September 30th, 2010

Innovative USB memory sticks have changed our lives in the way that we humans communicate with the machine. USB memory sticks revolutionized the computer industry by offering a faster method to transfer data between two devices. The Plug & Play technology is the foremost example of its success. Among the multiple benefits, the USB memory sticks have paved the way for a portable disk storage solution. There is no more a need to carry diskettes, discs and similar storage devices as these memory sticks are able to store huge amount of data easily transferable from one computer to another.

Among its numerous benefits is the size of the memory sticks which makes it a popular choice among the general public. Unlike the large floppy disks and CD, it is a mere 4 inches, maximum. Nowadays, even one inch memory sticks are a common sight. The small size allows the users to safely place it in pockets and other small containers.

With huge storage that far exceeds the capacity of the small floppy disks the newer version 2, known by USB 2.0, is as fast as the optical disc drives and supports a large amount of memory in a much more compact space.

The USB memory sticks are not exposed to the environment. Contrary to the exposed disc surface of the CD and aluminum foils of the smaller floppy disks, the data processing unit is tactfully contained within the memory stick thus preventing accidental data loss. It is precisely due to the unique design that recent trends in memory sticks allow data re-write up to one million times and a retention rate that exceeds almost ten years.

Recent computer hardware is now being built to incorporate the USB flash drive features. Most manufacturers now deliver their machines containing a USB port but without a floppy disk drive. It is due to this flexibility that Medics and emergency workers prefer the modified version of the memory sticks to transfer important data in a critical situation.

The USB memory sticks and flash drives are equally popular among the network and computer repair professionals. These sticks allow them to store system configuration, troubleshooting and antivirus software to perform on-site maintenance of million dollar computer networks.

Industry experts utilize it to store Windows friendly applications that do not require a special plug-in and can operate in a stand alone environment. Windows engineers are directly working with other companies to make USB drives compatible for almost any data processing environment.

The future is bright as major corporations have come up with their own versions of a more secure, user friendly and high capacity memory stick. The development of flash cards and controlled storage sticks is an example of a more refined 21st century memory stick.

Contact USB memory sticks for more information on using the promotional memory stick to promote your company.

Author: Christopher Protherough
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Android Smartphone

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

Next to price, capacity has been among the top issues that level out solid-state flash disk with magnetic hard drives. If not for those two factors, solid-state disks would be the runaway winner offering ruggedness, speed and small footprints. However, recent developments are starting to change the conditions.
According to the “New Data Center” benchmark published by Nemertes Research, “Storage is growing at a rate of 22% year-on-year through 2005 and 2006 (predicted to continue through 2007), and many companies top even that growth, reporting growth rates of 100%, 150%, and in some cases 300% or more.” This only proves the point that storage capacity has gone into the level of a commodity.

Way back in the pre-PC era, storage would only refer to an attic, storeroom, or any space where you dump infrequently used items that you plan to access in the near future. People are only limited to any amount of space available for that purpose. You’ll have to literally fit them all in, otherwise, it goes to thrash. The same principle applies to data storage prior to its commoditization. Previously, unless you’re working for the military or handle other highly confidential data, you wouldn’t need that much storage space.

But that ain’t true now.

What’s Driving Capacity to get Bigger

According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Tracker, worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenues grew 8.5% in the second quarter to $4.2 billion for the 13th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. The total disk storage systems market grew to $5.9 billion for the quarter, up 6.0% from the prior year’s quarter. For the first time, total disk storage systems capacity shipped 704 petabytes, growing 51.5% from the same quarter one year ago.

A huge part of this increasing demand comes from the enterprise. Online transactions and networked storage require high capacity and speed for a good backend systems support. Blade storage has come into the picture offering advantages in size, functionality and cost of ownership. It offers bigger capacity at smaller footprints, eliminating complex set-ups for cooling facilities and cables. Given this scenario, upgrades in storage capacities come as frequently as the demand for more space peaks.

