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Fit-PC2 :The world’s smallest desktop PC

2009-09-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

On paper

The Fit-PC2 is the world’s smallest fully functional desktop PC. It’s about 1/4 the volume of a Mac Mini, and it still has all the necessary connections and features to be used as a home or office computer. It’s also the most energy efficient PC I know of, using only six watt when idle and eight when playing full resolution HD video (1080p). Yes, it does that. But more about that later.

When Intel launched it’s Atom series of processors, it coupled them with the rather ancient 945G chipset. This combo is inside most netbook and nettop PCs. Not only is the 945 an older chipset, it also uses a lot of energy. More in fact than the Atom chip itself. Basically, it let the Atom both down in terms of energy efficiency and performance. nVidia’s ION platform proved that it was possible to create a much more powerful chipset without needing extra juice. The US15W chipset found in the Fit-PC2 however is extremely energy efficient. It tops out at 2.3 watts, less even than the CPU.
Specs
My review unit was a ‘fit-PC2 Linux’ with the following specs. It retails for $359 when ordered directly from CompuLab.

Fit-PC2 Linux specifications
CPU	Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz
Motherboard chipset	Intel US15W SCH
Storage	160GB SATA hard disk
WiFi	802.11b/g
OS	Ubuntu Linux 8.04
Memory	1GB DDR2
Display	DVI up to 1920×1080 (I’ve tested 1920×1200, works!)
Audio	High definition 2.0
LAN	1000 BaseT Ethernet
USB	6 USB
Other features	IR Receiver, miniSD socket, 12V power supply

Hardware

The first thing I noticed about these specs is that Intel made some rather curious choices when designing the US15W chipset. There are cutting edge features like gigabit LAN, but at the same time you have to connect the hard drive using parallel ATA. Why Intel chose not to include the newer, faster SATA standard is beyond me. CompuLab has solved some of the practical implications of this omission by integrating a bridge adapter, but that still means hard drives won’t run at SATA speeds.

The only noise the Fit-PC2 makes comes from the hard drive. There’s a diskless version available, and if you were to add an SDD drive you’d end up with a completely silent system. SSD prices are dropping daily, so I may well end up swapping the 160 GB 2.5″ hard drive for one with no moving parts.

Because the CPU and chipset are not actively cooled (in fact the case functions as a heatsink), the Fit-PC2 can run quite hot. I’ve been assured by the people at CompuLab that 50 degrees (C) is normal, and that’s about how hot mine gets.

Form factor trade-offs

Because the Fit-PC2 is only 11.5 mm wide and 27 high, there’s very little room for connectors. This is probably why CompuLab opted for a much smaller HDMI connector even though the signal is actually DVI. Because of this, there’s no analog signal which in turn means you can only connect a screen with a DVI or HDMI connector. A HDMI to DVI adapter is supplied with the computer.

There’s also no audio over the HDMI output. There are analog line-in, out and microphone connectors, but digital audio is a no-go. This seriously limits the product’s potential as a home theater PC.

I’d also have liked the front USB connectors to be full size instead of mini-USB. This way you need an adapter cable to connect things like thumb drives.

US15W and Linux

The Poulsbo chipset includes an Intel GMA500 graphics processor, and it is what I was most curious about when testing this machine. The model number might suggest it to be a slower version of the GMA900, but in fact it’s an entirely different graphics core, PowerVR SGX, licensed from a company called Imagination Technologies. I wanted to see if it could keep up with the GMA900 in my Asus 901 netbook. Perhaps it’d even do better.

Intel has been known to support the Linux community by providing the details necessary to write display drivers. As a result, Intel’s integrated GPUs are a great option for Linux users with modest graphics needs. Unfortunately, because it’s not a true Intel product, this doesn’t apply to the GMA500. The current state of Linux drivers for the Poulsbo chipset has rightfully been described as ‘a mess‘. There is a driver available for some Linux distributions, but it does not work with the latest kernels. For Ubuntu, this means you’re stuck using 8.04. And I have to admit that after using 9.04 for a while now that feels like a major step backwards.

