Alienware have today announced the launch of the X51 mini gaming desktop. "The smallest desktop Alienware has ever created," according to the press release, it sits in an exciting position between the power of a high-spec gaming PC and the form factor of a games console.

Measuring just 12.5″ deep and 13.5″ wide, it's little bigger than an Xbox 360 but massively more powerful.

As comfortable next to a flatscreen TV as a monitor, it'll sit either horizontally or stand vertically. It's connectivity options include HDMI 1.4, 4x USB 2.0 slots, 2x USB 3.0, Ethernet and speaker connectors.

The differing specification configurations available are as follows:

Processor

Integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless LAN

When you keep in mind that all components are of standard size, meaning they'll be easily upgradeable in the future, the X51 seems like a superb addition to the gamer's living room. It's a pity it doesn't come with a Blu-ray drive; the one thing stopping the mini-desktop from being a true living room media hub.

It's an exciting time to a be a PC gamer. With recent massive launches like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Skyrim, and upcoming launches like StarCraft II: Heart of the Storm and Diablo III(as well as mad new concept designs like Razer's Project Fiona tablet), there's plenty of fun to be had and innovative hardware to gawk at.

With prices starting at £699, it's also a very affordable entry into pre-built PC gaming. We'll look forward to getting our hands on one of these when it launches on February 6th.

For more info, click here.

Giant tablet, or touchscreen PC? Ah, the first world problems we face every day in consumer technology. Lenovo have at least removed that quandary from your trembling brain this week, by introducing the gigantic Lenovo IdeaCenter A720 All-In-One PC.

Measuring 27 inches diagonally, it packs in a Core-i7 Sandy Bridge CPU, 8GB of RAM, up to 1.8TB of storage space (with SSD options), a 2GB discrete graphics card and a Blu-ray drive. The screen is full HD at 1920 by 1200 pixels, supporting ten-finger multitouch.

Where it comes into its own however is its flexibility. Though the A720 can stand tall like a regular All-In-One desktop machine, it also folds flat to be used as a massive tabletop tablet device.

Hit the video above to see a Lenovo spokesperson demo the device direct from the CES 2012 show floor.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Remember the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga hybrid ultrabook/tablet device we showed you yesterday? Well we've now seen it in person, and it's just as impressive as it seemed.

Running Windows 8, the 13.3 inch screen can be swivelled 360-degrees to position it in a laptop format with keyboard, flat slate like shape, a stand for watching video and, er, a tent as Lenovo themselves like to describe it.

Click here for more info, or hit the video above for a short video demo of the device.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Lenovo are brinigng a little added flexibility to their latest batch of ultrabooks with the IdeaPad Yoga, a hybrid tablet/ultrabook machine running Windows 8.

Powered by an Intel Core processor backed by up to 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, the IdeaPad Yoga is engineered around a four-point viewing mode principle.

In other words, the 360-degree twisting 1600x900, 13.3 inch touch screen can be positioned to work like a standard laptop with keyboard, folded flat like a tablet with the screen facing outwards, stood up like an open book, or hinged like a tent in the picture above.

It's also the thinnest convertible ultrabook yet (of which there are admittedly few), measuring just 16.9mm deep and weighing 1.47kg.

"It is clear to us that consumers want their four screens: mobile devices, tablets, notebooks and smart TVs and they want them to work together seamlessly, anytime, anywhere," said Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO for Lenovo.

"The IdeaPad YOGA multi-mode notebook redefines the convergence and convertible user experience by bringing together the best of traditional PCs, with the best of tablets."

Expect to see the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga starting at $1199 (around £775) when it lands sometime in the second half of the year. No word yet on a UK launch.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Razer are the latest tech manufacturer to tease their CES 2012 hand prior to next week's big show in Las Vegas.

The PC peripheral makers have been making tentative steps into the realm of gaming machines for a few years now, capturing the public eye with the boldly designed Switchblade and Razer Blade machines.

It now looks as if Razer are to make yet another step towards their ultimate goal of reviving PC gaming in the wake of console gaming dominance, posting a new teaser trailer for "Project Fiona", which will be fully revealed at CES 2012.

The video gives away very little, other than promising an "all-new" form factor for PC gaming, as well as suggesting from the clip that high-end games such as Assassin's Creed: Revelations will be playable on the device.

However, with neither the Switchblade nor Razer Blade yet available to buy, will Project Fiona prove to be the final realisation of Razer's gaming machine vision, or just another prototype to linger in development hell?

Well, we'll be sure to find out next week, when the Tech Digest/ Shiny Shiny teams touch down in Las Vegas for the big CES 2012 show.

To sign up for more news on Project Fiona, head over to Razer's dedicated page.

HP are looking to wipe tech fans clean of an lingering TouchPad and webOS memories with the launch of the promising new HP Omnia 27 All-in-One PC.

Featuring a lush, edge-to-edge 27 inch 1080p display, it packs all its innards, including a 2TB hard drive, HDMI input, Blu-ray drive and quad-core Intel processor, into its tabletop chassis.

However, like a prison scene from Arrested Development, there's no touching allowed with the HP Omnia 27, as that whopping display isn't touch-enabled. You'll need to pop into the company's TouchSmart line if multi-touch gestures and swiping is what you're after.

Elsewhere, the machine also boasts Beats Audio, Windows 7, 6 USB slots and a multi-card reader, as well as the ability to tilt the screen 25 degrees.

Due out in February in the UK, now pricing for our shores has yet been revealed. Stateside readers however will be able to get their hands on the Omnia 27 from January 8, with prices starting at $1,200 (£767).

Happy 30th birthday, Commodore 64!

The bulky brown home computing box of choice of the 1980's hits the three decade landmark this month, and is fondly remembered by many a tech fan (including this very Tech Digest writer) as their first experience with home computing.

A tame machine by today's standards, its 8-bit charms with a MOS Technology 6510 processor running at a 1MHz, 64k of memory and 16-colour graphics chip were as good as it got upon release in 1982.

For many, the machine was also their first taste of the delights of gaming at home, stuffing cassette tapes into the C64 rather than stuffing their pocket money into the local arcade machines. They took an age to load, but offered hours upon hours of fun. Anyone who has ever pulled off a split-kick double takedown in International Karate +, or ran through the legs of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters will sing the machine's praises.

Anyone looking to get into making chiptune music should definitely check out the C64 too. The likes of Rob Hubbard, David Whittaker and Martin Galway were doing trailblazing stuff with game soundtracks using the machines SID chip, the influence of which can be heard in music by the likes of Crystal Castles. Just check this selection of tracks if you need convincing.

Though getting off to a slow start after being revealed at the 1981 CES show,17 million units Commodore 64 units went on to be sold. Dominating the 1980s, the machine fell out of vogue by the 1990s as Nintendo, Sega and Amiga machines become increasingly popular, and by the middle of the decade Commodore had filed for bankruptcy. A Commodore 65 prototype was built, but never hit mass production.

While it's very easy to get your hands on a Commodore 64 emulator (there's even one as an app for Apple devices), and just as easy to pick up a retro machine from eBay, a new company called Commodore USA in 2012 began to produce a new machine called the Commodore 64x. A great gift for fans of the original machine, it completely keeps the bulky build of the computer, but adds modern specifications like dual-core, 1.8GHz Intel Atom D525 chip, an Nvidia Ion 2 GPU, Wi-Fi and a Blu-ray drive.

So, were you the lucky owner of a Commodore 64 back in the 1980s? What were your fondest memories of the machine? Share them via the comments section below, our Twitter feed or our Facebook page, and we'll publish some of the best in a Tech Digest post!

The age of the netbook is well and truly over, and nothing rings the death knell more loud and clear than when a massive PC manufacturer like Dell announces it's stepping out of the market sector.

After Dell's Inspirion Mini line silently fell off the radar, the company have since confirmed that they will no longer be producing the little low-powered laptops.

"Thin and powerful is where it is at for us," Dell's marketing director Alison Gardner told The Verge.

Thin and powerful? Like ultrabook thin and powerful?

It looks that way, though Gardner cleverly avoided using the term and all the weight of expectation the new product category brings with it.

Dell's XPS 14z is the closest thing they've built recently to what could be compared to a premium-feeling ultrabook, but would need to slim down even further without compromising on power to really get consumers pulses racing and offer a genuine challenge to Apple's Air range and the wave of ultrabooks on the way from Samsung and Acer.

We'll be keeping a close eye on Dell in the coming months to see how they approach this exciting new sector of the PC market. We'd expect to hear a little bit more come CES in Las Vegas this coming January, so check back then for all the news from the show floor.

Samsung may be preparing to quit production of their netbook lines as soon as next year, according to a leaked email from the company.

The message, sent to a trade partner, states that 10.1 inch devices will be getting the chop, with Samsung to re-focus their energies on the ultrabook sector.

"Following the introduction of our new strategy in Q1 2012, we stop the product range in 10.1" (Netbook) in Q1 2012 for the benefit of Ultraportables products (11.6 and 12-inches) and ultrabooks to be launched in 2012," reveals the email.

Samsung's move is unexpected, but not wholly surprising. Netbooks have faced a stiff decline in popularity following the rise of the ever-more-powerful, ever-more-portable, ever-more-business-friendly tablet.

Ultrabooks now offer a far more attractive proposition than netbooks. Powerful, slick, and often taking design inspiration from Apple's own book of tricks, the premium ultrabook sector looks to be where the portable computing market is headed.

Via: Engadget

Name: Kodak Hero 9.1

Type: All-in-One printer/scanner/copier

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £199.99

The Kodak Hero 9.1 throws into the mix pretty much every high-end feature you can think of for a consumer all-in-one printer. Can its print speed and quality live up to the allure of its silky 4.3 inch touchscreen and cloud-printing capabilities? Read on to find out.

If you're flushed with cash, the £199.99 Kodak Hero 9.1 is the premium offering from the company's all-in-one printer range. With a 4.3 inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi and internet connectivity, duplex printing and cloud printing, it ticks every box when it comes to high-end printer features.

It looks very stylish too. In keeping with the rest of the Hero range's boxy look, the rectangular Hero 9.1 features a mix of gloss and black plastics, as well as brushed metal effects either side of the print tray and a red trim just under the scanner lid. Two paper trays feature, one each for 100 regular A4 sheets and another solely for 40 pieces of photo paper. It's a relief not to have to swap paper load outs, and the powered photo tray also conveniently removes the need to manually push sheets. We'd like to see dual-trays hit consumer printers as standard. A printer is unlikely to win any style awards, but Kodak have made a strong effort here to make the Hero 9.1 look tidy and sleek.

Only one physical button (the power one) sits on the Hero 9.1's control panel. The rest, including home, back, help and preview keys, are touch sensitive, illuminating when they can be used to navigate a corresponding function on the gorgeous 4.3 inch touchscreen. A touchscreen this big makes a massively good impression; it not only allows a full QWERTY keyboard to be displayed, making the Wi-Fi set up really simple, but also gives you a far more legible look at any snaps you plan to print off too using the Hero 9.1's front-mounted USB and memory card ports.

Setting up the printer is as simple as it gets. After removing a series of protective tags, inserting the print head and clicking in the two ink cartridges, it's just a matter of switching it on, installing the relevant drivers to your computer, and choosing whether to connect using a standard USB cable, or over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

If you choose to go down the web-connected route, you also open up the ability to use Kodak's cloud printing service, that lets you send documents to be printed to the unit no matter where you are in the world. The Hero 9.1 is compatible with Google's Cloud Printing service, further expanding your on-the-go print options and effectively doing away with the need to ever have it permanently tethered to your desktop machine.

Though not class leading, the Kodak Hero's 9.1 print speed and quality remains solid. A 10-sheet set of single sided black-and-white text documents printed in two minutes and one second, while a twenty page set of single sided documents sped up noticeably, taking three minutes and 47 seconds. Duplex printing, as you'd expect, was noticeably slower, adding a good third onto the time to print the same documents on a single side. Duplex printing on the whole had some quirks, with the printer automatically reducing the print size by a noticeable margin. Be sure to extend your page margins manually before printing duplex pages as a result, or you'll end up with considerable space around the edges of your prints. In all tests however, text was crisp and sharp.

Colour prints were considerably slower, but we were surprised at the snappy speed of photo prints. In just 45 seconds we had a 4 x 6 inch holiday snap sitting in our hands, ready to be tucked inside an album. Colour print quality was mostly great, delivering really vibrant, rich colours that shone on photo paper. There were a few isolated cases of banding (and dotting for those anally examining their photos with a magnifying glass), but overall it was an impressive show from the Hero 9.1.

The Hero 9.1 is fairly cost effective too, working out at roughly 2.25p per black and white sheet and 3.8p for colour prints, including paper costs. However, when it comes to colour prints you could argue that that figure could erratically jump. The Kodak Hero 9.1 uses a single cartridge for all of its colour pools. Should one run out quicker than the rest, you're going to have to swap out all the colours and abandon any reserves they may have left.

Lastly, printing and scanning. The scanner lid has an automatic document feeder, letting you scan multiple sheets in one go without having to replace each one manually. There's also a small hinge on the scanner lid, letting you more comfortable accommodate a book or magazine for scanning purposes. The 9.1 only manages single-side scanning however. Still, the scanner has a solid 2400dpi optical resolution, delivering accurate colour and detail levels. Copying capabilities are just as impressive, delivering a black and white sheet with great accuracy in just 17 seconds.

Verdict:

It's not the cheapest all-in-one on the market, nor the fastest, but the Kodak Hero 9.1 does deliver solid print and scanning results, as well as offering a premium feature set that you'll be hard pressed to comprehensively find elsewhere. The single cartridge for all colours however is a disappointment; while it may ease the set-up process, it does mean you wont be able to eke the very last drops out of of each colour pool should one run dry.

We all know that Apple produce some of the most powerful laptops and desktops that need no configuration at all. The build quality of the computers is second to none, im actually writing this on a four year old macbook which is still fully working and in great condition. The Apple software is also some of the industry's finest, if you know how to use it that is.

To many who have only ever had a PC in their life, sometimes working with Apple's operating system can be quite a daunting task, everything is new and there aren't any of your usual applications for doing your day to day tasks.

To try and provide a bridge between the two operating systems Parallels has come out with their software Parallels Desktop 7. It is usually a very big step to go from Windows to OSX, i know for me it was a huge step at first and sometimes you really want the comfort of your old PC as a safety net. The software allows you to run multiple operating systems on your macbook bringing together the best hardware and software together.

The software allows you to run two or more operating systems at the same time without the need to use Bootcamp or rebooting your system to switch between them, you can literally have them side by side. You can choose from Windows 7, Chrome OS, Linux or even get the developers version of Windows 8, all running on your macbook.

The software takes advantage of installing the operating systems as a virtual machine, making any additional operating system run faster by not putting additional pressure on the RAM and CPU of your computer. The only large specification you will need will be hard drive space, you will need around 15GB for every operating system.

If you are not that literate when it comes to computers, parallels has a feature called Parallels Wizard that will run through most of the installation automatically, choosing the best settings for your computer. The average installation time takes between twenty and thirty minutes, which for installing an operating system is pretty impressive.

But even though you are working with Windows software it doesn't mean the software ignores the Apple features. Trackpad gestures are supported in all programs related to Windows, a nice addition, you still feel like your working with the quality of a Mac computer. The main advantages of this software is using full Windows programs on your Mac, Microsoft Office being one of the main pieces that would be popular with users. Because you are working with a full version of Office everything works how it should, there is no limitations to make it work on a Mac.

A helpful addition is the full integration of copy and paste, across platforms. You can simply drag and drop files across operating systems without any file changing or reconfiguring. In the same principle the software also allows the user to transfer over their whole PC to their Mac, all their personal files, installed software, everything will be transferred saving all your investment into older machines.

The main idea behind this software if ease of use, it is about making the bridge between PC users going to Mac a lot safer and secure. It is a big choice switching operating systems and the easier and shorter the process the better for the consumer at the end of the day. A way that this has been implemented is with two hours worth of video tutorials built into the software with everything from installation to getting started with parallels.

The company gets a lot of its new features from its users. Requests can be made through a form built into the software so that the company can develop a tailored experience for the customers needs. So if you think that something would suit the software you have a say and the company an consider developing it.

This sort of software also brings opportunities to Mac users that they may never have had before, gaming would be increased with Window's games now being played on Macbooks and for professionals, more advanced graphic software such as AutoDesk applications.

Parallels have also launched an app for IOS devices to access their virtual machines from your mobile or tablet. The app will give you full access to your computer, if it is in sleep mode the phone will access the server and wake the computer up for use. There is no need to install any other software and the only information you need is your account information and that is it. The app is priced at £11.99

The software is priced at around £65 for the standard edition, the switch to my mac edition includes a USB cable in order to link together both PC's to transfer all your data. This is software that, for anyone considering the switch, would make the whole process that much simpler and a less stressful experience and with free updates always being produced it is a worthwhile investment.

So you have got Skyrim on your PC and it looks good. In fact it looks pretty impressive. But for those of you out there with some top-end hardware sitting on your desk, you may want to make it look even more glorious as you watch the sun set over a high off mountain range, watch the shiny blood gush from the open wounds of your enemies, or just have a bit of fun with some mods. Whatever the motivation, the following guide will help you tweak your PC settings to get the very best ultra graphics package.

Step 1: Install Patch Large Address Aware Patch

Like many Bethesda games, Skyrim is capped to use no more that 2GB of RAM; even if you have 12GB the game will reserve the rest for other uses on your computer. But if you're playing a game you're unlikely to be doing anything else all that intensive. Using a Large Address Aware patch will solve this, allowing the game to make full use of your RAM. It's a slightly lengthy process but it's the best start to getting the most from the game. Here's how to make it work:

- Before making any patches always backup your original exe just in case something goes wrong.
- Download and install CFF explorer (which can be found athttp://ntcore.com/exsuite.php)
- Run the CFF Explorer
- Click the folder icon on the left hand side and browse your PC for TESV.exe.
- Click on File Header on the left, find Characteristics on the right and click the "Click here" button highlighted in blue.
- Tick "App can handle >2GB address space" and click OK
- Save by clicking the disc icon and overwrite the file when prompted

You will need to keep the backup copy of your. exe file that was changed with CFF explorer because when you update your game, you will need to copy the backup .exe back to the main folder and replace the edited .exe file.

Locate the folder which has the executable file you changed, delete the current .exe file, rename the backup executable back to the original name, and then you're ready again to update.

Step 2: Turn off Vsync for better frame rates

Vysnc is a tool to limit your fps to match the refresh rate of your monitor, making sure that your monitor can handle the amount of frames it is being given by the graphics card. If you have a high-end card you may want to turn off Vsync in order to get a better frame rate from your game.

Here's how to find and change your Vsync configuration:

- Go to My Documents - My Games - Skyrim (Directories may differ depending on your personal install preferences, or if you're playing the game through Steam)
- Locate SKyrimPrefs.ini, make a back-up copy of it, and open it with Notepad.
-Under the heading [Display], insert the line 'iPresentInterval=0" to switch off Vsync and save the .ini file.

Note that this change can potentially lead to excessive screen tearing. If that occurs, just remove the line you added and re-save the file.

Step 3: Change shadow settings for trees and land objects

For every tree, rock and flower there is always a shadow to go with it in Skyrim,That is, o course, unless you are a nocturnal adventurer. But using this tweak to change the shadowing effects on trees and other land objects will offer a noticeable improvement to the look of some of the large forest areas of the world map:

- Open the SKyrimPrefs.ini again, and again back it up.
- Under the [Display] tab there are two commands that you will need to change to the value of 1.
- For trees, change the line bTreesReceiveShadows=0 to bTreesReceiveShadows=1
- For objects out in the world, change the line bDrawLandShadows=0 to bDrawLandShadows=1
-Save the .ini file, close and enjoy!

Step 4: Field of View

Want to take in more of Skyrim's beautiful settings? Increasing the Field of View will increase the angle from which you see the world, giving you a wider perspective of your surrounding area and also seeing some more of your characters hands and weapons.

To adjust the field of view, while in game press the '~' to bring up the console and enter 'FOV XX'. XX denotes the FOV number you wish to enter. Experiment, but from a lot of forum opinions 80-85 seem to do the world justice. But it is all down to personal taste, or in this case personal view.

Step 5: Install high-res blood textures and a "no spiders" mod for arachnophobics

For some PC gamers they want to make a game their own by installing mods. Some are very simple such as changing blood to a green colour but some are a bit more interesting and often down-right hilarious.

One for those who like to admire a kill is the enhanced Blood Textures which will improve the resolution of the blood textures in the game, and it one of the most noticeable of all the mods.

- Download the file from Skyrimnexus and they will be downloaded as a rar. File.
- If you're not using Windows 7 you will need a programme to extract the files
- Inside the rar. file will be both a data file and a "Read me", and all you have to do is drop the data folder into the directory where Skyrim is installed and replace folders when prompted.

Skyrim has a great one for anyone with arachnophobia. The game is full of rather large spiders wanting to get their fangs into you but how about replacing them with something far less creepy and skin crawling, like bears? Replacing every spider in the game with cuddly bears will help with any fears; they just want a hug. And your blood too...

Here's how to install it:

- Download the file from Skyrimnexus and they will be downloaded as a rar. File.
- If you're not using Windows 7 you will need a programme to extract the files
- Inside the rar. file will be both a data file and a "Read me", and all you have to do is drop the data folder into the directory where Skyrim is installed and replace folders when prompted.

Optional: Install MSI Afterburner

MSI's Afterburner easy overclocking application enables all graphics cards to boost their performance and is completely free. If you want to be getting the most out of your upgraded card then download the program and toggle the settings in order to get the maximum potential from the card. You can control everything from core voltages to fan speeds, pushing your card to the max. A word of warning though: this can actually burn out your graphics card so is really not advised unless you know exactly what you're doing.

Download MSI Afterburner by clicking here.

Check below for a quick YouTube guide on how to use the program too, which also shows a little about GPU Z, a great tool for monitoring the temperature of your system:

Nvidia have announced the release of their Nvidia 3D Vision 2 kit, updating their 3D-for-PC hardware to allow for more comfortable glasses and boosting brightness levels for a more vibrant gaming experience.

The active shutter glasses, paired with an IR emitter that works alongside compatible Nvidia graphics cards, now feature 20% larger lenses that feature the new LightBoost technology. While the size offers a larger viewing area than before, LightBoost boasts 2x brighter 3D images than previous 3D solutions, and also improves colour reproduction.

Environmental is also more prominent with the new glasses, meaning you wont have to strain to read your keyboard keys.

"Gorgeous, bright, crystal-clear 3D worlds are created by Nvidia's 3D Vision 2 glasses with 3D LightBoost monitors and notebooks," said Phil Eisler, general manager of 3D Vision at Nvidia.

"Nvidia's engineering team has made incredible enhancements in 3D on PCs, creating a breathtaking gaming experience that's better than the best Hollywood 3D movie."

So far only the Asus VG278H 27-inch (1920x1080) monitor works with LightBoost, though Acer and BenQ models are coming soon, promise Nvidia.

Launching by the end of the month, the Nvidia 3D Vision 2 kit will be available from all major PC retailers for $149, as well as Nvidia's online store. Spare pairs of Nvidia 3D Vision 2 glasses, without the IR emitter, will be priced at $99.

Name: Acronis True Image Home 2012

Type: PC data back-up utility

System requirements: Click here for full details

Price: £39.95 (£23.95 if upgrading from previous edition)

Backing-up PC data can be a chore, but it's a necessary pain if you hope to protect your sensitive and precious files from the odd ghost in the system. The Acronis True Image Home 2012 suite aims to take the hassle out of backing up your files, while also having enough flexibility to sate the appetite of even the most avid PC tinkerer. Read on for our verdict.

Rather than focussing on one form of data back-up, the Acronis True Image Home 2012 suite offers the complete package. Be it online back-ups, file-based or continuous incremental back-ups of whole drives as they update, drive image creation or images of partitions, the software pops all methods into a single neat product.

Whether you're using True Image Home 2012's Nonstop Back-up feature to keep your My Documents folder safely duplicated as you pop new files inside, or using an Acronis True Image Online account to synchronise local folders with a network or a laptop (which follows similar concepts to those that use the Dropbox service), there's a solution for pretty much every situation.

It's all presented in such a way as to be make it comfortable to use for even those who find the thought of back-up processed intimidating. A re-vamped interface opens with a "Get Started", which offers tutorials on "How to back up?", "When to recover?" and "What is sync?". Whatever your skill level, Acronis have done a fairly good job of walking you through each step of each back-up process.

Of course, if you're familiar with the concepts of preserving your files, you can dive straight in with the Backup and recovery" tab and picking from options like: "Disk and partition", "Online", "File", "Email" and "Nonstop backup". Again the interface is clear, letting you easily pick source and destination locations, and in the case of Online and File back-up processes, offering check-box style controls to select the precise files that need copying.

It's all highly configurable too, letting you set back-up schedules, password protect resulting archives and (in the case of the online back-up tools) set network bandwidth limits so that your uploads to the Acronis servers don't totally drain your internet speeds. Archives are created in manageable sizes, and the True Image Home 2012 processes can run happily in the background without hogging too much of your system's resources. The program had a few issues recognising a Crucial solid-state drive we were testing with that hadn't been assigned a drive letter, but it's a problem that seemed unique to our set-up.

Those looking for very specific back-up tools will be pleased to discover True Home Image 2012's Email Back-up and Try&Decide tools. Outlook users in particular will benefit from Email Back-Up, letting you quickly and effectively archive all inbox messages and contacts, saving invaluable stuff in the case of a disaster be you a business owner working from home or simply a person who'd simply die if they lost their email-archived holiday snaps. Try&Decide was our personal favourite tool, letting you road-test risky installations (say a work-in-progress driver or a download from an untrusted source) and then revert back quickly and simply to a prior state if you encounter any problems.

These are among a long list of features already present in previous versions of True Image Home 2012. Managing all these options could potentially become a pain, but again a clear UI means that it's simply a matter of checking a list in the Back-up and Recovery tab to keep on top of everything lined up.

Verdict:

While the computer whiz-kids amongst us will already have fool-proof methods for manually creating back-up copies of their valuable files, True Image Home 2012 makes the whole process much simpler for newbies. There's also enough smart features (like Try and Decide) to make even those with their own tried-and-tested back-up methods consider giving this a try. It's not without its quirks, and the full suite of online support isn't the most competitively priced, but it comes strongly recommended nonetheless..

In these hard economic times, we're all having to make a few sacrifices. I'm now eating Tesco's own-brand caviar, and have managed to cut down to just four bottles of champagne a week. HP's new CEO Meg Whitman is feeling the monetary burn too; she's taken the post with just a base salary of $1.

The former eBay CEO, replacing Leo Apotheker, was brought in following Apotheker's claims that HP were looking to sell off its hardware arm.

That low wage isn't to say Whitman wont make a pretty penny from her new post. Her "compensation package" will offer plenty of room to earn significant bonuses, as well as the opportunity to nab 1.9 million shares in HP through the company's 2004 stock incentive plan.

Regardless, a $1 salary has become a somewhat-lucky figure in tech circles. Steve Jobs of Apple also famously took just a dollar for his wage when he was 9-to-5 at Apple. Things worked out pretty well for them, wouldn't you say?

Via: All Things Digital

Sponsored post

It is impossible for companies to continue to remain stuck in their old way of doing things, when it comes to Human Resources and personnel management. The world is a very fast paced place and with the ever increasing need for all things to be done at speed, HR has had to move with the times.

Some companies are being left behind, some are flying ahead on the wings ever-developing technology and others are beginning to understand that a diverse modern workforce can do an awful lot for themselves in terms of keeping their personal details up to date.

The term for such HR software is self-service HR. Employees are provided with access to enable them to update their personal details or request leave for instance. This enables HR employees to spend time on more on effective HR requirements and gives other employees more control of their personal details data.

The overall benefits of a self-service HR function reduces the number of errors that can occur in terms of change of address for example and more importantly reduces dramatically the amount of paper work that can at times swamp HR departments. Self-service HR software also provides an effective method for management to access employee's individual data and to monitor such things as holiday leave, sickness absence and can be an effective tool to conduct appraisal or performance reviews.

Self-service HR software does not in any way reduce the amount of control management has over the overall HR records - employees will only be provided access to relevant data input areas of the HR record, management can securely extract report data that may be required and can also input secure data themselves, restricting some data entry from employee access.

The restriction of access operates through a system of access privilege levels. For example a member of staff could place a request for holiday leave at one level of the system and authorisation for the leave would occur at management level, accessed via management privilege. Very efficient, very secure and extremely effective in terms of employee time!

How does a self-service HR system operate when such things as a holiday request requires approval - quite simply the system utilises an e-mail alert system. The holiday request generates an e-mail alert to line management - once authorised the employee receives an e-mail alert to indicate authorisation.

It is so efficient that the older ways of authorising holiday leave cannot be comprehended. The holiday record sheet, filling out the dates, sending the paperwork to HR, waiting for the form to be returned on and on and on. Fast and efficient self-service HR software is now the way of the world for leading edge businesses. For forward looking companies it is a progressive process and for organisations with paper based HR functions it has got to be something they must consider. HR self-service software is the way forward. It's not just a method of company progression, it is a way to empower a diverse workforce.

Chip makers Qualcomm have confirmed that their next gen S4 mobile processors will support Windows 8 PCs alongside tablets and smartphones when Microsoft's new system launches.

A developer preview at the annual Microsoft BUILD event showed Qualcomm Snapdragon chips and the company's Gobi 3G/4G wireless internet connectivity chips powering a prototype Windows 8 PC.

"We are excited to be at BUILD to show the Windows ecosystem and how we are working together towards commercialization of apps and hardware that will run Windows 8," said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of product management, computing and consumer products at Qualcomm.

"It is a priority for Qualcomm to work with the developer community to optimize the Snapdragon and Gobi-powered platform for Windows 8 to provide an unparalleled mobile user experience."

"Collaborating with Qualcomm to deliver Windows 8-based PCs will help deliver a high-performance and differentiated experience for customers," added Mike Angiulo, corporate vice president of Windows planning, hardware and PC ecosystem, Microsoft.

"Working closely with Qualcomm allows us to maximize performance while maintaining a high level of energy efficiency."

Someone get this notebook a Mars Bar! ASUS have revealed the U46 laptop, sporting the world's thinnest 14-inch screen panel at just 5.5mm thick.

Sitting on a hinge-forward design, the screen can tilt over the keys at different angles to widen the viewing angle, running at a HD-ready resolution of 1366x768.

Getting off the catwalk and into the tech-specs, the U46 has a Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5 processor, backed up by a Nvidia GeForce GT540M graphics chip, 1GB of GDDR3 video memory and 4GB of RAM.

USB 3.0 connectivity will mean you'll quickly be able to transfer files onto the 500GB HDD, while a webcam, card reader and HDMI port round off the feature list.

Out now, you can grab one from Comet for £699.

The annual IFA tech show in Berlin has come to a close for yet another year, after bringing plenty brand new gadgets and gizmos to the table to start saving for. It's a massive show, packed with everything from AV gear to mobile phones and home appliances, but we've sifted the wheat from the chaff to give you our highlights from Europe largest electronics expo. Here's Tech Digest's IFA Best in Show for 2011.

BEST TV: Sharp 8K4K Super High-Def TV

The TV that Tech Digest shall set as the high-watermark all others must aim for for the forseeable future, Sharp's 8K4K prototype was by far the most stunning screen we've ever seen, and our favourite item overall at this year's show. Though it's not going to be commercially available for at least the best part of a decade, we were treated to a jaw-dropping presentation of footage 16-times the pixel density of full HD 1080p. We felt sorry for all the TVs we had to check out at the show after seeing this one so early on, as none of the others stood a chance in comparison.

BEST SMARTPHONE/TABLET: Samsung Galaxy Note

Not a great show for tablets or smartphones, with Sony's offerings a little underwhelming and few other manufacturers making a splash. Samsung's Galaxy Note, while not everyone's cup of tea, at least attempted something slightly different, with its massive screen and stylus input. Jobs may have delcared the stylus dead with Apple's touchscreen devices, but Samsung quite rightly still see a place for digital note taking with an input pen.

BEST PROJECTOR: Epson EH-T9000W

If you've got a few grand to spare, Epson proved that having your very own 3D cinema experience in your living room is a relatively affordable reality this year. Showing off their first line of 3D projectors, the stunning visuals were made all the sweeter thanks to the inclusion of Wi-Fi smarts in the EH-T9000W top-end model.

BEST LAPTOP: Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook

Who said Windows machines couldn't be as good-looking as Apple devices? Acer's Aspire S3 Ultrabook paired great looks and portability with supercharged power in a laptop that offered both i7 and SSD high-end configurations.

MADDEST GADGET: Jean-Michel Jarre's AeroDream One 11ft iPad dock

Jean-Michel Jarre; a man known equally for his pioneering electronic music and dazzling live light shows. He'll now also be known as the man behind the world's most ridiculous iPad dock, the 11ft tall AeroDream One. Tech Digest had the pleasure of talking to the French musical legend at IFA 2011 in the video above, where Jarre explains the inspiration behind his designs.

For more coverage from IFA 2011, click here.

MacBook Air fans looking for some Windows lovin', have a gander at the Acer Aspire S3. Billed as an "Ultrabook", it's lightwieght and powerful in all of its various configurations, and more than a match for the Apple machines in the style stakes. We went hands on at IFA in the video above.

A mere 13mm at its thinnest point and booting from sleep mode to a useable state in just 1.5 seconds, its available with both SSD or HDD storage options and i3 or i7 cores.

A 13.3-inch, 1366 x 768 pixel LED display is offered up by Acer, with 7 hours worth of battery power per charge.

Hit the video above to take a look.