Category Archives: General Information

General Information

Desktops Over Laptops?

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Everyone wants a laptop now more than they want a desktop. Many years ago the sales of laptops started beating desktops and are still today. The reason mostly is because of the portability and mobility of laptops as we need to move around more with our entertainment and work. Don’t write off the desktop from your mind though, as there are benefits of buying a desktop too.

First reason will be the power you get from desktop computers. They mostly come with faster processors and have more memory to run your software application smoothly and efficiently.

Desktops can be small too. If you thought desktops are always big, look at this very powerful desktop that can almost fit on a palm.

Fujitsu Esprimo Q920
Fujitsu Esprimo Q920

 

For the more techy guys, you have many reasons to get a desktop as you can easily upgrade what is inside it compared to a laptop. Desktops can take more memory, hard drives, more graphic power and even change the power source. Some of these would almost be impossible to change in a laptop. As a gamer that constantly needs more power, the desktop will sound as a good choice.

When a desktop breaks, it is easier to take apart and easily clean or replace parts than in laptops. Most desktops also use standard parts, so you can easily replace them with cheap compatibles.

Comparing power for power, desktops are easily cheaper than laptops. With the above characteristics, it is easy to see why.

So unless mobility is ultimate for you, desktops are generally faster, more powerful, sometimes cheaper and a good idea.

General Information

Want A Smart TV? Read First

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In case you don’t know, smart TVs are TVs that can access the internet, update your viewing content, connect to your home systems  and even run apps to enhance your entertainment.

You hear about smart TVs everywhere now. It has almost become a norm to have one. Your friends are talking about it, and you wished you had one. Well, have no fear, you don’t need to splash out another £500 pounds to get yourself one.

There are devices now that you can get and connect to your TV and it makes your old TV “smart”. There are many of them out and they are all unique and different in what they offer. You just need to research into what you want to be watching or listening to and you will find the set-top box, as they are called, that will fulfil your needs.

Don’t be scared for your pockets, the price range is from £30 to as much as £140. They all offer almost similar services so you won’t go wrong if you went for the cheaper one. Most of them run Android and you will find others running other systems.

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I will recommend anyone that runs android because they are more scalable, easy to use, cheap and flexible for your entertainment needs. They come with built in apps that will make your viewing and listening experience worthwhile. You can also easily go the Play store to download your favourite apps like Netflix and other video and music apps to enjoy. Some won’t let you download any app though, they have their own store where you can add manufacturer specific apps to the system.

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What you need is a TV that has an HDMI connection and you are ready to use and even browse the internet on your old TV. Set-top boxes come with remote controls or keyboards to easily control them.

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Where to buy is easy, you can do a quick search on google and you will see a list of the common ones out there. You can also go to your local electrical store and ask for recommendations. Happy Viewing

 

General Information

The Internet Is Set To Cast More Webs!!!

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“The internet of Things” is everywhere. Well it is going to be everywhere, literally. It is becoming a topic everyone is talking about. Do you care about what it means? Well you should, because it is pushed to be what will take over our lives as we know it. The topic is very technical, and even so now that it is still in the development stage. However, like always, the Computer Potato is here to simplify even the most complex technological problems.

Look at it this way; there are so many devices around the world now.  Every smartphone, desktop, laptop and even watches (Click to Read about Smartwatches) can all connect to the internet via your mobile network or your home WiFi. So, what if we could connect every single electrical device to the internet? They would be able to actually talk to each other and share valuable information. I am not just talking about your TV, or watch. I am talking your electrical toothbrush, your air conditioning unit, your sewing machine, even your clothes!

How does that benefit anybody do I hear you ask? Well imagine your alarm clock wakes you up and sends information to your heater to start heating your bathing water or make you a nice lukewarm bath, just like you like it. After your bath, the bathtub sends information to your cooker that you have left the bathroom so that it gets the stoves ready for you will soon be making breakfast. After breakfast your house alarm sends information to your car to meet you in front of the house because you are about to leave the house for work. Should I go on? I am sure you get the gist of it already. Even though it sounds like a scene from Bill Gates house in a Marvel studios movie, but today the groundwork for this system is already building up.

If you think like me, I know you are asking “what about security?”. You might be thinking “I will now be getting SPAM in my car, or even my toaster is going to be hacked!” Well all these issues are being looked into and the whole concept of IoT (Internet of Things) won’t be put in place unless the technological giants pushing the idea have come together to iron out any problems

Even though it is an idea that sounds absurd to us today, I am certain the benefits of IoT will be far greater than the issues it brings. And it will help us interact with our environment even more than we can today. We might be putting on more pounds though- and I don’t mean money- as we would all be doing far less!

General Information

The New And Slightly Improved Microsoft Surface 3

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Here it comes, the tablet that might take over your laptop. The Laptop that can take over your tablet. Confused yet? Well that is not the intention of hybrid computers (click to read about hybrid laptops).

The Microsoft surface pro 3 is the third instalment – as the name implies- of the move by Microsoft to create a device that you will take with you everywhere.

