Haswell vs. Ivy Bridge: A Look at Old and New

The new fourth-generation Intel Core processors (codenamed Haswell) are out in the latest desktops and laptops. How do they compare to their third-generation (Ivy Bridge) predecessors? We break it down.

Every year about this time Intel releases a new set of processors on the scene, with a laundry list of improvements over the previous generation. This time around, it's the fourth-generation Intel Core processors (codenamed Haswell). But that doesn't mean that last year's third generation Intel Core CPUs (codenamed Ivy Bridge) is going away. Instead, Ivy Bridge will become the processor you'll see in PCs for the cost-conscious custome. But is Haswell really that much of an improvement over Ivy Bridge? We break down that has changed (and what hasn't) between Haswell and Ivy Bridge.

Ivy Bridge Trickles Down
With the release of Haswell CPUs, Ivy Bridge CPUs now move into the more budget-friendly PCs. We are seeing fourth-generation Core processors being installed in high-end systems for this year's back-to-school and holiday seasons. That means that if you want to save a hundred bucks or more on that new laptop, you can buy a new system with a third-generation Intel Core processor. The mainstream and budget laptops and desktops will be where you'll find the best bargains. There are reasons to go with the new processor (which we'll get to below), but if you want to save money go for a third-gen Core processor instead.

Tick vs. Tock
Intel is holding to its "tick-tock" model, where "tick" is a die shrink (new manufacturing process), and "tock" is a new microarchitecture. Ivy Bridge was a die shrink of Sandy Bridge (a.k.a., the second-gen Intel Core CPUs), moving down from a 32nm process to a 22nm process. Haswell continues to use a 22nm process, but it's using a new microarchitecture that's more power efficient.

Are You My Motherboard?
If you're one of the small, but proud, percentage of users who build their own desktops PCs, you'll have to buy a new motherboard if you're thinking of getting a Haswell processor. People upgrading from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge could do so with a BIOS firmware flash, due to both CPUs sharing the LGA 1155 socket. Haswell (and presumably its Broadwell successor) use the LGA 1150 socket, which is electrically incompatible with the previous models.

Haswell Has Better Graphics, But...
New Haswell processors have upgraded Intel HD Graphics and new Iris/Iris Pro graphics, so 3D performance will improve over that of the Ivy Bridge CPUs. Our tests bear out that theory, but so far, we're only seeing an improvement of 5 frames per second (fps) to 10 fps on our mid-level (1,366 by 768) 3D game tests, which only brings frame rates to a (still unplayable) 17 to 23 fps. That said, if you bring up a less strenuous game that was barely playable on Intel HD Graphics 4000, then one of the new processors would most likely make a difference.

A Speed Bump with a Lower Clock
Haswell is a speed bump, but manufacturers may choose to drop in a lower clocked processor in an update. Take, for example, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch, which used to have a 1.8 GHz Core i5 processor in its 2012 model. The new 2013 model with Haswell comes with a 1.3GHz Core i5, which has a slower clock speed, yet provides similar performance to the older model. Benchmark numbers on Windows systems are trickling in, but we're seeing similar performance numbers. Which brings us to the real reason lower clock speed is better...

Battery Life Wins
The MacBook Air is a prime example, but other ultrabooks will start to show much better battery life real soon now. We tested the MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid 2013), and it got over 15-and-half hours on our battery rundown test. That's more than double that of the previous model, the MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid 2012). Likewise, the Haswell-equipped Sony VAIO Duo 13 stopped five minutes short of nine hours. This is phenomenal, since laptops bought earlier this year topped out at around six hours on the same test, with most lasting far less time. If you're looking for a laptop that you want to use away from the power plug, wait until you can get fourth-generation Intel Core processor in it.

The Best Is Yet To Come
If past history is any indication, the current Core i5 and Core i7 mainstream Haswell processors will be joined by low-end (Core i3) processors at the budget price points, as well as higher end (Extreme Edition) processors much, much further down the road. We'll be waiting.

There are plenty of other differences between Haswell and Ivy Bridge CPUs, including the integrated voltage regulator (formerly part of the chipset), a new focus on lower temperatures and power savings for use on thinner desktops and all-in-ones. But any of those features will make your eyes glaze over unless you're a hardware engineer or a software developer. Suffice to say that we will continue to review complete systems and individual components on PCMag.com, so stay tuned!

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Seagate Unleashes New Ultrathin Hard Disk Drive

The thinnest hard disk drive (HDD) Seagate has ever made is now shipping to PC makers, the storage manufacturer said today.

Seagate's 500GB Laptop Ultrathin HDD has a 5-millimeter profile and is built for ultrathin laptop PCs and tabletswhich generally use Flash-based solid state drives (SSDs) and not mechanical disk drives.

Steve Luczo, president, CEO, and chairman of Seagate, called the new internal storage offering "revolutionary."

"When we originally demonstrated this solution last September, we knew we had a truly innovative product that would empower our partners to reimagine mobile applications. The strong support from our OEM partners indicates we have delivered on our vision and look forward to a new wave of innovative solutions enabled by this revolutionary product," Luczo said in a statement.

The Laptop Ultrathin is a 2.5-inch drive weighing in at 3.3 ounces. Seagate described the ultra-slim and light drive as "about as thin as four stacked credit cards and lighter than a deck of cards."

The new drive packs in 500GB of internal storage for mobile devices in a package that is 25 percent smaller than Seagate's 7mm HDD, formerly the thinnest on offer from the disk drive maker.

At just $89, the Laptop Ultrathin is "[a]n affordable alternative to SSD storage," according to Seagate, which is pushing the extra space freed up by the slim drive as a means for mobile device makers to add bigger batteries and better air circulation to their products.

Partners like Asus were singing the new HDD's praises as it started shipping to their factories.

"The new Seagate Laptop Ultrathin truly raises the bar, enabling us to finally create high-capacity, thin and light laptops that consumers crave at mass-market price points they can afford," said S.Y. Shian, corporate vice president and general manager of Asus's notebook business unit. "The drive's capacity, coupled with its ultra-slim, lightweight footprint, empowers our engineers to think out of the box and create truly ground-breaking, innovative system designsit's a win-win for both us and the consumer."

Seagate's Laptop Ultrathin utilizes a 6GB/s SATA interface and has SED encryption, the company said. The new drive delivers "the best cost per GB and cost per millimeter in the industry for ultrathin applications," according to the storage vendor.

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Glidecam HD-2000

Everyone seems to be a filmmaker these days. Dental hygienists and CPAs can moonlight as Stanley Kubrick or Steven Spielberg on the weekends and post their masterpieces online in beautiful HD quality with the help of digital cameras like the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Moviemaking has never been an inexpensive hobby, even in the digital realm. If you aspire to be Scorsese and want to introduce a long tracking shot into your work you'll need a stabilization system. The Glidecam HD-2000 ($549) can capture these types of shots, but it requires some practice to master and balance properly. You could also opt to spend a few thousand dollars on a Steadicam, but spending more money won't make you a better cinematographer, and it won't relieve you of the need to balance your stabilization system.

Design and Features
The Glidecam consists of a broad cheese platea flat piece of metal with lots of holes that allow you to properly center your camera, regardless of what body and lens combination you are using. A pole runs between the top plate and a bottom plate, and holds a number of counterweights required to properly balance the device. In the middle of the pole there's a hinged handle that you hold when you're shooting. When you balance everything perfectly, the hinge and counterweights work to eliminate distracting shakeeven if you're running down the street to get a dynamic shot.

