Submit RSS Feed | RSS submission software | RSS submitter

October 15, 2010 by · 2 Comments 

Imagine the next time you join a discussion on how to submit rss feed. When you start sharing the fascinating RSS facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

This new technology can change the way you keep in touch with your subscribers or readers permanently in a lot of ways with RSS submit software. For people who still don’t know what the RSS is, here’s a definition – RSS is an acronym for “Really Simple Syndication” or “Rich Site Summary”, and the XML extension is the format used for distributing your NEWS Headlines via the Web, which is known as Syndication.

Syndication is what makes RSS so powerful – you can unleash your message across the web instantly to your subscribers and readers through RSS. So what are the 8 most powerful reasons you should be using RSS? Read below:

1. Readers can opt-into feeds.

Like autoresponders, RSS allows your prospects to opt-into the feeds they are interested in and also be able to opt-out when they want to through their RSS feeds reader. It is almost similar to building a list of subscribers!

2. You don’t have to maintain an RSS feed.

This is a “burden-take-off” for savvy and busy Internet marketers as RSS is free to use and it doesn’t require that much effort as building a list. Of course, everything has its pros and cons. When you don’t need to spend time for your opt-ins, you won’t have a closer relationship with them and it makes promoting your product much harder.

3. Many ways to read feeds.

RSS is very versatile because it lets you read feeds in many different media platforms. Some of the examples are browser readers while others use software to read their feeds. Other than that, people can view feeds on different operating systems like Microsoft Windows or Mac.

Free traffic and promotion.

If you don’t have time to set-up your own webpage with RSS feeds it is recommended that you set-up an account with Blogger.com and head over to FeedBurner.com to set-up an account. RSSbot submitter will generate you a RSS subscription page automatically with any RSS feed URL you favor and inserted.

As your knowledge about using RSS continues to grow, you will begin to see how RSS fits into your overall marketing efforts.

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How To Avoid Software Licensing Non Compliance

March 16, 2010 by · 3 Comments 

Introduction

The world has changed over the last twenty five years out of all recognition. With the development of the World-Wide-Web there has been a massive revolution in communications and the way in which populations manage their lives. However with the introduction of computers and databases, banking on line and free exchange of information throughout the world, there is also the criminal aspect to go with it. The virus and hacking into sensitive sites is a goldmine of opportunity for people intent on fraud and illegal activities. So naturally there is a neced for the public to be protected and have total security so that they can use the facilities without harm. Such Website security and email protection systems have now become big business. As companies become more acutely aware of the dangers and risks of illegal activities they are investing in security solution technology to do something about it.

Software Security

One such company has combined the provision of secure networks, data and applications with the processes and technology involved in making sure that data is managed effectively. The service includes ensuring that bottlenecks are minimised on the network and speed is maximised; minimising data destruction and loss of productivity from spam and browsing that contravenes corporate policy and helping organisations use the technology to uphold corporate policies and comply with regulatory decision.

During these financially challenging times you would expect companies to be economising on computer hardware and software, but instead many organisations have gone ahead investing in IT as a way of restructuring their businesses to create opportunities, thereby gaining competitive advantage. I have a theory that downturn in business is generating more illegal activity so there is more need for security technology and some companies are benefiting as a result. Every cloud has a silver lining.

The Modern World of Software Licensing

As the recession continues to bite many companies do have had to cut costs resulting in less to spend on IT and unfortunately there have been a number of bankruptcies, but that does not tell the whole story. More recently as the IT business grows ever more massive, the management of all the software and monitoring of all the licensing of software is becoming a minefield. For a large organisation where everything is run on computers with its associated software, the cost in licences is huge. There has been a fair bit of news recently about how much it has cost for UK and European businesses to bring their software licensing up to date as a result of a software audit. It seems that the federation against software theft (FAST) claim they can audit any company as they see fit. The cost of just having to reconcile license fees could tip the balance and financially cripple a business. What with the security costs of protecting your computer systems and the licensing fees and keeping up to date with new ideas, large organisations can find their IT costs spiralling out of control.

And you thought licensing your software in a physical environment was complicated, well the game has changed! Over the last three years, there has been an increasingly widespread adoption of x86 server virtualisation which has significantly impacted the information technology landscape. No longer is a server workload tied to the underlying hardware as more than one workload can run on a single box. This has quite astonishing benefits in terms of high availability and disaster recovery, not to mention significant cost savings from the reduction in hardware requirements. The automatic inventory of hardware and software delivers a realistic snapshot of the IT infrastructure and provides, among other things, a reliable data pool for license management, allowing any company to dramatically optimise its license situation.

