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Posts tagged: hardware

Cisco CIUS Usability Report

By , January 1, 2012 9:25 pm

When first looking at the Cisco CIUS, it’s easy to be disappointed. Unlike the weightless Samsung Galaxy Tab, the CIUS is compact, thick, and bulky. But after getting connected to our back end systems and handling it for a week, I am very impressed.

The email, calendar, and contact applications are exceptional. I have mine hooked into our Exchange server, and everything works perfectly. Emails are simple to review, and the interface layout is superior. All the meetings on my calendar appear exactly like they do on my Outlook client, with no additional meetings, no deleted meetings, and no confusing design.

Contacts are great. There is a fast search feature and all my Google contacts are sitting right there alongside my Exchange contacts. What is really cool is that the contacts are incorporated into the phone application, which is where the Cisco CIUS really starts to differentiate itself from other Android gadgets.

The Cisco CIUS is a complete Cisco phone. I have mine hooked into a Plantronics bluetooth headset, and have been operating it from home. I just validated the integrated Cisco AnyConnect client to our VPN service, and it pulled its profile from the Cisco Communications Manager server. The voice quality is also great – Cisco must have programmed some kind of processing precedence on the phone application.

It is a full 720p HD video conferencing endpoint as well. Outside callers, EX90 users, and Movi client users can reach me by dialing either my internal extension, or my URI, which is just my telephone number at my domain. I have also tried video calls over a 4G Verizon mobile hotspot connection. When utilizing that, the video codec switches to the lesser bandwidth Standard Definition immediately. Even when the video pixellates faintly, the voice stream on the video call is clear without alteration.

The Jabber and Webex clients come installed on the Cisco CIUS. They pulled up my accounts without any problem. The Jabber client is great for Instant Messaging and Presence now, and since everyone at my workplace uses Webex Connect, it is enjoyable to have this alternate communications path. Both clients are pretty basic for now, and I am excited for the improvements that are coming that will integrate voice and video into them.

The VMware View virtual desktop client is unexpectedly good. I expected that it would be difficult to use on a 7″ tablet, but it’s as easy to use as the same client on the Samsung Galaxy Tab. I believe the touchscreen is more responsive or precise on the CIUS, but I was able to simply review several different applications for information that I desired.

I have not used any games on this tablet yet, merely because this tablet is relevant to business. The Cisco design team clearly put some time and energy into programming the business applications to work well. I know there is a bunch of security stuff and app store control as well, but that has no bearing on usability.

The revisions I would like to see are around charging and battery life. The battery life is short, but part of that is because the tablet seems to be running all the time! If I don’t manually push the power button it will gladly chug away and drain the battery after a few hours. I would also like to see some little LED illuminate when the tablet is being charged.

The Cisco CIUS tablet is a really nice device. Even though the specs are basic, those don’t tell the true story about this tablet. What really sets this device head and shoulders above any other tablet in the marketplace is the rock solid implementation of the Cisco phone and the Cisco TelePresence video. All those applications put together have made this my preferred choice for the device that I reach for in my bag when I want to take care of business.

Specifications and Cisco CIUS price available from Cisco Gold Partners.

Choosing Best Gaming Laptop

By , October 16, 2011 5:02 pm

Preparing to purchase a gaming laptop to satisfy your gaming wants though travelling? Whilst acquiring a gaming laptop, you should think about some specific items. The industry is flooded with several gaming laptops which are of unique models, specifications and cost. This post has been destined to provide you with some significant ideas that you simply need to look at when obtaining your gaming laptop personal computer.

The screen size for your laptop may be the initial factor you need to bring into consideration. You’re acquiring the laptop for gaming, so the screen size need to be huge. Huge screen also provide great DVD movie viewing knowledge. It is best to keep in mind that the cost of the laptop mostly depend on the size of the screen. But in case you are an avid gamer, you may undoubtedly be prepared to pay the cost for the very best gaming expertise. For help on laptop repair, speak to a remote personal computer assistance provider.

