Awkward Laptop POTD

He's either super frustrated or...holding back a giant sneeze! Either way, I don't want to be near this guy.

New Bill Banning Employer Facebook Snooping Introduced in Congress

When employers starting asking potential hires for their Facebook logins in March, this sparked a lot of irritation among the public and politicians. Although one amendment failed to pass, democrats are now fighting hard to make a change once again.

"We must draw the line somewhere and define what is private. No one would feel comfortable going to a public place and giving out their username and passwords to total strangers. They should not be required to do so at work, at school, or while trying to obtain work or an education. This is a matter of personal privacy and makes sense in our digital world." -Democratic representative, Eliot Engel

The result of violating the draft legislation would be a $10,000 civil penalty—which sounds like deterrent enough for most employers.


via  | via

Check It Out: Lenovo ThinkPad T61

Looking for a durable business notebook that will withstand any wear and tear? The Lenovo ThinkPad T61 might be a great choice for you. Read our editor's review and check out our newest product video included at the bottom, "The pros, the cons, and the bottom line" with Chelsea Rivet.

Lenovo ThinkPad T61 Review 

The Pros: Excellent build quality; Runs cool; Great performance; High battery life 


The Cons: Screen brightness could be better; Thicker than previous T60 model; Screen is not centered 


The Bottom Line: The ThinkPad T61 is a durable business notebook that is sturdy and good for somebody that travels frequently. The build and reliability of the T61 are the most important characteristics rather than looking at what s on the inside. This is a great choice for someone that needs a good-quality notebook that will withstand any wear and tear.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T60 series is the first ThinkPad to be released with the new Intel Core Duo processor. The ThinkPad series is targeted towards business users and professionals. Important characteristics of the series includes durability, security, and performance. The ThinkPad T61 differs from the T60 in that its shape is a little bit thicker. There s also an extra USB port; making a total of 3 USB ports.

The T61 is made with sturdy case material and a strong protective chassis. For people who are on the go a lot, this is an ideal notebook to have in regards to the high durability it offers. The body is a rugged plastic that doesn t flex. With a flex-less magnesium reinforced lid, there is extra protection for the screen. The metal hinges attached to the screen are rigid and help the screen from wobbling in any way. The spill-proof keyboard has two drain holes to prevent any liquids being carried to sensitive components in your computer. If any liquid falls through, it is sent out through the bottom of the notebook. If you re a coffee drinker, this could just save your life!

The 14.1" screen is lacking in brightness. Although, it does do a better than some other business notebooks. It has a matte screen which is anti-glare. This is a nice feature in the office because it will by prevent any reflections from office lights on your screen. The speakers are located on the sides of the keyboard and give out a small amount of volume. It s best to listen to music or a movie with headphones. The T61 has the headphone jack on the front side of the laptop which makes it easier to quickly plug in your headphones. Battery life can last about 3 hours and 40 minutes.

The ThinkPad T61 widescreen notebook is easy to recommend as a laptop since it s extremely durable and provides a powerful performance. Although the screen brightness could be better, this notebook is packed with excellent features that make it a great choice for a business notebook.

TechTurn Editor's Rating

Reviewed by Chelsea Rivet

Check out our online store with thousands of refurbished and rebuilt computers!

Awkward Laptop POTD

What's a better soil collector than a laptop?

"Sorry Mommy...." 

Awkward Laptop POTD

Q: Is this impressive?

A: Questionable.

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Google Drive vs. SkyDrive vs. Dropbox

Yesterday, Microsoft unleashed a desktop sync app for SkyDrive. Today, Google followed by finally launching Google Drive — after a series of early appearances hinted that it was going to be arriving very, very soon. So now that the dust has settled, how do the two new services stack up with the current king of cloud storage and sync, Dropbox? Let’s take a look.

Free Storage

SkyDrive offers you the most free space at 7GB. Even though you can increase the amount of storage on DropBox without paying, SkyDrive offers it right away. And BONUS- if you're an existing SkyDrive user and you install the new app you'll get 35GB at no charge. Whoop whoop!

Additional Storage

If you have a lot of junk in your trunk (and by that I mean in your computer, of course), all 3 of these services offer paid upgrades. Once again, SkyDrive has the best deal. I wouldn't be surprised if DropBox lowers their prices with their competitors having prices so low compared to theirs.

Selective Sync

One downfall about SkyDrive is that Microsoft wanted to keep things extremely simple. Sounds good but this means there's no option of organizing your files into folders. Everything you upload into your SkyDrive folder is "fair game". DropBox and Google Drive give you control over your files; which ones you want to sync and which ones to keep private.