Military and industrial applications take another chunk of the demand. As of late, high capacity takes center stage in defining the results of experiments, research or data gathering projects. Such has happened in the NASA CREAM Project where a total of 36GB of heavy-nuclei data was recorded onto a 43GB E-Disk flash drive over a period of 41 days and 22 hours on-flight. The project’s objective was to investigate the composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays on board a Long Duration Balloon (LDB) vehicle developed by NASA. In cases like this, data storage capacity is as crucial as any other component of the project. It becomes the by-product of initial investigations, giving scientists critical information for accurate conclusions and discoveries.

The consumer industry is not so far behind when it comes to demand for bigger storage capacities. The introduction of Windows Vista to the market marks the need for more storage if only to improve performance by speeding up basic operations such as start-up, shut down and resume functions.

The widespread digitization of data and its convenient access via the web is another issue. From high-resolution videos to satellite maps ready for downloading as needed, consumers have become trigger-happy mammals in hoarding all kinds of information within the bounds of their interest. Knowing you have them on your PC ready for access anytime is a surefire cause to long for more storage capacities. This demand is coming not from one entity but from the widest range of industries including government, enterprise, military, healthcare, banking, education and of course consumer. All of these industries have somehow expanded their applications producing more files that will eventually need bigger storage. Desktop publishing, animation and digital video editing have increased the demand for storage in offices. 3G and multimedia cellphones on the other hand, triggered the increase in capacity for mobile storage.

The last but biggest influence for the growth in solid-state storage capacity is the substantial decrease in the prices of raw materials. Since the solid-state disk’s inception about fifteen years ago, the decline in prices have been dramatic year on year. Just last year, the cost of flash memory was $55 per GB; now it is pegged at $30. Factors like cheaper raw materials, simpler processes, competition and higher demand continually push the price of storage downward, thinning the difference when compared to magnetic hard drives.

In the end, capacity and price are interlocking factors causing the growth of storage capacities. The huge capacity that was once only offered by magnetic hard drives is now possible for solid-state disks at a price point that can fight head-on in the market.

Joanne De Peralta is a Marketing Communications Specialist at BiTMICRO Networks, Inc. You can email her at jdeperalta@bitmicro.com.

Author: Jo-Anne De Peralta
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Eco Friendly

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

What many people assume is that installing an anti-virus program or software on their computer would be enough and protect their data from all such security threats. But this is not the fact because an antivirus program can only protect your operating system from viruses, spyware, malware and Trojans attacks but does not provide any security against data leak and data loss. In addition, not all the anti-virus programs are effective enough to remove all the viruses from your computer.

Since the data leak is the biggest security threat companies and computer users have been facing these days, IT professionals are working hard to find out a reliable solution to prevent data leak. Although there are many sources or channels by which data can be leaked out but the most potent or you can say most effective medium is USB flash drives which are easily available in the market.

Portable USB flash drives are undeniably very useful, but at the same time they can also be used to upload malicious code to your computer (either knowingly or unintentionally), or they can also be used to copy confidential information from your computer and take it away. To prevent such incidences to happen, you must block unauthorized use of USB drives that do not belong to you, so that they cannot access your computer illegitimately.

USB Block or formerly called Device Block is a Data Leak Prevention (DLP) software that lets you block all the unauthorized USB drives and memory sticks so that no one can steal your data by plugging in such devices to your computer neither can he upload any malware or malicious code to your computer. In this way, you can keep your files and folders secure and protected not only from viruses and malware but also from hackers and other people who have bad intention and want to steal your private files and folders.

USB Block allows you to set access level for your own USB drives while blocking all other USB devices which do not belong to you; and in this way it helps you to protect your data from getting leaked and misused. It prompts for the password every time a USB flash drive is plugged into the computer where USB Block is installed. However, all those devices which you have added to your Authorize List will get full access to your computer as soon as they plug in.

By default, USB devices and ports have been blocked. However if you wish, you can deactivate this protection from Control Center which can be accessed after entering correct password.

Mark Neil is associated with New Software Inc that provides File Lock software.

Author: Mark Neil
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Alternative energy

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

One of the most ignored responsibilities of every computer owner is having a backup of their computer files. Learning how to back up your files is not hard but most people tend to ignore it until they come to a point of losing a very important data and not being able to retrieve it.

