Acer Iconia Tab W500 review

Despite being sold as a standalone 10.1in tablet, the keyboard attachment is imperative for many users to get the most out of the device. One of the major reasons for this is that Windows 7 was not designed to be used with a touch screen.
Our impressions of the W500 were mixed as it isn't as striking as the iPad 2. Technical specifications are impressive on paper, with an AMD C-50 dual-core 1GHz processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 32GB of internal storage as standard.
The device comes with an overall Windows Experience Index rating of 2.8. Compare this to the Fujitsu Lifebook PH530's Windows Experience rating of 2.7, which is a slightly misleading score as the graphics capabilities brought the overall score down.

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The 10.1 widescreen LCD touch display comes with a resolution of 1,280x800, and has a bright picture thanks to the LED backlight. Surrounding the screen, however, is a large black bezel that looks like it could have been better used.
Our measurements suggest that Acer could have increased the screen size to 12 inches. The fact that the extra space hasn't been used is even more bizarre considering that the majority of this unused bezel is part of the LCD panel itself.
Other features built into the chassis include a two-in-one card reader, HDMI and USB 2.0 port as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Like all the latest tablets the W500 incorporates front- and rear-facing cameras, both at 1.3-megapixels.
Business users are likely to need the keyboard attachment most of the time. To connect the tablet, the screen slots into a USB connector into the keyboard, which appears when a flap is raised.
When the device is not in use, the flap on the keyboard can be folded down and the screen can be placed on top of it, locked in place and carried around like a netbook.
However, the problems start when the W500 is plugged into the keyboard. The device weighs 1kg but most of this is in the tablet, making it top heavy. The W500 needs to be placed on a completely flat surface otherwise there is a risk of it toppling over.

Using the W500 balanced on your lap is very tricky and great care has to be taken to ensure that the screen does not fall out of the dock. During our tests, we found that the W500 was incapable of sitting on the soft surface of a sofa or bed without falling over.
The W500 takes anywhere between five to 10 seconds to detect when a dock has been attached. Although this is not a long time, it gives the impression that the device is sluggish and is likely to get slower as time goes on.

The dockable keyboard itself is usable, but far from the best we have seen. It comes with 84 keys, two USB ports and an ethernet socket.
Letters are generally well spaced in a island style, but they are very shallow and it is easy to misspell words because letters have not been depressed sufficiently.
Unfortunately, there is no trackpad and you are forced to use the FineTrack trackball that sits in the centre of the keyboard. The two mouse buttons are also awkwardly placed on the edge of the keyboard and we found that we often hit the space bar instead of the left click.

For those who have not used a trackball before it will take some getting used to, and the experience can be described as fiddly at best. When using the W500 in the office, we found that plugging in a USB mouse was a necessity.
By comparison, the similarly sized 10.1 Asus Eee Pad Transformer hybrid comes with a full sized trackpad and the ability to fold the screen when the tablet is connected to the dock.


Considering that the Asus Eee Pad Transformer has dimensions of 271x171x12.98mm, which are very similar to the 275x190x15.95mm of the W500, it does feel that it has been left in the dirt by Asus.
Software
Acer ships the tablet with Windows 7 Home Premium, so it is not optimised for business use. However, it will provide a better desktop-like experience than other tablets.
The internet experience resembles that of laptops and netbooks, with access to all browsers such as IE9, Firefox 4, Chrome and Opera.
Preloaded software comes in the form of Microsoft Office Starter edition and the usual anti-virus software free trial. Another feature is the Acer Ring, an interface created to make use of the touch-screen functionality.
Users are able to browse the internet, and access applications such as notetaking, camera and the calculator, from the Acer Ring. The My Journal feature is an aggregator that keeps web site updates, and Clear.fi allows users to search, share, and play back music and video over Wi-Fi.
The onscreen keyboard is the same as on all Windows touch-based devices. It is easy enough to type web addresses, but is not suited to long emails. It is very poor indeed when compared to the virtual keyboards on the iPad and Android tablets.
Battery life fell short of the six hours claimed by Acer and this was disappointing especially when its portability is being touted. The W500 lasted a reasonable two hours and 49 minutes in the the Battery Eater Pro Classic test, which simulates high-intensity activity.
In the Reader test, the device topped out at three hours and 21 minutes. Realistically, the battery will last somewhere between these two figures when the dock is connected.

When we used the W500 in the office as a desktop replacement it managed three hours and 20 minutes with 36 mins of hibernation, backing up the result of the reader test.
In comparison, the Android Honeycomb Asus Eee Pad Transformer offers up to 16 hours of battery life when plugged into the dock, and the forthcoming Motorola Atrix lapdock aims to provide up to eight hours.
The iPad 2, meanwhile, lasted 20 hours during our testing. We clocked nine hours of actual use including browsing the internet over Wi-Fi and 3G, watching three hours of video from BBC iPlayer and a two-hour film. The remaining 11 hours were spent in standby, eight hours of which was overnight.
The design flaws together with a total price of £519 to get the dock could put off some users, however the fact that the tablet runs Windows could make it attractive to businesses.

