Nokia Booklet 3G

Nokia - the same company that brought us a wide array of high-end mobile phones - has recently released its newest merchandise, the Nokia Booklet 3G. Nokia Booklet 3G, however, is not a mobile phone. It is a mini-laptop or, in our current tech lingo, a netbook.

Nokia fans might have received this with much rejoicing. But, is the Nokia Booklet 3G going to leave an indelible mark in the field of netbooks, which is now filled with competitive brands?

Here is a rundown of its features as mentioned in NokiaUSA.com:

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Operating System: Windows 7 Starter

Body: Aircraft-grade aluminum slim body with super chassis construction

Dimensions: 10.39 x 7.28 (with hinge) x .78 inches (or 2 cm.)

Weight: 44.09 ounces (or 1.25 kg)

CPU and chipset: Intel® Atom™ Z530, 1.6 GHz; Intel® Poulsbo US15W

RAM: 1 GB DDR2

Hard drive: 120 GB

Display: 10.1-inch, 1,280 x 720 pixel display; Glass window

Keyboard: Frame Keyboard (it has a chiclet-style keyboard)

Battery: 56.8 watt hours; up to 12 hours

Connectivity: Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR; Built-in 3G modem (data calls only): WCDMA 850/1900/2100

I/O ports and slots

- HDMI 1.2 out for HD video

- 3 x USB 2.0

- 3.5 mm headphone out (OMTP: with OMTP headsets also functions as audio in)

- DC-in

- SD card reader

- SIM/USIM slot

Audio and video

- 1.3 megapixel FF camera

- HDMI port for HD video out

- Built-in stereo speakers, and microphone

- Analog audio output/headphone out (with OMTP headsets also functions as audio-in)

Others:

- Accelerometer (motion sensor)

- Integrated GPS and A-GPS

- Ovi Maps application

Colors: Available in Black, Ice, Azure

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Undeniably, this is a feature-filled netbook. The looks of it alone can send its competitors running away and back to their drawing boards. It is very sleek, good-looking, thin, and light. Aside from those, it has its own SIM Card Slot. This is then a cross between a PC and a mobile phone. It has the power of a PC but the mobility and connectivity of a mobile phone.

One thing that I found very attractive about it other than its general appearance is its amazing battery life. Nokia claims that the netbook can run for 12 hours on its battery alone thereby dispensing with the need to carry the charger all the time. Well, 12 hours translates roughly to about 10 hours in real-world situation or use. Nonetheless, 10 hours of use - unplugged - is still amazing.

The price? As of press time, Nokia USA attached a price tag of $599 to the Nokia Booklet 3G. In my opinion, that is quite a hefty price for a netbook.

The price is a big turn-off for me. At the moment, you can get very good netbooks at a price even lower than $400. I admit that the Nokia Booklet 3G looks really cool but I would still go for ASUS Eee PC 1005HA, which remains my personal favorite because of its [also] long battery life (10.5 hours) and functionality. It is also way more affordable at the price of $349.99 or even less. I don't think that the extra $250 you would have to pay for the Nokia Booklet 3G is all worth it.

5 Ways to Prolong the Life of your Notebook/Netbook Battery

For what good is a notebook or a netbook when its battery is crap? Forgive me for using that word but that is just the way it is.

The reason why notebook and, just recently, netbook computers were created is portability. Portability here does not only mean ease of carrying it around but also convenience in using it wherever you are, especially when there is nowhere to plug your notebook or netbook into.

Batteries are undoubtedly very important in a notebook or a netbook.

Most laptops nowadays have lithium-ion batteries and they allow for 500 cycles, more or less, depending on the capacity of the battery. One cycle consists of a charge/recharge and a discharge.

Eventually, batteries will die. A concrete example of this is the battery of my old notebook computer. On a full charge, it used to be able to run the notebook for several hours. Few months after, it started to give me only 30 minutes, then 10, and now that notebook computer cannot anymore be used unplugged. So much for portability, eh? I cannot anymore carry it around even though it is light because I would always have to look for a place with power sockets to plug it into.

Yes, it is a fact that the capacity of your notebook battery will diminish each day. However, there are ways of prolonging its life. Here are 5 ways:

1. Almost no one reads user's manuals these days. Maybe you have to go against this trend and start reading the user's manual included in your purchase of your notebook or netbook. It will tell you when to fully discharge your battery. I have read some manuals (no, it is not my hobby) stating that the user should let the battery fully discharge at least once a month or after several cycles - usually 30 cycles. This is necessary in calibrating the fuel gauge of your battery and in order to keep it accurate.

