One of the big advantages of PCs over earlier types of computers is that they’re upgradable. If you get to the point where you need a faster computer, more storage space or whatever, you don’t have to buy a new PC. You can upgrade it by buying just the extra part you need. But sometimes it’s better to just take the plunge and replace it? and how do you know what part to upgrade? Here’s my guide:

Memory

Adding memory is one of the most popular upgrades. It makes a big difference to how fast your PC runs. When your PC runs out of memory for what it’s doing, it stores information on your hard drive instead. Your hard drive is nowhere near as fast as the memory. The more memory you’ve got, the less often your PC will need to store things on the hard drive as it works. So the faster it will go.

How much memory is enough does depend on what version of Windows you’re running. With Windows XP, 256MB is considered a bit on the low side, though it’ll be just about OK. 512MB is decent and 1024MB is really good. If you have Windows 95 or 98, you can get by on 64MB though it’s worth going to 128MB even if you just use your PC for basic office work. More will make it really hum along.

It also depends on what you’re using your PC for - if you’re just typing up the odd letter and sending emails, then 256MB will probably do you but if you’re editing video or playing the latest 3D games, it’ll be worth getting the full 1024MB.

If you buy memory, make sure you get the right type for your computer - the best thing to do is go to a shop and get them to pick the right type and to fit it for you. You CAN fit it yourself if you know what you’re doing but be careful!

Hard Drive

Another upgrade that can be worthwhile is a bigger hard drive. If you don’t have enough space for all your files and programs then it’s obviously a good plan! I’d also recommend it if you have only just enough space. When your hard drive is nearly full your PC has to scamper around it trying to find empty space every time it wants to save something? and that takes time.

I’d recommend keeping your existing hard drive and adding a new one instead of actually replacing your existing one. No point in throwing it away if it’s still working!

A typical hard drive nowadays is anywhere from 40GB to 160GB - if you’re getting a new one it might as well be big!

With a hard drive you can either fit it yourself or get a shop to fit it? or there’s a third option. You can buy an external version which plugs into your computer via a USB port. These are great for moving information from one PC to another. If it’s always on one PC, I prefer the hard drive neatly tucked away inside the case? but again, it’s up to you.

Bigger/flat monitor

If you’ve got a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitor (the type with a box sticking out the back, like a television) you might fancy one of those stylish flat ones. It’s not just a fancy gadget, they also fit better on a small desk and you can have it closer to the wall than a big cumbersome CRT.

If you decide to go for it, think about whether you want one with built in speakers. It keeps you desk nice and tidy and looks more stylish. But you can get much better sound quality with separate speakers.

You also could think about what size of screen you want. It’s measured in inches from one corner to the opposite one. 17inch is pretty standard for desktop PCs though the flat screen types tend to seem bigger than the CRT type even when they’re the same size. For normal use, I wouldn’t particularly recommend getting a big one but if you do a lot of design or gaming, it might be worth it.

Processor

I’m not a big fan of processor upgrades. People talk about the processor speed when they’re saying how fast a PC is but there’s a lot more to it. Upgrading the processor without upgrading the other parts doesn’t tend to make much difference. And if you’re going to change the other bits too, you’re probably best off just buying a new PC. It’ll probably be cheaper.

CD Writer/DVD player/DVD writer

This is a simple one. If you don’t have a CD writer and you want to be able to write CDs, get one! As usual, I’d advise you to get it fitted at the shop you buy it at. Or you could get an external one that plugs into a USB port.

If you fancy it you could even get a DVD player or DVD writer, if you want to put your home movies on DVD. Again, you can either get it fitted or buy an external one.

Graphics Card

This is a bit of a specialist one. If you’re into fast 3D games, then it might be worth getting a faster graphics card. If you aren’t, it probably isn’t. A standard graphics card can handle ordinary graphics pretty well. It’s only when the PC throws fast 3D at it that it struggles. Then the PC itself has to do some of the work for it, leaving less time for the PC to work out whether you’ve been clobbered by a goblin.

Epilogue

The crucial point about upgrades is that it really does depend on what you use your PC for. If you’re happy with what your PC is doing for you, don’t let anyone talk you into feeling you have to upgrade.

Tim Wakeling is the Author of Computers One Step at a Time, a home course using plenty of pictures of the screen to show you how to use your PC. He also writes a free monthly newsletter about computers for non-experts. Find out about both at http://www.osaat.co.uk

© Tim Wakeling, UK 2005. You may re-publish this article online and in print as long as you leave it unchanged.

