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Official Google Blog: Google learns to crawl Flash

2008-07-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

Internet Marketing Blog: "Online Promtion"

Kodak cools cartridge cover with copper alloy cores

2008-07-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every year Eastman Kodak Co. molds hundreds of millions of 35-mm film canister covers, gray LDPE lids well known to photographers. But a few years ago these covers were the cause of headaches. Chronically hot cores were causing pulled centers where the part failed to eject.

The steel used for the cores was a 420 stainless. Kodak thought it could run cooler and faster with a copper alloy core, but before making the investment, decided to do some testing on the hypothesis.

The copper alloy Kodak tested is C18000, which according to specs, is nine times more conductive than 420 stainless steel. However, C18000 is also softer, with a hardness of 92 to 94 Rockwell B, vs. 48 to 52 Rockwell C for the stainless steel.

Because of this, Kodak decided also to test three surface treatments to protect the cores from gassing and plastic abrasion. Most 35-mm cover molds run for a year or more before preventive maintenance is performed.

Thermal Conductivity
The project was headed up by senior technical personnel Gary Glozer and Brett Lebeau, who work at Kodak's Enterprise process and Tooling Development Lab in Rochester,. NY. They started by assessing the conductivity of the stainless steel and copper alloy. Using some relatively simple math, Glozer and Lebeau calculated the thermal conductivity of the steel and alloy, as well as the LDPE material used in the part itself.

What they discovered was that the heat transfer value of the LDPE cover was greater than the heat transfer value of the stainless steel mold core (Figure 1). This meant that the current 420 stainless steel core could not take heat away as fast as the plastic gave it up. On the other hand, the copper alloy showed its potential by removing heat one and a half times faster than the; plastic gave it up.

The Single Cavity Test
A single-cavity 35-mm cover mold was built to production specifications and used for initial lab testing. A copper alloy core and a stainless steel core were also fabricated to production specs and interchanged within the single-cavity mold, run in a 125-ton Farrel.

To start Glozer, and Lebeau installed the copper alloy core and produced parts at seven different processing conditions. Process changes included mold water temperature, water flow rate to the core and cavity, plastic melt temperature, hot tip temperature, and part cooling time. Ten part temperatures at ejection were recorded for each processing condition.

The entire process was repeated with the 420 stainless steel core installed in the same tool. At all seven processing conditions the copper alloy core produced substantially cooler parts than did the 420 stainless steel.

Differences in part temperatures produced by the two cores ranged from a low of 14 deg F to a high of 24 deg F. On average, the copper alloy cores ran 18 deg F cooler than the 420 stainless steel cores. Encouraged by these results, Glozer and Lebeau decided to scale the testing up to a 48-cavity production stack mold.
The 48-Cavity Test
As mentioned earlier, the C18000 copper alloy is significantly "softer" than, the 480 stainless steel. As part of the 48-cavity production trial, Glozer and Lebeau also tested three different surface enhancements on the copper ally cores, chrome, titanium nitride and boron carbide (carbon black). Of the 48 copper alloy cores, three sets of 12 were treated with each coating. The fourth set of 12 was left untreated as a control. The cores were distributed evenly though out both halves of the stack mold to test the effect of core location on each surface treatment.

To start the test, Glozer and Lebeau collected temperature data on the stainless steel cores. Their results show the stainless steel produced parts on 10.7-second cycles with an average part temperature of 110F. The mold was then removed from the machine --a 220-ton Husky-- and the copper alloy cores were installed. The mold was reinstalled and run at the same process conditions. for the same 10.7-second cycle, average part temperature from the copper alloy cores was 83F.
Encouraged by such results, Glozer and Lebeau started reducing the cooling time on the process in .5-second intervals. The most that could be taken off was 2.7 seconds, which allowed for the fastest cycle of 8 seconds. This was dictated by the amount of time required for screw recovery. As cycle time decreases, part ejection temperatures increased.

Even at the fastest cycle of 8 seconds, the copper alloy cores produced parts that were cooler than those from the 420 stainless steel cores.
However, even at the fastest cycle of 8 seconds, the copper alloy cores produced parts that were cooler than those from the 420 stainless steel cores. For production, Glozer and Lebeau settled on a midrange cycle time, which they calculated would provide substantial savings and eliminate the pulled core problem. This midrange cycle time also would most likely provide the greatest margin of processing error.

Coating of Choice
The mold was in production for more than 30 weeks, ran 1.12 million cycles, and produced more than 53 million parts, none of which was returned for pulled centers. Then the durability of the surface treatment was assessed. As expected, the uncoated copper alloy cores showed a visible change in appearance of the vapor-honed surface texture in the area directly across from the gate. There was little coating left on the cores protected with the boron carbide. It appeared the coating did not effectively adhere to the copper alloy substrate and eventually wore off. Texture changes were similar to those of the uncoated ones, but less severe. At $88 per core, the boron carbide was also the most expensive coating.

The chrome-coated cores showed a slight visible change in appearance but there were no signs of adhesion problems. The chrome was the least expensive at $8 per core. The titanium nitrided cores revealed no visual change in appearance and outperformed even the chrome. At $26 per core, the titanium nitride was deemed the best performer for the money and chosen for production.
Kodak solved its sticking problem in the mold for film cartridge caps by replacing a 120 stainless steel core with one of a TiN-coated copper alloy and reduced cycle time as well.

[Via - Kodak cools cartridge cover with copper alloy cores]

4 Color Printing

2008-07-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Four color printing is a process of using basic colors and the resulting shades to colorize anything from photos to advertising materials. There are various methods to achieve the look of 4 color printing and the price differences are passed on to the customer. The person who needs a job done for his business, personal, or community project has many choices. A business person can achieve a nice print job on a project for a reasonable cost, or purchase a first rate designer copy for a higher rate. It's all in how the consumer wants to develop his project and in what message he wants to send to others through the design.

There are many companies both online and in a person's local area that can assist him in determining the cost, quality, and look he will need for each project. The average person has little idea about the intricacies of professional 4 color printing or of the other options available. Most quality print shops offer many different ways to achieve professional results for anything the consumer has in mind. If someone needs brochures, flyers, business cards, newsletters, photos, or other printed materials, he can shop around to find the best bargain and the most appropriate process. Professional printers use various types of processes from spot printing to process printing.

Spot color printing is processed by each tint being put on a plate and printed separately for various shades and tones. This is a relatively easy process for jobs up to three colors. Four color printing is more complicated to process neatly and with good quality. Many companies use processed printing, especially for jobs like photos and special designs that need brilliant color. This basically uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to create a multitude of shades and tones for complicated jobs that require perfect reproduction of the design.

There are also some jobs that call for a combination of both processes in order to create an assignment. Obviously, these types of four color printing projects entail much more processing, and subsequently, cost more to produce. It is possible to achieve a good quality print project with just about any amount of colors and processes if a company is professional and has the right equipment. If you want to use one color instead of four for a project, you can still end up with a professional looking project.

