Why Not Thread Everything

There are several very useful benefits to threading; we can have several processes running at once, and several threads running within those processes. So, with all these benefits, why don t we just use new threads for all of our methods? Wouldn t that just make everything run fast? Not really. As a matter of fact, we will see in this section that quite the opposite can happen if we overuse threading.

Multithreaded applications require resources. Threads require memory to store the thread-local storage container. As you can imagine, the number of threads used is limited by the amount of memory available. Memory is fairly inexpensive these days so many computers have large amounts of memory. However, you should not assume that this is the case. If you are running your application on an unknown hardware configuration, you cannot assume that your application will have enough memory. Additionally, you cannot assume that your process will be the only one spawning threads and consuming system resources. Just because a machine has a lot of memory, doesn t mean it s all for your application.

You will also discover that each thread also incurs additional processor overhead. Creating too many threads in your applications will limit the amount of time that your thread has to execute. Therefore, your processor could potentially spend more time switching between threads as opposed to actually executing the instructions that the threads contain. If your application is creating more threads, your application will gain more execution time than all the other processes with fewer threads.

To make this concept easier to understand, take the parallel example you ll find down at your local grocery store. Two cashiers are scanning groceries for their customers. However, there is only one bagger, who takes turns switching between the two cashiers. The bagger is rather efficient at jumping back and forth between the two registers and bagging the groceries because they don t pile up any faster than the bagger can bag the groceries. However, if two more cashiers open up lanes, it will become apparent that the bagger will spend more time jumping back and forth between the registers than they spend actually bagging groceries. Eventually, the store will need to get another bagger. In the case of threading, think of the cashiers as applications - or threads, and the bagger as a processor. The processor has to switch between threads. As the  threads  increase, the grocery store has to add another  processor  to be sure that the customers get the attention they need.

The phrase  too many threads  is a rather generic term - and rightly so. What constitutes  too many  on one system could be fine on another. Since hardware configurations largely dictate the number of threads available on a system,  too many  is an unquantifiable variable without specific configuration details and lots of testing.

It is for these reasons that Microsoft recommends that you use as few threads as possible in your applications. This limits the amount of resources required by the operating system.

by: Milind Shroff

New Facebook? Understanding Google+

It seems like everyone has been talking about Google+ lately, a new social networking conglomerate developed by the giant Internet search engine Google. Although the platform is still in its field trial stage and is available by invitation only, there is already a large buzz about the product. So, what makes Google+ different from Facebook, the current most popular social networking site?

Through its three main features  Circles, Hangouts, and Sparks, Google+ differentiates itself because it

1) Gives the user more privacy by allowing him or her to be in full control of what is shared

2) Has a group video chat feature

3) Allows the user to uncover content rather than purely share content

For the Facebook crowd at large who is unfamiliar with Google+, here is a quick glimpse into the nuts and bolts of the new site.

The Stream

Once you get the invite, (the word is that there are currently tens of millions of users, so ask around  chances are you probably know someone who is using it) just sign in with your Gmail, Picassa, or Youtube account. You are then prompted to create your personal profile, which consists of a profile picture, introduction, education, employment, places lived, etc.

On the home screen, there is a GChat bar on the left side and a black bar at the top of the page that connects with Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Photo, Reader, and Web. Below this, there are four tabs that are quite similar to Facebook: Home, Photos, Profile, and Circles. The vast majority of the screen is taken up by a live news feed with comment and +1, or the like, capability of your Circless activities. But wait  what exactly is this Circles mechanism that keeps being referred to?

Circles

One of the three main features of Google+ is Circles. Circles allow you to sort your contacts into groups, including but not limited to friends, family, acquaintances, and following (like Twitter). Ever go through your 1000+ Facebook friends and not know who certain people are and how you met them? Have no fear  Google+ will keep your contacts organized.

Additionally, Circles allows you to easily share posts and pictures with only a specific group of people. There is also the option of adding friends without a Google+ account to a circle, in which they will receive your posts via email. By giving the user control of essentially every post shared, Google+ can be as private or public as you want it to be.

Hangouts

The Hangout tool is a video chat function. After downloading Googles Voice and Video Installer, you have the capability to create a Hangout and invite up to ten people in your network to chat. Rather than planning Skype sessions in advance, Google+ posts that you are hanging out in the live stream and gives others the chance to jump in. Another appealing feature of Hangouts is the ability for Groups to watch Youtube videos or movies together.

An analogous application to Hangouts, the Huddle feature allows users to group chat through text. This can be useful for creating plans for the night or making decisions on a work related project.

Sparks

Sparks allows you to not only share content, but also to discover it. By typing your interests into the Sparks page that appears in your sidebar, you can stumble external sites that are of importance to you. Generally, these include current articles, videos, and other relevant content. Specifically, when I clicked on Recipes, which is one of the current featured interests, I was directed to Foodmakers May Change Recipes to Cut Fat for Fare Advertised to Children,New Restaurant Shares a New Blueberry Pie Recipe, and more. You can also share your favorite links from Sparks and from anywhere on the web for that matter  onto your Wall.

More on Google+

Similar to other social media sites, Google+ is available for those on the go. The native mobile app currently is available for the Android, but the web app is accessible for all smartphones, and SMS is coming soon.

It is still undecided when Google+ will be fully available to the public, for Google+ representatives have stated, How long the testing phase lasts, and how the product evolves, will really depend on how it goes. We dont have a set amount of time (Google+ Press Site).

But, for those who have already snagged the invite, this ultimate question remains: Will you switch to Google+ or stay with Facebook

Cloud Computing Is More Than A Technology

Cloud Computing is more than a technology. Cloud Computing is more than a platform and it is more than just an application hosted as a service. It is a combination of all the above plus provides immense data storage on the Internet.

In todays competitive economic environment, as businesses are trying their best to balance and optimize their information technology or IT budgets, Cloud computing can be an effective strategy to reduce the information technology operations and management costs, and to free up critical resources and budget for discretionary innovative projects. Typically, a business organization has a eighty by twenty split between regular ongoing information technology or IT operations cost which includes hardware, software licensing costs, development, data center maintenance, etc. versus new investment for solving needs which are critical for a business to survive in these challenging times. Cloud computing technology can have a significant impact on this by reducing the footprint of information technology operations by taking out the upfront capital investments needed for hardware and software. It enables a new model viz. - use what is needed and pay for what is used model. This entails businesses to invest on innovative solutions that will help them address key customer challenges instead of worrying about cumbersome operational details.

Cloud Computing is a paradigm that is composed of several strata of services. These include services like Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Storage as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a service (SaaS). Different Cloud computing services providers have developed various access models to these services. The access to these services is based on standard Internet Protocols like Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Representational State Transfer (REST), Extensible Markup Language (XML), and the infrastructure is based on widely used technologies including virtualization. Cloud computing is the maturation and coming together of several prior computing concepts like Grid Computing, application service provider (ASP), Server Hosting, Utility Computing, and Virtualization.

Cloud Computing Technology Provides Plenty of Benefits

Cloud Computing Technology provides plenty of benefits. Some of the main benefits are given below

Reliability plus Scalability

You get extremely high uptime, that is, almost up to hundred percent. You are free to scale up or down resources.

Rolling Backup

Cloud computing service provider uses rolling backup technology to backup data.

Security and Support

SAS 70 Type II compliant data centers are used. Experts provide free 24/7 support service via chat, phone, email, etc.

Cost Savings

End users save much money on Information Technology or IT operations.

Any Application

Cloud Computing Technology allows hosting of Windows Server software, Peachtree accounting software, MS SQL Server, QuickBooks accounting software, MS Office Server, ACT! CRM(Customer relationship management), Lacerte Tax software, etc. Almost any application can be easily hosted in the cloud.

Anywhere and Anytime

Cloud hosting service provider allows end users to access cloud hosted software from where ever they are located. Multiple end users can instantly share same data file at the same time.

by: William smith

Have you considered the benefits to your business of a touch screen kiosk?

There are many reasons why you may wish to invest in touch screen kiosks for your business. Information kiosks are hardware devices that work in conjunction with Touch Screen software, allowing any of a number of possible transactions to be performed by users. A keyboard, touch screen or both serves as the method of input.

Touch screen kiosks are able to perform a wide range of functions with the suitable integration of technology, serving every possible function from collecting cash in exchange for merchandise to allowing users to enter a public utility bill account number so that an online transaction can be performed.

Every business is different, of course, and sure enough, information kiosks can boast any of a wide range of other features to cater for these widely varying needs. You can specify information kiosks with the likes of card readers, bill and coin depositors, ticket and receipt printers and robotic product arrays, amongst many other features. If you permanently connect your information kiosk to the Internet, it will be able to provide customers with access to a customised, unattended version of an application of your choice.

All in all, such kiosks offer many benefits to businesses, including the opportunity to improve the brand and advertising of products, as well as to make your business more organised and space efficient. A touch screen kiosk also, naturally, allows your company to increase sales.

