The Gadget Show has named it’s top three gadgets of the year, and while there are no surprises for the top two spots (the iPhone and the Wii Fit), the number-three place went to the interestingly-titled Yoggie Gatekeeper Pico.

It may sound like a character that you might find in a Super Mario game, but the Gatekeeper Pico has wowed fans of The Gadget Show with its ability to pack in no fewer than 12 security functions into a single Branded USB storage device.

Essentially, it allows users to carry around a computer complete with processor and operating system in their pocket. Its small and sleek design hides some of the best security applications available on the market today, including Mailshell, Snort, and Kaspersky, meaning users can protect themselves wherever they go.

The aim is that it is then simply plugged into a PC or laptop, and instantly provides the user with the ability to enter “stealth mode” to hide it from hackers, as well as protecting it from known and unknown attacks, providing easy installation, and even boosting performance.

It has a number of security products included such as anti-spam, anti-phishing, intrusion prevention, and parental control software to name but a few, meaning for its size, this is one device that is going to take some beating if the hackers out there are set on causing mayhem with your files.

Yoggie Security Systems have obviously been delighted with the success of their new toy, and the CEO, Shlomo Touboul, stated that “Over the last two years we have experienced tremendous consumer interest in our products, and based on user feedback and on our own R&D we will continue to innovate and develop new products in 2009.”

But if you own a Mac and are fretting that this top gadget is not going to be available for you, don’t panic. Yoggie also recently released the Gatekeeper Pico for Mac and Gatekeeper Card Pro for Mac. So now everyone can be happy and secure together. Brilliant.

• First Miniature Internet Security Devices For Apple Macs
• Gadget Lovers vs. The Security Folk
• Symantec Secures Mobile Devices
• Google Talk Gadget Adds New Features
• Apple Issues iPhone Security Update

It is not often that a mobile phone arrives and causes quite so much excitement. We saw it with the iPhone a little while ago, and now we are seeing it again with the launch of the Nokia N97.

Following on the evolutionary path of the excellent N-series of phones, the N97 is the most advanced mobile computer in the world, and already people are predicting that it will see a shift in the way that we communicate with each other.

The N97 is so advanced that it almost goes beyond its rightful boundaries as a mobile phone. The screen is a fantastic 3.5”, and sports a full touch display, very much like the iPhone. But the top also slides out to reveal a useful QWERTY keyboard, making it more adaptable to Blackberry enthusiasts.

The phone has already received praise not only for its design but its incorporation of high-level technology, including good memory, processing power, and connection speeds.

Jonas Geust, the vice president of Nokia, summed it up nicely when he said that “from the desktop to the laptop and now to your pocket, the Nokia N97 is the most powerful, multi-sensory mobile computer in existence”, adding that it “adjusts to the world around us”.

All very fancy stuff. And one of the reasons behind such grandiose statements is the nifty “social location” feature, whereby A-GPS sensors detect exactly where the phone is at any given time, making it possible to update social networking sites with this information in an instant. On top of everything, the N97 also has up to 48 GB of storage, a 5-MP camera, DVD-quality video capture, and access to the Nokia Music Store.

However, with an estimated price tag of €550, there may be a few of us saving our pennies over the festive season to get our hands on it in the new year.

• Lack Of GPS On The Apple iPhone
• Nokia To Make Touch Screen Devices?
• The iPhone Is Not A Smartphone, And Nokia Knows IT
• And You Thought the iPhone Was Expensive
• Using The Nokia Music Store

It appears that there are big things happening in the secure socket layer (SSL) virtual private network (VPN) field. This news comes on the back of the recent purchase of the UK-based software developer 3SP by Barracuda Networks in August, which is now claiming that it will unlock the market for SME resellers through the integration of its software into an appliance.

There has long been demand for a more affordable SSL VPN solution, and Barracuda is aiming to answer this demand. Up until this point, cost was a major determining factor in preventing SSL VPN from being adopted more widely, and the company has its sights set on changing that altogether.

The price of the new appliance will start at £1,250, with Paul Thackeray, the vice president of EMEA for Barracuda, stating that “partners have been asking us to get a product in that price range for the past 12 months”. And now it appears that they can finally do it, so champagne corks will probably be popping at Barracuda HQ well into the night.

