Benefits of getting a Custom built Gaming Computer

If you are an ardent gamer then you'd definitely realize how much the specifications like resolution, speed, graphic effects and performance of a particular game matter. With the current advancement in PC games and the specifications they offer, it is really important to pay attention to what your computer can handle, if you really want to enjoy your best gaming experience on your machine. Majority of the top games in the market offer loads of features that our usual computers can not cater to, and you might end up getting frustrated with slow and sluggish performance and poor graphical effects.

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So, what could be a suitable solution to these problems? Well, the answer is getting a custom built gaming computer. Now, what is so amazing about a custom built gaming computer and how is it anyway different from what you get in the market?

If you love to play your games with high quality and perfection, then custom built gaming computers can be an excellent investment for you. Obviously, you can get such high performance and quality from readymade computers too, but at a price which is quite high. Custom built gaming computers in turn give you a freedom and chance to get high configuration at much lower price. If you are looking for an amazing gaming experience within budget then custom built gaming computers can be the best thing for you.

It gives you an opportunity to design your machine with your own particular specifications. You can customize the speed and quality according to your needs and your games' standards. You can choose the right hardware that can suit your gaming requirements and get them assembled to your perfection.

Let us now look at some of the benefits that a custom built gaming computer offers:

1) The first and the foremost benefit is of saving the cost. You can decide the price of your machine according to your budget, analyze the components, pick them up as per your needs and get them assembled.

2) Generally, custom built computers offer the components that are mostly non-proprietary and of higher quality.

3) You'll achieve a good performance from your gaming experience at much lesser price.

4) Getting a custom built computer definitely will help you learn a lot about various technologies and hardware designs, as you browse through them and pick the ones that suit you the most.

There are various makers in the market now, who can build a custom built gaming computer for you as per your requirements. You just need to contact them and specify the components you want and that’s it - you are done.

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Tips to Choose your Electric Knife Sharpener

If you are amongst the lot who love to display their culinary skills, then you might be well aware of how much importance does a sharpened knife have in a kitchen! There are many modern and conventional means to sharpen the knives, but these days electric knife sharpeners have become quite popular as compared to the traditional water stones, oil stones, ceramic stones and diamond stones.

If you are considering getting one Electric Knife Sharpener for your kitchen toolkit, there are certain things you must consider before buying one. Let us look into some of the tips below:

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What are Electric Knife Sharpeners?

Here are some basics listed about electric knife sharpener, before we get into the details. As the name suggests, electric knife sharpeners are knife sharpeners operated by electricity. The biggest advantage of an electric knife sharpener is that it is automated, easy to use, takes less time and gives great results, provided you use it carefully. Majority of the electric knife sharpeners use an abrasive surface that rotates rapidly, thereby wearing away the knife’s damaged edge and bring out the sharper one. The abrasive surface can be anything from a wheel, a belt to an array of disks.  You just need to plug in the device, turn it on and draw the knife through the slots (one slot for each side of the knife), so that the abrasive disk can spin against the edges. Most of the electric knife sharpeners come with a fixed angle, but are quite versatile and can sharpen the knives at various stages of dullness.

Since, electric knife sharpeners work at extremely high speed, there are chances of over-sharpening the blade. Even few more seconds of usage can grind away too much of your knife’s blade thereby leading to extra wear and lesser life. Also, an electric knife sharpener takes more space and weight as compared to the other manual sharpener stones, so you need to have sufficient storage space for it. Though, I don’t think that could be a problem, seeing the convenience it gives and moreover, you won’t need to use it on regular basis.

Another disadvantage of using an electric knife sharpener is that it creates a lot of noise even for 30-40 seconds of usage.

It is always advisable to go through the instruction manual of your electric knife sharpener to get the best results out, without causing any possible damage to the knife.

Now, as we know what comes with an electric knife sharpener, let us get into the details of what you must ask before shopping for one.

What to look for in a sharpener?

Irrespective of any knife sharpener you are planning to buy – manual or electric, you must check for the following things from the retailer:

-         Strength and weaknesses of the particular models

-         Durability (e.g. ceramic rods are quite prone to easy breakage)

-         Is the knife sharpener easy and intuitive to use? Can it be folded and carried off?

