An Xbox 360 Kinect is a bank of cameras connected within a single device that when plugged into your Xbox 360 game console has the ability to visually track an impressive 48 skeletal points of the human body, and this means that it has motion sensing abilities even down to the level of a player’s individual finger movements. It also has a microphone feature that will give you the ability to pass vocal commands to your Xbox 360.The Xbox 360 both new and older models are all compatible with the Microsoft Kinect; this Kinect is only conversant with the Microsoft Xbox games solely.

When an individual stands before a Kinect enabled Xbox 360 the cameras are able to track their movements and in turn relays those movements to the game console so they can interact with it. That means the player becomes the controller without having to hold anything in their hands while the ordinary Xbox 360 requires the use of controllers to be able to play the game.

The Xbox 360 Kinect also has a built in voice command feature which means you can shout commands at it which its counterpart, the Microsoft Xbox 360 do not possess.

With the Xbox 360 Kinect the ability to stream data on a 320×240 16-bit depth at 30 frames per second is available which is otherwise not possible on the Xbox 360. The Kinect Xbox 360 skeletal tracking systems can also track up to 6 players and has the ability to map active players into live avatars, a feature which trumps the ordinary Microsoft Xbox 360 which requires controllers and a limited number of players.

Another fantastic capability of the Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect is the speech recognition in multiples for easy command input from different players with live party and in-game voice chat among participants, a feature you can find on its equivalent ordinary Xbox 360.

Although most game publishers have signed up and are producing Kinect versions of their games, not all games compatible with the ordinary Xbox 360 have their Kinect version available, thereby giving upper hand to the ordinary Xbox 360 in terms of vast array of games to choose from while the Xbox 360 Kinect has a limited number of available games.

For lovers of video calling and online game challenges, the Xbox 360 Kinect offers users the ability to video call other users around the world via a Kinect to Kinect connection and the ability to play against other users around the world via the Microsoft Xbox live service, a feature which is absolutely absent on the ordinary Xbox 360.

With this improvement in Xbox, Kinect Microsoft has been able to succeed by taking the success of the ordinary Xbox 360 and turning it into something awesome that has the potential to wow game lovers around the world.

We live in a world where there is a growing necessity of being online. We need to be online for pretty much everything we do on our daily lives and we can’t really stop going unless our Internet connection fails. We need to go online to check our email, our social media accounts, our favorite newspaper and so on.

But as we all know, the Internet isn’t exactly safe. There are millions of hackers out there and there is no one safe out there unless some precautions are taken. If we do use the Internet to check on our favorite newspaper we can tell that there are dozens of large-scaled Internet attacks yearly, and we can multiply that number if we want to see small scaled attacks.

Our computers come with a type of protection that does a lot for us while we don’t even notice it: the firewall. A firewall basically enforces policy based on a protocol that comes with it already. Put simply, it checks the sources addresses and destinations of what is coming and going into our computer, and blocks what isn’t wanted.

There are, however, two more systems related to firewalls that we need to understand. These are IDS (Intrusion Detection System) and IPS (Intrusion Prevention System). Both of these systems improve our security by monitoring traffic and scanning data that just doesn’t look right. These mostly work with data that has already been detected or recognized – not by our computers, but by the company offering the protection system.

Intrusion Detection System

There are, however, differences between them. IDS provides a new level of preventive security to any network it is working with, by detecting any type of malicious or suspicious activity going on in the network itself. Through the recognition of malicious activity, a user can understand that something is going on and can take action against it – which is crucial.

Intrusion Prevention System

IPS is a system that immediately prevents access to an network in order to keep it safe from any attackers and possible threats. It won’t keep good data away from the network, but it is designed to keep malicious data away by blocking it and by tacking neutralizing action against it, mostly stopping its development before it’s too late. For example, it can create a series of rules that will enforce the prevention in order to keep this type of data away.

As technology advances, the line that differentiates these two is getting thinner and thinner, since most protection system include both of them in the same package. Both of them are essential and one isn’t as effective without the other. To stay safe online, it is recommended that users take advantage of both these systems.

For most technology pundits, year 2012 will always be remembered partly for ushering the release of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Smartphone and the introduction of its more affordable counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. Both phones possess so much in common and both share similar design style and smart capabilities although there are also a few defining differences that distinguishes one from the other and helps you determine which is more suitable to you.

What Does the Galaxy S3 Offer?

The Galaxy S3’s 4.8 inch screen can still be considered among the best displays of all the newest devices of year 2013. Possessing a screen resolution of 1280 x 720, high definition (HD) content can be enjoyed on its Super AMOLED technology while the S3 Mini gets its name by being smaller and lighter with a resolution of 800 x 480. In terms of size the Mini is actually about 15mm by 7mm shorter and over 1mm thicker than the S3.

