scattered technology news

FREE Download: Microsoft Security Essentials 3

Earlier today, Microsoft released their latest anti-malware tool, Microsoft Security Essentials. The application, which is a free download for Windows XP, Vista and 7 users, will help defend against both viruses and spyware. An overwhelmingly large portion of Windows users do not use security software either due to the complication or cost. Malware has the potential to both damage your data and share it with identity thieves. Microsoft Security Essentials has real-time protection and runs efficiently in the background without eating up system resources. Yet it manages to accurately detect malware almost as well as an expensive product such as McAfee’s VirusScan Plus and Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus.

In the past I highly recommended AVG Free to just about anyone who was looking for an alternative to the $40-50 per year you would need to pay for either a McAfee or Symantec product. AVG is still a great product, however Microsoft Security Essentials is just a lot more convenient. The installer file size varies between a 5-10MB download based on which version of Windows you are running. The installation process is simple and quick. The user interface makes sense without any confusing technical terms. The program receives updated virus definitions automatically through the built in Windows Update tool to simplify things even further. Windows XP, Vista, and 7 all have a built-in Firewall, the addition of this component completes the entire security package. If you don’t have any anti-virus or anti-spyware protection software running on your computer, there’s no excuse to not try Microsoft’s free solution.

Download: Microsoft Security Essentials

SanDisk Cruzer Flash Drive (Review) 0

A USB flash drive is a basic and almost essential gizmo just about anyone should own today. Flash Drives come in millions of varieties including truly ultra portable ones such as the Super Talent Pico or with high grade security such as the IronKey. The SanDisk Cruzer on the other hand is a traditional USB flash drive that’s affordable, offers large storage capacities, and simple to use.

The SanDisk Cruzer model for 2009 retains the traditional form factor of a flash drive. The unit looks simpler and stylish compared to the previous generations. The unit seems durable and will survive plenty of handling. The USB connector recedes into the plastic casing when not in use. The white button used to slide the USB connector in and out lights up orange when connected and blinks when data transfer is in progress. Coping a 700MB video file (DiggNation HD Podcast) over to the flash drive took about 1 minute and 20 seconds. Read speeds on the other hand were much faster, I copied  the same file back to my computer in just 20 seconds. This variation between write and read speeds are expected and normal for average flash drives on the market, high end drives ones will offer much faster write speeds. Read More

Skatter Tech: September 09 Upgrades 0

For the second consecutive month, I’m glad to announce a whole new set of enhancements that have been applied to Skatter Tech. Our code is more efficient than ever, light weight, and faster to load. Plus we’ve maximized compatibility for 90% of the browsers that access our blog. Here’s whats new:

Web Compatibility:
Since last month our content has been valid for XHTML 1.0. Today I’m glad to announce that the same applies to CSS 2.1. That won’t mean much to the average user, but it’s a step to keep within the web design guidelines. Our databases got refreshed, images optimized, and scripts compressed meaning things should load a lot faster than before. We try to make sure compatibility with every browser, but these browsers will render Skatter Tech properly: Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Google Chrome. (If want to help us throw in support for Opera, please feel to give us a hand. We might need it!)

Social Networking:
We launched a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter Account last month. It’s been a great source of traffic and letting new readers know about our site, we plan to keep those going strong. We also added easier methods to share reviews on Skatter Tech with some of the most popular sites including Delicious, Digg, LinkedIn, MySpace, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Yahoo Buzz. You can find those icons conveniently placed below each article. We encourage you to share the stories you enjoyed most with your friends!

Advertisers:
We kept hearing about irrelevant and the occasional “spam nature” of the Ads on Skatter Tech. Unfortunately we can’t entirely get rid of ads since that’s our main source of income, but have taken steps to change what’s seen. The majority of Ads are now hand selected and approved by us. Same rules applies to sponsors. If it’s inappropriate or shady, no one will ever have to see it here. Ads that are generated for relevance, now are targeted and optimized to help you find relevant deals.

Author Info & Contact
Although we’re still updating it, you can find out more about me and the rest of Skatter Tech’s authors on the Author Page. And did you know that you can call us if you have a question instead of email? (No, we do not offer tech support!) Just visit the Contact Page to find out how!

