EP Technology

15/08/2013

TOP 10 cell phones of 2013 two more to go lets see what its going to be coming soon

8. Samsung Galaxy S3

The Galaxy S3 has turned out to be an excellent smartphone. It offers a good design and build quality, despite our small niggles. Samsung has put together an impressive set of hardware resulting in silky smooth performance and extensive software features. We can't give the number one spot to two smartphones, so the iPhone nudges it on a show of hands, but it really is a matter of personal taste. The S3 really is as good a smartphone as you can buy right now

7. HTC One X+

With a newer version of Android, fixed build quality issues and significantly increased battery life, the One X+ is a polished and honed version of its predecessor. It's now an even better all-round quality smartphone with a reasonable price tag.

6. Motorola Razr i

The Motorola Razr i is a great all-rounder smartphone. It offers a great combination of design and performance for a reasonable price. It's worth a look for its price and worthy of our recommended award.

5. Google Nexus 4

As long as the storage capacities suffice, the Nexus 4 is the definition of a bargain. You quite simply get the performance and features of a high-end smartphone for half the price you would expect to pay. Unless you're set on an iPhone, the Nexus 4 is an unbeatable deal.

4. Samsung Galaxy S4

The Galaxy S4 is a great phone with outstanding hardware and performance, but it's not flawless. We're disappointed with the build quality considering the handset costs a fair bit more than its rivals and while the S4 is packed with features we find a lot of them to be gimmicky.

3. HTC One
The HTC One is up there with the very best smartphones on the market today. It has superb performance, and excellent build quality spoiled only slightly by running hot in use. You can't fault the feature set, and it matches the other high-end products in terms of price. In terms of audio and visual output it is unsurpassed. The interface might be an acquired taste for some, and we weren't overly impressed with the camera. It's not perfect, but alongside the Xperia Z and iPhone 5 this is about as good a phone as you can buy.

2. Apple iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 really is much more than a tall iPhone 4S with a new plug. The people may demand a revolution every upgrade season. But Apple may just have supplied what the people need, not what they say they want. And that's a powerful evolution on the theme of iPhone which is currently putting the competiton back on the starting blocks.

1. Sony Xperia Z

The Xperia Z is the first smartphone which Sony has really nailed. We love the stylish, desirable and rugged design. The combination of excellent performance, a stunning screen and great cameras make the Xperia Z a force to be reckoned with. There is very little to say about this phone that is negative.

15/08/2013

EP Technology we offer our ink and affordable and competitive prices.

12/08/2013

Top 10 cell Phones for 2013 coming soon

27/07/2013

Any knows about mobile printing and the options available to them

Why mobile printing is such a pain and how to make it easier
The world has become increasingly mobile and cloud-based, but sometimes users just need a printed copy of a document. Unfortunately, mobile printing technologies haven't evolved at the same pace as devices and operating systems have.

Despite the fact that mobile devices look and feel like computers in miniature, they don't always operate the same way. It's pretty easy to print from your desktop computer, but printing from a smartphone or tablet can be a lot more difficult. There are some workarounds and third-party applications that can help ease mobile printing woes, but until mobile printing technology evolves, there will be challenges for IT and users to face. In the meantime, here are a few common questions and possible solutions around mobile printing.

What is remote printing?
When you use a computer to print to a distant printer, it's known as remote printing. There are apps and programs available for most computers that enable remote printing, but it's sometimes possible to set up remote printing through the operating system without using an app. In businesses, remote printing can be an alternative to using fax machines: You can send files over the Internet to a printer almost anywhere.

What is mobile printing?
Mobile printing is wirelessly sending data from a smartphone or tablet to a printer. Depending on how you carry out mobile printing -- via third-party app or cloud printing service -- you can send a print job right from your mobile device to the printer, or you can route the job through a computer connected to a printer.

What are some of the challenges of mobile printing?
Today's mobile devices have not been designed to have printing as a capability. Even more problematic is that IT has to juggle all the different operating systems that come into the enterprise. Users bring different devices to work and expect to be able to print from them, but finding ways to print from so many different devices and OSes remains a challenge for administrators. IT also has to help employees send files to the right printer, and has to manage converting the data stream so files print accurately. Users' mobile devices also have to be connected to the same network as the printers in the office, which can become a problem in companies where mobile devices access a guest network.