-         Easy storage.

Knife sharpeners are something that you won’t use on a daily basis, so it is important to see if the sharpener is compact enough to store easily.

Once you have decided on the above points, ask about the angle, number of stages and the abrasive of the knife sharpener. (Note: You can always carry a dull knife with you to see the demo)

Abrasive

A knife sharpener’s abrasive can decide how effective is the sharpener in removing the metal and polishing the edges. For instance, tungsten carbide and diamond trim off a lot of metal rapidly, and might leave a rougher finish. Ceramic abrasives on the other hand grind a bit slowly but give a finer edge. Steel abrasives almost remove no metal at all. They are usually used for final polishing after the real sharpening is finished. Some sharpeners are equipped with two or more materials together in one single unit.

Angle

A lot of models might not declare their angles, although you might find the “Standard angle” written on their model description details. This usually means around 20 degrees and a bit more or less, which is considered to be standard for European knives.  If you get a sharpener with adjustable angles, then it can be a plus as you can customize the edge according to your needs. If you own a Japanese style knife, go for the sharpeners that are built particularly for the Asian knives that sharpen at smaller angle.

Number of Stages

Generally, the sharpeners that have two or more stages are considered to be more versatile and efficient on dull knives. The first stage usually works with a harsher abrasive at narrow angles and delivers thin edges. The further stages use finer abrasive to smoothen out and polish the edges.

Apart from the above mentioned points, you should always check online reviews of the sharpener you are considering. You can also check for the top rated products mentioned at various product review websites and blogs and go for the one that suits your needs the best.

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Review: Samsung Series 9 notebook

All of us who are gadget freaks always get tempted by any device that is slimmer than what we own at the moment, even though the functionalities offered by the new one might not cover all our needs.

 

About Samsung Series 9 Notebook

Samsung's new Series 9 notebook however, also has the performance to go with the looks. It comes in an all-black duralumin (an alloy used in airplane construction, twice the strength of aluminum), is lightweight (1.3kg) and durable. On the left side is a USB 2.0 port, microSD card slot, 3.5mm audio port and on the right side is a USB 3.0 port, mini HDMI and a proprietary port to connect the Ethernet adapter (the only adapter in the box). The ports are hidden under pull down covers much like the ones on the first gen Apple MacBook Air. The notebook has a 13.3-inch widescreen display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.

Pros:

- Samsung's Superbright Plus technology in it makes the display stand out with vivid colors, pin-sharp clarity and super-high brightness levels which are the highest.

-  It also has a backlit chicklet-style keyboard with the function keys doubling up as keys for adjusting brightness, volume and switching between various power modes.

- It comes with keys with dual functions like the Wi-Fi /F12 key and function lock that have blue LED indicators to show that they are active, which is very helpful.

- Right below the keyboard is the touchpad with integrated mouse buttons -a responsive affair with multi-touch capability. The keyboard and touchpad are very comfortable, though the design and style is directly lifted from Apple's MacBook.

- It supports second generation Intel Core i5 1.4Ghz processor , Intel HD 3000 graphics and 4GB of RAM (up to 8GB RAM is supported).

- It does away with a standard notebook hard drive in favour of a 128GB SSD drive (for speed, spacesaving and weight saving) and comes preloaded with Windows 7 Home Premium. It scored 4.7 on the Windows Experience Index with the lowest score for graphics performance.

- Perfect for day-to-day work - browsing, working on documents, music, videos and playing online games.

- Closing the lid puts it into sleep mode where no power is consumed, thus extending battery life. Also, thanks to the SSD and Samsung's 'Fast Start' technology, it takes just about 3 seconds to be fully functional from sleep mode.

Con:

- High price

- Actual Battery life of 5.5 hours as compared to the 7 hours claim.

- Because of its slim design it doesn't have any optical drive and sports very less number of ports.

Overall verdict: A truly impressive design with good performance and functionalities. However, the high cost may keep it limited amongst the luxury users only.

