Archive for June 2011
CF-SATA HDD Adapter Solid State Improvising
June 29, 2011 | 
Author Solid-state drives are relatively expensive compared to traditional ones, but thanks to Addonics Technologies, there’s an affordable option available. The new Dual CF-SATA HDD adapter is the newest product used to create a large capacity SSD with high-performance SATA and a USB connection. It is designed to hold up to 2 Compact Flash media that can be configured as RAID 1, RAID 0 or combined to create one big Compact Flash. This adapter can be used as a replacement for a 2.5″ SATA hard drive.
Any equipment that uses a 2.5″ SATA hard drive can be quickly changed to use the low-power and shock-resistant CF media. Once this device is installed the Compact Flash shows up as a regular SATA hard drive to any operating system and can even be configured as a boot device. Optional mounting trays are also available for this circuit board, letting you use it in an external drive enclosure or to replace a 3.5″ hard drive in a desktop computer. To learn more about this and other Addonics Technologies products, visit www.addonics.com.
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Titan Backup 2 Business
There are plenty of backup solutions on the market for small and medium-sized businesses and Titan Backup 2 Business is one of the easiest to use. It was designed to securely (using 256-bit AES strong encryption) and effectively backup all of your important data. With this intuitive backup software, you can schedule automatic backups of your important files and documents, including emails and rules, registry and settings. These backups can be stored on almost any kind of storage media including CD/DVD-RW, removable devices, network drives and remote FTP servers.
File backups can be stored using ZIP compression or as self-extracting archive files, which can then be encrypted and password-protected. There are a number of plug-ins available for Titan Backup 2 Business, ranging from the program Adobe Dreamweaver to Yahoo settings. It’s easy to pick files to backup: simply select boxes from the directory tree. The software also offers searchable masks, which enable you to backup specific file types. If you have a small or medium-sized business and are looking for an effective backup solution, check out Titan Backup 2 Business. To learn more, visit www.titanbackup.com.
Sun xVM VirtualBox Virtualize X86 OS’
Virtualization is becoming increasingly popular among IT professionals and VirtualBox is the first solution that is free. It is open-source software under the GNU General Public License terms. Currently, it runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh and OpenSolaris hosts, and supports a wide range of guest operating systems including the following: Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista and Windows 7; DOS/Windows 3.x; Linux 2.4 and 2.6; Solaris and OpenSolaris; and OpenBSD. Since VirtualBox is open-source, it is being actively developed with frequent updates and a growing list of new features.
This full virtualizer for x86 hardware is targeted at server, desktop and embedded use. Its design is very modular, with great programming interfaces and a client/server design. VirtualBox comes with a complete Software Development Kit and you don’t have to hack the source to create a new interface (even though it’s open-source software). Similar to other visualization programs, VirtualBox allows you to declare certain host directories as shared folders, allowing them to be accessed from within virtual machines. To learn more about this great product, visit www.virtualbox.org.
CrimeReports.com Neighborhood Safety
Areas that were once safe may not be anymore. That’s why websites such as CrimeReports.com have been created. Simply enter an address and you can see what crimes have occurred there recently. You can see what types of crimes have occurred in the past 3, 7, 14 or 30 days. This is a great tool for a family that is about to move to a new neighborhood or for someone visiting a friend who has changed addresses. Law enforcement controls the data that is reported to CrimeReports.com and most agencies working with the site update this information on a daily basis.
CrimeReports.com allows participating police departments to control what information they wish to share with the public. It is then categorized into 15 general types of crime, ranging from vehicle theft to homicide. As of early 2009, there are over 400 law enforcement agencies working in conjunction with CrimeReports.com to report crime statistics. Currently, the site covers approximately 25% of the U.S. population (and some of Canada). To learn more about this service, visit www.crimereports.com.
Goodsync Back-up and Synchronize
Are you looking for an effective and hassle-free backup and synchronization solution? If so, then Goodsync is just what you need. With its ability to automatically analyze, synchronize and back-up your most important files, you can’t go wrong with this award-winning software. Goodsync’s interface is very easy to use and its reliability is second-to-none. It has the ability to sync and back-up files between desktops, laptops, servers and external drives either through a network or the internet.
This software is far ahead of the competition when it comes to file synchronization because it uses a high-tech synchronization algorithm. With one-click backup, you’ll never have to worry about losing that precious file again. You can setup Goodsync to backup or synchronize automatically and rest assured that your files are safe and up-to-date. To learn more about this amazing product, visit www.goodsync.com.