Are there any ways to make mobile printing easier?
Apple and Google came out with Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print respectively. These services let users print wirelessly, but they have limitations. For example, if you want to print from your iOS device to a printer that isn't AirPrint-enabled, you need a third-party app. If you want to use Google Cloud Print, the printer has to be connected to your Google account, it has to be configured to use CloudPrint through Google Chrome, and it has to have cloud printing capabilities. Oh, and your mobile device making the print request has to support Google Apps. Many printer manufacturers have applications that allow devices to print to their specific printers, and there are workarounds for most mobile printing woes. Unfortunately, we all have to wait for mobile printing technology to catch up to printing demands.

27/07/2013

Microsoft Updates Tech Head Corner

Microsoft readying Windows 8.1 download for Windows To Go USB stick
The Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview version for Windows To Go USB sticks will soon be available as an online update for IT administrators who want to test drive the new operating system without installing it on their host systems.

The beta of the new operating system was not part of the recent Windows 8.1 Preview launch. Microsoft Windows To Go customers can expect to download the Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview version in a fashion similar to how Windows 8 users download Windows 8.1 Preview through the Windows Store.

Microsoft's intention to offer the Windows To Go Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview as an online download rounds out the company's efforts to deliver Windows To Go to its enterprise customers. Some Microsoft partners have already received a Windows To Go USB stick loaded with Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview.

Windows To Go was designed to alleviate some of the mobile security challenges related to the onslaught of bring-your-own-device practices and the removal of corporate data by employees working outside the office.

The encrypted drive enables workers to plug in a corporate Windows To Go stick on their computers at home, and the same corporate image will allow a worker to access a virtual private network, explained Craig Ashley, senior product manager for the Microsoft Windows Commercial group.

The idea of using encrypted thumb drives to protect corporate computers from any viruses that could infect them when end users personalize their systems will appeal to IT pros, said Guy Baroan, president of Baroan Technology, an IT consultancy in Elmwood Park, N.J.

Windows To Go may also be useful to businesses that require high security, said Michael Suby, vice president of Stratecast at Frost & Sullivan, a market research company in Mountain View, Calif.

Windows To Go memory sticks could make some inroads with military, government, education and health care industries, according to Gary Ge**er, senior product manager at Imation Corp. of Oakdale, Minn., a certified Windows To Go provider. Imation will introduce a provisioning appliance so corporate images can be put on dozens of the USB sticks at the same time instead of singly.

If the USB stick is lost or stolen, IT administrators can remotely wipe the stick and make it inoperable because it is a centrally managed device, according to Ge**er. This allows companies to keep corporate data stored on the stick safe, he added.

Whether Windows To Go can expand its reach to more than niche industries remains to be seen. Windows To Go may be used in the enterprise to repurpose full-featured desktops or laptops as inexpensive thin clients paired with a Windows To Go stick. The USB sticks do not work with actual thin clients, however. Today, Windows To Go can only run on Microsoft's certified devices running Intel's X86- or X64-based processors.

"Users are adapting from a client-heavy experience to a more lightweight ... interaction with applications," Suby said. A different model could be that enterprises no longer replace full-featured devices and go with a thin client with no embedded OS and then issue a PC on a stick, he said.

This would allow companies to transform high-maintenance, corporate PC inventory to a lighter-inventory license that has a longer lifespan, that consumes less energy, and has less risk for personalization. This would enable IT to quickly turn over systems to different end users by issuing them a generic device, Suby said. End users will simply plug the USB stick into compatible devices.

However, replacing full-featured desktops with a Windows To Go stick-based desktop would require a cultural shift in how IT administrators deploy devices and how end users work.

It's an evolution of enterprise desktop computing, Suby noted.

In the long term, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will even consider other form factors beyond the USB stick drive. Solid-state flash drives and cards are being incorporated into laptops and data centers where it makes sense to have fast boot-up or data access times.

"Right now, we are focused on the USB stick," said Microsoft's Ashley. However, he did not rule out the use of other storage technology for the future.

Companies such as Kingston Technology, Spyrus and Super Talent Technology are among the vendors certified to provide a Windows To Go thumb drive. Western Digital offers a version of Windows To Go as an external hard drive.

