Top 9 Things to Consider When Buying a Laptop

What Laptop Should I Buy for Everyday Use?

How many laptops are there on the market? So many now that they are slowly making desktop PCs obsolete. The need for laptops continues to rise because they offer several things that your ancient PC cannot, such as mobility, more advanced features, flexibility, and design.
Nevertheless, you are still someone who is on a budget and thus needs to choose a laptop that truly fits for everyday use. To help you, I have written several things to consider when purchasing a new laptop.

Size and Weight:

Do you plan on taking your laptop with you very often? You need one that is convenient to carry and fits a standard backpack or laptop bag. It may be best to choose those that have weight around 2.3 to 6 pounds. Anything more can be troublesome to haul around.

Screen Size:

Even if you still have fantastic vision, you can still appreciate a screen size that allows you to sit comfortably and look at a decently sized monitor. Thus, find one that is 15 to 17 inches of screen size. If you don't plan on carrying it around often, I would get the bigger monitor, possibly even a 19". If you plan on hauling it around a lot and being mobile with it, a larger screen means more weight and the battery won't last as long as it has more to illuminate.

Operating System:

This is actually very important but interestingly often forgotten. Windows or Mac. These two are worlds apart in terms of specs and functions, and they have their own pros and cons. If you are using acurrently using a Windows PC, then it makes perfect sense to buy a Windows-based laptop. What type of files and documents are you usually working on? If you have all of your documents on a windows based computer and you want to transfer them, it's best to stick with what you've used in the past. On the other hand, if you are used to using the Mac and your desktop is a Mac, stick with it, it's difficult to transfer files between the two.

Processor:

Do you need the latest processor? The answer is no. Some of them are incredibly fast, which is all well and good, but they are more ideal if you are into intense laptop activities such as gaming or video editing. Laptops with these processors are often expensive and over kill for the average user. If you simply need one that lets you browse the Web, check e-mail, Skype with friends, or stream movies occasionally, then a middle of the line processor is more than enough.

Ports:

It's easy to be enticed by thin and affordable laptops, but mind you, they can have serious disadvantages, one of which is the lack of ports. The ports are necessary so you'll be able to attach external devices like a mouse, web camera (if your laptop doesn't have one yet), LAN, external keyboards, and even a WiFi adapter. In other words, they make your laptop even more functional or useful. Make sure you have at least 3-4 USB ports, that it's WiFi capable, and it has the ability to connect a monitor to it in case you want to use it as a desktop while at home with a large wide screen. Also, if you plan to watch a lot of movies with it, make sure it has an HDMI output to watch a movie on your TV through your laptop.

Wireless Network:

Do you know that not all laptops can connect to the wireless network immediately? If it isn't WiFi ready, look for another laptop. Why have a mobile device that can't go mobile?

Hard Drives and DVD Drives:

You need a good internal hard drive. A 500GB HD is a good place to start. Some laptops, moreover, already have a CD-ROM drive, but since fewer people are now using CDs, a DVD drive is a better option as it can read both.

RAM aka Memory:

Depending on if the laptop has a 64 bit operating system or a 32 bit will determine how much RAM you can put into your system. 32 bit operating systems can only handle 4 GB of RAM whereas a 64 bit OS can handle extreme amounts, but how much is enough? I suggest 8GB as a good starting point for Windows 7/8 64 bit.

Battery Life:

If you're constantly on the move, you therefore need a laptop with around 4 to 6 hours of battery life, so you won't end up scouring for electric outlets every chance you get. Remember that the bigger the monitor, the faster it will suck the juice out of your battery.
Hopefully these suggestions help you while deciding which laptop to buy. Just remember that if there is a specific use you are going for (i.e. always going to be using it on the go) that you tailor the laptop to fit the need. Make it lighter and more transportable for instance. Smaller screen, bigger battery, etc.

How to Create the Perfect iPhone App

To start the best iPhone application, you have to come up with a good idea. In this event, you will need to make sure that your idea is solid and has at least two out of the five success indicators, which are named above. In this instance, you may come up with several ideas, but choose the ones that will be most beneficial to society.

Proper Tools

Once you have a few good ideas, you will need the tools for success. In this event, this is known as the tool checklist. In this instance, there are a few tools that you must have, and the rest will be optional. Here, you will need to become a member of the Apple iPhone Developer Program. This program should cost around $100. Next, you will need to purchase an iPhone or iPad Touch. Once you have done this, you will have to create and prepare a non-disclosure agreement. The last item you will need in this instance is a spiral bound notebook.

Excellent Skills

Once you have completed your tool checklist, think about the things that you are exceptionally good at doing. In this instance, consider all of the skills that you possess. In this situation, a lot of people decide to create a skills checklist. Here, you should be able to figure out what's wrong with current iPhone applications, conduct proper market research, endure sitemap creation, complete a GIU design and know a little about programming.

Research

Market research is a major part of creating iPhone applications. Here, you will take a look at applications that are currently in the mainstream and find problems within them. In this instance, you should make a list of the pros and cons of each separate product. Once you reach this step, think about your iPhone applications and determine the problems that it solves, make a note of the programs that are similar to yours and think about the value of your application.

When you are creating apps for the iPhone or iPad Touch, you should know your way around the devices and understand who they operate. When you are designing your applications, think about navigational options, organization features, available information and unique characteristics that are available.

Targeting Users
 
Now, you can decide who will use your application. This will be known as your target audience. A lot of people consider this factor first, and then come up with reasonable ideas. Here, you will need to decide who your iPhone applications were designed for. Once you have done this, they need to be user-friendly for your target age group or target audience.

Wired Vs Wi-Fi: Four Reasons Not to Cut the Cable

Virtual reality used to be something that only existed in science fiction stories. Today virtual reality is becoming our primary reality. We watch movies online, shop online, socialize online, date online, work online, go to school online... really, there isn't much we don't do online. And, let's face it; it's so much more convenient that way. We can do virtually anything we want on the internet and, thanks to data services and Wi-Fi, we can connect to the internet from virtually anywhere. It might be hard to imagine, but there was once a time when everyone had to connect to the internet... with wires. Now that we can wirelessly connect to the internet, it's hard to think of a reason why someone would want to use cables and wires to get online.

Or is it? Is there still a place for cables in our modern internet community? That is a good question, and it has a good answer.

