The Apple iPad tablet is everywhere. Yet another hype?

A few years ago the iPhone pretty much got the same kind of attention the new iPad tablet from Apple is getting these days. And the way the iPhone started a sensitive touchscreen trend, it highly possible that we are witnessing the start of a new one: the tablet frenzy. Even though tablets have been around for a very long time, and some designs are really great, it seams that people needed Apple to give the OK for everyone to say: "Yes man, tablets are great! Everyone should have one!". This is stupid.

Anyway, if you need more info related to the new Apple iPad tablet, and not all of the opinions will be positive (some will even be realistic), check out the links below:

• Hands-On With the Apple iPad - videos
• NotebookReview - pictures and details
• PCWorld.com - not a good opinion
• This one looks a lot better

And that all it's worth mentioning about it. We'll just have to wait and see how many people will encounter problems with this tablet and how well will it rate against other tablets, like the HP Pavilion tx2500z or the Lenovo ThinkPad X200 tablet. But who cares, as long as it's from Apple, right?

LE: a lot more details related to the Apple iPad can be found in this article. CNET's Ina Fried and Josh Lowensohn address various aspects of the design and the overall uses of this gadget and certain things that it lacks or will be added latter on.

Apple's new 27" big screen iMac

Apple Insider posted today a great review regarding the new Apple 27" big screen iMac. The full review can be found here.

Some of the key features for the new model is the fact that iMac comes standard with a wireless keyboard and the new Magic Mouse. Of course there are a lot more, like the fact that the 27" display is equipped with LED backlighting, to push more light through the pixels to achieve the best picture possible. The new 21.5" iMac features 1920-by-1080 HD resolution and the 27" model has a 2560-by-1440 resolution. That’s 78 percent more pixels than the 21.5-inch iMac.

A seamless, precision-forged enclosure makes the back one continuous aluminum surface. And there’s only one cord: the power cord. The wider iMac display allows more room to separate the two hottest components, the CPU and the GPU. This keeps things cool inside the iMac enclosure. Apple engineers also implemented an intelligent control system that monitors temperatures and delivers just the right amount of airflow to critical components.

Be sure to read the full review on Apple Insider. You can also check this beautiful piece of hardware at it's official page on the Apple website.

Samsung R522-52S notebook PC-2.1 GHz

This beautiful notebook is the Samsung R522 R-Series notebook computer features a 16:9 widescreen, so your widescreen movies will completely fill the screen. Movies and images will be sharp and clear with the 15.6" high definition 1366 x 768 LCD screen. Thanks to an LED backlight, the R522 LCD display delivers bright and beautiful colors. HD SRS audio is rich and clear. Performance is fast and powerful too, with a state-of-the-art Intel® Core 2 Duo processor and 250 GB hard drive. And a built-in 1.3 MP web camera makes video chatting / conferencing easy.

It features a shiny blue-rimmed touch pad which boasts an alluring blue light and the smooth rectangular-shaped isolation design gives you an attractive first impression. I also has a 3-in-1 memory card reader and 4 x USB 2.0 ports, so you can seamlessly move data from your digital camera, camcorder, MP3 player or PDA straight to the notebook.

The hard drive disk is a voluminous 250 GB. The R522 features state-of-the-art Intel Centrino 2 processor technology, delivering unrivaled system performance with enhanced energy efficiency and advanced wireless connectivity to keep you working longer. With a standard 6 cell battery, you can surf the web for up to 5 hours on a single battery charge.

The brilliant LED-backlit display offers up to 30 percent more viewing area than traditional screens in an incredible 300 nits of brightness. Using LED technology means screens are thinner, brighter, more durable and power efficient. You can also enjoy photo-like image quality, greater viewing angles and better text legibility, reducing eye strain and boosting productivity.

One thing I noticed and left me baffled is the fact that the Samsung R522-52S notebook has no Bluetooth capability. I find it impossible these days, when more and more electronics producers aim to create total wireless products, that a notebook, which its entire design idea is based on portability and mobility, lacks suck a thing.

One thing that put a smile on my face though is the fact that the oh so old and obsolete RJ11 Modem is not in there anymore. This king of connection has been overused for so long I thought it will never go away.

