HP Laptop battery batch recalled

HP has announced the recall of a certain type of Laptop battery that has proven defective and may ignite on use due to overheat.

The type of battery is placed on the models: HP Pavillion, HP Compaq, Compaq Presario and HP. the affected batches of Laptops are the ones manufactured between June 2007 and July 2008. In case you have a laptop qualifing on the categories above you are advised to deliver it to a HP representative for a battery replacement.

GooglePlus : RIP Existing Social Networks??

Google's answer to the widespread use of Facebook and other Social Networks has arrived. It's name:

Google+ (Google Plus)

Google has just announced the new project called Google plus. From the outside it looks like a social network but the truth is that it differs in a lot of ways from the things that we have seen so far from networks like Facebook or Twiiter.

From the videos that Google has uploaded regarding this new project, we can see that the way that it is different is that it contains the whole idea and features of social networking in a Black line- a task manager for Google plus, just above the main Google screen. Here are some main features for Google plus:

Google Circle: Google Circle is the main tool for communication and interaction on Google+ since it is the main feature where you can see what your friends ( or 'communication circle') are posting. Here is also where you can edit your profile and post updates, photos, news etc. It kind of looks like Facebook but in a more different and new approach and more user-friendly as you can see here:

Google Hangouts: Google on this new project implements the feature of videocall as well. Using Hangouts a user will be able to participate in a video call with up to ten people simultaneously. Also there are actions available such us Youtube Group watch.

Google Sparks: Google Sparks is a network where the user will be able to indicate articles, websites, blogs and every other source of information on the Internet that is in any way useful to him or an other member. How it works: Utilizing Google +1 implemented some time ago by Google, the system will be able to determine which articles are of Interest for the user and which ones are not. To be more accurate, the procedure is this: when the user finds something interesting for him on the Web, he will be able to badge it with +1 and then this will work as a tool for discovering further sites similar to the one that the user marked and always according to the users interests. The whole thing looks a lot like StumbleUpon on the idea of working and to be clearer regarding its use, here is a video from Google explaining in detail.

These are the key functions on which this new network will run. Of course there are other features as well like 'Huddle' and 'Instant upload' that will work as support for these features.

On the whole, Google plus looks like mixing the main elements from variosu social networks in a single platform, in a simple, modern and very user-friendly way.

At the moment Google Plus works on a testing mode provides limited access to its users. So, hang out for further updates in the near future..

iPhone 5 release date on late September

Apple plans on releasing the new iPhone on September 2011. Such information has leaked from the company as well as some of the key features that will be implemented in the new iPhone. Some of these features are tha following:

iPhone 5 is going to be designed as a 4g gadget and it will be equiped with a highly advanced camera, a face recogniton program for security as well as upgraded network support for video chat and extremely speedy downloads. It's platform will be based on a dual core A5 processor making multitasking a lot easier and in addition to the above there are rumors of iPhone 5 being compatible with Adobe Flash Player (although I highly doubt that, I hope Apple will prove me wrong here..)

In general the new iPhone is planned to be more versatile for the user, bypassing multitasking and camera (Cameras have always been the weakest point of Apple in my opinion) problems and by providing all the above in a thinner and lighter manufacture. Which of the above is facts and which are fiction are hard to tell, so we have to wait for late September for a better review on iPhone. Until then.....

Firefox 5 Released

After 7 beta versions of Firefox, Mozilla has released the official version, the fifth one of the most popular Internet browser.

The new Firefox has not so many new characteristic than the older version. Even though these changes are visible.

In this version Mozilla has implemented an improvement in Http connection managemet. Inactive tabs on your browser consume less resources and as a result better performance is achieved. In this version there are also upgrades for html 5 platform, canvas, MathML,Smill and XHR protocols. Small changes but vital in the constant upgrade of the software.

You can download the new vwersion or upgrade you current one (if you already did not) here: www.mozilla.com

Apple iPad 2 Review - Better than Best?

