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Even though the MP3 Player is a great innovation to our society, it can be confusing to a lot of people. It’s also important to understand everything you can about this gadget, so you can enjoy everything it has to offer. There are tons of them out there, but several only offer mediocre quality. Others double as video players, have high tech audio functions, and can even record. Older versions that just played music are becoming a thing of the past.

A prime example is the Apple iPod. In the good old days it was simply used to play music. In recent memory they have come out with so many advanced features, most of them aren’t found in other units. The MP3 player is geared for easy navigation. Even though the extra benefits are nice to some, others just want a little piece of technology that plays music. Plus, iPods usually cost a bit more as well.

There are many iPod knock-off brands out there, especially at smaller local stores and gift shops. These are typically to be avoided however. They might be cheap, but their lifespan is usually comically short. And obviously they will be sorely lacking in features.

Another one of the MP3 player basics is that it has to have good battery life. A cheap model may still use the old AAA sized batteries that wear out quickly. Most models made with any quality will use rechargeable lithium ion batteries. When buying a player you have to decide whether you want to buy batteries every month, or simply recharge it.

Then of course it’s important to look at the durability. Thanks to our societies “jump on the bandwagon” ways, it’s the most overlooked part of the process. You need to know whether or not the product you purchase is going to last years, or a couple months. All it takes is one misstep for one of them to be damaged or simply breakdown.

If you go with one of the larger electronics brands like Apple or Sony, durability probably won’t be a concern (although there are some notoriously breakable units out there; a glance at a unit’s reviews should be enough to clue you in on whether it’s solid or not). The lower echelon of companies will try to cut corners wherever they can to offer a somewhat similar product for a cheaper price, so don’t be surprised when a player like that breaks down.

One final MP3 player basic to consider before buying is the button layout. On very rare occasions you may find a basic player that has no buttons other than play or stop. I’m not joking; these do exist, although they aren’t sold at very many outlets. These are the very bottom barebones models that are cheap, and often fail within a month or two.

So in closing before buying any kind of player remember to go over the MP3 player basics. Check for function, audio formats supported, battery life, durability, and general quality. If you don’t want to do bother because it’s time consuming you can just buy an Apple iPod. These are one of the most sought after players on the market for a reason. If money is a concern then simply buy an older generation iPod – plenty of new units are almost always available for the previous generation, and you can find savings of 10% and upwards, without sacrificing the most important features.

Posted under Hardware

Anyone with an iPhone who has spent time in the Application Store on iTunes knows there are thousands of applications available for Apples phone, making it very hard to pick the best, as even some of the not so great ones, get a lot of downloads.

1. Things – A listing application; Things helps to organize & schedule & prioritize the to-dos by due date, searchable tags along with a “today” screen listing the top-priority to-dos in an easy access location. Things makes task management easy, simplified & yet powerful. So everything that you do in Things syncs back to the application on your Mac via Wi-Fi, so you stay organized wherever you go making your to-dos a seamless & painless affair.

2. Wikipanion – Wikipanion is the best & fastest Wikipedia browsing application on the iPhone. Its a simplified version of Wikipedia without leaving out any of the site’s extra features. Simply put, the iPhone gives the ability to wiki via the many Wikipedia linked applications in the Application Store.

3. Road Trip – How many of us know what should be done to take care of our cars & how it should actually be done. Keeping track of your vehicles health is important & Road Trip is the fastest, easiest logbook application for tracking your car’s fuel economy, maintenance & expenses.

4. ZenBe – A list making applications providing collaborative to-do lists with multiple iPods or iPhones & the web. The ability to connect & synchronize with other ZenBe applications & the ZenBe online interface, make it most useful. Create them, use them & sync them, coordinating your lists & multiple iPhones & keep track of progress as each item on the list is checked off throughout the day.

5. I Can Haz Cheezeburger – The entertainment application. It links to the online Cheezeburger Network sites as in FailBlog, Totally Looks Like, LOLCats & LOLDogs, Engrish Funny, & others providing endless humor on the go.

