Deciding On Buying a 17 Inch Notebook?

I have just recently gone out and bought a 17 inch notebook, and so far have been fairly impressed with its quality. It is definitely superior to the old IBM Thinkpad that I owned years ago. Back then, laptop computers were pretty big and bulky, with poor screen resolution. They were considerably more expensive than they are now and to top it all, the battery life was poor at best.

I had put off buying a new 17 inch notebook for quite a while. I have always found the process of buying a new computer agonizing. No matter how long you wait, the very following week after you've made your purchase on whatever system you have chosen, out comes something cheaper, more powerful, at a lower price and with a better warranty! It is enough to drive you completely crazy.

My new Dell 17 inch notebook is everything that my old laptop was not. It is sleek, low-profile, contains hours of battery life, and now comes with a high-resolution lcd screen that is just simply a joy to behold.

The best thing about my new 17 inch notebook is how easy it makes working on-the-go seem. With the prevalence of wifi (wireless broadband enabled) coffee houses, I can now work from my 17 inch notebook from any part of town. I actually do quite a fair bit of freelance work, so the luxury of being able to do all my work on the go, when I want, and from where I want, makes my life almost feel like being on permanent vacation!

I knew that the convenience of a new laptop computer was going to be worth it no matter what, and eventually I got and bought myself the new 17 inch notebook. And I am glad that I did. There is nothing that beats having your own laptop computer, especially a fully configured one at that.

My sturdy 17 inch notebook has really changed my life, certainly for the better. Of course, for many people, getting a new 17 inch notebook computer like I have done might be a bad idea. If you are not that good at keeping track of your things, it is a definite no. You could easily lose your 17 inch notebook computer, along with all of your work and data, due to one careless mistake.

And when I am done with my 17 inch notebook, I simply slip it back into my laptop computer sleeve, and can carry it around with me wherever I'm off to next. It is no burden at all, because of its light weight, and though I occasionally worry about having it stolen, or accidentally damaged, so far no harm has come to my computer. You can of course include insurance for it when making your initial purchase.

Best Buy for a Laptop - How to Buy a Laptop Computer

There is a wide range of laptop models available on the market today and buying the right machine can turn into a confusing mission.

There are laptop computers intended for home users, multimedia, business and gaming. You can spend from $500 to $5,000.

The very first step you need to do is to determine your needs.

If you spend a lot of time traveling, your best option is a light laptop with a long battery life.

If you are an average home user, you can easily select a low-range laptop that will cost you about $500.

If you use the Internet a lot or store photographs and videos, you choice should be a mid-range laptop that will cost you from $1,000 to $1,500.

But if plan to purchase a gaming laptop, be ready to pay at least $3,000.

Look at the following categories:

- Processor is the most important thing to take into consideration. Intel Pentium M, Mobile AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Turion 64 Mobile are high-powered processors. Intel's Celeron M and AMD's Duron and Sempron are processors found in low-end laptops.

Avoid desktop processors in laptops because they need a lot of power and will quickly exhaust your battery.

- Screen sizes range from 12 to 19 inches. A laptop computer with smaller screen is great option if you do not plan to use laptop too much. A larger screen is perfect for extensive use.

- Your new laptop should have at least 1 gigabyte of memory. Also, your machine should come with a dedicated video card with 128 megabytes of memory.

- Choose a faster hard drive with at least 60GB of space. This is sufficient for the majority of users. Gamers should get at least 100 GB hard drive.

Super Hot Bluetooth Accessories That You Must Have Now

Once a person has Bluetooth technology integrated into their home and office, they will want to invest in some accessories. These accessories go far beyond cell phone skins and ring tones. These accessories are advanced little gadgets that can make using this technology even easier and faster. Wireless technology is the wave of the future. Finding ways to adapt it and make it fit into one's lifestyle is not that difficult. Chances are, Bluetooth technology was already being used before people realized it. If a person has used a wireless interest connection at home, at the local coffee shop or bookstore, they are taking advantage of this technology. Even though it has gone far beyond simple wireless computer connection, to many people, this is all they know. This technology has been around for years now.

But for those who use this type of technology often, Bluetooth has made their lives a little simpler. Some of the most popular accessories are car kits. Many newer model cars come with built in wireless connection. This is because many new cars come with navigation systems, which are also wire less. This means that phone calls can be made even in the most mountainous of areas. For those who travel by car often, this is the technology to invest in. With hands free headsets that work on voice activation, a person can make a phone call without taking their hands off the steering wheel. In some new cars the caller ID is flashed in the rearview mirror. One can ask for a phone menu and it will pop up with all of the person's contact numbers. These can be pre-programmed into the phone and used in the car.

For those who want wireless technology in their car, but who can't afford to buy a new car, car kits have been created. By rewiring the electrical system in any car, wireless technology can be installed. A car kit comes with the wiring, headset, and other accessories that make driving safer. These kits are a lot less than buying a new car, but can still be expensive. Car kits are available in most automotive stores, online, or at car dealerships. Upgrading to a wireless car environment is worth the investment for those who spend a lot of time driving, for those who want to drive safely, and for emergency usage. It is nice to know that the phone will always work even out in the middle of nowhere. Having a flat tire and worrying about whom to call is a thing of the past.

Other accessories include wireless headsets for the home, a wireless mouse, servers, PDA's and modems. Wireless technology has changed the way people think about home offices. All office equipment can be connected to one network without all the wires and extra outlets. Being able to run everything all the time is a great luxury that will come in handy. A wireless mouse can free up space and make drawing and other intricate usage easier. For graphic designers, a wireless mouse can save the day. Being able to point the mouse in the exact spot saves time and money. PDA's can now be used to check e-mail, fax, print, send images, and make phone calls without having to switch networks or physically connect to a network. This has really improved the working world. A person can make a phone call to anyone or send them a fax that will get there and in time.

Being able to connect to the Internet quickly and still be able to send a fax or print something at the same time is achievable with Bluetooth technology. Multi-tasking has never been easier for those who work from home as well as those who work in an office. Businesses save lots of money each year by utilizing this equipment. The accessories are small and most would go unnoticed. The accessories are not ugly eyesores like wires and extra cable used to be. Too many wires are a safety hazard that has all but disappeared. These accessories make using Bluetooth technology even better. Saving time and money is everyone's goal. Bluetooth technology makes this goal a little easier to reach.

Fantastic New Wireless Technology Explodes Across The Planet

Bluetooth does not describe a dental condition in which a patient has blue teeth. The term "Bluetooth" signifies a special new technology, a technology of the 21st Century. The devices with Bluetooth technology allow the user of such devices to conduct 2-way transmissions over short distances. Usually the distance between the communicating Bluetooth devices runs no more than 150 feet. . The individual who has access to two or more devices with Bluetooth technology has the ability to carryout such short-range communications.

One big advantage to having access to some of the devices with the Bluetooth technology is the opportunity one gains to conduct a "conversation" between mobile and stationary technological items. The Bluetooth car kit underlines the plus side of having access to the Bluetooth technology. The Bluetooth car kit sets the stage for a "conversation" between a mobile and a stationary electrical gadget.

For example, the Bluetooth car kit permits a cell phone in the garage to communicate with a home computer. Thanks to Bluetooth, a car driver with a cell phone could sit inside a car and send a message to a home computer. By the same token, Bluetooth technology could allow a car to send a message to a personal computer. Such a message could inform a car owner that the motor vehicle sitting in the garage needed an oil change, rotation of the tires or some other routine procedure.

Not all of modern automobiles come equipped with Bluetooth technology. So far only Acura, BMW, Toyota Prius and Lexus have chosen to provide the consumer with this special feature. In order for the car owner to benefit from the potential of Bluetooth technology in a motor vehicle, all of the devices with that technology must use the same type of profile.

For example, if a car audio system contains devices with the Bluetooth technology, then any of the communications that take place between those devices require Bluetooth equipment that uses the same profile. Such restrictions typically specify that the Bluetooth car kit will work only if all of the inter-device communicating involves equipment that operates under the hands-free profile. In other words, a Bluetooth car kit would not be expected to allow a cell phone with a headset profile to communicate with a computer that had a dial-up networking profile.

Of course Bluetooth technology is not confined to the automobile. It has also been responsible for allowing young teens to listen to music from an iPod, while at the same time being equipped and ready to handle any number of cell phone calls. On other occasions those same teens might choose to use the Bluetooth technology to send selected images from a digital camera to a home computer.