Check out their websites: 

DropBox 

SkyDrive 

Google Drive

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Awkward Laptop POTD

At least you know you'll be entertained on the flight...

watching this awkward sight.

Awkward Laptop POTD

Alright, let's do this all at the same time - hand shake and exchange the laptop. 

Ready...1, 2, 3!

A video with a frightful secret that only your camera can see

If you like scary movies, you'll get a thrill out of this one. When I first started watching this, it definitely felt like a zombie was about to pop out at any second. However, this is a really cool thing to try if you have a basic DSLR or micro four-thirds camera.

"To the naked eye this video looks like nothing but a TV screen covered in colorful random static. But there's a secret message hidden in there that only your digital camera can reveal. Specifically, your digital camera with adequate manual controls so you can set your f-stop to 5.6 and your shutter speed to one full second. If all you've got access to is a basic point and shoot or your smartphone, the video below will spoil the surprise and show you what you're missing. Or not missing, if you're the easily startled type."


So, what does a photographer see?

Pretty neat!

Gizmodo

Next iPhone Could Be The Thinnest Yet

Even thinner? Well wouldn't that be a delight for our pockets (or purses for the ladies). PCMag give us the insider on the recent news:

The next version of Apple's iPhone could likely be the thinnest one yet, thanks to the rumored switch to cutting edge in-cell touch panels, an analyst is predicting. 

Rumors surfaced late last week that the next iteration of the Apple smartphone will use new in-cell touch panels, reducing the weight and overall thickness of the device. Now, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a report agreeing with that rumor, and noting that that the switch to in-cell touch panel technology could shave .44 milimeters off the thickness of the next iPhone, according to AppleInsider. 

The new design would embed the phone's touch sensor within the display, thus eliminating the separate touch sensor layer, as well as one layer of adhesive used on the current model. Moreover, a thinner battery and Apple's rumored switch to a metal back instead of glass could further reduce the iPhones thickness by .96 mm, Kuo predicted.

Awkward Laptop POTD

Nice.

Awkward Laptop POTD

Can I just point out that besides the fact that this picture does not make you want to buy the Lenovo ThinkPad, the guy is using a beaker to pour water on the laptop. Is this a science experiment or a laptop advertisement? Awkward....

Check It Out: Apple MacBook Pro A1286

If you're looking for a laptop with a fast performance and killer looks, the Apple MacBook Pro A1286 is a great choice for you!

Apple MacBook Pro A1286 Review

The Pros: Good-looking design; Fast performance; Burn DVDs with nearly 9GB of space 


The Cons: Expensive; No HDMI port; No Blu-ray 


The Bottom Line: The Apple MacBook Pro is easily an ideal laptop for most people. Send e-mails, write reports, create presentations, edit home movies, upload photos to Facebook, and all the other tasks you can imagine. Plus, the long battery life gives you a chance to chat with family through FaceTime video calls or watch those long movies on iTunes. Perfect!

The aluminum unibody construction gives this laptop an extremely sleek design. The entire encolsure is thinner and lighter than other notebooks. It feels strong and durable - perfect for life inside (and outside) your backpack or briefcase. Two words to describe this beauty: polished and refined.

The interior comes with a large glass multitouch pad in addition to a large keyboard that allows for easy typing. The large trackpad uses multitouch gestures for much of its functionality. One of my favorite gestures has to be the sweeping movement you can do with four fingers; up hides all your active windows, left or right brings up the application switcher. There's also one called "inertial scrolling" which you can do by flicking two fingers up or down. This will make the page continue to move slightly up or down, depending on the direction you're going, even after you've lifted your fingers.

The MacBook Pro includes all the necessary connections and ports you could possibly need (and probably didn't even know you wanted.) When you're out and about, the latest 802.11 N wireless technology in MacBook Pro makes it easy to get connected just about anywhere you go. Now you can surf the web, send e-mail and print documents no matter where you are. Stay connected whether you're traveling from room to room or cubicle to cubicle. Another bonus of having wireless is the ability to download apps from the Mac App Store anytime you want. Can't wait to buy that song you just heard on the radio? With wireless, you can buy it right away. Perfect! Other ports include two USB 2.0 ports, an SDXC card slot, FireWire 800 port, and Audio in/out.

The MacBook Pro delivers amazing battery life. An energy-efficient processor architecture with an integrated video encoder, along with automatic graphics, all help improve battery life. You can expect to surf the web for up to 7 hours on a single day.