One color is easy to print with the spot-color processing since only one color is used on a plate. However, keep in mind that a design may not look cheaper with this process because using various shades of the same color can produce a semi-tone affect. This is perhaps the cheapest method to use for any of projects. Two-color printing is also relatively easy to process. This can give an added array of shades and tones that can really enhance a project. Visually, it can look like the design has many more hues, almost like the 4 color printing.

A consumer has the option of specifying a three-color job for just about anything he needs done. A three-color job can look almost like a four color printing project if it is designed correctly. With the three hues and all the variations of shading possible, any three can liven up any specialty job. If the consumer wants extra eye-catching appeal for his designs, he may want to consider stepping up the selection to 4 color printing. In any case, the first thing to do in planning a project is to determine how much budget is allocated for the job. When the consumer knows how much he can spend for a particular project, he can work with most companies to come up with the best way to receive the most appealing one, two, three, or more. Understanding the basics of this field for projects as well as the cost differentiation will go a long way in helping determine whether the design requires a this process or a cheaper process.

Most printing companies will suggest the best approach to any project. They will show the customer samples of various techniques. There are many online sources that offer a wide array of options. Sometimes it may be daunting to the novice shopper when confronted with the many options in this field. The apostle James tells us to "be patient, brethren" (James 5:7). Because the innovations in this field are so many and complicated, you will need to take your time to find the best deal for the design. But the time a person spends will be worth it. This field has advanced so much that the end-products they produce are amazing. Never again will the businessman have to use markers on tagboard paper to inform his customers. Today, anyone can use these resources to advance his business.

[Via - 4 Color Printing]

How to print from DOS programs to USB, GDI, Virtual and other Windows-Only printers

2008-07-01T06:55:00.001-07:00

In the age of DOS, most of the printers were dot-matrix and connected to a parallel port (LPT1:, LPT2: or LPT3:)

A typical DOS program sends the print jobs to one of these ports (usually LPT1:) as a simple ascii data flow (a sequence of characters). The DOS printer receives that data flow and renders the data on paper by using its own integrated logic.

The source DOS data flow may also contain some Control Codes, specifically designed for a particular printer model, which makes the printer itself performing specific actions, like "Condensed Printing", Bold, Underline, etc. There was different sets of Control Codes for different printer models. They were also known as Escape Sequences, or Emulation. The most common were IBM Proprinter, Epson ESC (ESC/P, ESC/P2) and HP PCL (PCL3, ... PCL5, PCL6)

Under Windows things are different. The Windows program does not need to hardcode the Control Codes and other hardware-specific parameters, because they're all embedded into the Windows printer driver and the Windows Printing System.

The Windows program creates a GDI (Graphical Device Interface) print job making use of the Windows printer driver. This kind of "image" is then sent to the destination printer by the Windows Printing System, which is committed to care about the queues, addressing the right hardware printer port (USB001, DOT4, FAX) etc.

The Problem

You may think that the main problem for a DOS program printing to a Windows printer is that DOS cannot directly address USB or DOT4 ports, but this is not completely true, because there are simple redirection utilities (including the Microsoft's NET USE command) which are designed to route the data flow from a parallel port (like LPT1:) to another Windows port.

In reality, the main problem is that more and more Windows printers nowadays (especially the cheaper all-in-one printers) are GDI printers (also know as Windows-Only or host-based), so, even though they receive the redirected data flow, those printers are not smart enough to render it on paper. A GDI printer wants the "images" created the Windows way.

This is even more true for virtual printers, like fax-printer-drivers or PDF-writers, which were designed specifically for Windows, and cannot understand a simple DOS ascii data flow as input.

The Solution

Here is where Printfil comes in help.

Printfil is a true Windows 32 bit utility which captures the DOS source ascii data flow and converts it into a real Windows GDI print job, which then can be sent to any printer installed in your Windows Control Panel, including USB, GDI, DOT4 and virtual printers.

Printfil can even recognize the Control Codes embedded into the DOS print job and "redesign" the corresponding "effects" (Bold, Condensed, etc.) in the produced GDI job, with one more advantage: a single set of Control Codes can be used to drive any Windows printer, even if the real destination printer is not compatible with the source data flow.

The bottom line is: as Printfil is a true Windows program, if any other Windows program (say Ms-Word or Internet Explorer) can correctly print to your printer, then your DOS program will too, through Printfil.

[Via - How to print from DOS programs to USB, GDI, Virtual and other Windows-Only printers]

Windows Server 2008 dedicated hosting and Dedicated servers

2008-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Windows Server 2008 dedicated hosting

Imagine your customer saying “The website not working when I tried to access the Transaction Page”. This is a common complaint that most of the website owners hear a lot of time in their careers. They would tweak the entire page but the real cause of the concern is the poor web hosting. You would love to save $$ on cheap web hosting and eventually end up losing thousands of dollars worth business. This is a case of shared web hosting when one server is used to host more then one website. Aplus.net brings to you Windows Server 2008 dedicated web hosting plans to help you increase the business by uninterrupted service and your website is always up and running. Branded hardware’s and security system to ensure uptime, speed and security always. With Windows Server 2008 dedicated hosting you can be rest assured that it is only your server and cannot be accessed by others until your permission. Grow your business multi folds and provide the best uptime, security and speed with Windows Server 2008 dedicated hosting services.

Dedicated servers

Dedicated servers as the name suggests are dedicated servers assigned to websites. It will provide a single server to single website which will assure 3 important things uptime, speed and security. 16 years of dedicated resources and experience have brought us to the level that we are. We do not claim ourselves to be the best but our work speaks for ourselves. Using the best of the branded softwares and hardwares we provide security options for your online business and help excel the online ventures. Plan starts at $49/mo which is the lowest in the segment and our support team is always on the call to help support our customers. Dedicated servers mean dedicated security and dedicated datacenters helping you protect your business from intruders and unwanted hackers. You can also customize the applications pulling in more features that you can offer. Our 99.9% guaranteed uptime will make sure you have your website running at all the times. Dedicated servers also bring to you dedicated monitoring and which is a prime requisite for users. Our dedicated servers hosting service has seen a lot of satisfied customers all across and a wide trust among them have made us a market leader in a true sense.

10 Tips And Shortcuts To Make Using Windows Easier

2008-05-23T03:26:00.000-07:00

There are a number of tricks and shortcuts that are fairly well known among people that have been using Windows a lot over the last 14 years of it's existence. However, we tend to take it for granted that everyone knows these things, when in fact they don't.

Some of these functions are documented in the Windows help files, but I've noticed (with our secretary and my colleagues, for example) that most people never read the help files. I suppose they are kinda boring...

So with out further ado, here are some turbo tips for Windows:

(If a key name is in bold, it means you HOLD IT DOWN while pressing the other keys)

1. Windows key (the one with the flying window on it) and E will open Windows explorer, instead of right clicking the My Computer Icon on the desktop and then clicking Explore. Very useful if your desktop is full of open windows and you wnat to get another explorer window open.

2. Ctrl B for making marked text bold

3. Ctrl C to copy marked text to the clipboard

4. Ctrl V to paste that text into a new document.

5. Ctrl A selects All; either all text in a document, or all files in Explorer.

6. Alt Prt Sc to copy the presently open window to the clipboard. You can then use Ctrl V to paste it, as a jpeg image, into a document, or a photo editing program.

