Hardware

Google Chrome OS (hereafter Chrome OS) is an operating system from Google that mainly targets the netbook market. Chrome OS is known for its super-fast boot speed, very low power consumption, and very low hardware requirements. Google claims it boots in seven seconds (according to Google, that seven seconds assumes a solid-state drive). It uses Linux as its kernel, and its overall interface looks almost identical to the trendy Chrome browser. ...

Remember the iPod Touch I bought a while ago? The iPod Touch has to be slim and light, so it only supports wireless networking, not the Ethernet connections (such as ADSL) that are more common. So I’d been looking for a way to turn my home ADSL into a wireless signal. I originally planned to buy a broadband router, but the price was a bit high, so I held off. Then I did some research of my own and found that Vista (XP and Windows 7 work too) can use a wireless network adapter to turn the ADSL connection directly into a wireless signal, with an effective range of 30 feet. For someone like me who needs wireless internet, that’s really convenient. ...

Image source: Apple's official website Remember how I bought a Korean-brand netbook last time? I've already returned it, because I simply couldn't stand how slow netbooks are. Maybe I'm just too used to fast computers (there's a pun here: "Kansai" is pronounced the same as the Chinese word for "relationship"). After returning the netbook, I bought an iPod Touch. Anyone who doesn't know much about the iPod Touch might think I'm silly for buying an iPod. But the iPod Touch = iPhone, get it?? Apart from lacking the built-in camera and phone functions, the iPod Touch is exactly the same as the iPhone. It can also download apps from the iTunes App Store, so it's not like a regular iPod. And with Skype installed, the iPod Touch can even make phone calls!...

A few days ago, the Apple tablet that had been making a lot of noise finally came out! I just read some news about it, and I think the iPad is pretty good: it's cheap, and its battery is said to last ten hours. But I think the iPad has a few drawbacks: No Flash support No support for Traditional Chinese No multitasking (running many programs at the same time) ...

There are already many nearly identical introductions to Windows 7 (Win7) online, so I'll keep this brief. Windows 7 is Microsoft's recent operating system. In many ways it's better than Vista (after all, Windows 7 was basically made to rescue Vista). It doesn't use many resources, either. For example, when I installed Windows 7 in a virtual machine (VirtualBox), I only gave it 1 GB of memory and it still ran without any lag. That said, even though Windows 7 doesn't consume much, I still recommend not installing it on a really old computer XD. Windows 7 (Win7) also fixes many of the shortcomings of XP and Vista, and file search is much faster too. Windows 7 Features: Supports DirectX 11 Full support for 64-bit CPUs Supports more Aero effects without consuming too many resources Better UAC protection Built-in Windows XP compatibility mode ...

Booting from a CD is the most important step when learning to reinstall a computer. Once the CD boot is set up, installing the operating system is not that hard, since it is almost always just clicking Next. So in this article, I will teach you how to change the boot settings in the BIOS. What is the BIOS? Basic Input/Output System (BIOS, Basic Input/Output System) is the most basic software code loaded onto a computer’s hardware system. The BIOS can be thought of as a tiny operating system that specializes in communicating with the hardware. It is usually written in assembly language for compatible CPUs. (This section is based on Wikipedia.) ...

Is fiber really faster than regular broadband? Actually, at the same speed rating, fiber and broadband are no different. For example, say you currently have a 2M/56K broadband connection, and you ask Chunghwa Telecom to upgrade you to a 2M/56K fiber connection. You might think it’s faster, but it’s actually the same as before. But you might ask: if upgrading to fiber doesn’t make things faster, why does everyone say fiber is better? The truth is that fiber really is better than the networks most people use today, just not in speed. Here are the three most obvious advantages of fiber! ...

CPU-ZI think most people have heard of it. It is a small program that quickly shows you information about your computer. CPU-Z tells you basic details such as your CPU model, your memory size, and your motherboard's manufacturer and model. It even shows the CPU's manufacturing process clearly. You can check all kinds of hardware details without opening the case. CPU-Z can also export the data to txt or htm files. Official website: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html Download page: Official download| 4Shared | Box.net ...

Sometimes when you’re using a computer, you’ll notice the input method starting to act strangely, like pressing the A key and getting a B. What’s going on? It might be that the “mapping” setting of your input method has been messed with! Who would do that? Maybe someone else who uses the same computer, or maybe a virus playing a prank on the PC. Either way, this problem is actually easy to fix. ...

My computer froze. What do I do? Surely I’ll have to restart again…………… Here’s a method for you that clears a freeze without restarting. The only requirement is that your keyboard works and your mouse can move XD P.S. You can press Num Lock on your keyboard to check whether the keyboard is working. To clear the freeze, first open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete). ...