Pervasive Computing Technology - A Glimpse of the Next Generation Computer

2008-05-18

Pervasive Computing Technology - A Glimpse of the Next Generation Computer
By Mazliza Othman

What is pervasive computing?  It all started in 1991 when Mark Weiser envisioned the next generation computer that weaves themselves into their environment. The next generation computers make themselves invisible and intuitive to use. Computers disappear into the background.  If you're a Star Trek fan, think of the computers in this science fiction series, and you'll get the idea.

The term coined by Weiser, ubiquitous computing, is now synonymous to pervasive computing.

Computers as they exist today do not integrate themselves into our environment.  You're aware of the fact that you're using a computer.  The PC sits on top of your desk.  You carry a laptop or pocket PC around.  You need to acquire certain skills in order to use them, e.g. if you want to use a spreadsheet, you have to learn to use it.

Weiser envisioned an environment where computers are integrated into the environment in such a way that users are not even aware of the computers, or that they're using one.  The computers disappear and become unobtrusive.

To illustrate the point, Weiser and his colleagues invented 3 types of devices: a tab, a pad and a board.  The devices have no individualized association in they way that you associate a PC or laptop to a particular user, e.g. you can grab a tab and use it without having to figure out how you're going to configure or personalize it to your needs.  A tab is a handheld device and can be easily carried around. You can use it to access your email, chat, or to pop up a reminder for you to ask a colleague to confirm next week's seminar if you run into him in the hallway.  You'd have dozens of this in your environment.

A pad is kind of a digital version of a paper.  You can spread it on your desk in the same way you spread papers on your desk.

The digital board replaces today's whiteboard. When a group of people gather in a room, the system detects that they belong to a project group and automatically downloads the previous discussion points on the board.  You can write on the board using a digital pen while sitting a few meters away from it - just point and write.

Pervasive computing integrates computers and a smart environment, and blends them into the background.  This technology is changing the way we work, live, and interact with each other.

Let's look at a few more examples of applications of this technology.

Cowboys on horsebacks herding cattle might one day become a feature of a bygone era as the introduction of virtual fences allows farmers to herd their cattle from the comfort of their homes. The virtual fence is downloaded to the cows by transmitting GPS coordinates to head-collars worn by the cows.  The dynamic virtual fences are moved along desired trajectories.  The collars are equipped with a Wi-Fi networking card, a Zaurus PDA, an eTrex GPS unit and a loudspeaker that transmits occurring sounds (for example, roaring tigers, barking dogs) when a cow strays from the intended path.  This multi-disciplinary project, the brain child of a biologist, is made possible in collaboration with computer scientists.

Sensor technology can potentially play an important role in search and rescue operations by first responders, i.e. emergency personnel, such as firemen, paramedic, and police, who arrive at the scene immediately after an event (e.g. a fire, an earthquake, a building collapse) occurs.

Firemen wear tags to allow easy tracking of their movement in order to coordinate search and rescue operations more effectively.  The firemen can be informed if a particular section of a building is found to be unstable and is about to collapse, and is directed to evacuate it immediately.  A wireless vital sign monitor is attached to victims found trapped so that their condition can be monitored in order to ensure that they receive the appropriate medical attention as soon as they are rescued.

This non-invasive sensor monitors vital signs such as heart rate, oxygen saturation and serum chemistry measurements.  The vital sign monitor helps the paramedic team determine which victims are in more critical conditions so that they can prioritize medical attention to more severely injured victims.  The application and architecture required to support this emergency response application is being developed under the CodeBlue project at Harvard University, USA.

Wireless technology is also used in healthcare.  The Arrhythmia Monitoring System (AMS) is a medical telemetry (telemedicine) system that makes use of wireless technology to monitor patients suffering from arrhythmia.  Among the complications that arise from arrhythmia are the loss of regular heartbeat and subsequent loss of function, and rapid heartbeats.

AMS provides a means for healthcare professionals to continuously monitor a patient's electrical cardiac rhythms remotely even though the patient is not at the hospital.  This technology allows patients to be in the comfort of their homes without jeopardizing their health.  It is also useful for monitoring the heart functions of astronauts who are more susceptible to cardiac dysrhythmias when in space.

The examples illustrate the use of the technology in very different areas.  There is no limit to the type of applications made possible by this technology.  In the not too distant future, we will see this technology providing increased security, convenience, and ease of information access in our home and workplace.

Mazliza Othman is the author of "Principles of Mobile Computing & Communications".  More information is available at http://MobileComputing.MazlizaOthman.com and at her blog http://MobileComputingBlog.Blogspot.com

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The Technology Of DVD Media

2008-05-18

The Technology Of DVD Media
ByRoberto Sedycias

A Digital Video Disc or DVD is one of the most popular forms of storage media nowadays. It is an optical disc and mainly used to store videos. However, data in any form can be stored on a DVD. The dimensions of a DVD are generally the same as a common compact disc but the amount of data that can be stored is six times greater.

The different variations of DVD are based on the way data is being stored on it. A DVD-ROM has pre-written data that can only be read. A DVD+R and DVD-R are the ones on which the data can be written only once; and on a DVD+RW the data can be written and erased more than once. The lasers used to read DVDs are typically of 650 nm wavelength.

The terms DVD-Audio and DVD-Video discs are DVDs with suitably structured and formatted audio and video content respectively. Other types of DVDs are called DVD-data discs.

The term `DVD` is used for an unofficial full form `digital video disc`. However, it was officially announced that it stands for `digital versatile disc`.

A typical DVD has a 4.7 GB storage capacity. These discs are one sided and single layered i.e. the data is stored only on one side of the disc and only at one level. The size is enough for a high quality 133-minute movie. The double sided and dual layered DVDs can store about 17 GB of data in any form. The capacity dwarfs a compact disc easily.

The writing speeds on a DVD vary from 1350 KB/s (1 x) to 26 MB/s (18 x to 20 x). For a CD, the speed 1 x means only 153.6 KB/s.

Initially, the burning or the duplication of DVD was an expensive work and required skilled persons to do it. Today, the process of writing on a DVD has become a piece of cake and any one with a little knowledge of computers can do it at a click of the mouse. Producing DVDs requires certain authentication. Also, certain processes and rules are needed to be followed to handle their production. Present day markets are full of illegal and fake DVDs. Especially in Asia, Africa and Brazil. So, certain security measures are applied to check this illegal business. Copy prevention techniques are used that prevents illegal replicating of the original disk.

A DVD-Video is standard for storage of video content on the media. Typically the format in which video is stored in the DVDs is MPEG-2, 16:9 aspect ratio videos. The resolution used are 720*576 (PAL) or 720*480 (NTSC) at 25 or 29.97 FPS. The audio on the disc is stored in DTS (Digital Theatre System) or AC-3 (Dolby Digital) formats. However, a number of other resolutions and formats are also supported. Other features like selectable language in subtitles, menus, multiple audio tracks and more than one camera angle is also supported by DVD-Video.

