Inkjet Cartridges

§ February 25th, 2011 § Filed under Using Technology § No Comments

The question that I lay before you today is, are inkjet cartridges better or worse than their major competitor the laser cartridge full of so called toner? There are many facets to this issue, not all of which will be covered in this very short work of art called an article about ink. I do however hope to cover some of the more important points that will help you to decide on what kind of printer you want to purchase namely an inkjet or a laser printer.

Inkjet printers work like a ball point pen in a way. This technology is quite a bit less expensive which makes the printer itself as well as its maintenance cheaper as well. This is probably the largest way in which the inkjet lords it over its competitor the laser. You will save a considerable amount of money purchasing an inkjet and regularly paying for the inkjet cartridges (which are still quite expensive if you ask me) than you will owning and operating the typical laser printer. This is why buy and large the inkjet has held the corner of the personal computing market for a long, long time.

There is some sense in which you pay for what you get in this market of computer printers. With an inkjet printer and inkjet cartridges you have a noticeably lower quality printout. Not really a big deal for the home printer necessities like printing out a map from mapquest quick before a trip but it is enough of a difference that businesses usually find it worthwhile to bite the bullet and purchase the more expensive laser quality printer which will put out superior quality.

Quality can be measured in crispness of print, permanence of ink placement, speed of print, and ability to produce graphics and color. Inkjet cartridges printers are coming into their own however. Their prints are getting faster, more precise, and more smudge free than ever and all while maintaining that low price that everybody loves. Laser is feeling the heat and trying to respond, though moving more slowly, to these threats.

The one thing that laser printers still have a good hold of is the business market for multi-tasker machines. That is to say that inkjet still has not ventured into the facsimile and/or copier areas and seems to be conceding these areas. Therefore there is room to breath for the lasers over inkjet cartridges printers in this area.

Choosing An MP3 Player To Groove To

§ February 24th, 2011 § Filed under MP3 Players § No Comments

If you’ve decided that you want get yourself a portable MP3 player, or digital music player, you’ve probably discovered that there are myriads of choices to choose from. Not only that, you can easily spend fifty dollars or five hundred dollars on an MP3 player.

In this article, I’ll go over the three major categories of MP3 players, with tips for choosing the best one.

1: MP3 CD Players
An MP3 CD player is a digital music player that plays CDs either standard audio CDs or MP3 CDs. MP3 CDs use a different file format than standard CDs, so they can hold many times the number of songs a standard CD can. With most computers, you can easily burn MP3 CDs for use with your player.

2: Flash Based MP3 Players
A Flash Based Player uses a static form of media such as a memory card to store your digital music on. You can get Flash based players that hold any where from 64MB (about 15-20 songs) up to several Gigabytes of music.

Flash players are general the toughest of the three types, and can take knocks and bangs better. My flash based player (a Rio Sport model) has been dropped and kicked many times while running, but it still goes strong.

Most flash players use a USB interface to connect to your computer so you can easily load them up with music.

3: Hard drive based MP3 Players
As the name suggests, a hard drive MP3 player uses a hard drive to store your music on. They generally have the largest storage capacity, up to about 100 GB of music, which will hold all but the very largest of music collections. Just like flash players, most hard drive players use a USB interface to connect to your computer so you can easily load them up with music.

Implementing Service Management: Part 1 – Service Level Management

§ February 17th, 2011 § Filed under Using Technology § No Comments

What is Service Level Management?

Service Level Management is one element of the 11 ITIL disciplines, and details the need to plan, draft, agree, monitor and report on service achievement within the business. It also incorporates the requirement for an organisation to implement actions to eradicate potential unsatisfactory service.

Service Level Agreements are one component of Service Level Management; these are documented agreements and are written from the perspective of both the supplier and recipient or end user. These agreements dictate the Service Levels and include services provided, metrics, responsibilities and help to ensure that all support requests are responded to and fixed within the agreed timeframes.

Implementing effective Service Level Management can dramatically increase an organisations ability to respond to and fix users requests. Emma Anderson, Service Manager (SSI Computer Services)

Why introduce Service Level Management?

