 |
|
Call us now (877) 266-7725
|
Reviews of Computer & Technology News of 2009December 29th, 2009
This past year, for computer lovers, was as good as it gets. While every year sees new inventions and further refinements of existing products, 2009 was a landmark year in many ways. From the new MacBook models that CRE now rents to new display technology and “wireless everything,” 2009 was a big year. Laptops have gotten more powerful while getting lighter. Leaving aside the new netbooks, subject of a future blog, the laptop sector has made big strides in power, heat dissipation, battery life, displays, and connectivity. The year started off with dual-core processors limited to the MacBook Pro laptop rental and PCs, and ended with quad-core processors available at the high end of some lines. Desktops have changed in terms of power and ports. Apple dropped the original FireWire 400 connector for FireWire 800 (backward compatible with an adapter). USB is king of the hill for connections, with USB 3.0 right around the corner promising another serious speed bump. Ethernet? Faster. Phone modems? Disappearing. Hard drive capacities are into the terabyte (TB) range and no one gets a PC with just “a gig of RAM” anymore. Even low-end PCs now come with 2-4GB of RAM. Powerhouses like CRE’s quad- and eight-core HP computer rental can have up to 32GB. LCD Displays – Seeing is believing Computer users can thank display manufacturers for their less-strained eyes. The LCD and LED-backlit monitors look better, use less power and emit less radiation. Plasma monitor (rentals) are still tops in the largest sizes, while the Apple Cinema Display 24-inch LED monitor is what every post-production pro wants under the tree this year. Look, Mom, no wires on technology rentals Yes, it was a “wireless” year, for sure, and not just in terms of Web browsing at the coffee shop. The mouse, your phone, the printer, your TV – everything is hooking up with everything else by radio, Bluetooth, WiFi and (it seems) smoke signals, too. It’s not just tablet PC rentals that provide portability with connectivity. Your phone, its headset and your office all-in-one have all lost their electronic umbilical cords. This coming year, watch for wireless recharging of these devices. If you want to know what else to watch for in 2010, keep checking our blog. We will feature tech trends in 2010, laptop and desktop guides, a netbook report, gadget updates and other problem-solving, trend-spotting news. In the meantime, when you’ve got work backed up and no time to waste, remember that CRE is here to solve your problems with just the right tools. Contact us or fill out the Quick Rental Quote, and an expert Account Executive will take good care of you. That’s what we do! 3DTV Is Starting to Take ShapeDecember 22nd, 2009The next wave in display technology for television will be called 3DTV, but marketing terms for 3D-type monitors have not been created yet. These monitors will display a 2D image with stereoscopic depth added. How good will it look? Compare an old 1998 CRT monitor to the LCD monitor rental, and you will note an incredible improvement. Going 3D will be even more dramatic.
3D technologies have improved to the point where Hollywood has a small but growing library of “depth-enhanced” films. Just as black-and-white films were “colorized,” movies can be “depth enhanced” now, especially if made with computer technology like the PowerMac G5 with Kona card that CRE rents to production professionals. Toy Story 3D, in fact, is an enhanced “combo” of the first two 2D films. The 1950s vs. now The 3D projection used for 1950s 3D films called for superimposing polarized or differently colored images on each film frame. Viewers wore “passive” glasses that revealed different images so that the brain would “knit” the images into layers that gave a sense of depth. Viewing newer 3DTV displays with “active” glasses would create much more convincing “alternative realities.” Active glasses are expensive at this point, but as with all technology the price will drop. Sony, Samsung and others are building “3D-capable” displays now, and Panasonic recently demonstrated a large-screen 3DTV that it hopes to ship in 2010. Again, as happened with high-end plasma rentals, premium 3DTV models will arrive first, followed by more-affordable models. Coming soon? Existing cable and IPTV networks are already capable of distributing 3D content. The bandwidth that networks use to deliver HD content will handle 3D content with the latest video compression techniques. Of course, high-end PCs (like CRE’s HP XW 8400 computer rental) and Intel-based Macs are powerful alternatives to TVs. Using physical media, of course, means Blu-ray. It can store, burn, save and present the data needed, and 3D BR players are already in the works. No changes to the Blu-ray specs are necessary, so standards groups and manufacturers are focused on practical things, like making sure that 2D TVs can play 3D discs. Flexible standards Conflicts or development dead-ends due to “battling standards” should not be particularly troublesome, as long as 3DTVs stay flexible. Just as digital TV was defined in 480, 720, and 1080 formats – along with progressive (p) and interlaced (i) versions – an industry group is working on a simple, straightforward standard, the kind that has led to the proliferation of WiFi in laptops and tablet PCs. The first 3D displays will use alternating images viewed with shutter-style glasses until holographic displays are developed. Until then, 3DTV could be sold as a minor upgrade to existing HDTV units. Stay tuned, they’re coming soon! In the meantime, CRE can handle any display needs you have – for your office, conferences or presentations – so give one of our Account Executives a call, send an e-mail or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form. We’ve got you covered, in all dimensions. CES Starts Early For Those In The KnowSeptember 8th, 2009
