How to Activate Windows XP without Product Key

welcome friends......

Here is a simple trick to activate windows without any product key icon smile How to Activate Windows XP without Product Key.

When you have installed windows xp and try to activate you get messages like “your product key is not genuine or the number of activation has been exceeded” and then it tells you to call MIcrosoft to get the key, Instead of Going to this trouble, or instead of spending Hundred of dollars, to get a new genuine product, let us solve this problem by following way:


  • Find and Click “Run”
  • Type regedit
  • Click the plus next to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE”
  • Click the plus next to “SOFTWARE”
  • Click the plus next to “Microsoft”
  • Click the plus next to “Windows NT”
  • Click the plus next to “CurrentVersion”
  • Click “WPAEvents”
  • On the right panel, find “OOBETimer” then double click it.
  • Now, Delete all the Values by highlighting it, then delete it
  • Then type in this value without the quotation mark “FF D5 71 D6 8B 6A 8D 6F D5 33 93 FD”
  • Then after that click OK,
  • Then on the left panel right click WPAEvents, then click on permissions
  • Then click System or SYSTEM, then Deny Full Control, then Click OK.
  • Then Exit Registry Editor by Click the X or the red X on the Upper Right of the Title Bar or press ALT and F4 at the same time.
  • To Very that it works, go to start, then “activate windows”, or go to start, then all programs, then “activate windows”
  • If it says that Windows has been activated.


credit to: http://www.gupshupblog.com/2009/02/how-to-activate-windows-xp-without-product-key



Zii Egg – new Android handheld computer could beat out the Apple iPod Touch


The Zii Egg is a rather swish new handheld computer which comes with lots of very smart technology built in. There’s 1080 HD video output for a start, a fast multimedia processor to match, twin cameras (one HD), a 10 point multitouch capacitive screen, GPS/WiFi/Bluetooth on-board and an SD memory card slot. Oh and did we mention the 32 GB of on-board RAM (and support for another 32 GB SD card). And all Android ready. Neat. It’s at times like this you realise Apple’s soon going to have its work cut out trying to stay ahead of the pack. $399.00 on offer. Video.

The Zii EGG is an energy efficient handheld StemCell Computer based on the powerful ZiiLABS ZMS-05 media-rich applications processor. Besides its multi-touch 3.5-inch LCD screen, it can also output HD video at up to 1080p. The ZMS-05’s 24 floating-point processors deliver up to 8 GFLOPS of raw processing power, while the StemCell Computing’s flexible architecture allows stunning display of 3D graphics on a small handheld battery powered device.


credit: http://www.redferret.net

Report finds fake antivirus on the rise

Malware posing as antivirus software is spreading fast with tens of millions of computers infected each month, according to a report to be released on Wednesday from PandaLabs.

PandaLabs found 1,000 samples of fake antivirus software in the first quarter of 2008. In a year, that number had grown to 111,000. And in the second quarter of 2009, it reached 374,000, Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs said in a recent interview.

"We've created a specific team to deal with this," he said, of the rogue antivirus software that issues false warnings of infections in order to get people to pay for software they don't need. The programs also typically download a Trojan or other malware.

PandaLabs found that 3 percent to 5 percent of all the people who scanned their PCs with Panda antivirus software were infected. Using that and worldwide computer stats from Forrester, PandaLabs estimates there could be as many as 35 million computers infected per month with rogue antivirus programs.

About 3 percent of the people who see the fake warnings fall for it, forking over $50 for an annual license or $80 for a lifetime license, according to Corrons.

Last September, a hacker was able to infiltrate rogue antivirus maker Baka Software and discovered that in one period an affiliate made more than $80,000 in about a week, said Sean-Paul Correll, a PandaLabs threat researcher.

A Finjan report from March estimated that fake antivirus distributors can make more than $10,000 a day.

"The general consumer doesn't understand" the threat, Correll said. "No legitimate antivirus vendor will start a scan automatically on your computer without your consent."

After all the hoopla about the Conficker threat, researchers seemed almost relieved that it turned out to distribute fake antivirus software instead of something much worse.


credit: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10298253-245.html

Podcast on your computer in 23 minutes or less


In less time than it took to get home the village had posted up a complete recording of tonight’s council workshop meeting. Less than 23 minutes. How many years has the 99 Board of Education been saying yes we’re for it, yet not getting it done?

4+ years. 23 minutes.



http://www.dgreport.com/index.php/2009/07/28/podcast-on-your-computer-in-23-minutes-or-less/

ACCOUNTANT(HYDERABAD)

EXPERIENCE 2-3 YEARS Should be good in balance sheet, maintaining acounts, cash dealing, tax etc http://jobsearch.naukri.com/mynaukri/mn_newminnernew.php?f=270709001019&xp=5&xz=10_0_2&xo=&id=&xid=124870149264486000&qs=f&qm=-1&qx=-1&qi[]=26&qo=3&qk=cons&qt=all&enableRoleMapping=y&qd=1&mode=7



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Microsoft says computer buyers will receive free upgrades to new software


If you are a parent who has hesitated to buy your child a computer for the coming school year because you thought that you should wait until after Microsoft releases Windows 7 in October, hesitate no longer.

