Nvidia Ion netbooks: first look

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

The first Ion-based netbooks are beginning to trickle in, so yesterday Nvidia took the opportunity to introduce the technology to us formally. And if there was any doubt as to the focus of the demo, it was quickly made clear by the presence of a gigantic 1080p Sharp Aquos TV with a tiny netbook attached.

The netbook in question was HP’s Mini 311, announced today, and it offers a very similar core spec to others we’ve already seen from the likes of Samsung. The usual 1.6GHz Atom N270 and 2GB of RAM are joined by an 11.6in 1,366 x 768 LED screen and that shiny new Nvidia Ion GPU, which also allows manufacturers to include an HDMI port for hooking up to an HD TV. The Mini 311 is pencilled in for a £349 launch price, which is actually a rather competitive price for its size and spec. (more…)

PC Pro’s favourite videogame theme tunes

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

A heated office discussion a couple of days ago has led to the PC Pro team coming up with our favourite video game theme tunes – but, as with any good list, it’s entirely subjective and open to debate. The resulting list is full of both obvious classics and hidden gems, and we’ve also grouped a few games from the same system or publisher together just to cram a few more tunes into our countdown.

So, take a look at our suggestions, tell us what you think, and post your own – and bear in mind that these are in no particular order.

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Converted by media hard disks

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

External media hard disks aren’t new, they’ve been around for some time and we’ve reviewed a few here and there, but I’ve always been in the “what’s the point” camp when it comes to these expensive little devices. Let me get it straight: it’s an external hard disk for video files and you want me to pay a premium because it has an archaic composite output on the back?

It’s taken a little while, but I’ve come to realise I’m approaching the topic with my PC Pro hat too firmly wedged onto my balding scalp. (more…)

How to get the most from your video camera

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

So you’ve just unwrapped that sexy new HD camcorder the other half bought you for Christmas. You’ve annoyed everyone by recording them getting drunk and embarrassing themselves over the festive dinner. So what next?

You could go out and spend loads of money on a decent editing suite, but you don’t have to – there are plenty of ways of editing, playing back and sharing your video that you don’t have to spend any money on at all.

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Windows 7: networking

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Networking has been beefed up in a number of subtle ways in Windows 7. The first is a new feature called HomeGroup. This essentially turns all the Windows 7 PCs on the home network into a combined pool of data and files, much like a Windows Home Server or a NAS appliance.

Using a new feature called Libraries in Windows Explorer, you select and open files on the HomeGroup network as if they were stored locally on your PC. It’s also possible to search for files (using tags and filenames, or more advanced searches, such as the month a photo was taken) across the entire HomeGroup.

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Acer Aspire One fondled on video

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

If you read the first look I posted yesterday on the new Acer Aspire One then you may be interested in this short clip in which I make my debut as a hand model. Apologies for the noises in the background, including the thirsty journalists asking where the bar is…

Big Brother is… making you famous?

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

With an estimated 13 million CCTV cameras in Britain, we may just be the most watched nation on earth – but a band from Manchester has proven that this need not be a bad thing. After discovering they didn’t have enough money to make a video, the band – the superbly monikered Get Out Clause – decided to let big brother do it for them.

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