BBC iPlayer launched way back in December 2007 as a catch-up website. Since then it has evolved to include entire series and films, radio programmes, live TV channels & radio stations.

In the next step of its evolution, Microsoft and the BBC have today launched BBC iPlayer on Microsofts’ Xbox LIVE free platform – a highly anticipated move.

This means that BBC iPlayer is available to all Xbox Live users, even those who do not pay to use the service. In addition to this, Xbox 360 users with Kinect will benefit from enhanced functionality, enabling them to control the iPlayer using hand gestures and voice commands.

Xbox 360 was the best-selling console in the UK and globally last year, so this will open up the BBC iPlayer service to millions more users.

To read the full BBC article click here

Wondering what everyone is talking about? Well you are in luck because we have the answer; Apple’s 3^rd tablet, the iPad 3. And so they should be, with rumours of a 3D display, new release Siri application, SMD camera and A6 quad core processor the new iPad is shaping up to be potentially one the most exciting new products in 2012.

We have scoured the net and gathered all the information we can find to provide you with the best rumours (and possible facts) to do with the latest upcoming iPad release.

Display

There have been tonnes of rumours concerning the possible display of the new iPad 3 and from them it seems Apple have gone back and forth on what attributes the display will have and who’s going to make it. Initial rumours were that the display could be 3D to keep in line with the trending technology. The screens were also going to be made by Sharp who is known for their display expertise, however apparently the Japanese electronics manufacturer could not meet Apple’s demands. The latest word on the street is that the screens will now be made by Samsung, which is an unusual choice considering Apple’s ongoing legal battle with the company. It has also been suggested that the screens will have more pixels than some HDTV’s providing crystal clear imagery for the viewer. However the possible appearance of the iPad 3 at CES would counteract this rumour.

Processor

The iPad 3 is thought to have a much more powerful processor than it’s predecessor the iPad 2. The most probable replacement is a quad core A6 which will be quicker, more powerful and more efficient than the A5 so hopefully not putting too much of a strain on the tablet’s battery life, which we come on to next.

Battery and Thickness

Apple are said to have purchased more costly batteries that are both thinner and hold more charge however in order to accommodate the new hardware and a higher resolution screen the iPad 3 is said to be going against the general trend of slimming down and is beefing up by a possible 0.7mm compared to the previous model.

Price

Like the sound of all that? Well then you must be wondering what price you can be expecting this piece of kit for. Although tablet prices are decreasing generally in the market due to increased competition and the technology not being quite soo new anymore, the pricing for Apple’s new iPad 3 is not expected to be as competitively priced as some may have hoped. There are two main reasons for this: firstly Apple would argue the new and improved hardware the iPad 3 is packing justifies the large price and secondly this is Apple; to sustain the brands exclusivity and desirability the price will always be kept relatively high. The most basic model is speculated to be about £420.

Release Date

The general consensus is that the iPad 3 will be released in the spring time possibly towards the end of March. The latest rumour is that it will be announced on Steve Jobs birthday (February 24^th). This along with some books and manuals for the iPad 3 appearing on the French Amazon site point to a March release date.

Sources

www.cnet.co.uk

www.techradar.com

www.pluggedin.co.uk

www.t3.com

www.ubergizmo.com

Need a new camera? Why not check out the Nikon 1 J1 range of interchangeable lens cameras. They are feature-packed and if you buy one before the 2nd April 2012, you can claim £50 cashback.

For more details and to take a look at Laskys prices, follow this link: Nikon 1 J1 Cameras

The claim form can be found here: Nikon Cashback Claim Form

Click here to view the embedded video.

Key features include:

Nikon 1: An intelligent and ultra-portable camera system. Boasts a dedicated range of compact 1 NIKKOR interchangeable lenses. Crafted to bring new levels of speed, simplicity and enjoyment to the way you capture your world.

CX-format CMOS image sensor: delivers the performance you need for stunning photos and movies. Offers the ideal balance between system size, speed, light sensitivity, resolution and depth-of-field. Enables beautifully detailed 10.1 megapixel images of even fast-moving subjects in any light.

Super high-speed autofocus system: focuses so fast you can capture moments without delay. Boasts an amazing number of focus points for consistently sharp results. Instantly switches between Phase-Detection AF for shiny or moving subjects, and Contrast Detect AF if your subject is stationary, or poorly lit.

