Kingston 256GB DataTraveler

Kingston is back again with a new product that is breaking the barriers of portable memory. The Kingston DataTraveler 300 is a 256 GB thumb drive that can hold up to 51,000 images, or 54 DVDs, or 360 CDs! This drive has an amazing 20 mb/sec read. and a 10 mb/sec. write speed. It is a capless design, and the dimensions are 70.68 mm x 22.37 mm x 16.45 mm. This thumb drive also offers password protection software available for windows and windows vista users. This is only available for Europe and the UK. This will cost you a whopping $924 USD, but it also comes backed with a 5 year warranty. Which in my opinion is a pretty steep price for 256 GB of memory, considering you can buy external hard drives that have 5 times the memory but are a fourth of the cost.

This is a huge step into the future for portable memory. Not that long ago it was a huge deal putting 1GB into a thumb drive, and now they are cramming over 250GB into a tiny device. I find this very exciting because I am eager to see whats next from Kingston and their competitors. Even though this is a great new product, I don’t think I would be very willing to pay almost $1,000 for it. Hopefully their will be more companies producing mass storage thumb drives, so we can see some variety in choices and in price ranges.

3D Best Buy Ads

Ever wanted to shop online for things in 3D? Well now you can thanks to an innovative little promotional stunt from Best Buy. If you looked through your Sunday paper and carelessly tossed your ads section then go and find it because the Best Buy ad has something other than a bargain in it.

Last Sunday's Best Buy ad can be viewed in 3D, if the good 'ol fashioned 2D just isn't doing it for you anymore. But the best thing about seeing the ad in 3D is that you don't need to buy any of those goofy and uncomfortable glasses. What you will need is a computer with an attached webcam. Turn on your webcam and allow Best Buy access to it and the hard part is done. Then all you need to do is slowly move the ad towards the camera until the camera recognizes it.When the product you are looking at is right next to your face you'll know it worked.

But wait, there's more! Try turning the ad in different directions and you will notice that the 3D image moves with it! How is this possible you might ask? Well, thanks to a helpful little thing called Augmented Reality. Now Augmented Reality is probably one of the coolest new gadgets out there. It has already been seen put to use in things like baseball cards and action figures and now even retail ads. With Best Buy taking the first step, we will no doubt see other businesses using AR to find new ways to empty your wallets.

Super Green IC's

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody when they here about tech companies trying to make the things we use more energy efficient. But recently the tech industry has taken a serious boost forward in pursuit of zero-day-dissipation IC technology. The Japanese Rohm Co Ltd is at the forefront of developments and they are designing custom chips for a number of equipment manufacturers. Rohm is the same company that created a prototype microprocessor back in 2008 and with the completion of its production line in Kyoto Rohm can now begin shipping custom IC's with equipment using the new IC's as early as the end of this year.

However, Rohm Co Ltd isn't the only company trying this same feat. NEC Corp out of Japan isn't far behind Rohm Co. The company has designed their very own chips the reportedly run faster than Rohm's and the company even completed verification of the chip in 2008. NEC plans to prototype a system-on-chip (SoC) in the next few years to prepare for commercialization. These zero-day-dissipation Integrated Circuits (IC's) are made with nonvolatile logic as well as merged memory. Now chips using nonvolatile merged memory aren't new. Many of them exist like micro-controllers with flash memory. However, these new chips use nonvolatile logic as well. Registers that temporarily store your computational results are made nonvolatile. This allows logic circuits to continue normal operations even after power is shut off and restored. Power supply circuits as well as analog circuits that are on the chip don't need data retention. This means power to the entire chip can be cut off in standby making a zero-standby-dissipation IC.

Companies like NEC and Rohm believe technology like this will give us significant savings in our power consumption without the sacrifice of equipment convenience. In a statement from a member of the Device Platform Research Laboratories at NEC, "We'll be able to cut dissipation for digital consumer electronics in the standby mode to just a few percent of what it is now." He also added, in terms of annual electricity costs, "That could add up to hundreds of millions of yen in savings in Japan alone." The equipment talked about could also return from standby to normal operating mode instantaneously.

