Developages - Development and Technology Blog

The iPhone seems to be the sexy choice for the new touch screen smart phone market, but there are alternatives to the iPhone. AT&T along with Mac started this new trend by revolutionizing cell phones. Not to be outdone Verizon, Sprint and other major carries have come out with their own phones to act as alternatives to the iPhone. The Samsung Instinct on the Sprint network is the first one that comes to mind. This phone seems to be the closest to the iPhone as far as popularity goes. Features include voice activated navigation, easy web browsing and a plan that costs $100 for unlimited everything. That means unlimited talk, web, text–everything! That is a very popular feature that the iPhone does not offer.

Next you may think of the LG Dare, exclusive through the Verizon network. This phone is unique because it has a sensor in it that tells if you are holding it vertically or horizontally. A true standout feature with this phone is the 3.2 megapixel camera, which is amongst the best for camera phones.

BlackBerry is even on the verge of releasing the BlackBerry “Thunder” or it could be known as the Blackberry 9500 when it becomes available to the public. When this phone hits the market it will simply add to the amount of phones that could act as alternatives to the iPhone. The new BlackBerry will sport a hybrid CDMA/EV-DO. It may even come with a 4G LTE component. Verizon and Vondaphone stand to be the exclusive carriers of this impressive looking phone.

Rest assured that there will only be more and more alternatives showing up on the market. Cell phones have seen a new day and the iPhone had the largest contribution to this trend. Just like the Motorola StarTac was the first created the flip phone. A trend that saw a near end to standard phones that were, at the time, the only game in town. Boy how times have changed.

 

Original post by jayg123

“The King of Queens” has been one of my favorite sitcoms for a number of years, and I was sad to see it end last year (though nine seasons should be make for a long re-run stretch). This show had an all star cast, featuring the beautiful and witty Leah Remini (Carrie Heffernan), the always hilarious Kevin James (Doug Heffernan), and the timeless and talented Jerry Stiller (Arthur- Carrie‘s father). Even from the earliest episodes, the writing for this show was very entertaining, and often riotous. It’s not surprising that “The King of Queens” was nominated for an Emmy award, and in my opinion deserved the trophy more than once.

“The King of Queens” has always come across as more appealing to the young adult and young urban couples. One interesting aspect of this show is that it never featured a lot of children, but instead the lightheartedness and playfulness that every sitcom needs is displayed by Carrie‘s aging father, Arthur. It would have been great to have seen a little Doug or a little Carrie, but for some reason this sitcom never took that direction.

“The King of Queens” is a reflection of daily life for many urban couples, who work regular jobs, live in regular houses, and deal with the regular struggles of married life, including taking care of an aging parent. Of course the Heffernan’s are just fictional, yet somehow laughing at this couple and the crazy situations they would often wind up in somehow makes it a bit easier to laugh at ourselves. Furthermore, knowing that our own regular lives, albeit monotonous at times, is something to be appreciated. Just as the show’s theme song states “Baby all my life I will be driving home to you” (by Bobby Vera), this show reminds us what is really important at the end of the day- family and friends. “The King of Queens” is always a bright spot in my day, and one of my top choices for comedy relief.

Original post by jayg123

 

Are you thinking of buying a portable device to play both your music and video collection? If you are, then be advised — you will find that there are a variety of choices out there. They can range from simple players to complicated ones.  They carry different prices, too, which make the choices even harder.  But admittedly, the most popular and most coveted of gadgets in this type is the iPod Touch. Anyone looking to buy a digital media player would always inquire about this one first.

What are the pluses and minuses of an iPod touch? How different is it from a regular iPod?

The iPod Touch is Apple&rsquos first widescreen display device. Most satisfied users would describe it as almost like an iPhone, stripped and diminished of its features and cosmetics. It&rsquos not as expensive, too.

The iPod Touch&rsquos interface is very user-friendly, even beginners will never have a hard time figuring out how everything works.  Most of the time, it only takes one tap.  File transferring from PC to the gadget is also very simple and seamless — it&rsquos your basic drag and drop.

The gadget includes several updated applications and most everyone will agree that this is the iPod Touch’s strongest suit. With access to iTunes, your media library remains up to date with the best collections of music, TV Shows, movies, audio books or games.  The catch though is, Apple does not allow for any other software installation for this device. So others may see this as a limitation rather than a plus.

Although this is priced higher than other gadgets, the iPod Touch’s capability and capacity may well worth be the money you spend for.  The biggest concern is actually its battery life, which doesn’t seem to favor longer usage like many of Apple’s gadgets. It also has a very costly battery replacement program. If you’re thinking of getting this, you have to factor in this added cost.

