Apple’i kloonivalmistaja Psystar hiilgas optimismiga. Firma lootis oma konservatiivseimas investoritele näidatud prognoosis müüa 2009. aastal 70 000 arvutit, 470 000 arvutit 2010 ja 1,45 miljonit aastal 2011.
Firma agressiivse kasvu prognoos nägi ette vastavalt 130 000, 1,87 ja 12 miljoni arvuti müüki nende sama kolme aastaga.
Võrdluseks: Apple suutis sama opsüsteemiga arvuteid müüa oma 2009. finantsaastal 10,4 miljonit tükki, firma finantsaasta lõppes 30. septembril.
Psystar väitis investoritele, et tal mitte üksnes ei õnnestu edu saavutada, vaid firma suudab saavutada suisa 50 % turuosa Mac OS X opsüsteemiga arvutite müügist, kuigi firma edu sõltus paljuski juriidiliselt kahtlasel alal saavutatavast kaitstes end opsüsteemivalmistaja Apple’i kohtuasja eest.

Põhjalikumalt pajatab PC World.

Tasuta kontoritarkvara loov IBM on löönud käed itaalia firmaga NSEC, et toota väikseid USB seadmeid nimega Keepod – neile paigaldatud kontoritarkvara Symphony versioon toimib läbi VMware ThinApp virtualiseerimistarkvara, mis isoleerib kontoritarkvara opsüsteemist ja võimaldab sellel olla turvaline. 2 kuni 16 GB mahuga Keepode on nii krüpteerimata kui ka 256 bitise kaitsega. IBM loodab Symphony’ist suuremat edu peale järgmisel aastal avaldatavat OpenOffice.org 3.0 koodil põhineva versiooni avaldamist.

Põhjalikumalt kirjutab PC World.

In the beginning there was nothing and then, from nothing, nothing exploded and created…….Whaaaaat?!  That doesn’t make sense!  Well, then how in the world did we arrive at this hideous contraption?

SRA/Ericsson MTA (Mobile Telephone System A) Year: 1956

Surely, this behemoth was discovered next to ancient dinosaur bones or maybe it was originally on the Mayflower, right?  MSN Tech, via Benj Edwards, covers these questions and many others as they detail the Evolution of the Cell Phone.  Check it out!

Kuigi Apple võib väita, et Mac OS X on turvaline ja viirustevaba, kuid üha laienev kasutajate hulk asetab opsüsteemi siiski riski alla. Nüüd on nõudlusele vastanud Kaspersky ja pakub viirustõrjet 10.4.11 ja hilisematele Mac OS X versioonidele, Inteli protsessoriga, 512 MB mälu ja 80 MB kõvakettaga. Kaspersky väitel on viirustõrje suuteline jälgima ohte reaalajas, uuendama iga tunni tagant viiruste andmebaasi, kasutama ära mitmeprotsessorisüsteeme, et kasutaja jaoks viiruste tõrjumine ei tooks kaasa märgatavat kiiruse langust.

Põhjalikumalt kirjutab PC World.

PC World’s Top 100 Products
8 November 2009

PC World has announced its top 100 products of 2009, including websites, hardware, and software:

PC World – 100 Best Products of 2009

It’s quite an extensive list, and if you only care about one specific type of product, then it’ll take a while to siphon through.  Here are my favourite products from the list, that aren’t obvious like Facebook and the App store:

Websites:
95. NinjaVideo (video-playing service, free)
- I’ve used this service for a couple years now, and it’s absolutely amazing.  Fast, high-quality streaming, and impeccably organised.  It has every range of shows, documentaries, movies, and even high profile events and an extensive archive of seasons per show.

89. Wordnik (online reference, free)
- Move over Dictionary.com, this site offers more relevant and practical application of dictionary words, with a Twitter feed showcasing modern usage of the searched word.  The only problem is that if you put in a typo, it still shows you examples of typo-usages…  So make sure you know how to spell the word first, or type it right.  Screw it, maybe I’ll go back to Dictionary.com.

62. Google Books (online service, free)
- It depends what you’re looking for, but Project Gutenberg is also a great book resource for novels.  Google Books has definitely saved me hundreds of trips to the library, however, with it’s previews and scans.  So what if I miss the main argument… I can infer that from the previous passage, right?