It's true that wired technology is old. Ethernet was born back in the days of Walkmans, VHS, MC Hammer pants, and stone washed jeans. Thankfully, our technology and fashion have improved. Well... at least our technology has. Ethernet has now had about 30 years to get better, and it has become a pretty awesome way to get online. That might be hard to believe, so let's look at why Ethernet is still going strong even with wireless getting all the hype.

Speed

We are part of an impatient culture. We don't want to give up precious seconds of our lives waiting for a page to load or some program to download. And why should we? I remember waiting hours to download a 20 MB (or smaller) file using dial up. Those were dark days. Modern Ethernet offers speeds of up to 1 Gbps. That's around three times the speed of the fastest Wi-Fi connections out there, even under ideal circumstances. 802.11n can ideally achieve speeds of around 300Mbps (there are 1000 Mb in one Gb), but there is often a disparity between theoretical and practical Wi-Fi performance. That disparity comes because of interference, physical obstructions that block line of sight, distance from the router, and network protocol overhead. Using Ethernet cable eliminates these issues.

Reliability

Wireless networks are prone to a variety of connection issues, particularly if you try to access the network at the edge of its wireless range. It's also not uncommon for the router to crash and need to be reset. Wired networks, on the other hand, hardly ever go down unless the power goes out in the entire building.

Setting up the network and connecting to it

I'm sure everyone has had issues trying to connect to a wireless network. And when (not if, when) you have an issue, it's nigh impossible to troubleshoot. And that is when you are just trying to connect to a network, trying to set one up can cause all sorts of headaches, especially with constantly changing standards for network encryption.

Security

That brings us to the last, and arguably the most important aspect that makes wired networks great: security. Let's face it, wireless networks aren't very safe. That's why we have to keep changing encryption standards. Even when companies and schools pay exorbitant fees to secure their wireless networks up to high heaven, they can still get hacked, and the average person's security doesn't come anywhere close to the standards of those institutions. Why is that a problem? Well remember we do almost everything online, which means we have tons of personal information out there for the taking.
In any neighborhood, a reasonably skilled hacker could easily get into five or more networks using only a laptop with a wireless connection. A wired network is completely contained. That means you have to physically connect to the network in order to access the information. The only other method of access involves very expensive methods that you probably won't have to worry about unless you get on the wrong side of a national spy agency.

Bottom Line

So does that mean Wi-Fi is horrible? Absolutely not, I actually love it. Unless you want to be trailing an Ethernet cable behind you everywhere you go, which would be impractical to say the least, there are still plenty of good uses for Wi-Fi. That said, Ethernet still has a lot to offer. Greater security, speed, reliability, and ease of use all make Ethernet something to seriously consider for any home or office.

Samsung's Galaxy SII and SIII - The Major Android Revenue Drivers

A Japanese social gaming company, GREE has recently brought to light that they make more than 40 percent of all of the revenue from users using Samsung Galaxy S2 and S3. GREE also suggested that Android developers only need to test their gaming apps for a selected number of Android powered smartphones.

This trend will continue to grow until other mobile device manufacturers do not succeed to place their products similar to Samsung. The company has received enough hype for its Galaxy series of smartphones. It has also been world's top mobile device manufacturer for last several months. Samsung Electronics overtook Nokia in first quarter 2012 and became world's largest maker of mobile phones. An article of BBC News Business with the title "Samsung overtakes Nokia in mobile phone shipments" informs that in 2012, Samsung shipped 93 million phones compared to almost 83 million by Nokia. The article also revealed that apart from Nokia, other direct competitors of Samsung are US-based Apple and Taiwan's HTC.

Today the company has reached a position where it would be extremely difficult for competitors like Apple, LG, Nokia and HTC to play catch-up anytime soon. And there are several reasons behind this success. Two of them have been recently shared by Thedrum.com in the article "Samsung success secret: Fast work gives customers just what they want". The first is that Samsung keeps paying close attention to what its customers are saying about its products and services. Second, it quickly develops new products or their new versions. It just took around five months to develop the S3 Mini.

When you think of an Android smartphone, the first mobile brand that comes into your head is probably Samsung. An Android Authority article of January says that Samsung sold 500 smartphones every minute in Q4 2012. And with the release of Galaxy S4, this figure is expected to grow further by the end of this year.

How the dominance of Samsung is helpful for Android developers?

The dominance of Samsung in smartphone market is helpful in multiple ways. Some of them are as follows:

• Mobile developers experience difficulty in creating such apps that support all the Android powered devices. Android is an open-source mobile operating system. Google allows you to customize its OS according to the hardware capabilities of a specific device. If you want to power a low-end device through Android, you can trim some of its features. This may sound an amazing capability of the OS but the same also creates fragmentation. If developers want their apps to run on all the Android powered devices, they will need to optimize these apps for more than one device. But if they have a dominating Android device manufacturer like Samsung, they will just need to build apps for a selected number of devices.

• There are some country-specific mobile manufacturers that are also using Android to power their devices. While developing devices, they mostly follow specifications and features of popular devices such as Galaxy S3 and S2. They keep the screen size, hardware support and other specifications same to stay in the market. This helps developers to make universal Android apps.

• The process of Android application development can be concluded in comparatively short period of time if there are fewer brands using Android OS.

• Leading Android device manufacturers timely send operating system updates that help developers timely update their apps.

The SIM card and My Curiosity's Satisfaction

Have you ever thought what's the deal with that golden-colored plate, inserted to your mobile phone? I did, so I looked for the information and now I can share with you what I found out.

When I was a little girl, I was always interested to know what is inside of the different devices and tools my dad was keeping in his garage. I wanted to know what he stores in his different sizes boxes, what is in his furniture. My dad used to spend a lot of time in his garage, the thing which often made my mom be mad at him.

Being a kid, I was thinking: "As my dad, an adult, is interested to spend so much time with his spare parts for his cars, for the radio and for his tools, there is something interesting about them, my mom doesn't know about".

So, whenever I had a chance, I was spending my time alone in my father's garage, trying to find out his secret. I wasn't able to understand what was keeping him there, but I got curious and interested to get to know about all the staff, which was kept in garage.

My curiosity had so much place to get satisfaction. Sometimes this curiosity led me to disclose the radio, my father was listening to all the time, being in the garage. For sure, I even tried to repair it several times until it stopped working. Even now my father has in his garage 5 broken radios , which I tried to repair!

This curiosity is still with me and I am glad for that. For sure, it affected my computer, as when I purchased it I didn't have any knowledge in hardware and software. I didn't even know the difference between them. But I wanted to know what computer is. This made me try different programs, go to different setups and learn to manage them. There were several times, when my good friends had to come and repair my computer, but the good news is that I learned so many new things!

