July, 2011

New MacBook Air: the speed secret Apple won’t tell you

July 26, 2011 10:32 am by Mic Wright

Categories: Computers & Accessories Tags: Apple, macbook air, Samsung, speeds, SSD, Toshiba

Speed tests on the new MacBook Air refresh have revealed an interesting discrepancy. TLD Today benchmarked the 128GB SSDs shipping in the 11in MacBook Air and 13in MacBook Air models and found the smaller model is packing a drive that achieves much faster read/write speeds. The 128GB Samsung SM128C SSD in the 11in MacBook Air delivered 246 MB/s writing and 264 MB/s reading data while the 128GB Toshiba TS128C SSD in the 13in model gave speeds of 156 MB/s and 208 MB/s.

Engadget followed up the discovery with its own tests and verified the difference. It found that 256GB Samsung drive in its older MacBook Air delivered similar speeds to the new 11in MacBook Air but that the 13in MacBook Air was substantially slower. In day-to-day usage, the drop in speed is likely to be unnoticeable but it’s still interesting to discover the difference between models. You can see TLD Today’s demonstration of how some MacBook Air SSDs are speedier than others by clicking through…

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Nokia E6 review: An E72 for the modern age still isn’t enough

July 26, 2011 10:07 am by Ben Sillis

Categories: Mobile Phones Tags: E6, Nokia, symbian

The Nokia E6 has been two years in the in the waiting, if not the making. It’s taken Nokia since 2009 to replace its flagship portrait QWERTY phone, the Nokia E72, and it’s only now, as the company dumps Symbian for Windows Phone, that it’s finally refreshed the form factor.

Can Symbian’s touted Anna update and a sharper screen help it stand out for the crowd in 2011? We take a look in our Nokia E6 review.

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Amazon kills Kindle app store link to appease Apple

July 26, 2011 10:05 am by Mic Wright

Categories: Apps & Software Tags: Amazon, Apple, iPad, iPhone, kindle, Kindle Store

The fate of the Amazon Kindle iPhone and iPad apps has been up in the air since Apple introduced new rules back in February demanding a 30% cut of in-app purchases and banning apps from sending users to web stores to purchases content their instead.

Thankfully Amazon has decided not to pull the app entirely but has had to acquiesce to Apple’s demands by removing the button which linked the app to the Kindle Store…

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The Firefox phone: Mozilla plans a mobile OS

July 26, 2011 9:33 am by Mic Wright

Categories: Mobile Phones Tags: Android, Firefox. Boot to Gecko, Mobile, mozilla, open source

Mozilla, home to the brains behind Firefox, is planning to build its very own mobile OS. The project called Boot to Gecko or B2G broke cover on the Mozilla Developer Group yesterday. Its aim is to create a standalone operating system that will use web technologies to deliver all of its applications.

Think that sounds a lot like what Google is trying to do with Chrome OS? Well, you’d be right but the difference is that Mozilla is focused on mobile and, interestingly, it plans to build Boot to Gecko on an Android foundation. Could this be the truly open source OS many people have been craving?

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Dell UltraSharp U2412M now available: A budget-friendly IPS panel for the masses

July 25, 2011 6:50 pm by Nick Marshall

Categories: Computers & Accessories Tags: Dell, Dell UltraSharp U2412M, Mac, OS X, U2410, Windows

The latest in Dell’s UltraSharp displays, the 24-inch U2412M, is now alive and kicking on the company’s website in the US and Japan. The U2412M joins the U2410 as Dell’s affordable 24-inch UltraSharp flagship and features the same 16:10 widescreen aspect ratio, IPS panel, and anti glare with hard coat 3H.

The dynamic contrast ratio has been bumped from 80,000:1 to 2,000,000:1, but the brightness is down from 400 cd/m2 to 300 cd/m2 and the response time is 8ms instead of 6ms. We’d say those are minor concessions considering the generous 33 percent price cut.

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Mac OS X Lion review: A new beginning, but a bargain too

July 25, 2011 5:20 pm by Mic Wright

Categories: Apps & Software Tags: Apple, desktop, Mac, OS X, os x lion

The last time Apple launched a new version of Mac OS X into the world, we were living in a time before the iPad and it was somewhat humble about its efforts advertising Snow Leopard as “the world’s most advanced operating system. Finely tuned”.

This time, it’s very different. Mac OS X Lion is stuffed full of user-facing features, and promoted by Apple as “the power of Mac OS X. The magic of the iPad” and across the operating system features from the tablet have taken root. For unabashed iPad fans that’s likely to be a cause for celebration but for long time OS X users, there could be a steep learning curve. Does the iOS world with its grids of icons and rampant use of gestures work well now it’s migrated back to the Mac? Let’s find out…

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Did Samsung sell more smartphones than Apple this quarter?

July 25, 2011 5:05 pm by Nick Marshall

Categories: Mobile Phones Tags: Android, Apple, IOS, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy S 2, Samsung Galaxy S II, windows phone

According to research firm Strategy Analytics, the answer to that question is yes. Samsung sold between 18 and 21 million smartphones in the second quarter, beating Nokia’s 16.7 million and Apple’s 20.3 million iPhones. The firm believes sales of the Galaxy S II sealed the deal and that Samsung will be walking away as the number one global smartphone manufacturer when the dust settles.

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Apple iPad 3 concept includes Retina display and full HD video

July 25, 2011 4:00 pm by Nick Marshall

Categories: Gadgets Tags: Apple, FaceTime HD, iOS 5, ipad 2, iPad 3, macbook air, Retina Display

If you’re anything like us you can’t stand waiting for new gadgets to drop. The iPad 3, due out later this year or early 2012, is at the top of our must-have list. Thanks to Guilherme Schasiepen, the same guy behind this incredible iPhone 5 mockup, we have our first glimpse at what could be the iPad 3. Ready to take a peek?

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July, 2011

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