AdminSpy Latest Gadgets and Gizmos

Firefox 3.5 is out and it's faster than ever

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:35:00 +0100

Firefox 3.5 is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3, and up to ten times faster than Firefox 2. As a result, Web applications like email, photo sites and your favorite social networks will feel snappier and more responsive.

FIrefox 3.5 uses less memory, loads pages faster, comes with much improved color support making images sharper and more brilliant than ever.

Firefox 3.5 also includes the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, which gives the browser dramatically better performance than ever before.

Still using Internet Explorer? It's time to move on.

Switching from IE to Firefox only takes a few clicks, and Firefox will even remember all your bookmarks.

Get Firefox 3.5

Article Source Firefox 3.5 is out and it's faster than ever

Michael Jackson Tickets - Refund or Souvenir?!?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:23:00 +0100

REFUND POLICY ANNOUNCED FOR MICHAEL JACKSON THIS IS IT TICKET HOLDERS

Today it was announced that fans that had purchased tickets for the once upcoming Michael Jackson o2 Arena, London, tour are able to receive full refunds from the authorised agents that they purchased them from. This news we were expecting anyway.

But I think, what the fans were not expecting was to be offered the tickets (to a show that is SO DISAPPOINTINGLY :( not happening) with no refund so that you are able to get your hands on a once in a life time, real, Michael Jackson "This Is It" ticket as a sort of memorabilia or souvenir for you to keep to say “hey I managed to nab tickets to see The King of Pop, and even though I was devastated to hear the unbelievable news that he died, I decided to let AEG keep my £75 + £9.00 booking fee so that I could get a little piece of paper telling the world “hello, I am a mug!!””.

Nice try AEG!!!! And I am totally ashamed of you!!! For the thousands of die hard Michael fans out there who are probably still distraught over the death of such an icon, they would relish to just hold the ticket that would have taken them to their king and wouldn’t even realise AEG are purely doing this to try and keep their sticky fingers on the huge amount of money they will be losing out on. 800,000 tickets at £50 - £75 a pop!!!!! Shamone, eh heh, OUCH!!!!

Surely the £9 - £10 booking fee PER TICKET paid by each fan (as I had paid for three tickets that I so excitedly managed to get at the last minute) would cover the cost of printing tickets + postage?

On a personal note – I am totally devastated hearing that Michael had passed away – I think sometimes you forget that these people are human beings and that one day we will end up morning their loss. But for him to die at 50 and before starting or even finishing the tour makes it all so much more painful. I tried tirelessly in the beginning (through o2 which was impossible) to get tickets for myself, my husband and brother then only through MichaelJackson.com did I manage to get 3 tickets for the 10th February – fantastic seats (not front row but close enough for me to be thoroughly excited - Block 402. Row C.) and had been so crazy excited ever since. It just wasn’t meant to be.

My deepest condolences go out to Michaels family and friends and to the thousands of heartbroken fans out there (I am one of them too). Rest in peace Michael! :'(

To view information on the full refunds offered please go to Michael Jackson Live (www.michaeljacksonlive.com)

Article Source Michael Jackson Tickets - Refund or Souvenir?!?

Road Of No Return (2009) Movie Review

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:48:00 +0100

Where do I start with Road of No Return? To be honest I am very disappointed with this movie. The acting is bad, the story line could be so much better and I can't believe that I had the patience to watch Road of No Return from start to finish.

I guess I was expecting to see a good movie after seeing that Michael Madsen and David Carradine were the "main" actors in Road of No Return.
I guess this worldwide recession is affecting them too when they accept roles in C class movies :)

Road of No Return follows the final nine days in the lives of 4 amateur hit men who are brought together in a covert operation to kill some drug traffickers.

When the hit men rescue a little orphaned girl from the hands of drug traffickers, a close bond blossoms between them and the little girl, jeopardizing the operation's secrecy.

Not to compromise the mission, the forces behind this covert operation order the men killed and as such the hunters become the hunted and the orphaned girl becomes the catalyst that will forever change their lives in the most unexpected ways.

All in all Road Of No Return is not worth watching.

Road of No Return Review by Nenad Rajsic

Article Source Road Of No Return (2009) Movie Review

JVC Xiview LT-42WX70 Super Slim Full HD monitor

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:05:00 +0100

The JVC Xiview LT-42WX70 is a 42-inch 1080p LCD TV monitor designed for digital imaging professionals who use high-end digital SLR cameras.

This 42-inch super slim Full HD monitor faithfully reproduces the colors, detail and texture of high resolution still photos made by digital SLR cameras.

The JVC Xiview LT-42WX70 LCD monitor features expanded color space capacity encompassing 100 percent of HDTV broadcasting’s color space and a coverage rate of 96 percent for Adobe RGB — a color space for still photographs taken on high-definition digital SLR cameras — to provide accurate reproduction of both video and still photographs.