The Bluetooth technology has demonstrated the ability to lay the groundwork for creation of a mobile entertainment system. It could also facilitate the quick assembly of an operating and mobile office space. The father of the young teen who was listening to a iPod could very-well be the traveling business man at the airport, the man who must wait for a delayed flight. Access to the Bluetooth technology would give such a man the ability to set-up a temporary "office" in the airport terminal.

Once that same traveling businessman had reached his destination, and once he had settled in a motel room, then he might use the Bluetooth technology to send signals from a laptop computer to a printer server. Both younger and older adults have demonstrated that Bluetooth technology is definitely a technology of the 21st Century. Who could guess that the Bluetooth technology got its name from King Harold, "Bluetooth," of Denmark, who lived back in the 10th Century? King Harold sought to unite the countries of Scandinavia, much as the Bluetooth technology helps the different types of informational devices to work in unison.

Is Being Tied To Your Desk By Your Computer Driving You Crazy?

At first glance, the most obvious benefit from owning a laptop computer, as opposed to a desktop computer, is that a laptop is smaller and portable. Of course, if you have a desktop computer you will naturally be tied to your desk when ever you have to do some work on your computer.

Laptops make it possible for people to take their work with them on the road. When you go through any airport terminal you will see business people, as well as your average person, happily typing away on their portable laptop computer. This was unthinkable just twenty years ago.

I remember seeing "portable" computers somewhere around 1983 which were as large as your desktop computers today. Having portable computability has major advantages for many types of individuals including college students. College students may now sit in class and take copious amounts of notes and study them at their leisure back at the dorm.

You can now get laptop computers with as much firepower as the first computers had that took up a whole room. I believe that a typical laptop today also has more computing capabilities than the first space shuttle on board computers. So, give yourself some portability and go get yourself a laptop computer.

A Brief Introduction To Bluetooth

Bluetooth was designed to allow low bandwidth wireless

connections to become easy to use so even those who

are new to wireless can use them. Version one.One of

Bluetooth describes a low power, short range wireless

networking technology that uses radio waves to send

data at rates up to 720 kilobits a second.

Bluetooth Spec

The specification for Bluetooth supplies for different

classes of radio that allow transmission ranges of

up to 100 meters by boosting the radio power. The

technology of Bluetooth isn't limited to line of

sight transmission since it uses directional waves

that are capable of transmitting through many

obstructions.

Industry Standard

Bluetooth is an industry standard communication of

wireless, meaning that it enables the connection

of other devices as well, such as cell phones,

computers, digital cameras, & other types of

electronic devices. The specification of Bluetooth

defines a radio system and a "stack" of protocol

layers and profiles. The highest layer is the

application layer, while the lowest layer is the

radio.

The wireless technology of Bluetooth is positioned

to revolutionize the personal connectivity market

by providing freedom from inconvenient fixed type

lines.

The specification for Bluetooth eliminates the need

for cables by providing a small form factor, low

cost wireless solution that will link computers,

cell phones, and other electronics. Bluetooth

also allows users to connect many ranges of devices

fast and easily and expands communications

capabilities as well.

The size of the Bluetooth radio is remarkable, as a

Bluetooth radio can be built into 1 or two very

small microchips then integrated into any electronic

device where wireless operations would be an

advantage.

Bluetooth also offers a robust link, which ensures

that normal operating circumstances are not

interrupted by interference from other signals

that are operating in the same frequency band.

Also known for its worldwide operation, Bluetooth

radio operates in the 2.four GHz frequency band, which

is license free and reachable to any type of

radio system in the world. No matter where you

are in the world, you count on Bluetooth to work.

Security is also important. Offering advanced

security mechanisms, Bluetooth ensures a high level

of security. Therefore, authentification will

prevent unauthorized acess to important data and

make it very difficult to listen in.

Bluetooth also boasts power optimization. The radio

is power friendly and the software for Bluetooth

is very configurable, limiting the power consumption

of equipment. The radio itself only consumes a

small amount of power from a cellular phone.

What Makes Toshiba Laptops So Good?

Toshiba laptops have a well-deserved reputation for being some of the best laptops in the world. But what makes them so good?

Well, first of all, Toshiba laptops are very sturdily built. If you drop one, it won't usually break, nor will they break through normal wear and tear like cheap Dells can - Toshibas don't get cracked cases and have keys fall off the keyboard, and if they ever did then Toshiba would fix it very quickly. This high build quality is important to people who will have their laptop for a long time, as well as people who travel around a lot with their laptops and so need to take them as luggage on planes.

Secondly, Toshiba laptops are very light. Again, this is important to travellers, but it is also important to people who are just using their laptop normally, carrying it from home to their office or simply perching it on their lap at home. Heavy laptops can be a real pain, making it feel like an effort to pick up the computer and quickly check or alter something, while light ones are far more practical.

However, as with other Japanese-made laptops, this extra sturdiness and ultra-light weight comes with a price. Toshiba laptops can be up to 50% more expensive than the cheapest models on the market with the same processor, RAM and so on, simply due to the cost of the better build quality and having to pay Japanese workers' salaries. Computing tends to be a race to the bottom, with the cheapest computers gaining the largest market share, which leaves Toshiba courting the more computer-savvy buyers who really need a high-quality laptop for their work. If you do rely on your laptop for anything, though, you would do well to see the extra cost as an investment and consider getting a Toshiba, or a similar high-quality laptop.

Understanding Computer Laptop Batteries

Types of Laptop Batteries:

Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) Batteries: These were the first rechargeable batteries manufactured for laptops. They were relatively inexpensive, had high output and versatile, because they could be used in a wide variety of products. However, NiCd batteries have now been abandoned by laptop manufacturers with the introduction of more efficient and lighter-weight batteries.

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Batteries: NiMH was a big improvement concerning power output, reliability, cost, safety and capacity. The "memory effect" was the only issue with NiMH batteries which require them to be fully discharged before recharging to gain maximum output. These batteries can still be found in older model laptops.

Lithium Ion (LiON): This type of batteries has become the most popular for laptops since the "memory effect" has been eliminated, and much lighter than the other two in weight. However, the market price is also the highest.

Battery Cycle:

One battery cycle is used every time a battery is charged or discharged. Technically speaking, it is defined as the number of cycles a battery can perform before its nominal capacity falls below 80% of its initial rated capacity. Lifetimes of 500 to 1200 cycles are typical. For example, NiCad battery has a cycle life of 500-1000 or more cycles.

Battery Run-Time:

Battery run-time depends on a number of factors. Most of the time, it is the design of, and the power demands made by the machine that determines the actual battery run-time. For example, use of the screen, the hard drive and other accessories will significantly influence the duration of the run-time.

What are Smart and Dumb Laptop Batteries:

Some laptop batteries are equipped with internal microprocessor circuits that help manage battery energy, set the charger to the correct charge algorithm, predict running time, or according to Smart Battery System (SBS) forum, provide a state-of-charge (SoC) indication. These batteries are called "Smart" batteries. Those batteries termed as, "dumb" do not have these features, may be just counterparts, or may function to provide power only.

Optimizing Laptop Batteries:

1. "Condition" is a term for fully charging and discharging a new laptop battery to maximize performance and allow it to reach its maximum rated capacity. NiMH and NiCd batteries need to be conditioned at least once a month to reduce the "memory effect".

2. Metal connecters should be cleaned occasionally to maintain good conductivity

3. Ensure that device's power management features in the BIOS and Operating System are optimized, turning off the screen, using speed step

4. Avoid leaving your laptop on overnight all the time while charging. The laptop should be turned off occasionally.

5. Store the battery in a cool, dry, clean place if you're not going to use it for a month or longer.

6. Turn down the brightness of the LCD screen when watching a movie on our laptop. Decrypt DVD movies and store it on your hard disk drive to avoid constant use of the DVD drive which consumes a lot of power

7. Never expose your laptop battery to heat, moisture, short-circuit, drop or physically abuse it.

If You Want Flexibility And Portability Consider A Laptop

If you are one of those who works with a computer on a daily basis like me you should consider a laptop. I have actually owned three now and I think I would be lost without mine. I still use my desktop PC quite a bit at home but the laptop comes in extremely handy when I am away.

It's not just convenient owning a laptop but it is also even more fun to use than the desktop. Your laptop can be totally modified to fit your needs and can be an extension of your desktop if need be. I know that I sometimes need to be able to use the same programs that I would normally have on my desktop and thanks to the additional of a 30GB portable drive, I can keep all the programs I would normally need on it and save the space on my laptop. I just plug it in to my USB port and I am off to the races.