Guess what is my next curiosity technical obsession? I can tell you. This is my mobile phone. In my country I had to buy a phone and the number for it separately. I was curious to understand how they get connected. And I got to know that there is a golden-colored plate, which should be inserted in the mobile phone, which contains my number. Looking carefully on that plate, I didn't find out anything. So, I gave up for a while with the only understanding that that plate is called SIM card.

For a not long time ago I started to work for a company which provides different software, including the mobile phones software. There again I heard about this golden colored plate. Studying this company's products, I found out that this plate contains a chip, which has information stored on it. I saw this chip inserted on smart cards and tokens, they provide software for too.

First I found out that my card's memory is partially filled with the wireless connection provider's information and that there is a free space available for the data about my contacts, I can add and manage. Provider inserted my phone number on the card, its name and other data, which can not be deleted or replaced by myself. The other part of the memory can be used for data storage, like my phone numbers or SMSs. Some of the information, which I may insert, can be stored on this card, another one - on the phone's memory.

Now I wanted to get access to my personal data on the card. I was thinking for a longer time about the opportunity to do it with the card management software on my computer, which could help me easily make order in my phone entries (like editing some numbers, deleting other and adding new once).

The company I work for provided me with the opportunity to test a easy-to-use software, called Dekart SIM Manager. This software helped me easily get inside my SIM card. You can imagine how happy I was that I finally was getting a chance to access my phone data by using personal computer instead of phone's keypad! I was anticipating my long time wish accomplishment. It was so exciting!

Thanks to Dekart SIM Manager I got to know that my card has protection tools, like PIN codes. I heard of them and was always confuse about using them. Now with this friendly designed software I was able easily to manage these codes too.

One new thing I was able to find out from the developer of this software, is that it also supports the Universal SIM cards found in third-generation generation mobile wireless systems, as well as different types of GSM SIM cards, containing more than 250 phonebook entries.

My needs as an individual user were totally satisfied by this software's opportunities to manage my contacts and codes. I think it may be for real use for GSM operators, requiring such special features as possibility to view SIM serial number, PIN1 state, technical data of the phonebook, its memory size and the number of free entries.

10 Secrets to a Healthy Computer and a Happier You

There comes a time in a person's life where no matter how much you fight it time takes its toll and we begin to slow down in how we perform our daily activities. However, in order to extend our youthful glow and energy levels it is important to eat right, exercise, and keep a positive outlook on life.

Now you may ask what has any of that got to do with "Secrets To A Healthy Computer?"

Well, in a way we're all just like a computer. If you neglect to take care of yourself you soon will cease to function properly and the many tasks that once were easy to do now take twice as long to accomplish and often require you to rest or "reboot" after a malfunction.

I can't tell you what foods to eat or what exercises to perform because I am not a nutritionist. Although, with my experiences in the personal computer field I can share with you some tips of how to keep that rectangle box of circuitry that sits within sights range functioning at maximum performance as long as time will allow.

Some important steps to follow are....

Make certain that your computer is located in a well ventilated area and that all air vents are unobstructed to prevent overheating and premature failure to any internal components.

Clean out the dust build-up at least every 6 months from the inside of the computer case including case vents, power supply vents, and all visible circuitry with a few cans of compressed air that can be purchased from any major computer store or electronics outlet. This will help reduce the chances of overheating and circuitry damage.

Before cleaning just be certain to always unplug the computer from the wall outlet and never physically contact the circuitry inside the computer case to prevent damage.

Be prepared for an unsuspected failure by always making backups of any important data that you do not and can not afford to lose.

I personally keep updated backups of my website and even store the disks at a remote location away from my every day use computers just in case a disaster were to occur and my main computers were destroyed resulting in the need for those lost files.

Purchase and install a well known anti-virus program that can be regularly updated with the latest virus definitions and ran during boot-up to help protect your computer from being the victim of an unwanted infestation.

Every few months or so run your computer's "Scandisk" program followed by the "Defragmenter" program to maximize the efficiency of your hard drive.

If you are not certain of how to use these utilities and being that the steps to execute these programs varies slightly from one operating system to the other it would be easiest to simply use the "Help" option that can be found by clicking on the START button found on your computers desktop.

The START menu will open up a drop-down-box that should display the "Help" option. By going here you can enter the keywords that deal with the answers to the subject you are searching for.

Run your computers "Disk Cleanup" utility every other week or so. If set the "Disk Cleanup" utility will automatically empty the recycling bin and recover some wasted disk space by removing the internet temporary files that seem to always accumulate.

Again, use the "Help" option if you are uncertain of how to perform this task.

Never smoke near a computer because the cooling fans will pull the smoke into the case where it can coat the inside parts of the computer with a residue which in turn can damage sensitive components.

Place the computer case in an area where it will not be accidentally kicked or bumped to prevent the loosening of cables and damage to internal parts.

Invest in a high quality surge protector to provide your computer and monitor against voltage spikes or "surges" that can dramatically shorten the life of your system. Just like most items in a store, "You get what you pay for". So don't skimp out on this important device!

Its also not a bad idea to invest in a surge protector that includes what is called a "Data Line Protector" which allows you to connect your telephone lines to and serves the same purpose for the telephone line to your modem just like the surge protector does for the electrical household current lines.

Finally, if you plan on being away from home for more that a few days at a time or if there is a thunderstorm brewing in your area it is a very wise decision to always unplug all electrical lines and modem telephone lines from your system. Even with a surge protector installed it is possible that such a large voltage spike such as one caused by a lightening strike could prove fatal to any computer system.

If you follow these simple steps the outcome is a healthy computer that will stay by your side and treat you well which also results in a happier you.

Waiting on the next Nexus 7

A purported chat with an Asus tech support rep may have spilled the beans for the next iteration of Google tablet.

The second generation of Nexus 7 tablet could arrive before the end of July, according to one Google+ user who chatted with an Asus support rep.

The LiveChat, which Android Authority first posted yesterday, was between an Asus representative and Google+ user Tim P. In the chat, the rep tells Tim that the rumored Asus K009 would be offered to the public, "before the ending of July." [sic]

Taking things a step further, the agent went rogue and spilled a laundry list of hardware details. Reportedly, the Nexus 7 will runAndroid 4.3 Jelly Bean and will feature a 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution LED display and Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor.

