23/10/2009 by john.

I have been to every major launch of Windows since Windows 3.1, and I must say I was looking forward to this the latest incarnation of Windows, Windows 7. To be fair I have had a beta copy for a few months now, and I like it, Windows 7 is less fussy I can upgrade my old PC running Windows XP even though I have to do a clean install. Listing to my journalist colleges yesterday the biggest drawback they could come up with was the fact that you can’t upgrade directly from Windows XP, which is a huge contrast to the list of Vista failings presented by industry hacks at launch of Vista.
Windows 7 feels slick and while many computer users stayed with Windows XP, I don’t see any obstacles to then finally making the move just as long as they are prepared to upgrade their applications as well.
I would recommend Windows 7 Ultimate to website developers as there are several useful new features like automatic windows placement allowing you to easily compare to windows. You could have source code and preview windows side by side. Furthermore, BitLocker and Bitlocker to go will make sure your website source files cannot fall into the wrong hands, even if you lose your laptop on a train or have it stolen as I did.
When Windows Vista replaced XP, I did not recommend an upgrade, rather I recommend to my readers that they wait and when they upgraded to a new PC/Laptop it would come with Vista.
This time around I would recommend an upgrade, this is because you can speed up your old computer, it improves portable battery life and feels easier to use without all thoughts annoying popup messages. In conclusion, Windows 7 feels familiar enough not to require a learning curve, it looks and feels fresh with some fresh ideas that work well this time around, I won’t be joining the Windows bashing team. Finally, Microsoft has listened and produced the goods.

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22/07/2009 by john.

London, 21 July 2009. SmartShopping, the comparison-shopping specialist in the portfolio of United Internet Media, has formally launched its own online offer for the English market (www.smartshopping.co.uk). Nick Casey has been appointed as the Country Manager for SmartShopping UK.

SmartShopping.co.uk is the first website in the English online market that makes it possible to compare not only prices but also shops and their services. The extensive comparison-shopping offer can also be accessed via mobile phone (http://mobile.smartshopping.co.uk) or in a variation that has been optimised for the look and feel of the iPhone (http://iphone.smartshopping.co.uk). Since the start of this year, an application that has been specially developed for the iPhone is available at the Apple iTunes Store as a free download.

With the expansion of the successful e-commerce model to Great Britain, United Internet Media - one of the leading marketing companies for digital offers in the European media market - emphasises the consistent internationalisation of its e-commerce offers and its sustained market commitment to one of Europe’s most important and strongest growth online markets. Following the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), the UK is already the fourth market in which SmartShopping is represented with an offer.

“Apart from advertising, e-commerce is and will remain the driver of growth par excellence for the entire digital sector. Great Britain also represents one of the most important growth markets in Europe in this respect. In the European comparison, the UK is already in 4th place with 86% online shoppers* and 42% of the European online advertising volumes. We also intend to expand our leading market position outside of Germany with a differentiated shopping network and excellent know-how, in addition to establishing ourselves in this strategic growth market,” is how Matthias Ehrlich, CEO of United Internet Media AG, explains the bridging to Great Britain.

United Internet Media has entrusted Nick Casey with the rollout of the SmartShopping offer in the UK. In his new function as the Country Manager of SmartShopping UK, the 31-year-old e-commerce specialist is responsible for establishing the brand in the British online market, as well as for the conceptual design of new shopping products and solutions specific to that market.

Casey can draw upon his longstanding and extensive knowledge of the English e-commerce scene and its special demands for his new assignment at SmartShopping UK. Casey comes from the well-known English price-comparison provider PriceRunner UK, where he was responsible for the strategic planning of the pan-European and global brand expansion, as well as mobile services, as the Head of Products and Mobile Services. Before his time at PriceRunner, he was in charge of the successful market launch and positioning of the comparison-shopping platform Kelkoo in Australia as the Acting Head of Products at Yahoo! Australia. At the beginning of his professional career, Casey worked at Vectorcraft.com, a start-up for e-commerce and web-based software solutions that he co-founded.

“Our goal is to establish SmartShopping UK with its portfolio of offers that is equally attractive for users and shop operators among the leading comparison-shopping platforms in the English market. I am very pleased to have Nick Casey on board as a proven expert and authority on the English e-commerce scene for this challenging assignment”, is Ehrlich’s welcome for the new arrival on the international team of SmartShopping and United Internet Media.

