tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37569812024-03-08T11:50:05.476-08:00PC FAQs by KCSome FAQs about PCs you wish you knew before you bought it!GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-12057876933569003742012-05-24T00:58:00.000-07:002012-05-24T00:58:27.626-07:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PhishingTrustedBank.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="An example of a phishing e-mail, disguised as ..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="223" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/PhishingTrustedBank.png/300px-PhishingTrustedBank.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">An example of a phishing e-mail, disguised as an official e-mail from a (fictional) bank. The sender is attempting to trick the recipient into revealing confidential information by "confirming" it at the phisher's website. Note the misspelling of the words received and discrepancy. Also note that although the URL of the bank's webpage appears to be legitimate, the hyperlink would actually be pointed at the phisher's webpage. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PhishingTrustedBank.png" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Q: This e-mail I got looks suspicious. What should I do?</b><br />
<br />
A: It is good to be skeptical, as there are a lot of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Phishing">Phishing</a> scams out there, hoping that you're gullible enough to randomly click on bogus e-mails, which takes you to a fake website that copies a real website, hoping that you'll enter your real <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Login" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Login">login</a> into this fake site, thus giving them access to your account.<br />
<br />
In general, if you get an e-mail that says they need you to click a link to process a return, verify some info, claimed that your account was accessed fraudulently... ANYTHING regarding your account ANYWHERE, you should NOT click on the link, but instead, open a new <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browser" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Web browser">browser window</a> and go to that website directly, then login and see if there is a way to perform the action.<br />
<br />
Most people would suggest you simply DELETE the suspect e-mail. However, I'd ask you to do two things:<br />
<br />
1) Go to PhishTank.com, which is a crowd-sourced Phish-trap. Enter that <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperlink" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Hyperlink">web link</a> you got from the Phish e-mail, (right-click, then copy Link <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Locator" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Uniform Resource Locator">URL</a>) into the website, and see if it's an known Phish.<br />
<br />
2) If this involves a bank, go to that bank's website and see if they have a place that involves reporting Phishing email.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=08857f19-707d-43ff-89a3-6ce108f13a63" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-73658670291882274812011-10-04T11:20:00.000-07:002011-10-04T11:20:31.120-07:00<b>Q: So now that iPhone 4S is launched... what do you think?</b><div><br />
</div><div>A: I was right back in January 2011 predicting it'll be iPhone 4S, not iPhone 5. </div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://pcfaqsbykc.blogspot.com/2011/01/q-what-do-you-think-will-be-in-apples.html#links">http://pcfaqsbykc.blogspot.com/2011/01/q-what-do-you-think-will-be-in-apples.html#links</a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-59401863154163094522011-09-26T01:55:00.000-07:002011-09-26T01:55:43.495-07:00<b>Q: I have <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" rel="homepage" title="Zemanta">Zemanta</a> the blog helper but lately it just disappeared. I have the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.google.com/chrome" rel="homepage" title="Google Chrome">Chrome</a> plug-in installed but somehow it no longer appears. Do you have any idea what's going on?</b><br />
<b>A:</b> Did you by any chance have the extension "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.ghostery.com/" rel="homepage" title="Ghostery">Ghostery</a>" installed? If you had enabled "bug blocking" (optional feature) it would have blocked off Zemanta, which is one of those on the default list. You can go into the list and uncheck the Zemanta line, thus allowing its "bugs" to come through, and then the blogging extension will show up.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=e00e2b3c-949a-4627-9d77-4cf4809da4b1" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-70774177763696366222011-08-06T00:43:00.000-07:002011-08-06T00:43:11.795-07:00<b>Quick Review of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://machinarium.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Machinarium">Machinarium</a>, an indie adventure / puzzle game. </b><br />
<br />
Machinarium is a quirky little click-adventure puzzle where you are this little robot trying to make its way across this weird landscape. Each screen features a puzzle where you need to perform multiple steps in a row to progress. The fun is figuring out what parts are available.<br />
<br />
One example: you're trying to go through this door which opens too fast for you to go through. You search around, and found this "handle" which allow you to trigger the "release lever" by remote. You also found a control panel which lets you lower the arm which lets you jump to grab a "derailer". You used the derailer to derail the next cart, and take its wheels, and set it on the track, and you hit the remote, and voila, you got pushed by the next cart through the door.<br />
<br />
There are 30 puzzles (30 locations) each with its own objective / puzzle. (The demo has 3 levels)<br />
<br />
The look is VERY unique and zany / cute.<br />
<br />
Play the online demo at <a href="http://machinarium.net/demo/">http://machinarium.net/demo/</a><br />
<br />
In the meanwhile, there is still a day or two left to get the Indie Bundle 3... Donate some money to a good cause, and get plenty of indie games for less than $10.<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0 0 0;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://kotaku.com/5514127/report-machinarium-refused-for-xbox-live-arcade" target="_blank">Report: Machinarium Refused for Xbox Live Arcade [Rumor]</a> (kotaku.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.appreaders.com/?p=1154" target="_blank">Machinarium: A Beautiful, Industrial Puzzle Game</a> (appreaders.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/machinarium-hopefully-coming-to-ipad-next-month/" target="_blank">Machinarium 'hopefully' coming to iPad next month</a> (joystiq.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=2f0cc6b8-0056-4d49-83af-30c8df9b287a" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-15202059329789521822011-07-13T23:28:00.000-07:002011-07-13T23:28:08.271-07:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/logitech" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Image representing Logitech as depicted in Cru..." height="91" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0001/5053/15053v2-max-450x450.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="115" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 115px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/" target="_blank">CrunchBase</a></span></span><b>Q: Is there a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_control" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Remote control">TV remote</a> that can work with just about ANY device? </b><br />
<br />
A: <a class="zem_slink" href="http://logitech.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Logitech">Logitech</a>'s <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logitech_Harmony_Remote" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Logitech Harmony Remote">Harmony remote</a> control is the best, bar none. They have a whole slew of them, from $30 to HUNDREDS of dollars.<br />
<br />
