Slideshow Index

Slideshows

Inside the Atari 1040STf

by Benj Edwards

Happy Birthday, Atari ST Series

It may seem strange today, but there was a time when Atari made cutting-edge computers. That's right--the company sold modern computers with mice, MIDI inputs, hard drives, and high-resolution graphical user interfaces. Atari released the first member of this advanced computer series, the Atari 520ST, 25 years ago.

To celebrate the anniversary of this often overlooked but still influential series of computers, let's take a peek inside the ST line's most prominent model, the Atari 1040STf. With 1MB of memory and a colorful interface, the 1040STf gave the Macintosh a run for its money.

Photos by Benj Edwards

Top 12 Tech Knockoffs

by Patrick Miller

Top 12 Tech Knockoffs

These days, tech products can say a lot about a person's style--and as with any fashion accessory, for every hot gadget there's somebody who can copy it. In this slideshow, we've rounded up 12 knockoffs of popular tech products from Apple, HP, Palm, Sony, and more.

These aren't all exact duplicates, though. While we can't make any guarantees about their build quality (or safety), many of these copies have features that the big companies didn't (or couldn't) include in the real thing--a touchscreen, for example, or a larger display. You'll also find some creative takes on familiar product designs, such as an iPhone Nano and a MacBook Air in black.

Note that we cannot endorse these products, so buy them at your own risk. Also, we've tried to include pricing information wherever possible, but many of these devices aren't sold online.

Let's start with a knockoff of a famous gadget that isn't even for sale yet.

10 ways Microsoft tried and failed to rule mobile

by Josh Fruhlinger, IT World

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 is coming, and the buzz is good! A lot of tech observers are licking their chops for another entrant into the mobile market, with the added potential bonus of Microsoft and Apple duking it out anew, with the roles of industry giant and plucky upstart reversed.

Except ... Windows Phone 7 isn't the first much-heralded attempt by Microsoft to enter into the world of mobile OSes. The company that has dominated the PC operating system market for pretty much as long as that market has existed has never managed to find long-term success in anything smaller than a laptop, with its mobile offerings generally underwhelming customers -- when they've ever made it out of the planning stage. And so, to add a cautionary note to the largely positive Windows Phone 7 coverage, we offer this tour through Microsoft's mobile OS history -- history that folks in Redmond have to hope won't repeat.

Photo courtesy of viagallery

Car Tech: Coolest New Systems on Four Wheels

by Todd R. Weiss

Car Tech: Coolest New Systems on Four Wheels

Consumer technology companies continually churn out new ideas, cool innovations, and mesmerizing high-tech gizmos for our homes and everyday lives; and after a short interval, many of those same ideas follow us into the vehicles we drive. In this photo gallery, we've brought together some of the coolest high-tech features showing up on the road today, as well as several outrageous concept innovations that may grace the cars and trucks of tomorrow.

Fanboys: A field guide

by PC World staff

You've heard stories about them. You may even have encountered one in the wild. Or in an Internet forum, where they commonly congregate and are notorious for their savage and often ill-thought-out verbal attacks on other fanboys and noobs. You knew you were looking at a fanboy of some kind, but you weren't sure which kind it was.

That's exactly why we created this Field Guide--to give you an easy reference for identification purposes.

Slainte! Five St. Patricks Day apps for your iPhone

by Joe Doherty, IT World

Slainte! March 17th is St. Patrick's Day, and it's time to festoon your iPhone with apps that remind you of the Emerald Isle on this greenest of days!

Five new technologies for your home

by Joe Doherty, IT World

Many new technologies and gadgets have taken a back seat to the news of 3D television. Yes, 3D HDTV is astonishing. However, there are some new products out there that will not only improve your geek lifestyle, but also won't require you to wear hulking glasses. Here are five such items. Enjoy!

Thinking About Drinking? Smartphone Apps to Enhance Your St. Patrick's Day Experience

by Rachel Sadon

Drinking Apps!

Cell phone debauchery abounds year-round (see: sexting, Android's Porn App Store, and the Cannabis and TigerText apps). But there is no holiday quite like St. Patrick's Day to thoroughly test out your phone's boozy alter ego.

The iPaddyWhen iPhone app will even make sure that you never lose sight of the day: It gives you a countdown to midnight in Dublin. Let the sloppy, green-beer-induced madness begin.

Windows Phone 7: A Sneak Peek at the Apps

by Jared Newman

WinPho7 Series Apps Preview

Windows Phone 7 Series won't be released until the end of the year, but Microsoft is already teasing some of the phone's app possibilities. At its Mix10 conference for Web designers and developers, Microsoft showed off several prototype or in-development apps using either Silverlight or XNA Game Studio. Here's a preview of what to expect from Windows Phone 7 Series apps.

Products of the Week

by Network World Staff

Our round-up of intriguing new products from Cisco, RSA, Apparent, among others.

Facebook's most wanted

by Josh Fruhlinger, IT World

If there's one defining feature of social life on the Internet, it's this: people think it's not quite reality. This has been true for as long as people have been interacting socially on the Internet, behavior that predates "social networking" by a least a solid decade. In some ways, this can be good -- people can live out fantasies safely, or overcome crippling shyness. But there will always be people who think "Internet" and immediately assume "lack of consequences," and think "lack of consequences" and immediately leap to "crime." And then there's the fact that people will say things on social networking sites that they'd never say in person.

Here, then, is a rogues gallery of Facebook-themed crime stories: some announced via Facebook, some cheered on -- and some even solved!

Photo courtesy of abardwell

How 10 Famous Technology Products Got Their Names

by Thomas Wailgum

iPod: "Open the pod bay door, Hal"

During Apple's MP3 player development, Steve Jobs spoke of Apple's strategy: the Mac as a hub to other gadgets. Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter Apple hired to help name the gadget before its debut in 2001, fixed on that idea, according to Wired. He brainstormed hubs of all kinds, eventually coming to the concept of a spaceship. You could leave it, but you'd have to return to refuel. The stark plastic front of the prototype inspired the final connection: pod, a la 2001. Add an "i" and the connection to the iMac was complete.

