more difficult ones we
have done to date, as it requires
you to achieve a big result with
a few small changes. Your first
step is to find one of your old
photos that you never really
Self-portrait
NEW-LOOK COMING
The current series of tutorials
has come to an end, so next
month it is Photography 101’s
turn for an overhaul. We will
be continuing the tutorials
and assignments, but we
will be putting a new spin on
the Photography 101 series.
If you have any comments,
suggestions, or ideas, please
feel free to post to the
Flickr Group page or e-mail
me (regardt.vanderberg@
tidemedia.co.za).
liked. The reason why we are
doing this is so that you can use
basic image editing to create a
masterpiece from one of your
unwanted photos. Next, apply
a few very subtle tweaks such
as enhancing a colour, adjusting
the brightness, or cropping your
photo. Remember, the key point
here is subtle changes! You may
have to try this on a few of your
old photos, but the results will
quickly speak for themselves.
Even applying a black-and-white
filter could completely change
the way your photo looks and
feels. Once you are done editing
your photo, upload both the old
and the edited photo to Flickr.
You’ll need to submit both to the
Flickr group, so please label your
images with ’Old’ and ‘New’.
The best results achieved from
the fewest changes will win the
monthly prize.
To enter the competition and
participate in the assignments, you
need to have a Flickr (www.flickr.
com) account. The basic account
is free, and it is all you need for
Photography 101. Once you have
a Flickr account, simply join the
SACM Photography 101 group
(www.flickr.com/groups/sacm).
QUESTIONS
If you have any photography
questions or comments, feel free to
discuss them on our Flickr thread
(www.flickr.com/groups/sacm/).
You can also make suggestions for
upcoming Photography 101 articles
and chat to fellow photographers
about anything and everything
regarding photography.
EDITING YOUR IMAGES – AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS
By Roger Machin, photo/video product
manager at Canon Consumer Imaging SA
When thinking about the editing process of
your photographs, workflow management is the
first thing that comes to mind. Not only is it
essential to already have some sort of an idea
in your mind as to what you want to achieve
with your images, it is really important to use a
chronological order to go about the process.
If you are a ‘happy snapper’ and like to take
as many photographs as possible to ensure
that you capture those precious moments, we
recommend that you highlight your favourite
shots by rating them with whichever method
your program allows.
By rating your photographs, it will be easier
to import them in specific batches and storing
them in clearly named folders. This is a vital
part of the process, since the storing method
is the key to actually finding images easily and
quickly at a later stage.
Now that you’ve completed the first very
important step of storing, you can start
working on your images in terms of resizing,
sharpening, changing levels, etc. If the
images are RAW, it is best to leave them as
is, but you can edit JPEG images to your own
discretion and preferences. There are numerous
arguments as to the order of steps to follow,
but normally levels should be first, followed by
resizing and lastly sharpening the images – but
again this is only one opinion.
For all intents and purposes, these three
steps are the most important editing tools to
master – once you understand these, you’re
ideally set up for whatever the next editing
steps are you want to manage, such as colour
changing, etc.
It is crucial to realise that editing is
completely personal and very much reflects the
preferences and personality of each individual
photographer. The above is therefore just
a guideline to help you manage the process
better. By all means, consult with other
professional or social photographers. You can
also join discussions or forums online. This
will definitely give you a better idea of all the
possibilities that might help you and work for
your specific requirements – good luck!
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65
HANDS-ON HOW TO
Make music using only a Webcam
and some cardboard cut-outs
he d-touch system is a digital drum-loop machine,
which comprises a number of components. Software
that reads the input from a Webcam is loaded onto your
computer. To generate sound, the software reads the
location of various cards on a board, and plays each beat
according to the card’s placement. The more cards on
the board, the more sound the software will produce.
- Geoff Burrows
T
1
Get it
Head over to http://d-touch.org and click on “download
the d-touch drum machine.” You’ll need to register first,
which can be done via the download screen (just click on
“Register”). Select your operating system for the drum
machine (we’ll leave the sequencer alone) and download
the files named “Board.pdf”, “Markers.pdf” and “camera
stand.pdf.” For this tutorial, I’ve chosen to leave out
the blocks - assembling them is a waste of time, as the
markers work perfectly well.
WHAT YOU NEED
• A computer with an Internet connection;
• A printer (an inkjet printer is preferable);
• A Webcam with a resolution of 640 x 480
or higher;
• Two sheets of A4 cardboard that are thin
enough for the printer;
• Four sheets of regular A4 paper;
• Corrugated cardboard;
• Glue stick and Prestick;
• Stanley knife and/or scissors.
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2
Build it
The PDFs that you downloaded include the board (which
the Webcam will be pointing at), the cards that are
placed on the board, and the stand, which is used to
elevate the Webcam to the correct height (this is
necessary to ensure that there is as little perspective
distortion as possible). Print out the board and markers
on sturdy card, and the camera stand on regular paper.
To build the stand, glue all of the camera-stand
sheets (there should be four) to an old packing box (the
type with corrugated cardboard) – or anything that’s
sturdy enough to hold the weight of your Webcam. Use
a Stanley knife to cut along the dotted lines through the
paper and cardboard. The solid lines represent half-cuts
through the cardboard so that it can be easily folded.