7. Crtl Shift Esc will open Task manager, where you can see what processes are running, and stop them if they are misbehaving and won't close. Task manager also gives you a graph which shows how hard your CPU and memory are working.

8. In Windows Explorer and in Outlook Express (and other programs) if you click on the column headings, it will sort the whole thing according to the alphabetic/numeric order of that column. Clicking it again will reverse sort it.

9. Clicking a word of text twice will highlight (ie mark) that word. Clicking the word three times in quick succession will select the whole sentence, line or paragraph. (Depending on your text editor)

10. In Windows Explorer, if you hold your Ctrl key down, you can click on numerous, random files and select them, even if they are not contiguous (For foreign readers, this means: one after the other)

[Via - 10 Tips And Shortcuts To Make Using Windows Easier]

5 Ways To Tune Up PC

2008-05-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

Walking into your local bookstore, it is not difficult to find published material teaching you how to tune up PC performance and processing speeds. Indeed, the relative cheapness of the personal computer has allowed it to be diffused into the broad general market of today. A powerful computer is something widely sought after as it offers greater productivity where it comes to work by allowing one to open multiple applications, and greater enjoyment when it comes to running detailed games of high resolution that exist in today's markets. Be it for work or for play, the benefits of a personal computer are aplenty. We offer you 5 ways to tune up your pc to achieve greater satisfaction in your work and leisure activities.

Quality up-to-date computer hardware is a key consideration when it comes to tuning up your personal computer. Unlike other types of machinery such as cars, computer products tend to become obsolete relatively quickly. Computer users should consider upgrading components directly relating to the performance of their personal computers. Two key components include the computer's RAM (random access memory) and its CPU (central processing unit) chip. Such components are cheaply and easily available and can be installed with little technical knowledge about computers. In fact, information regarding the installation of these components is widely available on the internet. In any case, the returns are immediate and you would be able to notice and appreciable increase in performance and processing speed with these upgrades.

Tune up your PC by keeping your desktop simple and frills free. Fanciful items such as cursors, skins, desktop shortcuts and high resolution wallpapers have the effect of slowing down your computers processing speeds. These programs require a large amount of system resources to sustain. By turning off all these decorative items you free up valuable system resource and memory that can be used to increase the performance of your personal computer.

Defragmenting your personal computer's hard disk drive allows you to tune up your PC's performance. Regular defragmenting speeds up a computer, optimizing computer speed and performance as it puts your computer's files back together rather than having them in different locations. The disk defragmenter that came with your copy of the windows operating system is free and should be sufficient to meet this need. Otherwise, other defragmenters are available for purchase over the internet.

You should also purchase a system registry cleaner and run in on a regular weekly basis. When a software or hardware is installed, its registry files containing information pertaining to settings and performance is automatically created and entered into the computer's system registry. When these files are deleted, these registry files still remain in the computer's system registry and are often not deleted. Over time, the accumulation of useless registry files result in slower computer processing speeds. Run your system registry cleaner to tune up your PC as unnecessary registry files would be displayed. You would then be able to delete these files, increasing the performance of your PC.

Lastly, it would be a good idea to tune up your PC by means of over clocking. Over clocking involves increasing the processing speed limits of your computer's CPU chip. Much software is available on the internet with step-by-step tutorial on how you can over clock your PC's CPU chip. Do be careful not to push the limit too far while at the same time provide sufficient cooling for the CPU as the process of over clocking often increases the temperature to which the CPU chip is exposed to. Insufficient cooling or pushing the limit too far can cause irreparable damage to your CPU chip.

With the following ways to tune up your PC, you can look forward to increased performance and satisfaction from your personal computer from now on.

[Via - 5 Ways To Tune Up PC]

4 Ways To Make My Computer Faster

2008-05-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

"Make my computer faster! Faster! Faster!" Does this sound familiar to those of you tech junkies out there who often dream of having a magic genie at your service to make your computer run faster? With processing power-hungry software like Adobe Premiere and World of Warcraft in existence today, it is a necessity for every individual to have the knowledge of speeding up his or her personal computer. Work or play, the acquisition of this knowledge is a must. For starters, I will provide 4 techniques to make your computer run faster than ever. You do not need a magic genie by the way.

Hardware wise, it would be a good idea to invest in quality hardware upgrades for your computer in order to make your computer run faster. If you purchased your computer some one year ago, chances are, the hardware inside the casing has probably already gone obsolete. Hardware that you can choose to invest in would include a module of RAM (random access memory), a new CPU chip or a new graphics card. The former two are necessary for all computer users as it enables computer programs to operate smoothly and be accessed at faster speeds. The role of the graphics card in boosting computer speeds can perhaps only be applicable to the computer gamer or graphics designer. A dedicated graphics card frees up memory space when processing memory-intensive graphic details or three dimensional objects. In any case, for the casual computer user, purchasing an additional module of RAM or upgrading your CPU chip would produce immediate returns through means of a noticeably faster computer.

It would be a good idea to minimize the number of objects on your desktop especially if you are running substantially older computers. Desktop icons consume a relatively large amount of resource and can result in noticeably slower start up times when you power up your computer. Minimize the number of shortcut icons placed on your desktop by removing those that are used the least frequently. Wallpapers on a desktop are also a cause for slow computer processing speeds. High resolution wallpapers can cause a great strain to your computer's resources. The higher the resolution, the larger the file space and the greater the subsequent strain to your system's resources. Remove all these and you would find yourself with a faster computer.

Provide sufficient space for the hard disk with which you installed your computer's operating system. For example, if you have installed Windows XP in Drive C, avoid over clogging this particular drive by installing too many software. Insufficient hard disk space where the computer's operating system is installed often leads to slow computer processing speeds. Give your operating system some allowance. If possible, partition your hard disk into two and install the bulk of your applications or store your files in the partition of the hard disk that does not contain the computer's operating systems.

Lastly, perform regular maintenance activities such as running a weekly registry cleaner or disk defragmentation exercise. Clutter tends to occur when programs are installed and subsequently deleted. Such clutter tends to clog up the computer's memory resulting in slower processing speeds. Deal with this issue by maintaining your computer regularly and you will be rewarded with a faster computer.

Speeding up your computer is not a difficult task. All it requires is the due diligence and consistency. Doing so will enable your computer to run faster, giving you greater returns in the long run.

[Via - 4 Ways To Make My Computer Faster]

HOW TO MAKE A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

2008-04-17T01:59:00.000-07:00

Most electronic hobbyist did not know how to make printed circuit board for their small circuits. In this article I will tell you how to make a printed circuit board easily. For making printed circuit board (PCB) for small circuits you need clad board, ferric chloride (FeCl2), OHP marker pen, ect.

First of all prepare the layout of the circuit using any PCB schematic drawing software (e.g.- Dip Trace, Express PCB, Eagle, Pspice,ect). Print the layout on an ordinary paper.

After preparing the layout, cut the clad board according to the size of your layout. Transform the layout to the clad board. This can be done by several methods. One method is by drawing the circuit layout exactly on clad board using an OHP marker. This is the simplest method for small circuits. For this, draw the circuit layout on clad board using carbon paper and pencil. Draw the layout using an OHP marker above the sketch layout. Ensure that hole positions are at right positions.

