BASIC TIP TO START WITH HACKING
Start with hacking easliy with here you can start hacking and u can learn more in you tube easliy
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
LEDs: Its Begining Of End For The Traditional Light Bulb
Incandescent light bulb
In the beginning, there was darkness.
Then came fire.
It wasn’t until the 19th century that artificial light was first generated. The big leap came in the 1880s, when Thomas Edison lit homes with the incandescent bulb. Since then, for the next 130 years, incandescents ruled the nights, the roads, and especially the Christmas tree.
But now, the incandescent light bulb, one of the most venerable inventions of its era but deemed too inefficient for our own, will be phased off the U.S. market beginning in 2012 under the new energy law just approved by Congress. In Europe alsom the stage has been set for the imminent death of the incandescent light bulb. And the rest of the World is also following the same. Already many stores across the world stopped stocking the good old bulbs already.
The days of the traditional incandescent bulb look numbered because these electricity-sapping glass orbs have fallen out of favour with environmentally-conscious governments and consumers.
Moving to more efficient lighting is one of the lowest-cost ways to reduce electricity use and greenhouse gases. In fact, it actually will save households money because of lower utility bills. Ninety percent of the energy that an incandescent light bulb burns is wasted as heat.
LED and it parts
Efficient LED technology looks set to flick the switch on traditional incandescent lightbulbs forever, say researchers.
Already, the efficiency and long life of LEDs is making them a popular – if costly – option in places where changing bulbs is inconvenient or expensive, such as in motorway lights, traffic signals, airport runways or on large buildings and bridges. For example, the Louvre museum in Paris is currently replacing 4,500 bulbs with LED equivalents, a change that is expected to result in a 73% reduction in energy consumption. Plans are also in place to replace the 25-year-old lighting system that illuminates Tower Bridge in London with LED lighting in time for the 2012 Olympic Games.
An assortment of LED lightbulbs that are commercially available as of 2010 as replacements for screw-in bulbs
LEDs, it is claimed, will help overcome these problems. These tiny lights were invented by GE in the early 1960s and were initially only available in red, a property that defined the look of early pocket calculators and digital watches. Over the years, however, more colours have appeared.
People still use vacuum tubes for some applications, and similarly incandescent bulbs may never go away completely. But it is not a question of if, but of when LED lighting will be the norm throughout the world.
We are only just at the start of the LED lighting revolution, and you may never look up at the ceiling in the same way again.
Intel Launches Next-gen Ivy Bridge Processors With 3D Transistors
Intel has officially launched the first wave of its Ivy Bridge
processors with a new tri-gate transistor technology, touting the new
chips as the “world’s first 22 nanometer product.”
Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processors use a new tri-gate transistor technology to boost processing power while reducing the amount of energy needed.
The initial release includes 13 quad-core processors, most of which will be targeted at desktop computers.
Further dual core processors, suitable for ultrabooks – thin laptops – will be announced “later this spring”.
Intel and PC manufacturers expect the release to drive a wave of new sales.
“The momentum around the system design is pretty astonishing,” Intel’s PC business chief, Kirk Skaugen, who is spearheading the launch, told the BBC.
“This is the world’s first 22 nanometre product and we’ll be delivering about 20% more processor performance using 20% less average power.”
The firm has already built three factories to fabricate the new chips and a fourth will come online later this year.
“This is Intel’s fastest ramp ever,” Mr Skaugen added.
“There will be 50% more supply than we had early in the product cycle of our last generation, Sandy Bridge, a year ago. And we’re still constrained based on the amount of demand we’re seeing in the marketplace.”
Low power: The fact that Intel’s new transistor
technology – the on/off switches at the heart of its chips – are more
power-efficient could be crucial to its future success.
Tri-gate transistors: Intel hopes a new transistor
technology, in development for 11 years, will help it challenge Arm’s
reputation for energy efficiency.
Bell Labs created the first transistor in 1947, and it was about a quarter of the size of an American penny. Since then, engineers have radically shrunk them in size – so there are now more than one billion fitted inside a single processor.
It all poses quite a challenge to Intel’s main competitor in the PC processor market – Advanced Micro Devices.
AMD plans to reduce the amount of power its upcoming Piledriver chips consume by using “resonant clock mesh technology” – a new process which recycles the energy used by the processor. However, full details about how it will work and a release date are yet to be announced.
“We are targeting 20 times better battery life on standby – always on, always connected,” Mr Skaugen said about the update, due for release in 2013.
“So you can get all your files and emails downloaded onto your PC while it’s in your bag, and still get more than 10 days of standby and all-day battery life.”
Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processors use a new tri-gate transistor technology to boost processing power while reducing the amount of energy needed.
Traditional planar chip design (left) and Intel's new Tri-Gate technology (right).
Further dual core processors, suitable for ultrabooks – thin laptops – will be announced “later this spring”.
Intel and PC manufacturers expect the release to drive a wave of new sales.
“The momentum around the system design is pretty astonishing,” Intel’s PC business chief, Kirk Skaugen, who is spearheading the launch, told the BBC.
“This is the world’s first 22 nanometre product and we’ll be delivering about 20% more processor performance using 20% less average power.”
The firm has already built three factories to fabricate the new chips and a fourth will come online later this year.
“This is Intel’s fastest ramp ever,” Mr Skaugen added.
“There will be 50% more supply than we had early in the product cycle of our last generation, Sandy Bridge, a year ago. And we’re still constrained based on the amount of demand we’re seeing in the marketplace.”
Intel's
new Ivy Bridge processors use a new tri-gate transistor technology to
boost processing power while reducing the amount of energy needed
Intel's Ivy Bridge chip
Bell Labs created the first transistor in 1947, and it was about a quarter of the size of an American penny. Since then, engineers have radically shrunk them in size – so there are now more than one billion fitted inside a single processor.
It all poses quite a challenge to Intel’s main competitor in the PC processor market – Advanced Micro Devices.
AMD plans to reduce the amount of power its upcoming Piledriver chips consume by using “resonant clock mesh technology” – a new process which recycles the energy used by the processor. However, full details about how it will work and a release date are yet to be announced.
“We are targeting 20 times better battery life on standby – always on, always connected,” Mr Skaugen said about the update, due for release in 2013.
“So you can get all your files and emails downloaded onto your PC while it’s in your bag, and still get more than 10 days of standby and all-day battery life.”
Sunday, 1 July 2012
MacBook Pro With Retina Display:Next Generation Laptop From Apple(Specs and Review)
After a long wait , Apple has finally revealed it’s Next generation laptop with retina display. Apple calls it the Next Generation Laptop with some of the best features that can be put into a laptop.The Next Generation laptops were unveiled at WWDC on June 11,2012 ,were some other Mac Book air and pro were launched,but it was till then he revealed this Next Generation Laptop that created a buzz around the world.This magnificent piece of work caught each and everyone’s attention in the conference.It was a 15 inch Mac Book with Retina display,which was quoted as the best ever laptop created by the Apple by Mr Cook.
Mac Book Pro With Retina Display
The above image is the Mac Book Pro with Retina Display that was unveiled by Apple, it’s a 15 inch laptop with a thickness of only .77inch and a weight of 4.46 pounds only.There has never been a laptop this thin and this much lighter in a 15inch category.Lets take a look at some of the specifications of this magnificent piece of work.