Microsoft has announced that free upgrades to Windows 7 will be available for computers purchased between now and Jan. 31 that have any of the most popular versions of Vista installed - Home Premium, Business or Ultimate.

Exactly how consumers will obtain that upgrade depends on where they buy their computer.

Electronics retailer Best Buy will provide the upgrade by way of a download from its Web site, at www.bestbuy.com/windows7/upgrade.

At computer maker Dell's Web site, buyers are encouraged to register for the upgrade when they order a new machine. When Windows 7 becomes available, the company will send each registered user a Windows 7 upgrade DVD, along with a CD containing updated drivers for that user's particular system. Spokeswoman Anne Camden said that there would be no shipping or handling charge for users in the U.S. to receive the materials, which the company expects to send out "within a couple of weeks" of the Oct. 22 release date.

Even those who buy a Dell machine at a retailer need to register online, at www.dell.com/windows7, to receive the free upgrade, she said.

Business supply stores Office Depot and Staples are taking differing approaches. At www.officedepot.com/win7upgrade, Office Depot customers can fill out the forms needed to receive their upgrade via mail, while Staples' Web site sends visitors to Microsoft's page, www.microsoft.com/windows/buy/offers/upgrade-option.aspx.

With Windows 7, Microsoft will continue the pattern, established with Windows XP, of offering multi-tier versions of its operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.

For users who would like to upgrade computers they already own, a Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade package will retail for $119.99, and the full package for $199.99. The Windows 7 Professional upgrade will sell for $199.99, and the full version for $299.99. Windows 7 Ultimate will be priced at $219.99, the full version at $319.99.

The company also plans to release a Windows 7 family pack licensed for use on up to three computers, but has not yet revealed its pricing.

The release of Windows 7 brings to an end the troubled reign of Vista as the monarch of Microsoft's software kingdom. Released to business users Nov. 30, 2006, with consumer versions released Jan. 30, 2007, Vista quickly gained a reputation as bloated, slow and untrustworthy. Despite a series of patches to improve the system, that reputation persisted among enough people that Microsoft's plans to ditch Vista's predecessor, Windows XP, generated widespread protest and were repeatedly put on hold.

Indeed, Windows XP gained a new lease on life last year, with the surging popularity of an entirely new type of computer, the mini-laptops popularly known as netbooks. Designed primarily for working over the Internet, the lightweight machines lack the resources to handle Vista well, and Windows XP became the default operating system for the category.

The system requirements for Windows 7 are scarcely changed from those for Vista -- a 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, and 16GB of available hard disk space. But those requirements are not nearly as demanding now as they were two and a half years ago -- today, even a budget laptop will carry 2 GB of RAM and a 160GB or larger hard disk.

For Windows XP users, upgrading to Windows 7 will require upgrading to Vista first, according to the Microsoft Web site. Those who buy a packaged copy of Vista now will be able to receive the Windows 7 upgrade directly from Microsoft when it is released.

The release of Windows 7 comes at a time when Microsoft needs a hit. Last week, the software giant said net income for the quarter ended June 30 showed a 26 percent drop from the year-ago period, to 34 cents per share from 46 cents. It was the third consecutive quarter of year-to-year declines, as the industry is hammered by ongoing weakness in spending. Meanwhile, the company continues with a program, announced in January, to reduce expenses by laying off up to 5,000 employees.

Apple teams with record labels for ‘Cocktail project’; readying tablet-sized computer!


According to Financial Times' Sunday reports, Apple has teamed up with four record labels - EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and Vivendi's Universal Music Group - for a project called 'Cocktail,' with the aim of increasing digital sales of albums.

Citing unnamed sources-in-the-know Apple's 'Cocktail' project with the record companies - which is likely to be launched in September - would offer interactive features with music downloads, bundled with a new interactive booklet and sleeve notes.

Though neither Apple nor the four record companies were available for further elaboration on the proposed 'Cocktail' project, it is believed that the move it will essentially bring about a change in the buying trends on the Apple iTunes store.

Meanwhile, Apple is also readying its much-hyped portable tablet-sized computer for Christmas season release. The Financial Times' report said that the new Apple device might be launched alongside the fresh content deals - including those that would help fuel the sales of CD-length music.

The forthcoming touch-sensitive Apple tablet will have an up to 10-inch-diagonally screen, and will connect to the Internet like the iPod Touch. Though the tablet would likely lack phone capability, it still will have access to Apple's online stores.

In addition, if book publishers' talks with Apple work out and they are allowed to offer their services on the tablet, there could be more competition coming Amazon Kindle's way!

Visual Effects and Beyond


Visual effects are becoming increasingly realistic, with advancing processing power, computer graphics methods, and display technology that in some cases even go beyond a pure visual experience. This special issue presents four articles that describe the state of the art in visual effects in theatrical movies, TV broadcasts, computer games, and theme parks. An additional article reviews the state of practice in software architectures and another offers a sociotechnical solution to the problem of controlling spam to improve communication efficiency.

Read More>>

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Computer Training - Are You Making These 5 Costly Training Mistakes?

Are you making these 5 simple, costly mistakes when acquiring Computer System and soft-skills training? Learn how to minimize your time and money expenditures and maximize your results by avoiding these innocent no-nos.

