Mundie: The desktop of the future is a room

Microsoft Chief Research & Strategy Officer, Craig Mundie, demonstrates natural user interface technologies during Thursday's Financial Analyst Meeting in Redmond.

(Credit: Robert Sorbo/Microsoft)

REDMOND, Wash.--While gesture recognition, such as that seen in Project Natal can help gaming, Microsoft's Craig Mundie showed how it will also transform the office.
In a demo, Microsoft's top research and strategy officer showed how the desktop computer of the future will use an entire office as both display and input device, with voice and gestures augmenting a number of touch screens.
"The real question is what killer apps (will mark the) new era and what will be the user interface that people use to get at them," Mundie said, speaking at Microsoft's financial analyst meeting here.
His demo included hologram-like video conferencing, a virtual digital assistant, and multiple surface computers along with voice, touch, and gesture recognition. The desk was a multitouch surface computer, and the office's walls were also a display that could easily switch from being a virtual window and collection of digital photos to being a corkboard of sticky notes to various workspaces.
In one case, Mundie also used Natal-like depth cameras to put himself in the middle of an architectural demo, essentially putting himself inside a building that was not yet built. His talk followed entertainment chief Robbie Bach demoing the gaming potential of Natal, playing a breakout-like game called Riccochet, where one uses their body to push, block, and kick balls at various bricks. Microsoft showed Natal at the E3 trade show earlier this year but hasn't said when the Xbox 360 add-on will be commercially available.
"I'm not playing the Riccochet game, but I am using these technologies," Mundie said. "This is our dream, but it is really not that far away. We see a pretty direct path to make this happen. We have all of the technologies to make this happen in our research labs."
In an interview earlier this month, Bill Gates told CNET News that Microsoft plans to use Natal far beyond the Xbox, including with Windows.
The demo was similar in some respects, but more advanced in others, than the one shown by Office chief Stephen Elop earlier this year.

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Hackers rumored to have cracked Windows 7 activation

Microsoft only just released final code for Windows 7 to manufacturers and the company is already facing a security risk.

The Windows Genuine Advantage antipiracy system in the Windows 7 Ultimate release to manufacturers (RTM) has reportedly been compromised by some Chinese hackers, according to a variety of Chinese forums, and first reported by Neowin.com.This means the user can fully activate the software offline without connecting to Microsoft's activation server.
The software's RTM code is generally the same as the retail code, which will be available to the public in October. PC makers tend to get the final product with plenty of time in advance of the launch to make their products ready on the launch date.
It must have been a complicated process, but in a nutshell, hackers reportedly used the leaked ISO file to get hold of the activation certificate that Microsoft digitally signed for the original equipment manufacturer, or OEM version of Windows 7. It's rumored that the key that got hacked is one that can be used to activate multiple OEM-branded installations, such as Dell's, HP's, or, of course, Lenovo's.
I am no fan of the activation, (it's a pain when you change computer parts, which I do very frequently) but this is rather upsetting news. I am sure, in no time, you will be able to buy a copy of Windows 7 in China or Vietnam for less than a dollar.
Addressing this, Microsoft released a this statement to CNET News:

We are aware of reports of activation exploits that attempt to circumvent activation and validation in Windows 7, and we can assure customers that Microsoft is committed to protecting them from counterfeit and pirated software. Microsoft strongly advises customers not to download Windows 7 from unauthorized sources. Downloading Windows 7 from peer-to-peer Web sites exposes users to increased risks--such as viruses, Trojans, and other malware and malicious code--that usually accompany counterfeit software. These risks can seriously harm or permanently destroy data and often expose users to identity theft and other criminal schemes.

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IBM thinkpad - ThinkPad X61 Tablet

Specifications :

Processor Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 processor (1.60GHz, 4MB L2 cache, 800MHz front-side bus) Intel Core 2 Duo L7300 processor (1.40GHz, 4MB L2 cache, 800MHz front-side bus) Memory 512MB, 1GB or 2GB standard PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667 MHz SO DIMM memory Supports up to 4GB maximum memory Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit Microsoft Windows Vista Business 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit Microsoft Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005 Display 12.1 inch XGA (1024x768) TFT display 12.1 inch SXGA+ (1400x1050) TFT display System Graphics Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 Hard Disk Drive 60GB (5400rpm or 7200rpm) 80GB (5400rpm) 100GB (7200rpm) 120GB (5400rpm) 160GB (5400 rpm) Optical Drive CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo II drive Dimensions 10.8" x 9.6" x 1.1-1.3" Weight 3.77 lbs

