SAN FRANCISCO—If addictive apps and sites are colloquially referred to as "crack," a Stanford researcher's presentation showed Web 2.0 developers how to freebase their technology.
Kendra Markle, a researcher at the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, has founded AlterActions.org, which will soon launch an weight-loss app based on behavior modification. But the subject of Markle's talk at the Web 2.0 Expo here Wednesday was how mobile apps can psychologically worm their way inside a user's subconscious, establishing a long-term relationship.
At a basic level, the brain is made up of an emotional portion, which Markle referred to as the elephant; on top of the elephant rides a rational rider, the intellectual portion of the brain.
"When we try to change our behavior habits we really have to attack this inner part of the brain," Markle said. "Those are the parts that change our emotional patterns." She said she was especially fond of the work of Affectiva, which has worked to actually measure the emotional response of users.
Markle, who works with the morbidly obese, said that her patients could not be persuaded to simply keep a log of what they weighed. Recording that number attached a number of emotional issues, such as the reasons for their weight, their fears, and other issues. The result? The patients lied.
Appealing to a user's rational rider doesn't work either, Markle said. "If you push hard enough, you will run out of willpower, fail, and then you rationalize it," she said.
Simply tracking the data as a graph engages the less powerful rational portion of the brain, Markle said. Instead, results should be characterized as "achievements" - something that the Microsoft Xbox already does. Users also respond to social cues, giving more weight to what their friends think or how they act. Finally, there must be an emotional connection; therapists don't actually solve issues through logic, but help the user deal with the emotions that are associated with problems.
So how should an app developer engage the emotional center of the brain? Markle listed about a dozen suggestions, which the crowd dutifully recorded to hook more users onto their platforms.
1.) Reminders: Although a basic concept, it has to be done right: it has to be relevant to be affective, or else your brain will filter it out. Markle recommended that reminders be randomly sent, as an effective prod.
2.) Make it fun: Markle admitted that this wasn't really an unknown to developers like Foursquare and others, who have made the "gamification" of tasks a business model. But the key is to allow users to do something with their rewards, such as "unlock" new clothes or features.
3.) Personalization: Another basic feature that apps don't often use, Markle said. "If your phone keeps saying 'Hey, Kendra, I know something useful for you' and it is useful, I may think that my phone actually cares about me."
4.) Surveillance: Users respond much more positively if they know, or think, that someone is keeping tabs on their progress. Markle said that she ran a study that told users to self-report data, and that the researchers would be keeping tabs on their progress on a daily basis. Every member of the test group contributed data daily, as asked, over the six-week trial.
5.) Disgust: Disgusting images do not actually affect a user's behavior. Tying them to a user's values do. As an example, Markle suggested an image of cruelly caged hens; by itself, it doesn't change behavior. But tying it to the breakfast sandwich on a user's plate might.
6.) Conditioning: "Neurons that fire together wire together," Markle said. The "Pavlov's dog" practice allows behaviors that are linked together to become inextricably tied inside the user's brain.
Interestingly, the example that Markle used to illustrate this was Sony's Android-based wristwatch, where only a bare amount of data could be displayed. Users habitually glance at a wristwatch; Markle suggested this constant checking also could be used to create a habitual relationship with the app.
7.) Show achievements to the elephant: Users respond to achievements, so those achievements must also cater to the emotional portions of the brain: a slowly growing flower garden that blooms as a user nears his or her goal, for example.
8.) Social proof and conditioning: Create an identity, Markle advised. People like self-identifying as part of groups, such as "Fabulous Girls Quit Smoking," and then let that modify their behavior. "Once you self-identify as a vegetarian, you tend to say, 'I don't eat that any more, I'm a vegetarian'," Markle said.
People like making popular choice, Markle said. Creating commitment and consistency to a behavior also reinforces that behavior, until it becomes a habit, she added.
An app developer can also work to "change the story," by working with users who are turning away from the app, but that takes assessment and interaction, she said.
9.) Create emotional bonds: Anime-like avatars, with big eyes and childlike motions, work because they create an emotional response in the user, Markle said. The problem is that few apps take advantage of this. But there's a risk here, as well, Markle said - for many users, "too cute" is a real risk.
10.)Rehearse emotions: Could a couch potato run a marathon? It's a big step, and one that dissuades many from making the attempt. Instead, Markle said that one technique is to show pictures that indicate that people just like them can run the race.
But step carefully, Markle advised. Pushing the wrong buttons can trigger the wrong emotions.
11.) Integrate the future self: The problem with New Year's resolutions is that the portion of the brain that makes the resolution isn't the portion of the brain that sets down to accomplish them. "That's why by the third week in January all those resolutions go away," Markle said.
Instead, she counseled apps developers to try to encourage users to envision how they'll feel as they accomplish their resolution, to try and engage that emotional portion of the brain.
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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wireless Networks Coming to U.S. Subway Systems Slowly
Years after Wi-Fi connections have become ubiquitous on university campuses, in coffee shops, and in public buildings, the ability to connect to the Internet during a morning commute is still an exercise in frustration for many Americans.
Yesterday the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City said it was moving forward with a pilot program to bring Wi-Fi to customers in select subway stations. While promising, the initial rollout includes only a few stations, and it's coming years after Wi-Fi has become commonplace.
This isn't the case everywhere. In 2005, for example, Wi-Fi service was added to the train connecting London and Brighton in the U.K., with users able to access 802.11b connections within the train's cars. More than five years later, Charing Cross became the first London Underground station to receive Wi-Fi within London's tube system, and reports say Wi-Fi will be widespread in the system by 2012.
While commuters in many cities overseas have some kind of connectivity (in stations, on trains, or both), the U.S. hasn't been so lucky. Even in the highly connected San Francisco Bay Area, underground Wi-Fi in BART stations is still a thing of the future. Without specially installed base stations, neither Wi-Fi-equipped laptops or smartphones can penetrate the layers of metal, stone, and concrete that can isolate a train tunnel from the outside world.
Key Decision: Wi-Fi or 3G?
Historically, connectivity has equaled Wi-Fi, either via a dongle or built-in wireless chipset. Outside of 802.11n, however, Wi-Fi connections are fairly short-range, and, on a moving train, fail altogether without some sort of wireless backhaul. In stations, though, while commuters wait for a train, there can be a high-speed pipe through which a laptop can quickly download accumulated email.
In recent years, however, cellular connectivity has dramatically improved in both coverage and throughput, leaving operators of municipal transportation systems with something of a quandary: should they build in dedicated Wi-Fi connections, or place the burden on existing 3G networks? With more and more users connecting via 3G services, especially with the rollout of LTE services from Verizon and others, it appears that cities may be favoring the latter. (Of course, that market has become even more interesting with the proposed acquisition of T-Mobile via AT&T).
In cities like Chicago and Seattle, whose transportation systems are typically above ground, city planners haven't been forced to make decisions about which technology to favor. (Seattle hasn't placed Wi-Fi hotspots near its monorail stations, for example, although it has placed free municipal Wi-Fi in its Columbia City and the University District business districts, and the City Hall lobby area.)
In places like New York City, however, with the largest subway system in the United States, Washington D.C., and even the Bay Area, where the transbay BART tunnel and several San Francisco stations are all underground, the decision to favor either 3G or Wi-Fi, or both, becomes more pronounced.
Below, we've taken a look at five major cities within the U.S., with an eye toward what sort of connectivity you can and may expect in the future. Hit the "Next" link below to see the state of wireless connectivity in the subways of Boston, Chicago, and New York City.
Yesterday the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City said it was moving forward with a pilot program to bring Wi-Fi to customers in select subway stations. While promising, the initial rollout includes only a few stations, and it's coming years after Wi-Fi has become commonplace.
This isn't the case everywhere. In 2005, for example, Wi-Fi service was added to the train connecting London and Brighton in the U.K., with users able to access 802.11b connections within the train's cars. More than five years later, Charing Cross became the first London Underground station to receive Wi-Fi within London's tube system, and reports say Wi-Fi will be widespread in the system by 2012.
While commuters in many cities overseas have some kind of connectivity (in stations, on trains, or both), the U.S. hasn't been so lucky. Even in the highly connected San Francisco Bay Area, underground Wi-Fi in BART stations is still a thing of the future. Without specially installed base stations, neither Wi-Fi-equipped laptops or smartphones can penetrate the layers of metal, stone, and concrete that can isolate a train tunnel from the outside world.
Key Decision: Wi-Fi or 3G?
Historically, connectivity has equaled Wi-Fi, either via a dongle or built-in wireless chipset. Outside of 802.11n, however, Wi-Fi connections are fairly short-range, and, on a moving train, fail altogether without some sort of wireless backhaul. In stations, though, while commuters wait for a train, there can be a high-speed pipe through which a laptop can quickly download accumulated email.
In recent years, however, cellular connectivity has dramatically improved in both coverage and throughput, leaving operators of municipal transportation systems with something of a quandary: should they build in dedicated Wi-Fi connections, or place the burden on existing 3G networks? With more and more users connecting via 3G services, especially with the rollout of LTE services from Verizon and others, it appears that cities may be favoring the latter. (Of course, that market has become even more interesting with the proposed acquisition of T-Mobile via AT&T).
In cities like Chicago and Seattle, whose transportation systems are typically above ground, city planners haven't been forced to make decisions about which technology to favor. (Seattle hasn't placed Wi-Fi hotspots near its monorail stations, for example, although it has placed free municipal Wi-Fi in its Columbia City and the University District business districts, and the City Hall lobby area.)
In places like New York City, however, with the largest subway system in the United States, Washington D.C., and even the Bay Area, where the transbay BART tunnel and several San Francisco stations are all underground, the decision to favor either 3G or Wi-Fi, or both, becomes more pronounced.
Below, we've taken a look at five major cities within the U.S., with an eye toward what sort of connectivity you can and may expect in the future. Hit the "Next" link below to see the state of wireless connectivity in the subways of Boston, Chicago, and New York City.
Monday, March 28, 2011
AT&T T-Mobile Customers to Test NYC Subway Wi-Fi in 2011
AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be the first to receive wireless Internet at select Manhattan subway stations as part of a pilot program launching late this year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said.
Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the MTA, said contractor Transit Wireless will launch a pilot program "in the backend of this year" providing wireless connectivity at the five subway stations along the 14th Street corridor. These include: 14th and Broadway, 14th and Sixth Avenue, 14th and Eighth Avenue, 14th and Third Avenue, and 14th and First Avenue.
"We'll give them an additional four years after that to outfit the rest of the system, assuming all goes well with the pilot," Ortiz added.
Last July, Transit Wireless received the contract to outfit all 277 subway stations with Wi-Fi.
If you're wondering why wireless Internet will only cover stations, and not tunnels, it's not for security reasons, as many publications have previously reported. "It's too expensive for tunnels," Ortiz said.
The pilot is being fully paid for by Transit Wireless and participating carriers, which so far includes AT&T and T-Mobile. Ortiz wouldn't disclose the cost of the pilot but said a full rollout would cost Transit Wireless $150-200 million. Not only does Transit Wireless expect to recoup this investment, the MTA will also take 50 percent of the revenue each year, or a minimum of $3 million annually once the build-out is complete.
Transit Wireless is comprised of four wireless players and was incorporated for the sake of bidding for the MTA contract.
Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the MTA, said contractor Transit Wireless will launch a pilot program "in the backend of this year" providing wireless connectivity at the five subway stations along the 14th Street corridor. These include: 14th and Broadway, 14th and Sixth Avenue, 14th and Eighth Avenue, 14th and Third Avenue, and 14th and First Avenue.
"We'll give them an additional four years after that to outfit the rest of the system, assuming all goes well with the pilot," Ortiz added.
Last July, Transit Wireless received the contract to outfit all 277 subway stations with Wi-Fi.
If you're wondering why wireless Internet will only cover stations, and not tunnels, it's not for security reasons, as many publications have previously reported. "It's too expensive for tunnels," Ortiz said.
The pilot is being fully paid for by Transit Wireless and participating carriers, which so far includes AT&T and T-Mobile. Ortiz wouldn't disclose the cost of the pilot but said a full rollout would cost Transit Wireless $150-200 million. Not only does Transit Wireless expect to recoup this investment, the MTA will also take 50 percent of the revenue each year, or a minimum of $3 million annually once the build-out is complete.
Transit Wireless is comprised of four wireless players and was incorporated for the sake of bidding for the MTA contract.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
10 stages of a nightmare job search
It’s tough to keep your spirits up when you’ve been job hunting for an eternity. But Steve Tobak has been there, and his perspective may help you get through the ordeal.
This is the worst job market I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around a long time. It’s tough out there. Really tough. Having been a job seeker for six months during a recession myself, I can tell you, it wasn’t any fun. In fact, it was downright scary.
Still, besides having blind faith that things would eventually work out, the one thing that kept me going was a sense of humor. Really. So if you’re out there looking or know somebody who is, I hope this helps.
1: Determination
Determined to find a job come hell or high water, whatever that means, you tell your wife, “I’m going to bring you a paycheck or die trying.” Your wife gives you a big hug and says, “I know you will, sweetheart.” The next day she takes out a life insurance policy on you.
2: Optimism
Enamored with a universe of possibilities, you go wild networking with everyone and anyone, tweeting, signing up on job search sites, filling out online employment applications, and linking on LinkedIn. You think, this might not be so hard after all.
3: Disappointment
When all that effort turns up a big round donut, you just can’t understand what went wrong. Now, with a little time on your hands, you begin to get just how bad things are out there. Reality sets in. This is going to be a long haul. Better make a pitcher of margaritas.
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4: Fear
Weeks go by and not much has changed, except what you thought was enough runway money isn’t lasting as long as you’d hoped. You actually get an interview where they blow all kinds of smoke up your butt but, in the end, there’s no call-back. Not even to say thanks but no thanks. The bastards.
5: Jealousy
A friend calls you up screaming on the phone because he landed a job. You act all happy for him, but while he’s going on and on about the pay and the perks, you realize you’re grinding your teeth. Later, you can’t stop thinking why him and not me?
6: Depression
Two hundred and fifty-seven applications and three interviews with no call-backs later, it happens. You start going to bed early, getting up late, and shuffling around the house all day in your bathrobe. Your favorite food tastes like cardboard. Sex is exhausting. You give in to the void.
7: Hope
Just before the cash runs out, one of the eighty-three thousand people you contacted emails you out of the blue about a job that’s right up your alley. Heading to the bathroom for your first shower in a week, you pass by the mirror and wonder what that weird thing on your face is. It’s a smile.
8: Celebration
They run you through the mill and just when you think there can’t possibly be anyone left at the company for you to interview with, the boss calls you with an offer. You got the job! You run around the house screaming like a little girl. The neighbors think you’ve finally lost it.
9: Elation
You can’t sleep. Who needs sleep; you’ve got a job. You feel like a man again. Work starts at 9. You’re there at 7. You’ve got this amphetamine-like buzz that won’t quit … and you didn’t even take anything. You smile at everybody. Everybody thinks you’re wacko. But it’s all good. You’re getting a paycheck again.
