Andy chats about the latest technology and interesting websites each week with Nerissa Pace on the "Talking back the night" radio show, heard across Australia.

 
Top 3 websites
http://www.allmyfaves.com
The All my faves website is a visual directory of websites selected across a number of catagories as being the best in their field.

http://www.randomwebsite.net/
As the name suggests, a single click on a button really will take you to a random website.

http://www.igotclocked.com/
This online store lets you upload photos of yourself or someone you know which are then made into a wall clock.
We’re not just talking about having your face on the clock back ground, but a clock where the arms in the photo act as the clock hands!

Feature Chat – A mobile phone that tells you when it has been stolen.

The problem of mobile phone theft is global…but over the last few years there have been initiatives to crack down on handset theft.
Prevention is your best bet against loss and you can get some tips on that topic at www.mindyourmobile.com.au

Every owner should also record the 15 digit identification number, known as the IMEI, which is unique to their phone.

The quickest way to find this number is to type *#06# into your handset and it will appear on the screen.

If youre mobile is stolen you can report give this number to your phone company and the police to have the handset blocked from being used by anyone on any network…rendering it worthless.

That’s a good deterent for theives, but it doesn’t stop you from having your mobile phone stolen…but Samsung have some up with a great concept called uTrack which may improve your chances of catching a crook and getting your phone back.

The idea is that you pre-program your phone to send a special messge to some of your family and friends…that message is only sent if your phone detects a SIM card other than your own placed in it. So…soemone steals your phone, ditches your SIM card and puts their own in….your friends or family receive a message from your phone and you instantly have the number of either the theif or the person who paid for stolen goods….get the cops onto it!

There are a bunch of new phones with the uTrack feature, get more info at www.samsung.com.au/mobile

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Top 3 websites – ebay alternatives

http://www.oztion.com.au
In just two years this website has become the 2nd largest Australian auction website.This is probably as close to ebay as you’ll get with 1.5 million members and 450 thousand items for sale.

http://www.lot123.com
Here’s a much smaller, but still locally operated auction and classifeds website.The big selling point for lot123.com is that listing your item for sale doesn’t come with any fees…only when you actually find a buyer will you pay a fee.

http://www.graysonline.com.au
This auction site is a bit differnet as you’re bidding on clearance lots from large companies, not individuals.You’ll find good deals on all sorts of goods from wine to computers. The navigation isn’t the easiest, but put some time in and you’ll find the deals.

Feature Chat – Portable Data storage and backup

Writeable CDs
Jumping back to 1996, A blank or writable CD cost upwards of 20 dollars and didn’t take up much space on retailer’s shelves due to the low demand. Now, you’ll find writeable CDs on supermarket shelves for less than a dollar each, but as they only store 700 Megabytes of data, they are only really good for making music compilations, not really the best for backing up large files.

Writable DVDs
This form of blank media on the other hand is better suited to data backup and making your own DVD movies from video you’ve shot on your handycam. You can fit 4.7 gigabyes on a standard DVD, or the newer double layer standard can fit 8.5 gigabytes of whatever you like. Again the cost has come down and blank DVD media can cost just a few dollars each, with a DVD burner easily found for between 100 and 200 dollars - or most new computers already have them.

Portable reusable storage – USB drives
Something that’s really taken off is the USB Drive, also known as a flash drive or even Thumb drive because of its size. These are perfect for moving data between computers and for carrying files when you don’t really need to have a notebook computer with you. The first USB drives could only had a storage capacity of up to 64 megabytes and cost hundreds…now for less than 100 dollars you can find a USB drive that stores 2 gigabytes of data!

Data Backup – external hard drive
Finally, if you really want to be diligent about protecting the data on your computer, I’d suggest buying an external hard drive with software to automatically back up the files on your computer.Capable of storing hundreds of gigabytes of data, one of these will set you back hundreds of dollars, but once installed will give you piece of mind agains losing your precious files.

"Avoid dangerous websites using McAfee SiteAdvisor - A FREE download from siteadvisor.com - Don't search or surf without it!"

 
Top 3 websites
http://www.itsnotcheating.com.au
On this website students can get Microsoft Office Ultimate edition from as low at $25 for a one year licence, or $75 for a perpetual license.

http://www.beneful.com.au/dogspace
Put our dogs profile up for free and start making friends with other dogs, exchanging bones…that sort of thing.

http://www.howmanyofme.com
Find out how many people in the U.S.A have the same name as you.


Feature Chat – new gadgets!

