We’re giving away an iPad pre-loaded with a one-year subscription to LogMeIn, and you could be a winner. LogMeIn allows you to use your iPad to access your work or home desktop from anywhere.
iPad not your style? We’re also giving away an HP Pavilion g4, which we awarded an Editors’ Choice award for its great audio, wide viewing angles, good looks and comfortable keyboard. To enter visit our Facebook page, Like us and then click on the LAPTOP Sweepstakes tab to enter. Plus, everyone who enters wins a free digital subscription to LAPTOP Magazine.
So far we have given away a Case Logic NVA-216 laptop case, several ZAGGsparqs and BitDefender Antivirus software downloads and many 1GB LAPTOP USB drives. We’ll be giving more of the same away in the coming weeks as well as an Amazon Kindle Fire and a Roku box. Grand prizes will be drawn on April 27th, 2012.
LAPTOP Magazine: The Pulse of Mobile Technology
Tags: Facebook, ipad, Loaded, LogMeIn, Sweepstakes
Earlier today, Facebook issued a strong rebuke to employers who require that applicants disclose their account login information. In a statement posted on the company website, Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan not only stated that the practice violates the company’s terms of service, but also posited that employers could be subjecting themselves to lawsuits by demanding access to users’ private updates.
“This practice undermines the privacy expectations and the security of both the user and the user’s friends,” she wrote. “It also potentially exposes the employer who seeks this access to unanticipated legal liability.”
Egan said that employers could be accused of discrimination if they fail to hire an applicant after seeing private information about an applicant such as his age. She also posited that most employers do not have proper protections in place to ensure that any information they find doesn’t leak and warned that, if HR managers see evidence of illegal activity in the private account, they would be legally required to report it.
“I believe that in the future employers will be seeing discrimination suits, wrongful discharge suits, negligent hiring claims, and more as a result of employers checking potential employee backgrounds online,” said management and organization development consultant Susan Heathfield, who has been covering human resources issues for About.com since 2000.
Heathfield said that employers need to establish social media policies that address public disclosure of company secrets, but should not pry into applicants’ private accounts. Considering that it’s illegal for employers to ask about a job seeker’s age, race, country of origin, family, or health, employers could face discrimination when they find the answers to all those questions in applicants’ Facebook accounts.
Just imagine an applicant who posts that she’s pregnant in a private Facebook post and then doesn’t get the job she applied for after handing her password over to the hiring manager. She could file an discrimination suit or an EEOC claim against the employer, claiming that she wasn’t hired because of her medical condition.
Heathfield said that even responding to an EEOC claim can be a costly and time-consuming process as employers must produce documentation for every aspect of the hiring process that resulted in the claimant not getting the job, from written interview observations to notes explaining why each applicant was or was not invited to an interview. Since few companies keep such detailed records, they could end up in even deeper trouble when they’re not able to hand over this paperwork.
“An EEOC charge, whether an employer is guilty or not, is time consuming and a horrible experience for an employer,” Heathfield said.
Image credit: Shutterstock / Wavebreak Media
- Top 6 Facebook Annoyances and How to Fix Them
- Facebook Stands Up for Job Applicants’ Privacy
- 40 Essential Facebook Tips
LAPTOP Magazine: The Pulse of Mobile Technology
Tags: Employers, Face, Facebook, Legal, over, Snooping, Troubles
Resumen en español al final del artículo
After Archos announced its 9 ChildPad last week I did a bit of research to see which other products had recently been introduced in this space. It didn’t take long until I stumbled across this 70-second YouTube clip which shows off an Intel “Learning Series” tablet running Android:
Photo via duckrobot.com
Thanks to Google Translate I was also able to understand most of what the corresponding article had to say about the unit. The key specifications certainly look quite interesting:
- Display: 7″ with 1024 x 600 or 1200 x 600 resolution (the article mentions both resolutions but I’m tempted to believe that 1024 x 600 is correct)
- CPU: 1.2 GHz Z650 Atom (single core)
- RAM: unknown (though the sample shown in the YouTube video had 1GB)
- Cameras: 0.3MP (front) and 2MP (back)
- Weight: 550 grams
- Dimensions: 13.5 x 20.7 x 1.65 cm
- I/O: 1x full-size USB, 1x 3.5mm audio-out, 1x HDMI, 1x MicroSD, 1x unknown (possibly a SIM card slot)
- Extras: WiFi, Accelerometer
- Options: Bluetooth, 3G
Aside of these technical specifications the big unknowns at this point are the availability and price of such a Classmate Tablet.
Interestingly the article also mentions that it felt like the tablet had been designed for use with Windows 7 (also indicated by a corresponding sticker visible on one of the photos) as the experience in Android 3.2 Honeycomb apparently wasn’t very smooth.
