Know what you're getting

When choosing a graphics card, there's more to consider than price. The most expensive cards may give you the impression that they'll be the fastest, but this might be true only for garners, Who require cards that offer high frame rates for the latest 3D games. For typical business applications, you may not notice much performance improvement over less expensive cards. High-end cards notonly cost more, but they also typically run hotter and consume more power. So know what you're getting before you buy.

Change battery

Does your mobile phone battery seem to run down faster than it used to? Try turning off hardware-based features that you don't use, such as built-in Wi-fi or Bluetooth. It's easy to activate these and forget about them. But your mobile phone doesn't and they use power. If that doesn't solve your problem, you may need to swap out the battery for a newer one. Batteries do wear out over time. Buying a replacement could make your phone run like new.

Google alert

Keep up with what's said about you or your company online by setting up a Google alert. The Google Alerts feature (http://www.google.com/alerts) will e-mail you about all new mentions of a particular keyword, including your name or your company's name. You can also use Google Alert to keep up on the latest news, event or your favorite sports team without having to visit a website. 

Keeping your kids safe online

The Internet is scary enough for adults. For kids, whose experience in real life is limited, the Internet presents special challenges when it comes to safety.

How can you equip your kids with the knowledge to work and play safely online? And what software tools can you use to help give you some peace of mind? Read on for some answers.

Buying a Netbook

Netbooks are all the rage today, but they're not all created equal. That's why it's risky to order one over the Internet without having tried it in person. Among attributes that can quickly mean dissatisfaction or satisfaction are the feel of the keyboard, the clarity of the screen. and the responsiveness of the unit. Visit a local computer store to tryout several models. Then, if you find a great deal online, you'll be able to buy with more confidence.

Why is free software free?

These days, when we want to spend money on anything unnecessary, the lure of free software is greater than ever. Software makers are aware of this, and as a consequence, there's more free software available now than ever before.

But how can you trust free software? How can companies give away software for free? How do you know whether a program that you download might contain a virus or be a phishing scam?

Read on for some answers.

Guard against virus

What's the easiest way to catch a computer virus? Participate in a peer-to-peer file sharing service. These services -with names like BitTorrent and Gnutella -are popular among those who go looking for free software or music files. There's just one problem. aside from the frequently illegal software found on these networks: plenty of viruses are hiding in the files distributed. Not using these services can put you one step ahead in the struggle to maintain a virus free computer.