Technology Effect

Today’s world is full of pieces of technology that we take for granted, the microchip has truly revolutionised the way in which we live and do business. The world we see would not be recognisable to people of a few generations ago and nowhere is this truism greater than in the world of computing. Hence it is important to stay up to date with technology news; while many may think that this type of news is purely for geeks it is clear that all of us should have at least a passing interest in news of technological developments. Technology pretty much touches all of our lives in some way and hence technology news is a vital resource that can keep us up to date with developments and ways in which the world will be changing. For instance, the onset of digital television is something that will affect most people; news stories that inform us of the dates for the switch over are vital so the average member of public can understand when their analogue signal will be turned off. In the...

  So, it’s time to upgrade your cell phone .  You’ve done some research, and decided that you want a BlackBerry smart phone.  But with all the options to choose from, which one is right for you?  Here are the main things to consider when choosing a BlackBerry. Who’s Your Carrier? If you plan to stick with your current carrier, your choices may be limited to what that carrier offers.  If all your options are open, do some basic research on factors such as a) coverage in the areas where you’ll be most often; b) available plans (minutes, data, text, and cost); and c) terms of contract or service agreement. Check Your Timing Before buying a phone, check BlackBerry forums online (such as Crackberry.com) for new product announcements.  A new model with advanced features may be introduced in a few weeks, and you may decide to wait for it. On the other hand, technology is advancing so quickly that there’s always going to be a new and improved model...

Chocolate or vanilla? Red or white wine? Kindle or iPad? For those who can’t make up their minds, there’s always a combo option: choco-vanilla swirl, Rosé and — now — the Entourage eDGe, an e-reader that doubles as a tablet. This quirky device contains two screens that fold together like a book, letting you read a Malcolm Gladwell book on the black-and-white E Ink screen while you update your Facebook status on the adjacent color LCD display. You’d think this mash-up would be fabulous. It’s not. Despite our initial enthusiasm, after testing the eDGe we found it to be a Frankenstein-ish monster that’s hobbled by a slow processor, some puzzling design choices and touchscreen technology that seems like it was cooked up during the Clinton administration. At three pounds, the eDGe is five times as heavy as a Kindle and nearly twice the heft of the upcoming iPad. It’s comparable in weight to the average netbook, but since you almost always have to cradle the eDGe in your arms, i...

Looking for a way to give your note taking routine a 21st-century kick in the ass? Have a gander at the Echo. Livescribe’s latest smartpen comes with all the insanely cool tricks of its predecessor — the Pulse —albeit in a slightly redesigned package. Packed with the same ARM 9 processor, an infrared camera, a built-in speaker and mic, the Echo lets you write, record and then seamlessly transfer all your notes (with the help of the company’s free desktop software) to your Mac or PC. Of course, you’ll still need that dot-speckled smart paper to perform this magic trick. But with a huge variety of notebook sizes and bundled options, the average student shouldn’t have to part with much beer money to get a semester’s worth of high-tech scratch pads. While the overall system remains the same, there have been a few design tweaks to the pen itself. The Echo now comes with a smooth rubber grip plus flattened surface. This, presumably, is for added comfort and to keep your $200 sup...

Photo by Archos Following the rather disastrous reception of its Windows-based Archos 9 PC Tablet, the company is back at the tablet game again with a wholly different approach: A cheap, Android-based tablet with a 7-inch screen. Stripped to its absolute basics, this is a tablet for the user who expects the bare minimum from his gadgetry. This isn’t a smartphone without the phone — it’s a smartphone without the phone or the smart. Nothing in the tablet takes advantage of the features that even basic Android devices on the market provide. Without multitouch, GPS, an accelerometer, or even a Home button, the use case for the Archos 7 can be frustrating. Fortunately, the device does offer a couple of key features that make it a shade better than useless, namely a headphone jack and a kickstand so you don’t have to prop it up on your knee. The OS is stripped down and over a year old, but technically it’s still running Android. That means it has a web browser, an e-mail client,...

Sony hasn’t exactly upstaged anyone in e-reader theater. But, the company’s pocket-sized PRS-350 is looking to change that. The impetus was clear: Make an attractive, travel-sized, idiot-simple e-reader for the masses. Unfortunately, though the PRS-350 does many things right, there’s still a lot of room to kvetch. Sony clearly nailed the hardware on the PRS-350. As the company’s flagship pocket reader, it’s small and feather-light at 5.5 ounces, while also supporting a spanking new 800 x 600 e-ink Pearl display. Nestled into the frame is a functional (yet cheap-feeling) stylus, and resting below the five-inch screen is a set of functional (yet cheap-feeling) soft keys. An aluminum and plastic chassis and an infrared-driven touchscreen add a touch of class, and at a little over four inches wide, the device sat comfortably in our hands during marathon reading sessions. A lot of the PRS-350’s hardware high-points come with counterpoints. Though reading text on the screen is a ...

You can’t deny Dell some hard-fought gee-whiz cred with the new Inspiron Duo . In a world of commoditized portables, it is nothing if not a unique product. Show it off to your friends; it looks like a netbook, and you pop open the laptop-like clamshell and wait for the bored expression to appear. Then comes the sucker punch: you rotate the screen horizontally within its frame and snap the laptop back shut. Ta-da, it’s a freakin’ tablet, bro! People are duly impressed. It’s a neat trick and, at the very least, a clever feat of engineering. But what is the Dell Inspiron Duo? Cut through the mystery and you will find — sorry to burst your bubble — a Windows netbook with a rotating touchscreen. And that begs the question, what is it good for? Well, we’re still working on that one. This is the problem with dual-function gadgets in general: They rarely do either of the things they’re designed for very well. As a netbook, the Duo is at least passable. While it’s heavier than other ...