Orbit Downloader Free Download
Download YouTube Videos & Other Video Formats. FREE Full Program.
Get up to speed with all the latest Products, Gadgets, News and Reviews, Best Buyers guides, Free Software downloads, Latest Tech Reviews, Vital information regarding on-line fraud, how to stay safe on the web! And lots more...
29 Mar 2012
28 Mar 2012
24 Mar 2012
Coventry Music Archives's blog
Coventry Music Archives's blog
JOHNNY ALDERSON'S STORY
Born in Coventry, I started to play guitar at the age of 13/14 whilst at Binley Park School. I started work at Rolls Royce at 16 in 1966 as a trainee apprentice and met John Westacott there. I joined my first band Interior War as slide second guitar with Rod Grant, during which time I met Ade Taylor. Through the 'Dive Bar' (Lady Godiva pub), a regular haunt for musos, I met John Gravenor and Al Walder – and we formed Wandering John.
We practised at Binley Junior School- other folks practising there too and included John and Ted Duggan and Pete Waterman! Also as an off shoot, came Last Fair Deal- an acoustic blues trio – with John Gravenor, John Westacott (violin and harp) and myself. We used to play regularly at the Umbrella Club in Cov.
After a couple of years, the band split and I met Martin Barter (keyboard player/vocals and formed Just Jake. In 1973, I left to live in Pembrokeshire where I played slide blues around folk clubs. I moved back in 1976 and met up with Martin Barter again and joined Ottoman- but we didn't conquer the world!
I retrained as a carpenter/joiner and taught woodwork to YTS students before going self-employed as a carpenter/joiner. Then formed Travelling Riverside Blues Band with Tony Morgan (bass), George Stevens (drums) and Trevor Jones (vocals). The band has had various line-ups but 'Johnny Slide' (John Alderson's other persona) now being the only original member.
My old friend Tim James (vocals/harp/sax) – previously in Ra Ho Tep - has been around all this time too!
I have made guitars on and off for 35 years now, but only full time for the last 10 years concentrating on my 'Delta resonator' guitars – but also electric guitars,
My main influences are old country bottleneck blues, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Free, Jeff beck and Jimi Hendrix.
PAUL HAYES STORY
Paul G. Hayes grew up in Eastern Green Coventry. Coming from a musical background with both parents having vast stage and concert experience, my musical experience started at junior school playing Violin and Trumpet finally achieving Grade 8 at the Coventry School of Music and a member of the Coventry School of Music Brass Ensamble. Also during this time i became a member of the Boys Brigade based in Tile Hill Initially playing Trumpet then took up the marching Side Drum.
In Sept 1981 at the age of 16 i joined Her Majesty`s Forces Army ROYAL CORPS OF TRANSPORT. During my time in the training Regiments as
In Sept 1981 at the age of 16 i joined Her Majesty`s Forces Army ROYAL CORPS OF TRANSPORT. During my time in the training Regiments as
well as basic and trade training i became the Lead Drummer in the Corps of Drums, with many Military Band demonstrations, Parades and shows including Marching through London on the Lord Mayor`s Parade in 1982 and also the Military Tattoo at Earls Court London.
After this i joined my permanent Regiment in Germany as a HGV driver duties including the supply and movement of stores, vehicles, and live ammunition and explosives to front line troops mainly attached to the Royal Artillery.
I left the forces at the end of 1988 and have mainly owned and driven HGV class1 trucks both UK and European Haulage. I changed careers four and a half years ago to work and operate Heavy Mobile Cranes, working in the Heavy Lifting industry with Cranes ranging from 25 to 1000tons.
My two previous bands were the Roadhogs Rock and Blues Band and Third Alert both from Coventry. I have played Drums Live at Pubs, Clubs,
Parties, Weddings and Charity Events and recording in two studios over the last Eight years since i started playing Drums again building up my Acoustic Kit to as it is today.
I play a Yamaha Stage Custom Kit, Zildjian Cymbals, Roland TD8 electronic Drums with AKG microphones and Wharfdale sound monitoring.