Be sure to pay attention to the grain of the board
before you stick them down, bearing in mind in which
direction the folds will be. Piece everything together
until you have what looks like our picture. Attach your
Webcam to the tip of the stretched-out arm at the top
of the camera stand. You may need to use an elastic
band if your Webcam’s built-in stand isn’t helping.
The board is used as-is, but the markers need to be
cut out along the dotted lines.
3
Set it up
Install the software. Once that’s done,
enter the Configurator software (it
should be in your Start Menu under
“d-touch drum machine”). Make sure that
it has detected your Webcam and sound
card, that your username and password
are entered, and that the software is activated (an Internet
connection is required here, as well as any time you wish to
use d-touch). Once you’re done with that, run the program
called “DrumMachine.”
If everything has gone smoothly, you should have a screen
showing what your Webcam can see. Position the board so
that it occupies as much of the screen as possible, without
obscuring the view of the corner images. I recommend
that you secure the board to the table using Prestick.
Alternatively, have the board laminated and use Sellotape to
stick it down to the surface. If you’re lucky, some or all of the
corner images will be highlighted on the screen, indicating
that the software has detected them. If not, don’t worry:
you’ll need to make some adjustments.
Press the ‘C’ key. The video-source properties screen
will open. Adjust the sliders until the camera screen has
highlighted all four corner images. If the highlights flicker
slightly, that’s okay, but they need to be mostly stable. This
might take some time; I suggest adjusting the brightness
and contrast until you get as close to stability as possible,
and then fine-tuning from there with the other sliders. It’s
important that the lighting around the board is as uniform
as possible, with no shadows being cast. Office lighting in
the middle of the day works well, but you may need to use
a lamp or two if the system is really struggling to pick up
a corner. I found that the farthest corners tend to be the
most difficult.
4
Play it
You should now be ready to start using the drum
machine. Place a marker or two on the board and give
the software a moment to highlight them. Once they’re
highlighted and stable, you should hear the sounds
of your musical genius coming through the speakers.
There are a number of pads, snares and cymbals, and
the speed at which each is played is determined by the
marker’s placement along the horizontal lines. The best
recommendation I can make is to play around. Enjoy!
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67
HANDS-ON HOW TO
Speed up your work routine
A few simple tweaks can save you a lot of time
ometimes the limiting factor on your
productivity isn’t CPU speed or available
memory. In fact, it may have nothing to do
with your computer at all. The grim truth is
that the average user doesn’t know much
about all those little tips and tricks that can
S
68
make daily chores a whole lot easier. And
much, much faster.
Most solutions to common OS woes are
surprisingly simple and only require a small
time investment to set up. Even if you
only shave a few seconds of f a particular
1
3
Learn your keyboard shortcuts. Instead of minimising
to the desktop and hunting down the Windows Explorer
icon, press Win + E. Use Alt-Tab to quickly flip through
programs. Copy and paste with Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V
instead of navigating clumsy menus. Shortcuts may be a
difficult habit to get into, but they soon pay off.
5
Customise your wallpaper to help you organise the
desktop icons. It’s as simple as launching Paint, drawing
up some black boxes and assigning each of them a
category: so one will hold all of your programming
tools, for example, while another contains your word
processor and documents.
Get MaxTo (http://maxto.net/) and use it to organise
your on-screen real estate. Having a single maximised
window when you need to switch between tasks is
far less effective than being able to view all of those
windows at once with some clever resizing. This can
work even with smaller screens.
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
task, that saved time can stack up when
you’re doing something of ten enough. So,
read on for a few handy tips on making
your desktop work environment that much
more ef ficient.
– Rodain Joubert
2
4
Learn to use icon shortcuts too. Hard drives can become
messy, and there’s nothing worse than trying to retrieve
information from every dark corner at once. Slap folder
shortcuts onto your desktop. Better still, cross-pollinate
these shortcuts: stick an ’images’ shortcut into your ‘text’
folder, and a ‘text’ shortcut into ‘images’. It works.
6
Finally, clean up once in a while! A messy computer is like
a messy room: the more rubbish it acquires, the more
difficult it is to find anything useful. Remove unused
shortcuts and empty folders from your system. Delete
that folder of junk that you were ‘going to read’ six months
ago. Keep your system trim, and you’ll notice the difference
almost immediately.
If you find yourself using RSS or e-mail a lot, you
should consider easing up on it. Reserve specific
times of the day to check your feeds and inbox.
Also, remove automatic notifications where
possible, so that you’re not tempted to check on
every little update.
