iPhone 5 and Everything You Want to Know

Apple has said the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 6, is coming this fall, but it has been mum about its next-generation iPhone.

Technology media have been whipped into a frenzy speculating about what new and exciting features the iPhone 5 will carry when it is rolled out in September or October.

Here are a handful of the most credible unconfirmed reports going.

Improved Security
The deal's not done yet, but Apple just announced it will buy AuthenTec, a mobile and network security provider that specializes in security techniques that could help make the iPhone more secure, such as content security and fingerprint recognition -- a feature the security company sells to several computer makers and recently agreed to provide to Apple's bitter smartphone rival, Samsung.

As PCWorld's Ian Paul pointed out when the acquisition plans were announced, Samsung recently signed up to use AuthenTec's QuickSec virtual private network client on its Galaxy devices. If Apple does indeed complete its $356 million acquisition of AuthenTec, Samsung will have to shop around for a new VPN provider for its enterprise-ready products.

NFC
With iOS 6 comes a new feature called Passbook, which initially will be used to store travel passes, coupons, and loyalty cards. But some tech watchers think the new feature indicates the next iPhone will include an exclusive payment program based on near-field communication (NFC) built into Passbook.

AuthenTec's technology could help Apple padlock any NFC feature it implements. It would also make the iPhone more appealing to security-wary IT managers at large companies, many of which may be looking for an alternative to Research In Motion’s BlackBerry devices, which face an uncertain future in spite of being a traditional favorite in the enterprise.

19-pin Dock Connector
Another unconfirmed story, from Reuters, recently claimed that the next iPhone will use a smaller 19-pin dock connector as opposed to the 30-pin connector in all current iOS devices. The smaller connector will make room for a headphone jack on the bottom of the iPhone, Reuters' two "sources familiar with the matter" said. The report follows a similar story that came out earlier this year from iMore, which said Apple was working on a "micro dock" for future devices.

PCWorld’s Jared Newman points out that if Apple ditches the 30-pin dock connector, it will be both a blessing and a burden for accessory makers and consumers. Companies that make speakers, chargers, and other accessories will be able to sell fresh products, but they'll also need to support 30-pin accessories for older iPhone models for years.

And if you own iPhone accessories now, you may have to get an adapter for them, assuming Apple releases one. That would mean buying one for every accessory you own, or carrying an adapter around -- a dilemma that would point to the beauty of cordless accessories.

Larger, Thinner Display
Images of an alleged iPhone 5 front panel recently appeared on the photo-sharing website Photobucket that show panels with a longer frame where the screen would be, suggesting the next iPhone's display will be larger than it is now. The image shows the frame's front-facing camera in the center of the device, just above the earpiece.

In May, 9to5Mac posted similar photos, which also showed a longer frame. Around the same time, The Wall Street Journal also reported on a possible iPhone with a 4-inch display, citing unnamed sources "familiar with the matter."

In a separate report this month, unnamed sources also told The Wall Street Journal that the iPhone 5 will use new technology that results in a display that is much thinner than the iPhone's current screen. They said Sharp, Japan Display, and LG are currently mass producing panels for the next iPhone using in-cell technology that integrates touch sensors into the LCD, making a separate layer for the touchscreen unnecessary. Removing it not only makes the screen thinner, but improves image quality, experts say.

Support for 4G LTE
Most analysts believe that the new iPhone will house a Qualcomm chip that lets the phone connect with several flavors of 3G GSM and 4G LTE service.

While the iPhone 4S has been selling well until lately, it was a disappointment to see it released without a 4G radio inside. If the iPhone 4S can do well with consumers, the LTE-equipped iPhone 5 should sell even better.

In fact, a PCWorld survey found that large numbers of people plan to buy or upgrade to the first 4G iPhone, many of them citing the new LTE wireless technology as a main reason.



Copyright: pcworld.com

Microsoft Word 2013 Will Support PDF Viewing & Editing

Working with PDF documents in Windows has always been a bit of a pain. Most people end up downloading a copy of Adobe Reader, or if they are slightly more savvy the amazing and lightweight Foxit Reader. Microsoft Word 2010 gained the ability to output documents to PDF, however all of these tools have one thing in common; they are a one trick pony. According to LiveSide.Net, Microsoft Word 2013 won’t only be able to export PDF files, but it will be able to open, and even edit them.