With malware increasing in both volume and sophistication and no foreseeable slow down in sight, we believe it is now more important than ever for companies to have a comprehensive web security solution in place. Over the years it has been shown that service delivery models and benefits vary greatly and that tight integration of services at the provider level is critical. In the case of e-mail this means security, archiving, continuity and policy management.

No organisation could operate effectively without it’s security software to protect them from the detrimental actions of the criminal element on the web.

Some Interesting Facts Have Emerged:

Although most IT directors would claim to know exactly how many PCs they have on their network, the reality is that more than two-thirds of organisations have a discrepancy of up to 30% between expected and actual inventories. This discrepancy poses obvious problems. How can businesses accurately budget and plan if they don’t know what they already have, and indeed out of what they do own, what is actually in use? In theory the idea of effective Software Asset Management is that organisations can run IT assets in order to support business goals, enabling cost controls, strengthen security and improve corporate governance, all while minimising risk. Keeping track of the hardware in a large organisation is very time consuming, but then doing the same for all the licensing of software for each piece of hardware can be near impossible.

SAM and Virtualisation

Traditionally, licenses have been allocated to the physical hardware on which the relevant software is running. With the increased demand on budgets IT departments are looking for ways of reducing| shrinking| cutting} costs. Organisations have recognised for some time now that their internal data centres are extremely inefficient and have looked for more efficient approaches to give them better control over their applications and service levels, while having increased choice in the way they support their operations. Reducing cost is one of the key drivers behind virtualisation, a technology which is having a truly transformative effect on the IT landscape. There is both a growing realisation and an acceptance that the economic viability of virtualisation and cloud computing in one form or another, will represent the next big transformation in corporate computing.The expectations are huge; banking analysts say that cloud computing will be a $160 billion market within the next five years, and every major IT company is jumping on the bandwagon.

Whilst there have been concerns expressed around complexity, and “how to get started” these are becoming dispelled, as many organisations specialising in SAM, such as Softcat, have educated consumers on the process and priorities and how to make it economical. According to the analyst firm Gartner, SAM helps organisations save up to 30 % of their IT budget, so it is little wonder that it’s rapidly rising up the Chief Information Officer’s (CIO’s) agenda, despite the concerns around complexity.

One example of saving on costs is where the Telegraph Media Group bought in an effective SAM strategy which helped the company gain complete control of their IT assets attaining savings of £100,000 from over expenditure on unnecessary licenses. Although initially the senior managers need to be aware of the whole SAM process, there are some aspects, such as discovery and license management, that are quick and simple to implement and can deliver a much more immediate business and financial impact: lower costs, greater security, decreased risk and improved corporate governance. These initial steps will also set organisations on the road to achieving full ISO 19770-1 compliance when the time is right.Space is at an all time premium, electricity bills ever increasing, budgets shrinking, and while virtualisation is helping us fit more servers into a limited space it does not necessarily mean that the storage solutions being used are any better provisioned or utilised to their full capacity.

The vast number of our customers give a lot of consideration to licence compliance to make sure that they definitely deploy legal software. Together with the frequent and rising risk of audits from suppliers and regulatory bodies, several distributors are taking measures to identify these attempts being made by clients – such as: simplifying license programmes, free education and raising the ethical debate to the physical clients of using non licensed products.

In each large business computer systems are an essential system for managing the company and network security software is imperative to prevent malicious damage to the system.

The Future Trends in Computing.

Under increasing pressure to deliver superior results for less cost, IT managers are considering new options to maintain the functionality of their essential resources such as e-mail management and web security. One of the latest ideas to emerge is that of cloud computing. This term describes any scenario where computing resources are accessed over the Internet and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) makes up one of the largest elements of cloud computing. The SaaS vendors provide a service where the customer does not pay for the software itself, but rather for using it. This takes care of the complexity of licensing and asset management for the IT department allowing the company to concentrate on their contractual work. The process of cloud computing helps customers to reduce the cost and complexity of web and e-mail management and security, so they can focus on their core business by eliminating unnecessary distractions.

Some compare the cloud computing revolution to that of electricity a hundred years ago when companies stopped generating their own power and plugged into the newly built electrical grid. It was more economical to outsource the production of electricity leaving the companies to focus on their core operations. Today a similar revolution is underway. Hooking up to the Internet’s global computing grid, massive information-processing plants are pumping into our businesses and homes. This shift is already reinventing the computer industry. The heavily publicised topics of the increased activity around all things “virtualised” and companies being audited, Software Asset Management (SAM) is becoming a key talking point of the latest products and services available.

