INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Bluetooth Headsets Let You Roam in Stereo

2009-07-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

LOOKING FOR a luxurious set of wireless stereo headphones that fit your ears perfectly, provide intuitive controls and astounding audio quality and permit seamless switching between music and calls? Dream on. Our tests of the latest crop of products show that stereo Bluetooth headsets have lots of room for improvement.

Wireless headsets of this kind generally come in two styles: earbud-oriented units, in which a narrow-gauge wire connects the two buds and headphone-style units in which a band or stiffer cord connects the earpieces. All of the units on our chart are worn with the cord or band behind the head.

I integrated each of these stereo headphones into mu daily life, testing each for its audio quality, range performance, comfort and fit, lay-out and button design, and control intuitiveness. Every product excelled in one or two areas, but not in all. For example, the $80 LG Electronics HBS-250 earpads for lt cushy on my ears, but the small controlls were tricky to access.

Color Inkjets Offer Varying Levels of Value

2009-07-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

WHEN MONEY IS tight, simplicity and value become higher priorities- and you can find both in a plain, stand-alone inkjet printer. But inkjets are not all created equal: The three new models we reviewed this month may be fairly close in price, but they couldn't be more different in features, performance, and long-term costs.

HP's Photosmart D7560 ranked second, cost just &149 at press time, yet it offers a touchscreen LCD on the control panel, plenty of media slots, and a labeling mechanism for CD's and DVD's. It produced impressive print quality and good speed in our tests, too. Though it's an average priced printer, it gives you a lot for your money especially if you use its high-yield inks.

Like the D7560, the Canon Pixma iP4600 is intended for the home photo-printing market. It debuts in the third spot on this month's chart.

Video Chat Services Let You Converse Face-to-Face

2009-07-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

VIDEO CALLS ARE a great way to communicate. You can talk to and see remote colleagues, clients, friends, and relatives. You can trade files, leave messages, and text chat, as well. And with ooVoo or Skype, you can do all of that (and more) for free.

These Voice-over-IP services also let you place calls to landline and cell numbers, a feature you must pay for. (Advanced features, such as multiparty videoconferencing are other paid options. You can't call 911, however.) In my tests, Skype's audio and video quality came out slightly ahead of ooVoo's.

ooVoo 2.0
The free version of ooVoo supports voice and video calls with other ooVoo users, and lets you have two of three people on a call. You can record video messages, set up a video chat room and share files (up to 25MB). too.

The app, decked out in black and silvery-gray hues, makes finding what you need easy. In the default video-call window, the well-designed, angled video screens are the same size and sit side by side.

Video streams were generally smooth with little distortion, though the skin tones seemed bland. Audio quality was mostly sokid: Voices were clear, but I noticed a considerable amount of echo.

Unfortunately, the free version of ooVoo sports garish ads that span the bottom of the videoconferencing window. Ads appeared in the text chat windows, too.

Friends who do not have ooVoo software installed can now call you over the Web. Within ooVoo, you click a button and type your buddy's e-mail address and a message. Your pal can then call you, via their browser. As long as your friend has a Webcam, the same video-call window pops up, and the experience is identical to that of a regular video call.

BETA WATCH

2009-06-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

EDWARD N. ALBRO

Jinni: A Field Guide to Video

If you like Pandora's taxonomic method of classifying music. you'll love Jinni. This free video-recommendation service break down movies. TV shows and online shorts into their component parts. The comedy Groundhog Day, for instance is described this way: "Mood: Witty; Plot: Nothing Goes Right Opposites Attract Fall in Love ... Audience: Date Night" If you're a Netflix subscriber and the movie you're reading about is in Netflix's catalog (and really, what title isn't?). You can add it to your rental queue with one click or start watching it if it it's available for instant viewing. Jinni.com

New Chips for Ultrafast Lightweight Computing

2009-06-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

HOW MUCH laptop power can fit in a small, lightweight chasis at a bargain price? Recently Intel announced its second-generation Atom processor; Acer unveiled a slew of new netnooks bases on nVidia's Ion platform; and HP began shipping a laptop equipped with AMD's Neo chipset- another first.

As vendors debut tweener laptops whose specs straddle the line between "netbook" and "ultraportable," competition will only heat up. Here is what's in the pipeling.

The new Intel Atom Z550 (one of two Atom processors launched a year after the first-gen Atom hit) is a GHz CPU that incorporates Intel's Hyperthreading technology for improved multitasking and graphics performance. We expect to see Atom Z550 products later this year.

Intel also expects all of its Atom processors to support at least two of the many Microsoft Windows 7 versions.

Acer's just announced AspireRevo mini-desktop is the first product to use the nVidia Ion platfrom. which boasts superior graphics. The AspireRevo pairs a 1.6 GHz Atom N230 CPU with nVidia's Geforce 9400M GPU and CUDA graphics technology to handle high-definition 1080p video and DirectX 10 graphics. Acer hopes to ship the PC by late this summer.

Meanwhile. AMD is positioning its Athlon Neo platform as a step up from first generation Atom chips. The HP Pavilion dv2 ultraportable (with its 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 CPU) shows the computing potential of this latest AMD platform.