The JVC Xiview LT-42WX70 also features 52 picture-quality adjustment properties for tweaking both still and video images source-by-source to the exact colors and tones the user prefers. In addition, JVC’s GENESSA Picture Engine produces video images without blur, color bleed or noise for clear images with smooth movement.

This monitor measures just 1-5/8 inches deep and is supported by an elegant, curved pedestal-style stand and the rear of the monitor is finished in metallic silver. The stand features a three-step height adjustment to further broaden installation possibilities and the TV can be easily removed from the stand for hanging from a ceiling or wall.

The JVC Xiview LT-42WX70 monitor comes equipped with a slim detachable stereo speaker module that runs along the bottom of the panel. If an external sound source is to be used, the speaker module can be removed, giving the monitor an even sleeker, cleaner appearance.

An intuitive graphical on-screen display is easy to use via the included remote, and touch-panel operation makes essential operations available at the front panel. The remote can control other devices connected to the display via HDMI CEC.

This monitor is also ENERGY STAR 3.0 compliant and features an array of connectors for video and still image viewing, including three HDMI CEC terminals, D-Sub 15pin with component video, and an audio input jack.

The JVC LT-42WX70 is priced at $2,399.95.

Although the price is not too high for what you get from this monitor I would rather have the NEC CRV43 - 43-inch Curved LCD Monitor.

Article Source JVC Xiview LT-42WX70 Super Slim Full HD monitor

NEC CRV43 - 43-inch Curved LCD Monitor

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:43:00 +0100

This monster 43" NEC CRV43 monitor is designed for graphics designers, web designer and system analysts who require a lot of visual space.

The NEC CRV43 monitor provides a much wider field of view with its double WGXA resolution (32:10 aspect ratio).

NEC CRV43 LCD monitor eliminates the bezel and screen gap issues that you might have experienced over the years.

The NEC CRV43 curved display includes the following features:

* 2880 x 900 double WXGA native resolution
* 200 cd/m² brightness
* 0.02ms Rapid Response
* 10,000:1 contrast ratio
* Wide color gamut with 100% coverage of sRGB and 99.3% coverage of Adobe RGB
* Single link DVI-D and HDMI 1.3 input connectors
* USB 2.0 connectivity for easy use of peripherals
* Front panel controls
* On Screen Display (OSD®) and software-based GUI, which enables advanced display control options

The NEC CRV43 curved monitor comes with a 3-year parts and labor warranty in July 2009 with estimated street price of $7,999 - bargain.

Article Source NEC CRV43 - 43-inch Curved LCD Monitor

Toshiba Dynabook SS RX2/WAJ Notebook Preview

Thu, 14 May 2009 11:47:00 +0100

Toshiba Dynabook SS RX2/WAJ is the world's first notebook that comes with a 512GB SSD (Solid State Drive).

The Dynabook SS RX2/WAJ is available in two versions. Both Versions feature Intel Core Duo Processors (ultra low-voltage version).

The dynabook SS RX2 wighs only 1,095g and its thin design features long-time battery operation (up to 12 hours), 12.1-inch screen. Integration of an SSD reinforces the hallmark performance excellence of the RX2, making the notebook perfect for use on the go.

The Dynabook RX2 also achieves an energy-saving design that cuts power consumption by adopting an ultra-low voltage CPU, a transreflective LCD that uses natural sunlight to make screen images more visible even without switching on the backlight and the power-efficient SSD.

This RX2 notebook will retail for $3500 and the main reason for such a high price is the SSD drive which alone can cost anywhere between $1000-1500.

Article Source Toshiba Dynabook SS RX2/WAJ Notebook Preview

JVC Everio X GZ-X900 HD Camcorder Review

Thu, 14 May 2009 19:31:00 +0100

The JVC Everio GZ-X900 (Everio X) is a small, light, all-in-one camera camcorder that offers the powerful shooting combination of Full HD video and nine megapixel still photos. The Everio GZ-X900 (Everio X) also features innovative shooting functions such as slow motion video and high speed motor drive still photography.

The Everio X is small enough to fit into a pocket and it weighs just 0.66 pounds making it one of the lightest cameras that can shoot 1920 x 1080 full HD AVCHD video, measures 2.6 inches tall, 4.88 inches long and just 1.46 inches wide. The Everio GZ-X900 shoots 9 megapixel digital photos and full HD video, 10x slow motion shooting plays 2.4 seconds of recorded video over 24 seconds.

What's amazing about this camcorder is the fact that you can take up to six nine-megapixel photos at 15 images per second which is faster than what digital SLRs can achieve. You can also take 5 megapixel photos while recording full HD video.

