Most of the Kindle reviews written in 2011 mention that eBook sales are spiking. (If you don’t know what a Kindle is, see this page: What Is a Kindle?) Reviewers are quick to point out that Amazon is now selling more eBooks than actual books, and though that number is not yet true for the book market in general (paper books still outsell eBooks 5 to 1) it is seen as a trend that book publishers and book sellers should keep an eye on.

In 2011, there are two basic versions of the Kindle for sale–Kindle 3 and Kindle DX. The DX model is larger, has a larger screen, better resolution, and has support for more media types than the Kindle 3. Reviews of Kindle devices in 2011 make it a point to describe the many ways that Kindle 3 is better than the original version, which has been discontinued. Seems a little obvious, right?

CNET Kindle Review 2011

CNET is one of the most trusted sources for tech reviews. They give the latest version of the Kindle four stars out of five and have named it an editor’s choice. CNET praises the new Kindle’s “slimmer” and “more compact” design, as well as its improved screen and faster page-turning features. As for the downside, CNET complains that there’s no expansion slot for adding memory and no support for the popular EPUB book file format. I agree with CNET, and suggest also that AMazon should consider throwing in a carrying case with Kindle purchases and figure out a way around the fact that the Kindle’s battery is permanently sealed into the device, making repairs impossible.

I’m constantly amazed that CNET likes the Kindle so much, in the face of all of its flaws. For a device that’s sold millions of units, I’m fairly disappointed by my own Kindle DX. The screen is not “glare-free” as Amazon advertises, and is especially hard on my eyes on long flights with those bright overhead airplane lamps.

Blog Kindle Reviews 2011

I’ve been surprised by the blog response to Kindles in 2011–they seem to be as into the Kindle as the major tech review sites. A blogger at oddstocktrader.com gives the 2011 version of the device a “9.3 out of 10″ thanks to its light weight and easy to read screen. This blogger repeats the old lie about the screen being free of glare–not true by any stretch of the imagination.

A blogger at Zatznotfunny.com suggests that the new Nook Touch might finally be a better device than the Kindle 3, mostly because of its ease of use, saying that the UI touch interface is far superior to Kindle’s 5 button interface. Still, this blogger shows his Kindle fanboy true colors by wondering ” . . . how far away is the Kindle 4?”

It’s clear from reviews of the Kindle in 2011 that most people are really into their Amazon eBook readers, even in the face of new versions of Barnes and Noble’s well-reviewed Nook and much-cheaper eReaders from Borders and other retailers. The Kindle was the first giant of the eBook world, and probably maintains a lot of customer loyalty simply because it came out before its competition.

See also:

1. Kindle for Mac
2. How Do You Make the Kindle Read Aloud Function Work?
3. Kindle Alternatives
4. Kindle Cases and Covers
5. Kindle Deals and Discounts

Since the Kindle’s release in 2007, industry analysts estimate that Amazon has sold over 5 million units, though the actual numbers haven’t been released. For a long time, you could only purchase the Kindle directly from Amazon, but in recent months, major American retailers have gotten into the Kindle game, selling the device as part of a deal with Amazon.

eBooks now make up 15 percent of the American book sales market, and this move to introduce Amazon’s popular eReader into the bricks and mortar retail store market should push that number even higher. Here’s a look at three stores where you can buy Amazon’s Kindle device right now.

Buy Kindle at Target

There are 1,203 Target stores in America, including 230 of the behemoth “Super Target” locations in 22 different states. Amazon’s deal to put Kindles in Target stores exposes millions of people to the device in a familiar retail setting. Assuming that some people have resisted purchasing the Kindle because of their lack of familiarity with buying products online, moving into retail giants like Target could really boost their sales figures.

Target is selling the Kindle as low as $114, but this deal is only available in-store. Amazon’s deal with Target requires that they don’t compete with Amazon’s online Kindle sales, a tactic Amazon would repeat with other Kindle retail deals.

Buy Kindle at Best Buy

With 1,070 stores in the United States, the sale of Kindles at Best Buy was another big victory for Amazon.  The cheapest Kindle device at Best Buy is only slightly more expensive than at Target–$114.99, less than a dollar higher than the deal offered by Target.

I bought my Kindle through Best Buy, mostly because I got a nice-sized Best Buy gift card as a gift and had been wanting to upgrade to a top-of-the-line Kindle for a few months now. Since the Kindle prices are essentially the same no matter what retailer you shop, choosing a retail store was more about which stores were closest to my home and the fact that I had a gift card.

Buy Kindle at Staples

There are over 2,000 Staples stores worldwide, though right now only their US locations are selling Kindles. Prices on Staples’ Kindle devices are identical to those found at Target and Best Buy. One annoying thing I found out about purchasing a Kindle at Staples is that the store doesn’t stock the item–you will most likely have to “special order” your Kindle device.

Like the other retailers on this list, expect Staples to use interest in their sale of Kindles to pimp their other brands of eReaders, usually cheaper and less-known devices like Staples’ Aluratek LIBRA. Staples advertises this device (priced at $99) directly below their Kindle devices when you do a generic site search for “Kindle,” and for good reason. People are likely to go for the cheaper device, even if they’re only saving $15, especially if they don’t care about the brand name.

It is no longer true that you have to shop at Amazon.com to buy the Kindle. Major retailers are making deals with Amazon to sell the mega-popular Kindle eBook reader in their retail stores . . . just don’t expect to buy a Kindle online from anyone but Amazon in the near future.

The buzz about the iPad was that the device would (eventually) replace netbooks for everyday functions. When I bought my iPad, my expectations were pretty low. As a tech junkie and Apple fanboy, I pretty much had to pick up an iPad even though I had major doubts about its abilities. No Flash? No HDMI? Still, I stood in line and paid for what I thought may be little more than a fancy paperweight.

Now that Google offers GoDocs for iPad and iPhone, my paperweight’s value has skyrocketed. For example–at this very moment, I’m typing this article on my iPad in a cab on the way to the airport. After my flight lands, I’ll plug my laptop in at the hotel and finish editing it, post it, and sit back and have a glass of wine. Pretty cool, right?

GoDocs is by no means the first attempt at convering Google Docs to work with iPads and iPhones, but it is the first official release by Google, and probably the best.

GoDocs Review

GoDocs popped up in November of 2010 and has undergone a few changes since then. This is a true mobile version of Google Docs that lets you create, edit, and delete documents on the go. If you travel a lot or work from a few different places, like me, you’ll find GoDocs increases the value of your iPad or iPhone tenfold. I can work with Google Docs on all my different devices from pretty much any location.

The biggest difference between GoDocs and regular old Google Docs is that lack of a “save” button. Have no fear–your document auto-saves every few seconds automatically.

What about losing your connection? iPad users (especially those that move around often) know how much of a headache keeping a connection can be. If you lose your data or WiFi connection, GoDocs uses the HTML5 “offline storage” feature so you can still use the app. You just can’t “save” your document. Lose your connection? Keep working, and GoDocs will automatically save your document the next time your iPad is online.

The biggest knock on GoDocs is that you can’t do very much. You can’t format text (fonts, size, etc.), you can’t add links, and you can’t even align your paragraphs. There’s also nothing in the way of  document-sharing available. GoDocs is for typing and editing text, and that’s all.

Hopefully, Apple and Google will work together to better utilize the iPad’s features and create a richer Google Docs experience for those of us that like to do our typing on the go. Using GoDocs on the iPad, I get the feeling that there’s so much more that this machine could do with an app like this. I’d like to be able to add images, draw, put together presentations, and even create web forms on the go, like I can on non-mobile versions of GoDocs, and I feel like the iPad would be the device to get it done.

Popular book and entertainment retailer Borders was not going to get left in the dust by Barnes and Noble and Amazon–Borders has finally entered the eBook world with the Kobo.

Kobo’s biggest appeal when it debuted was its price–just $149, at the time about $50 less than the cheapest of the other big name eReaders. With the release of the new $149 Wi-Fi version of the Nook and the $139 Wi-Fi Kindle, that price advantage has disappeared.

As a Kindle owner, I am really attached to my Amazon device. I have my issues with the Kindle (no ability to read in the dark, screen’s still a little too small, etc.) but nothing that would keep me from recommending the device to my friends and family. When it came time to shop for an eBook reader for my grandmother, an avid reader in her 80s, I decided to shop around. I wasn’t so sure she’d be able to navigate a Kindle or a Nook.

Kobo Pros and Cons

The first device I looked at was the new Borders Kobo. I noticed in the ads I saw that the Kobo seemed to use a push-button interface rather than a touchscreen. I have enough trouble with touchscreens (if anyone ever invents something to keep my ear from dialing Pizza Hut I’ll be first in line to buy it) and I figured my grandma would have trouble with them too.

Here’s what I liked and didn’t like about the Kobo:

The Kobo is easy to hold and navigate with one hand. I sometimes find the ergonomics of my Kindle frustrating to say the least. I liked the way the Kobo felt in my hand and found it easy to use one-handed–the “quilted rubber” backing of the device is a smart addition, and makes the Kobo easy to hold on a lap.

The Kobo is pre-loaded with 100 classic books. Sure, you can get lots of classic titles free on the Kindle, but when I hand the Kobo to my grandma, she’ll see a huge list of titles ready to go and can learn how to use it without first having to learn how to download books.

The Kobo doesn’t handle PDF files well. I don’t think my grandmother will be doing much PDF viewing on her device, but if I were buying the Kobo for me, this would be a big problem.

The Kobo is not as easy to read as the Kindle. The Kobo’s display hurt my eyes a little, though I got used to it after a while. The background color is more “gray” than other eReaders I’ve used, making the text more difficult to distinguish from the background.

Overall, I think the Kobo is a decent device, one that my grandma loves to use (she’s learned to download books like a pro) but one that I couldn’t stand to have around. I need PDF files and other features native to the Kindle. If you’re looking for an old-fashioned eReader with few frills at a decent price, the Kobo isn’t a bad investment.

When the iPad rolled out in early 2010, the consensus was that the device was a huge disappointment. Jokes about the device being nothing more than a “big iPhone” notwithstanding, users of the first-gen iPad had plenty to complain about: the screen size was a let-down, with as much as 20% of the surface of the device made up of bezel. iPhone apps displayed poorly (usually a tiny screen with a lot of black space around the edges) and those apps that were “translated” for the iPad were simply doubled in pixel size, making text-based apps practically unreadable.

Now that the iPad 2 is set to pop up at your local coffeeshops and college dorms, has the iPad really been as big a disappointment as it first seemed? Unfortunately for Apple, I have to say yes.

No Multitasking

We were led to believe that the iPad was more than just a really big iPhone–that it would replace our netbooks altogether. Unfortunately, you can’t multitask. No listening to Pandora while you play Angry Birds. No reading a scathing Pitchfork review of your favorite indie band’s new record while you look up your ex-girlfriend’s new apartment on Maps. No multitasking at all.

Keyboard Woes

When Apple chose to use the same old touchscreen keyboard, they really let us geeky Apple fanboys down. The darn thing is just too big to “thumb-type” on. We all expected something revolutionary, a new style of keyboard or input method, but instead we found ourselves standing in line at Best Buy an hour after we got our iPads picking up keyboard docks. Lame.

HDMI? What’s HDMI?

Apple has sorta fixed this problem, but it still stands that when the iPad first appeared, it had no HDMI-out capability. It seemed like Apple was trying to force us all to buy AppleTV rather than use our fancy new iPad to play those beautiful HD videos we just got from The Pirate Bay downloaded legally.

No Flash

Not allowing Flash on your devices in this day and age is just ridiculous. I understand that Steve Jobs has some kind of weird beef against Flash, but we’re living in 2011, not 2111. Flash is still a big part of the Internet experience, and if you’re going to try to invent something to take the place of my beloved Netbook, it darn well better be Flash-capable.

The list could go on and on–and while some of these issues can be fixed or improved with after-market add-ons, hacks, and user generated repairs, I want my expensive Apple technology to arrive at my home ready to go. Call me old-fashioned, call me a Luddite, call me whatever you want–the fact remains, when I buy a netbook and get it going for the first time, I don’t have to tweak it to get it to do what I want.

There have apparently been some improvements to the iPad 2. My first iPad experience was such a disappointment, I”m not sure I’ll be standing in line, eager to buy another overly-bezelled, over-hyped paperweight.

First introduced in 1996 at the Chicago Automotive Show, OnStar is now on its ninth version of its software package and it makes the first version look like an old Admiral Computer program. Today there is a new emphasis on driver safety that could have a bigger impact on improving driver safety than seat belts have had.

Currently only available on GM and Saab vehicles, OnStar represents an important competitive advantage over the competition. And that advantage isn’t limited to just the United States. OnStar operates control centers in Canada and China as well.

Here’s a quick list of some OnStar features and how they work

• Onboard 411 and 911. Thanks to the hands free communication feature a driver, or a passenger can instantly call an OnStar response center with the touch of a button to request emergency service or simply to ask directions. Pushing a second button transmits the car’s exact location. With OnStar you are always in touch with outside assistance.
• Advanced Automatic Crash Response (AACR). This is the next big thing in driver safety. If the car is involved in any kind of collision, not just ones that cause the air bags to deploy, an OnStar response center will be notified. The center will call the car and confirm there was a crash and ask if medical assistance is required. If the OnStar center calls and the driver is nonresponsive, OnStar will automatically dispatch emergency vehicles.
• Vehicle diagnostics. Backing up the driver safety programs is a new service that automatically runs a diagnostic on the vehicle to spot potential system failures. The results of the diagnostic check are emailed to the owner each month.
• Stolen Vehicle Services. If you report your car stolen to the police OnStar will work with them to locate the vehicle and if requested by the police, slow it down. That’s right, OnStar can remotely slow the vehicle down which reduces the risk of high speed chases and increase the odds that your car will be recovered intact.

Other benefits of OnStar

The system comes with other “convenience” services for car owners like remotely unlocking doors, flashing headlights when you can’t find your car in a parking lot and providing emergency roadside service as well.

Subscription rates for OnStar are very affordable. It’s the cell phone minutes that you have to buy that can drive the price up. Remember this system works much like an iPhone in terms of voice and data transmission.

There is a way to cut the overall price and that’s by shopping for the right car insurance. If you compare car insurance quotes you might find that you get a discount on comprehensive coverage because of the stolen car features. And don’t be to surprised that free health insurance quotes start offering discounts as well once the benefits of the driver safety features have been validated.

Author Bio

With three kids Laura Penekamp is a pretty busy stay at home mom. However her love of saving money for the family wherever she can has launched a part time freelance career offering tips on how to stretch family budgets.

These devices and hundreds of others rely on infrared light, light that we can’t actually see, to perform their functions.

The light you can’t see

Infrared is a form of electromagnetic energy just as are radio waves, microwaves, ultraviolet rays, X and Gamma rays and visible light. These forms of electromagnetic energy make up the electromagnetic spectrum which is measured by the wavelength that each form has.

For example “visible light” which consists of the 7 primary colors has a wavelength range of 390 nm – 470 nm. Actually the term visible light is a misnomer because all light is visible if it is perceived by an appropriate receptor. Our human eyes are limited to “visible light” but a bee for example can see ultraviolet light. Infrared has a wavelength range of 700 nm – 30,000 nm which is well outside human detection.

Detecting invisible light

Infrared receivers allow infrared light to be used in hundreds of ways. For example in the case of your TV remote, when you press the channel changer an infrared light is emitted and picked up by the receiver on the TV set. This light is sent in pulses and the pulses are the equivalent of binary code. The receiver gets the infra red pulses and passes them to the microprocessor that translates the binary code into a command (switch to channel 4) and performs the function.

The satellite photos and the night vision goggles both work on a form of thermal imaging. Heat is one of the easiest forms of electromagnetic energy to detect. A satellite equipped with a thermal imaging camera can “see through the clouds” by detecting the thermal energy of the objects below and assigning a range of colors based on the strength of the heat signature. The net result is a colorful image that you typically see on a weather map. Goggles work much the same way but detect the lower range of infrared rather than true thermal imaging.

Capturing invisible light as art

While there are hundreds of industrial and scientific uses for infrared, the whole “seeing the invisible light” phenomena started in the early 1900s when photographers first developed a working infrared process.

Infrared photography remained the domain of a small number of professional photographers for years due to the time consuming and complex process that was involved in creating a single image. Today, thanks to digital camera that can become exclusively an IR camera, infrared photography is growing in popularity.

Infrared photography involves excluding visible light from entering the lens by use of a filter or a true IR camera, and then processing the image in Photoshop to get the desired effect. IR photographs depend greatly on the skill and creativity of the photographer both with the camera and with Photoshop. The results however are breathtaking and well worth the extra effort.

Author Bio

Melissa Cameron is a full time bookkeper during the day and a full time mother of three when she gets home. In the little free time she does have she loves learning how to improve her infrared photography skills.

What makes it so special? For starters it’s free. More importantly it is a snap to use and you can literally have it up and running in a matter of minutes. And probably most important, WordPress delivers sophisticated site architecture, an incredible content management system (CSM) and a permalink system that Google just gobbles up.

If you are a small business thinking about jumping into the digital world or updating your existing website then permalinks, CMS and site architecture probably don’t mean a thing to you. But the idea that you can have an attractive and effective digital presence that doesn’t require a degree in geekology to operate has to be attractive. Of course the fact that thousands of the top websites on the net are using it doesn’t hurt its credibility either.

How WordPress works

Unlike static websites that are based on HTML where each web page has to be uploaded to a file separately, WordPress uses PHP and MySQL to create a content management system that automates and accelerates the design and structuring of the site. For the small business person this translates into no or low webmaster expense and much more control over appearance and content.

Installing WordPress takes about 5 minutes if your webhosting company offers a C Panel. Learning how to set up WordPress website does involve a shallow learning curve but compared to a static site it’s a piece of cake.

Thanks to its theme processor, editing the look and feel can be as easy as dragging and dropping. The base installation comes with great support for tagging posts and articles and automatic filters insure that the formatting and stylization of text is all kept standard. In other words it spits out a polished product and saves a ton of time with little effort on the part of the site owner.

Why WordPress works especially well for small businesses

The base install come with some pretty powerful stuff but with a little intelligent tweaking a small business WordPress website can become a lead generating machine.

The bulk of traffic that comes to any website comes as the result of a search inquiry. There are over 15 billion searches each month. Not so long ago Google determined that as much as 75% of the searches’ were initiated as a result of a local need. In other words search was becoming the new Yellow Pages. As a result, local business have the same, if not better chance of ranking on page one of Google for any search involving goods or services.

Google and local business returns

Now that the small business can be competitive on Google, the challenge is to provide a website that will outperform the competition. Because WordPress comes stock with excellent Search Engine Optimization features it is an ideal choice for small businesses.

If there is a downside it is in the choices of themes that are available for business. WordPress offers thousands of themes and plugins for a business site which means it’s pretty easy to be overwhelmed. In addition there are other alternatives and you will want to explore other sources for WordPress themes for small business. A knowledgeable developer can tweak the plugins to make a site more Google appealing for a specific geographic area. Having great built in SEO and Google attraction for the local market is a combination that spells success.

Bio

Don Campbell’s career AHA moment came at a very early age, 13 to be exact when his parents gave him his first computer. Today after extensive experience with Interwoven and Microsoft, Don owns a company that helps hundreds of small businesses create WordPress Websites and position themselves for top local search results.

When it comes down to it, photography is the art of catching light and infrared photography is the art of capturing invisible light. Capturing invisible light sounds rather improbable but just because we can’t see it with our eyes does not mean it doesn’t exist.

The light we can’t see

Every type of light can be identified with a wavelength. For example the human eye can see reflected light in the 400 to 700 nm range. But just like there are sounds that we can’t hear but our pet dog can, there is light that has a higher wavelength that we can’t see but still exists. Light in the 700 – 1200 nm is referred to as near infrared or NIR.

Fortunately we have found a way to capture this light with a method of photography. The results are simply stunning. Familiar objects seen through an invisible light take on an almost unearthly beauty. Skies are much darker; clouds are much crisper, some images pop out of the photograph while others have translucent auras. It all depends on how objects reflect near infrared light.

IR photography – love it or hate it

Infrared photography has been around for decades but because of the difficulty in taking the pictures it has never been though of as mainstream photography. As one professional IP photographer put it “People either absolutely love infrared photography or they just don’t get it.” I the “not getting it” that has turned many people off from producing IR photos.

Fortunately digital cameras have made the process a bit more manageable not to mention affordable. As it turns out, the guts of a digital camera makes it well suited as an infrared camera. Unlike film cameras the silicone based sensors in digital camera are quite sensitive to NIR. In fact they are too sensitive and need to have infrared filters attached so that they don’t corrupt visible light images that most people will want to use the camera for.

The infrared “snapshot” – shooting blind

Actually there is no such thing as an infrared snapshot because the process of setting up a shot and actually taking it can be a comparatively long time. In order to get good infrared photographs using a digital camera you’re going to need an infrared filter for the lens and a tripod to hold the camera steady during the exposure time. Exposure times can run as short as a couple of seconds to as long as 30 seconds depending on the light.