10: Resignation
Eventually, the halo wears off. You cross swords with all the usual back-stabbers, ass-kissers, and whiners. Then your boss comes down on you hard for something you didn’t even do. So you shuffle through the parking lot, get in your car, and drive home with all the other rush-hour lemmings. That’s when it hits you. I’ve got to go to work every day again. Crap.
Last word
You’ll get through this and live to hate your job again. Kidding. You’re not alone. You’ll survive. Everything will be fine. Really.
This is the worst job market I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around a long time. It’s tough out there. Really tough. Having been a job seeker for six months during a recession myself, I can tell you, it wasn’t any fun. In fact, it was downright scary.
Still, besides having blind faith that things would eventually work out, the one thing that kept me going was a sense of humor. Really. So if you’re out there looking or know somebody who is, I hope this helps.
1: Determination
Determined to find a job come hell or high water, whatever that means, you tell your wife, “I’m going to bring you a paycheck or die trying.” Your wife gives you a big hug and says, “I know you will, sweetheart.” The next day she takes out a life insurance policy on you.
2: Optimism
Enamored with a universe of possibilities, you go wild networking with everyone and anyone, tweeting, signing up on job search sites, filling out online employment applications, and linking on LinkedIn. You think, this might not be so hard after all.
3: Disappointment
When all that effort turns up a big round donut, you just can’t understand what went wrong. Now, with a little time on your hands, you begin to get just how bad things are out there. Reality sets in. This is going to be a long haul. Better make a pitcher of margaritas.
Vendor HotSpot
The Future of Mobile Printing
Print from a Smartphone, from a Tablet, from anywhere!
Learn More »
4: Fear
Weeks go by and not much has changed, except what you thought was enough runway money isn’t lasting as long as you’d hoped. You actually get an interview where they blow all kinds of smoke up your butt but, in the end, there’s no call-back. Not even to say thanks but no thanks. The bastards.
5: Jealousy
A friend calls you up screaming on the phone because he landed a job. You act all happy for him, but while he’s going on and on about the pay and the perks, you realize you’re grinding your teeth. Later, you can’t stop thinking why him and not me?
6: Depression
Two hundred and fifty-seven applications and three interviews with no call-backs later, it happens. You start going to bed early, getting up late, and shuffling around the house all day in your bathrobe. Your favorite food tastes like cardboard. Sex is exhausting. You give in to the void.
7: Hope
Just before the cash runs out, one of the eighty-three thousand people you contacted emails you out of the blue about a job that’s right up your alley. Heading to the bathroom for your first shower in a week, you pass by the mirror and wonder what that weird thing on your face is. It’s a smile.
8: Celebration
They run you through the mill and just when you think there can’t possibly be anyone left at the company for you to interview with, the boss calls you with an offer. You got the job! You run around the house screaming like a little girl. The neighbors think you’ve finally lost it.
9: Elation
You can’t sleep. Who needs sleep; you’ve got a job. You feel like a man again. Work starts at 9. You’re there at 7. You’ve got this amphetamine-like buzz that won’t quit … and you didn’t even take anything. You smile at everybody. Everybody thinks you’re wacko. But it’s all good. You’re getting a paycheck again.
10: Resignation
Eventually, the halo wears off. You cross swords with all the usual back-stabbers, ass-kissers, and whiners. Then your boss comes down on you hard for something you didn’t even do. So you shuffle through the parking lot, get in your car, and drive home with all the other rush-hour lemmings. That’s when it hits you. I’ve got to go to work every day again. Crap.
Last word
You’ll get through this and live to hate your job again. Kidding. You’re not alone. You’ll survive. Everything will be fine. Really.
Friday, March 25, 2011
The 10 Best Touch-Screen Phones
It was touch-and-go for a time, but the touch-screen interface has finally become mainstream. In the past, it was relatively tough to round up 10 good touch-screen products. These days, high-quality touch-screen-based interfaces have made their way into PCs, tablets, phones, PMPs, digital cameras, and a host of other devices.
The introduction of the original iPhone back in 2007 sparked a touch-screen revolution in the smartphone space. With its gorgeous 3.5-inch Multi-Touch screen with support for pinch and zoom, well-designed, finger-friendly interface, and top-notch mobile Web experience, the iPhone served as a prime example of the potential of the keyboard-free phone.
After that, every major manufacturer took its own stab at the touch-screen smartphone. Some succeeded, and some, well, not so much. RIM's first touch-screen handset, the BlackBerry Storm, for example, was panned in our original review for a buggy, imprecise touch interface that was difficult to use. It took a major firmware upgrade six months later for us to recommend the Storm. And since then, we've seen plenty of hard-to-use touch-screen phones that left us begging for physical keyboards and controls.
Four years later, though, there's no shortage of innovative, easy-to-use touch-screen smartphones. In fact, each of the major U.S. carriers offers a number of handsets that ace the touch-screen interface. This list contains the best touch-screen-only phones. If you're looking for phone with a touch screen and a supplemental hardware keyboard, you won't find it here. But if you're willing to say farewell to the physical keyboard for good, look no further than our 10 favorite touch-screen phones.
Touch-Screen Phones Included in this Roundup (by Carrier)
AT&T
Apple iPhone 4Apple iPhone 4
Apple's iPhone 4 adds a gorgeous screen, a terrific camera, and a faster processor to add to the already-awesome iPhone app experience, but voice calling still isn't this phone's priority.
HTC Inspire 4GHTC Inspire 4G
The HTC Inspire 4G, AT&T's premiere Android phone (at least for now) can hold its own against the iPhone 4 and other top smartphones.
Motorola Atrix 4GMotorola Atrix 4G
Motorola's Atrix 4G, the unique bleeding-edge superphone that can transform itself into a PC, shows how we'll likely be using our mobile devices in the year 2020. But to get a taste of the future, you'll have to pay, and deal with some bugs along the way.
SPRINT
HTC EVO 4GHTC EVO 4G
If you live online, the EVO offers a big, beautiful, and powerful window to the world. The first WiMAX phone in the U.S. is a terrific platform for streaming media and Web browsing, and it gets your laptop online with Sprint's 4G network.
LG Optimus SLG Optimus S
The Optimus S is the best budget Android phone we've seen, a well-tuned, feature-packed touch-screen slab with all of the functionality most consumers and small business users need.
T-MOBILE
T-Mobile MyTouch 4GT-Mobile myTouch 4G
The T-Mobile myTouch 4G combines a classy body with a big, beautiful touch screen and the latest software to offer the most you can get from Android today.
Samsung Galaxy S 4GSamsung Galaxy S 4G
The Samsung Galaxy S 4G, with its faster data connection, refreshed styling, and Android 2.2 OS, is a stellar performer that doubles as a great laptop modem.
VERIZON WIRELESS
HTC ThunderboltHTC Thunderbolt
The HTC Thunderbolt, the first 4G LTE smartphone for Verizon Wireless, has the fastest Web speeds we've ever seen, but be prepared to carry an extra battery.
Motorola Droid XMotorola Droid X
Motorola Droid X takes the crown for the most powerful Android smartphone away from the HTC Droid Incredible. The huge 4.3-inch, 854-by-480 screen makes maneuvering the phone's excellent interface with your finger a breeze.
Apple iPhone 4Apple iPhone 4
Our lab tests show that Verizon's iPhone 4 is just as good as the popular AT&T model, if not slightly better. If you've been lusting for an iPhone, but AT&T's network coverage doesn't work for you, the Verizon iPhone will be your savior. But if you didn't want an iPhone before, there's nothing new here to change your mind.
The introduction of the original iPhone back in 2007 sparked a touch-screen revolution in the smartphone space. With its gorgeous 3.5-inch Multi-Touch screen with support for pinch and zoom, well-designed, finger-friendly interface, and top-notch mobile Web experience, the iPhone served as a prime example of the potential of the keyboard-free phone.
After that, every major manufacturer took its own stab at the touch-screen smartphone. Some succeeded, and some, well, not so much. RIM's first touch-screen handset, the BlackBerry Storm, for example, was panned in our original review for a buggy, imprecise touch interface that was difficult to use. It took a major firmware upgrade six months later for us to recommend the Storm. And since then, we've seen plenty of hard-to-use touch-screen phones that left us begging for physical keyboards and controls.
Four years later, though, there's no shortage of innovative, easy-to-use touch-screen smartphones. In fact, each of the major U.S. carriers offers a number of handsets that ace the touch-screen interface. This list contains the best touch-screen-only phones. If you're looking for phone with a touch screen and a supplemental hardware keyboard, you won't find it here. But if you're willing to say farewell to the physical keyboard for good, look no further than our 10 favorite touch-screen phones.
Touch-Screen Phones Included in this Roundup (by Carrier)
AT&T
Apple iPhone 4Apple iPhone 4
Apple's iPhone 4 adds a gorgeous screen, a terrific camera, and a faster processor to add to the already-awesome iPhone app experience, but voice calling still isn't this phone's priority.
HTC Inspire 4GHTC Inspire 4G
The HTC Inspire 4G, AT&T's premiere Android phone (at least for now) can hold its own against the iPhone 4 and other top smartphones.
Motorola Atrix 4GMotorola Atrix 4G
Motorola's Atrix 4G, the unique bleeding-edge superphone that can transform itself into a PC, shows how we'll likely be using our mobile devices in the year 2020. But to get a taste of the future, you'll have to pay, and deal with some bugs along the way.
SPRINT
HTC EVO 4GHTC EVO 4G
If you live online, the EVO offers a big, beautiful, and powerful window to the world. The first WiMAX phone in the U.S. is a terrific platform for streaming media and Web browsing, and it gets your laptop online with Sprint's 4G network.
LG Optimus SLG Optimus S
The Optimus S is the best budget Android phone we've seen, a well-tuned, feature-packed touch-screen slab with all of the functionality most consumers and small business users need.
T-MOBILE
T-Mobile MyTouch 4GT-Mobile myTouch 4G
The T-Mobile myTouch 4G combines a classy body with a big, beautiful touch screen and the latest software to offer the most you can get from Android today.
Samsung Galaxy S 4GSamsung Galaxy S 4G
The Samsung Galaxy S 4G, with its faster data connection, refreshed styling, and Android 2.2 OS, is a stellar performer that doubles as a great laptop modem.
VERIZON WIRELESS
HTC ThunderboltHTC Thunderbolt
The HTC Thunderbolt, the first 4G LTE smartphone for Verizon Wireless, has the fastest Web speeds we've ever seen, but be prepared to carry an extra battery.
Motorola Droid XMotorola Droid X
Motorola Droid X takes the crown for the most powerful Android smartphone away from the HTC Droid Incredible. The huge 4.3-inch, 854-by-480 screen makes maneuvering the phone's excellent interface with your finger a breeze.
Apple iPhone 4Apple iPhone 4
Our lab tests show that Verizon's iPhone 4 is just as good as the popular AT&T model, if not slightly better. If you've been lusting for an iPhone, but AT&T's network coverage doesn't work for you, the Verizon iPhone will be your savior. But if you didn't want an iPhone before, there's nothing new here to change your mind.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Whether do You Also Meet Such Problem About Ipad or Not?
As we all know , with the development of technology, a large number of hi-tech products are produced, such as ipad, iphone, ipod, iTunes etc. Young people have more ways to watch movies, listen to music etc. iPad, as one of the hottest Apple products, has perfect performance in playing movies up to 720P with their unique touch screen design. And it has caught lots of people's eye.
As iPad users, we can enjoy domestic and international popular movies have shown in this hot time, such as , <> etc. Though the World Cup had had an end just now, the classic match is still worth to looking back . And we can listen to beautiful music by using it . I've been using the iPad since the day it was launched. I can download and put my music or movies on it, and then I can share them with my friends and families. At the same time, I can surf the Web, check mail, or even keep up with your latest game of Words with Friends. But ,there exists some problems, sometime it's difficult to convert DVD or video files to iPad .Especially when I eager to watch some movies ,and as a mac user, it's truly a big problem. Whether do you also meet such problem or not ?
To meet the need of iPad users, Cucusoft iPad Converter Suite is designed, which 2 software packages, "Cucusoft Video to iPads Converter" and "Cucusoft DVD to iPad Converter". The DVD to iPad Converter can convert almost any kind of DVD to iPad, and the Video to iPad Converter can convert almost all video files to iPad. With this iPad converter, windows users can convert both DVDs and video file media to iPad video and iPad movie formats.
For mac users, DVD Video to iPad Converter Mac is just what we need. Its includes 2 software packages, iPad Video Converter for Mac and DVD to iPad Converter Mac. The DVD to iPad Converter can Convert DVD movies to iPad video MPEG-4, H.264 and iPad audio MP3, M4A, AAC , and the Video to iPad Converter can Convert videos to iPad video MPEG-4, H.264 and audio MP3, M4A and AAC formats. So with this iPad Converter Mac I can convert both DVD and all popular video files to iPad video and audio files with high conversion speeds .I have use it for a long time ,it's truly a powerful tool.
I am very glad to share the powerful tool with everyone, and I am quite enjoyable with my iPad . Whether do you also meet such problem about iPad or not? Hope it can help you too.
As iPad users, we can enjoy domestic and international popular movies have shown in this hot time, such as , <> etc. Though the World Cup had had an end just now, the classic match is still worth to looking back . And we can listen to beautiful music by using it . I've been using the iPad since the day it was launched. I can download and put my music or movies on it, and then I can share them with my friends and families. At the same time, I can surf the Web, check mail, or even keep up with your latest game of Words with Friends. But ,there exists some problems, sometime it's difficult to convert DVD or video files to iPad .Especially when I eager to watch some movies ,and as a mac user, it's truly a big problem. Whether do you also meet such problem or not ?
To meet the need of iPad users, Cucusoft iPad Converter Suite is designed, which 2 software packages, "Cucusoft Video to iPads Converter" and "Cucusoft DVD to iPad Converter". The DVD to iPad Converter can convert almost any kind of DVD to iPad, and the Video to iPad Converter can convert almost all video files to iPad. With this iPad converter, windows users can convert both DVDs and video file media to iPad video and iPad movie formats.
For mac users, DVD Video to iPad Converter Mac is just what we need. Its includes 2 software packages, iPad Video Converter for Mac and DVD to iPad Converter Mac. The DVD to iPad Converter can Convert DVD movies to iPad video MPEG-4, H.264 and iPad audio MP3, M4A, AAC , and the Video to iPad Converter can Convert videos to iPad video MPEG-4, H.264 and audio MP3, M4A and AAC formats. So with this iPad Converter Mac I can convert both DVD and all popular video files to iPad video and audio files with high conversion speeds .I have use it for a long time ,it's truly a powerful tool.