How well the Glidecam works is based partly on your skill with properly balancing the device to match your camera's center of gravity, and with how much practice you have using it. Balancing requires you to move weights around the bottom of the plate so that lateral movement along the X and Y axes is minimized. You'll want to end up with a Z-axis drop time of two to three seconds. Drop time is attained by grabbing the hinged handle and dropping the counterweighted base from a horizontal position with the other hand. Counting the seconds it takes for the base to reach a perpendicular position will give you the time.

Any change in weight or weight distribution on the top plate is going to throw things off balance. So when you're setting up be sure to that you've got the memory card in the camera, and that any microphones, field monitors, or other accessories are also attached and in their proper positions for shooting. Glidecam supplies a user manual outlining this process but you can also view our how-to video below.

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Glidecam Models
There are few Glidecam models, and the one you choose will depend on the amount of weight you'll be mountingthis includes the camera, lens, and any additional accessories. We reviewed the Glidecam HD-2000, which supports between 2 and 6 pounds and works well with a full-frame D-SLR and a wide-angle prime lens. If you've got a Micro Four Thirds camera or a smaller camcorder, you'll be better served by the HD-1000 ($449), which can handle up to 3.5 pounds. Pros with heavy camera rigs will need to move up to the HD-4000 ($649), which can handle between 4 and 10 pounds. There are also lower-priced XR models available, on average they cost $150 less than their HD counterparts. They don't offer as many adjustments, so they can be a bit harder to balance.

Shooting with the Glidecam is just as difficult as balancing it. The goal of the system is to remove the jarring effect of operator body vibration on footage, so most of the supported weight is directed to the handlewhich you hold with one hand. The other hand is used to perform whatever camera movement you choose. Simply grabbing the Glidecam with two hands defeats its purpose. You need to minimize second-hand involvement while still achieving your shooting goals. This takes a touch learned through hours of practice.

Since both of your hands are occupied when shooting, you cannot adjust your focus in the middle of a shot. The best way to keep your subject in focus is to shoot with wide-angle lenses at the smallest aperture possible. As your skills progress with the Glidecam, you can eventually experiment with longer lenses and shallower depths of field but I wouldnt recommend anything longer than 50mm at first.

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Conclusions
To get the most out of the Glidecam you're going to want to add a few accessories that aren't included in the box. The HD-2000 ships with a standard 1/4-20-inch mount cheese plate, but that needs some grip tape and an aftermarket quick release plate to be truly functional. Without those two items, I found the camera would shift in the middle of shooting no matter how tight the screws were. The absence of embedded bubble levels make it difficult to discern if the camera is completely flush on both axes. Luckily, the purchase of a quick release plate like the Manfrotto RC4 Low Profile Rect. Rapid Connect Adapter with 410PL Plate ($53) solves some of the minor problemsit has built-in bubble levels.

Its also important to remember the Glidecam gives you a very specific type of shot, but it's not a cure-all.  Its perfect for injecting the audience into the scene and creating a sense of movement. The famous tracking shot in Scorese's Goodfellas as Ray Liotta enters the Copacabana through the back door and through the kitchen in is a good example of what you can do with this type of stabilization device. That scene was shot with the aid of a Steadicam.

The quality of your shots is going to be largely determined by your hand strength and dexterity. I often experienced dead-arm after shooting with the Glidecam for a few hours. There are a a few body stabilization accessories ranging from a Forearm Brace ($169) to the X-10 vest ($2,399) that are designed to help you shoot for much longer periods of time. The brace will help to take some weight off your arm, while the vest distributes the weight to your body so that your arms are free to perform additional camera movements.

You may get tired and frustrated while using the Glidecam, but the results are well worth the suffering. There is no other affordable way to achieve this type of shot and the quality of your footage is based on the amount of time you invest in practice rather than a manufacturer shortfall. The smooth shooting, affordability of the product, and availability of Steadicam-like accessories make the Glidecam a must have for any indie filmmaker.

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Ask Alex: When to Send a Thank-You Email

Should you send a thank-you email after an informal gathering?; Raising the suspicions of your boss on LinkedIn; Answering your phone at the checkout counter

What is the deal with "thank-you" emails after an informal social event? I never thought they were necessary, but I have been receiving them pretty much any time I have friends over to my place, or when I coordinate an outing. It's sweet. It's not like it bothers me. But am I behind on this one? Should I also start writing thank-you emails after someone else hosts a get-together, or are my friends being absurdly formal?

No Thank You

First of all, congratulations. It sounds like you have very nice friends. That said, you shouldn't expect to receive a thank-you email if you've organized an informal gathering, and you certainly shouldn't be expected to send one if you're an attendee.

But I too have noticed a distinct uptick in post-party pleasantries. I recently hosted a Memorial Day barbecue, and was surprised by the number of notes I received the next day. I didn't get any actual emails (perhaps my friends aren't quite as nice as yours), but almost everyone that came responded to the original invite on Facebook to say what a good time they had. Someone suggested it become a new summer tradition, and someone else just sent nine smiley-bear-face emojis. Thoughtful? Yes. Appreciated? Absolutely. Expected? Not at all.

I actually like this move towards formality (well, as formal as a bunch of emojis can get, anyway). For all the times the Internet can pull us apart as everyone checks their phone at the dinner table, it's nice to know there's still some humanity in there as well. But I think we're still at a point where the thank-you email is optional rather than obligatory. If you remember to send one, it can't hurt, but if you don't, it was never expected in the first place.

_________________________

I'm connected with my boss on LinkedIn. If I suddenly start updating my profile and making more connections, will my boss become suspicious that I'm looking for another job?

LookingOut

It depends on your boss. If you have a "cool boss," he or she probably isn't checking LinkedIn often enough to know that you've changed anything anyway. And if they are, perhaps it's because they're looking for a new job, too.

But if your boss' personality can best be described as Type A, then yeah, you may want to roll some of these changes out a bit more slowly. A few new connections here and some profile tweaks there will probably fly under the radar (unless your boss is a complete freak, that is). But tons of new connections with people at rival companies and a complete profile overhaul will likely sound some alarms.

But then again, if you're unhappy in your current position, maybe it isn't such a bad thing for your boss to know that you've got other options. If you feel underpaid or undervalued, perhaps it's because you are. And if your boss pokes around enough to see there are other people interested in you, it might help them realize what a valuable asset you are.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a new job because it's your boss that's the problem, you probably want to steer clear of further agitating him or her with a deluge of self-promotion. Stagger your online activity over a period of time, and good luck getting out of there.

_________________________

I feel like whenever I call my mom, she's either answering from the checkout line at the grocery store, at the salon getting her hair done, or making a deposit at the bank. I think it's rude to talk on the phone when you're interacting with someone else, and I've told her as much, but she doesn't think it's a problem. Who's right?

Chatty at Checkout

You are. She might be right about almost everything else, but in this case your mom is flat-out wrong.

Even if you're not going to have a conversation with the cashier at the grocery store, they shouldn't have to interrupt your personal phone call to ask how you'd like to pay. It's really just a matter of common decency and respect.

Tell your mom to think about it this way: How would she feel if she were at the bank, and the teller carried out a conversation with a nearby colleague the entire time she stood there, with little more than a head nod to acknowledgment her presence. If your mom is anything like mine, that would drive her crazy enough to think twice about where she takes her calls.

And if that doesn't work, text before you call next time. Just make sure to ask if she's really free to talk.

_________________________

Need some tech etiquette advice?  See if your question has already been answered, send Alex an email at askalex@pcmag.com, or fill out the form below!

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HBO GO, WatchESPN Added to Apple TV

Apple has officially added HBO GO and WatchESPN to its lineup of Apple TV programming.

Additionally, Cupertino signed three new content providers — Sky News, Crunchyroll, and Qello — for live news, sports, and current TV programming.