• Operating System: Genuine Microsoft Windows® Vista Home Premium
• CPU: Intel™ Core 2 Duo T6500 (2.1 GHz)
• Standard System Memory: 3 GB DDR2
• Screen Size: 15.6" HD LED (1366 x 768)
• Graphic Memory: 384 MB shared
• Graphic Processor: Intel GMA 4500 MHD
• Audio Speakers: 3 W (1.5 W x 2)
• Integrated Camera: 1.3 MP
• Hard Drive: 250 GB, 2.5", 5400 RPM
• Optical Disk Drive: DVD Dual Layer +/-RW
• Wired Modem: No
• Wired Ethernet LAN: 10/100/1000 Base TX
• Wireless LAN: 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth: No
• I/O Ports
  • VGA: Yes
  • HDMI: Yes
  • Headphone: Yes
  • Mic-in : Yes
  • USB 2.0: 2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 2.0 with charging function, 1 e-SATA & USB combo
  • Multi Card Slot: 3 in 1 (SD/SDHC/MMC)
  • Serial: No
  • RJ11 (Modem): No
  • RJ45 (LAN): Yes
  • PC CardBus Slot: ExpressCard
• Keyboard Type: 88 keys
• Touch Pad, Touch Screen: Yes, No
• Fingerprint Reader: No
• AC Adapter: 60 W
• Battery: 6 cell
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 14.8" x 10" x 1.2'' ~ 1.4"
• Weight (including Std Battery): 5.62 lbs.

Mode details and images can be found on the Samsung R522-52S notebook PC-2.1 GHz page at samsung.com.

The new VAIO® P Series Lifestyle PC

The world’s lightest 8" notebook, the 1.4-pound VAIO® P Series Lifestyle PC does more than you could imagine–with impeccable style. Email at the airport, IM from the park, or just show it off when you want some attention. Traveling to a new city? Turn-by-turn GPS navigation will get you there faster. Best of all, it fits right in your purse or jacket pocket.

Keep moving and stop waiting. The instant-on, ultra-bright 8-inch LED-backlit screen of the Lifestyle PC means you never have to wait for it to warm up. Plus, its extra-wide 1600 x 768 resolution easily displays the width of an entire page, putting an end to side-to-side scrolling that can slow you down.

Looking for a place to eat? Type the word "restaurant" and let the Lifestyle PC be your guide. Using built-in GPS technology and featuring Microsoft® Streets & Trips software, your current location is found and real-time, on-screen directions lead the way. And you don’t even need an internet connection. Just step outside and type in where you want to go. You’ll get turn-by-turn directions displayed right on the map. It’s that simple.

Connect and go. Featuring built-in wireless access, the Lifestyle PC puts the internet in your pocket. And this is no stripped down version of the web, either. Everything is there, displayed just like it is on your home PC. Video chat with your friends, download music or do some online shopping—from virtually anywhere. The Lifestyle PC lets you browse the web in more places with Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In.

Here are a few specifications of the Vaio P Series Lifestyle PC:

• Intel® (1.86GHz) processor
• Up to 256GB Solid State Drive available
• 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
• Estimated Battery Life: Up to 4 hours (standard capacity battery)
• Up to 8 hours (large capacity battery)
• Power Requirements: 68W + 10%
• Memory Stick PRO™(Standard/Duo) media slot with MagicGate® functionality
• SD memory card slot
• Wireless LAN: Atheros 802.11 b/g/n
• Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth® technology
• Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In
• QWERTY keyboard, 82 keys with 1.2mm stroke and 16.5mm pitch
• Built-in MOTION EYE® camera and microphone
• Pointing Stick
• 8.0" Screen
• 1600 x 768 Resolution
• LED backlight
• XBRITE-ECO Technology
• Intel® High Definition Audio Sound System

More information about the new VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC can be found on the official SonyStyle.com website here.

Microsoft Office 2007 and OOXML

Source: CNET News

"Word documents generated by today's version of Microsoft Office 2007 do not conform to the Office Open XML standard under development by the International Organization for Standardization, according to tests run by a document standards specialist."

