Should you buy a desktop PC or laptop?

By: Zahir Shah

You really have no choice except of a notebook computer if your job or lifestyle needs plenty of travel every year. Your own notebook computer will help you a lot when you are out of your home or office.

Now-a-days, you can get laptops as powerful as desktop PCs. Laptops are available with high-resolution graphics, CD/DVD recording, large hard drives and even with more features.

However, if you're sitting on the fence and portability is not required as much, go on buying desktop computer with considering the following reasons:

Desktops are more expendable than laptops: - Desktop computers are quite plain easier to expand and upgrade (using USB and FireWire ports), especially the processor and your graphic card, though you can hang plenty of peripherals off a modern laptop.

Desktops are cheaper than laptops: - Desktop computer is even cheaper than a notebook, so if you don�t need it why you are paying so much. Jump to the desktop side of the fence which costs less and suitable for you.

Laptops repairing cost is much more than desktops: - For example, if your sound card fails with any reason you can easily replace it with any inexpensive adapter card. However, when your laptop creates such problem of sound hardware, you must pull out your wallet because you will not be able to fix it yourself, and the whole motherboard inside the unit will must be replaced.

Here we also figure out how to buy these once you made the decision?

Processor: - if you intend that you will use your machine for standard office tasks and internet browsing, does not matter it will do any processor. But if you are a heavy gamer or you need much more power the Intel Core 2 Duo chip is the better one then.

Memory: - As much memory your PC has installed, you would be able to run as much application at once. Upgrading memory in a desktop after you buy the PC is a snap, but actually its good to buy the amount of memory you like preinstalled with the machine.

Motherboards: - A new motherboard would deliver you smooth new technologies that you are missing right now. It would be faster, would be has Second-generation SATA connections, high-definition audio and even a Dual-card graphic. You should keep in mind to check either the motherboard you are buying has two or one USB ports in fronts or not, because of to plug in your USB memory drive and digital audio player etc.

Graphics: - Before going for shopping make sure what kind of Card will work suite in your PC. If you are a serious gamer and can pay as much go on dual-graphics-card. There are two types of cards, the one is removable from the board and the other is permanently soldered on the board. However we would recommend a discrete graphics board for gaming and an integrated graphics for other use.

Sound Card: - for office use you should buy an integrated sound card for your PC, but if you want to use the PC in your home then a dedicated sound card would be the better choice.

Hard Drive: - Its totally depends on you, if you plan on large amount of data, such digital images or multimedia files on your pc, Large capacity hard drive, opportunity to save more data. For normal use simply buy 40 or 80 GB that most of business users use these days.

Are you now ready and has made the decision to buy a desktop computer or notebook, visit http://computersnext.com where you can get these with the facility of comparing etc.

PotBS PvPers and Tactical Supremacy

By: Rayford Adams

Trading is the main activity in PotBS as it fuels the endless demand of war. However, it is PvP that brings the game to life. The 17th century Caribbean Sea was filled with blood spilling action. Flying Lab Software brought us back to that moment in a perfect manner. PvP in PotBS is based upon causes ranging from large scale conflicts over port sovereignty or merely just a drunken captain looking for trouble. but nonetheless, it is what makes this game go around. Players looking for better armaments wage war against other factions, competing for port sovereignty, going to battle after battle for it.

There are many key elements to dominate PvP in PotBS. Two kind of combat are a naval combat and a swashbuckling combat. A naval combat is where ships take their turns unleashing one barrage after another upon the opposition and a swashbuckling combat is where players enter a chaotic blood bath trying just to survive. There are many different aspects needed to master both types of combat and to survive in the open sea, these elements are not to be neglected. Strategy Freaks members are fine-tuning strategies for both over at their forum. As an example, let's take a look at a naval combat general strategy. Ships in PotBS rely solely on wind direction to determine their speed and tactic for each fight. Scout ships are going to benefit more from a wind and with this advantage, an elite captain in a scout can take down any larger battleship. Such techniques like maintaining appropriate speed and angle will require a lot of practice, but when perfected, it is possible for a scout to defeat PvP battleship without taking cannon fire. Besides single combat PvP, players can participate in larger scale combats through a port contention and unrest based PvP. There are multiple approaches to create PvP zones and players can do that regardless of their profession. You can join the discussion about all these matters and learn more PvP tricks and tips at Strategyfreaks.com.