Scientists successfully test bacteria-based computer


















Most computers are designed around silicon circuits powered by electricity, but there is more than one way to skin a cat, as they say. You can build a quantum computer , for example, based on things being in two places at once. Or, if you find yourself in a world without electricity, you can build a computer out of gears, and rotors. Photonic (optical) computers are also cool. (And chemical computers deserve a shout-out.)

Bacteria can also be employed for computing purposes, as some scientists have recently explored. Using a modified bacteria with a "Hin/hixC recombination system previously adapted from Salmonella typhimurium for use in Escherichia coli" a 19 person research team were able to make a working circuit-analogue that is based around DNA.

The engineered bacteria were tasked with figuring out a "Hamiltonian Path Problem" -- a difficult test to find a path through a three dimensional nodular space visiting each node at least once.

The test was a success.

The bacteria being bacteria naturally reproduced itself. The bacteria that was able to find the correct path the Hamiltonian puzzle had the genetic code to turn yellow, while the bacteria that wandered off maintained either red or blue colorings.

Programming bacterial computers is not an easy task - generally, much different tasks require a measure of genetic engineering. But perhaps in some circumstances, where a reoccurring problem needs solving, bacteria-powered computers might come in handy. And besides, how many computers can reproduce themselves?


Source: Journal of Biological Engineering, via Inquirer

Microsoft profit down 29 pct in weak computer market

SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft on Thursday reported that its latest quarterly earnings sagged 29 percent as revenues were dragged down by a weak global computer market.

Microsoft said its net profit for the quarter ending June 30 was 3.05 billion dollars, or 34 cents per share of stock, in what amounted to a 29 percent drop from the same period last year.

"Our business continued to be negatively impacted by weakness in the global PC and server markets," said Microsoft chief financial officer Chris Liddell.

"In light of that environment, it was an excellent achievement to deliver over 750 million dollars of operational savings compared to the prior year quarter."

Microsoft reported that its revenue in the recently-ended quarter dropped 17 percent to 13.1 billion dollars as compared to the same three months in 2008.

Microsoft stock's price quickly slid more than eight percent to 23.47 dollars in after-hours trading following the release of the earnings figures.

The quarter marked the end of Microsoft's fiscal year and the US software giant reported that its annual profit dropped 18 percent from the prior year to 14.57 billion dollars, or 1.62 dollars per share of stock.

Revenue for the year was 58.44 billion dollars, a three percent dip from the previous year, according to Microsoft.

"While economic conditions presented challenges this year, we maintained our focus on delivering customer satisfaction and providing solutions to our customers to save money," said Microsoft chief operating officer Kevin Turner.

"I am very excited by the wave of product and services innovations being delivered in this next fiscal year."

On Wednesday a finished version of Microsoft's next-generation operating system Windows 7 was made available to electronics makers for installation on new computers and other "smart" hardware.

Windows 7 is to be publically released on October 22.

Microsoft has also released Windows Server 2008 software to makers of business computer servers.

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Rumor: Apple to team with Verizon for tablet computer

Apple will have a tablet computer available in time for the holidays, but has not yet decided on a sales model.

According to a published rumor by Scott Moritz of The Street, the device, a larger version of the iPod touch, “will have a 9 or 10-in. screen and may have a keyboard.

The device will be subsidized by Verizon, Moritz writes, but “Apple and Verizon ‘won’t be as tightly integrated’ as Apple’s iPhone exclusivity deal with AT&T.’

I don’t know about that keyboard, but the wireless deal makes a bit more sense. As ZDNet senior editor Sam Diaz wrote earlier, “Apple can’t seriously be ‘very happy’ with AT&T.” (In my opinion, Apple isn’t happy until it strikes deals with all four major U.S. carriers.)

The other factor is attaching a data plan to the tablet. A ton of people are psyched about the possibility of an iTablet, but a lot fewer people are jazzed about computers subsidized by two-year cellular contracts.

And how subsidized are we talking here? Just how low of a price must an iTablet have to be compelling enough for someone to sign on the dotted line? $800 seems awfully expensive to me.

Another day, another cyberwarfare accusation

Today it's Russia vs. Georgia. No, wait, I mean the US vs. North Korea.

Hang on, that could be the UK vs. the world actually...

My point is that every day another cyber espionage accusation rears its ugly head. In some ways it's almost like a playground scrap, with one country poking its tongue out at the other.

However, as with all confrontation, things often come to a head - and although no one admits that there is a 'situation' to contend with, suspicion often prompts some rather short sighted reactions.

Take last week's outburst from Congressman Peter Hoekstra, the lead Republican on the House Intelligence Committee - he urged President Barack Obama to launch a 'show of force or strength' against North Korea, for its alleged part in a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks earlier this month.

Hoekstra wasted no time in telling the The Washington Times' America's Morning News radio show that "it's time for America, South Korea, Japan and others to stand up to North Korea" by launching a retaliatory cyberattack or international sanctions. According to the Congressman, if action is not taken "next time they'll go in and shut down a banking system...or manipulate the electrical grid either here or in South Korea. Or they will try and miscalculate, and people will be killed."

