Guru'board's Miniguru Keyboard

Companies are always looking for ways to shake up the market they are in and Guru'board is no different with the newest keyboard from the unproved company, conveniently titled the Miniguru, having the potential to do just that.

The basic concept of the Miniguru is simple as it is designed to keep your fingers on the home row. The keyboard tries to do this via special modifier keys that allow you to move through three layers of functions. If you hold down the the modifier button your J, K, L and I keys get turned into your up, down, left and right arrow keys and your Caps Lock button gets turned into your control button.

The keyboard also features a mouse nub which is also designed to keep you keyboard-centric. However, I'm pretty sure mouse nubs went out of style back in the 90's so it is a good thing that you can remove it in the highly-custom sales configuration panel. The configuration panel also works in an option to choose from three different switch parts, a plethora of colors and the existence of keycap symbols.

I'm not sure how popular this device is going to be. it does look very interesting and the concept behind it is unique. How many people will find a use for this keyboard, or even want it, is still up in the air but I'm sure people will want to give it a test run just out of sheer curiosity. Nothing has been heard about a release date, or even if the Miniguru is going to make it out onto the market at all. We can only sit and wait to find out.

---

Looking for Computer / PC Rental information? Visit the www.rentacomputer.com PC Rental page for your short term business PC needs. Or see this link for a complete line of Personal Computer Rentals.

Read More

Buffalo Introduces 4TB TeraStation in America

CES was home to a ton of new tech this year including the 4TB TerraStation WSS. Buffalo Technology, who has been a global leader in the development, design and manufacturing of wireless and wired networking, network and direct attached storage solutions, unveiled at CES 2010 the TerraStation WSS which utilizes Windows Storage Server.

The TerraStation incorporates a new x86 hardware platform. This allows the TerraStation to feature four quick-swap SATA hard drives as well as redundant RAID technology and a heavy-duty power supply which provides a dependable and cost effective storage solution. The TerraStation also utilizes Window's NTFS file system providing excellent file security for the SMB as well as really granular folder and file permissions. If you add this to the native Active Directory support then you get a new and really-cost effective solution to the SMB.

According to Ralph Sagnola, Vice President if Sales for Buffalo Technology, "Buffalo technology has been a leader in the SMB storage space and incorporating Windows Storage Server is just the next step. The latest TerraStation WSS is Buffalo delivering on its ongoing commitment of producing high quality, robust storage solutions to the SMB market that are not only cost effective but are also able to meet the high demands of today's business needs."

The TerraStation features Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 Express Edition. This helps businesses store and protect all of their digital assets. Setup for the TerraStation is easy is easy and it is also easy to manage plus it gives you all the power of a Windows server operating system to provide feature-rich file sharing. The TerraStation has support for protocols like SMB, AppleTalk, NFS and Netware and the TerraStation WSS also allows data to be shared along different platforms. Native integration with the Active Directory service provides a simplified management for customers operating in a Windows domain environment.

The TerraStation WSS is backed by a three-year warranty which includes 24/7 technical support. Two different models will be available, a 2TB (WS-Q2.0TL/R5) for $1,599.99 and the 4TB (WS-Q4.0TL/R5) for $1,999.99.

---

Looking for Computer / PC Rental information? Visit the www.rentacomputer.com PC Rental page for your short term business PC needs. Or see this link for a complete line of Personal Computer Rentals.

Read More

D-Link Touch, Pocket 802.11n Router and Rush Wireless Accelerator

D-Link dropped some pretty cool tech at CES which included some new routers and the Rush accelerator which is basically a powerful 4x4 access point. The Rush accelerator can be switched between 2.4GHz and 5GHz and can also do up 600 Mbs over 802.11n. The routers shown consist of the new D-Link Touch and the D-Link Pocket.

The D-Link Touch sports a 3-inch interactive touchscreen that allows for easy setup, configuration and management of the router as well as internet traffic. It has dual-band capabilities and three data streams that support data transfer rates up to 450Mbps. This allows users to stream HD content faster in the 5GHz wireless band. You can also surf the web lag-free on the 2.4GHz band. An extra bonus feature is that the D-Link Touch is backwards compatible with earlier standards (802.11 a/b/g).

