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BenQ’s featherweight Joybook Lite U101 is Atom powered Bharat | Jan 9 2009 BenQ has been off the hook for a while now, but they have finally collect

2010-01-21T02:08:00.000-08:00

Sony’s laptop batteries are again becoming a problem. Last year, Toshiba recalled 830,000 notebook batteries and now, they have made a recall for another 10,000 Sony laptop batteries. Three of the machines were reported to go up in smoke between September 2006 and June 2007. No injuries have been reported, but the recall has once again raised the concerns with the Sony notebook batteries.
The new recall caters to two models, the Satellite A100/A105 and the Tecra A7. The details of the part numbers and instructions for the battery exchange have been put up on the Toshiba web site.
Sony in problem:
Last year, nearly 10 million Sony manufactured hazardous batteries were recalled and that reportedly cost Sony approximately $418 million. The new recall by Toshiba is small but the situation might get worse. Moreover, customers will think ten times before opting for a laptop integrating Sony manufactured battery. It’s the high time Sony should come out with a solution to the burning problem.

Billy Joel certified GPS equipped Asus U3 laptop released in market

2010-01-21T02:07:00.000-08:00

Is that a book on the table? Well, it’s a notebook. The picture above is not anything else but, a Asus U3 laptop released in the market. Asus, the laptop manufacturing company has been developing some pretty innovative products lately. The latest in the market is the 13inch ultra portable U3 laptop.
The U3 is well equipped with a Santa Rosa chipset. This laptop is probably one of the fewer models which use the low voltage intel dual core processor. The best part about this baby is it’s packed with a host of technologies. It has a HDMI, GPS, S-video and eSATA. This is the first time I am hearing about a laptop equipped with a GPS. I think that’s a great deal.
The antenna port of the laptop is built in on the right side of the laptop. The laptop will have firewire ports along with ExpressCard 54 slots.
The exterior is finished in superior piano black leather approved by Billy Joel. Now this yet another interesting part. I wonder how Billy Joel fits in the equation. Moving on, the exterior also provides a set of USB ports just like any other laptops.
The laptop is priced at around $2000. However, this depends on the dealers. For this price tag, the company provides a great laptop with a LED backlit variety screen. The narrow and slim profile makes this laptop slim and as they claim ultra portable. Even though the pricing information has been released, we haven’t managed to get a release date yet.

Fujitsu LifeBook N6460...fully loaded!

2010-01-21T02:05:00.000-08:00

Another notebook that amalgamates desktop like power in it and touts aloud of its power to convert your notebook into an inflexible Media Center PC is Fujitsu’s new LifeBook N6460 .
The notebook comes powered with Genuine Windows Vista and features Intel Core 2 Duo Processor united with high-speed ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 graphics that delivers superior level of performance to gamers and technology cravers and comes packed with high contrast 17-inch Color-Enhanced Crystal View display, video optimization circuitry and built-in stereo sound system with subwoofer.
More features of the LifeBook N6460 include:
* 2 GB DDR2 667 MHz SDRAM memory * 1 GB Intel Turbo Memory * Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer * Fingerprint Sensor * Remote Control * Built-in WLAN 11AGN * 1000/100/10 Mbps (GigaBit) LAN * 56Kbps modem * PCMIA Card Slot * 5x USB 2.0 ports * Mini D-SUB 15-pin VGA-out * S-Video Out * HDMI-Video Out * IEEE 1394 * SD/MS/MS PRO memory card slot * Lithium ion 3200 mAh battery
The laptop is available in 2 configurations in US stores with main difference of 200 GB (4200 rpm, SATA) hard drive (200 GB x 1) and 400 GB (4200 rpm, SATA) hard drive (200 GB x 2) and to get it you have to shell out $1,799 and $2,599, respectively.

