Articles and Reviews about New Software

Technology and Politics

2007-10-12T13:22:00.001-07:00

Americans have always had a say in their government, at least in theory. Since the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, the United States of America has been the "land of opportunity," where even a lowly log-splitter, exercising sufficient brains and dedication, can raise himself to the highest executive office. The U.S. Constitution safeguards the right to vote for every citizen over eighteen years of age, with few exceptions, ensuring a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Nevertheless, only about half of eligible voters historically vote for their president. Those who do make it to the polls are more educated than unschooled, more white than black, more men than women, more wealthy than poor, and more old than young.

This may all be about to change.

American politics has seen a few revolutions since The revolution that gave our nation its independence. To date, George Washington remains the only president to be voted into office unanimously, and since his time the politician is obliged to win the hearts and minds of the people. Thus, getting out one's message has been the quintessential challenge of the presidential candidate. Initially, office-seekers relied on stump speeches and the press. Abraham Lincoln won over his supporters through a series of live debates. When radio came on the scene in the 1920s, contenders extended their reach into the very homes of Americans. Votership surged. The advent of television in the late 1940s transformed politics once again, directing the focus of the nation to good looks on camera and message controlgetting the perfect sound bite.

In September 1998 two California-based entrepreneurs, Joan Blades and Wes Boyd, became frustrated with the political mess they saw going on in D.C. Feeling very "American," they decided to do something about it and launched an online petition. Within a few days they had gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures. What they found people needed was a sense of empowermenta way to have their voices heard. Blades and Boyd moved on to form the MoveOn.org Political Action Committee, an online organization which now boasts over 3.3 million members. Almost accidentally, Blades and Boyd caught the attention of the mediaas well as campaign organizers, who sent out bulk emails and created flashy fundraising websites faster than you can say donation. But until 2003 internet-use was still a passive ventureanother mailing list, a new type of commercial.

Then in November of 2003 social networking was born on the worldwide web. MySpace was followed by Facebook and Flickr in February of 2004, and YouTube joined the family in 2005. Suddenly it was possible to open a dialogue with the country without even picking up the phone. Unlike many tools used by politicians, social networking is cheap and simple enough for the typical American teenager to operate. Perhaps best of all is the outreach. For the first time would-be candidates have tapped into a fresh demographic of voters, elusive up to this pointthe technology-savvy youth. Before now, politics was the game of Poli Sci grads and NPR junkies. On the internet, power is in the hands of real Americans: the housewife in her living room, the student in his dorm. Rather than creating the perfect ten second sound bite, candidates must let go and have a real conversation. Interactive. Up close and personal. Maybe as candidates are forced back to earth and voters gain a stake in the process, America will become the voice of the unschooled as well as the educated, the poor as well as the rich, men and women of all ages and every race. After all, isn't that what democracy is supposed to be?

GPS Cell Phone

2007-09-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was funded, developed and controlled by the US Department of Defense. Since the late seventies, GPS has become an important aid to navigation around the world. Initially designed for the US military, GPS became publicly available years later and it is now considered an important feature in lots of consumer products.

How does GPS work? Well, basically there are three elements that make everything work: satellites, earth monitoring stations and receivers (ex: cell phone, telefone celular). GPS provides specially coded satellite signals that can be processed in a GPS receiver, enabling the receiver to compute position, velocity and time.

Today, most cell phones (telefone celular) are not limited to carry on just a conversation. Features like mp3 player, digital camera and video camera have all become standards in the latest cell phone models. It is expected that the GPS feature will soon be added to this list, and it will offer the capability of tracking any cell phone user.

The capability of tracking a cell phone user becomes important in emergency situations, like a car accident, thru the use of 911 emergency phone call, where every minute may be a matter of life or death. In situation like this, the GPS system may pinpoint the exact location of the road accident, enabling emergency services to be quickly dispatched.

It is important to mention that so far most GPS system in cell phone (telefone celular) is restricted to tracking information only. However, one can have navigational capability thru the use of full screen cell phone/PDA combos with map displays and other cellular phone accessories, and third party paid services. If one does not want to sign up for a monthly paid subscription service, he can make use of one-time-paid-only software programs that will enable some of the navigational capabilities.

Although there are many benefits in using GPS cell phones (telefone celular), there are some people who are concerned about the violation of personal privacy. Since the US Congress has not authorized location tracking without actual evidence of wrongdoing, there have been court hearings which have not approved the requests of government agencies in obtaining the cell phone GPS tracking information for suspects or ordinary citizens.

This privacy matter has made some progress towards the cell phone user`s rights, since there are some laws that have been passed which guarantees that GPS cell phone users will have some protection from the release of the tracking information, with the exception of 911 emergency cell phone calls (telefone celular). It is expected that these laws will guarantee that the benefits of GPS in cell phones will be enjoyed by everyone without infringing anybody`s privacy.

Sometimes when there is a technological innovation, there are also some concerns about privacy or some rights infringements. But no matter how much of a concern this is, it seems that a compromise will always have to be reached, so that new technologies will take their places in everyone`s lives. After all, we all live in a globalized consumer world. By the way, have you already got your GPS cell phone?

Subject: Take Charge Of Errant Files And Folders!

2007-09-26T04:34:00.001-07:00

If you are like most people, you have hundreds of important files spread all over your hard drive. It seems that there is not a universal way of handling these files and folders. Luckily there are a few simple things that you can do to manage and organize all your work.

1. Keep it simple. If you have multiple customers/clients/patients that need extra information stored about them outside of your usual database, create a file folder for the information and use the same naming conventions on all the files. For example: You could use the first three letters of a last name followed by 01.

2. Numerical files can be sorted numerically. When dealing with numerical files, make sure to add an initial zero before the number 1 or 2. For example: If you have one file named customer10 and another file named customer1, the customer10 file is sorted first if you sort by name. This can be really annoying. However, if customer1 is renamed to customer01 it will take care of the problem.

3. The amazing Windows Run command. If you have Windows 95 or higher, you have access to the nifty run command. In our testing, the run command will open any folder or file in the Windows folder and any other folder locations specified in your Autoexec.bat. These are known as paths. Common paths are the Windows folder and system folders. Paths can also be C:Program FilesMicrosoft Office. This means that in the Run window, you can type 'excel' and Microsoft Excel will open. You can also open folders. Just type the name of the folder and it opens right up. If you type 'calc' in the Run window and press Enter; Calculator opens. Very cool! Poke around and see what else you can do with the Run command. You can access Run by clicking on Start and Run.