HANDS-ON HOW TO
DIY: Cable Management
hances are good that the cables hanging from the back of
your PC are leaving an untidy mess that you prefer to ignore
rather than tidy up. You can use Velcro strips or cable ties to
clean up the mess, but the only thing that has been working
for me is the rain-gutter trick - a simple method that has been
doing the rounds on the Internet. Even though you can use
regular white (and cheap) rain gutter, I opted for something a
little pricier; but it looks a lot better. The EasyDRAIN channel
is designed for garden use, but a quick modification turns it
into a rugged cable-management system. I also chose the
EasyDRAIN gutter, as it comes in black and has a plastic grid
cover should you wish to keep your cables down
– Regardt van der Berg
C
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Level: Beginner
Time to completion: 45 minutes
Project costs: R250
What you will need: Two 8mm ceiling hooks; two metric
eye bolts (length: 200mm - bolt size: 10M); one regular
rain gutter cut to size, or one EasyDRAIN channel (www.
easydrain.co.za); four washers; four M10 bolts; drill
Description: Using a rain gutter, you can easily neaten
the cable mess behind your desk.
1
Essentially, we will be hanging the gutter from the back
of the table using the ceiling hooks to hang the modified
gutter. The length and height depend on your desk, so
make sure to take proper measurements before you
continue.
2
Using a small drill bit to make a pilot hole, gently screw
in the ceiling hooks. I used two hooks, as my desk is
just over 1.5 metres in length. The hooks were evenly
mounted.
3
Drill two holes in the gutter (based on the same
measurements as the ceiling hooks) so that the metric
eye bolts can be fastened. I used washers and bolts
on the inside and outside to ensure that it is tightly
fastened.
4
Once everything has been installed, you can simply hook
your gutter onto the ceiling hooks and gently place your
loose cables in the gutter. Make sure that you don’t mix
up your audio cables, as the electric interference may
cause noise.
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69
As you would have noticed by now, the magazine
is strewn with these crazy-looking tags that are
best described as barcodes on crack. Interestingly,
this technology is more widespread than you think,
and will almost certainly change the way you view
your world. By Regardt van der Berg
CREATE YOUR OWN TAGS
There are numerous Web-based services
that will allow you to create your very
own QR tag. While this is fine for things
such as static URLs or VCards, when
creating your tag, you need to ensure
the longevity of the link you use. ZapCode
will offer a variety of services that will
not only allow you to share tags, but you
will also be able to get stats on how your
tags are being used by consumers. Other
tag creators include:
QR Code and Semacode/DataMatrix
Barcode Generator
http://invx.com/
Kaywa QR-Code generator
http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
70
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on the
Cover CD
Barcodes are all around us. Once you
start looking for them, you will notice
that almost every product and packaging
features a barcode of some kind.
The traditional barcode, like the one featured
on the cover of your SACM each month, was
commercialised when it was incorporated
with the checkout systems of grocery stores.
Although it is perfectly suited for the job, onedimensional barcodes have two major drawbacks:
firstly, the unnecessarily large size of the actual
code, and secondly, the limited amount of data
it can store. In an age where Google reigns
supreme, the need for more accurate and up-todate data tags means that the barcode had to
evolve.
Quick Response Codes or QR codes were
created back in 1994 by Japanese company,
Denso-Wave. Although the company is a global
player in the automotive components industry,
it developed QR codes out of the need for a
system that can more effectively track and
manage the vehicle parts it manufactures. To
give you an indication of how limiting traditional
barcodes are, consider this: a single barcode
holds approximately 20 digits while a QR code
is capable of holding a few hundred more.
Furthermore, a QR code is omni-directional,
meaning it can be read at any angle. The system
that makes this possible is rather simple. Each
tag (also known as a module) consists of a data
area and three position-detection patterns. Once
the software picks up the tag, the positiondetection patterns will indicate the orientation
of the code, thus allowing the software to act
HOW TO SET UP A TAG READER ON YOUR PHONE
There are numerous software applications you can
download to your phone to enable QR-code scanning.
Because there are different software titles for
different phone brands and operating systems,
choosing the best one could be tricky. The portal
we use at SACM is ZapCode (www.zapcode.net),
which allows you to sign up from your mobile device
or your PC. During the sign-up process, you select
your phone model, and the server will automatically
recommend the best scanning application for your
phone. Your profile will also give you access to
secure storage of your scanned data, and will allow
you to access it from anywhere in the world.
accordingly. QR codes also have a much better
level of error correction (see box outs).
So, outside of commercial use, how would
we incorporate these tags into the real world?
More importantly, will it be something that
mobile phone users would embrace, or will it
go the way of Bluetooth-proximity marketing,
as found in shopping malls around the country.
Well, for one thing, the ‘scope’ of what QR tags
can be used for far outweighs that of any other
proximity-marketing tool. It doesn’t require
power or maintenance to ‘keep alive’. A code
can be placed anywhere and for any period of
time, literally, and it certainly won’t drain your
cellphone’s battery power, as you only opt-in
when you want to access the data displayed by
the tag. A very simple, yet effective example of
how these tags can offer value-added services
in the real world can be seen when looking at
movie posters. A movie poster featuring a QR
tag could link through to exclusive footage of the
movie, or even allow cinemas to give discounts
to moviegoers who scan the tag. Products
featuring QR codes can give customers more
information on the product; and on foodstuff, you
can use QR tags to give customers access to
recipes, other customers’ comments, or other
exclusive content. Personally, I would love to see
this technology incorporated on wine bottles,
giving me access to information on the wine farm,
or even a link to Platter’s (www.platteronline.
com/home) online review of the wine. It would
certainly make my purchase decision easier, and
will undoubtedly allow me to be more daring with
my purchases. If there is a wine I like, or would like
to purchase in the future, I can simply ‘bookmark’
the information, quickly and easily.
