Logitech Tablet Bluetooth Keyboard for Android 3.0+

                    Logitech Tablet Keyboard for Android 3.0+

Logitech's Tablet Keyboard for Android 3.0+ packs in plenty of bang for your buck. In addition to a superb keyboard, the product comes with a protective case that doubles as a stand for your tablet, allowing you to position the device vertically while you type. This all-in-one functionality adds a lot of value to the Logitech unit.

Logitech Tablet Keyboard for Android

Of course, the most important thing is the keyboard itself -- and Logitech's creation is no slouch in that regard. The keys are nicely spaced out and very responsive; I found it comfortable to perform even the fastest of typing. The unit lies more or less flat when placed on a table, with an ever-so-slight upward slant.

The Logitech Tablet Keyboard has five rows; the number keys at the top double as Android function keys when used in conjunction with a function (Fn) button. Those Android keys allow you to open your tablet's browser, music player, calendar, or Gmail app, as well as remotely control music playback and volume on the tablet. These are handy, but I would have liked it better if they had been dedicated rather than combination keys. The keyboard does have dedicated Search, Back, Home and Menu keys.

Have an iPad?

If you want a wireless keyboard for your iPad, try "Hands-on: 5 wireless keyboards for the iPad."

Though all of the keyboards I tested offer Delete keys, the Logitech keyboard is the only one on which the key actually functions as you would expect: It deletes the letter that comes immediately after the cursor. For some reason, every other keyboard's Delete key either did nothing or served as a second Backspace key, deleting letters before the cursor instead of after it.

Samsung’s new phones will have flexible screens

Samsung‘s new mobile device lineup will feature flexible screens starting in 2012, the company announced today.

In its quarterly earnings call, Samsung’s vice president of investor relations, Robert Yi, told investors, analysts and press, “The flexible display we are looking to introduce sometime in 2012, hopefully the earlier part. The application probably will start from the handset side.”

After flexible-screen mobile phones roll out, the company plans to introduce the same technology for tablets and other devices.

In January 2011, Samsung purchased Liquivista, a strategic acquisition that will allow it to produce the kinds of displays that were announced today. Liquivista made electrowetting display technology, which is used to create mobile and other consumer electronic displays that are bright, low-power, flexible and transparent.

Flexible screen technology was also a focus of Samsung’s in March, when Yongsuk Choi, director of Samsung Mobile Display, gave an overview of the company’s future mobile device plans. At that time, Choi said most of the flexible-display technology Samsung was working on was still in very early stages.

Flexible displays have been on the fringes of up-and-coming mobile technologies for some time. For example, we saw a bendable e-reader from Plastic Logic back in 2008.

More recently, Sony, in particular, has shown some interesting work in the field, demonstrating its first flexible display at CES in early 2009 and showing off advanced, thinner, more flexible displays just last year.

Still, flexible screens aren’t something we’re seeing on the mass market yet; we wonder if consumers will warm to the idea when Samsung takes the wraps off these new devices.

Samsung recently surpassed Apple as the top smartphone manufacturer, shipping 27.8 million smartphones last quarter. Altogether, Samsung’s current share of the smartphone market is 23.8 percent.

Facebook Changes Again: Everything You Need To Know

Facebook  introduced some of the most profound changes seen on Facebook since its inception. So many changes, in fact, that it can be hard to keep track. So here’s a handy-dandy guide.

1. You’re going to get a Timeline — a scrapbook of your life. In a complete overhaul of its ever-evolving profile page, Facebook is introducing Timeline. This is a stream of information about you — the photos you’ve posted, all your status updates, the apps you’ve used, even the places you’ve visited on a world map — that scrolls all the way back to your birth. It encourages you to post more stuff about your past, such as baby pictures, using Facebook as a scrapbook.

The further back in Timeline you go, the more Facebook will compress the information so that you’re only seeing the most interesting parts of your history. You can customize this by clicking on a star next to a status, say, or enlarging a picture.

Timeline is in beta now, and will be opt-in to start. In the long run, it will become the new default profile page.

2. You don’t have to just Like something — now you can [verb] any [noun]. Remember when all you could do to something on Facebook — a video, a comment, a product, a person — was Like it? Pretty soon that’s going to seem laughably antiquated. The social network has launched Facebook Gestures, which means that Facebook’s partners and developers can turn any verb into a button.

So you’ll start seeing the option to tell the world you’re Reading a particular book, for example, or Watching a given movie, or Listening to a certain tune. In turn, as many observers have pointed out, this is likely to lead to an explosion of oversharing — and far more information on your friends’ activities showing up in your news feed than you probably cared to know.

Windows 7: A Complete Survival Guide

Yet questions still remain about upgrading to the new OS, how Windows 7 works compared to Vista, and whether there will be any serious compatibility issues once Windows 7 is finally installed on computers across the United States.

There are a lot of questions out there about Windows 7, and I have answers. I've gone through the PC World vault to find all the information you need about upgrading, the pros and cons of buying a new system, Windows 7 security, and more. With this handy guide at your side, you'll be able to embrace everything Windows 7 has to offer.

Upgrade to Windows 7


Upgrading to a new Windows OS is always filled with questions, like which version of Windows 7 is for me? How much does it cost? Should I even bother upgrading at all?