Paul Thurrott is also reporting on the WinSupersite that the PDF renderer is a “stunning new reading experience for both traditional Word documents and PDFs that reflows text in a columnar view automatically." Bookmarks as well as automatic page resuming are also rumored to be supported. As far as killer new features for Microsoft’s new productivity suite go, this will probably rank fairly high for most users.

The first public beta of Office 2013 is expected to be released sometime next week.

Copyright: maximumpc.com

Spesifikasi Minimum Untuk Windows 7

Dibawah ini adalah spesifikasi minimum komputer (PC) untuk install Windows 7
Windows 7 tidak memerlukan hardware yang canggih. Prosesor hanya butuh kecepatan minimal 1 GHz, memori cukup dengan kapasitas 1 GB dan ruang harddisk minimal 16 GB. Kebutuhan hardware dengan spesifikasi minimal ini benar adanya. Terbukti dari berbagai tes yang dilakukan oleh pengguna komputer di seluruh dunia. Sebagai contoh, Windows 7 bisa berjalan lancar di netbook berbasis Intel Atom N270 (1,6 GHz).
Namun jika ingin lebih yakin, Anda bisa menjalankan Windows 7 Advisor. Aplikasi ini tersedia pada saat instalasi Windows 7. Namun ada juga versi download-nya di situs Microsoft. Aplikasi ini akan memindai hardware dan software di komputer Anda dan mengecek apakah hardware tersebut memenuhi syarat menjalankan Windows 7 dan software tersebut bisa berjalan dengan baik di Windows 7.
Setelah mengetahui kompatibilitas hardware dan software di PC atau notebook dengan Windows 7, saatnya memilih versi Windows 7. Sama seperti Vista, Windows 7 hadir dengan berbagai varian yang menyasar segmen berbeda. Setidaknya ada 6 varian yang tersedia, yaitu Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise dan Ultimate. Dari 6 varian ini, ada beberapa yang hanya tersedia pada kondisi khusus. Windows 7 starter misalnya, hanya tersedia dalam bentuk pre-installed (telah terpasang) pada PC yang mendapat ijin untuk itu. Sementara Windows 7 Enterprise hanya akan tersedia melalui format Volume Licensing melalui software Assurance. Artinya, versi Enterprise tidak akan tersedia dalam bentuk retail maupun pre-installed.
Windows 7 Home Premium menjadi versi yang direkomendasikan bagi mayoritas konsumen karena menyajikan pengalaman komputasi yang komplit dan tampilan visual yang memikat. Sedangkan Windows 7 Professional direkomendasikan untuk perusahaan kecil dan individu yang membutuhkan sistem keamanan dan produktivitas yang tinggi. Sedangkan Windows 7 Ultimate diperuntukkan bagi power user yang ingin menikmati semua fitur di Windows 7 plus premium game.
Install Ulang atau Upgrade?
Ada kabar buruk bagi Anda pengguna Windows XP karena Windows 7 tidak bisa di-install melalui mekanisme upgrade. Anda harus install ulang dari awal (fresh install). Selain itu, pengguna Windows Vista tidak semua bisa menempuh cara upgrade. Kalaupun bisa di-upgrade, durasi upgrade akan sangat lama. Chris Hernandez, seorang Microsoft Software Engineer, pernah mencoba menghitung durasi yang diperlukan untuk instalasi ulang atau upgrade pada tiga konfigurasi komputer (low-end sampai high-end). Hasilnya waktu untuk melakukan instalasi ulang hanya 30 menit, sementara upgrade bisa mencapai 20 jam.
Jadi upgrade cuma direkomendasi bagi pengguna Vista dengan catatan sebagai berikut: Windows Vista Home Basic bisa di-upgrade ke Windows 7 Home Premium atau Ultimate ; Windows Vista Home Premium bisa di-upgrade ke Windows 7 Home Premium atau Ultimate ; Windows Vista Business bisa di-upgrade ke Windows 7 Profesional atau Ultimate ; Windows Vista Ultimate bisa di-upgrade ke Windows 7 Ultimate. Di luar rekomendasi ini, sangat disarankan Anda meng-install ulang dari awal (fresh install). Kalau jalan yang harus Anda tempuh adalah install ulang, pastikan Anda punya banyak waktu dan komputer tersebut bukan komputer utama untuk bekerja atau setidaknya tidak sedang digunakan untuk bekerja. LOR (Berita Indonesia 72)
Variasi Windows 7
Starter. Versi ini hanya akan tersedia secara pre-installed. Tanpa fitur Windows Aero, maksimal tiga aplikasi yang bisa berjalan bersamaan dan lebih menekankan pada fasilitas yang berhubungan dengan dunia internet.
Home Basic. Windows 7 Home Basic hanya akan dipasarkan di negara berkembang seperti China, India, Brazil, dan Indonesia. Mendukung prosesor 64 bit, bisa menjalankan banyak aplikasi sekaligus, dan sebagian Aero namun tidak dilengkapi dengan Multi Touch dan Windows Media Center. Direkomendasikan bagi pengguna rumahan.
Home Premium. Versi ini memiliki seluruh fitur grafis dan multimedia di Windows 7 termasuk Aero, Media Center, MultiTouch, DVD Playback, Internet Connection Sharing dan premium games. Namun versi ini tidak dilengkapi fasilitas kelas bisnis seperti Remote Desktop host dan Encrypting File System.
Professional. Versi ini memiliki seluruh fitur Windows 7 Home Premium ditambah fasilitas kelas bisnis seperti Remote Desktop, offline folders, Windows Server domain dan Windows XP Mode. Yang tidak ada adalah aplikasi BitLocker (untuk mengenkripsi seluruh isi harddisk).
Enterprise. Memiliki semua fitur Windows 7 termasuk BitLocker dan DirectAccess. Versi ini hanya tersedia melalui mekanisme volume licensing.
Ultimate. Versi merupakan sistem operasi terlengkap. Jika Anda pengguna Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows 7 Ultimate ini adalah padanannya. Di sini Anda bisa menggunakan fasilitas jaringan yang super lengkap, fasilitas backup dan restore yang semakin baik, premium games, dan banyak lagi.

