Google, Cisco, SAP said to be discussing BlackBerry bids

BlackBerry Ltd, on the block as its smartphone business struggles, is in talks with Cisco Systems, Google Inc and SAP about
selling them all or parts of itself, several sources close to the matter said.

    Such a deal would be an alternative to the preliminary agreement reached weeks ago with a group, led by BlackBerry's biggest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings, to take the company private for about $4.7 billion, a bid which has faced some skepticism because of financing questions.

  The company, based in Waterloo, Ontario, has asked for preliminary expressions of interest from potential strategic buyers, which also include Intel Corp and Asian companies LG and Samsung, by early next week.

It is unclear which parties will bid, if any. But the potential technology buyers have been especially interested in BlackBerry's secure server network and patent portfolio, although doubts about the assets' value remain an issue, the sources said.

    Google, Intel, Cisco, LG and SAP declined to comment. Samsung was not immediately available for comment.
Possible bidders are proceeding with caution given the uncertainty around BlackBerry, which last month reported a quarterly loss of nearly $1 billion after taking a writedown on unsold Z10 phones.

   The value of BlackBerry's patent portfolio and licensing agreements is likely to halve in the next 18 months, a company filing from this week shows, potentially limiting its attractiveness.
According to analysts, BlackBerry's assets include a shrinking yet well-regarded services business that powers its security-
focused messaging system, worth $3 billion to $4.5 billion; a collection of patents that could be worth $2 billion to $3 billion;
and $3.1 billion in cash and investments.

  Adding to the company's woes, it's likely to burn through almost $2 billion of its cash pile in the next year and a half, Bernstein
analyst Pierre Ferragu wrote on Thursday after studying the filing.
Private equity firms that have showed interest in BlackBerry - which also include Cerberus Capital Management - have asked the company and its advisers to provide additional financial details about its various business segments, two of the sources said.

    That process could take another few weeks, as BlackBerry focuses on taking bids from industry peers, the sources said.

   In August, the company said it was weighing its options, which could include an outright sale, after Reuters first reported. BlackBerry's board was warming up to the possibility of going private.
At that time, it formed a five-member special committee chaired by board director Timothy Dattels. Other members include
Chairman Barbara Stymiest, Chief Executive Thorsten Heins, Richard Lynch and Bert Nordberg.
A spokesman for BlackBerry said in an emailed statement to Reuters: "The special committee, with the assistance of BlackBerry's
independent financial and legal advisors, is conducting a robust and thorough review of strategic alternatives." He declined to
provide further comment.

JPMorgan Chase & Co and RBC Capital Markets are advising BlackBerry. The board is being advised by Perella Weinberg
Partners, the sources said. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Torys LLP are providing legal advice.

Extending an Olive branch to customers

After a gap of six years, Mobile News revisits Olive Communications at its plush new HQ and finds it in rude health, as one of the UK’s fastest-growing indirect dealer partners. Michael Garwood reports

B2B dealer Olive Communications has come a long way from the firm Mobile News first visited in 2007. Back then the company occupied a modest office situated down the road from Carphone Warehouse HQ in Acton.
Its primary business focus at the time was almost exclusively T-Mobile – but a surprise termination left some to think at the time that its days were numbered.

   Not so. Having switched allegiances to Vodafone – and more recently partnering with O2 – Olive is now one of the fastest growing indirect dealer partners in the UK, and having acquired fellow Platinum Wish Communications as Mobile News went to print, has a base in excess of 110,000 connections.

   Today, the firm is housed down the M4 in High Wycombe, occupying a plush, modern and spacious office.
The move was prompted by a mix of practicality, given the firm’s substantial rise in staff numbers (which we’ll come to), and the need to create the right impression for clients.

   Olive MD Martin Flick explains as we walk through the firm’s impressive products and services demonstration suite:

“We have big customers and some big aspirations so it’s right we have a decent office that’s presentable, that you can bring customers to. It’s fit for purpose.
“It’s part of the process of becoming more professional, more developed as an organisation and building some scale.

“The culture we are instilling in our staff is that we want to obsess about customer satisfaction. We want to be very professional in our
approach and the environment you work in is an important part of that – which is one of the reasons we moved into this office.”

New direction

Flick joined Olive in December, having left Azzurri, a firm with an £120 million turnover and 750 staff, after eight years. He replaced Olive
owner Mark Geraghty, who has taken on a more “back-seat” position as group manager. Flick has also become an equity partner in the
business.

Flick explains the lure of Olive stemmed from a long friendship between the two, with Geraghty once a salesman at Flick’s previous firm Axxent Voice and Data, which was sold to Azzurri in 2004.

“Mark worked for me in this business, and was one of our sales guys working for me. He then left me just before we sold and set up on his own. We have remained friends ever since and then he asked me to come back as an equity partner in December,” he says.

“We started discussing going into business together as he wanted to take the step from being an owner-managed smaller business, like a lot of the indirect businesses are, to becoming a full-on enterprise grade organisation.

“Mark had taken Olive to a point where they had grown phenomenally and built a great team and customer base. They wanted to take it
to the next level and broaden their expertise in the management team, which is why I joined.”
Acquisitions and familiar faces
As Mobile News went to press, confirmed acquisition numbers for Olive stood at nine in the past two years, accounting for almost 70,000
connections (45,000 from Wish), the majority of which are on Vodafone.
During this time, staff numbers at Olive have rocketed – through a mix of retaining those at the businesses acquired, but also as a result
of a change in management strategy.

By the end of 2012, staff numbers had gone from 15 to 65. Since Flick arrived, numbers have tipped 80, including familiar faces from his
previous business ventures. These include Paul Butler, co-founder of Axxent Voice and Data with Flick in 1997, who arrived as
commercial director, and Gráinne Gormley, who joined in April from Azzurri as head of corporate sales, having spent seven years as a
business development manager.

“Since I started, we’ve brought in 20 or more people – and that will continue to rise as part of our growth plans,” he says.

Restructure

Part of Flick’s remit was to enhance the firm’s credentials in the market – boosting its portfolio and focusing beyond just mobile. And
while Olive has in recent months placed a keen eye on the corporate end – and has a healthy number of corporate accounts on its books
– it remains true to its heritage, acquiring and supporting those in the SME space.

To do this, Flick has reorganised the business, effectively segregating the two bases and enabling dedicated staff to focus on each.

Smaller customers are now managed from a desk-based team in Olive’s Hatfield office, which ensures all enquiries are dealt with, while
conducting quarterly reviews for each customers.

The larger customers are typically managed by a field-based team – each visiting and managing customers’ accounts on a more personal basis.

Flick explains: “Olive was once very focused on the low end but that’s changed quite a lot, because we are now equally focused on all ends of the market and we think we can cover both really well.

“The requirements from customers are often very similar but the approach differs greatly, which is why we have segregated our base into two segments.

“Our desk-based team in Hatfield is tasked specifically with managing our smaller customers and obsesses about customer satisfaction.
We have some really good, loyal customers in that space, with good spend and a high dependency on their device.

“That team is managed entirely independently of our corporate team, which manages the larger customers from a field-based perspective.

We have a really solid account development plan – each of our customers has a specific number of customers they are managing
and there is a very structured way in which they are managed.”

