| Welcome to the N-Tech Solutions Customer Newsletter for July 2009!
by Nathan Woodcock
As part of our commitment to providing an IT service that is professional, straight-talking and enjoyable we publish this newsletter every one or two months to keep in touch, have some fun and maybe even point out a few handy computer related things you didn't know. If you'd prefer not to receive this email simply click the unsubscribe link at the bottom on this newsletter. Sleep deprivation - it really is torture. We've had our twins home for four weeks now, after being born seven weeks premature and in hospital for three weeks. In fact, today would have been their birthday had they gone full term. We're experiencing all the joys of raising three boys under three and if Bekki and I don't kill each other we'll be doing pretty well! But despite being exhausted every day we still feel very blessed, especially since our two year old is such a good sleeper! It's business as usual here at N-Tech though - the only difference is you may need to leave a message occasionally and be called back, and if I turn up I may be more red-eyed and vague than usual. The New Wave...
Announced in May and scheduled for release later this year, Google Wave is a new tool for collaboration on the web. It brings together a range of separate communication methods and media (such as email, chat, twitter, video, document sharing, gadgets etc) into a single platform or piece of software that is fully customisable to the users needs. Wave is the brainchild of a Sydney based team, who noticed that two of the most spectacular successes in digital communication, email and instant messaging, were originally designed in the '60s to imitate analog formats — email mimicked snail mail, and IM mimicked phone calls. So they asked themselves these questions:
Why do we have to live with divides between different types of communication — email versus chat, or conversations versus documents?
Could a single communications model span all or most of the systems in use on the web today, in one smooth continuum? How simple could we make it?
What if we tried designing a communications system that took advantage of computers' current abilities, rather than imitating non-electronic forms?
And Google Wave was born. To get an idea of how Google wave can work, take a look at the following links. I’m pretty sure this will revolutionise how we communicate and interact on the internet.
The Wave originators comments:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/went-walkabout-brought-back-google-wave.html A brief overview of Wave:
http://mashable.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-guide/ The Google Wave website with preview video:
http://wave.google.com/ Wireless Overview
Occasionally I'm still seeing people confused over the various wireless offerings on the market so I thought we'd do a very brief clarification. There are two main types of wireless product, and we will call them Mobile Wireless Broadband, and In-Home/Office Wireless. Mobile Wireless Broadband is where you have a wireless adapter that allows you to connect to the internet practically anywhere you have a mobile phone signal, ie. the side of the road, outback, you name it. For this you need a special adapter and sign up to a monthly internet plan with a wireless provider such as Bigpond, Virgin, Optus etc (although Bigpond now offer a pre-pay mobile wireless product, but be careful its extremely expensive to use). This type of wireless uses the mobile phone network.
In Home/Office Wireless requires an existing internet connection, which is usually ADSL (standrd broadband over your phone line). You just replace your normal ADSL broadband modem with a unit that has wireless, and it creates a wireless hotspot within the range of the unit that you can connect to with your PC or laptop if you have a wireless adapter. Most laptops sold in the last two to three years will have this kind of wireless built in (note: these adapters are not the same as the Mobile Wireless adapters). Thee are no additional costs with this setup. For In Home/Office Wireless there are several types of wireless devices, most commonly you will see 802.11g, 802.11n, Mimo or Rangemax. 802.11g and 802.11n are simply speeds that your modem supports. The g standard gives speeds up to 56Mbps while the n standard (which hasn't actually been finalised as yet) gives speeds up to 108Mbps, or equivalent to Ethernet cable speeds. Mino and Rangemax relate to signal range and quality and occasionally speed, and generally mean that multiple antennas have been built into the wireless unit. Your speed and range will vary depending on your hardware, the walls in your home or office, and the weather! You can also buy various booster devices for wireless including bigger antennas and utilising multiple wireless devices to join separate buildings together. New Financial Year Sale!
