HP ElitePad 900 review: Smart & useful

|Posted By: +Er.Somesh Bhardwaj 

HP has launched its ElitePad 900 tablet in India that is aimed at enterprise consumers. The company aims to make it the device of choice for business users who may oterwise opt for an Apple iPad because of the convenience it offers - merging a laptop and a tablet in a handy package with a number of hardware design and usage customisation offerings.

Design and hardware: 

HP has given a lot of thought to the design of its new ElitePad 900, as it looks very elegant. The machined aluminium body of the tablet appears classy and gives it premium looks. The designing is such that it is easy to hold and at 680gram, its weight is equal to that of iPad. 

The tablet sports a 10.1-inch LCD touchscreen with 1280x800p resolution. The touchscreen is quite responsive and we did not experience any problems while typing using the on-screen keyboard as compared to other tablets/hybrid laptops with Windows 8. It gives fantastic viewing angles, which are quite good (thank the IPS panel for that) and render true colours even at steep angles. 

The ElitePad 900 is available in two variants - one with 32GB storage and Windows 8 and the other with 64GB storage and Windows 8 Pro operating system pre-bundled. Both the variants are powered by a superfast 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom CloverTrail processor with 2GB RAM. It has a Power/Lock key, volume rocker, speaker grille, earphone jack, auto-rotation controller and a proprietary connector used for charging the battery (no universal charging!). 

The 8MP rear camera with LED flash of ElitePad 900 is a pleasant surprise as it is so uncommon with rivals. The only tablet with an 8MP unit is Sony Xperia Tablet Z, which is aimed at the mass market rather than enterprise users. Though this camera adds value to the spec sheet of this device, we are unsure how many users - and that too business consumers - use a tablet to take photos. 

What we like more is the front camera that can record HD videos, a must have for those who frequently partake in video conferences in large corporates with dedicated links. The camera settings allow you to lower the noise level and make the image more suitable to the environment, thus improving the video call quality. 

The battery of HP ElitePad 900 runs for approximately 10 hours on a single charge. If you want even more juice, you can plug it into the accompanying battery pack provided by HP and extend the life by another cool 7-9 hours (approximately). 

Software: 

On the Windows Experience Index, our Windows 8-powered unit scored 3.3 and was quite snappy during our review. We came across no lag or hanging during the tests, but were never felt overwhelmed by its computing capabilities. Some enterprise-oriented features of HP ElitePad 900 are Security Manager, Credential Manager, Password Manager, Device Access Manager with Just In Time Authentication and Drive Encryption. These are security solutions that can be crucial in enterprise environments so that your machine is never susceptible to cyberattacks. 

Connectivity and accessories: 

HP brings 3G mobile data to the table with ElitePad 900, a useful proposition for those who are frequently on the go. On the rear is a flap that houses a microSD and sim card reader; just insert the sim card in the tablet and you are good to go. Internet connectivity over 3G was smooth and we found no hiccups in the usage. Other communication features of this tablet include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. 

You may have noticed that ElitePad 900 lacks USB ports and card reader and this is where the proprietary connector comes into play. HP offers three accessories with this tablet - a docking station-cum-battery pack, a keyboard cover and a hard cover-cum-casing. These connect with the tablet via the proprietary connector and have two much-needed USB ports, a HDMI port and card reader. 

Thus, you must buy one of these accessories if you want to expand the storage of the device. The sad part is that they don't come cheap. HP has priced these connectors between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, making them quite a pricey proposition. Another useful accessory is the stylus, which is quite handy, but costs another Rs 3,400. 

If you don't want to buy any accessory, you can opt for a microSD card expansion, but another 32GB of memory is unlikely to be enough for most requirements. It is advisable to buy the HP covers since our review unit only gave us 9GB of free space out of 32GB. 

Rivals: 

HP ElitePad 900 does not have much competition in the enterprise segment as most of the tablets in India are aimed at the mass market rather than business users. Its main rival is Panasonic ToughPad, an Android-powered tablet that costs a steep Rs 65,000. That device is water and dustproof and resistant to damages when dropped; it also comes with a host of enterprise solutions. Where HP's device scores is pricing, as the difference of over Rs 20,000 is quite substantial. However, it loses out when it comes to the apps portfolio, as Android marketplace overwhelms the Windows 8 app suite. 