Processor:
The next generation Mac Book Pro comes with the latest and the most powerful and the fastest core i7 processors available in the market today.It provides a really power packed performance for this laptop users.
- 2.3 Ghz Quad Core Intel core i7 Processor.
- 2.6 Ghz Quad Core Intel core i7 Processor.
Display:
This notebook has the worlds highest resolution display with the help of Retina display.This display will provide its users with one of the only kind sharp and vivid images,much more detailed and resolution.
- 15.4 inch retina display.
- 2880 x 1800 resolution at 220 pixels.
Size and Weight:
This notebook has broken each and every barrier as far as the size and the weight of the laptop goes.It’s by far the most sleek and stylish laptop ever created.
- .71 inch thickness
- 4.46 pounds weight
Memory:
Mac Book Pro supports Flash memory,it’s the foundation of this laptop.Flash memory not only provides fast performance but it’s more reliable than Hard drives,durable and battery effecient.
- 8 GB of 1600MHz DDR3L On board Memory(configurable up to 16 GB)
- Flash Storage : 256 GB and 512 GB(configurable up to 768 GB)
Graphics:
The Graphics on this Notebook are so realistic and flawless,that you will be completely lost in the magic of the flawless graphics.
- Intel HD graphics 4000
- NVIDIA Ge Force GT 650 MB with 1 GB of GDDR5 memory and automatic graphics switching.
Camera :
The Face time HD camera is built into Widescreen Retina display,which aloows you to make 720p HD calls to other i Phones,i Pads with face time HD camera
- 720 P HD ,face time camera.
Connection Slots :
Mac Book Pro has been built as the most high performance I/O device.With the combination of 2 thunderbolt ports and a HDMI port and USB 3 ports,you can setup your own professional studio in minutes.
- Mag safe 2 power port
- 2 Thunderbolts ports (up to 10 GBPS)
- HDMI port
- Two USB3 Ports(up to 5Gbps)
- Headphone Port
- SDXC Card Slot
Wireless Connections:
Mac Book Pro provides the latest wireless technology
- 802.11 n Wireless Networking
- Bluetooth v4.0
Battery and Power:
Mac Book Pro is not all about performance only,it’s also about the battery power that it has in store for it’s users.It provides a powerful battery backup,so you can complete your most of the work with a single charge.
- Up to 7 hrs of Wireless Web
- Up to 30 days Stand by time
Price:
As far as the price of this notebook goes,it has been fairly overpriced- For the 2.3 GHz processor :$2199
- For the 2.6 GHz Processor:$2799
Apple surely has introduced a fully power packed Notebook for it’s users, with all the latest technology residing in the laptop itself. It’s the Next Generation laptop as called by the Apple,let’s see how much it pleases the upcoming Generation,do let us know your thoughts and critics on this topic .
The New GameLord: Alienware X51
As we all are aware that Alienware desktops are known as the best gaming desktops made till now,the gaming experience has been taken to a whole new level by Alienware Laptops and desktops.But the main problem with these desktops are that they are quite bulky and of huge size,that was the main flaw of the Alienware desktops till now,but with the introduction of Alienware X51 Mini this flaw has been eliminated completely.Gamer’s all over the world are really appreciating the new look and design of this Alienware Desktops .The image Below is of the Alienware X51:
Yeah,that’s not an XBOX or a Playstation,it’s the newest member of Alienware Desktop Series,it’s the new ALIENWARE X51 MINI.It’s Sleek and really powerful and has removed the flaw of the Alienware Desktop’s,and that is the bulky size of the desktop.Do not get fooled by the small design of this desktop,it has all the heavy material inside that would make you pop out of your seats during the gameplay.
Size Difference:
I think the above image speaks for itself,you can clearly see the size difference between the previous Alienware desktops and the new Alienware X51 Mini.It’s of a size of a XBOX.What else would anyone want,a desktop that is not at all bulky and can be easily placed anywhere without any size complications.
Let’s have a look at the inside of this desktop:
Those who have a doubt about the performance of this desktop,have a look at the above image,and if still not satisfied look at these specs which this small powerhouse packs in it:
- Processor Intel Core i7 -2600,3.4 GHz with Hyper Threading and Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
- Operating System: Windows 7,64 Bit
- RAM: Up to 8 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM
- Hard Drive: 1000 GB SATA
- Drives: Dual Layer DVD BrunerDual Layer Blu-Ray Reader
- Video Card:
1 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 545
1 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 555 - Sound Card: Internal High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio with WAVES MAXX Audio
- Price:
$699
Creating Fake Facebook Status
Facebook is the most popular social networking site today present,there are lots of cool tips and tricks available today on web,but this one is the best trick available today i.e how to create a fake Facebook status,and thus you can shock and amaze your friends,they will be completely bewildered by this trick.Creating this type of fake status will make you popular among your friends,and you surely will get their attention.So make the most out of this trick and have fun.
Step 1:
The first thing yo need to do is to go here,this app named Wall Machine . Here you will have to press the connect button to get started.
Step 2:
After you click on the connect you will be forwarded to a page looking something like this:
Now you just have to simply just edit the name,status, and comments on this webpage as per you choice.
- To edit the name,just click on the name.
- To edit the like.just click on like button.
- To add a picture,just click on the picture box that is on the left side.
- Add a comment as per your wish.
Step 3:
Now just Save your status by simply clicking on SAVE button.Enjoy and have fun.
Your friends will be bewildered after looking at your status.
Saturday, 30 June 2012
At Number One it’s none other than the best selling gaming console in market,which is known to every teen on this panet.
XBOX 360 is one the most
top selling gaming consoles right now and always has been.It has
provided it’s users with one of the most top class gaming graphics and
graphics.XBOX360 is what every kid desires he should have these days to
enjoy games.Not only kids,even adults are also lured in the gaming world
with the introduction of this wonderful gaming console.
Specs(basic model):
- Processor: 3.2 GHz
- RAM:512 MB
- Standard storage capacity: 250GB
- Video Output:256-bit
- Max Video format:1080 p
- GPU: 500 MHz
- No Of Consoles Input:4
- Battery Life:40 Hrs
- Connectivity :Multi A/V ports,USB Ports,HDMI POrts,Ethernet ports,Removable Hard Drive,Headphones
- Community and Support:Social Networking,Text Messaging,Voice Chat,Video Chat,User Forum,Phone,Email,Online chat
- Warranty:1 Year
- Price:Rs 24,990 , $ 435
At,Number Two, is another sensational gaming console introduced by Sony,the Sony PlayStation 3 or widely known as PS3.
Sony PlayStation3 has a lot to offer to it’s users.It offers an all in one power packed gaming device with high definition graphics and ultimate gaming environment.It gives a tough competition to it’s arch rival XBOX 360.
