IT Consulting: Time Tracking and Invoicing

As a new IT consulting business, it is important to learn about the most common mistakes made with time tracking and invoicing so you can avoid them. Doing so will put your company in a better overall financial position. You will also be able to sleep better knowing you have greater financial control over your business. Time Tracking, Billing and Other Issues Time tracking, billing, invoicing and dealing with credit and collections are big issues in IT consulting. A lot of people wonder which software they should use for time tracking and billing. If you’re just focusing on that, you’re probably missing the bigger point here. It’s a heck of a lot more important than the software you use. Of course you should use a piece of software that makes it a little easier to do your IT consulting job, but the software is not going to fix the underlying problems. Your Service Gives IT Consulting Clients Peace of Mind Steady clients will perceive your IT consulting business as an insurance policy. A steady client is motivated to pay your IT consulting business on time. There’s a tremendous fear that if they forget to pay your invoices on time, when they have a network emergency, you’ll forget who they are. These are the clients you want to seek out. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

IT Consulting: Identifying Sweet Spot Clients

If you want to make a decent living and have a good, strong, sustainable IT consulting business, sooner or later you are going to come to this conclusion that the sweet spot of small businesses is the place to be. You need to know where to look and how to verify that the small business you are pursuing is going to be gratifying enough to work with and lucrative enough of recurring revenue to make them a good sweet spot client. How Do You Recognize a Sweet Spot Client? Sweet spot IT consulting clients are no more than a 30-50 minute drive of your IT consulting home base. This way you can gets lots of face time with them. You can also get there quickly if there's an emergency. You don't want to spend a lot of time driving around and sitting in traffic. Even if you are charging for travel time or charging a service fee or a van fee, driving time is not your most profitable IT consulting time. How Do You Find Local Sweet Spot Businesses? You can certainly rent direct mail lists that are in that geographic range 0-50 miles, or 0-80 kilometers. Or you can join some local organizations that are within a half hour to an hour of your location. How Big Are The Sweet Spot IT Consulting Clients? Sweet spot IT consulting clients have from 10-50 computers, 10-100 employees, a million to 10 million in sales. And of course, you can rent direct mail lists with at least part of that criteria filled and selected. Another big thing to find a sweet spot IT consulting client is that they will have a relationship with a local accounting firm or other trusted business advisors. You want to position your consulting firm to be a trusted business advisor of theirs. Sweet Spot Businesses are Well Connected Most of these sweet spot IT consulting clients have relationships with other trusted business advisors on an outsource basis. They have a relationship with a local attorney, a local accounting firm, a local consulting firm a local advertising agency and a graphic designer. They know the value of those kinds of relationships. If you want to get in with companies that already have great relationships with sweet spot businesses, you should be looking at networking with these businesses, a local accounting firm for example. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101 Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

IT Audits: Your Prospects

IT audits are really where you’re going with the sales call to a new prospect. Unless they have an emergency that needs urgent attention and they’re really specific about it, you need to “push” IT audits. That will get the ball rolling with IT services. Now, if they say, “We think our tape drive hasn’t been running in six months and we’re terrified that we’re one blue screen or a server crash away from losing everything.” In that case, you have something to go on and should start there. In most cases, though, selling half-day technology assessments or IT audits makes the most sense. There are a couple different ways to approach it. Quick Should Be Free You could do a real stripped-down free version where you go in for a half hour and provide them with a basic list. Keep in mind, however, that spending more than a half hour, where you’re starting to actually look at hubs, at switches, at how the Cat 5 stuff is laid out, where you’re looking at some sample configurations, opening up some control panels, unlocking server consoles, is beyond the scope of a free assessment. Charge for Longer Assessments That definitely should be billable and that should definitely be in the context of IT audits or tech assessments and not be given away for free. Come up with a set rate for IT audits of this type. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Biz Tech Talk. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

IT Audits: How to Price Them

How do you go about pricing IT audits? In this article, you'll learn that it should be based on your rate, but you will also want to give a discount to get your foot in the door. Use Your Hourly Rate as a Guide For IT audits, you’re going to have to take your hourly billing rate, and figure that you’re going to spend two or three hours there. You’re going to probably spend another hour back in the shop writing up the reports for the IT audits and writing an estimate. Figure out what you need to charge for IT audits based on your average hourly billing rate. So for example, if for basic fieldwork you’re charging $95 an hour, and you anticipate that between time on-site at the client, gathering the information for these IT audits, and follow-up question/answer sessions afterwards, you spend five hours. That is five hours at $95, so you’re at a little bit under $500. Now you want to round down and discount. Don't Bill the Full Amount The gist of it here is that you want to get your foot in the door. You don’t need to bill IT audits at your full amount. You’re not billing by the hour. You want to give them a certain comfort level that they feel they can afford your services - you’re not out to just run up a huge bill. You’re really out to discover what your future clients' biggest problems are, help them organize, and help them make heads or tails of what needs to be addressed. Whatever the problems, it’s going to take a couple of hours to come up with some coherent recommendations on what to do first, what it’s going to cost them, and when it can be scheduled. You definitely shouldn’t be giving your expertise away for free, but you also shouldn’t be looking to recover your typical hourly billing rates on IT audits. It Pays to Discount. The most important thing here is you’re getting them to pry open their six-ton wallet and prove that they will spend money on your services. That’s extremely important, even if you don’t recover more than 50 percent or 75 percent of your normal hourly billing. Chalk it up to a cost of sales. It’s up to you what you’re going to charge ultimately, but anywhere in the $250 to $350 range is typical. If you want to go really aggressively, maybe charge $199 or $200. The key thing is to make it a fixed price. The important thing here is that the prospect shows you that they’re willing to spend money on IT audits. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Business Computer Consulting .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

IT Audits: Documenting Licensing Issues

One of the biggest issues you will run across during IT Audits is software licensing. If you find any such issues during IT audits, note them in your report. You might want to say something like: “These are deficiencies that I have found. Do you have the documents around to prove you own it?” It’s that simple, and any small business that is dealing on the up and up recognizes that. The burden of proof is on them. They need to go dig out the license agreements, the invoices, the end-user license agreements and original CDs to prove ownership. Licenses Aren't Negotiable If they can’t, then you need to address it with them after IT audits. Tell them that the deficiency is going to cause a lot of headaches sooner or later and you need to figure out a remediation plan now. Most businesses will ask you what they should do about it. With most small businesses, you may need to give them a couple months after the IT audits to let it work through the cycle--but no more. In an ideal world, you’d love to fix it immediately to get rid of the liability and the problem right away. Licensing compliance is definitely something that should be in your service contract. Protect Yourself There should be a paragraph that talks about how the client’s responsible for having properly licensed software, that if you identify that there’s any deficiencies in IT audits, it’s your responsibility to develop a remediation plan and present them with the options and they’re obligated to either remove the software or purchase it. It’s that simple. You shouldn’t be working for anyone that has a problem with buying software legally because it exposes you to direct legal consequences as well as reputational consequences. IT Audits: What are some remediation plans? Sometimes businesses so underutilize software, some programs on a PC can be safely removed because they’re not being used anymore. Or someone two years ago thought they might want to use it, so they picked up a pirated copy. If you find out in the course of talking with users that they’re not actually using the program, the safest thing is to go to Add/Remove Programs and take it off for them. If the PCs are nearing the end of their lifecycle, a cost effective way of remediating the software problem is upgrading the PC and helping them to install the OEM version. Another option is for them to keep their existing equipment and buy the two-year site license with the maintenance, providing unlimited upgrades. The Bottom Line on IT Audits Figuring out what your clients' licensing needs are during IT audits. Just be sure you address the problem. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101 Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

IT Audits: Capitalizing on Current Events

Worms and viruses are actually a good thing for your marketing. When they are mentioned in the news, there’s an excellent chance that the small businesses that you’re targeting are feeling the pain and feeling the pinch. There’s nothing like a massive blackout to raise tremendous awareness! Events like these raise awareness of the need for power protection and orderly shutdowns and backup generators. And of course, the worm and the virus cleanup issues and the security ramifications are tremendous. It's a perfect opportunity for you to do IT audits. Marketing Plan for IT Audits Put together some kind of fixed price IT audits package that you can deliver. Go in with a big inventory checklist, and talk with them about the physical security of their system, what they’re doing with virus protection, if they’re properly licensed, if they’re keeping it properly updated, what their firewalls look like, how that’s kept up to date, the last time they did a check of their tape drive or storage systems, etc. With almost all small businesses, when you go into a new account, there’s a huge cleanup opportunity. Businesses all seem to think that they’re much better protected against viruses and security than they really are. If you ask them how current their antivirus software is, they’ll believe it is up to date. Through IT audits, you may find that it is over 2 years old. That’s a huge opportunity for you to do your magic. Don't Forget Data Backups When you ask prospects about their data backup, you sometimes you get blank stares or they tell you want they think you want to hear. In reality, their stuff is very rarely kept current if they don’t have a good tech provider or someone good in-house to do these kinds of things. The Bottom Line about IT audits Those are big opportunities to identify some of the weaknesses and obviously the end result of IT audits is that you put together an organized plan of attack for what to do to fix it. It may be upgrades, more training, replacement, etc. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

