Archive for the 'Geeks Hardware Hub' Category

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A Vital Guide To Procuring The Best DAB Digital Radios

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

The number of purchases of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radios have now surpassed the ten million item milestone, meaning that they are an essential choice to contemplate. A DAB or Digital Audio Broadcast radio comes with countless selling points over traditionally analogue manufactured radios. Such as, digital radio transmissions are appreciably more “narrower” and consequently more radio shows may be located within the exact same broadcast band. In the majority of locations the array of stations is in any case double. Secondly, being digital means the signal comes through with remarkable clarity despite of the weather conditions or your location, city or town. You will not miss the drone and crackle that comes from analogue radios that is for sure!

The system in the DAB radio gets hold of the digital signal and in effect gets rid of any other form of signal or ways of noise, such as electrical instruments being run close by. Rather than rolling through the radio knob, DAB radios offer a list of accessible stations that can simply be accessed with one push of a button. The last advantage we will highlight is the facility to pause a radio show, and the pick it up later on, just like digital television.

That’s a brief summary of the DAB digital radio evolution. Now, let’s take a look at the types of products for sale at this present time. They vary widely in both features and also in price; nonetheless we attempt to present you with valuable advice that will provide insight and guide your choice.

Basic level DAB radios are small and enormously transportable. Usually having only 1 speaker, they are rather easy to carry around and deliver stereo sound when used in conjunction with the headsets. They often include a 3.5mm socket to use with either your iPod Classic or MP3 system.

Taking a step up, hundreds of reasonably priced DAB digital radios come with two speakers for enhanced sound quality, first-rate portability, and iPod compatibility. LED read outs allow for fast scroll and selection of the radio shows you need. Push the button to play or lock it in as one of your pushbutton selections. There are various DAB makes providing DAB radios with these specific features as standard.

A small number of models of DAB radios also offer internet capabilities, meaning that from any hotspot you can listen to music across the entire World Wide Web. That’s amazing! Next, look for a product that comes with DAB, DAB+, FM, and Wi-Fi Internet preferences. Many of new radios also carry a chip embedded that makes them forward compatible, handy as technology changes.

With this in mind, it is very important to take the time to look at the outstanding variety of handheld DAB radios, on top of in car systems, water-resistant DAB digital radios, digital alarm clocks and personal sound systems. And for the very latest DAB radio technology think about getting a DAB digital radio which includes record options employing SD cards to store the music files you want. Buy a wide selection of technology products such as; DAB radios, Samsung televisions and digital photo frames from leading brands online.

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Be Picky About Computer Keyboards

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

If there is anything I have learned in the past ten years of being an editor that is using my computer all day, it is that it is good and right to be absolutely picky when it comes to choosing computer keyboards. If this seems like an insignificant choice to you, then it is clear that you, unlike me, do not spend the majority of your days typing on a computer.

If you did, you would quickly realize what a difference computer keyboards can make to a typing experience. It took me a couple of years to realize that there were actuallly a lot of options when it comes to computer keyboards and that I didn’t have to be satisfied with a computer keyboard that didn’t fit my hands.

I have probably made my way through at least eight or nine computer keyboards in the past ten years. I have learned what suites my body and my needs better and that has often caused me to go on the hunt for a newer and better computer keyboard. I have learned that there are a huge variety ofAs computer keyboards and that if you search for them, they do not have to be too expensive or hard to find.

If you are about to purchase a computer for the first time, or if you are simply looking for a computer keyboard that fits your body and your needs better, then don’t rush into a purchase until you have done some research to learn about your options. A great place to begin the search for computer keyboards or any other part of computers is by visiting a computer store where the employees are knowledgable about all things computer. Stop into a local store or two and see what you can learn about choosing computer keyboards that are right for you.

Another great way to do research on computer keyboards is online. That is, if you can manage to use your current keyboard for a few hours to do the research! Look through many websites until you find the deals that are in your budget and that match your needs. Finding a computer keyboard can be a tedious process, or it can be easy if you look in the right places. The bottom line is that if you are going to be using your computer a lot, then it pays to have the best possible computer keyboard.

As an editor, Martin Stoleman quickly learned the importance of having a great computer keyboard. See www.funcomputerkeyboards.info to find the perfect computer keyboards for you.

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Spy Gadgets that Can Help You Detect Infidelity

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

Spy gadgets are designed to help you uncover things that others might want to keep hidden from you. And one of the things that most people are anxious to hide is infidelity. In the past, it was common to do things like hire a private investigator to follow your spouse around or bug the phones or take pictures. This used to be reasonable. However, the fact of the matter is that with all of the spy gadgets and technology available today, there is no reason to go out and hire a professional. There are plenty of tools that are reasonably priced that you can use to get to the bottom of the mystery and discover for yourself whether your spouse is true.

One of the more common spy gadgets that can help in your investigation of whether or not you have to worry about infidelity is a GPS tracking device. These devices are great because they are covert. Some of them are small enough to hide in a purse or in the car. There are even cell phones equipped with GPS devices. Not only can you see where someone is right now, but you can also pull up a history of where the tracker has been. A fancy restaurant? A seedy motel? Or just to work and back? You can find out rather easily.

The main problem with tracking spy gear is that it is all very well to know where someone is, but it doesn’t lend good insight on what someone is doing at that place. Maybe your significant other is always in a place that seems innocuous. But maybe something else is going on. This is where listening devices come in. Listening devices can be hidden in a purse (like a pen), or even be a cell phone. You can have a cell phone that is called automatically when the phone your spouse has is in use. You can also dial in and hear what is going on in the same room, even when the phone is not being used.

