Archive for May, 2011
Review: Motorola Flipout Android handset
0Over the years there have been many different designs for mobile phones. We’ve seen candy bars, clam shells, slide out keyboards, wearables and palm top devices. But we’d never seen something quite like the Motorola Flip Out.
The clue is in the title, the Flipout takes the shape of a square, roughly 6.5cm in size, with a 2.8″ touchscreen which rotates around one of the corners to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and directional pad beneath. When open you’d be forgiven for thinking that Motorola are basing this design on any number of Blackberry’s, but with the screen shut there’s no denying that they’ve come up with something truly unique.
The Flipout is based on Android 2.1, which is a little behind the times, but we can forgive Motorola for this seeing as it performs so well. That being said it still has access to the Android app store, with its thousands of apps at the ready, most of which will work on the 320 x 240 pixel screen.
It also features Motorola’s MOTOBLUR application which brings all of your social media accounts together in one place; your phones home screen. With MOTOBLUR you can quickly and easily let people know what’s going on in your life witho
ut the need to open a web browser or third party application.
Personally, we found MOTOBLUR to be a little bit of a waste of time, but then we’re not huge fans of social networking. We can see the point though, it offers a great way to quickly post your updates right from your phones home screen.
The Flipout has 7 home screen panes, and each can be modified with whatever widgets, gizmos or shortcuts that you’d like. The smallness of the screen can cause a problem here, especially if you’re used to using an Android device with more screen real estate, but it’s not bad at all; it just requires some planning.
We liked the form factor of the Flipout, though there are some concerns on how strong the hinge would be in day to day use; it’s quite easy to slide a credit card between the two halves of the phone, so it’s easy to imagine some added pressure being applied that could force the 
two sections apart and possibly cause damage. It’s also quite a bit deeper than most smart phones these days, though it would have to be given the amount of technology shoved into such a small device.
The Flipout comes with 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, an accelerometer, a 3MP camera, ambient light and proximity sensors, and a 2GB Micro-SD card (upgradeable to 32GB). So it’s no wonder it’s a little deeper than most Android phones, given it’s smaller footprint.
When we came to use the keyboard we found it to be quite tricky at first, the linear spacing of the keys makes it slightly more difficult to use than a Blackberry, but it wasn’t long before we were typing emails and SMS messages with ease. Those with larger fingers may struggle though; the keys are quite close together.
There’s no word on the Motorola site on what kind of processor powers the thing, but it’s certainly no slouch. Most games that we downloaded from the app store worked better on this phone than their equivalents do on an iPhone 3G. In fact, we found no problems with performance whatsoever, other than the odd stutter on the home screen when we flicked between panes. Within applications there were no such issues.
Conclusions
Overall, we liked the Flipout, especially when you consider the cost: In the UK it seems to be exclusive to Orange and is available for free on their “Dolphin20″ plan which gives you unlimited texts and 200 free minutes per month.
If you don’t want to be tied down to a contract, you can pick the phone up for £50 on Pay As You Go (when you top-up £20). If you’re not a fan of Orange, we’ve also found it “Sim-free” on Amazon for around £125.
With most Android devices being pushed well above this price range, the Flipout is a winner in our book. It’s not the smartest, best featured or most up to date phone in the world. But it is an Android handset, with a full QWERTY keyboard, for £50.
The only thing you might struggle with, and it will differ from person to person, is the size of the keyboard. But if you’re in the market for a phone with a full keyboard, certainly give it a try.
At that price it’s almost worth having as a second phone for emergencies, or for the kids if you worry about them losing or damaging a £400 Android handset.
Design: 8/10
Usability: 6/10
Features: 8/10
Value: 10/10
Overall: 8/10
WIN a free copy of Portal for PC and Mac
1To celebrate the release of Portal 2 we’re giving away a free copy of the original Portal for PC to a lucky reader.
Portal 2 follows on from the 2007 original, part of the Orange Box set that featured the Half Life 2 games and Team Fortress 2.
The newest outing features an extended single player campaign as well as an all new multi-player campaign which allows pairs of players to work together to complete puzzles.
Lets not forget where it all started though; Portal holds a special place in our hearts and every Portal 2 owner should at least try it, if they haven’t already.
So, we’re giving away a copy of the original Portal via Steam. The winning entrant will be contacted via Email for their Steam user ID so that the game can be sent to your account.
To win, all you have to do “Like” our Facebook page via the button below, then supply your name and Email address via the form.
Terms and Conditions
This competition is open to all readers . Employees of Tech Made Easy are forbidden from entering this contest. Strictly one entrance per individual. You MUST be a fan of the Facebook page on 05/06/11 for your entry to count, all entrants who are not fans of the page will have their entries discounted. Successful entrants will be informed via Email by 06/06/11 and must respond via Email within 5 working days or their prize will be forfeit. Tech Made Easy will not provide your name and Email address to any other party, nor will you be added to any mailing lists. The closing date for submissions is midnight on Sunday 5th of June, 2011.
How To Map to Your Home Network With DynDNS
0If you want to access resources on your home network from elsewhere on the net then your best bet is to get a static IP address from your Internet Service Provider. Once you have this then you have a permanent address for every device that uses that connection, with a little bit of configuring.