But Barracuda has even greater plans in mind, and it has recently stated that it plans to approach all 700 EMEA partners of 3SP, including the mighty Fujitsu Services, with this new technology, and will hope to get a favorable response. Thackeray stated that the company wants to “bring them into the Barracuda fold” by offering them nine products to sell instead of one.

The aim is to get the products available to a wider customer base and not just high-end customers, according to Mukesh Gupta, managing director at Barracuda distributor e92plus.

In order that SMEs can take advantage of the technology, it has long been the goal of Barracuda to introduce a more affordable price. And now that they have reached this price, it is also hoped that it will be as easy to deploy as the other Barracuda products.

• Next Version Of Microsoft Windows Due In 2010
• Motorola MAGX For Mobile Linux Developers
• White Porcelain
• Steve Jobs Offers Early iPhone Adopters $100 Credit
• Refurbished Apple iPhone’s Available For $100 Less

It has been a long time coming, but for fans of the excellent Ghostbusters films the wait is over. It has just been announced that Atari is releasing Ghostbusters: The Video Game in 2009. Admittedly, the title could have been a bit more imaginative, but then it leaves fans with no room for confusion: the Ghostbusters are back in action.

The game is being released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original film’s release. The story of the game will take off two years after the events of the second film. This time, the city is once again taken over by hideous ghouls and ghosts, and you will be the lucky new recruit getting thrown in at the deep end.

The popularity of the films was in part down to some stellar performances by the cast, and the unique blend of horror and humor that was employed to such excellent effect. And the new game knows that if it too is to experience such success it will have to stay true to the original feel. As a result, the game has managed to bring back all the original cast members to add their voices and impress fans throughout the world. How much they were paid to do this is another question, but it is sure to be worth it.

Going one step better, they have even managed to reign in the original writers, Harold Ramis and Dan Ackroyd, to bring back the old magic.

Phil Harrison is the President of Infogrames Entertainment, and you can literally feel the excitement in his voice as he describes the “all out mayhem”, the “high-quality action”, and the thrill of “building your own proton pack” that are all present in the game.

The game will be released on Playstation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Windows, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. Also look out for a whole range of merchandise being released to coincide with the launch, including toys, comic books, t-shirts, and lots more.

• Microsoft Cutting Xbox 360 Price In Japan
• Birthday Gifts For Men !
• Sony Launching Internet-Based TV Service for PS3
• Circuit Bent NES Hack
• Have Scrabble Will Travel

It should make  navigation through the site and finding your favorite article a lot  easier. Please send in your comments and suggestions to help us tweak it and make it even better.

We are also using the opportunity to invite everyone who wants to collaborate with Geek with Laptop in any way to jump to our contact page and send us a message (we will answer all emails).

We are looking for people who want to write for GWL, so don’t be shy send us an email.

If you are a  company who want us to  review your laptop related products, again just go to the contact form and type away.

And last but not least, if you are owner of a laptop and technology site and you see an opportunity in working together with GWL, don’t be shy and drop us an email. You would be foolish not to be working with us as we have some huge things in the pipeline !

Regards Dave and Vladimir

• Nurank : A New Site Called Nurank With Big Potential
• Laptap Stencil Revisited
• Christmas in October?
• Twitter Now Offers Global Alerts
• Someone Needs To Make E-mail Security Easier

The marketing intelligence firm IDC has recently reported that, for the first time ever, sales of notebooks have overtaken those of desktops in the United States.

The results focus on the July to September quarter of the year. Sales of notebooks were responsible for 55.2 percent overall of computer sales during this quarter, accounting for 9.5 million sales, which indicates a huge 18 percent increase on sales based on the same quarter last year.

This figure also marked the first time ever that notebooks have gone over the 50 percent mark in terms of overall sales, suggesting that people are increasing demanding on-the-go access to their computers for both completing work and going online.

One of the reasons that they saw such growth even amidst the financial crisis was the back-to-school season, which has been particularly active this year. It makes perfect sense for students to buy a notebook which they can take to lectures and to the library to study with – or at least that is what they tell their parents who usually have to buy the notebook for them.

IDC said that the financial crisis, despite capturing headlines across the globe, “did not immediately affect the PC market’s performance”, allowing these high sales to take place.

