Hasta La Gadget!

This Apple Store looks so real we still can’t quite believe it isn’t. The KIRF-ers have excelled themselves this time: mimicking or at least reinventing everything from the Brave New World posters down to the dog-tags and “We live here” demeanor worn by the staff. There were a few giveaways, however, which led observant blogger BirdAbroad to whip out her camera and start gathering evidence: slight imperfections in the decor, a lack of individual names on staff badges, plus an unlikely location in the Chinese Backwaterville of Kunming. Hey Apple, we feel your pain. You’ll find further unbelievable pics after the break and over at BirdAbroad’s blog.

Continue reading The ultimate KIRF: fake Apple Store spotted in China

The ultimate KIRF: fake Apple Store spotted in China originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chances are you’ve already seen the Sonos Play:3 thanks to the leaktacular thing we call the internet. Now the tiny streaming Hi-Fi system is official and ready to start beaming that shiny new Spotify account you just scored all around your home. Inside the relatively compact chassis is a trio of digital drivers, one tweeter and two mid-range, as well as three Class-D digital amps. Unlike its big brother, which has been rebranded the Play:5 (instead of the S5), there’s no active subwoofer on board, but it does sport a passive bass “radiator” that adds a surprising amount of depth to this little shelf speaker. The $299 streamer requires a Bridge ($49) to actually kick out the jams but, once you’ve got the basic system in place, you can tack on additional Play:3s and even combine them as a stereo pair for better separation of those all important right and left channels. There’s even an accelerometer built in that automatically switches from standard to mono and tweaks the EQ settings when the speaker is turned on its side. We only spent a brief period of time with the Play:3, but it was surprisingly loud and quite clear even at neighbor-annoying volumes — though, we’re reserving final judgment until our review unit shows up. In the meantime, check out the galleries and the PR below.

Continue reading Sonos Play:3 compact streaming media Hi-Fi gets official for $299, we go ears-on

Sonos Play:3 compact streaming media Hi-Fi gets official for $299, we go ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Contour brings viewfinder app to Android, goes with you where we won’t originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on February 28, 2006 by CyberNet.

Did you know that your computer is supposed to boot up in less than 30 seconds, and that 30 seconds is the time from when you push the power button to the time that you are able to use the computer. The hibernate startup time should be 20 seconds and the resume from standby time should be 5 seconds. Like most people, that is not a reality and as computers become bloated then the startup times get longer and longer.

Years ago Microsoft realized this problem and offered a solution. The free solution that Microsoft released is known as BootVis. For some people the software does not offer much of a performance increase, but for others it does. I would say that my startup time was decreased about 20%, which isn’t bad for free software.

Another really cool feature of the software is the ability to graphically see how long each program takes to startup on your computer and at what time it actually begins to startup. It shows a block on the graph for each program that you have run at startup, which really helps you to identify the bottlenecks in your system.

Here is a quick tutorial on how you can use BootVis to optimize your system (repeat about every 2 months):

1. Download BootVis.
2. Install BootVis from the downloaded file.
3. Run BootVis.
4. Select Trace => Next Boot + Driver Delays.
5. Click OK on the Trace Repetitions dialog box that pops up.
   PLEASE NOTE: Your system will now reboot itself.
6. After your system reboots, DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING because BootVis will automatically startup after it has finished examining the computer.
7. After BootVis has finished starting up, Select Trace => Optimize System.
8. Your computer will take longer than usual to reboot this ONE time. After your computer has rebooted, BootVis will display a screen telling you that it is “optimizing your system”. Your computer’s startup has now been optimized. Enjoy!

Download Source For BootVis: Major Geeks

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:

CyberNet’s Year In Review: February 2006Running Windows Vista On Your Intel MacOLPC to Dual-Boot Linux and Windows?Microsoft Offers 150 Programs For FreeHibernate or Standby Your Computer After Restart

Lenovo’s ThinkPad comes complete with stylus. (Photo courtesy Lenovo)

Better late to the tablet game than never, Lenovo announced three new tablet offerings Wednesday, officially unveiling designs and specs on the products for the first time.

The IdeaPad K1 and ThinkPad tablets are set to debut in August, with the IdeaPad P1 to arrive at an unspecified date later in the year. The K1 and the ThinkPad will run Android Honeycomb 3.1, while the P1 will run Windows 7.

What may be even more exciting is that all three tablets will run Netflix, the first of any Android Honeycomb-powered tablets to do so. Although a handful of Android phones are able to run Netflix’s Android app, Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch are all able to run the streaming movie service. It’s a big deal that Lenovo’s tablets will finally offer another solution to Netflix users who don’t necessarily want to go with Apple.

The real star hardware is found in the ThinkPad, Lenovo’s business-oriented Android tablet (pictured above). It comes with an optional stylus pen, but unlike the exorbitantly priced HTC Flyer’s stylus — which cost a whopping 80 bucks to purchase with the Flyer — the ThinkPad’s stylus will cost less than half that when bought with the tablet, a modest $30.

It’s got some of the usual accoutrements found in Android tablets — dual-core processor, front and back-facing cameras — but also includes a number of uncommon connectivity options. HDMI output, USB 2.0 port, micro USB port, SIM card slot, 3-in-1 memory card reader — with this kind of connectivity, it’s like we’re looking at the back of a PC tower rather than a tablet. There’s also a dock connector to hook the tablet up to both a charging station or the optional $100 folio, which acts as both a carrying case and a keyboard.

The ThinkPad will first launch in Wi-Fi only versions, but at an unspecified date shortly after a 3G version will go on sale. The carrier for the 3G version is yet to be named.

The IdeaPad K1 is more run of the mill, touting a list of specs similar to other tablets already on the market. (Photo courtesy Lenovo)

The K1 doesn’t look much different from most Android tablets currently available for purchase. It sports a dual-core 1-GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor backed by a full gig of RAM, and it comes with a 10.1-inch display — all of which is identical to Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, which was released far before the K1 will come out. And like Toshiba’s recently launched Thrive tablet, the tablet’s back casing comes in multiple colors.

The one big draw — you’ll be able to buy a 32 GB version for $500, the same as a 16 GB iPad 2.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad P1 rounds out the threesome as a Windows 7-powered tablet. (Photo courtesy Lenovo)

Last but not entirely forgotten, the P1 touts a 1.5-GHz Intel processor, can support up to 2 GB of DDR2 memory, and will come in both Wi-Fi and 3G versions upon its eventual release. Like the ThinkPad, you can also purchase the P1 with an optional stylus.

The 32 GB IdeaPad K1 will be available for preorder online for $500 beginning today, with a release set for August. The 16 GB ThinkPad will also be available for pre-order online today for $530 with the optional stylus, and $500 without. It’s also set to drop come August. Finally, the P1 hasn’t got any availability or pricing information outside of a “fourth quarter” release time frame.