Ok so its very similar to the end of financial year sale, you got me. But the prices truly are excellent and reduced even further in an effort to bolster our cash flow. External Hard Drives:
Maxtor 640GB External USB Hard Drive, 5 year Maxtor Warranty! 2 only - $125
Toshiba 250GB External USB Hard drive, slim, no power needed, 2 only - $85
Miscellaneous Hardware:
HP Deskjet D1560 Inkjet Printer - $39
Cygnett Groovecube Rechargeable mini-speakers for iPods, mp3 players, 2 only - $18
Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX webcam, 1 only - $45
Netgear WG602 Wireless Access Point - $85
(Use two to connect buildings together)
Asus MyCinema USB Digital TV Receiver - $40
Targus Universal Notebook Docking Station RRP $170, 1 only - $75
(Adds the following ports to your laptop – keyboard, mouse, parallel, serial, audio inc, digital, network, 3xUSB. Box open but unused)
Monitors:
Samsung Syncmaster 2033W 20” widescreen LCD, 2 only - $225
Samsung Syncmaster 2243BW 22” widescreen LCD, 2 only - $260
(Height Adjustable, Pivot, Swivel & Tilt)
Computer Systems:
HP/Compaq D530 Refurbished System with 17” LCD, 2 only - $360
P4 2.8Ghz Processor
1Gb Ram
40Gb HDD
CD-Rom
10/1000 NIC
USB ports
Keyboard, Mouse
Windows Xp Pro Licence
17” LCD monitor Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium OEM, 2 only - $110
Security Software:
Norton Internet Security 2009, 12 month subscription, 2 only - $35
Bullguard Internet Security Suite, 12 month subscription, 2 only - $30
Norton Antivirus 2008 with Antispyware, 1 only - $20
Trendmicro PCcillin Internet Security 2008, 12 month subscription, 1 only - $20
Toner Cartridges:
HP Laserjet Cartridge 12A (Q2612A) RRP $150, 1 only - $75
(Suits Laserjet 1010, 1012, 1015, 1018, 1020, 1022, 3015, 3020, 3030, 3050, 3050Z, 3052, 3055, M1005)
HP Laserjet Cartridge 35A (CB435A) RRP $119, 1 only - $75
(Suits Laserjet P1005, P1006). | Government Small Business Tax Incentive 50% and valid until December 2009:
The 50% deduction on capital purchases over $1000 for eligible businesses is still in place. Of course you have missed claiming on last financial years return but you can claim on this years.
Internet Occurrences...
The rise in social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter has also given rise to a phenomenon called the "Flash Mob." A flash mob is where a spontaneous but brief meeting of people is arranged via Facebook or Twitter or similar, and people gather and perform some pre-determined thing. Some flash mobs have a hundred people gather in a train station and all suddenly freeze for sixty seconds, before carrying on and leaving. The coolest flash mob I've seen recently was in Stockholm where two flash mobs were arranged in memory of Michael Jackson, with the participants learning the dance moves to Michaels song "Beat Itl" then spontaneously performing the routine for a couple of minutes to the surprise and applause of onlookers. Check out a couple of the videos here: http://tinyurl.com/mokax5
Itunes Music DRM free
It happened a couple of months back now but did you know that just about all iTunes music is now DRM (Digital Rights Management) free? What this means is that there are no longer restrictions on what you can do with the music you buy from iTunes. Previously the DRM locked download would only let you play it on particular iPods or PCs, and burn to CD was also limited. Now you can do whatever you like with the music you download. I would be fascinated to know if iTunes has sold more or less music due to this move - the whole idea with DRM was to prevent the distribution of music illegally, but I think it actually deterred people from buying music in iTunes (I certainly never did). Now iTunes is DRM free I have bought several albums and assorted tracks. And guess what - I haven't passed them on illegally to anyone else. Education Tax Refund Don't forget if you have school age children you can claim 50% back on eligible expenses for the kids. Click here for more info. |