Camera-wise the S3 has the upper hand by being outfitted with an 8MP shooter as against the 5MP mounted on the S3 mini. The Galaxy S3 boasts some extra software features not available on the S3 Mini making it easily adaptable to any environment and ensuring higher resolution and picture quality. For the video calling lovers the S3 is easily an easier choice with its 1.9MP HD front sensor against the S3 Mini with a VGA (640×480) resolution. Samsung included both MHL and video out options on the S3 but it comes as a total shock to discover it was omitted on the Mini thereby reducing its hype in terms of connectivity.

What About the Galaxy S3 Mini?

The Galaxy S3 trumps its S3 mini counterpart in terms of battery life, boasting an impressive 2100mAh over the Mini’s 1500mAh and considering its quad core processor tends to drain a lot faster than its more impressive brother.

While Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 support are present in both devices the S3 mini lacks DLNA, and while none of them possess a 4G LTE radio, some versions of the S3 possess LTE.

Outfitted with a 1.4GHz quad core processor, 2012 was a memorable year for the S3 as one of the fastest Smartphone on the market while the Mini was dropped to 1GHz dual core chip making it a slightly disappointing phone considering it’s a Samsung brand, and considering what you pay for it the S3 Mini comes in at a bargain discount towards the end of its lifespan and the power drop-off could be considered as worth it.

In terms of storage, the base capacity available for the S3 is 16GB and 8 GB on the S3 Mini with external microSD capabilities on both devices for storage expansion up to 64GB. Both devices possess equal 1GB of RAM.

The above spec clearly shows that both on paper and usability the S3 clearly outperforms its Mini counterpart both in terms of specification and functionality. As a budget device the S3 Mini is a great phone.

In the last few years projectors have become a crucial part of our lives because we need to do a lot of things for us. Present in classrooms, business rooms and even used for conference calls, we wouldn’t just be able to make presentations the same way without them. We’ve all been in school and most likely we all know the frustration of trying to work with a projector that doesn’t want to do anything for us.

So in order to make the most out of a projector, it is crucial to understand a little bit about it and as such, we need to look at different kinds of projectors. In this article, we are going to look at the difference between an LCD projector and a DLP projector.

DLP Projectors

These appeared I the market in the 1980s, and have been used ever since then. They basically rely on a digital micromirror device (DMD) to work, and this device is made of up to two million tiny little mirrors. Every single one of these tiny mirrors can adjust on its own, in order to reproduce a darker or lighter pixel. But in order to obtain color, a beam of light that goes through a color wheel passes through the DMD, delivering colors to your final projection.

Regarding the color wheel, it has basic color support with colors such as red blue and green as a necessity, but some other more advanced wheels can support complex colors such as magenta, yellow and cyan. Most DLP projectors can reproduce up to 16,7 million colors,, but the most advance ones can go up 35 trillion colors (yes, there are that many colors!). The human eye can only distinguish about 10 million different colors, so these projectors are delivering way too much color for us.

LCD Projectors

Just like DLP projectors these have been around since the 1980s. LCD stands for “Liquid Crystal Display” and it is exactly what is used to reproduce images in watches and phones, for example. LCD projectors use three liquid crystal displays to create an image through a process. The process starts with a light source throwing a beam of white light at the three mirrors that will in turn shape and reflect a certain wavelength of said light. Each mirror reflects red, blue and green and this reflection is then fed to an LCD panel that tells how to arrange the pixels to create the image.

All three LCD panels arrange the same image but in different ways because of the light that goes through the panel. These three images are then combined into one image that can have up to 16.7 million colors. That is then your final projection, still above the amount of colors the human eye can see.

When deciding between Hulu and the Hulu Plus television streaming options, it can be challenging for consumers to differentiate between the two. Even seasoned television viewers are typically puzzled by the two options and do not know which one to choose. However, by focusing on a few key areas, it is quite easy to make the distinction between Hulu and Hulu Plus and also make the correct choice for you and your household.

How Does Hulu and Hulu Plus Differ?

The most obvious difference between Hulu and Hulu Plus is Hulu Plus’ ability to be used across several household devices. Hulu is offered to the consumer for free and limits their viewing to a computer screen. On the other hand, Hulu Plus provides users with a far more user friendly viewing experience.

What Hulu Plus Offers

Hulu Plus users are not bound to their computers when it comes time to watch their favorite programs. Not only can Hulu Plus users watch their shows immediately, in high definition, but they can also use any device in their home that has the proper level of Internet connectivity. With Hulu Plus, a user can watch their favorite shows on any TV set that is connected to the Internet.

