Blogs3,508 Entries


When four cores aren't enough: Intel i7-980X

March 12, 2010

PC componentsIntel has announced its latest Extreme Edition processor, the Core i7-980X. The i7-980X (previously code-named Gulftown) brings Intel's turbo boost and hyperthreading technologies to the 32nm process, and is also Intel's first processor with six physical cores.

The Core i7-980X will essentially replace Intel's current performance king, the 45nm Core i7-975 Extreme Edition. While the Core i7-975 will still be available, the new six-core processor will be offered at the same price point - that's six cores for the price of four. But how much of a difference can two extra cores make?

PC Advisor Blog | Nate Ralph | Read more...


Election 2010: it was the web wot won it

March 12, 2010

InternetThis year's General Election will be the first in which the web and social media play a big part: but can blogs and tweets materially affect the make up of the next Parliament?

In 2001 the web was but a minor player in the general election. By 2005, social media was a twinkle in the eyes of Messrs Zuckerberg and Stone (Facebook and Twitter founders, respectively). But in the aftermath of last year's MPs' expenses scandal, Twitter and Facebook matter to even the most technophobic politician: when more than half the electorate have Facebook accounts, you ignore the digital mob at your peril.

PC Advisor Blog | Matt Egan | Read more...


Bing gains again - should Google worry?

March 11, 2010

Steve BallmerMicrosoft's Bing search engine may still be a minor player in the lucrative online search business dominated by Google, but it's steadily gaining users. And it appears that Bing's share is coming at the expense of both Google and Yahoo, the latter company having recently teamed up with Microsoft to be more competitive in online search.

The shape of the market all depends on whose search statistics you read: Hitwise's or comScore's. But the most likely scenario in the US search market is that Bing is gaining, Yahoo draining, and Google maintaining.

PC Advisor Blog | Jeff Bertolucci | Read more...


Rumours: Windows 7 SP1 on way?

March 10, 2010

Microsoft Windows 7Windows 7 has been officially available for less than five months, and has sold more than 90 million copies. Despite this success, Microsoft needs to continue to evolve the platform, which is why speculation is already mounting regarding a Service Pack 1 (SP1) release.

Microsoft may or may not be on track to release Windows 7 Service Pack 1 by the end of 2010. Sources throughout the internet and blogosphere are citing various reports that SP1 is under development, or possibly even already being beta-tested, and that we can expect it to be released towards the end of 2010.

PC Advisor Blog | Tony Bradley | Read more...


Microsoft admits IE 6 and 7 vulnerability

March 10, 2010

PC securityA new security hole in Internet Explorer 6 and 7 can be targeted via code on a poisoned website, Microsoft has warned. A successful attacker could install malware on a victim PC or run any other remote command.

The invalid pointer reference bug, described in Microsoft Security Advisory 981374, is already being hit by targeted attacks, according to Microsoft. The company only released a warning, rather than a patch to go along with its regularly scheduled Patch Tuesday. There isn't yet any fix or real workaround, but Internet Explorer 8 is not affected by the bug.

PC Advisor Blog | PC World staff | Read more...


Smartphone focus: Waking up to mobile

March 9, 2010

SmartphonesIf you didn't get the message when the iPhone was released, and you still didn't realise what was happening when Android arrived, Windows Phone 7 has to be your wake-up call. Mobile is no longer just the future. Its time is now.

Smartphone technology is accelerating the consumerisation of IT and transforming personal and business life, blending one into the other. The recession has done nothing to slow that trend; if anything, it has spurred it on.

PC Advisor Blog | Scot Finnie | Read more...


Four reasons to beware fake Intel chips

March 9, 2010

Buyer bewareReports are circulating that online retailer Newegg sold 300 counterfeit Intel Core i7 processors. The inferior packaging, blatant spelling errors and blank product manual were red flags for observant customers in this case, but the issue highlights the fact that fake CPUs are out there. You might think your computer is 'Intel Inside', but is it?

If you knowingly purchase counterfeit hardware, at least you know what you're getting yourself into, and you would hope to get the fake processors at a substantial discount over their authentic, name-brand counterparts. It's certainly not a practice I would encourage, but at least the mantra that "you get what you pay for" applies.

PC Advisor Blog | Tony Bradley | Read more...


Art Editor/Designer wanted for PC Advisor

March 8, 2010

PC AdvisorPC Advisor, the UK's most popular print and online computer magazine, is looking for an Art Editor/Designer to run its busy Art desk in central London.

The successful applicant will have the ability to create great magazine design layouts with speed and attention to detail. As well as laying out pages in an accessible, clear format, you will be responsible for setting design templates for new sections and will have plenty of ideas about how we can improve the appearance of the magazine.

PC Advisor Blog | PC Advisor staff | Read more...


Will the Apple iPad sell?

March 8, 2010

Apple iPadApple's iPad will fly off the shelves when it goes on sale, and will build momentum through the back-to-school and into Christmas selling seasons, analysts have predicted.

"I expect a surge going out the door," said Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research. "There's a group of Apple advocates that will queue up no matter what. Apple has the most effective branding in the industry, and these people think of themselves as acolytes, they do think of themselves as the 'Mac' in Apple's 'I'm a Mac' ads."

PC Advisor Blog | Gregg Keizer | Read more...


