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We participate in marketing programs, our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions. To find out more, please visit our Term and Conditions page.
With Blogger and Google+ improving each day as google hit bloggers with a stupendous means of communicating with their readers easily just after blogger introducing the new blogger mobile app.
“Blogs are a great way to spark a conversation, and today we’re giving you a new way to grab someone’s attention: Google+ mentions in Blogger. Now you can add a link to a Google+ profile or page when you want to mention someone in a post. If you then share your post from Blogger to Google+, we make it easier to notify your mentions by including them in the sharebox. To mention someone, just type “+” before their name while you’re using the Blogger post editor.
The profile or page will show up as a link in your published post. Hovering over will show a card with more info and an ‘Add to circles’ button. Clicking the link takes you straight to the Google+ profile or page.”
So, whether you want to credit a co-author (thanks +Gregory Fair!), ask a question, or just kick off a dialogue, connect your blog to Google+ and try mentioning someone in your next post!
This great windows software works with all recent windows version both X86 & x64 bit in a “nutshell”
Windows Repair is an all-in-one repair tool to help fix a large
majority of known Windows problems including registry errors and file
permissions as well as issues with Internet Explorer, Windows Update, Windows
Firewall and more. Malware and installed programs can modify your default settings.
With Windows Repair you can restore Windows original settings.
Windows Repair can do the following:
Reset Registry Permissions
Reset File Permissions
Register System Files
Repair WMI
Repair Windows Firewall
Repair Internet Explorer
Repair MDAC & MS Jet
Repair Hosts File
Remove Policies Set By Infections
Repair Icons
Repair Winsock & DNS Cache
Remove Temp Files
Repair Proxy Settings
Unhide Non System Files
Repair Windows Updates
Repair CD/DVD Missing/Not Working
and more…
Windows Repair:
When you first run the program you will be introduced to 4 steps before the
repair options. These steps are highly recommend to do before attempting any
repairs.
Step 1. Clean Your System Of Infections.
Trying to fix a system that is currently infected is obviously a very bad idea
and can make things worse. An infection can hijack a machine and keep part of
the repairs from running correctly. Since only part of a repair will work the
other part that failed could end up causing problems. Rule of thumb before
working on a system is to make sure it is clean. Even if you think your system
is clean doing a scan before hand is a good idea.
Step 2. Check File System
Doing a check disk on the hard drive is a good idea. This will have Windows
check the file system on the drive fixing any problem it finds. Corrupt files
can break a lot of things, including the repairs. So making sure the file system
is good is a must.
Step 3. System File Check (SFC)
The built in Windows system file checker is a tool that checks that the Windows
files are intact, the correct versions and not corrupted. This is a good idea to
do before doing repairs as if a file is corrupt and we try a repair that needs
that file then the repair will fail.
Step 4. System Restore
Doing a system restore point is a great idea to do before doing any repairs. If
any unforeseen problems happen after any repair than a system restore can put
the system back to the way it was before the repairs. This is highly
recommended.
Start Repairs
In this final step you can choose between 3 modes.
Basic Mode: This will run only the most basic, safe repair options. Extra
advanced repairs are disabled.
Advanced Mode: Runs more advanced repairs while leaving a few disabled.
Custom Mode: Every repair is available. The program will remember your repair
choices the next time you choose custom mode.
Download Windows Repair 1.5.3 from this link
An essential ingredient in frugal living is spending less money. However, there is only so much you can cut from your budget before you can’t cut anymore — or you feel so restricted that it becomes difficult to maintain your situation. If you are looking to improve your cash flow, you can look for ways to add a little more income to your budget.
Increasing your income doesn’t mean that you have to go out and find a part-time job, though. There are things you can do from home to make a little extra money. You may have to spend some time getting things started, but after a while, you might find that you can create a steady income from the comfort of your home.
Freelancing on Fiverr and Upwork
One of the most popular things you can do is freelance. You can freelance if you know how to write, if you are knowledgeable about graphic design, or if you know how to program. Technology has made it possible for you to provide your services to people all over the world. Many of my own clients have never even met me in person. Improving your marketable skills will be even more important now that you are taking in clients, and you need to be careful of scams and people who don’t pay you in a timely manner, but with a little perseverance, you can earn some money as a freelancer.
Professional Blogging
Another way to make a little extra money is to start your own web site. Think of something that you are passionate about, or that you are knowledgeable about. You can start a blog or web site quickly and fairly inexpensively. Post information that others find useful, and consider tweaking content to focus on certain keywords. You can even look for good information from other sites, and curate it in a way that attracts visitors. Content curation and creation are expected to really take off, and you can be involved.
Monetizing your Blog
Monetize your web site/blog with AdSense, as well as affiliate programs. Once you have an established following such as a site like MoneyNing.com, you can even begin offering advertising packages.
If you know a lot about something, you can offer your services as a consultant. You can do PR and image consulting, or you can provide help as a SEO consultant or social media guru. It doesn’t even have to be online.
Business Consultancy
You can base a consulting business for communications, teamwork, survey design, green living or some other subject of interest out of your home. You may have to travel sometimes, though, so that can get difficult because of the time and money involved in doing so.
Luckily for you, we have a ton of travel coupons to help you save a bit at least on the financial side of things.
Oh yeah folks wanna rank high in alexa to attract advitizers isn’t it? If that’s what you really want then read on to discover how to lower your alexa rank 1. Claiming your Blog and Installing Alexa Toolbar Claiming your blog from Alexa is the first thing you need to do. To claim your blog – you need to copy the code they will provide for you and paste it in your blog’s HTML. After doing this – Alexa can now certify you as the owner of the blog. Installing the Alexa toolbar will help Alexa monitor visits to your site and reduce your ranking by the number of visitors who visit your blog with Alexa toolbar installed on their web browsers. This is what Alexa have to say about how they rank sites worldwide – “The traffic rank is based on three months of aggregated historical traffic data from millions of Alexa Toolbar users and data obtained from other, diverse traffic data sources, and is a combined measure of page views and users (reach)” So basically, by just installing the Alexa toolbar – you’ll be getting ranking credit anytime you visit your blog or anytime Alexa toolbar-enabled visitors pay your blog a visit. Doing this will help Alexa to easily track your blog and update it traffic stat and rank data simultaneously. 2. Guestpost Frequently Writing guestpost is one strategic way to drastically reduce your Alexa ranking. Alexa firmly looks at the number of backlinks that are linking back to your blog and how authentic they are. The more backlinks you have linking back to your blog will automatically determine how popular your blog is and how highly placed it is on search engines. So, the more quality backlinks you garner to your site – the more your Alexa ranking will reduce. Guestposting is the ultimate and easiest way to build quality backlinks to your blog. The more frequent you guestpost on top niche blogs – the more free backlinks you get back to your blog, and the more people start coming to your blog –the more interactive and alive it becomes, which in turn will reduce your Alexa ranking. 3. Write Content Regularly Frequent update of any blog will make it more interactive. Sine you’re guestposting regularly now, people will start coming to your site from your guestposts on those blogs you guestposted for. Which is why you need to have fresh content at all times; because – visitors tends to drop off any blog that is hardly updated with fresh content from their list of blogs –to-visit. The more updated your blog is, the better traffic and quality backlinks you garner to your blog from search engines. And since the traffic we’re talking about here is ‘human visitors’, it will increase firstly: Your blogs’ traffic – when they keep coming to read your blogs’ frequently-updated content and secondly it will increase: Backlinks- When they share your unique posts with friends and on different social platforms, making your blogs’ Alexa rank to lower than drastically.
