Everyday Nerd » Hardware

Free DVD Software from WinX

Nerd — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:04:51 +0000

Limited time only – so grab them while you can! WinX is giving away two of their software titles right now! DVD Author, and DVD Ripper.

WinX DVD Author is powerful DVD movie creator and DVD burning software to make DVD from various video formats, like AVI, MOV, MPEG, WMV, FLV, etc. With this DVD authoring software, it is easy and fast to create your stylish DVD by making DVD menu, clipping video segment, adding subtitles. Download WinX DVD Author for free and convert your favorite videos to DVD.

WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is a professional DVD ripping software tool which could backup your DVD video to your personal PC or put into your portable devices. It offers fast ripping speed, stable ripping process and best video/audio quality. Integrated all DVD ripping functions together, WinX DVD Ripper Platinum should be a great choice for you to backup DVDs.

Together, they will run you about $55.00 to purchase, so even if you don’t plan on installing right away, go ahead and download them. No registration key will be required to install either title, and can be installed on as many computers as you like.

[ WinX DVD Author ]

[ WinX DVD Ripper ]

Dobo: Awesome storage device

Nerd — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:23:07 +0000

I have been looking at the Drobo from Data Robotoics Inc. for almost a year now, waiting for it to hit the market, and for some improvements. Well, the improvements are here!

Some of the features are:

Up to 4 SATA I or II drives (can mix or match)
USB connectivity
Constant Data protection
Simple LED management

Plus, add on the DroboShare, to turn it into a NAS (Network Attached Storage)

Gigabit Ethernet
Automounting SMB shared via Drobo Dashboard
Dual USB 2.0 ports for two Drobo’s per Droboshare
EXT3 file system support
Email alerts (in case drive fails etc)

All in all, this product looks great. The Drobo runs at $499 and the DroboShare is $199.

[Drobo]

DirecTV PC – Coming soon!

Nerd — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:06 +0000

Holy Moly, I can’t believe it! I’ve been wishing for DirecTV to make a tuner PC for a while, and now it is real!

Engadget confirmed that the HDPC-20 has a dual HD tuner device, USB port for connecting to your computer, a NIC, and supports Windows Media Center .

No word on release or price yet.

Alienware Curved Monitor

Nerd — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:00:26 +0000

Gizmodo was at CES 2008, and saw this awesome monitor that should be hitting the market soon. It is lit by LED, and boasts 2880×900 resolution. Can’t wait for mine!

832GB Solid State Drive (SSD) !!!!!!

Nerd — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Source: [Engadget]

The folks at BiTMICRO are about to blow some doors off of the SSD truck with a new product they’ll be showing at CES this year. According to a press release, the company is introducing a new, 2.5-inch solid-state drive with a whoppping 832GB of NAND flash goodness. The 3Gb SATA drive is a new addition to the company’s E-Disk Altima line, and utilizes a technology the company calls multi-level cell (or MLC) memory, which apparently doubles the number of bits stored per memory cell when compared with single-level cell (SLC) NAND. The drives are expected to ship Q3 2008 in capacities ranging from 32GB to 832GB — and you can be sure we’ll be staring intently at them (and asking for demo units) as soon as CES rolls around.

Pointui: Windows Mobile at it’s best (iPhone style Navigation)

Nerd — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:10:00 +0000

If you are like me, you love your Windows Mobile device – especially Mobile 6. I have a few friends that have iphones, and they are constantly saying “your mobile device doesn’t have the same touch screen capability as the iphone.” Well, yes… BUT!

Pictures on Flickr

Enter Pointui – Pointui brings a beautiful User Interface to the mobile device, along with some great eye candy. I cannot describe it very well, and plus, they already have at their site!

I have installed this small app on my AT&T 8525, and it looks very nice – easy to use, and even impressed my iphone buddies! This is definitely a keeper!

