How-To Safety Hard Reset : Easily Master Format SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ)

Tips and solutions for solving problem at SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ). I want to have smaller LCD screen then SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) is one options to choose, because it have 4 inches LCD screen and the processor is standard single core 1.2 Ghz clock speed. The price for SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) is cheap, but it still have good camera with 3 megapixel using CMOS sensor and this phone also already have Light LED flash for help us get more better photos at low light conditions. SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) have VGA front camera, we are recommended to use this resolutions for having video call or make avatar or picture profile, but of course the front camera of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) is not recommended for having important documentations.

What is Advantage of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) Specifications:

• GSM 3G HSDPA Dual Sim (GSM GSM)
• LCD 4 inches
• Internal memory 4 GB
• RAM 512 MB
• External memory microSD, up to 64 GB
• Main Camera 3.15 MP, 2048 x 1536 pixels, LED flash
• Front Camera for video conference
• Processor Single-core 1.2 GHz
• Operating system Android OS, v4.4.2 (Kitkat)
• Battery Li-Ion 1500 mAh

How to Fix or Problem Solving for Recovery SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) hang or not responding or malfunctions or stuck or freezing or bricked ?

SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) have 4 inches LCD screen use TouchWiz Essence UX for give the users good experience using Android Kitkat operating system. There are also some native factory default applications which has already installed at this phone. However, we still can install more applications like Chatting Whatsapp, BBM, Line Messenger, Kakaotalk, Skype, Wechat and social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, Path, Instagram and something similar like that. But we have to becareful while install not popular application from Google Play Store, because some of them are face apps that contain malware and virus, some of them also can make our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) become freeze or hang or stuck or bricks or blank and the LCD touch screen not responding. IF we get this problems, we have to force soft reset or reboot or force shutdown to stop not appropriate applications and remove the temporary files or cache from internal memory. If the problem still happen then we have to hard reset or master format our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ). If we have important data, then please try to backup all data first, because doing hard reset will remove or wipe all important data and additional installed applications.

How to Force Shutdown or Force Soft Reset or Reboot or Restart SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) ?

If our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) get trouble like freeze or stuck or hang or LCD touch screen not responsive with our finger touch, then we have to force shutdown or force soft reset or restart to clean cache and temporary files. The easiest steps to force soft reset or force shutdown is by remove the battery of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) after open the back case caver and wait about 5 seconds before we put again the battery at the right positions. Press POWER button to turn on this phone again. The soft reset or restart also can be process when our phone still at normal situations, by press and hold POWER button until pop-up menu appear, choose Reboot / Restart / Power off. Do not worry to do soft reset or reboot anytime we want, because this procedure will not remove any important data from our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ).

#Option 1, How to Hard Reset SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) with software menu:

1. Turn on SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ)
2. Make sure SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) battery already charge properly
3. Go to menu: Setting > General tab > Backup & Reset > Factory data reset > Reset device
4. Choose Erase Everything
5. SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) will do the process to Master Reset to Factory Default

#Option 2, How to Hard Reset SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) with Hardware key button:

1. Make sure the battery of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) charge properly
2. Turn off SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ)
3. Press and hold together : Power Button + Volume Up + Home Button
4. If the button at number 3 not work, we can try with press and hold together Power Button + Volume Up Button
5. If we see the menu at LCD screen, choose Wipe Data/Factory Reset with Volume Button to select and use Power Button to ok or enter.
6. The SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) will doing the process of restoring to factory default.

How to Restore and Reinstall Clean Android Operating system / firmware at SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) (Reformat) ?

Android Kitkat is the first factory default SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) operating system and firmware when the first time release to market. We have to know that the file source of factory default Android Kitkat operating system already saved safely inside SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) ROM. Actually at normal conditions, we can not access this files so it will be safe. If our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) operating system start get trouble or not work properly or corrupt because applications crash, then we have to reformat or reinstall or restore clean factory default from file source location, so we do not need to copy from other gadgets. Just follow the steps to hard reset above, then the clean factory default Android operating system or firmware from SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) ROM will be reinstall automatically.

How to Unlock or Fix or Bypass or Solutions for SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) forgot password code or security lock screen pattern or pin (lost password)?

We always suggest all Android users give more security protections to protect our confidential data. There are several options that we can choose for give default security protection without install anything from Google Play Store. Usually we recommended to use screen lock pattern protections because it is more easy and fast to open, but some users also like to use other security choose like password pin protection. The problem happen when we forget SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) security protection answer. Do not worry, because Android already have simple steps to bypass or unlock forgot security protections using Google account or Gmail username and password. Please try to give several time wrong answer continuously until SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) freeze or locked about 30 seconds. At this time we can find Forgot Password / Pattern button, please press this button, then we will find field for type our Google username and password that we have already signed in before. If we can not access our Google account, then we have to do hard reset or master format.

How to Improve Performance SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) to make run more faster?

Why our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) become slowly? Mostly this problems happen because there are too many applications run in the background. We have to aware that SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) RAM is not too big, this phone only have 512 MB RAM. This RAM will easily insufficient if we install and running some applications together. Although we never run many applications, but some chatting or social media applications will keep run in the background because they have to wait for data update or wait for some command. Please try to reduce some installed applications to give more free RAM and processor resources. If we want to make performance of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) run more faster again like new, then we have consider do hard reset or reformat to factory default.

Is That Any Secret Code for Doing Format SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) ?

We can try to use secret code for doing hard reset SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) is *2767*3855#. But please remember to always be careful typing that code, because the SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) will doing hard reset and remove all data and installed applications.

How to Upgrade SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) to Android Lollipop Official Update ?

As far as we know, Samsung will not give official Android Lollipop firmware update for SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ), because the specifications are limited. However, using Android Kitkat is enough to run daily activity. Maybe some other community have information to install Android Lollipop custom ROM, but we not recommended to do this, because sometime not all features run properly with custom ROM and some wrong steps to install will make our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) become corrupt and can not use anymore.

How to Improve Battery Life Longer of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) For Solving Battery Drain Faster Problem (Battery Saving / Extent Battery Life)?

First we have to know that if we run more applications at our phone then this phone will consume more battery power, that is why when we install too many applications and run together, the battery life will become shorter. There are some tips for extend the battery at SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ). Please try to turn off some not use connection like Bluetooth / Wifi / GPS. We also recommended to set manually the LCD brightness as low as possible.

How to Deal with Insufficient Internal Memory at SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) (not enough memory) ?

SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) will need some free space of internal memory. If our internal memory already less then 300 MB, then we can not update or install new applications from Google Play Store because not enough internal memory. Using external microSD card will not help to give more free space for install applications, because all applications by default will install to internal memory. Therefore we have to reduce the installed applications by uninstall some not use apps.

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How-To Safety Hard Reset : Easily Master Format LENOVO A850

Tips and tricks for solving LENOVO A850 problem. When we need Android smartphone with big LCD screen and reasonable price, then LENOVO A850 is the answer. Because LENOVO A850 have 5.5 inches LCD screen width IPS capacitive touch screen. If we like to take pictures a lot, LENOVO A850 will help you to fulfill that need by using 5 megapixel digital camera and also have LED flash to help taking better photo in low light conditions.

