Our generation is now applying several things through online and the Internet, and this includes books and even magazines and newspapers. Our computers can provide us the viewing of eBooks available online, but eReaders can provide us the same luxuries and benefits as paperback books can provide.

Each eReaders are made with their own features and attractions. Here is the list of the leading eReaders in the market today as I show you their advantages and disadvantages.

Kindle 3 Wi-Fi

The Kindle 3 is highly qualified to be called as current Best eBook Reader. I enjoy Barnes and Noble’s features and eBooks library, but they cannot be compared to what Kindle 3 can provide you. The most useable feature Kindle 3 has is that it can be used both on dark and light environment.

Design

Aside from its feature that it can be used on dark and lighted area, the reason why it’s no. 1 on our list is its size. It’s the thinnest eBook reader available in the market today, having only 0.33 inches thick and 4.8 inches wide and 7.5 inches tall. Its weight of only 8.5 ounces will give you the feeling of holding a light paper notebook instead of a heavy electronic device that do half of the functionality and several books of physical copies of the titles you have on your Kindle 3.

The screen is diagonally 6 inches which measures exactly like a book page that sits comfortably in your hands. It does not offers touch screen, but the E-Ink screen of Kindle 3 provides a high contrast that gives you the feel of reading text from a paper than reading from a computer screen.  The screen is also designed to eliminate glare so that you can read inside or outside the house or building without worrying about the lighting.

The Kindle 3 offers ease of use especially for navigation. You will be able to navigate on Kindle 3 within minutes with less or without error.

The sliding power switch is located at the bottom of the eReader and will either wake or put the device to sleep.

When the Kindle sleep or turned off, you will see a screensaver which is usually the cover of the book or the picture of a known author. These screensavers are available in over 50 different designs.

The Kindle has keyboard near the bottom which makes it easier for users to search for titles or authors.

The Kindle has four-way navigator and buttons that allows you to navigate and select the menu and viewing options. There is also a button for accessing numbers and symbols.

There are also buttons on each side for turning page forward and backward.

The Kindle 3 has an outstanding battery life among eReaders in the market. On a single charge, its battery can last up to one month with Wi-Fi turned off, and three weeks with Wi-Fi turned on. The device can be charged through a USB cable for 4.5 hours.

The Kindle 3 features a 4GB internal memory. But you will only be able to use 3GB, which is enough to store up to 3,500 book titles. And imagine carrying 3,500 books everywhere you go! With the Kindle 3, it will be a lot easier.

Amazon offers more than 700,000 book titles at the Kindle store alone, available for download. They also offer free samples for download for previews to decide whether if you want the book to purchase or not. In total, Amazon has over 1 million books available for free download.

Amazon also features a back-up of each of your books which are linked to your accounts. This is for the purpose of accidentally deleting your books or purposely and decide you want to read it again; the title will still be available for download again for free!

Features

The Kindle 3 offers an affordable and competitive price and gives you a higher quality eBook reader and more usable features than any other product in the market.

The one setback that I saw with this eReader is that it doesn’t features color screen. But its outstanding screen contrast and detailed pictures will cover up its lack of color on screen. This can be proven through its screensavers.

Though its Wi-Fi is slightly slow, the Kindle 3 offers free internet connection! The Kindle 3 provides free Wi-Fi access across the United States. The Wi-Fi can be accessed through AT&T hotspots, but not available in some areas.

Kindle 3’s main menu allows you to access Amazon’s experimental prototypes. This provides you three option that Amazon’s tests for users if they are useful. Through the menu, you will view a message from Amazon asking you to notify them if you find the new features useful.

Amazon’s first option through the Experimental Menu is a web browser that allows you to surf the web. The second is it functions as an MP3 player. You can listen to your downloaded MP3 files on your Kindle 3 while you read or just plain sound tripping.

The last experimental prototype that Amazon offers is the Text-to-Speech function. It allows the user to listen to a book at any point they choose, instead of reading it. These features from Amazon are well executed because they exerted extra effort on reaching out for their customers and find out what they want.

Specification

• High-contrast E-Ink screen
• Sharper and darker fonts, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi
• Readability in bright sunlight
• 8.5 ounce in weight
• 6” screen on a smaller body
• One month battery life
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• 4GB internal (3GB available for user content) Memory storage that can save up to 3,500 titles
• Improved PDF reader with notes, highlights and dictionary lookup.
• Faster page turns
• WebKit-based browser

Included in the package

• Kindle reader
• USB 2.0 cable
• Power adapter (100v – 240 v)

Pros

• Smaller and thinner size
• High-contrast screen
• Fast page turn
• Large internal memory
• Wi-Fi
• Long battery life
• MP3 capable

Cons

• Wi-Fi connection is sometimes slow
• Doesn’t have colored screen
• No memory expansion
• Doesn’t support ePUB book files
• Battery is not removable.

Conclusion

Kindle 3 is on the top of the market today. If you have the passion for reading and like to read for a long period of time, I highly recommend the Kindle 3. This eReader is no. 1 in features, tools, size, user-friendly, readability, battery life, speakers, library selection and fast page turns. Add to these is Amazon’s cool features support. Amazon also provides millions of titles, which is maybe enough for bookworms like us.

Nook Simple Touch Reader

The Nook Simple Touch Reader is making a noise in the market today. It has a functional, attractive and comfortable design. In fact, it is so comfortable that you could feel the exact fit in your hands. Its navigation is also outstanding. However, the Nook doesn’t provide as many features as other top of the line eBook readers.

Design

The Nook Simple Touch Reader offers touch screen navigation. It also features an N button at the bottom of the screen that will take you to the homepage. The touch screen measures 6 inches diagonally and features E-Ink technology with a 16-level grayscale contrast to provide high-quality text and images. The E-Ink technology offers the same reading experience as if you were reading text on paper.

You can also use this eReader under bright sunlight with fewer glares.

The Nook also allows you to access your eBook files from your other devices such as iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android Smartphone or Blackberry and even Mac computer or PC. It even allows you to start reading on a same page you finished, even if you finished on another device.

The Nook lets the user to turn page by either pressing the buttons on the side of the Nook or by swiping the touchscreen. Turning the page will simple fades the old text and brings out the new text.

Content

The Barnes & Noble offers a few incentives for Nook users. They offer free readings but with a time limit. If you have money to shell out for book, Barnes & Noble eBook store has over 2 million titles to choose from. They provide a sample pages to view before deciding to buy.

The Nook eReader also features built-in dictionary.

You can receive your newspapers and magazines subscription directly to your Nook wirelessly. You could sign up for free trials of the magazines and newspapers after you purchase your Nook and will also have access on single-issue sales.

However, there are flaws that we can see in the Nook such as the limited options in the children’s book. It also doesn’t have text-to-speech function which is highly-usable when driving or while doing other tasks. It doesn’t also support resizable text and graphics for picture books. It also doesn’t allow you to personalize your screensavers like adding personal photos.

However, the Nook can still be a great device for sharing photos, but they won’t be shown in full color since it runs on a 16-level grayscale E-Ink screen. It supports images files in JPG, PNG, BMP, or GIF format.

The Nook offers an initial 2GB through internal memory, enough for around 1,000 book titles, and it allows you to expand memory through its microSD card slot. The Nook eReader can handle up to 32GB; that is 16,000 book titles! Not mentioning the 1,000 titles already in the internal memory.

Features

As Wi-Fi feature is becoming common and a must-have for eReaders because it lets you browse for eBook stores and titles, Nook eReader made sure that its users experience the same benefits. You will be able to receive free Wi-Fi at Barnes & Noble bookstores and AT&T hotspots and it also lets you sign in to other Wi-Fi connections available.

The turnings of the page have intervals so you will see a black page popping up whenever a new page opens.

And here’s a unique feature that I really like: the Lend and Borrow. It lets the user to lend eBooks or borrow them as you would on paperback books.

Barnes & Noble has created a social network called Nook Friends for its users. Users can create a circle or network of friends just like from other social networking sites. And through Nook Friends, you can give and receive recommendations of must-read books, or Lend and Borrow eBooks. It’s a convenient and fun way to read books.

The one thing that would turn off users that likes variety on a single gadget is that it doesn’t allow apps download for games and other types of entertainment.

Specifications

• Weight: 7.48 ounces, Height: 6.5 inches, Width: 5.0 inches, Depth: 0.47 inches
• Resolution: 800 x 600
• Battery can last up to 2 months with Wi-Fi turned off
• Installed rechargeable battery
• Charge via USB to a computer or power adapter
• Charging time: 3 hours
• 2GB Memory—Holds up to 1,000 books
• Expandable microSD† card up to 32GB

Supported file types

• ePub
• PDF
• Graphic: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP

In the Box

• NOOK microUSB Cable
• AC Adapter
• Rechargeable Battery (Installed)

Pros

• Nook Friends social network
• Lend and Borrow
• Long battery life
• Free Wi-Fi at selected spots

Cons

• Doesn’t have text-to-speech
• Doesn’t allow other apps download

Conclusion

The Nook Simple Touch Reader has an excellent design and very easy to use. Its small size with a large screen makes it ideal for travel. Though this eReader doesn’t support text-to-speech and other entertainment functionality, it’s still a great option for passionate readers. Barnes & Noble features perfectly patched up the lacking features of the Nook Reader.

Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-950SC

Sony continues to dominate the electronic world including the eBook Reader market with the entry of Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-950SC.

Features

The Sony Reader Daily Edition has a large 7-inch display and built-in Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities. One of the main attraction of this eReader is its small size in spite of having a large display. It is only less than half an inch thick and weighs almost 10 ounces. With this size, it is also ideal to carry wherever you go.

The Sony Daily Edition features e-ink technology for a real book reading experience. It also offers touch screen display with anti-glare technology. It still shows some glares on direct sunlight but the display screen is overall satisfying.