My musical influences are predominantly Heavy and Classic Rock and up tempo Blues. Artists admired are Iron Maiden, Metallica, Muse, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Black Sabbeth, Pink Floyd, Cream, Gary Moore.
I was only 5 or 6 years old when Wandering John were playing the music scene in the early 70`s in Coventry! After this i joined my permanent Regiment in Germany as a HGV driver duties including the supply and movement of stores, vehicles, and live ammunition and explosives to front line troops mainly attached to the Royal Artillery.
I left the forces at the end of 1988 and have mainly owned and driven HGV class1 trucks both UK and European Haulage. I changed careers four and a half years ago to work and operate Heavy Mobile Cranes, working in the Heavy Lifting industry with Cranes ranging from 25 to 1000tons.
My two previous bands were the Roadhogs Rock and Blues Band and Third Alert both from Coventry. I have played Drums Live at Pubs, Clubs,
Parties, Weddings and Charity Events and recording in two studios over the last Eight years since i started playing Drums again building up my Acoustic Kit to as it is today.
I play a Yamaha Stage Custom Kit, Zildjian Cymbals, Roland TD8 electronic Drums with AKG microphones and Wharfdale sound monitoring.
My musical influences are predominantly Heavy and Classic Rock and up tempo Blues. Artists admired are Iron Maiden, Metallica, Muse, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Black Sabbeth, Pink Floyd, Cream, Gary Moore.
JOHN GRAVENOR'S STORY
I started singing in a church choir in St Michaels when I was 9 until I was 12 - then bought a guitar and started writing my own songs. Played
with a couple of guys at school (Caludon Castle) including Al Walder. Al and I auditioned for John and Ade in Wandering John when we were 17 and joined the band. I think at the time we believed that we were going to be huge, but unfortunately I was still very young and things weren't moving fast enough for me so quit the band to try other things. I left Cov in 1971 for Brighton. Then went round Europe in 1972 with Neil O'Connor and Alex Murphy - mostly busking.
Looking back, we should have continued with Wandering John as the guys were and still are brilliant musicians. One of things I remember about WJ is the amount of times that we were paid off after one number for being too loud! I also well remember the Diggers Feast in the Old Cathedral.
I now live in Hastings, E Sussex - currently wholesaling beers, previously having owned and run clubs in Brighton.
Previous bands include Midnight Circus, Alicats and Downturn and pursued a solo caree
My main influences are various old blues mussos, John Mayall, Pretty Things, Who
WANDERING JOHN IN REHEARSAL - PHOTOGALLERY ( From photos by Peter Clemons and Cliff Wagstaff (I think)
23 Mar 2012
Google Adwords Vs FaceBook Advertising | Which Web Design Company
Google Adwords Vs FaceBook Advertising | Which Web Design Company
To start the comparison, let us first point out the similarities in both. Google Adwords as well Facebook advertising both uses geo-targeting, which means you will get advertisements that are relevant to your geographic location. But, Facebook uses the location which you have entered in Facebook profile, this is known as user-profiling. Google Adwords on the other hand uses the IP of your computer to determine your geographical location. Now, this is where Google loses its effectiveness. Most people have their IP addresses changed or rather shifted to places where the Internet Service Providers are located, which means the location is not accurate if it is purely based on IPs. Facebook’s approach is much better.
Facebook advertising beats Google Adwords in that Facebook users get behind promoting ads they like. Facebook users are in a better position to influence their friends and ask them to spread the word. Since Facebook targets according to sex, location, preferences, education and language, the ads have a good chance of being popular among people belonging to the same group. Google Adwords on the other hand requires much knowledge of keywords and how to create them and stuff, which obviously takes much time too. Moreover, Google Ads are less visible and appear only as sponsored links, this lacks the human aspect of marketing the ads. It lacks the personal touch as well as interactivity that Facebook advertising creates with fan pages or groups.
Next in this Google Adwords vs Facebook Advertising tussle, we will discuss what strategy most people apply while creating their ads. Facebook gives you the advantage of being more ‘specific’ about every single aspect in contrast with what Google provides. However, the downside of using FaceBook advertising is that your ad has to perform within a limited time, failing which Facebook will do everything to knock your ad of its site. People well versed with using facebook advertising suggest the use of CPM which ensures that your brand is in front of the eyes of the customers long enough for them to start looking and gradually liking it. The next thing that is suggested is making use of several ads rather than a few, experiment with what makes the right impression on facebook users, creates a long term relation with people and converts into those all important clicks.