Eight week wait for iPhone 5s colour variant

Customers facing an eight week wait for iPhone 5s in ‘gold’ – as Apple struggles to fulfil demand

Stock of the iPhone 5s 16GB is still low among UK operators, with some customers having to wait as long as eight weeks for a gold version of the device.

The gold iPhone 5s sold out on launch day (September 20), with Apple CEO Tim Cook telling customers the company is “working hard to
build enough new iPhones for everyone”.

However almost two weeks later and over-the-phone availability of the model, and all iPhone 5s devices, is still limited.

Vodafone customers have the longest wait, with the gold version taking six to eight weeks to deliver, and the silver and ‘space grey’ two to
four weeks.

O2 are only taking pre-orders, with delivery time an estimated two to three weeks.
Orange (part of EE) customers have been told to expect a wait of “up to” 30 days. The silver and space grey versions are taking seven days to deliver, with the gold taking nearer to 30.

T-Mobile (also part of EE) customers can get the space grey version within two days, while the silver is taking seven days and the gold “a
lot longer”.

Three’s estimated delivery date for the silver and space grey versions is October 11, for the gold October 28 (calls made October 3).

The customer service assistant at Three said that Apple was holding back stock to make the iPhone “seem more desirable”.

All delivery times given are for the 16GB iPhone 5s if ordered over the phone.

HTC announces first ever quarterly loss

Manufacturer says it made a loss of £63 million in Q3, with revenue below what it had predicted following Q2 results
HTC has reported its first quarterly loss as revenue also continued to decline.

Announcing unaudited financial results for the three months to September 30, the manufacturer made a net loss of NT$2.97 billion (£63
million).

   This compares to a profit of NT$1.25 billion (£27 million) in Q2, which was down 83 per cent from the previous quarter. For Q3 2012, HTC
posted a net profit NT$3.9 billion (£83 million).

    Revenue stood at NT$47.05 billion (£1 billion) for the latest quarter, down from NT$70.7 billion (£1.6 billion) in Q2. Its third quarter
revenue was below the forecast of between NT$50 billion (£1.06 billion) and NT$60 billion (£1.28 billion) made by HTC when it
announced its Q2 results in July.

   Following the publication of those figures, HTC CEO Peter Chou (pictured) said the firm had struggled “mainly” due to gaps in the mid-tier
market, having offered considerable focus in the high-end space.
It released the HTC One Mini at the start of August, with Chou saying the addition of such products would help it compete with rivals
across all price points.

    The manufacturer also launched its new marketing campaign later that month, fronted by Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jnr, debuting
its new brand slogan ‘Here’s To Change’.

Samsung Electronics predicts record Q3 profits of £5.8b

The 4G-enabled smartphone will be available from EE and retailers Carphone Warehouse and Tesco from tomorrow (October 5)

The Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 smartphone will go on sale in the UK tomorrow (October 5).
The 4G-enabled device runs on the Android operating system, and has a 4-inch display and five megapixel camera.

It features Smart Stay, technology which uses advanced facial recognition to detect when the phone is in use and saves battery life by
dimming the screen.

It will be available in the UK from EE stores, followed by selected retailers including Carphone Warehouse and Tesco.

Samsung vice president of IT and mobile Simon Stanford said: “Following the success of the Galaxy Ace 2, we are confident that our
customers will enjoy this new device when it hits the shelves this month.”

Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 to go on sale this weekend

The 4G-enabled smartphone will be available from EE and retailers Carphone Warehouse and Tesco from tomorrow (October 5)
The Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 smartphone will go on sale in the UK tomorrow (October 5).

The 4G-enabled device runs on the Android operating system, and has a 4-inch display and five megapixel camera.

It features Smart Stay, technology which uses advanced facial recognition to detect when the phone is in use and saves battery life by
dimming the screen.

It will be available in the UK from EE stores, followed by selected retailers including Carphone Warehouse and Tesco.

Samsung vice president of IT and mobile Simon Stanford said: “Following the success of the Galaxy Ace 2, we are confident that our
customers will enjoy this new device when it hits the shelves this month.”

Samsung Explains Galaxy Note 3 Benchmark Tweaking

Samsung explains why the Galaxy Note 3 kicks in to turbo when benchmarks are run.
Samsung is once again defending itself against accusations of
inflating benchmarks. Earlier this week, Ars Technica showed
evidence that the Galaxy Note 3 goes into a benchmark boost
mode when specific benchmark apps are run. Essentially the site
duplicated a popular benchmark, renamed it, and showed that the
phone maxed out all four cores at 2.3 GHz when running the
popular solution, but not when the renamed-yet-identical version
was running.

"The Galaxy Note 3 maximizes its CPU/GPU frequencies when
running features that demand substantial performance," Samsung
said in a statement to CNET UK. "This was not an attempt to exaggerate particular benchmarking results. We
remain committed to providing our customers with the best possible user experience."

Ars Technica said the benchmark mode is triggered by a file named "DVFSHelper.java" that contains a hard-
coded list of every package that is affected by the CPU boosting. This DVFSHelper function is used exclusively
for benchmarks, covering all the popular benchmarking apps including Geekbench, Quadrant, Antutu, Linpack,
GFXBench and several Samsung benchmarks.

The site grew suspicious when it noticed that the 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 chip in the Galaxy Note 3 was
outperforming the same chip in a similarly designed LG G2. The artificial boosting was discovered in the U.S.
version of the Note 3, giving the device a 20 percent boost over its natural score, which is similar to the LG G2
phone, if not slightly better.

Earlier this year, Samsung was caught inflating the benchmarks of its Galaxy S4, turning the phone's GPU up
to 533 MHz when specific benchmarks were running. Samsung said that under ordinary conditions, the
Galaxy S4 is designed to allow a maximum GPU frequency of 533 MHz. However, the maximum GPU
frequency is lowered to 480 MHz for certain gaming apps that may cause an overload, when they are used for
a prolonged period of time in full-screen mode.

Just days ago, it was revealed that it's not just Samsung artificially inflating benchmarks, but even Asus, HTC
and LG. Even more, nearly all Android device makers have been found to be participants in benchmark
inflation over the past several years. The only companies not appearing to tamper with benchmarks is Apple,
Motorola, Nvidia Shield, and Google with its Nexus devices.

In AnandTech's tests, smartphones affected by benchmark tampering included the Asus Padfone Infinity, the
HTC One, the HTC One Mini, the LG G2, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and the
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 and 2014 Edition tablets.

Acer's Gateway Intros New All-In-One PCs

At one time Gateway seemed to rule the PC market, turning up the
heat for Dell and HP by opening up its own brick-and-mortar
stores in towns nationwide. Those days are long gone, but the
Acer-owned subsidiary still lives on. The company's latest offering
is the Gateway One ZX4270 Series all-in-one (AIO) desktops,
sporting 19.5 inch HD+ no-glare LED-lit screens and prices
starting at a mere $399, or the cost of a decent 10 inch tablet.

"We're very pleased to offer this compelling platform that provides
a great balance of affordability and performance for those who need a PC for email, online shopping, social
media and productivity applications," said Frank Chang, director of product management for Gateway. "The
AIO form factor is easy to set up, attractive and saves space, so it fits nicely in space-constrained areas such
as the kitchen or office nooks."

