Technique To enhance Natural Hair Growth

Strong hair is more rapidly hair increase and it is a reality that if you acquire worry of your hair, the answer is quicker increasing hair. In reality, less than right assistance to get your hair double the enlargement rate. The solution to highest growth is to take procedures not only to exploit the growth of your hair, but you must also take measures to prevent fractures.

The greatest technique to end the break, is a protein handling to exercise. These handling of protein can facilitate avoid splintering. Then you would like to compose you put on a excellent diet. Good food can facilitate to support maturity of new hair. You should a diet affluent in vitamins, mineral deposits, and the three basic food groups, which are proteins h, lipids and carbohydrates. continue left from junk foods include the high amounts of fat and sugar, which inhibit hair growth toward raise your hair for manner to boost the expansion point to get the hair cycle. This is ready via excellent flourishes state the antigen or increase phase did put off the hair cycle.

Now could be several plain and great to help you in your efforts to raise the hair

Like I said before you want to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. The fresher, the better they are. They offer all the nutrients you need your hair to grow.

Get plenty of omega three fatty acids in the diet. These can be found in salons and other oily fish have sufficient of flaxseed. This facilitate to develop your hair. If you know how to get the seeds, afterward obtain it in tablet form. These can be found at any health food store.

Take garlic. Garlic has lots of antioxidants, the damage caused by free radicals and slows down hair growth may prevent the hair loss.

Keep stress away from heat and other tools to your hair. The heat dries the hair cuticle and cause interference. You want to use a boar brush, because it tends to blood, send to the scalp, which contributes to growth. Keep your hair well moisturized to prevent breakage. The best product to use to make sure that you your hair is moisturized with a product called Mira hair oil. Other measures to jeep your locks hydrated, easy to use, the number of times you wash your hair to be cut. You can called a formula, as a condition, moisturize and wash. This formula simply means that you always wash and hydration state, then in this order every day! You can also prevent you dry your hair by diluting your shampoo. The more dilute the shampoo in the less severe it will be.

Finally, use protein treated to prevent damage and breakage. Protein processing is also again the structure of the hair. And there you have it. Some powerful methods to help keep your hair in the fastest possible pace.

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ltProbe V1.1 free of uC / OS-II monitoring tool

Continued, the current version of uC / OS-II Probe agreement, automatic update of the current status of the task,

http://space.ednchina.com/Upload/2008/11/18/dcf423e6-03a8-429c-8311-1882de45076a.rar

Update frequency can be set, I feel good friends to help recommend and test, please indicate the source: Ivy Menke broadcast station

Available for download only supports the ELF format, I am currently doing to support the AXF format (under test)

Relative to traditional simulation tools necessary to halt the operation of the system state,

V1.1 version of the main functions are as follows:

1) Automatic analysis of the ELF file, extract DEBUG information;

2) Double-click the variable can be read and displayed in hexadecimal;

3) If the system with uCOS-II automatic update task status, uCOS-II V2.86 official website can be downloaded

4) currently supported uCOS-II prepared as follows: the preparation state (STM32 official transplanted)

/ / OS_TCB
/ / Name: size: offset
OS_TCB: 92:0
OSTCBNext: 4:20
OSTCBPrev: 4:24
OSTCBId: 2:18
OSTCBPrio: 1:50
OSTCBStat: 1:48
OSTCBStkSize: 4:12
OSTCBStkUsed: 4:72
OSTCBCtxSwCtr: 4:56
OSTCBTaskName: 16:76

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How to disable JTAG of AVR microcontroller

JTAG stands for “Joint Test Action Group” which was standardized as the IEEE 1149.1 Standard Test Access Port and Boundary-Scan Architecture in 1990. JTAG is generally used in IC debugging and device programming. Atmega16 consists of one JTAG port which shares four pins with PORTC. Until JTAG port is not disabled, these pins can’t be used as normal I/O pins. This article explores the methods for JTAG disabling.

JTAG interface shares PC2, PC3, PC4 and PC5 of ATmega16. To use these four pins for general I/O operations, JTAG must be disabled. There are two methods for disabling JTAG:

1. By programming
2. Using Avrdude

1. Programming method:

There is a register in atmega16 MCUCSR (MCU control and status register). It consists of JTD (JTAG disable) bit as 7th bit of register. JTAG can be disabled by writing 1 to this bit.

Read more....

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AVR JTAG Debugger/Programmer

AVR JTAG : Credit to IsoJtagIsp for schematic and bootloader. I've been modified a schematic from IsoJtagIsp by remove USB interface from schematic because I'd like to use AVR JTAG with USB2RS232 and serial port.

Download bootloader onto ATMEGA16, If you don't have a AVR programmer I recommended a simple programmer from Ponyprog, because Ponyprog need a few component for build a AVR programmer. If you already have a AVR programmer you can use it to download bootloader. If you're using Ponyprog the fuses should look like this.

• IsoJtagISP_1.5_3.6864MHz.hex
• IsoJtagISP_1.5_7.3728MHz.hex
• IsoJtagISP_1.5_8.0MHz.hex
• IsoJtagISP_source.rar

Once the bootloader is programmed, the next step is upgrade JTAGICE firmware onto ATMEGA16 by using AVR Studio.

1.] Set jumper to JTAG mode and powered to the board, then the Power LED should come on and Act LED should be blink.

2.] Open AVR studio select Tools menu and select AVR Prog, AVR Prog connected with AVR JTAG look like this.

AVR JTAG firmware upgrade.

3.] Click on Browse button and choose AVR JTAGICE firmware for upgrade like C:\MCU\Atmel\AVR Tools\JTAGICE\Upgrade.ebn

4.] Click Program button and wait until upgrading complete.

5.] Reset board by press reset button and wait until Act LED stop blink.

5.] Return to AVR studio, select Tools menu->Program AVR->Connect, if firmware upgrade complete you can see JTAG ICE dialog look like this.

6.] Testing AVR JTAG with ATMEGA32, Pin connection between AVR JTAG and MEGA32 such as
7.] TCK_SCK -> TCK
8.] TDO_MISO -> TDO
9.] TMS_RST -> TMS
10.]TDI_MOSI -> TDI

This is a simple source code for testing JTAG, If you don't have compiler you can download WinAVR from winavr.sourceforge.net it's free compiler. After WinAVR installed, create new project in AVR studio by select Project menu->New project, then you can see Create new project dialog, select AVR GCC in Project type, fill project name you want to create into Project name box, fill main into initial file box, final click finish button and put this code into main.c.

/***********************************************************************
*
* File : main.c
* Desc : Blink LED on PB0
* Compiler : AVR GCC
* Author : Jirawat Kongkaen
* Website : .
*
***********************************************************************/

#include

void delay(unsigned int delay);

int main(void)
{
DDRB = 0xFF; // Port B as out put

for(;;)
{
PORTB |= _BV(PB0);
//delay(50000);
PORTB &= ~(_BV(PB0));
//delay(50000);
}

return 0;
}

void delay(unsigned int delay)
{
while(delay) delay--;
}

Before start debugging you have to compile main.c first by select Build->Build or press F7 on keyboard, now let start debugging by select Debug menu->Start Debugging of click Start Debugging button, look like this.

