Saturday, August 28, 2010

Six things laptops can learn from the iPad

Apple sold 3.3 million iPads in Q2, the product’s first quarter on the market. That was more than the number of MacBook laptops (2.5 million) that the company sold in Q2. Plus, the two products combined catapulted Apple from No. 7 in the global notebook market to No. 3.
Meanwhile, all of the other top five notebook vendors saw their growth slow during the same period, suggesting that the iPad cut into their sales. Will these iPad numbers be a short-term bump based on the unparalleled hype and anticipation for the product, or will it be amplified even further during the back-to-school and holiday seasons? That will be one of the most interesting trends to watch during the second half of 2010.
Nevertheless, the iPad has already sold enough units to alarm laptop makers and make them contemplate how to react. Nearly all of them are already working on competing tablets, powered by Google Android in most cases.
But, laptop makers should also look at the factors that are triggering the iPad’s popularity and consider how some of those factors could be co-opted into notebooks. Here are the top six:

1. Battery life is a killer feature

When Apple first shared the technical specs of the iPad and claimed 10 hours of battery life, I rolled my eyes. Published battery life numbers rarely hold up in the real world. However, the iPad actually exceeded expectations. I’ve easily milked 11-12 hours of battery life out of the iPad, and others such as Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal have reported the same thing.
This kind of battery performance is huge for business professionals because it untethers them from a charger for an entire business day. Whether it’s for a full day of meetings or a cross-country flight, they can focus on their work without having to worry about finding a place to plug in at some point. I’ve see several business users state that this was their primary incentive for using the iPad.

2. Instant On changes the equation

The fact that you can simply click the iPad’s power button and have it instantly awake from its sleep state and be ready to pull up a Web page, glance at a calendar, or access an email is another major plus. Compare that to dragging your laptop into a conference room, for example. Even the best laptops with Windows, Mac, or Linux take about 30 seconds to boot and then you have to log in and wait some more until the OS is ready.
You don’t always want to fire up your laptop at the beginning of a meeting and leave it on because then you could get distracted or appear as if you’re not paying attention to the other people in the room. But, if something comes up and you want to quickly access your information, then you want it instantaneously so that you don’t have to tell the other people in the room, “Hang on for a second while I pull up that data,” which can break the flow of the conversation and even make you look unprepared.
While some laptops can accomplish something similar by quickly going in and out of a sleep state when you flip the lid open or closed, this can regularly cause problems with wireless networking and other basic functionality, and tends not to be as quick as the iPad.

3. Centralize the software

The feature that made the iPad infinitely more useful for lots of different tasks is its massive platform of third party applications, which are all available in a central repository (that’s the key feature) — the Apple App Store . The App Store also serves another valuable function: All updates for iPad apps are handled there as well.
Contrast that with laptops where you can get software preloaded on your compter, buy software shrink-wrapped, or download it from the Internet, and then nearly all of the different programs have their own software updaters. It’s a much more complicated and confusing process for the average user. There’s no reason why a desktop/laptop OS platform can’t have an app store. I recently noted that Ubuntu Linux 10.04 offers a nice step in that direction.

4. Simple interfaces are best

There’s a classic children’s book called Simple Pictures Are Best where a photographer is trying to do a family portrait and the family keeps wanting to try crazy things and add more stuff to the portrait and the photographer keeps repeating time and time again, “Simple pictures are best.”
It’s the same with a user interface. There’s a natural tendency to want to keep trying to toss in more things  to satisfy lots of different use cases. But, the more discipline you can maintain, the better the UI will be. Since the iPad runs on Apple’s iOS (smartphone) operating system, it is extremely limited in many ways. However, those limitations also make it self-evident to most users because it requires little to no training. People can just point and tap their way through the apps and menus.
Software makers have been attemtping simplified versions of the traditional OS interface for years, from Microsoft Bob to Windows Media Center to Apple Front Row. None of them have worked very well. The question may be one of OS rather than UI. Could a thin, basic laptop run a smartphone OS? I expect that we’ll see several vendors try it in the year ahead.

