A Little Something Extra

According to Panda Research, a brand new HTC Magic Android phone from Vodaphone had something a little extra to offer potential Windows users. The phone’s included memory card was infected with the Mariposa Botnet (more information ), and once it was connected to a Windows machine and mounted with autorun on, it would spread itself to any machine that was not running a virus protection.

Now, just consider the ramifications of this combination. You could have a brand new Windows 7 machine and a brand new Android phone, and as soon as you put the two together you would be infected. Is there nowhere safe? Logic should dictate that this would be safe… but in this case it’s not true.

Not Quite New

As far as it can be determined, the Android phone in question was actually not 100% new but rather a unit that had been under some prior use. The phone itself was clean, but the memory card was a cesspool of nasty things.  In this case resetting the phone itself was not sufficient, and it was not policy to wipe memory cards. Yet it was coming from a very legitimate source, Vodofone itself.

Tragic, yes, but this is a real train wreck of problems. On top of the obviously infected memory card, another problem is with the  Autorun functionality that is shipped from the factory in an active state. While it could be argued that it is handy for CD/DVD installations, having the same functionality for any USB drive is asking for trouble. And, as it was with the infected Android phone, trouble has answered.

Changes To Be Made

Microsoft is more than aware of the problem, and they are making changes to the Autorun functionality in not only Windows 7 but also for Windows Xp and Vista as well. This is a good move for the software giant, obviously.

But what does it mean to the end user? Well, there is one thing that all Windows users should take away from this – having a good virus protection is a requirement for the world’s most popular operating system. In fact, it could be argued that the architecture is not complete without one.  Windows 7 suffers from a lot of the same “loopholes” as older versions of windows does, and they will be exploited – the potential payout for the bad guys are just too great.

One may ask exactly why a problem this big – Autorun on in the first place -could even make it into the release candidate of the latest and greatest from Redmond. The answer could be argued from a lot of angles, and I dare say they all could be correct in at least one aspect or another.

The Ugly Truth

The real truth in this is a simple fact – any holdover loopholes from previous versions of Windows will no doubt be exposed as new hardware comes on the scene. As things are bent and twisted to work with new technology it will  open the cracks and allow the less scrupulous to take advantage of the new openings.

And as for the original question – can a tampered with Android cell phone infect your Windows PC? The answer is a resounding yes, like it or not.

Related posts:

1. Microsoft to Deliver New Generation of Windows Phones on Oct. 6
2. Acer Expands Popular Line of Aspire One Netbooks to Include Unique Dual-Boot Option with Android and Windows XP Operating Systems
3. Apple Tips #4: Play Windows Games on Your Mac

No related posts.

Info:

LA robe Netbook 10.2
Fits most 10.2” Netbooks

Low Resilience Polyurethane (LRPu) Technology
Robe protection Thickness 5MM
Trendy, Unique Design
Inner Lip for maximum protection
Stand alone or in your bag
No more Scratches for your Netbook

Initially designed for the Apple notebooks, LA robe is made in a soft, shape-memory material, ideal to dress your notebook in an original fashion while protecting it from mobile life worries.

Fits:
Computers up to 266 x 192 x 30mm (10.5 x 7.6 x 1.2”)
Asus series 1000 and S101, MSI Wind, Medion Akoya mini E1210, ECS G10IL, Samsung NC10, and many more…

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What’s in the Box?:

There is no box for this product, it’s inside of a heavy duty vinyl zip lock style bag. The bag itself has the information printed on it and it’s semi-transparent so you can see the color through the bag. There’s a hang tag as well with a sample of the sleeve material so you can feel it before you buy it.

The LA Rode I got for review is obviously a bright green in color called ‘2Green’ but it’s available in Pink, Blue, Red and Black as well. The only marking is the Be.ez logo on both sides of the sleeve:

The LA Robe features dual zipper with nice large pulls on them, the zippers feel heavy duty and inside there is a cloth flap that covers them to protect the netbook or laptop inside.

The LA Robe is a basic sleeve, you won’t find any pockets on it, and there’s no room for a power supply either, it’s meant to be an easy and protective way to carry your netbook from place to place. You can use it as is, or slide it into another bag to take other stuff with you. Inside you’ll find a soft, non-scratching material where your netbook will be.

The outer material is a memory shape material, meaning it will bounce back to it’s original shape if pressed on. It is thick and should offer good protection for the netbook inside.

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Installation:

As far as installation is concerned, just open it up and slide your netbook in. I’m using the LA Robe with my Acer Aspire One D250:

Once you put your netbook in there there is no other room for anything else, it fits nice and snug. You can though use a smaller netbook with it, I found I could fit my Asus EeePc 900a in there with the PSU with no problem, but that’s a 7″ netbook.

You might complain that there’s no pockets, but it’s designed that way, and for me that’s not a big deal. It’s meant to protect the netbook inside and I believe it will do a good job of that. I’ve got a Tom Bihn messenger bag that I use for my laptop and netbook, I can just slide this right in there and off I go if need be. You can just through it in any bag really and it will be safe I’m sure.

As far as price is concerned, I checked Amazon and found it new for as low as $16.99, which is not a bad price really, well worth it.

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Conclusion:

As far as I’m concerned the LA Robe is a great product, I like it very much, I trust my netbook being inside of it.  I will be using the LA Robe from now on for my Aspire One, and I can recommend you getting one for your netbook as well.

-

Pros:

+Well made of thick protective material

+Dual, heavy duty zippers

+Basic and functional

Cons:

-No pockets

-

I would like to thank Be.ez for the chance to review the LA Robe 10.2 Sleeve and for their support of iGadgetLife.

