How safe is your data?

These days our PCs are much more than just computers, they’re our life. Most of, if not all, the important information in our life is now stored electronically on a computer. Whether it’s those precious family photos, that beloved music collection or critical business documents and financial records, everything is digital. Hardware failure, a virus, fire, theft, a power surge, or even a disgruntled employee and you could be left with all of your data gone forever. The possibilities of how it can happen are endless (trust us we’ve seen them all) and we can only guarantee one thing – all hard drives will fail, often without any warning whatsoever. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it’s simple to address.

Geeks2U is proud to announce the launch of GeekVault, a secure, affordable, set and forget online data backup service. GeekVault came about after Geeks2U technicians became increasingly distressed with being called out to thousands of jobs a year where their valued customers had lost crucial personal and business data and it was either irretrievable or the cost of recovery was uneconomical. Our Geeks demanded a better way to do things and so we developed GeekVault.

Why GeekVault?

1. LOCAL: We backup your data to a leading Australian data centre so it’s never far away.
2. SECURE: Data is encrypted using 256 bit AES “bank grade” encryption before it even leaves your computer and is then sent via a secure 128 bit encrypted SSL link.
3. FAIL-SAFE: All backups are securely replicated across our network of data centres spanning the globe. All of these data centres are “bank-grade” with only the best security, uninterrupted power sources, dedicated internet connections and climate control.
4. LIVE: LiveProtect™ offers constant and continuous protection – whenever a file is changed, it’s backed up.
5. LIGHT: Minimal bandwidth usage – only the incremental change to a file is backed up, not the whole file, minimising your internet usage.
6. SAFE: Safest form of backup – unlike a local backup, your data is not susceptible to fire, theft or the many other risks of storing your backups locally.
7. SET IT. FORGET IT: Gone are the days of having to remember to regularly perform that backup which you know is so important but seldom bother to do. Once setup, GeekVault simply charges your credit card once a month for as long as you wish to use the service (there is no minimum contract) all the while fiercely protecting your data. Every photo, every email, every document, all safe with GeekVault.
8. ONLINE: Access files anytime, anywhere – all you need is an internet connection. Enjoy one click file & folder sharing. Share your files with anyone with an email address.
9. SHARE: Utilise your plan’s data allowance across as many PCs as you like rather than having to sign up each computer to a separate account.
10. ROLL-BACK: GeekVault keeps an unlimited version history of every one of your files allowing you to roll-back to any past version at any time. Best of all, we keep these for you for free without using any of your data allowance.

Sign up now for as little as $9.95 a month and never have to worry about your data again. It’s a tiny price to pay for huge peace of mind!

Find out more

The Intel i7

Intel has played a significant role in all things computer ever since the development of the personal PC… and beyond. In fact, many people are not aware that Intel was formed way back in 1968. Since their formation, they have steadily made strides in the development of semiconductors and computer processors. Intel became a household name during the 90’s through their popular “Intel Inside” advertising campaign and because of the fact that theirs was the processor of choice when it came to manufacturing personal computers.

Although Intel is known historically for developing microchips, they now offer a variety of products for computer manufacturers:

• Graphic Chips
• Motherboard chipsets
• Flash memory
• Network Interface Controllers and Integrated Circuits
• Embedded Processors

The latest product offering by Intel is creating somewhat of a stir. It is the new Intel i7 and it is their most recent processor. The Intel i7 expands on what they have already done in the area of computer processors and it is said to be extremely fast. I have been hearing a lot about this product but wanted to get the facts for myself, so I decided to do a bit of investigation. When I first heard that Intel had a new processor, my questions were along the lines of how quick would it be? What would it offer the user that is new in comparison to what we have seen before and what features have been improved upon since their last release?