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About ThinkPad X61 Tablet

The IBM ThinkPad X61 Tablet series is Sleeve and lightweight ultraportable notebook. The IBM ThinkPad X61 Tablet series has good battery life and great performance. This Tablet notebook consists of Input and multiple screen options. It has digitizer pen, high resolution screens, viewing angle displays. By using ThinkVantage Active Protection System to protects the information from accidental drops or operational shocks. The Fingerprint technology offers the quality system security. In this Tablet laptop, the Ultrabay Slim and the Ultrabase optical drives are available.

The IBM thinkPad X61 Tablet notebook provides advanced features like 12.1" WVA SXGA TFT with Windows Vista Ultimate operating system, 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 100GB hard disk, 2GB DDR2 RAM, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo optical drive, 10.8"(W) x 9.6"(D) x 1.1-1.3"(H) of dimensions, Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 and 4-cell Li-Ion battery. These Tablet series notebooks provides attractive features are Integrated UltraConnect antenna, wireless LAN connectivity, ThinkVantage Recovery and Rescue, 170° viewing anti-reflective and anti-glare screen coatings, Security solution, Enhanced port replication and many more. The Hard disk is upgradeable to 160 GB and RAM is upgradeable to 4GB. The IBM ThinkPad X61 Tablet notebooks design is well and power management system software is offers with the Tablet systems.

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Lenovo ThinkPad T500

The T500 Thinkpad is the latest 15.4" refresh of the longstanding T-series out of Lenovo. Combining the latest generation of Intel goodies, ATI Hybrid graphics, and DisplayPort connection this notebook has many new things to offer over the previous ThinkPads. With all these changes taking place, is Lenovo keeping the ThinkPad as well built as we have come to expect, or has some quality slipped through the cracks? In this review we cover all aspects of the new ThinkPad T500 and tell you if we think it deserves a spot on your desk.

Our ThinkPad T500 specifications:

• Screen: 15.4" 1680 x 1050 WSXGA+ LCD (Matte finish)
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.80GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Cache)
• Memory: 2GB DDR3 RAM
• Storage: 160GB HDD (7200rpm)
• Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW
• Wireless: 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
• Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 w/ 256MB or Intel X4500 integrated (hybrid switching)
• Built-in web camera
• Battery: 9-cell (84Wh rated, 81Wh actual)
• Dimensions: 14.1" x 10/10.9" x 1.8"
• Weight: 6lbs 7.2oz (w/ 9 cell battery)
• Retail Price: $2,223

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Build and Design
The design of the T500 has changed a bit. The changes are subtle to the untrained eye, but they are there. The right side is now gently sloped similar to what can be found on the older T4x series, where the sides angle inward instead of dropping off flat. First clue about this is the optical drive bezel which sports a nice beveled edge. The rubber feet have also been slightly tweaked, now feeling softer than before, meaning less sliding on your desk surface. Moving past the minor case design changes, the ThinkPad is every bit as conservative (boring) as all of those preceding it. We have the same paint, same durable rubbery texture, and we still have our ThinkPad logo.

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Upgrade and expansion is a step harder than most notebooks, but still very simple. To gain access to all user-replaceable parts, you simply remove five screws and carefully remove the palmrest and keybard. Here you gain access to an open WWAN slot, another for Turbo Memory or UWB, two DDR3 memory slots, and your wireless card. At this stage you can also see the processor and heatsink, but a few additional items must be removed before you can lift those items out. Although this setup does seem like Lenovo is trying lock the user away from upgrading parts, they fully allow anyone to handle upgrading or adding components to their notebook without voiding the warranty. Processor swaps or messing with other advanced components might not be as kosher though. The hard drive is the only item accessible from the outside of the case (besides the battery) and is easily removed with a single screw.

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Build quality is very similar to the previous generation T61, with all of its strengths and weaknesses. Fit and finish are great with most parts, but you still have a good amount of battery wiggle in the back, as well as the cheaper feeling plastic LCD lid. The molded plastic panels throughout the notebook feel sturdy, overall feeling much like the previous generation of notebooks. Compared to the pre-Lenovo Thinkpads, the T500 feels leaps and bounds better. Now the T500 is not without its flaws, and the new keyboard definitely falls into the flaws category.