Hulu Plus is also able to be accessed on Blu-ray players, iPad tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles and just about device that can connect to the Internet. Users who are uncertain about which devices that they can use to access Hulu Plus are encouraged to visit the Hulu website to access any further information needed.

What About Basic Hulu Users?

Those who opt for Hulu Plus instead of Hulu gain access to a much larger library of content than traditional Hulu users. Hulu will limit the consumer and only allows them to watch the last five episodes of the television show that have already aired.

Conversely, someone who spends the additional money on a Hulu Plus subscription can watch every episode from the season of the show that is currently airing. Many popular shows such as Glee and Modern Family are included in this package, which gives viewers the chance to catch on the hottest shows of the moment much more quickly.

The way we consume television has changed drastically since the advent of the Internet. Instead of waiting around to watch a show at the same designated time each week, people now binge watch their new favorites and will often consume entire seasons within days and entire series within months.

Hulu Plus caters to these viewers by giving them the opportunity to access entire series runs, unlike Hulu, which limits the viewers to only the most recent episodes. Hulu only offers the latest episodes of some television shows, while Hulu Plus also gives subscribers the chance to watch a variety of motion pictures from the Criterion collection, an archive of classic, critically acclaimed films from a variety of genres.

The quality of the video streaming also differs across the two platforms. Hulu Plus is streamed in high definition and Hulu users can only watch their shows in standard definition. Hulu Plus is also the only current television streaming service that delivers the newest and most up to date programs from the major networks.

Hulu does not charge their users a monthly fee, but this comes with drawbacks such as a more limited library and far more frequent advertisements. Hulu Plus costs viewers $7.99 per month and provides a wide range of perks for the paying consumer. Hulu Plus users experience far fewer advertisements and focuses on providing entertainment options for the entire family.

For many, this is the main difference between the two services. While some may balk at paying $7.99 per month for a television streaming service when a cheaper alternative is available, there are many who value the Hulu Plus service and cherish its ability to let them watch their favorite shows on their own schedule.

Today’s television viewer does not want to adhere to a schedule in order to watch their shows. Gone are the days of families gathering around the television at 8 PM to watch the latest episodes. The way we consume television has changed dramatically, which increases the need for a variety of services like Hulu and Hulu Plus.

Being tethered to a television set is no fun and neither is being tethered to a computer. While some people spend a great deal of time on their personal computers each day and would rather pocket the extra $7.99 per month, others treasure the convenience of being able to watch their favorite shows across all of their devices and do not mind spending additional money every month to do so.

A consumer who enjoys discovering new television shows and catching up on their old favorites may be hard pressed to make a decision. Hulu provides a large amount of the same functions as Hulu Plus and does so at no additional cost to the consumer. Hulu Plus provides options that Hulu users are unable to access.

If you are someone who likes to use a wide range of different devices to watch their television shows, wishes to access entire series runs and prefers to watch your favorite programs in high definition, then Hulu Plus is the choice for you. However, a person who does not want to spend the extra $7.99 per month, does not mind watching in standard definition and is comfortable with watching their programs on their personal computer should opt for the free version of the original Hulu service.

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards may seem likely to be exact same card model, but make use of different connection types that possess different limit for the maximum performance capabilities of these cards. They are simply computer bus or expansion card standard, for connecting hardware devices. PCI-Express slots are mainly located on the motherboards and are strictly used for video cards while their counterpart PCI slots are slots present on virtually all motherboards which power-up different types of cards like soundcards, TV tuner cards, Universal Serial Bus and Fire-wire cards.

The Standing PCI

A standard PCI makes use of a shared bus topology, where every component must utilize the same bus network for all their processes while a PCI Express utilizes a serial link topology and happens to be the latest standard for expansion cards made available on personal computers.

Addition of the PCIe

The PCIe offers about 250 MB/s in each direction with a maximum allowable 32 lanes (x32), 8 GB/s supported in each direction and this has been known to increase with newer specifications while the PCI boasts a mere 64bit, 66MHz combination speed and peaks theoretical at a bandwidth of 512MB/s.

How Do They Differ?

In terms of graphic cards, the PCIe cards communicate better with the motherboard 40 times or greater than the rate of conventional PCI graphics cards due to the fact that PCIs are limited by bandwidth. While the additional bandwidth made available by the PCIe connection cards lets the graphics cards manage significantly more complicated graphical data analysis, which depicts that PCIe graphics cards are capable of producing better visuals than the common PCI graphics cards. It is although very possible for high powered Peripheral Component Interconnect cards to provide graphics that can better a low-powered PCI Express card.

They both possess different connection methods and even though they both possess “Peripheral Component Interconnect” in their individual names, they are still two major different technologies. They both possess backward- compatible and forward-compatible revisions for their individual port types and these can’t be interchanged.

