The service pack is available through a number of channels including the Download Centre. Users with Office Automatic Updated enabled will be able to download the pack manually from Microsoft Update initially, but after 90 days an automatic update will be available.

Those with Office Click-to-Run streaming setups will have to wait until the beginning of July for the update.

On the subject of the SharePoint update, Microsoft said: “For SharePoint customers planning to deploy Service Pack 1, it is also recommended to install the June 2011 Cumulative Update for SharePoint when it becomes available in the coming weeks.”

The company was keen to emphasise how important customer feedback has been in getting the service pack out the door.

“We are grateful to those customers and partners who have taken time to provide us the feedback that makes our products and services better,” it said.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude …

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our attitudes.”

Charles Swindoll

Michael Rentmeister, Mesh Technology Ltd.

Investigators fear hacking gangs are pocketing millions of pounds by infiltrating customers’ computers and stealing sensitive banking details.

They said criminals pose as legitimate IT companies who cold call victims offering fake security software that can be downloaded for around £30.00.

The crooks then combine credit card information from the sale with stolen personal information to defraud the customer or commit further crimes.

Sharon Lemon, who is responsible for fighting cyber crime at the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca), said: “In recent cases, we have seen gangs employing 300 to  400 people to run their operations and using call centre-scale set ups to target victims en masse. They can also be paying out as much as $150.000 a month (on a pay-per-download basis) to individual webmasters who are unwittingly advertising their fake software – this level of investment from criminals indicates that the returns are much heftier than this.”

The warning came at the start of an internet security awareness week organised by GetSafeOnline.org, which is supported by Government bodies, police and private companies.

Michael Rentmeister, Source: ITN News, 15/11/2010

Palits GeForce GTX 460 Platinum Sonic in is overclocked via manufacturer and within computer games it can compete with a GeForce GTX 470.

The 3D performance of a conventional GeForce GTX 460 is already great, but Palit puts the Sonic-Platinum to a different level. The graphics chip of the performance graphics card runs at 800 GMT, 125MHz faster than Nvidia planned. In addition the 1.0GB GDDR5 RAM, clocked at 2000MHz works a good 10 per cent faster. In current 3D-Games the £180.00 GeForce GTX 460 Sonic Platinum delivers an average 15 per cent higher frame rate and is almost as fast as the more expensive GeForce GTX 470.

The Electricity consumption of the GeForce GTX 460 during Gaming is in average 123 Watts – 10 Watts more than normal clocked GeForce 460 versions. During the Furmark load tests the consumption was 166 Watts. The graphics cooling fan got to a noisy disturbing Sone 2 to cool the Grafikship. In test the temperature reached 75C. The graphics chip cooler rpm can be tweaked with afterburner tools to reduce the noise of the cooling fan. In Windows mode the graphics card runs with 17 watts, as economic as any standard GeForce GTX 460 and as well very silent with 0.4 Sone.

Palit delivers the almost 19 cm long dual-slot card with nothing more than a PCIe power adapter. A maximum of two displays simultaneously can be used with the GTX 460 Sonic Platinum. Other connectors are two dual-link DVI connectors, an HDMI connector and a VGA output. The GeForce GTX 460 Sonic Platinum is an additional £20.00 very worthwhile compared with the standard models of the GTX 460.

Manufacturer: Palit, connections: 2x DL-DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x VGA, 2x 6-pin Power Splitter, Shader cores / TMUs / ROPs: 336 / 56 / 32, Price £180.00 excl VAT and Delivery.

Product Details:

PALIT 1GB GTX 460 SONIC PLATINUM 800MHZ
Manufacturer: PALIT
Web Address: www.palit.biz
Model Number:NE5X460HF1102
Package Type: Retail
Manufacturer Warranty:2 Years
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460
Interface: PCI Express 2.0
Video Memory: 1GB
Memory Type: GDDR5
Engine Clock: 800MHz
Memory Clock: 4000MHz (2000MHz GDDR5)
Memory Interface: 256-bit
Stream Processing Units: 336
RAMDACs: 400MHz
Max. Resolution: 2560×1600
Connectors: VGA, HDMI, 2x DVI-I
DirectX Support: 11.0
OpenGL Support: 4.0
Compatible OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Gross Weight (Kg): 0.88Kg
Special Features: Microsoft DirectX11 support
NVIDIA PhysX technology
NVIDIA 3D Vision Ready
NVIDIA CUDA technology
NVIDIA SLI Ready
OpenCL Support
OpenGL 4.0 Optimization and Support
NVIDIA GeForce Unified Driver Architecture (UDA)
NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology
Package Contents:Quick Installation Guide
Driver CD
Power Splitter (2x4pin to 6pin)

