Category Archive 'Living With Hardware'
02.03.08
Whereas 2D bar codes offer more security and safety for their subjects, 1D bar codes, as read by 1D bar code readers, are more practical for wide scale operations. The reason? Bar codes with single layers are more affordable to produce than the double layered inscriptions of 2D bar codes. Hence, there is a large demand for 1D bad codes and 1D bar code readers in today’s busy times.
A 1D bar code reader is an essential, and preferred, tool for retail establishments where items pass through a counter several times a minute. A 1D bar code reader is also the device of choice for establishments that seek to monitor the ingress and regress of people, when such establishments are not considered as high security areas.
Why Are There 1D And 2D Bar Code Readers?
Though a universal type of bar code would greatly help a variety of industries, the various types of bar codes today, which are not limited to 1D and 2D bar codes alone, have provided a wider selection for different enterprises with distinct needs.
The creation of 1D and 2D varieties of barcodes stemmed from the attempts of bar code manufacturers to improve on the existing formula. But each improvement served a specific purpose distinct to its kind, hence, such was retained. Today, there are a lot of 2D bar code readers for 2D bar codes and 1D bar code readers for 1D bar codes. This is a sign of a very healthy industry!
Kinds Of 1D Bar Code Readers
A 1D bar code reader can come in many forms. Portable 1D bar code readers are the most commonly used in many establishments. Since a 1D bar code reader is generally manufactured for a market that experiences brisk operations, it is easy to assume that the sheer transportability of these portable 1D bar code readers make them more appealing to their target audience.
A 1D bar code reader can also come in the form of scanner-type 1D bar code readers. These are seldom used, however, as their more mobile counterparts are more appropriate for the market that 1D bar code readers seek to cater to.
The Road Ahead For 1D Bar Code Readers
It is understandable that people would feel hesitant about investing on a 1D bar code reader, mainly because of fear that the 1D bar code design would soon become obsolete. These fears are quite unfounded.
There will always be a need for a 1D barcode reader because there will always be a market for 1D bar codes. As we have mentioned earlier, a good number of establishments actually prefer 1D bar codes and 1D bar code readers because they are more resilient and responsive to businesses with busier processes. This accommodative nature of 1D bar code readers should assure everyone that they are here to stay and investing on them would be a prudent choice.
This, of course, is aside from the fact that 1D bar code readers are cheaper than other types of this device.
Ewen Chia is the owner of BarCodeReader.info
providing excellent bar code reader information,
news plus completely *free* barcode fonts!
==> http://www.BarCodeReader.info
16.02.08
Choosing a mobile phone and mobile phone plan may be a confusing task. After you have bought your mobile phone with the required features,design and look, you need to choose the company that will provide your mobile phone service. Then you need to decide on what mobile plan is most cost-effective. Consider on your usage, the value of the services the plan provides, before deciding which plan would work out most effectively for you.
If you are looking forward to lower your mobile phone bill, ‘pay as you go is the way to go. You can start off with figuring out what you need from your mobile phone.Most pay as you go plans offer caller ID, voice mail, and call waiting at no extra charge but vary widely on long distance. Next, think about how many minutes do you really use. Minutes expire in anywhere from 30 to 90 days, depending on the service provider.After that you can renew them online or from any store. Although pay as you go plans include long distance, you’ll pay more by the minute and could run into restrictions, particularly if you travel.
Keep yourself informed about the network’s coverage area before you sign.With pay as you go phones, you’ll always know how many minutes are left on your phone because after every call you make, your balance comes right on the screen. You will remain in control of your costs, there are no contracts, no bills and above all no worries. Instead, you will purchase credit for your phone and this credit runs down as you make calls or use any services.So if you’re tired of being locked into service agreements and monthly plans, pay as you go phones are the best option. You can always “top up” your account yourself anytime by simply purchasing the topup.
You may get promotional offers like free weekends, free evenings,etc. Pay as you go plans are most common with teenagers use their mobile phones minimally. These plans keep you away from suprising monthly bills.More and more people are saving money from it and finding out that they can take advantage of this convenience. Once you are sure that this plan is a good fit for your communication needs, you can renew it.
It is probably wise to first think about your particular needs and then research the offers other plans are giving before deciding which plan is best for you.
Alen
xpert4u.co.uk
UK mobile phone directory
28.01.08
I can customize everything else, but can I make my Nokia cell phone unique? The answer, I found, is that I can do so very easily with a Nokia face plate. Cell phones, to many of us, are a big part of who we are. Our friends are in the contact list, we use the phone for calls, emails, and even to surf the internet. If that is the case, then, shouldn’t we make our phones unique to us? Of course we should, and it is possible. Even though so many cell phones look exactly alike, with the use of Nokia face plates, you can make your phone unique to you.
