Posts in PC & Peripherals
Acronis now lets you Try&Decide
Reuben Lee | Oct 18, 2007
So when True Image 11 Home from Acronis announced its latest all-in-one solution for backup, recovery and security on the PC, this had my attention. Targeted at home and SOHO users, one of the noteworthy features in this latest version is the Try&Decide function. It allocates an isolated yet protected space on the computer to perform the desired tasks, letting users decide whether to keep the changes or delete them completely without exposing the hard drive to viruses, trojans or other security threats.
In other words, you can now open an email attachment or even install a new software application without having to worry about putting your computer at risk.
Other notable features are the Drive Cleanser which lets users securely erase hard drives and the File Shredder to ensure deleted files are not recoverable. The latest version also comes with options to protect and backup system files, automatically catalog backup locations, and recover messages from Outlook.
The Acronis True Image, which is now distributed by New Era in Southeast Asia, goes for US$49.99 and should start shipping to selected Asia countries this month.
Viewsonic's high-res 19-inch LCD monitor
Reuben Lee | Oct 16, 2007
While the price of the VX1940w will only be announced closer to its launch date, it is expected to appeal to those who have a limited desktop area but need a high-resolution screen for viewing multiple Windows comfortably. According to Viewsonic, the VX1940w will roll out in selected markets including Singapore and Malaysia from November this year. The company has also revealed that it plans to introduce new display products with "super high resolution".
Google shares hit another record high, again
Reuben Lee | Oct 15, 2007
It's just amazing how Google shares keep soaring in price. I mean, just three years ago, the company stock debuted at US$85 and, at that time, many people remained skeptical about Google. But when the shares grew at a phenomenal rate to hit US$400 in 15 months, there was no longer any question about the company's growth potential. Earlier last week, the Internet search giant showed no signs of slowing down when shares soared past the US$600 barrier. Analysts are now estimating that Google shares will smash the US$700 mark by the end of 2008, though given its current growth rate (at the time of writing, it was priced at US$615), we suspect the stocks will end the year on an even higher note.
The first thing that always comes to mind when I read a report on yet another new price high for Google stocks is the lucky sods (read: Employees) with stock options. Just to do a little calculation, if they had gotten their shares when the company first started trading in 2004, their stock prices would now be worth seven times the initial value. Even for those who joined the company much later, say at the end of 2006, theirs would have risen by more than US$150 per share. That's almost a cool US$75,000 profit in the pocket if you had 500 shares to begin with.
Now if I had a time machine (DeLorean + flux capacitor + crazy scientist) to bring me back to 2004, all I would need to do is raise US$510,000 to buy 6,000 Google shares at US$85. Which safely back in 2008 would net me more than US$3.6 million in the bank when Google shares hit US$700 a piece. I'd retire and head straight for the Bahamas or Bora Bora. What a life that could have been.
Reality sucks. Which means I'll be sticking to my twice-a-week lottery buying ritual and my dreams of hitting the big payout soon.
Track a thief from Asia to the US
Darius Chang | Oct 15, 2007
Like a really good reality show, the size of consumer devices has been dwindling to almost nothing. Notebooks morphing into UMPCs, prosumer cameras to point-and-shoot form factors, and even the PSP has undergone the slimming treatment. But portability brings along its own risks. After all, some of our writers have behinds which are, erm, so well-cushioned that sometimes we don't even realize when our darling toys have been taken or dropped.Enter theft recovery services. BAK2u, a Singapore-based company specializing in retrieving lost/stolen laptops, PDAs and mobile phones, can help you if the incident happened locally, but is hapless if the device is taken out of country. This is because such services depend on local law enforcement cooperation to work and this courtesy may not extend to other states.
Hence, its partnership with GadgetTrak, another theft recovery service based in the US. Through this, they will have access to each other's recovery services and will be able to track devices within their respective zones. Mobile phones with Bak2u software installed will call to a predefined number when in use once the company is informed that the device is stolen. Other electronic items can deploy an identification label which allows the (honest) finder to return the item.
November launch for AMD Phenom chips
Matthew Elliott | Oct 12, 2007
Since AMD released its Barcelona server chips last month, PC users have been wondering when that native quad-core goodness might arrive in the form of AMD Phenom desktop CPUs. According to a report on VR-Zone, we'll see the first two quad-core Phenom chips next month. The site reports that the 2.2GHz Phenom X4 9500 and the 2.4GHz Phenom X4 9600 will launch some time in November. These Phenom 9000-series parts will feature 512KB of L2 cache per core, 2MB of shared L3 cache, a 3.6GHz HyperTransport 3.0 bus, and an 89W power rating. A third chip will join the line in December--the 2.6GHz Phenom X4 9700 that will have a 4GHz bus and a 125W power rating.
The higher-end Phenom FX line is expected to debut in the first quarter of 2008 with the Phenom FX-82, which reportedly will feature a clock speed of 2.6GHz or higher.
For its part, AMD would neither confirm nor deny the Phenom rumors making the rounds this week.
Via CNET Crave
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