Connection between AVR JTAG and ATMEGA32 is connected (see below figure), Now let's start debugging by click Step into button or press F11, LED at PB0 will come On/Off.

Testing had finished and you can use AVR JTAG for debug/program AVR microcontroller. I will explain about how to AVR JTAG working, if you set JP1 to JTAG mode and power on the board, AVR JTAG wait for firmware upgrade until Act LED come off, You can upgrade firmware at this sequence. After Act LED com off AVR JTAG ready to use. If you set JP1 to ISP mode you should be able to program:

Bread board with AVR JTAG and ATMEGA32

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Arduino JTAG Finder

Last night at HSB we had a JTAG finder workshop, during which we quickly hacked together a JTAG scanner for the ATmega328, called Arduinull (it’s not a port of Hunz’s JTAG finder as we initially planned to do). It is compatible with Arduino Duemilanove, so that people from low-standard DIY websites for the masses will see it and go “wow!”.

gizDuino mini variant with USBaspLoader firmware and USB programming port to form a complete low cost Arduino compatible mini board! No need for a separate USB programmer. Choice of ATMEGA328 or ATMEGA168 controller.

You can download the files here. They are public domain ; copyright is irrelevant on such a trivial piece of software. It tries every JTAG pinout on the 6-pin port C of the microcontroller analog input connector of the Arduino, shifts a pattern into the IR chain and tries to read it back. Add protective 330 ohm resistors in series with your device.

A possible improvement would be to add a relay controlled by the AVR microcontroller Arduino to power-cycle the device, in case the JTAG chip gets confused. Also, it should detect the IR length and reject a length of zero which is more likely due to two pins connected together.

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Auto JTAG Pinout Detection

In an effort to figure out the exact pinouts of the MSM7201a I have taken on researching the following project which I found on hackaday.com a few months ago. The direct link is located below the excerpt I took from this incredible site.

JTAG – Hack a Day

Figuring out the JTAG pinout on a device turns out to be the most time consuming hardware portion of many hacks. [hunz] started a project called JTAG Finder to automatically detect the JTAG pinouts on arbitrary devices using an 8bit AVR ATmega16/32L microcontroller. Check out the slides (PDF) from the talk as they break down how one finds JTAG ports on an arbitrary device, with or without a pinout detection tool. [hunz] is looking for people to pick up the project where he left off.

Once you determine the correct pinout, you will need a JTAG cable: there are two main types, buffered and unbuffered, both of which I have soldered up and tested from these circuit diagrams (image of completed buffered cable here). The software most hardware people use today are the openwince JTAG Tools. To get the JTAG Tools to compile, grab the latest source directly from their CVS repository.

The last time we featured JTAG was with regards to Linksys devices, but the tools listed above can be applied to any device with JTAG.

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Optimising the JTAG scan

Aficionados of 2Wire kit will already know of the Tripod site, an excellent unofficial resource for these popular and powerful devices. The website can be found at [1].

Bill, the webmaster of the Tripod site, has done a sterling job for some years now. He tracks new firmware for the 2Wire, monitors firmware incompatibilities and follows new firmware rollout programmes. Bill also documents the ways to block or circumvent any undesirable firmware ‘features’.

Recently, Bill recounted his own experience of the painfully slow process of re-flashing an embedded device via JTAG. [2] We are developing an open source JTAG tool for the TriMedia and Bill’s account served as a prescient reminder to optimise the JTAG scan chain whenever possible!

The designers of the TriMedia core, Philips Semiconductors, clearly recognised the issue of long scan times. Several useful mechanisms are built into the TM3260 JTAG controller to mitigate the problem.

Described below are two key techniques for JTAG optimisation which are found in the TriMedia.

One optimisation method sees two JTAG registers combined into one. The ifull handshaking bit of the CTRL2 JTAG register and the 32-bit DATA IN JTAG register are joined in serial to form a single virtual register of 33 bits. This virtual register is named IFULLIN. This combination of control and data register can see a dramatic reduction in JTAG scan-in time. This is illustrated best by reference to the JTAG state machine diagram, above.

If there was no virtual register, transferring 32-bits of data to the TriMedia using JTAG would involve the following: The instruction to select the DATAIN register would be shifted it. The 32-bits would then be scanned in to the JTAG data register (DR). Then the instruction to select the CTRL2 register would be shifted in. Finally, to tell the TriMedia target that data is ready, the 8 control bits, including the ifull handshaking bit needs to be scanned in to the DR register.

However, with a virtual register combining both the DATAIN and the ifull bit from the CTRL2 register, the scan time is shortened as follows: the JTAG controller needs only shift in one instruction (to select the virtual register) before scanning in the data register. That scanned in data is 33-bits in size, containing values for both the CTRL2.ifull bit as well as the 32 data bits.

By eliminating the second of those two-part operations – the instruction shift in to select the CTRL2 register and then the 8-bit scan in of the data register – the time needed to download object code to a TriMedia for a JTAG boot is reduced by 45% according to our tests.

Similar savings in scan time are obtained by combining the CTRL1 and the DATA OUT registers into another virtual register of 33 bits. This virtual register is labelled OFULLOUT.

The virtual JTAG registers allow us to greatly optimise the download function. We need only once shift in the instruction to select the IFULLIN virtual register. In the main loop to the function, we repeatedly scan in the data register containing all 33 bits of IFULLIN. Those bits are the 32-bits of data and then the handshaking control bit, CTRL2.ifull. This is the most optimal method for downloading.

A second, less obvious saving in scan time is achieved by capturing the state of the CTRL bits during a shift in of a TM32 JTAG instruction. This mechanism removes the need to explicitly select and scan out a CTRL register, just to obtain the control flag status.

The shortcut allows the status of the JTAG control bits to be incidentally obtained from the output captured from scanning in any JTAG instruction.

Here, however, the operation of the TM3260 JTAG controller and the official Philips documentation for the controller were found not to tally. [3]

One of the major issues we discovered with the TriMedia‘s JTAG controller is that the CTRL2.ifull bit cannot be reliably read from the TAP interface. This issue runs contrary to the claims in the official documentation. The CTRL2.ifull bit and the ofull bit are vital for handshaking between the TM32 target and the JTAG host that connects to the TriMedia via the TAP interface.

Several methods for reading the ifull bit via the TAP interface were tried without success:

• select the CTRL2 register, scan out the contents, including the ifull bit.
• select and scan out the 33 bit IFULLIN virtual register, including the ifull bit.
• obtain control bits (ifull, ofull and sleepless) in captured output from a shifted-in instruction.

None of these methods can reliably capture the state of the CTRL2.ifull handshaking bit from the TAP interface.

