Touchscreen devices have an onscreen keyboard out of necessity. While most users prefer a physical keyboard and the feedback it provides to the fingers, many also prefer the compact design of a device with no hardware keyboard. Thus, the onscreen keyboard is a compromise, as it gets the job done, but is generally considered inferior to a hardware keyboard.

IBM has recently filed a patent for a morphing touchscreen keyboard interface that would be used in touchscreen devices. This patent could shake up the way users currently use onscreen keyboards, and may actually make onscreen keyboards preferable to hardware keyboards for some users.

The new technology would implement an onscreen keyboard that adapts to a user’s typing style. For example, if the user wishes to type with a hand shape that is more like an ergonomic keyboard, the onscreen keyboard would reposition to compensate. If a user tends to hold a certain finger in a non-standard position, the onscreen keyboard would compensate for this as well.

The implications of this type of technology could be far-reaching when it comes to touchscreen devices. As touchscreen interfaces become more and more popular, onscreen keyboards could begin to adapt more to the human being than the human being must adapt to the keyboard. This could be the start of a future where devices learn each user’s intricacies and adapts and changes to make itself easier and more enjoyable to use.

SCSI

SCSI stands for Small Computer System Interface and used a parallel cable to attach both internal and external devices. One of the benefits of SCSI interfaces is that multiple devices could be chained together to a single port. Another benefit is that the interface includes features like error checking and hand shake signals between devices.

IDE

IDE stands for Integrated Drive Electronics and refers more to the standard than the cable type itself. The technology is also often referred to as ATA or PATA. ATA cables can only be up to 18 inches in length and are fairly large and flat, which makes them a poor choice for external devices, so the interface is mainly used for internal devices. The cable uses a combination of 40 or 80 wires in parallel.

SATA

SATA stands for Serial ATA and is an evolution of the original ATA (or IDE) interface. The SATA interface is faster in speed, at up to 3GB/s. Another major benefit of the interface is that the cables and connectors are much smaller, taking up less space inside a computer case and not restricting less air flow. There is an external version of SATA known as eSATA for connecting external hard drives and other devices.

Interface cables have improved quite a bit over the years, but the basic concept of input and output has remained mainly the same. New interfaces such as Thunderbolt have added even faster transfer speeds and taken some of the benefits from multiple technologies to make an improved connection.

Quality

Brands known for their quality include Mushkin, Crucial, Corsair, OCZ, Micron, and Kingston. They generally produce high-quality memory with fewer errors and better reliability. Sticking with these major brands will generally result in few problems.

Warranty and Returns

If a problem does arise, most of the major manufacturers are fairly quick to respond. Kingston and Crucial especially have made a name for themselves with their solid warranty policies and fast return and replacement procedures when a memory module fails.

Compatibility

With so many types, sizes, and configurations of memory modules on the market, it can be difficult to figure out what exactly is needed in your computer. Most manufacturers offer tools for determining compatibility, but Crucial has designed a particularly helpful tool that can detect your machine and help you find the most compatible memory with only a few clicks.

Price

There is generally only a small difference in price between the major manufacturers when it comes to similar memory modules, but Kingston and OCZ often position themselves at a lower price point than the competition. The performance of their memory modules is not always totally on par with more expensive options, but for a lower price, they provide most of the performance, which makes for better value, especially for bargain shoppers.

In summary, it is difficult to crown a clear winner in the race to be named the best memory manufacturer. Buyers who want the lowest price may want to consider Kingston or OCZ, while buyers who want reliability and a solid warranty might be drawn to Crucial. Truly, memory modules from any of the major manufacturers listed should provide solid performance and you can rest assured that the company stands behind their products.

DRAM

DRAM (dynamic random access memory) distinguished itself from earlier SRAM (static RAM) in that it used a transistor and capacitor to store its data, and it is the basis for most modern types of RAM.

SDRAM

SDRAM (synchronous DRAM) was one of the earliest types of RAM to come in separate sticks that could be replaced, as earlier memory types were part of the motherboard. The modules operated at 3.3 volts and used 168 pins to transfer data.

Rambus (RDRAM)

Rambus was a technology used by Intel from 1999 to 2003. It offered better performance than current solutions at the time due to the fact that the memory could read and write on the rise and fall of a clock cycle, effectively doubling its throughput. The technology never became widely mainstream and was replaced by other options.

