Jul 24

Although the iPhone4 is fresh off the shelves, there are already promising sim only deals from 3 for those who were lucky enough to get their hands on an unlocked version of the popular new mobile phone.

It is more difficult to unlock or obtain an unlocked iPhone 4 than any other mobile on the market currently, but if you are able to find one, sim only deals may be the way to go, since they provide a user with maximum flexibility and of course offer of free sim cards, making the transition to this type of service simple.

The unique part of these sim only deals is that they are suited to work only with the iPhone4 since this particular mobile contains a microSim card compared to other traditional sim cards that are on the market.

So, in order to use any sim only deal it has to be a microSIM only deals otherwise the sim card will not be compatible with the device.  Currently, the microSim deals are available from 3 and should be grabbed quickly while they last.

Customers of 3 will also be interested to hear that the major mobile provider is also offering customers that have monthly tariffs the opportunity to switch to microSim deals so that they can use the iPhone4 on the network.  The plans were launched from 3 on July 25th and include two different options that are based upon how much data, minutes, texts, and GB of mobile internet use a browser thinks they will need.

The first offer is for £15 per month and comes with 300 minutes, 3000 texts, 1GB of data, and 2000 mobile to mobile user minutes on the 3 network.  As with any other sim only deal, those who choose this option are free to cancel at any time so long as a thirty day notice is given without any termination fees.

The second offer from 3 is for £25 per month and includes a year-long contract with 2,000 minutes, 5,000 texts, and 5,000 mobile to mobile use minutes but as a tariff cannot be cancelled.  Thus, the sim only deal is the much better choice for those who are trying on the iPhone4 for size and attempting to see what they will really need, since the option to pull out is always available versus the tariff plan.

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Jul 16

In the world of smartphones, it takes a lot for those in the industry to get truly excited at a new development. There have been too many well-documented problems, from disappearing signals, to phones that have screens with a tendency to crack upon being laid down upon anything more substantial than a pile of quail feathers. Can the new Samsung range of smartphones buck that trend?

Initially, the signs are promising. First up is the entry level Samsung Wave, also known as the Samsung S8500. For a starter smartphone, it certainly looks the part. It’s just 10.9 mm deep, 56 mm wide and has a height of 118 mm, making it dainty even by traditional mobile phone standards. However this is no ordinary mobile phone, its touch screen is 3.3 in square and powered by super AMOLED technology, giving fantastic definition and clarity, even in poorer light conditions.

It comes with a 5MP/VGA camera, with 4x digital zoom making taking pictures and video a doddle, even for a hapless photographer. A nice feature is that the battery lasts a good while, giving seven hours of talk time while using the 3G band. This means that your Samsung S8500 won’t spend the vast majority of its life sitting in a charger, but can actually be used productively.

It comes with the usual array of games, apps and connectivity you’d find in an introductory level smartphone and for the price, it performs all of the tasks asked of it very well and it looks rather stylish too. After the S8500, came the Samsung i9000, also known as a Samsung Galaxy S, which is an appropriate name because this phone is light years ahead of the rest of the competition.

The Galaxy S is longer (122.4 mm) and wider (64.2 mm) than the cheaper Wave, but is incredibly just 9.9 mm deep. This isn’t just a smartphone: you could even use it as an expensive bookmark!

Only it does a lot more than simply identify where you’ve read up to in the latest Bill Bryson offering. Its 4.0 in super AMOLED screen is the best quality viewing ever produced on a smartphone. When used to bring up real time digital information around any UK city, it is not only quick, but also up-to-date and accurate.

Editing this document using ThinkFree Office Mobile, included as standard, is simple and the Turn-by-Turn navigation means that getting to a rented office in Liverpool via the one-way system that even has quantum physicists confused, is child’s play.

Everything the Samsung i9000 smartphone does, it does cleanly, crisply and with a degree of style that is hard to match. Even clumsy initial attempts at texting soon become much speedier with the new Swype system of texting.

The system is innovative and it works beautifully. For an entry level smartphone, the Samsung S8500 is an excellent example and is available at a great price, but if what is desired is something special, from another world even, then go for the Samsung Galaxy S.

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Jun 30

Every thrifty online shopper competes for the best price for any product available over the internet, but when it comes to certain technological gadgets, such as the brand new, in high demand, iPhone 4, the competition gets fiercely intense.

At this point, if you are seeking out the best iPhone 4 deals you will need to be a bit more aggressive and ready for some hard work browsing, searching, price checking, and navigating, because Apple keeps pretty close reign on all of its new items pricing for a lengthy time period following their release.

