Computers Technology

Six things laptops can learn from the iPad

2010-08-28T00:37:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-28T00:34:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-08-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

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:

Scientists say juggling e-mail, texts, phone calls and other incoming information can change how we think and behave. Sometimes the changes are for the better, but more and more researchers say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information.

The average American adult now spends 8-1/2 hours a day staring into screens (information from the Council for Research Excellence). Researchers at the University of California San Francisco found that, when the brain is constantly stimulated, you hamper the learning process. And while many people say multitasking makes them more productive, research shows otherwise. Heavy multi-taskers actually have more trouble focusing, are more distracted and, researchers say, experience more stress. People think they're refreshing themselves by filling in small bits of time with games, emails, texts etc, but the researchers say it's actually fatiguing and making people less creative. Some neuroscientists go even further, saying our brains can become addicted to the digital stimulation.

Research done last year by UCLA scientist Dr. Gary Small, published in a book called "iBrain," shows daily doses of technology may be altering the way the brain functions, particularly regarding social skills. He suggests all that screen time may weaken the brain circuits involved in face-to-face interactions. He is concerned that fundamental social skills, such as reading facial expressions during a conversation, are being compromised.

That could especially affect young people. "Generation X" is now "Generation Text." A study released this week by the Nielsen Group said teenagers average almost 3000 texts a month! That's four times as much as they talk on their cell phones. Texting is now the main way teens communicate with their friends. Some experts worry kids who are practically hard-wired since birth aren't getting the face-to-face social training they need later in life, on a job interview, and for maintaining relationships with friends outside the virtual world.

A recent study found that teens who are addicted to the Internet are more than twice as likely to be depressed or develop psychiatric problems. The lead researcher of the study, which was published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine earlier this month, says the depression might be caused a lack of sleep and stress from competitive online games. Children and teens, especially, need their sleep for development and concentration in school, so it's vital that they take a break from their digital devices, which include computers, TV and -- a particular teen favorite -- texting. You want them to form good habits early.

WHAT ARE SOME WAYS TO AVOID THIS BRAIN DRAIN OR INFORMATION OVERLOAD?

To prevent brain drain, you want to take a daily break from your devices. Turn off your devices -- or at least, try to lower the times you check your e-mail. Try to use that time to engage in face-to-face conversation, or do a lap or two around the block.

Also, get an appropriate amount of sleep -- don't skimp! Sleep can give the brain rest and a chance to repair itself. REM sleep stimulates the brain regions used in learning. Go for a Zen moment -- try meditating for a younger, healthier brain. Research suggests meditation preserves various regions of the brain. One technique, called integrative body-mind training, has been studied for boosting efficiency and connectivity in the brain. It's a Chinese technique and focuses on a "state of restful alertness" via posture, relaxation and balanced breathing with a coach.

Also, exercise -- one study found that adults who were more physically fit tended to have greater memory than those who are less fit. Physical exercise helps maintain good blood flow to the brain and encourage growth of new brain cells.

Ask Maggie: On wireless-contract fine print

2010-08-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2010-05-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

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.

First First you go to Control Panel and then go to the hardware.
You must click the Device Manager and go to the hidden units.
You must use the plus sign and look for TDSSserv.sys
If the file you need not remove. But have you right mouse button and then click the "Disable".
Your job is done and you have successfully removed redirect Google. Then you must restart your system now

Make sure your antivirus program is updated and that you periodically scan your system. This will ensure that your system is always a check and they never go outside and external threats and viruses.
To send you to a better system from Google, the fast and super high speed running of experience. You can also share your experience akin to driving a new computer. You must be able to enjoy your system as before. It is always recommended that you files from sites that seem to be too dangerous to retrieve. Good antivirus software is always able to tell if a website is safe enough for your system or not. You can also navigate through reviews of other users on the site.

If you are an antispyware tool that quickly by going to Google to remove, you can search for these tools over the Internet. These tools are good for people who are not able to work on removing the virus on their own. This software helps them find the infected files, and then permanently on your own. The

Best Registry Cleaner

2010-05-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

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.
Recording tools are all designed more or less the same work - and this is browse the registry in Windows and all the files that are corrupt or damaged do to remove on the inside. The Registry is a large database, the information on your computer and is used frequently when you use your computer. Some examples of records in use with the loading of your latest e-mail messages or wallpapers. Unfortunately, this database as a double-edged sword. Not only is it essential for your PC, but it is the most common cause of problems in Windows and fix the problem, you should use a registry cleaner to fix it.
There are many tools available for download from the Internet, but the fact is that only some of them are very effective for your PC. The problem is that, because putting cleaner online registry for people to download so easy and simple many amateur programmers have tried to do. And unfortunately, these programmers are not able to create a good cleaning. Register of the tools to search the registry and repair / remove their difficulties. However, most tools are of poor quality is the simple removal of a large number of "healthy Registry Settings" and make your computer very unstable.
Download the Best Registry Cleaner is an online program called "Frontline Registry Cleaner, the search in a position to the registry and determine how many errors is the most reliable. Available at many locations, this tool has been designed from a download , professional company that several years of experience in the software the computer's performance. You can Frontline cleaner download from the Internet and the PC is scanned when it is installed. It then finds the largest number of errors and establishing a number of undesirable files and single file with the solvent side.

Disable Windows Live Messenger

2010-05-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

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.
There are steps following sample pack your MSN Messenger off "Trial packs.

From your first screen, click the Start menu. Or a link to dice your keyboard to check and then die on the button with the button icon in Windows. Whether it's usually between the Ctrl and Alt keys, but you can find it on the keyboard of your choice.
When the second menu appears, select the Run option name to die.
3rd It's fast, a small box in the lower left corner of the screen, then.
Enter the fourth "services.mcs" at checkout.
5th Remember to click OK or Print, just press Enter on your keyboard.
You are now sixth pair of "walking, turn off as" Windows Live Messenger you test the system packages. There will be a service domain know as pop-ups. Dordrecht sample pack, you find the program (Windows Live Messenger) from the list.
Once the seventh Windows Messenger (XP) or Windows Live Messenger, double-click on your mouse.
8th listed in the Startup menu
Choose ninth stage of dying.
button click OK or Print on the keyboard died.
Closure of the print function or Alt + F4 on the computer keyboard will be selected.

