If you're a Mac laptop user who is often mounting different network shares or picking different printers depending on which network you connect to, then you may want to checkout the free utility Mobilizer Lite. Mobilizer lets you add locations (in this example we've used "Home" and "Work") which would be different networks that you may use.
Mobilizer can determine your location in a few ways: when you select it manually via the Mobilizer app, when you're connected to a specific wireless SSID, when you receive an IP address from a specific DHCP server (good for wired networks), or even when your power adapter is connected.
Red Hat is releasing the latest version of its Fedora Linux software today, and along with new features for users, Fedora 8 is the first version of the Fedora software that's targeted at developers who want to create their own Fedora-based Linux distributions complete with a new logo. There are already plenty of Linux distros based on other popular platforms like Ubuntu, so it kind of makes sense that if you want to get your name out there, you open the door to developers who might strip your name from the finished product.
As an end user, here are some of the changes you're more likely to notice in Fedora 8:
Improved printer support
Bluetooth enhancements
PulseAudio gives you more control over audio settings for different users and applications
Acer appears to be following Dell's lead and is installing Ubuntu Linux on at least one notebook PC. The Acer Aspire 5710Z with Ubuntu is only available in Singapore, where it's advertised for SG$999. That's about $660 US dollars.
This PC's specs would seem to indicate that it's targeted at budget-minded consumers, and the omission of Windows XP or Vista probably helps drive down the price. But while you could only run Windows Vista Home Basic on a computer with just 512MB of RAM, your money gets you a full version of Ubuntu Linux with all the bells and whistles.
Of course, you could just buy a laptop and load your own copy of the free operating system onto it. But we assume Acer have tested Ubuntu on the 5710Z and ensured that all the appropriate drivers are loaded. That alone makes these systems with Ubuntu preloaded worth their weight in gold for the new Linux user.
No word on whether Acer will be offering Linux laptops in the US anytime soon.
Skype announced a deal that will see their internet calling software loaded as standard applications on select Toshiba notebooks.
The software will be loaded onto four model lines of Toshiba computers that have built in webcams (Satellite X205, Tecra M8, Qosmio F45, and the Satellite A215 series), and will display a Skype logo on the case. Its always nail grinding, especially for techies, when we come to realize that applications we do not want have been loaded onto our new computers. However, Skype seems to be the exception here. Most of us use it, and most of us want our other friends to adapt to using it as well. Correct us if we're wrong, but this move will see people who have never heard about VoIP to be engaged by both the combination of the web cam in their new laptop, and the software that works with it.
With a major computer manufacturer introducing a leading edge VoIP software provider to potentially a whole new audience, could we finally see a drastic reduction in home and mobile rates?
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative is planning to ship nearly 5 million XO model PCs this summer to mostly third world countries. There are rumors floating about that the OLPC folks may offer the laptops for sale to the public as well. Consumers would be able to buy the laptops in pairs, and only receive one of them, with the other one going to a child in a third world country. Sure it is a bit unorthodox, but forcing philanthropy on the public when they purchase is simply brilliant. I don't think many people will have a problem with this method of helping others. You would even get to keep in touch with the child your laptop went to, to see how they are, and what they are up to, sponsoring them, in effect. eBay is also rumored as a seller to help the sale of laptops, since supply chain costs are high and the foundation need to keep costs down to continue producing low-price PCs. Seriously, what is $100 in the grand scheme of things? Would you 'buy 2 get 1' to help out your own kid and the kids that need a PC in third-world countries? I would.
Microsoft wasn't the smartest in the way they handled the blogger laptop give-away, but the debacle will turn out good in one way. One blogger, Scott Beale, is choosing to auction off the laptop he received on eBay and give the proceeds to the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). The auction will run through January 4th, when Scott will post the results on his blog, the Laughing Squid. If you can get over the ugliness of the Acer Ferrari-inspired laptop, then give it shot and bid on the thing. This just proves bloggers are smart, resourceful, and thinkers, which I think is just plain touching...sniff.
It's horrible when truth finally comes out. Microsoft really does want to take over the world. Are we sure that Steve Ballmer isn't just a large suit inhabited by Brain (and Pinky) for just this purpose? All joking aside, Microsoft now wants to put their Windows on the OLPC. I can see why they would want to "educate" the world's children on the finer points of using Windows (the bottom line, community goodwill), but it doesn't seem feasible or cost-effective. Windows has certain requirements that are a bit above what the OLPC can support, and isn't the whole idea to use something that works well for the hardware, the form factor, the user? I'm not saying that Linux is the best choice for a beginner to start using right off the bat unless it is extremely dumbed down and pre-configured, which it would most likely be. Would windows be a good thing for the OLPC, you tell me. On one hand, I feel like Microsoft should leave well-enough alone, but on the other hand, isn't Windows the thing all these OLPC kids will be using in the future when they grow up anyway?
The One Laptop Per Child initiative is getting ready to roll out their line of $100 laptops for school children in developing countries in Q2 of 2007. Quanta Computer in Taiwan is the manufacturer that was brought into the project to create the low cost devices, expects that they will produce close to 10 million units in the first year of development. OLPC figured out a way to improve inexpensive black and white DVD player LCD displays, in order to keep the normally few hundred dollar feature, at a price of only $35. Software was cut out of the machines, since two thirds of software in laptops manages the other third, and supposedly they mostly do the same functions in nine different ways. The OLPC laptops will be running Linux OS, 500MHz microprocessor, and 128MB of DRAM with 500MB of flash memory usage. Unfortunately the laptops will not have a hard disk, so no downloading, but they will have four USB ports if that makes it better? So if anyone has some good deals on flash memory keys that the kids can use, I'm sure OLPC would be interested. Other than the no hard drive feature, and black and white display, sounds like this laptop initiative is really going to help these kids out with their studies, and look into what the rest of the world is like.