Check out the video:

Pointui

More detail from their site: [Pointui]

Vista style Breadcrumb navigation for XP

Nerd — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 14:30:00 +0000

Source: [HowToGeek]

One of the more popular changes in Windows Vista is the Explorer Breadcrumbs feature that lets you easily navigate to folders below the current folder by using the drop-down arrows. We’ve already featured one alternative for Windows XP users, but we’ve come across a much better solution to share with you.

This explorer add-on is written to be as minimal as possible, and is much easier to install. Overall quite a nice solution for those stuck on Windows XP.

Installation

All you really have to do is download and install the utility. Close out all Windows Explorer windows, and then open up a new window, and you’ll see the new toolbar over to the right.

Uncheck "Lock the Toolbars" if checked…

And then drag the toolbar down underneath the other toolbars. You can also hide the regular Address Bar toolbar if you’d like.

Usage

Since we are all running now, you can use the arrows to quickly navigate through the folders.

Or if you click in the address bar it will convert into a textbox address bar (which is why you don’t need the original address bar)

You’ll also notice that memory usage is extremely light, since it’s a plugin for Explorer but written to be as minimal as possible.

Download: [Explorer Breadcrumbs]

Finally: Google Apps for your Domain – Mobile App

Nerd — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:17:00 +0000

The mobile Gmail application for Google Apps that used to only work if you had a Blackberry is now available for all mobile phones. Just go to m.google.com/a on your mobile phone and download “Mail by Google”. The application looks exactly like the recently released Gmail Mobile 1.5, except that it has a blue icon and supports Google Apps accounts. You’ll also notice that you can login with standard Gmail accounts.

I have tested on my AT&T 8525, and it works wonderfully!

Glow in the dark… for 12 years without power source

Nerd — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:07:00 +0000

MPK, a company that has made a name producing glow-in-the-dark paint, has developed self-luminous micro particles called Litrospheres. The new material is said to be inexpensive (35 cents to light up a 8 ½ x 11 piece of plastic that is 1/8″ thick), non-toxic, and capable of staying constantly lit for over 12 years thanks to a betavoltaic technology that uses a radioactive gas.

Fortunately, the gas is involves a “soft” emission of electrons that cannot penetrate the glass or polymer wall of the microspheres. So theoretically, you don’t have to worry about brain tumors or taking on super powers when using it.

The Litrospheres, which can be injected molded or added to paint, are not affected by the heat or cold and they can withstand up to 5000 pounds of pressure. They can also give off light that is equivalent of a 20-watt incandescent bulb in almost any color imaginable. As you might expect, the first applications of the technology will most likely involve safety equipment—or the clothing and accessories of frequent clubgoers.

Source: [Gismodo via Wiki via Treehugger]

Spotlight – LED Flashlight recharges in cigarette lighter plug!

Nerd — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:26:00 +0000

This is on my top 10 cool gadget list for this year! Spotlight is a rechargeable LED flashlight, that replaces your cigarette lighter! It is a bright LED light that is always ready and available when you need some extra light. Whether it’s changing a tire, searching for a lost item, walking through a dark parking lot or locating your keys, the spotlight will always be at it’s peak power. Spotlight plugs in and charges from your vehicle’s 12 volt power outlet (cigarette lighter). The spotlight will always be charged, ready to help and within reach.

See site fore more info. Priced at $14.95, this would make a great gift… *hint hint*

[JTSpotlight]

Toshiba releasing new 128 GB Sata Solid State Drive

Nerd — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:23:00 +0000

I said in the past that I’m a huge Solid Sate Drive(SSD) fan, and I’m getting more excited every day! Toshiba is releasing – probably in May ’08 – a 1.8 in. & 2.5 in. SATA SSD in three capacities: 32GB, 64GB and 128GB. No prices have been announced yet. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these!

Source [Engadget]

Finally! Microsoft Outlook 2007 Sidebar Gadgets!