What is Advantage of LENOVO A850 Specifications:

• GSM 3G HSDPA Dual SIM GSM-GSM
• LCD 5.5 inches touch screen
• Internal memory 4GB
• RAM 1GB
• External memory microSD, up to 32 GB
• Main Camera 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
• Front camera for VGA for Picture and Video conference
• Processor Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7
• GPU Mali-400MP2
• Operating system Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Battery Li-Ion 2250 mAh

How to Fix or Problem Solving for Recovery LENOVO A850 hang or not responding or malfunctions or stuck or freezing or bricked ?

Having big LCD screen Android will make us feel so happy to play games or install other applications from Google Play Store. But we have to know that not all applications will run smooth in Lenovo A850 because some creator does not make their applications in good functions, especially for Lenovo A850. In this case, if we force to install unnecessary applications, sometime it will make our smartphone become hang or stuck or bricks or frozen or blank or LCD touch screen not responding. If we get this problem, we need to try doing soft reset or reboot or restart Lenovo A850 to delete cache and temporary files. If Lenovo A850 still get the same problem, we need to do hard reset or master format.

How to force Soft Reset or Reboot or Restart LENOVO A850 ?

When we use Lenovo A850 and get hang or stuck or frozen problem in the middle of using applications, we can try to force reboot or restart Lenovo A850 by pressing POWER BUTTON for several seconds. If the POWER BUTTON can not work, then try to remove the battery of Lenovo A850 by open back case cover and unplug the battery for about 5 seconds. After that we can plug it again in the right positions and turn on Lenovo A850 to finish the restart or soft reset step. In normal situations, doing soft reset or reboot can be done by pressing POWER BUTTON for several seconds until the pop up menu appear, then choose Restart or Reboot to soft reset Lenovo A850. Doing soft reset is safe, because this step will not erase or wipe any important data like contact or photo or files from Lenovo A850.

How to Hard Reset LENOVO A850 with Hardware Button key:

1. Confirm and make sure that LENOVO A850 Battery is fully charge or not empty
2. Turn off LENOVO A850
3. Press together : POWER + VOLUME UP about several second, that the warning will appear at the LENOVO A850
4. Choose: Reset Device or Wipe data or Clear eMMC
5. Make sure we already sure than we know that our application and data will be loose or clear while Resetting LENOVO A850

How to Restore and Reinstall Clean Android Operating system / firmware at LENOVO A850?

LENOVO A850 using Android as operating system, in the first production when ship to store, LENOVO A850 use Android Jelly Bean version 2.2 which run very smooth in this smartphone. After using several month and install many applications, sometime the operating system could damage or broken. In this case maybe we need to reinstall or restore clean and factory default Android operating system or firmware. The source file of factory default Android operating system already saved inside LENOVO A850 rom. We do not need to copy any data for preparing the reinstall step. Just follow the hard reset step above, then the clean and factory default setting Android operating system will be reinstall by itself. The time to reinstall will take less than 5 minutes. Please make sure all data already backup before doing reinstall or hard reset, because all data will be wipe or removed from internal memory.

How to Unlock or Fix or Bypass or Solutions for LENOVO A850 forgot password code or security lock screen pattern or pin (lost password)?

The recommended options to give security protections for LENOVO A850 is using screen lock pattern. Some user still also like to use password pin protections. We can easily choose and change how to secure our LENOVO A850 data when the phone away from us, but using screen lock pattern is faster to open then using password in some situations. The problem happen when we forget the answer of that screen lock pattern or password pin protections. We do not need to worry, because Android have option to bypass or unlock forgotten screen lock pattern or password pin protection. Please do several time wrong answer for that security protection continuously until the phone frozen or locked for several seconds. In this time, we will see Forget Password / Pattern button to help us unlock protection using Google account or Gmail account. If we can not use or Google account at this phone, then we need to do hard reset or master format.

How to Improve Performance LENOVO A850 to make run more faster?

Running LENOVO A850 for Games or doing office activity will be fun if the phone does not have problem. But some user have problem with their LENOVO A850 which run more slowly then before. As far as we know, if the phone run slowly, because there are many applications run in the background and the processor LENOVO A850 performance will be working more hard when that applications doing update or work in progress. That is why we are really recommend for uninstall not use applications, especially which run in the background. If we can not find out which applications that make problem, and need to tweak LENOVO A850 performance run more faster again like beginning, then we may need to perform hard reset or master format to clean anything from our phone and run with factory default applications. After that we can carefully choose and install only specific applications that we use everyday.

Is That Any Secret Code for Doing Format LENOVO A850?

There is no secret hidden code for LENOVO A850 to make it back to factory default. Do the options above to hard reset it.

How to Upgrade or Update LENOVO A850 operating system to Kitkat ?

By default the shipping ROM of LENOVO A850 is Jelly Bean version 4.2.2. Base on the specifications, the LENOVO A850 can be upgrade to Android Kitkat version, but unfortunately until we write this articles, there is no official upgrade for LENOVO A850 to Android Kitkat version. However, there are some other unofficial Kitkat ROM for LENOVO A850 from other community homepage, but if we are not sure how to upgrade it, please do it carefully, because it could make our LENOVO A850 broken or can not use anymore. Using official Jelly Bean at LENOVO A850 is still recommended to use everyday without problems.

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Lenovo A850 Snap Review

Lenovo has strengthening its position on smartphone market and the A850 model is not an exception. Providing middle quality of 5.5 inch IPS LCD screen resolution with 200 ppi, the device is advanced in capacity.

Battery of 2250mAh allow to have up to 28 hours of talks in 2G while the quad-core Cortex-A7 processor is responsible for convenient performance. Additionally, the smartphone is equipped with dual SIM option that make it more even more attractive for people wondering to divide private and work life.

The Lenovo A850: A Smartphone To Reckon With

Lenovo, a long time Asian tech market favorite has done it again. The stylish and functional Lenovo A850 smartphone features an incredible 5.5-inch widescreen display for seamless surfing, video viewing or gaming.

Lenovo, consistent in offering superior performance - just like fellow Chinese brand ASUS, has complemented its latest phablet with an able 1.3GHz CPU, plenty of memory with 4GB of internal storage (including expandable memory to ensure additional data can be stored for photos, videos and gaming downloads so that you never miss a moment), and as a bonus, Lenovo has provided you with the industry favorite, Android 4.2 JellyBean. Even with major competition from other leading smartphone brands, the A850 has managed to stand out from the crowd with a savvy savings price. Packed with performance and sleek design, we adore the all new A850 for its powerful specifications, coupled with its economical price.