Second method is by using an electric iron (toner transformation method). For this you need the mirror image of the circuit layout. Then print this mirror image using a laser printer(set the toner deposit to high i.e. Image will look dark). Place the image on the surface of clad board upside down. Heat the electric iron and place the iron on the paper having image which is now on the surface of the clad board. Keep the iron for some seconds. Do not heat excessively. Then the toners on the image get transferred to the clad board. After this put the clad board along with the sticky paper on hot water and kept for a long time. The paper becomes lousy. Now remove the paper from the clad board carefully. Do not remove the sticked toner. Now you will get the layout on the clad board. The next step is the process of removing copper which are not covered by the layout.

For etching process we need ferric chloride (Fe Cl2) solution. About 100 ml of tap water should be heated to 85 degree celcious and 30-50 grams of ferric chloride added to it. The mixture should be thoroughly stirred, and a few drops of hydrochloric acid (HCl) may be added optionally to speed up the process.

The board with its copper side facing upwards, should be placed in a flat bottomed plastic tray and the aqueous solution of ferric chloride poured in. The etching process will take25-60 minutes to complete, depending upon the size of the PCB. After etching the board should be clearly visible. If not allow it to stand in the solution for some more time. The paint (toner, OHP marking) should be removed with the help of alcohol or petrol. The etching solution may be preserved for later use until its color turns green.

After the etching is complete, holes of suitable diameter should be drilled using a power or hand drill. 1mm bit should be used for IC holes, 1.25mm for resistors and 105mm for diodes, 3mm or 5mm for mounting nuts and 8mm for potentiometers, switches, ect.

Now the PCB should be scrubbled clean until a shiny finish is obtained. The PCB may be tin-plated using an ordinary 35W soldering rod along with solder core.

[Via - HOW TO MAKE A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD]

Protect sensitive mobile data with encryption

2008-04-17T01:55:00.000-07:00

As PDAs are so easy to lose or to steal it is vitally important to encrypt sensitive data users carry on their Pocket PCs or smartphones. With SecuBox data is protected and transparently encrypted using industry class AES 256 bit encryption algorithm.
What is SecuBox

SecuBox is a data protection and encryption program that turns your PDA or smartphone into a highly secure device. It does not change the way you normally work with data on your device. You create an encrypted storage that looks like a normal storage card to you - only that all information your write there is automatically encrypted. When you finish work with your sensitive Pocket documents, you unmount the encrypted storage card and all these files are completely inaccessible without a password. Even if you loose your device, you can be sure that no data will get into wrong hands - as it is protected with unbreakable AES 256 bit encryption.
Steps to secure your mobile data:

1. Download and install SecuBox from http://www.aikosolutions.com/download/ (Select either Windows executable or direct device installation cab)
2. Install it on your Windows PDA or smartphone
3. Tap Create to Create your first virtual encrypted storage card on your PDA/ smartphone
4. Enter password that will protect your data - this has to be a minimum 8 character password.
5. Your new encrypted storage looks and feels like another Windows Mobile storage card, only that the data you write there is transparently encrypted
6. Once you have written all files to this secure location, unmount the storage
7. Now you can be sure no data will get into the wrong hands - even if your device is lost or stolen
Note:

SecuBox is a more secure and more convenient and reliable alternative to Windows Mobile 6.0 encryption. It ensures users will get access to the encrypted files even if the device is hard-reset. With its encryption key backup feature users will be able to get legitimate access to the encrypted storage cards even after Pocket PC device malfunction and partial data corruption.
Compatibility:

SecuBox for Pocket PC: Windows Mobile 6.0/5.0, Pocket PC 2000/2002, Windows Mobile 2002/2003/2003SE/2005, Windows CE 3.0/4.0/4.1/4.2/5.0/5.2

SecuBox for Smartphone: Windows Mobile 6 Standard, 5.0 Smartphone, 2003 SE Smartphone, 2003 Smartphone, Smartphone 2002

[Via - Protect sensitive mobile data with encryption]

International Profit Associates

2008-04-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

International Profit Associates IPA-IBA is a U.S. leader in business development and management consulting services for small and medium-size companies. IPA-IBA is one of the fastest growing management consulting companies. It is widely held that it is one of the only management consulting firm in the world that delivers such a broad array of professional services to the small and medium-size business marketplace.

My space Layouts

2008-04-16T04:58:00.000-07:00

My space layout is a place where you can find all kind of layouts that you allways require to design a cool business website which will provide all the necessary solutions to make your business grow. MyspaceMaster.Net offers Myspace layouts, myspace codes, myspace backgrounds, myspace graphics, myspace generators. Customize myspace profile to make sure you are seen.

Getting around mobile phone deals in the UK

2008-04-04T03:08:00.000-07:00

Recently there has been a lot of focus on mobile phone contracts in the UK. OFCOM has claimed that they can be confusing for the consumer and to a certain extent this is true. There are a vast range of deals available in the marketplace and it is easy to feel slightly overwhelmed. Couple the number of deals available with the number of handsets due to be released and you feel like you need a degree to work it all out. That is until now, Best Mobile Contracts, will compare all the deals for you and find you the best possible phone contract. Let's take a look at the Nokia N96 as an example, this mobile phone will require a pretty expensive contract if you want to get it for free. Then there is the Nokia N78 a simpler phone but more cost effective. If either of these mobile phones takes your fancy, then why not compare some deals for them today?

IT Support

2008-03-05T02:42:00.000-08:00

IT support that is the need of the day now. We are seeing a stage where everything is going technical even the exams and ticket bookings are going technical. Every big or small company wants to outperform their competitors on the technological front. Take the case of the banking sector where everything is now technical and every other bank wants to provide the best of the online support to their customers. Customers are also in search of a technically sound company. But have you ever imagined what happens when any one of the machines do not perform in the desired manner and whom should you be contacting when such a scenario occurs.We at It Bug strive to remove those bugs or problems that you may ever face. A flexible and scalable support service provided via blocks of pre-purchased 60 minute support 'credits' that customers can utilise using telephone, remote and email support. Our unique USP is our immediate support staff that is working round the clock to help you get rid of the technical glitches. There are no monthly fees or setup costs involved when you are with us and you can also benefit from the cost saving though call charges to the engineers. Get a quote today and save pounds towards technology.

FLV Converter

2008-03-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

FLV Converter can convert any video into SWF video and FLV streaming video formats. The main function of a flv converter is that it can convert all video formats, e.g.DivX, XviD, AVI, WMV, MPG, MPEG, MP4, M4V, FLV, 3GP, ASF, RM, RMVB, MOV, ASX, MKV, OGM, SVCD, VCD, VOB to FLASH Video (SWF, FLV) formats. flv converter can also produce flash reels for Web publishing and streaming industry. Customized video quality, frame rate, size, duration and quality can also be created. It is also a Video to Flash Converter, an ideal solution that lets you quickly prepare your video movies for Web casting. The FLV converter can also convert FLV file from all popular audio formats, including MP2, MP3, M4A, AC3, AAC, RA, WMA, OGG, APE, CUE etc.It can convert FLV file super easily and fast. It is a powerful flv converter to convert FLV files to regular video files. It can perfectly convert all kinds of FLV files without any extra codecs that you might otherwise need to install in order to successfully convert the same. So now you can convert a FLV video into not only MP4 file but yo can also transfer it to your iPod and listen to some great music which otherwise would not have permitted you to do so.

