Tech News & Reviews

Well, the new laptop I purchased back in August has Windows XP Pro on it. I thought this would be great, since I have heard a lot of good things about the ‘pro’ version. Recently I have started to experience lock-ups and odd issues, so I thought I would run some standard diagnostics to see what’s up.

That’s when I discovered that XP Pro has changed some things around. I attempted to run Scandisk, something I had not done on any XP machine before. Guess what? It’s been moved, it’s no longer called Scandisk, and it doesn’t log it’s activity to you can follow up on it! How rude is that?

Have you ever wished that Microsoft would leave well enough alone? As my wife always tells me, if it ain’t broke … don’t fix it!

I just wanted to give you a couple of things to think about … consider it food for thought.

Publishing was the first form of mass communication, but required a lot of time to “spread the word”.
Radio, while it didn’t replace books, provided a way to communicate with a wider audience instantly over the airwaves.
Television became one of the fastest growing mediums next, followed by the Internet.

However, the Internet has developed a few trends in and of itself.
At first, everything online was free, and people were happy just to find something interesting.
Then, people started to look for specific things, and other people started to sell them.
E-books came on the scene, and instant downloads beat waiting on something in the mail.
Web 2.0 arrived, and everyone wanted to know what everyone else was doing online … and social networking Internet-style was born. This phenomenon, of course, has happened in real life. But, as with anything else, the Internet seems to have a way of taking it to the next level … reaching a potential audience larger than any other.

Take YouTube for example.It’s the #4 visited website in all of cyberspace. What’s it about? Videos … that’s it. User submitted, user rated. It’s all about you, and what you are watching.

Now, as with any other Internet trend (banners, ebooks, mp3s, etc.) people have decided that maybe it would be nice to get paid for their videos. Not surprisingly, a number of sites have sprung up that are willing to do just that.

Revver.com shares a 50/50 split with their video producers, minimum $20 payout. Seems okay, but they don’t get as much traffic as the next program … so it “pays” to promote your video. Oh yeah, it also “pays” to promote other people’s videos too … 20% revenue share to people who simply share the video on their blog or site. Revenue is based on view and click-throughs, depending on the ad type. So, there’s no real “average” or way to be certain what you will get. Top producer stats aren’t revealed, but the top video took in around $50,000 (it was the infamous mentos in a coke bottle video) … and the site paid out $1 million in total revenue sharing in the last 12 months. They did say around 25,000 users had earned $1000 or so.

Metacafe.com on the other hand, has a much more interesting service. You only get paid for views on their site, but they get over 1 million hits a day. It’s set up much like YouTube, with users rating videos. You qualify for payout once you hit 20,000 views. It’s not based on click-throughs, just views of the video. The payout is $5 for every 1,000 page views, so once you hit 20,000, you’ve earned $100. At 40,000 you’ve earned $200. You don’t get paid for sharing, but the potential is there to earn big bucks because of the traffic. Top producer has earned over $60,000 in the last year with around 80 videos. Read that again … that’s impressive, isn’t it? And no, their not sex videos either. This guy is actually a tech geek. He has quite a few “how to” videos in the collection. One of the others in the top ten had a video earn him $6,000 in the last month. I saw it … unbelievably simple.

Anyway, I’m sharing this because I really believe that video is the next BIG thing online. I mean, I know it’s big now … but I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet. Nada, zero, zilch. I have started noticing that Pay Per Post offers a substantial payment for videos. The blog doesn’t have to have a high PR, just be willing to post the video to YouTube and on the blog. Payment for videos on PayPerPost ranges from $35 to as high as $100. It’s unbelievable what they will pay for a 1 minute video clip. Stay tuned, because the next year or so is going to be something else …

Well, it used to be said that MSN’s LiveSearch was the easiest search engine to get a high placement for your keywords.  That simply may not be true anymore.  It appears that LiveSearch has recently updated their algorithm and the results are pretty impressive.

The entire goal, obviously, is to produce more relevant results than Google.  Did they succeed?  I think they did.  At least in the half a dozen search terms I queried, their first page of results was much more focused than the first page of Google’s results.

Based on past product launches, I think Google should start getting concerned.  Microsoft has never come out with a stellar product from day one.  However, they have a very good history of upgrading their products.  Once upgraded, they seem to go from underdog to wiping out the competition in a minimal amount of time.  Will it happen in the search engine arena?  Only time will tell, but I wouldn’t count this dog out of the hunt just yet …

Whether you’re looking for laptops or desktops, Dell offers a wide selection of computers for your needs. In fact, I recently helped a friend with her purchase of a Dell laptop. You can go online and configure your personal setup in accordance with what you will be using the computer system for. This will give you a quote which you can then use for a certain amount of time when you call in to order your desktop system.

The only issue we had with the Dell system she purchased was an issue with the DVD driver. For some reason, the initial install of the device driver was corrupted, and the performance appeared choppy with the sound out of sync. After maximizing performance and disabling all the fancy visual features on Vista to free up system memory, I finally gave in and called tech support. After holding for almost 45 minutes (and this was late at night , CST), I finally got someone who was able to help me troubleshoot and re-install the driver. After this, no more DVD issues!

Getting a small business loan is often intimidating to business owners. Because of restrictions from the regular channels like banks and other financial institutions, the small business owner often doesn’t give it a second thought. Well, EZUnsecured.com is out to change that.

I know that before I shut down my local PC repair business, opening up a brick and mortar shop would have been nice, but it wasn’t practical because I didn’t have the funds. With a program like EZUnsecured.com has, it would have been a lot easier to apply. They only work on unsecured financing, but they do require a business to be in business for a minimum of two years.