Specification and Features

• Processor: Mediatek MT6582M
• RAM Memory: 1GB
• Storage: 4GB
• Rear Camera: 5 mega-pixels
• Front Camera: VGA
• Operating System: Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)

Bringing your multimedia to life, Lenovo has endowed their latest flagship with a huge 5.5-inch display. Complete with IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, with a vibrant screen resolution of 540x940 (200PPI). This wide angle 5.5-inch smartphone allows for a better performance whilst viewing videos, images, web browsing and even gaming. If you're looking for more options when it comes to gaming on your phone check out our great range of Sony Smartphones. Running on your favorite operating system, Android OS JellyBean, it is agile, which guarantees optimal performance. The A850's 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 processor ensures lightning fast speeds for intense multi-tasking, and a smoother experience for your graphics, which is beefed up by the impressive Mali-400MP2 graphics processing unit. The overall result is clear-cut, sharp and fast images throughout your multimedia endeavors. Including 4GB of internal memory and 1 GB of RAM with additional expandable memory of up to 32GB via microSD card, the A850 phablet is pure perfection.

New Improvements

Weighing in at a comfortable 184 grams, the A850 has impressed us all with a robust battery life, which lasts up to 28 hours of talk time on 2G and 14 hours of talk time on 3G, powered by the Li-Po 2250 mAh replacable battery. It's BlueTooth compatible, and outfitted with the ever popular Dual-SIM, which allows you to mix two worlds into one! Other A850 specs include being the CA satellite controlled GPS will help you find your way around town whether driving or on foot. This feature works in offline mode or when connected to the net. So never fear losing your way again! The primary camera is an autofocus 5 megapixel with 2592x1944 pixels and LED flash, with top notch features like geo-tagging and touch focus. It also comes equipped with a front 0.3 megapixel camera, perfect for video chatting. Take great high resolution HD pictures and videos that will help you remember your most treasured moments.

Worth buying

A true work-of-art, this amazing low/budget phone is top quality and out performs its price class. Lenovo phones along with LG Smartphones truly outshine their class. For those looking for power, speed and versatility, this sleek and sophisticated phablet is the answer. It comes with either 2G or 3G connectivity, depending on network availability. For those looking for an even cheaper option, but less powerful, Lenovo Mobile offers a great range of other smartphones including the Lenovo K900.

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Canon PowerShot S100 Snap Review

Thanks for joining me from my article entitled COMPARISON: Nikon 1 V1, Fuji x10, & Canon s100 (plus Fuji x100 and Canon G12 & s95)! In this article I’ll review the Canon PowerShot s100 on its own merits using the methodology described in the intro article. I reviewed the s95 in the past and came pretty close to buying it when I decided to go with the G12 instead. On paper all of the improvements to the s100 made it seem so good that I thought I might be giving up my G12 to get one, but after extensive use I didn’t find it to live up to my expectations based on its specs.

Please note that excluding the two s100 product shots (courtesy of Canon USA), all of the photos in this article are unedited in-camera JPEG’s).

What’s New

• Longer lens range (equivalent to 24-120mm) at a range of f/2.0 to f/5.9
• 12.1 megapixel 1/1.7" Canon sensor (CMOS)
• ISO 80-6400
• DIGIC V image processor
• 2.3 fps continuous shooting (and up to 8 frames in High-Speed burst scene mode – JPEG Full Auto only)
• Full HD 1080p video recording with support for both  H.264 compression and the MOV file format
• Optical zoom in movie mode
• Super slow motion movie recording (640 x 480 @ 120fps, 320 x 240 @ 240 fps)
• Direct movie record button
• Built-in GPS unit with image tagging and logger functions

Living with the s100

Canon has packed the s100 full of great features like built-in GPS tracking, a huge LCD on the rear for its size, amazingly good high ISO performance up to 6400, and an innovative ring selector on the front that is programmable so you can have your favorite feature readily accessible without going into menus. Its slender size and these are the things that made me excited about this camera.

Now that I’ve said what I like, it’s time to be blunt. I’ve been very unimpressed with the build quality and reliability of both the s95 and s100 I’ve tested. The s95 quickly developed a dead row of pixels on the sensor and this s100 suffers from obscenely short battery life (sometimes as little as 30 minutes of normal use (i.e., not video or continuous on), despite coming off a full charge. I also find that despite how great it seems in the tech specs when you compare it to the G12, the reality is that when you are out shooting kids in the real world it just can’t keep up as well as the G12 can (in Av/Tv/P modes).

Despite its faster Digic V processor and its f/2 lens, The s100 seems to have a longer delay from the time you push the shutter release until it actually takes the shot, which for kids means you’ve missed the shot. While you can use the High-Speed Burst HQ scene mode to get a fast burst of 8 shots, or the “Kids & Pets” mode, RAW is not supported and frequently the subject is out of focus. 

f/5.9 for 1/125 sec at ISO 6400 (26mm) Aperture Priority / Tungsten White Balance
Unedited from In-Camera JPEG

I also found myself getting a large number of out of focus shots in real world indoor shooting. In the shot above I was in my studio under reasonably decent Solux lights with my model on a bright white studio paper background. I also put a reflector under face, so she’s the best indoor lighting situation you are going to find. While I could have shot this at f/2, the reality is that when I’m shooting a person and want to create a flattering shot I’ll typically back off and zoom in to make the body features appear a bit slimmer. This model has a wider face, so shooting at f/2 or f/2.2 would get me down to ISO 500 (this creating a sharper image) at the expense of distortion and a more full body framing (unless I got obnoxiously close when shooting) as shown here: 

f/2.2 for 1/60 sec at ISO 500
Shooting wide open isn’t always desirable
when indoors due to distortion and working distance
Unedited from In-Camera JPEG

I really want to love this camera because its form factor is brilliant. I love the size and weight – especially when it is closed up. It seems to be significantly better than the s95 based on my unscientific analysis of everyday real world shots I was able to get from the s95 vs the s100. The s100 images appear to have more dynamic range and the high ISO performance, even in RAW, is excellent (much better than the G12 in fact). That said, it’s not even close to the quality found in the x10, but its about half the price and size so that’s forgivable. 

f/2 for 1/30 sec (handheld) at ISO 250 (5.2mm) Macro Mode
Full Auto HDR Creative Filters Mode
Lens was about 1 inch from the flower
Unedited from In-Camera JPEG

I was very happy with the macro mode on this camera as the minimum focus distance when you are in macro mode is quite good. I was able to get within an inch at min zoom and about 6 inches at max zoom (in macro mode) and acquire clear focus to get the shot. This makes it a great tool for the amateur macro photographer and teens.

Built-In Intelligence is Very Good

The Auto mode as well as the Special Scene (SCN) and Creative Filters modes are technology marvels. While some modes are downright cheesy (Super Vivid) or useless (Color Swap), many are brilliant for the amateur photographer that doesn’t own a DSLR or Photoshop. As I mentioned in my G12 review, modes like Miniature Effect, Fisheye and HDR will are very fun to play with and the results are respectable. There’s a brilliant Smart Shutter mode that will wait for the subject to smile and then automatically take 3 photos (including raising the flash automatically if required). It works well under the right conditions, and nearly always gets a clear shot (even if the shot looks like crap due to direct flash or poor lighting conditions that are beyond the camera’s control).

I was very happy with the built-in image stabilization – it really works quite well on static subjects. Naturally no image stabilization will help you when your subject moves – that’s still a shutter speed issue – so indoors you still need to find the light or God forbid use the flash to avoid the typical point and shoot motion blur. 

