Will Greater Competition in Gaming Laptops Be Beneficial for Us

Gaming laptops used to only be attainable from select resellers. In the past the lack of sales countered by the profit margins. Regardless of that everyone probably wanted one. Suppose you a power hungry user they were simply the best laptops you could get. Laptops for gaming would get people thrilled in regard to what’s to come in a couple of years but I do not think they would buy laptops like this knowing the price is going to drop quickly. Nowadays things are a lot different with tier 1 manufacturers also releasing gaming notebooks.

If mass produced, manufacturers can make big profits on gaming notebooks. Its certainly a great option to larger gross profits. In my view well known brands can apply leverage to sway prospects to buy laptops despite cost. What can local manufacturers possibly do if their prices are undercut? Plainly what I see taking place here is that the larger brands reducing prices in the beginning to get rid of the competition from littler system builders. People just feel tons more at ease making a giant purchase from a brand name.

I believe they surely are manufacturing a few of the best laptops out today. I believe that small resellers could still have an opportunity. People like to be able to customize as they can choose what is most valuable to their needs. Normally a lot of comparisons of the specifications will be done and the tech savvy can decide what the superior portable actually is. For certain buyers, the specs and power could be way more important in comparison to looks.

This would be interpreted as a positive change for the buyer. I could predict a couple of price wars taking place in this market later. Though I say that, I am not actually sure of my claims. Premium prices should stay and be expected with the newest laptops is what I am thinking. The global brands have already started in the gaming laptops niche so we will have to look and see what the outcome is I reckon.

Should you be looking to purchase a laptop computer you might want to go to http://www.rizeon.com/gaming_laptops/page.php

The Popular Laptop Computer Trends At The Present

The need for notebook computers is skyrocketing in this point in time. Manufacturers are trying to keep up with this but have warned that supplies could be small. This is one business which I don’t think will be affected with all the financial crysis that seems to be going on. Also with notebook computers now it looks like every couple of months or so the technology is already lapped with something else.

Increasing numbers of people are purchasing laptops for gaming these days. If you’re a games player with a tiny budget the good thing is that you can get a gaming laptop a lot less expensive now because the average life is dropping. Gaming frame rates on laptops is fairly adequate considering the factors at play so if you need mobilility they offer a good choice. What impressed me the most is how slim and attractive some gaming laptops are getting in comparison to earlier times. Though gaming laptops have come a long way in numerous aspects, in terms of raw speed they still can’t contend with desktops. It looks as if everyone is obsessed with making slimmer, lightweight notebook computers and I am certain we will see gaming laptops like that soon.

Numerous small system builders provide custom built laptops to specialist markets. I think the parts are more credible and perform better. You can usually save money on things you don’t want by specifying the notebook to your requirements. Those notebook computers available in shops are for ordinary tasks. A custom made laptop solves. High levels of customer care and support can also be found when purchasing custom built laptops. To me this is a massive plus.

The next notebook computer technology will be breathtaking. This year it looks like cheap portables are the current buzz. A whole new sector has been made suddenly it looks. Buyers want laptops that are light yet also big enough to be practical and simple to use. Lighter materials required for such laptops are still too expensive. Manufacturers are loading greater speed into notebooks and it looks as if gaming laptops will get thinner and lightweight. New laptops are typically kept secret before launch so theres no knowing what new products we will encounter.

I’d recommend these if you’re after the best laptop computers.

8 Simple Ways to Defend Against Evil Doers Both Online and Off

There once was a time when the only option people had when shopping was to either call in or snail mail in a catalog order form or to jump in the family car, fight through traffic, and wait in long checkout lines to complete the purchase.

Well, nowadays there’s still a few major mail order catalogs floating around and we all still visit our local retail outlets, but time has also introduced the internet as one of our options to shop from the comforts of home.

The internet has made shopping at home a breeze and along with it has unfortunately brought the so called “Evil Doers” who I believe have such little happiness in their own lives that they must leech pleasure from the hardworking and innocent individuals of our wonderful and surrounding nations.

