Dark Geek
Technology Hardware Reviews
28 August, 2008
Staying on top with new mobile phones

There are a few new handsets out in the marketplace at the moment. None are more special than the rather remarkable Nokia N96, this mobile phone comes with a huge 16 GB of storage and a digital TV tuner. Unfortunately this won’t be particularly useful in th UK aas there are no stations that use this coverage. Next up is the Sony Ericsson C902. This is the latest camera phone from Sony Ericsson and is basically a thinner more refined version of the K850i. It feels a lot more sturdy, even though it is a lot thinner. If you like music then perhaps it might be worth considering the special Sony Ericsson W890i. This is the latest walkman offering from Sony and is an updated version of the W88oi in essence. Both these handsets are available now, whilst the Nokia N96 is available later this year, so why not look at updating your phone soon?

Choosing a Bluetooth Headset

I am sure you have seen people all over the place, walking down the street, driving in their cars appearing to be talking to themselves. They are in fact taking advantage of one of the best little gadgets on today’s market, a Bluetooth headset. In my personal opinion, everyone should have one of these; it is like a speakerphone on the go.

The first thing to consider when purchasing a Bluetooth headset is comfort. You know as well as I do if you are not comfortable wearing, you are just not going to wear it. Am I right?

Next on your list should be quality. Noise reduction is a very important feature. Do not purchase a headset that does not have it, anyone you talk to will greatly appreciate such a feature. The Bluetooth headsets that go out across your cheek may not be the most stylish, but they provide the best sound quality.

Next up is the life of the battery. Ideally, the battery life of the Bluetooth headset should last as long as that of your cell phone. Some headsets come with a lot of bells and whistles, so remember the more you add to the device, the more you take from the battery.

Web Hosting

Web hosting is an internet hosting service for individuals or organizations who wish to own a website that is accessible to people around the world. Web hosts are companies that will provide the space on a server for clients and their own use. Whether you have a blog or a website, you need hosting service. There are many types of hosting. Free web hosting is supported by advertisement and has limited features compared to paid hosting. Then there is a shared web hosting - that is when a website is located in the same server with other websites. Another type of web host are the reseller web hosts, where clients become a web hosting reseller.

There are so many hosting companies competing with each other to provide the best service for customers at an affordable price. You can get web hosting for as cheap as $10 a month. One of the popular web hosting companies for blogs is the blogs about hosting company. Blogs About highly recommend Wordpress as the platform for blogging. An example of a web hosting company that offers reseller web hosting is Hostgater, also popular for normal web hosting service. However, before you can have a blog or a website, you need to have a domain and you can get this from most web hosting companies as well.

Changing the World with Light Bulbs and Light Fixtures

You can change the world with just a few simple actions. Just by replacing your light bulbs or light fixtures in your house with light bulbs and light fixtures that have been approved with the ENERGY STAR from the government. You can preserve energy and help to prevent global warming while saving yourself a little time and money.

ENERGY STAR approved lights are bright and warm but use around seventy-five percent less energy than regular lights. These lights not only give off seventy-five percent heat than standard lights, they also last up to ten times as long.

The most used lights in the average home are generally located in the kitchen, the living room, the family room, floor lamps as well as outdoor lights such as porch lights and post lamps. You can save a considerable amount of energy and money just by replacing these frequently used light bulbs and light fixtures with more energy-efficient light bulbs and light fixtures.

Light bulbs and light fixtures with the ENERGY STAR approval can be purchased at most hardware and home improvement warehouses, online outlets, lighting showrooms and many retail stores.

The smallest actions can make the biggest difference, so do your part and change those light bulbs and light fixtures today.

Bringing the Outside Inside with Hydroponics and Grow Lights

You can if you bring the outdoors inside by using hydroponics for your ground and grow lights for your sunshine. However, be sure to choose the correct light spectrum for the best results.

You should seriously consider your choice of grow lights when growing indoors and the particular needs of the type of plants you grow. The natural environment of the plant influences the type of grow lights you need. Vegetables grow in full sunlight and require different grow lights than a foliage plant that naturally grows in the shade.

Your choices for grow lights are Radiant, Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium and Sodium Agro. Radiant grow lights give off intense light that is spread out consistently. Metal Halide lights give off a blue light that is good for leafy vegetables. High Pressure Sodium grow lights work best for flowers and fruit. Sodium Agro grow lights give off the same spectrum of color as the High Pressure Sodium but with more blue and less infrared.

Incandescent lights are very hot and do not work well for hydroponics. Fluorescent lights can be used with seedling or any growing where cool light is required and can be kept close to the plants.

The wattage of grow lights you need depends on the size of the area in which you are growing.

Zune Accessories You Cannot Do Without

Zune is the Microsoft offering to the music world – with its own music store online and range of MP3 players, Zune is a competitive rival to some of the larger MP3 players on the market. But what accessories can you purchase for your Zune MP3 player?

So, you have your online store access and your player – how to you marry the two together? The Zune USB cable is the only and best way to get your music from your computer to your MP3 player – you really can’t do without one.

Other accessories available include the Zune charger. No longer do you have to worry about being caught out with a flat battery – something we’ve all experienced but wish would never happen again. With the take-anywhere charger you can be guaranteed to have music on the go, all day every day.