Additional specifications could include 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera. And like its predecessor, the refreshed tabletcould also come in Wi-Fi and LTE/WCDMA/GSM variations with Bluetooth and NFC support.

Of course, this sort of discussion could be faked quite easily. Customer support reps are often coached on what is allowed to be shared publicly, and it's doubtful that they'd know any confidential information in the first place.

That said, there's nothing on the list that seems outlandish or impossible. In fact, most of the details have been tossed about more than a few times this year. Fortunately, if the dish is true, we won't have to wait long to find.

It's worth noting that Google has yet to formally acknowledge Android 4.3 even though the update has been spotted on a Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition. Some rumors have predicted a July launch for 4.3 after it failed to show up two months ago at Google I/O.

White Nexus 4 sold out on Google Play

The snowy-hued version of LG's popular mobile is "no longer available for sale".

Bad news if you were planning on snapping up the Nexus 4 in white today, as Google's pale, popular product has completely sold out.

Head on over to Google Play and you'll find the cupboard bare, with eager phone fans having sucked up Google's entire reserve of the white, quad-core mobile. Both the 8GB and 16GB variants are gone, with the site's listing offering only that the phones are "no longer available for sale".

If you're absolutely desperate, it looks like T-Mobile is still selling the white version, though you may not find the same bargain price shoppers enjoy when they get the Nexus 4 unlocked from Google. Check out the slideshow below for some hands-on snaps of the phone that now lies agonisingly beyond your reach.

If you're feeling glum about the sold-out smart phone, console yourself with the fact that only its back plating was actually white, while the front of the well-received mobile was ordinary black.

The Nexus 4 impressed us with its low, low price tag, but doesn't have LTE, making it useless to U.S. phone shoppers who crave speedy data.

Are you dismayed at your sudden inability to purchase the white Nexus 4? Or will you soldier on with a Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One instead? Let me know in the comments.

Five setup tips for Apple's new MacBook Air

For the past couple of months, prospective MacBook buyers, especially those looking for a slim MacBook Air, have been holding off on purchases, waiting to see what Apple had in store for itsannual WWDC keynote.

While the new 11-inch and 13-inch Airs look and feel a lot like the previous couple of generations, the internal components have been upgraded with new, and incredibly energy efficient, CPUs, leading to battery life scores in excess of Apple's estimated 12 hours for the 13-inch version.

Because of that great battery life, you can bet that plenty of new MacBooks were ordered in the days immediately following the June 10 WWDC keynote. And while those first system should be arriving now (and they're already available to purchase in-store), that doesn't mean your new MacBook is perfectly set up as soon as you take it out of the box.

Whenever I get a new MacBook in for testing and review, there are certain default settings that drive me crazy, and a few optional features that should be turned on right away. These are the first tweaks I perform to get a MacBook set up just right. Obviously, some hard-core Apple fans will disagree, claiming that their laptops come perfectly configured from the factory and that these suggestions are heretical at best. If you've got further initial setup tips, share them in the Comments section below.

It still boggles my mind that tap-to-click isn't turned on by default in MacBooks. In fact, I'd be happy if every multitouch touch pad, OS X or Windows, ditched the hinged pad and went with a solid glass surface that took a one-finger tap for a left click and a two-finger tap for a right click.

Another standard Windows move that drives anyone trying to migrate to Macs totally crazy. Even worse, this feature is buried not under track pad settings, but in a submenu of the opaque "accessibility" menu, which seems to cover a lot of widely varied ground.

Some people prefer a clean desktop. I like having one-click access to the file system, making it easy to flip between documents, downloads, and other folders with ease, as well as networked or connected devices.

If you have an iOS device, you've probably used the built-in device-finder function more than once, even if it's only to see if you left your iPhone at work (or in a bar). Macs have access to this now as well, as long as you tie the system into your Apple ID.

What's the point of having a 10-to-14-hour battery if you only get a very broad indication how much power is actually left? The default view is a monochromatic icon of what looks like a AA battery that slowly drains as the power runs down. This icon gives you only the most rudimentary feedback, but click on it and you can choose to permanently display the percentage of charge remaining, so you'll know when to start searching for an outlet.

Don't buy a new PC or Mac before you read this

Is the laptop, desktop, or tablet you plan to buy stuck with a last-gen CPU? That may be a reason to wait -- or a way to get a great deal. Here's how to tell.

While summer break has just started for students across the country, that means that the all-important back-to-school shopping season is not far behind. And with it comes a flood of new or updated systems -- everything from traditional laptops and desktops to tablets and hybrids.

But before swiping your credit card on a new ultrabook, all-in-one, or convertible, you're going to want to dive a little deeper into the spec sheets. That's because the latest Intel CPU upgrade -- code named Haswell, but officially known as "fourth-generation Core i series" -- is offering significant battery life improvements in the first wave of laptops we've tested so far. So, unlike the more ho-hum Intel updates we've seen in years past, there's a real-world payoff in seeking out a Haswell-equipped laptop.

On the other hand, if battery life isn't a big concern -- if you're going for a desktop PC, or if you have a "desktop replacement" laptop that you don't tend to disconnect from the power cord -- you could score a nice discount on the many pre-Haswell PCs that will inevitably make their way to the discount bin.

How do you tell which is which? That's the tricky part.

The current laptop landscape

As we move into the Haswell era, the market is in flux. Many "new" laptops and hybrids, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S, Acer Aspire R7, or the Toshiba Kirabook, all still ship with processors from Intel's third-generation Core i series, the same parts that have been found in most PCs since spring 2012. Only a handful of more-forward-looking systems already have Intel's just-released fourth-generation Intel Core i-series Haswell processors.

Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, because any current laptop will have more than enough processing power for everyday tasks, such as Web surfing, HD video playback, social media networking, and working on basic office documents. For that reason, in years past, having the latest and greatest processors wasn't especially high on my priorities list. Frankly, the average consumer wouldn't feel much of a difference in surfing the Web on a laptop with a budget-minded Intel Core i3 versus one with a high-end Core i7.

But with only a handful of Haswell PCs (and Macs) tested so far, the battery life results from them so far has been very impressive. The Haswell-equipped PCs also offer Intel's better integrated graphics, either the HD 5000, HD 4600, or HD 4400, rather than the now-outdated Intel HD 4000 graphics found in third-gen Core i-series systems.