Another thing there simply wasn’t any room for in the Fit-PC2 was RAM sockets. It’s got 1 GB of memory soldered right onto the motherboard, and there’s no way to add extra RAM.

Test setup

To see how fast this machine was I ran a series of test on three machines I own. All of them run Ubuntu Linux, and all were fully up-to-date at the time of testing. I realize that this is a rather random collection of hardware configurations, but it’s the best I could do.

Computer name	Fit-PC2	Eee-PC 901	Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic C620
CPU	Intel Atom Z530 1.6 GHz	Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz	Intel Pentium IV 3 GHz
Chipset	Intel US15W	Intel 945G	Intel 915GV
Graphics adapter	Intel GMA500	Intel GMA950	Intel GMA900
System memory	1GB	1GB	1GB
Operating system	Ubuntu 8.04	Ubuntu 9.04	Ubuntu 9.04

Benchmark results

1080p HD video playback

Computer name	Fit-PC2	Eee-PC 901	Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic C620
Smooth?	Yes	Hell no	Yes

Flash video
Flash is notoriously slow on Linux, and the Atom isn’t the fastest processor available. Watching Flash-based YouTube videos is an integral part of the web browsing experience for many, and something a nettop PC should be able to handle with ease.

Computer name	Fit-PC2	Eee-PC 901	Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic C620
Standard quality	Yes	Yes	Yes
Full screen	No	No	No
High Quality	Yes	Yes	Yes
High Definition	No	No	No

All three machines played both standard and high quality videos without issues, but going to fullscreen mode as too much to ask, as was playing YouTube’s new HD format. Faster machines may me able to accomplish this, but there’s a lot of work to be done by Adobe before Flash video plays as smoothly on Linux as it does on Windows.

Flash preformance
To further test Flash performance I wrote a little movie (which can be found here) that animates 700 movie clips in mathematical patterns. Animating this many objects is hard work for Flash player. The movie calculates a score after the first 1000 frames.

Computer name	Fit-PC2	Eee-PC 901	Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic C620
Average test score	345	446	649

This is the only benchmark I ran where the Eee-PC beat the Fit-PC2. I ran the tests several times to see if there was some sort of glitch, but the results were consistent. This probably means that the 2D part of the GMA500 core is a little slower than that of the GMA950. There are very few real world scenarios where Flash would draw this much into the screen though, so I doubt if anyone will ever notice.

Other benchmarks
Using Phoronix Test Suite, I ran a couple of other benchmarks to further measure performance.

Computer name	Fit-PC2	Eee-PC 901	Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic C620
Tremulous (3D gaming, higher is better)	19.16 fps	16.26 fps	13.23 fps
Ffmpeg (video encoding, lower is better)	93.33 sec	92.66 sec	40.16 sec
POV-Ray (3D rendering, lower is better)	6169 sec	6066 sec	2111 sec

I was quite surprised to see the Fit-PC2 win the 3D gaming benchmark, especially considering how little power it uses. the game ran noticably smoother on this tiny little box than it did on the Asus and the Fujitsu-Siemens. 19 frames per second may not be enough to actually play this particular game, but it does show that the GMA500 is a little more potent than its model number suggests.

Both the FFmpeg and POV-Ray benchmark give an indication of how fast the CPU is, and it’s clear that a single core Atom is no match for even an aging Pentium IV. The P4 may run very hot and use tons of energy, it did manage to beat both Atoms by a comfortable margin.

Conclusion

CompuLab promotes the Fit-PC2 as a ‘new type of home theater PC’. Well, I’m not convinced that’s what it’s ideally suited for. It does play HD video really well, it’s quiet and it has DVI out. But there’s no TV tuner, and the Atom is seriously slow when it comes to transcoding video. I haven’t been able to try things like Boxee or even Windows Media Center, but I doubt running either on this machine will be much fun. Microsoft lists a 1.6 GHz processor in their hardware requirements, but I doubt they mean the Atom.