In the car a lot? Maybe you’re a sales person, or simply do a lot of driving. The Zune car charger is an indispensable accessory for you. When playing your Zune MP3 in the car, you can drain a lot of battery power. Now you don’t have to plan to charge it at your next stop – simply plug it into your car’s lighter socket and keep it charged as you drive!

The Basics of Disaster Recovery

Tornadoes, fires, hurricanes earthquakes and other disasters can strike a data centre in an instance with hardly any warning. The determining factor between saving enough of the information and being able to rebuild a company and having to start all over again from nothing is the solidarity of your disaster recovery plan. If you do not have a solid plan for recovery after a disaster, you are risking your entire business by taking the chance that nothing is ever going to go wrong. If you know anything about running a business than you know that betting on everything to be all right all of the time is not a safe bet.

The first thing you need to do is identify all of the important parts of your system. Make it a habit every day to make a complete copy of the three main areas of your system, your operating system, critical applications and the data itself. Be sure to keep the hardware you need to run these copies within easy access. Write down detailed instructions on how to recovery your system and store it somewhere away from the main site. Test your copy to make sure everything is correct then store the copy off site away from the main business. You should have alternative data transmission accessibility and an alternate source of power. There are many other precautions to take, but the basics are better than nothing for your disaster recovery plan.

Computer Leasing: Is it Just for Businesses?

By now we’ve all witnessed how quickly computer technology can change. Computers seem out-of-date after just two years or so. This can be very frustrating for anyone who uses a computer for more than just a couple hours per week. Many businesses have somewhat solved this problem by leasing computer hardware and updating or replacing as often as is needed.

I say “somewhat solved” because, unfortunately, this leads to an ongoing cost. When we talk of computer leasing, we have to remember that the lessee will probably never outright own the equipment (hence the ongoing costs). This can be an acceptable deficit, though, for a business that absolutely must stay on top of technology.

Are there PC leasing options available to regular, non-business consumers? Yes and no. It appears that leasing a computer for the non-business consumer is usually listed as computer rental or for hire. Some companies may also be able to offer their employees deals as “end users” by leasing the computers at a group or company rate.

When is it a good idea to lease, hire, or rent a computer or laptop? Perhaps when you’re going on holiday or when you want to try before you buy. After all, it’s pretty much expected that you’ll test drive a car first, right? So why not try out the computer you’re interested in? This could be especially useful if you’re switching from a Windows PC to, say, and Apple mac. Why not lease the mac for a while to make sure it’ll suit your needs?

No matter if you’re looking for leasing options for just yourself, or for a company, there are options available. Good advice is to do a bit of comparison before you commit to which place you’d like to hire from.

Choosing a new laptop.

When you are ready to purchase a computer, you may want to look into the purchase of a new laptop computer. These handy little devises are one of the greatest inventions of all time. A laptop offers the function and capability of a desktop, with a sleek easy-to-carry design that you can take with you anywhere.

There are many things to consider once you have made the decision to purchase a laptop. You need to think about what you are going to be doing the most of with your computer.

Do you plan to use your laptop to play video games? If you answered yes, then you need to make sure the computer you choose will hold up to the challenge. You will need a strong, fast processor. The bare minimum of RAM you will need is 256K. You will also want to spend a little more and go for the video and sound cards to get the best experience out of your games. Hard drive storage is an important factor; you will need around 7200 RPM. You will also want a nice clear monitor, large enough to get the full effect of your game graphics.

Be sure to tell the computer salesperson what you are planning to do with your new laptop and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

Fedelta Point of Sale Software

There is a Point of Sale package of software available that is reliable, fast and easy to use. Fedelta has a wide range of features that are extremely powerful. You can use the touch screen feature to tailor the POS to meet your specific needs. Fedelta gives you a chance to operate your business while focusing on your customers as well.

Fedelta gives your staff the required tools at the POS to give your customers service like none other. Fedelta streamlines the processes, getting rid on any confusion. This solution will speed up the training process for new staff members as well. Fedelta Point of Sale software is a step in the right direction to working more efficiently.

Fedelta offers support for recognizing bar codes, ordering items with quick touch, product searches as well as a scale for weighing items. This POS software offers outstanding control for pricing such as overrides, markdowns, discounts and other pricing issues. You can also use this software to manage employees\’ shifts and break times.

Fedelta is a leader in the industry of technology. Fedelta has a proven record for reliable, fast, and feature-loaded packages to ensure that you are getting the best out of your business.

In so many different types of client based industries, you are balancing the late delivery which was supposed to arrive that morning, the last customer’s request you are in the middle of fulfilling, and the next customer’s order (the customer who is standing, looking at you, wondering what is taking you so long while you play catch up). You know a career in juggling would have been easier if you had cut your hands off first and you know - you have to be right - that there exists some software somewhere that will issue those late delivery reminders directly to your supplier, while managing your stock, and removing piles of stress from your life.

You smile to yourself, tapping the top of the visual as the POS soothes another headache (and this potential nightmare) into the ether, and you know that progress has overseen your service once again. Tomorrow starts today, don\’t look back tomorrow and count the cost, see today and look forward, positive.