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Review: Samsung N140 Intel Atom 1.6GHz Netbook |
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Written by Dreyer Smit
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Friday, 16 April 2010 18:27 |
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We're always looking out for awesome new hardware to test out, and since netbooks and tablets are all the range these days we chose to review a Netbook. The Samsung N140 Intel Atom 1.6GHz Netbook. Although most people will be turned off by the size of netbooks (I was one of them), but after seeing and feeling the N140, all those worries kind of washed away. Yes its not the 15.4" I'm used to, but it still has a superior readability and resolution which makes everything seem bigger. We had to upgrade to Windows Premium, as the stock Windows 7 Starter had us in a twist fast. Not being able to change backgrounds is an instant turnoff. Upgrading took about an hour, by just entering your new Premium key into the "Anytime Upgrade" program. It will take care of the rest. Well the design is pretty neat. Black with chrome trim, 3/4 sized keyboard we'd guess. And a brilliant 10" screen. It comes with webcam, for those video callers out there, and a bunch of free software, like games and utilities. We uninstalled McAfee almost the instant it was turned on. We chose Microsoft Security Essentials as out preferred Anti-Virus, and it is free. Speed is a non issue on this thing as you wont be out to create full HD home videos on the small screen, although the screen does support a resolution of up to 1152x864, we stuck to the 1024x600 resolution as it was alot easier to read. So I bet it can play 720p HD movies natively. (Dont try running more than one, the poor Atom wont last). Although its not one of the most responsive bunnies out there, it gets the job done with Macbook battery life spans. It scores a 2.1 in the Windows Experience Index benchmark, which is quite good since these things are expected to only score like 1.0 with no Aero support. It comes with a really nifty multitouch trackpad. We had the chance to test it out on some pictures and the phone like "pinch and zoom" works pretty awesome. Luckily Windows 7 supports the multitouch feature. We hooked it up via a Ad-Hoc WiFi network and it recognized it instantly and started to stream the libraries. Windows 7 is still one of the most awesome OS's out there.It also comes with Bluetooth. Extras in the box are the standard battery, charger, a bunch of booklets, and a netbook sleeve. We were so lucky to get a Targus Netbook carrybag included, but the sleeve tickles our fancy alot more. We had a few griefs, the trackpad like the netbook was a bit too small for our sausage fingers, so we tended to head into the spacebar. Keyboard is nice, but we noticed the smaller size. And then the standard Windows 7 Starter Edition is just way too limiting, but I guess upgrading for an extra R549 is worth it. Battery life is extraordinary. We managed to get close to 7 hours out of this baby. Pretty spectacular if you tell us. At a price range of R3999 including delivery, this is pretty much a slam dunk for ultra mobile people. It competes with the iPad in every way. Yet it wins in so many aspects, sporting a full OS, upgradeable, and a faster processor. Having this will surely keep you busy even if there is no power supply near for hours on end. |
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Aureus Newsletter 6 - The Future is here |
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Written by Dreyer Smit
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Thursday, 25 March 2010 23:27 |
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Hey Fans So this month sees PayPal opening up our doors to foreign trade for small businesses and individuals, which is always good. Although some people are rather pessimistic about the way PayPal is integrated and the draconian restrictions placed upon it, we only see the vast opportunities that await. We finally integrated the PayPal system to our website that gives Foreign and Local customers the chance to purchase items with their very own account. All transactions are done in US Dollars. So this is how it works. Once you see a item (example: Netbook), you place the order as per usual on our site after creating an account or logging in. When asked which method you wish to use for payment, choose "PayPal" and you're done. The reason we dont have a express checkout system is because of the fact that our website is denominated in ZAR, and because we need to confirm stock before we can request payment. This makes sense in the term of you not needing struggle when we cannot find stock. Once the stock is confirmed you will receive a message from PayPal (direct message, secured), requesting the payment. We will calculate the amount due by converting the Rand price to USD, and then applying service fees to this amount as well. This is currently 5% as normal credit card transactions.
Now all that is needed is for you to log in and transfer the money quick and easy to us. Once we have confirmed and verified this payment with our bank, the item will be shipped for free (South African Residents Only), if you reside outside of South Africa, certain restrictions apply and you will be liable for the full shipping charge including duties payable to customs if any. We will not mark your packages as "gifts", as this is against our policies.
