The Computer Savvy Perspective – How Today’s Internet Connections Can Have Serious Issues (June 2013)

Dear Reader,

This months Computer Savvy Perspective will focus on the Internet, which all sites, including (CSW) require to function/operate. I’m constantly hearing stories about people having issues with their Internet connections and I thought that because of this, I’d share my experiences with my ISP (Internet Service Provider) after my Internet connection literally died, and couldn’t be revived, due to multiple cut-outs, disconnections, and lose of signals.

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My Internet issues started in 2007-2008, when my service was transferred over from one ISP to another due to a buyout. This resulted in my connection constantly dropping out on a daily basis, and it interrupted my service for browsing online, updating my PC, along with updating the firmware on my PS3, Xbox 360 and Vita. Along with the constant drop outs, this resulted in frustrating dropped Skype calls with Remy “Se7en”, (CSW’s) Editor In-Chief. Became an almost daily, if not weekly occurrence for us. It also resulted in my not being able to have more than one device connected to the Internet at once, or everything would just drop out.

At this point I contacted my ISP, and requests the line be fixed, replaced, with a new modem for free, with a possible upgrade. At this point, my ISP tried to charge me for the modem and the repairs, which I wasn’t having, so I got in touch with the CEO of my current ISP and demanded a refund and immediate repairs. They did fix it, but then six months later, it went down again. This resulted in me contacting my ISP’s CEO again and demanded that they repair it immediately, with no cost or risk to me, or I would take legal action against them.

These issues went back and forth for a few years until 2011 when I decided that I’d had enough, so I talked to a solicitor about where to take this next. I ended up writing to my ISP’s CEO again and basically threatened them to fix it or I’d have the CEO’s job on a plate and sue the company for everything I could take them for, as I had (and still do) all of the evidence needed to ruin them forever.

As we approached 2012, my patience had run out, as my ISP still hadn’t repaired my Internet connection, and I was left with little choice but to demand that an engineer actually ripped up the cable for my Internet connection from under the ground and replace every piece of it with fresh cabling, and if they refused I wanted them to install fiber optic cabelling for me. I actually sent them a small dose of the evidence I had against them as prove that I had enough to destroy them all. After this, they did everything I wanted them to do, and going in to 2013, my Internet is now stable (for the most part), and I can now get roughly a 7mb connection.

At this point, I can now download files on my PC/Laptop, as well as updating the firmware on my PS3, play a game online on my Xbox 360, check my emails on my iPhone 5 and do some social networking/multiplayer on my PlayStation Vita, without my internet dying out, on a regular basis. It also stopped me from posting anything and everything from Hybrid Games, because my internet has constantly been cutting out.

This is why internet connection’s all need to be upgraded to the maximum capacity using fiber optic. I just can’t believe that there are people worse off than me, and still have to deal with dial-up connections, or no internet at all. I can say though that the stress of all this, along with my regular life, actually turned parts of my head hair grey at only aged 27, and resulted in me growing my hair, so that it grew faster than it fell out.

I seriously hope that you don’t go through what I went through, but if you do then don’t ever hesitate to call them up and complain to your ISP. Also make sure to keep all evidence that you have gather to that point. If the issues is their fault and not yours, and then you pretty much can get anything you want.

But if your issues are not resolved in a timely manner. Then don’t hesitate to elevate your issues to the top brass of your ISP.  Persistence is the key and try to be as polite as possible. even thou I know that is very hard to do. When you have reached the above point with your IP and your Internet connection.

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Written By: Matt Stanyon – (CSW) Managing Editor

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The Computer Savvy Perspective – How Scammers Try To Scam You And What You Can Do To Avoid It (May 2013)

Dear Readers,

This months Computer Savvy Perspective will focusing on a very frequent common topic. Of which we’ve have received a boat load of comments and e-mails about over the years. And that topic would be the ever present online scam. So in one form or another. We have received comments and or e-mails ranging from “I’ve just been scammed” to “Why do scammer do what they do ?”. So this feature will focus a bit on both. The how scam works ? and how to avoid being scammed ?

Also important to note this will be a dual authored feature. My guest co-author for this feature will be Remy “Se7en”. Who is also in charge of both our scam mail databases and lead investigator and verification specialist. When it comes to scam mail also referred to as a “phishing attack”.