4. Share on Social Media platforms
The sub-heading has said it all. Sharing your blog posts on social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn and Google+ will increase your traffic, especially when your post goes viral on any of the social platforms just listed. Blog post going viral will increase your backlinks and bring a lot of people to your blog – making your Alexa rank to lower down. 5. Comment on Other Blogs Blog commenting is a wonderful backlinking strategy you can use to reduce your Alexa ranking to it lowest form. Commenting on top blogs will bring traffic from that blog to yours and backlinks as well. What you’ll do is – look for high ranking blogs in your niche (like 20 of them) and devote your time commenting on them. Unique comments are what you should always drop at the respective blogs. Don’t go dropping “Hi”, “I love step 2” or “Good post! – keep it up”; – drop something that makes sense, something that will warrant people to click and come to your blog; something very informative and that corresponds with the post title you’re commenting on at that particular time. Finding dofollow blogs to comment on is a plus one for your blog; since, instead of just contributing your informative comments on the dofollow blog – They will also publish your blog’s recent post along side your comment. Doing blog commenting frequently will help decrease your Alexa rank for good. 6. Increase your Traffic The more traffic you generate for your blog; the more your Alexa ranking will reduce. Traffic is the most important thing Alexa uses in determining how to rank any specific site. Keeping your traffic at an increasing frequency will drop your blog ranking significantly; while leaving your traffic to drop will increase your blog ranking drastically. Copied from 3ptechies
A smart TV is only as smart as the person controlling it. So if the person in control is a hacker, the owner could have a problem. Researchers at security consultancy ReVuln say some smart TVs are vulnerable to hacking. It is another example of what experts say is the ever-expanding attack surface of devices that traditionally never faced the Internet, but are now “smart.” The researchers at the Malta-based company said they found a vulnerability in a number of smart TVs made by Samsung Electronics that gave them root access to the TV and any attached USB drives. They posted a video titled “The TV is Watching You,” which appears on a number of security vendor websites, including Kasperky Lab’s Threatpost. While there is no voiceover, the video shows the researchers accessing the TV settings and channel lists, SecureStorage accounts, widgets and their configurations, the history of USB movies, the ID, firmware, whole partitions and any attached USB drives. They were also able to retrieve the drive image, mount it locally and check for information like usernames, passwords, financial documents, or any other type of material on USB drives. Luigi Auriemma of ReVuln told the IDG News Service that hackers could even use the integrated webcam and microphone to watch the victim. And he said the vulnerability is not confined to the single model that ReVuln tested.
What is affected
“The vulnerability affects multiple models and generations of the devices produced by this vendor, so not just a specific model as tested in our lab at ReVuln,” the report said. Samsung did not respond to a request for comment, but ReVuln emailed a statement saying there is no firmware update yet, “as the details regarding this vulnerability have not been shared with the vendor.” The statement added that ReVuln has only tested Samsung, but said: “We think that other brands of TV may be affected by similar issues.” James Arlen, senior security consultant with Leviathan Security Group and a hacking expert, said the TV is just one example of the “Internet of Things” and other non-computer resources in homes that amount to “a huge new attack surface.” “I recently counted the number of IP addresses in my house and came up with all kinds of new things that require Internet access – not just the computers, game systems, tablets and music players, but also the bathroom scale, the thermostat and more,” he said. “Televisions are one of many, but also the most likely to have lots of interconnection possibilities.” He said the problem is not new, noting that, “printers got smarter and became a threat,” and that the number of smart devices continues to expand. Dan Frye, general manager of services at MAD Security, agrees. “A common way to get into enterprise networks is through printers attached to the corporate network. A TV on the corporate net is really the same thing,” he said. “In essence, you’ve got a computer inside some device, whether it be a printer, a TV, a toaster, the Coke machine, etc., and that computer is just as vulnerable to attacks as a normal computer would be.” “Any new piece of technology that connects to the Internet is a probable attack surface,” said Matt Johansen, WhiteHat Security threat research manager. “Look at the recent research by Barnaby Jack about insulin pumps and pacemakers.” “Who would have thought these devices would ever be susceptible to hackers?” Johansen said. “But if a hacker gets their hands on any device long enough, they’ll figure out a way to break it. It was hotel door locks, slot machines in the past and it will be the smart toasters and refrigerators in the future.” Gary McGraw, CTO of Cigital, said most people don’t think of their TV or other household devices as computers, but they are. “Your TV is just a computer with a monitor,” he said. “And it knows a lot about you—what you’ve watched, whether you were home at the time.” There is some disagreement over how much of a priority security is for devices that have only recently begun to face the Internet. “Focus on delivering the product to market means that the ‘Ship It’ award is more important than ‘Is it Hackable?'” Arlen said. Frye agrees that security standards for such devices are “immature.” But he said vulnerabilities are found “everywhere, all the time, in products that certainly take security into account. Microsoft, Google, and Apple are all great examples.” McGraw said while the vulnerability discovered by ReVuln is real, he doesn’t think Samsung is necessarily lax on security. “They make the most popular Android phone out there,” he said. “So they are in the [security] wars.” To deal with the ongoing threats, both consumers and enterprises need to “control your exit path,” Arlen said. “Most consumers are unaware of what traffic passes in or out of their primary systems, so they’re going to be even more unaware of the traffic to and from devices that are ‘furniture’ rather than computers.” “More manufacturers across lots of industries need to employ or engage with the “hacker-ish” community to solve the problems prior to the shipping of the product,” he added. Frye said that once products are released, manufacturers need to treat them like computers, and “have a way for people to report vulnerabilities and a way for patches to be deployed out to their consumers.”
Samsung’s bug bounty
Samsung has begun treating smart devices like computers. “Samsung has actually taken a step in a great direction with a TV bug bounty program for researchers to submit bugs to receive a reward ($1,000), which has been useful for the likes of Google, Facebook, Mozilla, and even PayPal,” Johansen said. However, every computing device is potentially vulnerable, and with “The Internet of Everything” there will be more of them all the time. “This problem will only get worse as we integrate more things into our home networks,” Frye said. “It’s the TV now, but smart devices, smart meters for our power, the toaster, thermostat—they’re all at risk in the same way.”
The clamshell laptop is finally joining the beige desktop in the museum of computer artifacts. The basic hinged design made its first appearance in a device called the Grid Compass way back in 1982, so no one can scoff at the clamshell’s longevity. Nonetheless, times are finally changing, which means it’s time for the pure clamshell laptop to ride off into the sunset. The traditional clamshell is being replaced by a wide variety of designs that merge tablets and laptops into a single physical package. These Windows 8 hybrid devices should directly appeal to PC users who might otherwise buy thin-and-light laptops. First-generation hybrids are already shipping, and most of them are flawed in some way, but they nonetheless bring new use-case scenarios to a mobile computing paradigm that hasn’t changed much in 30 years. Sure, there have been attempts to upend the clamshell. Take Microsoft’s Tablet PC initiative during the Windows XP era. But those early efforts were hobbled by bolting touch control onto an operating system that was poorly suited for touch interfaces. Windows 8 and Windows RT, however, are designed from the ground up for the touch experience. Now that we’ve reviewed a good number of Windows 8 portables, it’s time to step back, name the best models, and put them all in context. Given their intrinsic design compromises, none of them is a clear winner as a do-it-all system. But we can still look at five innovative designs, walk you through why you’d want one, and suggest which usage models may best apply to you.
Primarily a PC: IdeaPad Yoga
The Yoga’s screen rotates to a “tent” mode for easy presentations.
Sometimes you really need a full laptop keyboard, but you’d like to couple it with a Windows 8 touch experience. And, occasionally, you may need to use your system as a pure tablet—but you don’t anticipate that being the machine’s primary use. If any of this resonates with your personal needs, consider Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga. It’s an excellent 13.3-inch Ultrabook that includes a multitouch, capacitive touchscreen for all the cool new gestures built into Windows 8. The Yoga has what it takes to be a solid ultraportable laptop. The keyboard is excellent for touch typists. The battery life approaches 6 hours. The sound quality of the speakers is surprisingly good. And it weighs less than 3.5 pounds. However, it’s the display that really sets the Yoga apart. It’s a full 1600 by 900 pixels, offering a good balance in pixel density between 1366 by 768 and 1080p (or 1920 by 1080, by any other name). The panel rotates 180 degrees, allowing the Yoga to be used as a full tablet (albeit with its keyboard exposed) or in the “tent mode,” where you can use it to give presentations or easily share content.
The business traveler’s hybrid: ThinkPad Twist
The ThinkPad Twist’s display rotates around a single hinge.
Road warriors need work machines that are lightweight, rugged and reliable. Lenovo has long promised these qualities in the ThinkPad, a laptop line that was first conceived by IBM in 1992, and has been targeted at business users ever since. And now we have the ThinkPad Twist, which brings Windows 8 touch gestures and a clever hybrid design to a laptop legacy that’s always been a bit buttoned-up and stodgy. As with most ThinkPads, the Twist is a tad heavier than a consumer-grade laptop. And at 3.5 pounds, the Twist—even with its 12.5-inch, 1366 by 768 display—is a bit heavier than Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga, which has a larger, higher-resolution screen. But what’s nifty about the Twist’s display is its hinge design, which lets this hybrid engage a tablet mode while still keeping the machine’s keyboard protected. This makes the Twist more robust in tablet mode than the Yoga, whose keyboard remains exposed. The base-model Twist ships with a 500GB hard drive and a 24GB caching SSD. Working together, the two drives deliver speedy startup times and copius storage. Lenovo does offer one model with a traditional SSD intended for storage, but it’s a fairly scant 128GB. This SSD option, however small, will likely play well in larger businesses, where IT departments tend to lock down which applications can be installed. Overall, the Twist brings the ruggedness of the ThinkPad line with some of the most usable features of Windows 8 tablets. The only significant omission is a 3G/4G mobile broadband option, which would make the Twist a more attractive hybrid for frequent travelers. Nevertheless, the Lenovo Twist is compact and reasonably light, which should allow it to travel well.
