Can HP make it in the tablets world?

This is a common sense question that applies to any manufacturer, because for the time being Apple’s iPad 2 and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 seem to reign supreme. With the battle between the two giants being more intense than ever, HP tries to conquer the market with its very own Touch Pad. The intention to compete with the best is obvious if you take a look at the technical features sported by this new tablet and the price. They’ve promised to have it on stores by July the 1st and they kept their word, but somehow the public was less enthusiastic than they expected.

The fact that it runs on WebOS 3.0 is arguably the most distinctive feature of the HP Touch Pad and the hardcore fans of this operating system have all the reasons to rejoice. Several improvements have been made to the previous model, to enhance the speed and reliability, but also to add some new features. HP is not going to give up on their OS any time soon and this tablet is a firm statement that they will continue to invest money and energy to improve it constantly.

Before you get the chance of learning more about the operating system and all its tweaks, you will be a bit surprised by the generous proportions of the HP Touch Pad. If you compare it with a brick, it’s a miracle of science, but next to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the iPad 2, it is thicker, bigger and heavier. The differences in both size and weight are visible with the naked eye and there is no obvious reason for this to happen, since they are all part of the same class of 9.7 inch displays. It is made of plastic, a quality one of course, but still plastic, so it’s a shame that HP didn’t succeed in making it a little lighter.

We could easily get past these slight inconveniences if the hardware would be better or at least as good as the competitors’, but sadly this is not the case. The HP Touch Pad is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU which doesn’t succeed to deliver the performance we’d expect from such a beast. The 1GHz of RAM are not enough to make the multitasking silky smooth and some games and applications will run slower than they do on iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The HP Touch Pad doesn’t have a rear facing camera which will give the critics yet another reason to complain, but the truth is cameras are overrated on tablets. It is uncomfortable to hold them in place while taking snapshots or videos, so it would be unfair to blame the Touch Pad for this omittance. What is unforgiveable is the fact that while it isn’t as good as the competition, this tablet is just as expensive, which makes you wonder why would the clients buy it.

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This guest article is by Matt. Matt is a software developer. He is currently inrested in <a href="http://mackeeper.zeobit.com/mac-file-recovery" rel="nofollow">Mac file recovery</a> and <a href="http://pckeeper.zeobit.com/">disk cleaner</a> reviews.

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RIP - Steve Jobs

We at ibreakitdown would like to express our condolences on the death of Mr.Steve Jobs, one of the best CEO's in the technology industry. May his soul rest in peace

How Does Bluetooth Work (Simplified)

Bluetooth is a term well-known to almost everyone nowadays, here we shall quickly inspect the basic working principle of Bluetooth communication.

The communication between humans and between electronic devices is more or less the same. While starting a conversation with anyone, we need to know what language we will be speaking in and also need to make sure that we speak in a grammatically correct manner so that it makes sense. Similarly, when two devices need to talk, they have to decide on how they will talk (through wires or without wires,etc.), what is going to be their data transmission specifications (size,speed,etc), and many such technical aspects on which both devices have to come to an agreement before communicating. Bluetooth is essentially an agreement of this sort, technically known as a ‘networking standard’.

When a bluetooth device wants to exchange any information with another Bluetooth device, it first tries to setup a connection and then forms a little personal area network with it (like making an introduction to a stranger and then making him/her your friend). Most of the Bluetooth communication process works automatically through software. The user is asked to add Bluetooth devices to ‘trusted devices’ list and enter a security code to ensure that viruses or spam are not received onto the device.

 Bluetooth communication takes place between the radio frequency bands 2.4Ghz and 2.48Ghz (approx.), which has been set aside by Internationally for such purposes (Think of the band as a super wide Bluetooth highway with hundreds of lanes). The Bluetooth devices select around 75 frequencies from this band and keep changing the frequency thousands of times every second together (a process called spectrum frequency hopping), (imagine a high traffic road that have groups of cars going in a synchronised manner) Since the frequency changes thousands of times in a second, even if any interference happens from another Bluetooth device, it will only last for few microseconds. Such little interferences are overcome through built-in features in the Bluetooth software. Thus data is transmitted from one Bluetooth device to another effortlessly. Bluetooth usually has range in a 30 foot radius and transfers data at speeds around 3mbps. Bluetooth is highly energy efficient and uses only around 1milliwatt of energy during a transmission. 