You can customize the look of your display settings just as you would with your desktop so your window displays as well font sizes are all a click away.

There are many add ons that you can buy for your laptop to make it more convenient for you to use. If you need more space, you can do as I suggested and get a portable drive that will keep you from clogging up your main hard drive. You can also get smaller flash drives for moving information from one place to another.

Sometimes the way that the mouse is configured on a laptop makes it inconvenient or uncomfortable to use, if this is the case for you then you can get an external mouse that plugs into your laptop to make it easier to use, the same also can be said for the keyboard. If the keyboard seems too small or awkward, then plug in an external one.

Many times you will find that if you use your laptop often that it will begin to overheat, if this is the case for you then you should look into an external laptop cooler. Laptop coolers can help keep your system cooler and prevent damage from overheating.

If you are not happy with the sound of the internal speakers that your laptop came with you can buy a set of small powerful speakers and plug them into your laptop to give you better quality and louder sound.

If you travel quite a bit I highly recommend that you get a hard laptop case. Laptops are fragile and it is very easy to screw up a screen, they aren't cheap to replace.

Make Your Laptop More Comfortable To Use With Accessories Like These

Many people are beginning to buy laptops now that prices have gone down on them so much, some are using only a laptop for their computer usage and others like myself use the laptop in conjunction with their desktop or when we have to go away for trips. It is amazing to me how many different accessories are available to customize a laptop. There are numerous performance enhancements that you can add but since most of us go out and buy the most advanced system we can, I am going to focus more on the accessories that will help make your laptop more comfortable to use.

One of the best investments I made for my laptop was a laptop beanbag table. This handy little item that is tapered and angled giving you a comfortable solid surface to work on so that you can sit in bed or on the couch and use your laptop more easily. The hard table also allows for proper cooling which keeps your laptop from overheating, something that happens often just sitting on your lap. To make it even more comfortable the bean bag table also has an ergonomic gel wrist rest to help prevent wrist strain and maladies like carpal tunnel syndrome. Not only was this one of the best investments for me in terms of comfort, it was also one of the cheapest.

Another cool invention is called the laptop wall caddy which makes it super convenient and comfortable to use your laptop anywhere you want in your home. It is basically like a portable desk. The height of the laptop wall caddy is easily adjustable and has a top that flips down to give you a stable workplace and then can be folded out of the way to save space. This is really great if you have a small home or apartment and don't really have the space to be able to set up a permanent workstation.

Another thing that I consider in the comfort area is also a performance enhancer, a wireless card. The reason I consider it a comfort feature is because it gives you freedom to use your laptop anywhere without being confined to a certain space or tied to wires. Of course you will need a wireless service plan as well, but it is worthwhile to have just to be able to enjoy the mobility that it affords you. I promise once you get it you will never want to give it up. Make sure you have extra batteries too, that way you don't have to be plugged in at all.

Laptop Backup: Backups On a Business Trip

If you have a cellphone and laptop, it is possible to work almost anywhere. You can get a lot of work done in airports and hotels during the course of a business trip. Often you need to revise agreements, proposals and presentations while on the road or during a client meeting.

However, the risk of theft or damage to your laptop is much higher on a business trip than during the normal office routine. If you are only away for a day or two, this is not a problem. When your trip extends to a week or more, however, it pays to be prepared. Since the changes made on business trips are often critical, it makes sense to have a backup in case something goes wrong. Here are some ideas to protect your data on a trip:

If you have internet access during the trip, a good idea is to email changed files to an online email account, with a note to explain the changes. This is excellent for 3 reasons:

1. The files are kept safely out of harm's way while you are on the trip;

2. You can retrieve them anyplace you can get online.

3. You have a trail of the changes that were made. This could come in handy when trying to compare slight changes in wording in a 50-page contract.

If you do not have Internet access, or the files are too big to send, you can use a USB thumb drive or a CD/DVD writer. If you do have a built-in CD or DVD writer, taking along some blank CDs or DVDs is a better choice than the thumb drive:

1. A thumb drive is more likely to be stolen. With a CD or DVD you can keep one copy in your hotel room and take one with you.

2. Storage space for multiple versions: You can keep filling up a CD or DVD with multiple versions of files. If you fill up a disk, just use the next one.

3. Having extra blank CDs or DVDs can be useful for copying presentation materials, presentations and proposals onto to give to the client at the end of a meeting.

Business travel is stressful enough without having to worry about losing your work. Whichever of these methods you use, following these suggestions can give you peace of mind, knowing that your data is safe even while you are on the road.

Laptop Backup: Preparing For a Business Trip

Business trips often means taking your laptop with you. However, traveling greatly increases the risk of your laptop being stolen or damaged. Often, the files stored on the laptop are critical to the success of the trip. To make sure you have a successful trip even if your laptop is stolen or damaged, follow these guidelines:

Before the trip:

1. Make sure you have a complete backup of all the information and files on the computer. A full backup of your data should be the last thing you do before packing the computer into your bag. This backup should stay at home, as it is the ultimate fallback when disaster strikes.

2. Make a separate copy of files that you expect to need on the trip. These could be on a recordable disk or USB thumb drive. This ensures that you have access to these files even if your laptop is stolen or damaged. It also gives you some flexibility to use another computer at your destination in case you need it to access the Internet or a data projector.

This copy should preferably not go into your laptop bag. If the bag is stolen, lost or damaged, you need to be able to get hold of the files.

3. Email critical files to yourself. Using one of the online email services, you can keep a copy of your files online and retrieve them when needed. This could be a real life-saver. However, to make it manageable, do this only for your four or five most critical files.

4. Don't forget your contacts. Synchronize your cellphone or PDA with your computer and export your contact database to a file that can be viewed as plain text. If you need to retrieve any of this information, you do not want to have to import all your contact information into your client's Outlook just to be able to view it.

5. If you can do it easily, scan your tickets and other travel documentation and make it part of the backup. Often the originals are kept with your laptop, so if that is stolen, you at least have some proof to fall back on.

Following these guidelines could change a business disaster into a mere inconvenience. It only takes a couple of minutes, but could mean the difference between success and failure.

Is Your Wireless Network Secure?

Networking professionals are encouraging people to think

twice about wireless network security. You might be

thinking I use WEP-128 bit encryption with MAC address

filtering, I'm safe. Or you may be you've never even heard

of WEP, if this is the case you might want to unplug your

wireless access point immediately. But then again look at

the bright side at least you don't have the false sense of

security that your network is secure. Perhaps you are the

smart guy who knows how insecure wireless networks are. You

too are at just an equal risk!

Your computer consultant might be partially right when they

say WEP will protect your network. It will protect your

network from casual snooping but that is about it. Last

year the FBI was able to crack a WEP protected network in

less than 3 minutes with tools widely available on the

internet. Since then it's been downhill for WEP.

At this point you might be thinking, "Oh well, someone gets

on my network and uses the internet". This is completely

false. If someone has gone through the process of getting

on your network chances are the only thing they want is not

internet access. Any computer security professional will

tell you that physical access to the network is 95% of the

security battle. Once this has been accomplished you can

consider all of your data compromised. Customer invoices,

customer data, credit card numbers and passwords to

financial institutions will all be in the hands of a hacker.

One in many methods can be used to gain access to your

personal data, whether it's through Key loggers, Trojans, or

just by sniffing your plaintext network traffic.

Maybe, just maybe, I have not convinced you of the

insecurities of wireless networks. Let me tell you about

another attack that hackers can use to gain access to your

network. Let's say your access points are completely locked

down, to your knowledge. A user from your network goes and

flips on their laptop while sitting in an airport terminal

waiting for a plane. They see an available insecure

wireless network so they click on it and connect. None of us

have ever done this before right, itching to check their

email one last time before heading out of town? Unbeknownst

to them they have just clicked on a fake honeypot wireless

network, set up by a rogue hacker that before they can even

realize their machine is already being scanned. Picture for

a moment that user could be anywhere, even sitting at a desk

in your network. Just as long as the rogue access point is

stronger than your AP's radio signal you're security is

done.

May be you fall into the category of never setting up

wireless networks because you read about their insecurities.

How then can you be at risk? Just consider for a moment

that a user in your organization fires up his wireless card.

See's a wireless network that is named XYZCorp after your

company. So they connect to it and immediately a script is

hammering their machine for security vulnerabilities. Once

again they connected to a rogue access point setup by a

hacker. Now you might be thinking. "C'mon you must have to

be a computer genius to find and run these tools." Think

again, thanks to the kind people over at remote-exploit.org

all these tools can be downloaded in one big happy ISO file.