The first step is to set up shot without the filter. To do this set up your tripod, mount the camera and then frame the shot the way you want it. The next step is to screw on the filter. With the filter in place no visible light enters the camera. Consequently no image will appear on the LED screen and you are literally shooting blind. Set your f stop for midrange focus and then play with different exposures. You’ll want several shots so you’ll have options when you process the image in Photoshop.

Finishing touch

Infrared photos need post production work done in Adobe Raw and Photoshop before you have an image that you are really happy with. The final results can be amazing but the need for this Photoshop work is another reason that infrared is not a mainstream form of photography.

However, if you gut it out all of the way through the process you will be hooked. Infrared brings out the best of your creative talents and gives you a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Author Bio

A surfing mom of three, Melissa Cameron works as a bookkeeper for a medical practice full time but loves spending her free time exploring the possibilities of infrared photography. Hooked on the latest IR technology, Melissa is always looking for ways to create even more powerful IR images.

Adobe’s Photoshop is a complex and multifunctional software program for creating, editing and managing images. If you think about it, a web page template is really just an image and Photoshop was a popular way to create websites when it first came out. However today Photoshop’s popularity is most derived from its image creation and editing capabilities.

Who’s buying Photoshop?

Photoshop is a “must have” software tool for graphic designers because of its incredibly powerful tools that help create digital art as well as more mundane items like logos, banners, brochures and business cards. It can be used to create new digital images or edit existing print material thanks to the scanning capabilities of most modern printers.

But where Photoshop is finding an increasingly growing number of users is in the serious amateur photography buffs, particularly the infrared photography fans. Photoshop is not inexpensive software but the amazing effects it can perform are worth every penny to someone interested in photography.

So why do photographers flock to this software? Here’ are a few of the reasons:

• Making you look better. Photoshop can do an amazing job of retouching a photo. Photoshop can do everything from simple removal of red-eye to eliminating wrinkles and skin imperfections. Have you always wanted to know what you would look like as a redhead but never had the guts to dye your hair? No problem for Photoshop it can change your hair color and even add highlights.

• Photo retouch is only one of the effects that Photoshop can do and as a matter of fact it might be considered as one of the lesser editing capabilities. You know those vacation postcards that you send to friends that say “wish you were here.” Well now your friend actually can join you on your vacation…at least in your photos. Photoshop can take an image of a person from one photograph and place them artfully in another.

The merging of images from different photos and doing it in a way so that the end result seems natural is an extremely popular Photoshop feature. Unfortunately some photographers have abused the capability and have placed people (usually celebrities) in positions or places that they have never been in for the purposes of creating shock or controversy. When a person finds themselves the subject of one of these images they are considered to have been “Photoshopped.”

• Perhaps the greatest feature as far as photographs go is the software’s ability to control color density, resolution, size and literally dozens of special effects. Infrared photographers have to use Photoshop because all of their raw pictures have a red tint. Using the software allows them to create incredibly crisp images or eerily otherworld photographs.

When it comes to creating or editing images, if you can imagine it you can do it on Photoshop. Not only is it the graphic designer’s primary tool it is a software that can unleash the creativity of the amateur photographer as well.

Author Bio

Somehow, Melisa Cameron finds a way to balance her life between her husband and three kids, a full time job, a love of surfing, and a hobby of infrared photography and do them all well. Melissa is always looking for ways to improve her photographic skills and loves writing about new technology.

Once you know how to set up WordPress website you’ll be anxious to get the site up and live as soon as you can. After all, that’s one of the most attractive features of the platform. But before you select a WordPress theme, take a deep breath and make sure you fully understand what you want your site to do as well as how you want it to look.

How to choose a WordPress theme

If you’re going to use your site strictly for blogging then its fair to say that every theme will give you the functionality and flexibility that you need. After all, WordPress was originally developed as a blogging platform.

But if your objective is to build a traditional website to represent your business then there are other considerations that come into play. For example:

• The more complex the design and functionality the more robust the theme has to be.
• The look and feel has to be that of a business not a personal blog. Check out your competition and see what themes they are using and if any look right for your business.
• Does the theme allow for growth? As you increase business will the theme be able to keep up with increased functionality? How can functionality be added? Can the theme be tweaked or is a major overhaul required?
• How flexible is the page layout? Can you have different formats on different pages or is it a one size fits all theme?
• Lastly, what kind of support is offered by the theme developer? If you have problems who can you turn to and how reliable are they?

The importance of picking the right WordPress theme for your needs

Picking a theme is a big deal because this will be the representation of your brand on the internet. Not only that, the theme you select will determine just how easy it will be to manage the site, innovate, expand functionality and maintain. Do your due diligence and see the theme that you are considering in action.

Here’s a hint. If you’re looking for WordPress themes for small business you probably will not find what you want in the free theme gallery provided by WordPress. There are a number of small business themes that have been developed that provide a customizable appearance, capacity for growth and the functionality that a business website will need. Most successful commercial WordPress websites have used a developer to come up with themes that meet the specific needs of the business.

Free WordPress themes are great for personal blogging and if that’s what you’re looking for by all means select one from the WordPress gallery. But if you’re counting on your website to generate revenue, either through direct sales or generating leads, it is well worth the investment to have a WordPress theme designed and developed to custom fit your business.

Author Bio

Don Campbell is a professional WordPress theme designer and developer. Don’s company has been successfully providing themes optimized for local search to small businesses across the United States and recently expanded the business to include Internet Marketing services and web presence assessment. Don calls the Silicon Valley in California home.

How can this possibly be you ask. Well the answer to that question is the WordPress plugin. Plugins are applications that can easily be installed on your WordPress website that provide additional functionality. Each plugin is a module that contains the PHP code to perform a specific task. So for example if you wanted to add a portfolio page for the display of images you simply add the appropriate plugin and you are good to go. No need to make changes to the core WordPress programming.

There’s a WordPress plugin for everything on your site

Plugins aren’t limited to customizing page appearance; they can be used for ton of useful tasks that will allow you manage your site more effectively. There are literally hundreds of plugins available, some free some not, that can turn your site from an also ran lost in the depths of the search engines to an engaging, popular and productive digital destination.

Here’s a short list of plugin examples:

• Google Analytics for WordPress. This plugin takes the popular web management tool and puts it on steroids. Track outbound links and downloads. Manage advertising campaigns. Track logins and registration forms. This plugin takes Google technology and customizes it specifically for your WordPress website.
• LinkWithin. If you have great content and you have related articles this little plugin will increase your page views and time on site. Install this plugin and at the bottom of every post a prompt will appear to direct the reader to similar articles that the plugin has automatically indexed and classified.
• Google XML sitemaps. The key to getting traffic is getting found in the search engines. If the search engines don’t know what’s on your site you’ll never be found. This plugin creates an XML sitemap that is optimized for search engine crawlers so that every page can quickly be read and indexed.

Finding and installing the plugin

Learning how to set up WordPress site with plugins is a snap. Simply go to your control panel, scroll down and look on the left side for plugins. You can enter a keyword like SEO and a list of available plugins will appear. Just select the plugin you want and install. In less than 2 minutes your site will have a new function.

But what if you can’t find a plugin that does exactly what you want? This often occurs with WordPress themes for small business particularly when they want an optimization package for local search. Not to worry. There are qualified plugin developers that can build your application from scratch and deliver a product that will meet your needs exactly. Of course it will cost you a couple of dollars but the investment is well worth it given the revenue potential that ranking on the first page represents.

You can make your WordPress website be anything you want it to be and do anything you want it to using these easy to install plugins. This technology puts the power of the web into everyone’s hands and levels out the playing field for small businesses and individuals alike. So what are you waiting for? Go forth and plugin.

Author’s Bio

Don Campbell is a WordPress expert extraordinaire. His company specializes in creating WordPress themes and custom plugins for small business owners and he has helped hundreds dominate their local search results. His close relationships with Google and his Microsoft background allows Don to provide cutting edge designs that include the latest in SEO.

An android phone is a handheld operating system which controls mobile devices or other information appliances. An android phone is similar to the Windows, Mac OS, or Linux operating systems, but it’s mobile (and simpler).

Smartphones, personal mobile computers or tablet computers, information appliances, and PDAs can use the Android operating system.

Who Developed Android Phones?

The Android mobile operating system was developed by Android Incorporated, but the Android design was purchased by Google in 2005. Google continues to update Android software, which is an open-source, Linux-based system, to this day. Other big name companies have joined with Google to keep Android smartphones on the cutting edge.

Open Handset Alliance – Android Phones Info

The Open Handset Alliance is a collaboration between Google Inc, eBay, Intel, Samsung, Motorola, ARM, HTC, and 72 other hardware, software, and telecommunications companies. This group is devoted to promoting open standards for mobile devices, and continues to develop software for Android system, with six releases over the years:

Android 1.0
Android 1.5
Android 1.6
Android 2.0
Android 2.1
Android 2.2

How Much to Buy Android Products?

Smartphones are going to cost a good deal more than the standard cell phones you get with your cellular plan. You’ll find Android phones starting at about $150, but the price goes up.

To make the transition into Android smartphones, consider products like the T-Mobile Comet Prepaid Android Phone, the Samsung i5550 Corby Galaxy 5 Android Smartphone, or the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini E10i Unlocked Smartphone–all of which you can find under $200.

The prices range up significantly after that, depending on selection. Below are some of the other Android smartphone options you might consider, with an approximate price.

HTC A8181 Desire Unlocked Quad-Band with Android OS ($485)
HTC Legend A6363 Unlocked GSM Android-based Smartphone ($405)
HTC Tattoo Unlocked Android Phone ($250)
Motorola MILESTONE XT720 GSM Quadband Unlocked Cell Phone ($329)
Motorola XT701 Unlocked GSM Smartphone ($350)
Sony Ericcson EXPERIA X10 Unlocked GSM Smartphone ($400)

As you can tell, the Android phone is a popular device with a ton of support from some of the biggest names in telecommunications, hardware technology, and software applications. That means there is huge competition in the Android phone and associated smartphone industry, so you have a myriad of options. If you’re just getting into the Android cell phone market, do some research and find the perfect Android smartphone for you.

See also:

1. Is Texting While Driving Dangerous?
2. What Is an IPad?
3. How to Buy a Refurbished IPad
4. What Is Chrome OS?
5. What Is Angry Birds?
6. What Is Google Voice?
7. What Is Satellite Radio?
   

Angry Birds is a video game originally designed for Apple’s iPhone OS mobile operating system, which has currently sold over 12 million units in just over 1 year (released in December 2009). “Angry Birds” has been praised for its low price, tongue-in-cheek nature, and (most important) addictive capacity.

In fact, the Angry Birds puzzle game was so popular at Apple’s app store that the designers (Rovio Mobile of Finland) have begun designing versions for all the major touchscreen smartphones and a number of traditional operating systems, so today, you’ll find Angry Birds not only on iOS, but also for Android phones, Symbian^3 smartphones for Nokia, Maemo for Nokia N900, Palm webOS for Sprint phones, Verizon Wireless, and AT&T products, Windows, Mac OS X, and even the Playstation.

Angry Birds in Pop Culture

The Angry Birds became a viral pop culture phenom at a point, even referecned in many tv programs and news shows worldwide, including Conan O’Brien’s TBS show, Conan, the Israeli sketch comedy show, Eretz Nehederet (A Wonderful Country), as well as news media outlets like The Guardians, MSNBC, Haaretz, and The Christian Science Monitor. T-shirts, plush dolls, Mattel board games have been produced or are in production, while Rovio Mobile’s CEO, Mikael Hed, hopes to see a stop-motion animated film.

With that kind of buzz and the low price of the application, it’s almost required that any good pop culture aficionado or tech geek has to try out Angry Birds, just so they know what everybody’s talking about.

How Does Angry Birds Work?

Gameplay in Angry Birds revolves around a flock of birds who have had their eggs stolen by evil green pigs. Players control the irate flock of birds and fly the birds either at the pigs or at the structures the pigs are taking cover under. Collapse the wooden, stone, and ice structures, and these buildings fall down on the pigs and kill them. In later stages of the game, explosives are found in certain crates, which are needed to annihilate well-hidden pigs.

Unlocking Special Birds

You start play with a standard red bird. As the game transpired, you have the chance to unlock special birds with special abilities. Blue bird can become a triplicate, while white birds drop explosive eggs (“We must kill the eggs in order to save them”), while the black birds have the ability to explode themselves.

Meanwhile, certain pigs have unique abilities or equipment, too. Some pigs are easy to kill, while others take a lot of damage, or wear special equipment that increases their damage capacity.

Completing Levels in Angry Birds

Levels are gained in Angry Birds by defeating all of the pigs before you run out of birds to use. You get points depending on the damage done to pigs, while bonus points are given for unused birds. Besides the point value, players are graded on a 1-3 scale of stars. If you don’t like this last grade, you can retry the level until you get a 3-star rating.

That’s all there is to Angry Birds, though with any game, it’s how the game is executed that makes all the difference. The wide popularity of the game revolves around how fun it is to play and keep playing.

Angry Birds Game Development

Rovio produced Angry Birds in 2009, so this is still a new video game. When it came time to propose new games, one of the senior designers faked a screenshot with angry-looking birds on it. That sliver of an idea evolved into the Angry Birds game, apparently.

Because the swine flu epidemic was a major factor in the news in 2009, the designers decided to make the birds’ enemies swine. The original release of the game included the episode “Angry Birds: Poached Eggs”, which contained 3 levels with 21 sub-levels apiece.

Angry Birds Episodes

Since that time, Rovio has released new episodes and updates, adding to the Angry Birds universe. There is no standard size to the episodes, but they tend to contain between 1-2 new themes and either 15 or 21 levels per theme. Here is the full list of Angry Bird episodes.

1. Angry Birds: Poached Eggs – 3 Themes, 21 Levels per Theme
2. Angry Birds: Mighty Hox – 2 Themes, 21 Levels per Theme
3. Angry Birds: Danger Above – 1 Theme, 15 Levels, “Golden Eggs” Feature
4. Angry Birds: The Big Setup – 2 Themes, 15 Levels per Theme, 1 New Golden Egg Feature
5. Angry Birds: Ham ‘Em High – 1 Theme, 15 Levels, New Bird (Mighty Eagle)

When you purchase the “Mighty Eagle”, the new bird lets you clear out any level, though you can only use this bird one hour per uncompleted level. If you clear the level without the Mighty Eagle, this restriction is removed. Also, you can try to the Mighty Eagle feather by playing an already-cleared level and going to 100% total destruction.

Angry Birds Android Phone Troubles

When Angry Birds was being designed for the Android phones, a problem arose with the great many of configurations (78 to 79 hardware and software corporations support Android phones), which made it more difficult to build a universal interface than it was with the Apple phones. To get around this problem, over 30 different types of Android phones originally could not use Angry Birds for Android. Subsequently, a simpler version of Angry Birds was designed for these mobile phones.

You can expect Rovio to continue producing new episodes for Angry Birds, while continuing to expand to new operating systems. If your OS isn’t compatible with Angry Birds yet, wait a little while and it will be. Angry Birds and those evil green pigs have taken the world by storm.

See also:

1. What Is Hulu?
2. What Is Google Voice?
3. What Is Satellite Radio?
4. What Is a Pedometer?
5. What Is a MMORPG?
6. What Is Nicotine Gum?
7. What Is a Router Table?
   

Google Voice is Google’s telecommunications service for U.S. residents (and U.S. residents only) which allows for PC-to-PC communications anywhere in the world, for PC-to-phone calls within North America (north of the US-Mexico border), and between Google Voice users and those with a Video Chat browser plug-in.

The Google Voice service allows for low-price international phone calls, while domestic phone calls to the contiguous 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada are free. Other features offered by Google Voice include voicemail, call screening, unwanted call blocks, call history, voicemail message-to-text “voice transcription”, and conference call support.

How Does Google Voice Work?

To receive incoming calls and activate your Google Voice phone number, you must have a U.S. telephone service. You then can make voice calls over your personal computer using the Google Voice interface, quite similar to what exists on Google’s famous Gmail service. There’s even an option for video service on the PC-only calls, getting the world one step closer to the communicators from science fiction programs like Star Trek.

How Many People Use Google Voice?

Due to an FCC report that was filed by mistake, we learned that Google Voice had 1,400,000 users as of October 2009. That number is likely to have increased significantly in the 15 months since, given that the service had only been on-line for about 6 months at the time. According to the same FCC report, roughly 570,000 of the Google Voice users used their service every day of the week.

How Long Has Google Voice Been Around?

Google Voice began as a service called GrandCentral in 2005. Google bought Grand Central in 2007, but seemed to stop supporting the service, leading to many complaints by old-time users about lack of customer support by Google.

In March 2009, Google relaunched Grand Central and renamed it “Google Voice”. A few months later, in mid-September 2009, Google announced Grand Central’s services were shut down, and asked everyone to move over permanently to Google Voice. Improvements were made and features added to the new service.

Google Voice and Egyptian Protests

The power of a computer-based telecommunications service has been put to the test in the recent Egyptian protests against the government of longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. As the Mubarak government blocked traditional journalistic sources of news, Google and Twitter led a collection of western Internet and social media companies in helping the Egyptian people get their word out to the world.

According to Professor Dina Ibrahim of San Francisco State University, Google Voice has been key: “”It’s very difficult to get a complete picture however, Google Voice and other services have been incredibly helpful in terms of providing alternatives for people to get their message out there,” said Professor Ibrahim.

How Google Voice Affected Egyptian Protests

Hosni Mubarak has been the president of Egypt since 1981, after Egyptian army officers assassinated Anwar al Sadat for signing the 1979 Egyptian-Isreali Peace Treaty. Over the years, Mubarak has adhered to provisions of the treaty and been a strong supporter of the United States in the Middle East, but he’s also been a repressive military figure who has squelched democracy movements in his own country. He also has failed to strengthen the Egyptian economy over his nearly 30 years in office.

With one of the best-educated populations in the Middle East, but with 9 out 10 people under the age of 30 out of work, the Egyptian people took to the streets in protest in early 2011. Western journalists flocked to Egypt to report the story, which embarrassed the Mubarak government. Eventually, the Egyptian government used an old tactic of paying mercenary thugs to attack people in the street, and these “Mubarak partisans” began attacking journalists and reporters with cameras. Within days, this eliminated traditional journalistic broadcasting.

That’s where Google, and especially Google Voice, came in.

Google and Twitter put out word to collect 1,000 Egyptian-English translators to help their service. With these translators and their new telecommunications infrastructure in place, Egyptians were able to take to their computers and get the word out about what’s going on in Cairo and other cities themselves. Western journalists used Google Voice to get the word out.

At present, Hosni Mubarak has announced he won’t run for office again. There’s a sizable chance he’ll have to step down from office in the coming days, weeks, and months, as the story goes on and international pressure mounts to see democratic institutions put in place in Egypt. Whatever happens, the power of Google Voice to get around central government power and military power has been evidenced.

See also:

1. What Is Satellite Radio?
2. What Is a Pedometer?
3. What Is a MMORPG?
4. What Is Nicotine Gum?
5. What Is a Router Table?
6. What Is a Chair Lift?
7. What Is a Joovy Caboose Stroller?
   

Satellite Radio is a subscription radio service, with the signal beamed through 1 or more satellites. For a monthly fee, a person can purchase a satellite radio feed, similar to satellite tv. Satellite radio is known for its wider range of selections than local terrestrial radio, along with global reception.

How Satellite Radio Works

The use of satellite technology gives satellite radio broadcasts much greater range than your standard FM radio signals, which covered the most ground before the invention of satellite broadcasts.

FM radio or “frequency modulation” radio broadcasts over the radio spectrum, between 87.5 MHz and 108.0 MHz. These carrier waves break up after traveling a certain distance, which is why you’ll see radio stations in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Arizona, and Jacksonville that all broadcast at the 97.9 frequency.

Satellite radio boasts strong signal relays, local facilities with extremely large storage space, and none of the obstacles that break up signals on the ground. Broadcasting from the top of the world down also allows more direct coverage to more locations, instead of a fixed location on the surface of Earth. Therefore, once the prohibitive cost of building the infrastructure for satellite broadcasting were overcome, satellite radio became a viable alternative to the traditional AM/FM radio formats–with many advantages.

When Did Satellite Radio Begin?

The two major satellite radio providers in the United States, Sirius Radio and XM Radio, began operations in the early 1990s. Sirius Radio began in 1990, while XM Radio started up in 1992. Starting in the early 21st century, when satellite radio hookups became more feasible, the competition between these two companies became fierce. The competition ended in 2007, when Sirius bought out XM Radio.

Sirius Satellite Radio

Over the years, Sirius Radio has been the boldest and most successful satellite radio provider in North America. Sirius gained national attention by signing Howard Stern to an immense contract.

In 2005, Howard Stern received 34.3 million shares of Sirius stock, worth an estimated $218 million, and was given a $100 million per year budget to produce three shows on satellite radio. This gave Howard Stern greater programming control, a huge windfall even for a longtime radio star, and the ability to broadcast uncensored. At the same time, Sirius Radio became a buzzword, because of the move of Howard Stern from the terrestrial radio to a new venue.

This was a huge gamble on the part of Sirius Radio, but one which has largely paid off. Within two years, Sirius was buying out its main competitor, XM Radio.

