How To: Installing a New Hard Disk Drive

It's that time of year again, we've all gotten fatter, rolled around in hoards of paper and sung ridiculous carols far out of pitch.


All that remains it to spend that hard-gifted cash on exciting new tech, or setup the hardware on your list given to you by the braver technophobes of your family.


First off, in what will hopefully encompass a great range of How-To's, I'll be explaining in full pictorial form how to install your latest SATA HDD. Brilliant for storing all those new games you got, or downloading the from Steam with all that new-found cash. Or for storing endless legal movies, given by generous friends and family.


Click the read on to expand the realms of your PC's storage...

Christmas Present 101 - Teen, Budget

Okay, so not everyone can afford a band new Macbook Air for their teens.

So we've decided on the cheaper alternative to that, if you don't have £850 at your disposal then we've found something similar which will get you just as much love -
so how about a new Apple iPod touch ?


The new iPod Touch combines everything media like.
- They can sync all their music
- Sync Photos
- Download Movies
- And take it all everywhere they go..


And if your struggling for stocking fillers, then chuck in a couple of iTunes vouchers, available at most newsagents or the Apple store.


And with the App Store, they'll forget that it was their only present...


Get links after the Break ....

Christmas Present 101 - Teen, Splash out

Our first recommended present for a teen is Apple's MacBook Air. 

With slick lines and clean corners, this is an Apple design any teen would be proud to own.


Whether it's for browsing the web for homework, revision, music, and movies - the MacBook Air is more than capable.


Integration with last years iPod/iPhone presents comes naturally, as does creation of any new material. Maybe your son/daughter is studying for A-levels, needs a laptop for AS/A2 work now, and you think they might as well have their own as they'll be off for uni next year anyway - why not let them do it in style?!


It's not just about style though, or at least - the style has other benefits - the resale value of MacBooks is far higher than other notebook brands.


So do the right thing, buy your son or daughter a new laptop of their own this christmas - their exam success depends on you...


Specs and store links after the read more link.

Windows Phone 7 launch

There are three device manufacturers supporting Microsoft with it's new mobile OS - Windows Phone 7 - at launch, HTC, Samsung, and LG.


HTC is bringing the HD7 to the party, an HD2 style device, but running WP7. They've also cooked up the 7 Mozart, and 7 Trophy (Think original Desire).


Samsung brings us the Omnia 7, while LG brings the Optimus 7 to the table.


Using "7" to distinguish WP7 devices is certainly a recurring theme... I struggle, however, to see it continuing, or if it does to be a success and confusion free.


All the aforementioned launch devices are capacitive touch screen, slate, slab, call them what you will devices - with no variation on form factor just yet, other than the US' HTC Surround, which has a slide-out speaker, no keyboard, just a slide-out speaker... I can't see that form factor sticking.


If WP7 is what you've been waiting for, head on past the break for some pics of these badboy devices.

Amazon slashes prices for this years Black Friday Sale

Once again, Amazon have cut their prices for Black Friday (which, to some peoples confusion, spans the week).


You need to keep an eye on the site however, as deals come and go. If you spot a deal you want to buy, make up your mind and act fast! Too many times I've delayed it and ended up with the offer ending and the product reverting to double the off price...


So take a sour guys advice, hit up the store links below.


Amazon UK

Amazon US

Mac Mini loses a few pounds...

Apple's cheapest Mac offspring - the Mini - has had it's price cut by £50 in the UK, but remains static in the US. This may play tribute to the current economy, or it may be Apple just poking and laughing, whatever the cause if you're in Europe and have fancied yourself a Mac Mini before now, it seems like a good time.


If you've not sought after one anyway, well a £50 drop to £599 probably isn't enough to make you rush out for one. But hey, it's your money.

Apples Keynotes

Its a well Known fact that Apple refresh the iPod range every September, like fine, aluminium, overpriced Swiss watches might. And this September was a good'n. To the point, this year, Apple went crazy... radically redesigned Nano, Cross bread Shuffle and the crown jewels..... the iPod touch was upgraded massively! Apple even made an attempt at 'social networking for music' with the new iTunes 10 and 'Ping'.