Service Level Management is fundamental to an effective service provision, however its a topic not widely discussed among organisations looking to improve their Service Delivery. Most organisations have the impression that new tools alone will increase their organisations ability to respond to a growing number of requests. In fact, a major factor in Service improvement is in the ability of the IT resource to understand its own limits and set realistic Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with its own end users. This enables the service department to provide a reliable, and more importantly, repeatable service to its users, which in turn raises the IT Service perception in addition to service delivery itself.

How best to introduce Service Level Management into the Business?

When implemented successfully Service Level Management benefits can be achieved by organisations who embrace the methodologies, however, careful planning must be taken into consideration before undertaking this sort of service improvement process. As mentioned previously an assessment must be made of the service provision before any SLAs can be agreed with end users. If the Service provision itself is unable to provide the service requested by the end user community a decision must be made as to whether the service department gear-up or make alternative arrangements to meet the users expectations for example outsourcing or 3rd party assistance.

Educating the end user community is a key factor in implementing Service Level Agreements and ensures that the users are aware of the service they should expect to receive. This process should be in partnership with the end users as buy-in at this stage ensures a smooth transition.

The Zune MP3 Player Versus The Leading iPod

§ February 17th, 2011 § Filed under MP3 Players § No Comments

It is not a surprise that a lot of people in our society don’t even know what a Zune is, and there is one answer. Advertisement, Microsoft has done a horrible job of advertising their product. Even commercials, they tried to make the Zune seem so mysterious, but in reality, it just turned people off.

I can understand wanting to hide such a movie like Hancock, or The Happening, something where giving away the plot or story might ruin the whole movie, but there is absolutely no point in not throwing the Zune right in peoples faces so that they aren’t just looking at the iPod.

Thats one reason why the Apple is far ahead of Microsoft’s game. This also applies to Windows and MAC, you never see any advertising on Windows, now do you? Next thing you know, the MAC will be the mainly used computer for all of the United States, something I thought never would happen.

But, lets get down to business. The Zune MP3 Player, is actually a very nice mp3 player when comparing it to the iPod. Of course, any arguments that you here are generally from someone with an iPod, doesn’t know what the Zune is, or even looks like for that matter. Point in case, people believe what other people say way too easily.

Do your research, and if your reading this article, I’ve done it for you. The Zune often gets better ratings than the iPod when it comes to being an mp3 player, unforunately due to the marketing ability of Microsoft to show people the Zune, half of the world doesn’t know what the thing is.

But thats okay, because you do. Now you can make a solid decision on whether you want an iPod or a Zune MP3 Player. One thing that I must point out is that the Zune has several features the the iPod does not have at all.

The downside to that is, when they decided to release these new features, they were not polished at all, thus resulting in failed features or ones that had little or no effect when put into works. So, that means it looks good on paper, but essentially if something doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.

On the other hand, iPod doesn’t have as many features, but in the features that it does have, they are polished up quite well. You won’t find any buggy systems or anything like that with the iPod, and the database, iTunes, where all of the music comes from is just massive.

iTunes is consistently being updated, and made more user-friendly for the computer-illiterate people who don’t know how to drag and drop a song from one folder to another. But that’s okay, you can’t expect much from people nowadays.

There are also a few other points of competition as well. Accessories, that is one huge aspect. If there were absolutely not accessories for one of the two competitors, the Zune or the iPod, the opposing would win. Simply because what good does an iPod do on its own.

You need to be able to plug into your car, plug a charger in at home, on the go, have a dock where you can charge and listen to at the same time, along with your standard company-brand headphones and earphones.

Along with that, an fm transmitter kit, and the list goes on. Basically, all of these accessories make the iPod or Zune reusable and versatile in many situations. Having a travel charger while the other one doesn’t, now allows for you to take your Zune anywhere you want, but the iPod will be dead before the day ends.

That would be a huge difference maker had one of the companies not created the travel charger. You see, the mp3 player itself is already out, and now to make it stand out more than the opposing, you have to make accessories, ones that look nice too. You can’t have ugly accessories and expect people to buy.

This society is full of people who base things on looks, covers of books, people and how attractive they are, thats the first thing they notice. And with so many things to compare in this world, that seems like a viable and easy way to do it. That is where the iPod comes on top, looks. They have made their mp3 player, and their accessories look a little better.