5. Most users consume, not create

One of the biggest complaints about the iPad is that it offers a subpar experience for creating content. There’s no denying it, and frankly it’s one of the reasons that I personally don’t use the iPad very much. It’s mostly a reader of books, documents, and files for me, because when I go online I typically do a lot of content creation, from writing articles on TechRepublic to posting photos on Flickr to posting tech news updates on Twitter.
However, I’m not the average user. Even with the spread of social networking, which is much more interactive, the 90-9-1 principle still applies across most of the Web. That means only 1% of users are actual content creators, while 9% are commenters and modifiers, and the remaining 90% are simply readers or  consumers. The iPad is a great device for content consumers. But, it’s not very good for the creators and modifiers, who are both strong candidates to stick with today’s laptop form factors, which are perfect for people who type a lot and manipulate content.
That leaves a huge market that could be easy pickings for the iPad. As a result, vendors need to think about ways to make laptops better content consumption devices.

6. Size matters

Being able to carry the iPad without a laptop bag is another huge plus. The power adapter is even small enough to roll up and put in a pocket, a jacket, or a purse. The diminutive size of the iPad can make business professionals feel as if they are traveling very light, especially if they’re used to lugging a laptop bag that included the laptop and a bunch of accessories to support it. On a plane, working with the iPad on a tray table is a much more roomy experience than trying to use most laptops.
The lightweight nature of the iPad can also make it more likely that professionals will carry it into a conference room or into someone else’s office to show a document or a Web page, for example.
There are plenty of ultraportable laptops on the market from virtually every vendor, but these tend to be specialty machines and are often higher priced. In light of the iPad’s success, vendors might want to rethink their ultraportable strategy by looking to make these devices smaller, less expensive, and better on battery life. They may also consider experimenting with a mobile OS such as Android on some of these devices.


QWERTY comparison: BlackBerry Torch vs. Droid 2 vs. Epic 4G

Although most of the momentum in the smartphone world is happening around touchscreen devices, there are still plenty of people — especially many business professionals — who want a hardware keyboard.
There are three new high-end smartphones with hardware QWERTYs that have recently hit the market and I have been doing an old fashioned showdown with all three of them. I’ve put together a set of photos comparing the three devices and I’ve done a quick evaluation of each of the three keyboards.

Photo gallery

See a photo comparison of the three: Keyboard showdown: Droid 2 vs. Epic 4G vs. BlackBerry Torch.

Samsung Epic 4G

The Epic 4G has the most versatile keyboard of the three. It has a dedicated row for numbers and several special keys (search, back, home, smiley, etc.). The keys themselves are chicklet-style, reminiscent of Apple Macbooks and Sony Vaio laptops.

BlackBerry Torch 9800

The BlackBerry Torch has the traditional BlackBerry qwerty that has been around on high-end devices since the BlackBerry 8800 World Edition. It is a top quality keyboard with a nice weight to it and typically has a low error rate. Those who are already familiar with BlackBerry will love the standard feel.

Motorola Droid 2

The Droid 2 keyboard is the worst of the three. The keys are too flat and non-distinct and there are no special keys other than the arrow keys. The Droid 2 keyboard is better than the original Droid keyboard, but that’s not saying much. Most of the people I know who have a Droid bought it at least partly because of the physical keyboard. But those same people report that 90% of the time they never use it, since it’s so bad.


Brain Drain: Real Result of Digital Overload?

Constant use of electronic devices is taxing our brains and hindering our social interactions, a growing body of evidence shows.
But on "The Early Show," CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton suggested steps we can take to mitigate the impact -- and disconnect from digital overload.

It's turning out that juggling the steady stream of e-mails, text messages, online updates and computer use is gobbling up not only much our time, but our brain power, making us less productive, studies indicate. And one in particular, from Ball State University, shows the average American spends more time using media devices such as TVs, computers, cell phones and iPods than doing anything else.

