http://www.hardwaregeeks.com Tech News and Reviews Blogs and More en Michael@hardwaregeeks.com Copyright 2010 2010-07-30T04:47:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_sh_b123_blu_ray_disc_bd_combo/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_sh_b123_blu_ray_disc_bd_combo/#When:04:47:00Z Samsung late last month announced their new Samsung SH-B123 Blu-ray Disc internal drive and lucky for me I was able to get my hands on one to test out, and I have to say I am pretty impressed by the drive.  Installing the drive is simple anyone with basic computer knowledge can install it with no issues. What is also cool about the drive is it comes with a feature called BD Advisor, which will let you know if your computer can handle Blu-Ray content. If it can not it will inform you what needs to be upgraded on your system. But people you all should know ahead of time if your system can handle a product like the SH-B123 before you buy it.  Samsung 2010-07-30T04:47:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_spinpoint_f4_hd322gj_internal_hdd/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_spinpoint_f4_hd322gj_internal_hdd/#When:00:56:00Z Recently my moms desktop stopped working, after trying to diagnose the problem I saw that the bios did not detect a hard drive I concluded that the hard drive was bad. Easy!  Lucky for me is that Samsung had sent me their Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ Internal HDD to test out and so I figured I should test it out on my moms system. So I used it to replace the bad drive on my moms system. The HD322GJ has 320 GB of storage, 7200 rpm / 16MB buffer serial ATA. Making it a large enough drive for her and rather fast hard drive.  Samsung 2010-07-30T00:56:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/careful_with_those_search_results/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/careful_with_those_search_results/#When:16:28:00Z Consider this posting a PSA. I often get complaints from friends and family that they have a virus. They swear to me that they didn’t go to any bad websites etc. They swear they have been following all of my advice of how to stay safe when browsing the web especially on websites they are not familiar with. However while they may be following my advice, they do let their guard down when they search the web. Regardless if the website is a legit site or not if it appears within the first 10 search results on Google, Bing, Yahoo or where ever they may be searching. They click on it and that’s where their problems begin. While the search providers are doing their best to get rid of these bad results, the websites pop up so often and so fast it’s hard to maintain a clean database when search is so dynamic.  News 2010-07-29T16:28:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/win_a_chance_to_host_a_logitech_party/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/win_a_chance_to_host_a_logitech_party/#When:06:25:00Z As you may already know, Logitech and Google have teamed up to bring you the Logitech Revue with Google TV. They running a contest where three winners will be selected to host a party in their lofts in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco, and guess what you will be paid for it! The contest is located on their facebook page so click here to check it out and good luck! Logitech 2010-07-28T06:25:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_slim_external_dvd_writer_se_s084/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_slim_external_dvd_writer_se_s084/#When:05:33:00Z I have reviewed Samsungs External DVD writers before and when they announced that they redesigned them and improved upon them I definitely wanted to check them out again.  First the new design for these external writers are 100 times better than the previous version, they have a more stylish and elegant look. The previous version was square and sort of looked like something that belonged in Battle star Galatica.  Installation is simple, you simply plug it into what ever desktop or notebook you are using. I have tested it with both PC and Mac and it works fine.  Samsung 2010-07-26T05:33:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/fabulis_launches_iphone_app/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/fabulis_launches_iphone_app/#When:05:32:00Z Fabulis, the online social network for gay men today has launched a free iPhone app so that their members can have a sleek and easy to use mobile experience when on their iPhone. With the App users of Fabulis can browse members, view their followers and who they are following. There is even a shake feature similar to the shake feature in the urbanspoon app but instead of resturants it shows members near you. You can also check and respond to messages in real tme. To get the app from the iTunes store click here. News 2010-07-26T05:32:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/unboxing_of_hp_z400_workstation_and_maingear_xcube/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/unboxing_of_hp_z400_workstation_and_maingear_xcube/#When:20:06:00Z Over the past three weeks I got my hands on an HP Z400 Workstation and a MainGear XCube, which I unboxed. I thought it would be easier to just post one entry about the two unboxing instead of two. Then I thought it would be easier to upload the pictures of the unboxing to the forum which I did! Check