Bill Mullins' Weblog – Tech Thoughts

Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – July 25, 2009

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Intel Unveils New Flash Drives, Marks Prices Down – Intel says it is able to discount its new X25-M 34nm drives by 60 percent due to the reduced die size and advanced engineering design. For example, the 2008 channel price of Intel’s 80GB 50nm Flash drive was $595 apiece [based on quantities up to 1,000 units]; the 80GB 34nm drives released July 21 will cost $225 each. Similarly, the 2008 price for the 160GB 50nm drive was $945; the new 160GB 34nm drive will cost $440 — again, based on quantities up to 1,000 units.

$298 Laptop Highlights Wal-Mart Back-to-School Deals– The first-ever $298 Compaq notebook with 3GB of memory: the Compaq Presario CQ60-419WM also offers a 160GB hard drive, CD/DVD drive, and Windows Vista preinstalled. You can snag this notebook beginning July 26 at 8 a.m. in all Wal-Mart stores and on Wal-Mart.com while supplies last.

The Ultimate Windows 7 upgrade FAQ – As Microsoft dribbles out details of the Windows 7 release schedule and product lineup, I’ve been deluged with questions from readers about whether they qualify for a Windows 7 upgrade and what’s the simplest, most cost-effective way to acquire it.

Microsoft’s Online Worries Extend Far Beyond Google Search – Microsoft is still after Yahoo’s search business, but is it the right move for Redmond? Google is challenging Microsoft on multiple fronts, including Microsoft’s core operating system and application suite businesses. Microsoft must not dismiss Google Chrome OS as a minor challenge and should respond to Google Apps as a long-term competitive threat.

Who’s to blame for unsecured WiFi connections?Flip open your notebook pretty much anywhere and there’s a good chance you’ll come across at least one unsecured WiFi connection. Police in Australia are going wardriving to actively look for open WiFi connections in order to warn users about the dangers. But who’s really to blame?

Firefox 3.7 Theme Makes Your Browser Look Awesome – Windows only: Mozilla released their version 3.7 theme mockups only a few days ago, but you don’t have to wait for the 3.7 release to enjoy them—a motivated user already created a lookalike theme that you can install now.

The BlackBerry ‘Trojan Horse – Research In Motion’s announcement that users in the United Arab Emirates who installed an update on their BlackBerrys ended up with a surveillance application raises some key questions.

Lifehacker: How to Highlight Text Like a Keyboard Ninja – When we showed you how to master highlighting text with your mouse, commenters were quick to point out keyboard alternatives. Considering keyboard shortcuts are our first and only serious love, here’s a few handy ways to select text without leaving the keyboard.

America’s Ten Most Wanted Botnets – Zeus tops list of botnets we’d love to bust.

Web population to expand rapidly – The number of people using the internet is expected to grow by 45 per cent to 2.2 billion users in 2013, according to new research.

Twenty-Five Percent Of Firms Suffer Social-Network Phishing Attacks – Web 2.0 trend could expose companies to additional security threats, study says.

Off Topic:

Video: Turn a 9-volt battery into six AAA replacement cells – Tom Merritt shows you how to turn a 9-volt battery into six AAAs and a 12-volt battery into eight button cells.

The Bookworm’s Guide to the Lifehacker Galaxy – It may not have the words “DON’T PANIC” inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover, but our Bookworm’s Guide to the Lifehacker Galaxy is a compilation of some of our favorite book related hacks, projects, and tricks.

Bacteria make computers look like pocket calculators – Biologists have created a living computer from E. coli bacteria that can solve complex mathematical problems

Rise of The Stupid: Welcome to the world of the illiterati, where ignorance is indeed bliss – Forget about Terminator, we’re living through the real life version of Dumbinator.

Today’s Free Downloads:

25 Must-Have Thumb Drive Apps for Geeks – With traveling and use of many different computers, many geeks (and geek girls) often find a need to have a uniform set of tools handy wherever we may be. I’ve put together a list of 25 invaluable portable apps that can be installed on an Ipod or Thumb Drive. These are really cool!

Google Media Server Streams Content from Computer to the TV – Google Media Center is a free Windows-only software that lets you stream photos, videos and music from the computer on to your TV. This requires a Universal Plug and Play compatible device like an Xbox or Playstation gaming console, set-top box or a photo frame like the Kodak EasyShare.

Double Driver – A very simple and useful tool which not only allows you to view all the drivers installed on your system but also allows you to backup, restore, save and print all chosen drivers simply and reliably.

Digsby – A multiprotocol IM client that lets you chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber with one simple to manage buddy list.

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