ASUS Lamborghini Notebook
As you’d expect anything that has the Lamborghini name on it has to be high performance…and the VX2 Lamborghini notebook has plenty of grunt.
I won’t get too high tech, but the basics are a 2.16 gig core 2 duo processor, up to 2gig RAM, and a high-end graphics card.
Now this Lamboghini notebook isn’t cheap coming in at just under 4 thousand dollars…but what you’re paying for is the name…and the style…the Yellow finish is pretty slick.

Get more info at http://www.asus.com.au/

Motorola RED Motorazr V3 (to aid african AIDS programs)

Motorola and optus have teamed up to release special MOTO RED phones that will help generate funds towards the fight to eliminate AIDS in Africa.
The first handset to be released is the RED MOTORAZR V3 Motorola Bluetooth Headset H500 bundle with more on the throughout the year.

By simply purchasing a mobile phone from the new MOTO RED collection – you’ll get a great mobile phone but you’ll also be doing your bit against the global AIDS epidemic.

In dollars that means that Motorola and Optus will contribute $19.80 together to the global fund for each RED MOTORAZR V3 bundle sold.

Get out the phones and details at http://au.motorola.com/red or www.JOINRED.com

"Avoid dangerous websites using McAfee SiteAdvisor - A FREE download from siteadvisor.com - Don't search or surf without it!"

 
Top websites - The Webby Awards

The Webby awards have been around for over 11 years and is run by a body of over 500 leading web experts, creative minds and business people.

This years webby awards recieved over 8000 entries from 50 countries....and while there are plenty of catagories, only the top sites pick up an award as voted by the organisers and the voting public.

Here are some of the highlights....

www.howstuffworks.com (a site that we mentioned last week) picked up the award for best copywriting...there's enough info on the site! They also won the award for best Education website.
www.sony.com won the award for the best welcome page on a website

The best community site went to www.flickr.com - if you haven't seen this website, it really is a great way to share photos with the world.

The best games website as voted by the people was www.miniclip.com while the www.theonion.com got voted in as the best humour site.

If you love looking at photos of cute animals, the top weird site in the Webby awards is worth checking out at www.cuteoverload.com

The Webby person of the year actually went to two people, Steve Chen and Chad Hurley…the founders of www.youtube.com

The full list of winners and finalists can be found at www.webbyawards.com

Feature Chat - Cleaning your computer

Computer keyboards and mice are the most prone to picking up grime....especially if you're in the habit of eating near your computer (yes even i'm guilty of that one).

First things first....to clean your computer you need to switch it off...and just to be sure, unplug it from the wall too.

A few DO NOTS first for computer cleaning.
DONT use household cleaners on any part of your computer.
DONT switch your computer on if any part of it is damp

Now...the keyboard...turn it upside down and give it a gentle shake...you'll be suprised what stuff comes out...skin, hair, breadcrumbs.
That will remove the loose muck...now grab a can of compressed air (which you'll find at Dick Smith or other computer stores) and use it to blow between the keys to remove anything that's left.

Computer screen - Grab yourself some anti-static LCD wet wipes which you'll also find at computer stores - use these to gently wipe the screen and you'll be suprised how much dust you pick up!

Your mouse - If you still have a mouse with a rubber ball inside it, these are the worst for collecting muck - open up the mouse, remove the ball and use a cotton bud with some rubbing alcohol to clean the rollers inside.

I then recommend that u grab an optical mouse...no moving parts to collect grime (ok, except for the scroll wheel if your mouse has one)

It's recommended that you clean your computer at least twice a year...and try and keep the food away from it!

More info on cleaning your computer at - https://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/cleancomputer.mspx

 
Top 3 websites
ninemsn.com.au/fashionweek
Australian fashion followers from all over the country can have front row tickets to Sydney Fashion Week through ninemsn.

www.biggestloserclub.com.au
If you tuned into the biggest loser show this year then you might be inspired to take up your own Biggest Loser journey from the comfort of home.

www.howstuffworks.com
If you want to know how anything works from traffic lights to spontaneous human combustion then this is the site for you.

Feature Chat – Tips for buying a new computer

Your choices...
* Buy directly from a company such as Dell who sell via a website
* From a retail store such as Harvey Norman
* From a specialist computer store.

I tend to think that if you are very clear on what you want, going Direct is a great option (I’ve bought a number of Dell computers which have been great)

The retail option is also good to pick up a bargain (for example you’ll often find a system that’s not quite the latest that they want to clear) but the trick can be finding a sales person who knows what they are selling.

Finally, the specialist computer shop…this option gives you the opportunity of having a custom built machine to match your budget and the advantage of having a warranty from someone you can speak to face-to-face if anything goes wrong.

Budget is always a big factor…but generally my advice is that if you want something that’s not going to be outdated next week, spend as much as you can afford to take advantage of the latest technology….and don’t be afraid to shop around and do some research.

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