Copyright: masterGOmaster.com

Sharp's 90-inch Aquos is Largest LED HDTV on Planet Earth

Bragging rights don't come cheap, and if you want to own the largest LED-backlit high-definition television on this side of the Solar System, it's going to set you back $10,999.99, leaving you a penny for your thoughts if you've saved up eleven grand. That's the asking price for Sharp's newly unveiled 90-inch LED Smart 3D TV (model LC-90LE745U), which stands almost 4 feet tall, over six feet long, and has a 4.5-inch waistline while tipping the scales at 141.1 pounds.

All that screen real estate goes towards a 1920x1080 display resolution with a 120Hz native refresh rate (240Hz backlight scanning refresh rate). Sharp rates the dynamic contrast ratio at 8,000,000:1.

Connectivity options consist of two USB ports, four HDMI inputs, two composite inputs, HD component, DVI, RS-232C, and GbE LAN, along with L/R audio inputs and optical digital audio output.

It also has built-in Wi-Fi and is a Smart TV running Sharp's SmartCentral UI. That gives viewers access to apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and several others. And for the less savvy, Sharp says its 90-inch panel automatically downloads and applies updates as they're made available.

Sharp's 90-inch monster is available now, provided you have the requisite disposable income and a place to plop it.

7 Trends For The Next Year In Tech

Last week was Computex, the annual trade show where most Asian electronics companies announce their hardware lineup for the coming year. It's an important event for the industry and for enthusiasts, but the show can be a hard to follow--the laptop-heavy announcements can get a little dry, and the show falls on the same days as the much-flashier E3.
Fortunately, unless memorizing Ultrabook model numbers is your hobby, you don't really need to read every press release from the show. We've distilled Computex 2012 down to its 7 major themes. Read on for a brief primer on the next year of consumer hardware.

Ultrabooks

Ultrabooks were the star of the show, and just about everyone had something to show off that was thin, aluminum-clad and powered by Ivy Bridge. Some of the standouts were the first Vaio-branded netbook, Toshiba's ultra-wide Sattelite U, and the now-with-more-metal version of the Acer Aspire Ultra M3.

Tablets

Tablets! Tablets everywhere! All of the major exhibitors at Computex were showing off Windows 8 tablets (some Intel-based, some ARM), and Acer made waves with the Tegra 3-powered A110 Iconia Tab. It's not the prettiest tablet around, but it's set to sell for just $200, which could make the Android slate a game-changer.

Convertibles

On top of the regular tablets, there plenty of convertible notebooks on display at Computex. The most interesting of the bunch was the Taichi hybrid laptop from Asus, which features two screens for seamless transitioning from laptop to tablet configuration. Most of the other convertibles featured a laptop body with a break-away tablet, like the Tablet 600.