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Name Or Type Of Scam: Foreign Bank Scam

Most Common Method Of Conveyance: E-mail, Snail Mail and Phone Services

Explanation Of Scam: This scam is were someone tells you there is a lot of money in a foreign account. Which you have to sign for or transfer it to your own bank account. Often companies like Western Union are used to conduct this type of scam.

Main Motive Of This Scam: To steal your bank info or to steal your so called needed deposit. On the scammers end it may also be to launder money or avoid taxes or even dodge bank fees.

Other Common Tricks Scammers Use To Get You Hooked: Scammers using this type of scam. Tend to try to prey on a persons emotions such as sadness and grief saying that someone has died or there has been a real bad accident or natural disaster. Don’t be fooled even if they give you a real news link. Such as CNN or BBC. They have been known to sometimes use real news stories to trick people into giving them your money or bank info.

How To Avoid This Type Of Scam: Never give out any financial information regardless of how trivial it may seem. Never agree to anything via mail or over the phone. When in doubt go to your main financial institute to verify and talk to someone in person. I recommend the bank manager. Avoid using ANY TYPE OF ONLINE BANKING. While doing your verification. As your computer, tablet or smart phone may already be compromised.

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Name Or Type Of Scam: Lottery Scam (also known as The Foreign Lottery Scam)

Most Common Method Of Conveyance: E-mail, Phone Services and even Snail Mail

Explanation Of Scam: This scam is super common and almost always is delivered via e-mail. But I have seen it cross over to both phone services and regular mail (AKA. Snail Mail). The person or persons will tell you have won some money it won’t be any sane number like $20 USD. It will be OVER inflated often into the millions. Depends on the e-mail template or scam they are trying to pull off and how greedy they are.

Main Motive Of This Scam: They want you to reply to there e-mail template (also known as a ballot) with a bunch of personal information about yourself in an attempt to trick you into thinking you won a large sum of money. Even thou you PROBABLY did not even enter any lottery or contest.

The main reason for this can be anywhere from getting your e-mail address and phone number for a call list. Or just to get your home mailing address to run a scam or to steal your belonging.

How To Avoid This Type Of Scam: Never give out any personal or financial information regardless of how trivial it may seem. Never agree to anything via mail or over the phone. Nor should you click on any links or copy and paste any links in to your address bar (AKA Url bar). When in doubt do heavy research and always go to the SO CALLED lottery website and speak to someone. If you have already clicked on any link in said e-mail. Then your computer, tablet or smart phone may already be compromised.

If you have not entered the lottery via physical means. Such as buying a lottery ticket from a legit vendor. Or filling out a ballot or entering a code from a product you bought. Then just ignore the e-mail. As you can’t win if you have not entered.

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Name Or Type Of Scam: This is a Promotion Scam

Most Common Method Of Conveyance: E-mail, Regular Mail

Explanation Of Scam: This scam is where a store or person claims their from a good company like DELL, MSN, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and so on and claim you won something normally money and other times they offer such as prizes like computers, Mp3 players, TVs and so on.

Main Motive Of This Scam: The reason for this scam is to get background information for calling lists, home addresses, or just to play with people.

How To Avoid This Type Of Scam: If you have not entered a contest or promotion by physical means. Such as filling out a ballot or entering a code from a product you bought. Then just ignore the e-mail or junk then block the e-mail address. As you can’t win if you have not entered.

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Name Or Type Of Scam: PayPal Scam (also known as The Paypal Invoice Scam)

Most Common Method Of Conveyance: E-mail or Infected Link Or Cloned Website Log-in Page

Explanation Of Scam (PayPal Scam): This scam is mostly done threw e-mail. Where you’ll receive an e-mail with an embedded link said link will bring you to a cloned log-in page. Which will then prompted you to enter your username and password. At which time they will steal log-in info. Then soon there after. They will access your account and steal your funds)

Explanation Of Scam (PayPal Invoice Scam): This scam is where a bunch of blanket e-mails are sent out that look like a legit Paypal invoice. But it is missing the name you registered with.

Meaning it just says DEAR PAYPAL MEMBER, instead of Dear John Doe. The current version I have been getting is an invoice for an APPLE i-Pod Touch 16gb.