The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years

2008-02-19T00:58:00.001-08:00

We're living in the golden age of the gadget. Don't believe it? Check your pockets. Odds are you're carrying a portable music player, an electronic organizer, a keychain-size storage device, a digital camera, or a cell phone that combines some or all of these functions. And you'd probably be hard-pressed to live without them.

At PC World, we'd be lost without these things. We don't merely test and write about digital gear, we live and breathe the stuff. In honor of this raging gizmo infatuation, we polled our editors and asked them to name the top 50 gadgets of the last 50 years. The rules? The devices had to be relatively small (no cars or big-screen TVs, for example), and we considered only those items whose digital descendants are covered in PC World (cameras, yes; blenders, no). We rated each gadget on its usefulness, design, degree of innovation, and influence on subsequent gadgets, as well as the ineffable quality we called the "cool factor." Then we tallied the results.

After a lot of Web surfing, spreadsheet wrangling, and some near fistfights, we emerged with the following list. Some items in our Top 50 are innovative devices that appeared briefly and then were quickly consigned to museums and future appearances on eBay, but whose influence spread widely. Others are products we use every day--or wish we could.

So join us as we visit with the ghosts of gadgets past and present.

1. Sony Walkman TPS-L2 (1979)

Portable music players are so cheap and ubiquitous today that it's hard to remember when they were luxury items, widely coveted and often stolen. But when the blue and silver Walkman debuted in 1979, no one had ever seen anything quite like it. The $200 player virtually invented the concept of "personal electronics."

The first Walkman (also branded as the Stowaway, the Soundabout, and the Freestyle before the current name stuck) featured a cassette player and the world's first lightweight headphones. Apparently fearful that consumers would consider the Walkman too antisocial, Sony built the first units with two headphone jacks so you could share music with a friend. The company later dropped this feature. Now, more than 25 years and some 330 million units later, nobody wonders why you're walking down the street with headphones on. Learn more in Sony's history of the Walkman.

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Financial Gadgets

2008-02-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

For the past few days, Mind Readers have become the most talked about object among gizmo-geeks.
It is more of a mechanical version of 20 questions game where the gadget takes up the role of the guesser, thus eliminating the role of its human counterpart.
It has close resemblance to human brain and has numerous neurons connected via synaptic connections. Interestingly, the gadget is now available online and needless to mention, are currently favorites of internet users.
Online gadgets, in other words widgets, currently rule the online world. With their unique feature of installing them in bogs and personal websites, they serve a lot of purpose of visitors.

Researches show, that a good number of internet populations have developed the habit of using debt calculators to handle their finances. Whether it is footing credit card bill or paying off home loan, debt calculators are easy to use devices that can really help you avoid thousands of complex calculations. Their unique feature helps you calculate figures like (Annual Percentage Rate) APR, Debt-Income ratio, interest amount within a fraction of second.

These are only a few names from the vast ocean of online gadgets. Their usage and purpose differ widely and should be applied keeping in mind individual requirements and preferences.

Mobile Phones with Free Gifts

Education Course

2008-01-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

The new Joshua's Law, which was set forth on January 1, 2007, has made driving laws for new teen drivers a lot more difficult in the state of Georgia. If you wan to receive your license before the age of seventeen, this new law requires all teens to complete a new state approved Georgia driver education course. The state of Georgia is trying to implement this class in as many schools as possible. For those less populated schools however, this course is not an option for them. In addition, several students now are being home schooled. There is a solution for those who can not attend a school to take the Georgia driver education course. A good alternative to going to a school is to take the state approved driver education course online.

The online driver education course meets all the guidelines regulated in the new Joshua's Law. This allows parents to enroll their kids into this class where their child can take the classroom section of this course in the comforts of their own home. A great advantage to this is that the teen can work at their own pace which enables them to fully understand all the subjects. Once the student finishes this course online, they will then receive a certificate of completion, which they can show their local DDS office. This will prove that they have passed the online course.

By allowing kids to take a state approved driver education course online, a parent can be fully involved in the entire process of their child learning how to drive. Parents are still required to spend a minimum amount of hours in the passenger seat as their child is behind the wheel driving a car. For more information on this matter, visit the Driver Education Online website.

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The latest in gadgets

2008-01-21T23:06:00.000-08:00

CREATIVE MOUSE

Few computer gamers are as successful as pro-gaming champ Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel but now they have the chance to use the same hardware he does.

At Cebit Creative was showing off the mouse designed by Mr Wendel, who regularly makes more than $100,000 a year as a pro-gamer, just for the hard-core fans who want to follow in his mouse steps.

Not for the faint-hearted, the Creative Fatal1ty 2020 mouse has a 6.4 megapixel sensor in its base to pick up the smallest twitch. It can work on any surface and handle up to 20G of acceleration for those intense firefights when it is important to strafe and move.

The mouse also comes with a five different weights so gamers can tune it to get the balance for themselves just right.

The USB connector for the 2020 mouse is gold plated and it has zero-oxygen copper wiring to ensure every pull of the virtual trigger is relayed swiftly back to the PC.

FUTURE PRODUCTS

As well as being a showcase for gadgets that are about to go into the shops, Cebit is also a show that looks to the long-term future.

Japanese hi-tech company NEC used Cebit to show off some conceptual ideas for what products of the future might look like.

Under the umbrella term of Resonantware the products aim to investigate how technology might evolve.

NEC showed an idea it called Sala that integrates a radio tag into an item of jewellery, such as a wedding ring - associated with an important event.

When the ring, earring or brooch is placed near a display device that can read the tag it calls up the images, movies or sounds the owner has associated with it.

It also showed off a concept see-through mobile phone called Flask which is powered by a fuel cell. Like many disposable cigarette lighters, the transparent sides of the phone let users see when they need a refill.

TOSHIBA LAPTOP

Laptop veteran Toshiba has become the first computer maker to ship a portable computer with a HD-DVD drive onboard.

Unveiled at Cebit and likely to go on sale in Europe first, the Qosmio G30 is due to be on shop shelves in April and is aimed at consumers with deep pockets, as the price for the machine is likely to be well in excess of £2000.

Under the hood it has a 2GHz dual core processor, two 120 GB hard drives and digital and analogue TV tuner.

It has a 17-inch display that can cope with the high-definition images on HD-DVD discs. The HD-DVD standard is one of two, the other is Blu-Ray, that are aiming to replace DVDs.

To help show high resolution images the Qosmio G30 uses the GeForce 7600 graphics card made by Nvidia.

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Dell's Linux hardware support plans good news for desktop Linux

2008-01-17T03:24:00.000-08:00

In a blog entry today, Dell has revealed new technical details that provide insight into the company's Ubuntu Linux preinstallation plans. Dell will offer a default Ubuntu installation on select systems that it says will have "the most mature and stable Linux driver support."

