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Depending on how frequently you use a computer, it may be time you laid off the addiction a little bit. There’s a part of you that knows whether you fall in the ‘excessive’ territory, but you may not want to accept the fact. More importantly, for those who have their own families, you’ll be told you need to lay off that computer addiction. Life is worth much more than computer screens, so it’s worth taking that advice seriously.

Recognise you can do without

The first step in escaping technology is acknowledging that you can do without. That’s more difficult for some people than it is others, but the point is, most everybody can do without technology at a different point. The trick is to substitute that time when the computer addiction kicks in with alternate activities like sport and hobbies.

Remember what matters

There are endless stories of wrecked families because a loved one was hooked on WoW or video games, or spent too much time in front of the computer. Thankfully, these stories are mostly in alarmist tabloids since the vast majority of us would never let our love for technology supersede our love for other people, when it comes to crunch. When you’re feeling you’re developing a computer addiction, walk away by spending time with your family.

Wean off slowly

Weaning off technology requires you do it with a slow, careful, deliberate precision. Technology or computer addiction, no matter what mainstream papers will have you believe, is not like being addicted to heroine or hard drugs of that nature. It’s far simpler to overcome and only requires a willingness to overcome them. Have days when you leave your mobile phone at home. If you have too many different gadgets, do away with all but the absolute essential. Remember, what you’re trying to achieve: in this instance, less is more.

I’ve found that when it comes down to it, I can do away with absolutely everything except my trusty Macbook Pro. And by do away, I mean literally not use them at all, with the Macbook Pro existing solely to get work done.

It makes for an interesting experiment, well worth taking, so perhaps try it out. Even if you don’t suffer from computer addiction, the time away from PCs will rekindle your love for other things in life.

A-Data Technology, a leading manufacturer of high performance DRAM module and flash memory products worldwide has come up with a new C902 Super Thin Mini USB Flash Drive.

With the advancement of technology, electronic devices are becoming highly sophisticated and smaller in size. A-Data Technology’s new C902 product, not to be mistaken with the Sony-Ericsson C902, is one of a kind. The capacity ranges from 2GB to 16GB. It is compact and weighs only 2 grams which facilitates to access or backup important data whenever and wherever needed. C902 offers additional software such as UFDtoGo unlike a regular USB 2.0 flash drive. UFDtoGo software provides PC-lock, data compression, Portable Outlook or Outlook Express or Windows Mail, favorites synchronization, Desktop, Folder to Folder and My Documents synchronization, multilingual user interface. It is available in 17 different languages.

The A-Data C902 is compact and data can be carried handily. The A-Data C902 has a trendy design and is very handy as it can be attached to a key chain or mobile phone. It is available in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB as required. The A-Data C902 is not only a storage device, but also a trendy statement. Combining practical functionality and trend-appealing design, the C902 reflects the unique taste for fashion.

Rambus has recently announced that it has developed a breakthrough technology that will provide an incredible boost to the computing power of mobile devices. The company is a leading memory chip maker and has been known for its world class products and innovations. The new technology is targeted towards performing mobile computing at a blazing speed whilst extending the mobile device’s battery life and will be presented at DesignCon.

The new technology will enable the microprocessor installed in a wireless device to receive desired data at a very high speed from memory chips. It will also improve the device’s battery life. The company claims that its new technology is five times faster than the most advanced ones currently available. It also claims that the new technology makes the chips connections found in mobile phones 16 times faster. This will ultimately lead to improvement in the processing speed of the mobile phones. The phones will now be able to process high definition videos and advanced games in the same way the speedy computers do these days.

The company has named its new technology as MMI (mobile memory initiative). It is capable of delivering 4.3 gigabits of data per second on a single connection between the chips. Usually the memory chips used in the mobile phones, like the LG KC910 Renoir, handle around 266 megabits of data per second. Exceptionally, some high end chips support 800 megabits per second but not as high as 4.3 gigabits.

PDAs or Personal Digital Assistants are great devices to have, as they assist mobile users in their day to day tasks. These devices are used in almost every sector, despite the increasing popularity and presence of smartphones like the BlackBerry Storm. Be it marketing, sales, advertising, finance, HR, productions, logistics or any other functional area, the Personal Digital Assistants work as a great helping hand and manages all the complex tasks easily.