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It has a 12 inch screen that has an impressive and improved resolution of 2160 x 1440. Your videos, images and graphic work would look stunning in the ClearType Full HD Plus Display

 

The main issue users of the first and second version of the Surface pro had was the battery life, but now Microsoft is promising 9 hours of battery. If this is to be true in real life environment, then you should be able to use your device for almost a day without needing a charge in normal use.

 

They come with the latest generation of processors (the 4th generation chips) so you can work and play faster.

 

You can get them with 4GB memory for running your programs and apps or you can go for the higher end that has 8GB for even better and more efficient multi-tasking

 

The hard drive can be from 64 to GB to 512 GB depending on how much you want to store on your device and how much you are ready to pay for it of course. Also you can increase that capacity with a micro SD

Prices start at £639 and it is ready to pre-order at the official Microsoft website. Happy buying!

 

 

General Information

Samsung S5 Too Big Or Too Expensive? Learn About the S5 Mini

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The Galaxy S5 too big or too expensive for you? Not to worry, the Galaxy S5 Mini is scheduled for a July launch according to a report by SamMobile today.

The dumbed down version of Samsung’s smartphone is rumoured to launch next month and includes many of the same features as the bulkier S5. These will include the S5’s water and dust resistance, heart-rate monitor and maybe the fingerprint scanner.

Samsung S5

The Mini is also said to feature a 4.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED Gorilla glass display, an 8-megapixel camera, 16GB of internal storage, 1.5GB of RAM and a quad-core Exynos 3 processor.

We don’t know about the price yet, but we are sure it will be cheaper as the Samsung S4 and S3 followed the same path in releasing a mini versions that were cheaper and scaled down.

According to a report by Forbes, “amongst those that did buy a Galaxy S5, 17% switched from Apple and 58% of European Galaxy S5 buyers were previous Samsung owners. As we know, Android is still the dominant operating system, with a 73.3% share of the European market. Apple is second with 16.6% and Windows Phone 8.1%”

The Rumoured Iphone 6's Screen Leaked! Compared To The Iphone 5s
The Rumoured Iphone 6’s Screen Leaked! Compared To The Iphone 5s

Also in the rumour mill is the upcoming “Iphone 6” or whatever it will be called when it finally launches in September. This will be featuring a larger screen which is said to battle head on with the larger phones we see running Android, so as to gain back some of the market they are losing.

General Information

Hybrid Is Everywhere And Now Making An Appearance In Computing!!

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In 2014 you must come across the hybrid a lot. As the world is looking for more innovative ways to make our lives easier and cheaper, people are combining ideas to make sure this vision is achieved. Anything hybrid is a combination of two unique things to make them one. Nowadays you have hybrid Cars, hybrid bikes even hybrid animals like the cute Liger, isn’t it adorable?

 

Well we are not here to talk about Ligers, even though they are everybody I know favourite hybrid. We are here to talk about hybrid Laptops. These are laptops that can be used as many things, mostly as tablets and laptops. Some even go as far to be used as a phone. (The Asus Transformer Book V is an upcoming hybrid computer that can be used in 5 different modes, including as a phone.) Check out the picture below.

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Asus Transformer Book V

 

Let us not go crazy yet and just talk about the common hybrid computers that can be used as a laptop or detached or folded to double up as a tablet and you can control it with your fingers alone.

 

The upcoming Surface pro 3
The upcoming Surface pro 3

 

What is the use for this? Well first of all, instead of buying a laptop and a tablet. You have a device that can be both, with just a few hundreds more than a laptop. They are generally smaller too, so you can carry them around with you like any tablet. This means you will have a device that can do your heavy work Adobe, Excel, or Google Docs efficiently or just browse the internet and install apps as a tablet. Switching from laptop to tablet is different in each device and can be achieved easily by unique buttons. In the Sony Flip series, you press a button and flip the keyboard under the screen and then you have a tablet

 

The Sony Flip Series

 

In the Asus transformer series you press a button and the screen detaches so you can use it as a laptop. Asus also has a version where when you press a button or detach the screen from the keyboard and it becomes an Android tablet/laptop depending on the mode you are using.

 

The Asus Transformer Book Trio
The Asus Transformer Book Trio

All these sound great but you can only use the full features if you need the of both devices (tablet and laptop) or you want to brag to your peers you have got the latest tech! If not you are better off buying either a laptop or a tablet as they are cheaper. But as a professional, they can be useful as a work and play device. When working you can have it in laptop mode, and when it is time to relax on that plane journey, you can put it in the tablet mode and watch your videos or play your games.

General Information

Your Wrists Are About To Get Smarter

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Ever heard the word smartwatch? You should, as big tech companies like google, Samsung, LG, Motorola all think this is the next big thing. How did I come to this ? They have been spending millions to make them and market them to get them into our homes and on everybody’s arm.

What are smartwatches? They are watches that do more than tell the time, they do more like answer your call, listen for your voice commands, display the weather and much more. With the new system Google recently announced, they can even control your TV or order that sweet pizza within minutes.

