The following is a guest post by Trinity Nick. You can submit your own post by visiting our ‘Write for Us‘ page.

The Apple iPad is a revolutionary gadget. It created a stir even before it was actually seen or announced. And perhaps this is the only product to have had those many rumors and speculations being thrown from every nook and corner of the web world. It has been hogging the spotlight, since its release. Somewhere in its glare, people might have not really noticed a smaller tablet from Dell, called the Streak, which is on its way to the markets.

The Dell Streak has a 5-inch multi-touchscreen. It is much smaller when compared to the 9.7-inch iPad. However, there are certain features that this smaller tablet offers, which the iPad lacks. Then again, there are certain other areas, where the iPad emerges victorious.

Multitasking and Multimedia

The Apple tablet is a “One thing at a time, and that done well….” kind of device. It cannot multi-task. However, it offers a rich multimedia and gaming experience with its large multi-touch display. The Dell Streak, on the other hand, can multi-task. This is one of the biggest advantages it has over the Apple iPad. When you’re browsing the internet on the Dell tablet, and when a page is downloading you can have a look at your messages. Or have music playing in the back-ground. Although it cannot compete with the iPad when it comes to the movie/video watching experience, it can still play them all – music, videos and movies.

Adobe Flash

The Dell Streak supports Adobe Flash player, which is needed for watching many online videos. The iPad does not. Many of the apps and videos on Facebook use Adobe Flash. According to reports, older Facebook videos will not play on the Apple tablet. However, the newer ones are being made iPad-compatible.

Camera

The Apple tablet has no built-in camera. The Dell tablet on the other hand, manages to pack in two of them – a primary 5MP camera for shooting photographs and videos and a second front facing VGA camera for video calls.

Tethering

When it comes to tethering, the Streak is more flexible. It has a 30 pin port which can be connected to the USB port of a PC or laptop, via a specific cable. The iPad, on the other hand, has no direct USB compatibility. There is a special iPad dock, which allows connecting with an external laptop or computer via USB. The Streak supports microSD cards as well, which can be used for exchanging information with other devices. The iPad lacks memory card slots.

Portability

Dell’s tablet scores more when it comes to portability as well. The iPad is definitely light and sleek, but it cannot fit into your pocket. Plus, the Streak’s screen is made of gorilla glass, which gives it more ruggedness. An accidental fall will keep scratches or cracks at bay. While none have tested how rugged an iPad is, by dropping it till date, it does look like a ‘handle with care’ kind of device.

OS and Application Stores

The Dell Streak is based on the Google Android OS. The iPad uses the iPhone OS. Being an Apple product, the iPad offers access to its big App Store, which is brimming with all kinds of apps and games. There’s access to the iTunes too. Plus, it has the iBook Store for e-books, all to itself. The Streak on the other hand, offers access to Google’s Android Market. While this is a speedily growing application store, it still has a long way to go before it catches up with the Apple App Store.

iPad or Streak?

Surfing the web, emailing, watching videos, movies, listening to music and playing games – these are what the tablets are meant to do. The Dell Streak can additionally make phone calls as well. However, these devices have their own pros and cons. So which one should you buy? The answer to this question lies in personal choice. Then again, those who travel a lot and need to stay well connected, could go for the Dell Streak; while those who want entertainment at their desks, could buy the Apple iPad.

Author – Trinity Nick

Trinity is a blogger from the UK. She writes a number of blogs for sites related to Laptops and Mobile Phones. She loves technology and guest blogs for other technological websites as well.

Online Privacy is of great concern to me and to the most of the guys (and gals) reading this article. I have already written many posts about online privacy and many tools to secure your online privacy. I recently came across a consumer alert released by Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s office. This alert was about a website that can reveal your personal information to anyone who can afford to pay three dollars. This is very true!!!

Spokeo: Welcome the Privacy Killer

For less than 3 dollars ($2.95 per month), Spokeo.com reveals age, address, home phone number, mobile phone number, ethnicity, marital status, religion, politics,  e-mail addresses, social networking profiles, photos, videos and blogs of any individual. Just perform a search for your name and you will be surprised (and shocked) to see the accuracy of the information available on their website. What makes it a bigger privacy killer as opposed to social networks? Well, the guys at Spokeo.com do not need you to signup at their website. This people search engine uses an algorithm to search public databases which are quite very accurate.