Without getting too deep into the technicalities of things, precisely we would like to say that Google is a bit demanding on your keyword skills, requires lot of patience and is costlier as compared to Facebook in several cases. Facebook on the other hand uses ‘out of the box’ targets which convert into successful clicks and brand recognition. On the other hand Google Adwords has the power of being useful to people who are much higher up the buying ladder, people who know what they are looking for rather than simple suggestions which facebook give people without regards for what the customer is already looking for, in simple words, Google Adwords have better appeal in terms of ads in context of what people are already buying.
To cut a long story short, Facebook wins this Google Adwords Vs Facebook advertising tiff with major brownie points, leaving Google much to do if they have to be cause problems for Facebook.
Almost everywhere you see, it seems that the Google Adwords Vs FaceBook advertising war has become one sided, too much for Google to handle anymore, but what exactly has happened that everybody seems to prefer Facebook advertising over Google Adwords? Does Google Adwords still have what it takes to challenge Facebook advertising? We will see in a minute.
Almost everywhere you see, it seems that the Google Adwords Vs FaceBook advertising war has become one sided, too much for Google to handle anymore, but what exactly has happened that everybody seems to prefer Facebook advertising over Google Adwords? Does Google Adwords still have what it takes to challenge Facebook advertising? We will see in a minute.Difference in Targeting
To start the comparison, let us first point out the similarities in both. Google Adwords as well Facebook advertising both uses geo-targeting, which means you will get advertisements that are relevant to your geographic location. But, Facebook uses the location which you have entered in Facebook profile, this is known as user-profiling. Google Adwords on the other hand uses the IP of your computer to determine your geographical location. Now, this is where Google loses its effectiveness. Most people have their IP addresses changed or rather shifted to places where the Internet Service Providers are located, which means the location is not accurate if it is purely based on IPs. Facebook’s approach is much better.
Longevity of Ads
Facebook advertising beats Google Adwords in that Facebook users get behind promoting ads they like. Facebook users are in a better position to influence their friends and ask them to spread the word. Since Facebook targets according to sex, location, preferences, education and language, the ads have a good chance of being popular among people belonging to the same group. Google Adwords on the other hand requires much knowledge of keywords and how to create them and stuff, which obviously takes much time too. Moreover, Google Ads are less visible and appear only as sponsored links, this lacks the human aspect of marketing the ads. It lacks the personal touch as well as interactivity that Facebook advertising creates with fan pages or groups.
Difference in Strategy
Next in this Google Adwords vs Facebook Advertising tussle, we will discuss what strategy most people apply while creating their ads. Facebook gives you the advantage of being more ‘specific’ about every single aspect in contrast with what Google provides. However, the downside of using FaceBook advertising is that your ad has to perform within a limited time, failing which Facebook will do everything to knock your ad of its site. People well versed with using facebook advertising suggest the use of CPM which ensures that your brand is in front of the eyes of the customers long enough for them to start looking and gradually liking it. The next thing that is suggested is making use of several ads rather than a few, experiment with what makes the right impression on facebook users, creates a long term relation with people and converts into those all important clicks.
Final Verdict
Without getting too deep into the technicalities of things, precisely we would like to say that Google is a bit demanding on your keyword skills, requires lot of patience and is costlier as compared to Facebook in several cases. Facebook on the other hand uses ‘out of the box’ targets which convert into successful clicks and brand recognition. On the other hand Google Adwords has the power of being useful to people who are much higher up the buying ladder, people who know what they are looking for rather than simple suggestions which facebook give people without regards for what the customer is already looking for, in simple words, Google Adwords have better appeal in terms of ads in context of what people are already buying.
To cut a long story short, Facebook wins this Google Adwords Vs Facebook advertising tiff with major brownie points, leaving Google much to do if they have to be cause problems for Facebook.