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Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard layout has stayed the same, with only very minor changes in the feel of the key presses. Some of this may be attributed to the differences in keyboard suppliers (NMB, ALPS, and Chicony) though, as my T60 came with the "clickier" Chicony keyboard, whereas the T500 is much quieter. The keyboard strength seems to have changed, with more flex present on the right side of the keyboard. To find the culprit of this flex, I took apart the notebook and inspected the keyboard area.

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To my great surprise, I found Lenovo had completely redesigned the keyboard, with weight savings as the primary goal. The old design has a much stronger back-plate, which is removed on the new revision. This cuts weight by 25 percent (6oz to 4.5oz) from the old model, but at the huge disadvantage of tarnishing the long-standing ThinkPad keyboard reputation. For now I am leaning towards weight savings, instead of cost savings as the main redesign reason, but I still don't like it. Anyone who knows the ThinkPad name knows at least two things; boring business notebook and great keyboard. If you take away the keyboard and make other weight reducing or durability reducing changes to the notebook design, you will no doubt alienate many of your followers. I really hope Lenovo takes notice at this, cause I would take a brick glued to the bottom of the case before over a keyboard change such as this.

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As with older models, the liquid drains are still in place, ready to get your notebook out of harm's way if a stray coffee or soda spills all over it.
The touchpad has grown compared to the T61, expanding to the width of the lower touchpad buttons. With the ThinkPad touchpads always being the runts compared to other notebook designs, this change was very welcomed (even if they did paint scroll arrows on it). The texture is identical to the older touchpad, and sensitivity is just as good. Compared to my T60, the touchpad buttons feel much firmer, and have more support from edge to edge. On the T60's touchpad, the far left and right side tend to sag slightly, whereas the T500's touchpad buttons have equal support from side to side.

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My only disappointment with the touchpad was the lack of red strips. After seeing the X300 and X200 that offered "legacy" red strips on the touchpoint buttons, I was upset to see that Lenovo didn't include that finishing touch on the T-series keyboard.
What still works and what doesn't
Those who have older ThinkPad accessories from the T6x/R6x generation will be happy to know all of the older docking stations are still fully compatible with the new notebooks. I can't say for certain that the older equipment won't be replaced with newer revisions that offer different connections, but at least you won't need to upgrade.
The optical bay connections have changed from the previous generation, moving more towards a SATA style connector, rendering older drive incompatible. One change that might anger individuals in an IT position is the removal of the native Serial/Parallel hookup inside the ultrabay for use with the adapter. With many older devices needing native serial connections, these individuals might be wary of upgrading their current notebook.
The power connection appears to have stayed the same for use with the UltraBay battery remained the same.
Display
The CCFL-backlit display on our T500 looked nearly identical to the display currently shipping with the older 15.4" T61 models. Brightness is much less than the LED-backlit panel found in the new T400, but still good when compared to other notebooks on the market. Don't expect to use this notebook outside on a sunny day, since the bright light will wash out anything on the screen. Backlit evenness is very consistent throughout the display, with no excessive bright or dark areas. Contrast appears to be very nice, and the colors are bright and vivid without looking washed out. Viewing angles rate better than average, but not excellent. Vertical viewing has a nice sweet spot before colors start to wash our or invert, and the horizontal range is better still. Compared to the LED backlit T400 display, the vertical viewing range extended further, but still not coming close to the IPS FlexView panel on my T60.

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One defect or feature which was thankfully not present in our review model screen panel was a shimmering or dirty white texture. Some of the older matte ThinkPad screens had this problem that annoyed many users, and from what I can tell this screen had none of this in the slightest.
Performance and Benchmarks

Our Lenovo ThinkPad T500 came with the Intel T9600 processor, clocking in at 2.8GHz, and jammed packed with 6MB of cache. For graphics, Lenovo included an ATI Radeon 3650 video card with 256MB of GDDR3 memory. While not the latest SSD, Lenovo did include a 7200rpm hard drive which helped keep access times to a minimum and transfer data at a swift pace. This combination proved to be exceptionally fast in the Windows Vista environment, getting very high synthetic benchmark scores. The T500 also performed remarkably well in games which you generally don't find running on most business notebooks (well non-workstations that is).
Gaming was not a problem with the T500, handling games such as BioShock at native 1680x1050 resolution at 15-20FPS. If you scaled the resolution back to 1280x800, 20-30FPS. Slightly less intensive games like Portal or Half-Life 2 ran even better, consistently averaging framerates above 40 even in high action scenes.
One unique aspect of the T500 is its ability to be able to switch between dedicated and integrated graphics with a simple click of an icon on the task bar. You can switch between the Intel X4500 graphics and the ATI 3650 chipset without rebooting, and doing so lets you conserve quite a bit of power if you don't need to game.
wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, the advantage of this program is that it is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, thereby giving more accurate benchmarking measurements than Super Pi.