Burned to a CD as an image and bang you're done, ready to

take a drive to the nearest business and start sniffing

credit card numbers. Everything wrapped into a nice package

just waiting for the next script kiddy to start running the

programs. You may be thinking OK this is a major problem so

what should I do? Give up my organizations ability to use

wireless networks? This isn't exactly what we are saying.

A newer wireless security technology has taken over in 2004

called WPA. It is more secure than WEP. And so far tools

are not as readily available to hack your network. But

consider the following. WEP was ratified in the late 1990's

less than six years later it was exploited. This is typical

of almost every computer technology. It is only a matter of

time before technologies are exploited. Just always

remember Security is a multi-tiered companywide

responsibility. From providing physical security to web

site security all matters should be considered serious and

not taken lightly. So before you grab a wireless access

point and slap it in your network, I urge you to think

twice.

You may think you are in a sinking boat because you are a

small organization not able to implement the latest

technologies and afford the newest access points. Or maybe

you cannot afford to pay an IT staff over 100k-200k a year

to maintain your medium size network. Executives at

N2

Network Solutions say you should consider IT outsourcing or

IT consulting. You can get Industry certified engineers on

a project by project basis. Contractual relationships are

also available to dump the responsibility of your network

into their hands for a fraction of the price. To keep your

small to medium size network performing like a Fortune 500

machine invest the capital and secure your assets.

PDAs and Handheld PCs

This day and age marketing and tools are changing rapidly. Society has become more dependent on technology as we continue to leap forward in time. Any real professional who works in any type of marketing industry needs to be up to date and mobile to be proficient.

For example, a Real Estate markets more than property. He or she markets themselves; therefore being updated and mobile has become a necessity. Mobility for any "self-employed" contractor could make the world their office. PDAs and Handheld PCs are becoming more popular for the "mobile" generation.

HP has made the iPaq line of Handheld PCs which are integrated with WiFi and Bluetooth technology for mobility. Now how does this help with mobility? With WiFi and Bluetooth you could print locally, print wirelessly: send documents, e-mail attachments, and photos from any hotspot.

Now you're thinking, why do I need something else on my belt? I don't want to carry my cell and a PDA. Well, you don't. Instead, you can carry your Address Book, Audio Playback, Calculator, Calendar, Integrated MP3 Player, Mobile Phone, Note Pad, Scheduler, Spreadsheet, Video Playback, Voice Recording, Web Browser, and Word Processor all in the palm of your hand.

It's time to make the world your office! Don't you agree?

Tim O'Connor

Jack of All Traits (JOAT)

Your Office on the Web! (Virtual Offices)

Chances are you work as part of a small team. It may be your whole office or just one department in a larger organization, or you may be part of a team that changes with each project. Regardless, your projects typically involve exchanging files back and forth, copious e-mail threads, and the need for viewing a shared group of contacts and calendar. Wouldn't it be great if you could have a central place to keep everything related to each project and the ability to access to it from anywhere? You can with a web-based virtual office.

You now have the perfect tool to keep everyone on the same page; all you need is a computer with Internet access. A web-based virtual office, or intranet, is an online communication tool catering to businesses, departments, groups, teams, and even families. These password protected websites serve as a secure, online central location to share documents and contacts, hold conferences, track appointments, and engage in both real time and asynchronous discussions.

There are many companies that offer these services. They all offer standard features but vary slightly from one to the next, so check them out and choose the one that's best suited to your needs.

Just what can you do with a virtual web-based office? Most virtual offices will include the following basic features:

- Announcements: Let everyone know the latest news or the next deadline. You can even link to your latest press release, new policy, or any other important information.

- Calendar: Use the calendar to organize, coordinate, and moderate projects and teams.

- Discussions: This electronic forum lets you and your teams conduct ongoing discussions on the web.

- Document Library: Collaborate while writing documents. Create folders for a library of materials important to your business such as personnel policies, sales brochures, project reports, form-letter templates, policy and procedures guides, graphics, and photographs.

- Contacts: This directory gives you a place to store contact information for customers, co-workers, clients, suppliers, vendors, and partners.

- Polls: You choose the questions and the answer choices and everyone can respond online. Results are automatically tallied and displayed.

It takes just minutes to create a virtual office online and it can improve communication and increase the productivity of your organization or team!

The best thing is that because the virtual office exists on a secure server on the Internet, all members of the team can access the project information from any PC that has Web access - whether they're at the office, at home, or on the road.

Uses of WiMAX

WiMAX is designed as a wireless alternative to DSL and cable for last mile broadband access and as way to interconnect Wi-Fi hotspots into a Metropolitan Area Network. Although, the actual uses for WiMAX overlaps those for Wireless Local Area Network up until the mobile Wide Area Network level. Telephone and cable companies are closely probing the potential of WiMAX as a "last mile" connectivity option. This will result to a better-priced service for both home and business customers and not to mention the elimination of the "captive" customer bases for both telephone and cable networks.

In theory, WiMAX can provide connectivity to users within a 31 mile radius even if there is no direct line if sight. However, actual field tests show that the practical limits seem to be just around 3 to 5 miles. According to WiMAX proponents, the technology can provide shared data rates up to 70 Mbit/s. This is enough to connect 60 T1-type connections simultaneously and over a thousand homes running at 1 Mbit/s DSL level connectivity. Practical maximum data rates in actual field tests show can only go between 500 kbit/s to 2 Mbit/s and is quite dependent on the conditions at a given site.

Despite the numbers given, there are a lot of ways to improve the speed and range of a WiMAX connection using pre-existing technology. One interesting option for companies with analog cellular network is to let WiMAX "share" a cell tower since it will not interfere with any of the function of the cellular arrays while utilizing the licensed radio frequencies of the analog cellular network to increase its speed and range. A WiMAX antenna can also be directly connected to an Internet backbone using a fiber optic cable. This is one of the means to increase bandwidth for data-intensive applications running across a wireless network or as a back-haul for cellular phone and Internet traffic from a remote area back to a backbone. WiMAX can effectively improve a wireless infrastructure in a decentralized, inexpensive and deployment-friendly manner.

WiMAX is seen as a very good alternative to expensive urban deployments of T1 back-hauls in developing countries with limited wired infrastructure and cruel geography. The cost to install a WiMAX station as a single hub or using an existing cellular tower will be very small compared to a wired solution. WiMAX's 31-mile diametrical range also works well with the low population density and the wide flat areas common to developing countries. Some areas have skipped wired structures due to inhibitive costs and WiMAX can easily fill the gap in-between with its low-cost wireless solution.

There is no global license assigned for WiMAX although it has a very wide RF spectrum under the IEEE 802.16 specifications. The primary band used in the US for WiMAX is around 2.5 GHz although majority of the band is already assigned to Sprint Nextel. In other parts of the world, the bands used are usually around 2.3/2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 5 GHz where the 2.3/2.5 GHz is widely used in Asia.

Free Ringtones For Any Carrier

Ringtones have been very popular with cell phone users of all ages. The feature of ringtones helps customize your cell phone rings to almost anything you desire. The best part is that there are a lot of tunes that are uploaded on the Internet which are easily accessible and can be downloaded. Cell phone carriers like Verizon, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint and MetroPCS and many others offer free ringtones to their customers. Even phone manufacturers like Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola ensure that their instruments support almost all types of ringtones - this is especially true of the new generation models.

Flexibility is the main objective that both manufacturers as well as service providers have adapted to. Manufacturers offer features in a cell phone that comply with any carrier company's offerings. That is why cell phones and the associated service, which was not easily affordable, have now become so common that almost every one owns a cell phone. To make cell phones more interesting, phone carriers as well as manufacturers, have developed a way to use various types of music like hip-hop, R&B, pop, reggae, rock, rap, and jazz in the form of ringtones! This has been an added attraction for cell phone buyers. Young and teenage cell phone users love to flaunt their favorite tune, may it be reggae, rock, jazz or a self-composed tune.

Earlier ringtones were carrier and make specific. Manufacturers would create ringtones that could be used on their models only limiting the usage of both the phone as well as the ringtone. Later, certain manufacturers started manufacturing phones that were compatible enough to download ringtones for cell phone users of any carrier company.

If you have a Web-enabled phone, ringtones can be downloaded directly onto your cell phone. For those who do not have a Web-enabled phone, ringtones can be downloaded onto the PC first and then added to the phone or can be sent as a text message (SMS) via an attachment to the cell phone.

