Sunday, December 11, 2011

3 Technology Link

3 Technology Link


Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US)

Posted: 10 Dec 2011 02:55 PM PST

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US)

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

Price Range $949.99
  • Pros

Fast Core i5 processor. HDMI in and out. Bluetooth. Integrated Wi-Fi. Big 1TB hard drive. Wireless keyboard and mouse. Sleek design. Touchscreen.

  • Cons

Screen wobbles. No Blu-ray. No discrete graphics.

  • Bottom Line

The Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) is a sleek all-in-on touch screen PC with features like HDMi-in, integrated Wi-Fi and Blutooth wireless, and a fast Core i5 processor, but a wobbly monitor prevents it from earning a higher recommendation.

The Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) ($1,099 direct) is Samsung’s sleek entry into the all-in-onedesktop space. Beneath its slim frame, there’s a fast Core i5 processor, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless options, and a huge 1TB hard drive. The included HDMI-in port adds further usability to this all-in-one, as a monitor when the internal components become outdated. Unfortunately, it suffers from a wobbly screen—a major issue considering it’s a touch-screen PC.

Design and Features
The Samsung Series 7 has a sleek grey aluminum and black plastic chassis. Its wide base balances the 23-inch widescreen monitor (1080p resolution) and holds the DVD+-RW drive and ports, leaving the monitor portion of the chassis slim. There’s one USB 3.0 port and SD card slot on the right side of the base, and audio and mic jacks on the left. An Ethernet jack, four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI-in, and HDMI-out ports make up the back of the base. The HDMI-in port is must-have for all-in-ones in my opinion, as you can continue using the display portion of the system after the internal components have become obsolete by hooking it up to a game console or another PC. The Samsung Series 7 also features a few wireless features, like 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The hard drive is a spacious 1TB, which should be plenty of room to store family videos, pictures, and day-to-day files, with room to spare.

The monitor is able to tilt back 90 degrees to lie flat, allowing you to use the touchscreen whether you’re standing or sitting. The Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US)’s screen also utilizes a more advanced touch sensor that reacts like capacitive touch screens on tablets; whereas infrared touch sensors are less accurate, requiring the screen be surrounded by a raised bezel. But the seamless touch screen on the Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) makes it easier to touch points on the edges and corners. However, it’s offset by the fact that the display has a tendency to wobble when you’re touching it. Even a simple double tap to launch an application will cause the screen to shake. The Editors’ Choice HP TouchSmart 610-1150y ($1,199.99 list, 4.5 stars) andTouchSmart 520-1030 ($899.99 list, 3 stars), which features a “free standing” display similar to the Series 7, remain stable when you’re utilizing their touchscreens. Samsung should have taken more care to make sure its touchscreen all-in-one was prepared for the pokes and prods of the touch market. Granted, you don’t have to use the touchscreen; you can navigate the Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) by using the included wireless keyboard and mouse (which both hook up to the computer via one USB dongle).

The Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) does come with some pre-installed software onboard. There are the extraneous programs such as Bing Bar, a short 30-day Norton anti-virus trial, Skype, and Wild Tangent games. Samsung has also thrown in its own suite of touch applications, and while not as advanced as HP’s TouchSmart environment, it’s not as anemic the Windows 7 Touch Suite. The Play Touch programs consist of a number of separate touch applications that you can launch from the start menu. These applications help provide a more touch-friendly environment to navigate within. There’s a program for music, videos, social networks, an RSS reader, to-do lists, and more.

Performance

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

The Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) comes equipped with a 2.7GHz Intel Core i5-2390T processor and 8GB of memory—a solid configuration for an all-in-one desktop. Its 2,753 point score in PCMark 7 was quite good—better than competing systems, like the HP 610-1150y (2,667) and Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,199 list, 4.5 stars) (2,581). But in the remainder of our benchmark tests it lagged behind. It encoded a video in Handbrake in 1 minute 46 seconds, but the HP 610-1150y (1:29) and Apple iMac 21.5-inch (1:25) were several seconds ahead. The Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) ran through our Photoshop CS5 script in 3:48, which was faster than the HP 610-1150y (3:56), but the iMac 21.5-inch (3:29) was still the faster of the bunch. One notable performance discrepancy was in Cinebench R11.5, where the Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) scored 2.91 points, while the HP 610-1150y (4.47) and Apple iMac 21.5-inch (4.13) scored considerably higher.

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

The Intel integrated graphics inside the Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) aren’t built for gaming as demonstrated by its poor scores in our DirectX 10 Crysis (15.6fps) test, yielding unplayable results at Medium settings and 1,280-by-720 resolution. In comparison, the Apple iMac 21.5-inch is equipped with a 512MB AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics chip, allowing it to play games like Crysis (70fps), and even DirectX 11 games like Lost Planet 2 (32fps) on Medium settings.

The Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) is a beautiful all-in-one touch-screen PC that provides both a solid performance and a healthy feature set. And though for $100 more its Core i5 processor with buy you better performance than the Core i3 version of the Series 7, but you’re still plagued with the same problem touch screen. The Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) is a touch PC, its wobbly screen is an issue that can’t be overlooked. You’re playing extra for an application that you assume will work properly, but it doesn’t because the physical stand can’t handle the poking and prodding necessary to utilize the touchscreen—therefore the application is defective. The fact is for $100 more, there are better all-in-one PCs and better all-in-one touch screen PCs out there. The Apple iMac 21.5-inch is a much better performer for its $1,199 price tag, but it doesn’t come with a touch screen. The Editors’ Choice HP TouchSmart 610-1150y, which features a more advanced touch operating system that overlays Windows 7 and a screen that doesn’t wobble when poked, is another great option if touch is a must. Both offer better performance for the price, but you won’t get the handy HDMI input. If that feature is a must-have, you might have to dig a little deeper for a touch-screen all-in-one like the Asus ET2400IGTS-B008E ($1,299.99 list, 4.5 stars).

Spec Data

Type Mainstream, Multimedia, All-in-one, Digital Entertainment System, Touchscreen All-In-One
Processor Family Intel Core i5
Processor Speed 2.7 GHz
Processor Name Intel Core i5-2390T
RAM 8 GB
Storage Capacity (as Tested) 1000 GB
Graphics Card Intel HD Graphics
Primary Optical Drive DVD+/-RW (Plus Minus)
Monitor Type LCD Widescreen
Screen Size 23 inches
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Native Resolution 1920 x 1080
PCMark7 2753
Crysis (DX10) (fps) – 1,280 x 720 – Medium – AA/AF= Off/Off 15.6
Crysis (DX10) (fps) – 1,920 x 1,080 AA/AF=4X/Off 1.8
MULTIMEDIA TESTS – CineBench 11.5 2.91
MULTIMEDIA TESTS – Handbrake 1:46 min:sec
MULTIMEDIA TESTS – PhotoShop CS5 3:48 min:sec
Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) : Full Set

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) : Touch Screen

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) : Drive

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) : Profile

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) : Back

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) : Keyboard

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B A01US)

Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3B-A01US) : Mouse

(c) 2011 3tlink.info

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Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX

Posted: 10 Dec 2011 02:42 PM PST

Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

Price Range $519.99
  • Pros

AMD Fusion APU offers versatile processing and graphics perfromance. Full-sized, comfortable keyboard.

  • Cons

Battery life falls short of competition. Keys rattle. Touchpad is small.

  • Bottom Line

The Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX is a competent netbook, with an AMD APU that offers a decent combination of processing and graphics, and a healthy feature set that includes stereo Bluetooth, HDMI, and two card reader slots. Its battery life is a bit of a letdown, but it’s not so bad as to be a deal breaker.

While a lot of noise is being made about tablets and ultrabooks, the Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX ($549.99 direct), Sony’s latest netbook, is hard to beat in portability and price. Whether you’re a student on the go or want a PC for around the house, the VPC-YB35KX still fills an important niche, providing a lot of productive functionality for a price that won’t break the bank. With a new AMD E-450 processor and a large 500GB hard drive, this may be just the thing to carry to class or the coffee shop.

Design
The plastic chassis is sturdy, but lightweight, making it easy to pick up and carry from class to class, or from room to room around the house. At 1.25 inches thick, It’s not the thinnest netbook we’ve seen, and Sony’s design emphasizes the prominent hinge with a power button on one end and a battery that elevates the rear of the chassis. Despite the chunky design, it still only weighs 3.05 pounds, which is lighter than the 3.5-pound HP Pavilion dm1z ($449 direct, 4.5 stars) and 3.1 pound Lenovo IdeaPad S205 ($579.99 direct, 3.5 stars).

The 11.3-inch widescreen is a bump up from the 10.1-inch screens normally found on netbooks, but the 1,366-by-768 resolution is fairly standard. It may not be enough space to work in side-by-side windows, but you’ll be able to surf the Web comfortably and enjoy 720p video through sites like Hulu and Netflix. You’ll also be able to use the VPC-YB35KX for Skype and similar video chat services thanks to an integrated camera and microphone found just above the screen.

The VPC-YB35KX’s full-sized keyboard provides a comfortable typing experience when compared to the 75- to 95-percent keyboards found on older netbooks. The chiclet keys are well spaced, but you will find that the keys themselves provide very shallow movement, and they feel like they rattle loosely a bit while typing, with the keys shifting beneath the fingertips as you type. The smooth surfaced trackpad is responsive, but small. Just above the keyboard, there’s also a button marked Assist, a dedicated button that calls up Sony’s VAIO Care support software.

