8 PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY THE ECONOMIC TIMES NEW DELHI MONDAY 20 DECEMBER 2010

launch PAD

10 Best Uses For A USB Drive BENQ 3D LED MONITOR

BenQ has launched a
special treat for
gaming fanatics and
3D movie buffs; a
Have any old USB drives lying around? You can use them for more than just data 23.6-inch, full HD, 3D-
ready and LED backlit
transfer. Hitesh Raj Bhagat outlines ten ways how you can put that drive to good use LCD monitor. With a
120Hz refresh rate,
the monitor supports

T
HE humble pen drive has been around for a multiple formats of multimedia files in a
long time. Prices have never been cheaper, slick interface. XBMC Live is a special ver- playback of 3D movies and
and larger capacities are easily available too. sion, designed to run from USB drives and it supported games when used in
If you're a computer user, you probably can be used to run a pre-configured version conjunction with an Nvidia 3D
have several of them. Apart from using of XBMC on any machine for demo purpos- Vision Kit (`7,000). To appeal to
them to just transport your data, there are a es. Pretty much anyone who sees the Live hardcore gamers, the monitor
myriad other uses for one, as long as you version gets the full version instantly.
Automated have a one with a decent capacity and Get it from: http://xbmc.org/download features a rotatable and height adjustable stand, 2ms
backup of Run speed. For most of these uses, a 2GB drive response time, Picture by Picture (dual video sources
selected Portable (prices start at `250) is more than sufficient, Encrypted Data with self-destruct feature playing side by side), multiple inputs including DVI and
Complete folders Apps
though as is always the case with digital If you're paranoid about someone stealing HDMI and a Smart Scaling function, which allows the
storage, more the merrier! data from your USB drive, you can secure monitor to work well with games running at various
computer recovery, the data with USB SafeGuard. It encrypts screen resolutions.
maintenance, Run PortableApps data on the drive with advanced AES 256-
PortableApps is a Windows launcher that can bit encryption. You can assign a password
anti-virus scan, defrag-
mentation, registry
run entirely from your USB drive. What this to selected folders or to the entire drive.
means is that you can carry a suite of all your And there’s a setting that can erase the
31,200
favorite applications like Firefox, Chrome, entire contents of the drive if someone
cleaning and VLC Media Player, Foxit Reader, 7-Zip and enters a wrong password too many times.
troubleshooting more, all on the drive. Plug it into any remote Get it from MOTOROLA QUENCH XT5
computer and you’ll have all your favorite http://usbsafeguard.altervista.org
applications with you. All you have to do is The latest Android phone
head to the website and download the Work securely on a remote computer from the Motorola stable, the
PortableApps program. There are even pre- Democrakey offers a suite of handy applica- Quench XT5 is very similar in
selected app bundles available for download. tions that you can store and run from your
Get it from www.portableapps.com USB drive. When you are away from your design to the XT3, though it
own PC and want to use the Internet on an has a 5MP camera with LED
Computer maintenance & troubleshooting unknown PC, Democrakey can keep your flash as opposed to a 3.2MP
A A USB drive can play host to various appli- data and information safe. It includes the camera of the XT3. The XT5
complete cations that can help fix, maintain or trou- Tor Browser (for anonymous web brows- has a 3.2-inch capacitive
Run bleshoot a computer in need. First, you can ing), Clamwin (to check the PC for viruses),
media player touchscreen, trackball
an alternate start with Trend Micro’s HouseCall or AbiWord (to read Word documents) Thun-
(XBMC Live) with navigation, Android 2.1,
operating Kaspersky’s virus removal tool. Glary Utili- derbird Portable (with pre-installed add-ons
your audio/video ties can be run to do a complete mainte- to send anonymous email) and TrueCrypt Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS, all
system
files nance check (registry clean, removal of (for file encryption). in a slim 12.5mm package
temporary files, manage startup programs). Get it from www.democrakey.com that weighs 114 grams.
Finally, Ultimate Defrag can be used organ- Memory is expandable to
ise the files for better speed and reliability. Increase performance with Ready Boost
32GB with a micro SD card,
Get all the apps from With Windows Vista and Windows 7, if you
www.pendriveapps.com have a fast enough USB flash drive, you can and a 2GB card is bundled in
use it for Ready Boost. Ready Boost is a fea- the box. The XT5 also comes
Store Run an alternate operating system ture that uses the space on your USB drive bundled with special data
files securely Linux and various versions of it are available as extra RAM, instantly boosting the overall offers from Aircel, for both
with encryption for free. But some special versions of Linux speed of your Windows system and pro- prepaid and postpaid
and self-destruct like Puppy Linux, Damn Small Linux and grams. Not all USB drives are fast enough to
Xubuntu are small and light enough to be be used for Ready Boost. To check, right customers.
features run completely from a USB drive. This click on the drive's icon in My Computer,
means that you can run and check out Lin- click Tools and then the Ready Boost tab.
ux for yourself on any existing Windows For more information: http://goo.gl/JztRI
15,990 Best buy price `13,990
computer, without making any changes to
it! The added advantages of these ‘Live’ Use it as a ‘key’ to access several PCs
builds of Linux is that they have very mini- You might have seen this before in the
mal hardware requirements, which makes movies; a USB drive is inserted into a com- global SPOTLIGHT
Browse them blazing fast, even on older machines. puter and it immediately springs to life. A LG OPTIMUS 2X
and work Get them from www.puppylinux.org, free application called Predator can be used
www.damnsmalllinux.org, for exactly the same thing. Download and
securely from www.xubuntu.org install Predator, and pair a USB drive with it.
a remote With the USB drive plugged in, you can con-
computer Automated backup of selected folders tinue to work, but as soon as it is removed,
You may have a 500GB hard drive in your the screen darkens, the computer locks, and
computer, but the most important data to keyboard/mouse input is disabled. Plug it
you on that drive will be lesser. It could be back in, and normal usage is restored.
a folder of your photographs, videos, songs Get it from: www.montpellier-
or important documents. Rather than take informatique.com/predator
a complete backup of the drive which is a
time-consuming process, you can use Make a “life-backup”
Microsoft's SyncToy to selectively backup This can literally be a life saver. Many of us
Make a “life-back- and synchronise certain folders between may have not stopped to think about what
up” – store legal Use the hard drive and an external USB flash
would happen if we lost all our belongings in a
it as a fire, flood or natural calamity. The size and
papers, bank drive. Once configured, all you have to do portability of a USB flash drive is actually ide- The new LG Optimus 2X is officially the world’s first Android
account info, credit ‘key’ to access is plug the drive in to backup the folder. al to store digital copies of all your important phone with a dual-core processor. Inside, is a dual-core Nvidia
card info, several PCs Get it from: http://goo.gl/Zz77V documents like bank information, credit card Tegra 2 chip running at 1Ghz that allows playback and
Increase details, birth certificates, legal papers, insur-
Insurance recording of 1080p full HD video on the phone without a hitch.
performance Run a complete media player ance papers and anything else that ties into It can also output 1080p video to a larger screen, thanks to
PURNIMA

