Computer Fundamentals 28/08/2012
Computer Hardware
Introduction
Computer hardware is nation of hardware and netic core memory de- Special points of the collection of physical software forms a usable vices to solid-state static interest: elements that comprise a computing system. and dynamic semiconduc- Computer Hardware computer system. Com- tor memory, which great- puter hardware refers to The history of com- ly reduced the cost, size Early History of Computing Hard- the physical parts or puting hardware start- and power consumption ware components of computer ing at 1960 is marked by of computer devices. such as monitor, key- the conversion from vac- Eventually the cost of in- board, hard disk, mouse, uum tube to solid state tegrated circuit devices etc. refers to objects that devices such as the tran- became low enough that you can actually touch, sistor and later the inte- home computers and per- like disks, disk drives, grated circuit. By 1959 sonal computers became display screens, key- discrete transistors were widespread. boards, printers, boards, considered sufficiently and chips. In contrast, reliable and economical software is untouchable. that they made further Software exists as ideas, vacuum tube computers application, concepts, uncompetitive. Comput- and symbols, but it has er main memory slowly no substance. A combi- moved away from mag-
Inside this issue: History of Computing Hardware (1960s– Home Computing 5 present)
ASUS takes a lead 6 The mass increase in the crochip), starting around Computer Hardware 7 use of computers acceler- 1965. However, the IBM for Gaming ated with 'Third Genera- System/360 used hybrid Computer Hardware 10 tion' computers. These circuits, which were solid- for Professionals generally relied on Jack state devices interconnect- Peripheral Equipment 11 Kilby's invention of the ed on a substrate with dis- Description: Data General NO- integrated circuit (or mi- Qubee’s New Offer 15 crete wires. VA System Date: 7 January 2011, Source: Goodwill Computer Mu- Interesting Story 16 seum Computer Hardware
Cont.…..
The first integrated cir- nental ballistic missile, ECL logic gate integrat- cuit was produced in and in the Central Air ed circuits to make up September 1958 but Data Computer used for sixty-four parallel data computers using them flight control in the US processors.[1] didn't begin to appear Navy's F-14A Tomcat until 1963. Some of fighter jet. their early uses were in embedded systems, no- By 1971, the Illiac IV Illiac IV tably used by NASA for supercomputer, which the Apollo Guidance was the fastest computer Computer, by the mili- in the world for several tary in the LGM-30 years, used about a quar- Minuteman interconti- ter-million small-scale
Mainframe Computers
While large mainframe the 1960s and 1970s. It behind IBM with their computers such as the brought computing power popular PDP and VAX “Quality is more System/360 increased to more people, not only computer systems. important than storage and processing through more convenient Smaller, affordable quantity, One home run abilities, the integrated physical size but also hardware also brought is much better than two circuit also allowed de- through broadening the about the development doubles” - Steve Jobs velopment of much computer vendor field. of important new operat-
smaller computers. The Digital Equipment Corpo- ing systems like Unix. minicomputer was a sig- ration became the number nificant innovation in two computer company
Nova: Minicomputers
In 1969, Data General were multiples of the 8- large-scale integrated shipped a total of 50,000 bit byte. It was first to (LSI) circuits. Also nota- Novas at $8000 each. employ medium-scale ble was that the entire The Nova was one of integration (MSI) cir- central processor was the first 16-bit minicom- cuits from Fairchild contained on one 15- puters and led the way Semiconductor, with inch printed circuit Data General’s Nova toward word lengths that subsequent models using board.