Once the item is shipped, you will receive a tracking number. This number will either be emailed, or sent to your phone via SMS. We will also supply a quick link to the site where you can track your parcel. Other news is that we are ever increasing our range. We now have one of the largest Notebook ranges online. We also slashed prices on our iPod Range. The Apple iPod Nano 8Gb will set you back only R1699 including delivery. That is a massive R300 OFF! Keep an eye out for more amazing Core i3 and i5 Notebooks coming. We are currently improving our customer services by streamlining certain areas so that we can better serve our clients. We want to cut the time it takes from order to confirmation by as much as possible. We dont like to keep our clients waiting, and we bet you dont like to wait either. So that is basically it from us this week. Have a good one. Dreyer Smit |
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Last Updated on Friday, 09 April 2010 21:46 |
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Written by Dreyer Smit
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Saturday, 13 March 2010 13:46 |
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Hi Fans and Customers This week has been another hectic one. Thanks to everyone who is supporting us throughout this time, and it looks like we're about to pass the total income of 2008 in this month alone. We only have you guys to thank. We are pretty excited about the rest of this year, site traffic is up maybe 1000%, registered customers are sky rocketing and sales are coming in. Seems like 2010 is a recovery year, since the last 2 years massive recession. We have been holding out since 2008, and we managed to survive and now we are perfectly placed to cash in on the recovery. We still pledge to supply only the best IT products, at really affordable prices. And we have NO SHIPPING charges, and to make shopping with us even better, is the fact that you get FREE insurance on all purchases, when they are shipped up until you receive it. We have also donated a new Western Digital Elements External Hard Drive to Adin van Ryneveld. He is on a personal mission to live without money for 5 years and donate every cent he makes to charities. We met on Twitter and he told us about his storage dillemma and we helped him out. You can check out the video on our Facebook Page. As you might already know, we here at AureusTech and our Partners are dedicated to giving our clients the best service and quality in South Africa. We might not be the cheapest, but we are most certainly the most competitive when it comes to buying an item, speedy service and of course ensuring you get the item you bought in record time. We are still a young company with only 2 years worth of experience, but we promise that we will do anything to ensure shopping with us is risk free. We are having a special on the Western Digital Elements hard drive that we donated to Adin, you can check it out on our website, and remember it includes Free Insured Delivery. Well that is basically it from us this time around. Have a great weekend.
Dreyer Smit
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Written by Dreyer Smit
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Saturday, 13 February 2010 23:16 |
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Hi there. So another week passed and we have a whole new bunch of items available online. We have had a huge influx of new members and customers to our site and we would like to welcome all of you. So the Asus Core i7 G60J will soon be released and we had a massive flood of requests for this notebook. Well at the expected retail price of just R16k its a very good buy. Check it out here. Other news is that we are now in the top 20 most visited online computer stores in South Africa. At the time of writing this we were at #16. Thank you for your continued support and we would like to become one of the top 10 pretty soon. For those who dont know yet, we're continually supporting the Raise your Hand initiative founded by Gilbert Martin. We have pledged to donate 25% of all profit from sales to help charities all over South Africa. This way, by buying your next laptop from us will help the underprivileged. Shipping is still absolutely free, and we strive to bring you the widest range without killing you with shipping charges. If you dont see something you want in our online catalog, please contact us. We have a huge number of products waiting to be approved. We just need to make sure they are of good quality. Good news, We're working on bringing you a Credit and Debit card payment system pretty soon. We'd like to thank you for your feedback during the "What would you like to see from Aureus Tech" Poll. We have already started free shipping, and soon you will be able to pay for goods using an easy and secure card payment gateway. We posted up a new poll in we ask whether or not you will upgrade to Windows 7 this year. Windows 7 is fast becoming the preferred OS for many. Have you tried it yet? The month of January 2010 was our most active month ever since 2008 when this website was launched. We're working on some new specials to celebrate this achievement. Keep a close eye out, or create your account to be updated as soon as they are launched. Well that is that from us this week. Hope you will have a great one. Dreyer Smit |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 20 February 2010 16:55 |
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Written by Dreyer Smit
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Saturday, 30 January 2010 15:10 |
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Hey there This week was a pretty big one, with the release of the massively anticipated Apple iPad, their iteration of a tablet "computer". We were pretty excited up until Steve walked on stage and looked kind of stressed having to make it sound cutting edge, which we don't believe. But we're not here to make assumptions of devices not released yet. We have finally got one of the Core i7 Notebooks discussed previously onto our catalog, and orders are coming in. Yes we are eager to see what this can do, since it will only be available officially on the 21st of February, we would recommend you to place an order as soon as possible, to avoid you having to wait for this awesome notebook. It comes with a Quad Core Core i7 processor, 4Gb DDR3 Memory, and a 16" Screen. But that is not all, it also comes with the extremely powerful Nvidia GT260M Graphics card. And for R16999 including insured delivery, its a steal. Other notebooks in our range include a huge range of Windows 7 notebooks. We checked and we have more than most of our competitors, which means you get a bigger choice. Gaming news is that we have finally uploaded our very own X-Box 360 store, where you can find all the latest games, and accessories at great prices. And remember, we also have a huge range of budget PC/Xbox360/Wii/PS2/PS3 and DS games available on request. We also launched our very own Twitter account this month, where you can talk to us directly, ask questions and follow what we are checking out by the moment, every day. Other awesome news is that we will soon get our very own HTC Hero Smartphones to check out. We think this is one of the best smartphones in the market, after the iPhone. It supports Flash, has a bigger screen, and runs on the HTC Android version of Google Android. Check out more at www.htc.com With data storage solutions becoming more affordable everyday, getting a 1Tb Hard Drive for you PC is now within reach, check out our selection under Hardware-Storage for the best and biggest selection of only the best hard drives. And remember, all purchases made will get FREE insurance on any shipment. Well that is basically it from us this week. Hope you have a great one, and remember we are always ready to help. Just click the Live Chat IM service button on our site and get instant assistance. Out. |
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The News
Thursday, 09 September 2010
