Technology Guides

One day I was sitting down at my desk and turned on my laptop. I was looking for a file when I realized I had lost it and could not recover it. It tought me a valuable lesson and that was to never delete a file because it might be important later on. That lesson got thrown out the window when I realized that I had too many files piling up and slowing down my computer. So I decided to install a program to help me recover deleted files if I ever needed them again. Microsoft Windows Vista creates shadow copies of every files you have and Ultimate utilizes it to recover them if you need it. Other version of Microsoft Windows Vista cannot recover it, unless you download another 3rd party program like ShadowExplorer or a file recovery utility such as Recuva.

ShadowExplorer

ShadowExplorer as I mentioned before allows you to browse the shadow copies created by the Windows Vista Volume Shadow Copy Service. It needs time to get going so don’t start deleting files as soon as you download it. What this program does is creates a copy of your hard drive for one day and you’ll have to access the deleted file from this day.

ShadowExplorer

This program is a great free alternative to the more expensive programs because it organizes your files at that specific day much better than most. Other programs tend to just show all the deleted files that can include internet cache stuff which is useless.

Recuva

Strangely enough, Recuva, is pronounced “recover” but who cares in my opinion because it is free. The problem I find with this type of recovery utility is the fact that it has to scan your whole hard drive, and not all of the files it finds can be recovered. It also names them different so you have to sift through the different files very carefully.

It is better than ShadowExplorer because it helps bring back files that were lost through a virus, bug or crash which ShadowExplorer doesn’t do as well at. It takes up a small area of your hard drive and you won’t lose much CPU when you run it but that comes with its drawbacks. It’s much slower at finding files because it has to scan whereas ShadowExplorer can almost instantly show you your hard drive at a certain date. The interface is slightly more refined but still equally usable.

Conclusion

Both of these programs will get the job done but offer two different ways to do it. Personally my bet is on ShadowExplorer but it’s better to be safe then sorry sometimes, so why not download both.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I’m not an expert at this subject but I’ve been through the whole struggle and now my battery life can only last about 10-20min give or take. Now the sad thing is, there is no Viagra type solution for these issues but there is a way to prevent your laptop battery from deteriorating at the beginning. I did not take any of what I’m about to tell you into consideration but I hope when you get a new laptop you take these seven things into consideration when you’re traveling and one thing that will extend the life of your battery.

• Turn Down Your Screen Brightness - Screen brightness is not a big deal yet it takes away a lot of battery power that can be put to better use (like playing games). This is very easy to do. All you’ll need to do in Microsoft Windows Vista is go to Control Panel–>Hardware & Sound–>Power Options and then on the left sidebar, click Adjust the display brightness. Here you can also tell the computer when to turn off the display and power off depending if you’re plugged in or not.

• Adjust the Computer Performance - Depending on what you’re doing while traveling, you might be able to sacrifice some performance to save some power. Microsoft Windows Vista has three plans that you can utilize: Power Saver, Balanced, and High Performance. I use Balanced most of the time, but there are times when I use the other two. You can tailor each of these plans to best suit your needs, but the one you should be focusing on is the Power Saver. Configure it so you’re using the least you can.

• Turn off Wi-Fi/Bluetooth – If you have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, turn it off. In most cases, you don’t need either of these because we have the Blackberry/Apple iPhone to do quick checks of email and such. It can be a real energy saver and can be as easy as flicking a switch off.

• Watch Movies/TV off Hard Drive – One secret a lot of people don’t know or might know and not really act on it, is the fact that the CD/DVD drive takes much more power then if you download and watch it directly. Now I’m not encouraging downloading from illegal sources, what I’m saying is you should take this into consideration when you go on your next trip

• Take Out the Battery – The reason my laptop has very little battery life is I now have it plugged in 24/7. This destroys the laptop battery and speeds up the process of aging because then the battery doesn’t have the chance to discharge so it loses it’s ability to hold a charge. A way to prevent this from happening is when you have your laptop plugged in all the time you remove the battery as it is not needed. When you hit the road, make sure to put it back in as well as double checking the battery is still charged.

• Cool Your Laptop Down – To keep the temperature down on your laptop, clean your air vents but to go even further you should have a laptop stand when you are working at your desk. Laptops in general work better when they are cooler and so letting the laptop have a room to breathe only helps that. A laptop stand kills two birds with one stone (not that you should literally do that in real life) because it provides you with an ergonomic keyboard.

• Don’t Multitask – Even in real life, multitasking can put a strain on yourself such as doing homework and watching TV (I know, I love it too) but if you’re trying to preserve your battery life, only do one thing at a time.

Popularity: 10% [?]

How many times have you found yourself looking through a drawer and seeing charger after charger for your cell phone with no use at all? I know I have a bunch and I have no idea what to do with them. It’s the same with mp3 players and laptops. Every company has its own way of making chargers for its many products. Apple and Nokia, have always made their chargers respectively the same. It’s helped Apple become a major player, as its whole line-up is compatible with the same charger made over 5 years ago.

