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Dell Unveils New Venue Tablets Featuring Windows 8.1

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Dell has recently released two tablets by reviving its Venue brand, the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the Venue 11 Pro. Acer and Toshiba are still working on their Windows 8 tablet so the Dell tablets are here with a very little competition. The company was working on XPS 10 tablet but dropped it quietly so let’s see what it has to offer this time with these new designs and Intel chipset based tablet.

Dell Venue 8 Pro

venue pro 8

The new 8-inch Dell tablet comes with 720p, 1280×800 IPS screen and looks like one of those devices that you badly want for yourself. The tablet offers good color balance and pixel density from different viewing angles which is nice comparing to other similar tablets. The most attractive part of this tablet is the new Windows 8.1 “Core” and the new Intel chipset called “Bay Trail”. The Venue 8 Pro weighs only 0.9 pound and is 0.35 inch thick.

Other notable features of the tablet are – 5megapixel back camera, 1.2 megapixel front camera, 2GB RAM, Micro USB charging support, full-size SD card slot and, an optional keyboard and 10 hours battery life. It looks and feels like an Android tablet even if it comes with Windows 8.1 and the best part is, you get a Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 free with the tablet.

The Windows button is placed on the top of the tablet and it can be difficult to get used to it for a while. There is also a Dell Active Stylus available as an optional accessory like the keyboard. However, the best thing about this tablet is its price. The starting price of this “Bay Trail” based tablet is only $299 (32GB Storage). You can order one for you on October 18.

Dell Venue Pro 11

venue 11 pro dell

Dell’s Venue Pro 11 features an almost 11-inch screen (10.8-inch) like its name suggests. The tablet features a full HD screen with 1920×1080 IPS display, a detachable keyboard like the Venue 8 Pro and some other optional accessories like Tablet Desktop Dock and Mobile keyboard with integrated battery. The “Haswell” based tablet also comes with a Dell Active Stylus, Intel Atom Quad-core Bay Trail or Haswell processor up to Core i5 with support of up to 8GB RAM, WiFi, full size USB port, microSD card slot, HDMI slot, 265GB storage and NFC. It’s similar to the Surface Pro 2 but comes with an easy to handle design.

Unlike the small Venue 8 Pro, the big version features matte-textured rear which is really bad for fingerprints. However, the battery is removable which is a relief. Even though the features of Dell Venue Pro 11 have some similar feature comparing to the Surface Pro 2, there is a huge difference in their price tags. Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2 is available for $899 whereas the new tablet by Dell will be available for only $499. It is expected to start shipping in November. Even if you are not interested to buy the $500 one, you can definitely think about trying the Venue 8 Pro which will be available for only $299.

5 Techie Gifts To Look For On Cyber Monday

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Cyber Monday did not exist before the advent of the internet like Black Friday did. Cyber Monday claims to be the biggest online shopping day of the year, and it falls on the Monday after Black Friday. In fact, Cyber Monday has become so popular that many retailers offer exclusive online only deals and discounts for online holiday shoppers. Retailers have also sought to connect the shopping frenzy of Black Friday with Cyber Monday by selling gift cards and redeemable coupons in the store on Black Friday to be used online, when consumers are purchasing on Cyber Monday.

Many holiday shoppers prefer to buy tech gifts and electronic gadgets on Cyber Monday, as there are normally deep discounts on tech and electronic gifts. Everyone has a “techie” on their holiday shopping list. Sometime techies are hard to shop for, because they could want anything from the latest tablet to the best gaming laptop on the market. Here are five techie gifts to look for on Cyber Monday that are sure to excite even the most finicky techie on your list. To get some basic ideas of things that go on sale, click here.

dell tablet computer cyber sunday sell

1. Tablets

For a while there was really only one choice in tablets. This holiday shopping season there are several excellent tablet options that will cause any techie to jump for joy. Tablets are great tools for consuming information and media and keeping up with social media. Tablets have an easy to use touchscreen interface. Tablets also organize their programs into neat little packages called applications. A seemingly infinite number of apps exist. Tablet apps will allow the techie on your list to do anything from drawing a picture to balancing their budget.