The face plate is basically the front of your phone. A Nokia face plate offers a very easy way to change that front to show off a theme, color, or idea without putting a lot of effort into it or having to tear apart your phone too much. It is easy to change a Nokia face plate so that you can get the look you want in what is likely a very important and highly personal possession.
In this day and age, personal expression is a big deal. You want to be able to express yourself and display who you are to everyone in every aspect of your life. There was a time when you couldn’t really do that with a cell phone. That is not true anymore, though. Thanks to the easy to use Nokia face plates, you can make your phone unique http://www.tahomatimes.com/category/technology-reviews/. Change the ring tone to fit you then add a cool new face plate that best represents you and you are ready to go. Your phone will then not only be your planner, internet browser, contact to the world, and lifeline to your own schedule, but it will also be an representation of who you are to everyone who sees or hears it.
The other advantage to an easy to change Nokia face plate is that you can change it often. You can, if you so desire, change your Nokia face plate to reflect your mood on a given day. Face plates, as a rule, are not very expensive, so it would be easy to make sure you have plenty of them on hand. You will be able to get up in the morning, think about how you feel that day and how you want to show the world you feel and do so with a new Nokia face plate. The options are almost endless in the message you can send when you combine ring tones with face plates to make your phone a total message sending source of self-expression.
Cell phones were once mundane pieces of chrome coloring and digital numbers. Now, though, you can change all of that with little trouble. By using Nokia face plates, can you can turn your cell phone into an expression of who you are or even of your mood on a given day. By adding changing ring tones, your options for your phone’s ambiance become limitless. So go out there, grab yourself some Nokia face plates, and start expressing yourself to the world through your phone!
If you are interested in additional cell phone articles of mine, please feel free to visit my cell phone site.
05.12.07
For the truly adaptive businessman out there, the facility to get online and utilise the tools back at work is a major help. Now found in a great percentage of Nokia phones on sale today are Business Phones. These exceptional bits of technology empower you to receive your data through browsers and email any of your customers and associates. Indeed, your phone behaves in a similar way to a notebook might, except it’s less than half of the size.
Nokia, as they say, is all about connecting people. Nokia also think that mobility makes firms better. Mobility gives you the opportunity to team up and carry out business externally to the customary work environments and times. Nokia provides a wide range of business hand sets. Each and every one of the devices is aimed at various sorts of consumer.
Looking at their business range Nokia make four particular makes of business telephone. These are communicators, smart phones, messaging sets and mobile handsets. Nokia business handsets provide solutions like Nokia Intellisync Wireless Email. Nokia have done some research and it has been evident that folk utilizing wireless email carried out an average of an extra 55 mins. of work a day. This is thought to extend to eighty minutes extra productivity per day Christmas 07. Another benefit of utilising a Nokia Business devices is that they might save some dosh for the company or yourself since you will not depend on two different hand sets - people can have all they need confined in 1 set.
Nokia’s telephones are superb for firms & for pros. All the sets have brilliant designs, they are all incredibly compatible and of course no problem to use, once you’re accustomed to them. The email possibilities are outstanding with support from Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft Office 97, 2000, 2003 and XP and also it is compatible with zip manager & Adobe Reader. People can send & receive e mails whilst talking on the sets but also they can access the up to date calendar and the contacts information. The email facilities will work in the off-line mode which means folk are able to read & write e-mails whilst the network is unreachable. Nokia sell business phones.
Although the business hand sets from Nokia aren’t all particularly small, what you have to remember is that they are great dimensions when you consider what they are able to do. Nearly all the handsets have a full keyboard and backlight, a large landscape display unit and don’t forget a simple one press feature which accesses the e-mail .
A business handset may not be for everyone but for the gains it will offer someone who’ll make full use of the functions, its assuredly going to make their life a lot easier.
07.11.07
If you’ve been in the market for a new computer monitor fairly recently, you might have noticed just how many more LCD monitors you see in the stores now.
It’s obvious that the main benefit that’s being pushed about computer LCD monitors is that they’re flat, and you can put them almost anywhere, but you might be curious about just what you’re giving up by going LCD. To tell you the truth, an LCD monitor can be a worthwhile investment to your home computer system if you’re not hung up on the budget models, and if you can truly benefit from the added space.