Related posts:

1. Review of Two USB 3.0 34mm Expresscards
2. HDD vs SSD on a Netbook – Acer Aspire One D250
3. REVIEW: InvisibleSHIELD

Info:

Bluetrek Bizz Bluetooth Headset

The Bluetrek Bizz is a unique combination of a Bluetooth Headset and a portable Flash Memory Drive.

Features:

* Small and light Bluetooth headset.

* Also works as a flash drive and a microsd card reader.

* Over 6 days standby time.

* Works with any Bluetooth phones and devices.

* Supports voice dialling.

* Extra loops and buds for maximum comfort

Specifications:

* Talk time: Up to 7 hrs

* Standby time: Up to 150 hrs

* Weight:10.3g

* Bluetooth:V2.0

* Range: 10m

Box Contents:

* Bluetrek BIZZ USB Flash Memory Bluetooth Headset

* 3 x Ergobuds

* Lanyard

* USB cable

* 2 x Earhooks

What’s in the Box?:

The Bluetrek Bizz comes in a nice shiny black and silver box, it shows off the product nicely.

Inside the box you’ll find the headset, two ear loops (one attached already), lanyard, USB cable and four ear buds (one attached tot eh headset already)

The headset itself is small and very lightweight weighing only about 10 grams. It’s silver and black and only has one button on it for pairing, answering and ending calls. It’s kind of plain really, not too flashy.

There are two special feature here really, the microSD slot for storage and the ability to be charged from any USB port. You won’t need any extra charge to take with you, and I think that’s a great feature in itself.

The miscoSD slot is hidden right above the USB connection, if you’re not looking you might just miss it.

Installation, Performance and Comparison:

First off I have to say that I hate ear loops and I always have, I just find them extremely uncomfortable especially since I’ve got light sensitive eyes and wear sunglasses most of the time. Thankfully with the Bluetrek Bizz you don’t have to wear the ear loop, at least I didn’t have to. So there’s a major plus right there for this headset. As far as being comfortable, yes it is without using the loop, and it stays in place through regular activities.

The idea that you can use it also as a USB drive is an interesting concept that works well honestly, don’t expect super speeds, it’s average compared to any other card reader like this though. It works and works well. It truly is a nice idea though, to be able to not have to carry a USB drive with you, you can truly travel light and no one would even know you have a USB drive. It’s like a James Bond gadget really, kind of cool!

I used the Bluetrek Bizz with my AT&T Tilt and the Pantech Reveal, I had no problems pairing it with either phone and subsequent pairing worked well also.

It only has one button on it that’s used for basically making calls, there’s no volume controls at all on the headset. This might bother some people, but personally I use the volume control on my phone so it’s not a big deal for me.

Call quality was decent, not the best though, worse than my Jawbone2 that I use all of the time. It wasn’t horrible though, it was acceptable, I didn’t have to yell or anything, and the speaker volume is nice and loud so you can easily hear the other person, it just sounded kind of muffled.

I go the rated battery life from it with no problems there.

Most of our phones these days utilize the microSD card format, so basically the Bizz can double as storage for a second card if need be. It’s a neat little headset really…

Conclusion:

The Bluetrek Bizz BT Headset is not a bad choice if you’re looking for a very unique Bluetooth headset. If you want to travel light and be able to take your data with you clandestinely then this is the headset for you.

Call quality isn’t the best, but it’s not the worst I’ve heard either.

The fact that you can use it as a USB drive is a nice plus, as is the fact that you can charge it from any USB port.

Pros:

+Can be worn without ear loops

+Unique and useful idea

+Easy to use

Cons:

-Ear loop is rather uncomfortable

-No volume controls

-Not the best sound quality

I would like to thank MobileFun for the chance to review the Bluetrek Bizz and for their support of iGadget Life.

Related posts:

1. Solar Powered Bluetooth Headset
2. Review of BlueChip BH08N Bluetooth Headset
3. Atomic Pico Bluetooth Dongle

Over the past year my iPhone 3G’s battery life has decreased. This may be due to my reading emails, checking Twitter, playing games, listening to music or web surfing. Lately I have been charging my iPhone every night and even with a fresh charge to start the day I usually get the “less than 20% charge” warning by 6 pm. Today’s review is designed to avoid that dreaded warning and keep you iPhone up and running as much as possible.

For today’s review, the folks at MobileFun sent over the iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery Pack which features a double dock and comes with an external battery. The dock can simultaneously charge both the iPhone and the external battery pack or two iPhones at once.

With the battery charger on the dock is right behind the iPhone there is less of chance of forgetting to grab it before heading out for the day. If you have two iPhones, then the second one can charge within the battery pack allowing two phones and the battery pack to be juiced up at once.

The iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery Pack works off either a USB connection from your Mac or PC or via an AC adapter.

Info:

iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery Pack

This is a desktop charging cradle with a difference. There are two docking stations which are situated one behind the other. This makes for a whole lot more fun. With the front one acting as a normal sync and charge dock, the behind dock acts as an additional battery charger / second charging dock.

Docking Station 1
With this docking station you are able to sync and charge your iPhone 3GS / 3G via your computer using the USB cable provided. This is very convenient for use at work or for home.

Docking Station 2
Always run out of power when your out the house?? Well with this you will never need to worry about that again. With the battery charger that is included with this pack, charge it via the USB cable and then when you get to up and go, just unplug the battery charger and slot your iPhone 3GS / 3G which will then just carry on charging your phone. This is brilliant if you are out of the office a lot and use your phone throughout the day. You will be reassured that you will always have battery. The battery charger while in the docking station will also act as another charger, so if someone else needs to charge their iPhone up they can just slot it in and watch it charge.