A worker from Rohm also stated that, "Normally-off equipment will become possible, turning itself on only when power is needed." Rohm demonstrated in 2008 with its microprocessor in normally-off operation. When in this mode it cut dissipation by 70% from conventional designs. "This technology has enormous potential in applications such as games, where the system is usually sitting and waiting for player input." Rohm explains. With the way this technology is going, we could see a major piece of technology that is desperately needed, a device that can save people money. Cash is tight enough as it is and it is really good to see technology companies, like Rohm and NEC, doing all they can to make things more energy efficient and cheaper to use.

Windows 7

Windows 7 is almost here with the release date of October 22nd just right around the corner many people are still wondering if they should upgrade or not. Here are some key things you should know before thinking of upgrading to Windows 7. First is the system requirements in order to run Windows 7 smoothly. There is nothing really out of the ordinary here except the 16-20GB of storage space required.
System Requirements:
• 1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1GB RAM (32-bit) / 2GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Also Windows 7 will be upgradable with all the former operating systems including Windows 2000, XP, & Vista. To upgrade on XP or Windows 2000 you will have to do a clean install of Windows 7 which means deleting all your files so make sure to backup your important documents using a storage device. On Windows Vista you will be able to do an in place upgrade which means you will not have to completely wipe your harddrive so Windows Vista users should be grateful for that.

The next big thing with Windows 7 is what editions are there and how much will the cost. As of now there is three editions Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. The differences between the 3 are very few. The only main difference that I could see be important is premium does not come with XP mode. For a full list of differences and to see which one is right for you here is a list from microsoft. Now as far as cost goes right now is the best time to pick up Windows 7. On the internet right now Microsoft has all the Upgrade Pre Orders on sale for just 1 more day, so you better hurry. The two on sale are the Wndows 7 Professional Upgrade for $100 and the Windows 7 Premium Upgrade for $50. After tommorow though here is what the new prices will look like.

• Windows 7 Premium Upgrade - $120
• Windows 7 Premium Full - $200
• Windows 7 Professional Upgrade - $200
• Windows 7 Proffessional Full - $300
• Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade - $219
• Windows 7 Ultimate Full - $320

Also here are some quick facts to answer some of your questions:
• All versions of Windows 7 will ship with both a 32 bit & 64 bit disk.
• Windows 7 will feature XP Virtualization which will allow your XP only apps to run on Windows 7
• To see if your processor can handle 64 bit mode or Hardware Virtualization download and run GRC's SecurAble
• You can only install windows 7 on one machine

Now the final debate why should I upgrade to Windows 7 when Windows XP or Vista works just fine for me now? Well to help you out Microsoft has made a list of new and improved features in Windows 7 to make your operating system better and run more smoothly.

• Improved GUI and desktop navigation
• Windows Search
• Internet Explorer 8
• Windows Media Center
• HomeGroup (Windows 7-specific networking)
• 32-bit and 64-bit editions provided in retail/upgrade versions
• Windows Aero desktop (with supported graphics cards and drivers)
• Improved wireless networking
• Improved network management for mixed Windows 7/Vista/XP networks
• Improved audio and video codec support
• Improved digital TV support
• Windows Backup for both files and system image
• Devices and Printers management interface
• Device Stage enhanced driver support for multifunction devices

Overall I really think people will be happy with Windows 7 when it comes out on October 22nd. Microsoft has been testing windows 7 with the beta last year and the RC1 since spring and they have really ironed out all the bugs so do not expect a giant disaster the first time using it like Windows Vista. Microsoft has really made a great operating system that I believe is worth upgrading to.

New Trio from eMachines

It has only been a few weeks since we saw the unveiling of the eMachines EL1300 SFF PC'S and now eMachines is throwing not one, not two, but three new full-size desktop computers with the ET1300-02, ET1810-03, AND ET1810-01. Each computer has luminous white mini-towers with matching LCD monitors, speakers, and keyboard. Each one comes with decent specs at a reasonable price with the added bonus of compatibility and style.

The ET1300-02 comes with an AMD Anthlon X2 4850e Dual-Core Processor (2.5GHz, 512KB x2L2 Cache), NVIDIA GeForce G100 graphics with 512MB, 160GB SATA (7200 RPM) hard drive, multi-in-one digital media card reader, Windows Vista Home Premium, 3GB DDR2 memory, 18x DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive featuring Labelflash Technology, VGA, DVI, AND HDMI connectors 6 USB 2.0 ports. This is the most expensive one in the trio coming in at $449.99.