Six Long-awaited satellite projects eye the sky

by Michael Cooney

Three new satellites set to take their place in space this year and three more in the next four years could go a long way toward making Global Positioning Systems, military and private communications and national security capabilities much stronger than they are today. The Government Accountability Office recently issued a report looking at these six strategic systems and the challenges they face which we have summarized here.

12 types of cell phone users that drive us nuts

by Al Sacco

Bluetooth Guy, a.k.a., "Bluetooth Johnson"

You know him, you (just may) love him, the dude who thinks a Bluetooth headset is the single most important accessory an individual can wear to spruce up everyday attire. Walking down the street, sitting on the bus, in the mall and everywhere else, this guy is sporting his Bluetooth ear-piece—and he wants you to know it. I'm all for using Bluetooth headsets while driving—safety first—but please, Mr. Johnson, you're only hurting yourself in the long run by rocking that silly thing while walking your Pomeranian. We're not laughing with you.

joelrakestheleaves on Flickr; fritzenfrat on photobucket

10 must-have March Madness iPhone apps

by Keith Shaw

The annual NCAA men's and women's basketball tournament will be upon us soon, creating many new office pools and creating productivity drains around the world as people try to figure out whether Gonzaga can beat Georgia. Get a jump on the madness with these 10 must-have iPhone apps.

Beyond the smartphone battle: Seven patent lawsuits you should know about

by Josh Fruhlinger, IT World

Sometimes, though, mutually assured destruction fails, and legal hell is unleashed, as in the ugly Apple-HTC lawsuit in progress over smartphone patents. (There are enough smartphone lawsuits in progress that you really need a scorecard to keep track of them all.) But there are a number of lower-profile patent cases out there that you should perhaps be keeping an eye on; after all, who would have guessed that a 30-employee Canadian company would have come close to stopping sales of Microsoft Office worldwide? These seven cases, still in progress, could change the course of tech, might illustrate an interesting point -- or may just serve as a nuisance for various companies for years to come.

Photo courtesy of mrbill

Top free troubleshooting tools for Windows

by Serdar Yegulalp

No computer runs perfectly forever. Somewhere along the line, something will go wrong. While each successive version of Windows has been that much more reliable and self-healing, that's never been an argument to forgo a good collection of software tools.

Over the years I've accumulated a slew of third-party troubleshooting apps that have proven their value again and again, so much so that they're among the very first programs installed in any system I use. If something goes wrong -- a Blue Screen of Death, a slow-booting system, a recent program install that's made everything slower than molasses going uphill in January -- I turn to these tools to set things right. All of them are free for personal use, some are open source, and each of them deserves a place in the toolbox of the savvy Windows user.

Banish Seven Bad Tech Habits

by Rick Broida

You floss daily, rotate your tires regularly, file your taxes on time, and exercise at least twice a week. In other words, you have lots of good habits. But when it comes to technology, well, we need to talk. You know all the icons cluttering your desktop, and the passwords you keep in Notepad, and the half-baked backup you make once a month? Those are the results of bad habits--and they're not the only ones.

Fortunately, it's easier than you might think to correct bad tech behavior, to handle your computer with the same care and wisdom that you use in safeguarding for your gums.

10 iPhone wellness apps for the comically lazy

by Brad Reed

Don't bother exercising or visiting your doctor ever again if you've got an iPhone

If there's one thing we Americans enjoy less than paying taxes, it's exercise and wellness. Oh sure, we'd all love to have rock-hard abs and ripped biceps, but when it comes time to actually put the work in, we instinctively reach for an extra order of fries.

But thanks to the advent of the iPhone, staying in shape no longer has to be a miserable and arduous task! The 10 iPhone apps in this slideshow all promise to help countless users achieve a perfect body, hair and skin complexion while putting in as little effort as possible. From restoring hair loss to improving your sex life to instructing you on how to perform major surgeries, these apps promise to help you do just about anything and everything you want.

(Of course, whether they actually deliver on those promises is a pretty dodgy proposition…)

2010 tech industry graveyard

by Network World Staff

Here we pay respects to a slew of companies, technologies (including from Google and Microsoft) and ideas that mainly held lots of promise but met or will soon meet their demise for any number of reasons: being ahead of their time; getting whacked by the economy; being surpassed by something new. A few of the bodies are still warm, and there's even the occasional life-after-death experience.

Related stories:

2009 IT industry graveyard

2008 IT industry graveyard

2007 IT industry graveyard

Coolest stuff from Cebit 2010

by Keith Shaw

Gadgets and other cool tech were on display last week at Cebit in Hannover, Germany. Here's a roundup of our favorite images and gadgets from the show.

10 geeky items you're embarrassed to admit you want

by Julie Bort

Some gadgets have geek appeal

Most of us love gadgets. But there is a certain eye popping reaction when we find a gadget that speaks to our technological selves. Maybe it requires a combination of computer know-how and humor. Maybe it offers a clever intersection of science and fantasy. Maybe it uses our favorite portable device in an interesting way. Owning such devices would surely be the subject of teasing from those who deny their inner geek, but it would also be the cause of more than a little envy.

20 goofy USB gadgets & gizmos you'll love

19 weird but real gadgets and gizmos

Products of the Week

by Network World Staff

Our round-up of intriguing new products from Symantec, Dell, Force10, among others.

The Best of Google Buzz

by Patrick Miller

The Best of Google Buzz

When Google Buzz debuted a few weeks ago, people thought that it could be an excellent social aggregator and a Twitter-killer. Buzz's true strength, however, lies in its comic potential. Everything that runs through a Buzzer's mind--from the inane to the incomprehensible--gets funnier when it's attached to their first name, last name, and current location. Here are a few examples, courtesy of Your Brain On Buzz, a blog I started with a few friends to give these buzzes the (affectionately mocking) attention they deserve.