The simplest one, the Harmony 300, is programmable through your <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Personal computer">PC</a>. Just get the exact make and model of the devices you want to control (the 300 controls 4 devices, usually TV, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="DVD">DVD</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_video_recorder" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Digital video recorder">DVR</a>, and Satellite, but you can choose which ones) Just go to MyHarmony.com, download the programmer (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Firefox">Firefox</a> and IE only, sorry <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.google.com/chrome" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Google Chrome">Chrome</a>!) choose your devices, hit "sync", and voila, that's it.<br />
<br />
It's the best $10 I've ever spent. You can get cheap "universal" remotes but why? This one is painless to program (just go to a PC, link the cable, and click a few buttons) and so far everything seem to work! ( a few buttons are not quite working as expected, but that's minor)<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=6f6e8faf-cf85-4ad4-a81b-3d0fa6a1b128" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-40499144408899218792011-06-26T09:45:00.000-07:002011-06-26T09:45:10.623-07:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UBCD4Win_logo.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ultimate Boot CD for Windows" height="225" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ee/UBCD4Win_logo.jpg/300px-UBCD4Win_logo.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UBCD4Win_logo.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></span></span><b>Q: Any tips on how to restore a Win XP system that crashed?</b><br />
<br />
A: It'll take DAYS to get things back to working, but your system should run much better... if there are no other problems. No real tips, no shortcuts.<br />
<br />
If the hard drive still boots, but files are corrupted, save all the data you can with an external hard drive, then just reformat and reinstall Windows. You may as well upgrade to Windows 7 while you're at it.<br />
<br />
To save the data, try this: <a href="http://www.fbackup.com/">http://www.fbackup.com/</a> There's an app in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.ubcd4win.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Ultimate Boot CD for Windows">UBCD4WIN</a> called Fab's Backup, but that app's pretty much un-updated (but still works). You will need a separate PC to create the UBCD4WIN though. You cannot download a pre-made one (unless you find an illegal one).<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div>If the hard drive no longer boots, you will need to fix that first before you can even THINK about reinstalling Windows (any version).<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=0d2b0037-5021-4f27-97b9-648f8a9cea53" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-33698275628638024732011-06-21T08:06:00.000-07:002011-06-21T08:06:01.716-07:00<b>Q: Why do I sometimes see on the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="File sharing">file sharing</a> sites or postings that a certain game (let's say, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/?rhtml=y" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Diablo III">Diablo 3</a>, as of June 2011) is already out in beta or something? I downloaded the file, but it's got a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAR" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="RAR">RAR</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Password">password</a> that no one seem to know. </b><br />
<br />
A: You got a decoy or "bait". If you read the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/README" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="README">README file</a> that came with the decoy, you'll see that you're requested to go to a certain website (probably porn or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warez" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Warez">warez</a>) and watch a video or something and if you watch enough of it you will find the password. In reality, there is no password. The file has nothing useful in it. Its sole purpose is to drive traffic to that website and make money for the website owner that way.<br />
<br />
Originally this used to be a scavenger hunt, as the jokers would leave one clue after another leading you on a wild goose chase, and finally leave you with a "Ha-ha, got you!" message. It's no different than people uploading gay porn to P2P under tantalizing titles like "Natalie Portman's secret sex video!" (There is no such thing. Get over it!) Basically it's a joke at your expense.<br />
<br />
When internet advertising came along people started doing it intentionally to drive up traffic, or worse, install a bunch of crap spyware, toolbars, and other apps that gets the distributor a small amount per install, no questions asked. So they put the stuff in bait packages and you... took the bait.<br />
<br />
See below for one such example.<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0 0 0;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/install-this-to-get-password.html" target="_blank">"Install this to get the password"</a> (sunbeltblog.blogspot.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=6fab665c-ae9e-40cc-b43f-fdef4f76ffe9" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-3389255872602628402011-06-19T21:13:00.001-07:002011-06-19T21:13:42.971-07:00<b>Q: I messed up my fonts in my Windows Vista install. I had too many fonts installed, and I tried getting rid of them. Now my apps are completely messed up, things not displaying, and stuff like that. Any help?</b><br />
<br />
A: Simplest way is install Font Frenzy, and let it "DeFrenzy" your font install.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sdsoftware.org/default.asp?id=5936">http://www.sdsoftware.org/default.asp?id=5936</a>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-17554411830640486682011-06-19T19:47:00.000-07:002011-06-19T19:47:21.440-07:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:W%C3%A4rmeleitpaste_Thermal_Compound.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Thermal compound / grease / paste" height="225" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/W%C3%A4rmeleitpaste_Thermal_Compound.jpg/300px-W%C3%A4rmeleitpaste_Thermal_Compound.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Thermal paste, Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:W%C3%A4rmeleitpaste_Thermal_Compound.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></span></span><b>Q: Can I use di-electric grease instead of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Thermal grease">thermal paste</a> when I apply my <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_sink" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Heat sink">heatsink</a>? </b><br />
<br />
A: Dear God, no! <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone_grease" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Silicone grease">Dielectric grease</a> is the EXACT OPPOSITE of thermal paste when it comes to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conduction_%28heat%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Conduction (heat)">heat conduction</a>! Instead of passing heat, it actually insulates heat! Dielectric grease are used in engine compartments to insulate <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_plug" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Spark plug">spark plugs</a> and some wiring connectors!<br />
<br />
What does thermal paste do any way? Thermal paste is a thermal-conductive compound, sometimes called thermal grease. You put a little between the heatsink, and the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Central processing unit">CPU</a>, and let the pressure spread it out to an ever coverage, filling in any 'gaps' between the two solid surfaces, so the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_transfer" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Heat transfer">heat transfer</a> from the hot CPU surface to the heatsink is optimal.<br />
<br />
Di-electric grease does NOT conduct heat. Thus, no heat will transfer to the heatsink, and the CPU will overheat.<br />
<br />