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
Lenovo T500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.80GHz)	27.471s
Lenovo T61 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz)	42.025s
Dell Vostro 1500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 @ 1.6GHz)	53.827s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)	40.759s
Systemax Assault Ruggedized (Core 2 Duo T7200 @2.0GHz)	41.982s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @2.2GHz)	37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz)	76.240s
Zepto 6024W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	42.385s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.705s
Alienware M5750 (Core 2 Duo T7600 @ 2.33GHz)	38.327s
Hewlett Packard DV6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)	38.720s

PCMark05 comparison results:

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3650 256MB GDDR3)	7,050 PCMarks
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500)	5,689 PCMarks
Lenovo T61 Standard Screen (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA NVS 140M 256MB)	4,839 PCMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	3,585 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	4,925 PCMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	3,377 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	4,591 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	3,987 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB)	4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	4,234 PCMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	3,637 PCMarks

3DMark06 comparison results:

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3650 256MB GDDR3)	4,371 3DMarks
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500)	809 3DMarks
Lenovo T61 Standard Screen (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA NVS 140M 256MB)	1,441 3DMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	1,269 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,329 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	532 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU)	1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB)	2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB	2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66 Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB)	2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB)	1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB)	1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	827 3DMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	794 3DMarks

As an added bonus, we also tested the T500 with the new PCMark Vantage benchmark, and the T500 with ATI Radeon 3650 enabled returned a score of 4,176.
HDTune storage drive performance test:

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Heat and Noise
The cooling system worked very well, keeping overall system temperatures down, and doing so without making a ton of noise. At idle and under low activity the T500's fan stayed at a slow speed (nearly inaudible), keeping processor temperatures in the low 40C range, and GPU around 50C. While gaming, greater temperatures made the system fan speed up, but even at its highest speed it still seemed quieter than my T60. The outside temperatures are great in all situations besides gaming. Sitting around surfing the web or typing a document, the notebook is very cool and doesnt build up that much heat. Gaming is different, and the T500 gets much hotter all around the case, and gets some hot points on the bottom of the case.
Heat Under Stress/Gaming (listed in degrees Fahrenheit):

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Battery Life
Unlike the T400 which saw a massive jump in battery life over the previous generation 14" notebook as a result of the LED-backlit screen, the T500's battery life was in line with the 15.4" T61. While the 9-cell battery in the T400 gave 7-8 hours of battery life, the same capacity in the T500 barely manages six hours. The key differences between each notebook are the screen size, backlit technology, and graphics card model, as all of the other options are identical.
In dedicated graphics mode, the screen brightness set to 60%, and wireless active the T500 managed 5 hours and 6 minutes before it shut itself down at 5% remaining. Even though it is still way under the T400 by a couple of hours, it is still very impressive for a 15" notebook. In integrated grahics mode with the same settings, the system squeezes out an hour and a half more, bringing the average consumption from about 13 watts down to 11 watts. The 9-cell battery gives you more than enough time to watch a movie or two on a flight, or even get some work done.
Speakers and Audio
The sound system on the T500 is fairly week compared to other mainstream notebooks, but that is fairly common for a business notebook. The speakers lack most all bass and midrange, but are find for watching the occasional movie or YouTube clip. Headphones are a much better option to enjoy music and video. The headphone jack on the T500 put out clean static free audio.
Ports and Features
The port selection on the T500 rates slightly above average, but still shows room for improvement. The DisplayPort is nice, but with current TV's and monitors finally starting to show HDMI, it would have been a better choice as the T500 cant output any resolution higher than the DVI spec. Three USB ports is cutting it close for a highend 15.4" notebook, and with them grouped together, if you have any large devices you will overlap. Moving past those complaints the rest of the port selection is fine. Some may argue that the headphone and microphone located on the front will cause problems, but there was no space what-so-ever left on the sides even if Lenovo wanted to mount them there.
Front: Firewire, Wireless On/Off, Headphone/Mic, SD-Card Reader