The built-in stitching mode for panoramas hasn’t changed, and in my mind is the most useless and unfriendly design on the market. I rarely get a usable result, but if you’ve used it and mastered it then this may not be an issue for me. I do wish Canon would see what Fujifilm has done for their panorama modes on the x100 and x10 – it’s the most brilliant and idiot proof design that just works flawlessly 90% of the time (on static subjects).

Night Shooting & HDR Mode

Using a Gitzo GT1541 tripod (with no head for extra stability), and the 2 second timer mode (to reduce interference from hand induced camera shake), I experimented with taking a shot using the full auto mode, the HDR Creative Filter mode (which takes 4 shots and merges), and the Handheld Night Scene mode. It was after midnight and it was raining lightly, but no wind. There was ambient light from the porches of two houses, but cloud cover made it a pretty dark night. Here’s what I ended up getting in these three modes (visit the gallery here for full-size originals):

HDR Creative Filter Mode on a Tripod with 2 second Timer
Great dynamic range, but disappointingly blurry
(note: default IS mode was used – not tripod IS mode)

Handheld NightScene Mode
f/2 for 1/15 sec at ISO 3200 (auto best of 4)
Impressive, but a touch dark and blurry

Full Auto Mode – Night Scene Detected  (Tripod with 2 second timer)
Very sharp and clear, but less dynamic range than HDR
f/2 for 1 second @ ISO 400
(note: default IS mode was used – not tripod IS mode)

Personally I like the last one best which proves that the old tried and true method of using a tripod for a long exposure isn’t a bad way to go even in these days with technical gadgetry. It’s cool that all three modes are offered though, and at the end of the day there may be times where the auto modes could make the difference between getting the shot and not. After all, how many people will really have tripods (or natural support in the exact right space) when your out with your point and shoot?

Color Accent Mode

With solid colors in isolation, the Sin City look is instantly possible in-camera

Even though this feature has been around for a while, I haven’t discussed it on my blog before. The way this works is you turn the mode dial to Creative Filters mode, and isolate a color via the LCD and the control dial. The color you choose remains in color and everything else goes to black and white. As shown above you get the typical “Sin City” look, but it works best on solid colors. When trying to apply it to flowers it doesn’t work as well (although the LCD view will fool you into thinking its perfect):

It’s a bit of a fail when there’s more than one tone though

Image Quality

For a point and shoot camera, the image quality of this camera is actually quite good. When using in-camera JPEG’s, images up to ISO 6400 are usable even if they are a tad soft. Using noise reduction software on the RAW’s can leave you with an outstanding result for a sensor this small. Part of the improvement comes from a new sensor and in-camera processing that does a much better job of reducing the noise at the RAW level before creating the in-camera JPEG. The net result is that more detail is preserved over the s95 when those JPEG’s are created. 

Click to view the original to see that detail in the shadows and bright areas is respectable
f/2 for 1/30 sec (handheld) at ISO 500 (5.2mm) Full Auto Mode

The dynamic range appears to have been improved in this over the s95 or even the G12, but the images seem to be lacking something that is hard to quantify in scientific terms. They just frequently fail to please me – especially when viewing them in Lightroom. DPP does a great job of making the images look their best (both RAW and JPEG) and printing direct from DPP to a professional Canon printer (like the Canon ipf6300) from a RAW image can often create astonishingly good results with no photo editing at all (go to any Canon trade show event to see this in action to see what I mean).

Overall this camera has the typically good in-camera color that Canon is known for, but when pushed the reality of its small sensor become apparent (2nd shot below). 

Under the right conditions, the color rendition was excellent

When pushed, the limited dynamic range became apparent

Features

The s100 offers the standard modes of Program (P), Shutter Speed Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av) , Manual, Custom (user-defined variant of the previously mentioned), and full auto (JPEG) only. There’s also a movie mode which can now be accessed directly via the new record button shown above.

Two of the most useful point and shoot modes (JPEG only) are Creative Filters and Special Scene (SCN) modes because that’s where all of the engineering intelligence in this camera lives. I’ve discussed some of the features already, but these modes are great for times when you don’t want to think – you just want to take pictures. You give the camera a little more input about what you want to do (i.e., beach, underwater, sunset, kids & pets, etc…) and it uses all its power to give you the best result for that scenario. Using these modes I got significantly more in-focus and usable shots than I did when I tried to use Aperture Priority (Av) or even Program (P) mode. You don’t get an option to save RAW images when you do this, so what you get is pretty much what you get, but the camera does everything in its power to give you a sharp shot with a balanced histogram. As a result these images are typically salvageable for post-processing and in-focus

The controls of this camera are excellent, and the addition of the record button and better focusing options have made this iteration more friendly in daily real world use over its predecessor. I found myself programming the ring dial in the front to exposure compensation really helps a lot, and the auto ISO seems to do a good job of making the right tradeoffs of ISO versus the appropriate shutter speed.

The built-in GPS support was useless indoors as it would never acquire a satellite signal, but if you went outdoors and had a clear signal then it would pick up after a few minutes. This is typical GPS behavior for devices that can’t do triangulation so don’t expect the GPS to record all the places you’ve been on your trip if you’ll be shooting a lot indoors. You can leave GPS logging on to help with that scenario, but bring about 30 batteries because you’ll need it.

Beware – you need LOTS of batteries

Speaking of batteries, the biggest gripe I have about this camera is its battery. While it is nice and compact, it seems that all of the technical hoo ha of this camera drains the battery very quickly. It’s pointless to disable all of those features, so you’ll need multiple spare batteries with this camera. The best performance I got on a battery was about 3 hours of usage (at a car show), and the camera was only turned on when needed. I didn’t have GPS turned on (especially logging which would get you down to about 30 minutes), so the rest was in what I’d call normal out of the box settings.

Factor this into your cost as the batteries were $43.95 EACH at the time this article was written, so you may not be saving much over more expensive cameras when you add the batteries required to get an equivalent shooting time.

For a full feature list, visit Canon USA.

s95 & G12 Owners – Upgrade Advice

If you own a s95 and love it, I think this camera is worth the upgrade based on image quality and performance alone. The 1080p video is a big plus as well. The GPS feature is a battery sucking vampire on a camera that already drains the battery faster than a frat house keg on graduation night, so consider that issue (and cost) when upgrading.

If you own a G12, this camera does offer some nice new features and performance (especially in the dynamic range and higher ISO’s), but fundamentally the G12 is the better camera for those who won’t be shooting in the full auto – jpeg only modes. It also lacks the durability, reliability and pivoting LCD of the G12 so I’d advise against replacing a G12 with a s100.

Sample Photos

To see a gallery of test images (including original in-camera JPEG download). Here’s a few medium size samples that show off what this camera can do:

Conclusion

All of the technical wizardy of this camera is impressive and is sure to please the average consumer who doesn’t have a DSLR. If you don’t care about RAW images and just want to capture memento photos, the special scene and creative filter modes will help you get the shot that is suitable for posting on your favorite social networking sites.