And as if the three way battle shaping up among AMD, Intel, and nVidia weren't enough, Via- which claims a 10 to 15 percent share of the netbook market- is looking for a piece of the ultraportable pie, too. Via's 1.3GHz Nano CPU will provide the power for the soon-to-ship Samsung NC20, which features a 12.1 inc display and weighs just 3.3 pounds.

-Melissa J. Perenson

People Search Engines Tell Your Secrets

2009-06-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

People Search Engines Tell Your Secrets

BY JR RAPHAEL

I KNOW THINGS about my lawyer that I wasn't meant to know. He's 55 years old, listens to music of the band Greed, and screams when riding roller coasters. He relaxes with New Age spatreatments and is considering buying an electronic nose hair trimmer. And that's just the start.

I've never spent a moment outside the office with this guy (and I'd rather not be privy to his personal grooming habits). I learned all of these details by tracking his social footprint across the Web-and he probably has no idea that he has left such a vivid trail behind.

These days, we expect some of our thoughts to become public. But as we gradually put more pieces of ourselves online, specialized it easier than ever to pull them together into a highly detailed (and potentially invasive) profile of our virtual lives.

The result isn't always pretty. Even if no rap sheet truns up, do you want the world to know that you look at bad breath cures online or post awful Star Trek fan fiction?

Mini-Notebooks Gain Power

2009-06-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

IT DOESN'T MATTER if you have already shed an optical drive from your ultra-portable you still need to lose weight. When you've on the go, you normally perform only a handful of tasks, and you shouldn't have to lug an armful of extra gear.
Cue the mini-notebook. This new breed of pint-size portable continues to gain momentum and acceptance. Superslim, lightweight (2 to 3 pounds), and affordable (starting at under $400), these units go by a few other names: netbooks, mobile Internet devices, and my new favorite "laptots." But their goal, to provide serious mobile computing to the masses, remains the same.
These micro machines aren't designed to compete with more-powerful ultra-portables. Mini-notebooks are good for Web browsing, e-mail, and document creation, but little else (editing a 10GB image file on one will try your patience). Consider a mimi-notebook as a complement to your primary PC and a modest road companion. Asus released its first Eee PC in late 2007; today the choices are numerous, with bigger players, including Acer, Dell, and Lenovo, on the field.

Memory of Computer

2009-06-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

The processor finds programs and data from memory when it does its assigned task. The memory is the place where every thing is kept. The microcomputers memory is just a temporary space like a chalkboard where the computer scribbles while work is being done. Unlike human memories, the computer's memory is not a permanent repository. The computer's memory simply provides a place where computing can happen.
The processor makes vital distinction between programs and data. It is the same with the microcomputers memory. Only processor recognizes the difference between program and data.
Anything can be written on the memory, and the writing can be changed by writing over it. Unlike a chalkboard, the computer's memory doesn't have to be erases before something new can be written to it; the act of writing automatically erases what was in the memory before. Reading information from the memory is simple and straightforward as reading any thing written on paper. Both the processor and the I/O devises have the capability to read and write data from and to the main memory.

RAM

2009-06-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

RAM is temporary storage that can be read from or written into by the user. RAM is used primarily to store user and data. The content of RAM is generally volatile, and is lost when power is removed. When the system is powered up, programs and data to be used must be read into RAM through an input devices, Access time for data stored in RAM generally ranges from a microsecond to a few nanoseconds. Some laptop microcomputers utilize special MOS chips that draw almost no power and preserve their contents intently using an internal battery. However, these low-power chips are more expensive than their high-power counterparts.

Processor

2009-06-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

The processor executes or runs a program. The processor must have the capability to read and write information in the computer's memory. Both the program instruction that the processor carries out and the data on which the processor carries out and the data on which processor works are stored in the memory. The processor must recognize and execute a series of commands or instructions provided by programs. The processor must tell other parts of the computer what to do, so that, the processor can carry out the operations of the microcomputer.

Application Software

2009-06-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Current computer magazines should be consulted to gather information about a given program before buying it. There are special interest magazines dealing only with freeware and shareware programs. Dealers and the forums of on-line services, if available, should be consulted for information. Application areas and the extent of use of the program, should be considered when selecting software. Sometimes public domain or shareware products suffice for private use. For businesses, a commercial product is generally preferred, so that when problems do occur, it can be removed quickly. It is, of course, a great advantage if a knowledgeable dealer is there to help immediately. However, the software manufacturer is ultimately responsible for supporting its own product.
Some publishing houses produces market overviews of software programs. PC Magazine, PC World, and info world and other local computer magazines are good source of such information. In Some magazines short descriptions of the software and hardware, the vendor's addresses, and prices, all classified by type of applications are provided. Also some books are available for choosing the right program for an application.