27/07/2013

Inexpensive laptop with nice features
The Asus Vivobook X202E is very inexpensive for a touch-screen Windows 8 laptop, and looks and feels like a more high-end system.The cost of entry into the world of touch-screen Windows 8 laptops has been falling since the first $1,600-plus systems we previewed in the fall of 2012. Many of the early examples were north of $1,000, but by the time the holiday shopping season got into gear, Black Friday specials brought a few basic models down below $600.

The 11-inch Asus VivoBook X202E is in the price range of $549(technically the list price is $599, but it's widely available for $50 less). For that, you get an Intel Core i3 processor -- rather than the more common Core i5 version -- plus a 500GB HDD and 4GB of RAM.

That CPU downgrade is the X202E's biggest concession to affordability, and it's something to seriously consider. There's a definite performance difference between this and a touch-screen Windows 8 laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor, which can cost you about $200 or more extra. The physical design is a bit of a mixed bag. The X202E is relatively slim, with a part-aluminum body, but thicker than one might expect in today's ultrabook-centric world. The keyboard is small but functional, but the touch pad is frustratingly unresponsive at times, requiring frequent use of the touch screen as a backup.

Design and features
Asus has long been a leader at taking lower-end machines and making them look more expensive than they are. You can see the influence of high-end laptops, such as the Asus Zenbook series, in this model, which is tagged with the VivoBook name (a name you're unlikely to ever hear anyone walk into a retail store and ask for).

The back of the lid has a brushed-metal top layer, with other metal accents throughout, although there's more plastic on the body than you'd find in a more expensive laptop. At 0.8 inch thick and a hair under 3 pounds, it's both chunky and heavy for an 11-inch laptop, at least in today's ultrabook-obsessed market. A couple of years ago, this would have been the body of a $1,000-plus ultraportable laptop.

07/11/2011

7 features to look forward to on Windows 8 only giving 4 for now
1. Metro Interface
Gloriously refurbished, the Metro interface is the top and best feature of Windows 8. If its interface confuses you, then a quick stab at the new minimalistic design will turn you into a fan in seconds flat. Windows 8 has been designed for touchscreen devices. It works well with laptops and desktop computers but practically flies on a tablet. Metro also means quick and easy application porting from mobile to “desktop” environment. The video below demos Metro in full.
2. Windows Store
Windows 8 is jumping onto the app store bandwagon and not a second too late or,depending on your point of view, five years too late. Any applications will have to be downloaded from the Metro store, as Microsoft refuses to allow third-party vendors to offer Metro downloads from external sites. Featured apps will be chosen by users, Microsoft will work with developers to fix buggy apps and the submission process is a simple click for approval.
3. Windows Live Skydrive Cloud
Loving the cloud means chucking your content into the SkyDrive, Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s iCloud. Photos and documents will have an unlimited amount of storage space, but Microsoft will limit all other media to a 25GB maximum. Hotmail, Office365 and other Live products from the big “M” will now reside alongside the Skydrive Cloud systems.
4. Bye, bye start menu
The look of Windows 8 is pilfered from the Windows Phone 7 OS for a very good reason: Removing that extra layer of irritation associated with legacy operating systems. The start menu has been a great addition to our lives since Windows 95, but the time has come to move on. Metro will now feature the “charms” menu, a “start menu” of sorts which can be accessed from any page. We no longer need a home in the corner of our screens. Instead we have a living set of tiles which can be navigated in moments. Put simply, who has time for the start menu these days?

20/10/2011

HP is Making into the ULtrabooks market in 2012

Intel's CEO says in a TV interview that Hewlett-Packard and Dell will enter the Ultrabook market next year and also expresses shock at HP's announcement that it was mulling a spin-off of its PC business. Read this blog post by Brooke Crothers on Nanotech - The Circuits Blog.

20/10/2011

20/10/2011

Best 5 cell phones
Apple iPhone 4S
Best all-around smartphone
The iPhone 4S isn't the king of cell phones, but it's part of the royal family nonetheless. Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade.

HTC Sensation 4G (T-Mobile)
Best phone with T-Mobile 4G
Its excellent design and user experience, coupled with its solid performance, make the HTC Sensation 4G one of the best Android phones yet and a top pick for T-Mobile customers.

Motorola Brute i686 (Sprint Nextel)
Best tough phone that isn't a smartphone
The Motorola Brute i686 can take a longer dunk in water, but is otherwise identical to the Brute i680. It's not the prettiest phone on the block, but it's incredibly durable with great call quality to boot.