If you are a DSLR owner looking for a pocketable alternative to the beast, I suspect you’ll be disappointed with this camera. While the images aren’t bad, the dynamic range just isn’t there and is sure to dissapoint. While the price might suggest that its is good enough, when you’ve seen other alternatives like the more expensive Fujifilm X10, you realize that small doesn’t have to mean poor quality.

This isn’t a bad camera and the form factor is excellent, but it’s just not one that I think my average reader is really going to be happy with. Do you want your trip to Disney, or that birthday celebration to have shots that are blurry and bleached out looking? I don’t, so I’d rather see Canon do something like Fujifilm’s EXR mode to useless megapixels, but create a significantly better image (in terms of quality and dynamic range). Few people will be printing massive posters using images from their point and shoot, and even a 4 megapixel image is sufficient for a nice letter size print these days (or greater, depending on viewing distance).

I also hated the fact that the battery just doesn’t last very long so you’ll need a bunch of them. I’d seriously have about 4 of them pre-charged if I were going out to Disney all day, so that adds nearly $200 to the cost of this camera. For that price you can get the superior Fujifilm X10 which offers significantly better image quality and performance.

I’d rather have a 3 megapixel version of this camera that had much better dynamic range and faster performance. Despite its great stats on paper, a car analogy is in order – it’s much like comparing a Ford Mustang GT to a Porsche Cayman S. While the Mustang might fare well on paper, and looks are subjective, when you actually use both you realize there is no comparison.

My wife liked the s95 when she compared it to the G12, but we ultimately went with the G12, Now that she’s a seasoned G12 owner, she lasted 10 minutes with this camera before she handed it back to me in disgust and resumed using the G12. She said she still loved the compact size, but we made the right decision getting the G12.

Posted by guest blogger via ronmartblog.com

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Aztech HomePlug HL280E Snap Review

I’m never a fan of wireless network even though I have a D-Link DIR-655 Wireless N router at home. I’ll mainly be using the 4 ports Gigabit switch available on the DIR-655 for connections of my Mac mini server, MacBook Pro, NAS and Playstation 3. The OpenNet’s Optical Fibre termination point is in the living where most of my servers, NAS, computers being in the bed room. Hence I’ve decided to try out the new Aztech HomePlug HL280E which enable network connection through the use of powerline up to 1000Mbps.

A pair of Aztech HL280E Adapter from Bizgram

I’ll be performing a series of tests using iPerf (TCP mode only test).

Test Machines & Software
Server: MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7, 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, Raid-0 (2 x 240GB OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD Serial ATA 2.5″ Solid State Drives)

Server IP: 192.168.2.2, Gateway 192.168.2.1, Subnet: 255.255.255.0

Client: MacBook Pro 2GHz CoreDuo, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 500GB SATA HDD

Client IP: 192.168.2.1, Gateway 192.168.2.1, Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Power Strips: 02 x Taiyo 8 Gang 3 Metres Extension Sockets

Tool version: iperf version 2.0.2 (03 May 2005) pthreads
iPerf Commands

Server: iperf -s

Client: iperf -c 192.168.2.2


Client will attempt to iperf server IP for 3 times in succession.

Test 1 (Server and client in the bedroom, on the same wall socket)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Bedroom

Test 1 - iPerf results

Test 2 (Server connected to wall socket, client connected to wall socket)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Living Room

Test 2 - iPerf results

Test 3 (Server connected to wall socket, client connected to power strip)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Living Room

Test 3 - iPerf results

Test 4 (Server connected to wall socket, client connected to wall socket)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Utility Room (Room furthest away from bedroom with wall socket extended from kitchen’s existing power circuit)

Test 4 - iPerf results

Test 5 (Server connected to power strip, client connected to power strip)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Living Room

Test 5 - iPerf results

Test 6 (Server connected to power strip, client connected to wall socket)

Server location: Bedroom

Client Location: Living Room

Test 6 - iPerf results

Test 6 will be the likely scenario of how my network will be deployed since there’s only 1 wall socket closest to where all my NAS, Mac Mini and MacBook Pro were, hence the HomePlug for the bedroom will definitely be on a power strip.

When my SingTel exStream gets activated eventually, a network speed of 50 Mbits/sec isn’t too bad.

More about the snapshot at sgwoot.com posted by guest blogger.

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Online HTML to XML parser | Blogger Adsense Converter | Escape Tool

This online converter will convert your adsense, chitika, adbrite and any HTML code into XML coding which are compatible with the blogger templates.

Enter Code:

 
Parsed Code

This Adsense Parser / escape Online tool is Very Cool. Instead of Manually parse adsense code you can easily conver any html code to xml format. This tool are very easy and accurately escape tool which are hassle free parse the any html code. How To use ? when you enter html code in to above box parse code will be generated automatically just copy and past this code to your blogger use. 

Adsense parser will make the google adsense, chitika, infolink, adbrite, adsforindian ad code converted to Encoded HTML code for adding in your blogger templates. Blogger templates don't allow html code in to xml templates so this tool are very important for every blogger user.

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Pear OS Linux Panther v3.0 Mac OS X Look Alike

Pear OS Linux has announced the release of Pear OS 3.0, an Ubuntu-based desktop distribution with a Mac OS X-like look and feel (as well as slogan): "Pear OS 3.0 'Panther' available. 

From the desktop you see when you start up your PC to the applications you use every day, everything is designed to be simple and intuitive. Of course, making amazing things simple requires some seriously advanced technologies, and Pear OS is loaded with them. 

Working and playing on a PC is all about applications, so Pear OS makes it simple to find and open those applications fast. The Dock is a handy place on your desktop for storing and launching your favorite applications, and it makes switching between them a breeze."

Download links:
Pear-OS-Linux-Panther-v3.0-x32.iso (895MB, MD5)
Pear-OS-Linux-Panther-v3.0-x64.iso (964MB,MD5)

The release announcement doesn't offer any details, but the product page has some screenshots alongside much marketing talk.

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Pear Linux OS 8

Pear OS 8 was released recently. Pear OS main goal is to be an Ubuntu/Debian based Linux Operating System for Desktop, Notebook, Phones and Tablets. Pear OS 8 is based on GNOME but look and feel is similar and inspired from newly released Apple iOS7. Pear Cloud is the newly included feature in Pear OS 8 to backup and sync data over the internet.

You’ll get 2 GB of space to organize your data on Pear Cloud. This post describes the installation of newly released Pear OS 8 version. Pear OS is freely available to download and use which has a simple and powerful interface. You will experience complete multimedia functions and for those users who prefer Apple iOS like operating system.

Recommended Minimum System Requirements

• 700 Mhz CPU Processor
• 512 MB Memory
• 8 GB Free Disk Space
• 1024×768 Screen resolution
• Removable Media drive or USB port

Applications included in Pear OS 8

• Pear Software Center
• Shotwell
• Empathy IM
• Firefox
• Pear Cloud
• Thunderbird Mail
• Brasero Disc Burner
• Musique
• VLC Media Player
• Pear Contacts
• PPA Manager

Pear OS 8 Download

Pear OS 8 is available for 32bit and 64bit. I’ve used 32bit version in this installation. You can download Pear Linux OS 8 for 32bit pearos8-i386.iso from here  and 64bit pearos8-64.iso here.