A review of Dreamweaver 5.5 | Which Web Design Company
A review of Dreamweaver 5.5 | Which Web Design Company
Development support for smart as well as stock mobile devices is one of the strongest points of the Dreamweaver 5.5. Designing mobile platform applications becomes a breeze with jQuery. The developers of Dreamweaver CS 5.5 have built it on the popular jQuery JavaScript framework which makes it easier for the developer community at large to take advantage and contribute. To create a new jQuery mobile application you can choose one of the following:
1) Use a CDN jQuery template.
2) Use local jQuery files stored on your computer, or
3) Use a PhoneGap version of mobile application development
The familiar mobile content thus created is easy to edit in the Design View mode and previewed with the powerful Live View mode. The previews are shown in their full glory with all interactive elements working as if it were indeed a mobile device. Interface elements and widgets can be easily integrated in Design View using the Insert Panel. To make the process of coding mobile websites much easier, the developers of Dreamweaver 5.5 have revamped the existing jQuery support.
Learning about new Software Development Kits and codings for smart mobiles cannot be an excuse for ignoring the potential mobile web segment. Dreamweaver 5.5 includes PhoneGap platform which makes the transition between web applications to native mobile applications child's play. As of now the PhoneGap platform supports Blackberry, Android and iOS mobile operating systems. You can preview the applications either in Live View or the respective built-in emulators of the mobile operating systems. The multi screen authoring tool has been polished and empowered to let you tweak your applications for the three most used platforms(Mobile Phones, PCs and Tablets) at present. A Content Management framework has been incorporated into Dreamweaver 5.5, which means it can now access relevant files from CMS pages directly from the development interface. All in all, developing for almost every device and platform has been taken care of in this latest release from the stables of Adobe.
Dreamweaver 5.5 has gotten every developer excited about its immense potential, it is truly one of those few masterpieces which appear once in a blue moon.
Every once in a while a product comes along that manages to amaze people with its technical superiority and revolutionary tools, Adobe Dreamweaver 5.5 is one of such products. It is what very few peers have managed to churn out, a seamless combination of power and ease. With out-of-the box support for HTML 5, jQuery Mobile integration and CSS 3, Dreamweaver CS 5.5 is a delight for those of us looking for an integrated platform for web and mobile apps development. Here is a review of the latest release of Adobe Dreamweaver.
Every once in a while a product comes along that manages to amaze people with its technical superiority and revolutionary tools, Adobe Dreamweaver 5.5 is one of such products. It is what very few peers have managed to churn out, a seamless combination of power and ease. With out-of-the box support for HTML 5, jQuery Mobile integration and CSS 3, Dreamweaver CS 5.5 is a delight for those of us looking for an integrated platform for web and mobile apps development. Here is a review of the latest release of Adobe Dreamweaver.Development support for smart as well as stock mobile devices is one of the strongest points of the Dreamweaver 5.5. Designing mobile platform applications becomes a breeze with jQuery. The developers of Dreamweaver CS 5.5 have built it on the popular jQuery JavaScript framework which makes it easier for the developer community at large to take advantage and contribute. To create a new jQuery mobile application you can choose one of the following:
1) Use a CDN jQuery template.
2) Use local jQuery files stored on your computer, or
3) Use a PhoneGap version of mobile application development
The familiar mobile content thus created is easy to edit in the Design View mode and previewed with the powerful Live View mode. The previews are shown in their full glory with all interactive elements working as if it were indeed a mobile device. Interface elements and widgets can be easily integrated in Design View using the Insert Panel. To make the process of coding mobile websites much easier, the developers of Dreamweaver 5.5 have revamped the existing jQuery support.
Learning about new Software Development Kits and codings for smart mobiles cannot be an excuse for ignoring the potential mobile web segment. Dreamweaver 5.5 includes PhoneGap platform which makes the transition between web applications to native mobile applications child's play. As of now the PhoneGap platform supports Blackberry, Android and iOS mobile operating systems. You can preview the applications either in Live View or the respective built-in emulators of the mobile operating systems. The multi screen authoring tool has been polished and empowered to let you tweak your applications for the three most used platforms(Mobile Phones, PCs and Tablets) at present. A Content Management framework has been incorporated into Dreamweaver 5.5, which means it can now access relevant files from CMS pages directly from the development interface. All in all, developing for almost every device and platform has been taken care of in this latest release from the stables of Adobe.