Page 2 Computer Fundamentals
TV Typewriter
In 1973, the TV Type- zine. The original design the various signals need- writer, designed by Don included two memory ed to create the TV sig- Lancaster, provided boards and could gener- nal. Clive Sinclair later electronics hobbyists ate and store 512 charac- used the same approach with a display of alpha- ters as 16 lines of 32 in his legendary Sinclair numeric information on characters. A 90-minute ZX80. an ordinary television cassette tape provided set. It used $120 worth supplementary storage of electronics compo- for about 100 pages of TV Typewriter by Don Lancaster nents, as outlined in the text. His design used September 1973 issue of minimalistic hardware to Radio Electronics maga- generate the timing of
Fourth generation
The basis of the fourth Microprocessor-based Although processing power generation was the in- computers were origi- and storage capacities have “Do you want to vention of the micropro- nally very limited in grown beyond all recognition spend the rest of your cessor by a team at Intel. their computational abil- since the 1970s, the underlying life selling sugared Unlike third generation ity and speed, and were technology of large-scale inte- water or do you want minicomputers, which in no way an attempt to gration (LSI) or very-large- a chance to change were essentially scaled downsize the minicom- scale integration (VLSI) mi- the world?” – Steve down versions of main- puter. They were ad- crochips has remained basical- Jobs frame computers, the dressing an entirely dif- ly the same, so it is widely re- fourth generation's ori- ferent market. garded that most of today's gins are fundamentally computers still belong to the different[clarification needed]. fourth generation. Intel’s Microprocessor
On November 15, 1971, cuitry, but computers RAM chip, based on an in- Intel released the world's were developed around vention by Robert Dennard of first commercial micro- it, with much of their IBM, (kilobits of memory on processor, the 4004. It processing abilities pro- one chip) - the microprocessor was developed for a Jap- vided by one small mi- allowed fourth generation anese calculator compa- croprocessor chip. Cou- computers to be smaller and Intel 4004 Processor ny, Busicom, as an alter- pled with one of Intel's faster than prior computers. native to hardwired cir- other products - the
Page 3 Computer Hardware
Supercomputers: Cray-1
At the other end of the computer to make vector Cray-1 could calculate computing spectrum processing practical, had 150 million floating from the microcomput- a characteristic horse- point operations per se- ers, the powerful super- shoe shape, to speed cond (150 megaflops). computers of the era al- processing by shortening 85 were shipped at a so used integrated cir- circuit paths. Vector pro- price of $5 million each. cuit technology. In 1976 cessing, which uses one The Cray-1 had a CPU the Cray-1 was devel- instruction to perform that was mostly con- Super computer: Cray-1 oped by Seymour Cray, the same operation on structed of SSI and MSI who had left Control many arguments, has ECL ICs. Data in 1972 to form his been a fundamental su- own company. This ma- percomputer processing chine, the first super- method ever since. The
Microcomputer emerges
[10] “Being the richest man The advent of the micro- Byte Magazine) began This expanded the PCs in the cemetery doesn’t processor and solid-state the era of mass-market presence in homes, re- matter to me...Going to memory made home home computers; much placing the home com- bed at night saying computing affordable. less effort was required to puter category during we’ve done something Early hobby microcom- obtain an operating com- the 1990s and leading to wonderful– that’s what puter systems such as puter, and applications the current monoculture matter to me” - Steve the Altair 8800 and Ap- such as games, word pro- of architecturally identi- Jobs ple I introduced around cessing, and spreadsheets cal personal computers. 1975 marked the release began to proliferate. Dis- of low-cost 8-bit proces- tinct from computers used sor chips, which had in homes, small business sufficient computing systems were typically power to be of interest based on CP/M, until to hobby and experi- IBM introduced the IBM- mental users. By 1977 PC, which was quickly pre-assembled systems adopted. The PC was such as the Apple II, heavily cloned, leading to Commodore PET, and mass production and con- First Personal Computer by Apple TRS-80 (later dubbed sequent cost reduction the "1977 Trinity" by throughout the 1980s.
