How to Use Windows

Instead of cracking open your PC to add extra memory, how about plugging it into a docking station that also gives you a faster processor so you can run more demanding applications? Once PCs switch over to internal optical connections based on silicon photonics instead of the copper wires that run around today’s motherboards, “we’ll have a new way to design that gets rid of the distance limit,” says Sean Koehl, a technology evangelist in Intel Labs. “You can move the memory. Take a very mobile device like a netbook and imagine a docking station that also gives it a connection to faster processing and more memory.” That could help with cooling; your notebook could get more powerful without getting hotter. Memory on your PC is going to get faster as well, he says.

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With Twitter users falling victim to yet another simple phishing scam , the Government has decided to take action. From later this year, all UK internet users will need to apply for an Internet Licence and provide its unique number to their ISP. No licence, no login details. The good news is it’s going to be pretty easy, as this leaked copy of the questions shows.

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Sometimes, you have a whole ‘lotta people you need to chat with at once. And more often than not, you are all spread across ten different social networks, messaging programs, time zones, and lifestyles. Getting you all together in a single room would destroy your Skype client, not to mention your sanity–wrangling these people up is going to be a lot more complicated of a process than you bargained for. Or is it

For the full story, go to Maximum PC

Dell can be found lurking at the bottom of most customer service rankings and surveys . A recent incident in Texas left one of its customers with an entirely new reason to loathe its customer support service. Dianne Annunziato, a resident of North Richland Hills, is unlikely to recommend Dell to anyone in the foreseeable future.

For the full story, go to Maximum PC

This holiday, you pull the wraps off a brand new laptop and open the lid to your shiny new mobile companion. The first thought you might have is to consider which apps you should install first and what’s the fastest way to load the up the hard disk with music and movies. Of course, you inevitably have to think about your old laptop, and what price you can sell it for on Craigslist. But before you dump an old laptop or retire it to the den of forgotten gadgets, here are eight practical ideas on how you can extend its life

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Is it a D’oh or an oops? Whatever it is the folks at Hewlett-Packard (HP) must be a bit red-faced over the incident. It seems that HP’s new face tracking webcam has a bit of a racial bias .

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According to Logitech, the Noughties Nan is far more interested in a MacBook than a bunch of lavender handkerchiefs, with traditional presents being swapped for high-tech alternatives. According to a poll of more than 1,500 over 50s (so not necessarily nans – but we’ll let it go) more than 58 per cent wanted items like iPods, MacBooks and laptops. Yehia Oweiss, Regional Director for Logitech UK & Ireland says: “Our research shows a growing demand for gadgets from the over 50’s age group. “With Christmas just around the corner, we’re conscious that grandparents across the UK will be looking for expert help when it comes to getting all their new gadgets up and running and have made sure our support teams are on standby for a busy season.” ‘75 years young’ As you may expect, Logitech’s release also includes some heart-warming quotes from grandmother Teri Allen (billed as ‘75 years young’) who has dabbled in social networking and ’swapped her watering can for a web-cam’

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Engineering eggheads from the University of Cambridge have developed a system called ProFORMA (Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition), which is capable of turning any standard webcam into a pretty powerful 3D scanning tool. A video demonstration shows how it’s done, which you can view here . What’s pretty amazing is that the 3D models are constructed in real-time as end-users slowly rotate objects with their hand in front of the webcam. The engineering team says the system works by “calculating the Delaunay tetrahedralisation of a point cloud obtained from online structure from motion estimation, which is then carved using a recursive and probabilistic algorithm to rapidly obtain the surface mesh.” Put more simply, the system generates and displays partial models of an object on the fly, which then allows the user to plan how to manipulate the object to generate additional views. The finished product is a 3D representation of the object that can then be tracked with rapid movements

For the full story, go to Maximum PC