Category Archives: Technology

3M Ergonomic Mouse Can Cure Wrist and Hand Pain

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Using a mouse all day is an unnatural task – 3M’s ergonomic mouse puts the wrist and hand in a more natural position

3M Ergonomic Mouse

Holding a mouse in your hand and clicking repeatedly can cause hand and wrist pain. Eventually that leads to Repetitive Motion injury and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Lost time to Repetitive Motion injuries out ranks all other work place injuries.

The 3M Ergonomic Mouse virtually eliminates the stress and pain of a regular mouse. It is a recommended solution for people with arthritis in the hands and wrists.

Your hand is held in a more natural joy-stick position, avoiding the 90 turn in the wrist which can pinch the nerves in the carpal tunnel. 3M calls this the neutral position.
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Windows 8 is faster than Windows 7 and Vista

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Microsoft promised a more efficient operating system and they delivered with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Windows 8 is faster for booting and restart

By Stephen Pate – With Microsoft aiming Windows 8 at mobile and desktop computers, the operating system had to get smaller and more efficient. They succeeded with fast boot and restart times even on older computers.

For desktops, a few seconds saved won’t add any productivity to an 8 hour day. Laptops and other lower powered computers should benefit from Win8CP. Of course, Windows 8 has to run efficiently on smart phones and tablets.  Continue reading →

Windows 8 is cool but it is still a Beta

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a big step ahead of last year’s Developer release. While not ready for prime time it is an exciting look at where we will be this Fall.

My customized Home Screen with Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Like Windows 3, Windows 8 is a re-imagining of Microsoft’s flagship operating system and it’s still a work in progress.

What Microsoft have set out to accomplish is far beyond what or Apple or Android have done. Windows 8 will change computing forever not only with a new interface but with a single interface across desktop, laptop and mobile computing.  Continue reading →

PC sales headed for 400 million in 2013

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Apple’s Post-PC Era claim is more marketing hubris than fact with PC shipments 6 times higher than iPad

Unit sales 2012 - (Chart - Aquilium Group)

By Stephen Pate, Aquilium Group – At the new iPad announcement, Apple CEO Tim Cook called this the “Post-PC era.”

In terms of real market size, Apple’s claim of the demise of the PC doesn’t hold up. Continue reading →

A Piano From Germany With A Colorful Past

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Parrots and pianos live long enough to experience human history – my piano has 120 years of birth, death, business twists, war, hard times, and relationship endings

Gebr.Schulz baby grand klavier

By Stephen Pate – My piano has a colorful history. Built by a 120-year-old German company founded with Steinway who survived two World Wars, it was sold to a German Canadian who skipped town without paying.

Updated 3/8/2012 by Christoph Schulz – see end note

He shipped it to Canada and didn’t pay the customs duty in Halifax either. The piano was sold to a musician who traded years later to a music dealer. The dealer jacked the price up and traded it to me while stiffing me for an additional $7 grand.
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Intel 520 Series SSD cuts Windows boot time to 18 seconds

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New Cherryville series drives achieve high performance benchmark at slightly higher price than Intel’s SATA II 320 Series

Intel 520 Series SSD

SSD drives have been getting faster and less expensive. Intel leads the performance race with its new SATA III 520 Series SSD drives.

SSD drives can boot Windows 7 and now Windows 8 in less than 20 seconds. Continue reading →

Apple developing new audio file format to offer adaptive streaming

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Format will provide high- or low-quality files to iCloud users

Neil Young, who has claimed that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs wanted to develop high-resolution audio options (photo Neil Young LeNoise)

Guardian.co.uk – Apple is working on a new audio file format that will offer “adaptive streaming” to provide high- or low-quality files to users of its iCloud service.

The new format could mean that users can get “high-definition” audio by downloading to an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Alternatively, it could offer a streaming service – like that of Lala.com, the music streaming and online storage company, which Apple acquired late in 2009.
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Windows 8 Guide for Business tips hat to mobile and network performance

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Users will like the new pretty face – business will like Windows 8 for employee efficiency, enhanced security, network connectivity, multiple form factors, energy conservation, and Internet Explorer 10

Windows 8 soft keyboard user interface (illustration Microsoft)

By Stephen Pate – Aquilium Group -  While some will focus on the touch interface, there are substantial improvements in Windows 8 that addresses energy costs, organizational security and productivity both within the corporate network and through mobile access. Continue reading →

Skype for Windows Phone Ships Beta

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Free video calls over smartphones and it looks like Windows 8 Metro

Skype for Windows Phone beta

Skype, acquired last year by Microsoft, has released the beta of its Windows Phone version and it looks like Windows 8 which will ship in beta on Wednesday.

The beta allows free video and voice calls over 3G, 4G or WiFi networks. Apple’s Face Time video calling only works between Apple phones of WiFi.

Download the Consumer Preview of Windows 8

Windows Phone users can download the beta from the Windows Phone application site.
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Windows 8 Hotmail integration succeeds where Gmail fails

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By integrating all your email accounts into one web client, Hotmail or Windows Mail makes managing email easy

Only Microsoft Office and Windows Live mail can combine all your mail accounts into one client and even one data file.

Download the Consumer Preview of Windows 8

Windows Live as a Microsoft brand will disappear when Windows 8 ships. Windows 8 Mail is a better product that integrates more smoothly with the operating system. Windows 8 will bring many new features for users that make it an upgrade to own.
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