It was also not only down to the consumer market that the sales of notebooks rocketed. In fact, according to IDC research manager David Daoud, “the commercial sector played a critical role too”.

He also claimed, quite rightly, that despite the global financial downturn, PCs are now considered essential items for many people, rather than luxury items. As such, it is unlikely that they will see the same reductions in sales that other luxury items are likely to see.

It is an interesting point, and shows just how much we rely on our computers now. So even when the world faces the threat of a global recession, we are not only refusing to give up on buying new computers, but we are actually buying them in increasing numbers.

• Netbooks : Acer And Asus Pile The Pressure On Dell
• Midway: New Blitz, Mortal Kombat For 2008
• Torrid Blog Growth Cools
• HP Unveil Fantastic Laptop Sales
• Travel Overnighter Notebook Case

Between October 29th and 31st, AUO is unveiling some of its latest technologies at FPD International in Yokohama, Japan, many of which will have an emphasis on the latest bandwagon - going green.

It seems that green technologies are really taking off as of late, and if you are like me and are constantly forgetting to turn the TV off standby or feel guilty about your power usage levels, then you can take comfort in the new technologies being produced that not only minimize your environmental footprint but will make using the products more enjoyable.

The whole idea behind AUO’s exhibition is “Green Innovation”. It is aiming to develop its own green technologies, whilst at the same time working on the comfort and convenience levels for customers.

The area is divided into different sections, and in the PID section AUO will be displaying its huge 52-inch and 65-inch Full HD portrait panels, whose slim designs and high brightness levels make them some of the best PIDs around.

It will also be displaying its vast new 42-inch to 65-inch Full HD LCD TV panels, comprising 120Hz high contrast ratio technology to deal with motion blur problems. I can only imagine the viewing experience on that, and surely with the way things are going cinemas will soon be out of business.

Also on show are the 18.5-inch to 24-inch slim desktop display panels with 16:9 widescreens and LED backlight, and the 8.9-inch to 17.3-inch LED notebook panels with 16:9 widescreens complete with power saving features. These are sure to be a hit with those looking for super slim and fashionable designs, as they weigh in at only 180 grams and have a thickness of just 5.2 mm.

But the most important product in terms of green innovation is the 46-inch “Eco Plus” full HD green TV panel. Weight, thickness, and power savings all go down by 30%, and the only thing to go up is the packaging efficiency, which is increased by 66%.

Before the show, AUO’s president and COO, Dr. L.J. Chen, said: “With advanced technologies and applications, we hope to implement AUO Green Solutions to protect our environment while offering convenient and delightful digital lifestyles to consumers.” We couldn’t agree more.

• Is This The Best LCD TV Ever ?
• The Best LCD TV Is Not Always About Price
• HD Viewing Soon to Arrive Online Via Microsoft
• Apple’s Commitment To Being Green
• Laptop To TV: How To Make The Connection

There’s great news for all of those Sony Vaio fans out there as a new range of high-end models has just been released. And there is no hiding the target market here, with Sony firmly setting their sights on the traveling executive.

The TT range comprises a trio of models, all ultra-light and suitably tiny, and Sony are hoping that they will be a huge success amongst the traveling elite.

Looking at the specs of the notebooks, it’s easy to see why Sony think they will take off in a big way. At only 23.5mm at its thinnest, and coming with a carbon-fiber cover to decrease the weight, it weighs in at a total of just 1.32kg, not bad for anyone constantly on the move.

But it is the battery life that people are getting really excited about. By running on Intel’s Ultra Low Voltage Core 2 Duo Processor, and managing to incorporate dynamic screen lighting, Sony is promising eight hours of usability. However, this may have been a bit ambitious, seeing as the demo unit only lasted for four and a half hours when tried with Windows Vista; and that was on power saving mode.

However, this will all surely get sorted out, and the TT also boasts a quick charging function, meaning that in just an hour 50 percent of the battery will be charged up. Security has also been taken into consideration with a finger print reader and the Trusted Platform Module hardware to encrypt data, no doubt to let users live out all of their James Bond fantasies.

Features include between 2Gb and 4Gb of RAM, a 120GB or 160GB hard drive, and 11.1 inch display. It also comes with embedded mobile broadband support and a T-Mobile SIM card with 30 days free access.

