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By Jeremy Cohn in Technology

appleMac owners and future Mac owners, behold the latest advancement for your computers. Apple has recently introduced OS X Lion. This is basically a new operating system with a lot of features to offer. Apple is on a mission to change the way we use computers and this is certainly a step towards achieving that. The new operating system or OS has a lot to offer just by looking at the reviews found on their website. It’s amazing how they managed to incorporate all of these features into OS X Lion. This will definitely redefine the use of Mac computers.

If you think that is all you’re in for a treat. Asides from all the valuable features the OS has to offer, OS X Lion doesn’t need to be bought in a store. Instead all you have to do is go to the online Mac store. Unlike other operating systems that are installed through discs, OS X Lion is fully downloadable. Assuming you have paid for it, you can download it directly to your computer and install it. This is a very convenient way for people to acquire an operating system which certainly is beneficial. Seeing that this is a new OS packed with valuable features, you will need to meet some hardware requirements. You can find the requirements on the Apple website. Once everything is set you will be able to install OS X Lion and make use of all the features that it offers. Meeting the requirements is important in order for you to have all of the features enabled.

One of the new features included in OS X Lion is the introduction of Multi-Touch Gestures. This particular feature changes user interaction. There are a set of commands that can be executed with the swipe of your fingers. Another advantage of this OS is that it maximizes your Mac’s display to its full potential. You will be able to view your apps in full screen even at the same time.

Launchpad has also been updated and looks more user-friendly. Other great features include the resume and auto save feature. You will be able to access your work anytime and on any given day as it was originally. Auto save is very useful since the usual manual process of saving is time consuming and is sometimes forgotten.

This is certainly good news for all the Mac owners. If you don’t own a Mac computer or getting a Mac repair, you might consider buying a new one after reading about all of the features. It won’t be long till new technology will be incorporated into other Apple products. So if are getting an iPhone repair or have other Apple products, this is certainly good news. The introduction of OS X Lion sets a new standard when comes to operating systems. All of the features are available to you at the click of a button.

Jeremy C enjoys writing about all things related to computers and Apple products. When it comes to computers, he relies on mac repair phoenix for updates on Mac computers. To learn about Apple products please refer to iPhone repair phoenix. To get the latest updates on Mac visit http://macmasterservice.com

By Pat Lindle in Technology

netneutralityNinety percent of the Internet population has no clue what the term ” Net Neutrality” is, although they enjoy the fruits of it on a daily basis. If it were to end today the Internet as we have come to know it would cease to exist.

This is not an alarmist conspiracy theory; it is a fact.

The idea is on the table and it will not be long before it is being pushed as the agenda of the day. Read on to know more about net neutrality and how it affects us all.

Let’s examine what it is and what we stand to loose by its loss. As the Internet is operated now, all traffic is sent at the same speed no matter where it comes from. Granted, when you buy web hosting, you can pay more to get better hosting (and thus faster webpages and happier customers).

But when it comes to actual internet service, this is not the case. So the playing field is level. Now imagine if the large corporations could pay to have their sites given preferential treatment. What if they could pay to have all traffic to and from their sites sent faster and before sites that couldn’t afford to pay. What would that do to free Internet enterprise? How would the mom and pop survive?

As it stands today a small business and large corporation all get the same shot at traffic. As a devoted small business consulting agent, this makes me optimistic. But if the proposal set forth by both Google and Verizon gets inserted it will drastically change the way the Internet is run. The powers that be want you to believe that it will only affect certain mobile devices but if it gets a foothold it won’t stop there. Really it never does when it comes to squeezing the little guy out.

Although nothing has been solidified the fact that the ISP’s are entertaining this idea is a bit frightening. They control the cables that carry the information around the states and around the world. Whenever you use the Internet your request is sent through somebody’s cables.

As it stands it’s done at the same speed for everyone large or small but if you can pay to get yours sent before others this gives you an edge and you can bet the ones with the deepest pockets will get the greatest edge. The wheels of capitalism churn and the little guy always get the short end of the stick. The time to act on this is now before it gets started.