These goods die "steps that I am dying to" Messenger on my PC off, if not more yarn that I use. I hope this will help you even turn off Messenger. Good luck

international cyber-attack

2010-05-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

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.
A world of information security attacks and threats to power and refinement supported by rising new nation cyber attacks. While isolated attacks are so far the new wave of cyber attacks and more dangerous. And with the advent of (often hostile), participation in national cyber-attacks, the threat to our nation and the potentially devastating real National Security.
The risk that our enormous advantages in military power, intellectual capital and industrial wealth.
The assets in the U.S. has an enormous human and intellectual capital needed to develop is a risk that by clever cyber-thieves using stolen weaknesses in our internal security. The fact that cyber-thieves can now operate across international borders and is in safe third countries, only increases the danger of impunity. The threat of influence on government and industry.
Although most experts have predicted that this day would come, can have enormous damage online infiltration of U.S. military and infrastructure of the country and government and industry cause are not currently prepared to protect against such attacks.
Obama promises to spend billions to the Cyber Defense Update, and has already pledged hundreds of specialists with a PhD in computer technology to assist in the work of Cybercom and better security to build.
But the problem with a huge bowl of rapid technological progress is hampered by the lack of a clear definition of non-conceptual adequate international cooperation and mistrust between government and private sector.
The 21 century battlefield of many components, the Internet and all things that go from one computer to connect to the Internet. The site also contains information systems such as electrical networks, telecommunications and various social and military systems.
Furthermore, although both defensive and offensive measures are needed to the war against cyber-terrorism, cyber world a much more protective measures in a reactive way. This increase of the international network of data at a pace that surpasses the technology cyber security is growing.
While new technologies and processes are created for hackers and cyber-terrorists to fight, there is little uniformity in the application and approval. Moreover, the international standards to protect and cyber threats, laws come into force.
Real is the threat?
Although there is a universal protest against international terrorism, Cyber, recent events, such as hacking the Pentagon's Strategic databases and cancellation of Google on the Internet in China is symptomatic of the extent of the problem. Many experts like complacent attitude of international cyber-attacks before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II the United States of September 11, 2001 attacks began to see that the war against terrorism began.
Cyber-attacks often considered a low probability, a lot of damage events comparable to major natural disasters or fatal plane crash. If they pass the public concern is high. And accidents, the frequency and severity of attacks is increasing rapidly.
The development of cyber-security solutions
There is a growing awareness of the problem of International Cyber-attack, although the pace of development is slow and erratic. The federal government has commissioned two agencies (National Security Agency - NSA of international cyber-terrorism and the Department of Homeland Security DHS for national cyber-attacks), but there are problems with coordination and funding. More attention, clear vision, define the terms and a substantial increase in resources needed to develop effective solutions.
In addition, infrastructure facilities through the development and use of critical information and databases required. Everyone needs to develop infrastructure for the circulation of the whole society and cyber-defense, improve and use all available developments in technology, legislation and standards. Universal assessment of research and use of centralized data is an important first step in the fight against international cyber-attacks.
Government and industry to recognize the problem and work together to solve international cyber attacks will grow and the threat to our cyber security to increase.

3 High-Tech Features Of The Apple Iphone

2010-04-20T20:49:00.001-07:00

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.

By tapping the screen with your finger, you can navigate menus, dial phone numbers, write e-mail messages and likewise use the whole functionality of the popular gadget. The three-point-five-inch screen displays a keyboard for inputting text via multi-touch. Most consumers are seemingly skeptical about typing with the virtual keyboard, but Apple has predicted the common problems and has made sure the iPhone was constructed with features like automatic spell check and word prediction, not to mention an enhanced customizable dictionary. More so, the iPhone addresses the problems of typos commonly known to multi-touch usage by adding self-correction capabilities.

When scrolling, the usual wheel is not found at the side of the gadget. The multi-touch screen functionality allows its owner to scroll by dragging a finger in the desired direction. The speed of scrolling is designed to be proportional to the speed at which you drag your finger.

The multi-touch feature furthermore enables several more functions like multi-touch sensing for magnifying or reducing photos and even web pages. Using this feature, you can regulate object size simply by placing two fingers at the side of the object and then moving them, by dragging, either further apart or closer to one another. This feature does not distort images because images are initially scaled according to its original dimensions in the first place.

Hands down, the iPhone is more intelligent than any other phone today.

#2: Revolutionary Sensors

The gadget’s sensors have the ability to detect changes to the iPhone’s environment. The sensors are minuscule yet absurdly powerful. The three major sensors include an accelerometer, sensor for ambient light, and a proximity sensor.

The accelerometer sensor conveys the ability to detect any changes in the iPhones positioning. …The iPhone’s screen display will actually rotate to portrait or landscape, while still packing its contents into the 3.5-inch screen. Because it changes the view according to ratio, images are not distorted among web pages, videos, or photos.

The proximity sensors.

These high-tech features detect the location of the iPhone with regard to the skin. When you make a call and hold the iPhone up against your ear, the display will automatically set to standby. This is important in that it serves two basic functions.

One, by shutting off the display when not necessarily needed, this saves your battery’s life. More so, this avoids accidental touches to the screen, which would otherwise be sensitive. As soon as the cell is moved away from your face, the proximity sensors react in this way.

Ambient light sensor.

Through the AL sensor, changes in the phone’s environment are detected and instantaneously adjust the display’s brightness. Your iPhone’s display will always be well adjusted in regard to lighting.