Tagging SACM
Looking at this month’s SACM, you’ll see another
interesting use of this technology. We have
tagged a few of the pages in the magazine, and
each tag links through to additional content on
the product or service in question.
Effectively, QR tags allow us to hyperlink the
real world. Any physical object can now have its
very own right-click, save-as button - or more
accurately, right-click, explore. Codes can be
saved on your phone for later retrieval, or, in the
case of ZapCode, you can create your own profile
online to automatically save and store tag data.
WHAT THE TAGS LOOK LIKE
These QR tags will link you to a
website which you can also store
on your profile.
These QR tags will link you to a
PDF file such as a brochure.
These QR tags link directly to a
movie such as a video clip of a
product or a TV advert.
OTHER TYPES OF TAGS
ZAPCODES Q&A
So why ZapCodes instead of the
straightforward tag?
Well, for one thing, ZapCode.net acts as
a “switch” or “router” between the tag
and the content, enabling more choice
and convenience for the customer. The
ZapCode portal provides a variety of
management and measurement tools and it
also has the added benefit of non-expiring
URL’s. This means no matter when the tag
was created, you have full control over the
content the tag points to.
QR Codes have been around for a long
time, why haven’t they taken off until
now?
For one thing, only now do we have an
entire range of mobile devices with a builtin camera capable of accurately reading
QR tags. The social media and Web 2.0
phenomenon has also been a catalyst for
the adoption of this technology.
What other benefits are there to
ZapCode.net?
Using your online profile you can scan or
“zap” the codes for later consumption,
even on a different device. This allows you
to scan and save any tag you come across,
no matter where you are or what mobile
device you use.
DISSECTING THE QR TAG
Although QR codes are not the only
two-dimensional codes, they are
the most widely adopted standard.
Here is a list of other tags being
used in certain industries.
Semacode
Online:
http://semacode.com/
Data Matrix
Online: http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Datamatrix Aztec Code
Online:
www.aimglobal.org
BeeTagg
Online:
www.beetagg.com
High Capacity Colour
Barcode
Online: http://tag.
microsoft.com
QR CODE DATA CAPACITY
(Mixed use is possible)
Numeric only - Max. 7,089 characters
Alphanumeric - Max. 4,296 characters
Binary (8 bits) - Max. 2,953 bytes
ERROR CORRECTION
(Data restoration)
Level L - Approx. 7% of codewords can be restored
Level M - Approx. 15% of codewords can be restored
Level Q - Approx. 25% of codewords can be restored
Level H - Approx. 30% of codewords can be restored
Source: www.denso-wave.com/qrcode/
* A codeword is a unit that constructs the data area. In
the case of QR code, one codeword is equal to eight bits.
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
71
By Rodain Joubert
Some frown. Some scoff. Others
wonder: could future endeavours
in nuclear fusion solve our
energy problems forever?
At risk of sounding sensational,
our energy situation is
pretty screwed up right
now. Conventional fossil fuels
aren't going to be around for
much longer; nuclear fission
produces too much radioactive
waste, hydrogen cells have
too many hidden energy costs
and environmentally friendly
alternatives aren't providing as
much power as we'd hoped.
While it's possible that we'll get
through this ‘energy scare’ just
fine - the above points are rather
hotly contested, after all - it's
still interesting to consider the
potential for another, far greater
power source. We're talking
about the stuff that fuels stars:
billions of the greatest energy
sources in our known universe.
The subject is nuclear
fusion. And the potential is
overwhelming.
Admittedly, the particular
kind of fusion that we see taking
place in stars is a bit difficult
to recreate on Earth: the
combination of heat and pressure
required would launch it into the
millions of degrees, and a single
piece of coal that hot would kill
anybody standing within several
hundred miles. It would also be
difficult to shield: pretty much
any nearby material would melt
instantly, or burst into flames.
Still, scientists are adamant
that Earth-survivable fusion
72
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
reactions are possible - and
even practical - for experimental
reactors that will hopefully be
powering our energy-hungry
population in the years to come.
Cold fusion confusion
Fusion power has been described
as early as the fifties, but public
excitement started to mount
in 1989, when two scientists,
Martin Fleischmann and Stanley
Pons, made one of the most
controversial claims of modern
science. They reported evidence
of nuclear fusion reactions taking
place after the electrolysis
of heavy (deuterium-based)
water on a palladium electrode.
The sensation caused by this
announcement was phenomenal:
if such claims were true, it would
be the magic bullet that science
needed for the world's energy
problems.
There was only one flaw, and
it was a critical one: their peers
could never replicate their
experiment, and the notion of
"cold fusion" was soon declared
scientifically unsound. Patent
offices in the US soon refused
applications for devices that
claimed to produce cold fusion,
and the scientific community
was divided into those who
believed that cold fusion should
be investigated further, and
those who believed that it was a
waste of time. The Fleischmann-
Pons claims haven't gained
much ground since, though
some groups have continued to
research it quietly.