Special Section: Dr. Jennifer Ashton
Dr. Jennifer Ashton's Twitter page

According to Ashton:

Friday, August 27, 2010

Ask Maggie: On wireless-contract fine print

Have you ever wondered why it's so difficult to find information about when your wireless contract ends? Or have you ever gotten so angry at a service provider that you threaten to cancel all the services you get bundled from them?
Well, you're not alone. This week in Ask Maggie, I answer one reader's question about finding information on a wireless carrier's Web site as to when a contract ends. I checked in with the major carriers and will walk you through how you can access information about contract expiration and early-termination fees online.
I also answer a question from a dissatisfied Verizon Fios customer and try to help another reader figure out if she should buy an iPad or a Kindle 3.
Ask Maggie is a weekly advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband questions. If you have a question, please send an e-mail to me at maggie dot reardon at cbs dot com. And please put "Ask Maggie" in the subject header.

Deciphering cell phone terms and conditions

Dear Maggie,
One question that I've been thinking about for a long time is why is it so difficult to find out when my cell phone contract expires and how much my early-termination fee would be if I cancel.
It is not something that a carrier will readily provide to you, unless you wait 15 or 20 minutes to speak with an agent on the phone. I have looked for this information on the Web site of my service provider, and I haven't been able to find it. And now, with prorated early-termination fees, I'd like to know in real time what I owe if I cancel early. So why do wireless companies make this so difficult?
Thanks,
Bob
Dear Bob,
I reached out to all four major U.S. wireless operators, and representatives from all said their companies provide some information about contract expiration dates and ETF penalties to customers online.
But much of this information is vague or not specific to individual customers, and if specific customer information about ETFs is available, it's not always easy for subscribers to find. In any case, I'd agree that there is a problem.
As a little experiment, I tried finding out this information through my service provider. I am an AT&T subscriber, and I logged onto my account to look for the terms of my contract. I was able to find out when I was eligible for an upgrade to a new phone, but I did not see a specific date indicating when my contract expires or what my ETF would be, if I canceled my service today. (All four major wireless operators now prorate their early-termination fees, so the penalty decreases the longer you are in your contract.)
After getting a response from AT&T about where I could find this information, I was able to see when my contract ends. While the information is available, it still took me clicking on three tabs to find it. So again, this supports my earlier statement that the information may be available, but it's not necessarily easy to find.
You aren't the only one who has questioned how wireless operators communicate service terms and contract issues to their customers. The Federal Communications Commission has been looking into this as well. Earlier this year, the agency sent letters to AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA, and Google, which was selling the Nexus One phone at the time, asking them to detail how they inform customers of their fees in statements on corporate Web sites, in brochures and sales scripts, and in monthly bills.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said at the time that he was struck by how much confusion there is among consumers regarding ETFs.
The carriers responded to the inquiry defending their ETFs. So far, the FCC hasn't hinted whether or not it will force carriers to change their practices or provide better information. But I think your question goes to the heart of the issue. Carriers may offer this information somewhere for customers, but if it's not easy to find, what's the point?
Here is what representatives from Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile told me about accessing contract and ETF information online.
Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless spokesman Tom Pica said "everything a customer needs, they can find online." He suggests going to MyVerizon.com. Click on "Change Plan," and customers should be able to locate that information, he said. He wasn't able to provide specific information for navigating the site.
Pica also said the company is readying a new mobile account system, which will make finding account information from a mobile phone easier.
AT&T
AT&T spokeswoman Katie Tellier said customers can view their contract expiration date when accessing their account online (Att.com/mywireless). They should click on the "My Profile" tab on the far right of the screen. And then they can click on "User Info." This will show whether the contract has ended or provide a specific date for expiration. Also within this section, customers will see a hyperlink on ETFs--which will direct them to an Answer Center, providing specific details on AT&T's ETF policy and fees. This section also offers a two-page "Customer Service Summary" which is a PDF detailing the customer's service, plan, and support shortcuts.
Since everyone's account is different, and because ETFs vary, based on when someone signs up for a contract, AT&T encourages customers to call for specific information about their ETFs.
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel spokeswoman Roni Singleton said customers are able to view their contract expiration date or whether they are still within contract from "My Sprint" at Sprint.com. But the full contract/terms of use are not available for individual subscribers there.
To find when contracts expire, a customer would log into My Sprint, select "My Account," and scroll over the "I Want To" tab in "About My Devices." For each device the customer has on his/her account, there is an "I Want To" tab. Once the box pops up, select the "See My Contract Details" link. When the customer clicks on that link, it lets him/her know when their contract expires.
In order to find out how much you'd owe, if you cancel your contract, Sprint provides a chart that allows customers to calculate what their prorated ETF is in several ways online:
  • A link from the site footer to Sprint.com/termsandconditions and Sprint.com/etf
  • A full-page explanation in the services section of the site
  • Via search, type in "termination" or "early termination," and there will be links to detailed info.
T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA spokeswoman Kristin Warfield said T-Mobile subscribers can get general information about T-Mobile's ETFs within the "Terms & Conditions" link on the main T-Mobile Web site, at the bottom of the home page. There is also a link to the same general ETF policy details via the "Terms & Conditions" link at the bottom of the "MyT-Mobile" account page, which customers can access after logging into their account.
She said T-Mobile does not currently include details about individual ETFs on the customer's online account site. Instead, customers can estimate their ETFs by reading the terms and conditions online, knowing their contract start date (which is also listed on their contract), and making a general calculation.
Here is the ETF schedule for T-Mobile:
As listed in these Terms & Conditions, the early-termination fee is $200, if termination occurs with more than 180 days remaining on your term; $100, if termination occurs with 91 to 180 days remaining on your term; $50, if termination occurs with 31 to 91 days remaining on your term; and the lesser of $50 or your monthly recurring charges (including any applicable taxes and fees), if termination occurs in the last 30 days of your term.
For exact information about the term of users' contracts and the early-termination fee that would apply if they canceled their account, customers can call Customer Care.