Stern’s show as only the most high profile listening option, though. Below is a list of some of the channel options that are featured or have been featured on Sirius Radio

• Blue Collar Comedy Channel
• Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer
• Superfan Roundtable
• CBC Radio One
• CBC Radio 3
• Radio Bam
• NPR Talk
• Radio Korea
• The Beat
• ESPN All Access Radio
• Sporting New Radio
• Hardcore Sports Radio (they cuss)
• Sports Extra
• Iceberg Radio
• The Weather Network
• DeVore and Diana (defunct)
• 2G’s Show (Champions Soccer Radio Network or CSRN)
• World Football Daily (formerly World Soccer Daily)
• Dale Sommers, The Truckin’ Bozo
• The Morning Drive (Ford Martin and NASCAR)
• Tony Stewart Live (NASCAR show during NASCAR Award Week)
• The Wrap-Up Show

This is just a small sampling of the programs included on Sirius Radio. It’s an understatement to say that your selections on satellite radio providers dwarf their terrestrial broadcast competitors. You’ll find hundreds of channel options that–by and large–come in with flawless accuracy. Also, if you have a channel you enjoy listening to, you won’t have to stop listening after a couple of hours, or try to find the same station on a different frequency in a different region. Just about anywhere in the continental U.S., you’ll be able to receive the same broadcast on the same channel.

Satellite radio is a must for people who travel via automobile a lot, especially if they travel to different regions overland. Truck drivers, car enthusiasts, and road trippers have to own satellite radio. If you’re not sure, check the satellite radio option the next time you rent a car for a day and see the difference. If that’s not an option, take my word for it.

See also:

1. What Is a Pedometer?
2. What Is a MMORPG?
3. What Is Nicotine Gum?
4. What Is a Router Table?
5. What Is a Chair Lift?
6. What Is a Joovy Caboose Stroller?
7. What Is a Wheel Chair Lift?
   

Motorola Xoom is a computer tablet and a new alternative to the iPad. Since the iPad came out last year, electronic tablet devices have become one of the hottest of electronic trends. All the early adopters had to have an iPad, while all the competitors had to design their own version of the Internet pad.

Motorola is actually late to the game, but that’s probably a good thing. Instead of rushing out a product to capitalize on the first six months of the iPad craze, Motorola decided to spend over a year in development, designing and testing, letting technology advance another year, and now they have a product they consider a worthy challenger–one expected to exceed the iPad in performance (though not sales, given branding).

What Are the Motorola Xoom Specs?

The Xoom has the largest touchpad screen on the market, comparing favorably to the iPad with a 10.1 inch screen. This makes the Motorola Zoom slightly heavier than the iPad, though.

Xoom’s memory capacity sits at 1 GB or RAM, while the original iPad only have 256 MB of Ram. The more natural comparison will Xoom versus iPad 2, which comes out in April. At least until then, the Motorola Xoom has the most memory among computer tablets on the market.

At the same time, Xoom compares favorably to most other computer tablets on the market in battery life, with roughly 10 hours of capacity. As you can see, the Motorola Xoom definitely has the specifications to make it a big success on the market, if the pricing doesn’t come in way over-the-top.

How Much Does Motorola Xoom Cost?

The big stumbling block is the speculated price of the Motorola Xoom. Early word suggests that the standard price for a Motorola Xoom is going to be around $800, or about $300 more than what an entry-level iPad is likely to cost you. That’s such an outrageous jump in price that I assume this is going to price Motorola Xoom out of the market, for most consumers.

When the release date hits, you can expect to find better deals on Xooms, but only if you sign up for a Motorola service plan. In other words, the Motorola Xoom only becomes feasible if it drives customers to Motorola. I predict there will be a lot of potential computer tablet costumers who decline that deal just on principle. To beat the reigning champ, you have to beat the champ decisively, and costing three-hundred dollars more than what many customers already think is an outrageous price does not get it done.

Motorola Xoom is going to be a superior product than the iPad 1, but you’re going to have to pay a premium to use it. Anti-Apple computer users might view the Xoom as an option, but most computer-neutral buyers are going to balk at such an expense.

There’s one other group of people who might be on-board with the Motorola Xoom: the Android phone fanatics.

What Is Motorola Xoom’s Operating System?

Motorola Xoom’s operating system is called “Honeycomb”, and it’s a version of the Android operating system specifically designed for computer tablets. If you aren’t aware of what “Android” is, then let me explain.

Android is an operating system originally designed for smartphones. Supported by Google and a consortium of 78 (and counting) hardware, software, and Internet companies, Android phones have become all the rage for people tired of their standard old cell phones. Android phones cost more, but as more telecommunications companies join the Android bandwagon, it’s becoming synonymous with smartphones.

Therefore, it’s natural for Motorola to partner with the most successful operating system in their industry (that is, telecommunications).

See also:

1. What Is an IPad and How Does the IPad Work?
2. What Are the Specs for Cheap, Refurbished IPads?
3. Electronic Book Readers and Ebooks
4. What’s the Difference Between a Macbook Pro and a Macbook Air?
5. How to Use an IPod
6. Apple’s IPhone and Other Smartphones
7. What Is WiFi and How Does WiFi Work?
   

The walkie talkie headset is a combination of old-school walkie talkie tech and modern wireless style. Traditional walkie talkies are handheld transceiver devices used by kids across short ranges on up to massive commercial and military-grade devices that can communicate across great distances.

The old battery-operated kid’s walkie talkie sets from my childhood are not really around anymore. These days, walkie talkie headsets use simple software to turn a mobile phone or other smartphone device into hand-held transceivers with headsets for ease of use. These types of walkie talkie headsets turn your cell phone into a walkie talkie, then use Bluetooth technology to operate via headset.

Benefits of Using Walkie Talkie Headsets

There’s lots of reasons why people may want to switch to a walkie talkie headset communication system.

Walkie talkie headsets using Bluetooth with their mobile phone take advantage of Bluetooth’s noise-cancellation features, making for easier and clearer communication.

This same Bluetooth technology can even link with other non-Bluetooth devices (like PCs or laptops) using Skype. This makes communication across platforms really easy.

When two Bluetooth-enable walkie talkie headsets are linked together, you get instant two-way communication inside a 250 thousand square foot zone. This is a huge range for walkie talkie headset communication, exponentially bigger than old-school walkie talkie tech.

As technology improves, companies are looking to expand the scope of this system so that up to five users can be in this walkie talkie zone at once, so instant communication between five users across a wide area is as easy as using your walkie talkie headset.

This setup is ideal for companies that have employees spread out across large areas who need to communicate instantly–school administrators, construction foremen, and military officers are just some of the people  using this type of Bluetooth walkie talkie headset tech to save time and money.

How Much do Walkie Talkie Headsets Cost?

The actual cost of your walkie talkie headset depends on the style, brand, and features you’re looking for. Here’s a good look at the range of prices for walkie talkie headsets.

At the low end of the scale are headsets designed for use with specific brands of walkie talkies. These cheaper headsets for walkie talkies aren’t usually Bluetooth capable and must be used with a specific walkie talkie line. Though they are inexpensive (Motorola has several models that retail for under $20) they have few features and aren’t Bluetooth capable.

You can spend as much money as you want on the higher end of Bluetooth-enabled walkie talkie headsets. Specific models designed for specific purposes (such as to fit inside motorcycle helmets) are the most expensive of all, and can run you several hundred dollars.

To determine how much money you’ll spend on your Bluetooth walkie talkie headset, figure out if you need it to be mounted in a specific way, such as in a vehicle or inside of safety equipment, determine how many headsets you need, and decide if you want any extra features such as noise-cancelling microphones or multiple-outlet charging stations. The more “extras” you’re after, the higher the price.

Walkie Talkie Headsets for Push to Talk

Since “push to talk” communication systems are growing in popularity, the use of walkie talkie headsets for these devices is also on the rise. You can find them produced by different manufacturers, though you’ll probably want to use a model that matches the walkie talkie or phone system you’re using.

These headsets are designed to be attached to any push to talk walkie-talkie unit. Simply connect the headset to the walkie talkie’s base unit and you’ll have hands-free access to the walkie-talkie. The microphone inside this unit lets you use your voice operated commands, so your use of your walkie talkie is completely hands free. Units like this are relatively inexpensive, so you won’t have to invest in a costly new headset to get your hands-free functionality.

It is common to see walkie talkies in use with headsets–people have seen them in action for a few years now, and they don’t think you’re talking to yourself anymore. Why are headsets more popular? The efficiency of the electronic guts of the devices has been increased, so the tech itself is actually smaller, cheaper to produce, and easier to use. As these headsets get smaller, cheaper, and easier to use, more and more people will be using walkie talkie headsets for their everyday communication.

See also:

1. How to Buy the Best GPS Navigation System for Your Car
2. How to Film a Movie
3. How to Use a Foundation Brush
4. How to Buy a Used Land Rover
5. How to Stop OCD
6. How to Stop Thinking
7. What Is Spy Gear?
   

With home computers now as common as washers and dryers, the electronic devices in our home that are vulnerable to electric surges and damage are even more important. Your family keeps all sorts of important documents on the computer, from financial details to photographs and music collections. As more and more electronic devices are added to a home, the necessity for protection against electric surges increases. A whole house surge protector acts like a giant version of the familiar surge protector strip we see every day–preventing stray electric charges from enter the home and destroying valuable electronics.

What Are Electric Surges?

Power surges are nothing more than brief spikes in voltage, usually lasting a millionths of a second or even less, and aren’t always noticeable to the human eye. Because some power surges are stronger than others (anywhere from a few hundred volts to several thousand volts) the damage caused by surges ranges from mild to severe.

In the United States, most of use the same kind of electricity system running on a 120-volt, 60 Hz, alternating current. Since it is an alternating current, the voltage rises and falls, changing from anywhere from 0 to a max voltage of 169 volts. The electronics in your home are designed to withstand this alternating current, but during a power surge, the voltage peaks above that voltage range. If your electronic devices are not protected, they could be damaged.

In some extreme cases, electric surges lead to fires that threaten the entire home. Surges can be dangerous business.

Causes of Electric Surges

Lightning strikes are the most common causes of damaging electric surges. A surge can start with a single bolt of lightning striking a building or even near a building. The electric current of the lightning then travels into the building or home through underground pipes or other municipal lines. That electric surge is looking for a place to ground itself, such as a computer that is plugged into an electrical outlet. This charge is usually strong enough to damage the computer.  The damaged electronic device can even catch fire or damage anyone who may be touching it.

Another common source of electric surges is a simple stray electric charge. Surges in the general power supply, a down phone or power line, and even the simple act of turning a large appliance off or on can lead to electrical surges.

How Do I Protect My Home From Power Surges?

There are a few simple steps you can take to protect your home and the electrical appliances in it.  Your first step is to make sure your home’s electrical system is adequately grounded. If your home is properly grounded, a power surge will never make it into your home. When a home is properly grounded, the surge doesn’t have a way in.

Grounding systems are normally installed during home construction or a major renovation. If you aren’t sure of your home’s grounding situation, contact an electrician for an evaluation. If you find your home is not adequately grounded, you’ll need to pay for the necessary repairs.

Unfortunately, simply grounding your home correctly won’t protect from all possible sources of electric surges. That’s where “whole house surge protectors” come in.

Installing a Whole House Surge Protector

Whole house surge protectors do what it sounds like they do–protect your home’s electronic equipment from the dangers of surges. You can have these products installed or tackle the surge protection of your house as a weekend project–you can even have your power company come and do all the installation for you.

Electrical surges are so dangerous that many power companies actually offer protection against surges to their customers. For an installation and maintenance fee, your power company will come out to your house and professionally install, test, and then maintain your whole house surge protector. A typical fee schedule for these “rented” whole house surge protectors would have the customer paying about $100 for the one-time maintenance fee then a low monthly fee, something like $4 or $5 a month.

Installing a Whole House Surge Protector

To install your brand new whole house surge protector, simply follow the instructions. Most units are about the same, meaning that the installation is pretty simple.

You’ll need two empty circuit breaker slots (one on top of the other) on your main power panel or load center.

The first step is to install two 20 amp circuit breakers in these empty slots–these will protect each power phase. You could use 15 amp breakers but they will give you much less protection. A big mistake some people make during this step is to install tandem breakers (also known as piggyback breakers)–if you do this, the breaker will draw power from only one phase and thus it will protect only some of your home’s electronics.

If you are even a little bit handy, you can install a whole house surge protector yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable working with electricity, call up an electrician.

Different Types of Whole House Surge Protectors

Not all whole house surge protectors are created equal. There are plenty of cheap models to be had that just don’t provide the amount of protection you’ll need. Generally, you get what you pay for, though whether or not your whole house surge protection program will work has more to do with proper installation than with the cost of the unit.

Some devices are “sacrificial,” meaning they are good for a single electrical jolt. These are less expensive surge protectors used as emergency backup or in homes that can’t afford more expensive systems. After an electrical surge, these sacrificial units will need to be replaced.

Still other units are massive, installed during construction, able to withstand any electric surges you can throw at them. The size of your budget and the number of important electronic devices there are in your home dictates what size and style of electric surge protector you need.

See also:

1. How Does Electricity Work?
2. How Do Windmills Work?
3. How Do I Lower My Electric Bill?
4. How Do Electric Cars Work?
5. What Are Halogen Light Bulbs?
6. How to Build a Garden Fountain
7. What Are Solar Garden Lights?
   

“Data entry” is administrative and secretarial work which piles up around the office of many businesses, the kind of tedious work that is often the last item on the list of “things to get done”.

When these electronic bureaucratic paperwork piles up to a point where it begins to hurt the efficiency of the business in question, companies tend to hire outsiders for online data entry.

These tasks can be done from your home as well as they can from the home office, so in the information age, small businesses and big firms alike choose to pay people a small fee (by their standards) to enter that information into their systems from home.

What they need are people who are reliable, who are self-starters and who don’t need constant supervision, and who have good skills of concentration and perhaps an eye for details. The problem is, these are tasks that are important to the everyday conduct of this company’s business arrangements, so they are putting a lot of trust into an unknown person on the Internet. That’s where online data entry companies come into the picture.

Internet Data Entry Companies

Instead of a lone business trying to find people to input data electronically, they hire an outside firm which specializes in the field to do that for them. Once again, corporations pay what is for them a nominal fee, and another company searches through their network of data entry specialists to find the right person for the job. As someone works for this online data entry firm over the weeks and months, that person gets a reputation with the data entry company, and they get assignments (or don’t) based on their work history.

In other words, online data entry positions are just like any other job you’ve ever had, except it’s performed online from the confines of your own home.

Someone taking care of kids at the house can make a little extra money to pay for rent or diapers. A student has a job with a flexible work schedule around their busy college life, but which still pays for tuition and books. Anyone who is thrown out of work by the economy can find a job that pays the bills, so long as they have a good work ethic and good character.

Even if you have job already, but you need to take a second job to get out of credit card debt or pay off a loan, online data entry positions are a good, open-ended job opportunity for someone who doesn’t want to wait tables at night. And for those who find the flexible schedule suits their lifestyle and who both enjoy online data entry and are good at it, this can become a career.

Freelance Online Data Entry Positions

Below are a few online data entry companies who hire freelancers for electronic data entry positions. These are just a few of countless such operations, because firms and businesses around the globe are searching for people to handle their glut of information.

• Elance – Online Data Entry Positions
• Go Freelance – Online Data Entry
• Data Entry Company

Is It Too Technical for Me?

“Online data entry” is such a wide-ranging term, it’s hard to pigeon-hole the field. For the average person, you’ll find that some data entry jobs require technical expertise that is outside your range of skills. Many of them are simply inputting names and other personal information into a database, and anyone with a work ethic can perform the job. The upshot is this: no matter what your skills or education, if you can spell, if you have good work habits, and if you can be trusted, then you can find work in an online data entry position.

Is Online Data Entry Legitimate?

You’ll notice that so many online data entry companies start their website pitch with the term “legitimate work”. It’s just me (I’m just a skeptic), but when I see that, I automatically get suspicious.

The fact is, though, there are a lot of companies in the world that would rather pay you to handle what they consider tedium to do what amounts to administrative assistant or secretarial work. They don’t want to pay benefits, have extra office space, and an extra parking spot, for someone else in their office, work center, or headquarters. So they hire an online data entry company to bird-dog people who can do the job for them. That means there’s a huge legitimate market for people wanting jobs inputting Internet data entry.

If you are concerned, type into the Google search bar the name of the company you’re applying with (or their homepage url) and the word “scam”, and see what comes up. You’ll know pretty quickly whether this is a legitimate site or not. In fact, I’d recommend you try that with any company, those listed here (besides “Elance“) or those you find on your own. The fact is, there are legitimate online data entry companies looking for people like you to fill positions, so you should never be without a job when you can log-on and find an online data entry job in no time.

See also:

1. What Is Data Entry?
2. What Is 3G Wireless?
3. What Is an External Hard Drive?
4. What Is an IPod?
5. What Is a Hard Drive?
6. What Is Google Squared?
7. What Is DSL?
   

Website values are determined by a number of factors, so you need to know certain facts and figures about your site before you know how much your website is worth. Most calculations come down to two main factors, though: traffic to your site and the topic your website is about.

Website Traffic

Traffic is generally measured in the amount of unique visitors your get to your web address in a given time, usually a day, a month, or a year. “Unique visitor” means a person from a different IP address.

If you have 100 page views, it’s considered better value to get 100 views from 100 different people, instead of 100 views from one obsessed visitor. That’s because 100 people represent a larger client base or customer base for however someone might monetize the site.

Traffic is driven by how often a person’s site shows up in a popular search engine, or how highly ranked search engines place your site on words and phrases important to the topic discussed on your site.

A webmaster with a blog or static site devoted to Jessica Alba should hope to rank well in the search engines for phrases like “Jessica Alba”, “Jessica Alba movies”, “Jessica Alba films”, “Jessica Alba pictures”, “Jessica Alba pics”, and so on. Being one of the first people to come up when people search for these phrases drives traffic to your site, which increases its value.

Website Topics

Second, your topic has to be profitable, or potentially profitable, for your website to have value. You can rank really high for topics like “free online games”, “free movie downloads”, “torrents”, or even “freerolls”, and your site might not be worth much. For instance, people searching for “Jessica Alba pics” probably just want to look at pictures of the famous actress, and aren’t likely to buy anything.

Someone searching for “Jessica Alba movies” is more likely to be searching for something to buy, though they might be looking for biographical information or torrents of her films.

So when deciding whether your website is worth anything, you’ll need to figure out what anyone could do to make money out of that website. Certain people find good sites that aren’t monetized very well and buy them as investments, as they might find a house that needs fixing up, or a business that needs to be streamlined. You can make money off a site with Google Adsense or as an affiliate of some larger company, if you can drive traffic with the high volume of your new readers.

Most Valuable Websites

Obviously, the most profitable websites (besides mega-companies like Google, Yahoo, eBay, Facebook, or Amazon) are those geared to selling goods or services. Websites which tout web hosting, Internet service providers, pharmecueticals, cable satellite, telecommunications, ringtones, legal services, travel like hotel rooms or cruises, music downloads, casinos and gambling, and software are all natural money-makers, though this is only a partial list of valuable types of websites.

With Google adsense, almost any good website is going to have some value, though some are better than others.

Notice I mentioned “good website”. Remember that the reason people go online and look things up is to find information. This is the Information Age, and computers are information technology. When someone puts a few words into a search engine, they are seeking specific information which pertains to those words. So the more informative your website is–essentially the better you meet the expectations of your readers–the more your website will be worth.

Website Worth Calculator

If you want a quick one-stop estimate of the value of your website, you can go to Website Worth Calculator and place the URL address of your site into the calculator. This instantly puts out a series of figures that help you determine your website’s value.

Among the criteria used to determine the value of a website includes the “Alexa Rank’, the Google Page Rank, the unique visitors per month, and the pages/visits of the website.

Note that the Website Worth Calculator only provides estimates on the domain name, according to the information available. This does not provide the full value of the company behind the site, and may not reflect all the information that might go into determining value. Also, you’ll find that it won’t provide information on certain url addresses. To get an accurate estimate, you should learn to figure out how much your website is worth, or give your site’s details to an expert and have them estimate its value.

See also:

1. How Much Is My Computer Worth?
2. How Much Is My House Worth?
3. How Much Is My Car Worth?
4. How Much Is Google Worth?
5. How Much Is Scrap Metal Worth?
6. How Much Is Silver Worth?
7. How to Make a Website
   

The iPad is a tablet computer made by Apple. The iPad has been for sale since March of 2010. The device appeared with high expectations, but critical response has been mixed. Apple isn’t selling as many new iPads as they wish they would–the fact that Apple lowered the price just a few months after the device premiered is evidence of that.

But if you can’t afford a new iPad (even with the recent discount in price) you aren’t totally out of luck. Buying a refurbished iPad is really no different from buying a first-run version. Here’s how to buy a refurbished iPad.

More About the iPad

The iPad is meant to be a “new category” of electronic device. The iPad has something of a split personality, and is considered to be something like a smartphone and something like a laptop computer.

The iPad has a big touch screen (9.7 inches), a high-performance processor like a laptop, and uses wireless to access the Internet. The iPad is really the world’s perfect media machine–the perfect tool for accessing entertainment of all kinds, from basic web surfing to reading eBooks and watching streaming movies and TV.

