Computer, Gadgets and All Things Digital

Canon USA has announced a successor to the hugely popular Canon Eos Rebel T2  the Canon EOS Rebel T3i digital SLR camera , offering a lot of  smart high-end capabilities at very attractive price tag. Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Canon’s new flagship Rebel, offers fun and easy-to-use features for newbie photographers. Canon  EOS Rebel T3i is to hit store at the beginning of March 2011.

The T3i camera has an 18-megapixel sensor and a 3-inch variable angle rear LCD for taking shots overhead or at other odd angles. The T3i also gets an A+ automatic mode that takes picture style into account when shooting to analyze faces, colors and shades, brightness, movement, contrast, and many more. All the parameters are configured within the camera to get the best picture quality.

Canon rebel t3i boast a 3-inch Vari-Angle rear LCD which comes with resolution of 1,040,000 dots possesses anti-reflective and anti-smudge coatings. The T3i also offers several innovative filters to obtain effects like soft focus, grainy black and white, Toy Camera, and a Miniature Effect Filter. The camera can also record 1080p HD video at 24p, 25p, and 30p and uses a DIGIC 4 imaging processor and allows digital zoom for movie filing with 3x to 10x.

The camera can shoot bursts of up to 34 shots in full resolution JPEG or 11 shots in RAW format. Photos and video can be stated  to SD , SDHC or  SDXC cards.

For flash users who can afford the $500 price tag ) for the 580EX II Canon flash,Canon has released a new entry-level, less-powerful flash, the $249 320EX.

Canon is also offering new Speedlites with the 320EX selling for $249.99 and also the 270EX II selling for $169.99.

Canon Eos Rebel T3i  will sell for around $799.99 and a kit with and EF-S 18-55mm lens costing $899.99. Another kit with an 18-135mm lens with IS integrated will sell for $1,099. Click the following link to check the latest price and buy cheap Canon Eos Rebel T3i at the best price

There are three alternatives to connect desktop computers to a wireless network notably an USB Wireless Adapter, a PCI wireless network adapter, or a card bus adapter ( for your laptop computers). Well, when you come to decide – which type of wireless adapter for desktop computer  is your choice?

Perhaps the most popular and the widely use network adapters is USB wireless adapters that you can connect to one of USB ports. This is simply because you can make your desktop computer wireless instantly  by plugging  a wireless USB adapter into any available USB port. In fact, it takes only a matter of just a few seconds to plug in a USB adapter and begin using the internet wirelessly. There are many advantages  why it is best to go for USB wireless adapters for your wireless connection particularly if you have to cope with several computers at home network or perhaps at  place of work.

Picture 1 :  USB Wireless Adapter

The next wireless device which can make desktop computers wireless is wireless PCI (PCI = white slots inside a computer) card adapter. They are internal wireless cards designed to fit into one of the PCI slots located at the back of a desktop computer. Just like USB adapters this device allows for high performance wireless connectivity for your desktop computer with extended range. Installing a PCI network adapters isn’t as difficult as you may have thought. You can just  take away the side panel from the desktop computer and put the wireless PCI card into any of the white-colored slots inside. There’s actually just one way the card may be installed. Reading the manual guide prior to installing it is definitely the best thing that you can do to ensure a smooth installation and kick off of your wireless connection using your desktop computers.

Picture 2 :  PCI Wireless Adapter

Both USB and PCI network adapters for desktop  are typically equally fast, but my personal experience has been the internal wireless device much less likely to get damaged by anyone bumping into it or banging it over accidentally. However it does require you to open up the case and set it up. If you’re not comfortable performing that, opt for the USB. Usually they’re within a few bucks price wise of each other.

If you’re a newbie it’s highly recommended for you to go for  USB adapters, since it is much easier to install and offer you better signal strength if your desktop computer is quite far from the router. You have to be aware though that when you are setting them up, you need to install software/drivers for the USB wireless adapters before you plug them into the computers.

You need USB adapter “G” for a couple of reasons. First of all, if your wireless access point or or wireless router  has 802.11g capability, then your USB wireless adapters will transfer data a lot faster than any broadband Internet service you may have. Secondly, the “G” will be backward compatible with your router if your router has only “B” speed. Lastly, with N being prominent now, G speed wireless products is affordable.

Please keep in mind  that you may get less expensive wireless adapters or whatever, but reliable adapters will cost you just as much or more than the less costlier one. Wireless equipment is one area in which you really do not want to go for cheap devices.  Wireless connection  is less reliable (slower)  than a wired LAN connection, so that you want a reliable wireless adapter for desktop you need to get something decent to avoid occurrences where you’re annoyed  with the its performance.