Broadcasters defend push for mandatory FM tuners

Newspaper publishers didn't ask the U.S. Congress to put news-reading apps on mobile phones. Walkie-talkie and CB radio makers haven't pushed Apple or Nokia for radio frequency compatibility.
But radio broadcasters are a bit more politically ambitious. Claiming public safety benefits, the National Association of Broadcasters is proposing a new federal law that would force manufacturers to implant FM tuners in all mobile phones.
In an interview with CNET on Thursday, NAB executive vice president Dennis Wharton said that because nonbroadcast wireless networks tend to become clogged during emergencies, "there would be a public benefit to have free and local radio on all of these devices."
"I don't think it's a huge burden on cell phone manufacturers to add this device," Wharton said. Lending its support is the Music First coalition, which includes the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the American Federation of Musicians.
What Wharton didn't add, probably because it was obvious enough, is that giving radio stations a way to expand their audience--as more Americans turn to the Internet for news and iPods for music--also could yield a welcome increase in audience and revenue. (Since 2006, radio advertising revenue has plummeted from $21.4 billion to $16 billion, a 26 percent decline.)
This FM tuner proposal may seem to have popped, Aphrodite-like, out of the ether. But in reality, it's been simmering for a while as part of a long-running discussion of radio royalties. One possibility: if NAB agrees to pay about $100 million a year to musicians and their managers in exchange for an FM tuner, then all that needs to happen is for Congress to order device makers to go along.
"If we were to present our legislative package [to Congress], we'd hope they'd take it seriously this year," NAB's Wharton said.
The NAB's push for implantation of FM receivers has created--in what came as a surprise during the middle of Washington's August doldrums--a political flap that is pitting broadcasters and the music industry against consumer electronics makers and technology companies. It's even inspired some clever artwork.
Six of the largest tech trade associations have publicly opposed any forcible-FM-tuner-implantation. In a letter sent this week to the Senate and House committees with jurisdiction over the topic, the tech groups said the idea amounted to candlestick makers campaigning against the electric light bulb: "Calls for an FM chip mandate are not about public safety but are instead about propping up a business which consumers are abandoning as they avail themselves of new, more consumer-friendly options."
Just so nobody missed the casual insult, Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumer Electronics Association, likened the broadcasters and the recording industry to "buggy-whip industries that refuse to innovate and seek to impose penalties on those that do."
What's more, said the letter that was signed by the Consumer Electronics Association, CTIA-The Wireless Association, TechAmerica, and the Information Technology Industry Council--the groups behind the idea "lack any expertise in the development of wireless devices and are in no position to dictate what type of functionality is included in a wireless device."
Wharton readily conceded that radio broadcasters have not sketched out a detailed proposal. He noted that the NAB board has not yet voted to proceed with asking Congress to enact mandatory FM tuners. When asked about whether an FM tuner would require a lengthy antenna, Wharton said that was a question for MIT engineers to figure out, not him.
But he's not willing to shrink back from political cage-fighting either. "We understand their opposition," Wharton said. "They'd rather usage based pricing, to have FM over IP so they can charge for it. That's where their business model is headed." FM broadcasts, he notes, are free.
"We've had discussions with cell phone makers, and there's been some progress but not much," Wharton said. "We argue that there would be a public benefit to have free and local radio on all of these devices."
Even though revenues are shrinking, radio's audience is growing. Recent Arbitron data suggests radio reaches 239 million people--aged 12 and older--in a typical week.
In an odd twist, though, the very manufacturers whose Washington representatives are savaging NAB's proposal already appear to include FM tuners in their wireless gadgetry.
A teardown and analysis of the iPhone 3G performed by market intelligence firm iSuppli says Apple uses a single-chip Bluetooth/FM/WLAN device made by Broadcom. The Droid uses a Texas Instruments Bluetooth/WLAN/FM transmitter and receiver, iSuppli says, and the BlackBerry Torch is outfitted with a Texas Instruments WL1271A Bluetooth/WLAN/FM chip.
Of course, the mere existence of a built-in feature on a chip doesn't mean the manufacturer has enabled it, added an antenna, or provided a way for the operating system to do anything useful with it. (Microsoft's Zune does feature an FM radio.)
And this is precisely what the consumer electronics groups say: "Requiring an FM chip would require a separate antenna in order to accommodate the significant differences between FM signal wavelengths and cellular/PCS signal wavelengths."