The iPad is an entertainment device, though many scholars and designers have found use for it, and you can find iPads in use at different kiosks around the country–in this form, they function as POS systems for high-end department stores. But think back to the launch event for the iPad, and video of Apple CEO Steve Jobs sitting on a couch to show off the iPad features. This is a device meant for checking out LOLcats and reading the latest John Grisham.

iPad Specs

Think of the actual machine part of the iPad as a bigger and faster iPhone. The iPad even uses the iPhone’s operating system, and is capable of running all of the tens of thousands of iPhone apps. The biggest difference between the iPad and the iPhone is the iPad’s exclusive A4 processor.

Your iPad is going to weigh about a pound and a half. The iPad is about the size of a hardback novel and is supposed to have at least 10 hours of battery life per charge.

There are currently six different versions of iPad that differ in features and capabilities. The price also ranges from $499 to $829, with prices in some stores slightly lower due to seasonal discounts. Of the six versions of iPad, three can only access the Internet with wi-fi, and the other three use 3G wireless phone networks as well.

Cheap iPads

The iPad is still relatively new, and you shouldn’t expect the price to drop that much in the near future. Apple is also really good at releasing new versions of their products about once a year, so if you wait a few months you could find “old” versions of the iPad at lowered prices.

Don’t want to wait? Buying a refurbished model is probably your best shot at getting your hands on a cheap iPad.

Where to Find Refurbished iPads

The word “refurbished” means different things–it could be an iPad that was sold and then returned completely unused. It could be an iPad with a mild cosmetic problem from shipping. It could also be an iPad that was rebuilt to repair a glitch. Obviously, your experience with each of these types of refurbished items will be different.

There are three main locations to look for refurbished items of any type: direct from the manufacturer (in this case Apple), from an online outlet that specializes in refurbished electronics, and from certain retailers that buyout large lots and resell them as refurbished.

Buying Refurbished iPads from Apple

Buying a refurbished iPad direct from Apple is as easy as finding a model in the “Special Deals” section of Apple’s website. Since these are refurbished items that move quickly, you may not be able to find the same product here from one day to the next.

Apple provides product specs for every refurbished item they sell. When buying a refurbished iPad, make sure you’re buying the model that you want. There are six different options packages to choose from.

Even though you’re buying from a trusted source, you should understand the warranty and the return policy that Apple uses before you buy. Since Apple is known for offering good warranties, you’ll probably end up with a one-year warranty for your refurbished iPad.

Buying Refurbished iPads Online

You won’t find refurbished iPads in very many places online just yet–the technology is still pretty new. But big name retailers online like Amazon and auction-based site eBay both have refurbished iPads for sale regularly. Overstock.com is another good source of refurbished iPads.

The downside of buying from a big retailer online is that you may not be able to have your order shipped outside of the US. If you’re looking to ship a refurbished iPad to somewhere else in the world, you’ll have to buy direct from Apple.

Buying refurbished electronics makes people nervous. For now, when you want an iPad but don’t want to pony up $500, buying a refurbished iPad directly from Apple is the best way to make sure you get the best warranty. Without a good warranty or return policy, buying a refurbished iPad is a bad idea.

See also:

1. What Is an IPad? How Does the IPad Work?
2. What Is an EBook Reader? How Do E-Book Readers Work?
3. What Is an IPod? How Does the IPod Work?
4. What Is an IPhone? How Does the IPhone Work?
5. What Is a MacBook? How Does the MacBook Work?
   

Netflix recently announced new price plans which go into effect on January 11, 2011, so I wanted to go over the Netflix plans and pricing for 2011. Whether you’re prospective customer to the online DVD rental giant, or a continuing costumer trying to figure out whether to change to a new rental plan, you’ll find data to inform your choices.

Netflix Plans and Prices

There are a variety of Netflix plans and prices, including the traditional DVD rental tiers most people are accustomed to, Netflix plans for blu ray rentals, and streaming-only plans. I’ll go over each of these, giving the latest pricing tiers for 2011 and a comparison of the plans based on a combination of cost and service.

A Netflix executive recently stated that Netflix was now primarily a streaming video company–not the by-mail movie rental company most people perceive–though I’m not sure I agree with that assessment. That’s where Netflix is pointing itself, but the day when most of us stream videos to our tv sets, instead of getting movies in the mail, is still in the future. That future might not be too far down the line, though.

For the time being, I’m going to cover the plans and prices you can rent DVDs and blu ray discs via the snail mail, then discuss the streaming option below.

Netflix Plans – Prices

As of January 11, 2011, here are the new prices for Netflix rental plans.

• 1 DVD out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $10.99 a month
• 2 DVDs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $16.99 a month
• 3 DVDs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $20.99 a month
• 4 DVDs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $28.99 a month
• 5 DVDs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $35.99 a month
• 6 DVDS out at-a-Time - Unlimited Rentals – $42.99 a month
• 7 DVDS out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $49.99 a month
• 8 DVDS out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $56.99 a month
• 1 DVD out at-a-Time – Limit 2 Rentals per Month – $4.99 a month
• Watch Instantly Unlimited – No DVDs – $7.99 a month

Netflix Plans Comparison

Now that you see the full list of Netflix plans, let’s discuss several of the most intriguing options. Let’s get streaming videos out of the way first, since it’s what is on everyone’s mind right now. It’s hard to argue with the deal Netflix is throwing out there for customers.

Netflix Plans – Streaming Only

For $7.99 per month, you can choose to avoid the DVD mail plans altogether. That means you won’t be able to get Netflix movie discs mailed to you. Instead, everything is streamed directly to your television set. You’ll need to have your tv set up to interface with your computer, and that might cost you the money to have someone come out to your home to install and prep the electronics. Once set up, the streaming plan is the easiest and most efficient, and you don’t have to remember to drop off your return videos in the mail.

You can see why Netflix executives are pushing this option. The overhead of dealing with the U.S. Postal Service and having to “throttle” customers who rent too many films for the cost structure is eliminated. You click on a button and Netflix streams the video to your home. I’ve found there are some connection issues at time, but this is clearly the wave of the future. For $7.99, you get unlimited film rentals pumped directly to your television.

I tend to wonder if Netflix isn’t making this the introductory price, to get more people to switch over from the mailing plans, and the price won’t go up, once most people have made the switch. But if you have the electronic set-up at your house, this is the best plan, according to bang-for-your-buck.

Netflix Plans $4.99

Now let’s go to the other end of the spectrum. The most basic Netflix pricing plan is the $4.99 a month for a maximum of 2 rentals. I suppose people and families which watch few movies, but want to avoid the trip to the video rental store, can use this plan. I don’t see why anyone would choose this option, though.

For five dollars more, you can get unlimited rentals, while still having the same number of DVDs out at one time. Even if your family has one movie watching night a week and you want 1 disc per week, the unlimited $9.99 plan is going to service your needs better.

Netflix Plans – Pricing

As for the standard “DVD out at-a-time” plans, the best remains the 3-film plan, in my mind. This is one of the price plans which has gone up in price ($2 from $17.99 a month), but that’s because it’s the most popular one of the bunch. That’s because 3 movies at a time let’s people stagger their movie watching, almost always having a film DVD to watch. With the standard 2-day turnaround on shipping, the three-video plan simply works.

You can choose the bigger plans, especially if you’re a film geek or you have a whole family of movie watchers, but the price increase from 3 to 4 videos is a steep $8. I still wonder at the people who need 8 film rentals out at a time, but those people exist.

I imagine these people should be among the first to get the $7.99 streaming option, since they can take those $48 per month in savings to put towards having someone come out and set up a streaming connection between their computer and television. A couple or three months of savings should more than make up for that expense, and then they’ll be paying eight dollars a month for unlimited rentals (not just 8).

Netflix Plans – Blu Ray

To add blu ray rentals to your option list, pay an additional $4.00 a month. Remember that you’ll need a high-definition television to watch blu ray discs at home. There are also streaming plans or blu ray-only plans available, listed below. By the time January 11, 2011 rolls around, the prices on several of these might have gone up, but these were the latest pricing tiers for blu ray rentals I could find.

• 1 Blu Ray Disc out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $9.99 a month
• 2 Blu Ray Discs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $14.99 a month
• 3 Blu Ray Discs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $19.99 a month
• 4 Blu Ray Discs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $27.99 a month
• 5 Blu Ray Discs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $34.99 a month
• 6 Blu Ray Discs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $41.99 a month
• 7 Blu Ray Discs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $48.99 a month
• 8 Blu Ray Discs out at-a-Time – Unlimited Rentals – $55.99 a month
• 1 Blu Ray Disc out at-a-Time – Limit 2 Rentals per Month – $5.99 a month
• Watch Instantly Unlimited – No Blu Ray Discs – $7.99 a month

Netflix Plans – Cost

Whatever the case might be, Netflix remains the best movie rental company in the world. Netflix rental plans are efficient, on the cutting edge, and scandalously cheap. Who knows whether that remains the case in the years ahead–Blockbuster once was the giant of the film rental industry–but as far as 2011 goes, Netflix plans and pricing remain the best.

See also:

1. Netflix or Blockbuster?
2. Blockbuster Video Movie Rental Stores
3. Rent Movies Online
4. DVD Kiosks
5. Watch Movies Online

On the Internet:

1. Netflix Plans
2. Hacking Netflix
3. GreenCine.com Review
4. GameFly Plans

3G Wireless stands for “Third Generation” Wireless technology. 3G is a major upgrade from 2G technology–increased high-speed transmission, greater multimedia access, and global roaming features are just three of the improvements to wireless technology made possible by 3G.

3G Wireless is found on mobile phones and other small devices. It is used to connect the phone to the Internet or other IP-based networks to download and upload data to the Web, view websites, and to make voice and video calls.

How is 3G Wireless Better?

The five biggest changes that 3G brings to wireless are:

• improved audio and video streaming
• support for video-conferencing
• much greater data speed
• IPTV support (this is basically Internet-based television)
• faster web browsing

How Fast is 3G Wireless?

3G wireless networks boast a transfer rate of between 128 and 144 kbps for devices that are on the move. Since 3G technology is almost exclusively used in phones, the transfer rate at speed is an important measure of 3G Wireless’ service. For slower moving devices, the transfer rate is 384 kbps–this is the transfer speed you can expect if you’re walking while using 3G Wireless. The best transfer rates for 3G Wireless devices come when the device is in a fixed position. Then the rate goes well above 2 Mbps.

History of 3G Wireless

The first generation of wireless, known as 1G, started in the early 80′s with rudimentary cellular networks. The second generation of wireless, called 2G, came out about ten years later when some cellular operators adopted one wireless standard and some adopted another.

The third generation of wireless, 3G Wireless, came to be in order to increase bandwidth, support different wireless applications, and to grow the industry. With 3G Wireless, voice and data applications can run concurrently at speeds up to 14.4 Kbps. How did 3G do this?

In order to run multiple different mobile applications at once, 3G had to use what are called “packets” more efficiently and at greater speeds than had been achieved before.

What Stuff Do I Need to Use 3G Wireless?

The main thing you need to use 3G Wireless is a device that is compatible with 3G. If you’ve looked for a new phone or device lately, you’ve probably heard a ton about “3G phones”–the name comes from the fact that this particular phone is capable of running 3G Wireless. Sometimes the name 3G is right there on the phone, as is the case with the iPhone 3G. An easy way to pick a 3G phone out of a lineup is the presence of two cameras–3G allows for video calls, and a camera facing the phone’s user is required for good video phone function. If you see a phone with a camera on both sides, you can bet it is a 3G device.

3G Wireless is not like Wi-Fi, which is available for free at many different places around town. To get on 3G networks, you need to sign up for a 3G service plan to connect to 3G networks. This service plan is also called a “data plan” and is a crucial part of using 3G Wireless.

How Does My Phone Connect to 3G Wireless?

A 3G phone connects to its network through either a SIM card or a 3G data card. If you’re using a cell phone to connect via 3G Wireless, you’re running on a SIM card. Your SIM card should have been provided to you when you purchased the service plan or the phone. Your SIM card allows you to connect to the Internet whenever you are inside a 3G network. The good news is that if you’re not in a 3G network, you can still use 2G and 2.5G function through your service provider. You won’t be able to video chat outside of your 3G network, but you’ll still have wireless capabilities.

How Much Does 3G Wireless Cost?

Because of the complexity of 3G Wireless, using 3G is a bit expensive. If you absolutely need the best wireless connection when you’re on the go, you don’t really have a choice–it’s 3G or nothing. But you’re going to pay for the privilege. Different data plan providers have different costs and service plans, but in general you’re going to be paying for the data you transfer rather than “minutes”. 3G technology is itself “packet-based”, meaning it is easy to track how many packets you’ve sent back and forth through the Internet.

Generally, most data plans charge a flat rate for up to one gigabyte of data transferred, and then a specific rate for each additional megabyte transferred.

Wireless technology is the best way for cell phones to make free voice calls around the world using the Internet. It is also a big step up over 2.5G in terms of video and Internet capability. When you need the best possible wireless connection on-the-go, look for 3G Wireless technology.

See also:

1. Wireless Modems
2. Wireless Internet Access
3. How Does Wireless Internet Work?
4. What Is a Kindle?
5. How Does Wi-Fi Work?

Electronic book readers are devices that display electronic books, also known as eBooks. At its most basic, an electronic book reader has an input device, like a keyboard, and a screen to display eBook text.

Files called “eBooks” have been around for decades, though they were little more than books stored as text files on disks. The first electronic book readers were released in 1998, the most popular and best-known of the early models was called SoftBook. Priced near $600 and featuring a leather cover and touchscreen display, the SoftBook and its main competitor Rocket eBook were a little ahead of their time and never caught on.

How Do Electronic Book Readers Work?

Modern “dedicated eBook readers” like Amazon’s Kindle are far more complicated than the rudimentary versions of eBook readers in the past–these basically just displayed text files on a small monitor. Using an electronic book reader is as easy as downloading a file from the Internet–buy a book, download it to your device (either wirelessly or by connecting your device to a computer), then select the file and start reading.

The display is a bit more complicated. Modern eBook readers use a technology called E-Ink. The biggest difference between E-Ink and other display methods is that E-Ink only uses energy once when displaying text–once text is displayed, the text stays on the monitor but doesn’t sap the battery power. E-Ink means you can read your eBook reader longer and save the planet at the same time. Unfortunately, E-Ink is fairly monotone, displaying 16 different shades of . . . gray.

The latest eBook reader technology attempts to incorporate color into the display. Other additions to eBook readers include Bluetooth capability, high-speed Internet access, touchscreens, and other features.

How Much Do Electronic Book Readers Cost?

Let’s take a look at the three most popular eBook readers in today’s market, Amazon’s Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook, and Apple’s iPad. Comparing the three devices and taking a look at how much they cost should give you a good idea of the kind of money you can spend on an eBook reader.

The Kindle is at the low-end of this scale, retailing for $189. Different models of Kindle will cost a little bit more–for instance, if you are looking for a large screen for your eBook reader, the Kindle DX’s 9.7 inch screen will be perfect for you. The biggest downside of the DX is that it weighs 1.2 pounds and is not exactly easy to hold up and read like a book. The Dx also costs more than the standard Kindle, retailing for $379.

The Nook comes in just above the Kindle at $199. Barnes and Noble has just announced a new version of the Nook featuring a color display that will retail for about $300. Most people who buy the Nook do so for its excellent 3G coverage, though most users of eBook readers won’t need 3G coverage unless they take a train ride through the mountains or want to take their reader on a camping trip.

Apple’s iPad is the most expensive “eBook reader” on the list, though it is hardly just a device for reading electronic books. The iPad has an LCD color screen, and is really a high end “tablet computer” and not a traditional eBook reader. One downside of using the iPad as an eBook reader is its weight–by far the heaviest eBook reader on the market at one and a half pounds. Also, buying an iPad just to use it as an eBook reader doesn’t make a lot of financial sense. Costing between $500 and $900, the iPad is about four times as expensive as most eBook readers.

What Is the Kindle?

Much of the buzz about electronic book readers these days centers on Amazon’s Kindle. The Kindle is by far the most popular electronic book reader ever made.

The popularity of the Amazon Kindle (released in 2007) is due in part to marketing and in part to the ease with which customers can download books. The Internet has spread a wider net across the world since the late 90s, and it is just plain easier to get eBooks on the Kindle than any other electronic book reader.

Amazon’s Kindle can download books wirelessly. The screen uses new technology to make the text easy to read and extend the battery life of the device. The Kindle currently owns the eBook reader market, though as the number of iPads in use in America increases, that lead is likely to disappear.

Where Do I Find eBooks?

The number and variety of books you have access to depends on which eBook reader you use. Not every eBook store is created equal–it is difficult to say outright which eBook reader device has access to the most titles, since some services count newspapers and magazines, games, and public domain (or free) books with their total and some don’t. According to people much smarter than myself, Amazon’s Kindle store actually has the “best” selection of books, meaning the most varied and the largest.

Coming in at a close second is the Barnes & Noble selection for Nook devices (you can even buy books instantly while browsing in B&N bookstores) with upstart Kobo, bringing in the reader with Borders and Apple taking last place. Apple’s weak book selection is a surprise, considering that the iPad is quickly becoming the most popular eBook reader.

Finding eBooks is as easy as connecting with your device’s eBook store. One exception is downloading eBooks through Apple. To download a book from Apple’s iBook store, you’ll need to download the free iBooks app on any compatible Apple device, such as an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. This makes it the most complicated of eBook download systems, but it’s still pretty easy. On the plus side for the iPad is the fact that they can read iBooks, Nook books, Kindle books, and most other eBook types.

Electronic book readers are becoming popular at a time when paper books, magazines, and newspapers are losing ground. The convergence of these two events could end in two different ways–either eBooks will basically replace paper books, or paper books make a resurgence and the two formats exist in some kind of book harmony. Whatever the case, eBooks have found their way into millions of homes and become second nature to many book lovers. Don’t expect the popularity or prevalence of eBooks and their readers to go away any time soon.

See also:

1. Kindle for Mac
2. What Is a Sony Portable Reader?
3. Kindle Pricing
4. Kindle Deals and Discounts
5. Good Books Available on the Kindle

A cookie isn’t always found in a jar — in the world of computers, cookies are small text files with unique ID tags. These files are placed on your computer when you visit certain websites. What is the point of a computer cookie? A website places a cookie in order to “track” your activity on that site. Information about you is stored in the website’s matching cookie file about your online activity — information like pages you visit online to forms you fill out at other websites. Websites use cookies to identify you as someone who has visited the site before. A cookie is part marketing tool, part ID feature.

What Are Temporary Cookies? What Are Permanent Cookies?

In computer terms, cookies come in just two flavors — temporary and permanent. Temporary cookies, also called session cookies or temp cookies, are only stored for a specific amount of time in your web browser’s memory banks, and are usually deleted when you end a browsing session. At the other end of the scale are permanent cookies, known also as persistent cookies. These are stored permanently on your computer’s hard drive and, even when you delete them, they can regenerate themselves the next time you visit the site that originated the cookie.

What Are Cookies Used For? The Purpose of Computer Cookies

Cookies take the place of the old-fashioned store manager — the guy who knew the kind of beer you wanted or the way you preferred to pay in cash. Websites don’t have the luxury of the eagle eye manager, so they use cookies to keep track of your habits. They are also necessary parts of the interactive Web experience — when you submit information on a form (to register for a site, for instance) the site uses cookies to attach that information to you for the duration of your visit. Without cookies, you’d need to enter your registration information on every page of the website, or every time you created a new connection with that website. Cookies hold information about you that a website needs either for retail purposes or just to create a relationship with you.

The first files that took care of the registration problem were called “temporary cookies”, and they used a tiny bit of browser memory to save information about a visitor to their websites. This didn’t allow for recognition of returning customers, and certainly couldn’t save enough information for long enough time to function the way websites needed.

Persistent cookies allow a website to recognize a customer permanently by assigning a unique ID tag to the visitor’s hard drive. With permanent cookies, your web browser is “recognizable.”

The many functions of cookies can’t be laid out here in full, but rest assured that everything from automated login, Web preferences, and shopping carts are examples of how cookies can be put to good use.

The Dark Side of Cookies

The worst thing to come out of computer cookies is Web profiling. Websites started to use persistent cookies to keep track of the habits of their users all over the Internet, not just on their site. Cookies were used for evil purposes first for Internet advertising purposes — advertisers bought ad rights on thousands of popular websites and combined their Web customer’s profiles from multiple sites to create a “profile” of that person. These profiles made it really easy for advertisers to “target” advertising to people on the Internet. Cookies are responsible for the eerily pertinent ads you see on Facebook and Gmail, for instance.

Cookies have been used to create massive profiles of people’s Web surfing habits over years and years of web surfing history. Profiling programs were then created to sort this massive amount of information into target areas based on statistical data and a million other factors created by eggheads to sell you junk. Your gender, race, age, income level, political stance, religion, geography, marital status, number of pets, and even your sexual orientation can be charted, mapped, and appealed to using cookie profiling. Though it may not seem evil at first glance — imagine if “real world” companies followed you around, wrote down your activities, who you talked to, etc. in order to better sell you Tide laundry detergent or Folger’s coffee.

Cookie Backlash

This cookie profiling activity did not go unnoticed, and when people found out what was being done with persistent cookies, they demanded a way to opt out of this system.

