Although Blu-ray drives are the flavor of the season but their adoption has been slow due to high costs. This has forced consumers to look out for DVD burners for now and wait till prices of Blu-ray drives drop to reasonable levels. SATA drives have taken over their IDE counterparts for better bandwidth. Plextor makes great burners and hopefully PX-810SA is no exception.

Plextor PX-810SA DVD Writer specifications :

• Dimensions : 5.7″ x 7.1″ x 1.6″
• Type : DVD/RW, DVD-RAM
• Read speed : 40x(CD), 16x(DVD)
• Write speed : 40x(CD), 18x(DVD-R), 10x(DVD-R DL)
• Buffer size : 2MB
• Buffer underrun protection : BURN-Proof
• Approx. price : $80

The Plextor PX-180SA DVD Writer are known for their quality and this one is no exception and has good build quality. The drive comes with a SATA connector, an upgrade over IDE connectors which were used in older drives. This allows the drive to use higher bandwidth which translates to greater data throughput.

Continue reading ‘Plextor PX-810SA DVD Writer Review’

Large LCD monitors can be tough to find due to relatively fewer number of manufacturers that are interested in this category. The main reason to it being the high costs and hence fewer buyers. Gateway did not care about all that when it released its XHD3000 LCD monitor which bears an expensive price tag.

Gateway XHD3000 specifications :

• Display type : Flat panel display / TFT active matrix
• Dimensions : 27.5″ x 9.5″ x 22.2″
• Diagonal size : 30″
• Maximum resolution : 2560 x 1600
• Color support : 24-bit
• Response time : 6ms
• Contrast ratio : 1000 : 1
• Signal Input :  HDMI, DVI-D, VGA
• HDCP, PIP, ExtremeHD, Gateway DXP Audio
• Remote control
• Approx. price : $1500

The Gateway XHD3000 is a widescreen 30″ LCD monitor that has loads of features especially connectivity options. The price is very steep and should only be considered by those who need its extra features.

Continue reading ‘Gateway XHD3000 Monitor Review’

The Creative Zen X-Fi is Creative’s latest addition to its MP3 Player family. The new Zen X-Fi is believed to be the replacement to the Creative Zen PMP. It is almost similar to the Zen with respect to the dimensions, weight etc and sports a much more stylish design. It is available in capacities of 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB. It competes directly with Apple’s iPod Nano and offers much more in terms of features. We review the Zen X-Fi and check whether it makes the cut.

Creative Zen X-Fi Specs

• Capacity: 16GB / 32GB
• Dimensions: 83mm x 55mm x 12.8mm
• Weight: 68.75gm
• Display: 2.5″ 16.7 M colors TFT LCD, 320 x 240 pixels
• Battery Life: 36 hrs Audio playback, 5 hrs Video playback
• Video Formats: MJPEG, WMV9, MPED4-SP, DivX 4/5 and XviD
• Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, AAC4 (.m4a), WAV (ADPCM), Audible 4
• Image Formats: JPEG / BMP/ GIF / PNG / TIFF
• Battery: Built-in Li-ion battery
• FM Radio: 32 preset stations
• EQ Settings: 8 presets and 5 band custom EQ
• Organizer: Calendar, Contact, Task List
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with WEP, WPA, WPA2
• Connectivity: USB 2.0, SD connection

Other features: Power Charging, Album Art, Voice Recording

Price: 16 GB - $199, 32 GB - $279.

Continue reading ‘Creative Zen X-Fi review’

Acer is the latest entrant to the ultraportable ‘Netbook’ segment dominated by heavy weights like Asus, HP and MSI currently. Asus revolutionized the notebook market in 2007 with its ultraportable offering - the Asus EEE PC 701. It was soon followed by many other manufacturers offering their own versions of ultraportables with more or less similar configurations. Asus, however did win the first round of the “War of the Ultra Portables” by a landslide. Now comes the second generation of Ultraportables, more commonly known as ‘Netbooks’ now.

The new generation of netbooks comes with a whole new load of features including more powerful processors, better displays, higher storage capacities and much powerful batteries. Almost all of the new entrants sport Intel Atom processors, SSD storage ranging from 8 GB to 32 GB and better batteries. They have almost similar configurations, with slight changes in the designs and other features. Their prices are also very much in the same range, starting at around $500 to $700. The competition has fiercely hottened up with the launch of the MSI Wind U100 and the Asus EEE PC 1000H in the previous month. Lenovo and Dell are expected to jump in soon with the Ideapad S10 and E Slim respectively.

Continue reading ‘Acer Aspire One Review’

First query is by Sujith John :

Hi ,

I would like to know how I could connect my CPU to the TV(instead of getting a monitor),Using the video/Audio in port.

Thanks in advance

This can be done quite easily but remember that the display quality will depend on what port you use to connect the CPU to the TV. To get the best possible results, one should connect CPU to a LCD TV using HDMI cable. If you use a normal TV, then the quality will be bad and only good enough for viewing movies etc.

To get started you CPU needs to have either of VGA, RCA, DVI, HDMI or S-Video outputs.

1. Using VGA is not recommended due to low quality and high cable cost. VGA cable has RCA connectors at other end but it hard to find.

2. RCA to cable is also an option but again has same down points as the above method. Also there are hardly any  graphics card that have RCA connectors these days.