Rating: 4/5

Check more details about this notebook here >>>

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Microsoft's Top 10 Epic Failures

Microsoft's gargantuan market share is the result of clever products and ruthless business tactics. Most of the products it sells are ubiquitous and well-received, but have some proved far less popular and were met with more than a smattering of negativity.

From their doomed foray into child-friendly interfaces to bizarre and unlikely gadgets, here is the money.co.uk list of Microsoft's most notable failures (in order of terribleness).


10. Windows CE 1996 - Present

What is it?
A buggy operating system


Why so awful?
The name alone is enough to make you WinCE. This lightweight operating system was supposed to be a pocket-computing epiphany in 1996, allowing PCs to become truly personal. Rather than just a slim version of Windows, it's an operating system and kernel in its own right, making it ideal for mobile devices.
At least, it is on paper; in reality, forums are filled with developers and users expressing (in strong language) exactly what they think of it.


Any saving graces?
In its defence, it has survived for fifteen years and has recently been released with dual-core CPU support and advanced touch input.


9. Zune 2006 - Present

What is it?
An MP3 player nobody has heard of


Why so awful?
Apple's iPod dominates this arena and the Zune accounts for just 3% of the standalone MP3 player market. It doesn't look quite as pretty, its battery life is below average, there's no Mac support, it's completely awful from a technical point of view and compatibility can be problematic. However, while it's marginally less impressive than the iPod it arguably deserves more of the marketplace than the 3% it currently enjoys. This is unlikely to change, however.


Any saving graces?
Unlike the iPod, it doesn't scratch in long grass and comes with an FM tuner.


8. Internet Explorer 1995 - Present

What is it?
A dying web browser


Why so awful?
Feature-packed and simple to use, Internet Explorer was the most popular browser in the world by 2001 with a 95% usage share. Upon realising this, however, Microsoft made the mistake of resting on its laurels, and the world's hackers and script kiddies set to work targeting its ubiquitous software, making it dangerously vulnerable by 2004.


By the time Microsoft got around to releasing IE7, competitors like Opera and Mozilla's Firefox had already started to gain an advantage and left the mortally wounded browser with less than a 50% usage share.


Any saving graces?
The later versions are actually rather good, but not good enough to reverse its heavy fall from grace.


7. Kin Born and died in 2010

What is it?
A half-baked phone


Why so awful?
Microsoft withdrew this failure after just 48 days on sale. It was almost a good idea - a mobile aggregator with constant connections to social networks like Facebook and Twitter - but some estimates suggest it sold as few as 500 units in its first week.
It was late onto the market having been converted from Sidekick to CE, and there were some clear holes in functionality; it didn't support reTweeting on Twitter, there were no instant messaging packages available, its GPS was only for geotagging photos, and there was no way to transmit contact details between devices.


Any saving graces?
It still sells in the US, albeit as a 'feature phone' rather than a smartphone and at a much reduced price.


6. Windows ME 2000 - 2003

What is it?
Another failed operating system


Why so awful?
Possibly the most unpopular operating system ever released, 'Millennium Edition' served as an ineffective stop-gap between Windows 98 and Windows XP. PC World referred to ME as the 'mistake edition', given that it crashed more often than not, offered no real improvement on Windows 98 and would constantly 'help' by restoring deleted malware.
It lasted thirteen months before being usurped by the NT-based XP.


Any saving graces?
None that we can think of.


5. Comic Sans MS 1995 - Present


What is it?
An irritating font

Why so awful?
This much-maligned font was created for use with Microsoft Bob, another critically unpopular output from Microsoft HQ. Times New Roman looked too severe in the cartoonish speech bubbles of Bob's drawn world.
It was completed too late for inclusion in the software, but debuted in Microsoft 3D Movie Maker before being released as part of every Windows OS since. Criticised - along with Papyrus - for relentlessly inappropriate use, the "Ban Comic Sans" movement is several thousand strong in the USA.


Any saving graces?
While it's a monument of technological unpopularity, it hasn't lost Microsoft any money (though it hasn't made them any either).