Nerd — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:45:00 +0000

I really like the sidebar in Vista, but it has been lacking some good Outlook gadgets. No more! Now, with the Outlook 2007 Appointment and Task Gadgets, it shows a clean and interactive way to get to your calendar and tasks.

Yes, there have been other sidebar gadgets for Outlook, but were lacking in some way. Thanks to the guys at Microsoft for creating these two gadgets!

Download: Outlook 2007 Appointments Gadget
Download: Outlook 2007 Tasks Gadget

Solid State Drives – Micron to sell Q1 of 2008

Nerd — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:22:00 +0000

Source: [Gizmodo]

Micron announced today that they will be releasing the RealSSD line of solid state drives, including a 64GB drive. While the entire line ranges from 1GB to 64GB, the 32 and 64 GB models are geared toward notebook and desktop use. The drives feature a SATA II interface and draw a mere 2 watts of power.

The 32GB drive will come in 1.8″ and 2.5″ sizes, while the 64GB will only ship in a 2.5″ size. Micron, who also owns memory makers Lexar and Crucial, will release an SSD USB enclosement under the Crucial brand, making SSD expansion easier for users. Micron also expressed an interest in making a 128GB SSD, but have no definite plans as of yet. Pricing is still undetermined on the 32GB and 64GB models, but Micron expects the products to ship in Q1 2008. [Micron]

Google Mobile Maps – No GPS Required

Nerd — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:03:00 +0000

Don’t have a GPS on your phone / mobile device? No problem! With the latest Google Mobile Maps, "The My Location feature takes information broadcast from mobile towers near you to approximate your current location on the map."

This feature is currently in beta, but I installed on my AT&T 8525, and it showed my location within a few hundred feet – very cool!

Video from Google’s site, explaining how it works:

Happy Mapping!

SanDisk – Flash based drives for Laptops

Nerd — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:29:00 +0000

Source: Engadget

Details are light, but apparently SanDisk will be announcing a device called the Vaulter Disk next year, which will basically be something like an SSD intermediary — a large bank of fast flash memory for speeding up platter-based drive access. Sounds a lot like the lovechild of RAMdisk and a hybrid hard drive.

It will come in 8GB and 16GB sizes, and is intended to host the laptop’s operating system and select user data, leaving apps, media, and everything else to the platter drives. So calling it an SSD intermediary is pretty accurate. It’ll be available to OEMs early next year.

Remote Desktop Sidebar Widget

Nerd — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:50:00 +0000

I like widgets… One that I use every day, many times a day is the Remote Desktop widget.

I love that it has a history, and favorites, as well as an easy console and full screen selection.

Go get it here!

iPhone OS System Restore Image

Nerd — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:33:00 +0000

OK, so you went out and got yourself an iPhone, found out the root password (alpine) and have been having a ball hacking around in it… until you bricked it… uh oh…

No fear – now you can hack a restore image back onto your iPhone.

Download Image here

Source: http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1316

Happy hacking!

(Note, I don’t have an iPhone, so don’t ask me how to hack it…)

Discussion…

Nerd — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:53:00 +0000

There is a whole lot of talk going around about the iphone… I’ve read, looked, and even played with one… I’m trying to figure out one thing; what does the iPhone offer that Windows Mobile devices don’t already?

… yeah…

Touch screen… Check
Email… Check
Web… Check
WiFi… Check
Contacts… Check
Calendar… Check
Camera… Check
Music Player… Check
Bluetooth… Check
Addon Apps… Check
Price… They can both be pretty high…

Let me know what you think!

GrandCentral "We’re Now Part of Google!"