Cold fusion as a concept
is pretty much discredited
now, but the idea of "lowtemperature" nuclear reactions
is not. Although such processes
could be considered "cold" in
comparison to the immense
temperatures required at the
core of the Sun, the label is
carefully avoided to make sure
that there's no confusing it
with the controversial eighties
experiment.
The most well known of
these "not cold" processes is
muon-catalyzed fusion, which is
capable of operating at subthermonuclear temperatures
- as low as room temperature,
in fact. This sort of fusion is
easily achievable with modern
technology and has been
demonstrated on numerous
occasions.
So we have fusion already?
Although this sounds impressive,
muon-catalyzed fusion is
unfortunately not as grand as
it seems: right now, the energy
output isn't high enough to
make it a viable power source,
mainly due to the inefficiency of
producing muons and using them
as catalysts. Some scientists
still believe that this nut can
HOW TO
The how-to of fission
"Classic" nuclear tech currently relies
on fission. In layman's terms, we're
cracking open large, unstable atoms
(such as uranium isotopes) and
harvesting the energy that's released
when it splits into two less massive
ones. Unfortunately, fission produces
a large amount of radioactive waste,
which remains dangerous for hundreds
of years, making long-term storage
and recycling a bit of a problem.
The how-to of fusion
be cracked: if we learn more
about muons, we may be able to
harness them more effectively.
For now, we're looking at
"warmer" options to generate
effective fusion energy. At its
most devastating, nuclear fusion
has been demonstrated through
the use of hydrogen bombs,
which are much more potent
than their classic, fission-based
counterparts. Of course, this
particular energy release is not
contained, so it's quite obvious
that a power plant allowing
such devastation would not
be a practical power source.
What's needed is a controlled
thermonuclear reaction that
doesn't rip apart or melt the
device that houses it.
Right now, "hot" fusion tech
is following two streams of
development: inertial confinement
and magnetic confinement.
The former was previously the
subject of the most research,
although recent experiments
have confirmed that the energy
gain isn't as high as expected.
Scientists are now eyeballing the
latter: magnetic confinement
fusion, otherwise known as MCF.
The Russians have it right
Chances are that if you're a fan of
science fiction, you've heard of the
term "tokamak reactor." This is a
real device, which is seeing real
results in several experimental
systems around the world.
The word "tokamak" comes
from a Russian transliteration
and its rough meaning is "toroidal
chamber with magnetic coils.”
It does what it says: this device
uses magnets to direct and
contain high-energy particles
(turning them into a super-hot
plasma) and makes them whizz
around a chamber that harvests
the fusion energy output.
Remember the earlier mention
about the heat problem? Well, a
tokamak's job is to keep particles
going along a set path by taking
advantage of a magnetic law known
as the Lorentz effect. In physics,
the concept of "heat" most simply
translates to describing the
level of energy and activity in
molecules: by keeping this heat at
the centre of the plasma, fusion
can be performed without putting
external matter at risk.
The stable operating
temperature of this plasma is
over 100 million degrees Celsius:
if something goes wrong, the
plasma will rapidly cool and only
do minor damage when compared
to the meltdown risk of a
conventional fission reactor. And
while the process still generates
radiation, it's a far lower quantity
and has a sustainably realistic
half-life of about a decade.
So fission would not only be a
cleaner energy source, but a far
less risky one too.
Currently, the most high-
profile fusion experiment is the
Joint European Torus (JET). It
has been operating for a few
decades now, and is paving
the way for an exciting new
development in France called ITER
(the International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor), which will
be taking advantage of research
findings from JET. ITER's
construction is set to take about
ten years, and it will be ready for
use in 2018.
If fusion is indeed the energy
source of the future - and JET's
results have been promising
so far - then ITER will be a
critical proving ground for
humanity. Already, the idea of
waiting for another ten years
while we tighten our belts on
current energy reserves is a bit
intimidating: if something goes
wrong, or if it takes too long to
establish a fusion-based economy
after seeing ITER's results, it
may just be a case of too little,
too late.
Either way, that which once
seemed impossible - the creation
of our own star to power the
Earth - is now a tempting and
glorious possibility to mull over.
If this works, then humanity can
truly claim mastery over the
most powerful, known energy
source in the universe.
Fusion is the polar opposite of fission.
Instead of massive particles, we're
dealing with smaller, neutron-heavy
particles getting slammed together.
To allow fusion, atoms typically have to
be in a state of extremely high energy
(heat) or pressure to overcome the
magnetic forces that keep atoms
apart. Current fusion technology is
largely dependent on fusing deuterium
and tritium, two hydrogen isotopes
that form helium and give off excess
energy. The result is much more
environmentally friendly: the half-life
of waste material is far shorter, the
helium by-product doesn't contribute
to global warming, and plant failures
would be far less catastrophic. We
also have the resources to continue
fusing for a while: some predictions pin
the potential energy mileage at billions
of years.
