Since I’ve recently bought a new notebook, which I want to use while I’m away from home, to work, I’ve looked a bit into what one should know when buying something like that, and the things that matter.

I’ve bought my new notebook from Everbuying PC (I’ll take the opportunity to recommend these guys if you want to buy a new gadget for yourself). If you browse around their store you will notice that they have a wide selection of products, but we’ll focus on the notebooks today, since that’s the topic for this article.

Buying a Notebook PC is not a difficult job, but there are a couple of things you should know before you start the search, things that will make your job considerably easier, since it will eliminate certain models from the get go.

Your Budget – the budget is a huge part of the search, since you can eliminate many models based on what you’re willing to spend. Generally, the higher the price, the better the product, but there are cases when you will get a lot of quality for the money you pay. With some companies (like Apple), you pay for the packaging as well, not just for the specs. It’s up to you whether you opt for something that costs extra because of the design quality.

Mobility Requirements – there is also the question of just how mobile you need to be with your new Notebook PC. There are two things that matter here. The first one is the size of the screen. A 10 inch notebook gives you plenty of mobility, but there is a bit of productivity lost because of the screen size. The second thing is the battery, which is very important as well if you want a lot of mobility. Netbooks might give you up to 8-10 hours of battery life, while a notebook with a big screen might only give you an hour or two.

Processing Power – the amount of CPU speed you get for your notebook will influence the amount of power used. A powerful CPU tends to take out a lot from your battery.

These three things are the biggest things you should consider when buying a new laptop for yourself. There are other things of course, like the size of the hard drive, the quality of the webcam or the sound system.

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Cloud computing has become a global phenomenon and it is being adopted by increasing numbers of organizations all over the world. There are many aspects of cloud computing. These include public clouds, private clouds, online cloud storage, software as a service, infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and so forth.

According to the 2013 Future of Cloud Computing Survey 75 percent of respondents use at least one kind of cloud platform. The main drivers are business orientated (52 percent) compare to 36 percent that are IT orientated. However the biggest growth areas tend to be IT orientated. These are big data, mobile, cloud backup, management of systems, security, and help desk. Reducing costs is seen as a major driver.

Although the main application currently is Software-as-a-Service which is used by 63 percent of respondents, the fastest growing sector is infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), though it is thought that Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) will be the dominating growth area in the future; 72 percent said that they would by using it within the next five years.

There remains certain reluctance about moving to the cloud, and the main concern is security. However fewer organizations than last year have security concerns. Last year 55 percent of non-cloud using respondents said that security was the main reason why they had not adopted the cloud, and this year that had fallen to 46 percent.

According to Doug Clark, the head of cloud computing at IBM UK, the main drivers of cloud computing in terms of adding value to an organization and marketing the organization as a service are intelligence, context, reach, pace, and economics. Intelligence concerns the power of data analytics and applying it in situations where it will bring about an improvement; context involves addressing the specific user requirements; reach involves exceeding the physical boundaries of the organization; pace is simply the ability to move rapidly and be flexible and adaptable; and economics concerns improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of IT resources that can be achieved by moving to the cloud;

Many organizations are successfully applying these factors and in doing so are making significant improvements to how their organizations are delivering to their customers. Some examples of this include Sci-Tech Daresbury which offers computing as a service through its ‘Blue Joule’ computer which it is claimed is the most powerful computer in the UK and is being used for such applications as climate modeling and the detection of diseases; Wimbledon tennis and other major sporting events are sharing cloud resources in response to sports fans demand peaks to deliver an improved experience to sports fans; and TP Vision the joint venture that produces and markets TV sets with the Philips brand uses the cloud for its smart TV services for managing TV software.

If you would like any further information on moving to the cloud, then please visit Mimecast.com; a software as a service company focused on unified email and data management.

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If you’re interested in unblocked games at school, the truth is that the options are pretty much endless these days, thanks to the widespread use of mobile phones. As long as you have a smartphone with Internet access, you can play any game you want, without worrying that it will be blocked by the school.

Now, below you will see some of the games you can play on your phone, which are designed for iPhone and Android. Choose any of them, or visit the official marketplaces and pick the games you want.