And yes, I am speaking of the ever growing problem known as Identity and Credit Card Theft.

As an online and offline consumer it is in my best interest to protect myself while at the same time wanting to help others protect themselves as well.

Below is a short yet thorough list of ways that you can follow to help yourself stay safe and be a happy consumer and keep “Evil Doers” at bay.

1) Always shred sensitive materials such as bank statements before throwing them away in the regular trash. Just because the paper documents are in the garbage doesn’t mean they are safe from peeping eyes.

2) Contact your local bank or credit card provider to request a card with a low limit. This can make you feel more at ease about shopping at those not so familiar places and can reduce the damages caused by such an ill intended individual if they get hold of your number.

Also never give out the 3-letter Card Identification Number found on the back of the credit card unless you absolutely trust the merchant you are dealing with.

3) NEVER give out your social security card number for any reason! If capable you are best to obtain a tax I.D. number from the Internal Revenue Service or local tax agency.

If any “Evil Doer” gets hold of your personal information such as home address, birth date, and Social Security Number you are at great risk of being victimized.

4) Only purchase items online through secure order pages which is typically indicated by a small, yellow, “Padlock” image usually located somewhere near the bottom of your internet browsers window.

5) If you ever receive an email asking for sensitive information and claiming to be from a company that you have an account with, NEVER supply the requested information and never click any links or hit reply to send such personal information back to the “company”.

Many legit companies will not ask for sensitive information via email.

If you get such an email you are better off to make a copy of the letter you received then close that browser window and then open a NEW window and access the company directly from their website address.

You should then submit the email you made a copy of to the company so that their anti- fraud personnel can take the necessary steps to send out warnings of possible fraudulent activity to be aware of to its members.

6) Be cautious about downloading and installing unnecessary programs onto your computer. If there are programs that you indeed must download ALWAYS scan the files for viruses and make sure that your anti-virus program is up to date.

There’s a wide variety of viruses that are distributed to unprotected computer systems and some of which are known as “Key Stroke Loggers” that record your sensitive log in names and passwords and then are made known to the trouble maker.

7) If possible try to utilize 2 different computers when using the internet.

One computer should only be used for general internet surfing just in case it was to obtain a virus such as a Key Stroke Logger so there would be little threat of someone getting your personal information.

Only use the second computer to access more sensitive information such as online banking or other important websites that require passwords and important information.

Finally, if there are young members of the family that have computer use privileges be sure to monitor and restrict the sites and programs they are allowed to use.

Many fraudulent individuals love to prey on the unexpecting and inexperienced web surfer.

In any case just be certain to contact the police or appropriate authorities the INSTANT you believe that you have become a victim of Identity Theft or Credit Card Number Theft.

The sooner you tell the authorities the better the chance they can help you recover from a financial catastrophe.

Dan Preston is the webmaster of a site called InfoHeaven Digital
Books and The Online Book Store where you can find useful and Fr’ee information along with many how-to digital books that cover a large variety of interesting topics.
http://infoheaven-digital-books.com and http://online-book-store.net.

Hard Drive Crash? The Essential Data Recovery Report

Your worst nightmare just became a horrifying reality. You keep hearing that little voice in your head mockingly shout “you should have backed that stuff up” The voice keeps echoing throughout your head as you perform a quick inventory all of the important information that you just lost…..your client database, a years worth of e-mail, your entire inventory database, even your family photos.

Even worse, you’ve got a deposition in two-weeks and key information needed to help win the case were also lost. You quickly call a service technician and have them come over to check the computer out, only to hear the worst news of all….your data has been lost. When a hard drive crashes, it’s too late to worry about what you “should have done.”

Today data recovery is a multi-million dollar industry. The number of data recovery firms out there seems to exceed the number of fast food restaurants for the entire planet. These companies specialize in helping their clients retrieve data on anything from hard drives to flash-roms. In the following report, we will discuss what data recovery really is; the different types, the costs, and what you can realistically expect when it comes to getting your data recovered.