About a year and half ago Apple announced the release of a new revolutionary gadget, iPad. A tablet that would offer ultra mobility and Computing force at the same time. And by general accordance Apple guys were successful at achieving their goals. iPad made it to the top without much struggle, becoming the no1 tablet as well as introducing the idea of a tablet to people.

Now Apple strikes again with the release of iPad 2. the title of this article actually describes the facts that represent iPad 2, it is even better than the 'best'- its previous version. Well, that would sound logical now but 2 years ago, especially before the release of iPad it would sound rather hard to believe. Believe what? That a tablet of 0,34 inches thick at its thickest point would be equiped with 2 dual core proccessor of 1GHz.

Well, though hard to believe, is is a fact. 1GHz dual core proccessor with 512MB of Ram memory (double than the previous version of iPad) it can offer great speed and stability (like every other Apple system) combined with ultra mobility of 680 gramms of total weight in a 9,7 x 7,3 inches manufacture. iPad is also equiped with a 1024x768 screen like the older version.

These numbers realy do represent iPad 2 because after tests including multitasking, switching between applications and 'heavy' applications (for example image proccessing applications), iPad has responded almost perfectly by showing no sign of instability. Well, surely, it is not a Desktop replacement but for its size, it does quite good.

On the downsides of iPad 2 now.

Cameras. iPad 2 has been equiped with 2 cameras, one on the front and one on the back of the gadget, for obvious reasons. But these cameras are quite bad in effectiveness for the standards of iPad 2. Well, surely, its a plus that iPad 2 has a camera installed (unlike the older version) but this camera is not as competitive as the rest of the package. On the front a VGA and on the back an iPhone 5-like- camera are not meant to give advantage to Apple in the field of photo shooting. In my opinion, if an update on iPad follows (iPad 3 for example) this should be the first point for Apple to reconsider.

Another minus of iPad is the software. OK, hardware speaking, iPad offers cutting edge technology in proccessors and RAM memory but when it comes to software, Apple faces the same problems as it has always been facing. Of course, breakthroughs have been made for example by implementing the new Internet browser which scores quite fairly in speed and stability. Of course even though the browser is upgraded, Applestill won't allow Flash to be installed on its browsers, making it impossible for many websites' elements not to be viewable. In addition, newly implemented programms carry quite a few bugs that cause even crushes in some cases.

Overall, iPad 2 has a lot to offer. It is the greatest choice for a tablet and in many ways better than the older version. On the other side Apple has to really deal with its problems and not just cover them up in order to create a tablet that will be safe from competition. If they do so, iPad surely has the potential of becoming the bast gadget around!

Windows 8

You guys thought that Microsoft Windows 7 is the most recent operating software by Microsoft? Think again. Microsoft has announced the preparation of Windows 8, a new operating system based on the functionality of Windows 7. This new operating will be specially designed to work not only on Desktops and Laptops but on tablets and smartphones as well. In other words, Microsoft is about to create an operating environment that is about to have great consistency with every techological device you can think of.

Microsoft 8 is expected to be equiped with Microsoft Internet explorer 10 as well as the communication software 'Skype' since Microsoft has recently bought the rights to take advantage of this platform as well. It will promote both touch screen use as well as conventional mouse-keyboard use.

The main point of Windows 8 seems to be the fusion of Windows 7 with the functionality and cell phone availability on Windows Phone. All this in order to create a common suitable platform for all the technological gadgets used in everyday life. If this proves to be successfull, it will counter all software incompatibilities between devices and will certainly give new boost to the reputation of the company.

More for this new project of Microsoft are expected to be revealed on mid September.

Google Voice Search

Google is about to lunch its new feature for their famous search Engine!

Through this new feature the user will be able to search keywords on the net not by typing them but by just saying them in front of the computer's microphone.

The feature of voice search was available until now only for some smartphones but from now on Google plans on installing it fistly on Google Chrome and afterwards on the 2 main other browsers -Internet explorer and Firefox-. Voice search will be supported at its release only for the English language but this will change. Other languages will be implemented as well as the programm continues to evolve.