How to Shop for the Best GPS PDA Accessories

by: R James Cook

Features and Price Together Are the Best Determining Factors When Shopping for GPS PDA Accessories

There have been PDA accessories ever since the first PDA was built, but GPS PDA accessories are a relatively new class of product. They have become very popular in a short time, and because of this there is a wide variety available, which which can make it hard to decide just which GPS PDA accessory you want to buy.

Once you have decided to buy one, there are a few things you should keep in mind, and a few things you should look into before purchasing a GPS PDA accessory. After all, many of the GPS products on the market can be very pricey, and you don't want to rush out and buy one only to discover that it doesn't fit your needs, or that another product does the same thing cheaper.

What Features Do You Really Need?

To get the most value for your money when shopping for GPS PDA accessories, first make a list of the features you absolutely cannot live without. Once you have done this, make a second list of the features that you would like to have, but don't require. These can be things like a talking GPS, driving directions and map locations, and whether or not you want other things incorporated in the GPS PDA accessory such as a calendar or an MP3 player.

Most likely you will be able to find plenty of GPS PDA accessories which offer everything on your must-have list. This is where your other list comes in; use it to narrow down your options be eliminating the products that don't offer the extra features you are looking for. By doing this, you can determine which features are worth the extra price to you, which will allow you to come up with a short list of the products that are the best fit for your needs.

Once You Have Found the Perfect Product

The final consideration to make sure you get the best in GPS PDA accessories is, of course, the price. Just because you have managed to find a great GPS PDA accessory which not only has all the features you need, but many of the features you want, does not mean that you can get the best in the business just because you pay an arm and a leg for it.

You will of course want to check the pricing in your local stores on the GPS PDA accessories you want, but don't stop your search there. There are many fantastic deals on the internet, both on products you can find in the local brick and mortar stores, and on products that you may only be able to find online. One of the great things about shopping on websites like Amazon.com and eBay is that you can not only score good deals, but you can also usually find a much wider selection than is available in your local stores. The free shipping offered by many web store just makes online shopping even more worth it.

Latest Semiconductor Lithography Developments!!