Open-source drivers will be used wherever possible, but proprietary drivers will still be used for certain wireless cards and other components for which no open drivers are available. Dell also plans to host a wiki that will provide extensive technical information describing the factory install process and the drivers used for Dell hardware.

The most exciting part of Dell's announcement today is a new plan to collaborate with vendors to "improve the maturity and stability" of Linux drivers for components in Dell systems on which Ubuntu will not be supported. This will enable Dell to expand the scope of its Linux offerings and improve the viability of Linux on the desktop. This extremely welcome news represents a huge win for the entire open-source software community and reflects Dell's willingness to fully commit to Linux and consumer choice. This is exactly what I called for when Dell first announced its Linux initiative, and it is arguably far more advantageous to individual Linux users than the availability of preinstallation.

Dell does not plan to include "support for proprietary audio or video codecs that are not already distributed with Ubuntu 7.04," but Dell is considering changing that in the future. It is likely that Dell is trying to get its Linux initiative up and running as soon as possible, and providing proprietary codec support out of the starting gate just isn't feasible within the scope of their launch timeline. My guess is that Dell is communicating with Fluendo, which has considerable expertise in developing and distributing legal Linux ports of proprietary codecs. The absence of proprietary codec support in the initial offering isn't a deal-killer since Ubuntu 7.04 has a codec manager that makes it trivially easy to automatically download and install unlicensed codecs as they are needed.

It seems like Dell's Linux strategy is relatively well-defined. Although I still doubt that there is broad demand for this kind of Linux preinstallation from hardcore Linux enthusiasts and regular home users, Dell's commitment to improving hardware compatibility could earn the company the loyalty of Linux users and evangelists. Those who wish to receive notification of Dell's Ubuntu Linux launch can subscribe to the company's low-traffic Linux announcement mailing list.

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Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service

2008-01-17T03:16:00.000-08:00

IPhone Hurt Mobile Gaming, Expert Says

LAS VEGAS -- While it would seem that the growth of smartphones, with their bigger screens and faster processors, would be good news for mobile gaming, handsets like the iPhone are in fact hurting the mobile game industry in the short term, one expert said Sunday.

Apple's iPhone is a capable phone that holds promise for the future of gaming, said Travis Boatman, vice president of worldwide studios for Electronic Arts' mobile division, speaking during a panel session at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "But it's a replacement for someone who had a Razr before. They still want their content but there's no distribution platform in place so there's a negative impact on the industry," he said.

Because Apple so far hasn't allowed iPhone users to download just anything, iPhone users may be giving up games that they played on a phone they previously owned, he said. "These devices are capable and powerful," he said. "They'll be great in the long term but it will take some time as people adapt to devices."

The problem of transferring games to new phones has actually plagued the mobile gaming industry since its inception. When users upgrade to a new phone, they most often can't bring a game that they bought for their old phone along with them.

Mobile virtual network operator Helio is one of the few operators that has taken steps to solve that problem. Because most of the phones that Helio sells have similar specifications, games usually will work on a new phone a customer might buy. Helio stores the games for users on its servers and users can re-download games to a new phone, said Leo Jun, senior manager of games for Helio.

That's a more difficult situation for other operators that sell a much wider variety of phones, each with differing capabilities that may not support all games. It's not realistic to expect that a game publisher make their games re-downloadable to people who upgrade their phones, said Boatman. He compares it to the game console market. "If you bought a PlayStation 2 and you buy an Xbox '790' four years later, do you think EA games is going to redevelop that game and not charge you for it?" he said. "It's not inexpensive."

But other even more basic problems also plague the mobile game industry, which has had stagnant growth. The percentage of mobile phone users who have ever bought a mobile game increased from 10 percent in 2005 to just 12 percent in 2007, said Michael Cai, an analyst with Parks Associates. One reason for that very slow growth is that there are simply too many games and often no good way for end users to trial games before buying them, the experts said.

Helio users can try out a game for a week for US$0.99. "It emphasizes the importance of quality content," Jun said. Helio expects that the service will encourage developers to release fewer but more quality games.

But in most cases, end users only have the option of choosing games based on their titles. Unlike five years ago, most mobile users now know that they can play games. But they clearly aren't buying games in volume, perhaps because many of them may already feel burned after taking a chance and buying a game only to find that it's low-quality, said Jun. Many may be unlikely to try again. "The preconception is that mobile games aren't that good," said Jun.

Still, the panelists were confident that mobile gaming will pick up in the future. Because smartphone use is growing, users are also becoming more accustomed to the idea of downloading software to their phones. "Google is training people to install Gmail and maps to their phones," noted Matthew Bellows, general manager and vice president of marketing for Floodgate Entertainment, a game developer. "That could be a game changer from the consumer expectation standpoint."

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Latest update of Microsoft Mobile Phone 2008

2008-01-17T02:36:00.000-08:00

77% don't want to pay for iPod touch update

17 January 2008 9:54 GMT - Following Steve Jobs' announcement at Macworld2008 that the iPod touch would be getting five new applications - but at the cost of $20 to current owners - we asked the Pocket-lint readers if they thought folks should shell out for updates.

It seems Apple's new policy is not popular with our readership. When asked, "Do you think iPod owners should have to pay $20 for software updates?" a whopping 77% said no and just 23% said yes.

The five new applications for the iPod touch are Stocks, Mail, Notes, Maps and Weather. These applications included on the iPhone, and anyone buying a new iPod touch from now on will get them for free.

This had led to Apple again being criticised - again - for penalising early adopters for being quick to purchase new products. It also sets a worrying precedent for the future.

What's being called the "January Software Upgrade", suggesting others to follow in the year to come, to the annoyance of over three quarters of the Pocket-lint readers, costs UK customers £12.99.

One iPod touch owner is not taking Apple's new policy lying down and has created an online petition to protest the charges.

Stating that "I think that Apple is doing a really nasty thing charging for the apps. Why do iPhone users not have to pay anything but iPod touch users have to?" the e-petition has collected nearly 3000 signatures so far.

What do you think? Are you happy to pay for firmware improvements if they bring new features or do you think they should be free? Is Apple getting greedy? Have your say on our "Chat" forums...

Macworld2008: iPod touch gets new software

15 January 2008 17:40 GMT - Apple has announced that it will be adding five new applications to the iPod touch, including Stocks, Mail, Notes, Maps and Weather as found on the Apple iPhone.

However rather than offering it for free as is normally the case, the company has said it will be charging customers of the iPod touch $20, or £13 in the UK, to upgrade the software.

The news is likely to annoy customers, as the same software is available to Apple iPhone customers for free.

The move means however that Apple iPod touch users will be able to get Stocks, Mail, Notes, Maps and Weather information using the wireless connectivity of the device.

The software update will be available from today.

Macworld2008: iPhone firmware goes 1.1.3

15 January 2008 17:38 GMT - During his keynote speech at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco for the opening of Macworld2008, Steve Jobs revealed that four million iPhones have been sold to date.