The e-mail  gives you all the information you’d expect. But only I never made that purchase. So then IF YOU DID NOT MAKE THIS PURCHASE. Please press DISPUTE TRANSACTION LINK (Encrypted).

Main Motive Of This Scam: To steal your money, identity and other such financial or personal details.

How To Avoid This Type Of Scam: Never click on any links or reply to any Paypal branded e-mails. As Paypal does not e-mail people. They will phone you with supporting details to prove that they are indeed legit. Also when in doubt log-in to your Paypal account to verify any facts in said e-mail. By clearing your cookies and internet cache then mainly entering your username and password. I recommend using CCleaner to do the internet cookie and cache cleaning. As it seems to be the most effective and its free and easy to use.

**Important Side Note: This scam is very hard to bounce back with no money lost. Or at least having to to change all your information to prevent further damage.

**To view my list of scammers e-mail address press on the following link: Paypal Scam Mail List

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Name Or Type Of Scam: Hotmail/Outlook Scam

Most Common Method Of Conveyance: E-mail

Explanation Of Scam: This scam is super common. There seems to be a new round of e-mails nearly every day some have subject lines such as “re-activate your account or reply to this e-mail or HOTMAIL will terminate your account.“

Main Motive Of This Scam: The reason for this scam is to hijack your account to gain background information for calling lists, home addresses, or just to play with people.

How To Avoid This Type Of Scam: Never click on any links or reply to any Hotmail / Outlook / MSN or Microsoft branded e-mails. As  Hotmail / Outlook/ MSN or Microsoft does not e-mail people. They will just lock or block your account. Until you can provide them with supporting details to prove that you are indeed the legit user of that e-mail account.

Also when in doubt log-in to your Hotmail/Outlook account to verify any facts in said e-mail. By clearing your cookies and internet cache then mainly entering your username and password. I recommend using CCleaner to do the internet cookie and cache cleaning. As it seems to be the most effective and its free and easy to use.

I have never received a legit e-mail of this type. They are sometimes very convincing and even have logos and graphics of Hotmail and or Windows Live. If you need more help please refer to the following link: Hotmail Scam Mail List

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Written By: Danny – (CSW) Senior Editor + (CSW) Editor-In-Chief Remy “Se7en”

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The Computer Savvy Perspective – The Good, Bad And Ugly Sides Of Freeware Software (April 2013)

Dear Reader,

This months Computer Savvy Perspective will focus on the bread and butter of (CSW) content.  I’ve received a ton of comments and question about freeware. So here is my general view of the subject and The Good, Bad And Ugly Sides Of Freeware Software.

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The Good Part Of Freeware:

There are no doubt many good things about freeware. Such as the price point and that often the software is often updated quite often. Beside those 2 main key points. Freeware is very easy to find and there are a ton of options out in the market today. Regardless of your device that you may be using. There will be likely quite a few freeware software options to choose from.

Freeware is also a great place to experiment with different software types. Such as security, optimization suites, communication tools, word processors and so on. Some people may even find that after awhile using a certain program that they may indeed want to drop some coin and buy the paid version of said software they enjoy. But that can leads into some possible downsides of freeware upgrading.

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The Bad Part Of Freeware:

Not many people are aware of the bad sides of freeware. But we all have experienced it at some point in out lives with technology. Unfortunately with most freeware comes ads and not always the user friendly and non-intrusive ones. Freeware can also come with a laundry list of  catch 22’s. Such as freeware that has a trail periods such as having a limited number of days before you are locked out or the program becomes useless.

Some freeware will require you to register your e-mail address and or other such personal information. Some freeware will even require you to verify your e-mail address with them with an embedded link in an e-mail. With this type of freeware catch 22 their often is the very high chance of getting a lot of spam from said software company that you have registered with. But there are also companies who allow you to De-select the option to opt out of follow up e-mails.

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The Ugly Part Of Freeware:

Now there are a few very ugly parts of freeware that can creep on you. If you are not paying attention. Such as getting infected with a virus or installing a toolbar that ends up hijacking your Internet browser.

There is also the possibility that you may use the freeware incorrectly and damage your computer. Causing you to have to format or fall back on a previous restore point.

Freeware also is severely lacking in tech support. So if you run into a problem that you can’t resolve yourself. You may just end up hunting around in the forums or e-mailing the company and praying to G-d that you actually receive a helpful answer to your issue. In a timely manner. Which unfortunately is very unlikely to happen with the bulk of freeware software out there.