EXPEED 3 image processor: engineered to deliver unparalleled levels of speed and performance in any situation. Equipped with two powerful engines that can process images at an incredible 600 megapixels a second. Offers superior noise reduction and enables the camera’s groundbreaking shooting modes.

Blazingly fast continuous shot: delivers full-resolution images at up to 60 frames per second, so practically no movement is too fast to capture.  When you want to focus tightly on one subject – say a child or pet – the camera can track them and capture full-resolution images at 10 fps*3.

Motion Snapshot: brings your stills to life in a click. Harnesses the camera’s processing speed to simultaneously record a slow motion movie and a still image. As soon as you’ve taken your shot it instantly combines the two to create a ‘living image’ and capture a moment in time as never before.

Smart Photo Selector: always gets the best shot. Shoots 20 high-resolution images before and after you release the shutter, then saves your ‘best’ five for you to choose from. Images are recommended based on facial expression, composition and focus.

Advanced movie recording: lets you take a full-resolution*1 photo while filming, without interrupting recording, and you can film in extreme slow motion for dramatic effect. Movies can be recorded in full HD and the Phase-detection autofocus system makes it easy to capture great action scenes.

Striking, minimalist camera design at its best: boasts a strong yet lightweight body available in a range of colors. Packs a 7.5 cm (3-in.), 460k-dot LCD monitor with wide viewing angle and protective glass.

Intuitive operation: with clear menus, a minimum number of buttons, a built-in flash and an easy-to-reach mode dial for quick access to shooting modes. When you don’t want to think about a thing, you can shoot in auto mode and let scene auto selector choose the best camera settings for you.

Built-in flash: offers extra light when you need it. Handy for indoor shots or to soften images when the sun is behind your subject. Designed alongside the camera, it offers perfectly exposed results.

Expandable system: the family of 1 NIKKOR interchangeable lenses cover practically every type of scene, are all optimized for movie recording and boast a compact design for superior portability.

Mount Adapter FT1: attaches to the camera’s 1-mount to let you use any NIKKOR SLR lens. Trying out different lenses is a great way to experiment with how you shoot a scene, and if you use AF-S and AF-I NIKKOR lenses you can still make full use of the incredible Nikon 1 autofocus system*2.

Nikon 1 Short Movie Creator: automatically creates short films from your photos and movies. Incredibly easy-to-use, it preserves the quality of every photo or frame of footage you shoot. Movies can be up to 30 minutes long and there is a range of styles to choose from.

 *1 Full resolution images in movie mode (aspect ratio 16:9) 3,840 x 2,160 (1,080/60i).

*2 For accurate information about compatibility with F-mount NIKKOR lenses, please refer to the manual.

*3 With default settings, you can shoot at a high speed of 10fps by pressing the shutter-release button down all the way. While shooting, the camera will focus on the subject within the AF area in the center of the screen. Face-priority AF is not available. You can adjust the shooting speed to 30 fps and 60 fps by changing the camera settings in the menu.

According to Wikipedia, an Ultrabook is “a computer in a category of thin and lightweight ultraportable laptops, defined by a specification from Intel corporation and inspired by Apple’s MacBook Air”.

This Autumn sees the first new Ultrabooks arriving into the UK marketplace and there is a lot of excitement about this new category of laptops – they combine exceptional performance with a compact and lightweight chassis.

The Asus Zenbook launches on 7th November and is one of the most anticipated Ultrabooks launches this year. It features:

• Ultra-thin 3mm at the front and 9mm at the rear with finely spun metal finish
• Always instant on in 2 seconds with up to 2 weeks standby time
• ASUS SonicMaster Technology co-developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tim Cook took to stage as CEO for his first Apple product launch since being handed the reigns from Steve Jobs for the much anticipated Apple keynote speech.

As with Apple keynotes first part of the event was a discussion of the retail store performance. Sorry I know you want me to go into the meat and bones of the iPhone 4S, but if I had to sit through 55mins of statistics you do too. Only kidding.

Few bullet points on retail performance:

• Two new stores opened in China in the past week, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
• The Shanghai store is “absolutely gorgeous,” the company’s largest store in Asia. 100,000 visitors stopped by on opening weekend.
• When the LA store opened, it took a month to hit 100,000 people.

Tim followed up with mentioning the success of the Lion OS launch, iPod sales and iPad sales. Usual smoke and mirrors around the stats. But they were impressive.

