Kingston Technology's Flash memory subsidiary has introduced a solid state drive (SSD) upgrade kit designed to let desktop PC users get a boost in performance.

The Kingston SSDNow V Series 30GB Boot Drive is available separately, or as part of an upgrade kit including cloning software, disk mount brackets and cable extenders for serial ATA (Sata) data and power.

According to Kingston, the cloning software lets users move their operating system and applications over to the Flash SSD, which then becomes the system boot drive, while their old hard disk can be used just for storing data such as music, video, document and photo files.

Step-by-step instructions are included in the kit, which is backed by a three-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, Kingston said.

It is due to go on sale by late February for less than £90.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on January 13, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Much like ergonomic keyboards, trackballs tend to fall into a love or hate divide in the PC peripheral market.

Similarly, trackballs take some getting used to, especially when it comes to the finer levels on control, but most avid fans will tell you that once you're used to them they are a lot more accurate than a mouse, especially for drawing programs and the like.

At first glance the unit looks like quite a chunky device with a fairly large base and a big ball dropped into the centre, hardly living up to its name, but because it doesn't move around it still takes up less of your overall desk space than a mouse and mat.

Once you have the hang of it, the large ball makes the SlimBlade easy to use without having to spin the ball repeatedly when moving the cursor across the screen and, although users with very small hands may have some issues, someone with an average or large hand should find it very comfortable to use. Also left-handed users won't have any problems with it as it's completely symmetrical.

The SlimBlade packs in four buttons around the large central ball, in the default navigation mode the bottom two buttons serve as the traditional left and right click while the top two enter the media and view modes.

You can use this device as a standard trackball straight away, but in this case only two of the four buttons - namely the left and right click - will work. To use the top two buttons you'll need to install the drivers.

Unlike most mice these days, trackballs don't have scroll wheels, so instead scrolling on the SlimBlade is done by turning the ball clockwise or anti-clockwise, which works remarkably well.

Once the drivers are installed you can enter and exit the aforementioned view or media mode by hitting the appropriate button.

When in view mode the ball rotating the ball zooms in and out, while rolling it pans around and the left and right click reset the page to its standard size and fit-to-width respectively. The view mode is not supported by all applications, but a helpful icon will pop up on the screen to tell you when this feature is not available.

Similarly, multimedia mode only works in Windows Media Player and iTunes and in this mode rotating the ball adjusts the volume, rolling the ball left and right goes back or skips to the next track, the left button pauses or resumes playback and the right button acts as a stop. If neither of these media players is running, one of them will be fired up automatically when you click the multimedia mode button.

Like so many peripherals, how good the SlimBlade is to use is very much down to personal habits, requirements and hand size. Where it does fall short is the almost complete lack of customisation. You can adjust the sensitivity and the 'handedness' but you can't configure the buttons in any other way - so if you don't want to use the navigation or multimedia modes, you can't assign the other two buttons to any other purpose and if - as we found - your pinky finger rests more comfortably on the top right button instead of the bottom right, you'll probably find yourself constantly entering and exiting view mode instead of right clicking.

Fortunately this is an issue that could easily be fixed in a new version of the driver software.

At a retail price of around £100, the SlimBlade isn't cheap, but it's very solidly built and should last years without giving any hassles.

Posted by Ian Williams on October 1, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Microsoft doesn't do a lot of hardware, but the stuff it does offer is usually pretty good, and the new range it had on display at a showcase in London today was no exception.

Because of the limited number of new devices, the event itself was a little pitiful, but what they did have was certainly worth noting.

The company seems have to have developed an affinity for curved keyboards, with the latest two being somewhere between an ergonomic 'split' keyboard and the more traditional rectangular layout.

Both the new Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 and the Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 use the 'Ergonomist Approved Comfort Curve' design, which seems to divide opinion as well as the keyboard.

The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 is particularly impressive, being very thin and light and includes a separate number pad as well.

For those who like the curved design, the Desktop 5000 was released earlier this month and goes for around £70 while the Mobile Keyboard 6000 is due out early next month and should sell for about £80.

Also on display were two new mice - The Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 and 6000 - both of which feature Microsoft's BlueTrack technology so that they can work on just about any surface.

Both use a really small USB receiver so you don't have to worry about a bulky dongle sticking precariously out the side of your laptop while using the mouse.

Both the multi-coloured 4000 series and the bigger, glossier 6000 are available now for £35 and £45 respectively.