What To Do In The Event Of Data Loss?

Around 44% of all data loss is caused by hardware failure. It’s important to make sure that you immediately shut your system down if you suspect that hard drive has crashed. Don’t even try to go through the shutdown procedure, just pull the plug from the wall. Do not try to run off the shelf data recovery software or drive utilities. Many times these applications will assume the drive is functioning properly and will increase the risk of permanent data loss.

Types Of Hard Drive Failure

When we discuss data recovery in this report, we will primarily focus on issues surrounding hard drive failures; since these types of failures are most common. There are really two primary forms of failure in a hard drive, logical and physical. Logical failures are usually a result of file-system corruption. This can occur due to a virus, accidental deletion of key files or registry components, and in some cases even electro-static discharge. In most cases where a logical failure has occurred, the drive is still recognized by the system BIOS, but it will not boot. In most cases, your data should still be intact on the drive, even though it may appear to be inaccessible.

If the system BIOS does not detect the presence of the hard drive, then chances are a physical failure has occurred. Physical failures can result from a wide variety of causes. There are really two sub-categories for physical hard drive failures; mechanical and electronic. Mechanical failures usually result from a failure of the spindle motor. Spindle motor failure can result from excessive heat due to a bearing failure. The increased heat resulting from the bearing failure will expand the drive shaft and therefore seize the spindle motor. Suddenly, your drive will become inoperative. Occasionally, you will get a warning that something bad is about to happen. You may hear a loud whining, a grinding noise, even high-pitched screeches. If anything like this starts to occur, BACK UP YOUR DATA IMMEDIATELY.

Another physical issue that sometimes rears its ugly head is an electronic failure. If you look at a hard drive you will notice a circuit board on the bottom. This board is basically the brains of the drive, and it is where the computer interfaces to the hard drive. An electrical failure can occur unexpectedly at any time. Even brand new hard drives are not totally immune to having electrical failures. Sometimes it’s just a faulty component, sometimes it’s improper installation (i.e. electro-static discharge, grounding out the board, damaging circuitry during installation). It’s important to also keep your system clean and well ventilated, since excessive heat can damage the electrical components on the drive. If you have a system that is in a somewhat contained area, you may look at adding an additional 80mm fan to cool the internal components of the system, especially the hard drive. No other component of a computer works as much as the hard drive, and therefore it is vitally important not to overlook it when cooling issues arise.

How Is My Data Recovered?

One of the most often asked questions that customers ask is, “how do you get my data back?” Well, it’s really not black magic or rocket science. It’s just a matter of having the right tools and the knowledge necessary to know what to do, much like a surgeon performing heart by-pass surgery. Many prominent data recovery facilities have a large array of hardware, software and tools for recovering data.

Generally speaking when a hard drive is received by a data recovery firm, the first thing they do is evaluate it, and determine what recovery solution will be necessary. If the drive failure is a logical issue as mentioned earlier, then a scan of the drive will be performed to try and repair the file system corruption. Sometimes a partition can be repaired and the drive restored to the status that it was before the failure. If this is not possible, then a very low-level scan will be performed that essentially searches every sector of the hard drive for files. Once the files are located, they can then be copied to the media of choice, i.e. a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or another hard drive. Logical recoveries can take up an enormous amount of time, especially if the drive is on the verge of physical failure. It’s not uncommon to allow for one day of scanning and a day for recovering the found files.

