http://local.itpro.co.uk/ ITPro Covers everything from Technological News to Technological Advice and Tutorials 120 en-gb Articles@DirectoryM.com Articles@DirectoryM.com http://local.itpro.co.uk/ ITPro Covers everything from Technological News to Technological Advice and Tutorials http://local.itpro.co.uk/Images/Image.aspx?Site=customDarkBlueWAdSense_en-GB Apple supplied the 2.66GHz model for review. It’s a Core 2 Duo processor rather than the newer Intel iSeries. Apple reasons that it has focused on other components that make a difference, so the ageing NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor is ousted in favour of a GeForce 320M, though it still siphons off some RAM for its graphical work. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Apple_MacBook_Pro_13in_Review_London-r1393211-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Apple_MacBook_Pro_13in_Review_London-r1393211-London_EN.html The Lapfit LD220Z will look good next to most laptops. The case and bezel are glossy black and nice looking. The screen is also glossy but we found it clearly visible even in direct sunlight. The large size will dwarf many laptops though. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_Lapfit_LD220Z_Review_London-r1393210-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_Lapfit_LD220Z_Review_London-r1393210-London_EN.html Intel’s Atom processors are proving to be popular choices for many small business NAS appliances as their combination of low power and good performance hasn’t gone unnoticed by most of the big manufacturers. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Synology_DiskStation_DS710_Review_London-r1393209-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Synology_DiskStation_DS710_Review_London-r1393209-London_EN.html There’s no denying that Apple has developed a platform that has revolutionised the use of applications on mobile devices. First it was the iPhone, now it’s the iPad, but how well does Apple’s new tablet cope with applications? Read on to learn. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Popular_iPad_Apps_for_Business_Review_London-r1393208-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Popular_iPad_Apps_for_Business_Review_London-r1393208-London_EN.html When starting out in a small business getting the right combination of computer hardware is vital as a wrong step can lead to wasted time and additional costs - two major issues that are best avoided. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Finding_the_Right_Hardware_Platform_London-r1393207-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Finding_the_Right_Hardware_Platform_London-r1393207-London_EN.html Dell’s latest PowerVault NX3000 brings together a nifty combo of PowerEdge server and Microsoft’s Windows Storage Server 2008. It looks good value and in this review we see what else it delivers. The hardware for the NX3000 comes courtesy of a PowerEdge R710, which impressed us enough when we reviewed it for it to get a coveted IT PRO Recommended award. Dell offers the NX3000 in three configurations focusing on value, capacity or performance. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_PowerVault_NX3000_Review_London-r1393206-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_PowerVault_NX3000_Review_London-r1393206-London_EN.html Toshiba claims the specification makes the A660 ideal for 3D gaming, HD video playback and media creation, though the display resolution on the laptop itself is limited to a non-HD 1366 x 768, so you'll need to connect to a high-definition external display via the on-board HDMI port to take advantage. On the software front, the Satellite A660 comes with Toshiba's own DNLA-compatible Media Controller and LifeSpace multimedia titles. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Adds_Four_New_Faces_to_Satellite_Laptop_Lineup_London-r1393205-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Adds_Four_New_Faces_to_Satellite_Laptop_Lineup_London-r1393205-London_EN.html Latest business-class Tecra notebook combines Intel's 2010 processors with a host of security features for the mobile professional. The M11 features a 14in LED-backlit display, complete with webcam, while graphics are taken care of either by the on-board Intel HD engine, or the optional Nvidia NVS 2100M. Neither is particularly suited to graphics-intensive tasks, but should be up to the task for business needs plus the occasional DVD. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Lifts_Lid_on_Tecra_M11_Business_Laptop_London-r1393204-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Lifts_Lid_on_Tecra_M11_Business_Laptop_London-r1393204-London_EN.html Thecus N4200 Zero Crash aims to be the most reliable small and medium-sized business (SMB) NAS appliance on the market. In this review we see whether it lives up to its claims. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Thecus_N4200_Zero_Crash_Review_London-r1378269-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Thecus_N4200_Zero_Crash_Review_London-r1378269-London_EN.html In our latest head to head we pit these two ebook readers against each other. But will Amazon's Kindle or Sony's Reader win out? Priced and specified rather differently they may be, but both Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader are the most popular devices of their type and, crucially, represent two distinct approaches to the whole concept of viewing digital books, documents and newspapers on the go. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Amazon_Kindle_International_vs_Sony_Reader_Pocket_Edition_PRS_300_London-r1377160-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Amazon_Kindle_International_vs_Sony_Reader_Pocket_Edition_PRS_300_London-r1377160-London_EN.html SmoothWall aims for the enterprise with a content security appliance that packs a mighty punch in the hardware department. We review the Guardian SWG-1208 to see how well it performs. The latest SWG-1208 provides the same features as SmoothWall’s Network Guardian software but is delivered ready to go as a rack mount appliance. http://local.itpro.co.uk/SmoothWall_Guardian_SWG_1208_Review_London-r1377158-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/SmoothWall_Guardian_SWG_1208_Review_London-r1377158-London_EN.html Boston’s latest storage server delivers a huge capacity at a low price. In this exclusive review we find out what else the Boston Igloo 64 T-Stor has in store for you. The system is an all-Supermicro affair and its new SC847 chassis sees some lateral thinking to accommodate the extra bays. The motherboard has been shifted onto an upper platform in the top half of the chassis allowing the 2U of space underneath to be used as an extra storage bay. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Boston_Igloo_64_T_Stor_Review_London-r1377156-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Boston_Igloo_64_T_Stor_Review_London-r1377156-London_EN.html Fujitsu’s impressive panel does a good job of showing off the touch features of the new OS, too: it’s responsive and accurate across the entirety of its 1,280 x 800 native resolution, and it’s best navigated by using the stylus included with the machine. The hardware mostly works well, too. The screen feels sturdy enough to stand the rigours of daily use, and the catch can be reversed to lock the screen against the T4410's base. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Fujitsu_Lifebook_T4410_Review_London-r1377154-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Fujitsu_Lifebook_T4410_Review_London-r1377154-London_EN.html This latest network attached storage product to hit the market is being sold on its affordability, but what are the specs like? Powered by a 1.06 GHz CPU and with 533MB of DDRII RAM, the DiskStation DS410 comes with 1 Gigabit LAN port, 2 USB ports and 1 eSATA port. It supports both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives and claims to have power saving qualities, using only 56 watts when operating. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Synology_DiskStation_DS410_NAS_Device_London-r1377153-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Synology_DiskStation_DS410_NAS_Device_London-r1377153-London_EN.html Business laptops aren't supposed to look good or offer cutting-edge design, so what does Dell think it's doing by unleashing a gorgeous, slim, Adamo-style machine for £400? We review the Dell Vostro V13 to find out. The V13 is around 1cm thick when closed, and the silver chassis feels solid and looks better than most high-end business laptops. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_Vostro_V13_Review_London-r1377152-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_Vostro_V13_Review_London-r1377152-London_EN.html It’s been a long wait but Symantec finally adds deduplication to its flagship Windows backup software. We put the latest Backup Exec 2010 to the test to see what storage savings it can deliver. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Symantec_Backup_Exec_2010_Review_London-r1363801-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Symantec_Backup_Exec_2010_Review_London-r1363801-London_EN.html At first glance we were struck by the svelte design of the Nexus One. It’s reassuringly heavy and well built. Within minutes we had almost dropped the blighter though. The smooth, modern design was kryptonite to our clumsy grasp but after a moment or two of adjustment we felt confident enough to move away from a padded surface. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Google_Nexus_One_Review_London-r1363800-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Google_Nexus_One_Review_London-r1363800-London_EN.html Like all Core i7-900 series processors, the 980X works with Intel’s workstation-oriented X58 chipset and plugs into the standard LGA 1366 socket. This means it can be used as a drop-in upgrade for any X58 workstation, though the motherboard’s BIOS may need to be updated to work with the chip. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Intel_Core_i7_980X_London-r1363799-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Intel_Core_i7_980X_London-r1363799-London_EN.html As most password backup systems ask for names of people, pets or places, the researchers looked at census data, pet registrations, and even "completely crawled" Facebook, grabbing 269 million full names. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Password_Backup_Tips_London-r1363798-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Password_Backup_Tips_London-r1363798-London_EN.html We see what the Samsung N150 netbook has to offer in this review. The keyboard marks a departure from the usual Samsung offering – instead of shiny, flat keys, the N150’s buttons have rounded edges and a matte finish – but the quality is still high. The keys feel responsive and welcoming and, even though there’s not quite as much travel as we’d like, we’d be comfortable using the N150 for long typing sessions. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_N150_Review_London-r1359448-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_N150_Review_London-r1359448-London_EN.html The A11 immediately hits the spot though by featuring an Intel Core i5 M520 processor under the hood - even more powerful than the Core i3 we saw in our first look review sample. In CPU architecture terms this chip is a step change from Intel’s already impressive Core2 design. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Tecra_A11_Review_London-r1359446-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Tecra_A11_Review_London-r1359446-London_EN.html Qnap’s NAS appliance has Intel’s dual-core Atom processor at its heart. This eight-bay desktop box is packed with features and in this review we see whether it delivers in the speed stakes as well. http://local.itpro.co.uk/QNAP_TS_859_Pro_Turbo_NAS_Review_London-r1359445-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/QNAP_TS_859_Pro_Turbo_NAS_Review_London-r1359445-London_EN.html For anti-spam you have a range of features including spam word dictionaries, DNS RBLs, message content analysis, block lists and WatchGuard’s ReputationAuthority component. The latter uses behavioural analysis to determine whether inbound web and mail traffic can be trusted. http://local.itpro.co.uk/WatchGuard_XCS_770_Review_London-r1359444-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/WatchGuard_XCS_770_Review_London-r1359444-London_EN.html Both offerings have been lauded for their UI in the past, albeit for different reasons and these incarnations aim to continue that trend. Office 2010 offers users a richly designed UI, with custom ribbon and smooth, efficient workspaces. Everything remains within reach and doesn’t dally too far from the familiar Microsoft layout. Expert users will likely feel at home and be able to pick up where they left off after getting used to 2007, a point which we will come to in a moment. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Head_to_Head_Microsoft_Office_vs_Open_Office_3_2_London-r1359443-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Head_to_Head_Microsoft_Office_vs_Open_Office_3_2_London-r1359443-London_EN.html The release of Intel’s Core i3 and i5 processors is likely to provoke a significant scrabble among laptop manufacturers to release a swathe of top-end, fast laptops. We review the Sony Vaio VPCS11V9E/B to find out what it's made of. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Sony_Vaio_VPCS11V9EB_Review_London-r1359441-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Sony_Vaio_VPCS11V9EB_Review_London-r1359441-London_EN.html Samsung’s new P580 notebook is two of the most technologically advanced, competitively priced, professional notebooks on the market today. Featuring the new, super-fast Intel Calpella Platform with integrated Intel Core i5 Processor, Samsung’s new notebook offers the kind of speed, performance and reliability usually found only on a desktop PC. Most notable is the ease with which users can multi-task, allowing them to work across multiple applications simultaneously with no ‘screen-freeze’ or lag. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_P580_Business_Notebook_London-r1359439-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_P580_Business_Notebook_London-r1359439-London_EN.html Designed as an appliance for the company’s Scale Out NAS global virtual file server, NAS device has up to 30 interface nodes and 60 storage nodes, in a cluster based on IBM’s General Parallel File System. It offers 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 20Gbps InfiniBand connections and can handle up to 14.4 petabytes of data across 240 spaces for either 1TB or 2TB drives. http://local.itpro.co.uk/IBM_NAS_Device_London-r1359434-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/IBM_NAS_Device_London-r1359434-London_EN.html We review the Draytek VigorIPPBX 2820 to see if its combined router and IP PBX capabilities make life easier than buying two separate products. Draytek's VigorIPPBX 2820 is a combined router and IP PBX, which means that a single piece of equipment can handle your telephony system as well as your computer network and WAN connection. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Draytek_VigorIPPBX_2820_Review_London-r1359428-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Draytek_VigorIPPBX_2820_Review_London-r1359428-London_EN.html Netgear moves firmly into the web and message content security market with a family of three appliances. The STM300 looks good value and in this exclusive review we see how well it performs. The main contribution from CP Secure is its stream scanning technology. This uses a multithreaded approach which starts scanning and analysing traffic as it enters the network. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Netgear_ProSecure_STM300_London-r1359427-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Netgear_ProSecure_STM300_London-r1359427-London_EN.html Got questions about Apple's latest release? Here's everything you need to know about the new Apple iPad tablet computer. The iPad is Apple's take on the tablet computer. It's really the first such consumer-friendly tablet to hit the market from any major manufacturer. The devices are common for business and industry, and many laptops feature swiveling touch screen displays, but the iPad is pretty unique, for the time being. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Apples_iPad_London-r1359424-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Apples_iPad_London-r1359424-London_EN.html As Apple gets ready to unveil its own tablet computer, we look at the competition already out there. The Eee PC T-91 is an 8.9in touch screen netbook with a screen that swivels for a tablet experience. Such features bump the price up above a standard Eee PC netbook, and also cut into battery life and performance, according to our review of the original version. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Tablet_PCs_London-r1359423-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Tablet_PCs_London-r1359423-London_EN.html Dell’s PowerEdge T710 is one of the largest pedestal servers on the market offering a remarkable expansion potential. It’s big and bold and in this review we find out whether it’s also the best. The T710’s chassis extends back nearly 70cms and Dell has put all this internal real estate to very good use. Storage options are particularly good as behind the sleek, gun-metal bezel you have a pair of drive bays each holding eight hot-swap SFF SAS and SATA hard disks. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_PowerEdge_T710_Review_London-r1359421-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_PowerEdge_T710_Review_London-r1359421-London_EN.html Can Toshiba’s 15.6in laptop meet the demands of business users? We review the Toshiba Satellite Pro L500 1D6 to find out. The L500 1D6 sports an Intel Core 2 Duo P8700, a 25W TDP Penryn based chip that speeds along at 2.53GHz and equipped with 3MB of level 2 cache and it runs on a 1,066MHz front-side bus. Sure enough, the benchmark score of 1.25 indicates that for a laptop, this is a fast machine. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_L500_1D6_Review_London-r1359420-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_L500_1D6_Review_London-r1359420-London_EN.html Puppy Linux is something different, a tiny version of Linux that can be stored on a USB memory drive, will run in memory, and can be used for working on the move. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Puppy_Linux_Linux_To_Go_London-r1359415-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Puppy_Linux_Linux_To_Go_London-r1359415-London_EN.html Despite the hype sometimes a netbook just won't hack it. Lucky then, there's a new kid in town - the CULV notebook. It may not sound catchy but if you want portability, power and affordability, then Toshiba has a machine for you. We review the Toshiba Satellite T-130. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_T_130_13K_Review_CULV_Laptop_London-r1359413-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_T_130_13K_Review_CULV_Laptop_London-r1359413-London_EN.html We review the Zoom 4501 wireless router to see if this budget product offers benefits that usually live outside such price points. Zoom's budget 4501 wireless router can obtain its internet connection from either a 3G modem connected to its USB port or via a standard Ethernet WAN connection. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Zoom_4501_3G_Router_Review_London-r1359409-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Zoom_4501_3G_Router_Review_London-r1359409-London_EN.html Dell’s PowerEdge T710 is one of the largest pedestal servers on the market offering a remarkable expansion potential. It’s big and bold and in this review we find out whether it’s also the best. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_PowerEdge_T710_Server_Review_London-r1359402-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_PowerEdge_T710_Server_Review_London-r1359402-London_EN.html The first feature that stands out, when unboxing the machine, is the smart aluminium casing. The blue cardboard packaging is pretty nice too, and fully recyclable as we’ve come to expect from Nokia. The computer is light, at 1.25kg, and on first impressions the Booklet looks very much like a slimmed-down 13in MacBook Pro. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Nokia_Booklet_3G_Review_London-r1359400-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Nokia_Booklet_3G_Review_London-r1359400-London_EN.html Slackware isn't for everyone, and will never win the race for the Linux desktop, where fancy gizmos, music players, office suites and games are at a premium, but works for users who want "a system that makes a good server - where you aren't even required to install X if you don't want it - or a good desktop workstation if you do a full installation with KDE" or Xfce or Fvwm or Windowmaker or Fluxbox. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Slackware_Linux_London-r1359399-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Slackware_Linux_London-r1359399-London_EN.html Cyberoam’s UTM appliance brings its unique identity based security to bear on the enterprise. In this exclusive review we find out if the Cyberoam CR1500i hits the target. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Cyberoam_CR1500i_Review_London-r1359398-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Cyberoam_CR1500i_Review_London-r1359398-London_EN.html The screen, coming in at 13.4in with a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels, is no less than stunning. Running Windows 7 Home Premium, the programs are responsive when springing into action and look superb on screen. So lovely in fact, we weren't the only ones drawn in, an increasing crowd on the shop floor seemed equally as impressed as we were. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_Adamo_XPS_Review_London-r1359397-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Dell_Adamo_XPS_Review_London-r1359397-London_EN.html The ThinkCentre A70z sports a 19in display with a 1,440x900 pixels resolution. The reason for this size and resolution is clearly one of cost. Standalone monitors of this size and resolution have all but died out and been replaced with more pleasing 20in 1,680x1,050 panels, but such luxuries are not going to be lavished on a relatively low-end business machine. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Lenovo_ThinkCentre_A70z_Review_London-r1359395-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Lenovo_ThinkCentre_A70z_Review_London-r1359395-London_EN.html The N140 comes with Genuine Windows 7 Starter as an operating system, an Intel Atom N280 processor and 1GB DDR2. It appears fast to boot up and power down, with our only real gripe here being the fact that we think it could be even faster. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_N140_Netbook_Review_London-r1359394-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_N140_Netbook_Review_London-r1359394-London_EN.html The trackpad is both smooth and responsive although it is slightly too close to the space key leading to the occasional slip. It has just one button along the bottom but can clearly define between left and right click making it incredibly easy to use and removing frustration that many one key-based pads cause. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_N130_Netbook_Review_London-r1359393-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Samsung_N130_Netbook_Review_London-r1359393-London_EN.html Despite abundance of features, the DS209+ remained very quiet in use. It’s not totally silent but it’s one of the quietest NAS devices we’ve seen. It uses only 14W in standby and 31W when active, but you can schedule start up and shutdown times if you’re determined to save even more on your energy bills. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Synology_Disk_Station_DS209_NAS_Box_Review_London-r1316831-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Synology_Disk_Station_DS209_NAS_Box_Review_London-r1316831-London_EN.html Overall, the Amilo just comes across as a fairly run-of-the-mill netbook, which is problematic when there are now so many to choose from. Specifications and performance it’s average, but ergonomically, it’s far from the best. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Fujitsu_Siemens_AMILO_Mini_Ui_3520_Netbook_Review_London-r1316829-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Fujitsu_Siemens_AMILO_Mini_Ui_3520_Netbook_Review_London-r1316829-London_EN.html Small businesses looking for a classy network storage solution should put the ReadyNAS Pro Business Edition at the top of their shopping list. It offers plenty of business related features teamed up with a massive capacity and is currently the fastest desktop NAS appliance on the planet. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Netgear_ReadyNAS_Pro_Business_Edition_Review_London-r1316827-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Netgear_ReadyNAS_Pro_Business_Edition_Review_London-r1316827-London_EN.html Lexmark claims a print speed for this machine of 33ppm, but unless you can duplicate the exact measurement environment, you're unlikely to see this speed in normal use. Our five-page black text print took 19 seconds, giving a typical print speed in normal mode of just under 16ppm. While this is well short of the headline rate, it’s still a very reasonable rate for this class of SOHO laser printer. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Lexmark_E260dn_Review_London-r1316826-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Lexmark_E260dn_Review_London-r1316826-London_EN.html Because of its basis as a copier, the Magicolor 4695MF can perform some neat tricks. As well as fairly normal enlargement and reduction copying, the machine can produce a duplex copy from two scanned pages, enlarge a page up to four pages and repeat a small, scanned image multiple times on a single page. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Konica_Minolta_Magicolor_4695MF_Review_London-r1316825-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Konica_Minolta_Magicolor_4695MF_Review_London-r1316825-London_EN.html The web interface is very intuitive and can be customized for your various administrators and auditors. A range of preconfigured interfaces for data privacy regulations and compliancy guidelines such as PCI and SOX are also provided by Guardium. http://local.itpro.co.uk/Guardium_7_Database_Security_Review_London-r1316824-London_EN.html http://local.itpro.co.uk/Guardium_7_Database_Security_Review_London-r1316824-London_EN.html