Basics for Beginners - Interrupt19

What is a Femtocell?

Mar 29th, 2010

AT&T MicroCell Photo courtesy of AT&T

Femtocells are in the news lately, especially with AT&T’s announcement of an upcoming nationwide rollout, beginning in April. However, they aren’t the only ones in the Femtocell game. Sprint and Verizon are running trials in select US cities and T-Mobile is testing them in Europe.

Let’s explore what exactly is a Femtocell, what does it do, and should you consider one.

What To Look For In An External Hard Drive

Mar 25th, 2010

by David Balogh in Basics for Beginners

Logo by DeclanTM Photo courtesy of DeclanTM

Out of all the accessories for a computer, one of the most useful is an external hard drive. With more and more of your life on your computer’s hard drive, the more files you’ll accumulate. Whether you want extra storage space, an easy way to work with large files on multiple computers, a backup solution, or just a place to keep your data, an external hard drive is a must have.

Shopping for one can be a bit tricky. There’s many brands, sizes, interfaces and price points. Here’s what to look for to determine what you need and what to shop for:

Securing Your Mobile Device at a Wireless Hotspot

Mar 15th, 2010

by David Balogh in Basics for Beginners

McDonalds Love Free WiFi Ad by Curiouslee Photo courtesy of Curiouslee

Wireless hotspots are convenient, and with mobile devices such as the iPhone, Blackberry, iPod Touch, Android phones, the iPad and other wireless gadgets, its not just laptops connecting anymore.

With a free and unencrypted connection in a public space, its just as easy and convienient for someone else to monitor your internet traffic.

Here’s what you can do to secure yourself and your mobile device in a free public wireless hotspot.

What to Look for in a Solid State Drive (SSD)

Mar 11th, 2010

by David Balogh in Basics for Beginners

More SSD Action by Jeff Wilcox Photo courtesy of Jeff Wilcox

Current Hard Drives are using the same basic technology that drives used beck in the 1950s. Sure, size, speeds and interfaces have changed but its still a platter spinning with a read/write head hovering over it like a needle on a record.

Solid State Drives (SSDs) are the next wave in Hard Drive technology. With no mechanical parts, no noise, less power requirements and less susceptibility to damage, its a no brainer that they’re better. However, SSD technology is still very much on the cutting edge and not all perform equally well.

Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know about SSDs in order to purchase one that works well for you.

Speed up and Secure the Web by Blocking Flash

Feb 15th, 2010

by David Balogh in Basics for Beginners

Photo courtesy of Adobe Flash Player

Adobe’s Flash is everywhere on the internet. Its great, allowing sites to display video content, games, animation, and interactive media. Its also a resource hog, slows down your page loading time, a security risk and can be annoying when you don’t want it. How do you have Flash when you want it, not when you don’t, without having to uninstall it?