Tuesday, February 15, 2011

HTC buddies up with Facebook for two social-networking phones


BARCELONA, Spain--The rumors of a Facebook phone have been floating around for a while, but it was only recently that HTC's name came into the mix and, even then, Facebook once again denied the existence of any such product. Well, turns out the company wasn't being completely honest.
Today at Mobile World Congress, HTC unveiled two new smartphones that will feature dedicated Facebook buttons for easy access to the popular social-networking site. The HTC ChaCha and the HTC Salsa (yes, those are the names) each have a Facebook button on the bottom, which when pressed will let you update your status, upload photos, check into places, share news articles, and more.
In addition, the button is context-aware so it will pulse lightly if the phone thinks there's an opportunity to share something on Facebook. For example, if you take a photo, the button will light up as a gentle reminder that you can upload and share that image with your Facebook friends.
Another example given by HTC is if you're using the music application and want to let the world know what you're listening to, you can simply press the button and the phone will automatically identify what song you're listening to and share it on Facebook.


HTC Salsa
(Credit: HTC)
The ChaCha and Salsa are truly for the Facebook diehard, as the service is integrated into all parts of the phone. When a call comes in from a contact, his or her status update will be displayed on screen, and there will be new Facebook-branded widgets to plaster all over your home screens.
As for the devices themselves, the HTC ChaCha features a full QWERTY keyboard and a 2.6-inch, 480x320-pixel-resolution touch screen, while the Salsa is an all-touch smartphone, with a 3.4-inch, 480x320-pixel-resolution display.
Both smartphones will run Android 2.4 (that's right, HTC's press release reads 2.4) and have back-facing 5-megapixel cameras and front-facing VGA cameras for video calls. Both handsets are expected to ship in major European and Asian markets in the second quarter of the year, but pricing and U.S. availability were not announced at this time.

News source- http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13970_7-20031904-78.html

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cleaning the computer and its components

 Introduction Cleaning your computer and your computer components and peripherals helps keep the components and computer in good working condition and helps keep the computers from spreading germs. To the right is an example image of how dirty the inside of your computer case can get. This example is a dirty computer case fan.
Depending on the environment that your computer operates in determines how often you should clean your computer case. The below list is our recommendation and may change depending upon your computer's environment.
How often should I clean my computer?

The frequency of how often you should clean your computer varies on several different factors. To help you determine how often you need to clean your computer we've created the below chart, check each of the boxes below that apply to your computers environment to see how often to clean your computer.

Where is computer located? 
In a home environment
In a clean office environment
In construction / industry environment
In school environment
Computer environment 
Have cat / dog in same building as computer
Smoke in same building as computer
Smoke next to computer
Computer is on floor
Room that the computer is in has carpet
Eat or drink by computer
Who uses it? 
Adult (18 and older)
Young adults (ages 10-18) use computer
Pre-teen (younger than 10) use computer
More than one person uses computer

Based off what has been checked above you should be cleaning your computer every months.
General cleaning Tips
Below is a listing of general tips that should be taken when cleaning any of the components or peripherals of a computer as well as tips to help keep a computer clean.
  1. Never spray or squirt any liquid onto any computer component. If a spray is needed, spray the liquid onto a cloth and then use that cloth to rub down the component.
  2. Users can use a vacuum to suck up dirt, dust, or hair around their computer on the outside case and on their keyboards. However, do not use a vacuum for the inside of your computer as it generates a lot of static electricity that can damage the internal components of your computer. If you need to use a vacuum to clean the inside of your computer, use a portable battery powered vacuum designed to do this job.
  3. When cleaning a component or the computer, turn it off before cleaning.
  4. Never get any component inside the computer or any other circuit board damp or wet.
  5. Be cautious when using any cleaning solvents; some individuals may have allergic reactions to chemicals in cleaning solvents and some solvents can even damage the case. Try to always use water or a highly diluted solvent.
  6. When cleaning, be careful not to accidentally adjust any knobs or controls. In addition, when cleaning the back of the computer, if anything is plugged in, make sure not to disconnect any of the plugs.
  7. When cleaning fans, especially the smaller fans within a portable computer or laptop it's suggested that you either hold the fan or place something in-between the fan blades to prevent it from spinning. Spraying compressed air into a fan or cleaning a fan with a vacuum may cause damage to some fans or in some cases cause back voltage.
  8. Never eat or drink around the computer.
  9. Limit smoking around the computer.
For more details...http://www.computerhope.com/cleaning.htm