The Best System Tweaker for Windows – Windows users have a ton of system tweakers to choose from, but we love the Ultimate Windows Tweaker the most. It has a ton of different tweaks you can perform, it’s portable, super lightweight, and completely free.
Fix-It Tips: Troubleshoot a BIOS Error, Create a Security First-Aid USB Drive – That scary CMOS message probably has a quick fix; free tool helps you create a USB recovery drive.
10 Custom Linux Distros That Ease IT Admins’ Workload – Ask any Linux aficionado: The platform’s primary strength lies in its flexibility and versatility. And there are Linux distributions that can probably handle most conceivable system administration tasks. Many of these are based on Debian or Ubuntu, but others have been built from scratch. We rounded up some interesting specialized Linux distros that can make the IT administrators’ day a little bit easier.
6 Reasons Your Work Phone Deserves Ice Cream Sandwich – The new flavor of Android offers a number of new features to help you get more work done. Here’s why you should jump on this upgrade.
Three 3-D Modeling Programs, From Free to Fancy: Blender, 3DCrafter, Poser – Whether you’re a designer, a coder, or new to 3-D, there’s a program to help you draw models in three dimensions.
Google Unleashes Arsenal of Hot New Tools – Google recently delivered eight new or updated tools that could pave the way for speedier and more robust Web development. The offerings range from an extension to Swiffy–which enables developers to convert Flash SWF files to HTML5–to a host of new features in its BigQuery analytics engine that puts the powerful data analysis system in the hands of more companies of all sizes.
Readers’ Choice Awards 2011: HDTVs and Home Theater in a Box Systems – It’s the final survey of our readers for the year. This time around we’re sticking to the living room, reporting the results of which companies you favor for quality and support for your big-screen TVs and all-in-one stereo systems.
Get Schooled with Video Tutorials for Mac, iPad, iPhone – Membership has its privileges, and this Web resource offers more than 300 video tutorials to help you master your Mac, iPhone and iPad. What are you waiting for?
FakeScanti rogue sends users to download additional fake AV solution – One of the variants – named “AV Protection 2011″ – has an interesting capability. It modifies the infected computer’s HOSTS file (the file that allows the system to connect hostnames to IP addresses) so that when the user tries to visit the Google Search engine, Facebook or Bing, he is redirected to a page hosted in.
Top 10 Dumb Ideas and Myths About Computer Security – While organizations are deploying firewalls and public key cryptography and are complying with various security and privacy regulations, many of them are still hanging onto certain “falsehoods” and approaches that don’t work. We take a look at some of the dumb notions and myths IT managers cling to.
Facebook worm leads to heavy infection – The researchers of Danish security firm CSIS warn about a new Facebook worm doing rounds and dropping malware. It spreads by compromising accounts and spamming out the users’ friends with a message that contains only a link. If followed, the link takes the potential victim to a page where he or she are offered what appears to be a screensaver for download.
Get (or Give) Great Tech Support – Know the right questions to ask and info to provide when you need help–plus a great free service to help you support others from afar.
Company News:
RIM to manage Android and iOS devices – RIM introduced BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, an enterprise mobility solution that will simplify the management of smartphones and tablets running BlackBerry, Android and iOS operating systems.
New release of WatchGuard XTM OS – WatchGuard Technologies unveiled their latest security operating system for the XTM line of unified threat management appliances. One of the new features includes the ability to create secure connectivity for mobile devices. By supporting the IPSec functionality already present on the Apple devices, WatchGuard provides mobile users of iOS devices an easy way to securely access corporate resources from any place, at any time.
Sprint Unlimited Data Plan Doomed? – Analysts speculate that Sprint may have to discontinue its all-you-can eat data plan to keep their data network speedy as it transitions to LTE.
Why Apple is about to build, buy, or partner on a web search engine – Takeaway: Apple’s Siri could change the game in search and put a lot of pressure on Google, but first Apple needs to deal with web search integration.
Off Topic (Sort of):
Free Software Activists to Take on Google With New Free Search Engine – Free software activists have released a new peer-to-peer search engine to take on Google, Yahoo, Bing and others.
Security Researcher vs. CarrierIQ: Round 2 – A couple of weeks ago, Geek’s Russell Holly reported on security researcher Trevor Eckhart’s discovery of possible vulnerabilities concerning mobile phone data. The company in question, CarrierIQ, was not pleased, sending Eckhart a cease and desist letter (which it later retracted). Thing is, Eckhart was spot on… and here’s the video that proves his claims.
Gift Cards Go Mobile for the Holidays – As shoppers become more comfortable with mobile commerce, Giftly predicts that digital gift cards are hot for savvy consumers.
Are cybersecurity bachelor’s degrees worth the time? – Some are pushing the need for cybersecurity degree programs. But would those graduates lack the general IT skills necessary?
Today’s Quote:
“Destiny is for people who are too lazy to create alternate timelines.”
- R. Stevens
Today’s Free Downloads:
Free Sound Recorder 9.3.1 – Free Sound Recorder is a perfect audio recorder to record your own voice, music or any other sound by working directly with your sound card. It supports the record input/source from a microphone, streaming audio from the Internet, external input devices (e.g. CDs, LP, music cassettes, phone line etc.) as well as other applications like Winamp, Media Player, etc. With built-in advanced audio record engine, the recorder produces high quality recordings.
AVG Rescue CD (for USB stick) – A powerful must-have toolkit to assist with the rescue and repair of infected machines. This software provides essential utilities for system administrators and other IT professionals. This download is for portable USB drives.
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