Case in point: the 2012 version of Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air ran for 7 hours and 27 minutes in our video playback battery drain test. The 2013 version of the 13-inch Air, with a Haswell CPU, blows that out of the water, with an astonishing 14 hours and 25 minutes on the same test. Sony's Haswell-powered Vaio Pro 13 ran for nearly 9 hours, and even the gaming-oriented Razer Blade, currently still undergoing benchmark testing in the CNET Labs, seems to have an extended running time compared with older gaming laptops, thanks to its current-gen CPU.

How to choose

The natural question this raises is: Should you hold off on buying a particular PC if it still has a third-generation Intel Core i-series processor and wait for the Haswell version? That might mean waiting for a long time indeed in some cases, potentially missing the back-to-school window. Some popular laptops, including the Lenovo Yoga line and Toshiba U series of ultrabooks, have not announced any firm plans to offer Haswell versions (though it's safe to assume they'll be popping up eventually).

I suggest approaching with caution, although I'm not ruling out buying a non-Haswell system altogether. Below are some guidelines that represent my current thinking on the subject; feel free to add your own suggestions and ideas in the comments section below.

Desktops and larger laptops: Buy now
Considering the modest gains in actual application performance (including the HD 5000 graphics), if you're holding off for performance reasons, don't. For a traditional desktop or all-in-one with no battery, the last-gen processor isn't a big deal. The same goes, to a lesser extent, for 15-inch and larger laptops, which by their nature spend most of their time tethered to a desk and power outlet.

Ultrabook-style systems: Seek out a Haswell version
Some of the best ultrathin laptops, namely the Apple MacBook Air and Sony's new Vaio Pro (both of which are available in 11- and 13-inch models), are among the first laptops to get the new Intel CPUs. Battery life on these is amazing, and I'd be hard-pressed to buy a premium ultrabook (or faux-trabook) with shorter non-Haswell battery life. It would certainly be painful to spend more than $1,600 on a Toshiba Kirabook or Lenovo Helix and not get the latest processors (and the resulting boost in battery life).

Budget shoppers: Wait if you can, or seek out bargains if you can't
Some of our favorite reasonably priced laptops, such as the Toshiba U-series ultrabooks and Sony's relatively new Vaio Fit 14, are not available with fourth-gen Intel Core i-series CPUs yet, nor is there an estimated date for them. The new Core i3 CPUs for budget and midprice systems are the last item on Intel's priority list (the highest-end quad-core Core i7 chips came out first, followed by Core i5 versions), and more-modest battery life expectations are built into buying a sub-$800 laptop. That said, we're already seeing some good deals on pre-Haswell PCs, as retailers and manufacturers begin blowing out inventory to make room for those new Haswell models. So this summer see a lot of $800 to $900 PCs going for as little as $600. Keep an eye on those Sunday newspaper circulars and Internet deals.

Tablet/hybrids: Wait for Haswell
Tablets are designed for all-day on-the-go use, but to date, Windows models -- from the new Lenovo Yoga 11S to the Acer Aspire P3 to the Microsoft Surface Pro -- just haven't yet hit that iPad sweet spot. Well, it's time to stop compromising. Every Windows 8 device that's either a slate-style tablet or laptop/tablet hybrid could benefit from the extended battery life offered by Haswell. (That also goes for Intel's next-gen Atom CPU, dubbed Bay Trail -- also due soon.) The 14-hour battery life on the new MacBook Air proves it: it's possible to get much better battery life on tablets than we're getting now, and we should demand it. In other words, if you like the look and feel of a current Windows tablet, hold out for the Haswell version.

Bonus advice: Don't worry about Windows 8.1 or Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks
Savvy tech shoppers know that Microsoft and Apple are both updating their operating systems before the end of the year, to Windows 8.1 and Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks. The good news is that the Microsoft upgrade will be free (for existing Windows 8 users), and the Mac upgrade is likely to be very cheap (Apple hasn't announced pricing, but the last few Mac versions have been only $20). Any computer running the current OSes should be easily upgradeable to the forthcoming versions; there's no reason to wait for them to be released before buying.

Ellen DeGeneres’s iPhone Game Quickly Becomes a Sensation

On her talk show, Ellen DeGeneres plays a game with celebrity guests where she holds a card up to her forehead showing a word or name, like “Justin Bieber.” The guest then gives clues to Ms. DeGeneres to help her guess the word.

It’s a game that many have played in college dorms or bars. Some call it Celebrity; others might call it Charades. Why not turn this into an iPhone game?

That’s the idea the producers of the Ellen show came up with in October. They hired an iPhone app development studio, Impending, to design and code the game, and released it Thursday in Apple’s App Store.

“Big news!” Ms. DeGeneres said on her Twitter account. “I’ve got a brand new game! Its called ‘Heads Up!’ and you’re appsolutely gonna love it.” Within several hours, Heads Up! had soared to the No. 1 spot on Apple’s list of best-selling apps.

In Heads Up!, you can pick a category like blockbuster movies, animals or music. Then you hold the iPhone up to your forehead with the screen showing the word, and your friends shout clues at you. After you guess it correctly, you put the phone face down and hand it to the next player, who gets a new word. The players pass the phone around, guessing as many words as they can until time runs out.

Unknown to most new players, the front-facing camera on the iPhone is recording a video of the whole game session. The players can save the video, share it on Facebook or even “Send to Ellen.” Sending the video to Ellen posts the video on the Ellen show’s Facebook page, and producers will pick out their favorite videos to play on the television show.

“We have 700 videos uploaded already,” said Daniel Leary, digital producer of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and a creator of the app. “We’re getting a video a minute, it’s pretty crazy.”

The game costs $1 in the App Store. Mr. Leary declined to comment on how the revenue would be divided between Warner Brothers, the Ellen show and the app developers. But Bob Mohler, a senior vice president of Telepictures Productions, which produced the game, said its purpose was to expand Ms. DeGeneres’s brand in digital media. The show already has accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, he said.

“We expand Ellen’s digital footprint pretty broadly,” Mr. Mohler said. “We’re just constantly trying to find the next idea to continue to grow.”

How To Get Improved Android Pattern Unlock On iPhone With Additional Security Features

One of the latest tweaks to hit Cydia is the PatternUnlock offering by Jonas Gessner, and although it offers a core feature set that we have already seen on iOS with the likes of AndroidLock, it innovates by not only implementing it a lot better but by also adding additional pro features.

The developer behind PatternUnlock has previously released a plethora of powerful packages on Cydia. WeeKillBackground Pro, ProTube, ProTube HD, Unfold and an array of additional Notification Center widgets have all made sure that he is one of the most productive developers in the community, and his latest offering PatternUnlock only serves to add to that growing stock. The tweak essentially offers a different way for users to protect and interact with their device via the lock screen through the drawing of a user-defined pattern – just like on Android devices.