out the unboxings here: Z400 XCube News 2010-07-23T20:06:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/drobo_fs_review/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/drobo_fs_review/#When:06:08:00Z For the past few months or so ever since the consumer electronics show (CES), friends have been telling me about this great company called Drobo short for DataRobotics. Some would tell me they have the greatest NAS product ever created, others would insist it isn’t a NAS product but a Storage Array. Some people would say its expensive, as the Drobo S has a starting price of $799 with no hard drives and the Drobo FS which I have had the pleasure of testing out starts at $1149.00 with 4.5 TB of storage. I for one live by a Spanish saying that goes “Lo Barato Sale Caro” which translated means, what’s cheap ends up being expensive. While that may hold true most of the time there are exceptions. When I received the Drobo FS for review I needed to find out if it was worth its weight in gold or if it was the exception to the saying. In other words is the Drobo a Mercedes or a Kia.  News 2010-07-22T06:08:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/seagate_goflex_tv/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/seagate_goflex_tv/#When:05:05:00Z Seagate last month announced their new GoFlex TV the latest version HD Media Player that works with their new GoFlex Portable hard drives and essentially replace their Theater offering. The new GoFlex TV will not only work with GoFlex portable Hard drives from Seagate but will also connect to your home network and will allow you to display its content, videos, music and pictures on any television. You can also connect two additional hard drives via two USB ports located in the back and side of the GoFlex TV. Seagate Maxtor 2010-07-22T05:05:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/wd_tivo_extender/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/wd_tivo_extender/#When:02:51:00Z I recently got a TiVo premiere and quickly ran into a problem. I was recording so many programs that I was running out of space fast. So I got my hands on the new Western Digital AV DVR Expander. It allows you to give your DVR an additional 1TB of storage. The Expander is compatible with TiVO Series 3, TiVO DV HDRs and Dish Network, DirectTV and Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD DVR box which is commonly used by cable operators. I have a TiVO premiere which is Series 4 and it also works well although WD does not have it listed as compatible.  I am extremely picky when it comes to what electronics are near my television, I like everything to match and with the black piano finish that the WD Expander has it matched my television and TiVO box perfectly. Western Digital 2010-07-22T02:51:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/srs_hd_audio_lab_now_available/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/srs_hd_audio_lab_now_available/#When:11:00:00Z Today SRS Labls announced the availability of their SRS HD Audio Lab Software. The software will provide a customizable audio experience for music. movies and gaming across multiple system and speaker configurations. A lot of people believe if you want quality audio on your pc you need a quality sound card, and I tend to agree and may have been one of the many people who have told people that.  But SRS Labs with their new HD Audio Lab has caused me to put my foot in my mouth as their software has improved the sound quality on my PC and allows for me to easily tinker with my audio settings.  News 2010-07-20T11:00:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/seagate_announces_goflex_home/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/seagate_announces_goflex_home/#When:11:00:00Z Today Seagate announced their GoFlex Home product a Network Attached Storage device whose hard drive is easily removed and can be upgraded to a another GoFlex enabled drive with more capacity.  Right now if you purchase a NAS chances are its limited to the hard drives it comes with or there is a complicated process involved with adding or upgrading its drives. With the new GoFlex Home all you do is remove the current GoFlex Desktop drive and replace it with another. The GoFlex Home comes with a 1TB or 2TB drive so that is more than enough storage for most but if you want more storage you can get a GoFlex Desktop drive with 3TB of storage. Oh and when you upgrade the drive you can still use the older drive with the dock that comes with the GoFlex Desktop.  Seagate Maxtor 2010-07-19T11:00:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/livescribe_echo_announced/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/livescribe_echo_announced/#When:04:00:00Z Today LiveScribe announced their new Echo Smartpen which is more elegant than the previous version, and offers more features.  I was able to get my hands on the new LiveScribe Echo Smartpen last week and I have to say that I love it. My biggest complaint about the previous LiveScribe Smartpen product was it wasn’t cool looking and a bit thick. Now it has an elegant black piano finish slightly thinner a tad bit longer and much more comfortable to hold and write with. I actually find my self using the echo a lot more than I did the pulse because of how comfortable it is to write with.  