In any case there’s no doubt in my mind that unless the price were outrageous such an Intel Classmate Tablet has the potential to become a strong competitor for OLPC’s XO 3.0. After all Intel claims that it has distributed more than 6 million Classmate PCs since 2007, more than twice the number of XO laptops which have been shipped so far.
Resumen en español: Despues de la introducción del Archos ChildPad la semana pasada me puse a buscar por otros productos parecidos. Dentro de poco tiempo encontré un video y articulo sobre el Intel Classmate Tablet. Las especificaciones son interesantes pero en este momento todavía no se sabe cuanto costará y cuando será disponible. En todo caso creo que a menos que el precio es exorbitante un producto parecido al cual que se mostró acá tiene el potencial de ser una competencia fuerte para el XO 3.0 de OLPC.
Tags: Android, Answer, Classmate, Intel's, Running, Tablet, This
Smartphone Madness Game 6: Motorola Droid 4 vs. LG Optimus 4X HD. Voting Ends 3/20 at 9 a.m. EST
Mar 19
2012
Your favorite basketball team may be out of the running, and that bracket might be ruined. But, this bracket is one you actually have a say in. Saturday morning the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx went down hard against the Nokia Lumia 900. Today game pits the Motorola Droid 4 against the LG Optimus 4X HD. Which will win is totally up to your votes in the poll below. Let’s meet the competitors.
The Editors’ Choice-winning Motorola Droid 4 offers a best-in-class physical keyboard. It also boasts smooth overall performance and fast 4G LTE speeds on Verizon Wireless’ network. Devotees to this 4th generation Droid will be rooting for its loud speaker, smooth video calling abilities and innovative trick-shot software such as Smart Actions, which runs scheduled tasks or changes system settings based on conditions you set; and Motocast, a service that lets you stream or copy files from your PC as long as its connected to the Web.
By contrast, the rookie LG Optimus 4X HD is largely unknown. We got our scouting report on this smartphone at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. Its announcement marked the first unveiling of a handset powered by Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 CPU. We know it will offer a brilliant 1280 x 720-pixel IPS display. At 8.9mm it’s incredibly slim. However, the company hasn’t used thinness as an excuse to skimp on battery life as it has included a 2,150 mAH battery on board. Running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the LG Optimus 4X HD also sports 16MB of internal memory, 1GB of RAM, an 8-MP back-facing camera and a 1.3-MP front facer. There’s no word yet on availability, but we believe it offers 4G LTE coverage.
So are you team Motorola or team LG? Vote now to show your school colors. The poll will only be open until Saturday, March 17th at 9 a.m. EST. Then check back on Monday, March 19th at 10 a.m. EST to vote in Game 7, when the HTC One X competes against the BlackBerry Bold 9900.
And visit again when the winner of this competition faces a fierce foe in the Nokia Lumia 710 on Friday, March 23 at 10:00 a.m. EST.
LAPTOP Magazine: The Pulse of Mobile Technology
Tags: 3/20, a.m., Droid, Ends, game, Madness, Motorola, Optimus, SmartPhone, Voting
SpoonFed Mobile Episode No. 1: The New iPad, Android Update Blues, and 5 Best Ultrabooks
Mar 19
2012
I’m happy to announce SpoonFed Mobile, a new video show dedicated to bringing you the best and worst in mobile tech each week. From my unique take on the hottest new gear and apps, to answering those burning questions, SpoonFed Mobile will keep you up to speed on everything mobile. This week, I’ll give you my impressions of the new iPad (and its 4G drawbacks). Plus, I delve into those incessant Android Ice Cream Sandwich delays and count down my five favorite Ultrabooks.
Over time, we’ll be adding all sorts of new segments, including interviews with top mobile executives, quick product test drives and more. So sit back and enjoy, and feel free to tell us what you’d like to see in future episodes.
LAPTOP Magazine: The Pulse of Mobile Technology
Tags: Android, best, Blues, Episode, ipad, Mobile, SpoonFed, Ultrabooks, Update
Resumen en español al final del artículo
Rwanda, which became home to the largest non-South American OLPC deployment in 2011, is continuing to push ahead with its previously mentioned plans to expand its project by another 100,000 XOs. A recent news article contained some interesting bits of information about the latest developments:
OLPC Rwanda classroom
“We will receive an additional 100,000 laptops in May 2012,” Nkubito Bakuramutsa, the OLPC Coordinator in the Ministry of Education told The New Times in an interview yesterday.
With regard to the significant infrastructure challenges which OLPC’s recent Rwanda Country Case Study mentioned it seems like good progress is being made, at least when it comes to electricity:
“For schools that are far from the grid, we are working closely with the project in charge of electricity rollout in the Ministry of Infrastructure to install solar energy. Closer to the grid, we are working with district officers and Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) to complete the connection of schools to the national grid,” he explained.