The DVD-Audio format is used to deliver high-quality audio content. A number of channel configuration choices (like from mono to 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound) at a number of sampling frequencies are offered by the DVD-Audio. The higher storage capacities enable it to store a considerable higher amount of music or a much higher audio quality.

Although the DVD-Audio has higher technical specifications, the debate on whether the audio enhancements that are being included are actually distinguishable or not in a typical listening environment is still on.

There are a number of possible successors to the DVD. The strongest being the Blu-Ray Disc. Others are Maxell`s HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc) and the 3D optical storage discs that are being developed actively.

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for [http://polomercantil.livejournal.com/]PoloMercantil

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The History Of Compact Disc Media

2008-05-18

The History Of Compact Disc Media

By Roberto Sedycias

A typical CD will have a diameter of just 12 cm and about 80 minutes audio data can be stored on it. Smaller CDs are also manufactured for storing single songs (called CD singles). They are 8 cm in diameter and can store 24 minutes of audio data.

The major research and development work was done by Phillips and Sony. One of the first CDs came in market way back in the year 1982 and till date, remains one of the most popular mediums of audio recordings.

In 1979, Phillips and Sony started off a joint working group in order to design a successful digital audio disc. After a year`s work and lot of experiments and discussions, the compact disc was invented. No single person can be said to have invented it, a large group collectively invented the compact disc.

In August, 1982, the first CD for commercial purposes was manufactured in a Phillips factory in Germany. The first music title that was released on a CD was `The Visitors (1981) by ABBA`. Soon after, in October of the same year, the CD players from Sony also reached the markets. The event is often called as `the Big Bang` in the field of digital audio.

The new concept was an immediate hit in the market. Consumers were enthusiastic about the quality of the audio on the CDs. The price of CD players sank really fast, as a result of which, the popularity increased even more.

A Compact Disc is a 1.2 mm thick polycarbonate plastic disc weighing around 16 grams. To make the surface reflective, a very thin layer of aluminum is applied on one side of the disc. A film of lacquer is also applied to act as a protective shield. The label is printed on the other side using normal printing methods like offset or screen printing. The data is stored on a CD in form of an array of tiny indentation called pits that are encoded in a spiral track. A pit is just 500 nm wide and 100 nm deep and the length varies from 850 to 3500 nm. The areas between two pits are called lands.

The CDs are much more durable than the precious formats of audio storage. However, they can be damaged a little from the environment factors and daily usage. The data is a lot closer to the label side, so more damage occurs if scratches are made of the label. The logical format to store audio data on a CD is a 2-channel 16-bit PCM encoded data at a sampling rate frequency of 44.1 KHz. The sampling rate was chosen directly as a result of the sampling rate theorem of double frequency needed in recordings. With some more calculations, the exact sampling rate of 44.1 KHz was decided.

The CDs are available in a number of different variations. Some of them are:

CD Text - Compact Disc that allows for the storage of information like song name, artist, album name as text along with the standard audio data on the CD.

CD Graphics - These contain additional graphics data on the CD. They run normally on a normal CD player, but can output graphics data when played on a CD+G player.

CD ROM - ROMs or Read Only Memory, as the name suggests are for the CDs from which data can only be read.

Video CD - Video CDs or VCDs are CDs with video data.

Photo CD - it was designed by Kodak for storing photos digitally in a Compact Disc. They were able to store more than 100 images when first launched.

CD + RW - these are CDs on which data can be written, erased and re-written more than once.

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for [http://polomercantil.livejournal.com/]PoloMercantil

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Saving Files For Commercial Print Output

2008-05-18

Saving Files For Commercial Print Output

By Toni Puglisi

When working in graphic layout programs such as QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign saving files properly is crucial for proper print quality.  Missing fonts or pictures could turn a creative project into any designers' worst nightmare.  Start by generating folders for every job created. Place all photos, graphics and fonts in the folder.  Make sure to include the layout file in the folder as well.  There should be only one folder for that project.  Saving projects in individual folders makes life easier and makes everything move much more smoother.  Make sure all photos that are used in the layout are at least 300dpi and converted to CMYK for the best output possible. If the layout has bleeds, (areas of color or objects that run off the page) make sure to create the page size one quarter inch larger than the final size.

When working in Adobe Illustrator to create custom logos for clients it is extremely important to save two different files.  There should be a working file with layers and a file that is prepared for the printing company or the layout program that it will be placed into.  Save the file that will be used for the printer or layout program as an Illustrator .eps format and create all type to outlines; this prevents any font issues from occurring.  The file should now be ready for print output.

Adobe Photoshop is another program that can be used to create projects for print output.  Be sure to flatten all layers, convert to CMYK and save as a Photoshop .tif file.  Since the invention of the .PDF file format, (portable document format) all of these steps can be avoided by creating a high resolution .PDF file.  Although, this seems much faster and easier it does not always solve the problem.  Check which file formats the printing company recommends using before submitting any files for commercial printing output.  Graphic design assistance or free layouts to help any business jump start their marketing and increase sales can be found at http://www.graphicdesigns4you.com

Free Graphic Design Services Visit: http://www.graphicdesigns4you.com

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Computer Problem Tips - 4 Things You Should Do When Your Computer is Misbehaving

2008-05-18

Computer Problem Tips - 4 Things You Should Do When Your Computer is Misbehaving

By Chancer Reese

You have thought about it...getting out the hammer and having a go at it...that computer is driving you crazy. It's running slower than molasses in the Arctic, crashes all the dang time and seems to be chuck full of every virus and spyware ever invented.

You have just about had enough! But before you toss out the computer into the trash, you should read over these four tips on what to do when things start going badly on your PC.

Calm Down...Don't Panic

Don't let your "feelings" carry you away. Anger, frustration and confusion are normal when your computer goes bad. But if you get caught up in your emotions instead of taking action, you will only prolong your PC headaches. Just take a deep breath and relax. Grab cup of your favorite beverage and take 5 or so minutes to get your perspective back. A calm mind can figure out more creative solutions to things than a stressed one can. A calm mind is also a proactive mind.

Admit You Have a Problem

Admit something is wrong with your computer. Denying that your computer has issues will eventually cause damage that can be very expensive to repair. I know, not knowing what to do can make you feel kind of dumb and helpless. But by taking action instead burying your head in the sand you may be able to prevent a minor problem from growing into a major one. Fess up. Look your problems right in the eye. You can't fix what's troubling you if you keep overlooking the situation.

Find Out What Happened and Take Notes

The hardest part of fixing a computer problem is figuring out what's wrong. When a problem first creeps up, you were not expecting it, so you often miss the warning signs or ignore error messages. Try and remember what was happening at the time your machine went bad. What programs were running? Do you remember seeing any error messages on your display? Write this stuff down. Else how will you remember it? By writing it down you can research it online or have something concrete to tell your computer repair guy.

