Tag Archives: hardware

Made in the USA….or not



With all the talk of tariffs and Canadians boycotting American goods, it got me thinking about how US-centric our technological lives are. I wondered, for those not resident in America, if it would be possible to live a tech life without help from across the pond and what other options for software and hardware were available? First, before anyone gets hot under the collar, this is purely an educational look out across the market to see what else is out there: I’m not suggesting or recommending anything anti-USA here. Chill, folks. Second, I’ll be taking companies at face value and not digging into their ownership or where they manufacture. Third and finally, this is not an exhaustive list of alternatives – I’ve simply picked up a few examples here and there to show possibilities. Let’s take a look and see what’s out there.

Smartphones and Tablets
As mobile devices dominate our days, let’s check out smartphones and tablets first. Obviously if you are part of the Apple flock, you are plain out of luck as there’s no alternative. Apple make the hardware and write the operating system. It’s as American as mom’s apple pie (sorry).
On the handsets themselves there’s some good choices. The big name is obviously Samsung which is South Korean, then there’s Sony’s Xperia handsets from Japan, and HTC is in Taiwan plus plenty of Chinese firms like Hong Kong-based Lenovo and Shenzhen’s OnePlus. If you’re looking for something European, check out Nokia HMD and Nothing. There’s a handy reference here if you want to see what’s available by country.
When it comes to Android, Google is the developer of the OS and there’s no getting away from that even taking AOSP into consideration. There are a few other OSes out there on smartphones such as Huawei’s Android fork HarmonyOS and variants of Linux though I’d leave that to the specialists.

Search
Search is another big part of everyone’s day and if you want to move away from Google or Bing, there are some options. Ecosia is a German search engine that supports the planting of trees as a reason to switch over. If concerns about privacy are more your issue, there’s French engine Qwant and, well, Swiss outfit Swisscows. I tried Qwant and wasn’t too impressed with it as it seemed to prioritise older news over newer events until you reduced the time window. YMMV. All of the above search in English.

PCs and Laptops
As with mobile devices, unless you are in the Apple camp, there are plenty of manufacturers outside of the USA to choose from. Both Acer and Asus are Taiwanese firms and from Japan there’s Sony and Fujitsu. Most countries seem to have specialist PC assemblers like FiercePC in UK who tend to cater to the gamers rather than office buyers. Support a local supplier if you can.
When it comes to the desktop OS, there’s limited choice as Microsoft Windows is dominant. However, there are Linux variants such as SUSE which is headquartered in Luxembourg. If you are feeling brave (or mad), there’s Huawei’s HarmonyOS for PCs or the FreeBSD-based Kylin from China. I’ll pass, thanks.

Office Apps
If you are looking to move away from Microsoft Office, the closest is perhaps LibreOffice. Open source, it’s a successor to StarOffice and OpenOffice, and is based out of Germany. It will read most Microsoft standards like doc and xls in addition to the ODF formats. LibreOffice is limited when it comes to mobile apps, though Collabora in England offer compatible mobile apps. WPS Office is another popular choice by Chinese company Kingsoft. They’ve been around for ages…

Email
There are hundreds of email providers out there if you don’t want to use Gmail, Yahoo! or Outlook.com. I’m sure you can find one that’s local to you. Personally, I use Proton in Switzerland as it offers quite a nice little secure package of email, VPN, storage and password management. It’s a paid-for service but you don’t have to worry anyone snooping around in your business or adverts popping up in your email.

Social Media & Messaging
When it comes to social networks, companies from USA and China occupy the top 5, but there are some popular options from other countries. Mastodon was created by a German developer, Eugen Rochko, and the company is still based in Berlin.  Telegram is currently based in Dubai but has historical links with Russia that it has actively tried to shake off. Yubo is a French social media app with over 85 million users. Moj hails from India and is a bit of a TikTok clone but allegedly has around 120 million active users.
Obviously the problem with social media and messaging is you need to bring your friends with you.

Music Streaming
The biggest name in music streaming is Spotify and it’s from Stockholm, Sweden. There are other streaming services from local broadcasters, such as the free BBC Sounds, which offers radio and podcasts. Look for similar services in your area.

Video Streaming
All of the big names in video streaming – Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV+ – are US based and it’ll need sacrifice to give them up as there’s no easy direct replacement. There are plenty of specialist video streamers out there, from those that focus on production from a particular country, e.g. BritBox, or those that go for a specific genre, such as Sony’s anime powerhouse Crunchyroll. Of course, most terrestrial broadcasters offer catch-up services so you could save some money by only using their services. As examples, the UK has BBC’s iPlayer, in Ireland there’s RTÉ Player and in France, France Télévisions.