How to find the right firm offering touch screen kiosks

If you are looking to invest in at least one touch screen kiosk, you will appreciate finding a highly professional and capable manufacturer. Such a firm should have a strong reputation in the manufacture of bespoke interactive kiosk solutions for the individual needs of its clients. It should have extensive experience in its field, in addition to a long list of satisfied and high profile clients.

The right company will have access to considerable in-house product development, manufacturing and assembly facilities, allowing it to quickly create an appropriate solution for your company. It should place an emphasis on great flexibility and functionality, in addition to excellent build quality and the highest standard of customer service.

by: Gareth Hoyle

VIPRE Antivirus Software Premium

Even though VIPRE Antivirus Premium is relatively new software in the highly competitive arena of antivirus firewall software, it still managed to out-perform the other top competitors in our 2011 antivirus tests.

VIPRE Premium is a unified antivirus firewall software that combines the antivirus protection of VIPRE Antivirus 4.0 and the overall Internet security of Sunbelt's Personal Firewall Software.

Before, you had to buy VIPRE Antivirus then add on Sunbelt's Personal Firewall to complete your Internet security suite.

That was fine, and they worked together as expected, but now they've combined the two programs into one: VIPRE Antivirus Premium.

In doing so, our main concern was that VIPRE would lose its highly-regarded speed and low resource usage, but the people at Sunbelt, VIPRE manufacturers, pulled it off.

They managed to keep the power and light resource usage of their antivirus software and combined it with their lean, mean firewall.

You still get the same top-notch antivirus and anti-spyware engine that's built into VIPRE but now there's the benefit of having a strong, integrated firewall, and without the hassle, however minor, of having to purchase, install, and run two separate programs.

The UI remains clean and easy to navigate. They've removed some redundant settings and integrated the firewall settings, thankfully, without feeling like they just slapped it together.

The memory usage of the unified antivirus firewall program is still very low, comparable to the combined resource usage of VIPRE Antivirus and Sunbelt Personal Firewall. Impressive.

Equally important, the antivirus and Internet security protection you get from VIPRE Antivirus Premium is still the best we've seen this year.

While there are only a few weak points with VIPRE Antivirus Premium, the good far outweighs the not-so-great.

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VIPRE Antivirus Premium 2010 Features

Real-time Protection

Prevents viruses, spyware and other malware from infecting your PC 24/7. Stops dangerous files from doing any harm.

Spyware Removal

Keeps dangerous spyware and annoying adware off your PC. Detects, finds, and destroys spyware trying to access your computer.

Email Protection

Stops dangerous email viruses from invading your PC. Scans incoming and outgoing email for malicious files.

Instant Messaging Protection

Scans and prevents viruses, spyware, and other malware from transferring through your IM conversations. Helps keep your Instant Messaging safe.

Solid Two-way Firewall

Filters incoming and outgoing traffic. Incoming traffic is blocked and scanned for threats until you let it through. Outgoing traffic is stopped and scanned to prevent dangerous programs from communicating with their makers.

Improved Network Performance

Allows connection to and from the Internet to flow more quickly and efficiently while still filtering for suspicious activity.

Excellent Packet Filtering

Inbound and outbound traffic is inspected for malicious activity.

Prevents Process Injection Attempts

Prevents malicious trojans and other malware from pretending to be safe programs by injecting themselves inside.

Improved Stability

Software performs well even under high-volume network attacks and other load.

Updated Translations Files

Improved support for several languages including Spanish and French.

Secure File Eraser

Permanently deletes sensitive or personal files. Keeps spyware from seeing sensitive information you delete.

History Cleaner

Permanently cleans browser history and cookies so spyware can't see where you've been.

Free Malware Removal

If a virus, trojan, worm, or other malware somehow gets through your defenses while you're a VIPRE or VIPRE Premium antivirus subscriber, Sunbelt's dedicated in-house team of malware removal specialists will remove the infection free.

Combining VIPRE Antivirus with Sunbelt Firewall was a logical step for Sunbelt. VIPRE Antivirus Premium brings together the critical components of an Internet Security Suite:

1. antivirus software

2. anti-spyware

3. firewall software

Its resource usage is still very light and low. Its core antivirus and antispyware protection is still more accurate than its competitors.

Its firewall is still easy to use, yet strong enough to block malicious attacks. And their customer support is still at the top of our list.

VIPRE Antivirus Premium is the best Internet security suite we've tested for 2011.

Is it perfect? No.

Is it excellent? Yes.

For starters, we'd like to see better antispyware protection. Our testing revealed some weak spots in VIPRE Antivirus Premium's ability to accurately detect and remove all spyware and adware during real-time protection.

Our pre-infection tests should have seen better results at detecting latent viruses on machines that were already infected.

That said, after running a full-system, manual scan, the majority of these viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, and other malware were detected. Then letting VIPRE Antivirus Premium run in real-time, stopped any future attempts for the malware to run.

Overall, VIPRE Premium and Sunbelt do what you'd expect the best antivirus firewall software and Internet Security Suite to do. It keeps your PC clean and virus-free, runs without bogging your system down, and is backed by top-notch tech support.

Because of that VIPRE Antivirus Premium earns our 2011 Editor's Choice Award

by: Sunbelt Software

Nationwide Broadband in Australia

The development of nationwide broadband in Australia is set to put the country at number one in broadband in three years time and give a major boost to economic growth.

The internet has become an all encompassing phenomenon that touches every facet of our lives. However, with the ever growing dependence on the internet it is not enough to have an internet connection; you need a connection that allows faster access to information. Broadband in Australia is set to make a huge difference to the speed at which you browse for information.

The initial target of National Broadband Network in Australia is to make available a minimum speed of 100Mpbs to 90% of all homes and institutions. 100Mpbs is 100 times faster than the speed that most Australians get through a dialup internet connection. The end goal, however, is to provide 1Gpbs broadband speed in Australia. The remaining 10% of the countrys area will be covered through satellite and wireless technology with a minimum 12Mpbs speed.

Although every country has its own typical needs and compulsions, the sheer vastness of its size makes Project Broadband in Australia a test bed for any country in the world. Nationwide broadband in Australia will allow services to be delivered direct to the consumer from a distance. This is considered to be of special importance to Australia due to its size and its typical geography.

In as far as the commercial aspect of broadband in Australia is concerned it is being likened to the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution reduced the cost of transportation and made it possible for manufacturers to take advantage of economies of scale and manufacture goods at a distance from consumers. Broadband in Australia in expected to make a similar difference to way services are asked for and delivered in future.

by: Summer Maddox

Make your online purchase easy with shop to date software

There are a large number of people who prefer to shop online rather than approaching an online store personally. E-commerce is in vogue these days such as people are creating commercial websites to establish their business online. It is the most appropriate and convenient way of earning a huge amount of money without putting much physical efforts.

If you are planning to establish your business online then a successful website needs to be created for availing all the customers to shop online in a hassle free manner. There are a large number of commercial websites running on internet but what matters is its popularity amongst online users. Most of the online business owners have started installing shop to date software on their websites in order to get rid of complicated programming skills required for commercial websites.

You may find different versions of this kind of software with extremely easy operating techniques. One can make his website navigable and user-friendly with the help of this software. People who find it difficult to choose the appropriate version of shop to date software must avail the advantage of online facility for retrieving required information about their features, pros and cons. There are a large number of websites which provide relevant information about the availability and features of this kind of software.

If you are looking out for the best and latest version of shop to date software then you must go online and log on to the concerned website for installing them. Generally commercial websites are quite complicated to handle programs but after installing these software website owners and customers find it easy to make their purchase online.

In present scenario people are accomplishing every purpose with the help of online facility whether it is shopping, business or retrieving any kind of information. It becomes essential for every website owner to make his website visible and navigable to all the online users so that they like to visit it over and over again. Shop to date software with latest version enables website owners and customers to do easy online shopping.

At last, one may conclude from the above information that there are different versions of shop to date software available online which can be downloaded easily. People usually prefer this kind of software to make their online dealing easy. Through the support of such software web professionals can reduce their effort and make it convenient for customers too.

by: Jeremy Morgenroth

Lexmark Ink Cartridges

The Lexmark Impact S305 wireless 3 in 1 inkjet printer is sold with standard capacity Lexmark 100 ink cartridges, these cartridges are all rated at less than 200 pages and do not represent good value. When buying replacement cartridges for this printer, we recommend purchasing the high yield 100XL ink cartridges, rated at up to 600 pages. These cartridges will produce the lowest cost per print and will also mean you will have fewer changes of cartridge.

The Lexmark Impact S305 features a fairly simple design, with none of the extra paper trays or document feeders of the more costly models in the range, yet it still has several useful extras.

The paper feeds from a fold-up tray at the back with a tiny spring-loaded flap in the front that no one seems to be able to explain the reason for. We once thought that it was to avoid dust slipping to the feed slot, but even when the tray is fully loaded, there's still a big gap between the paper stack and this flap.

The Contact Image Sensor (CIS) scanner is straightforward and thin, so adds little to the overall height of the machine and runs its full width, so there is no extra room taken by a control panel. The control panel is placed at an angle projecting from the front of the machine, similar to all those new Lexmark all-in-ones. It features a simple, mono LCD display, though this is bitmapped, rather than being two lines of 16 characters, so can display limited graphical information.