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Reviving My Old PC with 3 Best Linux Operating Systems

Windows 8 may be lighter than Windows 7 yet lightest than Vista, but it’s nowhere near as lightweight as these free Linux distributions. If you have an old Windows XP PC or a netbook, you can revive it with a lightweight Linux system.

All of these Linux distributions can run from a live USB drive, so you could even boot them directly from a USB drive. This may be faster than installing them to the computer’s slow, aging hard drive.

Puppy Linux

Puppy Linux is designed to be extremely lightweight. When installed to a USB flash drive, it consumes only 100 MB of space — 256 MB if you want the version with a full OpenOffice office suite instead of more lightweight office applications. Puppy Linux is loaded to your computer’s RAM when you boot it up, so it will run entirely from RAM and be as snappy as possible. The computer’s old, slow hard drive won’t be a factor. You can even save your files and customizations to the USB drive containing Puppy Linux — there should be plenty of space considering how small Puppy Linux is.

Puppy Linux has very low minimum system requirements and requires only 128 MB of RAM, although at least 256 MB of RAM is recommended. It offers the most basic applications you’d expect — an extremely lightweight web browser named Dillo, and other programs like an email client, media player, text editor, and image editor. It uses the Openbox window manager by default.

VectorLinux Light

VectorLinux Light is the lightweight edition of Vector Linux. The developers claim it works well on systems with 256 MB of memory — you could even install the Barebone option instead, which will give you a graphical web browser that the developers say performs well on even a Pentium 3 with 128 MB of memory.

VectorLinux Light isn’t optimized for booting from a USB drive and running from RAM in the same way that Puppy Linux is. VectorLinux doesn’t offer a live environment of the latest VectorLinux Light you can take a test drive with at all — it must be installed to your computer’s hard drive before you can use it.

However, if you plan on installing a Linux system to disk, VectorLinux Light is similar to Puppy Linux, with similar system requirements and included applications. You’ll find all the typical programs included — web browser, email client, chat program, text editor, and image editors. It uses the JWM window manager, which previous versions of Puppy Linux used, by default.

Between Puppy Linux and VectorLinux, you should probably go with Puppy Linux — it’s better supported and allows you to run it from a USB drive or just take it for a test run much more easily. VectorLinux’s installation process is less automatic and more dated. On the other hand, choice of Linux distributions often boils down to personal taste, so you may want to try VectorLinux Light if you don’t like Puppy for some reason.

Lubuntu

Lubuntu is based on Ubuntu — it’s an Ubuntu derivative, which means it’s based on the same software as Ubuntu but it includes a different graphical desktop environment and included software. Lubuntu is the most lightweight derivative of Ubuntu, including the lightweight LXDE desktop instead of Ubuntu’s default Unity desktop. Because it’s based on Ubuntu, you can install programs from Ubuntu’s software repositories. The Ubuntu compatibility may also be useful if you ever need to find information about a problem — the web is full of tips for troubleshooting and tweaking Ubuntu, and many of them will also apply to Lubuntu.

This distribution is a bit heavier than Puppy. For example, it includes the full Chromium web browser — based on Google Chrome — instead of more lightweight web browsers like Puppy Linux and VectorLinux Light. Its documentation says it requires at least 256 MB of RAM for daily use, but 512 MB is recommended. It will take up more disk space when installed, too.

Lubuntu is ideal for Ubuntu users who are looking for the most lightweight Ubuntu desktop system possible — or at least the most lightweight Ubuntu desktop system possible without creating your own from scratch. It requires more RAM so it won’t perform quite as well as Puppy Linux or Vector Linux Light on older computers with 256 MB of RAM.

If none of these Linux systems runs well, then your old computer is probably way overdue for an upgrade. These Linux distributions may be tiny and lightweight, but they’re not magical. Even if you’re just using them to browse the web, the modern web is heavier than ever.

If you’re a Linux geek, you have other options for getting a tiny, lightweight operating system. You could install a minimal Debian, Slackware, or even Ubuntu system without a graphical desktop and install the most lightweight graphical desktop possible — or skip the graphical desktop entirely and use terminal programs like the W3M web browser.

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Western Digital 1TB Live Hub Mixes Set-Top Box

Western Digital announced on Tuesday a new set-top box, the WDTV Live Hub, which combines streaming of Web content like Netflix with a 1 TB hard drive for playing your media on your HDTV.

The competition in the field of set-top TV boxes is heating up faster than ever. Google TV, Apple TV, Roku, Boxee and others all allow users to access content from the Web via services like Netflix, Pandora and YouTube, all on their TV. Western Digital's WDTV Live Plus hasn't received quite the press of those other devices, but it's a good way to stream Web content, and your own music and movie collection, to your TV.

On Tuesday, Western Digital announced a new model in the WDTV line, called the WDTV Live Hub, that takes the capabilities of the WDTV Live Plus, and adds a new interface (in an attempt to improve upon the poor interface of the Live Plus) and a 1-terabyte hard drive for storing local content.

Essentially, the WDTV Live Hub is a combination of a networked hard drive that allows you to access its data from other devices, and a set-top box that streams Web content. The 1TB drive is large enough for most people's media collections, and the Live Hub can be paired with Live Plus devices (which are still going to be sold, for $99) to stream content from the Hub to other screens around your house. It's one box, with all your media (both that you own and from various Web services), that connects to your TV for simple viewing.

The 1.22-pound Live Hub supports 1080p HD playback via an HDMI TV output, can stream from Netflix, Pandora and other services, and gets first-run movies from Blockbuster on Demand. WD claims that the Live Hub has the ability to play "virtually any media file." It supports a huge number of file formats, from images to videos and music files, and doesn't appear to have any of the Apple TV's or Roku's restrictions.

Western Digital has also apparently learned a few lessons from the Live Plus box as well, and a number of improvements havefound their way into the Live Hub. There's support for a wireless keyboard for easier navigation and search, as well as a brand-new interface that WD says is much improved.

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DLNA extension enables multi-screen delivery through Set-Top-Box

MSOs and other service providers will soon be able to deliver multi-screen content directly through set-top boxes, in addition to – or instead of – the broadband channel. The enabler will be the DLNA CVP-2 guidelines published today.

Service providers have long been able to securely distribute IP-based content through broadband networks and broadband routers and still maintain security for the content. Previously, secure multi-screen distribution of MPEG-based pay TV content delivered through the set-top was not possible.

While the prospect of creating a home network using a set-top/gateway is no doubt enticing, success will depend entirely on encouraging the participation of enough service providers and consumer electronics (CE) companies.

"DLNA’s new CVP-2 Guidelines provide the industry with a foundation to significantly enhance consumer enjoyment of premium content offerings from their service provider. Content providers' rights are preserved, devices will have greater functionality, and consumers will have greater viewing device options. This is a win for all stakeholders,” said Tom Lookabaugh, chief R&D officer, CableLabs. CableLabs is a contributing member in the DLNA group, contributing to the development of the technology.