Features:

• Data Hot Sync and charge function on the front dock

• Additional battery charger for the back dock.

• Blue LED indicator

• Emergency charger

Specifications:

• Capacity : 1200mAh

• Input : 5V/500mA

• Output : 5V/400mA(max)

• Cradle Size : 81 x 81 x 19

What’s in the Box?:

The iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery Pack arrives in a plastic clamshell. Within the packaging we find the dock, battery pack, mini-USB to USB cable and an AC adapter. Unfortunately I was sent the European plug so I was unable to test the device with an AC adapter.

The cradle and dock are solidly made as they are composed of the same plastic as many other iPhone peripherals. The dock has two cradle slots – one designed to accommodate the iPhone directly and the second one behind it made to charge the external battery via a mini-USB connection. At the back end of this cradle/dock is a mini-USB input which is designed to work with a mini-USB to USB cable. The set comes in either white or black to match your iPhone version. For this review I received the piano black model.

On the external battery we see the standard iPhone connector seen on the batteries inner portion. At the base of this charger is the mini-USB connector which allows the battery to be charged either via the dock or directly via a mini-USB cable. At the bottom right of this battery pack is a charge indicator light.

Installation, Performance and Comparison:

There are a couple of installation/charging permutations for the iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery. Since the proper AC adapter was not sent I could only use the USB connection to connect the dock or to sync the battery to my PC or Mac. Charging the battery via the USB took around four hours using a USB port on my MacBook Pro and off a Dell laptop.

The dock works as advertised; it allows the iPhone to sync with iTunes as well as charging the phone. If you have a multiple iPhone user home like mine then both iPhones can be charged simultaneously by inserting the battery pack into the back slot allowing it to act as the second dock. The second dock does not function as a sync cradle since iTunes does not recognize that the iPhone is attached via the battery connection. Syncing can only be done from the front dock.

So how does the battery work when called upon? I was able to recharge my iPhone once it was down to less than 20% twice off one battery charge. The second charge was able to recharge the battery to about 75% capacity. That is pretty similar to the charging capacity of the Mophie Juice Pack I reviewed last year.

Aesthetically the dock and charger have a nice piano black finish. The battery covers a little more than half of the lower back portion of the iPhone. The bottom right LED on the battery lights up red when charging and turns green when it is at full capacity.

I did notice when the battery is attached to the iPhone it feels awkward to use as the weight of the battery and its bulkiness makes the pair feel bottom heavy. The battery also does not have a secure locking mechanism to stay on the iPhone as the only attachment point to the iPhone is via the dock connector.

Conclusion:

Having reviewed external iPhone batteries in the past, I know how handy they can be. Most batteries are sold individually so having a dock that can charge the battery is a very nice feature. The battery can provide two full charges to a nearly depleted iPhone. The dock acts as both a cradle for syncing an iPhone or as a charger for either two iPhones or one iPhone and the external battery.

Since I was unable to test the AC charging capability of the device I can not report whether this speeds up the battery charging time as versus USB charging. Although the battery is a bit bulky and it does not lock on securely onto the iPhone it still does the job required – recharging a drained iPhone. Due to the batteries bulk, I would recommend to leave the iPhone charging on a table as opposed to carrying it around with battery attached.

The price for the iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery is on par with some external iPhone batteries by themselves. If you are in the market for an external battery with a double dock then the iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery is not a bad option to acquire.

Pros:

+Battery can provide almost two full charges

+Dock works as a sync cradle and charger

+Can charge two iPhones at once

Cons:

-Battery is bulky

-Unable to test AC charging ability

-Battery takes some time to charge off the USB

I would like to thank MobileFun for the chance to review the iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery Pack and for their support of iGadget Life.

Related posts:

1. Emerge Technologies Launches Complete Line of Retractable Sync-n-Charge Adapters for iPhone and Other Portable Devices
2. SANYO Announces Cube Alarm Clock Radio for iPod and Dual Dock Music System with Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone
3. Apple iPhone 3G White Cell Phone Battery Performance

It’s been a while since I’ve taken a look at any DVD Ripper programs here, but I think I’ve found one that might be worth your while to take a look at. This one is called Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper, it’s a DVD ripper that rips to MP4 format for iPod, iPhone and Zune. It’s very simple to use and it’s very fast, but it’s a bit on the expensive side…

Info:

Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper

Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper is flexible and easy to use DVD ripper software. It can quickly convert DVD movies to Apple iPod, iPhone TV, Microsoft Zune Player without any loss of quality. It is super fast, with incredible output quality.

What can Extra DVD to All MP4 Ripper do for you?

* Rips DVD to Apple iPod, iPhone TV, and Microsoft Zune file formats.

* Allows choosing the subtitles and Audio tracks to rip-or not rip if you don’t want all of them.

* The output file size is adjustable. You can compress movies to any size you need.

* Lets you see the ripping progress in a preview window.

* Various settings provide for flexibility and effectiveness of output.

* Supports both NTSC and PAL video formats.

* New version support Windows Vista.

Price: US$32.99

What’s in the Box?:

No box shots as this is a download only.

As with the other DVD Ripper reviews, I’m using Shaun of the Dead and my Apple iPod nano 4^th for testing.

Installation, Performance and Comparison:

The interface is fairly basic, most of the screen is taken up by the preview window. Down the left side are icons for selecting the output video format but only the first four work, clicking on the others will only give you a suggestion to purchase one of their other products and open a browser window to it.

