The Wireless PC Security Lock is a new way to keep your laptop or work computer secure. If you want a low priced option to keep your computer locked up when you’re not nearby, this is for you.

A USB powered device that works to secure your information. How does it work? You plug in the USB side of the device and then you put the other side in your pocket or attach it to something on you and if it gets over 2m away from the other side, your workstation or laptop locks up.

I think this is a great idea for someone in a highly public office situation or even a coffee shop or other WiFi hot spot.

The operation frequencies are 424MHz with a battery usage of around 2000 hours. The DC 5V power is run off the USB port as it’s plugged into your system and it has a driver that comes with it, compatible with Windows 98/SE/ME/2000/XP.

The computer will enter a locked mode when the user walks out of range and then resumes normal operation when they enter the range again. In addition, once the computer enters that locked mode, a password is then required to re-enter the computer if the transmitter is lost or misplaced.

If the computer is stolen, for instance, there is more security in that it will enter an immediate startup when rebooted if you have the transmitter on hand but if you don’t, and you reboot, the computer requires a password for entry. Even if you come up with the transmitter after reboot, it will require the password at that point.

Also, nice idea, one transmitter can be used across many computers. They also claim that if you walk back, it takes less time to unlock the computer than it takes for you to take your seat and begin working again. Fast response would be important with a lock like this.

The Widget Station is a desk clock first but the additional features are what makes it innovative. A widget is a small, user-friendly application that you can run that will give you snippets of information. Things like local weather, RSS feeds and more than you can imagine, are available as widgets.

What I really like about the Widget Station is that you, as a user, can create your own widgets and share them with other users. Why limit yourself to only what the creator of the desk clock has when you can find other widget opportunities that other create out of convenience? I feel the users of a product are the ones that know more about what they want and this gives them the chance to increase the usefulness.

Similar to the PC widget applications on the Internet, the Widget Station users can browse and download new widgets via the Widget Engine (provided by Emtrace Technologies, Inc.).

The site describes this product connectivity as follows:

“WidgetStation is a standalone device, with services available via Wi-Fi or Ethernet Internet access, without being connected to a computer. Alternatively, users may choose to interface their WidgetStation with a computer via USB connection.”

On the left side is the mono LCD display and the right side features a color LCD so your creativity can be endless in creating widgets or enjoying those others create. Currently the site features four mono LCD options and eight color LCD choices.

The desk clock also features an infrared remote, an option for either 802.11b/g for wireless connectivity, a stereo ear jack and speaker, MP3 sound, a dual 2.5″ display, ARM 9 CPU and the OS is Linux Kernel 2.6X.

The price of the Widget Station has not been set yet but they promise to release that very soon. They expect to launch the first half of next year so this one’s not out just yet but I will definitely be looking for it when it’s released. Featured on CNN, VG TV and engadget, this product will be HOT.

The forecast for the future of the PC: partly cloudy.

Online storage systems that can automatically synchronize the data on all of your computing devices, including the PCs you use at home and at work and your smart phone, are finally a reality. One industry watcher, Thomas Vander Wal, calls them “personal infoclouds”: technologies that scatter your data across the Internet and reassemble them on your preferred devices.

If you edit a photo or a document and save it on your work PC, for example, these new services will automatically update the online copy, then do the same for the copies on your work PC or even your cell phone. This month, Sharpcast introduced a service that synchronizes digital photographs, and companies such as Streamload are rolling out systems this summer that keep other types of files in sync, including commercially purchased downloads such as iTunes songs and videos.

Families who sign up will receive a computer, a high-speed connection, software and a class on how to use the equipment, officials said Tuesday after an inter-ministerial meeting.

The program is expected to start early next year. Later this year, officials will announce which incomes qualify.

About half of French homes have a home computer — a figure that Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin wants to boost to 68 percent in three years.

YouOS is the fledgling startup of four recent college grads with a bit of angel funding. Its simplicity makes it a great demo. Anyone who logs on can instantly spot the big idea: You don’t need Windows! You don’t even need a PC! You can login and work from anywhere using any gadget with a screen and a keyboard.

