Babel Machine

Do you ever get those annoying emails trying to sell the latest video on crazy fetishes, invented in some country you’ve never heard of? Well if you have a good anti-spam program the answer is no. Anti-spam software not only protects you from outrageous emails, such as these fetishes videos, but it can prevent the more harmful emails, such phishing scams from reaching your inbox.

A phishing scam is very simply a way for the scammer to steal your personal information, such as driver’s license, bank details, passport and other things of this nature. They can use the information you give them to do unimaginable things. The good news is in no country is it legal and anyone caught phishing is usually prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Now as these scammers are coming up with new ways to get past the anti-spam programs and into your inbox, you should be aware you can fall into their trap at any given moment. To avoid becoming their next meal, have a read through these useful tips to help you steer clear of phishing scams.

Using Money Services on the Internet

No matter where you sign up on the internet to use services that touch your money, they give you a list of rules and regulations to read and agree to before you become a member.  If you actually bother to read them, which most people don’t, they tell you that they will never ask you for any personal information via email, such as passwords and bank account numbers. Some websites such as EBay and PayPal also warn you, on a regular basis, that some scammers may pose as their company and ask for your details through an email, but you should never respond as that is not their policy or the way they handle business. So no matter who asks you for your details through email, NEVER give them out.

Email Addresses

With scammers getting smarter these days they now buy websites with a very similar name to the site they are mimicking. For example a phishing scammer pretending to be from PayPal may buy a website like www.PayPaI.com (the L is replaced with a capital i) OR www.PayPall.com . With this website they also get email addresses that might be Admin@PayPaI.com OR J.Johnson@PayPall.com. You find that if you actually look at the email address it is different in some way to a real email from a real company. You can always just copy and paste it in notebook or something similar to see if things like L’s or capital o’s have been swapped with capital i’s or 0(zero)’s. The easiest thing to do is look at a real email from the company and if you don’t have one, go to their website and request an email in some way, through support or tell them you think you have a false email from them and they’ll go out of their way to help you. Of course if the scammer isn’t too bright and the email address is something like JBloggs@hotmail.com then he is just an idiot, but never the less, make sure you’re not fooled by this scamming idiot.

Spamming

A lot of the time these phishing jerks will send one email to many people at a time. They might do this by having a data base where all they do is enter your name and email address, along with the 50 other names and email addresses its being sent to. They collect your name and email from places like MySpace, Facebook and Bebo. Many times they don’t even care about names and just collect email addresses through forums where they are often freely given out. So when you receive a dodgy email prying for personal information, just check to see if you were the only recipient or if there were many. Chances are you were not the only recipient and it is a phishing scam.

Check the Internet

Remember that good old saying, ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it is!’ Well even in today’s world this is still the case. Any suspicious email I get now, I pick a few lines and then run it straight through several search engines to see if anyone else has had problems. I can almost guarantee if it is a scam someone has posted something about it somewhere. I received a few odd phishing scams several weeks back. One was from Microsoft claiming I won $1,000,000 for having a hotmail account and the other was from an exotic dancer that wanted to live with me providing I helped her get her $1,000,000 over to Australia and then set us up a place together. As tempting as the second one was, well a) the Mrs didn’t like it and b) it was clearly a scam. When I ran a few words like, $1,000,000 bullshit Microsoft through Google I had hundreds of results, all saying that it was a scam and of course the first link I clicked http://www.hoax-slayer.com/microsoft-lottery-scam.html gave me the answers I was looking for. So no matter how real the email seems, a simple Google search will see you deleting all those phishing scams that managed to navigate their way to your inbox.

The email is a phishing scam!

Believe it or not this is actually a good thing (providing you haven’t been scammed) as it means you can report it to the company that is being imitated. This allows these bigger companies like Microsoft and Banks, to take legal action against these scamming mongrels, often landing them a nice prison sentence. The first thing you should do is logon to the website that the scammer is posing as, then hit the contact us/support button and send them the exact email you were sent, with a brief outline of what has happened. Another thing I would suggest doing if you don’t receive an email back from this company is calling them. Remember it is you being scammed and you are helping out these big companies by reporting what they aren’t aware of. After all, reporting it helps you end up with your personal information in more secure databases. Scammers imitating these big companies are often the reason you see them change their logo and/or email templates on a periodical basis.