In addition to the e-ink technology for real book reading experience, this eReader also features six font sizes. This provides greater flexibility on your reading and highly functional. It also has up to 16 levels of grayscale for more efficient reading.

The Sony Reader has free access to its online Reader store for downloads of books, newspapers, and magazines. Its online store has lots of options but it was not as vast compares to other online eBook stores.

However, Sony Reader’s support for several formats makes up for its less extensive eBook store. It can be able to access PDFs and ePubs. It means that you can enjoy reading and downloading from other bookstores as well. Another feature that gives you more options and flexibility.

The Sony Reader’s power can lasts up to 10 days with wireless turned on, and can lasts up to 22 days with wireless turned off.

It has 2GB internal memory and can be expanded through its media expansion slots.

Another great feature of this Sony Reader is its ability to take notes and highlight specific text, with ease and convenience.

The 3G mobile broadband is what makes the eReader to access the online Reader Store for free. The eBook search for titles and information to download is so simple and fast.

This Sony eReader is so easy to use despite of its advanced features and technology.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 7.87 x 5.04 x 0.38 inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 9.6 oz
• Screen Size : 7 inches
• Image : JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
• DRM Text : ePub (Adobe DRM protected), PDF (Adobe DRM protected), BBeB Book (PRS DRM protected), Text, RTF
• Unsecured Audio : Unsecured Adudio: MP3 (Non encrypted), AAC (Non encrypted)
• Unsecured Text : ePub, BBeB Book, PDF, TXT, RTF, Micrsoft® Word, (Conversion to the Reader requires Word installed on your PC)
• Memory Size : 2GB Dual Memory Card Expansion Slots for Memory Stick Duo™ and SD Card up to 32GB.
• Battery Life: 10 days with wireless; 22 days with wireless off
• AC Power : Built-in rechargeable battery: 3.7 V DC
• Recharging Time : 2.5 Hours
• Gray Scale : 16 level gray scale
• Resolution : 600 x 1024 pixels
• Technology : E Ink® Pearl

Pros

• Touch screen display
• Supports several formats
• Small size and large display

Cons

• Smaller range of Reader Store

Conclusion

With lots of advanced and usable features, the Sony Reader Daily Edition is one of the great choices for eReaders. Although it has limited options of eBooks on the Reader Store, its ability to accommodate various formats totally makes up for it. And while its full load of advanced and unique features, it is so easy to use that even non-techies can easily have the grasp of it.

Nook Tablet

The Nook Tablet is a tablet and eReader at the same time. This allows you not just to read books and magazines, you can also check your email and download and play games on this device. This gadget also features an outstanding battery life, great for long-time use away from the power source.

Design

The Nook Tablet measures 8.1 inches x 5 inches (H x W) and weighs 14.1 ounces. Since it is a tablet, it is larger than usual eReader and uses an LCD screen which displays crisper images for reading, watching videos and playing games. It has 1024 x 600 screen resolution and its IPS lamination isn’t just there for outstanding clarity images but for excellent viewing capability too. It allows you to share the screen with other people without the glare distorting the images.

Features

If your reader has Barnes & Noble names on it, you will have the privilege to access the latest books and magazines and have choices of 2.5 million books. Aside from these, through this tablet, you can download various apps including games and drawing pad. You can also watch HD videos on this tablet.

And because I like music and photography, I find this reader very useful. It supports MP4 and image formats such as JPEG, PNG, GIF and BMP.

The tablet is pre-loaded with Hulu Plus and Netflix that allows you to watch your favorite movies and TV shows.

Barnes & Noble have vast library of children’s books. And with the addition of AliveTouch, they made children’s reading more engaging. This feature makes the characters of the story moves into action while being read by children. With the press of the button, a story like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will let you see kids skating on the pond with snow falling around them. I find it very functional because it will inspired and encourage children to read books.

Another great feature of the Nook Tablet is its built-in microphone. It lets you to record your voice with its Read To Me feature. It uses your voice to read the text from the book so it will look as if you’re the one actually reading the book. This feature is great for reading stories to your kids.

The Nook Tablet offers ad-free reading. Unlike other eReaders that have ads appear on search bars, which is annoying sometimes. This ad-free reading will let your reading uninterrupted and enjoy it more.

The Nook Tablet’s battery life lasts up to 11.5 hours on continuous reading or 9 hours for watching videos.

It also comes with 16GB internal memory and can expand through an SD card up to 32GB. And if, however, this huge memory is not enough, Barnes & Noble offers cloud storage for free.

Specification

• Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x .48 inches (HxWxD)
• Weight: 14.1 ounces
• IPS2 display
• High-resolution display 1024 x 600, 169 pixels per inch
• Built-in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
• Color Touch screen display
• Built-in Wi-Fi

Pros

• 16GB internal memory
• AliveTouch and Read To Me features
• Only 3 hours of charging

Cons

• Doesn’t have Bluetooth technology
• Doesn’t offer 3G wireless connection

Conclusion

The Nook Tablet offers a lot of features; from its software features such as the AliveTouch, to hardware features such as long battery life and excellent display. This full-load of features is expected because the device functions as both reader and tablet.

As it is also a tablet, it is also bigger and heavier. You might need an extra room to carry it around. Those who are passionate with reading might find its other features unnecessary. But if you like extra features and entertainment, this tablet will give you more than you need.

Our generation just keeps on inventing and improving technologies. The most common trends of innovations are “shrinking” and eliminating wires. We often see the shrinking in electronic gadgets such as cell phones, mp3 players, and even computers while we often see wireless technologies in speakers and communication devices.

Eliminating wires provides us more distance, convenience and organization. One electronic device that can take full advantage from this is the computer. Computer is one of the most wired appliances in our home and in the office. You have wires for the monitor, power supply, speakers, keyboard, and mouse.

But with the innovations of wireless speakers, keyboards and mouse, you will have less stress and more time to do the more important things. And not only that; these newly release gadgets has useable features too.

In this article, we provide you a list of the best wireless keyboards in the market today.

Microsoft Wireless Desktop 6000

The Microsoft Wireless Desktop 6000 is one of the newest and best wireless keyboard and mouse combos in the market. It features an ergonomic design that perfectly fits for your movements and gestures. It also features a 30-feet wireless range distance and long battery life.

Design

The Microsoft Wireless Desktop 6000 features a sleek design with translucent trim which is inspired by the Windows Aero glass theme. The design is same with the mouse that bears an attractive silver and black color. The keyboard’s size is 19.2 x 2.2 x 9.7 inches (LHW), and weighs only 2 pounds. It’s easy to carry if you want to use it in your office or in your school to make your work easy and enjoyable.

The Microsoft Wireless Desktop 6000 is ergonomically designed for faster and more comfortable typing. It is curved for your hands’ comfort with soft palm rest to support your wrists. The mouse is designed with rubber grip, four-way scrolling and laser technology for a more accurate response with less wrist movement. It has five keys and buttons that can be programmed for more functionality.

The Keyboard is not spill-proof, so be careful for any liquid spilling that could mess up the unit.

The keyboard is so easy to install. Just connect the wireless receiver to your computer’s PS/2 or USB port and press the connect buttons on both the computer and the receiver, and you’re good to go.

The keyboard and the mouse are powered by two AA batteries each, which are already included in the package. And aside from the four batteries, the package also includes CD that contains Microsoft software, IntelliPoint and IntelliType that can be install in your computer to take full advantage of the features. These softwares are also available online for download.

And aside from the five programmable buttons and keys, it also has media player control buttons such as Play/Pause, Mute, Volume, Stop, Previous Track, and Next Track.

The mouse is more responsive, smooth, and precise than the ball and optical mouse because of its Microsoft high-definition laser. And it also has button programmed as magnifier. Just press the button and the pointer will become a box that will magnify everything inside it.

On the negative side, the mouse appears weak and vulnerable.

Features

The Microsoft Wireless Desktop 6000 Keyboard and Mouse has no special features compares to other brands but it will surely outrun its competitors with its long lasting battery life. The keyboard and the mouse both have AA batteries that last up to six months! This is proven by the battery level indicators that are located on their compartment.

The pack includes software to be installed. This software will start up its unique features such as the mouse’s magnifier and the fun Flip 3D function. The Flip 3D allows you to view the open windows on 3D and shuffle through them. I find it very useable because if you browse like I do (with several windows open at the same time). This feature allows an easy and fun to select the right window.

Another handy feature is its five programmable keys that control programs, folders and the internet.

Performance

The Microsoft Wireless Desktop 6000 is ideal for people who want to add some fun on their busy lifestyle. With the push of a key, you will get what you often use in your pc. The Flip 3D makes your work easier and more pleasurable.

Specifications

• Windows XP or Windows Vista (100 MB hard drive space)
• Mac OSX v 10.2x – 10.5x (30 MB hard drive space)
• USB
• Windows compatible speakers/headphones
• CD-ROM drive

Pros

• Stylish
• Ergonomic design for easy and comfortable use.
• One of the rare set compatible with Mac OS.
• Programmable keys

Cons

• Requires software before using.
• Doesn’t support plug and play
• Cheap feeling of the product

Conclusion

The Microsoft Wireless Desktop 6000 Keyboard and Mouse combo is a great additional help to your busy lifestyle. It would add style and productivity to your computer and on your work. Because of its features such as the customizable keys and Flip 3D, it will make your work easy and fun. It also works well with Mac computers.

I just wish Microsoft gave it a high-end finish design and touch and made it spill resistant to add more security. I like drinking coffee while in front of the computer. So this feature would be a lot useful.

Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution

The Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution revolutionized the common trend of wireless keyboards with its Bluetooth technology, ultra-fast scrolling wheel and its ergonomic design. Logitech is well known for bringing us quality products at an affordable price.

Design

The MX 5500 is easy to carry around if you want to use it on work as well. It has ultra-thin design with 1.01 inches width and weighs only 30.69 ounces. The mouse has high arch design to correspond with the natural curve of your hand. It has two side buttons, thumb controls and a scroll wheel. The one thing that I wish that it has is the spill resistant feature.