But that’s okay, because for anyone who has gone and done their research knows that the Zune produces better quality sound, and for the price, even though very similar, the Zune is a better deal in the long-run, unless your an Apple fanatic.

Sony MEX-1GP: The Next Generation of Car MP3 Players

§ February 11th, 2011 § Filed under MP3 Players § No Comments

For all of those MP3 music owners, the future of car audio is finally here for you. Gone are the days where you had to burn your MP3s onto a CD for playback in your car audio system. Sony recently released the MEX-1GP CD receiver, a CD receiver that also features a built-in 1 GB flash memory unit. So now your car audio CD receiver behaves in the same manner as your iPod or other type of MP3 player. The 1 GB flash memory unit can store up to 500 of your favorite songs, giving you plenty of playback time for your music. This little device will make even the longest of trips in your car smoother and more enjoyable, since you will not have to worry about changing CDs any longer.

Aside from playing MP3s, this CD receiver also plays CDs (as the name implies) along with burned CD-Rs and CD-RWs so that those who wish to play their old CDs can still take advantage of this nifty product. However, the real attraction to this new car audio head unit is the MP3 playability. The flash memory unit is located in the detachable faceplate. Here resides the USB port which allows you to connect the faceplate to your PC (similar to your iPod or other MP3 player). Once your faceplate is connected to your CD, you simply drag and drop the MP3 files onto the flash memory unit of the faceplate. Unfortunately the faceplate is only compatible with Windows operating systems, so all of you Mac owners will have to go to your buddys house to copy the MP3s to and from the Sony MEX-1GP.

The new receiver is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye as well. It is finished in a high-gloss black color and features a 13-segment LCD display for simple navigation of track and title information. The screen displays album, artist and track name when playing your MP3 music files. Users can shuffle or repeat tracks, albums or personalized groups through controls on the faceplate or with the supplied remote control. The MEX-1GP unit has a built-in 208-watt power amplifier and a three-band equalizer enabling clear, rich sound. The selectable rear/subwoofer preamp outputs, controls the frequency and output level of an external amplifier.

After installing this receiver and experiencing it for a little over a week, I must say that I am quite impressed with this product. For one, the sound quality when playing MP3s through this unit is nothing less than phenomenal. If you didnt know any better, you would think that you were playing a CD with the crisp and clear playback quality of this head unit. While traveling on a three hour road trip (three hours each way, six hours total) I was able to listen to one selection of songs on the way up and an entirely different selection of songs on the way back, all without the hassle of changing CDs and enduring a pause in play. Im just a little surprised it took so long for a product like this to hit the market, especially with the increasing popularity of portable MP3 devices such as the iPod over the last several years. While it may have taken awhile for a product like this to hit the market, Im sure Sony will have plenty of competitors very soon, which will benefit car audio enthusiasts like myself.

How to Win More From the Casinos

§ February 9th, 2011 § Filed under Using Technology § No Comments

It may be for the excitement, it may be for a vacation but it is the dream of going home a big winner that keeps us going back to the casinos, but are there ways other then cheating that can help you take home more cash? The answer is yes.

Believe it or not gambling at on online casino is a great way to gain experience so that you can win some big money in the casinos.

May online casinos besides having games as low as 50 cents, also have practice rooms that are free. You are given some play money to make your bets, but no real money is exchanged.
These practice rooms are available for most of the different casino games like poker, blackjack, roulette and baccarat.

This is a great way to gain experience. Not only do you get to play, you also get the experience of playing against other people instead of a computer. This allows you to learn how to watch their betting habits to look for patterns. This may not be so important in a game like roulette or craps but in poker this is almost as important as the cards you are dealt.

These patters are called tells. A tell is when someone gives away their hand by an involuntary action.

Some common tells are the way players arrange their cards, or playing with their chips when they have a good hand, or rubbing their face when they are bluffing

In a practice poker room you also get the experience of learning how to watch your money, without losing your shirt when you make a mistake, which will happen at first.

On of the biggest problems with learning to gamble in a casino is that the dealer and the other players are not forgiving. By this I mean lets say you are playing roulette, a first time player may not know that until all winnings are placed on the table you may not take your winnings. Getting a warning from the dealer the first time you play can be embarrassing and unnerving to a new player.

So by playing in an online casino at first you will learn the rules, procedures and the etiquette for playing in a land based casino.