Windows 8

If there was a clear winner at Computex this year, it was Microsoft. Though we still can't say how the OS will fare with consumers, Computex showed that Windows 8 has the full support of hardware vendors. With plenty of Windows 8 notebooks, tablets, convertibles and all-in-ones on display, it's clear where Asus, Acer and co are placing their bets.

Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is finally breaking out, with plenty of hardware on display that featured either end of a Thunderbolt connector. Asus had a great-looking Thunderbolt display, and Drobo and Belkin were among companies that announced Thunderbolt peripherals.

802.11ac

The new wireless standard also had it's first major showing at Computex this year, with Qualcomm showing off 802.11ac-capable chipsets, and Asus demoing an 802.11ac-enabled router and laptop.

The Cloud

The biggest press conference at the show was Asus', and they used the very start of it to promote their new cloud service, called "Asus Open Cloud Computing." Details about the exact features that will be a part of this cloud solution are few, but the cloud seems important to the vision of more portable gadgets, drawing on more-efficient hardware.

Overclocker Pushes AMD's FX-8150 CPU to the Limit, Approaches 9GHz

There's a new CPU overclocking record to report and, surprise-surprise (not really), AMD's spunky FX-8150 chip is the one breaking new ground. This time a Taiwanese overclocker who goes by "ksin" was able to push AMD's record setting processor to 8,805MHz (8.8GHz), inching ever closer to the coveted 9GHz mark. It's worth mentioning that these ultra-high frequencies aren't practical because they're not sustainable without a constant dose of LN2, but that's also missing the point.

A certain amount of skill and technical savvy is required to reach speeds in excess of 8GHz; it's not as easy as pouring LN2 and calling it a day. Careful component selection is also a factor, and according to the details on HWBOT, ksin achieved the record breaking overclock on an Asus Crosshair V Formula motherboard with 4GB (2x2GB) of A-Data DDR3 memory running in a dual-channel configuration with 9-11-10-30 timings and a 2,834MHz (effective) frequency. He used a x29 multiplier and fed 1.86V to the CPU.

It's also worth mentioning that he was using only two of the eight processor cores in order to achieve 8.8GHz. Disabling CPU cores isn't unusual, but it further underscores the point of practicality.

Iron Man PC Mod Kicks Bionic Ass, Creator Explains How It Happened

Ron Lee Christianson's known in modderati circles for the outstanding attention to detail in his case mods, and his latest project is no different: the Iron Man PC blows our mind. Commissioned by Thermaltake and built with Thermaltake's new Armor Revo case -- though you'd never know it just by looking at it -- this kick ass case contains the extra touches that make a difference, such as a replica of Iron Man's chest-bound Arc Reactor and a front-facing copy of Iron Man's helm that actually opens and closes. We spoke with Ron about the Iron Man mod and other things over the weekend.


He told us that the Iron Man PC, which will show up in Thermaltake's booth at Computex next week, could be just the first of many Marvel-inspired cases; "Thermaltake and I are discussing the entire Avengers line of case mods," he writes.

Thermaltake approached Ron with the Iron Man mod idea way back in January. "After discussing design ideas for weeks I got started on the build in early March. The greatest challenge was staying true to Marvel's design of the Iron Man suits and incorporating it into a PC case. I watched the movies over and over as I worked on the build trying to pick up on the fine details and personality of the suits."

Ron keeps his skills honed by following the build logs of other in-progress case mods around the Internet. (You can see the build log for the Iron Man PC on Ron's BlueHorseStudios website, complete with a material list and dozens and dozens of pictures.) He also offers some tips and tricks for would-be modders:

"The advice I'd give to anyone starting a build is to do a ton of research on your subject matter (and) document your work in work logs and free media outlets like Facebook and Youtube. Everyone has their own skill sets that they feel comfortable in, master those skills and don't be afraid to try new things... Attention to detail is everything."

Copyright: maximumpc.com

AMD Ditches Monthly Catalyst Driver Updates; Will Release New Versions "When It Makes Sense"

The driver team at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are no longer under pressure to churn out Catalyst driver suites month after month, and will instead drop new updates on gamers "when it makes sense," the Sunnyvale chip designer announced in a blog post today. AMD says its goal is to make sure Catalyst releases provide a "substantial benefit" to gamers, and that means moving away from a rapid release schedule.

"We will still continue with the Catalyst naming convention; Catalyst: Year.Month., AMD explained. "You just won't see a new driver every single month. We are confident that this will only benefit the end user; you'll only need to upgrade to a new Catalyst driver, when it makes sense."