Last but not least is the Lifecam Cinema webcam, a nifty looking auto-focus webcam that can capture in 720p HD and will look good atop just about any PC or laptop screen. The attractive design and high picture quality do come at a price though with the Lifecam Cinema selling for about £70.

We had a chance for a few minutes with each of the devices and all of them seemed to be very good, the picture quality of the webcam was great, the mice were solid and the keyboards had very nice tactile keys - if only Microsoft could design and make its operating systems as well.

Posted by Ian Williams on September 18, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's amazing how very simple ideas can sometimes stop you in your tracks, and the folding plug from inventor Min Kyu Choi is the perfect example of that.

As just about everyone in the UK will tell you, the plug socket configuration often means that chargers and power cables are bulkier than the device themselves.

His idea scooped him the runner up prize of the James Dyson award, an international engineering design competition looking for new and innovative ideas for new products.

According to Choi, he came up with the idea after he bought himself a Macbook Air, Apple's ultra-thin laptop. He soon got annoyed with the fact that although the laptop itself was thin and sleek, the charger ended in a cumbersome plug end that would often end up scratching the Air's chassis.

So the recent graduate in product design from the Royal College of Art set about developing a plug that could fold up into a much smaller space when not in use.

His design works by turning the live and neutral pins sideways in line with the earth pin, creating a single thin plane. When extended into the normal position, two flaps fold out to secure them into position.

Choi has even taken the design one step further, by creating an adaptor that allows three folded plugs to be inserted into a block, effectively creating a multi-plug not much bigger than a normal plug.

He has patented the product and is building a working prototype, which he will seek to manufacture worldwide once it is judged to be safe by the BSI, the UK's safety standards body.

Personally I can't wait for these to become commercially available so I can replace the bulky plugs on just about every charger I can.

Posted by Ian Williams on September 16, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)

With almost every gadget under the sun packing a Wi-Fi connection it can sometimes feel like a bit of a waste if there isn't a handy hotspot to connect to while you're out and about.

This problem has been partially solved thanks to the USB dongles and mobile data packages for smartphones, but neither of these is particularly useful if the device in question is not a laptop or a phone. Even when it comes to a laptop, the USB dongles require extra software to be installed to set up the connection, so letting a friend or colleague quickly borrow it becomes a laborious process.

Enter Novatel's MiFi, essentially a very small mobile data router that allows several devices to network over Wi-Fi and share a single mobile data connection.

The MiFi unit is about the same size and weight as a deck of playing cards so carrying it around isn't going to add any serious weight to your bag and even popping it into a handbag or laptop case is not a problem.

The device is very minimal, with a single button with a multicolour LED, microUSB port, microSD card slot and a Wi-Fi status indicator.

The LED lets you see the status of the unit, but with five different colours meaning different things depending on whether it's solid or flashing, this can be a bit confusing at first. Pretty much the only colour of any importance is the red as this indicates a low battery or a device error.

One very minor gripe is that the status LED is embedded within the power button which is fine most of the time, but if you're turning the device on or off your finger completely covers the light so it's difficult to tell what's going on.

If you get a MiFi as part of a mobile data deal it will already be set up and so using it is very simple. When switching it on it automatically initiates a mobile data connection and switches on the Wi-Fi. Up to five devices can be wirelessly connected to the MiFi at any time.

At first the Wi-Fi is completely open so any device can connect without a password. There are several profiles available in the settings to allow you to create an encrypted, password protected connection to help ensure security and prevent anyone nearby from piggybacking on your connection.

If you want to save power you can also connect the MiFi via USB and use it just like a traditional mobile data dongle.

The whole device is controlled through a web interface and provides most of the settings you'd expect from a wireless router such as MAC filtering, port filtering and forwarding, connectivity and power management as well as providing details about the battery and the mobile data signal and connection.

The contents of the microSD card can also be accessed through the web interface or as a removable storage device when the MiFi is tethered to a computer.

It would drain the battery faster but we would love to have seen the MiFi offer some kind of sleep mode whereby it powers up and connects to the internet when it detects a Wi-Fi connection. This would allow users to carry the unit around in a bag and not have to worry about digging it out and switching it on every time they want to use it.

Even if you don't have a 3G data connection, the MiFi can be used as a basic network hub allowing you to connect several devices to share information, and the onboard SD card can also be a great way of sharing content.

