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Issue 308 - September 08, 2004

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 1974 Subscribers in 58 Countries ====

Welcome to the 308th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists mainly of news and tips. There is something for everyone, and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there will be something for you. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come back for more!

You can reach me at editor@pcin.net with any suggestions or comments.

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CONTENTS

Opening Thoughts

Chris is enjoying his time in London, England. He suggested is pass this along:

Having been here for a few days, a few things have are quite noticeable. Everyone here has a cell phone (or two). Leanne and I have the use of a phone because one of her friends had an extra handset that he was not using. They are really disposable items. This spare handset that we are using is bluetooth enabled, has a WAP browser, infrared transfer of data, is capable of sending and receiving both SMS and MMS messages and has a colour screen. While these options are available on phones in North America, my experience has been that they really aren't used as often. Bluetooth is the standard for giving away your phone number, and if someone is using an older handset, then you us IR.
Most short conversations are SMS as they are less expensive to send than to actually make a phone call. And we are told when placing phone calls, many people do not answer, so text is the best way to go.
We have met many friends of Leanne's sister. It appears that Linux is a much more popular desktop OS over here as each one of them run it on their desktops.
Landline telephone calls are charged on a per minute basis, though the broadband DSL is flat rate, and unlimited. As it is back home, they do throttle the speeds, and .5 meg and 3 meg are available (not sure what else) . I have been told that the 3meg is not much more than the .5. With the lack of download limits, downloading of movies appears to be a fairly common task here as well.
These are just observations of course from my few days here with only support from 1/2 dozen people who admittedly more technologically inclined than the general public, though the use of the cell phones and SMS really seems to be the norm.

You can see a few pictures he's taken at http://forcedbeat.com/gallery/categories.php?cat_id=27 He'll post more when he gets back.

Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net

The NEWS

Floppy Disk Becoming Relic of the Past

"Long the most common way to store letters, homework and other computer files, the floppy disk is going the way of the horse upon the arrival of the car: it'll hang around but never hold the same relevance in everyday life.
And good riddance, say some home computer users. The march of technology must go on.
Like the penny, the floppy drive is hardly worth the trouble, computer makers say."

For more info:
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/ap20040906_888.html

ABC News banks on digital, despite small audiences today

"As Peter Jennings opened gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Republican National Convention one evening, he posed an unconventional question to a Texas delegate: Is it true Republicans dress better than Democrats?
Minutes later, the ABC News anchor asked a woman in the front row of the Missouri delegation how she got such a good seat. Then he posed for a souvenir photo with a Wisconsin delegate - on the air.
This wasn't broadcast on regular TV.
It's part of a 24-hour-a-day news experiment available only on the Internet, wireless phones and digital TV. The network considers 'ABC News Now' the future of television news - even if relatively few people are watching."

For more info:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2004-09-04-digital-broadcasts_x.htm

Samsung to Launch Phone with Mini Hard Drive

"Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the world's third-largest handset maker, said on Tuesday it was launching the first mobile phone with a stamp-sized hard disc drive this month that would expand the memory capacity by 15 times.
The phone is equipped with a one-inch diagonal 1.5 gigabyte hard disc drive that expands the memory capacity of mobile phones from the conventional 100 megabyte."

For more info:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=6166509

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

For people who live more than 30 minutes drive away from you, what is your primary way to contact them?

Email 36 % (34)
Instant message 5 % (5)
Phone 57 % (54)
I still prefer to drive and see them in person 2 % (2)
Total votes: 95

This Week's Poll

Have you ever tried to use the Internet to make phone calls?

Yes, but the quality was poor
Yes, and the quality was fine
No, that's what a real phone is for
I didn't know you could do that

You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/

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PCIN.net UPDATE

Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:

Newsgator 2.0 by Newsgator Technologies Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/newsgator2.php

CDBF for Windows by WhiteTown Software Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/cdbf.php

Photoshop Elements 2.0 plus Photoshop Album 2.0 by Adobe Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/elementsplusalbum.php

Updated PCIN.net Site Search
http://PCIN.net/search.php

Updated Windows Registry Tips and Tweaks Article
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/registry_tips.php

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Freeware

BaxterSoft LLC has 25 software titles they offer as freeware. I haven't tired any of them, but they look interesting. With them you can tweak and/or save various Internet Explorer and Outlook Express settings. There are also several command-line utilities.
Check it out at http://www.bartdart.com/

WinZip Update

Most, if not all, of you are familiar with WinZip, the popular compression utility. They recently released an update that fixes a vulnerability that may allow someone to gain access to your PC. If you have WinZip, then visit http://www.winzip.com/wz90sr1.htm for more information and to download the update. The new version is WinZip 9.0 SR1.

Removing Spyware

Back in March I mentioned the ComputerGripes.com web site. It is run by Michael Horowitz. Michael teaches a few classes at various locations, as well as appears on a radio show. On his personal site he has a lengthy article on removing spyware:
"Malicious software goes by many names: Spyware, worms, viruses, Trojans, Adware, keystroke loggers, pests, and more. 'Spyware' often is used to mean all malicious software other than viruses. I use the term 'malware' instead.
The following is a blueprint for removing any and all malicious software from an infected Windows computer. This is not customized for a particular malware program, but applies to any and all malicious software. The intended audience for this are computer nerds and, as such, some details have been omitted. If you are not a computer nerd and think your computer may be infected (see Symptoms section below), print this page and give it to your local techie."
Check it out at http://www.michaelhorowitz.com/removespyware.html

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PCIN.net AFFILIATED SITES

Both of us have other sites other than PCIN.net. These are all sites that we are actively involved in (they aren't client sites). Don't forget to check them out from time to time for updates:

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DISCLAIMER and OTHER STUFF

PCIN is brought to you by Graham Wing. The opinions expressed are those of the Editor, Graham Wing and the Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Graham Wing and Chris Empey accept no responsibility for the results obtained from trying the tips in this newsletter.

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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

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