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	<title>TechBeavers</title>
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	<description>Sniff Out the Good Stuff for College</description>
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		<title>Installation (Virtualization) of Google Chrome OS (Unofficial Release)</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/603</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/603#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:34:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Google Chrome OS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.techbeavers.info/?p=603</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The comprehensive image/caption guide for installing (virtualizing) Google Chrome OS on any operating system, so far these releases do not offer native installations for Google Chrome OS.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><p>Although the guide is demonstrated on a Mac OS X, all the step should apply to whichever operating system you use, Windows 7, Leopard, Snow Leopard or other linux based OS. The installation, or more correctly virtualization, of Google Chrome OS with this gdgt.com release is based on using VirtualBox to simulate a Linux system (Ubuntu).</p>
<p>First, you need to get an image of Chrome OS. You can do that using <a href="http://torrents.thepiratebay.org/5170843/chromeos-image-999.999.32309.211410-a1.vmdk.bz2.5170843.TPB.torrent">this torrent</a></p>
<p>*This guide also applies to the one uses gdgt.com, fully tested but we techbeavers are too lazy to make our own guides</p>
<p>Once that’s done, download a version of VirtualBox for whatever OS you’re running on <a href="http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads">here</a> and install it. After registering (or declining to) you’ll be met with a screen like this. Click the button that says “New” in the upper left hand corner. We’re going to be making a new virtual machine.:<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot1.png" alt="" width="559" height="450" /></p>
<p>You’ll enter a wizard like this.  Hit next.<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot2.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Go ahead and title the OS whatever you’d like. For the operating system, choose Linux, with Ubuntu as the version (other setups could potentially work, but this is the only one we’ve gotten working).<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot3.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Choose how much memory to allocate to this virtual machine. This will be dependent on how much memory you have in your computer. The more, the better, but if you choose too much your real computer will become unstable/very slow.<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot4.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here’s the tricky part (fortunately it isn’t very tricky). You don’t want to create a new hard disk, instead, you want to use an existing hard disk. Don’t choose one from the drop down menu either — you’re going to want to hit the folder icon just to the right of that to enter the ‘virtual media manager’.<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot5.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Hit the ‘Add’ button.<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot6.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Now you have to find the Chrome OS image you downloaded earlier. This is probably on your desktop or in your downloads folder. Once you’ve found it, hit ‘Open’.<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot7.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Hit ‘Select’ once you reach this window.<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot8.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Almost there.  Make sure ‘use existing hard disk’ is checked. Hit next.<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot9.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Hit ‘Finish’<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot10.png" alt="" /></p>
<p><span class="zem_olink">You’re done! Hit Start. Hopefully the screen will go black, but only for a little while (this could be anywhere from 10 seconds to a </span>minute or so, depending on how fast your computer is).<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/shot11.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Once you’re in, you’ll see a splash screen for ‘Chromium’ (which is what Google calls dev builds of Chrome). To login, you’ll need to enter a valid Google Account ID. Your standard Gmail account should work, but as we said before, this build of ChromeOS came from bittorrent, so you may want to use a throw away account like we did in the screenshots below (you can make one <a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/signup">here<img id="snap_com_shot_link_icon" style="border: 0pt none; margin: 0pt ! important; padding: 1px 0pt 0pt; max-height: 2000px; max-width: 2000px; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: &quot;trebuchet ms&quot;,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; float: none; position: static; left: auto; top: auto; line-height: normal; background-image: url(http://i.ixnp.com/images/v6.16/theme/silver/palette.gif); background-color: transparent; visibility: visible; width: 14px; height: 12px; background-position: -1128px 0pt; background-repeat: no-repeat; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top; display: inline;" src="http://i.ixnp.com/images/v6.16/t.gif" alt="" /></a>).<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/loginscreen.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>You’re in. Now time to explore. To be honest, everything looks quite similar to Google’s Chrome browser, but there are a few key differences. Note the battery life indicator and options menu in the far upper right. Also try playing around with the ‘New Window’ functions — you’ll find that it’s difficult (if not impossible) to navigate between multiple windows. And be wary of the Bookmarks manager. As far as I can tell, there’s no easy way to get out of it — you’ll have to manually create a new bookmark, which will kick you back into the browser mode once you click it. Oh, and good luck finding the ’shut down’ button, because we sure can’t.<br />
<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chromeshot3.png" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/options.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>You probably won’t need it, but the shared user password for this install (which you’d need for functions like sudo) is ‘chromeos’ according to the torrent’s listing on <a href="http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5170843/chromeos-image-999.999.32309.211410-a1.vmdk.bz2">ThePirateBay</a>.</p>
<address>Original Post by by  					<a title="Posts by Jason Kincaid" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/author/jason/">Jason Kincaid</a> on  					November 19, 2009 on TechCrunch<br />
</address>
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		<title>Google Chrome OS &#8211; What is it?</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/600</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/600#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:26:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Google Chrome OS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Chrome]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Docs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Talk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mac OS X]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Web browser]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.techbeavers.info/?p=600</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[



Image via Wikipedia



Just recently as July of 2009 Google introduced ts&#160; development of Google Chrome OS &#8211; a brand new operating system claims that would revolutionize traditional consumer operating system market dominated by Windows and Mac OSX. This new Google Chrome OS is a Linux based, open source and most uniquely backs the Cloud Computing [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><div class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; display: block;">
<div>
<dl class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 206px;">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GoogleChromeLogo.png"><img title="Google Chrome" src="http://blog.techbeavers.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/GoogleChromeLogo.png" alt="Google Chrome" height="187" width="196"/></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GoogleChromeLogo.png">Wikipedia</a></dd>
</dl>
</div>
</div>