4. Working with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Speaking of Excel, it is easy to work with different sheets inside the same Workbook. Think of the Workbook as the single *.xls file. When Excel starts a new Workbook, you have Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3 on the bottom of the screen. You can right click on any of these sheets and rename them to something else. Simply left clicking on the Sheet takes you to that Sheet.

5. Working with Microsoft Word Documents. It is easy to add revision remarks and page numbers to Word Documents. Revision remarks are important if you are working on a Document that needs to be seen by multiple people multiple times. For example: A small to medium project. Developers use Version numbers to track their software; the same should be done with Word Documents. To open the Header or Footer of a Word document, click on 'View | Header and Footer'. Next, click on the 'Switch between Header and Footer' button to switch between the two. Click on the 'Insert Page number' button to automatically add page numbers to the Document. (It would be embarrassing to give a technical presentation without page numbers. Your audience would lose confidence in your presentation, not to mention your word processing abilities.) Next, you can add revision remarks. Simply type 'Rev. A' below the line that has the page number OR whatever remarks you want.

6. Finally, have you ever been inside a folder and you can't find a sub-folder or a file? Well, it is very easy to get those folders and files to shape up. Click on 'View | Arrange Icons By' and choose an option. This will get those wandering folders and files to get back in line!

How to Choose the Right Webcam Surveillance Software?

2007-09-24T11:33:00.001-07:00

Many people want to have some kind of spy equipment for better home security. However, besides wireless spy cameras, VCR or DVR systems, there is also special software used to control those surveillance gadgets.

Large companies use professional security systems along with already built in (embedded digital video recorder or PC based DVR soft) spy camera control software. But what about smaller guys? Do you also have to spend thousands of dollars for professional spy security system and software to feel safe and secure in your house? And the answer is not necessarily.

Webcam for Spying Purposes

You have the ability to use your webcam (connected to your PC) as a surveillance tool. And to control it, all you need is inexpensive webcam surveillance software. As a matter of fact, such software allows you to connect more than one camera. It can display as much as 16 webcam views on your computer screen.

Moreover, webcam surveillance software even allows you to detect motion and start capturing an event within milliseconds. This means that you don't have to keep your webcam surveillance software turned on all the time in order to secure the area. By using motion detection webcams, you can also save your computer's HDD (hard drive) space.

You know, video takes a lot of hard drive space. Non stop recording for 24 hours can cost you 1GB of HDD space a day. Well, it depends on the chosen image quality. Lower quality images will require less bandwidth. Also, if you set lower FPS (frames per second), then you'll save even more HDD space.

But if you have a large HDD (like 160GB or more), then there's nothing to worry about.

What to Look for in Webcam Surveillance Software?

Before you decide to order webcam surveillance software, there are a couple of things to consider. Let's take a look at some of the features of webcam software that you should seriously consider, ok.

Audio Capturing - Does your webcam surveillance software have audio capturing option? If not, then you should consider that carefully. If you want to record a conversation, it's crucial.
Compressed Files - Does your webcam software compress video files? If not, then the space of your HDD might fill up quickly. Try to search for software that compresses the video without losing its quality.
Remote Access - This is very important. If you leave your webcam to record the area, you should have the ability to access your webcam's view via internet connection. This is very neat function that is absolutely must in webcam software.
Motion Detection - We've already mentioned that. Motion detection is also extremely important. You don't want to record the area when nothing's going on, right. So make sure that motion sensing is enabled in your software.
Alert Options - Does the webcam surveillance software have an alert option? Some webcam software alert when they detect something. They can alert via email or even dial a phone number. You should seek for this feature, because it's very neat.
Multiple Webcams - Can your surveillance software record a live view from multiple web cameras? 2, 4 or 16? If you want to connect more than one camera to your PC, then multiple webcam support is absolutely must in the software you choose.
Stealth Mode - Does the webcam software run in stealth mode? Stealth mode means that nobody can see if the software is running or not. Not even if they Press "Ctr+Alt+Del" and look at Windows Task Manager!

Look for webcam surveillance software that allows you to do all or at least most of the functions mentioned above. If your software isn't capable of detecting motion, doesn't have alert option, doesn't have audio recording options, then search for a better solution.

In Conclusion

Webcam software (for spying or home protection purposes) combined with a few inexpensive webcams, can definitely serve as a basic home security system. You can put your webcams in the most important places and have your PC to record each camera's view. And if motion sensors detect something unusual, they can alert you via email or phone.

However, if you're really looking for quality and all-in-one solution for professional home protection, then a more powerful DVR security system with multiple spy cameras could be your best shot. Such systems cost over thousand dollars, but they're ideal for quality home or office protection.

A Purchase Guide to Budget Notebooks

2007-09-24T11:30:00.001-07:00

Since it became commercially available back in the early eighties, notebooks called the attention of computer users because of its small size and portability. Not much of a commercial success back then, it only took a short time before the computer industry improved this item, up to a point that is now considered to be one of the best selling computer consumer products.

For one who intends to buy a budget notebook, he may have some difficulties in picking the right one, since there are several notebook manufactures offering so many models. Budget notebooks are in a class by itself with basic features but capable of delivering full solutions for computer related tasks.

For an easy guide to budget notebooks, check the following major manufactures:

SONY
Sony VAIO notebooks are fashioned products targeted to consumers who demand flexibility and power without compromise. It is expected to find features such as 15.4`` WXGA, duo core processor and 100 gb hard disk. Although not the cheapest of budget notebooks, it compensates the higher price by offering more technological features.

Most common features one can expect from Sony budget notebooks: 1 - Intel Core Duo Processor T2250 1.72 Ghz; 2 - Windows Vista; 3 - 1 gb DDR2 ram; 4 - Widescreen XGA display type; 5 - Intel graphics media accelerator 950; 6 - 100 gb SATA hard disk 5400 rpm; 7 - CD-RW/DVD rom; 8 - wireless lan 802.11 a/b/g; 9 - Modem and Lan port 10/100; 10 - USB connectivity; 11 - It weighs around 6.5 pounds; 12 - Lithium ion battery up to 5.5 hours; 13 - One year limited warranty. Price starts from U$ 929.00 and up according with optional accessories.

