Auberge Akilisso Technology

If you are about to purchase a new audio amplifier, you may be wondering how efficiently your amp works. I will explain what the term “power efficiency” means and why you should take a closer look at this number during your selection of a new amp.

The less efficient your amp, the more energy will be wasted which results in several problems: A lot of wasted energy obviously means higher operating cost which means that a more expensive amplifier can actually in the long run be less expensive than a cheaper model with lower efficiency. Lower efficiency amps will dissipate a lot of energy as heat. Heat does not radiate well from small surfaces. Therefore low-efficiency amps need to use heat sinks. These heat sinks consume a fair amount of space and make the amp bulky and heavy. Further, they increase the cost of the amp. Low-efficiency amps further require a good amount of circulation around the amp. Thus they cannot be placed in close spaces or inside air-tight enclosures.

Since low-efficiency amps will deliver only a small fraction of the power consumed by the amp as usable audio power, the amp requires a larger power supply than high-efficiency models resulting in higher cost. Further, due to the large amount of heat, there will be much higher thermal stress on the electric components as well as internal materials which may cause reliability problems. In contrast, high-efficiency amps can be made small and lightweight.

When shopping for an amp, you can find the efficiency in the data sheet. This value is usually expressed as a percentage. Class-A amplifiers are amongst the least efficient and offer a power efficiency of around 25% only. In contrast, switching amplifiers, also known as Class-D amps offer efficiencies of up to 98%. Having an amp with an efficiency of 90% for example means that 10% of the power that is used is wasted while 90% would be audio power.

However, there are a few things to note about power efficiency. Firstly, this value is dependent on the amount of power that the amp is delivering. Every audio amp will consume a certain amount of power regardless of whether or not it supplies any power to the speaker. For that reason the lower the power the amp delivers, the lower the power efficiency. For that reason audio manufacturers typically specify the efficiency for the highest audio power that the amp can deliver.

With the flood of new technology that has hit the market, it can be overwhelming trying to pick out a new computer. But the good news is that depending on your lifestyle and how you use your computer, these new technologies can be more convenient as well as cheaper than the tradition laptop or PC.

The two biggest technologies that have come out in the last few years are netbooks and slate tablets. It’s important to know the difference to determine which one is best for you. The netbooks are streamlined laptops that are designed to surf the internet, use email and operate with a handful of different computer programs. Tablets are the computers that look like over sized cell phones that have a flat screen and no noticeable keyboard.

So which one is right for you?
When it comes to picking out a tablet or a netbook, the primary factor is going to be how you plan to use it or how versatile it needs to be. For instance, if you are looking for a lightweight computer that is good for surfing the internet or watching movies you may prefer a tablet, such as the iPad or the upcoming Amazon Kindle Fire. However, if you are looking for something that is going to look and feel like a laptop, such as the propped up screen and keyboard, you would probably prefer a netbook. For instance, if you have to travel for business and you are going to need to write emails, work on PowerPoint presentations, etc., the netbook would be preferable as it’s much like a laptop but more portable.

Another bonus to using tablets is that there are numerous different apps that are specialized for the unique way in which you use a tablet. In fact it is the Apps that have made the tablets what they are. These small, cheap software packages allow you to do everything from play games, gather your news or stock information, read books, teach kids just about anything, and a whole lot more. Plus, for a nominal fee, you can have an app custom created for a special purpose such as keeping track of inventory, taking credit card purchases or running a business. Tablets certainly have a lot more flexibility.

If you own an iPod Touch you most likely are interested in remaining in touch with the latest apps that you can download and use on your iPod, but that entails sifting through the numerous options available to you for free or for a fee, and figuring out which are the ones that you’ll enjoy the most, and especially which that you must pay for are worth the price.

The extraordinary thing about apps for Apple products is that you can find them online and they are useful on all varieties of Apple hardware, so you can experience the convenience and fun that each app allows on whatever device you happen to be using. Many people don’t easily associate apps with iPods, because they’re more adapted to thinking of them as smart phone add-ons or iPad programs, but the iPod touch connects with the Internet and performs a great many other functions in addition to playing back music and video files.

While downloading apps can enhance your entertainment options a great deal, don’t forget to protect your iPod with an iPod case that will shelter the device against gouges and scratches that can happen if you drop the unit or if it falls into the hands of a clumsy associate who has trouble hanging onto these kinds of objects. If you’re looking for no-hassle app downloads directly to your iPod, then hunt no further than the Apple app store, and feast upon the copious glittering pieces of software that can make your iPod seem to take on a life of its own as you add functionality to the device, and secretly wonder whether it will one day eclipse your intelligence and make you its servant.

You’ll almost certainly find yourself enjoying more than one app at a time; perhaps as you listen to music, you may have the urge to glance at the day’s headlines or search for a new book or music download that you’d like to purchase, which can all be accomplished online, as long as you have a connection to the Internet. If online auctions are your thing, you might want to download eBay Mobile, which is an app that lets you search for items on sale in the world’s largest virtual auction, and anywhere that you are connected to the Internet, you can present your own items for sale, post photos of them and make purchases, like of an iPod Touch case.

The answer is obviously yes for mature, marquee projects. Example: Microsoft Windows and Office, OSX, and Adobe Creative Suite. But what about immature applications lacking company’s corporate commitment?

Amazon’s about to expand the Android user base in a big way by taking advantage of the open-source nature of the underlying OS. CyanogenMod is installed on more than a million handsets, ridding phones of their carrier and manufacturer influences.

As has been written elsewhere, Google controls Android by controlling certain of the apps users expect, and denying their inclusion with distributions the company doesn’t bless. For example, Gmail, which everyone but luddites use, and the Android Marketplace, selling locally grown apps to hipsters and the nonorganic variety to everyone else.

Amazon doesn’t care. Amazon has developed its own app swap meet, a thriving ecosystem that circumvents what Google’s selling. Now Amazon’s pushing the hot hardware that will carry its app store exclusively. Google didn’t “allow” it to run its marketplace. Bezos is laughing all the way to the bank, collecting royalties on millions of Kindle-branded devices Google thinks beneath it

I’m a BlackBerry fan from back in the day, and I love my brand-new Bold 9930. Still, shit, I know what I’m missing. QNX-based BlackBerrys are not going to be Android, or even iPhone, slayers. Talk of LTE-capable QNX BlackBerrys at least six months prior to their release says it all. LTE is now. QNX is stillborn. Long live QNX. Pity the iPhone 5, which will be a hit because it’s an iPhone 5. Unfortunately the CDMA and HSPA networks are crowded, while LTE is wide open spaces. Where do you want to drive, even before talking speed limits?

Most surprising to me is that Samsung et al can’t figure out how to produce a solid portrait device with a great keyboard. I swear this is not that difficult, but what do I know. I know the new Bold has a better keyboard than any device I’ve used.

That may the key to preventing RIM’s extinction, at least for now. The Playbook, RIM’s 7-inch tablet running QNX, is capable of running Android applications, owing in no small part to their sharing a Linux heritage. Should QNX-based BlackBerry devices be capable of the same, they’ve gained access to a large developer community. The community BlackBerry is now missing. Should RIM continue to create best-in-class hardware, that’s a winning combination, particularly when that hardware is a form factor Apple, and Samsung and the rest, have neglected.