ISP Features

Internet service providers are becoming more and more present as the internet makes its way into more and more homes in America. This is making it harder to decide which ISP to subscribe to. In fact, most of them have a list of benefits to entice customers into subscribing from their ISP. Here is some information on the basic features that should come with a good ISP. First, is of coarse security. With new viruses circulating the internet everyday, you can’t be too careful. That is why it is critical for ISP’s to offer virus protection. However, they are now offering popup blockers also. These troublesome ads can become so frustrating that they too can be considered harmful to your computer. This is why ISP’s have started furnishing tools to speed up customer’s computers and create a more enjoyable internet experience. They are also protecting children from the net by providing blocks controlled by parents to block adult material on the net. Another, feature you want to have from your ISP is multiple e-mail accounts. In fact, many ISP’s provide between 5 and 10 e-mail accounts to one subscriber. This allows every member of the family to have their own e-mail account. That way a father doesn’t have to put up with the cutsie forwards his daughter receives, and she doesn’t have to put up with her father’s daily stock tips. This is the best way to go if you have a family. The more e-mail accounts the better since it is best to have a professional e-mail account, and another for less formal messages. If you want your own web page posted on the net, you may be able to get one without the unwanted ads. This is because ISP’s are now offering free web space. This space is limited in size, but does not always have the ads that come with other free web spaces. In fact, your ISP may also provide a template or special tools such as counters to place on your site. You should check with your ISP before placing a business site on the web space provided by them. A lot of ISP’s will not allow that kind of use. Your ISP may also provide for use from multiple computers in your home. This may be free or may cost you a small fee. However, with multiple access you can have the freedom of completing your work assignments online, while your son is researching for a school paper. Whatever you are looking for you may find it. The key is looking around and comparing the features with more than one ISP. This way you will find just the right features for you and your family.

Is Your PC Crowding Your Desk?

When your PC eats up almost the entire space in your computer table, it’s time to have a little re-organizing. Desktop computers, especially those bulky CPU’s and monitors could eat up quite a space which could be a room for other essentials such as folder stackers, telephone or fax machine. Nowadays, bulky personal computers can be really heavy to the eyes, especially since in today’s technology, the adage, “bulk is out, thin is in” is the mainstream. Let’s start with your computer table. Its size may vary depending on your design. It may be wide enough to accommodate two “bulky” PC sets, or it could barely hold one, and you don’t have enough space left for the keyboard or the mouse. First things first, remove all unnecessary files, folders, papers, trash, coffee mugs and saucers, ashtrays, etc. on your desk. Clear the area. Your computer table should be just that, a computer table and not a hodgepodge of everything else. However, top designers say that there are some essential things that should be within reach (especially for an office desk). The telephone, for one should be within reach. Some very important and frequently used documents could be stacked inside an upright holder which can cover only a little space and is still within reach compared to when just piled up on top of the table. However, if the area is already clear, but you can still barely fit a small pen holder on top of it, you should think of getting yourself a bigger desk or… a new set of personal computer. Super space-saving computers have flooded the market nowadays. Try checking out flat monitors to replace your old, bulky one. Have your CPU re-designed or buy one of those small and slim tower CPUs. Small and compact keyboards are also available, reducing the size of a regular keyboard to almost a half. And, if you do not have a place to slide your mouse in, try using a trackball mouse. That way, it occupies just that small space and you don’t have to glide it across a wider area. Or have all of those pieces in one super sleek laptop notebook. People on the go prefer to have a laptop which they can take along whenever and wherever they go. And nowadays, laptops are not at all far behind in terms of technical capabilities vis-à-vis PCs. It is always a good thing to see a clear and organized computer table. It would compel one to work well, without the mess adding up to the already full and cluttered working brain. And, admit it, it’s nice not seeing those bulky gadgets anymore. It helps ease the heaviness in the mind as well.

Is Your Laptop Or Home Computer Wireless Enabled?

Built in wireless capabilities are becoming almost standard equipment on most laptop and home computers these days for a couple of reasons. One of the primary reasons is cost. Adding wireless capacity is so inexpensive that it would be silly for the manufacturers not to add it. The perceived value of any machine with wireless capacity far exceeds the cost to add it. Wireless is the wave of the future, so if the manufacturers want to stay ahead of the technology curve they need to add it to all but there most basic models. However, if you're like most people you probably can't even check how much memory your computer has, let-alone if your computer is wireless enabled. Throw in the fact that you may not even know what wireless networking is and it's easy to ignore even trying to determine if your computer has that capacity. As a result, having ever taken the time to set it up is clearly out of the question. However, since you bought your computer you've probably heard more and more about "going wireless" because it's becoming the hip thing to do. If that's the case with you or I've simply peaked your imagination then read a bit more because I've outlined a few things you can to do to check if your computer has wireless capabilities. Laptops - Intel Centrino Mobile Technology Computer manufacturers do less than a perfect job at explaining what this means but if you if your laptop came with this built in then that's good news for you! In a nutshell, it means that your laptop has wireless networking built right in and you don't have to do a thing. Intel Centrino Mobile Technology is a marketing name for a combination of the Intel Pentium M processor and Intel's' Pro Wireless card. If you have Intel Centrino Mobile Technology then your computer should have a "Centrino" sticker on it somewhere. If you can't find a sticker but you suspect you had one at one time then simply do the following. Right click on your "My Computer" icon. It's probably on your desktop but if not then go to your Start Menu, find My Computer, right-click and select Properties. When the menu opens look at what it says after or under the word Computer. On a side note, Intel Centrino Mobile Technology also increases battery life and allows manufacturers to build computers smaller. If you can't find anything referring to Intel Centrino Mobile Technology under the word Computer -- don't worry because as long as your laptop has a free card slot, installing wireless is a piece of cake. Desktop Computers If you're not sure whether or not your desktop computer has a wireless connection, the easiest thing to do is to simply turn it around and look for a small aerial sticking out of the back towards the bottom. If it's there then you are wireless enabled. On the other hand, if there's nothing then it's still possible that you have a wireless device in the computer, especially if you purchased anytime in 2005 or beyond. However, because it's not the best idea (unless you've done it before) to try and open up your computer to check something I'll show you a way to check, if your wireless enabled, using Windows. Using Windows to Check Wireless Capacity Rather than messing with your computers hardware to verify what you've got installed, you can just as easily check using your Windows' Device Manager. To use it, right click My Computer / Choose Manage / and then click Device Manager. After you click Device Manager a list of everything you can install will appear on the right half of the screen. Take a look under Network adapters and ignore anything that says 10/100 or Ethernet because they are simply normal network connections -- not wireless ones. If there's anything else there, it could be a wireless device. If you think you have a wireless device, but it has a yellow warning sign alongside its name in the Device Manager, you should take a look at it to see what's wrong by double clicking on it. Windows should then tell you why the device is not working at the moment and may even suggest that you go through its troubleshooter program. Do that before you do anything else. If it turns out to be a driver problem, you should insert the driver CD that came with your computer. If you can't find the driver CD that came with your computer - don't worry because you should be able to find and then download the appropriate driver online. The first step would be to go to website of your computers manufacturer and do a search for the name of the wireless device that showed up in your Device Manager. Once you find the correct driver simply download it and follow the instructions. After all this (actually about 5 minutes) you may discover that you don't have a wireless enabled computer -- oh well, those are the breaks. However, it's clearly better to find out your computers wireless capacity now -- before you go out and buy some wireless equipment and then realize that you didn't even need it. This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

Is The Internet Censored?