Nerd — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:17:00 +0000

It’s official! I told you last week that Google was looking at purchasing GrandCentral. Here’s a look at the GrandCentral FAQ regarding the acquisition:

Google Acquires GrandCentral Communications
GrandCentral is joining Google. We’re excited about this. Being part of Google will helps us make our vision of improved voice communications one step closer to reality and bring innovative communications services to millions of users around the world. This will also ensure that your GrandCentral number is here for the long run, and that no matter how often you move, change jobs or phone providers, everyone can still reach you through the same phone number.
We have put together below a quick Q&A about the acquisition, but as always, we encourage our users to leave us some feedback through the feedback button above.
Craig Walker & Vincent Paquet, GrandCentral Founders
Background
Q: What is GrandCentral?
A: Based in Fremont, California, GrandCentral provides an innovative web-based voice communications platform that helps you manage all your phones and phone numbers through one simple interface. You get a single phone number that forwards to all of your phones, giving you one number for life.
Q: Why did Google acquire GrandCentral?
A: Google acquired GrandCentral because its communications services fit into Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and to provide services and features that enhance the collaborative exchange of information between our users.
Q. What are the terms of the acquisition? How much did Google pay?
A. The terms of the acquisition are confidential and the deal is officially closed.
Q: What are Google’s plans for GrandCentral?
A: While Google will continue to beta test the GrandCentral service and support all existing customers, there are no specific product plans to discuss at this time.
GrandCentral Users
Q: Will Google continue to support GrandCentral customers?
A: GrandCentral will remain operational as will the site while we integrate with Google. Google will continue to support uninterrupted service for all current GrandCentral customers.
Q: Can I still sign up for a new GrandCentral account?
A: A limited number of users will be able to sign up for an invitation to participate in continued beta-testing of the service. You can request an invitation here.
Q: GrandCentral users have been able to upload sound files for their own ring back tones. Will this feature continue to be offered?
A. GrandCentral users will be able to choose from a selection of licensed sound files made available within the GrandCentral service, but will not be able to upload their own files.

I’m sure that GrandCentral is going to be integrated into Gmail, Docs, Apps, etc… Can’t wait for all that!

Buying a Dell soon? Read this…

Nerd — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:19:00 +0000

I’m sure Dell isn’t too happy about this, but oh well! If you are going to be buying a Dell any time soon, here are some great tips from a Former Dell Kiosk Manger:

Source: Consumerist

I am a former Spherion rep that later became a Dell Branded Rep (manager) of a Dell kiosk in the Philadelphia, PA region. To work at one is to work at all, and I worked at four different kiosks in the region. I worked from July 2005 until October 2006, but keep regular contact with some of the guys I trained and brought up. Other than the usual complaints, I have no problem with the company.

Things most people know already:

1. Small business is better than home and home office – Small business typically runs a few dollars more than the home office, but you stand a better chance of getting domestic tech support rather than non-native English speakers. As an added perk, small business promotions are occasionally better than home.

2. Play with the web site - There are many different pricing packages for the same product throughout the various sections, typically three or more per segment. If you’re buying a Dell soon, configure a unit from a link off the main page, from the product listing on the drop down and from the “As Advertised-Newspaper” drop down. Configure the same system each way at the home, small business and the Direct (kiosk) site (http://www.dell.com/directstore). It is very likely you will end up with nine different prices.

3. Extended warranty for laptops – Do it for as long as you feasibly see using your laptop, and include accidental. Two years is typically the lifecycle from “new product” to “no longer produced/no more refurbs” though YMMV. Once your model is off the refurb site, drop it. Voila! New laptop. The standard warranty will not cover any screen defects.

UPDATE: Current Dell rep says: If a system is no longer shipping a used/refurbished is always sent, though the refurb should be equal or better as far as hardware is concerned. As of this writing if a system is exchanged, via either Complete Care warranty or concession, and the system is still a currently shipping model a new system is to be sent.

4. Extended warranty for desktops – There is nothing in a low end desktop (non XPS) that is worth the price of the warranty should you have to replace it. Only pick it up if you have absolutely no clue what you’re doing once the case is open.

5. Tech support phone - If you do go with the home/home office/direct route, tech support is outsourced (duh!). The tech support instant messenger typically provides a calmer, more understandable conversation due to the fact that accents are taken out of the equation. Think back to high school Spanish. It was always easier to translate the foreign language you were reading than if you heard it. Same concept applies here.

