TECHSMART.CO.ZA ISSUE 96 September 2011 ISSN 1726–3358
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SA’s LARGEST TECH MAGAZINE FREE! smart ® Spring in your Tech The best gear for the great outdoors Asus Slider Tablets, now with keyboards Samsung X900 Thin, light and beautiful TECH OUTDOORS ISSUE WWW.TECHSMART.CO.ZA ISSUE 96 September 2011 ISSN 1726–3358 EDITORIAL & HIGHLIGHTS The Outdoors Issue ›› September 2011 21 16 11 17 Climb aboard the tech bus ometimes you’ll wait ages for a bus and then several come Salong at once, and this was indeed the case for big tech » Features news in August. The mighty Google bought Motorola Mobility to strengthen its patent portfolio (see p7), while HP admitted Tech Outdoors defeat by calling an end to its WebOS-based TouchPad tablet, With spring officially arriving we’ve rounded-up all before we here in SA could even get a sniff of it (we lament its the best running and outdoor gadgets to put a bounce 11 premature departure on p25). In the same announcement HP back in your step. Come on summer! also stated that they might consider full separation of its Personal Systems Group (PSG), which includes their notebooks and desktop PCs, through spin-off or other » Tablets transaction. If all this was not enough, one of the business world’s most prominent CEOs, Steve Jobs, called an end to his The latest Tablets amazing tenure at Apple’s helm, now serving as chairman of Looking for a tablet? Don’t miss our reviews of three of the board of directors (see p3). the latest 10" Android tablets hitting the SA market. 16 With all the hard news out of the way, our Outdoor issue is Read more about Asus’ Slider, the Motorola Xoom and all about finding the best gear to take on the great outdoors Samsung’s hot Galaxy Tab 10.1 write here. this spring. Winter felt way too long and I for one cannot wait to get back into the sun. » Competition Enjoy the issue, Mike ([email protected]) Kaspersky & Microsoft We have three copies of Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 featuring hybrid protection to give away, and if 17 you’re not lucky there how about winning an amazing Samsung Omnia 7 running Windows Phone 7? » Gadgets Garmin Forerunner 610 We take the new Forerunner 610 GPS training watch for a run to test out its all new touchscreen capabilities. How 21 well did it perform? Read here to find out. Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. No material, text or photo graphs may be reproduced, copied or in any other way transmitted without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or of the editor. We recognise all trademarks and logos as the sole property of their respective owners. TechSmart shall not be liable for any errors or for any actions in reliance thereon. All prices were correct at time of going to print. Editor TechSmart & TechSmart.co.za 98 180 average Mike Joubert > 083-290-2889 copies per month [email protected] Business manager Consumer: Male George Grobler [Apr – Jun 2011] [email protected] Print media manager Suzanne Rall [email protected] Sales Manager Chantell Nell-Marais > 082-780-4696 [email protected] SMARTPUBLISHING Advertising (Agencies) MASS MEDIA SPECIALISTS Carmel Ann Singh > 079-515-8708 [email protected] Designers Brett Wilson, Otto Ueckermann Tel: 012-362-2732 Contributors Mike Joubert [MJ], 1218 Arcadia St, Hatfield, Pta Hanleigh Daniels [HD], Ryan Noik [RN], www.smartpublishing.co.za Linda Pretorius [LP] Accounts & subscriptions Distributed by Ronel Keet > 012-362-2732 [email protected] Distribution Renier van Vuuren > 082-555-6866 smart distribution 45%. Percentage of teens who send at least 35 text messages a day. 45%. Percentage [email protected] 1 NEWS TOP TECH TITBITS Google munches Motorola HP drops TouchPad, might spin Apple CEO Steve Mobility off PC division Jobs resigns oogle stunned the industry when it P dropped a bombshell of its own s the chief executive officer of one Gannounced that it will be acquiring Hwhen it announced that it was Aof the most successful technology Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in discontinuing its TouchPad tablet line companies in the world, Steve Jobs’ order to “Supercharge Android, and webOS-based smartphones. This resignation from Apple helped to make enhance competition, and offer follows a poor adoption rate in the US, August one of the big IT news months wonderful user experiences”. The despite a $100 price cut on the device. of the year. However, Jobs will stay on purchase is motivated by Google’s In the same announcement, the in the company, to serve as chairman desire to strengthen its patent company confirmed that it was of the board, director and “Apple portfolio, in order to shield it against considering