When most people think about Internet censorship, the usual suspects immediately come to mind : Communist China and repressive Islamic countries. Unfortunately, Westerners have an embarrassment all their own : Australia's net censorship law, established in 2000. Freedom House, a non-profit U.S. organization dedicated to spreading human rights and freedom, undertakes regular surveys on press freedom and censorship. Last year's survey found that out of 186 countries, 69 had a free press, 51 had a partly-free press, and 66 countries had no press freedom. Freedom House suggested that only 21% of the world's population enjoy access to a truly free press. Some nations control Internet access through government servers that censor incoming news and information, and in China "cyber dissidents" have been imprisoned. Censorship is justified by claims that Western democratic practices are disruptive to the social values propagated by the local regime, or that society must be protected from corruption by outside influences. One Saudi spokesman for business interests commented that Saudi Arabia's limited opening to the Internet was delayed until technology was available to prevent access to information contrary to Islamic values and "dangerous to our society". Almost all Internet users in China and the Middle East are blocked from accessing political Web sites that criticize the government of their country. However, Arab and Communist societies have a long history of suppressing freedom of speech, so internet censorship in these nations comes as no surprise. However, at the time Australia first proposed its own form of internet censorship, it was still considered a country with a completely free press. Freedom House described the new Internet legislation as a measure that is "onerous, privacy-intrusive, and will chill freedom of speech". The Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Act 1999, the Australian Internet censorship legislation, came into effect on January 1, 2000. Under this legislation, broad categories of Internet content were prohibited. Australians are forbidden from seeing online any material which could be inappropriate for children, which includes any material classified RC or X by the Classification Board. Such content includes material containing detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug use; child pornography; bestiality; excessively violent or sexually violent material; real or implied depictions of sexual activity; and material which deals with issues or contains depictions which require an adult perspective. Enforcement of the regulation of the Internet is complaint-driven. Individuals, organizations, or the Commonwealth, a State or Territory can make a complaint to the ABA. If the ABA determines that the "prohibited content" is hosted in Australia, it will direct the local ISP to remove it. If the "prohibited content" is hosted outside Australia, the ABA will notify the suppliers of approved filters of the content in accordance with the Internet Industry Association's code of practice. The Australian Internet Industry has a list of 16 approved filters. The criteria for selecting these filters include ease of installation, ease of use, configurability, ability for updates in respect of content to be filtered, and availability of support. Effectiveness is not included in the selection criteria. The filtering software is offered to consumers, but is not compulsory. Testing by Computer Choice (September/October 2000) found that inocuous content, such as medical sites, were often blocked while some adult content passed through the filter. For example, iFilter blocked several Biblical sites, a family and child mediation service approved by the Australian Federal Attorney-General, the Institute of Australasian Psychiatrists, and information about Catholics helping street kids. Apparently technology is no substitution for parental supervision. Aside from costing Australians 2.7 million Australian dollars per year and making their country the laughingstock of the free world, the legislation has had minimal effect. Despite the multitude of pornography sites on the internet, there was no pent-up demand to shut them down; within six months of introducing of the legislation, the ABA received only 201 complaints about Internet content. By the end of June 2000, 197 investigations had been concluded. Of these, 37 were terminated due to lack of information (for example, the details provided with the complaint were insufficient to locate the content). Of the remaining 160 completed investigations, 93 resulted in the location of prohibited or potentially prohibited content, while 67 were found not to contain prohibited content. Around one third of complaints related to content hosted in Australia. The prohibited content included content hosted in Usenet newsgroups, which is treated as content hosted in Australia if the complainant has accessed the content from his or her ISP's newsgroup server. The ABA issued final take-down notices for 62 postings of Internet content and referred 94 items to the makers of approved filters. Of the 62 items of Internet content that were the subject of take-down notices, at least 17 were later moved to ISPs outside Australia. (ABA Annual Report 2000-2001). So approximately one-third of the offensive websites were simply relocated to servers outside of Australia. In summary, filtering software products are ineffective, and Australia cannot control websites hosted outside its borders. The government won the approval of a few moralists who were happy that "something has been done" about online smut, whether or not the measures had any real effect. However, a dangerous precedent has been set, and it is entirely possible that the categories of prohibited Internet content will be expanded in the future to ban political websites which threaten "Australian values". Incidents of this nature occured almost immediately after the introduction of the censorship legislation. In a 2001 case, Victoria anarchist Matthew Tayor was prosecuted by the Australian Federal police at the behest of the FBI after posting threatening statements inspired by Jim Bell's "Assassination Politics" on websites in Ohio and California. In 2002, NSW Police Minister Michael Costa wrote to the Australian Communications Minister, Richard Alston, and Justice Minister, Chris Ellison, requesting that 3 anti-WTO websites (including Melbourne Indymedia) be shut down or that access to them be restricted. Costa claimed the sites were providing information "designed to aid the violent disruption of the forthcoming WTO meeting in Sydney in November". Alston labelled the sites "insidious, anti-democratic and interested in causing violence, mayhem and anarchy". Alston referred the matter to the Australian Broadcasting Authority, which cleared Melbourne IndyMedia and Sydney anti-WTO s11.org website of any wrongdoing. The ABA concluded that grassroots news and activist websites were operating within the law and that their rhetoric did not reach a "threshold" of inciting violence. Costa then declared "we will be doing everything we can to pursue it internationally". However, Indymedia is a large network of independently-hosted international sites, so further action proved impossible. Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA), an online civil liberties organization, has described the Federal Government’s online censorship legislation as a failure, and recommended that Internet censorship legislation "...be repealed and the costly and failed Internet regulatory apparatus be dismantled."

Is DVD replication better than DVD duplication?

This is probably the no. 1 most frequently asked question that we get. Many people think that they are the same and use these 2 words interchangeably. Some people say one but actually mean the other. It creates a lot of confusion because each method has its pros and cons. If you are trying to get a price and time estimate even at the same quantity you might get wildly different answers. DVD Duplication DVD duplication (a.k.a burned DVD) is the process to create the content using DVD-R media. In other words, a duplicator is used to create or "burn" the source image to another pre-manufactured DVD-R. DVD Replication DVD replication (a.k.a pressed DVD) creates a glass master from a pre-mastered image. Stampers are subsequently created from glass master. The stampers will then be used to press the discs with injection molding made of raw polycarbonate plastic. What's the big deal? Now you might be asking, "So what's the big deal? So they are different process". A big deal if you ask me. Replication is the de facto process for higher quantity manufacturing, say 1000 pieces and up. With replication, there is usually a setup cost because stampers and films that need to be made. A longer production time is also expected, most stampers need the entire day to make. We get a lot of wows when clients hear about how long it takes to replicate discs, the truth is, it is a much more complicated process that requires careful quality control and monitoring. The more you make, the cheaper it is with replication. Lower quantities (we call it short-runs) are mostly done with duplication. With this method the setup is much quicker, since all we will be using is a duplication tower. It is also more economical because of little to none setup cost. That is why companies are able to have a very low minimum (such as 10 or 50) with duplication. You will get your products much quicker, usually within a few days time, but you do pay a higher per unit price for each disc. Is duplication lower quality than replication? The short answer is no. The quality of the products is only as good as the original master. What most people are concerned with is the compatibility of discs with DVD players. It is not the same as quality. Nowadays about 90-95% of players are compatible with CD-R/DVD-R, with the exception of Playstation and X-Box. Just remember, the key is to thoroughly test the original master, otherwise problems will still arise no matter which method you use.

Is A Computer Repair Franchise Right For You?

Starting a computer repair business is not for everyone. Starting one from scratch is even less appealing to most people. One way to dramatically reduce the potential for business failure is to buy into a computer repair franchise. There are some real positives to doing this but there are also at least a couple of negatives. First the positive. A good franchise opportunity will offer you lots of training and support. There is a saying that says that you don't know what you don't know. This is certainly true of computer repair. There are a million tiny details to worry about when running your own business. Many of them are not obvious to someone new to the business. A franchisor can make your life much easier by pointing out the potholes before you fall in them. Proven advertising is another big plus of buying into a franchise. A good franchise opportunity will have proven flyers, business cards, newspaper advertisements and more to get you started. Good franchises will also send you leads. You can often get better advertising rates due to bulk buys if the franchise is large enough. Lower computer part prices should be another benefit you get from being involved with a franchise. Being part of a larger buying block should help you get better prices with your vendors. People that are running a mom and pop repair shop won't have the benefit of a buying group. Professional image is another benefit of belonging to a good franchise opportunity. You will use their logos, t-shirts, business cards, car decals and more. You won't have to pay to get these created for you or simply try to create your own half baked graphics. These things will be provided for you. What are the drawbacks to a franchise opportunity? One of the biggest revolves around money. Both the up front franchise fee and the ongoing royalty fee. Usually the more established a franchise opportunity is, the higher their up front fee is going to be. My advice is to shop around for the best opportunity for you. If you can't find any that interest you, you may have to start a business on your own.

Iphone Downloads

If you own an Apple Iphone, you may have noticed that one of the most fun uses of it is for downloads. The Iphone is pretty amazing, surely the most advanced cellphone/MP3 player yet seen, and the fact that it has internet connectivity built in only adds to its allure. Not only that, but you can also use it to watch movies and video clips, all stored on its huge onboard memory. Pretty clever stuff. In order to take full advantage of the Iphone downloads that are available, there are several things you will need to make sure you have. If you haven't got all this stuff, it doesn't matter too much as it's soon expected to be able to download music etc direct to the Iphone itself, but as of time of writing, you will still need a computer to do this. The spec of the computer is not too important as long as it isn't ancient, although a large hard drive can be useful if you are planning on downloading lots of large files. The only other thing you will need is pretty obvious, and that is an internet connection for the computer, the faster the better. It's pretty hard downloading anything without being connected to the net! You can download things for your Iphone from all different places, literally hundreds and thousands of different sites on the net. This is where the danger lies however, as not all of these sources are 100% trustworthy and reliable. Many people obtain their downloads from P2P/ torrent sites also known as file sharing sites, and though they can seem very useful, sites like this can actually cause lots of trouble. One of the main problems with using sites like this is the law – it's illegal to download anything from them, so you really could end up in jail or with a large fine. The other big problem is that sites like this have no governing of what is uploaded, and this makes it easy pickers for hackers etc to upload viruses and things, for you, the innocent user, to download. It's all too common for someone to download something only to find that it isn't what was described and that they now have a virus or trojan horse etc. On the more positive side, there is finally a good alternative to sites like this. There is now the opportunity to pay a one off membership fee to certain sites, and then get access to their database of downloads. This will mostly include MP3s, movies, games etc, and all kinds of other bits and pieces. Also in many cases, your membership fee will cover you for life, so for less than $50 or so you can enjoy these free downloads indefinitely. Hopefully this article has helped you learn that with the speeds of modern internet connections, it's never been easier to get access to unlimited Iphone downloads.