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There’s a lot of hype at the moment about push email technology. New cell phone handsets are beginning to support the technology and it seems to be getting its head into other areas of the market too. This could be the next big thing in the telecommunications industry and the speculation is heating up about who are going to be the major players involved.

Right now there are at least five major operators in this market and surely this will be reduced in the near future. Most experts say that there are simply too many of them fighting over the same space.

Right now both Visto and Seven have been keen to show their commitment to this technology. These are following the lead set by Canadian firm RIM (Research In Motion) who brought the technology into the spotlight with their Blackberry device. While so far they have been concentrating on supplying hardware, they have stated that they will be moving into the supply of software instead in the near future.

The wave of consolidations has already begun. British vendor Comtag was acquired by Smartner who in turn was acquired by Seven; moving in parallel with this, Visto acquired Psion Software. It looks like the heat is turning up in the race to capture this market. Both Visto and Seven show no sign of flagging as they continue to increase the number of operators they can lay claim to, as well as increasing the number of handsets and other supported devices they are marketing. Seven has also added a useful security feature which allows you to send a special message to your device which will delete all the messages it currently has stored. This could be lifesaving if you left your handset in a public place.

Good Technology was somewhat shielded in its area by supporting Palm and Windows devices but now there is the new Windows Mobile based Treos to contend with.

So what is Microsoft’s reaction to all of this? Well, they appear to be gearing up to enter the market. In his blog, Microsoft senior technology specialist, Harold Wong has reported that the company is getting ready to release its ‘Community Technology Preview’ build of Exchange Server 2003, Service pack 2. And this is not the only step the giant is taking. In June 2005, Intellisync announced a new service that would allow subscribers to receive push email on Windows Mobile, Palm OS and Symbian devices.

While, of the current estimated 4 million push email subscribers, most seem to be using RIM Blackberry devices, this assault will be difficult to bare much longer.

On the technical side, there are two basic technologies that can provide push email solutions:

* one technology is true push;

* the other has a push effect using synchronization.

While the user will not notice a significant difference when they log in to check their mail, the costs vary to a considerable extent with true push technologies offering a far cheaper monthly cost to the user. While Intellisync is currently using a SyncML or synchronization technology to serve its customers, RIM and Microsoft are using their own proprietary systems. The system that has found favour both with Vodafone, the world’s largest network operator, and Rogers, the first operator to deploy Blackberry devices is the solution that Visto opted for also. This is best described as a Proprietary + RTP/RTSP system and Visto calls it ConstantSync. It effectively relies on a real time streaming protocol to deliver email over mobile networks.

Whatever the technicalities behind the networks, there is a lot to play for in this emerging market and we’ll have to wait and see whose technology and handheld devices carry the most favour with customers. All have relative advantages and disadvantages both in terms of technology and market strategy and it all really is still to play for.

About The Author

Linda Fowels shows you which email software to use for a successful email marketing campaign at http://www.emailmarketingsoftware.org - an email marketing software guide with tips on increasing your email list, building your newsletter and tracking your campaigns.

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Tip #1 Defrag

One of the first things you should do if you want to speed up your computer is to defrag. This is something you can easily do and a wizard on your computer will help you defrag. You might want to do it overnight, however, because it can take a long time.

Tip #2 Spyware Remover

Download a good spyware remover. Most computers have a lot of spyware running in the background, stealing information and slowing down your computer. Remove it frequently if possible.

Tip #3 Empty Temp Internet Files

Most Internet browsers save your last visited web pages for up to 30 days. If you don’t want all of those pages saved then change the days to one or two, or none, whatever meets your needs.

Tip #4 Turn off Active Desktop

When you turn of active desktop that will be one less thing using memory on your computer. Plus, you won’t really notice the difference.

Tip #5 Antivirus Programs

Make sure you have a good anti-virus program and use it frequently. If you are deleting virus and preventing them from feeding on your computer then you will have a faster computer as well.

Once you perform these simple tasks you will be amazed at how much faster your computer runs and with so little effort.