Almost a tablet: Sony Duo 11
The Son Duo 11 is a tablet with slider keyboard built in.
The Sony Duo 11 looks like a tablet—most of the time. When you carry it around in its folded state, a seam conceals a sliding keyboard hidden underneath the bottom of the display. It’s the laptop version of those old-school slider phones, complete with a compact, Chiclet-style keyboard. Make no mistake: Touch typists will not like the keyboard on the Duo 11. Really, the most postiive thing I can say about the keyboard is that it’s functional, offers tactile feedback, and is a little easier to use than an on-screen keyboard. For the most part, however, the keyboard is cramped and uncomfortable. Luckily, the sliding hinge seems durable enough. And given that that the Duo 11 will likely be used more in tablet mode than laptop mode, the slider bit works pretty well. The entire affair weighs 2 pounds, 13 ounces—under 3 pounds, in other words. The 11.6-inch screen is an IPS display offering full HD (1080p) resolution. Sony also includes an N-trig stylus that supports 256 pressure levels, making it a useful adjunct for artistically inclined users. If what you need is a tablet for touch-sensitive art applications, the Duo 11 bears closer scrutiny.
PC performance in a tablet design: Acer Iconia W700
Acer’s Iconia W700 is a high-performance Ultrabook in tablet guise.
In the Iconia W700, Acer crams an Ultrabook into a relatively thin tablet. No one will mistake this device for an iPad or Microsoft’s Surface RT, but in weight and thickness, it’s pretty close to what Microsoft’s Surface Pro will be. It’s also 2.1 pounds; while that’s significantly lighter than the Sony Duo 11, it still means that lugging it around propped on your forearm (as many tablet users do) may get tiring. The tradeoff for the weight is robust, PC-like performance and features, including USB 3.0 and mini-HDMI video output. As with most tablets, it’s got both forward-facing and rear-facing cameras. As with Sony’s Duo 11, the Iconia includes a full HD, 1920-by-1080 display. This delivers gorgeous-looking images and text, but it’s also problematic for touch use when running desktop applications. It’s simply difficult to put one’s finger on desktop buttons and window bars that render so small. While Acer bundles a Bluetooth keyboard, the only pointing device is the touch interface itself—no mouse is included, and the keyboard lacks a trackpad. The W700 is really the purest, most recent incarnation of Bill Gates’ vision of the Tablet PC. But the real problem lies with the overall size, bulk, and weight. An 11.6-inch tablet, particularly with a 16:9 aspect ratio, will always be a little awkward to hold and use in landscape mode. Portrait mode is a little more usable, but often won’t accommodate documents at their full width. Nonetheless, despite all these caveats, if you’re looking for a pure tablet that offers PC-like performance, the W700 delivers. It’s a nice product, but we expect the Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro to eclipse the W700 early next year.
The pure tablet: Microsoft Surface RT
Microsoft’s Surface RT offers covers with built-in keyboards
The Surface RT is Microsoft’s bid for the tablet space currently owned by Apple’s iPad. Sure, Android tablets may cost a little less and aspire to the same market, but none have been able to come close to the iPad in terms of ease-of-use and user adoption. While the aspect ratio is more widescreen than Apple’s, the 10.6-inch display seems a little more usable than the slightly unbalanced, 11.6-inch displays that dominate the Windows 8 tablet market. Windows RT is fast and responsive on the ARM-based, Nvidia Tegra processor. The Surface’s 1366-by-768 resolution doesn’t match the beauty of Apple’s iPad Retina display, but most users probably won’t notice. In the Surface RT, Microsoft has introduced some clever touches, such as a built-in kickstand and the optional Type Cover, which integrates a flat, tactile-free, but extremely thin keyboard. The company also bundles a reduced version of Microsoft Office, but using those Office apps kicks you into desktop mode, which feels very weird on a device that’s really meant to be a pure tablet. On the Surface RT, the Windows Start Screen is the native interface, and seems capable and usable.
Like every new Windows release, Windows 8 is more secure than the operating systems that came before it. That’s due in large part to three major enhancements: An increased emphasis on UEFI Secure Boot optimizations, the extension of the SmartScreen Filter across the operating system, and the default inclusion of a more robust version of Windows Defender, which now protects against all kinds of malware—not just spyware.
Windows Defender’s increased scope doesn’t sit well with computer manufacturers, however. OEMs make beaucoup bucks by installing those trial versions of McAfee, Norton and other security suites you’ll find bundled on boxed PCs. Windows Defender’s default installation threatens that gravy train.
Microsoft tossed its partners a bone by allowing OEMs to deactivate Windows Defender in order to ship boxed PCs with alternative security solutions installed. That’s all well and good from a “variety is the spice of life” perspective, but one side-effect that isn’t so hot is what happens when you fail to register that third-party security software: Windows 8 doesn’t automatically reactivate Windows Defender by default. In other words, your pretty new prepackaged PC is wide open and vulnerable to all the nasties of the ‘Net.
Fortunately, activating Windows Defender is a snap. Here’s how to do it.
Activate Windows Defender in Windows 8
Windows Defender isn’t subtle about being deactivated.
First, head to the modern-style Start screen and type “Windows Defender” to have Windows search for the program, then click on the Windows Defender icon when it appears in the results. A Windows Defender window will appear on the classic desktop. If Microsoft’s security software is disabled, you’ll seen a lot of scary red tones alongside an “At risk” warning and an image of a computer screen with a big X on it. Subtle, eh?
Next, click on the Settings tab at the top of the window. Make sure “Real-time protection” is selected in the left pane, then check the box next to “Turn on real-time protection (recommended).” Finally, click Save Changes at the bottom of the Window.
How you want your Settings tab to look!
You’ll know it worked when the terrifying red “At risk” bar at the top of the Windows turns a much more soothing shade of green and switches to “PC Status: Protected.”
Check for leaks
You’re not quite done yet. Now it’s time to make sure your PC is actually malware-free! Click the Update tab, then click on the big Update button in the middle of the Window to download the latest malware definitions Microsoft has on file.
Next, open the Home tab and select the “Full” radio button in the Scan Options list. All you have to do now is click Scan Now, then sit back and wait while Windows Defender checks the nooks and crannies of your PC for any hidden baddies. Grab a cup of coffee; it may take some time. While you’re waiting, we recommend checking out your Windows 8 antivirus options.
In the year 2012, we have seen a great revolutionary trend in the smartphones. With the release of Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, computing and connectivity has been taken to a new level. Apple’s iPhone 5 has generated a phenomenal buzz with its latest features, gaining popularity among the several. “How would the next generation smartphones be?” this was the first thought that has entered my mind when I see the features. For all those questions here is a sneak peek into the next generation android phone features: Larger Display Screen : In the year 2013, we are likely to see phones with a larger display. The screen size might be increased to provide a better viewing experience. You can see high definition pictures on your mobile phone. The colours would be more brilliant and vibrant providing us with life like picture quality. You might expect better size and display with the increase in the colour pixels. Faster OS : Although most phones haven’t updated android 4.1 OS, Google has already started working on its new version. It is all set to launch the new android 4.2 Key Lime Pie in the year 2013. The operating system is believed to be faster and better than the current existing one. Better Designs: Android phones in the coming generations may view a great change in their body designs. The body might pass through various changes to bring out that best design which could ‘wow’ the crowds. It might be sleeker, thinner which weighs less. Processors: With the present processors speeding up our work and cut shorting the time taken to upload or open a web page. Presently there are various processors are used such as 1.4 GHz ARM Cortex A9, 1.2 GHz Exynos, 1.5 GHz Scorpion, 1.2 GHz dual-core TI OMAP and many others. But the grapevine is buzzing with talks that they might increase the speed or might continue with the existing ones Camera: This feature is one among the waited features. Currently smartphones come with 8 megapixels, 5 megapixel for the rear camera and 1.3 megapixels for the front but there are talks that this could be increased to 13 megapixels for the rear and 3 megapixels for the front to provide better clarity and to produce complete HD quality pictures. Memory Storage: This is another check out feature. The current memory provided by android phones is 16GB/34GB/64GB with 1GB ram but the future phones might come with 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB variant might be included and might also have 3GB ram. This provides you with a large storage area where all your files can be easily stored without much problem. With all these great features, the phone might be heavy on the pockets so in case you want to buy them and lack finances opt payday loans. The above-mentioned are a few features that might be enhanced. Technology is updated regularly.