So after all that it began:

Scott Forstall took to the stage to discuss the imminent launch of iOS5. As an incentive to developers Scott quoted iOS’s market share of 43% and the $3 billion paid out to developers. Speaking of which the first area he began with was an app. The “Cards” app. Basically pick a print, add message and Apple prints and posts it for you. You’ll also receive a push notification to tell you the card has been delivered. Greeting card companies should be very worried about this. Cost to consumer: $2.99 for a card in the US, $4.99 elsewhere in the world.

Swiftly back to iOS5, the new OS will launch on the 12th October. The first change is notifications now appear at the top of the screen which can be made visible by swiping down, very much like the capability on Android enabled devices. Also off the back of another phone operating system iMessage, think Blackberry BBM between iOS enabled devices via 3G or Wi-Fi.

Next on the agenda was Reminders app, which are location aware. Bug a person you know with an iOS device to buy those concert tickets or to book that restaurant.

Full Twitter integration will be available on iOS5, no more signing in multiple times. You’ll be able to do things like share photos straight away. There were rumours circulating previously for full Facebook integration but nothing was mentioned last night on this.

Newstand was next, which is an obvious attempt to address what Kindle Fire has brought to the table. Periodicals such as GQ, Allure, Vanity Fair and The New York Times. New editions of subscriptions will download in the background.

Camera app has been vastly improved. Access to the app has been made easier by double tapping the home button. So the need to unlock your phone has been eliminated, also you’ll be able to use the volume buttons to take the photo.

Game Center now has the functionality to add photos of friends, achievement points, friend recommendations. 67 million Game Center accounts now exist.

Updates to Safari. the Reader function strips out all the junk and pulls things into a single, readable page. You’ll also be able to add pages to a reading list which you can view later if you wish to, plus syncing across all iOS devices. Tab browsing will be introduced into Safari as well.

Eddy Cue then took over to talk about iCloud in more depth. Importantly it will be a free app and you’ll be able to sync devices without the need to plug them into a computer. 5GB storage will be available for free, but you have the option to purchase more storage. On iTunes for example you will be able to re-download your music via cloud to any of your other iOS devices. You’ll also be able to do the same with pictures and movies on Camera Roll and documents.

Find my iPhone and Friends, iStalking as it will no doubt be referred to going forward. You can quickly and easily see the locations of those who’ve opted to share their location with you. However you can share you location for a limited time with contacts, useful if you want to arrange a meet up with someone, but not to see your every movement. Importantly parental controls to help keep tabs on a child’s movement.

iTunes Matching was also introduced. For a yearly subscription of $24.99 iTunes will scan your music library and uploads anything that isn’t in iTunes library already. For example you’re missing a couple of songs from an album, it’ll add in the missing tracks. Also you have the ability to stream your entire library by just tapping into it and your playlists too. Think Spotify.

A little bit is then mentioned about iPods. Nothing much to report on, few upgrades to the Nano software, new watch skins and changes to pedometer functions. A new white iPod touch will also be introduced.

Then what we all came here for:

“What’s it do?” I hear you ask.

A5 chip which is in the iPad2.

Dual-core graphics which are said to be seven times faster than the previous iPhone and Retina display (standard).

To show off the capability Mike Capps from Epic Games (Gears of War fame) showed a demo of Infinity Blade 2. The first edition made $20 million in revenue. A lot of the graphic techniques employed were taken from Gears of War 3, the crowd particularly cooed at the Koi’s in a fish pod showing off the water reflection and shadowing effects.

Battery life will offer eight hours of 3G talk time. Six hours of browsing, nine on WiFi. 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of music. There is also a new antenna (iPhone 4 owners feel free to leave now) and faster download capability.

New camera inside the 4S too. Apple are keen to show off the stats that indicate iPhone 4 is the most popular camera for uploading pictures to Flickr. The camera has a whopping 8 megapixel sensor and with backside illuminated CMOS, so that 73 percent more light gets to the lens (five element lens). Face detection has also been introduced as a feature, usual tap to focus has always featured on previous iPhones. Video recording will be in full 1080p HD, image stabilisation has improved and introduction of with temporal noise reduction.

Wired and wireless AirPlay mirroring has been included, meaning gaming for example can be sent to a big screen telly. I assume this will work in the reverse and send content to the phone, so if you need to leave a room you can keep up with a film or a TV program.