It was also found, regarding the third method listed above, that the control bits are not in the bit positions described in the official TriMedia literature. The source code for our tool, and the output below, clarifies our findings of the true positions of those control bits:

asbokid@home:~/asboapps$ sudo ./2wiglet -c usbblaster -B testfile.bin
2Wiglet v0.5 - (c) 2011 asbokid
JTAG tool for 2Wire Routers with a TriMedia TM32 core

Searching for cable driver: usbblaster
usbblaster USB cable driver found
Connected to libftdi driver.
Connected to UsbBlaster cable
Waiting for JTAG chain to stabilise
Received IDCODE 3269b4c1 (2Wire Ares)
Current ctrl flags: 0x00 [ | | ]
L1BOOT_READY = 12340002
Current ctrl flags: 0x15 [ofull|ifull|sleepless]
MMIO_BASE = 1be00000 want: 1be00000
Current ctrl flags: 0x05 [ |ifull|sleepless]
Current ctrl flags: 0x15 [ofull|ifull|sleepless]
DRAM_LO = 40000000 want: 40000000
Current ctrl flags: 0x05 [ |ifull|sleepless]
Current ctrl flags: 0x15 [ofull|ifull|sleepless]
DRAM_HI = 44000000 want: 44000000
Current ctrl flags: 0x05 [ |ifull|sleepless]
Current ctrl flags: 0x15 [ofull|ifull|sleepless]
DRAM_CLIMIT = 44000000 want: 44000000
Current ctrl flags: 0x05 [ |ifull|sleepless]
LOAD ADDRESS = 40100000
Current ctrl flags: 0x05 [ |ifull|sleepless]
Current ctrl flags: 0x11 [ofull| |sleepless]

In summary: it was found that the CTRL2.ifull bit behaves like an interrupt control line. It can be asserted externally, but the bit itself can only be reliably read (and cleared) internally, by the JTAG controller on the TriMedia core. Consequently, the ifull bit must be considered as a one-way handshaking flag.

Those limitations aside, it is certainly still possible to use the TM3260 JTAG controller for the efficient and reliable transfer of data both to and from the TriMedia.

In tests, a net rate of ~13.5kBytes per second was achieved in transfers from host to TM32 using a clone Altera USB-Blaster JTAG programmer. The USB-Blaster was connected to an x86 PC via a USB 2.0 bus.

Below are logs of the download of 1Mbyte of randomly-generated data. The transfer took 76.31 seconds and attained 13.42kBytes/sec.

At that speed it would take roughly 40 minutes to transfer the whole 32MBytes of data stored in the NAND flash array on the 2Wire 2701 PCB.

asbokid@home:~/asboapps$ dd if=/dev/urandom of=testfile1M.bin bs=1K count=1K
1024+0 records in
1024+0 records out
1048576 bytes (1.0 MB) copied.

asbokid@home:~/asboapps$ sudo ./2wiglet -c usbblaster -B testfile1M.bin,0x40100000
2Wiglet v1.0 - (c) 2012 asbokid
JTAG tool for 2Wire Routers with a TriMedia TM32 core

Found USB cable driver for usbblaster
Connected to libftdi driver.
Connected to UsbBlaster cable
Waiting for JTAG chain to stabilise
Received IDCODE 3269b4c1 (2Wire Ares)
Download 1048576 bytes from 'testfile1M.bin' to 40100000

Waiting for L1BOOT_READY from TM32 target

L1BOOT_READY <- data-blogger-escaped--="" data-blogger-escaped-12340002="" data-blogger-escaped-1be00000="" data-blogger-escaped-40000000="" data-blogger-escaped-44000000="" data-blogger-escaped-address="" data-blogger-escaped-dram_climit="" data-blogger-escaped-dram_hi="" data-blogger-escaped-dram_lo="" data-blogger-escaped-expected:="" data-blogger-escaped-load="" data-blogger-escaped-mmio_base=""> 40100000
CODE SIZE -> 00100000 (1048576)

Started L2 download..
L2 load done.

Comparing checksums:
PC MONITOR=07f922c7, TM32 TARGET=07f922c7
Checksums good.

Download complete
Elapsed time 76.31 secs (avg 13.42kB/sec)
Freed buses and JTAG chain
asbokid@home:~/asboapps$

That’s hardly an earth-shattering transfer speed but it appears to be the maximum for that particular programmer using the standard JTAG monitor code running on the TriMedia, and after applying the optimisations described above.

[1] http://bt2700hgv.tripod.com/
[2] http://logikir100.tripod.com/JTAG.htm
[3] http://www.tridentmicro.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/UM101041.pdf

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How to Speed up Slow Smartbro Canopy Connection

How to speed up your Smartbro internet connection and make your broadband load faster? The solutions are in this hub. The thing is the canopy IP address is no longer 169.254.1.1. This article is the latest. Unless you’re not in 2013.

There comes the day when your Smartbro connection just goes crappy and slow. One of the things I hate is a slow broadband connection because I use the internet like everyday. A limited connection sucks, too. Intermittent (on and off) connection is worse. No connection at all is the worst dilemma. It also means calling the tech support or customer service agent, which I find so annoying. Well, I am annoying and they are. lol Before I discuss the steps on how to speed up your slow smart bro internet connection, know the reasons and causes of slow broadband connection. And they are:

• Slow computer – so check your system’s memory and disk space. Dump all the unnecessary files. I recommend doing all these tips from a hub of my smart CiscoPixie.
• Antenna errors - check if your antenna is facing the server's satellite signal. If not then, you need to turn it around GENTLY. Check if there are loose circuits attached to it.
• Virus and Cookies – you might want to update your lame anti-virus software.
• Wrong router settings – double check your router settings. Oftentimes the problem is there.
• Unplugged circuits –check all the internet ports, WAN, LAN and all.
• Server is down – sometimes Smart server unit in your area reboots so it takes an hour to have a fast connection again. If you still have no connection, something is really wrong.
• Unpaid internet bills. – they have the right to disconnect you if you don’t pay on time.
• Slow internet browser – switch to Google Chrome. It’s damn faster! You need a really fast browser.

First step: Know your SmartBro Canopy IP address. If you’ve browsed around the net, you might have found out that Smartbro Canopy was like 169.254.1.1 but that was 2007 dear lord. And then one site says it’s 169.254.1.2 or 3.3. The thing is no other site could give your exact canopy address except Smartbro itself. The latest subscribers’s canopy address starts with 10 and it has the format of 10.xxx.xx.xxx. That’s what it is for the 999 subscribers. Going to the command prompt and typing cmd.exe won’t give you your canopy address anymore. There’s no other way to know and get your canopy than to request a technician from Smart Bro and wait for him to set up and reboot your canopy configuration. You can then retrieve the URL and address in your browser. Save the thing, write it in a paper and keep it for future needs.

Second step: (If you’re not using a router, proceed to step 3) Disconnect Smartbro from the router and connect it to your main computer.Go to Control Panel, and then onto Network Connections. You should see your Local Area Connection. Right click on it and click Properties. A new window pops-up, which says "Local Area Connection Properties". On the General tab, there should be a box which contains a list with checkboxes beside them. Scroll down to the bottom and you should see the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) item. Double click it. Under "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties", you will see Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically. Choose and tick Use the following IP address and enter these data: IP address: 10.20.30.40 - Subnet mask: 255.0.0.0 and the rest, leave them blank. Click OK.

Take note you will see your internet connection icon marked with red x now. Yup, you are out of connection but it will be back later once you accessed your canopy and rebooted it.

