Wednesday 3 November 2010

Task 1.12

a)      Storing lots of films and music needs lots of RAM and a large hard drive (most important), a graphics card and a sound card.
b)      Playing computer games require a graphics card, a high resolution monitor, a sound card and a hard drive and a high processing speed.
c)       Connecting devices wirelessly requires Wi-Fi and a wireless router.
d)      Using powerful programs requires a lot of RAM and a high processing speed.
e)      Producing videos and copying them to a CD


Friday 15 October 2010

Delicious

Searching "particle physics" into Delicious came up with a whole load of results. However, I was extremely excited when I found this site:
http://www.particlezoo.net/
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The site is extremely educational (and also adorable) as once you click on these little plushy particle toys, you get some information about them. The only criticism I would make is that it doesn't feature beta plus decay, where a proton turns into a neutron while releasing a positron and an electron-neutrino.
Anyway, this site is particularly helpful for me as I'm going to CERN on the 26th! Dance!Dance!
Boogie!


Monday 20 September 2010

HTC Desire vs iPhone 4G

Dimensions
The iPhone is slimmer than the HTC Desire, making it easier to fit into pockets, even though it is slightly heavier.

Display
iPhone:3.5", 960 x 640, 326dpi, TFT-LCD
HTC Desire:3.7", 480 x 800, 240dpi, AMOLED
Even though the HTC Desire is slightly larger, the iPhone has a higher resolution and pixel density. While the AMOLED might use less power and have arguably better video performance, it's not as good in sunlight.

Battery
iPhone: 47 hours 3G calling, 300 hours standby
HTC Desire:6.5 hours 3G calling, 360 hours standby
Both batteries are the size they need to be to run the components inside them.Apple are claiming a bigger battery over the 3GS and improvements with the A4 processor. That means that while it offers a longer call time (half an hour), the HTC Desire wins out on standby.

Imaging
iPhone: 45MP, flash, AF, 720p video capture
HTC Desire:5MP, AF, flash, 800 x 480 video capture
The iPhone's got itself a LED flash and better sensor and lens than the older 3GS, but what makes it really good is it can capture video in 720p resolution. There also is iMovie for iPhone, (although you'll have to pay extra). Even so, the iPhone probably wins this one.

Storage
HTC Desire: 32GB microSD + 512MB
iPhone: 32GB
The HTC Desire wins this one by a small margin, mainly because while the main 32GB is the same, the HTC Desire technically has more memory and you get the ability to swap out micro SD cards, where you can't with the iPhone.

Price
The iPhone is definitely more expensive, so the HTC wins this one.

Conclusion
In my opinion, the iPhone 4 is a better phone than the HTC Desire. It's better shaped, has a better screen, you can fit more on it and, arguably, it looks better too. That doesn't mean that the HTC Desire is some kind of inferior mobile because it's not. It's just different. Many people would prefer the iPhone 4 as it might suit their needs better, but others would prefer the cheaper price and the originality of the HTC Desire.What you have to ask yourself is which is the one for you.

Saturday 11 September 2010

Kenya pioneers new way of using mobile phone




This, in my opinion, is an excellent way for people in Africa to bank safely and securely. Its good that if anything gets stolen, there is a way of making sure that nobody can hack into that persons account by giving each person an ID number. This an efficient way of banking, especially in third world countries such as Africa. It would make life so much easier for loads of people if this spread to countries such as India or Afganistan, just like the video mentioned.

Friday 10 September 2010

Did You Know 4.0



When I saw this video, I was shocked. I never thought that technology could influence our lives as much as the video said it did. Watching the endless statistics, it made me feel both fascinated and horrified that we depend on technology so much. I also felt sad that as we immerse ourselves in more and more technology, we are leaving behind everything else; e.g:books, magazines and newspapers. We just have to hope that in 100 years time, people will still know what a book is and that the technological world that we will live in will be safe and secure and that we won't have totally forgotten the past.