Cold fusion?
As mentioned in the main article, cold
fusion is something of a "square circle"
in scientific consideration. The voice of
dissent, however, is still quite present:
supporters of the notion claim that
since the 1989 debacle, the scientific
community has been actively holding
prejudice against claims for cold fusion
and often dismisses any claims as par
for the course without giving them
proper consideration. It's difficult to
say whether or not these people have
a point, but close on 3,000 rejected
papers on the subject suggest that
the argument has a considerable
support base.
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73
on the
Cover CD
APPS TO GET
MORE OUT OF YOUR MUSIC
COLLECTION
If you are reading this magazine, then chances are very good that you have a
sizable music collection on your PC or notebook. As audiophiles, we are always on
the lookout for applications that enhance the way we listen to our music and create
playlists. This month, Alex Jelagin and Regardt van der Berg share their top 15.
Last.fm Scrobbler
Supports: iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player, iPod
Size: 5.2MB | Online: www.last.fm
This handy app will track the music you listen to, track
each song, and then give you recommendations for
other music you might enjoy. The Scrobbler also allows
you to see interesting stats on the music you listen to.
Moreover, the Scrobbler gives you instant access to
more information about the band you are listening to.
MediaMonkey Free
Platform: Windows
Size: 7.3MB | Online: www.mediamonkey.com
MediaMonkey is the Swiss army knife of media players.
The software allows you to organise your music
collection easily. It will sync your playlists with almost
any media device, including the iPhone and iPod. It also
burns your playlists to CDs, and if you’d like to complete
your ID3 tags, MediaMonkey will grab all the info from
the Internet automatically.
Meuzer
Tag&Rename
Audacity
Songbird
Requires: Internet connection
Size: 3.1MB | Online: www.softpointer.com
If you want to manage your music files, Tag&Rename will
allow you to tag your files, rename files and folders, and
add album art to each song file. This software supports
a wide range of formats, and you can even export your
music information to HTML. This application is easy to
use and works like a charm.
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WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
Supports: Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux
Size: 2.1MB | Online: http://audacity.sourceforge.net
If you have a song or audio file in your music library
that requires some maintenance, then Audacity is the
application for you. As an audio editor, you can use
Audacity to remove noise, silent pauses before or after
a track, and you can also use it to amplify a song if it’s
low quality.
Requires: Internet Connection
Size: Web based | Online: www.meuzer.com
Meuzer was founded by two guys who wanted to
remove the clutter, and focus on the most important
thing when browsing and sharing music: the music
itself. This social-music tool allows fans to discover and
share music easily. Meuzer uses YouTube and Imeem to
deliver the content, and if you log in via Facebook, you
can easily share you music.
Supports: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Size: 13.1MB | Online: http://getsongbird.com
This open-source, customisable music player integrates
numerous online services to bring you an application that
is best described as iTunes on steroids. The application
resembles a combination of iTunes and Winamp, and offers
services such as Last.fm and SHOUTcast Radio; and there
are tons more add-ons to download. If you are looking for a
new, alternative music player, Songbird is it.
FEATURE: Fifteen Apps to get more out of your music collection
Moody
Requires: iTunes
Size: 253KB | Online: www.crayonroom.com
Moody is an application that allows you to colour-tag
your music as you listen to it. The colour tags are then
used to create colour-based moody playlists. So, if you
are in the mood for sad music, you can click the red
colour to play your ‘moody’ playlist.
GetMo
Requires: Internet connection
Size: 42MB | Online: www.getmo.co.za
This is not an application, but an online music store. It
uses prepaid scratch cards, which can be bought at
music stores and the like. It is aimed primarily at mobile
users, so it is really ‘friendly’ to people who want to
download music to their phones. It also offers a PC-based
media-browsing, purchasing, and playback application.
Flavor Tunes
TidySongs
Grooveshark
Muziic
Winamp
Media Player Classic
MediaCoder
Supports: Windows and Mac OS X
Size: 761KB | Online: www.tidysongs.com
Digital music has made it possible for people to collect
far vaster collections of songs than ever before, which
inevitably become quite disorganised. TidySongs is a
utility that helps you maintain your music library by
finding and filling in missing song details, adding album
art, and removing duplicates.
Supports: Windows
Size: 13MB | Online: www.winamp.co.za
When it comes to all-in-one solutions, Winamp has been
our favourite for years now. This software can rip music
from CDs, add correct tag information to your songs,
manage your playlists, and there are thousands of addons available from their Website. It also supports almost
every media format, including video.
Requires: Internet connection
Size: Web based | Online: www.grooveshark.com
Here we have something of a ‘social network for music’
that is also a music-search and streaming service.
You can recommend songs to your friends, and in turn
respond to their recommendations. This way and with
traditional searching you build up a playlist. You can also
’follow’ your friends’ selections and shifts in music taste.
Supports: Windows
Size: 1.8MB
Online: http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/
When it comes to playing a variety of music or video
formats, many modern players ‘have trouble’ handling
odd formats. And let’s be honest: sometimes more
features mean a more cluttered interface. Media Player
Classic looks and feels like the old Windows Media Player
6.1 (Light), but includes a complete feature set.