Altec Lansing BackBeat 903 (Review) 0

Doing away with wires has been a continuing trend for over a decade. From radios, TVs, and mobile phones to today’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, just about every gadget we use is doing wireless. Portable media players such as the iPod and Zune offer the freedom of taking our music anywhere, however headphones still keep us tied down. However with Altec-Lansing’s BackBeat Bluetooth Wireless Headphones, the future closer than ever. Most smart phones such as the Apple iPhone, Palm Pre, and RIM BlackBerry all support the technology. Bluetooth Headphones aren’t entirely new, we reviewed the Kensington Bluetooth Stereo Headphones over a year ago, but there a few issues with it. They were bulky, sounded mediocre, and uncomfortable. On the other hand, the BackBeat 903 headphones are lightweight, offer a great battery life, and sound great.

The Body – 4/5 stars
The BackBeat 903 headphones weigh 34 grams and rest behind the ear when worn. An 8 inch cable connects the two pieces together behind the neck. The ear pieces are slightly adjustable, allowing extending vertically and sniveling horizontally. There are a call and a play buttons on the left and right ear bud, respectively. A volume switch, which also controls track navigation, is under the right ear piece. The power button and standard micro-USB charging port are on the left ear piece.

Comfort – 4/5 stars
The headphones fit and felt a lot better than both the Kensington Wireless Headphones and the Motorola S9. They still don’t come anywhere close to the comfort a traditional pair of ear buds or over-the-ear headphones offer. These tended to slide off quickly with too much physical movement. Even with adjustments, these just wouldn’t work for me if I were to go for a jog, but would work just fine in an office room situation. To give these a second chance, I asked a couple of friends to give them a try. Just about all of them had no complains about the fit and were overwhelmed by the truly wireless headphone technology. In fact, they wanted to buy a pair too.

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College Students: Windows 7 For $30 3

Today, Microsoft decided to become overwhelmingly generous towards College Students by offering a full upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium for just $30. The upgrade will cost $120 in retail stores when it goes on sale next month. To be eligible you must have a ‘.edu’ email address provided by your University and enrolled as a full-time student. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has offered such a great discount. Back in 2007, they began to offer Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate, which would normally cost a few hundred bucks, for just $60 through a program called ‘The Ultimate Steal’. That program is also still running, which interestingly means that the OS will cost half of what Office will for students.

Microsoft most likely is offering this deal to get as many customers switched over to Windows 7 as possible, especially after the widely dreaded Windows Vista. In addition, with Apple selling its latest iteration, Snow Leopard, for just $30, this is a great idea. If you don’t know if your machine supports Windows 7, try running Upgrade Advisor, which will check your system configuration and hopefully give you some good news. To get your copy for $30, just click on the links below!

Links: Win741.com | Windows 7 Student Discount

And that’s not all, if your field of study is any type of technical or engineering majors, you’re eligible for an even better deal. If you sign up with IEEE for a $30 membership, which will last for the rest of the year, you will have access to tons of Microsoft software including Windows 7 Professional x64. (That’s the full edition! Not upgrade version from the deal above.) Signing up as a student using your school’s ‘.edu’ email address and selecting your school from the selector. After about a week, you’ll get an email from MSDNAA giving you a username and password to access and download Windows 7.

Links: IEEE.org Register [via SlickDeals]

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The Beatles: High Resolution Album Art 43

Exactly a week ago, on 09.09.09, the entire original Beatles catalogue was re-released in a new digitally remastered format. True fans might be willing to spend $180 to buy The Beatles Stereo Box Set, but I’ve got a treat for everyone else. I obviously can’t the music without a hefty lawsuit, but can share the high resolution Album Artwork that I received in the Official Beatles Press Kit. If you are listening to your favorite Beatles tracks on an iPod, Zune, or other media device; throw in the official artwork to brighten things up! (Apple iTunes and Windows Media Player will allow embedding the artwork into your music.)

The download contains official album artwork for the original 12 studio albums by The Beatles. (Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles For Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road, and Let It Be) The image above is a preview of what will be included. There’s a link to download a ZIP file below. All the files are JPG images in an amazing 1636×1482 resolution. Grab them and enjoy!

Download:
the-beatles-remastered-album-art.zip (~4.6 MB)
Note: Download only contains JPG images, we never distribute spyware/malware/adware.

Buy: The Beatles on Amazon.com

Update: As requested, the ZIP above has been updated to include two more Beatles Album Art: Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters. And it’s been updated again, now to also include The Beatles in Mono. (15 Album Covers Total)

Video: Install Movable Type In 3 Steps 3

Last week we posted a quick video tutorial entitled, “Installing WordPress In 40 Seconds.” A few of you folks emailed in asking if there was something similar for Movable Type, so I decided to make one. With this script, you can have the latest version of Movable Type installed on your server in just 3 steps.