If the drive has suffered a physical failure, then the recovery procedure is quite a bit more challenging. As mentioned above, there are really two sub-categories of physical failure; mechanical and electronic. An important element in recovering data from a physical failure is having the necessary parts to get the drive functioning again. Unfortunately with hard drives if you have a 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for example, then you will need another identical 20GB Maxtor Hard Drive for salvaging parts. In cases where the electronic circuit board has failed on the hard drive, then you have to have the exact same circuit board on hand in order to retrieve the necessary circuit components for replacement. Many times you cannot even exchange circuit board for circuit board. These repairs generally require soldering skills and a thorough knowledge of electronics to be successfully completed. You will most likely hear “Class100 Clean Room” thrown around a lot when talking to data recovery professionals. Simply stated, a Class100 Clean Room maintains exceptional air purity, and contains less than 100 airborne particles larger than 0.5 microns in each cubic foot of air. This is vital in protecting sensitive internal components of hard drives. Anytime a hard drive is having an invasive procedure performed on it, a Class100 clean room or better is needed.

The time frame for recovery is generally 5-10 business days for physical issues and 2-4 days for logical issues. Sometimes if components are not readily available, then it may take weeks to complete the recovery. Some firms offer expedite service and you definitely pay for this added attention.

What About Data Recovery Software

This is one area where you really do get what you pay for. Try to stay away from software in the $20-$60 range, since these utilities are generally very limited in what they can do. Also make sure that you NEVER and just to emphasize, NEVER EVER get data recovery software that writes anything at all to the damaged disk. You run the risk of overwriting data that may otherwise have been recoverable, but will be lost forever. If you are fairly computer savvy, then there are a few good data recovery software solutions available.

What To Look For When Shopping For Data Recovery

There’s an old saying, “you get what you pay for.” In most cases this is true. However, just because a company with a fancy website quotes you $3,500 for data recovery, does not mean that they are any better than a company that quotes you $1,500. Also, try to stay away from companies that want to charge $50-$300 for evaluating your drive. There has been a movement in the data recovery industry over the last couple of years to offer a number of free services. Most reputable data recovery companies will evaluate standard IDE drives free of charge; so don’t let the word “free” this or “free” that stop you. The data recovery market is quickly becoming saturated, and a company does not necessarily cheapen itself or lack expertise by offering free evaluations.

You will find as you shop around for data recovery that prices vary greatly. You will get quotes that range from $300 to $5,000 for standard hard drive recoveries. It’s not uncommon to literally get quotes that have at least a $1,500 high/low spread. We shopped one prominent data recovery company where we gave them specific indicators of a physical hard drive failure. We were eventually quoted a price range of $600 to $2,900 for the recovery. Many times this is a bait and switch type tactic. They get you to send in the drive with the low-end $600 price, then they let you know it’s going to cost $2,100 for the recovery. You end up being well under the $2,900 high-end price, but well over what other reputable companies would charge. Since most customers won’t go through the pain of having the drive sent back, only to have to send it out to another company, these bait and switch companies end up making huge profits off of unsuspecting customers.

Try to find a company that will give you an up front cost for either a logical or physical recovery. Most companies will be able to tell you within a couple hundred dollars the cost of a recovery. However, don’t misunderstand a company that gives you a price for two different procedures. For example, some companies will give you a price if the failure is logical and a price if the problem ends up being physical. We called one firm and were told that if the drive had a logical failure the price would be $400 and if it ended up being a physical issue the price would be $1,600. This is not a high/low spread as mentioned in the earlier example, this is simply quoting a price for two different types of recoveries.

On average you can expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $600 for logical recoveries, and $1,200 to $2,000 for physical recoveries on standard IDE hard drives. If you have RAID drives, SCSI, etc. depending on the configuration prices can be as high as $15,000. Remember, backup backup backup backup backup!!

Can My Data Be Recovered?

In most cases the answer to this question is yes. On average, the success rate for data recovery professionals is about 75-85%. However, there are times when the data is just lost, either due to extensive damage to the platter or unavailability of replacement parts.

How Do I Get Started?

If you have a hard drive that has crashed, the most important thing you can do is contact a data recovery professional immediately. Make sure you aren’t being charged an evaluation fee if you have a standard IDE hard drive. Most companies only charge evaluation fees for complex RAID and network server drives.

