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Blog -
Tech
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Written by Samad
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Monday, 02 February 2009 00:54 |
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USB Flash Drives are the latest trend in data storage - long gone are the days of CDs, and the oh so ancient floppy disk. More and more flash drives are being sold with software to encrypt the data on there, but what about those of us who have older flash drives and don't want to purchase a new one just for software?
The answer: TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt is an open source disk encryption software available in flavors for all major current operating systems. The software creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk, allowing you to store all your data securely in any location - whether it be a flash drive, hard drive, or other medium. You can also encrypt a whole partition, which requires the user to enter a password during startup before the operating system loads.
TrueCrypt is available for free off of their website - why spend more money to buy a new flash drive with encryption when your old one will do just fine?
To put it in perspective, an IronKey USB flash drive (one of the most secure flash drives made) costs about $79 for a 1GB drive. A Kingston 2GB drive is available starting at $5 from various online retailers. By using TrueCrypt, you can save $74 (minus the applicable taxes, of course).
Of course, it all depends on how secure your data needs to be - a bank would be better off investing in a hardware encrypted drive than using a software encryption method, but for casual computer users who need an extra ounce of security, the choice couldn't be easier.
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Blog -
Tech
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Written by Samad
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Wednesday, 21 January 2009 10:43 |
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Windows 7 is the new operating system from Microsoft, and is currently available as a beta off of their website. The initial 2.5 million download limit has been removed and the beta is available for download from Microsoft's site until January 24th. The beta expires on August 1st, 2009, on which day users may have the option to upgrade to beta 2 (if available) or downgrade back to Vista SP1. For users wanting to try out Windows 7, it is strongly recommended to NOT install the OS on a computer that is used frequently. The best thing to do is have a development machine on the side (such as an old, but still powerful PC or notebook that is hardly used) or to set up a dual boot configuration to keep your initial OS intact, whether it be Mac OSX or any of the other Microsoft operating systems. I'm currently preparing my laptop so that I can make it my development machine by getting all my important files off of it and transferring it to my home PC. I'll have some in-depth coverage of the changes from XP to Windows 7, as I don't use Vista (and don't have any plans to). If you've already installed the Windows 7 Beta on your machines, what are your thoughts on the OS? Is it a step in the right direction for Microsoft, or is it the nail in the coffin for these guys?
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Blog -
Tech
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Written by Samad
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Sunday, 11 January 2009 00:13 |
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Linux has been ported to the iPhone - but you may not want to switch just yet.
Planetbeing from the iPhone Dev Team is the lead on this project, which is still considered to be a "rough first draft of the port," according to his blog. He mentions that many features that the Apple OS running on the device can utilize such as Wi-Fi, the touchscreen, and sound aren't supported yet. Also, the port can only read from the internal NAND memory but is unable to write to it yet.
So, the OS works but we can't utilize it? What's the point? Well, if you're a Linux fan, this is a huge step forward for running the OS on a mobile device that has sold 13 million units to date. As the saying goes, you have to crawl before you can walk, and the same applies for this project. iPhone Linux is in its crawling stages, but with a little help from the open source Linux community it could be a reality for consumers within a matter of months.
Currently, the port requires the use of OpeniBoot, a utility allowing you to choose the OS you use on the iPhone. Installing the Linux port won't erase your current iPhone system, although you may have some problems syncing with iTunes after its installation.
Links to the project demonstration video, installation instructions, and download can be found on the original blog post located here. Additional information about iPhone Linux may be retrieved at iphonelinux.org.
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