Privacy of Computer

2009-06-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Privacy can be defined as the right of persons to control the distribution of information about themselves. By definition, invasion of privacy would include collection or distribution of information in such a way that the person to whom it pertains finds it objectionable. Although it is assumed that individuals have the right to privacy, that right in not explicitly stated in any government document.
In development countries, business is highly computerized and many citizens use electronic means to pay for purchases, the buyer's every step is tracked and analyzed. When some one purchase an item over the phone with his credit card, chance are good that his/her purchase is added to a record of the types of things. Marketers can amass quite a bit of information about the buyer simply from tracking the purchasing history and combining it with other public information, such as address, occupation and age. A company can learn a lot about purchaser also by matching records and combining facts from different database, such as banking records and payroll records. All this information can then be uses to target specific marketing information to the buyer.
Many people view such comprehensive data gathering as an invasion of privacy. They cite the potential for the information to be used inappropriately or for purposes unrelated to that for which the information was originally disclosed. For instance, it may be possible to correlate a medical database with an insurance database to learn the names of policy holders who had a positive result on a particular medical test. The fear is that the insurance company could then cancel the policy based on the test.
Buying and selling data and matching services are a big business. Although most countries have laws to prohibit the release and cross-matching of information in government agency database, there are no corresponding laws to cover data kept in private sector databases.

Security Alert

2009-06-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

The Conficker Worm: A Potential Threat to PCs

BY ERIK LARKIN

LAST YEAR THE first massive worm outbreak in years infected millions of computers worldwide, from French navy systems to British hospitals to countless businesses. Ironically, its brazen onslaught may mean little reward for its creators.
The conficker worm, aka Downadup, hit the scene in late November, attacking a Windows flaw patched the month before. At the end of December, an update with new propagation tricks appeared. In just a few weeks, the variant achieved up to 9 million infections.
Today's malware, however isn't meant to draw attention as the Sasser worm did (the last big outbreak, in 2004), but to make money quietly by sending spam and stealing financial data or sensitive documents. Confiker's impressive infection rate drew a swift and organized response from Microsoft, VeriSign, and security companies and researchers.

The role of BIOS

2009-06-24T11:52:00.001-07:00

When starts, the computer system has no idea what drives it has and can not even load its operating system. To solve this problem, a computer uses the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) to turn it on. This small program is permanently stored in a read-only memory (ROM) chip. Since it is a small program embedded in a chip, it occupies a place between the software and hardware. For this reason it is often called firmware. BIOS performs a number of important functions. It interprets key strokes, displays characters on the screen, handles communication through the computer's ports, and tests the system while turning it on. When a computer is turned on, the CPU hands over control to the BIOS, and the BIOS runs the power on self test of POST. The POST makes sure that all chips on the system board works well. Results of such tests are shown on the monitor at the time of turning on. Finally when the BIOS finds the operating system, in hard disk or floppy disk, it hands over control to the operating system.

Hard Disk

2009-06-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

For more capacity and faster access speeds than those with floppy disks, fixed or hard disk storage is used in microcomputers. The hard disk generally available for use with micro computer's is similer to those disks available with mini-and mainframe computer systems. However, unlike the hard disks for the larger computer systems, the hard disks of the microcomputers are generally not removable. Their storage capacity can range from hundred megabytes to many gigabytes. In some hard disk systems, data are stored in the same way as they are on diskettes. A series of tracks are divided into sectors when the disk is formatted. As their name suggests, hard disks are made out of a rigid substance that is capable of storing a greater amount of data than the soft materiel used for diskettes. Hard disk drives for microcomputers can be internal unit into the computer cabinet and non removable or outside the computer cabinet and connected to it by a short cable. Hard-disk have the following characteristics:

Information Technology

2009-06-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

Information Technology (IT) refers to the Creation, processing, storage, and delivery of information and process. IT is currently a subject of widespread int rest. Major activities of information technology are:
Information technology can process raw data into meaningful and useful information
It can recycle processed information and use it as data in another processing step
It can package information in a new form which is easier to understand and is more useful.
The most important component of IT is information processing. Computer hardware and software are used for information processing. There are five steps for processing information, collectively called information processing cycle. These are:
Input
Processing
Storage and retrieval
Distribution and communication
The term IT is gradually being replaced by ICT, meaning "Information and Communication Technology", and the term "Communication" indicates that information revolution needs an effective electronic communication infrastructure.

PRIVACY WATCH

2009-06-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

EFIK LARKIN

E-Mail crooks Target Webmail Accounts

IMAGINE HAVING TO explain an e-mail message that asks your friends for money a message sent from your webmail account. (Webmail refers to any e-mail service you use via a Web browser rather than through an e-mail client.) That's exactly what's happening: scammers are breaking into such accounts and, from those addresses, sending e-mail message to the victims entire contact list. The messages often tout a Web site (such as an e-commerce site), or even ask for money directly.

Its a new dastardly twist on an old scam crooks have long used harvested addresses in the 'From:' field on junk e-mail to make message look realistic. But because antispam measures have been getting better at blocking such spoofed spam, the bad guys are now breaking in and sending e-mail from actual accounts.

Moureen Arnold a former CPA in Apache Junction. Arizona was hit by such an attack. When she checked her MSN mail one day, She found several warnings about undeliverable messages sent from her account that she hadn't written, along with messages in her Sent box. The scam e-mail touting a site setting electronic products went out to her family and friends. Similar attacks have asked recipients to wire money to a particular account: some have even deleted an account's contact list afterward.