It comes to no surprise to many of us that the Microsoft giant follows it's own path, practically ignoring standards and regulations. Well, it's a giant, after all. But the ones that eventually suffer are the end users. After paying an enormous sum for the Microsoft Office 2007 software package, you have the unpleasant surprise that it doesn't work well with other similar software. The standards are in place for a reason. Just imagine what the world would be without them. The thing that really surprises me is that Microsoft, although they are under a lot of investigations from so many international or European organizations, they still do things their own way.

Even if I'm not a big user of the documents, they are very often used in office activities across the world. The fact that there are free alternatives out there, like Open Office or even the online Google Docs, people prefer the commercial versions. I remember a few days ago a friend of mine bought a new computer and it had Windows Vista pre-installed. He was so happy that he had this beautiful operating system, but that soon ended as soon as he had to install his other software. The confirmation dialogs brought him to the edge of insanity. But that's another story. He then needed a good text editor and a spreadsheet editor. He opted for Microsoft Office 2007 although Open Office is completely free and more than capable of handling the job. His decision was based on the fact that he "heard more people talking about Microsoft Office that Open Office". I guess this kind of thinking is what keeps Microsoft going despite their continuous rules breaking actions.

That aside, we'll just have to wait and see how this issue will be resolved. After all, you can't claim to handle certain file types if you don't respect the standards internationally accepted.

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition

Source: Ubuntu Official Website

Canonical Ltd. released the latest version of the popular operating system Ubuntu, now at version 8.04. Along with the Desktop Edition, the Server Edition has also been released, and will be avasilable for download on Thursday 24 April.

Ubuntu 8.04 Long Term Support (LTS) provides a stable platform for software and hardware vendors, developers and users. With three years of support and maintenance on the desktop, 8.04 LTS is a great choice for large-scale deployment. A substantial and growing ecosystem of free and commercial software built for Ubuntu provides a rich set of choices for desktop users. This is the eighth desktop release of Ubuntu. Ubuntu's track record in delivering - on a precise schedule every six months - a commercial operating system that is free, stable, secure and fully supported, remains unique.

Ubuntu includes the latest, stable version of many core products, and in that spirit is the first distribution to bring Mozilla Firefox 3 (Beta 5) to millions of users. The combination of Linux and Firefox make Ubuntu 8.04 LTS a superb web desktop, with fast browsing and greatly reduced exposure to viruses, web forgery and spyware. The enhanced default photo manager, F-Spot, together with improved camera and phone recognition means users can upload, tag, manage, display, delete, print and share photos with friends and family more easily. Users can plug in a PSP, share playlists with friends, buy from the Magnatune online music store, stream live radio and plug in more devices than ever (with UpnP). The new default movie player now allows users to browse YouTube and other video sources across the web and to share their videos with others. It integrates with Myth TV, the open source TVR, so users can watch their favorite TV shows straight on the desktop. Brasero allows them to easily burn all content to CD or DVD. Clock and calendar integration is available to manage time across the globe with a single click to set, attend and receive alerts about appointments. Ubuntu 8.04 LTS combines the latest GNOME applications with desktop visual effects, giving users a smoother, better-looking and more intuitive experience.

And that's not all:

• Longer support: Ubuntu 8.04 LTS is supported with security updates and maintenance for three years so corporate and individual users have a longer upgrade planning cycle. Those who want the newest applications will be able to upgrade to Ubuntu 8.10, due in October 2008, those who prefer longer deployment cycles can stay with Ubuntu 8.04 for three years before moving to the next LTS release.
• More applications: More than 30 commercial ISVs plan to support and distribute their applications on the 8.04 LTS desktop platform, including Adobe, Google, Real Networks, Nero, Skype, Corel, Parallels and Fluendo.
• More accessibility: Gesture support allows users to navigate Ubuntu in a more natural fashion. Also available are increased language support for voice command, support for keyboard accessibility, slow keys, zoom and more.

Due to the fact that Ubuntu is so easy to install and use, I encourage people to give it a try. It's certainly worth it.