Requires: Internet connection– and friends!
Size: Web based | Online: www.flavortunes.com
Here is an online application/service catering to group
music experiences - parties! This Web app lets you draw
up an invitation list, allows your guests to select music
tracks, finds those tracks online, and lets you preview
them. You can then edit and finalise your playlist for
you party, thus ensuring that everyone’s tastes are
catered for.
Requires: Internet connection
Size: 8.53MB | Online: www.muziic.com
If you would rather enjoy the musical variety to be had
worldwide, then you can listen to Internet radio or other
streaming services. Muziic is similar to this: it’s an online
music-streaming service that also offers its own mediaplayer software. Muziic allows you to listen to millions of
tracks, legally and at no charge.
Supports: 32-bit and 64-bit Windows
Size: 14.1MB | Online: www.mediacoderhq.com
MediaCoder can be considered the Swiss army knife of
media transcoding. This handy application is ideal if you
have a variety of audio and video files that you want to
convert to something different. It is also handy to keep
in the toolkit when you come across a format you cannot
view or listen to.
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75
ONE TO ONE
Pictured here (from left to right): shaz, Vixen, BiTcH, Merns, FluffyCloud
Feisty Females
is a local gaming clan,
comprised of women only.
Drawing players from
some of the biggest and
oldest clans around, FF
is a mixture of highly
experienced players and
highly practiced tactics.
eisty Females was formed in 2008 by
Liezel van Niekerk and Belinda Jonker, two
well-known women in the Call of Duty 2 and
Call of Duty 4 communities, respectively, and
both leaders of the two biggest Call of Duty
clans in SA. FF’s aim is to try to get more
women involved in competitive gaming, and they
challenge any other ladies to start up a clan and
join them, as beating the guys is just not fun
anymore!
In 2008, by way of special dispensation
from the heads of AGASA, the girls were
allowed to play for their original clans as well
as FF. At the end of 2008, FF reached the
Premier League (the top 12 teams in CoD 4);
and by 2009, the girls played exclusively for
FF. Feisty Females attend the MPLD (Monthly
Pretoria LAN) on a regular basis, as well
as rAge, an annual event where all qualified,
online CoD 4 clans come together to fight for
the doGaming Championship.
F
We are the Feisty Females ... Liezel van
Niekerk (BiTcH) – Captain; Belinda Jonker
(FluffyCloud) – Vice Captain; Lisha de Vries
(Medusa); Marné Grobbelaar (Vixen); Juanita
Boshoff (shaz); and Marna Haefle (Merns)
Gaming – hobby, sport or career?
BiTcH: “Full-on sport.”
FluffyCloud: “Since gaming does not pay the
house bond, it will remain a hobby till then.
But sometimes it feels like a career, with set
practices and game times being scheduled.”
Medusa: “Full-on sport for me… very much
like a way of life. But love it to bits.”
Vixen: “A bit like a hobby when I play for
fun; more like a sport when our team is
participating in competitions.”
shaz: “You could say gaming to me is a bit of
everything: hobby = fun; sport = competitive;
career = well, time most spent.”
Merns: “Definitely a sport and hobby: serious
sport if we are in a game; hobby if I am being
brain dead.”
Hours spent gaming in a week?
BiTcH: “50 - 60 hours.”
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WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
FluffyCloud: “At first, it used to be anything
from 30 - 40. Thereafter, I started a new job,
which dropped it down to 9 hours :(”
Medusa: “Well, excluding our team clannies
and practices, about 45 to 50 hours a week.”
Vixen: “Average three hours weekdays; on
weekends, as much as I can fit in. I would say
about 20 to 30 hours a week.”
shaz: “Hmmm, about 32 hours a week.”
Merns: On weekdays I start at about 7-ish
and end it at about 11-ish, and over the
weekend, most of the time. So, in total, a lot
- 30 hours.”
Gaming peripherals of choice?
BiTcH: “Logitech.”
FluffyCloud: “Screen – Samsung P2370;
Keyboard – Logitech G15 (Mainly for RTS
and spamming forums); Gaming Keypad –
Nostromo N52t (I have received tons of flak
from fellow gamers for using this instead of
the keyboard); Headset – Razer Megladon
(recently acquired). Before then…. Zalman;
Mouse – Logitech G9; Mouse pad – Razor
(Control)
Medusa: “Without a doubt gotta say ikari.”
Vixen: “Logitech ftw!”
shaz: “At the moment, I game on a laptop :/
(hopefully not for too long). I do use a Razer
Krait mouse and have a Microsoft headset.”
Merns: “Razer... Got the mouse, keyboard
and mouse pad.”
PC or console?
BiTcH: “Both. Prefer PC, though.”
FluffyCloud: “I was a console bunny prior to
my brother showing me the world of online
gaming; still, however, play some Xbox for fun,
but on competitive side, PC.”
Medusa: “PC, of course.”
Vixen: “PC wins by far, although console can
be loads of fun.”
shaz: “Laptop :/”
Merns: “PC! Console is fun if it is something
like Soul Calibur.”