BenQ’s featherweight Joybook Lite U101 is Atom powered Bharat | Jan 9 2009 BenQ has been off the hook for a while now, but they have finally collect

2010-01-21T02:01:00.000-08:00

Asus’ U3 laptop is now officially announced to hit our shelves and it appears that company has bundled it with all the goodies to magnetize young geeks with its arresting specs.
This 13.3 inches Santa Rosa-based notebook features piano painted LCD cover exterior, stainless contour and magnesium aluminum alloy casing with genuine leather bound palm rest.
U3 series notebooks detailed hardware specs comprise:
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7500/ T7300/ T7100/ T5450/ T5250/ CM540 Mobile Intel GM965 Chipset, ICH8M South Bridge Intel 4965 a/b/g/n, 3945 a/b/g Network Connection Genuine Windows Vista nVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS with 128MB VRAM, Turbo Cache 384MB with 1GB system Memory; 896MB with 2GB System Memory 1.3M Pixels Video Camera Up to 2560MB DDR2 667 MHz RAM (only 1 slot) Support for Intel Turbo Memory SATA HDD up to 160 GB, Turbo Memory/ GPS/ 3G/ Bluetooth Option External USB Optical Disc Drive (Combo/Super Multi) Ports: 1x HDMI, 1x e-SATA, External GPS RF in connector, VGA port/Mini D-sub, 3x USB 2.0 ports, Audio jack, LAN RJ-45, Phone RJ-11 jack, 1394 Type jack, TV-Out (S-video) Dimensions: 31.85 x 24.3 x 2.22~3.22cm Weight: 1.75kg (with 3 cell battery)
The notebook is forecasted to release sometimes in September and will hit our shelves with $2,000 price tag ballpark.

Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV660

2010-01-04T02:57:00.001-08:00

CPU 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200

RAM 2GB DDR2 667

Hard Drive 240GB SATA (120GBx2 RAID-0)

Graphics Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 (256MB)

Optical Drive HD DVD

Screen Size and Resolution 17" / 1920x1200

Dimensions 16.0" W x 11.6" D x 1.79" H

Weight 10.1 lbs

Approximate Price $3,499.99

Here we have another HD DVD capable laptop, this time brought to you by the good people over at Toshiba. With a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, 240GB of RAID-0 goodness, and a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600, Toshiba provides a nice supporting cast of components to complement the HD DVD player. They also throw in a biometric fingerprint scanner for good measure.

If you look really closely, you will see that the Qosmio G35-AV660's specs are very close to the Acer Aspire 9810 reviewed earlier, albeit with some slight differences. That being said, Toshiba is going to have a hard act to follow considering that the Qosmio costs roughly $900 more than the comparable Acer.

Toshiba offers 240GB of hard drive space (RAID-0) in the Qosmio, which differentiates it slightly, but RAID-0 just offers more space, without any data protection benefit, rendering it near-useless as a selling point or justification for a higher price. One area that some users may find it worth shelling out the extra dough for the Toshiba is that it offers full HD resolution, instead of being limited to 720p like the Acer is. Unfortunately, the Qosmio's screen is only 17', so some users may be willing to tradeoff 1080p on a 17' screen for 720p on a 20' screen.

I'm not going to completely rehash why buying a HD DVD laptop may not be a good idea at this junction in time, except to say it may not really be a viable reason to spend money on a brand new technology that might not be around in a few years. Like the Acer before it, I'm going to put a better video card on my short wish list of things to fix about the Qosmio G35-AV660.

Is the Qosmio worth the asking price? It depends on your needs, I suppose. If you really need a high definition portable video player with 1920x1200 resolution, this may be the system for you. If you don't see the immediate need for something like this right now, you may consider the laptop slightly not worth it.

Sony Vaio VGN-AR190G

2010-01-04T02:56:00.001-08:00

CPU 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo T2500

RAM 2GB DDR2 533

Hard Drive 200GB SATA (2x100GB RAID-0)

Graphics Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600GT (256MB)

Optical Drive Blu-ray

Screen Size and Resolution 17" / 1920x1200

Dimensions 16.4" W x 11.8" D x 1.32" H

Weight 8.4 lbs

Approximate Price $3,799.00

We have here a first for the mobile world - a portable Blu-ray drive in a laptop. Depending on your needs, this may not get a rise out of you, but for a lot of tech geeks out there this is a pretty cool thing. We've seen several vendors (including a few on this list) with HD-DVD capable laptops, but this is the first one available with Blu-ray.

If you set aside the fact that there is a Blu-ray drive in this laptop, the hardware doesn't seem that amazing compared to the others. The only exception is that the VGN-AR190G boasts dual hard drives for 200GB of storage. Otherwise, the CPU is a normal Core Duo, it has the standard 2GB of RAM, and the GeForce Go 7600GT is an okay choice. 1920x1200 resolution on a 17' screen again may be too small for some users, but the HD video junkie that purchases this laptop is unlikely to care.