a full or partial separation of employee”. He quickly urged the board lawsuits from the likes of Apple and the Personal Systems Group division, to name Tim Cook as his successor Microsoft (see more on p9). Google which encompasses consumer PCs and CEO of Apple, which it has. CEO and co-founder Larry Page mobile computing devices. This has left In an open letter, Jobs stated: “I explained that Motorola will be run as a many industry commentators without have always said if there ever came a separate business and that the Google immediate answers to why HP would do day when I could no longer meet my would continue to work with other this, seeing that HP is the number one duties and expectations as Apple’s hardware partners who have based notebook manufacturer in the world. CEO, I would be the first to let you their phones on the Android platform. The separation is far from a done deal know. Unfortunately, that day has $100. Special bargain price on the HP TouchPad to get rid of stock. $100. Special bargain price on the HP TouchPad (bit.ly/googorola) though. (bit.ly/touchgone) come.” HOT NEW PRODUCTS Asus Republic of Gamers MARS II GPU sus calls this Alimited edition graphics processing unit, the “world’s Razer fastest, most powerful Switchblade graphics card”. With portable gaming PC good reason seeing that f you’re enthusiastic combines twin Nvidia GeForce Iabout portable gaming, GTX 580 GPUs and sports a massive then no doubt you’ve heard about 3 GB of GDDR5 video memory. the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PSP No.1 on our Xmas 2011 wish Vita. How about the Razer Switchblade? list, no RRP or release date The device, which is based on an Intel is available yet. Atom processor and is currently in Sony 3D DEV-3 development, features a multi-touch 7" and DEV-5 Sony screen, a dynamic tactile keyboard, and binoculars Handycam 3D an intelligent user interface that adjusts ometimes HDR-TD10 the configuration Scatching a atching and key layout on- glimpse of that Wmovies the-fly based on elusive bird or in 3D and game content member of the big five playing and user happens so fast, that there stereoscopic games is one thing, requirements. may not be time to reach for the camera taking 3D home movies and making bag. Enter Sony’s new DEV-3 and DEV-5 your own 3D masterpieces is quite binoculars, the world’s first digital another. Sony’s HD 3D Camcorder binoculars with full HD (1080p, AVCHD enables you to switch between recording 2.0 format) video recording and a 3D movies in 1920 x 1080 in 3D or full high mode. It’s out in November in the US for definition 2D, while 3D content can also the pricey sums of $1400 and $2000 be previewed on the camcorder’s LCD (approximately R10 000 and R14 420) screen. It retails for $1500 (R10 800). respectively. No local release date is available yet. 3 SCI NEWS ECO NEWS Sci News Twist and turn Coffee break A drop in the ocean he perfect golf swing is all in the hips. ell-tale signs of your coffee break he Earth was a suffocating place about TAnd the shoulders it seems, with a Tmay soon be a thing of the past, say T2.3 billion years ago. But a paper in a study that recently appeared in the physicists in a recent article in the recent issue of the Proceedings of the Journal of Applied Biomechanics, showing journal, Nature. Paper stains from, for National Academy of Sciences, says that the pros have got it down to a tee. example, spilt coffee are caused by the oxygen may have been around 300 million Scientists recorded three-dimensional shape of the particles suspended in the years earlier. Spurred by earlier findings of images of a group of pro golfers’ as well fluid drops. By systematically stretching fossilised traces of chemicals called as amateurs’ swings. Analyses showed perfectly round particles suspended in sterols, which contain oxygen, scientists that the pros all tilted their shoulders to a water, the researchers showed that grew yeast cells under two different similar degree, displayed a similar degree more oblong particles tend to cling to conditions. Without oxygen available, the of twist relative to the shoulder tilt and one another because of strong yeast happily took up sterols from the exerted similar peak turning force when attraction forces. The oblong shape culture medium. But when tiny amounts hitting the ball – which they all did really prevents the particles from flowing of oxygen were introduced, the cells well. Amateurs, though, displayed a evenly to the edge of the water drop. started to make their own sterols. The much more variable style and, not As the water evaporates, they thus get results suggest that as blue-green algae surprisingly, clubbed the ball with less stuck on the paper.