Dreamweaver 5.5 has gotten every developer excited about its immense potential, it is truly one of those few masterpieces which appear once in a blue moon.
22 Mar 2012
Cloud Office Suites and Finance Services Offer a Wealth of Features
Get the Most Out of the Cloud
Online apps and services let you work from anywhere, on any device.
- Get the Most Out of the Cloud
- Cloud Office Suites and Finance Services Offer a Wealth of Features
- Cloud Storage Services Keep Your Data Safe and Accessible
- Cloud Phone Services Offer Flexible Calling Options
- Cloud Security Apps Promise Up-to-Date Protection
- Cloud Music Services Let You Enjoy Tunes Everywhere
Of all the PC software that people use, none is so entrenched on desktops as the office suite. Microsoft Office remains the de facto global standard in business-document editing, and every otheroffice package must support Office's file formats to survive. This fact largely explains why cloud-based office software got off to a slow and shaky start.
Although Google was by no means the first company to offer a cloud-based office service, it quickly emerged as the primary cloud-based competitor to Microsoft's hegemony over document creation. At a time when Microsoft seemed to be ignoring the cloud, Google served up three Web-based apps creatively named Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations--known collectively as Google Docs.
Google Docs has two main advantages over Office on your desktop: It keeps your documents available on any computer you use (as well as on most smartphones), and it makes sharing and simultaneous editing easy. As a collaboration tool, it's simply awesome.
The primary disadvantage of Google Docs is that, although it claims to support Microsoft Office formats, using the service is the surest way to completely mangle the formatting and layout of any moderately complex Word document, PowerPoint presentation, or Excel spreadsheet. And in our experience, exporting Google Docs documents into their corresponding Microsoft Office formats usually produces disastrously unreadable results.
One of our favorite cloud office suites comes from Zoho. The company offers apps for just about every conceivable productivity task, from word processing to meeting hosting to calendar tracking, presentations, and accounting. It's a positively massive collection of different tools that work well together.
In addition, Zoho features excellent support for Microsoft Office formats, making it a better option than Google Docs for people who need to send their creations to Microsoft Office users. Zoho also provides a software plug-in for Microsoft Office that lets you create and edit documents from your Zoho account using the Office apps on your PC, and automatically save them back to your Zoho storage space. The plug-in is a great compromise for users who prefer working with desktop apps but want the convenience and collaboration benefits of cloud tools. Zoho apps are free for personal use; businesses pay to use the apps on a per-month and/or per-user basis.
It probably goes without saying that nobody supports Microsoft Office formats as well as Microsoft itself does. With the launch ofOffice Web Apps alongside--and integrated into--Office 2010, Microsoft has effectively filled the void that its earlier desktop apps left open for Google and Zoho.
Microsoft's current Web Apps lineup includes online versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (along with the note-taking app OneNote). All three replicate the look and feel of their corresponding desktop applications, sporting somewhat simplified versions of each app's familiar menus, so making the leap from the desktop to the Web shouldn't induce vertigo in even the most devoted desktop-app fan.
The Web Apps save all of their files to Microsoft's cloud-storage service, SkyDrive, where you can set sharing permissions on files, invite people to view and edit your documents, and even collaborate on shared documents simultaneously.
Note, however, that Office Web Apps are not complete versions of their corresponding desktop apps: Microsoft has simplified the features of the free Web apps to ensure that people still buy its expensive desktop suites. In the company's view, these apps are only a Web extension of the programs in its suites, which range from $150 to $500. (Looking for more-comprehensive cloud-based business services? See how Google Apps for Business compares with Microsoft's in-beta Office 365.)
Of the three office options here, we prefer Microsoft's offering for its dependable mix of robust desktop programs and work-from-anywhere cloud apps that provide complete, no-hassle support for the most widely used document formats on earth.
Free Personal Accounting
The ability to manage finances has always been one of the great selling points of personal computing, and selling copies of the Quicken personal accounting program made Intuit a very profitable company.