We have to make our voices heard. We have to speak up and speak out before the Internet goes the way of everything else in this society. The rich will get richer and the poor will struggle to make ends meet. We cannot afford to let this become the private stomping grounds of the moneyed set. We cannot afford to let money be the guiding influence of this the last hope of those trying to get ahead in America.

For more information, feel free to contact Mr. Lindle at www.smallbusinessconsultingco.com. Pat is also a chief investor at the web hosting expert site www.buywebhosting.co.

By David Laurent Guffroy in Technology

technologyQuantum computing has the potential to revolutionize the way that we use computers and the internet. Unlike traditional binary computing, in which bits must take the form of either a 0 or a 1, in quantum computing it is possible for Q-bits, as they are called, to take intermediate forms. A Q-bit can be both 0 and 1 at the same time. This increases the range of possibilities and enables quantum computing to be far more powerful than conventional computing.

The speed at which a computer can work is largely dependent on its transistors. A quantum transistor can increase the speed of a computer since it is able to work significantly faster than a conventional transistor. Quantum transistors have been created using the concepts of quantum physics that enable particles to communicate across space without actually touching. In the quantum transistor, one beam of light is used to control the properties of another beam of light. This means that information can be communicated far more rapidly than with a conventional transistor. Information can be transferred without the need for any substance to actually travel the distance. The development of quantum computing will depend upon the discovery of methods of harnessing the power of quantum entanglement or of developing superconductors.

The development of quantum computing and the quantum internet has some important implications for cybersecurity. Rather than simply reacting to threats and problems once they have already arisen, the quantum internet may enable us to take a much more proactive approach to cybersecurity.

This is because the quantum internet will enable us to tackle security at the level of bits, which is not an approach that is possible with conventional computing. Currently, a bit must either resister a 0 or a 1, but in quantum computing, it is possible for bits to register both 0 and 1 simultaneously. When a quantum bit assumes its value, it is impossible for the bit to be copied without the sender becoming aware of it. This is because copying the bit would cause its state to change. Any threat to security would therefore be detected immediately, at the bit level. Internet users would always know when their security or privacy had been threatened, which would make surreptitious attacks impossible.

Quantum technology is currently being developed that will help bring this form of protection into reality for consumers in the near future. Quantum computing could be contributing to improved cybersecurity for everyone within the next 20 years.

David Laurent Guffroy is founder of Etrading.cc, a domain names brokerage service and has created an anti cybersquatting network, anti-cybersquatting.com, a non-profit organization with the goal of helping companies in the battle against cybersquatting.

By Jacob Colton in Technology

IPv6Are IP addresses actually running about? What does it mean when / if they do? Do I need to do anything? We are going to answer all these questions (and hopefully a few more as well).

What is an IP address?

An IP address is a unique ID given to every device that is connected to the Internet. This means computers, routers, phones, etc. An example of a current (referred to as IPv4) address is 84.18.207.4.

What happens when we run out?

There will not be an instant impact, the internet will not stop working! :) IP addresses are finite, currently IP addresses are assigned from a central source, to local registries around the world, who in turn allocate these to end users. The final large blocks of IPv4 space have now been allocated to these registries, so there will be free IPv4 addresses, but once these are allocated to end users there will be no more. Many ISPs also have space left in their existing ranges (e.g. catalyst2 still have plenty left for any new servers we add to our network etc).

The problem really comes when these addresses are used in the near future, and as large countries such as China have more widespread use of the internet, the demand for these IP addresses will grow. Therefore we need a new range of IP’s to support the Internet’s future growth.

So where do all the new IP address appear from?

They come from a new way of addressing, called IPv6. Rather than being 32bit addresses, as with IPv4 (with 4,294,967,296 unique addresses), IPv6 addresses are 128bit creating many more addresses. The new system will generate trillions of trillions of addresses,
340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 to be exact! In essence this means that every person in the world could have a 50 thousand trillion trillion addresses without any problem.

