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Rugged Field Computer Buying Considerations
by admin on Jan.23, 2010, under Contributing Authors
Rugged Field Computer Buying Considerations
This article is intended to help you decide which features you require in your field computer or as some call them a field laptop. There are a few immediate considerations and uses/applications to consider. The table below offers some of these considerations along with sample placement, and applications. The purpose of this table is to get you thinking about what to consider when defining your needs and act as a primer regarding the selection of ruggedized laptops or field computers.
General Considerations Example Placements Possible Applications Waterproof Outdoor use as an Oil field Mobile workers Dust proof Used in a vehicle Police Shock Proof Exposure to the Elements Public Safety Temperature resistant Office use
Chiropractic and Forward Head Posture
by admin on Jan.19, 2010, under Contributing Authors
In our chiropractic clinics I see many patients each day who all seem to complain
Dell Latitude E6500
by admin on Jan.15, 2010, under Contributing Authors
Design
Starting at 2.3kg (with the smallest battery option), the all-black Dell Latitude E6500 somehow manages to produce both the sombre design notes of business along with the style of consumer-oriented notebooks. While the plastic/magnesium alloy chassis is all angles, little touches like the blackened brushed aluminium finish on the back push the new Latitude into new directions.
A key part of business design seems to be matte, and here Dell delivers. Matte screen, matte keyboard, matte surface, the only thing that really qualifies as gloss is the Dell logo itself ? a good thing for usability as the usual cavalcade of fingerprints and obnoxious screen glare are kept to a minimum.
You won’t find the raft of multimedia buttons here either, with only volume up, down and mute buttons being present. You can, however, create your own hotkeys to do the job using Dell’s included software. The usual status lights are along the same plane as the volume buttons, and otherwise things are kept to a minimalist aesthetic.
The Latitude E6500 offers navigation options for both trackpad tragics and joystick junkies, including appropriately positioned mouse buttons for both, and a middle button so scrolling is easy with the joystick.
A few useful trackpad extras we haven’t seen before have crept in here through Dell’s own software ? one being circular scrolling, a technique that allows you to run your finger in a circle either clockwise or counter clockwise for continuous, unbroken scrolling. It’s a handy trick that makes life a little easier for those super-long documents. Another trick is using the left-hand side of the control pad in a similar way to the scroll zone in order to magnify the screen.
On the negative side, we often found when using the trackpad that when our finger would stray across the horizontal scroll area the cursor would completely stop and switch to horizontal scroll mode, interrupting our efforts.
Like other trackpad software, Dell allows you to set the scroll zones, but the functionality is nowhere near as customisable as that offered by other vendors, only allowing you to set them to “narrow”, “normal” and “wide”. You either have scroll zones, or none at all, as opposed to turning off just horizontal or vertical scroll. Dell uses an ALPS-branded trackpad here, although the competing Synaptics solution and software offers a considerable advantage.
The 15.4-inch matte screen is high resolution, weighing in at 1,920×1,200, a resolution usually reserved for 24-inch stand-alone monitors. Despite this, text is sharp and readable, the extra screen real estate is a boon for those working with CAD, 3D, design or video.
It also features an ambient light sensor, this is the second time we’ve seen this technology on a laptop, which automatically sets the brightness of the screen depending on your surrounding light. In high light situations the screen grows brighter, in low light it grows darker. It’s a handy addition that will likely save some extra battery time, and can be turned off if you find it annoying.
Also tied into the ambient light sensor is the keyboard, which can either turn on white backlighting when things get too dark, or simply respond whenever you use the keyboard or mouse. It also means doing work on those long-haul plane trips can be done a little more discretely, without waking up your neighbour by having to turn on the “personal” light above you.
Speakers flank either side of the keyboard, however, their contribution is token overall (despite the huge grille there’s only a single tiny cone on each side), and we’d prefer to see them either reduced or moved elsewhere in favour of a full numeric pad.