Third step: Go to your web browser and type your canopy address URL. It’s like in this format: http:// 10.521.34.878 (This is just an example. You know your own canopy IP address by this time.

Fourth step: Once you’re in the Canopy page, you can then reboot. I suggest you don’t change a thing coz you might have a bigger problem. It is your choice to change and configure the settings like your uplink and downlink values and other ranges. The thing is, nobody knows what they mean and how they work. To be certain, just ask an expert and the smartbro technicians could and couldn’t say the real figures that work. Often times they are more clueless than you are LOL. So it’s just up to you. Rebooting the thing will make your connection work again anyway. I tried it and it works for me. All you need to do is to REBOOT.

Fifth step: After Rebooting, go back to your "Local Area Connection Properties" like what you’ve done in step 2. click on Obtain IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server automatically. Press Ok. Wait for a moment. Then your connection is back.

Sixth step: Restart your computer. Click your Internet browser. Smartbro Portal will then appear. Follow the steps until you’re internet is active again.

Last step: Connect your Smartbro to your router. Go to your browser and type your router’s address. Usually it is 192.168.1.1. Click ‘admin’ in the user name and password. Change the IP address from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.2 or whatever your router manual tells you.

Congrats! Now your fast connection is back. Wanna know your real internet speed? Have a broadband speedtest. My hub below will tell you how. Cheers!

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Samsung Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5

If you’ve ever found yourself in the middle of the impossible decision of choosing between iOS and Android for the first time, you see just how exciting a time it is for the mobile industry. Samsung and Apple seem to be the heavyweights right now, and the new Galaxy S4 is more than enough to give Apple something to worry about.

Apple and Samsung both have phones that exist on nearly every network in the world, but for the purposes of this comparison we’re going to be looking at the Verizon Wireless variant of the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 just to make sure things are as fair as possible. These two LTE superphones are easily the best of their breed, but which of the two offers the best overall experience?

Are you case sensitive?

We’ve reached a point where smartphone manufacturers are unable to sell a smartphone solely using its spec sheet. The experience offered by the operating system, the app ecosystem, and whatever exclusive features are what drives competition today. That doesn’t mean that specs don’t matter at all, especially when you are looking for a phone to perform well throughout a whole day, offer superior functionality on a WiFi or mobile network, or be able to function with the current and next generation of accessories. Out of context, a spec sheet isn’t helpful anymore. When you compare phones that are able to offer similar features, however, the spec sheet could be what acts as the final push to choose one over the other.

If you are looking for the best phone to fit in your pocket (or in your hand if you’ve got small hands) the iPhone 5 is undoubtedly better than the Galaxy S4. It’s lighter, thinner, and the display just over an inch smaller overall on the diagonal. The iPhone 5 was the first 4-inch phone Apple released, even though the rest of the mobile industry has been leaning towards larger and larger phones. The Galaxy S4′s 4.99-inch screen makes the whole phone noticeably larger than the iPhone 5, but it is also just slightly thicker.

The Apple’s case features an aluminum body with a slightly textured coating, while Samsung’s is a glossy plastic, again with a slight texture. These handsets both look and feel very different — Apple’s glass-and-metal mix vs. Samsung’s high-tech polycarbonate.

Specs absolutely matter

Under the hood, Samsung and Apple are nothing alike. Apple’s dual-core A6 processor clocked at 1.2GHz certainly feels like more than enough for the handheld computer, but Samsung’s 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 is an incredibly powerful chip capable of much more. Samsung also includes twice the RAM as the iPhone, while the GPUs offer a comparable experience in daily usage. Both of these phones also offer the highest quality mobile radios, capable of a diverse collection of network types. Their Bluetooth and storage options are identical, though the Galaxy S4 allows for an additional 64GB of storage.

The only other area on the spec sheet Samsung and Apple differ is the inclusion of an IR blaster and the availability of 802.11AC for the S4.

More than Retina, for what it’s worth

The screen is typically the most important part of a smartphone, and in this area Samsung and Apple have always been different. Apple’s LED-backlit IPS LCD and Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays each offer an amazing experience, but nothing ever really looks exactly the same on these displays. Apple’s LCD technology washes out in direct sunlight, but offers an unparalleled experience in terms of viewing angles. Samsung’s screens are amazing in direct sunlight, and their rich colors and deep blacks offer a great viewing experience, but their use of the PenTile display matrix is often off-putting for many.

Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5

Whatever your thoughts on the screen technology, there’s no arguing which is the more impressive experience. The iPhone 5′s 1136 x 640 resolution Retina display offers 326 ppi. On that 4-inch screen, Apple’s software makes everything look amazing despite the low resolution. Samsung’s latest display is 1920×1080 (that’s 1080p) at 441 ppi, which is a significant increase over any display currently being used by Apple. The Super AMOLED display in the Galaxy S4 is the first of its kind, and stands proud next to the iPhone 5′s smaller display.

The more powerful processor, and larger screen size undoubtedly takes its toll when it comes to battery life. Apple’s phones aren’t exactly known for being able to get you through a whole day without the need to charge, the iPhone 5′s 1440mAh battery is more capable than most. Samsung’s 2600mAh battery is a bump from last year’s model, but there’s still a lot going on that can drain the battery. Fortunately for S4 owners the battery is removable, and a larger battery can be installed. In contrast, Apple’s phones are sealed, which helps the design, but means you’re on your own when the battery gets low.

Ecosystem and Apps: It’s all about preference

Access to apps is incredibly important, but we’ve pretty much reached a point where Apple and Google are able to offer the same app experience. Both of their stores are growing at an exponential rate, and most companies release apps for both platforms on the same day. There are a few outliers, and depending on what you do that may make all the difference in the world, but most people can pick up either an Android phone or an iPhone and get by pretty easily.

What makes both the iPhone and the Galaxy S4 unique are the experiences that only they offer. Apple’s exclusives are pretty well known. If you get roped into iTunes, iCloud, Siri, or any of Apple’s exclusive apps, you’ll have a hard time finding anything like them on another platform. Samsung’s exclusives are pretty new, and not really all that well known. The Dual Camera modes offer one of a kind photography and video experience, making it possible to use both the front and the rear camera simultaneously. If you’ve got multiple people using Galaxy S4s, you can link them all together and play the same song simultaneously. All these small features might not sound like much on their own, but in combination Samsung has built a powerful array of software into this smartphone.

Both phones offer a wireless streaming system, and while Miracast and Allshare are more functional than Airplay, Samsung can’t compete with how easy it is to set up Apple’s offering.

In the end, the experience you create on these phones is all about choice. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is clearly the more powerful phone, and the hardware is clearly designed to remain relevant for quite a while. The iPhone 5 is just barely 6 months old, and Apple is already far behind in the hardware game — Samsung’s previous model, the Galaxy S3 , was enough to compete with the iPhone 5. As long as you aren’t tied to the Apple ecosystem already, the Galaxy S4 will be able to offer you much more than the iPhone is capable of.

