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Download of the Week: LaptopLock

David Murphy — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:49:40 -0500

You can put all the security measures you want on your portable PC, but odds are good that unless you're running some heavy encryption across your entire hard drive--I cry for your system's performance--an industrious cracker is going to find some way into your files should he or she have physical access to your laptop. And it's not like it's that hard to steal a laptop: you pick it up, you run away, you bust your way into the operating system. Done and done.

That's where a little application called LaptopLock comes into play. This download is more like a half-and-half, in that it combines the services of a Web app and a downloadable application into one awesome package. Let's paint a scenario: You lose your laptop. You're terrified that someone has actually taken your laptop and, worse, your laptop contains all of your personal information in a little file called "Nathan's Important Information" right on your desktop. What? You were doing your taxes; It's not unheard of.

This story would usually end a few hours later after you've managed to cancel all of your credit cards and cried buckets of tears at the thought of someone stealing your identity, provided said thief hasn't already used your debit card information to go on a personal shopping spree. Now, had you installed LaptopLock beforehand, the roles would be reversed: You'd be sitting easy and the thief would be freaking out at his or her missed opportunity.

Here's how it works. You make a fancy little account on LaptopLock's official site and install the provided application on your laptop. In doing so, you set the various actions your computer should take if you ever think that it's been stolen, including the mass deletion of files and directories, new encryption for your files, executing any program on your hard drive (like a big screen saver that says "I hate you"), and the displaying of any message you want (see aforementioned screen saver.)

Once you're ready to activate your countermeasures, just head on over to the LaptopLock site and mark your device as being stolen. The next time said laptop connects to the Internet, said software will do its best to give you as much detail about your system's whereabouts as possible. And, as you would expect, it'll also start whatever countermeasures you've set up. Alas, this does not include "rigging the power supply so the entire notebook explodes in a thief's hands."

Each week, Maximum PC picks a new free or shareware download as its favorite of... the week. Have a nifty application that you can't live without? Twitter David Murphy @acererak with your latest suggestions.

Asus Officially Unwraps Eee PC 1005PR Netbook

Paul Lilly — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:53:38 -0600

Asus was busy showing off its Eee PC 1005PR netbook during CeBIT, and has now gone official with its latest entry to the Eee PC line. So what's the big deal about this one?

When you flip the lid of the 1005PR, you'll find an LED backlit WXGA display with a 1366 x 768 resolution, making it the first 10-inch netbook in the Asus camp to sport a higher res display. But that's not all. Asus also crammed in a Broadcom BCM 70015 HD accelerator.

"The Eee PC 1005PR embedded HD Decoder Broadcom BCM 70015, which comes with ArcSoft Total Media Theater to smoothly play high definition quality video. Users can enjoy HD video entertainment on the unit's 10.1-inch high definition screen," Asus says.

The rest is mostly standard for a Pine Trail netbook, including Intel's Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. Other features include Express Gate / Dual OS, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, three USB 2.0 ports, and a 0.3MP webcam.

No word yet on pricing or availability.

Image Credit: Asus

Google Chrome OS May be the Safer Option for Netbook Users

Paul Lilly — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:26:42 -0600

In the not too distant future, you'll start to see netbooks running Google's Chrome OS. How popular the OS turns out to be remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure - Google appears to be taking a pretty serious approach to system security.

According to Will Drewry, a Google software security engineer, all of the Google Netbook products will ship with the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) installed to ensure security in key storage and multi-factor authentication. This in addition to the "trusted bootpath."

By keeping Chrome OS open source, Drewry said it allows for constant feedback from developers about its security design. He also referred to Chrome as a "hardened" OS, pointing out the auto-updating and sandbox features, both of which are intended to keep malware at bay.

Will Chrome OS live up to the hype? We'll find out soon enough, as the first Google Netbook is expected to ship later this year.

New MSI Wind U160 Netbook Boasts an Impressive 15-Hour Battery Life

Paul Lilly — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:12:43 -0600

MSI on Monday announced the availability of its "2010 iF Product Design Award Winning" Wind U160 netbook. This is MSI's second netbook built around Intel's Pine Trail platform, and taking full advantage of the new spec, the company claims you can expect up to 15 hours of run time when in MSI's exclusive ECO mode.

Everything you'd expect from a modern netbook is included, such as a 10-inch backlit LED display, Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, a 6-cell battery, Bluetooth, Windows 7 Starter, and a 6-cell battery. It also comes with EasyFace facial recognition security software.

Where MSI looks to separate the U160 from the spate of Pine Trail netbooks is in its physical design.