PatternUnlock replaces the native passcode feature that is offered by Apple through iOS, and instead, implements a security check by making the user draw out a pattern. Users always have the option to either enable or disable the pattern check as well as being able to specify their own custom pattern through the settings section of the tweak. Custom vibrations have been included to provide haptic feedback to the user as well as the ability to customize the look and feel of the tweak using one of the five included themes.

As well as looking great and offering a fun experience, PatternUnlock is also quite serious about security. The tweak uses AES-256 bit encryption in conjunction with the Keychain on the device itself to securely store the saved pattern. It can also be used with the native passcode lock feature enabled, meaning that if the device ever inadvertently enters Safe Mode and PatternUnlock is bypassed, then passcode will take over and still offer protection. A new take on an existing idea and definitely one that’s sure to be a hit with jailbreak fans.


PatternUnlock is available as a $1.99 download from the BigBoss repository and requires a jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch or iPad running iOS 6.0 or above.

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone and iPad.

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IPhone 5 Shortage Spooks Apple Investors

Every night for the last week, Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, or one of his co-workers has tried to buy an iPhone 5, logging on to Apple‘s Web site about an hour after the company begins letting people reserve one of the phones for next-day pickup in Apple retail stores. So far they haven’t been able to buy a single iPhone 5 that way.

In some cases, Mr. Munster and his co-workers were able to reserve phones for next-day pickup if they logged on promptly at 10 p.m. But he said their unsuccessful efforts at reserving a phone later were intended to check whether there was sufficient inventory that a more casual customer could obtain an iPhone 5.

“At what point can people walk in and buy phones?” he said. “We’re not close to that.”
The scarcity of iPhone 5s is the main reason Apple’s shares, after bursting through the $700 mark in late September, have tumbled nearly 10 percent over the last several weeks, analysts say. On Tuesday, Apple’s stock closed at $635.85.

Although it’s better for Apple that it appears to be suffering problems of supply rather than demand, both situations result in lost or delayed sales. Analysts who have poked around in Apple’s supply chain believe that the holdup could be the result of a shortage of the new displays that Apple is using in the iPhone 5.

Apple’s online store now shows a shipping delay of three to four weeks for the new iPhone.

The iPhone 5 shortage has largely overshadowed a separate lift that Apple’s sales could get from the release of a smaller, less expensive iPad, which the company is expected to release in the coming weeks. Mr. Munster estimated that 90 percent of his recent conversations with investors have focused on iPhone 5 supply issues.

“The iPad mini is almost like an afterthought at this point,” he said.

BlackBerry Posts Loss, Despite New Phone

Thorsten Heins, the president and chief executive of BlackBerry, recalled Friday that when he announced a delay in the introduction of a new line of phones a year ago, he was told his company was “finished.” Not so, he argued then, give us time to get this thing right.

The phones, known as BlackBerry 10s, are now here. But from the results the company announced Friday, BlackBerry has not turned around its fortunes. Just the opposite.

In the first full quarter of sales of the make-or-break BlackBerry 10s, BlackBerry reported that it shipped 6.8 million phones, of which only about 2.7 million were the new models.

Or, to put it another way, Apple sells as many iPhones in a week as BlackBerry 10s were shipped over three months.

“For many, going into these earnings, it was seen as the end of the new beginning,” said Anil Doradla, an analyst with William Blair & Company in Chicago. “Now, coming out of the earnings, it looks like the beginning of the end.”

BlackBerry’s share price plummeted nearly 28 percent after it reported an unexpected $84 million loss on Friday and revealed the early shipping figures of its new phone. The loss of 16 cents a share was substantially worse than analysts’ expectations of a gain of 6 cents, according to a Thomson Reuters survey. Revenue was $3.07 billion, again below analysts’ estimates. It was 15 percent better than the $2.8 billion for the same quarter a year ago.

When asked about BlackBerry 10’s reception by customers during a conference call with investors, Mr. Heins said, “We’re only five months in.” He added that not all BlackBerry 10 models were available in all markets during the quarter. A version with a physical keyboard, the Q10, went on sale in the United States this month.

Mr. Heins also noted the company’s plan to expand its software business and said, “There’s more to come, more exciting products to come.” But he did warn investors that further losses were likely this year as the company increases spending on BlackBerry 10 promotion and advertising. Mr. Heins again asked for time and a chance for the BlackBerry 10 to prove itself.

But time may be short for the company that until recently was known as Research in Motion. It was not that long ago that BlackBerry was a dominant force in smartphone sales, with a 55.3 percent share of the United States market in 2009, according to to the technology analyst IDC. It also had a who’s who of customers, including federal agencies and most of the biggest companies in the United States.

But Apple’s iPhone, with its slick touch-screen interaction and downloadable apps that allowed phones to play games and provide pinpoint directions, quickly eroded BlackBerry’s position. A Kantar Worldpanel ComTech survey now puts BlackBerry’s United States’ market share at 0.9 percent.

The question is whether the BlackBerry 10, which can handle most of the same tasks as an iPhone or similar Android and Windows phones, can recover from its slow start. Mr. Doradla said he was hard pressed to think of any electronics products similar to the BlackBerry 10 phones that overcame a disappointing start and ended up successful.

“It’s tough,” he said. “If you’re looking at precedents, you’re just making the case for BlackBerry more awful.”

Further worrying investors, Mr. Heins and other executives declined to say how many of those BlackBerry 10 phones ended up on store shelves or in warehouses rather than being purchased by consumers. Peter Misek, an analyst with Jefferies in New York, estimated that only 2.3 million of the BlackBerry 10 phones were sold to users.

“When people are actually happy with the numbers, they tell you the numbers,” added Charles Golvin, a technology analyst with Forrester Research.

Despite the quarterly loss, BlackBerry is not in imminent danger of collapse. It still has $3.1 billion in cash and the company has no substantial debt. But its future as a smartphone seller is getting cloudier. Because of its small sales volume when compared with rivals, it does not have negotiating leverage with suppliers, increasing its production costs at a time when it is unable to charge premium prices, analysts said.

Some people say they believe that the company’s phone business has long been unprofitable and that all of BlackBerry’s operating profits are tied to its software and services business.