So, is this a bad machine then? By no means. It’s an amazing engineering feat, and because it uses less power than even the average router you can leave it on all day without worrying about your electricity bill or the environment. I’d highly recommend this as a download machine or a lightweight home server. Simply put it somewhere out of sight and have it handle your torrents. Or you can attach an external hard drive and use it to store (backups of) your files.

And if you’re running a business it may be worth considering that these machines pay for themselves. If I’d replace my current desktop PC with a Fit-PC2 it would save around $100/year on my utilities bill. It’ll run office software with ease, and general performance under Ubuntu was on par with the Eee-PC.

Premium iPhone Themes Collection

2009-01-29T01:51:00.000-08:00

Word Blue

WE Tools

Star Wars II

Chinese Green

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary

2009-01-29T01:41:00.000-08:00

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary

Description:

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary is the most popular dictionary of its kind around the world and is noted for its clear, concise definitions as well as its comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the vocabulary of the English-speaking world.

Authoritative and up to date, this eleventh edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary contains over 240,000 words, phrases, and definitions, including 900 new words. It offers rich vocabulary coverage, with full treatment of World English, rare, historical, and archaic terms, as well as scientific and technical vocabulary, and provides hundreds of helpful notes on grammar and usage.

- The clearest, most accurate definitions, based on the largest language research programme in the world
- Thousands of brand-new words and senses from Oxford’s unrivalled new words research
- Word Histories give a fascinating insight into the history and development of hundreds of words
- 400 new notes on grammar and usage

Besides, with Oxford you get:

- English Sound Module which contains 20000 live voice pronunciations made by native speakers.
- No Internet connection required: simply download the dictionary once and use it on you iPhone/iPod touch without any additional expenses.
- Cross-lookup feature between articles and directions.
- Search History to see the last 15 translated words.
New in this version Unavailable
Languages English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish
Requirements Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch
Requires iPhone 2.0 Software Update

How to install apps to iPhone and iPod Touch

2009-01-29T01:36:00.000-08:00

Just make sure that you have switched on the internet in your iPhone.

Open the icon named installer in your phone.

You will find many sources click on any one and then click button install.

That's it.

Some applications require license key and some doesn't.

Magic tricks on your iPhone

2009-01-29T01:24:00.000-08:00

Magic tricks on your iPhone

Amaze the people around you with hillarious gags and amazing magic tricks on your iPhone
cool for iphone:iWash, iGoldfish, iBlood, iBug, ibeer, iChampagne, ipopcorn and imunchies
iVirtuaGirl, iVirtuaGirl Vicky, Rescue call from female boss, male boss, psycho and sister

iPhone Trix ProPack

All iPhone Magic Tricks
iWash, iGoldfish, iBlood, iBug, ibeer, iChampagne, ipopcorn, iMilk, iBlood and imunchies

iBug for iPhone
http://rapidshare.com/files/84077809/iBug.rar

Expose the live Bug haunting the iPhone...
http://rapidshare.com/files/84077809/iBug.rar

iGoldfish for iPhone
Turn your iPhone into an aquarium and carry your pet with you.
http://rapidshare.com/files/84085051/iGoldfish.zip

iWash for iPhone
http://rapidshare.com/files/84074446/iWash.rar

iChampagne for iPhone
http://rapidshare.com/files/84079197/iChampagne.zip

iBeer for iPhone
Brew and drink a chilled pint of beer right on your iPhone.
http://rapidshare.com/files/84080176/iBeer.zip

iBlood for iPhone
http://rapidshare.com/files/84077324/iBlood.zip

iMilk for iPhone
http://rapidshare.com/files/85313618/iMilk.zip

iMunchies for iPhone
Popcorn machine for iPhone. The all-you-can-eat sensation!
http://rapidshare.com/files/85313896/iMunchies.rar

iWater for iPhone
http://rapidshare.com/files/85314971/iWater.rar

ixray
http://rapidshare.com/files/85314241/xray.zip

iVirtuaGirl washing your iPhone's screen
http://rapidshare.com/files/85315356...irl_iWassh.zip

iVirtuaGirl Vicky
http://rapidshare.com/files/85317288...irl_VickyS.zip

iRescueCall for iPhone
Receive fake phone calls to get away quickly!
Rescue call from female boss
http://rapidshare.com/files/89179501...FemaleBoss.zip