The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a big, big deal, each and every year, for all kinds of individuals and companies. Many firms, of course, debut their latest and greatest products at CES, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For many high-tech types, including quite a few of CRE’s great customers and colleagues, the build up to the event is just as important. Artists, animators, marketing managers, filmmakers, videographers, printers, banner makers and webmasters are hard at work for almost the entire year that passes between the end of one CES and the official beginning of the next. Some of our customers rent the AJA Io HD systems to make trailers, commercials and looping booth-display reels. A lot of cutting-edge art gets produced on CRE rental systems, in case you didn’t know. Other customers will rent a HD plasma or a full projection system, screens and other technology for their premier display space. Still others make sure their representatives have WiFi-capable tablet PCs to take notes, check schedules and capture names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers of new prospects. The build-up begins for CES Before and during every CES, a variety of events are held that are ostensibly for members of the press alone. The fact is, with the evolving definition of “media” and “publication,” representatives of Macintosh User Groups have talked their way into these events. You can, too, if you work at it a bit. With just a little amateur detective work, you can get information that can save (or make) you money. Here’s how… Building up toward the 2010 International CES, to be held January 7-10, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) will hold three important events. There are enough clues in the press releases about these “media meetings” to get any tech-lover excited about the “hot” areas of interest, and the build-up starts off with a bang. From kick-off to game time At “CES Unveiled@NY,” part of the CES New York Press Preview, media reps, bloggers and tech industry analysts will get sneak previews of products that will be grabbing headlines next January. “CES Unveiled@NY” takes place Tuesday, November 10 at New York City’s Metropolitan Pavilion. This event signals the official start of the CES promotional season, and is the one that you want to hear about for any new-product clues or confirmation of the “Apple’s going to CES” rumors. The two days before the CES officially starts, a trio of events will set the stage and prime the pump. The “State of the Consumer Tech Industry and 2010 CES Trends to Watch” will take place at The Venetian at “CES Minus Two,” meaning January 5, 2010. CEA analysts will clue in the assembled press and pundits to the mix of market signals, consumer behavior and industry trends behind the technology set to bow at the 2010 International CES. This event can also hold important “stealth” info for you if you are looking to upgrade laptops or replace an LCD monitor with a newer, better, less expensive model. Another presentation on January 5, “State of the Global CE Industry,” is not so much about technology as it is about the countries with today’s fast-growing economies and evolving middle classes-like the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) that are poised to take the lead in the next decade’s CE revenue surge. This session is about global CE market trends, so it won’t help you much with a decision about whether to upgrade your desktop computers. Getting close now! Similarly, “CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES” is held on January 5, and is where the media gets an “official” sneak peek at the actual, on-the-floor CES product debuts. This is where the press learns about the Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase honorees—both Apple iPods and H-P office equipment have been winners—all before the show officially opens. “Press Day” is on opening day, January 6, and is a must-attend event media to get the major product and news announcements. Press Day wraps up right before the pre-show CES keynote address. Once all the rumors are sorted out into products that actually showed up and others that remained “vaporware,” you can get back to figuring out where your company may need to expand, contract, hold steady or move forward. While you’re waiting for the more problematic tech issues to shake out before committing a good chunk of change to new equipment, CRE is here to keep you busy and productive with the computing power, presentation prowess and office efficiency you need every day. Whether you need an Xserve Quad Xeon 64-bit network server to pick up the pace, or just want to check up on that Mac 10-inch MultiTouch Tablet rumor, contact our experienced Account Executives or request a rental quote online. Upcoming Flexible Displays Roll Out the Power of TouchAugust 27th, 2009In the “coming soon” category of “gee-whiz” devices, few things create as much buzz or excitement as flexible, touch-sensitive displays that mimic the traits of paper. Corporate and university research teams have already developed working units that are leading to even further advances that consumers will see in new generations of portable devices. E Ink of Cambridge, MA, is already supplying displays for the Amazon Kindle Of course, the ultimate goal is to have displays that are flexible and touch-sensitive. Rumors suggest that the first such electronic paper products will launch sometime in late 2009 or early 2010 with roll-out displays using E Ink’s technology and produced by a Dutch firm. Still, the developers at E Ink and other firms have to overcome a number of challenges to add touch sensing to these kinds of screens. The methods used in existing touch screens require a rigid surface, such as seen on tablet PCs and high-end smartphones. There are two major technologies at work here, resistive touch and capacitive touch. The Nintendo DS game console uses the former technology, resistive touch, which relies on two separate “conducting layers” being forced together at specific touch points. If these layers were to flex, there would a big problem with false inputs. Early on, researchers at the Flexible Display Center (FDC) of Arizona State University, co-developer of E Ink’s new display approach, realized the limitations of resistive technology as far as touch-sensitivity goes. The air gap between the layers has to be maintained, making flexibility problematic. The capacitive touch screens used in Apple’s iPhone use transparent, conductive film manufactured from indium tin oxide (ITO). This is a superior technology that is used in the CyberTouch Orion LCD monitor that CRE rents. A brittle and ceramic-like material, ITO is wholly incapable of doing what roll-up, folding and flexing displays will require. Even touch screens using other technologies, ones that detect light changes or screen vibrations, are not up to this futuristic task, since those types of signals can become distorted. The answer? For now, it appears to be something called “inductive touch-screen technology,” although there are still some challenges to overcome. This technology requires the use of a magnetized stylus to create “fields” on a sensing layer in the rear portion of the display. The problem is that most flexible displays use stainless-steel backplanes to allow flexibility while retaining the rigidity needed to prevent damage, and those backplanes interfere with the electromagnetic fields at the heart of the inductive touch technology. The FDC team has proposed an alternative material for the backplane, a thin-film DuPont plastic called polyethylene napthalate (PEN). Already used by thin-film transistor manufacturers, it would provide sufficient support for a display while letting the inductive touch layers work. This approach should not degrade the image quality since the sensing will be accomplished behind the display, an essential consideration as E Ink technology uses ambient light reflection instead of energy-eating backlights.