DELL
With features such as 15.4`` WXGA, duo core processor and ATI Radeon Xpress graphics, Dell budget notebooks offer a flexible combination of power, mobile productivity and entertainment at a good price.

Most common features one can expect out of these notebooks are: 1 - AMD Turion 62 X2 1.8 ghz/1mb cache processor; 2 - Windows Vista; 3 - 512 mb ram; 4 - Widescreen XGA display type; 5 - ATI Radeon Xpress 256 mb video graphics chipset; 6 - Up to 80 gb hard disk; 7 - CD-RW/DVD rom; 8 - It weighs around 6 pounds; 9 - 9-cell lithium ion battery; 10 - One year limited warranty. Price starts from U$ 549.00 and up according with optional accessories.

TOSHIBA
All Toshiba budget notebooks feature an 15.4`` diagonal WXGA display, DVD optical drive which reads and writes up to 11 formats, high speed wireless lan (802.11 b/g) for easy connection in networks.

Most common features one can expect out of these notebooks are: 1 - Intel Celeron processor with 1+ Ghz; 2 - Windows Vista; 3 - 512 mb ram; 4 - Widescreen XGA display type; 5 - Radeon Xpress 200M video graphics chipset; 6 - 60 gb hard disk; 7 - CD-RW/DVD rom; 8 - wireless lan but no Bluetooth connectivity; 9 - Modem and Lan port 10/100 mbps; 10 - USB and firewire connectivity; 11 - It weighs around 5 pounds; 12 - 4-cell lithium ion battery; 13 - Tv-out s-video; 14 - One year parts and labor warranty. Price starts from U$ 599.00 and up according with optional accessories.

HP
HP Budget notebooks with features such as 15.4`` display screen, AMD Sempron 3500+ and a sophisticated black resin finish, offer an attractive mix of style, mobility and performance.

Expected features one can find in this HP notebook category: 1 - AMD Sempron 3500+; 2 - Windows Vista; 3 - 15.4`` WXGA Widescreen; 3 - 512 mb ddr2; 4 - CD-RW/DVD rom; 4 - Wireless connectivity 802.11b/g wlan; 5 - It weighs around 7 pounds; 6 - Nvidia video graphics chipset with 256 mb; 7 - 6-cell lithium ion battery; 8 - USB, lan and modem port; 9 - Integrated stereo speakers; 10 - 60 gb SATA hard disk; 11 - Tv-out s-video; 12 - One year warranty in parts and labor. Price starts from U$ 569.00 and up according with optional accessories.

A while ago portable electronics devices were a luxury at an expensive price. Nowadays it became an affordable must have kind of product for lots of people. Notebooks are in this category for sure! And basic notebooks are the best option for those who are in a tight budget. So, if portability is a must for your personal or professional computer related tasks, waste no more time. Get yourself a budget notebook!

Guide to Buying a Webcam

2007-09-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

How web broadcasting works

Webcams are those handy little cameras that attach to your PC and send images to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life events with friends and family in other parts of the country or the world, or to arrange a video-conference with colleagues and maintain long distance relationships of all kinds. Of course the number of ways to use this technology is limited only by your imagination.

Web Cameras

But before you buy a webcam, it pays to understand a little about how the technology of broadcasting images over the Internet works. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to browsing the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compare products and suppliers, their specifications and prices.

Webcams provide 'real time' images of people; places and events that can be viewed 'live' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the images, feeds them into a computer to an ISP and out to viewing pages across the Internet. There are two different types of broadcast: streaming images, where the images are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at fixed time intervals and refreshed on the web pages at a rate fixed by the broadcaster.

The Applications - What are you intending to broadcast, and to whom?

There is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personal 'Big Brother' style diaries, sharing of family events, workplace security, video conferencing, virtual tourism, road traffic management, weather watching, event broadcast and a host of others.

Before you make a choice about any webcam equipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of camera you use, and how you use it.

A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the software involved and your Internet connection. Of course, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.

The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of workplace security, which are different again from the requirements of sharing a family event.

The physical components

There are a number of physical components required to make web cam technology work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, depending on the type of camera you use and the way in which you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video capture hardware in your computer. Some software is required to help you process the data, and Internet connection is required and a web page into which the data is fed.

CAMERA CHOICES

Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intending to show. If you need to reach a large public audience yo may want good quality camcorder or megapixel camera that captures high quality images. If it's just for seeing who's at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in their playroom, then it may not need to present high quality images. If you are intending to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to consider sun and UV protection. Available power supply and any robotic requirements for camera movement and focus are extra considerations.

Dedicated webcams

The most basic webcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide range of cameras with accompanying software at a range of prices is available for this type of application. Simply search though Myshopping.com.au to compare prices and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (refresh rates) and resolution (pixels per inch).

Camcorders and security cameras

Higher quality images and more camera control come from using camcorder and security cameras. To use these devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that installed however, you can use a wide range of cameras from broadcast cameras to miniature spy cameras. You can include variable lens options, filters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for panning and focus adjustments. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selections.

Integrated cameras

An integrated camera combines the camera and the optical hardware with a video server, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone devices for monitoring progress on a construction project for example.

Megapixel cameras

Network megapixel cameras combine network capability with high quality digital camera technology. These cameras offer excellent quality but this creates large files sizes, therefore they have limited application in constant streaming video. However for interval refreshed archive image collection, they are ideal, providing a constant record and high quality. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selections.

SOFTWARE

If you are not using an integrated camera solution, you will need to install an encoding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.

At the receiver end, when web surfers browse the internet and wish to view live video on the web for the first time, they will need to download dedicated applications that show the content such as an ActiveX control, Windows Media player, Flash player or the like.

INTERNET CONNECTION

Finally, you need an Internet connection. The hardware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modem/router for a broadband solution. Naturally the higher the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is going to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internet connection when you are making choices of cameras and feeder software.

Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a camera or network video solution that it is compatible with any wireless system you may be using in a LAN.

Key considerations

The specifications that are variable with webcam applications, and are affected by camera type, web interface and Internet connection, include the number of frames per second and the image resolution.

Frames-per-second is the number of times a still image flashes by in a second to give the appearance of moving pictures. In Australia, the standard television PAL format is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 frames per second will show normal video images. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwidth, memory and processing power is required.

Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality photographs require a high resolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any better visual quality, just slower to upload and download.

Buying Guide to Graphics Cards

2007-09-24T11:10:00.001-07:00

The graphics card is a vital performance component of your computer, particularly if you play 3D games, or work with graphics and video content. The graphics card sits in an expansion card slot in your PC and it is specifically designed to process image data and output it to your monitor, enabling you to see it. A graphics card works by calculating how images appear, particularly 3D images, and renders them to the screen. 3D images and video images take a lot of processing capacity, and many graphics processors are complex, require fans to cool them and need direct power supply. The graphics card consists of a graphics processor, a memory chip for graphics operations, and a RAMDAC for display output. It may also include video capture, TV output and SLI and other functions.

Graphics Cards

What are your needs?

The first decision you need to make is whether you need a graphics card for handling 3D images or whether you are simply requiring 2D image rendering. For 2D requirements, you need only a low-cost solution. In many cases, an integrated graphics solution will suffice for 2D applications.

However with 3D graphics, the performance of the graphics card will impact directly on the frame rate and image quality of 3D programs and games. The differences between the low and high-end cards can be substantial, both in cost and performance.

Rendering 3D graphics is like lighting a stage, both the geometry of the shapes in question and the lighting of it need to be taken into account. The geometry of an image calculates the parts of an object that can and can't be seen, the position of the eye and its perspective. The lighting is a calculation of the direction of the light sources, their intensities and the respective shadows that occur. The second part to presenting a 3D image is the rendering of colours and textures to the surfaces of the objects, and modifying them according to light and other factors.

Most modern graphics cards include a small microchip called the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which are provide the algorithms and memory to process complex images. They reduce the workload of the main CPU, and provide faster processing. Different graphics cards have different capabilities in terms of processing power. They can render and refresh images up to 60 or more times per second, calculate shadows quickly, create image depth by rendering distant objects at low resolution, modify surface textures fluidly and eliminate pixelation.

What Specifications to Consider

Processor clock speed

This impacts on the rendering capability of the GRU. The clock speed itself is not the critical factor. Rather it is the per-clock performance of the graphics processor, which is indicated by the number of pixels it can process per clock cycle.

Memory size

This is the memory capacity that is used exclusively for graphics operations, and can be as much as 512MB. The more demanding your graphics applications are, the better you will be served with more memory on your graphics card.

16-32M
64M
128M
256M
512M
640M and more

Memory bandwidth

One thing that can slow down 3D graphics performance is the speed at which the computer delivers information to the graphics processor. A higher bandwidth means a faster data transfer, resulting in faster rendering speeds.

Shader model

DirectX Shader Models allows developers control over the appearance of an image as it is rendered on screen, introducing visual effects like multi-layered shadows, reflection and fog.

Fill rate

This is the speed at an image can be rendered or "painted". This rate is specified in texels per second, the number of 3D pixels that can be painted per second. A texel is a pixel with depth (3D). The fill rate comes from the combined performance of the clock speed of the processor and the number of pixels it can process per clock cycle, and will tell you how quickly an image can be fully rendered on screen.

Vertices/triangles

Graphics chips don't work on curves, rather they process flat surfaces. A curve is created by multiple flat planes arranged to look like a curve. 3D objects are created with multiple triangular surfaces, sometimes hundreds or even thousands, tessellated to represent the curves and angles of the real world. 3D artists are concerned with the number of polygons required to form a shape. There are two different types of specification: vertices per second (I.e., angles the triangles), and triangles per second. To compare one measure with the other, you have to take into account the fact that adjacent triangles share vertices.

Anti-aliasing

A technique used to smooth images by reducing the jagged stepping effect caused by diagonal lines and square pixels. Different levels of anti-aliasing have different effects on performance.

RAMDAC

The Random Access Memory Digital to Analogue Converter takes the image data and converts it to a format that your screen can use. A faster RAMDAC means that the graphics card can support higher output resolutions. Some cards have multiple RAMDACs allowing that card to support multiple displays.

TV-out

Some graphics cards provide the option to connect a television via either a composite (RCA) or S-Video connector. TV Out

S-video Out
S-video In and S-video Out (VIVO)
YPbPr Connection for HDTV

DVI

Some graphics cards include a connector for DVI monitors, handy because a lot of LCD screens support DVI. DVI offers better image quality than the standard VGA connector.

Dual-head

Dual-head is a term used when two monitors are used side by side, stretching your desktop across both.

SLI (Scalable Link Interface.)

With SLI you can couple two graphics cards in your computer, enabling each card to take half the rendering thereby doubling the performance.

When considering your graphics card, it pays to think about how much you need your computer to process your graphics output. Using a high end graphics card with a high pixels per clock rating, large memory, fast processor and other features means that you can run the latest games efficiently, or work in intensive graphics development.

Different Models

While there are many vendors of graphics cards, there are actually only two major manufacturers of chips for graphics cards. Nearly every graphics card on the market features a chip manufactured by either ATI or Nvidia. Cards using the same graphics chip will perform roughly the same as each other. However, even though they use the same chip, some feature slightly higher clock speeds, as well as manufacturer guaranteed overclocking-an even higher clock speed than that specified. Other factors that will influence your decision should include the amount of memory a card has (128MB, 256MB, 512MB) and its additional features, such as TV-Out and dual-screen support.

Four Critical Web Design Rules

2007-09-21T15:30:00.001-07:00

"Content is King! If you want a website to generate back-links and have quality content the search engines love, be sure to make it readable by both people and search engines. Search engines are working to give people quality results. Thus, they are looking for sites with quality content. So - by building site content for people, not only are you getting back to basics (information dissemination to people via the Internet), you are creating a site search engines will love. So, build sites for people - and the search engines will come.

When creating a new website or redesigning an existing site, there are four critical rules which should be followed to make the site effective, functional, loved by search engines - and successful.

1. Easy to Read

When building a website, the first thing you need to be sure of is that your website is easy to read. When you write content, remember that most web site visitors don't read every word of a page - in fact, they only scan pages to find what they want.

Break up Your Content

Break up your pages and use headers between major ideas so people scanning your site can find what they want quickly. Use meaningful headers between each paragraph or major idea - this helps with SEO. Headers should be created with the H1 through H4 tags for SEO. Always use good writing structure. Additionally, avoid long paragraphs that run on. You should break up any long paragraphs.