Page 4 Computer Fundamentals
Computer Hardware: Home Computing
New quad-core Intel with the fastest quad- Mac OS X is de- Core i5 processors are core processor available signed to take ad- standard on the new — the Intel Core i7. All vantage of each core, iMac. Choose a 21.5- models use Intel’s re- it captures every last inch iMac with a cently refined chipsets. bit of performance 2.5GHz or 2.7GHz quad That means the new from the processor. -core Intel Core i5. Or iMac performs nearly expand your view with a twice as fast as the pre- 27-inch iMac featuring a vious generation,1 add- 2.7GHz or 3.1GHz quad ing a new dimension of -core Intel Core i5. You speed to everything you can even configure iMac do. And since
Apple iMac (Price 98,000-1,40,000)
HP’s Desktop PC
Featuring Windows 7 Elevate your listening experience Features Home Premium and/or with premium music playback that 2nd Generation Intel(R) other operating systems MP3 players can’t touch. Make it Core(TM) i5-2400 quad- The latest evolution of sound the way you like it—the “Be nice to nerds. Beats Audio Console allows you to core processor [3.1GHz, HP’s TouchSmart soft- Chances are you'll end ware makes it easier to customize your output through a 6MB cache] 2nd Genera- up working for one. “ tion Intel(R) Core(TM) be entertained, get crea- powerful, easy-to-use equalizer. i5-2500 quad-core pro- tive, and have fun. Enjoy The modern all-in-one design - Bill Gates cessor [3.3GHz, 6MB the award-winning multi keeps your world clutter free: just cache] 2nd Generation -touch technology suite plug it in and you’re ready to go. A Intel(R) Core(TM) i7- which makes it easier stunning 23” diagonal widescreen 2600 quad-core proces- than ever to personalize display becomes the best canvas in sor w Turbo-Boost [up to and access your digital the house for all your family activi- 3.8GHz, 8MB cache] content. ties. Slide the 23" screen down to a 60º angle for the most conformable viewing position and touch interac- Acer’s All in One: Z3 Series tion.
The Acer Z3 Series is all-in- gives you cool, hands-on control of today's latest one PCs feature intuitive HD multimedia and social 21.5" Full HD touchscreens1 networking. Plus, premium lights up your digital life with PC performance lets you an exciting new look and feel. use all your favorite apps The Acer TouchPortal pro- at the same time -- multi- HP TouchSmart 610-1250xt Desktop PC vides a smarter way to access task with multi-touch! your PC and the Internet, and
Page 5 Computer Hardware
IdeaCentre desktops ”If you need a PC that come in all shapes and takes up as little physi- sizes. There's the skinny cal space as possible, all-in-one that hides its this computer working bits, the tiny (IdeaCentre Q150) gets nettop no larger than a the job done and costs book, and the regular next to nothing, too.” desktop that traditional- ists will view with satis- —— WIRED faction.
IdeaCentre Desktops
ASUS Desktops
Feature: office space fixture, the Desk- enjoyment. tops fits just as well next to Desktop PCs embed “Success is a lousy The ASUS Desktops move your media center or in the 802.11b/g/n wireless, deliv- teacher. It seduces away from bulky traditional bedroom – it can go any- ering high speed internet smart people into PCs and transforms into a where. connectivity. USB 3.0 with thinking they can't simple, lightweight minia- Get high quality surround 625MB/s transfer speeds is lose.” ture form. No matter where sound for realistic sonic expe- also included, up to ten —Bill Gates you put it, it blends in and riences. The Desktop Series times faster than USB 2.0. reflects your lifestyle. supports 8 channel surround, No longer a lonely study or giving you deeper auditory
ASUS takes a lead in Desktop’s World.
Asus desktop reflects a and service survey, users quiet operation. ASUS tradition of the finest ranked ASUS as the desktops receive further product quality, innova- leading choice for Win- praise for performance, tion and longevity. dows Desktops, citing design, upgradability
ASUS Desktop Series Based on PCWorld high satisfaction due to and connectivity. USA’s 2011 reliability reliability, value and
Page 6 Computer Fundamentals
Dell: Vostro Tower Desktop Series
Feature with a professional operat- ing system Starting with a 3rd Genera- More memory and a video tion Intel® Core™ i5 Pro- card upgrade for improved cessor, this desktop PC has graphics performance. the commanding power to meet the growing organiza- Includes more storage and tion's needs of tomorrow. memory
Future-ready processor with basic storage and memory for everyday business needs
Built to handle any task Dell: Vostro 470 Mini Tower Desktop
Computer Hardware: GAMING & Animation
NVIDIA awakened the world to Professionals use them to computer graphics when it in- create visual effects in mov- vented the GPU in 1999. From ies and design everything our roots in visual computing, from golf clubs to jumbo “The weapon of we’ve expanded into super, mo- jets. And researchers utilize bile and cloud computing. GPUs to advance the fron- choice for Gamers” — NVIDIA's mobile processors are tiers of science with high- -nVIDIA used in smartphones, tablets and performance computers. auto infotainment systems. PC gamers rely on GPUs to enjoy spectacularly immersive worlds.
