Safari

Major websites, including both Google and Facebook, have been found to be misleading many users of Apple devices who browse the web using the Safari browser.

A tricky piece of coding has allowed these sites to deposit cookies onto laptops, desktops and smartphones even if the browser itself is set to prevent these little bits of code being left in place.

Safari is automatically set to accept cookies, but only those which are delivered directly from the site which is being visited. However, using a two year old security hole, Google has been able to sidestep this block.

Part of the motivation behind Google’s move was to free up conflict with its ‘+1′ recommendation boxes which are embedded alongside other social media sharing tools in many different sites.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Google no longer carries out this practice, although it is clear that Apple fans might be a little peeved at the search giant for its previous actions.

As well as Google and Facebook, it was discovered that a number of online ad agencies were also tapping into the exploit, as highlighted by an academic working at Stanford University in the US.

Samsung Galaxy Note

A new iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Note with a 10.1 inch display looks likely to launch at the end of the month during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in Barcelona, according to reports on BGR.

The original Galaxy Note is Samsung’s attempt to further blur the lines between smartphones and tablets as its large 5.3 inch Super AMOLED display and stylus interface meant that it was larger and more functional than most mobile handsets, without quite entering the tablet market.

Now some invitations sent out to developers ahead of MWC have been found with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 moniker mentioned on them.

In addition, a new Samsung advert which is being cast at the moment requires an actor to play the part of a Galaxy Note 10.1 user, so it seems almost certain that a device with this name is on the way.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 has occupied the upper end of the market for a few months now but the move to introduce a similarly sized Galaxy Note might be prompted because of persistent lawsuits filed by Apple, which have put sales of the Galaxy Tab on hold in some countries.

Ipad Mini?

Apple is purportedly developing a new iPad which will have a display that is almost two inches smaller than its predecessors, according to sources quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

Various outlets have touted the possibility of an iPad Mini ever since the first Apple tablet launched in 2010, but so far no hard evidence of such a device has been forthcoming.

Now companies supplying the hardware for Apple gadgets have been cited as confirming the existence of an iPad with an eight-inch display, although there are many who remain dubious about such a claim.

Given that the rumours are only surfacing now, it seems unlikely that a scaled-down iPad will be arriving before the full-sized iPad 3 launches next month.

And even if Apple is getting to grips with smaller screens in the lab, it does not necessarily mean that it will eventually use them on a fully fledged product launch.

Apple has been reluctant to iterate its smart phones and tablets with multiple simultaneous launches, unlike the iPod range, which is technically less complex. Whether it will change its tactics in future years remains uncertain, but light is unlikely to be shed on the matter in 2012.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2

Samsung’s first Android tablet launched a year and a half ago, but now the Galaxy Tab 2 is officially in the limelight, offering updated hardware and a brand-new operating system.

The Galaxy Tab 2, which first appeared in Prague this week, follows on from its predecessor by sporting a seven-inch touchscreen display. This is largely where the similarities end, because the dual-core 1GHz processor, Android 4.0 operating system and sleek, light construction of the tablet are all very much more modern and desirable.

A primary camera plus one on the front for video calls combine forces with between 8GB and 32GB of storage space, making the Galaxy Tab 2 a well-rounded tablet.

The one issue that Samsung may encounter is the sheer level of competition at this end of the market. Even if you disregard rivals such as the Amazon Kindle Fire, it will still be trying to sell this device alongside the Galaxy Tab 7.0 and 7.7, both of which have faster dual-core chips under the bonnet.

Android 4.0 is the ace in the pack for the Galaxy Tab 2, as no other Samsung tablet will feature this cutting-edge platform until updates are made available.

Acer Aspire One D270

Although many had assumed that the popularity of tablet computers would spell the end for netbooks, it seems as though Acer is still convinced that there is life in the market yet, as the Aspire One D270 has just been made available to pre-order in the US.

Some observers conceive of a world in which laptops are limited to high-end devices like the Intel-promoted Ultrabooks and tablets have consumed the lower echelons, although Acer’s latest offering might prevent this from occurring in the immediate future.

The D270 has a 1.6GHz Intel processor, a 10.1 inch display, three USB ports and an HDMI output. You even get 320GB of hard drive space and a price point which should put it on the market below any equivalently powered tablet computer.

Of course a Windows laptop is still far more versatile than a typical tablet when it comes to functionality because of all the inputs, the extra processing power and the endless amounts of compatible software you can find, spanning decades and not just a couple of years.

Whether the D270 will do enough to inspire users to part with their cash on the netbook, rather than the upcoming iPad 3, remains to be seen, but it is a valiant effort from Acer.