There are top-mounted zoom and record buttons, and a second set of buttons next to the LCD screen. The Everio X camcorder is black with silver accents, with the right side featuring a textured carbon fiber-like finish.

Everio X uses a new KONICA MINOLTA HD LENS with a 5X optical zoom which magnifies up to 8X without any picture degradation thanks to Dynamic Zoom technology.

Slow motion video recording is a key Everio X feature. Any one of three speeds – 120 frames per second (fps), 300fps and 600fps – can be selected; the faster the recording speed, the slower the playback motion. With this function, approximately 2.4-second bursts of video are recorded that are then played back over a period of up to 24 seconds, a maximum of 20 times longer than normal speed.

If you own an iPhone or iPod then you will love the One Touch Export button which allows you to export videos into iTunes for playback on your iPod or iPhone.

You can create a DVD directly from the camera using the JVC Everio CU-VD50 burner or CU-VD3 burner SHARE STATION. Other direct storage solutions include third party external hard disk drives from LaCie and Seagate, and an external Blu-ray Disc Burner from LaCie.

The Everio GZ-X900 costs around $990.

Article Source JVC Everio X GZ-X900 HD Camcorder Review

Echelon Conspiracy (2009) Movie review

Thu, 07 May 2009 23:08:00 +0100

A computer engineer Max Peterson (Shane West) who is on an assignment in Thailand, receives a package that contains yet unreleased cell phone from an unknown person.

He starts getting text messages from an unknown source. First message tells him to stay in Bangkok for an extra night and book another flight. The plane he was supposed to fly out in crashes and everyone on board dies.

Second text message tells him to buy stock shares for a particular company which he ignores and then watching the news 3 days later he sees that those company shares prices went up 3 times. This is when Max realizes the importance of those messages.

After that the next message tells him to fly out to Prague (Czech Republic) where he wins 3 million Euros in a casino thanks to those messages.

Here the movie action begins and the story unfolds when FBI agent Grant (Ving Rhames) and casino security manager Reed (Edward Burns) get involved.

Whilst trying to discover who the sender of those text messages is they discover that all the messages come from a supercomputer designed by NSA (National Security Agency) called Echelon, which apparently can control the whole world, email, messages, security cameras etc.

NSA director Burke (Martin Sheen) is heading the search for a source of those messages and as it turns out their super computer is so sophisticated and intelligent that it has decided to play it's own game and developed its own mind about what is good and what is bad.

Not to reveal any more about this movie all I can say is that Echelon Conspiracy is one of those movies where they make a cool movie trailer with all the action packed into a 30 seconds clip and you think WOW :) what a cool movie. Then you go out and see it in the cinema and you feel cheated.

Echelon Conspiracy actors: Martin Sheen's acting is rubbish in this movie.
Ving Rhames hmmm that guy never changes, can he act at all? Shane West's acting was quite good considering the movie story line.

Movie review written by: Nenad Rajsic

Article Source Echelon Conspiracy (2009) Movie review

RipNAS - SSD-based CD ripping NAS device

Wed, 06 May 2009 12:41:00 +0100

RipNas is the world’s first SSD based CD ripping NAS device. It is completely silent and it's powered by Intel's Atom processor and Windows Home Server operating system. When idle RipNas consumes only 20w of energy.

With RipNAs you can rip all of your favorite music and movie cd's and store them on your RipNAS box for easy access from any device in your home network.

RipNas has a dual-core Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM and four USB 2.0 ports and it incorporates ultra quiet 2.5" laptop HDD(s) & heat pipe technology.

Home Windows PCs are backed up automatically to RipNAS every night, allowing simple restoration of lost files or whole systems. Windows Home Server has been designed to be expandable.

RipNAS is available in 500GB and 1TB base sizes.

RipNAS is quite pricey so if you have $1300 spare in your pocket then go out and buy one.

Article Source RipNAS - SSD-based CD ripping NAS device

Samsung N110 Notebook Preview

Sun, 03 May 2009 13:04:00 +0100

The main feature of the N110 notebook is its battery life. The Samsung N110 delivers longer battery-powered performance of up to 9.3 hours with a long-life 6 cell battery.

The Samsung N110 notebook sports a 10.1" widescreen display, weighs just 1.26kg (that is together with a long-life 6 cell battery), a choice of colours, including a new black colour system with a distinctive red line, large anti- bacterial keyboard with ergonomic design coated with a special finish that makes it almost impossible for bacteria to live and breed, 3-in-1 memory card reader, 3 built-in-ports and Samsung’s Duracase.

The N110 also features an integrated 1.3 megapixel digital motion camera which combines the resolution and image quality of a still camera with the sustained high frame rates of a video camera.

The N110 notebook is powered by Atom processor and comes preloaded with Windows XP Home Edition

In addition to the N110, Samsung have also released the N120 netbook.

Article Source Samsung N110 Notebook Preview