วันศุกร์ที่ 3 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2552

Flash memory and Vista ReadyBoost

Flash memory and Vista ReadyBoost
by Patrick Wilson

Finally flash memory manaufacturers are announcing USB drives that have been certified and support the Windows Vista's ReadyBoost feature. This feature can improve general performance without having to add RAM memory.

The certification was initially requested by Microsoft to ensure users acquire flash devices that are functional with the ReadyBoost feature. Windows Vista can test any USB flash device for functionality of course, but you must install the device on Vista; which you would make the assumption the drive would have to be purchased already in order to install the device and let Vista test the product.

This is not where I would like to find out the drive is incompatible with the ReadyBoost feature. Once opened the reatailer is not likely to allow a return on the device.

Microsoft has also initiated the certification of other forms of flash memory including SD cards and CompactFlash for ReadyBoost and ReadyBoot.

Kingston has announced several products that are certified for use with Windows Vista ReadyBoost over the past month or so. Other manufacturers seem to be following suit. Additional manufacturers include SanDisk Corp. and A-Data Technology Co. Ltd.

Currently looking for a ReadyBoost certified device? you may want to start with the above listed manufacturers websites for additional product information. Each device will have it's own performance peramaters and one device may out perform another. If you have the oppurtunity I would reccomend reviewing benchmark tests for these devices if performance is at the top of purchase criteria for such a device.

About the Author

About the author: Patrick Wilson has been writing technology articles since 2004. For an extremely accurate internet speed test try the speed test at PC911.

วันพุธที่ 1 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2552

Cheap SD Memory Cards - The Basics

Cheap SD Memory Cards - The Basics
by Helen Charleston

In 1999, Mitsubishi and Toshiba put forth a collaborative attempt to create a convenient means to store computer files for camcorders and computers. The result was the inexpensive SD Memory Card.

These SD (Secure Digital) cards all but replaced the Multimedia Card (MMC), having typically and noticeably faster transfer rates as well as a high-density storage capacity. The standard transfer rate for the cheap SD memory card is six times faster than the typical CD-ROM, with a speed expending at 66x (1.01 specification).

The higher speed SD memory card, though, possesses a 133x speed (1.1 specification), enabling data transfer of complex audio/visual files to proceed and save in mere microseconds. The average data transfer rate provides the capability for these files to record everything at the same time and immediately.

The function that really makes these cheap SD memory cards so much better than the old MultiMedia Cards is the storage space. Not only is storage vaster, but the SD memory cards are available in a multitude of different capacities: 900kB/s ands 10 MB/s,16 MB/s, 32 MB/s, 64 MB/s, 128 MB/s, 256 MB/s, 512 MB/s, 1 GB, 2 GB/s, 4 GB/s, 6 GB/s, and even 8 GB/s, which is so huge that it can hold a library of movies and considerably more!

The cheap SD memory cards usually require a card reader or adapter to act as a connecter to a central processor of some sort (computer, camcorder, etc.), but are even designed to utilize USB ports. Many modern electronic devices are created with a SD memory function or a port especially made for the SD memory card.

That such a gadget is (relatively) inexpensive is yet another advantage of the SD memory card. The prices are as varied as the storage capacity, but lower costs provide an incentive for those who are looking for a sophisticated, high calibre product.

Prices range anywhere from $10.95 for the 128 MB/s to $12-$15.00 for the 256 MB/s and under $20 for the 512 MB/s. The prices for the 1 GBs differ, but they typically fall under $60. The more inexpensive brands, such as Corsair and Kingston, average between $35 and $45, whereas the more well-known brands (SunDisk and Lexar) range from $50 to $60. The 2 GB SD memory cards are around $100 or slightly more.

For those gung ho audio/visual enthusiasts who want to build extensive archives of files, or for those who have many small simple Word doc files, the cheap SD memory card is the best device to use.

Get your cheap sd memory cards here as well as your other compact flash memory specifications.

About the Author

1 gb flash drives analogous offerings and value-added services are available at my website.

วันจันทร์ที่ 30 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2552

A Few Tips on Buying Good Memory Cards and other Hi-Tech Electronic Accessories

A Few Tips on Buying Good Memory Cards and other Hi-Tech Electronic Accessories
by James kook

If you have ever tried shopping for memory cards you know how difficult it can be especially if you don’t know much about them! Here are some basic tips to help you buy the best memory card that suits your needs.