So don't do that, even though they look similar.<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=1b89018b-cfd3-4d50-8c31-6af548e1478a" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-20390989512243785332011-06-02T10:04:00.000-07:002011-06-02T10:04:52.793-07:00<b>Q: What is <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing" rel="wikipedia" title="Phishing">spear phishing</a>?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>A: </b>Regular "phishing" (pronounced just like "fishing") is basically <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_spam" rel="wikipedia" title="E-mail spam">spam e-mail</a> spent indiscriminately to people hoping that some of them are dumb enough to click on the link and therefore enter their "real" information to be given away to scammers. It's spam technique combined with "fake <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Login" rel="wikipedia" title="Login">login</a>" technique. However, this is easily filtered. For example, if my <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_account" rel="wikipedia" title="Bank account">bank account</a> is at Chase, I will surely ignore all phishing attempts that wants me to reset my account at <a class="zem_slink" href="https://www.wellsfargo.com/" rel="homepage" title="Wells Fargo">Wells Fargo</a> or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.citibank.com/" rel="homepage" title="Citibank">Citibank</a>, as I don't have accounts there.<br />
<br />
Spear phishing is a little different. Spear phishing is targeted at specific individuals in a specific organization and/or people in his/her social circle. It's still phishing, but this is highly targeted by gathering more information about the individual(s) in question. It is personalized phishing. In the example above, if the spear phishing wants to target the theoretical me, he will sent a fake login page in the name of Chase bank instead of banks I don't use.<br />
<br />
If you know that the individual banks at a certain bank, and shops at a certain supermarket, you can sent fake logins to that individual request him/her to reset password at the bank website and/or supermarket website. This way, the fake logins are less likely to be ignored. It is "targeted" phishing, by taking advantage of 'social engineering'.<br />
<br />
Spear phishing had been identified several months ago, but became popularized when <a class="zem_slink" href="http://google.com/" rel="homepage" title="Google">Google</a> pointed finger at <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.0,105.0&spn=10.0,10.0&q=35.0,105.0%20(China)&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="China">China</a> as origin of many spear phishing attacks aimed at <a class="zem_slink" href="http://gmail.com/" rel="homepage" title="Gmail">Gmail</a> users. China denies the allegations.<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0 0 0;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://schott.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/spear-phishing/">Spear-Phishing</a> (schott.blogs.nytimes.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://r.zemanta.com/?u=http%3A//www.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/06/02/google.gmail.phishing/index.html&a=45248573&rid=66ff9f8a-0b2f-4857-b6b7-f87f63a4108a&e=1ca7cad3cec1397226881f0a033921a4">Gmail attack shows growing cybercrime sophistication</a> (cnn.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/06/02/us_tec_google_hacking_attack/index.html?aim=/news/feature">Google says Chinese hackers broke into Gmail</a> (salon.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://blog.eset.com/2011/04/07/phishphloods-not-all-phishing-is-spear-phishing">Phishphloods: Not all Phishing is Spear-Phishing</a> (eset.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://r.zemanta.com/?u=http%3A//www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8552297/Google-cyber-attacks-what-is-spear-phishing.html&a=45252784&rid=66ff9f8a-0b2f-4857-b6b7-f87f63a4108a&e=b3fddb761e669128b50a8cc0df5523b5">Google cyber attacks: what is spear phishing?</a> (telegraph.co.uk)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=66ff9f8a-0b2f-4857-b6b7-f87f63a4108a" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-21712945706585727832011-05-31T18:48:00.000-07:002011-05-31T18:48:10.876-07:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laser_printer_nb_samsung_ml2010.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A front view of a compact monochrome laser pri..." height="225" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Laser_printer_nb_samsung_ml2010.jpg/300px-Laser_printer_nb_samsung_ml2010.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laser_printer_nb_samsung_ml2010.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><b>Q: Should I use aftermarket <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toner_cartridge" rel="wikipedia" title="Toner cartridge">toner cartridges</a>? Or should I only use original manufacturer toner cartridges for my <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_printer" rel="wikipedia" title="Laser printer">laser printer</a>?</b><br />
<br />
A: This is a tough question as the quality of aftermarket toner cartridges, i.e. "refills" or "remans" vary greatly from outfit to outfit. Please note, we're talking about laser printers, not ink jets. And I can only tell you what my personal experience is.<br />
<br />
I have a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.samsung.com/" rel="homepage" title="Samsung Group">Samsung</a> all-in-one that takes a relatively small cartridge. The original Samsung carts are like $75-90 at <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.officedepot.com/" rel="homepage" title="Office Depot">Office Depot</a> and such stores. The aftermarket ones are about $50 online through various vendors.<br />
<br />
The Samsung one prints both text and pictures perfectly. There is a little banding but overall the result is acceptable.<br />
<br />
The reman one prints text fine, but the picture printed is significantly darker and shows excessive banding.<br />
<br />
So, if you print a lot of pictures, and care about print quality, then please use original <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toner" rel="wikipedia" title="Toner">toner</a> carts. If you print mainly text, then it doesn't matter if you use original or reman.<br />
<br />
Ink jets have the same concern.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=141a5e40-c332-4e29-984b-e4a68fd8ab9a" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-57542399282748736022011-04-28T17:38:00.000-07:002011-05-02T07:56:14.369-07:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xvid_logo.svg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="xvid logo" height="104" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Xvid_logo.svg/300px-Xvid_logo.svg.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xvid_logo.svg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><b>Q: What are BRRIP and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirated_movie_release_types" rel="wikipedia" title="Pirated movie release types">BDRIP</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_file" rel="wikipedia" title="Computer file">files</a>? </b><br />
A: BRRIP and BDRIP are basically Blu-Ray derived 720p <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.xvid.org/" rel="homepage" title="Xvid">XVID</a> files that came from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080p" rel="wikipedia" title="1080p">1080p</a> source.<br />
<br />
Technically speaking, BRRIP came from 1080p MKV or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC" rel="wikipedia" title="H.264/MPEG-4 AVC">H264</a> files, which came from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc" rel="wikipedia" title="Blu-ray Disc">BluRay</a>, while BDRIP came straight from BluRay. However, they are still <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/720p" rel="wikipedia" title="720p">720p</a> XVID files.<br />
<br />
If you want 1080p, get the source MKV or H264 files. BRRIP and BDRIP are better than regular encoded stuff from regular <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD" rel="wikipedia" title="DVD">DVD</a>, but not that much better.<br />
<br />