Specs(basic model):
- Processor: 3.2 GHz
- RAM: 256 MB
- Standard storage capacity:160GB
- Video Output:128-bit
- Max Video format: 1080 p
- GPU: 500 MHz
- No Of Consoles Input: 7
- Battery Life: 20 Hrs
- Connectivity:Multi A/V ports,USB Ports,HDMI POrts,Ethernet ports,Removable Hard Drive,Headphones,SD card,Flash Card,Wi-Fi
- Community and Support: Social Networking,Text Messaging,Voice Chat,Video Chat,User Forum,Phone,Email,Online chat
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Price: Rs 16,990 , $ 300
At Number three, is another gaming console which provides it users with some of the best gaming experience,it’s the Nintendo Wii
Nintendo Wii is another powerful and popular gaming console worldwide,though it’s not as much popular as PS3 or XBOX360,because of it’s inability to provide a high definition and detailed graphics to its’ users.
Specs(basic model):
- Processor: 729 GHz
- RAM: 512 MB
- Standard storage capacity:512 MB
- Video Output:256-bit
- Max Video format: 576i
- GPU: 243 MHz
- No Of Consoles Input: 4
- Battery Life: 30 Hrs
- Connectivity:Multi A/V ports,USB Ports,Headphones,SD card,Wi-Fi
- Community and Support: Social Networking,User Forum,Phone,Email,Online chat
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Price: Rs 14,990 , $ 266
These are the top 3 best selling gaming consoles available today in the marketplace,they have revolutionized the concept of gaming and has taken it to a new level.Not only kids and teenagers love them,but many adults are also showing interest in gaming with the introduction of motion gaming and 3D gaming by these consoles.
One Windows to rule them all
As far back as the late ’80s, Bill Gates has floated the idea of “Windows Everywhere.” The idea, as you can probably guess, is to put a Windows operating system on any and all devices with a CPU somewhere under the hood. At the New York PC Expo in 1997, on the back of Windows CE 1.0 — a cut-down ARM version of Windows for embedded devices — Steve Ballmer expounded on Gates’ Windows Everywhere vision, extolling the virtues of “softer software, the notion that software will adapt and shape and customize itself to you,” and a toolchain that would allow developers to run their Windows apps on any Windows computer.
At the time, pundits and journalists laughed at the idea. Today, various flavors of Windows run on around 1.3 billion PCs, tens of millions of phones and consoles, and probably hundreds of millions of ATMs, cash registers, and other embedded devices. Windows really is everywhere.
It isn’t quite that simple, though. Over the years, Windows has fragmented. Windows CE is rooted in Windows 95. Alongside its consumer OSes, though, Microsoft was also developing Windows NT, a workstation and server OS with a completely different kernel (the NT kernel). In 2001, the NT kernel made the leap to Windows XP. Since then, as CE became Mobile and Phone, and XP became Vista and 7, the embedded and desktop versions of Windows have grown ever more divergent. Windows might be everywhere, but only in the literal sense — it is more like Microsoft everywhere. Gates’ dream of write once, run on PCs, tablets, toasters, and fridges never came to pass.
Until now. Yesterday, at the Windows Phone Summit in San Francisco, Microsoft announced that Windows Phone 8 would drop its CE kernel in favor of Windows 8′s NT kernel. For all intents and purposes, Windows Phone 8 will be a version of Windows 8 that has been tailored to fit smaller displays. Windows Phone 8 will gain Windows 8′s resizable-live tile Start Screen. The networking and multimedia code will be the same across both operating systems. Windows 8′s performance, power usage, and memory footprint has been improved significantly so that it works well on tablets and ARM devices — and all of those changes will make the jump to Windows Phone 8.
Most importantly, though, Windows Phone 8 will support native code — and apps programmed for Windows 8 will work on Windows Phone 8. In most cases, porting an app will be as simple as flipping a switch in in Visual Studio. Windows Phone 8 will support the desktop version of DirectX and share common graphics drivers, meaning it will be a lot easier to port games to the phone. In theory, Windows Phone 8 might one day run Crysis. Native code support means it’ll be easier to port complex iOS and Android apps to Windows Phone, too.
With the Windows 8 NT kernel, Windows Phone 8 will support up to 64 cores (though to start with, Microsoft is optimizing WP8 for the dual-core Snapdragon S4 Krait SoC).
A bunch of Windows 8 apps and services will also hop over to Windows Phone 8: BitLocker full disk encryption, UEFI secure boot, and full fat Internet Explorer 10 and Microsoft Office will work on WP8. With IE10, WP8 gains malware and phishing protection via SmartScreen. IE10′s Chakra JavaScript engine, running on Windows Phone 8, is 20% faster than the Galaxy S3′s stock browser. Web app developers will be able to write once to target desktop IE10 (on desktops, laptops, and tablets), and be assured that it will run on Windows Phone 8 smartphones.
Of particular interest to IT administrators, Windows Phone 8 will be configurable with the same management tools as Windows 8 (though whether this means full group policy control, I’m not sure). Sideloading of apps will also be possible; developers and companies won’t be forced to go through the Marketplace.
In short, Windows Phone 8 devices will simply be Windows computers — palm-sized Windows PCs with the Metro Start Screen and no Desktop. In 2011, according to Gartner, just five years after the original iPhone launch, 467.7 million smartphones were sold, compared to ~415 million PCs. Analysts predict that, by 2015, 1 billion smartphones will be sold per year. Microsoft’s scheme of putting the NT kernel on the smartphone and amalgamating the two ecosystems is a perfectly timed stroke of genius.
This still isn’t quite Windows everywhere, though. But what if the Xbox 720 uses the Windows 8 kernel, too?
This isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Last summer, Xbox 360-related strings were discovered in a pre-release build of the Windows 8 kernel. A few months later, the Xbox Dashboard received a Metro-like makeover.
The clincher, though, is a trifecta of Microsoft leaks and releases over the last month. At E3, Microsoft showed off Xbox SmartGlass — an app that turns your tablet into a second display for your Xbox. Last week, a 56-page Xbox 720 specification document leaked out — it was quickly kiboshed by Microsoft’s legal team, but we did learn that the new console will probably have an ARM or x86 processor. And finally, on Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled its x86 and ARM Surface tablets — an event made all the more interesting by the simultaneous leaking of a document that detailed an Xbox Surface tablet controller.
If the Xbox 720 uses the Windows 8 kernel, developers will be able to write both AAA and Xbox Live Arcade games that work across the PC, console, and phone. Developers (Netflix, Hulu, et al.) will be able to write a single, full-screen Metro app and have it run across the entire Windows 8-based ecosystem. If an Xbox gamepad doesn’t interact well with these apps, you simply use your touchscreen tablet controller instead. Microsoft could even consolidate on Windows Store, making it the single location to buy apps, games, and media across all of your devices. Cloud integration, of course, would make sure that you can play your games and media from any device, at any time.
That would be Windows Everywhere — that would be awesome.
Patents weren’t designed to stifle innovation and take a massive toll on holders
A recent study by a pair of law professors at Boston University School of Law sheds light on the financial impact of patent litigation, and the results may surprise you. For example, would you have guessed that “non-practicing entities” (NPEs), which are individuals and companies that own patents but only use them for litigation (or “patent trolls,” as the study’s authors refers to them), were able to accrue $29 billion (BILLION!) in 2011 by suing hardware and software companies, many of them classified as small and medium-sized businesses? In other words, patent trolls are targeting the little guys and lining their pockets with an obscene amount of dollars that could otherwise be used on research and development in the field of technology. The actual cost is even higher.