The last feature mentioned was voice personal assistant. a year and a half ago Apple acquired Siri. Siri first appeared as an iOS app, allowing users to ask natural language questions that were analysed via the company’s network service to provide answers ranging from making dinner appointments to buying movie tickets. Since then they have been at work on the iOS5 development.

The Outcome

Ask the iPhone 4S a question say “Do I need an umbrella today?” Siri comes back with a relevant answer. the demo during the Keynote was very impressive to say the least. Everything from weather, directions, reading aloud SMS messages was covered. Even are their any Greek restaurants in the area. There are also a list of Siri templates to indicate what you can and can’t do. For instance “clean the flat” is not one of them. It will work in English (US, UK, and Australia) plus French and German. It’ll be beta to start, but there will be more languages and services coming.

And that’s your lot. The iPhone 4S will be available to pre order from the apple store from Friday and shipped with iOS5. iOS5 launches on the 12th October and the iPhone 4S launches on 14th October.

Now that the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire has been announced, we thought it would be a good craic to slam its specs up against those of its key rivals.

Of course, this has to include Apple’s peerless iPad 2, but instead of plumping for the gorgeous Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, we’ve chosen to compare it with its new sibling the Galaxy Tab 7.7 because of its size.

And to complete our line-up, we’ve plumped for the HTC Flyer – another 7-inch tablet that, like the Kindle Fire, is based on a heavily customised version of Android 2.x.

Operating system

The Kindle Fire runs its own special OS. But it’s not been developed from the ground up by Amazon – it’s based on Android 2.x, rumoured to be Android 2.2 FroYo. The HTC Flyer also has a heavily customised version of Android – it’s based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The iPad 2 runs iOS 4 (soon to be iOS 5) and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 runs the tablet-specific Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

Pricing

The Kindle Fire is slated at $199 in the US, which would probably translate to a £199 price point in the UK – although there has been no confirmation of a UK release as yet. As we know, iPad 2 retails from £399 for 16GB, while the HTC Flyer has finally come down to a decent price point for the 16GB version – £329 and up. We don’t know a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 UK price as yet.

Thickness and weight

The 7-inch Kindle Fire is 11.4mm thick, substantially more than the 8.8mm-thick 9.7-inch iPad 2. The 7-inch HTC Flyer is even thicker at 13.2mm. The thinnest accolade goes to the Galaxy Tab 7.7 at just 7.9mm thick. As for weight, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the lightest at 335g, the Kindle Fire is 414g, the HTC Flyer is 421g, while the iPad 2 clocks in at 601g for the Wi-Fi version.

Screen resolution

The Kindle Fire has a resolution of 1,024 x 600 as does the HTC Flyer. The iPad 2 is next in line at 1,024 x 768 (remember that’s a 9.7-inch display too) but top of the pile is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 with a 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution 7.7-inch display.

Screen type

The Kindle Fire and iPad 2 have IPS LCD multi-touch panels, while the HTC Flyer has a capacitive LCD screen. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is the first tablet to feature a Super AMOLED Plus display. It’s hugely bright and super clear.

Processor

All the tablets are dual-core aside from the HTC Flyer which uses a still-speedy 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. The iPad 2 uses the Apple A5 (below), while the Galaxy Tab 7.7 uses a (probably Samsung) 1.4GHz model. The Kindle Fire has a 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP chip.

Memory and storage

The Kindle Fire has 512MB of memory, like the iPad 2. However, it only has 8GB of internal memory which by anybody’s reckoning is quite poor for a device based around content. The iPad 2 comes in 16, 32 and 64GB variants as does the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. The Flyer comes in 16 and 32GB memory versions. The Samsung and HTC devices also have 1GB of internal memory.

Camera and video

The Kindle Fire doesn’t have a mic or camera – something which a lot of commentators believe is a sizeable hole in the Fire’s armoury. All the other tablets are capable of 720p HD video and have front and back cameras. The HTC Flyer wins the day here, with a 5MP rear snapper.

Connectivity

The Kindle Fire only connects to the web via Wi-Fi, there is no cellular 3G data. All the other tablets are available in Wi-Fi only plus Wi-Fi + 3G versions should you wish. The Kindle Fire is also the only tablet not to support Bluetooth or GPS too. Surely Amazon will need to launch a 3G model at some point.