Now, every web browser has special cookie controls to help you control cookie activity on the Internet. Users can now turn cookies completely off if they choose, and though not being able to use the good things about cookies must be inconvenient, at least you have an option when it comes to cookie profiling. Permanent cookies technology was first used in 1995, and it wasn’t until the early 2000s that people started to protest. Now, we have better control over cookies.

How Can I Protect Myself from Computer Cookies? Computer Cookie Cleanup

There are three easy steps you can take to get rid of unwanted computer cookies.

1. Delete cookies as often as you use the Internet. Open your ‘Internet Options’ file or choose ‘Delete History’ in your Internet browser and choose the ‘delete cookies’ option as well, every time you use the Internet. All cookie text files will be wiped off your hard drive. Sure, a website will just create a new cookie for you the next time you visit, but if you clear the history and cookies each time, you can keep them from accumulating information about your Web usage.

2. Turn off cookies on your Internet browser. This prevents automatic login to email and other websites, and it can cause problems logging in to other websites, but it is the only way to maintain complete privacy while you are online.

3. Use secure websites. Simply visiting more secure websites or shopping at big name retailers can keep you out of a lot of cookie nightmares. There are many websites that don’t use cookies (read their Terms of Service), or use search engines that are cookie-free. If you really care about your Internet-anonymity, switching to a different family of websites should be no big deal.

Related Posts:

1. Facebook Login Problems
2. How to Perform Computer Maintenance
3. Lower My Bills Review
4. Internet Fax Machines
5. How to Make Your Own Website
   

A MacBook is a notebook computer made by Macintosh. The first MacBooks were released in May of 2006 as a way for Apple to transition from the iBook and 12-inch PowerBook laptop models into their new line that run on Intel processors. Despite being extremely popular (the MacBook is the fastest selling Macintosh to date), the unibody version of the MacBook has been the target of plenty of criticism. Even so, the MacBook was, at one time, the best-selling laptop computer in the USA for six months in a row.

The model known simply as “MacBook” represents the low end of the notebook range for Macintosh. It is Mac’s cheapest laptop computer, has one of the smallest screens of any Mac, and is encased in a (somewhat controversial) polycarbonate unibody shell. Because it is the low end Mac notebook, its audience trends younger — college students in particular.

MacBook Basics

The MacBook is 13 x 9 x 1 inches and weighs in at just under 5 pounds. This means the MacBook is a little larger and a little heavier than the 13-inch MacBook Pro (which weighs in under 4.5 pounds) but the difference isn’t really noticeable, and the MacBook fits comfortably in most shoulder bags or messenger bags.

The MacBook has the typical Apple aesthetic — the brilliant glossy white exterior is clean and bright all at once. The MacBook is very thin and light, and the all-white look makes the MacBook look almost friendly. The bottom panel of the notebook is held in place by 8 screws, and is covered in a rubbery material that prevents the device from slipping easily.

For more MacBook basics, see How to Use a MacBook.

Different Models of MacBook

There have been three separate designs of the MacBook itself — the original model was modelled after the iBook G4 and was encased in a combination of polycarbonate and fibreglass. The second MacBook style came out in late 2008 in a unibody aluminum casing. This version of the Macbook eventually became the MacBook Pro 13-inch version. The most recent MacBook redesign came out late in 2009 featuring that infamous unibody polycarbonate shell.

Aside from the MacBook, Macintosh makes four “higher end” models of notebook as well.

MacBook Pro 13 inch — This is the “high performance” version of the MacBook, using the exact same display down to the screen size. The biggest difference is the aluminum body and the option for slightly better performance (for an extra $400). This notebook model comes with either a 2.4or 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and either a 250 or 320 G hard drive.

MacBook Pro 15 inch — Same as the 13 inch, only the screen size is larger and you can get up to a 500 G hard drive. Intel HD graphics kick in at the 15 inch level. MacBook Pro 15 inch models cost about $1,000 more than the low end MacBook.

MacBook Pro 17 inch — Larger screen, but otherwise identical to the MacBook Pro 15 inch. This is the most expensive notebook Macintosh makes.

MacBook Air — Advertised as the “thinnest and lightest Mac notebook ever,” the MacBook Air is a strange model. Offered at two price points, the MacBook Air model that costs the most is still much less powerful than even the cheaper MacBook. Many critics complain that the MacBook Air is typically Macintosh — style over substance.

MacBook Keyboard

The first thing you’ll notice about the MacBook’s keyboard is that it is not backlit. To get a backlit keyboard, you have to upgrade to a MacBook Pro. The MacBook uses an “island-style” keyboard that’s been heralded for how well it responds to touch, and how generally easy it is to use.

The touchpad on the MacBook is the same as on other notebook s– it acts as both touchpad and touch button. The trackpad on the MacBook is the largest in the industry at 4 x 3 inches, and as Macintosh is known for putting together great trackpads, you should not be surprised that the same is true here.

Criticism

The MacBook has come under fire for a few different features over the years. The MacBook lacks two things that baffled critics — a FireWire port and an SD card slot. The lack of a FireWire port seems strange, considering that the first FireWire ports were in Apple devices. You can get a FireWire port with the MacBook Pro, but that means spending hundreds more dollars for something that should be on the MacBook in the first place.

If you’ve not spent time around a MacBook, you may not realize it, but the speakers are awful. The MacBook is quiet and the sound is noticeably “tinny”, pretty much demanding that you use peripheral speakers for even day to day activities like listening to music.

Other complaints about the MacBook included a great deal of attention on the frailty of the notebook itself. Customers complained that the USB ports are fragile and get bent out of shape easily, that the white unibody cracks from the slightest bit of pressure, and the bottom of the notebook itself gets worn out and stained from regular use. Macintosh has not had good luck with their white colored unibody cases, and it would be nice to see them take care of that with any new releases.

The new generation of MacBook has another strange problem — it gets extremely hot. The bottom of the laptop hits about 94 degrees at its hottest, but near the rear hinge of the MacBook, temperatures as high as 120 degrees have been recorded. Make sure your MacBook has plenty of air, especially when you watch videos or perform any other task that causes the computer to warm up.

This post is part of a series we’re doing on various gizmos and gadgets. Other posts in this series include:

1. What Is an iPod? How Does the iPod Work?
2. What Is an iPhone? How Does the iPhone Work?
3. What Is an iPad? How Does the iPad Work?

An iPod is a portable media player, and tech phenomenon, designed and marketed by Apple. The device was another link in Apple’s pop-tech chain, starting with the cute and lovable iMac and ending, most recently, with the release of the iPad tablet device.

The iPod was the first mega popular mp3 player, the “gotta have it” gift for several years in a row now, and was no doubt responsible in some way for the transition from CDs to digital music. Apple’s line-up is now split into four models — the iPod Classic (with an internal hard drive), the iPod Touch (featuring a touchscreen), the iPod Nano, and the tiny one known as the Shuffle.

New models are as common in the fall as high school football. It seems like we hear word of a new model every fall. From the first release in October of 2001 to rumors of a new version this coming October, you’d think the guys at Apple had some sort of reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder.

But back to the point — how does the iPod store and play media? All models use some form of memory to hold onto your data. Most models, all except for the Classic, use flash memory instead of an internal drive. When the iPod Mini was still being built, it also used an internal drive, name a Microdrive mini hard drive. Other than that, expect nothing but flash memory. This tactic helps to shrink the device. For a while it looked like all Apple cared about was making tinier and tinier gizmos, but the popularity of the iPod Classic means that model may change.

What do you do with it?

The most obvious answer is — listen to music. Depending on the model you own, you can store anywhere from 2 GB up to 160 GB of music. Many models don’t just deal in music files. Just like many other .mp3 or digital music playing devices, you can use your iPod to store all sorts of data. A few models can play video and perform other functions. What you can do with your iPod has more to do with which model you choose.

See this article about How to Use an iPod for more information.

What are the different models?

iPod Classic

Features: A massive amount of memory and a long battery life make this perfect for travellers.

Storage: 160 GB

Good for: music, movies, television shows, videos, audio books, podcasts, photos

iPod Touch

Features: Multitouch screen, camera, HD video recording, and all the bells and whistles.

Storage: 8 GB, 32 GB, or 64GB

Good for: music, movies, television shows, videos, games, applications, eBooks, audiobooks, podcasts, photos, web browsing, maps, video recording and editing.

iPod Nano

Features: The Nano includes, oddly enough, a pedometer for exercising. The multitouch screen means the Nano is basically a lightweight iPod Touch.

Storage: 8 or 16 GB

Good for: music, audiobooks, podcasts, photos, FM radio,

iPod Shuffle

Features: The Shuffle is made for people on the go. This is a very small device, “wearable” during exercise, and uses a button interface instead of a scroll wheel.

Storage: 2 GB

Good for: music, audiobooks, podcasts

How do I put music on my iPod?

You have to use Apple’s iTunes software to manage your iPod. The software is free, and it is really easy to transfer music and other files from computers directly to your iPod. Having said that, there are a few “open source” methods of transferring files to and from your iPod. Programs like Floola and Senuit allow you to move your data around without using iTunes, if you so choose.

You can use iTunes or any other compatible data transfer software to move photos, videos, calendars, games, contact information, e-mail settings, and Internet bookmarks to your iPod as long as those features are available on your device.

How much does the iPod cost?

Depending on what model you buy, you can spend less than $50 or as much as $400.

The iPod Shuffle is retailing for $49 as of this writing. The most expensive models of the Classic go for about $400. All other models are “mid-range”, from $149 to $299.

Details

Your iPod will charge using a special USB cable that fits your specific model. You simply plug it into a computer and let the battery charge. The amount of time it takes to charge the battery is between three and four hours for a full charge, but iPods can do a “quick” charge (up to 80% power) in just two hours.

The display screen size varies by model — the iPod Shuffle has no display screen, the Classic has a 3.5 inch “widescreen”, and the other two models of iPod use either a 1.5 or 2.5 inch screen. All displays are either multitouch or LED backlit.

The Classic uses the old “click wheel” model, hence the name “Classic”, but the Nano and Touch models use a touch screen format. The iPod Shuffle uses buttons similar to what you’d find on the iPod Classic.

Accessories

The brand is rife with add-ons and tools you can use to make your experience more enjoyable.

Headphones

You can upgrade your iPod with a pair of headphones that includes a mic (for video shooting and editing), headphones designed by celebrities (like Dr. Dre’s “Beat” headphones for optimum bass sound). You can add colorful “bud covers” for your earbuds, buy a set of Bose noise canceling headphones, and even buy a pair of waterproof earbuds at the Apple store and at electronics retailers.

Cases

People want to protect their precious iPod, and Apple (and other companies) give them lots of ways to do that. Apple’s newest line of cases are made to look like socks. You can also find anti-glare film, leather folios, and all kinds of other jackets and shields for your new iPod.

Extras

If you can think of an accessory or gizmo for the iPod, it probably exists. There are USB power adapters that let you charge your iPod from a regular electric plug, splitters so two people can listen at once, and “travel kits” to optimize your iPod’s performance on the road.

This is part of a series of posts we’re doing about various gizmos and gadgets. The other posts include:

• What Is a MacBook? How Does the MacBook Work?
• What Is an iPhone? How Does the iPhone Work?
• What Is an iPad? How Does the iPad Work?

Apple’s iPhone is a mega popular Internet and multimedia capable cell phone — sometimes called “smartphones”, devices like the iPhone are a hybrid of a handheld computer or PDA computers and a cell phone. The iPhone was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. — a little tech company you may have heard of. The first iPhones hit the market in early January of 2007, which begs an obvious question: why didn’t Apple release the iPhone in time for Christmas? They couldn’t have pumped a few million units out two or three weeks ahead of schedule?

Apple’s iPhone works like a combination of many different items. Take a camera phone, with standard text messaging and voicemail capabilities, add a portable music and video player, an Internet browser with all the usual e-mail and web browsing abilities, and do it all on a Wi-Fi connection. Throw in a massive library of “apps” (applications designed specifically for the iPhone and other handheld devices) and you’ve got an idea of what the iPhone can do.

iPhone Basics

Like most new Apple products, the iPhone uses a “multi-touch screen” input system. This means a virtual keyboard (as opposed to the physical keyboard in front of a laptop) that you use with your fingers instead of an unreliable and difficult-to-get-used-to stylus.

The visual interface of the iPhone uses a “home screen” to list available functions. Think of the home screen as your laptop’s desktop — the home screen is essentially a graphic list of your various apps. iPhone users can perform multiple tasks at once, like using apps while making a phone call or watching a movie. There’s a built-in “home” button on the iPhone itself, so you can get to your home screen quickly. When you unpack your iPhone, the following apps will be available — Messages (text messaging), Calendar, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Maps (through Google Maps), Weather, Voice Memos, Notes, Clock, Calculator, Settings, iTunes (this is the iTunes store), App Store, and in some models an app called Compass.

The purpose of the iPhone is to take phones to the next level. The ideal iPhone user will access email and social networking sites, make phone calls, watch videos, listen to music, and play a few app games along the way. That means the iPhone is not meant to be a computing powerhouse, but a convenience tool.

Where do apps come from?

To disseminate new apps, Apple depends on something called the “App Store”, launched a year and a half after the first iPhones. The App Store is stocked with more than 200,000 applications designed for the iPhone and approved for use by Apple. There’s no easy way to describe apps — some are games, some are for information or reference, some use GPS navigation to provide directions or maps, social networking tools like Facebook, and special apps designed as tie-ins with TV, movies, and celebrities. Apps can be whatever their designer wants them to be, as long as they meet Apple’s standards. That means no porn, etc.

What versions of the iPhone are available?

There are currently four models (generations) of iPhones, each accompanied by a release of a new operating system. Formerly called iPhone OS, the name was eventually changed to iOS so it could be used in other products like the iPad and iPod Touch.

The original iPhone line set the iPhone standard in terms of the seize of the screen, the hardware, etc. The release of the iPhone 3G married iPhone function to the powerful 3G cell network, and thew in something called A-GPS as well, used to locate the phone and help with features like mapping and shopping. The next version, iPhone 3GS, added the compass feature, pumped up the processor, provided a better (higher resolution) camera, and gave users the options of taking video as well as photo stills. The newest model, iPhone 4, uses a two camera setup to incorporate something called FaceTime video dialing, and to provide a higher-resolution display screen. That means it looks prettier. The iPhone 4 came out on June 24th, 2010.

How’s the phone quality of iPhones?

Like any quality cell phone, the iPhone lets you use audio conferencing, call holding, call waiting, merging, caller ID, etc.

The major complaints about the iPhone’s actual phone abilities revolve around two issues — side noise and call dropping. “Side noise” is what phone geeks call the thing that happens when you can hear your own voice on your phone, and it can be really annoying but doesn’t really interfere with calls. The issue of dropped calls is another thing altogether.

Call signals and quality (for many users) are sub-par using the iPhone. Yes, Apple released some firmware updates to improve call quality, but the problem seems to be with the AT&T phone service the iPhone uses, not the phone itself. Customers complained at launch that their reception was awful and they had lots of dropped calls. Depending on where you’re using your iPhone, you could have great quality or terrible. The best way to make sure you aren’t stuck with a very expensive phone with terrible call quality is to check out AT&T reception in your area before you buy.

iPhone Pros and Cons

Apple did a few things really well with the iPhone:

Multitasking – Being able to perform more than one application at once, like the iPhone 4 can do, is a big plus for Apple’s iPhone.

Apps – Everyone loves Apps. Whether you’ve a penchant for iPhone games, use Apps for reference purposes, or you depend on Pandora on your iPhone to keep you distracted at work, the App system pretty well has you covered.

Handheld Functions – The iPhone’s ability to put itself in energy saving mode when you hold it near your face (i.e. make a phone call) shows that they thought long and hard about how the iPhone will be used by real customers.

But as usual, Apple has really missed the mark on a few points as well:

No Flash — Sure, HTML5 is the new Flash, I read tech magazines too. But not allowing Flash functionality (even on the latest iPhone model) means shutting off a large portion of the Internet for iPhone users, and that’s a real drag.

App Store Management -- The fact that Apple is decidedly against opening up Apps not approved by Apple (also called “unsigned Apps) shows that they’re more concerned with following some strange moral code than in providing their users a better service. You don’t want porn on the iPhone? Too bad. Leave the policing up to parents.

Phone Issues — Even though many changes have been made to the iPhone software and hardware, many customers hate the AT&T service. I’ve seen plenty of iPhone users frustrated from dropped calls and poor reception. This has to change for the iPhone to grab hold of a larger market share.

This post is part of a series on gizmos and gadgets. Other posts in this series include:

• What Is a MacBook? How Does the MacBook Work?
• What Is an iPod? How Does the iPod Work?
• What Is an iPhone? How Does the iPhone Work?
• What Is an iPad? How Does the iPad Work?

The iPad is a tablet computer produced by the marketing geniuses over at Apple. Unlike other tablet computers, the iPad was envisioned as the perfect tablet for people who work in jobs that involve audio and visual media — this is the tablet computer for people who already have a Macbook Pro, an iPhone, and a subscription to Wired magazine. The iPad is meant for optimal display of books and magazines, media like movies and music, and a better slice of the web than is currently available in other Apple handheld products. Apple released the first iPads in April 2010 and went on to sell over 3 millions iPads in 80 days. It turns out that businessmen and other professionals like the iPad as much as the media geeks it was designed for.

What does the iPad look like?

The iPad weighs about 25 ounces, somewhere between a fancy smartphone and a laptop computer. Like Apple’s other big products, the iPhone and the iPod Touch, the iPad has a multitouch display. Most tablet computers before the iPad used the venerable stylus, which designers saw as more of a headache than it was worth. The iPad connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or a 3G mobile data connection, and allows users to check out the web, load and stream music and videos, and run all kinds of software. Your iPad is easy to manage and “sync” with your computer — you do it the same way you sync an iPod, by connecting to iTunes with a USB cable.

The back of the iPad is a cool silver color, like a dull chrome, and features the omnipresent Apple logo. The front of the iPad is mostly screen, with a few buttons — “Home”, “Sleep”, “Lock Screen Rotation”, and “Volume”. Lots of accessories are available, from cases to larger keyboard ports, with the idea being that people could integrate the iPad into the technology they already own.

How does the iPad work?

It would be fair to say that the iPad shot for the moon when it decided to produce the iPad. The technical challenges Apple overcame in producing the iPad would be worthless if people couldn’t see a need for what is essentially a larger and more powerful iPhone, sans phone capabilities. Think of the operating system the iPad uses — Apple practically invented an entirely new OS, called iOS 3.2.2. The challenge here was in creating an operating system with functionality somewhere between a Macbook and an iPhone. Core applications were rewritten from the ground up, and Apple was charged with the task of reinventing the way their computers operate.

The buzz over the iPad was genuine — just like with the iPod, Apple fans were itching to get their hands on the new tablet device. And just like the iPod, Apple’s creation isn’t exactly a new idea. Apple hoped to turn the tablet computer market (healthy but not exactly robust) into something that people went nuts for. You could envision hip brightly-colored commercials featuring businessmen typing on their iPads to the soothing sounds of Michael McDonald.

Do iPads run iPhone apps?

All this is to say that Apple’s iPad works very much along the lines of other tablet computers, with some unique Apple twists. For starters, Apple’s library of nearly 200,000 iPhone apps was like having a built-in software library. They very wisely made that app library available to iPad users. All iPads run iPhone apps at their original size, meaning the smaller size of the iPhone screen, or in something called “pixel doubled mode” which makes the app twice the size of the original iPhone size. Apps run in pixel doubled mode very nearly fill an iPad’s screen, making them more user friendly. The other good news for app freaks — app developers have a way to build their app to take advantage of the iPad’s features, including screen size. One way the iPad works — imitating what works about the iPhone.

How does the Internet work on an iPad?

Apple has gone out of its way to let it be known that the “i” in the name “iPad” stands for “Internet”. One of the big draws to the iPad is its web surfing abilities — the Internet experience on an iPhone is not really ideal. The iPad’s larger screen alone should vastly increase the Internet experience. Though Apple’s marketing department also insists that using an iPad is like “holding the entire Internet in your hand”, it is still unclear what they meant by “entire Internet”. The iPad is not able to run Java or Flash applications, so its Internet powers are fairly crippled.

What the iPad can do: connect via Wi-Fi networks, use something called Skyhook Wireless to provide your location for help with apps like Google Maps, run A-GPS for GPS functions, and use a special insert on the back of the machine to improve 3G radio sensitivity, for better connections than with other wireless devices. If you want to go wired Internet, you’re slightly less in luck. Yes, iPad has a dock connector but it is devoid of either Ethernet or USB ports. Let’s just say wireless is what the iPad does best.

Can I read eBooks on an iPad?

Apple went out of their way to include eBook reading capability, advertising the iPad with images of people reading magazines, newspapers, and books and seemingly enjoying it. The eBook software on the iPad looks like a bookshelf or your personal library — if you want to buy more eBooks, simply flip the bookshelf over with your finger (more fun that it sounds) and you have an online book store at your disposal. Check out the New York Times bestseller list or browse by title and author.

How’s the iPad keyboard?

Of major concern to tablet or handheld device users — the keyboard input. The iPad uses an on screen keyboard that is much larger than their other most famous touch keyboard, the iPhone.