HBO subscribers can now get unlimited access to the new season of True Blood, or catch up favorite episodes of The Wire, via the Apple TV.

Meanwhile, WatchESPN serves as a one-stop video spot for sports fans and current ESPN subscribers, with live access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line.

"HBO GO and WatchESPN are some of the most popular iOS apps and are sure to be huge hits on Apple TV," Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Internet Software and Services at Apple, said in a statement.

Sky News, meanwhile, delivers a live 24/7 news feed to users in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland, who can also find specific stories in the on-demand news library. Crunchyroll brings Japanese Anime and Asian media to subscribers worldwide, while Qello streams HD concerts and music documentaries via free or paid subscriptions.

The Apple TV set-top box will get a boost this fall, Cupertino said, when iTunes Radio launches its personalized music experience directly on Apple TV. The Internet radio feature will also be available on iOS 7 devices via the Music app and on the Mac and PC via iTunes.

For more, see PCMag's review of Apple TV and the slideshow above, as well as our review of HBO GO for iPhone.

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Toshiba 39L2300U

Not long ago, if you walked into a store with $1000 to spend on an HDTV you'd have to settle for one with a small 720p screen and almost no features whatsoever. Nowadays, that same $1000 gets you a much larger full HD screen, and in some cases, neat features like 3D and networking capabilities, as seen with the Vizio E601I-A3. With the Toshiba L2300U series you can get a fairly big 1080p screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, good audio output, and a relatively sharp LED backlit picture, but that's about it. This bare-bones HDTV line is not only light on features but its color accuracy is off and its black levels are weak. We tested the 50-inch 50L2300U ($999.99 list) , and while it's a serviceable HDTV there are better deals to be had for the money.

Editors' Note: This review is based on tests performed on the Toshiba 50L2300U, the 50-inch model of the series. Besides the screen-size difference, the 39-inch $529.99 39L2300U is otherwise identical in features, and while we didn't perform lab tests on this specific model, we expect similar performance.

Design and Features
The 50L2300U's 3.5-inch deep cabinet is relatively thick for an LED-backlit HDTV. Thin (0.8-inch) glossy black bezels frame the top and sides of the panel, while the 1-inch bottom bezel is done up in a gun metal gray finish with a remote sensor and power indicator light on the right side. The screen comes with a rectangular plastic stand that matches the set's bottom bezel. It doesn't do a very good job of supporting the 33.5 pound cabinet and was pretty wobbly after we put it together. You'd be better off mounting this TV on a wall, if possible.

This set only comes with three HDMI ports, two of which are at the rear of the cabinet facing inconveniently outward. They are joined by a set of shared component/composite AV ports, a VGA (PC video) input, a cable/antenna jack, and two audio jacks (digital-out and analog-in). The third HDMI port shares space on the left side of the cabinet with a single USB port and four control buttons (Volume Up/Down, Channel Up/Down, Power, and Input). Unlike the Vizio E601I-A3 and Sony Bravia KDL-50EX645, the 50L2300U does not support Internet connectivity, and as such, lacks any Web services. It also doesn't have 3D capabilities.

The 7-inch remote is a basic wand with 34 buttons and four directional arrow keys for navigating the settings menus. None of the keys are backlit, but the white labeling stands out and is easy to read. The 50L2300U offers plenty of picture settings; there are five presets (Dynamic, Standard, Movie, Game, and PC) and the usual Brightness, Contrast, Color, Tint, and Sharpness adjustments. In the Advanced menu you can fine-tune color levels by enabling the ColorMaster option, allowing you to access the BaseColor Adjustment menu where you can adjust hue, saturation, and brightness levels for red, green, blue, cyan, yellow, and magenta colors. Here you can also adjust Gamma and Color Temperature settings, enable the Auto Brightness and DynaLight (black level correction) options, and switch on the Edge Enhancer for a sharper picture.

There are also a good selection of audio settings that coax solid output from the down-firing speakers. You won't rattle the windows with this set but the Audyssey ABX switch provides a decent bass boost and a bit more pop than you'd expect from HDTV speakers. The Stable Sound feature, which prevents sudden changes in volume when channel surfing, is a useful option.

Performance
The 50L2300U handles 1080p content reasonably well but, doesn't produce the dark blacks necessary for intricate shadow detail and a high contrast ratio. Using a Klein K10-A colorimeter, SpectraCal's CalMAN 5, and images from the DisplayMate HDTV diagnostic utility, I measured a peak brightness of 251.76 cd/m² and a black level of 0.1836 cd/m², neither of which are very impressive (the black levels were particularly high). The resulting 1,371:1 contrast ratio can be blamed for the murky shadow detail I observed while watching underwater scenes from the movie Piranha on Blu-ray, and is disappointing compared with the Editors' Choice budget HDTV, the RCA LED42C45RQ's admittedly middling 1,796:1 contrast ratio. Motion handling, on the other hand, was very good, thanks to the panel's 120Hz refresh rate.

Color accuracy was sketchy; as shown in the CIE chart above, reds were oversaturated, greens were a bit light, and whites were a bit warm. The closer each dot is to its color box the more accurate the color. The light green reproduction didn't have an obvious effect as far as tinting goes, but the hot reds had skin tones looking more flushed than they should be. A full calibration would likely correct this problem and the 50L2300U certainly has the controls to perform one, but a full color calibration is a time-consuming process that can be expensive if you're not familiar with the process yourself. Viewing angle performance was good; there was a slight loss of luminance when viewed from around 60-degrees from center, but colors remained true.

The 50L2300U used 87 watts of power during testing in standard mode and 69 watts in movie mode. That's significantly better than the Sony Bravia KDL-50EX645 (106 watts in standard mode and 92 watts in Eco mode) and comparable to the LG 55LM6700 (67 watts).

Conclusion
The Toshiba 50L2300U isn't a top performer and it isn't packed with features. It is affordable, however, and gets you into a 120Hz big-screen HDTV for under a grand. It doesn't use a lot of power and offers better than average audio output, but its out of the box color accuracy could be better and its black level performance is weak. If you're itching for a big screen HDTV and have limited funds, this model will fill the bill, but there are better choices out there, including the Vizio E601I-A3, which offers a bigger screen and both wired and wireless Ethernet capabilities. Or, if you can live with a smaller 46-inch screen, our Editors' Choice for budget HDTVs, the RCA LED46C45RQ, offers better color accuracy for less than half the list price of the 50L2300U.

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Panasonic TC-P50ST50

Panasonic plasma HDTVs have a well-deserved reputation for producing very dark black levels, and the TC-P55ST50 continues that trend. The 55-inch plasma panel not only delivers inky blacks, it's out of the box color accuracy is outstanding too.  At $1,699.99 (list) it's not exactly a steal, but it's not quite as expensive as our reigning Editors' Choice plasma, last year's Samsung PN51D8000 ($2,299.99, 4 stars). The TC-P55ST50  is 3D ready, but it doesn't include glasses, which means you'll have to shell out upwards of $300 for active shutter 3D glasses for a family of four. You'll also pay more to run this set, since like many plasmas, it's not particularly energy efficient.

Editors' Note: This review is based on tests performed on the Panasonic TC-P55ST50, the 55-inch model in the same series. Besides the screen size difference, the $1,399.99 50-inch TC-P50ST50  is identical in features, and while we didn't perform lab tests on this specific model, we expect similar performance.

Design and Features
With the TC-P55ST50 Panasonic moves away from the glossy black bezel design used on earlier models, including the Panasonic P50GT30 ($1,199.99, 3.5 stars) we reviewed last year. This time around the panel is framed by dark gray bezels with a slice of clear trim around the outer edge. A silver brushed aluminum base complements the cabinet and gives the set a touch of elegance. The stand does a fine job of supporting the 61-pound cabinet, but it doesn't swivel.