Battery life

While the iPad 2 and Samung Galaxy Tab 7.7 cite a battery life of 10 hours, the Kindle Fire says its battery life is 8 hours. The HTC Flyer battery life is “from 8 hours”.

Summary

Obviously the Kindle Fire isn’t out in the UK yet, but if it does come here for £199 or so then it will still be a steal. Amazon’s problem is if people buy the Kindle Fire expecting the full iPad-a-like tablet experience – they won’t get that. The Kindle Fire is a worthy content device, but surely Amazon will need to top-out its range with a full 3G tablet to truly compete with high-end tablets like the iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7.

I saw this on Gizmodo and I thought it was worth posting here. Mainly due to becoming fed up with persistent calls from my parents to fix the laptop

Article lives here – http://gizmo.do/ojCPbV

Malware sucks.  In the best-case scenario, it craps up your system with unwanted files and occasionally makes itself known in the form of a persistent pop-up window or annoying browser-based toolbar.  In the worst-case scenario, malware completely takes over your desktop or laptop and ruins your life.

Your system slows it to a crawl.  You can’t even boot into Windows in the time it takes you to walk to the kitchen and back.  Your data gets sent off to a faraway Internet land or, worse, your actual keystrokes are recorded for some unsavory individual to see.  Malware locks down you browser, making you unable to actually do any browsing without being carted off to some bogus domain.  You can barely run a program in Windows without getting bombarded by fake advertisements, programs, and dancing people on your desktop.

We can’t make this stuff up.

So what’s a computer enthusiast to do?  Step zero: Read this guide, because we’re going to walk you through all the key details you need to know to both rid your computer of this junk and keep it free of downloaded problems forevermore.

Step One: The Pre-step

What’s that?  No files to download or software to rip malware from your system?  Exactly.  The most important thing to realize in order to fight in malware’s great war is that you, and you alone, are the first line of defense.  You only have yourself to blame if your computer is completely overridden with preventable, problem-causing programs.

Much of the more annoying malware that you can accidentally befriend requires your input in order to get on your system in the first place.  You have to download and run an unknown file or agree to have a toolbar placed on your system as part of a software installation routine.  You have to accept certain kinds of Javascript or be fooled by scam websites that claim to be running a virus scan on your system (to name one such tall tale).

In short, you have to let your guard down.

So how do you protect yourself against your own habits?  Use three simple rules: If it’s too good to be true, if it looks strange, or if it’s completely unknown to you, don’t run it.  Don’t install it.  Don’t accept it, don’t hit “yes” to it, and don’t let it get anywhere near your system.  Google, or Bing, or Yahoo is your friend: Find more information about a given situation or software before you agree to let it do anything on your system.  Don’t surf the Internet blindly and assume that everything on a Web site is a safe for your system to digest.

Step Two: Browser Blockers

We mentioned that a bunch of malware can come through your browser–‘tis a shame, we know.  Vulnerabilities in browsers and plugins (and user error) can bring your system to its digital knees faster than you can spell the word “crap” in “crapware.”  So let’s start with the simplest step: Stop using an outdated, insecure browser.  Make sure you’re at least sporting the latest version of one of the “Big Three:” Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome.

But which?  Various research reports have dubbed each of these three browsers as the “best-in-class” against malware and other social-driven attacks.  Our personal preference turns to Google’s Chrome browser for two reasons: One, it’s the only browser to use sandboxes as its primary defense mechanism, which combines a Javascript virtual machine and an operating-system-level sandbox to prevent successful attacks against the browser’s rendering engine from affecting a user’s file system.  Second, Chrome has been, hands-down, the healthiest survivor of each year’s Pwn2Own hacking contest at the CanSecWest security conference: Talk about a real-world verification of its security capabilities, eh?

But we’re just getting started.  Javascript vulnerabilities-including blatant attacks that rely on a user’s cooperativeness to work–can just as easily affect your browser as well.  If you’re rocking Firefox, grab an extension called NoScript, which will allow you to turn a page’s plugins elements off by default (including Javascript and Flash!) unless you trust the site enough to give ‘em a go.  Chrome doesn’t have an add-on for the same feature, but you can disable Javascript by default in the browser’s “Under the Hood” settings section.  And if you want to specifically allow a site’s Javascript to function, just click on the associated “X” icon in the browser’s address bar to set up site-specific trust.  Or, if you don’t mind using a slight variant, you can do your best to mimic “NoScript”-like control using the “NotScripts” add-on.