Features

Apart from the common customizable keys, the Logitech MX 5500 has a Bluetooth capability. It uses Bluetooth 2.0 technology that allows you to connect the keyboard not only with your computer, but with other mobile devices as well such as iPad. I find this very useful.

The MX 5500 has the ability to connect with your computer wirelessly within 30 feet away. It is also rechargeable. A two-hour charge can last up to 15 days of use. If the keyboard is not in use or out of range, it automatically switches into sleep mode to save energy.

The keyboard also has an LCD screen on its top to show date and time. It can also provide view of incoming message notifications, accessing the calculator and playing music. Below it are the customizable buttons. Aside from this, it also has programmable keys that allow you to access certain applications, music files, the internet and more. This will let you to open your mostly used programs with just a press of a button.

The mouse also has full of features. It comes with a rechargeable dock. You can plug the dock 24/7 to keep the mouse charged or just cradle it. It has a battery indicator at the side to keep you track of its available power. To save power, the mouse has on and off switch at the bottom.

The MX 5500 mouse is equipped with Logitech’s SmartShift technology and MicroGear Precision Scroll. The SmartShift technology detects the application you’re working with and switches between free-spin scrolling and click-to-click precision scrolling to accommodate your needs. Example of this feature is when you work on spreadsheet with thousands of rows. It will switch to free-spin scrolling to help you navigate on pages fast and when you slow down nearing your destination, it will switch to click-to-click precision scroll.

Performance

Those who work and play on a computer for a long period of time will find the MX 5500’s ergonomically design very useful. Its design will cradle your hands in a comfortable angle and the palm rest will support your wrist comfortably. The keyboard’s height and angle are also adjustable to accommodate your needs.

Specification

Compatibility

• Windows® XP or Windows Vista® or Windows® 7
• CD-ROM drive
• USB port

Package Includes

• Logitech® Bluetooth® MX™ Revolution Laser Mouse
• Logitech® Bluetooth® MX™ Keyboard
• CD with software, comfort guidelines, and help center
• USB Bluetooth® mini-receiver (can be used as Bluetooth® hub)
• 4 AA alkaline batteries
• Quick-Start guide

Pros

• LCD screen that can access music and alert for new message.
• Logitech’s SmartShift technology and MicroGear Precision Scroll
• Bluetooth 2.0 technology

Cons

• The keyboard is not spill resistant.

Conclusion

The Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution is a best addition to your computer setup. Because it is wireless, it will help to clean up any clutter in your desk and will give you more concentration and productivity.

This combo is ideal for travel with its thin and light weight and the rechargeable base.

The MX 5500 is packed with comfort, style, and functionality. With these unique features, it truly revolutionized the wireless keyboard market.

HP Wireless Elite

The HP Wireless Elite is a quality wireless keyboard and mouse combo from Hewlett-Packard. The combo requires included software to be installed before you can use it and access a lot of helpful features.

Design

The HP Wireless Elite has one of the most attractive designs of wireless keyboard and mouse in the market. It is so thin with only 0.6 inches thin. The keys are spill-resistant and very silent. Users declared to have maximized typing efficiency on this keyboard.

The mouse has an ambidextrous design which is an ideal use for both right-handed and left-handed. It has an on and off switch to save power when not in use.

Features

The HP Wireless Elite has customizable keys at the top of the keyboard. However, its F9-F11 only functions with HP TouchSmart computers. It has sound controls on the upper right corner.

Its battery level indicator can be viewed in your Windows System Tray which is located at the bottom right corner of your computer screen near the date and time, instead of the common battery indicator located at the product itself.

The HP Elite also has sleep mode to extend its battery life.

Performance

The HP Wireless Elite can connect to your computer as far as 32 feet away, and still functions as if you were right in front of the computer. Although the keyboard is not Bluetooth, but the connection is easy to set up as a Bluetooth.

Specification

HP Wireless Elite Desktop Keyboard and Mouse Package Includes

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Four AA batteries
• Warranty card
• USB wireless receiver
• User guide

Compatibility:

• available USB port
• CD drive
• Microsoft Windows XP
• Windows Vista or Windows 7

Pros

• Spill resistant and silent keys
• Easy to set up

Cons

• Not ergonomically designed.

Conclusion

Although it lacks useful unique features, it boasts a simple and attractive design. Its slim and lightweight design is ideal for travel. Its silent keys are great for offices and other silent environment and prevent distractions.

Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000

Microsoft is one of the strongest competitors in the wireless keyboard and mouse in the market. And the entry of the Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 has intensified more its position on top of the market.

Design

The Desktop 5000 is ergonomically designed with user friendly features such as cushioned wrist rest, snap on receiver and a three-year warranty. The keyboard is slightly waved which lets your wrist to sit more comfortably. Its padded cushion at the bottom of the keyboard provides support for your wrists.

The mouse is small enough that fits comfortably in the average-sized hands. The USB receiver can be stored at the back of the mouse. One thing that it doesn’t have is the click-to-click functionality which cause common scroll to descend by pixels, not by line.

Features

Microsoft has made wireless keyboard and mouse so convenient by installing numbers of one-touch buttons on the top of the keyboard. These buttons are customizable and can access your favorite files and the internet.

The mouse features the Microsoft BlueTrack technology. It tracks more accurately on more surfaces. However, there are surfaces that this technology doesn’t work well: glass and mirrored surfaces.

Their website features a list of FAQs, hardware solution center, and downloadable user guides.

Performance

The Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 can function as far as 30 feet away from the computer. It connects through a USB receiver.

Specifications

• Windows® 7/Windows Vista®/Windows XP (excluding XP 64-bit) and 100 MB
• or Mac OS X v10.4 –10.5.x and 30 MB
• CD-ROM
• USB
• 1 AA Alkaline Batteries (included)

Pros

• BlueTrack technology allows the mouse to work on more surfaces.
• Long range distance of connection
• Ergonomically designed

Cons

• No battery level indicator.
• Mouse can’t function on glass and mirrored surface.

Conclusion

The Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 is an impressive wireless keyboard and mouse combo. Its long range of distance connection and the ergonomic design will surely provide you comfort. The downside of this combo is that it lacks power conservation and battery level indicator.

Connectland 2.4 GHz Wireless

The Connectland 2.4 GHz Wireless Keyboard and Optical Mouse combo features a user-friendly and low-maintenance design. It is also one of the easiest to operate among the wireless keyboard and mouse combo.

Design

The Connectland combo has a standard design that looks like a common keyboard and mouse just without wires.

Although the product doesn’t have a power level indicator, both the mouse and the keyboard have energy saving tools such as the mouse’s power switch and the keyboard’s sleep mode.

The mouse has an adjustable CPI (count per inch). This feature allows you to control how far or fast the navigation will react in each spin of the wheel. You can choose from 800 CPI to 1600 CPI.

The mouse doesn’t work in glass and mirrored surfaces since it is optical.

Features

The Connectland Wireless has the ability to plug and play. But if the computer requires installation software, the package includes CD software that can be installed.

The combo can be used instantly by simply putting the batteries in the keyboard and mouse and connect the 2.4GHz receiver to the computer and you can start using it up to 33 feet far from the computer.

The wireless keyboard includes 11 customizable multi-media keys that can access directly to your email, favorite files, the internet and a lot more.

Pros

• It is 3 feet longer than the average distance of wireless keyboards.
• User-friendly design
• Plug and play

Cons

• The wireless combo doesn’t work with Windows 7.
• Doesn’t have power level indicator

Conclusion

I like the simple design of Connectland 2.4GHz. But what I miss here is the ergonomic design to make me comfortable on long hours of computer works and I wish it would have large range of operating system compatibilities as I would like to try new technology releases. But the installation is so easy that you can use it the moment you get it out of the box.

With all the new eReaders on the market in competition with each other, it can help you review their characteristics through a comparison of ebook readers. When Amazon launched the Kindle wireless reading device, there was really no comparable player in the digital market, but other manufacturers are now competing for the ereader market.

Let us first solve the two versions ebook readers offered by Amazon. This is the version of the Kindle and Kindle DX International. The main difference is the current Kindle DX has 3G wireless capability only in the U.S., while the international version is now available in over 100 countries. The Kindle DX is also larger screen size and capacity.DX has a display of nine inches, while the Kindle has only a regular six-inch screen. The Kindle DX also has a larger memory and can store 3,500 books compared with only 1,500 books in Kindle world.

A relatively new competitor is the Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader. He has many of the same characteristics as the global version of Kindle, with some additional features. The Nook has Wi-Fi capability, while neither of the Amazon Kindle does not. In addition, the Nook has a memory expansion option and the ability to share media with friends via your reader Nook or through an iPhone or iPod Touch, select BlackBerry smartphones and Motorola, as well as Windows PC or Mac

Newly launched is the Sony Reader Daily Edition. His touch ereader above does not have wireless capability, so I was not really a competitor in the ebook reader race. But the Diary can now compete with the best of them offering 3G and wireless Wi-Fi and downloads. He has the ability to share as Barnes and Noble Nook, but does not offer an expansion slot and a touchscreen Kindle missing. The only drawback is that the current price is $ 100 more than both the Kindle and Nook world.

The race is close in the last Irex Digital Reader. Like the Sony Reader Daily, is priced at $ 100 higher than the Kindle and Nook Global without offering too many updates. It has a screen larger than eight inches, and access to more than 750,000 titles of books, but no.Wi-Fi is through Verizon 3G with Gobi chipset for use throughout the world.

An important note to mention is the availability of content. Amazon’s Kindle is a closed proprietary format, which will always limit your media collection to a unit of Kindle. The Nook, Sony Reader and iRex supports the open ePub format, which will always give you more flexibility in its library collection.