My main gripe about this system also happens to be its biggest selling point: Blu-ray. While it is indeed cool that you can record HD quality video on this laptop (unlike the other systems that only have HD DVD players) there is questionable value in this fact. There's an interesting duality here. If you were to buy a standalone Blu-ray recorder for your home, it will run you about $1,000. Depending on how you look at it, the rest of the hardware technically would only cost $2,800, which isn't too bad for a system such as this. There's another viewpoint however, and this is more like how I see the VGN-AR190G. Since Blu-ray is waging its war with HD-DVD for the title of de facto high definition standard (this generation's BetaMax vs. VHS?), it is still too early to tell which will win, so why would you shell out this much money when down the road Blu-ray may not emerge victorious? I personally would not be a happy camper having shelled out $3,400 for this laptop, and God knows how much on blank Blu-ray discs, only to have them go the way of the dinosaurs by the end of 2007. For this reason, factoring in the current market price for normal Blu-ray recorders as justification for the price is nullified by the fact that it may be useless in a very short time.

On the other hand, Blu-ray may win and then you can have the privilege of crowing to all your buddies about how you knew it all along and were cool enough to be an early adopter. Check back later, my crystal ball's kind of cloudy at the moment.

Falcon Northwest FragBook DR 6800A

2010-01-04T02:54:00.000-08:00

CPU 2.4GHz AMD Athlon64 X2 4600+

RAM 2GB DDR 400

Hard Drive 120GB SATA

Graphics Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 (512MB)

Optical Drive 8X DVD+/-RW

Screen Size and Resolution 17" / 1920x1200

Dimensions 15.5"W x 11.7" D x 1.9" H

Weight 12.7 lbs

Approximate Price $4,943.34

You almost had to expect to see an entry from Falcon Northwest on this list. Having long been one of the premier boutique PC shops, Falcon does not disappoint with the FragBook DR 6800A (well, relatively speaking). Probably the closest competitor to Apple in the way of fit and finish, you'd be hard pressed to find many nicer looking laptops. There's a great deal of aesthetic modifications you can have done right at Falcon's factory before the laptop ships.

Inside the FragBook isn't much of a slouch either. Powered by a desktop 2.4GHz AMD Athlon64 X2 4600+, there's a ton of power at your fingertips (and a lot of heat in your lap). Coupled with 2GB of DDR RAM, a 120GB SATA hard drive, and a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 displaying 1920x1200 on a 17' screen, you've got yourself quite a system, for gaming or otherwise.

There's not a lot to criticize this system for- save the desktop processor and its heat output, the potential eye strain mentioned previously when coupling a 17' screen with a 1920x1200 resolution, and lack of SLI at this price point. Remember, this article is not really focused on whether or not this is a good system. Every laptop here is kickass. The determining factor is whether the price is justified.

Despite the fact that the laptop is a great performer and has eleventy-billion coats of nice shiny paint that you can comb your hair while looking at, for almost $5,000 it's a bit steep. For that price, I would be looking for SLI and either a Turion64 X2 or Core 2 Duo processor.

Dell XPS M2010

2010-01-04T02:52:00.000-08:00

CPU 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600

RAM 2GB DDR2 667

Hard Drive 120GB SATA RAID-1

Graphics Card(s) ATI Mobility X1800 (256MB)

Optical Drive DVD-RW

Screen Size and Resolution 20" / 1680x1050

Dimensions 18.85" W x 15.9" D x 2.9" H

Weight 18.3 lbs

Approximate Price $4,649.00

Dell sort of broke the mold with this one. They're not usually known for innovative design, but this mobile' unit is like none of the others. It's a true desktop replacement solution, and runs a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR2 RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 graphics card, and boasts a 20' LCD running a native resolution of 1680x1050. It's a beast in every sense of the word- an 18 pound, almost 19' wide monster.

There's a lot to like in the M2010. If you so choose, you can boost the RAM to 4GB (and add a couple grand to the price tag in the process), run 120GB SATA hard drives mirrored in RAID-1 (as the above configuration shows), and have a great screen with a resolution that is perfectly matched for it.