Across the top are some options but they aren’t really useful. The first one is to locate your DVD or files to convert. The second one is player controls, you can actually watch your DVD through the program. The third options is Setting but, like the left side icons, only the first four are real options. The next two choices are Order and Register, why these are there I’m not sure as I already own the program, and then the last choice is Help.

When you’re ready to rip your DVD to your portable device you can select the format from the drop down box below the main window. You can choose one of the default settings of pick Customize Setting and then the right side will become open for you to change the parameters of the video.

Once you’ve got the setting you want just navigate to your movie and it will load automatically for you. You can select what you want to record as well so you can cut out things like credits if you wish.

You can then just hit Start and the process with begin.

I’ve got a Corei5 750 CPU in my computer so it’s a quad core, but checking the Task Manager we find the program only utilizes about 50% of the CPU.

The ripping and conversions process took 18 minutes and 26 seconds from the time I hit the Start button. The movie itself is 1:39:21 in length with credits included, so under 20 minutes to rip it isn’t bad at all. Of course depending on your system the time will vary. The output file is only 238MB in size, so that’s fairly small really. I’ve got an 8gig iPod so I could easily carry four movies and still have about 7 gigs left for my music.

The output quality is good, it looks fine especially on the small screen of the iPod, it’s very clear and the audio is in sync with the video.

Conclusion:

The program works, and works well, it’s fast, easy to use and the output quality and size are excellent.

The only real problem I have with this program is the price, coming in at $32.99 for a program that can only convert for basically four devices is not worth it to me really. I have other programs that cost less and can convert to many, many formats.

Though if you’re looking for a fast and easy way to rip DVDs to a limited number of mobile devices and money is no object then by all means check it out…

Me, I wouldn’t buy it….

Pros:

+Easy to use

+Fast

+Small output file

+Works perfectly

Cons:

-Expensive

-Rips to limited formats

Related posts:

1. Extra DVD Ripper Professional Reviewed
2. Wondershare DVD Ripper Platinum Reviewed
3. Extra Video Converter Pro

My Acer Aspire One D250 came with a standard mechanical hard drive, and recently I acquired another SSD drive so I figured why not swap the HDD out for the SSD as that seems the popular way to go these days. Now I knew the read and write speeds of the SSD would be much faster than the lowly 5400RPM hard drive, but I was curious as to how much of an actual affect it had on the system as a whole though. I wanted to know just how much an SSD effects everything in the system and not just the transfer rates or read/writes. So of course I took the time to run a whole lot of tests, not only comparing the SSD to the HDD but I ran system wide tests as well to see where anything might be different, or if anything had improved elsewhere besides just the reads and writes. So read on t find out what I did…

The Drives::

The hard drive that comes with the Acer Aspire One D250-1165 is a Hitachi 160GB version. It’s specifically the HTS543216l9a300 (5400RPM/3g/8mb). The SSD is the Patriot 128GB Warp SSD Drive PE128GS25SSDR. I figured why not use one that was closer in size to the original drive, and that was one I had lying around..

The drives are exactly the same, at least the data is, I cloned the Hitachi hard drive onto the SSD so it’s technically an exact copy of it.

Performance and Comparison:

The first thing I did with these drives was test the Battery Life with the HDD and with the SSD.

To do this test I used Battery Eater Pro which gives us a minimum battery life using the Classic Mode.

Here’s a quote from the site about the program and Classic Mode:

Battery Eater is a testing tool intended to reveal the potential of a notebook battery pack. Battery Eater can measure the minimum operation time of a notebook (when all power-saving options are disabled) under conditions close to the maximum workload (Classic mode). You should be aware, though, that such conditions rarely occur during an ordinary use of a notebook and should be regarded as reflecting the minimum time the notebook can work on its battery.

BEPro has a nice feature where it tells you the charge of the battery and then once you unplug the adapter the program will start running, so it’s truly being tested starting from 100% battery life. I used a stopwatch/timer to track the time, and stopped the timer when the netbook automatically powered itself down.

Here’s the Results: (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)

Hitachi HDD: 1:49:37

Patriot SSD: 2:01:32

So we gained about 10 minutes battery life using the SSD, but you have to remember this is the minimum time or battery life under load. Most people will not be using there netbook at 100% CPU usage as the program does.

So I could have easily just tested the hard drive performance and then compared them, but that’s not what I wanted to know. I wanted to know how much, if any, of a performance increase or decrease would switching to a faster SSD have on the entire system. So of course I’ve got the standard tests for the hard drives, and entire system tests as well, and then I’ve got the old standby SiSoft Sandra that tests more specific components along with the drives.

We’ll start off with ATTO that gives us read and write speeds for the drives:

As you can see according to the ATTO Disk Benchmark the Patriot pretty much blows the Hitachi out of the proverbial water when it comes to read and writing speeds.

Normally I like to group the SiSoft Sandra tests together, but for this little article I’m not.

So next up is the Physical Disks Benchmark -Read Performance from the Sandra suite. I can only run the Read test on the disks as to run the Write performance test the disk needs to be blank.

Physical Disks -Read Performance

Benchmark hard disks (i.e. the disk itself, not the file system).

As the test measures raw performance it is independent on the file system the disk uses and any volumes mounted off the disk.

Drive Index: is a composite figure representing an overall performance rating based on the highest read or write speed across the whole disk. Thus the higher the better.

Access Time: is the average time to read a random sector on the disk, analogous to latency response time. Thus the lower the better.