Other tablets in India that HP ElitePad 900 challenges include Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the upcoming Sony Xperia Tablet Z. All these devices have over 7,00,000 apps, but are not as optimised as ElitePad 900 is for the business environment. Another tablet that can give competition to this tablet is its sibling HP Envy X2, which has similar features and a detachable keyboard, but it costs Rs 59,990. 

Another good option is Dell XPS 12 touch-laptop, which features a swivelling screen that allows it to be used as a tablet. However, this device costs Rs 92,000 for the base variant (though it has far better specifications) and is quite heavy when used as a tablet, thus eliminating the convenience factor. Another Dell product that can be used as an alternative is the touch-enabled Inspiron 15z laptop, which costs less than Rs 50,000. However, you will once again not have the convenience that a tablet offers when it comes to using it on-the-go. 

Verdict: 

We feel that HP ElitePad 900 is a nifty, bright tablet offering and can actually replace a laptop for most purposes, but with a premium price tag. Of course, its premium looks, handy (though pricey) accessories and long battery life work to its advantage. However, the lack of some popular apps on Windows 8 platform may hurt its chances among those who seek a tablet with a decent app portfolio. 

Overall, ElitePad 900 has all the makings of a winner. It will require some effort on part of HP's branding and marketing teams to properly highlight its advantages to business users as compared to the popular iPad. Touch-enabled computers and hybrid laptops aimed at business users are hard to find in India and this tablet can be quite a good option, especially considering its portfolio of security features.

How Do I Install Ubuntu on a New Windows 8 Computer?

• March 15, 2013
• By +Er.Somesh Bhardwaj 

The introduction of personal computers withWindows 8 preinstalled with them also introduced a controversial under-the-hood modification – Secure Boot. Secure Boot is a technology which is included in any new computer that has Windows 8 preinstalled and the official sticker. It is meant to check that you have a certified operating system installed on your computer before it tries to boot it. This prevents the system from running any “non-certified” (or non-trusted) operating systems, lowering the risk that malicious code runs at boot time.

The idea itself is reasonable, but it completely ignores the fact that personal computers are able to run more than just Windows – there’sLinux, BSD variants, and plenty more. Ever since the specification came into effect, Linux developers have been working hard to support it so that people can continue installing their favorite Linux distributions.

Since manufacturers tend to stick with Microsoft’s specifications, you won’t find a lot of computers that don’t have Secure Boot. If you happen to have a computer which doesn’t include Secure Boot, then you’ll have it a lot easier by following the regular installation procedure. However, if you’re stuck with it, here’s what you’ll need to do.

Try It Normally

Since Ubuntu 12.10 and the release of 12.04.2, the distribution has added support for Secure Boot. While this support is supposed to work for most systems, it may not always be the case. The best way to find out is to try to boot the installation media and install Ubuntu onto your hard drive. Be sure, however, that you’re using the 64-bit media, as it is the only one which works with UEFI Secure Boot (this rule applies to any operating system, not just Ubuntu or Linux as a whole).

If you can’t boot the installation media or you can’t boot into your new installation, then something has gone wrong. As Secure Boot is a brand new technology, experiences can vary for everyone, with failures remaining largely unexplainable.

Disable Secure Boot

If attempting a regular installation with Secure Boot enabled worked out for you, great! If not, you may need to try something else. The specification by Microsoft states that, in order to be Windows 8 certified, it needs to allow the user to disable the technology. Therefore, you should be able to boot into your system’s BIOS and find the setting for Secure Boot and disable it. Any Windows partitions that you keep on the system will still run normally, but it just theoretically reduces the security of your system by a bit.

Turning off this feature should allow Ubuntu to be installed and run without any issues. Just remember to boot off your installation media in UEFI mode instead of BIOS mode in order to remain uniform, as Windows 8 will already be installed on your system in UEFI mode.

Re-Enable Secure Boot If Desired

From here, you’ll have two options – either keep Secure Boot off and work on your system with the slight increase in security risk, or attempt to turn Secure Boot back on. You’re more than welcome to try turning it on if you choose to do so, as you can always turn it back off if Ubuntu fails to load.

Fixing Your Booting Options

If you still have Windows alongside Ubuntu, you will most likely need to update your boot configuration so that it can correctly identify Windows, especially in a Secure Boot environment. You can easily fix any issues with the Boot-Repair utility.