So why wait, just go ahead and download your favorite ringtone now!

How to Clean Your LCD

One of the more expensive parts of your laptop computer is the LCD or liquid crystal display. The LDC display is the 'eyes' of your computer and if you damage it by cleaning it, you may be out several hundreds of dollars to replace it.

Most LCD displays are used for laptop computers which unfortunately, apt to be used in more places where the display can be dirtied than your flat display desktop computer. Coffee houses, college dorm rooms and kitchen tables are prime places for spills and smudges to occur on your formally pristine laptop. Cleaning your display can be disastrous, if you treat your LCD the way you would an old fashioned CRT monitor display. Did you know you can destroy the pixels of your display by pressing on the LCD with your fingertips trying to remove the splash of double mocha latte your roommate left on your laptop? Did you know Windex can be poison for your prized wide-display monitor? Here are some tips drawn from the major computer manufacturers on caring and cleaning your LCD.

Check with the manufacturer of your particular monitor before cleaning. Most displays come with written instructions or you can check with tech support.

1) Shut off the laptop and unplug it from the wall. You will be able to see the smudges and streaks easier with the monitor off.

2) Do not touch the display with hard or sharp objects. This includes your fingers!

3) Use a clean, dry, lint-free cloth and gently stroke the cloth in one direction from the top to the bottom of the display.

4) If the display is still dirty after the gentle use of a dry cloth, try using a commercially prepared solution made for cleaning the LCD. Put a small amount of the solution onto the cloth and stroke again in the same direction, from top to bottom.

5) If you don't have LCD cleaning solution you can try the following: Be sure to check with your manufacturer first. Each one may have different requirements.

water (some manufacturers state to never use plain water, but water with vinegar instead), isoprophyl alcohol, or hexane.

6) Most manufacturers recommend you NEVER use the following:

acetone, ethyl alcohol, toluene, ethyl acid, ammonia, or methyl chloride. This includes regular Windex cleaner. These cleaners contain chemicals that could react with your display causing the pixels to be permanently damaged.

Think of your LCD as a delicate eye for your laptop that needs special care and consideration. And keep your coffee off the screen!

Wireless at the Workplace

Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity, is a term promulgated by the non-profit Wireless Fidelity Alliance organization to designate products adhering to the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless LANs. A Wi-Fi network broadcasts a radio signal, operating in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, with a data rate of between 11 (IEEE 802.11b) and 54 Mbps (IEEE 802.11a).

"A new generation of 'Wi-Fi certified' wireless products have emerged which not only incorporate state-of-the-art security measures, but also ensure interoperability across Wi-Fi certified products from different manufacturers. "

Benefits of Wi-Fi:

With Wi-Fi networks, an entirely new set of benefits and services can be offered:

· Access to the wired corporate network and the Internet for laptop users and guests, anywhere within corporate offices

· Freedom from wire connections, making it easy to move office locations without incurring network wiring costs

· True modular phone access within corporate buildings, where service is frequently spotty, by using Wi-Fi gateways to route phone calls and signals from other hand-held devices

· "Last mile" installations in which calling might be inconvenient or expensive

Planning the Installation:

The first step in any wireless installation is planning. That is, you must first determine who needs wireless access, where the users will be, and how they will access the network. It is recommended that you perform a walkabout of the area and obtain a blueprint of the building.

A Wi-Fi radio signal has a range of about 100 to 300 feet indoors, and up to 2,000 feet outdoors. And an access point can handle from 10 to 30 users, depending upon use patterns. For highly-populated cubicle areas, for example, multiple access points may be needed. Possible obstructions must be identified, as signals will pass through most walls but will stop at metal obstructions, such as elevator shafts. Also, overlaps in coverage should be built in to avoid blind spots.

Second, obtain the necessary equipment. Unless you have only a few users and will be using a peer-to-peer network, you will need base stations as determined by your plan. For the office, companies such as Cisco, Symbol, and 3Com offer enterprise-grade office equipment with the latest security features. To avoid conflicts, buy all equipment from the same company, and make sure that adjacent access points use the same frequency but different channels.

Securing the Network:

Securing the network is particularly important given the significant vulnerability of wireless networks. However, there are a number of technologies available today that can make your wireless network as secure as your wired network.

· WPA. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a standards-based security technology which secures Wi-Fi networks. WPA comes in two versions, a personal edition and an enterprise edition. The enterprise edition provides 128-bit data encryption, including dynamic session keys, as well as strong access controls. WPA2 provides government-grade security with FIPS 140-2 compliant AES encryption. It is important to note, however, that WPA and other wireless encryption methods protect only activity between Wi-Fi enabled computers and Wi-Fi certified access points. Once the data is on public networks or on the Internet, your data will again be vulnerable unless other measures are taken, such as SSL.

· Media Access Control (MAC) Filtering. Every Wi-Fi radio has a unique MAC number. Access points can be programmed to only accept specified MAC addresses, thereby ensuring that only authorized users have access to the wireless network.

· Closing Your Network. To counter scanning tools which can find and tap into wireless networks, you should disable network name or SSID broadcasting at all access points. This will ensure that your network is not shown on a list of networks available to outside users.

· Virtual Private Networks. A VPN creates a "virtual tunnel" from the user's computer to the corporate system, encrypting data transferred to computers outside the corporate offices. VPN technology also works for wireless networks and can protect transmissions from Wi-Fi equipped computers to corporate servers.

· Remote Access Dial-Up User Service (RADIUS). RADIUS is standard authentication technology used by many corporations to protect access to their wireless networks. It uses a user name and password scheme to verify the user's access rights to the network, and various levels of access can be enabled.

· Other Security Measures. Some sort of firewall is essential to securing a wireless network. Some Wi-Fi gateways and access points provide a built-in firewall. But if yours does not, you must protect your network with a firewall just as you would with your Ethernet or other wired network. For those with a preference for Kerberos-based security, Kerberos can be implemented for wireless networks as well. And the Wi-Fi Alliance has developed security standards such as 802.11i and 802.1x which use advanced encryption technologies such as AES and TKIP, as well as secure key-distribution methods.

Conclusion:

With the host of wireless security technologies now available, there is a security solution available for nearly every wireless network. No longer is there any reason for corporate IT departments to balk at offering wireless services to their users.

About Jonathan Coupal:

Jonathan Coupal is the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of ITX Corp. Mr. Coupal manages both the day-to-day and strategic operations of the Technology Integration Practice Group. Among Mr. Coupal's greatest strengths are evaluating customers' unique problems, developing innovative, cost effective solutions and providing a "best practice" implementation methodology. Mr. Coupal's extensive knowledge and experience enables him to fully analyze client systems to recommend the most effective technologies and solutions that will both optimize their business processes and fulfill immediate and future goals. Mr. Coupal and his team build a high level of trust with clients, establishing ITX as their IT partner of choice.

Mr. Coupal holds certifications with Microsoft and CompTia, including MCSE, MCSA, Security+, Linux+ and i-Net+, and served as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the development of the CompTia Linux+.

Practical Tips For Buying Your New Laptop

So you want to buy a laptop but don't know where to

start. You're not alone. Buying a new laptop can present

many challenges, especially if you're unfamiliar with

laptops or notebook computers.

Over the last little while so much new laptop technology

has hit the market... Intel Duo Processors, SLI, Dual

Graphics... it can all be totally mind boggling to the average

consumer. For the first time laptop buyer understanding

all the techno jargon can be downright scary.

Mainly because a whole new generation of notebook technology

comes around every two years or less; probably much less

when you consider all the new advances made recently.

It can even be a little overwhelming even for someone

like myself who runs an online Laptop Guide and who has

a keen interest in all things laptop.

Regardless of all these fancy new improvements, devices

and notebook technology, you must remember you're buying

a new laptop for you and you alone. You must first

decide if all this new stuff is important to you?

Do you really need all this new notebook technology?

But most of all before you can consider that question you

must first figure out WHY you want a laptop? Why are you

buying a laptop? What chores or tasks do you want the

laptop to perform?

If you just want a laptop for simple web browsing and

emailing, a laptop made five years ago will do the

job nicely and cost you a heck of lot less. You really

don't need a top of the line laptop unless of course,

you're keeping up with the Jones and want the latest top

model of everything. But that's moving into Dr. Phil's

territory... lets not venture there!

So what do you need the laptop for?

Do you need a lightweight portable laptop for business

trips or meetings? Do you need a student notebook for

classes? Or do just want a desktop replacement computer

that you can easily move around in your home?