As expected the Patriot easily bests the Hitachi with the Random Access Time actually less than the Milliseconds of the benchmark. The Patriot recorded nanoseconds for the Random Access Time.

The next one from Sandra would be the File Systems Benchmark, this one is a little bit different in that it doesn’t focus on raw performance but the performance of a populated volume.

File Systems

Benchmark mounted file systems (i.e. volumes). Shows how your file systems connected to storage adapters and storage hosts compare to other devices in a typical computer.

This is not the raw disk performance that other benchmarks test – but the speed of the volume itself that depends on many more factors like file system, operating system cache, position on disk, etc. Thus this is the performance you get at the file system level.

Drive Index: is a composite figure representing an overall performance rating based on the average of the read, write, and seek tests, and file and cache size. The Drive Index is intended to represent drive performance under typical use in a PC. A larger number means better performance. The weighting of the results is not equal it represents the distribution of different files sizes as used on these devices (obtained through field research).

Even with the drive populated by files we can easily see that the Patriot is much better than the Hitachi mechanical disk by a wide margin.

Here are the Detailed Benchmark results for each drive if you’re curious:

Patriot SSD:

Detailed Benchmark Results

Buffered Read : 96MB/s

Sequential Read : 115MB/s

Random Read : 112.25MB/s

Buffered Write : 35.73MB/s

Sequential Write : 49.84MB/s

Random Write : 30MB/s

Random Access Time : 210µs

Hitachi HDD:

Detailed Benchmark Results

Buffered Read : 125.16MB/s

Sequential Read : 54.18MB/s

Random Read : 34.87MB/s

Buffered Write : 71MB/s

Sequential Write : 53.15MB/s

Random Write : 31.2MB/s

Random Access Time : 10.22ms

Now let’s move into more system wide performance testing.

First up we’ll check with Cinebench10.

CINEBENCH is a real-world test suite that assesses your computer’s performance capabilities. MAXON CINEBENCH runs several tests on your computer to measure the performance of the main processor and the graphics card under real-world circumstances.

The test procedure consists of two main components: The first test sequence is dedicated to the computer’s main processor. A 3D scene file is used to render a photoreaslistic image. The scene makes use of various CPU-intensive features such as reflection, ambient occlusion, area lights and procedural shaders. During the first run the benchmark only uses one CPU (or CPU core) to ascertain a reference value. On computers that have multiple CPUs or CPU cores and on those that simulate multiple CPUs (via HyperThreading or similar technolgies), MAXON CINEBENCH will run a second test using all available CPU power.

The second test measures graphics card performance and is run inside the 3D editor window. The project file used can test all graphics cards that support the OpenGL standard. In this scene, only the camera was animated. This scene places medium to low demands on graphics cards and tests the maximum speed with which the scene can be properly displayed.

Clearly there’s no real difference when it comes to this test, sure a couple points here and there, but no real discernible difference in the real world.

How about a few CPU related tests thrown in there…

First up is SiSoft Sandra CPU Multi-Media.

Processor Multi-Media

Benchmark the (W)MMX(2), SSE(2/3/4), AVX processor units. Shows how your processors handle multi-media instructions and data in comparison to

other typical processors.

Such operations are used by more specialised software, e.g. image manipulation, video decoders/encoders, games.

Results Interpretation

Multi-Media Integer (Pixels/s) – higher results are better, i.e. better integer performance.

Multi-Media Single/Double Float (Pixels/s) – higher results are better, i.e. better floating-point performance.

We actually see a slight increase in most of the tests while using the SSD drive, but again nothing spectacular at all.

Next we have Sandra CPU Arithmetic:

Processor Arithmetic

Benchmarks the ALU and FPU processor units. Shows how your processors handle arithmetic and floating point instructions in comparison to other

typical processors.

Results Interpretation

Dhrystone (MIPS) – higher results are better, i.e. better integer performance.

Whetstone (MFLOPS) – higher results are better, i.e. better floating-point performance.

As expected not much of a difference at all, a slight improvement in some areas but nothing to get excited over.

The next test would be Sandra Cache and Memory, another CPU based test:

Processor Cache and Memory

Benchmark the processors’ caches and memory access (transfer speed).

Results Interpretation

Cache/Memory Bandwidth (MB/s) – higher results are better, i.e. faster memory bandwidth.

Speed Factor (MB/s) – lower results are better, i.e. less difference between processor cache speed and memory speed.

Combined Index: is a composite figure representing the overall performance rating of the entire Cache-Memory performance in terms of MB/s. The

value is the logarithmic average of all the results for the entire address space. (Higher is better, i.e. better performance)

Speed Factor: is a figure representing the speed differential between the CPU’s cache and memory. The value is the ratio of the fastest cache (i.e. L1)

bandwidth to the main memory bandwidth. (Lower is better, i.e. the memory is not very much slower than CPU’s cache)

…and yet again a very slight difference, nothing that would ever be noticeable to the end user.

So next is Sandra Memory Latency test:

Memory Latency

Benchmark the latency (response time) of processors’ caches and memory

The latency of caches is measured in processor clocks (i.e. how many clocks it takes for the data to be ready) as it is dependent on the processor

clock speed.

The latency of memory is measured in nanoseconds as it is typically independent on processor clock speed.

Here’s an oddball and surprising result, same ram, different storage system yields lower latency for the ram… hmmm…

The next test would be another SiSoft Sandra Test, the Memory Bandwidth test:

Memory Bandwidth

Benchmark the memory bandwidth of your computer.

Results Interpretation

Integer Memory Bandwidth (MB/s) – higher results are better, i.e. faster memory bandwidth.

