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Author Archive: Dominic Raad

Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 0

The Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 is a portable mouse for notebooks that boasts a long battery life and plenty of customizations. It has an ergonomic build and a stylish design with a new innovative technology behind the scenes. It’s a reliable piece of hardware available at a great price.

Precision and Responsiveness
Microsoft’s new Mobile Mouse 4000 works on both PCs & Macs using the USB 2.4 GHz wireless receiver. It features Microsoft’s new and advanced BlueTrack Technology, which is the biggest selling point for the device. The BlueTrack Tracking Engine diverges from the typical wireless laser mouse. It uses an advance incoherent Blue LED. With a wider beam and high angle optics, it can track on even granite, marble, and glossy surfaces. So I put it to the test. And it worked on my black mouse pad, a somewhat glossy desk, the carpet, and even the textured wall. It worked just as advertised. The next time you are at a coffee shop and decide to use a shiny magazine as your mouse pad, you can be assured that this mouse won’t fail. This is a great improvement from the last generation of mice, but competitors are already another step ahead. For example, competing products from Logitech sport a new technology called Darkfield that work even on glass. Although the Mobile Mouse 4000 can not match that feature, it is also a much more affordable device and won’t disappoint.

SanDisk Ultra Backup (Review) 0

Last week, we reviewed the SanDisk Cruzer and today I bring you a review of the SanDisk Ultra Backup. As implied by the name, the flash drive has a built in backup utility and a physical button to initiate a backup instantly. If you don’t have a true backup solution, this is an excellent tool.

Just like the standard SanDisk Cruzer, the Ultra Backup model retains a the same traditional form factor. The Ultra Backup is a bit larger the standard Cruzer, but makes up for the size difference with faster data transfer speeds. I copied copy a 465MB file over to the drive in about 30 seconds writing at speeds reaching 15MB/s. Copying a 700MB file off the flash drive also took 30 seconds with a read speed of about 24MB/s. The USB connector recedes into the plastic casing when not in use. A pleasant orange LED flashes when data transfer is in progress.

The best part of this flash drive is the backup utility that doesn’t require installing any software. The entire application resides and runs off the flash drive itself. The first time the Backup Button is used to launch the utility, a quick setup will automatically determine what files should be included in the backup. The interface is user friendly for even the most novice computer users. If you wish to further customize what should be included in the backup, there’s a easy configuration tool to select types of files such as text, music, videos etc. The data is also organized on the flash drive retaining folder structure, which makes things easier when retrieving a file. Read More

by Dominic Raad in Hardware & Reviews & Software on Friday, October 2, 2009 with Comments (0)

Pinnacle PCTV HD Mini 4

About a decade ago when you said television it would mean watching media on a traditional TV set. Today, TV content has spread across many platforms and has reached just about everything from treadmills to cell phones. For the past couple of years the technology savvy have been using TV Tuners to access off-air and cable channels on their computers. Things today have gotten easier than ever before. A simple USB Flash Drive sized gizmo plugged into an average computer provides instant access to High Definition Television content.

I personally wasn’t a fan of the idea of having content that would normally be on a TV brought over to my laptop’s display. I’m also sure that this isn’t exactly an idea too many others either. But there are many scenarios that the Pinnacle PCTV HD is an excellent solution. For example take a college student who may not have enough space in their dorm for a TV unit or the cash to afford one. For a minimal price a student can turn a laptop which they most likely already have purchased into a multifunctional device that doubles as their TV. As a bonus, most computers running Windows Vista are bundled with Media Center which can instantly turn their machine into a DVR that can automatically schedule and record shows.

When I opened the packaging the PCTV HD Mini came in, I was astounded by the size of the device. The USB device which is about the size of an average flash drive was supposedly capable of receiving Full HD content and playing it back on my laptop. The last generation of tuners were much larger and would even hog up any extra room around USB ports, Pinnacle thoughtfully also threw in a USB extension cable to prevent the tuner from rendering any other ports useless in case it were to be obtruding. The largest component of the package was the antenna and its base. Putting everything together was quite a cinch, with some intuition, you’ll have all the hardware setup in a few minutes even if you don’t have much familiarity with technology. A CD is included which is fairly straightforward, just pop it in and follow the onscreen instructions. The software will automatically scan for digital channels in the area. Positioning the antenna is quite important; placing it a location with minimal obstructions will result in better reception, more channels, and image clarity. Read More

by Dominic Raad in Entertainment & Hardware & Reviews on Sunday, July 12, 2009 with Comments (4)

Nvision 08: A Future Of 3D Gaming 5

In this day and age, it has been painted loud and clear that videogames have become a widespread epidemic that everyone’s getting in line for. With interactive entertainment becoming more affordable, it is becoming quite common for each family to have at least a single console in their household along with their Television. Whether it is a handheld or a console, videogames have been spreading and feeding on our desire to simulate our ideas to a palpable form of art and entertainment.

The latest wave of gaming consoles to hit our local retail shelves are Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. While these two push the limits of graphic capability for a console, the lovable Nintendo Wii that has pushed on human interactivity in gaming. Gaming technologies continue to have the potential to keep advancing and impressing us. But what is in store for the PC will once again dominate all gaming consoles. Three Dimensional PC gaming has been introduced, once again, as the next advancement for this generation’s gamers to take bliss in.

Although 3D gaming has been mentioned over and over, this might truly be the year where it becomes widespread. At Nvision 08 I was able to sit down and enjoy a few upcoming PC games. Out of the five game demos available at Nvision, I was able to test out a few: Grid, Spore, and Unreal Tournament 3. I can safely say that playing a shooter in 3D was an experience I will not forget. A whole new rush comes over a gamer when he or she jumps into an online shooter match in 3 Dimensions. It is quite exciting to experience and see the depth of bullets now literally flying by or the narrowness of halls closing in. Having a chance to play these games in 3D offers a fresh new experience and allows gamers to feel that they are a part of the game more than ever before. Read More

by Dominic Raad in Gaming on Thursday, August 28, 2008 with Comments (5)