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Samsung plans to upgrade five devices to Android 5.0

Android is a constantly moving target for devices. The Android device you buy today will inevitably be running an old version in just a few months time. How important that is depends on the individual, but if you use a Samsung smartphone or tablet, you’ll be interested to know that a list of planned Android updates has just leaked, including which devices can expect to receive Android 5.0.

The pre-list, as it’s known, has been leaked to SamMobile by an insider. It shows which devices can expect to receive an update to Android 4.2.2 and the inevitable Android 5.0.

The just unveiled Galaxy S4 is set to ship with Android 4.2.2, but Samsung is planning to upgrade 17 devices to the current latest version of Google’s OS. Those devices include:

• GT-I8160 – Galaxy Ace 2
• GT-I8350 – Galaxy Beam
• GT-I8730 – Galaxy Express
• GT-S6810 – Galaxy Fame
• GT-I9080 – Galaxy Grand
• GT-I9082 – Galaxy Grand DUOS
• GT-N7000 – Galaxy Note
• GT-I9260 – Galaxy Premier
• GT-I8190 – Galaxy S III mini
• GT-I9070 – Galaxy S Advance
• GT-I9100 – Galaxy S II
• GT-I9105 – Galaxy S II Plus
• GT-S6310 – Galaxy Young
• GT-S6312 – Galaxy Young DUOS
• GT-S7710 – Galaxy X Cover 2

It’s worth noting that for the above devices, that’s as far as Samsung expects to go in terms of updates. As soon as each one is running Android 4.2.2 the OS updates will stop. And by then, you’ll probably be looking around for a new device anyway.

Now we come to the unannounced Android 5.0. Samsung has decided that only variants of five of its existing devices will receive an update to Key Lime Pie. They include the Galaxy S3 , Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy 8.0, and Galaxy 10.1. In all cases, the LTE versions of the phones and tablets will get the update, as will the WiFi versions of the tablets.

As this is a pre-list that Samsung didn’t intend to make public, there’s every chance that the devices receiving updates will change before they are officially announced. But if Android updates are a major consideration when choosing to buy a new device, then one of the later Galaxy S smartphones or Galaxy tablets looks like a safe bet if you intend on investing now.

As for when we can expect to hear about Android 5.0, the safe bet is during the Google’s I/O developer conference held in May. By then, the Galaxy S4 will probably have been in the hands of consumers for about a month, and the question of when Samsung will roll out the Android 5.0 update is bound to be asked. It’s reassuring to see the company is already planning ahead.

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The World's First Cuirved 3D OLED TV

LG has just unveiled its take on a curved OLED TV in the shape of the LG EA9800.

Taking on Samsung's curved OLED TV which was only announced as the world's first mere hours ago, LG's model sports the same 55in size and on the surface has little to instantly set it apart, though we're sure it will still be a truly stunning sight.

LG is also committing to launching its curved OLED before Samsung, allowing it to claim it as the "first to launch the 55-inch OLED TV”.

“We believe our new OLED TVs offer the ultimate viewing experience, surpassing anything seen before. The new curved model complements our core OLED TV family with a unique design that capitalizes on the thinness of the screen and the aesthetic beauty of OLED TV.” said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company.

LG EA9800 curved OLED TV Specs

With a slightly concave design, the point of these curved TVs is to provide a slightly more immersive viewing experience as the image wraps around to your periphery vision that little bit more. However, while at 55in, these TVs are large, you arguably need an even larger display before the image actually stretches into periphery territory. Unless you sit very close to you telly, of course.

Also, neither LG nor Samsung's curved OLED TVs have the much talked about 4k resolution of other recently launch top-end tellies but the inherently excellent contrast, viewing angles and colour saturation of OLED should mean that both sets provide excellent overall image quality. OLED displays don't use a backlight but rather each pixel is an individual LED light, which is why they display such excellent contrast.

The LG EA9800 will use LG's WRGB OLED technology that employs Red, Green, Blue and White organic LEDs to construct each pixel of its Full HD (1080p) display.

The TV uses a 'Paper Slim' design is built using carbon fibre to keep weight to a minimum, plus it will have a very thin bezel, which LG calls Cinema Screen design. All factors that will no doubt contribute to a very high price tag.

There is currently no word on what connectivity the TV will offer.

LG EA9800 curved OLED TV Release Date and Price

Although keen to point out it will be first to launch a curved 55in OLED TV, LG hasn't actually committed to an exact launch date or price yet.

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The Epson WorkForce DS-30 Portable A4 Scanner

Ideal for mobile workers who require document scanning on-the-go as well as service staff that need to conserve desk space or maintain a neat counter appearance, the Epson WorkForce DS-30 scanner weighs only 325 grams, comes in a sleek form factor that can easily fit into most briefcases, and needs only a single USB connection to a notebook or PC to operate.

The Epson DS-30 is able to scan a variety of items typically used by mobile workers ranging from business cards to A4 and letter sized (8.5 x 11 inch) documents. Being a portable scanner, it is designed with an LED light source that has a low power consumption of up to only 500mA to conserve the battery power of its users' notebooks.

Although it is a portable scanner with an incredibly compact form factor, the Epson DS-30 is packed with almost all of the capabilities and software that comes with full-sized Epson scanners to provide a comprehensive document management solution anywhere and at any time. These include: Automatic document size detection and skew correction, text enhancement, color dropout.

The scanner also comes with powerful third-party scanning software that includes Presto! BizCard 5 business card scanner, and ABBYY FineReader Sprint 9 optical character recognition (OCR) software (Microsoft Windows version).

Key Features for the Epson WorkForce DS-30 scanner

Epson ReadyScan Technology - Equipped with ReadyScan LED Technology, the scanners' LED lamp requires no warm up time and is able to perform immediately with minimum energy consumption, making them extremely environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

Auto Area Segmentation - the Auto Area Segmentation feature of the scanner automatically detects text and picture areas on a page and scans text in black-and-white, and pictures in halftone to achieve the best results.

Colour Enhance - Colour Enhance is a smart function to clearly capture specific colours on office documents that would otherwise be non-visible using normal black-and-white scanners. Examples of this useful feature include enhancing signatures on cheques and documents using blue ink, or "Confidential" and "Urgent" stamps that use red ink.

Original:

The word "CONFIDENTIAL" is not visible.

Colour Enhance: Red

The word "CONFIDENTIAL" is clearly visible.

Punch Hole Removal - When activated, this feature automatically detects and removes punch hole marks.

Colour Dropout - Conversely, Colour Dropout removes a single colour (red, green or blue) from documents; such as coloured backgrounds, stamps or text black-and-white scanning.

Original

Colour Dropout: Red:

The "URGENT" stamp is removed

Correct Document Skew - When selected in the options, this feature automatically straightens slanted or misaligned documents in the feeder.

Document Capture Pro Software - The Epson WorkForce DS-30 comes with a user friendly software called "Document Capture Pro" that guides users through steps needed to scan, view, edit and transfer scanned documents from one point to another. The software also helps users to transfer scanned documents to various destinations that include email, a Microsoft Windows network folder, FTP to online storage or web folder, or to cloud services such as Microsoft SharePoint server, Evernote or Google Docs.