Cloud computing models will prevail with Software as a Service (SaaS) along with Platform as a Service. I believe hosting companies will be at the cutting edge of this evolution and will lead to industries becoming more service based. This will range from mobile/GPS/PRS hand held services, consumer services, services targeted at SMBs. We see this as a massive market as these guys don’t want to invest in their own technology per-se, they just want a service. Large enterprises are already embracing cloud computing and it is having a significant impact, as a way to manage their costs and deliver services to both their external customers and internal employees. In fact this move to a hosted delivery model, where the technology or application is simply made available when and where you need it, will drive a new market. We won’t be talking about Software as a Service; or Hardware as a Service… soon we’ll have a new definition – Everything as a Service.

Analyst firm, Gartner agrees that some of the biggest benefits of clouds computing “are the built-in elasticity and scalability, which not only reduce barriers to entry, but also enable these companies to grow quickly.” In the case of ScanSafe, modifications can be made from a web interface from anywhere in the world and alterations are made active in seconds. Furthermore, an SLA provides a financially backed guarantee about service availability and effectiveness. Embrace storage resource management solutions, commit to thin provisioning, actively employ duplication and start using intelligent archiving you will not only save money, time, and reduced your company’s environmental footprint, you will have taken your challenges head on, controlled them and overcome them.

The ability to utilise applications such as web security on a pay-as-you-go basis will be a perfect strategy for businesses seeking greater flexibility and control over costs. According to global market intelligence firm, IDC, “The cloud model offers a much cheaper way for businesses to acquire and use IT – in an economic downturn, the draw of that cost advantage will be greatly magnified. More and more of the focus now is moving to service based models, and managing OP-EX (Operational Expenditure), whereas discussions previously were focussed on CAP-EX (Capital Expenditure). This argument is even truer in today’s economy.

What’s New in Microsoft?

Microsoft has announced the launch of the next wave of Microsoft Office and related products. At a time when an organisation requires its communication tools to be cost-effective and flexible, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 is able to achieve new levels of reliability and performance by delivering features that simplify your administration, help protect your communications, and with greater business mobility. Exchange 2010 delivers new, integrated e-mail archiving functionality-including granular multi-mailbox search, item-level retention policies and instant legal hold-making it easier to address compliance and discovery issues. Administrators get centralised control of all archives while users get direct access to their archived mail, including a familiar archive experience that does not disrupt the way they operate their inboxes every day. Exchange Server 2010 actively helps protect your communications through built-in defences against viruses and junk e-mail and support for an array of third party security products.

The repeated policy of bringing up-to-date Microsoft software gives the customers the service need.

Microsoft Exchange, enables rich and productive collaboration among its users and can help achieve better business outcomes while controlling the costs of deployment, administration and compliance. The latest release of Exchange 2010 delivers the widest range of deployment options, integrated information leakage protection, and advanced compliance capabilities, that combine to form the best messaging and collaboration solution available in a simplified way to help keep e-mail continuously available for the user. With new deployment and storage options, enhanced inbox management capabilities and e-mail archiving built-in, Exchange 2010 helps you lower costs and enhance business outcomes.

Allied to cloud computing, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is another area where a model is emerging that has enough advantages to become main-stream. VDI will cause a fundamental rethink for Microsoft in terms of its operating licensing system. The current licensing model, where device and software license were inexorably tied together, in years to come won’t be the case and Microsoft is already adapting to accommodate the new models. The ability to provide a unified service eliminates the need for multiple interfaces, reporting and policy management – therefore reducing management workload.

Licensing the Virtual Environment

If the link between software and hardware is broken, that model doesn’t work. To their credit, the software vendors, led by Microsoft, have recently started to make changes to their licensing models to match the abilities of the technology – however, whilst these changes are on balance positive, the complexity of licensing in a virtual environment is dramatically increased. Our training deck for the SAM Team on virtual licensing runs to 35 slides – something you don’t ever want to be subjected to unless you suffer from insomnia! Intel technologies are continually addressing the complete business needs of the market and Virtualisation is a constant theme. With the recent launch of their Xeon 5500 design of server chips, it is possible to have intelligent power management that can deliver a 90% reduction in energy costs compared with servers of just five years ago. (and not just making chips go faster!)

Softcat have always maintained that good financial stewardship of software assets has the same result – and this is even more crucial in a virtual environment. We can help you make the most of the licensing terms available – did you know that licensing a server for Windows Datacentre Edition allows you to run unlimited virtual Windows Servers? – and of course ensure that you are adhering to the terms of the licensing agreement, which is critical to ensure compliance. Microsoft is certifying customers for a whole 12 months after their SAM engagement and ring fencing them from further investigation. Microsoft wants to encourage and support its customers to integrate SAM in their everyday planning and control – working with them to maximise their software investment.