The Gateway One ZX4270 AIO joins the company's ZX4970 and ZX6980 models, sporting a compact design
and measuring 18.9 (W) x 12.32 (W) x 2.13 (H) inches. The 19.5 inch screen has a 1600 x 900 resolution,
backed by CPU options up to an AMD Vision A4 5000 Processor (1.5 GHz, 2MB total cache), up to an AMD
Radeon HD 8300 Series GPU, and 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory.

This affordable AIO also provides up to 750 GB of storage space, Bluetooth 4.0 and presumably Wireless N
connectivity, and four USB 3.0 ports. Additional frequently used ports for the headphones, SD card reader,
two USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet and DC-in are located on one side of the chassis, while a slim optical DVD burner
resides on the other side. Two built-in 2.5 watt front-facing speakers, Windows 8 , and a Gateway mouse and
keyboard complete the AIO package.

"Gateway's newest Windows 8-powered all-in-one desktops meet the requirements of today's entry-level
computer users looking for their first AIO desktop or a value-priced solution that can meet basic computing
needs, while saving space," reads the press release. "They're ideal as a second or third PC for the home and
a great choice for those wanting a computer for online shopping, enjoying music, researching recipes,
checking Facebook, paying bills and more."

The Gateway One ZX4270 Series AIO desktops will be available this month with a starting price of $399.

TSMC Prepping 20nm Manufacturing Process.

TSMC appears to be busier than ever buying and preparing equipment to start the 20 nm production process.

A report from DigiTimes indicates that TSMC has been busy lately
with acquiring equipment and preparing to cross over to 20 nm
lithography. According to the report, the company will be making
the switch in Q1 2014. Shipments for the 16 nm HKMG process
have also started, and the company expects mass production of
FinFETs to commence about a year from now.

  The report also indicated that the company has tripled its revenues
from 28 nm wafers over 2013, as compared to 2012. The company
has raised its 2013 capex target to a staggering and record
breaking $9.5 to $10 billion.

   It is also reasonable to expect that the number of 28 nm chips will decrease as the 20 nm process starts,
meaning multiple firms might be switching over to the 20 nm production process simultaneously.

Deals Oct 4: 50" LG 720p Plasma HDTV $479.99 shipped

50" LG 50PN4500 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV for $479.99 with free shipping (normally $649.99).

Dell Inspiron 14 7000 Series (7437) 4th-gen Core i5 "Haswell" Touch Laptop w/ 6GB RAM, 500GB Hard
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17.3" Lenovo G710 4th-gen Core i5 "Haswell" Laptop (59400022) w/8GB RAM, 1TB HArd Drive for $599
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Dell 4-day Sale: Up to $400 off select Inspiron/XPS Dell Laptops & Desktops .

HP OfficeJet 6600 e-All-in-one Wireless Color Photo Printer w/ Scanner, Copier & Fax for $79.99 with free
shipping (normally $149.99 - use coupon code LOGICBUY20 ).

Dell Inspiron 15 (7000-series) 4th-gen Intel Core i5 "Haswell" Touch Laptop for $649.99 with free shipping
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15.6" Dell Precision M4800 4th-gen Core i7 "Haswell" Mobile Workstation w/ Quad HD+ 3200x1800 Anti-
glare LCD, 8GB RAM, 750GB Hard Drive, 2GB Quadro K2100M Graphics for $1,989 with free shipping
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Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor (Black/Silver) for $75.95 with free shipping (normally $89).

ZAGGwipes Antibacterial XL for $9.99 with free shipping .

ZAGGSparq 1220 Portable Battery / Wall Adapter for $39.99 with free shipping.

Symantec Norton 360 2013 3PC License (Download) for $28.99 only (normally $39).

Steelcase Cachet Chair for $395.65 with free shipping (normally $469).

Valve Finally Reveals Steam Machine Prototype Specs

The prototypes will be based on Nvidia GPUs and Intel CPUs.

The Steam Universe group page has been updated with the specs of Valve's prototypes being distributed to
300 testers later this month. Valve also explains the creation of its own hardware set given there will be plenty
of partners on board offering complete Steam Machines solutions. Valve designer Greg "Gregori" Coomer says
the company wanted to accomplish some specific design goals that in the past others weren't yet tackling.

    "One of them was to combine high-end power with a living-room-
friendly form factor," he writes. "Another was to help us test living-
room scenarios on a box that's as open as possible. So for our
own first prototype Steam Machine (the one we're shipping to 300
Steam users), we've chosen to build something special."

    That something special will feature units with either a Nvidia Titan,
GTX 780, GTX 760 or GTX 660 GPU. On the CPU front, some boxes
will have Intel's Core i7-4770, some with the Core i5-4750, and
some with Core i3 processors. Available RAM will be 16 GB
DDR3-1600 (CPU) and 3 GB DDR5 (GPU), and storage will be
provided by a hybrid SSHD with 1 TB for storage and 8 GB for cache. Power will be handled by an internal
450 watt 80 Plus Gold power supply.

   As for the actual living-room friendly size, the prototype dimensions will be 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 inches. To put
that into perspective, the upcoming Xbox One will supposedly measure 10.86 x 13.18 x 2.96, making this
prototype roughly the same size.

   "The prototype machine is a high-end, high-performance box, built out of off-the-shelf PC parts," Coomer
writes. "It is also fully upgradable, allowing any user to swap out the GPU, hard drive, CPU, even the
motherboard if you really want to. Apart from the custom enclosure, anyone can go and build exactly the
same machine by shopping for components and assembling it themselves. And we expect that at least a few
people will do just that. We'll also share the source CAD files for our enclosure, in case people want to
replicate it as well."

   "And to be clear, this design is not meant to serve the needs of all of the tens of millions of Steam users. It
may, however, be the kind of machine that a significant percentage of Steam users would actually want to
purchase - those who want plenty of performance in a high-end living room package," he adds. "Many others
would opt for machines that have been more carefully designed to cost less, or to be tiny, or super quiet, and
there will be Steam Machines that fit those descriptions."

   From a hardware perspective, the Steam ecosystem will change over time, he says, thus any upgrades will be
at the owner's discretion. Later on the company will talk about how Steam will help customers understand
the differences between the machines, the strengths and weaknesses of hardware, and upgrade decisions.
The company also plans to release images of the prototypes before the units are shipped later on – they're
currently not ready for showcasing.

   "The prototype we're talking about here is not meant to replace [a customer's current performance PC]," he
says. "Many of those users would like to have a way to bridge the gap into the living room without giving up
their existing hardware and without spending lots of money. We think that's a great goal, and we're working
on ways to use our in-home streaming technology to accomplish it - we'll talk more about that in the future."
Ouch! No AMD? Probably not given Nvidia's involvement with SteamOS and all this talk of "streaming" PC
games to the Linux-based machine. Also, did you notice all the Shield-friendly Kepler GPUs?

Amazon Phones Could Pack Four Cameras for 3D Effects

Amazon's high-end phone will supposedly have four cameras on the front to create a 3D interface.

What was interesting about the Kindle Fire HDX announcement
weeks ago was that Amazon introduced the Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito"
platform separately, a first for the company thus far. The big
surprise was the software's support for enterprise including a
native VPN client, a native SCEP (Simple Certificate Exchange
Protocol) client, and device management APIs. Thus the tablet can
be used in a BYOD environment, as could a Fire OS-based
smartphone.