What I have discovered is that the i7 processor makes the most of all of Intel’s breakthrough technologies and then combines them together for maximum power:

• Intel Turbo Boost technology
• Intel Hyper-Threading technology
• Intel Virtualization technology
• Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology
• Execute disable bit
• Intel 64 architecture

Excitingly, the Intel i7 is described as “adrenaline on a chip”! It appears that Intel went all out when it came to packing the processor with all of its most successful technologies. The i7 uses multi-core technology. This is a feature that helps the processor to direct and send power to the places that your computer needs it most at any particular moment in time. The i7 has the ability to perform 8-way multi-tasking and has increased cache size. All of this works together to make things much easier for computer users that multi-task in a serious way. They can now open several applications at the same time without worrying about their computer getting sluggish or freezing. Multimedia users will also be happy about how smoothly their PCs run even with their heaviest applications open.

Two powerful technologies that Intel have included with this processor are Turbo Boost technology and Hyperthreading. Both of these have worked well for Intel in the past. They contribute to increased processor speeds and better multitasking capabilities.

Keep your eye out in the media you will be sure to hear about this amazing advancement in computing

Video Editing Software Showdown

The demand for video editing software continues to rise steadily. The use of videos online has become more and more commonplace. In fact, every money-making web site uses one if not more videos to present their idea to visitors in a multimedia fashion. All of these videos need to be recorded, edited and fine-tuned for release on the web. This creates a new level of demand for video editing software.

I have personally used lots of video editing software over the years. For those of you that are fairly new to video editing or for those that are looking for video editing software for the first time, I have conducted a comparison of a few video editing applications just to give you an idea of what features to look for and of what to expect in the way of quality.

Adobe Premier Elements
Adobe Premier Elements has been on the market for some time now. Various updates and releases have been launched and it is truly a stellar piece of software. The Pro version of Premier is used at the most professional levels of video editing, and many top of the line Hollywood motion pictures are edited using Premier. If you are a serious video editor and want to use a software application that has no bounds, then Adobe Premier is the software for you.

CyberLink PowerDirector
CyberLink PowerDirector 8 is among the best in commercial video editing software. It is easy to use for those that are beginners and it also allows quality editing at a professional level. It comes with all of the standard features you would expect and what really makes it great for home users is its integration with popular social networking sites. Videos edited on PowerDirector can be uploaded directly to YouTube and Facebook. In addition to this, videos can be saved in a variety of formats to be played on a variety of platforms.

Corel VideoStudio
Corel VideoStudio is an extremely user-friendly video editing application. One of the things that makes it so user-friendly is the fact that the developers of Corel sat down with a variety of different users to get their opinions on what would improve the software. The Corel developers listened and actually made changes to suit the user. That makes this a quality product that is intuitive. It is geared as much towards the brand new user as it is to the long time professional user.

As far as features go, all three products are comparable and offer the same standard features. They each provide video capture and playback, have a series of visual editing tools, have editing effects and transitions. All allow both photo and audio editing and they let you save your videos to disk. You may already have a preference as to which of these tools you decide to use whether based on popular name brand, ease-of-use or a high recommendation from a friend. Personally, I prefer Adobe Premier. It is an extremely solid application that is well-developed, generally bug-free and in my experience it does not disappoint.

Handy tips for efficient computer use

Today’s computers run much more efficiently than ever before in history. Innovative tech companies continually find new ways to speed up the processing time of computers and to increase their ability to easily perform multiple tasks at one time. As computers get faster we also want to speed up the way that we interact with them. This can be made possible by taking advantage of the many shortcuts that are built into the computers that we use.

The most common shortcuts on today’s computers can be done by using the keyboard, and also the mouse. This is true for computers running on Windows operating systems (OS) and with Macs.

Keyboard shortcuts:
Windows users:
The main keys used for making shortcuts on the keyboard are the Windows key (Command key), Ctrl key, the Alt key, Shift and Tab.
The Windows key is an important key for taking keyboard shortcuts. It can be used to open any item in the Start menu. By pressing the Windows key and the corresponding underlined letter in the start menu you can quickly open programs and directories. In the same way, the Alt key can be used to open menu items by pressing the Alt key along with the menu item’s underlined letter.
Below is a selection of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for Windows users:

F1 = Help
Alt + Tab = Browse between open Windows
Alt + F = Open the File menu list
Alt + F4 = Quit program
Windows key + L = Lock computer
CTRL + C = Copy highlighted item
CTRL + X = Cut highlighted item
CTRL + V = Paste
CTRL + Z = Undo