*Source: EIAA Mediascope 2008

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19/05/2009 by john.

Global hosting provider www.host1plus.com the world’s web host, on June 3, 2009 officially launches their global hosting service. www.host1plus.com aim to lead the market by exceeding current service quality and maintenance standards for existing hosting companies.
A world beating launch offer of two years unmetered resources, plus a free domain name for $70 will be offered for users registering in the first week of the new service.
For users who miss out on this deal there is a further launch offer offering the above services for just $90 and this offer will run for two weeks after the initial www.host1plus.com/offer .
Speaking at the launch Vincentas Grinius, CEO of www.digitalenergytech.net Digital Energy Technologies Ltd. said, “Host1Plus.com is a hosting 2.0 service; as such our customers have a direct influence on both the services available and the global location of the servers”. Host1Plus has recognised that the global hosting industry faces four main challenges, these being Sighting, Stability, Security and Support. www.host1plus.com Host1Plus has addressed each of these challenges and can now provide top-quality solutions to each of these strategic problems”.

Sighting
The company provides the infrastructure for top-quality global placement of websites. Users can choose where in the world hosting and, therefore, a website is based. Hosting services are available in the USA, Asia Pacific, Europe and more with new locations added regularly as www.host1plus.comHost1Plusexpands the network of service stations worldwide.
As each new server is added, www.host1plus.com Host1Plus actively seeks feedback from its’ users as to which countries they should be installed.

Stability
www.host1plus.com Host1Plus uses a global data centre model, which will automatically redirect network traffic to the nearest operational data centre in case of a hardware failure, reducing downtime due to system failure to zero. This will ensure that websites remain online without interruption. The loss of a website due to down time is a major inconvenience for personal users; and can be an expensive mistake for businesses.

Security
The Host1Plus http://support.host1plus.com support team routinely updates every server operating system and hardware with the latest updates, security patches and upgrades to ensure maximum security. Host1Plus also offer significant disaster recovery protection ensuring your data is automatically backed up to servers strategically placed around the world.

Support
www.host1plus.com Host1Plus have staff on hand who can manage all aspects of www.host1plus.com Host1Plus accounts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via a live support system – members of staff are always available via both phone and e-mail to provide top-level support when you need it most. http://support.host1plus.com Support is available in multiple languages, at all times; you’ll never find yourself left high and dry because of the language barrier.
www.host1plus.com Host1Plus is the world’s one-stop-shop for Global web solutions, providing a high quality service with the security of servers placed in state-of-the-art data centers in Dallas USA, Singapore, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Lithuania.

For more information on Host1Plus.com service visit the website at www.host1plus.com

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13/05/2009 by john.

46 PER CENT OF BRITAIN’S SMALLEST ENTERPRISES STILL WITHOUT A WEBSITE

12 May 2009, London: 46 per cent of Britain’s smallest enterprises are still without a website and many seek assistance in getting one, according to research released today by 1&1 Internet Ltd., the world’s largest web host by known servers. A study of 530 small enterprises found that from those without a website, 41 per cent recognise that a web presence could increase their sales, but believe they are prevented by factors including the time, cost and skill required to keep a website. The data suggests that such companies are misinformed over the true cost and time needed to build a website themselves. Significantly, a further 47 per cent of firms still off-line believe that a website could not benefit their business. This is in direct contrast with a further survey of 152 similar businesses with websites, where 80 per cent gain revenue from their sites, and 80 per cent would be willing to build their next website themselves using a DIY-style website package.

Whilst many British companies achieve increased visibility and sales online,
1&1’s ‘Smaller Business Online Survey’(1) finds that an alarming number of small sized enterprises have been left behind. The study of 530 enterprises employing 1 to 5 people (including tradesmen, entrepreneurs, small retailers, self-employed and home workers), finds that today some 46 per cent are still without a website on the Internet to promote their business. Whilst the business owners involved are likely to use the Web in their personal lives, their enterprise activities remain out of sight of millions of potential customers. Some 41 per cent of those off-line desire a web presence to increase their sales, but first need concerns over the costs, time and skill to be addressed. For 1 in 5 owners, the worry that a lack of a website may be losing them business has caused negative emotions such as “stress” and “anxiety”.

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13/05/2009 by john.

New MAGIX Xtreme PhotoStory on CD & DVD 8 – The Easiest Way to Create Prefect Slideshows?