SAM Vendor Programmes

A number of associate vendor partners have instigated SAM accreditation programmes and are taking a more “in partnership” approach, where their intentions are to help and reward customers for engaging in SAM. Microsoft have pioneered this sort of programme, along with the likes of Adobe, and Symantec have also launched accreditations to assure end user customers they are in safe hands, when engaging with such resellers. The point here is that the vendors want to encourage customers, rather than the previous stance of enforcement. Finally, worth a note with regard to e-mail management, there is the added burden of efficient and effective retrieval and legislative compliance that service providers are able to lighten.

Conclusion

It is amazing how fast technology has evolved over the decades to drive our lives from every angle personal and business. Two extremely hot topics of the last year, have without doubt, been Software Asset Management (SAM) and Virtualisation. The fact is that organisations the world over are analysing their processes and costs to see how they can work smarter. The economic slowdown could be said to have a positive effect as it pushes| forces| nudges companies towards the process of change thereby accelerating the change. With the increased demand on budgets, coupled with the increased activity around all things “virtualised”, these remain two of the most heavily publicised topics and Softcat believes the business case for cloud computing is a compelling one and that certain non-core business functions, that are nonetheless necessary, are best done in the cloud, being more cost effective for the business and, in many cases, provide the most efficient service.

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Hot New Video Recipes from DV Kitchen

February 28, 2010 by · 6 Comments 

Deciding on the best combination of codec, frame size and bitrate is the tricky but essential task faced by anyone encoding video for the web.

In this article, I describe how to use SampleLab, one of 5 unique tools built into video compression suite DV Kitchen to take the guess work out of the encoding equation.

SampleLab is the only tool in the world that is designed to help you determine the best encoding setting for your videos.

Let’s say I have a video of a two people in a park that I want to put on my website. The first question I face is what encoding settings, or recipe, is going to make this clip looks spectacular on the web, but not take up unecessary bandwidth?

That’s the question that SampleLab was designed to answer. A master chef always tastes a variety of samples before finalizing a recipe. A master video compressionist does the same thing.

Fast Start with QuickSpecs

In SampleLab, you have the option to choose an existing recipe or create your own. Either way, the fastest way to get started is with QuickSpecs, the built-in default options. Choose from the amazing x264 codec, Flash FLV, or Windows media formats, choose any frame size and a bitrate, click go and you’re done.

Next, create a second sample with different characteristics and compare it against the first. SampleLab allows you to toggle between your samples while they’re playing in the built in video player.

Repeat the exercise with as many different settings as you like until you are satisfied that you have the achieved the ‘threshold of quality’ (TOQ) . . . the setting that represents the best trade-off between quality and bitrate size.

“TOQ” is the phrase coined by DV Kitchen designer Josh Mellicker to describe the diminishing returns of increasing bitrate over a certain amount for a particular movie. The TOQ of a clip is the “sweet spot” – just enough bitrate so the movie looks fabulous, but no more.

SampleLab is by far the best way to find the TOQ for each clip you encode. When you decide on a winner, save your recipe so you can recall it in the future with a single click.

To learn more about SampleLab, watch the official avi to mp4 mac demo video.

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Canon Powershot A590IS captures those precious moments!

January 15, 2010 by · 7 Comments 

The Canon Powershot A590IS features a Print/Share button for convenient direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with select Pixma photo printers and Selphy compact photo printers.

Simply attach the A590 IS to a Canon Pixma photo printer or Selphy compact photo printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).

Print your own ID photos in 28 different sizes with the Canon Powershot A590IS or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon Selphy compact photo printer. A590IS’ Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever.

Even if you’ve never never used a camera before, with Canon’s new Easy Mode you can take inspiring, dramatic pictures that will impress everyone. Once you choose Easy Mode, the Powershot A590IS handles all the details automatically.

It automatically sets every camera control including the flash to reduce blur and improve image quality. So you get pictures that are bright, clear and natural just by pushing a button. Best of all, you can relax and concentrate on what really counts — your subject.

Canon’s powerful Face Detection Technology delivers even better results with the new A590IS. The Face Detection Technology continues to recognize faces in a scene, and concentrate exposure (daylight or flash) and focus upon them. But the A590 IS adds more: Face Detection WB means the camera concentrates upon faces when calculating white balance for the best possible skin tones.