Michael Rentmeister, Mesh Technology Ltd

The ‘Refurbished’ items are customer returns. A large proportion of these items have never been used. They might, for example, be unwanted gifts or products customers have simply changed their mind about, which have then been returned to Dell.

They have been checked, inspected, by Dell, graded and reboxed complete with all accessories. This System come with Dells 3 Year warranty

This is a way to purchase an up to date Computer System or Laptop for a fraction of the new price! – Call Mesh on 028 90 850 550 and find out availability …

Michael Rentmeister, Mesh Technology Ltd

Apple’s iPad: between Notebook and Smartphone

The iPad has raised high expectations. It wants to be a gaming console, E-book reader, mobile Internet and multi media machine at the same time. Can a computer without keyboard and USB port replace the netbook?

Now it has arrived, at least in the United States: Since early April you can buy the iPad there. Over 500.000 devices according to Apple have been sold in the first weeks. So many, that Apple has moved to international launch to the end of May. But still no one knows right what it actually is, this iPad.

It shows, that the iPad differs significantly from notebook or other tablet pc’s. If the iPad hasn’t been enabled during the purchase in the shop you must joine it to a PC with iTunes 9.1 (Windows, Mac), otherwise it will not start.

The fascination of iPad begins after the initial configuration. You navigate through the factory-installed apps, browse through pages of an E-book. A completely different feeling than working on a desktop PC or notebook arises as to the content is directly in your hands without going through mouse or keyboard. This works only so good, because of the iPad’s lightning responds with every movement of the user.

A screen with a thin frame, only 1.3 inches thick. The iPad can be used comfortably in portrait and landscape comfortably without accidentally hitting the touchscreen. Weighing approximately 700 grams, the iPad sits heavier in your hand than a paperback book or an E-book reader, but it is lighter than a netbook.

The iPad is sold with wireless function or with wireless and 3G module. SMS or do telephone calls are not supported  - only of you uses VoIP like the Skype apps.

Apple has installed a 11n compatible dual band-enabled wireless entry level chip. According to specification the BCM4329 supports up to 150 Mbps. The net flow with HTTP at close range was tested at maximum 23 Mbps downstream per second  (for comparison: A Centrino 2 laptop works with up to 80 MBit/s). For most iPad applications including browsing and streaming SD videos this speed is fast enough. We tested connections with a distance of 20 meters with 21 Mbps, but when moving into a less perfect position we only reached 12 MBit/s. The position of the antenna below the Apple logo seems to have an impact on the wireless connection. The iPad frequent disconnects when the position is a too far away from the access point.

The 9.7 inch screen is 1024 x 768 pixels and with the 132 dpi the resolution it is not as high as  the iPhone resolution (163 dpi), but higher than most 10 inch Netbooks.  The contrast is exceptionally good (1: 1193) and the extremely bright LED backlight display has more than 300 cd/m ². The display is great to use outside and using under ‘sunshine’ conditions especially when the iPad becomes littered with fingerprints.

In the Lab we reached twice the performance with the iPad compared with the iPhone 3GS. Standard applications and third party apps tested great and animations and movies were running smooth.  With only 256 MB memory, the iPad warns on startup of graphics heavy games and applications about lack of memory. Using the Safari browser in the background, megabyte-sized web pages or documents can’t run in the background.