I bought this Canon  Eos  Rebel t2a few weeks ago to replace my old EOS Rebel  G. Quite lag behind other who might have had purchase this camera five years ago or something . This digital camera has a few more features than my old Canon Rebel G. As with any EOS camera, my other lenses and my speedlite work with it and cause no problem at all. Canon  Rebel T2 is available in the market in two different models, the T2, and the T2 Date. I chose the T2. Whilst looking at the instructions I found out that the T2 Date has a feature which is specific to it, the compatibility with the Canon Wireless Remote RC-5. When I browsed the internet for available accessories, the RC-5 emerged as one for my model. I am not sure if the manual is correct or not. The manual also specifies that the wireless remote might be subject to undesirable shooting when in areas of fluorescent lighting.

Canon  Eos  Rebel t2 

The Rebel T2 came with the 28-90 mm lens as explained here. This lens is extremely fast and takes incredibly crystal clear photos, even though I have not attempted to enlarge any thus far to check for aberrations. My prints so far didn’t display any issues. The auto-focus, as I pointed out, is extremely fast and extremely accurate. It appears to take me longer than I want to alter the focusing points when the camera is focusing on the wrong object, but I think that I will get better as I practice it. Overall the operation is not too complicated. The camera offers a number of modes which are quite user-friendly and well explained by the manual.

The basic modes consists of night portrait, sports, close-up, portrait, landscape, and no-flash. The manual specifically describes many different operation modes in depth along with suggestions such as how to use the flash for a portrait in the night  without underexposing the background. The camera is relatively light just like other SLR cameras, and it is ergonomically well designed, even though it is not designed for those left-handed since all the controls are intended for right-handed manipulation – either thumb or forefinger. The big LCD display on the back (as compared to the small LCD screen on the top) is heaven when compared to my old Rebel G.

It features a lot of information and facts and is simple and easy to read. The most significant benefit of this camera that I like over my other cameras is that the Rebel T2 can take three images per second through the whole roll. This makes a big difference for taking photos of sports events. In spite of what other people may claim, I have tested it for myself, and I actually do get 3 frames per second. My biggest recommendation for anybody who want to buy this camera is take time to sit down and take the twenty minutes to read the manual before taking any photos using it, even though you have previous experience with other Canon models. In a nut shell this is an amazing digital camera. Great price, features, and images . Its pictures are highly detailed, very clear and have virtually a 3D lifelike quality to them, something I have never seen beyond professionally taken pictures. This Canon  Rebel T2 camera is freaking awesome. Get the Canon Eos T2 and T2i at the best price, click the following link : Canon Online Store

Protecting children and loved ones  from graphic, violent, pornographic or other unwanted  content s on the internet can be a difficult task if you don’t have parental control software  installed on your computer. However if you’re part of the ever growing family of Firefox browser-now the second most popular behind  Internet Explorer  and if it’s the only browser on your computer you can get around this by using parental controls Firefox addons.

Bellow are several Firefox parental controls addons  I find quite useful:

FoxFilter
This addon is quite powerful  filter out or  block access to inappropriate content by setting user-defined rules . You can easily block content material for an entire webpage (e.g. *CensureBlock* or key in custom keyword filters (e.g. videos, movies, images, pornography, nudity, gambling, explosives, etc.) which will be used to block content for any site containing  these key phrase . The rules will be triggered when someone visits a site that may contain explicit keyword such as adult, violent etc.  All of this addon filtering features are free while premium features available with small support fee.

Configuration and Option
FoxFilter is a Mac, Linux and Windows compatible. To change your FoxFilter version and edit the whitelist / blacklist preference you must log into the account settings.

Figure 1 : FoxFilter

FoxFilter can be accessed by going to Firefox Tool Menu and then navigate to “FoxFilter Preference.. The tabbed user interface is really easy navigate, and guides you thru each security preference. The application is offered preset with obvious keywords that would raise a red flag. You may modify the list and add your own keywords and Websites. Moreover, you can include keyword phrases that you would like the application to ignore . Particular Sites may be included in the list easily. All your configurations can be password protected. You can get FoxFilter Firefox Parental Controls Addon here.

Suricate
Firefox add-on is working with a global group of websites that have been marked as inappropriate by previous Suricate users. Additionally you can add your own list to deny  users access to specific sites. Though this addon is completely free the developer of this add-on asks that you help support its continued development by making a small contribution of USD5 voluntarily. In your Firefox browser you can configure Suricate settings by navigating to Tool —> Addon —–> Suricate —–>Options until you;re prompted with a configuration  Windows as seen in picture bellow. You can download this addon here.