At this point, you may be inclined to head to eBay or to Apple in order to secure great mobile phone deals out of the misguided belief that a refurbished model or wholesale model will be cheaper than those available at major retailers or through network providers.

However, the problem with these methods (which usually do work with other mobile models), is that it will be quite some time before enough iPhone 4 mobiles are returned to supply refurbished models, and most wholesalers do not get their hands on an overwhelming amount of the models in the short term anyway.

So, you find yourself in a precarious position, you can shell out the large amount of money that Apple or the network providers are asking, or continue your search for the best iPhone 4 deals.  It is easy to give up the search and resign yourself to paying the standard Apple price, but if you are willing to search just a bit more, you will find that there are some clever wholesalers and retailers that have managed to finagle the Apple iPhone 4 for a much more reasonable price than the one Apple want you to pay.

There are other ways to save on the iPhone 4 outside of its upfront costs, because while Apple has tied the hands of many retailers in terms of pricing on the iPhone, retailers are offering perks that Apple cannot control that are tied into the purchase of the popular mobile.

For example, a popular electronics retailer is offering its visitors a gift certificate with the purchase of the iPhone 4.  In this scenario, you may have to pay the same price up front, but if you visit the electronics shop on a regular basis you have in essence made some cash.

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Jun 18

Online, whenever the word ‘free’ is attached to anything people start to wonder.  At one time the possibility of free goods online was an actual reality, but anymore with the amount of spam, fraud, and dangerous malware programs it pays to be a little sceptical whenever anything is supposedly available for free.

With this mind, it is perfectly normal and wise to be wary of free download antivirus software offers, but the truth is that there are effective antivirus programs out there that are available for free if you know what to look for and use a healthy dose of common sense when choosing one for your computer.

The first thing that you should do when you start looking for antivirus software is turn to the brands that you already know you can trust.  Many consumers are not aware of the fact that many of the top software brands actually offer free versions of their programs in an effort to help consumers protect their computers from malware, adware, spyware, and other malicious software that can threaten the health of your PC and possibly lead to identity fraud if dubious people get into your computer.

The second thing that you should do if you do not run across free antivirus software during this search is turn to trusted websites online with high page rank values and valuable information.  There are many technical websites that specialize in offering consumers useful tips and screened downloads, so that you can rest assured each software has already been tested and is actually useful.

Additionally, these technology focused websites also offer feedback and a clear set of ratings and rankings so that you can make sure you get the best software available on the net which can be helpful if you are not the most computer literate users.

Finally, you need to be aware of the fact that excellent free antivirus software should be able to do more than simply detect a virus, because there are now dozens of additional ways that your computer can be attacked.

Elements such as a firewall, link authenticity check programs, messaging scan programs, and other features are also needed and a requirement if you want a full suite of protection against the many different threats that are in existence across the internet.  By carefully searching for a suitable software with these factors in mind you can ensure you get absolute protection without compromising your computer in the process.

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Jun 18

It can be quite overwhelming when it comes to choosing the right mobile plan or option for your lifestyle, especially when we are seeking benefits such as unlimited texts or phone calls.

With countless phone providers offering pay as you go and a wide variety of long term contracts to choose from, it seems as though there are simply too many tariffs to consider, which can make it difficult to select the best one for our needs.

Having a mobile phone is a necessity, and often we just want what we think will be the most cost-effective plan to save money yet still remain in contact with our friends and family members.

Many times, the first idea that pops into our heads for this money saving route is to go with a pay as you go SIM card so that we have control over what we are spending, and not invest a penny more into our phone bills.

However, as time persists, it begins to unfold that these plans do not exactly offer the best value, as minutes tend to run out rather quickly and top up credit does, in fact, run dry.

Thanks to giffgaff, a new mobile phone company that works on a SIM-only platform, we are now afforded a new money saving option that is flexible to our needs as we move from month to month.

giffgaff works on the idea of a pay monthly scheme, but without being tied down to a long term contract. There are several goodybag bundle options you can chose from each month, all of which offer different services at the best possible prices.

A £5 goodybag will allow you to send unlimited text messages for an entire month.

If you choose a £10 goodybag, you will get 100 minutes to use between UK mobiles and landlines, as well as unlimited texts and Internet access from your phone.

The value continues with the £15 goodybag, where you will receive 300 minutes to use between UK mobiles and landlines as well as unlimited texts and unlimited mobile Internet access from your handset.

Arguably the greatest value, however, is the £35 unlimited option. For this price, you will have access to unlimited phone calls, texts and Internet. You’ll never have to worry about using up your minutes and you’ll have the luxury of chatting away for hours with all of your friends and family members.