“This [$29 billion] figure excludes various indirect costs to the defendants’ businesses such as diversion of resources, delays in new products, and loss of market share,” James Bessen and Michael J. Meurer state in their study.
It’s a rotten situation, and NPEs aren’t the only culprit. Apple recently convinced a judge to ban sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets in the US based on the accusation that Samsung copied “the look and feel” of its iPad and iPhone devices. If the injunction holds, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 could be next.
Patentable?
Some companies are even looking to change the way they do business altogether. The most recent example is Qualcomm, which just announced a corporate restructuring to protect its patents. Qualcomm created a wholly-owned subsidiary, known as Qualcomm Technologies Inc. (QTI), which will handle product development for the company’s chip business, while the existing parent company will hold onto most of the patents. Why?
According to Foss Patents, Qualcomm understands that “its patents are the crown jewels of the company” and things can get sticky as it heads into open source territory, but it also shows how far companies are willing to go to shield themselves from patent lawsuits.
Necessity is supposed to be the mother of invention, but as long as companies like Apple are able to broadly patent wedge-shaped notebook designs and sue competing products right off of store shelves, the real need is for patent reform.
Google Compute Engine: For $2 million/day, your company can run the third fastest supercomputer in the world
At the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, Google has announced the immediate availability of Compute Engine, an infrastructure-as-a-service (IAAS) product that directly competes with Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure. Citing more than a decade of running and optimizing its own data centers and network infrastructure, Google is claiming that the Compute Engine is more scalable, more stable, and cheaper than the competition.
For this story, we’ll focus on scalability and cost (I’m sure that Compute Engine is stable, but Google just hasn’t given us any figures to work with). Google says that Compute Engine has access to 770,000 cores — a figure that will surely grow over time. In one demo at Google I/O, a genomics app (it analyzed the human genome) was shown to use 600,000 cores. These cores are made available as Linux virtual machines (VMs), with 1, 2, 4, or 8 cores each. Each core apparently has access to 3.75GB of RAM each — and, of course, each VM is connected together using Google’s advanced networking technologies and topologies.
777,000 cores, assuming the entire Compute Engine cluster consists of 8-core CPUs, equates to 96,250 computers. This is a huge number — probably equal to the total number of servers operated by Intel, or data centers such as The Planet or Rackspace, but considering Google is estimated to have more than 1 million servers in total, it’s not that huge. Amazon EC2, by comparison, is estimated to have around 450,000 physical machines. Still, almost 100,000 servers on your opening day is rather impressive; Google is obviously starting as it means to go on.
For an interesting reference point, Sequoia, the world’s fastest supercomputer, has 1.78 million cores (clocking in 16 petaflops). Number two, the K computer, has 700,000 cores (10.5 petaflops). During that Google I/O demo, by using 600,000 cores, that genomics app was probably hitting the Compute Engine for somewhere between 1 and 10 petaflops of computational power — between 1 and 10 quadrillion calculations per second. For a few moments, the Compute Engine was probably the third fastest computer in the world.
But at what cost? The Google Compute Engine website says that an 8-core VM with 30GB of RAM costs $1.16 per hour. For 600,000 cores, you need 75,000 VMs — so, $87,000 per hour, or $2 million per day (and that’s before bandwidth and I/O costs). Even so, that price is actually quite reasonable, when you consider that supercomputers generally cost tens of millions to install and millions per year in running costs — well, as long as you don’t need the Compute Engine for more than a few days per year…
Finally, compared to “other leading cloud providers,” Google is claiming that Compute Engine gives you 50% more bang for your buck — though the company didn’t go as far as calling Amazon or Microsoft out. A quick glance at the Amazon EC2 pricing page suggests that Google’s $1.16/hour is actually more expensive, but perhaps it isn’t an apples-apples comparison.
Microsoft launches its new Surface Tablet device to rival Apple's popular iPad
Microsoft has finally launched its highly anticipated tablet PC at an event yesterday in Los Angeles. Microsoft CEO Steve
Ballmer was on hand to unveil another foray into the tablet segment, except that this time the company is producing an actual
personal computer for the first time in the history of Microsoft.The new device will be called the Surface Tablet. Ballmer says the new device is designed to fully exploit the capabilities of its new Windows 8 operating system. "With Windows 8 we don't want to leave any seam uncovered. We wanted to give it its own hardware innovation," Ballmer said. "It's something new, something different, a whole new family of computing devices from Microsoft."
The company is actually releasing two versions of the device-- a thinner and lighter (9.3 mm thick, 1.5-pound) consumer version that runs the Windows RT operating system (a version of Windows 8 that runs on ARM processors), and a larger version (13.5 mm thick, 1.9 pounds) running the Windows 8 Professional operating system, which is aimed mostly at business and enterprise users.
The Pro version, which uses an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, and runs all the standard Windows desktop software like Word and Excel, as well as the Metro apps. It can even run Photoshop, and supports USB 3.0.
The RT version, on the other hand, doesn't support standard Microsoft Office desktop apps. Instead, it runs a limited functionality version of Office called "Office Home & Student" as well as Windows Explorer. And the RT version only supports USB 2.0, by the way.
Here are the Windows 8 Professional specifications:Weighs 676 grams The device is 9.3 mm thick Features a 10.6-inch ClearType HD display Has a 31.5 watt-hour battery Has Micro-SD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video Has a 2x2 MIMO antenna Office Home & Student 2013 RT, Touch Cover VaporMg Case & Stand Configurable for 32 GB or 64 GB
Ballmer added during the announcement that the company tried to design the Surface Tablet to feel like a book. And the cover of the book is one of the Surface's most distinguishing features. It is similar to the Smart Cover that protects the iPad, but Microsoft goes a step further by installing a physical, multitouch keyboard on the back of its cover.Weighs 903 grams The device is 13.5 mm thick Features a 10.6-inch ClearType full HD display Has a bigger 42 watt-hour battery Has Micro-SDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video Has a 2x2 MIMO antenna as well Has a Touch Cover, Type Cover Features a pen with Palm Block VaporMg Case & Stand Configurable for 64 GB or 128 GB
The cover is connected to the tablet itself, and folds over to protect the Surface's screen. The new device is optically bonded to a 10.6-inch display. Microsoft describes it as "permanent scratch and wear resistant," and says that it minimizes glare, which makes it perfect for reading.
The Surfaces' video include HD 1080 pixel screen resolution, and a DisplayPort to output full high-resolution video to a TV.
Microsoft says that the Surface is the "first personal computer with a vapor-deposited (PVD) magnesium shell." The Surface stands upright on a kickstand that's connected on hinges to the back of the tablet. But Microsoft didn't offer any pricing for the new tablet, and no availability date for now.
Friday, 29 June 2012
How to Check If Your LinkedIn Password Was Stolen
News first surfaced about the security breach after a Russian hacker said he stole 6,458,020 encrypted LinkedIn passwords and posted them online (without usernames) to prove his feat. The breach comes on the heels of news that LinkedIn’s iOS app potentially violates user privacy by sending detailed calendar entries to its servers.
LinkedIn confirmed that some passwords had become compromised and said it would contact affected users with details on how to change their password.