Alright, first thing’s first. LCD monitors will never be as good as CRT’s (cathode ray tube monitors, the big box made like a TV), although when you get far up in the price range with LCD’s, you may have a hard time telling the difference. But 90% of the time, the graphics and animation that can be produced by a tube are far and away better than anything you’ll see from an LCD. You really notice this with moving pictures. This is because LCD’s are a chemical reaction technology. Pictures run and bleed across the screen because the reaction is only going to be so fast, and there’s no real way to speed it up.
You might notice, however, that more expensive models are smoother than budget models. That’s because the budget models do not reflect the full capability of the LCD reaction, even though it is limited.
Just for a little background, LCD monitors started making their way into the stores in the mid 90’s. Usually, they were black and white, and built-into part of those old pre-laptop portable computers.
The ones that then came out as standalones were never really able to grab a big part of the mass market, mainly because they weren’t any good for much other than word processing. The picture would bleed horribly across the screen no matter what you were doing. Forget moving graphics of any kind. Sure, they were flat, but this wasn’t really seen as a benefit at the time because people had been used to heavy, bulky monitors taking up the space.
Oh, not to mention the price. If you think some of the more high-end LCD monitors now are expensive, try back then. With all these factors put together, I’m a little surprised they caught on at all.
Of course, just walk into any major home electronics retailer and you’ll see just how far LCD monitors have come. Cutting edge companies like Sony continue to churn out more and more precise video reproduction from LCD. Today with the better LCD’s, you can get still images as sharp as CRT’s, and graphics animation nearly as smooth.
The 20” Sony that I have is not made for you to sit with you face right in front of the screen. Like most of the larger ones, it’s meant to be viewed from a few feet back. And when you do that, you seriously cannot tell the difference between that and a CRT.
The true quality of CRT’s still cannot be questioned. You can get a sharp, crisp picture, that blows away the cheap LCD’s and is only a little better than the nice LCD’s, but you’ll always need a ton of desk space (and help carrying it in) if you want to go with a CRT.
Size and weight are another issue. There’s a screen size limit that CRT’s actually don’t get larger than solely because after you hit about 28”, they become ridiculously heavy. Of course, LCD’s, being light, and flat, now allow for computer monitors to be made in some interesting sizes.
As far as brands go, Dell’s “Ultrasharp” LCD monitors are great. Sony’s always been known as a prime quality name, and visual technology pioneer. 15” and 17” LCD’s will serve the purpose, but you really see what these monitors have to offer when you move up in the sizes, like 20” and up. I’d stay away from the budget names. You’ll know them when you see them because you’ll see them at your major home electronics retailers, but you’ve never heard of them before.
Whether you’re looking for some extra desktop space, or looking for the high-end PC graphics experience from a larger monitor, it’s no doubt that the LCD monitors of today can more than meet your needs.
Phil Moyers, owner of Build-Your-Own-Computer-Plan.com shows computer novices how to save a ton of money by putting together fast, high performance PC’s of their own with handpicked, quality parts.
Computer LCD Monitors
01.11.07
Nextel now has it’s very own Smartphone the Motorola i930! There has been online talk about Nextel and Motorola releasing a Smartphone for at least two years now.
But now it’s no longer talk, the Nextel i930 for Nextel is reality. Well, it’s almost the perfect Nextel phone. (not to be overly critical, but we got to remain objective, right!?) For sure, this is no ordinary cell phone.The Motorola i930 lacks two essential features that most leading PDA’s usually have like Bluetooth and a backlit QWERTY keyboard. Ok, call me spoiled (I love Bluetooth and my Treo 650 has a touch screen need I remind?)
One could make a strong case indeed that the Motorola i-930 for Nextel doesn’t require Bluetooth as a necessary component because I-930 has Nextel’s famous walkie-talkie features and supports Nextel Direct Connect and Direct Talk Services and that’s just for appetizers. This Smartphone (not PDA) from Nextel has a ton of great features going for it that will make it a very popular Nextel phone.
Anybody planning to travel soon? Well if you are, this cell phone could be a very useful companion because it’s designed for use in over 100 countries around the world (i930 has some real serious network compatibility as it works with iDEN 800, 900, GSM 800, and 1900 ! ) without changing the SIM card, now that’s a lot of convenience! Add to that, the fact that this Nextel Smartphone operates on Windows Mobile software, has near WiMax high speed downloads, plus includes Pocket Outlook, Pocket Explorer, ClearVue document viewing software and Windows Media Player software!
What more needs to be said, the majority of typical Nextel customers don’t need a QWERTY keyboard and Bluetooth. With a Windows Mobile SE operating system, a 180Mhz processor along with the Windows Media player to play MP3’s and a VGA Digital camera to boot it’s obvious that Motorola and Nextel pulled out all the stops on the i930.