Check out our Windows 7 Upgrade FAQ to read up on the numerous editions of the OS, and to find pricing information. But you may want to hold off on upgrading since Windows 7 upgrade fees could go down in the near future.

If you're still trying to decide whether the new OS is for you, here is why you should upgrade to Windows 7, and reasons why you shouldn't bother. We also have information about an online tool that tells you if your PC is upgrade-ready.

But if you're ready to make the switch, be sure you go through PC World's Windows 7 upgrade checklist, and the installation how-to guide. They can help ease you through the process. If you're a business owner, you should also read over these four tips for smooth upgrades to Windows 7.

Windows XP users may find the upgrade process too difficult, but we've got an XP-to-Windows 7 upgrade guide to make it easier. Netbook owners should also check out how you can get from XP to Windows 7 in just 30 minutes. But even if you decide to stick with XP, that doesn't mean you can't have some of the great new functionality in Windows 7. See how you can get Windows 7 features on an XP or Vista system.
Should I Buy a New System?


When Vista was released, it was clear that most users were going to need a new system to handle the OS. Windows 7, however, is supposedly designed to run on anything, and was even found to be a little bit faster than Vista in PC World's performance tests. So you may not need a new computer after all, but if you're running XP or finding the upgrade path a little too scary, maybe you should splurge on that new laptop you've had your eye on.

IT manager and PC World blogger Michael Scalisi has a great FAQ to help you through the big decision, but the Tech Inciter, David Coursey, says forget about upgrading and just buy a new computer already.

If you do decide to invest in a new machine, or even if you've upgraded, PC World's David Murphy has some tips to help you optimize your Windows 7 system.

Features, Features, Features


Windows 7 is loaded with new features and interface changes. Some you may find intuitive, while others are going to take some time getting used to. Check out Harry McCracken's list of the 10 Best Features of Windows 7, which includes Jump Lists, a better Windows Media Player, and the new taskbar. Rick Broida tells you about one-click Wi-Fi, DeviceStage, and HomeGroup. Then join Tony Bradley for his list of the best features in Windows 7. If you need more feature frenzy, how about a slideshow of the best and worst of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Server.
Windows 7 Security

Any Windows user knows you have to watch out for viruses, spyware, and worms, but Vista's security features were widely panned for being annoying. Windows 7 has toned down the warnings, but it's still got some big security features. In fact, Windows 7 may be the safest Windows OS yet. PC World's Business Center has an extensive guide to Windows 7 security like user Account Control, Fingerprint Scanner Support and data encryption. You can also check out a video tour of the improvements with Senior Editor Robert Strohmeyer.
The Best of the Rest


If you've got multiple computers in your house, then you'll want to read up on how you can take advantage of Windows 7's networking features to connect all the computers in your home. PC World also has a networking video tour taken at its Windows 7 launch party.

There's also a guide to the wide range of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 7 for quick access to common actions. If you're tired of both the mouse and the keyboard, Windows 7 also has a serviceable speech recognition tool worth checking out.

PC World also has a rundown of the good, the bad, and the unknown in Windows 7, and check out Nick Mediati's guide to how they test Windows 7 for performance speeds.

Finally, Windows 7 gives a lot in terms of new features, security improvements, and user interface tweaks, but it also demands a lot from your computer. Check out how to mitigate the seven deadly sins of Windows 7.

Not enough Windows 7 information for you? Be sure to check out PC World's Windows 7 section for more Windows-related tips, news and tweaks.

Intel runs PC on CPU powered by solar cell

Intel shows an experimental chip that can run at under 10 milliwatts


Intel on Thursday showed an experimental low-power processor the size of a postage stamp that could run PCs on solar power.

The concept processor, code-named Claremont, can run light workloads on solar power by dropping energy consumption to under 10 milliwatts, said Justin Rattner, chief technology officer at Intel, during a keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. That is low enough to keep a chip running on a solar cell the size of a stamp.

This CPU, also called near-threshold voltage processor, may not become a commercial product, but the research could be integrated into future processors and other circuitry, Rattner said. It is part of a project in Intel Labs to reduce energy consumption five-fold on chips and to bring always-on capability to computing devices. It also will help Intel reach goals to drop power consumption when running parallel processing applications.

The chip is an experimental Pentium CPU and ran on a PC with the Linux operating system. The CPU worked in conjunction with concept DDR3 memory developed by Micron called Hybrid Memory Cube, which is seven times more power-efficient than current DDR3 memory.

The postage-stamp chip was also demonstrated on Tuesday at Intel CEO Paul Otellini's keynote at IDF. Otellini said Intel wanted to drive down power consumption of chips, and an Intel engineer demonstrated a computer running a small animation powered by a solar panel. After the solar source -- a lamp -- was blocked from the chip, the computer froze.

Today's CPUs operate several times higher than the threshold, said Shekhar Borkar, an Intel researcher, during the on-stage demonstration. At low thresholds, the CPU dropped not only power consumption, but also performance. On full power, the CPU operated 10 times faster.

The company's goal is to deliver a 300-fold improvement in energy efficiency in high-performance computing over 10 years. To illustrate the point, Borkar said that today's servers need about 200 watts of power for 100 gigaflops of performance. The company wants to drive the power consumption down to 2 watts.

Beyond fine-grained power management and efficient memory, extreme-scale computing will require better software and programming models to achieve the goal, and Intel will continue research in those areas, Borkar said.