Rescue call from male boss
http://rapidshare.com/files/89181011...llMaleBoss.zip

Rescue call from psycho
http://rapidshare.com/files/89183362...CallSister.zip

Rescue call from sister
http://rapidshare.com/files/89183362...CallSister.zip

T mobile phone G1 will arrive in Europe

2009-01-27T03:47:00.000-08:00

T-Mobile G1 (aka the “Google phone”), currently available only in USA and United Kingdom, is getting ready for its launch in other European countries where it will be available soon.

The mobile is manufactured by the Taiwanese company HTC and it is the first phone that makes use of the mobile operating system developed by Google: the Android platform. Its launch was not preceded by a lot of expectation when compared to the iPhone’s launch, although it was acknowledged as the main iPhone competitor. However, G1 is not as popular as iPhone, which became the best-selling phone in United States during the third quarter of 2008. Maybe, the main reason is that G1 has a very limited sales channel.

According to Hamid Akhavan, head of Deutsche Telekom’s wireless unit T-Mobile, G1 will be introduced “by 30 January in the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austria”. Also, it will be available in Germany from 2 February and, one month later, it will be available in Poland, according to Reuters. For other countries, like Spain, the official launch date has not yet been announced.

Deutsche Telekom has sold about 400,000 phones. The company markets these phones in USA by using its subsidiary T-Mobile International AG. There, G1 costs about $179 and customers are required to sign up for a 2-year contract with T-Mobile. The price is expected to be lower in Germany than in the USA.

Acer notebook: a second-generation

2009-01-27T03:43:00.001-08:00

Acer, the third computer maker worldwide (and major maker in some countries), has announced the availability of its Aspire One netbook with 10-inch display.

This launch has happened exactly a year after the launch of the first version of the Aspire One series that, by the way, is the most sold netbook worldwide.

According to Gianfranco Lanci, President & CEO, Acer Inc, “despite the recent problems of the financial markets and general economic uncertainty, the netbook and notebook markets will continue to grow in 2009”. He also points out that “with companies focused on containing the crisis, consumers and products designed for them become more important as users simply cannot do without their personal communication instruments.”

The new Aspire One netbook weighs only 2,6 lbs (1,18 kg) and a display with 1024×600 pixels resolution.

Nokia N79

2008-09-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

This high-end smartphone is slightly smaller and lighter than the N78, yet has all of its features, plus an orientation sensor, intelligent color back-plates, and steps up to a 5 megapixel camera. Carryovers include FM music transmitter, touch scroll wheel, S60 platform, WiFi, HSDPA data, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, memory card slot, and Flash Lite 3.0.

versions for different regions support different bands/networks

Planned Availability: 4th quarter 2008

This phone has not been released yet. All specifications and features are preliminary and subject to change.

Specs Compare side-by-side vs...
Modes GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
WCDMA 850 / WCDMA 1900
Americas version (Euro-Asian version has WCDMA 900 / 2100 instead of 850 / 1900)
Weight 3.42 oz (97 g)
Dimensions 4.33" x 1.93" x 0.59" (110 x 49 x 15 mm)
Form Factor Bar
Internal Antenna
Battery Talk: 3.5 hours max. (210 minutes)
Standby: 400 hours max. (16.7 days)
1200 mAh LiIon
Display Type: LCD (Color TFT/TFD)
Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels (QVGA)
2.4" diagonal
Colors: 16.7 million (24-bit)
Platform / OS S60 (Symbian)
3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2
Processor 369 MHz ARM 11
Memory 50 MB (built-in, flash shared memory)
Phone Book Capacity shared memory
FCC ID QFXRM-348 » (Approved Aug 27, 2008)
QFXRM-349 » (Approved Sep 10, 2008)