If you’ve been looking for a way to keep your business going or to buy that equipment you’ve needed, consider checking out EZUnsecured.com. They just might be able to hook you up!

Well, there’s been an update on the iPhone refund that was supposedly offered by Steve Jobs a few days ago.  While the price of the iPhone has dropped right at $200, the refund for those eager beaver early adopters will only be $100.  Hmmm … isn’t that nice of Apple to take you into consideration?  I’m sure you should be grateful that they are even doing that .

Let’s face it.  This was a face-saving attempt from Apple in the first place, especially seeing the initial reviews the iPhone has been getting.  Apple relies on those early die-hard adopters of new technology gadgets to put their product out in the market … but have they gone too far?  Will the really gutsy Apple fans still support this kind of fluid priced marketing?

Stay tuned, I have a feeling we’ll find out real soon …

Have you ever thought about what goes on when you’re not home? Perhaps you have teenagers who are at home by themselves some during the afternoon or evening hours. Perhaps you are concerned about babysitters in your home during the evenings. Or, perhaps you’ve been concerned with people tampering with stuff in your office after hours, but you could never quite put your finger on what was going on.

Well, perhaps I have a solution for you. A new service is up and running in beta testing right now called Home Camera - Home Monitoring Made Easy. Now, I’ve looked at software in the past for monitoring activities in my home. In fact, a good friend of mine set up a home camera monitoring system down my his pond to track the wild pigs at night, so he could find out how many there were, and when they came to root. Okay, I know most of you aren’t back in the woods like I am, but you’ve probably got a good reason to consider a home monitoring system. Whether it’s kids, pets, janitors, or burglars, you probably would like to stay informed.

As most of you who are regular readers know, I write for Pay Per Post from time to time here on the blog. This post is a sponsored post by HomeCamera.com, and they have asked that I be impartial in writing this review. So, just for the record, I’m not tooting their horn just because they are paying me, I am actually going to tell you what I really think about thier program. At the end, as you will see, I do have some concerns … but we’ll get to those in a bit.

The system seems to be very simple. The software download currently works with Windows 2000 and up, with a Mac version in the works. The system can be set up to work automatically with timed recordings, or set to be on motion detection within a time range. It works with most existing webcams and even supports the Dlink DCS 2120 wirless network camera as well. This is a definite plus in my book! In addition, you can get e-mail or mobile phone alerts and video sent to you directly when a motion sensor is recording is triggered. This is very cool … talk about catching the kids red-handed (or the crooks, whoever). Videos are stored on their servers for 30 days, and you can download them at any time. That’s another nice feature.

On the downside, although the service is free now (and they promise beta testers will always have a ‘lite’ service model available for free), I can’t help but wonder what the pricing will be like once the final product release is announced. In addition, I guess there’s always some concern with start-ups in other countries. Although the parent company seems to have all their ducks in a row, being located half-way around the world in Singapore just makes me raise an eyebrow. The site is very slick professional, and seems to have everything in order. Security issues, of course, are always on my mind when I start sharing vital information with people or services on the web (what could be more personal than a camera in my house?).

All in all the service deserves a change, and is worth looking in to. Sign up is free, and you don’t even have to provide a credit card during the beta testing. So with literally no expensive outlay (if you already have a webcam), you can set up your home monitoring system tonight. So what are you waiting for?

The International Standards Organization failed to approve Microsoft’s bid for Open Office XML format to become an International standard. While I think this represents a win for the little guys, they will be meeting again in February, and Microsoft could still win out.

Ultimately, a win like this could encourage widespread use in government and libraries, and would help dampen the competition against Microsoft’s office products. Make no mistake about it, the vote was close, 56 percent for it, instead of the 66 percent needed to make it pass. Microsoft remains confident it will get it pushed through.

Let’s hope the troops of Open Office Format rally and put this down, once and for all.

How many ways can you count to put up a website? Well, in today’s marketplace there are literally hundreds, but let’s just list the top 7 ways (in my opinion) to put up a website that will make you seen and heard (with a little work … this ain’t the field of dreams, kid):

1. Blogger.com

2. Wordpress.com

3. Myspace.com

4. Friendster.com

5. Yahoo! Geocities

6. Google Pages

7. Buy your own domain!!!

The bottom line is that you can do it for cheap and still make it work, but you are at the mercy of someone else’s service that could go at any time. For long-term security and longevity of whatever project you’re working on, the best bet is to buy your own domain!

In case you haven’t heard, there is a debate going on these days about which is better, the new HD DVD format, or the Blu-Ray technology. Both of these new technologies are geared to provide a better picture quality with high-definition TVs in mind. There is a new method to the madness, and now the quest is on for to see who will win the battle of market share. Much like the battle between VHS and Betamax, with the exception that major players are lining up behind both camps for this showdown. Let’s just take a look at some recent milestones in the battle for DVD supremacy:

• Blu-Ray scores an exclusive deal with Target and Blockbuster, for distribution of Blu-Ray technology through their distribution networks
• Blu-Ray movies outsold HD DVD 2-to-1 for the first six months of 2007
• New record set this month for sales of both HD DVD and Blu-Ray media
• Paramount and Dreamworks announced today that they will be exclusively supporting the HD DVD format in their worldwide distribution channels
• Disney and 20th Century Fox have lined up behind Blu-Ray technology, with plans to flood the market with 29 new Blu-Ray releases

The HD DVD format is cheaper for consumers, with players running around $200 less than the Blu-Ray technology. However, Blu-Ray DVDs have more storage space, as well as more advanced protection against piracy, which is near and dear to the industry’s heart. So who will ultimately win the battle for DVD supremacy? Only time will tell.