Want to space/noise save with the new Xbox 360? Good luck..

The 360 is not "slim". But I said that in our first post about the new 'box - so what else is new? Well, as you can see clearly here, in a picture from Engadget, it is no all that much shorter either. I'd call an inch, maybe plus a half  with the originals' HDD.


But guess what? Engadget are also reporting that it's about 1/2 an inch deeper than the original too - so there really will be little to no space saving going on.


Microsoft's claim to "whisper-quiet" has also been put to the test, when playing a game (and that is what it's for, right?) they've said it's no quieter than the original, with a very prominent low humming noise.


So in short, it's not smaller, it's not quieter, but it does look beast (in the good way) and for £199, why not if your looking for an Xbox. If you buy it, use it vertically though. It looks so much better side on than from the front like the shot above, I reckon. I can't believe the designers ever looked at that angle in the front plate, actually from the front.

Review - MacBook Pro

Okay, so I must've had my Macbook for almost a week now. I ordered it from Amazon and it arrived 3 days later with no hiccups. I ordered the 13" MacBook Pro with 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB RAM and a 250GB HDD.


Head on past the break for the full review.

Review - HTC Desire

So I have had this device for probably a month or so now, it is my first fully fledged Android device, I did a bit of dabbling with a few android ports for a WinMo device, but thats another story that I may treat you to some other time.


Head on past the break for the full review.

Confused about Google TV?

 Confused about what exactly Google TV is?

Allow Google to clear that one right up for ya.

Enigma Tech Podcast - Episode 2

The second podcast is finally here, after a month of painful waiting!

Join Ollie and Pat on a wondrous adventure of the techno-verse. All the latest topics in consumer technology and gadgetry covered.

Excitment held within...

Subscribe on iTunes!!!

PlayStation busts a Move

Make room Microsoft! PlayStation Move just rolled into town. An accessory for the PS3, Move will attempt to perform the tricks we associate with the Wii - and it'll do so fairly well, if of course you trust those Engadgety editors when they got an exclusive on the Show.

Microsoft announces new Xbox 360 ("Slim")!

Some news from Microsoft to counteract all the recent hype that Apple have had. Microsoft announced the new version of the current Xbox 360, it shares the same name as the predecessor but is a slimmer, well smaller, version.


It is covered in vents and is now shiny, black and more space-age or nerdy looking. And it included a massive 250Gb HDD and is not a standard hard drive so wont be inter-changeable but Microsoft will sell a connector too transfer your data from your old hard drive to the new one.

Apple Mac Mini gets a refresh

News just in: Mac Mini updates from Apple.

And I was not correct, although the upgrades are available it is not the same spec as the Macbook Pro, but does include a 2.4Ghz core 2 duo processor, 2gb Ram and a 320gb hard drive for the basic model... 

iPhone 4 - I'm a mac and it was my idea!

Ok, so first off - I called it. Everyone moaning about 'iPhone HD' or '4G' - HA!


Anyway - It's beautiful, but we knew that anyway, right?

• Video calling is through "FaceTime" app
• Rear cam records 720p @ 30fps
• LED flash
• Quadruple current resolution, with Anti-Aliasing (AA)
• 78% of the iPad's pixels, on a 3.5" screen
• IPS display!!! (That's good! Better than OLED. The tech in good desktop monitors even.)
• Gyroscope added!
• 6 axis control when all sensors are linked up
• iMovie for editing those HD recordings
• iBooks
• iOS 4 (Yep, it's been renamed!)
• White or Black - Colours add an extra $29
• $199 16GB, $299 32GB
• As usual, no Sterling (£) prices yet.

Pics after the break (Kudos to engadget for taking those, unfortunately we couldn't be at WWDC.)

Apple WWDC event 18:00 GMT - expecting iPhone 4 confirmation.

It's all kicking off nice and soon.