Keep a Positive and Attitude

A good mental attitude will help more than you will believe. I know this sounds a little "Pollyannaish" but what can I tell you, it works. When you approach a troublesome situation with the attitude that says, "No matter what's wrong with my machine, I can handle it" you will be better off, calmer and can stay focused longer. And it is often persistent trial and error fixes a lot of technology problems. So, stay positive; stay focused.

When your computer is misbehaving you should: - Remain calm and get a "grip" on the situation

- Stop floating down the river "denial" and take action.

- Take note of what is happening to your machine and write it down.

- Maintain a positive outlook and be persistent.

Got computer problems? Want to reduce your technology headaches?
To find more helpful computer tips, visit http://www.fixcomputerproblemsguide.com
From Chancer Reese - The Small Office Tech Diva.

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Today's Electronic Devices Have Memory Dependency

2008-05-18

Today's Electronic Devices Have Memory Dependency
By Mike Selvon

Electronics are vital to our lives. Just think about the machines you use every single day. It all comes down to tiny wiring and circuit boards that help make our lives easier. Besides being an electronic, they actually have more in common than you realize.

Take for example your computer's memory. Notebook memory is the same, or similar, to the memory used in MP3 players, cell phones and televisions. It is a vital component in all types of machines.

Notebook and computer desktop memory work on a storage tier. When you first turn on your pc it must access the Read-Only Memory (ROM) which has been stored in the permanent storage. The next application to load is the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). The final step is opening up the Operating System (OS).

Without going into confusing details on why it draws from one storage and not another or why one is a read-only and yet you save to a different storage, you should know that generic storage works the same in a variety of other equipment. The process is very similar to the one your desktop computers use.

Electronics that utilize memory do so because it causes them to be able to recall information faster and it increases their speed and speed of use. Your car remembers your settings and stereo preferences.

Your cell phone and PDA uses memory to be able to send email, surf the internet or create a calendar to remember your important information. They may not have the speed or capabilities of desktop computers, but they still utilize some of the same technology.

Even televisions now need storage in order to operate correctly. Many satellite and cable providers are now offering digital recording and the ability to pause live television.

Both of these functions require storage, though one is put into long term memory and the other is put into short term memory for fast access. Just remember that the quicker the electronic device can access it, the faster the device will be.

Electronics have moved into another generation of use. Televisions can be hooked up to your computer and vice versa to give the user a bigger picture and surfing capabilities. It also knows to record shows if you have the DVR (Digital Video Recording) unit. This is just one of the many gadgets we use on a daily basis to help our lives run a little bit smoother.

Enrich your knowledge further about the [http://computermemory.mininicherecommends.com/Electronics.php ]electronics memory from Mike Selvon portal. We appreciate your feedback at our [http://www.mynicheportal.com/computer-electronics/a-review-on-electronics-memory ]discount computer memory blog where a free gift awaits you.

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Technology Explained

2008-05-18

Technology Explained
By Dennis Ogilvie

Multiple HDMI Connections

HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and allows you to get the very best out of High Definition pictures and sound. Choosing three HDMI connections means that you can connect to SKY HD, and HDMI DVD player and a games console simultaneously. With this in mind you may choose to purchase an HDMI CEC. This is a Consumer Electronic Control that allows you to control all of your components through one TV remote control. It is preferable, when using this system to use same brand product, however, mixed brand products can still be controlled by a single remote on a basic level.

100HZ Technology.

100Hz is the perfect choice when viewing sports of fast action movies. When you consider that your average television displays at only 50Hz it's easy to see why the picture can judder, especially when it is slowed down. With 100Hz and extra frame is added which is an average of the frame either side of it, these frames are then added back to the real time footages creating a clear, judder and blur free motion, essential when you are looking for perfection in fast moving TV.

Other Technology

With today's Techno terms it can be very easy to become totally confused as to what else to buy when you are considering upgrading to a TV, Home Cinema system and DVD. Let's look at a few examples, why for instance would you want to by a Component lead? Well, this lead will produce a better analogue picture from your DVD player than using a standard lead. Choosing a TV with DV input means you can add a digital devise such as a video camera and then record from that devise straight onto a DVD. S-video is a high quality analogue video connection cable and a scart lead is an Analogue connector that transfers pictures and sound to your TV.

Some other terms

Aspect ratio is the ratio of image width to image height. Auto tuning will automatically tune in aerial received channels. A digital Comb Filter will separate combined colour and black and white picture information resulting in a much sharper picture. Progressive scan is where all horizontal lines of the frame are shown in one go, this method delivers a superior picture from a DVD or video player. Especially useful for a household of different televisual tastes is the Picture in Picture system which allows programmes from different inputs to be viewed simultaneously, one on the full screen and one in a smaller window, so now you can watch the match and your favourite soap at the same time!

A few final terms.

Dolby digital 5.1 allows you to hear all five channels of sound via a home cinema system for a true surround sound effect. Fastext is an updated version of teletext that uses coloured keys on a remote as short cuts to the pages. Freeview is a free digital service of 41 channels that you can view via an integrated digital television or a separate set top box. And Finally HDTV is High Definition television broadcasting that provides exceptional picture quality and true surround sound.

We hope that this has helped you find your way around some of today's technology. Now all you have to do is choose your system and sit back and enjoy the superior viewing now available to you at 1staudiovisuals very special prices. Enjoy!

Dennis Ogilvie is the founder of 1st Audio Visual UK. He can be reached for more information at his website here: http://www.1staudiovisual.co.uk

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P2E (Plant to Enterprise) Using JMS

2008-05-18

P2E (Plant toP2E (Plant to Enterprise) Using JMS
By Jojo Jose

Overview

Now a day, every manufacturing enterprise has at least one enterprise application system (ERP) to run the financials, supply chain and warehouses which will in turn manage all the business resources. And there should be a manufacturing execution system (MES) that help manage and control production. In order to take the decision at appropriate time it is most important to connect the ERP with MES in almost real time.

With the advent of standards like JMS, developers can now connect numerous technologies.  With the help of JMS distributed-system design and integration are easier and their easiness on data integrity and distribution are having a high contribution to system success.

P2E Framework Using JMS

The enterprise resource planning and supply chain systems and the people that use them are hungry for the information generated by manufacturing operations. The JMS enterprise messaging provides a reliable, flexible service for the asynchronous exchange of critical business data and events throughout an enterprise. Similarly, the production systems depend on the demand, material, product design, and scheduling data that flow from business systems. Many manufacturers still rely on manual, paper-based techniques, or inadequate, fragile point-to-point systems integration to support the processes and applications that comprise communications between these mission critical systems.