Behind the right-hand bezel are power, channel, and volume controls and an input select button that doubles as a menu button when you press and hold it. The rear of the cabinet holds all of the I/O connections; three HDMI ports, two USB ports, and an SD card slot are vertically mounted and face left for easy access. Ethernet, TV/antenna, and digital audio out connections sit horizontally under a recessed space notched into the back panel. Here you'll also find a proprietary mini-component video input port for use with the included component dongle. It's odd that Panasonic only equips this model with three HDMI ports considering most HDTVs have four, and in the case of the Sharp Elite Pro-60X5FD ($5,999, 4 stars), five.

The 9-inch remote has 43 buttons and a four-way directional rocker with an Enter button. The main keys have red backlighting that makes them easy to identify in a dark room. The three main keys (Menu, Internet, and Viera Tools) are situated above the rocker assembly, while the number keys and player controls are at the bottom of the remote along with a Help key that launches a built-in user manual.

There's also a 3D button that lets you view 2D content in a simulated 3D mode. As I found with the Sharp Elite Pro-60X5FD , converted 3D picture quality isn't up to snuff compared with true made-for-3D image quality. You don't get the depth and clarity that true 3D offers, and there's a good deal of crosstalk. As with the P50GT30 , the P55ST50 does not include active shutter 3D glasses, so be prepared to part with an additional $80 per pair.

Image settings include five preset picture modes (Standard, Cinema, Custom, Vivid, Game) and your basics: Brightness, Contrast, Color, Tint, Sharpness, and Color Temperature. Panasonic's Pro settings allow you to adjust color space and set high and low white balance for reds, greens, and blues. Other Pro settings include panel brightness and gamma adjustment.

The Audio setting menu offers Bass, Treble, Balance, and Surround settings, as well as a volume leveler to keep those pesky commercials from blasting you out of your seat. The TC-P55ST50's 8-Train speaker system, consisting of eight mini domes and a slim but powerful subwoofer, provides a solid wall of sound with a good amount of bass, but the surround effect sounds thin.

Panasonic's selection of Web apps is top notch; streaming movie channels include Vudu, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant video, and CinemaNow, and you get Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and YouTube. Internet Sports channels include MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, and Fox Sports. The Viera Market Connect menu offers plenty of free services as well as pay-for apps like Uno, Apple Muncher, and Let's Golf 2. And, there's a built-in Web browser.

Performance
I tested the TC-P55ST50 using images from the DisplayMate suite of HDTV diagnostic tests, SpectraCal's CalMAN software, and a CS-200 Chroma Meter. After a basic calibration the panel produced a nice dark black level reading of 0.02 cd/m², but it could only manage a peak brightness of 85.45 cd/m², which is tad darker than the P50GT30 (88.58 cd/m²) and quite dim compared with the Samsung PN51D8000 (244.92 cd/m²).

Out-of-the-box color accuracy was excellent. The panel practically hit the CIE (International Commission On Illumination) chromaticity coordinates for red, green, and blue on the nose, as shown in the CalMAN-generated diagram below. More importantly, the P55ST50 delivers an excellent picture; colors popped from the solid black background in the Seasonal Forests chapter of the BBC's Planet Earth Blu-ray, and shadow detail was outstanding in the darker Ocean Deep chapter. What's more, there was no evidence of the fringing effect that plagued the P50GT30. Off angle viewing was typical of a good plasma panel. There was no loss of luminance from an extreme side angle and colors remained bright and true.

3D performance was good, but not on a par with our Editors' Choice high-end LCD, the Sharp Elite Pro. I noticed some crosstalk while watching clips from IMAX Under The Sea 3D, but the artifacts were minor and didn't detract from the overall experience. Panasonic's glasses are lighter than most active shutter glasses, but aren't as comfortable as today's passive glasses, like the six pairs that come with the Editors' Choice Vizio M3D550KD ($1,429.99, 4 stars).

Plasma HDTVs aren't known for energy efficiency, and the P55ST50 is no exception. With Power Saving mode disabled, the set used 305 watts during my testing; that number dropped to 245 watts with it enabled. The P50GT30 averaged 225 watts, while the Samsung PN51D8000  used 105 watts in Standard mode. If energy efficiency is a deal breaker, consider an LED-backlit LCD model like the LG 55LM6700 ($2,299.99, 4 stars), which only consumed 67 watts.

Conclusion
The Panasonic P55ST50 is a tastefully designed 55-inch plasma HDTV that delivers very accurate colors, deep dark blacks, and wide off-angle viewing. Its $1,700 price tag is not unreasonable considering its performance, but you'll end up spending around $2000 if you need four pairs of 3D glasses. You don't get the brightness and superior image quality of the Samsung PN51D8000, but you do get a slightly bigger screen and a much smaller price tag.

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New Rules on Kids' Online Privacy Require Adults to Pay Attention

New, stronger rules protecting children's privacy online went into effect July 1. While the goal is to protect kids from aggressive behavioral advertising, implementation is going to be a rocky process if parents don't pay attention.

The new rules to strengthen the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act was approved by the Federal Trade Commission late last year and they finally went into effect yesterday. When COPPA was originally passed by Congress in 1998, social networking, mobile devices and apps, and online tracking were practically non-existent. The new rules reflect the changing landscape and the fact that more and more companies are collecting information online to personalize site experience and to share with advertisers.

What is COPPA?
COPPA has three fundamental components. A Website must obtain the parent's verified consent in order to collect personal information for children under the age of 13. The sites must clearly describe in a privacy policy what data is collected and how it is used. Finally, sites are responsible for storing children's' personal information securely.

These conditions apply to all sites which consider children as their primary target audience. General site owners who know that minors are using their services also have to obey the law, and third-party advertiser networks have to make sure they are receiving validly obtained data.

All this sounds like common sense when it comes to kids. Kids like to talk about themselves and don't realize the implications of sharing too much information online. Let's be honest, there are plenty of adults who still don't get the dangers of over-sharing onlinehow can we expect kids to know better?

What Is Personal Information?
The new rules expand the core concepts to include social networks, user-generated-content, and mobile apps. It also expanded the definition of personal information from just names, addresses and phone numbers to include screen names, geolocation data precise enough to identify the city street, and any image, video, and audio files containing the child's image or voice. Anything that can identify what the child is using, such as cookies, IP addresses, and the unique device identifier (UDID) for mobile devices will now require parental consent before they can be collected.

It's not so obvious, though. SecurityWatch recently identified several Android games that clearly appeal to kids but were collecting quite a lot of personal information.

Sites Are Taking Action
Yahoo sent emails to parents or guardians of users under 12 years of age to ask for consent for children to continue using Yahoo sites. When children try to log in to their Yahoo account, if their parents had not yet responded, then they are redirected to a page telling them to remind their parents to take action. Parents have until August 31 to reply.

If they don't provide consent, Yahoo will flag the account as inactive and delete the account. All data associated with the account, including contacts and emails, will be deleted and be irretrievable. This is one email parents should not ignore if they want their kids to keep their Yahoo email address.

I wonder how many angry comments we will see September 1 from parents who weren't paying attention.

Facebook? Since the stated policy is that users have to at least be 13 years old to join the site, the social networking giant will remain largely unaffected by COPPA rules. But that highlights a problem with COPPA

Sites Will Look the Other Way
many sites will just put in an age verification screen and say they have done their part. And it's incredibly easy for kids to just lie about their date of birth. Consumer Reports estimated in a 2011 report that 7.5 million children in the U.S. under the age of 13 were already on Facebook.