I am very glad to share the powerful tool with everyone, and I am quite enjoyable with my iPad . Whether do you also meet such problem about iPad or not? Hope it can help you too.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Microsoft Zune no new PMP versions planned
Microsoft is close to canning its Zune MP3 player range and focus all of its efforts into its Zune software suite.
This is according to Bloomberg, which has spoken to someone close to the matter who wishes to be unnamed.
The Zune PMP didn't make much impact in the UK, but the Zune portal, which offers music and movie donwloads, is available on the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 devices.
Although it was always meant to be a real contender to the Apple iPod, sales of the device haven't made a dent in Steve Jobs' PMP dominance.
Consumer excitement
Microsoft hasn't revealed whether or not it is stopping production of Zune hardware, but it did say in a statement: "We have nothing to announce about another Zune device - but most recently have introduced Zune HD to Canada via the Zune Originals store and remain committed to supporting our devices in North America."
Microsoft also praised its Zune software in the statement, saying: "We are thrilled by the consumer excitement for Zune across many new platforms, including Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360.
"Our long-term strategy focuses on the strength of the entire Zune ecosystem across Microsoft platforms."
This is according to Bloomberg, which has spoken to someone close to the matter who wishes to be unnamed.
The Zune PMP didn't make much impact in the UK, but the Zune portal, which offers music and movie donwloads, is available on the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 devices.
Although it was always meant to be a real contender to the Apple iPod, sales of the device haven't made a dent in Steve Jobs' PMP dominance.
Consumer excitement
Microsoft hasn't revealed whether or not it is stopping production of Zune hardware, but it did say in a statement: "We have nothing to announce about another Zune device - but most recently have introduced Zune HD to Canada via the Zune Originals store and remain committed to supporting our devices in North America."
Microsoft also praised its Zune software in the statement, saying: "We are thrilled by the consumer excitement for Zune across many new platforms, including Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360.
"Our long-term strategy focuses on the strength of the entire Zune ecosystem across Microsoft platforms."
Monday, March 21, 2011
Microsoft Office Web Apps review
For Microsoft, offering a free version of Office to anyone with a Live ID account is more than a bit of a gamble, so it's not too surprising that the Office Web Apps built into Skydrive aren't exactly direct competitors to their offline counterparts.
Excel WebApp, for instance, lets you put together basic spreadsheets and graphs just like the regular version, but a quick glance at the toolbar compared to the full applications' Ribbon makes it clear just how little you can do in comparison, and how few time-saving features are on offer to help you do it.
For simple spreadsheets though, it's fine, which is more than can be said for the online version of Word. This gives you a genuinely horrible editor to work with, forcing you to type into a full-width text box.
You can switch to a more traditional view for reading files and see how your document will look when printed out, but only via a read-only preview called 'Reading Mode'. This is truly dire.
Proper margins and maximum line lengths make writing far more comfortable, to say nothing of giving you a much better idea of how much you've written and how many pages you're using.
The online version of Word looks especially bad when you fire up OneNote WebApp – Office Web Apps' diamond in the rough. Here, the simplicity works in its favour, making it easy to create an online notebook and fill it with text, images and more, from a very comfortable editing window that Word should be using.
We like OneNote a lot, and this version – while cut down – is good enough to save most people the cost of the full product.
Excel WebApp, for instance, lets you put together basic spreadsheets and graphs just like the regular version, but a quick glance at the toolbar compared to the full applications' Ribbon makes it clear just how little you can do in comparison, and how few time-saving features are on offer to help you do it.
For simple spreadsheets though, it's fine, which is more than can be said for the online version of Word. This gives you a genuinely horrible editor to work with, forcing you to type into a full-width text box.
You can switch to a more traditional view for reading files and see how your document will look when printed out, but only via a read-only preview called 'Reading Mode'. This is truly dire.
Proper margins and maximum line lengths make writing far more comfortable, to say nothing of giving you a much better idea of how much you've written and how many pages you're using.
The online version of Word looks especially bad when you fire up OneNote WebApp – Office Web Apps' diamond in the rough. Here, the simplicity works in its favour, making it easy to create an online notebook and fill it with text, images and more, from a very comfortable editing window that Word should be using.
We like OneNote a lot, and this version – while cut down – is good enough to save most people the cost of the full product.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Countdown to Windows 7
There's talk that Microsoft has signed off internally on the Beta 1 Windows 7 bits. Word is the build number of what goes out to testers will be 6.1.7000.0.081212-1400.
What do all those digits mean? And when will testers actually get their hands on the code?
Windows power users and long-time beta testers probably need no explanation, but the rest of us undoubtedly could stand some schooling. Here's how it works:
* 6 = Major NT OS version number (Windows 7, as the Softies have said, is built on the Windows Vista kernel, which they call NT Version 6)
* 1 = Minor version number
* 7000 = Major build number
* 0 = Minor build number (if needed; otherwise omitted on most builds)
* 081212-1400 = Build date stamp (08 = year, 12 = month, 12 = day, 1400= 2 p.m. using a 24-hour- format time stamp)
Once a release of Windows is released to manufacturing, the major build number is only changed when service packs are introduced. Example: VistaSP2/2008SP2 is build 6002. (The RTM build of Vista was No. 6000.16386.061101.2205, for those keeping track at home.)
So if Beta 1 really is 6.1.7000.0.081212-1400, it would mean it was built on December 12 at 2 p.m. (For the record, Microsoft officials still won't talk build numbers and won't say whether this is actually Beta 1 or if some later build will be officially christened Beta 1.)
Build numbers aside, when will testers get their hand on the Beta 1 bits? That's a bit tenuous, too.
A Russian Web site posted earlier this week that testers would get the Beta 1 bits before the end of this week. But in the Beta 1 invite Microsoft sent to testers, company officials told the pre-selected group of “tech beta testers†not to expect to get Beta 1 code until early 2009.
I asked Microsoft for clarification on December 17, and was told by a spokesperson that testers won't get the code until January.
Update: I asked again on December 18, just for the heck of it and got a slightly different statement from a spokesperson — a statement that leaves open the door for early beta deliveries:
“It is part of our normal testing process for testers to receive regular builds; however, the Windows 7 public beta is still expected in early 2009.â€
Here's my guess: I bet some fairly small group of testers will, indeed, get the Beta 1 bits by this weekend. But in order to keep the Windows team from being saddled with support and answering questions over the holidays, the majority of tech beta testers won't get the code until early January. The public won't get Beta 1 until some time after the tech beta testers give Beta 1 their overall stamp of approval — think later in January (with some kind of official Microsoft announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show).
One thing's for sure: If early code recipients put the Beta 1 bits on torrents in the next few days, Beta 1 will be available all over the Web before the start of 2009. Maybe that initial internal Microsoft pre-Christmas Beta 1 target won't be so far off, after all….
What do all those digits mean? And when will testers actually get their hands on the code?
Windows power users and long-time beta testers probably need no explanation, but the rest of us undoubtedly could stand some schooling. Here's how it works:
* 6 = Major NT OS version number (Windows 7, as the Softies have said, is built on the Windows Vista kernel, which they call NT Version 6)
* 1 = Minor version number
* 7000 = Major build number
* 0 = Minor build number (if needed; otherwise omitted on most builds)
* 081212-1400 = Build date stamp (08 = year, 12 = month, 12 = day, 1400= 2 p.m. using a 24-hour- format time stamp)
Once a release of Windows is released to manufacturing, the major build number is only changed when service packs are introduced. Example: VistaSP2/2008SP2 is build 6002. (The RTM build of Vista was No. 6000.16386.061101.2205, for those keeping track at home.)
So if Beta 1 really is 6.1.7000.0.081212-1400, it would mean it was built on December 12 at 2 p.m. (For the record, Microsoft officials still won't talk build numbers and won't say whether this is actually Beta 1 or if some later build will be officially christened Beta 1.)
Build numbers aside, when will testers get their hand on the Beta 1 bits? That's a bit tenuous, too.
A Russian Web site posted earlier this week that testers would get the Beta 1 bits before the end of this week. But in the Beta 1 invite Microsoft sent to testers, company officials told the pre-selected group of “tech beta testers†not to expect to get Beta 1 code until early 2009.
I asked Microsoft for clarification on December 17, and was told by a spokesperson that testers won't get the code until January.
Update: I asked again on December 18, just for the heck of it and got a slightly different statement from a spokesperson — a statement that leaves open the door for early beta deliveries:
“It is part of our normal testing process for testers to receive regular builds; however, the Windows 7 public beta is still expected in early 2009.â€
Here's my guess: I bet some fairly small group of testers will, indeed, get the Beta 1 bits by this weekend. But in order to keep the Windows team from being saddled with support and answering questions over the holidays, the majority of tech beta testers won't get the code until early January. The public won't get Beta 1 until some time after the tech beta testers give Beta 1 their overall stamp of approval — think later in January (with some kind of official Microsoft announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show).
One thing's for sure: If early code recipients put the Beta 1 bits on torrents in the next few days, Beta 1 will be available all over the Web before the start of 2009. Maybe that initial internal Microsoft pre-Christmas Beta 1 target won't be so far off, after all….
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Apple iPad
Apple company iPad evaluation
When we first unboxed as well as driven upward the brand new apple ipad, it is hard in order to overstate just how much enjoyable it is. That is really a bit of processing customer wizard, I recently cannot observe another system in the recent past that compares to the iPad's technologies including the i phone.
When you pick up the actual 1.5lb bit of glass and also blown metal casing, the load as well as durability of this seems excellent within the hand. This indicates small compared to predicted though the nine.several in . display screen is plenty sufficient to view films,surf the web as well as perform game titles. Right after making use of and also becoming pleased with the apple iphone, this kind of display screen space is simply amazing in order to swipe and also touch using the finger tips.
The particular Directed backlit Ips touch screen show functions 1024?768 pixel quality. At the end of the system could be the all too familiar "iPhoneish" house switch, that takes a person returning to the iPad's main display screen.
There's a earphone jack port, the microphone, any amount manage,a good on/off change and a brand new feature- a screen rotator lock. This particular disables the actual accelerometer so the display doesn't change positioning any time you don't want this to. My partner and i positive hope the brand new apple iphone has this kind of simple however necessary characteristic. There are also built-in speakers and the typical 30 pin number connection. Also and lastly.......Apple's favored.... Absolutely no detachable electric battery.
The actual coaching greeting card in which comes inside the apple company ipad package only has of a number of sentences about it. There exists a user manual on-line but I did not need to put it to use. The actual apple ipad runs using the apple iphone Computer itself three.2- fundamentally the modified version from the i phone method.
When you website link up the apple company ipad with your pc with the thirty pin number connector, sync up itunes as well as away from you decide to go. The actual webpages insert smoothly as well as rapidly and also the color will be outstanding and also vibrant. The consumer software is catagorized aside and you also dive into,swipe,and crunch on your path from the applications.
There is certainly searching obviously, but the programs are the king to the device.
The main one application you ought to obtain when you energy up may be the iBook app in the ipad application store.
A lot of people will be getting the particular ipad to read publications about it, to change the actual out-of-date Kindle. In my opinion this was Apple's main concentrate with this particular system as is thinks a lot more just like a publication than the usual normal personal computer.
The actual obtain experience couldn't be less complicated and the running behind the actual simple swipe to be able to turn the web page is very amazing. Prices are normally more than Amazon's however 9.ninety nine isn't too high for that high quality you receive in exchange.
Most people would want to purchase a remain regarding some sort or other to read by, however possessing the apple ipad isn't everything bad. Definitely individuals deploying it to view motion pictures will require an easy method of propping it up. I'm positive you will end up sure to see this within the apple company ipad item shop.
As for worn out eye in the display, I discovered absolutely no difficulty by using it and the lighting could always be adjusted. While using apple ipad outdoors within vibrant sunshine was a issue however My partner and i nevertheless choose the particular reading through encounter to that particular from the kindle. Amazon ought to be seriously worried about the near future of their Kindle equipment company.
The 2nd huge make use of for that apple ipad are going to be gambling. Gaming applications are sold to the i phone more than any class and the added room about the apple ipad must ensure a lot of same.
I saved a few video games previously, and also of course, it absolutely was a fantastic video gaming encounter.
And that's the one thing using the apple company ipad, you don't want to place it lower. The particular touchscreen display whines out to be touched as well as swiped.
The question is, may the actual ipad substitute the pc? My opinion isn't any. Simply because even though it can perform most of the stuff that the laptop can perform and in some instances do all of them much better. Still appears not have the actual efficiency of your laptop.
With that said, I'm amazed concerning how easy it had been in order to kind about the electronic key pad. It can be spacious, comfy as well as typically, mistake free typing. We nevertheless prefer the bodily keyboard set upon my macbook seasoned, but of course which is my estimation.
I'll be doing a bit of E-mail, upgrading Facebook, as well as Tweeting through my personal apple ipad. I can see it getting our main approach to our social networking communication.
Apple company offers made certain all of us that the electric battery doesn't slow down content material intake. The particular apple company ipad is good for ten several hours regarding living in between costs. Take a look at ipad case
My personal macbook pro is becoming our alternative to audio listening as well as Film person whilst transferring a few down time inside my cubical.
Therefore will the actual apple ipad function as the full with the posting industry? Simply no, I know don't believe thus. Not really on it's own, yet it is a source within the link to a electronic future with regard to papers as well as publications. Many appear wonderful about the apple ipad and also the Wall structure Avenue Diary application is incredible, but the open public may merely accept that it is okay to cover applications, even as these people be put off by website monthly subscriptions.
With everything said, the apple company ipad has several significant flaws. For me the possible lack of the digital camera is merely ridiculous. Using skype or perhaps iChat using a tablet personal computer amounts to just this type of easy and obvious strategy, My partner and i cant feel The apple company left this particular away.
The lack of Thumb technologies for actively playing on the internet video clip appears a reduced amount of the cynical selection on Steve Work is portion. It's more of a crusade towards Adobe.
The lack of Multi-Tasking is a little bit irritating. This makes all the otherwise smooth apple ipad encounter slightly stagnated occasionally. When you go into a good app, you decide to go away, as well as get into another one. Apple's applications operate happily without anyone's knowledge yet these who want to possess Twitting bottles open or their own instant messaging on the run are going to be dissapointed.
Rates vary from $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only Design, up to $829 for the 64GB Wi-Fi 3rd generation Design.
The 3rd generation program can price $14.99 per month with regard to 300 Mb or even $29.99 per month for limitless data, during AT&T.
When we first unboxed as well as driven upward the brand new apple ipad, it is hard in order to overstate just how much enjoyable it is. That is really a bit of processing customer wizard, I recently cannot observe another system in the recent past that compares to the iPad's technologies including the i phone.
When you pick up the actual 1.5lb bit of glass and also blown metal casing, the load as well as durability of this seems excellent within the hand. This indicates small compared to predicted though the nine.several in . display screen is plenty sufficient to view films,surf the web as well as perform game titles. Right after making use of and also becoming pleased with the apple iphone, this kind of display screen space is simply amazing in order to swipe and also touch using the finger tips.