Paul Allen sues Apple, Google over patents

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen fired a patent shot across the bow of several prominent technology companies Friday, suing Apple, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and others over patent claims.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen
Allen's firm Interval Licensing filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that the above companies, as well as AOL, eBay, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, and Staples, are violating patents he received for several Internet technologies while leading Interval Research, now out of business. The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, based in Seattle.
Interval said in a press release that "the patents in the lawsuit cover fundamental web technologies first developed at Interval Research in the 1990s, which the company believes are being infringed by major e-commerce and web search companies." David Postman, a spokesman for Allen, said this is the first time that patents related to Interval Research's work have been litigated.
Postman wouldn't comment on whether licensing discussions had taken place with the defendants prior to the filing of the lawsuit, but did say that all companies were informed that Interval held "patents of interest." The companies targeted were done so because of their work in e-commerce and search, Postman said. For example, Interval included as an exhibit in its lawsuit a screen grab of a very early "About Google" Web page from 1998 that lists Interval Research Corporation as an outside collaborator.
One may wonder why Allen's former company--Microsoft, which operates the third-leading search engine in the U.S. and now provides search technology to Yahoo--was not cited in the complaint. Postman said he would not discuss litigation strategies but emphasized that Interval is not necessarily done with these patents; in that, it might seek to widen the circle of defendants at a later date.
Representatives for Apple and Google did not immediately return requests for comment. However, Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said "We believe this suit is completely without merit and we will fight it vigorously."
The story was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Four specific patents are being cited in the case, according to Interval's release:
No. 6,263,507, "Browser for Use in Navigating a Body of Information, With Particular Application to Browsing Information Represented By Audiovisual Data."
• No. 6,034,652, "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device."
No. 6,788,314, "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device."
No. 6,757,682, "Alerting Users to Items of Current Interest."
Allen founded Microsoft with Bill Gates ages ago, but hasn't played a prominent role at the company in years. He has since invested in a number of ventures in both the technology and entertainment worlds, and organizes his business and philanthropic activities through a firm called Vulcan.
Digeo, an Allen-backed maker of DVR technology, aggressively asserted patents against various companies about five years ago in various lawsuits against PalmSource, Audible.com, and Gemstar. Digeo was sold to Arris Group in 2009.