iPaq Software Brings The Pocket PC To Life

The iPAQ software brings the essential functionality to Hewlett Packard PDAs or pocket PCs. It is what let’s PDA users send and receive text messages. These are composed of Microsoft Word Mobile files and the preparation of Microsoft Excel Mobile charts. The iPaq users can also browse Microsoft PowerPoint presentations; they just can’t edit or make them on their pocket PCs This software also makes it possible to: retrieve e-mail, keep track of appointments and schedules and even surf the Internet. There are even capabilities to enables users to track sales and check inventory. With the iPaq software you can also download third-party software like e-books, games, maps or business software. This truly makes the IPaq a valuable source of information. The iPAQ uses the Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition to perform these powerful and varied functions. Much more than the earlier versions. The HP iPaq rx1950, which is the latest in the iPAQ series, incorporates the latest Windows Mobile 5 operating system, which is even more powerful. It includes updates of Word, Outlook, Excel, Internet Explorer, and PowerPoint files. Further, the OS comes with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile and can play all the major audio and video file formats, including MP3, WMA, and WMV. Besides Windows Mobile software, the iPAQ also use HP's Image Zone software. This software is used to display images and set up slide shows. HP also provides HP Protect Tools to protect data stored on the iPAQ with a password or a PIN number. The other software that HP provides is Task Switcher, iPAQ Audio, and a couple of games. Need a travel guide? The iPAQ GPS software is can be installed on iPAQs that have GPS hardware. This software turns iPAQ into your own handheld travel guides. IPAQ users can navigate roads like a just like a local in all parts of the US and Canada. The software not only shows the shortest route to reach a destination but also keeps informing the user of the distance left and the estimated time of arrival. It even re-routes the user if a turn is missed. Yesterday’s PDAs ere just organizational tools but today’s iPAQ can perform scores of tasks beyond keeping schedules, appointments and tracking expenses. Things that were just a dream a few years ago have become a reality today, thanks to having the right kind of software.

Interoperable Satellite Radios

The satellite radio world is divided among the two major broadcasters, XM Radio and Sirius. Since they work on different frequencies and need specific equipment to broadcast, Sirius and XM Radio have divided the market into two groups. While some are fans of the Sirius channels others prefer XM Radio, and the debate regarding which of the two is the best could go on forever. Some however are subscribers to both services, since they love some of the Sirius programs but also enjoy XM Radio broadcasting. For them and for more people interested in satellite radio, there are some potential good news. Interoperable satellite radios are one of the things most of the major players in the satellite radio industry are talking about. What are they? Basically they are receivers that can work both with Sirius and XM Radio and everything is enclosed in a single unit. Interoperable Technologies – when Sirius and XM work together Interoperable Technologies is the name of a joint effort funded by both Sirius and XM Radio, with the declared purpose of bringing dual-subscription satellite radios to the general market. Founded in 2003, Interoperable Technologies has started developing the dual-mode satellite radios ever since and progress is being made with each passing month. Interoperable Technologies gets help from consultants from both XM and Sirius and their 2005 success of developing a singe unit that can receive both transmissions was a notable one. Today, Interoperable Technologies ha a deadline of bringing the developed receiver unit to the market. The monthly subscription price is estimated to be around $26 – for which you get over 300 channels from the combined broadcasting list of the two satellite radio operators. What the people say… The news of the interoperable satellite radio development has triggered interesting responses among XM and Sirius satellite radio subscribers. Here are some of the things people left on forums and discussion boards regarding this development: “$26/month? A hell of a lot cheaper than cable TV.” Says one of the forum posters. He is right, but, of course, many will question the need to pay $26 for over 300 radio channels out of which 80% will probably never get listened to. “Oh man! As a dual subscriber, this would be SO cool to have. Where do I sign up?” – on the other hand, of course, there are those people that don’t mind spending a little extra when they can get so much more. “Cool idea if it ever comes to pass. Even though I only subscribe to Sirius, I would consider buying this with an eye on the future...” – for people such as this forum poster, the interoperable satellite radio system is the natural evolutionary step forward, so it is definitely worth looking into satellite http://www.review4.info. Implications of the interoperable satellite radio system As you can see from the response of the potential customers, the interoperable satellite radio system is an interesting development. While Sirius and XM are lucky enough to be the only major players in this field, for now, it seems they are also ready to work together in order to consolidate their future. Of course, offering twice the programs on a single unit is a major step forward, and from the early stages it seems that the target audience is ready to receive the single receiver unit with applause. On the other hand, is this an initial enthusiastic response or is it genuine interest? Won’t 300+ channels become too much and won’t people start to feel like they are paying for something they are rarely using? There will also be some interesting things to follow as far as exclusivity rights go, because each of the two broadcasters have their own original approaches to common things. Another interesting aspect to follow will be how the sales for individual Sirius and XM units will go after the dual receiver hits the market. For many, the combined efforts of Sirius and XM tend to look like a first step towards a large scale joint venture that will lead to an absolute monopoly of the satellite radio market.

Internet Provider Connection Software - Why?

As a computer technician I encounter many misconceptions about computers. Internet provider software is one that is often misunderstood. Internet service providers often give customers the false impression that their software is necessary to connect to the internet. If you are one of these folks, you may be asking yourself what other impressions your cheap Internet service provider is giving you.

Do I need software to connect to the Internet?

Absolutely not. The Windows operating system provides all the networking software needed to connect to the Internet and most other types of networks for that matter. Some ISPs require that their branded software be installed to connect to their service. This required software is used by the service provider to capture your attention for the purpose of showing you advertisements and the ISPs own focused content. Usually when you click to connect to one of these service providers your browser opens and you are bombarded with ads while the home page loads. You may be able to customize the content posted on the home page to your liking, but lets face facts, You have become a captive audience and you are being taken for a ride.

What does the Internet Service Providers software do?

Internet access provider software does 2 things immediately on install. First it hijacks your Windows connection software so that it can not be used to connect to any other service provider. Usually other Windows network services are also disabled, such as Internet connection sharing. Second, it hijacks your web browser so that you must log on to their home page, which I find ironic since internet service providers are always warning us about spyware that hijacks your browser.

The perpetrators of this type of hijacking is a list of the most popular service providers. You know them as, AOL, NetZero, EarthLink, PeoplePC, AT&T, Netscape... and the list goes on. AOL being the ring leader and takes control of your computer beyond the extreme to the point of being criminal. All of these service providers prefer to hijack the Internet Explorer browser because all Windows users have it installed and it is easy to build software for. But most can also be used with Netscape or Firefox.

So what is the alternative?

Simply contact a service provider and ask them if internet connection software is required to use their service. Not all Internet service providers require that you install connection software and are very willing to help you set up your Windows connection. While doing research for this article, I expected to find price to be a factor in the connection software equation. ISPs that require connection software obviously make money force feeding you advertisements, allowing them to offer lower rates. To my surprise that does not appear to be the most important factor in setting price. I found that bandwidth has more affect in determining rates.

So, escape from the hijackers. There are many national Internet service providers out there that don't require that you be held hostage to pop up ads and stale content. Search the Internet for ISPs, do your homework and you will find the freedom to surf the web the way you deserve.

Internet Fax – Once There Were Fax Machines

The fax technology was invented on 1948, long before cellular phones and emails. Is this old communication technology still alive and kicking? Well, not really. Actually, it is slowly dying. Find out all about the internet fax – the new metamorphosis of the old fax technology in the next few minutes. Till now, you had to own a special machine – a fax machine, which was only made to send and receive faxes. Now using internet fax or as some call it email faxing, you need no special device for faxes – You can send and receive faxes via your email. In fact, think of all the things you needed to maintain and pay for to be able to send and receive faxes: A special fax line, paper, ink cartridges etc. Using internet fax, you need nothing but an internet connection. Another great advantage of using internet fax is its’ transparency. All your business partners will keep sending you faxes to a fax number. In fact, you can choose a toll free number as your virtual fax number. The biggest advantage of internet faxing is the ability to manage your time more efficiently. I remember my secretary wandering between her office and the fax machine half a dozen times for a single fax receiving. Not any more, now she receives my faxes through the email service wasting no time. She manages to do more tasks now when running around for faxes have stopped. More than that, you can check if new faxes have been received from anywhere in the world using the internet fax service. You just have to log on to your web mail service and check for new mails. You will save a lot of precious time by responding a lot faster to any new fax you get. Recently, I have begun reading new faxes using my wireless PDA. I can’t believe that a year ago I still used the big fax machine with all its’ disadvantages.