If you're keen to hear the Michigan politician in full flow, you can listen here

Zero evidence

Now, there's only one small problem with what Hoekstra says - it's complete nonsense. No evidence has been produced showing that the North Korean Government is behind the denial-of-service attacks.

Despite his claims, attacks like these don't need the backing of the state. The Congressman has failed to recognise that hackers can be based anywhere on Earth and can command a worldwide botnet to bombard websites with traffic at the touch of a button.

DDoS attacks are relayed through innocent people's computers all around the world, meaning that your Auntie Ethel's computer - which may normally be pumping out Viagra adverts - could today be engaged in a DDoS attack. In other words, innocent people's PCs may unwittingly be taking part in a cyber war.

Consequently, such circumstances make it very hard to prove that an attack is officially sponsored by a particular government or army, as opposed to a lone 16-year-old boy working in his back bedroom or a politically-motivated hacktivist with an axe to grind.

Unsurprisingly, this isn't the first time that 'tech-savvy' Pete Hoekstra has found himself the subject of a computer security debate.

The Congressman is well-known in the cyber community for putting his own life (and those charged with protecting him) at risk after he carelessly Twittered his top secret itinerary whilst in a helicopter over Baghdad earlier this year. Actions clearly demonstrating that, in an internet age, it's no longer 'think before you speak', it's 'think before you tweet' or risk a national security crisis.

If Mr Hoekstra has been advised by internet gurus that these attacks definitely came from North Korea, then I would politely suggest that he finds himself some new internet experts.

MyDoom Virus Hits Major Online Networks in South Korea and US

AhnLab, a Korean online security company, informs that a new variant of MyDoom virus is liable for a massive DDOS (distributed denial of service) attack that led to collapse of major US sites on July 4 & 5, 2009 and the South Korean websites on July 8, 2009.

MyDoom was found in January 2004 and became the fastest spreading mail worm in the history of the web. Once a system was hit by MyDoom, it would reap mail addresses and mails itself frequently. Early options of MyDoom were coded to run DDOS attacks against other sites within definite time periods.

The recent variant of MyDoom, identified by AhnLab, includes an installer that can bring other unsafe code into the hacked system. It is an attribute that was also present in the former versions of the malware. An extra file encloses information of the site to be attacked.

A study of source code of the new variant of MyDoom has revealed that it hit almost 23 US websites and 13 South Korean websites, most of them are included in the existing attack.

Moreover, AhnLab reveals that the code has been written in such a way that the hackers could change the list of the websites to be attacked.

However, two US government officials admitted that the sites of US treasury and secret service were brought down, and claimed that the agencies were working with their Internet service providers to solve the problem. In addition, officials of the South Korean Intelligence informed that a botnet of 18,000 infected systems situated on the Korean peninsula was used to initiate the attacks.

While the officials of South Korean Intelligence said that North Korea or sympathizers of North Korean were behind these attacks, they didn't provide any scientific evidence to justify their claims.

Meanwhile, cyber warfare is swiftly becoming one of the world's most controversial security issues, with the US and Russia divided over whether a treaty is needed to formally forbid it in international law, in a same manner to chemical weapons. Experts have cautioned that the world is facing a cyber arms race, with China and Russia being the major threats.

» SPAMfighter News - 21-07-2009

Intel chief: Computer attacker still a mystery

WASHINGTON — The top U.S intelligence official says the U.S. still has not figured out who was behind the July 4 cyberattacks that took down a series of government Web sites.

Dennis Blair, the national intelligence director, says the attackers covered their tracks by temporarily hijacking a network of computers, which were used to spawn the cyber offensive. The U.S. is working with other countries to identify the perpetrators.

The South Korean government says it has evidence of North Korean involvement but has not yet assigned blame.

The attacks, in which hundreds of computers tried to connect to a single Web site at the same time to overwhelm the server, caused outages on prominent government-run sites in both the United States and South Korea.

Computers Hardware

It was a good question; one that needed to be asked and definitely one that needed to be answered:


"Gizmo, each day my anti-virus scanner updates its signatures, my anti-spyware program updates its signatures as does my anti-trojan program. It seems to me they are all doing the same thing so why don't we have just one program that does the lot?"

Indeed, why not? Why do we have separate anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-trojan programs anyway?

The answer to that question lies in the history of computer security, and it's a very interesting history indeed.


In 2003 I tested Norton, McAfee and a few other AV scanners against a large batch of trojans, and their detection performance was very poor. Only Kaspersky AV performed creditably.

Yes, in those days you needed a specialist anti-trojan scanner to catch a trojan.

That's because these new-generation trojans used some sneaky tricks like process injection and polymorphism to avoid detection. Simple signature-based AV file scanners had little chance of catching them. You needed smarter, more powerful detection techniques. The then-emerging class of anti-trojan programs employed these techniques and that's why they were so much more effective against the trojan threat.

So we all needed anti-trojan programs on our computers.

The historical situation with anti-spyware programs was a little different. It may surprise some readers to learn that anti-spyware programs originally emerged not so much to combat spyware, but rather to remove advertising from software. This history is reflected in the names of these early products, such as Ad-Aware.

