Dell Has a Tablet Computer Too...

For the last few months, in the tech and gadget world, the Apple iPad, has been all the rage. But Apple isn't the only company working on a tablet computer. Dell, for example, is currently working on building the Mini 5 (though the name may change). According to the company, the five-inch touchscreen will debut in "a couple of months," but they wouldn't give away any pricing information. The iPad will sell for anywhere from $500 - $830.

The Mini 5 will feature a five-megapixel camera on the back, as well a front-facing webcam-like camera that can be used for video-conferencing. In addition, it will have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity options, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1-GHz processor. It will run Google's Android operating system (version 2.0 or higher), and has a 16:9 aspect ratio - the iPad's is 4:3. Due to the size, it'll look more like a Sony PSP than an iPad.

Wired.com spoke to Neeraj Choubey, the general manager of the tablets division at Dell and he had this to say about the device, "It’s a device optimized for media consumption. It will offer the full web-browsing experience so you have something that you are holding in your hand that replaces everything the smartphone does and takes on quite a bit of the features of a laptop."

He also said the computer will be the first in a series. Others would have varying screen sizes, potentially creating better competition for the iPad. Most people don't realize that tablet computers have been around for years; they just aren't very popular. Many experts believe the iPad will change all that and drive up the competition. With the Mini 5 coming out, this is something Dell seems to understand.

Dell already sells some mobile products, but not in the United States. Its smartphones are available in Brazil and China. The Mini 5 would most likely take advantage of the apps that are available on the smartphones. Also, it's expected to have specialized tools, programs for business users, strong movies and music experience, web surfing, flash, and quick access to email, YouTube, Amazon's MP3 store. In addition, it will have spreadsheet, presentation maker, and documents, as well as supporting voice recognition. All of these features will set the standard for Dell's entire line of tablets.

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Buffalo Kokuyo Reveals 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub

USB 2.0 is slowly becoming "so last year" as companies begin to roll out devices all ready for the upcoming USB 3.0. One of the first companies to make a USB 3.0 device is none other than Buffalo Kokuyo with their 4-port USB 3.0 hub. The next wave is coming in so we might as well get ready for it.

The BSH4A03U3 is a 4-port USB hub that supports USB 3.0. The upper surface of the hub is ordained with blue LED lights and a high quality finish. The device comes with an included AC adapter that allows HDD portable devices, external USB DVD drive devices and power-hungry devices to connect with four connections possible at the same time.

The USB hub is compatible with both Windows and Mac Operating systems that includes Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows XP and Mac OS 10.4. The hub transfers USB 3.0 data at 5Gbps and transfers USB 2.0 data at 480Mbps.

A good thing about the hub is that it won't clutter your desktop space as the device itself is relatively compact. The hub is compatible with conventional USB 2.0/1.1 and can connect directly with your existing PC. The 4-port USB 3.0 hub is already available in Korea for around $89 US, which seems a bit steep to some people. You can also get the device in either black or white.

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Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710

Technology buffs are becoming more spoiled by the day, especially with all the wireless tech that has been pouring into our laps over the past few years. It seems that if any piece of tech we want to get comes with a cord we immediately shun it like the plague. Well its a good thing companies are realizing that absolutely nobody wants a wired device anymore because most companies are trying their hardest to make all devices wireless and all wireless devices last longer.

Logitech is taking wireless connectivity to the next level with their wireless Desktop MK710 keyboard and mouse combo. The keyboard and mouse work just like any other wireless device with one huge selling point, a supposed 3 year battery life for both the keyboard and mouse which is a feat Logitech says it is the first to achieve.

To achieve this long battery life, Logitech uses aggressive power-saving algorithms. Now, when people hear this they tend to worry that the algorithms may cause lag but Logitech assures us that even with the algorithms users will not experience any unseemly lag. Being able to experience 36 straight months on a single set of batteries without having to deal with ridiculous lag is something that grabs the attention of a lot of tech junkies.

According to Logitech's Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Control devices Business Unit Rory Dooley, "No one thinks about changing batteries until they have to, but when that time comes it can stop you in your tracks. With its industry-first three-year battery life for a combo, you might just forget the logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 uses batteries at all."