With giffgaff, you chose what suites you, your income and your phoning needs by the month. You can test and try which options seem to work best for you and change accordingly from month to month with this flexible SIM plan.

Aside from the goodybag offers, standard giffgaff text messages cost just 4p, while calls to UK mobiles and landlines start at 8p – so even if you don’t utilise one of the goodybag offers, you can look forward to making some pretty hefty savings. In addition, calls and texts to other giffgaff mobiles are completely free, ensuring that using your mobile regularly won’t break the bank.

You can start to change your mobile habits today by going to giffgaff.com to request your free SIM card pay as you go offer, and soon you’ll just watch in delight as you save money and chat more.

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Apr 5

John Lewis Sony Vaio Laptops

Laptops are becoming increasingly popular as a mobile alternative to the more traditional desktop PC and whether you are buying one for work or pleasure, it is vital that you buy the laptop that ticks all the boxes as far as you are concerned. The power of laptops continues to increase at an astonishing rate as technological advancements make more powerful laptops cheaper than they have ever been. A similar level of performance and features previously only found in desktops is now found within many laptops as well making them the ideal solution for many customers. But when buying a new laptop there are many points to consider, from the battery life to the size and resolution of the screen and of course the cost.

The first choice you have to make is what operating system you want to be installed on the machine and whether you want go for the more widely used Microsoft Windows or Apple’s Mac OS, both of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. The battery life of the laptop is also an important factor to consider, as if you plan to use your new laptop on the move for a considerable amount of time then a battery life of over five hours is worth investing in. If you are looking for an ultra portable machine then a netbook may better suit your needs than a laptop, as netbooks are smaller and lighter and ideal for people who are constantly on the move, as well as being a cheaper alternative.

John Lewis has a wide range of laptops on their site that cover a wide price range. A decent entry level laptop will set you back around £400, but if you have a bit more money to spend then a high performing machine can cost upwards of £1,000. Each manufacturer from Sony to Acer manufactures laptops that cover the broad spectrum of different performance levels, and each make of laptop is distinct in its design. There are some minimum requirements when it comes to buying a laptop that will provide most customers with a decent starting point. For your laptop to run smoothly when completing everyday tasks it is advised that you buy a machine with at least 2GB of RAM and if you want plenty of space to store your music, photos and videos then 320GB of hard drive space is a good benchmark.

How you plan to use your laptop should also influence the decision on how big a screen you want your laptop to have. If you think you will be watching a lot of movies on your machine then a 17 inch screen will give a large display, whereas if you want your laptop to be more portable then a 12 inch screen may suit your needs much better. The ports on your laptop are another important feature, with most laptops having a number of USB ports that are needed for connecting external devices, and if you want to connect your laptop to your HDTV then make sure your machine of choice has an HDMI out port. So how you plan to use your laptop and whether you are buying it for business or personal use will greatly affect the machine that you choose to purchase, and John Lewis has an extensive range of laptops and netbooks to suit every budget.

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Mar 5

A recent study conducted by freebielist.com sugegsts that people who purchase new computers are being sold anti-virus software unnecessarily.

In the study they found that many electrical and computer tores fail to notify customers on the numerous free alternatives, and it is not surprising since about 1 in 3 elect to purchase anti-virus software at the ‘point of sale’. Only 30% of respondents recognised free alternatives were available. A further 15% of these believed free software was inferior.

Sales staff regularly recommend anti-virus packages, such as McAfee, Norton or Kaspersky. However, a similar level of protection can be achieved without spending hard-earned cash.

The following can all be obtained online, completely free of charge and with no catch.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition (http://free.grisoft.com/)
Avira AntiVir(http://www.free-av.com/)
Outpost Firewall Free (http://free.agnitum.com/)
SUPERAntiSpyware (http://www.superantispyware.com/)
Spyware Terminator(http://www.spywareterminator.com/)

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Jan 29

Most new printers available in today’s market are very reasonably priced even the ones from the major manufacturers such as Dell, HP, Canon, and so on can be purchased for a relatively small amount of money.

As usual with all things in our lives there is a catch, with good quality printers the catch is that the original manufacturers cartridge refills may cost more than half as much as the cost of the printer itself.

This is of course the way that the printer manufacturers make their profits, they sell the printer at a very attractive price because they know that the buyer will not think about the cost of a replacement black or colour ink cartridge.

Cartridges can cost anything from £10 up to £40 if you do a considerable amount of printing these costs can spiral out of control and make that cheap printer very expensive to run.