Insert MySpace Layouts for attention

While attending a fashion show or a high profile event, we will notice that all the guests are dressed in their designer outfits with matching shoes. The ones who are wearing the beautiful dress will be admired and if you were to meet that person somewhere you would connect her with that outfit and remember her. In this manner, when an internet profile holder user MySpace Layouts and if they have chosen soothing colours or simple shades yet create an impact, they will be remembered. This will not only draw more people to their profile, but also add to their popularity ranking out there, and invite more people to touch base with you wanting to know more about MySpace Layouts. While going through the various MySpace Layouts, you need to be aware that the site like many others has in store many layouts. Apart from MySpace Layouts, there are other sites that provide you with interesting backgrounds. Only difference is that here you can alter the code to suit your taste and not worry about what will happen to rest of the page. Nothing will happen, and so MySpace Layouts has been found to be the most sought after site. For people who are aiming at attracting work related messages on your page or job opportunities, they need to use simple MySpace Layouts on their sites. If they were to use some of the loud ones available, the person who is viewing the page might get the wrong impression about them. Just as they say clothes speak volumes about a person, while interacting using the internet, your page and pictures reflect insights about you. So you wouldn’t want to use the wrong MySpace Layouts and attract spasm. The MySpace Layouts page is updated on a regular basis, and so if you were to go there every alternate day you will find new MySpace Layouts present. There are some that have been uploaded by users like you and me. If you create interesting MySpace Layouts, you can upload them on the site for others to view and if interested, use on their site. Not only for web pages, but also for networking sites, these are perfect. There is no need to worry about the html codes as they are easy to use. And since while on MySpace Layouts, you know what your page will look like, there are no chances of unpleasant surprises arising. If you are not fond of a design, you can instantly remove it and paste another code. There are people who enjoy changing their background picture or the whole theme of the page every week. This is because they get bored with what they have or their mood might have changed, that will get reflected through their page.

Inkjet Refill Kits – The Economical And Environmentally Friendly Way To Reduce Printing Cost

Inkjet printing is the most popular printing technology for home users and small businesses. Inkjet printers are versatile, inexpensive and produce good printing quality. The price of inkjet printers has dropped considerably over the past few years but the cost of replacement ink cartridges remains extremely high. To reduce the printing cost, consumers are looking for cheap alternatives. There are many options available, such as compatible / generic cartridges or remanufactured / refurbished cartridges. But the most economical and environmentally friendly way is to use the inkjet refill kits. For example, a typical name brand replacement cartridge costs $20-30. The price of a dual refill kit is only $10, which can refill the ink cartridge twice. That means consumers can save 75-80% buying one refill kit instead of two new cartridges. Refilling old cartridges is also good for the environment. It saves landfill space to dispose used cartridges and extra resources to produce new cartridges. Most people can refill the cartridges themselves. One customer was quoted saying “It is not difficult at all, I just follow the instructions and my ink cartridge is good as new in 10 minutes”. Nevertheless, some precautions should be taken when refilling your own ink cartridges. In general, the cartridge should be refilled before it has run out of ink. If printing continues after the ink has run dry, the cartridge's nozzle may burn out and be permanently damaged. Once the nozzle is damaged, it is impossible to reuse the cartridge. In addition, refilling the cartridge with too much ink can also cause it to overflow or uneven absorption of ink into the sponge, resulting in ink leakage and poor print output. To learn more about inkjet refill kits and to find out whether they are available for your printer model, please visit the following website: http://inkjets.4reviews.net/refill_kit.htm

Inkjet Printers: A Brief Overview

Inkjet printers are an affordable and satisfactory option for printing documents and other images from computers. They were originally placed on the market in the late 1980’s and have improved greatly in production and cost since then. Today, high quality inkjet printers are available for as low as $70.00. The reason for the low cost is the higher cost of keeping the printer supplied with ink. This is where the real profits are for printer manufacturers. An inkjet printer uses millions of tiny dots of ink to make a word or picture. For photo printing, different variations of colored dots are integrated to create images with true-to-life color. A higher resolution of dots directly relates to increased quality of printouts. There are two major technologies at work in the choice of inkjet printers, impact and non-impact. Impact printers offer dot matrix or character printing. A dot matrix printer has a bunch of tiny pinheads that touch an ink-covered ribbon. When the pinheads impact the ribbon, the ink moves to the paper. Character printing is similar to an electric typewriter, but with more control and sharpness afforded to the printing job. Character printers are rarely used anymore because they can only print words and not other images. Non-impact printers are much more popular than impact printers, because of the advanced technology behind them. Both the widely used inkjet and laser printers belong in this classification. Non-impact printers do not actually contact the paper directly when printing. The way inkjet printers do this is by emitting jet sprays of ink to form images on the paper. This is where the name “inkjet” gets its meaning. Laser printers, the second most purchased printer after inkjet, use toner and other ingredients combined with heat to apply the ink to the paper. What is going on inside the inkjet printer? The center of the machine is the print head, which holds a multitude of ink spray nozzles to create the intricate dots on the paper. Ink cartridges contain the ink for the printer and are replaced according to frequency of use. Black ink and color ink typically comes in different cartridges with color sometimes appearing in three separate cartridges – cyan (blue), magenta (red), and yellow. Another part of the printer is the paper feeder, a tray that holds the paper to be printed and feeds it into the printer one page at a time. The choice of paper is instrumental in the resultant quality of the print. Regular copier paper will not provide as sharp a print as paper with a higher brightness level. Brightness in printer paper means being extra white, which showcases the black and colors of the ink better than a duller white. Brightness also indicates a higher level of smoothness to the paper. Another factor is the level of absorption, which is helped by pre-coated paper covered with a light film to prevent feathering caused by too much absorption. Many different qualities and finishes are available in paper intended for inkjet printer use. Inkjet printers are widely used by everyone from the common man to huge corporations. For everyday use, there are countless amounts of specialized sticker labels, invitations, fine stationery, and trifold brochures to be used specifically with inkjet printers. Whatever the printing need, the inkjet printer is likely to handle the job with excellent results.

Inkjet Cartridges - How They Work

The Inkjet Cartridges used in the Inkjet Printers were first introduced in 1980s to print images on papers. The Ink from the Inkjet Cartridges is emitted through the hairbreadth fine nozzles as they pass over a printing media. The cost of Inkjet Cartridges is higher than any other ink cartridges. The Inkjet Cartridges can also be refilled successfully. The operation of Inkjet Cartridges The Inkjet printing is basically a non-impact process. It is very easy to visualize the operation of Inkjet Cartridges along with an inkjet printer. The Inkjet Printers with the help of Inkjet Cartridges place extremely small droplets of ink onto the printing paper through tiny hairbreadth fine nozzles to create an image. The amount of ink from the cartridges to propel onto the page is mainly determined by the printer driver software that controls when and which nozzles to shoot droplets. The liquid ink in the cartridges has various colors which are squirted onto the printing paper. The Inkjet printers are capable of printing on a variety of printing media such as plastic film, canvas, labels or stickers. It can even print an image and put it on a T-shirt. At first the print head scans the whole page in horizontal strips. Then while the paper is rolled up in vertical steps, the page is moved from left to right and back again by using the inkjet printer's motor assembly. In this way a row or strip of the image is printed and the paper moves on for the next strip to be printed. The paper used in an inkjet printer greatly determines the quality of the image. With the help of Inkjet Cartridges the printer can print a vertical row of pixels at a time instead of printing just a single row of pixels in each pass. The dots of ink from the Inkjet Cartridges are very small and are usually between 50 and 60 microns in diameter. These ink dots are very precisely positioned with resolutions of up to 1440 x 720 dots per inch. The ink dots emitted from the Inkjet Cartridges can also have different colour combinations to create bright and high quality photo images. A typical Inkjet Cartridge has cyan (blue), magenta (pink or red) and yellow inks in separate reservoirs. There is a problem with the inkjet cartridges that they have a tendency for the ink to smudge immediately after printing. But this problem has been overcome with the development of new ink compositions.