 

Hang tight folks, Steve Jobs is about to grace our screens in a black turtleneck sweater, jeans and "sneakers".

In just 11 minutes I'll be proved either a psychic, or wrong.

What're we expecting?

- iPhone confirmation (including name - I'm calling iPhone 4)

- Multitouch wireless track pad (Magic Pad?)

- Apple TV talk too presumably.

Update: I was right!! iPhone 4!

Gaming on MacBook Pro

Since Steam recently launched into the world of gaming for Mac, I decided that it needed checking out, so soon enough, "Left 4 Dead" and "Portal" were queued up for download. This was just something I couldn't miss out on.

Evo 4G hacked to run Android v2.2 "Froyo"

Yes, that is an HTC Evo 4G - all 4.3" of the beaut.


No, it's still not released - and no, neithers Froyo, Android version 2.2.










Yes, this is an unreleased beastphone running an unreleased version of Android. Suck it up, I'm still sour the UK has no 4G network, read: no Evo 4G.

Video after the break...

iPad hands on!

Well, as I'm sure you're all aware, Apple's iPad launched this Friday, and yesterday I spent some time playing around with one.




The very first thing I did was stroke the back, and say: "I want one". It is without a doubt a beautiful device, even by Apple's high standards. The build quality is extremely good, with a full metal casing like an MBP. That's an important point to note, as you can see in the pictures too, it's not a shiny scratchable surface like the iPods.

Apple TV no longer their "hobby"! iPhone look-a-like update leaked.

Engadget was tipped (and confirmed) that the new Apple TV is in the works, and looks very much like the iPhone [ED:3GS - not like the new one] it would seem from the limited info available that the main focus is on streaming, and thus capacities will be limited even more, from current 160GB to iPhone likening 16GB.


The much sought after 1080p will finally be available, and it'll run iPhone OS on the underworks (the skin over the top will clearly be more media based) instead of it's own variant on OSX like it currently does, on Apple's A4 chip.


Price will be (unofficial, remember) $99 - which will probably translate to around £85 regardless of exchange rate...


It is described as being small and iPhone like, with only a power socket and video out.

Medieval Total War 2

I recently purchased medieval total war 2 in the hopes of playing with my friend, but was disappointed to find the mulitplayer was..[ED] leaving much to be desired [/ED]. First off my friend and I could not find each others servers (it was direct connection to host no dedicated servers which was a let down in itself). Secondly if i did manage to connect to a game the connection was horrible, due to said servers. Very dissapointing but I suppose the single play makes up for it...

Apple MacBook upgrades go official -

Following the recent Macbook Pro upgrades, Apple have confirmed the Apple Macbook refresh. In the States at least, and they are expected to roll out internationally soon. And it seems as though, whilst this post was in production they updated the UK site too!

This is reported after a leak from a supplier, showing an image of the side of the shipping boxes stating the content (the upgraded Macbook) was released a few days ago.

Sky+HD boxes - World Cup limited edition 1TB.

At last, a major player in the UK is acknowledging the need for more storage space in DVR's. Maybe soon we'll get more tan two tuners -_- or is that going a bit too far maybe?


BSkyB has announced Sky+HD Limited Edition (for the world cup) boxes, which unfortunatly come in gaudy football related flavours, for just £249 - bargain... 


What they think you'll do when the 'cups over I don't know. Go back to your old box because you didnt really need 2< tuners, 320GB< anyway? 


 (Hit the read on for the summary of my mood.) 

Enigma Tech Podcast - Episode 1

The first podcast is finally here!

Join Ollie and Pat on a wondrous adventure of the techno-verse. All the latest topics in consumer technology and gadgetry covered.

Excitment held within...

Subscribe on iTunes!!!

Custom laptop computers: The Sony vs Apple showdown.

After the recent upgrades to the MacBook Pro - and a quick glance at the Sony website - I'm disappointed. Both sites offer customisable laptops (expensive ones, but customisable) and to be honest I'm uncertain who to side with.


Amazingly, Sony's prices seem higher than Apple's but in my eyes they offer more: Blu-ray disc drives, and a more widely understood Operating System.