If you are desperate to get your hands on a new TT, you’ll have to wait until 14 November when you’ll be able to pick one up for between £1,599 and £1,999. However, there is a cheaper version available which does not have embedded mobile broadband and will go for £1,349.

• Sony VAIO TZ31WN/B Laptop
• ASUS U1F Laptop
• ASUS U3S-3P092E Laptop
• ASUS V1S Laptop
• Sony VAIO NR21Z/S Laptop

High definition viewing on PCs is set to become a reality in the near future thanks to a joint venture by Microsoft and Akamai Technologies Inc.

In a recent announcement, Microsoft stated that it is going to release a Web server technology called Smooth Streaming which aims to get rid of start-up times and disposing of the much-hated buffering altogether. It sounds too good to be true, but in the near future you will not be able to believe just what you used to put up with when viewing online.

Smooth Steaming will work by adapting the quality levels of the stream according to changes in the connectivity speed. This means that average viewing times are likely to be extended, allowing companies to boost their ad revenues and capitalize on brand awareness.

Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of .NET Developer Division at Microsoft, said: “Our objective has always been to provide a platform that enables next-generation media experiences on the Web. Together with Akamai, we will take that a step further by offering a consistently superior adaptive streaming experience on a global scale,” and that Smooth Streaming was an “evolution” of Silverlight technology.

Akamai’s input comes from its AdaptiveEdge Streaming for Silverlight, which will be deployed across the company’s global network. Early 2009 will see the beta service launched, and it will support ISS Smooth Streaming which will be featured in the ISS7 Media Pack. This will also include features such as bit-rate throttling and playlists, and will be enhanced by the interactive applications that the Silverlight player enables.

The demand for HD content online has been growing recently. Tim Napoleon, Chief Strategist of Digital Media at Akamai, highlights the challenge that “capabilities in the online world vary greatly for each user”. However, because “adaptive streaming allows the video to adjust to the audience” the user’s experience will be magnified.

In an increasingly demanding consumer market, where quality is essential for viewing pleasure online, HD quality brings some huge benefits. We are entering an exciting new era in online viewing, and there will be lots of eager consumers out there waiting to get their hands on the new technology as soon as they can.

• Adobe Flash Player Goes High-Def
• How Long Will You Wait For Silverlight?
• Microsoft and Apple Strike Font Licensing Agreement
• Happy Birthday Winamp
• Next Version Of Microsoft Windows Due In 2010

Quantum Computing – Atoms Used As Data Storage!

A team of top scientists from two leading Universities and the US Department of Energy have claimed they have stored information inside an atom’s nucleus.

The team came from American Princeton University and the UK’s Oxford University (and U.S. Department of Energy), where they used a phosphorus atom embedded inside a silicon crystal for the experiment.  They used both the nucleus and electron, which the scientists report behave like time “quantum magnets”, storing quantum information (i.e. a very small amount of it).
Now, all this isn’t exactly news.  In fact, information had previously been stored inside a single nucleus before – but on that occasion only for 1/10 of a second.  Not a massive amount of use to those of us in the real world, at first glance.  Not enough o break the one second barrier, in fact.

But the new team have managed to retain accessibility of the information for a whopping “nearly two seconds” this time!  And if that still sounds fairly useless, in quantum computing the one second barrier was an important one to break, as researchers studying quantum computing had calculated that if only such a system (known as a quantum system) could be made to store data for a minimum of one second, the data could in fact be protected for an indefinite period by using “error correction techniques”.

Steve Lyon, Princeton University’s team leader said, “Nobody really knew how long a nucleus might hold quantum information in this system…With crystals painstakingly grown by the Berkeley team and very careful measurements, we were delighted to see memory times exceeding the threshold.”
A research fellow from Oxford (St. John’s College) said, “The electron acts as a middle-man between the nucleus and the outside world… It gives us a way to have our cake and eat it–fast processing speeds from the electron, and long memory times from the nucleus.”

• Vista With 2 Gigs Of RAM
• HomeStar Runner Welcome Back
• Do The Movies Ever Get It Right?
• Bring Me Down…
• Skype 3.0 Out Of Beta