2. Laptops

Laptops these days have become very powerful computing machines. Because of their power and portability, laptops (for many people) have made desktop computers practically obsolete. A new laptop makes a great techie gift this holiday season, because laptops allow people to take their work and entertainment with them. Laptop screens can be quite large, and for some techies the laptop is both their computer and their television.

3. Ultrabooks

Ultrabooks are a newer breed or next generation of laptop. Ultrabooks are the perfect marriage of the best tablet features and the best laptop features. Ultrabooks are lighter and thinner than laptops. Ultrabooks feature added security features and longer lasting batteries. Ultrabooks thrill techies, because they still include the touchscreen features of a tablet. Ultrabooks include high speed processors and solid state drives. Ultrabooks are the perfect holiday gift for the techie on your list, who is constantly moving back and forth between their laptop and their tablet.

 4. Monitors

It is very common for techies to spend their money on getting the latest and greatest electronic gadgets and computers and then have nothing left for some of the essential peripheral devices like a keyboard, mouse, or monitor. Techies usually want bigger and better monitors. Techies also want more monitors, even if they already have one. Monitors this holiday season are even available in some very formidable sizes. It is possible to purchase a computer monitor that is as large, thin, and clear as many televisions. On Cyber Monday many online retailers will offer significant discounts on high quality monitors.

5. Phones

A new smart phone will make a perfect holiday gift for the techie on your list, and Cyber Monday will feature no shortage of deals on all types of phones. Smart phones have become very sophisticated these days. People use their phones for communicating, watching TV, surfing the web, finding locations on maps, playing games, and more. No techie would be disappointed to receive a new phone this holiday season.

 Author Bio: Brian Jensen works with Dell. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with his family. He has a passion for learning and writing about all things technology. Brian’s favorite thing to look for on Cyber Monday is gaming laptops, to see some of the latest, he recommends this page.

Cutting Edge IT Solutions

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dell enterprise IT solutionIdentifying and implementing new cutting edge IT solutions is a double-edged sword for IT decision makers whose companies are trying hard to excel. If they take a chance on a new technology that ends up failing, they could be held responsible for any or all of the problems it caused. On the other hand, if they miss an opportunity to become an early adaptor on a game-changing technology, they put their company at a competitive risk.

Decisions, decisions

Historically speaking, chief IT officers have been able to avoid getting fired by simply keeping a company’s systems running. This isn’t really enough anymore, and CIOs can be too timid about deploying new technology and looking into different solutions. If a competitor takes the plunge and gains a strategic advantage, you may have to answer some very difficult questions.

IT solutions picking up traction

Data center virtualization and various cloud computing solutions are some of those technologies that began life with questionable benefits are now being integrated into a wide range of industries.

Server virtualization, for example, is an effective way for a company to deploy the necessary services without installing the normal physical hardware. The necessary applications, though, will still run as if they were really hosted on a traditional machine. The benefits of switching from physical to virtual systems weren’t immediately accepted, but then companies began to realize exactly how much money they were wasting on physical servers that were rarely utilized to their full capacity. Creating multiple servers on the same host allows companies to save a lot of money and work more efficiently and there has been a large migration toward this technology.

Cloud technology, on the other hand, represents another cutting edge solution that many IT professionals are embracing with enthusiasm. The cloud can connect users to a range of applications from any location. There are options for cloud storage that let companies back up important data, but it also allows employees to take advantage of higher processing power instead of relying on the limitations of the software deployed locally on a computer’s hard drive.

Currently, there are several innovative commercial software applications being deployed on cloud platforms. The cloud presents a better, faster, and cheaper method of software deployment and data storage than many traditional solutions. Of course, as more and more companies take their processes to the cloud, security and management are going to become even bigger issues. Companies need to know that the things they store off site will be safe but still immediately accessible. As these applications continue to develop, cloud computing will simply become the default productivity method.

Staying on top of emerging technologies

With new cutting edge technologies being developed and deployed in a wide range of industries and organizations there will also be a need to develop effective methods for staying informed about upcoming offerings. The IT department is going to face a lot of decisions about new and emerging technologies, and they will need to have a lot of information before they can make a final choice.