4. MSN Smart Watch 2004 - 2010

What is it?
A gaudy watch with email support


Why so awful?
This tacky-looking creation was supposed to connect to the MSN network wherever the wearer needed to read his or her e-mails.
The screen was basic, less than an inch wide and made of the same liquid crystal as mobile phones circa 2000. What further dissuaded potential buyers as the prohibitively high data fees at the time of its release making it too expensive for most people to run.
It soldiered on for some time with the last subscriptions being taken out in November 2010, but the service will be discontinued next January.


Any saving graces?
Email on the go was fairly advanced back in 2004.


3. ActiMates 1997 - 2000

What is it?
A terrifying children's toy


Why so awful?
Sold as educational toys, Actimates were capable of giving positive affirmation for correct answers to questions. The idea sounded good, but their failure stemmed from the inherent creepiness.
With the dolls modelled on popular children's TV characters (the Tellytubbies, Barney and the anthropomorphic gang from Hey Arthur) and would suddenly come to life if they heard their own programme or theme tune in the background. The eeriness lead to poor sales and Actimates were pulled altogether in 2000.


Any saving graces?
Intentions were good.


2. Microsoft Bob Born and died in 1995

What is it?
A bona fide disaster


Why so awful?
Microsoft Bob was released in 1995 and was met with almost universal scorn. Even Microsoft themselves, who aren't very vocal about their failures, admitted Bob was a disaster.
Ostensibly a user-friendly version of Microsoft's Windows, it featured a household whose various accoutrements represented the programmes likely to be needed by a nineties computer user - for instance, if you clicked on the grandfather clock it would tell you the time, and if you selected the stack of envelopes you could send an e-mail. In reality it was a completely unworkable mess.


Any saving graces?
Not only were there no positives with Microsoft Bob, but it also saw the origins of the worst Microsoft flop of all time. Speaking of which...


1. That Damned Paperclip 1997 - 2007

What is it?
A public hate figure


Why so awful?
What can be said about the Microsoft Office Paperclip that hasn't already been written before? The 'assistant', nicknamed Clippy, was designed to offer help on a wide variety of tasks but instead was intrusive and never seemed to get the hint that nobody wanted his help with writing a letter.
Microsoft were essentially press ganged into removing him due to a wave of criticism and bile, and it remains the most hated feature we're yet to see on any operating system or program.


Any saving graces?
They did kill him eventually, albeit 10 years too late.


A guest post by Money.co.uk; Article Source: Money.co.uk 
Image sources: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10, 11

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Hanvon to Showcase its New Product Line at CeBIT2011

Hanvon Technology Co., Ltd leads in manufacturing the best quality e-book reader, along with producing world's best handwriting recognition and OCR and biometric identification technology supplies. The company is also a leader of new-generation consumer electronics product trends.

Hanvon Technology Co. Ltd plans to attend CeBIT2011 in Hanover, Germany (Hanvon booth No. A11-20-1/hall 17) for which it will launch its full line of products. The major product lines that will be displayed at the fair include  - e-book readers, tablet PC, graphics tablet and display and Biometric Solution (Face ID). The exhibition is planned to showcase Hanvon's abilities on the global prospects of digital reading and to make the full use of the world's ace ICT fair to target international market, which can contact and discover more about Hanvon and its products.

Hanvon is enriched with its own Research and Development team and manufacturing plants. In addition to having a complete authority and control over its core technologies, it also masters its full control over the quality and manufacturing of the products. Hanvon has a rich background of most sophisticated technologies and exceedingly competent R&D efforts since a decade that has made it a shining star in the intelligent identification field. The astounding R&D endeavors and new-generation consumer electronics products have already been quite recognized all around the world.

Below are mentioned some of the most successful breakthroughs made by Hanvon  Technology that will be displayed at CeBIT2011:

1) e-Book readers - Hanvon 200dpi high-resolution WISEreader and color WISEreader:

CeBIT2011 will see the world's first large screen 200 DPI high resolution WISreader and also the world's first large screen WISEreader this year. Both are equipped with a 9.7-inch E INK screen, supporting WIFI and 3G, along with powerful supporting reading functions, network function and business office software. Hence, these products can cater to perfect high-quality paperless office and reading. It is quite easy and convenient to manipulate them using Hanvon electromagnetic pen.