with Ready XBMC (Xbox Media Center) started out as yours or your family’s life. Be sure to keep one
media center for the Microsoft Xbox, but is away at in a locker or at a friend's place in an-
Boost
now versatile software for PCs to playback other city for extra peace of mind.
HDMI output. Other specs include a 4-inch 800 x 480 pixel
capacitive touchscreen, 16GB memory on-board, 8MP rear
camera, 1.3MP front camera and 1500mAh battery.

eccentricity is a bulge on the lower back quick TIP

I have saved some of my play it back again is if the
copyrighted work on a USB person was running a screen
pen drive. Recently, I recorder application. Software
played back some demos like CamStudio (http://camstu-
and videos on someone dio.org) can run in the
elses laptop, but did not background, and can record
copy any files to it. Will any activity happening on a
that person still be able to computer screen as a separate
view those files later? video. Therefore, he might
— Harish Singh have a video of the video play-
ing on the screen. It will not be
If you did not copy files from exactly the same quality as the
your pen drive to his original, but it will be
computer, then there is a very watchable. To prevent
small chance that he will be something like this from
able to play it back again. The happening, you should use
only chance of being able to your own laptop for a demo.
I’ve been using a Windows Mobile touchscreen
phone for 2 years. Now, I’m looking for a
smartphone that can easily sync with Outlook
for reminders and tasks. It should have the facil-
ity to write notes on the touchscreen using a sty-
lus, and it should have 3G and GPS. Symbian
does not suit my needs. Should I go for Android,
or buy a Windows Mobile device again?
— Navaneetha Krishnan
Android will be able to sync with Outlook easily. You just
need to use Google Calendar Sync (http://goo.gl/uOra).
Since there are so many thousands of apps available for
Android, chances are you will something that works for
you — for doing much more than what youthought pos-
sible. For example, CompanionLink
(www.companionlink.com/android) is another app for
Android which could suit your purpose. As far as the sty-
lus use is concerned — there is a problem. Most newer
phones are switching to
capacitive touchscreens which
do not work with a stylus.
Your old Windows phone has
a resistive touch screen, which
requires pressure to register a
touch. Capacitive screens are
much more sensitive, and
therefore, you can easily type
with your thumbs. If budget is
not a problem, buy the Samsung
Galaxy S i9000 — one of the best
Android phones available. It has
3G, GPS, WiFi, an amazing screen
and fantastic performance.
Write in with your queries at
et.tech@timesgroup.com
Meet The Nexus S
SAMSUNG GOOGLE NEXUS S
IN THE WORLD OF GOOGLE'S
Android phone operating system, new
FEATURES RATING ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
phones seem to fall down the chimney
4-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED ‘contour’ display once a week, each leapfrogging the last in
Android 2.3, 1Ghz processor, 512MB RAM desirability.
The Nexus S is particularly intriguing,
16GB storage (no micro SD), 5MP camera, Wi-Fi because Google designed it. Not just the
Bluetooth, GPS, FM, 1500mAh battery, 129 grams software this time — the phone itself.
Yes, “Google” is painted right on the
PROs The best Android phone yet back, along with “Samsung,” which did
CONs Not a very substantial upgrade over Galaxy S the manufacturing. This phone, the
Nexus S, bears little resemblance to
31,000 Estimated price after duties Google's first effort at a phone a year ago,
the failed Nexus One. (The Nexus S has
more in common with Samsung's
ALSO SEE SAMSUNG GALAXY S Galaxy S models.)
25,000 In general, the new Nexus is much the
4-inch 800 x 480 pixel Super same as its rivals: it’s a black rectangle
AMOLED display (bigger than the iPhone in every dimen-
sion) with a multitouch screen, an on-
Android 2.2, 1Ghz processor
screen keyboard and a superfast chip that
512MB RAM, MicroSD slot, makes everything feel responsive.
5MP camera, 720p video The back panel camera has an LED