Original post by jay𙋓

Antec has come out with there USB-Powered Notebook Cooler for consumers with laptops that run warmer than they should and it will provide the proper ventilation for your computers parts.  Notebooks are usually poorly designed for the proper airflow and heat is the cause for a lot of laptop malfunctions and instability problems.  The Antec Cooler has several features listed below.

1- Simple connection through a USB port on your notebook.

2- Extremely low power consumption with no need for batteries or a power adapter.

3- Ball Bearing fans for reliability that are very quiet operating at a noise volume of 26db.

4- Your choice of color standard black/silver or pearl.

5- Antec provides a 3 year warranty on this product.

This item is extremely easy to use and can accomodate any style and size PC or MAC laptop computer.  Place your notebook on top of the Antec Coolor and plug it in to a USB port with the pass-through connector that is included so you will not lose one of your valuable USB ports.  The two ball-bearing fans will spin up and provide your precious laptop with ample cool air.

Priced between $12.99-$19.99 this simple device can help you increase the longevity of your notebook computer while reducing the heat buildup that causes system crashes and hardware failure.  For such a small investment this product is well worth it and does what it was designed to do by cooling your notebook computer and the electronic parts inside.

Many people just aren’t aware of the damage that heat can cause electronic components and I would highly recommend this device to protect your expensive notebook computer investment.

Original post by jayg123

Amazon Kindle, the wireless eBook reading device has taken the conventional method of book reading to a whole new level.&nbsp The Kindle was released late in 2007 and to the amazement of everyone was completely sold out soon thereafter.&nbsp Debuting at a price point of $399, Amazon just couldn’t make enough of them.&nbsp I will describe the pros and cons of the device and let you decide if it suits your needs.

POSITIVES
1- Wireless connectivity with automatic delivery of newspapers and blogs from around the world.
2- Instant download of more than 140,000 books.
3- Small, light weight form factor that easy to carry around.
4- Email documents and images to the device.
5- Integrated memory that stores approximately 200 books.
6- Rechargeable battery that is user replaceable and lasts on average for a week.
7- Free book samples that you can download and read the first chapter before deciding to buy it.
8- Built-in keyboard for notes, email and searching.

NEGATIVES
1- Wireless Internet connection limited to the United States.
2- Books, newspapers and even blogs cost money.  Most of the books run between $5-$10, which is a savings compared to buying a paperback or hard cover.
3- No back light for the screen.  You must have ample light just as if you were reading a regular book.
4- Awkward design results in various buttons being pressed while reading.
5- Price! Extremely expensive for a device that has a grayscale display.

The Amazon Kindle would be best suited for people that read a lot and want a quick and effective way to store and download a vast array of reading materials, with no need for a computer.  Travelers would also be likely to enjoy the product if they wanted to fork out the dough.  Amazon has recently dropped the price of the Kindle to $359 since it was released.

Weighing in on all the advantages and disadvantages makes me wonder how long this technology will last.  I think it is too soon to decide if the Amazon Kindle and other eBook readers will survive.  For this device to become mainstream, the price must plummet to about $100 and then I still don’t know if this would become a product every household will have or even want.  With the explosion of the Internet, the iPhone and Ultra Mobile PC’s, I would predict this device is headed for extinction.  Only time and demand will tell.

Original post by jayg123

Admit it Joel. I am your best friend.

Share This

Original post by Jason

How come more people don’t causally throw back a few shots at home? I think its a great way to come home from work, line up a few shots and toss them back.

That’d wash the stink off.

Share This

Original post by Jason

If you’re a fan of the iPhone already, a new version of this fun gadget has hit stores just this week, and everyone is buzzing about it. The iPhone 3G is the latest from Apple, and when it comes to fun gadgets Apple has certainly put something out there that people will want. Current iPhone users will be able to do more, and this fun gadget costs even less.

You can do everything from listen to music to go online with your iPhone. You can blog from your phone, talk to your friends and get all the latest information from the world right in the palm of your hand. Are you on Twitter? You can send messages straight from your iPhone to your Twitter using Twitterific. The new iPhone is faster, and with the apps store, you can make your phone do whatever it is you want to do. Everything from buying and selling on eBay to playing fun games. Talk about your fun gadgets!

This is more than just another phone. The cons to this new phone? None. Other than the fact you might end up playing more with your phone than actually working! Now that is a problem! The new iPhone starts at $199, which I know is no small number, but with the amount of things you can do with your new iPhone, it might just be the right price for you. If you can’t upgrade your current iPhone now, you can always upgrade your current phone, but why wouldn’t you want to buy the new iPhone 3G? It is the latest of fun gadgets in the marketplace, and you just know everyone is going to want one! You can get yours today.