Hardware:
61. RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630
- I’ll give it to Jim Balsillie here, this one’s a beauty.  But as they say, beauty is only skin deep.  When my stone-age Sony Ericsson has WiFi capabilities and this baby doesn’t?  Not impressed. That’s a lie, I’m still impressed.

50. Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1TB (portable storage drive, $199)
- Anyone who owns a computer and uses it for more than web browsing and e-mail should probably own an external-hard drive… One terabyte for $199?  What.A.Steal.

41. Canon Vixia HF S10 (digital camcorder, $1300), 8. Canon PowerShot SX200 IS (digital camera, $350)
- I’d sell my first born for Canon camera and camcorder products.

37. 3M MPro120 (digital projector, $349)
- If you’re a poor student, pretty much forget about buying a TV, watch your movies and TV shows through NinjaVideo, and project it onto your bare, poster-less wall.

32. Alienware M15x (laptop, base price $1499)
- Cool designs… But I wouldn’t sacrifice my computer for one with a huge buzzing from the fan due to Alienware’s overheating problem.  The day Alienware figures out how to eliminate wasteful heat energy…well…  they’ll probably win a Nobel Prize.  But it’s also the day I’ll buy Alienware computers!

20. Kodak Zi8 (digital camcorder, $180)
- I may be a Canon fan, but this camcorder is so sleek and compact, it deserves mention.

15. Amazon Kindle 2 (e-book reader, $259)
- Call me old fashioned, but I still like the idea of real books.  There’s something unsettling about sitting in your hot tub with your chlorine-wet hands clutching your Kindle.  I also like having a pretentious book shelf filled with books I’ve read books I intend to read to showcase to all visitors.  But, to each their own…  I think it’d be sick for news papers and magazines because I recycle those.

Software:
58. Google Chrome (browser, free)
- Yet another fantastic programme coming out of Google with the only problem being… it’s a product from Google.  So to hide all the information feeding through Chrome to the Google Empire, make sure you install a privacy guard.

42. Mozilla Firefox 3.5 (browser, free)
- I’m partial to Firefox, mostly for privacy and aesthetic reasons.  I like the browser to have some extra space between the top header and URL bar, and I’m not a fan of tabbing at the top.

11. Microsoft Windows 7 (operating system, prices vary)
- I know I said nothing too obvious, but I’m liking this too much.  I’m a Mac user, but  I had always intended to put Windows on my Mac…  and then Vista happened.  So now here’s Microsoft round 2.  Fingers crossed!

Great work PC World!  Pretty much the hardware section can double be your Holiday shopping list.

But here are some other products that missed the list, which I frequently use and feel are very useful:

Other products

1. Video2MP3 (http://www.video2mp3.net/)
- Changes YouTube videos to MP3 files, but can also convert other video files like MySpace and DailyMotion among others.

2.  The Daily Beast (http://www.thedailybeast.com/)
- Former Editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker Tina Brown tells you what’s important today.  Very American news focused, but has everything you need to know now.

3.  Media Converter (http://media-convert.com/)
- Fairly self-explanatory, but it converts most of your files into whatever you want it to be.  Word to PDF?  No problem.  Random sound file to MP3?  You got it.  The only problem is changing .docx files to .doc files, but that’s easily solved by uploading it to GoogleDocs.

4.  Online Banking
- Anyone?  Well, I think paying my Visa charge the day after it happens is marvellous.

5. VLC Media Player
- If you’re on a Macbook (Pro), it fully utilises your speakers and makes movies that much louder.  It also plays .divx files from NinjaVideo.

6.  Sony Vaio X Series (http://www.sonystyle.com)
- My room-mate has possibly the most portable computer of life.  While I truck around what feels like a semi truck in my backpack, my room mate carries this ultra-light Vaio.  One major problem is the heat issue, but when your battery life is realistically 9 hours playing movies and it’s lighter than a bottle of water?  Sign me up.

Windows 7 x Ubuntu 9.10

Uma matéria da PC World, com o título acima, me chamou a atenção hoje. Todas as razões apresentadas são amplamente conhecidas pelos adeptos do Linux, mas ainda são (incorretamente) contestadas pelos usuários de Windows.

Vale a pena ler a matéria e começar a se convencer de que, para qualquer “usuário comum” (termo amplamente utilizado para se referir a um ser humano que necessita de um computador para fazer tarefas simples) o Ubuntu 9.10 é totalmente eficiente.