Know the formats There are many different formats available in the market as far as memory cards are concerned. Having knowledge about these is critical before you start shopping otherwise you risk buying a memory card which might be incompatible with your PC, digital camera or other host device.

SD Cards are a highly secure stamp-sized digital camera memory card, which weigh approximately two grams. Brands available include Sandisk, Toshiba, Kingston and Lexar. SD Cards can be used in a variety of digital devices, including mobile phones, digital music players, handheld PCs (HPCs), digital cameras, car navigation systems and electronic books. SD Cards have cryptographic security for copyrighted data based on proven security concepts from DVD Audio.

SDHC Cards are the next generation of SD cards but offer increased capacities (4GB �" 32GB) and faster transfer speeds of up to 6MB per second (Class 6). These memory cards are primarily designed to be used in digital camcorders and digital cameras. However, their large capacity does allow them to be used in many other devices for additional storage, such as the new Asus eePC and other laptops.

Mini SD: This is available in sizes ranging from 1GB, 2GB and even 4 GB. They are compatible with all smart phone devices with a Mini SD or SD Card (with SD adaptor) slot and even digital cameras.

Micro SD: These are even smaller than mini SD cards. They range in capacity from 512MB to 2GB and are the most common form of mobile phone memory due to their compact size. They can be used as an SD card if inserted into an SD card adaptor, giving you versatility to use them in digital cameras and other memory card devices.

Micro SDHC: These cards are the next generation of Micro SD cards but offer much higher capacities, from 4GB �" 32GB, and faster transfer speeds up to 6MB per second (Class 6). They will be use in next generation mobile phones to cope with capacity hungry files, such as MPEG4 and MP3.

USB Readers: You will most likely require a USB reader for accessing data on your memory card. Today’s PCs often come with readers installed as standard so that you can insert as many as 5-6 cards at a time. This enables good compatibility with digital camera memory card formats.

Compact Flash: These are cheap compared to many other types of memory card, readily available and can be used with several different devices. Using integrated ATA controllers these memory cards enable file management, I/O, error correction functionality etc. Traditionally Compact Flash cards have been favoured by Professional Photographers as they are available in various capacities and have a very high file transfer rate. To enable many photos to be taken in quick succession.

MMC: Also known as multimedia cards these are the size of a regular postage stamp. They are easily integrated into different devices and consume less power compared to other memory cards, so are ideal for devices that need to conserve battery power for other functions. They are generally used in digital cameras, MP3 players and older Nokia mobile phone models.

Memory Stick PRO DUO is a versatile memory card, suitable for several device types, including digital cameras, digital music players, digital voice recorders and the Sony PSP. Memory Stick PRO DUO is also compatible with all devices that accept Memory Stick PRO. Simply use a DUO adaptor and the Memory Stick PRO DUO becomes the size of a Memory Stick PRO memory card.

M2 Memory Stick Micro, available from Sony, Lexar and Sandisk, is approximately one-quarter the volume of Memory Stick Pro Duo memory cards, yet only about 1.2mm thick. M2 is designed as an externally removable memory card with a controlled eject function to prevent users losing their media, providing a secure storage solution for music, videos and photos. M2 Memory Stick Micro is also compatible with all devices that accept Memory Stick PRO DUO or Memory Stick PRO. Simply use an adaptor and it becomes the size you need.

To know more about : A Few Tips on Buying Good Memory Cards and other Hi-Tech Electronic Accessories, Visit This: www.mymemory.co.uk

About the Author

James is an eminent analyst and writer.

วันศุกร์ที่ 27 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2552

Maximize the result from USB Pen Drive

Maximize the result from USB Pen Drive
by Raisa Raima

The world of mass storage has seen many significant changes in the last few decades. The roles played by traditional diskettes and CDs have changed and now the important task of mass storage is taken care of by the latest USB pen drives.

Let us have a brief look at the numerous advantages of a USB pen drive to find enough reasons for its growing popularity in the last few years. A USB pen drive offers a higher degree of portability, flexibility, affordability and consistency than its traditional counterparts. These cheap pen drives can be used in different ways to enhance productivity, add-on sales and profit line.

Most of the present day USB pen drives are cross-platform functional and their users can easily use them on machines running on the Windows, Macintosh or Linux operating systems. Some of the latest pen drives come with plug-and-play functionality, which allows the users to make use of them without the installation of any drivers.