If you don’t want this to happen, here are ways on how to back up your files.

1. Store them in your other PC. If you have more that one PC, you can store important on each other by zipping them of course, to minimize disk usage. One downside to this is that, it eats up a lot of disk space in your PC and may slow it down.

2. Copy them in DVDs. One of the easiest ways to back up your files is to store them in DVDs or CDs. DVDs have higher storage capacity than CDs, thus you may want to choose the first option to make it less bulkier if you want to bring along your backup data if you go on traveling.

3. Attach them in your email, or send them to your second email address. One of the free ways to store your files and data online is to send them to your second email as an attachment. Emails these days support large attachments and have larger storage capacity, so you can also take advantage of that as your online storage. Another good thing about it is you can access your files everywhere for as long as you have internet access.

4. Use online storage sites. Although most of these sites collect a fee or storage, some may also offer a limited but free storage. For as long as your files do not exceed the limit of the free service, you can avail of this online storage without any costs. However, if you want to make your files secure in one place and you want it to be accessible online, availing of online storage sites can also be a good option. Some of these sites also even allow you to share files from one computer to another if you wish to do so.

5. Use your external hard drive. Portable external hard drives are also great storage for your files and data. They are portable so you can also enjoy the convenience of bringing it around and they have much bigger capacity than DVDs, so you wouldn’t be bringing a lot of them too.

6. USB Flash drives. If you want something portable, with high storage capacity but a lot smaller than an external hard drive, your high-capacity USB flash drive would be the most convenient way on how to back up your files. With high-capacity USB flash drives now in the market, you can indeed store a good amount of backup data on it. Just make sure you are not also carrying around with it a virus infection.

Carolyn Anderson makes sure she has a good backup of her files. If you want to store everything on a DVD, check out how to make a DVD Copy of your files, favorite movies and games. Also check out Game Copy Wizard, a great tool to help you create a backup for your favorite games.

Author: Carolyn Anderson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Solar panel, solar power

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

Windows ReadyBoost allows you to add a non-volatile USB 2.0 flash memory drive to improve memory performance on systems that have less than 1GB of memory. This is is a great feature to use if you have a computer that is difficult to upgrade the random access memory (RAM) like a the new and very popular MINI computers on the market.

Windows 7 ReadyBoost is very easy to use. Once you add a USB flash drive to your computer Windows 7 checks to see if the performance is fast enough to work with Windows ReadyBoost. If so, you are asked if you would like to use this drive to speed up Windows 7 system performance. You can choose to use all of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive or part of it. Steps for setting up Windows 7 ReadyBoost:

1) Insert your flash drive into a USB 2.0 port on your computer.
2) The computer will detect the USB drive and AutoPlay will pop-up. Select Speed Up My System from the AutoPlay menu.
3) Click Apply
4) Click OK

Note: Once you have allocated space on your USB device for ReadyBoost you will not be able to use this area to save files.

I have tested Windows 7 ReadyBoost and have seen a boost in performance for systems that have less than 1GB of memory, however it is not as fast as adding physical RAM to your computer. I see this feature very valuable for Laptops that are difficult to upgrade the memory like some of the new Mini Laptops on the market.

For more information please visit http://www.pcgenius.com

Fred Meek is a Technology Professional with over 14 years of experience in the high tech industry holding the following certifications: CCNP, MCSE, CISSP. For more tutorials visit http://www.pcgenius.com

Author: Fred Meek
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Video news

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

Clean Up, Speed Up My Computer

For external computer care, a can of air to blow out the keyboard and an alcohol pad to clean the keyboard and mouse are standard in my desk drawer. And NEVER use Windex or alcohol on your monitor. You will streak the optical coating and you’ll regret it forever. Only use water and a soft cloth. The Internal computer care is a little more intense and takes more time and knowledge.

1. Uninstall any 3rd-party “toolbars” and “extensions” like the Yahoo and Google search bars. These keep their own internet histories.