Setup your iPad in landscape mode and the keyboard is pretty much the same size as a laptop keyboard. There’s been few complaints of sensitivity issues. Most people’s problem with the keyboard interface is the lack of intuitive features. Many iPad users have had to build their own macros or voice input systems for certain keyboard functions. But for a touch keyboard, the iPad gets great reviews.

The iPad sold lots of units in a short time, just like the iPhone and the various incarnations of the iPod. Time will tell if the iPad format is successful or just a fad.

See also:

1. How to Buy a Refurbished iPad
2. What Is a Sony Portable Reader?
3. What Is an Aztak EZ Reader?
4. What Is Barnes and Noble’s Nook?
5. What Is an iRex Digital Reader?
6. Kindle Pricing
7. Kindle Deals and Discounts
   

A pot belly stove is a type of wood burning stove (used either to cook or to give off heat) that is made of cast iron. Pot belly stoves are generally freestanding (not attached to any structure) and are normally vented through a wall or up out of a ceiling. The term itself, “pot belly stove”, comes straight from the look of the stove itself. Pot belly stoves are shaped like barrels, bulging out in the middle resembling a pot belly on a person. The pot belly stove is now mostly an antique item that stands in for old-school America and the look of the old country store. Where people still have pot belly stoves they are mostly antiques and used for their look more than their function.

Why were pot bellied stoves made of cast iron?

Cast iron is basically a strong iron that is also made up of 3 to 4 percent carbon and less than 6 percent silica. This mixture is ideal for stoves because it is strong and can also handle extremely high temperatures without affecting the metal itself. Cast iron is literally “cast” in molds and then heated up to super high temperatures for long periods of time. The casting process changes the carbon in the iron into graphite and gives the cast iron its most desirable properties, such as strength and resistance to heat.

Where were pot belly stoves used?

In old days, a pot belly stove would be used to heat a large space. You could find them in stores, train stations, schoolhouses, churches, etc. The pot belly stove is good at heating up large areas, and were well-constructed of heavy-duty cast iron. Pot belly stoves allowed people to gather around them and warm up while they shop, attend church or a prayer meeting, or wait on a train to arrive. Even though the pot belly stove was meant to heat large spaces, some homes on the American frontier used them to ward off the intense cold. They provide better warmth than a fireplace and last longer as well.

How did the design of pot belly stoves differ from regular stoves?

The only real difference between a pot belly stove and other types of cast iron stoves (with names like “box stoves”, “parlor stoves”, etc) is the shape of the stove itself. The design of the pot belly stove has more to do with the style of the times than with function — the pot belly look just appealed to people back then. Yes, the pot belly stove has a familiar bulging barrel shape, but claw feet are another hallmark of pot belly stoves. At the front of the pot belly stoves, there is usually a heavy hinged door for feeding in wood and cleaning out the ash after a fire. But outside of the pot belly shape and the claw feet, there isn’t much different about a pot belly stove.

Do people still use cast iron pot bellied stoves?

Modern heating techniques have made the use of the pot belly stove something of a novelty. Antique pot belly stoves still exist, and there are even manufacturers making replicas of popular pot belly stove designs. If a person is building a farmhouse or an addition to their home in a frontier style, the inclusion of a pot belly stove is a no-brainer. You don’t have to go the route of an expensive antique — a replica pot belly stove will work just fine.

In some cases, older homes may still have their original pot belly stove in place, and it may still work with a few simple cleaning procedures. You can even convert your old pot belly stove to a gas or electric hookup, so you can use a real piece of Americana to cook meals and heat a room or two.

If you’re looking for a pot belly stove to complete your home’s look, prepare to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Replica pot belly stoves aren’t much cheaper, as they are usually still made of cast iron which is a heavy and expensive material.

Pot belly stoves are a piece of the American past that can still be functional, either as design tools or heating equipment. The look of a pot belly stove is familiar to anyone who’s spent any time watching old movies — when you want a frontier look, there’s nothing that says “America” more than a pot belly stove.

When you learn how to manage email accounts, you’re learning how to manage time and building your communication skills. If you’re like me, you get a lot of emails coming to you any given day, from friendly e-mails, business notes, spam, solicitations, advertisements, blog replies, your favorite hobby updates, and from countless other sources. Eventually, your email inbox becomes a monster. Some email systems require you to constantly manage your inbox, so messages don’t start bouncing off a full e-mailbox.

If this sounds like your life, follow the tips below to better manage your email situation. None of the email management tips are hard to do, and they’ll make your life easier and your work more efficient.

MetroFax. Email Fax Service. Don’t Compromise Reliability and Service. US Tech Support. $12.95/mo.

E-Mail Overload Tips

Get a Gmail Account

You probably already know this, but “gmail” is the Google email resource. Gmail claims to have unlimited email space, so packrats don’t have to worry about deleting valuable emails. Gmail also allows you to create labels and task folders to help you organize your emails. Gmail allow you to “star” rate emails, so your most important miscellaneous emails stand out on your screen, and can be accessed alone. Your email address also has its own internal search engine, so you can search your email by keyword or key phrases, if an important email goes missing.

Gmail also lets you save files from your computer or sent to you through email to “Google Documents”, so you can access documents and other files from your computer, or terminals anywhere else in the world. Saving to Google docs takes one click and gives another level of organization you don’t have in most email systems. Gmail also allows for chats, so you can communicate when you’re online with other Gmail users, though you can also sign out of chat or go invisible, if you need to get work done.

Some people with slow connections and dial-ups connections (there’s one or two of those still left) complain that their Gmail’s homepage takes too long to come up, since there is so much information likely to be contained inside. If this becomes a problem, you can change to “Older Version” or “Basic HTML” mode, which are found at the bottom of your personal Gmail homepage.

Gmail Labels and Folders

Once you’re on Gmail, you can create labels to help categorize your emails. You can make broad folders for broad categories like “Work“, “Girlfriend“, “To Do“, “Parents“, “Hobbies“, or you can make folders for specific situation like “San Jose Project“, “Vacation Plans“, “Facebook” and “Fantasy Baseball“. When you get an email you want to put in one of these categories, you just click on “Move To” at the top of your inbox and select the label you want to move the email into.

To get emails out of your inbox, but still retrievable, you can also “Archive” them. This gets the seemingly needless emails out of your face, but allows the inner pack rat to maintain a huge backlog of emails, in case one of them turns out to be important. For obvious spams and scams, you can set up spam blockers, and use the check-and-click “Delete” option to quickly get rid of emails that offend you.

Email Processing Times

Now that you’re getting emails your email situation organized, you should organize your email time, as well. Have set times you read and reply to emails throughout the day, instead of reading and replying as they come in. Most of us know that we can get email alerts to our various electronic gadgets, but these don’t really make our communication system more efficient.

When you stop your work or play to respond immediately to every email, you’re actually hurting your productivity, because there’s are studies that show it takes a full 2 minutes to be back to your previous level of concentration, when you stop concentrating on the task at hand. Two minutes here and there throughout the day adds up to a lot of time.

Also, when you answer emails in real time, there are going to be a number you’ll say “I’ll reply to that one later”. But if it’s already marked “read” or been opened, you’re just as likely to forget the message entirely. This means a lot of important email messages go unreplied to.

Instead, have a few times in the day that you read your emails and reply to them in bulk. This means you only stop down to check emails a few times in your work day, so you aren’t stopping and starting and dividing your attention throughout your work time. When you do decide to reply, choose to make your replies one-by-one all at once, and never “leave one for later”. This leads to more thoroughness in your communications.

Make Short, Efficient Replies

This is one I have to remind myself about all the time. Short, pithy replies are better than long-winded, rambling replies. That sounds simple, but you often want to over-explain what it is you’re explain, and it ends up sounding like a big ramble or rant. If that describes you, take care to be concise.

Don’t use unnecessary sentences or words. Address the essential questions and topics in the original email. Know what needs a response and what doesn’t.

Also, make your replies readable. Use paragraph breaks often. This makes your reply easier to read. If you have a block of sentences 15-20 lines long, whatever you say in line 10 is likely to be lost in the jumble. Don’t be surprised when the person on the other end misses something important.

Be a Good Communicator

Another part of being a good communicator is making a connection to the reader. Address your email friend by name, and sign off by name. This changes the tone of the email from impersonal to friendly and personal. The time it takes to make this change is a split second, too.

Proofread and Make Necessary Changes

Before you dash off an email, re-read it once, edit typos and make sure the writing is clear. If you have trouble reading over the email (knowing what you’re saying), your audience is going to have a doubly-tough time. Also, it’s bad form to have typos, misspellings and grammar errors.

Typos and misspellings are easy to correct, since everyone has spell check. Gmail has a great spell check function that takes a second and underlines in red every questionable word usage. Bad grammar is harder to spot, if you haven’t sat in an English class in 20 years, but read over the note and see if it sounds right. If a sentence doesn’t sound right when read aloud, it probably isn’t. If you want to be real conscientious, you can keep a handy grammar book at your side.

Proofreading makes you sound more professional, better informed and smarter (frankly). Proofreading your email replies just once sends a better impression, and makes you a better communicator.

Send a Bridging Email

When you are solicited by people you don’t consider spammers, send a short reply email to them, even if you don’t have the time or ability to fashion a full answer or reply at that moment. Simply let them know you got the message and you want to replay, and then give them a time frame when you think you’ll be able to answer their question.

You’ve no doubt sent emails out to people and never received a reply, and that probably chapped your hide. When you don’t reply to thoughtful emails, you do the same thing to other people. Sending out a short bridging emails gives them a positive impression of you. Besides, it’s the polite thing to do.

Add a Dedicated Signature

A dedicated signature is a personalized sig line at the end of your emails which automatically includes a blog link, website address, or other link to something you want to promote. If you have something you want people to see, make sure they have an easy way to see your work.

Collect an Address Book

Finally, Gmail also lets you collect an ever-growing logbook of email addresses you can organize, helping you to get the most out of your networking instincts. You can do this with the people who send you emails, adding them automatically into your contacts. But you can also easily cut-and-paste and label your growing email list as you go.

All of us tend to forget a cool website the second we navigate away from it – or we forget about 20 seconds after we navigate away, due to the way short term memory works. But you don’t have to forget, once you start saving your favorite addresses on Gmail.

Managing Email Overload

There are other methods for how to manage email contacts and correspondence, but Gmail is the best one I’ve found. Even if you hate Google for some reason, follow the rest of the advice I give you and it will make you a better organized, more efficient and more polite email user.

MetroFax. Email Fax Service. Don’t Compromise Reliability and Service. US Tech Support. $12.95/mo.

For more information related to how to manage email, see some of the following:

• Nigerian Email Fraud
• How to Avoid Phishing Schemes
• Online Fax Machines
  

We’d prefer to live in an environmentally friendly way if it were possible. In some cases, using efficient light bulbs is an option for us, while in other cases, the technology that allows us to save energy is, in itself, cost prohibitive.

Are light bulbs bad for the environment? The answer is of course a resounding yes. Depending on which light bulb you use, the effects of the light bulbs themselves aren’t the real problem, but rather the energy that it takes to power them.

In the case of other bulbs, the equipment offers it’s own significant hazard to the world around us. It’s essentially a case of, as the saying goes, the lesser of two evils. Determinining what the lesser evil is has been a source of much contention in the case of lighting.

Stock Up on Energy Saving Light Bulbs at Bulb America

The Bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs leave a larger overall footprint. They don’t technically have a lot of ingredients that are overly harmful to the environment on their own merits. Incandescent light bulbs are largely glass and tungsten. They aren’t easily broken down, but aren’t harmful.

The problem with them is that they require so much energy to function. Incandescent bulbs, or “regular” light bulbs use about two times the energy as other varieties. Most of that energy is emitted as heat, not light. They require more energy to offer less light.

Since most of that energy is emitted as heat, they also require extra energy in the summer in the form of things like air conditioning to cool the area.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs–the smaller brighter lights emit most of their energy as light. The light is clearer, brighter, meaning that you need fewer bulbs in any given area, and last far longer. In fact they can last as much as five times as long as a regular incandescent bulb.

The problem with CFL, or incandescent lights is that they use mercury to function. Mercury is extremely harmful to the environment. One single teaspoon of mercury added to a medium sized body of water can cause that water to become contaminated in ways that make it unusable. The effects last for longer than your lifetime.

The Solution

The method of preventing the environmental damage could take one of several forms

. One means of helping would be finding a way to lessen the energy that incandescent bulbs use or the heat that they emit. Another method would be finding an incandescent bulb that lasts a longer time as well as the other two aspects of it.

The third solution would be to find a viable means of recycling the bulbs which emit the better light, but offer the dangers of heavy metal. Currently recycling is not readily available in all areas. Where the mail in recycling is available it is often cost-prohibitive to people who don’t have a large disposable income at their command.

Are Light Bulbs Bad for the Environment?

Several businesses are now offering disposal of unbroken fluorescent light bulbs, but there may or may not be an instance of these businesses in the local area. When there is not, there may also be missing any other type of cost-effective recycling method. This means that bulbs which are extremely harmful to the environment are being thrown into regular garbage and are ending up in landfills where the mercury that they contain lays in the landfill, contaminating the soil and water in the area.

Don’t throw your fluorescent bulbs in the regular garbage. In fact, this is against the law in several states, with more moving to make it illegal to dispose of them in this way. If you have the option take your bulbs to a Home Depot store, which will accept unbroken fluorescent bulbs for recycling.

Push for recycling of fluorescent bulbs in your local area so that a low cost alternative is available for area residents rather than the cheaper, but infinitely more damaging practice of throwing them in the regular trash can be avoided.

To learn more about eco friendly light bulbs visit the discount light bulbs website. You can also find great deals on energy saving lights bulbs at Bulb America. (Read more about BulbAmerica.com here.)

Calling a device a “PDA” seems a bit outmoded. The name is short for “Personal Digital Assistant” — there are no three words in the English language that remind me more of the 90s. We now call these devices “palmtops” or just refer to them by their brand name. You could argue that today’s “smart phones” are kind of like PDAs with a phone attached . . . and you wouldn’t be far off.

PDA computers are handheld electronic devices that can do what most laptop computers can do — basic computing with telephone and even fax capability as well as web-surfing and networking. A PDA computer works as a cellphone, fax machine, Internet device, and even personal organizer.

There are many different types of PDAs — most models work with either Palmtop software or a special version of Microsoft Windows known as Windows Mobile. All PDA models are meant to connect to your laptop or desktop computer, though you may have to buy some accessories to do that such as a cable or power cord. Synchronization between computer and PDA is one of the most popular features of this digital device, you can link up your email to your handheld device and do your work on the go.

A typical PDA computer has a pen or stylus-based input system. There are some PDAs that have tiny keyboards, but this isn’t the norm. Even the earliest PDAs were blessed with handwriting recognition — scribble in a word and the computer recognizes it and places it in a document.

Some more advanced PDA computers operate with voice input. You can get one of any of the above these days — some PDA computers use keyboard and stylus input, some use voice recognition or some combination of all three.

The first PDA computers came from Apple. You may remember the Newton MessagePad, considered the first PDA way back in 1993. It wasn’t a hugely popular item, though there is a population of Newton fans even today, some of whom are still using their beloved Newtons. Pretty soon after the Newton came out, a bunch of other companies developed similar products, so that today we still have new PDA computers appearing on the scene. Though major PDA computer manufacturer Palm (of Palm Pilot fame) just released some really bleak financial information and don’t appear to have a future in the business, there are plenty of other standout PDA computers being made.

Depending on the number of features you want and the model you select, a PDA computer will run you between $150 and multiple thousands of dollars. The sky’s kind of the limit, as new technology and fancy features are always popping up. A “middle of the road” PDA computer such as the HP iPAQ 210 costs about $400 depending on the retailer and has enough features to satisfy even the most gadget-crazed techie in your house.

A PDA computer is a useful tool for people on the go as well as the average computer user. Your PDA computer will replace your cell phone and grant you features like a calendar and organizer, a day planner, and all the computing power you need to get online. PDA computers are like little personal assistants, only you don’t have to buy your PDA flowers on Secretary’s Day.

Social networking refers to the act of building “networks” of people on specific websites. Social networking takes place among people who share something — a political leaning, an interest in a particular movie or musician, or an activity like yoga or gun collecting.

The Social Media Bible

A social networking site is just a means for building these social networks. These sites are made up of some web representation for each network member (a “profile”) a list of their links or interests, and some kind of ‘hook’ or gimmick to set that particular site apart from the crowd.

Social networking sites are web-based, and offer their users the ability to link and build networks freely. Members interact with email or private messaging using that site’s servers.

Why Is Social Networking So Popular?

The past decade has been defined in part by social networking and the proliferation of multiple social networking options. This is probably because social networks are open-ended and easy to use.

Once you’ve set up a social network account and entered some basic profile information, you can basically sit back and let the social networking activity come to you. Social bookmarking is an even more refined version of social networking that lets users share specific links and news articles to their friends and other members of the site.

How Do You Get Started with Social Networking?

Social networking is about making ‘friends’ — some friends you already know may be a member of a social networking site, meaning you’ve got some built in social networks already. Once yuo branch out beyond your close friends who also use whatever social networking site you use, you can find new friends by joining groups (Democrats Together Against Joe Lieberman) or look for other people with similar interests (“the films of John Landis”) in order to build your social network.

Members of social networking share information in their profiles (location, basic interests, political leanings, religion, sexuality, etc) but you can also learn about a person based on the size of their network, the people in their network, their blog posts, links, etc. This has led to some “spying” on the part of people interested in learning about an old friend, old flame, or potential new employee. This is why proper privacy settings are important when you get involved with social networking.

Why Should I Use Social Networking?

There’s a high entertainment factor with social networking. Combine that with the “social” function of networking, and the ability to find news and links relevant to your interests, and social networking can be a way to make the Internet work harder for you. Its a good way to meet people with similar interests, and lots of small business owners, artists, actors, musicians and the like have used social networking to advance their careers.

How Do I Pick a Social Networking Site?

The kind of person you are will determine what social network you use. For example — use the social networking service Flixster to help you find movies and news and links about the film industry. Music lovers join sites like Lala.com, Last.FM, and others to find new and familiar musicians to add to their collection.

Another way to pick a social networking site — by type. If you’re between the ages of 13 and 18, you will most likely use Myspace. If you’re between 18 and 40, Facebook is your domain. People older than 40 have more specialized social networking needs, and join sites more by interest, such as 43Things, a “life improvement” site, or TakePart which is a social network for activists.

What Are the Most Popular Social Networking Sites?

Ranked by number of inbound links and number of monthly visitors, these are the top ten most popular social networking sites.

1. Facebook

With 722,000,000 inbound links and an estimated 122,220,000 monthly visitors, Facebook is the King of social networking. Alexa ranks Facebook.com as the fourth most popular website in the world, meaning Facebook is a heavy hitter outside the world of social networking as well. Facebook is big in the younger set — the saying goes that “if it isn’t on Facebook, it didn’t happen”. Facebook is a popular way for employers to spy on employees and potential hires. Facebook is pretty basic as social networking goes, though there are plenty of Facebook-specific “apps” that your friends will annoy you with endlessly. If you don’t know Facebook, you don’t know the Internet.

2. MySpace

With only half of Facebook’s inbound links (about 345,000,000) and half of Facebook’s monthly visitors (an estimated 55,599,585) Myspace is the little social networking site that once ruled the world. Now seen as juvenile or “ghetto” by most of the Facebook population (believe me — plenty has been written about the “white flight” from Myspace to Facebook), Myspace is still a good resource when looking up bands. In fact, I only use MySpace now for the purpose of checking out opening acts before a concert, or finding some new music. If you’re into independent music, having a MySpace profile makes sense. Otherwise, you’d better be a nine year old girl.

3. Twitter

Twitter should probably be at number two on this list — they average 628,750,806 inbound links and weigh in with 23,000,000 monthly visitors, but their social impact is bigger than their numbers. With fewer monthly visitors than MySpace, they’re relegated to third. Twitter is the “it boy” in social networking now, with some people leaving Facebook (way too gauche) for the more refined Twitter. The cool part about Twitter is the ease with which you can find your favorite celebs and sports figures to follow. Unlike Facebook (just try “friending” one of your favorite musicians on Facebook) you can easily read star’s and smart people’s updates. Twitter could easily take over the number one spot on this list as more and more people join.

Rounding out the list are LinkedIn, Classmates.com, Ning, Bebo, HI5.com, Tagged, and MyYearbook.

Social networking is pretty much the rule of the web now — my dad’s stuffy import/export company has a Facebook page and uses Twitter to update their clients. Everyone’s doing it, and for good reason. With social networking, you can meet up with old friends, make new ones, or keep in touch with business associates and potential collaborators.

See also: What Are Social Bookmarking Sites?

Social Media Marketing

The market is flooded with wireless modems — if your ISP didn’t provide a wireless modem when you ordered your wireless service, choosing the right wireless modem can be a serious headache.

Get a FREE Modem when you order Verizon Consumer High Speed Internet product!

A wireless modem is a device necessary to access the Internet via a wireless network on your computer or electronic device (like a PDA). A wireless modem gives you the ability to “unplug” from your modem and use your Internet-enabled device anywhere in your home, with ranges as wide as 300 feet. Yes, you can use eBay or check your email on your back porch.