While it can seem like a full-time job just to keep up with the new IT solutions on the market and how they could be employed within a company, it is still important to make every effort to stay on top of recent developments. As new things are discovered, and new processes proposed, try to look at it from every angle to determine whether or not it will really be beneficial to your company.

You may be hesitant when these new technologies hit the market, but you can’t afford to wait too long. Take the time to weigh all of your options and discuss the new technology with others in the department. If you feel there is a measurable benefit to adopting the technology, make the decision quickly and commit to seeing it through to the end.

Author Bio: Brian Jensen works with Dell. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with his family. He has a passion for learning and writing about all things technology. He is currently researching IT solutions and would recommend visiting dell.com for more information.

Businesses and the Benefits of Large Enterprise Solutions

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As small businesses grow into large businesses, they naturally develop new and more specialized needs. In order for them to effectively transition and develop as innovators within their industries, it is necessary for them to have a wide range of tools, services, solutions, and resources at their disposal. This article will present an introduction to some of the different large enterprise solutions that are available for businesses that are ready to take their services to the next level.

How Enterprise Solutions Can Help

Perhaps the single greatest benefit of large enterprise solutions for businesses is the flexibility and options for customization they afford. Enterprises and large businesses understand that they cannot meet their needs through boxed solutions that do not appreciate the unique elements of their goals and values. One size does not fit all, in other words.

A quality set of large enterprise solutions must be tailored around the properties and needs of the business they have been deployed in. This is often accomplished through a range of products that are scaled to the size of the business. Enterprise solutions also involve specialized hardware and software that are designed to work well within the existing infrastructure of the business.

Another benefit of large enterprise solutions is the tremendous security advantages they offer in comparison to out of the box solutions. Any enterprise will need to consider security before nearly any other element in business design. The risks from cyber threats such as malware, spyware, and viruses have never been greater. Unfortunately, they have never been less predictable. As a result, it is essential to have the right strategies in place ahead of time for risk management and security. It is the job of large enterprise solutions to provide these strategies.

Sustainability

Sustainability is another concern that eventually arises in the goals and visions of any responsible business or enterprise. The earth has finite resources, and responsible companies work to preserve those resources even as they work to expand their profit margins. It is important for businesses to be able to control how much water, electricity, and other resources they use. This is why large enterprise solutions provide means to measure resource use in order to effectively manage them.

Naturally, controlling resource use has additional advantages beyond the ability to preserve the earth. When resources are conserved rather than spent unnecessarily, costs are ultimately reduced. Every business, regardless of its size, can benefit from developing more efficient methods of managing its supplies and optimizing its technology. This is why many large enterprise solutions center around client virtualization as a means to help companies do more with less.

Client virtualization allows businesses to run multiple elements of technology on fewer computers, which means fewer workers are needed to achieve the same results. Similarly, when fewer workers and computers are present, the process of troubleshooting becomes significantly easier and more effective. When one considers the vast number of computers and workers that may be used in a standard enterprise, any means of reducing overhead and improving efficiency through large enterprise solutions should be considered.”

Author Bio: David Malmborg works with Dell. When David is not working he enjoys spending time with his family. For more information on Enterprise solutions, David recommends visiting Dell.co.uk.

So What Exactly Is High Performance Computing?

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High Performance Computing

High performance computing is a branch of computer science that deals with supercomputing. It is a relatively new element of computing that focuses on the power in computation made possible by using extremely fast computers or networks of individual computers chained together to make aggregate computers. These aggregate or supercomputers are hundreds or even thousands of times faster than traditional desktop computers. There are a number of advantages to high performance computing, and these shall be reviewed alongside an explanation of the properties of high performance computing.

Difference between high performance computers and regular computers

High performance computing is when supercomputers are used to solve problems in computation that would take far too long for regular computers to solve. In some cases, the problems approached by high performance computing setups would be impossible for regular computers to solve. This is because in regular computers, typically one, two, or four processing chips are present.

These processing chips in standard computers are known as central processing units, or CPUs. However, a high performance computing system is made up of several nodes networked together. Each node will contains several processing chips that can be used with the chips in other nodes. Each node also contains its own random access memory, or RAM, supply.