Do I need to do anything?

Nope, it will just happen. Your Internet provider will eventually sort everything out at their end our network has been capable of this new addressing system for the last 6 years. We can already allocated IPv6 addresses to our dedicated servers and if required some shared hosting accounts.

When are you actually likely to see this happening?

The first time you are likely to see people testing IPv6 on a major scale is June 8th 2011. The likes of Facebook, Google, Yahoo and catalyst2 will be switching to v6 for the day to test everything. It is currently estimated that 95.95% of people will see no difference but a tiny percentage of people may experience due to old / incorrectly configured equipment.

Any questions, just let us know.

catalyst2 is a company that provides managed web hosting and managed dedicated servers to businesses across the UK. We provide a 100% network uptime guarantee for all dedicated server customers. We include backups, smart protection and 247 support as part of our managed dedicated server offering. Contact us today for more information. www.catalyst2.com/managed-dedicated-servers

By Titus Hoskins in Technology

technologyLaptop and computer technology changes at such a blistering pace, there is something new almost daily. Just when computer users were getting their heads around the confusing i3, i5 and i7 processors – Intel comes out with its new 2nd generation Core processors which have been codenamed Sandy Bridge. These processors offer much greater performance with hyper threading, multi cores, overclocking and much more robust integrated graphics. Computers and laptops with these new Sandy Bridge processors are currently hitting the marketplace.

There are, as of January 2011, around 29 variants or versions of these processors. So you have 14 desktop and 15 mobile models to choose from when buying that new PC or laptop. For the mobile market at the low end you have the i5-2537M which can have 2/4 cores at 1.4GHz and with turbo boost to 2.3GHz. At the high end we have i7-2920XM with 4 to 8 cores at 2.5GHz and turbo boost to 3.5GHz. For the desktop market we have a little more higher specs, for example the Intel Core i7 2600K at 3.4GHz with turbo boost to 3.8GHz.

What’s so special about Sandy Bridge?

As with the 1st Generation Core Processors, the emphasis is again on Hyper Threading for all your multi-tasking and on Turbo Boost to give you peak performance when you need it.

You can have 4-way or even 8-way processing with Hyper Threading to do several tasks at the same time. You also have a larger cache size which will give you better responsiveness when multi-tasking on your computer or laptop.

Graphics seems to have taken a big improvement (well within reason) with these new chipsets, Intel has introduced its own built-in HD Graphics 3000 which should be good enough for causal gaming, but for high-demanding games you will probably still need discrete graphics especially for gaming at the highest resolutions or settings. However, this is still a step forward for Intel regarding graphics, especially when it comes to HD and 3D images. Plus, Quick Synch Video is a feature which will make video editing and sharing a breeze.

Keep in mind, what makes these new Sandy Bridge processors very popular is overclocking, especially with the high end ones. Gamers who demand the highest specs will no doubt be very pleased since the higher end processors will come unlocked. For those who want the best performance possible, an upgrade to Sandy Bridge will be a no-brainer. However, for the causal PC or laptop user, their current CPUs will probably do. Besides how much processing power do you need to send an email, check your Facebook page or watch the latest viral YouTube video?

In other words, if you’re not into computer gaming or need a high performance computer for video editing or processing, you really don’t need to upgrade just for the sake of upgrading. If your current PC or laptop can do all the chores you want it to do without freezing up or slowing down, then you obviously don’t need a new one. Save your money and spend it on something else.

Again, it all comes back to performance and how much you have to pay for that performance. Many reviewers are seeing this better performance, including one very well known tech expert, who tested these Sandy Bridge processors and stated that for the same money one would have spent last year you can get 10-50% more performance from your applications and games.

For this reason alone, many computer users will be taking a second look at Sandy Bridge to see if they do indeed need this increase in performance. Many consumers wait until new platforms and/or operating systems are introduced before they upgrade… if you’re still using Windows 98 on a Pentium 2 computer, it’s probably time for an upgrade.

