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Posts Tagged ‘notebook’

Two backups are better than one. It’s the only principle geeks follow more closely than the Prime Directive.

Back up your data to one drive, and make the second drive into an exact duplicate of the first — voila, a backup of a backup. In IT parlance, this is known as a redundant backup, and the most popular system for handling it is called RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks.

The PopDrive from DHK Storage intends to be one of the first inexpensive, consumer-level RAID drives. It comes with two separately packaged, Western Digital 2.5-inch hard drives, like those … [Read More...]

Everything about Logitech’s new solar-powered keyboard screams “green” — except maybe its black and white case. Constructed of PVC-free plastic, packed in recyclable packaging with no included paper manual, and using only available light to power itself, it’s as friendly to the environment as a piece of computer hardware is likely to get.

Two solar panels at the top of the keyboard work to keep the internal battery charged, even in low indoor ambient light. When I took it out of the box, the battery was more than 50 percent charged after spending just 15 minutes in direct sunlight. After … [Read More...]

The security screening procedure at the airport typically provides about as much enjoyment as a graduate-level macroeconomics lecture, so it was comforting to know I had one less hassle when I approached the conveyor belt at the TSA checkpoint the last time I flew: I didn’t have to remove my 15-inch MacBook from my backpack.

My notebook was stowed inside a Big Ben backpack, which is made by Victorinox Swiss Army, the same folks who make the knives, watches and other assorted travel gear. The Big Ben has a separate Security Fast Pass sleeve — basically, a laptop compartment inside … [Read More...]

First they came for our 2-D televisions. Now they want our laptops.

If you thought 3-D was a tough sell for the living room, now imagine if you had to lug the technology around with you. That, in fact, is the big sell of the HP Envy 17 3D, and any other 3-D-equipped laptop: it gives you the world of three dimensions on the go. Can you feel the excitement? No? Well, ahem.

Let’s cut to the chase. You are not going to buy a 3-D laptop for … [Read More...]

We find it a bit mind-boggling that home-theater PCs don’t generate much interest among mainstream consumers. These machines offer so many features, and most people are already familiar with the Windows interface. Luckily for we enthusiasts, companies like AsRock keep working diligently to improve HTPC design. The Vision 3D delivers nearly every digital entertainment feature you could you could want, including Blu-ray 3D, Internet TV, video on demand, online music services, and access to all the digital media stored on your own network.

The machine’s $850 street price renders it very expensive compared to, say, a media-streamer like the Boxee … [Read More...]

Are you ready to embrace the cloud? Gird your loins, for Google’s Cr-48 (or Chrome OS Notebook, laptop prototype or whatever else you want to call it) is itching to drag you kicking and screaming up to the cloud and into it.

Google’s Cr-48 is, as many Google projects are, a brazen experiment in laptoppery that’s so crazy it just might work. Might not, either. For the Cr-48 — or whatever it ends up being called -– is really a notebook only in the sense that it has a keyboard and a hinge which lets it fold in half.

The … [Read More...]

Are you ready to embrace the cloud? Gird your loins, for Google’s Cr-48, Chrome OS Notebook, laptop prototype or whatever else you want to call it is itching to drag you kicking and screaming up to the cloud and into it.

Google’s Cr-48 is, as many Google projects are, a brazen experiment in laptoppery that’s so crazy it just might work. Might not, either. For the Cr-48 — or whatever it ends up being called -– is really a notebook only in the sense that it has a keyboard and a hinge which lets it fold in half.

The sell … [Read More...]

Keeping our computer(s) up to speed is a never-ending story. Making sure you have the latest, most updated drivers can be a daunting task and many give up on it. There are many tools out there promising to help you take care of this for you. Most of these sites and tools prove to be frauds, either overcharging you for free drivers, or installing old or useless drivers, causing more problems than they solve.

I have earlier told you about Driver Magician (and given away copies), which up until now was my program of choice, even though you have to … [Read More...]