Your answer will greatly determine which type of laptop

you should buy.

In my case, I needed a desktop replacement that I could

easily move around my home and take on very infrequent

trips or vacations. Long battery life was not a major

consideration because I would mainly be using it plugged

into an electrical outlet. Besides, the laptop I wanted

would be 7 or 8 pounds and I had no intentions of lugging

that baby around over any great distance.

I work full time at home and do a lot of web design so

I needed a solid machine with a lot of RAM. I also enjoy

downloading and enjoying the occasional movie so a DVD

Multi Drive and a wide screen display were important.

High quality graphics and sound was also important for

what I needed.

* RAM

RAM is to computer what location is to real estate. RAM

or Random Access Memory is perhaps the most important

factor to consider when buying your laptop or any computer.

RAM will greatly determine the speed of your laptop or computer.

How fast it will process your tasks and graphics. You must make

sure you have enough for your needs. You can now find many laptops

pre-loaded with 1 Gig of RAM and capable of upgrading to 4 Gigs

or more.

Compared to yesterday's computers that's a lot of RAM. If you're

not into gaming, handling large video files/editing, all that

RAM is not needed but it will make your laptop run faster. Also,

remember if you're into gaming, Video RAM will be important

-- you need a top of the line (read expensive) Graphics Card

and it will increase the cost of your laptop.

Also it may be wise to buy a laptop with upgradable memory -

since new applications, multi windowed browsers, streaming video...

of the very near future may place high demand on your laptop's

RAM.

* Dual Core Processors

CPU or Computer Processing Unit is the heart of your laptop

and in this case you have Two Hearts -- Intel Centrino Duo

is the front runner in this area right now. However, AMD

is giving Intel some stiff competition in the dual core

battle with its Athlon(TM) 64 X2 dual core processor. Either

one would be a wise choice.

* Hard Drive

The amount of space or size of laptop hard drives are

steadily increasing, a 100 Gig laptop is now common.

If you don't want a lot of storage, buying a smaller

size hard drive will save you money.

Many laptop experts choose the SATA hard drive with

a high 5400 or 7200 RPM.

* Weight or Size

Perhaps the major reason you're considering buying a laptop

is its size or weight -- otherwise you're better of saving

your money and buying a desktop computer instead. A laptop is

portable, you can carry it anywhere... tuck it under your

arm and cart it to class or your next business meeting.

It is ideal for taking your information and work to wherever

you want to go. This portability is the main selling feature

of a laptop.

Obviously you must pick the best sized laptop to suit your

needs. Laptops are divided into different categories, here's

a quick rundown:

Tablet PC (smallest) Size of a paper tablet or notepad, less than 3

pounds.

Ultra Portable (small) 13" x >11" More than 1.5 inches,

more than

7 pounds and up

Pick the size that suits your purpose and use.

* Price

Laptop prices are steadily falling, it is now possible to get

a quality laptop for well under a $1000. Many are selling at the

$500 - $600 range. High quality gaming laptops offered by such

specialty laptop makers as Alienware, Rock, will still set you

back 3 to 4 grand. Ouch!

* Warranties

Don't overlook this factor, if you're buying an expensive

laptop, you might want to check out these extended warranties.

If you do a lot of traveling, you might need to purchase

insurance against thief and loss.

* Dead Pixels Was the Only Thing I Feared!

If you can check your laptop for any dead pixels. A dead pixel

will give you white spots(pixels)on your LCD display screen.

Most cases you're buying your laptop straight out of the

box, booting up and finding you have dead pixels is not

a pleasant experience. If you want to check your laptop

screen for dead pixels, just do a search for the free

'Dead Pixel Buddy' software program and run it to check

your laptop for dead pixels.

* Use The Internet For Information Or Even Purchase

I run a simple Laptop Guide on one of my sites and I also keep

a laptop blog so I am constantly using the Internet to gather

information and compare prices. You must shop around and

check out the consumer reports on the different laptop makers

and the different laptop products. You must also check out

the service records/reputation of the major brand names.

I researched all the different laptops and found the one

that met my requirements and price. I bought it in the real

world at a local Computer store mainly because I wanted to

examine the laptop's graphics and keyboard in the flesh.

However, I checked out all of the product's details beforehand

on this store's online site -- much easier than in a busy

crowded store.

Make A List

It might prove helpful to create a list of the minimum

requirements or features you want on your desired laptop:

Intel Duo

1 Gig of RAM

100 Gig Hard Drive

15 Inch Screen

4 or 5 Hours Battery Life

Burn/Write DVDs...

* Kick The Tires

Like buying anything, it is always a good idea to fully

check out your purchase. Sample the laptop's keyboard, does

typing feel comfortable? Try the touchpad, is it responsive?

Open your favorite programs and check the processing speed

of your laptop. Bring along a DVD and sample the sound

and graphics. Take note of any problems or irritations that

may pop-up, in my case it was a small right shift key but

this was so minor I knew I could get used to it and it didn't

stop me from buying my desired laptop.

* Research Your Laptop

Use the Internet to research your desired laptop, know exactly

what components it has and know what software is already preloaded.

Be careful of salespeople who will try to charge you extra for

configuring or installing programs on your laptop when these

programs may already be preloaded at the factory stage!

I settled on a Toshiba Satellite P100-SD3: it has Intel Duo,

1 Gig of RAM, 100 Gig Hard Drive, 17" widescreen TrueBrite

Display, compatible with the new Windows Vista... it meets

all my needs and I am quite pleased with my new laptop.

And I will be writing a full review after I have used it for

a couple of weeks... but that's another article.

If you consider most of the simple points and check out the factors

listed above then making your own laptop purchase will not only be

quite painless but it may even prove an enjoyable experience. Do a

little homework and you will easily find the perfect laptop for you.

Wireless Services

Wireless services have become highly in-demand with the changes in the lifestyles of the people. Such services have played an increasing role in helping people get things done and in bridging them together in what has come to be known as a virtual community.

Wireless technology is able to function by using radio waves that range from 3 KHz to as much as 300GHz. Usage of such waves must be licensed by the government. More advanced technological uses of such waves are limited and, as such, can only be utilized after winning in an auction.

An example of a wireless service is wireless Internet service. This service has been attractive for people who need to do office work even when they are in transit. This is made possible by technological devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and laptops.

At present, a new wireless service has been developed to provide enhanced voice and video services. This is called third generation wireless. Such a service supports real-time video and mobile Internet access.

In the near future, a fourth generation wireless service can be expected. This is currently being developed in Japan and is capable of speeding up data rates to up to 20Mbps. Phones with 4G capability will soon be released in the United States.

Another form of wireless service is wireless telecommunications. This can be availed of by enrolling in a wireless phone plan or getting prepaid plans. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, but the suitability of either plan ultimately depends on the needs and capability of the user. Among the things that can ultimately affect the applicability of a prepaid or postpaid plan are frequency of usage, types of usage, and preferred phone services.

To facilitate wireless telecommunications, a mobile network operator is necessary. They are licensed providers of wireless phone services. They buy radio spectrum licenses from the government to be able to set up their cell facilities.

Notebook Battery Life - Tips To Get The Most Out Of Yours

Notebook computers. At this point in the 21st century, they have become an indispensable part of many people's everyday lives. From the commuting business executive and the busy college student, we all want to be mobile with our computers. The big drawback of that is the fact that there is not always a plug around when you need one. A notebook computer's battery is its life-blood. Without proper care, your notebook battery could fail much earlier than anticipated. By following a few simple steps, you can expect to get the greatest amount of usage possible out of your notebook battery before a replacement is needed.

1. Upon purchase, charge the battery to full capacity. Whether you have purchased a new computer have purchased a new battery for your laptop, charging it fully as soon as you open the box is the best recommendation. This allows the battery to reach a full capacity before you begin to use it "unplugged". Most batteries come with a partial charge, enough to get you going if you absolutely had to. Giving that battery a full charge when it is brand new will help set the charge capacity for the battery at its highest possible level.

2. Once you reach a full charge, leave the computer plugged in for at least 2 hours. This action lets the battery "rest" at a full charge for a fairly lengthy period of time. At this point, the battery is not drawing power from your wall socket to charge, and it is also not supplying any power to your system. Letting your battery rest for a time after a full charge helps to "lock-in" that full charge capacity.

3. Unplug the computer and drain the battery. It might sound silly, but now that you have gotten that battery to a full charge, you need to drain the power almost completely. Again, this will help determine the charge capacity of the battery. Leave your computer unplugged and use it until you get a warning telling you that the battery is almost completely discharge. Then save whatever you are working on and power the computer down. Plug back into the wall socket for a fresh charge. Then use the computer at your leisure.

