Top 5 Tablets to Have

November 27, 2012 by ·

Nowadays people are usually on the run and want a discreet and reliable device for work, school or entertainment. Fortunately, hardware companies have found the solution and they are working on improving their tablets to cater to all the customers’ tastes and wallets. Here are five of the best and most popular tablets for you to choose from:

Apple iPad

Features like incredible image quality, thanks to the Retina display, fast 4G speed, improved camera and a wide selection of fun apps place the new Apple iPad in the lead both from the customers’ and the specialized websites’ point of view. The costs may sometimes increase, when you find yourself in the position of having to pay for additional upgrades, like for example special docks for the new Lightning connector, but that does not seem to bother loyal fans too much.

Google Nexus 7

Leading the market of Android tablets, Google Nexus 7 offers you high-quality design, speedy performance and a powerful version of Jelly Bean, all for a great price. It has its own downs, like the lack of a microSD card slot (same situation as iPads) or of a back-facing camera, as well as some lag when using the Magazine app, but its advantages make you forget about them. All in all, it is considered the best 7-inch tablet and it combines fast quad-core performance and a smart operating system with a top-notch design.

Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon brings you yet another great-priced Android tablet, which was developed from the world’s favorite e-book reader, the Kindle. Its pros are the solid and compact design as well as the friendly and easy-to-use interface. It also gives you access to a lot of apps and also free videos and books for the customers who are Amazon Prime members. Unfortunately, the 8 GB memory is not expandable and the performance may be a bit sluggish now and then, but the very affordable price makes it worth buying.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

If the 7-inch tablets are too small for you, you can choose the larger Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for its bright display and powerful speakers, but also for its long-lasting battery life and other features. If you always lose your TV remote around house, you will be happy to know that you can control your TV using the smart app offered by this tablet. On the other hand, the camera is not spectacular and the charging times are a bit high, but the tablet is still a good and affordable choice.

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700

The last one on this list, the tablet from ASUS has a very bright and sharp display, as well as improved cameras, long-lasting battery life and a high quad-core performance. The sound quality is good, despite the rather awkward speaker placement; the display may show some distortions if you put too much pressure on it when you touch it. It has its ups and downs, but it is a balanced Android tablet and it is the first one with a full HD screen.

If you’re looking for a new tablet, check out these 5 models first, and you are bound to find something that suits you perfectly.

Filed Under: Apple, Email News, General News, Microsoft, Tablets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Important Computer Tips For First Time Users

November 26, 2012 by ·

Whether you are an experienced computer user or using computer for the first time, you must keep certain simple things in mind. Otherwise, due to some common mistakes you might have to pay big price. The first computer tip you should remember that you are using a sophisticated electronic device and it certainly needs to be handled with care. There are many computer services company that offer tech support to deal with PC related issues.

In many cases it is seen that the computer users don’t shut down the computer properly. They just switch off the power button. This is very dangerous. If you do the same thing repeatedly, the operating system of the computer can crash or hard drive can also go out of order. Both of these two things can give you headache. To avoid this, shut down the computer properly. Go to the start menu and chose to shut down your computer.

Don’t forget to save your work. Even experienced computer users make this silly mistake. For instance, you have worked really hard to prepare a document. And know how frustrating it is if you shut the computer down without saving it. In fact, it is better to save the work in regular intervals.

Another computer tip is to remember to back up your important data. Since computer is an electronic device, it can malfunction anytime. Your important data might also be lost due to virus problem. So, it is better to back up your data in regular basis. You can use CD, DVD or an external hard drive in this regard. In the market, you will get external hard drive of various sizes and prices. These are also very easy to set up. You just need to connect the devise to your computer and then select the option to back up your computer. You may also want to look at professional off-site data backup solutions as well.

Another important computer tip is that you should never delete unknown files on your computer. There are a number of important files that help the operating system to run properly. If you delete an important file, this may do some serious damage to your computer and it can crash. If you aren’t sure about the importance of the file, you can talk to an it services provider, or you can browse the internet.

If you are using the internet, your PC might get affected by viruses anytime. So, it better to use antivirus software to protect your computer from viruses and other malicious objects. There are a number of antivirus software available in the market. McAfee, Eset, Kaspersky, Symantec, AVG, FortiNet, etc. are some of the renowned names in this regard. You can try with their trial versions. If the experience is satisfactory, go for the full version.