Top 10 Display and Presentation Features in Windows 7 (Part 1 of 2)August 18th, 2009
Windows 7 is looking good, folks, and the public beta will bring Microsoft a boatload of helpful bug reports, suggestions and (as always) some wish lists that will have to wait. Still, it’s an enormous advance already, and many of the new and refined features will directly aid conference planners and presenters. There are lots of new things, so we will take a look at the Top 10 Display and Presentation Features—and they are all so cool we’ll need two blogs to do it. We will hit five in this one, five in the next, starting with features expressly developed for presentations as well as ones that are particularly supportive of them. (1) Display projection Those of you who give lots of presentations will like the new Windows 7 method for displaying your computer’s desktop via a projector such as CRE rents. By pressing the Windows logo key and “P” you will be presented with a pop-up window called the “Display Switch settings box,” which lets you change with one click the way your desktop looks. The number one option is a default setting that displays on your computer screen only, whether it’s your own desktop or a specially configured “presentation laptop” from CRE. The second choice clones your computer screen display to the projector. A third option will “extend” your desktop across your computer screen and the projector, and the fourth turns off your screen and displays via the projector only. (2) Windows Mobility Center Whether you’re making a small office presentation or addressing a general session, you don’t need any embarrassing interruptions. Just set your computer to Presentation Mode by pressing the Windows logo key and “X,” which opens Windows Mobility Center. Through this uncluttered interface you can set display brightness, adjust volume settings, disables screensavers, set wallpaper to neutral tones and hang a virtual “Do Not Disturb” sign on your Instant Messaging (IM) client. (3) Text tuning, color calibration If you are displaying your presentation on a plasma screen or an LCD monitor, you have two devices that can affect color and readability. After setting the defaults on the external display, you can use two Windows 7 tools to adjust it to your preferences. You’ll find the ClearType Text Tuner in the Control Panel or by entering “cttune.exe” as a command line entry. Simply pick the text that looks best from the displayed options. Windows 7 also provides a Color Calibration tool in the Control Panel (or command line entry “dccw.exe”) that leads you through simple adjustments to the gamma, contrast, brightness and color rendition for optimizing the display. (4) PowerShell v2 More advanced presenters with an extra dose of computer smarts will like the Windows PowerShell. This is a command-line interface and scripting tool for automating tasks with “cmdlets” that perform single tasks, as well as scripts that comprise multiple cmdlets to run multi-step tasks. In combination with a cordless presenter, automated tasks can simplify functions that used to take multiple actions, saving time and keeping your audience’s attention. (5) Action Center Windows 7 has a new, one-stop shop metaphor for centralizing device management, dealing with security issues, troubleshooting and maintenance. It’s all part of a single Control Panel applet, Action Center, which allows you greater flexibility in dealing with not only settings, but the various alert messages that notify you of problems. Windows 7 now gives you the option of turning various notifications on or off, so that you are not constantly closing message boxes urging you to install or update your virus protection. Now you can simply turn virus protection messages, and all other notifications, on or off as you please, and not worry about them being projected on screen in the middle of your presentation. Next time around it’s Windows 7 Top 10 Display and Presentation Features (Part 2 of 2) with numbers 6 through 10. |
Prototypes are currently going through rigorous testing and military applications will likely be the first for these new displays. The tough battlefield scenarios where such portable displays would be deployed require that the screens do not shatter, meaning the glass backplanes in touch- and non-touch-sensitive consumer monitors like the 