6. Tech support web site – If you’re having a common problem, hit the product forums (however crippled they may be now). It is very likely your question/problem has been resolved before, and usually a domestic tech rep posted a solution there.

7. Warranty Repairs – On all but the two lowest warranties (90 day and 1 year limited), warranty repairs will be done in the home. The repair techs are only required to replace the broken part. They are not required to do anything else. If they replace your hard drive, they are not required to reinstall your OS or drivers. Most will do it if you’re nice, but don’t expect it. If you’re clueless, there are tutorials all over http://support.dell.com that tell you how to do it yourself.

UPDATE: Current Dell rep says: Also with desktop machines at home service is the only option. Notebooks on the other hand may have a return to depot or an at home service contract.

8. OS Backup Disk – For over a year now, Dell has required you to purchase your Backup/Reinstall Disk. Order this with your machine. Once your Dell is delivered, it is a pain to get the disk at all, much less at a sensible price. If you do not have this disk and your hard drive dies, at home warranty repair will not be able to get your PC running once the drive is swapped without selling you a new copy of your OS.

UPDATE: Current Dell rep says: Dell no longer requires the purchase of the backup disk. They are included with every computer that ships with a Windows OS. On the subject of hard drives, if your drive fails within the first year of purchase you should be sent an imaged drive that will contain everything except for your royalty applications (Office etc). If for some reason you lose the media, you can request the OS, Resource/Drivers disk, and the applications disk at no cost to you. (Even if you are no longer under warranty Dell will send you an OS disk) Note that the Resource/Drivers and Applications disk is only available for currently shipping systems. Should you need to reinstall you’ll need to download the drivers from support.dell.com from another computer and copy them over. Last, within the first year of purchase, if you need to reinstall the OS and you can’t access the recovery image, or if it was deleted for some reason, you can request an System Recovery CD that does pretty much the same thing. (Not available on notebooks due to the Media Direct partition.)

9. DPA/Dell Preferred – This is the Dell credit card, like a Sears, Macy’s or Radio Shack credit card. Typically a high rate, low limit card. The lowest APR is still around 18-20%, and that comes with a $5,000 limit. The $4,000, $3,000 and $2,000 limits have rates in the mid to high 20s. The lowest limt, $1,500, has an APR of 29.99%. NEVER USE THIS UNLESS THERE IS A KILLER NO INTEREST PROMOTION.

a. Interesting Note: In the Back-To-School season of 2005, DFS (Dell Financial Service) was issuing cards to 18 year olds with a $7,000 limit and a 29.99% interest rate.

Stuff you may not know:

1. Promotion cycle dates – Thursday is the first day of new promotions. If you go to the web site at 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday night and again on 1 a.m. on Thursday morning, the promotions are different. The catalog promotions run from the start of the month to the end. Additionally, on holiday weekends (Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc.) there may be special sales/coupons for the three-day weekend.

2. Promotion styles - Typically, one week will be cash off while the next will be percentage off. If you liked cash off but the current promotion is percentage off, check the “As Advertised-Newspaper” section. These typically have a remnant of the prior week’s promotion as well as better versions of the current week’s promotions. Cash off helps for cheap systems, percentage off helps with high-end.

3. Dell Customer Care can price match within 24 hours from the time of order. Combining #1 and #2 from this section, if you are unsure of the value of the week’s promotion but need to order something, order it Wednesday night. Check the promotions for the new week on Thursday. If its better, call and price match. If its not, sit back and feel smug for no reason

4. Dell corporate email - As of December 2006, everybody (save Michael Dell) working for Dell U.S. has the same form of email address: firstname_lastname@dell.com. Michael Dell’s does not follow this pattern and is changed immediately whenever the current one is discovered by lower-level employees or the public.