These are some common tips that you should keep in mind to enjoy the best computing experience.

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Apple iPad vs Microsoft Surface Tablet

November 20, 2012 by ·

The battle between the tablets from Apple and Microsoft has been lasting for a while and the year 2012 is no exception. Apple announced the launching of their new tablet, iPad 4, just a few days before the official release of the Microsoft Surface Tablet – and they promised a powerful processor and a better Wi-Fi connection. So which one would you choose?

In fact, there are two versions of the Surface tablet – one is the already available model powered by Nvidia Tegra 3 and using Windows RT, and the other one will come out soon and it will be dedicated rather to business people, powered by a friendlier Intel Core i5 processor and using Windows 8 Pro. Note that both Surface tablets are significantly larger and slightly heavier than the iPads.

Surface has a bigger screen with great resolution – 1366×768 for the Windows RT model and 1920×1080 for the Pro one – but iPad does offer a brighter image and better detail, contrast and color, thanks to the Retina display. On the other hand, Surface has some pluses, especially when talking about storage size. The model using Windows RT starts from 32 GB built-in-storage, while the iPad offers you 16 GB. Moreover, Surface gives you the possibility of a microSD card if you want to expand that storage, whereas the iPads do not.

Apple customers were a bit disappointed when they heard that the new iPad has a Lightning connector replacing the traditional 30-pin dock connector used for the previous models. That means that if someone wants to use regular cables, they will have to buy more upgrades, therefore spend more money for Apple. Fortunately, Microsoft Surface has the good old full-size dock, usable with all cables – you can plug in USB devices, cameras and printers.

Both tablets offer you fun and interesting apps and let you connect to millions of songs, books, videos and games. A nice feature available on Surface is the Kickstand, which lets you place your tablet almost vertically so you can use it handsfree- while talking on Skype with your friends, watching movies or maybe checking up some recipes online when you are cooking in the kitchen! If you miss the presence of a keyboard – sometimes necessary at work, school or just more comfortable for you when you have typing to do – the people from Microsoft have come up with a great idea. The Touch Cover can be used as a traditional cover that protects your Surface, but also as a very thin and sensitive keyboard.

In the end, it is a battle of tastes, and the success of iPads or Microsoft tablets will resume based on what customers want. There are differences between all the models, which means that the companies are trying harder and harder to bring something new to the scene and to eventually lead the market. That is a good thing for customers, who will have more powerful and efficient tablets to choose from. But will the fans of a certain company stick with it from now on too, or will they switch to the other one? We’ll have to wait and see.

Filed Under: Apple, Email News, General News, Microsoft, Tablets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Microsoft Tablets – A Closer Look at the Surface Tablet

November 13, 2012 by ·

When Bill Gates introduced the first Microsoft tablet, nobody was very interested. But when a few years later, Steve Jobs did the same thing for Apple, the world was thrilled. It seems that now, with the Surface tablets, it is time for revenge, but should Microsoft create more and more tablets to compete with Apple or should they just stick to PC software?

With the Surface tablet, the motto is “Less is more” and it is indeed true! The design is great, very nice to look at – colorful and fun – and also very comfortable to hold. The interior is compact and very well protected by a resistant molten magnesium alloy called VaporMg – it is three times lighter than aluminum, but very durable. Surface also has a special coating to protect it from fingerprint marks, so it will always look flawless.

The Microsoft tablet screen offers a perfect, crystal clear image (16:9 ratio) so you can enjoy all your favorite HD videos or seeing your friends while talking to them. If you want to share something with them, you can use either the front or the rear facing camera. The rear one is angled at 22 degrees and you can use it and be visible when you use the Kickstand. Speaking of Kickstand, it is an intelligent and very useful addition to the regular tablet design. It allows you to benefit from your Surface hands-free too!

One of the disadvantages of using an ordinary tablet is that you sometimes miss having a keyboard, especially when you need it the most! The designers from Microsoft have that covered – with Touch Cover! At first glance, it looks like any other cover, protecting your Surface, but it actually works as a keyboard too. It is only 3 mm thick and pressure-sensitive. It has all the keys and media controls that you are used to, including a trackpad. If you need to get moving fast, you do not have to waste time with turning the tablet off – just flip the cover over the display and it will take care of everything.