2. You do not need to always use or drain the battery until it is fully discharged. In fact, this will put more strain on the battery. Do it only as stated in the manual or once a month or after every 30 cycles, as the case may be. You should recharge the battery as soon as it alerts you that its battery level is already low - mostly when the level is only 10%.

3. If you intend to use your notebook computer plugged, you may remove the battery. As soon as the notebook computer is plugged into a power socket, the notebook is going to start recharging the battery if the battery is connected. This means the start of a new cycle. You can prolong a cycle by removing it when the computer will be plugged anyway, except when you will be charging the battery. However, if you are going to use your notebook as a desktop replacement - that is, you will be keeping it plugged for a longer period of time, say for several weeks or even months- you might as well store the battery in a cool, dry place at 40% level of charge. It was shown that it is at this level that the battery's capacity will not diminish the most when on a prolonged storage. In case of a prolonged storage, it is advisable that the battery be kept inside a sealed plastic bag to protect it from dust and moisture.

4. When running the notebook or netbook on its battery, activate the power-saving mode. This will exert less strain on the battery. While we are on this, let me also remind you not to use too many programs at the same time when your computer is running on its battery to avoid exerting too much strain on its battery. Disable some programs, adjust the screen brightness, and disconnect external hardwares, if convenient.

5. Avoid overheating the battery. Heat affects the battery pack. Likewise, do not put your notebook or netbook under direct sunlight or in hot places.

These are but few of the things that you can do to prolong the life of your notebook's or netbook's battery. These are very simple tips to consider and follow but the reward is great. Surely, you do not want to shell out money to replace a battery that you have only been using for few months.

Computers and the Internet have a Patron Saint

Yes, that is so true! As a matter of fact, this saint is not only the patron saint of computers and of the Internet but also of computer users and of IT professionals (hackers not included - for hackers, check out St. Expedite, although that's unofficial).

He is none other than St. Isidore of Seville.

He was born about 560 AD in Cartagena Spain and died on April 4, 636. During his lifetime, he became the Bishop of Sevilla and.. wait, wait! If you are interested in finding out more about his life, just click here for the Wikipedia article.

Let us jump right to the reason why he is considered as the patron saint of computers, computer users, IT professionals, and of the Internet. Here it is:

In the 7th century, he created the Etymologiae, which is an encyclopedia in itself comprising of 20 volumes. He intended the Etymologiae to be a compilation of universal knowledge in much the same way that our present-day encyclopedias deal with multifarious subjects - from mundane to unusual. You name it!

In essence, he created the very first database of everything known in the world he lived in. This is basically the reason for his selection.

Why Does My Computer Boot so Slow?

It is such a pain in the neck when your computer boots rather slowly, especially when you are in a hurry to get things done on the computer. Three minutes of waiting for the computer to completely boot is already "appalling". Imagine if it takes even longer than that!

We have heard of a lot of products promising to speed-up the boot-up process of our computers. But before we dive into purchasing any of these products, let us take a look first at the root causes of the slow boot-up.

Generally, there are two reasons for this. First, there might be too many startup programs and, second, there might be registry errors.

1. Startup programs are those programs that automatically load as you switch on the computer. Some of these are found on the system tray of the desktop, while some are running in the background. The more they are, the longer the boot time.

You can disable some of these items by clicking START > RUN. Then, type MSCONFIG. The System Configuration Utility opens. Thereafter, click on STARTUP tab. You will see a list of Startup Items on the STARTUP tab and they have checkmarks before them. Uncheck those items that you wish to disable. Be careful though in disabling the items. Disable only those items that you are sure of. Otherwise, you might inadvertently disable an essential item. If you are not sure about the item, do a research by doing a Google search of the startup item.

2. Registry errors exist when some of the registry entries that have accumulated over time do not exist anymore but your registry still tries to link to these entries or files. Likewise, it could happen when some of the registry entries get corrupted.

What you can do to solve this problem is by using registry cleaners. Some of the registry cleaners in the market today that you might want to look into are the following:

- Registry Easy

- Registry Winner

- RegClean

- Registry Defense

Facts You Should Know About iPods (by Roberto Sedycias)

iPod is one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history. It is the best selling mp3 / mp4 player in the market today. The combination of sound quality, sleek design and unique user interface, made the iPod a hit, causing an entire industry of accessories to emerge almost overnight.

The Apple Corporation first released the iPod on October 23, 2001.

Presently we are now on the 5th generation of iPod.

The first generation - Mp3 player with mechanical scroll wheel and four buttons.