Face Select and Track lets the A590 IS user highlight one face among several in a scene, and the camera focuses on that person, even as they move around the scene. Face Detection Technology is a major feature in Canon’s new Motion Detection Technology.

 

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Moving software for moving companies

January 7, 2010 by · 4 Comments 

I wrote eMover-software back in 1997 to help organize and manage my moving company, because at that time it was pretty difficult to find a good moving software. Emover-Software became very popular and purchased and used by more than 100 companies in US and Canada.
Originally it was written as a desktop Windows based software. But the growth of high-speed Internet and popularity of Internet moving leads created a new challenge for moving company software. Many movers cannot afford an expensive moving software that requires an internal network, server and IT personnel. That’s why now we have an affordable alternative to the Windows based software – a browser based software for moving company.
All you will need to run this software is a high-speed Internet connection (DSL or better) and your favorite browser – IE or Firefox. No additional software installation required. And there is no out-of-pocket expenses – just easy monthly payments. Setup takes a couple of minutes and doesn’t require computer skills. It is as easy to use as any other website, such as your email editor.
And if you want to have your own server so you won’t depend on Internet connection – you still can. We can install it on your server as well.

  • Automatic lead parsing from any source. System will recognize lead formats from any popular lead provider or from your website form.
  • Auto-reply features with unlimited scheduling. You can program the system to send emails to your prospective customers based on type of move, status of the lead, size of shipment etc. at any schedule.

My First Mini Dell Experience

November 10, 2009 by · 7 Comments 

Having been amongst the first to purchase the Dell 910 Mini I wanted to share my experience with others that might be thinking about acquiring this item or one of the other sub-notebook or ‘netbooks’ as they have become known. I manage a web design agency and I’ve been contemplating the idea of acquiring myself a more modern laptop as my old Dell Inspiron from 2003 is as heavy as a brick.

Shortly after having retired the old Dell to my girlfriends house (I couldn’t face lugging it back and forwards any longer so it just lives there now, I might well do the same with myself one of these days soon!) it stopped charging and wouldn’t run from the mains, so eventually when I gave it to my tech to repair he found out that it was one of the known faulty models, the 5150 which developed a problem with the motherboard overheating after prolonged use, this I found out about 2 years after they stopped replacing them as part of a class action lawsuit, shame I’m two years too late to get it replaced for free!

Ah well what’s 150 quid for a factory refurbished Motherboard off ebay, compared with years of loyal service in spite of being dropped a couple of times, spat on repeatedly, eaten over and all manner of other not recommended usage styles! I even used to have it hooked up to my TV via the onboard S-VHS port and watch films on it, so it has seen some action, oh yes!

However, this was all instigated by my step dad who just took delivery of top of the range Toshiba Portege at around £1,200, but he’s at that time in life where 1,200 quid is affordable, where as I’m still in financial recovery from my last divorce (yes there was more than one!)! So I happened across the Dell Inspiron 910 Mini on the Dell website whilst looking at specs of laptops for a customer, and there it was £299 inc VAT and delivery. What a bargain I thought! (If you are reading this three years after I wrote it and they are now giving them away free on the front of Corn Flake packets then I will be even more gutted, or maybe I’ll just get one for all the family!)

Anyway there I was credit card on hot standby, wrist twitching ready to make a purchase, but wait a minute I thought, why am I buying this, do I really need it? No, I don’t NEED it I just WANT ONE ! So then some sensibility came over me and I put my credit card away, feeling all pleased with myself at having managed to resist an impulse purchase!

However, the next day my step Dad needs me to investigate his new Toshiba because he can’t get the printer to work with Vista and can’t get it to see the other machines on our network (this job for me, comes with the territory!) So I have to genuinely work on this ultra lightweight Toshiba , wow I’m amazed at how small it is, especially compared to my old Dell 5150! I wish I had cash spare to invest in one of these I thought! I noticed he didn’t have my recommended security software installed though.I setup my recommended internet security programs: Avast Anti Virus and Spybot Search & Destroy which I always use.

The following day I had to go to a customers and as the appointement was first thing in the morning I went straight there from my girlfriends house and took the old 5150 with me (which gives me a great excuse to call in on my way back and drop it off, coincidentally around about lunchtime when there might be the chance of a ham, cheese and salad sandwich on the go! ) So anyway, I about put my back out trying to put this incredibly heavy laptop in the car passenger foot well whilst sitting in the drivers’ seat! One of those ‘put your back out’ manoeuvres. So having experienced the new lightweight machines first hand, and realised I do have a genuine NEED for the new Dell Inspiron mini after all, weighing in at around 1kg, you know I planned to get that credit card out again as soon as possible!