The users can easily comment, modify and excerpt articles using these readers with the Hanvon third-generation pressure sensitive electromagnetic pen. The designs give a perfect future picture of paperless reading and an accurate, easy and fluent writing.

2) Graphics Tablet – Hanvon Art Master III

Since digital painting has become a trend amongst the art directors and painters these days; using digital technology for creating animations is taking over the creative industry as well. Here, Hanvon Art Master III becomes an essential for such needs, as it leads the world in professional graphic tablets. The specifications include the following:

 - 2,048-level pressure sensitivity

 - Showcases the thickness and intensity changes of lines in a subtle way.

 - Can easily make depictions, paintings and copying.

 - Has larger creative space and makes art creation more easy and fluent.

3) Pen Display - Hanvon SenTIP

Hanvon SenTIP (one of the graphics tablet and display) is a wireless passive electromagnetic pressure sensitive technology that is quite unique in itself and also is the perfect coordination of high-definition LCD and the graphics tablet technology. It is the  Hanvon’s patented technology and its specifications include the following:

 - It is equipped with the LED-backlit display technology that gives it higher brightness and more lifelike color.

 - It has quite powerful annotation capabilities.

 - When combined with a projection screen it can be well used for giving a demonstration, for teaching and reporting purposes and other presentations.

 - It can record handwritings perfectly and conveniently.

 - It features 1,024-level pressure sensitivity and the wireless passive technology that helps in forming the hand feeling of paintings subtle and smooth.

 The Hanvon booth on CeBIT2011 will fully display how the SenTIP when integrated with educational software can perfectly be used for school education. This set of teaching facilities will encouragingly promote the application and development of SenTIP in Germany’s education field.

4) Tablet PC - Hanvon HPad:

Hanvon HPad is one of the high-end portable tablet PCs. Its features involve the following:

 - Ultra-thin body that is just 10.8mm thick, with a magnesium alloy frame and a brushed stainless steel shell.

 - Android 2.2 Operating System.

 - Built-in WiFi, 3G and Bluetooth

 - Handwriting recognition

 - Built-in dual cameras.

 - Special identification functions for texts, business cards, translation and human faces.

 The current versions of Hanvon HPad are also equipped with the Hanvon Bookstore client, which can enable users to download and read e-books. Hanvon HPad can work perfectly in integrating office, leisure and entertainment for business people.

5) Tablet PC - Hanvon TouchPad:

Hanvon Touchpad is the new-generation tablet PC built and launched in cooperation with Microsoft and Intel targets the business people. It has a stylish design and offers a wide array of practical functions and applications. Also known as "iPad killer", this touchpad has the following features:

 - Lightweight as it weighs just 990 grams and has a stylishly designed body.

 - Slim frame, i.e. its body is just 18mm thick.

 - Supports a 1024 x 600 (16: 9) resolution, 2GB DDR2 memories and 250GB hard drives.

 - Can give you an easy access to audio and video.

 - Supports USB mini HDMI, Audio in/out and works on Microsoft Windows 7.

6) Biometric Solution (Face ID) – Hanvon F710

Hanvon F710 is an embedded facial recognition system that works on Dual Sensor Facial Recognition Algorithm. This can be used for time attendance and for access control applications. The design is quite efficient and perfect for the commercial market areas like Enterprise bank, building automation etc.

With the display of above mentioned 6 products at CeBIT2011, Hanvon will be taking a step forward in becoming the Internet-based integrated high-tech enterprise through R & D, product manufacture, channel sales, content integration and service innovation.

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Review: Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 Laptop

Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 laptop with its 15.6-inch display offers a good variety of mobile computing along with multitasking facilities that can help you in your study and play activities. The laptop claims to ease up your job to efficiently handle your business at home or in the field, watch movies or play online RPG games.

Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 laptop

It is claimed to be perfect for handling computing essentials at home, school or work. The diversity provided by this laptop offers you to surf the Web and download video, manage household finances or plan and study for the finals, at your own comfort with utmost speed and simplicity. Its high-gloss Fusion Finish in Helios Black gives it a classy and elegant look.

 What does Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 offer to give?