Features
The VPC-YB35KX is equipped with a healthy selection of ports, with a few features not commonly found on a netbook, such as HDMI output, two card reader slots and Stereo Bluetooth support. That HDMI output adds a little something extra as well, putting out up to 1080p video to monitors and HDTVs. Also on the netbook are three USB 2.0 ports, jacks for a headphone and mic, a VGA video connection, and Gigabit Ethernet. Rounding out the selection is 802.11n Wi-Fi, which can be turned on and off with a physical switch on the device.

As is common in the netbook category, there’s no optical drive, but the VPC-YB35KX is equipped with a 500GB 5,400rpm spinning hard drive. That’s more storage space than you’ll find on either the Acer Aspire One 722-BZ480 ($329 list, 3.5 stars) or HP dm1z, which both offer only 320GB drives.

Preinstalled on the drive is a 32-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium, along with Microsoft Office Starter 2010, a 30-day trial of Norton Internet Security, and several VAIO-branded utilities, such as VAIO Care and Media Gallery. Sony also covers the VPC-YB35KX with a one-year warranty that includes parts and labor as well as one-year of toll-free tech support.

Performance

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

The VPC-YB35KX is equipped with AMD’s latest Fusion Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), a single chip die shared by both a 1.65GHz dual-core E-450 processor and AMD Radeon HD 6320 graphics processor. This approach allows for better graphics support than might be offered with traditional integrated graphics, while conserving space and energy. The APU is complemented with 4GB of RAM. In Cinebench R11.5 the Sony scored 0.65 points, outpacing the Lenovo S205 (0.63) and HP dm1z (0.61).

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

The VPC-YB35KX also managed an overall score of 54 points in SYSmark 2007, our general performance test. By comparison, the HP dm1z and Lenovo S205 both scored 57 points. Though the VPC-YB35KX did moderately well across the board, it produced the best scores in video related tasks (70 points), due largely to the enhanced graphics capabilities.

In battery life, the VPC-YB35KX disappointed, providing 4 hours 27 minutes of life with its 38Wh battery, falling far short of the 6- and 7-hour batteries found in competitors. The HP dm1z lasted 7:08 with a larger 55Wh battery, but the difference can’t be chalked up entirely to battery capacity, as the Acer Aspire One 722-BZ480 lasted 7:17 with a similarly sized 40Wh battery. Regardless of the reasons behind it, 4-and-a-half hours will get a student through several class periods without needing to be plugged in, but it won’t take you through the entire day, so you’ll still need to pack along the charger.

The Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX has plenty going for it, like an 11.3-inch screen, a strong combination of processing and graphics, 500GB hard drive, and a comfortable full-size keyboard. It’s enough to provide on the go productivity without making some of the sacrifices required by 9- and 10-inch netbooks, or dealing with the lack of office functions in tablets. You will, however, find similar features and better battery life in the $450 HP Pavilion dm1z, which is why it remains our Editors’ Choice.

Spec Data

Type Netbook
Processor Name AMD E-450
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Processor Speed 1.65 GHz
RAM 4 GB
Weight 3.05 lb
Screen Size 11.3 inches
Screen Size Type Widescreen
Native Resolution 1366 x 768
Graphics Card AMD Radeon HD 6320
Storage Capacity (as Tested) 500 GB
Rotation Speed 5400 rpm
Networking Options 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive External
Wireless Display Capability (WiDi) No
WiMax No
Battery Type 38 Whr (Watt hours)
Tech Support 1 year parts and labor.
MobileMark 2007 – Standard Battery Productivity Load (hrs:min) 4:27
MobileMark 2007- Performance score 86
SYSMARK 2007 – E-Learning 52
SYSMARK 2007 – Video Creation 70
SYSMARK 2007- Office Productivity 40
SYSMARK 2007 – 3D Modeling 59
SYSMARK 2007 -OVERALL 54
Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX : Top

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX : Angle

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX : Front

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX : Right

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX : Left

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX : Closed

Sony VAIO VPC YB35KX

Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX : Angle

 

(c) 2011 3tlink.info

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Amazon slammed for price reporting deal

Posted: 10 Dec 2011 02:28 PM PST

Online retailing giant Amazon was criticized as “anti-competitive” Saturday for its latest promotion that encourages consumers to enter stores and leave empty-handed, after reporting back the prices they find there.

The deal dubbed “Price Check” involves customers finding and sharing in-store prices and receiving a discount of five percent — to a maximum of $5 — from the online retailer for that item if Amazon has it in stock.

The move was sharply criticised by Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, who called the move a direct assault on retail stores.

“Amazon’s promotion — paying consumers to visit small businesses and leave empty-handed — is an attack on Main Street businesses that employ workers in our communities,” she said in a statement this week.

