Jan 01 2011

Reasons to Choose Enterprise Digital Signage Software

Tag: Computers & InternetJanice @ 5:23 pm

There are numerous types of digital signage software on the market today, including enterprise and entry level packages. Each of these types of digital sign software packages have very different forms and functions. In many cases the features are similar, but in a lot of instances there are very different features which separate the various types and forms of software which are available. Let us discuss some differences between full enterprise software packages and entry-level software solutions to ensure you can make the right choice and choose something more robust.

One of the biggest differences between entry-level sign software and its full enterprise counterpart is that entry-level software does not include the ability to change and schedule content for different times of day. This is often referred to as day-parting. This is one of the biggest separators of standard digital signage and enterprise digital signage.

Entry-level digital sign software, on the other hand, is useful in many types of scenarios and should not be discounted completely. Generally, this type of software is very limited in the types of content which can be displayed on the screen, how the content is scheduled for playback (many systems actually only allow for looped playback without scheduling), and how the content playback is reported. In general, enterprise solutions allow for proof-of-play and network monitoring to ensure important content such as emergency alerts and such can be played back and pushed to any number of displays automatically.

One of the biggest reasons to choose enterprise digital signage software over a simply beginner version is that enterprise software gives much more control over what you can and cannot accomplish. For instance, with enterprise software packages that can monitor screen health, you are able to see not only whether content is played-back, but also whether that content is playing at an immediate point in time. For this reason, enterprise software should always be considered for your digital signs.


Dec 31 2010

Today’s imac is everything you need in a computer

Tag: Computers & InternetJanice @ 7:10 pm

If you think the Apple imac is only for graphics people, think again. For years, PC users have shied away from the Macintosh line of computers, but there are very good reasons for reconsidering, if you’re looking at investing in a new system. The Apple brand has become even more well known in the past few years, with the popularity of iTunes, the iPod, and iPhone. If you’re addicted to your iPod or iPhone, this may be reason enough to switch to an imac, for ease of use.

The best thing about the Apple imac desktop is the screen. The clarity and even lighting on the iMac screen is exceptional. This is the main reason graphic designers prefer Macs. The imac comes in a 21″ or 24″ screen, and both are beautiful. Watching a movie on this screen is beyond anything you can imagine on a PC monitor. The space-saving attribute of the imac is not to be underestimated. The whole workings of the computer are in the monitor. There is no need to find space for a computer tower at all.

If portability is an issue, imac laptops are also great quality products. The clarity of the screen and slim design are attractive attributes, and like all the products running on the Macintosh System, the imac laptops are much less prone to viruses. The Mac Operating System does not change as drastically as the Windows system, so you are not required to upgrade as often as with Windows PCs. Still, for the average laptop user, the price difference can be too steep to switch over to the Apple camp.

Talk to both Apple and PC users if you want to learn more, and if at all possible, try to do some of your typical work on an imac to see the difference. It all comes down to what you want to use your computer for that will determine the right product for you.


Dec 30 2010

Refurbished Tablet PC Review: Toshiba Portege M750

Tag: Computers & InternetJanice @ 5:40 pm

The Toshiba Portege M750 is one of the best refurbished tablet pc available at a cheap price in the market today. If you need a computer that is powerful enough to handle most modern applications yet cheap enough to buy then this might be the laptop you are looking for.

Description
The Portege M750 has a comfortable 12.1 inch LCD display capable of a 1280×800 resolution. What makes the screen great is that it supports a digital pen and it has an anti-glare functionality so you can easily use this laptop outdoors. It weighs in at 4.6 pounds and comes in titanium silver finish that does not attract fingerprints.
Technical Specifications
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz
Operating System: Windows XP Tablet PC edition
Memory: 2 GB DDR2
Graphics: Intel GMA 4500 HD
Storage: 160 GB HDD
Optical Drive: DVD Multi Drive
Audio: Microphone, Stereo speakers, headphone jack, mic jack
Communications: 802.11 a/g/n, webcam, Bluetooth 2.1, Gigabit LAN
Expansions: 2 x USB, 1 x eSATA/USB combo, Docking connector

Review
Even if this is an old model from Toshiba this refurbished tablet PC carries with it enough power to match up against present PC’s. Its Core 2 Duo processor is strong enough to handle the most demanding applications today. If you are into video editing or photo editing then this laptop can easily assist you with your editing needs. The graphics card used is the integrated Intel GMA 4500 HD which can easily provide you with countless hours of smooth HD video playback. This unit can easily handle online social games and casual games but will not fare well on most of the modern games today which need stronger graphics cards. With the available USB 2.0 ports you can easily attach any USB device to it such as your digital camera, smartphone or even your 1 TB external hard drive.