Vejam a matéria neste link: http://pcworld.uol.com.br/dicas/2009/11/05/cinco-razoes-que-fazem-o-ubuntu-9-10-melhor-que-o-windows-7/

Fedra i ddim mynd i Bwllheli fory i gefnogi Osian Jones. Dwi’n falch nad ydw i’n gorfod wynebu’r penderfyniad; dwi’n cael fy nhynnu ddwy ffordd.

Mae’n rhaid i mi fod yn onest. A’m llaw ar fy nghalon, alla i ddim dweud mod i’n credu bod fandaleiddio siopau mawr am ddwyn perswâd ar neb – nid ar y llywodraeth i ddeddfu’n erbyn cyneddfau’r farchnad, nac ar y siopau eu hunain i ddarparu gwasanaeth Cymraeg yn wirfoddol. Mae cydnabyddiaeth gyffredinol yn y Cynulliad fod angen deddfu i amddiffyn buddiannau’r Gymraeg. Mae darpariaeth Gymraeg yn gwneud synnwyr masnachol, yn union fel masnach deg a chynnyrch gwyrdd. Wrth gwrs nad yw’r ewyllys da yna’n ddigon; wrth gwrs na fydd na deddfwriaeth na siop yn ddigonol: ond efallai bod gweithredu fel hyn yn wrthgynhyrchiol ar hyn o bryd.

Dyna ddigon o resymoli gen i. Yn wyneb dewrder rhywun sy’n barod i fynd i garchar oherwydd ei gariad at ei iaith, mae rhethreg fursennaidd fel f’un i yn colli’i grym. Dwi’n genfigennus o Osian Jones oherwydd mae o’n gallu diosg yr holl esgusion a sefyll ar egwyddor yn unig. Pan fydd pobl wedi llwyr anghofio am daith helbulus yr LCO iaith ac am fegera am ewyllys da siopau mawr, bydd pobl yn cofio i Osian Jones fod dan glo am garu’i iaith. Mae Osian Jones yn olyniaeth DJ, Saunders a Valentine – dwi yn olyniaeth y cannoedd o Gymry gor-gysurus neu sinigaidd a safodd yn ôl a “bod yn realistig” tra bod eraill yn aberthu’u rhyddid i fynnu ein hawliau ni.

A dweud y gwir, dwi’n difaru rŵan na alla i fynd i Bwllheli: mi wnâi les i mi sbio ar Osian Jones yn cael ei arwain i ffwrdd i’r carchar yn fy lle i.

Mae’n anodd gwybod beth i’w ddweud;

mae’n anodd gwybod beth i’w wneud

pan fo rhywun yn y carchar drosom ni…

My mom is a librarian.  She returned from work Monday with old magazines that she deleted from the library list of books and magazines that they currently possess.  One of those is a November 2008 edition of PCWorld.  It seems like most articles in it are about cutting edge technology that no one needs.  (It won’t be cutting edge now because the magazine is a year old.)

Even though I am a Computer Science graduate, I still have not assimilated some technology into my life.  I have used Facebook but very minimally.  I also have not used Twitter before.  Also, I have a cell phone but hate to use it.  Although I might after reading the article, “Eight Ways Twitter Will Change Your Life.”  I also was interested in article, “100 Useful Web Sites.”  From there, I found out about lynda.com, a website to learn stuff.

The cheapest subscription is $25/month.  Right now I am exploring the free stuff.  Its pretty interesting but at this stage, I do not believe that it is worth the money.  Maybe latter when I am employed, need to educate myself easily, and have time I might sign up for a month.

However, I have watched some Photoshop videos and they are very good quality, much better than amateurish YouTube videos.  I can learn without going to this site but that entails assembling different tutorials from various websites (and/or books) for a simple how-to.  If you want to spent $25/month, then this may be worth it.

Co jest jedną z zasad marketingu w czasach web 2.0? Stała obecność marki w Internecie, reagowanie na aktualne wydarzenia i bezpośredni kontakt z użytkownikami. Wydaje się, że zasadę tą dostrzegł naczelny PC Worlda. Magazyn ten od pewnego czasu obecny jest w serwisach mikroblogowych, rosną użyteczności społecznościowe samego serwisu online, mocno wypozycjonowany został na jego stronach redakcyjny blog, na którym coraz częściej przewijają się treści na temat różnych serwisów i ciekawych zjawisk w Internecie.