  Just recently, Amazon was discovered to have trademarked
"Firetube," and a follow-up report by the Wall Street Journal
claimed that the rumored set-top-box will likely ship before the end of the year, with Fire OS 3.0 possibly
intact. This would make sense if Amazon is looking for the same multi-device experience Microsoft is
shooting for with Windows 8.

   Now TechCrunch is firing up the smartphone rumors with additional insider info. Previously, we heard that
Amazon was working on multiple phones, one of which supposedly is a high-end device with a glasses-free
3D screen. The rumored 3D phone was said to feature retina-tracking software that will make images seem to
float above the smartphone screen like a three-dimensional hologram, complete at every viewing angle. Users
will reportedly be able to navigate through content by merely using their eyes -- so the sources claim.

   Both phones were reportedly part of Project B, one of many "Alphabet" projects under development inside
Amazon's Lab126 facility in California. Sources recently claimed that the high-end phone eventually moved
to a "Duke" codename, and is now using "Smith." The screen itself will not be 3D, but the device will have a
camera mounted on each corner of it, totaling four (or five if you count the one on the back for taking
pictures), to track eye and head motions. The interface will be generated based on the user's point of view,
emulating 3D.

   Users will supposedly be able to move their head and see on-screen buttons for a media player, and "peek"
off the edges of the screen to see items not visible from the front. These two features are reportedly still
experimental, and could be toned down in the final version if Amazon decides they'll be useful.

   Sources also claim that Amazon has been testing software so that the device recognizes the user's face. This
in turn prevents the phone from generating a 3D perspective for other people nearby such as customers
standing behind the user in a store, and so on. Amazon has also been testing a Goggles-like app that allows
users to take pictures of objects and match them on Amazon.

  The report states that this high-end phone will not make an appearance this year, and so far it's unknown
what OS will be used. That leads us to the inexpensive model that supposedly will ship with Fire OS, possibly
this year along with the Firetube set-top-box. Amazon denied earlier reports of a 2013 release supposedly
because the target date has been shifting around and could end up pushed into 2014. The company also
denied that any Amazon phone would be offered for free , yet there's a good chance Amazon will lower the
cost using the same ad-based model seen on the Kindle Fire tablets.

  Each phone is reportedly shipped around internally inside a locked steel case, with only the screen appearing,
to prevent leaks. The devices are not allowed to leave the building, thus engineers can't even work on the
phones from home. The development teams are split between Seattle and Sunnyvale, and engineers from
other projects have reportedly been pulled to the phones, reducing the staff on other hardware projects.

Archos Launches Three New Platinum Tablets

Archos is launching new Platinum tablets this month.

     After teasing us with the devices back at the end of August,
Archos has released its updated line of "Platinum" tablets
including the Archos 97b Platinum HD , the Archos 101 Platinum
and the Archos 80b Platinum. All three have the same quad-core
ARM Cortex-A9 28 nm chip clocked at 1.6 GHz, the same 8 GB of
internal storage, and a microSD card slot for adding up to 64 GB
of additional storage. The devices are slated to arrive this month,
but so far Archos isn't providing the pricing details.

   According to the specs, the Archos 101 Platinum will have a 10.1
inch IPS screen with a 1280 x 800 resolution, 2 GB of DDR3
memory, a 0.3MP camera on the front and a 2MP camera on the back. Also thrown into the mix will be dual-
band Wi-Fi (presumably 802.11n) and Bluetooth connectivity, a G-Sensor, a built-in microphone, a built-in
speaker, miniHDMI output, a 3.5 mm audio jack, a microUSB 2.0 port, and Android 4.2 "Jelly Bean." Of the
three, this is the only tablet with GPS.

       Next in line is the Archos 97b Platinum HD.

This tablet will have a
9.7 inch IPS screen with a huge 2048 x 1536 resolution, 2 GB of
DDR3 memory, a 2MP camera on the front and a 2MP camera on
the back. Meanwhile, the Archos 80b Platinum tablet will have an
8 inch IPS screen with a 1024 x 768 resolution, 1 GB of DDR3
memory, a 0.3MP camera on the front and a 2MP camera on the
back.

      Outside those specs, these two smaller tablets will have the same
features as the 10.1 inch model save for the GPS. All three support USB OTG, meaning users can connect a
peripheral and possibly even an external drive or USB stick . All three will also support Wireless Display,
allowing users to display content on the tablet directly on a compatible wireless TV with the touch of a
button. Naturally, the miniHDMI port provides a physical connection to a supported HDTV or monitor.

    The specs show that the 10.1 inch model will measure just 0.39 inches thin
and weigh 1.4 pounds. The 9.7 inch model will measure 0.35 inches thin and
weigh 1.4 pounds, and the 8 inch model will measure 0.38 inches thin and
weigh 0.97 pounds.

      "As a pioneer in the portable technology market, our company philosophy
has always been to provide innovative solutions to consumers at the best
price possible," says Loic Poirier, CEO of Archos. "It is our intention to
strengthen this philosophy by directly challenging the current leading tablet
brands with a high quality product that has the best specs and aesthetic
design available at a lower price. The combination of features and design of
the 97b Platinum HD and 101 Platinum tablets will put them in front of the iPad 4 and Galaxy tab3's at a
better price."

Xigmatek Introduces High-End Aquila Micro-ATX Case-T-P news

Xigmatek has introduced its new Aquila Micro-ATX chassis, which can hold graphics cards up to 330 mm
long.

  Xikmatek has announced a new chassis, the Aquila. The Aquila is a Micro-ATX chassis in which the
motherboard is mounted horizontally, rather than vertically, not unlike a number of Mini-ITX enclosures.

    The enclosure can house a large number of high-end parts. Due to its size, it can house graphics cards up to
330 mm long, as well as CPU coolers up to 180 mm tall -- quite an achievement for a compact Micro-ATX
enclosure. Moreover, the unit will house one optical drive, as well as two 3.5" drives and another two 2.5"
drives. The case also holds full-size ATX power supplies.

   Natively, the enclosure can hold either a 120 mm or 140 mm front intake fan, though through a couple of
changes users will be able to fit a massive 200 mm intake fan. The top of the enclosure can hold two 140
mm fans (and as such also a 280 mm radiator), and the rear of the case will house another 140 mm exhaust
fan. Cooling shouldn't be a concern.

Front I/O connectivity is handled by a pair of USB 3.0 ports as well as an HD microphone and headphone set
of jacks.

   Natively, the enclosure can hold either a 120 mm or 140 mm front intake fan, though through a couple of
changes users will be able to fit a massive 200 mm intake fan. The top of the enclosure can hold two 140
mm fans (and as such also a 280 mm radiator), and the rear of the case will house another 140 mm exhaust
fan. Cooling shouldn't be a concern.

Front I/O connectivity is handled by a pair of USB 3.0 ports as well as an HD microphone and headphone set
of jacks.

There was no word on pricing or availability.

HGST Launches Endurastar J4K320 Automotive Hard Drive-Top TP News

The HGST Endurastar J4K320 is a family of single-platter hard drives designed for automotive use.