To learn more about softwares that speed up your computer, please visit http://www.make-computer-run-faster.com/

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This article is the first of series of three articles in which I’ll explain some basic principles and concepts of GPS. I in this article I’ll explain how exactly GPS works so it won’t be a mystery anymore. I’ll also mention some recent enhancements to the GPS system. In the second article I’ll explain about some of the GPS core technologies, so when you hear the magic words “Sirf III” you’ll know what people are talking about. And finally, in the third paragraph I’ll make a short review of the leading GPS manufacturers on the market today.

First of all GPS stands for Global Positioning System and usually refers to the GPS receiver. The receiver basically receives the signals incoming from constellation of 27 satellites which are orbiting the Earth (actually there are only 24 satellites that are operational and 3 additional for backup in case one of the 24 fails) and from those signals can calculate it’s absolute position on Earth. This satellite system was developed by the U.S. military and after a while U.S. government opened it up for public. Those satellites are circling the Earth making two complete rotations every day. Their orbits are planned the way that at any time and anywhere on Earth there are at least four satellites “visible” in the sky. A GPS receiver locates four or more satellites from the signals those satellites send constantly towards the Earth, calculates the distance to each of the satellites and from this information calculates its’ absolute location on Earth. This process of pinpointing the location of the GPS receiver is based on mathematical principle called trilateration.

Let me explain a little about this principle regarding the GPS. It is a little tricky so if you don’t want to bother yourself with details - just skip this chapter. Like I said, GPS receiver locates the satellites and calculates the distance to them. Lets say for example receiver knows that Satellite_1 is located 20 miles from it. In the whole space Satellite_1 can be anywhere on a huge Sphere with radius of 20 miles around the receiver. If receiver also knows that Satellite_2 is located 30 miles from it, it can overlap the sphere of satellite_1 with the sphere of satellite_2. The spheres intersect in a perfect circle (think in 3 dimensions). The distance to the third satellites gives us a third sphere which intersects with the circle in two points. One of those points is located in space and the other located on Earth. This second point is actually the location of the GPS receiver. Using the Earth as fourth sphere, receiver is able to choose that second point and this way it knows its’ exact location on earth.

Basically GPS receiver needs to locate only three satellites but it always tries to locate as many satellites as possible because it improves the accuracy of the result.

The signals that satellites are constantly transmitting are high-frequency, low power radio waves which contain information about the satellite and its’ location. GPS receiver can calculate the distance to the satellite by counting the time it takes to the signal to get from the satellite to the receiver.

The whole process described above works well but it has inaccuracies due to several reasons like signal interference,weather and more. Differential GPS (DGPS) helps correct those inaccuracies. This enhancement is base on stations located on Earth. The hardware at those stations knows exactly the location of the station and constantly sends information to GPS receivers (but only to those in which this technology is implemented) how to correct their results so the will be more accurate.

Once the GPS receiver made the calculation, it can tell the latitude, the longitude and the altitude of its’ current position. This doesn’t tell much to the average user. So in order to make the use of the GPS receiver more user-friendly many receivers send this data to a program which displays a map and can show the position on it.

Well that’s it for this article and check for updates, because like I said at the top of this article there are two more articles on the way!

About The Author

Zvi Braverman is a student of electronic Engineering at the Tel-Aviv university. He is co-founder of 4Winds company which imports GPS equipment and designs GPS and Hi-tech solutions for personal users and organizations. More information about GPS products can be found here: http://www.rikaline.co.il.

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Why Build a Computer System

First we will look at why you would want to build a computer system. There are three main reasons often cited for building a computer system. The first is that it will save you a great deal of money. The second is that you will get exactly the computer system that you want. And finally, the third reason is that you can easily repair the system if anything goes wrong.

Building a computer to save money is most likely not a realistic goal. These days you can get some really inexpensive computer systems. With complete systems selling for under $500, it would be hard to build a computer system yourself that is going to beat that price by much.

However, there are some cost cutting options available. You might use many of the parts from your old computer system. This would save money, as there is probably no reason to replace such devices as the CD-ROM drive, floppy drive, or even case of the old computer system.

Additionally, once you have built your computer system, you can easily upgrade it. A computer system you built yourself can always be upgraded more easily than a "mass market PC". For example, if you need a faster processor just upgrade the processor and/or motherboard.

I think the biggest reason for building your own computer system is the second reason that I previously mentioned. You are able to get exactly the computer system that you want. If you want a certain type of graphics card, you can select it. You can pick the RAM that has the best access time for the money, and not what some large computer manufacturer got the best deal on that week. For the true computer enthusiast, this is the only way to go! For me, just being able to pick the exact case I want makes the process worthwhile.