GEFORCE: AMAZING VISUAL EXPERIENCES
Our heritage is in PC graphics, reach $25B in 2016. And gaming GeForce notebook GPUs also and our GeForce® processors is one of the most popular activi- efficiently power the MacBook deliver amazing visual experi- ties in China’s 160,000+ icafes. Pro and its dazzling 2880×1800 ences to a booming gaming mar- Beyond gaming, GeForce pro- Retina display. ket — opening week game sales cessors power the sleekest ultra- regularly outstrip sales of block- books so users can do things like buster Hollywood movies. The edit movies, retouch photos and GeForce Motherboard PC gaming market is expected to play games without compromise.
Page 7 Computer Hardware
QUADRO: THE PROFESSIONALS’ CHOICE
In the early 2000s, our shampoo bottles, are de- invention of a program- signed using Quadro® mable processor expand- solutions. In film, Quad- ed NVIDIA’s reach into ro GPUs were behind all professional graphics. of the “Best Visual Ef- Today, the majority of fects” Oscar nominees the world’s cars and for the past three years planes, as well as a host running. With NVIDIA of consumer products Maximus technology, like tennis shoes and designers and engineers nVIDIA Quadro Pro for Professionals TESLA: ACCELERATING SCIENCE
NVIDIA’s expertise in quantum physics to finding and more accessible. To- “As we look ahead into the next century, programmable GPUs has a cure for cancer. NVIDIA® day, CUDA is taught in leaders will be those led to breakthroughs in CUDA® architecture ena- more than 560 universities. who empower others. “ parallel processing. Scien- bles GPUs to work not just On the June 2012 list of ——-Bill Gates tists and researchers with the pixels of an image, Top500 supercomputers, around the world are using but with numerical data. more than 50 systems were Tesla® GPUs to tackle the NVIDIA Tesla processors powered by NVIDIA most complex challenges, harness CUDA to make su- GPUs, rising from 10 in from climate modeling to percomputing more efficient just 18 months.
TEGRA: THE MOBILE SUPER CHIP
Tegra®, a mobile super chip, pow- ous tasks — provides outstanding puting revolution. In 2012, the num- ers the next generation of mobile performance and exceptional battery ber of Tegra phone design wins has devices, as well as in-car safety and life. The Asus Transformer Prime doubled, from 15 to 30; Tegra was infotainment systems. Tegra 3’s 4- tablet and super phones from HTC, selected by Asus to power the PLUS-1 architecture — four power- Fujitsu and ZTE are just a few of the world’s first WinRT tablet; and ful CPU cores handle demanding devices that feature the super chip. Google chose Tegra for its own An- tasks while a fifth low-power, bat- NVIDIA continues to build on its ear- droid tablet, the Nexus 7. tery-saver core manages less strenu- ly tech leadership in the mobile com-
Page 8 Computer Fundamentals
GIGABYTE Unveils GeForce® GTX 660 Ti WINDFORCE
GIGABYTE Technology Co. process, GDDR5 memory tion of performance, power effi- LTD, a leading manufacturer and 1344 CUDA cores. GV- ciency, and affordability. Support- of motherboards and graphics N66TOC-2GD is supported ed by NVIDIA® 3D Vision Sur- cards, is pleased to introduce with Microsoft DirectX® 11 round, 3D Vision™, PhysX® and the latest own-designed gam- and PCI-Express 3.0. These 3-way SLI®, GV-N66TOC-2GD ing graphics card, GV- features not only improve the guarantees an extreme experience. N66TOC-2GD. Based on the processing ability but provide Equipped with the innovative innovative Kepler architec- gamers a faster, smoother and Kepler GPU Dynamic Clocking ture of NVIDIA, GIGA- richer gaming experience. technology, GV-N66TOC-2GD BYTE GV-N66TOC-2GD is GV-N66TOC-2GD repre- dynamically adjusts clock speeds built with GeForce® GTX sents “Kepler sweet spot" to bring out the best performance Gigabyte Graphics Card 660 Ti GPU which utilizes which brings gaming experi- for every gamer. the latest 28nm fabrication ence with ultimate combina-
GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 5 Technology