Based on current choices and that each has to offer, there is no clear winner. Everything depends on what each user is looking for an ebook reader. You want a bigger eReader for readability or the ability to download books on holiday in France? Think about how often you like to read where you like to read and how many books you bought last year.Hopefully this ebook reader comparison will help you make your decision a little easier.

Routers and network switches are computer networking devices. They make it possible to connect computers with each other and other network devices or to other networks. They possess the same features such as;

• small box housing
• ports at the back and front to plug in computer and power connections
• LED lights as status indicator

Although router and switch bears similar physical features, they perform different specific task. The difference between router and switch is their way of connecting computers and networking.

A router is a more complex device. It is used to connect a network of computers while switches perform smaller task such as connecting computers, thus creating a network. A router connects computers to the Internet while switches connect computers to each other.

Here is a more deeper information to understand further what it is with the switch vs router.

Router

Routers are designed to connect multiple wired or wireless area networks (LANs and WANs). A router is a Layer 3 gateway as it connects networks the same as gateways do and it operates at the network layer of the OSI model. It serves as “mid station” for network traffic on a large corporate network or the Internet. It receives TCP/IP packets and identifies the source and destination IP addresses and send them securely to reach its final destination. Routers can also be used in home networks to connect multiple networks. It is more commonly known as Broadband Routers to us. It connects my home (LAN) to the Internet (WAN) to provide me internet access which makes it possible for me to upload this article on this blog. There are three types of routers:

• Broadband routers provide more features such as DHCP server and proxy support than common routers. They also come with integrated firewalls.
• A wired Ethernet broadband router usually includes built-in Ethernet switch. These routers allow multiple switches connection to expand local network and accommodate more Ethernet devices.
• Wi-Fi wireless routers feature a built-in access point that is equivalent to a wired switch.

If configuration information was maintained in the routing table, routers can filter traffic, both incoming or outgoing, based on the senders and receivers’ IP addresses.

Switch

Switches are used by businesses, schools and other institutions to connect computers, servers and printers within a building. It connects computers together within a local area network (LAN). It operates at Layer Two which is the Data Link Layer of the OSI model. It serves as a controller and allows networking devices to communicate with each other. With this function, it helps to save costs and increase the productivities of employees. Switches have the ability to check data packets when received and identifies the source and destination device of each packet and sends them in an appropriate destination. There are two types of switches:

• Unmanaged Switches – it is usually used in home networking. It has smaller network capacity than Managed Switches. It is not configurable so it offers easy installing and set up.
• Managed Switches – it is usually used in large network such as businesses. It is configurable so it allows you to monitor and adjust it locally or remotely to give you greater network control. It offers larger flexibility and capacity than unmanaged switches.

In contrast with routers, switches are incapable of joining multiple networks and Internet connection sharing. And also unlike routers, switches are only applicable in wired networks.

The connection capacity of the switch depends on the model. Average network switches offer four to eight connections for Ethernet devices. A method called daisy chaining helps to add devices to a LAN.

Laser Printers are important on business, school, and personal use. Each category uses different types of printers such as laserjet printers are ideal for business use and printing text while inkjet printers are ideal for photos and graphics. Multifunction printers provide the needs of home office use and photographers. Here are some of the best printers available.

Dell 5130cdn

The Dell 5130cdn is one of the fastest printers in the market today. It has an almost perfect print quality. It might cost you higher than other laser printers but over the long run, it will save you more on cost per page. Its output prints would only costs an estimated of 1.2 cents per black page and 3 cents per color page and 10 cents for four-color page. You can also save more on its supplies. The 18,000-page black cartridge will cost less than 1 cent per page printing and the 12,000-page color cartridge will cost about 2 cents per color page and the four-color page will only cost aroundd 6.9 cents.

Design

The 5130cdn is comes in a black, large boxy casing. It measures 17 x 22 x 20 inches (HWD) and weighs 99 pounds. It may look large and eat some space but its large capability performance will compensate to its physical size.

The front panel is your access to the toner cartridges and the separate drums. The right side panel can also fold down to clear jammed paper paths, in which so far I have never encountered.

It has standard 550-sheet main tray and a 150-sheet multipurpose tray. If somehow you need an extra capacity, optional 550-sheet and 1100-sheet trays are available and also a component for stapling up to 50 sheets and stacking up to 1000 sheets.

Features

The 5130cdn is capable of printing on both sides of the paper through its auto-duplexer. Its standard memory of 256MB DDR-2 can be upgraded to 1.2GB. It has an intuitive monochrome LCD, front control panel’s cursor and navigation buttons. Its internal HTML configuration site allows you to change settings through the Web browser.

Performance

To demonstrate its high-speed printing, it printed text as fast as 25 pages per minute (ppm) while graphic speeds ranged from 8 ppm for simple graphics to 3 ppm for high-quality image printing. However, the printing speed lowers down on Mac with its PostScript driver. Plain text printing averaged 22 ppm and 3 ppm on graphics printing. The 5130cdn performs the same with PC and Mac. It provides crisp, black printing on text and natural coloring on color printing. This printer is not only for show, it perform a stunning 110,000-page monthly duty cycle.

Pro

• Low cost per page printing
• Speed printer
• High-quality output

Cons

• Expensive on initial purchase
• Large and heavy.

Conclusion

The 5130cdn would make you shell out some dough at initial purchase but it will save more and will compensate for the initial cost in the long run. Its size is not a big factor. Its high performance will compensate for its physical flaws. And not only it will save you money, it will save you time as well with its high-speed printing. The 5130cdn package includes 9000-page black cartridge and 6000-page cyan, magenta and yellow cartridge.

Dell 1350cnw

The Dell 1350cnw provides a combination of output quality, speed and features. It is ideal for a medium to high capacity function such as home office or small to midsize business. It has a reliable performance with a maximum 3,000 page on its monthly duty cycle. It fits both on Windows and Mac operating systems.

Design

The 1350cnw comes in a simple rectangular black design. It measures 9 x 15 x 12 inches (HWD) and weighs around 24 pounds, which is heavier than other color printers and not easy to move around. It has output tray on the top that can hold up to 100 sheets and a two-liner monochrome LCD and seven buttons on its control panel. The control buttons consists of Enter key, four directional buttons and two other buttons: one for virtual menu and one to cancel a job in progress. There’s also a tray at the bottom of the printer that caters a 150-sheep paper input drawer including tabs that holds various media types such as plain papers, coated papers, envelopes, labels, etc. At the back of the printer, you will find the output tray for media fed via the bypasser. This is also your access to clean jammed papers, in which I haven’t experienced. The 1350’s toner bay can be accessed through the right side door unlike other usual printers which can be accessed through the top door.

Features

The Dell 1350cnw has a built-in USB connectivity, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet port, which gives you a lot of options for connectivity and for networking with other machines. It requires a black cartridge and three color cartridges for magenta, cyan, and yellow. Each cartridges produces 700 pages, and will cost to an estimated 7 cents per black page and 7.8 cents per colored page.

The Dell 1350cnw has Black and White for its default printing. It provides you an option of setting a password for color printing. I find this feature very useful because it prevents any unintentional printing of simple documents in color such as Excel charts or PowerPoint. It gives you an option to decide whether you like to print such documents in color, thus allowing you to save costs on printing.

Performance

Although the 1350cnw is not the fastest printer in the market today, it has a decent speed. It also has consistent speed and quality on each type of document whether it is color or black and white. It prints a decent output of 11 pages per minute on black pages and almost similar to color pages.

Pros

• Inexpensive LED engine
• Easy installation
• High-quality output for color documents
• Wireless connectivity
• Password protect color printing

Cons

• Slower speed compares to other color printer.
• Small LED screen

Conclusion

The Dell 1350cnw may not be one of the fastest printers available today, but it provides consistent output for different types of documents. Its speed is enough for home office and small business. It also provides a wide variety of options on both wired and wireless connections. Others might find the password option on color printing an added work and effort but I find it useful and economical.

Canon Lasers Color imageCLASS MF8380Cdw

The Canon Lasers Color imageCLASS MF8380Cdw is multifunction printer (MFP) that’s suited for workgroup and small office color printing volume. It provides high-quality output for text and images (but lesser on graphics).

Design

The MF8380Cdw has a noticeable size with measures of 19 x 17 x 19.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 68 pounds. This will really eat up space in the room and will place in an almost permanent location because it will not be moved around more often. The control panel is at the top of the printer while the bottom has the paper tray that holds 250 sheets and the ADF which holds 50 sheets. The front panel has the 50-sheet multipurpose tray. The output tray can hold as many as 150 sheets.

Features

The MF8380Cdw control panel includes alphanumeric keypad, 5-line monochrome display, four-way controller and function buttons for print, scan, copy, and fax and a very useable energy-saving mode and ID entry for secure printing.  Along the control panel on top is the 50-sheet duplexing automatic document feeder (ADF) capable of scanning, copying, and faxing and printing on both sides. The automatic duplexing is set as default and offers a lot of savings on paper costs.

It has a standard paper capacity of 250-sheet on main tray and 50-sheet on multipurpose feeder. An optional 250-sheet paper tray is available to make it a total of 550 sheets. The MF8380 also offers Ethernet, USB and WiFi connectivity.

Performance

The MF8380Cdw can print as fast as 21 ppm (pages per minute) for black pages and 21 ppm for color pages. However, its output quality differs from each printing in which text printing is better than images and graphics. Its text print has an extremely sharp output. The estimated cost per page is 3.7 cents per black page and 16 cents per color page. It has a monthly duty cycle of 40,000 pages.

Pros

• Automatic duplex ADF
• High-quality printing
• WiFi connectivity

Cons

• Lower graphics quality

Conclusion

Although there are some drawbacks for the MF8380Cdw such as the huge size and slower printing speed, being affordable and complete with feature makes up for it to be one to consider when buying a color laser printer. It is ideal for small office and small business. The unit package comes with 1200-page black and 1400-page color cartridges.