6. WeatherBug Elite – Are you going somewhere and you need to find out the latest weather forecast. WeatherBug will provide weather from the largest network of professional weather stations in the US & thousands of locations around the world.

7. Free Memory – The iPhone is great at multitasking. This at some occasions could lead to applications crashing. The Free Memory gets into the running process list & instantly frees up 40 MB of active memory, preventing the iPhone from freezing up & dropping its functions.

8. AT&T Easy Wi-Fi – This application simplifies the process of logging onto AT&T’s Wi-Fi hotspots all over the country. Simply install the application, register once & from then on whenever in the range of the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot, you will be logged on to the internet.

9. Kindle/Stanza – A digital book reader application. One of the many applications, that lets you download (for free or cheap) & read complete books.

10. Yelp! – The perfect application to help find whatever you need close to you. Look at business hours, contact info, reviews & maps to the location. A lifesaver!

Posted under Hardware

So youve heard about the iPhone virus? It seems like everyone has by now. But the pressing question is: Is there a virus out there? The answer to that is yes”It was developed over a two and a half week period by Charlie Miller, principal analyst at Independent Security Evaluators. That begs the question: If Charlie did it, when will a malicious virus infect iPhone users and what can they do to protect themselves?

Mr. Miller learned that through the use of a malformed SMS message (a simple text message), the iPhone becomes confused and, in this confused state, it will process data within the message improperly, which would allow the iPhone and all data stored in it to become vulnerable to a remote hijacking. Through this window, a remote hijacker could gain complete control over your phone. They could watch you type text messages, input bank passwords, type emails, and so on. Not good.

Placed in the hands of a person skilled in the practice of programming for smart phones, millions of iPhones, Android phones and phones running Windows Mobile are at risk. And the scariest part is that this vulnerability could be combined with a remote command to install malware on the phone, which could turn the camera on or start recording sound, thus becoming like a bugging device out of a 007 flick.

What can you do? Unfortunately there is nothing that you can do about it right now except ask Apple and AT&T to hurry up and address the problem. In the end, because of the large number of iPhones and smartphones out there in the wild, there will be an increasing number of threats to your information. The only thing we can tell you is to protect your device. Stay up-to-date on potential threats and be sure to provide the proper armor to your iphones and other mobile devices.

Posted under Software

Everyone knows what an iPhone is. It has been at the centre of technology buzz since it was released. The latest variant, the iPhone 3G comes with 3G mobile broadband and combines with Apples Safari internet browser. It combines 3 consoles, a phone, a music player and a internet browsing device.

But it shares many similar functions to a mini laptop; the question is which is better?

Turning The Device On

Both have a simple on button but time to take to load up varies. With Linux, the time can be as short as 15 seconds, although Windows XP will take longer. The iPhone will take around 20-25 seconds from turning on to being ready to use. Winner is this category: Netbook

Typing On The Device

Typing on both isn’t the same as on a desktop, but the netbook still has the edge here. It has a full qwerty keyboard rarely less than 80% the size of a full size keyboard. It takes practice to type quickly on the iPhone’s 3.5″ touch screen – I find it fastest with two thumbs, but accuracy is compromised. If you need to be accurate, using the corner of your finger helps. Still, it’s difficult; especially when you’ve got a protective case on to stop scratching the back. Winner is this category: Netbook

Browsing The Internet On The Device

The iPhone is limited in its browsing functions simply because of the Safari browser. Netbooks are capable of running Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Safari. You can surf the internet much easier with a netbook than an iPhone. Winner: Netbook

Portability

The Apple iPhone can fit in just about any pocket. The netbook has to be carried in a bag or in hand. The obvious winner is: iPhone

Cost

Netbooks typically cost between $200-300, whilst your unofficially unlocked iPhone will cost between $350-400 depending on where you want to buy. Unlocked iPhones will set you back around $500 – and the price keeps rising as there is more demand for the iPhone on different cellular provider networks.