Social Media Websites Attract More Older Adults

A few years ago it was unfathomable to see anybody over 50 on websites like Friendster and MySpace, but that's becoming a more common sight.
More young people are seeing their parents and grandparents on social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook, reports CNN.
In fact, the rate of people over 50 interacting on social media websites is growing at a startling pace. A survey by the Pew Research Center found that social networking among internet users 50 and older nearly doubled, from 22 percent in April 2009 to 42 percent in May 2010.
For those ages 65 and older, use of social networking websites grew 100 percent. By comparison, the number of internet users from 18 to 29 who use social networking websites only rose by a dismal 13 percent.
"E-mail is still the primary way that older users maintain contact with friends, families and colleagues, but many older users now rely on social-network platforms to help manage their daily communications," explains Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report.
So internet users should be careful about what they post on Facebook or Twitter. Grandma might be watching.

Monday, May 3, 2010

5 Tips on How to Fix Google redirect virus to permanently delete - Google Redirect Virus Removal

The new virus or trojan that has affected many systems in the world called the Google redirect. If your system is infected with this virus so you could see that if you attempt a Google search for something harmful and dangerous locations will be considered. Not only that, but also in the registry files and Messenger in your system and e-mail attachments you send to other people to install.
To uninstall Google discharged completely from your system, some of the tips that you can actually use. Once the virus has been removed from your system would revert to its normal routine to come.

Best Registry Cleaner

Do you want to use a registry cleaner download from the Internet on your PC, make sure that you will be able to an instrument that is very efficient and reliable use. There are many cleaners out that it could not very well, and in fact, if you used the wrong tool on your system, at the end of this conduct damages to your computer and not in a position as efficiently as possible. Fortunately, we have used these instruments for a long time, and we felt that it is another very good and you can start the JE via download.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Disable Windows Live Messenger

If you're sorry, Windows Live Messenger on your system for any reason, or they have chosen other Messenger, Yahoo Messenger or Google talk test packets to disable or uninstall the program just "your computer system.
If you install a Windows operating system, a pair of die program, included in the package of Sindh. Such a program Windows Live Messenger is dying, dying is easy, as the Messenger called Windows. The new name is now Windows Live Messenger. Because there are different types of IM clients, a large part of Sindh, notwithstanding the re-marketing programs, not your computer. Some people choose to live uninstall Messenger, while disabling the other choices only. If you opt for the latter decisions, here are the basic steps to die, turn off "all contributed to Windows Messenger from your computer dignity administrative community. But when you give input in the form of test packets, the job security you know you're a Windows Vista or perhaps an operating system Windows XP.

international cyber-attack

The problem with International cyber attacks
General Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the man who Cybercom, United States, the new Cyber Security Command, warned recently about the huge increase in the number of attempts hackers and others for infringement of its Internet Security.
What originally began as a virus and malware attacks by amateur hackers, disgruntled employees and against computers and networks, now transformed into the global reach of criminal enterprises, and government-backed terrorists.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

3 High-Tech Features Of The Apple Iphone

What's the big deal behind the Apple iPhone? It's expensive. It's revolutionary. But are its features worth the money?

With all the popularity, you can assume everyone’s at least heard about it. What does the Apple iPhone feature and what can it do?

#1: Multi-Touch Technology

The most outstanding feature is the iPhone’s radical multi-touch screen. The MT screen allows any mechanical button to appear on this high tech toy. It simply allows you to use your fingers to operate it. This is contrary to any other phone today, which either have mechanical keyboards or a stylus.

5 Easy Steps To Protect Your Small Business From Spyware

If your computers are in any way connected the Internet, they are being regularly bombarded with spyware, viruses, and other malware. Here are 5 easy steps you can follow to block these programs, or at least detect and remove spyware from your firm's networks and computer systems.

What are these sneaky little programs up to?

The more benign spyware and adware simply watches the pages you visit on the web so that companies can fine-tune their marketing based on profiling. However, malicious spyware goes beyond tracking, monitoring keystrokes, capturing passwords and other functions which pose a definite security risk to your business.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Networking Terms: Educating Your Clients

It is very important to educate your small business prospects and clients on key small business networking terms and buzzwords.  After all, in order to "win them over", you need to be speaking the same language. In fact, you may even want to prepare a "cheat sheet", based on the below definitions, to help you in your prospect and client pre-sales activities.