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Dell Vostro 460 review

Many in the IT industry would have us believe that laptops and tablets are the only business clients that matter anymore, but desktop PCs still have a valuable role to play in most companies.
One example is Dell's Vostro 460, a workhorse PC aimed at smaller businesses that want a computer with enough performance for productivity applications, but with plenty of scope for expansion to meet future requirements.
The 460 is part of Dell's Vostro line of laptops and desktops specifically tailored for small to medium business (SMB) customers, and offers all the features required for running business applications at a reasonable price (starting at £299), but without all the bells and whistles you might expect to see in a multimedia PC for consumers.
Despite this, the Vostro 460 models are based on Intel's new Sandy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 chips, and pack in a decent amount of processing power. Buyers should also note that for some Vostro 460 configurations, a monitor is not included in the price and must be added as an optional extra.
Our review system was shipped without a monitor by Dell, so we were unable to judge the quality of the display options available. A number of configurations are available from Dell's web site, and buyers can customise these if they so desire.
Our machine was configured with a Core i5-2500 processor, a quad-core chip clocked at 3.3GHz, plus 4GB memory, a 500GB hard disk, DVD-RW drive and ATI Radeon HD5450 graphics adapter. However, the memory can be expanded up to 16GB, while hard disk options go up to 3TB.

This specification delivers ample performance for most business applications, the Vostro rated at 4.9 under the built-in Windows Experience Index in Windows 7. This was actually tied to the score of the graphics card; the processor, memory and hard drive subsystems all showed impressive individual ratings.
However, the key aspect of any system for small business buyers will be its included software. In this respect, the Vostro 460 is not much better than many other PCs, coming with just the Office 2010 Starter edition of Microsoft's popular application suite and a handful of Dell utilities.
Office 2010 Starter consists of reduced functionality versions of Word and Excel only, and is really intended to replace Microsoft's ageing Works software for home users. However, it does provide basic capabilities that a startup company can use until it is established and able to justify the cost of a more fully featured productivity suite.
In terms of technical support, Dell backs every Vostro with a telephone helpline and a one-year collect-and-return warranty as standard. Customers can also opt to pay for Dell's Pro Support service, which provides 24x7 access to technical support. Dell also offers on-site system setup for a fee.
The latter is not really required for the Vostro 460, which requires little setup other than unpacking the system and plugging it in.
In operation, the Vostro is almost silent, only a faint noise coming from its internal fans, while the system itself looks business-like in Dell's signature black styling.
The form factor of this Vostro is a chunky tower that looks quite imposing when sitting on a desktop, but can always be slipped out of sight beneath a desk, if required. Buyers for whom desk space is at a premium may wish to consider Dell's other Vostro models, some which are available in much more compact system units.

The advantage of a tower chassis such as this is that it allows easy access to swap out components or add extra drives in future. With the Vostro 460, this is made easy by a removable left side panel secured by a single screw at the rear, which can be easily undone by hand. In fact, the entire system is designed for tool-free maintenance.
Inside, the Vostro 460 has space for two 5.25in drives, both accessible from the front panel, plus three 3.5in drives. One of the 5.25in drive bays is occupied with the DVD-RW drive, while the hard disk and a memory card reader take up two of the 2.5in bays, leaving one of each free.
The memory card reader can be accessed from outside by a slide-down panel, as can a set of four USB ports, plus audio in/out jack sockets. The memory reader accomodates a wide range of Flash cards, including SD Card, Memory Stick Pro, CompactFlash, xD and SmartMedia.
A glance inside the Vostro showed that our review sample had only two of its four Dimm slots occupied, allowing memory to be expanded if necessary. However, this unit shipped with Windows 7 32-bit edition, which only supports up to 4GB in any case. This is more than adequate for most software that small businesses are likely to run, but buyers should note that going beyond 4GB requires an update to a 64-bit version of Windows.
The system can also be expanded using adapter cards fitting into PCI Express (PCIe) slots. Our system had an ATI Radeon HD5450 graphics card fitted into its high-bandwidth PCIe x16 slot, replacing the Intel graphics functions built into the motherboard.
The Vostro 460 also has three PCIe x1 slots available for other cards, such as an extra network adapter, but most of the functions users are likely to require are already built in. A tiny Mini PCIe slot allows an optional laptop-style Wi-Fi card to be fitted.
ATI's Radeon HD5450 adapter provides three separate video outputs - VGA, HDMI and DVI - each capable of driving a monitor simultaneously at resolutions up to 2,560x1,600 pixels.
The rear of the Vostro has four more USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, plus an eSata connector - handy for connecting high-speed external storage for backup purposes. There are also six audio jack sockets, and an S/PDIF digital audio optical output. A VGA and HDMI output from the built-in graphics are covered over, as these are not needed.
Although our Vostro did not include a monitor, it did ship with a mouse and keyboard, the latter being notable for a row of dedicated function keys along the top for web browser navigation and controlling Windows Media Player. It is also worth noting that Dell does sometimes add SKUs with an included monitor but these are usually special offers, so check its site for current deals.
As well as Office 2010 Starter, our review unit included Trend Micro security software with a 15-month subscription, plus Dell's Backup and Recovery Manager for backing up user files and the system itself. Dell Recovery tools enable the user to create a recovery disk to restore the system to its original factory state, should the worst happen.