12 Types of Tech Zealots: How to Spot Them in the Wild

by Thomas Wailgum

Apple Fanboy

Probably the most well-known of the Tech Zealots, the Fanboy is not difficult to spot in his natural habitat: In a coffee shop, most commonly in the San Francisco Bay area, surrounded by a MacBook Air, an iPhone 3GS and maybe an iPod Nano or Touch. Don't forget the mandatory black clothing and white earbuds. (The eager anticipation you see on his face is due to the impending arrival of the iPad.)

Geoffrey Levy

19 Weird but Real Gadgets and Gizmos

by Ian Paul

Weird Science

So you think you're a gadget junkie? Sure, you know all about iPhones, Androids, and the most important laptop designs in history. But what do you know about weird tech?

We're talking about the really bizarre and strange things gadget makers dream up after asking philosophical questions like: What kind of clothing should talk to a computer? What if suitcases and lawnmowers could think for themselves? How can you play Tekken without ignoring that special person in your life?

Here are the answers to those questions and more.

10 Best iPhone Role Playing Games

by Ryan Rigney

Game On!

The following slides run through some of the best role playing games on the iPhone. For more fino on each title, see the accompanying article: The iPhone's Best Role Playing Games: Action, Strategy, and Adventure. Let's dive in.

Open-source hardware gadgets

by Howard Wen

The Touch Book tablet netbook from Always Innovating Inc. runs on the low-power ARM processor, which enables the device to run for 10 hours on a single battery charge. Weighing 1.8 pounds, it features a touch screen, a removable keyboard and a customized Linux OS distribution.

21 apps Apple doesn't want on your 3.0 iPhone

by Mel Beckman

Jailbreak iPhone apps

The past year of Apple updates has certainly altered the pre-3.0 iPhone jailbreaking landscape. Yet ongoing developer and user frustration with Apple's enigmatic app acceptability rules, as well as Apple’s deliberate hobbling of many application capabilities, make for a jailbreaking community that is as vibrant as ever. The following 21 apps today run only on jailbroken iPhones. Some may even prove precursors to features released in future Apple iPhone firmware updates.

HP Adds Touch, Color to EliteBook, ProBook

by Eric Lai

HP's First Business Tablet, the EliteBook 2740p

HP has had convertible tablet computers aimed at business users before. But the company offered only pen-based input. The EliteBook 2740p is the first to offer pen input as well as the finger-based multitouch of its consumer TouchSmart models. Its 12-inch, 1280-by-800 display comes in either backlit LED or an optional outdoor-optimized version.

RSA Conference debuts new security gear

by Tim Greene Ellen Messmer

As RSA Conference 2010 opens this week in San Francisco, vendors are using this major security show to launch products ranging from hardware to software to virtual appliances in an effort to address specific network security needs. Here are some of those offerings.

RSA Conference's Innovation Sandbox

RSA 2009 Best of Show

Products of the Week

by Network World Staff

Our round-up of intriguing new products from Symantec, TriGeo, FalconStor, among others.

7 most useful Firefox add-ons

by Howard Wen

Most Firefox add-ons enhance the browser's core feature set, provide convenient Web browsing tools, or plug in the proverbial bells and whistles (e-mail notifiers, current weather data or cosmetic makeovers).

But there are others that could be considered applications on their own. Some of these "add-on apps" work well enough to replace a standalone desktop application. Here are seven add-ons that transform Firefox into a fully functioning application.

How Wi-Fi attackers are poisoning Web browsers

What's behind Web browser choices

7 Android devices that aren't phones

by Julie Bort

Networked portability, Android style

At last month's Mobile World Congress Android was on everyone's lips. And not just for cell phones, but as an operating system for all kinds of network-enabled entertainment devices. Indeed, a number of manufacturers make embedded Android wares which would allow the operating system to run on anything and everything. So far, most Android devices that are shipping, or near to it, fall into three categories: the iPod knock-off, an entertainment device sans phone otherwise known as a mobile Internet device (MID), the netbook and the tablet. Here's a sampling.

Google Subnet: An independent community for Google customers

Acer announces the first Android netbook (others follow while Asus backpeddles)

The definitive Android smartphone guide

2009's most awesome Android apps

Ten of the World's Strangest Social Networks

by Kristin Burnham

StachePassions.com

Tom Selleck, no doubt, would be a fan. StachePassions.com is a social networking site for those fond of mustaches. You can browse Mustache Groups to find members by their preferred 'stache style, including the Dali, Walrus and Pencil, or by their experience level: newbie, expert or Stache Groupie. Also featured on the site: "Stache chat," message boards and e-mail. Gilette is definitely not a sponsor.

BlackBerry Travel Apps: 10 Must-Have Downloads

by Al Sacco

Cortado Flight Mode for BlackBerry

RIM's BlackBerry OS "condenses" e-mail messages to reduce strain on wireless networks and speed up delivery. That's all fine and good. But there's nothing more frustrating than trying to read an important e-mail in-flight only to find it was cut off mid-message. Cortado's $3 Flight Mode app for BlackBerry downloads all additional content needed to view "truncated" or shortened BlackBerry e-mail before you turn off your device for flight. Simply activate Flight Mode before your flight takes off, and the app downloads additional content, turns off wireless connections and powers down your BlackBerry. Turn it back on when the pilot gives the okay, and you're good to go.

Purchase Cortado Flight Mode from BlackBerry App World.

Wi-Fi aid for Haiti

by IDG News Service staff

Inveneo Project Director Andris Bjornson, on the roof of the Haitian headquarters of CHF International, installs the base antenna for a series of Wi-Fi links to aid groups across Port-au-Prince. CHF shared its satellite link with other aid organizations via a Wi-Fi network built by Inveneo.

Fave raves: IT pros' favorite products

by Ann Bednarz

We asked readers about their favorite must-have network products and found there's a lot of love for products that can automate manual processes, improve visibility and management, and speed performance for end users. Products that save money are also, not surprisingly, big favorites.

Related stories:

Why IT pros like their favorite gear

Fave raves 2009

Fave raves 2008

Fave raves 2007

10 hot computer science schools

by Carolyn Duffy Marsan

Enrollment in the top U.S. computer science programs as well as applications for next year are up significantly, as more college students discover that their job prospects are better — and their starting salaries higher — if they have a computer-related degree. Here are the latest enrollment figures from 10 of the hottest computer science schools in the nation.