The deal, accessed through a new smartphone application from the Amazon website, can be applied three times for a total savings of $15 on electronics, sporting goods, music, DVDs and other items.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) also criticized the promotion, saying that “central to this tactic is Amazon’s continued practice of using a pre-Internet loophole to avoid state sales tax collection.”

The group called on lawmakers to rein in what it called the company’s “exploitative” practises.

The online retailer is regularly targeted by trader associations who believe the company gains an unfair competitive advantage due to being exempt from VAT taxes in most US states.

(c) 2011 3tlink.info

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To thwart porn, colleges are buying up .xxx sites

Posted: 10 Dec 2011 02:27 PM PST

The University of Kansas is buying up website names such ashttp://www.KUgirls.xxx and http://www.KUnurses.xxx . But not because it’s planning a Hot Babes of Kansas site or an X-rated gallery of the Nude Girls of the Land of Aaahs.

To thwart porn, colleges are buying up .xxx sitesPaul Vander Tuig, trademark licensing director at Kansas University, pose for a photograph by the gift store at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. With the launch of the first public sale of .xxx domains, Kansas University has purchased .xxx domains to protect its school and brand from being linked to pornographic sites.

Instead, the university and countless other schools and businesses are rushing to prevent their good names from falling into the hands of the pornography industry. Over the past two months, they have snapped up tens of thousands of “.xxx” website names that could be exploited by the adult entertainment business.

“Down the road there’s no way we can predict what some unscrupulous entrepreneur might come up with,” said Paul Vander Tuig, trademark licensing director at the Lawrence, Kan., school.

The university spent nearly $3,000 in all. It plans to sit on the .xxx names and do nothing with them.

The brand-new .xxx suffix is an adults-only variation on .com. The .xxx name went on sale to the public for the first time this week, promoted as a way to enable porn sites to distinguish themselves and a means of making it easier for Internet filters to screen out things parents don’t want their children to see.

ICM Registry of Palm Beach, Fla., is the exclusive manager of the .xxx names and sells them through a dozen middleman companies such as GoDaddy.com for an average of $100 a year.

Indiana University spokesman Mark Land said the school spent $2,200 to buyhttp://www.hoosiers.xxx and 10 other such names. Other Indiana schools took the same step, including Purdue University and Ball State University.

“This is just a modest cost of doing business in the world we live in,” Land said.

ICM sold .xxx names for the past two months exclusively to companies and others that wanted to protect their brands from the porn industry. During the so-called sunrise sale, ICM registered nearly 80,000 names, said chairman and CEO Stuart Lawley.

A search of ICM’s database finds prominent brand names – including Nike.xxx, Pepsi.xxx and Target.xxx – among those purchased.

“Target has applied to block a number of the .xxx domains that correspond with our registered trademarks,” said Lee Henderson, a spokesman for the Minneapolis-based store chain. He added, dryly: “We do not plan to use the domains.”

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, which the U.S. government established in 1998 to run the Internet’s address system, authorized creation of .xxx earlier this year.

The strongest opposition to the suffix has come from the adult entertainment industry. The Free Speech Coalition, the industry’s trade group, lobbied against its creation, complaining among other things about the registration fees.

Allison Vivas, president and CEO of Pink Visual Productions, an adult website operator in Van Nuys, Calif., said her company and others like it were also given the chance to buy up .xxx sites matching their existing .com addresses, but Vivas and many others opted not to.

Vivas said she doesn’t think her company – or any organization, adult-oriented or not – should have to pay to protect its trademarks. Otherwise, “it kind of becomes extortion.”

Lawley said ICM will take steps to protect existing trademarks even if companies or schools fail to lock down certain website names.

(c) 2011 3tlink.info

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Apple to appeal Motorola patent dispute ruling in Germany

Posted: 10 Dec 2011 02:22 PM PST

Apple said Friday it would immediately appeal a German court ruling in favour of rival Motorola in a patent dispute.

Apple to appeal Motorola patent dispute ruling in GermanyPeople walk through the Apple store in Grand Central Station in New York City on December 7. Apple said Friday it would immediately appeal a German court ruling in favour of rival Motorola in a patent dispute.

“We’re going to appeal the court’s ruling right away,” Apple said in a statement emailed to Dow Jones Newswire. “Holiday shoppers in Germany should have no problem finding the iPad or iPhone they want.”

Motorola said in a press release that the court found Apple's European sales company, Ireland-based Apple Sales International, was infringing on a Motorola cellular communications patent used in iPhones and iPads.

The court granted Motorola’s requests for an injunction and damages,Motorola said.

In September, a court in Dusseldorf sided with Apple in a dispute against Samsung over the South Korean company’s Galaxy tablet, which Apple said was too similar to the iPad.

(c) 2011 3tlink.info

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