To learn more: <a href="http://filesharefreak.com/2008/11/19/blu-ray-brrip-bdrip-two-new-xvid-hd-formats/">http://filesharefreak.com/2008/11/19/blu-ray-brrip-bdrip-two-new-xvid-hd-formats/</a><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=9c40412d-7807-4eaf-98e4-1f98c3e8fbd3" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-61422839305929259112011-04-02T10:58:00.000-07:002011-06-21T08:14:06.783-07:00Old Game Review (posted in 2009)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em; width: 310px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:San_Francisco_Chronicle_front_page.jpg"><img alt="San Francisco Chronicle" height="535" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/21/San_Francisco_Chronicle_front_page.jpg/300px-San_Francisco_Chronicle_front_page.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; cursor: move; display: block;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:San_Francisco_Chronicle_front_page.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">(Editor's Note: Every once in a while I play a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer_game" rel="wikipedia" title="Personal computer game">PC game</a>, which I want to review, but could not put in my <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_game" rel="wikipedia" title="Mobile game">mobile</a> game review site as it's not a mobile game, so I'll put it over here. )</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><h3>Review of "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Murder_Club" rel="wikipedia" title="Women's Murder Club">Women's Murder Club</a>: Death in Scarlet" (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer_game" rel="wikipedia" title="Personal computer game">PC Game</a>)</h3><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Women's Murder Club is a mystery series by bestselling author <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Patterson" rel="wikipedia" title="James Patterson">James Patterson</a> about a group of women, some in law enforcement, some not, but all in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco" rel="wikipedia" title="San Francisco">San Francisco</a>, solving a series of crimes, mostly murder, with a lot of twists and turns. <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casual_game" rel="wikipedia" title="Casual game">Oberon Media</a> and I-Play now let you assuming the role of Lindsay, the detective, Claire, the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_examiner" rel="wikipedia" title="Medical examiner">Medical Examiner</a>, and Cindy, the reporter, by playing a series of minigames, mostly "find the objects", though there are also word games, puzzles, and more. It is a casual game, as the difficulty is not too high. I finished the game in a couple hours. Other than some questionable Chinese, and some oops in graphics, the game is pretty well done, but somewhat contrived and occasionally frustrating, as are all "hidden object" games.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The game starts using comic-style panels to kick things off, and to present information at the beginning of each "investigation". A person is jogging near the Marin Vista point, stopped to stretch, looked down, and saw a woman's body down below. Detective <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsay_Boxer" rel="wikipedia" title="Lindsay Boxer">Lindsay Boxer</a> was summoned to the scene, and the game starts.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><a name='more'></a><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The game has several "modes". In "travel mode", you have a map of San Francisco with important locations noted. Such locations are police station, crime scene, suspect's work location or residence, lead location, and so on. Click on the location to go there.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">At most locations, upon arrival you are expected to play "find the required hidden objects", and that's the second mode. You are basically given a list and must click on the object in the scene given. Unfortunately, there is no zoom, so those with BIG monitors would probably enjoy this more than those with smaller screens. And fortunately, there is no timer, nor any sort of penalty for random clicking. However, the objects in this game can be TINY, and some are VERY well hidden indeed. And later, the description of the object gets really abstract. When the description says "umbrella", did you really expect to click on a symbol of an umbrella off side of an upside-down box? Niether did I.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Within the scene may also exist additional puzzle(s), such as "slide-the-pieces", "fit the pieces", "reassemble the torn document" (with the pieces you gathered earlier from the visible scene), "line up the chemicals based on the clues", and so on. And if there is a body, they need to be examined as well.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Lindsay, the detective, is mainly either at a crime scene finding clues and documenting bodies, at the police station doing some paperwork and ID, or at a suspect's work or residence to conduct "interviews" and getting more clues. While this may sound exciting, what you actually do is play hidden objects game at each location. If you finish, you'll get some information (and what you expect to find is spelled out just below the objects you're expected to find), and at some locations, play additional puzzles for more evidence. Feels somewhat contrived, as in "find those objects or I won't talk to you".</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Claire, the medical examiner either goes to the crime scene for more clues, or goes to her lab and process evidence. The actual activity done is finding stuff within her own office, line up the chemicals to be used in order, then "test" the evidence with the chemicals for ID. The actual "test" itself has no puzzle at all. Thus the puzzle of lining up the chemicals feels very contrived.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Cindy, the reporter, either goes to certain lead locations, sits in her office at the San Francisco <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Chronicle" rel="wikipedia" title="San Francisco Chronicle">Chronicle</a> and do research, or goes to the Deadline Cafe, and find more leads. Research involves doing a puzzle with the microfiche "modules". Only if you finish the puzzle can you access the computer for some cross-referencing. If you need leads, you can go to the Deadline Cafe, find more hidden objects, and play a word game. You need to win the word game to get a free cup of coffee, then someone will give you a lead. Again, contrived. Why can't I just PAY for a cup of joe?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As in all "hidden objects" games, the stuff is rather contrived, but I guess that's the problem with trying to make a GAME out of the whole thing. And I have to say, having a real author behind the story makes the story a lot more consistent and enjoyable. The plot makes sense (mostly), as you actually feel like you're with the club members solving crimes.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">However, if you look beneath the surface, you'll see that the plot actually moves without you. Finding the objects to move along the plot feels very contrived. At least every puzzle you need to do has a "SOLVE" button, if you totally give up. There are also 5 hints for each "investigation" that you can use on the multiple hidden objects puzzles within each investigation. Each hint will reveal ONE piece that you haven't found.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The game also came with a novella by James Patterson, co-written with Michael Corwin, called "Fallen Flowers", which serves as an intro to the Women's Murder Club universe... A 14-yr old girl's body was found in an alley. She has fallen to her death. Was it murder? Suicide? And what does this have to do with Internet dating, dirty <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chat_room" rel="wikipedia" title="Chat room">chat rooms</a>, Chinatown Triad, and a very rich man in Silicon Valley? The novella is on real paper, not a PDF, and is in a nice big typeface so very readable. It also has a few chapters from James Patterson's other book in the series, "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/8th-Confession-Womens-Murder-Club/dp/0316018767%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzemanta-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0316018767" rel="amazon" title="The 8th Confession (The Women's Murder Club)">The 8th Confession</a>" as a preview.