"Abandoning the traditional clamshell form, the Wind U160 ushers in a new era of netbook design," MSI said. "From the illuminated MSI logo on the netbook's outer surface to the power button placed on the U160's cylindrical hinge, the newest Wind model sports a slim new footprint. Just 0.98 inches at its widest point, the U160 is the thinnest Wind model to date."

The Wind U160 is available now for $380 at Fry's, Newegg.com, and Buy.com.

Image Credit: MSI

Samsung Teams with Best Buy to Sell "Premium" Notebooks

Paul Lilly — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:16:56 -0600

Samsung on Thursday said it plans to launch a new line of multimedia "powerhouse" R80 series notebooks at Best Buy, both online and offline, on March 7th. The sub-$1,000 notebook line will come with Blu-ray capabilities and Nvidia GeForce graphics.

"Best Buy continues to be an important retail partner for Samsung, and we’re excited to offer a range of notebook and netbook options to our customers that deliver exceptional craftsmanship and performance," said Todd Bouman, director of product marketing at Samsung Electronics Information Technology Division. "True to Samsung’s unique, customer-focused design aesthetic, these mobile PCs are flexible enough to be used as mobile devices or desktop replacements for all-day use."

There will be three models in all -- R480 ($730), R580 ($830), and R780 ($930) -- all of which come built around Intel's Core i3/i5 platform. The flagship 17-inch R780 unit will include 4GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics, a 500GB hard drive, DVD burner, 1.3MP webcam, Wi-Fi, and Windows Home Premium 64-bit. Interestingly, there's no Blu-ray drive on the higher end model, which is offered only on the 14-inch R480 and 15-inch R580.

Samsung has also started selling its N210 netbook in Best Buy stores, which comes with an Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, a 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Starter Edition. This one sells for $380.

Image Credit: Samsung

Mobile Platforms to Drive PC Growth in 2010

Paul Lilly — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:07:48 -0600

We've heard all the gloom and doom predictions from PC naysayers, but rest assured, PCs aren't going anywhere. On the contrary, market research firm Gartner predicts PC shipments will skyrocket by 20 percent this year, in part because of mobile devices.

"The PC industry will be overwhelmingly driven by mobile PCs, thanks to strong home growth in both emerging and mature markets," said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner, in a statement.

Mobile devices such as notebooks and netbooks accounted for 55 percent of all PC shipments in 2009, and by 2010, Gartner expects that number to jump to 70 percent. Desktop PCs, on the other hand, aren't expected to see quite as much growth, although Gartner did say the market will remain robust as companies allocate more funds to upgrade their PCs.

Image Credit: classiccmp.org

Averatec Launches Lightest 10-Inch Netbook on the Planet

Paul Lilly — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:36:32 -0600

Netbooks are all about portability, and for the time being, Averatec trumps all others in that department, or so the company claims. Averatec this week announced its N1200 netbook, which it says is the thinnest and lightest 10.1-inch netbook on the market.

Measuring 10.7 x 6.5 x 9 inches (without the feet), the N1200 weighs a mere 2.2 pounds. It's also fairly attractive for a netbook, eschewing a glossy chassis in favor of a brushed steel appearance on the lid.

Inside it all sits what you'd expect from a modern netbook. The N1200 ships with an Intel Atom N450 processor clocked at 1.66GHz, 1GB of DDR2 memory, a 160GB hard drive, 1.3MP webcam, 801.11n Wi-Fi, and other odds and ends, including Windows XP Home. It also comes standard with a 3-cell battery, though there's an option to upgrade to a 6-cell.

Look for this one later this month at Best Buy, Office Max, and TigerDirect.com for $380.

Image Credit: Averatec

No More Waiting, Nvidia Officially Unveils Ion 2

Paul Lilly — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:11:32 -0600

We've been talking about it for quite some time now, and at long last, Nvidia today officially announced its next generation Ion graphics processor. According to Nvidia, Ion 2 "will supercharge netbooks" in a big way, offering 10 times the performance of standard netbooks and enabling up to 10 hours of battery life courtesy of Nvidia's Optimus technology.

What exactly is Optimus? Put simply, this is Nvidia's intelligent hybrid graphics technology. Without any user intervention, Optimus-equipped netbooks will select the appropriate graphics engine for the task at hand, switching between the integrated Intel chipset and discrete Nvidia GPU.

Nvidia says there are more than 30 products equipped with Ion 2 expected to launch by this summer. This will not only include netbooks, but small form factor desktops, barebones setups, motherboards, and discrete add-in cards.

The first Ion 2-based system will be Acer's Aspire One 532G netbook, which will be available in April.

Image Credit: Nvidia