MAGIX AG, one of the leading international providers of software, online services, and digital content, announces the launch of Xtreme PhotoStory on CD & DVD 8. Get started in the world of living images! In just three steps, you can liven up your pictures: Import images and video, add effects, text, and music, and present it all in cinema-quality! With the help of practical wizards, numerous templates, and 1-clickautomations, you can create multimedia slideshows quickly and easily. Slideshows can be burned not only as DVDs with decorative menus, but also uploaded directly from within the program to YouTube to share with everyone.

1. Select photos & videos
Import your photos and videos from camera phones, digital cameras, memory cards, the Internet,
and other sources – simply at the touch of a button.
2. Add effects & music
Edit your projects yourself or let the software do it automatically for you – you have the choice!
Practical wizards turn your photos and videos into cinema-quality shows almost without any work,
including interactive, custom DVD menus!
3. The result: A moving photo experience!
Enjoy the show with your whole family, friends, and acquaintances: You can experience your
memories once again using a DVD player or present it to the world by uploading it directly from the program to YouTube.

Price and Availability:

MAGIX Xtreme PhotoStory on CD & DVD is available at £29.99 inc from all major UK retailers and online partners including Amazon and PC World.

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13/05/2009 by john.

May 13, 2009 - SAPPHIRE technology has just announced its ATOMIC Edition of the HD 4890 - delivering the fastest single GPU graphics card available based on ATI/AMD technology. Building on its success with Special Editions based on its Vapor-X Vapor Chamber Cooling technology introduced over a year ago, the SAPPHIRE HD 4890 ATOMIC Edition will be a limited edition product aimed at the enthusiast looking for the maximum performance straight out of the box.

The SAPPHIRE HD 4890 ATOMIC achieves the fastest speeds available on current technology. It is the first card on the market with a core clock speed of 1GHz as well as 1GB of GDDR5 memory with clocks of 1050MHz, making it the fastest ATI-based single core graphics card on the market. Its distinctive silver box features an enhanced accessory bundle including HDMI cable for connection to a suitable display. A launch promotion on www.sapphireatomic.com gives users a chance to win one of these exciting cards as well as related prizes.

The SAPPHIRE HD 4890 series is based on a new GPU core from the ATI division of AMD. This features the same graphics architecture as the successful HD 4870 series, with 800 stream processor units, 256-bit GDDR5 memory interface and integral hardware video decoder. It also features improved memory management architecture, and technical innovations that allow higher clock speeds and reduce standby power levels.

This series uses the PCI-Express Gen2 interface, and features dual connectors for CrossFireX cables, allowing two or more cards to be used together on a CrossFireX compatible mainboard for even higher graphics performance.

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13/05/2009 by john.

Seashell Notebook

ASUS have announced the UK launch of the new Eee PC™ Seashell netbook which presents a user-centric blend of timeless design and effortless mobility.

Nature has a way of creating elegance of out simplicity and ASUS has followed the same philosophy for its latest Eee PC™. Inspired by the sleek shape of the humble seashell, the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell combines a striking slimline design with the latest mobile technology.

The Seashell’s slender case is less than 1in at its thickest point and artfully curves to a razor-thin edge. This stunning low profile is made possible by a new ASUS motherboard that takes up very little space, and the integral lithium-polymer cell removes the need for an unsightly, bulbous battery. The incredibly small, amazingly smart Intel® Atom™ N280 processor provides an unmatched combination of performance and power-efficiency. Furthermore, despite weighing just 1.1kg, the Seashell lasts for up to six* hours away from a plug socket.

ASUS is also giving one away per week during the launch period; please visit www.asus.co.uk/seashell for further details of the competition.

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03/11/2008 by john.

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23/10/2008 by john.

Helping you to make your Christmas budget go that extra bit further, Audio-Technica has announced a fantastic giveaway to all purchasers of headphones from the www.atheadphones.com website.

Whether it’s a pair of high performance noise cancelling headphones to help Dad escape the Christmas chaos, or a stunning pair of in-ear headphones to get the most from your MP3 player, Audio-Techinca has some of the best solutions available. And to help you make every pound stretch a bit further this year, Audio-Technica has announced an irresistible offer - for every purchase over £60 from the www.atheadphones.com website, you can have a FREE pair of eye-catching ES3 portable headphones in your choice of either blue, pink or green.