The sayings are true you get what you pay for. But that does not excuse the freeware from being poorly made. Nor should it be assumed that all freeware will be bad because it is freeware after all. I’ve seen both sides of the freeware world and I have seen many good and many bad programs. Often you have to give the software ago first and trust your got. Other times it is better to look out for your favorite trusted reviewers (and or review sites) about said freeware. You want to look into.

My biggest word of warning / caution is don’t trust just one persons view of any software title freeware or otherwise. In this case it is better read or view a wide swath of reviews. Because in this case the more the merrier.

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Written By: Remy “Se7en” – (CSW) Editor-In-Chief

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The Computer Savvy Perspective – Portable Devices: Massive Issues with The Software (March 2013)

Portable Devices: Massive Issues with The Software

Last month, I wrote about the massive issues regarding the hardware in a vast array of portable devices, that vary from mobile phones, to tablets like the iPad, to gaming devices like the Nintendo 3DS, Sony PSP and Sony PS Vita. Now though, we’re taking the flaws with all of these devices to the next level, but instead of going on about the hardware issues, we’re going to start talking about the many software issues that portable devices are afflicated with, including the firmware/OS that each device runs on, the software that gets adapted to work on these devices, and the measures that companies put in place to update these devices as well as protecting themselves, their devices and their customers from hackers.

– Firmware/OS (Including Safety Measures and Protection from Hackers)

With the release of some later portable devices, like the PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, iPads, and other tablets, the procedures that companies put in place to create an OS/Firmware for a device start around 3-4 years before the device even hits the market, and around 1-2 years before it’s even unveiled to the general public, so with all this time they have to create, test, patch, and adapt their software to work as the backbone of these devices, you’d like they would have worked out all of the bugs, glitches and compatibility issues beforehand. Unfortunately, it isn’t that way, and usually on the day of release, most devices have a day one patch to fix issues that the developers either missed or couldn’t be bothered to sort out before shipping these devices to retail.

This is a mnajor issue for me, as it shows a failure to create a safe, secure, and fully functioning OS/Firmware for portable devices before going ot retail, and then it’s up to the consumer to download the updated version of the software upon booting it up. It’s also the consumer’s responsibility to make sure that the updated software is downloaded and installed successfully, and if it doesn’t and ends up breaking your device (or bricking it, as us techies say) then it’s up to the consumer to either fix it, pay out for repairs, ship back to the manufacturer or buy a whole new device, as the companies that make these portable devices don’t take any of the responsibility for these issues, even though its their fault for not applying these fixes to the Firmware/OS before shipping it to retail.

On the plus side though ,there is a good side of keepin gyour device up to date. The main reason is that bugs, and loopholes can be patched. This means that those who buy new games, apps, and programs from their portable stores, like the PSN, Xbox LIVE, Google Play and Apple App Store, can be reassured that their information, like usernames, passwords and credit card details, won’t be hacked but some stranger, and used to either take over their accounts or to drain money out of your bank accounts. Another plus isde of keeping Firmware/OS software up to date is the addition of new features, like Siri or iOS, improved video and audio playbacks, classic game support, like PSOne games on PSP and Vita, and emulators for even older games, like eShop on Nintendo 3DS, to just name a few.

The real negative side of today’s Firmware/OS software on portable devices is that hackers tend to be ahead of those actually creating the software for these devices, and if a specified Firmware/OS is hacked wide open, then it can damage the sales and success of that device, leading to the publishers, like Apple, Google, Sony and Nintendo, from investing further in these devices. The biggest hack in recent years on portable devices, was the PlayStation Portable, which saw Version 1.00 of it’s Firmware hacked less than 2 days after going on sale in Japan. Yes, that was 3 months before it’s North American launch, and 9 months before it’s European launch. From that hack, gamers were able to launch emulators for SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, Nintendo Gameboy, Gameboy Colour and Gameboy Advance, as well as old Atarri games, all PSOne Classics and every PSP game from ISO files. This pretty much crippled the PSP in the West before it had even gone on sale, but Sony tried to persist over the course of 5-6 years, and saw the publisher release over 50 different Firmware updates that took the device from Version 1.00 to Version 6.60. In the end Sony gave up on the PSP, due to poor sales, and due to an inability to beat the hackers, who always cracked each Firmware revision within 24 hours of release. We’ve seen the beginning of these kinds of hacks and cracks making their way to devices on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, the PS Vita and the Nintendo 3DS, but only time will tell whether or not these companies succeed against the hackers or whether the hackers will win the war.