Our review sample came with a nine-cell battery which jutted out the end, but thankfully didn’t get in the way. Smaller options of four- or six-cell are available, as well as a 12-cell “battery slice”, which, working in tandem with the nine-cell, sits under the entire base of the laptop and clips into the dock extender should you need as much battery time as possible.
Finally, the power pack has gone on a diet, opting for slim but wide, instead of something you could kill a small child with. This makes it handier to slip inside a carry case and carry with you.
Features
Expandability seems to be the byword of the E6500, even sans docking station, as it seems to have almost everything you could possibly need. The requisite fingerprint scanner is there of course, as is the smart card (SC) slot; however, there’s also a contactless area to swipe your SC to the right of the trackpad, as well as three USB ports, an eSATA/USB port, FireWire port, headphone and microphone port, removable DVD+-RW, PCMCIA and Express Card slots, SD card reader, VGA and DisplayPort out, gigabit Ethernet and a modem port.
A Wi-Fi catcher sits on the right, but as usual it’s reasonably useless as it only alerts to the presence of Wi-Fi ? not if the signal is strong, or whether it’s encrypted. Pulling out the battery reveals a space for a SIM slot, should you choose to have a WWAN (3G/HSPA) module installed for an extra AU$299.
The Latitude E series sees the launch of a new BIOS that’s comparatively high resolution and mouse controllable, and quite frankly, very nice. Dell wouldn’t elaborate on what powers it, so we resolved to pull the laptop apart and catch a glimpse at the BIOS chip. Despite our best efforts however, we were utterly thwarted by the Dell construction pixies, as we couldn’t figure out a way to completely remove the casing around the motherboard without breaking things.
Although we do strongly suspect that the BIOS may be Linux-based (Everest seems to think it’s developed by Phoenix, while everything else says it’s Dell), like the upcoming “Latitude ON” quick-boot operating system. Sadly Latitude ON isn’t present here ? at the moment, it’s only available in the ultraportable Latitude E4200 and E4300 machines.
Present is the ability to turn off pretty much everything in the machine, as well as USB PowerShare ? Dell’s name for the technology that allows USB ports to stay powered even when the machine is off. You can even stipulate at what battery level to turn PowerShare off.
A new entry we’ll see across all laptops shortly is the ability to plug in the powerbrick, keep the battery in, but not recharge it. After the exploding Sony battery fiasco last year that affected many laptops across many brands, airlines got a little tetchy about letting batteries charge up mid-flight. This works around this issue.
The hardware spec is decent and Centrino 2 certified. Our review sample was built on a Core 2 Duo T9500, 2GB RAM, Nvidia’s Quadro NVS 160M (256MB, DDR3) GPU, a 160GB 7200rpm hard drive and featured wireless N and Bluetooth. Quadro is Nvidia’s professional graphics range, and the high-speed hard drive also gives it away as a machine more suited to graphics/visual production. Anyone else purchasing the unit as a result (aside from gamers) will find it delivers more than enough power for their needs.
As usual for Dell, a huge variety of hardware options are available ? our review unit came in at AU$3,771, however, a base unit comes in at AU$2,000, reducing the screen to 1,280×800 and the graphics to Intel’s X4500. If you really want to go the full monty, you can get a 64GB SSD hard drive for an additional AU$1,183, bringing the price of fully “pimped” E6500 to around AU$5,000. Of course, your prices will vary depending on your negotiations when purchasing on a corporate scale.
VPro is also included for remote administration (supporting Active Management Technology 4.0), and the Latitude E6500 is the first system we have seen from Dell which the company is offering to ship with Windows Vista 64-bit, with a config allowing up to 8GB of RAM.
Our E6500 came very light on pre-installed software, including Roxio DVD Creator, Adobe Flash Player and Sun’s Java. The system also came with Dell’s management software known as “Control Point”, which provides a central terminal for managing all the features of the E6500.
Performance
The Quadro spat back a 3DMark06 score of 1,996, a respectable result for a laptop. PCMark05 made the most of the configuration, returning a huge 6,092, and a creditable 829 in Cinebench. Battery life was pretty miserable, although considering our super-specced hardware and the high resolution screen, this is unsurprising.