Maria Benson
Author Biography:
This guest post was written by Maria Benson, who loves to write articles on various topics like finance, health, technology. Previously she has done research on ppi claims currently she is focusing on technology related articles.
Introduction: Just four days before Google started updating website page ranks, I launched my social network to mark my 19th birthday and to create an atmosphere for you guys to reach out to people even more easily.
What to expect:
The Nairatrain Social Network comes with a lot of amazing features that favors webmasters & bloggers, programmers, internet marketers and the masses at large. Some of these amazing and rare features will include but not limited to the following:
An advance discussion board: This feature will be widely applauded for the atmosphere it creates for users. It is more or less a platform for users to share their views on the following related subjects. SubjectsDescriptionEducation/Carrier In these board, all educational, carrier and health matters will be discussed. Internet/Webmaster Discuss blogging tutorials, Internet tip, news and update, webmaster tools and seo tips in this board. Entertainment Looking for someone/something to put a smile on your face? here is the board for you.
These are the few major boards, others may include Love/Romance/Tradition, Joke, Scam Alert, Politics etc.
Live Chat: We cannot talk about Nairatrain.com without throwing lights on it’s amazing live text and video chat feature just like the one you use on facebook.. Here is a preview of the chat web application.
Pages: The issue of creating pages in social networks should not be over emphasized, however this is not just another custom page in a social network, Nairatrain.com gives you full access towards customizing your page to your test and provides you with nice tools for your page.
Blog: The blogging feature of Nairatrain.com is an important feature that should not be over looked by blog owners and users who share interest in blogging.
Media: Upload and share your favorite photos and videos, View and rate your friends photos.
Friend Finder: Find your friend from high school, college, universities, place of work etc. either with their username, real name, phone numbers, location, date of birth or their interest on Nairatrain.com.
Links: Share your favorite links on Nairatrain.com.
Your Privacy: Nairatrain respect your privacy as we have included in our privacy policy, however the concept of protecting your privacy totally depends on you, as Nairatrain.com has provided the necessary options to control who sees your profile info.
This is a simple but an amazing css gadget that changes you visitors default cursor to your custom cursor when they visit your website. The custom cursor gadget equally works on every platform including the blogger platform.
Does this slow my website load time? This gadget has a very little or no impact as regards to how your website load (in the case of load time)
How do I install this gadget on my blog? To install this gadget just follow the simple tutorials below.
Blogger
To ad this widget your blogger site, simply
Login to your blogger account.
Click on layout.
Add a new Html/Javascript Gadget.
Copy and paste the following code into you Gadget:
Adding to a website
To add this widget to a website or any other platform, simply paste the above code anywhere within the <head></head> section.
Mozilla released Firefox 16.0.1 on Thursday in order to fix a publicly disclosed vulnerability and three other security flaws identified after the release of Firefox 16.
Mozilla pulled down Firefox 16 from its website on Wednesday, one day after its release, because of a vulnerability that potentially allowed malicious Web pages to read the URLs of other websites accessed by visiting users. Such behavior should normally be prohibited by the browser’s security mechanisms. The issue was publicly disclosed by security researcher Gareth Heyes on Wednesday. Heyes published proof-of-concept code that, when loaded from an arbitrary Web page, could determine the user name of a user logged into Twitter. Mozilla determined that the issue found by Heyes only affects Firefox 16.0 and addressed it in Firefox 16.0.1. However, the new version of Firefox also fixes a separate vulnerability discovered by a Mozilla security researcher that can result in a similar behavior. In Firefox 15 and earlier versions this second security issue can also potentially lead to arbitrary code execution. In addition, Firefox 16.0.1 fixes two memory corruption bugs in the browser engine that can result in crashes and can potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code. One of these bugs only affects the Android version of Firefox when running inside custom Android firmware like CyanogenMod. Thunderbird 16.0.1 and SeaMonkey 2.13.1 were also released on Thursday in order to address the same vulnerabilities that were patched in the desktop version of Firefox.
Less than a day after Mozilla released Firefox version 16 to the public, the browser had to be pulled from the Web over security concerns.
“Mozilla is aware of a security vulnerability in the current release version of Firefox,” Michael Coates, Mozilla’s director of security assurance, explained in a blog. “We are actively working on a fix and plan to ship updates [Thursday]. Firefox version 15 is unaffected.” According to Coates, the vulnerability could allow a malicious website to capture a person’s Web history, which could be subsequently used for mischief.
“At this time we have no indication that this vulnerability is currently being exploited in the wild,” Coates wrote. Coates did not note when Mozilla became aware of the new vulnerability, or how it was discovered. Notes from a Mozilla meeting yesterday, however, show that the company was aware of it by 11 a.m. PT Wednesday, when it told developers that a “chemspill” — Mozilla’s term for an emergency update — was necessary. In a precautionary move, download versions of Firefox 16 have been removed from Mozilla’s installer page. Mozilla expects an updated version of Firefox that addresses the security vulnerability to be available Thursday. While Mozilla has taken down Firefox 16 from its website, the security-challenged version of the browser is still available on the Internet. For example, Yahoo is flogging Firefox 16 at its website and through ads in Google search results. If you have Firefox 16 on your computer, it will automatically be updated with the new version when it’s available. If you’re feeling squeamish about having Firefox 16 on your machine, Mozilla recommends that you downgrade your Firefox version to the 15.0.1 release of the software. While the version of Firefox 16 released Tuesday missed one vulnerability, it addressed a number of others including memory corruption and memory safety hazards, a buffer overflow bug and a spoofing and script-injection flaw. Update: Mozilla released Firefox 16.0.1 on Thursday, which fixes these security flaws. Read the report on this new version of Firefox.
What if windows eight doesn’t meet our expectations?
Microsoft launches Windows 8 later this month after a year of gradually making the new operating system more and more available, hoping for a big hit that will drive sales this holiday season and beyond, and giving the company new hope of grabbing a bigger share of tablet sales. But what if Windows 8 flops? For businesses, the problem won’t be that dire, says Paul DeGroot, principal consultant at Pica Communications. Businesses that are Microsoft shops already have an operating system, likely Windows 7, but if not, Windows XP with a plan to adopt Windows 7 soon before support for XP ends next spring. If Windows 8 is a complete bust, enterprises can stick with Windows 7 and wait until Microsoft picks itself up and does a better job with Windows 8 service packs or Windows 9 (or whatever it calls the next major release), he says. After all that’s what happened with Windows Vista, says Matthew Casey, an analyst with Technology Business Research, and Microsoft can handle a disappointing Windows 8. In fact that is a likely scenario, DeGroot says. “Most of the companies I work with are standardising on Windows 7. They are not going to be migrating to Windows 8.” He says many businesses will license Windows 8 but end up reimaging their networks with Windows 7, similar to how many enterprises licensed Vista but installed XP. Casey says a Microsoft stumble with Windows 8 will be handled by businesses the same way the performance of Windows Vista was handled. “If that’s the case we’ll see a similar reaction from Microsoft,” he says “It’s not going to be them closing their doors.” The company will press on with Windows 8 and its fundamental architecture. The impact on consumers won’t be that great, either. If Windows 8 doesn’t catch on a big part of the reason will be that consumers are buying some other tablet platform they like better, so they’ll be happy. But according to Gartner, Microsoft will be missing a big opportunity to make its mark in mobile devices if the Windows 8 gamble doesn’t pay off. “It is a risk that Microsoft must take to stay relevant in a world where mobile devices with new modern experiences are becoming the norm,” Gartner says in a research note “Is Windows 8 in Your Future?” The popularity of smartphones and tablets has Microsoft playing catch up, particularly with Apple, whose iPad dominates in tablets and whose iPhone holds down big large chunk of smartphones. “With Windows 8, Microsoft tries to address the excitement of the tablet market by adding a tablet interface to Windows,” Gartner says. If Windows 8 does become popular with consumers and finds its way into enterprises via the bring-your-own-device phenomenon it will still have hurdles to clear with IT departments. Ultrabooks and tablets still need to establish themselves in the corporate world where their use raises questions, Casey says. Who will pay for them? How will they be secured? “These are pieces that need to fall into place in the enterprise planning cycle,” he says. It’s also questionable whether they will gain traction as platforms for business applications, DeGroot says. “I think that is going to be a very tough sell,” DeGroot says, because the apps have to be vetted by the Microsoft Store before they will be allowed on closed Windows 8 devices. Businesses won’t want to leap that hurdle nor will they want to side-load apps on devices to get around the restriction that Windows 8 apps must be reviewed by and sold through the store. “I have some difficulty imagining many organizations are going to want to do that.” Beyond that, developers are not prepared to write for Windows 8; their training and experience leans toward traditional enterprise applications for conventional desktops without touch capabilities, DeGroot says. Touchscreen can actually be a barrier. With Windows 8 Microsoft is overhauling the underpinnings of its operating system with the introduction of Windows Runtime, a new architecture that gives a common footing to applications across a range of devices. Such applications can support both x86 and ARM hardware, potentially opening up the possibility of writing apps once that can run on any device. Microsoft hopes it can write its next major chapter with Windows 8 and Windows Runtime, Gartner says, and that is what makes a Windows 8 success – and avoiding a flop – so important. Windows 8 is simply the biggest turning point for Microsoft in decades. “Windows 8 is not your normal low- or even high-impact major release of the OS,” the research firm says. “We believe it’s the start of a new era for Microsoft, the Windows RT era, which follows the Windows NT era that began in 1993 and is just starting to wane.”