What are the authorities saying?

As already told, a consumer alert has already been released by Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s office.  Here is what the Attorney General mentioned in the consumer alert -

The difference with these web sites is that information from a variety of disparate sources is aggregated, collated, and presented in one place. It’s like pieces of a puzzle put together. The result is that consumers enjoy less privacy, and that is understandably shocking

- Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel

Further, the Arkansas Deputy Attorney General Jim DePriest told ABC News that the reason they singled out Spokeo is they received numerous inquiries from consumers.

Consumers are a little taken aback that this information is available in one place, and they feel that their privacy has been invaded, so we are responding to those fears.

- Arkansas Deputy Attorney General Jim DePriest

How to protect yourself?

After the consumer alert was released and after getting feedback from consumers, Spokeo has added a new feature called ‘one-step opt-out privacy setting’. You can yourself opt-out of their list and this happens immediately.

To remove your listing from Spokeo, go to the following webpage: http://www.spokeo.com/privacy

Running a successful Internet business is more than just learning how to start an online business and making your website. One of the secrets to really successful internet businesses is affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing works on the concept of revenue sharing between associated or affiliated businesses. It works like this: you agree to promote the products or services of an affiliated business, and anytime you generate a sale, lead, or click for that affiliate’s product or service, you get paid. It’s that simple theoretically.

If you want to be a successful affiliate marketer, you will need to follow the same basic guidelines as you would follow for any online business. You need to have a good website with good content that generates visitors. Your choice of keywords will greatly affect the level of traffic that you generate for your affiliates. To find out which of your keywords are generating the best rate of return, use your internet marketing tools. If you really want to be on the cutting edge of affiliate marketing, then you should monitor these keywords daily until you are certain that they are working for you. This is called keyword monetization.

Now you have to use those keywords to create effective ad copy for your affiliates. With affiliate marketing, you are likely to get copy from your affiliates. Perhaps you can generate some income using this, but remember, other people are using this same copy. The key is learning how to generate original copy that will make your website stand out against those others who are promoting the same affiliate. You can start by checking out your competitors and noting your similarities. Brainstorm any ideas you have about how you can stand out. Are their less competitive keywords you can use?

It is also important that you choose the right affiliates. You can’t just promote anyone and everyone on your site promote those reliable affiliates whose products and services closely match yours. People who visit your site are more likely to click through to those affiliates whose products and services match their interests.

There are many ways to promote your affiliates, but one of the most effective is to take advantage of blogs and social networking sites, as sites such as these help you establish a more prominent web presence. Social networking sites are quickly becoming the most utilized form of interaction especially for groups of people who are organized around similar interests. Social sites make it very easy for members of communities or fans to share information about their purchases.

A blog is another way that you can stand out as an affiliate. On your blog, you can establish yourself as an authority on the products or services that you promote. You can write reviews or how-to articles. If you can write in such a way that encourages commentary then that is even better. Search engines like sites that have a lot of comments. To even further establish yourself as an authority and outstanding affiliate, you can make YouTube Videos. If you do them properly, videos are a great way to shine your authentic personality!

If you are looking for ways to obtain free music for your music player or your Apple iPod, here is something of your interest -  digitized versions of 78rpm and cylinder recordings. These ancient music records have been digitized and are now compatible with your latest music players and iPods. The best of best, these records are completely and legally free.

How is this music legally free?

Copyright laws protect recorded music only for a period of 50 years after it is put down. This means that tracks from as recent as 1959 can be obtained for free.

While this may not sound really interesting for the guys of the generation but it is definitely a good source of free music for those who are interested in classics or those who would like to save every possible cent for an iPad.

In this post, we will see some of the very comprehensive source  of golden classics.

Top Websites to Get Free Music from Archives

Tinfoil

This website digitizes early recorded sounds. It continuously works to turn wax cylinders into digital audio. The website has some of the most fascinating stuffs of the order. For instance, it recently featured digitized version of a recording made on December 31, 1905 celebrating the New Year Year eve of 1906.