The ET1810-03 steps down a little bit with it's specs. It has an Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor E2210 (2.2GHz, 1MB L2 Cache), integrated NVIDIA GeForce 7050 graphics, 320GB SATA (7200 RPM) hard drive, multi-in-one digital media card reader, only 1 VGA port, Windows Vista Home Premium, 3GB DDR2 memory, 18x DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive featuring Labelflash Technology and 6 USB 2.0 ports. The ET1810-03 is cheaper and will only run you around $369.99.

The ET1810-01 takes even another step down. It has an Intel Celeron Processor 420 (1.6GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache), integrated NVIDIA GeForce 7050 graphics, 160GB SATA (7200 RPM) hard drive, multi-in-one digital media card reader, again only one VGA port, Windows Vista Home Basic, 2GB DDR2 memory, 18x DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive featuring Labelflash Technology, and 6 USB 2.0 ports. This one comes in at a very low $299.99.

Each machine is shipped with a matching whit luminous LCD monitor. The E182H wm display measures 18.5" widescreen with viewable TFT Active Matrix, 1366x768 (HD ready) resolution, one VGA and one PC audio inputs, 300 cd/m2 brightness, 170(H)/160(V) viewing angle, built-in stereo speakers, it is Vista Premium certified, has a 16:9 aspect ratio, CrystalBrite, 5 ms response time, 10000:1 (Dynamic) contrast ratio, 16.7M color depth and it is Energy Star certified. The monitor itself runs about $129.99.

These machines can tackle a wide array of tasks and are ideal for a wide range of uses and applications. The video card is satisfactory for those users who enjoy video, photography, or casual gaming. There is plenty of storage space which allows you to easily store music, movies and images. All in all these computers are pretty good for their price. They offer good quality and respectable specs with affordable prices.

The Microsoft Surface

Can we make computers any more adaptable and everyday oriented than the Microsoft Surface? It is a computer that literally functions as a computer and a coffee table. The slick 30-inch tabletop turns into a completely interactive experience. It utilizes a camera-based vision system that allows multiple users to grab, move, or select things with a touch of their hand.

The vision systems that the Surface uses consists of five different cameras that allow for interaction between hands, objects, and devices. It can identify hands, fingers, paintbrushes, tagged objects, and a multitude of other items. The tagged item recognition feature is quite amazing. In order for the Microsoft Surface to uniquely identify objects, a tag is utilized. It can also be used to start a command or action. A certain tagged object could allow a cardholder to make a purchase and charge it to their card.

The Microsoft Surface’s use of hands-on interaction and mouse-less computing enables easy control, excellent viewing angles, and brilliant display for everyone surrounding the table. Another wonderful advantage Microsoft developed with the Surface is its ability to withstand almost anything. Sticky hands and spilled drinks aren’t even a concern for the rugged Surface.

As of now, the Microsoft Surface is only available for commercial purchase. It is being targeted in the business areas of financial services, retail, hospitality, health care, and automotive, but soon I believe that these dream computers will be available for everyone. Microsoft hopes to in the near future evolve the Surface to fit into a number of environments such as schools, businesses, and homes. This fantastic innovation is something to definitely watch for in future computer developments.

Napsters New Serivce Review

Napster has recently just come out with a new subscription offering that sounds almost too good to be true. Their website states, “Get 5 MP3 credits and unlimited access to on-demand music with a plan starting at $5 a month.” First time reading this I was optimistic thinking they were giving the user a Zune subscription service for only $5 a month and on top of that allowing you to keep 5 tracks DRM free each month.

Well they do offer the same service that Zune where you can put unlimited songs on your mp3 player while under the subscription, but that is a completely different service called Napster to go and it costs $15 a month which is the same price as Zunes service.

The $5 plan only allows you to stream their 7 million song collection on your desktop pc and only the 5 DRM free track each month are able to go on your ipod/mp3 player. Napster has also included more than 60 commcial-free radio stations, over a 1,000 pre-programmed playlists, and a feature similar to Pandora to create your own playlists.

Overall sounds like a good deal if you listen to music mainly at your computer, but for people who mainly listen to music on your iPod then this is not for you.