blog

May 16, 2014

Wearing cheap sunglasses & visors are they bad for you?sunglasses

The weather is getting nicer and people starting to purchase sunglasses and visors.  But do you really want to buy a cheap pair?  According to Dr. Wayne Bizer, eye doctor for the American Academy of Ophthalmology UV light  – UVA and UVB are very harmful.

Basically if you have cheap sunglasses your pupil opens up and allows harmful UV light to enter in your eyes.  To continue, also UVA and UVB increase risk of cataracts.

So, skip the street vendors and buy a sunglasses at a reputable shop.  Make sure your sunglasses comply with FDA.

Apr 28, 2014

Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I Camera review

I will not write about analog security cameras. They are on the way out.  Digital cameras are the way to go for a new security camera installation.  I needed a two to four camera solution for my home property.  I decided to test the HIKVISION IP camera DS-2CD2032-I IP cameras. This camera is a 3 megapixel bullet  camera.   The street price is approximately $300 hik DS-2CD2032-Iper camera.

Wow, no bulky wiring needed with digital cameras.  Only one cat5e wire per camera required when you use a Power Over Ethernet or PoE switch.  I used a TP-LINK TL-SG1008P PoE switch. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is approximately $100.00.  Luckily, I had a older computer to use for the Digital Video Recorder.

The data line is concealed inside the electrical housing.  It did raise the cost of the installation.  But it looks much better and it’s  protected from the elements.

security camera

security camera

To continue, I was extremely satisfied with the  appearance of the installation.  I pointed one camera at my door entrance.  The other camera is pointed to my driveway where I park my car.  The video quality is excellent day and night.  My resolution was set to 30fps (1280 × 720) to save disk space.  I am very satisfied with the camera performance both day and night. Click here for a high resolution youtube recording.  I would highly recommend this camera for a budget security camera installation. Every installation is unique.   Call us if you need a security camera system for your home or business in New Jersey or New York 201.478.7422.

 

Apr 9, 2014

 Antivirus Review

Today we have to deal with a lot of risks while searching the internet. Trojans, malware and many other viruses can attack our PC and destroy information that we have or just delay our work. That is why we need strong and powerful antivirus but with affordable price. I hope that after reading this article you can make the best choice for your PC.

Trend Micro

Very nice antivirus which can keep your PC safe while working on the internet or having fun on the social networks. Exactly that fact that your security is guaranteed on the social networks, makes this antivirus so popular and people love to have it. This company has over 25 years experience in this area so we are dealing with professionals here. As they say- with their antivirus the user is protected from over 250milion of threats each day! System requirements are also great, for example, if the user have windows 8 requirements are  1Ghz (CPU), 1gb (32bit) or 2GB (64bit) and disk space with 500mb even that 600mb are recommended. But the bad side of this AV is that this product did not give better results when it comes to repair especially in the windows 7. The price is from $24.95 to $59.95 depending on the type of protection that you want.

Symantec Norton

Norton  is already well known protecting AV. It is protecting wall and it has a lot of adds like hotspot privacy-their new product which protects your passwords and your connection. System requirements  are almost the same as for Trend Micro so there is no difference there. It is rated as the third best AV on the market, which means that is very powerful but unfortunately his weak side is that it needs to be updated from one version to another which means more money. Many of the costumers say that it slows down your PC so that is one more thing that you have to think about if you choose this one. The starting price is $49.99

AVG

One of the most popular AV and the one that is very easy to use. It doesn’t bother you with notifications and it is not slowing down your computer. You can choose between a lot of offers they have and the starting price is $29.95 with a trial period of 30days. The system requirements are just a bit higher which means that you will have to have CPU with at least 1.5GHz. According to the lab tests his best side is usability, but his weak side is system repair.

Kaspersky

This antivirus has one of the best offers on the market-protection for 3 platforms no matter if it is windows, Mac or android. It provides real time protection and anti thief protection if your tablet or Smartphone  is lost or stolen. System requirements are: CPU 1Ghz and 2GB RAM. It works on almost all the types of windows. Kaspersky antivirus is one of the top 5 AV and it is solid and will provide protection. The price is a bit higher than the others starting from $79.95.

According to the research and the statistics so far the best protection that the customers can get between those 4 anti viruses is from Kaspersky. But if you want solid antivirus with low price the best one on the market is definitely AVG.

Top rated antivirus are:

1. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2014

2. Kaspersky antivirus 2014

3. Norton AntiVirus 2014

4. F-Secure Antivirus 2014

5. AVG AntiVirus 2014

6.G Data AntiVirus 2014

7. Panda Antivirus Pro 2014

8. McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2014

9. Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus + 2014

10. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 2014

But if you are choosing the free anti virus option than a take a look at this name on the market: Avast, Panda Cloud, ZoneAlarm, Avira, BitDefender which  is considered as the best free. It is good if you want to save money, but it is not recommended because this free option AV is far weaker than the others above.

Anyhow, there are things that we can do to protect our computer even that we already have anti virus installed. For example good tip is not to click on every pop up, to clear your cache or just avoid clicking on everything. If it is necessary, you may consider changing your browser. Hope that this  article was helpful – nice surfing fellas!

Apr 7, 2014

BlackWidow Ultimate Keyboard

For every professional gamer, or for the ones that feel that way, the most important part is the keyboard. They know that without a good keyboard the game is lost

There are several really good keyboards for serious gamers. On the top ten list of gaming keyboards are Razer BlackWidow, SteelSeries Apex, CM Storm Quick Fire Stealth, Razer Tartarus and few more. Most of these keyboards

BlackWidow Ultimate Keyboard

are just excellent and every gamer would love to have them.

