Bluestar Linux

An Arch-based KDE distro that’s chock full of apps. Shashank Sharma tests what appears to be a winning formula with Deskpro Edition

Rolling release distros are adored and feared in equal measure. A large section of the Linux user community, particularly newbies, believe that these distros are only intended for expert hands. The distros themselves have done little to disabuse people of this belief. Contrary to the popular rolling release model where you’re required to install and setup every single application by yourself, Bluestar Linux, with its large selection of default apps, is ideal for advanced and new users alike.

DD-WRT: Hack a wireless router

Router firmware take control of your home router with a custom firmware. Matt Beilby gives a rundown on how to power up the device at the heart of your home network with your very own software.

Nowadays a decent router can be relied on to do its own thing without bothering you, making it a great time for home networking. However, it can still be a challenge to get it to do your particular thing instead. If you’re ready for a change, the world of custom firmware opens up an embarrassment of configuration choices, as well as an enticing catalogue of new functionality.

weBoost Connect 3G

Honestly, can any of you say that you get full 3G and cellular signals at your office or at home all the time? Depending on which mobile provider you use, different areas will have different level of reception. This is probably why weBoost now offers its Connect 3G to home and office users to boost cellular signals.

MSI Panocam

Keeping an eye on the going-ons back home while at work or out is something I hold close to my heart. Even more so when there are horror stories of incidents happening while there is no one at home circulating around social media. With the emergence of IP cameras, keeping surveillance at home is now easy and fuss-free, even more so when there is audio support and a 360-degree coverage like what this camera offers.

Kingston HyperX Predator 480GB M.2 SSD

SSD, aka Solid State Drive has been regarded as the zenith for high speed storage. It has no moving parts due to it using chips, hence it’s lighter, speedier in terms of writing and reading data, and much more robust compared to the old, mechanical clunky hard disk drive. But even when it’s zipping data faster than you can even blink, there are still people out there who want to get the very highest speed that they can achieve.

Vivo X5Max

We get a lot of different brands of phones every month, some really cool and some not much so. This month, Vivo sent us their new smartphone for review and I must say, it definitely falls under the former group. Without further ado, let’s check out the Vivo X5Max.

The X5Max came in a surprisingly large box, considering that the device is supposed to be quite thin. Opening it and taking everything out revealed the reason; it doesn’t just come with the phone and USB cable, but uses a larger than usual 3-pin plug, a smaller rectangle box with a free plastic casing inside, and also a pair of headset that has inline microphone.

Garmin Vivoactive

I always remember Garmin as a brand big on GPS; I even had one of their non-coloured ones that I used to take with me whenever I go fishing or off-roading. When Garmin announced their new range of wearables including the new Vivoactive, I was pretty hyped up to take it for a spin.

Let’s start with the looks. The Vivoactive comes with interchangeable rubber straps, which can be swapped out for other coloured watchbands or its leather variant. It is surprisingly slim and doesn’t look bulky even on my girly wrists, yet it isn’t so small that will look feminine on a man.

PowerColor TurboDuo R9 270

While the marketing gimmick now would be 4K, aka 2160p, there are many out there who still uses the much loved 1080p or Full HD monitor. Heck, some are even using the cheaper, much easier to find 1366x768 resolution. Even yours truly is using one for gaming. So for that, not everyone needs a really high end kick-ass graphic card. A medium one would suffice, especially at resolutions mentioned. There are quite a few number of graphic cards that fit this need, and one of them is the PowerColor TurboDuo R9 270.