Łukaszowi Bigo należą się duże brawa za refleks i ostatnią akcje promocyjną jaką przeprowadził w serwisie Wykop.pl. Całość odnosi się do wykopu, w którym użytkownik o wiele mówiącym loginie wygranylot pisze o tym, że przekaże część wygranej dla użytkowników, którzy wykopią jego tekst. Akcja na pierwszy rzut oka wygląda dosyć podejrzanie, ale chociażby dla przekory spotkała się z wielkim odzewem. Zastanawiałem się czy to żart, czy jakaś przebiegła akcja reklamowa. Obecnie stanęło na żarcie pod wpływem, tak bynajmniej wynika z oświadczenia samego sprawcy zamieszana. O niecodziennym wykopie napisał blog PC Worlda. Kiedy się okazało, że użytkownicy nie mają co liczyć na pieniądze pojawił się wpis na temat nagród dla tych, którzy wykopali tekst o rozdaniu wygranej. Wpis trafił na Wykop.pl i na razie radzi sobie całkiem nieźle (http://www.wykop.pl/ramka/254836/nagroda-pocieszenia-dla-czytelnikow-pcw-ktorzy-wykopali-i-chca-fajny-gadzet).

Jak na razie notka z bloga trzyma się na stronie głównej i pewnie jeszcze trochę tam zostanie. Oferowane nagrody to nic wielkiego, ale zawsze coś. Swoją drogą najfajniejsza jest opcja przejażdżki firmowym Audi Co do samego wykopu na temat rozdania wygranej pewnie niedługo wypłyną jeszcze jakieś kulisy. Mam nadzieję, że nie stoi za nim PC World

Cała promocja osiągnie zapewne spory zasięg i pozytywny odbiór, a koszty… znikome, chyba że policzyć paliwo do Audi

http://pcworld.about.com/od/privacysecurity1/Best-Practices-Backup-and-Rec.htm?nl=1

MOBILE

Verizon Wireless will introduce an HTC Android-powered smartphone Friday alongside the Motorola Droid, the carrier said. The $99 handset, which Verizon Wireless has dubbed the Droid Eris, has similar features to the HTC Hero, industry observers reported. Verizon Wireless also said last week that it was “very pleased” with the initial sales of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Storm 2, which launched Wednesday. Yahoo!/PC World(11/1) , The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (10/30)

Two quick updates. So glad my friend Richard Kamins acknowledged Willard’s reception and award. Still looking for coverage in the Middletown Press and Hartford Courant. That’s too much to hope for, I know.

Entries for the next couple of days may be shorter than usual because on top of everything else, I’m preparing to talk to a Read to Succeed class on Wednesday and have piles of material to organize. At the moment I can’t think because all the windows in my house started shaking when the propane delivery truck fired up the pumps.

Zombies: Well, this should be called social networking, but zombies are so “in” now, and it’s great to have them linked to Twitter and Facebook. This Trend Micro report has too much information, but the basic advice holds: Be suspicious of links even if they look like they come from a friend; update your web browser and keep Windows current, which can be a total nuisance. Adobe seems to be the biggest problem right now. Firefox yelled at me last week, saying, “You must download a new version of Adobe now!” Of course I was in the midst of something important but stopped to reload. It’s always good to obey your web browser. And I guess I shouldn’t complain because Firefox always leads in security protection. So I won’t throw a fit the next time it says “updating.”

More Zombies Just to make everyone feel really insecure, here’s a link to an essay on programs that claim to offer security protection (for a fee) and don’t do a thing.

The following scam is great, though the guy could have written a much better opener – what’s a triple payload email?

But the advice is sound. I never open attachments in my email until the stuff appears in the window below. And then if it’s got a long string of folks who have passed it along, I delete without opening. I don’t know why but the computer slowed to a crawl while I was looking at the site. Time to reboot.

‘Glitch’: Maybe this one should be called “gremlins.” Webster Bank delayed posting transactions  for an hour this morning. The reason was unknown at noon, and remained that way when I checked the Hartford Courant’s web site at 8:30 p.m.

Computers: Here’s a truly spooky factoid. When using a laptop on electric power, one should remove the battery, per Slate. Hang on. … Five minutes later. Well, that was an adventure! I think that may have been the second time I’ve ever removed the battery in the three? four? years I’ve owned this computer. The first time it was because the little thing had caught a virus, and I couldn’t shut it off any other way. I wound up having to have the entire drive rebuilt and the idiot kid wiped my email. This time removal took a while because I couldn’t find the switch. And then the battery popped out and fell on the floor, hitting the base of the lamp on the way down. It scared the cat more than anything. I won’t check to see if it still works till I need to use it. After all it’s only a 25 plus minute drive to the closest place to buy another one.