Brice Richards has been following the cellular trends in the mobile phone industry for over 15 years and is currently the vice-president of strategy for YouNeverCall Wireless one of the leading online cell phone stores specializing in Verizon, Cingular,T-Mobile, Nextel and Sprint PCS cell phones. Brice also has a cell phone review blog where he writes about free cell phones.
29.10.07
When a person moves, they need to hook up utilities. Often it can be difficult to know what you need to do and who to call. One such utility that needs to be taken care of is long distance. You probably feel overwhelmed because of the many promotions featuring long distance service. There are many kinds to choose from and many companies to look at. So, where do you begin? How do you find the best options?
The first order of business when looking for long distance is to decide what you need.
How many long distance calls do you make per month? Where do you call, within the States or overseas as well? And, how much time do you spend on those calls? Determining this information is likely to tell you what type of plan you will need. If you aren’t going to use it much, a plan with fewer minutes may be the option to go with. If you use your long distance quite a bit, finding a flat rate plan may be an advantage. There is no need for an overseas plan if you do not have anyone to call.
The next things you need to consider are the companies that have plans that fit your needs. You can use the internet to compare and contrast companies. You can find information about many of them right from their websites. By doing this type of research, you can not only find the best plan available for your area, but you can also find a quality company you can trust. By taking this time now to determine the best company for you, you can start saving right from the beginning.
The Long Distance Resource Site is an all-in-one resource for everything about Long Distance.
16.10.07
Do you know what could beat the exciting feeling of having a new computer? Make your own PC!
Making your own computer from scratch is not only fun to do but cheaper as well. You can get to choose the parts you want to use on your PC. This gives you the control in balancing the price and the quality of your newly assembled PC.
Before we show you the steps, here are the necessary parts of the computer that you need to buy:
• Processor Cooler
• Motherboard memory
• Graphics Card
• Hard Drive
• CD or DVD Writer
• Floppy Drive
• Sound Card
• Computer Case
• Power Supply
• Monitor
• Keyboard
• Mouse
Steps in making your own PC:
Step 1
The computer case includes motherboard spacers and screws. This helps set the motherboard in the case. Mount the spacers into the corners and to the proper side holes. It should match up with the holes in your motherboard.
If the motherboard has different jack arrangements from the case’s I/O (input/output) shield, use the shield that comes with the motherboard. Mount it from the inside of the case.
Now, to install the processor, raise the lever on the side of the CPU (processor) socket. The CPU’s pins are made in a way that it is possible to put the CPU into the socket only one way. Therefore, if you are doing it right, it should easily fit.
Hold the processor down and close to the lever. Before installing the CPU cooler, put thermal compound onto the top of the CPU (on core).
Step 2
Mount the processor cooler on top of the processor. Press down lightly. Clip the heat sink to the processor socket. Attach the CPU cooler’s fan power to the motherboard’s fan header. It is usually labeled “CPU FAN 1”.
Plug in the memory module to the long sockets called DIMM’s. Unlock both tabs and push the memory straight down. The clips on the slot’s sides should close. Carefully push the motherboard against the I/O shield. Put in and tighten the motherboard screws. Do not force it.
The brown slot nearest to the processor is the AGP slot meant for the video card. Insert the video card evenly in the slot provided. Screw the card into place. Make sure that your AGP video card is placed properly.
At the corner of the motherboard, you can see two rows of pins. Connect case leads to the pins. These leads are usually labeled. Read your motherboard manual. See which label goes to which set of pins.
Step 3
Now we mount the floppy drive, CD/DVD drive and the hard drive. The motherboard usually has 2 IDE channels, each supporting 2 devices. If you install 2 IDE devices on the same cable, you will have the main to be the “master” and the other to be the “slave”.
This is the same procedure for CD/DVD drives. Look for an HDD and CD drive manual for the correct jumper settings. You should do these before you screw drives into place.
Connect hard drives to a channel different from the CD drives. Floppy controller has a socket shorter than the IDE controllers.
Make sure the side of the IDE cable that has a red colored stripe lines up with pin1.
Lastly, plug in the main ATX power cable and connect all drives with the power supply. If you have more case coolers, you may also connect them.
Now, connect your monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers to the back of the case. Put in the power cable to the power supply unit. Double-check proper installation before the first boot.
You can now show your friends your first assembled computer.
The author of this article has been building PCs for 5 years and contributes to Computer hardware upgrade
09.10.07
Surfing Safely in Starbucks…
A few months ago I met with a group of Internet professionals, all of us sporting laptops with wireless connections to the hotel’s access point. On the second day of the conference, one of the attendees put up a slide on the overhead showing logins and passwords from a dozen of the attendees. Needless to say, many jaws dropped open.