GIGABYTE Ultra Dura- high current Ferrite Core press Chipsets, GIGA- ™ “At Microsoft there ble 5 technology includes Chokes rated up to 60A, BYTE Ultra Durable™ 5 are lots of brilliant high current capable com- which together are able to technology is the next evo- ideas but the image is ponents for the CPU pow- deliver up to 60°C* cooler lution in quality mother- that they all come from the top - I'm afraid er zone including the high- temperatures than tradi- board design. that's not quite right. “ est rated and awarded tional motherboards. Fea- ——-Bill Gates IR3550 PowIRstage® ICs tured on a range of new from International Rectifi- motherboards based the er, 2X Copper PCB and Intel® X79 and Z77 Ex-
GIGABYTE Presents World’s First 28nm Architecture Radeon™ HD 7970 Series Graphics Cards
GIGABYTE Technology Co. LTD, a lon transistors on 28nm fabrication process experience with non-compromise perfor- leading manufacturer of motherboards and GDDR5 memory. AMD RadeonTM HD mance and flawless graphics quality. Fur- and graphics cards, is pleased to intro- 7970 GPU supports dual advanced program- thermore, GV-R797OC-3GD is equipped duce the latest GV-R797D5-3GD-B mable tessellation engines, Microsoft Di- with GIGABYTE’s latest patent-pending and GV-R797OC-3GD graphics cards. rectX® 11, AMD Eyefinity 2.0 technology, "Triangle Cool" Technology plus the exclu- The GV-R797D5-3GD-B and GV- AMD PowerTune technology, AMD Accel- sive WINDFORCE™ 3X Cooling Technol- R797OC-3GD are built with the highly erated Parallel Processing (APP) technology, ogy. GV-R797OC-3GD is designed espe- anticipated AMD RadeonTM HD 7970 and AMD HD3D technology. With these cially for gamers to achieve an unbeatable GPU, which utilizes the latest 4.3 bil- features, AMD RadeonTM HD 7970 series gaming performance and to meet a higher is proved to provide gamers an impressive standard more easily. Page 9 Computer Hardware
Computer Hardware: Professionals, Entertainers
The 15-inch MacBook Pro and Turbo Boost speeds up features the new 2.3GHz to 3.7GHz. And go for the and 2.6GHz quad-core new 512GB third- Intel Core i7 processors generation SATA solid- with 6MB of shared L3 state drive, which is up to cache and Turbo Boost 4x faster than a traditional speeds up to 3.6GHz. And hard drive. To increase you can configure it to be storage, upgrade to a 1TB even faster. Choose the hard drive. 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 8MB of cache
Apple MacBook Pro Sony VAIO E14A Series
VAIO E14A Series. The touchpad and HD camera— Long battery life “Life is not fair; get distinctive wrap design, all of which adds up to a Superb sound quality used to it.“—Bill accent color, and matching notebook that will keep you Gates USB* charging of other de- accessories are sure to in style on the go. vices at any time catch the eye, and the Features: model also boasts long Ultra-fast USB 3.0 connec- tivity battery life and superb An attractive notebook that sound quality. Further expresses your unique person- High-class performance ality features include a large Hybrid Graphics System
HP Entertainment Series
easier, laptop comes with a 3rd generation Intel(R) Subwoofer for sound enhancing numeric keypad and the inno- Core(TM) i5-3320M (2.4 entertainment. GHz, 3MB L3 Cache ) 3rd vative Touchpad, made ex- Stay connected to what’s generation Intel(R) Core(TM) clusively for better precision important in your world. Keep up i7-3612QM (2.1 GHz, 6MB and improved gesture respon- with friends and chat in high defi- L3 Cache ) siveness. Plus, a battery life of up to 9.25 hours and a nition with the HP TrueVision Featuring Windows 7 starting weight of 5.66 lb. HD[2] Webcam[3]. Home Premium and/or other makes packing up and play- Access popular websites HP Pavilion Notebook Enter- operating systems ing at a friend’s easy. with a swipe of a finger. HP Sim- tainment Series Download media fast Movies. Music. Games. plePass with one-time password and keep your Internet and See every move on the wide provides secure online access. games running faster. Page 10 screen and hear every beat. To make mobile gaming Computer Fundamentals