Finally, computer systems that you built yourself are much easier to repair than "mass market PC’s". For one thing, this is a computer system that you built. You know where everything is at, and what it is for. Secondly, the computer system was built from common parts, so finding replacements will be easy. Very often large computer manufacturers will build computer systems with proprietary parts, which you can only obtain from the computer manufacturer.

How Complex is it to Build a Computer

Building a computer system is not as complex as you might think. The only tools that you will need are screwdrivers. If you have ever added an expansion card to your computer, you are almost half-way to building your own system.

The most complex part is making sure that everything is compatible with everything else that you buy. You need to line up the specs exactly between your parts. For example, if you buy a motherboard with DDR2 RAM memory, you need to make sure your RAM is DDR2.

Once you get all of the required components together you have only to assemble your new computer. You will have purchased a case, motherboard, RAM, hard drive, CD-ROM drives, floppy drive, video card and audio card. Now you have only to assemble them. This usually takes only a few hours and no tools other than the screwdrivers you likely already own. Plus, it is very hard to damage anything. Most cables are keyed so that you are not able to plug them in backwards.

Heaton Research has a complete tutorial, including many photos, of how to build your own computer system.

Jeff Heaton is an author, college instructor, and consultant. Jeff lives in Chesterfield (St. Louis), Missouri. The author of four books and over two dozen journal and magazine articles, Jeff specializes in Internet, socket-level/spidering and Artificial Intelligence programming. A Sun Certified Java Programmer and a member of the IEEE Jeff holds a Masters Degree in Information Management from Washington University in St. Louis.

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Black glasses with masking tape holding them together and a pocket protector are no longer a required part of the uniform for GPS owners. GPS has gone mainstream. But if you’re still not up to date on what it is and how it works, and if you’d like some advice on what to buy, this article will bring you up to speed.

A GPS device is like a map on steroids. First of all, it always gives you that little “You Are Here” dot - you no longer need to figure that out for yourself. And all you need to do is tell it where you want to go and it will plot the course for you. It doesn’t end there, however. New GPS units will provide you with voice guided directions for the entire trip, tell you where the nearest gas station is, and will even put you back on course if you take a wrong turn.

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, a system of 28 satellites orbiting earth. It was originally developed for military use, but its uses have spread far beyond just military applications. Your GPS unit can receive signals from these satellites, and by using these signals, calculates your position (within 3-10 meters), direction, altitude, and velocity. Once your GPS unit knows where you are, it can help you get to where you’re going as long as it has mapping software installed. All but the most basic GPS devices currently have mapping software.

Now that you know a little bit about what a GPS device is and how it works, it’s time to educate yourself on the features available and decide which unit will best suit your needs. There is certainly no shortage of GPS devices available, so doing a little research can save you a lot of time and hassle.

Step 1 - Which type of GPS do you need?

There are four main types of GPS units; the car navigation system, the portable outdoors unit, the marine system, and the PDA/GPS hybrid.

If you’re mainly planning on using your GPS to get you from point A to B in your car and don’t think you’d use it for much else, your best bet is the in-car navigation system. These systems can be built in to your car or you can purchase a device that mounts onto your dashboard. Desirable features for the in-car systems are: voice guided directions; detailed built in maps; touch screens; rerouting in case you get off course; and a database with points of interest to help you find the nearest gas station, restaurant, and many more places along your route.

If you’re going to want a GPS device that isn’t limited to the car, then you may want to consider a handheld GPS (http://www.gpsmaestro.com/handheld). These devices are ideal for anyone who loves to hike or bike. Features to look for in a handheld unit are: lightweight, rugged, waterproofing, long battery life, color screens, and mapping features. The handheld GPS units are geared towards people who spend a significant amount of time outside. For example, if you’re out hiking you can easily track where you’ve been; mark your own points of interest; and even find out how far you’ve gone and at what speed. Many new handheld devices offer some navigation features while driving. You can even purchase handheld units that offer built in radios that will not only allow you to communicate with other members of your party, but will also display everyone’s location on your screen.

If being on the water and fishing is your thing then you should probably consider a marine GPS. These units are specifically designed to be on and around water. All of these units will feature waterproofing and should have screens that are easy to read even in bright sunlight. Some other good features to look for are: color chart plotters, onshore and offshore maps, fish hotspots, and sonar capability. You may also want to consider a unit that will function as your car navigator, eliminating the need for two devices.