PortableApps.com Suite Free Apps
With the PortableApps.com Suite, you can take a variety of programs with you on your portable device, whether it’s an iPod or USB flash drive. All versions of this software come with the PortableApps.com menu, which lists all the programs available to use. These portable edition programs include: Mozilla Firefox – web browser; Mozilla Thunderbird – email client; Mozilla Sunbird – calendar and task organizer; ClamWin – antivirus; Pidgin – instant messaging; Sumatra PDF – PDF reader; KeePass Password Safe – password manager; Sudoku – game; Mines-Perfect – game; and CoolPlayer+ – audio player. The PortableApps.com Suite Light comes with AbiWord Portable (word processor) and the Suite Standard includes OpenOffice.org Portable (word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, database utility and drawing programs).
These two suites are absolutely great for anyone who is constantly on-the-go and also come with a backup utility, set of custom icons, an autoplay configuration, folders and a quick start shortcut. PortableApps.com Suite is compatible with the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista and Wine under Linux/UNIX/BSD and Mac OS X. The platform is open source and was created around an open format that any hardware or software provider can use. Also, it contains no spyware, advertisements and there is no need to install extra hardware. If you’re looking for a cool set of portable applications, visit http://portableapps.com.
Granite Digital Emergency Drive Copy
Computer techs are constantly looking for new gadgets to help them do their job more efficiently. Granite Digital’s Emergency Drive Copy does just that. It can copy, backup, duplicate, recover, repair, restore, archive and test any SATA, IDE 2.5″, 3.5″ or 5.25″ hard drive. This great tool lets you upgrade an internal hard drive or make an extra copy of important data without the need for opening your computer case. Its small size makes easy to carry and it can work with any system that has a USB port.
The Emergency Drive Copy uses a SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 connection and works at speeds of up to 480 Megabits per second. To turn the the drive on, simply plug into a power supply and insert into a USB port on a computer. It does not come with any software because it is supported by your computer’s operating system. When you purchase this drive, you also receive: one emergency copy cable, AC power supply, free lifetime technical support, instruction manual and a one-year warranty. To learn more about this great device, visit www.granitedigital.com.
Serif PagePlus SE Desktop Publisher
For those of you who have a desktop publishing project, but don’t want to spend money on Adobe InDesign or Quark XPress, Serif PagePlus SE offers simple design solutions for free. Obviously, it doesn’t have as many features as InDesign and Quark, but will work if your project is relatively simple. It is not meant for professional designers, as it lacks plug-ins and color management, but most users will find this free program very useful. Serif PagePlus SE is great for creating a wide range of printed media, including: greeting cards, flyers, posters and resumes.
Serif PagePlus SE comes with easy-to-use, ready-made templates for any occasion. If you want to be more original, you can create your own designs. It also gives you the ability to create stunning tables and has an on-screen spell-check function. PagePlus SE has fully customizable QuickShapes for those of you who cannot or don’t want to draw your own. These include spirals, stars, flowers and more. If you’ve got a desktop publishing project and don’t want to spend money on Quark XPress or InDesign, give Serif PagePlus SE a try. More information available at www.freeserifsoftware.com.
Cute Free PDF Creation
Portable Document Format (PDF) is the gold standard for secure and reliable exchange and distribution of electronic forms and documents worldwide. Software giant Adobe created the format and sells programs for making and reading PDFs. For those of you who want to create these files, but don’t want to spend money on the programs, CutePDF Writer is a great alternative. This program is the free version of commercial PDF software. It installs as a printer subsystem and enables most Windows applications to make high quality PDF documents with ease.
CutePDF Writer supports many Microsoft Windows versions, including: 98; ME; 2000; XP; and Vista (32 and 64-bit versions). It requires a PS2PDF converter called Ghostscript (others available, but this one best-known), which can be downloaded for free. CutePDF Writer now supports foreign language Windows versions better so people all over the world can use its power. This free software makes it very easy to create PDFs for all your needs. To learn more about this amazing tool, visit www.cutepdf.com.
Livid Looper Music Production Program
Many of today’s music-making software programs are overly-complicated. This is not true with Livid Looper by Livid Instruments. Designed with simplicity in mind, it gives you hands-on control to slice and transform short loops of audio with built-in and VST effects. Use the Gesture and Segment sequencers to record synchronized loops of knob and button presses, saving effect changes in the loop. Using the quantized actions and automatic pitch shifting, you can be sure all your loops will stay in tempo. MIDI learn can be used with any control and knobs provide total control over the sound of any loop.
Livid Looper was created from start to finish with networking and collaboration in mind. With the native OpenSoundControl messaging (which is included), you can collaborate with multiple machines on separate user interfaces controlling a single server computer. Now, you don’t have to work on unconnected computers and can make a “true” computer music brand. Livid Looper is free of charge and is open source, developed in Max/MSP by Cycling 74. If you’re looking for an alternative music creation program, visit www.lividinstruments.com/software_looper.php.