School is back in session

Now that most of us are getting back to the swing of things when it comes to a new school year, it is time to keep thinking about your computer's health. With the kids back in school and relying on the use of a computer more than ever, it is pertinent to keep you PC running in tip top shape. Down time can result in late work and poor grades for school bound child. Remember to always keep all of your software up to date. This doesn't just mean the annoying pop-ups that Microsoft sends you to update Windows, but also keep in mind that you will need to keep other programs up-to-date as well. This could include but are not limited to: Microsoft Office, Quiktime (iTunes), Adobe Reader and Flash player, and much more. Remember that hackers and virus writers are always infecting machines that do not have all the updates for all of their software. If you are ever in doubt about the health state of your system, remember that you can call us anytime day or night at Antrim Computers. You can reach us @ 603-588-3247.

What's clock speed got to do with it?

My CPU's clock speed is faster than yours. This is what I hear all the time it seems. People are always judging a machine by how many GHz their CPU runs at. This is far from the correct way of viewing speed when it comes to computers. If this was the case then a Pentium 4 with hyperthreading that ran at 3.0 GHz must be better than an i5 that runs at 2.66GHz, right? WRONG! When it comes to speed there are so many other factors to take into account. First you have your Front Side Bus (FSB). Basically this is the path that information takes along the motherboard on its way to its next destination, whether that be from the CPU to the RAM, or the RAM to the Hard Drive. The CPU can calculate so much information (clock speed) at a given rate. This information is useless if can't get to its final destination very quickly. You could have a fast CPU but a slow FSB and slower memory. What would be the point? Take a look back in time. Do you ever recall seeing a 5 GHz computer on the market? Well if you did it was probably an extremely over inflated number, or just plain ole false advertising.

Just take a look at a couple of newer CPUs that have hit the market. You have the Intel Core i5-650 that runs at 3.2GHz and the Intel Core i5-750 that runs at 2.66GHz. Which one do you think is faster? Yes the i5-650 has a faster clock speed rating, but in benchmark tests the i5-750 is able to run faster. This could be due to the amount of L2 and L3 cache on the chip itself, along with the actual architecture of the CPU.

In short, there are just so many other factors to determine how fast your computer is other than how fast the clock speed of your CPU is. Just think of this, there are plenty of 4 cylinder cars out there that can beat an 8 cylinder car in a race.

check out the benchmark scores:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5+650+%40+3.20GHz
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5+750+%40+2.67GHz

iPhone coming for Verizon Wireless???

The rumors of the iPhone becoming available to Verizon Wireless customers have been flying around for quite some time now. According to a post from onlinefounders.com there have been trusted reports stating that the new 4G iPhone for Verizon will be available. The time frame however, is a bit skewed. The same reports say that it may be available as soon as this summer, where others are saying the official release will not be until 2012. I think come June 7 at the WWDC conference, Jobs, will either release the official statement about who will be getting the next iPhone and when. If he doesn't, he will at least give some more teasers like he is so well known for. This in turn should stir up the speculations. So lets wait and see what WWDC brings us....Stay Tuned.

Source: http://onlinefounders.com/360/verizon-iphone-4g-release-date-new-iphone-hd-in-2010-or-2012/

Adobes new Photoshop CS5

So I finally got around to trying out the new version of Photoshop (CS5). All I can say is wow. The last version I had been working from was CS3, so even the look of the software was a big change for me and I must say I nice change. I decided to make the switch because of some of the new features that I heard about. One particular one was the new Content-Aware Fill. This is a great fill tool and should have been added ages ago. There is a great video and article about here.

Another cool feature is the Puppet Warp feature. I have not had a chance to play with this as of yet but am looking forward to doing so very soon. Check out a sneak peak of it here.

For even more info on the new Photoshop release, check out Rob Galbraith's in-depth look at the new software.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10050-10615

iPad sales = One Million

Apple reported today that it has sold one million iPads already. The iPad was released 28 days ago. During the iPhone's release, it took Apple 74 days to sell one million units. It seems that for some reason, the iPad is more favorable among gadget goers.

Source: ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/techbytes-million-ipads/story?id=10548843

Gizmodo staff in legal trouble

It looks like that the editor of Gizmodo may be facing felony charges. According to Daily Tech: On Monday Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's California residence was raided by Silicon Valley's computer crime force. They executed a search warrant.

Read the full story here: http://www.dailytech.com/Gizmodo+Staff+May+Face+Felony+Charges+EFF+Contends+Raid+Was+Illegal/article18219.htm

McAffee Update gone wrong

On Wednesday McAfee released a routine update through their automatic update system that wreaked havoc on systems globally. According to reports at CNET "At 6 a.m. PDT Wednesday, the company released a faulty update to its antivirus software that hosed computers running Windows XP with Service Pack 3. The update, a DAT file, misidentified a key Windows file called svchost.exe as a virus, causing PCs to crash or keep rebooting. The problem affected customers worldwide, including chipmaker Intel, Rhode Island hospitals, Kentucky police, University of Michigan's medical school, and an Australian supermarket chain"

After the problem was known, McAfee issued a DAT fix to solve the problem on affected machines and removed the update as well. Running a small IT company here, I have already seen a few cases where this update has crippled PCs. As of yet, in my cases, the DAT fix that they had released has not solved any of the problems. It just goes to show that it's not just Microsoft who releases bad updates.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20003247-83.html

Radio Shack Selling out to Best Buy?

I had heard this rumor a few weeks ago that there were talks about Radio Shack and Best Buy getting in bed with each other. But like with most rumors, they are usually just that. I did however come across a little snippet today stating that there have been talks about Best Buy acquiring the retail giant AKA Radio Shack.