[Fordy:]Mac's however, appeal to many. Not only for their still astounding looks, but OS X is superior in many ways to it's MicroSoft counterpart. Students, assuming they can afford it, will almost without fail choose an MBP, especially if they are on an Audio or Video related course, where Mac OS' really start to shine.


Concluded after the break - hit read on.[/Ed]

Steam jumps in a Portal and appears on Mac and Linux - OpenGL fun all round

Steam, the games client that was, until today, limited to Windows has been launched for Mac and Linux too.


Now remember, it's only running OpenGL games, and seeing as most are made for DirectX it's going to be a long time until you can get your all-important fix of Call of Duty or tear up a few tracks on GRID, on your Mac. (Without Bootcamp, or other VM for all you wise guys..)


Downloads on the full post,

UK pricing released for iPad

I was a bit slow off the mark with this one, but Apple have finally released UK pricing for the iPad and have set a new release date as well - the 28th of May, hopefully of this year! 


And the prices are here too, the WiFi models start with the 16gb at £429 and the most expensive being the 3G + WiFi 64gb at just off £700.

Considering that its the one of the first "next-gen" tablets to come to the market, the prices are fairly reasonable, but is still more expensive than I expected - although my predictions were using a mix between currency converters and what I thought apple could get away with. To see more information visit www.apple.com/uk/ipad/.

iPhone 4G does run off Apple's A4 - like the iPad

It's been confirmed (via Tinh té) that the new, much leaked, iPhone 4G/HD will sport Apple's Samsung manufactured, in-house designed A4 SoC  (System on Chip) - microprocessor. 


I expect, however, that they have underclocked it, in order to gain better battery life, in line with what Steve Jobs was saying at the OS 4 event back in April.


Video + Pics on the full post.

Microsoft confirm Project Natal to launch in October

Microsoft have confirmed what had already been on the Twittermill for months, and good 'ol Wossy leaked a while back too.


That is, Project Natal, MS answer to the Wii, and in my opinion a much better one than the Playstation Move (Athough in action it does look fantastic, check out Engadget's exclusive hands-on)


See below for the phone call with MS' Marketing Manager for Saudi.  

Droid Does Rubix Cube. In 24secs - on a Lego rig.

Wow. In a word, just wow.


Not only have they created a pretty sweet Lego rig to actually carry out the mechanics of the operation, they've also done all the programming stuff to get the Droid running the algorithms, and combined the two for a pretty nifty time of 24.02 seconds to solve a Rubix Cube.


Watch the awesome video after the break.

Intel set to replace 1156 and 1366 sockets in 2011 - already...

Just brilliant isn't it?


You bought your lovely new i# system, or were saving up for one, and BOOM, there's Intel, ready to ditch you and beg for more money.




The practically new sockets are being replaced by the 1155, and 2011 sockets - codename Sandy Bridge.


I know, really taking the mick... Hit the read on for more info.

Intel's Marketing Mishaps. CPU lineup explained.

Many of us are lost amidst i3's, i5's, i7's, Bloomfields, Gulftowns, Lynnfields, Clarkdales, varying socket numbers, and ever more confused when they all combine together, and it's not even a one-for-one situation.

So I thought I'd take the time to stick up a diagram, that might explain it a bit better. Hit the read on to see it.

Latest iPhone update leaked - iPhone 4G? HD?

Ok, so I should have posted on this sooner, after all, it has been a couple of weeks. I'm sorry. But I wanted to let the madness die down a little, and see what more came out.


In the early twitter hours of the devices leakage it was crazy, so much speculation.


- I recommend you follow @engadget @joshuatopolsky @reckless @bxchen and of course myself, @94fordy and @Enigma_Tech -


I can't express quite how good-looking a device it is, you really need to visit Giz's gallery for the best possible impression. (Although all credit to Engadget for the picture used in this post).


Hit up the "Read on" link for the full break down of how this story came about, Gizmodo's acquisition and of course most importantly what we know about the phone.