Link -  www.tinfoil.com

Stanford University

Stanford University hosts an old as well as a new archive of the ancient recorded music. It has one of the fastest growing library of free digitized music and radio records.

Link – www.sul.stanford.edu/depts/ars
www.lib.stanford.edu/ars

The Open Music Archive

As the name suggests, it is an open-source (collaborative) project which provides digital version of out-of-copyright ancient music. There is quite a lot of genre for which you can get some really interesting tracks. This really is an awesome depot for some really nice music.

Link – www.openmusicarchive.org

The Internet Audio Archive

It is a non-profit organization that collects and maintains a huge historical archive of digital creative product. Besides just the music files, it also stores old news shows, radio shows and concerts.

Link – www.archiv.org/details/audio

University of California

By the economic inspiration from Institute of Museum and Library Services, the University of California Libraries has created a huge collection of digital versions of nearly 8000 cylinder recordings that were held and maintained by the Department of Special Collections. In simpler words, this is a a fantabulous depot for getting deep into the musical archive.

Link – www.cylinders.library.ucsb.edu

Cooking is not an easy thing. Ask my mom or you better know if you are a mom yourself. It has been quite annoying to waste long hours in cooking food. Thanks to modern technology that now simplifies the work of cooking and makes it faster and efficient. There are some really cool gadgets available that can help you cook easily and efficiently. In this post, we will see 5 high-tech gadgets, which when added to your kitchen, can simplify cooking to a greater extent.

Demy

One of the reason people hate taking recipe books in kitchen is that they are not ‘kitchen-safe’. A recipe book may burn when accidently tossed into the oven or may get fazed by splattering of hot oil. Demy, on the other hand, is a recipe reader that is ‘kitchen-safe’. It will not melt when tossed into oven and will also not get fazed by hot oil. Demy is a touch screen companion for every cook who is interested in trying out new recipes every time. It is powered by KeyIngridient.com (probably the best recipe website on the internet) and has capacity to store up to 2500 recipes. With a kitchen-safe recipe reader on your kitchen desk, you are sure to cook your favorite in a very efficient way.

CDN Wireless Thermometer and Timer

Sitting (or standing) long hours in kitchen is definitely not a good idea when it takes quite some time to cook food. Thanks to CDN WT Wireless Probe Thermometer/Timer which provides with facility to get other things done around or in your house while simultaneously cooking in the kitchen. CDN WT Wireless Probe Thermometer/Timer gives you about 100 feet wireless extension for your oven so you are free to do other things while cooking. The alert system of the gadget is quite good. Visual alerts lets you know when the target temperature is reached and 10 minutes pre alert lets you know when your food is almost done cooking.

SensorFreshQ: An electric nose for hygienic cooking

SensorFreshQ can be thought as an electric nose that smells meat for determining the level of bacteria in the uncooked meat. This is an ‘almost perfect’ gadget for those who are very much concerned about hygiene. Besides, it can save you tons of cash which is expended on diseases caused by infected meat. Further, it is also helpful for you to check for old and expired meat before buying.

Electrolux Icon Induction Cooktop

This is the cooktop which ensures fastest cooking. It is so amazingly fast that it can boil water in 90 seconds or speed up the cranberry sauce in a 36-inch induction cooktop. It is 20% faster than other induction cooktops and 70% more efficient than the gas cooktops. This is indeed the best gadget for those who want cooking to be fast and efficient.

The Grill Alert Talking Remote Meat Thermometer

Having barbeque in your garden is a great way of having fun but it becomes quite annoying to stay by the grill for long time as minor distractions may spoil the entire thing. Thanks to The Grill Alert Talking Remote Meat Thermometer which is a handheld device that shouts loud when your meat is ‘almost done’ and when ‘done’.

This is the time when world is getting techie day by day and it is important that you jump into this fray to shape the future of cooking.

The following is a guest post by Edwin. See the author box below the post for more details on the Author.