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My secondary complaint with the game is their choice of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_character" rel="wikipedia" title="Chinese character">Chinese characters</a>, some of which are critical to the plot. Without giving too much away... The victims have all been branded with some sort of branding iron, with Chinese characters, right on the breastbone. It's as if the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer" rel="wikipedia" title="Writer">writer</a>(s) found the definitions in a dictionary,without doublechecking with someone who actually speaks / reads fluent Chinese.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You see, there were FOUR victims, first has "bu-jeng", which translates to "unfaithful / sleeps around", that's fine as the game used "whore", though I would have used "jien-nu-ren" (worthless/debased woman). The second one gets "bu-liu-yee", which translates to "not careful / careless" like "oops I am sorry". The game translated it to "indiscreet", as in "nosy, gossips too much" which is not the proper use. The game should have used "duo-sih" (nosy, getting involved in things one should not). The third one got "zhuo-bee", which does mean cheated / cheater, so that's fine. The fourth got "han-jien", which the game translated as "traitor". The problem is, "han-jien" actually means "spy" or "informant / rat", not traitor. Traitor should be "pan-too" which literally means a student who had rebelled against his teacher.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A few more oops in the graphics is quite noticeable to a real Chinese. Chinese characters are often asymetrical, so if you flipped one from left to right it'd be completely wrong and some of the "lanterns" used for decoration were flipped.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There were also a couple nagging plot holes that begs explanation, but none are available in the game. I'm not going to mention them as they are major spoilers, and doesn't really add to the review.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Well, enough nitpicking. The game is sorta fun, for people who likes hidden objects (and they seem to be the low-budget "Deer Hunter" type game that's in vogue, since there are LOTS of those nowadays), and having a major author backing it up never hurts, except for those few Chinese goofs and plot holes the plot is great, though I wouldn't really pay more than $15 for this game. More like $10. It won't change your mind of such games though.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Overall rating: 6.5 out of 10</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pros: easy to pick up, hard to mess up completely</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Cons: some puzzles are contrived, some minor Cultural oops and plot holes</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Verdict: pretty good hidden-objects game, if you're into that sort of thing</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=fdcb7263-a6e1-4235-aabf-ffb5185bc797" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; cursor: move; float: right;" /></a></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-32799584004447783772011-02-23T16:47:00.000-08:002011-02-23T16:47:22.470-08:00Q: How about <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/" rel="homepage" title="iPad">iPad 2</a> rumors, now that there's supposedly an <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/" rel="homepage" title="Apple">Apple</a> press event on iPad 2 on March 2, 2011 in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.7793,-122.4192&spn=0.1,0.1&q=37.7793,-122.4192%20(San%20Francisco)&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="San Francisco">San Francisco</a>?<br />
<br />
A: <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/12/28/ipad-2-rumors-the-comprehensive-guide/">Mashable have a comprehensive list of iPad 2 rumors</a>. I would assign different odds to them though.<br />
<br />
3 models of iPad 2: I would give this only 50%. That should be only 2 models: 3G (dual <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_division_multiple_access" rel="wikipedia" title="Code division multiple access">CDMA</a>/UMTS) and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi" rel="wikipedia" title="Wi-Fi">WiFi</a> or WiFi only. I think next <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/iphone" rel="homepage" title="iPhone">iPhone</a> will be a "world phone", only one model to go around, and thus one iPad as well.<br />
<br />
Why iPhone 4 CDMA and not iPad 2 CDMA? Because one less <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock-keeping_unit" rel="wikipedia" title="Stock-keeping unit">SKU</a> you have to stock means easier to manage the supply and manufacturing. iPhone 4 CDMA is a rush job that both address the antenna-gate problem AND get <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.verizon.com/" rel="homepage" title="Verizon Communications">Verizon</a> on the map. They can't wait for iPhone "5". It's a temporary product.<br />
<br />
Any other iPad 2 rumors? Hmmm...<br />
<br />
HOME BUTTON ON THE SIDE: Possible, yes, and perhaps even NO home button altogether. That would certainly make the look ever CLEANER, almost edge to edge display. 50% possibility.<br />
<br />
BETTER SPEAKERS: Very possible. There's supposedly an Apple patent that puts small speakers in each corner of the device, thus giving you a proper stereo based on device orientation. 75% possibility.<br />
<br />
What other interesting iPad 2 rumors have you heard?<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0 0 0;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ipad-2-questions-2011-2">Who's Going To Host The iPad 2 Event? (And Other Big Questions) (AAPL)</a> (businessinsider.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.cultofmac.com/ipad-2-could-be-delayed-until-june/83123">iPad 2 Could Be Delayed Until June</a> (cultofmac.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/apple-planning-march-2-media-event-consensus-ipad-2/9582">Apple invites media to March 2 event (consensus: iPad 2)</a> (zdnet.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://r.zemanta.com/?u=http%3A//www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2011/feb/23/ipad2-launch-2-march&a=36424919&rid=40ff5936-5bc8-47d5-95ff-e82c6aa8dc67&e=701ad5c9322478a583e532be5d56d972">iPad 2: what new features are you hoping for?</a> (guardian.co.uk)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/sources-is-it-ipad-1.5-or-2-also-iphone-5-and-fully-redesigned-2012-macbook/">Backstage: Sources: Is it iPad 1.5 or 2? Also, iPhone 5 And Fully Redesigned 2012 MacBook Pros</a> (ilounge.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=40ff5936-5bc8-47d5-95ff-e82c6aa8dc67" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-59261863541561475672011-02-22T10:00:00.000-08:002011-02-22T10:00:50.474-08:00Q: Do you know of any <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/iphone" rel="homepage" title="iPhone">iPhone 5</a> rumors?<br />
<br />
A: There are a ton of iPhone 5 rumors. Here are a few interesting ones.<br />
<br />
<b>Bigger screen: virtually certain</b><br />
<br />
iPhone 4 has a relatively <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television" rel="wikipedia" title="Television">small screen</a>, at 3.5 inch diagonal. Many <a class="zem_slink" href="http://code.google.com/android/" rel="homepage" title="Android">Android</a> phones have larger screens, up to 4.3 inch diagonal. The <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Streak" rel="wikipedia" title="Dell Streak">Dell Streak</a> 5, in fact, has a 5 inch screen, though that is technically a small tablet. It is believed that Apple will go up to 4 inch screen, but keep the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_density" rel="wikipedia" title="Pixel density">pixel density</a> of the "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/retina-display.html" rel="homepage" title="Retina Display">Retina Display</a>".<br />
<br />
<b>Better camera: virtually certain</b><br />
<br />
iPhone 4's camera is only 5 MP, and 720p video. Android phones already have 8MP cameras. It will not surprise me if the next iPhone go up to 1080p video and at least match 8MP camera, if not leapfrog that to 10 or 12MP camera. They may even upgrade the front-camera to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_video_graphics_array" rel="wikipedia" title="Super video graphics array">SVGA</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Dual Core CPU: virtually certain</b><br />
<br />