We all know about the friendly neighborhood Shack. Where "you have question and they have answers". Personally I saw this coming many years ago. Radio Shack was a niche type of electronics store. They were one of the first to carry the personal computer. But their major niche market was the hobbyist and tinkerer. If you needed some sort of a do-dad or what-cha-ma-call-it, Radio Shack was the place to find it. I must admit that I used to work for Radio Shack, back in the day when it was owned by the Tandy corporation and Len Roberts was CEO. Now don't get me wrong, the business model wasn't great back then, but there was one thing that they had that they don't anymore: profit!

Radio Shack offered all those little parts and IC chips, and dip switches and what not. The store would buy a part for $.05 and then sell it for $2.99. Talk about profit. Certain Radio Shack stores could sell parts like this all day long. And the average ticket wasn't just a $2.99 part, it was 10 or more of these and other do-dads. Now try to find these parts in a Radio Shack store. They don't exist. They got rid of it so they could focus on cell phones, and TVs, and computers. Yeah because no one else is selling those. The average profit margin on a TV or computer was usually less than 3%. That barley pays for the labor to stock it and sell it. Remember, Radio Shack no longer pays commission to their employees, so they are just like any other clerk in the job market. The only difference is they are required to know, retain, and recommend products to customers.

Radio Shack is no longer the place for answers but the place to pay more than anywhere else for the same product. It has also become the place to pickup decent product on clearance because we all know it never sold at their retail price.

I wish Radio Shack the best of luck; I really do. I am sad to see it be sold to Best Buy, but hey lets face it, Radio Shack has basically the same sales practice as Best Buy anyway. I'm sure the change will bring better product and better prices, but I doubt it will ever bring back the source for truthful knowledgeable answers and staff.

RIP Radio Shack

Sources: http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/finance/radioshack-nearing-deal-best-buy-rshbbyjpm/

http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2010/04/19/daily10.html

Google Releases Google Maps 4.0 for Blackberry

Google announced today that it has officially released the new version (4.0) of Google maps for all Blackberry devices. The new version will sport some pretty handy features for some. Once such feature is the added search by voice. This allows the Blackberry user to speak the destination that he/she is looking for. At the moment Google states that the new voice feature supports multiple English accents and Mandarin Chinese. I would hope that in the next update Google will release support for more languages.

Another added feature is the new Google Buzz. This will allow the user to integrate some social networking skills with actual destinations. In other words with Google Buzz you can see what is going on around you by what others have posted. You will also be able to share photos and news of your own to help others that may be looking for something to do.

I have not yet had a chance to download this new app to my Blackberry, but I will be sure to try it out before the week is out. Let's see what the Buzz is all about and if it really is a useful addition to the Blackberry, or just another useless app that never gets used.

Read Google's official release @
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/04/google-maps-40-for-blackberry-adds.html

I'm back

I have to apologize for not keeping up on this blog very well. It is my intention to try to spend more time here, keeping you up to date on new products, bugs, and things going on here at Antrim Computer Repair and Service. If you have any questions, comments or topic suggestions, please feel free to post them here, or email at Matthew@antrimcomputer.com
Thanks
Matt Burke
Owner

Apple's New toy: The iPad

We have seen this time and time again it seems. People flocking to the stores on the release data of one of Apple's new toys. This time it isn't a new iPod or even the new iPhone; it's the iPad. Now besides coming up with one of the worst names in history for a device, it looks like Apple may be successful again. The iPad resembles the look of an iPod Touch on steroids. The iPad sports a nice high def 9.7 inch LED backlit display. What the heck does that mean? The new LED backlighting technology that has been on the scene for a little while now allows for improved graphics and better battery life. It is claimed to add crisper and more vivid images.

Next we have the multi-touch screen. This technology is based upon the same that the new iPhones use. It allows the user to make gestures with multiple fingers in order to complete a task. I must admit, I do not own an iPhone, but I have tried this gesture concept on some of their devices and found that once you get used to, the benefits are pretty neat to say the least. The iPad is thin, it's light, and all that; just like everything else these days. It is claimed to have "up to" a 10 hour battery life. Now as we all know, most devices rarely meet the battery life expectations that are claimed.

Apple also notes that the new iPad has built in WiFi and there are also 3G models available as well. There are also choices in how much storage you can have on the device which is provided through the use of solid state flash storage. The choices are 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB. To today's standards, this isn't considered by no means to be a lot of storage even at the highest level of 64GB. But really, who needs much more storage than that on an iPhone that's on steroids?

So now you know briefly what this revolutionary device has for some of its features. But what the heck are you going to use it for? Is this going to replace the average user's laptops or iPods? In my opinion the answer to this question is no. This device isn't designed to be a laptop or even be used solely as a music and video player. Yes it can do some of these things, but overall, like most of Apple's devices, it has a niche in the marketplace.

The iPad is great for the person who can afford to spend a minimum of $500 on a device that will be used on a weekly basis. The iPad supports many apps from the iTunes store and you can be sure that there will be hundreds more in the near future. In its own way, the iPad will have a spot in the marketplace, even with the down economy that we are experiencing at the moment.

Apple has become a great business model. Yes I said it, a true blue PC geek agrees that Apple is doing something right. They have decided that they don't necessarily want to compete with PCs anymore, so they have created their own market for certain goods. Yes Apple still makes laptops and desktop (don't get me started here; because yes, Apples can and do get viruses), but Apples biggest seller has been the iPod, the iPhone, and most likely soon to be the iPad. It dosen't stop there though. Apple has the iTunes store which is pulling in so much revenue for the. I say that they are smart because their top selling products, all utilize the iTunes store front. This creates a steady and possibly a predictable stream of revenue for them.

All in all I would say that the iPad is another intriguing toy produced by our friends at Apple computers. In fact, I am sure that some day I too will break down and purchase one just to see what all the hype is about. I mean come on, I have to be in the now at all times; right?