Set into the front right-hand corner of the machine are two memory card slots, but there's additionally a PictBridge socket for direct camera connection, which can take USB drives.

Despite the quite low price, the Lexmark Impact S305 printer retains wireless connection and also a USB socket at the rear. Wireless set-up is pretty straightforward and the machine supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 security. It comes with a good bundle of support software, including a copy of Abbyy Finereader OCR.

Make more Gold in Word of Warcraft with Add-ons

WoW or World of Warcraft is the best known MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) in the world which is played by hundreds and thousands of users around the world on a daily basis. As a role playing game this game requires you to collect as many Gold as you can so that you can effectively compete against all your competitors while playing it online. There are various tricks and tips through which Gold can be collected more effectively in the game. By default you can earn Gold either by farming, crafting, and offering services to other people in the game. Another way of collecting more Gold in WoW is by using some add-ons which can easily integrate with the game.

Now, let's look at some of the best Add-on you can use while playing WoW:

Gatherer - This add-on tracks gathering based notes and puts icons on the world and mini map which helps in finding Gold easily. Through this add-on you can find suitable farming paths and the best part is that you can also share your notes with guild mates and will get notified whenever they discovers a new node.

Auctioneer - This add-on allows you to scan auction houses in WoW, which gives you an idea for how much you should sell a particular item for. This will help you to maximize your returns in the auction house sales.

NPC Scan - This add-on shows you the location of mobs with valuable loots which includes a lot of Gold. It is very difficult to find these mobs without the aid of a specialized tool. NPC Scan detects the mobs location and sounds an alarm and displays to you pictures of the mob which makes the whole process easier for you.

Apart from these there are also other add-ons which can help you make more gold and also makes it easier to play the game. If you do not want to look for Add-ons by your own, you can automate the process of searching and installing a new add-on with specialized software like WoWus ( World of Warcraft Updating System ).

Article Source: http://www.softwarebazar.com/games/

Author:

Softwarebazar LLC is a premier global aggregator of information pertaining to the software industry.

Based out of Dubai Internet City in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Softwarebazar LLC strives to be the number one source of quality information on the Internet as far as all the kinds of software that are commonly available on it.

Together with our comprehensive team of 9 editors, it is our endeavor to ensure that we provide you with objective and unbiased information that will very well serve your purpose as far as choice of particular software is concerned.
by: Software bazar

The Best Plugins For WordPress

WordPress is an amazing tool, I use it on so many websites, I really would be at a loss without it, but what one of the things that makes it so great is the over whelming amount of plugins that are available. If there's something you want to do in WordPress, there's normally a plugin to help you do it.

SEO Ultimate - I think this plugin deserves more recognition than it's gotten up till now. I have never seen a plugin with such a massive array of features, this does everything that platinum SEO and All In One SEO, also throws in the functionality found within SEO Smart Links and a number of other plugins it is essentially the swiss army knife of WordPress plugins. Some examples of its additional features include; code inserter (for use with adding Google Analytics, Adsense section targeting etc) Webmaster verification assistant, Link Mask Generator, Robots.txt editor and there's even an option for exporting your SEO Ultimate settings to a file so you can import later or use on another blog if you need to, along with support for importing post meta data from All In One SEO - and there's more, well worth checking out.

W3 Total Cache Plugin - This plugin when fully configured can give at least 10x improvement in overall site performance and give you up to 80% bandwidth savings via minify and HTTP compression of HTML. In A/B testing this great WordPress Plugin beats other optimisation plugins like WP Super Cache hands down in terms of page load time, and not only that but it has Amazon S3 integration. This plugin is so good at performance optimization that it is trusted by sites such as mashable.com, smashingmagazine.com and many others.

Cbnet Ping Optimizer - Within your WordPress admin panel, if you click on the writing option within the settings tab, you will see at the bottom a section called Update Services, now each time you publish a post or update a post WordPress will ping the sites in this list. So if you update a post frequently, some of these services may blacklist your site, this handy plugin stops WordPress from pinging these services when you edit a post, but allows it to ping them when you first add the post, removing the possibility of being blacklisted as a spammer on those services.

TinyMCE Advanced - WordPress uses the standard version of TinyMCE as its WYSIWYG editor, this is the advanced version that will add 17 plugins to TinyMCE. These include: Advanced HR, Advanced Image, Advanced Link, Advanced List, Context Menu, Emotions (Smilies), Date and Time, IESpell, Layer, Embed Media, Nonbreaking, Print, Search and Replace, Style, Table, Visual Characters and XHTML Extras.

WPtouch - Once this WordPress plugin is installed and activated it will transform your blog into an iPhone application-style theme when it is viewed from an iPhone, iPod touch, Android, Palm Pre, Samsung touch and Blackberry Storm/Torch mobile devices. With web browsing via mobile devices this is an extremely important plugin to utilise, as it will provide fast and user-friendly browsing from the mobile devices mentioned and this will not affect your desktop theme in anyway. On top of that you can customise various aspects of its appearance within the admin panel and it will also display ads from Google Adsense which is very handy.

Maintenance Mode - This nifty plugin will add a splash page to your blog to let its visitors know that your WordPress blog is down for maintenance, it will also inform the visitor when the site will be accessible. The message is completely customisable and logged in administrators will get full access to the blog including the front-end.

Broken Link Checker - It can be quite frustrating for the reader of a page on your blog who has become engrossed in whatever article/post it is they are reading when they try clicking a link within your page and the site is broken. However this will always happen from time to time and can't be avoided, but when you've been blogging for a while and you've amounted a sizable archive of posts and articles it would be impossible to check them all.

WP-DBManager - The worst thing that can happen for any blogger is to put your heart and soul into writing great posts and then then just lose it all, whether it's down to your webhost or something else. This great WordPress plugin makes it so easy to back up your WP database, and even optimise and repair it too. It supports backup scheduling and allows you to either download the backup file or email it to you. This plugin is a must have for anyone who is serious about using WordPress.

Blackberry as a business tool

Blackberry is a nearly an indispensable business tool for any trade. Especially for many small firms blackberry is like a boon. Blackberry software is highly responsive in a blackberry phone . you can use it both professionally and in personal life. It can do everything. From providing smart applications to helping you in your job or providing business software which connect you to business applications. Blackberry has a role to play everywhere. It can provide you with a secure access to business email,calendar,applications,contacts,tasks and much more from blackberry smartphones.

Blackberry has a variety of business softwares which help user in gaining access to the applications and information they can rely upon. These business softwares facilitate greater IT control and connect blackberry smartphones to enterprise applications. Blackberry smartphones have many key business features. With Push Technology you can easily deliver messages and information to your smartphones.

It helps in increasing battery life while simultaneously decreasing bandwidth usage. Your blackberry smartphone can open and edit attachment; flag email for follow up, look for email and set out of office notifications and many more, off course with conditions attached. Contact information is synchronized between the pc and blackberry phones automatically. The users can search in the company address list, enhancing productivity, while working out of office. Blackberry applications give the ever busy professional greater and performance enhancing calendar features.

Executives can send out, accept and forward calendar appointments from their blackberry smartphones, without a worry that the changes will not synch with their pc. Blackberry greatly improves on employees ability to communicate quickly with colleagues. It lets employees take their instant messaging and social networking out of the office. Blackberry smart phones support blackberry messenger out of the box, also adding web-based IM and social networking solutions.

Blackberry business solutions provide a social and highly secure platform. Blackberry Balance application secures your business information on blackberry smart phones, separate from personal applications. It prevents information accessed from business applications from being copied and pasted into personal applications. Also access to organizer data on the blackberry phone is restricted from within social networking applications.

Blackberry Enterprise Server Express provides solutions to business to efficiently and quickly get started, and at the same time reducing costs. Advanced blackberry Smartphone get features with no software licensing charges or fees. Another feature is the Blackberry Enterprise Server. It is apt for large companies and government organizations, with their need for the high level of IT control and enhanced functionality, thereby ensuring workforce productivity and securing the sensitive data.
by: Kelly Burby

Fix Computer Problems through Remote Technical Support

Computer and Internet technology is a real blessing which has given direction and support to the modern world. It has so much intermingled with the profession and personal lives of people that its difficult to imagine a day without it. It has touched every corner of life and people from all walks of lives are using this. One should be highly grateful to the enterprising efforts of scientists and developers who are consistently involved in the business for a better tomorrow. However, problems and obstacles have never remained an exception. But certainly these are challenges which provoke towards development and invention.

In early days computer support was catered through direct on-site visit of technicians or by repair shops. Gradually, this method was substituted by remote technical support. In fact, this is a dynamic concept and is of great help. The Internet feasibility and the advent of quality remote software have given wings to the concept. This online support has crossed all barriers and hurdles and one can expect the support anywhere anytime. Whether one has a need of PC repair at home or office, in day or night, facing small or big problems he can get instant help through the Internet or phone.