The D-Link Wireless N Pocket Router is designed to be a quick and crude travel router. The Pocket Router can be used multiple ways either as a wireless router that allows you to create an 802.11n Wi-Fi network or as an access point which allows you to add Wi-Fi to an existing wired network. The router includes SharePort technology. This allows you to share USB devices. Along with this the Pocket Router can be used to connect an Ethernet-ready device like a desktop or even an Xbox 360, to a Wi-Fi network.

Unfortunately, though these devices are very cool and many people will be looking to get their hands on them soon, there has been no word on pricing. Though it ha been revealed by D-Link that all three devices will be available and on the market in the first half of 2010. It seems the new year tech is already coming out fast.

---

Looking for Computer / PC Rental information? Visit the www.rentacomputer.com PC Rental page for your short term business PC needs. Or see this link for a complete line of Personal Computer Rentals.

Read More

The All-in-One Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B

I have not really been keeping up with desktop computers, but when I took a look, I discovered that the all-in-one Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B was definitely one of the most feature-filled promising all-in-one computers out there.

Honestly, the VAIO pretty much looks like 24-inch HDTV. It can easily blend in to anywhere you might place a smaller HDTV. It could really replace a bedroom TV because it has the built-in Blu-Ray player, ATSC tuner, and HDMI-in ports. You can even easily connect a gaming system, like the Playstation 3, or a set-top box like the one from your cable company into the computer with the HDMI-in ports. The VAIO’s built-in tuner can quickly grab HDTV signals over the air and display them in Windows 7’s built-in Media Center interface. The picture on the VAIO is crystal clear and noise-free. Like I said, its like watching on a high quality HDTV.

The system is wall mountable which is a feature that I thought was cool. You do have to buy a separate mounting kit, but I think it would definitely be worth it. There is also a space in the base of the system that comes in handy giving you plenty of room to store your wireless keyboard and mouse. It seems that Sony just thought of every possible convenient way to place and store everything concerning the VAIO.

The VAIO includes five USB ports, a FireWire/i.Link port, and features a 24-inch 1,920 x 1,080 resolution (which is true 1080p HD). Also included with the system is 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and an IR remote control that allows you to operate the system almost completely wirelessly.

The beautiful screen of the VAZIO VPC-L117FX/B is a full blown touchscreen. The screen is multi-touch enabled and can utilize the standard Windows 7 touch commands such as flick, swipe, pinch, and rotate. VAZIO’s quad-core processor makes the system a little bit more responsive than the HP TouchSmart 600. The VAZIO also comes standard with the VAIO Media Gallery. This program is a unified multimedia viewing interface that gives you the ability to easily view your music, photos, and videos. From the Media Gallery, you are able to quickly create slideshows and then export them to VAIO Movie Story. Movie Story is an easy way to create home movies compiled of pictures and video clips from your digital camera or cell phone. You are then able to burn your movie to a DVD of Blu-Ray disk, export it to a Sony Media device, or save it in several different media forms to your computer.

The VAZIO features Google’s Chrome as their default browser, but Internet Explorer 8 is definitely the main browser for a reason. All of the touch navigation works much better in IE8. Everything is much smoother and commands are much more responsive with IE8, but hopefully Google will be improving their interface with time.

Besides the very helpful software that everyone wants on their computer, the VAZIO VPC-L117FX/B really doesn’t have any bloatware to bog down the hard drive. The systems comes standard with a copy of Microsoft Works and features an installer for the 60-day trial of Microsoft Office. There are really no stray files that you will have to worry about cleaning up on your computer.

The VAZIO VPC-L117FX/B features a Intel Core 2 Quad 8400S processor and Nvidia GeForce GT 240M graphics giving it a very high performance rating. The VAZIO is only one second behind the Gateway FX6810-01 at the Windows Media Encoder Test making it a fantastic choice for someone looking for a multimedia packed computer.

The Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B is a bit pricey coming in at $1,999.99, but if you consider all the features, I think that it is worth it. If you purchase the VAZIO you are getting a computer that includes a Blu-Ray player and burner, the HDTV-like screen, polished touch technology, and so many other incredible features. If I was looking for a desktop computer the VAZIO VPC-L117FX/B would definitely be at the top of my list.