The author has a keen interest in all things laptop and runs an online Laptop Guide featuring the latest top gaming notebooks:
www.bizwaremagic.com/best_gaming_notebooks.htm For more information on 3D Gaming Laptops Click Here: www.3d-gaminglaptops.com. Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

By Chris Holgate in Technology

technologyJust over two years ago now I reviewed a piece of software called PC Anywhere as a solution for those that wanted to control any number of PC’s remotely. Rather naively I thought that when it came to remote control that this software was pretty much the best it got however just recently we’ve had computer repair company move in to a room in the Refresh building and they kindly introduced a piece of software called UltraVNC. They use this software for fixing customer problems without having to even leave the building and I thought this would be of interest to a number of my readers.

I personally have use for such a program as there are several computers in the office that all have different e-mail accounts and applications installed on them and it can sometimes be helpful to be able to control any computer from the one machine. Home users who have a couple of PC’s may have the same desire or alternatively it can be used to request from or give support to any of your PC owning, Internet connected friends.

UltraVNC relies on the open source Virtual Network Computing (VNC) system which was developed at the Olivetti & Oracle Research Lab which was then acquired by AT&T in 1999. AT&T closed down the research lab in 2002 but the software is open source so absolutely anyone is now free to develop and distribute it. This has lead to many different versions of the software becoming available as individuals and small companies try to add their own particular tweaks and improvements to the original standard.

Every program is common in that it relies on both a server and a client program. The server program is run on the machine that shares its screen and the client software is run on the machine used as the viewer and controller. For the basis of this review I will be looking at one of the best versions of this system that I found which goes by the name of UltraVNC. As the software is a tiny 1.6mb in size downloading it takes literally seconds on a fast Internet connection and then all you have to do in order to get it running is load the server and client software on to the appropriate machines. On the server machine you will set up an access password and once this has been done hover your mouse above the UltraVNC icon in the taskbar down the bottom right hand side of the screen and make a note of the IP address. Then simply input this IP address and password in to the client machine and you should have a connection – it’s really as easy as that!

As well as viewing the screen of the server machine from the client machine you will also be able to control the mouse and keyboard as well as making use of a number of different features built in to the software. For example, the client machine can shut down and restart the server as well as opening up the task manager or transferring files between the two machines. If you are offering technical support to a friend then the chat function would be helpful as it will allow you to talk them through what you’re doing stage by stage.

In terms of speed of use I found UltraVNC to be a great deal faster than my previous favorite, PC Anywhere and additionally like all the best things in life the software is completely free of charge.

Chris Holgate writes a weekly article of all things tech related. He is a copyrighter of the online Ink and Toner website Refresh Cartridges www.refreshcartridges.co.uk . These articles can be found in an archive at www.computerarticles.co.uk

By Mark Etinger in Technology

technologyYou may have heard the term “VoIP” – you might even be considering a VoIP broadband phone system for your office – but do you know exactly what it is? Many still don’t, and if you’re among them, don’t feel bad.

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is still relatively young. Introduced to the mass market in the mid-2000s, VoIP is a way to take analog audio signals and transform them into digital data that can be sent via the Internet. VoIP can be used to place calls online that would normally be made with a regular copper-wire phone, meaning the involvement of a traditional phone company can be completely bypassed. To sum up, VoIP has the chance to completely reform the way businesses communicate with one another. More and more businesses are starting to recognize this and are taking on business VoIP service in favor of copper-wire systems.

The roots of VoIP has been in the works since the mid-1970s, but, as mentioned above, it didn’t really start to take hold until about 2004. Since then it’s expanded greatly, and offers several different user interfaces:

-IP phones: These look like regular copper-wire phones, but use an Ethernet cable to connect into the Internet router.
This is one of the more regularly-used VoIP broadband phone services.

- ATA: Analog Telephone Adaptors are another very common VoIP method. An “analog-to-digial” converter, an ATA connects regular phones to computers and/or Internet networks, converting phone signals into digital data that can then be transmitted online.