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PHP Content Management Systems

PHP Content Management Systems

There is a need for a proper understanding of the importance of PHP content management systems before venturing in the sphere of its applications and useful contributions. PHP is a scripting language for development of dynamic web pages – these are specially designed layouts where constant modifications and inputs are possible. The content of these pages are usually accessible both by the website editor or the internet user through their log in sessions when they may provide inputs as a registered user of the site. There are two types of such websites; one where clients or web users are allowed to provide their inputs; the other is where changes are incorporated by the servers of the companies themselves.

What is a PHP Content Management System?

There is a use of PHP language for all websites that have dynamic web pages. This is easily deployed or installed in different types of web servers and is useful across various operating systems and platforms. Therefore when there is a server side scripting of web pages for the purposes of inputs, modifications and creation of new content the process are easier and far more accessible.

There are several versions of the PHP content management systems that have been developed by companies to enable a suitable working environment for your company. With this platform you can very easily create and edit articles or other content of your website. It gives you access to delete those content which are old and unnecessary on the website. This is vital for websites that are related to news collaborations and need periodic updates by the hour or the minute through their server sides.

Available Open Source PHP Content Management Systems

There are open source software downloads available that can enable an easy access for a content management system for your company and official website.

Drupal – This is one of the largest resources available for a variety of websites – small or big. You can download this PHP system for free and appropriately use it for corporate websites, government websites to even small blog sites and personal sites.

Joomla – This is another PHP based CMS that is also one of the most effective for websites. It is useful in the structuring and management of different kinds of websites; there are other applications for online usage that initiates functionality and advanced features. There are free downloads available that can be tried and only makes this more popular.

Wordpress – This was popular mostly as a blogging CMS for websites in its initial usage. But with more and more customization options that was available it soon became popularly implemented across different websites.

Mambo – This is an award winner among CMS that are available for various types of websites. There are several options available in this that allows you to customize according to requirements. You will find this is a useful system for small personal sites or even websites of larger corporations that needs complicated applications for their operations.

The use of PHP content management systems bring forth better management of online content in addition to making it more accessible for professionals and web users alike.
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By - Anya F. at http://www.hostingcoupons.org/
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How to buy a laptop - The Simple Laptop Buying Guide (For General Users)

In this fast paced age of technology, buying a laptop is a basic predicament that many of us face. With all the variety available nowadays, a trip to the laptop store is sure to leave you dizzy. Below we provide some simple steps on how to buy a laptop (laptop buying guide), that is tailored to your specific daily needs. Hope you will enjoy and find good value for your money.

Processor 
The processor is what gives life to the laptop (except for the electricity of course) and makes it useful. So make sure you select it wisely. You don't need the fastest and most advanced (a.k.a very expensive) processor to support the simple daily tasks like - word processing, internet browsing, simple gaming,etc.

The minimum that we recommend - Intel Core 2 Duo

It is one of the most widely used processors and is powerful enough to easily handle your daily activities. So you don't really need the latest processor available at the time you are buying your laptop. Sometimes old is still gold.

System Memory  
Most users open and use 2-3 tasks simultaneously on the computer. The ability of the laptop to multi-task effectively depends on it's available RAM.

The minimum that we recommend - 2GB RAM

Unlike games and specialized softwares, most normal tasks don't really need too much resources simultaneously. So a 2GB RAM would be sufficient for general users.

Hard Disk 
A hard-disk with greater capacity would definitely be better in the long run to help you store more files.But, it will also make the laptop more expensive and make you store more junk.

The minimum that we recommend - 160 GB

A 140GB would also be satisfactory, but the extra 20gb gives some space to reduce the clutter of files along with giving you an extra boost of speed without having to pay too much for it.

Speakers - How They Work,Simplified

One of modern science's most used and least appreciated item is the noble speaker. We have a little speaker in our cars,mobiles,laptops,mp3 players,televisions,etc., but we seldom wait and think how it really produces sound. Lets break down a speaker into the basics.

 It is common knowledge that sound is caused by the vibration of air.Air is full molecules and when the molecules are hit at one side, it passes the energy to the molecules near it. (Think of air as the sand spread on a beach, if you hit the ground with a stick, the grains near the spot vibrate and fly). And any sound that occurs has a characteristic frequency according to it's vibration.