---

Looking for Computer / PC Rental information? Visit the www.rentacomputer.com PC Rental page for your short term business PC needs. Or see this link for a complete line of Personal Computer Rentals.

Read More

KidZui: A New Computer Parental Control Program

So today kids see their older siblings and parents on the computer, surfing the Internet, keeping up with their friends, and playing games…little kids want to play around on the computer too.

Now most parents don’t want to just let their kids loose on the computer. Your computer holds financial information, programs, pictures, documents, and lots of other things that you don’t want your kids messing with. The new KidZui 5.0 offers children use of your computer without exposing them to the inappropriate side of the Internet and without allowing them access to your local files and programs. This could be a great solution for your younger children.

KidZui was started in the spring in 2008 and now has more than one million registered kids and parents. The latest 5.0 version offers even more ways for kids to safely interact with their friends and parents. There is a free version that is available that gives kids access to most of the content on KidZui, but they are limited in their ability to personalize their experience. If you pay for the program, parents are given the ability to monitor their children’s activity and kids are given the ability to customize everything dealing with the program.

In KidZui, kids are given to ability to create their avatar that is referred to as a Zui. They are able to choose the coloring and shape of the head, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, and skin. From there they can add shirts, pants, shoes, hats, glasses, and even hobbies. There are even seasonal items such as a Santa suit, Christmas tree costume, and reindeer antlers. There are certain items that feature a lock symbol on them. To unlock these items your child must accumulate points and reach higher levels. To gain points, all kids have to do is enjoy the KidZui environment. Those that are using the free version can still accumulate points but cannot level up.

KidZui will launch when you startup your computer and kids can select their Zui image on the login screen. Kids will be unable to log out of the KidZui environment without a parental password. This protects anything on your computer that you don’t want your children messing with. Another great feature about the program is that the KidZui client can be installed on as many computers as you want. KidZui user information is stored online, so as long as the software is downloaded on the computer your kids are using they can access their KidZui account from wherever.

With KidZui, parents don’t specify categories or sites to allow or block content. Instead, a team of specialist approved way over two million Web sites, photos, and videos that your kids can have access to. This gives them plenty of content to keep them occupied. All the content on the sight should be safe for any child. Your child will be able to click on a category and bring up dozens of sites relating to that category that they can navigate to. As parents, you will be able to approve any sites that are currently blocked on KidZui that you want your children to have access to. Search sites like Google and Yahoo are blocked, but unblocking these sights is pointless though because every search result page will say “now on our list to review.”

The Picture and Video tabs work just like the Web tab does. Kids are able to select a category or enter search terms to find what they are looking for. All the approved videos for KidZui are available at www.zuitube.com which is powered by YouTube. Most of the video files are short and the photos are small so that kids don’t have to wait for long periods of loading time.

There are a multitude of games that your child can play through KidZui. Kids can play such games and Web surf with their friends. They are able to interact and share their favorite games and sites with other kids without revealing any personal information. This is definitely something that parents are going to appreciate.

Kids are able to choose from dozens of words and phrases to reflect their “status” just like their older siblings or parents do on Facebook or Twitter. They are able to keep track of all their friends on the friends bar and can see whether or not they are online. Another list will display all of their friends status changes and tagged items. Kids may also “ping” their friends which is basically a kind of electronic wave. They also are given the option to e-mail their parents at any time to share a video or picture that they think they might enjoy.

Now one of the important aspects of KidZui is the parental control. Parents that pay for the subscription are able to access a full activity report on what their kids are doing. The reports will show exactly how many minutes their child spends on KidZui every single day up to six months in the past. There are also lists that show your child’s activities on KidZui, their most-visited sites, and the sites that they tried to visit that were blocked. Parents are able to see every Web site, video, or photo that their child has viewed. Your child’s friend lists are able to be examined on the parental control page also. If there is anyone that you do not want your child to be friends with, you can easily block them.

KidZui is a very fascinating parental control program. For only $7.95, your child can have a whole interactive experience without coming across anything you might not want them to see. All the different features included with the paid subscription protect your child while allowing them to have a fun time on the computer. Your kids see you playing around on your computer, so its awesome that there is finally a program that allows them to do exactly the same thing in a safe environment.