If you want to maximise the results from these cheap pen drives then it does not matter what types or how many devices you have, the only thing that matters is how best that can be used for. A pen drive can be effectively used to organise, store and share Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, critical business or personal mails, image/sound/video files and other applications or programs. The sharing of these applications can be done on Local area network (LAN) or a Wireless LAN.

Some of the leading names in the world of USB pen drives are Kingstong, Transcend and iBall. The Kingston DTI 1 GB, iBall 1 GB USB Pen Drive, Transcend TS1GJFV30 Jet Flash, Kingston DTI 2 GB Pen Drive and Kingston Data Traveller DTI 4GB are some of the most acclaimed and affordable USB pen drives in the present day market. The Kingston DTI 2 GB Pen Drive is one of the most critically acclaimed USB mass storage devices that can easily meet all of your storage needs. It offers superior results by facilitating fast transfer of data files and is considered to be an exceptional companion for every home and workplace as it offers a huge storage capacity.

So, if you need to swap files across multiple platforms and want to experience the benefits of portable yet high-end solutions then these high-quality yet cheap pen drives, which run on the advanced hard disk spinning technology, are all what you ever needed.

About the Author

The author is a specialist in retail writing. Her writing skills reflect the outcome of years of exposure to the retail industry. Working with retail giants as a consultant has enriched her knowledge base and her passion for writing got fire. She can be read regularly on RetailsDirect.com. For details please visit: www.retailsdirect.com HCL Laptops

วันอังคารที่ 24 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2552

Why you need Data Recovery Services

Why you need Data Recovery Services
by Mullwani

Your hard drive is the most important thing you have in your PC because it is the one that stores all your information. In this way, it is important to ensure that your hard disk drive is kept in proper running condition so that your data may not be corrupted. It would then be important to perform regular hard disk scans using anti virus software and regular maintenance of your PC e.g. having it blown to remove dust. A small particle of dust landing on platters of the hard drive disk can cause you to lose all your information.

But it is also good to remember that the hard drive is a man-made machine. Therefore, the unfortunate thing is that despite the amount of care that is taken, hard disk drives are still bound to crash. So have to look for ways of recovering data after it has failed.

Data loss and system crashes occur when errors are experienced in the hard disk sectors. This does not only apply to hard disks but to anything that is considered a storage device e.g. magnetic tapes, CDs/ DVDs, USB flash disks etc. Once the system is overwhelmed by either logical or physical errors, it is bound to fail.

When the hard disk drive is failing, one of the common problems experienced is croaking. Croaking includes things such as frequent error messages such as 'Disk Boot Failure' 'Operating system missing', disk not in proper running order while the computer is booting, the "Blue Screen of Death" (a blue screen with a lot of information written on it that shows the hard disk is being defragmented) or even weird sounds such as whirring or click sounds. When such things are experienced, it could mean that your system is about to crash. It is then advisable to backup as much data as possible. However, backup may become outdated.

Therefore, the next option would be to employ the services of a data recovery expert. This is the most advisable and, personally, the best option to be taken when the system begins to crash. With the experience they have, data recovery specialist will use the necessary skill and technology to recover your data.

More information about data recovery services follow the link.


About the Author

www.datarecovery.co.ke/

วันพุธที่ 18 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2552

Development Of Micro SD Memory Card

Development Of Micro SD Memory Card
by Shawn Paul

The conventional SD cards were bigger in size to fit in the small sized mobile cellular phones. Therefore to fulfill the requirement of memory card of having small size that could operate in the small size mobile phones, secure digital association introduced the microSD memory card. The mobile users welcomed the new microSD card and now it has become a standard in the industry. MicroSD memory card was developed particularly to support the fast expanding and changing cellular phone market. Size of the microSD card is about ¼ of the standard secure digital card and its size is comparable to that of a fingernail.

The more enhanced and extended form of the microSD card is the micro-SDHC (high capacity) memory card. Both these SD cards are the industry standards and are utilized by the leading major vendors of mobile phones due to its widely accepted SD interface standard and its compact size as well. MicroSD card is more often used in the mobile phones but it is also used widely in other devices like the Global Positioning System devices, extendable USB drives, video game consoles and audio portable players. The microSD cards are very advantageous as they all are backward compatible with the secure digital enabled electronic equipments. With the usage of a suitable adapter the micro secure digital memory card can be inserted quickly and easily into Secure digital or miniSD supportive standard device.

