It . . . → Read More: Toshiba’s new notebook is clearly for business people]]> A new lightweight notebook has been created by Toshiba with business people in mind that has been called the Toshiba Portege R830-1DZ. This is a laptop which is powerful as well as portable and therefore is going to appeal to people who need a lot of power, but spend a lot of time on the move.

It has a very impressive processor, an Intel Core i7 and comes with eight gigabytes of RAM. It also has a solid-state hard disk, which makes storage fast and convenient, and all of these factors lead to a very impressive WorldBench score of 153.

The entire computer weighs about 1.5 kilograms, which is remarkably impressive when you consider how much power it has inside. For those who need a laptop that can go wherever they can, this is the perfect machine. Despite this weight, and performance, the battery life is also incredible, lasting over 415 minutes. In hours, that’s seven and a half.

Despite the small size of the keyboard, it does feel very good and the tactile response is excellent. You are not going to have any difficulty typing accurately on the device. This notebook has a sober and smart design, that is clearly designed to appeal towards business users. When you compare it to the MacBook Pro, it looks rather dull, but the processing power you get in exchange is definitely worth it. It’s robust frame is also more likely to withstand everyday use and last longer.

Not having a spinning hard disk would make the user think that the laptop would be very quiet, however this is not the case. Toshiba has strangely chosen to install a large fan which is noisy. However, it does keep the notebook cool even when it is performing very demanding tasks, the fan does also not make it uncomfortable when using the computer on your lap.

Solid-state drives offer greater storage performance as they are more . . . → Read More: Intel’s latest drives will aid centres with cloud storage]]> Cloud computing is becoming an ever more popular way of storing data and Intel has recently announced that they are releasing a new range of solid-state drives which are going to help meet the demands of the data centres that are offering cloud computing to their users.

Solid-state drives offer greater storage performance as they are more reliable. In a datacentre, data is often written onto hard disks many times and when using solid-state drives, much more data can be written and erased before the disk needs to be replaced. This will make it a more cost-effective solution in the long term for many data centres.

These drives are also going to be used in order to help cache files that are used more often or are needed for more demanding processing. The high-capacity drives are going to be able to replace a standard hard disk which was capable of operating at 15,000 rpm. It is also going to reduce the amount of space required for the datacentre and its power consumption.

This is something that was expected because this manufacturer of microchips have typically . . . → Read More: Power efficient processor released by ARM]]> ARM, the computer processor manufacturer, has recently released its first quad core processor which is going to be utilised in notebook computers. The device is able to work at speeds up to 2 gigahertz and is particularly impressive as it is very power efficient.

This is something that was expected because this manufacturer of microchips have typically been associated with the production of chips for mobile phones, which are required to be very energy-efficient.

Jack Nicholas, the marketing vice president at ARM has stated, “This trip is going to provide an opportunity for computer manufacturers to bring their products to market faster than ever before. It is a cost-effective and easy to use chip that does not require a great deal of heavy customisation before it can be used in a computer.

This is really the most flexible option on the market right now and we are pleased to be able to offer it to our potential clients.” The device is going to be used for a wide range of high-performance computer applications.

It was initially expected . . . → Read More: Schoolchildren finally get their hand on the Raspberry Pi]]> Schoolchildren in Leeds are some of the first people to be able to get to use the Raspberry Pi computers which have seen their release consistently delayed. The device is a very simple computer that only costs £16 and it has been created in order to get young people interested in computer programming.

It was initially expected that those who ordered the device first were expected to take the delivery for 20 April, unfortunately, various delays of meant that this gradually became more unrealistic. Since the device was announced it has received a great deal of praise from hobbyists, developers, and others keen on purchasing a cheap and simple computer.

The initial delay in the release of the device was because the manufacturer had put the incorrect component onto the circuit board, the second delay was because there was some confusion about which sort of testing it had to undergo.

In order to celebrate the launch of the device, schoolchildren are going to be given a programming masterclass by Dr Upton. This is going to let the children know what they can do with the device and how they can develop their programming skills with it.

A spokesperson from the company has said that now they have solved all the supply issues, and that users should be able to get the device within seven days of ordering it. The computer is operating on a very similar chip that is seen in most mobile phones and it operates the Linux operating system.

Finally, a solution has been found to those unattractive  satellite dishes that are stuck onto the side of our houses.

The discreet alternative is a square dish named The Sqish, and is fully compatible with all Freesat and Sky systems across the majority of the UK.

It can also . . . → Read More: Meet the Sqish, the alternative to unsightly satellite dishes]]>

Meet the Sqish, the alternative to unsightly satellite dishes

Finally, a solution has been found to those unattractive  satellite dishes that are stuck onto the side of our houses.

The discreet alternative is a square dish named The Sqish, and is fully compatible with all Freesat and Sky systems across the majority of the UK.

It can also receive the signal from high powered satellites from Europe and the rest of the world.

The Sqish can even be ‘sqishoflaged’ so it blends in better with the surroundings thanks to the bespoke skin that can easily be created from a digital photo of its site. There are many advantages of a Sqish; it minimises the impact on the environment, is ideal for use in conservation areas and on listed buildings, with permission, and is smaller, lighter and offers better value and performance than its ugly peers.

Sqish Website

Sqish Facebook Page

1 – The Satellite Shop are an Independent retailer based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent since 1990. They import & distribute the Sqish across the UK and parts of Europe.

2 – The Sqish is available nationwide via a network of over 300 authorised retailers and professional installers. More details and high resolution artwork available at www.sqish.co.uk

Motorola’s phones are well-known for their build quality and this is no exception. However, at over 180 grams it is a bit heavier than the . . . → Read More: New Motorola Droid runs on Gingerbread OS]]> The Droid mobile phone from Motorola is utilising the Android operating system from Google called Gingerbread. The device comes with a built-in hardware keyboard but despite this it manages to remain good-looking.

Motorola’s phones are well-known for their build quality and this is no exception. However, at over 180 grams it is a bit heavier than the other Droid mobile phones that have been released by Motorola in the past.

In the QWERTY keyboard there is an additional row dedicated to numbers which could not be found on previous models. The keyboard has also been made easier to use and it is possible for users to type text messages and e-mails much faster than was previously possible.

The screen is four inches across and is very similar to the original device. Motorola say that they have improved the screen on the device, but this is not immediately evident. The icons on the screen are not particularly sharp and there is a grid of dots running across it which can be off putting.

One thing that is missing from the new mobile phone is the camera button which was present on the previous devices. This is not a huge problem but users will have to use the touchscreen if they want to take a photo rather than using an external button.

The phone is quick thanks to a one gigahertz dual core processor and all the operations on the device run easily. Unfortunately the device does sometimes hang when certain applications are opened.

In rare cases, the phone does crash when opening applications but it can easily be reset. Unfortunately, some applications seem to be consistently able to crash the device but if you keep trying it might finally work, but this is simply something that is going to be too frustrating for most users to bear.