Computing Unplugged Magazine

Samsung Opens The Door To 1080p On Smartphones

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

It's still not that common in other devices, so a dual-core ARM processor capable of 1080p video that can be installed on a smartphone is causing some excitement.

Read | Permalink

Apple's New iOS 4.1: Its 4 Biggest Improvements

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

iOS 4.1 has been released. With it come some fixes to the proximity sensor, video uploads over Wi-Fi, TV show rentals, and more.

Read | Permalink

Google Debuts 'Instant' Search

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Google's new Instant search is a step up from the old type-ahead feature in your word processor. Developed for those who hate to wait, the new search tool suggests results based on popular queries.

Read | Permalink

A SHOCKING INVESTIGATION BY OUR OWN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
"This book reads like a scary thriller. Crossing political and technical lines with confidence and abandon, David Gewirtz weaves a story that will raise the eyebrows, and the neck hairs, of everyone who reads it."
-- Dan Shafer, author of more than 50 books

This is a heck of a story. Prepare to be freaked out...

RIM Buys "Documents To Go"

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

RIM has purchased Documents To Go, along with a large portion of DataViz, to help improve BlackBerry. The program allows you to edit Microsoft Office documents on a mobile platform.

Read | Permalink

iPad competitors are lining up

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

This article includes notes on five competitors for the tablet market. With the marketing budgets of Samsung, HP, Dell, and Toshiba behind them, these stand a chance in the increasingly crowded market.

Read | Permalink

Know Your Touch Screens

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Not all touch screens are the same. While the MPG (multitouch, physics and gestures) screens used on the iPhone can seem magical, others are just screen-based push-buttons. This article explains the different types of touch screens.

Read | Permalink

Pedestrian death rise blamed on iPods

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Officials in Australia have noticed a troubling rise in pedestrian deaths that seem due to the use of iPods and other such devices. People seem more interested in the sounds from their headsets than to traffic.

Read | Permalink

Pirate Bay down, police raids across Europe

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The Pirate Bay site has been taken off-line as police departments staged coordinated raids in as many as 14 countries.

Read | Permalink

New article: Introducing the Jones family and their full-family backup challenges

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

By David Gewirtz

There's a new family in town. The Jones family has a lot more computers than most families of even a few years ago, and therefore also has a lot more issues of backup and security.

Here at Computing Unplugged, we put together a composite of this new kind of computer-overburdened family. We then spent the last year or so testing a variety of solutions in order to determine a good overall mix of reliable backup solutions.

This week, we'll talk about the computing environment. In the next few weeks, we'll talk about each of the various solutions and how they worked out (and some that failed miserably).

Tap here and let's meet the Joneses -- and their computers.

Toshiba warns of fiery laptops

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The Toshiba Satellite T135, Satellite T135D and Satellite Pro T130 models sold between August 2009 and August 2010 have been discovered to have a problem with the plug-in AC adapter that may cause them to overheat. Affected models are eligible for free repairs.

Read | Permalink

The Hidden Link Between E-Readers and Sheep

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

No, sheep were not polled as to what they thought of e-readers, though they're probably happy to know their hides will not be used to produce the screens. This article discusses the real, historic reasons behind the sizes of books.

Read | Permalink

New malware detects browser, shows fake malware warning page

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has discovered new malware called Rogue:MSIL/Zeven that can imitate the malware warning page of your browser. It will "find" malware on your machine then prompt you to "update" your PC by installing more malware.

Read | Permalink

HOW TO SAVE JOBS - NEW FROM ZATZ!
This book is about how to create and save jobs. Believe it or not, there's not a single book out there that specifically focuses on job creation and preservation -- until now.

This book, by ZATZ editor-in-chief David Gewirtz, is about helping your business work better. It's about helping you change the things you need to change so your company can perform more effectively.

Plus, through a grant from ZATZ, it's a free download.

Read it and reap.

What's Behind the Ping Controversy?

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

It seems that Facebook was originally going to join Apple's Ping feature. But the two companies couldn't agree on terms. And then there was the worry of iTunes users swamping Facebook servers.

Read | Permalink

First looks at new iPod Nano, Touch, Apple TV, iTunes

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Yesterday Steve Jobs unveiled that latest gadgets from Apple. Among them: a smaller iPod Nano, a cheaper iPod Shuffle, anew, cheaper Apple TV set-top box, and a new iTunes feature called Ping.

Read | Permalink

Happy 2nd Birthday, Google Chrome

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Google is celebrating Chrome's second year with a new, stable build of the browser. While this is the sixth version of the browser, Google doesn't call it Chrome 6.

Read | Permalink

Meet the Galaxy Tab

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Samsung's new Galaxy Tab tablet computer has been announced. Running Android 2.2, a 7-inch color display, and only 0.47-inches thick, the device is seen as a possible threat to iPad's dominence of the market.

Read | Permalink

Botnet Takedown May Yield Valuable Data

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The Pushdo botnet network has been crippled. Researchers are now picking through the pieces to see just how the network operated and how future spam-nets can be stopped before they get so large.

Read | Permalink

Why WebOS 2.0 Should Have Rivals Worried

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

WebOS 2.0 has been released to developers. The update includes some new features that may, with HP's backing, produce a viable operating system for mobile devices.

Read | Permalink

Sony Debuts Snazzy New Touchscreen E-readers

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The new Sony models use the same E-Ink Pearl display found in the Kindle 3 and Kindle DX and offer an improved touchscreen. The downside - the price is higher than the Kindle.