Computer Science Major is Cool Again

Does a computer science degree matter anymore?

10 recession-proof IT skills

Fighting the Dark Side: Tech's Heroes and Villains

by Shane O'Neill

HEROES: Linus Torvalds

He is the beloved man behind the penguin. Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel and operating system, is a hero to proprietary software-hating developers everywhere. The open-source movement, where software code is developed in a collaborative way and shared, has become a driving force in computing. It all started with the modest Torvalds, and he remains open source's ambassador.

Don't Fear the Penguin: a Newbie's Guide to Linux

Slideshow: Top 10 Open Source Apps for Windows

Slideshow: Top 10 Open Source Apps for Mac OS X

Best of the Tests 2010

by Neal Weinberg

We tested more than 100 products in 2009 in a wide variety of categories, but 15 of those products stood head and shoulders above the rest and earn our Best of the Tests Award.

To Build a Better Bobsled

by Todd R. Weiss

Supercomputers, Not Wind Tunnels

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, the three U.S. bobsled teams will be competing in the bobsleigh event with their fastest-ever four-man bobsled. In the past, designers spent hundreds of hours building bobsled mock-ups in wind tunnels, making subtle changes, and then retesting--a labor-intensive process that didn't allow precise measurements of how subtle changes could bring improvements. Today, that's no longer the case. One of the U.S. crews, Team Night Train, uses powerful IBM supercomputers along with specialized fluid dynamics software from Exa Corporation to run computerized simulations that shave valuable tenths and hundredths of a second off Night Train's times. The goal: earning Team USA's first Olympic gold medal since 1948. (Photo: TeamUSA.org)

Top 10 RSA Conference security innovators

by Tim Greene

At the 2010 RSA Conference in March, 10 companies will compete in the Innovation Sandbox, a competition among products less than a year old made by a private company with less than $5 million in revenues and with leaders who have delivered products successfully before. The winner will be declared the most likely to make a significant impact on information security. Here are this year's 10 finalists.

Visual tour: Windows Phone 7

by Daniel Ionescu

Start screen

The new home screen, or Start, as Microsoft calls it, contains a series of "live titles" or widgets, which can show you at a glance your missed calls, incoming texts or emails. You can also add "live titles" from friends' social network profiles, such as Facebook.

Vancouver 2010: An Exclusive Tour of the Technology Operations Center

by Kristin Burnham

The Technology Operations Center in Vancouver is a 5,000-square-foot facility that Ward Chapin, CIO of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, compares to a NASA command center, complete with big screens to monitor the events live and seats for about 130 people.

The best of Mobile World Congress 2010

by John Cox

The closest thing to 4G: Sierra Wireless' dual-carrier HSPA+ modem. The AirCard 312U USB modem in theory has a data rate ranging from 21M to (with two channels in use at the same time) 42Mbps downlink (and 11.5Mbps on the uplink). But you'll have to move to Australia: it's available initially only on Telstra's just-completed NextG HSPA+ network. Sierra Wireless plans to release other HSPA+ products, including embedded modules, later this year. More info.

Highlights from Macworld Expo 2010

by Heather Kelly

Guy Kawasaki Sits Down with Developers

Guy Kawasaki kicked off day two of Macworld Expo by talking to a handful of Mac and iPhone developers, including Jack Dorsey from Square, Steven Echtman from Hear Planet, Oliver Breidenbach from Boinx Software, Florian Voss from Microsoft, and Bill Atkinson from Bill Atkinson Photography.

Coupons, 2.0: Ten Social Buying Sites That Add Up to Savings

by Kristin Burnham

A website makes you a deal: Pay $25, and they'll give you $50 worth of food at your favorite local restaurant. Sign me up, right? But wait, there's a catch: You need to convince as many of your friends as possible (and your friends' friends) to agree to this deal, because unless 100 people are interested, it's a no-go. Oh, and you have 24 hours to make this happen.

That's what people are calling "social buying"—an idea that was originally born during the dotcom boom but failed to gain traction. Now, with the help of social networks like Facebook and Twitter to help spread the word—and thanks to the dismal economy—social buying sites are gaining steam.

15 Internet Annoyances, and How to Fix Them

by Jared Newman

It seems that every day we go online and there's some new type of nagging Web annoyance to deal with. In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to worry about auto-playing video ads, leaping pay walls to read the news, fake emails phishing for our bank details, or Farmville spam from Facebook. But for now, we're on our own. Here are 15 of the most annoying things on the Internet, and how to work around, ignore, improve or fix them.

Products of the Week

by Network World Staff

Our round-up of intriguing new products from InfoExpress, SolarWinds, Fujitsu among others.

Macworld Expo 2010 Best of Show

by Roman Loyola

Straight from the show floor

The Macworld Expo Best of Show awards highlight the products that stand out at the show. The Macworld editors took each Best of Show candidate under careful consideration, and finally came up with this list of 11 winners

Thursday at Macworld Expo 2010

by Macworld Staff

Outside of Moscone

This year's Macworld Expo is taking place in the North Hall of the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Winter Games: Videogame your way through the Olympics

by Keith Shaw

With the 2010 Winter Olympics about to begin in Vancouver, the eyes of the world will be on the athletes as they go for the gold. Most of the rest of us will be watching from our living rooms.

If you're bored with NBC's coverage of the games, there's always your PC or video game system that lets you feel like you're competing in these events. Mainstream events like ice hockey and snowboarding have their share of video games available for players, but what if you wanted to compete in every event offered? Is there a set of games that would let you do that?

Six high-tech ways to enjoy the 2010 Olympics

Cisco's video network for Winter Olympics will be all-HD, all-IP

Avaya goes for gold with Olympic network

8 cool gifts for your favorite Valentine

by Ann Bednarz

If you're looking for a gift for your sweetheart, check out these eight tech-inspired options. You'll find something for all budgets, from a romantic butterfly netbook to whimsical USB drives.