Now lets consider the actual speakers. The main parts of a speaker are :- a thing that vibrates (diaphragm), a thing that tells in what particular way to vibrate (driver) and a pair of magnets to actually make the vibration.
The diaphragm is the part of the speaker which seems like thin paper and actually vibrates to make the sound.  There is an electromagnet (which is a magnet whose intensity and poles are controlled by the electricity flowing in it) and a permanent magnet (the normal kind of magnet which doesn't change any of it's properties) inside the speaker.

The electromagnet is fixed to the rear of the diaphragm, and the permanent magnet is placed just behind the electromagnet. Now when current is applied in opposite directions through the electromagnet, the poles keep on changing. Here the well-known fact - like poles repel and opposites attract, comes into action. The attraction and repulsion of the electromagnet between the permanent magnet causes a vibrating motion, which is passed on to the diaphragm, which vibrates the air molecules and makes sound.

The driver understands how the vibration should be made from the disk or cable network signal, whichever is your source for the sound. The digital information in the disks and signals gets converted into corresponding electric signals by the driver and gets sent to the electromagnet.

Your ear acts like a speaker in reverse and converts the vibrations back into electric signals in your brain. Thats how your favorite music gets played. :-)
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To know how the picture comes on a television, read http://ibreakitdown.blogspot.com/2011/08/tv-2mins-to-know-how-it-works.html
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T.V - 2mins To Know How It Works

I can pretty confidently say that you would have watched a television today,and the reason i am sure is due to how extremely common T.Vs are nowadays. But how many of us actually know how the T.V we look at works and shows us the picture and sound ? So lets take a quick look at it.

At the very base, a T.V exploits two features of our brain, it :-

• puts small nearby dots together to form an image
• puts many still images together into a single image [click 'read more' to understand in detail with an example]

The dots (a.k.a pixels) are used to make all the pictures you see in cameras, computers,T.V, etc.When the dots are small enough and placed close enough, you can't differentiate the individual dots. 

So now that we've got that clarified, lets go to the T.V. A T.V is almost like a projector and screen put together. There is a little flashlight kinda thing ,a.k.a cathode ray tube (c.r.t), behind the screen. The T.V screen has a substance (phosphor) coated in the inner face that glows when the beam of light from the flashlight strikes it.

Now moving over to how it all works together. The CRT emits electron beams (think of it as a really thin beam of light) when voltage is applied to it. So by controlling the amount of voltage you can change the intensity of the beam. Your T.V screen has thousands of dots on the screen and when the beam from the CRT hits the dots they glow for a short time. 

The CRT has some coils on it which controls the movement of the tube, and hence helps it to point all over the screen.When you switch on the T.V, the controller tells the coil (and the CRT) where to move to and which dots on the screen  it should make glow. The CRT then moves across the screen more than 15,000 times a second and keeps making the required dots to glow in the correct intensity. Thus you get your picture on the screen, and the fast change of the successive images makes it seem like the characters are moving.

The information about which dots to make glow, for how long,intensity,etc. is what is sent to your T.V'c controller from your cable operator, VCR/DVD player, etc. 

And the sound signals are also sent to the T.V almost in the same way, but we'll explain about that in a later post, 'stay tuned' :-)

How Touchscreens Work - The Most Basic Explanation

Touchscreens are available in almost all modern gadgets like smartphones, mp3 players, ipads,etc. But have you ever wondered how these amazing things change your touch into action on screen? well, lets check it out.

There are four types of touchscreens widely used today, they are capacitive,resistive,infrared and optical. In the resistive type, the screen is made of two basic layers capable of conducting electricity and separated by a very small gap. The outer layer is flexible while the inner layer is fixed. A small charge of current keeps on moving through the layers When a person presses lightly on the outer layer, it moves in and touches the inner layer. This causes a change in the conduction of current and is detected by a controller.

In the capacitive type, there is again two layers, but this time only the inner one is conductive while the other is an insulator. When you use your finger or a suitable stylus to work on the screen, the static electricity from your finger/stylus makes a change in the capacitance at that particular point. This gets sensed by the controller and the location is calculated.

In the infrared type, special l.e.d lights and corresponding light detectors are placed around the screen. They are placed in a pattern that forms checkered boxes of light on the screen (like a normal x-y graph). When a finger touches the screen, the controller calculates which point in the light graph has an intruder.

In the optical type, there are sensors that work like cameras, on the edges of the screen. They take optical images and identify the size and depth of the object touching, along with the location of touching. This helps the controller to know where we have kept our finger.

Hope you understood the basics of the touchscreen :-)
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