After weeks of rumors and non-committal statements from the manufacturer, LG has finally ‘spilt the beans’. This week LG announced that the LX9500, which it plans to release in May, will be the first HDTV in the world to feature 3D as well as an LED backlit LCD screen.

The upcoming model will be available in two varieties, a 47-inch and a 55-inch version. Both models will be packed to the brim with features like 3D, HDMI, USB 2.0 and integrated Skype software. It also features TruMotion 400 Hz (480 Hz) and a dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1. The 3D glasses used to watch TV employ the shutter glass technique, which means each lens is blocked out alternatively in relation to the refresh rate of the TV. This also enables it to add more depth to the image. The good news about the glasses are that they are USB powered, so all you have to do is leave it plugged into the TV or PC and the batteries will be charged. Once fully charged, the batteries are expected to run for 40 hours allowing for uninterrupted viewing.

The TV also supports the new Multi Picture Format, which means that users can plug in their 3D cameras directly into the TV and view what they’ve shot without having to go to a computer to convert them. The LG TVs are expected to hit the Korean market first in the coming months, so as to get the jump on their main competitor, Samsung. European and U.S. consumers will have to wait till May for LG’s launch. So far, the unofficial word is that the TVs will be priced along the $4,000 mark.

The new generation of laptop screens offers you the choice of switching to an LED screen. Initially this can sound confusing and exciting until you see the price tag. So what’s all the fuss about LED?

The term LED actually refers to Light Emitting Diode and is a reference to the backlighting that is used in new laptops. The prevalent method of backlighting is Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps or CCFL. Both methods use LCDs in front but the benefits of LED are far superior.

In terms of power consumption, LED are great because they use up to 30 % less power than the CCFL screens. In terms of a laptop, this is a huge saving as the battery will last longer. Since you will charge the laptop less frequently, this also means that you save on your energy bill.

LED backed screens also give brighter and richer colors. Color accuracy and contrast is also improved. However, since LEDs adjust brightness levels automatically based on ambient lighting levels, these features may be less evident at times.

If you plan to use your laptop for a few years then LEDs are a good bet too. Over time CCFL screens start dimming and the output does not look as it once did. LED screens last longer and do not diminish over time. They also are lighter so the overall laptop weight goes down too.

As you can see, LED technology is actually the right way to go. The only thing stopping it from taking over the market is the current high cost of manufacturing. But if you consider the long term benefits that this technology offers, then the extra $100 or so you spend getting it, is truly justified.

If you hanker after quality in everything you do, then investing in a Blu-Ray drive is worth it. Although somewhat expensive, the quality that Blu-Ray offers is so far ahead of DVD that the price is justified. When it comes to choosing a Blu-Ray drive for your PC, it is the features you should look out for rather than the brand. There are also two technologies that you should know about as well.

The first of these is High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP). HDCP is a content protection method which is verified all the way through up to the point of display. This means that the Blu-Ray drive, your graphics card AND your monitor have got to be HDCP compliant. If not, you will see a less defined image or in most cases, nothing at all.

The other thing you should know about is High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). HDMI is a new type of connector that facilitates high quality video and audio transfer. This cable connects your graphics card and to your monitor. The current HDMI standard is 1.3 which supports deep color, DVD Audio, lip-sync, extended gamut, Super audio CD, Dolby TrueHD bitstream and DTD-HD Master Audio bitstream.

As you have obviously gathered by now, these are the main criteria you have to consider when buying a Blu-Ray. So when you do go out to get one make sure that:

it supports HDMI 1.3
it has the highest possible write speed
it can write all other CD/DVD formats
it has upgradeable firmware

Once you have ensured that all these options available, it is down to your personal preference in picking a brand.

With Netbooks spreading like a wildly contagious infection all over the world, it will be only a matter of time before users want to get Windows 7 for their machines. The latest operating system from Microsoft has revealed itself to be surprisingly kind on resources and works quite well on low spec machines. Installing it on a NetBook is fairly straightforward but you should make sure that a few things are in order.

1. Windows 7 has an excellent driver database but they are not always the best drivers. On a normal laptop or PC you can be not-too-bothered about this, but with a low powered NetBook you need all the performance you can get. Even if Device Manager reports everything as “ok”, you should still download the latest drivers for your devices from the manufacturer’s site.

2. Manufacturers like ASUS have excellent power management software that comes with their devices. After a new operating system install, it is advisable to download this software again as it will manage your power consumption better.

3. Netbooks are about performance, so get rid of Aero and other graphical marvels. In the long run you will be happier due to the extended battery life.

4. Free up screen space by installing practical apps, like Chrome for browsing. Unlike Firefox it is not menu heavy, therefore you get more viewing space. You should also auto-hide the taskbar to gain a few more pixels. In this manner, try choosing software that will consume less screen space in terms of menus and sidebars and so on.

5. Squeezing your battery to last longer is always a running battle and one thing that can help you is MSCONFIG. Using this, turn off any processes and services that you don’t need. Do this with caution; just because you do not know what a process does, that does not mean that you should turn it off. Look online for guides on how to do this.

6. If you do have the budget, consider some hardware upgrades like memory and efficient hard disks. The memory will help Windows and the HD will use less power.

The Opera browser was the darling of the internet… some time ago. Since its glory days when it introduced tabbed browsing and other innovations, the browser has fallen from grace badly. Google’s Chrome browser, Apple’s Safari and even Microsoft’s Internet Explorer have left it in the dust a long time ago. A while back, Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner said “We consider it a bug, internally, that Opera isn’t the fastest”, and it seems that it wasn’t all talk.

Opera 10.5 has arrived and been noted. Thanks to the Carakan engine, Opera is the fastest in executing JavaScript on Windows based PC’s. Throw in the Vega graphics library and Chrome has a formidable sparring partner. Apart from that Opera has many good features.