Because wireless modems differ widely (depending on what they will be used for and what devices you’ll be connecting to) it is more important to choose the right wireless modem than to choose the right wireless provider.

Check for Compatibility

First — know that there are two basic types of wireless modems, internal and external. Figure out which type of wireless modem you need. Internal modems will require installation into your computer, and are normally installed at manufacture, though some people want to “trick out” their older PC by having an internal wireless modem installed. For those of you who are looking to spend a little less for your wireless access, go for the cheaper (and easier) external modem.

Always be sure the modem you’re going to buy is compatible with your computer. You can find this out by talking to the salesperson providing the modem, looking on the modem’s box for compatibility information, or you can break down and ask someone at your ISP for a wireless modem recommendation.

Another aspect of compatibility — you need to know if you’ll be using just a computer, a laptop, or a PDA of some sort with your wireless modem. Different devices have different “ideal” modem setups. In some cases, fancy new cell phones act as a wireless modem but before you go depending on your Samsung for a hotspot, check with the phone company. You may need a wireless modem after all.

What Type of Wireless Network Do You Have?

Figure out the “type” of network you will be connecting to using wireless Internet.

There are three big names in wireless these days — CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). There are a handful of others, but most customers will be dealing with one of these three types. You have to buy a wireless modem that fits with your wireless service. My ISP offers GPRS wireless service, and I had to find a wireless modem that is GPRS-compatible.

How Fast Is Your Wireless?

The “speed” of your wireless network is easiest to gauge by understanding the data transfer speed over your home wireless connection. Since different types of wireless connections have different speed limits, this can give you a clue how fast your wireless can go. You’ll need to buy a wireless modem that can handle the top speeds of your wireless network, otherwise you’re wasting money on a fast connection that you can’t catch up with. My GPRS connection can go as fast as 56 kbps, while the lowly CDMA moves at a relative snail’s pace of 14.4kbps. Remember to buy a modem that can handle the speed of your Internet service.

How Big Is Your Wireless Network?

Depending how you’ll be using your wireless modem, you may need a modem that can work internationally (serviced by GPRS-capable modems) or a good modem for domestic coverage, like a CDMA modem.  Put simply, you need a wireless modem that is built for your coverage needs.

What ISP Are You Using?

There are three kinds of wireless modem interfaces used in by ISPs — PCMCIA, USB and serial port. The “interface” is basically the way the wired connection hooks up to the wireless modem.  Honestly, there’s no reason to buy anything less than  a wireless modem with USB interface. This interface is more flexible. If you’re using a PDA or a wireless-Internet capable cellphone, you may need a Bluetooth or 802.11b wireless interface — if this is the case, don’t forget that you can connect to the Internet via your Bluetooth device’s wireless connection.

Check For Advanced Features

When buying a wireless modem, check to see it has all the latest features — at very least, your wireless modem will need USB and Ethernet cable connectivity, backward compatibility equipment, enhanced security features, PC and Mac compatibility, etc. Depending on what your using your wireless network for, your features needs will change — but these features are the basic advanced features that any good wireless modem has these days.

Security

Take a long look at your wireless modem’s security features. Every wireless network is vulnerable to security issues, no matter how secure, but buying a highly secure wireless modem is the first step towards protecting your wireless network. Shop only for wireless modems that contain added security features like “64-/128-bit WEP” (meaning “Wired Equivalent Privacy”) and something called WPA, which means Wi-Fi Protected Access. In truth, the most important security decisions you’ll make about your wireless network come after installation, with added software and security settings, but purchasing a wireless modem that will allow you to secure yourself as much as possible is a must.

Don’t buy any wireless modem on sight — prices are different from vendor to vendor, so shop and compare. Go online to shop for wireless modems, the prices are always lower on the web.

Buying a wireless modem may seem even more complicated now — in truth, if you buy any of the higher-end modems at your favorite online retailer, you’ll pretty much own the right modem. Do some basic research on your own to find out what kind of network you’re on and buy a compatible modem with good security features. The rest of the work is up to your ISP and to your skills in setting up your wireless network. Hopefully, you’ve started out with a good piece of wireless network machinery to build your network on.

See also: The Best Cheap Internet Deals

Get a FREE Modem when you order Verizon Consumer High Speed Internet product!

Amazon came out with the first generation Kindle e-reader in late 2007, the device sold out 5 & 1/2 hours, and wasn’t in stock for nearly 5 months. Demand for Kindle readers, as well as improvements to the original design, led Amazon to release the Kindle 2 in February of 2009, then Kindle DX, which was released in June of 2009.

Meanwhile, “Kindle for iPhone” was released in March 2009. With this partnership in marketing the Apple’s popular iPhone Kindle app, it was only a matter of time before a “Kindle for Mac” would become available. Users of iPod Touch, the Windows PC and Research in Mobile’s BlackBerry cellular phones also interface with Amazon’s Kindle books.

What is Kindle for Mac?

Kindle for Mac lets your MacIntosh desktop computers and laptops read Kindle e-books. This gives you the ability to download over 450,000 book titles from the Amazon website, including over 100 or the 110 or so New York Times best sellers.

How Much Does Kindle for Mac Cost?

Prices ranging from $9.99 for the best selling books, and considerably lower for less popular titles. Subscriptions to downloadable versions of national newspapers or magazines are also available, with a one-month subscription to the Wall Street Journal at $14.99, the New York Times at $13.99 and USA Today at $11.99. The monthly price for most of the big name magazines, like Newsweek, Time and Forbes, are $2.99 or less.

The price to buy different Kindle devices varies. When Amazon Kindle first debuted, the device cost in the $390 or so. The price for a Kindle 2 had come down to $299 in June of 2009, but currently retails at $259, as of October 2009. Prices may be higher on Kindle for Mac for a while, but you can expect prices to fall to that $260 level pretty quickly.

What Does a Kindle For Mac Do?

Instead of buying books, magazines and newspapers to read, you can buy one of these publication’s downloads instead. This means you don’t have books and papers stack up around your home or office, or have to be thrown away or stored in the attic to make room for more stuff. Instead, you’re able to leave these books on your Kindle and read them at your leisure.

Storage capacity stretches for the Kindle DX is around 3,500 non-illustrated books, while storage for the original Kindle was around 200 titles. Like a computer, you can buy an upgrade to your storage capacity that increases the memory on your Kindle device.

The Kindle books are electronic files, so the publishers aren’t out the expense to print and distribute their books, magazines and newspaper publications. This means you get e-books at a considerable discount from the price of a printed book, so those who like to read books can buy more books, once the savings on those purchases offset the $250 cost of the e-book reading device.

Is Kindle as Hard on the Eyes as Computer Screens?

No. Reading a book from a Kindle is much more like reading a paper book than it is reading off a computer monitor. Monitors have that bright light lighting the screen, so reading from a computer screen hurts a lot of people’s eyes.

On a Kindle, the words are formed by ink. The lighting is more subdued, so your eyes are bombarded by a bright white tone illuminated with a light background, but tones more akin to the off-white colors of most print books. The Kindle is about the size of the average book, so reading an Amazon Kindle is designed to be like reading a traditional book.

The idea is to enhance your book reading experience, making it cheaper and easier to purchase, while getting rid of the problems of storing your book archives, or dealing with the dust and allergens that are common to books and bookshelves.

Amazon Kindle isn’t perfect yet. For instance, some users have complained that they don’t “own” a Kindle e-book, like they would a book they took home from the book store, so downloading additional copies to a second device has sometimes required additional fees or purchases. A court case or two and policy changes by Amazon have eliminated some of these complaints.

I’m sure the market is going to evolve further, as the years go by, but I can only imagine Kindle becoming easier to use, and advances in technology making the practice of downloading ebooks simpler and cheaper. Having more Kindle readers on the market, like Kindle for Mac, should only help the customer, by giving them more options.

Buying Kindle For Mac

Kindle for Mac is expected to be available in stores on April 3, 2010, so if you have an Apple computer or laptop, and you’ve wanted to be able to download Kindle e-books to your reader, the time has come when you can do that.

For more information related to the Kindle in general, see the following pages:

• What Is the Kindle and How Does the Kindle Work?
• Kindle Covers and Cases
• How to Make the Kindle Read Aloud Function Work
• Kindle Alternatives
• Kindle Deals and Discounts
• Differences Between the Kindle and the Kindle 2
• Kindle Pricing
• How Does the Amazon Kindle 2 Work?
• How Does the Kindle Work in Canada?
• How Does the Kindle Work in Australia?
• Good Books Available on the Kindle

A “Pay as You Go” cell phone is pretty much the opposite of a standard cell phone plan.

Jitterbug Offers Plans Starting at $14.99 a Month with No Contract

Most cell phone plans require long-term contracts (at least a year, normally two years) that must be secured using a credit card or bank card — don’t forget about the monthly fees and expensive phones.

The cheapest standard cell phone contracts offer somewhere around 300 minutes of talk time per month, and since most people will use more than this, minimum fees don’t really apply. If you want unlimited talk time as well as a few bells and whistles, you’re looking at somewhere around $80 to $100 a month — after you pay for the phone and setup the service. What happens if you go over your minutes with a standard cell phone plan? You’ll be charged a hefty overage fee for each minute you go over — and if you have unused minutes at the end of the month good luck “rolling them over” into the next month. Standard cell phone plans are rigid, expensive, and not always the best option, especially for people on a limited budget.

How Do Pay As You Go Cell Phones Work?

The average ‘pay as you go’ cell phone plan is perfect for people without a ton of money to throw at their phone bill. For starters, pay as you go cell phones don’t come with monthly fees or long-term contracts — this means you won’t need a credit card to start service. Instead, you buy a phone card from any number of stores (gas stations, grocery stores, big box stores, cell phone stores, etc) and the purchase of that phone card counts as your payment to the cell phone company. For most pay as you go cell phones, you only have to add about $20 credit to your phone every three months to keep your phone active.

Using a ‘pay as you go’ plan means you have to buy a cell phone that is intended for use with pay as you go plans. Not every phone is compatible with this kind of cell phone plan. You can buy these phones from big box stores like Target or Wal-Mart, but make sure the phone you buy is made for the carrier you want to use.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Pay as You Go Cell Phones?

One big downside of pay as you go plans is the cost of minutes — they end up costing about $0.25 each, a much higher rate than a standard cellular plan. Sure, you buy the minutes ahead of time (usually in units of $20) but at a quarter a minute, that $20 card will only buy you 80 minutes.

Another downside — it is hard to find pay as you go phone plans that offer their members “perks” such as free phones or gifts to loyal customers.

One positive aspect of the pay as you go cell phone — if you have a credit card, you can tell your pay as you go carrier to keep that card on file and automatically debit it every 90 days. This saves you the hassle of running down to the store and loading another prepaid card.

The big advantages of a pay as you go cell phone plan are the lack of a contract, no requirement that you have a credit card, and the complete lack of those pesky monthly fees. Yes, your minutes are more expensive than with a standard cellular contract, but the straightforward billing and adaptability of a pay as you go plan mean they are more convenient and easier to use than traditional cell phones.

Jitterbug Offers Plans Starting at $14.99 a Month with No Contract

Related Content:

• Which Cell Phone Should I Buy?
• What Is Cell Phone Elbow?
• Is Texting While Driving Dangerous?
• How to Get Internet on Your Phone
• What You Can Do with an iPhone
  

When you think of a computer imagine a machine made of two parts. The first part is the computer hardware, the physical parts of the computer that you can actually touch. Some examples of hardware are disks, monitors, boards, chips, etc. Hardware does all of the physical work of the computer, from memory storage to display.

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The second part, what we call “computer software”, acts as the brain of the computer, telling the hardware what to do and when and how to do it.

Think of a computer as a living being — in this example, the hardware would be the body, the eyes, the limbs, the lungs, etc. Computer software would be the mind, interpreting sounds we hear with our ears into recognizable symbols. The “software” in our brain would tell our other body parts how to behave. Both parts are crucial for the survival of the body.

Computer hardware, any single part of a larger machine, is only ever on or off. There are no other states of being for the hardware, and computer hardware operates on a system called “binary”. Computer software uses this binary code to tell the computer hardware what to do. Computer software translates our human input (clicking a mouse or loading a disk into a drive) into a language that the computer hardware can use to actually perform a function. As such, computer software depends on hardware to survive just as much as hardware depends on software.

Where Does Computer Software Come From?

Computer software is usually created by computer programmers using a programming language. The programmer “learns” a programming language that the computer can use to command the hardware to perform a task.

The computer programmer (or software engineer) writes commands in a given programming language tha the computer understands. These “languages” are not totally like languages you speak, but many of them use our language in a way that makes sense to the programmer. Common commands in programming languages are things like “if / then” or “type” or “function”. These individual commands are called “code”.

Another piece of software called a “compiler” takes the source code writen by a software engineer and translates it into the language that the computer understands. What starts as a series of translations results in activity at the software and hardware level of a computer known as a computer “program”. This is just another word for software.

Different Types of Computer Software

Though there are any number of subsets of computer software, most of it falls into two main categories: “system software” and “application software”.

System software means that a piece of software commands a piece of hardware to run so that the computer functions. Application software is what we call programs that do anything besides the basic operation of the hardware.

While there are other “types” of software, most of them can be considered one of the above.

Computer software is vital to the operation of your computer and to the everyday things you do with it. Without computer software your computer would be a very expensive paperweight. The next time you send an email or play solitaire take a moment to thank a software engineer.

Where and How to Buy Cheap or Discount Computer Software

One option for people intersted in cheap computer software is freeware. Most types of software applications are available in some kind of free version. There are free word processing software programs available, free spreadsheet software programs available, and free video game software programs available.

If you need a brand name computer software package, and you want to buy it cheap, then you still have options. The classified ads section of the local newspaper is one place where you might be able to find cheap computer software, but that’s a longshot. On the other hand, Craigslist has national exposure, so you’re more likely to find a deal there.

Another way to save money on computer software is to use an older version of the software. I still use FrontPage to build most of my websites, and it works better than the latest version. (Expression Web, I think it’s called.) You can often find cheaper, older versions of some computer software on eBay.

FREE shipping on orders over $39.99 at the HP Home & Home Office Store! Exclusions Apply.

This article is part of a series we’re doing on computer basics. The other posts in this series are:

• What Is Wireless Internet Access?
• What Is a Hard Drive?
• What Is a Software Patch?
• What Is an External Hard Drive?

A hard drive is a crucial element of our modern computer systems. The hard drive is the part of the computer where all of your programs and files are stored. Think of it as the file folder of your computer. A hard drive is also known as a hard disk drive.

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The hard drive is so crucial to the computer that If the drive is somehow damaged, you will lose everything you have stored on your computer.

How Does a Hard Drive Work?

Strangely enough, a hard drive uses memory storage similar to VHS tapes or cassettes.

Where a VHS tape or a cassette uses long strips of black tape infused with a magnetic material to store information, hard drives contain little round mirrors covered in magnetic material that is able to record data. Looking at a hard drive next to a VHS tape, you wouldn’t think the two were at all similar. But just as your VCR reads data from a VHS tape, a piece inside your hard drive reads and writes data on the little mirror looking platters. If you were looking at a hard drive, you’d see a tiny arm attached to the memory platters — this arm moves back and forth over the memory, doing its work nearly silently.

Most hard disk drives these days contain multiple memory platters stacked one on top of the other something like a layer cake. There is a tiny space between each layer which gives the drive room to move around and move the arms back and forth to write and rewrite data. When you turn your computer on, the memory platters start spinning. If the vent fan on your computer isn’t running, you can hear the steady but quiet hum of the memory platters at work. You can hear them because they’re moving really fast — about 7,200 rotations per minute for a desktop or about 5,500 rpm for a laptop computer.

No matter if your computer is writing or searching for memory or not, the hard disk is always spinning. It is the arm that we talked about earlier that jumps into action whenever you run a progrem, open a file, alter, save, or delete a file, or a few other minor actions. That little arm is a fast bugger — it can move back and forth over the surface of the platter up to 50 times per second, so fast that if you could watch it in action, the arm would just look like a little blur.

Remember that everything in your hard disk drive moves very fast, so the arm and the drive head never actually touch the memory platters. They skip over the surface of the platter like a hovercraft, supported by a bit of fast-moving air created by the spinning of the platter. Most people are really surprised to learn how much work their computer is doing when they save a file — there’s so much kinetic energy in there its no wonder that we need heat sinks and fans.

What Can Cause a Hard Drive Crash?

Electrical problems with the logic board can cause a hard drive to crash, as can simple shock to drives that are made of glass or other weak material. Luckily, most manufacturers have switched to a material that is not as easily broken.

Another common hard drive failure happens when there are tiny imperfections on the magnetic media on the platters. If a single sector on the hard disk fails to hold alignment, the data will become inaccessible to the user. Most hard drives have these tiny flaws, but the manufacturer marks them in such a way as to prevent the computer from accessing them. You can have your flawed platters fixed in a similar way after-market, but that process will wipe your memory.

The most dramatic example of a hard drive crash is called a “head crash”. This happens when the rapidly moving paltters cause the “heads” holding the arms to literally crash into the memory platters. This is usually caused by dirt or dust in your hard drive that settles on the platters and causes them to bounce and wobble. Remember that the recording medium on the platters is really fragile and is usually totally ruined when the heads crash into it.

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This article is part of a series we’re doing on computer basics. The other posts in this series are:

• What Is Wireless Internet Access?
• What Is a Software Patch?
• What Is an External Hard Drive?

A software patch is a piece of code designed to fix glitches, bugs, or compatibility issues between the software and commonly used hardware or operating systems.

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When a piece of software is released to the general public, it gets put through its paces. People with all different computer systems and hardware start to use that piece of software and discover little problems that the programmers missed. Even though software developers test software over and over to be sure their creation is completely glitch-free, even the most skilled engineers can’t design a perfect tool.

Another common use of a software patch is to make old software compatibile with new hardware, new operating systems, or other pieces of new software. When this happens, a software programmer will create a software patch in order to increase the market for their invention and boost sales. It is difficult to make money on the millions of people who now own iPhones if your software isn’t compatibile with the iPhone OS.

How Do I Find a Software Patch?

When you notice a problem that keeps popping up with a piece of software it may be time to find a software patch. It is likely that you’re not the first to notice this issue.

Luckily, it is easy to look for software patches using the Internet. Use a Google search for “software patch” and the name of the program, such as “Windows XP”.

Software patches are usually free to download right to your computer.

Installing a Software Patch

Installing a software patch is easier now than it has ever been. Gone are the days when you had to manually type in pages of commands and other instructions just to get your patch to work properly. Most of the time after downloading the software patch these days you just click the downloaded icon and a few minutes later your software is patched.

Software Patch Tips

Be careful when downloading a software patch that doesn’t come from the developer. Lots of computer games have dedicated fans who create software patches to intensify or change the game play, but a badly written software patch could create all new problems with the software.

Not all software patches are called “patches”. If you’re looking for a download that makes big changes to a piece of software, this is called a software “update”.

Some software patches may not be free — this is most common with games. When a game developer wants to expand a game (or expand their profit) they release what are called “extension packs” or just “packs”.

If you are fan of a particular piece of software that you can’t find a patch for — such as a patch to update the software to make it compatible with new hardware — you can usually request that a software patch be developed. Software programmers are thrilled to find out that you love their work and most are happy to develop something for you. To do this, contact the software developer and make your request.

HP Pavilion Notebooks

This article is part of a series we’re doing on computer basics. The other posts in this series are:

• What Is Wireless Internet Access?
• What Is a Software Patch?
• What Is an External Hard Drive?

The ability to access the Internet wirelessly is provided by a local area network, or LAN. This network allows Internet access using radio waves rather than wires. Traditionally, the Internet was accessible only through phone lines or cable — but wireless Internet access is fast becoming the standard.

Wireless Internet access starts with a central hub that contains a hard-wired Internet connection. This hub, usually found attached to the main computer system or server in a network, broadcasts radio waves that bring the Internet to specific computers which are part of the same wireless network. How do you become part of a wireless network? If you are in range of the LAN’s radio waves and your computer is equipped with a wireless card, you can access the Internet wirelessly. Generally, these networks are password protected.

Wireless Internet Access in the Home

In a residential setting, wireless Internet will broadcast anywhere from 100 to 250 feet around the central hub. This means that anyone in the home (even on the front porch or upstairs) with a laptop or desktop and a wireless card can connect to the Internet using the home’s wireless network. Sometimes, your close neighbors can access your LAN and use your wireless connection — wireless Internet technology is improving and the size of wireless networks is expanding. This is a big reason why your wireless LAN should be set up with a password. You don’t want people outside your home using your wireless to do something unwholesome.

Wireless Internet Access at Work

Millions of people enjoy the convenience of wireless Internet at home, but wireless Internet is a big part of the commercial world as well. An old school wired network is difficult and expensive to install all over your building, and your office setup is set in stone once you’ve hard-wired offices for the Internet. It is difficult to rearrange an office when your Internet access is limited to one spot. Don’t forget that installing new Internet access points with Ethernet cables means tearing up the walls, ceilings, and floors of the office space you’re in. The reasons many businesses were hesitant to switch to wireless Internet are the same reasons most people were hesitant — Ethernet cables provided a greater level of security and faster data speeds. Once wireless technology caught up with (and then began to outperform) traditional wired access, commercial properties began using wireless connections. They’re simply cheaper, more convenient, more secure, and faster.