Just because the demo and the name are cool doesn’t mean YouOS will replace Windows. It does, however, serve as a proof-of-concept for people who doubt the viability of Web-based operating systems. Check out YouOS for 10 minutes, then imagine the same project on a billion-dollar budget. Now do you think the mythical Google PC that’s allegedly being secretly developed in Silicon Valley—or in China or on a Ukrainian IRC channel—will become reality?
Click Here!

It makes sense for Google to develop a Web-based PC. To be clear, a Google PC needn’t involve a new gadget like the “thin client” gear of the 1990s. Every computer in the world is capable of running a Web browser. We might not realize it, but we all already have Google PCs.

My favorite online game is Battlefield 1942. Sure call me “old school,” but this game is the gift that keeps on giving, I never tire of it (Midway map anyone?). Unfortunately, as you can see below, it looks like the disc has literally been strafed by one of those dam Japanese Zeros in the game.

Well, luckily Daemon Tools is the perfect solution to my problem.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is Daemon Tools?
What Type of Disc Images Does it Support?
Making a Disc Image
Mounting a Disc Image to Play

What is Daemon Tools?
Daemon Tools is basically an emulator that becomes a virtual CD or DVD drive from which you can run either type of game without the need for the disc. So the first thing we need to do is create an image of the game disc so that we can then mount it in Damon Tools and play. The types of image files that it supports are as follows:

• cue/bin
• iso
• ccd (CloneCD)
• bwt (Blindwrite)
• mds (Media Descriptor File)
• cdi (Discjuggler)
• nrg (Nero)
• pdi (Instant CD/DVD)
• b5t (BlindWrite 5)

Each of these images is fairly easy to make, the choice of which to program to use to make them is up to you. Being that Alcohol 120% is probably the most commonly used as well as user friendly, it’s the one that I have selected to demonstrate the image creation process with.

If you don’t already have Alcohol 120%, download and install it now.

Making a Disc Image

Next, select and open the Image Making Wizard from the man menu dialogue box as shown below.

This will bring up the Image Making Wizard. Here we need to do several things. First, select the correct drive device in the selection box at the top of the menu. In my case, the Battlefield 1942 game disc that I ‘m trying to back up is a CD placed in my (F:) drive.

For the Read Speed I recommend one somewhere halfway between the maximum and the minimum that the drive is capable of. Mine has a 52X maximum and 12X minimum, so I selected a 32X speed. The reason for this is that just like burning a disc you want the drive to take its time and do the job properly. By maxing out the read speed you risk rushing the job and creating a poorer quality image than you would otherwise. Others may disagree but I swear by it.

After making your selection, be sure to also choose the type of disc your copying in the box at the bottom of the Wizard menu. Here I selected General Protected CD as it best matches my disc type.. Finish up the selections in the Wizard menu by clicking Next.

In the dialogue box that follows, as is shown below, we need to do several things. First of all, select an Image Location and Image Name for where and how you want the image to be saved to on your hard drive. I chose to leave the name as is it is on the game disc itself as shown in the picture, and then selected my (D:) drive as the save path.

To finish here, choose an image format to save the game disc as. I chose .mds but Daemon Tools does support all of the following image types as previously stated:

• cue/bin
• iso
• ccd (CloneCD)
• bwt (Blindwrite)
• mds (Media Descriptor File)
• cdi (Discjuggler)
• nrg (Nero)
• pdi (Instant CD/DVD)
• b5t (BlindWrite 5)

After choosing an image type select Start to begin burning the image.

Alcohol 120% will then start burning the image as requested.

When Alcohol 120% has completed burning the disc image, the Image Making Wizard will close and bring you back to the main menu. Simply close Alcohol 120% to proceed.

Mounting a Disc Image to Play

The next step is to open up Daemon Tools to mount the image we just created. Now when you open up Daemon Tools it will be in the form of an icon located in the icon tray at the bottom right-hand part of your screen. Right-click the icon and scroll up to Virtual CD/DVD-ROM.

From there scroll left to Device 0: [G:] No Media >, then scroll right to Mount image.

This will bring up the selection box where you locate and open the image file you created in Alcohol 120% previously.

If all goes well the game image you created and then of course mounted should open for you to play. As shown below, the Battlefield 1942 image that I created and mounted open successfully. Midway here I come.

It may take some time and some tinkering around for you to get it just right, but if you follow the instructions I’ve detailed above you should have no problem getting the backup disc up and running.