Month: May 2014

In the early days of personal computers, the only accessories were the mouse, keyboard and maybe a pen tablet. In the modern world of computing, you can choose from a wide variety of unique, useful and fascinating accessories designed to make sitting at your computer all day convenient and entertaining.

Some of the recent developments in computer accessories include low-energy Bluetooth devices, USB-to-SATA adapters, Thunderbolt drives, high-quality computer speakers and hands-free glove sensors. The computer accessory business is booming right now, and computer users are just beginning to take advantage of the new technology.
Computer Accessories for Fast, Secure Data Transfer

Thunderbolt drives, SATA adapters and USB 3.0 controllers make transferring large files lightning fast and secure. Graphic designers typically use Thunderbolt drives to transfer multi-gigabyte projects from a computer to a flash drive for offline storage. It makes sense to transfer data up to 480 Mbps instead of the typical upload speed of 3 to 6 Mbps for most broadband Internet connections. USB 3.0 is an even faster protocol that transfers data at up to 5 Gbps. That’s enough speed to transfer an entire BluRay disc in about five seconds.

Hooking up an external drive to a USB port used to require a special enclosure for the drive as well as an AC adapter. Today’s USB-to-SATA adapters eliminate wall outlets and enclosures by powering the drive through a USB 3.0 port. The newest SATA interfaces transfer data somewhat more slowly than USB 3.0, but adding a USB-to-SATA adapter to your system can be a lot cheaper than buying an external USB 3.0 drive.
Entertaining Computer Accessories

From computer audio to innovative input technology, entertaining computer accessories turn a bland old desktop into a sophisticated entertainment center for the technological enthusiast. Audiophile-quality headphones and amplifiers, Dolby 5.1 surround-sound speaker systems and sound card audio port upgrades like the CEntrance DACport turn any computer into a professional sound studio.

Instead of using a mouse or touch tablet, Fujitsu Laboratories offers an innovative way to move the cursor around on your desktop, open files and browse the Internet. Using the Near Field Communicating glove sensor, you can sync the movements of the mouse cursor with the movements of your hand and wrist. It works with Bluetooth and mobile technology and is guaranteed to work with 98 percent accuracy. Savvy computer users use it to read e-books, edit photos and sort through large amounts of data.
Computer Accessories for Mac Users

For Mac users who sit at their desks all day, back pain and weight gain can be a constant concern. Adjustable desktops, such as the Ergotron WorkFit-A, leave the choice of sitting or standing at your desk up to you. It includes an adjustable arm that clamps to a desk or table, and it features a retractable keyboard stand that perfectly fits your typing style. The monitor rests on top of an auxiliary desk space where you can place documents and hard copies of the files you’re working on.

These computer accessories not only make working faster and more convenient, they look attractive and provide enjoyment during use. Computers have evolved considerably from the days of monochrome screens and track-ball mice. Computer users no longer have to wait 30 to 45 minutes to transfer large files.

Given the number of successful attacks over the past decade on large corporations, it isn’t a stretch for people to adjust their expectations about the capability of large corporations to adequately protect their online data downwards.

All though plenty of resources and money is spent yearly by most large corporations, it was only a couple of years ago that many industry leaders got together to talk about the state of security, only to come back with the answer that the internet itself is inherently flawed in some respects.

When you add to that several nations moving forward with internet espionage programs using their countries’ top talent to hack strategic targets, the security landscape looks a bit like a battlefield, with consumers caught in the middle.

On the positive side, several companies like Imaginot have shifted the security paradigm by putting operating systems into development that feature a benign virus that is distributed malignantly to anyone breaching a corporate system running their software.

Here are some corporations that have had some problems maintaining security for their clients recently:

E-Bay: Many consumers have become used to large corporations getting hacked and their user data flowing out the door. The recent attack that compromised E-bay’s security would likely be run of the mill in terms of its impact on consumers except for the fact that it took them a long time to actually notify users that their data may have been compromised. Because of this they are being looked at by many regulators.

Spotify: Spotify’s servers were also hit recently by hackers. The primary difference between Spotify and E-bay was that Spotify reported the problem to its customers in a timely fashion according to authorities. Fortunately for Spotify’s customers, only one person ended up having their account affected. For that one person who had an entire company hacked so that only their account could be affected, there are probably some questions about the odds of that kind of thing happening to them.

Google: Although it has been 4 years since Google’s G-mail systems were hacked, the repercussions continue. Because Google hosts many other private companies data, the law says that if Google is hacked and your company data is hacked, then you still need to inform your customers. Apparently 34 large companies had their data impacted by the Google hack, but not one of them contacted their own customers regarding the breach, something that is still a lively topic of discussion on the internet.

SAIC: One of the most trusted partners for government services, SAIC maintained the US Armed Forces health care data successfully for years before a freak incident saw an offsite representative in Texas leave a set of backup tapes in their car. When they returned to their car, it had been broken into and the tapes were gone, causing almost every living Armed Forces member, current and former, to have their data in the wrong hands. Of course, the data was encrypted well, so there is some hope. But in terms of company security, it is surprising that the often used, ‘steal government data from an employee’s car’ routine is still possible against security giants that protect the world’s most confidential information.