Original post by jay𙋓

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio

Chances are that if you do your duties on Vista and rely on one of Creative’s sound cards to get your dance on, you may have become frustrated by the firm’s inability to offer up a driver package that lived up to those loosed for Windows XP. ‘Course, if that rings a bell, you’re probably not too concerned — you know, thanks to those unofficial (but totally functional) drivers brought to you by Daniel_K. Unfortunately for users suddenly excited to gain some extra utility from their device, Creative has hopped on the offensive and is forbidding said compiler from distributing the firm’s technology / IP (not to mention collecting donations), and it’s also scouring the ‘net to remove other links to the software. Granted, we fully understand Creative’s right to disallow the distribution of untested, potentially harmful third-party drivers, but c′mon, how about redirecting the energy you’re spending on shutting this guy down to actually developing drivers that your customers are demanding?

[Via Slashdot, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

&nbsp

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

After a week full of Red Bulls, Fruit by the Foot and dreams of In-N-Out, the mighty Sony VAIO loaded with Linux stood as the only machine unhacked by the end of the PWN 2 OWN hacking contest at CanSecWest. As you’re well aware by now, the MacBook Air on display was seized in two minutes by the presumably well prepared Charlie Miller, and after two full days of work, Shane Macaulay and a few of his 1337 associates managed to crack the Vista rig on Friday. Reportedly, Shane and his pals weren’t expecting to do battle with the extra protected SP1 version of Vista, and while the exact loophole won’t be divulged, we are told that it was a cross-platform bug that “took advantage of Java to circumvent Vista’s security.” In the end, it was reported that some folks on hand had discovered bugs in the Linux OS, but many of them “didn’t want to put the work into developing the exploit code that would be required to win the contest.”

[Image courtesy of TippingPoint]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

That huge bundle of damning emails and documents Microsoft produced as part of the Vista-capable lawsuit is full of fascinating information about how the company developed, planned, and launched Vista, but the latest juicy nugget to come out if it suggests that a lot of problems faced by the troubled operating system are actually NVIDIA’s fault — nearly 30% of logged Vista crashes were due to NVIDIA driver problems, according to a Microsoft data included in the bundle. That’s some 479,326 hung systems, if you′re keeping score at home, and it’s in first place by a large margin — Microsoft clocks in at number two at 17.9 percent, and ATI is fourth with 9.3 percent. Now, the chart doesn’t contain a ton of additional information that would help put it in context — a specific time period in 2007 would be nice, as would and driver and OS versions — but we’ve been hearing about NVIDIA issues with Vista from the start, and this seems to confirm it. So that’s pressure by Intel to support incompatible chipsets, outrage by Dell and Wal-Mart that the Vista Capable program was confusing customers, Microsoft executives saying they had been “personally burnt” by Vista, and now what looks like a huge NVIDIA driver problem — who knows what else is going to come out of this lawsuit? At this point we′re half expecting a photo of Gate signing a Save XP petition.

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Laptops

And just think — last year you were singing Dino Dai Zovi’s praises for taking control of a MacBook Pro in nine whole hours. This year, the PWN 2 OWN hacking competition at CanSecWest was over nearly as quickly as it started, as famed iPhone hacker Charlie Miller showed the MacBook Air on display who its father really was. Apparently Mr. Miller visited a website which contained his exploit code, which then “allowed him to seize control of the computer, as about 20 onlookers [read: unashamed nerds] cheered him on.” Of note, contestants could only use software that came pre-loaded on the OS, so obviously it was Safari that fell victim here. Nevertheless, he was forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement that’ll keep him quiet until “TippingPoint can notify the vendor,” but at least he’ll have $10,000 and a new laptop to cuddle with during his silent spell.

&nbsp

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

Last year’s PWN 2 OWN contest at the CanSecWest security conference went over way better than expected (read: exploits were glorified), so this year, organizers have spiced things up by letting hackers have their way with three separate machines. The Linux, OS X and Vista-based rigs were all setup as similarly as possible in order to “make sure the attack surface was the same on all of them.” For attendees in Vancouver, there sits a $20,000 top prize — which dwindles with each passing day as restrictions on attacks ease up — but it can only be acquired if an all new zero-day cyber roundhouse kick is used. Anyone here going to give it a go? You get to keep the freshly victimized laptop too, you know.

