Most of us get Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office with our computer systems when we buy our computers and really have no idea how much of the price of a computer system those two pieces of software represent. If you’ve ever went out and tried to buy a copy of windows on your own, you could be out $300.00 depending on what version you buy. Fortunately, there are several ways to get software such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows and Windows Server for much less than one would normally have to pay in a retail venue.
Here are some ways to get free or highly-discounted Microsoft software:
Bizspark - If you are a small business owner and are worried about the cost of software when getting your business going, there’s a solution for you. Microsoft has launched an initiative called Bizspark which allows small businesses, entrepreneurs and startups to get the software that they need without paying huge licensing costs when they really don’t have any money to pay for them. Under the program, new businesses can get free software for the first three years of their business operations.
DreamSpark - If you’re a student and have an interest in technology, you should checkout Microsoft’s DreamSpark website. This program allows student developers (and other students) to get free copies of Microsoft software development tools, such as Visual Studio, Windows Server and SQL Server. Students can also get free passes to the Microsoft Academy website.
Academic Alliance - If you are involved in Academia in just about any way, you can likely get free or highly discounted prices for software. Microsoft has a program called Academic Alliance that many schools and universities participate in. You can typically get versions of the Windows Operating system, Microsoft Office, and Visual Studio for $10.00.
Upgrade Pricing - If you decide to upgrade to Windows 7 when it’s released later this year, make sure to take advantage of the upgrade pricing. If you already have just about any copy of windows installed on your computer, you can get an upgrade version that’s less than half of what the full retail price would be.
Express Versions & Free Software - Microsoft offers some pieces of software for literally nothing. You can get “express” versions of Microsoft’s software development tools which allow you to do just about everything that the full versions do. There are also a number of tools and utilities that are available for completely free. There’s a blog that’s come up with a complete list of free software tools that Microsoft has released.
Microsoft is concerned with free software tools that are competing with their software. In response, they’ve launched a number of programs such as those above which enable customers that don’t have a lot of money to get free and cheap versions of their software. Not everyone will qualify for them, but many people will. If you do qualify for any of these programs, definitely take advantage of them.
While in the check-out line at a big-box retailer, I noticed on display a package of popular AA batteries in an eight pack for $6.00. Right below it was a four-pack of AA from the same manufacturer only in the lithium variety for the same price.
Big price difference per battery, but what about performance? Are the lithium batteries really that much better? Does paying that much more mean that much more in longevity power wise?
The answer is generally yes and yes. But there is more to it than just a simple yes or no answer. The bottom line has to do with application, but that will be addressed after some explanation about the advantage of lithium batteries.
When alkaline batteries were first introduced in the 1960s, the reviews were extremely favorable in the amount of charge that was held over a longer period of time. In specific applications, they were an immediate hit with the public.
The same is true now for lithium batteries. These new disposable batteries have a longer life depending on what device in which they are place. Up to 4 times is the expected longevity over alkaline equivalents.
It is in how lithium batteries perform which also make them a good choice. Alkaline batteries lose their charge on a graduated rate over a period of time. The lithium batteries hold their charge longer and then suddenly go dead. While this is not good for mission-critical devices, it does work well with certain consumer electronic devices such as digital cameras.
Also, lithium batteries can put out more voltage than their alkaline counterparts, so care must be used in making sure that your device approves of the usage of lithium batteries.
Another application in which alkaline has no presence is in the very small ‘coin’ sized batteries used in very small consumer devices or in logic boards on computers. These often have a usable life of many many months, even years in some cases.
The use of lithium batteries and whether they are a good choice depends upon what the device is in which they are being placed. For digital cameras and other devices such as portable music players (that do not have an internal re-chargeable battery) these work well and can deliver much more useable life over conventional alkaline batteries.
Conversely, it might not be cost-effective to place lithium batteries into a toy because of the life expectancy of the device. The battery could well out-last the device being powered which would render the purchase wasteful.
The answer is that lithium batteries really last a lot longer than do their kin, the alkaline. Just be sure to follow stated directions of the device into which you want to place these batteries to make sure they will work properly and give you the length of service that you require.
