When you’re cruising down the highway, you’ve got much better things to do than fiddling with iPhone cables — like, you know, texting and playing Angry Birds. Thankfully, this handy little Powermat hack brings the fun of wireless charging to the comfort of your mobile office, to help free up your hands a bit — at least until Siri learns how to steer. Video after the break and instructions in the source link — but please, pull over to the side of the road before attempting to install.

Continue reading Hacked Powermat lets you touch-to-charge your iPhone in stop-and-go traffic

Hacked Powermat lets you touch-to-charge your iPhone in stop-and-go traffic originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, it’s pretty unfortunate that you’ve got to work tomorrow (well, unless you’re down with Boxing Day), but let’s take it one 24-hour window at a time, shall we? It’s not as if you’ve had any shortage of gizmos to choose from this year, and while you aren’t likely to get a Transformer Prime, there’s plenty of other stocking stuffers to look forward to. Speaking of which, what’d you find under your tree this morning? A Kindle Fire? That new laptop you’ve been longing for? A few new cables to do… cable-y things with? Let us know in comments below, and be sure to press play on your way there. Hopefully that’s not your kid.

When you’re done, check out what people got jazzed about in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Continue reading So, what’d you get?

So, what’d you get? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever attempted computer networking for your home? If you have not, then you need to because you can connect each one of your PCs to each other for the purpose of sharing software, hardware, information and even the same Net connection.

There exists many benefits of home computer networking, but the main advantage to it is when you cannot afford to upgrade every one of the computers, because it might end up to be too costly. With home networking, each one of the PCs can access the one with the better programs and software allowing you to maintain all the PCs via the key PC for instance installing and updating software, and even through registry cleaner review learn how to clean registry for all the computers via the main computer.

You can create your house network by connecting the computers with an Ethernet wire or by utilizing a wifi connection. Although Ethernet connection, which uses Ethernet wires, a router and network cards connected to each of the computers, has been demonstrated to be cheaper and user friendly.

First, you'll need to select the PCs which should be connected to all of the other ones and 2nd, you'll need to install in each one a network card. A network card is like the modems that were used during the past to provide access to the Internets, but with the home network, it is utilized for conversing with every one of the computers connected on it. Network cards are quite imperative in PC networking

3rd, a wire is connected to every one of the PCs with the goal of communicating with the server. The cables will not at once connect the computers to this server. They can first be hooked up to the router. To complete the link to the Web the routers is then plugged into the modem on the host PC.

After the hardware is installed and running correctly (for this read the directions included with the kit), you'll be able to line up your house network from each machine through Windows. You set this home network up kind of the same way as you do a connection to the Internet.

But this time you will form a Local Area Network or LAN connection. Windows will guide you through the set up for the LAN and after all steps have been completed, you will be able to start connecting each of the machines to the network.

This can be accomplished using Internet Explorer, where you place the address for the router and the mandatory password to access it (this information is in the directions that come with the router).

Once each computer is hooked up to the home network, all of them can open programs, send files, play videos or sound files on the other ones. Also, they can share on Internet account for downloading files, browsing the web, or talking with people in other bits of the country or world.

All of these PCs can print from one printer, cutting down on the amount of printers required in the house. Youngsters will have fun playing multi-player games, while their parents will have an easy time having the ability to send a message to everyone with a single keystroke or keep up with the schedule of the group hence enjoying the results of computer networking.

Because this is a home network connected to the Net, it is advisable that you also have a firewall installed to keep worms, viruses, malicious software and malware from being able to invade and harm your PCs.

Firewalls protect the computers from these things but do not fix damages. You'll need anti-spyware and anti-virus programs to fix any damage. Install the firewall on the host PC, and then on all the computers connected to the network install the anti-spyware and anti-virus programs.

If there are files that you don’t would like to share such as Visa card information, bank statements and just to name a few, there are ways to block access to them. You could put them in a different folder and block permission for that folder to be read by any person but you. You may also give permission to just certain people by use of a password through the Windows Control Panel.

Nick is a passionate writer of articles concerning PC usage and likes to write about how to speed up computer and computer based systems. Check out more great stuff about computers like what you need to know when buying a new computer. Hope you find it of great use.

Reading the WikiLeaks cables requires a trained eye, since all is not what it seems and what’s not there is as important as what is. That’s according to guest contributor Daniel Serwer, a John Hopkins professor and former diplomat.

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If you’re looking for a good printer to keep in your office or in a professional setting, the HP 4700 cartridges printer is a good option to consider. It’s loaded with features that make it an ideal workplace tool to help you get print jobs done quickly and efficiently. It’s perfect to have around the office.

This printer has qualities that make it excellent for an environment in which it will be used a lot by several computers with use of HP cartridges. One of those features is its multiple trays. It has one standard multipurpose tray that can hold up to one hundred sheets of various types of paper or up to twenty envelopes. It also comes with a second tray that holds up to 500 sheets of standard paper, which is ideal for basic printing of reports or office memos.

If you’d like, you can add up to an additional four trays that hold 500 sheets of standard paper each. This is a very convenient feature especially if you expect your printer to get a lot of traffic. In that case you won’t have to worry about running out of paper or resources any time soon. You can have certain computers or types of print jobs feed into various print trays

The printer comes with your regular USB port to hook your computer up to it directly. If you want to make a print station for your office with one computer that everyone goes to, that’s the best option. You also have the opportunity, however, to set up a wireless print server to connect a whole office of computers to it without cables. This way everyone in your office can print directly from his or her desks to the one printer.

Another useful feature of this machine is to take advantage of PIN printing. It allows you to assign personal identification numbers to everyone you want to be able to print with it. That way you can control who has access to the printer, which means that no one will be taking advantage of it to print personal things that you don’t approve of.

The printer’s control panel display is also nice; it’s a graphic display that is easy to read and use. It has interactive help menus and can use its Internet connection to directly order new printer supplies from HP or to access support. You’ll find the menus quick and easy to navigate, creating an overall smooth user experience.

This printer prints 31 pages per minute, going from the print screen on your computer to a full first page printed in ten seconds. It prints with four different inks: black, red, yellow, and blue. So be it black and white written reports or full color diagrams, you’ll get what you need from this printer.

The HP 4700 toner cartridges printer is an ideal machine for an office or professional setting. Its wireless server and Internet capabilities make this model an efficient machine that can print for a number of computers and access support directly and quickly when necessary and with its use of HP cartridges. It prints quickly and in color with HP replacement toner so it will be able to handle whatever challenge you decide to throw at it.