There is however a very viable solution that can cut your costs considerably and make it again viable to use your printer without being overly concerned about its running costs. That solution is to make use of refilled cartridges that are supplied by third-party companies and not the original manufacturer.

Of course the manufacturer prints a warning not only in the instruction manual but actually on a sticker found placed on the top of many new printers which states that you should only use the manufacturer’s original inks.

The reason they want you to use their inks because as we have just stated that is where their profit lies. Making use of third-party ink jet cartridges is a far more cost-effective method of keeping your printer running.

Compatible cartridges as they are known cost considerably less than those produced by the original equipment manufacturer, known as the OEM. The manufacturer will have you believe that theirs are the only cartridges that will actually work in your printer and usually state that other cartridges “may cause damage” to your printer.

Professionally produced compatible inkjet cartridges do not damage printer’s any more than those produced by the OEM, it is true that several years ago the poorly produced replacement inkjet catches did cause clogging and other problems with printers. But such issues have now been resolved and good quality replacement inkjet cartridges are available for every brand of printer on the market.

Making use of refilled cartridges makes good financial sense and does not lower the quality of the printing on paper or even for high-quality photographic prints. They are simply a way to avoid spending a small fortune each year on keeping your printer running.

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Jan 29

YUDU LogoOne of the central narratives in the story of the internet to date has surely been the wealth of opportunities that have been opened up to those who feel they have something they wish to say to the world but have previously lacked any obvious route to relaying it to a wide audience. By self-publishing online, using digital publishing software, significant advantages suddenly become available to the aspirant author, in terms of flexibility and user-friendliness, as well as delivering certain sustainability benefits, as the need to deliver a physical product is negated.

However the central advantage of online publishing is undoubtedly one of accessibility, as geographical boundaries are instantly rendered null and void and the self-published product becomes immediately available to a potential global readership. It becomes possible to communicate and collaborate with like-minded individuals, with the internet of course being a two-way street in terms of the flow of ideas, and the wealth of information available online coming in the varied shape of eBooks and digital magazines and brochures. And when you self-publish via the internet the opportunity for delivering a fully-integrated multimedia product becomes a reality, as photographs, music and podcasts can be appended to any online magazine venture. Digital publishing has been very much a process of democratisation, as the plethora of aspirant authors and editors who have chosen to deliver their material over the web are increasingly joined by leading traditional publishers venturing into this area – it being an area which is absolutely vital if those larger publishing houses are to retain a connection to their audience in the 21st century.

So what precisely are the advantages that stem from the adoption of publisher software? Well, the opportunity to fully engage with the readership is delivered to the self-publisher, as they are given means to record reader habits, and consequently produce content which most closely reflects what items their readership respond to. Similarly email collection options provide route to building a fully-comprehensive database of reader email contact details, and – for those who wish to put a price on their writing – a subscription management system offers secure means of monetizing digital magazine subscriptions. These types of tracking options give the publisher the means to target their advertising more effectively and produce the kind of material that reader habits indicate would be most successful. And of course the costly overheads of providing a physical item are removed, with no outlay being necessary to dip a toe into the world of online publishing, and begin building a readership that could potentially provide a stream of income over time.

To get started in digital publishing all that is required is to utilise, often free, publisher software to upload PDFs or other documents in order to begin delivering search engine-optimised pages that can be added to a website or sent out direct by email. By exploring the burgeoning realm of online magazine or eBook publishing, and gaining readership through online magazine subscription, it becomes not only possible, but relatively simple to bring your voice to a potential audience of millions.

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Jul 9
Windows 7 on USB
icon1 admin | icon2 News | icon4 07 9th, 2009| icon3No Comments »

For those who do not want to buy Windows 7 via a download or at a retail store, there may soon be another choice as they may soon offer it via a USB drive.

The additional choice would allow netbook users to upgrade to Windows 7.

However, the move may be harder for those who are not familiar with how to place Windows 7 onto a USB drive for install and among those who are not aware the option even exists.

In order to complete the proves users will need a DVD or image of Windows 7 software and a 4GB flash drive, but the installation would increase the drive so proper backup is essential beforehand.

The type of copy protection that Microsoft could place on a USB drive installation is not known.

If Microsoft decides to offer the upgrade on a USB drive they would become the first operating system to offer the additional format. The price may be higher for a Windows 7 USB installation however as the USB would have to be large enough to hold 10GB of information which makes for an expensive USB versus DVD copy.

Article Courtesy of http://www.ineedcontent.info.

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