- Computer-to-Computer: Otherwise known as a “softphone,” this is the simplest and most convenient VoIP method to use. You only need the software, speakers, a microphone, a sound card and Internet connection – and, of course, a computer – and you’re good to go. You also don’t have to pay for calls when you use softphones (even long-distance ones).

Now that you know about the different types of VoIP, you should know that, while there are many advantages to using VoIP (cost-effectiveness being the primary), there are disadvantages as well:

-VoIP service relies on wall power – if the power goes out, the phone system does as well.

-There’s no way to locate a person by their IP address, which would disempower any 911 calls made on VoIP phones.

-VoIP systems can be infected with online worms and viruses. (This is rare, but does happen.)

-The functionality of individual computers can affect the quality of a call. If the person on one end of a call has a slower Internet speed than the person on the other end, the call could break up or be delayed.

These are all issues that are being worked on, and if things progress at the rate they have been, it won’t be too long before VoIP service providers replace traditional copper-wire providers.

ITP VOIP is the leading New York provider of internet-based calling. Customers agree that the service and pricing at ITP VOIP make them #1! Visit www.itpvoip.com today for more information or visit our blog at www.itpvoipblog.com.

By Mark Etinger in Technology

technologyStaying in with the in crowd may not be your main concern, but the in crowd sure does know what’s hot. Here’s a list of the top seven electronics all the cool kids are using.

1. Jawbone Bluetooth: These cute little blue tooth headsets make life a lot easier. Talking in the car on your Jawbone Bluetooth is easy and convenient. You can stay connected without using your hands to hold your phone and distract you while multitasking.

2. Smartphone: What would multitasking be without a smartphone? You need internet access on your phone if you really want to stay in the loop. The Droid, Blackberry or iPhone are all popular choices. They come with cameras, video recorders, touchscreen interfaces, and tons of downloadable apps.

3. E-Reader: The Kindle has competition these days, especially from color e-readers like Hanvon’s. Smaller than your average paperback, e-readers allow you to read more than one book at a time easily and conveniently. The e-book is changing the way publishers think about their industry, so check one out today.

4. Mp3 player: The iPod is always popular and the Zune is powerful too. The latest touch nanos have hit the market and, in different colors, look great when you want to listen to some tunes. At $179 for 16 GB, it’s a great choice for listening on the go. If you want to store video, photos and music, you may want to consider the classic iPod, with up to 160 GB for $249.

5. Headphones: The Koss KSC 75 delivers some serious sound for only twenty bucks. Bose noise-canceling headphones are also great, but at $100, are a bit pricier.

6. Camera: Lumix makes a clean point-and-shoot, which is the every man’s modern camera. Their other cameras are fine also, but if you want a classic, you may want to consider the Canon SLR or the Nikon’s zoom lenses.

7. Computer: The Dell XPS 15, with an HD webcam and a long list of other firsts is a great desktop replacement at around $1100. The Sony VAIOs are great laptops for their budget prices. At around $600, this baby is a real deal. If you prefer Mac, the MacBook is $999 and does everything you want it to. It’s big brother, the Mac Book Pro is ideal for recording video, music, and heavy duty design.

8. TV: It seems like every year flat screens get clearer and cheaper. The Samsung 46-inch 8500 makes watching TV a real treat. It ain’t cheap at $2400, but it sure is sweet at just 1.6 inches thick. You can also download content off the internet with these TVs.

New electronics come out all the time, but when you buy quality stuff, you won’t need to feel like choosing the updated versions.

www.cellxpo.com is your source for cellphone accessories, including Motorola, Jabra, and Jawbone bluetooth headsets. Check out our blog at www.cellxpoblog.com

By Chris Holgate in Technology

windowslogoAfter talking about Vista so much just recently I got thinking about new gadgets that I could download and integrate into the Windows sidebar when I came across the Windows Live Gallery website.

This particular website which has been set up by Microsoft contains literally hundreds of small pieces of software that can be used alongside a Vista installation, along with software compatible with previous versions of Windows through the Windows Live service.