So whether you need to go and buy a new anti-spam filter/program for your email or get an ice cold glass of coca-cola, just be sure to remember phishing scams are out there and they can easily be prevented providing you keep these useful tips in mind. Make sure you pass these tips around to your friends and colleagues by linking them back to this page.

One of the inevitabilities of owning a computer is that performance will suffer over time. A speedy system can end up slowing to a crawl after a few months of adding new hardware, installing and uninstalling software, as well as general use.

Vista has a number of tools that can help maintain the performance of your computer. By using them regularly, you can keep your computer healthy and reduce the risk of crashes and data loss. A computer’s hard disk is among its most important components, so it will come as no surprise that the majority of maintenance tools included in Vista focus on cleaning up the disk and reorganising files so they can be accessed quickly and easily. Luckily, some maintenance tasks can be scheduled to happen automatically.

Read on to find out how to keep your Vista PC happy.

Tip 1 – Physical errors on your hard disk can not only lead to Windows crashing, but can also result in data loss. Should an area of the disk become corrupt, any data saved to it becomes unstable. Thankfully, Vista’s built-in Check Disk can be used to test the drive for errors in the way files are stored and move information out of any bad sectors. Go to Start > Computer, right-click on the icon for your hard drive and select Properties. Move to the Tools Tab and click the Check Now button. Tick both of the boxes and click Start. If you are checking the drive that has Windows installed on it, you will need to click the ‘Schedule disk check’ button and then restart your computer for the scan to continue.

Tip 2 – Although hard disks now have hue capacities, it is still a good idea to keep as much free space available as possible. As well as manually deleting files you no longer need, the Disk Cleanup tool can remove other unnecessary files. Click the Start button, then All Programs. From the Accessories menu select System Tools, then Disk Cleanup. Click the option ‘Files from all users on this computer’, then select the drive to be checked before clicking OK. Move to the More Options tab and you can start freeing up disk space by uninstalling programs you no longer need, as well as removing all but the most recent of System Restore points.

Tip 3 – This done, return to the Disk Cleanup tab and a list of unnecessary files in various categories will be listed. The different types of file are easy enough to identify, but after selecting an item in the list, you can click the View Files button to check anything you are not sure about. Work through the list of options and tick the box next to the relevant entry, then click the OK button to start the removal process. This will not remove all the temporary files completely, and if you want to do this press the Windows key and R simultaneously, type %temp%, press Enter and delete all the files in the folder that opens.

Tip 4 – It’s possible to store your Disk Cleanup settings. Click the Start button, type cleanmgr.exe /Sageset:100 (where 100 is any number between 0 and 65535) and choose your options. You will notice a number of other options are now available. Click OK. Now click the Start button, then All Programs, then Accessories. From the System Tools menu select Task Scheduler. Click ‘Create Basic Task’, enter a name and description, and click Next. Set your scheduling options. In the Action section, type cleanmgr.exe in the Program/script box and /Sagerun:100 (or the number you previously used) in the Arguments box.

Tip 5 – When creating and deleting files, your computer can become so disorganised that files take longer to open. By defragmenting the hard disk, files are reorganised so that all their component parts are next to each other on the drive, thus improving performance. Go to Start > Computer, right-click the icon for your hard disk, select Properties, then go to the Tools tab. Click the Defragment now button, followed by ‘Defragment now’ and your drive will be optimised. The defragmentation tool can also be accessed by clicking the Start button, followed by All Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, followed by Disk Defragmenter.

Tip 6 – Remembering to defragment your disk regularly can be difficult, but it is possible to create a schedule so that the tools will run without the need for user intervention. Launch the disk Defragmenter. On the first screen make sure the option labelled ‘Run on a schedule (recommended)’ is ticked. Click the Modify Schedule button, then use the dropdown menu to choose how frequently the tool should be run. Most people will not need to defragment more than once a month, but if you create and delete a large number of files, weekly runs may help to maintain peak performance.

Belkin Miniglow Optical Mouse

The MiniGlow Optical Mouse couldn’t be more aptly named; it’s a tiny mouse with a retractable cable that has a gentle pulsing glow that runs around the body of the mouse and through the scroll wheel.
Pros: It’s driverless and, thanks to the retractable cable, immensely portable. Tracking with the mouse was generally very good over most surfaces, except that…
Cons: The tiny size does make it a hand-cramp candidate for many users. The glowing effect is initially cool, but I’d hate to be stuck on a plane next to someone using it while I was trying to sleep.
Rating: 3/5 – Cool concept, but impossibly the world’s most anti-social mouse.

