Friday, January 28, 2011

The top 10 gadgets we should see (or not) by 2020

The top 10 gadgets we should see (or not) by 2020

Comparision of Amazon kindle,Apple Ipad and Notion Ink Adam

New Amazon Kindle DX vs Apple iPad vs Notion Ink Adam. Let it rip!

Only a year ago, Amazon’s Kindle unquestionably towered over its e-reading competitors with a sleek design, low price and always-on 3G access built right into the purchase price. Then along came Apple. Although the iPad differs in many ways from a dedicated e-reader, Apple’s marketing has depicted it as a suitable replacement for books. Now its nearly time for the next iteration to come out. And to add to the mix, we added the soon to be launched Notion Ink Adam tablet which has created a buzz online.

Look and Feel:

Out of the box, the iPad easily looks the best out of the three. With its solid build and use of expensive looking glossy plastic and aluminium, it gives a premium feel to the user. The people who have used the Notion Ink say that the plastic body has a very solid feel to it, and they have gone for a matte finish which resists fingerprints and dirt and all that, much like the Kindle DX. Of the three, The kindle is the slimmest, and Adam is the thickest. Despite the Adam being thicker and heavier it is actually easier to use the Adam in any orientation thanks to the rubberized, curved top edge.

In terms of ports, Adam demolishes the other two, having a host of ports including USB [host] as well as a full HDMI port. The other two almost beg for more ports having only a micro-USB [Kindle] and Apple Dock connecter Port [iPad].

Kindle DX: 10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″ (0 .54kg)

iPad: 9.56” x 7.47” x 0.5” (0.73kg)

Adam: 10.59”x 7.52”x 0.55” (0.73kg)




Display:


Lets start with the Pearl e-Ink of the Kindle. Easily the most suited to reading with a high dpi resolution, and the lack of a 60Hz refresh rate makes it incredible easy for the eyes to read. However face it: a 16 level gray scale screen is so good for reading and the like. The 1024x 768 screen of the iPad is a gorgeous, beautiful, glossy, vivid display which makes internet browsing, and viewing videos a pleasure. The Adam in contrast has a 1024×600 transreflective PixelQi display. The backlight can be toggled by tapping the top button the display, and makes for an incredible reading experience in the sunlight. In contrast, the iPad is absolutely unreadable in direct sunlight. With the backlight on, the colors appear washed out as compared to the iPad. iPad and the Kindle offer incredible viewing angles, and they were also good in the Adam, though not as good as compared to the other two.

To sum it up, Kindle is most suited to the e-Bibliophiles out there, iPad is best for the movie freaks, and Adam offers a great compromise of both the features.



UI Experience:


Kindle, of course, has a dedicated reader based UI, measly support for web pages. Basically it reads books. Thats it. Its not really good for any other purpose. iPad has the well tried, used and loved iOS, along with its AppStore which provides a brilliant offering of Apps. Anyone who has used the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch knows how great and intuitive the OS is. The touchscreen is brilliantly responsive, and the fingers just glide over the glossy screen. Web Pages look vibrant in its screen, and it has an awesome option of Apps for games, etc. Notion Ink brings a new UI called the Eden, which it has built on the Android platform, and customized it heavily. It uses panels on the home screen to display information. It is not very friendly to use out of the box but as you start using it, it should get a second nature to use it. Single taps and Double taps behave differently, though it has a neat layout. Notion Ink has an inbuilt camera as well as GPS support. Support for Third Applications are the major issue, it has no support for Android Market, though it has plans to launch its own Genesis store soon.



Performance and Battery Life:


Apple uses an A4 chip, at 1GHz based on the Cortex A8 chip. Performance is great on it, with nothing taking forever to open. It renders Web Pages almost instantly, and has support for 720p Video Playback. But this is not really a lot compared to Notion Ink’s NVIDIA Tegra 250 chip and its dual core 1Ghz Cortex A9 chip and ULV GPU which works for both power efficiency as well as blazing performance, and allows it to support full HD 1080p playback. Lets not mention the Kindle over here.

In terms of Battery Life, the iPad gives around 10 hours, the Adam around 12hours, and the Kindle gives about 4 days of battery life with the Wireless on. With the wireless off, the Kindle DX can work for upto 2 weeks, thanks to e-Ink technology.