HGST has launched its 6th generation of Endurastar automotive hard drives, the
J4K320, which is rated to operate at altitudes of up to 5,500 meters, has a
temperature range of -30° C to 85° C and a shock tolerance of 300 G (2 ms).
  
        The drives also include the company's patented Thermal Fly-height Control
(TFC) technology which "can compensate the head/media distance variations
caused by altitude and temperature changes."

       The J4K320 family features a 9.5 mm 2.5-inch form factor, a SATA 1.5 Gb/s
interface, a single physical platter with two data heads, and is available in
capacities of 80 GB, 100 GB, 200 GB, 250 GB and 320 GB.

Long Beeping sound when turning on the computer.

Problem-1

      Every time I try to turn my PC I hear a long beep sound and its coming from the middle part where my
video card was inserted and it has no display in my monitor. is there any serious problem happened
in my pc? do I have to replace anything? or can you suggest what should i do?

Solution-1

     If it is really coming from your video card usually that would mean it's not receiving enough power like
one of the extra pci-e power cords is bad or something. What video card do you have, and how many
if any power plugs are in it?
If it isn't the card then it is the motherboard making the beep, if that is the case we need to know your
motherboard model to be able to lookup the meaning of the tone.
     

Problem

        I no good about computers but I see here is a HP FOXCONN P6055d and my video card is Palit GTX
550 Ti 1gb and my power supply is a Powerchoice 550w. Tell me if I got the wrong answer about the
motherboard?

Solution

       Well I'd think that the most common reason that might happen (and probably the easiest to fix!) is
that the ram is either bad or not seated correctly. Try pulling the ram out, blowing out any dust, and
reseating it. Might want to try the same with the video card.
Another thing, check your GPU and see if you need to plug in any additional power input from the
PSU.
I can't find anything saying that your GPU has a buzzer, so my guess is the beeping you are hearing
is from the motherboard, not the GPU. That doesn't necessarily mean that the GPU isn't causing the
beeping though. Have you messed with the voltage on the GPU?

My key board works well in boot menu not in desktop why?

Friend you need to install the driver for keyboard you can done it by cd installation.

Display Multiple Clocks in System Tray

Many users need to keep track of time in multiple time zones, there‟s a nice feature in Windows 7 to help users keep track of time in Multiple Time zones. The feature is multiple clocks in your system tray.

This feature can display up to 3 clocks in your taskbar from 3 different Time Zones.   

Click on the Clock in System tray  Next, click on the „Change date and time settings‟ to open Date and Time Window

Click on the tab for Additional Clocks.    Here you can add up to two additional clocks .Enter time Zone and Clock Display name. Check the „Show this clock‟ box to enable the clock.  Click OK

Display a Message at Start Up

At the time of Windows boot up a popup message can be added which contains any message you wish to display. In many organizations there a display of a message to display instructions or policies of Organization etc. in Windows, whenever you boot it.

      Here is how you can do it too:   Open Registry Editor (Go to Start Run type Regedit & press enter)  Navigate to : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\System   In the Right Side pane select & open LegalNoticeCaption and enter a value that you want to see in the Menu Bar. 

    Next to it open LegalNoticeText and insert the message you want to display each time Windows boots.   Close Registry & Restart for changes to take effect

Disable Wallpaper Change in Windows 7

Desktop wallpaper can be restricted and can be set against any change for wallpaper. Often Administrators in an organization feels their need to put their Organization wallpaper on their computer which is fixed and cannot be changed by any other user on that computer.

     This can be done easily using a Group policy editor setting. Although the same can be done with Registry, Third party Software. This setting lets you specify the wallpaper on user‟s desktops and prevents users from changing the image or its presentation.  

       Open Run Dialogue Box (Win + R) and type gpedit.msc  Navigate to Local Computer policy > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop in left hand side pane.  Select Desktop Wallpaper setting from right side pane.  Open it and enable it. 

   To use this setting, type the fully qualified path and name of the file that stores the wallpaper image. You can type a local path, such as C:\Windows\web\wallpaper\home.jpg. Also this setting specifies that the wallpaper image be centered, tiled, or stretched.  Press OK

Desktop wallpaper Slideshow: Shuffle Desktop background

 Windows 7 has a new feature which can display all wallpapers in a desktop Slideshow. Earlier there were few software that can display a slideshow of all your Wallpapers (Webshots being one of the most popular).

   To setup a desktop slideshow:   Right-click at the desktop  Select Personalize > Desktop Background Here you can browse the Picture location to select a folder to choose images for desktop slideshow

Select and click as many images from the folder you want for desktop slideshow.  Duration of slideshow can be chosen (anything from daily to once every 10 seconds), also order of appearance can be selected as sequential or shuffle.   Click Save Changes and enjoy the Slideshow

Customize Windows 7 Power Button Action

The “Shut Down” button in Windows 7 can be customized with another action, if you use shut down action very rarely, but you more often restart it or put it on hibernate.

    To change the action of shutdown button, Right click the Start Button, go to Properties and choose the „Power Boot Action” to do whatever you want, from the given options. It will give you a drop down list amongst following option to select from.  Switch user  Log off  Lock  Restart  Sleep  Hibernate  Shutdown

Customize UAC in Windows 7

Windows 7 User Account Control displays less warning than UAC in Vista, and lets you customize UAC according to your need and preference between security and a less annoying desktop experience.

    UAC prompts in Windows 7 are not as much as in Vista as very few programs require elevation, and Administrator can adjust these UAC prompts.  Go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control Settings

Here you can select when to notify or bring the UAC prompt. There are 4 levels of security which includes:   Always Notify   Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer  Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop)  Never Notify Select them according to your balance between security and desktop experience and adjust the level of UAC prompt. Any change to the level of the UAC will prompt for confirmation.

Customize the Windows 7 log-on screen

Windows 7 makes it easy changing the Windows log-on screen.

1. Go to start, and click on Run, type Regedit & press enter there.

2. Navigate to : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVe rsion\Authentication\ LogonUI\Background 

3. Double-click the OEMBackground DWORD key 

4. Set value of the key to 1.

5. Select a background image for Logon Screen with size less than 256KB in size (Use of Image Resize software like VSO Resizer can help)

6. Copy that image into the C:\Windows\system32\oobe\info\backgrounds folder 

7. Rename the image to backgroundDefault.jpg

8. Reboot, and now your logon Image would have changed

    Here you can select when to notify or bring the UAC prompt. There are 4 levels of security which includes:   Always Notify   Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer  Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop)  Never Notify Select them according to your balance between security and desktop experience and adjust the level of UAC prompt. Any change to the level of the UAC will prompt for confirmation.

Create new instance of an Application in Windows 7 Super Taskbar

In windows 7 Taskbar instance of an application can easily be created by using Win + Number Key. Here number key signifies the position of the Application in the Taskbar. If you press Windows + 1, it will create a new instance of the first icon in the task bar.

      In the taskbar Shown here it will open an instance of Internet Explorer while Win+5 open Windows media Player, Win+7 to Windows Live writer and so on. Now that‟s when i wish there must be Double digit Keys as well in Keyboard

Create new instance of an Application in Windows 7 Super Taskbar

In windows 7 Taskbar instance of an application can easily be created by using Win + Number Key. Here number key signifies the position of the Application in the Taskbar. If you press Windows + 1, it will create a new instance of the first icon in the task bar.