Mac users:
The main keys that are used for keyboard shortcuts on Macs are similar to those used by computer users on Windows OS. The only difference with Macs is the addition of the Apple Key, which is also known as the Command Key. The Command key is essential in most Mac shortcuts.
Below is a selection of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for Mac users:

Command + A = Select items on the screen
Option + Command + A = Deselect all items
Command + C = Copy highlighted item
Command + D = Duplicate highlighted item
Command + I = Get info
Command + M = Minimize window

Mouse short cuts
Windows users:
Right clicking items on your screen allows you to use mouse shortcuts on your computer. Mouse shortcuts on a Windows machine are done by right-clicking on different areas of your computer screen with the mouse. Some of the most common shortcuts performed by right-clicking are copy, paste and delete. By right clicking a highlighted word, image or item in most programs you at minimum have the option of performing these tasks.

Mac users:
Few people realize that Macs have their own version of right-clicking. This is because traditionally, MACs only have one button on their mouse. To achieve a right-click like the Windows OS, Mac users have to press the CTRL key and then the item that they want to see a ‘right-click’ menu for. A drop menu appears over the item, providing a few choices of action. A Mac mouse can also be used to drag and drop items to copy/paste them from one drive or folder to another.

Windows 7 Preview

We have seen many version and transformations of the Windows operating system over the years. Some computer users have faithfully upgraded their computers with every version Microsoft operating system. Others users have been more conservative and have skipped a release or two. In the opinion of many, Windows Vista was an operating system to skip completely. Many users were dissatisfied with Vista. This makes Windows 7 an important release because it is important for Microsoft to release an operating system that is an improvement upon Vista.

Already Windows 7 has begun to receive positive reviews. It is naturally being compared to Windows Vista and in most reviews is coming out on top. There are many changes in Windows 7 that will require a learning curve even since Vista. They will at least require an adjustment in the way that you interact with Windows operating system.

Many changes have been made in Windows 7. The taskbar and the start menu is where traditional Windows users will need to get used to. The changes are not complicated but you will have to know where to look for the features that you may have always found in the same place in the past. One feature that no longer exists is the Quick Launch menu. Personally, I will miss this feature dearly as it has been the staple of my own computer use throughout the years.

The Desktop is much easier to access with Windows 7. You will find to the right of the Taskbar a short nub that when hovered over causes all open windows to become transparent. The desktop can then be seen through the open windows. Alternatively, you can click on the nub and all of the open windows will be moved aside, allowing you quick access to the Desktop and its contents.

Windows 7 eliminates the frustrating balloon notifications that were prevalent in older versions of Windows. Alerts related to unused icons on the desktop, notifications that your computer might be at risk and any other issues are all banished to an area called the Action Center. This is a notification area that you can go to at your convenience to review the alerts that have been raised. Issues that Windows 7 has identified are placed in a queue that you can review at your convenience.

All in all, Windows 7 seems to be a step in the write direction for Windows. I did not like Windows Vista and it seems that I am not alone in that sentiment. Microsoft quickly recognized how disgruntled many loyal Windows users felt about Vista and quickly provided an improved offering. For all intents and purposes, Windows 7 is a marked improvement over Windows Vista. Now it is for the public to give offer their vote of approval.

Back up Strategy – Drobo to the Rescue

The new age of technology that we are in has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for people of all age groups. Today’s technology allows us to communicate and entertain ourselves on a whim in a way that has never been possible before. In fact, the Internet alone provides us with more hours of intellectual stimulation, fun and conversation than was imaginable just a few short years ago… not to mention the many ways that we can use computers for work and personal tasks.

The shift to such a heavy reliance on technology means that many of our important documents and even personal information exist in electronic form only. Less and less are we relying on physical documents anymore. In fact, for some people, family photographs and diaries are all kept solely on the personal computer. With so much of our information stored electronically it is important for computer owners to have a back up strategy for their files. Ideally, your electronic data should be backed up in a secure way on a regular basis. This protects you in case your computer suffers damage or suffers a loss of data for some other reason.

