Just a few months ago Dell announced it would ship computers with Linux as it’s operating system, now Lenovo the third largest personal computer manufacturer will follow suit and also ship pc’s with Linux factory installed. Linux has always been very strong on the server side of software but it lacks desktop users due to the fact that it has not always been easy to use or have good hardware support. With improvements to the GUI interface Linux it is becoming more user friendly for people to transition over from windows interface. Right now may be the time for Linux to make a big push into the desktop market seeing as Vista is having several different issues, but it will be a tough fight convincing users to try something different. Below is a list of advantages and disadvantages of Linux.

Advantages

1) Stability - When Linux has a problem it normally shuts down the process without the need to reboot.

2) Free Software - There is tons of free open source software available for Linux.3) Runs on old Hardware - Linux will run on most old hardware like a 386 or 486, but GUI will probably not run.

4) Security – Linux has always and continues to dominate Microsoft when it comes to security.

Disadvantages

1) Learning Linux will take some time and patience. 2) Not all software for windows will be available for Linux.

4) Some hardware still not compatible.

Technorati Tags: Linux, Windows, Lenovo, Dell,

Having been forced to use vista for almost 4 months now I can truly say it is so riddled with problems it may be another five years until it is actually ready for the masses. My journey with Vista began about four months ago when I purchased a new Vista ready HP computer, big mistake. After I decided that I would go back to using XP until Vista bugs were worked out I was told by HP that they would not provide any drivers for XP, so basically I was stuck with Vista unless I wanted to try and track down my drivers from the hardware manufacturers which is a process I have not attempted yet. My biggest complaint so far with vista is that it runs incredibly slow, even with maxed out specs. My computer I purchased meets all the specifications plus some but performance is still not nearly as good as it should be, so I can’t imagine a two or three year old pc running it. The few visual effects of Vista are not really worth the resources it consumes so I disabled them from the very beginning hoping to get a little more speed out of a brand new computer with the following specs: Core 2 Duo 2.13, 2 gigs of Ram, 500 gig hard drive, and a Geforce video card with 512 ram, with specs like these windows XP would fly but not Vista it just coast along slowly. I really wanted Vista to live up to the hype and promises Microsoft pushed on us, but if memory serves right XP did take years to perfect and then it was time to upgrade again.

1) Hardware doesn’t run well on Vista (even new hardware)

2) The new security of Vista is overkill most of the time, being prompted for every little thing is bad enough but Vista even labels existing applications as suspicious.

3) Lack of drivers for older and newer hardware.

4) Power options do not change automatically for laptops depending on whether you are plugged or unplugged from a power source.

5) The Start Menu has been redone with a completely different look, unfortunately it is hard to navigate and find what you are looking for.

6) Rebooting a Vista machine is supposed to be faster, but it actually takes longer to reboot than XP.

7) The much talked about Aero UI is great to look at, but with all the resources it takes just to run it all you will be able to do is look at it and not actually work on your pc.

8 ) The many different versions of Vista will be confusing to some basic computer users who are not sure of what exactly they need so in the end they will probably figure more expensive means better and pay for a version they don’t need in the first place.

9) Horrible graphics performance that was not an issue with XP.

10) Although the look is “improved” basic functions like add/remove programs are hard to find.

11) VPN doesn’t work correctly, even though there are a few work arounds for this it is still not an easy process.

12) Software that is supposed to be windows compatible shuts down randomly.

13) Firefox runs ten times better than IE7 in vista.

14) The sidebar is another resource hog.

15) Readyboost seems like a good idea if you can get it to work.

16) DVD playback through windows media player or media center lacks quality.

17) Minor changes to hardware may prevent the system to boot up.

18) No “open with” when right clicking on a file.

19) My brand new Netgear Eva8000 streaming media device will not work wirelessly with vista due to some tcp stack problem in vista (it did work perfect with xp).

20) Windows Improved search is a total mess and not very accurate.

With more and more people using Smart Phones, the need for software on these devices continues to grow as well. Some of these programs are available for free while some you must pay for, but all of them will help you to get the most out of your device.  Since I have purchased my first smart phone I have used or tested out many different programs, some have worked perfectly while some have been complete waste of time and money. 
Below is a list I use daily and would
recommend for anyone.