If poker is your game it is a little different, most games depend on luck and all you really need to know if the basics, but poker is totally different because you are playing against other layers that know all this information already. when you feel confident enough then go to the casino and find the game you want to play and spend some time watching the other players. You want to find a table where all the players are less skilled then you. This will give you the edge, but make sure you watch carefully. Many times players will do things to make themselves look worse then they really are to give the other players a false confidence.

Then as you see yourself getting better and better you can move up to higher stakes tables and against better players.

Once you get confident and see your skills increase so will your bank account.

How Go Get Full Downloadable Movies

§ February 6th, 2011 § Filed under Free Downloads § No Comments

I suppose the debate will go on forever as to whether these types of websites are in fact legal as there are indeed many free ones out there that are not legal. Apart from free movie websites there are also pay per download services which have started to gain huge popularity in that they allow you to download your favourite movies and TV shows in exchange for a once off membership fee. These websites offer quality downloads which contain no infections and are usually available for download at very high speeds. On the contrary you will find that most of the free websites you will visit will have low quality downloads which could end up infecting your PC with a virus.

Are you looking for free full length movies? With the internet growing larger each day more people are turning to websites which offer free full length movies for download as the cheaper alternative to expanding their DVD collections. The reason why is mostly convenience in which most people have high speed internet connections as well as cost reduction in terms of not having to buy the DVD from the store. I did some keyword research lately and was surprised to see that the phrases free full length movies and free movie downloads are achieving more than 10 000 queries a day which indicates the popularity of movie download websites.

Net Moviedownloads is the top rated movie pay per download service which offers the lowest membership fee of $32 for unlimited access to their database. If you would like to check out their features please visit the website below.So how do you know which pay per download services are the best? It is important to check out testimonials, reviews, membership prices and features before you make a final decision. Most of these services will allow you to download legal PC games and mp3s as well which is an added bonus.

Protect your Nikon SLR Camera in Different Models Using a

§ February 5th, 2011 § Filed under Digital Cameras § No Comments

Protect your Nikon SLR Camera in Different Models Using a Camera Bag

The Nikon Corporation, which was established in July 25, 1917 has proved a lot in terms of high technology products. They have defined their major concept as “Vision Nikon 21″ which clarifies their goals and direction for the 21st century. Nikon Corporation’s philosophy supports “Creativity and Trustworthiness” in establishing and enforcing their corporate objectives. In return, it truly reveals the integrity of their mission.

Nikon Corporation is known for their optical goods. It includes cameras, microscopes, and lenses; there are even softwares and semiconductors. However, Nikon became popular in manufacturing SLR cameras. SLR or Digital single-lens reflex cameras became the standard equipment for more serious photographers. It provides them a large, bright, and accurate optical viewfinder, large controls and fast operation, excellent quality image, and interchangeable lenses.

The Nikon’s 1980 to 1991 models are: Nikon F3 (1980), Nikon F3HP (1982), Nikon F3T (1982), Nikon FG (1982), Nikon FM2 (1982), Nikon F3AF (1983), Nikon FM2n (1983), Nikon FE2 (1983), Nikon F3/T Classic, Nikon F3 Limited, Nikon F3/T Black, Nikon FA (1983), Nikon FA Gold (1984), Nikon F301/N2000 (1985), Nikon F501/n2002 (1986), Nikon SVC Model 1 (1986), Nikon F401/N4004 QD (1987), Nikon F801/N8008 (1988), Nikon F4 (1988), Nikon F4s (1988), Nikon F4e and Nikon F4 Press, Nikon QV1000C (1988), Nikon F401s/N4004s QD (1989), Nikon F601/N6006 QD (1990), Nikon F601m/N6000 (1990), Nikon F801s/ N8008s (1991), and Nikon F401x/N40004sQD (1991).

