E-Readers

E-books continue to grow in popularity. Not only are today’s consumers willing to pay for their e-books, many authors are making a living exclusively through selling their books in electronic format. The most convenient way to read your e-book is through the use of an e-reader device. These are usually small, hand held devices that can be carried anywhere with you. There are some excellent models in e-readers on the market. In this article, I will mention just a few of the e-readers that I feel fall among the best on the market.

Sony PRS600
The Sony PRS600 is an attractive device that has a 6-inch touch-sensitive screen. The PRS600 holds countless e-books which are stored on an SD memory card. While reading from the device, users can easily turn the pages of their e-books by simply moving their finger across the screen. This great feature makes things feel very much like reading a physical book however this model can have screen glare.
Size: Height = 174.5 x Width = 121 x Depth = 10mm
Weight: The PRS600R weighs just 286g so it is very easy to carry around
Battery Life: Comes with a rechargeable lithium ion battery. As measured by page turns, the battery lasts 7,500 page turns when using it for reading (excluding when other features are being used).
Memory: Uses SD memory and has a built in slot for cards.

The Kindle Wireless Reading Device
The Kindle is a great e-reader made available by Amazon.com. Users can use it to read ebooks, to store up to 1,500 ebooks, to purchase ebooks from Amazon.com and to do a host of other things. This well-engineered device has a screen that looks like paper. Unlike many LCD screens, it can be read in sunlight as well as in any other environment as well.
Size: 1/3 inch slim (about the thickness of a magazine)
Weight: 10.2 ounces
Battery Life: User can read for up to 1 week on a single charge even with the wireless feature switched on.
Memory: Holds up to 1,500 books

Bookeen Cybook Opus
The Bookeen Cybook Opus is an attractive e-book reading device. It is extremely easy to read from. It makes use of ePaper technology which emulates the way that ink prints on a piece of paper. The screen can be read in all types of lighting conditions, including sunlight. The Cybook has very long battery life. Users can download a huge number of books from a catalogue made available by a variety of web sites.
Size: Height = 151mm x Width = 10mm
Weight: 150g
Battery Life: Battery lasts for 8,000 page flips.
Memory: The Opus has 32 MB of built in memory with 1 GB of NAND storage. It also accepts Micro SD storage cards.

Sound Editing Software

In the world of audio, things began to switch to digital quite a long time ago. The ability to record sound digitally gives people the ability to manipulate that sound and edit it in other ways using a computer. Huge conveniences come from being able to edit sound using this type of audio technology and it also gives more people (that otherwise might never venture into audio editing) access to this type of tool. The digital format is a much more lasting format than analog (cassettes and vinyl) and a lot of people want to buy sound editing software just to transfer old albums into digital.

These days, sound editing software can be purchased online in a single transaction, downloaded right away onto a computer and used instantly to edit sound. There is a host of sound editing software on the market; more than you could probably imagine so sorting through it can be quite a task. Below, I have looked at some of the popular sound editing software applications and performed a few comparisons for you:

NCH Golden Records
NCH Golden Records is sound editing software designed specifically for transferring analog recordings into MP3 files or into CD format through your computer. Users can record music onto their computer and then onto CD. Clicks, pops and hisses can all be removed using an auto restoration feature of the software. The software is easy to use and it works with a record player or cassette recorder being plugged directly into the computer. NCH is a reputable company that has all types of audio applications on offer.

AVS Audio Editor
AVS Audio Editor is sound editing software that is currently available for the Windows platform only. It is quality software that allows users to enhance digital audio, extract and edit audio from video files, save audio in a variety of formats, remove excess noise from audio and more. It allows you to visually analyze files to help with the task of editing them. AVS is a reputable UK-based software development company that has already created many good commercial applications.

Audacity
Audacity is a free open source sound editor. It is available for all platforms so Windows, Mac and Linux users will all be happy with this product. This software can be used to do all types of audio editing tasks: record live audio, convert analog recordings to digital, edit sound files, splice and mix sounds and more. This is a very reliable piece of software that is very effective, especially due to the live recording feature.

With all of the benefits of digital music, it is definitely time to archive all of those old vinyl recordings in a digital format that will not wear out. Any of the sound editing programs featured above will make this task quick and easy for you. In most cases, all that is needed is a record player or cassette player and a computer with a USB port and wire to plug the record player into.