If you’d like to order a license to reproduce these networking terms for client sales literature, please contact questions@ComputerConsulting101.com and put "Licensing Your LAN Buzzwords" in the subject line.

How To Find Your IP Address . DNS Address . IPv4 . IPv6

IP address
(Internet Protocol address) is a unique address that certain electronic devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol standard (IP)—in simpler terms, a computer address. Any participating network device—including routers, computers, time-servers, printers, Internet fax machines, and some telephones—can have their own unique address.
An IP address can also be thought of as the equivalent of a street address or a phone number ( compare: VoIP (voice over (the) internet protocol)) for a computer or other network device on the Internet. Just as each street address and phone number uniquely identifies a building or telephone, an IP address can uniquely identify a specific computer or other network device on a network. An IP address differs from other contact information, however, because the linkage of a user's IP address to his/her name is not publicly available information.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

5 Things to Know Before Going Wireless

Before you decide to go wireless or not, there are many points to consider.  You may be asking yourself if wireless is for you.  Well, today, many people are asking themselves the same question.  If you watch the headline news, you are bound to see stories involving mergers, federal regulations, and new tax rules.  This all points to the fact that VoIP has made a definite impression on American citizens and is here to stay.  It may be difficult for some people to remove the telephone cords from their homes; we have depended on them for over 100 years.  But once many people take the time to weigh the pros and the cons, most choose to go wireless. Here are some reasons, why you should make the switch to wireless.

Data Recovery Tips

Data recovery becomes necessary when your hard drive, memory card or USB flash card fail, and you have no backup available. This article gives an idea on the necessary steps and precautions during the data recovery process.

Before attempting the recovery, you must be aware that the data cannot always be retrieved. In case of a physical failure of a hard disk such as the infamous "click of death" situation, you won't be able to do much good to the hard drive except bring it to the recovery experts. Modern hard drives, however, are complex yet reliable pieces of electronics. They rarely fail for no reason, at least on a physical level.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Computer lessons for beginners : how to use a computer mouse

Learn how to hold the computer mouse:
Hold the sides of the mouse with your thumb on one side and ring finger or pinkie, which ever feels more comfortable to you, on the other side. Your index finger goes on the left button and your middle finger on the right button. (Some computer mice only have one button, some have several, some have a wheel which you can use your middle finger to depress the wheel then turn it up or down to scroll pages very quickly or slow depending on how quickly you turn the wheel. Personally I love the wheel and would not have a mouse without it!) When you are told to 'click' use the button under your index finger, or the left button.

Building A Computer Introduction

If you are reading this article, you are probably wondernig, why and how do you build a computer. Building your own computer is more simple than you think and has many benefits.

Why Build A Computer?
Building a computer has many benefits over buying a premade. First of all, it is generally cheaper if you build your own than buying one. If you shop your components, your DIY(Do it yourself) computer will be cheaper than its premade equivalent. If you build your own computer, it will be faster than one that is premade, because most computer manufacturers use cheap components and try to

Friday, April 16, 2010

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification: Introduction To BGP Attributes

BGP is one of the most complex topics you'll study when pursuing your CCNP, if not the most complex. I know from personal experience that when I was earning my CCNP, BGP is the topic that gave me the most trouble at first. One thing I keep reminding today's CCNP candidates about, though, is that no Cisco technology is impossible to understand if you just break it down and understand the basics before you start trying to understand the more complex configurations.

A Review of Medical Billing Software Products

Medical billing software reviews are one of the easiest ways to find out important facts regarding the function and use of certain types of medical billing software, as well as their limitations.

One software package that regularly garners superlative reviews is Lytec medical billing software. Computer experts and users alike agree that Lytec software has many positives, including a clear interface and a simple approach to the medical billing process. The Lytec software suite tracks claims management, patient billing, insurance, and scheduling in a single package. The result is a workspace with a seamless quality in which a group of diverse functions, from electronic medical records to healthcare forms, behave in an integrated and coherent way.