Related stories:

Holiday gift guide

10 tech-inspired Mother's Day gifts

10 Warning Signs Your IT Career Is in Trouble

by Thomas Wailgum

A Meeting with "The Bobs"

A consultant (usually named "Bob") schedules a meeting with you to discuss "how people at your company spend their day at work." Not good. Because you know what's coming next: "What would you say ya do here?"

What kind of tech etiquette offender are you?

by Amy Bennett , IT World

Cell phones and other gadgets may make your life easier, they may even make you more productive, but they don't make you nicer.

A survey by staffing firm Robert Half Technology found that a majority of CIOs attribute increased instances of poor office etiquette to more frequent use of mobile electronic devices.

The survey asked 1400 CIOs to rate the effect of increased use of mobile electronic gadgets -- such as cell phones, smartphones, handheld devices and laptops -- on office etiquette in the past three years. Did the number of breaches in office etiquette increase, decrease or remain the same?

51% reported an increase in etiquette breaches, while 42% saw no change. Only 6% of respondents said that etiquette breaches decreased. And 1% didn't know, which we take to mean that they themselves are the worst offenders.

With numbers like this, the question isn't whether you're a tech-etiquette offender but what kind. Lucky for you, Robert Half has identified the 5 types of offenders -- and offers tips for changing your rude ways.

Six high-tech ways to enjoy the 2010 Olympics

by Josh Fruhlinger, IT World

Back in the day -- in 1950, say, when the above photo was taken -- all you needed to have a really keen winter sports competition were snow, skis, and a rickety judging stand. But the Winter Olympics starting this Friday in Vancouver are a very different kettle of fish, with thousands of competitors straining the city's infrastructure. And because these Olympics take place in the Mysterious Future year of 2010, they'll be tech-savvy in ways the skaters and lugers of yesteryear couldn't have imagined. Join us on a tour of geeky ways to enjoy the games.

Photo courtesy of the
University of WIsconsin Digital Collections

Google Buzz: A Visual Tour

by Jared Newman,

Google Buzz

Google's introduction of Google Buzz came on short notice, but it's no small announcement. The search giant is looking to change social networking by integrating it into services that Google enthusiasts already use, such as Gmail, Google Maps and Google Profile. Here's a visual tour of Google Buzz's key features, both for computers and mobile phones.

The technology behind the Vancouver Olympic Games

by Jim Duffy

Bell Canada is claiming the Vancouver 2010 Olympic network as the first IP-based converged network at any Olympic or Paralympic Games. It will be built to provide seamless telephone, wireless, radio and Internet communications services for fans, media, athletes and officials from around the world. A team of about 3,000 technology and telecommunications staff will work with volunteers and sponsors to build, operate and maintain the infrastructure, which will support 15,000 VoIP connections.

HDTVs for Super Bowl and Olympics enjoyment

UK businesses not prepared for Olympics challenge

Avaya goes for gold with Olympic network

Celebrating President's Day: Test your knowledge of 10 tech CEOs

by Tim Greene

Everybody knows Abe Lincoln was the tallest president, but not everybody knows he traced his feet to have his shoes custom made by mail order. In the spirit of President's Day this month, test your knowledge of lesser known facts about the premiere CEOs in high technology, such as those from Cisco, Google and Microsoft. What little-known facts do you know about the CEOs of today's most powerful technology companies? Here are 10 questions. Keep score and find out at the end how well you did.

Try other Network World quizzes

What were the first products from today's biggest tech companies?

2009 tech quiz: Test your IT recall

9 Gmail Tips That Will Let You Take a Long Lunch

by Sarah Jacobsson

I've used practically every Web-based e-mail program, from Hotmail to Yahoo to Chick Mail (seriously), and I have to say Gmail is awesome. But it could be better.

Here are a few tips to help you organize, optimize, and take control of your Gmail so you'll spend less time sorting through your e-mail messages. (Don't worry: "Use filters" isn't one of them.)

Valentine's Day Tech Gifts Under $100

by Leah Yamshon

Win a Heart, Keep the Change

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and we know you're tired of going the candy route. (Hint: Your sweetie is, too.) This year, why not wow your date with one of the following hot tech gifts and gadgets? They'll never know that you didn't spend a bundle.

Some of these products with a V-Day spin happen to come in shades of red or pink (like smartphones and portable hard drives), while others allow you to add your own personal touch (voice-recording GPS software and DIY circuit board kits). And each gift is priced at less than $100, so you and your wallet will be happy, too.

10 recession-proof IT skills

by Beth Schultz

Virtualization

A foundational technology for state-of-the-art IT infrastructures, virtualization skills almost go without saying.
Rick King, CTO at Thomson Reuters, Legal, in Eagan, Minn., puts it this way: "Today people who have spent a lot of time with virtualization technologies can pretty much work any place they want — and that will be true for some period of time, until almost all data centers are running almost everything in a virtual environment."

Related stories:

The deepening data center skills crisis

From sea to shining data center

How to become a data center top dog

From Paper Tape to Data Sticks: The Evolution of Removable Storage

by Benj Edwards

The Evolution of Removable Storage

Brave users of history's earliest computers programmed those massive electronic beasts through jumper wires plugged into arrays of sockets. With so few computers in existence (none of them compatible with any others), digital pioneers had little need for portable software: The programs stayed put. Soon, however, companies like IBM began selling multiple identical computers, and users sought a way to program the devices more efficiently, to move programs from computer to computer, and to reload programs later with a minimum of hassle.

Thus begins the history of removable computer storage, which in many ways is the story of software distribution: The first job of removable storage was to share software without requiring any reprogramming from scratch. Over the next few pages, we'll revisit dozens of ways that engineers have solved the problem over the past 60 years.

Products of the Week

by Network World Staff

Our round-up of intriguing new products from Trend Micro, Barracuda, HP, among others.

Top 10 Super Bowl tech ads

by Valerie Potter

This Sunday the Super Bowl is once again upon us, and that means one thing: great advertising. (Apparently some sort of game will be going on too, but many of us tune in not for the touchdowns but for the commercials.) And it's not all beer and car ads; technology companies have a long and illustrious history as Super Bowl advertisers.