The particular Directed backlit Ips touch screen show functions 1024?768 pixel quality. At the end of the system could be the all too familiar "iPhoneish" house switch, that takes a person returning to the iPad's main display screen.
There's a earphone jack port, the microphone, any amount manage,a good on/off change and a brand new feature- a screen rotator lock. This particular disables the actual accelerometer so the display doesn't change positioning any time you don't want this to. My partner and i positive hope the brand new apple iphone has this kind of simple however necessary characteristic. There are also built-in speakers and the typical 30 pin number connection. Also and lastly.......Apple's favored.... Absolutely no detachable electric battery.
The actual coaching greeting card in which comes inside the apple company ipad package only has of a number of sentences about it. There exists a user manual on-line but I did not need to put it to use. The actual apple ipad runs using the apple iphone Computer itself three.2- fundamentally the modified version from the i phone method.
When you website link up the apple company ipad with your pc with the thirty pin number connector, sync up itunes as well as away from you decide to go. The actual webpages insert smoothly as well as rapidly and also the color will be outstanding and also vibrant. The consumer software is catagorized aside and you also dive into,swipe,and crunch on your path from the applications.
There is certainly searching obviously, but the programs are the king to the device.
The main one application you ought to obtain when you energy up may be the iBook app in the ipad application store.
A lot of people will be getting the particular ipad to read publications about it, to change the actual out-of-date Kindle. In my opinion this was Apple's main concentrate with this particular system as is thinks a lot more just like a publication than the usual normal personal computer.
The actual obtain experience couldn't be less complicated and the running behind the actual simple swipe to be able to turn the web page is very amazing. Prices are normally more than Amazon's however 9.ninety nine isn't too high for that high quality you receive in exchange.
Most people would want to purchase a remain regarding some sort or other to read by, however possessing the apple ipad isn't everything bad. Definitely individuals deploying it to view motion pictures will require an easy method of propping it up. I'm positive you will end up sure to see this within the apple company ipad item shop.
As for worn out eye in the display, I discovered absolutely no difficulty by using it and the lighting could always be adjusted. While using apple ipad outdoors within vibrant sunshine was a issue however My partner and i nevertheless choose the particular reading through encounter to that particular from the kindle. Amazon ought to be seriously worried about the near future of their Kindle equipment company.
The 2nd huge make use of for that apple ipad are going to be gambling. Gaming applications are sold to the i phone more than any class and the added room about the apple ipad must ensure a lot of same.
I saved a few video games previously, and also of course, it absolutely was a fantastic video gaming encounter.
And that's the one thing using the apple company ipad, you don't want to place it lower. The particular touchscreen display whines out to be touched as well as swiped.
The question is, may the actual ipad substitute the pc? My opinion isn't any. Simply because even though it can perform most of the stuff that the laptop can perform and in some instances do all of them much better. Still appears not have the actual efficiency of your laptop.
With that said, I'm amazed concerning how easy it had been in order to kind about the electronic key pad. It can be spacious, comfy as well as typically, mistake free typing. We nevertheless prefer the bodily keyboard set upon my macbook seasoned, but of course which is my estimation.
I'll be doing a bit of E-mail, upgrading Facebook, as well as Tweeting through my personal apple ipad. I can see it getting our main approach to our social networking communication.
Apple company offers made certain all of us that the electric battery doesn't slow down content material intake. The particular apple company ipad is good for ten several hours regarding living in between costs. Take a look at ipad case
My personal macbook pro is becoming our alternative to audio listening as well as Film person whilst transferring a few down time inside my cubical.
Therefore will the actual apple ipad function as the full with the posting industry? Simply no, I know don't believe thus. Not really on it's own, yet it is a source within the link to a electronic future with regard to papers as well as publications. Many appear wonderful about the apple ipad and also the Wall structure Avenue Diary application is incredible, but the open public may merely accept that it is okay to cover applications, even as these people be put off by website monthly subscriptions.
With everything said, the apple company ipad has several significant flaws. For me the possible lack of the digital camera is merely ridiculous. Using skype or perhaps iChat using a tablet personal computer amounts to just this type of easy and obvious strategy, My partner and i cant feel The apple company left this particular away.
The lack of Thumb technologies for actively playing on the internet video clip appears a reduced amount of the cynical selection on Steve Work is portion. It's more of a crusade towards Adobe.
The lack of Multi-Tasking is a little bit irritating. This makes all the otherwise smooth apple ipad encounter slightly stagnated occasionally. When you go into a good app, you decide to go away, as well as get into another one. Apple's applications operate happily without anyone's knowledge yet these who want to possess Twitting bottles open or their own instant messaging on the run are going to be dissapointed.
Rates vary from $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only Design, up to $829 for the 64GB Wi-Fi 3rd generation Design.
The 3rd generation program can price $14.99 per month with regard to 300 Mb or even $29.99 per month for limitless data, during AT&T.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Windows Operating System Has Came of The Ages With Windows 7
Windows Operating System is one of the most common Operating System which is widely accepted and used across the globe. It Windows which has given a new dimension to the way Operating System were seen across. Prior to Windows DOS was there which was in the picture but that was a console based and command line interface, with Windows came there came the GUI [Graphical User Interface] concept which has revolutionaries the computer world and got a global acceptance.
Constantly since the release of the Windows operating system in 1995, Microsoft has been ongoing to get used to to the different changes that are taking place in the world of technology by offering new versions of this popular program that runs on 90% off all computers. The latest version of this is the Windows 7 Operating System which has had mixed reviews, one major criticism is that the Window 7 Operating System is slower than the previous versions. While this is no doubt troubling, the fact of the matter is that you can be able to speed it up by using a series of tips to aid you along the way. Below are several tips to help you make the most of the Windows 7 Operating System.
Make sure that you meet the minimum operating requirements: To often many people will upgrade their operating system while not paying attention to the minimum specifications for it on running their computer. This means that their system can run slow and will not be as fast as it use to be. The first thing that you want to do is make sure that your computer meets the basic criteria for running the Windows 7 Operating Systems. This would include: 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor, 1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit), 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit) and DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.
Check the memory space on the computer: If your computer meets the minimum specifications for running Windows 7, you would then want to clean off some unnecessary files off the hard drive. This can be accomplished by using msconfig.
Clean the registry of the computer: If neither one of the previous steps worked you may want to consider cleaning the registry of the computer. This is where you use a registry cleaner to speed up the computer. What happens is that the computer will consult the registry whenever you give it a command to perform a particular function. As you use your computer the amount of files that will be in the registry will only increase, as these files continue to become bigger the speed of your computer will slow down dramatically. When you are using a registry cleaner you are cleaning out those unnecessary files that are in your computers registry, helping to improve the speed of your computer using the Windows 7 Operating System.
Consider using a registry cleaning expert: If you are uncomfortable cleaning your computers registry or you tried it and it did not work you may want to try using a registry cleaning expert. This is a computer professional who can take the registry cleaner to eliminate those files that are slowing your computer down and make sure the Windows 7 operating system is running properly on your computer.
Clearly the new Windows 7 operating system could cause your computer different problems. The biggest complaint is that it runs slow on your computer. If this happens to you there are several options available such as: make sure that you meet the minimum operating requirements, check the memory on the computer, clean the registry of the computer and consider using a registry cleaning expert. These solutions will help you to have your computer up and running smoothly using Windows 7.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Intel Centrino 2 Processor Technology
A New Breakthrough
The Intel Centrino 2 processor technology family represents the most significant advancement in mobility since the original launch of Intel Centrino processor technology in 2003. Essentially a marketing term, Centrino 2 is used to describe a raft of new technologies including: a handful of new Core 2 Duo processors; a new chipset with a faster front-side bus; a new graphics solution with support for high-definition content and switchable graphics; and updated wireless and wired connectivity. With laptops based on this new technology, you'll experience a breakthrough on all five vectors of mobility:
- Performance
- Battery life
- Wireless
- Form factor
- Manageability capabilities
These computers are equipped to handle everything from robust business to masterful media—and everything in between. Intel Centrino 2 processor technology also includes advancements designed to enhance the mobility experience for both consumer and business users. Both feature a 1066 MHz FSB, high clock speeds, faster DDR2 (800 MHz) compared to the prior generation, as well as DDR3 support (up to 1066 MHz).
So what does this mean for you? In this article, we'll describe the new features and benefits of this advanced technology.
New processors: The processors launching with the new platform are built on the same 45nm Penryn architecture that debuted earlier this year, though the new chips now support the faster 1066MHz front-side bus.
Three of the processors are part of a new class of energy-efficient CPUs designed to enhance battery life, and they are designated with a part number "Pxxx" (think P for "power optimized"). These Penryn chips support a range of power-saving capabilities, from selectively shutting down unused parts of the chip, to a deeper-sleep mode, which allows the laptop to use a negligible amount of power when in standby mode. The energy-efficient CPUs have the added advantage of staying cooler than their more power-hungry counterparts, a development that should bring about even smaller, thinner laptops.
The remaining processors (part number "Txxx" and "Xxxx") prioritize performance. All six processors are priced as follows:
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz): $209
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz): $241
- Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 (2.53GHz): $348
- Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz): $316
- Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz): $530
- Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100 (3.06GHz): $851
Enhanced network connections: For wireless modules, the platform will include Wi-Fi support with the option of using a WiMax add-on card (both options support the 802.11n standard). With the new wireless add-on card, you'll be able to roam up to twice as far as you could with the company's previous Wi-Fi chip. Intel is heavily marketing WiMax as the high-speed wireless broadband service of the future for laptops and smaller computing gadgets.
On the wired side, support for high-speed Gigabit Ethernet—a feature that's likely to appeal to business users—is standard with Centrino 2.
Faster overall performance:
The new Mobile Intel 45 Express chipset increases the frequency of the front-side bus to 1,066MHz, which helps all the components of the system communicate more quickly. It also supports DDR3 memory, which has a higher peak throughput than previous memory technologies. Intel is always reluctant to quantify performance improvements, but company representatives have promised "dramatic" performance gains.
Personal Users
On top of these native components, the Intel Centrino 2 processor technology family adds additional features for consumers. For starters, the system comes equipped with Blu-ray logo-capable playback so you can enjoy your HD movies on-the-go. Another big development available on Intel Centrino 2-based laptops is switchable graphics, which is supported by a new 45 chipset. Intel claims that the mobile GM45 express chipset (pictured below) offers 70% greater performance than its predecessor.
Switchable graphics provides both integrated and discrete graphics on a single notebook, enabling users to easily switch between the two options. This feature, which can be either user-controlled or automatic, delivers greater 3-D performance when needed while providing the option for greater power savings.
Business Users
For businesses, Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology features built-in maintenance capabilities and enhanced security options that readily integrate with software management solutions. Designed to lower IT costs and improve IT efficiency, Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology offers a unified approach for administering and protecting computers throughout your organization. With the latest IT management consoles, you can monitor and maintain your laptops over a wired or secure wireless network. Plus, you'll have the ability to deploy patches and updates from anywhere, even if the client computer is powered off. This is increasingly important as companies replace desktops with laptops and need to remotely diagnose, update and repair systems over a wireless network.
Conclusion
Overall, Centrino 2 has all the hallmarks of a sure-fire hit. Every component of the platform has seen at least modest enhancements designed to increase performance, decrease power consumption, and add functionality. And while it's too early to speak in general terms, our preliminary findings seem to back up at least some of Intel's claims.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Install Android apps from PC Mac Remotely via Web
At this year’s Google I/O, Google previewed super cool over-the-air app installation which is scheduled for the next version of Android: Gingerbread. But the good news is you can get it now, unofficailly.
AppBrain is a thirdparty Android MarketPlace which lets you install all the apps over the air from your PC, Mac via Web without touching the phone. All you have to do is install the AppBrain marketplace. (Most Android MarketPlace titles are available on this App store as well).
Apart from what is already said, AppBrain can synchronize a list of your installed apps with a list of the apps you want on the web and then download the new items on the fly.
Here’s a closer look at the appBrain Marketplace:
How to Install Android Apps via Web
Step 1. Go to AppBrain.com and log-in with your Google credentials
Step 2. Download AppBrain Market Sync app Log-in with your Google credentials. You can
Download from market
Step 3. Download the FastWeb Install app.
Open in Market (from phone only)
Step 4. Browse AppBrain.com to discover apps and one click install on phone OTA.
Is it secure?
AppBrain’s apps connect you through your Google’s Auth without ever actually seeing your password. Apart from that there’s no guarantee of stuff they are doing int he background.
However, there’s one downside: AppBrain’s instant installer only works for free applications, paid apps need little more work.
AppBrain is a thirdparty Android MarketPlace which lets you install all the apps over the air from your PC, Mac via Web without touching the phone. All you have to do is install the AppBrain marketplace. (Most Android MarketPlace titles are available on this App store as well).
Apart from what is already said, AppBrain can synchronize a list of your installed apps with a list of the apps you want on the web and then download the new items on the fly.
Here’s a closer look at the appBrain Marketplace:
How to Install Android Apps via Web
Step 1. Go to AppBrain.com and log-in with your Google credentials
Step 2. Download AppBrain Market Sync app Log-in with your Google credentials. You can
Download from market
Step 3. Download the FastWeb Install app.
Open in Market (from phone only)
Step 4. Browse AppBrain.com to discover apps and one click install on phone OTA.
Is it secure?
AppBrain’s apps connect you through your Google’s Auth without ever actually seeing your password. Apart from that there’s no guarantee of stuff they are doing int he background.
However, there’s one downside: AppBrain’s instant installer only works for free applications, paid apps need little more work.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Best Dual Multi-Monitor Software
Adding Multiple monitors to your setup definitely increases productivity. But it can get all tricky without use of the right software.
Windows 7 gives you a decent Multi-Monitor support, but trust me its only the beginning.
While hunting down for better Multi Monitor softwares, I tested a dozen of available options and then shortlisted a few options:
1. Display Fusion
DisplayFusion kills the pain and adds a taskbar to every monitor that works and looks just like the Windows Taskbar. It also lets you put different wallpaper on each monitor right from your local drive or from Flickr.
Features:
* Advanced Multi-Monitor Taskbar support
* Different Wallpaper on each monitor OR span multiple monitors with single wallpaper.
* Easily move a running window to different screen with one click.
* Special TitleBar Buttons to move/size/control windows among screens.
* Auto-snap windows to the edge of your monitor
* Integrated Flickr.com, Vladstudio.com image search & download
* Fully Customizable HotKeys: Move windows to next monitor, maximize in next monitor, maximize single window to multiple monitors, do almost anything your imagination lets you between multiple monitors.
Display Fusion is available in two Versions: Free, and Pro version ($25)
Download
2. UltraMon
UltraMon is a utility that unlocks the full potential of multiple monitors.
Features:
* Window management: Easily Move and Maximize Windows across the desktop.