The Nikon’s 1992 to 1999 models are: Nikonos RS (1992), Nikon F90 (1992), Nikon Digital Prototype (1993), Nikon F50 (1994), Nikon F90X (1994), Nikon F70 (1994), Nikon E2/E2s Digital Camera (1994), Nikon FM2/T (1994), Nikon FM10 (1995), Nikon FE10 (1996), Nikon (1996), Nikon Pronea 600i (1996), Nikon COOLPIX series (1997), Nikon E2N/E2Ns Digital Camera (1996), Nikon F3 High Speed Motor Drive Camera (1997), Nikon F100 (1999), Nikon D1 (1999), Nikon E3 Digital Camera (1999), Nikon F60 (1999), Nikon F5 (1999), Nikon Pronea-S (1999), DSU (DCS-100) (1991), DCS 200 (1992), DCS 410 (1992-93) DCS 420 (1993), DCS N2000e (1993), DCS 460(1994-95), DCS 315 ( 1997), and DCS 330 (1998).

The Nikon y2k-2003 models are: Nikon F80 (2000), Nikon FM2n Y2k (2000), Nikon F65 QD/N65QD (2000), Nikon D1x D-SLR (2001), Nikon F55QD/N55QD (2002), Nikon D100 D-SLR (2002), Nikon F75QD (2003), Nikon D2H D-SLR (2003) and the Nikon/Kodak/Fuji Variants: Kodak DCS-620(x) (1999), Kodak DCS-660(M) (2000), Fuji FinePix S1 Pro (2000), Kodak DCS 760 (2001), Kodak DCS 720x (2002), and Fuji FinePix S2 Pro (2002).

The Nikon 2004 models are: Nikon D70 (Jan), Nikon Coolpix 8700 (Jan), Nikon Coolpix 8800 (Sept), Nikon F6 (Sept) and Nikon D2X Digital Still SLR Camera (Sept). The Nikon latest model is the Nikon D80.

These models should be protected well to maintain its topnotch quality. So, to prolong its lifespan, it should be properly carried using camera bags. The choice of styles and materials depends upon the user. Generally, the best recommended products for camera bags are Domke, Tamrac, Kinesis, Billingham, Lowepro, and Gear. Just make sure that the camera perfectly suits the Nikon Model you have chosen.

Remember, Nikon products have gained the trust of many professionals worldwide, thus its existence and prosperity continues in harmony on all business levels. They ensure that new values are created to maintain the faith and pride of their consumers likewise to encourage the people having entrepreneurial spirit. Well, not only their products have strong appeal to the people worldwide, but also their services providing the greatest efficiency and usefulness. It is also your responsibility to protect their products as this will be an investment worth a picture.

So you want an iPod or MP3 Player?

§ February 4th, 2011 § Filed under MP3 Players § No Comments

Why buy an iPod or MP3 Player?

1.Have you ever been driving somewhere listening to your favorite radio station and all of a sudden the station is nothing but static or fades in and out? Quick, grab your iPod or Mp3 player! Now, you have your favorite music or sport at your fingertips.

You can choose your favorite show or music on your iPod or MP3 player at a touch. No more trying to adjust the radio or be distracted from watching the traffic.

2.With an iPod or MP3 player along, that much needed exercise, whether its at the gym, jogging or just staying home to exercise, will not seem so boring. Some players allow you to monitor your mileage while you run. The time will go faster when you are listening to your favorite music, sport or watching a video on your iPod or MP3 player. Put a spring in your step while cleaning your home or shopping by listening to your favorite tunes.

3.Your iPod or MP3 player can brighten your day, regardless of your activity.

4.If you play sports, for fun or professionally, you can record your moves, then analyze them to see if you are following thru or need to make some adjustments.

What to consider before your purchase an iPod or MP3 player

Ask yourself these questions:

1.Do you want your iPod or MP3 player solely for music or do you want it for video, sports, music and photos?

2.What size iPod or MP3 player do you want? They can be as small as a pack of gum and weigh less than a car key. Depending on the capabilities will increase or decrease the size. IPod or MP3 players are very portable, going anyplace with you.

3.Is price a factor? IPod or MP3 players come in a range or prices the price range is dependant on what features and capabilities you get. Ipod and MP3 players general price ranges vary from up to $100.00 to $300.00 or more.

4.What kind of display for your iPod or MP3 player? Screen size is a personal choice and can be as varied as the players themselves. Screens can be as small as a 4-line graphic LCD to as large as 3.6″ color high-resolution LCD with 320 x 240 pixel resolution.

5.What memory capacity do you want? 512K to 30GB? From 120 songs to 10,000 songs, photos and videos? These are things to think about.