Here are the best pieces of computing facts & advice we’ve ever heard. Useful information never goes out of style.
While the computer technologies seem so ordinary and familiar there are still some facts about them which may surprise you. The internet was born 40 years ago, in a lab at the University of California, Los Angeles. Today it wraps the entire planet and features in the daily routine of more than 1.5 billion people. Of course, it’s easy to take the internet for granted and forget that it’s very much a work in progress. So what forces are shaping it, how big has it grown, and will it ever evolve a mind of its own? Here’s a collection of facts you probably didn’t know about the computers and the internet. Check them out.
TAKE A BREAK…… Technology never stops moving foward. Hardware gets faster, and operating systems gain new features and (we hope) finesse. This is natural computing law.But just because computers are one big exercise in evolutionary progress, that doesn’t mean certain computing maxims ever go out of style. Take, for example, the nuggets of wisdom in the following list. All of these things are as true today as they were 2, 5, and in some cases even 10 or 20 years ago. Below, we give you the best pieces of computing advice we’ve ever heard. Have we left anything out? Share your suggestions in the comments section of this article.
1) When in doubt, punch out
If something isnt working on your PC, dont wring your hands and yell at the screen. Just restart the system. That simple act alone will fix many of the problems you may be experiencing. When your PC restarts, it clears out all the temporary files in the RAM and relaunches the operating system. This wipes away any files that may have been giving your PC fitsand the operating system starts fresh and unfettered by whatever was affecting it. If you want to do these things without restarting, click Start, then Run, and type %temp% into the command line.
2) Expect your battery to let you down
It’s simply Murphy’s Law: Your laptop or tablet will poop out the moment you need it most. That is life. Always bring your power cables with you on the road, and if possible invest in backup and secondary battery options.
3) Crowdsource your troubleshooting
Chances are, the help resources at your device manufacturers website wont address your exact headache, but if you type an error message or problem you’re having into Google, you’ll inevitably find helpful information from poor souls who have encountered the very same issue.
4) Back everything up
Never get caught with just one copy of anything that you want to keep. Always back up your data, and then back up your backups. Consider backing up both to an external drive and to a cloud storage service. Its a good idea to keep separate system and data partitions to back up your data partition daily, and back up your system partition (Windows as well as your installed programs) at least quarterly.
5) Remember that thumb drives are your friends
Its very easy to lose track of the recovery discs that come with a new PC, so keep a USB drive with recovery software on it in case something goes wrong. Store it away in a safe, easy-to-remember place. And in that same safe place, keep both electronic and print copies of all your software keys.
6) Look to last years model for a better value
Tech manufacturers always charge a premium for the latest and greatest hardware and typically you don’t really need the world’s fastest processor, graphics card, or I/O technology. So do yourself a favor and consider buying hardware that was best-in-class during a previous manufacturing cycle. It will likely be heavily marked down, but still wholly capable and packed with performance.
7) Skip the extended warranty
Don’t be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay offexcept for the companies that sell them.
8) Read the manual
You might be surprised at what you can learn by reading user manuals. Its natural to just jump right in and begin doing the things you expect a device or application to do, but I’ve found that by reading the manual I can learn about features and functions I didn’t know existed. Reading the manual can increase the benefit you derive from your device, and make you feel a whole lot better about buying it.
9) Consider the total cost of ownership
This maxim mostly applies to purchases of printers and subsidized phones. If you intend to do a lot of printing, pay close attention to the cost and efficiency of consumables, namely the ink or toner. And if you’re investing in a new smartphone plan, consider what you’ll be paying month to month…to month…to month…
10) Resist the urge to impulse-shop
A tech geek is never more dangerous than when perusing the aisles of a brick-and-mortar hardware store. If you absolutely must purchase a new toy in person, make sure to do your research beforehand. Don’t be swayed by the razzle-dazzle of salespeople, and arm yourself with deep product knowledge before you enter a store. Also, always ask the retailer to match lower Internet pricing, if you can find it. (You’ll want to bring your smartphone with you.)
11) Keyboard shortcuts: Use them, love them, live them
You can work far faster (and look way cooler) by mastering keyboard shortcuts for the programs, services, and operating systems you use every day. To learn these shortcuts, check out our Forum’s numerous articles containing keyboard shortcuts for every major OS and many popular applications. Get started with Windows 7 shortcuts.
12) Build your own
In many cases, building your own PC can be a less expensive proposition than buying a prefab systemand even when it isn’t cheaper, building your own ensures that you get the precise configuration that fits your needs (this is especially true for gaming PCs).
13) Keep your software up-to-date
The message windows reminding you to update your software can get annoying, but its a good idea to stop what youre doing and click the ‘Update now’ button. You’ll get the all the functionality the software has to offer, and you’ll also obtain vital security patches that can protect your system from software crashes and data loss.
14) Use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse tray
You might not realize how much time you spend at your desk. Hours can fly by when you re in the zone, and those hours of typing and mousing add up. Carpal-tunnel syndrome and other repetitive-stress injuries are a real risk for the information workers of today, and they can cost you dearly in pain and missed work. A small investment in adjustable, ergonomic keyboard and mouse trays, coupled with some research on correct positioning, can save you a lot of trouble.
15) Encrypt sensitive stuff
Encrypt any file you wouldn’t want to share with a thief, including email. My program of choice: TrueCrypt. But don’t bother to encrypt the entire drive. Just create a TrueCrypt volume and keep your sensitive files there.
16) Label your power bricks
Every time you buy a new device, you wind up with a new power adapter. They collect under desks, behind PCs, and in boxes in the closet. It’s almost as if they’re breeding. Its easy to lose track of which one goes to which device, and its possible to harm your gear by using the wrong power cable. So the first thing you should do after buying new gear is to label the power brick, permanently pairing it with the right device.
17) Hide those cables
The tangled mess of cables and wires under your desk will only get worse and worseand you wont realize how much it bugs you until you finally clean it all up. You can bundle groups of wires by running them through toilet paper tubes, or binding them with pipe cleaners or small bands of velcro, and then use binder clips to tie the bundled wires to the underside of your desk, or any place where theyre out of sight.
18) Stay wired when you want to connect
Wired ethernet will always be faster and more reliable than wireless networking. If you regularly do something (for work or play) on your home computer that relies on a constant Web connection, you may be better off using a wired internet connection. Wired connections are capable of far faster data speeds and are simply not subject to the many factors that can disrupt a wireless connection.
19) Put your router in the middle
Position your wireless router as close as you can to the center of your home. This action can help ensure that all the wireless devices in your home are within range of the access point. Youll also find that the signals coming from your router are more likely to reach their destination if the antenna is elevated off the floor a few feet.
20) Stop thieves
People store gigabytes of vital information on their portable devices, yet they rarely think about protecting their devices from theft. One of the best things you can do is to install a GPS-enabled antitheft program on your laptop, tablet, or phone. If your device goes missing, the software will lock the OS, report the device’s location to you via GPS, and in some cases even capture and send some photos of the thief.
21) Investigate crashes
If your PC seems to crash frequently, the Windows Reliability Monitor (Control Panel > System and Security > Action Center > Reliability Monitor) can help isolate the cause. The utility keeps track of all hardware and software crashes and warnings, organising them by date. By clicking on one, you can see the full details of what happened.