There are a couple of things I question about this model, however. First and foremost, I question the usefulness of the M2010 as a mobile' unit, as it has been marketed by Dell. I suppose you could fold the screen down, pick the thing up and lug it somewhere, but its sheer size makes that seem very unlikely in real world practice. It appears like it would be more at home on some yuppie's minimalist glass desk than in a student's book bag or on a commuter train. I would hesitate to brand it as a mobile' unit as it more closely resembles an all-in-one or small form factor (SFF) computer.
Also, since the unit is so large, I don't know why Dell didn't choose a better (or newer generation) video card. They could have fit a bigger, faster card that produces more heat inside because size (and heat dissipation) is not as much of an issue when you have 19' to work with.

The system is a design marvel, but the limited mobility makes it somewhat of an overpriced desktop system, as you can get a better SFF desktop for a lot less.

Asus Lamborghini VX1

2010-01-04T02:51:00.000-08:00

CPU 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo T2500

RAM 2GB DDR2 667

Hard Drive 160GB PATA

Graphics Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce Go7400 VX (512MB)

Optical Drive 4X DVD+/-RW

Screen Size and Resolution 15" / 1400x1050

Dimensions 13" W x 10.7" D x 1.5" H

Weight 5.3 lbs

Approximate Price $2,799.99

Following in the footsteps of Acer's Ferrari line of laptops, Asus has teamed with Automobili Lamborghini to bring you the VX1. Available in the same yellow or black that you can purchase your next Lamborghini pasta-rocket in, the VX1 is largely crafted out of carbon alloy to reduce its weight to a hair over five pounds, a full pound-and-a-half less than the next lightest laptop, the MacBook Pro.

A standard VX1 configuration includes a 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB PATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce Go7400 VX GPU, and a 15' screen running at 1400x1050 resolution.

The hardware in the VX1 leaves me a little under whelmed for almost three grand out of my piggy bank. The CPU isn't even Core 2 Duo, the video card is middle of the road, the DVD drive is slower than any other laptop in this review, and the screen is 2' smaller than the other guys' laptops. I know they all can't be 19'+ behemoths, because that's not the only kind of laptop there is, but for this price you'd expect a little more.

I can understand why a company would market such a laptop - it certainly looks great, it's compact and light, and comes with a nice bundle (including a Lamborghini branded mouse pad and carrying case). In this instance, you're definitely paying a price premium for the automotive paintjob and Lamborghini emblem. A similarly equipped Dell XPS would run you about $800 less, but would certainly not look as nice. You probably won't see a lot of people running around with this laptop (kind of like you won't see a ton of Lamborghinis on the road) but I think that's more to do with Asus' method of distribution than anything else.

Apple MacBook Pro (17")

2010-01-04T02:49:00.000-08:00

CPU 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo T2600

RAM 2GB DDR2 667

Hard Drive 120GB SATA

Graphics Card(s) ATI Radeon X1600 (256MB)

Optical Drive 8X DVD+/-RW

Screen Size and Resolution 17" / 1680x1050

Dimensions 15.4" W x 10.4" D x 1.0" H

Weight 6.8 lbs

Approximate Price $3,099.00

The list of features, bundled accessories and capabilities of this small device look pretty impressive on paper, but let's see how it stacks up in actual usage.

Often synonymous with the word expensive', Apple makes an appearance on this list with their 17' MacBook Pro. Featuring an Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, and an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600, Apple can finally hang with the big boys of the laptop world.

The bar for measuring how much laptop you get for the money is a little different with the MacBook Pro. Normally I would fault Apple for only' including an ATI Radeon X1600 with a machine that costs $3,100 because of my gaming tendencies. Since gaming and Apple are not normally used in the same sentence (unless that sentence is prefaced with the words don't even think about'), I can't really fault the MacBook Pro too much.

I hate to say it, for fear of inciting the anti-Mac crowd, but there are few laptops that are built as well as Apple's or include as many innovative or well-engineered features. The quality here is top-notch, and the fit and finish is second to none. It is also the thinnest laptop of the bunch, besting the next-thinnest by almost a third of an inch.

The rest of the hardware specs are comparable to the other models in this article, perhaps a tad worse. The area in which this laptop really shines is the fact that you can now dual boot Windows XP and OSX with the Apple-supplied Boot Camp or Parallels on the MacBook Pro, which obviously is a feature unique to Apple products. In my mind, this feature adds a great deal of value to the MacBook Pro, especially for those who have wanted to try OSX but were afraid to spend the money on an OSX-only Mac system. This laptop allows users to run all of their favorite programs for each OS on one single machine, and to choose between Microsoft and Apple for specific tasks, which was previously unheard of.