According to the FTC, sites with "actual knowledge" they have underage users are subject to COPPA rules. That means they have to explicitly ask for the age or date of birth. If the app or site doesn't ask for that information, or just blocks the user from using the site (Facebook displays a "Sorry, we are not able to process your registration" message if you are underage), then they are complying with the letter of the law.

For these kids, their data is being collected and shared with no protections in place. But we can't really ask sites to implement biometrics or rely on some kind of a national database to verify age, can we?

Parental Education Needed
COPPA itself has good goals, but it can't do much if the parents are not aware of the tools and rules. They need to understand why it's important they pay attention to what Websites and apps their kids are using.

Many parents don't understand the scope of data collection or how the information is being used. They need to learn about behavioral tracking and how data is shared across networks. They may be less willing to let their kids sign up for services online that aren't specifically designed to protect kids' privacy.  

The Center for Digital Democracy has put together a parents' guide explaining COPPA. The FTC has one, too. Parents, read them.

How the site decides to collect parental consent will play a big role in how parents will react to the new rules. If parental consent means watching a video and verbally agreeing to data collection, or having to download a form, sign it, scan it, and upload it again, that would just annoy the parents and encourage them to just take an even more hands-off approach.

Would COPPA Stifle Cool Features?
There are some concerns that some sites and app developers would just ignore the rules.

Instead of putting in proper protections, would developers just put out lamer apps for kids? Would they just hide behind the "I didn't know kids were using my apps" claim? Would child-friendly sites move to a paid model so that kids can't just sign up without parental consent?

The rules "set a default so high on privacy and so low on functionality that it is crippling the space for children. It locks the child online space into something that is not very usable," Daniel Castro at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation recently told AP.

The kids lose out if the adults don't step up and do their jobs.

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HP LaserJet Enterprise 700 Printer M712dn

Relatively few business printers can print at up to tabloid size (11-by-17), and the HP LaserJet Enterprise 700 Printer M712dn is a welcome addition to that club, bringing very good paper handling, low running costs, and good speed. Although its output quality could be better, the M712dn is a good choice for high-volume black-and-white printing, including at tabloid size.

Unlike most of the tabloid printers we've tested in the past few years, the M712dn is a monochrome printer. It measures 15.4 by 22.4 by 23.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 85 pounds, too big to share a desk with, and you'll want at least two people to help move it into place. The M712dn has a 600-sheet standard paper capacity, between two 250-sheet input trays and 100-sheet multipurpose feeder. (One of the two 250-sheet trays, plus the feeder, can handle tabloid-sized paper.) An abundance of feeders, extra trays, and floor-standing cabinets are available as accessories. This printer has an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. It has a maximum monthly duty cycle of 100,000 pages, making it suitable for reasonably heavy-duty printing.

The M712dn is ePrint enabled; HP assigns an e-mail address to the printer (which you can later customize), you can send documents to that address, and the printer will automatically print them out (as long as it's connected to the Internet).

The M712dn is the middle model of three related printers. The M712n ($1,899 direct) is the simplex version, lacking the M712dn's auto-duplexer (and its Energy Star cred). The M712xh ($2,899 direct) adds a secure hard disk and a 500-sheet paper tray in addition to all the M712dn's features.

The M712dn offers USB and Ethernet (including Gigabit Ethernet) connectivity. I tested it over the Ethernet connection with a PC running Windows Vista. As for drivers, this printer has PCL plus HP's PostScript emulation, though only the PCL driver installs by default.

Print Speed
I timed the M712dn on the latest version of our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), at 9.9 effective pages per minute (ppm), decent for its rated speed of 40 pages per minute—which should be about the speed you would get if you were to print text only. (Our test suite combines text pages, graphics pages, and pages with mixed content.) It's a respectable speed, though many mono lasers are faster—the Editors' Choice Dell B5460dn , for example, zipped through our tests at 18.7 ppm.

However, none of the mono lasers we've tested in recent years other than the M712dn can print at tabloid size. I recently timed the Editors' Choice Xerox Phaser 7100/N, a tabloid color printer rated at 30 pages per minute, at 7.9 ppm on the same tests—though it output most of the pages in color. I clocked another tabloid-sized color printer, the Dell 7130cdn at 8.3 ppm.

Output Quality
Overall output quality for the M712dn was slightly below par for a mono laser, with sub-par text, average graphics, and typical photo quality. With text there was a tendency for some letter pairs to be run together at larger sizes than usual, but even sub-par laser text is fine for typical business use. Just make a point of avoiding smaller type sizes.

In a couple of illustrations, the printer had trouble rendering distinctions between slightly different shades. Though the printer is otherwise fine for printing basic PowerPoint presentations or charts in a report, at least for in-house use, you'd have to be careful that different sections in a pie or bar chart, for instance, are distinguishable from each other.

Photo quality is suitable for printing out recognizable images from Web pages, and perhaps for photos in client newsletters, depending on how picky you and the client are. A couple of prints showed mild banding (a pattern of faint striations), most showed dithering (graininess), and there was some loss of detail in both bright and dark areas.

Running costs for the M712 are a low 1.3 cents per page, beating out the Dell 7130cdn's cost per monochrome page of 1.7 cents and the Xerox 7100/N's 2.2 cents.

As a monochrome laser, the M712dn offers good paper handling, including the ability to print at tabloid size, low running costs, and decent speed. Its output quality is good enough for typical in-house business use. The Editors' Choice Xerox Phaser 7100/N has a smaller paper capacity, higher running costs, and lacks an auto-duplexer, though one is available on the Xerox 7100/DN ($1,800). It sells at a lower price, though, its output quality is better than the M712dn's, and it can print not just monochrome but color at tabloid size.

If your business isn't too picky about output quality, doesn't require color, and you need to print in high volume, the HP LaserJet Enterprise 700 Printer M712dn could well be your preferred tabloid-sized workhorse printer. It has a relatively high monthly duty cycle, very low running costs (allowing you to recoup your relatively large investment over time), and good paper capacity; you can keep one tray loaded with tabloid-sized paper, the other with letter or legal, and the multipurpose tray free for other paper types or sizes.

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Viber Updates Windows Phone 8, Desktop Apps

Viber today rolled out updates to its desktop and Windows Phone 8 applications that's meant to more deeply integrate the two platforms. The company also added support for stickers, emoticons, and other key features.

The messaging firm reported rapid growth in the Windows Phone realm, with more than 500,000 users downloading the app every month.

"We have focused on bringing Viber to multiple platforms, ensuring our users can communicate freely with as many of their friends as possible," Viber CEO Talmon Marco said in a statement. "Today we are very happy to bring important updates to two of these platforms, ensuring full compatibility between the Windows Phone and desktop versions of Viber."

More than just animated emotions, new desktop functions also include full support for group messaging, an "is typing" feature showing who is actively participating in a conversation, a redesigned conversations list, improved pop-up notifications, and full support for contacts with multiple Viber numbers.

Meanwhile, the refreshed Windows Phone 8 version features an interface designed specifically for Windows Phone devices, as well as a native call screen and support for live tiles that allows users to see their latest messages on the home screen.

This release also brings performance enhancements and bug fixes for mobile users.

The updated Viber for Windows Phone 8 does not yet appear to be available in the Windows Phone app store; the latest update is listed as April 17.

Despite its success, Viber took a stumble in April when security company Bkav revealed a way to gain full access to Android phones via the Viber messaging app. The company bounced back in May with the release of its desktop application for PC and Mac computers. The boost came just as Viber surpassed the 200 million users mark, counting the Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry platforms.

Another roadblock popped up, though, in early June, when Saudi Arabia banned the Viber mobile and Web applications after threatening to prohibit services that don't allow for government monitoring.

For more, see PCMag's review of Viber for Android and the slideshow above.