The Next Big Internet Trend – IPTV!

The Internet is an extremely fast evolving medium. It is a place where an amazing number of trends are launched every year. Some trends go unnoticed, some achieve huge levels of publicity, while others completely revolutionize the way that things are done. Looking back over the past few years there have been many web trends that have literally changed the lives of millions of people. Web sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter have each provided us with new ways of being connected to friends. They allow us to socialize and network in ways that were unthought of just 10 short years ago.

Since new ideas arise all of the time online, knowing the next big trend in the Internet world can be extremely hard to predict. This is because in all corners of the globe there are handfuls of young people working away, night and day at computers hoping to be the one that wows the world with the next thing. Whether or not they succeed is dependent upon a host of variables. It is hard to predict. Of those things that are up and coming and that are publicly known Internet Protocol Television or IPTV looks to make a huge impact over the next year on the Internet world and the traditional broadcasting world. IPTV is gearing up to take the world by storm.

In many ways, the birth of IPTV is an obvious and natural transition for television. We have YouTube which invites the world to broadcast itself. It is hugely popular and many will tell you, including myself, they prefer to sit and watch YouTube videos online than regular TV. There is something fresh and enjoyably raw about the videos on YouTube that are good. Most importantly, these videos are broadcast exactly where I am at. Online! It is ideal, since I am already online networking, chatting with friends through messenger, even working! So, this is the most convenient place for me to be entertained.

When IPTV becomes available it will provide users with traditional television programming delivered through their computer and over Internet protocol (IP). In many ways, it is the next step in digital television. With IPTV, programs will be sent through the Internet to computers using packet-switched network infrastructure. This is the exact same technology that is used to send and receive emails and all other content found on the Internet.

The business mind always considers the question of what is the next big thing. Knowing the correct answer to that question could be hugely profitable for anyone that chooses to benefit from it. They could choose to develop that particular business idea themselves or they could choose to align themselves in such a way that they profit from the popularity of that industry when it takes off. IPTV has a lot of financial and moral backing so I am confident that it is a service that all of us will very soon be contemplating.

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.

Touch Screen Computers

Touch screen computers are the type of computers that have screens that can be touched to input information. Below the surface of their screens are a series of touch pad receptors that receive input every time the screen is touched. Touch screen technology like this first began to be developed in the 1970’s and it has gradually been advanced over time.

Microsoft Corporation first began to develop software for touch screen computers when they released their Surface operating system. This operating system was used primarily on table top applications and mostly in the commercial environment. Readers may recall seeing touch screen computers in use over the past decade in major restaurant chains when a receipt is being printed or when orders are being sent through to the kitchen. In recent years, Apple has propelled the advancement of touch screen technology by the development of the iPhone. The iPhone primarily receives input through its touch screen; no keyboard is required and neither is a stylus. Since the popularity of the iPhone, other mobile phone makers have begun to develop and make use of touch screen technology and it is now becoming more commonplace.

Using touch screen computers is in many ways is a lot easier than using a keyboard to input data and to generate commands. The keyboard is the traditional way of operating a computer and although it offers almost unhindered control over computers it also creates more bulk. Therefore most devices with keyboards tend to be bigger. Today’s consumer, however, is looking for smaller, slimmer devices that can be carried around with them, and that can be operated quickly with the most ease.

Fortunately, touch screen technology is extremely quick and it reduces the amount of equipment that computer users have to contend with. In the case of mobile computers, there is less to carry around. For manufacturers there is less to add to their devices. Less moving parts means less bulk and less to break. Due to the convenience of touch screen technology, most manufacturers of mobile devices are moving in the direction of touch screen technology only. The Apple iPhone is an example of this and definitely the forerunner of this trend.

A more recent development that will increase the popularity of touch screen computers is Microsoft’s Windows 7. The development of the Windows 7 operating system will most likely lead to more widespread use of touch screen technology. This is because Windows 7 has been developed with touch screen computers in mind. In fact, it is the first Windows operating system that Microsoft has focused attention on touch screen technology. The expected result is that many new touch screen devices will appear on the market with Windows 7 as their operating system of choice.

The Fastest Computer in the World (for now)!