Color and Fonts

To help readability, use high contrast colors between font and background. Black text against a white background may seem stark, but it is very readable. To make a website easy on the eyes, try an off-white background and a dark gray (almost black) text color.

Things to avoid with content color:

Avoid vibrant background colors like purple or yellow. Such back colors make text difficult to read.
Avoid using an image behind your text.
Avoid using bright text colors on bright backgrounds.

Fonts Matter

One simple statement covers the font issue:

Simple fonts are the best; the more fancy the font, the harder it is to read.

Since many browsers only have the standard font set, use standard fonts. In reality, there is no "standard", but there are certain fonts that are installed on most browsers. These include Arial, Verdana, Tahoma and Times New Roman. Your readers will see something different than you see if you use other fonts.

Standard Compliant Browser for Development

When developing and testing your site, use a Standards compliant browser like FireFox. If you develop your site to be standards compliant, it will work in most browsers, including MS Internet Explorer (IE). It is recommended that you test your site using the latest and last browser versions of IE (IE6 and IE7). To run multiple versions of IE on the same machine, TredoSoft.com has a free installer that will install multiple versions of IE. It works great!

Keywords in Content

Of course, when writing content, not only should it be formatted to be readable, but it must also be consumable by not only people, but by search engines. One way to make the subject of the content known to search engines is to use the keywords that people use to search for your site in your content. Be sure to use keywords in your header tags, your first paragraph and throughout your text. The keyword density should be between 4% and 7% - but any more than that could 1) be hard to read and still make sense and 2) be considered spam by search engines and banned. Keywords should also be used in your TITLE tags and your Meta description.

2. Simplify Navigation

The menus and links make up the navigation that the visitor uses to get from page to page in a site. Always plan a site around how people will get from page to page. A visitor to your site should be able to get to what they want within three clicks of their mouse.

Multiple navigation points makes it easy to find things. Repeat the top menu and at the bottom. Also create a left or right menu.

Using links within your text to other areas on your site. You can create links so that they are good for search engine optimization (SEO). There are generally two ways to create links within your text:

The wrong way: "For search engine optimization techniques, click here."
The right way: "Good techniques for search engine optimization are important to use."

Using link text (anchor text) that describes what the link is about is the best way. Search engine web crawlers (programs that automatically index the contents of websites) visit your site, they "read" links. Spiders can index descriptive links into a subject or keyword category. Spiders have nothing to work with when reading a "click here" until it reaches the linked page.

This is Cross Linking - use it as much as possible when it makes sense to do so when writing your content.

3. Consistent Design

At most, one or two layouts should be used in your site design. As a reader browses your site, they should be able to get used to looking in the same place for your navigation, for your sub-navigation and for your content. That's all there is to say about that.

4. Lower Page Weight is Better

Page weight is the total size of a page on your site in bytes - code, text and images. Your site's page weight makes a big difference to your viewers. Lighter page weight is better for your readers because the page will download faster. The faster a page downloads, the faster they will get to the content.

What is Means to be Light

No large images.
Fewer images are better.
Optimize images for the web at no more than 72 dpi
Use as small an image dimension as possible for the given design.
Use a table td bgcolor attribute or a background-color style attribute for solid color backgrounds.
Make gradients horizontal or vertical (not diagonal) so that you can use a small image "strip" and repeat it.

How "Heavy" Should a Web Page be?

Certain studies show that 64K is a good maximum webpage size. 64K is a maximum, however it is still, in my opinion, really big! The smaller the page, the better. 25K is good, 15K is even better. There is a balance between design and function. It is a good idea to focus more on function.

Try putting pages on your web host server as you build your site so you can test it as you go.

Ways to make pages lighter:

Use linked style sheets
Use DIVs instead of TABLEs where possible
Use simple repeating backgrounds for effect

Summary

Visitors to your website should be able to find what they are looking for within about three clicks. Search engines should be able to navigate easily through your site. Making a site easy to read with consistent page design, and easy to navigate will make it easy to find information. When people can find information, they are more likely to refer your site or link to it - which is exactly what you want to encourage. You will be on the way to building a readable and hopefully successful website that is loved by search engines if you follow these principals.

Sony Playstations - Some Interesting Facts

2007-09-21T15:18:00.001-07:00

A play station is a type of video game machine which was first produced by Sony in the 1990's. Since the development of the first play station machine, there has been several other to follow which include pocket play station, play station 2, portable play station and play station 3.

The concept of a play station dates back to the late 1980's. Developers of Nintendo were trying to invent a video game machine that would play CD's, but were unsuccessful. When they heard that people at Sony were developing a machine used for this, they contacted them and began to work together. Once the final version was finished and released in 1994, it became immensely popular around the world and created what was called the "play station generation". Some popular titles of play station games include Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Tekken, Wipeout, Crash Bandicoot, Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid.

Play Station is very popular among young children and teenagers. Some people speculate that there are ill effects associated with it, including attention deficit disorder and an under developed imagination. If you're child has an interest in Play Station, or other such video game devises, there is no need to not allow them to play with them at all, but you should try to monitor their use so that they are not using it all of the time. Many of the video games coming out are highly violent, which can lead to a desensitization to violence, especially when these types of games are played at a young age. All games have an age rating which are EC; for early childhood, E for everyone, M for mature, E10+ for everyone older than ten, T for teen, A for adults only and RP for rating pending; which means they have not yet been given a rating. Before buying or renting games for you're child, you should check the rating to make sure it is age appropriate. You should also remember that encouraging you're child to be physically active when they are young is of paramount importance in their development. When children are physically fit, they grow up to the physically active adults which is very important, especially in today's society of fast food and sky rocketing obesity rates.

If you're child does not express and interest in physical activity, and has become increasingly adamant about playing video games, try compromising with him or her. Perhaps you could tell them that if they go to their swimming lesson, they will be allowed to play video games afterwards. This may be harder to do for teenagers, especially since telling you're teen not to do something will make them want to do it even more, but it might be easier to get you're teen to become active if they are doing something that they think is cool or fun. Perhaps this could be skydiving, rock climbing or horseback riding.