Remember the good old days when the invention of video games came out. When company’s such as Sony or Nintendo broke into the scene with Atari, NES or PlayStation consoles. I was not born in that time period but I did grow up playing Nintendo 64. All I can say was ‘amazing’. Revolutionary is an understatement.

Sadly finding many of these systems now a days are virtually impossible. And if you do happen to find one expect to see it go for tons of money

All very sad….until now. Many people now a days are playing. And by many I mean millions. If I wanted I could use one too. But wait. Didn’t I just say there impossible to find?

Yes unless you have a PC. You see a group of people didn’t want to go out and pay to be able to relive their old memories. Instead they made programs that allow you to play with those consoles on your computer. These are called emulators or emu’s. Pretty great right?

Just visit Emulator-Zone and on the left hand side scroll through whatever console you want.

After you have picked whichever system you like pick which emu you would like to download.

To download games search up on Google ‘rom INSERT GAME NAME HERE’ (without apostrophes)

The Legalities:

Emulators and ROM’s are sort of shady in the legal side. If you have the console or the game then its legal. If you do not own it then it is illegal.

Here is what the internet said:

“…emulation. Both country specific copyright and patent law and international copyright law under the Berne Convention protect copying and reproducing of subject matter with copyright protection” “Under United States law, obtaining a dumped copy of the original machine’s BIOS is legal under the ruling Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc., 964 F.2d 965 (7th Cir. 1992) as fair use as long as the user obtained a legally purchased copy of the machine.”

To read more about this click here.

Even after all of this having emulators are very useful and are a lot of fun. I recommend you download yours today and start reliving the past!

Technology has helped medicine to progress a great deal. A latest breakthrough is the printer like device from Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine. This printer like device is a fantastic innovation that stands as a fabulous alternative to skin grafting. This device is a superb alternative to skin grafting – this is smarter, faster, efficient and techier. Let’s have a look at this breakthrough tech toy.

A Brief about this ‘Breakthrough’

This is a printer-like device that provides a faster and a smarter alternative to delicate skin grafting. Eventually, it could also be used to treat other wounds.

The device has a tank which holds a mixture of harvested skin cells, stem cells, and nutrients, and a computer-controlled nozzle that sprays skin on the exact location where it is required.

The working of this device is similar to the working of a colored printer, first spraying down a layer of fibroblast skin cells as a substrate and then blasting on a layer of protective keratinocyte cells.

Does this really work or is it just another tech fiction?

The device does seem to work actually. Some initial tests were conducted on a wounded lab mouse and it was seen that the process did work. Besides, this was smarter and faster as compared to skin grafting. This printer-like device healed the wounds in two weeks which is much faster than skin grafting which usually takes 5 weeks.

What’s next?

Next, pigs are to follow the tech fad which was initiated on mice. After successful tests on mice, the guys doctors at Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine are looking forward to perform these tests on pigs’ skin which closely resembles human skin. Eventually, the doctors will move to try these tests on humans…

Apple iPad is the talk of the town and “guess what?”,  it is a ‘Slate’. Welcome to the future of computing where slates will take over the usage of laptops and PCs. The day is very near when usage of ‘Slates’ will set in and we will see the departure of PCs and laptops. I was just struggling with this view last night when I came up with certain thoughts supporting “why Slates will take over the usage of PC and laptops?”. In this post, we will see 5 quite good reasons that will support my view.

1. Cloud Computing: No need of heavy hardware resources

The evolution of Cloud computing is one of the major factor that I see as a promoter of Slates’ usage. Cloud computing, in simple words, refers to the ability to store files, documents, programs, etc. remotely on a web server instead of storing it locally. This means that you can use whole lot of applications and functionalities without having to store anything locally on your system. This further means that you can get a system that is light on resources and yet can support your high-end application needs. Such system would be highly portable.

With cloud computing gaining popularity and various companies offering hard drive space on cloud, ‘Slate’ users can gain all the features of full-fledged PC on a very portable  device – ‘Slate’. You can have a high capacity hard disk at a web place and use it for the tasks that you commonly do on your computer. Some people say that Slates aren’t for gaming. For them, I would ask them to have a closer look to web. See how Farmville attracts 84 million members. Yes, web gaming has taken over most of those high budget casual games that find hard to sell a million copies.