You’ll first need to add the PPA (personal repository) as well as install it before using it. You can do all of this, as well as launch the utility, by running the command :

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair and then run boot-repair to launch it.

From here, you can click on “Recommended repair”, or go into the Advanced options and make sure that the Secure Boot option is enabled (only if you chose to re-enable it again). Hopefully, after another restart, you should be good to go!

Conclusion

Sadly, Secure Boot support isn’t perfect, so you’ll need to have some luck to see if you can get it to work correctly with the technology enabled. Otherwise, you’ll have to make some sacrifices and disable Secure Boot, but I don’t find this to be too difficult of a decision as I’ve been just fine without the benefits of the technology. There’s always the question of whether the complications created by a security measure are really worth it for your own personal use.

Have you successfully installed Ubuntu with Secure Boot enabled? Do you own a system on which you’d like to try installing Ubuntu on? Let us know in the comments!

Src:-http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-do-i-install-ubuntu-on-a-new-windows-8-computer/

4 Real Benefits Of Cutting Your Cable Cord

• March 15, 2013
• By +Er.Somesh Bhardwaj 

I grew up with very little television. Don’t get me wrong: we had cable, and a pretty decent television set, but my parents had dictated that my sisters and I wouldn’t watch television during the day. Getting home from school and turning on the TV was a strict no-no. Of course, rules like that aren’t set in stone. When I was a bit older, everything changed. Home alone, it was a little bit too easy to drop down on the sofa with a zapper in hand. The aforementioned rule was forgotten over time, and cable TV became a steady companion.

A few years ago, attending university, I started renting an apartment. I took over the current electric plan and went to a different Internet service provider, but the television provided a bit of a conundrum. Cable television had become an intrinsic part of my day-to-day routine, but was it worth the money? Or was it even worth the hassle? In the end, I decided to cut the cable. Or, well, not to reconnect it.

Getting rid of cable television has a number of advantages; some distinct, some more personal.

1. Saying No To Couch Surfing

The most advantageous effect of cutting the cable for me personally was that it broke the bad habit of couch surfing. Earlier, television had become such a ritual that the actual content, or television programs were secondary. Getting home tired, zapping up and down a ridiculous range of channels….watching decent programming seemed to happen almost by accident.

All that changed when you narrate your own entertainment. You turn on the TV when you want to watch something; when you know what you’re going to watch. Incidentally, I appreciate the content I watch even more, even though I spend far less time behind the tube.

2. Enjoying The Netflixes Of This Age

So, maybe you can miss those programs you watch when nothing else is on. But what about the other TV shows? Just because you’re cutting the cable doesn’t mean you don’t want to watch TV anymore!

Netflix, Hulu, and other harbingers of the entertainment revolution provide a great alternative to conventional cable subscriptions. You can watch your series on demand (no headaches about TiVo-ing them), and can even save a lot of money in the long run. With applications like TunnelBear (which Erez reviewed on MakeUseOf) people all over the world can enjoy the on-demand goodness.

Add in the ability to watch Netflix on almost any platform known to man, and you’ll wonder why you ever got stuck with cable.

3. Digital News Is Key

In my eyes, regular news broadcasts are one of the biggest advantages to television; they keep people up-to-date and informed. Netflix may not give you the same news ensemble as regular television does, but there are still plenty of ways to get your daily dose of news. Earlier this year, we asked you where you got your news; getting a great response, and some truly interesting tips.

Digital news is only one such example, as you may still favor listening to the radio on your way to work, or reading the paper over a cup of morning joe. But even within the category of digital news, you needn’t just think of the New York Times website. In fact, there are a good number of professional news streams you can watch online for free.

Better yet, if you’re building a media center to replace your TV, you can kill two birds with one stone and watch online news through XBMC.

4. Don’t Underestimate The Social Benefits

The above examples are mostly practical; how it helps you stop wasting time, or alternative sources where you can get your daily, or weekly fix. However, you also shouldn’t underestimate the detrimental effects television has on our interpersonal relationships. It has been shown that couples who watch more television bicker more, and have a generally less healthy relationship.

That isn’t to say you shouldn’t be able to enjoy your shows. But pushed too far, television can push us apart just as easily as it can bring us together.