Bambook-Smart-Watch-running-Firefox-OS

Google recently announced amidst other announcements that they have developed Android Wear, an official android version that will go on these smartwatches. Android is a system that runs on many smartphones. If you download your apps from the Play Store, then your phone definitely runs android.

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Any need for these smartwatches I hear you ask? Well I’d say it depends on how much you would like to use your watch to do most things your phone can do already. In fact most of the smartwatches out today like the LG’s G watch (£159), Samsung Gear Live (£169) need you to have a smartphone running android before they can function fully. But all is not useless in the land of smartwatches, as you can quickly view appointments, check your text messages or see who is calling you on your watch while your phone is tucked away, if that is something you’d like. Might be very useful in UK where there is a lot of rainfall.

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I should add, Apple (Iphone) users should not feel left out as Apple has been rumoured to have its own smartwatch in the works. Stay tuned as we will be bringing you news on that if they are any different from the android counterparts.

Conclusion: Smartwatches might not take over your life like smartphones have done in the past years, but there is definitely potential for the smartwatches as they would make life easier for those of us who prefer not to bring their phones out in public or those of us who like quick access to text messages and features that you would access on the phone. As for me, until the smartwatch can do what my phone cannot do, I won’t be spending £170 on a smartwatch.

 

What do you think? Please vote below

General Information

The Rumoured Samsung S5 Prime

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You must have heard of the Samsung S5 as it recently was launched a few months ago and have already sold many millions. Someone around you must have a Samsung phone I am sure. With this new S5, Samsung promises even more features and a phone to love. Not long after, Samsung are now wanting to give you another phone that will top the all new Samsung S5. It is nicknamed the Samsung S5 Prime and will be available in South Korea, the homeland of Samsung. According to Samsung, the phone will have a better screen and a faster processor.

 

The rumours out about the Samsung S5 Prime are as follows

So what is this Prime about? A premium version of the Galaxy S5

When does the rumour mill say it will be out? Sometime in 2014, perhaps this month or next

Thanks to @evleaks

What is the cost damage? At lot – more than the current S5

The main selling point of this phone is you will be getting a QHD (Quad High Definition) so you can watch your videos even in richer quality.

It is said to be coming with a metal body as opposed to the Samsung S5

It will spot a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 chip unlike the 801 in the S5 so you can run your apps faster

The S5 prime is also tipped to come with 3GB of RAM and 1GB more than the S5 again so your apps can run faster and seamlessly

The last of the rumours which can only be logical is that it will be running the newest available Android 4.4.3 system nicknamed KitKat that promises more features for your phone.

General Information

Cloud Based Desktop Virtualisation

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You recall my article about the Cloud. Also I have simply explained what Virtual Desktops can do for businesses. Cloud based VD (Virtual Desktops) can even offer faster recovery, faster access and more secure infrastructures. Cloud based virtualisation was mostly for computer servers in the past as businesses thought it was best. But we all know without the people working on the office floor, there would be virtually no business to run. This can translate to computers on the office floor (the desktops), without them the servers virtually have nothing to do. Some application of this technology would be;

  • Small businesses given the ability to create, add, remove, manage and secure desktops in faster ways than we could. Not only is this faster to deploy now, the same hardware can be reused for upgrades when they do occur without much extra cost

 

  • Home workers can easily connect to their desktops anywhere in the world and work seamlessly without no additional costs involved. Any device can also be used to access the desktops, this gives the business a wide range of workers with different parts of the world working securely.

 

  • Disaster recovery is a big part of businesses now as more and more companies cannot afford to lose working hours in this fast paced world. Cloud based virtualisation offer a very robust method of easily backing up desktops that can be implemented again with low cost.

Conclusion: It would seem like the key word for advertising cloud based virtualisation is lower cost. The benefits actually go beyond that for a company ready to roll out this fairly new technology to its workers. This article has tried to outline the major strengths and selling points for the cloud VDs which includes but not limited to faster deployment, easier management, flexible desktop roll outs and efficient disaster recovery system.

What do you think? Please tell us below.

 

General Information

Virtual Desktops Any Good?

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Physical desktop is dying in the business world. Not only are they expensive, insecure, and maintenance-heavy, they also cannot change fast enough to accommodate the fast paced change of software and services.

Virtualisation, however, is helping mitigate many of the challenges of traditional virtual desktop infrastructure at an increasing rate. Companies can now better manage their desktops and give the full infrastructure increase in these values

•Centralized management

•Improved data security

•Simplified deployment

There are a number of ways to virtualise desktops. They can be cloud based or managed by the company. Anyway used, virtual desktops achieve many benefits without the excessive costs, limitations, or hassles of straight forward physical desktops. To a small or large businesses, there is essentially no reason to migrate the complexities and costs ofmanaging physical desktops to another complex and expensive infrastructure. Choosing the technology used needs proper planning and costing to choose effectively.

These benefits alone make Virtual Desktops especially cloud based a very well considerable choice for big and small companies alike.

Please tell us what you think below