Due to such benefits and worldwide popularity the PDAs will now be introduced in workshops also. The after sales software developer arm of Manheim Retail in the UK, Real Time Communication (RTC) has developed a new handheld PDA to increase the efficiency of the after sales inspection system in the workshops. It will enable the wireless transmission of the recorded data to RTC’s vehicle health check module. This will eliminate the need for service advisors to re-enter the data that has already been recorded by the technician. It’s very simple to use the new PDA. This demonstrates how other PDAs, like the Hewlett-Packard HP iPAQ 214, can also be put to good use in an after sales environment, and not just in the office. Once the workshop technician is through with the vehicle health check, the necessary information can be downloaded wirelessly to the health check module of the RTC PDA. From thereon, the workshop controller can simple perform his task of costing and authorisation. Moreover, any deferred task is automatically entered into the RTC’s vehicle check module.

Tim Baumfield, Managing Director of RTC commented, “Adapting existing PDA technology to the aftersales environment, replacing paper-based systems and minimising the risk of human error have all been the key objectives in the development of this new product. The end result is significant process improvements and productivity efficiencies at a time when dealers are looking to sweat their assets and generate revenue wherever they can.”

Tags for this article: mobile, technology, sales

G-Technology has recently unveiled a new series of its external storage drives that are based on the 2.5 inches solid state drive technology. The company has developed the G-DRIVE mini SSD and the RAID 0/1 G-RAID mini SSD. The former one is available in 120GB and 250GB storage capacities while the latter one is available in 250GB and 500GB storage capacities.

All the drives are fully rugged devices and the company claims that because of the absence of any type of mechanical assembly, there is no single chance of drive corruption. Whilst normal G-Technology hard drives, such as the G-Technology G-DRIVE Combo 1TB, might have more storage capacity, the durability of the SSDs is unquestionable. As per the lab tests each SSD can endure extreme shocks up to 1500Gs, vibrations, abnormal temperature and are fit to use at high altitudes. These external drives sports three different types of interfaces, i.e. FireWire 400, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0. So you can use it at varying speeds depending on the type of port your Mac machine has. When connected to a FireWire 800 port the drives offer a data write speed of 60MB/sec and 75MB/sec read speed.

Roger Mabon, vice president of Fabrik’s G-Technology product group said, “These products target a very niche market segment that understands the cost benefits of using a superior quality, yet simple, SSD-based external storage solution. Nothing comes close to their quality, performance and reliability.”

Tags for this article: apple, drive, macbook

With the aim of becoming the ‘greenest technology company’ in the world, Dell has recently announced its packaging reduction strategy under which the company has pledged to eliminate around 20 million pounds of packaging material. It will not only cut down the packaging costs by more than $8m (£5 m) but also save more than 150,000 trees.

The company is aiming to reduce the packaging levels by 10 percent worldwide by 2010. At the same time, the company will also increase the sustainable content in cushioning and corrugate packaging by 40 per cent and has announced that around 75 percent of packaging components will be recyclable by 2012. Apart from this, Dell will deploy lightweight air filled cushion technology. This will eliminate the need for heavy cardboard. It will also lead to the use of 100 per cent recycled High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) thermal-formed cushions that are obtained from the waste materials including milk bottles and laundry detergent bottles. Whether any of these conservation method will also result in price reductions on the latest Dell computers, like the Dell Studio 1737, remains to be seen. According to the company’s calculations, around 33 million recycled milk jugs will be used for the desktop and laptop packaging.

Dell has also launched a new web site called Dell Greenprint Advisor to encourage other firms also to optimise their sustainability strategies and take part in the ‘global green packaging strategy’ in order to get positive environmental benefits.

Tags for this article: dell 1737 review, dell 1737, dell studio 1737 review

All the leading smartphone makers, including Nokia, Samsung Electronics, Motorola, LG Electronics, Sony Ericsson, Apple and many more, are looking forward to introducing MEMS gyroscope technology in their smartphones that are scheduled for launch in 2009. MEMS gyroscope is a cutting edge technology used by the Nintendo Wii to sense rotational motion and enhance the gaming experience. This technology is also used in image stabilising systems.