A Guide To Computer Aided Design

Computer Aided Design (CAD) is a form of software automation that uses various computer-aided design tools that helps engineers, architects and other professionals in the design activity purposes. It is considered to be both software and special-purpose hardware. In product lifecycle management, the use of geometric tools plays a significant role. The CAD is available in various packages ranging from 2D vector based drafting systems to 3D parametric surface and solid design modelers.

A Perfectly Clean Uninstall

Uninstalling a Windows application leaves multiple traces such as abandoned registry keys, configuration files and shared libraries that are no longer used by any application. When you are looking for a perfect solution to your problem, you are typically downloading and testing dozens of different applications distributed on the try-before-you-buy basis. After you complete your search, you'll decide on just one application, and will want to remove the other products you've tested. But do you realize how much garbage they leave behind even after being 'completely' uninstalled?

Bookmark Managers: Programs vs. Web Services

The rapid development of the World Wide Web in recent years has led to an explosive growth of information on the Internet. Our contemporary lifestyle would be unimaginable without access to such a super-abundant cornucopia of valuable information and web surfing has now become an everyday occupation for even the most diverse sections of society.

This rapid expansion of web resources raises some new issues for all of us. How could you possibly remember; after a long search, the address of that crucial web page? How will you be able to return to the page without repeating a tedious web search through hundreds and thousands  of pages?

Antispyware Or Spyware?

Spyware has become the most prominent computer security problem. How do you choose a good spyware removal tool? Beware of antispyware software which installs spyware/adware to your computer.

Spyware is a hidden software program. It is often used to monitor the browsing and shopping habits of computer users. Spyware can also be a remote control program that steals confidential banking and personal information.

Adobe Photoshop CS3: Top 5 Standout New Features

Upon first digging into Adobe Photoshop CS3, a few features have really popped out at me as incredibly useful. I would like to offer a brief overview of some of these new ways of attacking your creative challenges using the latest version of Adobe's flagship app. PsCS3 will run you about $649 to buy it outright if you do not own any previous versions. If you own Photoshop 7, CS, or CS2, you are eligible for upgrade pricing - looks like $199 for the upgrade. Check Adobe's store on their website for more info. For more information about what comes in the different versions of CS3, and what your suite configuration options are, see my previous post.

Building a Computer From the Bottom Up

Before you even think about building your own computer make sure that you go for the best technology possible. This is an important task and you want it to turn out as close to perfect as possible. When your PC is complete you want it to have the best hardware available.

One of the biggest benefits of building your own computer is that you can customize it. You know what is most important to you. Maybe you are a graphics user.

Athlon 64 Processors

For a long time Intel has been leading the market in processor sales and popularity but AMD is finally putting a stop to that.  With the release of their Athlon 64 processor, with 64 bit computing capabilities, they have been slowly but surely regaining the market back from Intel. 

The Athlon 64 processors have been around for a while now and they have proven themselves the market leaders in processing power. 

5 Tips To Buying Ink Cartridges For Printers

$As a general rule, black ink cartridges are more affordable than color toner. When considering which to purchase, take a moment to think about how you will be using your printer. Will your printouts require color or will they work just as well in black & white? If the answer is ‘yes,’ you will save a considerable amount of money in purchasing the black ink cartridges.

Repair Excel

The information, stored in Microsoft Excel, may be valuable, therefore, you should protect it. Very often, Microsoft Excel worksheets contain tables, reports, diagrams and other critical documents. We believe, that such documents should not be lost, otherwise, it may provoke serious losses. Recovery Toolbox for Excel helps to avoid losses, if you could not prevent the corruption of worksheets.

Compact Flash Memory and Data Recovery

Flash memory gets its name due to its microchip arrangement in such a way, that its section of memory cells gets erased in a single action or "Flash".
Both NOR and NAND Flash memory were invented by Dr. Fujio Masuoka from Toshiba in 1984.The name 'Flash' was suggested because the erasure process of the memory contents reminds a flash of a camera, and it's name was coined to express how much faster it could be erased "in a flash". Dr. Masuoka presented the invention at the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Jose, California in 1984 and Intel recognizes the potentiality of the invention and introduced the first commercial NOR type flash chip in 1988, with long erase and write times.