Turning off all power-saving features, setting screen brightness to maximum and playing back a DVD, the E6500 lasted a meagre 91 minutes with the nine-cell, 85Whr battery. Obviously with the bevy of power-saving features turned on and a lower-specced machine, this would increase massively.
The Dell Latitude E is a glimpse into the future of laptops. The gauntlet has been thrown. Toshiba, Lenovo, Fujitsu ? your turn.
IPod Accessories
by admin on Jan.11, 2010, under Contributing Authors
IPod are the new sensation these days especially for those music buffs. IPods has been at the forefront of a musical revolution and the revolution is showing no signs of slowing down. The iPod have replaced the CDs that we were glued to for all these years.
Get Comfortable in your Office With These Tips on Office Furniture
by admin on Jan.07, 2010, under Contributing Authors
When you think of office furniture, you like many people, probably start thinking, desk, chair, maybe a lamp, definitely a computer, and some pictrures on the wall. However the office furniture industry is a multi-billion dollar business. If you are in this line of work then you already know this, but for most of us we don`t. This kind of revenue also means the vast variety of choices when it comes to furnishing your office.
Earlier, the demand for office furniture was limited to file cabinets, desks and chairs but today it has diversified to include ergonomic chairs, recyclable carpeting and custom-built furniture. In 2006, U.S. companies spent $12.9 billion on office furniture. It is suggested that about 70% of the industry is using cubicles, which are more difficult to install than free-standing furniture.
A big name that comes to mind when you think of office furniture is Ikea. According to Eunice Lee of Oregon Business Magazine, “one of Ikea`s strengths is the personalization of its products. Their popular desks are customizable in color, height, and accessories.” Leaving you the consumer more options not only to choose from, but also to customize the product for where it will be placed. Let us not forget the office chair. Chairs are now sought after to be more comfortable and of course ergonomically correct. Danine Alati of Contract claims, “today`s ergonomic seats are so inherently functional that they work as hard as the users who occupy them.” Studies have shown that the more comfortable a chair is, the more productive you (or your employees will become). “Since lack of comfort translates to lack of productivity, ergonomic seating manufacturers are challenged to provide intuitive chairs that are easy to use and accommodating to users, with a clean, pleasing aesthetic, to boot,” continues Alati.
You`re Fired! Ok not quite, but we all know the show, The Apprentice, which is hosted by Donald Trump. Not surprising but now, even he is getting in on the office furniture act. According to furniture today, “Staples has launched the Trump Office, an exclusive licensed line of office chairs. The chairs` designs are inspired by the lifestyle of real estate developer and celebrity, Donald Trump.” Trump describes the products “as solidly crafted executive chairs.” According to Staples, “the chairs are made using stain-resistant, heavy-duty fabrics and leathers.” So you are not fired, but at least you`ll be comfortable.
Of course if you are creating or setting up a home office, chances are you are gearing it up to your own special needs, fashions, styles and work environment. Those same sentiments are agreed to by Heath Combs of Furniture Today whos says, “the trend in home office furniture is equally tied to technology in terms of its design and functionality.” Sligh Furniture Company`s Family Communication Center features a laptop docking station with power, Internet and data ports and Aspenhome`s Liv360 cocktail table includes an adjustable lift-top table and storage space for laptops, pens, paperclips, file folders and other desk accessories to name a couple of companies who are offering a more customized feel for the end user.
So you have some choices to make for your home office as well your office at work. The key to any piece of furniture or equipment you buy…make sure it is comfortable.