Why Google's wrong: desktop PCs are still relevant

March 5, 2010

GoogleGoogle ad sales boss John Herlihy has claimed that smartphones will replace desktop computers in just three years' time. He's wrong.

"In three years time, desktops will be irrelevant," Herlihy said at an Irish technology conference on Wednesday. "In Japan, most research is done today on smartphones, not PCs."

PC Advisor Blog | David Coursey | Read more...


Of thrills and information spills

March 4, 2010

PC securityHave you heard the one about the Scotland Yard staff who couldn't resist sharing the odd tale on Facebook? Given their line of work, you'd think they'd practise a bit of caution. Stories like these are manna to the press, you know. They're also of interest to another none-too-popular group: hackers.

It's not just ironic tittle-tattle you have to watch out for: information of all types can come in useful. It's no small coincidence that thrillers and detective novels often centre on what someone knows or what they have in their possession.

PC Advisor Blog | Rosemary Hattersley | Read more...


Five tips to prevent iPad eye strain

March 3, 2010

Apple iPadThe Apple iPad is coming soon. The rumour that pre-orders would begin last Thursday failed to materialise, and there are still a number of question marks. But, one way or another, the iPad will arrive sooner or later.

If you believe Apple's hype about the 'magic' of the iPad device, soon millions of gadget fans will rely on the Apple iPad for all manner of media consumption: films, books, TV shows, newspapers and so on. That means millions of people will spend even more time with their faces basked in the pale glow of a backlit screen, possibly doing damage to their vision.

PC Advisor Blog | Tony Bradley | Read more...


Antitrust spat heats up between Google, Microsoft

March 2, 2010

MicrosoftA war of words is heating up between Google, Microsoft and a host of smaller sites over alleged anticompetitive behaviour by Google in the online search market.

A variety of news outlets and blogs are reporting on allegations that Microsoft may be engaging in a proxy war against Google, using smaller companies to fight its battles.

PC Advisor Blog | Ian Paul | Read more...


What's your favourite book review website?

March 1, 2010

Internet & broadbandWe're on the look out for book review site recommendations. We don't just want to know about the biggest booksellers; we want to know which websites provide the best reviews and are most likely to persuade you to buy a book.

Whether it's a massive corporate site or a small web upstart, the online arm of a newspaper, a social network, a forum or simply the feedback section of an online bookseller, we want to know which websites you use to find out what to read next. And, of course, what you like about them.

PC Advisor Blog | David Price | Read more...


Google privacy case was always lose-lose

February 26, 2010

GoogleEven before three current and former Google executives were convicted of violating Italian privacy laws, it became clear that the case was a double-edged sword.

The Italian court found the executives - David Drummond, Peter Fleischer, and former chief financial officer George Reyes - responsible for violating the privacy of a child with Down's syndrome, after a clip of students in Turin bullying him appeared on Google Video. Two months after the video was uploaded, and 5,000 views later, Google removed the clip on the request of Italian police, but the court said that wasn't soon enough.

PC Advisor Blog | Jared Newman | Read more...


Google privacy convictions: a dangerous precedent

February 25, 2010

GoogleA few years ago, I received a poison pen letter. Well, these things happen. But now, I'm going to see if I can get my postman jailed for delivering it.

Sounds ludicrous? It should. And it's the same principle driving an equally absurd ruling against Google in Italy this week.

PC Advisor Blog | JR Raphael | Read more...


Facebook security holes can't go on

February 24, 2010

PC securityA frustrated Facebook user, unable to contact the social networking site directly, writes an open letter discussing what he sees as the site's security shortcomings.

Dear Facebook,

PC Advisor Blog | Ira Winkler | Read more...


Smartphone focus: Twitter - Smartphones and keyboards

February 23, 2010

TwitterRemember texter's thumb? ('txtrs thumb'?) No longer must all mobile typers risk carpal tunnel syndrome to stay in touch, thanks to the integration of touchscreen qwerty keyboards into smartphones.

When asked, via Twitter: 'Does your smartphone have a full qwerty keyboard?', fully 52 percent of Smartphone Focus readers voted 'yes'.

PC Advisor Blog | Megan Burger | Read more...


Smartphone blogs: Multitasking with one hand

February 23, 2010

Mobile phoneOur regular dive into what bloggers are saying about smartphones suggests that the perfect handset requires only one hand and can do many things at the same time. Meanwhile, UK newspapers hit back at the BBC.

After the dust settled on Apple's iPad launch, the general consensus from tech enthusiasts (none of whom have seen the thing) was: nice, but where's the Flash support? Also: it needs to do more than one thing at once, like a proper computer.

PC Advisor Blog | Cornelius Trilbyman | Read more...


Windows Phone 7: Microsoft's fresh start

February 23, 2010

SmartphonesNow that Microsoft has finally unveiled Windows Mobile 7, rebranded as Windows Phone 7, we can see that Microsoft abandoned the foundation established with the waning Windows Mobile platform, went back to the drawing board, and started from scratch for the latest incarnation of its mobile operating system.

The result is a completely new mobile platform from Microsoft that, at least from initial feedback and reviews, seems to be worthy of further consideration once Windows Phone 7 devices start hitting shops.

PC Advisor Blog | Tony Bradley | Read more...


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