<p>Just recently as July of 2009 Google introduced ts&nbsp; development of Google Chrome OS &#8211; a brand new operating system claims that would revolutionize traditional consumer operating system market dominated by Windows and Mac OSX. This new Google Chrome OS is a Linux based, open source and most uniquely backs the <a class="zem_slink freebase/guid/9202a8c04000641f8000000005dfa663" title="Cloud Computing" rel="wikinvest" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Cloud_Computing">Cloud Computing</a> concept &#8211; simply means that user storage and cache data are all on the internet inside an account. This OS will be able to install on PC and Mac.</p>
<p>In a way, Google Chrome OS is just a web browser and the concept behind this &#8220;operating system&#8221; is when the user turns on his or her computer, the user is on the net almost instantly given Google Chrome OS boots like as if you open a web browser. The whole Google Chrome OS not only boots fast, it is entirely a web browser with online-enabled features, widgets, applications &amp; programs instead of locally stored functionalities.</p>
<p>And because the cloud computing concept is so revolutionary, many also brought questions regard the security of such OS. How secure is my data on the web and what sort of authentication is required? One thing is certain about this platform is that Google Chrome OS is a Linux based system and all geeks and nerds know, anyone has yet to break Linux. Author here is as interested in to knowing how Google would address the massive data bandwidth and the reliability of such remote cloud computing OS.</p>
<p>So far the biggest Pros &amp; Cons of Google Chrome OS:</p>
<p>Pros: Boots in Seconds</p>
<p>Cons: Potentially -&gt; not a free open-source OS like Linux Ubuntu. (Reasoning from the all of the cloud computing and data usage on Google&#8217;s part)</p>
<p>Google has yet to announce the precise official release date of Google Chrome OS but the OS is expected to be released somewhere during the fall quarter of 2010. Recently Google also released the Google Chrome OS code and officially &#8220;Open-Sourced&#8221; this operating system and many developers, software engineers and hackers alike are getting their hands on compiling their own version of workable Google Chrome OS. (These unofficial releases are easily found in bit-torrent site).</p>
<p>Here at TechBeavers we are expecting to test out a Google Chrome release by gdgt.com and will soon feature installation guidance and support in Tech Q&amp;A for those who wish to try out the open-source Google Chrome OS . You can find the release&#8217;s download link in the home page or download it here.</p>
<p>*Before You Install please read this installation (Virtualization) guide of the open-sourced third party complied Google Chrome OS.</p>
<blockquote><p>Things are still pretty early &#8212; it&#8217;s not even in beta yet, let alone on shipping products &#8212; but that&#8217;s the first official screen shot right there, and the big features are all roughed out. The entire system is web-based and runs in the Chrome browser &#8212; right down to USB drive contents, which show up in a browser tab, and the notepad, which actually creates a Google Docs document. Web apps are launched from a persistent apps panel, which includes Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and Hulu, among others, and background apps like Google Talk can be minimized to &#8220;panels&#8221; that dock to the bottom of the screen. Local storage is just used to speed up the system &#8212; everything actually lives in the cloud, so all it takes to swap or borrow machines is a login, and you&#8217;re good to go.</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>Engadget, Nov. 19th 2009</p></blockquote>
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		<title>Microsoft Office 2010 Beta is now available for public.</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/588</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/588#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:12:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Programs & Applications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft Office]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft Office 2010]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Office 2010]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Original Post by Author: aniruddh /         Published: November 18, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Today is an exciting day! The much awaited Microsoft Office 2010 is out now in public beta. Microsoft announced the availability of the public betas of Microsoft Office 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, Visio 2010, Project [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><h5>Original Post by <strong>Author:</strong> <a href="http://technorati.com/people/aniruddh/">aniruddh</a> /         <strong>Published:</strong> November 18, 2009 at 12:37 pm</h5>
<p><img title="Microsoft Office 2010" src="http://static.technorati.com/09/11/18/1559/Microsoft-Office-2010.png" alt="Microsoft Office 2010" width="250" height="88" align="left" />Today is an exciting day! The much awaited Microsoft Office 2010 is out now in public beta. Microsoft announced the availability of the public betas of Microsoft Office 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, Visio 2010, Project 2010 and Office Web Apps for business customers. If you’d like to be one of the millions of people who thrilled, try, test and give feedback on the latest and greatest, you can download the betas at <a title="Download Microsoft Office 2010" href="http://www.microsoft.com/2010">www.microsoft.com/2010</a>.</p>
<p>This is an exciting and significant milestone in Microsoft History because it means that for the first time, anyone can download Office 2010!</p>
<p><img title="New Logos of Microsoft Office 2010" src="http://static.technorati.com/09/11/18/1559/Microsoft-Office-2010.jpg" alt="New Logos of Microsoft Office 2010" width="456" height="59" /></p>
<p>(New Microsoft Office Branding)</p>
<p>The Microsoft Office brand will sport a new look too, reflecting technology innovations in Office 2010. The re-design includes an updated Office logo, a new orange color palette for the Microsoft Office brand, and updated icons for Office 2010 applications that make it easier to quickly identify the Office products you work in.</p>
<p>So head on over to <a title="Download Microsoft Office 2010" href="http://www.microsoft.com/2010">www.microsoft.com/2010</a>, download the Beta. We&#8217;ll keep you posted on new Developments and updates of office 2010.</p>
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		<title>News: Windows 7 Retail Sales Extremely Strong</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/475</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/475#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:17:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Microsoft Windows OS]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Why the launch of Windows 7 is so successful? How successful was it? What draws the author to write about such events? Find the answer of these question and you might find yourself wanting to upgrade your PC to Windows 7 today.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><blockquote><p>According to research firm NPD Group, retail sales of boxed copies of Windows 7 are 234% higher than Vista&#8217;s were at launch, absolutely crushing the older operating system’s launch sales figures (which, admittedly, the older operating system pretty much deserves)&#8230;&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>Original Post <em>&#8220;Windows 7 Retail Sales Extremely Strong&#8221;</em> By <a href="http://technorati.com/people/boneinthefan/">boneinthefan</a> published on November 06, 2009 at 12:46 pm. Read the original post here on <a title="Linked from TechBeavers :: Windows 7 Retail Sales Extremely Strong" href="http://technorati.com/business/article/windows-7-retail-sales-extremely-strong/" target="_blank">Technorati</a>.</strong></p></blockquote>
<p><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" title="Windows 7 Screen Shot" src="http://blog.techbeavers.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/300px-Windows_7.png" alt="" width="300" height="240" />I share the similar response to the success of Windows 7 launch in the fall quarter of 2009 as the original author does. Since I&#8217;m a full-time college student I was also qualified for the $29.99 upgrade to Windows 7 from <a class="zem_slink" title="Windows Vista" rel="homepage" href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/default.aspx">Windows Vista Home Premium</a> to Windows 7 Professional (Yes, I did a custom install and it is awesome to have Windwos 7 Professional for just $29.99) . After the upgrade about a week ago my system hasn&#8217;t failed or crashed other than the Firefox problem (a known bug exists in Firefox and it&#8217;s trying to fix it through numerous updates, you probably also noticed that). Before I purchased the upgrade I was also the Windows 7 beta and RC participant back in February, 2009 and experienced the Windows 7&#8217;s capabilities.</p>