Transferring large files is quick and easy with the new Microsoft tablet; just plug in a thumb drive or hard drive and then drag and drop them to or from your Surface. The USB ports allow you to connect mice, printers or even your phone when you need to charge it. You can also opt for a microSD card for up to 64 GB of extra storage.

Working with apps is so much fun – you can have access to all the music you want, as well as books and videos or games using the Xbox, you can even use two apps at the same time and see them on a split screen. Get a SkyDrive account and you will be able to share your work with others, or record seminaries while taking notes in OneNote.

In conclusion, Microsoft tablets are promising. Surface is perfect for everyday use, work and study, both for teenagers and adults. It is easy to use and it really brings some nice changes!

Filed Under: Apple, Email News, General News, Microsoft, Tablets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Is Security Better in Windows 8?

September 18, 2012 by ·

Microsoft is receiving wide praise for the security features it has built in the upcoming Windows 8 OS.  Here are some of the major ones.

Windows Defender

Windows Defender has been improved as an antivirus software, replacing and incorporating the best features of Microsoft Security Essentials. Although Microsoft will continue to update the latter for versions of the OS, it will update Defender as well.

Defender will function as a standalone antivirus package, comfortable to the other major antivirus packages and able to protect computers against, viruses, spyware and malware. Users may use other antivirus software that OEMs have installed and will be given short time to do so or activate the powerful  Windows Defender.

BitLocker

Microsoft’s encryption software has proven to be essential for businesses by allowing protection of data from main drives to portable devices. Introduced in Vista, Windows 8 offers several improvements in BitLocker for the user and better and faster deployment in client and server scenarios.

Administrators can now pre-provision BitLocker encryption in drive volumes before the operating system is installed. This saves time from the previously required full-scale application of the program.

The software also has a new feature that allows encryption of only the used part of the drive’s volume. This procedure is especially fitting for new drives. Additionally, a user can now change passwords or initial PINs reducing administrative time. This can also be limited at the Group Policy level.

Secure Boot

In the late 1990s, Intel began working on a programmable shell that could code system protection procedures in the system processor as trusted platform modules (TPM). TPMs mechanisms create digital signing keys that could be fed into the BIOS firmware and recognize only legitimate executables and drivers to run, effectively keeping rootkits outside the booting process.

Intel soon joined an industry consortium that included AMD, ARM and Microsoft to produce Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). Essentially, the kernel of the Windows 8 operating system protects and authenticates itself from instructions written in the CPU. The Secure Boot process in this way becomes a Trusted Boot process.

Under Microsoft’s UEFI, each component in the BIOS is digitally signed by the company and verified by a TPM key in the BIOS, allowing the main bus and peripherals to boot up and open the OS. This procedure is nearly ironclad in protecting the booting process from rootkits. As one industry pundit puts it, like Apple, Microsoft has practically married its operating system to its hardware.

UEFI also denies boot entrance of other operating systems such as the various varieties of Linux. These vendors must get digital signature keys, functioning basically as code certificates,that can be mapped in the firmware and authenticated as be part of the secure boot system. Several Linux vendors are in discussion with Microsoft regarding Windows 8 while several antivirus vendors are also adapting their platforms.

Other Features

There are many other features of the full Windows 8 security package.  Metro apps run in low-privilege AppContainers that don’t have deep access to the rest of the machine. This feature is also built in the Internet Explorer 10 browser as the SmartScreen filter improved from Internet Explorer 9. Each tab of the browser runs in a sandbox configuration that doesn’t affect the other tabs. SmartScreen has been proven to outperform other browsers in its ability to block malware.

If Windows 8 becomes corrupt, it can easily restore itself in two ways. Under the Refresh option, factory defaults of the operating system are restored and the user’s personal data are retained. The Reset option, erases all data and Windows 8 is effectively restored. Security is definitely stronger and better in Windows 8.

Filed Under: Compliance News, Computer Repair, Email News, General News, Microsoft, Security · Tagged: , , , , ,