Conclusion
If there’s one takeaway from this review, it’s that you often don’t need to stay with the default and you can be more assertive in your choice of technology. Want  more privacy? Pick Proton. Worried about WhatsApp? Try Telegram. Don’t like Twitter’s toxicity? Move to Mastodon. Just because it came “out of the box”, doesn’t mean that you have to stick with it, and while free-of-charge can be tempting, it might not be the best option, though terrestrial broadcasters can offer great value in their catch-up services.

Be brave and try something new.


Mac Mini Upgrade



I have two Mac Mini’s — one of them I use as a computer, and the other I use as an over-the-air HD-DVR connected to my home theater.

I decided to upgrade the machine as I use as a computer to an SSD hard drive, replacing the stock 5400 RPM drive. I replaced it with a Crucial M500 240GB SATA 2.5-Inch 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT240M500SSD1 purchased via Amazon for $159.99.

Dismantling a Mac Mini is quite a bit above my comfort level, so I took everything to a local Mac dealer I’ve had very positive dealings with in the past and paid them to make the swap.

The results are nothing short of phenomenal. Restarting the machine to fully back up takes about 29 seconds. Curiously, starting the computer from pressing the power button to fully up takes 24 seconds. This is much, much faster than boot-up sequence with the original 5400 RPM hard drive installed,

The machine has 8 gigabytes of RAM installed. Even with that much RAM, the overall feel of the computer once booted up is quite snappy comparing it directly to the otherwise identical HD-DVR machine that is still running it’s original 5400 RPM stock drive.

Hands down the best bang-for-the buck upgrade for any computer is an SSD drive. The speed boost is stark and will make a huge difference even on a machine with only 2 gigabytes of installed RAM.

If you have an older machine, particularly a laptop that has a decent processor but is in need of a serious speed bump, consider an SSD drive.

SSD prices are still high compared to conventional spinning drives, however I’ve found that simply adjusting my thinking a bit makes SSD drives much more affordable. A 120 gigabyte SSD drive sells for around $100 on Amazon. In an era of giant, inexpensive conventional external hard drives and ubiquitous home networks, it makes much more sense to use those external drives as shared storage to store photos, videos and other media, and get away from the idea of storing stuff on the computer itself. By using a 120 or 240 gigabyte SSD as the boot drive, it becomes possible to enjoy a massive computer speed boost and move media off to networked or external storage.


Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630 (Review)



t630-stock-image-side

The mouse has been around nearly since the humble beginnings of personal computing and, unlike the PC and its software, this tiny peripheral has changed little. But time and technology eventually catch up to even the simplest of objects and the lowly mouse is no exception.

We have witnessed the introduction of cordless versions, first with USB dongles and later with Bluetooth technology.  Buttons have changed, scroll wheels have appeared, lasers replaced track balls and countless other small, but meaningful, progressions have taken place. Mice have evolved from a simple input device to a specialized mouse – from desktop, to gaming, and even travel varieties.

It all leads to today’s innovations in peripheral technology, which Logitech is exploiting in its latest release – the Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630.

In a market becoming divided by user behavior, the T630 falls squarely into the category of travel, thanks to its compact design. There is nothing fancy here – no software need be installed and there are none of the click buttons contained in today’s high-end gaming mice.

This is purely about form and style conquering added, and mostly unneeded and extraneous, features that simply are not a necessity to today’s busy traveler. The T630 is all about compactness and ease of use.

This is a mouse you grab from your travel bag, pop on the desk and get started with. There is no need to worry about the extras – there are none. It just works.

Design and Style

The T630 is tiny, measuring in at a scant 3.25 inches in length, 2.25 inches in width and 0.5 inches in depth, though that tapers quite significantly towards the front end.

The little wedge-shaped peripheral is black on the top, with metallic silver sides and a small Logitech logo running across the rear of the top surface. No buttons or scroll wheel are visible, giving the mouse a very clean and sculpted look.

Several small buttons are present on the outside of the T630, but these are carefully hidden on the underside so as not to subtract from the good looks.

Setting up the T630

Unlike the more sophisticated gaming mice on the market, the Logitech T630 Touch Mouse comes with no software to setup, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few tricks to getting underway – they simply are not complicated steps.