The battery runtime is superior for the display size and exeeds the running time of most notebooks. When turning the brightness down, the iPad runs even with intensive use over ten hours. Videos run almost eight hours on full brighness and in the living room with the usual 200cd/m2 around 10.7 hours. The supplied 2.1 amp power supply charges the iPad within four hours to a full charge. Connected via USB to a computer, the iPad charges only when it is turned off. The PC needs a special USB cable for connecting the iPad. Via Bluetooth you can connect a keyboard. Printer don’t work. You can’t expand memory via external hard drive or memory card. The speakers built-in the iPad  give a good volume and  provide quality sound.

In cool places the iPad barely warms up - even without having a built in cooling fan. On a window sill in the sun the iPad warms up after 30 minutes over 40 ° C and running applications stopped with an error, ten minutes later. Only after a few minutes in the shade the iPad worked again. We worked two hours in the afternoon sun without problems on the iPad. Using the iPad in a temperature of 44° C, only the running application stops, but not the device. The maximum operating temperature is 35° C and the maximum device temperature of 45° C as stated in the manual.

Michael Rentmeister, Mesh Technology Ltd

c ‘ t 10 / 2010.

Central Procurement Directorate CPD
http://www.cpdni.gov.uk/

Northern Ireland Executive
http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/gov.htm?WT.ac=NIGOV-depts

eTenders Publuc Procurement (Ireland)
http://www.e-tenders.gov.ie/

Answer: The Trial Period of 30 days can be extended up to three times – Windows Visa and Windows 7 only. Go to ‘Start’ – ‘All Programs’ – ‘Accessories’, right click ‘Command Prompt’, left click ‘Run as Administrator’. Type following command:

slmrg -dlv <return>

this gives you the status of your license.

slmrg -rearm <return>

extend your trial another thirty days (max three times)

Norton DNS blocks harmful Domains which are listed with the Anti-Malware Lab. Symantec feeds a special DNS Name Server with the per Norton SafeWeb collected URL’s. If the User opens a harmful site, the Nameserver redirects to the page with a Warning.

The Beta-Testing Phase of the Norton DNS Service is free and Symantec does not plan to charge even after this Phase.

(Uli Ries/dab – CT 14)

The ultimate freeware encryption program, TrueCrypt is loaded with powerful features that those concerned with protecting their data from thievery should want–and have.

It offers 11 algorithms for encrypting your private files in a password-protected volume. You can store your encrypted data in files (containers) or partitions (devices). TrueCrypt works hard to offer powerful data protection, recommending complex passwords, explaining the benefits of hidden volumes, and erasing telltale signs of the encryption process, including mouse movements and keystrokes. Though the interface may not be immediately intuitive, its powerful, on-the-fly encryption for no cost still earns the freeware security tool a top rating.

The useful tips in the extensive help manual and volume-creation wizard provide excellent guidance. In fact, they’re required reading, as TrueCrypt lacks any considerable in-program help. For instance, the tutorial explains the entire concept beyond “hidden” volumes, but it doesn’t quite explain how to mount them. One obvious downside of any strong encryption program is if you happen to forget your lengthy, secure password, you should consider any protected files as good as gone. However, once files are mounted to a local drive with your password or key, they conveniently behave just like any normal files, allowing you to easily open, copy, delete, or other modify them another way. Dismount the volume, and voila–your previously accessible files are now safely secure from prying eyes.

Users can even create a hidden operating system, encrypted away from nosy busybodies, but make no mistake–TrueCrypt is not for the casual encryption explorer. Be sure to thoroughly understand what you’re doing with the program before you do something regrettable.

Download Link: http://www.meshtechnology.co.uk/download/truecryptsetup6.3a.exe

From TrueCrypt Foundation:

Protect your sensitive data with this free open-source disk encryption software. Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mount it as a real disk. Encrypt an entire hard disk partition or a device, such as USB flash drive. Automatically and transparently encrypt in real time.

TrueCrypt provides two levels of plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password: a hidden volume (steganography- more information may be found here); no TrueCrypt volume can be identified (volumes cannot be distinguished from random data). TrueCrypt uses encryption algorithms AES-256, Blowfish (448-bit key), CAST5, Serpent, Triple DES, and Twofish. It is based on Encryption for the Masses (E4M) 2.02a, conceived in 1997.

Michael Rentmeister, Mesh Technology Ltd