#3: Mac OS X Operating System

The hype behind the Apple iPhone increased when Mac fans found out the Mac OS X would be included. The Mac OS X is the operating system inside the latest Apple computers. On the other hand, the electronic doesn’t have the complete functionality of the operating system. The entire OS X is too large to fit within the 4GB or 8GB internal memory. The iPhone contains a 500 MB version of the operating system.

5 Easy Steps To Protect Your Small Business From Spyware

2010-04-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

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.

Be Careful Where You Download

Unscrupulous programs often come from unscrupulous sites. If you are looking for a freeware or shareware program for a specific purpose, try searching reputable sites like tucows.com or download.com.

Actually Read the EULA

That's an End User License Agreement. It's all of the legal mumbo-jumbo in that box above the radio buttons that say "No, I do not accept" or "Yes, I accept these terms". Most people click "yes" so fast you'd think they were playing a computer game. Keep in mind that the EULA is a legal agreement you are making with the software vendor--and you may be agreeing to install spyware or allow a variety of other changes to your system. Evaluate whether it's worth it first.

Read that Pop-Up Window

Windows that pop up on websites are sometimes useful. But sometimes clicking the button or link will start to install harmful software. Like the EULA, many users will click "yes" or "ok" without stopping to read the text just to make it go away. Maybe it said "Would you like to install our spyware program?" Ok, admittedly they don't come out and say it directly, but that is all the more reason to pause and actually read those messages before you accept.

Fight Back with Antivirus Software

Viruses are just a small part of the what you need software to protect you from. Antivirus software has expanded to include fighting worms, trojans, vulnerability exploits, jokes, hoaxes and even spyware and adware. Check that your business's antivirus system will detect and block spyware. You can try a product like AdAware Pro, which will protect your system from spyware or adware in real time.

Scan Your Networks

Even with antivirus software, firewalls and other protective measures some spyware or adware may eventually make it through the network to individual computers. While a product like AdAware Pro mentioned previously will monitor your systems in real time, your business must pay licensing fees in order to install AdAware Pro system-wide. Evaluating and using the strongest solution is worth it when you consider the IT expense of fixing systems and the time lost by employees, not to mention the frustration. However, AdAware is the free alternative for personal use provided by Lavasoft, the makers of AdAware Pro. AdAware will not monitor in real time, but you can scan your system manually to detect and remove spyware. Another excellent choice is Spybot Search & Destroy, also free.

Follow these five steps and you'll proactively protect your computers from spyware and detect and remove any harmful code that does infiltrate. Take care of it today!

Networking Terms: Educating Your Clients

2010-04-19T22:54:00.001-07:00

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.

•    NIC (Network Interface Card) - a printed circuit board, adapter card or the underlying supporting chipset that snaps into the motherboard of a desktop PC, notebook or server and transmits and receives packets on a network; used to connect to networks including a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or a broadband network for high-speed cable modem or DSL-based Internet access or other dedicated Internet access service; most common NIC used by small businesses is the 10/100Mbps Ethernet adapter.

•    NOS (Network Operating System) - an OS designed for communications between networked computer systems; popular NOS’s include Apple Mac OS, Linux, Microsoft Windows NT/2000 and Novell NetWare.

•    Peer-to-Peer Network - an inexpensive alternative to a client/server network in which a PC doubles as both a workstation (used by an end user) and a server (from which resources are shared); although virtually any OS can be configured for peer-to-peer networking, peer-to-peer networks are often assembled from Microsoft’s least expensive consumer OS’s, such as Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Me and Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

•    RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is technology generally used to increase a server’s reliability -- by simultaneously writing data to multiple hard drives. While many people also use RAID to improve server performance, RAID eliminates a single point of hard drive failure. Years ago, you could only get the benefits of RAID through SCSI-based hard drives. Today, IDE hard drives can also enjoy entry-level RAID fault tolerance benefits.

•    SCSI (small computer systems interface) is a high-end interface for connecting both internal and external computer peripheral devices. Years ago, only SCSI-based storage devices were used in most servers.

•    Server - any computing device or peripheral on a network designed to provide shared services and resources to network users; primarily characterized by multi-user usage, as compared to a desktop or notebook PC; common servers include the file, printer, e-mail messaging and collaboration, Web, proxy and database server.

•    Wireless Ethernet - set of standards and in-progress standards that allow Ethernet networks to run without physical cabling and utilize radio waves for transmission.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

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

2010-04-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

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.

IP addresses can appear to be shared by multiple client devices either because they are part of a shared hosting web server environment or because a network address translator (NAT) or proxy server acts as an intermediary agent on behalf of its customers, in which case the real originating IP addresses might be hidden from the server receiving a request. A common practice is to have a NAT hide a large number of IP addresses, in the private address space defined by RFC 1918, an address block that cannot be routed on the public Internet. Only the "outside" interface(s) of the NAT need to have Internet-routable addresses.

Most commonly, the NAT device maps TCP or UDP port numbers on the outside to individual private addresses on the inside. Just as there may be site-specific extensions on a telephone number, the port numbers are site-specific extensions to an IP address.

IP addresses are managed and created by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The IANA generally allocates super-blocks to Regional Internet Registries, who in turn allocate smaller blocks to Internet service providers and enterprises.

DNS Address:

On the Internet, the Domain Name System (DNS) associates various sorts of information with so-called domain names; most importantly, it serves as the "phone book" for the Internet: it translates human-readable computer hostnames, e.g. en.wikipedia.org, into the IP addresses that networking equipment needs for delivering information. It also stores other information such as the list of mail exchange servers that accept email for a given domain. In providing a worldwide keyword-based redirection service, the Domain Name System is an essential component of contemporary Internet use.

Uses :

The most basic use of DNS is to translate hostnames to IP addresses. It is in very simple terms like a phone book. For example, if you want to know the internet address of en.wikipedia.org, the Domain Name System can be used to tell you it is 66.230.200.100. DNS also has other important uses.