Of course their will be delay between the data exchange between the systems but it will be still less than the traditional batch data flush using Data Transfer Services. When the manufacturing plants are highly outsourced and when the parts are prepared in different plants it is very important to know the actual status of each component manufacturing process to the demanding customer (Here the customer could be a department or an outside customer).  Batch process running on every evening or every week ends not only delays the decision making but also gives lacks of visibility.

Using JMS the systems can still continue working even if the other system is off or when there is a network issue.

When the other system awake the data can be populated or supplied without any loss of information. Thus it gives more flexibility for maintenance too.

Most of the equipments are very fast and provides huge amount of data within minutes and most of the enterprise systems are simply aren't designed to absorb most production data in its original form. It needs to be put into the context of orders, inventory levels, or product status. There should be a middle ware which will filter and update the ERP.  The highly decoupled JMS architecture is the best suite for all these kind of applications.

Many companies use Manufacturing Execution systems with service-oriented-architecture (SOA) to accomplish the real time data capture. But most of the time the communication standards are not disclosed to the programmer level to implement additional integrations. In this scenario the JMS architecture plays a vital role.

Conclusion

In order to engage in the strategic initiatives such as Lean, Six Sigma, Real-time, or Continuous Improvement to drive manufacturing excellence, the real time manufacturing information capturing is to be done at the shop operations level. Thus it is easy to monitor and metric efforts, then adjust tactics to ensure that financial outcomes meet expectations. An enterprise-wide P2E strategy can be implemented using the JMS technology to synchronize the people and processes that comprise your business.

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Home Network How To - What Type Should I Use?

2008-05-15

Home Network How To - What Type Should I Use?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Don_Willson]Don Willson

When I first started in computers, one of the most confusing things that I ran across was how to set up a home network.  The differences between hubs, routers, Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and cabling were a mystery to me. But after much trial and error and built-up experience I managed to figure a few things out and some of that information I will share with you now.

There are two basic types of networks that I'm going to talk about in this article first being the infamous ICS or Internet Connection Sharing.  ICS is usually implemented by connecting multiple computers through the hub to a single computer.  Let's say we have three computers, Computer A, Computer B and Computer C.  Computer A has enjoyed a high speed Internet connection and after a while, Computer B and C want to get in on the action!  In order to implement ICS, we would have to connect all three computers to a hub.

A hub is basically a switch that allows any computer hooked up to it to communicate with any other computer hooked up to the hub. So with all three computers hooked up to it, we would set the network up on the computers to use ICS. Computers B and C would be told that they're going to connect to the Internet through another computer that has a high-speed Internet connection.  While Computer A would be configured to enjoy its high-speed connection as it did before.

Configured like this, Computers B and C would enjoy a relatively fast connection to the Internet as would Computer A. The problem here starts when all three computers are accessing the Internet at the same time. Computers B and C would enjoy a relatively fast connection to the Internet while Computer A would suffer some moderate slowdowns because it not only has to handle its own traffic but the traffic of the other two computers as well.  The user on Computer A is going to get quite upset if Computers B and C decide to download files at the same time.  Because downloading a file is such a data intensive process, demanding large amounts of data be transferred from the Internet as fast as possible, Computers A may suffer some severe speed problems because of the demand being put on it from the other two computers.

Unfortunately because of the fact that the hub does not have built-in firewall or any other such software that can protect the computers behind the hub Computers A must also be running Windows firewall in the background which provides an additional performance hit.

So although the ICS is the cheapest way to go, it is definitely not the speediest way to go.  In fact, to be honest, I would only follow this route if the users of Computers B and C had something against the user of Computer A and want to get even!

The second type of setup that I'm going to talk about it is the router based set up.  Nice thing about the router is that most routers are very intelligent.  They have built-in firewalls, parental controls, can block sites or even allow users to have access to your network from the outside if they know the proper passwords and/or ports to connect through.  No additional software is required that might add a performance hit and all three computers get configured the same way.

To hook up or router you simply plug a cable from your Internet connection into the router then plug the three computers into the router as well.  When you set up your computers you tell networking software that all three will computers have direct access to the Internet.  There is some setup involved with router as is usual with any complicated piece of hardware but usually it is very painless and if you follow the instructions, quite easy!

The nice thing about router set up is that once it is set, up all three computers enjoy the same speed advantages of being on a high-speed Internet.  No one computer is impacted by the fact that someone else is downloading a file.  In fact, all three can download a file at the same time and still enjoy impressive speed while doing so! Face it guys this is the network that you want to set up if your wife is on Computer A!

Routers tend to be a little more expensive than hubs but the advantages of having them a part your network far outweigh any price difference. So if you must go with ICS, then do so with pride! But personally, I would recommend spending the extra money to go the "router route"!

Don Willson is a 53-year-old man living in Virginia.  Not new to writing he has often been told (I know everybody gets this) that he should try getting some of his work published.

He enjoys computers, movies, his cat and music of just about any type.

For more tips and tricks on setting up a home network, visit his website at http://donwenterprises.com/networkingebook/index.htm

Of all the things I've lost in life I miss my mind the most!

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Does a Smartphone Beat a Laptop?

2008-05-15

Does a Smartphone Beat a Laptop?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Siegel]Aaron Siegel

Smartphones are the latest must-haves for many people. Stationary work environments are a thing of the past as people are on the move and need to be able to take their work, family and friends with them. A smartphone is a new wave in cell phone technology that includes personal digital assistant capabilities too. They allow instant Internet access and have advanced features that are like a laptop.

Common Smartphone Features

* Cell phone

* E-mail access

* Organizer

* Touch-screen with high-resolution

* Camera

* Global positioning system

* Calendar

* Contact database

* Ability to read PDF files

* Music player

* Image viewer

* Video player

* Internet access

Computer Access from Cell Phones

The days of lugging around a large, weighted cell phone are gone. Today's cell phones are slim, sleek and functional. Smartphones take that a step further and incorporate data management and computer use with cell phone technology. The idea has been well received and people are using smartphones for business and personal use.

The iphone is Apple's latest and highly popular version of the smartphone. Other brands include Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, HTC Excalibur and Palm. These smartphones run on operating system (OS) software that allows them to share information from a computer or other interfaces.  Such operating systems make it possible for users to access their computer files, graphics, history, memory, stage and more from their cell phones.

Common Operating Systems for Smartphones

1. Linux is one of the oldest operating systems in use and it is completely free. This system was created by a hobbyist and wasn't taken seriously for many years, but it is still around and considered one of the best shareware programs.

2. Mac OSX is Apple's version of a graphic operating system. It is a high-functioning program that turns a regular cell phone into a high-tech smartphone.

3. Solaris is Microsystem's platform supported by Dell, HP and IBM. It is a trusted name in computers and smartphones. It works on a variety of interfaces to meet the growing demand for mobile PC usage.

4. Palm OS is based on the PDAs that hit the market in 1996. It is exceptional at keeping information organized and makes file management and storage a breeze. It is easy to use, has high graphic resolution, and uses a touch- screen model.