To take pleasure in PC gaming at its fullest, there need to be a decent laptop video card inside the laptop. Two renowned names in this context are ATI and Nvidia. Each of them have wide choice of graphics cards which are specifically developed for laptops. ATI comes using the Radeon Mobility range of cards. However, Nvidia has the GeForce Go series of cards. It truly is accurate which you can in no way get equal efficiency of like that of a desktop video card using the laptop video card. But a number of the newest models inside the marketplace are excellent sufficient to provide you an thrilling gaming encounter. Properly, you will discover external video cards that are equally potent and can render desktop-like efficiency.

You might definitely carry the laptop with you. So, the size and weight of one’s gaming laptop is really essential. So, if the laptop is smaller and lighter, it’ll be handy for you. In the event you prefer to go a laptop with big screen, then you cannot go for a little laptop. As the laptop will likely be mostly applied for playing games, the laptop keyboard must be huge sufficient. Modest keys could possibly be the cause of discomfort of one’s fingers and wrists. Rather of mouse, there’s the touchpad. In case you do not like to utilize touchpad, they you are able to believe of utilizing an external mouse.

Battery life is yet another most significant function which you need to look at with equal seriousness. Laptops are now a days come with lithium ion batteries and its capacity is measured in cells. A effective gaming laptop indicates it’s going to drain its batteries quicker. There ought to be a superb number of USB ports to connect printers, scanners, digital cameras, keyboards, and external mouse. In case you take into account all these issues just before purchasing a gaming personal computer, you may simply get the top deal.

If your laptop is infected by viruses, or it has any other concern, get in touch with an on-line pc repair service provider. There are numerous such pc repair services firms that offer you tech assistance at a really handy cost.

Please visit our articles about Best Gaming Laptop and Labtop

Laptop Computer Reviews

By , October 3, 2011 3:40 pm

Laptop computer reviews are a very significant font of information for those who are interested in getting a new computer to assist them in their occupation or to provide entertainment at home. But being an informed consumer is not an easy job for anybody.

Even though we may think that we are knowledgeable enough, we may later, discover that we were mistaken in the decision we took. Or possibly that mistake was made during the period before the decision itself was taken? During the research phase perhaps?

The rule of thumb is to try and read several laptop computer reviews more before you think you have obtained enough information to be able to do what you need. Why is that so necessary?

To start with, laptop computer reviews are written by people who are paid to write quite a lot of reviews possibly even in one single day. As a result of this, whether the writer means to or not, he/she may end up saying pretty much the same thing about almost every laptop computer or even just glossing over the details.

Or, she/he may end up leaving pieces of information out. Making mistakes is fairly common in human work when fatigue and tedium enter the picture.

Another reason why you should read as many laptop computer reviews as possible is that this way you will definitely come across reviews made by some people who actually use the laptop computer you are interested in. These forms of reviews and assessments are the ones that will most likely provide you with a truthful picture of how this laptop computer really works.

People who have actually used the computer will also have several points of view that big magazine reviewers may leave out of their pieces or reviews. These kinds of laptop computer reviews will also give you an idea about whether you are thinking about buying a laptop computer that is ideal for you or whether you are considering purchasing something that is too advanced for your needs and so unnecessarily expensive, or too basic, and therefore low-cost but useless.

Last but not least, different laptop computer reviews, especially if they come from several sites and consumers, will differ in the sort of information they will give you about the laptop computer. What may be absent from one assessment may be mentioned in another.

The whole puzzle will not be ended until you finally own that computer. However, the larger the number of reviews you read, the more accurate the image you will get. Above all, remember that unawareness of the details could cost you dearly and more than that, might even land you with a low quality laptop computer.

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The Basic Principles of 32 GB Memory Cards

By , September 23, 2011 2:21 pm

Memory cards are widely-used almost everywhere nowadays. I always think is rather awesome. Obviously the bigger the card, the better! When you’ve got a larger memory card you’re usually capable of keep a lot of information on it. A 32 GB memory card may store nearly 50 full length videos a great deal more of music onto it; however let’s first speak about exactly what a memory card is.