6.Depending on the investment you make in your iPod or MP3 player, is it upgradeable to future formats and features?

7.What about battery life for your iPod or MP3 player? Depending on how you plan to use your player will help you decide how much battery your will need. A 16 to 24-hour playing time is a good length of time before needing to recharge. Most iPod or MP3 player batteries are lithium, rechargeable Li-on or lithium polymer rechargeable. Other use alkaline batteries. Recharging your iPod or MP3 player can also be done in various ways, with either car chargers, wall chargers and/or via USB port on your computer.

8.Additional considerations are: digital audio, micro-photo, FM transmitter, PC compatible and voice recorder. Depending on the iPod or MP3 player you purchase will determine which options are available and work for you.

9.Do you have a favorite color for you iPod or MP3 player? Ipod and MP3 players come in many colors and you can get different color cases for them.

10.When shopping for an iPod or MP3 player consider sound quality, durability, ease of downloading music, cost, benefits and design.

What functions, features and accessories are available?

1.Various iPod or MP3 player system requirements are:
PC: Microsoft Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000 or XP, Intel Pentium II 350MHz or AMD K6-2 450MHz processor
Macintosh: USB port, Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later (Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later recommended for use with low-power USB ports)

Additional system requirements can be: Windows Media Player, CD-ROM drive (for installation and import or playback from CD), USB 2.0 compatibility and Internet connection, (broadband suggested).

2.Large memory in your iPod or MP3 player enables you to store thousands of songs for music on the go plus thousands of photos and videos. Below is an example of iPod and MP3 players and their song capacity. As you can see, the size of the players is as diverse as what they can hold.

Flash or Hard DriveBased on 4 minutes per song
512MB120 350 songs
1GB250 500 songs
2GB480 500 songs
4GB1,000 or more songs
5GBStores 166 hrs of music
6GB1,500 songs
8GB4,000 songs
20GB5,000 9,000 songs
30GB7,500 songs
40GB10,000 songs
60GB15,000 songs

3.Some players have available expansion slots. Expansion slots are integrated receptacles for installing additional memory via a removable memory card (Secure Digital, Multimedia Card, Compact Flash, etc.). Installation is simple; the card simply pushes in and clicks into place.

4.Via the USB 2.0 connection from your computer, you can transfer your favorite tunes from a music website to your iPod or MP3 player in as little as a few seconds. IPod or MP3 players have a wide compatibility with many online subscription and pay-per-download music services. Some iPod and MP3 players are PlaysForSure compatible. When purchasing your player, look for this logo on the packaging. Any music download service displaying the PlaysForSure logo will work.

5.You can press a button and transfer an entire CD to your player in as little as a few minutes using the USB 2.0 connectivity from your PC.

6.”MP3″ might be the buzzword, but it’s not the only digital music file format out there. Fortunately, most online stores and digital music players support a full range of digital file formats. Here are the more popular formats in use:

ATRAC3 which stands for “Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding 3″, WMA, MP3, ACC (used only used by the Apple iPod), and WAV/AIFF
There are many additional file formats used by the MP3 and iPod industry, not all of which are listed here:
MP3, WMA, WAV and DRM are audio formats.
Display formats are JPEG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, and PNG.
Image formats and AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MPG, MPE, VOB, DAT, ADF, QuickTime MOV and WMV video formats

7.Docking cradles, power supply, AC adapters and cables, belt clips, personal speakers, headphones/ear buds, cases, car FM stereo transmitters, lanyards, sync adapters and management software are some of the accessories available with iPod or MP3 players.

8.Removable, rechargeable batteries are used in iPod or MP3 players, some use lithium, rechargeable Lithium-ion or lithium polymer rechargeable type batteries, while others use alkaline batteries.

9.Some players have vertical touch pads to make navigation easier than ever. These are micro-sized and curved to fit your hand, allowing for enjoyable pure ergonomic comfort and bliss.

10.If you get tired of your stored music, tune in to your favorite radio station with the built-in FM radio. As many as 32 preset stations are available on some iPod or MP3 players. Some players have games already loaded, while others allow you to download games for playing, as well.

11.Use the recording feature for multi-function convenience or record music from the FM tuner. With the built-in recorder in your iPod or MP3 player, you can record your babys first words, the interview at the office, or anything else that is important to you. Record messages to yourself and play them back later, never again forget that anniversary gift!!