The switch to a less stringent release schedule begins with Catalyst 12.6, which AMD just made available in beta form. Catalyst 12.6 brings new Crossfire profiles to the table, including Diablo 3, Skyrim, StarCarft 2, Portal 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Call of Duty: Black Ops. It also resolves a handful of issues, and will be the last mainstream driver to support pre-HD 5000 Series GPUs.

What are you thoughts on AMD moving away from a monthly release schedule? Are you okay with it, or do you think AMD is making a big mistake?

Copyright: maximumpc.com

1TB Western Digital VelociRaptor Review

Western Digital releases a new Raptor drive every couple of years, and each time the performance and capacity increase while the price for the highest-capacity model stays around $300. This year’s iteration finally breaks 1TB, but the VelociRaptor remains caught between increasingly fast 7,200rpm drives and increasingly capacious SSDs. Is it the best of both worlds, or the worst?

Like the previous two generations of VelociRaptor, the WD1000DHTZ is a 2.5-inch drive spinning at 10,000rpm, mounted on an “IcePak” cooler/3.5-inch drive adapter. The latest version has 64MB of cache (up from 32MB) and up to 1TB of storage (up from a maximum of 600GB). Despite its 2.5-inch form factor, it won’t fit in a laptop—the drive is far too thick and power hungry. So far, so unsurprising.

It’s the fastest consumer hard drive on the market, but not by much. 

When we ran the newest VelociRaptor through our benchmarks, it shone, with average read speeds of 162MB/s and average writes of 161MB/s—the fastest we’ve ever seen from a consumer-oriented hard drive. Its 7ms random-access times are less than half those of the fastest 7,200rpm drive we’ve tested, and similar to last generation’s VelociRaptor. Its PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 storage subscores are also faster than any standard 3.5-inch drive we’ve tested. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the 1TB VelociRaptor is in a tough spot. Seagate’s three-platter 3TB Barracuda has average read and write speeds of over 150MB/s, and it’s half the price of the VelociRaptor for three times the storage (albeit with random access speeds that are twice as slow). On the other hand, $320 will get you a good 256GB SSD, which destroys the VelociRaptor in every metric except capacity—and, WD claims, reliability.

WD isn’t aiming the VelociRaptor at gamers as much as it has in previous generations. Instead, it’s focusing on content creators who need strong sustained write performance—something SSDs still don’t excel at, and where their limited capacities and NAND lifespan concerns are a hindrance.

For those users, and folks who want a simple high-performance, single-drive solution for their desktop, the VelociRaptor makes a lot of sense. For those who don’t need the fast random-access times, a 3TB 7,200rpm drive will work nearly as well, and those who don’t need the capacity or the sustained writes will prefer an SSD. That’s without even considering hybrids, which offer SSD-like “feel” by copying the most frequently accessed data to NAND flash, but only offer their speed-boosting benefits when accessing that data.

Is there still room in the market for the VelociRaptor? WD thinks (and hopes) so. For many users, the VelociRaptor offers a decent compromise between SSDs and 7,200rpm drives—though the price might rankle.

Copyright : maximumpc.com

Corsair Claims AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply is World's Most Advanced PSU

Many PC users take their power supply for granted. As long as the system turns on and stays on, then what's the difference, right? Wrong. Lower quality PSUs can lead to stability issues, put a damper on your overclocking efforts, and in a worst case scenario, go up in smoke (literally -- we've seen it happen). Corsair is generally considered one of the 'good guys' in the PSU market, and the company's new AX1200i DSP-based unit is the world's most advanced modular power supply -- just ask them.
"Corsair has earned a reputation as one of world's best providers of enthusiast PSUs, and with the AX1200i, we have raised the technology and performance bar far above anything the market has seen," said Ruben Mookerjee, VP and General Manager of the Components Business Unit at Corsair. "By designing the first DSP-based enthusiast PSU and integrating our unique Corsair Link technology, we can offer enthusiasts a PSU with a matchless combination of performance and customizable features."
By using digitally controlled power circuitry, Corsair claims its AX1200i delivers "incredibly stable voltages, and exceptionally low ripple and noise." The AX1200i is 80 Plus Platinum certified, meaning it delivers up to 92 percent energy efficiency under real-world loads, and features a single, beefy +12V rail design.
The downside? Price, as you might have guessed. Corsair's asking $350 MSRP for this unit.