The problem is that most ISP’s in the UK still don’t offer a static IP address as an option for home customers. That doesn’t mean that your ISP won’t, so before continuing with this guide it’s best to check with them. Go ahead, I’ll wait……
No joy? Ok.
Well, all is not lost, there is another way to ensure easy access to your home network via a fixed address, using a free service called DynDNS.
DynDNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System, and it’s the building blocks of how all the different computers and servers stay connected while on the net. The “Dyn” stands for Dynamic, meaning that the service can maintain a steady DNS presence even when your home computer has a dynamic IP address.
In order to implement this, you’re going to need either a router (or other network device) that supports DynDNS directly, or a piece of software that will sit on your Windows PC. For the former it’s best to refer to the instructions that came with your device, but for the Windows version, read on.
Setting up a DynDNS Account
The first step is to register a free host name with DynDNS here, this will be the address that you type into your web browser (once we’ve finished) to access your home resources. DynDNS are in the habit of changing the layout of their website, but at the moment it looks like this:
In the “Hostname” field you’re free to put in any word or phrase you’d like, and you can select from a list of pre-defined domains from the drop-down box. In the IP Address box, enter your public IP address as shown below the field (greyed out above), then click “Add To Cart”. You’ll then be prompted to setup a new account, as below:
Enter your personal details and then click “Create Account”, DynDNS will send you an Email with a link included that you need to click on to confirm your registration. Once you’ve done this your free account will be in good standing and you can view the status of your hostname through the website.
Configuring your Client
The next step is to configure a piece of client software on your PC or Mac that will communicate changes in your IP address to the DynDNS servers. To do this, download the latest version of the software for your OS from the link below.
[box type="download"] DynDNS Client Software[/box]
The software runs more or less the same across all platforms, in this instance I’m using a Windows PC but the software is pretty similar in terms of functionality for Mac and Linux machines.
I’ll assume that you can handle the installation of the software, there is nothing out of the ordinary except it trying to get you to install some additional software in the windows version. Just remove the tick from the box for this and continue with the installation.
Once the installation is finished, you should be able to open the software and see a window like this:
At this point, enter the username (not your email address) and password that you registered with DynDNS, your domains will then be listed in the window:
Next, select the tickbox for the hostname that you want to synchronize with your computer and then click “Apply”, if done correctly you should see the green “Status: Good” message shown above.
Your DynDNS hostname is now linked to your computer.
Uh….. Now What?
All we’ve done here is setup a link so that your home computer is associated with a hostname. What that means is that if I were to go to a web browser and type:
Http://techmadeeasy.dyndns-web.com
Then the web browser would look for some sort of webpage or service that’s sitting on my home network.
Which at the moment is nothing.
There are a few more steps that will need to take place before anything meaningful happens:
- “Port Forwarding” needs to be setup on our home router, so that requests from other peoples web browsers will be sent to the right computer on our home network.
- Some sort of web server needs to be setup on the computer.
- A website needs to be setup on that web server.
Once these three steps are completed the following will happen:
- An internet user will type your hostname into their web browser.
- The request will be forwarded to your home router (because of DynDNS)
- Your router will decide to forward that request on to your web server (your home computer).
- Your home computer will receive the request and send the files for your website to the internet user.
- The user will be able to see your website, whatever it is.
We’ll be looking at how to conduct these steps in future articles, specifically looking at using your home PC as a “web server” and then how to setup simple websites and blogs on it that other internet users around the world can view.
Q&A: The Graphics on my Alienware M11X are Too Bright and Washed Out
0Sounds like you’re experiencing the same problem that I once had on my M11X R2.
Thankfully it’s nothing to do with your hardware, it’s just a driver problem.
Download and install the latest graphics drivers for both the Intel and Nvidia graphics cards.
Once you’ve restarted you shouldn’t experience these problems anymore.
Hope this helps!
How to Share a Folder on Your Windows Machine
0From time to time you may find the need to access files or folders that are stored on one machine, from another machine on your home network. This could be any sort of file; a Word document, an MP3, a group of photos, whatever.
The good news is that since Windows XP it’s been very easy to share files and folders on your Windows PC with other devices on your home network, providing you know where to look.
To share a file or folder, locate it in Windows Explorer as shown with the “My First Share” Folder below.
Next, right click this folder and select “Properties”, then select the “Sharing” tab in the window that opens up:
Now select the “Share…” button, this will open the Sharing Window:
Now, select a user or group from the drop down list. If you want everyone on your home network to be able to access your share, then select “Everyone” from the drop down list and then click the “Add” button.
Your selection will then appear in the lower part of the window and you can assign the permissions that your users have when viewing the share:
If you select “Read” then any person on your home network will be able to view the contents of your shared folder.
If you select “Read/Write” then any person on your network will be able to view and edit/delete the contents of the folder.
What you can do, is allow “read only” permission to everyone, but allow “read/write” permissions to specific users. This means that anyone can view your folder, but only people that you specify can edit it. To do this, add the “Everyone” group (as above) and then add a specific user as well, then allow this user “Read/Write” access to the shared folder.