Dell 1250c

The Dell 1250c is considered as personal printer. With its small size and lack of useable high-tech features such as wireless network support, it is designed for a limited size of workload.

Design

The 1250 is encased in a dark black box with the size of 8.9 x 15.5 x 11.8 (HWD). This is a little smaller than other color laser printers. But you can easily choose a spot to place this machine and you can easily move it around the room in case you need to. At the top of the printer are the fold-down paper output tray and the control panel. The control panel contains usual control buttons such as the button for printing and another button to stop the work in progress. The control panel also has four LED lights that indicate the level of the remaining laser toner in the color cartridge and a location indicator of the cartridges in the right side panel. The printer has no high-tech features such as wireless networking. It is so simple that anybody else can operate the printer. What it has is intuitive control navigation. When you open the front panel, you will see two separate compartments. The one is for holding 150 sheets of plain paper and the other one is for outgoing sheets. Both sides has slides that allows adjustments for paper sizes including standard legal papers or other types such as envelopes, coated papers, and labels.

Features

Aside from wireless networking, other feature that the 1250c doesn’t have is the manual bypass feeder, which can be useful for tasks such as loading transparencies. The access on the 1250c’s toner bay is through its right side door, instead of the usual top door. Each cartridge of black, cyan, magenta and yellow can produce up to 700 pages with an estimated cost of 7.1 cents per black page and 7.8 cents per color page. The machine is easy to set up. It can be connected on PC and Mac through its installation disk.

Another thing why it is labeled as personal printer is that it can only be connected on one computer at a time. It only has a single USB port at the back unlike other laser printers that has Ethernet connection and wireless connection for multiple connections.

Performance

The Dell 1250c is a speed printer of its kind. Though it is slower than other laser printers, it is faster than other personal printers. It can print up to 12 ppm (pages per minute) for black pages and 10 ppm for color. Its output quality is good enough for most business needs but fall short for serious desktop publishing applications. Its text quality is a bit lower than the standard laser-class printer. But I find it not an issue because a laser standard is really high.

Pros

• Simple to set up
• Fast for its kind
• High-quality for both type of printing

Cons

• Allows only one connection at a time.
• Low paper capacity

Conclusion

The Dell 1250c is perfect for personal use as well as business use with limited users and capacity. With its size, it’s not hard to find a location for it. As long as you’re aware that it can only connect to one computer at a time, you will be satisfied with the printer’s overall features and performance. It has both high quality printing for text and colored images and consistent speed for both.

Lexmark Interact S605

The Lexmark Interact S605 is a multifunction printer (MFP) designed for home office use. It serves as printer, scanner, and copier. And because it is designed for home office use, it lacks features including Ethernet connection and fax functionality and also has limited paper capacity. But it’s well enough for home offices with a minimum workload.

Design

The S605 comes in a matte black case with silver bezel around the lid. It measures 7 x 14.2 x 20.1 inches (HWD) and weighs 16.5 pounds. It has an attractive 4.3-inch LCD color touch screen that contains controls for copy, scan, and print from external source and also allows accessing Web apps. It also has “Stop” button to cancel a work in progress. The LCD display has only one physical button and the rest is on virtual appearance through its touch screen. It has a 100-page paper input tray that is adjustable to accommodate variety of media sizes such as legal, letter and envelope.

Features

The S605 comes with two pre-installed SmartSolutions Web apps: the Photo Reprint and the ID Card Copy.  While it’s so easy to activate online, a wide range of free apps are also available to download through Lexmark’s SmartSolutions site.  Here are some of the apps available:

• Social media apps that allows you to print photos directly from Facebook and Twitter.
• Business apps for real estate, legal, medical, and other documents
• Photo apps that associates with Photobucket, Flickr, and other photo sharing sites.
• Apps that allows you to print graph paper, blank music sheet, calendars, etc.

You can also download Google Analytics that tracks the traffic of your Web site.

The S605 also features automatic duplexer that allows printing on both sides of the paper. It also has a multi-card reader that holds a range of memory card formats. It has a USB port and Wi-Fi for connectivity.

However, it doesn’t have automatic document feeder (ADF) and has small capacity input tray (100 sheets).

Performance

The S605 has the speed of 2.7 ppm (pages per minute) which is the average speed for a small office multifunction printer. It has an average text output quality which is good enough for internal business documents but not on documents that needs good impression such as resumes. Graphics quality is also average quality which is good enough for schoolwork and general business use.

Pros

• Comes with auto-duplexer
• Simple wireless setup
• Easy to use touch-screen LCD
• SmartSolution apps

Cons

• No Ethernet connectivity
• Below average image quality

Conclusion

The Lexmark Interact S605 is more than good enough for small-office and personal use. It is a multifunction device that works various tasks. It is also equipped with high-tech features such as the touch screen which is rarely seen on other printers. The SmartSolutions app is not only an attractive app toy but very useable too. Its auto-duplex saves time and paper costs as well. The S605 surely have everything you need from a printer for personal use.

Introduction

A few years back, none of us has heard of HDMI. In fact, some of us, especially those who are not techies, still don’t know what HDMI is. But with our fast-paced technology today, suddenly, HDMI has become the standard audio and video connection for modern home theater today. In fact, all of the latest home appliances and electronics today have HDMI outputs for audio and video such as DVD players, Blu-ray players, computers, game consoles, etc. Before, we need more than one cable to deliver audio and video. Do you recognize those color coded (red, white, yellow) cables and plug-ins? But now, it can be achieved in one cable through HDMI. And not only that, it also delivers a high-definition signal. But before you get excited and click on our link to buy the cable, let us first help you to review and learn if it is really worth your dough.

What is HDMI?

HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. In the name itself, you will have an idea on what it does. But if the words are still high-tech to you, it is a type of digital connection that transmits high-definition video and high-resolution audio in just a single cable, unlike with the analog cables; you need a connection of three cables for component video and six audio cables. This sounds like a jungle of cables in your home entertainment.

How do HDMI differ from the analog cables?

Since HDMI transmits high-definition video signals, it can deliver the best image quality. It can manage high-definition video of up to 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second. It is the highest bandwidth video format today. DVI connections that can be found on older PCs also offer the same quality but it is not usually found on modern HDTVs or video components. And going back to the color-coded, jungle cables which are the S-Video, composite, and RF; they only carries standard-definition video signals, and the HDMI is an innovation of all of them. However, HDMI is not everything on high-definition quality. The most significant in video quality is the source. A low-quality source transmitted through HDMI wills still look bad than a high-quality source transmitted through S-Video.

HDMI also improves audio quality

Not only HDMI improves the video quality signal but the audio quality as well. It has the capability of carrying eight channels of 24-bit audio at 192kHz. It is enough to manage even the highest resolution soundtracks such as DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. Though multichannel analog audio cables deliver the same quality, but it requires eight separate cables to attain the same quality. While digital audio cables, both optical and coaxial, can transmit multichannel audio, it can only handle lower-resolution audio signals.

What other electronic devices support HDMI?

There are also mini HDMI ports that can be found on portable high-definition gadgets such as camcorders. It produces the same quality as HDMI, but only smaller in size, which makes it easier to contain in portable gadgets. Through this port, gadgets like camcorders can be connected to HDTV through a cable with a mini HDMI connecter at one end and a standard HDMI connection on the other. Another way is using a standard HDMI cable and a mini HDMI adapter.

Another electronic device that HDMI can be used is the computer. While DVI is still the standard connection on computers, new model computers and graphic cards already features HDMI ports.

HDMI variations

HDMI has different versions. They are: 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4, from the previous to the latest. It has different features and aspects. With the variation of HDMI versions, compatibility was never been an issue.

Does the length of the cable affect its performance?

Like other regular cable types, HDMI cables decrease its performance the longer it runs. It is said that starting from 10 meters or 33 feet is when users will begin to notice deterioration in its performance. However, HDMI Licensing group didn’t release an official maximum length for its cables.

Noise-cancelling headphones are designed to reduce, if not fully avoid, external noise. The noise-cancelling technology uses two approaches: Active and Passive. Passive noise reduction works through its physical structure such as large headphones that completely covers our ears to prevent external noise to enter our hearing. The latest physical design to achieve noise reduction is the canalphones or in-ear-canal headphones. It works by plugging the headphones on your ears like earplugs, preventing external noise to enter our hearing.

While Active noise reduction also uses the physical design approach like the Passive’s such us large headphones and/or small plug-like headphones, but it is greatly supported by technology innovation. It is done by installing multi-microphones in one headphone and the inverse audio signal feds back into the headphones which cancel out the noise.

However, these headphones have limitations on noise cancellation. Because of active noise cancellation, a delay occurs when the noise cancellation detects a sound and sends the inverted signal on the headphone. This makes NC headphones more effective in blocking continuous sound such as construction works, road/automobile noises, and even external music, than they are in neutralizing distinct sounds such as dog barking, baby crying and person talking.

Another noticeable flaw is the pressure you can feel in your ears while using an NC headphones.

Nevertheless, Noise Cancelling headphones are still a bestseller in the market today because it is more comfortable to use compare to other headphones. It is comfortable in the ears and easy to put on. It doesn’t also isolates you from the outside world because you can still hear sounds like phone ringing, dog barking and people talking around you.

To guide you on what are the best Noise Cancelling headphones on the market, here is our list.

Bose QuietComfort 15

Bose is one of the biggest brands in audio equipment. They are known for technology and innovation. The Bose QuietComfort 15 is their latest entry on noise cancellation technology.

Design

The Bose QC 15 has a sleek and professional design which is a custom appearance of all Bose products. Actually, the QC 15 looks a lot more like the QC 2. It has an impression of quality products and excellent sound. It is also comfortable in your ears and head, thanks to its soft ear pads and soft head band.