Recommendations
Overall this is a solid refurbished tablet pc that would perform well on any task which you throw at it. Its 12.1 inch display should be enough to provide you with excellent viewing conditions compared to the 10 inch screens of netbooks. If you plan to buy this unit try to check if there is a brand new battery available for this unit since if you use the old battery then it would only last a short time between charges.


Dec 30 2010

Guide to 192.168.0.1

Tag: Computers & InternetJanice @ 12:02 pm

192.168.0.1 is popular with companies in private networking such as Netgear. This is basically an IP address for broadband routers or local area networks (LANs). This IP address is situated between 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.255.255 IP addresses. IP addresses from 192.168.0.0 through 192.168.255.255 are private IP addresses as determined by IANA or Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Others are 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 and 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255. Broadband routers are used in home networks and they facilitate access to the LAN for such things as file sharing, HD video streaming, audio streaming, and network printing and they also facilitate internet connection for such things as online gaming.

Routers that run on this IP address fuse different parts together and this is what sets them apart. You do not need to install DHCP servers and switches to connect to a LAN. One advantage of this IP address is that even if it is default, you can change it at will – all you need to do is to enter it into your browser. However, you should leave this to a system administrator to avoid complicating things. You should change the default password and username to prevent problems with hackers, but you should be careful not to mess up network settings. It is possible to pass through 192.168.0.1 repeatedly. This means that although you can only assign one device to this IP address, you can use it on various networks. This is the reason why it is popular with people using different networks. If you have a device that works as a router, a wireless access point and a modem, using this IP address as the default page allows you to connect to whatever you want to connect to. Other than being a private IP address, this IP address is also a default gateway in several systems. This is basically subnets communicate with each other.

One demerit of using this IP address is that you can only link one device to it. If you install another device, there will be network malfunctions. You also need to restrict access with routers running on this IP address. This IP address, like other private IP addresses, is regularly problematic. To remedy these problems, you should access the controls to look at the DHCP and the WEP settings for configuration purposes and to make sure that your username and password are protected. You can do this yourself through information contained on the manual you get with each purchase.


Dec 30 2010

Why Families Love Their USB Splitter

Tag: Computers & InternetJanice @ 3:04 am

So what is it about USB splitters that make families love them so much? Using a USB splitter makes it so that a person never has to unplug their USB devices. The main objective being accomplished by a USB splitter is to add more USB ports functioning to your computer. They allow for data transfer between multiple USB devices at one time. There are a total of 4 different versions of USB technology. All the way up to the current day USB 3.0. This technology has come a long way since its early days and deserves some recognition. One of the greatest things families love about USB splitters is simply the fact that they are backwards compatible.

This means even if you bought a USB splitter designated for USB 2.0, it will still work with the other two previous versions of USB. The only problem with this the rate at which you will be able to transfer data between devices will drop down to the very lowest version of USB from your connection. So if you use a USB 2.0 splitter, connected to a USB 1.0 plug, the max data transfer rate caps at the USB 1.0’s max rate. USB 3.0 is the only version of USB tech that is not always backwards compatible with the previous version, it is special. One excellent attribute about USB splitters, is the fact that you are able to daisy-chain them together if need be.

This would be sort of like a homemade upgrade, because it would allow you more total USB ports for your computer. The only problem with this is you can suffer some performance issues if you are not using a USB splitter that has an external power source. But all in all, USB splitters work excellent for all the standard devices that are used by everyday people, like IPODS, and USB headphones. Those are the true reasons why families are switching to using these devices.


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