So we decided to run our own game: What were the best Super Bowl ads from tech companies in years past? Wading through four decades' worth of Super Bowl ads was entertaining, educational (who knew that Exxon once had an office products division?) and sometimes tedious, but we finally found the 10 tech ads that we think are the most compelling.

Free BlackBerry Apps: Your Smartphone's 10 New Best Friends

by Al Sacco

True BlackBerry lovers, or "CrackBerry" addicts, if you will, can never have too many BlackBerry apps.

This steady demand for apps is no secret, and nary a week goes by that I don't some see some BlackBerry blog or mobile site offer up its "Best BlackBerry Apps" list. But most of these posts profile "commercial" applications that you have to buy.

Sure, plenty of BlackBerry software is well worth the scratch developers charge for it. And you can call me "cheap," but it's sticks and stones that break this blogger's bones; I'd much rather get a valuable app for free than dish out cash.

On that note, I've compiled a list of ten free BlackBerry applications that I use regularly. Every one is worthwhile—and you won't have to part with a single dime.

I know some BlackBerry users prefer to avoid BlackBerry App World, RIM's software store, and some of you folks reside in locations where App World's not available. So I've provided non-App-World download links where possible.

Happy app-ing!

9-year-old plots his fifth Microsoft certification

by Denise Dubie

Meet Marko Calasan, a 9 year-old boy from Skopje, Macedonia who loves computers – especially those running Microsoft Windows operating systems. Calasan will celebrate his 10th birthday this July, holds four Microsoft IT certifications and has already decided the next certification he will add to his ever-growing resume.

Android apps for business users, at a glance

by Peter Wayner

Even though the market for Android apps is still emerging, there are a number of good programs for business users. Take InfoWorld's quick, at-a-glance tour of 10 Android apps that help you find where you're going, track your expenses and exchange rates, overcome language barriers, view and edit Office documents, and connect remotely to a company database or your desktop PC.

How to Make New Stuff From Your Piles of Obsolete Tech

by Anne B. McDonald

Earbud Speakers

If you're like us, you have an attic, closet, or garage stuffed with unused, outdated tech junk. Oh, you think you'll recycle it--but you don't, do you? Wouldn't you like to do something useful with them?

A new book called 62 Projects to Make With a Dead Computer (and Other Discarded Electronics) gives you some good and some goofy ideas for DIY projects. For instance, we whipped together this Earbud Speaker system in about an hour from parts from our discarded tech drawer--plus some new odds and ends that cost less than $10 total.

The speakers work pretty well, and--more importantly--doing this project put those two defunct 2002-vintage Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen MP3 players back to work doing something other than filling a drawer (the players serve as the stands for the funnel speakers).

(History detour on the Nomad Jukebox Zen: Great software, 20GB of storage, and a street price of about $350 at the time! RIP.)

Skill level for project: Novice

In subsequent slides we'll present more of our favorite activities from the book.

Note: Material in this slideshow is excerpted from 62 Projects to Make With a Dead Computer (and Other Discarded Electronics) | Copyright 2010 by Randy Sarafan | Used by permission of Workman Publishing Co., Inc. New York | All rights reserved.

(Slide photo above by Nick Mediati: All other photos are from 62 Projects to Make With a Dead Computer)

A techie's guide to "Lost"

by Brad Reed

From enabling time travel to summoning smoke monsters, "Lost" gadgets can do it all!

Despite being a science-fiction show, "Lost" doesn't typically dazzle viewers with the sort of futuristic gadgetry and technology sci-fi fans have come to expect in shows such as "Star Trek" or "Dr. Who." Instead, the show relies upon seemingly primitive technological artifacts that are somehow, some way capable of performing miraculous tasks – prominent examples include an Apple IIGS capable of saving the world from an electromagnetic cataclysm and a giant donkey wheel that can rupture the space-time continuum. With "Lost's" final season set to kick off on ABC tonight, this slideshow should help you get caught up on all the major devices and gadgets the show employs, no matter how seemingly implausible or bizarre they may be.

Negative Tech Ads: A Short History

by Harry McCracken

Apple's 25-Year War on Microsoft

Whatever you think of the "Laptop Hunter" ads, you can see why Microsoft might lash out at Apple. By the time the ads aired last year, the maker of Windows had spent a quarter century stifling its emotions while Apple promoted Macs in large part by slamming Microsoft.

It all goes back to the very first Macintosh TV ad--the legendary "1984." True, the commercial didn't mention Microsoft by name. But it did compare people who used IBM PCs--powered by Bill Gates and Paul Allen's MS-DOS--to a zombie army under the control of an evil overlord. That can't be considered a compliment.

Products of the Week

by Network World Staff

Our round-up of intriguing new products from Absolute, Red Seal, Compuware among others.

The 10 Coolest Experiments from Google Labs

by Kaila Colbin

When you've got thousands of the world's most brilliant engineers spending 20% of their time on whatever takes their fancy, you need a home for the results. Such a home would provide a safe environment for these fledgling experiments to test their wings — even if they fail. It would provide a playground where the geekier contingent of the general public can access ideas before those ideas are ready for public consumption. It would be associated enough with Google to get the brand benefits, and quarantined enough so that it doesn't put the core service at risk.

That playground exists at Google Labs. And while many of the experiments from the Lab have slunk away into obscurity (anyone remember Google X?), some of the big G's most popular current offerings had their genesis there. Google Alerts, Google Desktop, GOOG-411, Google Docs, Google Maps, and more, all alumni of this no-holds-barred, no-fear-of-consequences toy store.

Here are my current picks for the 10 coolest experiments in the Labs right now.

Apple's iPad vs. e-readers

by Matt Hamblen

Apple's iPad tablet: Also an e-reader

Apple's iPad is a multi-function device that focuses on multimedia and some productivity apps, but also functions as an e-reader with a new iBook store of EPub format books. Five major book publishers, plus The New York Times, have all signed on to give users views of their content from the iPad's 9.7-inch color, multi-touch screen.