Are you thinking about getting rid of cable? And if so, do you have any other motivations than the financial? Drop a line in the comments section below the article, and share your view on the subject!

Src:-http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-real-benefits-of-cutting-your-cable-cord/

Google Nexus 4 Review and Giveaway

• March 15, 2013
• By :- Somesh Bhardwaj

Even though I am an iPhone user and have been since the first generation iPhone was announced by the late Steve Jobs back in 2007, I’ve tried to keep an open mind about viable alternatives. I’ll be honest: I’ve been tempted to use an Android device. Several times. In fact, my first encounter with Android OS was on a Samsung Galaxy S2, which I purchased shortly after we gave one away in September 2011. Truthfully, the experience was so unpleasant that I had to switch back to my iPhone 4 after a few days.

Two years later, I compared a Nexus 7 against my iPad mini and immediately, the improvements and refinements to the operating system were prominent, I figured that I could finally succumb to using an Android device after all these years with iOS. So when the opportunity to review the Nexus 4 presented itself, I leaped at the chance. We’ll be giving this review unit away, so stick around if you want it!

Introduction to the Nexus 4

The Nexus 4, according to my colleague Erez Zukerman, can be described as a unicorn running Android. I suppose he meant that the combination of LG-quality hardware and vanilla Android OS makes the Nexus 4 so desirable and yet, it’s almost impossible to get hold of. In fact, the Nexus 4 was in short supply worldwide ever since it was launched. Generally, it was not an easy phone to come by for the past few months. Today, things are looking better. Units have shipped out to the new owners and orders are being fulfilled in about 10 days.

If you do want one, your best bet is probably to place an order from Google Play Store. The Nexus 4 comes in 2 configurations: 8 or 16 GB; and is priced reasonably at $299 and $349respectively, unlocked. I know what you’re thinking: 16 GB in a modern day smartphone just doesn’t seem enough, does it? 8 GB is downright laughable. And it doesn’t have a microSD expansion slot, either. However, there are a couple of nifty features that help alleviate this particular issue of space, which I will touch on later in this review.

The only thing missing from the Nexus 4, besides sufficient storage, is an LTE radio.

The Nexus 4 is quite an advanced smartphone for its price. It has a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor running vanilla Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, with 2GB of RAM; a beautiful 4.7-inch True HD IPS PLUS display with a resolution of 1,280 x 768 pixels which packs 320 pixels per inch. Camera-wise, this beast features a 1.3 MP front-facing camera, and an 8 MP camera at the rear. Other trickeries include a multitude of sensors i.e. accelerometer, compass, ambient light, gyroscope, barometer; GPS, wireless charging, Miracast wireless display, and NFC.

The only thing missing from the Nexus 4, besides sufficient storage, is an LTE radio. For those accustomed to LTE connectivity speeds, this will undeniably be an issue; probably not so much if you haven’t used an LTE-capable phone before. But the real question here is:why wasn’t it included? The Nexus 4 could have easily been the best smartphone ever made in recent times, if only it had supported LTE. If this is as much of a deal-breaker for you as it is for me, then you might want to check out the LG Optimus G — it’s essentially the same phone but includes an LTE radio, and it features a microSD expansion slot as well.

Design and Initial Impressions

The Nexus 4 has a solid yet elegant feel contributed by the sheets of Corning Gorilla Glass 2 on the front and rear, softened by the device’s curves. At 139 grams, it’s a hair heavier than the iPhone 5 (112 grams) but that’s reasonable, considering that the Nexus 4 is quite a bit larger. The glass protecting the 4.7-inch True HD IPS PLUS display tapers off on the left and right edges, and swiping feels more natural due of this.

Overall, the device looks and feels very well built. Personally, I gauge the quality of a phone’s make by how well it holds up without a case. As for the Nexus 4, if you’re careful, it does rather nicely. The rear Gorilla Glass is very resistant to scratches, and there are very few dust-trapping gaps. The chrome and soft rubber-coated side lining may get a few scuffs over time, but that’s perfectly normal. If you’re pedantic about that, I reckon you should get a bumper case.

However, I did notice that the rear Gorilla Glass panel is quite slippery. Whenever possible, avoid placing the Nexus 4 on smooth, uneven surfaces; or it will slip right off and hit the floor. This is the reason for many reported instances of Gorilla Glass shattering.