Figure 2 : Suricate

Censure Block

This addon is free and really simple to use. You can access its configuration and options by clicking Censure block icon located on the right bottom of Firefox after which you will be prompted with a small configuration windows. You can use its password protected feature by paying a small fee.  Cencure Block can be download using your Firefox browser here. You may also find other Firefox parental controls addons here.

Figure 3 : Suricate

Backing up your computer data is one of  the most important things  every computer user should carry out  on a regular basis yet  only a small fraction of them do so and hence they unknowingly  are flirting with disaster as many instances of computer failures can delete important files on their machines. Probably the most common ones are hardware failures, which includes complete hard drive crashes  or partial damage such as unreadable CDs or DVDs, virus or infections and also human error-related incidents. In this posting you will find backup software  review of several most popular backup software.

Bellow are several things to look into before deciding on buying backup software:

1. Ease of use – The use of the software needs to be user-friendly and simple to use, a beginner must be able to install it and use it hassle-free.
2. The capabilities – The application should go beyond just duplicating data files. It must enable you to perform regular backups.
3. Support system – Backing up and restoring a system is often complicated; the help center of the software vendor must be able to provide crystal clear step by step instructions.

Bellow you will find four recommended backup software utilities recommended many  software expert all of which have consistently made to the top list of backup software review from respected IT magazines such as PC magazine, Chips etc:

1. Genie Backup Manager Pro v8.0

Genie Backup Supervisor Pro v8.0 is a great choice for the home backup needs. This program enables you to backup the  entire programs on your computer, particular files and folders, as well as specific  files like music files, video, presentation file, and so forth or  whatever is necessary that fits your needs.

Its backup and restore wizard feature makes it easy for you  to keep your files safe and enables you to restore them in case you experience data loss incident . Genie Backup Manager also boasts compression capabilities, email notifications, online backup options and preconfigured backup sets. Those features make Genie Backup Manager Home v8.0 an excellent choice for experienced users make  it  worth every penny.

2. Norton Ghost 15

Norton Ghost is an old school player in the data protection business. It has the reputation of being one of the most reliable and reputable software solutions available on the market and has consistently made to the top list of backup software review from respected IT magazines. Initially their backup software wasn’t really very good, however its developer make significant improvement and  turned  it ultimately into a very impressive utility software.

Compared with its predecessor  Symantec Norton Ghost 15 has enhanced versatility coupled with extra capabilities to meet additional data protection needs. This software program is well suited both for office and home use. Probably the most substantial enhancement is the recovery CD image creation. Cold imaging method enables you to retrieve or recover files in cases where machines fails to start up.

Additionally , it uses the ‘Symantec Threat Con’ which in turn uses the information from ‘Symantec Security Response’. This feature will trigger automatic file backup when a particular threat level is detected  for example if a data limit is hit or a malware is found. It also allows for the backup of the entire system.

In a nutshell Norton Ghost is an extremely powerful and flexible data recovery software package. It’s an great choice if you are serious about data protection.

3. Acronis True Image 11 Home

The user interface of this popular backup software is really easy to navigate. The general appearance is similar to Windows Vista yet is a lot more user-friendly. Its menu  language is quite easy to understand and buttons are simple to go through. The entire operation is furthermore streamlined using a practical option positioning.

The ‘one click’ back-up function is definitely an excellent illustration of the simplicity of the software package. By incorporating the “one click” backup button Acronis helps you to take entire control of the back up process therefore you aren’t required to figure out or bother what is being performed.

True Image 2010 comes with a incredibly extensive set of features. It allows for the back up of the whole system. The program also makes it possible to  customize backup task according to your needs. The cold imaging technique allows you to restore data in case you experience a complete computer  failure. The application also enables you to create boot disks to further facilitate the process of recovery. On top of that Acronis also offers such extra features as  online backups, non-stop backup and  disk cloning.

4. Backup Maker:

This software is very  easy to use and navigate  and packed with  an excellent set of functionalities.  The software features a cunning innovative user interface which makes it quite easy to use and to navigate.  It features set up wizard that takes you instruction by instruction with the backup creation process, along with the option to display or hide advanced options. Its  key features also include filters to filter out or include specific file types, or files having a maximum file size. It comes with a simple-to-use scheduler with control over execution times, and  the option to perform back-up tasks at start up, shutdown, or upon insertion of a USB flash disk.   If a backup task schedule is missed it could conveniently be rescheduled.  The application provides the capability to operate before and after backup tasks, such as mounting/un-mounting a network drive, powering down your computer, or restarting.