The final category of GPS device is the PDA/GPS hybrid. This device offers a good combination of the car navigation systems and handheld devices. You’ll get the large screen that you’d find in the car system and the portability of a handheld unit. Also, you get a PDA to help you keep organized. One drawback is the limited selection of these units. Only a few companies have attempted to make an integrated unit, and all have some serious limitations.

If you are considering a PDA/GPS hybrid, I’d recommend you purchase the PDA separately from the GPS. Find a PDA that offers all the features you want in your PDA, then look for a GPS receiver that will attach to your PDA via Bluetooth. The features to watch for are the same as listed for the in car systems. All of the current PDA/GPS devices are better suited towards driving than hiking, although they do offer the portability for outdoor activities if needed. This category probably offers the most potential of the four, but it is also the newest, so watch for significant improvements in this category in the future.

Step 2 - Budget Considerations

If you’re on a budget, then it’s important to decide which features are most important to you. If you want a full featured car navigation system, it can easily run over $1000 (and over $2000 if you want one that’s built in). If, however, it would be more of a toy to play with, then a handheld device could be a better choice as they can be as low as $100 and are rarely more than $500. Marine GPS devices vary widely in prices, but a very good device can usually be purchased for no more than $1000. If the PDA/GPS devices interest you, they typically range from $400-$900.

Step 3 - Where to Buy

Finding the right store to purchase your GPS device can be difficult. Most stores only carry one or two kinds of GPS. For example, if you go to a sporting goods store you’re likely to find the handheld GPS units and marine GPS units but not the car navigation or the PDA/GPS hybrids. I actually prefer shopping online for GPS units as the prices will likely be lower, and you’ll be able to read user reviews of the items before you buy. Just make sure that if you have a problem with your GPS you are able to return it.

Owning a GPS can be extremely helpful, especially if you tend to get lost a lot or if your glove compartment is overflowing with outdated maps. They can also make planning a long trip to an unfamiliar area a breeze. Deciding which GPS to purchase can be difficult, but as long as you make a list of the features you absolutely must have then all you have to do is find the units that match your budget. Read reviews from other owners and you should have no trouble at all. Once you purchase your own GPS unit, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one.

About The Author

Gary Ruplinger is the webmaster and writer for GPS Maestro, site offering tips, tools, and reviews for GPS Devices. To learn more, please visit http://www.gpsmaestro.com.

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Motorola Razr for CDMA Users

Motorola is marketing different phones for men and women. Moto’s newest line of pink and blue Razr offspring seems to assume that there are men who will prefer blue and women who will want the pink one. They’re probably right!

The classic Silver Motorola Razr captured the lion’s share of new cell phone buying over the past year or so, causing Motorola to encroach on Nokia’s enviable leading position.

Motorola is planning to cash in on its huge success with the razor thin look and feel of the original Razr v3. The NPD Group, a leading cellular market researcher, found that Motorola cell phone sales accounted for 30% of the 31.6 million cell phones sold in the third quarter of 2005. The Motorola V3i with iTunes software and the Pink and Blue cell phones promise to give Motorola an ever-increasing share of the cell phone market.

People who care about how they look or want to make a statement, will be the first to get their Motorola Razr fix. These Razr thin phones are ceating a lot of attention - making them must-haves in some circles.

Mazal Tov!The Motorola Razor family is growing by four new members; Motorola RAZR Pink (RAZR PNK?) and Razr Blue, (RAZR BLU?) plus two new versions - Motorola CDMA RAZR for Verizon with EVDO and Motorola RAZR V3i (with iTunes). The new Razr phones include all the great features as the original models. The Blue and Pink versions are really style updates designed to make your cell phone an accessory - like a stylish watch.

The new CDMA version of Razr (for Verizon) will satisfy the appetite of Verizon Wireless subscribers who have long ogled over Cingular and T-Mobile’s Razr offerings. The Razr V3i aims to redeem Motorola’s slightly tarnished reputation when it comes to MP3 phones. Unlike the Rocker which had only music going for it, with the Razr V3i the MP3 capability is essentially an add-on.