The open standards are more advantageous for the manufacturers and consumers as well who favor single, wide supportive standard. Key element of the strategy of secure digital association for addressing the growing requirements of cellular phone device market is micro-SD specification's adoption. MicroSD is the preferred standard of the markets of cellular phone and consumer electronics that is why the specification required for future's extension in capacity and performance is continuously lead by SD association. SD, microSD and miniSD memory cards are the dominant, most preferred and ideal choice for the industry of wireless communications. This format is backed and supported by the members of secure digital association Nokia, Toshiba, Panasonic, NEC, Sharp, Samsung and similarly the other major marketers of secure digital (SD), miniSD and microSD enabled cellular phones around the globe.

MicroSD memory card's interoperability with TransFlash cards depicts that these memory cards can be used with all the cellular phones that are using the TransFlash cards. Those product manufactures that supported the TransFlash have migrated to microSD. MicroSD memory cards operate in the hosts of TransFlash and likewise the TransFlash (TF) cards work in the hosts of microSD.

In January 2000, the SDA (secure digital card association) was established and is by Toshiba, Panasonic and SanDisk. Consortium of more than eight hundred companies support this open standard SDA. Promotion and wide adoption of SD card in varieties of applications and setting of new industry standards is the mission of secure digital card association (SDA). Standards of (SD) secure digital memory cards are built in wide and new range of digital devices like mobile phones, multimedia automated systems, still and video digital cameras, audio players and handheld personal computer systems. Their popularity and usage have rapidly increased as they are more reliable, compact, compatible, low cost and more user friendly. Now it has become a standard in the industry.

For more details and online orders, please visit, 'tape4backup.com'

About the Author

Shawn Paul (Marketing Manager) http://www.tape4backup.com 34972 Newark Blvd, # 501, Newark CA 94560 Tel: 888-491-4949 Fax: 888-449-5050 Email: sales@tape4backup.com

วันเสาร์ที่ 14 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2552

With the Samsung Pixon you won't need your digital camera

With the Samsung Pixon you won't need your digital camera
by Jamie Hanson

Until now, most people haven't relied on their cell phones to take pictures of those unforgettable moments. For great quality photographs, it's still been necessary to carry around a digital still camera, but not anymore. Samsung M8800 Pixon is a full, touch screen handset that has an 8 megapixel autofocus camera built in. Photo functions are a huge part of this slim phone. You have the ability to easily take, view and share photos. The phone features face, blink, and smile detection as well as dual LED flash. An auto-panorama mode, 16x zoom option and an advanced shake reduction system also contribute to giving you the best pictures possible on a cell phone. The Samsung Pixon has a built-in accelerometer. When you're looking through your pictures in the album, instead of pressing a button to advance, just tip the Pixon M8800 in the direction you want to go and the next picture will scroll smoothly into view. Similar to other cell phones, the Pixon has large displays, taking up the majority of the phone's face. So with the touch of your finger, you can take a photo of your baby's first step and then immediately email it to Grandma. After sharing the photo, you can be sure it's safe by placing it in a folder where you can later sort by face, time, color or folder.

Don't think that this phone is only good for taking pictures, though. The Pixon can stand up against other touch screen handsets on the market with its Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and HSDPA. It also has 30 FPS video recording, record and play features and slow motion video playback. Virtual 5.1 CH Surround Sound, FM radio with RDS, Bluetooth 2.0, and TV out will appeal to multi-media fans. All these are seen and heard on a 3.2? WQVGA (240×400) screen with 262k colors. It shows decent images even while watching videos. A great addition is the brightness sensor, which allows you to actually see the display even when you are outside on a sunny day. Other components include 200 MB of internal memory, a Micro SD memory card slot and 1000 mAh battery, with 3.5 hours of talk and 290 hours of stand-by time.

The Pixon primarily uses touch for its input method, but if you prefer buttons, there are physical "Send" and "End" keys. They are small, but stick out from the side and are very well noticed by touch. To keep them separate, there is a small, round button in between them. This is OMNIA's optical mouse, which can only be pressed. The majority of buttons are found on the rugged sides. On the left, you'll find the "Hold" button and Shortcut keys. The right side contains the only easy-to-spot side key, the camera trigger. The charger connector is located at the top and is not Micro USB, but Samsung's exclusive one that is also used for headphones and data cable.

So if you are looking for a cell phone to replace your digital camera, the Samsung M8800 Pixon might just be the phone for you.

About the Author

For the Samsung Pixon M8800 or any Samsung mobile phones visit DAP.