Bento 2

The second release of FileMaker’s friendly, Mac OS X-only database product adds a few new simple tweaks, including RSS and Apple Mail integration.
Pros: Bento’s biggest plus is that it’s a genuinely easy-to-use database product, with little to no knowledge of forms, relational database or programming required. It’s also aesthetically very nice, right out of the box.
Cons: It’s OS X only – FileMaker does its main database product in a Windows version, but not Bento. In some ways, this is a bit of a ‘point’ release of the product, as the new features aren’t that great, and could have arguably been included in a patch.
Rating: 3.5/5 – A great, easy-to-use database product for Mac users.

Acronis True Image 2009

Acronis True Image 2009

Backup software is just about the most dull software on the planet, but with the increasing amount of digital data we possess these days, it’s also quite vital. Acronis’ True Image 2009 offers the ability to back up your entire PC – or just selected folders.

Pros: New improvements include a very Vista-looking interface and a slick text search ability. One new feature I liked was that after the initial installation, Acronis sets up a simple one-click backup of your existing system, with all the necessary files pre-selected for you.

Cons: As with a lot of backup utilities, initial backup can be rather slow

Rating: 4/5 – A solid backup utility

Avanquest Fix it Utilities 8

Avanquest Fix-it Utilities 8

Fix-it Utilities doesn’t shirk when it comes to offering features – it’s a registry cleaner, Windows system tweaker, anti-virus/spyware package, startup manager and file recovery tool – or rather, a suite of tools.

Pros: The default install offers a three-user license, so it’s easy to keep an entire houseful of PCs covered. The range of utilities offered is impressive, but not overwhelming, as it’s easy to do a one-click security or system stability check and update.

Cons: With that much to do, it’s perhaps not surprising that Fix-it Utilities can be slow to run through its tasks. If you’re already using an anti-virus package, you’ll have to remember not to install that component, but if you do, you’ll need to keep it updated for it to have any relevance.

Rating: 4/5 – A good overall package, if no the fastest available.

Iolo System Mechanic Professional

Iolo System Mechanic Professional

Like Fix-it Utilities 8, System Mechanic promises to make your PC run a lot more smoothly, although in System Mechanic’s case, it’s through a number of rather more in-depth utilities, including anti-virus, firewall, file recovery and drive deleting utilities.

Pros: It’s comprehensive, and covers some factors other utilities leave out, including in-depth hard drive deletion utilities.

Cons: The firewall is very chatty, as is the anti-virus package. You can opt not to install them, but then you may find yourself better served by the standard utility, which is $69.95. Some of the vendor claims, such as the ability to “Accelerate download and Web surfing speeds up to 300%” are pure snake oil.

Rating: 3/5 – A decent suite of utilities, but a little overhyped.

The WRT610N is an 802.11b/g/n router with two radio transmitters within – one at 2.4GHz, and one at 5GHz. Why does that matter? Well, the 2.4GHz band is compatible with just about everything, but prone to interference, whereas the 5GHz band is less cluttered. By offering both simultaneously, you can run high-speed wireless for things that need high bandwidth – like video – and lower speed for older devices that need the 2.4GHz compatibility.

Pros: Setup of the WRT610N was nicely simple, thanks to the integrated LELA tool, and data throughput rates, while not up to the hype of 802.11n (so far, nothing is) were respectable.

Cons: The uncluttered 5GHz range was relatively poor. I’m still not a fan of the 802.11n, as the hype surrounding what you should get just doesn’t match up to the reality.

Rating: 3.5/5 – A good router, but 802.11n is still disappointing.

INTRODUCTION:
The Glyde from Samsung is another touch screen phone. The large touch screen design of the phone works and looks a lot like the popular iPhone from apple. The slider features a QWERTY keypad which is fast becoming a standard feature on most new models. The colour screen is bright and the images are surprisingly sharp and bold. It also features a 2.0 mega-pixel camera and has Internet and many other serviceable capabilities like emailing, browsing, VZ Navigator, etc. The Glyde offers all the Modern smart phone features.