      In the taskbar Shown here it will open an instance of Internet Explorer while Win+5 open Windows media Player, Win+7 to Windows Live writer and so on. Now that‟s when i wish there must be Double digit Keys as well in Keyboard

Copy Command Prompt Output in windows 7

Windows 7 command prompt can be used with a clip utility that can used to copy the contents of the command prompt output into clipboard. It is very much similar like the way tee command works in UNIX. Tee command pipelines the output of a command in UNIX to another file.

   In Windows 7 we can use the „Clip‟ utility to copy the text of command prompt. Adding clip next to any command copy the output. Syntax for Clipping the Command prompt output: “Command | clip” .You need to type the command followed by Clip in the Command prompt. e.g.  > f:\dir | clip will copy the output of the command in clipboard; though it won‟t be displayed .

   You can further paste the “clapboarded text” to notepad or WordPad

Check Windows Version in Windows7.

Windows Version tells the exact Build of OS and service Pack you are using. You can simply check it by using Winver Command.

  Open Run Dialog box by using Win+R and type “Winver” there without quotes. This will bring a Windows which has OS details such as Windows details.

  Alternatively you can also use the Command prompt to find the information. Type “Winver” in command prompt. It would display all details in command prompt. P.S. Don‟t go by Screenshot details of this one. I am using Windows 7 Ultimate RTM @ my desktop and would be using the same once i fix up some issues with my Dell Studio

Assign Keyboard Shortcuts for Programs-for windows7

Application can be assigned a shortcut key in Windows 7. The application would launch when the combo of keys is pressed which you entered as the Shortcut Key for that application. To create Shortcut key for any application in Windows 7:

1. Right-click the program icon and select Properties. 

2. Select the Shortcut tab

3. Click in Shortcut key textbox 

4. Enter the keyboard shortcut for that program.

5. Press OK to exit.

6. Use the Keyboard shortcut combo to launch the application.

Like the way i have used a combo of keys Ctrl+Alt+C to launch calculator application other applications can also be launched using Shortcut keys

Application based Volume Mixer-for windows7

Volume Mixer in Windows 7, not just show device volume but also lists all applications that are currently running and producing the audio. You can control the audio of any of the application from there on. So when you are having more than one application that is producing sound you can control from here and stop it as well.

    @ the time when i snipped the screen, there were few applications running on my system, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, few media players Windows Media Player, VLC Media player, QuickTime and one video clip was also being played in Windows Live photo gallery (yes it can play Video as well apart from Images

Access Jump Lists with the Left Mouse Button-Trick for windows 7

Jump Lists are a new feature in Windows 7 that shows recently used files for a particular application or related tasks to an application.
 
  Jumplists can be accessed by right clicking an application icon in Windows 7 taskbar. Although it can be accessed by left clicking an application icon and while holding the mouse click dragging the icon upwards. i.e.

  Right click and drag the application icon upwards to access jumplists in Windows 7 using Left Mouse button. The more you drag icon upwards the lesser transparency of Jumplist becomes. In above screenshot, case 1 shows when Jumplist invoked through right click and application icon is not dragged much upwards while case 2 shows solid Jumplist when application icon is dragged upwards completely.

Trick In 2013 To Boost Your Coputer and Internet Speed . Best tips in 2013.

CPU/Processor

    The “Brain” of your computer –can be replaced but most of the time it isn’t worth the effort.

RAM/Memory.

     Where stuff waits before it is processed ‐typically easily replaced or upgraded –4GB max for 32‐bit OS and
 4+ GB for 64‐bit OS.

OS/Operating System

      The instructions for the CPU –are you running the most current version, service pack and updates.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Auto‐Starting Programs

       Programs that automatically start when you start the computer or log in –Many not needed, hog memory and processor time.

Viruses/Spyware/Malware/etc.

       Malicious programs that exploit weaknesses to do many bad things –Steal identity, track you, corrupt files

Fragmented Hard Drive

     The files on your hard drive are jumbled and not in the most efficient order –Happens just by creating and 
modifying files

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Empty your Recycle Bin/Trash/Deleted Items/Internet Temp files

    Doesn’t necessarily speed things up a lot but it is a good practice –can help internet browsing

Dust

    Vacuum out/Blow out your computer

Heat

     Make sure you have good ventilation so your computer can breath

______________________________________________________________________

MSconfig

   Run from the command or run line in both Windows XP and VistaAllows you to see what is being 
called at startupCan be a bit complex.

Startup Optimizer 

      1.6. Nice interface –easier to use than MsconfigSometimes overstates threat level

Registry

    For advansed users only.

________________________________________________

Preventing THE VIRUS.

Prevention is the best method

   Keep Windows  and other Microsoft applications up to date using Microsoft Update 
(not Windows Update)

    Install Anti‐virus software and keep it up to date▪Check out Antivir, AVG Free or Avast–they’re free

   Make sure the windows firewall is on or you have another form of firewallRun Secuniato check for 
other updates.

_______________________________

I think my computer is infected now what?

    Did you have anti‐virus running?

   ▪Yes –you probably have Malware or Spyware
   ▪Run Anti‐Malware/Anti‐Spyware scannersSuch as Malware Bytes, SuperAntiSpywareand SpybotS&D
   ▪No –Shame on you
   ▪Install and run Anti‐virus software
   ▪Run Anti‐Malware/Anti‐Spyware scanners

_____________________________________________

My Anti‐virus software won’t install or it stops running shortly after I enable it

You most likely have a virus that is disabling it or preventing it from being installed

▪Try booting into safe mode F8  and running virus scan ▪Run a virus rescue tool off a flash drive or CD (Sunbelt VipreRescue, McafeeStinger) ▪Worst case backup files and reformat the hard drive and start fresh

________________________________________________

Both Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 have built in defrag programs

Free Defrag utilities usually do a much better job than the built in defrag

Good free defrag programs include:

  ▪Auslogics–Disk Defrag
  ▪Piriform–Defraggler
  ▪My Defrag
  ▪Ultra Defrag

___________________________________________________

Keep IE up to date

   Get IE 8 it does a very good job at protecting you as you browse

▪IE 8 Privacy mode –great idea when banking on lineUse FireFox–keep it up to date

Extra safety with NoScriptand Adblock
Use common sense if something doesn’t look right don’t click on it ‐Taskmanger

_______________

Tech Republic ‐http://techrepublic.com.com/

Large amounts of information for all levels

▪Check out 10 Things –great quick way to bring yourself up to speed on a lot of things
▪Tons of e‐mail news letters
▪Utility software reviews and comparisons

_______________________

C‐Net ‐http://www.cnet.com/

   Good place to go for reviews on consumer electronics and tech gadgetsInformation about tech terms to 
help you make better decisions

_________________________

OnGuardOnline ‐http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/overview.aspx

  Government Site with good information about online safety and avoiding scams

___________________________

Tom’s Hardware ‐http://www.tomshardware.com/us/

My Favorite site for in depth hardware comparisonsIt can be pretty technical but normally they do a great job explaining things