Features

The good thing about the QC 15 is that everything I need to relax is within my reach: nice music and comfort. The QC 15 gives a nice and soothing music by providing pure music and eliminating distractions through minimizing external sounds. And if I’m done listening to my music, I can still use the headphones to lessen the noise wherever I am. I just switch on the headphone and everything loud turns into a whisper. In fact, to test its effectiveness, I tried to use it while playing drums. Drummers usually use ear cups to lessen the loudness of the sound of drums. Drums are not like electric guitars that has volume control. I turn on the QC 15 not to listen to my drums but to lessen its sound. And I tell you, I practiced numbers of songs without busting my eardrums. Cool!

The QC15 also has accessories compatible with any cell phones and gadgets including Apple products. It has a three-button remote and microphone for easy control of sound and answering calls. This feature easily turns the headphone from relaxing tool to an excellent utility.

Here are some of Bose QuietComfort’s features:

• Triport acoustic headphone structure – this is the tiny vents in the headphone’s ear cups to produce totally-balanced audio performance such as reproducing deep, low notes while being a small and lightweight headphone.
• Fold-flat earcups – this enables you to rotate the ear cups 90 degrees for excellent portability.
• Active equalization – automatically tunes the headphones’ frequency response, providing great audio performance.

Pros

• Sleek and comfortable design
• Very effective noise cancelling circuitry

Cons

• Expensive
• Battery operated. No batteries, no music. You have to spend not only on the headset but on batteries too for it to be useful.

Conclusion

They may be pricey, but the QuietComfort 15 offers one of the best sound and noise-reducing capabilities. This pair of earcups really provides excellent comfort in ears and in your head. The Bose QuietComfort has been the standard for Noise-Cancelling headphones and the brand is one of the most trusted companies in the market today. If you have a wider budget to shell out, then this maybe the best product to choose. In addition, this is a great additional gadget for a lot of Apple users.

Bose QuietComfort 3

The Bose QuietComfort 3 has been on the market for six years and already proved its effectiveness on sales. As it gained high approval from consumers, it became a standard for noise-cancelling headphones.

Features

The QuietComfort 3 is the start of the entry of Bose’s smaller earcups. It features an on-ear (supra-aural) design instead of over-the-ear (circumaural) of Bose QC 2. QC 3’s comfortable foam fits nicely to your ears and surprisingly effective on passively reducing noise compares to other on-ear models where it is possible for outer noise to leak in. While its comfy foams are very comfortable on relaxing, it is not recommendable on fitness and workouts. The pair of comfy foams is pressed firmly against your ears and it tends to get steamier especially on warmer environments.

Another good thing about the QC 3 is its two-prong adapter for plane travel and its extra cord for length extension of the headphones. Short cord of headphones is annoying sometimes and don’t work for me because it prevents me to move in various position.

Pros

• Highly-effective noise cancelling
• Great sound quality
• Comfortable

Cons

• Expensive
• Ear pads will make your ears sweat in warm environment
• Battery powered

Conclusion

The Bose’s line of noise-cancelling headphones is more expensive than other brands, plus an additional expense for batteries for it to function. While no one wants to buy an expensive item and spend more on their batteries, the QC 3 will give you the best noise reduction and high-quality sound. The QC 3 also has already gained a high reputation. For me, I’ll go for a trusted brand and has high user ratings like this one.

Audio Technica ATH ANC7 QuietPoint

The ANC 7 is another quality noise-cancelling headphone. It is also the best NC headphone model of Audio Technica. The ANC7 has a claimed 90 percent minimum ambient noise reduction. It is said to be a major competitor against Bose QuietComfort models.

Features

The Audio Technica ATH ANC7 is a comfortable and high-quality NC headphone in a reasonable price. It has one of the smallest earcups among NC headphones, add to this is a soft and comfy leather foam which can be worn for long periods of time without discomfort. These small earcups can also be twist for easy storage. It is powered by a single AAA battery that works up to 50 hours. The best thing with the ANC7 is that it works even turned off, just the sound quality declines without the NC circuitry. But with power on, it delivers an excellent sound quality.

The ANC7 has a detachable cable which is great for portability and includes adapter for various functions such as for airplane and mobile phone use. And since its cord is detachable, you can still use this just to eliminate the noise in your rest time and stay in your relax mode, even without a music.

The Audio Technica ATH ANC7 is ideal to use in MP3, DVD, CD, and in-flight entertainment systems. It effectively decrease disturbing background noise by up to 85 percent (the active noise reduction is up to 20 dB), thanks to its fully integrated ANC circuitry. It also contains 40mm drivers with neodymium magnet systems in both earcups to produce excellent audio quality for impressive treble sound and deep bass.

Pro

• Comfortable headphones
• Useful accessories such as hard shell travel case and adapter
• Excellent sound quality
• Effective noise-cancellation

Cons

• Slightly distorted treble. Makes some tracks sound rough.
• Sound quality decrease when cancellation is turned off
• Not totally sound proof

Conclusion

The Audio Technica ATH ANC7 has excellent noise cancellation. It has great sound quality for the low price. One good thing about it is its in par with the Bose’s QuietComfort 3, which means (almost) same quality in a lower price.

• Excellent noise cancellation
• Good sound quality for the price

JVC HA-NC250

The JVC HA-NC250 is one of the lightest NC headphones in the market. It is also has a remarkable battery life that runs up to 50 hours. It is one of the best noise-cancelling headphones in the market.

Features

First, the NC250 gives us comfort and function through its sound insulation layer. Noise-cancellation works through an electronic circuitry to produce sound waves that blocks the noise around you. In the NC250, the noise is monitored non-stop and the unwanted frequency will be adjusted as needed; this allows you to enjoy your music without outside interference.

The NC250 has frequency response of 8 Hz to 24 kHz. Humans can only perceive between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, meaning, the NC250 can play sounds past what you can hear. Some music contains subsonic and supersonic frequencies to produce fuller sound and the NC250 makes sure that you experience music the way it was meant to be heard.

Sometimes, we also tend to turn the volume of our music up to level or outdo any noises around us. This is dangerous because our hearing cannot handle sounds above 80 decibels. The NC250 can block more than 18 decibels of noises at 150 Hz. It blocks up to 85 percent of background noise which means you won’t have to max the volume just to hear your music clearly.

Now, back to the lighter side and common terms, the headphones still function even if you lose the battery power unlike the Bose QuietComforts. With the NC250, you can still listen to your music and block unwanted noise. This is a big point for those who don’t always have an extra battery. Each earcups contains 40mm neodymium driver that produces excellent quality sound.

Pros

• The battery lasts up to 50 hours.
• The headphones work with or without the noise-cancellation.

Cons

• The cable is too short for nonportable use.
• Headphones and cables have minimum controls

Conclusion

Because the headset makes its battery live longer, it gives you a long-lasting cancellation too. This will provide you an excellent listening and relaxing experience. And since they are lightweight, you will not get tired of using this for a long period of time. My only concern about the NC250 is the only control it has is the power switch on the right ear of the headphone. It doesn’t have audio controls on the cord like other NC headphones. This is a big aspect for me because I’d like to have control on my music within my reach such as the Volume and the forward-backward tracks. But it is no big deal to people who just want to plug and play.

Sony MDR-NC500D

Sony is one of the biggest names not only on the headphone market, but also on the entire electronic market and innovations. Sony boasts that they are the first to implement digital noise-cancellation technology.

Features

The Sony MDR-NC500D provides high-quality design, solid sound, various technology features and… high price tag. But I’m sure; it is a great choice and a must-have for consumers who have cash to spare and dislikes low-end products.

The MDR-NC500D has an adjustable headband made from plastic with padding at the top to provide extra comfort. Another good thing about the NC500D is it offers a lot of control for “control freaks” like me. It offers manual and automatic adjustments for noise-cancellation. It has three auto-settings such as the Bus, Airplane and Office settings. The headphones will automatically adjust its noise-cancellation in accordance to the chosen settings. You can also chose the Al mode which will allow the headphone to automatically adjust whatever environment you have.

The MDR-NC500D has frequency response of 5 Hz to 24 kHz. Our average hearing can only detect between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, this means that the MDR-NC500D can play the subsonic and the supersonic sounds that contained in some music. Its sensitivity of 102 decibels prevents you to hear any unwanted noise even if you pump up the volume. On the other hand, there is no need to max the volume just to beat your background noise. The MDR can decrease up to 99 percent of ambient noise which translates to 20 decibels at 160 Hz.

In the area of innovation, where Sony specializes, the MDR-NC500D has a unique feature which is the monitor function. This function allows you to use the built-in microphone to hear the sound around you such as the person talking to you. In order for this feature to function, you have to keep the button on the headset pressed.

The MDR-NC500D is powered by an internal lithium-ion battery which only runs for 16 hours of playback. You can extend the playback time up to 28 hours by adding two AA batteries. But it is like Bose QuietComfort headphones, the MDR only works with power on. You can also not be able to listen to your music without the batteries.

Pros

• Excellent noise cancellation and solid sound quality
• Useful extra features
• Advanced technology

Cons

• Useless without batteries
• Expensive

Conclusion

The Sony MDR-NC500D maybe expensive, but having this is like having a glimpse of the future of Noise-Cancelling headphones. The MDR is full of innovative technology features. It also offers one of the best noise-cancellation and sound quality which is the main purpose of noise-cancelling headphones.

Life is an adventure and thanks to technology like the GoPro Hero camera, you can document everything no matter where you are or what you are doing. GoPro has done it again with their latest and greatest HD camera called the GoPro HD Hero2. This little camera/camcorder does it all whether your trying to capture that elusive high speed boating race or the half pipe snowboard trick shaun white style.

No matter what the occasion the GoPro Hero2 can document it. There are three editions to the new GoPro:

• Outdoor Edition
• Motorsports Edition
• Surfing Edition

This HD camera comes with an 11 megapixel resolution that is mountable and wearable in any condition. It has a 170 degree wide angle lens to capture all of the action packed excitement you can handle as well as the background images. The camera shoots 10 frames per sec (fps) so that “must see” moment is never to be missed.