First, and fairly obvious, is that you must make sure your computer supports Bluetooth, but that is not a stumbling block for much of today’s hardware. You will also need to enable the service, which is frequently off in laptops due to battery-drain concerns.

In Windows 8, head to the Charms menu and hit Settings and then Change PC Settings. Next, tap Wireless and, under Wireless Devices, you will find the option to toggle Bluetooth on and off.

If you are using Windows 7, then first you will need to turn on the Bluetooth device and then look for it under Device Manager. It’s not uncommon to find the item marked with a yellow warning triangle, requiring you to right-click and update the driver.

t630-bottomWith these minor procedures behind us, turn the T630 belly-up, where you will discover three buttons. One is a channel-switch marked “1” and “2”. This allows you to pair the mouse with two different computers and move back and forth by simply toggling the little switch one position to the other. Choose the side you wish to begin with and then flip the on-off switch to “on” – it will now show green as opposed to the previous red.

Lastly, press the tiny button marked “connect” and turn the device right-side-up. At this point you should see a tiny pin-prick of light shining from a hole near the top-rear of the mouse – a spot so small you really can’t see it until it suddenly lights up. This will blink a blue color as it searches and turn solid one it has paired with your PC. After a few seconds it will go out. You are now connected and the mouse should work immediately.

If you do not see any light during this process then the mouse may need to be charged. It works with Micro USB and you will find the port on the bottom, near the rear end. A small cable ships with the T630, but today’s phone charging cords can also be used. The light will come on, this time in green, as the mouse charges. When the light is out then the device is fully charged.

Using the T630

As previously noted, the top surface of the peripheral is smooth, but the buttons are still present, though the clicking action, which is still audible, is actually carried out on the bottom of the device. Both left and right are located in the same positions as on any typical mouse.

Scroll wheel functionality is located in the center, just ahead of the Logitech logo. Click once to enable and again to disable.

t630-topThis peripheral also has several gestures that make it simple to use. For instance, while many of us are used to a scroll wheel, you may find scrolling up and down a page easier on the T630 Touch Mouse by simply swiping a finger towards the rear of the mouse for page down and towards the front for page up.

If you are using Windows 8 then you will encounter two additional handy gestures – swipe in from the right to access the Charms menu or in from the left side for the list of open apps. A slower swiping motion allows for side-to-side scrolling of a wide page.

Finally, tap two fingers simultaneously near the center of the mouse to gain easy access to the Start button, though this may be a Windows 7-only option, as it did not seem to work under Windows 8.1, which does have a Start button, though it’s less functional than its ancestor.

Final Conclusion

I should preface this by telling you that the Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630 is likely not for everyone. Users with large hands, for instance, may experience problems. In fact, despite that my hands are pretty average, using this mouse took some getting used to – it, at first, practically felt as if there was nothing at all under my hand. I came from a Logitech M185, which is a typically shaped mouse, though smaller than a standard “desktop size” mouse. The T630 dwarfs it.

When it comes to functionality, the Logitech device contains everything you expect from a basic mouse — left and right buttons and a scroll wheel. But it comes with several useful bonus features, such as swipe scrolling (a feature we’re all used to from today’s mobile devices) and easy access to the Windows 8 side menus.

Setup is also simple enough for any user – the Bluetooth links up to the computer with no hassle and adding a second paired device is just as easy. An on-off button allows you to save on battery when the peripheral isn’t in use, and recharging the battery can be done anywhere thanks to micro USB compatibility.

If I had to give you one complaint about the T630 then it would be sensitivity. Namely that the little device has too much of it. I find that the slightest movement of my finger has me scrolling down a page when I am not expecting to do so.

The bottom line here is that the Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630, which has just gone on sale for $69.99, is a great mouse, providing you can adapt to using such a tiny device. For those just looking for an easy fit in a travel bag, as opposed to daily use, it excels, but may be a bit pricey for limited use scenarios.


Logitech releases M560 mouse for Windows 8



We are only days from the release of Windows 8.1, the successor to the much-maligned operating system that Microsoft pushed out to customers this time last year. As you all likely know by now, even if you haven’t used it, there is much that is different in Windows 8, such as the Charms menu.

To go along with these changes, new devices have been popping up. Logitech has been one of the leaders, producing mice that use gestures to call up these features. Recently, I have been using one of these peripherals, in the form of a Logitech T630, which is a small travel-size mouse.