Copyright : maximumpc.com

Forget 22nm Chips, Intel's Already Looking Ahead to 5nm

Intel's 22nm processors, better known as Ivy Bridge, are fresh out of the fab and have given the Santa Clara's Core architecture a kick in the pants. But is the successor to Sandy Bridge and Sandy Bridge-E already old news? Not exactly, though a peek at Intel's Research & Development roadmap reveals that a 14nm manufacturing process is already in development, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Slides of Intel's R&D pipeline were posted to XBitLabs and show that 14nm is being developed from now through around 2014. Starting in 2015, Intel will look to 10nm, 7nm, and even 5nm, which are currently being researched.

"Our research and development is quite deep, I talk about ten years," Intel CEO Paul Otellini told XbitLabs.

No kidding. Intel is currently upgrading fabs in Oregon, Arizona, and Israel for 22nm, and the chip maker plans to invest in its Oregon, Arizona, and Ireland plants for 14nm and beyond.

Copyright : maximumpc.com

AMD to Push Lower Price Ultrabook Alternatives in $599 to $899 Range

AMD earlier this week announced the launch of its latest E-Series accelerated processing unit (APU) platform designed for thin and light notebooks to go up against Intel's Ultrabook initiative, but there are some key differences that AMD wants you to be aware of. For one, AMD believes Intel has set forth too many rules for its Ultrabook platform, ultimately causing the devices to cost more than they should.

While on the topic of cost, AMD is said to be targeting $599 on the lower end and $899 for the upper end of ultrathin notebooks, according to DigiTimes. There could even be a $549 ultrathin in AMD's future. For the sake of comparison, most Ultrabooks are priced anywhere from $749 to 1,499.

That's fine and dandy, but will AMD's Ultrabook alternatives be second rate competitors? That remains to be seen, though you can expect quad-core processors, capable graphics (Radeon HD 7000 Series), USB 3.0 ports, and long battery life, all of which are things AMD's E-Series (formerly known as Brazos 2.0) brings to the table.

Copyright : maximumpc.com

Care4Teen, Software Parental Control Yang Tepat Untuk Buah Hati Anda

Ditengah penggunaan internet yang semakin global sekarang ini, membuat banyak orang tua ketar-ketir terhadap pengaruh yang sedikit banyak telah berimbas pada perkembangan pola pikir dan mental buah hatinya. Selain arahan dan pendidikan yang tepat, para orang tua juga mau tak mau harus melakukan filter terhadap segala aktifitas penggunaan internet buah hatinya sedini dan seefektif mungkin. Dari sekian banyak software parental control yang beredar di pasaran, kini telah hadir sosok program Care4Teen yang kabarnya mampu membantu memonitoring dan sensor segala aktifitas penggunaan internet buah hati Anda di rumah.

Care4Teen adalah sebuah program monitoring dan sensor internet atau software parental control gratis yang menggabungkan beberapa prinsip software pengenal anti-virus dengan fungsi-fungsi monitoring standar online. Apabila ditinjau dari beberapa faktor seperti kemudahan dalam penggunaan, kehandalan dan fungsi serta harga, Care4Teen ternyata telah memenuhi semua kriteria yang dimaksud. Meskipun keberadaannya sendiri termasuk masih cukup baru, namun Care4Teen telah menunjukan sebagai sebuah software parental control freeware yang cukup berkualitas dan bahkan terbilang cukup menjanjikan keberadaannya di masa yang akan datang.

Dari segi kemudahan dalam penggunaannya, program ini pada dasarnya bertindak sebagai sebuah firewall yang terkonfigurasi antara komputer dan koneksi ISP yang Anda gunakan, memfilter data dan konten halaman yang masuk, serta merekamnya untuk diteliti dan direview lebih lanjut. Setiap bagian dari program ini termasuk intuitif dalam penggunaannya, seperti apa yang cukup jelas terlihat pada keberadaan judul (Title) untuk masing-masing bagian yang telah berisi keterangan. Navigasi antara bagian yang berbeda juga termasuk mudah untuk dilakukan karena hanya terdiri dari proses klik sederhana saja.

Untuk kehandalan dan fungsi yang diusungnya, Care4Teen telah menunjukkan sebagai salah satu program parental control yang terbilang berkualitas. Pasalnya untuk membantu memblokir situs-situs yang kemungkinan memiliki konten yang dilarang, sistem Care4Teen akan setiap saat mengupdate daftar situs berbeda yang dilarang (Blacklist) pada database utamanya berdasarkan daftar situs yang dikehendaki dan ditentukan oleh para penggunanya (Orang tua). Sebagai contoh, pengguna A memasukan situs x1, x2 dan x3 ke dalam daftar situs yang dilarang (Blacklist), sedangkan pengguna B juga memasukan situs x1, x4, dan x5 ke dalam daftar situs yang dilarang (Blacklist).