What is a memory card?

A memory card is actually a gadget that one could throw into your laptop or computer and it will be noticeable by your operating system as a brand new disc. Then you can simply click on that disc to open it and quickly you’re likely to be capable to place computer files from your pc right into the card.

32 GB memory card: Why should you have it?

Clearly, firstly, as I formerly discussed earlier, the higher the card, the greater number of stuff you’ll be able to throw on it. Just what this means to an individual is the fact that you’re will be capable of taking which details wherever you go and access it on just about any personal computer on this planet.

Now, how’s a 32 Gigabytes memory card superior to a 16 GB storage device or perhaps a 4 GB storage device?

Simply speaking, it’s superior due to quantity of data it can keep. Let’s say you have 10 films that you want to take with you somewhere. Should they be long, they will simply not fit on a small card and you’re going to have to buy two or more of the memory cards to hold all the movies.

It was so nice talking to you. I hope the information here was helpful and with that you ought to know more regarding memory cards generally as well as why bigger is actually better in this case.

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A Quick Look At The Audio Distortion Term Of Cordless Loudspeakers

By , September 15, 2011 12:51 pm

In this article, I will explain the term “total harmonic distortion”, often also called “THD” which is frequently used to describe the performance of wireless outdoor speakers.

Looking for the perfect model from the huge amount of products, you may have a hard time understanding some of the technical language and terms that you will find in the specifications of today’s wireless speakers. THD is usually not as easily understood as some other commonly used terms such as “signal-to-noise ratio” or “frequency response”.

In short, “harmonic distortion” describes how much the audio signal is being degraded as a result of the speaker or in other words how much the signal differs from the original signal. There are two common ways to express harmonic distortion, either in percent (%) or in decibel (dB). If a speaker specifies a distortion of 10% for example then one tenth of the energy radiated by the speaker is distortion. A distortion of 10% can also be expressed as -20 dB. 1% distortion equals -40dB.

A wireless speaker actually has several components which contribute to harmonic distortion. One of these is the built-in power amplifier. This amplifier is driving the speaker element. Usually the higher the amplifier is driven the higher the amount of amplifier distortion. For this reason, some manufacturers will list amplifier distortion depending on amplifier power.

Distortion specs for different power levels are usually given for several power levels or as a diagram showing distortion versus output power. Both of these methods allow to better evaluate the quality of the amp.Normally distortion is measured with a 1 kHz test tone. However, amplifier distortion will usually increase with increasing frequency, especially in digital class-D models.

The second contributing factor is the loudspeaker element itself. Most speakers use a diaphragm type driver which is driven by a coil that is suspended in a magnetic field. The coil will follow the magnetic field which is controlled by the audio signal to move the diaphragm. However, this movement is not perfectly linear. This results in the signal being distorted by the speaker element itself. Also, the larger to power level with which the speaker is driven, the larger the distortion. Often speaker manufacturers will show distortion for small to moderate power levels only.

As such both the amplifier as well as the speaker element itself contribute to distortion. In addition, there are other factors which also contribute to distortion. The total amount of distortion is the sum of all of these factors. Depending on the material used to build the speaker enclosure, there will be vibrations or box resonances. These usually depend on the sound pressure level, the box shape, the enclosure material and audio frequency. Therefore additional sound distortion will be caused by the box itself.

Total distortion is best determined by measurement. A signal generator is used which provides a highly linear sine tone to the speaker. The sound is picked up by a measurement microphone. The microphone signal is then analyzed by an audio analyzer. The audio analyzer will compute the amount of higher harmonics or distortion. Intermodulation distortion analysis is another method which gives better picture of the speaker distortion performance with real-world signals by using a test signal with two harmonics and measuring how many harmonics at different frequencies are produced by the speaker.

Another factor contributing to distortion is the signal transmission of wireless speakers, especially with models that transmit an analog signal at 900 MHz. More advanced models use digital audio transmission. Typically these transmitters work at 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz.

You can get further details about wireless speakers as well as wireless surround sound speakers from Amphony’s website.

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