While it is possible for the same card models to be available in both PCI and PCIe revisions, the PCIe versions of the card will significantly outperform or better the PCI versions of the same cards. Although, lesser-powered cards may tend to see the same level of performance on PCI and PCI Express cards due to the card not needing more bandwidth to perform optimally than the common PCI standard provides.

The PCI Express cards are here to stay and they are gradually replacing the earlier bus interfaces and for the nearest future will be a force to reckon with as motherboard makers will produce varieties of PCIe slots along with the slowly diminishing PCI slots. For now though it won’t usually matter what particular upgrade component you can buy as your computer’s motherboard will possibly possess a matching slot for any that you choose.

So, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years you have certainly had a phone and a phone number attached to it as well. You probably used this phone to contact your friends and your family because, well, that is the purpose of phones! Certainly, you used a regular size SIM card on your phone to identify your phone number and to store some information.

SIM Card

But things are now changing and your normal SIM card is now going to become obsolete in the next few years, provided you actually change your phone to a new one sometime in the future. What’s happening is that the SIM cards are getting smaller and smaller.

Micro SIM

First, came the micro SIM card which was basically a cut version of the regular SIM card. Its usage is now starting to spread over a lot of new phones because of the obvious advantage of it being smaller, allowing the phones to use precious space inside of them for other important things.

Nano SIM

But as technology advances, things keep on getting smaller, and the same thing happened with SIM cards. Apple has announced the release of the iPhone 5 along with the era of the nano SIM card.

What is Different Between SIM Cards

The micro SIM card was basically a cut version of the regular SIM card, and as such, it was around half the size of it, measuring around 0.6” in length and around 0.5” in width. For example, the iPhone 4 now uses the micro SIM, and it does not accept the regular SIM card. Even though they are even smaller, they now have a very big downside to them.

These cannot be cut out of the micro SIM card with ease, because they are also less thick than the regular SIM card (and as such, less thick than the micro SIM card). The nano SIM card is 40% smaller and it measures around 0.5” in length and 0.3” in width.

Back when the iPhone 5 was released, the availability of the nano SIM card for people that bought the iPhone was an issue, but nowadays the nano SIM card is as widespread as the micro and the regular SIM card.

What Are The Key Differences

To summarize, the big difference between these two is the size, and when it comes to SIM cards, it really does matter. IT matters mainly because now some phones can’t handle a regular SIM card, and others can’t even handle the micro SIM card. As technology keeps on advancing, it seems that these cards are just getting smaller and smaller and who knows, some day, these might even be so small that we won’t really need to see them at all – some machine will put them into our phone for us.

TiVo and DVR are both used to record live TV shows with the ability to watch them as replays after recording. These recording systems permit users to carry out multiple activities while recording e.g. actions can be paused, fast forwarded or rewind while watching and recording live TV shows. Over the years, the difference between Tivo and DVR has been a subject of debate. Although quite a number of people think that they both share the same similarity since they play the same role, yet TiVo still stands out to be the most preferred.

TiVo

TiVo came into existence in the year 1999 as a recording device that grants users the ability to record and watch live TV shows at the same time, when connected to the television. TiVo was created to enable users download their favorite TV shows and not to worry over the use of a VCR.

DVR

On the other hand, DVR functions in the same way as TiVo, the only distinctive feature about it is that it is an inbuilt device that comes along with customers’ receiver. When you take critical analysis at the modus operandi of DVR you will discover that it is a remake of TiVo.

Capabilities

The number of shows on TV that can be recorded with TiVo and DVR is limited to their storage capacity as they both come with different sizes of hard drives. However, external storage devices can be employed to transfer recorded programs with TiVo. These programs can be watched on other devices like PCs and Mac. In addition to this feature, online recordings can be established with TiVo although, this feature is not accessible with all satellite and cable companies.

TiVo gives grants its users the ability to control live shows without having to disrupt their recording activity. It permits its users to carry out functions like rewinding, fast forwarding, pausing and showing instant replays of shows. Sport lovers appreciate this feature, it gives them the ability to re-watch scenes that were missed even at their own will without having to wait for a replay.

Recording Systems

Although both recording systems present users with the option to make selections from a catalog of movies, TiVo has a more enhanced feature that enables users to download any movie of their choice when they are connected to their Netflix and Hulu Plus accounts.

Both TiVo and the traditional DVR grant users the ability to listen and record their favorite music from any music channel they find themselves in. However, TiVo provides its users with a wider selection range to any music available on the user’s PC. With this unique feature, music can be streamed from any music program to TiVo.

Technological Advancements

Technologically speaking, TiVo has also made giant strides via the internet world. Users can now watch videos on YouTube and gain access to other media programs online from their mobile devices like Smartphones and iPads, thanks to the TiVo mobile app.