The Windows Sidebar is one of the new developments built into Windows Vista – it sits on the right hand side of your screen and contains ‘gadgets’ which can be best described as mini applications. Out of the box Vista contains eleven gadgets, Calendar, Clock, Contacts, CPU Meter, Currency conversion, RSS Feed Headlines, Notes, Picture Puzzle, Slide Show, Stocks, and Weather. Fortunately the community is free to develop further gadgets and this is the main interest of Windows Live Gallery as there are literally hundreds of them.

Below I’ve picked a couple of gadgets that took my fancy and this should give you a rough idea of what is available already for your Vista installation:

eBay Sidebar Tool - This gadget allows you to keep an eye on your eBay auctions so you can view at a glance items you’re bidding on, selling or just watching.

BBC News Feeder – With this gadget installed you will get news updates posted directly to your sidebar. The gadget will check for new stories every five minutes.

Calculator – Does exactly what it says on the tin; this gadget will add a calculator function to the sidebar so it’s always close to hand. Also check out the ’10 in 1 conversion calculator’ gadget which allows you to convert between different units of measurement.

Media Player – Can be used to play media from the Windows Media Player Database, or directly from an individual file.
It can also be used to play TV and Radio Internet stations directly from the Windows sidebar.

Messenger Gadget - This is the gadget to install if you often use MSN Messenger as it allows you to see your contacts status, start chat sessions and change your online status all directly from the sidebar.

Finding a gadget you require is made easier as they are all sorted into different categories and you can also choose to search by rating, downloads and the date added. Of course there is a lot of rubbish out there but considering how young the Operating System is, there are already a lot of good gadgets available for your Vista installation.

An application that isn’t Vista exclusive is the Windows Live Messenger application and this is also supported by the Windows Live Gallery website. Online you’ll find dozens of games, add-ons and also bots, which can be easily integrated into this instant messaging application. Most of the downloads are all pretty standard stuff but one interesting resource is a list of online ‘bots’; these are automated contacts which can allows the user to get information, complete tasks or be entertained. They talk in a natural language format so you can just talk to them as you would a usual online human contact and some of them can be genuinely useful.

Working our way through the website, there are a number of Windows Search items which allow includes tools for searching specific file types – for example you can download a small add-in which allows you to index all the information within a zip archive.

Finally we have toolbar items which can be integrated in to Windows to offer functionality such as Wikipedia, eBay and Amazon searches directly from your Windows toolbar. If you want a laugh check out the ‘urban dictionary’ toolbar which allows you to convert urban phrases such as ‘disco nap’ and ‘epiphanot’ into proper English.

Chris Holgate is a director and copyrighter of the online Ink and Toner website Refresh Cartridges www.refreshcartridges.co.uk He writes a weekly article of all things tech related.

By Ed Molino in Technology

technologyBuying an external hard drive is an excellent idea. These innovative devices take information storage to the next level in many cases. For years, the de facto means of storing data was an internal hard drive within your PC or laptop. Sometimes, you might have used a sort of removable media for information backup, such as floppy disks, tapes or Zip drives.

While these removable media drives certainly offered benefits in their day, that day is long past. Today’s computer user demands far more in the way of information storage. Where it was once possible to use something like a tape drive to create viable backups for vital information, this is no longer the case. External hard drives have become the best option here. These devices allow the storage of enormous quantities of information, from several hundred MB to several terabytes of data.

External hard drives connect directly to a PC or laptop, and can be removed for travel or for use with another computer. This means that all that information is far more portable than ever before. Everyone has something to gain from these devices, from casual computer users seeking to backup their photos and tax information to students who need to take their information from the dorm to class and businesses in need of essential data protection. However, not all external hard drives are created equal. There are numerous types of technology here, including different connection methods.

In fact, understanding the different connection technologies is an essential ingredient to purchasing the right external hard drive. Before you make any purchase in this area, you need to have a firm grasp of these technologies. Not only will they affect things such as data transfer speed, but they will also limit what types of external drives you can connect to your computer. Below, you will find a discussion on connectivity issues.