Learning the ropes of photoshop

2007-09-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

In order to understand color management, it is important to get your hands around some of the workflow. It is also important to understand a little bit about the ICC itself. The ICC or "International Color Consortium" was created in 1993 by a number major corporations with the goal of assisting end users in creating consistent color throughout the entire reproduction process. ICC profiles are a means by which one device can translate the same color information to another. This process is applied in graphics programs like Adobe Photoshop, and created in color management systems like X-rite's Pulse or ColorVision's Spyder software.

Printer targets: Like transparent IT8 targets, printer targets are more complex. Similar to film, different papers or media can produce incredibly different color results. This has to be taken into account in the profiling stage. When creating a printer profile, you are essentially creating a description of the differences between what is ideal color and what is the result of the specific paper/ink/quality setting you choose. A profile created for a professional glossy photo paper will generally not produce good results if used to print on a matte heavy weight paper. The same holds true for differences in ink or quality/speed settings.

Okay, now that we've created all of the profiles, time to implement them. You monitor profile should be getting applied upon startup by your operating system, so let's move on to your scanner. Scan in an image-once again using the exact same settings that were used to create the profile (other than resolution). In Photoshop choose Image Menu>Assign Profile. Then choose Profile: Your Scanner Profile. Having done all of the previous steps in Photoshop correctly, you should now be amazed at how your image colors changes to appear incredibly like the original that you've just scanned in. From here go to Image Menu>Convert to Profile and choose working RGB from the profile selections. This will convert your document to the native RGB working space of Photoshop. When printing you will apply the printer profile by once again choosing File>Print with Preview, select Document as your Source Space (which this time should be your Working RGB space) and in your Print Space choose Profile: Your Printer Profile. Remember once again to disable any color options in your printer driver. Finally, Print!

For those who do not know, Adobe Photoshop is a program designed to let people edit various images on their computers. Its primary purpose is to let people perform touch ups on pictures before printing them. Of course, each succeeding version of Adobe Photoshop included more and more tools which let people add effects and do various other things to their photographs. The Adobe Photoshop of today actually allows people to add sound and animation to their photographs for sharing on the internet. In the past, people who took bad pictures were stuck with them. A lot of things can go wrong in a picture. There's the usual red-eye, skewed angles, shaky focus and others. Adobe Photoshop was the tool that made all of these things disappear. With Adobe Photoshop, people can take pictures like amateurs and still produce images like pros!

Are you amazed by the awesome pictures posted in magazines and various Internet sites? Believe it or not, but even if you are not a professional photographer, you could also come up with similarly fantastic pictures. Introducing the Adobe Photoshop CS. The Photoshop CS is the more advanced and updated versions of the Adobe Photoshop software that has been around for quite some time. During the pre-computer era, you were perhaps engrossed into the hobby of cutting out pictures for better album presentations. But now, everything can be done using the computer. Even the cameras with negative films on it are slowly becoming obsolete, in favor of the modern camera types, where images are stored not on films but virtually through computer memories. In that case, how could you make good albums or edit pictures?

Manipulate objects in the Adobe Bridge. This new generation of file browser enables you to look at photographs and artwork in detail before you open the file, process multiple Camera Raw images, flip through pages in PDF documents, size, rate and organise your work in a convenient and highly user-friendly way. Goes way beyond the capabilities of the File Browser introduced in Photoshop 7. Get rid of imperfections with the Spot Healing Bush The Spot Healing brush enables you to get rid of slight imperfections - like dust or scratches at the click of a mouse. Unlike the Healing Brush or Patch tools, you don't have to find a source point first. Remove "red-eye" in an instant. With older versions of Photoshop, removing red-eye and pet-eye was possible, but it wasn't easy. Now, one click of the Red Eye removal tool can remove pet-eye and red-eye from your photographs, in less time than it takes your subject to say "cheese!".

PhotoshopSecrets Special FX: This tutorial video contains 19 lessons packed in approximately 2 hours of fast-loading CD-ROM. If 'cool!' is the one word that you want to hear to feel validated for your Photoshop efforts, this video tutorial will teach you exactly how to use special effects like the pros. Learn about 3D lathing, liquid splashes, CS branding, pixel stretching, thermal vision, toxic waste and lots more. These are cutting-edge effects, the kind you find in more advanced Photoshop users' works so you might want to try it out for yourself. Photoshopsupport.com. This site features some of the best and latest Photoshop tutorials, including those in video. Use Photoshop confidently in no time with the free video tutorials. You can even click on the links provided to find out about Photoshop products for more detailed tutorials. If you're using Photoshop to come up with a cooler, meaner website, you'll like the short tutorials on SiteGrinder 2, an Adobe Photoshop Plugin.

How Does VoIP Work?

2007-09-21T14:58:00.001-07:00

VoIP is said to be the technology of the future because it allows us to do things that were impossible just five years ago. Now, instead of having a public telephone network the VoIP technology allows you to use your broadband connection to make telephone calls. What's great about this is that you can use the phones you have always used; you just get to combine two services into one.

The VoIP technology works if you have a broadband connect and a device called a router. The router enables your phone to call just like it always has, but now it's over the broadband digital connection instead of through a conventional phone line. In addition to a router there is a VoIP gateway that connects you to a voice over network so that your voice can be converted into a digital sound instead of through the analog technology of the past. Information is basically sent in packets across broadband lines to give a great sound and seamless connection to those who have VoIP service and even those who do not. VoIP really is a revolution in combining internet access and telephone service because it utilizes the same technology for two very different things.

The VoIP is great because now you can have just one bill that allows you to have phone access as well as broadband service. Luckily, most companies can even allow you to be online at the same time as you're on the phone. There really aren't any limitations to the VoIP service and in the future it will only get easier. In the coming years digital phones will be made so that each consumer won't have to have a router, and VoIP service will probably be more common than those who have a public telephone network. If you already have a broadband connection you should definitely consider a VoIP phone connection because it's most cost efficient, it's practical, and it really is the way telephone and internet service is going!

Skype Lets You Make Free Phone Calls Online

2007-09-21T14:51:00.001-07:00

Everywhere you turn phone companies offer 3 or 5-cent long distance phone calls, or even unlimited long distance for a flat fee monthly.

Now you can make reliable calls using the Internet for anywhere from 0 to 2.3-cents per minute.

Welcome to Skype, the Internet telephony company that has set the traditional telephone world on its ear.

Recently purchased by Ebay for 2.6 billion dollars, Skype stands ready to revolutionize worldwide voice communication simply because they enable you to carry on crystal clear voice communication with anyone else in the world with a either a phone or Internet connection.