<p>One thing I have to mention about the success of this system is its software-side hardware enhancements compare to Windows Vista and XP. When in Windows Vista, with 3GB of 800mhz memory, a mainstream grade <a class="zem_slink" title="Radeon" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon">ATI Radeon</a> HD 4350 1GB DDR2 Desktop  graphic card and <a class="zem_slink" title="Intel Core 2" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_2">Intel Core 2 Duo</a> 2.13 Ghz with 2MB of L2 cache  I was able to get 2 1080p  videos running simultaneously and smoothly at 60 frames per second at full force with memory usage around 2.52GB and CPU at 90~100%. Now with Windows 7 Professional with the same hardware is able to get me 4 1080p videos running simultaneously at 60 frames per second with memory usage for around just 2GB and CPU constantly around 70%. During the Windows 7 beta there are boost in system performances but not as much as the RC version, which is pretty similar if not exactly the same as the released version of $29.99 that only differs in editions &#8211; Professional vs. Ultimate. This operating system speaks for itself in terms of ultimate efficiency from <a class="zem_slink" title="Windows" rel="homepage" href="http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWS">Microsoft Windows</a> line up.</p>
<p>Not to mention the Windows 7 Ultimate  is still free until next year. Users are able to upgrade their Windows 7 directly to Ultimate after that date and they have plenty of time to think it through. Apple&#8217;s Snow Leopard also promised greater hardware resource efficiency and full-64bit support, a platform that dates back to Windows XP or prior Windows server platforms. The marginal changes from Leopard to Snow Leopard vs. the changes from Windows Vista to Windows 7 is pretty much the same in terms of what both Apple and Microsoft promised in its new systems. But in terms of marketing strategy Microsoft pawns &amp; owns Apple because Microsoft not only has to promote what Windows 7 is, it also has to regain consumer confidence and trust lost in the not-so-successful Windows Vista era. The initial launch of Windows 7 is a great success and in the following winter quarter of 2009-2010 I expect the PC sales would go up tremendously due to positive reviews like this one surrounding our readers and prospective new computer owners.</p>
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		<title>What is the difference between a Router &amp; a Adapter?</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/471</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/471#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:40:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured Tech Q&A]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hardware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[802.11]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Computer network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Router]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wireless]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wireless network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wireless Network Router]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.techbeavers.info/?p=471</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Question from Jack.S of New York, NY
Answered by Andrew.C.Lam &#8211; Chief Editor of TechBeavers
In Computer Networking, Router have the function of an Adapter, but a Router perform more duties than an Adapter.  Adapter enable a computer to &#8220;Adapt&#8221; to the current network setting set by the &#8220;Router&#8221;, Router also adapts the network settings set [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><p>Question from Jack.S of New York, NY</p>
<p>Answered by Andrew.C.Lam &#8211; Chief Editor of TechBeavers</p>
<p>In Computer Networking, Router have the function of an Adapter, but a Router perform more duties than an Adapter.  Adapter enable a computer to &#8220;Adapt&#8221; to the current network setting set by the &#8220;Router&#8221;, Router also adapts the network settings set by the modem or sometime by the computer.  Yet there is a crucial difference between an Adapter &amp; Router. I can demonstrate the simple difference of adapters &amp; routers in wireless networks. Most Laptops have Wireless Network Adapter, not routers, because it can only connect to one network point (A Wireless Network Router or another computer). But routers can connect to multiple computers or act as a network point for multiple devices, so the almost all the Internet-Sharing &#8220;box-thingie&#8221; we have in home is named Wireless Network &#8220;Router&#8221;, not adapter.</p>
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		<title>Digg. Is the Web the enemy of the TV? or a friend?</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/469</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/469#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:39:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social & Academics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ITunes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music industry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.techbeavers.info/?p=469</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Music’s long struggle with the web has been well documented. As consumers shifted from CDs to digital media, music labels, artists, and the RIAA have struggled with how to cope. While some have decided to sue consumers for $22,500 per song, others have found ways to embrace the web.
Now Microsoft’s Director of Consumer and Online [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><p>Music’s long struggle with the web has been well documented. As consumers shifted from CDs to digital media, music labels, artists, and the RIAA have struggled with how to cope. While some have decided to sue consumers for $22,500 per song, others have found ways to embrace the web.<br />
Now Microsoft’s Director of Consumer and Online in the UK predicts that the same turmoil is going to hit the television industry in the next few years. And unless the TV business “aggressively move its content online” and builds “a critical mass of content that the traditional buyers of airtime will understand and buy into,” they will face an “iTunes moment” where their online business becomes dependent on Apple.</p>
<p>According to The Guardian, Microsoft’s Ashley Highfield believes that TV execs have just two or three years to adapt or be thrown into chaos the music industry is currently experiencing:</p>
<blockquote><p>“So realistically I think the industry has about two to three years to adapt or face its iTunes moment. And it will take at least that long for media brands to build credible, truly digital brands. But, importantly, I do believe TV does have a small two to three year window in which to respond.”</p></blockquote>
<p>More than anything, Mr. Highfield believes that TV needs to find ways to generate significant revenue from online video and to make it easy for advertisers to buy ads in bulk for online TV. He also strongly suggested that the TV industry aggressively move its content online, on its own terms.<br />
It’s interesting that it is a Microsoft exec making these suggestions and mentioning Apple as the online enemy of the TV industry. We can see his logic though: you don’t want one company to dominate online sales like Apple does with music in the iTunes store. The music industry’s been between a rock and a hard place for a long time now.</p>
<p>However, we think there are a lot of flaws to Highfield’s logic. TV doesn’t make its revenues based on sales, as the music industry does, but by advertising – something that is both effective and measurable on the web. We’ve also seen TV more readily embrace the web successfully, most notably with HULU.</p>
<p>So yes, TV needs to embrace the online world or suffer losing control over its content distribution. However, the television industry is already light years ahead of the recording industry in that regard.</p>
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		<title>Droid vs. iPhone. See how Droid bites that Apple</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/394</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/394#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:14:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[gadgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[App Store]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IPhone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ITunes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smartphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Verizon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uc4international.com/?p=394</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
 What the heck is Motorola Droid? (Left)

Droid just landed with Verizon and from the outside its a slider with full QWERTY keyboard (a rather small),  a big touchscreen and a Verizon logo, nothing fancy. Well, you are missing some awesome specs hidden behind this contender.