Pricing and Verdict:

Notion Ink Adam is priced at 499USD [+50USD Global Shipping], for the PixelQi screen and the Wi-Fi only version. Adding 3G gets it upto 549USD [based on the Pre-Order Prices]. iPad comes for 499USD for the Wi-Fi only version, and goes upto a whooping 629USD. Kindle DX is available for 379USD.

So to sum it up, iPad is a great buy if you are into internet and video but its not for the books. Its worth waiting for iPad 2 to be launched with the rumored Retina Display, and Apple A5 chip. Kindle is recommended only if you are bent on buying a eBook reader only device, and don’t have any other use for it. Notion Ink Adam is our definite choice here, and it should be worth the wait. To add to the mix Samsung Galaxy Tab has already been launched, and Motorola Xoom and RIM Blackberry Playback are also expected soon. None of them are eBook readers but they should be taken seriously in the tablet market.

Top 10 Online Virus scanners

Recently, we posted about top free antivirus for Windows 7 and we also wrote about top free mobile antiviruses on Comptalks. Today, we are going to talk about online virus scanners through which you scan your computer/laptop or the files you are about to download from downloading sites rapidshare,megaupload or mediafire .

Most of the times,people get infected by viruses when they try to download some pirated software from some warez forum. We recommend all our users not to use warez softwares as some of them might be having some keyloggers/trojans binded with them . For every software, there is a free and open source software available . Also, it is highly recommended that you should scan the software online using it on computer ,as some online virus scanners present great variety .
So, here is our list of Online Virus Scanners :

VirusTotal :

VirusTotal is quite famous among downloaders and regular downloaders always do an online scanning before downloading a file from somewhere . Here you can either check the file by uploading or by URL . In Virustotal, there are more than 30 antivirus companies that participate in VirusTotal with their antivirus engines.

ESET Online Scanner :

I have been using ESET Antvirus on my laptop and never had a virus problem in the last two year. So, I will be advising you guys to have a look at the ESET Online Virus Scanner . If you are mozilla firefox or any other browser user other than Internet Explorer, then you’ll have to install a file/plugin and then run it . I tested it on Internet Explorer and it was working way cool .

BitDefender Online Scanner : BitDefender Online Scanners offers you a browser extension in Mozilla and Chrome. And scanning through both the extensions works way cooler than you might have thought of . I have tested both the extensions and best thing about them is that they run simultaneously with your PC’s antivirus and you don’t have to uninstall that software.

McAfee Online Virus Scanner : McAfee Online Virus is another online virus scanning tool which works quite neatly for users,but right now it not available for Windows 7 .

Symantec Security Check : This is for all Norton Antivirus fans, which love using that antivirus even after its validity has expired. You can use this for checking some stuff on your computer . This too doesn’t work with Windows 7 .



Panda Security Online Antivirus scan anda Security also offers a quite cool online antivirus tool ,for using this in Firefox you need to download a plugin .

Avast Online Scanner :

This is for all Avast lovers,who love to use Avast antivirus. Although never been a fan of offline version ,this seems cool as you can individually scan an infected item given that it is less than 16 mb .

COMODO Online Scanner :

Comodo AV Scanner is a free service that lets you quickly find out whether your computer is infected with viruses and spyware. The scanner requires the installation of a small browser plug-in.

F-secure Online Scanner :

F-Secure Online Scanner helps you getting rid of malwares from your computer .

Kaspersky Online Virus Scanner :

This used to be a great tool for online virus scanning but now it has been disabled by Kaspersky as they are working on it to give you guys a better online scanner .

Top 10 Antivirus softwares for PC in 2011

Today, an unprotected computer isn’t just vulnerable, it’s probably already infected. New viruses, spyware, trojans, worms, and other malware are created every day. New threats are disguised to bypass other security measures, and specifically designed to catch you and your PC off guard.

The Antivirus Softwares are the one stop solution to keep your machine healthy and secure. There are a number of options available in the market today and seeing the escalating security breaches on the internet, the companies have equipped their softwares with the most updated features to fight any trojan or virus trying to conquer the firewall of the empire of their data.

Here’s my list of top 10 antivirus to use :

1)BITDEFENDER:

BitDefender is the best antiviruses with top class defending ability.BitDefender Antivirus Pro protects PC from a number of online threats, including viruses, spyware, phishing scams, and more. The software basically covers from every angle, protecting PC from threats on the internet, email, and even instant messaging. The program scans all web, IM, and email traffic for malware. The software is even equipped to encrypt the IM chat conversations.It provides hourly definition updates for latest threats.



