New Technology Reviews!.: performance

Skype for Android hacked, does video on other Android handsets

<img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-79186 aligncenter" height="150" src="http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/616/skypeandroid.jpg" title="skype-android" width="307" />Skype for Android’s latest release apparently supports only a bunch of other handsets – the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S. Trust the ever enterprising spirit of mankind to hack said version to include video call support on all the other non-listed Android-powered smartphones. The particular version that we’re referring to was released with the Samsung Galaxy S2 in mind, although the performance will not be limited to just that particular smartphone. While it remains too early to perform exhaustive testing for other models, the APK (installation file for Android phones) has been touted to work on the HTC EVO 4G, alongside the HTC Thunderbolt with some measure of success. Needless to say, only if your Android-powered smartphone has a front facing camera should you bother yourself with this version of Skype, and make sure that there is a decent processor hiding underneath the hood as well. <div><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=6k4R8xsqudg:_qLl5K5e3T0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/7079/93538393.gif" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=6k4R8xsqudg:_qLl5K5e3T0:qj6IDK7rITs"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/6167/39878358.gif" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=6k4R8xsqudg:_qLl5K5e3T0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/884/58860005.gif" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=6k4R8xsqudg:_qLl5K5e3T0:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/4707/27247276.gif" /></a></div>

Skype for Android hacked, does video on other Android handsets

Skype for Android’s latest release apparently supports only a bunch of other handsets – the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Eri...

Tutorial: How to tweak your laptop for gaming performance

<img src="http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1421/pcp302feat1gaminglaptop.jpg"> With laptop sales continuing to rise – up by 43.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year alone, according to Gartner – it would appear that more and more of us are riding the technology wave. Keeping up to date with the latest advances in laptop computing enables us to work longer, faster and, generally, for less. The good news for gaming is that this relentless march of technology means it's no longer necessary to own a dedicated gaming laptop to enjoy the odd game now and again. Of course, PC gamers who are serious about their entertainment will still benefit from pricey GPU technology – particularly if they're going to be playing cutting-edge games – but these days even netbooks are capable of keeping you amused. There are several factors that have helped increase the gaming potential of even the cheapest laptops, and the improvements made to processors are leading the way. With the likes of the Core 2 Duo trickling down to budget machines, and the wonderful Atom coming in dual-core spins, there are cores aplenty to keep modern multi-threaded games going at a healthy pace. Not only that, but memory capacities have continued to increase as well, with a previously unimaginable 1GB now available as standard in many laptops, and it's generally easy to upgrade your machine's offering to 2GB or more yourself. Integrated graphics The biggest advances in gaming PCs, however, have come through improvements to integrated graphics engines. Even Intel's oft-maligned Graphics Media Accelerator has come on in leaps and bounds, and with a little care and attention can be cajoled into playing games that would once have required a desktop PC costing many thousands of pounds. You may need to pick lower quality settings to get some games working at reasonable speeds, but that's not too great a sacrifice. The only potential problem comes from the handful of games that demand DX10 hardware, but even this isn't quite as limiting as it sounds, because Intel offers support for the DX10 API with the GMA X3100, 4500 and HD ranges. Besides, most games still offer a DX9 codepath for compatibility reasons, and all of Intel's chips support that revision of Microsoft's gaming API. Don't worry about DX11 yet either – it's been available for a while, but there are no DX11-only titles out there right now and few are in development. As with desktop gaming, your display is the biggest barrier to smooth frame rates. The higher the resolution, the lower your framerate. In fact, apart from anti-aliasing, which improves the look of games significantly, screen resolution is the one factor that affects performance more than any other. Drop the resolution down as low as it will go (maintaining the aspect ratio where possible) and you should be able to hit the all-important minimum of 30fps. If you manage to reach the heady heights of 60fps, you can try increasing the detail level or resolution to improve the game's fidelity. Either way, experimenting with games settings is essential and can be fruitful. Getting your game running smoothly is an important factor if you want to enjoy some serious gaming on the move, but don't underestimate how important the input side of the equation is. A mouse of any description will improve most games notably, with the likes of the Logitech G9 being the preference for many. Don't forget to disable the touchpad to stop unwanted movement at vital moments – you can usually do this via a shortcut on your laptop, such as [Fn]+[F3]. A USB keyboard isn't quite so essential, but can help if you have a smaller laptop with cramped keys. Serious mobile gaming If you're looking for a serious mobile gaming experience, you'll need a machine with plenty of RAM, an SSD or fast hard drive and a recent GPU, such as Nvidia's GeForce GT 460M engine or AMD's Mobility Radeon HD 5850. These options come at a price, and despite the big names, they lag behind desktop components by quite a margin. Fortunately they're still capable of driving the latest and most demanding games at reasonable settings and resolutions. If you have a powerful desktop computer as well as a laptop or netbook, then there's another option for playing games on the go in the form of game streaming services. <a href="http://www.streammygame.com/smg/index.php">StreamMyGame</A> runs the game on your desktop and streams it over your local network to your laptop or netbook. The free-to-use client limits the resolution of the stream, but upgrading the service is affordable and the inherent lag isn't anywhere near as bad as you might expect. If nothing else, this experience will give you a taste of what it might be like playing games hosted on the cloud – something that many experts predict will be the future of gaming. There are plenty of ways to use your laptop or even a humble netbook to punctuate your working day with a little entertainment. It's worth taking a look at the likes of <a href="http://www.gog.com/en/frontpage/">Good Old Games</A>, which has taken a selection of classic PC games and re-released them to work on modern versions of Windows. The system requirements are generally quite modest, and there are some stunning games to be had for only a few pounds.