I&#8217;m not saying this is the best phone around, certainly [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?R=55QLORLM5UGY&amp;C=2EAXVGD4ZAP5E&amp;H=STH3RD1BJSIZARFWAWGMACCUJQOA&amp;T=C&amp;U=http://nozama.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54ed05fc288330120a65f34e2970b-pi" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?R=55QLORLM5UGY&amp;C=2EAXVGD4ZAP5E&amp;H=STH3RD1BJSIZARFWAWGMACCUJQOA&amp;T=C&amp;U=http://nozama.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54ed05fc288330120a65f34e2970b-pi" target="_blank"><img src="http://nozama.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54ed05fc288330120a65f34e2970b-800wi" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>
<p><span class="ecxplogBodyText"> </span><strong>What the heck is Motorola Droid? (Left)<br />
</strong></p>
<p>Droid just landed with Verizon and from the outside its a slider with full QWERTY keyboard (a rather small),  a big touchscreen and a Verizon logo, nothing fancy. Well, you are missing some awesome specs hidden behind this contender.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m not saying this is the best phone around, certainly iPhone has a tremendous advantage of having &#8220;There&#8217;s an App for that&#8221; &#8212; network of more than 85,000 of useful, fun or sometime useless apps, but still Droid is the closest non-iPhone that came so close and in some cases better than the all-mighty iPhone in terms of specs.Both phones are prices at $199 with 2-years of contracts (Prices differs with monthly plans) so let me address the practical tech-oriented advantages from both phones.</p>
<p><strong>Motorola Droid&#8217;s factual advantages (Constitutes what an Awesome camera-smart phone is)<br />
</strong></p>
<p>- Application &#8220;Multi-runability&#8221;, With Android 2.0 OS and its processing chipset (<span><strong>OMAP3430</strong> – 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x+ DSP + ISP (Image Signal Processor). iPhone 3GS &#8217;s CPU is able to do the same, but the OS by Apple still hasn&#8217;t exploit the multi-app potentials yet.<br />
</span></p>
<p>- 16GB pre-installed memory and additional memory card slot allows for additional 32GB (total up to 48GB)</p>
<p>- Higher screen resolution on a bigger screen &#8211; 854&#215;480 on a 3.7&#8221; display</p>
<p>- 5MP camera able to capture 640&#215;480 at 60fps videos (DVD quality video recording) , Autofocus, Image Stabilization with dual LED flash.</p>
<p>- Actually has a physical keyboard</p>
<p>- Google Stuff that&#8217;s not in an iPhone</p>
<ul>
<li> ANDROID MARKET™</li>
<li> GOOGLE CALENDAR™</li>
<li> GOOGLE CONTACT SYNC™</li>
<li> GOOGLE LATITUDE™</li>
<li> GOOGLE MAPS STREET VIEW</li>
<li> GOOGLE MAPS™ NAVIGATION <sup>BETA</sup></li>
<li> GOOGLE SEARCH™ BY VOICE</li>
<li> GOOGLE TALK™</li>
<li> YOUTUBE™</li>
</ul>
<p>- <em>Apply to U.S Residents : Verizon visual voice-mail (As of Nov.09 AT&amp;T still incapable for doing anything with that, not iPhone&#8217;s fault really)</em></p>
<div class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="margin: 1em; display: block;">
<div>
<dl class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 160px;">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/03Sa76p4DFaMW?utm_source=zemanta&amp;utm_medium=p&amp;utm_content=03Sa76p4DFaMW&amp;utm_campaign=z1"><img title="OREM, UT -  NOVEMBER 5: A manager holds an App..." src="http://blog.uc4international.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/150x95.jpg" alt="OREM, UT -  NOVEMBER 5: A manager holds an App..." width="150" height="95" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image by <a href="http://www.daylife.com/source/Getty_Images">Getty Images</a> via <a href="http://www.daylife.com">Daylife</a></dd>
</dl>
</div>
</div>
<p><strong>Apple iPhone 3GS&#8217;s factual advantages (Constitutes what an Awesome music-smart phone is)</strong></p>
<p>- Features the most popular music store &#8211; the iTune store</p>
<p>- Thousands of apps ready for disposal in whatever need (Although some might say Google&#8217;s open-source apps are catching up, I would have to agree, but currently Apple&#8217;s app store still wins in volume and popularity)</p>
<p>- Accelerometer for gaming</p>
<p>- Better battery life</p>
<p>Well that&#8217;s all I know about these two Phone when come head-to-head against each other. Try one out at your local AT&amp;T for iPhone 3GS and the Droid at Verizon and see how they feel for you. I personally think the Droid has some serious potentials as in hardware when comparing to 3GS, because honestly the hardware is the stuff that last, not software or apps. Clearly the Droid has many hardware upsides (The 5MP camera, larger screen, slide-QWERTY keyboard). I can only hope that the Google Open-source phone OS get as big as the Linux community so in the future end-users and download &amp; install whichever OS they want online (free or charged) on whichever smart-phone.</p>
<p>Open-source is the way to go for the future. Got Comments? Feel free to express them, correct me if I&#8217;m totally wrong on some of the specs.</p>
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		<title>New Dell Studio XPS 1340 from Bestbuy for $929.99</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/389</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/389#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:36:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hardware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Laptops & Notebooks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bestbuy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intel Core 2]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows 7]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uc4international.com/?p=389</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Enjoy your favorite movies and videos in crystal clarity on this laptop&#8217;s 13.3&#8243; CCFL widescreen via the power of its built-in NVIDIA 9400M graphics. An Intel Core 2 Duo processor provides advanced dual-core multitasking with breakthrough power efficiency.Windows 7 Home Premium preloaded Which Windows 7 edition is best for you? Compare.Learn more about Intel processors. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><blockquote><p><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-3620748-10474050?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Folspage.jsp%3FskuId%3D9536451%26type%3Dproduct%26id%3D1218120537691%26ci_src%3D11138%26ci_sku%3D9536451&amp;cjsku=9536451"><img class="alignleft" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/9536/9536451_sc.jpg" border="0" alt="Dell Studio XPS Laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor - Obsidian Black" width="104" height="77" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Enjoy your favorite movies and videos in crystal clarity on this laptop&#8217;s 13.3&#8243; CCFL widescreen via the power of its built-in NVIDIA 9400M graphics. An Intel Core 2 Duo processor provides advanced dual-core multitasking with breakthrough </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">power efficiency.Windows 7 Home Premium preloaded Which Windows 7 edition is best for you? Compare.Learn more about Intel processors. Information provided by Intel.</p>