by: Jimmy Lee


With devices getting smaller, optical lithography has reached its limit, so other lithography techniques are required...Read on to find out more !! Latest Developments in Photo Lithography !! Moore’s law has governed the growth of the semiconductor industry. The main factor of producing complex devices at lower cost is lithography. Optical lithography has been reaching the physical limit and therefore leads to the development of alternate techniques. Immersion lithography has recently attracted interest in the research industry. Of other alternatives, many consider extreme ultraviolet lithography and nano-imprint lithography as potential successors to optical lithography. Lastly we also analyze the potential of x-ray lithography and electron beam lithography as possible candidates. Immersion Lithography The uniqueness about Immersion Lithography is seen in the replacement of air with ultrapure water as the medium between the lens and the wafer. This pushes the physical limits of NA for the exposure systems beyond NA=1 for air, given the following relation: NA=n sin alpha = d/2f. Ultra pure water is highly suitable as it has a refraction index of 1.47, absorption of Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography EUVL uses light sources with wavelength (13.4nm) 10 times shorter than current wavelengths (139nm). This will make possible fabrication of circuit lines smaller than 0.1 microns in width, extendable to below 30nm. EUVL masks are reflective masks, with a patterned absorber of EUV radiation placed on top of an ML (multilayer thin film with alternating layers of Mo and Si) reflector deposited on a robust and solid substrate, such as a silicon wafer. The key requirement is to make a mask with essentially no defects. The strong absorption of EUV radiation by all materials poses the main problem in developing a satisfactory photoresist for EUV lithography. . The thin layer imaging is already a mature technology, thus resist is no longer a critical issue. Printed lines as small as 50nm in photoresist has already been achieved. The Virtual National Laboratory (VNL) formed by the three Laboratories - Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley, and Sandia/California, has developed and built a prototype extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) system called the engineering test stand (ETS). This ETS has produced test patterns with a line-to-spacing ratio of 1:1 with high fidelity down to line widths of 70 nm using its Set-2-optic. By adjusting the illumination pattern and the exposure dose, the team printed less densely spaced lines with widths down to 39 nm. It is thus able to meet the production requirements set for chips with 1 billion transistors and up in the years 2007 to 2010. X-ray Lithography The basic set up of a typical XRL system is by using a synchrotron as an x ray source. Synchrotron-based XRL provides a wide exposure-dose window, which is very important in ULSI fabrication. Insensitivity to dust is another advantage, which will affect the amount of pattern defects. The source is an electromagnetic wave, which is generated when high-energy electrons are accelerated. To minimize x ray absorption, the mask substrate is made of a thin membrane consisting of materials with a low atomic number. The issue pertaining to this method is that here is a need for an overlay accuracy which will meet the requirements of sub -0.1-um ULSI fabrication, while another issue is throughput. By properly choosing of median wavelength, proximity x-ray lithography (PXRL) can be extended to 50nm using relatively large mask/wafer gaps. This can be achieved by increasing the energy of the storage ring, decreasing the incident angle on the beamline mirror, and utilizing a diamond mask substrate. Increasing the median energy to 2.6 to 2.7keV allows printing of smaller features down to 35nm by using a harder spectrum, choosing the appropriate materials for the mask and the resist match the transmission and absorption at this high energies. Electron beam lithography Electron beam lithography applies direct writing method to scan electron beam across various material surface covered with resist film to create desired extensive patterns on the substrates. Because of the high energy electron beam (tens to hundred eV), it totally eliminates the diffraction effect; however, it can make damages to the substrate material. The resolution is now limited by aberration of electron optics and scattering effects which is more severe. Through scattering effect correction, it can reach a resolution about 10-20nm. As the pattern generation is carried out through scanning the surface pixel by pixel controlled by computer aided design (CAD), this leads to very slow speed, thus very low throughput. Although this E-beam direct writing does not require a mask which usually costs a lot for specific material, delicate equipment cost and frequent maintains are usually very expensive up to millions of dollars, thus mass production is economically unfavorable. These speed and cost considerations limit its application in mass commercial production for 50 nm feature size although it has a high level resolution. Instead this technique is used to produce high quality mask with good resolution and also widely used in research purpose. Nano-imprint Lithography (NIL) NIL creates a resist relief pattern by deforming the resist physical shape with embossing, instead of modifying the resist chemical structure with radiation or creating the pattern by self-assembly. The pattern is then transferred into the material to be etched (a Si wafer for example) using the resist as a mask. The key advantage of this lithographic technique is the ability to pattern sub-25 nm structures over a large area with a high-throughput and low-cost. Unlike conventional lithography methods, imprint lithography itself does not use any energetic beams. Therefore, nano-imprint lithography’s resolution is not limited by the effects of wave diffraction, scattering and interference in a resist, and backscattering from a substrate. There are two advancements in this technology recently. A new UV based nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) has been developed and demonstrated at AMO as attractive alternative to the hot embossing technique. The low pressure (Researchers at Princeton University, US, have shown that photocurable nanoimprint lithography (P-NIL) can produce lines of polymer resist just 7 nm wide with a pitch (or pattern repeat) of only 14 nm. The technique also produced reliable results over the whole area of a 4 inch wafer. Comparison In choosing the most promising technology that could allow for 50nm feature size and below, we considered the following factors in our decision. They are the cost of the technology, the throughput of the method, the amount of constraints that it is facing at the moment and the possibility of the technology to produce 50nm feature size.