Wordpress Version 2.0.3 Review

WordPress, the premier free open-source blogging utility, has gone through several upgrades in its life. Today it's one of the most popular blogging tools on the Internet; it's easy to use, powerful, and very versatile. It also has a very active base of skilled users who are eager to improve the product and to help out those who haven't tried it before. Though the Strayhorn 1.5 version is the favorite for many, it is not as stable or as secure as the newest version 2.0.3. The best part of the new version is the security patch; the new "nonce" security key reduces the chances of a malicious hacker finding a way into your admin panel. Besides the security patch, though, several minor bugs have been squashed with this version. Though a major upgrade to 2.1 is due out soon, the 2.0.3 is something you should definitely download and install if only because of the security fixes, which were actually backported from the major upgrade files. In addition to the 2.0.3 install, you should be aware that some bugs have already been found, and that a plugin will need to be installed to repair those bugs. If you modify any of the files that this patch plugin fixes, you'll need to either merge the changes with the new files or make those changes manually once again. You can find these issues by running a diff to locate changes; if the only changes you find are your own, then you're fine, and otherwise you'll need to merge them manually into the new files. The short list of what WordPress 2.0.3 fixes includes: •Small performance enhancements •Movable Type / Typepad importer fix •Enclosure (podcasting) fix •The aforementioned security enhancements (nonces) One mostly annoying bug shipped with 2.0.3 as well. It gives you an "Are You Sure?" dialog when you edit comments, and adds a backslash before each quotation mark in the post you're editing. Make certain to download the patch. What's Up With The Security Problem? The security problem seems minor, but the WordPress team is fixing it before it grows into something major. It's a bug that takes advantage of the cookie you download when you sign into WordPress. The cookie in question prevents anyone unauthorized from accessing your admin panel. It's tied to your user account, and verifies that you are the authorized administrator of the account you're working on. The bug that's being fixed is one that takes advantage of a sociological trick. If someone created a link or a form pointing to your WordPress admin account, they might possibly be able to trick you into clicking the link. In the case of the one here, you delete a post. This sounds both minor and highly unlikely; but a small crack in the door can be exploited later by a dedicated hacker. And this is also the kind of bug that, a few years ago, allowed a hacker access to the Microsoft databases, from which he stole portions of the Longhorn and other codes. So yes, you do need to take it seriously. WordPress had ensured you were safe from this kind of hacking by using a utility called HTTP_REFERER. But this utility has some issues. For instance, with JavaScript in Internet Explorer, it can be spoofed. In addition, certain firewalls and proxies can strip the information it's supposed to carry out, causing some people to be unable to use their WordPress admin accounts the way they're supposed to be able to. Now, instead of the HTTP_REFERER, a nonce is used; this is a number used once. It's like a password that changes every twelve hours, and is valid for twenty-four hours. The nonce is unique to the specific WordPress install being used, the WordPress user logged in, the action, the object of the action, and the 24-hour time of the action. When any of these is changed, the nonce is no longer valid. All plugin authors will have to ensure the nonce is added to their forms and other interactive capabilities that may be affected. Upgrading from WordPress 2.0.2 to 2.0.3 As with any upgrade, the first thing you should do is back up everything: the files in your WordPress directory, the database plugin with any changes, and any data you have added should be backed up as well. In addition, it might be a good idea to do a second backup of your entire WordPress directory just in case something goes wrong with your install. Now remove the wp-admin directory entirely. Also remove the wp-includes directory, except for any translation and language files or directories you may have added; add these files to the backup files you created earlier. Finally, remove all the files where WordPress is installed with the exception of the file http://wp-config.php. Now you're ready to start your install. Download and unpack the 2.0.3 version in a separate install directory. You want to make sure you can control files and directories you copy over. Now install the new wp-admin and wp-includes directories. Install the rest of the files of the top directory, with the exception of the http://wp-config-sample.php file. Now enter the admin panel. You should see the following message: "Your database is out of date. Please upgrade." Follow the link provided to update the database, and follow the directions there. Now remove the files wp-admin/upgrade.php and wp-admin/install.php. Download the plugin fix; add it and activate it. Replace your backup files where they need to be, and do the comparisons if you've modified any of your earlier files. This should take care of the whole thing. For geeks, there is also an upgrade package that only includes the changed files. Look for it under Changes Diff (2.0.2 > 2.0.3). It consists of a zip file that is much quicker to install, but you should be certain you can handle it before using it.

Wonderful DVD – CD Packaging Boxes & Cases!

Your CDs & DVDs are the greatest of your assets, if you are optical media buff. Certainly, you always want to keep your CDs & DVDs in the ace form, and thus you are always out to grab the nicest dvd – cd packaging systems on the market. Often, dvd – cd packaging cases or boxes are made of the rigid or semi-rigid materials in which your CDs & DVDs usually come packed in. You can find a number of dvd – cd packaging systems generally designed to protect your CDs & DVDs from scratches and other types of exposure damages. Paper envelopes, also known as sleeves, are often used as the simplest and the least expensive form of dvd – cd packaging systems. Your paper envelopes with transparent window, making your CD or DVD label visible are bit expensive versions of paper envelopes. Your dvd – cd packaging envelopes or sleeves may include paper sleeves, plastic sleeves and tyvec sleeves. Jewel cases are dvd – cd packaging cases, measuring 142 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm, that usually contain compact discs along with the liner notes and back cards. Jewel dvd – cd packaging cases are three-piece plastic cases made of injection-molded polystyrene that has been used since the compact discs was first released in 1982. Your Jewel case dvd – cd packaging system is formed by two opposing hinged transparent halves; the back half holds a media tray that grips the disc by its hole. Jewel cases are also used for BDs, and HD DVDs. Slimline jewel cases are common space-saving cd packaging options. Slimline jewel case cd packaging systems were popularized by European-made CD singles. Typically having dimensions of 142 mm × 125 mm × 5 mm, these cd packaging cases are generally made from the same fragile polystyrene as used in full-sized jewel cases. You can also find semi-opaque or semi-flexible polypropylene slimline jewel cd packaging cases. These cd packaging cases are strong enough to protect your CDs and flexible enough not to break easily. Digipacks are cardboard case dvd – cd packaging systems. These dvd – cd packaging cases are jewel-case-style plastic trays glued inside folding cardboard cases. Digipacks are one of the popular dvd – cd packaging cases, which are often used for storing CD movies and DVD movies. Discbox Sliders, also known as DBS, are cd packaging cases made of 100% carton board. Your DBS cd packaging cases open up from the side by moving the slider part from the sleeves where your CD rests. These cd packaging cases are often considered as the most environmental friendly cd packaging systems. Jakeboxs are patented dvd – cd packaging cases from Sweden. In Jakebox dvd – cd packaging cases, your discs are held in a folded 'claw', which opens up and presents the disc in an eye-catching way. Jakebox dvd – cd packaging cases are generally made out of paper or carton, with or without pocket for a booklet. LP style cases are the recent cd packaging systems in sleeves comparable to LP. LP-style dvd – cd packaging cases have grown popular in Japan and America in recent times. Many of the albums, such as Morrissey's live album Live at Earls Court, The Who's compilation Then and Now, and R.E.M.'s 2-disc version of their greatest hit came in LP style packaging. Additionally, you can also find keep cases, snap cases, cake boxes or spindles, CD/ DVD Trigger Cases, J-card cases, Clamshell, Mini CD/ DVD cardboard sleeve, CD/ DVD mailer, Digital Booklet for CDs and DVDs, Mini CD Clear Slick, Double and Single Cases, Double Cardboard CD wallet, Multi Case DVDs, Bizcard CD/ DVD cardboard sleeve, CD Spindle 50 or 100, Premium Tray Packaging, and several other single & bulk dvd – cd packaging cases designs.

Wireless Systems – The Future Is Here Already?

Wireless systems have increasingly become the inseparable ingredients of our lives in the last century because of their instant installation capabilities in addition to obviously cutting mammoth amounts of capital and time that was otherwise being wasted in erection and installation & commissioning. But how big and expanded is the wireless systems industry? And how much they touch our lives? And if I am not stretching things too far, are we being controlled by wireless systems? Well, let’s take a critical look at these issues which concerns us all. Wireless Systems and Communication Ever since Graham Bell and Marconi invented telephone and radio respectively, life has never been the same. Although they didn’t revolutionalized things instantaneously they sure caused a ruffle thus signaling what was on the way. Today, without wireless systems communications would grind to a halt. Satellites become dud flying objects of little use if we don’t ‘connect’ through wireless for billions of gigabytes of data transfer every hour. Consumer Wireless Equipments At the bottom, we have wireless toys which are the rage with children. But the most common wireless system everyone is familiar is cell phone without which most of us can conduct our lives the way we need to. Cell phones have rapidly expanded to exit the wired phones in a matter of a few years. Even the basic phones are going wireless with the advent of CDMA technology. The 3G cell phones can transmit up to 2MBPS of data. Mobile phones reached their zenith of glory when Motorola introduced satellite phones (Irridium) which didn’t even require wireless network but worked with satellites directly. Connectivity is just notional; look at what broadband has done to wireless systems. Internet no more needs ‘wired connectivity’ as there is wireless broadband service. IPOD has made world collapse into our pockets. What we imagined till the other year, that wireless systems made useful wireless microphones, was turned upside down by one small pocket gadget called IPOD. Wireless Gadgets If we are able to watch news cruising at 50,000’ at great speeds, you could imagine what ‘the void’ (wireless) can do. Let’s take a look at some cute gadgets from the current rage. 1. Push to talk phones: Talk, browse internet, watch TV and connect to all your friends by one button push. 2. Pocket PC and wireless LAN for laptops: Pocket PCs double up as cell phones. Laptops connect to LAN with a wireless LAN card. 3. Toys, game controls etc. 4. Home theater, music systems, network booster and headphones etc. Long ago, when gods communicated, they were not verbal! They communicated silently. Just where are we heading?

Wireless Satellite - It's Not Just For TV Anymore

As technology advanced forward, many of the things we've taken for granted for years are being reborn under the banner of wireless or wireless satellite Internet. Of course, we're talking about a lot more than just receiving the Internet from a satellite connection. Many other technologies have also obtained new life through the use of "sky birds." Some of the most visible changes in technologies has been in communications and entertainment. Cellular telephones use satellite services to bounce signals literally around the world. Although cell phone service is typically within a 2 mile radius of a cellular tower, by using the power of stationary satellites, a signal or connection on a cell phone can be routed to wherever another cell tower can be found. This is especially good news for those people who tend to be in more remote areas. Wireless satellite Internet is a connection to the web that's available anywhere the sky can be seen. Using a satellite to make the connection into the web holds the promise of all the web all the time, anytime. The always on no matter where you are can be a major benefit for many people. This feature is especially promising for serious followers of sports, sport teams, news, weather junkies, stock reports, etc. Imagine anytime, all the time, whenever there's a computer to be able to log into you Internet connection using wireless satellite Internet services. Another technology that falls under the umbrella of wireless satellite Internet is the whole television genre. Companies like Direct Way and Dish Network are rapidly building infrastructure that replaces traditional antennae or cable television reception options. For about the same price as cable-TV a clear view of the southern sky will deliver crystal clear television with all popular channels. Movies on Demand is an up and coming technology that will literally allow you to order movies to watch whenever you want. No more being tied to the start times of the networks, cable companies or even the satellite entertainment providers. All movies, whenever, all the time is the driving force behind the wave of growth in this fast paced industry.