Key Specifications

Epson WorkForce DS-30

Scanner type

Portable sheet-fed, A4 colour scanner with LED light source

Maximum scanning resolution

600 x 600

Output resolution

75, 100, 150, 200, 140, 300, 400, 600dpi

Scanning Speed (A4 page)

200 dpi: color - 13 sec / B&W 13 sec

300 dpi: color - 13 sec / B&W 13 sec

600 dpi: color - 45 sec / B&W 15 sec

Document handling

A4, A5, A6, B5, business card, Letter, Legal and custom sizes, A3 and B4 sizes supported by carrier sheet.

Cards supported as defined by ISO 7810

Paper weight supported: 50-130gsm (auto) / 42-200gsm (manual)

Interface

USB 2.0, optional Ethernet network

For more information, visit the Epson media centre at www.epson.co.in/mediacentre

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Intel patch for Android 4.2.2 lets you dual-boot with Windows 8

The Asus Transformer AiO will be launching soon, and it looks like the company may need to thank Intel for some code contributions. That’s because Intel has just released its code for Android 4.2.2, and one of the key additions is support for dual-booting Android alongside Windows 8 on systems that utilize UEFI instead of BIOS. The new release actually doesn’t support booting using BIOS at all.

Intel says the release is still “rough around the edges,” and that it’s not the kind of OS you want to install on any device that contains mission-critical data or treasured family photos. Right now it’s pre-alpha software — the kind you might throw on a spare laptop or desktop or boot in a virtual machine so that you can take a sneak peek. There’s still a lot of work to be done before the Android 4.2.2 code is stable and optimized for use on Intel’s chips.

On non-UEFI systems, it has been possible to boot both Windows and Android for quite some time. Using a current Android-x86 image, you can install Google’s OS alongside Windows and then use the GRUB loader to enable boot-time switching. Intel’s work is welcome, though, since we haven’t seen a ton of touchscreen Windows hardware until the advent of Windows 8 — which has also contributed to the rise of UEFI on mainboards.

Once the code is polished, it should be a relatively simple task to pop Android into some empty drive space on your Windows 8 tablet or convertible — provided it has any to spare. All that recovery software takes up the bulk of the available storage on systems with smaller SSDs.

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Microsoft Is Using Linux Kernel In Windows 8 ?

ZDNet's Mary Jo today wrote an interesting article about why Microsoft is keeping a tight lid on the Windows 8 test builds. Earlier such builds were leaked by OEMs or employees to give users an idea of what was coming. This time Microsoft has taken extra measures to ensure this version of Windows doesn't fall in wrong hands.

The company specifically wrote:

Unauthorized use or disclosure in any manner may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment (in the case of employees), termination of an assignment or contract (in the case of contingent staff), and potential civil and criminal liability.

However, there are some leaked copies available on the Chinese torrent site taxfreewindows.com. We were able to grab a copy of Windows 8. The file was 20GB large which expanded to 50GB after installations. It is actually a 3boot OS which can run on old PCs, Linux PCs and Macs. The OS is expected to run on Nokia tablets as well.

This build also disclosed why Microsoft was so tight-lipped about Windows 8. Microsoft is using a fork of Linux kernel in this version. The OS was fast and detected all our hardware -- a clear indication of Linux' presence. We found further evidences when we looked at the changelog. There were patches by Greg-KH in the kernel log, which verified that Microsoft is in fact forking the upstream kernel tree. There was a message by Linus Torvalds which Microsoft engineers forgot to remove:

Anything else? I'm sure I've forgotten something really exciting. But on the whole I think this should be one of those "solid, boring progress" releases.

Knock wood. I like boring.

~ Linus

When asked about this alleged copying or piracy, Microsoft Strategist Miguel De Icaza wrote on his blog:

There are hundreds of possible answers as to why someone would copy someone else's work. For instance, perhaps I am a better implementor than an inventor.

That being said, it can be argued that implementing a system that is compatible with something else has a lot of value. You get to reuse knowledge, you get to reuse experience and you get to focus your efforts in new directions, instead of redoing things from scratch.

Source

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Demystifying UEFI, the long-overdue BIOS replacement

After more than 30 years of unerring and yet surprising supremacy, BIOS — the IBM PC’s Basic Input Output System — is taking its final bows and shuffling into the theater’s wings. Taking its place in the limelight is UEFI, a specification that begun its life as the Intel Boot Initiative way back in 1998 when BIOS’s antiquated limitations were hampering systems built with Intel’s Itanium processors. Later, the Initiative became EFI, and in 2005 Intel donated EFI to the newly-formed UEFI Forum, a consortium made up of the usual suspects: AMD, Apple, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and so on.

UEFI, or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, is a complete re-imagining of a computer boot environment, and as such it has almost no similarities to the PC BIOS that it replaces. While BIOS is fundamentally a solid piece of firmware, UEFI is a programmable software interface that sits on top a computer’s hardware and firmware (and indeed UEFI can and does sit on top of BIOS). Rather than all of the boot code being stored in the motherboard’s BIOS, UEFI sits in the/EFI/ directory in some non-volatile memory; either in NAND on the motherboard, on your hard drive, or on a network share (more on that later).

UEFI stackAs a result, UEFI almost resembles a light-weight operating system. A computer boots into UEFI, an arbitrary set of actions are carried out, and then it triggers the loading of an operating system. Further reinforcing its OSness, the UEFI spec defines boot and runtime services, protocols for communication between services, device drivers (UEFI is designed to work across all platforms), extensions, and even an EFI shell, where you can run EFI applications. On top of all this is the boot loader, which executes an operating system’s boot loader.

UEFI, being a pseudo-operating system, can access all of the hardware on the computer — you can surf the internet from the UEFI interface, or backup your hard drives — and it even has a full, mouse-driven GUI (below right). The fact that all of this boot data is stored on NAND flash or on a hard drive means that there’s a lot more space for things like language localization, boot-time diagnostics (begone meaningless POST beeps!), utilities (backup, restore, malware scanners), and so on.

As a corollary, the fact that UEFI is entirely software-based is what makes it unified. So far UEFI has been used by almost every combination of 32- and 64-bit ARM, Intel, and AMD chips, and in each case the boot code just had to be compiled for the target platform. Every major desktop (OS X, Windows) and server OS (Linux) supports UEFI boot today — and Windows 8, when it rolls out, will have features that only work with UEFI (though it will still run on conventional, BIOS-booted computers).

Asus EFI BIOSUnderneath this crazy, extensible, software-driven interface, UEFI also specifies a few standard features that must be implemented. Windows 8′s ability to detect rootkit and malware infections (and rogue Linux installations), for example, relies on UEFI’s secure boot functionality. Low-level cryptography, network authentication, universal graphics drivers, and more, are all provided as standard. Update: Microsoft now has an excellent article about UEFI, Windows 8, and secure boot (Linux will be able to run just fine!)

Finally, it’s worth noting that UEFI is still incredibly young, and very few operating systems actually take advantage of any of the features listed above. Linux certainly supports UEFI, but no Linux distro really utilizes it. Mac OS X makes slightly better use of UEFI with the Bootcamp boot manager. Windows 8, when it launches in 2012, will probably be the first major OS to take extensive advantage of UEFI, with Restore, Refresh, secure boot, and possibly more.