Continue reading ‘Connect CPU To TV and Windows Installation Query’

The Nokia 5320 is the newest Xpress Music branded music phone from Nokia. It is way ahead of its older Xpress Music siblings in terms of features and even pure music. It is powered by the new Symbian S60 OS 9.3 with FP2. It is small, sleek and very light. It has excellent sound quality and above all, it is not very expensive. In fact, it is one of the cheapest S60 smartphones. It is fully packed with most standard connectivity options as well, which makes us wonder whether it should be marketed as a music phone or a smart phone.

It is one of the few phones that possess almost everything a phone should and at a very reasonable price. It does lack out at some points like the absence of Wi-Fi and GPS. We attempt to review this device and try to showcase its weak and strong points. Finally, we check out whether this phone emerges out a winner or turns out to be just another damp squib.

Nokia 5320 Specifications:

• Dimensions : 108 x 46 x 15 mm
• Weight : 90 g
• Display : 2.0″ TFT, 16M Colors, QVGA 240 x 320 px.
• Camera : 2 MP Cam with LED Flash, secondary videocall cam
• Chipset : ARM 11 369 MHZ Processor
• Memory : 140 MB Internal memory
• Connectivity : GPRS Class 32, HSCSD, EDGE Class 32, 3G HSDPA, USB 2.0
• Bluetooth : Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
• OS : Symbian OS v9.3 rel 3.2 with FP2

Other Key Features :
8 way Navi key, FM Radio with RDS, Nokia Say and Play, Java MIDP 2.1, 3.5 mm audio jack. Continue reading ‘Nokia 5320 Xpress Music Review’

Although laser printers require low maintainance but if neglected over time, they can give you a lot of problems like inkjet printers. Laserjet printers have a long duty cycle and hence they tend to be neglected under the toner runs out. A little bit of care can help your printer running smoothly over longer periods of time.

Tip 1 : Use latest drivers and software

Drivers hold an important key to smooth functioning of the printer. Driver and software updates are regularly released by the printer manufacturer. Check the manufacturer’s website regularly for updates and install them as and when they are released.

Tip 2 : Clean the printer regularly

This task should be performed often depending on the environment it is placed in. In an office environment, it is bound to be cleaner than when placed at home. Cleaning not only refers to the interior but also the exterior of the printer. Use appropriate cleaning material for cleaning the interior parts and be very careful, always refer to manual for instructions.

Continue reading ‘Tips To Maintain Your Laser Printer’

Asus was the pioneer of the ultraportable notebooks, more commonly known as “Netbooks” now. It revolutionized the notebook market in 2007 with its ultraportable offering - the Asus EEE PC 701, a 7″ sub notebook with enough power to run basic applications and became the ultraportable of choice. It was the winner of the first round of the “War of the ultraportables”, mainly because there wasn’t much competition in that segment then. However now, the competition has heated up with loads of sub notebooks with similar features and form factors entering the market, the MSI Wind and the HP MiniNote 2133 being the main competitors.

There are many more yet to come, like the Dell 500, ACi Ultra Mini and Acer Aspire One. The main USP of the EEE PC was the small form factor offering maximum portability while the major shortcomings were its small, low resolution screen and low SSD capacity. Asus is back with the new iterations of the EEE PC, the EEE PC 900 and the EEE PC 901 with a higher resolution 8.9″ LCD display and larger SSD capacities. Both of them have exactly the same configuration with a some changes, the EEE PC 901 is powered by an Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHZ processor while the EEE PC 900 still has the older Intel Celeron M ULV 900 MHZ. Both the EEE PC 900 and EEE PC 901 are available in Windows XP and Linux flavors, with the Windows XP version having only a 12 GB SSD compared to the Linux version’s 20 GB.

In this review we check out the EEE PC 901 and see whether it is a viable option and whether it can beat the other competitors like the MSI Wind and the HP Mininote 2133.

Continue reading ‘Asus EEE PC 901 Review’

Storage space is never enough and the thirst for more never dies! So to quench the thirst, GBs have turned into TBs. Drobo has come out with storage arrays that give you storage space upto 4TB! This is their second generation hard drives, with first ones setting a new standards.

Drobo 2TB Storage Array specifications :

• Dimensions : 6″ x 10.7″ x 6.3″
• Capacity : 2TB
• Interface type : SATA-I, SATA-II
• Connectivity : Firewire 800, Hi-Speed USB
• Beyond RAID technology, Drive reordering
• Self healing, Status lights, storage virtualization
• Power adapter : AC 120/230 V
• Warranty : 1-year limited
• Approx. price : $899

Continue reading ‘Drobo 2TB Storage Array Review’

A query had been posted by our reader nkd-

“Where to find printer driver for Symbian O S for Nokia E-71 mobile?”

Hello Nkd,

Assuming that you are asking for a PictBridge compatible application for the Nokia E71, we would like to tell you that the Nokia E71 is fully compatible with PictBridge. You just need to have a PictBridge enabled printer to connect your E71 to. You can check that in your printer’s manual or on the manufacturer’s site. If you plan to buy a new printer, you can check whether it is PictBridge enabled. Nokia has a special implementation of PictBridge called XpressPrint which all new Nokia phones like the E71 support. To check a list of XpressPrint enabled printers, check this http://europe.nokia.com/A4164064. To connect your phone to the PictBridge / Xpressprint enabled printer, check your user’s manual. After connecting, you just need to access that file in Gallery and select “Print” from the Options menu. Continue reading ‘Nokia E71 Printer Drivers & Charger Query’