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Royal wedding triggers record traffic figures

The 29 April wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton sent a record flood of traffic to streaming video sites on Friday.
Considered to be among the most highly-anticipated events in recent years, the marriage of the newly appointed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge brought huge traffic to sites offering live coverage, and causing at least one major media outlet to buckle under the pressure
At roughly 11:13, the BBC first gave word of technical difficulties in its online coverage of the event. Then 17 minutes later, the site issued an official statement explaining the issue.
"We are experiencing some technical issues with BBC Online due to the sheer weight of traffic which may cause the site to be slower than normal in some cases," the BBC said in the statement.
The BBC was not the only site to experience heavy traffic from the event. Video streaming service LiveStream offered its own coverage of the event, and the stream reportedly drew record traffic numbers.
According to online news blog Mashable, traffic for the LiveStream feed of the event exceeded 300,000 simultaneous viewers at one point, and total traffic was forecast to top two million views.
For Google, the event was the culmination of growing interest on the royal wedding over the month. The company reported that since the beginning of April, total search volumes for the event spiked by 90 per cent.

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Sony boss Stringer apologises for massive data breach

Sony chairman, chief executive and president Howard Stringer has finally apologised for the hacking attack which may have exposed the details of up to 100 milion customers, as online collective Anonymous reiterated that it was not to blame.
Stringer said in an open letter to Sony customers that there is still "no confirmed evidence" that any credit card or personal details have been actively used by the hackers, and that Sony is providing ‘AllClear ID Plus' identity theft protection for all US customers, with further announcements to come for international customers.
The company will also offer a ‘Welcome Back' package, including a month of free PlayStation Plus membership for all PSN customers and an extension of subscriptions for PlayStation Plus and Music Unlimited customers to make up for the time the service has been down.
"As a company we - and I - apologise for the inconvenience and concern caused by this attack. Under the leadership of Kazuo Hirai, we have teams working around the clock and around the world to restore your access to those services as quickly, and as safely, as possible," he said.
"In the last few months, Sony has faced a terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan. But now we are facing a very man-made event - a criminal attack on us and on you - and we are working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies around the world to apprehend those responsible."
Stringer's response came as criticism of his continued silence grew, and he used the letter to try to diffuse customer anger at being kept in the dark for so long when the incident was first discovered.

 

 

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Amazon tipped to launch a 'Super Kindle' Android tablet

Amazon is preparing to launch an Android tablet as the company seeks to make a successful transition from the e-book reader market.
The online retailer has put in an order with Taiwanese manufacturer Quanta Computer for 800,000 touch-screen tablets, according to widespread reports.

No specifications are available at present, but the device is widely tipped to run the Android operating system as Amazon already provides a dedicated online marketplace for the platform, known as Amazon Appstore for Android.
However, despite huge success in the e-book reader market, Amazon will find it difficult make a tablet that directly rivals the Apple iPad, according to Francisco Jeronimo, research manager for European mobile devices at IDC.
"The Kindle has been such a success because it is a good product that costs just $100 and Amazon will need to retain a budget price to attract users," he told V3.co.uk.
"Amazon is likely to build a 7in 'Super Kindle'-type tablet which runs on Android and can support video, social applications and full web browsing."
Jeronimo pointed out that Amazon will also have to push magazines and newspapers via the device, as the Kindle app is also available on competing devices and will not be enough of a differentiator.
V3.co.uk contacted Amazon for information on the tablet, but the firm declined to comment on future plans.
Meanwhile, the tablet market continues to heat up with big things expected from Android Honeycomb tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab line.
However, Jeronimo suggested that only a handful of the 200-odd devices expected to come on the market this year will succeed.
"Apple will retain 80 per cent of the market, but RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook is expected to do well in the enterprise," he said.
"Consumers perceive tablets as an extension of smartphones, and manufacturers such as Dell and Sony, which come from a laptop background, will always find it difficult to break into the space."

 

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