Float Memory Bandwidth (MB/s) – higher results are better, i.e. faster memory bandwidth

Here again we see a very slight lead with the SSD drive installed, still though not much that would translate into anything in the real world that you might actually feel from the system.

I grabbed a new test to try out PassMark PerformanceTest that tests the entire system

Fast, easy to use, PC speed testing and benchmarking. PassMark PerformanceTest allows you to objectively benchmark a PC using a variety of different speed tests and compare the results to other computers.

In addition to the standard tests, there are 7 summary results plus the overall “PassMark Rating” result. The benchmark results are presented as easy to read bar charts so that you don’t need to spend hours studying the number to know the result. Timing for the tests is done using high resolution timers, which are accurate to approximately 1 millionth of a second on most PC’s.

So that’s the overall graph, no surprise there right. Let’s look at the individual scorings:

If we look at those scores you’ll see that only the 3D Graphics Mark remained the same between both types of drives. The scorings suggest that the SSD truly does provide an almost overall system enhancement.

The last test I’ve got is CrystalMark and here you will see a huge difference between using an SSD and using a common mechanical hard drive:

There’s an unmistakable difference in that graph when using the SSD compared to the HDD.

But here’s the breakdown of the CrystalMark Testing:

In most all areas we saw an improvement when using the SSD drive, the OpenGL test was the only one where there really wasn’t much of a change at all. The OpenGL testing result does coincide with the results I got from Cinebench10 as well. In Cinebench10 the OpenGL test results were the same actually. Obviously most of the score difference was from the hard drive tests, a good 10,000 points difference, but the other results can’t be ignored either.

Conclusion:

So what can we conclude here? Well, for the most part, the entire system will benefit from a faster hard drive, or an SSD and not just your read and write speeds.

Most people think that the only benefit you’ll get from a better hard drive is faster access times. A lot of people don’t think about how much of the operating system itself relies on the hard drive and thus upgrading it is essentially an upgrade to the entire system itself.

A faster hard drive will mean your entire system will perform much better overall. While it might not be truly that significant of a difference there still is one, there’s no doubt there. Of course though you can achieve similar results in terms of performance just by grabbing one of the new 7200RPM or even one of the 10,000 RPM 2.5” hard drives out there, but you’re going to be using more power thus cutting your battery life that much more.

Yes SSD drives are rather expensive especially when you compare them to their mechanical counterparts, but they are dropping in price and as companies release newer, faster ones, the previous generation will drop in price. Just by waiting a bit you can get a very good SSD for a much lower price than it was originally sold for.

SSDs also have the obvious benefit of not being mechanical of course, so there’s less of a chance you’ll lose any data should you drop your laptop or netbook. The laptop might be shot but most likely your data will still be intact, with a mechanical hard drive you risk the chance of a head crash in a fall or other problems as well that could effectively render your data useless or it will cost you quite a bit of money in data recovery fees.

Related posts:

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2. Windows 7 on a Netbook 1 gig vs 2gig
3. Acer Aspire One AO532h netbooks feature Atom N450 processor and 10 hour battery life!

Bluetooth is prevalent in lots of our devices, but it has yet to become a standard in our PCs, laptops and netbooks, and I’m not sure why exactly. You’d think with all of those BT devices out there more manufacturers would start to make Bluetooth a standard feature. I’ve got the Acer Aspire One D250 and it does not come standard with Bluetooth, you’ve got to purchase a higher priced model to get it or purchase an internal card after the fact. There is another way though to get Bluetooth on your computer and that’s with a USB dongle, but many of those are big and bulky and nobody wants one sticking out of their netbook at all times.

Today for review I’ve got the smallest Bluetooth Dongle I’ve ever seen, and I’ve got a few of them, it’s called the Atomic Pico Bluetooth Dongle and our friends at Mobile Fun have sent it over to us for review. It’s so small in fact that once you stick it in a USB port you really don’t even see it and it will never get in the way, you could easily leave it in there forever if you want. So continue on to check it out…

Info:

Atomic Pico Bluetooth Dongle

The Atomic Pico Bluetooth Dongle is without doubt the smallest bluetooth device in the world (yes it’s even smaller than the nano dongle).

It’s perfect for adding bluetooth wireless capabilities to a laptop or computer because it doesn’t stick out, this means you’ll never need to worry about it snapping off or damaging your computer. Once inserted the dongle will sit almost flush with the USB port, you could even leave it connected permanently.

Why choose the Atomic Pico Bluetooth Dongle?

* It’s the smallest bluetooth dongle in the world!

* Advanced technology: Bluetooth v2.0.

* Plug & Play Support with Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista and Windows 7

* Faster Speeds (3 Mbits/s with new Bluetooth 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate).

* Lower power consumption.

* Supports secure pairing and encryption.

* Supports A2DP (Advance Audio Distribution Profile) for high quality stereo.

* Multiple connections – connect two or more Bluetooth devices at the same time.

* Full compatibility with USB equipped computers, supporting both USB 1.1 & 2.0 standards.

* Tested compatibility with Bluetooth enabled mobile phones, PDAs, headsets and other Bluetooth devices.

* Backwards-compatible with older Bluetooth devices (versions 1.1 & 1.2).

* Less interference with Wi-Fi networks.

*Skype compatible.