Apple has announced that it will introduce this technology in its 2009 iPhones. However, it’s not very clear to what extent the MEMS gyroscopes will be implemented and for what purpose. The Apple iPhone already features an accelerometer to detect the motion, but the MEMS gyroscope is expected to enhance this functionality and help in stabilising the digital images captured via the iPhone’s camera. According to the top smartphone makers, this new technology will make their mobile devices appeal to more consumers.

MEMS gyroscopes will not increase the production cost too much and will account for only 3 percent of the total production cost. The vendors who use MEMS G-sensors in their smartphones are also looking forward to shift to the new technology.

Tags for this article: iPhone, smartphone, smartphones 2009

BT is preparing for the 2012 Olympics to be held in London. The company is aiming at making the whole city technologically sound by making a whole new and improved mobile computing strategy. The organisers of the Olympics are working closely with BT in this project. The overall aim is to allocate the resources in a better manner and implement mobile technology in a way that it enhances the consumer interaction during the event.

For this purpose the company is analyzing consumer trends and identifying the type of services that need to be included in the project. By 2012 many exciting mobile services will be implemented. This comes in addition to the numerous WiFi zones and hotspots already pervading the capital, allowing one to use their wireless laptop in most locations in the city. Some of the new planned mobile services include things like  live updates of sports events, and X-Factor-style polls, which will allow fans to vote for their favourite athlete, and much more.

According to Stuart Hill, vice president of BT’s London 2012 delivery program, “There are plans to give an emphasis to mobile technology to enhance consumer interaction at the games. We are in talks with Gerry (chief information officer at London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games or LOCOG) to see how we can deploy services to support mobility and improve the way people interface with the Games. London knows how to have a party, so there will be a lot of consumer activity in and around the event sites and therefore a good opportunity to introduce mobile services to the audience.”

Tags for this article: mobile, technology

The economic slowdown harms Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) immediately. With the growth of mobile computing, SMEs are facing more pressure because they find it difficult to locate technology suppliers who understand their needs. According to a survey conducted by T-Mobile, SMEs use the investments made in the mobile computing sector to maintain growth and reduce costs in such an environment of economic slowdown.

More than 500 SMEs owners, who employ less than 250 employees across the UK, were surveyed and it was concluded that such entrepreneurs find it difficult to get a suitable technology supplier, for products like notebooks, desktop PC, and other needs. Most of them believe that it’s high time to replace the old working model with a flexible one so that the overheads can be reduced to a minimum. SMEs feel that the nature of their mobile computing contract gives them the ability to adapt to sudden economic recession.

According to the Director of Service and Sales at T-Mobile UK, Gordon Ballantyne, “Things are going to become increasingly difficult for many smaller businesses and it’s imperative that suppliers work with them to ensure that they can continue to grow. Mobile communications providers need to work with SMEs to tailor a tariff which not only matches their business needs, but also takes into account the potential impact of the credit crunch. Businesses should be looking for a simple, understandable price plan from mobile communications providers and ensuring they get the specific advice that they require.”

Tags for this article: mobile, technology

Display developers are now concentrating on improving the LCD screen of laptops so that the existing batteries can run for longer time. With the new innovative LCD technology it is speculated that future laptops will be able to run for approximately 40 hours on a single charge. This means you won’t have to worry about carrying around extra batteries, like the Lenovo 43R1966, or even battery enhancers anymore. The new energy efficient LCDs will not be responsible for draining out most of the battery power and this will not result in a corresponding loss in display quality either. Users will still be able to enjoy high definition media and 3D gaming as well.

Mary Lou Jepson, the founder of Pixel Qi has decided to work on the new technology. According to her, the new LCDs can be easily manufactured in conventional factories and will be launched in the market next year. However the exact date is not known yet. The new LCD will have another advantage. They will also let users view the screen directly under the sunlight and have a fully saturated HDTV-quality colour mode.

Jepson Commented, “At Pixel Qi, we have a new series of inventions that go well beyond the OLPC screen that we are developing right now. We are working with a number of notebook and e-book makers on a number of different form factors. We can enable an increase of 5-10X battery life between charges compared with a standard notebook. This means that rather than needing to recharge your batteries every few hours, you could run 20-40 hours of use on a one charge.”

Tags for this article: laptop, battery, technology