Our friends over at USBFever have yet another set of awesome deals for the world at large.  Some of this week’s deals include USB compatible accessories, so just a heads up there.

If you don’t know about USBFever, then you need to do yourself a favor and check them out. They’ve got some cool and unusual gadgets, as well as some cool deals.

This week’s specials are below…

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USB 3.0 Adapter (Micro B male to A male)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1881
USB 3.0 Adapter (A Female to Micro B male)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1882
USB 3.0 Adapter (Micro B Male to B male)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1883
Arm Rested Mouse Pad for Table and Chair
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1884
Cellphone Mini SIM and Micro SIM Converter / Adapter (for iPhone 4 & iPad)
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=1885
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Question of the Day:  Are Netbooks a viable choice?

I’ve been considering one due to my perception of the extreme portability it would provide.  The problem is, I have a few questions and don’t know anyone with first hand knowledge of them.  Due to this, it seems best to ask you!

The few that I have seen run Windows 7 Starter and have 1 GB of RAM.  For those of you that have a Netbook, do these specs sound familiar?   If so, is Windows 7 Starter suitable for day to day use or is too much missing?

Is 1 GB of RAM enough to accomplish general day to day usage such as web browsing and email?  I’m not going to be loading it with games, or anything of the like.

What are your thoughts and experiences regarding netbooks?  Hit the comments to share your thoughts with us!

OSX 10.6.4 is the latest release of Snow Leopard

Much to my (and I’d wager everyone else’s surprise, Apple quietly released OSX 10.6.4 tonight.  I caught wind of it while importing some cool pictures of a double rainbow near the house after an early evening shower tonight. (All my pictures are on the OSX partition of my MacBook…).  The OS update is the latest in the Snow Leopard series of updates and weighed in at 315.50 MB.  This is a general OS update, and is recommended for all Snow Leopard users.

The following represents the full release notes on the update, direct from Apple’s site.

General fixes and improvements

• improves compatibility with some Braille displays
• resolves an issue that causes the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive
• resolves an issue that may prevent some Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from opening
• addresses issues copying, renaming, or deleting files on SMB file servers
• improves reliability of VPN connections
• resolves a playback issue in DVD Player when using Good Quality deinterlacing
• resolves an issue editing photos with iPhoto or Aperture in full screen view
• resolves an issue with Parental Controls Time Limits for Open Directory or Active Directory users
• resolves a display sleep issue with MacBook Pro (Early 2010) computers
• resolves an issue with MacBook Pro (Early 2010) computers in which the right speaker may sound louder than the left speaker
• includes Safari 5.0; for more information about Safari 5.0, see this webpage
• Security improvements; for information about the security content of this update, please visit this article
  

Fixes and improvements for Aperture 3

• adds tethered shooting support for additional digital camera models
• addresses IPTC metadata compatibility issues

Fixes and improvements for external devices

• RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras
• resolves an issue with using third-party USB web cameras
• resolves an issue with noise when using some third-party FireWire audio devices
• resolves pairing issues with Apple remotes

Yesterday Sony officially unveiled his new ultraportable, the Vaio P11S1E, which will take the place of last year Vaio P.

The new Vaio P basic configuration features Windows 7, GPS, a compass, accelerometer, 64 GB SSD, touchpad and mouse buttons on the screen bezel, and the Z540 1.86 GHz processor, all in a 600 g package.

Left image: mouse buttons; right image: touchpad

Available colors  

Here is the official press release:

10 May 2010

It’s smaller than a notebook and smarter than a smartphone: the colorful VAIO P Series from Sony is your perfect partner for on-the-move computing.

• Colorful ultra-portable PC weighs just over 600g
• New design for two-handed operation while standing or walking
• GPS and Digital Compass
• Accelerometer sensor
• Built-in Everywair 3G
• Clear, bright, widescreen VAIO Display Plus
• Easy to use with Quick Web Access

Weighing just over 600g and slipping effortlessly into a bag or jacket pocket, new VAIO P Series gives you all the power of a fully-featured Windows® computing experience… and so much more.

Ideal for busy people who can’t sit still, it’s the first VAIO designed for simple operation if you’re standing or walking. The central trackball is complemented by an additional touchpad and mouse buttons. Duplicating the main controls, they’re located at either edge of the screen for comfortable operation with both thumbs while you’re holding the computer in two hands.