An Overview of After Market PDA Bluetooth Accessories

by: R James Cook

Bluetooth Makes it Easy for All Your Devices and Accessories to Work Together

Bluetooth is one of the latest marketing buzzwords for PDAs and cellular phones, along with PCs and especially laptops. It is a wireless technology designed to let products and accessories built by different manufacturers work together, without requiring special access codes or driver installation. Theoretically, any Bluetooth accessory should work with any Bluetooth-enabled device, and multiple accessories working with the same device shouldn't interfere with each other.

For example, if you pick up a Bluetooth headset for your current PDA, and then in a year's time replace it with a new PDA, the headset should work with the new PDA without any difficulties. With some older PDA Bluetooth accessories and devices, this is not always the case, but generally the more recent the design of the accessory or device, the more likely it is to work with other Bluetooth products.

PDAs, Cellular Phones, and Computers

New PDAs today resemble cellular phones as much as classic PDAs like the Palm Pilot. Most of these devices are Bluetooth-enabled, and even have the capability to link with other Bluetooth-enabled PDAs and cellular phones to exchange data. For models that are not Bluetooth-enabled, there are frequently PDA Bluetooth accessories available that will add Bluetooth capabilities to the unit. Bluetooth adapters are also available for PCs and laptops, usually plugging into a USB port, allowing you to easily exchange data between your computer and your PDA.

Just about any type of data can be transferred over a Bluetooth link, from electronic business cards and pictures to word processing documents and PowerPoint presentations. For transferring data from a PDA to a computer, special software is often needed and included with the Bluetooth adapter. However, PDAs running Windows Mobile can communicate natively with computers running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista.

Having a Bluetooth PDA and a Bluetooth adapter for your computer can eliminate the need for a docking station or sync cable, removing one more piece of clutter from your desktop. You can even set the two devices up so they automatically synchronize their data when they're in range of each other.

Other PDA Bluetooth Accessories

Headphones and headsets are the most common PDA Bluetooth accessories right now. Wireless headphones are great if your PDA has music stored on it, because you don't have an unsightly wire running from your head to your pocket or purse. Headsets and earpieces allow hands-free operation of your cell phone or smart phone, which is not only convenient but is also quickly becoming a legal requirement world-wide for using your phone in your car.

Printer manufacturers are quickly adding Bluetooth capabilities to their products, turning them into convenient PDA Bluetooth accessories. Previously, to print something stored on your PDA, you had to use the docking station or sync cable to download the information to your computer, then print it from the computer. With a Bluetooth-enabled printer, you can send your data directly to the printer without the intervening steps. If your computer is also Bluetooth-enabled, it can send data to the printer as well, eliminating the need to hook up the printer to the computer or network.

There are many other PDA Bluetooth accessories available for your PDA, and with Bluetooth it doesn't matter who manufactures either the device or the accessory. A Motorola headset will work with an iPhone, and a Palm Tungsten can print spreadsheets on a HP LaserJet. Manufacturers are constantly coming up with new PDA Bluetooth accessories to meet the demands of consumers. Bluetooth technology is making it easier for everyone to communicate.

Going From Here to There With an iPod Case

by: R James Cook

Personalize Your iPod While Keeping it Safe

Most every electronic device today has some sort of protective carrying case. From portable gaming systems to digital cameras to cell phones, cases not only protect the gadget, the also ensure that all the components stay together. With a carrying case, cables stay put and memory cards are not lost along the way. Headphones are not separated or broken, and games, batteries and even instruction manuals are never lost.

Unfortunately, many of these cases are bulky; rarely is any socialite seen walking around with his or her cell phone slipped into a belt buckle carrying case. While older women or construction workers might not see the absurdity in this design, others do. Protective cases are, for the most part, the opposite of delicate, and in a world where electronic manufacturers are marching ever so quickly toward the smallest, the coolest, the thinnest and the sleekest, many users will go without the protection of a carrying case to maintain the look and presence of their devices.

The iPod case is a different story. In this shallow world of universal concern for everyone else's appearance, rarely is any iPod user ever seen without a case. While the case does, once again, protect a multi-hundred dollar investment, the iPod case is sleek, it's cool, and in many ways, it allows the user to express his or her beliefs, personality and desires in a way the iPod itself cannot.