So what should Mr. Heins do? Some analysts, including Mr. Misek, said BlackBerry should cut its losses in hardware and concentrate on the profitable businesses. But Mr. Heins rejected that idea on Friday, saying that his customers want a one-stop option for their communications needs.

BlackBerry did take one small step away from hardware. Mr. Heins said he had canceled work on the BlackBerry 10 operating system for the PlayBook, a tablet computer. The device was introduced with fanfare in April 2011, but only 100,000 units were shipped in the most recent quarter. In comparison, Apple shipped an estimated 19.5 million iPads in the first quarter of 2013, according to researchers at IDC.

Not all analysts are ready to give up on BlackBerry as a phone maker. Ramon Llamas, of IDC, said that BlackBerry’s turnaround and its switch to a new operating system were always going to take awhile.
  “Renaissances don’t take place overnight,” Mr. Llamas said. “They can be long and take time.”

Computer Highlights Society Magazines

 

The IEEE Computer Society's lineup of 12 peer-reviewed technical magazines cover cutting-edge topics in computing, including scientific applications, Internet computing, machine intelligence, pervasive computing, security and privacy, digital graphics, and computer history. Select articles from recent issues of Computer Society magazines are highlighted below.

 

Software

 

Grady Booch's On Computing column, "In Defense of Boring," in Software's May/June 2013 issue, discusses how the purpose of good software is to make the complex appear simple. On one hand, developers seek to build software-intensive systems that are innovative, elegant, and supremely useful. On the other, computing technology as a thing unto itself isn't the place of enduring value. Therefore, as computing fills the spaces of our world, it becomes boring. And that's a very good and desirable thing.

 

Internet Computing

 

"Collective Sensemaking and Military Coalitions" is one of seven articles in IC's January/February 2013 special theme issue on knowledge systems for coalition operations. Authors Paul S. Smart of the University of Southampton and Katia P. Sycara of Carnegie Mellon University present automated sensemaking as a key capability for enabling both individuals and teams to process conflicting, ambiguous, and uncertain information. Computational modeling provides one means of improving our understanding in this area.

 

IT Professional

 

In "Micropreneurs: The Rise of the MicroISV," from the March/April 2013 issue of ITPro, authors Russell Thackston and David Umphress of Auburn University survey the community of micro independent software vendors (microISVs). The term, coined in 2004 by SourceGear founder Eric Sink, describes a community of companies with 10 or fewer employees that focus on long-tail, niche markets. Such companies are on the rise, fueled in part by the proliferation of ecosystems such as Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market. The article includes lessons learned for both microISVs and the IT industry.

 

Micro

 

Micro's March/April 2013 issue is a reprise of its annual selection of articles based on research from the Hot Chips symposium. Guest editors Christos Kozyrakis of Stanford University and Rumi Zahir from Intel present five articles reflecting two trends from Hot Chips 24 last August: the widespread adoption of specialization and heterogeneity as a means of energy-efficient scaling, and the variability challenges that arise as shrinking devices operate at low voltages to reduce power consumption.

 

Computer Graphics

 

In CG&A's May/June 2013 issue, Kapil Dev presents a tutorial, "Mobile Expressive Renderings: The State of the Art," which discusses nonphotorealistic rendering (NPR) techniques for mobile devices. NPR involves inherent abstraction, and mobile platforms offer relatively less computing power. So, a convergence of these areas can help deal with producing complex renderings on resource-constrained mobile platforms.

 

Computing

 

A new era of astronomy is near, according to Luis Lehner of Perimeter Institute and Steven L. Liebling of Long Island University, authors of the Computer Simulations department in CiSE's March/April 2013 issue. In "Simulations to Usher in the Era of Gravitational Wave Astronomy," they discuss interferometers on Earth and pulsar timing observations as sources for an entirely new view of the universe using gravitational waves. These waves will complement the very different images from electromagnetic waves and will illuminate systems from which we detect no electromagnetic emission.

 

MultiMedia

 

Current technology is making it easy to capture and store experiential data. In "Micro Stories and Mega Stories," authors Ramesh Jain of the University of California, Irvine, and Malcolm Slaney from Microsoft Research speculate on the effects these technologies have on the art of storytelling. They conclude that the capability to collect so many events is making stories more data driven, but the "glue" to pull moments together in a compelling story will remain in the hands of the world's Mark Twains and Steven Spielbergs.

 

Pervasive Computing

 

One of pervasive computing's goals is the automatic personalization of computer interface and infrastructure. In "Personal Touch-Identification Tokens," featured in the April-June 2013 issue of PvC, Tam Vu and Marco Gruteser of Rutgers University present a novel and convenient mechanism to convey a unique identifier using no more than a signet ring pressed against the capacitive touchscreen of a computer. Bringing to mind a "secret decoder ring," the personal token identifies who is interacting with the device, prompting it to tailor services to users and control access to sensitive information and online services.

Security and Privacy

Economics and behavioral economics offer different but complementary approaches to understanding privacy and security. In "Complementary Perspectives on Privacy and Security: Economics," Alessandro Acquisti of Carnegie Mellon University explains their methodological differences and similarities, and why they matter. The article is the inaugural contribution for a new department, In Our Orbit, and appears in S&P's March/April 2013 issue.

 

Annals

 

In "The Best of Both Worlds? A History of Time-Shared Microcomputers, 1977-1983," from the January-March 2013 issue of Annals, author Arne Martin Fevolden of the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research, and Education recounts the evolution of this microcomputer subset through articles and advertisements that appeared in the popular technology magazine Byte. Fevolden maintains that this relatively short-lived technology represents much more than a technological curiosity as he focuses on complexities in the computer industry that contributed to its failure in the marketplace.

When old electronics meet their end, much ends up becoming toxic waste in China

Old computers and other used-up appliances are creating polluted environments in Asia, the final resting place for much of the world's electronic goods, reports the China Daily newspaper.

Known as "e-waste," more than 75 percent of televisions, computers and other home electronics discarded by the developed world end up bound for Asia. Up to 90 percent of the old electronics goes to China, according to the Beijing-based Science and Technology Daily, the official newspaper of China's Ministry of Science and Technology.

However, only 10 percent of the electronics that go to China are recycled for reuse. The rest gets burned, destroyed or otherwise reduced to poisonous end-products.

Inside computers and other electronics are gold, copper and other reusable precious metals. This makes the 90 percent of discarded electronics not recycled a viable enterprise for people looking to extract those precious metals. However, many of these "electronics harvesters" use simple and environmentally unfriendly processes to get the metals out, such as putting the machines through acid baths.