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Rear: Kensington Lock Slot, AC Input, Battery

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Left: VGA, DisplayPort, LAN, three USB, PC-Card Slot, ExpressCard/54

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Right: Optical Drive, Modem

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Conclusion
The Lenovo T500 as a whole is a great step up from the T61, with a faster processor lineup, much better graphics card, better cooling, larger touchpad, and even a digital video output from the notebook itself. System performance was phenomenal, coming close to workstation or gaming notebook levels. What is not so great is the famed ThinkPad keyboard going floppy on us where they used to be rock solid. No matter if this change was to cut weight or cut costs, Lenovo should have known better not to mess with the most important part of ANY ThinkPad notebook. Don't get me wrong, the keyboard is still much nicer than a budget notebook keyboard, it just isn't as good as what it used to be.
Overall the Lenovo ThinkPad T500 is a fine notebook worthy of a spot on many office or dormroom tables, but it could have come closer to perfection if Lenovo didn't mess with the keyboard.

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Lenovo IdeaPad S12 Review

The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 features a 12-inch screen and is one of the largest netbooks on the market. This 3.42-lb machine is designed to let consumers easily surf the Internet and perform other light tasks on-the-go without having to spend a lot of money. The S12 comes pre-loaded with Windows XP, has a full-size keyboard, and includes a six-cell battery for five hours of run time – read on to see how it fared in our testing.

BUY the IdeaPad S12 Laptop Computer - 295955U - Intel ATOM N270 Single Core

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see all pricing for the IdeaPad S12 Laptop Computer - 295955U - Intel ATOM N270 Single Core

Our Lenovo IdeaPad S12 review unit has the following specifications:

• Intel Atom N270 processor (1.60GHz)
• Windows XP Home Edition
• Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics
• 1GB RAM
• 12.1-inch widescreen display (1280x800) with LED backlighting
• 160GB 5400RPM hard drive (Hitachi HTS543216L9A)
• 6-cell Li-ion battery (11.1V, 52Wh)
• Broadcom 802.11b/g wireless
• One-year limited warranty
• White color (also available in black)
• Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x 0.9 – 1.4 inches (W x D x H)
• Weight: Starting at 3.42 lb w/ 6-cell battery

As configured, our S12 is currently priced at $499. The base model starts at $449 with a VIA Nano 1.3GHz processor.

Build and Design
Since all netbooks have nearly identical specifications, manufacturers have to look at the design and build quality to differentiate themselves. Lenovo's IdeaPad S12 is a docile and friendly-looking machine with a not a square edge in sight. The company's second generation of netbooks feature rounded edges and a slimmer chassis. The S12 looks well built; all of the parts fit together neatly.
The back of the lid has a "fashion" design with hundreds of little circles dotting the lid. The S12 would be at home in a Target store because I think all of those little circles resemble the company's bullseye logo. In addition, the majority of people I showed it to thought it was a girl's machine, probably because it is white and has that circle design on the lid. Your mileage may vary – I suggest guys go with the black version.

The S12 is constructed of ABS plastic through and through. It looks and feels sturdy and is not fragile at all. The only part of the notebook that could be more solid is the battery, which wobbles ever so slightly. There is little flex anywhere on the machine, with the exception to this being the lid; ripples show on the screen when only mild pressure is put on the back of the screen. This should be a non-issue as long as the machine is not thrown around. The hinges that hold the display on are very solid as well. A point of interest about the lid is that it only tilts back about 20 degrees past vertical; given how light this machine is, it will likely be used in a variety of situations and therefore should probably Tilt back another 10-20 degrees or so.
The entire base of the notebook has a matte finish, while the lid is glossy plastic front and back. The glossy plastic is surprisingly durable; I did not use a sleeve to protect the S12 in my bag during the week I had it and there were no scratches at the end of the review period.

The glossy screen attracts dust and fingerprints easily, so keep a microfiber cloth handy. As far as cleanliness goes, the white plastic stayed clean during the time I had it; only time will tell how it fares in the long term. Hopefully the plastic is not too absorbent and will not pick up stains and other discolorations. The black S12 is be better at hiding everyday wear and tear.
Compared to the Dell Inspiron Mini 12, a direct competitor to the Lenovo S12, the S12 is slightly smaller (albeit about a tenth of an inch thicker). The S12 feels deceptively heavy in the hands depending on how you pick it up (by the back, front, and so on). The stick-out 6-cell battery is the primary reason the S12 feels weighty.
Overall, the S12 has excellent fit and finish with an accommodating design.