<p></span></p></blockquote>
<p>The new black Dell Studio XPS 1340 from Bestbuy now increased its price from $899.99 from last quarter to $929.99 along with some essential changes to internal components. Changes are in <span style="color: #800000;">red</span>. The major change is the new $929.99 model now features Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 clocked at 2.53GHz instead of the 2.4GHz with the $899.99 model, otherwise everything is pretty much the same &#8212; which is great because Dell Studio XPS 1340 is a pretty solid-line performance &amp; ultra-portable PC laptop. Bestbuy claims it has a longer battery life with the same 6-cell Li-ion battery, I assume that&#8217;s because of the operating system &#8211; Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.</p>
<p>The major reason why PC Laptop running Windows 7 is much more efficient compare to Windows XP or Vista is the current operating system uses the system resources much more efficiently &#8211; with almost a 33% boost in energy saving and that made this beastly Dell Studio XPS 1340 a Energy Star Qualified PC Laptop. This is a great accomplishment from Microsoft since the release of Windows 7.</p>
<p>Still there are downside to this new Dell Laptop. This laptop still isn&#8217;t quite top of the line when comparing with the newly released Macbook with its uni body polycarbonate case and its new 7-hours worth of battery life. But consider for $929.99 you are getting a much, in fact way more powerful and efficient laptop (If you buy an extra 9-cell battery, which will extend your laptop battery life to up to around 10 hours (4 hrs + at least 5 hrs), that cost would made up the price difference to an $999.99 Macbook)</p>
<p><strong>Here is a full specification (Content Provided by Bestbuy). Changes are in <span style="color: #000080;">Blue</span></p>
<p></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<div>Enjoy your favorite movies and videos in crystal clarity on this laptop&#8217;s 13.3&#8243; CCFL widescreen via the power of its built-in NVIDIA 9400M graphics. An Intel® Core™2 Duo processor provides advanced dual-core multitasking with breakthrough power efficiency.<!-- UL.features {margin:0;padding:0px 5px 10px 0px;list-style:none;}UL.features LI.doc {padding:0px 5px 2px 17px;margin:7px 0 0 0;background:url("http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/global/misc/misc_moreinfo_icon.gif") no-repeat left top;}UL.features LI.arrow {padding:0px 5px 2px 17px;margin:7px 0 0 0;background:url("http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/global/misc/misc_richmedia_icon.gif") no-repeat left top;}UL.features LI.hdbuiltindcr {padding:0px 5px 2px 80px;margin:7px 0 0 0;background:url("http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/global/misc/misc_hdbuiltin_dcr.gif") no-repeat left top;}UL.features LI.hdbuiltin {padding:0px 5px 2px 60px;margin:7px 0 0 0;background:url("http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/global/misc/misc_hdbuiltin.gif") no-repeat left top;}UL.features LI.hdready {padding:0px 5px 2px 60px;margin:7px 0 0 0;background:url("http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/global/misc/misc_hdready.gif") no-repeat left top;} --></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>Windows 7 Home Premium preloaded</strong></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><img class="alignright" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/logos/logo_IntelCore2Duo4S_NVIDIA_09.gif" border="0" alt="Intel Core 2 Duo logo with 4-Star Intel rating; NVIDIA logo" width="60" height="150" /></div>
<div id="boxcontents">
<p>What&#8217;s Included</p>
<ul>
<li>Dell Studio XPS Laptop with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor</li>
<li>6-cell lithium-ion battery</li>
<li>Power cord/cable</li>
<li>Software: Microsoft Works,<span style="color: #800000;"> <span style="color: #000080;"><strong>Napster 1 year unlimited streaming plus 60 free music downloads</strong></span></span> and more</li>
<li>Owner&#8217;s manual</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Product Features</p>
<ul>
<li>From our expanded online assortment; not available in all Best Buy stores</li>
<li><span style="color: #000080;"><strong>Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor P8700</strong></span>
<p>Features 2 processing cores, a 1066MHz system bus, a 3MB cache and <span style="color: #000080;">2.53</span>GHz processor speed per core.</li>
<li><strong>2 high-performance processing cores</strong>
<p>To run multiple demanding applications simultaneously without hesitation.</li>
<li><strong>4GB DDR3 memory</strong>
<p>For multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.</li>
<li><strong>Slot-loading multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive</strong>
<p>Watch DVD movies and create custom DVDs and CDs.</li>
<li><strong>13.3&#8243; CCFL-backlit WXGA edge-to-edge widescreen display</strong>
<p>With TrueLife technology and 1280 x 800 resolution delivers intense detail and clarity.</li>
<li><strong>500GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)</strong>
<p>Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.</li>
<li><strong>Built-in facial recognition technology</strong>
<p>Allows secure access to the laptop for enhanced data security.</li>
<li><strong>Integrated NVIDIA 9400M graphics</strong>
<p>For crystal-clear image quality. HDMI output for connection to an HDTV or HD monitor.</li>
<li><strong>Built-in 2.0MP webcam</strong>
<p>Makes it easy to video chat with family and friends.</li>
<li><strong>8-in-1 digital media reader</strong>
<p>Supports Secure Digital, Hi-Speed Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Secure Digital IO, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and xD-Picture Card formats for transferring digital media.</li>
<li><strong>1 IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface and 3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports</strong>
<p>For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.</li>
<li><strong>Built-in Dell 1510N Wireless-N mini card (802.11n)</strong>
<p>Lets you connect to the Internet without wires.</li>
<li><strong>Built-in 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN</strong>
<p>With RJ-45 connector for quick and easy wired Web connection.</li>
<li><strong>Weighs 4.9 lbs. and measures just 1.4&#8243; thin</strong>
<p>For easy portability.</li>
<li><strong>Long battery life</strong>
<p>Of up to <span style="color: #800000;"><strong><span style="color: #000080;">4 hours and 40 minutes</span></strong> </span>to give you more time away from an outlet.</li>
<li><span style="color: #000080;"><strong>Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system preinstalled</strong>
<p>Provides a stable platform for word processing, Web navigation, gaming, media storage and more.</span></li>
<li><strong>Software package included</strong>
<p>With Microsoft Works, Napster 1 year unlimited streaming plus 60 free music downloads and more.</li>
<li><strong>ENERGY STAR qualified</strong>
<p>Designed to use less energy and meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.</li>
</ul>
<li>Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.</li>
</blockquote>