So as I had a management meeting that afternoon I informed my Finance Manager I would be ordering one and that was that. It was Friday October 3rd when I placed the order on the Dell website, and on the 8th I got back from a customer meeting to find a tiny cardboard box on my desk with the Dell log on the side, I thought it couldn’t possibly be the new mini as the confirmation email I got said it would arrive on or around the 20th October, but sure enough it really had arrived! Just a 5 day turn around, wow!

So I’m like a kid in a sweet shop thinking “best day ever” (See Heroes Season 3), I was ecstatic and carefully unpacked it, tossing instructions and disks to one side of course, “read those later” I thought. I got it out and started setting it up straight away, you know remove McAfee Security Centre and all the other junk software these things come with these days. Why they can’t just send you a blank windows installation I don’t know, more advertising!

As it has an integrated web cam I also downloaded Windows Live Messenger and had a quick video call with my girlfriend whilst she was doing her house work, superb! What a great bit of kit!So next I Googled ‘mobile broadband suppliers’ and toyed with ordering the USB dongle from Three, as their 5GB monthly allowance is only 15 quid a month so the best looking deal, providing those coverage stories you hear about Three Mobile are not really the case! (Update: Yes the coverage is lousy in all the areas I want to use it, even at my desk I have to connect the dongle to a USB cable and hang it from my roof to get 1 bar signal strength, buy another brand!) Current suggestion is for an O2 dongle as they have good coverage and a good backbone speed.

Anyway, it was soon time to go and pick up my daughter from school so I thought yeah I’ll take it with me and even though I don’t have the mobile broadband USB Modem yet I can continue setting it up in car park if I’m early. I was early, so I turned it on, it said:

Windows could not start because of an error in the software.

Please report this problem as :

load needed DLLs for kernel.

Please contact your support person to report this problem

As we say in England from the popular Catherine Tate sketch “Computer says no…”

Ah dear, it was great fun whilst it lasted, all of about 2 and a half minutes!Then followed a two and a half hour telethon with Dell support in India :-( Apparently they were so quick to ship it to me that my service tag isn’t on their system yet. Service Tag? What does that have to do with it not booting up?

Having not been able to lookup the service tag on the system (something to do with software licensing) they said they couldn’t send me a replacement yet, I was furious as it is such a simple issue to resolve, but they simply refused until the service tag was registered on their system!

They suggested I called back in 24-48 hours, well I explained to them exactly what I thought of their suggestion as I’m sure you can image, but to no avail. I did indeed have to call back today and they have agreed to send me a replacement unit as it is within 7 days of delivery.

I hope the replacement arrives as quickly as the original unit did…

So conclusion? Apart from the fact it doesn’t work (a faulty drive in my opinion) and for the life of me I can’t get it to boot from an external drive or USB key (it doesn’t have a CD or DVD drive you know) it feels really solid, looks lovely, and is nice to handle (sounds a bit like the ideal partner to an i-phone 2.0 doesn’t it!).

Like most reviewers have stated , the keys are small (but blackberry users manage and they are larger than those keys) and the right shift key is tiny and means you can’t type an @ in the usual fashion. But the screen is nice, 3 USB slots, a monitor connector, Ethernet and earphones and mic connectors although it has both speakers and mic internally so you can video conference without having to plug anything in.

On the whole, I would recommend it, providing you get one that boots up! I am also yet to try it with LogMeIn which is my preferred way of dealing with how to access emails, lots of passwords, specialist software and all that kind of thing when you are out and about. Possibly the screen is going to be too small to be able to work with for extended periods of time, but I’ll let you know when the replacement arrives and I have had chance to give it a proper testing, assuming that one doesn’t break on me as soon as I start urm ‘configuring’ it!

Further Update: So I have had the Dell Mini for about erm, wow nearly a year now! It would never work with LogMeIn over the 3 dongle. To be fair 3 were very helpful, until we took the dongle out and used it in another one of my computers and were able to connect on LogMeIn without any problems, at this point they referred me to Dell, at which point I lost interest!

It is all to do with one of the browser settings, not remembering itself when you select the check box and hit Apply. I can’t remember which one it was now, and maybe internet explorer 8 will have fixed the problem or it might work on Mozilla browser instead, I just never got round to trying to sort it out again and tend to use the Mini more now to read the news in bed with my cup of tea in the morning.It’s just so convenient being so small, and another great feature is it’s near instant turn on. If you just shut the lid it goes into standby, open the lid and it comes back on again within seconds.