Read more about UEFI on Wikipedia, UEFI Forum website, or How-To Geek

If you know how to pronounce UEFI, do let us know in the comments. We want to pronounce it “you-eff-eye,” but it could also be “you-fee,” or even “oo-fee”…

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Linux developers working on a way to bypass Windows 8 secure boot

Microsoft has been getting a lot of heat in recent months for its decision to require UEFI secure boot on upcoming Windows 8 PCs. UEFI secure boot is a method of locking down a system’s bootloader so that no unsigned code can be installed. That means pre-boot malware is dead in the water, but it also makes it difficult to install alternative operating systems like Linux.

Well, the Linux community is banding together and might finally have the tools needed to bypass that restriction.

Microsoft originally wanted to require hardware vendors to make secure boot mandatory with no option to disable. Eventually Redmond compromised; x86 systems will have a toggle hidden deep down in the UEFI settings, but WinRT device will have secure boot locked in. A few weeks ago, RedHat announced that it was going to be paying for a Verisign bootloader through the Microsoft Sysdev portal, allowing its software to be installed with secure boot.

Not all Linux devs are content to take this route, so James Bottomley, chair at Linux Foundation’s Technical Advisory Board, is taking action. Bottomley has publicly posted a new Intel Tianocore UEFI boot image to help developers out. Tianocore is Intel’s open source UEFI image, which has Microsoft’s Authenticode built in.

Developers will now be able to run a virtual boot platform with secure boot for testing. This is important because it’s currently very difficult to get your hands on UEFI secure boot hardware in advance of Windows 8. It is hoped that this image will help the community figure out a secure boot bypass.

While it’s really cool to see the community rally around this cause, a bypass to secure boot will negate any security benefits it might have had. Still, if the good guys don’t find it, someone else will.

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HDPLEX H3.SODD Fanless PC with Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi (Z68ITX-A-E) Core i5 2500T

And it's made of:

• H3.S Fanless Chassis, with 80W Open Frame Fanless PSU
• Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi (Z68ITX-A-E)
• Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 2500T 2.5GHz 6MB 45W 32nm Quad Core
• G.Skill Kit Extreme3 2 x 8 Go PC12800 Ripjaws X CAS10
• Samsung SSD (MMDOE28G5MPP)
• M4-CT064M4SSD2Crucial m4 2.5-inch (M4-CT064M4SSD2)
• WD Scorpio Blue (WDC WD2500BEVT-7)

It's going to run either VMware ESXi or Joyent SmartOS. Not sure yet... I still have to test a few things.

Thanks HD-Plex for this great enclosure!

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Google tosses ad blockers from Google Play

Bad news, Android users. Google has decided it’s time to crack down on all the ad-blocking apps in Google Play. Officially, the developers of apps that have gotten the boot are being told that they have violated section 4.4 of the Play Store developer agreement. Ad blockers “interfere with” and “disrupt” “properties and services” of third parties. In other words, they mess with the way other apps function — and that’s a no-no, says Google.

It’s certainly possible that Google has been taking heat from high-profile app developers who are getting tired of seeing charts that show the profitability of their Android apps lagging way behind their iOS counterparts. But it’s impossible to ignore Google’s own vested interest in kicking out ad-blockers. At its core, Google is an advertising company. The very ads that these apps are blocking are Google’s lifeblood, and they’re the main reason the company is willing to give away Android for free. Every Android device sold increases Google’s analytics and advertising reach a little bit more.

Android’s open nature means that you’ll always be able to find an ad blocker somewhere. You won’t find them lining the shelves of Google’s own Play store, but as long as you’re comfortable installing apps from unofficial sources (and you probably are if you were using root-only versions of apps like AdBlock Plus) you’ll never be totally out of luck. Unless, of course, Google decides to backtrack on non-Play app installs and sideloading at some point in the future.

The app cull happened the same day that Andy Rubin stepped down as Android chief at Google. If Sundar Pichai, who has taken up the Android reins and also heads up Chrome, had anything to do with the crackdown, you wonder how long it will be before Chrome’s most popular extension (AdBlock) disappears as well.

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Palm server of 4 colors OK, Pinault Windows also "Saba Taro" series released

Release palm server with an Atom processor from domestic manufacturers Pinault which is good development of x86-compatible servers "Saba Taro" series was started.

X86-compatible server lineup of four colors colorful red, blue, yellow, white

Adopt a unique case that you have to open the heat sink section "Saba Taro" series. The excellent heat dissipation properties, can operate a stable compact

Release small server of Pinault brand "mackerel Taro" series Orio spec was started with. The CPU, power-saving Atom processor series Intel is adopted, about 1.5 times the performance is improved from ARM-based products within the same class.

Built-in storage is standard with 4GB SSD, OS is pre-installed Debian6.0.6 stable. Furthermore, it is possible that if the additional mSATA SSD and internal HDD, to operate as a small PC to install the Windows-based OS familiar.

Variation model colorful red, blue and yellow with different specifications to suit the application lineup. While further build-to-order manufacturing, low-end model of the white is also available

A high-performance model (2 cores / 4 threads / 1.86GHz/L2 cache 1MB/TDP6.5W), DDR3 4GB of memory configuration Atom N2800, 2.5Ghz, 320GB HDD with "TYPE-R (red)" lineup, which provides (selling price two models "TYPE-B (blue)" of (selling price 59,000 yen) of storage not mounted in the mSATA slot corresponds to 68,000 yen).

Power-saving model (2 cores / 4 threads / 1.60GHz/L2 cache 1MB/TDP3.5W), DDR3 2GB of memory configuration Atom N2600 has 1ch to the LAN port "TYPE-Y (yellow)," and (selling price 53,800 yen) deployment four color server for "Type-W (white)" of (selling price 46,000 yen). A build-to-order manufacturing "Type-W (white)" for this one.

The specs of the other, chipset Intel NM10 Express, network chip is equipped with Intel 82583, interface is served 2, HDMI × 1 USB2.0 × (Type-W non-installed). The (TYPE-R is 58mm) in W87 × D121 × H51mm for dimensions, weight 650g ~ 760g.

If you mSATA SSD corresponding model and 2.5 inches HDD, can also install the Windows OS. can be used as a small PC to be able to carry. - source

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Facebook Home will beats Google putting ads on your phone?

While Google uses their many services as data points to serve you ads, Facebook is taking the opposite approach. Facebook Home is going to be the one thing everyone has been waiting for Google to become, by injecting ads into every inch of your mobile experience.

Facebook’s presentation yesterday unveiled a visual, impressive approach to smartphone usage. If you’re a big Facebook user, Home looks like it has the potential to really enhance your smartphone experience. The large graphics and animated designs are a huge improvement over the stagnant, broken Android app the company currently has. By making Facebook the most important part of the phone, there’s a guarantee that any information you put there will be viewed, if not interacted with. With that in mind, Facebook Home is the perfect place to deliver the one thing no one actually wants on their phone — ads.

