iT BOX

For the past week or so, I've been testing out a $199 HP Stream 11 laptop – perhaps the least expensive Windows laptop I've ever tried. What impressed me is that using it feels pretty much like using a standard laptop, not a crippled netbook of years past. It clearly isn't as powerful as more expensive notebook computers, but for people who primarily work with Web-based applications or documents and files that are stored in the cloud, it's a surprisingly nice alternative. (And the deal is even better if you like Microsoft Office 365 – it includes a one-year subscription to the Personal version, which can run on one PC, one tablet, and one phone and usually sells for about $70.) In general, it feels like an alternative to a Chromebook, a system that runs Google's Chrome OS and is designed for Web applications with an emphasis on Google's own tools. Those have become very popular lately, particularly in education, so this class of machine has become...

Specs and images of the HTC's most-awaited flagship - the One M9 - seem to have been leaked ahead of its launch at next week's Mobile World Congress (MWC). According to the images posted briefly and inadvertently by German retailer Cyberport on its website, HTC's new flagship smartphone will accompany a five-inch display, 2GHz Snapdragon 810 processor and 20MP rear-facing camera. The data seems to have since been removed. The images also show the handset to arrive in two new colour variants. While one is a mix of silver front and rear panel with golden side and top bezels, the other one is seen in dark gunmetal grey colour. Also, the rear camera design has been changed from circle to a square with curved edges. HTC One M9 Plus, the larger version of the flagship that has also appeared in couple of leaks and rumours, was not seen anywhere. Other specs of the HTC One M9 include 32GB of storage, plus microSD card capacity, and 3GB RAM. The HTC One M9 w...

Light is light, right? Not exactly. The light that comes from the overhead fluorescents at your office is nothing like the light that pours from your favorite chandelier at home or that of the bedside lamp that lets you read your favorite novel to help you fall asleep. That’s because different light sources produce light with different color temperatures. In the early days of energy conservation, everyone recommended replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs because the latter consumed less electricity. But few people liked the tradeoff because of the quality of light the energy-efficient bulbs produced. That didn’t stop Congress from mandating the phase-out of incandescent bulbs, but it did prompt the lighting industry to come up with better alternatives. As you think about which type of lighting to use in your home, you should consider how you can use color temperature to optimize your environment. Here’s everything you need to know. How color temperat...

Let’s cut right to the chase: This thing rocks . The new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B fixes the most glaring issues of the three-year-old original Pi, and even better, it manages to do so at the same $35 price point of its predecessor. This credit card sized-mini PC delivers a shocking amount of value for the money. Don’t head into this thinking the RP2 is some sort of radical leap forward, however. As Apple has done with the iPhone, the Raspberry Pi 2 is an evolutionary tweaking of the first model’s then-revolutionary concept. Most of the new model’s features are exactly the same as the original, which helps to ensure full backward compatibility. But the changes the Raspberry Pi Foundation did make were very welcome ones indeed. Because the performance changes are the big difference in the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, let’s dig into that first. Powered up Pi The Raspberry Pi 2 includes three basic, powerful upgrades. It replaces the single-core, 700MHz ARM11 processor of the ...

HP's new Pavilion Mini desktop packs big storage  The Good The HP Pavilion Mini costs less than other small desktops, offers options for the CPU and hard drive, and allows for user upgrades later on. A wireless keyboard and mouse are included. The Bad Even the top-end hardware configuration is slow, and there are no options for SSD hard drives or faster Wi-Fi. The Bottom Line Smaller and less expensive than a Mac Mini, the HP Pavilion Mini focuses on big storage over fast performance Small form-factor desktop PCs enjoyed their greatest popularity several years ago. It was the era of the media center computer, when tech-savvy home-theater enthusiasts would hook tiny computers up to TVs to stream video or record over-the-air programs. Since then, smart TVs, Roku-style boxes and game consoles have largely taken over, and the only puck-sized desktop anyone hears much about is Apple's $500, £399, AU$619 Mac Mini ...

Supercharged all-wheel-drive: The Audi S5  The Good Quattro all-wheel-drive and the optional Sport Differential give the 2015 Audi S5 superb handling, while its coupe styling shows a subtle beauty. A dedicated data connection powers Google Earth imagery and destination search for navigation. The Bad The Audi Music Interface requires a number of adapter cables to connect different devices or drives. The S5 lacks much in the way of third-party app integration, and the navigation system takes awhile to boot up. The Bottom Line The 2015 Audi S5 delivers an exceptional sport driving character in a very attractive package, while offering impressive connected tech in the cabin, but its coupe styling limits its practicality. When I first reviewed an Audi S5 , I was so thrilled by the feeling of performance and the smooth-shifting six speed that I powered off the line from two consecutive traffic lights, and got a for...