Retailing for £39.95 inc VAT (manufacturer’s recommended price), the ES3 combines value, style and sound quality. Its sealed earpiece design (closed back) enables use in crowded commuter environments without annoying fellow travellers and the 28mm diameter transducers, with neodymium magnets provide a true hi-fi listening experience, with a wide and even 10 – 25,000 Hz frequency response. Designed as the perfect headphone upgrade for MP3s, this ultra-light weight headphone delivers high performance listening in three vibrant fashion colours, perfect for today’s fashion-conscious music-lover.

To add your free pair of ES3 headphones to your Christmas Shopping List, simply visit the www.atheadphones.com website between November 1st and December 12th December, make your headphone purchase over £60 and enter the discount code: ES3BL (for blue) ES3GN (for green) or ES3PK (for pink) at the checkout and your free headphones will be delivered with your order in time for Christmas.

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23/10/2008 by john.

Panda Security, the world’s leading security software vendor, reports there is a potential direct correlation between the volatility of the world’s major stock markets and the growth of new malware threats.

The two phenomena are tied together much more closely than previously thought and recent stock market instability has accelerated the volume of targeted cyber attacks and their relative impact on the economy over the last month and a half.

The trend, scrutinized by PandaLabs, suggests that the number of cyber attacks has rocketed in direct contrast to the world’s stock markets plummeting down. Cyber attacks were highest on the days when the stock markets dropped the most.

Panda analysts believe the recent spike in malware could be related to cyber criminals now having fewer possible targets as a result of consolidation within the banking industry.

The world’s global recession might have ironically translated into bad conditions for commiting cyber crime. In effect, hackers became increasingly worried that traditional Trojan attacks and phishing scams would not net the same rewards they once did. This is why they are now rushing to find another source of income; less innovative, and more traditional forms of crimeware.

Rather than stealing credit card details, account numbers and sensitive password information, the current wave of scams tricks users into buying fake antivirus. The activity, commonly known as rogue antivirus installations, has an average success rate of 3.4 per cent and has resulted in cyber crooks pocketing around £7.7 million-a-month of revenue, according to Panda’s latest estimates.

“Criminal organisations are closely watching market performance and adapting as needed to ensure maximum profit. What makes these attacks successful at this specific moment is because they prey on individuals’ fears of identity theft and computer infections”, said Dominic Hoskins, Country Manager, Panda Security UK.

In a nutshell, the attacks are quite simple. Potential victims are infected by visiting corrupt web sites and loading the malware onto their computers. The malware then causes alerts to pop up on the victims’ computer screens, saying that they’ve been infected by a virus and that they need to buy anti-malware software to remove it. The provided link takes victims to a fraudulent web site that appears to sell the software. In reality, the site is operated by a cyber criminal, who charges around £30 for non-existent software.

The new strategy is accelerated by the banking industry consolidation brought on by the multi-million-pound bank bailout packages introduced by several governments around the world. As a result of this consolidation, fewer banking entities will exist in the long term and the perception of instability in the financial community makes for a less attractive target. Hence, cyber crooks turned their sights towards greyware i.e. adware and spyware.

Dominic Hoskins added: “Our research suggests that there is a strong correlation between stock market declines, banking industry consolidation and surge in economic cybercrime. The results show that cyber crooks’ attacks hit an all time high when stock markets declined. It also seems that current economic conditions forced cyber crooks to diversify their methods of crimeware. They clearly moved away from common Trojan and phishing malicious towards rouge antivirus installation”.

Panda Security has monitored the world’s key stock indices and correlated this with the behavior of malicious activity. Below is just an example of how the world’s major stock markets including FTSE 100 index performed alongside malware attacks.

Figure # 1 – Stock market evolutions (Sept. 5th to Sept. 15th) – source: moneycentral.msn.com

Figure # 2 – Threat evolution with key highlights (Sept. 5th to Sept. 16th) – source: PandaLabs

The graphs indicate that when the markets are doing poorly, cyber criminals are capitalizing on weakened economic states to reap huge financial rewards. For example, Figure #1 demonstrates the general decline of the DJIA, NASDAQ, S&P 500, FTSE 100, IBEX 35 and the Composite Index for a period of one and a half months and indicates several points of notable loss. When comparing this graph to the malware evolution graph (Figure #2) from Sept. 5th to Oct. 16th, it clearly shows that when the markets are unstable, cyber crime is significantly higher.

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