There are ways that companies can, will and have been doing to protect the Firmware/OS on their devices against hackers and other people who want to gain access to your personal information. Firstly, they need to make sure that their are no loopholes in their Firmwares/OS, as this just invites hackers in to find exploits in the software. From there the hackers can create new programs to take advantage of this loophole, which could allow the Firmware/OS to be cracked open, allowing third party applications to run on it, as well as creating a whole new Firmware/OS that allows hackers to do anything and everything on these devices. Another issue from hacked devices is that it could allow unlawful people access to credit card details, usernames and passwords to accounts on networked storefronts like the PSN, Xbox LIVE, Nintendo eShops, Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Something like this happened in 2011 to Sony PSN. The networks home device, the PS3 was completely cracked open, including a complete hack of the Firmware/OS, and this allowed hackers to create their own custom Firmware on the device. It also allowed another group to completely disable the PSN for a number of months, and even gain access to usernames and passwords for thousands of its users, but Sony was insistent that no credit card details were taken in the hack. Even just recently, a hack on South Korean bank accounts pointed to China being the culprit behind it all, but after a huge investigation, it seems like the hack actually came from North Korea, and they made it look like China did it all. This means that the companies that create the Firmware/OS and networks tha tlink any number of devices to each other and to themselves don;t just need to be protected from hackers in their own country or even their own continent, but they have to protect their Firmware/OS, portable devices, consumers and themselves from hackers all over the world, who not only outnumber these companies, but also seem to have an upper hand at every turn. It’s a huge step that companies need to rise to ensure the best possible experience in terms of hardware and software in portable devices.

– Adapting Software for Portable Devices

Every company wants to adapt from software from either previous incarnations of their devices, or from systems created by another company to try and increase the interest in a particular portable device. On iOS and Android devices, they try to create anything and everything from Seismographs, to Comic Shop guides, to Game walkthroughs, to actual games like Sonic 1 from the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis. On portable gaming devices, like the PSP, Vita and 3DS, it can range from PSOne Classics, PSP games, Nintendo and SEGA Classics, to add ons for current titles, including downloadable content and demos.

The way all of this content interacts with the consumer and the device in general depends on how the device has been created and what the input methods are for that device. If we take a brand new game or app created from the ground up to work on most portable devices today, then it’s been especially created for use with that devices touch-screen, like Android and iOS devices for instance. This can be a plus and a negative, as you do get used to working that game or app on the touch-screen, but it’s quite bad when that specially created touch-screen app is ported over to other devices like the Vita and 3DS, where you have the ability to choose to play with either the touch-screen or the hardware’s control, like the D-Pad etc. This can cause apps or games to lose something special in the transition.

The other way is for older games and apps to be adapted to work on newer devices. This is when issues can be far more profound and disheartening, because they tend to have come from non-touch-screen enabled devices, and are being made to work on touch-screen devices. In terms of apps, this isn’t much of an aiisue, because the age of apps started around the same time as touch-screen enabled portable devices, but this issue can be very damaging when it comes to classic games being adapted to work on portable devices that use touch-screens. For instance, the classic Sonic games from the SEGA/Mega Drive have been adapted to work on iOS and Android devices, and instead of having a gamepad to control the movements of Sonic, you have to use the touch-screen to run and jump, and quite frankly, it just doesn’t have the same responsive abilities that playing it with a gamepad provides. Other titles adapted for touch-screen enabled portable devices are game like GTA III and Vice City, which were originally on sixth gen consoels and PC, meaning that they required either a gampad, or a mouse and keyboard, so when they were ported to iOS and Android devices, the controls were switched completely to be touch-screen enabled, and even though they look graphically better than the originals, the controls feels worse, much worse, as they feel messy, forced, unresponsive and just plain arkward.