5. Dell’s internal fiscal calendar is different from other corporations. As their fiscal year ends in January or February (I honestly don’t remember), the best deals will typically be found in late January and all of February. Also, buying during the last week of any quarter typically means free or deeply-discounted 2nd day or overnight shipping, and the quickest order turnaround. There are no steep discounts for the holidays, though they will run a few weeks of consecutive percentage off promotions during the back to school season in August.

6. The DFS servers are notoriously flimsy. If you apply for DPA (why would you?) and it is unable to complete, it means the server is overloaded but your credit rating has already been pinged. Reapplying will not fix the issue but it will repeatedly ping your credit. The system is unable to verify cell phone numbers and will automatically reject based on the use of one.

Fun facts about the Kiosks:

1. Why should I shop at a kiosk? I can order from home. – A very valid point, but the majority of kiosk customers are morons who think computers are magic boxes that let you see pictures of cats in funny poses while someone steals your AOL password. There’s a few reasons why an educated person aka Consumerist reader should hit the kiosk up:

Discounts

Closing tools

Refuse to Lose

DPA coupon

The closing tools are nothing but individual-use coupons entered at the shopping cart.

b. Printer cartridges – No you can’t buy them there…officially. They are non-inventoried items that many kiosks have a heady supply of due to inexplicably random deliveries from corporate. If you’re in a pinch and need one that day, go (don’t call), get a feel for the employees, and if you think they’re cool with it, offer cash.

2. There are two levels of kiosk employees. There are those hired by Spherion, creatively known as “Spherion reps,” and then there are Dell Branded Reps, or DBRs. DBRs are effectively the management of the individual kiosk, and are the only ones able to work uncompensated overtime. Deal with them if possible, because they are very likely to be there the next time if you have a question. They’ve also been there much longer than any other kiosk staff, so they likely have a much better skill set for finding bargains.
3. If you have a problem with DPA, the kiosk has a specific email contact for Dell Financial. Problems can be resolved much much faster.
4. The Dell Direct kiosk website is configured differently than the others. There are “bundles” (linked from the main page under the “start shopping” graphics) and there are “non-bundles”. Bundles, so called because…you guessed it…accessories and service are already bundled in, have a higher profit margin. They are also the most customizable system on the website. Non-bundles carry lower profit margins but may be limited. The salesman will always start from a bundle. Let them finish, then make them search the non-bundles for an equal system with a better price.
5. Kiosk reps are judged on the following:

Unit price:

Bundle percentage:

Service:

E&A:

DPA:

6. Secret shoppers – The kiosks are secret shopped constantly, and they’re playing of a 20-question scorecard. Don’t be surprised if the salesman asks really base/borderline-insulting questions if you act interested. They think you’re a secret shopper.
7. Communication – Complaints made about Dell to the kiosk reps go unheard. There is no place for the rep to turn around and report the complaint to. Communication between reps and even district management is limited, and reps are discouraged from calling the regional management. Store, district and regional management are all run from email and cell phones. It is not uncommon for the kiosks to receive three answers from three departments, with the end result being all three statements retracted without a solution in place.

Solid State Drives…

Nerd — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 14:34:00 +0000

I’m predicting that this is the greatest thing to happen to any notebook… ever! Trusted Reviews did a review on Samsung’s newest 32GB solid state disk. With no moving parts, low heat, and lower power consumption, what laptop would want this in side!!! This will be a great upgrade – once the size goes up, and the price goes down a bit… Samsung is among the rank of SanDisk, BitMicro, TDK, Hitachi and others that are developing SSD. I can’t wait!

Software: Watch My Cell

Nerd — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:20:00 +0000

If you have a cell phone – and who doesn’t any more – it’s a good idea to keep tabs on how many minutes you have used of your plan to avoid any overage fees. Well, here’s an easy way to do it – Watch My Cell – Free software that can log into your online account (currently supports Cingular, Verizon, T-mobile, Sprint, and Nextel) and check how many minutes you have used!