Another key feature with the MK710 mouse and keyboard combo is the single Logitech Unifying Receiver, a single, tiny receiver plugged into one of your computer's USB ports that connects both your keyboard and mouse through a single port. The single receiver is small and being able to connect both devices greatly diminishes your computer's clutter.

The keyboard itself features Logitech's incurve keys as well as a cushioned palm rest. The keyboard also features an LCD dashboard which gives you the status of Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, Number Lock and battery life. The mouse is a midsize Logitech laser mouse that comes complete with hyper-fast scrolling. The mouse has a right handed design with three customizable thumb buttons in close reach of each other. Both devices run on Logitech Advanced 2.4GHz wireless connectivity. Typical wireless systems run on 27MHz systems and Logitech's 2.4GHz system allows a much faster transmission of information. The 2.4GHz system also comes with a 128-bit AES encryption that ensures all of your important data is safe and secure.

The Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 is hitting stor shelves in Europe this month and will becoming to us Americans in April under a $99.99 price tag.

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MSI Wind Box DE220

CES 2010 was a huge event with enough tech to make even Steve Jobs a little stressed trying to see everything. With a show as big as CES and having as many products as the show floor did it was easy to miss some stuff. One thing many people passed over (unintentionally of course) was the Wind Box DE220 that MSI had teased early on before the show.

Well thankfully not everybody passed it over because we have the down low on this nettop. The Wind Box is a small form factor desktop PC sporting Pinetrail-D that comes with a variety of specs depending on what you want. Customers can get a wind Box with either a single core 1.66GHz Intel Atom D410 processor or a dual core 1.66GHz Atom D510 processor.

Regardless of which processor model you get your Wind Box will come with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics, up to 4GB of RAM and up to 1TB of hard disk space. The Wind Box DE220 comes with the Windows 7 Home Premium OS as well as an optional 802.11b/g/n WiFi card.

The MSI Wind Box DE220 sports a compact, bookshelf ready design that measures 10.8-inches x 6.7-inches x 1.6-inches and looks to be compact enough to take up little space giving you a cleaner, less cluttered workspace. As of right now there is no word on pricing or even a launch date but I'm sure people are already drooling over this product already.

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EVGA's W555 Motherboard

CES was a huge event when it happened a few of weeks ago. There was some pretty big surprises and some huge new technologies unveiled that everybody was talking about. But what people are talking about now are some of the things that flew under the radar at the show, products like the new W555 Motherboard from EVGA.

The W555 is basically like your typical dual-processor LGA1366 motherboard except this baby was designed to be overclocked. Now judging by the images already seen the W555 isn't small. There are no exact dimensions that have been officially released yet but EVGA has confirmed that the W555 is larger than either the E-ATX or SSI standards.

But why is it so big you might ask? Well maybe because this thing is packed full of stuff. The W555 can hold two overclocked processors and a dozen DDR3 DIMM slots. On top of that there is also room for 7 PCI expansion slots. At first glance, people may think that they will be able to toss in two core i7 processors and start overclocking. Core i&s only have a single QPI link so in order to run a pair of processors in SMP you will need two Xeon W5000-series CPUs which each have two QPI links.

This board is already getting people excited with the possibility of being able to overclock a pair of 8-thread CPUs. Adding to that, you should be able to install a pair of Xenon-branded 12-thread Gulftown cored CPUs, set to be released later this year, for a whopping total of 24 threads from a single box. Each of the CPUs socket is provided with its very own bank of 6DIMM sockets.

Overall this thing looks insane. With all the overclocking possibilities and the theoretical possibility of running 7 GPUs in this thing is enough to make all you computer geeks out there slipping in a puddle of your own drool. Add that to the possible 24-thread count from a single box and you have a match made in geek heaven. No word on a release date or price has been revealed but we will keep you updated as more information rolls in.

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Great Products For Child-Proofing Your Computer

Anyone with a child knows they are fascinated with computers, starting at a very young age. Leaving your child alone with your computer is not the ideal situation, but watching them every second isn't always possible, either. Whether you want to protect your children from the many dangers of the internet or protect your important files from little hands who may not know exactly what the "delete" button means, the following programs can help make your child's PC experience more enjoyable and help you rest a little easier.