As of now, few companies have publicly committed to using DLNA CVP-2 – even among the contributing members. In addition to CableLabs, they include Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable, Broadcom and Samsung.

That said, interest in the technology has begun to percolate. At the recent CES, companies that showed technology or demonstrated support for DLNA CVP-2 included ARM, Broadcom, Access, AwoX, JetHead, SiliconDust, Videon and ViXS Systems.

Joerg Eggink, product director at Access, said, “…we're already seeing very high levels of interest from our broadcast and CE device customers.”

Karthik Ranjan, ARM marketing director, operator relations, said, “The ARM ecosystem has invested heavily in HTML5 technology within the mobile market, which will in turn provide huge commercial gains for the Pay TV sector as it will have access to the constant and rapid innovation.”

David DeAndrade, a fellow in Comcast’s office of the CTO, is a spokesman for DLNA. He said in an interview with CED that there have also been some European satellite and telco service providers who have been involved, though they did not participate at the official “Contributor” level.

He acknowledged that the adoption of DLNA CVP-2 will have a chicken-and-egg element to it. The technology will require a critical mass of both service providers and CE companies. Given that, it’s notable that Apple has not participated in the effort so far.

“Success will invite more service providers in, and more CE companies in. If we get a good launch this could very well become a success,” DeAndrade said.

DLNA CVP-2 is implemented using open source technologies including linux platforms, HTML5, MPEG-DASH, and DTCP-IP, the digital rights management (DRM) software that authorizes and enables sharing within a home network.

Support for DLNA CVP-2 is also built into the RDK software stack, DeAndrade noted.

Products will have to be certified before being marketed. Certification is expected to begin in September. There will be five or six organizations that will perform certification testing around the world. In the U.S., the University of New Hampshire will be one.

DLNA expects certified products to hit the market at the end of this year.

DLNA CVP-2 provides several advantages, but the topline benefit is the ability to deliver video in a home network through a set-top or gateway, as opposed to an Ethernet/Wi-Fi router, no other equipment required.

Display devices can include PCs, Blu-ray players, game consoles, laptops and other mobile devices. Every device that would connect in a DLNA CVP-2 would need to be enabled with the technology. In many cases, that might require a simple app download for CE devices.

It is up to the CE companies to create those apps for their products. The way the technology is set up, the CE device will go out and discover the gateway, and access the remote user interface (RUI).

Because the RUI is HTML5-based, it can be consistent across all devices.

Once connected, the viewer can then go through the menu of content available. If Comcast were to adopt this technology, for instance, that would all go through the X1 platform.

The number of devices that could be supported would depend on the number of tuners in the set-top/gateway; gateways typically have 4 or 6.

It would be up to service providers to provide support pages that explain what the service is, what devices will be supported, and where to download apps for devices that can be used but didn’t come with the necessary software already installed.

Service providers would need to install a DLNA server.

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How to get started with DLNA

What the heck is DLNA and why you should care about it? I'll keep this simple.

If you have a lot of media stored on your PC—namely music, movies, and photos—DLNA makes it possible to stream that stuff to other devices in your house.

What kinds of other devices? TVs, Blu-ray players, media boxes, and even smartphones and tablets. What's cool is that you might already own the gear you need. In that case, all you'd need is some free software for your PC.

That software effectively turns your PC into a server, making your media libraries available to compatible devices that connect to it. Among the popular media servers for Windows: Plex, TVersity, and Twonky.

On the device side, you may find that some manufacturers incorporate a branded version of DLNA. For example, many LG Blu-ray players and TVs offer a feature called SmartShare, but that's really just DLNA under a different name. Same goes for Philips' Simple Share and Samsung's AllShare.

If you have one of those devices, the manufacturer might steer you to a particular media-server program—like, say, Samsung's AllShare for Windows. But you may still be able to use a different server app if you like, including any of the aforementioned. As long as the device on the receiving end is DLNA-compliant, it should work.

One area where DLNA can get tricky, especially when you're trying to stream video, is codecs. That refers to the way a video file is encoded, which can vary quite a bit depending on the source. This is especially true if you're downloading files from the likes of Bittorrent. If the video uses an unusual encoding format, it might not stream properly.

Alas, the only way to find out is through trial and error.

If you're eager to get your feet wet in the wonderful world of DLNA, I recommend installing Plex for Windows and then the Plex app for your Android, iOS, or Windows Phone device. Plex also works with Roku boxes and LG and Samsung TVs (those with "smart" features, that is). Give it a try, then let me know what you think!

Posted by guest blogger originally written by Rick Broida via techive.

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Smart TV of the future and key features

Current Evolution

In the past, we saw the television as a player of cable and DVB-T contents but in the future will be "one of the list"! Smile

Next evolution step added a small games like snake, tetris, etc. as TV became like a big computer monitor instead of the old CRT-like player.

The milestone was to “plug the net” into the player, which allowed to access Social Network, home streaming movies via DLNA, online streaming services.

They added also some extra feature to add custom Java apps in TV firmware.

Now, Samsung announced some more features:

• Integrated webcam for Video call using Skype
• Gesture and Voice control like Microsoft Kinect
• Netflix & Co. integration for movies streaming

Consider also Toshiba announced a new 3D TV without glasses

What they need

3D Smart TVs will be “the standard” for future but they will need:

• Good contents from web (Netflix & Co.)
• Standard developer platform to add cutom apps

Future scenarios

• Sony will integrate “Kinect-like” into TV to use the lock in with Playstation
• Samsung will use its market share leadership to push out Microsoft Kinect as controller
• Microsoft will do a join venture to integrate XBox dashboard & Kinect technology into TV (hopefully with Samsung!)
• TV firmware should support HTML 5 applications as common platform (no more Java or Flash)

Ultra future…

• No more 1meter monitor but a small 10 cm box with DLP technology and holografic images

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Multimedia Home System – Streaming using DLNA protocol

WDTV Live doesn’t support DLNA streaming on official firmware.

You need to install WDLXTV firmware, but this doesn’t include DLNA server but only client

See latest version at Cacoo.com

More information about DLNA and UPnP

To get DLNA server on WDLXTV you need to install a TwonkyMedia v4.4.18 download from here -> note this SW is not FREE but you need to buy a copy at Twonky website.

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DLNA over LAN and WIFI problems

I am having trouble getting DLNA working over LAN & WIFI at the same time.

For example, My Samsung TV has DLNA support for DMP and DMR, I am able to access my media servers and use the "Play To" feature in Windows 7 without problem on my LAN, however if I try over WIFI with my laptop or cellphone they don't pick up the TV and the TV can't pick them up, my phone picks up my laptop and visa versa over wifi, so its as if the WIFI network is seperate from the LAN somehow?

This makes no sense because I have a DSL LAN/WIFI router which is being used and the networks are not separate on it, I am able to access all machines via network shares etc. The only thing that wont work is DLNA!

So to sum it up, DLNA works over LAN, DLNA works over WIFI but wont work between LAN devices & WIFI devices.