Read | Permalink

After BlackBerry, India now wants access to Google, Skype, VPN data

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

India seems to be greedy for data. Nokia has already agreed to put servers in the country, now it seems that all other telecommunications firms doing business in India will be expected to do the same.

Read | Permalink

"An O'Reilly Breakdown" -- A New Video Series from O'Reilly Media

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

O'Reilly Media has released a new set of training videos. The first four - Polishing an iPad User Interface, Gestures and Animation on the iPad, Styling iPad User Interfaces, and MapKit and Core Location on the iPad feature Dan Pilone showing how to program for the iPad.

Read | Permalink

ASSISTING IT PROFESSIONALS SINCE 1999
You are invited to visit the largest directory of IT newsletters on the 'Net -- where IT newsletters, whitepapers and RSS feeds from elite publishers are listed.

FreeTechMail is a unique place to view sample newsletters and RSS feeds as well as subscribe and manage your newsletter subscriptions.

Find out why 2.6 million IT professionals use FreeTechMail. Visit today.

Email overload? Try Priority Inbox

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

There was a time when we could keep up with the mail in our Inbox. But, now that it's gotten out of control, Gmail is offering a Beta version of Priority Inbox. This article includes a short video showing how it works to sort your mail.

Read | Permalink

RIM gets BlackBerry reprieve in India

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Research in Motion has a 60-day breather in their negotiations with India. Nokia Corp. has agreed to put communication servers in India and RIM is expected to follow suit.

Read | Permalink

Bite-Sized iPod Nano Evidence Grows

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The cases are tiny - just over one inch square - but whether it will be a new iPod Nano or a new iPod Shuffle won't be answered for a while.

Read | Permalink

MySpace Hands Over Updates To Facebook

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

MySpace used to rule the social networks. Now, at the click of a button you can sync your photos, update, links, and videos to Facebook, Page, or Twitter.

Read | Permalink

Janam Extends Palm Licensing Agreement

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Janam Technologies LLC announced the extension of its licensing agreement with ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc. allowing it to continue to develop and sell its XP Series line of Garnet OS-based rugged mobile computers through 2017.

Read | Permalink

Retargeting Ads Follow Surfers to Other Sites

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Advertisers have found a new way to use old technology to annoy you. Called retargeting, or remarketing, the technique uses your browser cookies to have ads for items you might be interested in buying pop up again, and again, and again.

Read | Permalink

Google and Arcade Fire Team for HTML5 'Experience'

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Google and Arcade Fire have joined forces to create something called the "Chrome Experience" that uses the browser as an artistic medium.

Read | Permalink

Murder by Malware: Can a Computer Virus Kill?

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Malware is annoying. It can destroy your data and make you want to scream. But. Can it actually be used to commit murder?

Read | Permalink

New article: Smartphone smarts for a mobile world

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

How to get started getting the most out of that amazingly powerful little computer you carry in your pocket or purse.

Printing emails and attachments has never been simpler
When it comes to printing emails or attachments, you can be confident that our Auto-Print add-in can do what Outlook lacks - print the emails and/or attachments as soon as they arrive.

Discover this professional tool today.

Gmail Users Make One Million Calls in 24 Hours

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Gmail's Voice feature opened for business and was a resounding success with over one million calls placed during the first 24 hours.

Read | Permalink

Open Facebook Competitor Diaspora Sets 9/15 Launch Date

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Tired of Facebook? Diaspora, an open source competitor, will open its virtual doors on September 15. The site aims to give control of personal data to users, unlike Facebook.

Read | Permalink

Besieged RIM Throws India a Bone

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

India has ordered RIM to shut down services for BlackBerry users on August 31 unless it gives the government the ability to access encrypted messages.

Read | Permalink

USB 3.0: Everything You Need to Know

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

USB 2.0 is the current standard, but it's going to be replaced by USB 3.0, also known as SuperSpeed USB, in the near future. This article discusses some of the improvements you can expect from the new USB standard.

Read | Permalink

Employers can't look at some Facebook pages

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The Germans are proposing a law that would prevent employers from viewing private pages on Facebook. Gathering of information on public pages or the internet would not be prohibited.

Read | Permalink

Livescribe updates smartpen with new Echo

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Livescribe pens write on special paper as they record audio and transfer a digital copy of what is written to your computer. The company has now introduced a second pen, the Echo, with up to 8 gigabytes of memory.

Read | Permalink

Kindle and iPad E-readers Spark Revolution

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Mobile computing may have come of age with the introduction of the Kindle and iPad. Sales of e-books even show that people may be reading more because of the new devices.

Read | Permalink

Gmail Phone Calls Are All About Facebook, Not Skype

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

While Google's new Voice feature in Gmail may work on Android phones, it's tied to your Google account making it more like a Facebook feature than a separate service.

Read | Permalink

Motorola Droid 2 Smartphone

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The Droid 2 has a very similar look to the original Droid. Differences include a quicker processor, a nicer touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and it runs Android 2.2.

Read | Permalink

ASSISTING IT PROFESSIONALS SINCE 1999
You are invited to visit the largest directory of IT newsletters on the 'Net -- where IT newsletters, whitepapers and RSS feeds from elite publishers are listed.

E-Books Aren't So Green, Study Finds

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Paper books are not regarded as particularly friendly to the environment. But what about e-books? The Cleantech Group pulled together the results of several studies to come up with some numbers.

Read | Permalink