News 2010-07-19T04:00:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/my_thoughts_on_the_samsung_captivate_for_att/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/my_thoughts_on_the_samsung_captivate_for_att/#When:16:59:00Z Last week I was able to get my hands on the Samsung Captivate which was released today the 18th of July. The Phone is available with at&t for $199 with a 2 year contract. It honestly beats the iPhone when it comes to screen power and weight at least that is my opinion. Enjoy the video! Samsung 2010-07-18T16:59:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/hp_compaq_8000_elite_ultra_slim_small_form_factor_pc/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/hp_compaq_8000_elite_ultra_slim_small_form_factor_pc/#When:02:34:00Z For the past three years, I have reviewed the Ultra-Slim workstation that HP has brought to the market, and each year that I have tested one out I am impressed more and more at how powerful such a little machine is. The most recent Ultra-Slim that I have tested was the HP Compaq 8000 Elite, an upgrade to the dc7900 which was the last Ultra-Slim I tested and the dc7800 the one prior to that. The form factor for all three are exactly the same with minor cosmetic differences, the changes are under the hood. The 8000 Elite Ultra-Slim is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (also available with Celeron or Pentiums) 8 GB of DDR3 Memory and with up to a 250 GB HDD.  HP Hewlett Packard 2010-07-18T02:34:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/seagate_goflex_desktop_3tb/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/seagate_goflex_desktop_3tb/#When:15:25:00Z Seagate announced the GoFlex eco-system about two months ago and I have to say I think it’s a fantastic idea and I hope it catches on. I recently got my hands on their 3TB GoFlex Desktop.  The 3TB GoFlex Desktop is an external drive with 3TB of storage, but you probably knew that by its name. It’s a pretty cool looking drive, sort of reminds me of something you’d find in Battle Star Gallatica. It looks really cool. Seagate Maxtor 2010-07-16T15:25:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/speak_up_to_10000_commands_to_your_sync_enabled_car/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/speak_up_to_10000_commands_to_your_sync_enabled_car/#When:14:11:00Z In 2007 Ford introduced SYNC a technology that allowed you to speak up to 100 first level commands to your car. SYNC which runs on Microsoft Mobile allowed you to make phone calls, get directions and even have text messages read to you by simply speaking a command. Now with new 2011 Ford Vehicles available this year such as the Ford Edge you can speak up to 10,000 first level commands with the new MyFordTouch. The MyFordTouch which system which Ford worked with NUANCE to create will make it easier for drives to communicate with their vehicle. For example in the current SYNC system one must say “Phone” then “Call Big Bird” with the new MyFordTouch system all you have to say is “Call Big Bird”, or you can say “Find Starbucks”. There is no longer a need to actually enter into a menu option to speak a command for it. If you are cold in your car say “Warmer” and if your hot say “Cooler” and you can control the climate in your car. News 2010-07-15T14:11:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/kula_tv_by_sungale/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/kula_tv_by_sungale/#When:03:18:00Z Sungale announced their KULA TV a few weeks ago and having used similar products such as FloTV I was really interested in seeing how they measured up. So I asked Sungale if they could load me one so I could test out. The key difference between Sungale and FloTV is Wi-Fi and over the air (ota), the other difference is with Kula TV you can get over 400 channels from all over the world and last time I checked with FloTV only 17. Kula TV requires a Wi-Fi connection to pull its TV channels and works all over the world, FloTV does not need Wi-Fi but only works in the US.  News 2010-07-15T03:18:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/unboxing_the_samsung_captivate_for_att_a_galaxy_s_phone/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/unboxing_the_samsung_captivate_for_att_a_galaxy_s_phone/#When:23:02:00Z I was able to get my hands on the new Samsung Captivate for at&t wireless, which will be available on the 18th of July 2010. The phone is an android based device with a 1GHZ processor. Having played with it for a bit I can tell you the phone is extremely snappy. But until I post my review check out the unboxing I did below. Enjoy! News 2010-07-12T23:02:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/telenav_launches_with_us_cellular/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/telenav_launches_with_us_cellular/#When:14:32:00Z TeleNav today announced that it has launched its GPS software with U.S Cellular. U.S Ceulluar will offer their smartphone users Navigator Deluxe which includes 3D Turn By Turn navigation, speach recognition, traffic routing, and over 12 million points of interest and seamless integration with your email, contacts and calendars. The service will be available as of today for users who own a Samsung Acclaim, HTC Touch, Touch Pro, Touch Pro 2, HTC Snap, BlackBerry Tour 9630, The Perl Flip 8230, BlackBerry Curve 8530 and the Samsung i225. For a video Demo of the Samsung Acclaim click here. News 2010-07-09T14:32:00-05:00