The result is that lead, mercury and other chemicals are released into the atmosphere – through toxic gasses – and put into lakes and rivers through wastewater systems. The harvesters are burning the plastic cases, melting lead-based monitor glass and simply tossing out the undesirable by-products of precious metal extraction.

In some cities that are hotspots for the metal extraction business, pollution levels are much higher than American or European standards.

In the Guiyu area, an agricultural sector in south China that many e-processers have set up shop, the groundwater became so contaminated that drinking water had to be brought in from an area 18 miles away, according to a 2001 report from the Seattle-based toxic trade watchdog Basel Action Network.

Sediment samples from the area showed that the groundwater had so much lead in it that it would have been considered 212 times more toxified than acceptable standards if it came from Europe's Rhine River.

"Tin was found at levels 152 times the EPA threshold. Chromium in one sample was at levels 1,338 times the EPA threshold level," the report added.

A major source of this e-waste are unsuspecting good Samaritans in America thinking they are helping the
environment: Much of the old electronics donated by people and businesses for recycling in the U.S. instead gets exported into the world market.

"Informed recycling industry sources estimate that between 50 to 80 percent of the e-waste collected for recycling in the western U.S. are not recycled domestically," according to the BAN report.
From there, the supply market takes over, and often metal extraction companies win.

The supply market of old electronics sways in favor of these shops because they often offer higher prices for the goods than recycling outfits can.

The supply is good, too: the volume of e-waste from the United States is "estimated at 5 to 7 million tons," the report said.

In China alone – excluding the e-waste that is brought into the country – "about 150 million television sets, washing machines, refrigerators, air-conditioners and computers are discarded every year in China," the China Daily reported, using statistics from the China Home Electronics Association.

For the American market, the BAN report from 2001 posited that e-waste numbers would rise by 2006 thanks to the proliferation of High-Definition Television – flat-screen TVs – obsolescing old television technology, and the fact that most computers bought today are replacements for an old one that must be thrown out.

The world market for e-waste is one that is mostly unregulated, but a limited number of other countries are involved. Outside of China, other countries in the metal extraction business include India and Pakistan. The Middle Eastern country of Dubai is another major collector of discarded electronics, but it acts as a middleman: most of what it receives is re-exported out to China and other countries.

Laptop computers cook your testicles

  Is something burning, or are you just computing again? New research published in the medial journal Fertility and Sterility (Nov 2010) reveals that laptop computers can roast a man's testicles to the point where sperm production (and quality) starts to drop.

To conduct the study, researchers placed temperature sensors on the scrotums of 29 men (a procedure that no doubt required some finesse and hopefully did not involve TSA agents), then asked those men to use laptop computers on their laps. It didn't take long before scrotum temperatures rose to levels known to damage sperm production -- just 10 to 15 minutes of computing time.

Staying cool means staying fertile

Testicles are supposed to stay cool. And I don't mean "wow, that's cool" but rather that they are supposed to remain a degree or two below body temperature in order to maximize sperm production. When the testes get too hot -- even with as little as a one degree Centigrade rise in temperature -- sperm production starts to fall. Using a laptop computer on your lap can cause temperatures to rise by 2.5 C in one hour, according to this research.

And the men in the study didn't even notice the rise in temperature, by the way. Probably because they were too busy updating their Facebook pages with comments like, "Check it out, I'm actually getting paid to roast my nuts for the advancement of science!"

In the world of temperature-sensitive sperm production, 2.5 C is equivalent to a scrotum barbeque cook-off. And all it takes is a little laptop computing to send temperatures soaring.

Cooling pads didn't help

Surprisingly, even using a laptop cooling pad didn't help, researchers reported. Scrotum temperatures still rose just the same.

Reuters reported that Belkin International, Inc., makers of laptop computer cooling pads, "...did not wish to comment on the new findings." (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6A457320101105)

No surprise there. This is dangerous territory for marketers. After all, there's really no way to spin this story in a positive direction. Even if Belkin unleashed ads such as, "Feeling the heat? We keep your scrotum cool," they would be hit with complaints about lewd marketing tactics.

It turns out the biggest determining factor of whether a laptop computer heats up your testicles is your leg position while computing. I'm not making this up: Researchers found the best position was to spread your legs wide while computing in order to dissipate heat and cool your man-crotch.

Just what we need in the airports, huh? First you get felt up by the TSA with their high-security crotch sweeps (http://www.naturalnews.com/030100_naked_body_scanners_airport.html), and then you have to walk past a bunch of health-conscious compu-geeks sitting spread-eagle in the passenger waiting area because they're hoping to remain fertile in case they ever actually meet a girl in the real world and not just in adult chat rooms.

We need to all get together and blame somebody for this mess, of course. It's the American way. And I say we should all blame Intel because obviously it's the CPU that's generating most of the heat in a typical laptop. The harder you push the CPU, the more heat your computer dumps out. In our litigious society, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before somebody tries to sue Intel for their infertility problems.

Stay cool, dude

The bottom line in all this, guys, is that when it comes to your testes, hot is bad, cool is good. Keep things "breezy" down there, in other words, and you just might have children one day.

And for all the women reading this who have men you're trying to conceive with, you might explain to them that in addition to fried foods and pharmaceuticals damaging sperm quality, now they have to worry about where they're holding their laptop computers, too. If you catch your man with a computer on his lap, shove some ice packs down the front of his shorts until he gets the message. I guarantee you this will get his attention.

Because men who can't keep their junk cool are actually practicing a form of laptop birth control. Although the drop in sperm quality from laptop heat isn't considered permanent, it's technically a form of short-term sperm suppression. Sort of like soaking your sack in a hot tub for twenty minutes (hopefully with the rest of your body along with it).

All this makes me wonder, by the way, if laptop manufacturers might start engineering their computers to offer better scrotum protection for their male customers. "Now with Windows 7, Norton Anti-Virus, and Scrotum Protector Plus!"

Or maybe there will be a new, downloadable edition of Windows that uses fewer CPU cycles and will be branded "Windows 7 Ultimate Scrotum Pro for Men" and bundled with a new macho face shaver sporting not four, not five, but NINE rotating blades powered by a 200-amp car battery.

Quick, somebody register CrotchCooler.com and invent heat-conducting copper underwear that can dissipate crotch heat out the sides of your pants. Or roll out a new line of water-cooled "Bro shorts" featuring hot male models sporting ripped six-packs. "I'm cool," the ad says. "And so is my scrotum."