By: Michael C. Podlesny
About the Author:
Michael C. Podlesny is the Managing Director of Indocquent.com. Indocquent.com is an online resource that allows businesses and individuals to list and sell office furniture and other products in 20,000 cities in over 200 countries around the world free of charge
Recovering data from an IDE Hard Drive or SATA Hard Drive
by admin on Jan.03, 2010, under Contributing Authors
If you’re looking to recover or transfer data from/ or to an old IDE Hard Drive or SATA Hard Drive (or for that matter a new Hard Drive) then there are a number of options available to you and all of them are pretty easy to use:
For ease you can think about the options in 3 separate groups:
- Disk Drive Enclosures (also know as Drive Caddy?s)
These are excellent because not only do they offer physical protection to the Hard Drive that?s installed in the enclosure but they really do breath new life into any old Hard Drive that you might use in them (you can of course use new Hard Disk Drives as well). The smaller HDD enclosures typically come with a protective wallet, which makes them ideal to take with you as a portable back up.
All Hard Drive enclosures come with leads to connect the caddy to the PC and some will offer multiple connection options e.g. USB, Firewire and increasingly eSATA.
The only real downside of the Hard Disk Enclosures is that they are not designed for ?popping? hard drives in and out quickly. With HDD enclosures the HDD is held in place with screws and typically the enclosure is screwed together.
Laptops, don’t let them be a pain in the neck!
by admin on Dec.30, 2009, under Contributing Authors
Laptops are considered to be life savers. They come to rescue when the project has to be presented the next day and the work begins the day before. They are saviors when you are at home and the electricity is off. They also are good company when travelling. Be it for the light weight, the mobility or the sleek look, laptops are quite a rage.
But there is the other side of the laptops that is quite challenging. The design of laptops is not very user friendly. The very use can lead to bad posture that brings in pain in the neck, back, frequent headaches. For already compulsive about work, laptops can cause more workaholism.
There are these things about laptop that are absolutely bad:
- The screen and the monitor are fixed together. Ergonomically it is a bad combination.When the screen is at an eye level, then the keyboard is at the chest level which puts pressure on the shoulders and arms. When the screen is placed on the desk, then the keyboard is taken care of but you would have to stoop your neck to look at the screen which affects your neck.
- The keyboard is too small and leads to awkward movement of the fingers.
- There is no support for the wrists.
- Laptops heat up quickly and cause harm to skin if rested on the legs or on the lap.
- When carried from one place to another by a one shoulder bag, laptops can cause a cold shoulder. The weight of the laptop can cause strain on the back and legs.
You might still say that these are small things that you got used to and now are even comfortable with. But in that case, you are also used to the frequent cold shoulders, sore arms, neck and back aches. Bad posture also causes frequent headaches and a feeling of giddiness and numbness in fingers.
Right way to use the Laptops:
- Not on your lap: Yes, even if they are called laptops it is better that you don’t rest laptops on your laps. The high temperature of the laptop is known to cause severe blisters on the skin and a research by European journal Human Reproduction in 2004 shows that the rise in temperature near the groin can lead to 40% decrease in the synthesis of healthy sperm.
- Keep Hands happy: Make sure you have given enough support to your arms and that your arms lie horizontal and not unsupported. Also keep your wrists in a neutral position and keep your hands relaxed.
- Avoid the glare: Keep your laptop in such a position that there are glares from the windows and lights.
- When travelling: Avoid using one sided bags. Instead opt for rucksacks and trolleys.
- Angle the screen: Adjust the screen so as to feel the least amount of neck strain.
Use docking station: It is a device that converts your laptop into a desktop computer. It is has different slots for USB, printer and other connections and also comes with external keyboard and mouse. The best feature is that you can adjust the height of the screen as per your requirement.
To read more about Laptops, don’t let them be a pain in the neck!
Medimanage Health Insurance India
Laptops or notebooks
by admin on Dec.28, 2009, under Contributing Authors
Towering demand for laptops or notebooks has made the electronic market widely popular like never before. It is yet another alternative for desktop PC. The exclusive design makes it small, lightweight and easily portable. When at home, you can conveniently carry the laptop to different rooms. It is your companion when traveling or outdoors. Given below are few tips for buying the right laptop!
How do I choose my Laptop?