Pre-eminently, DNS makes it possible to assign Internet destinations to the human organization or concern they represent, independently of the physical routing hierarchy represented by the numerical IP address. Because of this, hyperlinks and Internet contact information can remain the same, whatever the current IP routing arrangements may be, and can take a human-readable form (such as "wikipedia.org") which is rather easier to remember than an IP address (such as 66.230.200.100). People take advantage of this when they recite meaningful URLs and e-mail addresses without caring how the machine will actually locate them.

The Domain Name System distributes the responsibility for assigning domain names and mapping them to IP networks by allowing an authoritative server for each domain to keep track of its own changes, avoiding the need for a central registrar to be continually consulted and

History :

The practice of using a name as a more human-legible abstraction of a machine's numerical address on the network predates even TCP/IP, and goes all the way to the ARPAnet era. Back then however, a different system was used, as DNS was only invented in 1983, shortly after TCP/IP was deployed. With the older system, each computer on the network retrieved a file called HOSTS.TXT from a computer at SRI (now SRI International). The HOSTS.TXT file mapped numerical addresses to names. A hosts file still exists on most modern operating systems, either by default or through configuration, and allows users to specify an IP address (eg. 192.0.34.166) to use for a hostname (eg. www.example.net) without checking DNS. As of 2006, the hosts file serves primarily for troubleshooting DNS errors or for mapping local addresses to more organic names. Systems based on a hosts file have inherent limitations, because of the obvious requirement that every time a given computer's address changed, every computer that seeks to communicate with it would need an update to its hosts file.

The growth of networking called for a more scalable system: one that recorded a change in a host's address in one place only. Other hosts would learn about the change dynamically through a notification system, thus completing a globally accessible network of all hosts' names and their associated IP Addresses.

At the request of Jon Postel, Paul Mockapetris invented the Domain Name System in 1983 and wrote the first implementation. The original specifications appear in RFC 882 and 883. In 1987, the publication of RFC 1034 and RFC 1035 updated the DNS specification and made RFC 882 and RFC 883 obsolete. Several more-recent RFCs have proposed various extensions to the core DNS protocols.

In 1984, four Berkeley students — Douglas Terry, Mark Painter, David Riggle and Songnian Zhou — wrote the first UNIX implementation, which was maintained by Ralph Campbell thereafter. In 1985, Kevin Dunlap of DEC significantly re-wrote the DNS implementation and renamed it BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Domain, previously: Berkeley Internet Name Daemon). Mike Karels, Phil Almquist and Paul Vixie have maintained BIND since then. BIND was ported to the Windows NT platform in the early 1990s.

Due to BIND's long history of security issues and exploits, several alternative nameserver/resolver programs have been written and distributed in recent years.

How DNS Work In The Theory :

The domain name space consists of a tree of domain names. Each node or branch in the tree has one or more resource records, which hold information associated with the domain name. The tree sub-divides into zones. A zone consists of a collection of connected nodes authoritatively served by an authoritative DNS nameserver. (Note that a single nameserver can host several zones.)

When a system administrator wants to let another administrator control a part of the domain name space within his or her zone of authority, he or she can delegate control to the other administrator. This splits a part of the old zone off into a new zone, which comes under the authority of the second administrator's nameservers. The old zone becomes no longer authoritative for what goes under the authority of the new zone.

A resolver looks up the information associated with nodes. A resolver knows how to communicate with name servers by sending DNS requests, and heeding DNS responses. Resolving usually entails iterating through several name servers to find the needed information.

Some resolvers function simplistically and can only communicate with a single name server. These simple resolvers rely on a recursing name server to perform the work of finding information for them.

IPv4:

Internet Protocol version 4 is the fourth iteration of the Internet Protocol (IP) and it is the first version of the protocol to be widely deployed. IPv4 is the dominant network layer protocol on the Internet and apart from IPv6 it is the only protocol used on the Internet.

It is described in IETF RFC 791 (September 1981) which made obsolete RFC 760 (January 1980). The United States Department of Defense also standardized it as MIL-STD-1777.

IPv4 is a data-oriented protocol to be used on a packet switched internetwork (e.g., Ethernet). It is a best effort protocol in that it does not guarantee delivery. It does not make any guarantees on the correctness of the data; It may result in duplicated packets and/or packets out-of-order. These aspects are addressed by an upper layer protocol (e.g., TCP, and partly by UDP).

The entire purpose of IP is to provide unique global computer addressing to ensure that two computers communicating over the Internet can uniquely identify one another.

Addressing :

IPv4 uses 32-bit (4-byte) addresses, which limits the address space to 4,294,967,296 possible unique addresses. However, some are reserved for special purposes such as private networks (~18 million addresses) or multicast addresses (~1 million addresses). This reduces the number of addresses that can be allocated as public Internet addresses. As the number of addresses available are consumed, an IPv4 address shortage appears to be inevitable, however Network Address Translation (NAT) has significantly delayed this inevitability.

This limitation has helped stimulate the push towards IPv6, which is currently in the early stages of deployment and is currently the only contender to replace IPv4.

Allocation :

Originally, the IP address was divided into two parts:

* Network id : first octet

* Host id : last three octets

This created an upper limit of 256 networks. As the networks began to be allocated, this was soon seen to be inadequate.

To overcome this limit, different classes of network were defined, in a system which later became known as classful networking. Five classes were created (A, B, C, D, & E), three of which (A, B, & C) had different lengths for the network field. The rest of the address field in these three classes was used to identify a host on that network, which meant that each network class had a different maximum number of hosts. Thus there were a few networks with lots of host addresses and numerous networks with only a few addresses. Class D was for multicast addresses and class E was reserved.

Around 1993, these classes were replaced with a Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) scheme, and the previous scheme was dubbed "classful", by contrast. CIDR's primary advantage is to allow re-division of Class A, B & C networks so that smaller (or larger) blocks of addresses may be allocated to entities (such as Internet service providers, or their customers) or Local Area Networks.