But the best spy gadgets are the kind that give you biological proof. There are kits that you can purchase that can find bodily fluids on sheets or underwear. You can also compare your test results to your own body fluids and see whether those are the only fluids associated with your significant other.
Whether you substantiate your trust in your partner, or whether you find out he or she is not worthy of trust, you can do it yourself with spy gadgets.

(c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about: Spy Gadgets

To learn more about Spy and Surveillance Products visit http://www.spyassociates.com Read other related articles at http://spyassociates.blogspot.com/

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5 Tips For Buying An External Hard Drive

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

So you’ve finally decided to buy an external hard drive as a backup option for your computer. This is a great choice for you because you’re making backing up your data faster and easier than you could ever have imagined. You’re also making your data far more portable in larger quantities than before.

You’ll no longer be limited to storing a few hundred megabytes or even several gigabytes. Nope. Now you can look forward to portable and reliable storage capacities ranging into terabytes. That frustrating desktop computer or network file server backup job just got a whole lot easier.

If you’ve never bought an external hard disk before then there’s a few pointers here that may help to have on your shopping list before you go and make that final purchase.

1. Buy A Brand
Do yourself a huge favor and buy a brand name that you easily recognize. Sure these may cost a little more than brand x but with computer accessories like this you really do get what you pay for. If a Maxtor 100GB external drive costs $200 and another brand x 100GB drive costs $80 why do you think that is? Because the company likes you? Because they like making smaller profits? No it’s because it’s a cheaper drive made with inferior parts that’s going to break a lot sooner than you might expect.

The other aspect of sticking with a brand is your warranty. For example Maxtor, Western Digital and Iomega are all reliable companies and well known for their external hard disks. If something goes wrong with your drive you can have it fixed. With brand x you’ll probably not even be able to find an email address that you can contact the parent company on. Is saving a few dollars worth that risk?

2. Google It
Whatever brand or model you decide on make sure you do some research before purchasing. Always, always Google the exact brand and model of the drive you’re considering buying. Look for reviews and especially any feedback on how reliable a drive is. You’ll be very surprised to find that some companies have particularly bad reputations in terms of equipment reliability and what’s known as the “click of death” in the external hard drive industry.

Spend time in Google checking out your prospective purchase. You’ll be glad that you did.

3. Connectivity
When it comes to external hard drives you’ll need to choose carefully when selecting your connection types. Your external hard drive will support either USB or Firewire. Firewire is the fastest option available at the moment but your computer may not support this. The vast majority of modern computers will, however, feature a USB port.

The next question now is what type of USB port do you have – USB 1.0 or 2.0? If your computer only has a USB 1.0 port then your external hard drive is going to transfer data VERY slowly. USB 2.0 is the minimum you should consider as connection options for both your computer and your external hard drive. If you don’t have a USB 2.0 port (also called HiSpeed USB) on your computer you may need to get a USB 2.0 card fitted.

4. Speed
Now of course we need to talk about speed. The faster your hard drive operates the faster data will get transferred to your computer and vice versa. Without boggling you with comptuer jargon there’s a couple of technical things you need to include on your shopping list.

Seek time – this needs to be 10ms (milliseconds) or less

Buffer size – more is better. Get a drive with at least a 4MB buffer.

RPM – higher is better. 5400rpm as a minimum. 7200rpm being preferred.

Stick to the above basic pointers and you’ll do just fine.

5. Size
This is the simple part of the whole “buying an external hard drive” equation. Buy as much as you can afford. If you can afford 100GB then get it. However if you can afford 200GB then get it. Then again if you scraped together a few dollars more you could afford 300GB then do it.

This isn’t a sales pitch. Far from it. There is simply no such thing as having too much data storage space. The 160GB drive that I have here was filled up in a little under a month. Currently a terabye option sounds good for my future needs.

Always add 50% to your data storage requirements. Honestly. You’ll thanks yourself within the first 90 days of buying your external drive.

Hopefully now you’ll be better prepared for purchasing your new external hard drive. It’s one of the best purchases you’ll ever make.

Niall Roche - EzineArticles Expert Author

Looking for the best external hard drive? Visit BackupAdvice.com for more information on your options.

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How to Avoid Getting Ripped-Off When You Purchase A New Printer

Friday, September 19th, 2008

It’s no big secret that printer companies like HP and Brother are marketing their printers with the cost of refilling the cartridges in mind. Just the other week my family and I were at our hometown Wal-Mart and we were amazed at the price of a new printer. With joy we threw it in the cart never once thinking about the cost of refilling the contraption.

Let me tell you, that was mistake number 1, mistake number 2 was not looking into all of the other accessories that you have to consider when you decide to purchase a new printer. Did you know that you could also be looking at some seriously expensive add-ons that are all consumables?

Should you decide to go with a color model like an HP Color Laser Jet you’ll be looking at replacing drums, condensers and a bunch of other parts. Listen, don’t do like I did research the total cost of the operation of the printer before you purchase.

Forget the local warehouse store, you’ll be better off at a place with a knowledgeable sales staff that can break down the cost of daily operation in dollars and cents. There are times when a big warehouse store might be able to help you out but this isn’t one of them.

Whatever you don’t shop by the price of the unit! Ask some questions of the salesman, like “How much is a refill toner cartridge?” How many copies will I get out of an average refill? If you are purchasing a color unit ask how many cartridges there are and how much they cost. Also, be sure to inquire on how many color copies you’ll get out of an average refill.

All in all you should be happy if you do a little research. When this is done you’ll know what you are getting into and there won’t be any unwelcome “surprises” down the road…

Alexis Allen is a self-described consumer advocate in the Home Electronics Industry. You can check out her latest articles at http://www.cheap-toner-cartridges.com