Other than that, the usual suspects i.e. volume control, headphone jack, micro SIM tray are basically where you’d expect to find them. Following in the iPhone’s footsteps, the Nexus 4 doesn’t have a removable rear panel, hence the micro SIM card has to be placed on to a tray which slots into the side of the device. Google provides a micro SIM tray remover tool, which is ever so slightly smaller than the iPhone’s — if you happen to lose it, a pin would do just fine (unlike the iPhone, paper clips won’t fit).

As it happens, I have a minor gripe about the power button, which is located on the right side of the device. This is the only button which is able to wake the Nexus 4; and because of where it’s placed, it becomes impossible to wake the device with one finger when it’s lying flat on a table — something I’ve become accustomed to on my iPhone. Like I said, it’s a minor gripe.

A more significant complaint would be the incomprehensible placement of the speaker — which is on the rear aspect of the phone. It is quite easily muted either by holding the Nexus 4 with my left hand, or by placing it on a table. When this happens, there is a moderate decrease in volume and audio clarity. The speaker itself, when unobstructed, produces reasonably clear and loud audio.

Initial Use

To me, the most impressive Android feature I’ve come across is automatic backup and restore. In essence, Google backs up my app data and other settings and restores it to any Android device I may own. In my experience, the process, unlike iCloud, is quite seamless. After powering on the Nexus 4, the Android operating system automatically downloads previously installed applications from Google Play Store, making the phone instantly useable. Contacts were immediately retrieved from Google Contacts, as were photos from Google+ Photos. And since I use Chrome as my desktop browser, bookmarks and passwords were instantly synced as well. The fact that I was previously an iPhone user didn’t quite seem to matter — Android 4.2 Jelly Bean makes new users feel at home.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean makes new users feel at home.

Since most of my vital data was retrieved from the cloud, and with the automated backup process, there wasn’t really any reason to sync the Nexus 4 with my iMac. If you haven’t already realised, the Nexus 4 aims to be completely wireless, hence the wireless charging support and NFC. If you do need to retrieve files from your desktop, use Dropbox. In fact, Dropbox is so tightly integrated with Android it’s amazingly impressive; and more than makes up for the lack of internal storage space.

Transitioning from an iPhone 5 with a 4-inch Retina Display, to the Nexus 4 with its beautiful 4.7-inch True HD IPS PLUS display was like a breath of fresh air, purely due to its size — both displays have roughly the same pixel density. The Nexus 4 may look much wider, but it’s still quite comfortable to hold. Plus, the rubber-coated side lining provides the needed extra grip. The additional screen estate helps where it counts: browsing, reading emails, enjoying photos and watching videos, especially in 720p HD.

Living with the Nexus 4

Unfortunately, large 4.7-inch screen is both a blessing and a curse. Even with its brightness level set at 50%, it draws a considerable amount of power. With careful use, I managed to go just over a day without charging. Generally, battery performance was rather disappointing, albeit expected of the Nexus 4′s a non-removable 3.8 V, 2100 mAh rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery. Like most smartphones, it needs daily recharging in order to operate optimally.

I’ve also noticed that the device tends to heat up after a bit of activity requiring mobile data connectivity, particular around the earpiece. And as iFixit has illustrated with their teardown of the Nexus 4, this area plays host to the majority of vital components, including the 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and Qualcomm MDM9215M 4G GSM/UMTS/LTE modem.

Camera woes

I wanted to love the 8 megapixel camera in the Nexus 4, I really did. But the native camera application let me down, hard. Even though it is capable of taking panoramas and photo spheres out of the box, image quality was below par; and its extremely fickle autofocus was nothing less than annoying (issue also reported on the XDA Developers forum). While it may not be immediately evident, most of the photos I took with the Nexus 4 turned out to be out of focus. I realised it only after photographing a few receipts in Expensify, a habit which I’ve cultivated for nearly 2 years on my iPhone.

Switching the camera to panorama mode reduces its resolution, resulting in a 2448 x 584 pixel image. To give you an example of the image quality, here’s an image of Aldinga Beach in South Australia, taken with the Nexus 4:

(click to enlarge)

The image below was taken with my iPhone 5, which had to be resized because the original panaroma was 8160 x 2518 pixels:

(click to enlarge)

Random thoughts

Overall, the Nexus 4 is a great piece of kit. I can’t say that it’s the best Android phone there is because the LG Optimus G exists — an exact replica of the Nexus 4, except it’s better. The only thing the Nexus 4 has going for it is the fact that it runs a vanilla version of Android OS, and I believe this is also what let it down.