2)KASPERSKY:

Kaspersky Antivirus is often treated as the best available Antivirus application and has a special version for file servers. It covers almost all sections needed for a top class security.Kaspersky is known for their quick response to new viruses, and they’re often among the first to detect new viruses in the wild. One reason the software is so effective is because it is updated regularly and is proactively looking for new security threats. The malware landscape continues to change, and Kaspersky adjusts to address the threats.



3)NORTON:

Norton Antivirus is one of the most popular and well known antivirus application.Norton AntiVirus 2011 does a great job of balancing system resources, simplicity, and (most importantly) security. The protection level is second to none, and new features continue to set the standard for antivirus software. The latest version has the ability to map your wireless home network and safeguards your wifi networks.Norton has managed to use their unique strengths to deliver an excellent antivirus program with a great overall user experience.



4)McAFEE:

McAfee is one of the leading antiviruses in security industry.McAfee also produces an enterprise-level product named VirusScan Enterprise: McAfee has designed this for use on larger networks. It contains features intended to make management of antivirus software on multiple computers easier.McAfee introduced 2 features ScriptStopper and WormStopper. But it has no support for P2P File Sharing, Instant Messenger and Registry Startup. The inbuilt updater updates virus definitions on a regular basis to keep PC up-to-date.



5)WEBROOT:

Webroot Antivirus with Spysweeper is the perfect virus/spyware combo. The software is easy to use, and features effective protection and performance.Webroot monitors and detects all sorts of malicious files and just plain unwanted programs like adware, dialers, cookies, and keyloggers. The integrated Spy Sweeper is an amazing standalone anti-spyware software that in itself protects from a variety of computer threats.The only thing keeping this software out of the top slots is the lack of a few features like a battery saving mode and rescue CD.



6)AVG ANTIVIRUS:

AVG Antivirus offers a number of compelling features and the right technology to keep PC protected.AVG protects from hackers, phishing scams, adware and malware that come through email or IM. AVG even scans outbound email to make sure you don’t accidentally pass a virus along to others. And of course the software protects from other forms of malware, including worms, keyloggers, Trojans and rootkits.With innovative new features and improved performance, AVG 2011 is better than ever. The new social networking protection and LinkScanner up the ante with proactive web protection, cloud antivirus and a security network.



7)AVIRA ANTIVIR:

Avira Antivir Premium is one of the best in the business, and has several compelling features that make it a great choice for antivirus software. Avira AntiVirUS is filled with great features that enhance security, performance, and convenience. One important feature is that the scanner works in real-time. Avira scans all files as they are accessed, in the split second before they are opened and have the chance to infect your PC.The software also incorporates advanced technology that protects from the constantly changing virus landscape.And while the software didn’t offer some convenient features (like a silent gamer mode) that others have, the effectiveness is second to none.



ESET NOD-32:

ESET NOD-32 is a great desktop security solution, complete with effective protection and advanced features. Eset Nod32 is particularly useful for home users looking for a simple “down-to-earth” security software that they can simply install and let the software do the work for them. Eset has proven to be one of the best overall performing antivirus software.Eset Nod32 Antivirus certainly isn’t as far-reaching as the upgraded Smart Security, but the scope is definitely on par with other leading antivirus competitors. Eset works behind the scenes to deliver protection from dialers, adware, and keyloggers.



9)PANDA CLOUD ANTIVIRUS:

Panda Cloud Antivirus uses a community-based approach to quickly identify new threats spreading via the Web. Processing of these new threats is done in-the-cloud, saving your system resources and making for a lighter and far more proactive antivirus software.It provides a full range of protection, from antivirus and antispyware to behavior blocking and rootkit detection. Panda Cloud Antivirus even protects while you’re offline. An added bonus, Panda Cloud Antivirus disables the ill-advised autorun feature in Windows that has led to a tremendous population of autorun worms.



10)ZONEALARM:

The latest version of ZoneAlarm antivirus comes with strong removal ability of most dangerous viruses and multilayer security for PC. But it is not certified by any of the three major independent testing labs Virus Bulletic, Checkmark, or ICSA. Zone Alarm scans uses lesser possible system resources.



If you want to scan your computer online, you can check our list of top online virus scanners or if you want antivirus for your mobile then do checkout our list of free mobile antivirus

Top 10 Antivirus softw