5. Microsoft Windows is probably the most recognized of the OS software programs. It makes Internet use on-the-go a reality.

Will Smartphones Replace Laptops or Home Computers?

Smartphones are high-end technical gadgets that are convenient because they combine cell phone features with organization and Internet access. New versions with improved features and greater capacity continue to emerge. Smartphones probably won't replace laptops or home computers, though. As intelligent and sophisticated as smartphones are, they are not practical for long-term use. Smartphones are great supplemental tools for business, home office and entertainment purposes. But try spending eight hours in front of a tiny screen, reading, texting, copying or any other tasks you would normally do on your computer. It would not be a pleasant experience.

The Future of Smartphones

The future of smartphones is promising. We can look forward to increased battery power, larger memory capacity, the ability to watch TV and movies on the phone and the ability to be connected anytime, anywhere. Aside from better functionality, smartphones will be available in a variety of versions to appeal to a wider audience. As the competition for smartphones increases, the prices are dropping and they are becoming more accessible to everyone.

TopSavings.Net (c) 2008 - [http://www.topsavings.net/cell-phones.html]Cell Phones, Smartphones, and Wireless Calling Plans are easy to search and order online with prices lower than most offline offers. You can order business and family plans at TopSavings.Net and save some cash, so come and visit us today. NOTE: This article may not be reproduced without this information intact with working links.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Siegel http://EzineArticles.com/?Does-a-Smartphone-Beat-a-Laptop?&id=1169968

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Epitaxy on Silicon-On-Insulator Technology

2008-05-15

Epitaxy on Silicon-On-Insulator Technology
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Lee]Jimmy Lee

Introduction:

As at current, we see that CMOS technology is the driving technology of the microelectronics industry, and the conventional way of fabricating integrated circuits on bulk silicon substrates has illustrated problems such as unwanted parasitic effects, latchup, and the difficulty of making shallow junctions. In the recent years, the advent of Silicon-on-Insulator has proven superior in many aspects to their bulk counterparts, and the benefits include the absence of latch-up, the reduced parasitic source and drain capacitances, the ease of making shallow junctions, radiation hardness, ability to operate at high temperature, improved transconductance and sharper subthreshold slope. There are several approaches available to create SOI wafers, and we discuss two particular techniques over here. First, we seek to illustrate a heteroepitaxy technique through the Ultra-Thin Silicon (UTSi) process where high quality Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) material is formed. Next, we look at a homoepitaxy technique called Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth (ELO) technique which seeks to grow a homogenous crystal laterally on an insulator.

Ultra-Thin Silicon (UTSi) Process

Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) material was first introduced in 1964. SOS was recognized for its high speed and low power potential. The usage of Czochralski growth of sapphire crystals and the subsequent deposition of a silicon film in an epitaxial reactor had proved inefficient as there was high defect density due to lattice mismatch with defect densities near the Si-Sapphire interface reaching up to planar faults /cm and line defects/cm. This resulted in low resistivity, mobility, and lifetime near the interface. The silicon film deposited is also under compressive stress at room temperature due to different thermal expansion coefficients which may possibly result in relaxation in the film through crystallographic defects such as microtwins, stacking faults, and diss. Such consequences are undesired.

Hence, these reasons advocate the need for better heteroepitaxy technique, and in which the UTSi process is one such potential candidate. The steps involved in a UTSi process are as follows: See Figure 1.

Step 1: Grow a relatively thick film of silicon on sapphire. Silane (SiH4) is commonly used as the source of silicon for SOS growth. Its pyrolysis reaction in a carrier hydrogen gas, SiH4 --> Si + 2H2, results in the deposition of a silicon layer over the sapphire substrate. The deposition temperature is usually kept below 1050 deg C in order to prevent the autodeposition of aluminum from the sapphire substrate to the silicon layer. The desired silicon orientation is , which has been achieved on various sapphire orientations, i.e., , , .

Step 2: Implantation of Si into the silicon film is carried out to amorphize the bottom 2/3 of the silicon film, with the exception of a thin superficial layer, where the original defect density is the lowest.

Step 3: A low temperature thermal annealing step is then used to induce solid-phase regrowth of the amorphized silicon, using the top silicon layer as a seed.

Step 4: The silicon film is then thinned to the desired thickness by thermal oxidation, and the subsequent HF strip of the SiO. What remains is the final product of Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS).

It has been demonstrated that UTSi process is capable of delivering relatively defect-free and stress free SOS material in which devices with a high effective mobility can be made.

One application of the UTSi process is seen in UTSi CMOS transistors. As seen from Figure 2, the fabrication process is much simpler since the deep implants and guard regions are unnecessary thanks to the insulating sapphire substrate, and undesired effects such as leakage currents, latchup, and the RF parasitics are eliminated since the devices now sit on an insulating layer. The performance of the CMOS process is enhanced by as much as two generations of process geometry reduction. The advantages of forming CMOS transistors in the ultra thin silicon layer over insulating sapphire include the following:

* Elimination of substrate capacitance, which allows higher speed at lower power and avoids voltage dependent capacitance distortions

* Fully depleted operation, improving linearity, speed, and low voltage performance

* Excellent isolation which allows integration of multiple RF functions without crosstalk

UTSi circuits are produced that compete in the rapidly expanding wireless and fiber optic markets at higher frequencies and data rates with lower power consumption than standard bulk CMOS, SiGe and GaAs circuits, while still using standard CMOS equipment and processing.

Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth (ELO) Technique

This technique allows the homoepitaxial growth of silicon on silicon, with the focus placed on growing the crystal laterally on the insulator. In ELO, we can perform this in an atmospheric or in a reduced-pressure epitaxial reactor. The technique consists of the epitaxial growth of silicon from seeding windows over SiO islands or devices capped with an insulator.

The steps involved in a ELO technique are as follows: See Figure 3.

Step 1: An oxide layer is grown on the (100) silicon wafer. Next, patterning is carried out on the oxide to demarcate the windows. The edges of the windows are oriented along the  direction.

Step 2: Cleaning of the wafer is carried out

Step 3: Wafer is loaded into an epitaxial reactor and submitted to a high-temperature hydrogen bake to remove the native oxide from the seeding windows.

Step 4: Epitaxial growth is performed next, using e.g: SiHCl +H+ HCL gas mixture.

Step 5: Apply an in-situ HCl etch step to remove any crystallites that may be formed on the oxide due to nucleation of small silicon crystals with random orientation during the epitaxial growth.

Step 6: Once the small nuclei are removed, a new epitaxial growth step is performed, followed by an etch step, and this repeats until the oxide is covered by epitaxial silicon.

Some points we should note is that the epitaxial growth proceeds from the seeding windows both vertically and laterally, and the silicon crystal is limited by the  and  facets. When two growth fronts, seeded from opposite sides of the oxide, join together, a continuous silicon-on-insulator film is formed, which contains a low-angle subgrain boundary where the two growth fronts meet. A groove is observed over the centre of the SOI area. When more growth is done, this groove disappears.