The second generation - It has touch-sensitive wheel, 10 GB and 20 GB hard drives.

The third generation - It has touch-sensitive bottoms and USB connectivity.

The fourth generation - It has click-wheel and only two hard disk version, 20 GB and 40 GB.

The fifth generation - Mp4 player with 60 GB memory storage and video capability.

iPod has won several awards ranging from engineering excellence, to most innovative audio product. Very often it receives favorable reviews on looks, designs and handling.

iPod was designed as an mp3 / mp4 player for people with an active lifestyle. It is compact, sturdy and lightweight enough to take with you wherever you go. It was designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand or to be carried into a pocket or purse for easy transportation.

It comes in many storage capacities from 512 MG to 80 GB. The amount of memory it can hold, depends on the model or on the compression rate of your songs.

As an mp3 player it was designed to provide the best quality sound. It has a powerful 60 MW amplifier so it can deliver audio as loud as you want. It also has a 20 MZ to 20 KHZ frequency response, which means you can hear distortion free music at the lowest pitches.

iPod built-in rechargeable battery provides between 8 to 20 hours of music playtime depending on your model. Using the appropriate stereo adapter youriPod will sound great on your home or car stereo system. All iPod `s come as standard with a non removable lithium rechargeable battery. The battery charge will last about 14 to 28 days without use. The lcd display shows the battery level on the upper right corner of the screen. You may charge youriPod by connecting it to an Apple iPod Power Adapter or connecting it to a USB port of a computer. A full charge takes approximately four hours while 80% charge will require at least one hour.

Apple has designed the iPod, as an mp3 player, to work with the iTunes media library software, which allows you to select your music on your computer and on your ipod. iTunes can automatically synchronize this mp3 player with specific playlists or with the entire content of a music library each time you connect your iPod to a host computer.

The first three generations of iPod used two ARM 7TDMI derived CPUs running at 90 MHZ, while later models have variable speed chips which run at a peak of 80 MHZ to save battery life. Another great feature of owning aniPod is the fact that someone can record a discussion and then post the audio file on the internet. This means people can download the file and listen to the file on their iPod. As an mp4 player, with iTunes 4.9, you can now browse and subscribe to podcasts at the iTunes Website. Podcasts are radio shows or other audio/video programs that are downloadable over the internet.

In order for you to be a more satisfied iPod customer, as to the usability and longer battery life spam of this mp3-mp4 player you should consider the following tips:

- Keep it turned off when not using it.
- Update to the latest software.
- Keep it at room temperature whenever possible.
- If you are not using the backlighting, turn it off.
-Turning off the equalizer will save you battery.
- Use compressed songs.

With the availability of compact audio format, we have had mp3 players such as iPod, which provided an unprecedented portability to eager electronic consumers. Now iPod, as mp4 players, is already able to deliver video capability and a whole new set of features and services yet to come.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URL's (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page http://www.polomercantil.com.br/mp3-mp4-audio-portatil.php

Roberto Sedycias has a bachelor degree in Business Administration and over 20 years experience in systems analysis and computer programming. Currently working as IT consultant for http://www.polomercantil.com.br

Free Word Processing Program: AbiWord

A friend of mine bought a brand new netbook last month. But as with most netbooks, the Microsoft Office Programs installed therein are only for a given trial period - 60 days if I am not mistaken - unless the user buys a licensed Microsoft Office.

Nonetheless, if one does not want to shed out some dough for Microsoft Office programs, there are some options. One of which is AbiWord. AbiWord is a free word processing program, similar to Microsoft Office. (There are also other free office programs to serve as substitute for PowerPoint and Excel among others, but for the purpose of this post, let us only focus on AbiWord.)

AbiWord can read and write "all industry standard document types, such as OpenOffice.org documents, Microsoft Word documents, WordPerfect documents, Rich Text Format documents, HTML web pages and many more."

It also provides several layouts and styles to give your document a more appealing or professional look, as the case may be. Likewise, the software supports different languages, so wherever you are in the world and whatever language you speak, you are most likely to find this software very useful.

AbiWord also has a Mail Merge feature and Extensible Plugin Architecture - that is, there are plugins you can download and install to increase the functionality of AbiWord. One example of plugin is Thesaurus.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ABIWORD FOR FREE

Happy New Year!

It is the first day of 2010. So how did the cities around the world welcome the new year? With plenty of fireworks? Let us have a look at some of them.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

HONG KONG, CHINA

TAIPEI, TAIWAN

DUBAI, U.A.E.

LONDON, U.K.

NEW YORK, USA


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