Although most home computer users are aware that they need to back up their computer hard drives, they are rarely sure how they should go about this task nor which back up methods they should actually use. If you have a home computer user with a home network, you might find it much easier to back up important information if with a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) device.
(Check out our “Home NAS” article)

One device that functions very much like a network-attached storage devices is Drobo. Drobo is a storage and back up device that was developed by Data Robotics, a California-based company. The device can be attached to most computers via USB 2.0 or FireWire and is for all intents and purposes completely self-contained. It is one of the simplest devices on the market for data protection.

Once the Drobo is connected to your computer it will automatically back up and provide protection for the files on your computer as well as on any other storage device connected to your computer. It contains its own operating system which will recognize any storage device attached to it on the fly. Drobo is easy to use and therefore even the most basic of computer users can use this device to keep their files safe and to preserve the important documents that are increasingly stored in electronic form on their computers.

Browse the Web Safely – Avoid Identity Theft

The Internet, just like the real world, is full of all kinds of characters. An honest person in the real world is an honest person online. Along the same vein, a criminal in the real world is a criminal in the online world too. Unfortunately, the criminal presence or underworld on the Internet continues to increase with every passing year as hackers successfully scam thousands of Internet users out of hard earned money and more. Surfing the Internet 10 years ago is a completely different experience to surfing the Internet today. This does not mean that we need to run and hide. It simply means that we should use all of the resources available to protect ourselves and our personal information.

Although the realm of tasks that can be completed via the Internet has grown exponentially to where there are very few business and work tasks that can not be done online. When it comes to Internet safety, the areas where we are all at risk are when we perform those tasks that involve transmitting any personal information and when making a payment online. These types of transactions can be considered higher risk online activities because there is the risk that the information you are sending can be intercepted in some way and then used for criminal activity.

Every individual should guard against identity theft online and against having their credit card and banking details stolen. In fact, each of us should do everything possible to ensure that we have taken every precaution possible to make our online transactions safe. Guarding against criminal activity online is done through setting up good basic protective programs on your computer and by keeping them running at all times. Programs that protect you are things such as firewalls and antivirus programs. These are the basic safeguards that at minimum everyone should surf the Internet with. In addition to this, anytime that you are sending any information that needs to be protected, you should check to ensure that you are on a secure web page. Secure web pages always have a padlock symbol on them that indicates that any information sent via the page is secure and encrypted.

Other things that you can do to protect yourself online are, to be careful about clicking on links that you get in email messages. If you do not know the sender of an email, do not even open the email, much less click on any links that you find in there. Thieves send links in emails to web sties that look like authentic bank web sites. They then steal your log in details when you inadvertently enter them into their web site that they have created to look like your bank web site. Whenever you want to do business online, make it a habit to always type the address of the web site you want to visit into your browser rather than clicking on any links. This will protect you against the risk of using any dodgy links that have been sent to you by unscrupulous characters.

Home NAS devices

Network-Attached Storage (NAS) provides a way to store files remotely and to back up files on your computer, protecting you from loss of data due to a damaged hard drive among other things. A NAS is a computer that is attached to a network with the sole purpose of providing storage to other devise that might be attached to the network.

A NAS is usually dedicated and set aside only for use as a storage device even though it can often potentially be used as a normal computer and perform other tasks. NAS devices are usually controlled through the network using remote access or they can usually have a keyboard attached to them. When fully utilized, they ensure that you will not lose data even if your computer breaks down beyond repair.

The concept of NAS was originally developed for the business/work environment, however increasingly people are making more use of the technology in their homes as part of their home networks. There are all types of reasons that a person might want to use a NAS device as a part of their home network set up. Home movies, films, music and family photographs that are in electronic/digital format can all take up a huge amount of space on personal hard drives. When your files are placed on a NAS, you have the option of accessing any of these files from any computer on your home network. This can provide you with a huge amount of convenience and entertainment at your fingertips.