If you’re looking for unblocked games at school because you want to play something online, and your only WiFi connection in the area that will allow you to use bigger amounts of bandwidth is the one the school provides, then there are options for that as well. Even though the school might be blocking certain sites from being loaded from their Internet connection, there always option. You might not be able to play Facebook games this way, but there are other options, with browser based games. In browser based games you actually don’t consume that much bandwidth, so you might not even need the Internet provided by the school to get online.

…click here to read more

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The Global positioning system is being used on a larger scale from the last decade. This is one work of the human brain that has gained popularity from the time it has been introduced. It can be used at all times and it will help you keep track of where you are and where you are supposed to go. It will help you analyze which route will be faster and easier. It helps in tracking, navigating, locating, etc. the most useful GPS gadgets is the wristwatch. This way you can carry your global positioning system wherever you go. This gadget is a bit expensive but can be worn both by an athletic and a non-athletic person. It has various uses so it can be used for different reasons. It is a multi-purpose device and can calculate the distance a person has travelled along with the time taken and the speed. If used for athletic reasons t can also measure that heart rate and the time taken to reach a particular destination.

There are many brands manufacturing these and their popularity goes on increasing. This has happened because people have been using these for various reasons. If you have a GPS watch you don’t have to install a system in your car. This will reduce some of your expenses. You should make it a point to buy one that falls within your budget. As there are many brands manufacturing these, you should be a smart buyer and buy one that is of good quality. You need to be really careful with these.

You can acquire one easily online. You can compare prices and buy one that is preferable. Make sure that you read the customer reviews posted on the website before you actually make a purchase. Some gadgets even help you track someone else. So make sure that you buy one that has all the features you are looking for.

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A decade ago, basic HTML sites were all the rage and everyone was learning how to code them or how to modify free templates, in order to create some simple sites. Thankfully, the age of those horrible looking little sites is finally over and people have easy access to great looking custom management systems which allow them to deploy sites quickly and without knowledge of coding or design.

Some of these CMS’s are WordPress, Drupal or Joomla and all you need to install one is a domain name and a hosting PHP MySQL account, which is quite cheap. There are hundreds of companies that offer cheap hosting these days and all of them offer this combination of PHP and MySQL that is so popular for content sites based on a CMS.

With the help of PHP sites can offer dynamic content, based on what you want to show the visitor, content which is taken from the MySQL database. Usernames and passwords weren’t possible with simple HTML sites, but with a CMS you can have accounts on sites, which give you access to different features that are also possible thanks to the hosting PHP MySQL combination.

When looking for a hosting PHP MySQL package you should keep in mind that the company offering it should be reputable. Don’t pick the cheapest option available to you, as your site’s availability is influenced by its hosting. If the company doesn’t have professional support, your site data might be lost, data can be stolen by hackers and there are a number of other possible issues.

To find out whether a company is a good choice for your hosting PHP MySQL needs, check webmaster forums for reviews of their services and see what other webmasters recommend. You need to know that they have a good uptime and that their online support staff is very helpful and quick to help when you need them. Keep in mind that this is an important decision and in the event of a hardware failure you could lose your site’s data if the company doesn’t do proper backups. Another reason why hosting PHP MySQL needs to be considered properly is that it can be time consuming to move your sites from one host to another. Ideally you should pick a good hosting company from your first try.

There is one other choice at your disposal, the one between paid and free hosting. The temptation is to pick the free hosting option, but the disadvantages are too great to ignore. In many cases, these companies make money by placing ads on your pages, which means that they make money off your work. They also have little money to spend on professional staff or on proper hardware, so you get a slow site and your data is at risk. Since hosting with PHP and MySQL costs just a couple of dollars per month, it’s worth getting a paid account, even a cheap one, rather than going with the free version.

The conclusion is that if you’re looking to get your own site and you want to use a popular CMS, like WordPress, you need a hosting account with PHP and MySQL installed.

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The CD duplication process allows you to create an exact copy of a CD, by burning another one with the mirror image created for the original. Thanks to the technology used, the CD’s that will be created will be exact replicas of the original CD, matching it as far as quality is concerned as well. The duplicated CD’s will receive a print which will be either thermal or inkjet.

Duplicating a CD is possible through the means available to you at home, but you have to waste a lot of time if you want to create a large number of them.