It is important to do your homework, call and talk with the companies. When you find one that you feel comfortable with, give them a chance. Your hardest job, may be finding data recovery firms that actually have someone available to answer the phones. Ask questions and be sure to have the following information available:

Size of the drive

Operating system (i.e. Windows 98, Windows XP, etc.)

Situation of failure (what happened just before the drive stopped working)

Is the drive recognized by the computer or not

Good luck in getting your data recovered, and make sure you always backup your important information on a daily basis.

Author: Greg Duffield
Company: ACS Data Recovery
Toll-Free: 1-877-646-0546
Website: http://www.acsdata.com
E-Mail: greg@acsdata.com

Mimicking Sea Life and Taking It to the Next Level

When scientists design things they often look to Mother Nature and hundreds if not millions of years of evolution to see what she figured out. For instance when designing aircraft we look at birds and how they fly and when designing a submarine we may look at dolphins, whales, fish or sharks to see which design works best and which shape we might mimic. Did you know that a shark is six times more efficient per weight than our Navy’s most advanced nuclear submarine? It’s true and indeed tells us that even if Mother Nature is not the master of intelligent design, that there are many a species better than us at designing themselves; perhaps thru natural selection or survival of the fittest, or a combination of these and other factors.

If mankind’s most brilliant minds are to design Autonomous Underwater vehicles (AUVs), which use only solar power and batteries, which flex polymer imitation muscles then we need to do more than just understand how a shark, dolphin or tuna fish swims. We must become one with it. We must get inside of not its mind, but its body to understand how it uses the hydrodynamics, ocean currents and its own kinetic energy as it interacts as one with the water.

http://www.thetech.org/robotics/universal/breakout_p07_robotuna.html

I therefore propose that we fit a thin skin over a dolphin with sensors on it. You know like a shirt that people put on their dogs to keep them warm, sure hey look silly, but you get the idea. The thin skin will be broken into grids and as the dolphin moves the grids will be stretched and compressed, each time the dolphin powers its way thru the water. The dolphin may think this is a stupid experiment, but we can give them extra fish for dealing with the extra aggravation. The sensors, via a wireless underwater system to our computer, will record this movement of the grid system. Additionally the grid system will have pressure sensors to tell us the amount of dynamic pressure from the water is being forced on each grid. Similar to the tests NASA does for wing loading and pressure on the skin of an aircraft wing during flight and various maneuvers.

Once these tests are completed we then know exactly how and when our RoboTuna or Robotic Fish AUV must move to maintain the level of efficiency to run on solar powered energy, yet at speeds of sea life. This study needs to be funded in a grant to three different Universities for 1 million dollars each and the information learned needs to be given to the United States Naval Research for use in net-centric warfare strategies and also given to the United States Coast Guard for future use in surveillance AUV for patrolling our coastline.

More efficiency means less power needed, greater range, faster speeds and more agility to complete the assigned tasks. We must be thinking to the future and check out what the other brilliant species of the planet have done to get them to the tops of their food chains.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Resolving Conflicts By Turning Negatives Into Positives

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required.

There are five techniques that I shall share with you. They have been proved to be effective in resolving, minimizing, and preventing conflicts. And by conflicts I am referring to any of the following that take place between two or more people: misunderstanding, miscommunications, arguments, disagreements, mixed messages, fighting, etc.

A. I-Message: Use this approach to convey a message to someone when:

* your communication and that of the other person might become hostile;

* the communication might become a shouting match; or

* the words might turn to physical confrontation.

Put an I-Message into action by following these sequence of steps:

1. Get his attention. (Call person by name.) “John, Bob, Sue, Mary, …”

2. Identify your emotion. (Identify and name the emotion you are feeling.) “I feel/am happy, angry, mad, excited, etc. …”

3. Name his misconduct. (Identify the behavior that is offensive.) ” …when you slam the door, spill juice on the clean floor, call me names, etc. …”

4. State the consequence(s). (Identify the consequence that you wish him/her to change. And stop! Be extremely cautious not to ramble because by doing so you run the risk of throwing a spark on the cinders.) “… because it/you causes me to jump, have to remop the floor, be disrespected, etc.”