The Motorola has not made a statement about the chosen carrier for the Motorola v3i many are speculating that Cingular is the choice. Besides being Razr thin like the original Razr v3 the new v3i has added appeal with the inclusion of the Apple i-Tunes software like on the Motorola ROKR released in September in by Cingular, Apple and Motorola. Cingular just slashed the price of the Motorola ROKR by 40% and several leading cell phone dealers like AmericanCell and YouNeverCall now have the Motorola phone available for free with the purchase of a new Cingular plan.

Until now the Motorola Rokr is the only cell phone around that plays tunes from the iTunes Music Store. Another new addition to the ever increasing Motorola Razr family is new Razr VC which operates on networks of CDMA standard wireless EVDO. Christmas holiday season shopping has now been enhanced with the inclusion of the Razr V3i which sports a 1.23-megapixel digital camera with 8x digital zoom, video capture and a full-screen viewfinder.

Additional features include a hot plugging memory card, a display with sixty-five K color support and built-in Bluetooth. For the late summer-early fall season Motorola earned a profit of $1.75 billion on revenue of $9.42 billion. Motorola stated that its monetary gains for this period were all due to the tremendous success of the Motorola Razr v3. Now Motorola is hoping to further push its financial gains for the next quarter! We’ll wait and see.

About The Author

Sam Michelson is a cell phone maven with over 10 years of hi-tech product marketing experience. Over the past 3 years, his company YouNeverCall- http://www.younevercall.com has become one of the internet’s most successful independent cell phone stores.

Sam Michelson’s blog http://www.mphone.net

http://www.mphone.net features many of his reviews and commentary on the cell phone industry and market trends.

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There differences are found in the way in which they display their pictures. Plasma TV technology is made up of hundreds of thousands of little pixels, each capable of displaying red, green, and blue colors. A plasma monitor often consists of two panels, which are filled with an inert gas, such as xenon or neon. When the pixels are excited by pulses of electricity, the gas becomes liquid, thus generating light. This light in turn then illuminates the pixels, causing them to display the appropriate color to form a picture.

LCD panels function in a very similar manner. A panel of thin-film-transmitters, or TFT, sends electricity to cells filled with liquid crystal. When the cells are struck by the electricity, the liquid crystals allow light to filter through. Unlike the pixels found in plasma TVs, LCD monitors create color by blocking out the appropriate wavelengths from white light.

So which is better? The answer to this question depends upon what you plan to use TV for. Do you just want to use it to watch movies and television? If so, then a plasma TV might be best, because they are capable of a higher better color saturation and contrast than their LCD counterparts and for displaying moving images. If you plan in spending a lot of time showing digital photography or plan on using the monitor with your computer, then a LCD display might be better suited to these purposes.

Both plasma and LCD technologies each have their advantages and disadvantages and your decision should ultimately be based on your monitor’s application.

Tom Ace is the founder of Plasma tv Resources a website providing information on plasma televisions.

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Just recently launched by Motorola is the new RAZR V3 black model. If your into looks and want to show off this is the phone for you, yet suprisingly for its pricetag and its looks - it lacks brains. If you are like most people and use your phone for making phone calls and text messages and basic scheduling then this is the phone for you. However if your looking for a system capable of pleasing the most detail and task oriented person, this phone definitely falls short.

Functions

Motorola has done a wonderful job, like most other cell phone manufacturers, at providing users with the same interface. Motorola seems to only add minor improvments and adjustments to thier design, but for the most part nothing signifigant has changed. As such previous Motorola phone users will find it easy to navigate through the RAZR’s LCD screen menu and at the same time there for new users there is hardly any learning curve.

From the home screen, the menu key and the D-Pad select key open the main menu, the only time when the two share a function. The softkeys, D-Pad direction keys and the side key can all be customized as shortcuts. Navigation is very consistent. the left softkey is always back or delete, the right softkey and D-Pad select are always select or action. The menu key only opens an options menu when its logo, which is a menu icon, is displayed.

When accessing the menus there is only a small pause when opening applications. The only time there is an exceptional pause time is when accessing the downloads section. When launching the downloads menu, a huge Java logo takes over the screen for about 4-5 seconds the first time it is launched after turning on the phone. However as long as the phone has memory to keep the engine running, that wait time is reduced to a split second.

When the clamshell phone is closed no applications will run on the phone other than the camera. If you are in the middle of an application when flipping the phone it will cancel your appication.