The actual assignment of an address is not arbitrary. The fundamental principle of routing is that address encodes information about a device's location within a network. This implies that an address assigned to one part of a network will not function in another part of the network. A hierarchical structure, created by CIDR and overseen by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and its Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), manages the assignment of Internet address worldwide. Each RIR maintains a publicly searchable WHOIS database that provides information about IP address assignments; information from these databases plays a central role in numerous tools that attempt to locate IP addresses geographically.

IPv6:

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a network layer protocol for packet-switched internetworks. It is designated as the successor of IPv4, the current version of the Internet Protocol, for general use on the Internet.

The main improvement brought by IPv6 is a much larger address space that allows greater flexibility in assigning addresses. While IPv6 could support 2128 (about 3.4׳1038) addresses, or approximately 5׳1028 addresses for each of the roughly 6.5 billion people[1] alive today. It was not the intention of IPv6 designers, however, to give permanent unique addresses to every individual and every computer. Rather, the extended address length eliminates the need to use network address translation to avoid address exhaustion, and also simplifies aspects of address assignment and renumbering when changing providers.

Introduction :

By the early 1990s, it was clear that the change to a classless network introduced a decade earlier was not enough to prevent IPv4 address exhaustion and that further changes to IPv4 were needed.[2] By the winter of 1992, several proposed systems were being circulated and by the fall of 1993, the IETF announced a call for white papers (RFC 1550) and the creation of the "IP, the Next Generation" (IPng Area) of working groups.[2][3]

IPng was adopted by the Internet Engineering Task Force on July 25, 1994 with the formation of several "IP Next Generation" (IPng) working groups.[2] By 1996, a series of RFCs were released defining IPv6, starting with RFC 2460. (Incidentally, IPv5 was not a successor to IPv4, but an experimental flow-oriented streaming protocol intended to support video and audio.)

It is expected that IPv4 will be supported alongside IPv6 for the foreseeable future. IPv4-only nodes (clients or servers) will not be able to communicate directly with IPv6 nodes, and will need to go through an intermediary

Features of IPv6 :

[edit] To a great extent, IPv6 is a conservative extension of IPv4. Most transport- and application-layer protocols need little or no change to work over IPv6; exceptions are applications protocols that embed network-layer addresses (such as FTP or NTPv3).

Applications, however, usually need small changes and a recompile in order to run over IPv6.

Larger address space :

The main feature of IPv6 that is driving adoption today is the larger address space: addresses in IPv6 are 128 bits long versus 32 bits in IPv4.

The larger address space avoids the potential exhaustion of the IPv4 address space without the need for network address translation (NAT) and other devices that break the end-to-end nature of Internet traffic. NAT may still be necessary in rare cases, but Internet engineers recognize that it will be difficult in IPv6 and are trying to avoid it whenever possible. It also makes administration of medium and large networks simpler, by avoiding the need for complex subnetting schemes. Subnetting will, ideally, revert to its purpose of logical segmentation of an IP network for optimal routing and access.

The drawback of the large address size is that IPv6 carries some bandwidth overhead over IPv4, which may hurt regions where bandwidth is limited (header compression can sometimes be used to alleviate this problem). IPv6 addresses are harder to memorize than IPv4 addresses, although even IPv4 addresses are much harder to memorize than Domain Name System (DNS) names. DNS protocols have been modified to support IPv6 as well as IPv4.

Stateless auto configuration of hosts :

IPv6 hosts can be configured automatically when connected to a routed IPv6 network. When first connected to a network, a host sends a link-local multicast request for its configuration parameters; if configured suitably, routers respond to such a request with a router advertisement packet that contains network-layer configuration parameters.

If IPv6 autoconfiguration is not suitable, a host can use stateful autoconfiguration (DHCPv6) or be configured manually. Stateless autoconfiguration is only suitable for hosts: routers must be configured manually or by other means

IPv6 scope :

IPv6 defines 3 unicast address scopes: global, site, and link.

Site-local addresses are non-link-local addresses that are valid within the scope of an administratively-defined site and cannot be exported beyond it.

Companion IPv6 specifications further define that only link-local addresses can be used when generating ICMP Redirect Messages [ND] and as next-hop addresses in most routing protocols.

These restrictions do imply that an IPv6 router must have a link-local next-hop address for all directly connected routes (routes for which the given router and the next-hop router share a common subnet prefix).

Links:

Find IP Info: link http://www.ip-adress.com

Find DNS, IPv4, IPv6 : link: http://www.iplobster.com

Find IP Address: link http://www.myip.dk

5 Things to Know Before Going Wireless

2010-04-18T20:36:00.001-07:00

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.

1.    Wireless Creates a Faster Network

Wireless networks are fast. With VoIP, you can create a network that incorporates data, audio, video, and computer web features. You can easily monitor your network for problems and troubleshooting is much simpler with web based applications rather than hardware applications. VoIP uses less bandwidth than other applications and this in the long run saves money. This is of special value to businesses. Businesses can also provide better customer service with integrated programs. Not only does this increase productivity, but also it saves time and money in the long run.

2.    VoIP Saves You Money

Overall, VoIP is much more inexpensive then PSTN. You simply pay for your Internet service, and then whichever VoIP provider you choose.   For a one time monthly fee, you can have unlimited local and long distance phone calls. You will need to check with the VoIP service provider that you choose for exact details on their rates. Sometimes, your VoIP service provider will allow free calls within the world to another computer, yet there may be a fee for calls worldwide to a landline phone. Always check with your chosen service provider for exact details regarding your chosen plan. Included in many VoIP service plans are free features. These features include Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Do Not Disturb, and more. Again, check with your chosen service provider for an overview of all the features bundled with your plan. The biggest benefit is the unlimited long distance calling. This has proven to be the number one reason why most businesses are switching to VoIP. For businesses such as sales or jobs that have mobile employees, these benefits go without saying. But overall, the average cost of VoIP is considerably less when compared to the cost of PSTN.

3.    VoIP Enables you to Talk with More than One Person at a Time

With VoIP, you can talk with more than one person without paying extra for services such as three way calling. With VoIP you can have more than three people on the phone at once. VoIP is the perfect solution for those who want to explore the features of conference calls. This is very important for businesses that have employees overseas. By using the video conferencing features, employers will increase their productivity.