Features:
GPS / Location Type: Standalone GPS
plus A-GPS / photo geo-tagging / supports LBS
Accessibility
Multiple Languages Yes
Alerts
Polyphonic Ringtones Chords: 64
Ringer Profiles Yes
Vibrate Yes
Connectivity
Bluetooth Supported Profiles: HSP, HFP, DUN, OPP, FTP, PBA, SAP, A2DP, AVRCP, BIP, BPP, HID
version 2.0+EDR
PC Sync Yes
USB Version: 2.0 Hi-Speed
micro-USB connector / supports mass storage
Wi-Fi Version(s): 802.11 b/g
supports UPnP, WPA, WPA2
Contacts
Multiple Numbers per Name Yes
Picture ID Yes
Ringer ID Yes
Voice Dialing Yes
Customization
Changeable Faceplates "smart" rear plates automatically change screen wallpaper to match rear cover color
Custom Graphics Yes
Custom Ringtones Yes
Real-Music Ringers Supported Formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WMA
Data & Network
Data-Capable Yes
Flight Mode Yes
Packet Data Technology: HSDPA 3.6
WAP / Web Browser Browser Software: Nokia S60 Web Browser
supports full HTML sites
Input
Predictive Text Entry Technology: T9
Side Keys volume, camera on right
Memory
Memory Card Slot Card Type: microSD (TransFlash)
4 GB card included / supports up to 8 GB
Messaging
Email Client Protocols Supported: POP3, IMAP4, SMTP
MMS SMIL
Text Messaging 2-Way: Yes
Text Messaging Templates Yes
Music
FM Radio Stereo: Yes
supports Visual Radio
FM Transmitter Yes
Headphone Jack (3.5mm) Nokia AV connector
Music Player Supported Formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WMA, MP4, M4A, Real, AMR, WAV
supports OMA DRM 1.0-2.1, Windows Media DRM 10 / equalizer
Photo & Video
Camera Resolution: 5+ megapixel
auto-focus / Carl Zeiss Tessar lens / LED flash / geo-tagging using GPS / red-eye reduction, self-timer
PictBridge Yes
Streaming Video Protocol: Flash Lite
TV Output Yes
Video Capture VGA resolution at 30 fps / video stabilization
Video Sharing Some versions only
Productivity
Alarm Yes
Calculator Yes
Calendar Yes
SyncML Yes
To-Do List Yes
Voice Memo Yes
Software
Games supports N-Gage platform
Java (J2ME) Version: CLDC 1.1, MIDP 2.1
supports JSRs: 75, 82, 135, 172, 177, 179, 180, 184, 185, 205, 226, 234, 248
Voice
Push-To-Talk Some versions only
Type: PoC
Speaker Phone Yes

Win a Nokia 5310 ExpressMusic

2008-09-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

Stand a chance to win a Nokia 5310 XpressMusic with JBL On-Call™ speaker dock, if you download five new tracks from IAC.

All you have to is register to IAC and download five songs from their pool of talented artists.

How to Register:
Simply on this Link - Register Now

You could win a Nokia 5310 ExpressMusic device with JBL On-Call™ speakers, or get free invites to the Chicane concert in Manila on September 27, 2008.

Promo to win Chicane concert tickets ends September 21, 2008 while promo to win the Nokia 5310 ExpressMusic device with the JBL On-Call™ speakers ends September 30, 2008

Winners will be announced on nokia website

PSP Slim DEEP RED

2008-09-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

PSP Slim DEEP RED w/ 4GB, Blackhorns 12in1 Kit

Technograph got tried the PlayStation Portable Slim and Light also known as PSP-2000, which more version of Sony’s mobile gaming console. When we compared the PSP Slim with the original PlayStation Portable, and found some improvements across the board.

Package includes:
Unit
Battery
Charger
Manual
Strap
4GB MSPD
Blackhorns 12in1 Kit

-1 Polycarbonate Case
-1 USB Car Charger
-1 Retractable Charging & Data Cable
-1UMD disk and MS card case
-1 Neck Strap
-1 Wrist Strap
-1 Screen Protector
-4 Analog Stick Silicon Gloves
-1 Earphone