Computer Hardware: Peripheral Equipment
Canon Printer and cost. Ultra fast rendering Environmental technology PIXMA All in Feature: High productivity Perfectly precise ones: Intuitive control Lasting colours A PIXMA all-in-one offers you Creative printing everything you need for a home or small office and beyond. Re- Stay connected anywhere place the need for multiple indi- Caption describing picture Print wirelessly from iPh- or graphic. vidual devices with one compact one unit that can print, copy, scan and fax amazing photos and Multiple capabilities at home or office documents – saving both space
Intel® Xeon® processor E5 family: powerful performance, flexible features Today’s private clouds managing these services forms based on the In- enable greater business require systems that tel® Xeon® processor “Innovation agility and efficiency by scale to meet your ever E5 family are built to be distinguishes between delivering innovative changing needs, while a leader and a and scalable services delivering solutions to follower.”—- Steve that drive value back the challenges IT man- Jobs into the organizations agers face every day. they serve. Building and Server and storage plat-
VISION FX Technology from AMD
Take the lead with the ture. roundings on up to six dis- Count on an extra rush of plays at once with AMD world’s first native 8- 3 core desktop processor. speed when you need it Eyefinity Technology . Overclock for a big most with AMD Turbo Maximize your performance boost in performance and CORE Technology. with tuning controls in the 1 Reveal eye-boggling HD easy-to-use AMD Over- speed . 1 detail and help render Drive™ software . Perform mega-tasking AMD latest Processor and get pure core perfor- complex characters in Enjoy stable, smooth perfor- mance with new real-time with support mance with impressive ener- “Bulldozer” architec- for DirectX® 11. gy efficiency thanks to a See more of your sur- 32nm die.
Page 11 Computer Hardware
Kingston: System-Specific Desktop/Notebook Memory
Kingston® offers ex- fication requirements of tremely reliable, high- each system. Kingston performance desktop uses only the most relia- memory and sells more ble and respected com- notebook upgrade ponents in the industry memory than anyone in to ensure maximum per- the world. Every module formance and legendary is customized and tested Kingston reliability. to meet the exact speci- Kingston RAM
Corsair is a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware Corsair has been a pioneer tion for quality, compatibil- hancement to build your in high-speed dynamic ity and performance. Corsair own one of a kind extreme memory module design Dominator® memory has performance PC. Corsair "“Stay Hungry Stay and manufacture since consistently set world per- Dominator and XMS Foolish" —— Steve 1994, resulting in more formance records and won memory modules are Jobs high-speed experience numerous awards. available with a wide than anyone in the indus- range of heat spreaders Corsair memory modules try. Corsair has developed form factor and cooling are designed to support all an industry- wide reputa- fans to support standard consumer usage models, operating temperature to from daily productivity en- the most challenging ther- Samsung EX2020X 20" LED Monitor mal condition.
Samsung's LED monitors than you’ve dreamt possi- Consume Less Ener- deliver a visually stunning ble. Let the story come to gy and Run Cooler picture quality that leaves life with vivid colors and Ultra-Slim Design you speechless. Just as crystal-clear detail. Perfect Viewing you’ve seen in Samsung from Every Angle Feature: Samsung latest LED Monitor LED TV’s, our LED moni- tors make colors more rich Breakthrough Pic- and the action more real ture Quality with LED Technology
Page 12 Computer Fundamentals
Your mouse works where others don't—even on glass.