Basically, a laptop should be selected based on its features and portability. Benefits of using a laptop are entirely dependent on specific needs of users. Generally, it is easily transportable anywhere and any time. Also, this user-friendly device?s price varies according to its features. We have categorized the users, outlining the type of laptops that will suit them.
Home users ? For people, who surf the Internet occasionally, a portable laptop with similar features of a desktop PC is a great choice. Home users can look out for either midsize or desktop replacements with 800 MHz processor and 256MB RAM. They are budget-friendly and also offer added features.
Students ? Students will prefer a lightweight laptop that can be easily carried from classroom to library. For such users, a thin-and-light or an ultraportable laptop with 256MB RAM, a burner and Pentium M processor is the right choice.
Regular Fliers ? Frequent travelers prefer a lightweight laptop whether at airport or in meetings. The smallest and lightest ultraportables with processors in the Pentium-M family, built-in Wi-Fi, 256MB RAM is the right choice.
Business power users ? Such users who attend seminars or prepare presentations, a thin-and-light or desktop replacement laptops are appropriate. Powered with 256MB RAM, 40GB hard drive space and an Ethernet card, this is the right kind of laptop that serves all business needs.
Multimedia Author or Gamer ? Such users involve in editing audio, video or photos using Photoshop. A desktop replacement with 512MB RAM, a 2GHz or faster processor and 80GB hard drive space is the right choice.
What are the types of laptops available in the market?
Technology has enabled the availability of laptops in various shapes and sizes. Keeping buyer?s perspective in mind, given below are few kinds of laptops.
Ultra portable ? These compact laptops mainly suit mobile professionals or frequent business travelers. The smallest of all, it weighs less than 6 pounds with screen size of less than 12 inches.
Thin & light ? It is apt for those who mainly consider performance, features and price. This easily portable laptop is great for occasional fliers. It weighs less than 4 pounds with screen size of 12 or 14 inches.
Midsize ? Suitable for home and small business users, a midsize comprises of basic computing software that facilitates word processing, storing digital photos, burning CDs, online communication and so on. It weighs up to 8 pounds with screen size of 15 to15.5 inches.
Desktop replacement ? Usually, this laptop is used at home and is great for business users. It delivers exclusive computing muscle for serious gaming, multimedia authoring and high-level digital audio/video work. It weighs up to 8 pounds with screen size of 17 inches.
Tablet PC ? Such laptops are widely popular for their portability, flexibility and unique features. They allow you to take handwritten notes and navigation through menus, documents and web pages in various styles.
How do I pick a suitable laptop processor?
Generally, processors found in laptops are AMD or Intel made. When others focus on processors? performance, few consider their battery. With minimal power requirement, laptop processor generates lesser heat than desktop processor. It basically extends battery life and prevents excess heat. For beginners a 2.0GHz Pentium 4-M, 1.7 GHz Celeron-M, or 2200+ Athlon XP Mobile are recommended.
Key features be considered while buying a laptop Laptops with bewildering features tend to confuse you. Once you have decided on its weight & processor, consider other components. Few important ones to be kept in mind while buying are listed below:
Hard drive ? This stores all your programs and files. Higher the drive?s storage capacity, more is the data storage. The speed may vary depending on the capacity of the drive. If planning to store operating system, documents or photos, look out for a 20GB or 40GB hard drive. Laptop with 80GB hard drive is suggested for saving large quantity of files like high-resolution images or movies.
Memory (RAM) ? Usually, a certain amount of memory (RAM) is required to run programs including operating systems. Look for a laptop with 256MB, 512MB RAM, 1GB RAM or more.
CD & DVD drives ? Most laptops have an inbuilt CD/RW, DVD or external Drive. They are connected through USB that is meant for burning disks and watching movies. There are combo drives that read or write to 2 media formats.
Ports ? Ensure that all peripherals and gadgets can be well connected with your laptop. A USB 2.0 or FireWire is required to connect MP3 player, digital camera or camcorder. Most of the devices also work with USB 1.1.