Safe Eyes 5.0 This program does everything you need and then some. It's touch - your smartest kid won't break the code of protection - and it covers up to three computers. It's compatible with both Mac and PC and retails for about $49.95.

Peanut Butter PC 3.0 Peanut Butter PC not only protects your files, but it keeps your kids entertained at the same time. It's not nearly as tough as Safe Eyes, but it does have interactive elements. However, in a review, PC Mag says they aren't very exciting. This one retails for about $24.95.

Hoopah Kidview Computer Explorer 6 This one is perhaps a bit too cutesy for older kids, but it will keep the little ones out of your important files. It offers kid-safe email and keeps web-surfing age-appropriate and it sells for about $39.95.

KidZui 5.0 KidZui allows your kids to surf the web, play games, view videos and interact socially online in a very lively environment. And it does it all for a mere $7.95.

Net Nanny 6.0 This is probably the best choice for child-proofing your PC. It does what you probably expect it would, but it also offers a number of unique features not found on any of the other programs. It has secure web-traffic filtering, ESRB-based game control, and records IM conversations if they come across as dangerous. You can monitor and manage from any location with email alerts and remote configuration. This one is $39.95.

OnlineFamily.Norton This is the only free product on the list but it's actually pretty good quality compared to a few of the others. It blocks bad websites, controls how long your child can spend on the computer, supervises chats and social network use. It works with both Macs and PCs and remote configuration and reporting is super-easy.

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McAfee's Predicted Security Threats for 2010

McAfee recently released a report that predicts potential online security threats for 2010. To summarize, the anti-virus and computer security company, which is based out of Santa Clara, California, sees an increase in threats from social networking sites, banking security, and bot nets. In addition, they see increases in attacks targeting users, businesses, and applications. However, the findings weren't all negative. McAfee says they expect an increase in law enforcement and its effectiveness in fighting cybercrime.

As social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, become increasingly popular, they'll most likely become a breeding ground for cyber attacks. On top of the increased number, the attacks will be more sophisticated. Facebook users are particularly vulnerable due to the number of third party applications used. Games and other applications are popular and most people will trust an invitation from their friends without using caution. But that invitation could easily be malware or something else designed to harm your computer. There's really no way to protect yourself other than avoiding the third party apps such as quizzes and games.

URL shorteners such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com are also expected to become a target of cybercrime. These tie-in to social networking because most people use them to post links to their profiles. The websites shorten a normal URL into a smaller one that will fit in almost any space and is especially popular on Twitter, where you only have 140 characters to gets your message across. One major problem with these smaller URLs is that they can't be previewed, so clicking on one at random could lead you to somewhere you don't want to be. This makes it a very easy target for crooks.

Due to the popularity of Microsoft products, cyber criminals have been taking advantage of them for years. However, as programs such as Adobe Reader and Flash become more popular, McAfee expects they will become a bigger target, taking over the top "honor" from Microsoft. In 2009, Adobe Reader saw an increase of problems due to security holes, leading the company to take a more proactive approach to patching up problems.

Email attachments have always been a problem when it comes to spreading malware and that threat is expected to continue and even get bigger. The company expects an increase in specific targets when it comes to email, and those include journalists, corporations, and individual users who could easily be convinced to download an attachment that is hiding a Trojan or other bit of malware.

Other projected problems include banking Trojans. Normally used to get your financial information, McAfee expects them to become so advanced that they will start interrupting transactions and even withdrawing money from your accounts. 2009 already saw an increase in banking cybercrime, with many Trojans making their way past strong bank security. Botnets are also expected to be a threat. McAfee calls them a "leading infrastructure for cybercriminals" and says they are "used for actions from spamming to identity theft." While they are harder to track down due to their ability to move from computer to computer without a central base of operation, there has been some recent success in shutting them down.

Despite all the many threats, McAfee does project an increase in law enforcement's ability to track down cybercriminals. Even so, there are steps you should take to protect yourself. Purchasing security software and keeping it updated is very important and something everyone should do. Keeping your PC up-to-date with Microsoft patches that protect your operating system, office suite, and browser is also important. You should also be sure that you are aware of all the latest threats and realize what's at risk. Exercise caution when opening files or downloading applications.

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