Notifications, for example, was an issue for me mainly because the screen didn’t light up with new events, except for incoming calls. When set in silent mode, the pulse notification light and a few vibrations were the only form of alerts available. To me, that’s inadequate.

Lastly, I have some beef with the Maps application — it displayed ads whenever I searched for a location. Why, Android? I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why it needs to do this. It’s not just annoying, it’s embarrassing — Google Maps for iOS doesn’t display ads, so why must the Android version?

Switching from an iPhone

Finally, I’d like to convey my experience with using the Nexus 4, coming from 5 years of being in the iOS camp. Overall, it was a smooth process — smoother than I had originally anticipated. The fact that Android automatically retrieved my data from the cloud meant no setting up was required, hence, not requiring me to sync with my iMac. I do have to admit that I made a few preparations: my Address Book was synced with Google Contacts and I use Chrome as my desktop browser. Still, it was rather impressive.

On the surface, iOS apps seemed to be just a little more polished, based on my encounter with apps that I use in my daily routine i.e. Expensify, Evernote, Facebook, Instagram, and a couple of banking apps. But I’m equally as impressed with the number of Android app updates that occur every single day — and to top it off, updates are automatic!

If I’m brutally honest, I could have stuck with the Nexus 4 for the foreseeable future, unlike my colleague James Bruce who switched back to iOS after just a few months of using an HTC One X (sorry, James, I just had to out you). Unfortunately, it’s back to iOS for me, for now. My main reason for switching back? iMessage and Photo Stream.

There are some things I can’t live without and iMessage is one of them. For the entire testing period, I was cut off from my family and friends who use iMessage. I felt disconnected. Even with the capable Nexus 4, there was no way I could rejoin the group iMessage conversations with my family. I also missed Photo Stream — it’s probably the easily way to share photos with friends and family in iOS. While I was on my honeymoon in Hong Kong, I mostly took photographs with my iPhone 5 even though I had a perfectly capable camera with me. And it was mainly attributed to the fact that I could so easily share it immediately with Photo Stream.

Src :-http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/google-nexus-4-review-and-giveaway/?utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=2012-03-14

Use old Facebook without the Timeline (Enjoy with Chrome)

POSTED BY Tips n Tricks ADMIN AT 09:38 pM

Most of us are disappointed with the new Facebook Timeline interface which Facebook has introduced recently. And most of the people don’t knowto roll it back or use the Facebook without the timeline. But this is clientside thing and can be only be viewed on your computer. That means only you canview your Fb account without timeline and others will see it with the timeline.

 

To view your account without the timeline, simply you candownload and install the extension and avoid Timeline temporarily.

Steps to use Facebook without Timeline

Install User-Agent Switcher for Chrome.

After installing, you will see this icon on your chrome.



Click on the icon.

Select Internet Explorer 6.

Now refresh your Facebook page and Enjoy Facebook without the Timeline :)

Download Mozilla Firefox 19.0.2 Latest Version

POSTED BY Tips n tricks ADMIN AT 09:31 PM

Mozilla Firefox released the latest version of Firefox 19.0.2. The latest version is released for all four major platforms Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. Mozilla developer team have fixed many bugs and improved higher security on this 19.0.2 version. Now users can download the latest version from Mozilla's official site. 

What's new and Bug fixes

19.0.2: Security-driven release.
Fixed stability issue.
Built-in PDF viewer.
Startup performance are improved.
Added Remote Web Console.
CSS page supports.
Now CSS text transform is supports in full width.

Click here to Download Firefox 19.0.2 for - Windows
Click here to Download Firefox 19.0.2 for - Mac OS X
Click here to Download Firefox 19.0.2 for - Linux
Click here to Download Firefox 19.0.2 for - Android

What’s The Best File Compression Method? MakeUseOf Tests Zip, RAR & More

• March 12, 2013
• By Somesh Bhardwaj

File compression is an important and common task users frequently ask of their computers. Reducing a file’s size makes it easier to email or place on a flash drive. It also reduces bandwidth usage and the time required to move a file between PCs.