Parallel computing applications of high performance computing

When designing programs to be run on high performance computing systems, they must be divided into a number of smaller programs known as threads. Each thread is mapped onto each processing core. The cores are then connected to each other through a network in order for the larger program to be run with efficiency. As a result, the organization and efficiency of the supercomputing system must be high for their problem solving advantages to outweigh the complexities of syncing a number of nodes and cores together.

Specialized file systems and hardware for high performance computing systems

A tremendous amount of data may be created through programs that run on high performance computing systems. The sheer mass of data created can be difficult to store on traditional hardware and regular file systems, such as the FAT file system used in older Microsoft computers. Regular file systems are likely to have relatively low limits on the sizes of individual files, the numbers of files that can be stored, or even the total amount of storage possible on individual disks.

In contrast, file systems used for high performance computing need to have the flexibility to grow rapidly and to sustain the fast transfer of relatively huge amounts of information. The limits for individual file sizes and file counts must also be significantly larger, as must the overall limits in storage per drive medium.

These reasons are why specialized file systems and storage units are often created for high performance computing systems. Researchers and enterprises that make use of these systems are also likely to hold on to existing data, so it may be compared to new data or used to start new projects. Magnetic tape systems are frequently used due to their reliability and vast storage potential in high performance computing applications.

Author Bio: David Malmborg works with Dell. When David is not working he enjoys spending time with his family. For more information on high performance computing, David recommends visiting this link.

Filed Under: Computer Tagged With: , High Performance Computing

Curiosity Has Landed – Now What?

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NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity landed on the surface of the red planet at 1:32 a.m. EST on August 6, 2012. While this isn’t the first vehicle we’ve landed on Mars, it is the largest and it packs over ten times as much scientific equipment. More than that, though, this represents the beginning of a new phase of Mars surface exploration.

Simply stated, we’ve never tried to land something this big so precisely on another planet before. The rover weighs over one ton, had to withstand temperatures up to 3,800 degrees during its descent, and land within a certain area. Curiosity needed to prove that it could be landed in a specific 12.4-mile landing zone and have enough long-range mobility to collect more diverse samples for study.

The Landing Process

The landing can be one of the most complicated portions of the mission, and any one of a million things could go wrong and 2.5-billion-dollars-worth of technology would be scattered across another planet.

The MSL entered the atmosphere at a brisk 12,000 mph, deployed its parachute, separated from its heat shields, and engaged the rocket-powered sky crane which landed the rover ready on the surface. In order to manage all that, NASA had to push two of its High Performance Computing (HPC) clusters running PowerEdge servers from Dell enough to analyze the vast amounts of data necessary to complete the process safely. And now that it’s there, it’s time to get to work.

Dell High Performance Server

Objectives and Goals

There are four basic goals for the Curiosity’s mission to mars. The mission will try to determine whether life ever arose on Mars, and then to characterize the climate and build a better understanding of the planet’s geology. Finally, this may be used as an example of possible human exploration by proving that it is possible to land extremely heavy payloads safely.

In order to reach these goals, NASA has split Curiosity’s mission up into a . The biological objectives, for example, are to discover and determine the nature of any organic carbon compounds, take an inventory of the chemicals necessary for the building blocks of life, and find any features that may be related to the effects of biological processes as we understand them.

On the geological and geochemical side, the objectives are to examine the mineral, isotopic, and chemical compositions on the surface, and then try to determine what process might have formed the soil and rocks in that particular way.

Finally, the Curiosity will try to access long-timescale atmospheric evolutions processes and figure out the present state, distribution, and cycling of water and carbon dioxide, and characterize all the radiation on the surface (cosmic, solar, etc) that could affect any future landings on the planet.

If the rest of the mission goes as well as the landing, we could start receiving a lot of new information very quickly. The things we learn could very easily change our understanding of Mars and open up new possibilities for exploration.

Author Bio: David Borg works with Dell and loves writing about anything tech related. When he is not working he enjoys spending time with his family. If you want more information about Dell computers click here.