In other words — if you’re a LinkedIn user, no matter how strong your password seemed — it’s a good idea to go ahead and change it.
How This Works
If you’re a cynical web user when it comes to privacy and security — of course you are, right? — then you’re probably asking yourself whether or not a site where you type in your password to see if it’s been compromised could possibly be legit. But the folks at LastPass ensure that the tool is safe and does not store passwords.Here’s how it works: After typing your LinkedIn password into LastPass’s tool, the service computes its SHA-1 hash and sends the result to LastPass.com. It then searches the list of 6.5 million leaked password hashes.
The spokesperson also noted that the hashes are not stored on its servers: “We don’t store the hash on our end. We only perform the check and then delete it.”
Brooklyn developer Chris Shiflett created a near-identical tool called LeakedIn that appears to operate in the exact same way. On his blog, Shiflett discussed how he built the tool to find out his own password was leaked (and subsequently cracked).
Change Your Password
If your password is among the millions stolen, you should not only change it as soon as possible but also update other accounts you have that use the same password.If you aren’t already using a password management tool — it’s time to start considering one. Tools such as LastPass and 1Password are invaluable in helping users create and manage unique, secure passwords.
Has your password been compromised? Let us know in the comments.
6 Illegal Interview Questions to Avoid
Hamsa Ramesha
June 25, 2010
Wondering which questions you’ll be asked during your job interview? You should expect the usual ones, such as “Where do you see yourself in five years?” and “What’s your greatest weakness?”
But then there are more colorful questions, such as “What animal best
describes you?” and “If you were stranded on a desert island, what three
items would you want to have with you?” that you should brace yourself
for.June 25, 2010
Regardless of what questions get thrown your way, there are a handful of interview questions you should never be asked. Be aware — questions about subjects in these categories violate your rights:
| • Age | • National origin |
| • Birthplace | • Race |
| • Color | • Religion |
| • Disability | • Sex |
| • Marital/family status |
However, don’t assume an employer’s prying questions are suggestive of discriminatory intentions. Often, a hiring manager is just trying to assess your fit for the job, not trying to illegally discriminate. While you can’t be asked directly about any of these topics, don’t be surprised if you find yourself discussing your family or religion with a potential employer either. It all depends on how the question is phrased.
While it’s important to protect yourself from illegal interview questions, there are legal alternatives to get the same information out of you. Be prepared and know your options by checking out these six examples of illegal interview questions, and how they can be rephrased to pass the law.
ILLEGAL: “Are you a U.S. citizen?”
LEGAL: “Are you authorized to work in the U.S.?”
Employers aren’t allowed to ask about your national origin, and that includes inquiring about your citizenship status. Touchy immigration issues aside, this question makes unnecessary assumptions based on your looks and racial stereotypes. On the flip side, employers can ask if you’re allowed to work in the U.S. By rephrasing the question, they’re avoiding directly asking if you’re a citizen, green card holder, or on a visa.
ILLEGAL: “How old are you? When did you graduate from college?”
LEGAL: “Are you over the age of 18?”
Whether you’re 18 going on 48 or 60 going on 40, employers are not allowed to discriminate against age (which is what the first question implies). However, when asked differently, the question becomes legal; the legal phrasing implies an age range, not a specific number. After all, employers need to know their employees are over 18 years of age to work legally in the U.S.
ILLEGAL: "Are you married? How many children do you have? Who do you live with?
LEGAL: “Can you relocate if necessary? Are you willing to travel as a part of this job? Can you work overtime as necessary?”
Your marital and family status is not being interviewed here — you are. Anything about your living situation, roommates, fiancés, spouses, children, etc., is off limits. While employers might simply be trying to gauge how busy you are in your personal life to see if it clashes with work responsibilities, it’s illegal to make a hiring decision based on this factor. As a potential employee, if you can commit to the necessary work hours and agree to the job requirements, your other responsibilities shouldn’t matter. Women should especially be wary of being asked for their maiden name — not required for employers if it isn’t legally your name. (But you can be asked if you’ve ever worked under another name.)
ILLEGAL: “How much do you weigh?”
LEGAL: “Are you comfortable with lifting heavy objects?”
While employers may want to make sure you’re physically able to do the job, asking directly about your weight/height and general health is a major HR no-no. Not to mention potentially embarrassing for you! But rephrasing the question to ask about your ability to perform a specific task is fair game.
ILLEGAL: “Do you have any disabilities? Any recent illnesses or operations?”
LEGAL: “Are you able to perform the essential job functions?”
Discriminating against the disabled, whether wheelchair-bound or clinically depressed, is a classic example of illegal hiring practices. But the employer still has a right to make sure you can do the job you’re hired for and rephrasing the question accordingly is within their rights.
ILLEGAL: “Ever been arrested?”
LEGAL: “Ever been convicted of ___?”
A general question about your (criminal) past is off topic, but a more targeted question regarding questionable behavior — as it relates to your job — is okay. For example, if you were applying for a job as a magician, it’s appropriate to ask if you’ve ever been convicted of fraud in your line of work.
It’s not so much what the question is asking, but how the question is asked. Federal and state laws prevent employers from asking interviewees about subjects unrelated to the job. However, if you feel you have been asked a question that’s off-limits, you should seek legal counsel. Before you take serious action, take into consideration the nature of the job, the context of the situation, the interviewer’s intent, and of course, the phrasing of the question. Good luck, and happy interviewing!
6 Bad Habits to Blame on Technology
Technology pretty much runs our lives these days. From our work life
to our home life, we have computers, phones, and gadgets helping us with
our daily routine. But is technology taking over and shifting our
societal norms? Is
too much technology a bad thing?
Sometimes we are so used to relying on technology to help us out, we forget how to act in a world void of it. We tend to blame technology for all those daily faux pas we commit. If you’ve ever heard or used (or even thought of!) any of these excuses, you’re not alone. Here are six of the most common bad habits we blame on technology.
“Hey, I know we’re having a conversation, but someone more important just texted me.”
You know the person: They take their phone out at the beginning of the meal or a conversation, and every 5 minutes or so they are checking to make sure they haven’t missed a text or email. Maybe that person is you! Nothing is more annoying than not having the attention of the person you are with, especially in a one-on-one situation. If you are in a group, it’s a little more acceptable.
Regardless, your annoying habit is saying that you really don’t care about the conversation or company, and you have better things to worry about. If that’s not the message you want to portray, put your phone away
“I’m breaking up with you over a text message so I don’t have to deal with this in person.”
Accountability has gone out the window with the rise of technology and the web. The Internet gives us the option of not dealing with the immediate fallout of a situation. If you are mad at someone, you can leave a nasty comment on their Facebook wall. If you want to break up with your boyfriend, but don’t want to deal with the tears, you can shoot her a text.
The truth is, this solution only delays and amplifies the fallout. Now you have to deal with the original fight and explain the nasty Facebook post. Or you get the bad rap of being the girl who breaks up with guys via text. Hiding behind technology shows a lack of courage, and will only come back to haunt you in the end.
“Sorry I rear-ended your car, but I HAD to send this funny text to my friend.”