Putting it together it should sound like this: “John, I get angry when you slam the door because it makes me jumpy.” (Stop! Wait for a response!)

Research has shown that the response is 95-98% non-confrontational or aggressive.) Remember: This approach lets the person know that, although you disapprove of his (or her) behavior, you still care about him.

B. You-Message: Use this approach when you want to reflect to your listener what you’re observing. [Reflect the emotion.] (Identify and name the emotion you are observing.)

(Call person by name), “You seem happy, angry, mad, excited, etc. … “

C. Active Listening: Use this approach when you want to let someone know that you’re truly paying attention. Do so by totally involving your eyes, ears, and body. Pay attention to his body language, move close, cup your hand over your ear, lean forward, etc.

D. Paraphrasing: Use this approach when you want to make sure you did not miss what was said. “So, if I understood you correctly, you said there were only 5 spaces.”

E. Summarizing: Use this approach when you want to break up lengthy conversations into smaller pieces that you can remember and understand. Rather than let the other person ramble on about what all he did last weekend, take control by asking to tell you about each day’s events before moving on the next.

Put it all together. Begin SOARING to the top of the Mountain when you:

* Summarize when the conversation is becoming too lengthy.

* Observe to see if the body language matches the words spoken.

* Actively listen to what is being said by making eye contact.

* Reflect what you thought you heard.

* Indicate that you truly care about the doer and not the deed.

* Name the misconduct to bring it out into the open.

* Go beyond the emotions to get to the facts.

Remember: When you maximize your potential; we all win. When you don’t, we all lose.

© MMIV, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

About the Author

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts lectures, seminars, and writes articles on his theme: … helping you maximize your potential. For more information visit www.MaximizingYourPotential.blogspot.com.

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Planning Ahead For IE Study

Candidates preparing to pass the CCNP exams are putting together Cisco home labs like never before. With CCNA and CCNP home lab equipment more affordable than ever, candidates have realized the importance of working on real Cisco routers and switches on the way to earning their certifications.

One question I get often from CCNP candidates is goes something like this: “I’m planning on pursuing the CCIE after I get my CCNP. What kind of routers and switches should I buy now in order to use the same equipment in my CCIE home lab?”

This is going to sound strange coming from me, because I’m the #1 proponent of CCNA and CCNP candidates buying their own home labs. When it comes to the CCIE, though, I have to say that you’re probably better off using rack rentals instead of investing big money now to buy more expensive equipment with which to earn your CCNP.

There are plenty of 2500 and 2600 routers out there that you can buy to prepare fully for your CCNA and CCNP exams that may not have the capability needed for IE preparation. (For instance, while 2500 routers are fantastic for CCNA and NP study, they shouldn’t be used for IE study.) The issue with buying more expensive equipment is that Cisco rightfully updates the CCIE lab equipment list twice a year, and these moves can prove very costly for those who get caught in the middle of these changes.

Let me give you an example that I lived through myself. When I began pursuing the CCIE, Catalyst switches were in use in the lab. I had a Cat 5000 that I used for practice. When I was in the middle of my preparation, Cisco introduced L3 switched to the lab in the form of TWO 3550 switches. Not only was the Cat now almost useless for IE study, the new switches went for about $5500 apiece, so if I wanted to keep up with the new lab changes, it was going to cost me $11,000.

Again, I know that it’s vitally important for today’s CCNA and CCNP candidates to get hands-on experience with home labs. It’s also great to think ahead when you’re earning your CCNP, and pursuing the CCIE is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. Just keep this regular CCIE lab update in mind. I recommend that you keep your CCNP budget down while not investing in more expensive routers with the IE in mind, and wait until you have passed the CCNP and are actively engaged in CCIE study before making the decision between rack rentals and putting together your own IE lab.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!