CD Replication vs CD Duplication

Duplication and replication of CD’s are two different things, though people tend to confuse them. In both cases, the result is an exact copy of a DVD or a CD, but the method is different. The CD duplication method allows you to create hundreds of CD’s in a shorter period of time. If you need more than 1000 copies, the replication method is a better choice. When you’re considering whether you should go with CD replication or duplication, you should make that decision by looking at the quality you need, at the desired turnaround time and the number of copies you need.

The CD duplication method involves using a master disc, from which the data is transferred or burned, on a high quality blank disc. Once the transfer is complete, the original and the copy are compared. If the comparison shows that they’re the same, it’s accepted. The speed at which the disc is burned will vary, based on the type of data which is being copied. For example, if you’re creating a music CD the speed needs to be slower in order to keep the quality at a high level.

As for the CD replication process, it involves creating the glass master for the CD, after which replicas are created based on it, made from polycarbonate. These CD’s are printed with either screen printing or offset printing machines. The CD replication method is useful mostly when you need to make a lot of copies.

DVD Duplication

The same process used to duplicate CD’s is also used for DVD duplication. The basic technology remains the same, even though the medium that is used has changed.

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If you’re interested in becoming a computer technician, the first thing to know is what exactly you would do. You might like the level of the salary that is offered to you, but what you will do in return for it, for 8 hours a day, 260 days a year, that is something you should be well aware of.

The computer technician might work in all kinds of work environments, but at the basic level, he is the one that makes sure servers and personal computers are well maintained, and repaired when it’s needed. In some cases, it can also mean that he is the one configuring new computers for the organization when it’s needed, updating the operating systems and programs, installing new ones when required, and also taking care of the network in some cases.

There are jobs available with this title both in the private and the public sector. Any organization that has computers also needs someone to take care of them. The job is not regulated, so having a formal certification is not required, but if you want a decent salary, having an education to support your claims is highly recommended.

Some of the typical places where you can find computer repair technicians include IT departments of corporations or regular sized companies or repair centers. The technician that works in the public sector can be found in every department, from the ones that are health related, to law enforcement, military or national security.

The technician can be specialized in certain tasks. They can be used in technical support, or they can be used during repair or investigative processes. They can also be employed on their own though, having companies that offer services related to the things they’re specialized in. Such a small company could offer IT support services to small companies, that can’t afford to hire someone full time to take care of their computers.

Computer Hardware Repair

Even though hardware configurations are quite varied for computers, they are usually split among a few main categories, which include desktop computers, servers, laptops, clusters of computers and mobile computing devices (including smartphones).

Other hardware components that technicians might be required to repair when possible include mice, keyboards, printers, speakers and displays, among others.

As for the technicians that are used in the networking departments, they will be the ones making sure the components of that network are working, including the routers and the rest of the devices.

Computer Software Repair

Part of the responsibility of the technician when he deals with repairs of the operating system or the software, is to make sure the data on the PC is protected and backed up as soon as possible. Sometimes they are the ones trying to recover data that was lost, an essential skill to have when it comes to the important files that businesses often have.

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Web hosting is a internet service which allows companies and simple users to store information, pictures, sounds, videos or any content accessible via the Web. Web hosting companies provide space on a server with high internet connection.

There are 9 types of hosting

• Free web hosting service: is free, (sometimes) advertisement-supported web hosting, and is extremely limited when compared to paid hosting. (eg. www.geocities.com )
• Shared web hosting service: one’s Web site is placed on the same server as several hundred other sites. These are somewhat restricted to what can be done.
• Dedicated web hosting service: involves getting your own webserver with full control over it (root access for Linux/administrator access for Windows)
• Colocation web hosting service: provides physical space that your server takes up and the hosting company takes care about bandwidth/data center.
• Reseller web hosting: allows clients to become web hosts themselves.
• File hosting service: is a kind of web hosting service optimized for hosting large files. (eg. www.rapidshare.de)
• Clustered hosting
• Image hosting service (eg. www.photobucket.com)
• Blog hosting service(e.g www.blogger.com)

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1) Take time to make professional replies. Make your customer feel like you care. By explaining things thoroughly, instead of giving a brief response, you are not only giving off a professional atmosphere, you are also making the customer feel like they are important.

