http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/index/ HardwareGeeks.com offers users tech news and reviews on the latest products from some of the biggest tech companies, like AMD, ATI, Intel, Microsoft and more. en Michael@hardwaregeeks.com Copyright 2010 2010-07-29T16:28:00-05:00 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.  Today I was reminded by Symantec that they offer a free toolbar for your webbrowser that will flag suspicious and dangerous websites in search results so that you don’t click them! You can get the toolbar which is called Norton Safe Web Lite by taking your browser to the following URL: http://safeweb.norton.com/lite News 2010-07-29T16:28:00-05:00 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/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.  Their software automatically detects your system type and speaker configuration and has preset configurations for Movies, Music and Gaming. You just simply click what you are doing and the HD Audio Lab tweaks your settings automatically to give you the best audio experience. The interface is easy to use and kind of cool looking. If you do not like the preset settings, there are advanced controls that allow you to tweak them even further, and makes the entire process quick and easy.  Immediately after I started using the software, I could hear the difference in the sound quality. Music sounded crisp and clear it also bought out a richer bass in the songs. While watching a movie I didn’t find my self rewinding to catch what someone said because I heard them clearly the first time and while gaming it was as if I were in the game that’s how well focused the sound was.  If you are worried about compatibility, the software worked with everything I tested it with. From Windows Media Player to WinAmp, from DIVIX to iTunes and QuickTime.  Also if you have multiple sound sources you can easily alternate between the sources in the settings. View image below. Overall the SRS HD Audio Lab software is great for advance and novice users who appreciate good quality sound. For more information on the software and for pricing visit http://www.srslabs.com News 2010-07-20T11:00:00-05:00 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.  That’s a lot of power for a system that measures only 25.1 x 25.4 x 6.6 cm. But just because its small doesn’t mean it can’t deliver what a larger desktop can. I was able to do my day to day work on the 8000. It handled Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop and AutoCAD like a pro.  While it handled AutoCad and Photoshop like a pro the 8000 is designed for small businesses with limited space, and doesn’t need a system that can be taxed to the extream. The 8000 Elite is perfect for clinics, real estate offices and would make great point of sale systems with the appropriate software. The system can be placed on a desk with out taking up much work space, it can even be attached to the back of a monitor. HP sells an optional accessory for monitor mounting. The system is affordable as well with a starting price of $779.00 with out monitor and in the UK 487 pounds. For more information visit http://www.hp.com HP Hewlett Packard 2010-07-18T02:34:00-05:00 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. “Ford is committed to making voice recognition the primary user interface inside of the car because it allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,” said Jim Buczkowski, director of Ford electronics and electrical systems engineering. “The improvements we’ve made will make it easier for drivers to use and interact with it, even those customers that have never used voice recognition before.” The new MyFordTouch system will be available in 2011 vehicles and from my understanding current SYNC owners will not be able to upgrade, but I will email Ford just to double check. Edit: Just heard back from Ford the upgrade is hardware so you can not upgrade current vehicles with SYNC. News 2010-07-15T14:11:00-05:00 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 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/e3_2010/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/e3_2010/#When:10:59:00Z We will be at E3 this week along with the girls of CuteGeek.com, and we will try our hardest to bring you as much information from the event as we can. Today we will be attending a Microsoft Natal Party, the new motion detection system from Microsoft for the Xbox 360 which brings some what of a Nintendo Wii experience to the xbox. Then tomorrow we have a huge press event with Microsoft and we will let you know what they talk about during it tomorrow. So subscribe to our RSS feed and follow us on twitter so that you can stay up to date. News 2010-06-13T10:59:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_fathers_day_giveaway/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_fathers_day_giveaway/#When:04:03:00Z We are holding another joint contest with CuteGeek.com! We are giving away some cool Samsung gear just in time for Fathers day! HardwareGeeks.com and CuteGeek.com are each giving away a Samsung S2 640 GB Portable HDD (Blue) an upgrade to the S1 which Cecilia from CuteGeek.com @CuteGeek reviewed last year and a Samsung S084 Super WriteMaster Slim External DVD Writer which Michael from HardwareGeeks.com @hwgeeks reviewed last year as well. Each site is giving both the S2 and S084 away to one lucky winner on each site! The S2 and S084 would make a perfect gift to your tech savvy dad, or tech savvy mom for those moms who are both a mom and a dad. To enter the contest just reply to this thread telling us why your “dad” is so great. You have until Friday 8am eastern the 18th of June 2010 to enter. The winner one on each site will be selected at random and provided you get us your address before 4PM eastern time we will send the S2 and S084 to you next day mail (USPS) so that you can give it to your dad or mom on Fathers day. Good luck everyone and follow us on twitter! @CuteGeek | @HWGeeks Fore more information on the drives visit: S2 | S082 S2 Pictured (left) S804 Pictured (left) News 2010-06-12T04:03:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/boxee_box_delayed_until_november/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/boxee_box_delayed_until_november/#When:22:05:00Z During CES D-Link was pretty excited about their Boxee Box, a media extender that will allow you to play HD Videos from the web to your television on your local network. D-Link had said they would be releasing it in Q2 2010 but today officially announced they are pushing the launch date to November. D-Link says the extra time is to ensure everything is working adequately. For more information on the announcement visit the D-Link blog @ http://www.dlinkblogs.com/ and for more information on Boxee Box check out its facebook page http://www.facebook.com/boxeeboxbydlink News 2010-06-11T22:05:00-05:00 http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/norton_everywhere/ http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/norton_everywhere/#When:16:43:00Z Today Symantec announced a three part initiative to expand the Norton brand from just personal computers to new devices and applications where you wouldn’t expect Norton to be in. Today Norton is launching Norton Smartphone Security for Android, Norton Connect and Norton DNS, all of which are in beta meaning they are still testing it and you should’t use it unless you are comfortable with testing software. “We are entering a new era where no-PC devices are exploding in numbers, which means more opportunity for cybercriminals. It’s becoming more and more critical for consumers to be protected beyond their PCs” said Janice Chaffin, President of Symantecs Consumer Business Unit. The Norton Smartphone Security Beta is scheduled to be available in June, and will allow for the user to remotely lock or wipe their device in the event they lose it. All you do is send it a text message. Symantec has also partnered with HTC MobilityNow a division at HTC the maker of the NexusOne, HTC Incredible and the EVO for SPRINT (June 4th I can’t wait). They have joined forces to test the Norton Smartphone security on both Android and Windows Phone Devices. Norton Connect is also scheduled for release in June. Norton Connect is a free mobile application that will allow you to access any files you may have archived on Norton OnlineBackup or Norton 360. What is available now is Norton DNS, a DNS service that is very fast, I have been using it a little over 2 hours and its way faster than the DNS service my ISP offers. The Norton DNS service will hopefully make your online experience safer as it will protect you from accessing malicious sites, to try it out visit http://www.nortondns.com Keep in mind everything is in BETA. News 2010-05-27T16:43:00-05:00