Firefox 5 Beta 7 Released!

Mozilla Foundation has announced the release of Firefox 5 Beta 7 version.

Mozilla in its attempt to create a more secure, friendly and stable Internet Browser has moved to the release of Beta version No 7 of Firefox. This Version has significant changes, mostly bug resolves and is now available for beta clients to download.

Link to download: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html

Firefox has been the most famous and mostly used web browser. part of it's success is that it combines safety and stability with user-friendly features. It is a browser which can be customized by anyone using tools, addons, graphics etc but also it is a browser that ensures that safety is a No1 priority. Part of Firefox success is that it continues to evolve, even by being the best browser (according to the majority of Computer users). Beta 7 Version is a prelude for Firefox 5 which is dated to be released officially on 21 of June. So, stay tuned...

Facebook

I dont think that a blog that reviews technology and stuff would have a better way to begin than the obvious:

Facebook (www.facebook.com)

Ok you all know a big deal about facebook. So I am not going to deepen into the basics of facebook and how-it-works stuff.

But is it efficient as what it introduces itself -a Social Media Network-?

We must admit that it was Facebook that really introduced the idea of Social Networking to community. Facebook is a great way to keep friends close, to share experiences, news, photos, videos, internet links etc as well as to meet new people, play games, even make money according to some.

Facebook has a great mechanism of interacting with its members. It keeps your contacts listed and you can always see your friend's status, his/her news and not only that but you can interact with these things by adding comments, 'Like' signs etc. Personally I keep a facebook account and I must say that I stay close with some of the people I have met in my life through facebook. It also helps me stay in touch with my closer friends and even have fun through either wall-to-wall conversations or Games. In general, facebook appears to be what it claims to be- the leader of social networks.

Is that all? I think not. Everything in this life has a bright as well as a dark side. By being the leader of social networking, I am afraid that if not used properly (as an Internet site that should help you keep in touch) it promotes isolation, even through all this interaction. Yes, I am going to be another person stating that 'people become more isolated by the use of Internet Social Networks'. But isn't that true? Lets all calculate how much time we spend on Facebook. How many of us have Facebook as a home page on our browser? How many of us when they have nothing to do they log in to facebook? The results of these calculations will be discouraging I m afraid.

What I am trying to say is that by using facebook for communication we have been isolated in our home, in front of our computer and since by using Social networks to communicate is so easy, we do not bother go for a walk, meet people in the real world. All the commmunication we get is through facebook. It is even sadder when young children instead of meeting with their friends, play games, excercise, interact in the live world, their only wish (after school for example) is to log in to facebook to communicate.

To end up, Facebook has a lot of pros and cons. Communication, when achieved so easily and in such an enertaining way is cherishable. But in my opinion, the 'real' isolation that has come to be promoted with the false use of facebook is the largest factor to be taken into consideration.

P.S. I know some of you will ask me 'why you keep your account since you believe all the above regarding the false use of facebook'? It is true that deleting your facebook account is not easy. Social Networks and Facebook have become a great part of our life. So it is not easy to cancel your account because by doing so you are about to face a world with less communication. And the reason for this fear that everyone has is a subject that is not compatible with the purpose of this blog...

A little bit about me....

Well, hello,

This is my first article on my blog. The purpose of this article is to get you to know me a bit better since you are going to read my blog, if you decide to do so.

Well for the basics, I am 22 years old and I can tell you that I have a very good touch on technology. What I mean is that I am not one of the guys that work for NASA and can programm a remote robot while sleeping. Nor am I a guy who asks how to format his computer. I am a typical 21st century 22 year old who has been practising on computers since he can remember and i think (and hope, of course) that reviewing some things would proove useful to you. My reviews will cover everything that technology covers, from hardware to software, from electric can openers (well, not electric can openers but you get the picture) to computers, from financial to social networking sites and generally, everything that you can imagine that involves technology.

I hope my reviews will proove useful to you and I hope you have a great time reading my blog..