Technical Specification:

* Integrated Ceramic Chip Antenna

* Data Transfer 3 Mbit/s (max)

* 10 Metre Coverage

* Class 2 Specification

* Frequency: 2.4GHz ISM Spectrum

* Dimensions: 12 mm x 13 mm x 3 mm

* Supported Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, BIP, DUN, FAX, FTP, HCRP, HID, HSP, HFP, LAP, OPP, PAN, SPP

* Security: Pairing Encryption and Authentication

Price: £8.95 ($14.26)

What’s in the Box?:

The packaging for the Pico Dongle is the sealed plastic clamshell style, so you’ll need to hack and slash you’re way into it. You can see the dongle right through the front, and on the back are basic specs and features listed.

Included with the dongle is a software disc that has Blue Soleil bluetooth software on it if you choose to use it instead of the regular Windows BT software.

The Pico Dongle itself is very tiny, it’s mostly USB connection really:

Here’s a couple shots with the dongle and a US Penny and US Dime for comparison:

To really show you a comparison, here’s several Bluetooth dongles I’ve got compared to each other, the Pico is truly the smallest:

Installation, Performance and Comparison:

My Acer Aspire One D250 is the model that does not come with integrated Bluetooth so I figured it would be perfect to use with the Atomic Pico BT Dongle. The Aspire One has three USB ports, and I usually only use two, one for a mouse and one for anything else so I won’t be missing the USB port really.

Plugging it into the UBS port on the Aspire One I find that it almost goes all the way in, it sticks out just a tiny bit. In fact it’s rather difficult to get out once it’s in the USB port. This isn’t too big of a deal since I plan on leaving it in there, it’s unobtrusive and really you’ll never notice it there.

To test the dongle and its range I used my Jabra BT530 since it is capable of being used for music and sound as well as being a BT headset.

At first I used the dongle with the built in Windows XP Bluetooth Stack, but I found that it didn’t work correctly with the headset. The Windows stack couldn’t find the audio profile for the BT530 so I couldn’t use it as an audio device. I ended up installing the Blue Soleil BT software instead, actually I like using the Blue Soleil software better than the Windows stuff honestly. I like the graphical interface, and it just seems to make life easier.

To test it I played music and walked around my house.

The specs claim 10 meter coverage, or about 32 feet, but I didn’t get anywhere close to that really, I could only get a little over 6 meters or about 20 feet before the signal starting cutting out. It also didn’t go through walls but that’s to be expected really, so there’s no surprise there.

Realistically though, at least for my use, I’ll never be walking that far away from my netbook and still need to use the BT headset, so for me that coverage is fine. Sitting here within two feet of my netbook is about normal range, and that works perfectly fine.

Conclusion:

The Atomic Pico BT Dongle works fine for adding Bluetooth to your netbook or PC without adding any extra bulk to it. It’s tiny, and once installed you’ll never even notice it’s there, it truly is the smallest BT dongle on the market today.

The fact that I didn’t get the rated range from the Atomic Pico doesn’t bother me too much really as I personally don’t have a need to go that far away and I think most others will agree with me as well. The majority of our Bluetooth use is going to be close to the source really, or just a few feet away, and for that it works fine.

Pros:

+Tiny

+Plug and play

+Inexpensive

+Lots of features

+Includes Blue Soleil software

Cons:

-Range isn’t that great really

-Hard to remove

I would like to thank Mobile Fun for the chance to review the Atomic Pico Bluetooth Dongle and for their support of iGadget Life.

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You Wanted The Best

Can you guess I grew up in the seventies? At that time KISS was one of the biggest bands in the world and at the pinnacle of their popularity. For the sake of nostalgia I picked the KISS MusicSkin for iPhone 3G for today’s review.

Skinning devices has gained popularity over the past couple of years as it allows personalization of electronic devices. We all want to be different in some fashion and the use of skins is an affordable and simple way to do so.

MusicSkins LLC is one of several companies that produce high quality removable skins for electronic devices. What separates them from the competition is their licenses with numerous bands, personalities, and companies. In addition, MusicSkins allows the creation of custom skins; just upload your photo, art or other image and they will make a personalized skin for most popular devices. Music Skins features hundreds of designs for a multitude of popular hardware.

Info:

MusicSkins for iPhone 3G

MusicSkins are the premier music and music related device skins on the planet. Our skins are made from premium grade 3M vinyl and adhesive technology so they apply easily and remove without leaving any residue. We also use a high gloss over laminate, which adds durability and a photo quality finish to our skins.

Our durable skins are made of premium vinyl, which will defend your device from the harshest scratches. The special adhesive is completely removable and leaves no residue so you can easily switch your MusicSkins for the latest release. MusicSkins add almost zero bulk so your device will still integrate perfectly with almost any case, bag, dock, iTrip or armband.

MusicSkins LLC is the leader in music and music-related, high-quality, vinyl skin products. We envision all MP3 players, laptops, and phones as portable canvases for art and individuality. Our focus on music, art, culture and personalization has created a stylish way for musicians, DJs and artists to become closer to their fans while providing a low profile alternative to bulky cases. From Hip Hop to Country, Art to Fashion, and everything in between, there’s a MusicSkin to suit every taste.

No Scratches
MusicSkins protect your precious device with a durable anti-scratch, anti-UV coating.

Easy On… Easy off
3M Adhesive technology prevents bubbles and allows easy application and clean removal.

Premium Materials

MusicSkins are Made In The USA. Ultra Premium vinyl sets us apart from all other skin products.

No Bulk
Ultra-low profile means flawless integration with all accessories including docks, iTrip, cases, bags, and armbands.

What’s in the Box?:

The MusicSkin arrives packaged in a clear plastic sleeve. The skin is seen through the front of the packaging and is backed by a cardboard listing a product description with a few images of various types of skins.