Then the cloud came along, and with it a free cloud-based personal-finance service called Mint.com, which rendered Quicken obsolete in the minds of Web-savvy users. Mint has all the features that most users need to keep track of their personal finances, it's accessible from multiple PCs and mobile devices, and it's free. And Mint--which Intuit later acquired--offers the same level of security as most online banking services do.
Yet Mint is different from your bank's online services, because it brings together all of your various bank and credit card accounts in one place in the cloud. If you're at all uncomfortable with the idea of a single Website tracking all of your personal financial data and knowing every single transaction you make, Mint might not sit well with you.
Mint isn't so great for people who own rental properties or who run home-based businesses or the like. Those people probably need to stick with the desktop version of Quicken.
Small-business owners should check out the Wave Accounting service, which is also free but includes the tools you need to manage accounts payable, accounts receivable, invoicing, and payroll.
- Sponsored Resource: How to protect your PCs and servers in minutes.
Robert Strohmeyer is a veteran journalist and entrepreneur covering tech since the boom of the mid-90s. He's worked in the field as both an IT consultant and as an in-house IT manager, and now creates social and content marketing programs as director of PCWorld Content Works. Follow Robert on Twitter.
Cloud Office Suites and Finance Services Offer a Wealth of Features
Get the Most Out of the Cloud
Online apps and services let you work from anywhere, on any device.
- Get the Most Out of the Cloud
- Cloud Office Suites and Finance Services Offer a Wealth of Features
- Cloud Storage Services Keep Your Data Safe and Accessible
- Cloud Phone Services Offer Flexible Calling Options
- Cloud Security Apps Promise Up-to-Date Protection
- Cloud Music Services Let You Enjoy Tunes Everywhere
Of all the PC software that people use, none is so entrenched on desktops as the office suite. Microsoft Office remains the de facto global standard in business-document editing, and every otheroffice package must support Office's file formats to survive. This fact largely explains why cloud-based office software got off to a slow and shaky start.
Although Google was by no means the first company to offer a cloud-based office service, it quickly emerged as the primary cloud-based competitor to Microsoft's hegemony over document creation. At a time when Microsoft seemed to be ignoring the cloud, Google served up three Web-based apps creatively named Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations--known collectively as Google Docs.
Google Docs has two main advantages over Office on your desktop: It keeps your documents available on any computer you use (as well as on most smartphones), and it makes sharing and simultaneous editing easy. As a collaboration tool, it's simply awesome.
The primary disadvantage of Google Docs is that, although it claims to support Microsoft Office formats, using the service is the surest way to completely mangle the formatting and layout of any moderately complex Word document, PowerPoint presentation, or Excel spreadsheet. And in our experience, exporting Google Docs documents into their corresponding Microsoft Office formats usually produces disastrously unreadable results.
One of our favorite cloud office suites comes from Zoho. The company offers apps for just about every conceivable productivity task, from word processing to meeting hosting to calendar tracking, presentations, and accounting. It's a positively massive collection of different tools that work well together.
In addition, Zoho features excellent support for Microsoft Office formats, making it a better option than Google Docs for people who need to send their creations to Microsoft Office users. Zoho also provides a software plug-in for Microsoft Office that lets you create and edit documents from your Zoho account using the Office apps on your PC, and automatically save them back to your Zoho storage space. The plug-in is a great compromise for users who prefer working with desktop apps but want the convenience and collaboration benefits of cloud tools. Zoho apps are free for personal use; businesses pay to use the apps on a per-month and/or per-user basis.
It probably goes without saying that nobody supports Microsoft Office formats as well as Microsoft itself does. With the launch ofOffice Web Apps alongside--and integrated into--Office 2010, Microsoft has effectively filled the void that its earlier desktop apps left open for Google and Zoho.
Microsoft's current Web Apps lineup includes online versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (along with the note-taking app OneNote). All three replicate the look and feel of their corresponding desktop applications, sporting somewhat simplified versions of each app's familiar menus, so making the leap from the desktop to the Web shouldn't induce vertigo in even the most devoted desktop-app fan.