- Click Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs
- Find the program and highlight it (i.e. AOL Toolbar)
- Click “Change/Remove” or “Remove” (whichever option appears)

2. Run the Disk Cleanup utility to get rid of unnecessary files that clutter your hard drive. (I’ve never had a file deleted that I actually needed.)

- Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup
- It will run a calculation and show you the results
- Click OK to let it delete the files.

3. Keep your My Documents file system managed just like (hopefully) your paper file system.

- Open “My Computer”
- Create files and name them by subject (Right Click > choose “New Folder”)
- Click and drag the files into the new folders
- There are programs that offer “free file management”, but just keeping yourself organized is the best way.

4. Download and run a Spyware Removal program. My favorite is AdAware from LavaSoft. Make sure to find the Free version download.

5. Download and run a Virus protection program. I use the Free version of AVG. It does a great job and doesn’t weigh down my computer system, unlike Norton and McAfee.

6. Possibly the most important “deep cleaning” tool is a Registry Cleaner. Registries are like great big libraries and when books get out of place, error messages flash on your screen. If you ever see a.dll error, it is a registry error. Registry cleaners organize it all back into order. Finding a free one is difficult but one I have found is CCleaner. A free cleaner will never be as thorough as a purchased cleaner. They usually run around $30.

Here are a couple ‘for purchase’ cleaners that get good reviews:

UniBlue Registry Booster
RegistryEasy.com

7. There are also programs that will offer to “delete internet history free”, but why download yet another program to do something easily yourself? Because of the many different browsers available, I won’t list them all here, but a few of the most used browsers are:

Firefox – The best way to keep your hard drive clean is to install Firefox and leave Internet Explorer behind.

1. Open the FireFox web browser.
2. On the main menu, select Tools > Options > Privacy

Click “Clear All”

Internet Explore will allow you to manually remove some of your browsing history information, but there will still be traces of browsing history which professionals could quickly locate.

1. Click Tools > Internet Options > General
2. Click “Delete Files,” then “OK”, Click “Delete Cookies,” then “OK”,

Click “Clear History” then “Yes.”

America Online browser is based on Microsoft Internet Explorer. In addition to the information above, here are specific steps to clear your AOL browsing history:

1. Click “settings” from the set of buttons at the top of the AOL window.
2. Click “preferences.”
3. Click “toolbar and sounds.”
4. Click “clear history trail now.”

Other Browsers offer similar functions; investigate their menus thoroughly.

How to Backup Computer Files

It seems like your computer is the all important tool, until you lose your files and you realize the computer is just the box that held the important stuff. You MUST backup computer files on a regular basis. And there are many methods to accomplish this. I’ll list them here, you choose 1, 2, or more, and then make it a priority to put your choice into action!

1a) Manually back up your files to an external USB flash drive. These are inexpensive, they come in lots of gig sizes, and by far the best one is the SanDisk because it has an “onboard back up program” as a service to you.

At NewEgg.com, in the search box, type SanDisk USB flash drive. Find one with the approximate Gigabytes you will need, and buy it.

1b) When you put the SanDisk into your computer, notice a program that will try to open called “CruzerSync”. Click it, enter a username and password, and now choose which files you want it to back up regularly.

2) Purchase an external hard drive which usually come with TONS of gigs of space. (Also at NewEgg or a local store.) This is the method I use. I paid about $150 for it 3 years ago, and it works like a charm. I plug it into my computer. The “My Computer” section sees it, and I simply click and drag “My Documents, My Pictures, My Music” to the “external hard drive”. It’s fast, easy, and simple. And I still have lots of room to continue adding more files.

3) Purchase an online data backup tool that will automatically securely backup your computer files every day. These usually cost approximately $50 per year. You won’t even know the backup is happening and you can tell if a file is selected for backup by a handy little checkmark icon that appears beside the filename.

One of the most popular on the market is Carbonite and I highly recommend it if an online secure data backup is your method of choice.

