2012 Universal Cell Chargers

Most people have, somewhere in their house, a drawer or cabinet full of old electronic adapters and other "junk" taking up copious amounts of space. Sadly, I have a whole closet full of computers, monitors, printers, scanners, and boxes and bags of electronic chargers, adapters, and cables.

Somewhere in that mess is a whole box full of old cell phone charges. I keep them simply because I may, and have in the past, need them again one day for new cell phones. They come in handy for family and friends as well.

Our "pack rat" problems may soon disappear as a universal cell phone charger is set to hit the market in 2012. The GSMA (Group Special Mobile Association) represents more than 750 of the world's cell phone operators and have made the announcement about the new chargers.

The plan is to have all cell phone manufacturers produce cell phones with same charger port; micro USB.

The obvious benefit from these devices would be the elimination of the need for multiple cell phone chargers. Consumers could buy one charger that would last forever (or until broken) and work on all phones. Another benefit would be the dramatic reduction in production of cell phone charges. This would ultimately eliminate 51,000 to 82,000 tons of cell phone chargers per year as well as up to 21 tons of greenhouse gases.

The universal cell phone chargers should be available to consumers by January 2012.

Companies already signed up for the plan include: Sony, Motoralla, LG, AT&T, Samsung, T-Mobile, Nokia, & Qualcomm.

Now if I could only figure out what to do with that box of chargers I have.....

Complete story:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/ptech/02/17/cellphone.chargers/index.html

Even MORE Reasons To Like Google Earth

Most of us have had the exciting opportunity to tour the world via Google Earth since its release in 2005. The ability to clearly see your backyard, famous landmarks, other countries, and vacation hot spots is mind blowing nonetheless. New features are constantly being added to enhance this mapping software.

But can you make a living using this powerful technology? Well sure you can, if you are Nathan Smith of Los Angeles. Nathan may never have to work another day in his life.......that is if he wins a court battle in Texas.

Nathan Smith was able to locate what he believes to be the buried wreckage of a large Spanish ship from 1822 just south of a the small Texas town of Refugio. (Talk about having a lot of time on your hands)

Smith believes the ship is buried under the soils of the Aransas Pass and that this area of Texas still has navigable underground waterways. After locating the "shoe-print" like shape in Google Earth and consulting with history experts, Smith drove to Texas armed with only a metal detector to find the land was owned by a deceased Texan rancher.

Both parties hired lawyers and are now locked in a court battle to decide who will have access to the potential "treasure". Under U.S. law, the first person to find abandoned treasure is the rightful owner. Also, if the area is found to have an underground waterway the ranch owner would not have legal ownership of the waterway itself. I am not sure where they will draw the line on this one.

Experts say the ship has the potential to be worth $3 billion dollars........

If you need to reach me I'll be nosing around Google Earth the rest of the day.

Story: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10161265-71.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0

I searched for the area in southern Texas but could not find anything on the web with specific latitude or longitude coordinates.

Here is what I believe to be the area in question:

Look dead center of the screen in the light green swampy area.

7 Will Have 6

Microsoft has disclosed some new information about their upcoming operating system. Windows 7, the successor to Vista, will have six different editions.

This should not come as a shock to consumers as most of Microsoft's previous operating systems have had numerous editions.

Windows 7 will be available in the following editions:

-Starter
-Home Basic
-Home Premium
-Professional
-Enterprise
-Ultimate

Each edition will be available in 32 and 64 bit versions and will require a clean install if you are upgrading from XP to take advantage of the Windows Display Driver Model that was introduced with Vista. If you are upgrading from Vista then a clean install is not necessary. Predictions are that the 64 bit versions will be more successful than the 32 bit versions as everyone upgrades to 64 bit operating systems.

Each edition essentially builds on the previous edition with added features and capabilities. All six editions of Windows 7 will be on a single DVD and consumers can upgrade electronically through Microsoft without having to go out and purchase new software at a retailer.

Windows 7 Starter Edition is basically a "bare bones" version that targets ultra low end computers and netbooks. This edition is only offered pre-installed by an OEM and only allows three applications to run at a time.

The Home Basic Edition is also marketed for low end computers especially in developing countries. This version lacks most of the capabilities of the higher editions of Windows 7 and will probably not be sold in North America or Europe.

Windows 7 Home Premium will be the most popular edition for home computer users and will compare with Vista Home Premium. Microsoft believes this version will be the majority of their shipments. HomePremium will boast such features as: Aero Glass interface, Mobility Center for laptops, touch screen controls, HomeGroups networking, and improved media codecs.

Windows 7 Professional Edition will be marketed to small and medium businesses and builds on the Home Premium Edition with domain joining, group policy controls, and offline folder access.

The Enterprise Edition will not be available for purchase at the retail level. This edition will be for Fortune 1000 companies and larger businesses. Windows 7 Enterprise Edition adds a whole slew of features to Professional Edition including: Bitlocker hard drive encryption, AppLocker (a centrally managed group policy program), Branch Cache (a file caching option for branch offices), and powerful integration with Windows Server 2008.

The final and obviously most expensive version of Windows 7 is the Ultimate Edition. This edition does not offer much more than Enterprise edition and Microsoft is currently developing more features to add to Ultimate to justify its "ultimate" price.

Currently there is no pricing information available from Microsoft on Windows 7.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/


http://www.dailytech.com/Windows+7+Has+Six+Editions/article14152.htm