Wireless Networking Cards - A Closer Look

Ok, so you've read all the cool stuff and heard all the great things about going wireless and then it just hit you. However, that works you don't know or care but it hit you. That was it, the little voice in your head said, "do it" and that was that. Unfortunately, that was awhile ago and since that "moment" you've done your part. You did some research into what was needed to upgrade your computer but it's all just so darn confusing. You keep thinking, why can't someone just give me a few basics so I feel more comfortable about this whole "upgrading" process. If the above paragraph describes you and if you're the typical computer user it probably does, then it's time to exhale, calm your nerves, grab a latte and settle in because hopefully this article can shed a little understanding on at least one aspect of going wireless - the network card. Like most "typical" computers users, you love your computer and you've pretty good at surfing the net, using email and you've probably even gotten fairly proficient at using your favorite word processing program but when it comes to some of the more technical aspects of your computer or computing in general, you are probably about as close to a "deer in the headlights" as you can get. Hey, no problem because you've stumbled across a source that hopefully can shed a little light into that wireless networking card abyss. See, those searching skills do come in handy. Let me start out by saying that when it comes to selecting a wireless networking card you can pretty much ignore all the hoopla except for the following three key factors: range, speed, and standards. Ok, let's do it and take a look at a few specifics. Below is a typical specification for wireless networking card. This one just happens to be for a Linksys wireless PCMCIA laptop card. Frankly, I can't tell you if this card rocks or it stinks, I'm simply using it as an example. And with that, let's take a closer look. Here's the description from Amazon: 11 Mbps high-speed transfer rate; interoperable with IEEE 802.11b (DSSS) 2.4Ghz-compliant equipment; plug-and-play operation provides easy set up; long operating range (up to 120m indoor); advanced power management features conserve valuable notebook PC battery life; rugged metal design with integrated antenna; compatible with virtually all major operating systems; works with all standard Internet applications; automatic load balancing and scale back; model no. WPC11 Like I mentioned above, most of the specs can be ignored. To start with, "compatible with virtually all major operating systems." That means nothing. It's simply fluff to expand the description to make the card appear better. Range Take a look at where it says "up to 120m indoor". This means that the maximum range of the wireless card is 120 meters -- sure if everything was perfect. And by the way, one meter is equal to about 39 inches or 3 feet. However, in the real world where nothing is ever perfect interference caused by thick walls, other power sources and the list goes on could reduce this number by as much as 90% - so just be aware of this. And without enough range, your wireless network is no longer wireless and therefore - worthless. It serves no purpose to go wireless if you have to keep your computer next to the wireless port in order for it to work or if you have multiple computers to keep them all in the same room to get them to connect to each other. As a rule of thumb, unless your walls are made of drywall or wood, it's best to buy about four times the strength you think you'll need. Even in perfect conditions, get twice what you think you'll need - just to be safe. Speed Take another look at the description and find where it says Mbps. Mbps is the speed of the wireless connection - 11 Mbps is about one and a half megabytes per second. All 802.11b wireless cards have a speed of 11Mbps, while 802.11g cards run at 54Mbps or nearly 5 times faster. And of course, the next generation will be even faster. Clearly, speed is important to your wireless network because it's going to directly influence how long you have to wait to connect, how fast pages upload, file transfer rates, and your overall computer experience is always better when things download faster. I don't know about you but if something takes more than a few seconds to download, I start to get impatient. However, because there are currently very few Internet connections running at speeds over 11Mbps - it's really as much as you need, at least for now. Standards You've probably noticed in the above specs the number 802.11 followed by a letter b. The b is the standard that the wireless device conforms too. Currently, there are 3 standards - a, b and g. In a nutshell, 802.11b and 802.11g are compatible with each other while 802.11a isn't compatible with either. Due to the incompatibility issues with the other two standards and because it's an older less robust standard I would stay away from cards using it. Between b and g, b is cheaper but slower, while g is more expensive but faster. It's also worth considering that adding a b-speed device to a network that has g-speed devices will often slow the whole network down to b-speed, making the g-devices pointless. Basically, the network will operate at the speed of its weakest link. If your wireless device doesn't conform to the right standards, it's not going to be much good to you. I often see uninformed people bidding for used wireless equipment on eBay, not realizing that it's going to be terribly slow and may not work with other equipment they might have. Always check what standard the wireless equipment is using and if you don't know the 802.11 letter, don't buy it! A great place to research and find answers to everything "wireless" is Zephyr Net. Simply click the Wifi Hotspot link in the resource box below. This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

Your Excellent DVD Duplication Service!

You may have new high density optical storage formats, such as BDs (blu ray discs), buy DVDs will not lose their importance and existence. You know, good technologies do not disappear easily. And, as long as you have DVDs, you will need dvd duplication or dvd duplication services. Dvd duplication is the process of creating duplicate copies of your original DVDs. Dvd duplication is often slanged as dvd burning or dvd authoring or optical disc authoring. You can use the process of dvd duplication to write the original data, such as video, audio or other data, onto another DVD/DVDs or onto CD/CDs. Broadly, you may use dvd duplication process to as to burn dvd movies, burn copyrighted dvds, burn copy protected dvds, burn avi to dvds, burn mpeg to dvds, burn audio dvds, burn video dvds, burn mp3 dvds, burn dvd to dvds, burn dvd to cds, etc. Dvd duplication is simply all about duplicating data from an original DVD onto another blank DVD or CD, and thus, dvd duplication allows you to preserve your original dvds, creating dvd duplicates for your routine use. You can always keep your original classics or blockbusters intact and unspoiled, but the most important question is “how to do that?” Certainly, dvd duplication is gonna be very easy for you, if you are pro. You need the dvd duplication device that is often slanged as dvd burner. Your DVD is usually a12 cm (4.72 inches) or 8 cm (3.15 inches) storage media disk that can stock 4.7 gigabytes (GB) data. It has enough capacity to store a high quality 3-hour movie, or 10 TV episodes, or about 75 hours of .mp3 files, or roughly 15 hours of video in the lower-grade .avi format. The common DVD formats are – DVD-R and DVD-RW (a re-writable version of the DVD). Your dvd duplication device or DVD burner helps you to burn your DVD by making it even more flexible than before. Your dvd duplication involves creating a disk image with a full file system designed for the optical disc and then duplicating and burning the image to another disc. Your dvd duplication device uses dvd duplication software (dvd burning software) for creating duplicate copies of your originals. The dvd duplication software creates the disk image and burns it in one bundled application that you may find little tough to comprehend. You can also execute your dvd duplication thru the packet-writing applications, which do not require writing the entire disc at once, but allow writing parts at a time, allowing the disc to be used like a floppy. You may find many dvd duplication technologies for creating copies of your original DVDs. You may also find several dvd duplication software, free dvd duplication software, best dvd burning software, free dvd burning software, cd dvd burning software, dvd movie burning software, top dvd burning software, data dvd burning software, cheap dvd burning software, discount dvd burning software, download free dvd burning software, etc. But, if you aren’t top pro, you may not get the fine quality in your dvd duplication, and you may not prevent “coasters,” I mean, failures in dvd duplication, which make dvd duplication rather frustrating. However, professional dvd duplication service can really save you from these unnecessary frustrations of failures of dvd duplication. You may find a lot of dvd duplication services, but you should always choose the best. If you are looking the excellent dvd duplication service, you must visit my website – mediamovers.com.au.

You Want Commercial Quality CD Duplication?

