Mac OS X. It's what makes a Mac a Mac.

Power of UNIX. Simplicity of the Mac.
Mac OS X is both easy to use and incredibly powerful. Everything--from the desktop you see when you start up your Mac to the applications you use every day--is designed with simplicity and elegance in mind. So whether you're browsing the web,
checking your email, or video chatting with a friend on another continent, getting things done is at once easy to learn, simple to perform, and fun to do. Of course, making amazing things simple takes seriously advanced technology. Which is why Mac OS X is built on a rock-solid, time-tested UNIX foundation that provides unparalleled stability as well as industry-leading support for Internet standards.

Stunning graphics.
The most striking feature of a Mac is its elegant user interface, made possible by a graphics engine that's built to leverage the advanced graphics processor in every Mac. This engine provides the power for things like high-definition video, stunning graphic effects, and high-quality animations. Fonts on the screen look beautiful and extremely readable. A soft drop shadow makes it clear at a glance which window is active and which ones are in the background. Document previews using Quick Look are high resolution so you can actually read the text. And built-in support for the PDF format means you can view and create PDFs from almost any application in the system.

Perfect integration of hardware and software.
Since the software on every Mac is created by the same company that makes the Mac itself, you get a completely integrated system. When you have a Mac notebook, for example, it automatically detects and connects to available Wi-Fi networks. It wakes from sleep as soon as you open the display and automatically reconnects to networks so you can get back to work fast. And it gets the most out of your battery by spinning down the hard drive when it's inactive, by intelligently deciding whether the CPU or GPU is best suited to perform a task, and by dimming the screen in low-light conditions.
Dock + Finder
The Dock in Mac OS X provides fast, one-click access to frequently used applications, folders, and even downloads from the Internet. The Finder makes working with your files and documents as easy as browsing your iTunes library.

Introducing the Finder.
The Finder is like home base for your Mac. Represented by the blue icon with the smiling face, it's one of the first things you see when you start working on your Mac. It lets you organize, view, and access practically everything on your Mac, including applications, files, folders, discs, and shared drives on your network.

Time Machine
Never again worry about losing your digital files. Time Machine automatically saves up-to-date copies of everything on your Mac--photos, music, videos, documents, applications, and settings. If you ever have the need, you can easily go back in time to recover anything.

More Power to Your Mac.
Since 2001, the breakthrough technologies and rock-solid UNIX foundation of Mac OS X have made it not only the world's most advanced operating system but also extremely secure, compatible, and easy to use. Snow Leopard continues this innovation by incorporating new technologies that offer immediate improvements while also smartly setting it up for the future.

Need more review=Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Laptop Crime is on the Increase: How to Protect Yourself From Laptop Theft

Submitted By: David Lakins

For most people owning a laptop is all about convenience. Being able to sit where your want to work, wander around from office to office, sit in front of the television or even browse the web in bed are the reasons why laptops have become so popular.
It has also become much more than a work tool. For many people it is the place where you keep all the things that are important to you: your email and financial information, business secrets, personal writings, even irreplaceable media like photos, film, and writings.So if your laptop were stolen from you tomorrow, what would it do to your life?

Even worse, if a laptop belonging to your business were stolen that contained the personal data of customers or clients, it could put all of them at risk of identity theft and you could be held liable.
This crime draws both the common thief and the more sophisticated identity thief alike, and it's on the rise in England. Last year, a laptop belonging to the Nationwide and containing the personal information of over 11 million customers was stolen and never recovered. In London, laptop theft is up 15% on last year, with over 6500 laptops stolen in 2006 (not including laptops stolen out of homes and offices). Other metropolitan areas in Britain have similar statistics: over 2000 in Edinburgh with a 31% increase, and a 15% increase in Manchester.
Having a laptop stolen is personal nightmare if it is your own machine, but so much worse if you lose information that compromises your friends, co-workers, and clients. At Marks & Spencer's, a laptop lost in 2007 contained sensitive data about 26,000 employees, including their national insurance numbers and other personal identifying information. That cost Marks & Spencer's free credit checks for all employees and a promise to cover them for any damages if their identities were compromised. In the Nationwide case above, the company was fined just under a million pounds.
And even if you get the laptop back, even if the laptop was only "borrowed" its data can be copied off in minutes, putting any data on it at risk even after the machine is returned.