Texting and emailing while driving has become a dangerous pastime in this country. Actually, there’s a wide range of distracting activities people do while driving, but texting seems to be the most rampant. A whopping 81% of Americans admit to texting while driving, while around 30% of accidents are caused by texting while driving.
Bottom line: if your eyes aren’t on the road, you are being a reckless driver. You’re controlling a large, heavy piece of machinery, one that can crush an old lady or a group of girl scouts in a split second. If a message is so important that you have to send it right now, pull over to the side of the road before you text. It’s just safer.
“I know all my friends and family can see my Facebook updates, but I NEED to tell everyone how drunk I am right now.”
Facebook and Twitter have expanded the definition of TMI. Over-sharing has become a way of life for most, with little concern about how it might affect them later in life. Everything is searchable online these days. Want to post a status about how you were drunk and danced on a table at happy hour? Think about how it might affect a job search down the road.
If you really must share every detail of your life with the world, at least set up a filter system within Facebook to limit what your family and coworkers can see. Set your privacy settings on all your social networking tools to the highest setting. You will save face with your family and possibly save your job.
“OMG, LOL!! That is crazeeeee! TTYL!”
What does that even mean? It seems that more and more these days, the English language is being passed over for phonetic spelling and a random string of letters. We’re all for being efficient and quick communicators, but does needing a decoder ring to decipher your message really save me any time?
If you are texting good friends who understand your random acronyms, then feel free to keep using them. But if you’re sending texts or emails to family, coworkers, or, heaven forbid, your boss, keep the random spelling, shorthand, and emoticons out of the message.
“Sorry I’m an hour late, but I texted you to tell you I was running behind.”
You need to meet your friend in 15 minutes, and you haven’t even jumped in the shower. Oops. No problem, you can just text them and tell them you’re running late, right? Wrong. What if they are already at the place, because they like to show up early? Or what if they are already in transit? They still have to wait for you.
All concerns with being punctual have disappeared since you can now send a quick text saying that you aren’t going to make it on time. But texts don’t cover forgive all lateness sins. If you do it once in a while, you may be forgiven, but if you are texting “late” messages constantly, your friends might start to regard you as a flake.
What are your biggest technology pet peeves? What common courtesy do you wish people still abided by? Sound off in the comments!
Sometimes we are so used to relying on technology to help us out, we forget how to act in a world void of it. We tend to blame technology for all those daily faux pas we commit. If you’ve ever heard or used (or even thought of!) any of these excuses, you’re not alone. Here are six of the most common bad habits we blame on technology.
“Hey, I know we’re having a conversation, but someone more important just texted me.”
You know the person: They take their phone out at the beginning of the meal or a conversation, and every 5 minutes or so they are checking to make sure they haven’t missed a text or email. Maybe that person is you! Nothing is more annoying than not having the attention of the person you are with, especially in a one-on-one situation. If you are in a group, it’s a little more acceptable.
Regardless, your annoying habit is saying that you really don’t care about the conversation or company, and you have better things to worry about. If that’s not the message you want to portray, put your phone away
“I’m breaking up with you over a text message so I don’t have to deal with this in person.”
Accountability has gone out the window with the rise of technology and the web. The Internet gives us the option of not dealing with the immediate fallout of a situation. If you are mad at someone, you can leave a nasty comment on their Facebook wall. If you want to break up with your boyfriend, but don’t want to deal with the tears, you can shoot her a text.
The truth is, this solution only delays and amplifies the fallout. Now you have to deal with the original fight and explain the nasty Facebook post. Or you get the bad rap of being the girl who breaks up with guys via text. Hiding behind technology shows a lack of courage, and will only come back to haunt you in the end.
“Sorry I rear-ended your car, but I HAD to send this funny text to my friend.”
Texting and emailing while driving has become a dangerous pastime in this country. Actually, there’s a wide range of distracting activities people do while driving, but texting seems to be the most rampant. A whopping 81% of Americans admit to texting while driving, while around 30% of accidents are caused by texting while driving.
Bottom line: if your eyes aren’t on the road, you are being a reckless driver. You’re controlling a large, heavy piece of machinery, one that can crush an old lady or a group of girl scouts in a split second. If a message is so important that you have to send it right now, pull over to the side of the road before you text. It’s just safer.
“I know all my friends and family can see my Facebook updates, but I NEED to tell everyone how drunk I am right now.”
Facebook and Twitter have expanded the definition of TMI. Over-sharing has become a way of life for most, with little concern about how it might affect them later in life. Everything is searchable online these days. Want to post a status about how you were drunk and danced on a table at happy hour? Think about how it might affect a job search down the road.
If you really must share every detail of your life with the world, at least set up a filter system within Facebook to limit what your family and coworkers can see. Set your privacy settings on all your social networking tools to the highest setting. You will save face with your family and possibly save your job.
What does that even mean? It seems that more and more these days, the English language is being passed over for phonetic spelling and a random string of letters. We’re all for being efficient and quick communicators, but does needing a decoder ring to decipher your message really save me any time?
If you are texting good friends who understand your random acronyms, then feel free to keep using them. But if you’re sending texts or emails to family, coworkers, or, heaven forbid, your boss, keep the random spelling, shorthand, and emoticons out of the message.
“Sorry I’m an hour late, but I texted you to tell you I was running behind.”
You need to meet your friend in 15 minutes, and you haven’t even jumped in the shower. Oops. No problem, you can just text them and tell them you’re running late, right? Wrong. What if they are already at the place, because they like to show up early? Or what if they are already in transit? They still have to wait for you.
All concerns with being punctual have disappeared since you can now send a quick text saying that you aren’t going to make it on time. But texts don’t cover forgive all lateness sins. If you do it once in a while, you may be forgiven, but if you are texting “late” messages constantly, your friends might start to regard you as a flake.
What are your biggest technology pet peeves? What common courtesy do you wish people still abided by? Sound off in the comments!
The Best Action Camera
.
There's
a lot of really great stuff about the Drift HD. For starters, it's the
only one with an integrated LCD screen, so you can see your shot before
you start recording (or during). This also makes it adjustable on the
fly. Switching between modes (1080p or 720p, frame-rates, stills, etc.)
is easiest on the Drift. The lens is rotatable, so you can get a level
shot even when the camera is mounted askew. Other features include modes
for time-lapse and burst photos, and a remote that can start and stop
recordings. Without a special housing, it's only billed as water-resistant, not water-proof, but a) it floats, and b) we submerged it under two feet of water for an hour and it came out just fine. Nice.
Unfortunately, video quality is where the Drift falls flat. It's easily the worst of the group. Images are not at all sharp, and there's noise all over everything (especially in the night shot, but really, everywhere). It also handles contrast very poorly. Colors are way off. Just very, very muddy. You see that skipping in the first video for the Drift? That's not your browser acting up, that's in the raw video file. It didn't do that all the time, but the fact that it did that at all is troubling. If you want to go surfing or diving with it, you've got to buy a waterproof case for an additional $50. It's also somewhat limited in terms of available mounts. Also, there was some weird, shrieking sound that persisted throughout the video, though that may be unique to our unit. For the price you can do way better. [$300]
Drift HD Specs
Video: 25/30fps in 1080p, 25/30/50/60fps in 720p
Angle: 170 degrees in 1080p
Waterproof: Water-resistant w/o case
Storage: MicroSD
Battery: 1100mAh
Price: $300
Gizrank: 2.5
This
is the baby of the bunch. The coolest thing about the Ion is that
without any additional housing, it's waterproof to 30 feet, which should
suffice for most non-scuba aquatic activities. All that in the same
sleek form factor as the Contour, which gives it the lowest profile. It
also has a unique and very versatile mounting kit. With the ball and
socket setup, you don't have to detach and reattach anything in order to
turn the camera around (which would be great for surfing). It's very
intuitive to use for both shooting video and firing off stills. Possibly
the best feature of all is that it vibrates when it starts and stops
recording, so you know you're rolling even if the camera is mounted to
your helmet. Really nice touch.