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MSI Wind U123-003US

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MSI's second Wind (netbook, that is) offers more of the same: Decent performance, value, and a hackable Mac OS X box.

It's been a year since the Wind U100, the "big" sibling to the MSI Wind U123, came out--and the similarities between the two netbooks are eerie. Both run Windows XP Home Edition, and both carry 1GB of RAM, a Webcam and mic, and essentially everything else, except the U123 features a bulbous nine-cell battery and the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N280 processor (versus the U100's N270 CPU). In short, same stuff, different day.

That CPU upgrade doesn't amount to much of a difference. Oh, sure, the U123 will finish tasks a hair faster, but it's still in the same ballpark. While the U100 earned a mark of 36 in WorldBench 6 (about the average), the U123 barely edged ahead with a score of 37. As for the U123's large nine-cell battery, however, the PC World Test Center found that it lasted for 4 hours, 34 minutes under constant use, whereas the three-cell battery on the U100 survived for a little over 2 hours less--that's an obvious improvement over last year's model. (Of course, netbooks with longer battery life and more features, like the Toshiba NB205-310, are on the market too.) The only drawback to the U123's beefy battery is that it makes this netbook weigh as much as an ultraportable laptop--3.6 pounds, to be precise.

The 10.2-inch LED screen is crisp, and a tad larger than the 10-inch screen found on the U100. Though the workspace is a little tight, Excel spreadsheets seem clear and Web browsing is easy enough to handle. The matte screen allows for fairly crisp colors indoors; though the antiglare surface is nothing special, it does its job well away from direct sunlight. Once outside, however, the 1024-by-600-resolution display appears dull and mediocre. At least it's viewable--most netbook makers prefer to go with a glossy screen that's barely visible outdoors.
The touchpad is extremely responsive, allowing your finger to slide effortlessly across its surface. The one downfall is that the mouse buttons are resistant, a little too stiff and clicky for my tastes. Translation: It's a less-than-ideal choice for use in quiet places such as a library or classroom.
The keyboard is 92 percent of standard size. Of course, while that is common to netbooks, it doesn't take away from the fact that such keyboards are still a little tough to use. Case in point: After an hour of almost constant typing, my small hands started to cramp up and I had to stop. If you put the U123 side by side with a netbook such as the HP Mini 5101, you can see that the U123's keys are just a hair shorter.
Layoutwise, the U123 doesn't veer too far from what you'd expect. The U123 has three USB ports, two on the left side of the unit and one on the right. You'll also find a video port and an audio port for headphones and a microphone, plus a multiformat reader that supports four different types of memory cards (SD, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick Pro). The 1.3-megapixel Webcam is slightly better quality next to the Webcams on other netbooks in this category; it records video well and captures footage with only a few minor color and sharpness issues.
The only unadvertised feature of the U123 (and one that matters to 0.05 percent of the public) is the machine's openness to hacking. The U100 is a good "hackintosh" box, one that allows users to download drivers in preparation for installing and using OS X on a netbook. Hackers, now you have a newer version to consider ripping apart.
In the end, the MSI Wind U123 will receive compliments on its sleek looks from coffee-shop hipsters. After all, the U123's exterior is eye-catching--even sexy, considering the glossy deep-blue finish of our review model. Look a little closer, however, and this netbook rates as fairly average. In fact, the identically priced Toshiba NB205-310 is equally attractive and offers an impressive number of unique features, and it lasted more than twice as long as the U123 did in our tests. You just won't be able to run OS X on the Toshiba--if that matters to you at all.

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Nokia Planning to Business Laptops

The world's largest mobile phone manufacturer Nokia to enter the middle of considering a business laptop, according to CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo when interviewed by Finnish television channel on Wednesday. When asked whether Nokia plans to start producing laptop, Kallasvuo said that the middle of their "very active in this learning opportunity."

Gossip about Nokia's plan to enter the PC industry has berseliweran since the end of last year, but the statement Kallasvuo may be regarded as the first official recognition of the plan.