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From GPS to Watches: Killed by the Cell Phone

Digital Camcorders

Read PCMag's reviews to find the right digital camcorder at the right price.

Spotlight

The Panasonic HC-V700 lacks some of the useful Wi-Fi features found on competing consumer camcorders, but excellent video quality in a variety of lighting scenarios more than makes up for it.

Still Image Recording Format

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Panasonic TC-P60ST50

Panasonic plasma HDTVs have a well-deserved reputation for producing very dark black levels, and the TC-P55ST50 continues that trend. The 55-inch plasma panel not only delivers inky blacks, it's out of the box color accuracy is outstanding too.  At $1,699.99 (list) it's not exactly a steal, but it's not quite as expensive as our reigning Editors' Choice plasma, last year's Samsung PN51D8000 ($2,299.99, 4 stars). The TC-P55ST50  is 3D ready, but it doesn't include glasses, which means you'll have to shell out upwards of $300 for active shutter 3D glasses for a family of four. You'll also pay more to run this set, since like many plasmas, it's not particularly energy efficient.

Editors' Note: This review is based on tests performed on the Panasonic TC-P55ST50, the 55-inch model in the same series. Besides the screen size difference, the $1,399.99 50-inch TC-P50ST50  is identical in features, and while we didn't perform lab tests on this specific model, we expect similar performance.

Design and Features
With the TC-P55ST50 Panasonic moves away from the glossy black bezel design used on earlier models, including the Panasonic P50GT30 ($1,199.99, 3.5 stars) we reviewed last year. This time around the panel is framed by dark gray bezels with a slice of clear trim around the outer edge. A silver brushed aluminum base complements the cabinet and gives the set a touch of elegance. The stand does a fine job of supporting the 61-pound cabinet, but it doesn't swivel.

Behind the right-hand bezel are power, channel, and volume controls and an input select button that doubles as a menu button when you press and hold it. The rear of the cabinet holds all of the I/O connections; three HDMI ports, two USB ports, and an SD card slot are vertically mounted and face left for easy access. Ethernet, TV/antenna, and digital audio out connections sit horizontally under a recessed space notched into the back panel. Here you'll also find a proprietary mini-component video input port for use with the included component dongle. It's odd that Panasonic only equips this model with three HDMI ports considering most HDTVs have four, and in the case of the Sharp Elite Pro-60X5FD ($5,999, 4 stars), five.

The 9-inch remote has 43 buttons and a four-way directional rocker with an Enter button. The main keys have red backlighting that makes them easy to identify in a dark room. The three main keys (Menu, Internet, and Viera Tools) are situated above the rocker assembly, while the number keys and player controls are at the bottom of the remote along with a Help key that launches a built-in user manual.

There's also a 3D button that lets you view 2D content in a simulated 3D mode. As I found with the Sharp Elite Pro-60X5FD , converted 3D picture quality isn't up to snuff compared with true made-for-3D image quality. You don't get the depth and clarity that true 3D offers, and there's a good deal of crosstalk. As with the P50GT30 , the P55ST50 does not include active shutter 3D glasses, so be prepared to part with an additional $80 per pair.

Image settings include five preset picture modes (Standard, Cinema, Custom, Vivid, Game) and your basics: Brightness, Contrast, Color, Tint, Sharpness, and Color Temperature. Panasonic's Pro settings allow you to adjust color space and set high and low white balance for reds, greens, and blues. Other Pro settings include panel brightness and gamma adjustment.

The Audio setting menu offers Bass, Treble, Balance, and Surround settings, as well as a volume leveler to keep those pesky commercials from blasting you out of your seat. The TC-P55ST50's 8-Train speaker system, consisting of eight mini domes and a slim but powerful subwoofer, provides a solid wall of sound with a good amount of bass, but the surround effect sounds thin.

Panasonic's selection of Web apps is top notch; streaming movie channels include Vudu, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant video, and CinemaNow, and you get Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and YouTube. Internet Sports channels include MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, and Fox Sports. The Viera Market Connect menu offers plenty of free services as well as pay-for apps like Uno, Apple Muncher, and Let's Golf 2. And, there's a built-in Web browser.

Performance
I tested the TC-P55ST50 using images from the DisplayMate suite of HDTV diagnostic tests, SpectraCal's CalMAN software, and a CS-200 Chroma Meter. After a basic calibration the panel produced a nice dark black level reading of 0.02 cd/m², but it could only manage a peak brightness of 85.45 cd/m², which is tad darker than the P50GT30 (88.58 cd/m²) and quite dim compared with the Samsung PN51D8000 (244.92 cd/m²).

Out-of-the-box color accuracy was excellent. The panel practically hit the CIE (International Commission On Illumination) chromaticity coordinates for red, green, and blue on the nose, as shown in the CalMAN-generated diagram below. More importantly, the P55ST50 delivers an excellent picture; colors popped from the solid black background in the Seasonal Forests chapter of the BBC's Planet Earth Blu-ray, and shadow detail was outstanding in the darker Ocean Deep chapter. What's more, there was no evidence of the fringing effect that plagued the P50GT30. Off angle viewing was typical of a good plasma panel. There was no loss of luminance from an extreme side angle and colors remained bright and true.

3D performance was good, but not on a par with our Editors' Choice high-end LCD, the Sharp Elite Pro. I noticed some crosstalk while watching clips from IMAX Under The Sea 3D, but the artifacts were minor and didn't detract from the overall experience. Panasonic's glasses are lighter than most active shutter glasses, but aren't as comfortable as today's passive glasses, like the six pairs that come with the Editors' Choice Vizio M3D550KD ($1,429.99, 4 stars).

Plasma HDTVs aren't known for energy efficiency, and the P55ST50 is no exception. With Power Saving mode disabled, the set used 305 watts during my testing; that number dropped to 245 watts with it enabled. The P50GT30 averaged 225 watts, while the Samsung PN51D8000  used 105 watts in Standard mode. If energy efficiency is a deal breaker, consider an LED-backlit LCD model like the LG 55LM6700 ($2,299.99, 4 stars), which only consumed 67 watts.

Conclusion
The Panasonic P55ST50 is a tastefully designed 55-inch plasma HDTV that delivers very accurate colors, deep dark blacks, and wide off-angle viewing. Its $1,700 price tag is not unreasonable considering its performance, but you'll end up spending around $2000 if you need four pairs of 3D glasses. You don't get the brightness and superior image quality of the Samsung PN51D8000, but you do get a slightly bigger screen and a much smaller price tag.

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Microsoft Tips Windows 8.1 Preview, Smaller Windows Tablets

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer promised tighter product release cycles going forward as he unveiled a preview version of the first major Windows 8 update, as well as other new Microsoft products, at the company's Build developer conference.

"We are moving towards being an absolutely rapid-release cycle company. Rapid release, rapid release," Ballmer said during an opening keynote at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center. "It's not a one-time thing. We're certainly going to show you Windows 8.1 today, but you can think of it as a new norm, what we're doing with our developers and partners, in products like Windows and Azure, and more."

Microsoft's Windows 8.1 update, often referred to by the internal code name Blue, addresses some of the complaints generated by last year's much ballyhooed but critically panned Windows 8 release.

"We're bringing back the Start button," Ballmer said to applause from the audience. "If you want to boot to the desktop, you can boot to the desktop."

Windows 8 was criticized by many for its radical departure from the traditional Windows interface. Microsoft, it seems, heard those complaints from long-time Windows loyalists and acted on them.

Indeed, Ballmer promised that 8.1 will deliver "a refined blend of our traditional desktop experience and our modern interface."

He also admitted that Windows 8, though celebrated by Redmond for its optimization for touch-based interfaces, didn't immediately result in as many touch-enabled PCs hitting the market as Microsoft had hoped.