Two simple steps protect yourself against losing your personal computer?
The First Step: Protect Yourself
Laptops are at risk due to the very portability that makes them useful. It takes only seconds for someone to carry off your unguarded laptop, along with all its precious contents. The first thing to do is not leave it unprotected, even for a minute; keep it in sight. Get good security on your wireless connections while you're at it, and carefully choose the places where you use that connection.
You can also get physical barriers against using a stolen laptop. For instance, biometrics including fingerprint scanners has become increasingly popular with laptops, and key cards that you keep in your wallet or luggage separate from the laptop can been used to secure it. Computers with hard drives mated to internal workings prevent your hard drive from being removed and copied. And if your laptop is used to access the Internet after it is stolen, there are subscription services that can trace it remotely and render it unusable whilst it connects to the web.
The Second Step: Consider Laptop Insurance
Laptop insurance is becoming one of the fastest growing specialist insurances. With low-cost monthly premiums having some form of insurance policy could be the one thing between you and financial ruin. Laptop insurance is cheap, and if you have used other protections for your laptop, it gets even cheaper. Many providers offer worldwide cover, accidental damage protection and a 48 hour replacement service.
Protect yourself physically with laptop security and financially with good laptop insurance. With luck, you'll never have to depend on either. But if the worst comes about, you'll be glad you did.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link:http://www.isnare.com/?aid=269163&ca=Society

HP Pavilion DV4-1227US 14.1-Inch Laptop - Espresso Black

Product Description
Exclusive dv4-1227us expands on the sophisticated elegance of the current line, the new dv series is defined by fluid, modern lines and metalized finishes with surprising innovations inside and out. The dv4 series Imprint pattern provides subtle contrast to the liquid appearance of the metallic finish.

And touch media controls light up and become visible only when the system is powered on further enhancing the clean appearance. HP’s mobile products have won coveted International Red Dot, iF and CES Innovation design awards and been recognized by other leading design institutions. Providing more choices than ever, HP MediaSmart enables access to DVDs, videos, photos, music, Internet TV, and streamed or recorded TV (with an optional TV Tuner) at the touch of a button. Built-in demos show you how to add music to your slide shows or videos with drag-and-drop functionality – and much more. An HDMI port enables you to watch films on an HD TV. Muvee Reveal makes creating films complete with effects and transitions a snap! Extras include dual headphone jacks and an HP Mobile Remote Control. Eco Highlights: ENERGY STAR qualified and EPEAT Silver registered, HP advanced power management features and aggressive default power settings reduce energy consumption, exclusive use of EPA SmartWay carriers for reduced transportation-related emissions, recyclable packaging material for less waste and a variety of environmentally responsible accessories are available including extended life batteries and mice.
Spec Check
14.1-inch LCD screen
2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor
320 GB hard drive
4 GB RAM (8 GB maximum)
Dual-layer Lightscribe DVD±R drive
Quad-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g)
Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics (up to 1759 MB total)
Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit, SP1)
Weighs 5.1 pounds

The Basics

Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor has a 2.0 GHz processor speed, fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
With two computational execution cores in a single processor, it provides greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:
Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.
Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage.

Hard Drive: The large 320 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (5400 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to Firewire and USB 2.0.
You'll enjoy enhanced hard drive protection with HP's Protectsmart, which includes a 3D accelerometer that safeguards your data by parking your hard drive if your notebook detects any range of motion, such as being knocked off your desk, falling or taking abuse.

The gorgeous and functional details of the DV4-1227US.

Memory: The 4 GB of installed RAM helps boost the amount of available video RAM that's shared with this notebook's video card. This notebook has an amazing 8 GB maximum RAM capacity (4 x 2 GB). To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.

DVD/CD Drive: This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 2.4x DVD+R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD-RW, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, and 40x CD-ROM speeds.
This LightScribe DVD±RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text and images on to CDs and DVDs . Your software, PC and discs work together for a no-hassle way to burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert and burn your label--anything from a simple title to a full-disc work of art.

Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a 101-key keyboard and a touchpad with on/off button and dedicated vertical/horizontal Scroll Up/Down pad. It also includes two quick-launch buttons (HP QuickPlay Music and DVD).

Preloaded Software

HP MediaSmart Software Suite: Your one-stop multimedia and entertainment center to create photo slideshows, share personal videos, listen to your favorite music playlists and watch DVD movies.
muvee autoProducer Basic: Automatically create professional looking home videos and burn to DVD.
Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe: Automatically fix and edit videos and create CDs and DVDs. Edit, burn and archive data to discs.
Microsoft Works 9: Includes a word processor, spreadsheet, database and calendar.
Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 (60-day trial version).
Adobe Reader 8: Read and print PDF files.
Norton Internet Security 2009 protects your PC and your identity when you email, bank and shop online; 60 days of protection updates included.