The AV programs at that time couldn't remove adware. Not because they weren't able to do so, but rather because the AV vendors didn't see adware as a security threat. Additionally, there was a view at that time that removing ads from advertising-supported products was somewhere between unethical and illegal. A view which was, I might say, more widely held among software developers than consumers :>)


But times changed. Adware moved from being annoying but benign to being actively intrusive. Products like Gator emerged that gathered information from consumers and reported it back to the vendors, often without any agreement or knowledge of the user. All of a sudden spying became the problem, not advertising. And while adware may not have been considered a threat, spyware certainly was.

The AV developers were not prepared for this, but the anti-adware vendors were. They changed and upgraded their products and re-positioned them as an essential defense against the new emerging spyware threat.

So now we all needed an anti-spyware scanner in addition to an anti-trojan scanner and an AV scanner. Computer security had suddenly become a boom industry.

But recently the smiles have been disappearing from the faces of security software vendors. The emergence of new hostile products such as blended threats that variously combined viruses, worms, trojans and spyware into a single product has blurred the neat boundary between different types of computer security threat. We have entered into the age of malware.

To survive, security vendors have had to respond by expanding their product's capabilities. Take the case of Ewido. It started life as an anti-trojan program. As spyware became more prominent Ewido started targeting spyware in addition to trojans. Finally, it was bought by the security developer AVG to bolster their anti-virus products.

And you can see the same trend across the whole security industry. Every computer security developer wants their product to address all security threats, not just individual categories of threat.Indeed, just today as I was writing this editorial I received a press release saying the Avast! AV program has been expanded to include anti-spyware and anti-rootkit features.


So today, what's the difference between a modern anti-spyware program like WebRoot SpySweeper with its newly-acquired anti-virus capabilities and a modern anti-virus program such as Norton 360 which has anti-spyware capabilities?

The answer is "not a lot." In essence, they are both now anti-malware scanners.

So do you still need an AV program plus an anti-spyware program and an anti-trojan scanner?

For the majority of average users the answer is no. A single competent broad spectrum anti-malware product is enough. My recommendations here include AntiVir, NOD32, Kaspersky, BitDefender, Norton and a few others.

Of course, not everyone is an average user. Users who engage in high risk activities, like sourcing their software from P2P services, should load up their PC with all the protection they can get. Similarly, there are users for whom the best possible protection is paramount, regardless of cost or performance implications. Finally, users of freeware scanners who cannot afford a premium product may be well advised to use more than one signature-based scanner.

However, for average users who are prepared to invest in a top anti-malware scanner, one signature-based product is enough. The small increment in protection offered by having multiple signature based scanners is simply not worth the financial cost, operational hassle and the reduction in computer performance.

If you want to increase your security, you are much better off putting the effort into other initiatives, such as safer computing practices, a good firewall with a built-in HIPS or using a sandbox for surfing. And you can do this without spending a cent.

What I have said in this editorial is the opposite of what I advised you a few years back. That's because times have changed; the security threats are different, as are the security products available. When circumstances change, I change my opinion; so should you.

It's in the interests of computer security product vendors to create a climate of fear, because it helps them sell their products. That fear is not without some justification, but fear should not be allowed to turn into paranoia.

These days, when I receive letters from subscribers telling me how they have loaded up their PCs with six or eight different signature based scanners, I can only wince. This is a victory for the fear mongers and a defeat for the forces of reason.