Again, video quality is where the Ion stumbles. It's not as bad as the Drift HD's, but it's not much better. There's just a ton of fuzz all over everything. Sharpness is a major problem (though colors are better than the Drift). Noise is very bad in low light. It also has a narrower angle in 1080 and 720 modes (127 and 150, respectively). The camera knows if it's upside down and will flip the video accordingly, but that's as far as it goes in terms of adjusting the angle. While the mount is easy to use and adjust on the fly, it's hard to crank it down hard enough so that it doesn't wobble when bumped or shaken. Also, like the Contour, you need another device (a computer or an iPhone) in order to change settings (frame-rates, etc.), which sucks. But this also allows you to control the camera with an iOS device or web browser. If you're committed to buying an Ion, skip the $350 Wi-Fi model, and the pared-down $230 Pro—go for the $290 Pro Plus kit with its included mounts for bikes and helmets.
Ion Pro HD Specs
Video: 30fps in 1080p, 30/60fps in 720p, 30fps in 960p (4:3)
Angle: 127 degrees in 1080, 150 degrees in 720
Waterproof: Waterproof w/o case to 30 feet
Storage: MicroSD
Battery: 1100mAh
Price: $290
Gizrank: 3.0
The
Contour+ offers really nice video quality—images are extremely sharp.
It was the favorite in the low-light test. While it was darker than the
others, it didn't artificially brighten images into horrible noise.
Speaking of noise, sound quality on the Contour+ is easily the best. It
has a nice, low profile, and it's generally very easy to mount securely
on either of its sides. It has a simple on/off switch (like the Ion) so
it's pretty easy to tell when you're recording, and it starts shooting
quickly. The Plus is Contour's high-end solution with built-in
Bluetooth, so you can use your iPhone or Android as a monitor while you
record. There are tons of optional accessories, including some that let
you broadcast live to USTREAM. Also, the rotatable lens will allow you
to adjust to any angle, and it has built-in GPS for automatically
geotagging your videos.
At $500, the Contour+ is by far the most expensive of the cameras we tested. For all that money, it's not even waterproof. At all. It says "water-resistant," so we gave it a quick dunk. It instantly filled with water. Oops. If you want to take this thing in the water (or anywhere near it) you need to drop an extra $50 on the waterproof case. There's a switch to flip between two settings (1080p @ 30fps or 720p at 60fps by default), but beyond that, settings can't be changed without attaching to a computer. Really, really annoying. Also, if you want the full 170-degree angle, you can only get that in 720p mode. Connecting to a phone via Bluetooth yielded mixed results—you had to stay pretty close to the camera, and most of the time it displayed choppy video. For the best value, go with the Contour ROAM. For only $200 (or $250 with the waterproof case and surf mount) it has the same optics/image sensor as the Plus, but it's actually waterproof for up to 3 feet—better than nothing. You don't need the Plus's GPS and Bluetooth. ($500)
Contour+ Specs
Video: 25/30fps in 1080p, 25/30/50/60fps in 720p, 25/30fps in 960p (4:3)
Angle: 170 degrees in 720 only
Waterproof: Not waterproof w/o case. W/ $50 case: 197 ft
Storage: MicroSD
Battery: 1050mAh
Price: $500
Gizrank: 3.5
In
terms of image quality, the Hero 2 simply won out. It's about on par
with the Contour in terms of sharpness, but when it comes to colors, the
Hero simply dominates. It also handles contrast better than the others.
All of the kits come with a waterproof housing, which keeps the camera
dry up to 197 feet deep. There are tons of mounting options and
accessories—battery extenders, strap-on LCD screens, and a Wi-Fi BacPac
that lets you control up to 50 GoPros at once from a distance of up to
600 feet. The built-in screen ain't much to look at, but you can adjust
settings on the fly, like frame-rates, stills, and time-lapse, which is
clutch when you're in the field. The LCD BacPac lets you instantly play
back video. This is the only camera that uses ubiquitous, high-capacity,
full-sized SD cards. The 170 degree angle in 1080p is great, and it
easily produces the best daytime video. (If you want to see surf footage
from the Hero 2, check out our lightning review.)
That said, it isn't without its flaws. The boxy design gives it an awkward profile. Sometimes it's harder to mount because of that, and it increases water resistance while swimming. Also, you can manually flip video 180 degrees, but there is no incremental adjustment. As you can see in the video, the Hero 2 was off-kilter (which wasn't its fault—it went on last and there wasn't enough room on the handlebars), so a twistable lens would have been great. Nighttime footage isn't amazing, but it finished a solid second behind the Contour. The most annoying thing about the Hero is that buttons are very hard to press, so adjusting the settings takes some work (and it's hard to do with gloves on). Despite that, if the camera gets mashed into the ground or another object, accidental button presses can occur. Also, the beeps aren't loud enough, so you don't always know if you're rolling or not, which could kill your perfect shot. It takes a while to scroll through the GoPro's menu, but it's certainly better than no onboard menu at all. Despite the gripes, the Hero 2 remains is the clear winner. ($300)
GoPro Hero 2 Specs
Video: 30fps in 1080p, 30/60fps in 720p, 48/30fps in 960p (4:3)
Angle: 170 degrees in 1080p
Waterproof: Waterproof to 197 feet w/ included case
Storage: Full-sized SD card
Battery: 1100mAh
Price: $300
Gizrank: 4.0
Testing Methodology
We strapped all four cameras to the handlebars of a mountain bike and went zooming around Brooklyn. One street ride, one trail ride, and one night ride. We also did a few static shots. The cams were crammed tightly, so none of them were mounted optimally (especially the Hero 2). Because of this, they all shake worse than they normally would. Plus, for bike stuff you really want the camera on your helmet, because the handlebars add too much vibration, even under ideal circumstances. We wanted to strap them to a surfboard, but the Atlantic Ocean, she would not cooperate. Instead, those that are waterproof were given an 8 hour soak test in 3 feet of water, and those that weren't were given a quick dunk, too.. As far as weighting: we looked at ease of use, mounts, features, and accessories, but video quality is king.4th Place: Drift HD
There's
a lot of really great stuff about the Drift HD. For starters, it's the
only one with an integrated LCD screen, so you can see your shot before
you start recording (or during). This also makes it adjustable on the
fly. Switching between modes (1080p or 720p, frame-rates, stills, etc.)