_______________________

Free Anti‐Virus

AvastAnti‐Virus:  http://www.avast.com/

AVG Anti‐Virus : http://free.avg.com/

AviraAntivirAnti‐Virus:  http://www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php

_______________________
Emergency Removal Tools

VipreRescue by Sunbelt –Something to try when all else fails:  http://live.sunbeltsoftware.com/

McafeeStinger: http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger

________________________

Anti Spyware/Malware

Malwarebytes:  http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

Spybot‐Search &  Destroy : http://www.safer‐networking.org/en/index.html

SUPERAntiSpyware:  http://www.superantispyware.com

_______________________

Specific Software Removal Tools

McafeeAntivirus –Sometime you need help uninstalling Mcafee:  http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exeNorton/

Symantec Antivirus: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2007080716174339?Open&docid=2005033108162039&nsf=tsgeninfo.nsf&view=docid

WildTangent:  http://www.pchell.com/downloads/WTRemover.exe

___________________

Free Disk Defrag

AuslogicsDisk Defrag:  http://www.auslogics.com/disk‐defrag

Defraggler: http://www.defraggler.com/

My Defrag:  http://www.mydefrag.com/

UltraDefrag–Download: http://sourceforge.net/projects/ultradefrag/files/

UltraDefrag–Instruction:  http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window‐on‐windows/?p=1397

______________________

Registry CleanerCCleaner–comes with registry cleanrer

EusingRegistry Cleaner ‐Free:  http://www.eusing.com/

RegCure–Free Trial pay to be usable: http://www.regcure.com/lp/revenuewire/11/

Registry Fix–Free Trial pay to be usable: http://www.registryfix.com/?hop=reviewb

____________________

Utilities

CCleaner–Temp cleaner, MRU cleaner, Registry cleaner:  http://www.ccleaner.com/

Cropper in C# ‐Free Screen Capture utility: http://blogs.geekdojo.net/brian/articles/Cropper.aspx

Crossloop–Free screen sharing tool: http://www.crossloop.com/ipage.htm?id=predownloadCute

PDF–Free PDF printer: http://www.cutepdf.com

__________________

Utilities

PC Decrapifier–Uninstall junk software on computer:  http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

Process Explorer –An improved task manager: http://technet.microsoft.com/en‐us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx

Secunia–Notifies you of updates: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/

Space Monger ‐See what is taking up space: http://www.sixty‐five.cc/sm/v1x.php

_______________________________

Utilities

Startup Optimizer 1.6 –Helps sort through startup programs: http://download.cnet.com/

Startup‐Optimizer/3000‐2086_4‐10526639.html

TCPView–View network connections:  http://technet.microsoft.com/en‐us/sysinternals/bb897437.aspx

Windows Installer Cleanup Utility: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

Winsock XP Fix –Works best on XP can be run on Vista: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/winsockxpfix.html

Vista reset networking ‐at command line run netshwinsockreset

______________________

Most useful Computer Tips & Tricks.

Tip #1 - To increase (or decrease) the default font size on your Web browser (so the Web pages you are viewing are easier to read), on the Web browser menu, go to View > Text Size and select the size you want. The font size will stay this way until you change it. You can also enlarge the text on any Web page by pressing Ctrl and the plus or minus keys (for bigger or smaller fonts). 

Tip #2 - You can tap the Space bar on the keyboard to scroll down on a Web page one screenful at a time. Add the Shift key (Shift + Space bar) to scroll back up. You can also use the arrow keys or the page up/page down keys on the keyboard to move up and down.

Tip #3 - You can switch or toggle from one open program to the next by pressing Alt key plus the Tab key (Alt+Tab). Also look down at the taskbar at the bottom of the computer screen and any program that you have open will be showing.

Tip #4 - You don’t have to type “http://www” into your Web browser.  Just type the remainder: “nytimes.com” or “dilbert.com,” for example.

Tip #5 - Copying and pasting text – If you want to copy some text from a Web site or document and paste it into another document, click on the first word of the text you want and, holding down your left mouse button, drag the cursor over the text you want to copy. Then hit the Control key (Ctrl) and the letter C on your keyboard. To paste this onto another document (Word, e-mail, etc.), toggle over to that document and hit the Control key (Ctrl) and the letter V on your keyboard. NOTE: If you don’t want to paste the text w/formatting, pictures, etc., instead of hitting CTRL+V, click on Edit on the menu bar of Word and choose Paste Special and choose unformatted text. 

Tip #6 - The most commonly used feature in Internet browsers is the back button. However, all browsers also have a small black down arrow to the right of the back button. This button allows you to easily see the history of the last 5-10 pages you've visited and quickly get back to them. This feature is especially helpful for those pesky pages that forward you back to a page each time you press the back button or for when you wish to move back several pages but don't want to have to press the back button several times

Tip #7 - Delete browsing history - You will be amazed at how many files you collect when you browse the internet, including temporary internet files, cookies, history, form data, and passwords. To keep your computer running smoothly you must regularly delete all of this junk. If you are a person that likes the computer filling in your passwords you should probably leave the cookies and the passwords.  To get there open Internet Explorer. On the menu bar, go to Tools and choose Delete Browsing History. This will take you to a menu like the screenshot below: You can choose to Delete all at the bottom or you can delete them individually. 

Tip #8 - If you’d like to set your browser so that you do not keep your Internet history (default is 20 days), i.e., a list of Web sites you’ve visited, you can do that by going to Tools > Internet Options (on the library’s public computers, this will be blocked, so you need to go to View and choose Web Page Privacy Policy and then the Settings button).  On the General tab, next to the heading, Browsing history, click on the Delete button.  Instead of hitting Delete under Browsing history, click on the Settings button. Under the History section, you’ll see the number of days to keep pages in the history. At the library, we keep this at zero, but at home, it’s probably something different, like 20 days.  You can change it to zero. 

Tip #9 – The General tab is also the place to go see what your home page is set at (if you don’t feel like clicking on the house icon on your browser) and where you can set your search default (again, if you don’t want to do that from the browser, where it shows in the upper-right corner).

Tip #10 - If you want to set your browser up so that the temporary files are ALWAYS deleted after you close the browser window, click on the Advanced tab. Scroll down until you get to the Security section. Check the box for ‘Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.’ Make sure to Apply and hit OK.

Tip #11 - File extensions – Say someone sends you a file attached to an e-mail. The file will have a name and an extension. File extensions basically let you know what type of information is contained in a particular file. For example a Microsoft Word file has the .doc or docx extension. The .jpeg or sometimes the .jpg is a file extension for a certain type of graphic (photo). Here are some other examples of file extensions: .exe (An executable file, usually the file that starts a program.)  .pdf (Portable Document Format, is a file format created by Adobe Systems. Most office documents come in .pdf file format.)  .Doc/.docx – Microsoft Word document (if an ‘x’ is included, it’s version 2007) .xls/.xlxx – Microsoft Excel  workbook/worksheet (if an ‘x’ is included, it’s version 2007) .ppt/.pptx – Microsoft Power Point presentation (if an ‘x’ is included, it’s version 2007) .zip/.rar (These could be any file but they have been compressed and packed away to a smaller size. When unpacked or unzipped it will become what it was originally.)  .wav/ .mp3 (music files)  .jpg/.gif/.bmp (Picture file formats)

Tip #12 - Send a friend the web page you are viewing (or a link to the Web page) using the default mail program on your computer by clicking File > Send (or click the Pages button on the browser menu bar) and either "Page by E-mail" or “Link by E-mail.” Otherwise, just copy the URL in the browser address section and paste it in an e-mail.