So now we have another manufacturer who is recalling Sony batteries for its laptop computer products. Lenovo has issued a voluntary battery recall for over 500,000 batteries. Where does the carnage end? Will Sony still provide batteries for laptops after this, or is this a minor set-back? I know mistakes happen, but I don't know that Sony can afford another big battery catastrophe like this if they want to keep their battery business. Do they even care? Sony is a big company, so what do you think, will this incident hurt their bottom line enough to matter? This is the one time when I am actually glad I have an older laptop. One that isn't subject to a battery recall. It really isn't much of a consolation, but its something, right?
Battery Eater Pro is an application that exists solely for the purpose of making life hell for your portable computer's battery. Rather than giving you a best case scenario prediction of the battery life in your notebook, Battery Eater Pro uses every power-hungry option to try to drain your battery as fast as possible. This is in many ways a better benchmark, since it's consistently repeatable, and lets you know what you can expect under the worst conditions. During testing the utility stresses the CPU, RAM, HDD and videocard. For optimal results (meaning the worst battery time), make sure that you turn on WiFi, BlueTooth and IR ports.
Seems like Apple just got hit by the Sony battery fiasco. Safety regulators just asked Apple to recall 1.8 million batteries from older laptops. Just a short while ago it was discovered that Sony batteries in Dell machines were a fire hazard, after a few actually caught fire. Dell's recall totaled 4 million. Sony has estimated that the cost of replacing all of the faulty units could hit close to $250 Million. Sony is anticipating that there will be no additional recalls for these particular laptop batteries.
Getting on a flight is such a hassle these days. There are so many security checks and inspections to go through which is good, but then they hit our mobile devices. Now, we can't even bring our mobile devices on flights! How can we assure that our data is secure? And our laptops don't get stolen? K.C. Jones discovered some advice from security providers on how to travel with electronic devices.
Use approved luggage locks to deter theft.
Protect laptops with soft foam and bubble wrap, placing them inside other luggage for protection, and to keep prying eyes out.
Use secure alphanumeric passwords to secure sensitive data.
Backup data before traveling.
Tracking and security software is a good idea, it dumps files in the BIOS for easy tracking.
With remote data in place, you can possibly erase data from your laptop if it stolen, from a remote location.
External drives can be valuable for easy access to data if luggage is lost or stolen.
Keep all computer records including serial number, make and model.
Shut down laptop completely before you pack it. Don't leave it in hibernate or standby modes.
Make sure your data is secure, and have a great flight.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but for those readers that are in school, the new semester is coming up fast. So grab a hold of your laptop and check out stu.dicio.us.
stu.dicio.us has the potential to become a students dream. It's an online note taking site. Students can publicly save notes and manage class schedules. It's a dream to use. No thinking required, which comes in handy after late nights of studying or partying.
Schedules are easily entered, tracking class name, day, time, school, and professor. You can also input to-dos, which make it easy to remember things that you have to do for the day. The Notes section in stu.dicio.us is pretty powerful. Users can search for notes in the database based on their particular subject or class. Making it extremely useful if you forgot or missed something from a lecture. Notes in the system can be exported in HTML or DOC formats for viewing, storing and printing.
When more people sign up for stu.dicio.us and use it more to store notes, I can see this as an extremely useful and beneficial online tool for students worldwide.
Is it just me, or is the market for novel anti-theft apps for laptops exploding? Undercover is a program for Apple laptops from Orbicule that does a number of things to help you recover your laptop in the event of its theft. When the laptop boots, Undercover checks Orbicule's web server to see if you've reported your laptop missing. Once it knows it's been stole, Undercover begins doing all sorts of things, including sending Orbicule its IP address, taking photos of the perpetrator and its surroundings with the built-in iSight camera, and sending screenshots so you can see what the thief is up to. If the laptop can't be recovered, or if it can't connect to a network, Undercover will simulate a "hardware failure" by gradually dimming the screen, which Orbicule hopes will prompt the thief to unload the laptop on someone else. Software like this is really no match for a savvy thief, but most aren't, so for all it promises Undercover's $30 price tag doesn't seem so expensive. There's also a money-back guarantee if Undercover fails to save your laptop, but $30 hardly seems like much consolation in that event.
Your MacBook Pro has a
built-in tilt sensor and camera. Since using Apple products for their intended purpose (like, say, running Mac OS X),
here's a cool way to repurpose those features: iAlertU is theft
alarm software that monitors your MacBook's camera and tilt sensor and, if it thinks your laptop is being manhandled
while you've stepped away to grab another latte, sounds a loud alarm. Currently iAlertU is in beta, and Evan Blass over
at Engadget says that
it's not perfect, but actually works pretty much as advertised. You can see a video of it iAlertU in action at YouTube. The arming and
disarming sound effects are pretty cute.
If you're a Mac laptop user who is often mounting different network shares or picking different printers depending on which network you connect to, then you may want to checkout the free utility Mobilizer Lite. Mobilizer lets you add locations (in this example we've used "Home" and "Work") which would be different networks that you may use.
Battery Eater Pro
