Brandon Dimmel

Massively popular search engine Google has been diversifying its interests as of late. Previously known only for its ability to transfer the user to the most relevant websites in a query, Google expanded into the interactive mainstream last year by ... purchasing YouTube.com for more than a billion dollars. And if that wasn't enough to show the might of the almighty Goo, the company recently released its own "gadget" web tools, designed to offer Internet services similar to Vista's operating system helpers. Now, it appears major tech company IBM wants to use Google's tools for business use. ... (view more)

In the twilight of 2006, a few tech websites proclaimed the year defined by the spread of the Internet. One technology in particular, wireless Internet (or WiFi), has spread across the United States like wildfire. Many cities have taken on full WiFi ... networks, even footing the bill for expensive installation services. WiFi cafe restaurants, bars, and even shopping malls are becoming more and more common, with many retailers not even requesting a fee from users. (Source: gizmocafe.com ) So, how prominent is WiFi now? Well, according to a recent study, one-third of all Internet users are ... (view more)

The spread of big box retail giants Best Buy and Circuit City is now having an impact on more specialized stores. In a recent announcement, CompUSA admitted that it will be closing some 126 of its American stores, or about half of the chain's total. ... CompUSA has been providing U.S. homes and offices with the latest in processing technology since it was founded in 1984. Although CompUSA, Inc. is a subsidiary company, it is largely controlled by common shareholder Carlos Sim, the millionaire resident of Mexico. (Source: slashdot.com ) The mass closings are meant to infuse the company with some $ ... (view more)

Although critics have argued over the necessity of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista, there's little doubt that it does improve upon the security and simple visual functions offered by XP. That's the primary reason behind hacker ... attempts to crack the software, with moderate success stories in the past few months. Now, it appears as though the most complete crack yet has been made available, one that can avert the problematic activation period. Previous hacks to Vista, while said to be useful, have been only partially complete. That's because they've been largely subject to ... (view more)

Although Windows Vista has only been on the business market since November, with home users getting their hands on it almost exactly one month ago, many industry experts have been using it for much longer. One such long-time user is ZDNet blogger ... Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, who recently spouted his rather positive feelings towards Vista. It's in the massively upgraded interface that Kingsley-Hughes finds himself so impressed with Microsoft's latest operating system (OS). That's where he finds it beats XP "hands down", with efficiency features like an improved Start Menu, improved search engine, ... (view more)

Last year, both Sony and Dell were almost as hot under the collar as the laptop batteries both were responsible for shipping. Although Sony was primarily to blame -- it manufactured the batteries, which were prone to overheating -- retailer Dell ... also accepted part of the guilt. Now IBM and Lenovo are at the heart of a recent recall, which has 205,000 notebook batteries affected. Like the Sony culprits, Lenovo is recalling lithium-ion batteries. The technology is used worldwide in IBM's very popular ThinkPad laptop, a device that appeals to many corporate users because of its ThinkVantage ... (view more)

Be careful what you post on Wikipedia! Although the online encyclopedia boasts that it's essentially an open source intellectual tool that uses publicly submitted articles, not everything is without consequence. While Wikipedia tends to monitor all ... of the posted articles with its own editors, a recent post on pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller has the subject suing the article's writer for defamation. Zoeller is outraged that a post on Wikipedia labeled him a drug user, alcoholic, and abuser of his family. Report suggest that the poster's IP address has been traced back to an education consulting firm ... (view more)

For those millions upon millions of web users who depend on Yahoo's email service, a recent rumor of hacker penetration into the database was very frightening. If you haven't heard, a Symantec report recently alleged that the "Feebs" worm had made ... its way throughout Yahoo's web mail. That rumor has finally been debunked, leaving many Yahoo users breathing a sigh of relief. Symantec is a major Internet/tech security company that regularly flags the latest threats to Internet programs. They've most famously been behind warnings to consumers on web browser loopholes, reporting Trojans, phishing ... (view more)

If you're wondering how compatible a number of applications are with Vista, you'll be pleased to hear that Microsoft's latest operating system supports most notable entries. The company has recently released an official list, which includes 100 of ... Microsoft's own products. In addition, a number of surprises appear from direct competitors of the Washington state based company, like Google Toolbar. The list Microsoft has comprised is officially called its "Certified" applications. The titles that make the grade have been labeled "Certified for Windows Vista", in a somewhat similar manner to ... (view more)

Microsoft has been embroiled in legal troubles countless times in the past. Last year they were on the butt-end of a class-action lawsuit filed after a collective of consumers became enraged with the company's invasive Windows Genuine Advantage ... (WGA). Eventually, the company toned down its piracy policy, relegating WGA to second tier news. However, Microsoft is again on the wrong end of court proceedings, with a federal jury finding that it owes $1.5 billion for MP3 patent infringement. Alcatel-Lucent, a global communications giant with interests in everything from broadband to VOIP to ... (view more)