It’s probably just a coincidence, but the letter “n” seems to be sticking. I can still type, but it takes far more pressure. A little compressed air should take care of that problem. Cleaning the keyboard is always an experience. The usual results are equal portions of Isis fur, my hair, and dust. Yuck.

Texting: I am so much in support of Britain’s approach to texting while driving that results in a casualty. The judges over there mete out good, stiff prison sentences. The charge is “death by dangerous driving.”  The prosecutor complained in the example cited by the Times that the 21 months was too lenient. Part of the reason may have been that the young woman wasn’t actually texting or reading a text at the time of the accident, though she had been doing both over the previous hour. In defense of the lenient sentence, the killer’s cousin said she didn’t think the young woman “realized the danger she was causing.” If that’s the case, the killer should never have been allowed behind the wheel of a car. Ever. I hope similar laws are enacted all over this country. Since we don’t even have consistent helmet laws for motorcyclists, I’m sure I’m expecting too much.

Video: The hot new thing among the folks in the writers union seems to be YouTube promotions This one disappoints because we don’t see the insides of the places. But if she really slept with all those men, she’s really, really, really lucky to be alive. The sound quality isn’t all that great, either.

Audio: A shout-out to my former colleague Kevin Hunt for making audio technology understandable, even if I don’t have enough space in my house or the money in my checking account to put even a few of the pieces he reviews.

Dell use both Push and Pull strategies. They use the push strategy when selling to customers through outlets such as Currys, PC World and Tesco. These computers are made to a set specification, then shipped out in bulk to the outlets to sell on behalf of Dell. Whereas when a customer orders their laptop from Dell directly using their website, Dell manufactures their computer to their exact specifications. This shows that Dell value their customers highly, and are always wanting their customers to value themselves highly. By offering customised computers to their customers, this lets them know that they are regarded as being unique, therefore increasing the chances that users will recommend Dell to family and friends.

Yesterday saw hundreds of gadget-grabbing shoppers queuing up overnight to bag the best of the bargains at Currys and PC World Megastore openings in Fulham and Birmingham. Jemma and Kat were up at the crack of dawn and loaded with coffee to oversee the 6am openings, with media from the West Midlands Express and Star, leading tech websites Tech Radar and MSN, as well as the Independent all covering the story of the openings.

At the joint Currys and PC World Megastore in Fulham, nearly 700 people queued from 3.30pm on Wednesday to be the first to snap up opening deals. The 2-in-1 Megastore is London’s largest electrical and computing outlet and the second biggest in the UK, with over 7,000 electrical products and gadgets. Similar scenes were repeated at Junction 9, Wednesbury, near Birmingham, when over 500 people queued overnight to witness the opening of PC World’s biggest Megastore this morning.  At over 30,000 square feet it is the biggest computer store in the country.

The new format stores look fantastic (complete with new logos and colours) and represent a brand new chapter for both Currys and PC World. Long gone are the gadgets locked away in glass cases, with shoppers encouraged to pick up and try out before buying. Branded areas from Apple, Bose and other premium brands give the stores a more welcoming feel and make you want to spend time browsing round the stores, before buying. Judging by the number of shoppers queuing, the new store formats are really working. DSGi’s renewal and transformation programme has already seen the opening of over 100 new or refurbished stores to date and with another 60 planned over the next 8 months, shoppers across the country will be able to experience the new look Currys and PC World (as well as meaning many more dawn starts for the Talk PR team!)

On Thursday, Sen. John McCain introduced legislation for his new bill titled “The Internet Freedom Act”. One could say the name itself is a little misleading. These columns from the Huffington Post and PC World examine how Sen. McCain wants to kill the open internet by opposing net neutrality. They also state how the senator has received more financial contributions from large internet service providers than any other senator. Many of these internet providers are for broadband providers controlling internet speed and access. Is McCain trying to pass this bill just to keep his contributors happy?

The Rachel Maddow video is left-leaning but it does a good job explaining what Net Neutrality is and what McCain’s proposed bill aims to do. I would have liked to see an opinion from McCain’s people or at least a conservative voice. But that’s the problem with these pundit shows. Whether you agree or disagree with what McCain is trying to do it certainly has a big impact on the future of the internet.