DDR, DDR2, etc.

DDR SDRAM (double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM) is an improvement on the original SDRAM technology. The technology has the ability to read and write on the rise and fall of the clock cycle, similar to Rambus, and has continued to evolve to faster clock rates and better performance over many years. The original DDR standard was replaced by DDR2, DDR3, etc. but none of the standards are backward-compatible, making it impossible to use older memory in new computers.

Memory technologies have continued to improve and evolve since the dawn of computing, and there is no reason to think they will stop any time soon. As more and more computers move to solid-state drives instead of platter-based drives, the performance bottlenecks are improved, meaning faster and better-performing RAM may be needed again soon.

Price

One of the ways that AMD has usually had an edge over Intel is price. AMD chips tend to be less expensive than Intel chips, and AMD offers a broader line of budget-priced chips that are popular with manufacturers such as Dell when designing low-cost machines. Intel generally offers more performance for an equivalent price, but the overall low price of AMD processors makes them appealing for budget shoppers.

Speed

When the early battle between AMD and Intel began to heat up, the companies were competing for the fastest speeds, generally measured in megahertz. At that time, whichever manufacturer could boast the fastest speed in megahertz would sell more chips. This is less of a factor today as multiple cores and caches tend to affect the performance more than the rated speed of a processor.

Cores and Architecture

Most modern processors contain more than one core, and each core can run its own processes, acting like multiple processors in one. Both AMD and Intel offer multiple cores, but Intel’s new Sandy Bridge architecture and processors that can support up to 16 cores take the lead in innovation. AMD tends to be somewhat behind the innovations that Intel creates.

Summary

Overall, both AMD and Intel processors provide a solid computing experience. Buyers who wish to save money may opt for the lower price of AMD processors, but they will sacrifice some performance. Buyers who want the fastest performance and the newest technological innovations may opt for Intel, but they will pay a premium.

Interface

Android uses an interface very similar to the iPhone, with “widgets” making up the home screen instead of icons. Windows Phone 7, however, uses a fairly unique concept called “live tiles” that improves on both ideas somewhat. Both interfaces are fairly easy to use and you can customize many aspects of the home screen, unlike iOS devices.

Browsers

Both operating systems have excellent browsers, but Windows Phone 7 lacks support for Flash or HTML5, making it difficult to view or navigate around many websites. Although Android’s support of Flash can sometimes be problematic, it is available, and its HTML5 support is well-designed.

Multi-Tasking

One of the early gripes about the iPhone is that it did not support multi-tasking, that is, running multiple applications at once. Android’s multi-tasking support seems to have been a priority from the very beginning, and it is well-implemented. Windows Phone 7 is able to pause an application before switching, but it does not yet have true multi-tasking support. Android’s multi-tasking often comes at the cost of lower battery life, however.

Overall, both Android and Windows Phone 7 are excellent operating systems that offer most of the same features and functionality. Android’s open nature and head start make it a more mature operating system currently, but Windows Phone 7 is hot on its heels and making improvements all the time. If Flash and HTML5 support are important to you, you may wish to use Android, but both operating systems provide an enjoyable experience on your mobile device.

Speed

Fast browsing speeds is probably the #1 determining factor for many users. We all want pages to load as quickly as possible and many users may have switched to Chrome when test began to show that it was faster than its competition. According to Zahi Point’s browser speed tests, Chrome still comes out on top, with Mozilla’s Firefox browser at a close second.

Navigation and Bookmarking

Another important factor for any web browser is ease of navigation. Users must be able to navigate to pages quickly and find information without struggling with the interface. Chrome’s minimalistic interface design makes it easy to focus on what’s important without distractions, and bookmarking is fast and simple.

Add-ons and Extensions

One of the factors that kept many Firefox users from switching to Chrome when it was first introduced was its lack of extensions. Chrome now fully supports extensions and is beginning to catch up to Firefox in functionality, though many users still stick with Firefox because their favorite extensions are not yet available.

Security

With so many viruses and other malware floating around the web, it is important to have a browser that is very secure. The Chrome browser was recently named the second most secure browser behind, surprisingly, Internet Explorer 9. Nevertheless, you can rest assured that security is a priority for the Chrome team.