&nbsp

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

There’s are a lot of reasons to pick another laptop over the MacBook Air — especially if you′re into little things like “useful ports” — but the comparison to non-Apple hardware isn’t even relevant unless you′re willing to switch to OS X, right? Well, the crew over at Xbit Labs decided to even the slate and evaluate the MBA solely as a Windows machine, wiping the drive clean of Leopard and installing Vista Ultimate. Although actually getting Vista on the Air was a bit troublesome due to the lack of a built-in optical drive and the Vista installer’s refusal to wipe out the OS X partition, once installed the OS performed fine, with Apple-provided drivers activating the media and brightness keys and even the multi-touch trackpad. The only major issues were over-aggressive activation of CPU power-management, which resulted in dramatic slowdowns during some tasks, and the fact that the case got fairly warm during use — both issues MBA owners using OS X have reported. Overall, while the MBA was a solid if unspectacular Windows machine, the lack of support and nagging issues with running a pure Windows MBA mean you′re probably better off going with laptop designed for Vista — hmm, we can think of one that might spark your interest.

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Nilay Patel

Depuis bientôt près d’un an, j’utilise Windows Home Server pour centraliser
l’ensemble de mes données. Cela représente quelques milliers de photos, vidéos,
musiques et documents en tout genre! Environ 500Go de souvenirs numériques
confiés à Microsoft! Aujourd’hui, je commence à sentir un léger ralentissement
du système concernant l’accès aux fichiers? Pourquoi? Les fichiers, à long terme,
s’éparpillent sur vos disques et donc le système devient plus lent. A ce moment là,
il lancer une défragmentation pour remettre un peu d’ordre dans tous ces morceaux
de fichiers qui se promènent sur vos disques.

Pour se faire deux options:

• Utiliser l’utilitaire Windows intégré à Windows Home Server
• Utiliser Diskeeper, logiciel partenaire
  de Windows Home Server annoncé
  par Bill Gates durant le Keynote du WinHEC en mai dernier, expert dans la défragmentation
  de disques.

Diskeeper se spécialise dans la
défragmentation de disques et possède désormais une version pour Windows Home Server!
Celle-ci s’intègre parfaitement dans la console d’administration à distance et donc
est accessible depuis tous les ordinateurs de votre réseau domestique reliés à WHS.

Diskeeper 2007? Kesako? Pour résumer,
Diskeeper permet de garder vos disques en bonne santé via la défragmentation(ordonner
vos fichiers) et optimise la vitesse et les performances de votre serveur! Contrairement
à l′outil inclut dans Windows Home Server ou autres versions de Windows, Diskeeper
fonctionne en tant que service et donc travaille en permanence pour optimiser vos
disques lorsque votre serveur n’est pas occupé à une autre tâche.

Une fonctionnalité également disponible dans cet outil concerne l’optimisation de
la séquence de boot de votre serveur. Pour ma part, je n′ai pas pu réellement tester
cette option, en effet,  je n′ai redémarré mon serveur qu’une seule fois suite
à une coupure d’électricité cependant cette fonctionnalité s’avérera utile pour ceux
qui l’éteigne régulièrement!

A quoi ressemble ce logiciel?

J’ai installé Diskeeper sur mon Windows
Home Server HP (qui possède 2 disques de 500Go):

Voici à quoi ressemble le tableau de bord principal de Diskeeper
parfaitement intégré dans la console Windows Home Server:

Maintenant pour chacun de vos disques, lancez une analyse pour vous rendre compte
de leur défragmentation:

Celui-ci requière d’une défragmentation en vue de l’importance des fichiers fragmentés
ou éparpillés(en rouge). Pour ce faire, vous démarrez la défragmentation qui prendra
quelques minutes selon l’espace occupé sur votre disque:

Après chaque défragmentation un rapport est généré. Celui-ci m’indique un gain de
13% de performance sur l′accès à mes fichiers. Sachant que j’utilise Diskeeper régulièrement!

Pour le reste que dire…. Logiciel très simple à utiliser et configurer, exemple
ci-dessous:

En conclusion, si vous sentez un manque de réactivité et de performance sur votre
Windows Home Server, je ne peux que vous conseillez d’essayer Diskeeper.

A GAGNER:
Pour ceux qui souhaiteraient
utiliser Diskeeper, je vous propose
deux licences à gagner en laissant un commentaire à ce post. Vous pouvez laisser un
petit “Bonjour” ou quelques choses d′intéressant sur l’optimisation de vos Windows
Home Server N′oubliez pas de laisser votre mail dans le commentaire….

Original post by Benjamin Gauthey