Sure, this laptop isn't that great for gaming, but the added functionality of dual booting makes that shortcoming seem miniscule. Now, had Apple included a better video card and a Core 2 Duo CPU, then the MacBook Pro could have earned ten moneybags.

Alienware Aurora m9700

2010-01-04T02:46:00.000-08:00

CPU 2.4GHz AMD Turion 64

RAM 2GB DDR 400

Hard Drive 120GB SATA

Graphics Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GS SLI (2x256MB)

Optical Drive 8X DVD+/-RW

Screen Size and Resolution 17" / 1920x1200

Dimensions 15.85"W x 11.75" D x 1.85" H

Weight 8.5 lbs

Approximate Price $3,126.00

No top ten list of expensive top tier systems would be complete without including an offering from Alienware. Billed as a high end gaming system/desktop replacement, the Aurora m9700 sports a 2.4GHz AMD Turion 64 CPU, 17' 1920x1200 screen, and two NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GS graphics cards running in SLI configuration. True to Alienware form, the unit is styled with the alien theme and comes in several customizable colors.

Alienware has never had the reputation of being the most affordable or cost conscious OEM. In this case, that reputation stands firm. It looks pretty with its snazzy paintjob, gills' on the top of the chassis, and contains some nice hardware inside. However even for a high end boutique system, this Alienware model could stand to have better technology for the money.

First off, the hardware is good, but not that good. Some may question why an Alienware Core 2 Duo system wasn't included instead (such as the Area-51 m5750), and it's simply because the Aurora m9700 comes equipped with SLI, which brings the total price higher. Therein lies two issues; first of all, yes, it's SLI, but it's not nearly as good SLI as some other manufacturers offer. For a price at the level this laptop commands, I would expect a 7800GTX or 7900GTX, but that may just be me. Second, running a high resolution such as 1920x1200 on a fairly small 17' screen may be rough on some users' eyes. Perhaps a more appropriate resolution for best readability would have been 1680x1050.

Since I've done a fair amount of modding in my time, I'm not easily swayed by fancy OEM paintjobs that bring a hefty price premium. I've seen many a case painted by Joe Schmoe that came out looking like near OEM quality and the styling of the laptop itself is not a compelling enough reason to pay top dollar for this system.

Acer Aspire 9810

2010-01-04T02:45:00.001-08:00

CPU 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200

RAM 2GB DDR2 667

Hard Drive 120GB SATA

Graphics Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 (256MB)

Optical Drive HD DVD

Screen Size and Resolution 20" / 1680x1050

Dimensions 18.7" W x 13.86" D x 2.43" H

Weight 16.98 lbs

Approximate Price ~$2600

As you can see from the specs, this is one hell of a machine, especially if you intend on using it for video playback purposes. The beefy Aspire 9810 is one of the first laptops out there to include an HD DVD drive, for all of you out there interested in portable HD video. A Core 2 Duo processor will also ensure you have plenty of power on tap for multitasking.

For all its great numbers and specs, there are some flaws with the Aspire 9810. A point of contention in my eyes is that the 9810 has a weaker graphics card than some of the other models in the roundup. Maybe it's my gaming predilection speaking, but for this kind of coin I'd like a more robust graphics card implemented so I would be able to game on a mobile solution at high resolution with all the eye candy turned up. To get an idea of how the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 performs, check out our review of the Go 7600-equipped Toshiba Qosmio AV650.

One more question abounds, and that is why Acer chose a 1680x1050 resolution bundled with that HD DVD drive, as this resolution is not true High Definition. A better choice may have been 1920x1200 which would allow 1080i/p content to be played in true high def. Another factor to consider with the inclusion of the HD DVD drive is that the high def standard has still not been decided. Whether Blu-ray or HD DVD will emerge victorious is anyone's guess, so the true value of having either drive right now is somewhat debatable. Also, the HD DVD drive doesn't record high definition video, it only plays it.

Despite these few quibbles, this laptop is one of the best bargains of the bunch. When you consider that a standalone HD DVD unit will run you about $500-$600 alone, that leaves you spending about $2,000 for a system that comes with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB of RAM, a fairly large amount of hard drive space, mid-range video card, and a big beautiful LCD, all in a package that you can still cart around to class, or on business trips.