Windows System Restore, How To

Here is a Computer Secret that I use just once in awhile – but it’s a Biggy:

System Restore – the best thing Microsoft ever did for their customers. This will save you tremendous hours of heartache by re-setting whatever FREAK thing happened to your computer. I am a power user; I know what I am doing, and still I have to do a System Restore about every two months. Unexplainable things happen, this is how to fix them:

Windows XP Users:

1.click Start
2.All Programs
3.Accessories
4.System Tools
5.System Restore
6.Click Next

Window’s Vista Users:

1. Just type Restore into the Start menu search box, and you’ll immediately see System Restore at the top of the start menu

The dates in Bold are the most recent restore points which automatically set each time you shutdown. (Another good reason to do a system shutdown nightly.)

1.Choose a date very near to the time you discovered the problem.
2.Click Next
3.Read the screen, click Next, and trust it. It should all be fine.

If the problem still persists, choose another date slightly further back. (You can go back two months but I don’t recommend that. Inch your way back a bold-date at a time until the problem is fixed.) Warning: Sometimes System Restore doesn’t fix the problem. At that point, you will have to fix it by trial and error. Of all the times I’ve used it, it has worked 98% of the time.

See this article with live links at my blog post: http://ComputerHousekeepingTips.blogspot.com. I’m Andy Lanning from Boise, Idaho and I teach people how to use computers.

Excel Certified Expert
Word Certified Expert
20+ years computer use
15 years instructing at local college and businesses

I’m strictly a laptop owner (2) and 1 amazing Mac. My vices: I’m an Excel junkie and an Email addict. There must be a support group out there for this. Want more great tips?

http://www.ComputerSuperSecrets.com

Author: Andy Lanning
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Android apps

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

Healthcare providers are under-the-gun to implement technology that will meet guidelines that were published under the HITECH Act (Health Information Technology for Economic Clinical Health Act) in August, 2009. February of 2010 begins the enforcement of the guidelines for data health breach notifications.

One such regulation involves USB security and data stored on removable devices. If data is not stored on an encrypted USB flash drive and a loss of the drive involves over 500 patient records within a state, the press must be notified (along with patients). The healthcare provider will also be subject to penalties ranging from $100 to $1.5 million per breach.

These penalties and bad publicity are going to force changes to operations within the healthcare community. Important details of the regulation also refer to the type of USB encryption. The algorithm must comply with NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) guidelines, such as AES encryption. Also of importance is the fact that the encryption key cannot be stored with the data. This means that there are issues with implementation of a software-based encryption method.

Software encryption is performed by a computer’s CPU using a program installed on a particular operating system, whereas hardware encryption is performed in an internal USB controller dedicated to the task of encryption. Because the controller is designed for this particular purpose, it can often perform its task faster than a software implementation of the same task running on a computer CPU that is under the control of an operating system.

Assuming the data stored on the secure USB flash drive needs to be accessed by a different computer, software-based encryption falls short. Software-based encryption stores the encryption key on the USB device, whereas hardware-based encryption stores the encryption key in a controller (hardware) on the USB drive separate from the data. This also allows the data to be accessed via any computer.

A further disadvantage to software encryption is the fact that it is specific to particular operating systems. As such, if software encryption is performed on a Windows platform and needs to be decrypted on a Mac platform, the encrypt/decrypt software must be available on both platforms.

For USB security, there are a few options for encrypted USB flash drives. Another option is the use of Windows Bit Locker to provide USB encryption. The downfall here is that it is only available on certain editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, and the drive data will not be accessible by all computers.

Vince- http://www.usbsecurity.net

Author: Vince Regan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Unix inter-process communication (IPC)

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

If you’ve ever lost data due to equipment malfunction, human error, or some other cause, you may have experienced dizziness, a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, and other panic symptoms.

In business, data loss means at the very least a reduction in productivity, as valuable time must be spent recreating lost files. In some cases, it may create more serious problems, such as a failure to meet client deadlines, leading to a loss of income or potential lawsuit.

Although less critical, lost data also has implications for the home user, who often stores digital photographs, family recipes, and household budget and tax figures on his or her computer, as well as other information that may be difficult or even impossible to replace.

Fortunately, with a backup system in place, you will be able restore most, if not all, of your information in the event that you are faced with a computer disaster.