As much as this is a simple technique to have homoepitaxial growth, a major disadvantage is the nearly 1:1 lateral-to-vertical growth ratio. On the other hand, the thick ELO film allows the design engineer to obtain SOI films of different thickness easily simply by polishing the wafers to required depths as needed. Also, the low defect density and low thermal budget needed to implement a ELO-SOI is considered superior to other technologies such as SIMOX (Separation by Implanted Oxygen) or other SOI processes for submicron devices.

Applications for this technique have been seen in three-dimensional and double-gate devices.

Variations in ELO technique has been witnessed in "tunnel epitaxy", "confined lateral selective epitaxy" (CLSEG) or "pattern-constrained epitaxy" (PACE) whereby a "tunnel" of SiO is created, forcing the epitaxial silicon to propagate laterally instead of vertically. In effect, a 7:1 lateral-to-vertical growth ratio has been obtained, which is more efficient than the original approach.

Jean-Pierre Colinge, Silicon-On-Insulator, Kluwer Academic Publishers, London, 2004.

Originally Written Article [http://flashg-soitechnology.blogspot.com/]here.

The author Jimmy Lee is involved in article writing, publishing, and website design on a freelance basis amid a daytime job as an electrical engineer. His favourite works can be found at http://flashgor.blogspot.com/ and http://www.diypc.wordpress.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Lee http://EzineArticles.com/?Epitaxy-on-Silicon-On-Insulator-Technology&id=1166823

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Semiconductors - Inversion Layer Capacitance

2008-05-15

Semiconductors - Inversion Layer Capacitance
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Lee]Jimmy Lee

The essence of this paper is to argue that in a semiconductor a precise equality exists between the bulk capacitance and inversion-layer capacitance at the threshold voltage. To start, the semiconductor threshold condition is defined as that for which surface potential is equal in magnitude and opposite in sign to the bulk potential, with the Fermi level taken as potential reference. Also, during threshold, the volumetric electron density at the surface equals the volumetric ionic density at the surface of the semiconductor

To explain the precise equality, the MOS capacitor is utilized, such that the problem can be made one-dimensional to any degree of accuracy by increasing its area. The assumptions utilized include uniform substrate doping, complete ionization of donors/acceptors at room temperature, and approximations involving Boltzmann statistics, band symmetry, and the equivalent densities of states.

Using the MOS capacitor, a series of volumetric-charge density profiles was determined for progressively increasing surface potential. As seen from this profile, there is a range of distances for which the charge density is constant. Correspondingly, the electric field is linear within this range, given the constant charge density. From the electric-field profile in the neighborhood of the depletion-layer boundary, we can define the position of the abrupt space-charge boundary by extrapolating the linear field profile to the x-axis, provided the electric field from the depletion approximation is equal to the actual situation. When that is satisfied, we see that beyond the constant space charge density range, the charge density for the depletion-approximation profile and the actual profile are the same.

This position is now taken as the spatial origin, as it allows us to write very simplified and accurate forms of analytical expressions for the asymptotic behavior of potential, field and other functions that enter the surface problem. When using the depletion approximation model, this spatial origin is useful for modeling of the surface, junction and the device, as the profiles for charge, field and potential are unchanged at the depletion-layer edge. When we consider the surface potential to be an independent variable, and the surface position as a function of the surface potential, we see that the silicon crystal surface varies in distance relative to the spatial origin, depending on the surface potential. With this approach, finding the ionic charge density in the bulk silicon can be accurately found, which is independent of the formulation used, be it the actual or the depletion-approximation model of the semiconductor.

A slight increase in surface potential at threshold will lead to equal amounts of inversion-layer charge and bulk charge in the added few monolayers of silicon at the surface layer, located at the place where the inversion-layer charge density and the bulk charge density functions intersect. Extending this result to actual semiconductor devices, the bulk charge and inversion-layer charge increments are the same in the actual MOS capacitor given a potential increment at threshold. Since capacitance is defined as the ratio of the charge stored over the potential, the inversion-layer and bulk capacitance are precisely equal at threshold.

This equality does not hold for modern semiconductor capacitors as most of them are short channel devices, designed in order to achieve improvements in packing density, speed, and power. Given that the channel length is the same order of magnitude as the depletion-layer widths, we see short-channel effects such as threshold voltage roll-off, and drain induced barrier lowering. Comparing the long channel MOS transistor, and the short channel MOS transistor, we see that in the case of the former, the depletion is only due to the electric field created by the gate voltage, whereas in the latter case, there is an added contribution by the depletion charge near the heavily doped regions at the source and drain. Hence, in the short channel device, the bulk depletion charge is smaller than expected in the long channel device, and this result in lower threshold voltage for conduction to take place. Hence, for a given applied voltage beyond the threshold, the inversion layer charge is not equal to the bulk depletion charge, and the equality of the inversion-layer capacitance and the bulk capacitance fails.

Originally Written Article [http://semicon101.blogspot.com/]here.

The author Jimmy Lee is involved in article writing, publishing, and website design on a freelance basis amid a daytime job as an electrical engineer. His favourite works can be found at http://flashgor.blogspot.com/ and http://www.diypc.wordpress.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Lee http://EzineArticles.com/?Semiconductors---Inversion-Layer-Capacitance&id=1166826

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True Confessions of a Computer Product Reviewer

2008-05-15

True Confessions of a Computer Product Reviewer
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Savetz]Kevin Savetz

My office wasn't large - an upstairs attic room with an A-shape slanted ceiling that made it impossible to stand up straight except in the middle of the room. Desks and bookshelves lined the walls, and the middle of the room was filled with printers. The floor was littered with them, inkjets this time.

Fifteen inkjets, and the giant boxes that they came in, and all the Styrofoam and plastic,  and manuals and CDs and set-up guides, and ink cartridges, and USB cables, and piles of paper samples that the printer companies had sent along.

I was comparing printers for a national consumer reviews publication. The previous month I had compared keyboards and mice, which wasn't so bad because they were small, relative to the printers. These 15 printers were taking over my home office, and a corner of the living room downstairs.

It was a task that I enjoyed, though: I carefully installed each printer and ran it through a series of tests for print quality and speed. I noted the ones that stood out with exceptional features, and the one that rattled and shook like a subway train. When the printers were finally packed back in their boxes and FedExed back to the manufacturers, I was confident that I was able to recommend the best printers to readers.

We all turn to product reviews because, well, we don't have time to test every product on the market. Or the right knowledge, for that matter. I was able to compare and review printers, but wouldn't have the expertise to review jigsaws or exercise equipment. Besides, just the thought of a dozen treadmills cluttering my office makes me shudder.