Other extensions and add-ons worth equipping to fight the malware fight include: Web of Trust, KB SSL Enforcer, Adblock, and HTTPS Everywhere.

Step Three Software Stoppers

Running a perfect browser setup only goes so far in the battle against malware: Remember, you are your own worst enemy.  Assuming that malware could slip through the gates at some point, what are some of the free software tools that you can use to equip your system with powerful protection before your rogue apps get out of hand?

First up, you’ll want a comprehensive scanner running day in and day out to make sure that each and every bit of software you slap onto your computer gets a quick check.  For that, we turn to none other than Microsoft’s own Windows Security Essentials app.  Our reasons are simple: It’s free and it works.

Install Windows Security Essentials and you’ll get instant access to frequent Microsoft virus and spyware updates in addition to a real-time scanning mechanism that protects your system from anything you download from the Internet (or, if you’re fancy, anything on a USB device the moment it’s jacked into your system).  It schedules nightly scans to run by default, but feel free to reschedule these for a time when you know your PC could be running.  Additional options let you set the exact parameters for when the scanning should start, which include the ability to restrict virus and malware hunts for periods when your CPU use is below a certain threshold.

Unfortunately, some of the best anti-malware apps on the market are free with an asterisk: We’re talking, of course, about SuperAntispyware and Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware.  We’re fans of Malwarebytes’ offering, mainly because the freeware version of its powerful anti-spyware app gives you a few more features to tinker with than SuperAntispyware’s.  The kicker with both?  No real-time protection, so make sure you sent a mental task for yourself to run these apps on a daily or weekly basis.

If you want to get truly hardcore, be sure to grab ComboFix as well.  This app-often considered the “nuke it from orbit” option for certain nefarious bits of malware-uses the Windows Recovery Console to find and eliminate annoying malware.  It doesn’t protect your system up-front, but it’s a great tool to have in your back pocket when disaster strikes.

Step Four: Disaster Recovery

So you’re infected.  Shucks.  Malware comes in different forms and annoyance levels, depending on just how well the particular piece of offending software has entangled itself into your operating system.  This makes it difficult for us to deliver a perfect fix that fits every situation.  However we can at least give you a few helpful suggestions for freeing your PC from malware’s clutches.

First off, see if a simple scan from Windows Security Essentials stops your issue dead in its tracks–likely not, but it never hurts to try the simplest solution before you start rolling up your sleeves a bit more.  Update your definitions and select “Full” for the Scan Option, and then sit back and hope that Microsoft’s scanner can fix your problem.

No luck?  Next up, fire up Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, make sure your definitions are updated, and run a full scan on your system.  If it catches an issue, great; if not, and your malware problem persists, it’s time to get a little more creative.  Fire up the utility RKill and use it to try and force-stop any malware processes that happen to be running in your system’s background.  Run Malwareybytes’ Anti-Malware full scan one more time.

If you’re still out of luck, you’ll want to reboot your system into safe mode (spoiler: keep pressing F8 as the bios loads until you’re given the option for “safe mode.”) and repeat the same RKill/Malwarebytes Anti-Malware step as before.  You’re doing this in an attempt to unhook whatever malware that’s plaguing your PC from the operating system itself: It’s not getting wiped out because it’s still active (and possibly protecting itself from your removal tools).

Still hurting?  Fire up ComboFix and let the scanning and removal tool work its magic–if, for some reason, it can’t remove whatever’s affecting your system, you’ll get a lengthy log that you can post up on one of ComboFix’s associated web forums for further assistance from qualified log parsers.  At this point, it might be worth your while to check out other scanning tools not explicitly mentioned in this article, which range from Spybot Search & Destroy, to McAfee AVERT Stinger, to GMER, to Sophos Anti-Rootkit… the list goes on.  And you also might benefit from grabbing a few Live CDs for malware and virus removal, like AVG’s Rescue CD or Hiren’s BootCD.

Like we said, there are nearly as many tools for removing malware as there is malware to infect you.  The more you can protect your PC up-front, including training yourself to recognize potential malware when it presents itself and keeping it off your system to begin with, the less you’ll have to fool with potentially complicated removal techniques later.

But if you have to go down this route, and simple scans aren’t getting the job done, don’t forget to try ripping active malware processes out of your operating system and booting your PC into safe mode.  After that, exorcising these software demons from your system is all up to your tenacity, your search engine research skills, and your knowledge of third-party removal apps: Or, worse comes to worse, your backup schedule.  You know, a reformat is but a few clicks away!