* Smart Taskbar: UltraMon adds an additional taskbar for each secondary monitor, and each taskbar only shows tasks from the monitor it is on. This makes managing lots of open applications much easier, and when activating an application, you’ll know on which monitor it will appear.
* Application positioning: Use the UltraMon tabs added to a shortcut’s properties to set an application’s position or use custom display settings when the application is running.
* Shortcuts, hotKeys: Control application positioning with UltraMon Shortcuts
* Display profiles: With display profiles, you can quickly change the settings of one or more monitors. You can also create a display profile that gets applied when logging in, especially useful when the computer is used by more than one person, and not everyone wants to use the same display settings.
* Wallpapers and Screen savers: The UltraMon wallpaper manager adds the ability to use a different picture on each monitor, or stretch a single picture across the desktop. Some screen savers only run on the primary monitor. UltraMon can blank the secondary monitors when the screen saver is running, or run additional screen savers on secondary monitors.
* Mirroring: Mirror your main monitor to secondary monitors for a presentation
Ultramon 3.0 is available for Free trial
Download
3. WinSplit Revolution
WinSplit is different. Instead of distributing apps across multiple spaces, it allows you to best utilize each Display by filling up complete screen with multiple windows tiled just right.
Features:
* Automated window handling (resize, move, reorganize, close tasks)
* Snap Multiple windows to grids, define the number of multiple windows across screen
* Global hotkeys and clickable virtual numpad
When combined with any of the Display Fusion/ Ultramon, it can put each Display to efficient use. Checkout more features at official website.
Download
4. Dual display Mouse Manager
When using Dual or Multiple monitors, it’s easy to overshoot your mouse to another screen when you least wanted it to happen. Dual display Mouse manager comes to the rescue, slowsdown the mouse at the screen edges.
Dual display mouse manger is open source tool, hence, available for free.
Download
5. Multi-Monitor Mouse
Just like Dual display mouse, Multi-Monitor mouse lets you handle mouse position, but in a different way. Multi-Monitor Mouse uses keyboard shortcuts to move your mouse cursor to the next monitor in your multi-monitor setup. Jumps can be relative—having the cursor placed in the same relative position on the new monitor—or in the center of the screen. It can also be specified to transverse in an ordered Fashion
Multi-Monitor Mouse is freeware
Download
6. Synergy
Apart from Multi-Monitor setup, if you own multiple PCs/ Mac you can use a single computer’s Mouse and keyboard to control all of them. This is really a handy application must for everyone who uses multiple systems at a time.
How to Use: Install the synergy on both (or multiple) computers. Create one machine as the server, this is the same machine whose mouse and keyboard will be used to control other machines. Then you can add hosts, and setup their relative positions to each other by defining rules that decide moving mouse to which corner shifts the control to which computer.
Synergy is Open source and hence, available for Free.
Windows 7 gives you a decent Multi-Monitor support, but trust me its only the beginning.
While hunting down for better Multi Monitor softwares, I tested a dozen of available options and then shortlisted a few options:
1. Display Fusion
DisplayFusion kills the pain and adds a taskbar to every monitor that works and looks just like the Windows Taskbar. It also lets you put different wallpaper on each monitor right from your local drive or from Flickr.
Features:
* Advanced Multi-Monitor Taskbar support
* Different Wallpaper on each monitor OR span multiple monitors with single wallpaper.
* Easily move a running window to different screen with one click.
* Special TitleBar Buttons to move/size/control windows among screens.
* Auto-snap windows to the edge of your monitor
* Integrated Flickr.com, Vladstudio.com image search & download
* Fully Customizable HotKeys: Move windows to next monitor, maximize in next monitor, maximize single window to multiple monitors, do almost anything your imagination lets you between multiple monitors.
Display Fusion is available in two Versions: Free, and Pro version ($25)
Download
2. UltraMon
UltraMon is a utility that unlocks the full potential of multiple monitors.
Features:
* Window management: Easily Move and Maximize Windows across the desktop.
* Smart Taskbar: UltraMon adds an additional taskbar for each secondary monitor, and each taskbar only shows tasks from the monitor it is on. This makes managing lots of open applications much easier, and when activating an application, you’ll know on which monitor it will appear.
* Application positioning: Use the UltraMon tabs added to a shortcut’s properties to set an application’s position or use custom display settings when the application is running.
* Shortcuts, hotKeys: Control application positioning with UltraMon Shortcuts
* Display profiles: With display profiles, you can quickly change the settings of one or more monitors. You can also create a display profile that gets applied when logging in, especially useful when the computer is used by more than one person, and not everyone wants to use the same display settings.
* Wallpapers and Screen savers: The UltraMon wallpaper manager adds the ability to use a different picture on each monitor, or stretch a single picture across the desktop. Some screen savers only run on the primary monitor. UltraMon can blank the secondary monitors when the screen saver is running, or run additional screen savers on secondary monitors.
* Mirroring: Mirror your main monitor to secondary monitors for a presentation
Ultramon 3.0 is available for Free trial
Download
3. WinSplit Revolution
WinSplit is different. Instead of distributing apps across multiple spaces, it allows you to best utilize each Display by filling up complete screen with multiple windows tiled just right.
Features:
* Automated window handling (resize, move, reorganize, close tasks)
* Snap Multiple windows to grids, define the number of multiple windows across screen
* Global hotkeys and clickable virtual numpad
When combined with any of the Display Fusion/ Ultramon, it can put each Display to efficient use. Checkout more features at official website.
Download
4. Dual display Mouse Manager
When using Dual or Multiple monitors, it’s easy to overshoot your mouse to another screen when you least wanted it to happen. Dual display Mouse manager comes to the rescue, slowsdown the mouse at the screen edges.
Dual display mouse manger is open source tool, hence, available for free.
Download
5. Multi-Monitor Mouse
Just like Dual display mouse, Multi-Monitor mouse lets you handle mouse position, but in a different way. Multi-Monitor Mouse uses keyboard shortcuts to move your mouse cursor to the next monitor in your multi-monitor setup. Jumps can be relative—having the cursor placed in the same relative position on the new monitor—or in the center of the screen. It can also be specified to transverse in an ordered Fashion
Multi-Monitor Mouse is freeware
Download
6. Synergy
Apart from Multi-Monitor setup, if you own multiple PCs/ Mac you can use a single computer’s Mouse and keyboard to control all of them. This is really a handy application must for everyone who uses multiple systems at a time.
How to Use: Install the synergy on both (or multiple) computers. Create one machine as the server, this is the same machine whose mouse and keyboard will be used to control other machines. Then you can add hosts, and setup their relative positions to each other by defining rules that decide moving mouse to which corner shifts the control to which computer.
Synergy is Open source and hence, available for Free.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Microsoft Vista is Dead Officially. Does anyone Care?
Microsoft has declared it. And For anyone still burning a candle for Windows Vista, in the dark, its time is rapidly approaching. Buy now or forever hold your Rest in Peace, Windows 7 is coming to the rescue.
I’m not surprised that this has turned out. After all, it was all buggy. When it first arrived just in 2006, it was late, bloated. It may have looked pretty on the outside, but critics quickly pounced on it for driver incompatibility, sluggish performance on mainstream and even high-end hardware was left unfelt. And not to forget, enough bugs to fill a family-sized tent on a weekend camping expedition. Microsoft didn’t help matters with its ill-fated “Vista Capable” designation, a public relations debacle that convinced buyers who were too lazy to read the fine print that Vista would run just as well on hardware barely suited for XP.
It’s Hardest to change the first impression
Since first impressions are often the only things that matter in today’s attention-deficit world, Vista got stuck with a reputation it’s never quite been able to shake. Which is somewhat unfortunate given how nicely Vista has padded Microsoft’s bottom line since then. It’s sold hundreds of millions of copies and it runs on the vast majority of laptops on display at the average big box electronics retailer. Service Packs and updates have fixed most of the major bugs and security gaps and more devices than ever are Vista-friendly now that hardware manufacturers have gotten into the driver game. Vista hasn’t been the failure its detractors long said it was.
But memories are funny things, and despite its market performance over the past two-and-a-half years, no one seems willing to forgive Vista for being inadequately baked and improperly messaged when it first arrived. So Microsoft, recognizing that the era of the operating system is past middle age, is killing Vista. There’s been no press release, of course, no official announcement that it’s ending production — because it’s still churning out retail boxes and pre-loaded builds for OEMs just as it always has. But last week’s announcement of the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program signals the likely death knell for Vista.
Free, cheap, and desperate
The Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program is a promotion under which customers who buy a PC equipped with Vista Premium, Business, or Ultimate between now and October will be eligible for a free upgrade when Windows 7 ships. It’s designed to prevent the usual drop in demand for a current OS that precedes the launch of the next generation — a critical move in the middle of a recession, when no one’s buying anyway. To further stoke interest among folks not interested in picking up new hardware anytime soon, Microsoft is pricing pre-orders for Windows 7 Home Premium at $49 and Professional at $99 — as close to fire sale pricing as we’ve ever seen on a Windows product.
“Microsoft has always managed the Windows sub-brands in a chaotic, ever-evolving manner, grazing over naming conventions as casually as most of us would cruise the buffet table at a distant cousin’s wedding.” a typical Frustrated user
Microsoft needs to move fast, because the age of selling a full-featured OS that fetches a triple-digit price is drawing to a close. We run applications, not operating systems, and Apple’s $29 upgrade for Snow Leopard signals just how commoditized the OS has become, and how little the average cash-strapped consumer or business owner is willing to pay for it. While you still need an OS to run the hardware that allows you to get online and run the applications you need, the slow evolution of increasingly network-centric computing points toward a future where what’s powering our hardware is less important than it is today.
Tomorrow’s operating system won’t be the headline-grabbing, Mick Jagger-attracting retail superstar that Windows once was. As long as it connects all the underlying pieces together (and stays out of our way while doing it) that will be enough. A leaner, meaner, cheaper Windows 7 bridges Microsoft toward this somewhat uncertain future. Likewise, big and brash Vista no longer has a place in the line-up, hence Microsoft’s all-hands effort to make us forget it ever existed.
Windows 7 Evolution
Call it anything you want, as long as you call it Windows. That’ll be good enough for Microsoft as it figures out how to make money in a post-Windows, post-Office landscape. With Vista out of the way, the company at least stands a fighting chance of convincing jaded consumers and enterprises alike that the OS is still relevant. Windows 7 is indeed a leaner and better product than Vista. The question on everyone’s mind is whether that’s enough to sustain the franchise. Will windows 7 be a big success? Our Earlier Benchmarks and solid proofs had shown +ve results. Will Windows 7 will it live upto the mark ?
I’m not surprised that this has turned out. After all, it was all buggy. When it first arrived just in 2006, it was late, bloated. It may have looked pretty on the outside, but critics quickly pounced on it for driver incompatibility, sluggish performance on mainstream and even high-end hardware was left unfelt. And not to forget, enough bugs to fill a family-sized tent on a weekend camping expedition. Microsoft didn’t help matters with its ill-fated “Vista Capable” designation, a public relations debacle that convinced buyers who were too lazy to read the fine print that Vista would run just as well on hardware barely suited for XP.
It’s Hardest to change the first impression
Since first impressions are often the only things that matter in today’s attention-deficit world, Vista got stuck with a reputation it’s never quite been able to shake. Which is somewhat unfortunate given how nicely Vista has padded Microsoft’s bottom line since then. It’s sold hundreds of millions of copies and it runs on the vast majority of laptops on display at the average big box electronics retailer. Service Packs and updates have fixed most of the major bugs and security gaps and more devices than ever are Vista-friendly now that hardware manufacturers have gotten into the driver game. Vista hasn’t been the failure its detractors long said it was.
But memories are funny things, and despite its market performance over the past two-and-a-half years, no one seems willing to forgive Vista for being inadequately baked and improperly messaged when it first arrived. So Microsoft, recognizing that the era of the operating system is past middle age, is killing Vista. There’s been no press release, of course, no official announcement that it’s ending production — because it’s still churning out retail boxes and pre-loaded builds for OEMs just as it always has. But last week’s announcement of the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program signals the likely death knell for Vista.
Free, cheap, and desperate
The Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program is a promotion under which customers who buy a PC equipped with Vista Premium, Business, or Ultimate between now and October will be eligible for a free upgrade when Windows 7 ships. It’s designed to prevent the usual drop in demand for a current OS that precedes the launch of the next generation — a critical move in the middle of a recession, when no one’s buying anyway. To further stoke interest among folks not interested in picking up new hardware anytime soon, Microsoft is pricing pre-orders for Windows 7 Home Premium at $49 and Professional at $99 — as close to fire sale pricing as we’ve ever seen on a Windows product.
“Microsoft has always managed the Windows sub-brands in a chaotic, ever-evolving manner, grazing over naming conventions as casually as most of us would cruise the buffet table at a distant cousin’s wedding.” a typical Frustrated user
Microsoft needs to move fast, because the age of selling a full-featured OS that fetches a triple-digit price is drawing to a close. We run applications, not operating systems, and Apple’s $29 upgrade for Snow Leopard signals just how commoditized the OS has become, and how little the average cash-strapped consumer or business owner is willing to pay for it. While you still need an OS to run the hardware that allows you to get online and run the applications you need, the slow evolution of increasingly network-centric computing points toward a future where what’s powering our hardware is less important than it is today.
Tomorrow’s operating system won’t be the headline-grabbing, Mick Jagger-attracting retail superstar that Windows once was. As long as it connects all the underlying pieces together (and stays out of our way while doing it) that will be enough. A leaner, meaner, cheaper Windows 7 bridges Microsoft toward this somewhat uncertain future. Likewise, big and brash Vista no longer has a place in the line-up, hence Microsoft’s all-hands effort to make us forget it ever existed.
Windows 7 Evolution
Call it anything you want, as long as you call it Windows. That’ll be good enough for Microsoft as it figures out how to make money in a post-Windows, post-Office landscape. With Vista out of the way, the company at least stands a fighting chance of convincing jaded consumers and enterprises alike that the OS is still relevant. Windows 7 is indeed a leaner and better product than Vista. The question on everyone’s mind is whether that’s enough to sustain the franchise. Will windows 7 be a big success? Our Earlier Benchmarks and solid proofs had shown +ve results. Will Windows 7 will it live upto the mark ?
Windows 7 Review
Optimus Prime has returned to save the World from The Fallen!
Microsoft lost it’s long built impression with Windows Vista. Vista is the best example of a Software development failure. It showed the world, no matter how good your hardware is, your software is crappy, you cant do anything, it will fail to perform.
Windows 7 RTM [Final] Review. Benchmark vs. XP, Vista
Microsoft learned lessons, and this time before coming up with Launch of Windows 7, they had their Home Work done properly. What does it mean for you? You will get a better OS than what you had previously. I don’t even want to compare 7 with Vista. The fact is that most corporates and home user never moved to vista or upgraded back to XP. The real question is will XP users migrate to windows 7 ? Read on to find out.