What's the catch you ask?
Well, to make phone calls, you need a computer, a microphone, speakers, a modem, an Internet connection and the free Skype software you can download from www.skype.com

To make a free phone call, you need someone on the receiving end with a computer, Internet connection, and the Skype software installed.

To make a call from your computer to a land-based phone virtually anywhere in the world, you must pre-pay for calling minutes in blocks of 10 Euros (approximately $12 U.S.).

One block of calling minutes gets you about 500 minutes of calling time, or a little over 8 hours of talking time.

Skype uses a technology called IP telephony.

IP telephony first appeared commercially back in the lat 1990's with services like Dialpad.com, which initially offered phone calls from computers to land-based phones in exchange for watching online advertising.

This model soon failed, but the thought of making ultra-cheap phone calls through a computer did not.

And, as the recent mega sale of Skype reveals, a market now exists that can put Internet telephony to work on a grand scale, or at least large enough to make eBay pony up with a lot of cash and stock to give it a try.

Once you install the software, you log onto the service and can make phone calls to other Skype users through their computers at no charge.

You can set up a call list, much like an instant messaging "buddy list" so with a couple clicks of the mouse you can ring your friends up for a chat.

Or, if you pre-pay for calling minutes, you can enter in the country code and phone number of your pals, click a button, and their phone or cell phone will ring.

Skype also allows you to hold conference calls with up to 4 other people at the same time, making it easy to hold group meetings.

Skype includes a group chat feature which allows you to hold a group chat session with up to 48 other people at the same time... excellent for "webinars" or even planning that next family reunion.

Skype also allows you to transfer files to and from other users, perfect for sharing photos, music and short video clips with your pals.

Tip: Get a good headset microphone.

It makes using the service more enjoyable and also eliminates the echo created by your own speakers feeding back into your PC's microphone.

How To Select The Notebook That Meets Your Requirements?

2007-09-21T14:44:00.001-07:00

For the past ten years there has been a tremendous growth in the usage of notebook or laptop computers. The impact is that the notebooks are slowly replacing the traditional desktop computers from home as well as from office. There are so many varieties, technologies and brands of notebooks available in the market that it has become very difficult for a regular user to identify the best fit for his or her needs. This article will help you in getting a few tips on how to select the right notebook and make the most out of your investment.

A notebook offers several advantages. The most important being the trouble-free mobility. This is enhanced by the easily available wireless internet connections all over the world. It is very convenient to carry all your work with you anywhere you go. Advancement in technology has brought down the weight and size of the notebooks significantly, making it even more comfortable for a regular user.

What are the things that you should consider before purchasing your notebook? Start with doing an analysis of your needs. Ask questions like: For what purpose will I use this notebook? The answers could include -- for internet browsing, chatting, high-end graphic designing, gaming, business or official work, programming, application development, etc. The type of notebook you choose will depend on what you need it for.

When you do your research, make notes on the prices, technical features, configuration, guarantees, and performance that each notebook has to offer. You would need to decide whether you want a notebook from an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or from a brand. It is believed that brand notebooks offer better post-sales service, and guarantee, while OEM notebooks are cheaper and offer the same hardware quality as the brand ones.

If you need a notebook that is small and light and should be carried around easily while you are traveling, go for the ultra-portable range models. These notebooks have screens smaller than 12 inches and weigh up to 5 pounds. Some models of such notebooks include Sony Vaio PCG-U3, Fujitsu Lifebook P1510, Toshiba Libretto U100, Panasonic R4, Dell Latitude X1 and many more.

If you are a business professional looking for a thin and light notebook that offers durability, security and all important features necessary for your office, then you can select from a wide range of business notebooks. These include Apple MacBook, Dell XPS M1210, Sony VAIO FJ, and Dell Latitude and etc.

If you are addicted to gaming you would need a notebook that has the capability to present high-end graphics performance. These would include notebooks with the latest processors, increased RAM and hard disk storage space, faster CPUs, top-of-the line graphic display capability, great wireless connectivity and a host of other compatibility features. Some of the best gaming notebooks include Alienware Aurora, Dell XPS M170, and Rock Xtreme CTX PRO and etc.

If you are looking for just an economic replacement for your desktop and you do not want to spend on a high-end notebook, then you can select from a variety of models offered by Acer, Apple, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. These notebooks are fashioned to be used at a fixed location and weigh up to 13 pounds, so they are not very convenient if you have to travel a lot. They generally have bigger screen sizes and lower battery life.

Apart from the notebooks mentioned above you can also pick tablet PCs, transportables, high-end personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, or smart phones. These are mobile devices that you can carry with you wherever you go, if mobility is all you are looking for.

Simple Steps - Protect your Computer Online

2007-09-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

So you've bought your computer and want to get online? It's not as simple as connect the wire and off you go these day's. The internet is a weird and wonderful place as long as you can control what you do.

That's why you need to protect yourself. These can be done in a number of very simple steps. This article will get you started but you should always try to be smart when your surfing the net!

Step 1: Anti-Virus Scanner

Whether you're connecting to the internet or not, you need an Anti-Virus scanner. Your computer can become infected with "viruses". These are little files or codes that have been written to ruin your computer! That's why they must be stopped!

There are many programs out there that can help, but it's best to trust only the mainstream programs as these are used widely and updated regularly.

Recommendations:
AVG Anti-Virus Free
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

Avast antivirus
http://www.avast.com/

Step 2: Firewall

Ok so your thinking what is a "firewall" sounds scary right? Well it's not really. It is again another line of defence against the number of ways your computer can be attacked. In simple terms it blocks other computers and programs from connecting to you and playing with your stuff. Think of it as an internet wall of fire, where you allow what can pass through.

Software - Again there are many programs available to protect you, Recent Microsoft Windows machines come with Windows Firewall, which can be described as basic at best. We do recommend you go for mainstream again.

Hardware - A firewall can also be included as part of your hardware, like an internet router "that's the box that sits between your pc and the internet line". This is the best and recommended way to have a firewall. As it blocks intruders before it gets to your pc.

Recommendations:
Zone Alarm
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

Step 3: Be AWARE!!