Kallasvuo said that they "do not need to see even five years to see that what we know as the phone and the PC will start ignites. Today we see hundreds of millions of people who get in first pengelaman internet phone. The fact that this is a good indication. "

Nokia this comment came a week after the manufacturer of the PC world number 3, Acer entered the mobile phone industry with the release eight phone models, follow the steps HP and Lenovo to start to enter the segment that is growing rapidly.

When the high profit margin is one of the interesting things that the PC manufacturers to enter this segment, is still not clear why Nokia is working on the mobile phone industry would like to move to the vice versa. Kallasvuo said only that "all telecommunications service providers to add the powerful notebook and netbook that is connected to the Internet in their product portfolio. It is therefore not surprising when Nokia also learn the middle of this segment."

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Announce Apple iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro New

After updating all the product lines laptopnya years ago and earlier this year, Apple is now time to update all the product lines to its desktop. On Tuesday, Apple announced that it has released iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Pro with a new performance that much better than previous versions and with a selling price lower.

iMac

At the time this announcement, Apple announced the latest version of the iMac product series with a cheaper price and with 24-inch screen is priced the same 20-inch model with the previous generation.

Series product iMac models now have a new low with 20-inch iMac with the size of price $ 1199 with the processor Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, hard disk (HD) and 320GB Serial ATA nVidia GeForce 9400M in the MacBook used in 2008.

sized 24-inch iMac now comes with a widescreen display 1920x1200 pixel display that offers 30% wider than 20 inches and model dibanderoli $ 1499 - the same price of 20-inch iMac with the previous generation. Coo Apple Tim Cook said that "24-inch iMac are we now come with memory and storage capacity of two times greater with the price only $ 1499."






In terms of performance, resemble iMac 24 inch Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 640GB or 1TB Serial ATA HD, and the option to use the Nvidia Geforce 9400M, Nvidia GeForce 130 GT or ATI Radeon HD 4850.

Mac Mini

As part of a product line update to its desktop, Apple introduced two new Mac Mini models that have graphics performance up to 5 times better than the previous chipset nVidia GeForce 9400M.

Coo Apple Tim Cook said that "the Mac Mini is not only a Mac with the most affordable price, the Mac Mini desktop computer is also the most power saver." Mac Mini to use less than 13 watts at idle, less than 10%, which is usually consumed regular PC.











Available in two models that start at $ 599, resemble the Mac Mini 2Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 memory maximum, maximum HD 320GB Serial ATA, 5 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 and SuperDrive. $ 599 Mac Mini comes with 1GB RAM DDR3 and 120GB HD Setial ATA, while the $ 799 version comes with 2GB RAM and 320GB Serial ATA.

Mac Pro

In addition, Apple also introduced the new Mac Pro, Apple products are for professionals and has become the processor is Intel's current Xeon Nehalem delivers performance that more than twice better than the previous generation.

Senior division marketing VP Phil Schiller of Apple said that "this new Mac Pro is a significant upgrade new and sold with the price $ 300 lower than before. Mac Pro has a powerful architecture, a faster processor and graphics options that have been our best offer to deliver a system more quickly and a strong professional customer akan loved us. "

Mac Pro with a new sale price from $ 2499 with quad-core processor Xeon with Nvidia GeForce graphics card with 120 GT GDDR3 512MB memory. ATI Radeon HD 4870 is also available as additional options.






Complete specification of quad-core Mac Pro $ 2499 is:

• one 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3500 series processors with 8MB of L3 cache
• 3GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory, expandable up to 8GB
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics with 512MB of GDDR3 memory
• 640GB Serial ATA 3GB/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm
• 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW)
• Mini DisplayPort and DVI (dual-link) for video output (adapters sold separately)
• four PCI Express 2.0 slots
• five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire 800 ports
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• Ships with Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Mighty Mouse

And 8 core Mac Pro dibanderoli of $ 3299 has the following specifications:

• two 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 series processors with 8MB of shared L3 cache
• 6GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory, expandable up to 32GB
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics with 512MB of GDDR3 memory
• 640GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm
• 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW)
• Mini DisplayPort and DVI (dual-link) for video output (adapters sold separately)
• four PCI Express 2.0 slots
• five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire 800 ports
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• Ships with Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Mighty Mouse

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2010, Gigabit Wi-Fi

IEEE is responsible for maintaining all of the wireless standard specification announced that While 802.11n specification is still not finished, the two groups of researchers have started developing a new generation of wireless that can rival the speed gigabit ethernet connections offered today. They have each submitted a proposal that will be called the standard IEEE 802.11 VHT (Very High Throughput) that operate in the two-channel frequency, 60GHz for short range and 6GHz for the use of distance learning.

