Hardware

It can be challenging keeping up to date with hardware and PC specs, as they change daily as new components become available. Not only will we share what’s new on the market, but we’ll keep you abreast of how to improve performance and resources.

Ever wanted to have a keyless door? Here is one

You see keyless doors all the time on tv, in series like 24 and alias for instance and every movie in which the military plays a part. They never have normal doors, they use keyless doors that work either by using fingerprints to identify the person and grant / deny access or keycards to do the same. It still sounds a lot like science fiction and I bet you never seen something like this on your neighbors door - so, why not be the first one who has this kind of device ?

One Chip to track them down

What is wrong with those movie and music companies ? Why the heck are they increasing the pressure on people who are actually buying their overpriced items instead of those who copy them in large scale ? Their newest invention is apparently an embedded radio transmitter chip that can be remotely tracked by those companies making it possible to follow a DVD, Blue-Ray or HD-DVD from factory to consumer.

The perfect multimedia device

Do you like watching movies on your computer monitor or do you prefer to watch them on your television ? I think most people who answer this question prefer to watch the movies on tv which has many advantages: Bigger Screen, you can watch with more people without feeling crowded around a pc monitor and it has that certain tv feeling that watching on a pc monitor has not.

Transparent TV from Sony

It seems that Sony is still able to produce innovative products. I read that this one is not totally new but it is the first time I see something like that. They seem to be using a projector at the back of the transparent material (glass ?) to display the image. The speakers seem rather big for this television, you will need lots of free space to place the tv in a room.

Practical Tips to Decrease the Temperature of your Computer

One phenomenon can be observed every year when the summer begins. Many users report problems with their computers who behave strangely or even reboot unexpectedly. If you experienced this once you might already know what is causing this behaviour. Pc components become warmer than usual because the air is hotter which can lead to reboots and even damaged components.

automatic acoustic management

Silence or Speed up your Hard Drive

Automatic Acoustic Management is a feature of most modern hard drives which reduces the seek noice at the cost of perfomance. Most hard drives have this feature disabled but it is possible to enable it using a tool like silent drive which runs on Windows Xp and 2000 only. Please note that silent drive is only working with IDE drives at the moment and that the gui is in german.

A Beginners Guide to the PC

A Beginner's Guide to What Goes on Inside that PC published by extremetech a few days ago tries to explain the components of a personal computer without the "geek" language. It aims at a audience that did not have the time or desire to understand how a pc is working. The eight-parts article begins with an introduction and goes on by encouraging everyone to take a look at their own pc. (After saving all work and the like). It would be a good way to print the article to be able to read it and look at the turned off computer at the same time.

Dorgem Webcam Capture Application

Are you using webcams at home or in your company ? Maybe you wondered if it would be possible to record those webcam sessions ? Dorgem is a freeware application that lets you record your webcam(s). As you can see in the screenshot it´s very easy to use.

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Computer Building Price Guide

Are you planning to purchase a new computer in the near future ? You are also someone who builds the computer on his own, someone who does not rely on retail computers that might have parts that are not the quality you demand ? The gotfrag price guide might be a good starting point if you answered both questions with yes.

look up firmware version

Firmware Updates

I bought a Geforce 6600 graphic adapter last year from Asus and had the initial problem that the fan was to noisy. Even when I was surfing the internet or writing a text in Open Office. I was sure that this could not be correct and decided to search for a way to reduce the fan speed and thus the noise level when it was not needed.

Buying used notebooks

Is it a good idea to look at online marketplaces like ebay to find a (used) notebook ? Is it a good idea to buy a used one or should one go for a new one ? Buying used ones has some advantages over new models: The price will be considerably lower, even if the used one has been purchased just a few months ago. Prices for last generations notebooks drop fast, even more if they have been used already.

Risks of selling your old pc

A study conducted by Professor Martin Gill of the University of Leicester came to the conclusion that second hand computers pose a great risk of fraud and identity theft. They purchased six computers in the course of their study from various second hand channels. Six computers may not seem to justify the results but it can be seen as an indicator. Half of them had not been securely wiped while one had not been wiped at all. Two of the three contained enough information for identity theft.

How to fix a dead pixel on a lcd monitor

I don´t have a lcd monitor yet but this might be useful to some of you who already own one. This is not supposed to be working for every flat screen out there but I think its nevertheless worth a try. Take a look at the following site and decide for yourself if you want to try this method.

Your keyboard is Dirtier than your toilet

If this topic did not catch your attention at once then none will. Dr. Charles Gerba from the university of Arizona found out in a study that measured normal bacterial levels inside offices across America that the average desk harbors 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.

Why QWERTY was invented!

Ever thought about why your keyboard layout is the way it is today ? Why the first line starts with QWERTY and not some other letter sequence ? Wonder no more, the site "why qwerty was invented explains it all to us.


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