Overall: Netbook wins

Posted under Hardware

The notebook market is a growing one; only a few years ago, the market for notebooks, in terms of units sold, passed the sales rate for desktop machines; one of the industry leaders in notebooks, and certainly the trendsetter in design, is Apple Incorporated, makers of the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines of desktop computers. Macintoshes are elegant machines, with industry leading user interfaces and design elements, but they also command a premium price on the market, especially in their portable configuration. Fortunately, there is a market for refurbished Mac notebooks, and a thriving one, that will let you save money on buying refurbished Macs.

If you have concerns about buying refurbished Macs, put them to rest. Refurbished Macs (notebooks or desktops) are usually ’store returns’. Someone bought the notebook, set it up, found it was not for them, and returned it. Many of them were returned by people who had them on leases or a payment plan, and decided to upgrade. These machines get taken back into the shop and are extensively tested; in most cases, the hard drives are removed, overwritten, and imaged with a fresh installation of the operating system, while all other hardware questions are answered, and sometimes upgraded.

This is similar to the refurbishment process used for any other piece of consumer electronics gear. The item gets returned to the manufacturer, usually as part of a warranty replacement, it will be checked for defective components, and if it can be restored to salable condition, it is then offered for sale as a refurbished item.

Now, there are a few drawbacks on buying a Refurbished Mac ” the warranty coverage isn’t quite as sound, though you can still buy an extended warranty after you save money on buying refurbished Mac. The computer may have a few physical defects, such as a scratched case, or a scratched power brick. That being said, it is still a Mac, it is still running OS X, the best consumer desktop operating system in the world, and it’s nearly immune to viruses and malware. You are also unlikely to get your hands on the latest Mac notebook models as refurbished items.

All that said, saving money on a refurbished Mac can be a great investment; it is a good way to try out the MacOS and the hardware without paying the premium Apple charges for it, or to buy a Macintosh notebook for a student heading off to college, or to buy a second one for use around the house. Macintosh notebooks are generally high-end designs when they are released, which means that a MacBook is still an effective piece of computer hardware, even a year or two later.

Posted under Hardware

Apple refurbished and used Mac laptops are a great option when considering buying a computer. Whether you are looking to upgrade from the computer you already have, trying to meet business or personal needs or have a student in need of a system for schoolwork a refurbished Macintosh computer is a smart choice. It will meet all your technical needs as well as be easier on the pocketbook.

Lets face it; we all want the best value for our dollar. And refurbished computers provide just that. These computers are often never used, having been ordered but not shipped or having been returned without even being turned on. The computers that were used are put through rigorous testing and must meet the same standards as any new computer leaving the plant. All your computer needs can be easily met with a refurbished Mac laptop. Anything that you want to do with your computer, from CAD projects to playing your favorite movies to all your business accounting can be done just as professionally and easily on a used computer ordered through Apple as it can on a new one and for half the price.

You can get refurbished Apple laptops with features that you will not find on a new PC and you get amazing support with your purchase. There are all the same options available in refurbished models as you can with brand new ones, wide screen glossy monitors, built in cameras and lots of great software already for you to use.

Refurbished and used Mac laptops sold through the online Apple site also come with technical support and a warranty just like new computers. You can shop from the comfort of your home, see all the options available, get customer service, and have it delivered to your door all for a much lower price then you will find anywhere else.

The Apple site is simple to use and answers even the most perplexing questions any time of day from anywhere you want. You can buy a quality computer in the middle of the night while wearing your pajamas or on your lunch hour at work. It is a quick, secure, and straightforward process that caters to the needs of every customer.

Once you find the refurbished computer that suits your needs there are lots of support available to you from on site customer service by knowledgeable employees of Apple to an owners manual that will be shipped with your computer. You will have all the technical support available and can even purchase the appropriate features that will be perfect for you. Apple has the highest standards for each computer to make sure that it will be as problem-free as any new computer you might find yet is easy on your budget as well. There is no excuse to keep putting off getting the computer you always wanted.

Apple refurbished and used Mac laptops are a great answer to anyones computer and technological needs. There is a product available to meet even the pickiest of customers needs and Apple offers them all from their client friendly site. There is no need to put off getting the computer you have always dreamed of because Apple refurbished and used Mac laptops are the top of the line and most economical choice available today.

Posted under Hardware