Tutorial: How to tweak your laptop for gaming performance

With laptop sales continuing to rise – up by 43.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year alone, according to Gartner – it would appear t...

Dropbox 1.0 available with performance enhancements, Selective Sync

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0huMnFkXygq8qLIf1uqComAywSG0N58clmfajYozrQk5cF5J9LdHmvDL45JKF8DIOg8g5mAZ_LaXiagiU3F_29HJNA0ec37AfEvQUNRtEsvYb3F4mVphJjRjR71fdNcyRRguikvVfsM/s1600/dropbox-logo-256x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0huMnFkXygq8qLIf1uqComAywSG0N58clmfajYozrQk5cF5J9LdHmvDL45JKF8DIOg8g5mAZ_LaXiagiU3F_29HJNA0ec37AfEvQUNRtEsvYb3F4mVphJjRjR71fdNcyRRguikvVfsM/s1600/dropbox-logo-256x.jpg" /></a></div>Dropbox, the multi-platform file syncing application that frankly puts Apple's own iDisk to shame, has been updated to version 1.0. The application has been in public beta for over two years, and an iOS version of Dropbox came out about a year after the public beta began. Dropbox reaching 1.0 is more than a numerical milestone for its developers. They've also made hundreds of bug fixes, reduced resource usage (memory usage in particular has been reduced by 50 percent), and made tweaks to the interface to make it more user-friendly. The most intriguing new feature is Selective Sync, which allows users to choose which of their Dropbox folders to sync to their devices, which the developers say will come in handy on netbooks or other devices with limited storage space. You can get Dropbox 1.0 here. If you're not already running Dropbox, now's the perfect time to give it a shot -- the program is so good that many people have wondered why Apple hasn't bought it yet and incorporated it into Mac OS X.

Dropbox 1.0 available with performance enhancements, Selective Sync

Dropbox, the multi-platform file syncing application that frankly puts Apple's own iDisk to shame, has been updated to version 1.0. The ...