VAIO P Series is the first notebook computer from Sony with built-in GPS and a new Digital Compass. Perfect for telling you where you are and what’s happening around you, they can help you find your hotel or a nearby restaurant if you’re standing on the street corner in an unfamiliar city¹.

A brand-new VAIO Location Search software offers a real-time map view without tying up your web browser.  Your map position and orientation are displayed along with nearby Points of Interest and even local weather conditions.

The ultra-light notebook’s ‘on-the-go’ credentials for travelers are boosted with Everywair 3G on-board, giving high-speed connectivity to mobile networks (where available).

New VAIO P is the first notebook from Sony with a built-in accelerometer that responds to physical movements. Just give VAIO a gentle shake to ‘flick’ through pictures or the pages of a PDF document, or navigate back and forth through your web browsing history.

The sensor also recognizes when VAIO P Series is turned on its side, automatically ‘flipping’ the screen for easy reading of documents or web pages in portrait mode. The notebook’s additional mouse buttons are perfectly placed for comfortable page-turning when you’re reading in portrait position – just like a paperback book or magazine.

New VAIO P Series is beautifully designed for easy operation, with a comfortable full-pitch keyboard for easy typing, plus a bright, extra-wide VAIO Display Plus that’s ideally proportioned for viewing movies or two web pages side-by-side. There’s also an ambient light sensor that dims screen illumination for comfortable viewing while saving power.

For extra convenience, dedicated buttons are provided for Quick Web Access and one-touch access to VAIO Care. There’s also a handy new Change Resolution button: instantly select a larger font size for easy on-screen reading, or choose maximum detail for HD movie viewing.

Available in five vibrant colors (black, white, pink, green and orange), the new VAIO P Series is complemented by a choice of stylish accessories that includes a distinctively perforated silicone slip case and carry strap.

The new VAIO P Series ultra-portable notebook computer is available from June 2010.

Model: VAIO P11S1E

Processor: Intel® Atom™ Z540 1.86 GHz

OS: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (32-bit)

Memory: 2GB DDR2 SDRAM

SSD: 64GB SSD Flash Drive

Screen: 20cm (8”) VAIO Display Plus (1600×768)

Graphics: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 500

Colors: Orange, Green, Pink, Black or White

Weight & size: 0.632kg (with supplied battery); 120 x 19.8 x 245 mm (D x H x W)

Battery life: Up to 5 hours (MobileMark 2007) / Up to 10 hours with extended battery (BPL23, sold separately)

Others: Accelerometer; GPS and Digital Compass; WLAN 802.11b/g/n; Everywair 3G up to 7.2 Mbps; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; stereo speakers and microphone; MOTION EYE® camera; 2xUSB; Quick WEB Access, Assist, Change Resolution buttons

If you were waiting for a revamped version of the much appreciated Sony UX series, still considered one of the best UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) ever produced, you will be disappointed, as the new Sony device really is an upgrade of last year Sony Vaio P ultraportable.

Europe prices are already up on the official SonyStyle page. The above configuration is priced at 899 €, while the 128 GB SSD model is priced at 999 € (model P11Z9E).

In the US price starts at $ 800

A review of the new Vaio P is already up at Engadget.

Via: JKKMobile

I’m setting up a new computer, trying not to install anything this time that I don’t really use. In the process I realized there is one program I have come to take for granted. I rely on it far more than I was aware. The program is Serif’s Page Plus.

Yes, it’s a desktop publishing program, but it is so versatile, you don’t need to be publishing anything to find it useful. I use it for making and storing invoices, business cards, forms, brochures, and even promotional  campaign letters. I count it as a mobility tool because I can access saved documents for quick access and printing, saving time and money. Let’s look at it’s useful features.

The current version is called Page Plus X4. It is a powerful word processor, photo editor, a pdf editor, and is data import and mail merge capable, to name a few of it’s  powers. It comes with templates, international dictionaries, a graphics and fonts library, and drawing themes and color scheme designers.
It is for Windows only, costs $99, and you can research and download it HERE

Features:

• Design for any paper and printer
• Regular and special documents
• Easily make normal, oversize, small, repeated, folded, tiled or long documents
• Powerful word processing
• Including a built-in word processor, text frames, and fully customisable text styles
• Multi-lingual dictionaries
• Total freedom of layout
• Full PDF editing
• Impressive photo editing
• Photo frames
• Ready-to-use templates
• Designs to suit all sorts of needs, general and specialist, to get you started quickly and give you polished results
• Drawing tools and special effects
• 3D graphics