Basically the MusicSkin is a large sticker composed of a vinyl film from 3M dubbed Controltac. This material allows the skin to be easily applied and removed. It features a scored surface, which enables bubble to be pressed out easily.

As I mentioned previously; for today’s review I received a MusicSkin featuring the iconic image from the classic KISS album – LOVE GUN. Now all I need is a digital copy of KISS meets the Phantom of the Park for my iPhone and it will be 1977 all over again, at least if there were iPhones in the seventies.

Installation, Performance and Comparison:

Application of the MusicSkin is quick and easy. Simply peel the skin off the backing material, line up the camera opening over the iPhone 3G then lay the skin flat down onto the phone.

Even if you have a shaky hand, the Controltac is very forgiving. If any bubbles appear just gently rub the MusicSkin to smooth them out. Don’t like the positioning, just peel back and reapply. Once you are comfortable with the positioning of the skin, press down to adhere the skin onto the iPhone.

During my application of the skin I did get bubbling right over the four corners on the curves of the iPhone. Thankfully massaging the area flattens these suckers right out.

Here we have the iPhone skinned with KISS. Pretty unique. I doubt I will see anyone with this skin on their iPhone any time soon; unless I go to a KISS concert. By the way, they are touring this fall.

If you want to change your skin or just remove it totally simply peel the skin off the iPhone. The 3M Controltac leaves no sticky residue or remnant material on the iPhone and the backing is just as sticky as the day you first applied it. I suggest to keep the original backing so you can store the skin if you wish to reuse it a later date.

Overall the skin adds minimal bulk. I was able to use my MusicSkin covered iPhone in several hard shell cases without an issue. In terms of protecting the iPhone, it will keep minor scuffs and scratches at bay but that is about it.

Conclusion:

Skins are a simple non-destructive way to “mod” the appearance of the iPhone. The Controltac material used for the MusicSkins is simple to apply, removable and re-usable. MusicSkins features hundreds of different designs and with the ability to create custom skins, the road to individuality is unlimited.

If you want your iPhone to stand out from the crowd then I strongly recommend the MusicSkins for iPhone.

Pros:

+Simple to apply
+Numerous design choices
+No adhesive residue left after removal
+Re-useable
+Easily removed

Cons:

- none

I would like to thank MusicSkins for the chance to review the MusicSkins for iPhone 3G and for their support of iGadget Life.

Related posts:

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2. MusicSkins for 13” MacBook Laptops
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It might not be completely out of your hands to improve your current connection, and with a little management in frequented areas you may find that you can get data in places that you couldn’t otherwise.

Here are 6 tips that may help you get out of a less than optimal signal strength situation.

Watch how you hold the phone

First thing, note the phone in your hand.  The antenna is located in the bottom half of the iPhone itself.  If you are in a weak area, repositioning your hand to the top of the unit may increase your chances of getting a signal.  But don’t take my word for it – try it yourself.

Place both hands on the bottom half of the iPhone, covering it front and back.  In a weak area you may see your signal drop after a few seconds.  Removing your hands from this position should return the signal to the original strength, but in some cases it may take 20 seconds or so to stabilize.

Figure 1. Held from the top. Note the signal strength meter (full bars).

Figure 2. iPhone held from the bottom. Note the drop in signal strength ( five bars to 2 bars). This was in the same physical location, only change was the hand position.

Map out any fringe areas you frequent

There are Apps on the App Store (such as the free “Signals”) that will take a sample signal strength reading and map it for you, letting you define an area.  On the trip there, mark a few places, and in a pinch you may know where to find a signal.  Even better, such apps also allow others to upload the signal strengths for an area, giving you a heads up if you are going to be in new place.  Knowing ahead of time of a problem can be half the battle.

Reset your phone

By this I mean turning the phone completely off and back on.  This not only clears the phone of any processes that could be causing you issues, it also allows the phone to poll for any tower information updates.  The carrier is constantly tweaking their network, so this may help with hitting a good connection.

Check your sim card

Now, this probably has little to do with the signal itself, but a loose or dirty sim card connection can make the phone disconnect from the network, mainly because it is no longer authorized to connect.  For those people who do not know where their sim card is on their iPhone, look at the top of the phone, between the power switch and the headphone plug.  You should find a small round hole there, perfect for a paper clip.

Gently but firmly prod this with a paperclip end and you should discover your sim card.  Make sure the connections are clean, and replace.  Some people have went as far as to put a piece of paper or post it notes strips behind their sim card to assure a good connection.  I am not sure if such action is warranted, and I would also suggest not looking at this as a possible problem unless you lose connection with the tower completely on a regular basis.

Reset your network connections

This may help you with current tower settings and other issues, especially if you use Edge (it says “E” instead of “3G” beside the signal strength meter) in your area.  Since this will wipe out any Wifi settings you may have stored in the phone, I would suggest turning off the phone first and trying it.  This is a solution that AT&T suggests doing in most of their trouble shooting processes, so it definitely bears mentioning.

And if worse comes to worse…

You can lay your iPhone on a table and not holding it all may provide the best connection possible for a bad area.  You can still use the touch screen or put a caller on speaker phone.

By following these tips and exercising a little planning, a frequented location should not present any surprises to the average iPhone user.  If you know that you are going into a fringe area, try doing email checks and data hits on the way there.

But so many times the connection itself can be borderline in outlying areas, so the best advice I can give you at this time is this – look at how you are holding the iPhone when you have no connection.  Hold it from the top, and you just might find that you may have a serviceable connection.  Along with that, a little luck will not hurt.

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