That’s the top four backup software utilities I find very useful and hope you will find my humble backup software review useful too.

There are nowadays lots of means to enjoy your favorite flicks and TV shows or TV Episodes over a broadband internet connection on your PC for reasonable fee by subscribing to steaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu etc  or even if you’re smart enough  you can watch your favorite movies  free of charge. Alas, watching such media in  your home office doesn’t make for the most fulfilling experience. If you want to escape the confinement and enjoy your entertainment on the big screen in the living room, this posting will give you a hint on how to connect how to connect a laptop to a tv.

You can  connect your laptop or  PC to your TV set to watch DivX, FLV or DVD video formats playable on your PC but on no other available players.

Before you can indulge yourself watching streaming media on your TV , you  must look into several requirements. Your computer or laptop should have a Video card with a TV-OUT connector. The connection will usually be integrated in your Video card and situated at the back of your PC. You could  link your TV set  this with your notebook as well since  the majority of them possess this kind of connector (see picture below).

A TV-OUT connector cable will be plugged in both devices to connect them to each other. The cable can indicate which line goes in and which one goes out, so keep in mind that you plug IN your TV set OUT from your computer or laptop. You should also get the same type of connector for your TV set called the TV-IN or VIDEO-IN connector. However, you will also have to get a LINE-OUT connector of the Soundcard. If you don’t own a right connector for your TV, you could  use your VCR or an extra round connector that appears like an antenna connector device.

If you have a conventional TV, you almost certainly have an S-Video port or a composite video port. If your Television has an S-video port then your computer or laptop should have an S-video port  and you can connect them with an S-Video to S-Video cable. Moreover, the number of pins on the S-video ports must match. For example, if your TV set has a 4-pin S-video port, your computer or laptop must also have a 4-pin port.

If you have an High Definition Television, then you will most likely have an HDMI Port or a DVI port or a VGA port. First of all,  ensure that your pc has also the corresponding port and you might afterwards connect with a HDMI to HDMI cable or DVI to DVI cable or VGA to VGA cable.

HDMI offers best picture quality on your TV yet the majority of computers might not have an HDMI port. Still you can still use a DVI to HDMI cable to connect the DVI output port on your computer to the HDMI input port on your HDTV! This is possible since HDMI is compatible with DVI. Hence you can watch the best quality pictures on your TV.

The following are the steps to connect a laptop or a computer to a TV:

1. Make sure that the computer or laptop and Tv set are situated at close distances. This is dependent on your cable length after which you can turn  your computer off. Disconnect the monitor alone
2. Connect the appropriate video cable to the computer’s output port and the TV’s input port. The cable can indicate which line goes in and which one goes out, so make sure that you plug IN your TV set and plug OUT from your computer.
3. Turn on your TV  and set it to the input that fits the output on your computer for example. you may set it  from the default to a different selection which may be “S-Video” or “S-VHS” or “HDMI 1
4. Turn on your computer. You will see Windows displayed on your Television. If the screen looks stretched, or part of the screen appears cut off, you can  configure the screen resolution in Windows. If you cannot see Windows on your TV, you might have to reconnect the computer to your monitor and change the screen resolution before you connect to your TV. If higher resolutions cause issues, then decrease the resolution to say, 800×600. Now you have connected your laptop to your PC and watch streaming media on your television. Enjoy..

Do you ever feel bored to always check the activities that occur on the phone? Each time receiving the SMS, view incoming calls, checking status updates on social networks that you follow or simply to choose the music tracks which you like.

Perhaps this latest device  from  Sony Ericsson is the one you need. Sony Ericsson recently introduced a new interactive accessory that is named Sony Ericsson Live View. The users can control the phone without taking your phone from their pocket or bag by this device, through a micro-screen that also acts as a remote control that reflects the look of your phone activity. This device uses Bluetooth connectivity as its wireless connection. Application’s SE Live Ware manager is installed in the mobile phone users will help it to find application SE Live View is activated.

The very small design making it very practical device to be placed anywhere. You can embed it on watches, key chains, or handed on a laptop though. Some features available in this device, among other music-management features, social networking services, check your messages and calls, and reminder.

ASUS announced the launch of one of its newest netbooks : the ASUS EeePC 1015PEM series. This product is equipped with dual-core processor in Intel’s latest Atom N550, which offers performance above average compared with the Atom based net book in market now. The use of dual-core processor N550 will allow an increase in cloud computing performance with support for DDR3 memory.