It might seem inappropriate to compare this 1.5-pound device with some much lighter-weight e-readers that have far superior battery life than the 10 hours Apple claims for iPad (and probably only when not connected to Wi-Fi or 3G wireless). A big question is whether iPad's LCD screen, with its LED backlight, will only work for casual readers who also browse, play music and videos and write documents, and not for heavy readers.

Those who like to read several hours at a time might find they need one of many reflective screen e-readers devices that are easier on the eyes and use E Ink or similar technology that is now just in grayscale. Apple's iPad goes on sale in March and April, and will be available in six versions ranging from $499 to $829.

The technology pro's greatest enemies

by Dan Tynan

Everybody keeps a list of the people who make their jobs and lives more difficult, even if they never write it down. It's a safe bet that IT pros' lists are longer than most.

Making an "enemies" list is not just a cathartic exercise but also a useful one, says Mark Kadrich, CEO of The Security Consortium.

"Though they often curse the user community, most IT pros don't spend the time to identify good users from the bad ones," he says. "You ask most of them how many users have administrative access to their systems, and the answer is usually either 'I don't know' or 'all of them.' I think they need to take more time to classify their user communities."

Here are the classic enemies of IT, how to recognize them, and what you can do to keep them at bay.

Apple's iPad: The key capabilities, at a glance

by Pete Babb

Apple introduced its new tablet, the iPad, on Wednesday and set the tech world atwitter. The predominant question: What is this thing? Is it an overgrown iPod Touch? Is it a netbook killer? Is it enterprise-ready? Until reviewers get some solid hands-on time with an iPad, the answers to these questions are going to be educated guesses, but in the meantime, here's a rundown of some of the tablet's key features.

Don't become a cube potato: Get out of your chair and get healthy

by Josh Fruhlinger, IT World

You might have read about the recent study that pinned disastrous health consequences with "sedentary lifestyles." Unfortunately, most of us who toil in the tech industry are pretty sedentary, spending our days (and often our nights) parked in front of our computers. Are we pretty much doomed if we can't dedicate an hour or more a day exercise?

Not at all, says Rachel Permuth-Levine, who's the director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Center for Employee Wellness and Health Promotion; that attitude is common, but she says it's also damaging to people's motivation to stay healthy. Short bouts of activity can improve one's health, resulting in less neck tension, less eye strain, more freedom in your wrists -- something we'd all like to enjoy.

So how do we get up and moving?

Photo courtesy of oddsock

Seven social SharePoint apps built in a week

by Alpa Agarwal

Microsoft released the public beta of SharePoint 2010 in November. Its claim to fame is its support of rapid app development. SharePoint has become one of Microsoft's most insanely popular products and Microsoft would like to see the 2010 version become the de facto platform for custom business social apps.

To that end, the folks at Microsoft's Emerging Business Team held a contest the week of Jan. 25. They invited seven start-ups known for their social networking products to come to Microsoft. The challenge: build a social networking app on SharePoint 2010 in one week. The stakes: the competitors got to present their app to a roster of venture capitalists, Fortune 500 customers and other SharePoint experts. The winner, announced Friday, Jan. 29, is Huddle (skip to Slide 5 to see Huddle's winning project). But all the apps are interesting and are presented here, alphabetically.

Your computer becomes a mentor with Loqu8's 'augmented learning' tool

Alpa Agarwal's Microsoft Startups to Watch

Microsoft Subnet: An independent community for Microsoft customers

Microsoft's Microsoft Startup Zone

Microsoft Startup Zone SharePoint SocialFest

Photos from Apple's iPad event

by Macworld Staff

Apple's latest product is announced

After eons of anticipation and rumors, Apple finally unleashed its latest creation, the iPad, Wednesday morning in San Francisco.

Macworld goes hands on with the iPad

by Jonathan Seff

Scrolling around, zooming in on, and clicking links on our very our homepage was a breeze. The experience was much more enjoyable than trying to do the same on an iPhone's tiny screen.

Apple iPad: A Hands-On Tour in Pictures

by Melissa J. Perenson

Front View

Though the Apple iPad's interface may look familiar (see our hands-on impressions for more on the iPad), the hardware is clearly bigger than its iPhone/iPod Touch siblings. The main menu mimics that of the current iPhone OS, with four icons across and four rows down, plus Safari, Mail, Photos, and iPod icons in a row at the bottom. The icons have the same design as those on the iPhone, and include calendar, contacts, notes, maps, YouTube, iTunes, App Store, and Settings. One new item is a dedicated icon for videos.

Android apps for developers and IT pros, at a glance

by Peter Wayner

These eight apps allow you to open a shell, run a shell script, tap the Linux command line, or otherwise put your Android-based smartphone to productive use. Most are available in free editions, and none will set you back more than a few dollars.

Tech M&A deals of 2010

by Network World Staff

A summary of who did the buying, who got bought, how much they went for and why. We'll be updating as more deals are made.

Past M&As:

Hottest tech M&A deals of 2009

Hottest tech M&A deals of 2008

12 years of big-time Apple innovations

by Brad Reed

Ever since CEO Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1998, his company has developed several watershed products and innovations that have reshaped the consumer personal computing and gadget markets. Some innovations, such as the MacBook, have merely been improvements to existing Apple products. But others, such as the iPod and the iPhone, have been truly revolutionary in the way they've reshaped consumer expectations for portable music devices and cellular phones. In this slideshow we'll take you through the past 12 years of major Apple innovations, all in anticipation of the expected debut of Apple's new "tablet" computer on Jan. 27.

Related stories:

Apple disasters

Apple's top 10 biggest news stories in 2009

So you think you know everything about Apple?

8 Gadgets That Will Be Huge in 2010

by Sarah Jacobsson and PC World Staff

Top Gadgets of 2010

The year 2009 is still a not-so-distant memory, but we're already looking for the next big thing in 2010. Last year we bought iPhones and Flip camcorders by the millions, but what will it be this year? The Apple (AAPL) Tablet--still just a rumor at this writing--would surely be a hit, and a new, more powerful iPhone would be greeted with open arms and open wallets. But we've found other strong contenders, such as the Xbox "Project Natal" gaming controller, the Sezmi TV broadcast and streaming system, and the sharp-looking new IdeaPad U1 laptop from Lenovo. Click forward to check out the glamour shots and the details for each soon-to-be-hot gadget.