It’s stable, smooth, and well-cooked, brings-out new graphical features — a new taskbar that is inspired from Mac OS X dock, and much improved security enhancements and device management that make it both easier to use with inherited security.
The important aspect – it won’t require the hardware upgrades unlike Vista. As buggy and irritating as Vista was, Windows 7 isn’t. Instead, it’s the brave, mature successor to Windows XP, and finally places it on competition with the best operating systems like OS X and Linux.
Windows 7 Flavors – Microsoft, like in Vista, is offering six versions of Windows 7: Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, OEM, and Enterprise.
Our Guide: Choosing the Right Windows 7 Version [Flavor]
Platform - Windows 7 will run both on 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
Hardware Minimum Requirements – The minimum requirements for 32bit are: 1 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 14 GB available hard-disk space, and a DirectX 9 graphics device. 64-bit – Atleast 1 GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 18.5 GB of free space , and a DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver.
Compare that with that of Vista and XP. It’s pretty near to XP. So most PCs that can run XP, with minor or no upgrades, can run windows 7. Some users have claimed to have limited success running the Windows 7 with less than 1 GB of RAM, but that’s not recommended, though it will run. If you’re not sure if your current computer can run Windows 7, you can download and run the Microsoft Security Essentials from Microsoft.
Optional – A Touch-screen monitor is required to take advantage of the native touch features.
Installation – New and Upgrades
You can buy a new computer with the operating system already installed, upgrade from Windows XP or Vista, or do a clean install on a computer the user already owns. A Typical installation takes around 30 minutes, but that will vary depending on your Hardware.
Features:
Enhanced Taskbar and Aero Peek UI
Now this is the first thing that might attract you – All new Look – Mac OS X like feel. This is a full replacement OS, and more than just “Vista done right.” From driver support to multi-touch groundwork for the future, from better battery management to the most easy-to-use interface Microsoft has ever had, Windows 7 is surely full-baked.
The first thing that you would probably find eye-candy is the new taskbar. This is one of the best improvements. It features pinned programs using large, easy-to-see icons. Mouse over one and all windows associated with that program appear in preview. Mouse over one of those preview panes to reveal an X to close the window. Hover over the preview to show a full-size preview of the program, or click on the window to bring it to the front. Because of the button size, people with touch screens should find it especially easy to use. Though I prefer changing this to conventional takbar items where it’s wider than the default button and Grouping set off. I never liked Grouping in XP too, it makes things slower. It’s totally a personal choice.
Jump lists is another new taskbar improvement that make recently opened documents easier to get to. Right-click or left-click and drag on any program icon pinned to the taskbar to see a list of files that you’ve recently used in that program. In Media player, it shows recently played media – Music, video, photos, playlists. For IE, it shows recently visited Web sites, although it doesn’t seem to work in Firefox, yet.
Show Desktop icon got a new place- the right corner. Mouse over to the right corner. Hovering over the Show Desktop box reveals the desktop, and then hides it when you mouse away. Click on the box to minimize all windows.
Resizing windows is much more simpler than before. To resize, Drag a window to the top of your monitor to expand it to full screen. If you want to work in two windows simultaneously, drag one to the left edge and one to the right edge of your screen, and they’ll automatically resize to half the width of your monitor.
Want to return to normal size ?
Drag thew window away from the top or sides will return it to its original size.
Themes
Windows 7 comes with bundled theme packages, which makes it much faster to change. From the Desktop Right Click >,select the theme under Appearance and Personalization. You can customize the themes to get different colors for taskbar, etc, wallpaper rotation, sound packs. You can also download them.
Windows Media Player
Windows 7 comes bundled with WMP 12. I didn’t like it much from UI though. It’s not as easy to use as was WMP11. Aprat from that, you can now stream media files from one Windows 7 computer to another, across the Internet and out of network. Even better, the setup procedure is dead simple. A New definition to Media sharing/streaming.
Streaming - In Windows Media Player, there’s a new Stream option. On toolbar, Click Stream, and you’re presented with two choices. Both require you to associate your computer with your free Windows Live ID. When you’ve associated a second Windows 7′s WMP with that same ID, you can remotely access the media on the host computer. Windows Media Player’s mini mode looks much slicker, emphasizing the album art–sometimes at the expense of clearly seeing the controls, but it’s a definite improvement.
Another WMP improvement is the new Device Stage makes managing peripherals significantly easier, combining all your installed hardware — printers, phones, and portable media players, USB drives into one window. Device Stage support for older devices makes one of Windows 7′s best features applicable to peripherals and externals that don’t need to be upgraded. One annoying change is that Bluetooth driver support no longer comes baked into the operating system. If you need a Bluetooth driver, you’ll either need the installation disc on hand or you’ll have to go download it.
Search
Search has also improved. The Proof:- Files added to the hard drive were indexed so fast that they were searchable less
than 5 seconds later. Search result snippets now include a longer snippet, and highlight the snippet more clearly. It’s a useful feature for anybody who wants to find files faster. However, the search field is available by default only in the Start menu and in Windows Explorer, and cannot be easily added to the taskbar.
Touch screens
Touch-screen features worked surprisingly well. The hardware sometimes misread some of the multitouch gestures, occasionally confusing rotating an image, for example, with zooming in or out of the image. Overall, though, there were few difficulties in performing the basic series of gestures that Microsoft promotes, and this places Windows 7 in an excellent position for the future, as more and more computers are released with multitouch abilities.
XP mode
Probably if you are upgrading to 7, your business and home applications should run on 7. Windows 7 should run most of you apps as it is. If they fail to, 7 has a special feature to tackle this – XP Mode. XP Mode creates a virtual environment within Windows 7 that should assuage any fears of upgrading without backwards compatibility.
Important: To use XP Mode you should have a processor with Hardware vistualization support – Intel’s VT or AMD’s V. Motherboards older than two years probably won’t work, and even if you do have a newer one you might have to go into your BIOS and activate Hardware Virtualization.
To begin with, you have to download the XP Mode installer.
Security – How Secure is Windows 7 ?
The crappy troublesome User Account Control, or UAC, is back in Windows 7. But the good news is, Microsoft has tweaked the feature so that it’s less intrusive, but it’s not clear whether that means you’re actually more or less secure than you were in Vista. UAC was one of the biggest changes in Vista. It tightened program access, but did it in such a way as to frustrate many owners of single-user computers. Windows 7 provides more options for user customization of UAC.
The default setting is to notify users only when programs try to make changes to the computer, one step below the most restrictive setting of Always Notify. Under Always Notify, anytime a program tries to access the Internet, or you try to make changes to the computer, Windows 7 will require user confirmation. The second-least restrictive option doesn’t dim the desktop when UAC is activated, and will only notify the user when programs try to make changes to the computer. When the desktop dims, Windows 7 is locking it down and preventing access. Never Notify is the most relaxed option, and is only recommended by Microsoft for programs that aren’t compatible with UAC.
UAC also displays a blue banner when confronted with a program from a known publisher versus a yellow banner and exclamation point when the program is from an unknown publisher. The number of clicks it should take to use UAC safely has been reduced, However, it’s important to note that it’s a less-aggressive default posture by UAC.
A less glitzy, but no less important, change to how removable drives are handled also can impact your media. Unlike Windows XP and Windows Vista, Windows 7 will no longer AutoRun external hard drives and USB keys when they’re connected. This kills off a risky vector for malware infections that has been the bane of many security experts.
It’s possible that Windows 7 will eventually ship with additional programs, including the revamped Live OneCare antivirus and antimalware program now called Microsoft Security Essentials, but Microsoft has given no indication if that will happen. For now, users will have to download a third-party antivirus and antimalware program, although the Windows Firewall remains intact. As with many features in Windows 7 that have been carried over from Windows Vista, people will notice there’s far more granular settings control than before. Features like filtering outbound traffic, which were available in Vista but not exposed, are easier to access in Windows 7.
Performance
Windows 7 feels faster than Windows XP and Vista, but it turns out that’s not always the case, sometimes, it’s the slowest out of the three operating systems. CNET Labs, ZDnet tested: Windows 7 RTM build 7600, Windows Vista with Service Pack 2, and Windows XP SP3.
Hardware used: Core i7 quad core @ 3.2Ghz
Graphics- ATI Radeon HD, 6GB RAM
Memory management and Cache performance
Cache & Memory benchmark - Source: ZDnet
With Vista, Microsoft introduced a new technology called SuperFetch, for caching applications and speeding up boot times. This feature preloads frequently-used applications into memory, so they can be accessed quicker when they’re needed.
For conventional magnetic hard drives, most common, this technology makes sense. But if an SSD is used for mass storage, it’s better to turn SuperFetch off. The superior access times of SSDs mean they launch applications much faster than magnetic drives, so SuperFetch makes little difference.
In the RTM version (7600.16385), only Defrag is in fact inactive for SSDs — SuperFetch and ReadyBoost start just as they would with a magnetic disk.
The SuperFetch feature in Windows 7 differs significantly in approach and cache usage from its counterpart in Vista. Under Vista, the caching of applications starts immediately at launch. As the graph below shows, after three minutes just over 1GB of memory has been allocated. In Windows 7, SuperFetch starts after five minutes and after 10 minutes a little more than 600MB has been allocated. By that point, Vista’s SuperFetch has allocated more than 1.5GB.
Even without SuperFetch turned on, Windows 7 makes fewer demands on cache. For operating system-related functions, it uses 333MB, while Vista without SuperFetch uses 519MB of cache.
Windows 7 clearly makes do with fewer resources, so its cache usage is significantly lower than Vista’s.
Overall Performance: PCMark Vantage Benchmark
Benchmarking the applications that are integrated into Vista and Windows 7.
Click the image to open in full size.
PCMark score: longer bars are better source: zdnet
The benchmark is based on several usage scenarios, with the default PCMark Suite simulating everyday PC usage. Here’s a key areas of the tests:
Memory utilization, TV, Movies, Gaming, Music, Communication, Productivity, HDD
More information about PCMark Vantage benchmark is available in this PCMark white paper.
Roughly, every application will work 20 percent faster under Windows 7 on average, bare minimum.
Verdict
Windows 7 performs better than Vista and is faster than XP. Although XP is still more capable for devices with limited/outdated CPU, memory and graphics.
Faster system startup and shutdown, improved parallel processing(specially for Multi-core), and faster loading of drivers and operating system components.
Enterprise users will observe the faster login to a domain.
Windows 7 is more cache-efficient because of improved display drivers. Even with multiple open windows, the memory usage of the Desktop Window Manager, DWM remains same. This is so because the video card’s memory taking on the load of opening of additional windows. Fact is, under Windows 7 this load is half of Vista. Direct2D, further speeds up 2D graphics rendering. For graphics cards containing ATI and Nvidia chips, this is not an issue. However, these drivers are not yet available for older Intel graphics chipsets and pretty helpful for them.
Users can employ the built-in Windows 7 DirectX 11 interface to access the graphics power of the GPU using appropriate graphics hardware – useful to those who provide video-encoding tools.
In Windows 7, Microsoft has succeeded in providing an OS that’s likely to meet the performance requirements of consumers and business users alike. The early signs are that Windows 7 will enjoy a much better take-up than Vista.
Windows 7 looks like the operating system that both Microsoft and its consumers have been waiting for. By fixing most of the perceived and real problems in Vista, Microsoft has laid the groundwork for the future of where Windows will go. Windows 7 presents a stable platform that can compete comfortably with OS X, while reassuring the world that Microsoft can still turn out a strong, useful operating system.
Optimus Prime has returned to save the World from The Fallen!
Microsoft lost it’s long built impression with Windows Vista. Vista is the best example of a Software development failure. It showed the world, no matter how good your hardware is, your software is crappy, you cant do anything, it will fail to perform.
Windows 7 RTM [Final] Review. Benchmark vs. XP, Vista
Microsoft learned lessons, and this time before coming up with Launch of Windows 7, they had their Home Work done properly. What does it mean for you? You will get a better OS than what you had previously. I don’t even want to compare 7 with Vista. The fact is that most corporates and home user never moved to vista or upgraded back to XP. The real question is will XP users migrate to windows 7 ? Read on to find out.
It’s stable, smooth, and well-cooked, brings-out new graphical features — a new taskbar that is inspired from Mac OS X dock, and much improved security enhancements and device management that make it both easier to use with inherited security.
The important aspect – it won’t require the hardware upgrades unlike Vista. As buggy and irritating as Vista was, Windows 7 isn’t. Instead, it’s the brave, mature successor to Windows XP, and finally places it on competition with the best operating systems like OS X and Linux.
Windows 7 Flavors – Microsoft, like in Vista, is offering six versions of Windows 7: Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, OEM, and Enterprise.
Our Guide: Choosing the Right Windows 7 Version [Flavor]
Platform - Windows 7 will run both on 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
Hardware Minimum Requirements – The minimum requirements for 32bit are: 1 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 14 GB available hard-disk space, and a DirectX 9 graphics device. 64-bit – Atleast 1 GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 18.5 GB of free space , and a DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver.
Compare that with that of Vista and XP. It’s pretty near to XP. So most PCs that can run XP, with minor or no upgrades, can run windows 7. Some users have claimed to have limited success running the Windows 7 with less than 1 GB of RAM, but that’s not recommended, though it will run. If you’re not sure if your current computer can run Windows 7, you can download and run the Microsoft Security Essentials from Microsoft.
Optional – A Touch-screen monitor is required to take advantage of the native touch features.
Installation – New and Upgrades
You can buy a new computer with the operating system already installed, upgrade from Windows XP or Vista, or do a clean install on a computer the user already owns. A Typical installation takes around 30 minutes, but that will vary depending on your Hardware.
Features:
Enhanced Taskbar and Aero Peek UI
Now this is the first thing that might attract you – All new Look – Mac OS X like feel. This is a full replacement OS, and more than just “Vista done right.” From driver support to multi-touch groundwork for the future, from better battery management to the most easy-to-use interface Microsoft has ever had, Windows 7 is surely full-baked.
The first thing that you would probably find eye-candy is the new taskbar. This is one of the best improvements. It features pinned programs using large, easy-to-see icons. Mouse over one and all windows associated with that program appear in preview. Mouse over one of those preview panes to reveal an X to close the window. Hover over the preview to show a full-size preview of the program, or click on the window to bring it to the front. Because of the button size, people with touch screens should find it especially easy to use. Though I prefer changing this to conventional takbar items where it’s wider than the default button and Grouping set off. I never liked Grouping in XP too, it makes things slower. It’s totally a personal choice.
Jump lists is another new taskbar improvement that make recently opened documents easier to get to. Right-click or left-click and drag on any program icon pinned to the taskbar to see a list of files that you’ve recently used in that program. In Media player, it shows recently played media – Music, video, photos, playlists. For IE, it shows recently visited Web sites, although it doesn’t seem to work in Firefox, yet.