Nokia have released details about the soon to be released N9 Smartphone, causing much confusion about their strategy. Following the recent strategic alliance with Microsoft regarding the Windows Phone, many thought the future direction of Nokia in the smartphone market was with this alliance. For one reason or another, however, they have decided to release this product before the Microsoft-Nokia offering.

Firstly, the N9 should be given a technical evaluation. With dimensions 116.45 x 61.2mm, it is slightly larger than Apple’s iPhone 4. One immediate difference though is the lack of any front facing buttons. The front is entirely touch and swipe activated. As a result of this, you are left with a larger screen size, allowing for more enhanced video playback and gaming ability. In addition to this, the phone boasts an 8 megapixel, wide angle lens camera. Other things of interest include fully integrated Ovi maps, with free voice-guided driving and walking navigation, as well as a multi-tasking functionality. This allows users to easily switch between apps through ‘open apps view’ and between websites in the multitasking view. For the more aesthetically minded, the N9 is available in black, cyan and magenta.

So the N9 model appears to have been developed with usability in mind. It provides many extras not seen on other smartphones, which could appeal to consumers. One thing which may not appeal is the seeming misalignment of this product with the wider Nokia strategy. This will be the first and only Nokia smartphone which will be based on the Meego 1.2 Hanratty software. Is this likely to promote the phone as a viable alternative to the dominance of the iPhone, or will it turn into a more niche offering?

Nokia have a well earned reputation for producing exceptional phones. The N9 is sure to be no different. However we will have to wait and see whether consumers bypass this product in favour of the upcoming Windows Phone. This could be the catalyst to propel Nokia back to the top of the pile, or it could fall by the wayside and into the abyss. Either way, the decision to release this phone, especially in view of the expected timings, is a bold one.

Astonishingly more than three quarters of UK mobile phone users are wasting an average of more than £200 a year on their phone contract. One of the main reasons for this are customers over estimating the amount of minutes they’ll need and only using a quarter of their monthly minute allowance. Researchers from the Oxford based Bill Monitor group anaylised over 28000 phone contracts and concluded that the UK’s mobile phone users were wasting nearly £5bn a year on misjudged contracts. Full report here.

Main reasons indicated that customers opted for extra minutes for fear of fees levied for exceeding their free minutes and typically bought four times as many minutes than they needed.

Research also found that customers have double data useage due to the growing popularity of smart phones. The average usage was 133MB per month, with around 5% of users exceeding 500MB. The report highlighted that the growing popularity of smart phones and mobile service operators adding various data tariffs will lead to further confusion amongst customer.

Laskys are providing a mobile phone comparison service in conjunction with Mobilelife offering customers savings of up to £190 a year on their mobile phone contracts.

http://www.laskys.com/sat_nav_and_phones/~mobile_phone_comparison_service.html

Video provided by Bill Monitor

Click here to view the embedded video.

Found this on ERTonline.

Mega bucks to be spent on Mega Monday!!!

Link to Article – http://bit.ly/i1zySq

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Monday December 6 is set to be “Mega Monday” – the busiest online shopping day of the year.

Indeed, according to e-commerce industry association Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), sales for Super Sunday and Mega Monday are likely to reach over half a billion.

“We estimate that £6.4bn will be spent in December alone, with total online sales for November and December set to reach £12.4bn,” said IMRG managing director David Smith.

“Consumers have looked to spread the costs of Christmas a bit more this year due to the economic climate, but December 6th is the day that our retailers expect sales activity to be at its highest.”

At Hitwise UK, research director Robin Goad agreed: “For most of the year, UK Internet visits to retailers peak on the Sunday and drop off on the Monday, and only on Mega Sunday/Monday do the traffic levels match. This didn’t happen this Sunday and Monday, implying that Mega Monday is still to come – most likely next Monday.”

His comments are borne out by IMRG’s figures.

Sales levels have been steadily increasing since Sunday (November 28) with the increase on Wednesday this week far higher than that of Monday – the day the Americans call “Cyber Monday”. “

Be sure to stop by at Laskys.com and Laskys Entertainment on the 6th. I’m sure they’ll be many a bargint to be had.

www.laskys.com

http://musicandmovies.laskys.com/home.dept