If you follow these steps about once a month, your notebook battery should last a nice long while. Not to say that you will never have to replace it, but at least it will be a long time before you need to.

Telephone Sales and Problems with Bandwidth and VoIP

Are you a salesperson who works at of your home and often uses the telephone to set up appointments, make deals and do cold calling? If so, it you may wish to check your bandwidth if you end up switching to voice IP because otherwise you may not have the proper bandwidth to carry on a conversation in the middle of the day when all the Internet lines are being used at maximum peak.

There's nothing more aggravating to listen to someone using voice IP who is trying to explain something and the communications is coming out broken. If you are a salesperson and doing this you might be aggravating your customers or even frustrating them and certainly that is no way to open a dialogue or begin the sales process.

Make sure you have the proper bandwidth for your voice IP home office otherwise you are better sticking to regular phone service. Trying to explain to a customer why you're so frugal that you wanted to only pay $19 a month and still call all over the country to very important clients may not make sense to them.

In fact if you think about it; it probably does not make any sense to you either. If you are a good salesperson and make a lot of sales on the phone then you need the best phone service possible and if voice IP is not doing it for you then you shouldn't be using it.

How bad is this problem? Well, I have been talking to quite a few people who are consultants who work out of their home and they have tried VoIP and they had to switch back. It just wasn't working out for them. Perhaps you will consider all this in 2006.

Buying A Used PDA - Is That A Smart Move?

Around 30 million PDA's were manufactured and sold world wide by the end of 2004. This huge number guarantees a large secondary market for PDA's, and a lot of bargains could be found among them. So if you're considering buying A PDA that was previously owned and used by someone else, you do have a lot to choose from.

Previously used PDA's can be divided into 2 groups : used PDA's and rectified PDA's. The used PDA's have been used by another party and are sold as-is. They may work properly, and they may not. The rectified PDA is usually sold by the manufacturer, and has some kind of guaranteed-to-work warranty. Rectified PDA's are all the PDA's a manufacturer or a supplier can't sell as new ones, for various reasons.

In this article we'll discuss the used PDA option and leave the rectified PDA option for another time.

Buying a used PDA can be a good solution for anyone who wants to enjoy a PDA but doesn't want to shell out the full price of a new PDA.

Finding a used PDA online is easy. All you need to do is go to a site like ebay.com and look for PDA's.

Before you go choosing your PDA at ebay, remember to do a few things:

1. Understand that the items on eBay may not be presented as they really are. You don't see the PDA with your own eyes. Remember to accept this fact, and the possibility for surprises when you get your PDA.

2. Do your won research and make up your mind as to the PDA model you want to get. DO this research before you go shopping, so you'll have a good background about which model you want, and what are the potential problems it has. You can also ask the owner if his PDA suffers from these problems.

After you do your homework, go to eBay and start looking around. If you're interested in a popular model, you will probably find dozens of sellers.

While you're on ebay, try to buy form a seller who has more than 50 feedbacks Bad sellers change their eBay ID to get rid if the negative feedbacks they got, so they will have only few feedbacks.

The pro's of buying a used PDA on ebay:

o Some great values available - especially if you look around long enough.

o Amazing amount of choices - dozens of sellers.

o Extra software and accessories may be included - ask them if it does.

o You Might be able to negotiate an even better price

The con's of buying a used PDA on ebay:

o Product may not be what was advertised

o Risk of product being "Dead on Arrival"

o Usually no warranty available

o Risk of not receiving PDA

o Possibly no support after sale

The advantages of buying a PDA on eBay are obvious, but the risks are notable, too. Before buying a used PDA, make sure you look at the option of buying a rectified PDA. IT will almost always cost more, but there is a chance of getting a better PDA for your money, as well as a warranty.

PDA Anti Virus - Do We Really Need Them And How To Find The Most Suitable?

Just a few short years ago a PDA anti virus was not necessary. The viruses, worms, Trojan horses and the like were the concern of PC owners only. But as we all know things in the online world change very fast, and these days all PDA's surf the web frequently. The popularity of PDA's and the ease of access to wireless surfing at wi-fi hotspots is a blessed phenomena. But while this is a good development, new throats enter the arena. Today's worlds of pocket pc's is as dangerous as the regular PC's. Numerous viruses, Trojan horses and key loggers are speeded each day, thus forcing PDA owners to arm themselves with the proper protection.

Let's take a look a few of the treats that have immerged in today's PDA environment:

1. If you are surfing the web, there are types of viruses and Trojan horses who "know" how to penetrate your PDA and do their worst. You therefore need proper protection from infected files, just like any PC user who surfs the web, downloads files, reads emails etc. The rule of thumb is : if a PC needs this protection, than a PDA user needs it too.

2. IF you are surfing and downloading emails wirelessly, than you need even better protection. If the information you beam and receive in not encrypted, a hacker can read your e-mails and attachments, see what websites you visit, and even worse, steal your personal and financial information. A hacker can even illegally download copyrighted material or launch attacks using your identity. This calls for a Wireless Home Network Security protection system which makes sure all the information you send from your PDA in encrypted, so no hacker can reach it and grab it form thin air. The McAfee or the Caspersky products are recommended for this matter.

3. If you are using your PDA to access sensitive material like your bank account, you need to be extra careful and make sure both your communication and your PDA itself are secured. Don't rely only on the security measures that the bank's website have because they are rarely enough to stop a really good hacker.

Just like in the PC world, You need to stay updated and on top of things. You'll want to update your anti-virus every day through the live update option that most anti-virus software products have. This will ensure your PDA has maximum protection. Always remember that it's better to take care of this in advance as it's always more painful and expensive to revive a computer that was taken by a virus.

Information Security Awareness Training - Security Using Public Internet Access Points

Internet comes to peoples lives and then suddenly comes truth, that WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT INTERNET. We can't even simple daily activities do without Internet, but not always we can use Internet at work or home. It is a fact and no one can deny that. Because more and more cities going wireless - get wireless network which spread all city so that everyone with laptop an wireless card can get access to the Internet, and also there are Internet café and other Internet access points.

That is very good, that our lives isn't dependent on one place and there is many possibilities to get Internet access, but from viewpoint of information security awareness it is really unsafe and even dangerous.

So, here are some useful tips, which do your public Internet access safer and also help protect your privacy.

Protect yourself in Internet cafés.

*Choose well known and reputable Internet café, that regulary erase the disk you were using and reinstall the operating system.

*Use a web-based spyware detection program to scan for spyware before using an untrusted public computer.

*Protect password - when you finish using Internet clear all forms and passwords on the tools menu. And also always log out of Web sites by clicking "log out" on the site. It's not enough to simply close the browser window or type in another address, because some browsers automatically save your login information.

*Be careful who is watching over your shoulder, because there are many peoples called social engineers who's main activity is watching over peoples shoulders and get there passwords and PIN codes.

*Conceal your activities - after Internet using also clear all cookies and history.

*Consider changing passwords, if you have any suspicions about hacking attempt.

*Avoid financial transactions that might reveal valuable passwords or personal information like credit card numbers.

*Don't leave the computer unattended - when you go somewhere away from your public computer always log out of all programs and close all windows.

*Take care of your personal things. Your concentration to computer monitor can use thieves, whose simple want to take your purse or cell phone.

These simple rules give us chances use all advantage of public Internet and decrease the risk to become a victim of hackers!

Infosecuritylab: www.infosecuritylab.com

Telephone Plug Adapters

There are no worldwide standard for telephone jacks. The North American RJ-11 pattern is used in over 100 countries through-out the world and if you are traveling to China, Greece or Vietnam, you will have no trouble plugging in your laptop modem, where-as, you will find that plugging-in is impossible without the proper telephone jack adapter, if you should be traveling to Sweden, Hungary and almost 40 other countries.

Complete selection of telephone jack adapters are now being offered by retailers, compatible to your laptop and modem, for your worldwide travel. There are duplex adapters, which will allow both the hotel's telephone and your modem to be plugged in simultaneously. This is quite an advantage, for it allows you to check the line quality and establish a connection without unplugging your modem.