– Closing Thoughts

Now we have the issues that have plagued all kinds of portable devices in the world today, whether its a phone, tablet, gaming device or laptops, these issues stretch from hardware, to software, to security issues, and they need to be clarified and sorted within the next few years or consumers are going to be fighting these manufacters and companies sooner, rather than later, which could seriously affect the profit margin and consumer support in those companies in the very near future, and could even lead to accusations of gross negligence, and incompetence against these companies, as well as class action suits to get back what has been lost to the consumer as a result of their failures to make portable devices safe, secure and accessible all at the same time. We want to see action very soon.

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Written By: Matt Stanyon -(CSW) Manging Editor-

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The Computer Savvy Perspective – Portable Devices: Massive Issues with Today’s Technology (February 2013)

Portable Devices: Massive Issues with Today’s Technology

Ever since the portable devices started taking over a few years ago, there has been a numbers of massive issues with the technology that we all use day in and day out. These issues all stem to the hardware of many different kind of portable devices, and sometimes its due to the software, but that widely varies depending on who created your portable device, and that is an issue for a future feature.

– USB Cables

With the release of some later portable devices, like the PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, iPads, and other tablets, the USB cables have been much shorter than their predecessors, like the Sony PSP, Nintendo DS and earlier iOS and Android devices. This is because the hardware creators (Apple, Sony, Nintendo, etc) seem to think that including a shorter device their technology will help data travel through the cable to the portable device and PC/Laptop and back at a greater transfer rate than those with a longer USB cable, which is incorrect, and they also include a shorter cable to cut down on development costs, so they can sell their devices as cheaply as possible, which is also wrong as you can pick up a 5m USB cable seperately for around $6 / £3, and I’m sure most people would prefer a longer cable than the shorter one and pay an extra $6 / £3 instead of buying them seperately. This is just a stupid decision on the side of the hardware manufacturer’s, and it definitely needs to be sorted before the release of the next-generation of portable devices.

– Charging Cables

No-one can deny the fact that the ability to charge portble devices from the plug or by using other devices over USB gives a lot of choices to power up your devices quickly and effectively from many locations, without having to do a lot of waiting, but we can have a rant here too. This is because there are two basic problems with the charging cables on portables, the first is the fact that these cables are usually just as short as the USB cables, and the second problem is that these charging cables ARE the USB cables in recent portable generations.

Firstly the length of these charging cables. A really short charging cable has the same issues as the short USB cables, where manufacturers think that supplying a shorter cable will increase decrease charging times, lower development costs, increase their profits and please the stockholders. At the end of the day the current approach de-pleases consumers, because including a longer charging cable will only add a couple of dollars or pounds to the overall selling price, it would never increase development costs, and it would please consumers, while the manufacturers would still increase their yearly profits and even please their stockholders.

The second issue with the charging cable is the fact that with most of the portable devices sold today, the charging cable is the same cable as the USB cable, meaning that people would have to use one cable for both purposes. This is a bad decision for a number of reasons, including the problem that using that cable for both situations can and will degrade the quality of the cable quicker, as it can break the cabling or cause the plastic casing around the wires to wear away, or even damage the connection point quicker, meaning that the consumer, AKA you, will have to spend extra cash and purchasing an extra USB/Charging cable sooner rather than later. It’s always been safer to have a seperate cable for charging your portable devices and another for connecting the device to PCs or Laptops via USB.

– Battery Life

The next issue with portable devices of all kinds today is the battery life, which is very limited to anywhere from 2-8 hours, and while phone batteries do last a long time, they drain very quickly when they are being constantly used. Plus, the more powerful the portable device, the shorter the battery life. This is the instance with devices like Laptops and Tablets, because they have anywhere from 7″ inch to 16″ inch screens, which actually drains the battery quicker because power is constantly being used to power the high resolution, touch-enabled, consistently brightly-lite screens on these devices.

Now, as we know, batteries are lithium based, so that all batteries in every portable device can be recharged without having to go to the shop to buy brand new Duracell batteries, but even these lithium-based rechargable batteries aren’t faultless, as we know, they still drain quickly, and by charging them too much, you drain that lithium power cell to nothing, which in essence kills the battery and forces consumers to buy a new one. Right now, the lithium battery in portable devices is just as pointless as the batteries used in electric cars. The manufacturing companies of the world need to compile their geniuses together and come up wit ha new kind of battery to lead the world into a new revolution of portable consumer technology.