Now the company is releasing a desktop version tagged the M560. “Whether you’re a righty or a lefty, use a fingertip or palm grip, its deep sculpted contours and soft rubber grip keep your hand comfortable, even after hours of scrolling, searching and clicking”, Logitech announces today.

logitech m560

The M560 features a Windows 8 menu button that sits behind the scroll wheel for one-touch access to the functions you use most, including the Apps Switch and Charms Bar, while two customizable thumb buttons allow you to switch from the traditional Windows desktop and apps to the new, full-screen Windows 8 interface. These thumb buttons can also be customized.

The Logitech M560 is on sale now, retailing for $39.99 and comes in your choice of black or silver.


Logitech unveils Special Edition Logitech Touch Keyboard K400 in White



Logitech has recently been releasing a line of new slim keyboards with built-in mouse pads. The latest in that line is the brand new K400 Touch Keyboard, which now comes in a limited edition white version.

The special edition keyboard boasts all the features you are used to in the traditional Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400, including a built-in touchpad, long range wireless and plug-and-play connectivity, only now available in a bright white color.

While the keyboard can certainly be used on the desktop, the keyboard layout is also optimized for the living-room environment — it’s compact, and gives you direct access to media and entertainment keys. The keyboard even stores vertically, making it easy to put away when not in use.

The special edition Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 in white is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe this September for a suggested retail price of $39.99 and GNC is attempting to get a review unit, so stay tuned.

logitech k400 white


WD My Passport Edge drive — the good and bad



If you are looking for a small, portable hard drive for your laptop then there are several choices on the market and hard drive prices continue to reach new lows. The one I settled on, mainly because of a price deal, was the WD My Passport Edge. The stipulation was that I was buying a drive that specifically said “for Mac”. There is a version that is not labeled this way, and is generally the same price, but at the moment of my purchase the Mac one was cheaper. No problem since, after all, a hard drive is a hard drive, right?

wd my passport edge

The Good

With 500 GB of storage, the little USB drive packs plenty of extra space into its enclosure. When I say “little” I mean that quite literally, as the dimensions are 4.4 x 3.4 x 0.4 inches and 4.6 ounces. In addition to the sleek design, the drive also is USB 3.0 (backward compatible of course) and comes with pre-installed software to work with Apple Time Machine.

The Bad

I am sure the Apple software is great, but I purchased with for Windows, and there is a process that needs to be carried out to make that work. That pre-installed software blocks Windows access.

As I plugged in the drive, I heard the familiar USB connection chime, but a trip to Explorer showed no extra drive. Normal trouble-shooting resulted in the same thing — I unplugged and re-plugged, switched ports and the like, all to no avail. A trip to device manager showed the drive, no problem. A PC reboot also produced all of these same results.

It turns out you will need to open Explorer and right-click on Computer (“This PC” if you are running Windows 8.1) and choose “Manage”.

Now, locate the WD My Passport drive — the simplest way is to unplug the drive while watching the console. Pay attention to which one disappears. Then plug it back in and again and pay attention to see which drive appears (it should be the same). Likely you will find it listed as “Disk 1”.

Move to the lower pane and right-click on the WD. Choose “New Simple Volume” — wording may vary based on Windows version. During this setup process you will be prompted to enter a volume name — I simply named it “WD My Passport”. If you choose none then the drive will be named “new volume”. You also must choose a drive letter, but the default should be fine (F in my case). You can always go back and right-click the drive later and rename it or change the drive letter.

Conclusion

The above steps fix the problem, and now you have a small and elegant looking hard drive that will easily fit in a pocket and holds 500 GB of data. For the price, this drive can not be beat, but setup is a bit of a trick.


Microsoft introduces new Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 Artist Editions



microsoft 3500 mouseMicrosoft has always been labeled as a software company, and there is some reason for that — mainly Windows and Office. But when the company introduced the Surface tablet, it was not the first foray into hardware. Many people tend to forget that Microsoft produces some of the most popular hardware on the planet in the Xbox and Kinect. It has also long built excellent mice and keyboards, used by many businesses around the world.

Today Microsoft announced six new versions of its popular 3500 model wireless mouse. All of the new editions are a part of the Artist Series. Dana McClure, Deanne Cheuk, Kustaa Saksi, Matt Lyon, Joy Deangdeelert Cho and Si Scott all contributed to this latest line of peripheral devices.

Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc tells us “each mouse features a snap-in nano USB transceiver, BlueTrack Technology and a two-color battery light indicator”.

The line will be available soon and retail for a reported $29.95 U.S. You will be able to grab one from both Microsoft online and brick and mortar stores, as well as other retail locations, which the company did not specify.