Before you begin, you will need to make a list of files that can’t easily be replaced. This will vary from person to person and from business to business, but may include any or all of the following:

• Bank records and other financial information
• Digital photographs and/or videos
• Software you purchased and downloaded from the Internet
• Business and personal documents and projects
• E-mail, address book, and calendar
• Internet bookmarks / favorites

You may also wish to make a complete copy of your operating system, device drivers, applications, and utilities. If you don’t have all the original disks for your software and operating system, this step is crucial. Otherwise, you will have the option of reinstalling everything from scratch, but keep in mind that you will lose any customized settings you may have created, including user dictionaries.

The days when you could back up your data on floppy disks are long gone, and even a CD may not be large enough to hold all of your important documents, especially if you have a lot of digital photographs or other large media files. As new products and services are introduced every week, this article will not attempt to describe them in detail, but current backup technologies include external hard drives, tape drives, USB flash drives, DVDs, and online storage systems.

Considerations when choosing a backup system include the following:

• Location – Ideally, your backup files should not be stored in the same building as your computer, as you risk losing both copies in the event of a fire or other disaster.
• Portability – If your backup isn’t offsite, it’s much easier to grab a USB flash drive or DVD during an evacuation than to try and disconnect your entire computer and take it with you.
• Ease of Use – Automated systems can be much easier to operate, and can be programmed to run automatically, so you don’t need to remember to do it.
• Cost – Be sure to factor in the value of the time involved with manually selecting the files you wish to back up (as opposed to using an automated system) as well as the time needed to deliver storage devices to an offsite location.
• Number and Size of Files – There’s no point spending money on an expensive online service or external hard drive if you only have a few important files. On the other hand, if you will need several CDs or DVDs to backup your system, another option would be more practical.

You might find that a combination of systems works best for you. For example, you might choose to create a full system backup every few months which is stored off site, and to back up your daily or weekly work to a CD or USB flash drive.

You should test your backup to make sure that you can restore the files whenever you need to. You should also try opening the files on a different computer than the one they came from, in case you need to copy them to a new system.

Whatever system you choose, it’s essential that you create and stick to a regular backup schedule. If you back up your system today and your system crashes six months from now, although you’ll be a little better off than if you had no backup at all, you’ll be kicking yourself for not taking the time to stay on top of it.

When you consider the implications of losing valuable data, the value of implementing a backup strategy for your office or home computer far exceeds the time and effort required.

Janet Barclay, Organized Assistant, offers a variety of professional quality services to support entrepreneurs and other individuals who are overwhelmed by the demands and technology of the 21st century. For further information, please visit her website at http://www.organizedassistant.com.

Author: Janet Barclay
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital economy, mobile technology

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

A computer is a treasure to every one of us and has become an integral part of our life these days. Treasures need extra care, don’t they? This is very much true in case of computers, especially when moving it. You have to be doubly careful while preparing your computer for a move; otherwise you may end up loosing your important files or damaging the machine. So much said, what really are the precautions to be taken when moving the computer?

Backup

The very first and the foremost task in moving a computer is to backup all important files. Whatever important data and program files you have in your computer, take a backup of everything. For achieving this, DVD burning is the best option. Don’t worry if you don’t have the facility to burn DVD. You can always buy a flash drive. A 256MB flash drive will normally suffice the purpose. Keep these backup disks and flash drive safe in a separate container along with the instruction manuals and software diskettes.

Remove the Disks

Before switching off the computer, don’t forget to remove the diskettes from the various drives. Remove all the floppies from floppy drives and CDs from the CD drive. Park the printer head. Remove the ink cartridges, laser cartridge and the ribbon as the case may be. In older systems hard disk parking should also be done before moving the computer.

Shutdown

After taking the backup, you can shutdown your computer and switch it off. This is very much
necessary before disconnecting it to ensure your safety.

Disconnect

We have taken the backup and switched off the computer after proper shutdown. Now we can disconnect it.

1.First unplug the power cable of the PC, then of the monitor and other peripherals like printer.