On Tuesday February 17th, 2009, a historic landmark was agreed on where 17 of the largest cellphone makers including Samsung, Nokia and Motorola, decided to work together to make a universal standard charging system for cellphones by the year 2012. This system will be identical to the trapezoid-shaped microUSB format used by RIM’s most recent devices, the Bold, Storm and Pearl Flip. Unfortunately, this standard will likely be released in 2012—light years in my mind. Nonetheless, it’s better than nothing. Apple will likely stick its trusty charging standard that has proven golden over the years.

At first glance you might think, oh why would these big companies change things that have worked for them for so long? Well this is a completely valid question because, like cheap printers with their more expensive replacement ink cartridges, cell phones have expensive replacement charging cords that see huge revenue. At the beginning of the implementation, companies will see slightly lower revenues but it will be made up later with lower packaging and manufacturing costs. Instead, companies will sell charging cords separately so big companies like Nokia will now not need to include it in their phone packages. Since it will save costs, these companies will also reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from 21.8 million to 13.6 million tonnes per year, as well as cut energy consumption globally by 50%. 

This might not be the biggest news though because as technology progresses, we will see more and more demonstrations of wireless charging. When Palm unveiled its Pre smart phone, it also introduced the Touchstone wireless charging adapter. 

Excerpt from wiredathome.blogspot.com

The power cord has long been the enemy of many people around the world. You always had to place things according to where the plugs were or you’d have some cord running all across the room. Nobody really notices or thinks about the power cord once it’s being used and has found its place. However, if it could be thrown away, it would make a world of difference.  Now there is a solution to get rid of some of those plugs, wireless charging. To get things straight, this piece of technology won’t replace all of your plugs but is a huge step in the right direction to making the power cord obsolete. Currently there are two ways to wirelessly charge a device, and they are being offered by two different companies. WildCharge will start selling a conductive charging pad and eCoupled will offer an inductive laptop specific pad with a compatible notebook all by the end of 2008. Both companies will offer adapters at a range of $30. If you are the type to enjoy science, then you’ll probably be able to guess the difference in technologies between the two. Conductive charging passes electricity when two objects come in contact. Inductive charging happens when there is a physical gap between two objects.

Popularity: 7% [?]

There’s a huge price gap between an ultraportable and a mini-notebook. So what’s the difference and which one should you buy? 

Ultraportables

Ultraportables are the most expensive but they are coming down in price much more rapidly than their counterparts, the netbook or mini-notebook. A good example of this is Lenovo’s X61 which is priced at $1000 and offers a 12.1-inch screen at 3.6 pounds. Ultraportables in general have more power and versatility for their size and thus offer a better value package if you are willing to fork over that extra $700+ for it. Ultraportables are bigger in every aspect like weight and screen size but they make up for it by being able to do what a normal PC does like run Windows Vista and run other powerful applications. The aspect differences are small and they are getting smaller every year.

Mini-Notebooks

Mini-Notebooks are easy to love since they are cheap, small, and really cute. Especially with the release of the Asus EeePC which started it all, mini-notebooks have become really popular for those reasons. For under $500 you can get a small laptop that will do the basic things like compose a document and send an e-mail, but other than that, you can’t do much. They usually have great battery life because of the small processing power needed which is why I highly recommend it for University or College students. It will also be easier to carry around because of the weight and size, and it’ll be able to handle those long lectures. 

Conclusion

These two computer segments both have their pros and there cons, but it all comes down to what you are looking for. Both of them still have better than average battery life than the regular laptop as well as small dimensions and weight than the laptop. The ultraportable comes in at the same price point or even higher than a laptop whereas the mini-notebook comes in considerably lower. If you have the money, buy the ultraportable, but if you are looking for a temporary computer that can do the basics, stick with a mini-notebook.

Popularity: 3% [?]

When my dad told me he had $55 worth of Reward Zone coupons that could be combined and did not need any minimum purchases you could imagine I was thrilled. When it came down to it though, I really didn’t NEED anything. Yeah I could pick up anything including an SD card, USB stick, video game (NHL 08), or really anything. What did spark my interest though was some Creative speakers on sale that were a bargain price of $59.99 compared to all the sets.

The Creative Inspire T10 were good looking and are 2.0. They offer great quality for the price with a unique BasXPort that doesn’t replace subwoofers but they do a good job masking the fact that you don’t have one. For me it’s a great alternative as these speakers are part of my laptop setup and the less wires the better. For all you techno geeks, it’s got dedicated tweeters for outstanding high frequency performance.

What I noticed is the easy knobs that allow easy adjusting of the volume as well as the tone. They have easy to access its headphone jack on the side and auxiliary input such as mp3 player. This is not a factor for me because I have all my music on my computer but if you want truly portable speakers then this option allows for easy connections.

My true opinion after listening to these speakers that you wouldn’t learn from the Creative website is that like all speakers they start to crap out 3/4 of the way through to full power. I don’t suggest putting it to the test but for most you halfway to full power will be enough and that’s where they truly excel. The way they differ from integrated laptop speakers is the bass and sound quality they output and for an easy listener like me they are perfect. To pick up the perfect CD for these speakers look at the review of Fabolous’s new CD, Working Hard, Playing Harder at Bebop Talk.

Popularity: 3% [?]