OT: Technology and Geek Stuff Thread

[-Deborah-]

I don't think that rate is out of line. As to the "how" of it: http://lifehacker.com/software/windo...tch-157578.php

It's not terribly difficult, but if you're not very computer-savvy, I would have them do it (or find a geeky friend willing to spend the time on it).

[Coop]

Mason - I have admitted that Apple cornered the market on portable media players a long time ago. This is my third iPod in 4 years...and from a "total package" perspective, the device can't be beat.

Realize, however that Apple would have never enjoyed the success that it has with the iPod if Jobs had NOT made it PC compatible....

[-Deborah-]

I finally broke down and bought a tiny little iPod Shuffle to take to the gym and to poker tournaments. I love it.

[kayrone]

I got an iPod shuffle as a pillow gift at a business meeting a couple of years ago. It is great, but I really only use it on airplanes. At the gym I usually plug in the earphones to the TV and watch the news or Oprah or something.

I wanted to get my husband an iPod for his birthday but one of his buddies talked me into getting a Zune instead. He'd gone through 2 or 3 iPods and had much better things to say about the Zune, namely that you can transfer music from one Zune to another. My husband has been very happy with the Zune itself, but there are hardly any accessories for it, which frustrates the crap out of him. He hasn't come out and said it, but I think he secretly wishes I'd gotten him the iPod instead.

[mason reese]

Question: How do you erase a Laptops hard drive and reinstall Windows? Is it easy? Computer guys want to charge me $125, but that seems alittle much.

I just wiped my hard drive and re-installed everything a few weeks ago. Took me the better part of the week-end to reinstall everything and track down the correct drivers and stuff. $125 doesn't sound too bad if you have any reservations about doing it yourself.

[YT]

............. My husband has been very happy with the Zune itself, but there are hardly any accessories for it, which frustrates the crap out of him. He hasn't come out and said it, but I think he secretly wishes I'd gotten him the iPod instead.

Kay,

Try this site and see what you think. Leti used it extensively before buying me my Sansa.

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/

[froot loops]

Sansa has worked fine for me, looking to get the 8 gig sansa. Won't touch an Apple product.

[Jdoggie]

I don't think that rate is out of line. As to the "how" of it: http://lifehacker.com/software/windo...tch-157578.php

It's not terribly difficult, but if you're not very computer-savvy, I would have them do it (or find a geeky friend willing to spend the time on it).

I'm ok with computers but $125 dollars seems alot to spend for a laptop repair when it is only going to be a extra for my son to get on the net with his new toy. i might try it myslef just for fun. If it doesn't work out, ohh well.

I just wiped my hard drive and re-installed everything a few weeks ago. Took me the better part of the week-end to reinstall everything and track down the correct drivers and stuff. $125 doesn't sound too bad if you have any reservations about doing it yourself.

I will keep that in mind.

Kay,

Try this site and see what you think. Leti used it extensively before buying me my Sansa.


http://www.anythingbutipod.com/

Thanks.

Sansa has worked fine for me, looking to get the 8 gig sansa. Won't touch an Apple product.

I got a creative and have now bought 3. They work great and support tons of formats. I bought it thought because it records radio which other do not. Actually I think the newer models don't have this function any longer. Accesories are hard to come by, but that is a good thing in my book because I don't need to be spending hundreds of dollars on unnecessary gadgets.

[Newbomb Turk]

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Online pornography hunters' Internet adventures are already fraught with danger from malicious code many porn sites use to commandeer visitors' machines or steal personal data.


Now comes a scheme some researchers say amounts to extortion: One site's threat to disable visitors' computers with relentless pop-up ads if they don't pay for a subscription they were automatically signed up for after a free trial.

The threats, reported this week by researchers at security vendor McAfee Inc.'s Avert Labs, affect people who visit the Web site and download software to access a free three-day trial membership.

Visitors do get free access for three days, but the download includes code that then generates a stream of pop-up windows, when the user is online and offline, demanding payment of roughly $80 for 90 days' worth of additional access.

The windows stay open up to 10 minutes and appear once a day. They appear on top of any open windows and restore to their original size if shrunk or moved, making them impossible to ignore. They also reappear if the computer is rebooted.

The site actually warns visitors they will be billed as full members—and lose full use of their computers if they don't—unless they cancel the subscription within the trial period. But the warning appears in the full terms and conditions statement, which downloaders aren't required to read.

Once the fees are paid, the software can be removed with a special file. "What it appears they are doing is, in my humble opinion, a form of extortion based on the (usually correct) assumption that a person's computer will be key to many other activities in their daily life," McAfee researcher Seth Purdy wrote on the Avert Labs blog.

[Coop]

some people shouldn't have computers that are attached to the Internet....

[unknown lions fan]

There is a very large grey market on the iPhones going on, where they are manufactured in China, shipped out to the US and Europe, then smuggled back into China, unlocked, and used with local providers.

Funny stuff. This is typical of Apple and their constant use of closed, proprietary systems, technologies, and networks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/business/worldbusiness/18iphone.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&hp

[Coop]

except that the iphone and ipoT have been hacked early and often, which blows the proprietary controls out of the water and accounts for aforementioned smuggling. I am curious if the pending SDK which is Apple's unofficial way of bowing to the pressure to let developers create "legal" native apps will have any impact. There is already rumor of flash enhancements for Safari..rumored to be delayed because of hardware constraints but now it looks like legalities...

[King Cole]

Does anyone own one of those 96"-100" HD projector thingamabobs.
I've been looking at them and they're actually cheaper then 42" plasma or LCD's.

I just know there are some drawbacks to rear projections, glare, bad angles etc. Am wondering if there is drawbacks to these? How is the picture ?

[-Deborah-]

A good source of info can be found here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

Scroll down to the Display Devices section.

[Coop]

The other interesting thing with the iPhone hack is that customers are able to use them on non at&t networks which screws at&t because they don't get the 2 year contract $, of which they have to kick back a certain percentage to Apple for having exclusivity. Screw the death star !!