Windows CE Performance

Windows CE offers numerous security performance features. Windows Embedded Contact (Windows CE), refers to a Microsoft operating system designed for embedded systems and minimalist <a href="">computers</A>. Windows CE's system design provides users with unique performance features. KernelWindows CE is a kernel, or what is considered the central component in operating system design that bridges hardware data processing and applications. Windows CE systems were developed to be compact and can perform using less than a megabyte of memory. This design has enabled the core Windows CE system to provide a platform system for the Windows line of Pocket PC, Windows Mobile and Smartphone 2002 systems.Object Store PerformanceThe Windows CE object store consists of a system registry, a database and file system. This object store enables Windows CE application memory storage to perform if main power is lost. The object store enables up to 256 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM) storage to be used.Security PerformanceWindows CE offers numerous security performance technologies, including credential manager, which provides storage for cached credentials and enables the sharing of common credentials. Windows CE also provides protected store, a system used to prevent data tampering which includes a unique programming interface that accepts user credentials to lock or unlock data.

Windows CE Performance

Windows CE offers numerous security performance features. Windows Embedded Contact (Windows CE), refers to a Microsoft operating system desi...

Linn Akurate system gets a new looks and performance boost

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/home-entertainment/hi-fi-and-audio/images/Linn-Akurate-200-200.jpg"/>High-end UK audio manufacturer Linn has shown off the latest version of its Akurate system, which boasts a new look and refined specs list.Linn, a Glasgow-based audio company, has been crafting premium sound systems over 30 years now and its new Akurate system has a number of new updates that offer some serious sound quality.At the heart of the setup is the Akurate DS, which shows off just why Linn decided to <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/home-cinema/home-theatre-audio/linn-says-goodbye-to-cd-players-652552">ditch the CD in 2009</a>, in favour of music streaming.Jitter bugThe Akurate DS has been given a whole new master clock which stifles jitter to an absolute minimum.The audio circuit boards within the device have also been completely overhauled and due to the fact there is no CD or hard drive system to clutter up the insides, Linn's engineers have managed to bring optimal circuit performance to the Akurate DS.They have also split the audio two ways: DAC and digital. Both are said to accurately reproduce stereo music with very low levels of distortion. The Akurate System has also been given something of an overhaul. Its enclosure has been redesigned – the first time in 15 years. The new design has been three years in the making and tries to look very Linn-like, while offering a whole new look.Cruise ControlWhen it comes to Akurate Control, Linn is offering more control to its users, with the analogue stereo pre-amp using the latest Linn switching technology and improved isolation to clean up sound.Essentially, if a port is not being used then it will not have any power sent to it, reducing distortion and the like.As always Linn has tailored its setup to the long-term upgrade, telling TechRadar that it has made its systems as open as possible so users can use each component how they want to use them.The final tweak is with the aesthetics of Linn's Akurate 242 and 212 loudspeaker range. Linn's active speakers now have over 200 high gloss finishes to choose from.So even if your house is pretty in pink, there should be your style catered for.For pricing and more information on the update range, go to <a href="http://www.linn.co.uk/">www.linn.co.uk</a>.<img border="0" height="1" src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/9809/s/f7c96fe/mf.gif" width="1"/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=Linn+Akurate+system+gets+a+new+looks+and+performance+boost&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fnews%2Fhome-cinema%2Fhome-theatre-audio%2Flinn-akurate-system-gets-a-new-looks-and-performance-boost-906814%3Fsrc%3Drss%26attr%3Dall" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Linn+Akurate+system+gets+a+new+looks+and+performance+boost&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fnews%2Fhome-cinema%2Fhome-theatre-audio%2Flinn-akurate-system-gets-a-new-looks-and-performance-boost-906814%3Fsrc%3Drss%26attr%3Dall" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div> <a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/83965808442/u/49/f/9809/c/669/s/f7c96fe/kg/25-40-68-194-201/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/83965808442/u/49/f/9809/c/669/s/f7c96fe/kg/25-40-68-194-201/a2.img"/></a><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/allnews/~4/0mkkf593s9c" width="1"/>

Linn Akurate system gets a new looks and performance boost

High-end UK audio manufacturer Linn has shown off the latest version of its Akurate system, which boasts a new look and refined specs list....