Computer Support is used in a broad sense and it encompasses support for every computer related issues which one might face in his life. Operating system, application software, router, printer and other program or devices are widely used with computer. A problem with any of these is inevitable. Again, there are brands and their respective models or software versions as well, so the term computer support gets segregated again accordingly. Microsoft Windows NT, Apple Mac, Linux, UNIX are the commonly known operating systems. Likewise, application software and security software are too available from various brands. This software are regularly updated or revised by the developers to induce better technologies and features.

Though, brands are offering Remote Technical Support but they restrict to their own products. As one cant limit himself to one particular brand of software or hardware so this specific tech support would not be enough to deal with computer problems in long run, hence, there is a constant surge for independent technical support provider, who can provide all-round support. Companies indulge in the business offer support for all brands, and one just needs to call the Tech Support Phone Number and permit technicians to have the remote access of his machine. Responsible technician diagnoses the system in front of owners eyes and troubleshoots it to fix the related issues. Hence, this has also mitigated the chance of data theft. They can also help the consumer to clad the system with the desired software and set-up and configure important peripherals with it. In case of system crash one doesnt need to worry too much, by making a right contact at right time he can restore his system and get back his valuable assets. Besides, they can provide driver support, antivirus support, e-mail support and more.

Moreover, these tech support services are catered by subject matter experts, at competitive prices, and with warranty periods so the consumer is always in safer side, and he can keep his fingers crossed and enjoy next-generation computing.

by: Morganben

Free Registry Cleaner with All the Powerful Features for Your PC

If you are among those countless individuals still looking for a free registry cleaner to boost your computer performance and ensure a prolonged lifetime of your whole database, then a straightforward online search and browse through websites will certainly bring out more possibilities of finding the most excellent one.

As you are targeting a registry cleaner free of cost, you need to take into consideration that not all free programs are superb options and not all are really effective. If you would like to know some of the features that will constitute superior registry repair software, then following are certain features to consider:

From technical point of view, your tool requires to have an easy to understand interface guidelines. A large number of PC users are not geeks and computer wizards; they are simply common people desiring to possess super fast processing system to fulfill their different requirements. Hence, the need of an understandable instruction is one of the most vital things to look at.

As free registry cleaner is complimentary, it is unnecessary to state that any types of payment are not acceptable. All those individuals who regularly purchase software programs might crave to switch to such free software because this can be effortlessly discovered and downloaded over the internet without additional endeavor of buying one.

One more tremendous benefit of a registry cleaner free of charge is its performance which is on par with that of the paid cleaners. Even if payments are largely retained and handled by computer experts, the free cleaning programs can still significantly coincide in terms of functioning with the paid ones. In the end, it all depends on you whether you opt for a free or a paid tool.

Considering things carefully, it would still be a realistic option to choose a registry cleaner free of cost. Such registry cleaners generally consist of simple user interface and can be carried on and implemented even by those individuals with fundamental knowledge of computer workings. Once you come into the possession of this software, you can make use of it as a lifelong associate in scanning your Windows registries. Performing the scanning and cleaning up the useless files on a regular basis will assist you in mitigating other risks your computer might go through if not paid appropriate and instant attention.

Users who have not opted for cleanup and usually overlook warning signals pointing system malfunction will have to face the consequences of a sluggish PC. If this problem continues for long time period and you never take further measures in repairing system troubles, then more and more errors and malfunctions in your system will be expected to exist. Looking for a free registry cleaner is certainly the most excellent means to repair all your registry issues. Nowadays, such free tools also enhance internet connections and recover the deleted files, in addition to offering the best-quality cleaning mechanism.

by: Sean Jones

How to Remove a Computer Virus

If you have used a computer long enough, then you have probably had a virus infect your computer at some point. You know how annoying and potentially dangerous they can be to your PC and you wish you knew how to remove a computer virus. There are many ways to take care of this problem, but only a few of them are really good. Using a high quality anti adware and spyware software has helped to clear up my PC of annoying pop ups and increased its speed significantly.

There are several good programs to use that are trusted by millions of people the world over. Most users are not that technically savvy so they will not know the extent of the damage that a virus has done to their computer. Downloading this program will not only get to the root of the problem, but it will kill it as well.

One of the better things about this is that you do not have to be a technical geek to be able to use it. The directions are easy to follow and very effective at getting the job done correctly. There are only a few steps involved and at a certain point, all you have to do is sit back and let the program work its magic. This is the ideal program for those whose lives are busy and do not have the time to babysit the process.

There are many ways that a PC can get infected and viruses are always updating themselves as to how to infect your computer. They are sneaky like this and it is why they are constantly coming back. Anti adware software knows this and keeps itself updated as well with the latest methods that can effectively thwart those attacks. It can be seen as a battle of wits that anti adware programs are winning.

In addition to cleaning up and destroying the viruses in your PC, this anti adware program can also immunize your system so it doesn't get sick again. This is the best plan of attack that there is if you think about it. It's like a preventative maintenance program for your computer. It is effective, quick, and it leaves no stone unturned.

Once the virus is gone and your system has been immunized, then the anti-adware program implements the scanning process. This is a very neat and useful tool that allows you to periodically check on the status of your system. It knows what it is looking for and if it finds adware, will notify you of the issue.

As mentioned before, we all have busy lives that are run more effectively when on a schedule. The scanning process is no different in that you can set up a certain date and time for the scanning to take place. This way, if there is a problem, you can take care of it right away.

One reason why some viruses are so damaging to a person's system is that they are left undetected for long periods of time. The quicker you can identify the problem, the quicker you can fix it. Your PC has some very sensitive and important information on it, and the anti adware program can help you keep it all safe. I am glad that all the spyware, adware and viruses on my computer are all gone now all thanks to high quality software which I downloaded and would highly recommend it.

by: Donald Chambers

Becoming A Computer Technician: Tips On How To Get Started

If you have a natural affinity for computers, and you enjoy working with machines, then one of the most rewarding and enjoyable jobs that you might want to look at is that of becoming a computer technician.

Among the benefits of becoming a computer technician is that it is a very varied and interesting profession, in which you can choose from a number of different ways to progress, and also choose whether you would like to be self-employed and running your own business, or you can work for an employer and follow a more structured employment path.

One of the routes into the work of a computer technician in recent years has been to study a course in computer building or repair that will give you a good foundation of knowledge about how computers are constructed, and how the various parts within the computer work together and complement each other.

Another option if you have already been tinkering and upgrading your own computers for some time is to look for a local computer technician who should be fairly experienced, and is willing to take on an apprentice so that you can get plenty of practical experience, and then apply this experience under their supervision as you develop your computer knowledge.

If you prefer to work in an environment where there is a more structured progression and development in your role as a computer technician, then you may want to consider looking at corporations which have large offices in your area, as these will often have a number of IT staff already working there. Among the benefits of following this career path is that the company will often sponsor you or at least give you some support in earning more qualifications and accreditations to help you develop.

Once you have begun to be established as a computer technician, then it is valuable for you to think about getting more qualifications or accreditations, which will allow you to increase the breadth of your knowledge and experience, which will naturally assist you in getting more lucrative opportunities, and moving forwards in your career as a computer technician. These can be either educationally based, or be accreditations provided by manufacturers.

Whichever route you choose, becoming a computer technician can be both an interesting and lucrative profession.

by: Jessica Lacy

The best MTS working file converter for your mac

The iSkysoft MTS converter is easy to use video converting software. It will enable you to convert the camcorder or camera files in the MTS to the video in AVI, WMV, and MP4, MKV or other popular file format. The audio extraction will be supported. This kind of the professional converter will provide you the enough supporting for the devices such as the Apple iPhone, iPod or iPad, Sony PSP or PS3, Android phones such as HTC and many more.

Now, the mts is the high-definition of the MPEG, AVC, and H.264 transport the stream video file format which are commonly used through HD camcorders like the Sony, Canon, Panasonic. The Mts files are used mostly together with the Sony hardware. The camcorders make use of MTS in the form of the AVCHD, a recording format made the special application for the camcorders. There are some camcorder models which from the Canon are also being used the MTS files. Those files are also being represented in the Blu-ray disc compilations. Therefore they are capable, they have the availability of storing the huge amount of the information and the data tracks.

I know that you are wondering if, how to convert the MTS for Mac, then to start that conversion, the mac while give both the Inter version and the PowerPC version. The free download the right version of the MTS converter for Mac according to your Mac hardware. If you dont know which version of the MTS converter that will fit or good for the conversion, you can try the Inter version the more universal todays situation. As the owner of the popular players such as the iPod, iPhone, Zune or any, it is already literal to us to convert the video file formats like the MTS to MOV or MP4 so that we can just easily play the best videos on our portable players anywhere. The MTS converter for the Mac will help the user who likes to convert the MTS video files to many formats like the AVI, FLV, WMV, 3GP2, 3GPP, 3GP, 3GPP2, QuickTime or the MOV, MPG, MKV and may more. Then, after the conversion, you can directly import into one software program from another, the MTS video files to the many portable players like the iPod, iPhone. Apple TV, PSP, Zune, PDA or the pocket PC which include the BlackBerry, creative Zen, Archos, Epson media players and any cell phone, it is the process with only just the few click at the short time.