Although both proposals are still not officially approved by IEEE, the researchers are optimistic that this proposal will be approved. If the proposal is approved, the wireless data transfer speed will increase dramatically. Although the 802.11n standard that says the maximum speed of 802.11n can achieve 300Mbps, but in practice a variety of network devices' pre-n 'that already exist today only able to reach speeds around 100 Mbps depending on network traffic.

802.11 VHT proposals aim to create products 1Gbps speed minimum so that the maximum speed specification akan higher again. Tushar Moorti, director of the division WLAN Broadcom said that "for now we want the minimum speed of 500Mbps for each link and each access point device that supports VHT is able to use multiple links at once so the total speed will be far more than 1Gbps."

Craig Mathias, one of the leaders of Farpoint Group also provides input on a very optimistic, saying that "we will see VHT standard in two years, and WLAN products with more speed of 1 Gbps will appear in three starts this year," according to the prediction that I a bit too positive because the specification Wi-Max which was developed in 2004, also up to now still not yet finished. VHT proposal submitted to the IEEE own target 2012 or 2013, but already a lot of wireless technology vendors that have participated actively in this project, including Atheros, Broadcom, Intel, Marvell, Motorola and Nortel. (Network World)

Update: as said agin, 802.11n specification differs from WiMAX (802.16x specification). 802.11n wireless LAN technology is to replace the function of the ethernet and wireless technology, WiMAX is a wireless WAN to expand network coverage as wide ribbon cable or DSL.

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Screenshot Awal Office 2010

Perhaps you have read the previous news about the application of Microsoft Office 2007 that they say will be present at the end of 2009 or early 2010 with the name of Office 14 have even gained some screenshotnya from the Russian site, Wzor. But recent findings from the site NeoWin name was changed into Office 2010. Likely that this application comes most quickly in the 2010 version with betanya will attend this year.


Based on a statement from Chris caposella, Vice President of Product Management Microsoft, "Office 2010 will come with the first beta on the possibility of third quarter 2009. New version of completed and in mid 2010." This latest office will be present with the flexibility and remote access features which is to support the system through a collaborative network that now this is becoming a trend in the modern world of work. Simply connect to the Internet you can do one job or project the share work with limited time and place.


This is the view among some of the latest advance from one of the applications from the Office 2010 package, including Outlook 2010 and Exchange Server 2010:

Unfortunately we can not see what the look of Word 2010. But, we can at least to guess from the inter-face Outlook and Exchange 2010 using the style for the Ribbon toolbar. Icons are large and divided-in for each tab so that the user intended bsa easier to be able to find all the existing features. It looks good enough and does not create confusion for users, especially those who are familiar with Office 2007, although this view is still temporary.

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Microsoft Word 2010

Microsoft Word 2010

Microsoft® Word 2010 gives you the best of all worlds: enhanced features to create professional-quality documents, more ways to work together with multiple people, and almost anywhere access to your files. Create and organize documents in less time, with less effort. Store your documents online, then access and edit Word 2010 from practically any Web browser. Word 2010 gives you tools that let you capture your best ideas whenever and wherever they occur.

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Internet Explorer 8

IE8 development started in at least March 2006.In February 2008, Microsoft sent out private invitations for IE8 Beta 1, and on March 5, 2008, released Beta 1 to the general public, although with a focus on web developers. The release launched with a Windows Internet Explorer 8 Readiness Toolkit website promoting IE8 white papers, related software tools, and new features in addition to download links to the Beta.The Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) added new sections detailing new IE8 technology. Major press focused on a controversy about Version Targeting, and two new features then called WebSlice and Activities. The readiness toolkit was promoted as something "developers can exploit to make Internet Explorer 8 'light up'."
On August 27, 2008, Microsoft made IE8 Beta 2 generally available. PC World noted various Beta 2 features such as InPrivate mode, tab isolation and color coding, and improved standards and compatibility compared to Internet Explorer 7. Two name changes included Activities to Accelerators, and the IE7 Phishing filter renamed Safety Filter in the first Beta to SmartScreen, both accompanied by incremental technical changes as well. By August 2008 the new feature called InPrivate had taken the spotlight.
The final version was released on March 19, 2009. The edition embedded within Windows 7 is still in development along with the operating system.

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