As with most wireless devices battery life is going to depend a lot on how much data it's handling, so a lot of downloading or connecting several devices will take its toll pretty quickly. That said we managed to easily get several hours of constant use out of a single charge, and average use saw the device lasting around two days between charges. The added bonus is that if the battery dies you can simply tether it to your laptop and use it that way.

The MiFi is a great piece of kit and if you're in the market for a mobile data package we would definitely recommend that you try and get one of these rather than the standard USB dongles included in most packages.

Posted by Ian Williams on August 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Toshiba's new line-up of Satellite laptops are due to go on sale by the end of July, comprising several wide-screen designs, one of which boasts a 17in display, plus an ultraportable model.

The Satellite L500 is a mainstream model priced from £429, which is available with choice of either Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion X2 processors and a 15.6in 16:9 format display.

Designed as a desktop replacement, the Satellite L550 has a 17.3in wide-screen display with an LED backlight and up to 4GB Ram with prices starting at £699.

The Satellite A500 is intended as a "premium multimedia" laptop, with a 16in TruBrite display, Harman/Kardon speakers and optional chrome edging. It features Intel Core 2 Duo processors up to the 2.53GHz T8700. Prices for this line start at £599.

All of the three previous models can have an optional GPU for better performance than using the graphics functions built into the chipset.

The ultraportable Satellite U500 has a 13.4in screen and is aimed more at mobile professionals. It features a textured casing and a battery life of 3 to 4 hours, plus optional 3G modem. It also has a back-lit keyboard for typing where ambient light is restricted, and optional chrome edging. The Satellite U500 is priced from £599 to £899.

All of the Satellite models come with Toshiba's Eco utility, which optimises the system's power consumption for longer battery life. It includes a graphical trace display showing exactly how much energy your system is consuming whether in or out of Eco mode.

Also included is a health monitor that warns you if your battery is wearing out and need replacing, as well as showing you details such as the temperature inside the case.

Toshiba also announced new colour schemes for its NB200 netbook. Pictured are the blue and pink models.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on July 16, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Plantronics has a long history of making good quality headsets primarily for office users, so it was with some pleasure that I was looking forward to the latest addition to the stable, the .Audio 995 wireless headset.

The package includes a plug-and-play wireless USB connector that operates at 2.4GHz - in other words it's not Bluetooth - so while this provides better range and reception, those hoping to avoid using another USB port will need to look elsewhere.

The headset is quite bulky, compared to some other wired headsets out there, but the 995 is quite light and does have a comfortable padded headband and swivel-mounted ear cushions covering 40mm speakers, so I had no discomfort wearing them for several hours at a time.

The microphone boom is adjustable, both telescoping a little as well as bendable, and it folds up nicely out of the way when not in use. As an added bonus the mike automatically mutes when stowed, so you don't have to worry about manually muting and un-muting during a call or if you use speech recognition software. I tried it out with Skype and Dragon Naturally Speaking and found the microphone works very well in both video calls and for dictation.

The speakers are good, but not an audiophile's dream, in particular heavy bass feels a little washed out, but the range is quite impressive and should be fine for the majority of users. Most importantly, voices are crisp and clear so using the 995 for VoIP calls works very nicely.

I was also impressed with the reception on the 995 headset. Plantronics reckons the headphones have a range of 40 feet from the transceiver, but this seems to require that the intervening space is unobstructed as I found the signal started getting a bit erratic after about 30 feet, although that was with walls in the way. Judging by my experience, unless you're hoping to be able to wander around your entire house or office with these on, you should be fine.

Streaming music constantly I got a little over six hours of life from a single charge, slightly less than the seven hours touted by Plantronics, but still more than enough to ensure that you don't have to lose the wireless benefits by constantly having to charge them. Another nice feature is that the headset charges over mini-USB rather than some proprietary connector.

The 995 also includes some handy media controls on the side of the headset making it easy to control the volume as well as pause, play and skip music tracks, but it takes a little bit of practice to remember which button does what by feel alone. I found this feature works in Windows Media Player, iTunes and WinAmp. According to Plantronics it should work for most media players, although some will require the application to be selected rather than just running in the background.

Possibly my biggest gripe with the headset is that unplugging the USB connector doesn't automatically restore sound to the speakers, meaning you have to manually enter the speaker settings and reset them every time you want to switch back and forth between speakers and headphones.

At a retail price of around £80, the Plantronics .audio 995 wireless headset is not exactly cheap, but if you find yourself constantly tangling yourself up in your headset or like to pace about while dictating to your PC or listening to music (and don't want to disturb those around you) I reckon the 995 is a worthwhile investment.