 1) The laptop comes with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit with a 6 cell/48Wh Lithium Ion battery pack;

 2) Claimed Battery Life (measured by MobileMark 2007): 5 hours, 31 minutes

 2) 15.6" diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT display at 1366 x 768 native resolution (HD) with native support for 720p content and LED backlit, Mobile Intel HD Graphics with 64MB-1696MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory

 3) 500GB (5400 RPM); Serial ATA hard disk drive with TOSHIBA Hard Drive Impact Sensor (3D sensor), DVD SuperMulti drive supporting 11 formats

 4) Configured with 4GB DDR3 1066MHz (max 8GB)

 5) Intel Core i3-370M Processor 2.40 GHz, 3MB Cache

 What customers say about this laptop?

 Pros:

 1) The laptop is quite fast and efficient in its functions as per the claims.

 2) It is quite light in weight and compact.

 3) Price: The performance, 500GB of hard disk and 4GB of DDR3 RAM at such low price makes it one of the most wanted laptops amongst the masses.

 Cons:

 1) The glossy finish is quite prone to getting fingerprint marks and smudges.

 2) It doesn't stand right to its battery life claim of 5.5 hours at all. On an average you may get around 2.5 to 3 hours of battery life per charge that too if you only use it for web browsing and usual Microsoft applications.

 3) May not be very apt to run Linux.

 Overall rating: 4/5

 Best Price and Availability: Amazon

 Check more details about this laptop here.

 Have you tried Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 Laptop? Share your experience and opinion with me in your comments.

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10 Essential Money Apps for the iPad

Apple's iPad has taken the tech world by storm - released in April of last year, the company shifted 3 million units in less than three months and almost instantly snatched a 95% share of the tablet market. With Christmas just past, a new wave of consumers have been getting their paws on the must-have accessory. One of the first things a new Apple-device owner will want to do is load up on apps, but with nearly quarter of a million in the official store, it's not easy knowing where to start.


We've separated the wheat from the chaff to bring you ten of the very best money apps for the iPad, forming a great mix of handy finance calculators, bill tools and money-saving utilities... if you've just paid full retail price for an iPad, chances are you could do with a money-saving app or two!


Methodology: While we've tried and tested all of the below as well as taking into account popular press reviews, each of the apps on this list have been given an average of at least 3 stars reviews by 100 (or more) customers in the UK app store. Since we recognise that no product is infallible, to keep things fair we've listed the few flaws in these otherwise great apps for your consideration.


To download any of these apps, head on over to the Apple App Store on iTunes or direct through your iPad. This step-by-step guide explains how to download apps in more detail. You may also like to check out our top financial app picks for each of the three main smart phones.




1. PocketMoney
If you want a personal financial manager which not only looks great but takes next to no effort to run, you could do much worse than PocketMoney. Amongst its neatest features is the 'budget bar' panel, which shows a customizable visualisation of your outgoing by category; at a glance, you can see exactly where your money is going each month and ultimately identify areas for savings. On that note, PocketMoney is also good at presenting the 'bigger picture' - all your savings, accounts, investments and transactions are laid out in a concise manner. With this much control, it's little wonder that the latest version has been met with entirely positive reviews in the app store (and there is a lite version to try free if you're still not convinced).


Cost: £2.99


Pros: Push notification (which is free!), information and email summaries plus good functionality make this ahead of the game. There is also a Lite version available if you prefer to keep things simpler.


Cons: Can be slow to perform on 3G connection.


2. HomeBudget (with Sync)
Don't let the dollar symbol in the icon put you off - the latest version of HomeBudget allows you to set your region which updates your currency and date settings, so for the first time ever UK users can fully enjoy this old app favourite.


The app deftly handles recurring bills and income streams, all at the tap of the screen. All that's required is to enter your incomings and outgoings, and you'll be treated to a graphical breakdown of how your money is performing, complete with predictions on how much you can expect to have in six months time. It can track multiple accounts, too, and report exactly how much you're spending on certain things (such as food shopping) in both figures and easy-to-interpret graphs. Probably the coolest feature is the ability to sync it with any other device in the house, so your partner can see all the same numbers as they get updated by either party. Highly recommended, and will no doubt be instrumental in saving you money once you start analysing things on a more cognitive level.