22) For gamers: Update your drivers
Confirm whether you have the latest drivers for your PC’s graphics and sound hardware. Game developers create their titles using the latest features and functionality in graphics cards. If youre using older drivers, your graphics card might not be up to the task of rendering the game properly on screen.
23) Take a screenshot
Save a screenshot (or snap a photo and save it to Evernote) of every weird problem or crash you see. Having an image can help immensely if the problem becomes chronic and you need assistance in fixing it.
24) Use two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication simply means that logging in to a given service requires two separate forms of authentication: something you know (such as a password) and something you own, typically your smartphone. For example, you can enable two-factor authentication for your Gmail account. Doing so will require you to have your smartphone nearby every time you try to log in to your account so that the service can send you a unique alphanumeric code via SMS, but the arrangement makes it much more difficult for hackers to break into your account.
25) Change your router’s default SSID
The easiest thing you can do to improve the security of your wireless network is to change both the login and the password for your router to unique alphanumeric phrases that only you know. Since finding the default login and password for almost every router on the market is child’s play online, leaving your router at the defaults allows anyone to gain access to the wireless network in your home or small business.
26) Shun ‘Free Public Wi-Fi’
The ‘Free Public Wi-Fi’ network you might see listed on your Windows PC when you’re in various public places is the result of an old Windows XP bug that causes the OS to set up an ad hoc data-sharing network for connected PCs if it can’t connect to a trusted wireless network automatically. Connecting to this type of device-to-device ad hoc network rarely poses any immediate danger, but it won’t get you onto the Web, either. And malicious users could spy on the connection and steal valuable information from you.
27) Say no to cookies
Enable the Do Not Track feature on your browser. This feature will send a message to the websites you visit that it is not okay for them to install cookies in your browser that will record your movements around the Web. Unless you want that to happen, of course.
28) The best tip of all: Take a break
Every so often, take an electronic sabbatical. Go 24 hours without looking at a screen. It’s good for your eyes, and it reduces the chance of burnout. It also reminds you of how powerful personal computers of all shapes and sizes have become and that thought alone might make everyone a little more tolerant and patient when problems arise.
Here are the best pieces of computing facts & advice we’ve ever heard. Useful information never goes out of style.
While the computer technologies seem so ordinary and familiar there are still some facts about them which may surprise you. The internet was born 40 years ago, in a lab at the University of California, Los Angeles. Today it wraps the entire planet and features in the daily routine of more than 1.5 billion people. Of course, it’s easy to take the internet for granted and forget that it’s very much a work in progress. So what forces are shaping it, how big has it grown, and will it ever evolve a mind of its own? Here’s a collection of facts you probably didn’t know about the computers and the internet. Check them out.
TAKE A BREAK…… Technology never stops moving foward. Hardware gets faster, and operating systems gain new features and (we hope) finesse. This is natural computing law.But just because computers are one big exercise in evolutionary progress, that doesn’t mean certain computing maxims ever go out of style. Take, for example, the nuggets of wisdom in the following list. All of these things are as true today as they were 2, 5, and in some cases even 10 or 20 years ago. Below, we give you the best pieces of computing advice we’ve ever heard. Have we left anything out? Share your suggestions in the comments section of this article.
1) When in doubt, punch out
If something isnt working on your PC, dont wring your hands and yell at the screen. Just restart the system. That simple act alone will fix many of the problems you may be experiencing. When your PC restarts, it clears out all the temporary files in the RAM and relaunches the operating system. This wipes away any files that may have been giving your PC fitsand the operating system starts fresh and unfettered by whatever was affecting it. If you want to do these things without restarting, click Start, then Run, and type %temp% into the command line.
2) Expect your battery to let you down
It’s simply Murphy’s Law: Your laptop or tablet will poop out the moment you need it most. That is life. Always bring your power cables with you on the road, and if possible invest in backup and secondary battery options.
3) Crowdsource your troubleshooting
Chances are, the help resources at your device manufacturers website wont address your exact headache, but if you type an error message or problem you’re having into Google, you’ll inevitably find helpful information from poor souls who have encountered the very same issue.
4) Back everything up
Never get caught with just one copy of anything that you want to keep. Always back up your data, and then back up your backups. Consider backing up both to an external drive and to a cloud storage service. Its a good idea to keep separate system and data partitions to back up your data partition daily, and back up your system partition (Windows as well as your installed programs) at least quarterly.
5) Remember that thumb drives are your friends
Its very easy to lose track of the recovery discs that come with a new PC, so keep a USB drive with recovery software on it in case something goes wrong. Store it away in a safe, easy-to-remember place. And in that same safe place, keep both electronic and print copies of all your software keys.
6) Look to last years model for a better value
Tech manufacturers always charge a premium for the latest and greatest hardware and typically you don’t really need the world’s fastest processor, graphics card, or I/O technology. So do yourself a favor and consider buying hardware that was best-in-class during a previous manufacturing cycle. It will likely be heavily marked down, but still wholly capable and packed with performance.
7) Skip the extended warranty
Don’t be a sap. Extended warranties are designed to prey on your fear that the hardware you just purchased is already on its death bed. From a return-on-investment perspective, extended warranties almost never pay offexcept for the companies that sell them.
8) Read the manual
You might be surprised at what you can learn by reading user manuals. Its natural to just jump right in and begin doing the things you expect a device or application to do, but I’ve found that by reading the manual I can learn about features and functions I didn’t know existed. Reading the manual can increase the benefit you derive from your device, and make you feel a whole lot better about buying it.
9) Consider the total cost of ownership
This maxim mostly applies to purchases of printers and subsidized phones. If you intend to do a lot of printing, pay close attention to the cost and efficiency of consumables, namely the ink or toner. And if you’re investing in a new smartphone plan, consider what you’ll be paying month to month…to month…to month…
10) Resist the urge to impulse-shop
A tech geek is never more dangerous than when perusing the aisles of a brick-and-mortar hardware store. If you absolutely must purchase a new toy in person, make sure to do your research beforehand. Don’t be swayed by the razzle-dazzle of salespeople, and arm yourself with deep product knowledge before you enter a store. Also, always ask the retailer to match lower Internet pricing, if you can find it. (You’ll want to bring your smartphone with you.)
11) Keyboard shortcuts: Use them, love them, live them
You can work far faster (and look way cooler) by mastering keyboard shortcuts for the programs, services, and operating systems you use every day. To learn these shortcuts, check out our Forum’s numerous articles containing keyboard shortcuts for every major OS and many popular applications. Get started with Windows 7 shortcuts.
12) Build your own
In many cases, building your own PC can be a less expensive proposition than buying a prefab systemand even when it isn’t cheaper, building your own ensures that you get the precise configuration that fits your needs (this is especially true for gaming PCs).
13) Keep your software up-to-date
The message windows reminding you to update your software can get annoying, but its a good idea to stop what youre doing and click the ‘Update now’ button. You’ll get the all the functionality the software has to offer, and you’ll also obtain vital security patches that can protect your system from software crashes and data loss.
14) Use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse tray
You might not realize how much time you spend at your desk. Hours can fly by when you re in the zone, and those hours of typing and mousing add up. Carpal-tunnel syndrome and other repetitive-stress injuries are a real risk for the information workers of today, and they can cost you dearly in pain and missed work. A small investment in adjustable, ergonomic keyboard and mouse trays, coupled with some research on correct positioning, can save you a lot of trouble.
15) Encrypt sensitive stuff
Encrypt any file you wouldn’t want to share with a thief, including email. My program of choice: TrueCrypt. But don’t bother to encrypt the entire drive. Just create a TrueCrypt volume and keep your sensitive files there.
16) Label your power bricks
Every time you buy a new device, you wind up with a new power adapter. They collect under desks, behind PCs, and in boxes in the closet. It’s almost as if they’re breeding. Its easy to lose track of which one goes to which device, and its possible to harm your gear by using the wrong power cable. So the first thing you should do after buying new gear is to label the power brick, permanently pairing it with the right device.
17) Hide those cables
The tangled mess of cables and wires under your desk will only get worse and worseand you wont realize how much it bugs you until you finally clean it all up. You can bundle groups of wires by running them through toilet paper tubes, or binding them with pipe cleaners or small bands of velcro, and then use binder clips to tie the bundled wires to the underside of your desk, or any place where theyre out of sight.