Things you’ll need:

• SSH Server Access
• SSH Client

If you need an SSH Client, on Windows machines I recommend PuTTY. It’s less than 1MB and doesn’t even need installation. If you are on Linux or Macintosh, you are fortunate enough to have a Terminal built right in. Now connect to your web server and login. Then browse to the folder of the domain you wish to install Movable Type. For the rest, just watch the video below!

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Back To School: JanSport Revolt 0

With school starting just around the corner, students everywhere are looking to purchase new backpacks to start the year. We would like to thank JanSport was kind enough to provide us their Revolt day pack for this review. An important aspect of backpacks these days is included protection for laptops and electronics. And with that being said, it must be done without adding too much bulk or weight to make the bag uncomfortable to wear. The Jansport Revolt is fairly lightweight, looks great, and was spacious.

The day pack features the new “Biovent” padded shoulder straps and the “Ventech” cushioned back panel. This is essential for those who have longer commutes as it helps reduces strain and adds some comfort. Plus the design is suppose to improve airflow between you and the bag, to keep yourself cooler. After a few days of use, I actually have to say that I actually found it uncomfortable. I continued to use it for another week and breaking it in helped it become a lot better.  The bag weighs just under 2 pounds and can hold up to 2001.6 cu in, which is about the average size for a backpack. The Revolt also has adjustable chest and waist straps, to help transfer the weight.

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Setup Dual Monitors In Windows 7 23

After my tutorial on setting up Multiple Monitors on Windows Vista last year, a couple of you have written in asking for help with Windows 7. For the most part, it’s just as simple and more options are now available as well. My setup currently consists of a Dell XPS M1530 laptop connected to a Samsung SyncMaster 206BW. I’ve got a dual display setup, so I can drag windows between the two displays and utilize all the screen space. It’s quite easy and you can have it setup in minutes.

Hardware + Software Requirements:

• Laptop with a VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort output
• A Monitor with a VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort input
• One cable to connect them together
• Running Windows 7, with proper drivers

Getting Setup:

1. Connect the monitor to your laptop
2. Right Click on the desktop and select Screen Resolution
3. Choose “Extend these displays” found under “Multiple Displays”

For most, that should be about it. Just hit Apply and everything should be setup. But for instance say you have physically positioned your laptop and monitor above or below each other. You’ll have to make a few changes. Click Identify to figure out which monitor is which. Then drag the display icons into the proper position as they are located physically on your desk. If you would like the start menu to be located on a different display, click on the display you want and check the “Make this my main display” box. Hit Apply again and all should be working! Give it a shot, just try dragging a window from one display to another.

If you have any questions or just want to say thanks, feel free to leave a comment!

Related: Setup Multiple Monitors in Vista

InvisibleSkinz for LG enV Touch 0

Last week we reviewed the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD for the Apple iPhone. And as we mentioned there, we highly recommend purchasing cases to protect expensive gadgets. But even with the best cases, there are a couple of drawbacks. These include reduced functionality, extra weight, and loss of the original design. An alternative option, that has become increasingly popular, is using Invisible Skinz. It’s a piece of durable, but barely noticeable film that safely adhere themselves to the device. The film will help ward off  scratches and wear and tear. The best reward of using a skin instead of a hard case would be that the device would look just about the same as before adhering anything to it.

Installation: Time Consuming + Difficult
Getting the InvisibleSkinz film on the LG enV Touch isn’t a few minute job. It actually took us about 45 minutes to get everything installed properly. It comes with a few pieces of film, which was a bit of a puzzle to figure out which went where. (15 included pieces) Installing it requires using a “SHIELDspray” liquid solution, to be applied to both your hands and the film. One thing that may worry many is actually getting this liquid all over your device. I can assure, after installing this type of product on many devices, that using a proper amount of solution won’t cause any issues. Just be sure to avoid getting any solutions into any critical openings. If the device is off and allowed to dry for a couple hours after installation, there’s nothing to worry about. Applying the film was pretty difficult, you only have a short window of time to get it adjust to the right spot. If there are any bubbles caught between the film and the body of the phone, just squeeze them out with the included tool. There’s also a ton of smears and small particles making the entire thing look horrible after you finish. However if you wait patiently overnight or a day, most of those work themselves out. Read More