This figure is particularly significant as the date of Steve Jobs' speech - the 15th January - is the 200th day since the iPhone has been on sale, meaning that 20,000 iPhones have been sold each day the device has been on sale.

Jobs revealed that in the first quarter of the iPhone being on sale, it achieved a market share of 19.5%, putting it in second place.

On the subject of the iPhone, Jobs moved on to talk about the new features that the latest iPhone update will bring.

The new functionality that firmware update 1.1.3 will offer iPhone owners will include improved mapping that can find a user's location, customisable homescreens and the ability to SMS multiple people at once.

Other improvements include more language support in video, lyrics support in audio and webclips.

The improvements to mapping come in via cellphone signal triangulating, as the iPhone obviously does not contain a GPS chip.

Jobs rounded up the iPhone section of his speech with the statement that this update is "available today as a free software update for every iPhone".

[Via - Pocket-Lint, Gadgets News and Reviews]

Palm-Top Program To Offer Binding E-Signatures

2008-01-03T00:47:00.000-08:00

With a new program from PenOp, a digital signature software developer, palm-top organizer owners can sign their names on the screens of their organizers and transmit those signatures over the Internet as legally binding approval on electronic documents.

PenOp's PocketSign is reportedly the first electronic handwritten signature capture program for palm-top computing devices. By making the organizers a mobile signing pad for transacting legally binding electronic business, the company says, e-commerce can become more portable and expand to areas where computers are less common.

3Com's operating system works on several palm-top organizers, including Palm Computing's handheld devices and IBM's (NYSE: IBM) Latest News about IBM WorkPad.

To promote the new software and its strategic partner 3Com, PenOp is offering licensed users of 3Com's Palm OS 3.0 operating system free copies of the signature program for personal use. The offer is good through October 31st.

"Many organizations are still designing paper into the e-business environment," PenOp CEO Howard Schechter said. With PocketSign, he added, "secure, end-to-end digital transactions [are] now a reality."

How It Works

When a user is ready to sign an electronic document, PocketSign enables the palm-top device to read the pen as electronic stylus rather than just points of contact. The PenOp program provides evidence of the actual signing event, including an audit trail with the date, time, signer's name, the document contents and the signer's intent. If the content of the signed document is altered in any way, the signature is automatically invalidated.

Users must have a host computer or a Web site running on Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or NT 4.0 to use the PocketSign program. In addition, the palm-top device must use the Palm OS 3.0 operating system and have a Palm HotSync Cradle or HotSync cable connection.

While the program works with at least four different lines of palm-top organizers, it does not support the Pilot and PalmPilot organizers.

About PenOp

PenOp has provided a variety of Signature Series software applications to businesses and government agencies to reduce the paper required for transactions, to seal contracts, open new accounts and sign receipts without paper. PenOp products are in use in more than 30 countries. The company also designs software for office networks and the Internet for security transaction, document management and workflow applications.

The programs can also be integrated, using plug-ins, with common office programs such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat, or users can buy programs with PenOp already integrated into the applications. Companies such as JetForm, DOCUMENTUM, FileNET, UWI.com and Staffware offer such applications.

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Have iPod, Will Secretly Bootleg

2008-01-03T00:45:00.000-08:00

When Apple introduced the iPod, the company was aware that people might use it to rip off music from the Net or friends' machines. Each new iPod, in fact, is emblazoned with a sticker that warns, "Don't Steal Music."

But it is unlikely that Apple imagined people would walk into computer stores, plug their iPod into display computers and use it to copy software off the hard drives.

This is exactly the scenario recently witnessed by Kevin Webb at a Dallas CompUSA store.

Webb, a computer consultant from Dallas, was browsing his local CompUSA when he saw a young man walk toward him listening to an iPod. Webb recognized the iPod's distinctive ear buds.

The teenager stopped at a nearby display Macintosh, pulled the iPod from his pocket and plugged it into the machine with a FireWire cable. Intrigued, Webb peeped over the kid's shoulder to see him copying Microsoft's new Office for OS X suite, which retails for $500.

When the iPod is plugged into a Macintosh, its icon automatically pops up on the desktop. To copy software, all the kid had to do was drag and drop files onto the iPod's icon. Office for MacOS X is about 200 MB; it copies to the iPod's hard drive in less than a minute.

"Watching him, it dawned on me that this was something that was very easy to do," Webb said. "In the Mac world it's pretty easy to plug in and copy things. It's a lot easier than stealing the box."

Webb watched the teenager copy a couple of other applications. He left the kid to find a CompUSA employee. "I went over and told a CompUSA guy, but he looked at me like I was clueless," Webb said.

Unsure whether the kid was a thief or an out-of-uniform employee, Webb watched as he left the store. "I thought there's no point in getting any more involved in this imbroglio," Webb said. "Besides, this is Texas. You never know what he might have been carrying."

CompUSA representatives didn't respond to requests for comment. Neither did Apple officials.

The iPod is perfect for virtual shoplifting. It is designed as a digital music player, but its roomy 5-GB hard drive can be used as portable storage for all kinds of files, even the Macintosh operating system. In fact, it can operate as an external drive, booting up a machine and running applications.

The iPod's FireWire interface -- one of its most important but undersold features -- allows huge files to be copied in seconds. The iPod doesn't even have to leave the user's pocket.

And while the iPod has a built-in anti-piracy mechanism that prevents music files from being copied from one computer to another, it has no such protections for software.

Ironically, Microsoft has pioneered an easy-to-use installation scheme on the Mac that makes its Mac software relatively easy to pilfer. The company is known for its sometimes heavy-handed, anti-piracy mechanisms in such products as Windows XP.

When installing Office, users simply drag and drop the Office folder to their hard drive. Everything is included, including a self-repair mechanism that replaces critical files in the system folder.

By contrast, a lot of software on the Windows platform relies on a bunch of system files that are only installed during an installation process. Simply copying an application from one machine to another will not work.

Plus, getting a copy of the software application is only half the battle: most software won't work without a registration number. Usable serial numbers, however, are readily available on Usenet, IRC, Hotline and applications like Hacks and Cracks.

"This is the first we have heard of this form of piracy," said Erik Ryan, a Microsoft product manager. "And while this is a possibility, people should be reminded that this is considered theft."

While the iPod may be ideal for a software-stealing spree, there are a number of other devices on the market that could also be used by virtual shoplifters. As well as any external FireWire drive, there are now a number of tiny key-chain drives that plug into computers' USB ports, like M-Systems' DiskOnKey and Trek2000's ThumbDrive.

Most key-chain drives work with both Macs and PCs. Some are available with up to one gigabyte of storage space. However, most USB ports are a lot slower than FireWire, requiring the virtual shoplifter to hang around while the ill-gotten gains are transferring.

CompUSA and other computer stores could take a few simple steps to prevent software from being copied, said Mac expert Dave Horrigan, who writes a syndicated Macintosh column.

Any Mac can easily be configured to allow changes only by administrators, he said. Also, a system profile tool logs all peripheral equipment, but it must be running to log an iPod. For Macs running OS X, a locked dummy file in an application's package will protect the entire file from being copied without a password.

But Horrigan didn't think the iPod presents a serious piracy threat to Microsoft, and doubted the company would take special measures to prevent in-store copying.