2. Apple: The Giant is bent on creating a ‘Slate Era’

Apple is a giant and its products are due an unusual fan-fare. With over 2 million iPads presold within a week, there is an immense attention on this new device. Further, with the established presence of Apple Appstore which is loaded with millions of apps and games, it is sure that the consumers won’t ever feel a shortage of content and programs for their new device.  Apple is trying to be the first one to enter post PC era and monopolize it. Apple’s vision about technology is very clear to me. The guys are trying to bring the technology in the form where it can be swiped, touched and interacted with. This is vision is destined to power the ‘Slate Era’.

3. Say Hello to ‘Slates’: Say Hello to ‘Easy Life’

I see Slates as a means to simplify lives. Slates can simplify professional life to a great extent. While doing so, it will also better the life of those who depend on those professional services. For instance, an airplane pilot has to carry loads of stuffs like maps, manuals, flight times, schedules, coordinates, etc. With a simple and easy to carry Slate, the pilot can store everything in one small device and work efficiently and simplify live – his as well as ours.

4. Touch Screen: People like touching technology

As according to an article published at CNET.com; the use of touch-screen mobile-phones is growing at an enormous rate. Here is what the article tells about the rate at which ‘touch-screen phones’ are being adopted:

Touch-screen phone adoption grew by 159 percent between August 2008 and August 2009, according to ComScore. The firm also found that by the end of August 2009, there were 23.8 million users with touch-screen mobile phones in the United States alone.

- Don Reisinger, CNET.com
November 3, 2009

This gives a clear indication that public is largely accepting touch-screen devices in their daily lives. People are trying to eliminate use of physical keyboard and trying to maintain a purely interactive approach with technology.

5. Close competition means more options for users

Though Apple is leading the way to the ‘Slate era’ but this doesn’t mean that the users have no other option than the Apple iPad. Other new players such as – Neofonie WePad, Dell Slate, HP Slate, Notion Ink Adam,  JOOJOO, etc. are jumping into the fray.  This means that a wide segment of slates will be available in the market very soon. This will provide users to pick the right one suiting their choice and their budget.

That’s some quite good points Aditya but what’s the bottomline?

Well,the bottom-line is quite obvious and is quite good. Slates have the potential to literally kill the modern computing era that you (we) know. The basic architecture of computer has stayed quite very same since the late 1970. The hardware has changed from time to time lowering its cost day by day but the basic architecture of the machine has remained the same and the human-machine interaction has not changed since the past 40 years or so. This seed has already been put into user’s mind and they are reaching out towards the new model of human-machine interaction where the technology can be touched, felt and swiped. Tomorrow’s computing is better. Tomorrow’s computing device are ‘Slates’.

Malwares are a great threat to the security of your computer system. Searching ‘anti-malware’ on Google (or other search engines) generally lands you the website of some paid or expensive anti-malware software. However, there are tons of free anti-malware applications too. And the good thing is that out of these tons of free anti-malwares, there are some anti-malware applications that can really outshine some of the paid ones.

First things first, here is a small information about Malware by Wikipedia:

Malware, short for malicious software, is software designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. The term “computer virus” is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, including true viruses.

- Wikipedia.org

In this post, we will see 8 of the best free anti-malware software that can be used for free without any obligation.

HouseCall 7.1

HouseCall is an anti-malware solution from Trend Micro. It uses cloud based database of malware definitions to find and identify a malware activity. It runs in the background and offers no real time protection. Since this is a cloud based antivirus, it means that there are no heavy installations as such. But since it offers no real-time protection it is better that you use it along with other anti-malware program.

Website – http://housecall.trendmicro.com/index.html

Ad-aware 8.2 (Free)

The latest version looks for malware patterns to ID threats. It further offers a simple mode to handle problems even before you need to worry. It’s free for home use and can be downloaded for immediate use right away.

Website – http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

ThreatFire 4.5

It is a fast anti-malware with capabilities to remove rootkits. It works fabulously with traditional anti-virus applications to provide supplemental support.