The Outdoor Edition comes with the mountable helmet and vented helmet strap to accommodate your backcountry snowboard or skiing adventure as well as your mountain biking or hiking expedition.

The Motorsports Edition has a few extras that include some mounting equipment such as a J-Hook buckle and a few adhesive mounts for the adrenaline junkie who has a constant need for speed. The helmet and vented helmet strap are the missing pieces in this edition.

The Surfing Edition includes some surfboard mounting hardware called the FCS  compatible mount which lets you “plug” your camera into the board itself. For water enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies this mount is ideal for riding that ten footer you have been wanting to show everyone on Youtube.

I recently took a trip to Breckenridge, Colorado and used this camera (outdoor edition) with helmet cam enable to capture my snowboarding adventure. I could not believe the clarity and technology this little high definition camera put out. What was even better was switching it picture burst mode and letting it take snapshots every couple of seconds down the mountain. It was the best scenery I could have ever imagined.

The best thing about the GoPro Hero2 is in the coming months you will be able to live stream your action shots over the internet while you perform them. The reviews for this camera on GoPro.com and Amazon are exceptional. There are very few negative comments and those that are simply have had a few “out of the ordinary” circumstances happen to leave a bad taste in their mouth. If you want to be a hero then you have to GoPro!

A lot of gaming PCs today are configured to perform its function to a high-level. There are numbers of configured gaming PC brands that leads the market such as Digital Storm, Alienware, etc.  These computers were set-up to provide gamers the best gaming experience. Some of hardcore gaming enthusiasts even make their own gaming PC set-up. To lessen your work and to help you save time, energy and hassle, there are computer companies that do the job of compiling the best hardware for gaming. Here is our list of Best Gaming PCs.

Digital Storm ODE

Digital Strom has established their brand in the gaming industry. Assembling PC is not a new world to Digital Storm and one of their best products is the ODE line of models. ODE has four preconfigured gaming desktop models from Level 1 to 4.

Design

These ODE lineups are encased in a striking white casing; a Corsair’s white smart and neat-looking Graphite Series 600T with a stress of black trims and black ventilation grilles on each side. These ventilation grilles really provide big help on interior cooling. The red lighting inside and the transparent plastic window on the right side will let you view the PCs interior. The chassis has easy-airflow design and a perforated top grate to quick-release hot air, plus a liquid-cooling system. As you noticed, Digital Storm ODE has lots of options for its cooling system. It is because cooling system is very vital to the performance and life of the integral parts of our PC. Cooling system prevents these parts to overheat and maintain its performance level.

On the top of the PC there are ports that include one USB 3.0, four USB 2.0, microphone jacks and audio, and FireWire 400. The PCs rear has two HDMI, four DVI-I, two DisplayPort; eight USB 2.0, FireWire 400, power eSATA, eSATA and audio jacks.

Features

Digital Storm’s high performance is based on its 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-2600K for more freedom of overclocking and two GTX 560 Ti graphics cards running in SLI which provide two HDMI ports and four DVI  for multiple monitor needs. It also has 8GB of DDR3-1600 RAM that allows for additional sticks in the future. As for media, movie lovers will enjoy its Blu-ray combo drive for an outstanding quality video and fast DVD and music CD burning. ODEs are also powered by Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti cards and 80 GB solid-state drive (SSD), plus a 1TB hard drive.

Specifications

Processor – Intel Core i7 2600k/3.4GHz/quad-core/
Graphics – Nvidia Geforce GTX 560/1024 MB
Memory – 8192 MB/DDR3/1600 MHz
Storage – Hard Disk Drive/Solid-State Drive/1080 GB
Operating System – Windows 7 Home Premium

Pro

• High-speed CPU
• Sleek design
• Well-organized  interior
• Great graphics performance and power for the price

Cons

• Limited room for expansion
• No Blu-ray drive and solid-state drive

Conclusion

Digital Storm’s ODE lineup is more powerful than other PCs on its price level. It is also one of the most competitive in the market. And it doesn’t only come with power; it also has striking looks too. With the ODE lineup, you can not only fully enjoy your games but your savings as well. Digital Storm ODE is for gaming enthusiasts looking for a monster performance in a reachable price.

Maingear Shift Super Stock

Maingear Shift has been on the top of Best Performance Desktop lists for a year, topping other competitors with same features. But with the entry of Origin Genesis to the market, the Shift has faced its great trial. To answer Origin’s challenge, Maingear released a new Shift; the Super Stock, an updated alternative of the previous Shift made for extreme performance.

Design

The Shift Super Stock comes in a signature Shift case with a lot of color options of citrus fire, organic green, frost white, fusion blue, burple (purple), rosso red and carbon fiber. Its interior is designed to push the flow of the air upward through its motherboard which is rotated at 90 degrees and its quiet fan in the case’s midsection. By this, it pushes up the hot air produced by the GPUs out through the roof. It keeps the heat intensity low by preventing the cards to rely solely on their own cooling device.

Inside the PC, all wirings are in place and organized. The casing has large window on its side and a bright white LED light inside to boast its superior design and organization.

Features

The Shift Super Stock contains Nvidia’s Geforce GTX 580, all three of them, equipped with 1.5GB of GDDR5 memory; Core i7-980X Extreme Edition with overclocking up to 4.5GHz from its stock speed of 3.33GHz. Add to this is the processor’s “Epic 180 Supercooler”; a new selft-contained water-cooling system supported by a 180mm fan. Also, a liquid cooling is on-look while the CPU is overclocked, doing an excessive work.

Specifications

Processor – Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition/3.33 GHz/6-core
Graphics – Nvidia GeForce GTX580/PCI Express Triple-SLI
Memory – 6144 MB/DDR3/2000 MHz
Storage – Solid-State Drive/512 GB

Pros

• High performance
• Excellent graphics and speed
• Lower price for its performance level

Cons

• Its tool-free casing is hard to open. It takes an effort to pull-out its securely latched casing.

Conclusion

With the release of Super Stock, Maingear is again back to the list of top performing PCs. Although it’s a bit more expensive than its previous model and competitors, it had an astonishing performance upgrade and added more exciting features.

Origin Genesis

Although Origin is only a newcomer to the boutique PC market, and only produced three models, they already made our list of Best Gaming PC. With their three models, they managed to offer us fully-customized computers. And also, it served as a main competitor to Maingear Shift.

Features

As a newcomer, they didn’t waste time on building low-grade PC. The Genesis is Origin’s toughest PC. Inside Genesis is Intel Core i7 980X; a six-core high performance processor. It is overclocked up to 4.3GHz from its stock speed of 3.33GHz. The Origin used memory as same as high-end gaming PCs with 6GB of DDR3-1600MHz RAM and 2.1TB of space. It also features a network of red tubing pumps liquid coolant around the chassis to prevent overheating.

Specifications

Processor – Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition/3.33GHz – 4.5GHz
Memory – 6GB DDR3
Graphics – Three Nvidia GeForce GTX 480
Operating System – Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

Pros

• Extremely fast
• Reasonable price
• Striking Chassis
• Entirely customizable

Cons

• Large-sized and heavy
• Overcrowded boot drives

Conclusion

Even though it’s a new entry brand to the market, it deserves an attention. The entry of Genesis to the world of gaming PC is a surprise. I didn’t expect much from this PC, but I guess I underestimated it. Origin means serious business. They don’t waste time producing PC with lacking features. The Genesis is an extremely high-performing gaming PC and yet, won’t cost you an arm and leg for its price. A proof of its quality and success is it done a major upset by topping the well-known Maingear Shift.

Alienware X51

There is a familiar phrase that goes like “small but terrible”; this is what the Alienware X51 is. The X51 is shouting “size doesn’t matter!” because it managed to compress all the muscle and beauty in a small box and also be competitive along the best PCs in the market.

Design

At first glance, it looks a lot like a gaming console or an Xbox 360 on its size over a foot tall and long and three inches wide. This approach might be an idea to bring gamers from emerging gaming consoles back to PC. Also like consoles, X51 is designed to stand upright or lay on its side. Its alien-head logo can be turned 90 degrees in accordance to its orientation, and the alien-head’s eyes lights up along with the other parts of the PC. These lights, including the gaming mouse, can be set up to different colors of your choice.

It features a slot-loading DVD burner at the front panel and it even has a slide-out plastic card on the back to contain all the service-tag information and stickers, preventing the PC to be crowded with sticker information.

However, a flaw that I have noticed with the X51’s design is its external big power supply. This is the reason how the designers managed to minimize the size of the X51; by opting to put the power supply outside the case. But they provided a solution on how to organize the power supply; it is by installing it with a several feet long power cable on both sides so that you can have an option to hide away the power supply from the PC.

Features

The X51 offers the Core i3, i5 and i7 of Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors and up to 8GB of RAM, 1TB of hard drive space, and Nvidia GeForce GT 545 or 555 graphics card. There is a built-in WiFi and a slot-loading DVD-burner that can be upgraded to a Blu-Ray drive.

Specifications

Processor – Intel Core i5-2320/3GHz
Memory – 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
Storage Capacity – 1000GB
Graphics Card – Nvidia GeForce GTX 555
Operating System – Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit

Pros

• High-performance for its size
• Compact design with full-size graphics card
• Supports up to three monitors
• More affordable than larger PC

Cons

• Large power supply
• No room for more expansion

Conclusion

The Alienware X51’s size comes with advantages and disadvantages. With its small size, you can save a lot of space in your table but it leaves no room for more expansion in the future. But with this powerful gaming capability, you don’t need any more expansion; unless you can compromise for a towering price tags and PC sizes. Its varied lighting design also gives mood and more entertainment to gamers. Like I said, it’s a compressed muscle, and power in a small box. And it’s amazingly affordable too.