NETGEAR currently offers the ReadyNAS N+ series of storage devices. Each of these offers continuous monitoring of your computers and they are capable of backing up your files on a regular schedule. NETGEAR describes this technology as providing home users with enterprise level technology in their own homes. Your NAS can connect to several computers on your home network simultaneously, and devices like digital cameras can be plugged directly into a NAS for the quick download and storage of photos.

A NAS works perfectly for the increasingly popular netbook computers that are more popular than ever. Netbooks contain very little storage space because they are designed to connect with the Internet and other WANs rather than store data. Connecting a netbook to a NAS enables you to make full use of any resources stored on the NAS using your netbook as the interface (keyboard and monitor) to the stored files.

Securing Home Networks …How to stop your neighbours leeching

There is no doubt that a wireless network is the best way to set up a home network and to make the Internet available to every member of your household. In most cases when using a wireless network, family members can be in any section of the house and still pick up the wireless signal to access the network or the Internet. Wireless networks offer networking convenience and quick access to the world via the World Wide Web.

One of the downsides to having a wireless network at home is that there is the potential for neighbours to leech off of your signal. Anyone living in close proximity to your home is likely to be able to detect and use your wireless network. That is unless you go the extra step of securing your network.

Since most people buy their network router and rush home to plug it in and try it out, they very often fail to follow the appropriate steps needed to set the network up for optimal security. The most basic way to protect your home network is by setting up a network key. A network key is basically a password that you require people to use when they want to gain access to your network.

Another way to protect your network and your data is to make use of the data encryption technology that is available on your router. Depending on the age of your computer and your router, you will have a series of encryption options: WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc. Encrypting your data ensures that it can not be stolen in transit should anyone gain access to your network or to any information you send through the Internet.

Unless you have unusual circumstances, it is advisable to always secure your home network. Many people are relaxed about this issue, stating that they have nothing worth stealing. If you use your computer for online banking, you run the risk of having your passwords stolen on an unsecured network and thus funds stolen from your account. Even worse, you could find that your identity has been stolen just by way of the sensitive information that can be found once an individual gains access to your online account. Securing your home network is vitally important. Therefore, always be sure to follow the instruction manual that comes with your router when setting up your home network.

Voice Recognition Advances for the home PC

Voice recognition software when fully installed on a personal computer (PC) is software that has the ability to receive, interpret and convert spoken words into written text. Anyone that wants to use voice recognition software will need to have a sound card and a fairly decent microphone. A microphone is used to capture the words that you speak and to input that sound into the computer. Words that are spoken into the microphone can be detected by the software, recognized and converted into written text.

Voice recognition technology has been around for some time, although it has seen huge advancements over the past few years. As with any technology, voice recognition technology started off being slow, heavy and clunky. Not every word was recognized correctly and so work needed heavy editing. With time, the technology has been refined and improved so as to deliver the quality that we can enjoy today. These days, there less errors with the software in converting spoken words and fewer incorrectly interpreted words. Voice recognition software now has the ability to judge the context within which words are spoken and therefore can correctly choose the spelling of any word that can be spelled in more than one way. This helps in situations where two words sound exactly the same, such as the words ‘to’ and ‘two’.

There are many reasons that voice recognition software is useful both for personal and business purposes. The technology is great for any individual that may suffer from a disability that prevents them from typing into a keyboard or using computers in the typical manner. Voice recognition software can bridge a huge communication gap for people with disabilities by allowing more people to have access to computer technology. If a person is unable to type for any reason whether due to a physical disability or through maybe not having learned to type, voice recognition software provides them with the option of speaking words into a computer rather than typing them in.

Typically, voice recognition software can read back to the user the words that they have spoken. This allows the user to review their work/words and to make edits and corrections if necessary.

If you are on the market for voice recognition software for your PC, the two areas that you should judge software on are the speed and the accuracy of the software. In the best case scenario, you should try to buy the software that has the best word error rate (WER). Most applications will provide statistics on their WER. If they don’t, a search of consumer web sites and voice recognition forums will put you in touch with other consumers that can give you the ‘real deal’ on the accuracy of the voice recognition program you are thinking of buying.

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