In certain cases, you may find that the nationality of the hotel chain determines the type of telephone plugs used in that hotel rather than the country standard. This is a frequent occurrence with large US, British and German hotel chains. It is advisable that each time you plan to go abroad you should check this with your travel agent in order to make sure that you will be able to operate your computer system in the country that you are visiting or have the right telephone adapter with you. There are instances where the telephone in the hotel room is totally 'hardwired,' that is to say that the telephones installed in the rooms are without a jack. In this case there are three ways that you can solve your plugging in problem - first, you may use bare wire with alligator clips, wired to a RJ-11 line to create a connection, second, you can use a acoustic coupler that attaches the modem to the handset, or, if the telephone system in the room is digital, the handset should have a jack and, using a digital interface you can achieve the connectivity.

The other thing that you will need to check with your travel agent is whether the telephone system, in the hotel where you are booked in, is analog or digital. This is for the reason, that modems generally work with analog telephone systems, and for digital systems, you would need special adapters for your modem to work. The digital telephone system can be easily identified by the presence of a visual display, a data socket on the side, or additional buttons for such things as television channels and laundry and other services. Any attempt to plug in your modem with a digital phone may permanently damage the modem and render the digital phone in-operable. In order that you may operate your modem with the digital phone, you will need two things - one, an acoustic couplet that goes on to attach your modem to the telephone handset or a digital interface that connects your modem to the telephone handset jack. The equipment is driven by electrical power and hence you will need appropriate power supply along with, for these to operate.

The most common analog adapter has atleast one telephone jack (FXS port) for connecting a conventional telephone and an Ethernet jack, which you can use to connect to your LAN port in your laptop. Using an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA), you may very well connect a conventional telephone to a remote VoIP server. Using various VoIP protocols, you may have your ATA communicating with the remote server, encoding and decoding the voice signal by using a voice codec such as ulaw, alaw, gsm, ILBC and others.

What is VoIP? VoIP stands for Voice over Internet. You use your internet service for perhaps a monthly fee as a subscription to your internet service provider. You can send and receive as much data as you want on this service without paying any additional fee, especially when you have signed for a plan for unlimited use. This is not the case with your regular telephone, where you not only pay a monthly rental for each line that you have installed, you also pay for the calls that you make. Therefore, your telephone bill depends on your actual usage and your rental or rentals. With VoIP, you can send voice over the internet service that you are using. This voice is first converted into digital data and transmitted over the internet. By deploying suitable adapters, as discussed above, you can make calls over the internet which comes free to you.

ATA is a device that connects a standard telephone to a network or a computer system so that you can make telephone calls over the internet. Internet based calls, especially long distant calls are substantially cheaper than the regular calls. Further, ATA is much more cost effective than the specialised VoIP phones that connect directly to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) input of your laptop or computer system.

Most of the telephone jacks such as, RJ-11, usually comes with four conductors and may also be available with six. It is likely that this jack is used in your household or office phones. These phones are plugged into by ordinary wire which is not twisted, sometimes known as "gray satin" or "flat wire." The jack connects your telephone to the telephone company central office or to your private branch exchange (PBX) system by longer wires known as twisted pair.

There are several types of telephone adapters available for your required application. All of these ATAs provide you with connectivity between the telephone system and your computer or a network, with some of these performing analog to digital converstions and connects you to VoIP server, while others use software to do one or both of the tasks. The simplest one is RJ-11 type, which plugs a telephone and/or a fax machine into the USB connector in your computer, laptop or your handheld system. This type of ATA generally works in conjunction with software, typically a soft-phone program. The software acts like an interface between the telephone and the VoIP server, for digitizing the voice data so that it can be transmitted digitally over the internet.

In a large corporate setting, ATA has multiple telephone jacks, with an RJ-45 connection to the 10/100BaseT Ethernet hub or switch. This is used to connect to the Local area Network (LAN). Such an ATA, communicate directly with a VoIP server by digitizing voice data and using certain protocols like, H.323 or SIP. In this type of application, the software, as mentioned previously, is not required. Sometimes, the connection between a telephone and a LAN with ATA is referred to as VoIP Gateway.

A digital phone adapter simply lets you add the feature of VoIP capability to one or two of your phones. The adapter lets you attach your digital phone to an internet provider's (IP) network. This concept replaces IP phones, which lets you make calls without any adapters. The broadband phone system is the one where the internet service provider, provides you with the facility to make local and long distance calls for one low price. In such cases, the service provides you with secure online access to features such as phonebooks, call waiting, caller ID, voice mail, conferencing, call forwarding and more. In this case a telephone adapter is simply plugged into your high speed internet connection and the telephone is plugged into one of the two adapter ports, and you just need to dial from your telephone to initiate a call over the internet.

Work At Home Jobs and Communications

More and more companies are encouraging their employees to consider working at home as a means to improve employee morale, productivity and reduce overall costs. At one time, and there are still many people who think this way, if you were not in the office, your boss thought you were goofing off. In this article we will explore some of the communications issues of work at home jobs.

Most people will say the single most significant advantage of work at home jobs is not having to face the morning commute with the stop and go traffic congestion on the highways. The most significant disadvantage that many employees complain about is the lack of face time with the boss and colleagues. They often express a feeling of being disconnected from the company and their co-workers. Both of these interface issues can be remedied, however both the work at home employee and the company must place additional effort on these issues. Ensuring adequate and regular communication is a must to avoid that disconnected feeling.

In this article we have assumed that the work at home employee is fully equipped with all of the office tools they need to be productive and meet the requirements of their company. The central issue of this article is how to ensure that remote employees are recognized and feel part of the team. There are a number of steps that each can take to make sure that communications are well done and that disconnected feeling is avoided.

For example, either the boss or the employee can initiate weekly conference calls to discuss progress on milestones and productivity, issues that may need resolution and communicate company information. These calls are often with the group as a whole and provide an opportunity for everyone to hear the same message and ask questions that the team may be interested in.

Next weekly, sometimes even daily short calls may be needed to discuss project or work specific items that need clarification or direction. These are usually short calls and used for each team member individually to discuss personal as well as specific issues. Don't let these wait, deal with them now, while you can still make a difference.

Finally, review how each team member likes to communicate. Some are much better using email and text messaging, while others are more reactive if you call them. Still in other cases, you may find that you have to chase some just to get the answers you need to do your job. Review each team member, including the boss and decide which form of communication is the best approach to use with them to ensure that your overall work at home experience is a success.

Copyright (c) 2006 http://www.eliasg.com

5 Facts You Need To Know About SD Cards And How To Get The Best Of Them

Most of us who are into technology in some way have already heard of the SD memory card. Where SD stands for Secured Data, these tiny cards are a very popular item now days with everyone who is dealing with PDA's, electronic cameras, notebook computers and the like. So what makes these memory cards so popular and why should you even consider getting one? Well let's look at the following facts:

1. The SD memory cards are what's called a "bridge media" item. They enable you to pass data between different devices, without the use of a PC. For example, if you want to pass a 2 minute video you shot with your new digital camera, on to your iPAQ, you can do that in a few seconds by taking out the SD memory card from your camera and popping it into your iPAQ. Both the devices support the SD format, and the data is therefore transferred easily. It's an sure way to pass data between different platforms because it's a standard memory format the is supported by so many products and appliances.

2. The size of the SD memory cards is a mere 24mm by 32mm by 2.1mm. It's slim size makes it an even easier "bridge media" because it's so easy to carry around, and it fits into even the smallest appliances. There are also smaller standard of SD cards, such as the miniSD 20mm by 21.5mm by 1.4mm, or the microSD 15mm by 11mm by 1mm, but these also have smaller capacities.

3. It has the ability to play music, video and more without a drive mechanism like those in CD and DVD players. This allows for even more creative freedom for product designers.

4. The capacity of those small SD memory cards is growing, as cards with larger capacity hit the market all the time. For example, the 512 MB and the 1Gb cards are already old news, as the newer 2,4, and even 8 GB capacity cards are now beginning to be seen on the market. This allows for longer and higher quality video clips, for example. It's important to add that many appliances don't support these cards yet, and we should expect this to get better in the future.

5. Fast data transfer rate - these SD memory cards are a lot faster in terms of transferring data than that old CD. This is very reasonable, as there are no mechanical part s involved in the process of reading and writing data. This fact makes the SD memory cards a much faster memory device that the old ones we know. Most SD memory cards have the ability to transfer data at a rate that is 15 times faster than a standard CD-Rom.

There is no doubt that the SD memory cards are an important bridge in the world of digital appliances. They make it possible to pass huge amounts of data easily between different appliances without the need of and medium such as a PC. It's a lot easier to see the pictures your friend took on your PDA without going through a PC, especially if you don't have one around. These advantages make the SD memory cards an essential part of the digital lifestyle.