Panasonic's Stingray Workstation - the power to change

Full article (press release) here

Panasonic Information Systems, a division of Panasonic System Solutions Company and a world leader in point of sale and drive-thru communication solutions, will be showing their revolutionary Stingray Workstation (model JS-950) at FS/TEC 2008. With its flexible open architecture and versatile modular construction that provides lower total cost of ownership, this unique workstation is transforming the POS market with “the power to change."

“Stingray is so innovative in its approach to providing users what they need, it has changed the way POS workstations are selected and sold in the quick service and hospitality industries,” said Doyle Ledford, Director, Panasonic Information Systems. “The open platform design of our new Stingray applies both to software and hardware, as this workstation will run virtually any operating system, and software and can be configured with the selection of components and capabilities that best meet users’ specific needs. Most importantly, Stingray allows for change – both in terms of software upgrades and hardware changes – both easily and cost-efficiently. It’s the POS solution that offers lower total cost of ownership by evolving as your business needs change and by offering user replaceable components such as the LCD display and hard drive.”

Stingray’s open architecture runs virtually any operating system and software, allowing users to implement most off-the-shelf or custom POS applications to meet their specific needs. With a high speed processor and up to 2 GB of on-board RAM, Stingray is ideal for stand-alone applications and can also be integrated into a LAN network to run the most demanding back office operations. It can also run multiple software applications to further extend its functionality and overall efficiency. In addition, it's backwards compatible, allowing operators to replace one workstation at a time for maximum cost-efficiency.

Stingray’s unique all-in-one modular design allows convenient, cost-effective customization to meet specific application needs. Users can design it to fit their operations with the confidence of knowing they have the power to change the unit’s configuration at any time. Stingray allows users to easily increase RAM, swap or change hard drives, remove/replace the LCD display, switch the 15” LCD display from landscape to portrait, add a card reader in the position they want, or add security devices – all with no need for a technician. Stingray’s dual back lit LCD adjustable displays deliver high-resolution, high-contrast images and are available with resistive or capacitive touch screen technology for faster, more accurate order taking.

CRT displays are replaced by LCD

This shouldn't surprise us at all, and it's in no form a news flash, but it appears that finally the LCD displays are reaching affordable prices for a great quality. We can only look back on the days when LCD displays had a small visibility angle or a lousy refresh rate or a crappy resolution and contract. Although the last do make for a great argument in choosing what type of display to purchase, I've always considered the angle factor something somewhat useless. I'm not used to watch my monitor from a 60 degrees angle, so I don't care. I, and probably many others, like to stare at the monitor straight on. I guess It's only necessary when you gather around with the family and look at holiday photos or who knows what else, just like the Windows setup shows up. And probably for presentations.

Anyway, following this article from Extremetech.com we can conclude that the LCD displays have achieved what they were meant to do: replace the CRT displays. Sales on LCD displays and plasma TV's have grown to such an extent that they have overtaken the classic CRT. We can only assume that from now on, things will go on this way and very soon, the old desktop "space takers" will eventually disappear.

Until the next big thing in display technology is discovered/invented we have the sleek looking LCD to glare at. Although I'm a great fan of the old CRT's and still haven't purchased a LCD, it seems like I will be forced to do so. My eyes are starting to impose it on me. It's a good thing they lasted for this long.

Mind controlled games are almost here

It's not the first time we see things that we thought impossible to achieve become reality over night. Some of them have even become obsolete. I remember those old movies in which the characters in spandex would connect to a huge computer and perform different activities within the "cyberspace". For a while, those looked like stupid ideas to many people. But as technology advances, new things become available to the masses and this is just the next big thing.

According to Engadget, Emotiv Systems is planning to launch the first mind-controlled gaming platform by this Christmas. The Emotiv EPOC uses a set of sensors to tune into electric signals naturally produced by the brain to detect player thoughts, feelings and expression. It connects wirelessly with all game platforms from consoles to PCs. The Emotiv neuroheadset makes it possible for games to be controlled and influenced by the player's mind. Based on the latest developments in neuro-technology, Emotiv has developed a new personal interface for human-computer interaction.

Now let's just wait and see what will happen. The first games available for this headset might not be leading edge and they will have a lot to improve on it. But we have to take into account that this is the creation of new technology. Or at least the application of it in gaming entertainment.