2) If you are the owner/CEO, take the time to do some menial work. If you’re doing hosting, take some time and answer some simple tech support tickets. It may be good to show them that you are the CEO/Owner (with a signature).

3) Talk to some of your clients over the phone. Unless you can’t speak english or your voice sounds pre-prepubescent , there is no reason to not talk to some of your clients on the phone. Many clients will feel much more at ease. I am not saying post a 1800 on your site and start offering phone support. I am only talking about select cases, ie talking to a client about to cancel, or someone requesting a phone conference.

4) When clients do cancel (let’s hope not!), ask them why. I have yet to meet a customer who will not explain why. You may find many times it was nothing your company did wrong!

5) When you do something wrong, admit it. There’s no shame. Your mistake, your responsibility. Offer the client a few months of free service to make it up.

6) If you’ve had uptime issues, or the customer is not happy — and you know it was your fault — offer them 3 months of free service. More often than not they will stay. Customers do not like the hassle of changing hosting companies. Losing 3 months of revenue is definitely not as bad as no revenue from the client.

7) Don’t talk to your customers in support tickets like you’re a robot. I see it time and time again where a technician, and in a number of instances CEO’s, talk to their customers like they are a piece of crap on their shoe. Say ‘Hi’ to your customer by their first name. Give them an answer to their question, and ask if there is anything else you can do to help. Personally I think saying “Hello” all by itself is worse than not saying it at all. There are many business owners who don’t like to form any type of friendship with their customers, and don’t let their staff form any type of friendship with their customers either. That’s fine, but please don’t become a robot with no personality.

8) Feedback! Feedback! Feedback! Make it easy for your customers to send you feedback. Include a link to an online feedback form in your e-mail notifications that tickets have been marked as resolved. Making it easy for yours customers to send you feedback is not good enough though. You need to act on that feedback. Make sure your customer knows you received it, and make sure they know you will act upon it. You don’t have to do everything the customer says, just tell them you will put it on the agenda for your next weekly meeting. Like the robot issue above, I see it time and time again where companies make it easy to customers to send feedback, but then don’t do anything about it when they do receive the feedback. They don’t even send a thank you note, or at best the customer receives some comical robotic auto-responder thank you note.

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It’s no secret that kids don’t like getting clothes for Christmas. Toys are the way to a youngster’s heart, and with the technology available, you have some pretty cool tech toys to choose from. It doesn’t matter if you’re online shopping with a fast CenturyLink Internet service connection or hitting the mall – here are some expected best-sellers this holiday season.

LeapPad2.

What’s the appeal? Parents want their kids to learn, but don’t necessarily want their kids to know they’re learning. The LeapPad2 from LeapFrog is expected to be a big seller because of its interactivity, App center and progress tracking. Choose from a wide variety of educational and dynamic apps, while keeping your little one away from your Tablet or smartphone.

Cost? Prices vary, but hold steady around $100.

Nintendo Wii U.

What’s the appeal? Even though Wii technology has been around for quite some time now, the Nintendo Wii U is the first of Nintendo’s gaming consoles to support high-def graphics. You can use the touch screen to control the game on your TV screen, use it in multi-player games, use it as another gameplay perspective, or even use it alone as your main screen.

Cost? The Basic set costs about $300.

Furby

What’s the appeal? For something fun and less expensive than a game or Tablet, check out Hasbro’s Furby. The Furby has made a strong comeback, thanks in part to cool new technology, including a new app that translates Furbish to English. Furbies now come in an assortment of colors like Rain Cloud, Orangutan, Cotton Candy and Starry Night.

Cost? Retail for about $60.

VTech InnoTab 2

What’s the appeal? For a Tablet that is still functional but less expensive than the LeapPad2, Vtech’s InnoTab 2 is a great option likely to fly off the shelves before the end of the year. This learning Tablet comes equipped with a rotating camera, hundreds of apps and even comes in pink.

Cost? The InnoTab 2 retails for around $70.

Twister Dance

What’s the appeal? Games that incorporate exercise are starting to become all the rage, thanks to innovations like the Wii and games like Dance Dance Revolution. Twister Dance teaches you dance moves by illuminating the Twister spots, and doesn’t require a gaming console. Dances are categorized into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. This game can also teach you dances to music you plug in with an MP3 player.

Cost? Twister Dance retails for around $35.

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