A glass desk or shiny table surfaces that stump optical your mouse pad. shouldn’t stand in the way mice and standard laser of your ability to work or With the Logitech mice—are no obstacle. play. Performance Mouse MX, nothing stands in Anywhere means use it on your way. You can With Logitech Dark field virtually any surface. A conquer any surface glass hotel table. The back Laser Tracking™, you’ve and task without a of your laptop bag bal- got better precision on a second thought. With anced on your lap. wider range of surfaces. your Logitech Perfor- That means clear glass (4 mance Mouse MX, So wherever you’re head- you’ve got the power mm minimum thickness) ed and whatever you’re to achieve. Logitech Latest Mouses and lacquered desks— mousing on, the world is
Apple Magic Mouse
The same Multi-Touch smooth, seamless top “Just in terms of technology first introduced shell. It works wirelessly allocation of time resources, religion is on the revolutionary iPh- using Bluetooth, so you not very efficient. one comes to the mouse. don’t have to worry about There's a lot more I It’s called Magic Mouse, cables or adapters clutter- could be doing on a and it’s the world’s first ing your workspace. And Sunday morning.”—- Bill Gates Multi-Touch mouse. Click built-in software lets you anywhere, scroll in any configure Magic Mouse direction, and swipe any way you want. through images on its
Logitech: Wireless Solar Keyboard K760
Say good-bye to battery The easy-switching Blue- Mac, you get a familiar hassles, this wireless key- tooth® connection makes layout with all the keys board is powered by any typing on your Mac and you expect—Command, light—low light and lamp switching to type on your Brightness and Eject keys light, indoors and out. Ful- iPad or iPhone as simple and more. And the slim, ly charged, it works for at and easy as pushing a but- minimalist design goes Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard least three months—even ton. wherever you go with your in total darkness. Mac, iPad or iPhone. The perfect match for your
Page 13 Computer Hardware
Apple Wireless Keyboard: Nothing peripheral about it
The Apple Wireless Key- The incredibly thin Apple board now requires just Wireless Keyboard sits on two AA batteries — one your desk surrounded by less than the previous nothing but glorious space. model. And its intelligent It’s cable-free, so you’re power management system free to type wherever you conserves battery life. So like — with the keyboard when you’re not using it, in front of your computer the keyboard automatically or even on your lap. Not powers down. The instant only does the Apple Wire- you start typing, your key- less Keyboard come stand- board turns on. ard with the new iMac, it’s perfect for any Bluetooth- Logitech Wireless Speaker Apple Wireless Keyboard enabled Mac.
your favorite speakers— use “Life is not fair; get Features: used to it.“— Bill Gates with better sound quality almost any pair of pow- Stream stereo audio in- than you can get from built- ered speakers you like. stantly from any Blue- in speakers. Attach Logitech Wireless tooth smartphone or tab- Speaker Adapter for Blue- Logitech software for Blue- let. Your mobile device tooth audio devices to tooth configures your stays mobile, and you your speakers using stand- Logitech Wireless Speaker have the freedom to move ard analog RCA or 3.5 Adapter to work with your around with it. mm jacks. smartphone or tablet, so it’s Listen to music or other easy to set up and use. The sleek styling looks audio from your good on a shelf or can be You have the flexibility to smartphone or tablet on hidden away discreetly. The choice is yours. Belkin: Laptop Cooling Pad
The Laptop Cooling via your laptop's Pad's unique patented USB port. It re- wave design prevents quires no bulky your laptop from over- power adapters. heating. It uses natural convection to enhance Belkin Cooling Pad fan cooling, and ensures low power consumption
Page 14 Computer Fundamentals
Qubee: Pocket Wi-Fi Modem
A pocket size wireless vices securely. internet device. Use it Enhanced 4G perfor- on the go to securely mance with no interrup- connect to everything in tions your life. It does all the work, so you don’t have Lasts up to four hours to. on a single charge Feature: 700 Square Feet Cover- age Connects up to 5 de-
Banglalion Wimax: Service Plan “If I'd had some set Considering the requirement of BDT 1,999 for postpaid and BDT 2,499 idea of a finish line, different types of users, Bang- for prepaid connections. don't you think I would lalion offers two types of devices. have crossed it years If you have the requirement of using the ago? “—-Bill Gates 1. USB Modem connection in a fixed location, if you are 2. Indoor Modem looking for stronger signal and if you like
