Thats right you can get Microsoft Office for free, as in, completely free of charge. There are no hidden fees, no registering on unknown sites, and no SPYWARE. Most importantly it is completely, 100% legal. Ok so it might not be the real Microsoft Office, but some of the leading open source office programs compete with Office very well and in some aspects are actually better than the real thing. The main reason that these office suites are free is because the are open source. Open source software is a type of software development where any community coders can submit lines of code to fix problems and add features. Each of these coders build off each others ideas, and a very high quality program is nearly always the result.

The undisputed leader of open source office suites is OpenOffice.org or as it is usually called, OpenOffice. OpenOffice was created as a free alternative to Microsoft Office, and in nearly all aspects it is a very good alternative. OpenOffice can run on Windows, Linux, and even Mac OS X, making a universal office program as well. OpenOffice included: Writer, which is a word processor and is very similar to Microsoft Word, Calc, which is a spreadsheet program very similar to Microsoft Excel in both features and mathematical functions, Impress, which is a sideshow presentation program very similar to Microsoft PowerPoint but with some small differences, Base, which is a database system similar to Microsoft Access, Draw, which is a vector image editor similar to CorelDRAW, and Math, which is used for creating mathematical formulas. Each of these programs differs from the Microsoft original in some way, but nearly all features are available either through OpenOffice or through the use of additional plugins. OpenOffice can save files in OpenOffice format, or in a variety of other formats, making it possible to edit Writer files in Microsoft Word.

Another popular office program is Google Docs, provided free by Google. Google Docs is a fully web based office suite, including a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation creator. Google Docs is fully compatible with Microsoft file formats, making it easy to edit or create files which can be used in Microsoft Office. One of the biggest shortcomings of Google Docs is the fact that it is online only. Many users like having an actual program rather than simply an online tool, but it is effective. Google Docs also gives you the ability to save your document either to your computer or to your Google account, making it easily accessible from anywhere.

There are dozens more Microsoft Office replacement programs available on the internet, some are free but some do cost money. OpenOffice and Google Docs are simply the two undisputed best replacements and both are very effective. If you are planning on upgrading your computer and will need a new office suite, or if you are tired of using your illegal copy of Microsoft Office one of these free office suites is a great idea!

Popularity: 2% [?]

The Palm Centro is one of the newest smartphones available on the market today. Very few people know about the Palm Centro because it’s release was greatly overshadowed by the new Apple iPhone. The Centro is much smaller than previous Palm smartphones, weighing in at only 4.2 ounces. As with nearly all Palm smartphones, the Centro operates on Palm OS making it easy to download and install countless third party applications. Compared to the iPhone the 64 MB of internal memory on the Centro seems small, but with microSD cards that memory can be expanded up to 4 GB. The reason Palm decided not to go with more internal memory was the lack of necessity. The Centro is meant to be a phone and a PDA, neither of these require extremely large amounts of memory though they did keep expansion slots available for those who wish to use the Centro as a media player. The Centro has been designed to work with common applications such as Google Maps, AOL Instant Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and others. Along side these official applications is an endless selection of user-created and third party applications which can achieve nearly anything on a Palm device. Some of the leading features of the Centro are the touchscreen, 1.3 megapixel camera, a full QWERTY keyboard, and even a powerful and fast web browser which is capable of much more than the average cell phone browser. Depending on the plan you purchase from Sprint, it is even possible to watch live TV on the Centro.

Currently the Centro is only available from Sprint or directly from Palm, and as a result the phones are locked on the Sprint wireless network. There are currently no plans for the Centro to become universally available, so it is likely that it will remain a Sprint only phone. Because the Centro is made by Palm, there is a strong history of excellence behind the Centro. Prior to the Centro release Palm’s leading line of Treo smartphones had dominated the smartphone market. Perhaps one of the best aspects of the Palm Centro is its price. For a qualified buyer who signs a wireless plan with Sprint the Centro is available for as little as $99.99, even without a plan the Centro is available for as little as $399.99. Both of these prices are very competitive in the market, and for what the Centro can do these prices are very good. If you are looking for a touchscreen phone, which can compete with the iPhone the Palm Centro might be a good phone to checkout. With nearly all the same features as an iPhone, as long as you don’t plan to listen to music on your phone for hours the Palm Centro will provide exactly what you need both as a phone and a PDA.

Popularity: 3% [?]

A computer startup hopes to have meaningful conversations with people.

Well, it seems that a new wave is sweeping the computer world. Cognitive Code, a new software company, has developed a platform that they named SILVIA. This isn’t a windows type, make your webpages run smoother, fix bugs in the system platform. It’s a program that will allow your computer to carry on a conversation with you. And not just your computer, the company is apparently branching out to include cell phones, toys, and gadgets that we use frequently in our daily lives.

Imagine, turning on your computer, and it asks how your day has been. Of course, some do that anyway, but what if you said your day has been awful, and your computer consoles you? Why, this may replace the need for friends! Well, not likely, but it could be a great device. There have been toys around for years that will carry on conversations with children, however, these have been pre-programmed to speak with only a certain amount of pre-loaded phrases. The software that Cognitive Code has built will allow you to “tell” your computer to send messages to people, and it will comply.

Technologically speaking, SILVIA stands for Symbolically Isolated Linguistically Variable Intelligence Algorithm. Simply put, that just means that she’ll hold a meaningful conversation with you, remembering key points and understanding exactly what you’re telling her. She has been tested, and has responded by extracting the meaning from the phrases spoken, and not just the words. She actually understands what’s being said to her and remembers the conversation, AND she can operate a search engine function or send emails. This must be what a real virtual assistant is like. She can open and close word documents on a verbal command, and they expect her to be compatible with Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems. This could really be the new assistant of the future. They also believe that the system will be compatible with smart phones. They are, at the present, leaning toward the toy market, and plans are to have SILVIA in toys within the next year or so.