DESIGN:
The Glyde is a shinny and sleek touch screen slider phone with an option of using the device as a bar phone also. It measures 4.09 x 1.97 x 0.7 cm and weighs 4.13 oz. Its screen size is excellent this screen takes up most of the front space of the phone. Sliding this phone shows off its QWERTY keypad. The sliding face of the phone is not exactly 90 degrees making the screen slanted. In general it is a sturdy phone but is not that light for a compact phone and the sliding mechanism makes the phone look less classy.
Sliding the phone to an open position allows the screen automatically to switch from landscape to portrait mode. When in a closed position the phone operates as a bar phone instead of the touch screen and it uses the keypad like an iPhone the screen is on portrait mode.
The touch screen operates well except for the occasional hiccup; you have an option to setup the touch-screen how you use it. The selection keys on its touch screen are very small making it difficult to scroll through the list. Users will most probably make use of the keypad for typing text messages opposed to the emails it works great for this purpose.

GLYDE TOUCHSCREEN:
The Glyde is fitted with a unique interface, preloaded background images, and also includes a Rubik’s Cube feature for fun purpose. A Shortcut menu is activated when you touch the pulsating blue box.  There are many other quick launch keys on its home screen which includes: Menu, Contacts, Dial Pad and Messaging. At the bottom you would find more icons that dim or light up according to the alarm set, a missed call, a calendar appointment or new message. Besides the navigating menus, UI is very easy to apply, if you are familiar with haptic-feedback phone you will catch on easily. However we noticed that the option had to be clicked on twice before the input was registered by the phone.

KEYBOARD:
Glyde’s keyboard is firm and has simple to use buttons and has excellent punch/bounce response but the numerical keys were a bit too close to the top part of the phone. The black keyboard has white letters and every key is set with a white light.

INSTANT MESSAGING AND EMAIL;

THE Mobile IM application comes with Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo and AIM. The Glyde also offers built-in e-mail support AIM Mail, Verizon net, AOL, Yahoo mail, Windows Live Messenger and Other. Other feature on this phone allows the user to set up his own POP3 or IMAP e-mail account. Similar to LG Vu, Glyde is also able to read out SMS messages. For that you will have to setup voice command in the settings menu and the phone automatically reads every SMS when opened. The voice is robotic but understandable.

MULTIMEDIA: MUSIC AND VIDEO:

The Glyde packs a Verizon over-the-air service WHICH includes V CAST music, VZ Navigator and V CAST Video. Downloading music is speedy with EVDO connections. This phone supports MP3, unprotected AAC and AAC+ files and WMA MUSIC FILES. Music was crystal clear when played out of Glyde speakers.

BLUETOOTH:
The stereo Bluetooth works well after the first few minutes of putting on. The stereo BLUETOOTH is also used to watch videos. With Most devices you can walk 20 to 30 feet while connected and before it cuts out but with Glyde you can only walk 11 to 13 feet before it cuts.

WEB BROWSER:
Web browsing was pretty decent, it supports HTML Web sites, But we found that it is limited using Verizon Wireless’ poor performing browser. You will be able to connect too easily to Gmail, Facebook, AOL Mail, Yahoo Mail and Windows Live. Mobile version CNN.com was loaded in speedy 6 seconds, other full sites took about a minute or two.

CAMERA:
The Glyde has a 2-megapixel with 1600 x 1200 pixels resolutions, it also has auto focus feature which helps to keep images sharp. The camera also has a flash for night time or for poor lights. The video has a limited resolution of 176 x 144pixels.
GPS
The Glyde has the Traffic Enhanced VZ Navigator 4.1.0 software. This service is quite accurate; the new versions include traffic incorporation to help the user to avoid the congestion of the busy highways. The VZ Navigator searches for local gas stations, movies and weather. This latest version packed on the phone offers a 3D map which makes it easier in car navigation. The performance was excellent and the audio was quite loud even when the vehicle was moving.

CALL QUALITY:
Making calls in open spaces or busy places the call were not audible. But indoors, the phone call was loud and very clear. On sliding the keypad while on a call the speakerphone becomes active but the caller sounded fuzzy and the speakers were muffled.

BATTERY LIFE;

Glyde has 10.4 hours standby time and 3.5 hours talk time. Battery was still at half charge after using the phone over a 24 hour period on Web surfing, streaming music through Bluetooth and making calls. Battery life was every impressive.

CONCLUSION:
THE Samsung Glyde is an appealing phone with touch screen it has messaging also with fun messaging capability. The keyboard is easy to use. But the interface is a bit confusing which needs a lot of getting used to. The touch screen is not always responsive at first try. It is a slider phone which also can be used as a block phone.