<p><!-- E:0YB --><!--Code snippet for displaying the DND_DigitalService- start--><!--Code snippet for displaying the DND_DigitalService- start--><!--Code snippet for displaying the DND_DigitalService- start--><!--Code snippet for displaying the DND_DigitalService- start--><!--Code snippet for displaying the DND_DigitalService- start--><!--Code snippet for displaying the DND_DigitalService- start--><!--Code snippet for displaying the DND_box_contents- start--><!--Code snippet for displaying the DND_box_contents - end--></p>
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		<title>Windows 7 Upgrade for only $29.99</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/371</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/371#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:07:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Microsoft Windows OS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft Windows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Operating system]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows 7]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uc4international.com/?p=371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
I heard about the deal a while ago but today I finally checked it out. I assumed there would be thousands of applications for some sort of wait-listing or confirmation procedure behind that deal but all turned out to be great. Microsoft only asked for my valid student e-mail at my college (University of California, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><p><a href="http://student.theultimatesteal.com/z/12/CD2727/"><img src="http://student.theultimatesteal.com/42/2727/12/" border="0" alt="Buy Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007!" /></a></p>
<p>I heard about the deal a while ago but today I finally checked it out. I assumed there would be thousands of applications for some sort of wait-listing or confirmation procedure behind that deal but all turned out to be great. Microsoft only asked for my valid student e-mail at my college (<a class="zem_slink" title="University of California, San Diego" rel="geolocation" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.881,-117.238&amp;spn=0.01,0.01&amp;q=32.881,-117.238 (University%20of%20California%2C%20San%20Diego)&amp;t=h">University of California, San Diego</a>) and asks you to confirm your e-mail account by clicking the confirmation link in your inbox. Simple and fast, and definitely a great buy. Offer started back in September 3rd and it ends next year on January 3rd, 2010. The ultimate steal for students who doesn&#8217;t have Office 2007 already is also priced at $59.99 (Not Office 2007 Student Edition, Office 2007 Ultimate Edition with everything included). <strong>The website is</strong><strong> <a href="http://student.theultimatesteal.com/z/15/CD2727/">here</a></strong><strong> Looks like a fake/spam website but it is not, trust me.</strong></p>
<p><strong>For $29.99 you get a one-time only downloadable upgrade file (sized around 2.2GB).</strong></p>
<p>I strongly recommend those college students who purchased their Windows Vista or Windows XP based laptop prior to June 18th, 2009 to take this great student offer. My Dell Studio XPS 1340 is eligible for the Windows 7 upgrade and the 64-bit Home Premium Version is schedueled to ship from Dell on November 5th, 2009. The reason I&#8217;m purchasing this $29.99 Windows 7 upgrade is to upgrade my older Dell XPS 410 Desktop from Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit to Windows 7 Professional 32-bit.</p>
<h2>My Recommendations and Things you got to know before you upgrade.</h2>
<p>Although it&#8217;s only $29.99, it&#8217;s still money and time, so don&#8217;t screw around fellow college students. This $29.99 deal on Windows 7 offers two options for the same price for students to choose from. One is <strong>Home Premium Edition</strong> and another one is <strong>Professional Edition</strong>. The Professional edition offer a little bit more function than Home Premium but they primarily concern secure school networking infrastructures (Domain Join) and Windows XP mode. If you are not aware of those functions then there are no difference between Home Premium and Professional. I choose Professional edition because I actually uses many software  that runs great with Windows XP (in fact almost all programs will run faster in Windows XP compare to Windows Vista). I was a Windows 7 Ultimate beta and RC participant and tried out the Windows XP mode with my softwares and I would have to say: Nice, Way nicer than Vista.</p>
<p>The additional functionality offered in <strong>Windows 7 Professional Editio</strong><strong>n comparing to Home Premium Edition</strong> are stated in the comparison chart below:</p>
<p><img class="alignleft" src="http://news.softpedia.com/images/news2/Windows-7-Home-Premium-vs-Professional-vs-Ultimate-3.jpg" alt="" width="513" height="532" /></p>
<h2>Question:</h2>
<h2>Wait! What is the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit edition?</h2>
<p>There are huge differences between 32-bit edition and the 64-bit edition of Windows 7. Within this article I would only touch on the practical differences that you should be aware of &#8211; upgradability &amp; Max Memory</p>
<p><strong>Upgradability difference:</strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Check to make sure your Windows XP or Windows Vista is 32-bit before you purchase the 32-bit versions. Same applies to the 64-bit versions. </span></span></p>
<p>For example, if you have a 32-bit Windows XP you can only upgrade to 32-bit Windows 7  because the 64-bit won&#8217;t install (Unless you do a Clean-Install where the system will reformat your system hard drive and I am not even sure if the $29.99 version allows for a Clean-Install).</p>
<p>If you have a 64-bit version of Windows XP or Windows Vista, Great, you can upgrade to 64-bit Windows 7. It wouldn&#8217;t make sense to buy the 32-bit Windows 7 first because you can&#8217;t downgrade to 32-bit operating system from a 64-bit operating system, and second reason is 64-bit systems are actually better equipped for the future in terms of utilizing system resources.</p>
<p><strong>Max Memory difference:</strong></p>
<p>For Home Premium Edition</p>
<p>The difference is a 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium Edition can only address up to 4 GB of memory  but its 64-bit counterpart can address up to 16 GB of memory.</p>
<p>For Professional Edition</p>
<p>The difference is a 32-bit Windows 7 Professional Edition can only address up to 4 GB of memory  but its 64-bit counterpart can address up to 192 GB of memory.</p>
<p>To read on more about max memory limit on Windows operating system please visit <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778(VS.85).aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_7" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<h2>How do I know which type of operating system I have? (32-bit or 64-bit?)</h2>
<p>For Windows XP and Vista users, just goto My Computer and click on System Properties, You should see which type of operating system you have.</p>