Simply put watch what you download and accept to save to your PC, sometimes people can send you files in e-mails. They look ok but when you run them they will install something onto your PC and leave you upset and distraught. Always scan something that has been downloaded before opening it and never open/run programs that have been sent in an e-mail from unknown sources.
Step 4: Go for it

That's pretty much it to get you going. If you think something doesn't look right, it probably isn't. Hopefully this will get you going to start with, wait till you find out about spy ware and Trojan's!! Good Luck and Safe Surfing

IBM scores 'Symphony' as free online Office rival

2007-09-19T04:32:00.001-07:00

IBM Corp. has spun out productivity software included in the latest version of Lotus Notes as a free stand-alone suite to compete with Microsoft Corp.'s Office productivity suite.

The name for the suite, Symphony, is the same name IBM used for its first integrated productivity suite, which it offered in the 1980s but which never took off with customers. Mike Rhodin, general manager of Lotus Software for the IBM Software Group, said the company brought back the name to "herald in a new age" of productivity software.

Symphony includes Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets and Lotus Symphony Presentations. The applications are available online at a new Web site that will also serve as the home page for a community IBM hopes will grow around the suite.

Rhodin said IBM is offering Symphony in beta form because it wants the community to suggest improvements for the software so the suite can evolve more quickly than it could if the company were to work on it independently.

Like the productivity software built into Notes 8, Symphony is based on the open-source Eclipse platform and uses Open Document Format for XML (ODF) as its native file format. ODF is a document standard recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), but a rival to Microsoft's Open XML (OOXML), which is the native format in Office. Microsoft's quest to have OOXML become a standard alongside ODF was dealt a significant blow when the ISO voted against fast-tracking approval of the format earlier this month.

IBM has been an ardent supporter of ODF for some time, but with Symphony the company is bringing this support into the Web 2.0 age. Symphony is an alternative not only to Office but to Google Docs & Spreadsheets, the search giant's own version of online document-editing and creation software. IBM also is offering fee-based telephone support for services if customers want that option.

In addition to Symphony, IBM Tuesday also unveiled Lotus Notes as a hosted service on Tuesday. Rhodin said the service is meant for the small-to-medium-size business market, for organizations up to about 10,000 users. According to IBM, the operational cost of hosted Lotus is about US$5 to $10 per user, per month.

In addition to Lotus Notes, customers can choose to include hosted versions of Lotus Sametime and Lotus Quickr as optional services, Rhodin said.

Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story.
Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games.

Apple may be next in EU antitrust sights

2007-09-19T04:26:00.001-07:00

September 18, 2007 -- With Microsoft Corp.'s antitrust appeal now decided, the next U.S. technology company to get a place on the European Union (EU)'s regulatory hot seat may be Apple, an antitrust expert said today.

"The decision by the Court of First Instance is a clear signal to the European [Competition] Commission that it has the leeway to go ahead," said Herbert Hovenkamp, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law and a noted antitrust scholar. "[The commission] now has a license to go ahead, and they have a pretty aggressive posture. I think this bodes ill for some companies."

Among those already facing investigations or accusations from the EU antitrust agency, which is led by Neelie Kroes of the Netherlands, are chip makers Rambus Inc. and Intel Corp.; Qualcomm Inc., a wireless technology vendor; and Apple Inc.

Apple, in fact, will face two days of hearings before the commission starting Wednesday to answer charges that it and its four music label partners are violating EU laws with the pricing structure and purchase restrictions of the iTunes music store. In early April, the commission confirmed that it had sent a Statement of Objections (SO), the agency's term for an official complaint, to Apple and partners EMI, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and Universal Music.

The SO claimed consumers are restricted in their choice of where to buy music -- because each country's version of iTunes only accepts orders from customers who live in that country -- and at what price. ITunes tracks sales for varying amounts, depending on the country.

But the commission steered clear of calling Apple another Microsoft in April. "The Statement of Objections does not allege that Apple is in a dominant market position," the group said in a statement at the time.

Yesterday, Kroes downplayed any link between the court's rejection of Microsoft's appeal and possible action against other U.S. technology companies. "You may hear scare stories about the supposed negative consequences of this ruling for other companies," she said during a news conference Monday afternoon. "Let me be clear. There is one company that will have to change its illegal behavior as a result of this ruling: Microsoft."

Microsoft, however, thought different.

During his own news conference yesterday, Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, repeatedly pointed to Apple. "Apple has something like a 70% market share for digital music," said Smith. "ITunes is far and away the leading source for music on the Internet; the iPod is far and away the leading hardware device for digital music."

Even the U.S. Department of Justice weighed in. Thomas Barnett, the assistant attorney general for antitrust, yesterday said: "We are concerned that the standard applied to unilateral conduct by the CFI [Court of First Instance], rather than helping consumers, may have the unfortunate consequence of harming consumers by chilling innovation and discouraging competition."

Hovenkamp was confident that yesterday's decision would embolden the commission. "This was a landmark decision, and a landmark case," he said. "It stands for a couple of important things. First, it's a declaration of independence, a statement that their anticompetitive policy is not going to be dictated by U.S. policy. Second, it clears the way for the commission to pursue new cases.

"You're going to see a more aggressive commission that will go after high technology companies, especially those that are involved with networks or standard setting," Hovenkamp said.

"Rambus and Qualcom, certainly," he said, are among the companies at risk from a combative commission. "Intel? Perhaps. As for Apple, there are some undeveloped issues there."

In Apple's favor, he said, are European antitrust traditions that may let the iTunes operator and iPod maker off the hook. Europe's antitrust agency has typically looked differently at two kinds of pricing discrimination. The one where a company prices products differently in different countries in order to squash competition -- pricing products lower in nations where rivals exist, higher where competitors are lacking -- is usually treated harshly, said Hovenkamp. The other type of pricing discrimination, where a seller prices products based on what it thinks a particular country's buyers can bear -- more in Germany, for example, less in Portugal -- are not generally considered a competition problem.

"If Apple is pricing differentially because of economies and consumer buying power," said Hovenkamp, "it is probably safe. But if [it is] doing this to suppress competition, the commission may act."

Among the possible results of the hearings: fines levied to the tune of 10% of global net revenues. Kroes' agency could also dismiss the SO after the hearing.

"Europeans are much more comfortable with regulation," said Hovenkamp.

Apple did not reply to a request for comment on the court ruling yesterday or on the hearings that kick off tomorrow in Brussels.

Got a little couch potato?
Check out fun summer activities for kids.