Overall, the MacBook Pro is the talk of the town with its beautiful design and fast performance. I use a MacBook Pro and home and I've never been disappointed with its performance. Once you go MacBook Pro, you don't go back.

TechTurn Editor's Rating

Reviewed by Chelsea Rivet

To shop for other laptops on our online store, click here.

Best Local News Video Bomb Ever - See For Yourself!

Warning: Random Post! I couldn't help but post this for y'all to witness this hilarious video bomb yourselves. We've all seen photo bombs; they happen more often than not. Video bombs however, not so much. This one takes a seat in first place for me. Take a look at this BBC reporter that has no idea what's going on behind her while she's shooting a live read from a pub in Scotland.

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Awkward Laptop POTD

Even though this might be cute, what's ultimately awkward about this picture is the fact that a parent actually signed their baby up to do this photo shoot. "I think I want our baby to dress up in a T-shirt and tie while pointing at laptops." Let's not and say we did.

Check It Out: Dell Latitude D630

If you're looking for a laptop with high durability and a design that fits perfectly into the work environment, the Dell Latitude D630 is a great choice for you!

Dell Latitude D630 Review 

The Pros: Strong performance; Long-lasting battery; Travel-friendly; 4 USB Ports; Comfortable Keyboard 


The Cons: Somewhat heavy; No Webcam 


The Bottom Line: The Dell D630 is still a strong and durable notebook. Is it a top of the line new notebook? No, but the D630 is able to take a beating and is still a work horse. If you are on a budget and don’t want a cheaply made laptop, the D630 is for you. Facebook Updates? Spreadsheets? College Homework? The D630 will cut right through all of them. Photoshop and video editing might be too much, but who does that these days? (plus with all the money you save you can hire someone to do the photoshop-ing) 

The Latitude is Dell’s laptop brand that is targeted for business use. Latitudes are made of plastic with a durable magnesium-alloy casing and Strike Zone shock protection in case of an accident where it’s dropped or suffers some type of impact. Latitude models are made more durable and tend to have a higher quality than the other Dell notebook lines.

It can be difficult for people accustomed to shiny or stylish notebooks to get excited about a more conservative business laptop, but the more I looked at what this notebook had to offer, the more excited I got. Unlike most business class laptops that have an entirely black exterior, the D630 has a grey exterior and black interior that allows it to stand out yet still remain conservative and appropriate for the work environment. The sturdy frame, made of a lightweight magnesium alloy, is perfect for travel and rough handling. The screen’s matte finish is ideal for office work and helps prevent any glare from fluorescent lights.

The D630 has a lot of neat features including four USB ports, Firewire port, and a DVD burner. One handy little feature worthy of mentioning is the D630’s Wi-Fi On/Off switch which incorporates a Wi-Fi finder. By sliding the switch past the “On” position, you can test for nearby Wi-Fi networks without turning on your system to find a network. In addition, there is a fingerprint reader in between the touch pad’s buttons which ensures extra security on your laptop. For being a business class model, this notebook also has some pretty nice speakers that give off a full and balanced sound.

Business professionals looking for a portable midrange laptop will find this model very appealing. The Dell Latitude D630 includes most of the ports and connections you’d expect a business class model to have, plus a few more. It’s business-friendly design and long list of features makes it a great choice for the corporate environment. The Latitude D630 will suit your business needs through its high performance, smart security, and useful features.

TechTurn Editor's Rating

Reviewed by Chelsea Rivet

Shop for a Dell Latitude D630 or other notebooks on our online store!

Awkward Laptop POTD

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Google Earth Helps Man Reunite With His Mother After 25 Years

This is just another example to show how technology brings us all together, even a son and mother that hadn't seen each other in 25 years. Brace yourself for a very touching story.




"Saroo Brierly was separated from his older brother in a train station in India in 1986. For most of his life, he thought he would never see his family again.

Twenty-five years later, he has reunited with his mother, thanks to the magic of Google Earth.

Brierly was illiterate and didn’t know the name of the village where he was raised. All he knew was that he rode a train for 14 hours to arrive in Kolkata after losing his brother in the train station near his home, the BBCreports.

Brierly knew his home should be roughly 1,200 kilometers from Kolkata, because he remembered the approximate length of the train ride. He drew a circle with its radius around Kolkata on a map and began searching Google Earth.

After four years of searching — while living with his adoptive parents in Tasmania, Australia — Brierly identified a familiar landscape in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. It was a waterfall where he played as a boy.

Brierly traveled to India this year and found his mother."

source

Awkward Laptop POTD

Did she really look so bad that her face had to be cut out?

#Ouch