[H] Consumer

Tweak Your Tech Resume

I know there are a lot of you out there looking for ways to move up in the industry but what a lot of you overlook is your resume. eWeek has a list of 10 ways to tweak your tech resume that just may be able to help you get a leg up on the competition.

As it turns out, most résumé writers are committing the same types of blunders: fussing over outdated rules, spending hours on a cover letter that might never be seen by human eyes, and leaving out essential keywords and supporting evidence.

France Passes iTune Law

So France has passed that iTunes law that will effectively force Apple to open iTunes songs to other devices. You know what I say to that? Apple needs to pull their products from France. Pure and simple. You don’t like the device, don’t use it.

Both the Senate and the National Assembly, France's lower house, voted in favor of the copyright bill, which some analysts said could cause Apple to close iTunes France and pull its market-leading player from the country's shelves.

I take the same hardnosed stance with Microsoft and the EU. Don’t like MS bundling its own media player? Don’t buy it. All this crap with passing laws and levying huge fines is ridiculous. No one is barring France from making an iTunes competitor, none is barring the EU from using Linux.

The 10 Assumptions Of Tech Support

This list of The ten assumptions of tech support is so funny because it rings so true, even if you are the type of tech support person the author is speaking of.

1.) If a procedure works at this end, it has to work at the user's end. 2.) If it doesn't work at the user's end, the user must not be following my inherently clear instructions. 3.) When the user insists that he is following my instructions to the letter but the procedure still doesn't work, he thereby proves that he has not understood my instructions, which were clear.

Browser Bugs Hit IE & Firefox

Just a heads up, two new security flaws have been found that affect both Microsoft IE and Firefox. Microsoft said they are aware of the problem while there has been no word out of Mozilla yet on this.

The flaw that affects both IE and Firefox is related to the handling of a technology that is used to access documents delivered from one Web site to another, according to the advisory. Attackers could exploit the IE or Firefox flaw using cross-site scripting, said Monty Ijzerman, senior manager of McAfee's Global Threat Group.

Everex StepNote LM7WE

The crew at techFEAR have applied their unique 30 day evaluation process to the Everex StepNote LM7WE laptop computer. At just under $600 this laptop would be perfect as a business laptop or for school.

Our subjective feel after many hours of use is quite pleasing. We spent a lot of time trying to slow the Celeron M 1.5 GHz down, but the Everex continued to take our abuse. It's refreshing to remember that we really don't always need a 3.4 GHz monster to enjoy personal computing.

Vista Beta Ends Today

Apparently today is the self imposed deadline at Microsoft to discontinue Windows Vista Beta so if you want it, you better go grab it. Personally, I am really digging on it so far but if you are still on the fence, I highly recommend you take a look at what [H] Consumer had to say about Vista.

"In case you weren't aware, we are only providing a limited number of copies of Windows Vista Beta 2--either download or physical copies--and we're fast approaching the cutoff point, " Moulster wrote. "What this means is--if you want to get a copy, get it now (and I mean now)."

Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer Beta 3 today for your downloading pleasure. Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 is available for owners of Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Pro x64, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows Server 2003 ia64 Edition.

Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) Beta 3 has been designed to make everyday tasks easier, provide dynamic security protection and improve the development platform and manageability. End user improvements include a streamlined interface, tabbed browsing, printing advances, improved search functionality, instant feeds (RSS), dynamic security protection, and more.

Office 2007 Delayed Again?

Citing performance issues with the latest test build, it looks like Microsoft is going to push back Office 2007 to give the team time to fine tune it before shipping the office suite alongside Vista in January.

The software maker now plans to finish the code for the revamped Office suite by the end of the year, with a mainstream launch in "early 2007." It said in March that the product would be ready by this October, but said at the time it was delaying the retail availability until January, in order to jointly launch the product with Windows Vista. That operating system update has also seen postponements.

CPU-Z 1.35

Boy there is just a bunch of new stuff coming out today. First it was iTunes, then the F.E.A.R. patch, now we have an update from the CPU-Z folks. Here is a quick and dirty list of what’s new in the 1.35 release:

ATI RS350, RS400, RS480/RX480, RS482, RD580/RX580, RS600/RD600, RS690, RS700 chipsets support. ATI SB600 southbridge support. Intel P965 chipset support. Engineering samples Core based CPUs report. Windows Vista product line report.

New iTunes 6.0.5 Out!

All of you iTunes users should head on over to Apple’s iTunes site and download the latest version. There are several new features like the MiniStore, Sync Home Movies and a new AirTunes Enhancement that allows you to simultaneously stream the same song wirelessly to up to three home stereos or powered speakers. The download is a modest 36MB so grab it if you want it.

iTunes is the easiest way to organize, share and listen to music on your computer. Find new favorites. Manage your growing library. Enjoy the best friend an iPod ever had. Download iTunes 6 free for Mac or Windows.

Windows Vista Editorial

Make sure you check out our Windows Vista Editorial. Don't let the negtive spin get you down. Please take time to Digg our article to share, thanks.

Prototype Creates 100% Undetectable Malware

Just when you thought it was safe to venture out of the house again, a researcher has confirmed a new way to create malware that is 100% undetectable. The researcher plans to show a working prototype for Windows Vista x64 at the SyScan Conference at the end of July.

Joanna Rutkowska, a stealth malware researcher at Singapore-based IT security firm COSEINC, says the new Blue Pill concept uses AMD's SVM/Pacifica virtualization technology to create an ultra-thin hypervisor that takes complete control of the underlying operating system.