Overall, the Chrome browser has come a long way since its introduction only a few years ago. It has since grown into a very mature browser with excellent cross-platform support. Its minimalistic design is refreshing, and its fast rendering speeds should put it on anyone’s short list of the best browsers.

The new iMac sports the same design as the last update, with an aluminum construction and glossy screen. The 27 inch model measures 20.4 inches by 25.6 inches by 8.15 inches (HWD) so it will take up a fair amount of space on a desktop, but is small footprint makes things feel uncluttered, as does the wireless keyboard and mouse. The machine weighs around 30 pounds, making it fairly easy to move around.

Under the hood is a 2.7 GHz Intel quad-core i5 processor in the base model, or a 3.1 GHz processor for the upgraded model. The upgraded model also includes an AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics processor with 1 GB of memory versus the 512 MB of memory in the 6770M processor for the base model. The difference between the models won’t be very noticeable for the average user who uses does mainly web-surfing and iLife applications, but gamers and pro users may find that the upgraded machine is powerful enough to take the place of a higher-end Mac Pro.

In addition to the large upgrades, Apple has made many smaller upgrades as well. The iMac now includes Thunderbolt ports, allowing it to take advantage of Apple and Intel’s newest technology for faster data transfer with external hard drives and other peripherals. Apple also offers numerous customization options including SSD drives that can significantly boost performance. Most of the upgrades do come at a premium, however.

Buyers who want the Mac experience but don’t want a notebook should almost certainly consider the new iMacs. With the new upgrades to the lineup, however, gamers and pros may start to consider the iMac as well, rather than going for the more expensive Mac Pro.

With so many manufacturers now offering tablets as the ultimate portable computing solution, Sony’s P Series is a bit of a departure, but for those who still want a physical keyboard; it could be a much better choice. The P Series also utilizes Windows 7 Home Premium, which is good news for those who find Apple’s iOS or the Google Android platform of many tablets to be a bit limiting. The inclusion of Windows 7 can be a bit of a downside, however, as the machine tends to be a bit sluggish, with only a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor powering it.

Hardware-wise, the P also includes 2 GB of RAM and a 64 GB SSD for storage. The SSD provides faster boot times and probably helps overall performance in quite a few ways, as Windows 7 would undoubtedly run much slower if the machine included a standard hard drive.

In addition to the small keyboard, users can navigate with the pointing stick, located at the center of the keyboard. There is also a touchpad built into the right side of the screen bezel, however, and two click buttons on the left. This means that users are intended to cradle the screen portion with a hand on either side when navigating around the screen. While this is somewhat non-traditional, it tends to work well, but compared to the touch screen interfaces of most tablets making their way to the market, it remains to be seen if users will take to this new interface.

Overall, the Sony Vaio P-Series is a solid offering that will appeal to those who want a very portable device that runs a full-featured version of Windows. Its very small screen and somewhat non-intuitive interface may turn some buyers away, however.

Computers with Thunderbolt ports are capable of connecting to up to seven devices by daisy-chaining devices together. The system can even support connecting up to two high-resolution displays using the port. The ports will eventually support up to a 100 Gbit/s transfer rate, though their current iteration is limited to around 20 Gbit/s.

Apple’s implementation of Thunderbolt came as somewhat of a surprise. Many were expecting an all-new port and cable design, but instead, Thunderbolt is designed around Apple’s existing Mini DisplayPort, which was previously used as a connection only for external monitors. The design makes sense, however, as Thunderbolt can support monitors and other devices at once, with only a single port required. This makes it especially appealing to computer manufacturers, as it could mean fewer ports in the future, and therefore lower manufacturing costs and fewer design limitations.

Many have criticized Apple for not supporting the USB 3.0 standard in its newer models, but Thunderbolt has the potential to be much faster and more robust, especially as USB is a host-driven technology, meaning its speed can be limited by the speed of the host. In theory, Thunderbolt could provide around four times the throughput of USB 3.0, and its ability to connect multiple devices to a single port gives it a significant advantage over USB as well. Apple has certainly made a strong choice in choosing Thunderbolt over USB 3.0, and only time will tell if this choice will pay off for both Apple and Intel in the coming years.