Show Desktop icon got a new place- the right corner. Mouse over to the right corner. Hovering over the Show Desktop box reveals the desktop, and then hides it when you mouse away. Click on the box to minimize all windows.
Resizing windows is much more simpler than before. To resize, Drag a window to the top of your monitor to expand it to full screen. If you want to work in two windows simultaneously, drag one to the left edge and one to the right edge of your screen, and they’ll automatically resize to half the width of your monitor.
Want to return to normal size ?
Drag thew window away from the top or sides will return it to its original size.
Themes
Windows 7 comes with bundled theme packages, which makes it much faster to change. From the Desktop Right Click >,select the theme under Appearance and Personalization. You can customize the themes to get different colors for taskbar, etc, wallpaper rotation, sound packs. You can also download them.
Windows Media Player
Windows 7 comes bundled with WMP 12. I didn’t like it much from UI though. It’s not as easy to use as was WMP11. Aprat from that, you can now stream media files from one Windows 7 computer to another, across the Internet and out of network. Even better, the setup procedure is dead simple. A New definition to Media sharing/streaming.
Streaming - In Windows Media Player, there’s a new Stream option. On toolbar, Click Stream, and you’re presented with two choices. Both require you to associate your computer with your free Windows Live ID. When you’ve associated a second Windows 7′s WMP with that same ID, you can remotely access the media on the host computer. Windows Media Player’s mini mode looks much slicker, emphasizing the album art–sometimes at the expense of clearly seeing the controls, but it’s a definite improvement.
Another WMP improvement is the new Device Stage makes managing peripherals significantly easier, combining all your installed hardware — printers, phones, and portable media players, USB drives into one window. Device Stage support for older devices makes one of Windows 7′s best features applicable to peripherals and externals that don’t need to be upgraded. One annoying change is that Bluetooth driver support no longer comes baked into the operating system. If you need a Bluetooth driver, you’ll either need the installation disc on hand or you’ll have to go download it.
Search
Search has also improved. The Proof:- Files added to the hard drive were indexed so fast that they were searchable less
than 5 seconds later. Search result snippets now include a longer snippet, and highlight the snippet more clearly. It’s a useful feature for anybody who wants to find files faster. However, the search field is available by default only in the Start menu and in Windows Explorer, and cannot be easily added to the taskbar.
Touch screens
Touch-screen features worked surprisingly well. The hardware sometimes misread some of the multitouch gestures, occasionally confusing rotating an image, for example, with zooming in or out of the image. Overall, though, there were few difficulties in performing the basic series of gestures that Microsoft promotes, and this places Windows 7 in an excellent position for the future, as more and more computers are released with multitouch abilities.
XP mode
Probably if you are upgrading to 7, your business and home applications should run on 7. Windows 7 should run most of you apps as it is. If they fail to, 7 has a special feature to tackle this – XP Mode. XP Mode creates a virtual environment within Windows 7 that should assuage any fears of upgrading without backwards compatibility.
Important: To use XP Mode you should have a processor with Hardware vistualization support – Intel’s VT or AMD’s V. Motherboards older than two years probably won’t work, and even if you do have a newer one you might have to go into your BIOS and activate Hardware Virtualization.
To begin with, you have to download the XP Mode installer.
Security – How Secure is Windows 7 ?
The crappy troublesome User Account Control, or UAC, is back in Windows 7. But the good news is, Microsoft has tweaked the feature so that it’s less intrusive, but it’s not clear whether that means you’re actually more or less secure than you were in Vista. UAC was one of the biggest changes in Vista. It tightened program access, but did it in such a way as to frustrate many owners of single-user computers. Windows 7 provides more options for user customization of UAC.
The default setting is to notify users only when programs try to make changes to the computer, one step below the most restrictive setting of Always Notify. Under Always Notify, anytime a program tries to access the Internet, or you try to make changes to the computer, Windows 7 will require user confirmation. The second-least restrictive option doesn’t dim the desktop when UAC is activated, and will only notify the user when programs try to make changes to the computer. When the desktop dims, Windows 7 is locking it down and preventing access. Never Notify is the most relaxed option, and is only recommended by Microsoft for programs that aren’t compatible with UAC.
UAC also displays a blue banner when confronted with a program from a known publisher versus a yellow banner and exclamation point when the program is from an unknown publisher. The number of clicks it should take to use UAC safely has been reduced, However, it’s important to note that it’s a less-aggressive default posture by UAC.
A less glitzy, but no less important, change to how removable drives are handled also can impact your media. Unlike Windows XP and Windows Vista, Windows 7 will no longer AutoRun external hard drives and USB keys when they’re connected. This kills off a risky vector for malware infections that has been the bane of many security experts.
It’s possible that Windows 7 will eventually ship with additional programs, including the revamped Live OneCare antivirus and antimalware program now called Microsoft Security Essentials, but Microsoft has given no indication if that will happen. For now, users will have to download a third-party antivirus and antimalware program, although the Windows Firewall remains intact. As with many features in Windows 7 that have been carried over from Windows Vista, people will notice there’s far more granular settings control than before. Features like filtering outbound traffic, which were available in Vista but not exposed, are easier to access in Windows 7.
Performance
Windows 7 feels faster than Windows XP and Vista, but it turns out that’s not always the case, sometimes, it’s the slowest out of the three operating systems. CNET Labs, ZDnet tested: Windows 7 RTM build 7600, Windows Vista with Service Pack 2, and Windows XP SP3.
Hardware used: Core i7 quad core @ 3.2Ghz
Graphics- ATI Radeon HD, 6GB RAM
Memory management and Cache performance
Cache & Memory benchmark - Source: ZDnet
With Vista, Microsoft introduced a new technology called SuperFetch, for caching applications and speeding up boot times. This feature preloads frequently-used applications into memory, so they can be accessed quicker when they’re needed.
For conventional magnetic hard drives, most common, this technology makes sense. But if an SSD is used for mass storage, it’s better to turn SuperFetch off. The superior access times of SSDs mean they launch applications much faster than magnetic drives, so SuperFetch makes little difference.
In the RTM version (7600.16385), only Defrag is in fact inactive for SSDs — SuperFetch and ReadyBoost start just as they would with a magnetic disk.
The SuperFetch feature in Windows 7 differs significantly in approach and cache usage from its counterpart in Vista. Under Vista, the caching of applications starts immediately at launch. As the graph below shows, after three minutes just over 1GB of memory has been allocated. In Windows 7, SuperFetch starts after five minutes and after 10 minutes a little more than 600MB has been allocated. By that point, Vista’s SuperFetch has allocated more than 1.5GB.
Even without SuperFetch turned on, Windows 7 makes fewer demands on cache. For operating system-related functions, it uses 333MB, while Vista without SuperFetch uses 519MB of cache.
Windows 7 clearly makes do with fewer resources, so its cache usage is significantly lower than Vista’s.
Overall Performance: PCMark Vantage Benchmark
Benchmarking the applications that are integrated into Vista and Windows 7.
Click the image to open in full size.
PCMark score: longer bars are better source: zdnet
The benchmark is based on several usage scenarios, with the default PCMark Suite simulating everyday PC usage. Here’s a key areas of the tests:
Memory utilization, TV, Movies, Gaming, Music, Communication, Productivity, HDD
More information about PCMark Vantage benchmark is available in this PCMark white paper.
Roughly, every application will work 20 percent faster under Windows 7 on average, bare minimum.
Verdict
Windows 7 performs better than Vista and is faster than XP. Although XP is still more capable for devices with limited/outdated CPU, memory and graphics.
Faster system startup and shutdown, improved parallel processing(specially for Multi-core), and faster loading of drivers and operating system components.
Enterprise users will observe the faster login to a domain.
Windows 7 is more cache-efficient because of improved display drivers. Even with multiple open windows, the memory usage of the Desktop Window Manager, DWM remains same. This is so because the video card’s memory taking on the load of opening of additional windows. Fact is, under Windows 7 this load is half of Vista. Direct2D, further speeds up 2D graphics rendering. For graphics cards containing ATI and Nvidia chips, this is not an issue. However, these drivers are not yet available for older Intel graphics chipsets and pretty helpful for them.
Users can employ the built-in Windows 7 DirectX 11 interface to access the graphics power of the GPU using appropriate graphics hardware – useful to those who provide video-encoding tools.
In Windows 7, Microsoft has succeeded in providing an OS that’s likely to meet the performance requirements of consumers and business users alike. The early signs are that Windows 7 will enjoy a much better take-up than Vista.
Windows 7 looks like the operating system that both Microsoft and its consumers have been waiting for. By fixing most of the perceived and real problems in Vista, Microsoft has laid the groundwork for the future of where Windows will go. Windows 7 presents a stable platform that can compete comfortably with OS X, while reassuring the world that Microsoft can still turn out a strong, useful operating system.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Complete Windows Support Birmingham MI
Sometimes running a company business using Microsoft Windows can be a tremendous challenge. Viruses are everywhere online, and there are continuing issues with security. It is all-too-easy for hackers to take down your business or exploit your customer data. As a result, it is vital to have a support Birmingham MI partner who understands exactly how to bulletproof your Windows Server operations.
Key to your business peace-of-mind is a team of experts with Windows Server installation and Microsoft Server support deployments at their disposal. You cannot depend on a junior member of staff who is a computer geek and tinkers with systems, most of which are critical to your business success.
Cygnus Systems Inc. is the southeastern Michigan company with expertise in the crucial Microsoft Windows environment. Its staff of Microsoft Gold Certified engineers is the best at what they do. Gold Certification is awarded when a team demonstrates superior levels of successful implementations, capabilities and certification. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners must meet rigorous requirements for certification and expertise, and have independently verified references.
Your windows servers are the pulse of your business. Cygnus professionals manage everything from planning, set up, upgrades, management, and troubleshooting as part of their complete Windows Server support package. Your employees are empowered through an office network with Windows Server. Your critical Windows Server support Birmingham MI team is available around the clock.
It does not matter whether your business runs on windows server 2000, 2003 and 2008, 7, Vista, or XP: The Cygnus System Professionals will identify the problem and solve it quickly, efficiently and on budget.
Simply put, your staff cannot be productive if their computers don't work. Cygnus takes care of your desktop and laptop needs, including anti-virus, driver compatibility and general troubleshooting. They will ensure your software and service packs are up to date. They also support off-the-shelf and third-party software applications.
Cygnus also offers Microsoft Exchange Mail Server Setup. As email is the lifeblood of business, it is vital that it runs smoothly. If you've ever had email services go down, you know just how crippling it can be. Cygnus provides Microsoft Exchange Server installation and Exchange Server support.
Key to your business peace-of-mind is a team of experts with Windows Server installation and Microsoft Server support deployments at their disposal. You cannot depend on a junior member of staff who is a computer geek and tinkers with systems, most of which are critical to your business success.
Cygnus Systems Inc. is the southeastern Michigan company with expertise in the crucial Microsoft Windows environment. Its staff of Microsoft Gold Certified engineers is the best at what they do. Gold Certification is awarded when a team demonstrates superior levels of successful implementations, capabilities and certification. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners must meet rigorous requirements for certification and expertise, and have independently verified references.
Your windows servers are the pulse of your business. Cygnus professionals manage everything from planning, set up, upgrades, management, and troubleshooting as part of their complete Windows Server support package. Your employees are empowered through an office network with Windows Server. Your critical Windows Server support Birmingham MI team is available around the clock.
It does not matter whether your business runs on windows server 2000, 2003 and 2008, 7, Vista, or XP: The Cygnus System Professionals will identify the problem and solve it quickly, efficiently and on budget.
Simply put, your staff cannot be productive if their computers don't work. Cygnus takes care of your desktop and laptop needs, including anti-virus, driver compatibility and general troubleshooting. They will ensure your software and service packs are up to date. They also support off-the-shelf and third-party software applications.
Cygnus also offers Microsoft Exchange Mail Server Setup. As email is the lifeblood of business, it is vital that it runs smoothly. If you've ever had email services go down, you know just how crippling it can be. Cygnus provides Microsoft Exchange Server installation and Exchange Server support.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Use formulas to find multi-column duplicates in Excel
Finding duplicate values in the same column is easy; you can sort or apply a filter depending on the circumstances. Finding duplicates that span multiple columns is a tad more difficult. A sort can work, but then you have to find the duplicate values. So while it’s better than no solution at all, it’s not a good solution. You probably want a solution that kind of screams out at you Here I am! I’m a duplicate!
Let’s take a quick look at a simple example. The sheet below contains a column of dates and a column of initials. A few dates are repeated and a few initial sets are repeated; they represent duplicates within those columns. However, we’re interested in records that repeat the same date and the same initials. That’s what I mean by a multi-column duplicate. It’s fairly easy to spot the duplicates, rows 8 and 9, in such a simple sheet, but what if you had hundreds or thousands of rows to check?
An AutoFilter will work, but it’s a vulnerable solution. In this case, there are five distinct dates. That means a user has to review at least five sets of records to find duplicates. Even then, you have to trust your user to actually spot them. It’s not a good solution, especially if you have lots of data.
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* Concatenate the columns you’re checking.
* Use CountIf() to count the number of combined values.
Let’s enhance the sheet above to see how this works:
1. In cell C2 enter the formula =A2&B2. (You can combine more columns.)
2. Copy the formula to C3:C9. Excel uses each date’s serial value, but that won’t interfere with the technique. However, if your values contain times, it might, depending on how the time values were entered.
3. In cell D2 enter the following formula:
=IF(COUNTIF($C$2:C2,C2)>1, “Here I am! I’m a duplicate!”,”Original”)
4. Copy the formula to D3:D9. At this point, finding multi-column duplicates is as easy as sorting by column D (although this example doesn’t require any sorting).
The IfCount() function counts the number of times the concatenated values occur within the extending range. If the count is greater than 1, the formula returns the string “Here I am! I’m a duplicate!”; when the count isn’t greater than 1, the formula returns the string “Original.” Only the first occurrence will be identified as Original.
This technique easily adapts to include additional columns. Simply add each column to the concatenating formula (column C in this example). Of course, there are other ways to identify multi-column duplicates in Excel. If you’d like to share a more efficient solution or a more complex problem, please start a conversation below.
Let’s take a quick look at a simple example. The sheet below contains a column of dates and a column of initials. A few dates are repeated and a few initial sets are repeated; they represent duplicates within those columns. However, we’re interested in records that repeat the same date and the same initials. That’s what I mean by a multi-column duplicate. It’s fairly easy to spot the duplicates, rows 8 and 9, in such a simple sheet, but what if you had hundreds or thousands of rows to check?
An AutoFilter will work, but it’s a vulnerable solution. In this case, there are five distinct dates. That means a user has to review at least five sets of records to find duplicates. Even then, you have to trust your user to actually spot them. It’s not a good solution, especially if you have lots of data.