Everybody in Android world is already going dual core. Will Apple leapfrog them and go quad core? Unlikely as battery life is still a concern. Dual core is still quite good.<br />
<br />
<b>Physical Keyboard: you must be kidding</b><br />
<br />
There's a rumor out of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=23.7666666667,121.0&spn=1.0,1.0&q=23.7666666667,121.0%20(Taiwan)&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Taiwan">Taiwan</a> that iPhone may get a physical keyboard. It must be a joke, as it's completely against <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/" rel="homepage" title="Apple">Apple's</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface_design" rel="wikipedia" title="User interface design">UI design</a>. Not that long ago, there's a report that Apple is trying to remove ALL the buttons from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/" rel="homepage" title="iPad">iPad</a> and iPhone, and use multi-finger (more than two) gestures. Why would they then give you a physical keyboard on an iPhone? If they do, it'd be an optional accessory, not a part of the phone.<br />
<br />
Remember, Apple's trend is smaller, slimmer, lighter. Adding a physical keyboard is completely against that ethos.<br />
<br />
<b>Smaller version of iPhone: unlikely</b><br />
<br />
There are a lot of rumors about an "iPhone Nano", a smaller and more affordable iPhone. Different news have different ideas. However, it makes no sense.<br />
<br />
Apple products are for the elite and trickle down as a status symbol. It was always held as a PREMIUM product. It's like the Mercedes or BMW of the mobile phone world. Why would they go DOWN in status and start making low-end phones? That would be like BMW starting making subcompacts (that's why BMW's subcompact, the Mini, is a separate brand altogether).<br />
<br />
What other interesting "next iPhone" rumors have you heard?<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=e7111649-ca1a-4385-8622-333d3b58238f" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-11491192629101152232011-01-29T11:16:00.000-08:002011-01-29T11:16:54.934-08:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wimax.svg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A comparison of various wireless network techn..." height="197" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Wimax.svg/300px-Wimax.svg.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wimax.svg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Q: What can you tell me about 3G, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Mobile_Telecommunications_System" rel="wikipedia" title="Universal Mobile Telecommunications System">UMTS</a>, W-<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_division_multiple_access" rel="wikipedia" title="Code division multiple access">CDMA</a>, HSPA, GSM, CDMA, LTE, and all that?<br />
<br />
A: Oh, boy, that's a long story.<br />
<br />
First, 3G is a generic term used by marketing. ITU, the standards body, calls it <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/3G" rel="wikinvest" title="3G">IMT-2000</a>. That is the FORMAL definition of "3G".<br />
<br />
Within IMT-2000 there are 2 "families", 3GPP, and 3GPP2. 3GPP means "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3GPP" rel="wikipedia" title="3GPP">3rd Generation Partnership Project</a>". The two families are working on different but competing standards. <br />
<br />
Within the 3GPP camp, the overall term is UMTS, or "Universal Mobile Telecommunication System" but it is sometimes called 3GSM, as it is derived from GSM (a 2G standard). However UMTS is the official term used by 3GPP to describe the RADIO technology. The overall tech scheme is W-CDMA, or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W-CDMA_%28UMTS%29" rel="wikipedia" title="W-CDMA (UMTS)">wideband code division multiple access</a>. It is a way to push multiple pieces of data simultaneously over multiple frequencies (sometimes called "spread spectrum"). <br />
<br />
<br />
Within UMTS, there are various technologies and "releases" introduced over time to improve the standard. HSPA, or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Speed_Packet_Access" rel="wikipedia" title="High Speed Packet Access">High Speed Packet Access</a>. Within HSPA, there are two versions, Uplink, and Downlink. So you get HSPUA and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Speed_Downlink_Packet_Access" rel="wikipedia" title="High-Speed Downlink Packet Access">HSPDA</a>. Later revision updated that to HSPA+, and even within HSPA+ there are 3 versions, 14, 21, and 42 (refering to downlink speeds).<br />
<br />
Within the 3GPP2 family, there is CDMA2000 and its variations / releases, which would be 1xRT, EV-DO (and its variations), and later, SV-DO.<br />
<br />
Any way, onto 4G. ITU approved the next generation, 4G, standard as <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G" rel="wikipedia" title="4G">IMT-Advanced</a>. <br />
<br />
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a 3GPP standard trying to push beyond their UMTS (3G technology) by adopting some newer technology to make it "4G". It is not fully compliant with IMT-Advanced. LTE-Advanced, the next version, will be fully compliant. <br />
<br />
WiMAX is a completely different technology. It stands for "Worldwide International standard for Microwave Access", and is based on Microwave transceivers. It can be used as broadband access in a cellphone. It is not fully compliant with IMT-Advanced as well, but next version should be. <br />
<br />
Recently ITU gave in to phone carriers and relaxed the definition of "4G", allowing even 3G-derived technology such as HSPA+ to be called "4G" as long as it delivers significant speed increase over normal 3G data transmission rates. <br />
<br />
Hope that clears things up somewhat. <br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=d76f67a8-a5f9-47f3-b68a-588c52a878ab" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-8469342417194576202011-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:002011-01-15T10:30:25.717-08:00Q: What do you think will be in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/" rel="homepage" title="Apple">Apple's</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/" rel="homepage" title="iPad">iPad</a> 2 and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/iphone" rel="homepage" title="iPhone">iPhone 5</a>?<br />
A: Here's my predictions:<br />
<br />
iPad 2 -- just a SD slot and dual-system CDMA/GSM 3G modem built-in. Maybe a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-core_processor" rel="wikipedia" title="Multi-core processor">dual-core</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit" rel="wikipedia" title="Central processing unit">CPU</a><br />
<br />
iPhone "5" -- I think it's going to be 4S, not 5. It'll be dual system CDMA/GSM, and dual-core CPU. <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3GPP_Long_Term_Evolution" rel="wikipedia" title="3GPP Long Term Evolution">LTE</a> will be for 2012 model. THAT will be iPhone 5.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I cribbed <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/14/exclusive-the-future-of-the-ipad-2-iphone-5-and-apple-tv-and/">half of the info from engadget</a>. <br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=42b74b7d-186d-4727-a09e-da73df46b749" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-57106105412349490212011-01-14T20:46:00.000-08:002011-02-22T09:15:12.477-08:00<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/sprint-nextel" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing Sprint Nextel as depicted i..." height="74" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0001/7820/17820v1-max-450x450.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="219" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 219px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span><b>Q: Now that <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.verizon.com/" rel="homepage" title="Verizon Communications">Verizon</a> has the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/iphone" rel="homepage" title="iPhone">iPhone</a> 4, what do you think <a class="zem_slink" href="http://sprint.com/" rel="homepage" title="Sprint Nextel">Sprint</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.t-mobile.net/" rel="homepage" title="T-Mobile">T-Mobile</a>'s upcoming announcements in February 2011 would be about?</b><br />
<br />