2.While removing the cables be gentle. Vigorous pulling and additional pressure cause damage to the cables.

3.While taking of the cables from PC and its peripherals, make a note of which cable goes to which connector. Present day computers come with color coding and guiding pictures on cables and sockets to help disconnection and reassembly.

Even if this is not available in our PC, we ourselves can clone it. It’s easy. Stick a piece of masking tape with appropriate marks (or writings) on cables. Put the removed cables safely in plastic bags.

Pack

Actual packing of the computer needs a vision from you. Remember the boxes in which the computer came to you for the first time? If you have them now it will prove handy. Otherwise you can always approach a box company. Tell them you need boxes for packing a computer. Be specific about the dimensions. Because over tight or loose packing may prove dangerous to your hardware, especially the ones inside the CPU. Now you can start packing.

1. Monitor

Monitor is a fragile part as it has a glass screen. Pack this in its own box.

2. CPU

The CPU, normally called the tower has to be placed upright in its box. Don’t ever think of doing the opposite. Then your PC may need costly technical service before it is operable. If you intend to place it sideways make sure that the motherboard side of the CPU lies flat at the bottom. Refer the manual to identify the motherboards direction.

3. Printer

Place it in its box and pack.

Once the computer and its peripherals are packed in their boxes and sealed, mark them appropriately. Add caution notes indicating that computer is inside, it is fragile and it needs careful handling.

All said and done, you should have insured your machine adequately before moving. It is not advisable to go with the customary weight based insurance amount. Bargain for more which would accommodate the incidental damages. Now your computer is ready for the transit safely.

http://www.movingnationwide.com

Author: Asha Wilson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
US State tax list

Posted in Computers

September 30th, 2010

iPod shuffle is an iPod digital audio player designed and marketed by Apple Computer. It was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005, using the tagline “life is random.” Instead of storing data on a hard disk, it was the first iPod to use flash memory (the more recent iPod nano also uses this form of memory). It weighs 22 grams (0.78 ounces).

Overview

The reverse side of an iPod shuffle.The iPod shuffle is designed to be easily loaded with a selection of songs and to play them in random order. It was found that owners of existing iPods had often left the music selection to “shuffle”, and the new iPod shuffle was a way of implementing that in a much more cost-effective fashion. It relies on the use of an “autofill” feature in iTunes, which can select songs at random from a user’s music library (or from a specific playlist) and copy as many as will fit into iPod shuffle’s memory. It can hold up to 240 songs (1 GB model, based on Apple’s estimate, of four minutes per song and 128 kbit/s AAC encoding).

It lacks the trademark display, scroll wheel, playlist management features, games, address book, calendar, and notes capability of earlier iPods, and cannot be used with iSync. In addition, it is incapable of playing Apple Lossless and AIFF audio files, unlike other iPod models due to its lower processing power. Oddly, the iPod shuffle has a better bass sound quality than its larger iPod kin, according to one review. Also, unlike every other iPod, it cannot be used with on two separate iTunes libraries.

iTunes offers some new features for iPod shuffle. One is the ability to reduce the bit rate of songs to 128 kbit/s AAC. The conversion is done automatically, with the original file left untouched on the computer and the smaller (lower bit rate) file sent to the iPod shuffle. iTunes also allows an iPod shuffle playlist to be viewed and changed while the unit is not connected; the next time the unit is connected, it can then be updated with the changed playlist.

iPod shuffle with the cap removed to show the USB connector. The cap snaps onto the unit. iPod shuffle comes with a second cap on a lanyard which a user can wear around their neck.The front of the iPod shuffle has buttons for Play/Pause, Next Song/Fast Forward, Previous Song/Fast Reverse, and up and down volume adjustment. On the reverse, it has a battery level indicator light (activated by a button) and a three-position switch to turn the unit off or set it to play music in order or shuffled. It plugs directly into a computer’s USB port (either 1.1 or 2.0), through which it also recharges its battery, which has an expected life of around 12 hours between charges. The USB plug is hidden beneath a cap. The unit also comes with a lanyard that attaches to the iPod shuffle via an attached cap and this allows the user to wear the iPod shuffle around his or her neck.