Alienware Aurora ALX

The first thing that caught my attention with the Aurora is its alien-like or UFO-like PC and built with tough design. It was like having its own life and moves at night when ever body is already sleeping…ok, enough for alien-thing story. Going back to the Aurora, Alienware is giving us an impression for their wares to be out of this world. Feature wise, they succeeded. Performance wise let’s see…

Design

Along its stunning alien-like appearance that caught my attention is its size. It measured 17x8x25 (hxwxd), that’s huge.  It features “gills” at the top of the case and moves according to the speed of the interior fans. The speed of the fan is controlled based on the amount of heat inside the PC, thanks to its embedded temperature controller. Now, logically, the faster the spin of the fan, the higher the fins rise; the lower the speed of the fan, the lower the fins rise. It will give you the impression of a breathing PC. It’s like a living thing that moves at night when every body’s already sleeping…

Lighting is also a unique feature of Alienware. With the AlienFX software, you can customize the color and movements of all the four external lighting around the case. These lights do not move for no reason. You can make these lights blink whenever you receive a new email. Aurora also has Alienware apps for power management and thermal controls.

Features

Aurora features an Intel Core i7-930 processor that runs at 2.8GHz with liquid cooling system that surrounds it. It also contains 6GB of DDR3 RAM which provide a large room for plenty of games and programs. The Aurora has a fast 24xDVD/RW+/- optical drive and eight USB ports for more expansion and additional gaming controllers and joysticks. Its mATX LGA 1366 Intel X58 motherboard with 875-watt power supply great for future upgrades.

Specifications

Processor – 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-930
Memory – 6GB DDR3 RAM
Graphics – Two ATI Radeon HD 5870 cards (1GB each)
Optical Drive – Blu-Ray Disc
Operating System – Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

Pros

• Stunning design
• Customizable lighting
• High gaming performance

Cons

• Heavy
• Expensive
• Expansion slots not available

Conclusion

Aurora’s performance comes along with its design: both enjoyable and a stand-out. This PC possesses hardware that are necessary for most games today. If you’re looking for an excellent gaming experience from a high performing and mood switching PC, this is one of the best for you. A little warning though, it’s a bit expensive. But still, Alienware delivers the best and has perfected its craft on its market.

The motherboard is one of the most important parts of our computer. If the Processor or CPU is the brain of the computer, the motherboard is the heart of the computer. It is the core of the computer where all parts connect to. The motherboard’s function is to relay the information from all the integral components.

Having a quality motherboard can largely contribute on the computer’s performance, especially on gaming. To help you decide on which motherboard to buy for your computer, I listed some tips on how to choose the right motherboard for you and top motherboard models.

CPU

The first to consider in choosing a motherboard is the CPU compatibility. A certain motherboard will generally only support a particular brand such as Intel or AMD, or other CPU brands. If you want to know if the motherboard and the CPU are compatible, check if both have the same processor interface.

RAM

Your motherboard should also be compatible with the RAM. The ideal type of RAM for best gaming performance is DDR3 and at least 4GB. Choose the motherboard that will support this type and memory size.

Ports, Slots, and other features

When choosing a motherboard, you should also consider other features and ports too such as number of USB ports, Firewire port if you need it for video capturing and editing, and PCI-Express slots.

Sound Card

Generally, motherboards have built-in audio so a sound card is only optional. But if you want the best experience from your games and take full advantage of high-quality headphones or speakers, getting a sound card is the best for you.

For professional use such as music and video editing, a sound card is essential. The built-in audio is not enough to handle the task.

Now that I had given you some simple tips on how to choose your motherboard, I will now give you my list of best motherboards you can find.

EVGA 170-BL-E762

The EVGA 170-BL-E762 is a power-packed motherboard. It has everything a gaming enthusiast and techies need. EVGA 170-BL-E760 is based on the Intel X58 that supports the i7 Intel processors.  It has 4-way SLI configurations, supports up to 24 GB of DDR3 1600 RAM memory and seven distinct PCI Express card slots. In one of its slots, PCI Express allows you to plug-in a USB 3.0 expansion card. It also has excellent graphics performance and video expandability.

Specification

• Model: EVGA 170-BL-E762-A1

Supported CPU

• CPU Socket Type: LGA 1366
• CPU Type: Core i7 (LGA1366)

Chipsets

• North Bridge: Intel X58
• South Bridge: Intel ICH10R

Memory

• Memory Slots: 6x240pin
• Memory Standard: DDR 1600+
• Maximum Memory Supported: 24 GB
• Channel Supported: Triple Channel

Expansion Slots

• PCI Express 2.0×16
• 1 x PCI-E x16 slots, running at x16
• 2 x PCI-E x16 slots, running at x16/x8
• 3 x PCI-E x16 slots, running at x8

Features

• NVIDIA SLI Technology
• 2-Way SLI Support
• 3-Way SLI Support
• 4-Way SLI Support
• On-Board Clear CMOS Button
• On-Board Reset Button with Integrated HDD Activity Light
• On-Board Power Button with Integrated Power Light
• 300% more gold content in the CPU socket

Asus P6X58D

Asus P6X58D is almost the same level performance as the EVGA 170-BL-E762 but only cheaper. The P6X58D is considered as the “hub of new hosted features and technology”. It has three PCI Express slots, and supports up to 24 GB of DDR3 1600 RAM memory. One good thing about this board is that you could use it for a long time and doesn’t require an upgrade because of its SATA 6GB/s and USB 3.0. This is also the most featured motherboard in the market. Another good thing about this board is that it is made by Asus; the industry leader for producing innovative features and technology.

Specifications

• Model: Asus P6X58D

Supported CPU

• CPU Type: Core i7 (LGA1366)
• CPU Socket Type: LGA 1366
• Supported CPU Technologies: Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Memory

• Memory Standard: DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066
• Maximum Memory Supported: 24GB
• Memory Slots: 6x240pin
• Channel Supported: Triple Channel

Chipsets

• North Bridge: Intel X58
• South Bridge: Intel ICH10R

Expansion Slots

• PCI Express 2.0 x16: 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (at x16/x8/x8 or x16/x16/x1 mode)
• PCI Express x1: 1
• PCI Slots: 2

Rear Panel Ports

• PS/2: 2
• USB 1.1/2.0: 4 x USB 2.0
• USB 3.0: 2
• IEEE 1394: 1
• S/PDIF Out: 1 x Optical, 1 x Coaxial
• Audio Ports: 6

Features

• Next Generation 32nm 6-Core Processor Ready
• Intel LGA1366 Platform & Intel X58/CH10R chipset
• True USB 3.0 and SATA 6 GB/s support
• 3-Way SLI & Quad-GPU CrossFireX support
• MemOK!
• ASUS True 16+2 Phase Power Design

EVGA E758-A1

The EVGA E758-A1 can be classified as A1 motherboard. It is a great foundation for gaming PC and provides excellent features on a decent price. This board features a 2 and 3-Way SLI, 10 SATA ports, with one ESTATA specific port; 6 ports for the EVGA adapter and connectors for multi-video editing support and 12 USB 2.0 ports.

It can handle continual use, thanks to its heat sink material used for the insulation and heat prevention which is good news for game enthusiasts who play games for a long period of time. This board is great for business purposes too.

Specifications

• Model: EVGA E758-A1

Memory

• Memory Slots: 6 x 240-pin DIMM sockets
• Memory Standard: DDR3 1066/1333 MHz
• Maximum Memory Supported: 12GB

Expansion Slot

• 1 x PCIe x 16
• 1 x PCIe x8/X16
• 1 x PCIe x1
• 1 x PCIe x1
• 2 x PCI
• 2 x 32-bit PCI, support for PCI 2.1

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2

Another great product from the technology great ASUS. Like the P6X58D, you can expect high performance in this board. It is a complete package with high memory specs and low power consumption because of its fine circuits. Gaming enthusiasts will surely love its triple channel memory which provides outstanding result in real tech games. It supports a maximum of 24 GB of DDR3 1333 RAM memory and can run up to 1600, 1866 and even 2000 if overclocked.  It also features a three PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots.

Specifications

• Model: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2

Supported CPU

• CPU Socket Type: LGA 1366
• CPU Type: Core i7

Memory

• Memory Support: DDR3
• Maximum Speed 1600 MHz
• Memory Slots: 6
• Maximum Size per Slot: 4GB
• Maximum Memory Supported: 24 GB

External Connections

• USB 2.0
• FireWire
• Audio Out: Surround Sound (7.1)
• Audio In: Line-In/Microphone
• S/PDIF: Optical and Coaxial

Expansion Slots

• PCI Express x4
• PCI Express 2.0 x16
• PCI
• PCI
• PCI Express 2.0 x16
• PCI Express 2.0 x 16

ASUS Rampage III Extreme

The ASUS Rampage III is an upgrade of another great board, the Rampage II. It improved the USB 2.0 to USB 3.0 and the SATA 3GB/s to SATA 6GB/s. With these improvements, the Extreme III has an extreme performance, vibrant versatility and high-quality technology. Its overclocking is very effective which is very crucial for heaviest applications in the software aspects. Another great thing about its overclocking is that it can be increased even with your phone’s Bluetooth.

The Rampage III features the 24 GB Double sided fully dense RAM with 4 PCI slots which has the capacity support single, double, triple and quad graphic support devices and the NVIDIA’s SLI with the ATI crossfire to make it fit with the four graphic cards ion modes of X8.

Specifications

Supported CPU

• CPU Socket Type: Intel Socket 1366
• CPU Type: Core i7

Memory

• Memory Standard: DDR3
• Maximum Memory Supported: 24 GB
• Channel Supported: Triple Channel

Expansion Slots

• 4 x PCIe 2.0 x 16, support x16/x16; x16/x8/x8 and x8/x8/x8/x8 configurations
• 1 x PCIe x4
• 1 x PCI 2.2

Special Features

• MemOK!
• ASUS Fan Xpert
• ASUS MyLogo3
• ASUS EZ Flash 2
• CPU Level Up
• ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3