is easiest on the Drift. The lens is rotatable, so you can get a level
shot even when the camera is mounted askew. Other features include modes
for time-lapse and burst photos, and a remote that can start and stop
recordings. Without a special housing, it's only billed as water-resistant, not water-proof, but a) it floats, and b) we submerged it under two feet of water for an hour and it came out just fine. Nice.Unfortunately, video quality is where the Drift falls flat. It's easily the worst of the group. Images are not at all sharp, and there's noise all over everything (especially in the night shot, but really, everywhere). It also handles contrast very poorly. Colors are way off. Just very, very muddy. You see that skipping in the first video for the Drift? That's not your browser acting up, that's in the raw video file. It didn't do that all the time, but the fact that it did that at all is troubling. If you want to go surfing or diving with it, you've got to buy a waterproof case for an additional $50. It's also somewhat limited in terms of available mounts. Also, there was some weird, shrieking sound that persisted throughout the video, though that may be unique to our unit. For the price you can do way better. [$300]
Drift HD Specs
Video: 25/30fps in 1080p, 25/30/50/60fps in 720p
Angle: 170 degrees in 1080p
Waterproof: Water-resistant w/o case
Storage: MicroSD
Battery: 1100mAh
Price: $300
Gizrank: 2.5
3rd Place: Ion Air Pro
This
is the baby of the bunch. The coolest thing about the Ion is that
without any additional housing, it's waterproof to 30 feet, which should
suffice for most non-scuba aquatic activities. All that in the same
sleek form factor as the Contour, which gives it the lowest profile. It
also has a unique and very versatile mounting kit. With the ball and
socket setup, you don't have to detach and reattach anything in order to
turn the camera around (which would be great for surfing). It's very
intuitive to use for both shooting video and firing off stills. Possibly
the best feature of all is that it vibrates when it starts and stops
recording, so you know you're rolling even if the camera is mounted to
your helmet. Really nice touch.Again, video quality is where the Ion stumbles. It's not as bad as the Drift HD's, but it's not much better. There's just a ton of fuzz all over everything. Sharpness is a major problem (though colors are better than the Drift). Noise is very bad in low light. It also has a narrower angle in 1080 and 720 modes (127 and 150, respectively). The camera knows if it's upside down and will flip the video accordingly, but that's as far as it goes in terms of adjusting the angle. While the mount is easy to use and adjust on the fly, it's hard to crank it down hard enough so that it doesn't wobble when bumped or shaken. Also, like the Contour, you need another device (a computer or an iPhone) in order to change settings (frame-rates, etc.), which sucks. But this also allows you to control the camera with an iOS device or web browser. If you're committed to buying an Ion, skip the $350 Wi-Fi model, and the pared-down $230 Pro—go for the $290 Pro Plus kit with its included mounts for bikes and helmets.
Ion Pro HD Specs
Video: 30fps in 1080p, 30/60fps in 720p, 30fps in 960p (4:3)
Angle: 127 degrees in 1080, 150 degrees in 720
Waterproof: Waterproof w/o case to 30 feet
Storage: MicroSD
Battery: 1100mAh
Price: $290
Gizrank: 3.0
2nd Place: Contour+
The
Contour+ offers really nice video quality—images are extremely sharp.
It was the favorite in the low-light test. While it was darker than the
others, it didn't artificially brighten images into horrible noise.
Speaking of noise, sound quality on the Contour+ is easily the best. It
has a nice, low profile, and it's generally very easy to mount securely
on either of its sides. It has a simple on/off switch (like the Ion) so
it's pretty easy to tell when you're recording, and it starts shooting
quickly. The Plus is Contour's high-end solution with built-in
Bluetooth, so you can use your iPhone or Android as a monitor while you
record. There are tons of optional accessories, including some that let
you broadcast live to USTREAM. Also, the rotatable lens will allow you
to adjust to any angle, and it has built-in GPS for automatically
geotagging your videos.At $500, the Contour+ is by far the most expensive of the cameras we tested. For all that money, it's not even waterproof. At all. It says "water-resistant," so we gave it a quick dunk. It instantly filled with water. Oops. If you want to take this thing in the water (or anywhere near it) you need to drop an extra $50 on the waterproof case. There's a switch to flip between two settings (1080p @ 30fps or 720p at 60fps by default), but beyond that, settings can't be changed without attaching to a computer. Really, really annoying. Also, if you want the full 170-degree angle, you can only get that in 720p mode. Connecting to a phone via Bluetooth yielded mixed results—you had to stay pretty close to the camera, and most of the time it displayed choppy video. For the best value, go with the Contour ROAM. For only $200 (or $250 with the waterproof case and surf mount) it has the same optics/image sensor as the Plus, but it's actually waterproof for up to 3 feet—better than nothing. You don't need the Plus's GPS and Bluetooth. ($500)
Contour+ Specs
Video: 25/30fps in 1080p, 25/30/50/60fps in 720p, 25/30fps in 960p (4:3)
Angle: 170 degrees in 720 only
Waterproof: Not waterproof w/o case. W/ $50 case: 197 ft
Storage: MicroSD
Battery: 1050mAh
Price: $500
Gizrank: 3.5
BESTMODO: GoPro Hero 2
In
terms of image quality, the Hero 2 simply won out. It's about on par
with the Contour in terms of sharpness, but when it comes to colors, the
Hero simply dominates. It also handles contrast better than the others.
All of the kits come with a waterproof housing, which keeps the camera
dry up to 197 feet deep. There are tons of mounting options and
accessories—battery extenders, strap-on LCD screens, and a Wi-Fi BacPac
that lets you control up to 50 GoPros at once from a distance of up to
600 feet. The built-in screen ain't much to look at, but you can adjust
settings on the fly, like frame-rates, stills, and time-lapse, which is
clutch when you're in the field. The LCD BacPac lets you instantly play
back video. This is the only camera that uses ubiquitous, high-capacity,
full-sized SD cards. The 170 degree angle in 1080p is great, and it
easily produces the best daytime video. (If you want to see surf footage
from the Hero 2, check out our lightning review.)That said, it isn't without its flaws. The boxy design gives it an awkward profile. Sometimes it's harder to mount because of that, and it increases water resistance while swimming. Also, you can manually flip video 180 degrees, but there is no incremental adjustment. As you can see in the video, the Hero 2 was off-kilter (which wasn't its fault—it went on last and there wasn't enough room on the handlebars), so a twistable lens would have been great. Nighttime footage isn't amazing, but it finished a solid second behind the Contour. The most annoying thing about the Hero is that buttons are very hard to press, so adjusting the settings takes some work (and it's hard to do with gloves on). Despite that, if the camera gets mashed into the ground or another object, accidental button presses can occur. Also, the beeps aren't loud enough, so you don't always know if you're rolling or not, which could kill your perfect shot. It takes a while to scroll through the GoPro's menu, but it's certainly better than no onboard menu at all. Despite the gripes, the Hero 2 remains is the clear winner. ($300)
GoPro Hero 2 Specs
Video: 30fps in 1080p, 30/60fps in 720p, 48/30fps in 960p (4:3)
Angle: 170 degrees in 1080p
Waterproof: Waterproof to 197 feet w/ included case
Storage: Full-sized SD card
Battery: 1100mAh
Price: $300
Gizrank: 4.0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)