Extras

There is no camera button on this phone, you need to assign a hotkey to the camera to use. Either way it takes 2 seconds to launch the camera when you decide to do so.

The lends of the camera is placed very close to the hinge so if you hold your phone naturally like most other users you will most likely be covering the lends with your fingers. You will mostly likely end up needing to hold the phone by the base to keep it steady which also allows for you to easily press the D-Pad to take the picture.You can adjust the zoon and brightness from the viewfinder by using the D-Pad. Out of all the different brightness presets none of them seem to work at all but the default preset does a fine job at adjusting to lighting differences.

Pictures take anywhere from 2 to 5 seconds to save, and that time has nothing to do with picture resolution, or how much free memory the phone has - it is completely unpredictable. If you do not expressly state that you want to store a picture then your picture will get deleted - this by far is one of the biggest software blunders on any name-brand phone.

After taking a picture, the two soft buttons read discard and store. If you hit any button other than store, for example end to quickly return to the home screen, your photo will be deleted. Worse, after you’ve hit store, and the phone takes a few seconds to save the photo, you are presented with a second menu asking what to do with the stored photo. Again, if you do anything other than select one of the choices, your photo will be deleted. This adds up to over 5 seconds wasted between every photo, and a high likelyhood that you will lose a number of photos until you adjust to this puzzling system.

In Conclusion

The RAZR is a high quality phone that everyone should be able use. Not including the unusability of the screen outdoor; this phone is an excellent phone. Signal strength is great, sound quality and talk time are good, and the camera is exteremly useful.

But despite all the physical features that make the phone wonderful, there are just as many negative aspects when we consider the phones software. When taking a look at this phone you can tell the amount of effort put into the physical design was not matched in the implementation of the software. It is not user friendly. Motorola has been using the same software for all thier phones for some time now and its time to upgrade the dinosaur operating system, which will indeed happen with the new E895 model.

So for those who just use thier phones for simple taks this phone is for you. But for people that are heavy phone users this phone will most likely turn out to be very frustrating as there are many quirks that need to be worked out.

About The Author

Jason Miller

For More Information on the RAZR V3 and Other Models, and info on unlocking your phones: http://www.free-motorola-razr.com.

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What is open source? The webopedia describes it as follows: Generically, open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge, i.e., open. Open source code is typically created as a collaborative effort in which programmers improve upon the code and share the changes within the community. Open source sprouted in the technological community as a response to proprietary software owned by corporations.

Not all open source programs are worth downloading, but there are a few that merit further attention, including:

1. PHP Originally called Personal Home Page, PHP is the backbone of many message boards. Yes, you can use proprietary software such as vBulletin, but you will pay a licensing fee and fees for updates. For one site, the cost may not be prohibitive, but if you run several sites your costs can easily become a significant part of your budget. Search the internet for a free PHP provider such as PHPBB2.

2. Web Templates Finding decent templates does not have to cost you dearly. There are sites offering some very well made templates that would cost you as much as $100 if purchased separately. Naturally, “everyone” downloads the copies, but you can modify it accordingly to give it your own look. The best ones are CSS derived and web standard compliant.

3. Web Browsers Internet Explorer isn’t the only name in town when talking about web browsers. Yes, they are dominant, but so many web savvy folks have tired of Microsoft’s dominance and are switching to Netscape, Firefox, Opera, and Safari to name a few.

4. Email Client Thunderbird is the name of another project developed by the people who brought to you Firefox. With Thunderbird you can send and receive email, stop SPAM, and add plugins to design the program the way you want it to look.

5. Office Software MS Office rules as WordPerfect barely hangs on. Still, there are options to these two productivity suites in the form of OpenOffice.org. A big freebie associated with this site is the *pdf maker, saving you lots of money over purchasing Adobe Acrobat. Certainly OpenOffice isn’t as snazzy as MS Office, but for the price — F-R-E-E — it is worth a look.

Are all open source products great? No, absolutely not. Some proprietary software developed by corporations are far superior and worth it to you if you do not have the time or inclination to make a move to open source. Still, open source provides a wonderful alternative to cash strapped and Microsoft weary web developers. In a day when corporations throw their considerable influence around, it is nice to see developers donating their talents to the worldwide web. Become a part of the growing open source movement today!

Matt Keegan is an article writer and web designer who enjoys using various open source programs. Please visit The Article Writer at http://www.thearticlewriter.com for samples of some of his work.

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