Computers have grown from obscurity to being absolute must-have devices in the space of just half a century. In the 1950’s, computers were huge in size and they required the space of a complete room just to contain them. In those days, computers had many moving mechanical parts and they were noisy, clunky and slow. In the 50’s, it was really only the government and government-backed programs that had access to computers.

During the 1970’s the potential for computers began to be seen. Still, developers were years away from producing the computers that we now literally take for granted. Two key developments brought about the every day computer use that we experience today. One was the development of the microprocessor and the other was the development of the Windows operating system that suddenly made using a computer as easy as clicking on graphical icons. Prior to Windows, most computer users had to write text commands to make their computers do what they wanted.

The development of the microprocessor pretty much changed everything as far as computers were concerned. The microchip was revolutionary to the development of computers. They reduced the size of computers and increased their speeds. Since microprocessors were fairly inexpensive to make, they also reduced the cost of owning a computer. This allowed for the widespread use of computers both for commercial use, educational use and for the every day consumer. Today, computer manufacturers continue to work on increasing the speed of computers and reducing their size. Science labs all over the world experiment with different ways to accomplish more and more speed.

Currently, according to the LINPACK Benchmark standard, the largest and the fastest computer in the world is housed in Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It has been developed by Cray, Inc. and it is called the Cray XT5 but nicknamed, ‘the Jaguar’. Measured against other computers using algebraic equations, this computer performs the fastest. It is said to have 1.75 petaflops of speed. It breaks all types of records and is the first computer to push the envelope, sustaining performance of over a petaflop on a 64-bit scientific application. Although that is a whole lot of tech talk, it basically means that this computer is extremely fast! It has 224,000 processing cores which allows the computer run at lightening speeds.

Currently, this high speed computer exists in a science lab only. However its development will ultimately trickle down to the every day consumer and effect the speed of future computer models. Huge amounts of money are invested in advancing every aspect of computer hardware and software. Up to now, we have seen extremely rapid advancements in computer technology not just with every passing decade but with every passing year… and things only seem to be speeding up.

2010 Technology Trends

2010 is upon us and unfortunately, the decade of the ‘noughties’ has passed quicker than any of us could have anticipated. I mean, wasn’t it just yesterday that we were scuttling around trying to protect ourselves and our computer systems from the Y2K Bug? Amazingly a complete decade has passed since the now laughable problems of Y2K. In that time, huge strides have been made in the area of electronic gadgets and technology, especially when it relates to the Internet. I have compiled a short list of technology trends that are expected to hit us in 2010. This is by no means an exhaustive list but a ‘things to look out for in 2010′ kind of list so read on:

Increased Use of Cloud Computing Technologies

Cloud computing is most likely a term that you have heard bandied about in magazines and technology programs. The average computer user will not know what it is, but basically it is a term that is used to describe a cloud of services that any business, person or entity might use to share information between people and computers. These services include things like data storage, computer power, file back ups, telephony, messaging and more.

In 2010, major tech companies plan to move forward with cloud computing initiatives and so it is very likely that businesses will also latch onto and make the most of what cloud computing can provide them. IBM, Cisco and EMC have all spoken publicly about boosting what they offer in the way of cloud computing.

A Switch from Netbooks to Smaller Mobile Devices

Netbooks skyrocketed in popularity over the past 3 or so years. Netbooks are said to be popular because of their mobility (they are extremely lightweight), their simplicity and the speed within which they can connect to the Internet. The downside to Netbooks, is that although quite small, they are not as portable as a PDA or mobile phone. 2010 is expected to introduce devices that will overtake Netbooks in popularity. These devices will be smaller than Netbooks yet slightly larger than PDAs. The Apple Tablet is one product that will be launched and various manufacturers are planning PC versions of the Apple Tablet.

The Availability of 3D Technology in the Home

Home entertainment manufacturers are planning to make 3D technology increasingly available in the home. An increasing number of 3D movies were released in 2009. These 3D movies will soon be offered on DVD and Blu-Ray for home audiences. Enjoying this technology and making the most of it will most likely require consumers to purchase 3D capable TV screens, along with the 3D versions of DVDs. Keeping up with this trend will require a considerable financial investment, so only you and your family can decide whether it’s worth it.

iPhone vs Android

The iPhone and the G1 phone (with Android operating system) are two mobile phones that have grown rapidly in popularity as well as in rivalry over recent years. The phones are similar to one another in that they push the envelope of mobile and touch screen technology. Both phones offer users not only the ability to make phone calls on the go, but also to make use of a host of useful applications and other features on their mobile phones.