Wireless LANs can be installed in a few minutes by anyone with a bare minimum of computer savvy. Compared to Ethernet LANs, wireless networks using WPA2 encryption are far more secure than Ethernet connection. All traffic on a wireless network secured by WPA2 is encrypted, not just “sensitive” traffic like that to financial partners or email accounts.

Wireless LAN Technology is still improving. When installing  a new wireless network, be sure to purchase tools that support the latest protocols and security features for wireless networks — buy network cards, hubs, and wireless modems that are built to the highest standard.

This article is part of a series we’re doing on computer basics. The other posts in this series are:

• What Is Wireless Internet Access?
• What Is a Software Patch?
• What Is an External Hard Drive?

For more information about Internet access and Internet services, visit Cheap Internet Deals.

An MP3 player is a wonderful piece of technology that’s taken over the world of personal music players — the next generation of the LP, the cassette, and the CD. An MP3 Player is a device that plays files called “mp3″ files.

Buy an MP3 Player at Amazon Now

What Is an MP3 File?

An MP3 is a form of digital audio file that is compressed into a portable and easy-to-handle size using a specific audio recording standard. These standards are defined by the Motion Pictures Experts Group, known as MPEG. Where does the name come from? These files are technically called “MPEG-1, Layer 3″, hence the shortened version, “MP3″. These files use only about 10% of the storage requirements of the popular CD format, meaning you can squeeze more music onto a smaller space using MP3 files.

MP3 Player Specifics

MP3 players come in all different sizes, colors, shapes, and capabilities. The smallest and highest-end MP3 players use a specific kind of memory known as “flash” — unlike conventional memory you might have on your desktop or laptop computer, “flash” memory does not lose stored information when the power source is removed or turned off.

Flash memory is crucial to these devices — it takes up little space, uses little power, and lets designers of MP3 devices create really small devices that have extended battery lives. Both important features when designing a personalized music playing system.

The major benefit of an MP3 player is that a consumer can hold a huge chunk of their music collection in their hand rather than lugging around bulky boxes or cases of CDs. Also, MP3 users can create endless amounts of personalized music lists and carry thousands of songs, videos, and even mini games in their pocket wherever they go.

All of that stored music and the MP3 player itself fit into a device that, in some cases, weighs less than one ounce. Portability is a large factor in the popularity of the MP3, considering the ease of transportation in comparison to a CD player and CD storage case. In addition, some devices provide additional technology, like video and photo viewing, alarm and calendar functions, and even cell phone and Internet service.

Downside of MP3 Players

The major case against flash memory based MP3 players is their limited storage capacity. If you have a huge music collection, you’re never going to get everything onto a flash based MP3 player — you’ll need a hard drive backup or a larger hard disk based MP3 device. Some of the larger MP3 devices can store tens of thousands of songs (some companies claiming storage of over 100,000 songs) but you lose the small size and portability features of the flash-based MP3 players. The cost is different as well — flash-based MP3 players are cheaper.

If you are a music fan and you don’t own an MP3 player, you are behind the curve. You shouldn’t upgrade to an MP3 player system just because it is the hot new technology — do it because CDs are on the way out, and all music could one day exist digitally, rather than on a hard disc.

Where to Find Cheap MP3 Players and Accessories

Finding cheap Mp3 players and accessories involves shopping around. You might be able to find an inexpensive MP3 player on Craigslist or eBay. But keep in mind that buying a used MP3 player carries a certain amount of risk with it; when you buy one new, you get a warranty and a customer service department to deal with. If you keep a close eye on Amazon, they run sales and specials from time to time. Amazon is the best place to buy cheap MP3 players and accessories.

Buy an MP3 Player at Amazon Now

For more information related to MP3 players, visit some of the following pages:

• What Is the Sandisk Slot Music Player?
• What Is Zune Music?
• How to Copy Songs from an iPod to a PC
• What Is the Best Music Download Site?
• How to Convert Tapes to CD
  

LCD TVs have been around since the late 80s when Sharp introduced a relatively small LCD TV — a fourteen inch screen described as more of a “boutique” item rather than a TV for everyday use.

LCD technology used to be very expensive (hence the small size of the 1988 LCD TV screen) and with the rise of plasma screens in the late 90s and early 2000s most people thought LCD was dead in the water. Due to the high cost of plasma screens (a cost that never really went down) and the advances in LCD technology, LCD stuck around and by 2006 were cheaper and more widely available than plasma.

Because of this boom in LCD technology, prices have really started to come down. It is common to find a decently-sized (26 – 32 inch) LCD HDTV for around $600 – $700.

But what’s a technophile to do if he wants to score a big screen LCD HDTV and doesn’t want to pay an arm and a leg? Discount retailers.

Deals on LCD TVs

Pricing LCD TVs is a matter of matching your wants with what deals are available. You might be drooling over a 52-inch 1080p widescreen LCD HDTV from Samsung but unless you’ve got $2,000 in your TV budget, that might be a bit unrealistic.

The best way to save money shopping for an LCD TV is a one-two punch — cut back on your expectations a little and shop at retailers who offer big discounts.

I’ve been browsing Overstock.com this morning looking at LCD television prices. That massive and powerful Samsung we were just talking about? Overstock has it for sale at just under $1,500 — that’s greater than $500 savings without really doing too much digging.

Another way to save a little money on LCD TVs is to shop for refurbished items.  Websites like RefurbDepot.com and SavingLots.com have plenty of refurbished LCD TVs to choose from all carrying big discounts on the sticker price. Just looking at their front pages, I see a 55-inch Olevia 1080p LCD HDTV for under $1,200 which is a savings of around $400.

Refurbished LCD TVs

There’s no reason to be scared of refurbished LCD TVs.  If you buy a “factory refurbished” TV set, you can still get a manufacturer’s warranty or even a warranty extension on the original warranty. Buying a refurbished LCD TV is a great way to save money on otherwise expensive technology while still ensuring you’ll get the best customer service. Especially if you can secure a manufacturer’s extended warranty.

This is part of a series of blog posts we’re publishing about where to find cheap deals. The other posts in this series include:

• Where Can You Find the Cheapest Flights and Airline Tickets?
• Where Can You Find the Cheapest Laptop?
• Where Can You Find the Cheapest Hotels?
• Where Can You Find the Cheapest Cars?

Shopped for a laptop computer lately? If you’ve visited all the computer retailers in your area pricing laptops, I’m sure you’d like to know how to find cheap laptops.

Laptops are great — convenient and cool — but if you are unable to drop thousands of dollars in one go, you may feel left out. Laptop prices have dropped a good bit in the past few years (like all new technology, it will  eventually become more and more affordable) but finding a quality laptop computer at the cheapest price possible can be a chore. You want to pay less for a laptop you can actually use, not spend a little less money for a piece of technology that won’t function right.

Why Laptops are Expensive

Laptop computers are considered the top of the line in computer technology and thus they can be  sold for higher prices. Convenience items are always going to be more expensive — the thinking is that people are willing to spend a little more money for an item that will make their life easier.

Since the rise in popularity of personal digital assistants, Blackberries, Bluetooth devices and cell phones that now basically act as computers (and become the new cutting edge items) the price of good laptop computers has dropped so that many retail stores now carry good laptop computers for much less than you may be expecting.

Shop and Compare

Start looking for your new cheap laptop by taking stock of the price of the kind of machine you want. Do this by visiting the website of the big name manufacturers, retailers, and resalers and writing down the item’s prices alongside the matching laptop’s tech capabilities. The next time you visit a big box retailer or computer retailers, you can take notes and compare what you found to the prices that these retailer’s  laptops are going for.

Where to Find Cheap Laptops

My favorite spots for inexpensive laptops and laptop computer components are Overstock.com’s computers section (selling plenty of refurbished laptops for well under $500), laptopbroker.com (with many less powerful but completely new laptops around $400 – $500), and even used sites like usedlaptop.com. Just make sure you do your research before settling on a discount or used laptop. Remember, a computer’s components will great affect your laptop experience.

This is part of a series of blog posts we’re publishing about where to find cheap deals. The other posts in this series include:

• Where Can You Find the Cheapest Flights and Airline Tickets?
• Where Can You Find the Cheapest Hotels?
• Where Can You Find the Cheapest Cars?
• Where Can You Find the Cheapest LCD TV?
• What is an External Hard Drive?

There’s a complex chemical in our homes that we use daily with little regard  to what it is or how it works — soap. This substance seems simple. Just rub it on your hands or pour it into a washing machine and instantly make something clean. But using soap can be important, for example, if you want to prevent boils.

The Basics of Soap

Soap is the name we give any blend of  sodium or potassium-based “salts” of fatty acids. When you think of the word “salt”, don’t think of the stuff on the kitchen table — in chemistry terms, a “salt” is a compound that forms when acids become chemically neutralized. These compounds are produced when fats undergo a process called “hydrolysis”. This process is known as saponification, or soap-making.

Each molecule of the soap on your kitchen counter or under the bathroom sink contains a long chain of hydrocarbons (known as the “tail” of the molecule) and a chunky”‘head” made of carboxyl acids. Look at the structure of a molecule of soap and you’ll be reminded of a tadpole.

How Does Soap Clean Things?

When it is introduced to water, the sodium or potassium ions of the soap float away freely, leaving behind an oppositely charged “head”. To explain how this works as a cleaning agent, think of putting soap into dirty water.

When you put soap into dirty water it is easy to see its emulsifying properties. We call soap an emulsifier because of its ability to disperse liquids into each other, especially for its ability to mix water with another liquid that normally wouldn’t mix well. You know how oil doesn’t mix well with water? The use of a soap will help suspend oil or dirt so it can be washed away with water.

Seems complicated, right?

More Chemistry

Remember that negatively-charged molecule we talked about? It turns out that the “head” of a soap molecule undergoes some big changes when it contacts water. The other part of the molecule (the hydrocarbon “tail”) does not change in the presence of water.

What happens next is pretty cool — the various “tails” of the soap molecules come together to form “micelles” which are like tiny spheres of negatively-charged ions, with hydrocarbons inside them. The bottom line is that these micelles are negatively-charged and push away from each other, allowing them to stay suspended in water.

Getting Rid of Grease and Oil

Certain compounds are insoluble in water — grease and oil are two of these that we combat with soap all the time.

Dirty oils (when mixed with soap) are broken up by the soapy micelles. Interestingly enough, this forms a different compound much like the original micelle that traps the dirty molecules in the center of the compound.This trapping of dirt and oil is what makes soap turn us squeaky clean — the oils and dirt can be easily washed away by plain water which would not normally be strong enough to get rid of the grease and oil.

The Dirty Side of Soap

Natural soaps are some the best cleansers we have, but these natural products come with a few downsides. Remember that natural soaps are “salts” of pretty mild acid compounds. This means that mineral acids are used to form natural soap from fat, and some of these fatty acids are not soluble in sodium or potassium and form “soap scum”.

This also explains why tap water (tap water is pretty much “acidic” everywhere in the US) is not a really effective medium for natural soap. Another form of water that doesn’t work well with natural soap is hard water, or water that naturally contains chemical compounds like calicum, iron, or magnesium. This is why it is hard to lather up in hard water.

The next time you dirty a plate and slide it into the dishwasher without a moment’s thought, think of the complex chemical reaction happening inside of soap. Without the interaction of soap and water, we’d all be a lot less healthy and a lot stinkier.

This is part of a series of blog posts we’re publishing about How Stuff Works. The other posts in this series include:

• How Does E-Mail Work?
• How Does Twitter Work?
• How Does Gravity Work?
• How Does Unemployment Work?
• How Does Wi-Fi Work?
• How Does the Eye Work?
• How Does Rent-to-Own Work?
• How Does a GPS Work?
• How Does Electricity Work?

According to the nerds at Google, people on Earth send 183 billion e-mail messages a day.

As far as most of us are concerned  e-mail is magic. You type into a box, click a button on a screen, and a message is immediately delivered anywhere in the world free of charge. More than a technological innovation, e-mail is a breakthrough in interpersonal communication. Imagine talking to your friends, family, and even business associates free of charge and lightning fast. Such a thing would have been impossible not even twenty years ago.
We know that e-mail isn’t magic but most of us have no idea how it works. Read on to find out about the alarmingly easy way that e-mail works to keep you in touch with the world.

E-mail Pioneer

The first e-mail message was sent in 1971 by an engineer named Ray Tomlinson. This guy’s literally the father of e-mail and is personally responsible for all of those Viagra ads you get in your inbox every day.

Before Tomlinson’s addition to the world of e-mail, people could only send electronic messages to other users who were setup on a single redundant network. Tomlinson’s innovative idea was to give computer users the ability to send messages to other machines outside of that network using the now familiar “@”  sign to indicate to which computer the message was to be sent.

Remember that an e-mail message is essentially a very simple thing, a piece of text with a recipient ID and a sender’s ID. E-mail messages are generally short — most of my e-mail communication is less than five sentences — and even with attachments like photos or music thrown in, the computer still thinks you’re sending a giant block of text.  More on that later.

E-mail Basics

Like most of the good stuff on the Internet, e-mail runs off a server. Servers are software applications that store and deliver  information through ports — for a good breakdown on how servers work, check out this article from eHow.com. E-mail servers work just like any other web server, and contain “lists” of e-mail accounts — text files indicating a person’s name and account and containing their e-mail client’s activity.

When it is time to send an e-mail, your web browser connects to a port on the e-mail server, tells the e-mail server the name of the sender and recipient and saves the contents of the message to those member’s text files. That e-mail server then completes the exchange by communicating with the receiver’s e-mail server and the whole process starts again when the e-mail reply is sent.

Sure, I’m condensing the process, but in many ways e-mail really is that simple.

Attachments

Since e-mails are basically complex text messages, how do attachments like photographs work?

Remember that e-mail messages can only transmit text, and since most of your attachments aren’t made of text, there must be some way of translating your niece’s smudged crayon drawing into text so the e-mail servers can handle it.

Computers these days translate attachments like wedding photos into a specific format (called MIME) and transmit that MIME material to an e-mail server using the e-mail server’s basic SMTP connection where it is then sent to the recipient just like a regular e-mail.

E-mail has changed the way we talk to each other — it has wiped out the practice of letter-writing and is starting in on phone calls.

Even though it has altered communication completely, e-mail is one of the easiest to understand computer activities — it really is just a matter of transmitting text across phone lines.

Keep in mind that though an e-mail may look complex, the basic method of transmission is straightforward and user-friendly. The next time you send an e-mail, think about all the billions of other e-mails floating around your head.

This is part of a series of blog posts we’re publishing about How Stuff Works. The other posts in this series include:

• How Does Soap Work?
• How Does Twitter Work?
• How Does Gravity Work?
• How Does Unemployment Work?
• How Does Wi-Fi Work?
• How Does the Eye Work?
• How Does Rent-to-Own Work?
• How Does a GPS Work?
• How Does Electricity Work?

What is “Wi-Fi”?

Wi-Fi is a trademark of something called the Wi-Fi Alliance, a group that (you guessed it) came up with the technology and controls the standards of Wi-Fi worldwide. Don’t give yourself a headache trying to figure out what “Wi-Fi” stands for — many people think it stands for Wireless Fidelity, much like Hi-Fi stands for High Fidelity, but that’s not true. The company made the name up on the spot. They needed something catchier than the technical name, which is “‘IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence”. I think you’ll agree that “Wi-Fi” caught on quite nicely. Other names considered by the company — Skybridge, Torchlight, and Flyover.

Enough with the name stuff, how does Wi-Fi work? Without going into too much technical detail, Wi-Fi uses radio waves just like your cellphone, your television, or your car’s radio.

First, a wireless adapter device (like the kind found in PCs and smartphones) translates data into a radio signal and broadcasts that signal using some kind of antenna. After the message is broadcast, a wireless router device receives the message, decodes the waves back into data, and sends the information to the Internet using an Ethernet connection.

Wi-Fi also receives information. To do this, the whole process runs backwards. A router receives data from the Ethernet connection, translates it into radio waves, then broadcasts it to the wireless adapter device.

Wi-Fi “Radios”

The basic process that Wi-Fi operates on is pretty simple. The walkie-talkies you may have used as a kid to play army are similar to the Wi-Fi devices you use now to check your email.

The “radios” on Wi-Fi devices have the ability to translate 1s and 0s (the basic building blocks of computer speak) into radio waves and also to receive radio waves and translate them into 1s and 0s.  Wi-Fi radios operate at super high frequencies, well above those used by telephones and other devices, which gives them more “room” to transmit large amounts of data.

Limitation of Wi-Fi

Because of the nature of the technology, Wi-Fi networks have a limited range.

Most wireless routers using either 802.11b or 802.11g with a standard antenna can be expected to have a range of about 120 feet indoors or 300 feet outside. A new version of Wi-Fi has been developed that is purported to double that range. The limitation on the range of Wi-Fi has been the main complaint about the technology since its inception.

Wi-Fi technology seems complicated. Wi-Fi is simply a system of radios that can communicate with the Internet through a wired Ethernet connection. Think of Wi-Fi as the cellphone of the Internet, allowing people to communicate electronically without using a mile-long extension cord.

The next time you use your Blackberry device to get directions to a restaurant or send a document to your office printer without being attached to it by USB, remember that Wi-Fi technology is responsible.

This is part of a series of blog posts we’re publishing about How Stuff Works. The other posts in this series include:

• How Does E-Mail Work?
• How Does Soap Work?
• How Does Twitter Work?
• How Does Gravity Work?
• How Does Unemployment Work?
• How Does the Eye Work?
• How Does Rent-to-Own Work?
• How Does a GPS Work?
• How Does Electricity Work?

Social networking sites have risen to a position of dominance on the Internet. Where once employees and students got “busted” for using their personal e-mail or reading The Onion, social networking has taken over top spot as Internet-based Time Waster.

The social networking site featuring the most meteoric rise to fame is Twitter. Unlike other popular social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace, Twitter has very little in the way of “bells and whistles”. People on Facebook are encouraged to posts pictures, videos, links, and all kinds of gadgets like quizzes and “gifts” that attempt to “amp up” the social part of social networking. Twitter, on the other hand, limits users to posts of 140 characters or less. Called “micro blogging”, these short messages are both the appeal and the limitation of Twitter.

Why Twitter?

When a user signs up with a Twitter account, that user intends to post and receive messages to a kind of network of their personal and business contacts.

Instead of sending out a dozen e-mails or hundreds of text messages (or depending on blog traffic that can be sketchy and difficult to track) you can send one message to your Twitter account. The service then automatically distributes that message it to all your Twitter “friends”.

The limitation of Twitter basically dictated its purpose — people use Twitter to throw parties, meet up for lunch, schedule meetings, entertain a big group discussion, or (most annoyingly) to send out updates to let people know what’s going on in their lives. This is why most people’s Twitter experience is hundreds of messages like — “Going 2 lunch at Burger King. Who wants in?” These short messages are called, affectionately, Tweets.

Tweets

A Tweet is any message sent on Twitter. A tweet can be a noun, or one can “tweet” a message, making a verb.

To send or receive a Tweet, a user must create an account with Twitter (which is free) and build a list of friends and contacts. These contacts have to have Twitter accounts as well — otherwise you’re typing to no one.

That may be the beauty of Twitter. In order to make it work for you, you have to build a network of other people who use Twitter. It is a kind of self-fulfilling marketing ploy, and one that works well based on the size of their customer base — in the millions at this point.

Another way to use Tweets is what we referred to before as “micro blogging” — make all your Tweets public and allow any Twitter user to stumble across them and read them. Ideally, this person would be interested by your tweets enough to become a contact of yours.

Building a Twitter Network

Once you have an active Twitter account you can start building a network of contacts. This works a few ways — you can either invite other users to receive your Tweets and start following other member’s posts or you can invite a million people to follow you and hope that works out.

As you receive Tweets from other people, you can respond and in that way gather new contacts. If people want to take part in larger Twitter debates or conversations, they’ll have to become a member of all of the participant’s networks.

Why So Short?

Comedians make jokes about it. Headline news complains about our “micro” culture — and yes, Tweets are very short messages. But there’s a beauty to a Tweet’s length.

Tweets can only contain text — you can’t Tweet pictures, video or other files. Twitterers who want people in their network to look at multimedia content must find a page to host the files, then send a link in a message containing the page’s address to their various networks. It sounds way more complex than it is.

People complain about the brevity of Tweets, but the short length of Twitter messages not only fits our fast-paced modern lifestyle, it causes people to get right to the point. If brevity is the soul of wit, Twitter should be one of the wittiest places on the Internet.

Twitter is a great tool for social networking as well as business applications. I was stunned last week to discover that my father is on Twitter as a representative for his company. My dad had a Twitter page before I did! Businesses and non profits have found that Twitter is a cheap and effective way to get the word out about their products and services.

This is part of a series of blog posts we’re publishing about How Stuff Works. The other posts in this series include:

• How Does E-Mail Work?
• How Does Soap Work?
• How Does Gravity Work?
• How Does Unemployment Work?
• How Does Wi-Fi Work?
• How Does the Eye Work?
• How Does Rent-to-Own Work?
• How Does a GPS Work?
• How Does Electricity Work?