A: The Sprint announcement will likely be the first <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.windowsphone7.com/" rel="homepage" title="Windows Phone 7">Windows Phone 7</a> for Sprint <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G" rel="wikipedia" title="4G">4G</a><br />
<br />
And the T-Mobile announcement will likely be about their <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_i9000_Galaxy_S" rel="wikipedia" title="Samsung i9000 Galaxy S">Samsung Galaxy S</a> Vibrant 4G, which is actually capable of reaching <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Speed_Packet_Access" rel="wikipedia" title="High Speed Packet Access">HSPA</a>+21 (the G2 and the MyTouch 4G are actually just HSPA+14 devices, twice as fast as regular HSPA 7 Mbps)<br />
<br />
Why neither will have the iPhone? Because if they did, they'd be sharing the stage with Verizon.<br />
<br />
Why Sprint and Windows Phone 7? Because so far WP7 devices are ONLY available on AT&T and T-Mobile (even the Dell Revue). Verizon don't need WP7 device since it is getting the iPhone 4. So it must be Sprint.<br />
<br />
Why T-Mobile and their 4G? Because they need to announce something that'll lead the market, and HSPA+21 device will beat just about everything else on the market.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: Turns out Sprint's event is for the Kyocera split-screen Android phone. Hmmm... And it's not even 4G!<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/01/12/sprint.and.t.mobile.both.plan.separate.events/">Sprint, T-Mobile both plan special events, iPhone unlikely</a> (electronista.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=b6eba49a-b5dc-4aa1-bd73-236f40346b66" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-53468931630045038502011-01-10T23:08:00.001-08:002011-01-10T23:44:43.312-08:00Dkf<br>Q: Can you recommend a good password manager? <br><br />A: I like Keepass which is free, can automatically fill forms,  and if you have Android phone you can use same data file on KeePassDroid <br />GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-66365813617472010022010-12-29T14:52:00.000-08:002011-01-01T15:30:36.892-08:00Here's a summary of my Android App Reviews and Tips for 2010 folks. Enjoy. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Android App Reviews</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Droid-Home-Replacement-App-Comparison">32 different free Home Launcher Replacement Apps compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Review-of-Web-Browsers-for-Android-2x">Over a dozen different free browser replacements for Android compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Review-of-Free-Live-Wallpaper-for-Motorola-Droid">155 different free live wallpapers reviewed and compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Review-of-3-free-Droid-camera-apps">11 different free camera apps reviewed and compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Comparison-of-AVI-Video-Players-on-Motorola-Droid-and-other-Android-phones">5 AVI players for Android compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Review-of-Battery-Saving-Apps-for-Motorola-Droid-and-Android-2x-devices">Juice Defender and similar battery saver apps compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Must-Try-Wallpaper-Utilities-for-your-Android-Phones-such-as-Motorola-Droid">Android Wallpaper Utilities Compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Android-Softkeyboard-Shootout-which-input-method-should-you-use">Over 20 Android Soft keyboards compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Ringtone-Utilities-for-Motorola-Droid-and-other-Android-phones">Android Ringtone utilities compared</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Android Games</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Game-Shootout-Air-Traffic-Control-Games-for-Android">Android Air Traffic Control Games Compared</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Must-Try-Tower-Defense-games-for-Motorola-Droid-and-Android-phones">Android Tower Defense Type Games Sampled</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Review-of-free-games-that-uses-your-Droid-tilt-sensors">Android Tilt Sensor Games Sampled: Abduction, Graviturn, Labyrinth, My Paper Airplane, Raging Thunder/Wave Blazer</a><br />
Tilt left/right, Tilt full 2D, Tilt 2D for full movement in 3D space<br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Three-Must-Try-Game-Demons-for-Android-phones">Android 3D Games Sampled: Tank Recon 3D, Asphalt 5, Winds of Steel, Steel Forge</a><br />
Tanks, hovercrafts, cars, or planes<br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/More-Must-Try-Android-Games-Mid-July-2010">Game Reviews 1: Space Trader, Chinese Chess, Bubble Defense, Astro Commander (missile defense)</a> <br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/More-Android-Game-Quick-Reviews-for-August-2010">Game Reviews 2: Tank Warrior, Radio Ball 3D, Flick Defense, NetHack (for Android)</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Yet-More-Quick-Game-Reviews-for-Motorola-Droid-and-Android-Phones-August-2010">Game Reviews 3: Droplets 2, Crossfire, Guns n' Glory, Starfighter</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/More-Android-Quick-Game-Reviews-for-September-2010">Game Reviews 4: Panzer Panic, Pokanoid (Poke and Arkanoid?!), Fruit Pirate, Pacific Wings (i.e. 1942)</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Steambirds-Strategy-and-Hint-Guide">Steambirds Strategy Guide</a><br />
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<b>Android Tips and Knowledge</b><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Eight-Things-You-Should-Try-on-an-Android-Phone">Eight Things to Try on an Android Phone</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Cupcake-Donut-Eclair-Froyo-Gingerbread-Honeycomb-Android-OS-Version-Codenames-and-Why">Cupcake, Donut... What are all those codenames any way?</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/The-7-Weirdest-Android-Phones-of-2010">7 Weirdest Android Phones of 2010</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Myth-of-Exploding-Droid-Phone-Now-Busted">Myth of Exploding Droid 2 has been busted</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Android-Starter-Kit-What-every-new-Android-owner-should-get">Android App Starter Kit</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-Your-Slow-Android-Phone-Go-Faster-for-Free">How to Make Your Slow Android Phone Fast Again</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/More-programs-for-Droid-owner-to-amuse-and-amaze">More interesting apps for Android</a> <br />
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<b>Other Cell Phone Info</b><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/What-You-Do-NOT-Know-about-4G-Cellular-Phones">When 4G is not really 4G: LTE and 4G explained</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Windows-Phone-7-Samsung-Focus-microSD-card-issue-FAQ">Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7 microSD card issues FAQ</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/No-Virginia-You-Cannot-Use-iPhone-on-Verizon">Why You Can't Use iPhone on Verizon's network</a> <br />
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<br />
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<b>Older reviews (needs update)</b><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Android-Task-Switcher-and-Launcher-Roundup">Android Task Switchers / Alternative Launchers compared</a><br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Review-of-speed-utilities-for-Android-OS">GPS Speedometers and loggers compared</a> for android<br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Android-OS-Task-Killer-beneficial-or-placebo-only">Android OS Task Killers: only useful on older phones</a><br />
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Any way, Happy New Year!GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-27044363555295952702009-12-20T02:11:00.000-08:002010-01-23T17:16:49.186-08:00<div class="zemanta-img" style="display: block; float: right; margin: 1em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36919363@N08/3677987234"><img alt="Slingbox Requirment." src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3591/3677987234_37294bf2d5_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; display: block;" /></a>Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36919363@N08/3677987234">lol.ikea</a> via Flickr<br />