Worst Cities to Work in IT: International Edition

by Thomas Wailgum

CIO.com ruffled the feathers of so many prideful Clevelanders, Detroiters and Syracusians with our Worst U.S. Cities to Work in IT list, that we thought we'd see how the rest of the world fared when it came to employing IT professionals and expats. The results: Plenty of tech assignments around the globe will convince you that Detroit ain't so bad after all.

Mobile augmented reality apps

by Howard Wen

Wikitude World Browser identifies Seattle's Space Needle and provides location info and hours of operation over the on-screen image -- all in real time as the smartphone's camera is pointed at the Space Needle.

10 great iPhone apps for business users, at a glance

by Curtis Franklin Jr.

Exactly which App Store apps will make the iPhone as useful as it can be? These 10 apps for nomadic business people will keep you organized, on time, on track, and productive even when your laptop is not in tow.

Read the full story, "10 great iPhone apps for business users."

The Apple Tablet and 10 Other Overhyped Tech Products

by Jared Newman

Big Buzz, Huge Letdown

On Wednesday, Apple is likely to unveil its tablet, bringing clarity to an overwhelming amount of rumor, speculation, and buzz. Even Steve Jobs is getting in on the hype, reportedly telling people that it "will be the most important thing I've ever done." He could be right; but if not, Apple's tablet will join a pile of products that suffered from more hype than they were worth. Here are some of our favorites.

Products of the Week

by Network World Staff

Our round-up of intriguing new products from ScriptLogic, Avere Systems, Eaton Corporation among others.

Products of the Week

by Network World Staff

Our round-up of intriguing new products from F5, Crescendo, Citrix among others.

10 Gigabit data center switch shootout

by David Newman

10 Gigabit switches move faster, scale higher

We tested six top-of-rack data center switches 10 ways to Sunday and found that all of them deliver high performance, scalability and a variety of advanced features. However, switches from Arista and Blade came out on top, while Cisco came up short on latency and HP failed to deliver line rate throughput. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus was the only switch to deliver full integration with between data and storage networks. Full test results

Best Portable Hard Drives

by Leah Yamshon

Iomega eGo, Capacity: 500GB

Why we like it: It rules our Top 10 Portable Hard Drives chart.

The Iomega eGo 500GB Portable Hard Drive performed well across the board in our PCWorld Labs tests, earning it first place on our Top 10 Portable Hard Drives chart.

The eGo is fast and it has a unique design (read: it's red and shiny). This $100 drive has FireWire 400 and 800 ports to complement a USB 2.0 port, and it comes equipped with two pieces of useful software--Retrospect Express and Iomega QuikProtect--to simplify backups.

Gadgets to help you lose weight

by Keith Shaw

Vowing to lose weight is the New Year's Resolution that most of us make, and most of us break. But now technology is here to help, with several gadgets, Web sites and iPhone and other mobile device apps that aim to keep you on track. Here are a bunch of our favorite methods for losing weight through the magic of technology.

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Let your cell phone call you fat

Weightbot helps you track weight loss via iPhone

Gadgets for the year ahead

Wii Fit: Keith Fit

Five Ways Techies Can Stay Motivated This Year

by Tom Kaneshige

Breaking News: You Hate Your Job!

The latest job satisfaction survey by the Corporate Executive Board shows job dissatisfaction at an all-time high over the last 10 years. In 2007, about 12 percent of IT employees said they were "highly engaged" — but that has fallen to 4 percent today. Indeed CIO.com has been following IT workers' smoldering discontent.

They say laughter is the best medicine (although we'd prefer a good paycheck and job security), so here are five ways to keep your chin up.

10 top iPhone apps for IT pros

by David Strom

While the frivolous iPhone apps usually get most of the media attention (yes, there really are over 175 apps that can produce rude bodily noises), there are quite a few apps that can help you do your job as an IT worker. While less notorious, they are worth your time to download and check out.

These apps serve several purposes. They can control or interact with appliances that are part of the corporate network, monitor and remotely control your office PCs, or check your Web server. While the small screen of the iPhone can't deliver everything that your multi-monitor desktop rig can, this collection of enterprise-class applications will help iPhone-carrying IT workers manage their work lives better.

What follows is a list of 10 IT business-related iPhone apps. Most of these apps require the v3.0 firmware to work properly. I have also tried to pick those apps that are free (or nearly so).

Hottest laptops and netbooks of CES

by Eric Lai

Lenovo IdeaPad U1 -- the 'mullet' of notebook computers?

The U1 is a consumer-grade Windows 7 laptop that also has a detachable 11.6-inch LCD touchscreen with its own ARM-powered slate computer. Lenovo calls it the laptop "with two brains," but the nickname another reporter gave it -- "the mullet of notebook computers: Business in the front, party in the back" -- sounds about right.

Hot mobile apps at CES showdown

by Brad Reed

Nine great apps. Which one will triumph?

The Consumer Electronics Show, held every year in Las Vegas, has a well-earned reputation for delivering exciting new hardware products, from 3D televisions to innovative new notebooks to the hottest new smartphones. But that doesn't mean that software is excluded entirely, as this year CES hosted its first-ever Mobile Apps Showdown this weekend that let nine app developers show off their best mobile apps before letting the audience vote on their work. In this slideshow we'll break down the nine top apps in this year's showdown, looking not only at their key functions but also their prices and the platforms they're available for.

Quiz: What were the first products from today's biggest tech companies?

by Tim Greene

The world's largest technology companies – Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, AT&T, Apple, Intel – are well established in their various business niches, such as network routers, software, information services, computing devices and chips. But when they first started up in their apocryphal garages, basements or dorm rooms, what were the first products out the doors? We'll supply the company name, you supply the product. Keep track of your right answers and we'll grade you at the end.

Related stories:

2009 tech quiz: Test your recall

End-of-the-decade technology quiz