Computer Support Blog

Despite other tablet computers preceding and following it, the Apple iPad has virtually dominated the tablet computer market since Apple first released it. While Amazon has attempted to compete with its Kindle Fire, the name iPad is considered synonymous with tablet computer, much the way “iPod” and “MP3 player” are used (incorrectly) interchangeably. With so many tablet computers hitting the market in 2012, it is tough to guess which one might bite into the iPad’s market share the most. It was tough . . . until ASUS announced the Transformer Pad Infinity!

The ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity is built with the same consideration ASUS has for its high definition monitors. In addition to having exceptional durability, the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity has a display that is at the cutting edge of the industry. With a 10.1” Super IPS+ display, everything looks incredible. With a native resolution of 1920 x 1200, the touchscreen display captures every fine detail from images and streaming videos. The 2.3 MP display on the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity displays colors brightly and has wonderful black depth, even when you watch videos in sunlight!

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What is the one major problem with tablets? If you answered with something similar to “They do not have keyboards,” then you are among the majority of frustrated tablet and touch screen smartphone owners. Tablets are great; they are portable, lightweight, easy to use, and great for working outside the home or office. Tablets are the hot new item over the last two years and many people would love to be able to discard their laptop in favor of their new tablet.

There is just one problem with replacing laptops with tablets and it is a huge problem for users. The lack of an actual keyboard makes typing on a tablet a hassle. Typing on the virtual, onscreen keyboard is slow, imprecise, and awkward. The angle for holding your wrists and arms is completely wrong, and there is also the problem of trying to hold the tablet and type with both hands at the same time.

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Would you like to use your smartphone, tablet, or laptop underwater? That would be cool, but it is not yet possible. Soon, however, you will not have to worry about getting your mobile computing devices wet. HzO is a company that is devoted and its resources to finding a way to prevent water damage from destroying communication devices.

According to the HzO website, this dream began because of a tragic death. A young man fell overboard from a barge and died because he could not get either his cell phone or his radio to work after they had been in the water. If the phone or radio had been treated with HzO’s new WaterBlock coating, that young man might have lived.

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Apple is not the only company that is working hard to fill in the last size gaps between the smartphone and the tablet computer.  While e-readers once had a niche of their own, with the emergence of the Kindle Fire and the growing rumors about the mini-iPad, it appears that every major mobile computer company is racing to create tablet computers or smartphones with screens in the 5” – 6” range.  One of the first to market is the Samsung Galaxy Note.

The Samsung Galaxy Note joins the Samsung Galaxy line as a smartphone with a significantly larger touchscreen – 5.3”! – than most and it is designed to impress.  With its HD Super AMOLED display, the Galaxy Note presents vivid colors in an incredible 1280 x 800 resolution.  This level of resolution is incredible for a handheld device and means that streaming movies and television will look about as good as they would on a high definition monitor!  With the display screen made of Corning’s Gorilla Glass, the Samsung Galaxy Note resists scratches and breakage.

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Learning a new musical instrument is never easy.  But, following the demise of Guitar Hero, there is – as one might suspect – an app for that!  Now, those who want to learn to play the guitar need only a guitar, an iPad, and Wild Chords to get started on a road to musical proficiency!

Wild Chords is an application, currently exclusively available for the Apple iPad, that helps teach you how to play the guitar.  In order to use Wild Chords, all you need is a guitar and an iPad; you do not need speakers or an amplifier if you are using an electric guitar.  In fact, if you are using an electric guitar, you have to unplug it from other equipment – like an amp – because the distortion from other equipment affects the program.  Even if you have never picked up a guitar before, Ovelin – the app’s publisher – is confident that Wild Chords can teach you.

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What is the release date for the iPad 3? What will it look like? What new capabilities will it feature? These speculations have been floating around for a while on the Internet and it seems that everyone has something to say about the topic except for Apple.

There has been no official word from Apple about the possibility of an upcoming iPad 3 release, but the rumors are flying about when that might happen. All over the Internet, people are guessing about the official announcement of the iPad 3 and the consensus is that the release will be in March.

An article on Bloomberg states that production of the iPad 3 is already in progress and will reach maximum output in February. There will be a break for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year holiday for the factory workers, but production will begin again immediately afterwards. The article does not name any direct sources, but the information is consistent with the rumors and speculation.

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Puzzle games are exceptionally popular among casual computer game players.  The rise of smartphones has made video games accessible to a much larger audience. Puzzle games like Hexic and Angry Birds have effectively captivated smartphone users and opened entirely new markets up in the video game industry.  But while Angry Birds has remained comparatively static – Rovio has effectively merchandised Angry Birds beyond the popular game, but not released any new expansions for some time – a new game has come to dominate the puzzle game niche.  That game is Cut The Rope.

Cut The Rope is a physics-based puzzle game similar in several ways to Angry Birds, which might be why it so easily took over the same niche.  Developed by Chillingo, Cut The Rope features bright colors and simple animation that makes it ideal for playing on a smartphone or tablet computer, where one does not need the most advanced monitor to get the most out of the game.  When Chillingo released Cut The Rope to the Apple App Store during the fourth quarter of 2010, it sold three million downloads before the end of that year!  Since its initial release, Chillingo has continued to release Cut The Rope for different video game platforms, as well as a new expansion, Cut The Rope: Experiments.

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With so many people investing heavily in better and better high definition television sets, it is getting hard to recommend new computer monitors.  For sure, if you keep your PC segregated from your HDTV, a new computer monitor is necessary.  But, if you are spending a lot of money on a fancy high definition television, many of your peripherals will interact with it.  In other words, you can get the most for your money out of both your computer and electronic devices and your high definition television by connecting your gadgets to your HDTV.  For those who have a Sony Cyber-shot digital camera, that means getting a VMC-MHC1 High Definition Output Cable.

The VMC-MHC1 High Definition Output Cable serves as an adapter for the Cyber-shot digital camera.  Designed for high definition video signals, the Sony VMC-MHC1 converts the images on your Cyber-shot digital camera into a format that your high definition television may recognize.  Because of its simple configuration, the VMC-MHC1 cable is exceptionally easy to use and requires no software to reconfigure your images.  This is a true plug and play device and it allows you to see all of your photographs on a giant, high definition screen!

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When it comes to creative building, most people think of Legos.  But the virtual worlds created by computers actually have far fewer limits than the block toy that most people associate with construction play.  If Legos have an entire adult subculture, it is easy to postulate that someday, a subculture will exist built around Crazy Machines.

Crazy Machines is part puzzle game, part free play building platform.  Viva Media created Crazy Machines for computer enthusiasts ages eight and above.  The single CD-ROM easily installs onto any personal computer that is running Windows Vista or XP or any Macintosh computer running OS X.  Because of how graphics-intensive and color-rich Crazy Machines is, it is highly recommended that you have a good computer monitor hooked up to get the most out of the game.

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With all of the rapidly-changing aspects of computer technology, it can be very hard to keep up.  Indeed, for those who are casual computer users without real investment in the computer hardware industry, it was not so long ago that the USB port became the dominant interface port.  Suddenly, when you upgraded your computer and wanted to use your favorite old keyboard or mouse, you discovered there were no ports in the back of your new computer for it!  Like compact discs to records, the USB port has pretty much eliminated most specialized ports on computers.  In the world of USB ports, USB 3.0 is slowly creeping up in popularity.

But, you might be wondering, just what is USB 3.0?

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