Maka sistem Care4Teen akan mengecek perihal layak atau tidaknya situs-situs yang dilarang (Blacklist) oleh para pengguna A dan B tersebut. Setelah dirasa layak, sistem akan secara cermat memasukan atau mengupdate daftar situs yang dilarang (blacklist) tadi ke dalam database utamanya sehingga setiap kali ada akses untuk mengunjungi situs-situs yang masuk dalam daftar situs yang dilarang (Blacklist) atau dalam hal ini situs x1, x2, x3, x4, dan x5, maka sistem Care4Teen akan secara otomatis menolak atau mensensornya. Begitulah sekilas pejelasan metode monitoring dan sensoring yang dijalankan oleh Care4Teen sejauh ini.

Metode yang diberlakukan ini dirasa sangat tepat, mengingat di luar sana kini masih banyak bergentayangan situs-situs lain yang kemungkinan berisi konten yang tidak diinginkan dan bahkan Anda pun tidak mengetahuinya dengan pasti. Maka dengan begitu, keberadaan blacklist harus senantiasa dipantau dan diupdate secara kontinu setiap saat demi keinginan terbaik bersama yaitu melindungi buah hati tercinta dari pengaruh-pengaruh akses internet yang merusak dan merugikan perkembangannya.

Dalam penggunaannya sendiri, Care4Teen merupakan salah satu software parental control gratis yang dapat membantu Anda memantau dan mensensor penggunaan internet terhadap buah hati Anda. Terutama bagi Anda yang ingin mencoba, saat ini Care4Teen tersedia dalam versi Beta dan Demo. Untuk penggunaan versi Beta, pertama-tama jika Anda belum memiliki account Care4Teen maka Anda akan diminta untuk bergabung atau dengan kata lain mendaftar pada situs resminya.

Sedangkan sebaliknya jika Anda sudah memiliki account Care4Teen, Anda bisa langsung Login ke sistem. Hal ini tak lain lebih dimaksudkan hanya untuk mengoptimalkan kinerja sistem Care4Teen berdasarkan kepemilikan account yang ada, Anda pun kabarnya juga bisa memantau buah hati Anda baik secara remote maupun mobile. Berbeda dengan versi demonya, si pengguna dapat masuk ke sistem tanpa harus mendaftar ataupun bergabung terlebih dahulu pada sistem Care4Teen.

Dan bagi Anda yang berminat untuk mendownload, menginstal atau bahkan menggunakan program Care4Teen ini ternyata Anda tidak dipungut biaya sepeserpun juga alias gratis di sini http://www.care4teen.com.

Mengenal Lebih Lanjut Teknologi Nokia Pureview 808

Beberapa waktu yang lalu Nokia memperkenalkan Nokia 808 di ajang Mobile World Congress 2012 yang lalu. Dan sukses mencuri perhatian pengunjung waktu itu, bahkan mendapat penghargaan “Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet” di ajang yang dihelat di Barcelona.

Tak lain karena Nokia 808 untuk pertama kalinya di dunia yang memakai sensor kamera 41 megapixel, dan hal ini membuat Nokia kembali menjadi perhatian dunia dan sekaligus kontroversial.

Menurut Damian Dinning, Head of Imaging Experience for Smart Devices, Nokia 808 merupakan Nokia pertama yang menggunakan teknologi Pureview, dan ini merupakan suatu inovasi terbaru Nokia untuk handset berkamera. Damian juga menjelaskan cara kerja dari teknologi Pureview. Poin utama dari Teknologi Pureview adalah super-high-resolution sensor yang memiliki area aktif 7728 x 5368 pixel dengan total 41 megapixel.

Tergantung pada mode aspect ratio yang dipilih, sensor memakai 7728 x 4354 pixel untuk photo/video dengan aspect ratio 16:9 dan 7152 x 5368 pixel untuk photo/video dengan aspect ratio 4:3.