Cost: £2.99 (free version available)


Pros: Superbly presented and requires little effort to implement properly. Syncing gets a big thumbs-up.


Cons: We experienced no problems, but some reviewers report glitches here and there.


4. Easy Books
Keeping track of multiple accounts is a chore at best and a potential nightmare at worst, especially for the self-employed. There are quite a few bookkeeping apps doing the rounds, but many of them are so convoluted we have to wonder whether it would be easier to do it all manually. Thankfully, Easy Books hit the app store at the end of last year and even in its early incarnation, it's a very solid app which performs superbly. It's the perfect antidote for people who find Sage too unwieldy as Easy Books can look after as much, or as little, as you want it to and doesn't require hours to set up. The invoicing system is pretty much perfect - a godsend for sole traders and small limited companies.


Cost: Free


Pros: Customisable to suit any business need and will undoubtedly save hours, particularly when it comes to repeat invoicing.


Cons: We really can't fault this one, but it's worth mentioning that it isn't intended for large companies.


5. The Wall Street Journal
As one of the most respected and widely circulated international dailies in the world, it's no surprise that the Wall Street Journal's official app is of superb quality. Rather than being a quick text-to-screen hash job, a great deal of attention has clearly been put into turning it into an excellent iPad translation. There's lots of interactivity in the pages, with videos, slideshows and other media coming alive at your fingertips. If you have a lot of interest in financial goings-on across the pond, the WSJ app will help you immeasurably in keeping your finger on the pulse.


Why did we go with WSJ and not the more UK-centric Financial Times? For one thing, the FT subscription fees are through the roof in comparison (a minimum of around £5 a week for the very basic online subscription, rising toanywhere up to £20) and while the content of FT is top notch, the app does not display it quite as deftly as its competitor.


Cost: Free (with $17.29/month subscription)


Pros: Extraordinarily well presented, an excellent source of financial news.


Cons: The £10 a month subscription fee is a touch on the steep side (but is still cheap compared to similar news apps).


6. PayPal


It's not an iPad exclusive, but it is fully compatible and an absolute must-have for any eBay addict or people who regularly pay funds to overseas freelancers. Plenty of people hate the whole PayPal system, but very few would be able to argue that the official app isn't a stroke of genius - with it, it's easier than ever to get funds where they need to go. Compared to the web counterpart we'd happily use this every time to complete transactions with just a few clicks, and if there's a more secure method of paying this efficiently we're yet to come across it.


Cost: Free


Pros: Effortlessly simple to process payments


Cons: Putting funds into your account isn't quite as quick as we'd like.


7. Account Tracker


There aren't many apps in the iTunes store which have received five star reviews from every single customer, but the current version of Account Tracker is one of them. Designed by Graham Haley, the same clever developer who created Meter Readings (below), this app is a flawless budgeting tool which has a number of strings to its bow - expense management, account tracking and much more. It's very reassuring to be able to survey your entire money situation at a glance, and there's very little you can't customise. It has all the features you'd expect from a great budgeting app, but it's the neat little touches that have earned this app 100% positive reviews (things such as alerts if an account is likely to go overdrawn.)


Cost: £1.79


Pros: Support for emailing, backing up and exporting data is very handy, as are the numerous security features.


Cons: All we need now is a desktop version!


8. powerOne Finance Calculator


An algebraic and RPN calculator, powerOne is a must-have for anyone working in the finance field. We're hard pressed to name something it can't do, since it covers ROI, conversions of every kind, compound growths, auto loans, profit margins, depreciation... oh, and it's a pretty good standard calculator too! Possibly the most amazing aspect is that you can, if you can get your head around how to do it, create your own spreadsheet-style templates for your own use or to share with others.


Cost: £2.99


Pros: Cheap yet all-encompassing.


Cons: Setting up complex templates is a bit like rocket science.