How to play the MTS files on the Mac for free? Playing MTS on snow leopard? How? Will since the MTS is an MPEG variant to some extent, you can directly play the video files on the VLC media player, which is the most powerful player for both the Mac and windows users to play many popular formats. Moreover, Mplayer OS X is another good choice to play MTS video files on Mac running Mac running Mac OS X snow leopard, Mac OS X Lion and many more, if you are already using the special player which will never supports the MTS, you could use a mts video converter before you play MTS on your favorite video player.


by: Success Sign

XBOX 360 Repair: Red Ring Of Death Fix

Hey there, I know how it feels to be a victim of the Xbox 360 red ring of death. That is probably one of the worst things that an owner of the Xbox console can go through.

There are a lot of reasons in which this occurs. You might have heard about that e74 error message that a lot of gamers are getting lately as well.

Now the question is:

Can It Be Fixed Permanently Within 2 Hours From Now? Yes it can! That is the good news my friend. There are a variety of fixes that range from 30 minutes to 2 hours and even up to 3-4 weeks to get your console back to working. But our main concern is to have our console back ASAP right?

Two of them are permanent fixes while the other is a temporary one. Want to take a guess? I will tell you below:

1. The famous "towel trick" Yes, this is probably the worst technique that any Xbox owner can do to get their Xbox back to work. By doing this trick, the red ring of death will disappear and you can have your console working in as little as 30 minutes.

The downside: This is only a temporary fix and the red lights will most likely come back within a week or so.

2. For those who have warranty with Microsoft, you can definitely send the console to them. This is a great option for those who don't feel comfortable sending it to a local technician, due to the reason that they may take parts from your Xbox 360 console. However, Microsoft will reward you by permanently fixing your console.

The downside: It may take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to get your console back from Microsoft and you will have to pay for shipping which costs anywhere from $30 and up (Remember: This is quite a heavy console)

3. You can also use a DIY (Do It Yourself) guide. This is basically an online guide that will literally show you step by step videos on how to fix your console from your own home. This is a permanent fix and you can have your console permanently fixed and working within 1 hour the most.

The downside: You will have to manually do it yourself.

I hope you guys found these tips and considerations very helpful.

What's my recommendation?

I personally used the 3rd option because I wanted my Xbox to FULLY work and to be fixed PERMANENTLY rather than a temporary one. I actually felt more comfortable doing it myself rather than sending it else where because there are technicians that will "swap" parts from your Xbox console with another one.

That's right, people are sneaky enough to do that. It happened to me and it will most likely happen to you (unless you personally know them).

Xbox 360, Microsoft's video game console is subject to many issues besides the general hardware failure nick named the Red Ring of Death. Since its release in 2005, Xbox 360 is under controversies for the higher failure rates and Microsoft not only had to extend the warranty period of the device due to failure complaints but eventually launched an upgraded version 'Xbox 360 S' covering the issues like red ring of death error. Though the general hardware failure brought a very bad name to the device and damaging the overall goodwill of the company but it was not the only failure detected. Many other failures listed below were also contributing towards the customer's dissatisfaction.

1. Hardware failure

Hardware failure is the result of malfunctioning of any component on the motherboard and is indicated by a one led flashing around the power button. Usually an error code is also displayed on the bottom of screen referring to the component causing the failure like E74. This is more commonly known as one red light problem. The light that flashes red is Q4. Though it is not critical as the red ring of death error but in 2009 Microsoft had to amend its warranty and covered the one red light problem in it.

2. Overheating

This is an indication of the status of the Xbox 360 rather than a failure. When console gets overheated and the temperature of the console gets higher than a predefined level it shuts down the CPU and GPU simultaneously and starts running the fans at full speed to cool it down. In the meanwhile the two red lights start flashing until the temperature gets down sufficiently. Once the device is cooled down it is ready to be run again. To avoid this kind of situation continuous long duration gaming sessions should be divided into fairly smaller sessions and in between the sessions the console must be powered off and plugged out of the socket. It is better to keep it in an airy and well ventilated place.

3. AV cable error

All the four lights flash red when the AV cable is not connected or connected but console cannot detect it. It is a sort of status message than a mere fault so when you will connect back the cable the lights will automatically goes off and console returns back into normal operation.

4. General hardware failure or Red ring of death error

The most notorious one! The red ring of death error is deadly dangerous to turn the console into a brick. When three red lights start flashing it is time to ponder. Although it can be efficiently recovered with care in the home too but needs a bit of expertise. General hardware failure is indicated by flashing of three lights and is termed as a general hardware failure. It could GPU, CPU any other component on motherboard causing the problem. Mainly, the reason behind the red ring of death error is the bad design by Microsoft. Any sort of vibration or over heating results in the movement and expansion of the material and this causes the GPU to leave its place from the motherboard. Thus GPU gets loose on motherboard and red ring of death error appears.

The "Red Ring of Death" or the RRoD is representing a general system error in your system console. You must learn how to resolve this problem right away before it's too late.

What does the Red Ring of Death means?

The Red Ring of Death is being directed by the 3 blinking red lights on the power button area. This kind of problem happens when the Graphics Processing Unit in your system becomes loose resulting that your board or system has caused an overheating problem due to longer hours of usage. You should also give time for your system to cool down a bit so that you could avoid these overheating problems.

The supplementary form of the CPS chips including the GPU and CPU repels heat flow that sanctions suitable soldering of the lead-free welds under the system board or the motherboard. This starts the reasons of bricking and voids in the solders in the system console from lengthy continuous temperature that is changing inside the video game console. Lead-free solders, nevertheless can be the source of this because, when properly fused, they take on a dull form that specialists take as a cold solder joint in older procedures, therefore leads into slip up. The repercussions of this problem could allow the system console to collapse and making it unworkable.

As you can see that the Red Ring of Death is a very serious problem that you should not ignore. Mainly you cannot understand all the components and parts of your Xbox 360 because of its complexity but with the support guides and methods about the system console, you can learn and study the hardware and software overview of it. In this way you can educate yourself in determining the problems you may face such as the "Red Ring of Death" and many other technical problems.

There are many possible solutions and guides that you can search on the web to help you in fixing these types of problems.

Xbox 360, once the great gaming console which won over the other gaming hands down is now facing a serious problem called "red ring of death". It is also called "three red lights error". There are many technical causes for the occurrence of the red ring of death, but the top three causes are

1) Overheating,

2) Problems in GPU,

3) Problems in powerbrick.

Let us discuss about these issues below.

The number one cause for red ring of death as said above is the overall overheating of the console. Xbox 360 is nothing different from high end gaming pc, and the only difference is that all the components are tightly packed into a small space. Hence this makes the xbox overheat more often and rapidly than your pc, causing many errors including red ring of death. So,now lets see about the second cause.

GPU- General Processing Unit and its associated chips are the second cause for our problems. When the GPU and other chips inside xbox 360 becomes overheated, they are simply programmed to shut down resulting in a "screen freeze". But, when you restart the xbox, everything seems to be fine. Have ya experienced it?? If you have and wondered about it, then the above problem is the reason. But,when it happens more often, it will eventually lead to red rings of death -our most dreaded problem. Sound similar to the frequent head ache with xbox? okie, lets move on to the next cause...

Powerbrick is the other name of the box containing the transformer, essential for supplying power to xbox. Naturally powerbrick gets very hot and there is a fan inside to flush all the heat produced, away from the powerbrick. But, some people keep this powerbrick inside a closed chamber or some place where there is not much of air circulation and thus causes the powerbrick to overheat beyond its capacity, which will have its effect on the xbox, leading to frequent overheating and shut downs of the xbox, then eventually to red ring of death error. So, what do you think is the best possible prevention method, if you have not guessed yet, then read on...

As, you could have seen, most of the problems of xbox is caused by "overheating". The possible way to avoid the red ring of death and other errors is to keep the xbox and the powerbrick in a more airy place. Keep it in a place where air can flush out from all four sides of the xbox and powerbrick. Take your xbox outside of that closed display cabinet, at least when you play and till it cools down. Thus we have discussed about preventive ways and causes for the red ring of death.

Xbox 360 had been a very good gaming console, and we knew that it performed way better than pS3. But, recently there is a lot of issue around Xbox 360 red rings of death. From the red rings of death error causes to Microsoft's promise to temporary fixes all over the net and to final solution had been gaining a lot of attention. So, lets discuss on the problem and its possible solutions in this article.

The real cause for red rings of death is not known to 100% accuracy, but the most discussed cause is "overheating of Xbox" and Microsoft failing to adopt proper cooling mechanisms within the Xbox. This has lead Microsoft into real problems and widespread hatred. Lets see what Microsoft is upto regarding this issue.

So, does Microsoft stand upto defend its product? Yes, indeed. Microsoft has promised to replace or repair all the consoles which are affected by these dreaded red rings of death error. But again this problem doesn't seem to be fixed. Even after replacing some of the consoles, the new console again proves to have the same problem. Even the Xboxs which were repaired and sent back again felt victim for the dreaded "Xbox 360 red rings of death" problem. So, is there a solution, Read on...