The review process works like this: after receiving a assignment to write a review from the editor of a magazine or newspaper, I would contact the press relations department of a company and request a "review unit." (In the case of a "round up" -- that is, several reviews bundled into one article -- this process was repeated many times.) It's the PR person's job to get review units into the hands of the right reviewers, but typically the more expensive the product, the trickier is to get a review unit. For software, the PR person might have a towering stack of products to send out; for a computer, they might only have 5 review units that they have to carefully mete out. If you're writing for the Washington Post, for instance, getting a review unit couldn't be easier. (Usually.) The writer for the Podunk Daily Press may have a much harder time.

I was often asked if I got to keep the products that I reviewed: the answer is complicated. For computers and video cameras and other expensive items, the PR person always needs the item back, and usually quickly. A reviewer might have only a week to test a product, and needs to make the most of that time.

Manufactures don't ask for inexpensive items like software and books to be returned - it would cost them more to process the incoming products than they're worth, and what would they do with an open copy of the software anyway? In most cases the reviewer doesn't keep the item either: they just don't need another image editing application or hard drive optimization utility or lousy web cam. In my office and the offices of reviewers everywhere, these items stack up for a few months before we cart them off to a thrift store or donate them to a school.

Although the situation isn't always ideal due to tight deadlines and other restrictions, the experts who review products for computer magazines are on your side. In my experience, they genuinely want to find and recommend the great products, and steer their readers away from the ones that stink. Many products are somewhere in the middle, and it's the reviewer's job to explain the relative pros and cons of the products, while not suffering an untimely demise by being crushed under a falling tower of inkjet printers.

Kevin Savetz has written hundreds of product reviews for dozens of computer and technology magazines. He is the creator of Review Roundup at [http://www.ReviewRoundup.com]http://www.ReviewRoundup.com, a web site that summarizes hundreds of expert-written reviews from popular publications. The site includes [http://www.reviewroundup.com/browse-category/Digital_Cameras/Compact_Cameras]digital camera reviews, GPS reviews, and other product reviews.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Savetz http://EzineArticles.com/?True-Confessions-of-a-Computer-Product-Reviewer&id=1171505

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Tips To Buy A Computer Or A Laptop

2008-05-15

Tips To Buy A Computer Or A Laptop
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nor_Nan]Nor Nan

In the fast breeding world of computer technology where each new day brings something new to the world in IT, it is extremely essential to make sure that one stays well versed with technology so as to avail quality support. In the World Wide Web, where one can manage huge database with a click of a mouse, getting the best computer helps in remaining at the top of one's business. In the online world of business, computer has facilitated easy Ecommerce solution that provides a great platform to both buyer and seller. In case one is planning to buy a new desktop computer or a laptop for home or office use, one can check out from a huge range of computers that come with state of the art technology and advanced software solution that makes it must have utility.

While going for the laptop, it is essential to keep 5 basic points in mind such as its size, hard drive, memory configuration, network connectivity and last but not the least its price. For all those who are looking for lightweight laptops, size is the most essential feature that has leads to portability and ultra lightweight design. For frequent users who store huge amount of data in their computer, one can go for enhanced hard drive that supports easy storage of database.

For music lovers love to store their music collection on their computer, one can go for 60 GB or a bigger hard drive as per one's like. Similarly, the memory of RAM configuration depends upon the utility. In terms of price, it depends upon the kind of features installed in the laptop. Well, if you are going for desktop computer, it is essential to have a clear idea about the use- home or office. Once one has a clear idea about the requirement, one can go forth with the purchase of the desktop. With the arrival of fast processors, make sure you get the best quality and fast speed processor. In terms of operating system, Windows XP or Vista can be best accompaniment to your computer. One should always remember that RAM and operating system is the backbone of a perfect system, so while choosing computer, make sure you know about its system integration that includes both software and hardware.

In terms of price, same as in the case of laptop, a desktop PC comes can be costly depending upon its software and hardware integration. So, the next time you plan to purchase a new computer, make sure you look for the best software and hardware integration that helps you in finding the best computer or laptop at affordable price. One can check out online buyers to know more about various branded computers and make an easy estimate of its price. This helps in comparing the price and choosing the best computer at an affordable price. In case of assembled solutions, it is essential to verify the originality of the computer accessories so as to buy a genuine product.

The article is written by Nor Nan. More useful articles about desktop computers and laptops are available at [http://www.computerhyper.com/]Desktop Computer Knowledge [http://www.martcomputer.com]Computer Accessories

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nor_Nan http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-To-Buy-A-Computer-Or-A-Laptop&id=1167576

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How To Get Google To Do Weird And Wonderful Stuff

2008-05-15

How To Get Google To Do Weird And Wonderful Stuff
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Duncan_Kelly]Duncan Kelly

One of the reasons that the Google search engine has always remained so popular is that it never ceases to surprise. You get an idea, and think to yourself "I wonder if Google can do this?" and sure as nuts, it does it! I've started to wonder if there's anything they haven't thought of.

OK, I know they're only human, so there's bound to be something they've left out, but nevertheless, there's a lot of very useful things you can do with this search engine that make life a lot easier.

Here are some of the things I've discovered; These give you instant answers without having to visit a web page:

To get the present time in any country in the world, just type into the Google search box time in xxxxx where xxxxx is the name of the country or town.

To convert between measurement units: I want to convert mph to knots, so I type in the search box 50mph in knots and I get the answer. You can also type in half a cup in teaspoons and get an answer!

It also does calculations for you, so you can type in (eg). 5*7+67

To find definitions: type in define mass and we get a standard definition, without having to go to a web site.

If you want to track the flight of an aeroplane, type in it's name and number in: United flight 654 and it will give you the departure and arrival times and if it's on schedule!!

To find the capital of a country, type in (eg) capital of Zambia

Want to know the number of people in Yemen? Type in population of Yemen

To find how much 500 yen is in dollars, just type in (eg) 500 yen in dollars

To check the weather, type in weather and your town. Include the country if you are outside of the USA. eg.: weather St Paul

To get stock prices and a graph for a share, type it's code in the search box, eg SNV

And another useful tip:

Add a tilde (unfortunately I cannot type it here as it violates the rules of this site, apparently) before your search phrase to get related terms, eg   tildehorse will return results for horse, pony, stallion etc.

These things come in really handy at times, especially when the boss is breathing down your neck and you need an answer fast!

I hope it's helpful to all you readers.

Duncan Kelly

For more info from this author, be sure to visit http://wrinklyo.googlepages.com

Free information on things that can help and encourage, and a lot of other info !

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duncan_Kelly http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Get-Google-To-Do-Weird-And-Wonderful-Stuff&id=1175269

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Mobi Websites - The Big Revolution On Small Phones

2008-05-15

Mobi Websites - The Big Revolution On Small Phones
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michael_Sherriff]Michael Sherriff

The world is on an ever changing spree. The last fifty years have seen more changes in the world of electronics than the last 200 years. Bulky computers gave way for slim sleek desktops.