From day one, there have been detractors waiting for Google to bog their mobile operating system — not just sites or apps, bu the phone itself — down with ads. That day has yet to come, even if main content spaces remain ad-free, and Google remains resolute in their decision to keep the areas they design ad-free. When you allow another company to take over, they can do as they please. The open source nature of Android allows for Facebook Home to exist without needing to fundamentally alter Android. As part of the Facebook Home Program, advertisers will be granted access to tools that allow them to format their advertisements to suit the new visual platform.

Not at first, but eventually, Facebook intends to deliver ads to Home. In a way, this is similar to how Amazon released the most recent generation of Kindle hardware with ads (oh, sorry, “Special Offers”) integrated with the OS. Amazon allowed users to pay an opt-out fee to have the ads removed, and while it has never been made clear how many users chose to exercise the opt-out there was a sigh of relief when the option was presented. Facebook Home will offer no such choice, because Zuckerberg & co. believe that ads are just another form of content, and should be treated exactly the same as every other post in your Facebook feed.

Facebook Home

If ads are something that bother you, the only alternative here is to not use the service. Apps like TinFoil for Facebook have, in the past, protected some users from accidentally offering their information up to Facebook. Home will remove the protection offered there, as the service will have direct access to your location and obviously your Facebook information. Fortunately, if you’ve started using Facebook Home and you want to get rid of it, removing the app should be fairly painless. Even on the HTC First, AT&T’s soon to be released phone running Facebook Home by default, you should be able to easily remove the service and return to the default Android experience. As the First is based on Android 4.1.2, even if you are unable to remove the software by carrier lock it will be easy to disable.

By the time ads roll out to Facebook Home, most users will likely have either moved on or fallen in love with the service. There’s not going to be a ton of middle ground here. If Home is for you, ads are something you’re already dealing with on Facebook proper so it doesn’t really matter to you. The users that this will appeal to have already embraces ads in their feed, just as they embraced the ability to pay for promoted posts if they want all of their friends to see.

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Habey Tiny Fanless Ivy Bridge Desktop PC

If you want a high-end performance desktop machine right now the CPU to choose is an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7. You’d expect such a system to require a decent PSU and heatsink/cooling solution, which typically brings a load of fan noise along with it. However, there’s a growing number of fanless Core i7 PCs appearing on the market.

We’ve already covered one of these in the form of the CompuLab Intense PC, but now Habey has produced a competitor running Windows 8.

The Habey BIS-6922 is a completely fanless design measuring just 244 x 156 x 54mm in a black aluminum and steel case. Inside you’ve got a range of options including both 2nd and 3rd generation Core i3, i5, and i7 processors. The top end is a quad-core Ivy Bridge Core i7-3749QM with Intel HD 4000 GPU.

Whatever your CPU choice you can combine it with up to 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM and a single SATA-III 2.5-inch SSD or hard drive. There’s also enough room for 2 Mini PCIe slots allowing you to add an SSD module and 3G if you so wish. Ports on the back include HDMI, DVi-D, VGA, 4 USB 2.0, dual Ethernet, and Realtek HD audio out.

The video below shows the BIS-6922 running a graphics performance demo and video encoding using Intel’s Quick Sync Video:

The on board GPU in a Core i7 is good enough to handle a wide range of games and will easily cope with all the HD video you want to throw at it. There’s also no problem hooking the BIS-6922 up to dual monitors running at up to 1920 x 1200 resolution as the video above proves.

Habey is an OEM company so they are happy to customize the system however you want it. Unfortunately pricing hasn’t been made available yet, but they’ll give you an idea if you give them a call. If it’s reasonable this certainly makes for a portable PC that will outperform most laptops out there and quite a few fan-filled desktop machines, too. - Source

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DVI Extender via 4 Fiber Channel, LC 500m

Key Features

• Provides long distance digital image transmission via fiber optic cable
• Provides high-resolution image quality
• Signal is protected from any electrical interference
• Fiber optic provides for a low attenuation and greater distance solution

Product Overview

The DVE-0500 DVI Extender assists with the transmission of DVI signals via optical fiber up to 500m. It connects via an LC Duplex Connector to a 4 channel fiber optic cable to transmit the DVI signal. By using fiber cabling instead of copper or Ethernet to extend a DVI signal, users can now realize signal transmitting at longer distances at lower cost. Users can now enjoy the benefit of extended transmitting distances without any loss of image quality.

Application

Multiple Display Modes Supported

The DVE-0500 supports VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA and UXGA standard display modes. It provides XGA of 1024x768 pixel resolution at 500m but can also display higher UXGA resolution of 1600x1200 pixels at 300m.

DVI Application

DVI (Digital Visual Interface) has become a popular interface between a display monitor and broadcasting station, such as a DVD player or PC. DVI provides high resolution image quality over long distances can be used for remote LCD, projector and plasma screen displays found at sporting venues, airports, outdoor advertising and other broadcasting stations.

DVI Extender via 4 Fiber Channel, LC 500m Manual Datasheet

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ASUS C60M1-I: $80 PC board with AMD C-60 DualCore

Mini-computers with ARM-based processors and low price tags have been getting a lot of attention lately. But ARM-based systems like the Raspberry Pi or UG802 aren’t the only games in town when it comes to low-power computers that cost less than $100.

You can pick up an Asus C60M1-I board for just under $80. For that price you get a dual core x86 processor, AMD Radeon HD graphics, and more ports than you can shake a stick at. You’ll need to bring your own memory, storage, and case though.

Basically what you’ve got here is a mini-ITX motherboard which comes with a CPU and a heat sink.

The system is based around a 1 GHz AMD C-60 dual core processor with Radeon HD 6290 graphics. It’s not exactly a high end system. This is the sort of chip you’d normally find in a netbook. But it can handle basic computing tasks, HD video playback, and 3D accelerated graphics.

Since this is an x86 chip, it can also support a wide range of operating systems including Windows 7, Windows 8, and many Linux-based operating systems.

Unfortunately one thing that the AMD C-60 processor doesn’t handle well is high definition Netflix video playback. That could be a bummer if you were planning to use the ASUS C60M1-I as the basis for a cheap home theater PC.

On the other hand, if you’re not a Netflix subscriber, that probably won’t be a problem. AMD’s Radeon HD graphics for its budget C and E series chips can play back HD video stored on your hard drive just fine, and have no problems with YouTube and most other online video sites.

The ASUS C60M1-I supports up to 8GB of DDR3 1066 memory, has a connector for a SATA III hard drive or solid state disk, and includes a nice array of ports, including:

• 6 USB 2.0
• VGA, DVI, and D-Sub
• 3 audio jacks
• Ethernet
• PS/2

It also features 8-channel audio output. While the CPU is covered by a fanless heatsink, there are also connectors for a CPU fan and chassis fan if you need the extra cooling.

Once you add storage, memory, a case, power supply, and any additional cooling, the price of this system will be noticeably higher than the $80 starting price. But it’s still a pretty versatile and cheap alternative to an ARM-based development board like the Hackberry A10 or VIA APC.

Just don’t expect this system to outperform a high-end (or even mid-range) Windows or Linux computer.

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