Best computer news

For a portable home theater, an aesthetically pleasing form factor is as important as versatile format support. What we have here is LG’s first mobile multimedia hard drive – XF1. Measuring a 20.8mm in thickness, the XF1 features a gorgeous gloss-black finish with smooth curves, and internally, it has a 500GB and a codec decoder that only reads exclusively FAT32 and NTFS. So, it’s not as Mac-friendly as we would have hoped.

Around the back, you’ll find a HDMI connector, a power plug, a composite AV output, and a mini-USB jack. The drive, unlike the WD TV HD, has on-onboard touch-sensitive buttons for navigation when you forget to bring along a remote. Video and sound codec compatibility are isn’t too shabby, including OGG Vobis and AC3 for audio, but the lack of H.264, WMV and MKV is really a letdown even if the XF1 can playback MPEG-2, DivX and MPEG-4 in HD resolutions, up to 1080i. With choice like LaCie Rugged HD, LG will be fighting an uphill battle if they don’t rectify their mistake.
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Online shopping just got a little bit safer with SmartWipe. In a nutshell, it’s a USB reader that decodes the magnetic strip on your credit card, encrypts the data, and sends it to the online store. What’s secure about this SmartWipe is that it protects card info from ‘phishing’ sites and malware attempting keystroke logging since you no longer have to reveal your credit card in unencrypted state. In practice, when you arrive on the check-out page, press SmartSwipe button in the browser, swipe your card, and the software will automatically fills the info for you.

SmartSwipe isn’t without flaws. For starter, it only works with Internet Explorer 6 or higher, yet there are reports IE7 users running into problems. We also believe SmartSwipe should have fingerprint authentication or password as an added layer of security. Either way, SmartSwipe is something we would drop $89.99 CND for some peace of mind during shopping sprees.
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Samsung HMX-U10 ultra mobile camcorder is kind of late in the game. Granted it has SC-MX20, but that’s not as handheld as we want. The HMX-U10 will now have everything it takes to go head-on with Flip Ultra HD, Kodak Zi6 and Creative Vado HD alike. Let’s see what Samsung brings to the table. The U10′s abilities to record in 1920×1080 H.264 and to capture at 10-megapixel are a leapfrog improvement in comparison to the aforementioned competitors. It is however equipped with a fixed focus 1/2.3″ CMOS lens which will suffice if you don’t intend to capture at low-light conditions and extreme close-ups.

There’s also a YouTube upload software which we take it for granted these days, but the popular file sharing site only accepts 720p source so the demanding video conversion is why we got a quadcore PC. Last but not least, the HMX-U10 camcorder’s Li-ion battery can be recharged via USB or AC, and SDHC cards will provide storage as much as 32GB. The camcorder is expected to hit retail for under $200.
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The market for personal media players is definitely a hot place and the companies keep pulling down each other by offering features that are alien to the other. Take for instance the latest Samsung YP-M1. The unannounced Korean PMP leaked on Bluetooth.org mostly shares the same youthful UCI interface as YP P3 that allows you to customize themes and icons and that includes Widgets to provide quick access and useful info. Touch-sensitive interface and small applets naturally work better on a bigger screen. So, the M1′s 3.3″ touchscreen should be a welcome improvement.

Other details are still sketchy, but what’s certain is that the Samsung M1 has a rounded form-factor and chrome edges, unlike the P3. It also supports a wide array of Bluetooth profiles, from audio/video remote control profile to hands-free profile (using the M1 as a BT headset), object push (wireless file sharing ^_^) and advanced audio distribution profile (stereo steaming). Hopefully, Samsung hasn’t forgotten about long over-due Wi-Fi.
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