<p>In the end, this deal is great and for those who need Microsoft Office 2007 you should also check out the $59.99 deal. It&#8217;s amazing and there aren&#8217;t this much of stuff you have to worry about. The Microsoft Office 2007 is 32-bit software, which can be executed in both 32-bit or 64-bit operating system environment.</p>
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		<title>Keep Your Computer Running Like Fresh in 5 Simple Steps</title>
		<link>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/347</link>
		<comments>http://blog.techbeavers.info/archives/347#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:48:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew.C. Lam</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Computer Maintenance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured Tech Q&A]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antivirus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Data recovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows 7]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows Vista]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uc4international.com/?p=347</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Step 1: Uninstall unused programs
In order to keep your Windows Vista or Windows 7 computer as it freshest, you should always uninstall unused programs:
Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features
Check out which programs you are using and with ones you aren't, uninstalling those unused programs can free-up some disk space. Although you won't see any significant boost in computing speed, free disk space in your computer is very important for later maintenance tips.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="KonaBody"><h2><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; "></p>
<p></span></h2>
<h2><strong>Step 1: Uninstall unused programs</strong></h2>
<div id="txtd_5393846" style="word-wrap: break-word;">
<p>In order to keep your Windows Vista or Windows 7 computer as it freshest, you should always uninstall unused programs:</p>
<p>Start -&gt; Control Panel -&gt; Programs and Features</p>
<p>Check out which programs you are using and with ones you aren&#8217;t, uninstalling those unused programs can free-up some disk space. Although you won&#8217;t see any significant boost in computing speed, free disk space in your computer is very important for later maintenance tips.</p>
<p>When you encountered some unknown programs installed in your computer, and you didn&#8217;t think you installed it. You should always check for those software program&#8217;s legitimacy by going on Google and search for their purposes, company and make. Some programs might be bundled with a known program as a plug-in and users often are unaware of their existence.</p></div>
<h2><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; "></p>
<div class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="margin: 1em; display: block; width: 280px;">
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 280px"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hdd.jpg"><img class=" " title="Image of a Western Digital 250Gb SATA Hard Dri..." src="http://blog.techbeavers.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/300px-Hdd1.jpg" alt="Image of a Western Digital 250Gb SATA Hard Dri..." width="270" height="181" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Image via Wikipedia</p></div>
</div>
<p></span></h2>
<h2>Step 2: Delete unused files using a shredder/Back Up Important unused files to a remote back-up drive</h2>
<div id="txtd_5393925" style="word-wrap: break-word;">
<p>Another step toward hard drive cleanliness. Next step into composing your free hard drive space is to find and delete unused files using a shredder and/or backup important but unused files to a remote hard drive (A physical hard drive independent of the Windows system files, generally the partition is denoted as C:\ on most computers). What my tip calls for is not to back-up your files to other &#8220;Partitions&#8221; on the same hard drive, the optimal &#8220;refreshing&#8221; operation is to move those important but unused files to a separate internal hard drive, external hard drive or removable drive.<strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Part 1: Delete unused files using a shredder</strong></p>
<p>Simply stated, search of file shredder online using the keyword &#8220;Open source file shredder&#8221; on Google or any major search engine and you will find tons of reliable, Open source and free file shredder. Personally I use the file shredder bundled with my McAfee Internet Security suite 2010 and I find it quite useful. We all know what a paper/credit card shredder does in offices and its name retains the same purpose on the computer but the shredding process is a little different. If you want to know more how a shredder works please read more here.</p>
<p>The most fundamental difference between deleting files using &#8220;Recycle Bin&#8221; and &#8220;Shredder&#8221; is the standard deletion using the recycle bin will leave a shadow copy string of data (a bit of used space), while using the shredder doesn&#8217;t (complete whip-out of zeros). I encourage people to delete large chunk of files using a shredder simply because the process involved, in one sense, would actually help our &#8220;refreshing&#8221; progress faster in my later tip. Another practical benefit of using a shredder is , while not necessarily concerned of refreshing your computer, the shredded documents with 7 passes or more are impossible to recover using any means of data recovery program, which in turn might help to keep your identity safe if your computer or laptop were ever stolen and/or hacked, that brings me to the next part of this step.</p>
<p><strong>Part 2: Back Up Important unused files to a remote back-up drive</strong></p>
<p>Essential personal data should be backup to store in somewhere safe, somewhere without internet or network access. Nero 10 and other software vendors offers backup compression technologies for PC users to save space on their backup drive. Instead of moving bits and bits of data, those software encodes your files as a block of compressed file. Using those kind of software is highly recommended. I previously have used Nero 9 and now I use Nero 10 to backup my precious photos and accounting documents onto my external hard drive.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t have an external hard drive? Well that&#8217;s also a highly recommended buy from the author. As of Fall quarter of 2009 the price of a 500GB external hard drive (bulky ones) is just around $100 or less. I have been backing up my files for two and a half year every two weeks onto my 500GB (Formatted to be less) external hard drive and its capacity now is only half-full (~230GB/468GB). An external hard drive is definitely a great buy for the coming Open season for consumers like us.</p>
<p>*If you are now considering or have been putting your essential personal data onto a external hard drive or removable drive, have you encrypted your files on that drive? I would recommend to use at least 256-bit AES encryption on your external hard drive just to be safe. To read more on how to keep your data secure &amp; introduction of file encryption methods please visit here.</p>
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<h2>Step 3: Scan and Clean Registry</h2>