</div><b>Q: I know you can watch shows from your <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer" rel="wikipedia" title="Personal computer">PC</a> to the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television" rel="wikipedia" title="Television">TV</a> with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.crunchbase.com/product/playon" rel="crunchbase" title="PlayOn">PlayOn</a> TV. But what if I wanted to watch what is on my TV on my PC and stream it live over internet?</b><br />
<b><br />
A:</b> You need something like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingbox" rel="wikipedia" title="Slingbox">Slingbox</a>. It will stream your TV signals to the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet">Internet</a>. Alternatively, you can buy a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_tuner_card" rel="wikipedia" title="TV tuner card">TV tuner card</a>, and invest in a home streaming solution. <br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/a9bd722a-a82c-4a7b-ac4d-74fb657b6661/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=a9bd722a-a82c-4a7b-ac4d-74fb657b6661" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
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</div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-70092749564981342742009-12-20T00:47:00.000-08:002010-01-23T17:17:43.708-08:00<b>Q: Do you know why <a class="zem_slink" href="http://wiki.videolan.org/Libvlc" rel="homepage" title="VLC media player">VLC Media Player</a> is not playing the audio in my <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Video" rel="wikipedia" title="Windows Media Video">WMV</a> files?<br />
<br />
A:</b> You are using V1.02 or earlier, which are known to have some problems with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Audio" rel="wikipedia" title="Windows Media Audio">WMA Pro</a> audio. This is fixed in V1.03 (and later). Download the update from videolan.org<br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/dce216f1-be0a-4908-8bfa-57707d6d2d9a/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=dce216f1-be0a-4908-8bfa-57707d6d2d9a" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
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</div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-90050774587594897282009-09-07T18:47:00.000-07:002009-09-07T18:47:31.523-07:00<b>Q: Is it possible to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fax" title="Fax" rel="wikipedia">fax</a> something to an e-mail account?<br />
A:</b> No. It is not possible. This myth got started when some e-mail accounts allow you to pay for an additional fax receive number or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voicemail" title="Voicemail" rel="wikipedia">voicemail</a> receive number where the incoming message or fax are included as an "attachment" and accessible via your e-mail inbox. It is something known as "universal inbox". However, it is NOT a widespread feature. The e-mail provider must explicitly provide this feature, and the number cost extra. <br />
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<div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/2536580d-3a09-4db1-a3e8-bc7608109301/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=2536580d-3a09-4db1-a3e8-bc7608109301" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-69699354744966387832009-09-07T18:41:00.000-07:002009-09-07T18:41:23.138-07:00<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 216px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Array_of_array_storage.svg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Array_of_array_storage.svg/206px-Array_of_array_storage.svg.png" alt="A two-dimensional array stored as a one-dimens..." style="border: medium none ; display: block;" height="148" width="206"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Array_of_array_storage.svg">Wikipedia</a></span></p><b>Q: Is it possible for a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_%28mathematics%29" title="Function (mathematics)" rel="wikipedia">function</a> in a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_language" title="Programming language" rel="wikipedia">programming language</a> to return multiple values?<br />
A:</b> No. By definition, a "function" in a programming language returns only ONE value. You can "fudge" it by combining the separate values into a "composite" value, such as an <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Array" title="Array" rel="wikipedia">array</a>, or a struct/custom <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_type" title="Data type" rel="wikipedia">type</a>, or such, but it really is returning a single value. You will have to de-couple the values outside the function. <br />
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<div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/6a4b4090-41b2-4437-a67f-14762d542638/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6a4b4090-41b2-4437-a67f-14762d542638" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3756981.post-70916670642323967652009-08-06T21:32:00.000-07:002009-08-06T21:45:52.247-07:00<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 310px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pixel-example.png"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Pixel-example.png/300px-Pixel-example.png" alt="Example of pixels. Shows a zoomed section of a..." style="border: medium none ; display: block;" height="141" width="300"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pixel-example.png">Wikipedia</a></span></p><b>Q: What are the relations among <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dots_per_inch" title="Dots per inch" rel="wikipedia">DPI</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel" title="Pixel" rel="wikipedia">pixels</a>, and print-size?<br />A: </b> A complicated questions, and a LOT of misunderstanding. However, here's something that should clear it up:<br /><br />DPI = dots per inch<br /><br />Pixels are just that, pixels (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concatenation" title="Concatenation" rel="wikipedia">concatenation</a> of "picture elements"). Basically, a pixel is a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimension" title="Dimension" rel="wikipedia">2-dimensional</a> dot. <br /><br />Pixels (or dots) multiplied by DPI (dots per inch) = length (in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch" title="Inch" rel="wikipedia">inches</a>)<br /><br />1200 pixels x 300 dots / inch = 4 inches<br /><br />1200 pixels x 72 dots / inch = 16.67 inches<br /><br />A picture has a particular resolution (i.e. X by Y dots). A specific <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Output_device" title="Output device" rel="wikipedia">output device</a> has its own DPI. The best output is achieved when the calculated DPI (based on the picture's resolution, and desired print size), matches the output device's DPI. If the calculated DPI is LESS than the device's DPI, then the device will have to scale up the picture, which would make the image blurry (you zoomed in and saw too much detial). If the calculated DPI is LARGER than the device's DPI, then the picture is SHRUNK to the device's DPI (like zooming out, and not see the details). <br /><br />For example, you CAN make a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XGA" title="XGA" rel="wikipedia">1024x768</a> (0.8 megapixels) print on 16" by 12", but the picture at that physical size is a mere 72 dpi (calculated, 1024 dots / 16 inches = 72 DPI), but the output device is VASTLY superior to that (300, 600, even 1200 dpi), so the output will look VERY blurry.<br /><br />Whereas if you print the same picture on a 3" x 2", the DPI you calculate backwards, is 1024 / 3 = 340 DPI, which is superior to 300 DPI, so the picture will be clear, but isn't as large as it COULD be without sacrificing details. <br /><br />Best output is when you get EXACTLY 300 DPI, so 1024 / 300 = 3.413 inches. You can do the match for the Y dimension. Now the picture is as large as it can, without any zooming or scaling of pixels. <br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/df6bafb4-862c-4538-bb09-f2b5ffb1464c/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=df6bafb4-862c-4538-bb09-f2b5ffb1464c" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>GuyReviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270600804829601202noreply@blogger.com