18) Stay wired when you want to connect
Wired ethernet will always be faster and more reliable than wireless networking. If you regularly do something (for work or play) on your home computer that relies on a constant Web connection, you may be better off using a wired internet connection. Wired connections are capable of far faster data speeds and are simply not subject to the many factors that can disrupt a wireless connection.
19) Put your router in the middle
Position your wireless router as close as you can to the center of your home. This action can help ensure that all the wireless devices in your home are within range of the access point. Youll also find that the signals coming from your router are more likely to reach their destination if the antenna is elevated off the floor a few feet.
20) Stop thieves
People store gigabytes of vital information on their portable devices, yet they rarely think about protecting their devices from theft. One of the best things you can do is to install a GPS-enabled antitheft program on your laptop, tablet, or phone. If your device goes missing, the software will lock the OS, report the device’s location to you via GPS, and in some cases even capture and send some photos of the thief.
21) Investigate crashes
If your PC seems to crash frequently, the Windows Reliability Monitor (Control Panel > System and Security > Action Center > Reliability Monitor) can help isolate the cause. The utility keeps track of all hardware and software crashes and warnings, organising them by date. By clicking on one, you can see the full details of what happened.
22) For gamers: Update your drivers
Confirm whether you have the latest drivers for your PC’s graphics and sound hardware. Game developers create their titles using the latest features and functionality in graphics cards. If youre using older drivers, your graphics card might not be up to the task of rendering the game properly on screen.
23) Take a screenshot
Save a screenshot (or snap a photo and save it to Evernote) of every weird problem or crash you see. Having an image can help immensely if the problem becomes chronic and you need assistance in fixing it.
24) Use two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication simply means that logging in to a given service requires two separate forms of authentication: something you know (such as a password) and something you own, typically your smartphone. For example, you can enable two-factor authentication for your Gmail account. Doing so will require you to have your smartphone nearby every time you try to log in to your account so that the service can send you a unique alphanumeric code via SMS, but the arrangement makes it much more difficult for hackers to break into your account.
25) Change your router’s default SSID
The easiest thing you can do to improve the security of your wireless network is to change both the login and the password for your router to unique alphanumeric phrases that only you know. Since finding the default login and password for almost every router on the market is child’s play online, leaving your router at the defaults allows anyone to gain access to the wireless network in your home or small business.
26) Shun ‘Free Public Wi-Fi’
The ‘Free Public Wi-Fi’ network you might see listed on your Windows PC when you’re in various public places is the result of an old Windows XP bug that causes the OS to set up an ad hoc data-sharing network for connected PCs if it can’t connect to a trusted wireless network automatically. Connecting to this type of device-to-device ad hoc network rarely poses any immediate danger, but it won’t get you onto the Web, either. And malicious users could spy on the connection and steal valuable information from you.
27) Say no to cookies
Enable the Do Not Track feature on your browser. This feature will send a message to the websites you visit that it is not okay for them to install cookies in your browser that will record your movements around the Web. Unless you want that to happen, of course.
28) The best tip of all: Take a break
Every so often, take an electronic sabbatical. Go 24 hours without looking at a screen. It’s good for your eyes, and it reduces the chance of burnout. It also reminds you of how powerful personal computers of all shapes and sizes have become and that thought alone might make everyone a little more tolerant and patient when problems arise.
Shortly after Firefox regained its No. 2 position in the browser arena, Mozilla on Tuesday unleashed the next version of its popular open source browser complete with fixes for numerous critical vulnerabilities
Holes associated with a full 14 security advisories were closed in the new Firefox 16, in fact, 11 of them rated “critical.” Also notable about Firefox 16 are features including a new developer toolbar, early Web app support, preliminary VoiceOver support in the Mac OS X version, and a new Reader Mode in the Android version. ‘A growing set of novel features’ Among the vulnerabilities fixed by Firefox 16 are memory corruption and memory safety hazards, a buffer overflow bug, and a spoofing and script-injection flaw. Most were also corrected in Thunderbird 16 and SeaMonkey 2.13, both of which were released on Tuesday as well, in addition to being backported to the business-oriented Extended Support Release (ESR) versions of Firefox and Thunderbird. With initial support for Web apps in the desktop Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of Firefox 16, meanwhile, developers can now begin building self-contained versions of their websites that are installed by the user, can run offline, and “don’t always require the chrome of a browser window,” Mozilla explains. Web apps also “have access to a growing set of novel features, such as synchronizing across all of a user’s devices,” it adds.
Eventually, Web apps will be distributed through the forthcoming Mozilla Marketplace. ‘Removes all the clutter’ Mac users will find that preliminary support for the VoiceOver screen reader is now turned on by default in Firefox 16, while new features in the Android version include a Safari-like Reader Mode that “removes all the clutter from Web pages and shows you only what you want to read in a minimalist UI,” as Firefox Mobile developer Lucas Rocha explained in a blog post this summer. Also new on the Android side are the ability to use a “Share” menu item to send tabs to other devices through the “Firefox Sync” option and a feature designed to ensure that malicious “tel: URLs” crafted to wipe the phone can no longer be opened. Ready to give the latest and greatest Firefox a try for yourself? It’s now available as a free download in desktop and mobile versions on the Mozilla site.
Last year blogger.com introduced mobile templates on Blogger, and Dynamic Views for the desktop. Since then, over 2 million blogs have started using Dynamic Views on desktop, and users have been asking for more mobile features. Just recently, blogger announced that the will be bringing speed and advanced reading experience of Dynamic Views to mobile. Configuring your blog to use a Dynamic View on mobile will result in a reading experience that mirrors the desktop, but is optimized for mobile. To configure a Dynamic View for mobile on your blog, select the “Template” tab, and then click on the settings cog under the “Mobile” preview.
If you’re currently using Dynamic Views on the desktop and have the “Default” mobile template selected, you don’t need to do anything — your blog will automatically start using the mobile optimized view when viewed from a compatible mobile browser.
Currently, only the “Classic” view, which is best suited for small screens, will be shown on mobile. Tablets with large screens will get the full desktop experience. As with the older mobile templates, supported browsers are WebKit-based browsers (such as Android Browser, Chrome for Android and iOS, and Mobile Safari).
We hope your readers enjoy the modern, compelling experience that this mobile update provides.
Outdated software is the weak spot of Android phones, according to a security firm’s recent study that finds more than half of the Android-powered devices checked have unpatched vulnerabilities, putting their users at risk of mobile malware. Duo Security, a Michigan-based company whose investors include Google, gathered data from more than 20,000 Android devices around the world that loaded its free app, X-Ray, released two months ago. Unlike traditional mobile antivirus software that scans for known malware, X-Ray scans Android devices to see whether they have unpatched vulnerabilities that may put them at risk.
The firm found that more than half of Android devices worldwide have unpatched vulnerabilities that could be exploited by rogue apps. The X-Ray FAQ explains that a number of such vulnerabilities have been discovered in the core Android platform, affecting nearly all Android devices. Even more are found in manufacturer-specific extensions that may affect a smaller subset of Android users. “Yes, it’s a scary number, but it exemplifies how important expedient patching is to mobile security and how poorly the industry (carriers, device manufacturers, etc.) has performed thus far,” says Jon Oberheide, CTO at Duo Security, in the company’s blog posting about its research. “We feel this is actually a fairly conservative estimate based on our preliminary results, the current set of vulnerabilities detected by X-Ray, and the current distribution of Android versions globally.” Oberheide was recently named one of Forbes’ “30 under 30” for his Android security research.
Carriers are very conservative in rolling out patches to fix vulnerabilities in the Android platform, users’ mobile devices often remain vulnerable for months and even years,” Oberheide adds. Apple releases software patches for its iOS software regularly and users have immediate access to any updates, but the nature of Android means that carriers and device manufactures hold the key when it comes to updating phones. Sometimes Android updates are not rolled out to all phones in order to entice users to buy newer devices. If you’re one of those people running an older version of Android, make sure to take extra precaution when installing apps or browsing the Web on your device. Never install apps from sources you don’t trust, and take some time to grab a mobile security app like Lookout, TrustGo, or Norton Mobile Security. While you may not be able to close the holes in the OS itself, you can at least prevent apps that use these exploits from getting onto your device. More than 500 million Android devices are activated, according to Google’s own stats, and the majority of them (57 percent) run on Gingerbread (2.3.X), a version introduced in late 2010, while only 1.2 percent run on the latest Jelly Bean (4.1) update. Just under 20 percent of Android devices run older versions of Android, dating back to 2009. Post Credit: techhive.com
It’s a huge year for Microsoft. The venerable tech giant is essentially reinventing itself from the ground up for 2012. A new server OS, new desktop OS, new Microsoft Office suite, new mobile platform, and new tablet hardware are all being launched virtually simultaneously. To say Microsoft has a lot riding on the success of the new products is an understatement. Apparently, Microsoft is willing to put its money where its proverbial mouth is, though, and lead its customers by example. There are reports that Microsoft plans to accelerate its normal PC refresh cycle to give all employees new Windows 8 desktops and laptops. But, wait—there’s more! Microsoft is also allegedly issuing new Windows Phone 8 smartphones and Surface RT tablets to all employees as well. Microsoft allegedly plans to give all employees their very own Surface RT tablet.