Posted by Ian Williams on June 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Here are some images of the new PCs on show by Packard Bell at its big re-launch event today. These were snapped by camera phone, so apologies for the blurry quality of some of the images.

First up are the new netbooks, with two examples of the dot s model with a 10.6in display nearest to the camera, while the third is the dot m with a larger 11.6in screen.

The dot s is available in both black and red colour schemes, the latter shown in the second shot.

White is also a colour that Packard Bell is keen on, with a nod to Apple's influential MacBook models. This shot shows one of the new EasyNote models, while the shot alongside shows three more on display at the event.

This rather indistinct shot of a desktop shows Packard Bell's compact iMedia chassis design, which brings out many of the ports users will need to access to the top front of the case. There is also a recess on top to hold external drives, as you can see.

The final image is of Packard Bell's iPower system aimed at gamers.

These systems will be available from June in retail outlets only.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on May 27, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Intel executives started a lively debate on netbooks during a briefing for press and analysts this week.

Firstly, EMEA vice president Gordon Graylish stated that netbooks - the mini laptops popularised by Asus with its Eee PC range - have not dented sales of other types of laptops, and are in fact additional sales making up a new sector of the market.

This might come as a surprise to readers who have seen various headlines recently proclaiming that netbooks are "cannibalising" or "gouging" sales of more traditional laptop designs.

In Intel's view, netbooks are a new category of device used for simple tasks such as web browsing and messaging, rather than running any serious applications. This was despite the fact that several of the journalists covering the event were in fact using netbooks.

The subject of netbooks caused an esteemed colleague of mine to treat one of the Intel executives to a rant. The sudden rise of netbooks took the chipmaker by surprise, he opined, because Intel spends too much time listening to executives in large corporations and so it had been blind to the demand elsewhere for low-cost, lightweight laptops.

Rob Sheppard, Intel's Business Client marketing manager, said that netbooks are not suitable for business use because they have no support for Intel's vPro technology, are not validated for operating systems used in business, and are not part of Intel's Stable Image Platform Programme.

These, however, are largely marketing issues. I put it to Sheppard that Intel could build vPro into netbooks if it chose to. His response is too lengthy to be repeated in full, but seemed to boil down to the fact that netbooks do not have vPro because Intel does not regard them as a business platform.

Likewise, netbooks typically have at least 1GB memory and can easily run Windows XP Professional rather than the Home edition of the platform they almost all ship with.

Of course, many business professionals are likely to prefer a laptop with a larger display than the 10in screen of a typical netbook for everyday use, but given the choice between embarking on a business trip with a bulky corporate laptop or a netbook, which would you choose?

Posted by Daniel Robinson on April 24, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

At a launch event in Los Angeles last week, HP gave journalists an opportunity to go under the hood of its new Z Workstation series, which were officially unveiled on Monday.

The Z400, Z600 and Z800 models were designed by BMW Designworks to have a sleek look and clean lines, and all three feature Intel Nehalem processors.

Terry Pilsner, vice president of HP Workstation R&D, said the new line has been designed to be energy efficient and easy to pull apart to service. He opened up the machine to demonstrate how parts such as the graphics cards, fan unit and power supply can be removed without having to disconnect lots of cables.

"There's a green light at the back of the supply. When you plug it into an AC outlet, the light comes on to tell you if the power supply is good or bad," Pilsner said. "If the green light doesn't come on, we can get a replacement out within 24 hours."

The power supply unit has also been redesigned for better cool air distribution.

"With Nehalem, you have two processors and the memory is right next to them, it's a very close design requirement," said Pilsner. "With one processor in front of the other, if you let normal airflow happen hot air would blow on the second one from the front one and cause an imbalance." In response, the power supply has been designed to ensure fresh air flows over the first processor and onto the second one through the column design.

HP was also keen to play up the environmental features of the new workstations line. The Z400 and Z800 will both offer a liquid cooling option from this summer (this won't be available in the Z600 due to space constraints) while Pilsner said the design is 90 per cent recyclable and offers 85 per cent efficiency. "The instructions have been etched onto the metal to eliminate plastic labels" he added. "They're also halogen and lead-free processors with the Intel components."

HP also has plans to expand the upgraded workstation line with advanced AMD chips, with the launch of its first 12-core model based on an AMD processor slated for this summer. Future models will also include a 64GB Intel Solid State Drive.

Posted by Madeline Bennett on March 31, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)