“This is an ongoing process, but for the current phase, we should have all selected OLPC schools connected to power by June 2012. The sector level deployment will see schools connected faster given the experience we developed in the first phase.”
On the education side of things Nkubito Bakuramutsa also mentioned that the project is currently deploying servers in schools which come pre-loaded with educational materials. When it comes to the all-important teacher training component there are also plans to almost double its reach:
OLPC Project has also trained 1,500 teachers and head of schools and is targeting a second round of training which will cover another 1,200.
If I got my Maths right and Rwanda’s overall student-teacher ratio is still close to 65:1 (as indicated in the aforementioned case study) then this should mean that the majority, though likely not all, teachers will have received some training after that second round.
So overall it sounds like Rwanda is on-track when it comes to gradually improving and expanding its OLPC project. At the same time I’m also hoping that over the coming months and years we’ll see some in-depth research efforts to evaluate the impact of the program on students, teachers, parents, and others.
Resumen en español: Ruanda es el proyecto más grande de OLPC fuera de América Latina y hace poco que anunció sus intenciones para comprar 100,00 XOs más para llegar a un total de 200,000 maquinas. Al inicio de esta semana un artículo contenía algunos datos interesantes sobre este proceso. Aparte de la compra de más laptops el proyecto también esta trabajando en asegurar que todas las escuelas que reciben XO cuentan con electricidad. Además en esta segunda etapa 1,200 maestros y directores reciberan una capacitación. Así en total suena que el proyecto esta haciendo un buen progreso. Al mismo tiempo espero que en los proximos meses y años vamos a ver unas evaluaciones detalladas sobre el impacto que el proyecto está teniendo en los alumnos, padres, maestros y otros.
If you want an ultraportable laptop that’s affordable but still easy on the eyes, the HP Pavilion dm1z — today’s deal of the day — is the way to go. The 11.6-inch laptop features an attractive design, weighs just 3.5 pounds and is only 0.8 inches thick. And with a 1.6-GHz processor and 4GB of RAM, it has enough power to handle everyday tasks with ease. Normally 9, the HP Pavilion dm1z is available for just 9 plus free shipping through a deal at LogicBUY.
When we reviewed the Pavilion dm1z, we gave it four out of five stars and an Editor’s Choice, praising it for its attractive design, excellent battery life, superior sound and comfortable keyboard. The laptop lasts up to 9.5 hours on a charge and is powered by a 1.6-GHz AMD processor, Radeon HD 6310M discrete-class graphics, and 4GB of RAM. For just more you can upgrade to an AMD Dual-Core Processor E-450 (1.65-GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) plus AMD Radeon HD 6320M discrete-class graphics.
Base specs: 1.6-GHz AMD E-300 Dual-core CPU; Radeon HD 6310M Graphics; 4GB RAM; 320GB HDD; 6-cell battery; 11.6″ LED BrightView LCD; 802.11n WiFi; Bluetooth; Windows 7 Home Premium
Automatic backlight dimming on the OLPC XO-1.75
Mar 17
2012
Resumen en español al final del artículo
Last week Martin Langhoff (OLPC Association’s Senior Software Architect and Technical Director) posted a short comment and photo over on Google+ describing his favourite XO-1.75 feature of the week. As it turns out OLPC added a light-sensor to the XO-1.75 and when the laptop detects that it’s in the sun it automatically dims the display’s backlight. Not only does this conserve power but it also exposes the display’s gorgeous and high-resolution reflective mode.
Needless to say that I had to try this right away and as you can see in the short video below I didn’t let the lack of sunlight get in my way.
Beyond this particular feature the XO-1.75 has generally impressed me in the short time I’ve had to play around with it. Contrary to what I wrote last June I now certainly am excited about this new hardware revision. It also seems like my remarks about the switch to an ARM processor only yielding a modest increase in battery life compared to the XO-1.5 were quite off. With the weather forecast promising nice spring weather I’m very tempted to see how long the battery lasts by working with the XO-1.75 in the park this weekend.
Resumen en español: En este vídeo corto les presento lo que Martin Langhoff (Arquitecto de Software y Director Técnico de la OLPC Association) llamó su característica favorita de la semana en cuanto al XO-1.75. Resulta que OLPC añadió un sensor de luz al XO-1.75 y cuando la maquina detecta que está en el sol atenúa la luz de la pantalla. Esto no sólo ahorra energía, sino también expone el modo reflexivo de la pantalla en toda su grandeza y alta resolución.
The death of dedicated physical buttons is killing Android phone usability. First smartphone vendors came for our keyboards, relegating QWERTY handsets to the low-end of the market while so-called “superphones” make you hunt and peck at virtual buttons on their touchscreens. Then dedicated camera buttons started to become an endangered species. Now, with Android 4.0, Google wants to replace the dedicated back / home / menu buttons below the screen with persistent icons that sit below all your apps. Fortunately, vendors are finally drawing a line in the sandwich.