There seems to be a wide spread temporary fix for this problem all over the net. Its the infamous "Towel Method". Yes, i have tried it on my Xbox 360. Do you know what, It Works! But just after two or three days the red rings of death problem arises again. But, it can fixed temporarily again using the same method. My serious recommendation would be to not use this method. Its like sabotaging your own Xbox. This method will cause more serious problems in the long run and its not a permanent fix either. I recently found a permanent fix for this problem.

Yes, there is a permanent fix for the problem of "Xbox 360 red rings of death", and has nothing to do with involving Microsoft either. I found out a guide online which gave me the exact methods to repair my Xbox with just some tools which can be found in the household. It had clear step by step video instructions on how to fix my console and abolish red rings of death problem. Now am happy that I found this guide and can play my halo3 again in my brand new Xbox with out those ugly red rings of death.

The Xbox 360 is an excellent piece of machinery that is worthy of great recognition, however recently the console has been plagued with a major hardware error, which is commonly known as the red ring of death. This could be due to the fact that The 360 was rushed along in the production process in order to beat the PS3, or simply because the designers overlooked a major design flaw.

Nonetheless, whatever the reason may be, many dedicated gamers are extremely frustrated with the problem and are seeking a permanent fix, as it is something that cannot be repaired very easily or quickly without the right information. Some gamers have been through as many as 4 gaming consoles in order to combat this problem; and guess what? There is no guarantee that Microsoft will send them a fifth console which won't encounter the same problem again. Luckily for you, I have discovered a way to permanently rid yourself of the red ring of death for good and it doesn't involve sending your console away to Microsoft or pay for costly repairs.

But before we go into the remedy for the red ring of death lets look at exactly what the red lights mean. Firstly you may be in luck and not be suffering from the red ring of death; if your Xbox only displays 1 red light then it means you are having a general hardware failure. This isn't all that major and it can generally be fixed by disconnecting and reconnecting the cables or Removing and re-inserting the hard drive, contact Microsoft customer support if the problem persists. 2 red lights on your button indicate that the system is beginning to overheat, if you see this warning then immediately turn the console off and let it cool down before resuming play, also try keep it in a well ventilated area for future use. If your AV plug is loose, then your XBox 360 will show 4 red lights, this is a simple problem and it can be easily fixed by plugging the cord back in its place.

Well if you aren't presented with any of the above symbols and are seeing 3 red lights, then I'm afraid your console has been contaminated with the red ring of death and your console is pretty much a regular piece of junk until you have it repaired. The red ring of death is caused due to one major problem and that is excessive overheating. The trouble is that during intense game play the heat sinks within the console become so hot that they eventually melt the thermal compounds between the CPU and GPU. This causes a general hardware failure within the console and you are presented with the Red Ring of Death to inform you of the malfunction.

Now, if you are seeking a solution to the dreaded problem then you have a few options at your disposal:

1. You can send you console back to Microsoft and have them fix it. This is an easy process however it can be a lengthy one, as it could take upto 8 weeks to get your console back. Also you will most probably receive a different refurbished console which could encounter the same problem in the future. As I mentioned earlier some gamers have been through as many as 4 consoles only to see their fifth console become doomed again.

2. Although I don't recommend it, you could attempt the infamous Towel Trick. You would've most likely heard of this solution already, and even though it works (only temporarily for about 30 mins) it is not a permanent fix and you could cause serious damage to your console in the process.

3. The third option is to repair the red ring of death yourself, with the aid of a quality Online Repair guide, that will run you through the repair process step by step using online videos and tutorials.

So what is the best option? That is totally upto you and you can decide on whichever option you wish to choose, however personally, I would recommend staying away from the towel trick. Option 1 is probably your best choice if you still have warranty and don't want to attempt any repairs yourself. If you don't have warranty then you will have to pay around $150 to have it repaired.

But seriously, why would you want to wait months to receive a repaired Xbox 360 that doesn't even come back repaired? Instead you could fix it yourself within the comfort of your own home with an easy to follow repair guide, these guides have plenty of information and they will walk you through the repair process using online videos and detailed instructions, they even offer live customer support that should help get your console back in action within an hour. The guides also come with a full money back guarantee, so if for some reason you cannot fix your console they will refund your money immediately.

Looking for a red ring of death fix? Then let this article offer your three ways to deal with it. Pick one that best suits you or one which you are courageous enough to endeavor.

The red ring of death is a rather common hardware failure of the Microsoft Xbox 360. It is indicated by the 3 curved lights that form a quarter of a circle around your unit's power button. This error is the result of excessive heat which the structural design of the Xbox 360 cannot withstand. This problem is serious but very much repairable. As promised, we are offering your 3 red ring of death fixes.

1 THE TOWEL METHOD

A popular red ring of death fix is the towel method. This is done by wrapping the Xbox in a towel and leaving it as such for 20 minutes. While this works, it is only temporary. The disadvantage is that doing this might even damage your unit as it might trap in more heat.

2 OPENING OF CONSOLE

Another red ring of death fix involves opening your console. If you are on the technical side then you might want to try to do this. You will need the following tools for this one:

4 5x20MM Panhead Machine Screw (to secure the CPU heatsink)
4 5x15MM Panhead Machine Screw (to be used for the GPU)
44 #10 Washers (to lock in the mother board)
Drill (to widen the screw holes in the metal case)
Torx 9 and 6 screwdriver (to remove screws from the xbox's case)
1/4 inch Wrench or Socket (to remove the X-Clamp posts)
Phillips-head screwdriver
Small flathead screwdriver (to poke off the X-Clamps)

The principle here is to remove the goo on your CPU and GPU and then create more room for your heat sink. Tutorials by Ryan Edwards and James Dean will provide you with specific steps in doing this. Remember to perform this with caution so as not to cause further damage to your unit. The aim is to make it work and not to put added work!

3 MAKE USE OF YOUR WARRANTY

The more clever red ring of death fix is sending it to Microsoft for repair. Since they are the ones who manufactured it, they sure know how to work around it. If you are willing to wait (I am sure it will be worth it), then make use of your three year warranty. Remember, you paid for it along with your purchase. Just go to http://www.xbox.com and click repair. You will be asked some information like the bar code on the back of your unit. Upon receipt of all information, Microsoft will send you a shipping box so you can ship your unit to them for free. Wait for it and make sure to secure your Xbox as you ready it for shipping. Microsoft will inform you once they have received your unit and will give you a date of return.

There you go, your three red ring of death fix options.

Birthday E-Cards - Free Way of Sending Your Birthday Greetings

One of the most popular types of greeting card is birthday cards. As a matter of fact, there are about thousands of cards being mailed daily. These cards are purchased at bookstores or grocery stores.

Traditional types of birthday cards have become expensive to mail. The price of cards is ranging from 4 to 10 dollars depending on the manufacturer. In addition to this, the sender also needs to shoulder the varying cost of the mailing services.

Most of the time, many people are getting caught up with their busy schedules and forget to buy birthday cards before the occasion. As a result, people tend to send their birthday greetings and wishes much later than the actual birth day. Fortunately, there are other options people may consider to overcome these hindrances.

Birthday electronic card, also known as e-card, is the solution to the mentioned issue. These e-cards can help you send the birthday wishes on time and hassle-free. They can be sent to the email address of your recipient.

Today, many people choose to send e-cards rather than traditional cards as they can be sent with utmost convenience. You do not have to go out from the comfort of your home just to buy and send a card. You can do it with just a click of the mouse. All you need is computer and internet connection. In addition, many greeting websites offer electronic birthday cards for free. This means you do not have to worry about the cost as you send birthday greetings. How convenient!

You can also send birthday wishes through your phone. Yes, I am talking about text messaging. In a form of text, you can send the birthday e-card to the mobile phone of your recipient.

But if you are worrying about the appearance of the birthday card, you need not to worry anymore. Most of the birthday greetings online are formed just like the traditional ones. They also have picture on the cover and you can enter personal or special messages on the insides. These cards are known as mobile e-cards. As sender, you will need a cell phone to send your birthday wishes to your recipient.

There are wide array of e-cards online. You can choose from wide varieties of designs, styles and themes. You can even personalize them the way you want them to be. You may add images, sounds and videos to your card. You can also choose the style of the card, whether it is humorous, professional or sentimental. Thus, you can send funny or humorous electronic card to a family or friend and professional ones for co-workers.

With birthday e-cards, you do not have to worry about the hassle of sending traditional cards. You can now send your birthday greetings hassle-free and at no cost.

by: Anne Walker

The Best Animation Software

Realism is the key for that rising demand with 3D animation. This is the challenging technology designed for prospective artists and for professional animators alike to cultivate new editions and versions in the existing 3D cartoon programs. The frames within the models and the shots are sometimes simple, but the action or the movements within the characters is the location where the creativity and skills of the animator comes inside.