1. TxtMan - TxtMan is a good free SMS client that puts all messages into chat format for easy viewing of conversations.

2. Google Maps - With Google maps you can get real-time traffic reports, step by step directions, local business search integrated into your maps, interactive maps that allow you to zoom in or out, and satellite imagery.

3. Octrotalk - Octrotalk is a free internet based IM client that uses Jabber/Google Talk to connect to almost any IM service including Yahoo Messenger, AIM, ICQ, and MSN.  It also allows using it’s always connected service on low bandwidth networks like edge, GPRS and CDMA. Remote access to your pc is also available by install OctroTalk for windows and sharing a folder on your mobile phone.

4. Windows Live Search - With Windows Live search you can get news and search the web for information, get business info by category, search for local movie listings and times and also get traffic reports in major cities.  With a Gps receiver you can also get turn by turn directions right on your device.

5. Opera Mobile - Opera mobile web browser formats most web pages into a mobile friendly format making it much easier to view standard pages on a mobile device. Another thing about opera compared to other mobile browsers is its speed when loading webpage’s, I have used almost every mobile browser and none can compare to this one.

6. WorldMate 2007 - This is a must have app for any serious business traveler wanting to keep up with real-time flight status, flight schedules with over 800 airlines, global weather forecast, currency converters, world clocks, and a travel center for information about car rentals, airports, and hotels.

7. Documents to go  -This program lets you take your work with you anywhere’s you go.  Creating or editing word, Excel PowerPoint or even PDF files with this program is made very easy.  With In-Tact technology you don’t have to worry about losing your original formatting of files edited on your mobile phone.

8. WeatherBug - Weatherbug Mobile is pretty much like the version they make for you pc. This mobile version includes mobile alerts to notify you of severe weather, search of weather radars, and mobile on demand which requires you input a zip code for current weather conditions for a particular location.

9. Oxios ToDo List - This is a very good program for anyone who wants to create and sync task with Outlook without the need for exchange server.  This program was designed specifically for smart phones so everything seems to display perfectly on a small screen.

10. Sprite Backup - After spending lots of time and effort getting your smart phone setup just the way you want it the last thing you need is a crash, that’s where Sprite Backup comes in.  This program backups up everything from saved data, contacts, settings and installed programs on your smart phone.  It even features an automatic backup so you can set it and forget.

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile, Software, Smartphone,

Microsoft has announced two new deals that will certainly help the growth of their Ad campaigns. The First one is a deal they have cut with Electronic Arts (one of the largest game producers) to provide in-game advertising. So far the five games they have announced to have ads in are: Madden NFL 08, NASCAR 08, NHL 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 and Skate. Although 35 other game publishers already use Microsoft’s Massive Inc. for in-game ads this should really be a huge boost for Microsoft considering how popular EA games are. The second Deal that has been cut involves the popular site Digg.com. Microsoft will be providing Digg with Contextual and display advertising for at least three years according to sources. Many Digg users are complaining, stating this may mean the end of content about Linux or apple while other users see this as a chance for Digg to possibly expand it’s services with this new source of revenue. Google and Yahoo are still way ahead in online advertising revenue, but with deals like this being cut Microsoft could become a serious player in this booming market really quickly.

Technorati Tags: microsoft, Ea games, digg, facebook, advertising, games,

The Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV680 has been released in the U.S. for a price of $3,199, which isn’t bad considering the powerful specs of it. The key selling point for it will be its ability to burn HD-DVDS. This new laptop ships with a glossy white finish and features a 17-inch monitor that plays content back in full 1080p resolution. Other media centered features included with this laptop are a remote control, USB HDTV tuner (for viewing and recording live high definition TV), Harmon speakers, and a built in subwoofer. Having a HD-DVD-R burner means users will be able to store up to 30 gigs of content on one disk compared to 25 gigs with Blue Ray drives. Besides the media features, this laptop is also a powerhouse system with 802.11n Wifi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Geforce 8600M GT graphics card (256MB memory), Core 2 Duo 2ghz processor, 2GB of RAM, Windows Vista Ultimate (this is one thing I am not crazy about), a fingerprint reader, and a huge 320 gig hard drive for storage. This laptop seems like a good system for a reasonable price, but I would make sure and check if Windows XP drivers are provided from Toshiba just incase Vista doesn’t work out for you.

Technorati Tags: Toshiba, HD-DVD-R, Laptop,