"If Microsoft puts in protection it almost always screws up and causes problems for them or their legit users," he said.

Dennis Lloyd, publisher of iPod fan site iPodlounge, also said this is the first time he'd heard of an iPod put to such use.

"I can see how easy it would be to do," he said. "It's a shame someone has stooped this low to bring bad press to the insanely great iPod."

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Continental Corporation

2007-12-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Continental Lowers Costs, Improves Security, and Achieves 99.9 Percent Server Reliability.

Continental AG had out-of-date and disparate client-server infrastructure that needed groupwide standardization. This involved providing more than 80 sites worldwide with a total of 24,000 new workstations and portable computers, installing new server computers, and setting up modern operating systems and applications. Continental first tested a Linux solution, but the company decided instead on a platform based on Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 Enterprise Edition and Windows® XP Professional because of the opportunity to lower costs and improve security. The new system architecture has considerably reduced IT costs at Continental AG. With Active Directory® as a groupwide directory service, the corporate network can now be centrally administered.

Headquartered in Hanover, Germany, Continental AG is one of the world’s largest automobile suppliers, specializing in the manufacturing of passenger car and commercial vehicle tires using brake and drive technology as well as rubber and plastics technology. About 80,000 employees work at more than 100 Continental AG sites. The company reports a consolidated group profit of 13.8 billion euros (U.S.$17.7 billion) and operating revenue of 1.5 billion euros ($1.9 billion).

Continental AG is considered a technology leader both in its industry and on the stock market. The IT landscape that had historically grown up within the company was anything but standard. “Our disparate infrastructure was antiquated. Distributed responsibilities and different processes interfered with getting a groupwide perspective on costs, processes, and applications,” says Tobias Rölz, Manager of the Distributed Environment project at Continental AG. “In addition, it wasn’t possible at the time to have continuous and automated patch management because individual applications and support services had been implemented only at certain sites.”

Continental's management realized the company had to develop an IT infrastructure capable of supporting a dynamic business with evolving commercial strategies. Paul Schwefer emphasizes the key challenge, advising, “We needed rock-solid reliability, and we weren’t getting it from our existing infrastructure,” he says. “We needed an IT infrastructure and architecture that would provide the flexibility to build an efficient global operation and support our ongoing strategy of growth through acquisition.”

In the context of his project, Rölz was responsible for setting up a new, standardized architecture. “Our goal was to equip the group’s 24,000 workstations with the best possible technology and the highest degree of security at the lowest possible expense,” Rölz explains. The new platform had to be designed in a way that would let in-house IT experts or outside service providers administer it depending on need and cost.

Solution

IT experts at Continental AG first tested the options of a Linux platform. Supported by Sun, Continental had also evaluated StarOffice. According to Rölz, however, using a Linux/open-source solution would have necessitated an “unmanageable migration expense,” especially because individual Microsoft Office documents and solutions would not have been convertible. Moreover, a series of important applications that run exclusively on Microsoft software would have made it necessary to run virtualization software on a Citrix application server in the background of any new Linux platform.

Standardized Microsoft Infrastructure

With an eye on the tight time frame—the project had to be globally completed within one year—Continental ultimately decided in favor of Microsoft. The future security of the Microsoft solution and the opportunity to lower costs over the long term were also factors in the decision.

Continental chose a uniform client-server infrastructure based on the Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 operating system (for its server computers) and the Windows® XP Professional operating system (for workstations and portable computers). The company decided to equip each client computer with Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003.

Quick Project Implementation

From February 2004 to June 2005, Microsoft Services supported Continental AG with an Enterprise Strategy Consultant, who drove project management, technical design, and quality assurance. The objective was to set up an architecture that would guarantee the secure operation of all processes—regardless of whether they had been operated previously under Microsoft Windows NT® or Microsoft Windows 2000 operating systems.

IT specialists at Continental AG and experts from service provider EDS started with the actual implementation immediately after they had completed a thorough data backup at the head office in Hanover and at a plant in Vahrenwald. They first migrated the server computers to avoid from the outset any system conflicts in rights administration and network logons during the subsequent client migration. Converting the workstations to Windows XP Professional went quickly. By the end of 2004, more than a third of all personal computers at Continental had already been converted and integrated into the uniform Microsoft server environment.

Benefits

By migrating its client-server infrastructure to Microsoft software, Continental AG has cut IT operating costs. Thanks to the Active Directory service, employees can log on groupwide and work in their usual IT environments. The solution also improves asset management. “Microsoft’s standardized infrastructure has markedly improved administration, enhanced security, and thus considerably lowered costs in the area of terminals,” says Paul Schwefer, Chief Information Officer, Continental AG.

Infrastructure Reliability of 99.9 Percent

One of the most important reasons that Continental has been able to make such improvements in its overall performance and management is the increased reliability it has gained with its Windows Server-based solution. The company has experienced 99.9 percent reliability in its distributed environment since the deployment.

Considerable Cost Savings

“Using the standardized Microsoft infrastructure, we can lower operating costs in the area of terminals considerably,” Rölz calculates. The Active Directory® service in Windows Server 2003 contributes to lower costs with its use of group guidelines that the administrators can use to centrally determine security and access settings for the workstations. “This tool is included in the functionality of Windows Server 2003. To get comparable functionality for a Linux/open-source solution we would have had to acquire an additional program first,” Rölz says.

Centralized IT Administration

The Active Directory service ensures that all users can have their computers administered and maintained centrally with their individual links and properties. Employees can easily log on to any workstation and work with their personal files and programs and with all company resources accessible to them from there.

Easier Conversion and Specialized Support

The Microsoft solution presented fewer conversion problems than Linux and hardly any expense to train users. “We were especially concerned about Microsoft Excel macros and Microsoft Access databases that had been developed over the years by many employees at different sites and that over time had evolved into important tools without anyone’s noticing,” reports Dr. Bernd Thomas, Manager of Corporate IT Infrastructure at Continental AG.

According to Thomas, Microsoft also offered an interesting licensing model with fast and specific support both specialized for migration and tailored to each individual situation. Rölz says, “Microsoft’s support played a major role in the success of our conversion.”

Automated Client Management and Improved Security

IT administration and operation have become easier and more flexible, reducing dependency on a service provider. In addition, the security level has increased overall. This is because the new IT landscape makes improved system management and update management possible.

Within 72 hours of release, new virus definitions and software updates can be set up on 24,000 total workstations—including prior intensive tests. In the same way, Continental gains full transparency over the hardware and software used, thanks to its new architecture, thereby setting up modern and comprehensive licensing and asset management. “We are now on par with the best-practice standard in the automobile industry,” says Rölz with satisfaction. “This means modern standard software at low cost, fast support processes at top quality, and comprehensive security coverage.”

Thanks to the uniform architecture, software distribution now runs like clockwork. “Employees can call in the morning, and have the software they need on their PC or laptop by the afternoon,” reports Rölz. The groupwide setup of Acrobat Reader and an SAP update went without problems as well. In addition to considerably lowering operating costs, the project has paved the way for innovations in Continental projects for years to come.

[Via:- Case Study - Continental Corporation]

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