---

Looking for Computer / PC Rental information? Visit the www.rentacomputer.com PC Rental page for your short term business PC needs. Or see this link for a complete line of Personal Computer Rentals.

Read More

Microsoft Office and Word Sales to be Banned

Practically everybody that uses a computer more than likely uses Microsoft Office. But what if one day you could no longer buy the popular Microsoft Office? Well that may be closer to a reality then many people might think. That's right, the U.S. Supreme Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has just upheld a decision that would ban the sales of Microsoft Word and Office starting January 11, 2010.

Way back in May, a patent infringement suit was filed by XML specialists i4i against Microsoft under the circumstances that Word's handling of.xml, .docx and .docm files was an infringement on i4i's patented XML handling algorithms. Although Microsoft did lose this case, the case against further sale of Microsoft Word was put on hold pending results of another appeal.

Unfortunately for Microsoft they lost again and it is expected that the company will appeal once more as well as submit a request for the injunction to be put on hold and taken to the Supreme Court or for Microsoft and i4i to settle. i4i isn't patent greedy or trying to tear down Microsoft or anything like that however.

i4i is a 30 person database design company which shipped one of the first ever XML plugins for Office. i4i is also credited with being responsible for revamping the whole USPTO database around XML so that it would be compatible with the 2000 version of Microsoft Word. The patents that i4i is suing over, surprisingly enough, do not cover XML itself. Instead they cover the specific algorithms used to read and write custom XML. This means all you OpenOffice users can breathe a sigh of relief because i4i stated that the law suit does not infringe. This is also good news for current Microsoft Office users because they, more likely than not, won't be affected. The suit is only intended to affect future sales of Office and Word.

Some more good news from Microsoft is that the company is working quickly to create versions of Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007 that do not have the XML features, which Microsoft claims are "little-used", by the injunction date of January 11, 2010. Microsoft also stated that the beta version of Microsoft Office 2010, which is available for download, will not contain the technology covered in the suit. Microsoft is also considering another appeal so for now all we can do is wait and listen.

---

Looking for Computer / PC Rental information? Visit the www.rentacomputer.com PC Rental page for your short term business PC needs. Or see this link for a complete line of Personal Computer Rentals.

Read More

Intel Introduces Newest Processors

Be prepared for a new generation of netbooks and desktops because Intel has just officially announced its newest line of processors. Intel has a new processor for netbooks as well as 2 new processors for desktop PCs. The Pine Trail Atom N450 will be put into next generation netbooks along with a new low-power Intel NM10 Express Chipset. New Desktops will be integrated with the Pine Trail Atom D410 or the dual core D510 which also comes paired with the NM10 chipset.

Intel's Atom processor was designed entirely with small devices and low power in mind. Since it was made on Intel's 45nm high-k metal gate manufacturing process, size has always been small. However, the overall package just got smaller thanks to increased integration and 45nm manufacturing. This means that designs will be even smaller and more compact which means lower costs for OEMs as well as an improvement to performance.

The 1.66GHz chips integrate the memory controller and Intel graphics directly onto the CPU die which isn't too surprising. Atom processors have a done wonders with the netbook market since Intel announced the first Atom processors for netbooks and entry-level PCs back in June of 2008. Intel has well over 80 design wins for the new Atom platform from from leading OEMs like Lenovo, MSI, Fujitsu, ASUS, Toshiba, Dell, Samsung and Acer. Most of these systems will come with either Windows 7 Starter or Home Basic OS though some consumers will have other options like Moblin TM Linux v2 for more customization.

Intel hopes to have at least 80 machines with the 45nm chips at CES 2010. Each one of the chipsets should use about 20% less power than its predecessor. The ASUS Eee PC 1005 PC, which was N450-based, got 10 hours of battery life in regular use. However, there was no performance improvements over the N270 or N280 that were noticeable. However, no official word can be laid down just yet until we can see a few more machines.

Read the latest on:
x86 Server Market Directs Microsoft to End Itanium Development

---

Looking for Computer / PC Desktop Rental information? Visit the www.rentrpc.com Desktop PC Rental page for your short term business PC rental needs. Or call 800-736-8772 today!

Read More