At CES and Mobile World Congress, all the new Ice Cream Sandwich phones we saw had the same row of dedicated navigation buttons below their screens you see on Gingerbread, rather than the virtual set that appears on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the only Android 4.0 phone designed by Google. An Android rep told us that the company favors virtual buttons because they change position as you rotate the phone from portrait to landscape mode. Yet, from the HTC One X and One S, each of which has back, home and recent apps buttons at the bottom, to LG’s Optimus L7 phone with its circular physical home button and the unnamed Fujitsu Tegra 3 phone with its hard-plastic buttons, everyone’s ignoring Google’s advice.
Building buttons into the UI is a waste of precious screen real estate. On the Samsung Galaxy’s Nexus’s 1280 x 720 screen, the virtual button bar takes up a full 96 pixels or 7.5 percent of the available vertical space in portrait mode. That may not seem like much, but it could be the difference between seeing an extra photo on a web page or needing to scroll. When you combine that with a 54-pixel status bar that appears on every screen, you’re losing 11.7 percent of your screen, before you get to application-specific toolbars like the gigantic 98-pixel button row that appears at the bottom of your inbox in Gmail .
In landscape mode, the effects of this wasted real-estate are not quite as bad as the button strip cuts 85 pixels off the side of the screen while the status bar still trims 52 off the top. Still every pixel you lose hurts your usability by making you scroll.
“In theory, physical buttons are an attractive concept: they can save precious screen real estate,” Nielsen Norman Group Usability Expert Raluca Budiu told us. “You don’t need to bother with interface widgets for ‘Back’ and ‘Search’ on the screen, if you have dedicated physical buttons that do exactly that.”
Budiu said that, by removing physical buttons from Ice Cream Sandwich, Google is actually getting rid of a major usability faux pas, the ambiguous “menu” button that has so many different functions in earlier versions of Android. The problem, Budiu noted, is that buttons which look the same but have different purposes in different contexts can confuse the user. Fortunately, in Ice Cream Sandwich, the menu buttons are all built into the app itself, not into the three system-wide navigation buttons.
However, buttons like back and home which perform the same function in every app, work better with their own dedicated, physical spaces. By including discrete back, home and recent apps buttons, vendors are providing the same consistent experience you get with the button bar, but are providing a far superior usability experience that saves all-important pixels. If only, the HTCs and LGs of the world would take their new-found button-consciousness a step further and put physical keyboards and dedicated camera buttons on their high-end phones again.
Online Editorial Director Avram Piltch oversees the production and infrastructure of LAPTOP’s web site. With a reputation as the staff’s biggest geek, he has also helped develop a number of LAPTOP’s custom tests, including the LAPTOP Battery Test. Catch the Geek’s Geek column here every week or follow Avram on twitter.
- 10 Most Anticipated Smartphones
- Stop the War on Buttons
- Android Ice Cream Sandwich: What’s Cool, What’s Melted
LAPTOP Magazine: The Pulse of Mobile Technology
Tags: Android, Buttons, Drawing, Keep, line, Makers, Phone, right, sandwich
Resumen en español al final del artículo
Last Thursday a fire in the warehouse of the Peruvian Ministry of Education in Lima destroyed 40,000 XOs, 21,000 other laptops, 6,000 solar panels, and countless other educational materials.
The warehouse back in August 2010
According to the Peruvian Minister of Education Patricia Salas the total damages have been estimated to amount to approximately USD 0 million. Beyond this significant financial loss it is yet unclear as to how the education system will cope with the lack of educational materials, most of which had been destined to be distributed to schools in the country’s rainforest. As a result UNICEF, El Comercio newspaper, and others have put out calls for companies, organizations, and individuals to donate relevant educational materials so the impact on the recently started school year can be minimized.
This is without a doubt a tragedy for Peru in general and the affected pupils and teachers in particular. I sincerly hope that the country can recover from it soon and also finds ways to limit the impact on the affected pupils.
Resumen en español: La semana pasada un incendio en almacén del Ministerio de Educación del Perú destroyó 40,000 XOs, 21,000 otros laptops, 6,000 paneles solar y un sinnúmero de otros materiales educativos. El total de pérdidas se ha estimado a aproximadamente USD $ 100 millones. Sin duda esto es una tragedia para el Perú en general y los alumnos y los maestros afectados en particular. Sinceramente espero que el país pueda recuperarse pronto y también se encuentra una manera de limitar el impacto sobre los alumnos afectados.
Tags: 40000, Destroys, Educational, Fire, Materials, Peru, Warehouse
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