12.Personal organizers including daily tasks list, contact list and calendar; which easily syncs with Microsoft Outlook, are available on Ipod and MP3 players with hard drives instead of flash drives.

13.Make your ears happy!!! Enjoy skip-free playback, with custom equalizer and pre-set EQ settings, this lets you get your music just the way you like it there are settings for acoustic, classical, disco, house, jazz, new age, pop, rock and vocal at the touch of a finger.

14.Ipod and MP3 players fit on your arm, in your pocket, on your belt, just about anywhere. Some iPod and MP3 players weight as little as 0.8 oz. The lightweight of the players makes them as portable as your lifestyle demands.

How To Set Up A Network In Your Home

§ February 1st, 2011 § Filed under Using Technology § No Comments

Most modern homes have any number of computers, printers, faxes, music systems and devices. These are increasingly being integrated so that each device can ‘talk’ to all the others and interact with them. While many of the possibilities are still being explored, the best place to start for the average person is with a home computer network.

Basically, if you have more than one computer in your house you can connect them, with ethernet cables or wirelessly, so that you can share your internet connection, share files and operate peripherals such as printers from any terminal.

As well as more practical advantages, having a home network is also ideal for leisure activities like gaming. As the technology advances, it is now becoming possible to hook networks up to gaming consoles, music speakers and even televisions.

However, for the purpose of this article we will just start with the basics. The two main choices when setting up a home network are a cable network or a wireless network. These are fairly self explanatory. Wireless networks are increasingly becoming the norm these days and are very handy if you have a notebook so you can connect from anywhere in the house. Wireless also has the advantages of having no cables cluttering your home. However, if you want to simply connect two desktop computers, using an ethernet cable could be a cheap and easy option if you do not have wireless.

Connecting two computers

The most basic exercise in networking is simply connecting two computers. This is very simple if you do not have an internet connection. So long as the two computers have networking interfaces you can simply connect using an ethernet cable.

However, most computers produced within the last couple of years have Wi-Fi. If so, an ad-hoc wireless network can be created between the two computers by configuring both terminals to ad-hoc mode. This is pretty simple to do in both Windows and OSX.

Similarly, if the computers have Bluetooth or infrared capabilities you can create a basic network, although transfer speeds can be slow. Of all these options, the cable network will provide the best transfer speeds. However, Wi-Fi speeds are improving all the time.

While there is only a limited amount you can do with a basic two-computer network, it is good practice if you have never set up a network before.

Setting up a network router

If you wish to incorporate an internet connection into the network, as most of us do, you will need to set up your home network with a router. This will also allow you to add more computers to the network as well as peripherals.

However, this process is a good deal more complex. Nevertheless, it is doable and is a skill that is well worth having. Once you do this once it will be will be a breeze the next time.

While cable routers are still commonly used, wireless is the way of the future so we will concentrate on wireless routers for this article. Before you start, you should have a few things to hand. Your computer and your router, of course, instructions for your wireless router, an ethernet cable, and your ISP’s contact details.

Your first steps are to plug in and turn on your router, connect it to your modem and to your computer (it is best to connect your computer and router by ethernet cable for the set-up process).

Now, you can use your browser to connect to your router’s built-in installation software. The urls http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1 will usually open up your router’s administration page. You do not need an internet connection for this. If this doesn’t work, consult the router’s instructions.

Log in to the administration page using the router’s provided username and password, usually ‘admin’ and ‘admin’ by default. Now you will have to enter the following information:

* Internet connection information
* You may have to input PPPoE information
* You may possibly have to change the default MAC address

If you run into difficulty here consult your ISP’s instructions or contact them. They will be able to guide you through this process.

When all the information has been inputted, save it. You should be ready to go now. All going well, your computer should have received an IP address from the router. Try opening your browser to see if you can address to some websites, any websites will do.

If you can access these websites you can unplug your cable and now connect wirelessly. Any other computers, notebooks and other wireless devices should also detect the signal and connect without any problems.

You now have a fully functional wireless home network. Be aware though that your network is most likely open and accessible from any computers in range of the signal so you should take steps to secure it. There is plenty of excellent information available on the internet on how to do this.

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