Aside from Microsoft playing Santa Claus (or Oprah—choose your own benevolent icon), and bringing Christmas to employees a tad early, the move also demonstrates Microsoft’s confidence in the new platforms and software. It is arguably the most extreme example of the “eat your own dog food” mantra ever implemented. It’s probably not entirely altruistic, though. It seems safe to assume that there is a deeper business strategy behind the decision. Onuora Amobi, editor of Windows8Update.com, thinks it’s a brilliant move by Microsoft. Aside from fostering loyalty and good will with employees, it allows Microsoft to do a massive real-world test of its manufacturing and distribution channels, and it enables Microsoft to demonstrate–on a massive, global scale—that Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are ready for enterprise customers to roll out themselves. From a marketing and consumer standpoint, the strategy makes sense as well. With more than 90,000 employees carrying and using Windows 8 smartphones and Surface RT tablets, the devices will get a huge boost in exposure. The friends and family of those 90,000 employees will have a chance to touch and feel the new Windows 8 smartphones and tablets, and the word of mouth marketing will be much more invaluable to Microsoft than any advertising it can buy. Of course, Microsoft followed a similar strategy a couple years ago when it gave all employees Windows Phone 7 smartphones. Despite the word of mouth marketing and excitement that should’ve been generated among Microsoft family and friends, the Windows Phone platform has still been struggling to earn a seat at the table with other mobile platforms like iOS and Android. Microsoft is putting its money on the line in other ways as well, though. Previous versions of Windows have cost consumers hundreds of dollars to upgrade, but with Windows 8 Microsoft is offering the upgrade for a mere $40 for a limited time. There’s also a rumor that Microsoft could price its Surface RT tablet at around $200—a very aggressive price for a tablet of that caliber, and something, which is sure to draw attention if it proves true. Microsoft isn’t just developing incremental tweaks to existing product lines. The operating systems, platforms, software and devices Microsoft is unleashing this year represent a bold departure from traditional Microsoft products and strategies. Much of what Microsoft is doing is essentially a gamble—but it’s a gamble that Microsoft is going all in on. We’ll see if the strategy pays off.
It hasn’t been the best of months for Anonymous, the loose hacktivist collective that likes to view itself as the most potent threat on the Web to big government, big business, and those who do not share its views on pretty much anything — law enforcement, the environment, internet freedom, copyright laws, politics etc. Several of its recent claims have been exposed as not just inflated, but outright fabrications.
The group claimed to have personal mailing addresses and phone numbers besides the UDIDs, plus device tokens for the Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) for numerous types of Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. The FBI immediately denied that any of its computers had been compromised. Apple said it had never provided UDIDs to the FBI. And, as Michael Mimoso noted on the Kaspersky Labs blog Threatpost, David Schuetz, a senior consultant with Intrepidus Group, found that the real source of the breach was BlueToad, a Florida based technology provider for digital publishers. “[Schuetz] found a password dump online for BlueToad dated March 14, the same week AntiSec said it had breached the FBI computer. Any hesitancy Schuetz had regarding BlueToad’s connection to the breach was evaporating,” Mimoso wrote. Earlier this week, BlueToad CEO Paul DeHart publicly confirmed via the company’s blog that it was the source of the breach, that it had contacted law enforcement and was cooperating in the investigation.
Then there was the claim last month that Anonymous was looking to break into the communication system between NASA and the Mars rover Curiosity. That didn’t even pass the laugh test for most security professionals, who viewed it as a bad joke or a weak attempt at trolling. Last March, LulzSec, which operated under the Anonymous umbrella, after the FBI arrested and then flipped its leader, Hector Xavier Monsegur, who went by the hacker name of “Sabu.” Does all this mean that the Anonymous brand has been undermined? Do its boasts and threats have any credibility in the security community?
Anonymous uneven
Yes and no, say those who track its exploits. Most agree with Cole Stryker, an author who has researched Anonymous and who The New York Timesquoted describing it as “a handful of geniuses surrounded by a legion of idiots.” Those idiots, say experts, are going to make a host of errors and laughable claims. But that does not mean there is no danger from the core group.
“What we have here is a bunch of kids, largely in UK and here and dozens of other places such as Brazil, Turkey, Iran, China, Ukraine, Romania and lesser numbers in other places across the planet — a bunch of really bored kids who want to be a part of something, but have no clue,” said Kevin McAleavey, cofounder of the KNOS Project and a malware and hacking expert.
“How seriously do I take Anonymous’s claims? About as seriously as I take ‘The Daily Show,'” he said. “Yes, there are a handful of really dangerous people who those kids admire and who occasionally feed them a breath mint. One or two of them have already been apprehended. The rest have gone back to collecting exploits and writing malware, and selling them to criminals and government spooks for real cash. They won’t touch Anonymous any more because the heat is too high.” Nick Selby, a Texas police officer and information security consultant who runs a police-led intelligence blog, noted at the time of the LulzSec bust that there is essentially no barrier to claim membership in Anonymous. “It doesn’t require massive technical skills — just reasonable knowledge and a willingness to break the law,” he said. But Aaron Cohen, founder of the Hacker Academy, said he thinks it would be foolish to discount the group’s skill and power. He said he has a hard time talking about Anonymous, “because we don’t know who they are. People are out there doing things under the name of Anonymous, but you don’t really know if that’s true.” Cohen said the whole idea of an Anonymous brand misses the point. “They’re not looking for branding,” he said. “They’re doing it under a pseudo name. There is no call to arms to get somebody. But if one person says they’re going to get a company, then everybody tends to rally around that person.” But Cohen adds that he thinks Anonymous has been “pretty reliable so far,” in both its claims and its threats. And he said whether it is Anonymous or some other group, good hackers are proof that “if people want to break into something badly enough, they can.” “So if you’re a target, it’s best to tighten up,” he said.
Imagine turning on a brand new, fresh-from-the-factory laptop and already having a virus on it before you even do anything. That’s the scary situation Microsoft uncovered on several PCs in China, and now the tech giant is fighting the botnet responsible for the infections in court. Microsoft digital crime investigators in China discovered the Nitol virus when looking into the sale of counterfeit software. The virus was preinstalled on 20 percent of the laptops and desktops tested, Microsoft states on its blog. Somewhere between the assembly line and the retail purchase, cybercriminals were able to introduce the malware. The majority—85 percent—of Nitol infections have been detected in China, but nearly 10 percent have also been found in the U.S., Microsoft reveals.
Nitol-infected PCs immediately and automatically search the Internet for other computers to connect to and attack. Microsoft’s further investigation unearthed more than 500 other types of malware being hosted by this illegal network. The malware found was capable of keystroke logging, remotely turning on the video camera and microphone, launching denial of service attacks, and more. The Microsoft Digital Crime Unit has been investigating the malware since last August. This week, a U.S. District court granted Microsoft permission to take over the 3322.org domain and its 70,000 sub-domains, which the company says is the source of the infection and a major hub of illegal activity. Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against server owner Peng Yong. Combating botnets by shutting down the domain providers is a strategy Microsoft has had great success with in the past. This is the second botnet disruption for the software giant in the last six months. It’s also the largest single repository of infected software the company has found to date. More than 37 million malware connections have been blocked from 3322.org since Microsoft won the court order.
Introduction: Just four days before Google started updating website page ranks, I launched my 
Microsoft launches Windows 8 later this month after a year of gradually making the new operating system more and more available, hoping for a big hit that will drive sales this holiday season and beyond, and giving the company new hope of grabbing a bigger share of tablet sales.
Outdated software is the weak spot of Android phones, according to a security firm’s 
The firm found that more than half of Android devices worldwide have unpatched vulnerabilities that could be exploited by rogue apps. The 
Apple releases software patches for its iOS software regularly and users have immediate access to any updates, but the nature of Android means that carriers and device manufactures hold the key when it comes to updating phones. Sometimes Android updates are not rolled out to all phones in order to entice users to buy newer devices.
Post Credit: techhive.com