– HDMI Connection

A lot of portable devices, with the excpetion of modern iPads and Laptops, seem to lack the ability to do HDMI out to a HD Television. Even the PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, iPhones and Android devices lack this feature, and especially with games on these devices when you’re at home, it would be nice to play the mall on the HD TV, because they are all created in HD and play on the HD screen of the portable device in question, which means that nothin would be lost when sending it through the HDMI port and cable to the HD TV. It’s a positive feature to include and manufacturers should take note of this and include, just like nVidia are doing with their first portable device; the Project Shield, which is an Android-powered device, and it comes with a touch screen, conventional controls like a PS3 and Xbox 360 controller and a HDMI out to TV port to play anything and everything on the big screen, including anything purchased and downloaded from Google Play.

– Touch-Screens / Keypads and Gamepads

The technology in portable devices today tends to lean more towards the inclusion of touch screens over keypads, and portable gaming devices are starting to lean towards touch screen technology over game pads, but they aren’t willing to give up on game pads completely, as it’s just too neccessary to how games work, whereas with phones and tablets, the keypad is now emulated on the touch screen as a complete replacement, but I tend to think that tablets and phones can find a meeting point down the middle where they can include the touch screen and all of its features, while still including a physical keypad to please everyone, just like the Samsung Tocca Ultra did. This option of using one of the other needs to be widely integrated as people shouldn’t be forced to choose between one of the other, as it’s all about choice and preference.

– Closing Thoughts

These topics are just some of those hardware issues affecting all kinds of portable devices in the world today, whether its a phone, tablet, gaming device or laptop, but these issues need to be clarified and sorted within the next few years or consumers are going to be fighting these manufacters and companies sooner, rather than later, which could seriously affect the profit margin and consumer support in those companies in the very near future. We want to see action very soon.

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Written By: Matt Stanyon -(CSW) Manging Editor-

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The Computer Savvy Perspective – Windows 8: Yet Another Disappointment From Microsoft (January 2013)

Windows 8: Yet Another Disappointment From Microsoft

With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft promised to change how people use their PCs. Despite a large advertising campaign and claims of features everyone will want to use, the response to Windows 8 can only be described as lukewarm. In fact, many users are looking for ways to downgrade their copies of Windows 8 that come with their new computers to Windows 7. Here are a few of the issues with Windows 8 and what the release of another failure means for Microsoft.

– Not the first time

When Microsoft released Windows ME, technical experts and users were extremely disappointed. The software seemed to offer nothing useful over previous Microsoft offerings, and performance lagged behind Windows 98. After the successful release of Windows XP, Microsoft released Windows Vista. Plagued with performance issues and a counter-intuitive user interface, Windows Vista was met with almost universal disappointment. It was not until the release of Windows 7 that users began taking advantage of some of the new features first introduced in Windows Vista. Despite the relative success of Windows 7, many users still rely on Windows XP with their day-to-day computing needs. As a result, many began to wonder if Microsoft only gets every other operating system release right. The tepid response to Windows 8 would seem to indicate that this is the case.

– What is wrong with Windows 8 ?

Under the hood, Windows 8 builds on the code base started in Windows Vista and continued in Windows 7. From a technical standpoint, the differences between these operating systems are minimal. While Windows Vista dramatically changed the underlying code of the Windows operating system, little has changed over the past three Windows iterations. Building on the same code base can be useful, but it can be hard to see why users would want to upgrade if there are no performance improvements or added features. The primary reason why users are turning away from Windows 8, however, is based on its new interface. Windows 8 offers a classic Windows interface that users will be used to, but it also offers what is called a Metro interface. Using a layout based on squares and rectangles, Metro seems to be designed primarily for tablets. On a computer screen, however, the interface fails to impress. In addition, few program support the Metro interface, and users will constantly switch between two different user interfaces. As a result, the experience can be jarring.

– What is next?

Despite the shortcomings of Windows 8, Microsoft maintains its monopoly on PC operating systems. While Macs have become more popular in recent years, the vast majority of users rely on more affordable PCs that run software not supported by Macs. While some have tried to sell Linux distributions and other operating systems in the past, there seems to be no threat to Microsoft’s dominance in the PC realm. Still, Microsoft risks losing its credibility if future operating systems fail to impress users, and the emergence of the cloud paradigm may allow users to access programs regardless of their operating system.

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Andy G. from http://www.helpjet.net/

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