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The Best Reviews in the Business

Friday October 3, 2008

Editor's Note

Welcome to another exciting week at PC Authority,

In the past week, Toshiba have announced a new battery prototype, sure to make those long commuting trips slightly easier thanks to a new and improved extended battery life. You also might have noticed that 'cloud computing' is the new buzzword around town, a key 'future' technology that Microsoft and Google are heavily invested in, which according to Ian Thomson could all just possibly be a huge load of hype.

Speaking of hype, does Google's long awaited Android OS stack up? And if your still blank faced, don't worry - we get down to the nitty gritty of what Android actually is and if it's really worth considering. Adam Turner goes bionic and answers the Android paradox.

And to top it all off, we've got a new group External Hard Drive group test online, just in case you're wondering what external HD may best suit your needs.

Enjoy the long weekend,

Daniel Long,
PC Authority.

Latest Issue

Issue: 132 | November, 2008

Australia's premier computer magazine, PC Authority gives you the facts, opinions and insight to make informed PC and tech purchasing decisions.

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News

Nokia launches first touch-screen smartphone by Madeline Bennett \| October 3, 2008 Nokia has launched its first touch-screen smartphone, aimed at enticing mobile music fans away from Apple's iPhone and other competing devices..		Computer games are credit crunch proof by Emma Hughes \| October 2, 2008 Cheaper than real life
45nm e-class Phenoms are go by Staff writers \| October 2, 2008 We spotted an AMD roadmap on Expreview that shows AMD introducing a bevy of e-class Phenoms and Athlons in early 2009.		Toshiba unveils new battery prototype by Aharon Etengoff \| October 2, 2008 Toshiba has unveiled a battery prototype that offers a 90 percent charge capacity in just 10 minutes.
Microsoft millionaire plans second space trip by Iain Thomson \| October 2, 2008 Charles Simonyi hoping for frequent flyer discount.		Stallman berates cloud computing "hype" by Iain Thomson \| October 2, 2008 Cloud computing looks like threatening virtualisation for hype, but according to the famous Linux evangelist you'd be stupid to try it.
IBM releases iNotes for the iPhone by Staff writers \| October 1, 2008 IBM's Lotus division has made available a light version of its iNotes email application for Apple's iPhone..		Nokia abandons business mobility by Daniel Robinson \| October 1, 2008 Nokia is dropping its own business mobility solutions to concentrate on providing mobile email services for consumers..
Google defends its definition of 'beta' by Rosalie Marshall \| October 1, 2008 How can key Google features still be in beta? It's simply down to the amount of testing, says search giant.		Bongo offers cheaper way to get US products into Oz by Daniel Long \| September 30, 2008 Bongo allows you to purchase your very own US postal address without actually living in America. A godsend if you like ploughing through the 'too hot to be true deals' on Ebay.com or other US based websites, but is it too good to be true?

Top 10 Downloads

Reviews

Linksys WRT610N, dual-n band networking is here

by Zara Baxter | October 1, 2008

The arrival of dual-n band networking with 5GHz promises an end to crowded home wireless networks. Speed, range and technology is great, but the price is steep

ACER AL712

by Darren Ellis | September 30, 2008

Acer has come to the party with an affordable well performing flat display that features an internal power supply, better than average 20ms pixel response time, crisp colour and good greyscale results.

Panasonic DMR-BW500 HDD/Blu-ray recorder

by Adam Turner | September 30, 2008

Now that Blu-ray has won the format war and recorders are hitting the shelves, Panasonic's DMR-BW500 HDD/Blu-ray recorder with twin HD TV tuners is looking mighty nice indeed. For high-def buffs this is one with the lot.

InFocus LiteShow II

by Johnathan Bray | September 29, 2008

We've reviewed projectors with built-in wireless features before, but this is the first standalone box we've come across.

Asus Eee PC 901

by David Bayon | September 26, 2008

An improvement over the Eee PC 900, with longer battery life and sleeker looks - but its rivals are catching up

MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum

by Mike Jennings | September 26, 2008

A decent board, but the Hybrid SLI feature doesn't justify the high asking price

Nokia E71

by Tim Danton | September 26, 2008

You've seen our First Look at the E71, now here's the full review. A stunning phone perfectly molded to the needs of anyone whose life revolves around email

Sony VAIO VGX-TP2G

by Matthew Sparkes | September 26, 2008

Intriguing styling makes this near-silent media-centre PC stand out, but it has its foibles

Group Tests

External Hard Disks

by Darien Graham-Smith | October 3, 2008

External hard disks are a great way to add storage. We test 13, from sub-$130 portable drives to mighty terabyte desktop units.

Features

Big Questions: The 64-bit Windows FAQ

by Nathan Taylor | September 26, 2008

You've been raising some big questions in the forums about 64-bit. Here's our FAQ to 64-bit Vista vs XP, and whether it's worth the hassle if you're not a workstation user, but a gamer or power user.

Tutorials

Can your neighbour see if you're stealing wireless?

by Staff writers , Adam Turner | September 15, 2008

Wondering if your neighbour can tell if you're leeching their bandwidth and see what you're doing online?