Hear the Rainbow

Current generation iPod Classics are available in either black or silver, and while the newer Nanos and Shuffles offer a wider selection of colors, the variety is still limited.

Available iPod Colors:
Shuffle: silver, blue, green, purple, red
Nano: silver, blue, green, black, pink, red
Classic: black, silver
Touch: black

However, the iPod case is available in a rainbow of colors, designs and patterns. If a user wants a purple iPod Classic, or an iPod graced by the logo of their favorite band, he or she can find a case to transform his or her iPod into a work of art. The iPod case is also offered in numerous materials, each serving a specific purpose and each tailored toward the specific need of potential buyers. Some cases are nothing more than a knit sock that slides on the iPod to protect it from minimal dirt and dust. Others are rubber or silicone sleeves that offer grip as well, protecting the iPod from water and other damaging agents, and protecting the screens from the elements. An iPod case can even be made from metal, clipping around the iPod to provide the ultimate shield, while also maintaining an aura of awe and splendor with its futuristic look and feel.

Colors and materials are only the beginning. An iPod case is also designed with certain uses in mind. While most allow the user to keep his or her iPod protected and still utilize its functions, some are aimed toward simply carrying the iPod around while it is not in use. Others are arm bands that slip around the upper arm of a listener, holding the iPod in place while he or she is on a tread mill, in the weight room or at a yoga class. The iPod case is as varied in uses as it is in colors and materials.

In the end, a listener can make a rather loud statement when he or she slips his or her device into one of these products.

iPod Car Accessories are the Ultimate in Portability

by: R James Cook
Tired of Hearing The Same Songs Over and Over Again? Bring Your iPod With You on Your Next Car Trip and Never Be Subjected to Commercial Radio Again!

Have you ever been on a long car ride and hated every minute of it because you can't find anything you like on the radio? This happens to most of us and can turn even the most enjoyable road trip into an exercise in drudgery. Fortunately, with just one or two iPod car accessories, you can bring your favorite tunes along with you and never again have to settle for what's playing on the radio.

Make Every Car Ride a Joy Ride

At its most basic, there are two iPod car accessories you will need to listen to your music on the road: one to give you a way to hear the music, and one to keep the power on. Most of the time, the iPod car accessory will cover both needs, either in one unit or as a kit, but understanding these two requirements will help you select the best product or products for your needs.

Listening to your iPod in the car first requires a way to get the music from your iPod to your radio. There are several iPod car accessories that can do this for you. The most popular option is an FM transmitter that you plug into your iPod and set to broadcast on an unused station. All you have to then do is tune your radio to the channel your iPod is broadcasting to and you have instant music. The lack of wires running out of your iPod is part of the appeal of an FM transmitter.

Another option if your car radio has a cassette player is an adapter goes from your iPod to the cassette slot, just like the adapter many of us have used to connect up a portable CD player to the radio's cassette player. If you already have one of these lying around somewhere you won't even need to buy anything because it will plug into the headset plug of the iPod!

A third option is to have a permanent connection installed for your iPod. After-market radios usually have an accessory input where an iPod car accessory adapter can be plugged in, and a cable run out from behind the dashboard that you plug into your iPod. While this option will give the best sound quality of all the others, it will also be the most expensive because it will require professional installation. But if you spend a lot of time in your car, it will be worth it. Many car manufacturers are also now offering this kind of iPod connectivity as an option in their higher-end models.

iPod speakers are also an option for listening to your iPod in your car. They're not an ideal solution, since they can rattle around the car and fall off the seat or rear deck. If you already have a set of speakers that don't rely on AC power this can be a workable, if inelegant solution.

Keep the (Power) Lights On

Most of these iPod car accessories are either power-neutral (don't draw power from the iPod but don't provide power to it either) or draw power from the iPod. If all of your driving consists of commuting to the office and you charge your iPod between trips, this isn't so bad. But if you're driving long distance, you're going to need a way to keep the juice flowing to the iPod so you don't drain its battery and end up stuck listening to the radio again.