Most Expensive Supercomputer in the US

2010-01-04T02:36:00.001-08:00

IBM’s BlueGene/L machine is both the fastest and most expensive supercomputer ever built in the United States. It was built at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The supercomputer is built from 64 racks of Blue Gene servers, each of which contains 1,024 700MHz dual-core PowerPC processors.
Specifications listed on LLNL’s website about their BlueGene/L system
are as follows:
65,536 compute nodes, each targeted for 2.8 GFlop/s peak
Chip multiprocessor with 4MB L3 cache on chip
High-bandwidth low-latency 3D torus and combining tree networks
32 terabytes of memory
High-performance kernel on compute nodes, Linux on I/O nodes
Hardware support for Message Passing Interface collectives
BlueGene/L currently tops the TOP500 Supercomputer Sites list with a Linpack performance benchmark of 280.6 TFlop/s.
IBM sells a single 1,024 processor BlueGene rack for approximately $2,000,000. The BlueGene/L supercomputer was built by IBM for the DoE along with the ASCI Purple supercomputer that benchmarks at 63.39 TFlop/s as part of a $290,000,000 contract. The supercomputers will both be used for nuclear weapons simulations.

Most Expensive Computer in the World

2010-01-04T02:30:00.000-08:00

The Japanese government estimates the Earth Simulator cost $400,000,000, making it the most expensive computer ever built. The budget for the Earth Simulator project was authorized for the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) in 1997, and NEC Corporation made the winning bid for the Japanese project.

By May 2002, the 640 processor node supercomputer was benchmarked with Linpack as having 35.86 TFlop/s performance. This gave it the top spot on the TOP500 Supercomputer Sites list until 2004 when IBM’s BlueGene/L supercomputer took its place using an architecture that cost less than half as much to implement.
Each processor node in the Earth Simulator contains 8 vector processors running at 500MHz with 16GB of shared memory, and the total main memory in the machine is 10 terabytes. The operating system running on the supercomputer is NEC’s UNIX-based OS called “SUPER-UX” which is used on NEC’s SX Series of supercomputers.
This expensive computer is used for a wide variety of international projects, most of which are related to atmospheric, climate, and oceanographic simulation

Data Recovery Denver

2009-12-30T12:10:00.001-08:00

At DataTech Labs we understand how important your data is so our professional staff will work around the clock to ensure a timely turn-around of your data recovery needs. Our recovery engineers have decades of experience recovering data from failed hard drives, computers RAID arrays, and removable media devices. We are proud to offer professional data recovery services to Denver and surrounding areas in Colorado through our Authorized Service Center.

Data Recovery Professionals

2009-12-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

At DataTech Labs we understand how disturbing the thought of losing your irreplaceable, personal or business data can be. If you have experienced a hard drive crash, call one of our data recovery engineers for a free quote. Everyone’s scenario is unique, that’s why our data recovery professionals take the time to comprehend your individual circumstances and needs.

5 Wireless Mice for Under $50

2009-12-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

Whether you need six buttons or two, there is an inexpensive wireless mouse out there that can suit your needs. Even at a low cost, the features of these mice are able to satisfy any type of user, from gamers to designers to general PC users.

ATP 8GB EarthDrive USB 2.0 Flash Drive - Black

2009-12-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

The EarthDrive takes our more than fifteen years of effort, design and quality implementation in the memory marketplace to the next level. Now, more than anytime in the history of our company, we are committed to creating products that take into consideration the environmental impact on our world and our global community. The EarthDrive Project included long term research and design with revolutionary new 'bio-friendly' materials. The result is a design and manufacturing process that allows the ATP EarthDrive to utilize recycled material, while maintaining the durability, strength, look, and feel of an ATP USB drive.

As part of our next logical step in the process, we are pleased to announce our partnership with American Forests' National Tree planting projects that allows us to expand our reach on both a national and global basis. With the planting of over several thousand trees already, we have made on ongoing commitment to continue the planting of trees with a portion of the profits generated from the EarthDrive line of products. In this manner, ATP has made a solid and expanding pledge and "Drive" to ensure the consistent reforestation and restoration of the planet.