Motorola Droid Bionic (Verizon Wireless)
Best dual-core phone with LTE
The Motorola Droid Bionic is everything you want from a high-end smartphone. It's sleek, fast, and powerful, with features that will please both consumers and business users--if you're willing to pay the high price

Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T)
Best phone with a gorgeous display
With its dual-core processor, vibrant display, and great performance, the sleek and powerful Samsung Galaxy S II rises as AT&T's top Android smartphone.

20/10/2011

Android 4.0 is designed to be more approachable than its precursors, opening up Google's operating system to a broader market. But that shift toward the mainstream market is hobbled by techie-focused marketing messages.
The design of Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, manifested in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus due out in November, indicates that Google is trying to aim Android for that broader market. It's designed to be more physical, with touch actions letting people do what they want without having to hunt through the interface for the correct commands. Google wants Android to let people interact more easily with other people without the phone getting in the way.
But the techie vibe that saturates Android marketing obscures that mainstream usefulness. That vibe risks alienating many people in the mainstream market before they even have a chance to find out about Ice Cream Sandwich's abilities.
Nerd central
Here are examples of what I'm talking about.
Let's start with the names. Perhaps "Android" is intended to make people think of their little digital helper, but deep down, it carries a message that the product is more about gadgets and gear than about people.
The "Nexus" name is more of the same: it sounds like Venn diagrams and link analysis, not about humans connecting. Verizon's "Droid" is even worse, especially when compounded by ads with that electronic robot voice. R2D2, one of the original droids, is disarming and kind of cute, but Verizon has made Droid seem like something only a Cylon could love.
Also too nerdy is the video introduction to Ice Cream Sandwich. It's got Android mascots racing around on Tron-style lightcycles in a black void marked off with grid lines. Is this a character you feel a personal connection with?
Overall, here's the impression I get: Android is for people whose rooms are lit only by the glowing blue LEDs shining through the transparent cases of their overclocked PCs.
To be clear, I'm not dissing nerds here. Google is a famously nerdy company, and part of the reason I like a lot of what it does is because I'm a pretty nerdy person, too. Nerds are great early adopters, and they carry disproportionate influence in setting the technology trends that the mainstream adopts later.
But nerds are a niche market.
Apple's shiny happy people
Let's compare this to the other extreme: Apple.
I've watched innumerable Apple demos and promotional videos. They star flawlessly complected, ethnically diverse, middle-class people who frolic in the surf, enjoy productive careers, and show off their children's soccer medals.
It's over the top, of course, but I can't fault the company for its overall message: you will enjoy life more with our products in it. The ads and promos are about people with their devices, not about the devices themselves.
Sure, Apple shares some specifications when it's time to boast about a device being thin, with nice-looking photos and the ability to play hours of video. But the specs are sprinkled judiciously through the marketing materials, and they're always subordinate to the primary message.
Siri, the iPhone 4S's voice-operated assistant, could have been a freaky fembot in the wrong hands. Apple gave the utility a bit of personality, with a female voice and some snarky answers, but it's nothing that looks to be on the creepy side of the uncanny valley.
To be sure, the iOS vs Android rivalry is real, and naturally different companies will try to distinguish their products to attract attention in a crowded market. If Google starts aping Apple ads, it'll make Android look more like a clone and less like a product comfortable in its own skin.
But I think if you want a product to be a success with the mass market--a success beyond just unit shipments--you could do worse than learning from Apple's approach.
Android putting people first?
There are encouraging signs that Google understands what it takes to reach the next level.
"People are at the heart of Ice Cream Sandwich," Google Chief Executive Larry Page said in a Google+ post. He was referring specifically to ICS's new contacts manager but also to the company's effort to infuse all Google properties with the human interactions enabled through Google+.
And Joshua Topolosky's interview with Matias Duarte, head of user experience for Android, shows the growing awareness that smartphones should be for "regular people."
Google conducted extensive studies of people with their smartphones, Duarte said, and discovered something the company didn't like: "With Android, people were not responding emotionally, they weren't forming emotional relationships with the product. They needed it, but they didn't necessarily love it."
It's to Google's credit that it's achieving this awareness about how its products are perceived and how they need to evolve.