In 3D pc animation, visual styling are probably the categories that need be considered. Over the ages there has always been a confrontation involving two ideologies: paintings for arts cause and art for human upliftment. 3D animation is also a creative art form predominant in these details age marked by way of numerous inventions. Technological advancement can be a major catalyst for the ideology of art for upliftment. 3D animation is a perfect amalgamation associated with both.

3D animation encapsulates a essence of art work its dynamic and ever evolving nature should make it a potent education represent paintings, drawing in addition to sculptures. This form of art challenges the creative along with the intellectual streak inside the artist. The artist now fails to only use the standard means but boasts to show scientific intelligence.

This investigation involves an intricate software understanding and computer animation. The form of art is so immaculate that you need to draw, paint and model the plan within the dominion of 3D computer animation. Lighting, cinematography, colour pallette, textures, sound synchronisation, shade providing, contrasts and animation are examples of the other requirements to be a professional 3D animator. The first step as being a 3D animator can be that aspirants ought to understand to help make an animation on needs to literally sculpt a model along with the technological strokes together with bring the inanimate matter someone's. Taking or withdrawing elements from the model one may need to judge the inspiring work from different vantage points. a model in 3d animation usually gets under way with 2D photographs which presents this model from different angels.

To create some sequence of animation one has to make a detailed view within the model in the format of drawings, scripts and transitions. Tools play a major role in that creative process but it does not abrogate creativity from the work of genius, for a still renders animation aspirant, determination is a only tool in addition to nothing even technological dependence on any sort usually requires away quality in the creation.

The procedure of acquiring 3D animation techniques could be the creation of a backdrop, the placed designing, the identity modelling, the computer animation, cameras, recording, music compositions and specialized effects. The module within the study of a 3D animation contains 3D modelling, a model in 3d prototypes, Character animation, Special effects, architectural improvisations and engineering technicalities. This creative field demands its aspirants to be immaculate in this tricks of animation which include JPEG, GIF, TIFF, TGA and PNG extendable. Holistically, 3D animation usually requires the creator to have an aesthetic taste from the placement of the model. 3D animation brings to our life all static images and is the foundation for the brand image on the institution lest one looses people interest. 3D animation if excessive can be tedious for this viewer and skilled 3D animators need to understand and identify the viewers type of equilibrium.

by: Paquette Logan

MS SQL Server Hosting Benefits

MS SQL server is a computer application that offers advanced relational database management services to the enterprises. Few of the essential points that make it part of an advantageous Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) proposition can be given as:

#Offers complete data solution from data mining to data analysis

# Compliments to existing applications stored on a hosting server

# Offers complete security of records

# Offers protection against frequent crash downs

# Makes hosting services more efficient

# Evenly allocates computing resources

# Offers complete data solution from data mining to data analysis

MS SQL server produced by Microsoft has brought limitless possibilities to the enterprising solutions available for todays business. This enterprise level database management server from Microsoft has undergone many changes over the years to evolve in its present form. Normally a small or micro enterprise has to face challenges in the areas of execution, lack of lucidity in organizational and professional maneuver. Because of unanalyzed data or unevaluated records, a company finds it difficult to gauge the pace of work. Similarly it is also difficult to record the progress of a team working on a project and the status details of the supervisor or administrator monitoring the entire project.

In todays world the volume of data is piling up in leaps and bounds and managing them efficiently is becoming quite a challenge for the companies. A company has to search through voluminous data while looking for certain information. This task which is also known as data-mining is a tedious and time consuming task. MS SQL server helps in great deal in the data mining for records. SQL server caters to the needs of multi-users. It allocates available resources among the users without compromising on the hardware efficiency.

#Offers complete security of records

In many cases the security of certain information or resources is also at risk. For any enterprise security of various types of data such as audio, video or graphical is very important. For beginners or entrepreneurs security of data can be absolutely critical and data stored in application other than MS SQL server, security can be breached with a little effort. A person wishing to access or copy the content from databases just needs to gain access of the hard drive. Once gotten the access, all data can be easily copied.

But in SQL server security can be provisioned in three different levels. One level is at the operating system level, the second is at the database level and the third level of security is at the file level. User can prevent unauthorized access at all three levels. Even after gaining the access, it is not easy for the defaulters to copy the data as data copying may also be restricted. This facility is not available in other software applications as available in SQL server.

SQL server ranks high over other applications because of its reliability and high security features also. It offers the users with the flexibility to encrypt certain data, whole database or log files as desired. It also offers the users with an option of defining the policies which relate in some way to the data. A user company can define the type of access granted to its team members, granting of permission to copy or replicate the data etc. A user is intimated upon the violation of such policies by the hosting service provider. The user can also restrict its team members by defining the action to be taken on policy violation.

# Compliments to existing applications stored on a hosting server

The benefits of SQL server can be efficiently availed with the help of third party hosting. This application can be installed on a server run and hosted by hosting service providers. These providers designate the level of security to be entrusted upon the users of such applications. Seeking the services for installing and using SQL server is also good on account of the other services offered by hosting service providers. Offering complete computing services such as replication of basic to advanced applications, operating systems, hard drives, memory etc are all taken care of by the service providers.

A user just needs a basic computer with an internet connection and rest of everything from computing hardware to required software, everything is provided by the hosting service provider. With a minimum investment based on monthly or yearly subscription, a user is offered the support of computer loaded with latest features and hardware. One can purchase an application and ask its service providers to get the application installed on the hosting server. The space allotted to store the data of the users, is virtually limitless. When the SQL server is installed on this hosting server, it becomes easy for the application to fetch, analyze, regulate the response for certain records or data stored in its hard drive.

# Offers protection against frequent crash downs

Normally a server catering to multi-users faces the risk of hanging up or crashing down during the request execution process. SQL server protects the users from such crashes by regulating resource supply to nodes from which there is excessive demand for the data. Though the record fetching to such demanding nodes may be a bit slower but it will not crash and this is one of the great features of a SQL server. It effortlessly offers simultaneous use of same data from two or more users.

# Makes hosting services more efficient

Besides the security there is a huge volume of data to be accessed, referred and arranged in so many ways to deduce certain results or to reach to certain conclusion. SQL server application is a great tool to transform a small and medium enterprise into an efficient enterprise.

Now more and more users are switching to MS SQL server which makes it a better choice for the companies. This is simply because the user community of this server is very resourceful and a user can find the solution for its problem by sneaking into any such online community. Besides the online communities, Microsoft also provides free training sessions on usage of these servers.

# Evenly allocates computing resources

MS SQL also offers buffers management feature wherein a list of records frequently sought are stored in the buffer memory (known as cache memory). Hosting this application server along with other applications on a hosting server provided by a hosting service provider is advantageous for a user in many ways. As Hosting service providers offer higher cache memory which makes it easier to store good amount of records on buffer memory rather than storing them on hard drives. Accessing these records is comparatively less time consuming.

PSD to HTML conversion is so important

Today PSD to HTML and PSD to XHTML play very significant and critical role in web design and web development. Success and failure of any website or web application can also sometimes depend on these basic PSD to XHTML/CSS conversions. If your XHTML code is not perfect or not up to the mark users will move on to other service provider or may be to your competitor. As web design is important as it shows your customers first impression so its XHTML code to search engines like google and yahoo and not to forget even to your customers. If your site does not look good on your customers browser, you could lose a customer forever and even sale.

There are many tools which automate your PSD to XHTML conversion, but so far none of them could produce good results why? As no tool can read your design, these tools cant understand importance of HTML tags and parts of your design that can be one of the critical things that search engines may see. Its always recommended to go for manual PSD to HTML conversion services.Today we even saw automated PSD to Wordpress converters and we did tested one of them and it gave us worst code.

PSD to HTML conversion services are low cost services like $45 for index page and $25 or 50% for each inner page. You dont redesign your website every day, do you? So this small investment can bring down your SEO cost if done in proper way. Your XHTML code should be valid and more importantly should be search engine friendly, should be all latest and one step down browser compatible. Should have proper comments and CSS should be in separate files, all java script should be in separate files, your code should be neat and easy to understand. There should be no unwanted code or unwanted CSS. Your page loading should be very less and this can be only when your code is perfect. Your page loading has major role to play in search engines, SEO and more to your sales. If your page takes longer to download due to bad coding, your customer will not wait he will move on.

There are number of companies like Convert2xhtml.com which provide low cost high quality PSD to CSS/HTML conversion services. Remember as site owner or designer your job is not just to go online with best design, it has be to best coded as well. If you ignore this at starting stage you will have to pay a lot in terms of SEO, sales, customers and one or other day come back to recode and pay more then what you would have paid initially. Your XHTML code speaks to your customers and it speaks to search engines. It acts like sales person for you and you know a bad sales person not only loses sale for your site but results in customer lost as well. When you select any PSD to HTML Conversion Company like convert2xhtml give them proper details make sure you and Conversion Company are on same track. Dont rush, as its just initial phase a small delay in coding is acceptable then fast coding with hidden issues

by: David Andrews

Personal Loans Bad Credit, Online Cash Borrowing With Poor Credit Score

the only way that people with bad credit could access credit financing was by pledging some asset as security on the amount of cash that they planned to borrow. The pledged asset also had to have some value close to the amount being borrowed. This is not the case anymore as some lenders are now giving out unsecured personal loans bad credit where the credit scores of the borrower also do not matter.