Tip #13 - To stop those annoying pop-up ads, on your Web browser, go to Tools > Pop-up Blocker and turn on/off or enable just for this site. NOTE: For some Web sites to function properly, specifically the library’s online catalog (http://innopac.fauquiercounty.gov), you must allow pop-ups. 

Tip #14 - Bookmarks - Quickly bookmark any web page in all major browsers by pressing CTRL + D on your keyboard. Pressing these two keys together will open the bookmarks or favorites for your browser and allow you to quickly place a bookmark for the page you're currently at. Otherwise, on your browser, click the Add to Favorites button, which is the star with the green plus sign to the left of it. Or, go to Favorites > Add to Favorites (you can organize your favorites into categories). If you haven’t organized your favorites into folders (topics) and want to have an easier way to view the list, alphabetically, click your right mouse button and select Sort by Name.

Tip #15 - RSS Feeds - RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. It is technology you can use to have information sent to you, rather than having to go look for it. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it. RSS solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site's email newsletter. You can tell whether a Web site provides RSS by noting the RSS button on Internet Explorer. If it’s grayed out, that means no RSS. If it turns orange, you can click on it and just get the RSS (no ads, etc.). To subscribe to the feed itself, click the Subscribe to Feed link. When you want to come back to the feed(s) later, simply click on the star button on your browser (Favorites Center) and click the Feeds link. You’ll see a list of any Feeds you’ve subscribed to. NOTE: There are several Web sites on the Internet that maintain large listings of available RSS Feeds. These sites include Syndic8.com, CompleteRSS, and Search 4 RSS.

Tip #16 - Suppose you’re looking at a Web page and there is a link on the page you want to click on. However, you don’t want to lose the page you’re on.  You can open that link in a new browser window by holding down the Shift key on your keyboard and clicking on the link.

Tip #17 - Printing sections of a page - Save on your printer ink by selectively printing in Windows programs such as Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, WordPad, Outlook, etc. To do this,  highlight portions of text you wish to print and click print. In the printer dialog window under Page Range choose the option Selection. 

Tip #18 - Print preview – If you’re not sure how many pages a document will be, instead of clicking on Print, choose File > Print Preview. You’ll see the number of pages and can then decide to print just a section or page range.

Tip #19 - If you’re trying to find a particular name or word on a Web site or a document, hold down Ctrl + F to get the Find dialog box: Type in the name or word and then hit the Next button to find the first/next instance of it.

Tip #20 - Internet Security – If you do any sort of online shopping or go to a site that requires you to enter personal information (name, address, etc.), check to see if the site you’re on encrypts the data. To verify this look for a small lock () in the bottom right corner of portion of your browser window or next to the address bar (as shown below) depending on your browser and its version. If visible this lock should also be in the locked position and not unlocked

     Internet Explorer 7 secure address bar We also suggest that you look at the URL and make sure it begins with https as shown above. When in the lock position all data you send will be encrypted, which helps anyone from understanding the data if it's intercepted while being sent.
      When no lock is visible or the lock is in the unlocked position all information is being sent as plaintext and if intercepted it could be easily read. NEVER send confidential information via e-mail, because e-mail is not encrypted

What's the difference between notebooks, netbooks and ultra-mobile PCs?

Netbooks vs. Notebooks

   Notebook computers are lighter than the laptopswe looked at in the previous section. They usually have screens ranging from 12 to 17 inches (30.5 to 43.2 centimeters) and weigh around 5 to 6 pounds (2.3 to 2.7 kilograms). Ideally, a notebook computer has the same processing power and features as larger laptop computers. Many manufacturers charge a premium price for the convenience of a small computer that packs a big punch.

      The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is a notebook computer. It has a 13.3-inch (33.8 centimeter) screen and weighs only 3.2 pounds (1.5 kilograms), making it a lightweight in the notebook category. When closed, it measures only .9 inches (2.3 centimeters) thick. It also has many of the features you'd find in a typical laptop computer: a WiFi card, a Bluetoothantenna, a dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM and a 64-GB solid-state hard drive. It also has a DVD drive and an integrated Web camera. It comes with the Windows Vistaoperating system.
Netbook computers are relative newcomers to the computer market. The general definition for a netbook computer is that they are smaller, less powerful and less expensive than notebook computers.

    When they first began to get attention in early 2008, netbooks seemed to contradict the popular philosophy in the computer market. For many years, the prevailing strategy for computer consumers was to find the fastest, most powerful computer in their price range. But consumers are beginning to understand that they don't necessarily need a bleeding-edge computer for most of the tasks they perform. And as the Web takes a more prevalent role in computing, the processing requirements for consumer computers become less demanding.
Though people disagree on specific metrics for netbooks, in general they have screens smaller than 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) and weigh only one or two pounds (.5 to .9 kilograms). Typically they cost between $300 and $600. An example is the Asus EEE PC 4G. It weighs two pounds (.9 kilograms) and has a seven-inch (17.8 centimeter) screen. The processor is an Intel Celeron M 353/630 megahertz chip and it has 512 megabytes of RAM. It comes with a 4 GB solid-state hard drive and costs around $400.

What is Ultra-mobile PCs.

      Tha­t leaves us with the ultra-mobile PC(UMPC). Technically, the term applies specifically to a Microsoft product. It's a tablet computer -- imagine a computer screen without a keyboard. The interface for most UMPCs is a touchscreenwith a stylus and an array of physical keys set along the sides of the screen. These tablets tend to be light like netbooks and feature small screens in the 4- to 7-inch (10.2- to 17.8-centimeter) range.
Some UPMC models have a full QWERTY keyboardthat you can slide out from under the screen. Others rely exclusively on the touchscreen interface. Most run on the Windows Vistaoperating system. While UMPCs are more portable than notebooks, they are more expensive than netbooks.

      Samsung's Q1UP-XP Ultra Mobile PC is a good example. It has a seven-inch (17.8-centimeter) LCD touchscreen display and weighs just two pounds (.9 kilograms). It has a split QWERTY keyboard with keys on either side of the screen. It's also WiFi and Bluetoothcompatible. The computer has a microphone and can serve as a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) device. The price tag for the Q1UP-XP at the time of this writing is $1,299.
But some people use the term UMPC to describe all small computer devices, including netbooks. Others use it to differentiate pricey mobile computers from inexpensive netbooks. For example, while Apple calls its MacBook Air product a notebook, others say it doesn't fit the notebook category. The Air is thin enough to fit inside a standard manila envelope and features a 13.3-inch (33.8-centimeter) LEDbacklit display. But its processor is less powerful than other MacBook models. It has limited storage space and only a few ports. The Air also costs a pretty penny: the starting price is $1,799.

         The Air's design, processing power and price make it tricky to categorize. That's why some journalists use the term UMPC to describe devices that are portable but are more powerful and expensive than netbooks. Using this terminology, a netbook is small, inexpensive and has modest processing power. A UMPC is small, more expensive and generally has a better processor than a netbook.

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