Once you’re happy with the levels of permissions that people have over your shared folder, click the “Share” button. Windows will then apply these new permissione before supplying you will some information on how to locate your shared folder on other computers:
Your shared folder will now be available to other PC’s and devices on your network.
The naming convention shown above is common throughout Windows computing, the addressing takes the format of:
\\COMPUTER NAME\Share Name
To view it on another Windows machine, open the start menu and then type in the search field the share address.
This will then open the folder on youur second Windows machine.
Q&A: How can I Make my PC Queiter?
0Cooling is important. You need to keep your PC cool otherwise you risk damaging your components and having your system overheat and crash all the time.
But that doesn’t mean your computer has to be loud. The ultimate way to eliminate noise is to use no fans whatsoever. Doing this will more or less eliminate noise in your PC. But to do this you’ll need hardware that’s designed to run that way, like some systems that are based on the Intel Atom processor.
These PC’s aren’t designed for heavy use though, they’re more for light internet use and media playback. If you want a PC that you use day to day then you’re almost certainly going to need fans.
Fans do mean noise, but there are different levels, and you can minimise fan noise by making a few select choices.
Choose the right bearings
Cheaper fans will come with a type called sleeve bearings, these tend to be of a lesser quality and generate more heat and more noise. Try and buy fans that feature ball bearings or ceramic bearings. These will generally run queiter.
Use a fan controller.
Fans will run at the seed that the manufacturer sets, but that might be overkill for your cooling needs. You can turn the speed down though, and slower speed means less noise. The fan controller is usually a variable resistor mounted to a metal strip that will fit to either the front or the rear of your case. Turning it down will reduce the speed of the fan, and reducing the speed will reduce the noise that it makes. But it’ll also reduce the amount of air that the fan can move.
Ensure good Airflow.
The whole point of the fans is to remove hot air from around the components, and from the case in general. So if you have fans pulling and pushing air in different directions it can be counter-productive. The best thing to do is to make sure that your fans are pushing air in the same direction.
The best airflow model is to pull cool air into the front of the case, at the bottom, and then extract it from the case at the rear, from the top. That way you’re pulling in the nice cool air from the front, blowing it over the hard disks and motherboard, over the processor and out of the back.
User larger fans.
It seems strange, but larger fans will generate less noise. That’s because they spin slower to generate the same amount of air flow. Common case fan settings are 80mm and 120mm, if your case will accept either consider using a 120mm fan rather than a smaller one.
Even if your case will only accept an 80mm fan, there are adapters that you can buy that will enable you to fit 120mm fans.
Other methods.
It’s not just down to fans, you can reduce noise levels by making sure that all the screws and fixings are properly attached. This will reduce vibration which will reduce noise.
One thing you shouldn’t do is use some form of noise dampening material to dull out the noise. It will work, but it’ll also slow down airflow and hold heat within the case. Which means more fans. Which means more noise. It’s a vicious cycle.
With the basic fan cooling tips above you should be able to reduce the noise of your PC drastically. The only thing you need to ensure is not to push the noise down so low that it has a detrimental effect on how your PC functions.
Pin Webpages to Open Automatically in Firefox
0When you’re browsing the net, the chances are there are certain websites that you will always have open.
Things like Facebook, Twitter, maybe some news websites, or maybe even Tech Made Easy. Whatever these websites are, it’s incredibly easy to “pin” them within Firefox so that they open whenever you launch the browser. (more…)
WIN a Free iPad 2 Case from Case-Mate!!!
2So, no sooner did our competition for iPad cases end than two brand new iPad 2 cases landed on the Tech Made Easy doorstep, courtesy (once again) of Case-Mate EU.
This time around we have a red CaseMate Gelli valued at £19.99 and a rather retro looking Venture case in black and red, valued at £39.99.
The Gelli, as the name suggests, is a soft plastic shell designed to protect the rear of your iPad from scratches and bumps.
The Venture is more of a folio cover, featuring poppers to hold it closed and a dashing red pin stripe. It can also operate as a stand.
We’re giving away BOTH of these great cases to our faithful readers, the rules for entering are the same as with the previous competition:
- Click the Facebook “Like” buttons below for both Tech Made Easy’s and Case Mate’s fan pages.
- Provide your name and Email address via the form below.
It’s that simple.
All valid entries will be put into a hat after the competition closes (see the terms and conditions) and two winning bidders will be picked. The first will receive the Gelli case, the second will receive the Venture case.
[learn_more caption="Terms and Conditions"] This competition is open to readers with UK postage addresses only. Employees of Tech Made Easy and Case-Mate EU are forbidden from entering this contest. Strictly one entrance per individual. You MUST be a fan of both Facebook pages on 04/06/11 for your entry to count, all entrants who are not fans of both pages will have their entries discounted. Successful entrants will be informed via Email by 06/06/11 and must respond via Email within 5 working days or their prize will be forfeit. Tech Made Easy will not provide your name and Email address to any other party, nor will you be added to any mailing lists. The closing date for submissions is midnight on Friday 3rd of June, 2011.[/learn_more]