The router is pretty much on the default settings, I made sure subnets and all are the same but cant get it to work.

If anybody has any idea what could be wrong any suggestion would be appreciated.

Update: I am able to ping the TV via WIFI through my laptop and from my PC on the LAN, I am also able to ping my laptop from my PC, LAN - WIFI, all seems to be working, just DLNA wont work between WIFI & LAN and I cant figure out what is the problem!

If I open my router and go to the LAN Clients page, it lists all devices including WIFI devices.

Update 2: Thanks Anyway, I found the problem, as soon as I enabled IGMP Proxy in my router DLNA started working over wlan.

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How to Know If Someone Blocked You on WhatsApp?

In one way or another, we all have experienced being blocked in just about any instant messaging apps or social media services available. There are quite a varied number of reasons why we would end up in some person's "black list." It is either you have said something that is somehow treated to be offensive, or perhaps the blacklister just find your very existence annoying or something that they could live without. Those are just some of the reasons why would you receive the "block" hammer. Despite of the reasons, it is never a good feeling. What if someone has chosen to block you from the ever-popular SMS app, WhatsApp? In today's tutorial, we will be teaching you How to Know If Someone Blocked You on WhatsApp.

How to Know If Someone Blocked You on WhatsApp?

Well, not many people know this but there is actually an FAQ with regards to the matter of whether someone has blocked you on WhatsApp. But since we are always inclined to be nice, we will bring it to your attention for your convenience. There are actually two strong indicators that will enable you to know if someone from your contact list has blocked you on WhatsApp.

• First factor is that you will not be able to see the blacklister's "last seen at.." login information or their "online" indicator in the Chat window. However, this is not actually a foolproof indicator since based on our previous WhatsApp tip, you can easily toggle your "last seen at.." information and set it to OFF.
• The second factor, when you send a message to any contact that has blocked you, it will always show one check (indicating that the message has been sent) but the second check mark (indicating that the message has been delivered) will never be displayed. Two check marks mean that the message has been sent and delivered successfully. If you have sent a message and it only shows one check, there is a good chance that you have been blocked. Refer to the image below on how these check marks look.

WhatsApp Check Marks How to Know If Someone Blocked You on WhatsApp?

While both of these factors suggests that you have been blocked, they are not 100% guaranteed to be foolproof. The developers of WhatsApp has intentionally made this matter to be ambiguous in order to protect the privacy of anyone who chooses to block someone. Any indicator that will outright tell if a person has blocked you will violate that person's privacy.

So in case you find out that you've been blocked, the golden question is: how do you get unblocked? Well, there is no one in this world that can lift your blacklist status but the person himself / herself. However, I'm sure that you ask nicely, if you could work things out.

Have you experienced being blocked on WhatsApp or any messaging app?

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RecBoot: Put Your iPhone in Recovery Mode With Single Click

RecBoot is a free utility for Windows and Mac users which allow you to put your iPhone / iPod Touch in recovery mode easily. Its a great utility for for those iPhone users who's iPhone Home or Sleep/Wake button is not fully functional. Moreover this utility saves you from learning the 3-4 steps of putting your iPhone into recovery mode manually. Normally you need to put your iPhone into recovery mode when your want to do a firmware restore.

RecBoot has very simple interface, only two buttons i-e "Enter Recovery Mode" which puts your iPhone to recovery mode and "Exit Recovery Mode" which takes your iPhone out of recovery mode option. The program requires LibUSB utility whos setup is included in the zip package.

Manual method to put your iPhone into recovery includes the following steps:

• Connect your iPhone to iTunes.
• Press and hold the "Home" and "Sleep/Wake" button at the same time.
• As soon as your iPhone screen goes black, release the "Sleep/Wake" button and continue pressing the "Home" button until you see a popup on your computer screen saying "iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode".

To download RecBoot application for Windows click from here and RecBoot application for Mac from here.

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Portable Internet Download Manager For Linux And Windows

Internet Download Manager or IDM is one of the finest download accelerators available for downloading purpose. It works in both Windows and Ubuntu (Linux). It can speed up downloading process upto 5 times your normal download speed. Portable version of IDM helps you to manage your downloads right from your USB sticks. Read review of Internet Download Manager (Full Version) for more details. Also learn how you can integrate IDM in Google Chrome.

How To Use In Windows?

Using portable version of IDM is very easy. You don't need to apply patch stuff. Its already registered. All you have to do is to download and run IDM [Executable File].

How To Use In Ubuntu Linux?

You have to run EXECUTABLE file in Ubuntu using Wine. If you have not installed wine then click here for complete guide to install and use wine in Ubuntu.

Download the Portable_IDM.zip and extract it on your Ubuntu desktop. Right click on it and choose Open with "Wine Windows Program Loader". Thats it. Enjoy speedy downloads.

You can download the Portable Internet Download Manager from these links Esnips.com, 4Shared.com and MegaShare.com (Password: jaxov)

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Xtreme Download Manager: Alternative Internet Download Manager for Linux

Xtreme Download Manager (xdman) is an download manager app based on Java. it advanced and powerful download manager app which claims that can increase download speed, It also support pause and resume broken download and capture FLV videos from any sites .

xdman uses sophisticated dynamic segmentation algorithm,data compression and connection reuse to speed up the download process. Xtreme Download Manager supports HTTP, HTTPS and FTP protocols, firewalls, proxy servers, file redirects, cookie, authorization etc. Xtreme Download Manager integrates with any browser to handle downloads automatically using Advanced browser integration.

Depend on Java Runtime 6 (JRE6) or Latest jRE, xdman running perfectly on Ubuntu 13.04 or Ubuntu previous version with OpenJDK-JRE. It also can running on major OS like Windows,Mac OSX, Linux Distribustion that installed JRE.

Xdman Features

• Download files at maximum possible speed. ( 5-6 times faster )
• Sophisticated dynamic file segmentation algorithm,data compression & connection reuse.
• Download FLV videos from YouTube, MySpaceTV, Google Video or Any Other site
• Capture download from any browser (Firefox,Chrome,Internet Explorer,Opera,Safari or any other program trying to download a file from Internet)
• Supports HTTP,HTTPS,FTP protocols with Authentication,Proxy Servers, Cookies, Redirection etc.
• Resumes broken/dead downloads caused by connection problem,power failure or session expiration
• Highly portable. Runs on any O.S with Java SE 6. No need for installation.
• Can be configured to perform Automatic Antivirus checking, System shutdown on download completion

How to Install Xtreme Download Manager

On ubuntu, installing Xtreme Download Manager very easy. First download Xtreme Download Manager from here, you can also download it from terminal by typing command:

wget -O xdman.zip http://sourceforge.net/projects/xdman/files/xdman.zip/download

Extract xdman.zip

mkdir xdman
unzip xdman.zip -d xdman/

Enter to directory xdman/ and make exexutable file xdman.sh

cd xdman/
chmod +x xdman.sh

Run xdman.sh

./xdman.sh

Wait few second, it will be asking you to integrate xdman with your browser.

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