Online or LAN?
BiTcH: “Online.”
In 2008, by way of
special dispensation
from the heads of
AGASA, the girls
were allowed to play
for their original clans
as well as FF
FluffyCloud: “Online. I love rolling out of bed
on a Sunday morning, putting on my gown and
‘pantoffels’ and sitting in front of the PC the
whole day :D”
Medusa: “Online for the comps, but gonna
have to say love the LANning… much more
fun :D”
Vixen: “Both have their advantages and
disadvantages. I can play online in my PJs
and no one would know. At a LAN, you can
socialise and meet new and interesting
people.”
shaz: “Online FTW!!!!!!! :) and LAN when the
organisers host a CoD 4 comp :)”
Merns: “Both.”
Geek or Vixen?
BiTcH: “LOL! Depends who you ask ;)”
FluffyCloud: “Since we already have a Vixen
representing us... I will go for Geek.”
Medusa: “Hmmm, not one of them ;>”
Vixen: “The nick says it all!”
shaz: “Just call me ‘gee-x-en’, hehehe.”
Merns: “A geeky vixen? But actually just a
Merns.”
ONE TO ONE
Conrad Leigh
is the
head honcho at Lab 88, a
research and development
company that thinks
up good ideas, and then
brings them to market.
Lab 88 is a ’do
tank’– we think,
make and then do.
Q:
Who or what is Lab 88?
“Lab 88 is a ’do tank’ – we think, make
and then do. We are concerned with bringing
fresh, new technologies to the people in
accessible and usable forms.”
Q:
What is Lab 88’s interest in tagging?
“We have been watching the technology
for some time now and searching for a
worthwhile application. Recently, a few
factors have come together to prepare the
way for new applications and widespread
adoption of tagging. These factors include:
the widespread adoption of smartphones
with decent cameras and true operating
systems; the popularity (or infamy) of
graffiti tagging; the widespread use of online
metadata tags in social-networking and
bookmarking sites; the familiarity of URLshortening services driven by Twitter; and
also new phone applications for media tags,
such as Midori and Shazam, for identifying
and tagging music.”
Q:
How is Lab 88 planning to incorporate
this technology into the business?
“We have developed a tagging platform called
ZapCode about which we are very excited. We
will be integrating ZapCodes and ZapCode.net
into Leaf retail stores and our online shopping
experience. We will also be refining the
ZapCode platform into a technology platform
product for resale.”
Q:
In terms of cost, how will customers
pay for the service?
“The end-user will not pay for using the
service. Our customers, the tag owners,
are able to choose from a variety of cost
models similar to those employed by online
advertising. Interested users can get more
information or a link to contact us through
ZapCode.net or lab88.co.za.”
Q:
In terms of infrastructure, what is
involved in running this service?
“We have developed a back-end platform for
generating and managing ZapCodes (www.
zapcode.net), which is hosted on industrialstrength infrastructure in the US, runs
on this platform and provides the user
functionality that sets ZapCode apart from
other ’hard-coded’ tags. The management
system makes the day-to-day operation a
78
WWW.SACM.CO.ZA
very simple task. We spend much more time
thinking of and working on refinements and
improvements.”
Q:
What are Lab 88’s plans for this
technology? Will it merely be a new
service you offer, or are there bigger plans
in store for tagging?
“We think that abstracting the tags from the
content and inserting a layer of management
and measurement for both the end-user and
the tag owner is an exciting prospect that
will give rise to many opportunities. So yes,
we have much bigger plans, but don’t tell
anyone.”
Q:
What are the biggest drawbacks to
tagging?
“Historically user adoption has been
its greatest drawback, but as we have
mentioned, things are changing. Tag readers
are also becoming almost ubiquitous in newer
phones. A user-centric application that also
has value for the tag owners, like ZapCode,
will hopefully create the critical mass
required.”
Q:
How will the technology improve over
the next few years? Is there anything
to improve on, or is this just a bridging
technology for digital paper?
“ZapCodes are a bridge between the physical
and online worlds. The actual format of
the codes will most certainly change, but
the basic need will remain. We envision the
platform becoming, hopefully, as widespread
as Google’s AdWords.”
The end-user will
not pay for using
the service. Our
customers, the tag
owners, are able to
choose from a variety
of cost models similar
to those employed by
online advertising.
WIN
a rAge gaming rig
valued at over R70,000
MACHINE SPECS:
MSI ECLIPSE SLI Mother Board
MSI N295GTX-M2D1792
Corsair 6GB Dominator RAM
AM
M
TT-VG40031N2Z - Thermaltake
ak
ke
EXPRESSAR RCS100
Intel Ci7 Extreme 975
2x Seagate 1.5TB HDD’s
Thermaltake PSU
LG Blueray Drive
Logitech G19 Keyboard
Logitech G35 Headset
Logitech G9X Laser Mouse
Logitech G51 Gaming Speakers
2x LG w2216V monitors
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate
COMPUTERS | GAMING | TECHNOLOGY
•
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To enter
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keyword
rAgeRig to
38585
Get 12 issues of
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