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, FM flash, but the quality is only average and
it can’t take hi-def videos. The 4-inch
1500mAh battery, 119 grams screen is bright, sharp and vivid. The case
is all plastic, which makes it more of a
scratch-and-fingerprint magnet than the
glass-and-metal iPhone. It's sleek but
fairly generic-looking; the only design
that, you could argue, helps you orient DISK SPACE FAN
the phone when extracting it from your
pocket. Storage is capped at 16 gigabytes
— only 1 gig of which is available for stor-
ing standard downloaded apps.
The most attractive aspect of the
Nexus S may not be the hardware at all
— it's the software. Here is pure Android,
the way Google intended it. No cell-
phone maker has tweaked, diluted or
complicated it with customisations. It
doesn’t come with preinstalled junkware
apps. And it's the first phone with An-
droid 2.3 (codenamed Gingerbread).
The 2.3 update offers a motley assort-
ment of enhancements: a lovely, dark
color scheme, threaded call logs (back- Over years of usage, you may not even be aware of all the
and-forths with each person are listed to- different files clogging up your computer’s hard drive. Disk
gether), a new page that lists all down-
loads, a breakdown of what’s been using Space Fan is freeware that works with Windows XP SP2,
your battery and memory. The battery Vista and Windows 7. It offers an easy way to view and
life is much improved. It should easily get analyse the contents of a hard drive. Once installed, it
you through a day, maybe even two, be- integrates with Windows Explorer. A few clicks and it
tween charges. displays disk space usage statistics in a chart, allowing you
Meanwhile, you still get all the spectac-
ular core Android features: a GPS app
complete with spoken directions, a micro-
phone button on the keyboard that lets
to distinguish between the different types of files in a folder
or the complete hard drive. The fast scan engine and
various filters can also be used to find and delete duplicate
you dictate text anywhere you can type, files on the hard drive or find only certain file types.
and seamless integration with Google’s
own products, like Picasa, Gmail and
Google Voice.
Of course, you also still get all the prob- app REVIEW
lems of Android: namely, a degree of SPEEDVIEW FOR ANDROID
chaos. This, of course, is the blessing and
the curse of Android’s openness. That’s While driving, a proper GPS fix
why, for example, you get one program
can give you a very accurate
for Gmail accounts, and another for regu-
lar e-mail. That’s also why the Android 2.3 speed reading on your
improvements in Copy and Paste have cellphone. But Code Sector, the
dubious value. The Copy and Paste mech- makers of SpeedView, went a
anism is different in each program, and step further with the concept
even on each Web page. If you choose an
iPhone, you get a totally different philoso-
and made this app for Android
phy: a gated community, controlled, but phones and tablets.Apart from
100 percent clean and consistent. speed, the app can show you
The Android world is more chaotic, distance traveled, direction of
less controlled. The phone companies travel, time traveled,
can rewrite the look, feel and features of acceleration figures, maximum
Android if they like. Programmers can speed, average speed and a
create any apps they like, even those that
Apple would reject for being porno- speed warning, which you can
graphic or anarchic. set to remind you if you cross
If you prefer Android’s approach, then the speed limit. But perhaps the most amazing feature is the
your day just got a lot brighter. No, the HUD (head up display) mode. In HUD mode, the display is
Nexus S isn't perfect. But it’s among the reversed and the numbers enlarged. By placing your phone
very best Android phones — and it will
be for the next couple of weeks at least.
on the dashboard of your car, you can view the speed by
David Pogue looking at the reflection of the phone screen in the
windscreen.The free version is ad supported, but you can
New York Times News Service
always remove the ads by buying SpeedView Pro for $1.99.