There are several popular ways to compress a file, but which is the best file compression method? To find out we’re comparing WinZip, WinRAR, 7-Zip and the native file .zip compression found in Windows 7. We’re going to compress the same files with each and measure how long compression takes and the size of the finished archive. Let’s see who comes out on top!

The Basics

These tests will be conducted using the native file format and default settings of each program. That means WinRAR will be compressing to .RAR, 7-Zip to .7z. and WinZip to .zip. The built-in Windows 7 compression utility also uses .zip.

Compression speeds are measured using a stopwatch. Final file sizes are measured using the “size” metric shown in the Windows Properties menu for each finished archive.

Compression Speed Test

To test compression speeds I’m going to throw each of these competitors through three different file compression tests. They are as follows.

Document test – A folder 65MB folder of Word, Excel and PDF files

App test – A 1.48GB folder containing the game Torchlight 2

Media file test – A 3.23GB folder containing .JPG and .MP3 files

Here’s a graph of the results.

As you can see there’s a significant variance between the different software and a definite trend throughout. WinZip handily beat everyone by compressing the files into .zip format over twice as quickly as the next-quickest competitor.

Windows 7’s built-in .zip compression came in second, but there was a glitch. It turns out that it can’t compress files that have special characters. It could not complete our document compression test as a result. This may not be a problem for everyone but I find it annoying. It seems strange that the built-in Windows 7 compression utility can’t handle file names the operating system considers valid.

File Size Test

Though these results show a clear winner we have to take them in context of file size. Compressing to a smaller size takes longer, all other factors equal, so perhaps WinRAR and 7-Zip are the victors there. Let’s have a look.

Here we can see that the document test shows 7-Zip running away from the crowd. It reduced file size significantly more than WinRAR or WinZip.

In the larger folder size app and media file tests, however, there was a much smaller difference. 7-Zip was still the best, followed by WinRAR, but the advantage may be too small to justify much longer compression times. It only makes sense if you’re compressing a file that will then be downloaded many, many times (which may be why .RAR is common on file-sharing types).

Some readers may not find compression of any kind worthwhile for media files. These files handled are often already in a compressed format and don’t gain much benefit from being placed in a compressed archive.

Interface

While these four competitors all perform the same basic functions they’re different in how they go about their task.

Window’s built-in compression utility wins on ease-of-use because it just works. You can compress folders by right-clicking them and selecting the appropriate option from the menu. Folders compressed in.zip format open automatically. Functionality is an issue, however, as there are no options to speak of and the utility can’t compress files with special characters in their name.

Next up is WinZip. It’s also easy to use because it looks like a bundled Windows app. It uses the ribbon interface and offers menus that mimic the design of those found in Microsoft software like Paint and Word. There’s also a lot of functionality. WinZip can connect with cloud storage providers and makes it easy to create self-extracting archives, use .zips for backups and etc.

The downside is price. The full version is $29.95 and you’ll need the full version to use the features which make WinZip stand out.

That leaves WinRAR and 7-Zip. Both have an interface which provides a menu bar with large icons above a file explorer that can be used to find files you’d like to compress. It’s possible to start compression by right-clicking a folder or via drag-and-drop. And that’s about it.

Honestly, though WinZip has the most impressive interface, the interface differences won’t matter much to most users. All of these options can compress folders via right-click, and they all automatically open archives, so you may never have to see the main menu. WinZip’s advantages are only meaningful to people who need to organize and compress numerous files on a regular basis.

Verdict

To be honest, it’s hard to hand down any definitive verdict. All of these competitors have strengths and weaknesses. They are also all perfectly adequate for the average user.

Since I have to make some recommendation, I’ll give preference to WinZip. It offered the quickest performance and has the best interface. Its compression performance could be better, but is good enough for most.

7-Zip is best for users who need maximum compression. It won the document compression test by a mile and was also the victor (by a small margin) in our other compression benchmarks. This is paid for in performance. 7-Zip was slowest across the board.

And then there’s WinRAR. This is the software I’ve always used and I probably won’t abandon it. Though it’s not the quickest, and it didn’t offer the best compression, it performed well enough in both areas. It’s also the easiest way to handle .RAR files – which are common on file-sharing sites. If that’s your thing .RAR is the only sensible choice.

Let us know in the comments what you think.  What’s your preferred form of compression and why?