iPod shuffle can also be used as a USB flash drive. iTunes allows a user to set how much of the drive will be allowed for storing files, and how much will be used for storing music.

iPod shuffle size
Accessories

iPod shuffle skin (green) by Speck ProductsBoth Apple and third-party manufacturers offer a variety of accessories for the iPod shuffle. Apple offers such things as armband attachments (so it can be worn on one’s arm), a sport case that protects the iPod shuffle from the elements, and an iPod shuffle dock that allows easier connection to a computer, similar to the dock units available for the regular iPod and iPod mini. Third-party manufacturers offer such things as iPod shuffle decorative and protective sleeves, belt clips, AC and DC power plugs, earphones, and FM transmitters.

Software
The main program that supports the iPod shuffle is iTunes, which is bundled with the product and can be updated from the Apple web site.

Users can download music from an online music store and use the iTunes software to upload it to the device.

Impact
The iPod shuffle was announced at the same time as the Mac mini. Like iPod shuffle, Mac mini is a scaled-down product which has been introduced at a lower price point. These two products together can be seen as a conscious effort on the part of Apple management to target a lower-end market and increase visibility in the mass-market. Previously, the success of Apple’s iPod and especially the iPod mini had been chipping away at the inexpensive flash player market, causing flash players at the beginning of 2005 to account for less than half the market share they did in 2004. However, the original and mini iPods were costly and the shuffle was intended to make the iPod accessible to the mainstream audience.

By April 2005, the end of Apple’s second fiscal quarter, the iPod shuffle had already proven itself to be a successful product for its manufacturer. Although Apple has chosen not to specify how many iPod shuffles were sold in the product’s first three months of existence, analysts at Piper Jaffray estimated that 1.8 million of the 5.3 million iPods sold in the second quarter were shuffles. NPD estimates that the iPod shuffle captured 43% of the flash-based music player market in February of 2005, after only its second month of existence.By March of 2005 the iPod shuffle’s market share had risen to 58%.

Chewing and eating
Due to its small size (8.38 × 2.49 × 0.84 cm or 3.3 × 0.98 × 0.33 inches), Apple’s web site declared iPod shuffle “smaller than a pack of gum and much more fun,” with the footnote on its American web site: “Do not eat iPod shuffle.” As of the September 29, 2005, the footnote has disappeared from the American website; it remains on several international sites, however.

The UK and Ireland site had a slightly reworded version: “Do not chew iPod shuffle,” while some other versions of the site, such as the Canadian, French and German versions, made no mention of this. These warnings have since been removed.

Criticisms
PC World was the first to report an issue with iPod shuffles inexplicably ceasing normal function, only to flash orange and green lights and become unmountable. However, there’s not yet been official acknowledgement of the problem from Apple.

“Super Shuffle”

Luxpro’s “Super Shuffle”.In March of 2005 at the CeBIT trade show, a Taiwanese company named Luxpro released Super Shuffle , which is cosmetically strikingly similar to iPod shuffle. Luxpro also released promo shots and commercials identical to Apple’s advertising campaign to promote their player, which includes a voice recorder and FM tuner and is slightly thicker. According to a few individual reports, Apple tried to prevent the Super Shuffle from being shown at the exhibit by forcing legal pressure on Luxpro. Since the CeBIT event several media sources have claimed that the demonstration of the Super Shuffle was a publicity stunt designed by Luxpro to “leverage the media attention created by Apple to their advantage.” Engadget claims that Luxpro never intended to manufacture the iPod shuffle knock-off at all, but rather hoped that the attention from the Super Shuffle and the inevitable legal challenge to it from Apple would help sell the company’s electronic circuitry for digital music players. Luxpro has since replaced its webpage on the Super Shuffle with a description of a new model, called the Super Tangent which is identical to the Super Shuffle except for a few cosmetic changes. Still, the Super Tangent created enough of a controversy that CNET Asia published a shootout between the iPod shuffle and its infamous copycat cousin.

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Author: Clarence Harrell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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