Image Credits:

Image of jars and people behind desk: Credit “NASA HQ on Flickr”
Image of server: Dell.com

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Curiosity, , High Power Computing,

How to solve: No Wireless Network Detected in Ubuntu 11.10

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One of the most common problem one faces after a fresh install of Ubuntu is the loss of Wireless Network. And believe me that is the biggest pain for a normal user. The problem double-folds if the wireless adapter is broadcom (do not know what is your wireless adapter? click here). Some of the general problems are showing no wireless adapter, showing wireless adapter but detecting no wireless networks etc. [Read more…]

How to solve: Dell AC Power Adapter Type Not Recognized

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My AC power adapter charger for Dell Inspiron N4010 went into smokes two days back and I went to shop for a good (read cheap) alternate of it. After fiddling around a bit I settled for a “itworks” Universal Power Adapter (for 60 Euro sigh!). It comes with 12 plugs to use it with all the major laptop manufacturers and two type of power cords one for each North America and Europe. The below photograph is a not of my universal power adapter 😛

I went back and happily plugged the adapter into my laptop and switched it on. To my dismay, at boot time, it gave a warning message something like “AC Power Adapter type not recognized”. When I chose to ignore the warning and booted into the operating system, I saw the strange things with the battery icon. Despite of the adapter plugged in it was showing only 5% of battery left.

It took me some minutes to recognize my mistake, a blooper actually. This happens when you think you are too smart to ignore small details and turns out to be a fool.

As I said the Universal Power Adapter had a number of plugs for different manufacturers and it was numbered accordingly. In most foolish way I was using a plug meant for HP which somehow got fit into the socket. When I saw that and change it to the correct one the problem was solved.

Are you using the correct plug? Check it.

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How to solve: No sound through laptop integrated speakers in Ubuntu [Updated]

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Problem Scenario:

One of the many common problems one faces after installing Ubuntu is sound problem. In this case sound seems to be working, you can hear it on headphones but there is no sound coming out of speakers. Trying using alsa-mixer gives the following error:

load hw:0 error: Invalid argument

The solution provided here works for HDA Intel Soundcard. To find the make of your laptop soundcard click here.

Solution 1:

Try the following command in the terminal:

killall pulseaudio

Solution 2:

You need to edit this file /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf and then add a line in its end. Use the following commands:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf &

Now add the following line at its end:

options snd-hda-intel model=generic

Now reboot your computer. It should solve your problem. If the solution doesn’t work then try the Further Troubleshoot.

Further Troubleshoot:

The term model = generic may not work in all the cases as sometimes it depends on the model of your sound card. Find your sound card here.

You can try replacing the word generic by the following words depending upon your laptop:

Acer aspire 2012

option snd-hda-intel model=basic

Acer

options snd-hda-intel model=ACER

Asus F3J

options snd-hda-intel model=uniwill-m31

Dell 6400 laptop

options snd-hda-intel model=dell

Dell Inspiron

options snd-hda-intel model=ref

Dell Dimension 9150

options snd-hda-intel model=ref

Fujitsu Siemens Amilo XI 1526

options snd-hda-intel model=fujitsu

Gateway laptops with a sigmatel audio device

options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=1

or

options snd-hda-intel model=test enable-msi=1 probe-mask=1

Lenovo:

options snd-hda-intel model=laptop-eapd

LG P1 Express Dual (ALC880 chip)

options snd-hda-intel model=lg

LG P1 with CMI9880 chip

options snd-hda-intel model=minimal

Toshiba Satellite a135-s2386

options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=8 model=3stack

Toshiba Tecra A8-103

options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=8 model=fujitsu

or

options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=8 model=fujitsu

If you could still not found the model you may want to look for the correct value to be used in model in the following file /usr/share/doc/alsa-base/driver/ALSA-Configuration.txt.gz. Unzip the file and look for your sound card. You may find values like this:

ALC260
hp HP machines
fujitsu Fujitsu S7020

Use the following command:

sudo gunzip /usr/share/doc/alsa-base/driver/ALSA-Configuration.txt.gz; sudo gedit ALSA-Configuration.txt &

Hope it solves your problem. Questions, feedback and suggestions are welcome. Enjoy :)

Sources: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=314383

Note: Check this post in case you are facing audio problem with mic in Ubuntu.

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