Sebagai contoh Pureview memakai setting photo dengan resolusi 5 megapixel untuk aspect ratio 16:9 dan untuk video 1080 pixel dengan framerate 30fps. Dengan menggunakan teknologi ini dapat dilakukan pembesaran hingga 3 kali untuk photo dan 4 kali untuk video tanpa kehilangan kualitas gambar/video. Dengan Pureview pembesaran gambar ditangani secara berbeda tidak seperti kamera konvensional. Ketika Anda melakukan pembesaran dengan teknologi Pureview pada dasarnya Anda hanya memilih area yang relevan dari sensor.

Jadi ketika tidak memakai pembesaran, dari seluruh area penuh sensor yang sesuai dengan aspect ratio itulah yang akan digunakan. Batas pembesaran (terlepas dari setting resolusi photo dan video) akan tercapai ketika resolusi output yang dipilih berukuran sama dengan resolusi input. Sebagai contoh, dengan setting awal 5 megapiksel (3072 x 1728), ketika area dari sensor mencapai 3072 x 1728 anda tidak dapat lagi melakukan pembesaran gambar.

Tak hanya itu saja Pureview juga menerapkan ‘pixel oversampling’, yang menggabungkan banyak pixel menjadi satu pixel saja. Dengan mempertahankan detail gambar dan menghilangkan noise yang ada. Noise yang terjadi ketika mengambil photo dengan cahaya minim dapat diminimalisir dan jika mengambil photo dengan cahaya yang cukup noise akan hilang sama sekali.

Dan Anda akan mendapatkan hasil gambar yang lebih alami dan lebih detail. Tingkat oversampling pixel yang tinggi akan diraih ketika Anda tidak memakai pembesaran gambar. Secara bertahap tingkatan oversampling pixel akan turun hingga mencapai pembesaran gambar maksimum yang sama sekali tidak memakai oversampling pixel. Keuntungan dari metode ini akan menghasilkan gambar dengan ukuran file yang minim tanpa mengurangi detail gambar.

Berikut Spesifikasi kamera pada Nokia 808:

• Carl Zeiss Optics
• Focal length: 8.02mm
• 35mm equivalent focal length: 26mm, 16:9 / 28mm, 4:3
• F-number: f/2.4
• Focus range: 15cm
• Optical format: 1/1.2”
• Total number of pixel: 7728 x 5368
• Pixel size: 1.4 microns

Beberapa gambar yang dihasilkan oleh Nokia 808 Pureview (Klik untuk memperbesar gambar):

Untuk sementara ini Nokia 808 hanya dapat ditemui dalam bentuk prototype dengan mengusung Nokia Belle OS (sebelumnya bernama Symbian), processor ARM 11 1.3 Ghz, 512 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM dan memori internal 16 GB.

Mengenal Proxy Server dan Fungsinya

Kata Proxy berasal dari bahasa Latin proximus, yang berarti dekat. Proxy server adalah sebuah server yang membantu kita untuk mempertahankan privasi kita dalam mengakses Internet. Saat kita mengakses Internet menggunakan proxy, web page yang kita kunjungi tidak akan dapat melihat kita. Web page tersebut hanya akan melihat proxy yang kita gunakan saja. Proxy server beroperasi sebagai berikut.

Client tersambung dengan proxy server, dan meminta layanan tertentu seperti file, koneksi, akses web page ataupun lainnya. Proxy server kemudian mengevaluasi permintaan layanan tersebut sesuai dengan aturan filter nya.
Sebagai contoh, proxy server dapat menyaring traffic berdasarkan IP address atau protocol. Jika permintaan tersebut divalidasi oleh filternya, maka proxy akan menyediakan apa yang diminta dengan menyambungkan ke server yang diminta dan meminta layanan dari server tersebut untuk client nya.
Proxy server dapat digunakan untuk berbagai macam keperluan antara lain:

• Untuk menyembunyikan server tertentu dari publik demi keamanan
• Untuk mempercepat akses ke resources yang diperlukan
• Untuk membuka situs-situs yang diblokir ditempat-tempat seperti sekolah, kantor, dan sebagainya.
• Untuk melewati kontrol keamanan/parental
• Untuk melindungi identitas saat sedang online

Proxy server yang melanjutkan permintaan dan jawaban tanpa modifikasi biasanya disebut dengan gateway atau tunneling proxy. Sebuah proxy server dapat ditaruh di komputer client, atau di beberapa lokasi diantara client dan server-server yang dituju.
Reverse proxy adalah sebuah proxy yang digunakan sebagai front-end, dengan maksud untuk mengontrol dan melindungi akses ke sebuah server atau private network. Biasanya reverse proxy melakukan hal-hal seperti load-balancing, authentication, decryption, atau caching.