Website – http://www.threatfire.com/

Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 1.0

Like HouseCall, it is also a cloud based anti-malware that requires no heavy installation. More than half of the detection action happens in the cloud and so you need not to download heavy malware definitions anymore. You further are not required to update these definitions due to cloud-based detection mechanism of the software.

Website – http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/

Avast! Free Antivirus 5.0

This freeware seems to be improving with time. The new version features an easy-to-master interface and an improved engine for finding troubles on your PC. Besides, it also prevents malware infections.

Website – http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0

Windows is susceptible to the viruses and it is a known fact. The company behind the Windows, Microsoft is doing the right thing by offering  a free anti-malware to the people. Well, it is not a great protection but it is better than having nothing at all. Since it comes from the guys behind Windows, this software seems to be pretty compatible with Windows.

Website – http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

Malwarebyte’s Anti-Malware 1.36

This is a great software and it’s infection search engine is used by companies such as Norton. Yes, this is right. The probable reason for it being used by other companies is that it is very very very fast at scanning a computer for infection. Thankfully, it is also efficient at removing threats that it founds.

Website – http://www.malwarebytes.org/

AVG Antivirus 9.0 (Free Edition)

Frankly speaking, this software works great for keeping a clean system clean. But it is not very good at rooting out problems. However, a good thing is that it excels at keeping your system clean even when you use it in Window’s safe mode.

Website – http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage

Yes, computers do die. An average computer can last anywhere between 2-6 years. After a specific period of time, your computer will wear up and will no longer support latest software or accessories with it. This will be the time when you will begin the dread and inevitable search of finding a replacement. Buying a new computer is no easy task to do. You have to go through different hassles to find the right one. Further, being economical is the need of the time and I am sure that you are cutting corners wherever possible. In such a case, the best thing is to make your computer last longer. ‘So is there a way I can really do this?’. Yes, of course you can do this. Here are 5 super tips that can delay your computer’s death.

Routine Maintenance

In case you are using your computer just for simple things like word processing, picture management, surfing the internet, listening songs, etc.; then getting rid of your old computer is definitely not a good idea. Even if you purchased your computer even 5 years ago from now, you will be able to do these things quite easily and in a reasonably efficient manner. Routine maintenance will be sufficient  for such a computer to run smoothly. Besides, it will also save you money.

Avoid High Temperature

It is a fact that computers generate a lot of heat and they should be stored in a climate-controlled room. High temperatures can affect your computer’s life severely. This, however, doesn’t mean that you need to have your computer in an air-conditioned room where the temperature is constantly maintained. You should just make sure that your computer is not left under direct Sun for a long time and is properly ventilated.

Give your computer some refreshment

Think computer not as a machine but as a living being (it is a friend in my case) and realize that it needs refreshment. Some people keep their computers running 24/7 while most people restart their computer every time they hit an error. Restarting your computer is actually a very good idea. Restarting your computer can give you a fresh start, speed up your computer and serve as a refreshment for your computer.

Dust your Computer

Dust is a bad conductor of heat. Dust accumulated on or around your computer can trap lot of heat and interfere in the proper working of your computer’s cooling fan. This can lead to a lot of wear and tear and can even cause damage to your computer’s fan. Therefore, it is necessary that you be careful when placing your computer. Do not place it on the ground as it might accumulate more dust. Avoid placing your computer in a room that has lot of dust built-up. Further, make it a point to blow out the dust off your computer with compressed air as often as possible.

For your Laptop

Laptops are becoming very popular these days (I am typing this post on my HP laptop) due to their portability. They are also a computer and they also are owned by an economical hand, right? The laptops, however, do not last as long as desktops. A known issue that reduces laptop’s life is extensive charging. Yes, you get this right. Even Apple advises users to avoid plugging in laptops for long hours. They recommend using the battery at times. A laptop battery usually lasts 300-500 charge cycles and you may need to seek a replacement after that. But in case your battery is struggling to support the required working hours even before its charge cycles are over, then getting a new one is a good idea and an inexpensive way to avoid buying a whole new computer.