giz explains

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Best of Giz Explains 2008: Stuff You Absolutely Need to Know

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 6:00 AM on December 25, 2008

I hope you guys learned as much reading Giz Explains this year as I did writing them. Here are the best, the ones explaining stuff you absolutely must know.


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Regulars

Giz Explains: Everything You Wanted to Know About DRM

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 3:00 AM on December 20, 2008

Condensed explanation: Digital rights management is a corporate pain in the arse that stops you from doing whatever you want with music and movies in the name of fighting piracy. But there's more to it.


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Regulars

Giz Explains: Everything You Need to Know About Hard Drives

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 8:00 AM on December 11, 2008

Some say that the end of the trusty hard drive is near, killed by SSD. But let's not be so quick to give up on a technology that stores a whole terabyte for $US100.

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Software

Giz Explains: Why OS X Shrugs Off Viruses Off Better Than Windows

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 5:00 AM on December 4, 2008

Mac OS X, mythically immune to common computer plagues, has actually always welcomed antivirus software. Or, uh, maybe not. Confused? No worries—here's how OS X and Windows differ on resisting viruses and other nasties.


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Giz Explains: Why Intel's Core i7 Processor Is a Beautiful Monster

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 5:00 AM on November 27, 2008

Last week, you probably noticed new computers from Dell, Gateway and others using a brand new, bizarre-sounding chip from Intel: the Core i7. You might have even seen some benchmarks and features showing that this is a real beast of processor. Well, we're pretty excited about the Core i7, so here's a quick guide to why it's so awesome:


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Giz Explains: Every Video Format You Need to Know

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 4:15 AM on November 21, 2008

Once upon time, video codecs and formats were really only the concern of AV nerds, anime freaks and hardcore not-so-legal movie downloaders. Now, even the most part-time of geeks has to deal with them, whether they're trying to stream a flick across their house with an Apple TV, dump some video onto their phone or just trying to grab last night's episode of Dexter because they, uh, forgot to renew their Showtime subscription that'll work in their media player. It's messy and annoying, but we're here to clean it up. Take a deep breath.


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Regulars

Giz Explains 3D Technologies

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 4:00 AM on November 13, 2008

Last week, CNN's attempt to display the future of TV news ended up making 3D look like the gimmick that it is. Yep, 3D is a gimmick, most associated (outside of CNN) with those stupid glasses designed to fit Blockheads from Venus. But as you know, there are many different scientific approaches dedicated to tricking you into thinking bullets—or other deadly projectiles such as children—are popping out of the screen and coming right at you. Here's a quick and dirty guide to 3D magic.


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Giz Explains: What's So Awesome About 64-Bit?

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 4:00 AM on November 6, 2008

The phrase "64-bit" has been tossed around lately, the most it's been since the Nintendo 64. If you haven't heard it, pay attention. One of the most important steps forward in computer power is happening right under your nose, but most people don't know thanks to the sneaky efforts of Microsoft and Apple. Though fully 64-bit operating systems are the OSes of tomorrow, you can taste some of that power today with 64-bit versions of Windows and OS X. Here's why 64-bit computing is so awesome:


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Regulars

Giz Explains: Why Windows 7 Will Smash Vista

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 4:00 AM on October 30, 2008

Windows 7 is what Windows Vista should have been, what we hoped it would be. The Batman Begins to Vista's Batman and Robin. While superficially both are kinda the same (Batman!), there's a completely different thought process at work. Our walkthrough and videos showed you how the new user experience is something to be excited about; now we want to show you what it is under the hood that enables the wholly hypeworthy experience to be all it can be. And why Windows 7 will totally smash Vista's kidneys.


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Entertainment

Giz Explains: How to Buy an HDTV Like a Pro

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 4:00 AM on October 23, 2008