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Toshiba Satellite L300 (Laptop, Toshiba laptops)225 prices$877.37UEC$877.67Expert Infotech
ATI Radeon HD 4890 1GB graphics card (Graphics, Radeon HD graphics)142 prices$356.11UEC$356.14PC OnLine Shop
8GB USB flash drive (Flash memory, USB Flash)801 prices$25.88OCZone$25.88Enet Computers
Seagate 1TB SATA 7200rpm (Hard drive, 1000GB (1TB) hard drive)115 prices$153.29PC OnLine Shop$153.36Techmaster Computers
2x 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (PC memory, 4GB DDR2)892 prices$74.59PC OnLine Shop$74.61Techmaster Computers
Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 896MB (Graphics, nVidia GeForce GTX graphics cards (latest from nVidia))116 prices$317.63PC OnLine Shop$317.64PcPacific
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz quad core CPU Socket LGA1366 (CPU, Intel Core i7 CPU)92 prices$525.18PcPacific$525.18PC OnLine Shop
Nokia N97 mobile phone (Mobile phone, Mobile phone)17 prices$1125.00Expert Infotech$1131.00PhonesDirect
Samsung SGH-M300 Mobile Phone (Mobile phone, Mobile phone)6 prices$88.00Bond and Bond$89.00Dick Smith Electronics
External firewire/USB/eSATA case for 2.5" hard drive (Hard drive, External hard drive - Firewire and USB)315 prices$10.11Techmaster Computers$10.20PC OnLine Shop
Sony PlayStation 3 game console (Console, Game console)76 prices$699.00Dick Smith Electronics$699.00Noel Leeming
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB graphics card (Graphics, Radeon HD graphics)194 prices$185.88UEC$185.94PC OnLine Shop
External firewire/USB/eSATA case for 3.5" hard drive (Hard drive, External hard drive - Firewire and USB)460 prices$22.19Techmaster Computers$22.19UEC
2GB DDR2-800 PC2-6400 SDRAM (PC memory, 2GB DDR2)581 prices$34.57PC OnLine Shop$34.64Techmaster Computers
Acer Aspire One, XP Home version, 8.9" laptop (Laptop, Acer laptops)157 prices$561.38PB Tech Hamilton$575.41NotebookCity
16GB USB Flash Drive (Flash memory, USB Flash)415 prices$48.38PC OnLine Shop$48.42Techmaster Computers
Headphones and headsets (Sound, Headphones)1347 prices$4.97Techmaster Computers$5.00MadKiwi
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (Mobile phone, Mobile phone)30 prices$519.00Expert Infotech$524.00eSquare
ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB graphics card (Graphics, Radeon HD graphics)125 prices$288.33PC OnLine Shop$288.34PcPacific
External firewire/USB 320GB hard drive (Hard drive, External hard drive - Firewire and USB)524 prices$98.98Techmaster Computers$99.00PcPacific
Sennheiser headphones and headsets (Sound, Headphones)430 prices$38.70UEC$39.00iFocus
Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro game console (Console, Game console)72 prices$369.00ExtremeComputer$398.00PlayTech
Intel Pentium E5200 dual core 2.5GHz 800FSB 2MB cache (CPU, Intel Core 2 Duo)61 prices$108.00QMB Computers$109.35OCZone
2GB DDR2 SODIMM (PC memory, laptop DDR2)474 prices$37.17UEC$37.18PC OnLine Shop
TV Tuner/Video Capture PCI card (Graphics, TV tuners)308 prices$44.31OCZone$47.67UEC
Canon EOS 450D 12.2 megapixel digital SLR body (Camera, Digital camera)194 prices$1009.00Expert Infotech$1049.99ETown Digital
Western Digital 500GB 7200rpm SATA (Hard drive, 500GB hard drive)195 prices$87.75Sigma PC$87.86PC OnLine Shop
4GB USB Flash Drive (Flash memory, USB Flash)838 prices$13.05PC OnLine Shop$13.10Techmaster Computers
Acer Aspire One 10.1" XP Home (Laptop, Acer laptops)139 prices$672.08QMB Computers$673.88PB Technologies Auckland
1GB PC3200 PC3300 DDR400 SDRAM (PC memory, 1GB DDR)267 prices$54.02PC OnLine Shop$55.00Expert Infotech
Canon EOS 500D Digital SLR Body, 15 megapixels (Camera, Digital camera)186 prices$1349.00Expert Infotech$1400.00ETown Digital
Nvidia Geforce GTX 295 1792MB (Graphics, nVidia GeForce GTX graphics cards (latest from nVidia))92 prices$828.90PcPacific$828.96PC OnLine Shop
ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB graphics card (Graphics, Radeon HD graphics)181 prices$223.88PB Technologies Auckland$228.44OCZone
TV Tuner/Video Capture External (Graphics, TV tuners)213 prices$51.98Ascent Technology$55.35UEC
3.5" Enclosure, NAS - Network Attached Storage (Hard drive, Network attached storage - NAS)38 prices$111.33PC OnLine Shop$111.38PcPacific
Nvidia GeForce GTX 275 896MB (Graphics, nVidia GeForce GTX graphics cards (latest from nVidia))62 prices$405.08PC OnLine Shop$405.09PcPacific
Western Digital Caviar GP 1TB (Hard drive, 1000GB (1TB) hard drive)39 prices$149.41UEC$149.47PC OnLine Shop
Apple MacBook 13.3" (Laptop, Other laptops)65 prices$1776.06TotallyMac$1798.00cstuff
BENQ G2410HD 23.5" 1920x1080 (Monitor, 23" to 24" LCD)35 prices$309.00Expert Infotech$315.79PcPacific
Asustek Eee PC 1000HA 10" laptop (Laptop, Asustek laptops)77 prices$673.88PcPacific$673.88XP Computers
Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (Software, Microsoft Office)61 prices$142.20UEC$142.30Sigma PC
Apple iPhone mobile phone, 8GB (Mobile phone, Mobile phone)3 prices$879.00Dick Smith Electronics$1099.00Cheapstuffs
External firewire/USB 250GB hard drive (Hard drive, External hard drive - Firewire and USB)368 prices$94.02PC OnLine Shop$94.06Techmaster Computers
Sony 32" LCD TV (Monitor, LCD TV)39 prices$1023.90Digital Shop$1025.15Expert Infotech
GeForce 9600 GT, 512MB PCI-Express (Graphics, GeForce 9x00)213 prices$144.29PC OnLine Shop$144.30PcPacific

Notebook Price

Code Description ORDER (Unit Price)
210 Acer TravelMate 210 RM3880
520 Acer TravelMate 520
RM5990
350TE Acer TravelMate 350TE
RM6900
610 Acer TravelMate 610 RM7900

Pocket PC

A Pocket PC, abbreviated P/PC or PPC, is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer (Personal digital assistant) that runs the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system. It may have the capability to run an alternative operating system like NetBSD, Linux, Android or others. It has many of the capabilities of modern desktop PCs.