"With Windows 8, we talked touch, touch, touch, but when you saw PCs in the store a lot of them didn't have touch," he said. That will change going forward as more and more PCs and hybrid tablet devices appear, Ballmer promised, adding that Microsoft's user research suggested Windows 8 users with touch-based laptops and all-in-one PCs were much happier with their systems than those with non-touch enabled PCs.

Microsoft is also touting smaller Windows tablets more so than the full-sized, 10-inch-and-above slates that appeared in the first wave following the operating system's 2012 release. Build attendees will get their hands on one such compact Windows tablet, Acer's new, 8.1-inch Iconia.

"It's a perfect device for a student, a very small-and-light device, yet you can add a keyboard," Ballmer said of Acer's new tablet. "This small form factor is very important. I wouldn't call it a PC but you can touch it, feel it, it comes with Office and a full range of PC applications. You will see a lot of these small factor tablets with Windows."

The Microsoft CEO said more powerful "2-in-1" laptops that also serve as tablets will also be important for the company in 2013. He noted that Lenovo and other Microsoft partners are making powerful yet light 2-in-1 devices that utilize workhorse chips like Intel's Core i7 yet still offer "all-day battery life."

Ballmer touched on new developments for Windows Phone as well, running down recent Windows Phone handsets offered by key partners like Nokia while also announcing that Sprint has rolled out the first Windows Phones available on its 4G LTE networkthe HTC 8XT and Samsung's Ativ S Neo.

Finally, Microsoft is tying Bing into its software platforms more tightly, Ballmer said. The company is "opening up Bing as application development platform" with the release of Windows 8.1, he said.

"It's time to refine Bing. So with Windows 8.1, Bing is inside and our shell experience is powered by Bing," Ballmer said.

For more, check out PCMag's full hands on with Windows 8.1 and the slideshow above.

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Sharp Introduces First THX-Certified, 70-Inch 4K HDTV

Sharp today followed up its reveal of ultra high-definition HDTV models at CES with the announcement of the world's first THX-certified 4K HDTV.

The upcoming Aquos LC-70UD1U is a 70-inch, LED-backlit HDTV with 4K resolution and THX's 4K HDTV certification that will hit stores in August.

THX certification is the process of a third party, THX, evaluating the fidelity of an audio or video product and determining whether it reaches a certain level of standards. THX has been certifying HDTVs since 2006, but has only just begun certifying 4K HDTVs, with the LC-70UD1U the first model certified and planned to reach the market.

The LC-70UD1U has 4K (3,840-by-2,160) resolution, built-in Wi-Fi with LG's Smart Central apps library, a Flash-enabled Web browser, and support for Sharp's Remote Control and Beam apps to control and stream media through your smartphone or tablet.

The HDTV's design includes a metallic black bezel, an open base that reduces the screen's physical footprint, and a new speaker system. The LC-70UD1U uses Sharp's DuoBass technology, building two subwoofers into the screen along with forward-facing midrange drivers and tweeters along the bottom edge of the screen.

The Sharp LC-70UD1U will be available mid-August, and will have a suggested retail price of $7,999.99, putting it in line with other 4K HDTVs of similar sizes from major manufacturers. So far, the Seiki SE50UY04 has been the only relatively affordable 4K TV at $1,500. But there is also still no consumer-available media for 4K content, so 4K HDTV owners will have to settle for upscaling for most of what they watch. 

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HP LaserJet Enterprise 700 Printer M712dn

Laser Printers

PCMag.com provides up-to-date coverage and reviews of laser printers.

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At Apple, Steve Jobs' Legacy Lives On

Apple made many announcements at WWDC—iOS 7, OS X Mavericks, and iWork for iCloud among them--and from HTML5 support to product design, the late CEO's influence is apparent in all of them

At WWDC last week, Apple announced a cloud-based version of iWork. As Apple demoed this, the whole Flash versus HTML5 brouhaha came back to my mind.

Let's back up a bit. When Steve Jobs and Apple decided to withdraw support for Adobe Flash in iOS, they got a lot of flak from many corners of the industry. Jobs, of course, had his own ideas as he was pushing for a stable technology to deliver Flash-like content.

He chose to back HTML5 and what he saw as the way to deliver interactive Web-based apps in the future. At first Adobe worked hard to thwart this move. But remember, Adobe does not actually make money from Flash itself; it makes money on the tools used to create Flash-based programs. Once Adobe realized that more and more users would move away from Flash, it worked feverishly to create valuable tools for HTML5. While Flash still exists, it is no longer critical for the success of any application that delivers a media-rich experience.

Now back to Apple's WWDC keynote. The more I watched how Pages, Numbers, and Keynote work in the cloud, the more I realized that Jobs was right about the impact of HTML5 and its role in providing very rich Web-based applications. I have been using Microsoft Office 360, Google Docs, and Evernote in the cloud for some time and have already realized the incredible value of Web-based applications.

For decades I used pen and paper to take notes in meetings. Once laptops became more portable, I switched to them. My laptop has since been replaced by my iPad paired with a Bluetooth keyboard and Evernote. I could easily use Pages or numerous other productivity apps, but there is one key feature that makes Evernote indispensable to me: it can be accessed via a Web browser or be downloaded as an app to PCs and Macs, plus iOS, Android, and Windows 8 phones or tablets. More importantly, whatever I write on one is synched with Evernote on all my other devices. That means I can start working on a document on the iPad and go to a Mac or PC and pick right up where I left off. Apple's Pages does store my files in the cloud but it only works on Macs, whereas Evernote is truly cross-platform.

But the new cloud version of iWork takes this to a new level because these new apps work exactly as if they were local on a Mac or iPad in the Web browser. In fact, Apple demoed these apps not only in Safari but also in Internet Explorer and Chrome, proving they work well anywhere. While both Google Docs and Office 360 have similar cloud-based apps, they are not quite as rich as Apple's new iCloud iWork version. I have a long history in desktop publishing and the DTP features such as text to fit and the ability to drop images and video into a document in the cloud version of Pages really resonate with me. More importantly, all changes to the document on one machine sync and appear in all other locations.

While there are many other HTML5 Web apps already on the market, iWork sets a new standard for Web-based productivity tools.

On another important note, shortly after the WWDC keynote started, Tim Cook played a video (below) in which Apple's senior vice president of design, Jony Ive, articulates his perspective on design. It gives viewers a glimpse into how Ive and Apple think about a product when they design it.

One particular quote really stands out. Ive says, "True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter or ornamentation. It's about bringing order to complexity." From Ive's comments you can tell he has Jobs' design theory burned into his brain and when he influences a product, it is as if Jobs himself designed it. This bodes well for Apple's future.

While the updates to OS X Mavericks and iOS are relatively evolutionary, when you load it on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch, it will feel like a brand new device. Given Ive's view of design, I can't wait to see what he and Apple bring to market in the way of TVs and smartwatches that are rumored to be in the works. Though Jobs has left us, it does appear that Ive and Apple are more than capable of carrying on his legacy of creating sleek and stunning devices in the future.

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Aereo Expanding to Chicago in September

Aereo is taking a trip out west this fall, expanding its streaming TV service to Chicago.

More than 9.5 million consumers in the Windy City will gain access in September to Aereo's technology to record and watch live TV online.

CEO Chet Kanajia revealed the news today during the third annual TechWeek Chicago conference, announcing that Aereo will roll out to 16 counties in Illinois and Indiana starting Sept. 13.

"There's no place like Chicago and we're excited to be launching in this world-class city in September," Kanojia said in a statement. "Consumers want more choice and flexibility when it comes to how they watch television and the enthusiastic response to our technology from people across the country has been humbling."

The company, backed by IAC Chairman Barry Diller, manufactures tiny HDTV antennas, storing content on remote servers to provide access to NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, the ,CW, and other local channels. Without purchasing or installing any equipment, viewers can record shows, as well as pause, rewind, and fast-forward any live program.

In Chicago, consumers will have access to WLS-TV (ABC), WFLD-TV (FOX), WMAQ-TV (NBC), WBBM-TV (CBS), and WYCC (PBS), as well as other over-the-air special interest and foreign language channels, plus Bloomberg Television.

"At Aereo, we feel that we've built something meaningful for consumers and we're proud of the work we've accomplished," Kanojia said. "However, there's still much more to come as we continue our expansion into new cities throughout the summer and fall."

Membership begins at $8 per month for access to Aereo's cloud-based antenna/DVR technology and 20 hours of DVR storage. For an additional $4, users can upgrade to 60 hours of storage. The first month of Aereo access is free to new registrants.

The service already launched for more than 4.5 million consumers in 16 counties in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in May, and just this week rolled out general membership access in Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Aereo got its start in New York City, where a number of copyright infringement court battles have played out, and networks have threatened to go dark if Aereo is allowed to operate.

For more, see PCMag's review of Aereo and the slideshow above. Also check out our guide to Everything You Need to Know about Aereo.

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IBM Acquires Cloud-Computing Firm SoftLayer

IBM today acquired cloud-computing infrastructure provider SoftLayer Technologies in an effort to better compete with Amazon.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Wall Street Journal reported that it is worth an estimated $2 billion, according to a person "familiar with the matter." The acquisition will allow SoftLayer to stand as its own company within IBM's Global Services unit, and serve as a go-between for other IBM cloud services.

By marrying SoftLayer's public cloud services with the IBM SmartCloud portfolio, the computer manufacturer aims to make cloud computing easier and faster.

"As businesses add public cloud capabilities to their on-premise IT systems, they need enterprise-grade reliability, security and management," Erich Clementi, senior vice president of IBM Global Technology Services, said in a statement. "With SoftLayer, IBM will accelerate the build-out of our public cloud infrastructure to give clients the broadest choice of cloud offerings to drive business innovation."

Dallas-based SoftLayer, founded in 2005, serves 21,000 customers from 13 data centers operating in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. While Amazon is a front-runner in the public cloud ecosystem, IBM tends to work with large companies and government entities. Ideally, this acquisition will tip the scales in IBM's favor.

"SoftLayer has a strong track record with born-on-the-cloud companies, and our move today with IBM will rapidly expand that footprint globally as well as allow us to go deep into the large enterprise market," Lance Crosby, SoftLayer CEO, said in a statement. "The compelling opportunity is connecting IBM's geographic reach, industry expertise and IBM's SmartCloud breadth with our innovative technology."

According to IBM's announcement, SoftLayer caught Big Blue's eye in part because it offers clients a choice of where to deploy their applications — on dedicated or shared servers. With the options provided by IBM and SoftLayer, businesses can tailor their privacy, data security, and overall computer performance to meet their own needs.

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Bitdefender's Wildly Different Antivirus Tools Both Shine

Security products tend toward a certain sameness in their user interface. The background may be slate grey, white, blue, black, green, yellow, or polka-dot, sure. But whatever the color, the main window will probably display a green, yellow, or red indicator for security status, big buttons to launch scans and check for updates, and extra panels or pages for additional security features. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (2014) definitely falls into this camp. In fact, Bitdefender's two suite products look just the same, except they add more panels for their additional security components.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition (2014) is a complete departure. It offers no configuration settings, and its minimalist main window vanishes any time you click away from it. By default it scans during idle time, so there's no button to launch a scan (though you can do so from the tool's tray menu). Which of these products is best for you?

Good Test Results for Both
The free edition lacks Bitdefender's new Photon technology, designed for better and faster malware cleanup, but it did well in testing even so. In my hands-on malware removal test, the Plus edition scored 6.5 points, top score for products tested with my current malware collection. The Free edition wasn't far behind, with 6.2 points. In fact, the two products handled three quarters of my malware samples in exactly the same way.

As for blocking malware attacks on a clean system, both products performed identically. They both blocked 91 percent of malicious URLs, both detected 92 percent of my malware samples, and both scored 9.0 points for malware blocking, a very good score.

I can't compare independent lab results for the two products, because the labs haven't tested them separately. In fact, most of the current tests apply to Bitdefender's previous edition, without Photon. Even so, Bitdefender's scores overall are better than any other current product.

Phishing protection looks completely different in the two products. The Free edition diverts users to a page with a simple warning message in red block letters, while the Plus edition uses an elegant display in muted colors to accomplish exactly the same warning. Either way, the phishing protection is fantastic. Both products beat out Norton's detection rate, the Free edition by one percentage point and the Plus edition by three percentage points.

Jack of All Trades, or One-Trick Pony?
Bitdefender Free removes existing malware, prevents new malware attacks, and steers users away from malicious or fraudulent websites, nothing more. Bitdefender Plus adds a ton of additional features. Its new Wallet offers rudimentary password management along with secure storage for sensitive items like bank account details. Its hardened Safepay browser ensures the safety of your online financial transactions. It includes credit monitoring, file shredding, vulnerability scanning, and more.

If you've got no budget for security, the Free edition is an easy choice. However, the impressive Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (2014) is one of our Editors' Choice products for paid antivirus, sharing that honor with Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus 2013 and Norton AntiVirus (2013). You won't go wrong with any of these choices, but if you want to peruse the full range of products, check out our latest report on the best antivirus tools.

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New Dropbox Platform Syncs App Data

Dropbox kicked off its first developer conference today by unveiling the Dropbox Platform.

Aimed at developers, the new set of tools helps determine how apps access data across desktop and mobile platforms and devices, and was designed to be "the best foundation to connect the world's apps, devices, and services," Dropbox co-founders Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi wrote in a blog post.

When Dropbox - which now has 175 million users - introduced its Sync API in February, it was able to easily cover the syncing of files and folders. But as mobile applications become more commonplace, much of the content people save no longer looks like a regular file. Instead, it could be settings, contacts, to-do list items, or even a mindless doodle.

Enter Datastore API, an extension of Sync that serves as a model for storing and syncing data beyond files. Anyone using an app with datastores will find their content is up to date across all devices, whether they're working online or off.

"Imagine a task-tracking app that works on both your iPhone and the Web," Houston and Ferdowsi explained. "If it's built with the Datastore API, you can check off items from your phone during a cross-country flight and add new tasks from your computer and Dropbox will make sure the changes don't clobber each other."

The third piece of the puzzle is the new Drop-Ins, which let developers connect to hundreds of millions of Dropboxes with just a few lines of code. Use the Chooser to access files from Web and mobile apps, or try the Saver, which makes saving files to Dropbox one-click simple.

Those native Chooser and Saver tools have already been integrated into Shutterstock, Mailbox, and Yahoo Mail, the latter of which revealed the new integration in a blog post today.

On Yahoo Mail for Android, users can send files of any size while on the go. Just start a new email, tap the attachment icon, and choose "Share from Dropbox." A similar feature was introduced earlier this year for Yahoo Mail Web users, and was quickly adopted by millions of users.

"Now, it's just as easy to share documents, photos and videos from Yahoo Mail for Android," the Yahoo Mail team wrote.

Download the updated app now in the Google Play store to check it out.

For more, see PCMag's review of Dropbox for Android and the slideshow above.

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Multimedia Powerhouse. "The Dell XPS 8500 brings the company's top consumer desktop into the "Ivy Bridge" generation with fast graphics and SSD storage." PCMag
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