4.    Enjoy Greater Flexibility

By using VoIP, you can take your VoIP equipment with you whenever you travel.             Your VoIP service provider will send you a converter that will allow you to use your converter with any standard telephone. The converter comes programmed with your telephone number, allowing you to take your phone and phone number with you worldwide. All you will need is a high speed Internet connection and you can use your VoIP phone service. This is of extreme benefit to mobile employees. No longer are outdated telecommunications systems necessary, or are employees trying to run businesses on prepaid cell phone plans. By using VoIP, an employee will have access to his/her phone number, wherever they are located. Whether out of state, in a hotel, or traveling on a business trip, customers will be able to call the same number as well as leave voice mail on the employee’s computer.

5. You can Save Money for Family and Friends by Choosing Your Area Code

Many VoIP service providers will give you the option of selecting your own area code number. This is a tremendous benefit to family and friend members who can call you locally, if you select the same area code number.

Data Recovery Tips

2010-04-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

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.

Logical corruption prevails with the complex operating systems, buggy software, malicious or careless acts of the end-users, malware and viruses. Power failures and computer hardware malfunctions also account for many cases of corrupted hard drives and lost data.

The logical corruption can be dealt with at home. Provided that you have the right data recovery tools, you'll be able to do it yourself without any special skills.

Be aware that the data recovery process is a lengthy one. You'll need plenty of time and enough space on a working, non-corrupted hard disk to facilitate the recovery. Before you begin, make sure that you restrict any write operations onto the damaged disk. If you don't have data recovery already installed on your computer, don't save or install the data recovery product onto the corrupted drive. Instead, use a different drive letter, a flash memory card or a USB drive. Even a flash card from your digital camera can be able to store the data recovery tool!

The choice of a proper data recovery tool is a very important one. If you have no previous experience in recovering data, choose one that offers maximum level of automation for an inexperienced uses. It's a good idea to make sure that the tool you pick allows saving a copy of the damaged disk onto a healthy one in order to work on a backup copy instead of operating the live disk. Mareew Data Recovery by http://mareew.com is a good choice for the inexperienced user.

Further data recovery steps depend on the data recovery software that you choose for the job. If you settle with Mareew Data Recovery, there's not much to talk about. Mareew Data Recovery can optionally create a backup copy of the damaged disk (I highly recommend that you do so), and performs all recovery operations on the copy instead of the original. If something goes wrong, you still have the source hard disk in its original condition; just make another copy and try again.

The data recovery process is pretty straightforward with Mareew Data Recovery. You get a step-by-step wizard that guides you through the recovery process. Even if you don't read the prompts except the choice of the damaged disk if you have more than one in your system, and simply click the 'Next' button several times, you will be able to recover the damaged disk!

Mareew Data Recovery is able to fix the most complex issues with modern hard disks. Corrupted file systems, bad partition tables, FAT or NTFS failures are not a problem. Most importantly, Mareew Data Recovery values your data more than the integrity of the system structures. You'll have a chance to save your documents, digital pictures and archives from the damaged drive before attempting the recovery. All in all, a highly recommended tool.

Try it free at http://mareew.com/data_recovery/data_recovery.php

Computer lessons for beginners : how to use a computer mouse

2010-04-17T21:40:00.001-07:00

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.

Learn how to move the computer mouse:
Slowly slide the mouse around on the mouse pad. See what happens to the arrow on the screen as you slide it around.

Do you need a mouse pad:
You should have a mouse pad under your mouse, (although the new optic mice do not require one). You will have an array of choices when purchasing a mouse pad; find the one that is comfortable for you. Rest your hand on the mouse pad or desk and move it slowly, there is no need to lift the mouse off the mouse pad unless you run out of room, then you just lift it up and reposition where needed. You don't need to move the mouse to the left or right, simply slide it left or right with the buttons still facing away from you.

What does clicking do:
Clicking sends a command to the computer. To click, gently press and release the left computer mouse button. Be careful not to move the mouse while you are clicking, if you accidentally do simply slide the mouse back to where you want to click and try again. Try to keep you hand relaxed on the mouse as you press and release without lifting your finger completely off the button.

You are Done - Great job! That is all you need to know to start using your computer and that mouse. Keep working on it and before you know it, it will feel like second nature to you and you will not even have to think about what you are doing.

Building A Computer Introduction

2010-04-17T21:39:00.001-07:00

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

cut corners to cut down costs. Additionally, your self built computer has more room to upgrade if you so decide to in the future. Prebuilt computers usually only have enough expansion slots for the components that are going to be in the computer. Because of this, your prebuilt computer will become obsolete sooner. Also, building a computer is a satisfying experience and you will learn more about how your computer works.

How do I go About Building a Computer?
Building a computer is probably much simpler than you think. Especially now, things have been simplified and standardized. First, you pick out components and make sure they are all compatible. Once you get the parts, you put them together! This guide was made to show you how to do everything and contains pictures and good information to make building a computer a fun and rewarding experience. For more information about building a computer, be sure to check out the next article in this guide!

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification: Introduction To BGP Attributes

2010-04-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

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.

BGP attributes are one such topic. You've got well-known mandatory, well-known discretionary, transitive, and non-transitive. Then you've got each individual BGP attribute to remember, and the order in which BGP considers attributes, and what attributes even are... and a lot more! As with any other Cisco topic, we have to walk before we can run. Let's take a look at what attributes are and what they do in BGP.

BGP attributes are much like what metrics are to OSPF, RIP, IGRP, and EIGRP. You won't see them listed in a routing table, but attributes are what BGP considers when choosing the best path to a destination when multiple valid (loop-free) paths exist.

When BGP has to decide between such paths, there is an order in which BGP considers the path attributes. For success on the CCNP exams, you need to know this order. BGP looks at path attributes in this order:

Highest weight (Cisco-proprietary BGP value)

Highest local preference (LOCAL_PREF)

Prefer locally originated route.