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<p><strong>*Clearing up something about Free Registry Cleaners</strong></p>
<p>You might have seen thousands if not millions of so called &#8221; Free Registry Scan Now! &#8221; types of ads popping up all over the web. I would strongly discourage people from clicking those ads because some of them are reported as a pseudo-registry cleaners &#8212; Registry cleaners that give users an impression that there are thousands of errors but in fact only few true registry errors. What I would recommend is to purchase a real registry cleaner software through trusted vendors, (Most vendors are endorsed by major PC companies and have their software listed on the respective PC companies&#8217; in the &#8220;Accessories&#8221; section).Most of the free-registry cleaners don&#8217;t come cheap, and often they do inflate the error numbers in order to trick users into believing that their program is better than other ones.</p>
<p>Typical catch-phrase of a free registry cleaner ad:</p>
<p>&#8220;Your system has over 534 registry errors&#8230;Free Scan Now!&#8221;</p>
<p>While I cannot completely disprove their claims, I know my own system does not have 534 registry errors. In some cases fixing those so called &#8220;errors&#8221; with the free registry cleaners can harm your computer if they are not up to date with your current operating system. One thing I can be certain of is the free-registry cleaners identify every kind of registry string as Registry errors. In fact there are two kinds of registry strings we should worry about; one is the registry errors, which you would only get while Installing or executing improper &amp; incompatible programs/driver/update with improper &amp; conflicting registry strings, the obvious result should be a bluescreen; second is what this topic concerns the most about which is registry junks, strings of registry codes left-over by uninstalled programs/drivers/updates.</p>
<p>Some Anti-virus programs also have implemented registry scan as part of its system maintenance functionality, notably in McAfee and Norton 360 ( Both are home oriented based Anti-virus software ). I personally uses McAfee Internet Security Suite 2010 and within that suite I got McAfee QuickScan &#8211; the function that allows user to scan for registry junks</p>
<p>With that said, registry cleaning is essential for keeping your computer the freshest. When you uninstalled the unused software/programs in step 1 of this guide, chances are those program left some registry strings in your computer. One or two of those left-over junk doesn&#8217;t really impact your system&#8217;s performance, but in time those registry strings mounts up and program conflict/ incompatibility issues may arise in the future. If you did not uninstall any major programs the amount of junks should be minimal.</p></div>
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<h2>Step 4: Run Disk Defragmentation and/or Disk Error Check</h2>
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<p>Simple as the guide title suggests, the processes are automated and if you followed all of the previous steps the Disk Defragmentation, Disk Error Check should both perform the fastest.</p>
<p><strong>Why does the author recommend Disk Defragmentation first?</strong></p>
<p>The following text assess the benefit what what each function does, hopefully the text would explain itself</p>
<p><strong>Benefit(s) of Performing a Disk Error Check.</strong></p>
<p>Performing a Disk Error Check is (Over generalized of course) to let your operating system to learn what&#8217;s already there in your drive(s). The benefit of that is your operating system would read files faster because the location of the blocks with the requested data is known to be in this xxxxx block, and your operating system would write files faster because of the similar sense. I would recommend to run a disk check every week.</p>
<p><strong>Benefit(s) of Performing a Disk Defragmentation</strong></p>
<p>The disk defragmentation actually includes a Disk Error Check but it runs longer. Beside assessing the functions of a Disk Error Check, Disk Defragmentation also finds fragments of scattered blocks of data and tries to put them in a cluster of blocks. This function enable the system to read files faster with more efficiency. A faster read enable user to multi-task faster because you can pull up files thumbnails, excerpts, information&#8230;etc faster. The Disk Defragmentation also enable user to write file faster in the similar sense. I would recommend to manually commence Disk Defragmentation only once every two months.</p>
<h2>Step 5: Use Security Suites frequently<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; "></p>
<div class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="margin: 1em; display: block; width: 170px;">
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 170px"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21046489@N06/3535841053"><img title="Spyware" src="http://blog.techbeavers.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/3535841053_b89e1f46ca_m1.jpg" alt="Spyware" width="160" height="240" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Image by Robbert van der Steeg via Flickr</p></div>
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<p></span></h2>
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<p>If you have an Anti-virus program I recommend you use it every week. Schedule a weekly Quick-scan and a monthly Deep-scan to ensure your computer is healthy. With that said, prevention is always better than treatments. No one can say a single Internet security program can detect every single traces of virus, spyware or trojans on this planet earth, so you still has to be cautious of &#8220;Free-lunch&#8221; type ads online and stay away from bit-torrent software or sites like limewire and TPB (The Pirate Bay).</p>
<p>The best outcome of using security suites is most hackers are unable to directly hack into your computers anymore thanks to the &#8220;overuse&#8221; (in a good way) of firewall protection both on the ISP&#8217;s (Internet Service Provider)side and user&#8217;s side; However, hackers can still manage to install nasty spyware onto your Internet Browsers with false yet attractive ads. So be careful!</p>
<p>This is the essential step of keeping your computer the freshest &#8211; A strong immune system. And that concludes this computer refreshing guide.</p>
<h2>Extra: Consider Upgrading your operating system to Windows 7</h2>
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<p>If you are running Windows XP or Windows Vista you should consider upgrading your operating system to Windows 7. Windows 7 offers tons of new features notably the quicker &amp; easier user interface. In this guide I will not further address anymore about Windows 7 functionality because it&#8217;s out of the realm of this guide&#8217;s topic.</p>
<p>You should update your operating system as often as you can by installing service packs from Windows. But the development of Windows Vista or XP Service Packs are likely to end in the future so I would recommend to just installing individual updates in order to prevent future vulnerabilities.</p></div>
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