You always want to keep your original cd collection sound and safe. You never want your originals scratched or broken from continual use. Surely, you think of cd duplication to keep your originals intact. Certainly, the idea of cd duplication is simply copying the data of one CD to another blank CD. So, the technology of cd duplication allows you to create duplicates of the originals for routine use and to keep your originals fresh as new. CD duplication is the process that most of you are familiar with. You often term cd duplication as cd burning. CD duplication is rather easy and cheap. You just need to get blank CDs that can be burnt or duplicated either as record once, or record write, which allows you to burn the same CD as many times as you like. CD duplication has grown very popular because it is cheap and easy. However, there are some legal & copyright issues that make cd duplication little controversial. You must know the legal issues concerning copyrights of CDs, which vary from country to country and state to state. Thus, you must avoid indulging in illegal cd duplication. However, you need not worry about the legal & copyright issues, if you in cd duplication for your own convenience and copying files from your computer or from CD's which belong to you. But, if thru cd duplication, you intend to create multi copies of commercial CDs for distributing to your friends or for selling to the general public, then you really need to have the legal rights to do that. However, you can use the cd duplication to create copies of commercial CDs for your own use. Your CDs that you intent to duplicate may be the CDs purchased by you from your local music store or may belong to your friend. The CDs that you intent to duplicate may include music, pictures, movies, data files, mp3 files, etc. CD duplication is the process that you can easily perform on your own PC, if you have a drive – CD-RW drive – capable of writing CD, but it’s often easier said than done. You may have a few complications doing your cd duplication on your own PC at you home; for instance, you’ll need to have special software for cd duplication. First, you’ll have to have a CD-RW drive, but if your computer has a CD-RW drive, you may need to get or buy software programs that are required for lots of useful editing features and a better quality of cd duplication. This may make your cd duplication a little cumbersome process. Secondly, you may make glitches in your cd duplication, and finally, the copies that you create at your home may not offer you the quality grade that is found in CDs that are selling at your local CD stores; I mean, you may not be able to create perfect copies. All you hard work goes vain! However, you can stay away from all your cd duplication headaches by just buying pro cd duplication services. You can find many professionals offering you commercial quality cd duplication services. If you really interested in fine quality cd duplication and want more information on cd duplication, dvd duplication, cd replication, dvd replication, etc., you must visit my site – http://www.mediamovers.com.au. You know, cd duplication is an art, and only professionals are well versed in the art of cd duplication!

You Don’t Need To Pay For IT!

Copyright 2006 Utopia Creative Solutions Ltd IT Support has never been such a minefield. With new technologies always entering the marketplace it is now possible to have a corporate-standard IT system without having the financial headache of purchasing a server or even software such as Microsoft Office. For one small monthly payment, companies with 1-50 users can have their whole IT infrastructure based in a secure location, safe in the knowledge that should their office be burgled, damaged or even burned down, the only thing required to be reconnected to your office system and data is a new PC, Laptop, Thin Client or any internet-connected terminal such as in Internet Cafes. This is perfect for disaster recovery. As your IT system is centrally managed in a safe and secure hosting environment, your IT support requirements are minimal or non-existent due to the power of remote IT support where an IT engineer or technician can actually “take over” control of your mouse and keyboard actions from anywhere in the world. This is a very crucial factor as you can even be taught and shown how to perform a particular task and it also removes the usual time-delay involved when requiring “hands-on” IT support. With a remote desktop your life will be much easier. There are a great many advantages with remotely-hosted IT & network systems and another great benefit is the fact that you can literally work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You could be working on a train via wireless or 3G, sending and retrieving documents via Blackberry devices or PDAs, catching up with work on the beach, the list is just endless. As access to your data is mobile, you do not have to worry about synchronising data and carrying data on USB flash drives etc, this all saves you time and ultimately money and the freedom and mobility you will gain from such a system will only benefit your company and it’s staff, allowing for home-working and emergency access 24 hours a day. Microsoft licensing is a major change that has occurred over the past 18 months and it is no longer necessary for companies to spend vast sums of money on hardware, software and server-related network support. In fact, companies no longer have to pay large sums of money for Microsoft Office, Adobe, Kaspersky and a growing list of software suppliers thanks to a change in the way licensing can be paid for. A great benefit of this is that you can pay monthly for a software product and receive free upgrades when new releases or patches become available.

You Can Find Best CD/DVD Replication Services Online

Your CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical media have become very important part of the highly flourishing modern digital entertainment industry. You can find the role of CDs & DVDs in every arena of the digital entertainment industry including music, movies, games, television, internet, etc. Though new formats of optical discs, such as BDs (Blu Ray Discs) and HD (High-Definition) DVDs have come up recently, CDs & DVDs are still the more popular and common formats. CD replication and DVD replication are the cornerstones of the modern digital media industry. You’ll certainly have to go for cd replication – dvd replication, if you dealing in the modern digital media industry. Most of you may confuse CD/DVD replication with CD/DVD duplication, but it is utterly different from CD/DVD duplication. Actually, CD/DVD replication is process of producing commercial quality CDs/DVDs by means other than burning CDs/DVDs. CD/DVD replication is the process of producing original compact discs. Technically, this process, known as Optical Disc Manufacturing or Optical Storage Replication – involves the creation of a glass master from an original master, the creation of a nickel stamper from that glass master, the injection molding of clear optical-grade polycarbonate substrates (clear discs) from that stamper, and the metaling and lacquering of those substrates to produce optical discs. The process of manufacturing CDs is called CD Replication, and the process of manufacturing DVDs is called DVD Replication. CD/DVD replication is also referred to as 'pressing' or 'molding'. Generally, large CD/DVD molding machines are used in CD/DVD replication. Using raw materials, the basic CDs/DVDs are created by the CD/DVD molding machines. The data or audio on the original master is stamped on the basic CDs/DVDs using the glass master. This gives silver looks to your CDs/DVDs, which actually is the aluminum that helps to reflect the laser when you play your CDs/DVDs. CD/DVD replication is actually machine-driven process that is used to produce bulks of CDs/DVDs. CD/DVD replication is often used at the CD/DVD production businesses where it's very important to get the price “per disc” as low as possible. Generally, the cost “per disc” in CD/DVD replication becomes pretty low when the production goal is over 1000 pieces of CDs/DVDs. You often need cd replication/dvd replication, if you are having business in any field of digital media industry. You may often need cd dvd replication, audio cd replication, music cd replication, mini cd replication, short run cd replication, bulk cd replication, industrial cd replication, short run dvd replication, bulk dvd replication, dvd mini replication, etc. So, you often have to depend on cd dvd replication services. You can find cd dvd replication services online offering you cd replication services, dvd replication services, and cd replication services. You can also find cheap cd replication services, cheap dvd replication services, discount cd replication services, affordable dvd replication services, etc.

Writing Articles On Computer Related Subjects

Writing Articles On Computer Related Subjects 27 Sep 07 Having titled this article I need to issue a Mia Copa so I might as well get it out right up front. The truth is, this editorial probably applies not only to the fields of website design and remote and outsourced ' IT '  services and computer sales and repair like that offered by Remote Help desk 1 at http://www.remotehelpdesk1.com, but also to most writers and technical subjects covered on the web. Computer Man's background in the educational, legal, intelligence and law enforcement communities qualifies him more than most "computer gurus" for research to bring his audience not only beneficial data but quality links allowing access to and use of the information and sources shared. The First Issue: Restricted Embedded Links... The problem arises in trying to get the results of that research, knowledge and experience into the hands of those searching for answers. Most hosts restrict submissions to one or two embedded links if they allow any at all. That is a real issue when the author is actually concerned about providing quality referenced content. These articles on the super slab run the gamut from the frivolous to the technical. Most computer and internet related articles are probably of the technical variety at least to some extent, and it is understood there are those who game the system and abuse their privilege. So, restrict the number of links back to the author and his or her web sites, not to legitimate referenced sources. That will make more work for the hosts who read all these articles before they are published, but most of them get paid well for editing what you see and read on their sites. The Second Issue: Article Lengths... Each hosts has his or her minimum length requirements normally in the 600 word range. Such a minimum often causes one of necessity to be much too verbose instead of succinct as we have always been taught. Professors say keep cutting the article down. Don't use five words when one will suffice. On the article hosting sites, the rule seems to be don't use one word when you can write a paragraph. For example, an article on the subject should explain what can be done to speed up Windows Vista (EXPENSIVE!) Computers, how to properly tune up Windows XP (EXPENSIVE!) Computers, and why Linux Ubuntu (FREE...DOWNLOADABLE) runs better, faster, and with less virus and crash problems on most computers than any Microsoft Windows operating system and then shut up. Note: "Ubuntu's biggest problem may be a shortage of compatible wireless drivers". Why have a two year old babbling on forever just to meet some arbitrary word count? It does not matter what moo moo makers say, One size does not fit all! So, if it is an article on the history of computers or computer techs and sciences there needs to be considerably more than 600 words especially with limited embedded reference links. On the other hand if it is a simple complete steps 1, 2, 3 to fix a specific issue it may need to be considerably less. The Third Issue: Emphasis... Writing on computer and internet based subjects does not easily lend itself to the old standard of who, what, when, where and why. No font setting!!!! When writing about these computer and internet related issues it is often almost obligatory to stress and emphasize. That can be done with much less verbiage with just a little tweaking of typesetting and a well placed link. Many of these hosts are owned and operated by men. They should understand we (especially we men) need the salient points to stand out from the rest of the document. We want to know where the graphics card is located not necessarily how it functions. If we fail the first time (ok maybe the tenth), we will go back and read the directions. Finally... This article got a lot off my chest and over 700 words too so if it don't show up on your favorite server or host it will be for some other reason...probably just as subjective. In the final analysis one needs to not only publish articles but a Blog and maybe even a Twitter as well to cover all the bases especially where there are these restrictions. That means the surfers need to search and read both article hosts and the blogosphere to find the data they seek especially if they want to make sure the author is not blowing smoke or if they need their data well referenced and linked. Such documentation is especially important in Computer Related Articles where peoples precious and often nonreplacable photographs, documents, music, videos, and work related materials involving subjects like remote and outsourced "IT"  service, helpdesk, and repair facility. tmm