Currently there are thousands of applications for handhelds adhering to the Microsoft Pocket PC specification, many of which are freeware. Some of these devices also include mobile phone features. Microsoft compliant Pocket PCs can also be used with many other add-ons like GPS receivers, barcode readers, RFID readers, and cameras.

In 2007, with the advent of Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft dropped the name Pocket PC in favor of a new naming scheme. Devices without an integrated phone are called Windows Mobile Classic devices instead of Pocket PCs. Devices with an integrated phone and a touch screen are called Windows Mobile Professional devices and devices without a touch screen are called Windows Mobile Standard devices.

HISTORY


The Pocket PC is an evolution from previous calculator-sized computers. Keystroke-programmable calculators which could do simple business and scientific applications were available by the 1970s. In 1982, Hewlett Packard's HP-75 incorporated a 1-line text display, an alphanumeric keyboard, BASIC language and some basic PDA capabilities. The HP 200Lx series packed a PC-compatible DOS computer with graphics display and QWERTY keyboard into a palmtop format. The Omigo 100 used a pen and graphics interface on dDOS, but was not widely liked by the United States. The HP 300XL built a palmtop computer on the Windows CE operating system, but not until the form factor and features of the Palm platform were adapted that is was named the Pocket PC, after the Pocket-Rocket.


Definition

According to Microsoft, the Pocket PC is "a handheld device that enables users to store and retrieve e-mail, contacts, appointments, tasks, play multimedia files, games, exchange text messages with Windows Live Messenger (formerly known as MSN Messenger), browse the Web, and more." (src: microsoft buyersguide)[dead link]

From a technical standpoint, "Pocket PC" is a Microsoft specification that sets various hardware and software requirements for mobile devices bearing the "Pocket PC" label.

For instance, any device which is to be classified as a Pocket PC must:

  • Run Microsoft's Windows Mobile, PocketPC edition
  • Come bundled with a specific suite of applications in ROM
Note: the name Windows Mobile includes both the Windows CE operating system and a suite of basic applications along with a specified user interface

OS versions


Windows Mobile 6.5

The first Windows Mobile 6.5 devices are expected to debut during September 2009. While not officially available to the public as of July 2009, leaked ROMs have surfaced for specific devices.

Windows Mobile 6.1

Microsoft's current Windows Mobile release is Windows Mobile 6.1, and one of the major changes from WM6 is the introduction of instant messaging-like texting.[3] Windows Mobile 6.1 was built upon Windows CE 5.

Windows Mobile 6

Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6, internally code-named 'Crossbow', was officially released by Microsoft on February 12, 2007. Windows Mobile 6 was still based on Windows CE 5 and was effectively just a face lift of Windows Mobile 5. With Windows Mobile 6 also came Microsoft's new naming conventions and devices were no longer called Pocket PCs. Windows Mobile Classic would become the name for Pocket PC type devices without phone capabilities and Windows Mobile Professional would be used for devices with phone capabilities.

Windows Mobile 5

Windows Mobile 5 for Pocket PC was based on Windows CE 5 and contained numerous fixes and improvements over Pocket PC 2003 SE.

Pocket PCs running previous versions of the operating system generally stored user-installed applications and data in RAM, which meant that if the battery was depleted the device would lose all of its data. Windows Mobile 5.0 solved this problem by storing all user data in persistent (flash) memory, leaving the RAM to be used only for running applications, as it would be on a desktop computer. As a result, Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PCs generally had a greater amount of flash memory, and a smaller amount of RAM, compared to earlier devices

Windows Mobile 2003

Windows Mobile 2003 consisted of the Windows CE.NET 4.2 operating system bundled with scaled-down versions of many popular desktop applications, including Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, Windows Media Player, and others.

Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition added native landscape, square screen and VGA support as well as other fixes and changes to those features already present in the original release of Windows Mobile 2003.

Pocket PC 2000 and 2002

Pocket PC 2002 (launched October 2001) and Pocket PC 2000 (launched April 2000) both ran Windows CE 3.0 underneath. Some Pocket PC 2002 devices were also sold as "Phone Editions" which included cell phone functionality in addition to the PDA capabilities.




Personal computer

A personal computer (PC) is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator.

A personal computer may be a desktop computer, a laptop computer or a tablet computer. The most common current operating systems for personal computers are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, while the most common microprocessors are x86-compatible CPUs, ARM architecture CPUs and PowerPC CPUs. Software applications for personal computers include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers and e-mail clients, games, and myriad personal productivity and special-purpose software. Modern personal computers often have high-speed or dial-up connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources.

A PC may be used at home, or may be found in an office, often connected to a local area network (LAN). This is in contrast to the batch processing or time-sharing models which allowed large expensive systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time, or large data processing systems which required a full-time staff to operate efficiently.

While early PC owners usually had to write their own programs to do anything useful with the machines, today's users have access to a wide range of commercial and non-commercial software which is provided in ready-to-run form. Since the 1980s, Microsoft and Intel have been dominating much of the personal computer market with the Wintel platform.