Bluetooth speakerphone

2009-12-10T09:02:00.001-08:00

Bluetooth speakerphone-
Use with your car stereo
Make and take calls safely and easily
Play mobile music on car speakers
Easy to use and needs no installation
Excellent sound quality-
advanced DSP noise reduction and echo cancellation
Voice announcements-
so you can keep your eyes on the road
Car charger for ultimate convenience

Cybercrime: Uncovered

2009-11-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

The criminal mastermind lives somewhere in Russia. Drawing on his links to the underworld, he uses the internet to pull the strings of a shadowy network of misanthropes allegedly connected to the Kremlin.

Nothing escapes this kingpin's malevolence: online pornography, fraud, corporate blackmail – it all causes his coffers to fill and his ego to grow. And therein lies his problem. He gets cocky. Known only as "Flyman", his notoriety spreads and the attention forces him to go to ground.

It sounds like a piece of Raymond Chandler for the noughties, a hybrid of films like Hackers, The Matrix or any cyberpunk thriller from the past 20 years. But it is, in fact, real. The network is the Russian Business Network (RBN) – thought to be led by the nephew of a well-connected Russian politician – and it has been attracting the attention of security experts worldwide. Now, after briefly disappearing off the radar, it is believed that the group has moved its operations to China.

Cybercrime is in a state of flux

2009-11-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

In the recently released internet thriller Untraceable, starring Diane Lane, a criminal uses advanced technology to ensure that his own macabre website remains "untraceable" to FBI agents trying to close him down. Cybercriminals in the real world have their own version, "fast flux", to hide the location of phishing and spamming sites and illegal malware.

The technique was first recognised in March 2007 by security companies monitoring criminal botnets like Storm and Nugache. By January, it had become a standard weapon of choice for phishers and spammers. Robert McCardle, from security firm Trend Micro, says: "Fast flux is one of the biggest tools being used by criminal botnets today. They are definitely on the rise, and make it even more difficult for web users to be protected."

Blocking Access to Social Networking Sites

2009-11-14T09:02:00.000-08:00

For several years now, many business and school network administrators block access to Facebook, Myspace and other social networking site on the grounds that they distract employees from more important work. Preventing access to Web sites by name is straightforward, but resourceful employees can find a site's IP addresses and enter those into the browser easily enough. Consequently, administrators often try for more sophisticated IP address blocks. These sometimes also be circumvented via proxies. Have you been on networks that block access to social networking sites and tried to get around it?

A New Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter - Coming Soon

2009-11-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

We and Gizmodo are watching for the official release of Microsoft's new Wi-Fi adapter for the Xbox 360. The new adapter should feature 802.11n support and perhaps a slightly lower price tag than the current 802.11g unit that I and many other gamers around the world have enjoyed for the last few years.
Will it be worth replacing an existing Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter with a new 802.11n model? In a word, probably not. To get maximum benefit from the new adapter, you'll need an 802.11n router. Even then, unless your current wireless connection is very weak, expect the stronger signal and higher network bandwidth 802.11n won't translate into any noticeable stability or performance improvement in your online experience.

ACL (Access Control List)

2009-06-08T10:36:00.002-07:00

Stands for "Access Control List." An ACL is a list of user permissions for a file, folder, or other object. It defines what users and groups can access the object and what operations they can perform. These operations typically include read, write, and execute. For example, if an ACL specifies read-only access for a specific user of a file, that user will be able open the file, but cannot write to it or run the file.

Access control lists provide a straightforward method of managing file and folder permissions. They are used by most operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Unix systems. While ACLs are typically hidden from the user, they can often be modified using a graphical interface. For example, in Mac OS X 10.5, ACL settings can be edited by selecting a file or folder and choosing "Get Info." The access control settings can be modified within the "Sharing and Permissions" section of the window. On Unix systems, ACLs can be edited using the chmod() command.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)

2009-06-08T10:36:00.001-07:00

Stands for "American Standard Code for Information Interchange." ASCII is the universal standard for the numerical codes computers use to represent all upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and puctuation. Without ASCII, each type of computer would use a different way of representing letters and numbers, causing major chaos for computer programmers (allowing them even less sleep than they already get).

ASCII makes is possible for text to be represented the same way on a Dell Dimension in Minneapolis, Minnesota as it is on an Apple Power Mac in Paris, France. There are 128 standard ASCII codes, each of which can be represented by a 7 digit binary number (because 2^7 = 128).