It is too fiddly to use for really extended periods but it is great for checking your email when you’re out and about, or for a quick impulse surf when you can’t be bothered to turn the main pc on and you want to remind yourself what other films that actor or actress was in!The maximum available disk space for data storage is 14GB on this model which is not a lot, although it is a solid state drive so no moving parts :-)

It’s a cracking little machine though and also works quite well down the pub, because I can fit it in the pocket of my big coat, and that is proper cool, except it doesn’t like beer puddles much so I tend to avoid taking it most of the time, unless I know I’m going to need to log on, but then the pub has got a sexy new Mac which is already covered in beer so I prefer to use that (any excuse to get behind the bar really!)What is so magical about being able to go behind the bar at your local anyway? I suspect if I actually worked there it would soon wear off!

In summary though it has not had any hardware reliability issues since the initial replacement was received. On the whole I have found that Dell kit tends to be pretty reliable anyway, especially when you are dealing with the more business based items whereas this is obviously more consumer focussed. With a Dell if they are going to go wrong they will usually do so within the first 6 months of use and generally after that they will keep going until recommended service intervals such as changing the disks after a couple of years and that kind of thing, assuming you continue to use them in the same fashion throughout their life spans.

It should be pointed out though that these mini Dell laptops/netbooks, call them what you will, do not having a traditional hard disk drive inside them. A normal hard drive has a disk inside it that physically spins round and a ‘head’ which moves backwards and forwards over the sectors quite like the relationship between the stylus and the tracks on an old fashion vinyl record(which being 40 next year I do remember from my childhood)!

The storage within the Dell mini, and other netbooks too I should image, are solid state, that is to say they are rather like USB flash drives or memory keys. In fact I think from a picture I saw they look more like RAM memory chips all joined together than a single physical device. The advantage of using solid state memory over traditional hard drives is that they use less power, they are not as heavy and they are quieter.

My netbook is blissfully quiet in comparison to any of my other computers, desktops or laptops. Although if you are auditorily hyper-sensitive to noise like I am then you can notice a very slight hum or whine when you request a program that requires it to access the hard drive. Most people probably will never hear this but if you are familiar with the faint hum from your mobile phone charger or other devices of that ilk that transform power from one state to another then you might know what I am talking about. It certainly isn’t a problem though, although the power adapter for the machine itself does make some odd noises if you listen to it closely.

My favourite aspect of this machine is that in some it elicits the same response as having a small puppy or kitten out and about with you, especially down the pub where if you get it out to a bunch of girls you can hear the ooh and ahhh’s of girls who think something is cute! That is priceless!

Registry Cleaner Software Keeps Your Computer Running Fast

October 31, 2009 by · 11 Comments 

If your PC is experiencing problems with speed, lock-ups or crashes – perhaps it is time for you to find the top registry cleaner software for your system. What does this mean? Simply, the registry is a database that resides in your computer that stores all the information about your hardware and software settings. When this database gets errors, your PC slows down, and begins to misbehave.

To fix corrupt registry issues, you have two choices, you can edit the registry manually by hand using the built-in Windows registry editor, or you can employ an automated utility that can scan your system and repair invalid or broken registry entries automatically. This is by far the preferred method, as these software utilities are designed to cure your registry issues safely and accurately. You don’t have to be a PC guru to use these programs, they are point and click. Here is my advice: find a good registry repair software review and find a good tool.

You can buy one of these program for a very reasonable fee, download it in seconds and in just minutes, your registry problems will be solved. The programs scan your system much like a virus scanner would, and then identify and fix common registry errors. Today it’s easier with the advent of modern registry cleaning software.

These programs scan your PC for errors and automatically perform a scan reports on any problems they find. The registry repair tool then does a complete back-up of the registry before any changes are made, and they work wonders for even the non-computer literate users. So if you computer is about to be tossed out the window because of errors and lockups, give one of these new, powerful registry cleaner software products a try. You will save yourself lots of aggravation, and protect your valuable computer data in the process.

Best Registry Cleaner for Windows

October 3, 2009 by · 8 Comments 

 

 

There are so many registry cleaners out there for XP that many people are simply too confused to actually get one. It’s important you get the best cleaner for your PC, but which one is it?

Although there are so many registry cleaners out there, they have all been programmed to do the same job as each other – to clean out a part of your computer called the “registry”. The registry is one of the most important and frequently used parts of Windows, as it is the core database which holds all the settings and options for your PC. Everything from your latest emails to your desktop icons are stored in this database, allowing XP to “remember” a lot of different things for your computer.

The best registry cleaner is one which actually takes the time to scan your computer properly, identifying and destroying the largest errors it could find. This is what’s known as a deep scan and the deeper the scan, the better the registry cleaner as far as being able to speed up your PC and stop errors is concerned.