To keep your iPod playing, a car charger is a necessity. It's a simple cable that runs from your car's power adapter or cigarette lighter and keeps your iPod charged while it plays. The great thing is, you can listen to your iPod for your whole drive, then when you've arrived you can take your iPod out of the car and it's fully charged and ready to keep you entertained wherever you go next.

Some of the permanent connections also include a power connection. If you're getting one installed in your car, make sure this is included or you'll still have to buy a power adapter. If it's a factory-installed connection, check your owner's manual to see if it provides power to your iPod. Generally, if the connection is made to the headset port, then you'll need a power adapter but if it's connected to the docking port, you won't.

Keep Your Eyes on the Road

Safety is an important issue to bring up when using iPod car accessories. Make sure you don't let your iPod distract you from your driving! Try to avoid changing volume or tracks while your car is moving. One of the great things about permanent connections is that many of them allow you to control your iPod using the controls of the radio itself. This is especially handy if your radio has wheel-mounted controls. If you're using a stand-alone adapter, try to position your iPod so you can see it without taking your eyes off the road. If you can't, just plug the iPod in, hit play, and forget about it. It's not worth dying just because you don't want to listen to one song.

An Overview of the Top iPod Classic Accessories

by: R James Cook
The popularity of Apple's iPod has spawned a huge industry of iPod accessories. There is such a wide variety to choose from, it can be hard to decide which ones are important to look at and which ones are pointless fluff. Here's a look at the five iPod classic accessories that every iPod owner needs to consider.

Case

The first iPod classic accessory that every owner should purchase is a protective case. A case is especially important if you travel with your iPod, and if you shove it in your pocket or purse with your keys you're just asking for trouble without a case. The finish of the iPod classic is especially vulnerable to the dings and dents of everyday life. A protective case will keep your iPod looking pristine, and helps keep dust and dirt away from the vulnerable electronics inside.

Screen Protector

Almost as important as a case is a screen protector. Most cases do not cover the screen, because users want to be able to see the screen without taking it out of the case. A screen protector will protect the screen, which is even more vulnerable to scratches than the metal body. And a scratch across the screen is even more annoying than a scratch across the body, because you'll be looking right at it every time you look at the screen. Like the case, if you move your iPod classic around a lot, a screen protector is a valuable iPod classic accessory that will keep your iPod looking good.

Charger

An iPod with a dead battery is basically a paperweight. An extra charger or two is an iPod classic accessory worth having, both for convenience and to reduce the chance of running out of juice. Having an extra charger means you can charge your iPod at home and in the office, and you won't run out of power in the middle of the day. If you spend a lot of time in the car and listen to your iPod while driving (through speakers or an iTrip, please don't use headphones while driving), a car charger that plugs into the lighter jack will ensure that you have music the whole way.

Cables

Cables are another necessary iPod classic accessory. With just about every computer peripheral now using a USB connection, free USB ports may be at a premium on your computer. Fear not, because you can get a cable that lets you connect your iPod to your computer's FireWire port instead. Also, if you have iTunes installed on your computer at the office as well as your home computer, an extra sync cable will save you from having to transport the cable back and forth. There are also cables available that let you connect your iPod to your home stereo.

Speakers

Speakers are one of the most popular iPod classic accessories, and therefore come in a wide variety. Most speakers plug into the headphone jack, and are either battery powered or plugged into a wall outlet. There are also speakers that the iPod classic can dock with, which will have the added benefit of charging the unit while it's playing. Many of these speaker docking stations come with a remote, so you can skip songs and adjust the volume without going over to the unit. Speakers will generally give better sound than headphones, and will allow you to share your music with everyone in the room. If you're looking for portability, go with the battery-powered speakers. Otherwise, AC-powered speakers will sound better and can have the added functionality of being a docking station.

The wide variety of iPod classic accessories available can be overwhelming. Now, you've been given the information that should help you to decide on what accessories you need, and what ones you can avoid.