USB Connectivity

USB is one of the oldest types of connectivity technology currently in widespread use with external hard drives. Of course, there are older forms here, but they are antiquated and not seen on what most consumers would recognize as a modern computer. However, most people are familiar with USB technology.

Today, it seems like almost everything has “gone USB.”

You’ll find wireless mice and keyboards that connect via a USB port, external DVD/Blu-Ray drives that connect via USB and more. Even some monitors can connect to your computer via a USB cable. However, if you are looking at external hard drives, you need to know a bit more about this technology. There are two primary types of USB technology in current use around the world. These are USB 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0.

USB 1.0 is largely outdated. In fact, if you have a computer that uses this technology, it might be an excellent time to upgrade your entire computer. 1.0 was released way back in 1996, with 1.1 coming in 1998.

Obviously, any machine that uses this technology is at least a decade old, and will most likely not offer you the performance benefits that you need in the modern world of computer use.

USB 2.0 is far more common here. 2.0 was released in 2000 and lasted for an entire decade unchallenged (by other USB technologies, that is). USB 2.0 offers decent data transfer speeds of 480 MB/s, which was a considerable improvement over the older 1.0 speed. You may also hear this type of connection referred to as “High-Speed USB.”

USB 3.0 is relatively new, debuting on the market in 2010. The chief advantage with this technology is another boost in data transfer speeds – up to 4 GB/s. Most older computers do not have this type of connection, though newer models will be manufactured with it. However, many external drives do not yet support 3.0 technology. Of course, over time, this will change.

FireWire

FireWire is actually an older technology than USB, though it is not as widely used with PCs. To understand the differences here, you need to understand what these two technologies were originally designed to achieve. First, USB was designed to be cost-effective and simple. FireWire, on the other hand, was designed for performance and power. Therefore, FireWire connections provide greater electrical power (12 V, as opposed to 5 V with USB).

FireWire is also capable of higher data transfer speeds. This makes it an ideal solution for those working with video and audio, where immediate transfer of large quantities of data is vital. You will find FireWire technology used more frequently with Apple/Mac products, as a result of this. However, FireWire technology is beginning to lose popularity and, as a result, many new computers do not come with this type of connection. Even high-end machines will come with either a USB 3.0 or an eSATA connection.

eSATA

One of the fastest means of transferring data from a computer to an external hard drive is through an eSATA connection. This is actually faster than FireWire, and comparable with USB 3.0 technology in most instances. However, not all computers have an eSATA interface. If your computer does not, then you will need to install an adapter card.

However, many external hard drives with eSATA connections also come with USB connections. Therefore, even if your computer cannot connect via eSATA, it can connect with a USB connection. This is highly beneficial. As a note, you should look for eSATA to become more prevalent as time goes by, particularly with high-end PCs and laptops.

Network-Connected Hard Drives

Network-connected drives, or NAS (network-attached storage), are popular options. These connect directly to a network, usually a server. However, home network solutions have been developed that connect to the home’s router, allowing wireless transfer of data from computers in the home directly to the hard drive.

These are also valuable for homes where multimedia files need to be served to Blu-Ray players or HDTVs with the capability of wireless access to the network. As such, this is an excellent solution for many consumers who want to be able to enjoy their files from anywhere in the home, at any time, without being tied to an external hard drive connected directly to a specific computer.

RAID Drives

A mention should be made about RAID hard drives. RAID stands for redundant array of independent discs, and, as such, has been traditionally used for data backup. External RAID drives are available on the market, though they use different types of technology to connect to computers.

Generally, you will find RAID drives that use USB 2.0 and FireWire connections. However, as newer technology becomes more widespread, look for external RAID hard drives to become available with eSATA and USB 3.0 connectivity.

Ed Molino is a staff member of Smalldrives.com specializing in the support of their network hard drives. Fancy an external hard drive? Find quality drives at www.smalldrives.com

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