The un-portability of desktops made people think and invent laptops. The laptops eventually became too heavy and cumbersome to be carried around so they gave way to palm tops and blackberries. Now, the situation is different.

The Internet as we know it will soon be making way for a new revolutionalized version called the mobile internet.

Picture this: An executive needs to make a presentation about the latest market trends. Earlier, he would need to go to his desktop or open his laptop to surf and gather information from the net. These days he just connects to the internet with his Blackberry and accesses the mobile internet. In minutes, he has all the information he requires.

Scenarios like these are becoming more and more common with the advent of phones like Nokia N5 and Blackberry.

Now the arrival of the Mobi internet has further enabled the busy executive to explore the net as per his convenience. What is Mobi internet? Mobi internet is the internet which has been specially designed for mobile phones and wireless devices such as PDA's. Mobi internet offers more than just web browsing. It offers features such as Global Positioning Service (GPS) amongst others.

We all know that mobile internet is the new rage these days amongst the young crowd. However, there are many businesses and websites which are migrating from the regular internet to the mobi versions. What are the advantages of mobi over regular internet for businesses?

There are more mobile users than laptop or desktop users. With mobi, your website can be viewed any time and anywhere.

Most consumers like browsing on their mobile phones while waiting at the bus stand or at leisure. There is a better chance of getting hits on the mobi net than on the laptop/desktop as these are used purely for work and business purposes

A 'dot mobi' name tells your customer that the site is mobile friendly

If you buy the mobi version of your company's website now, you will not need to worry once the mobile internet space starts getting crowded. The mobi websites are slowly but surely increasing. The pioneers get the maximum visibility.

In developing countries, mobiles are cheaper than laptops and desktops. A mobi website will ensure the visibility of your business amongst millions of people.

Most people would love using their mobile phones for browsing the net since no one likes to hold a mouse or tap on a keyboard for long. However, there are not many mobile friendly sites available. Go mobi, you will gain more customers.

It's predicted that the cost of mobile internet advertising will go into billions of dollars. Be one of the first to take advantage and get a profit from advertising.

Mobi internet is the new kid on the block which is slowly becoming a rage. Mobi websites are a great indication to the internet buffs that your site is mobile friendly.

So, invest in mobi site and see the difference. Like they say the "early bird gets the worm".

Invest in mobi internet and score over your competitors in the years to come. [http://slyfilters.com]Industrial Air filtration manufacturer Sly Filters (Europe) Ltd have launched a mobile version of their website. Go to http://slyfilters.com/blog/sly-filters-goes-mobi to see how this has given them an advantage over their competitors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Sherriff http://EzineArticles.com/?Mobi-Websites---The-Big-Revolution-On-Small-Phones&id=1167556

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Optimize Your Recycle Bin For Faster Delete Times

2008-05-15

Optimize Your Recycle Bin For Faster Delete Times
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joe_Cotellese]Joe Cotellese

The Windows Recycle Bin is where your files go to die. If you inadvertently delete a file, you can easily restore it from the Recycle Bin. However, a poorly configured recycle bin can slow down your system performance.

When you delete a file, it is moved to the Recycle Bin. If the Recycle Bin is mis-configured, it will take upwards of a minute to delete a file. This generally happens on if you have a large disk and the Recycle Bin is using the default settings.

The default settings for the Recycle Bin reserves 10 percent of your disk space for deleted files. When Windows XP first was released typical disk sizes were under 30GB. Ten percent of this is 300MB, a size big enough to hold most deleted files. Now, with disk sizes approaching a terabyte, you could end up having a 100GB Recycle Bin space. This is a problem because as the Recycle Bin approaches full, Windows has to start getting rid of older files. The algorithm they use to do this is not very efficient and it can take minutes to delete a single file.

You can adjust the default Recycle Bin size and improve the performance of file deletes by doing the following steps:



Right click on the Recycle Bin and choose Properties

On the Recycle Bin properties, move the Recycle Bin size slider from 10 percent to 3 or even 1 percent.

Remember, this is still a decent amount of storage since you now have a larger disk to work with.

Click OK

Empty your current Recycle Bin and you should now see your file delete time improve.

Joe Cotellese is the editor of [http://www.faster-windows.com]Faster Windows, a computer resource dedicated to helping beginner Windows users get the best performance from their system.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Cotellese http://EzineArticles.com/?Optimize-Your-Recycle-Bin-For-Faster-Delete-Times&id=1168774

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Time Servers and the Importance of Synchronisation

2008-05-15

Time Servers and the Importance of Synchronisation
By Richard N Williams

Time servers are like other computer servers in the sense they are usually located on a network. A time server gathers timing information, usually from an external hardware source and then synchronises the network to that time.

Often time servers are synchronised to a UTC (Coordinated Universal time) source which is the global standard time scale and allows computers all over the world to synchronised to exactly the same time. This has obvious importance in industries where exact timing is crucial such as the stock exchange or airline industry.

There are various sources that a time server can use as a timing reference. The Internet is an obvious source, however, internet timing references from the Internet such as nist.gov and windows.time can not be authenticated, leaving the time server and therefore the network vulnerable to security threats.

There are authenticated alternatives to the Internet, the most common being to use the GPS network. As the Global Positioning System is reliant on knowing exactly what time it is to ensure reliable information, this information can be utilised by a time server.

A simple GPS antenna connected to the time server will allow the GPS timing reference to be regularly checked by the time server. A GPS time server will be accurate to within a few hundred nanoseconds (a nanosecond = a billionth of a second).

There are also a number of national radio broadcasts such as the WWVB signal from Colorado in the US, the MSF signal from Cumbria in the UK and the DCF-77 signal from Frankfurt in Germany.

These radio signals are limited in their range though and even in major cities such as London it can be difficult to receive a decent enough signal.

Most timing servers use NTP (Network Time protocol) there are other protocols available but NTP is predominately used and is thought of as the standard for timing protocols. NTp has been around for over 25 years and is currently on version 4 but is always being updated which is probably why it is by fat the most common timing protocol.

NTP time servers work within the TCP/IP suite and rely on UDP (User Datagram Protocol). A less complex form of NTP - Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) is used in some devices and applications where high accuracy timing is not as important and is also included as standard in Windows software (although more recent versions of Microsoft Windows have the full NTP installed and the source code is free and readily available on the Internet from ntp.org).

Copyright 2008 © Richard N Williams

Richard N Williams is a technical author and a specialist in the telecommunications and network time synchronisation industry helping to develop dedicated time server products; ethernet clocks, GPS time servers, NTP servers, digital wall clocks, atomic clock servers and SNTP time servers. Please visit us for more information about NTP servers and NTP products This article may be republished and reprinted in its complete form or in part without seeking permission providing a relevant link to this site is maintained. It is a violation of copyright law to reprint or publish this content without following these terms.

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