The iPhone and its operating system has been available for a few years now and was developed and launched by Apple, Inc. The Android operating system on the other hand was developed by Google. Google then worked closely with High Tech Computer Corporation (HTCC) to develop the actual G1 phone and it’s hardware.

When it comes to priorities in development, mobile technology continues to be given a very high priority. This is simply because people throughout the world continue to rely more and more heavily on mobile technology. Mobile phones are not just used to make phone calls but increasingly they are being used to connect to the Internet on the go. Whether people are using this to find maps and directions, or to update their status on a social networking web site, mobile phone makers are obligated to provide this technology.

The main feature of both the Android operating system (OS) and the iPhone is the ability to surf the Internet. Both of these phones come with a wide screen and with WIFI capabilities, giving users the option to browse the Internet at leisure. Browsing speeds are reasonable and provide people with great convenience.

The iPhone is highly popular. When it first came out, it offered features that were considered revolutionary for the mobile phone in so many ways. Other phone makers are beginning to catch up but generally speaking they are not there yet. The iPhone is navigated primarily through touch screen technology. Users dial numbers through touching the screen, they send text messages and operate the various applications that the iPhone contains all through screen touch.

From reviewing both the G1 and the iPhone, I would say that the Google G1 does have some advantages over the iPhone however it does not fully surpass the iPhone or its technology. Definitely the keyboard that comes with the G1 is an advantage. Although the iPhone’s touch screen keyboard is fun and new, people are still quite conditioned to using a keyboard when operating computers and I believe that using a keyboard will still be their preference over touch screen technology for some time to come.

The G1 gives its owners access to the battery so that they are free to swap a fresh battery in at will. Although this seems like a fairly basic feature it is not the case with the Apple iPhone. iPhone users have to send their phones to Apple to have their phones replaced and therefore swapping batteries in and out while on the go is not an option. At present, the Android cannot compete with the iPhone’s media player. The iPhone has simply taken the mobile media player to another level and it will take the Android some time to compete with it. Lastly, the design of the iPhone is much slimmer than that of the Android. Slim is always more ideal than bulky. Users want devices that require the least amount of space in a pocket or hand bag.

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.

Google Wave

There has been a lot of buzz in recent months about Google Wave and the large array of team-based tasks that can be completed with it. Google Wave is basically a collection of online tools that allow the members of a team/group to work together collaboratively on documents. The tool is web-based which provides team members the freedom to be located anywhere in the world. All types of preferences can be established, however, at it’s most basic level, no matter which member of a team comes up with an idea, all team members can be required to sign off on the idea as a condition for moving to the next level of development. Google Wave is often used by team leaders. They often set up a document and then invite people into the project, giving them the ability to ask every team member to input ideas. It is a great way to stimulate discussion. Google Wave makes teamwork via the Internet a reality.

Wave is a term that is used often in the Google Wave system. A Wave is defined as a discussion that has several participants in it. Wave participants are invited into a project, or added by a Wave admin and are given permission to participate in the development of documents or in whatever collaborative effort is taking place. There is no limit to the number of participants that can be added to a Wave. One particular feature that makes Google Wave especially exciting is the option for new participants to playback any interactions that took place among the team before they actually joined the project.

Google Wave functions are in real-time and therefore any communication at all, can be seen instantly by other team members. This allows team members on the same project to work together on a document while holding a real-time discussion at the same time. There are no limitations on the quality of documents that users work with. Google Wave allows for rich text formatting, uploading photos, video uploads and the placement of maps in documents as well. All of this eliminates the need for email messages being sent to the group and eliminates a need for attachments in those emails.

Project managers, business owners and business planning departments can all benefit greatly from the features offered by Google Wave, as can companies that require the co-operation of multiple departments placed in different offices and cities. Often traditional businesses hesitate to adopt new technology and wait to see how things fair with other companies. Google Wave is one development in technology that definitely improves the way that things are done in the best of ways.

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