They are still working out some minor kinks, and some aren’t sure that we’re ready for our computers to totally take over our daily tasks. They’re not sure how difficult SILVIA will be to use, and what problems she may create. For instance if you told her to delete a file, and she chose the wrong one, then you may not have any way of retrieving it. So, there are things to be considered. Although it sounds like a good idea, there are many things that go into creating a software such as SILVIA, and tests after tests must be run to ensure that it is a safe product, and that any major glitches in the system are worked out before it’s released to the general public.

So, apparently they’ll try it out in toys first, just to see if she’s as good as they hope. Who knows, we may wake up in a year or two and our computer could be at our bedside, coffee in hand.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The creation of a BitTorrent file is not difficult at all, although it is a little more complicated as compared to creating a directory on your hard drive. When creating this particular directory, it is not a simple point and click as it is with sharing a directory to normal Windows protocols.

When creating a BitTorrent file there are three things which you must they are mind at all times. The first item that you must remember is that you have to have a tracker for your of BitTorrent file. You will also need access to a Web server in order to upload your tracker file to, so that others may download your particular, BitTorrent file directly from your computer. The final thing in my source member is that at any given time you that to have at least one “Seeder”. A “Seeder” is a computer on the BitTorrent network that has a complete BitTorrent file that is available for download. While on the other hand, you also have what is known as the “Leecher” which are peers on your network that only have parts of the complete file.

In the earlier years, right after the release of the original BitTorrent software, but the process was fairly difficult, requiring one to offer their own tracker, as well as their own “Seeder”. Since then, various communities have blossomed throughout the Internet offering servers in which you can upload your tracker files to, so that others may visit the server and search for your particular tracker.

In order to create a BitTorrent file, you must firstly decide which file you wish to share, as it can either be a single file or a directory of files that have been zipped. Another thing that you must remember is that common sense states that you do not zip and already compressed file. If you haven’t already compressed file or multiple parts of a file compressed, and simply place called the compressed files or file parts into the directory that you wish to share utilizing your BitTorrent software.

Once you have decided which file you would like to share, you simply open your BitTorrent software up and click on “Make Torrent”. This will give you an option to select your BitTorrents directory so that you can share with the world. You’ll then have to enter a tracker announce URL. You can choose your own URL or choose a community, but keep in mind that most communities also wants to see the original BitTorrent file to ensure that it does not have any viruses in it.

Your next step is to select the size, or let the software select automatically for you. The smaller the size of the more efficient, however, it also creates a larger tracker file, as well as slows the download time. When dealing with a larger final try not to utilize small file blocks.

Then click to go ahead and create a file, and upload your tracker files to the Web server that you specified earlier. From that point forward, you must leave your computer on, as well as keeping your BitTorrent client software often, until there is at least one other “Seeder” available. The reason for this is if any point in time, your “Seed” is to longer available, the entire downloading process will fail.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Almost everyone who accidentally loses a file or data in the computer will swear of a sickly feeling right from the stomach. A life’s work is lost and no matter what you do it seems that you can never get it back. You tried to press the back button to return to your last file but all you get is a message flashing on the screen that your file or data is unreadable, is unformatted or worse, is nowhere to be found.

Recover with Undo Function

Remember that when writing on a document the Undo function of the document can bring you at least a few steps back through the actions you made. If ever you accidentally lost important information that you have recently typed on the document, do not panic. Try the Undo function and you may retrieve the important information back. A word of caution, though, most notepad applications have an Undo function that brings you back a single step. This trap is very frustrating because you tend to undo and redo the same action you did on a file until you have realized that the information is already gone.

Use the Search Function

If the whole file is lost, the first thing to do is to be sure that you can never recover it. Before trying out any recovery softwares, try to look for the file first with the Search function. You can invoke the Search function from the Start bar or from the View tab. Remember to select “All files and folders” as well as all the hard drives connected to the computer. For Windows Vista, you can invoke the Search function from the Start and by clicking the dropdown arrow beside the Advanced Search option, you can look for recently modified files by selecting the “Date Modified.”

Use File Recovery Applications

If the file seems lost, you have another chance. It is a good thing that data and files leave digital imprints that specialized software or applications can recover. There are undelete utilities available from the Internet that can help you recover your data. The free sharewares PC Inspector File Recovery and FreeUndelete can help you recover files from your PC while the Data Doctor Recovery can help you recover files from your USB driver. Unfortunately, teh Data Doctor Recovery costs about US$ 49 but it has a free-trial evaluation period.

Use Data Recovery Tools

Accidentally clicking “Yes” when asked if you want to reformat your drive may be a long shot for recovery but it can be done but with a price. For recovering data from reformatted drives, you need a data recovery utility with a higher horsepower. There is the File Scavenger from QueTek worth US$ 49. For more serious data recovery, Easy Recovery Professional from Kroll Ontrack will assist you with a high-powered recovery of data as well as repair tools. Unfortunately, this software packs about US$ 500.

Get Professional Help

Recovering files from a dead or worned-out drive is almost near-impossible. A burnt-up hard drive will definitely crash along with its saved files. To prevent your files from going history, immediately retrieve the files and transfer them to another storage device. For damaged files, you can recover them by asking for professional help, for example from DriveSavers.

Back-Up to be Sure

For those lucky ones who have never experienced losing data, the first thing to do to prevent future accidents and face this dilemma is to avoid losing data and observe the rule of back-up. Backing-up data and files is a sure way to avoid the frustration and disappointment when losing important documents in the PC. Always store an important file or document to at least two storage device.

Popularity: 3% [?]