Scooopy – Scoops about Gadget, Mobile & Technology
Posts tagged Operating System
Mozilla Labs Ubiquity .05 is now available
Dec 15th
Mozilla Labs releases a new experimental beta version of Ubiquity.
Ubiquity is a time-saving Firefox extension that simplifies common web activities by letting you give commands to Firefox. Ubiquity includes about 80 commands for speeding up common web activities (searching, translating, mapping, emailing, etc.), but also provides an API so you can write your own commands using Javascript. You can also share the commands you write, and subscribe to commands shared by other users.
To make it easy for users to run these commands, Ubiquity provides a unique pseudo-natural-language input method: You type what you want to do, and Ubiquity guesses what you mean and suggests the best-matching commands. For instance, you can select some foreign-language text on a web page, hit a hotkey to bring up the Ubiquity interface, and type “translate” (or just type “tr” and let Ubiquity figure out that you mean the translate command); then hit enter to have the selected text replaced, right in the page, with a translation to your language.
Download Ubiquity – Experimental beta version!
Using System Imaging and Restoral on Windows 7
Dec 5th
One of the claims of Windows 7 is making your everyday tasks easier. One of the areas that Microsoft has made much simpler to use is the backup feature in the OS itself.
For anyone who has ever lost data due a hard drive or computer crash and did not have a backup system in place, I am one of these folks myself, then you know how important that backup process is. Especially if it was your significant others computer and it resulted in the loss of irreplaceable files. Again, I am raising my hand right here!
Today I use Windows Home Server to back up my home computers and it takes care of business. However, not everyone has a Windows Home Server and may be looking for a different method of backing up those critical files on your home PC’s.
One way included in Windows 7 is the Backup Applet in the Control Panel. There are two types of backups available to you. The first is your file by file back up process which you can set to incrementally back up your system each day, week, month etc.
The second one is what I am going to cover today and that is creating a System Image of your Windows 7 installation that can be restored in case of a catastrophic failure of your hard drive which has Windows installed on it.
The process is quite simple, only has a few steps and takes about 30 minutes or so. I base that 30 minutes on my system which backed up 69GB to my extra internal hard drive. Your mileage will vary based on the size of your installation and whether you back up to hard drive or DVD (lots of DVD’s). I recommend an external or spare internal hard drive.
So to get started you need to bring up the backup/restore applet in the control panel which is located at Control Panel>System and Security>Backup and Restore. Easy way to get there is via the Start Menu search bar and just type in Backup.
Select the Create System Image link.
Select the media you want to store your back up on.
Once selected it summarizes what will be backed up. Start the back up.
System Image in the process of being created.
Once the image is created you will be prompted to create a system repair disc that will allow you to restore your system image as well as a few other things top repair your system.
Select the drive to use for creating your repair disc. Notice no hard drive options – that is on purpose.
System repair disc being created.
Final dialog showing the disc is created. Label it and store it in a safe place and hope you never have to pull it out 
There ya go – just a handful of steps to have a solid system image of your computer in case of a system crash. I think this process in combination with a daily file based back up will keep your data safe.
HP Breaks the 24-Hour Battery Life Barrier for Laptop & Notebook
Dec 3rd
While Dell was busy working on getting 19 hours of battery life, HP were putting the finishing touches on getting up to 24 hours. The HP EliteBook 6930p with Intel® Core™2 Duo processor and Ultra Capacity Battery2 outlasts the Dell Latitude E6400 by up to five hours.
Now get up to 24 hours of total battery life – only from HP!
Nobody wants to work all day and all night, but if you need to you can – but only with HP. With no need to access a power outlet. And in these tough economic times, being ultra productive is critical.
Here’s what you need and how you get it
Our new HP EliteBook 6930p notebook PC provides up to 24 hours of combined battery life. This solution will require a specific configuration including an 80 GB Solid State drive, an LED display and our Ultra Capacity Battery. So if you travel across the globe, or spend large chunks of time away from a power source, look to HP to keep you up, running and productive.
HP EliteBook – A tough notebook for tough times
Up to 24 hours of battery life is only available on our HP EliteBook 6930p notebook. This notebook is an excellent choice for mobile professionals needing a business-rugged notebook that will provide years of service and is a great “bang for your buck” in these challenging times.
HP offers choice:
Even if you don’t need up to 24 hours battery life, HP has many other options with impressive battery life, to suit your needs and budget.
Battery Run Times
HP Batteries – safer and more reliable, with the latest technology
When you’re considering batteries, you’re worried about more than just how long they last. You want to be assured that you, your home and your business are all highly secure from battery-related dangers.
HP was the only top notebook manufacturer in 2006 and 2007 to not have a battery recall, when other manufacturers experienced major safety issues and recalls. HP’s emphasis on reliability and innovation results in a much higher degree of safety.
HP Batteries meet the highest safety standards
HP batteries are designed to help prevent problems before they happen. HP notebook PC systems are designed to always be one step ahead of the game so that you don’t have to worry.
Minimize heat: HP notebook PCs are designed to minimize heat within the system. Each HP notebook thermal solution is designed to maintain the entire battery pack at a safe operating temperature and create a consistent temperature gradient across the pack.
Power management: The power load on the system is managed so that, in the unlikely event that battery over-heating was detected, the system would initially be throttled. If the over-heating were to continue, the system would be shut down. In the event of insufficient power to run the system, a controlled shutdown would occur to avoid the risk of data loss.