Screens ? People who choose a lightweight laptop tend to compromise with the display. Laptop with larger display is suggested for those interested in multimedia or 3D games.
Networking & Wi-Fi ? Connecting to Internet is easy with laptop featuring built-in Ethernet support, a PCMCIA network interface card, or Wi-Fi (802.11b or 802.11g) support.
Graphic Card ? It processes video by freeing up memory (RAM) for other system operations.
What other accessories should I concentrate on?
Given below are the major accessories to be considered when buying a laptop.
Mouse option ? Generally, laptops do not feature a traditional mouse but there could be a mouse option. Nowadays, all laptops come with a touchpad, nub or both.
Bluetooth ? It is a short-range wireless networking technology that is supported by some laptops. A bluetooth-enabled PDA or cell phone will allow you to talk and exchange data wireless.
Extra Battery ? If you are entirely dependent on battery, ensure that you have a spare that can be carried along.
Docking Station ? With this, you can connect your laptop to a standard keyboard, mouse, monitor & printer.
Carrying Case ? It is always advisable to have a laptop carrying case for safe and convenient transport purpose.
Did you find this article useful?
How to Choose a New Laptop Computer
by admin on Dec.10, 2009, under Contributing Authors
Laptop computers are a great choice for people who travel many times every year.
Safeguarding Your Laptop
by admin on Dec.06, 2009, under Contributing Authors
Breaking free from a traditional working environment to fly alone with a mobile office on their back was a long-time dream of the Baby Boomers who were born in the early 1960’s and grew old watching how science and technology began to skyrocket but limited to the imaginary of television shows and films portraying the wonders of gizmos and gadgets that became a reality for the Generation X and Y, the wired teens of today.
Age does not really counts when it comes to mobile technology and you and I know alike that in a every-day changing world like this who does not get involved in the latest technology trends is simply living in the past. We have seen how personal computers took over a place in most households all over the world, but portability would be the focal point in the 1990s bringing handhelds and mobile phones.
Amidst this technology’s commotion, laptops remained in the dark as the long sought-after dream to carry on a light tool to create and personalise our work on the go. Yes indeed, this is my personal approach to introduce you to tech secrets to safeguard your portable computer, but nonetheless interesting realising how the turn of the century made of laptops our daily companion after an obscure startup in the early 1970s, followed by a slow evolution from notebook to the actual device’s format between the 1980s and early 1990s.
If you are like me, your laptop is being used as multipurpose device at home and going to the school, at work or just having fun in the outside world. For each of the different stages in which your laptop performs the principal role in your life, there is a safeguard measure to bear in mind. Like with PCs, laptops are susceptible to data-stealing, data-loss and hackers attack, though the small size and portability of this device makes it vulnerable to physical thieving , that is why I am going to summarise some of the methods to protect it.
If you are a College student you might know some security basics to protect your laptop, whether posted on your campus or passed on to you as a flier from other students. For those who ignore these preventive measures, they focus generally on keeping your laptop personalised by means of a unique sticker applied anywhere on its surface, try laptop sleeves, a light-weight alternative to laptop cases protecting your mobile computer from exterior damage and keep it safely embraced when you are going from one place to another. Jotting down in a safe place your laptop’s serial number and making instead a permanent marking on its surface are also two useful measures that we will discuss later.
Even though, there are also gizmos specially designed to prevent your laptop from being stolen while you are carrying on your device and they are relatively inexpensive including cable locks that secure your laptop against casual thieves by means of a built-in USS (Universal Security Slot) available in most modern mobile computers. When it comes to work with your laptop on a desktop, I would suggest a docking station that locks your device to the surface you are working on. Going farther, have a look at this Car Safe for Valuable and Laptop Computers which might be a must for a full-time mobile office owner.
Moving on to data protection, I was reading at the Spy Gadget Blog how Self-Destructing Laptop Aims to Protect Confidential Data works by protecting the confidentiality of your data through different levels, truly interesting but somewhat expensive because of being a
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