History


The capabilities of the personal computer have changed greatly since the introduction of electronic computers. By the early 1970s, people in academic or research institutions had the opportunity for single-person use of a computer system in interactive mode for extended durations, although these systems would still have been too expensive to be owned by a single person. The introduction of the microprocessor, a single chip with all the circuitry that formerly occupied large cabinets, led to the proliferation of personal computers after about 1975. Early personal computers - generally called microcomputers - were sold often in Electronic kit form and in limited volumes, and were of interest mostly to hobbyists and technicians. Minimal programming was done by toggle switches, and output was provided by front panel indicators. Practical use required peripherals such as keyboards, computer terminals, disk drives, and printers. Micral N was the earliest commercial, non-kit "personal" computer based on a microprocessor, the Intel 8008. It was built starting in 1972 and about 90,000 units were sold. Unlike other hobbyist computers of its day, which were sold as kits, in 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak sold the Apple I, which was a fully assembled circuit board containing about 30 chips. In 1977, Apple Computers introduced the Apple II as the world’s first personal computer; by then, mass-market pre-assembled computers allowed a wider range of people to use computers, focusing more on software applications and less on development of the processor hardware.

Throughout the late 1970s and into the 1980s, computers were developed for household use, offering personal productivity, programming and games. Somewhat larger and more expensive systems (although still low-cost compared with minicomputers and mainframes) were aimed for office and small business use. Workstations are characterized by high-performance processors and graphics displays, with large local disk storage, networking capability, and running under a multitasking operating system. Workstations are still used for tasks such as computer-aided design, drafting and modelling, computation-intensive scientific and engineering calculations, image processing, architectural modelling, and computer graphics for animation and motion picture visual effects.

Eventually due to the IBM-PC's influence on the Personal Computer market Personal Computers and Home Computers lost any technical distinction. Business computers acquired color graphics capability and sound, and home computers and game systems users used the same processors and operating systems as office workers. Mass-market computers had graphics capabilities and memory comparable to dedicated workstations of a few years before. Even local area networking, originally a way to allow business computers to share expensive mass storage and peripherals, became a standard feature of the personal computers used at home.

Market and sales

Personal computers worldwide in million distinguished by developed and developing world

In 2001 125 million personal computers were shipped in comparison to 48 thousand in 1977. More than 500 million personal computers were in use in 2002 and one billion personal computers had been sold worldwide since mid-1970s until this time. Of the latter figure, 75 percent were professional or work related, while the rest sold for personal or home use. About 81.5 percent of personal computers shipped had been desktop computers, 16.4 percent laptops and 2.1 percent servers. United States had received 38.8 percent (394 million) of the computers shipped, Europe 25 percent and 11.7 percent had gone to Asia-Pacific region, the fastest-growing market as of 2002. The second billion was expected to be sold by 2008. Almost half of all the households in Western Europe had a personal computer and a computer could be found in 40 percent of homes in United Kingdom, compared with only 13 percent in 1985.

The global personal computer shipments were 264 million units in the year 2007, according to iSuppli, up 11.2 percent from 239 million in 2006.. In year 2004, the global shipments was 183 million units, 11.6 percent increase over 2003. In 2003, 152.6 million computers were shipped, at an estimated value of $175 billion. In 2002, 136.7 million PCs were shipped, at an estimated value of $175 billion. In 2000, 140.2 million personal computers were shipped, at an estimated value of $226 billion. Worldwide shipments of personal computers surpassed the 100-million mark in 1999, growing to 113.5 million units from 93.3 million units in 1998. In 1999, Asia had 14.1 million units shipped.

As of June 2008, the number of personal computers in use worldwide hit one billion, while another billion is expected to be reached by 2014. Mature markets like the United States, Western Europe and Japan accounted for 58 percent of the worldwide installed PCs. The emerging markets were expected to double their installed PCs by 2013 and to take 70 percent of the second billion PCs. About 180 million computers (16 percent of the existing installed base) were expected to be replaced and 35 million to be dumped into landfill in 2008. The whole installed base grew 12 percent annually.

In the developed world, there has been a vendor tradition to keep adding functions to maintain high prices of personal computers. However, since the introduction of One Laptop per Child foundation and its low-cost XO-1 laptop, the computing industry started to pursue the price too. Although introduced only one year earlier, there were 14 million netbooks sold in 2008.Besides the regular computer manufacturers, companies making especially rugged versions of computers have sprung up, offering alternatives for people operating their machines in extreme weather or environments.

Average selling price

For Microsoft Windows systems, the average selling price (ASP) showed a decline in 2008/2009, possibly due to low-cost netbooks, drawing $569 for desktop computers and $689 for laptops at U.S. retail in August 2008. In 2009, ASP had further fallen to $533 for desktops and to $602 for notebooks by January and to $540 and $560 in February.

Netbooks and nettops

The emergence of new market segment of small, energy-efficient and low-cost devices designed for access to the Internet (netbooks and nettops) could threaten established companies like Microsoft, Intel, HP or Dell, analysts said in July 2008. A market research firm International Data Corporation predicted that the category could grow from fewer than 500,000 in 2007 to 9 million in 2012 as the market for low cost and secondhand computers expands in developed economies. Also, after Microsoft ceased selling consumer versions of Windows XP, it made an exception and continued to offer the operating system for netbook and nettop makers.

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