ASUS EeePC 1015PEM also boasts Asus latest technology innovation – the ASUS exclusive Super Hybrid Engine- which will ensure all-day computing, and provides battery life of up to 13 hours. In terms of storage capacity, this product comes with  with 250 GB or 350 GB of hard drive  as well as an online storage capacity up to 500 GB, to make it fit  for cloud computing.

It also has  USB 3.0 technology and Bluetooth version 3.0, with faster  data transfer than the previous version of the technology. This product comes in various shades of colors, such as, silky red, midnight blue, and glossy pink.

There’re different the reasons why you  wish to create and combine  PDF files. Creating a PDF file doesn’t necessitate you to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. You’re be able to use the Open Office  Writer Program to create PDF files instantly, which is available totally free of charge on the Internet.

Why should you  combine or merge pdf files?

If you experience file  management , merging selective PDFs together will make it simpler to control  the content of file folders. This offers you the option of creating extra organized PDF files  for your own purpose.

Additionally you will be able to decrease the amount of separate individual task by working with merged-and fewer, PDF documents.

How to combine  PDF Files Using Adobe Acrobat X Professional

If you have already got a licensed version of Adobe Acrobat X Pro, merging pdf  file can be done on the breeze. To merge documents, first put  all of the files that you need to combine together in one folder. To collate all the documents together, open the primary file, with which you want the combine document to start. Then choose the combine  files menu  to begin the merge process.

Once you commence the file merging process  you will be  requested to decide on or add another pdf  files that you want to be merged together. Then you may be requested to order them in the correct sequence by which you want those pdf files  to be combined after which  you’ll have to select the pdf file size that you want the doc to have. Once the file size has been chose, your merging process is complete. The file will be combined in the folder in the folder you  chose previously

Using Other Programs

If your computer  does not come pre-installed with  Adobe Acrobat X Professional, there are various software alternatives you can choose to do the job which typically cost just few bucks. A-PDF Merger or PDF combine are two of the most popular tools to merge your pdf files easily. The interface of the above mentioned programs are  very user friendly and make the job of merging of lots of your pdf files easier. They are shareware programs, meaning you can use for free over a limited period with limited functionality.

Merging PDF files online

In case you don’t have lots of file to combine you can use various online pdf merging sites. Typically those sites put a cap on the number files and file size you can up;oad into their server. Pdfmerge.com , mergepdf.net, pdfjoin.com are among several sites you can combine pdf  files online.

LinkSys is one of  widely used routers for home use. This brand is manufactured by Cisco an comes in various models of  wireless routers, DSL routers and cable routers. LinkSys routers are quite easy to configure and setup. You don’t have to hire a professional network engineer to perform the simple  Linksys router setup.

While there various versions of LinkSys routers the general design for setup is quite similar for all of them.  See the picture bellow for details:

Picture 1 : The back of Linksys WRT54G

Linksys Router Setup: The Basic Configuration Step-By-Step:

Follow the instructions bellow:

1. Put the router in a central location and keep it away from metal-surrounded environment since metal can hamper signal pick-up. The router needs to be located in a way that  the distance between shoppers (computers) is quite the same.
2. Plug the Ethernet cable into the Internet port on the  back of the router. This port is usually located at the back of the router.
3. Connect  a computer to the router by plugging one other Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port in your PC or computer  and attaching the opposite end  to one of the ports at the back of the router.  Then plug the router into an electrical outlet.
4. Wait  for the indicator light to stop blinking indicating that the router is done booting up.
5. Restart your computer so it could access a new IP address from the router. Now you have just done performing basic linksys  setup.

Next: Configure the Router

1. Open your internet browser and type the following address  http://192.168.1.1/  on your browser then hit enter
2. You will be prompted to log in , tpye in “Admin” in the username box and leave the password blank.
3. Connect to the Internet and click on “Internet Setup.”
4. Select your connection type from the drop-down menu. Choose “DHCP” for cable modems or “PPPoE” for most DSL modems. If you are not sure of the option you need to choose just consult your internet service provider.
5. If this you use a wireless router, it is recommended  that you consider setting an SSID to identify the router as your own and configuring WEP to encrypt your wireless traffic. Set a service set identifier (SSID) to identify the router and change the password.
6. Encrypt your wireless connection using a Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) key. Under the “Wireless Security” option, enter a passphrase and click “Generate.” This will generate a password which will need to be used by any client connecting to your router. Now, basically you have finish execute linksys router setup.

If you don’t find the above Linksys router setup instructions not quite clear you may want to check this video guide courtesy Youtube and Purenetworks: