HP Envy 17-J102TX Leap Motion Touchsmart SE Review 'A POWERFUL BEAST'

Our Verdict

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  We are sure that you would have already looked at the specifications sheet of the HP Envy 17 Leap Motion Edition notebook. If you haven’t, let us summarize the notebook for you in one word - powerful. Add to it, the integrated motion sensor, and you have a machine that could very well be designed for the future! But, is this the machine for you?
  Build & Design: More of the same good old....
  Straightaway, one thing is clear - the 3.4kg machine is meant as a desktop replacement, and having to lug it around on a regular basis, probably isn't the most comfortable activity . Add the massive 17.3-inch screen, and what you have is a machine that could be equally adept with most kinds of usage scenarios thrown at it.
  The design and looks of the ENVY 17 are very similar to the ENVY 15 we reviewed recently. HP’s design philosophy of minimalism and straight lines continues, with a greater focus on metallic colours. Happily for us, that means a shift away from the glossy and reflective colours that adorned HP laptops for quite a while, a couple of generations back. The materials used and the quality of the finish is top notch.
  When looked at from the side, the HP ENVY 17 gives an impression that it is thinner on the near side, and thicker towards the back. However, because of the black coloured underside, that is pretty much a visual trickery - the thickness is relatively the same throughout. Port placement is traditional; spread across both side spines of the keyboard deck.
   
   
  Leap Motion: Neat feature, not many apps to use it with though
  San Francisco based Leap Motion Inc. has been making sensors for PCs and Macs for quite some time now, and you can buy them for any existing Windows or Mac machine for just under $70. But, the ENVY 17 is the first machine to integrate the sensor within the existing parameters of the notebook.
  The sensor is seated in what is essentially a strip that sits beneath the keyboard. It uses two cameras and three LEDs to track your hand’s movements -- up, down and across. This integration is considerably smaller than the standalone version that Leap Motion sells, which is what made the integration within the laptop possible.
  We installed the New York Times app from Leap Motion’s Airspace Store, just to see how well this feature works, and the experience was rather neat. The default calibration did not pose any issues, and the detection range is wide enough (and vertically high enough) to enable usage without having to constantly bother about staying with the sensor’s possible range. In fact, if the hand gets too close to the sensor, chances are the response will be iffy. Also, the Leap Motion sensor detects ambient light sources, and compensates for that. For page scrolling (in this particular app), both vertically and horizontal swipes, the response was smooth and consistent. However, the cursor is a tad finicky, and doesn’t like to remain at one place.
  
  
  
  Display: With great size comes great brightness!
  The 17.3-inch touchscreen is not the IPS panel that we had hoped for, but an AUO one with a 1920x1080 pixels resolution. The plastic layer in front of the display is much stiffer (thicker, if that word explains it better) than the ones seen on most laptops till now. Press down hard at any point, and the pressure resistance advantage is more than evident. Unfortunately, the panel is still extremely reflective, and unless the brightness levels are turned up, there will always be some discomfort with the ambient objects reflecting back off the screen. Thankfully, the native brightness is more than adequate. In the brightness text, this display clocked 1501 lux, which is the highest among all laptop screens we have tested so far. Colours look quite rich, and the native brightness is amongst the highest across all laptops. However, since we have not tested a display size similar to this in the recent past, it will be inaccurate to compare this to a 15.6-inch or smaller display with the luxmeter test reading. 
  Keyboard: Old bottle. Not the exact same old wine
  On the face of it, HP’s notebook keyboards are perhaps one of the better ones across all Windows laptops. The island design, as HP calls it, is the closest that this category of laptops has come to the good old Apple MacBook. On the ENVY 15 and the smaller notebooks launched in the recent past, the keyboard has been brilliant - easy to get used to, sharp response and consistent enough for quick typing. The keyboard on the ENVY 17 Leap Motion does all the things, well almost. Except two things - the key travel is a tad too much and the response is a tad softer than what we have become used to. Spacing and key size is good, and the number pad is something that can be afforded because of the extra real estate space. Again, the travel and soft response issue is nothing that one cannot get used to, because once you do,  it will become a norm for your fingers. 
   
  Performance: A proper beast
  This massive beast packs in a 4th Generation Intel Core i7-4702MQ clocking at 2.2GHz and Turbo Boost takes it up to 3.2GHz. This processor has a slightly less fashionable TDP rating at 37 Watt (in an era when 15W and lesser is considered as healthy), and the HD 4600 integrated graphics tag along. HP pairs this with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. The graphics capabilities have been given a major boost as well, with the Nvidia GeForce GT 750M, the 28nm Kepler series GPU with 4GB of dedicated memory, in switching mode with the Intel HD 4600 integrated graphics.
  
  With a top of the line CPU and an upper mid-range GPU waiting to be unleashed, the expectations from the ENVY 17 Leap Motion are pretty much of a blazing performance. Straight off, the Core i7-4702MQ processor makes an attempt to be politically correct, by bringing down the TDP to 37 watts, compared to the Core i7-4700MQ processor with the TDP at 47 watts.
  
  

Intel Devil's Canyon i7 4790K Reaches 5.2GHz on Normal Ambient, Pentium G328 Performs Well Too

Last month it was revealed that Intel’s Devil's Canyon unlocked chips lineup would soon be upon us, coming in Core i7, Core i5 and Pentium flavors.

Now the guys over at Lab501 have taken it upon themselves to test the Intel Core i7 4790K processor, but also the “weaker” Pentium G3258 Anniversary Edition.

They have posted the preliminary test results performed at room ambient temperature (25° C / 77° F) for both chip models. 

A Gigabyte GA-Z9TX-SOC Force motherboard was employed to test both processors in combination with an advanced air-cooler (Noctua NH-D14) and two usual air ventilators (CoolLink SwiF 120P).

Taking a look at the screenshots posted in the gallery below, you can check out the highest Prime stable clocks, highest SuperPI 1M and highest validation performed in normal ambient air-cooling.

Basically, the Intel Core i7-4790K can hit up to 5.2GHz, while the Pentium G3258 is not far off and goes as far as 5.1GHz.

Devil's Canyon chips are cherry-picked CPUs that could be sold off as regular, locked models, if not for their higher voltage limits and higher grade package. 

Intel has bundled them with high-current LGA contact points and an advanced thermal interface material under the HIS (integrated heatspreaders).

The price of the more advanced Core i7-470K is $370 / €370, while the meeker Pentium G3258 is sold for under $100 / €100.

A good shooter for amateur photographers

The super-zoom range of point and shoot cameras have been quite stagnant in terms of sale. Now, consumers have started shifting towards DSLRs and mirror-less cameras which is quite obvious as the sensor in almost all the super-zoom ‘point and shoot’ cameras is comparatively smaller. But then again, these cameras do have an advantage; a long range zoom lens in a compact body. And that’s about it.

Canon’s SX510 HS is a great looking super-zoom camera and quite frankly I was surprised to see the tiny size and the light weight of the camera. And surprisingly, it is Wi-Fi enabled. It did sound tempting, so I took it out for a spin.

BUILD AND DESIGN

The SX510 HS has a very compact design and seems much smaller than most of the super-zoom cameras are available in the market. It can fit easily in small carry bags and cases, but it won’t fit in your pocket due to the fixed lens. The whole body of the camera is plastic with a matte finish which is a good thing as it prevents the camera to fall out of the hands.

The in-built flash cannot pop up automatically, so you need to manually open it and the hinge on the flash mechanism seems pretty sturdy. The bulged-out grip is nicely made which has a rubberized finish, although it is a bit small and people with big hands might find it difficult to hold the camera. The lens is housed inside the main body and it comes out quite a long way when zoomed to the maximum focal length. There is a focus-light right next to the lens which helps to focus in low light conditions.

When it comes to controls, the function buttons, shutter release and the dial to control the modes are all quite smooth but they do feel a bit flimsy. On the top we have the shutter release button which also acts as your control to change your focal lengths from wide to tele. The power button does the usual; turn the camera on and change your camera modes. And yes, it has a manual mode as well. The top also houses two hinges (one on each side) where you can tie up a strap.

The back has a 3-inch display which is nice and crisp. Next to the display there are other controls that include the video recording button, the exposure control button (which also acts as the delete button), the playback button, the menu button and the display options button. There is a nice d-pad styled dial also which has a wheel on top which can be rotated. There is a set of 5 buttons in the d-pad to control various functions like flash, Wi-Fi, ISO, focus modes and self-timer. I personally love Canon’s rotating wheel feature as it makes it easy to glide through pictures and change your shutter speeds or aperture in a jiffy.

On the right side there is an A/V out digital port and an HDMI out port protected under a rubber flap. The bottom has a standard tripod socket and the plastic panel which opens to reveal the battery and the SD card slot.

Overall the camera feels very light for a super-zoom. But somehow I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t use it as a portable camera as it was too big to fit for my pocket and too small to tie it with a strap around my neck.

FEATURES

The Canon PowerShot SX510 HS features a 12.1MP CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 which is Canon’s latest imaging sensor technology. It has a 30x zoom lens which in terms of focal length is 4.3mm to 129mm (35mm film equivalent of 24-720mm). The aperture range is f/3.4 to f/8 on the widest focal length and f/5.8 to f/8 on the highest focal length.

Everyone loves to have high ISO levels on a camera to get a better low light performance and the SX510 HS offers a wide range of ISO (80 to 3200) which is pretty good. Usually we don’t see cameras offering ISO lower than 100, but Canon has made an exception here and added 80 ISO.

Apart from the various manual shooting modes and auto shooting modes, the camera comes with built in Wi-Fi. This makes transferring and sharing pictures easy as it can instantly transfer pictures to your laptop, smartphone, printer or almost anything connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

On the video front, the PowerShot SX510 HS is capable of shooting full HD videos. The camera also comes with a super-slow motion video recording feature which is actually quite interesting as the camera records a normal video and then processes into a video with a very slow frame rate.

PERFORMANCE

The auto-focusing system on the PowerShot SX510 HS is quite good and manages to focus quite well, even in low light conditions. The auto-focus takes almost the same time on the widest and highest focal lengths. Now when I say it’s good, I mean that it is good for a compact camera under Rs.18000. You have a manual focus option as well which allows you to focus with reference to distance. It can be quite handy when you are shooting still subjects, although the auto-focus is a better and a faster option any day.

The camera handles exposure quite well in bright conditions although I wasn’t fully satisfied with the contrast and colours and bit of softness in almost every picture. In low light conditions the noise reduction algorithms are put into good use, but images do have a certain amount of grain and loss in details.

The camera is primarily a super-zoom and proves itself thanks to its long ranged lens. At the highest focal length, the pictures turned out to be sharp but I did face a bit of a challenge to get the subjects in focus. Using high focal lengths in low light was a complete disaster as the camera was unable to focus and pictures turned out grainy and out of focus.

Here are some of the sample shots taken from the PowerShot SX510 HS. (Click to enlarge)

  

  

  
 

CONCLUSION

For everyday use, the PowerShot SX510 HS is a good investment, although the performance isn’t that great in low light conditions. The extreme focal lengths are surprisingly good, although I wish the focusing was a bit faster, or maybe I am being overambitious. The Wi-Fi feature is a great addition and I ended up transferring a lot pictures to my smartphone.

A great alternative could be Nikon’s latest super-zoom, CoolPix L830, which is slightly lower on price, but offers almost similar specs and features as the PowerShot SX510 HS.

Spyrus Reveals World's First 256 GB Windows to Go Flash Drives

If you want to be able to boot Windows from any computer, there's a really nifty asset in Windows 8 that lets you do it off removable storage devices. Removable media needs to be certified for it though, which is why Spyrus made sure to say loud and clear that its latest flash drives have this benefit.

Normally, for Windows, any operating system really, to launch, it has to be installed on the primary storage drive of a computer. That's not all that great when the OS fails somehow though.

Also, maybe you're the type of person that has to switch computers often, or travels a lot and would like to always have their own desktop settings and data wherever they go.

To allow that, Microsoft included the Windows to Go capability in Windows 8, which enables the OS to be installed on aflash drive, or USB HDD or SSD.

The removable media have to be specifically made with it in mind, though, to allow the BIOS to see them as boot drives and everything.

Sure, in theory, you could just fiddle with the BIOS and use Windows to make a bootable flash drive anyway, as long as there is enough space.

Nevertheless, when a flash drive is meant to be used as a Windows to Go device, companies usually mention it specifically. Like Spyrus did for the Portable Workplace, Secure Portable Workplace, WorkSafe, and WorkSafe Pro SSDs.

Which brings us to today's news: Spyrus has added the capacity of 256 GB to its collection. And don't let the “portable SSD” description fool you. These are flash drives, through and through. USB 3.0 sticks with superior security, layered hardware and software encryption.

How to use your Xbox or PlayStation controller on your PC

Using a mouse and keyboard is usually the most optimal solution for playing PC games, but sometimes a controller can make for an even more enjoyable experience. There are numerous controllers out there from a variety of different companies, but there is no need to purchase one if you already own one of the current game consoles. Here's how you can set up your Xbox 360, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4 controller to be used on your PC.

Xbox 360

Microsoft made it extremely easy to use the Xbox controllers for PC gaming. Head over to the company's website, select the operating system you are running, download the drivers, and install them. Then you can simply connect your controller to your PC and begin playing your favorite controller-friendly game.

The drivers officially support both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, although the latter should also work for Windows 8.

To check which operating system you are running, open the Control Panel, select System and Security, and click on System. This information can also be viewed by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting Properties in the popup menu.

Xbox One

Microsoft's Larry Hryb, also known online as Major Nelson, last week released device drivers that make the Xbox One controller compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers. He noted that the drivers will come bundled with a future Windows software update, however they can be manually installed now.

To download the drivers, visit Major Nelson's website and choose the one that corresponds with your system -- x86 is for 32-bit systems, while x64 is for 64-bit systems. After you install the drivers and agree to Microsoft's Licensing Agreement, all you need to do is connect the controller using a microUSB cable and start gaming.

PlayStation 4

It's a little more difficult to use the PlayStation controllers with your PC. With the help of a program called DS4Tool, you are actually going to trick the computer into thinking that the PS4 controller is really one for an Xbox 360. The first thing you must do is download and install the Xbox 360 drivers from Microsoft. You will also need Microsoft .NET 4.0, Visual C 2010 Runtime, and the latest DirectX Runtime on your computer, in addition to having administrator rights.

Download the latest version of DS4Tool (at the time of writing that is version 1.2.2) and unzip it to your desktop. Open the folder titled "Virtual Bus Driver" and double-click the ScpDriver application to install it. If the program was installed properly, Bus Device and Bus Driver will be listed under the install summary.

Make sure to close any open games or software such as Steam before you connect the PS4 controller to your PC using a microUSB cable. Once the controller has been connected, open the ScpServer application located in the main DS4Tool folder. The program should automatically detect the controller, but if it doesn't there are two things you can do: click the Stop button, followed by the Start button to restart detection; or ensure the Xbox 360 drivers and ScpDrivers were installed properly.

The PS4 controller can also be used wirelessly if your computer has Bluetooth or if you purchased an adapter, which must be compatible with Bluetooth 2.1 or higher. The first thing you have to do is enable the controller's Bluetooth pairing mode. This can be done by holding both the Share and PlayStation buttons on the controller until the LED light begins flashing.

Open the Control Panel on your computer and, under Hardware and Sound, choose to add a new device. Select the game controller, and open the ScpServer application after pairing is complete. The software should automatically detect the controller.

BOOST YOUR SMARTWATCH KNOWLEDGE

Love smartwatches or at least you’re interested in them? Maybe you’d like to enhance your knowledge of this wearable category a little further and now you can by virtue of a new flashy infographic.

The Smartwatch Group has released the infographic in order to deliver some clear data and statistics related to the device, for those of you who are curious of this kind of thing (via Dream Chrono).

According to them, Samsung hold 34% of the smartwatch market, while Sony comes in at number 2 with 7% hold of the market. Completing the top 3 is Pebble with 6% marketshare.

Interestingly enough, I told you earlier today new research coming from the NPD group proclaimed Samsung as the champion of smartwatch sales in the US, followed by Pebble.

Anyway, going back to our infographic, it also reveals 3 million smartwatches were sold in 2013, which is a noticeable increase from the 0.3 million that shipped out in 2012. 

Puzzling enough, among the most popular smartwatch uses we find gaming. On such a tiny screen the gaming experience is greatly diminished, so it’s a little bizarre, to say the least. Other frequent uses include communication and fitness, which is basically what the devices are built for.

The infographic also points out Android Wear is expected to make a big splash, especially with the advent of Moto 360, which is one of the hottest upcoming products from the category.

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 puts first 4K video capture in a compact camera

If you were on the fence between a digital SLR and a compact camera with a long zoom lens, Panasonic's Lumix FZ1000 might just turn out to be all the camera you need.

Digital SLRs deliver high-quality photos and HD video, but a dSLR might be too much camera for you in price, size, and weight -- and that's without adding a long zoom lens to the equation. You can get smaller, lighter, long-zoom compact cameras at lower prices, but they come with a loss in image quality.

The FZ1000 bridges the two using a 1-inch 20-megapixel MOS sensor (four times larger than the 1/2.3-inch sensors you find in most longzoom cameras like Panasonic's FZ200) and a 16x f2.8-4.0 25-400mm lens (and yes, it's branded Leica).

Larger sensors require larger lenses, so while its zoom range might not seem impressive compared with the whopping 50x or longer zooms on other bridge cameras, the FZ1000 will deliver better image quality. Also, a zoom lens with similar specs for a dSLR would be large and heavy, not to mention expensive.

Giving the lens a constant f2.8 aperture through the zoom range, like Sony's RX10, would have also made the lens bigger. That camera features a 1-inch sensor as well, but its telephoto end stops at 200mm.

The two cameras are roughly the same size and weight, too, so really it comes down to what you value more, the Sony's constant f2.8 aperture or more zoom range.

Or maybe it'll come down to features for you. The FZ1000 is the first compact camera to record video at resolutions up to 4K (3,840x2,160) in MP4 at 30fps, but it also does 1080p at 60fps or 120fps. You can do 1080p at 60fps in AVCHD, too.

To go with those high resolutions, you'll find a full manual video mode, a mic jack (but no headphonesjack), five-axis optical image stabilization, and a five-step speed control for the zoom for smooth movement while recording. Also, after recording video in 4K, you can grab a single 8-megapixel frame for a still photo.

PlayStation TV microconsole: Coming this fall, starting at $99 (hands-on)

The Vita TV, as it was previously called, debuted in 2013 at the Tokyo Game Show. It didn't make a big splash then, but the proposition is different now: Sony described its PlayStation TV as a box that would be an affordable conduit not just to Vita games, but stream PS4 console games to another TV. It's also a way to access the PlayStation Now streaming game service without buying a PS4 or Sony-branded TV.

Three ways to play games

Indeed, Sony pledged "hundreds" of PS3 games on the PlayStation TV via the PlayStation Now streaming service, as well as "access to video and music streaming services." The PlayStation TV will also access 1,000 games out of the box when it debuts, according to Sony, adding up games in the Vita, PS One, and PSP downloadable catalogues already on the PlayStation Store. The PlayStation TV will treat itself like another Vita device as far as connecting to your PSN account, and download games or apps from your collection.

We still don't know the pricing of PlayStation Now, which could factor into how good a deal the PlayStation TV seems to be. And you'll need to invest in at least one controller and a memory card, too -- included in the $139 bundle, but you might want to pay even more to store enough games.

Specs and features

The PlayStation TV has a solid set of hardware features for its size: a Cortex A9 processor, Ethernet, USB 2.0 and HDMI ports, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

Unfortunately, Sony's PlayStation TV is cursed with a storage problem. There's only 1GB of internal storage, just like the Vita Slim, and to add more -- which will most certainly will need to -- requires Vita memory cards. Yes, it means you can swap in Vita memory cards and play them seamlessly on the PlayStation TV, but it also means you can't use regular SD or microSD, or even Memory Sticks, to add on storage for game or movie downloads. Vita memory cards are proprietary and still really expensive.

WALKING DEAD SEASON 1 GAME IS AVAILABLE ON GOOGLE PLAY STORE

If you are on a look out for some new, interesting games for your Android device, we suggest you go through this list. You surely will fine a game (or two) that is new, different and worth a try for free.

1) The Walking Dead: Season One

Game description as per developer:The Walking Dead is a five-part game series (Episode 2-5 can be purchased via in-app) set in the same universe as Robert Kirkman’s award-winning series. Play as Lee Everett, a convicted criminal, who has been given a second chance at life in a world devastated by the undead. With corpses returning to life and survivors stopping at nothing to maintain their own safety, protecting an orphaned girl named Clementine may offer him redemption in a world gone to hell. Experience events, meet people and visit locations that foreshadow the story of Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes. A tailored game experience – actions, choices and decisions you make will affect how your story plays out across the entire series.

Download The Walking Dead: Season from here.

2) Clumsy Ninja

Game description as per developer:
Meet Clumsy Ninja, the most hapless ninja ever to grace a touchscreen! Train him, throw him, tickle him, and even tie balloons to him. Everything you do will make Clumsy Ninja more skillful, and help him find his missing friend Kira. Clumsy Ninja is the next generation of interactive characters! He can sense, feel, move, and react uniquely every time. Prepare to be amazed…oh, and please take good care of him! Train your ninja to learn new tricks and super-special Ninja Moves! Impress his Sensei and earn new Ninja Belts on your way to find Kira, or just have fun with over 70 unique interactive items, including trampolines, punch bags, ball guns, a chicken and… a squirrel!

Download Clumsy Ninja from here.

3) FarmVille 2: Country Escape

Game description as per developer:Out of Facebook, straight onto your Android device. A new mobile-optimized FarmVille experience is now available! It’s FarmVille tailored for you and the way you want to play. Best of all, it’s free! Farm at your own pace, whether you have 30 seconds or 30 minutes. Play with friends or on your own in our new Anonymous Mode: Facebook not required. You can also play when not connected to the internet. Join a Farm Co-Op to trade and share, and go on Farm Adventures to collect rare goods. Now, you can finally play FarmVille anytime… anywhere.

Download FarmVille 2: Country Escape from here.

A great phone that suffers from boring design

OUR VERDICT

The Galaxy S5 does incorporate new features like water and dust resistance, a heart rate monitor and a fingerprint scanner, but the area where it loses is its design. Samsung has not done enough to make the Galaxy S5 a desirable premium smartphone.There is no compromise on performance though but we really wished that the Samsung would overhaul the build and design of its smartphones.

Samsung’s Galaxy S flagship smartphone has now reached its 5th generation and it has evolved a lot over the years. Comparing the Galaxy S5 to its predecessor, there has been a slight change in design, which entirely doesn’t mean that it has improved. There is a new chipset, a larger display and a better camera as well. But is it really worth the upgrade?

SPECIFICATIONS

• Display: 5.1 inches AMOLED with 1920x1080 resolution with Gorilla Glass 3 (432ppi)
• Battery: 2800mAh
• Storage: 16GB
• Camera:  16MP rear with LED flash, 2MP front
• SoC: Exynos 5 Octa 5422
• CPU: Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz
• GPU: Mali-T628 MP6
• RAM: 2GB
• Operating system: Android 4.4.2 with TouchWiz UI
• Connectivity: 3G, W-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 3.0 with OTG
• Heart Rate monitor, fingerprint scanner

BUILD AND DESIGN
Probably the most crucial and highly debated topic is Samsung’s design philosophy. It is true that the Korean company uses a similar design over a vast range of smartphones and that people have been complaining about the fact that Samsung has slowed down in its design department.

The Galaxy S5 has a similar looking design as its predecessor and for a minute you won’t be able to tell the difference between a Galaxy Grand 2 and the Galaxy S5. The new flagship again has the curve design along with a chrome metal frame just like the Note 3. The display is now a 5.1-inch Full HD AMOLED display (0.1mm larger than the S4) which is probably one of the best displays on a smartphone right now. The viewing angles are great and colors are very vibrant. Below the display we have two capacitive-touch keys and one hardware home key which is also the fingerprint scanner (we shall come back to it). Above the display there are a bunch of sensors and the 2MP camera.