You might try an advanced filter or even conditional formatting, but both would require so much hoop-jumping that I’m not sure the end result would be worth the fuss, when compared to the easy-to-implement solution that follows:
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* Concatenate the columns you’re checking.
* Use CountIf() to count the number of combined values.
Let’s enhance the sheet above to see how this works:
1. In cell C2 enter the formula =A2&B2. (You can combine more columns.)
2. Copy the formula to C3:C9. Excel uses each date’s serial value, but that won’t interfere with the technique. However, if your values contain times, it might, depending on how the time values were entered.
3. In cell D2 enter the following formula:
=IF(COUNTIF($C$2:C2,C2)>1, “Here I am! I’m a duplicate!”,”Original”)
4. Copy the formula to D3:D9. At this point, finding multi-column duplicates is as easy as sorting by column D (although this example doesn’t require any sorting).
The IfCount() function counts the number of times the concatenated values occur within the extending range. If the count is greater than 1, the formula returns the string “Here I am! I’m a duplicate!”; when the count isn’t greater than 1, the formula returns the string “Original.” Only the first occurrence will be identified as Original.
This technique easily adapts to include additional columns. Simply add each column to the concatenating formula (column C in this example). Of course, there are other ways to identify multi-column duplicates in Excel. If you’d like to share a more efficient solution or a more complex problem, please start a conversation below.
How to find duplicates in Excel
In the duplicate world, definition means everything. That’s because a duplicate is subjective to the context of its related data. Duplicates can occur within a single column, across multiple columns, or complete records. There’s no one feature or technique that will find duplicates in every case.
To find duplicate records, use Excel’s easy-to-use Filter feature as follows:
1. Select any cell inside the recordset.
2. From the Data menu, choose Filter and then select Advanced Filter to open the Advanced Filter dialog box.
3. Select Copy To Another Location in the Action section.
4. Enter a copy range in the Copy To control.
5. Check Unique Records Only and click OK.
january2009blog6fig1.jpg
Excel will copy a filtered list of unique records to the range you specified in Copy To. At this point, you can replace the original recordset with the filtered list (the copied list) if you want to delete the duplicates.
Finding duplicates in a single column or across multiple columns is a bit more difficult. Use conditional formatting to highlight duplicates in a single column as follows:
1. Using the example worksheet, select cell A2. When applying this to your own worksheet, select the first data cell in the list (column).
2. Choose Conditional Formatting from the Format menu.
3. Choose Formula Is from the first control’s drop-down list.
4. In the formula control, enter =COUNTIF(A:A,A2)>1.
5. Click the Format button and specify the appropriate format. For instance, click the Font tab and choose Red from the Color control and click OK. At this point, the Conditional Formatting dialog box should resemble the following figure:
january2009blog6fig3.jpg
6. Click OK to return to the worksheet.
7. With cell A2 still selected, click Format Painter.
8. Select the remaining cells in the list (cells A3:A5 in the example worksheet).
january2009blog6fig4.jpg
The conditional format will highlight any value in column A that’s repeated. If you want Excel to highlight only the copies, leaving the first occurrence of the value unaltered, enter the formula =COUNTIF($A$2:$A2, A2)>1 in step 4.
The conditional format works great for a single column. To find duplicates across multiple columns, use two expressions: One to concatenate the columns you’re comparing; a second to count the duplicates. For example, if you wanted to find duplicates of both first and last names in the example worksheet, you’d enter the following formula in cell D2 to concatenate the first and last name values:
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=A2&B2
You could insert a space character between the two names if you liked, but it isn’t necessary. Copy the formula to accommodate the remaining list items.
Next, in cell E2 enter the following formula and copy it to accommodate the remaining list:
=IF(COUNTIF(D$2:D$7,D2)>1,”Duplicated”,”")
Notice that the worksheet has a new record (row 6). This record duplicates the first name, Susan, but not the last name. The conditional format highlights the first name because it’s a duplicate in column A. However, the formula in column E doesn’t identify the combined values across columns A and B as a duplicate because the first and last names together aren’t duplicated.
To find duplicate records, use Excel’s easy-to-use Filter feature as follows:
1. Select any cell inside the recordset.
2. From the Data menu, choose Filter and then select Advanced Filter to open the Advanced Filter dialog box.
3. Select Copy To Another Location in the Action section.
4. Enter a copy range in the Copy To control.
5. Check Unique Records Only and click OK.
january2009blog6fig1.jpg
Excel will copy a filtered list of unique records to the range you specified in Copy To. At this point, you can replace the original recordset with the filtered list (the copied list) if you want to delete the duplicates.
Finding duplicates in a single column or across multiple columns is a bit more difficult. Use conditional formatting to highlight duplicates in a single column as follows:
1. Using the example worksheet, select cell A2. When applying this to your own worksheet, select the first data cell in the list (column).
2. Choose Conditional Formatting from the Format menu.
3. Choose Formula Is from the first control’s drop-down list.
4. In the formula control, enter =COUNTIF(A:A,A2)>1.
5. Click the Format button and specify the appropriate format. For instance, click the Font tab and choose Red from the Color control and click OK. At this point, the Conditional Formatting dialog box should resemble the following figure:
january2009blog6fig3.jpg
6. Click OK to return to the worksheet.
7. With cell A2 still selected, click Format Painter.
8. Select the remaining cells in the list (cells A3:A5 in the example worksheet).
january2009blog6fig4.jpg
The conditional format will highlight any value in column A that’s repeated. If you want Excel to highlight only the copies, leaving the first occurrence of the value unaltered, enter the formula =COUNTIF($A$2:$A2, A2)>1 in step 4.
The conditional format works great for a single column. To find duplicates across multiple columns, use two expressions: One to concatenate the columns you’re comparing; a second to count the duplicates. For example, if you wanted to find duplicates of both first and last names in the example worksheet, you’d enter the following formula in cell D2 to concatenate the first and last name values:
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=A2&B2
You could insert a space character between the two names if you liked, but it isn’t necessary. Copy the formula to accommodate the remaining list items.
Next, in cell E2 enter the following formula and copy it to accommodate the remaining list:
=IF(COUNTIF(D$2:D$7,D2)>1,”Duplicated”,”")
Notice that the worksheet has a new record (row 6). This record duplicates the first name, Susan, but not the last name. The conditional format highlights the first name because it’s a duplicate in column A. However, the formula in column E doesn’t identify the combined values across columns A and B as a duplicate because the first and last names together aren’t duplicated.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Is the Personalization of the Web Making Us Dumber?
As a Mashable reader, you’re probably well-aware that Facebook’s News Feed and Google’s search results adjust based on your behavior and demonstrated preferences. But are these and the web’s other algorithms making us collectively uninformed as a society? That’s the argument that Eli Pariser, the former executive director of MoveOn.org, made in a TED talk on Thursday in Long Beach, California.
Pariser started his talk by noting a trend he saw on Facebook. Over time, he said, the conservative friends he had started following to ensure a diverse set of viewpoints (Pariser describes himself as “progressive” politically) gradually started disappearing. As he would soon discover, that was a result of him clicking far more frequently on the links posted by his more liberal friends.
This “invisible algorithmic editing of the web,” as Pariser describes it, “moves us to a world where the Internet shows us what it thinks we need to see, but not what we should see.” Beyond Facebook, Pariser notes the huge diversity of search results his friends find on Google about topics like Egypt, where one friend sees news about recent protests and Lara Logan, while another sees results about travel and vacations.
In turn, Pariser believes we’re collectively creating what he calls a personal “filter bubble,” which is also the title of a book on the subject due out in May. And while he falls short of arguing that the trend toward personalization must end, he says the likes of Facebook and Google need to “have a sense of civic responsibility and let us know what’s getting filtered … [and offer] controls to let us decide what gets through and what doesn’t.”
What he’d like to see is an information world that “gives us a bit of Justin Bieber and a bit of Afghanistan,” marked by controls that let us filter content by its relevance, importance, comfort (topics that can be difficult to discuss or read), challenge level and points of view (with an option to see “alternative”).
Of course, much of that goes against the history of the Internet, which has been marked by its ability to connect like-minded people, both for good and for bad. In other words, Google and Facebook could build such controls and even bake more human editing into their algorithms, but do people even want them?
What do you think? Is the personalization of the web making us less informed? Do the companies driving innovation on the web have a civic responsibility to give us a fuller world view? Sound off in the comments.
Pariser started his talk by noting a trend he saw on Facebook. Over time, he said, the conservative friends he had started following to ensure a diverse set of viewpoints (Pariser describes himself as “progressive” politically) gradually started disappearing. As he would soon discover, that was a result of him clicking far more frequently on the links posted by his more liberal friends.
This “invisible algorithmic editing of the web,” as Pariser describes it, “moves us to a world where the Internet shows us what it thinks we need to see, but not what we should see.” Beyond Facebook, Pariser notes the huge diversity of search results his friends find on Google about topics like Egypt, where one friend sees news about recent protests and Lara Logan, while another sees results about travel and vacations.
In turn, Pariser believes we’re collectively creating what he calls a personal “filter bubble,” which is also the title of a book on the subject due out in May. And while he falls short of arguing that the trend toward personalization must end, he says the likes of Facebook and Google need to “have a sense of civic responsibility and let us know what’s getting filtered … [and offer] controls to let us decide what gets through and what doesn’t.”
What he’d like to see is an information world that “gives us a bit of Justin Bieber and a bit of Afghanistan,” marked by controls that let us filter content by its relevance, importance, comfort (topics that can be difficult to discuss or read), challenge level and points of view (with an option to see “alternative”).
Of course, much of that goes against the history of the Internet, which has been marked by its ability to connect like-minded people, both for good and for bad. In other words, Google and Facebook could build such controls and even bake more human editing into their algorithms, but do people even want them?
What do you think? Is the personalization of the web making us less informed? Do the companies driving innovation on the web have a civic responsibility to give us a fuller world view? Sound off in the comments.
Friday, March 4, 2011
MCSA 2003 Security TS windows vista
ActualKey Practice Exams for MCTS certification are written to the highest standards of technical accuracy, using only certified subject matter experts and published authors for development.
Printable Exams (in PDF format) Our Exam 70-290 Preparation Material provides you everything you will need to take your MCP exam. The MCP Certification details are researched and produced by Professional Certification Experts who are constantly using industry experience to produce precise, and logical. You may get MCP exam questions from different web sites or books, but logic is the key. Our Product will help you not only pass in the first MCP exam try, but also save your valuable time.
MCSA 70-290 exam objectives are:
Objective 1: Managing and Maintaining Physical and Logical Devices
In this objective you will need to demonstrate expertise in managing and maintaining physical and logical devices. As an administrator, you should understand Basic and Dynamic disks, RAID configuration and troubleshooting, driver signing, and the use of tools, such as Device Manager and Hardware Troubleshooting Wizard. Familiarize yourself with Device Manager and the warning and disabled icons found when problems are present on installed devices.
Objective 2: Managing Users, Computers, and Groups
This objective includes many topics, so you should be prepared to face many questions that fall into this category. Have a healthy introduction to profile management, user and group accounts, permissions, and troubleshooting. Practice a lot on free 70-620 test questions and perform a variety of administrative tasks, including configuration of desktop settings, control of security settings, assignment of scripts, redirection of folders, and software distribution. Also, get a clear understanding on inheritance and filtering.
Objective 3: Managing and Maintaining Access to Resources
Knowing how to configure, monitor, audit and troubleshoot NTFS permissions based issues are one of those most important areas that you need to know this concept thoroughly and also be sure to brush up on your share permissions and share/NTFS permissions interaction. Do not forget to brush up on how folder and file permissions can change or stay the same when copying or moving within a drive or between drives.
Objective 4: Managing and Maintaining a Server Environment
In this objective you'll find questions from topics, such as Event Viewer, System Monitor, software updates (including the functionality of Microsoft's Software Update Service or SUS), Remote Assistance, disk quotas, print queues, performance objects and IIS 6.0. Spend time understanding IIS topics around Web sites, Virtual and physical directories, files and host and cname records in DNS. New to Windows Server 2003 is SUS. Understand clearly how SUS is used for deploying and managing client and server critical updates.
Objective 5: Managing and Implementing Disaster Recovery
In this objective you'll find questions on ASR, VSS, backing up files and system state data, configuring security for backup operators, verifying backup jobs, managing media, restoring and scheduling backups and recovering from server hardware failures. You should take some extra time to get familiar with the various types of backups that free Microsoft question papers supports, as well as the various configuration options that are available to you. Practice making backups of different types and then practice restoring them.
Printable Exams (in PDF format) Our Exam 70-290 Preparation Material provides you everything you will need to take your MCP exam. The MCP Certification details are researched and produced by Professional Certification Experts who are constantly using industry experience to produce precise, and logical. You may get MCP exam questions from different web sites or books, but logic is the key. Our Product will help you not only pass in the first MCP exam try, but also save your valuable time.
MCSA 70-290 exam objectives are:
Objective 1: Managing and Maintaining Physical and Logical Devices
In this objective you will need to demonstrate expertise in managing and maintaining physical and logical devices. As an administrator, you should understand Basic and Dynamic disks, RAID configuration and troubleshooting, driver signing, and the use of tools, such as Device Manager and Hardware Troubleshooting Wizard. Familiarize yourself with Device Manager and the warning and disabled icons found when problems are present on installed devices.
Objective 2: Managing Users, Computers, and Groups
This objective includes many topics, so you should be prepared to face many questions that fall into this category. Have a healthy introduction to profile management, user and group accounts, permissions, and troubleshooting. Practice a lot on free 70-620 test questions and perform a variety of administrative tasks, including configuration of desktop settings, control of security settings, assignment of scripts, redirection of folders, and software distribution. Also, get a clear understanding on inheritance and filtering.
Objective 3: Managing and Maintaining Access to Resources
Knowing how to configure, monitor, audit and troubleshoot NTFS permissions based issues are one of those most important areas that you need to know this concept thoroughly and also be sure to brush up on your share permissions and share/NTFS permissions interaction. Do not forget to brush up on how folder and file permissions can change or stay the same when copying or moving within a drive or between drives.
Objective 4: Managing and Maintaining a Server Environment
In this objective you'll find questions from topics, such as Event Viewer, System Monitor, software updates (including the functionality of Microsoft's Software Update Service or SUS), Remote Assistance, disk quotas, print queues, performance objects and IIS 6.0. Spend time understanding IIS topics around Web sites, Virtual and physical directories, files and host and cname records in DNS. New to Windows Server 2003 is SUS. Understand clearly how SUS is used for deploying and managing client and server critical updates.
Objective 5: Managing and Implementing Disaster Recovery
In this objective you'll find questions on ASR, VSS, backing up files and system state data, configuring security for backup operators, verifying backup jobs, managing media, restoring and scheduling backups and recovering from server hardware failures. You should take some extra time to get familiar with the various types of backups that free Microsoft question papers supports, as well as the various configuration options that are available to you. Practice making backups of different types and then practice restoring them.
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