ReviveLITE iPhone/ iPod Portable Charger - Review

ReviveLITE iPhone/ iPod Portable Charger


Scosche’s ReviveLITE charger is an ideal add on for traveling iPhone and iPod users who want a quick and convenient means to charge their i-devices without wires.

Borrowing the shiny plastic aesthetic of the square MacBook wall charger but smaller and without the requisite cables, the ReviveLITE quickly unfolds to reveal a cradle and comes with a number of adaptors to accommodate an assortment of iPods and iPhones. Plug the ReviveLITE into a wall, pop in the iPod or iPhone and your device gets the juice it needs.

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Microsoft launches Security Essentials

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla From the better-late-than-never files, Microsoft has taken to guarding its own backyard with MS Security Essentials Beta. Antivirus and anti-spyware applications are a part and parcel of the Windows computing experience. Aside from the bloaty Nortons and beefy McAfees of this world, many users have been relying on free applications like Avast! Home Edition, Ad-Aware, and AVGFree to keep their systems secure. Changing the face of freebies somewhat, Microsoft recently launched Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), a free application evolved from its subscription based Windows Live OneCare suite of antivirus, antispyware and firewall programs. MSE is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and the upcoming Windows 7. "This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware," claims Microsoft. Microsoft appears to be taking protection seriously. The company constantly monitors malware as seen on its protection center website (microsoft.com/security/portal). Ease of installation and on-demand update capabilities, plus the fact that it is tightly integrated with the Windows OS, makes Microsoft Security Essentials an attractive option. Currently offered as a beta download, to date there is no indication that MSE will be bundled with retail versions of Windows 7 or continue to be made available as a free optional download. As for upsetting antivirus and anti-malware software makers by offering a free competing product, the likes of Windows Defender and Windows Firewall from Microsoft have been available for free since 2005, so coexistence with commercial antispyware and firewall solutions is expected to continue without much conflict (or cries of MS monopoly).

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Eee PC 1005HA Seashell Netbook- Review

seashell by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla Netbooks have come into their own as small but exceedingly practical portable computers. Next up, the promise of the all-day netbook. Enter the new Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell. Asus has consistently evolved their Eee PC line of netbooks from the toy-like 7 inch models it produced two years ago to larger, more powerful and functional netbooks with 10 inch screens, bringing big time features and all-day battery life along with it. As a variant of the earlier Eee PC 1008HA sealed-battery clamshell, the thinnest netbook in the 10 inch form factor in its day, the new 1005HA is slightly thicker than its predecessor, but it rocks a bigger, removable 6-cell battery that will reportedly power the device for 10.5 hours. Real world usage is a little less than that, but still impressive. The 1005HA can easily squeeze out 6.5-hours out of its battery, thanks mostly to Asus' Super Hybrid Engine power management application. Powered by a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom processor with 1GB of upgradeable RAM, the 1005HA runs Windows XP, and will likely do a good job with Windows 7 should you choose to upgrade the operating system (OS). Asus has also made sure that this netbook is well connected, too, with built in 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth V2.1 - premium features normally found in more expensive laptops. The trackpad on the Eee PC 1005HA sports the Multi-Touch gesture input feature for pinching to resize and whatnot. It's also unusual in that it sits flush with the unit's wrist rest, yet it's intuitive and accurate thanks to a grid of small protruding studs. Also packed within its dimunitive form factor, you get a digital array microphone as well as a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam, ideal for video-conferencing, Skype and voice chatting, things you might want to do out on the road without the hassles of lugging around a bunch of USB peripherals. Aside from the capacious 160GB hard drive, the Eee PC 1005HA comes with 10GB of online storage is you want it. This is helpful for storing files and back ups in "the cloud," retrievable from anywhere. The most engaging feature of the new, more powerful and more feature-laden 1005HA over the old model is its price; it's cheaper. In the realm of sub-$500 portables, providing you have unpretentious expectations befitting a netbook computer (as opposed to a notebook or desktop PC), you currently can't do much better than the Eee PC Seashell.

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Countdown to Palm Pre in Canada

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla Bell's big play in the smartphone space, the Palm Pre is days away from shipping in Canada and it will be very interesting to see how this will play out. For Palm, its their major move to reclaim space in the smartphone arena they defined and at one point ruled with their Treo series which ended up running Windows Mobile as an OS because Palm's own OS was sadly lacking. Now with the new WebOS, its possible that Palm will rise from the ashes and once more dominate the smartphone market. Bell's a Ringing For Bell, the Palm Pre, represents its first major non-BlackBerry smartphone OS and direct competitor to Apple's iPhone and Google's Android handsets which have been visible since their respective launches from rival Rogers. We are awaiting the arrival of our Palm Pre and will put it through its paces. We look forward to reviewing WebOS, the Pre apps and and how the device works the day to day environment.

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