Identity theft is a growing problem in the United States, but a lot of the solutions that banks and other companies propose to stop identity thieves aren’t nearly as effective as a recently introduced process offered by the three major credit bureaus. Monitoring services only let you know that your identity has been stolen after it’s already happened, but the process of “freezing your credit” makes it almost impossible for identity thieves to open lines of credit in your name, even when they have full access to your personal information.
The term is called a “credit freeze” because your credit is literally frozen. If your credit is frozen and a bank tries to query your credit report because someone applied for credit in your name, they won’t be able to access your credit report. It will be as if your credit file did not exist. Anyone who has your personal information will not be able to use your identity to establish new lines of credit in your name any more than they would of a newborn baby with zero credit history to speak of.
The initial cost to freeze your credit will be $10.00 per credit bureau, or $30.00 total. Certain states allow customers to file for a credit freeze for free. Victims of identity theft may also be able to freeze their credit for free. You might want to research your state’s laws with a simple Google search to see if there’s a way for you to request a credit freeze at a better rate than what the three major Credit Bureaus are offering.
Equifax, TransUnion and Experian each have slightly different processes for getting your credit frozen, so you’ll want to read their full instructions on their websites, which are TransUnion.com, Experian.com, and Equifax.com respectively. If you aren’t technically savvy, you can also request to freeze your credit by Phone. Experian’s number is 1-888-397-3742. Equifax‘s phone number is call 1-800-685-1111 and TransUnion’s phone number is 1-888-909-8872.
If you freeze your credit, you will need to remember to “thaw” your credit and temporarily make it accessible to potential creditors in the event that you want to apply for any kind of loan or rent an apartment. Fortunately the process of thawing and freezing your credit is relatively simple and can be done online.
The number of coffee shops, restaurants, and other stores that are offering free wireless internet access to their customers through 802.11B/G/N technologies (more commonly known as WiFi) has seen a dramatic increase in the last few years. In just about every major metropolitan “down town” area, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a location where there isn’t a WiFi signal available. These publically available are very convenient, but if you’re not careful using them, they can leave you open to become a victim of identity theft.
If you only use your laptop to browse your favorite news sites and check your personal email, you probably don’t have a ton to worry about. However, if you use your bank’s online banking service, login to your PayPal account, login to your eBay account, or login anywhere that money could potentially be transacted then you need to take certain precautions to make sure that you are on a secure connection.
So how do you protect yourself? First, remember that you are on the exact same network as everyone else in the room without a firewall in-between you. If you have any shared folders on your computer, they can probably access them. You’ll want to turn on the Windows Firewall or use your own firewall solution and turn off any shared folders that you might have open. You’ll also want to make sure that your copy of Windows (or whatever operating system that you’re using) is up to date and has the latest security patches.
Second, if you’re going to logon to your bank’s website, your eBay account, your PayPal account or your investment account, make sure that their website is using SSL. This stands for “secure socket layer” and essentially encrypts the communication between you and the bank. That way, if you were to type in your password and send it off to eBay for validation, nobody except eBay would be able to see the network traffic that you are generating which will validate your password. You can make sure that you are on a secure connection if the URL you are on starts with “https” rather than HTTP.
If you have access to a business or corporate VPN, you should make use of it. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) offers you a secure way to communicate with your home or work’s network. This will add another layer of encryption your network traffic and make it, in all practicality, impossible for anyone to see the network traffic that you are sending over the air. You can also use services such as OpenVPN and HotSpot VPN if you don’t have a VPN available at work. These will safely encrypt your wireless network traffic.
Some hackers have been known to create their own “access points” and attempt to get unsuspecting victims to connect to them. In doing this, they are acting as a pass-through and collecting all of the information that you are sending through the connection, including any passwords that you send to insecure websites. You need to make sure that the network you are connected to is legitimate. You can do this by making sure that the SSID (the name of the wireless network) matches up with the name of the store that you are at.
If you are not using the internet, shut off your wireless network card. This will prevent it from automatically connecting to a network that you didn’t intend to. It’s also a good idea to run a security suite such as AVG (it’s free), that will let you know if you’ve been infected with any sort of Trojan or other virus.
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