9. iCurrency Pad


How do you score top marks with a currency conversion tool? Surely they're pretty one-dimensional tools, right? Not so with iCurrency Pad, an app that can simply do the sums if that's all you need but offers much more. If you regularly deal with foreign currencies, having an app which presents you with beautiful graphs full of trending data is a very useful thing indeed. All of the information is uncluttered, easy to manipulate and super accurate (all exchange rates are updated by the minute). By far the best currency app out of the myriad available in the Apple store.


Cost: £0.59


Pros: Lots of lovely graphs.


Cons: With the latest version, a glitch sometimes causes the graphs to invert themselves.


10. Meter Readings


It's great on the iPhone, and it's marvellous on the iPad. Meter Readings has earned itself scores of notable mentions from numerous large publications around the world, and we're not hesitant in paying our dues either.


Closely monitoring your energy bills can save you heaps, but doing this is a real chore. Meter Readings takes the hassle out of this - enter all the data you have from your paper bills, then forever after you can tap in your current meter reading and the app will tell you exactly how much energy you've used (and more importantly, what it will cost you). Even better, those of us in the UK can use it to compare prices with other energy suppliers in your area, thus ensuring you're not paying over the odds.


Graphs showing energy usage (for gas, water and electricity) can be generated in an instant - it's interesting to see, for instance, how much you've used over the course of any given year. While the initial set-up can take a bit of time, it's effortless from there on. The concept is great and the execution is flawless, so for only £1.19 we'd be very surprised if this didn't become one of your favourite money-saving apps.


Cost: £1.19


Pros: Massive in its scope and easy to manage.


Cons: Paper bills still necessary during the set-up phase, which can be time consuming.


This article has been a guest post by Matt from http://www.money.co.uk/. The article has been shared by the publisher here. Check the Original Source here

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Review: Nokia X5 - Buy Cheap Nokia X5 phone online

Lately, Nokia has been in the limelight because of its efforts in bringing forth the new version of Symbian operating system (Symbian 3). However, this does not stop Nokia from using its Symbian Series 60 (3rd edition) that has powered all the devices in its much famous E series and lots of non-touch smartphones in N series.

The Nokia X5 aims very well to suit the needs of people who want a smartphone without the need of using a touchscreen. Even though Nokia X series has been marketed primarily as music and messaging phone series, its X5 offers all the facilities of a full fledged smartphone - right from its packing to the operating systems that run Nokia E72 and E5.

What does Nokia say about its X5 mobile phone?

The Nokia X5-01 is a unique square designed phone that is built for music and messaging. It fills the gap between the X3 and X6 by featuring a slide-out keyboard with support for high-speed HSDPA Internet and Wi-Fi connectivity. Users can snap photos with its 5.0-megapixel camera or listen to music from Ovi Music through headphones or loud speakers. They can spin the phone to switch to a new random track or shake it to view unread messages. The X5-01 also supports all the major instant messaging clients and social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Hi5. Additional features include a microSD slot, Bluetooth 2.1, and USB 2.0.

Customers' opinion on Nokia X5:

Pros:

1) A nice pocket friendly device, with lots of goodies that include regular Symbian S60 stuffs like Ovi store, free push mail, Ovi music and even a view only version of QuickOffice.

2) It supports 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

3) It is a square shaped phone with a wide screen display of 2.36 inches, which hides a nice spacious QWERTY keypad behind it. The design might remind you of Motorola Flipout. However, X5 is quite compact comparatively.

4) The phone is quite solid and feels good to hold.

5) Quite efficient in multi-tasking. You can easily run four out of five applications at same time without experiencing any performance issues.

6) Good battery life. The battery can run comfortable for two days, after which you will have the need to recharge it.

7) The display has accelerometer that provides a lot of possibility of regular smartphone tricks. You can change tracks by simply shaking the phone, or easily find the number of messages by holding the volume key and giving it a shake, after which the X5 will give a knocking sound to show new messages. Many of you may find this "shake to discover new messages" feature quite cool.

6) Since, it is marketed as a music phone; it has awesome sound quality along with the best XpressMusic handsets.

Cons:

1) Surprisingly no GPS.

2) A bit heavy in weight despite its compact size.

Click here to know more about the phone and its excellent deals >>>

Have you used Nokia X5 or X6 phone? Share your experience in comments. Thank you!

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