How to get better terms on the loans

Unsecured personal loans bad credit have very high interest rates as a measure by the lenders to reduce the risks of losing their unsecured cash to people with records of poor repayments and defaulting loans among other things. The loans are also given at very strict terms and any violations will attract huge penalties. The borrower should therefore try to find better terms before applying for the loans by:

Comparing lenders- this is quite easy especially when done online and you first need to come up with a number of lenders who offer these unsecured loans. You then need to compare them to find the one whose quote on unsecured personal loans bad credit reflects:

  More flexible terms and conditions

  Lower interest rates

  An amount that will handle your needs

Dealing with reputed lenders- choosing to deal with a lender known for good reputation is another way you can get better terms. The borrower should take time to carefully go through the reviews posted by previous borrowers in the website of the lender and this should greatly help in making the right decision. There are also some online sites that can help you on this as they give reviews and ratings of different lenders.

Improving credit scores with unsecured personal loans with bad credit

People with bad credit can use these loans to raise their credit scores as this can later help them to easily obtain other types of loans. All they need to do is borrow the loans and then make prompt repayments while keeping in line with the terms agreed on these loans. Keeping an extended but clean credit period can also help to improve credit scores.

Even if you dont have any valuable assets under your name, its now easy to qualify for bad credit loans. Most lenders are now offering unsecured personal loans bad credit in a bid to gain more customers and all you need is to carry out a quick search to find them, apply for the loans and get the funds.

by: Farold Haefen

Courier Services

Courier Delivery has been the pulse of communication since time immemorial. Even though the internet has taken up the bulk of mail communication process, courier still plays an active role when it comes to delivering tangible goods around the world with reliability and express speed that only courier companies can provide.

The process of courier is quite complicated and requires several components within the company to perform flawlessly and reliably. Right from the point of pick-up till the delivery, an item passes through several processes that are known only to those inside the business and which hardly matter to the end users. All that matters is the end delivery and peace of mind.


What to Look For In a Courier Service Provider?

Once you decide to use a courier service you have to ensure that you know what options are available and what not. First and the most obvious is the presence of the courier company at the other end. Mostly, smaller companies have collaborations with larger ones to deliver items. However this is not always reliable. A company with a dedicated team of professionals handling the entire process independently is a much better one.

Second comes the pricing. Tariffs vary across companies, make sure that as a customer you look for all available alternatives that provide the speed and reliability at a cheap price. Never choose a costlier one when you can have the same from a more economical courier delivery company.

Then comes the ease of pick up and drop. Most courier companies have local presence in the form of depots and pick up points; the best among them also provide pick up right from your doorstep if you choose. At the other end, the recipient should not be inconvenienced for the sake of delivery. He or she needs to be intimated well ahead about the time of delivery so that he or she can make the necessary arrangements to be present at the time of time of delivery. This commitment and care can be expected only from the best.

What Are The Tariffs?

As already mentioned, this aspect is variable and you as a customer should do your research to know about the cheapest available. Talk to your friends and neighbours if you are completely new to this. Most companies will be happy to revert to your queries regarding price options. You could also visit their websites and get a good idea about the several schemes on offer. Requesting a quote can be very helpful in getting the clear picture of the process.

Finally, if you are availing any of the internet related service, whether it be payment or delivery make sure that the company is accredited and authentic.

by: Interlinkdirect

How To Choose A Recruitment Agency For Overseas Staff

In recent times, the concept of recruiting overseas staff has gained momentum. Many businesses have joined the bandwagon in their attempt to meet the unprecedented and increasing skills shortage. To keep afloat and to stay ahead of competitors, it is important that you recruit skilled staff to deliver what the business stands for. Recruiting overseas staff is a boon for many small and medium sized businesses to meet this challenge. International recruits may possess the skills and attitudes that will prove beneficial to you and your business.

It is a known fact that to have a migrant worker is a financial decision. It is less desirable to have this worked out wrongly. You need them as an asset to your business rather than a liability. A wrong choice will result in lost visa space on which you spent your time, money and effort. Hence, it is required that these international recruitment agencies are more diligent in choosing the right candidate.

The exercise to bring in overseas staff will be rewarding if you are able to choose an appropriate overseas staff recruitment agency. There are numerous businesses claiming to be the best in the industry. How would you differentiate the good from the bad? This write-up is essentially to give an insight to the key aspects, which you need to be aware of when engaging a recruitment agency for overseas staff.

Choosing a Recruitment Agency for Overseas Staff

Recruitment is a dynamic industry and it becomes overwhelming and confusing for prospective employers and candidates. In this maze, to choose the right recruitment agency for overseas staff becomes even more daunting. Some of the characteristics that you need to look out for when availing the service of a recruitment agency, especially for Overseas staff, is listed below.

Global Presence

A well-established recruitment agency with numerous clients and offices in different locations across cities, provinces or countries is a safe bet. Be cautious when signing up with a start up agency or one with a single office location.

There are international recruiters who claim they have offices in different countries. To affirm their claims are true, request for the business registration documents for the respective countries. This could be beneficial, as it will quickly tell you whether they are being honest or misleading you with false claims. They may be in reality working with an associate agency and this might cost you more dearly. This also means that the recruitment process and most importantly screening of the applicants are not under their control.

Experience

It is important that the recruitment agency has the relevant experience in recruiting international staff in addition to guide and lead you smoothly through the transition process. It is advisable to choose a recruiting agency, which has been continuously working with Overseas recruitment and with good reputation.

An experienced recruitment agency is more likely to be aware of the laws of the countries from which the applicant hail from. As they are empowered with this knowledge, this will quicken the process to get them to your country after visa issuance. This requires experience in visa and immigration rules of both countries. This is a salient feature to look for when engaging a recruiting agency for overseas staff recruitment.

Reference Check

It is wise to carry out a thorough check on the recruitment agency that you wish to engage for recruitment. You should request for client testimonials and case studies to confirm their authenticity. Ideally, they should provide these without much delay. Needless to add, this should be followed up with a background check of the testimonials to ensure they are clients and not pseudo businesses.

Some shady recruitment agencies are famous in providing Client contacts with a foreign sounding name. Do not hesitate to insist in getting a reference from a client in your own country or in a similar country. This way you can verify the legitimacy of the referred Business entity.

There could be occasions where an international recruitment agency might pass their relatives or friends as client or business references. They would impress you with their polite, feasible and article manners. However in reality they might not be a business. Easier way to ascertain this would be to do a search on Google maps. If they are a listed business, the chances are very rare that you wouldnt find them on google maps or other business directory.

Brand

Websites depicts the degree of professionalism maintained by an organisation. This platform serves as a tool for interaction and serves as the public face of the business. Being part of the social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the like is a clear indication of whether they are with the flow.

Reputation

Website would be a good start to obtain information about any prospective recruitment agency. Other sources to check their reputation would be through newspapers, magazines and word-of-mouth. This will give you information on how the business is viewed in the public eye. Review their website to see whether they are informative, articulate and influential with a reputation in the industry.

You have a reputation and brand name in your industry. You are gauged by the way you conduct your business and especially your HR practices. You definitely will be concerned that your reputation is upheld in all circumstances. There are occasion where international recruiters overcharge their applicants. This in turn would mar your reputation. It would be advisable to get them disclose how much if any they charge their applicants for their services. What has been portrayed as free or low cost could actually cost the applicant. This in turn can damage your brand identity with the unassuming applicant believing that it is being charged rather than the agency itself.

Consultation

A genuine recruiter is ready to offer good, helpful and honest advice and is foresighted. It would be beneficial if your international recruiter is capable of providing relevant information that you need to know, preparing you what to expect and assist you in making the right decision drawn from their past experience. However, this is possible only with recruitment agencies that has a global presence and/ or networked with industry partners, to source skilled staff from different countries.

The recruiting consultant would work out options in the best interest of the client drawing from previous work experience. He/She would be willing to spend atleast 30-40 minutes of friendly and professional initial consultation to gain a complete understanding of your requirements and follow-up for further information as and when the need arises.

Response

Recruitment agencies that provide quick turn-around-time for emails and telephone queries, is a good sign that they take their profession seriously. This can be anything from phone calls being answered quickly, politely and in a professional manner; email etiquette; regular updates on websites etc. It would be advantageous to have your queries answered quickly so that you have a smooth sail in this entire process. Turnaround time is an important feature to look-out when choosing a recruitment agency.

Staff

How the recruitment agency consultants conduct their business is a reflection of the business image and principles. Evaluating and assessing all aspects of the consultants performance is important. Acting professionally in all circumstances, being knowledgeable about their clients and industry, keen to listen and offer advise accordingly, are some of the desired qualities in a recruitment consultant. It is crucial to ensure that they will be able to represent your business values and thereby attract skills appropriate to your business.

A combination of these key traits will help you zero down on the appropriate recruitment agency that will provide efficient professional service and from where you can build a lasting business relationship.

by: Fred Molloy