The Web Apps save all of their files to Microsoft's cloud-storage service, SkyDrive, where you can set sharing permissions on files, invite people to view and edit your documents, and even collaborate on shared documents simultaneously.
Note, however, that Office Web Apps are not complete versions of their corresponding desktop apps: Microsoft has simplified the features of the free Web apps to ensure that people still buy its expensive desktop suites. In the company's view, these apps are only a Web extension of the programs in its suites, which range from $150 to $500. (Looking for more-comprehensive cloud-based business services? See how Google Apps for Business compares with Microsoft's in-beta Office 365.)
Of the three office options here, we prefer Microsoft's offering for its dependable mix of robust desktop programs and work-from-anywhere cloud apps that provide complete, no-hassle support for the most widely used document formats on earth.
Free Personal Accounting
The ability to manage finances has always been one of the great selling points of personal computing, and selling copies of the Quicken personal accounting program made Intuit a very profitable company.
Then the cloud came along, and with it a free cloud-based personal-finance service called Mint.com, which rendered Quicken obsolete in the minds of Web-savvy users. Mint has all the features that most users need to keep track of their personal finances, it's accessible from multiple PCs and mobile devices, and it's free. And Mint--which Intuit later acquired--offers the same level of security as most online banking services do.
Yet Mint is different from your bank's online services, because it brings together all of your various bank and credit card accounts in one place in the cloud. If you're at all uncomfortable with the idea of a single Website tracking all of your personal financial data and knowing every single transaction you make, Mint might not sit well with you.
Mint isn't so great for people who own rental properties or who run home-based businesses or the like. Those people probably need to stick with the desktop version of Quicken.
Small-business owners should check out the Wave Accounting service, which is also free but includes the tools you need to manage accounts payable, accounts receivable, invoicing, and payroll.
- Sponsored Resource: How to protect your PCs and servers in minutes.
Robert Strohmeyer is a veteran journalist and entrepreneur covering tech since the boom of the mid-90s. He's worked in the field as both an IT consultant and as an in-house IT manager, and now creates social and content marketing programs as director of PCWorld Content Works. Follow Robert on Twitter.
19 Mar 2012
NEC shows off ultra-thin battery
NEC shows off ultra-thin battery
Bendy battery packs a punch
Posted in Networks, 18th March 2012 21:14 GMT
NEC has announced the development of an ORB (organic radical battery) which it says can be printed into circuit boards as thin as 0.3mm – making it suitable for applications like credit cards and bendable screens.
The company expects to have the batteries ready for production in 2013.
The new ORB, part of an ongoing project at NEC’s research labs, is also thin enough to be incorporated onto electronic papers.
A 3cm square form of the 0.3mm battery can deliver 3mAh – able to update a small screen display 2,000 times on one charge, with a charge cycle capability similar to that of lithium-ion batteries.
The company has been working on ORBs for some years – an early announcement was made back in 2005 – not only because they’re thin, but also because they don’t need the toxic heavy metals that are the foundation of today’s batteries. Instead, ORBs use a reaction of salts in a polymer gel.
NEC's organic radical batteryOrganic radicals – molecular entities possessing an unpaired electron – aren’t that uncommon. According to this 2005 paper, they’re often observed as intermediaries in petrochemical and thermal reactions. One of the key tricks in using them for an application like NEC’s batteries is to modify the radical into a more stable compound.
The company’s research suggests that ORBs could attain energy densities surpassing those of conventional heavy metal-based batteries. ®
The company expects to have the batteries ready for production in 2013.
The new ORB, part of an ongoing project at NEC’s research labs, is also thin enough to be incorporated onto electronic papers.
A 3cm square form of the 0.3mm battery can deliver 3mAh – able to update a small screen display 2,000 times on one charge, with a charge cycle capability similar to that of lithium-ion batteries.
The company has been working on ORBs for some years – an early announcement was made back in 2005 – not only because they’re thin, but also because they don’t need the toxic heavy metals that are the foundation of today’s batteries. Instead, ORBs use a reaction of salts in a polymer gel.
NEC's organic radical batteryThe company’s research suggests that ORBs could attain energy densities surpassing those of conventional heavy metal-based batteries. ®
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)