Unfortunately, many low quality registry cleaners actually go through the registry and pick out many of these important system files as the ones they want to remove! This causes untold damage, which is why we always stick to using a handful of the best XP registry cleaners.

Because Windows is constantly using 100′s of registry files, your PC is forever getting confused and saving them in the wrong way. This makes them hard for it to read, making your computer have to spend longer trying to work out what they are saying, slowing it down and causing errors. To fix this problem, you need to use a registry cleaner… but you need to be sure it’s one you can rely on.

These are created by professional developers who know exactly how to make the safest and most effective registry tools for your system, who also have the time and resources to be able to constantly update and tweak their software. The best of these is one called RegAce, which is actually one of the most popular in the market.

 

 

Advice on Adware Blockers For Blocking Spyware Problems On Your Personal Computer

August 28, 2009 by · 7 Comments 

There are lots of tools available which can remove adware as well as spyware effectively. Spyware is more dangerous when compared to adware. Most of the programs for removing adware and spyware come in combination which removes both. The remove option can be found in the ‘Add/Remove Programs’ function in case of Windows users. Both adware removal tool and spyware removal tool are available as freeware and also for buying. One such software program is xoftspsy review. This software will scan your computer for detecting adware and spyware which pose a threat to the system. It supports the scanning of CAB files and has got a good scanning speed. It will show the activities of these malicious programs.

Adware alert is another adware spyware removal tool.The job of spybot is also the same, to search and destroy the unnecessary files that may harm your computer. Spyware programs are installed on your computer for gathering information about your system. Most part of your computer’s memory will be consumed by the spyware program. Other adware spyware removal tools include Hijackthis, IE-Spypad, Spyware Blaster and X Cleaner. X Cleaner deletes cookies, clears internet cache and also scans the system.

Spynomore is a good tool which does the job of generating reports about the add-ons in the web browser, start up programs and other buttons. The user can remove the unnecessary items on his/her computer based on this report. The Spyware Blaster works in a different manner when compared to the other adware spyware removal tools. It blocks the adware. In other words, it prevents the infiltration of adware into the system. Thus it provides a better protection.

Another tool is IE- Spypad. It is actually a registry file which blocks the access to the sites in the Internet Explorer that contain adware or spyware. Whenever any adware or spyware is reported by the software tool, then you must give the necessary permission to disinfect or delete the file as early as possible.

These adware or spyware may create huge number of files and folders when left untreated, thus it damages your system. Spyware is more dangerous than adware. It not only transfers the data to the remote server but also damages the system. Also, when any adware or spyware found is removed using a cleaner, remove the registry entries made by them too. For this purpose you can utilise the service of a registry cleaner. Once the adware settles in your computer, it will start to multiply. Thus more and more problems will be caused. Always choose the best adware spyware remover tool available in the market, whether it is a freeware or a shareware. Scan your system regularly for malicious content. So that an intense attack can be prevented.

Tips About Software Tools For Developing Applications

August 28, 2009 by · 8 Comments 

So you want to buy a software development tool or rather aplications programming tools There are so many choices online but which ones are the best? Which ones offer you what you need based on your level on expertise? What exactly should you be looking for? Take a few minutes to read this article and all these questions will be answered.

As you surf the web you will come across hundreds if not thousands of software tools for developing desktop applications and you need to be able to pick on that is best for you. There are many reasons why you would need such a tool and below I provide some of these reasons and other useful considerations to think about before you find yourself downloading a worthless piece of software. YOu will find the information useful even if you are looking for a runtime revolution vs alpha five review

Web authoring or development

When your interest in web development you need to make sure that the tool you buy enables you to build both static web pages of plain text to the most complex dynamic Internet applications, social networks and more. This include e-business development, web content development, writing the markup, programming, and web-server configuration

Developing desktop applications

In most cases you can write software on windows or Mac OS but some software is strictly developed on Linux and as such deploying on Mac OS and Windows can be a serious frustration. So before you make a purchase, you need to know which operating system you are comfortable with and go out and find a tool that is supported by the system.

Developing database applications

When you are making your choice with tools for developing database applications, you need to consider modern database systems. These include Oracle. You should also consider programming database applications that use Java JDBC and other great tools like Coldfusion. Think around fast database indexing

Other considerations

You also need to find an easy to use software tool yet be able to use it with SQL backend data sources, like MySQL or SQL Server, it must have an excellent Client Server (desktop) support for working directly with SQL databases and most importantly it must be able to offer something for every user no matter the level of experience.

 

 

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