The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard is one of the best selling keyboards on the market. There is a good reason why that is. With the specifications that it has, besides the perfect design, it is just a dream come true for gamers. This keyboard is illuminated, which provides better visibility even in the darkest nights. It is made to increase your typing –or gaming speed and it is guaranteed that you will never push the wrong key again. By the fact that it is a mechanical keyboard, it is proved that it can withstand up to 60 million keystrokes. With this fact, you can be certain that it will stand all of your last minute victories and unfortunate loses on your favorite game and it won’t let you down in a middle of a battle.

This one of a kind keyboard comes with a reasonable price, the MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price), street price approximately from $130 to $140. But it is guaranteed that every penny is worth, the only thing you can regret about this keyboard is that you did not buy it sooner.

Apr 5, 2014

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Apple Iphone 5S

Which is the one for me? This is a tough decision.  They are both banging cell phones. However, they both have advantages and disadvantages. Lets look at the design: if you prefer a compact phone for example you might prefer the Iphone 5s.  However, if you do more email and more work; you will probably prefer the Galaxy S4 for its screen size.    galaxy s4 vs iphone 5sBoth phones have the home button on the bottom.  Iphone 5S has better  build quality material.  However, you can’t upgrade your memory and you can’t change your battery with the Iphone 5S. The Galaxy s4 you can always have a spare battery and replace the drained or dead battery.

The performance of the Iphone 5s was a bit better in some applications. The camera specs for the Galaxy S4 has 13MP sensor the IPhone 5s has an 8MP.  But it’s not all about the megapixels.  Iphone 5S shoots better photos at some conditions.  I prefer a Nikon DSLR for real photography.  Take a look atKen Rockwell’s website for more Nikon camera information.  The choice is yours. It is a tough call. However, you will not be disappointed with either phone.  I am still using my Samsung Galaxy S3.

Apr 5, 2014

The quest for best value earbuds

earbuds review

In the past I used the over-the-head style headphones for listening to music.  Sound quality is great.   However, their disadvantages are obvious. They are mostly heavy and they  heat up  while you wear them.  So, I tested in-ear headphones with microphone. It has dual purpose.  I can listen to music and answer my phone calls.

Earbuds tested: Skullcandy Titan (3) , Audio- Tehnica ATH-ANC33iS (2), Bose MIE2 (1)

The Titans have a solid base.  The sound quality was good for the price.  The build material seems to be sturdy. They are affordable and work well with android phone since they have a mic.  You can’t beat the price. They are listed on amazon.com for $26.95.  Titan ear buds come in third place in my review.

Tehnica ATH-ANC33iS has mic and noise cancellation. Sound quality is  better and they feel a lot in the ear  then the Titan’s.  However, the small battery is on top with noise cancellation.  I feel the aaa battery is to large for earbuds. They need to reconsider the design and use a smaller battery.   Noise cancellation seemed to work well.  They are much better then the Titans. They come in second in my ear buds review. I would  recommend them.  Their current sale price on amazon.com is  for$59.99.

Boise MIE2 produce high quality audio reproduction. The bass is solid.  Headset design is known as StayHear design feels like you are not wearing them.  They are not for the frugal.   Money well spent if you are a music lover.  They are simply class “A” earbuds.  MIE2 is my comes in #1 in my review.  Amazon is currently selling them for $129.95

Apr 4, 2014

What’s the best credit card?

American Express

I was lucky to get my American Express credit card when I was 17.  I was a freshman in college.  I do have a few credit cards in my wallet today. However, I don’t remember when I didn’t pay off my credit card in full. My AmEx credit card is swiped the most.  You might ask why?  Just incredible benefits for example: extended warranty, purchase protection and return protection.   A item I purchased was stolen.   The value was sub $30.00.  However, I did get credit for that item. It probably took bout 30 days to get credit for that item.

Just be careful what your purchase. Make sure you can pay the payment at the end of the month. However, if you love to spend be careful with any credit card.   If you have a AmEx credit card and you need to contact customer service quickly.  The fastest way, I found is by calling 800.528.2122   When they ask for account information, say “I don’t have one.” Then say, “representative!”  American Express don’t leave home without it.

Apr 3, 2014

Data backup

How important is it to perform data backup?  How do we lose our data? Why does this happen?  Most of the time we are just very busy. We forget to backup our files. We copy only certain data to our usb drive. The rest resides on different folders and drives.

It is important to backup your data. Because you will probably lose years worth of your documents, photos and music.

However, once you create a master backup, a good idea is to schedule automatic file backups.  This will prevent you from losing your new files or updated files.  Windows 7 has a built it backup and restore service under the control panel.  However, you can find open source software as well on the web.  One free program is called  Backup Maker (free for private use). It has scheduling options and includes a wizard.  If you are willing to pay about $50.00 you can purchase NovaBACKUP 15. It was rated #1 Windows Backup Software by TopTenReviews.com

The other option is to store your data on the cloud. That is good option if you are always connected to the net and do not mind paying for the service. I still prefer having a small usb drive next to me for large files.

Win a 1 terabyte G Drive

win a free g drive

win a free g drive

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* Submit a original computer related article (no copy pasting of articles) which will be posted on this blog.

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