Diagnostic tools: HP Info Center provides a battery diagnostic utility that can verify battery functionality and health.
Minimize risk: HP battery charging technologies are designed to minimize risk by providing higher performance while meeting applicable battery cell manufacturer recommendations.
Here are a few of the ever-evolving safety measures included in HP batteries:
Flame-retardant plastics (rated V-0 by Underwriters Laboratories) exceed industry requirements.
Flexible circuit interconnects help prevent latent failures by eliminating discrete wires that could be pinched during assembly.
A barrier wall helps prevent short circuits and safety hazards by ensuring that, in the event an aging battery leaks, the battery fluid does not reach the circuit board.
A thin conformal coating on the printed circuit board (PCB) protects key components from contaminants that might be introduced during the assembly process.
Battery designs are continually improved and updated to take advantage of the latest industry developments.
HP Batteries offer enhanced battery life and quick recharge
HP batteries stand out for their long battery life as well as the HP Fast Charge and HP Enhanced Fast Charge® technologies that efficiently yet safely charge HP notebook PC batteries. These technologies offer:
Charge rates that comply with Lithium-ion battery cell manufacturer recommendations.
Proven, standards-based algorithms to control battery voltage and charging current.
Redundant safety mechanisms in both the battery pack and the notebook PC to help prevent over-charging.
HP Batteries undergo exhaustive testing
HP batteries go through an incredibly rigorous set of testing, including:
Fuel gauge accuracy and functionality testing for voltage, current, temperature, capacity, communications and status.
Protection circuit functionality testing for over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current, over-temperature, short circuit.
Environmental testing for ElectoStatic Discharge (ESD) protection, drops, shock and vibration.
System integration testing for charging functionality, battery thermals, Inrush current tolerance, critical hibernation and non-operational thermal shock.
HP Batteries are designed for compact, comfortable use
HP secondary batteries are designed to not interfere with an optical drive bay. Instead, they connect underneath the system, providing for positive comfort and expanded usability.
Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
Battery life will vary depending on the product model, configuration, loaded applications, features, and power management settings. The maximum capacity of the battery will decrease with time and usage.
Up to 24 hours of battery life requires separately purchased Ultra Capacity Battery and customer download of the latest Intel graphics driver and HP BIOS. Notebook must be configured with optional Intel 80GB SSD drive and HP Illumi-Lite LED Display and requires XP operating system.
Windows Vista Business disk also included for future upgrade if desired. To qualify for this downgrade an end user must be a business (including governmental or educational institutions) and is expected to order at least 25 customer systems with the same custom image.
2533t and 2530p run times are based on 3 cell, 6 cell, and 9 cell batteries; 2530p run time is without the optical drive; 2133 run times are based on 3 cell and 6 cell batteries
This system may require upgraded and/or separately purchased hardware and/or a DVD drive to install the Windows 7 software and take full advantage of Windows 7 functionality. See http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/ for details.
Connectify turns Windows 7 based Laptop or Notebook into Wi-Fi Hotspots
Dec 2nd
Few years ago a little-known feature called Virtual Wi-Fi was crafted by Microsoft‘s research group as a way to “virtualize” one wireless card as several separate adapters in Windows. The project was discontinued in 2006, but some of the code apparently made its way into Windows 7, and now at least one company is taking advantage of it with a new application that can turn any laptop into a wireless access point.
Developed by military consulting firm Nomadio, Connectify lets a laptop “tether” other wireless devices to a single internet connection by effectively turning it into a software-based wireless router. Windows 7 is required on the notebook acting as a wireless hotspot, but any wireless-equipped device, including handhelds and other notebooks running whatever operating system can jump online without any additional software. The program even encrypts traffic to and from the software hotspot using WPA2-Personal (AES) encryption.
While the Connectify beta is free to download, Nomadio expects to charge users once the complete version is released in about six weeks. A free, ad-supported version might also be released down the road.
Windows 7 and Federated Search
Dec 1st
Back in February 2009, Brandon Paddock and Alwin Vyhmeister authored the Windows 7 Federated Search Provider Implementer’s Guide and described federated search as follows:
Federated search enables users to search remote data sources from within Windows Explorer. Remote data sources make themselves searchable with a simple web front end that exposes their search capabilities.
Windows® 7 introduces support for search federation to remote data stores using OpenSearch technologies that enable users to access and interact with their remote data from within Windows Explorer.
Imagine being able to open Windows Explorer on your PC and search popular sites directly from there. Instead of opening a browser window, going to a site, finding the search box, entering your search words and getting your results you would just open Windows Explorer and search right there using the search connector for that site.
What are the benefits of this method compared to the normal search methods? We will let Brandon and Alwin answer that:
The benefit of integrating your data source with Windows Explorer is that users can get at all of their information by using the already familiar Windows Explorer user interface. Your users will be able to see files from your remote data source just as they would local files, with the right application icons and context menus. They can preview documents or web pages, see thumbnails of images, and drag and drop a file directly to the desktop or into an email.
We are not sure about you but that sounds pretty handy to us.
We did some digging online and found several search connectors that are already built – all you have to do is install them on your Windows 7 system and you will have access to them in your Searches folder in Windows Explorer.