He was running a “sniffer” program that anyone can download to spy on the internet traffic floating around in the air. Fortunately, he was a trusted colleague, and was nice enough to tell us that we were caught with our virtual pants down.
Wifi Safety Tips
First, be aware that (almost) ANYTHING that you type or any info that appears on your screen while you’re using a wireless connection can be seen by others nearby. If you are accessing a page that requires a login and password, or if you are entering ANY personal data (credit card, SSN, etc) make sure that you are on a secure site. That’s easy enough — just check that the web address begins with https instead of the usual http — and your information will be safely encrypted before transmission. As long as you’re on a page with an address that begins with https, the data you send and receive is protected from sniffers and snoopers.
But be on your guard, some web-based email providers have a secure login page, but after you’re logged in the access reverts to normal non-encrypted mode. So any email you send or receive while on a wireless connection is out in the clear. Google’s GMail and Yahoo Mail are examples of webmail services that work this way. Until recently Hotmail didn’t even offer a secure login option. So look for the link or checkbox for the secure login when accessing your web-based email. If your service doesn’t offer one, consider switching or decide to live with the security exposure.
Oh, and there are the “shoulder surfers” to watch out for. Just like when you’re entering your PIN code at an ATM, you need to keep an eye open for anyone who might be glancing over your shoulder while you hunt and peck in the airport or coffeeshop. I always use two fingers when entering my pin or password… one presses the correct key and other is a decoy. So even if someone was watching from across the street with binoculars, it’s almost impossible to steal a password.
And beware of the Evil Twins! The Internet Patrol warns of a scam where a hacker may put up a bogus copy of the wi-fi hotspot’s login page. Learn how to stay safe from this attack by reading this helpful article: http://www.aunty-spam.com/wifi-hotspot-evil-twins-mimic-wi-fi-hotspots-and-steal-your-data
Securing Your Wireless HOME Network
Do you have a wireless laptop and router at home? You may be providing free internet access to your neighbors, or opening your system to drive-by hackers. Don’t miss my article on securing your wireless home network, here: http://www.askbobrankin.com/wireless_security.html
BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.
08.10.07
Power surge are one of the most feared incident on electronic devices. Same as computer, they are really susceptible to power surges. Even though surges usually last only milliseconds (and are somewhat filtered by the transformer in the power supply), that high voltage can exceed the withstand voltage of the insulating layers inside the integrated circuit chips and burned everything inside your computer.
The power delivered to your electronics devices and computer is stable and constant, in theory of course. In real life, it doesn’t work that way. Often power surge occurs when the normal flow of electricity is interrupted, and then started again, or there was an occurrence that something sends excess electrical energy into the system. Any number of events, from lightning strikes to power failures, can cause power surges. Even your own electrical devices and computer can cause them. Refrigerators and air conditioners, for example, have motors that turn on and off, diverting electricity to and from other appliances and producing low-level power surges. On computer, internal peripheral can cause small surges that can reduced your computer lifespan or even destroy it completely.
On computer a switching power supply is designed to convert AC into various DC voltages. The internal transformers on power supply that do this, the capacitors to bridge over dips in the line power, all these are rated to handle a certain amount of energy at any given time. If you go outside of range of that certain amount, you overload the parts. Maybe marginal parts fail and die. Maybe they let through more energy than they should. In some cases, maybe things catch on fire. Like things you saw on fried chips due to extreme overclock. Cheaper Power Supply Units will be using cheaper components - the upshot of this is the components have weaker tolerances, and don’t handle going outside their tolerances as gracefully.
To prevent it you need a good UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to protect your computer and another electronic appliance. However no UPS can withstand power of nature. Even a good UPS cannot tolerate extreme power of lighting. During storm or rain situation you might want to consider turn off you computer and unplug it. Also unplug phone lines and another line like coaxial cables that are being used for cable TV and broadband connection, since they are susceptible to lighting strike. Power surges caused by lighting are seldom to happen though there are possibilities.
On computer you will face another problem. Internal surges that can’t be prevent from external UPS. This caused simply by turn it on and off your computer. So every time you turn on and off your computer, you actually decreased life span of your computer and adding possibility to destroy the component completely. And there is no way to avoid this matter for now. Since there is no data how it will affect your computer. I suggest that you scheduled your computer to be use as efficient as possible.–FA
Dicky Satrio Sudiro is an author of blog Digital Binary. Based on years of experience with computer and studies he actively review and collecting interesting news on his blog Digital Binary.
|