Shortest AS_PATH is preferred.

Choose route with lowest origin code. Internal paths are preferred over external paths, and external paths are preferred over paths with an origin of "incomplete".
Lowest multi-exit discriminator (MED)

External BGP routes preferred over Internal BGP routes.

If no external route, select path with lowest IGP cost to the next-hop router for iBGP.

Choose most recent route.

Choose lowest BGP RID (Router ID).

If you don't know what these values are, or how they're configured, don't panic! The next several parts of this BGP tutorial will explain it all. So spend some time studying this order, and in part II of this free BGP tutorial, we'll look at each of these values in detail. Keep studying!

A Review of Medical Billing Software Products

2010-04-16T18:08:00.001-07:00

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 busy medical practice of any size can be a volatile environment, and a system that breaks down under heavy use is a real liability in this business. Lytec medical software is secure, auditable and completely expandable to your specific needs. More importantly it's simple enough to configure yourself.

NueMD is a medical practice management software created specifically for medical offices that also has received positive reviews. Comments have ranged from “NueMD is a functional and no-nonsense practice management solution transported over the Internet,” to ”NueMD allows online eligibility verification done by the client, claims submission, reporting, and analysis. This software is first-rate and is priced less than most systems of its kind.” Other reviews have indicated that the software is a success in small solo medical practices as well as large-scale operations, owing to its reasonable price and ease of use. The ease of use came up often, especially in terms of even a novice being able to pick it up quickly.

eClinicalWorks, another popular medical billing software provider, also earns a mention. It is considered one of the leading providers of integrated uninterrupted ambulatory EMR (Electronic Medical Records) and PM (Practice Management) systems for multiple-local medical practices that include diverse specialties. eClinicalWorks is an award-winning company focused on customer care and satisfaction. KLAS a research and consulting firm dedicated to improving the performance of healthcare information technology providers recognized eClinicalWorks, with its distinguished “Best in Klas Award” 2004. This accolade is considered one of the most important honors in the field.

Any of these three types of software are likely to provide the clarity, ease of use, and technological sophistication you require.

A Guide To Computer Aided Design

2010-04-16T18:07:00.001-07:00

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.

CAD allows you to prepare fast and accurate drawings. Virtually anything can be constructed and built as a design model developed in the CAD system. The flexibility to alter the drawings is performed very easily with a minimal effort. It is also referred as Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD). It is sometimes translated as computer-assisted or computer-aided drafting. The tool provides you a better and the faster way of developing the drawings with better creativity.

CAD is used in major areas like applications that involve computer graphics, computer- aided manufacturing, solid modeling, solving by constraints, architectural purpose and VLSI design. Other fields that use the CAD are Architecture Engineering and Construction, Building Engineering (AEC), Mechanical CAD (MCAD), Electronic and Electrical (ECAD), manufacturing process planning, and digital circuit design.

CAD uses four basic phases that are used for designing and manufacturing. They are the requirement phase which collects the basic requirements and conceives the basic idea. The designing phase uses detailed component modeling and assembly modeling. The development phase uses engineering drawings. The tool design is used in the manufacturing phase.

Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), CAD/CAM applications, CAD scanners, CAD resources, and the software used by these computer-aided techniques all enable the drawing to be developed quickly and easily. General purpose CAD software, 3D rendering software, CAD/CAM software, facility management CAD, architectural CAD software, solid modeling CAD software and Mechanical CAD (MCAD) are the major computer-aided software applications that are used.

A Perfectly Clean Uninstall

2010-04-16T18:06:00.001-07:00

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?

If you install a comprehensive suite created by a big-name company, you're getting the best quality software that surely knows how to behave and how to clean up after itself, right? Wrong! Many if not all products leave behind them multiple traces that are more than likely to make your computer behave odd, or even lead to problems that are impossible to predict and hard to resolve.

Want examples? How about a firewall that forgets to remove a system-level driver that filters IP packets? After uninstalling the product, the driver just sits there, doing nothing except slowing down the performance of your PC. Try another one of those firewalls and stack an extra system-level driver on top, and you'll get connectivity problems that are very hard to resolve if you're not an experienced system administrator.

Did you use any tools to make backups of your CDs and DVDs? There's a bunch of tools on the market that shamelessly leave behind the drivers they use to access the disks directly, and, let's nail it, circumvent their copy protection. Each of these drivers slows down access to optical disks and makes reads and writes less stable. You might get many coasters just because of these extra links in the driver chain.

Simple utilities created by small companies and independent software vendors are very likely to leave traces behind in many places on your computer. Being time-limited by their definition, they try to hide information about their installation date and usage in obscure places, making it deliberately difficult to trace and clean up. There's nothing wrong with protecting intellectual property, but what if you test a bunch of applications, and decide on a single app to do the job? Do you really have to bring all the garbage in house in order to buy just one tool?

If you start thinking that the only way to keep your computer clean is by not installing anything on it, think again! There's a great solution to these kind of problems made by ChemTable. Reg Organizer helps you clean sweep your computer and keeps it in pristine clean condition by removing any traces left behind after you uninstall a product.

It works simply, quietly, and with no magic. Reg Organizer makes snapshots of your system before you install an application and immediately after. Comparing the two snapshots discovers all changes that were made to the files on your hard drives and Windows Registry settings. Uninstalling an application in Reg Organizer sweeps your computer pristine clean, allowing for no traces to be left behind on the PC and effectively making it the way it was before you installed the application.

No more abandoned files, no hidden registry settings, and no quirky drivers to harm your PC performance! With Reg Organizer you can try as many tools, utilities and packages as you please without slowing down your PC or littering its hard disk.

Are you a Reg Organizer user already? Open Reg Organizer, open the "Mode" menu, and select "Application Uninstall". From there you will be able to remove applications and all of their files, registry settings, and other traces, effectively restoring your computer into the state it was in before installing the program.