Apple iPad 3

The Apple iPad 3 was always thought to be getting its first public airing in early 2012 and now Apple seems likely to have set a launch window of early March.

A report on AllThingsD suggests that the first week of the coming month will feature the official unveiling of the third iPad in San Francisco, the city which Apple has chosen time and again to make its major product announcements.

The next version of the iOS operating system which powers the iPad range, as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch families, is set to arrive on March the 9th, which lines up neatly just after the rumoured iPad 3 launch.

Not much is known about the technical side of the iPad 3 because Apple is generally quite good at keeping its devices under a shroud of secrecy. However, it is almost certain that a high resolution Retina Display will be the biggest new component.

A quad core processor has also been subject to rumours, along with the potential for LTE network connectivity to be installed on the range topping models.

We could be just a few weeks away from the iPad 3′s launch, at which point the speculation can end and the frantic buying can begin.

Touch the future with Windows 8

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) being held this month will be packed with new tablets, smartphones and other portable computing gadgets.

However, Microsoft has surprised many by confirming that a beta testing version of Windows 8 will be making its debut during the show, with the launch pencilled in for February 29th.

Software developers have already been tinkering with Windows 8 since last September, but this upcoming launch could be the first time that average users will be able to experience what Microsoft has included in its next-generation operating system.

Windows 8 is going to be something of a departure from previous editions of the platform because Microsoft is launching it into a very different market.

The rise of the Apple iPad and other tablet PCs, combined with a change in priority for laptops and desktop computers, has caused the company to make Windows 8 more scalable.

In short, you will start to see Windows 8 appearing on both tablet computers and high end desktop machines before the end of the year.

The overhauled Metro user interface, (UI), which has already been seen on the Windows Phone 7 platform, will make Windows 8 easier to use with touch panel tablets, but the real details will only become clear at MWC 2012.

Amazon

Online retailer Amazon, which already controls the UK’s DVD rental and video streaming service, LoveFilm, could go it alone in this increasingly competitive market, according to Reuters.

Major content provider Viacom, which owns companies like MTV and Paramount Pictures, has committed to a partnership with Amazon, which might well result in the retailer launching its own streaming service to rival the likes of Netflix.

One of the main motivations behind Amazon’s move will be the Kindle Fire tablet, which relies upon content delivery in order to distinguish itself from other portable devices.

It might be able to offer video on demand to customers on a pay monthly basis, as at the moment it gets content from major media companies and supplies it free to Amazon Prime users, who pay upfront for a year of access.

With Netflix launching in the UK this year and LoveFilm already established, there could be even more ways to stream and pay for films and video on demand in a completely legal manner. Tablets, laptops and games consoles are helping to drive this expansion, but you have to wonder how many services the market can support.

Is a cheap laptop right for you?

Looking through Google’s innermost secrets today it seems most people sit down with their favourite search engine and type cheap laptop into it and THEN start wondering which of the 1000′s of apparently cheap laptops they should buy!

Here at PC Checker we completely understand in times of austerity everyone is looking to save money but cheap should not be your main criteria for choosing a laptop – how well a laptop does what YOU want to use it for should be your main buying criteria.

We try to assist users each and every day in answering this fundamental buying decision by way of splitting laptop and desktop computers into one of the following usage types:

1. Basic – good for word processing, surfing the web and other home office tasks.
2. Entertainment – able to also create and edit videos, music and pictures easily as well as play most modern games adequately.
3. Ultimate – allow you to play the latest games on ‘high’ settings smoothly, carry out multiple intensive tasks all at the same time and built with he latest high specification components.

Once you have this fundamental decision answered in your own mind without some pushy salesperson trying to baffle you with techno jargon then you can use PC Checker and our advanced search options to narrow down the vast number of cheap laptops we compare each and every day.

HP WebOS

After acquiring Palm and its WebOS platform, HP has encountered a number of major road bumps while attempting to actually use this IP to its advantage.

However, in September 2012, an open source version of WebOS will be launched in order to take on Google Android, Apple’s iOS and, by that time, Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system.

HP chief executive, Meg Whitman, explained that the revamped edition of WebOS will be much more flexible than iOS, which is run on a tightly controlled basis by Apple and is only available on products like the iPad and iPhone.

Of course Android is already the premier open source OS on the market at the moment, but Whitman remains confident that WebOS will be able to take on Google without much trouble.

What could really trouble HP is Microsoft’s plans for Windows 8, which will not only feature on laptops and desktops, but will also be scalable enough to find a home on tablets.

HP has a long history of working with Microsoft platforms and if it is going to create hardware for both Windows 8 and WebOS, then you might easily imagine that its priorities will be divided.