Unite mini server-in-a-browser – Enables you to turn you computer into a mini server accessible by you anywhere via an internet connection.
Turbo – Enhanced caching that allows for a better browsing experience with slow connections

Link – Allows synchronization between computers and devices as well as the synchronization of Speed Dial, bookmarks, custom searches, history and notes are some of the notable features of Link.

Torrents – Opera has its own built in BitTorrent support

Future support – The browser already supports HTML5 and CSS3, which means that the transition for users will be fairly seamless.

Opera has also thrown in features which we have grown to expect from browsers like Private browsing mode, Phishing protection and an RSS reader. It is also designed with Windows 7 in mind, therefore it functions well with the operating system’s new features quite well. With a host of other features, Opera finally seems to have caught up and even overtaken the browser race. The response from the competition should be extremely interesting to watch.

Currently the majority of internet access takes place in three ways:

Broadband – This is in widespread use in homes and offices. Usually home users have DSL or cable modem and offices go in for T1 or T3 lines depending on the amount of bandwidth they need for operations.

WiFi – This technology brought the internet to users almost everywhere. These days you can access the internet while you are at a coffee shop, hotel or even restaurants without having to fix a physical cable into your laptop. The freedom of wireless connectivity has almost created a mobile society.

Dial-up – The technology that brought a multitude of people into the world of the internet is almost dead. The lack of bandwidth in dealing with today’s web requirements is the chief cause.

If you look at all these technologies, they have their advantages and disadvantages. Broadband is fast but expensive and sometimes requires a physical line to be laid from the exchange. Dial-up is inexpensive but slow. WiFi is extremely convenient but WiFi hotspots are not to be found everywhere.

But what if you could have WiFi everywhere you go; for example, while you are travelling in the train, in another part of the country, etc. This is what WiMax aims to achieve.

Using widespread coverage similar to cell phones, the technology will bring the internet to everyone, everywhere. This will bring about a truly mobile society where people can stay plugged in 24/7 no matter where they go. The best part is that it will be cheaper than a DSL connection and as convenient as using WiFi in that you only have to switch on your computer to find a connection. WiMAX is abbreviated from the term ‘Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access’.

Up until a few years ago, wired network connections were the norm. While wired connections do provide a little more bandwidth, the hassle of laying out cables and maintaining them is becoming a problem for various reasons. Especially in the case of offices, the cost of re-laying and re-installing cables during a relocation of office premises is enormous.

The most cost effective solution is a wireless router. With router prices dropping drastically over the years, it has become practical for even home owners to install a wireless network. The convenience of being able to work from within any part of the house or office is a luxury that all users will appreciate. While there are some limitations to this technology, the problems encountered are with poor signals, which can be fixed easily using a few remedial measures.

The position of the router has to be thought out when installing the device. Try to locate it as centrally as possible to ensure maximum range. The other thing to keep in mind is that obstructions like walls and such are hindrances for signal broadcast. So if you can’t keep it in the center of your house or office, position it in an optimal place where you will get the maximum range.

If the positioning still does not solve your problems of signal reception, you can always set up one or more repeaters. Repeaters boost the existing signal coming from the router. Therefore you can set it up close to a weak area and ensure that “dead spots” are covered.

Finally, you can upgrade your firmware to take advantage of any new features released by the manufacturer. However, while you do this you should make sure that the router is connected to a UPS to avoid any errors caused by power outages.

Once people got over their fear of what Windows 7 held in store for them, they soon discovered that the operating system was actually (and surprisingly) very good. Windows 7 has turned out to be fast and efficient, with most of its applications etc in the ‘right place’. In short, Microsoft has finally turned out a decent operating system after Windows 3.1 and Windows 98. One of the better features in Windows 7 is the Search feature. You can activate search in two ways.

1. Click the Start Menu and type in the search bar that appears at the bottom of the menu. This Search function can find applications on the start menu as well as files in attached storage devices. This is useful if you are lazy to go through the whole menu and find the application you need to launch. If it is a file you are searching for, then the main explorer search window will be launched after it fails to find your search criteria in the start menu.

2. By launching Windows Explorer, you can activate a more localized and filtered search. You will notice a search bar at the top right hand corner of the window. You can enter your search criteria here. You will also notice that it shows a few quick filters that you can apply to refine your search. Once the search results start coming in, you will notice the results have your search criteria highlighted.

The user friendliness of the search function and its thoroughness really make this feature a winner for Windows 7 .

The first version of the netBook (also known as mini-notebooks) for general computing applications and for accessing web applications first appeared in 2007. These “primitive” models lacked many of the features of today. They had smaller screens and did not even have an optical drive. Nevertheless their potential was immediately recognized by the masses and lapped up. The predecessor of the netBook can be traced back to 1991 when the Psion-3 was released. The key factor that sets this particular model apart is that it included a dial-up modem. Since then, we have had the Toshiba Libretto 20, Casio Cassiopeia, Psion netBook, HP Jornada, OQO Model 01, Sony VAIO X505 and finally, the netBook that has really kicked off the phenomenon in 2007, the Asus Eee PC 701.

The reason for the netBook’s popularity is simple. The reliance that people now have on the internet is great which means that people need to have access or to be plugged in to the World Wide Web wherever they are. With the advent of Wi-Fi and free internet access points popping up everywhere, it became normal for people to purchase laptops and carry them to whatever location they travelled to. Yet the problem of weight was a pressing one and this is where the netBook has won hands down.

The netBook’s primary function is to be a device that provides access to the internet. Although mobile phones and handheld devices like the iPod Touch provide the same function, the netBook with a larger screen, QWERTY keyboard and now with an optical drive is a clear winner for anyone who needs to be in touch with the world without being hampered by the limits of a tiny device.