USB Modem is plug n play, small, to share your connection with others with- can be easily carried and no addi- in your premises, then tional power required. Just plug it Indoor Modem is the into your PC or laptop. It will be right device for you. The automatically installed and you are ready to go! selling price of Indoor modem with built-in Wi- Indoor modem is bigger in size, Fi router is BDT 4,999 has built-in Wi-Fi router, robust for postpaid connec- and stable in performance. tions. The Right Device If you like to use your connection in different locations under Bang- lalion coverage area, if you like mobility and cost effective device, then the USB Modem is ideal for you. The price of USB modem is
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Hard drive and Computer problem solving: An interesting story
What can you do when your PC fails encryption. You haven’t been using to boot, doesn’t load an OS, or crash- installation program. Truecrypt anymore. Then out of curi- es? Well, if you are up to the task you osity you select the option to restore can try to solve the problem yourself. -An old DVD disc that has a True- the loader stored in the Truecrypt res- With some patience and perseverance crypt rescue image. You stopped us- cue image. You reboot and you sud- you can achieve this. So let’s make it ing Truecrypt a while ago. denly see the Plop boot manager! It more difficult. Your resources, tools seems that when you saved the True- crypt rescue image you were also us- and time to solve the problem are -An old DVD disc with the Windows ing Plop and it got saved too. Now limited. Let’s see an example story: 7 installation program. you can boot from a usb drive. So Multi-OS nightmare you try to boot into the Windows 8 -Did I forgot to mention? Your lap- installation again but after a while it top’s DVD drive is not working You are writing a report on a quiet stops responding too. What is going properly. It is essentially broken but it on?! Next choice is to boot into a Sunday evening. Although the report can sometimes read DVDs. is due on the next day, you are doing Crunchbang Linux live session. This well and only some minor details re- works! You start GParted and see that -Limited time. You need to solve this something is wrong with the parti- main. You decide to take a break and quickly. remember that the new Windows pre- tions of your hard drive. Your hard view was made available a few days disk’s partition table is all screwed That’s all you have. Now let’s de- up. Gparted can’t solve this so you ago. You convince yourself that you scribe what happens when you try to should give it a try. Only problem is try Testdisk. After spending some boot: that your system is already dual- time trying to find the correct parti- booting Windows 7 and Crunchbang tion table, you eventually succeed -Windows 8 tries to load but it Linux. So you think it would be easi- and write the correct partition table. doesn’t respond after a while. It er to install Windows 8 on a virtual You also fix the MBR. You reboot doesn’t get to the point where you hard disk. You search for instructions into Linux again (Windows still not can choose safe mode or any repair online and you find it easy enough. working) and mount all the partitions, options. You follow the instructions and sur- which enables you to save all your prise surprise you can’t boot into any work before doing one last thing: for- of the three operating systems. Now -Plop Boot Manager was overwritten matting the Windows partition, rein- what? It’s clear something has gone by the Windows installation. stalling Windows and deleting the terribly wrong. virtual hard disk… -Your DVD drive doesn’t read the Now this might be a relatively easy Windows 7 installation DVD. As you can see from this story com- case if you had the time, resources puter problem solving is sometimes and tools to solve it. But you don’t. So, you can’t boot from the hard disk, an art. You need to be creative and Here is what you have: you can’t boot from a USB drive and you can’t boot from the DVD. You find unexpected solutions. Also make sure that you always have a USB -An old laptop with a BIOS that are stuck and frustrated. Is there a doesn’t support booting from a usb solution using only what you have? stick or DVD with rescue tools. You drive. You have been using Plop Boot You try anyway with what’s left. You never know when you’ll need them. I Manager for this. try booting from the Truecrypt rescue disk. Why? You don’t know why. could also tell you a story about a After many tries, your DVD drive time when the only solution was to -A USB drive with Crunchbang succeeds in reading the disc. The Linux remove the hard drive while booting Truecrypt rescue options appear. So and to hot-plug it in after that. Let’s what? This has nothing to do with -A USB drive with the Windows 8 leave this for another day.