Not running Reg Organizer yet? Get your free evaluation copy right away at:

http://www.chemtable.com/files/regon.zip

Bookmark Managers: Programs vs. Web Services

2010-04-16T03:14:00.000-07:00

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?

The answer is obvious, you need a program that will allow you to easily create and manage a database of web resources. Of course, this database must be quick, intuitive and convenient to use.

One way to resolve this problem is to use your web browser's bookmarks feature. Bookmarks are a popular term for the lists of web page links stored in web browsers, although they are called 'Favorites' in Internet Explorer. These web browser bookmark systems have some severe limitations. For example, each bookmark list will only be compatible with a specific web browser. If you use several different web browsers you will have to manage the bookmark system in each one. Web browser bookmark lists may become cumbersome to use when your bookmark list grows beyond a few items. Important features missing from web browser bookmark systems include:
- Powerful search functions;
- Synchronization of bookmarks between different computers;
- Detection and automatic deletion of duplicate bookmarks;
- Checks for availability of bookmarked web pages.

Specialist programs and web services that store and organize bookmarks are now available and they offer a comprehensive solution to these problems. They are called bookmark managers or bookmark organizers (in this article both terms have the same meaning). The difference between online (web-based) bookmark managers and standalone bookmark managers is in the location of the stored bookmark database and in the way that the database is accessed. Web services called 'online bookmark managers' store the user's bookmarks on their remote servers and their bookmarks may be accessed from any browser. A standalone bookmark organizer is simply a program which runs on your local computer. It stores the bookmark database on a hard disk and allows access through its own built-in interface.

Here are some examples of web-based bookmark managers:

iKeepBookmarks.com - http://www.ikeepbookmarks.com

LinkaGoGo - http://www.linkagogo.com

Murl - http://murl.com

You can find more links to online bookmark managers here:
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/On_the_Web/Web_Applications/Bookmark_Managers/

Bookmark management software can be found here:

Link Commander - http://www.resortlabs.com/bookmark-manager/linkcommander.php

Linkman - http://www.outertech.com/index.php?_charisma_page=product&id=5

Powermarks - http://www.kaylon.com/power.html

Any software catalog will contain plenty of links to bookmark managers. For example: http://www.snapfiles.com/shareware/misctools/swurlorg.html

Offline and online bookmark managers each have relative advantages and disadvantages due to their differing methods of database storage and access.

An online bookmark manager does not depend on any particular computer. If you have an Internet connection you can access your bookmarks from any computer in the world. You don't need to synchronize the bookmarks on your home/work PC or notebook because they will all access the same bookmarks database. With an online bookmark manager you can access your bookmarks even when you are in an Internet cafe! Another advantage is that most of them are free. They will cost you time, though, because you access your bookmarks via an Internet connection. More importantly, most of the web interfaces are not as convenient as software based bookmark managers and don't have so many useful features. For example, they can't search for and delete duplicate database items. Here are some of the other potential disadvantages of using online bookmark managers:

1) You risk losing all your bookmarks if, for some reason, the web service closes down.

2) There is a danger of unauthorized access to your private bookmarks because your bookmark manager server may not be secure against hackers.

The advantages and disadvantages of offline bookmark managers are almost exactly opposite to those of online bookmark managers and will be discussed next.

Any offline bookmark manager is tied to the computer on which it is installed. It stores your bookmarks in a database (which usually has its own proprietary format) that is located on one of the hard drives. To use your bookmarks on several computers you will need to install the program on each computer and find a way to synchronize the bookmark databases. Most of the currently available bookmark organizers do have a database synchronization feature. Also, there are now devices with high data transfer speeds (e.g. flash drives) that can store an independent bookmark database and allow it to be shared between several computers.

Another disadvantage of bookmark manager software is the price. There are some free programs out there, but they don't have a great number of features and technical support is often weak or unavailable. The programs that require payment are inexpensive, though, usually costing from $20 to $40. The user licenses of such programs will normally allow you to install the programs on all of your computers.

In my opinion, the disadvantages of standalone bookmark managers are minimal compared to their advantages. The location of both the program and database on the same computer guarantees you fast access to your bookmarks and high security from hacker attacks. The convenience of the program interface and the number of useful features are limited only by the power of the computer and the skills of developers.

So, how should you organize your bookmarks? Should you use an online or offline bookmark manager? I don't think there is a definite answer. It all depends on your preferences and working habits. If mobility is your priority, if you travel often and wish to access your bookmarks no matter where you are and from any computer, then you should consider an online bookmark manager. If speed, ease of use, security and functionality is most important to you then an offline bookmark manager might be a better choice.

Antispyware Or Spyware?

2010-04-16T02:12:00.001-07:00

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.

Spyware has quickly become the most prominent internet security problem. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, spyware infects more than 90% of home PCs. Recent survey shows that spyware is also sneaking into the network of corporate computers.

Spyware is often coupled with free downloads, such as free music, game and software downloads. Spyware may slow down computer, hijack homepage and create uncontrolled pop-up advertisements. Some spyware programs can remain unnoticed, secretly gathering information from the computer. Once installed, spyware is difficult to remove without the help of dedicated antispyware software.

Due to the rise of spyware activity, antispyware programs are in great demand these days. But are these spyware removal tools the same? Do they provide the security consumers need?

There are many reports that some antispyware programs installed their own spyware and adware to the computer. One consumer was quoted saying: “It’s a rip-off. I downloaded the free trial of an antispyware program, only to find out that it added its own adware to my computer.” Other consumers have complained that the antispyware program they use cannot detect all spyware programs. Some even slow down the computer and create pop-up advertisements.

There are a few good antispyware programs in the market today. On the other hand, dozens of spyware removal programs are blacklisted by consumers. Beware of spyware removal tools that are heavily promoted by e-mail campaigns. Never run any free downloads and free scans from unknown software publishers. Their programs may as well be spyware programs themselves. Read independent product reviews from renowned computer magazines or reputable sources. Spending some extra time in research can save you a lot of hassles in the long run.