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magazinei
PC on a stick
Hannspree has
introduced what it
claims is the smallest
computer on the market.
The PC on a stick
transforms any HDMI
compatible display into a
Windows 8 PC with touch screen functionality
(for touch screen-ready displays).
It also converts a large screen TV (HDMI) into
a smart home media PC so you can watch full
resolution HD movies and TV shows from online
sources, play games or enjoy a photo slide show
on a communal screen.
The ultra-portable PC features a Quad-Core
Intel Atom processor; 2GB of DDR3 RAM; 32GB
of internal memory for storing music, videos,
applications and other content; Bluetooth
andWiFi connectivity; and USB and Micro-SD
expansion slots.
It has an RRP £169.00 and is also available as
an all-in-one PC bundle with some HannsG touch
screen monitors.
Scheduled to be launched in August, The Egg
is a personal web device that lets users store,
share and secure videos, photos and other
content without having to use cloud services.
It provides an extension to storage on phones
and cameras and acts as a self-configuring
personal web server that enables users to share
videos, photos, music etc. without resort to
intrusive cloud-based services.
Barry Solomon, co-founder of Eggcyte, which
developed the product, said: “We believe the Egg
is a disruptive technology that will make the web
personal by putting the consumer in complete
control of who sees their digital content and
exactly where it resides.”
Small enough to hold in the palm of your
hand, with 256GB of flash memory and a colour
touchscreen, The Egg automatically imports
photos, videos and other content from any device
that has a USB port including iPhones, Android
phones, SLR and GoPro cameras.
Content can be
accessed remotely
through a personal
website – which resides
completely on the
Egg – or locally viaWi-Fi
hotspot or USB cable, with
password protection for security.
Egg ready
to hatch
HP shrinks desktop PCs
HP’s newWindows 8.1 Pavilion Mini
Desktop and HP Stream Mini Desktop are
stylish, energy-efficient alternatives to
conventional desktop towers.
Mike Nash, vice president of product
management, Consumer Personal Systems, HP,
said: “The desktop tower PC continues to be a
focal point in the home for sharing, creating
and entertaining. The HP Pavilion and HP
Stream Mini Desktops deliver the benefits of a
traditional desktop PC in a package that looks
good sitting on a desk and is small enough to
fit into an entertainment centre.”
Just over 2 inches high and weighing
only 1.6 lbs, the snow white, palm-sized HP
Pavilion Mini Desktop draws up to 45 watts
of power compared to 250 watts used by a
typical tower PC.
It provides up to 1 TB of storage and up
to 8 GB of expandable memory and offers
dual display support through DisplayPort and
HDMI compatible ports. It comes with built-
inWi-Fi and Bluetooth but does not include
an optical drive.
The economical HP Stream Mini Desktop
in vibrant blue features the same small and
powerful format as the HP Pavilion Mini
Desktop and comes with a 32 GB solid-
state drive (SSD) and 200 GB of Microsoft
OneDrive Storage for two years.
Faster and more accurate
Grundig Business Systems has launched
a new version of DigtaSoft Voice speech
recognition with faster recognition, improved
accuracy and a more intuitive user interface.
Windows 8.x compatible, it is based on
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional v13
speech recognition software from Nuance.
Designed by Samsung
specially for education
Unveiled at last month’s BETT show,
the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Education
addresses the unique needs of classrooms
through a combination of durability,
manageability and easy access to digital
learning resources.
The 10.1in tablet integrates with Google
Play for Education – an ever-growing
selection of teacher-approved content – and
allows the purchase of apps and content via
a school PO with no need for a credit card.
With a multi-window capability, two multi-
window supported apps can be open at once.
Dual bandWi-Fi ensures that all students
in a classroom are able to access the Internet
at once, while NFC technology allows
administrators to set up an entire classroom
of tablets in minutes, not hours. Bluetooth
4.0 offers convenient communication with
wireless accessories.
Other useful features include front and
rear-facing cameras, a shock-absorbing rugged
silicone case and durable Gorilla Glass.
Also unveiled by Samsung at BETT were
the Gear VR virtual reality goggles for
immersive learning and an 82in large format
touchscreen display with integrated Magic
IWB 3.0 software.
innovations
Upgrade to SSD
PNY has introduced an SSD upgrade kit
for PC and laptop users who want to take
advantage of the benefits of solid state
technology, such as almost instant boot
times, faster processing speeds, quieter,
cooler operation and lower energy
consumption.
The kit includes everything you need
to migrate to SSD and re-install your
entire system, including a mounting bay,
screwdriver, full set of mounting screws,
USB 3.0 external bay for easy system drive
cloning and Acronis Image True HD software
for cloning data, applications and operating
system from an old disk to the new SSD.
