How to Copy Your Data on Up to 21 USB Flash Drives At The Same Time

USB flash drives are pretty much the most popular types of portable data storage devices around, and this is the reason why they are also used (on quite a large scale, I might add) as promotional items. However, copying the same files on a very large number of drives is extremely difficult when using a normal computer (which generally sports a maximum of 4 – 8 built-in USB ports),
and this is exactly the reason why the German company Altec Computersysteme launched the USB Stick CopyStation 21 Ultra, which can copy the same files on up to 21 different drives.

The system from Altec comes with pre-installed copying software (which works under Windows XP Professional), which, according to the company's statement, has the same "look" and "feel" as the software present in the other machines from Altec. Furthermore, the station is supplied with either an English or a German keyboard and operating system, a mouse and a DVD drive.

The CopyStation’s transfer rate is approx. 75 MB/sec, which makes it about 50 % faster than all other products on the market (at least according to the manufacturer's statement) For example, copying of 21 USB sticks with 512 MB each takes about 2.5 minutes (the speed is dependent on the drive's maker and model). Furthermore, in order to optimize data transfers, the USB Stick CopyStation 21 employs no less than three different copying methods, namely copying of entire data images, copying of short images and the so-called file copying method.

The USB Stick CopyStation 21 Ultra works with a wide variety of Flash drives, including here USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 compatible models. However, it does impose certain physical limits, since said portable storage solutions must be less than 11 mm in width and less than 42 mm in height, if all 21 USB slots are to be used. However, there are no restrictions concerning the lengths of the USB sticks used.

The USB Stick CopyStation 21 Ultra is available at various retailers for around 2695 US dollars, which makes is not that high a price, especially since the targeted market segment is represented by corporate customers.

Fat iPod Chinese Clone Wears Touchscreen!

Want to see something really annoying? Then check out this monster! Apparently, it wasn't enough they hacked Nokia and then shamefully named themselves ECNokia. The fellows have popped out an MP4 player, which we Earth inhabitants
like to call portable media player, with a form factor that is more than identical to the one of the already suffocating iPod nano from the third generation.

However, if you look deeper into the player's specs, you are going to notice a bigger 2.4-inch screen display and an additional 1.3 megapixel camera. But, what appears to be a far better deal than Apple's Nano could actually be a crap.

Well, it could, but not now anyway, as this player claims to offer a cool split-screen user interface, similar to the one used by iPods. And it can face both MPEG-4 and ASF format for video, as well as MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI and more.

So, here we are, having to choose between only music capabilities and a clone with some extra features like a 1.3MP camera, bigger screen, which is not only wider but also touch sensitive and more. Yup, if the memory seems to shrink, you can boost it up with an extra 2GB via the optional SD and MMC cards slots.

The only issue with these players is the shame you'll have to face if going out with one of your American friends. Besides that, who said good music cannot be pumped out from a cheap crappy player?

The player's size is not bad either, as it sports 90 x 60 x 3.5 mm, just the right size to wear the Chinese thing on a neck strap. No to mention I detect some cheap Chinese price tags to complement these clones. So, what's it going to be? Tough choice?

Apple Tracking Users Activity

It is no secret that Apple collects information about its customers. How much information, how often, and most importantly, what it is used for is less than clear however. Users have now discovered that the company is tracking their iPhone details whenever they perform even the most insignificant tasks such as checking the weather or
stocks.

Poking around the iPhone widgets revealed that Apple is collecting information from users whenever they are used. The widgets automatically contact Apple giving out information such as your iPhone’s IMEI number, as well as your IP address and stock quote preferences.
Such gathering of information is practiced by many services, mainly in order to better serve by giving you custom tailored options. However, in the case of Apple, such information gathering goes well and beyond the norm. Since customers can no longer purchase iPhones without a credit card, the company can connect your contact and credit information to your application usage information to build a very extensive profile on you.

While some users may be outraged at this, it is important to remember that by using an iPhone, and agreeing to Apple’s Terms of Service, you do give the company the right to collect information.

" When you interact with Apple, we may collect personal information relevant to the situation, such as your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and contact preferences; your credit card information and information about the Apple products you own, such as their serial numbers and date of purchase; and information relating to a support or service issue."

The real problem here is just what information is relevant to the situation, and just how much information is Apple really collecting.
This information collecting is not exclusive to the iPhone and other users have discovered that Leopard’s Calculator application also behaves in a similar fashion. The calculator will try contacting "wu-calculator.apple.com" and the URL in the application code is similar to the ones in stocks and widgets, even down to the IMEI reference.

While the tinfoil hat crowd may have already deleted Apple’s snitch applications, or simply stopped using them, regular users simply want to know why Apple is collecting this information and what they are doing with it.

Firefox 3.0 Beta 1 Available for Download – A Perfect Fit on Windows Vista

While Microsoft has completely gagged every last detail related to the building of Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla – due to the open source development model – is pumping a new build of Firefox 3.0 on a weekly basis. Firefox 3.0 currently codenamed Gran Paradiso has finally moved out of Alpha stage. For the past couple of weeks, Mozilla has made available preview versions of the first fully-fledged beta of the open source browser. And
now, after a total of three Beta Release Candidates, Firefox 3.0 Beta 1 is available for download.


"Please note: We do not recommend that anyone other than developers and testers download the Firefox 3 Beta 1 milestone release. It is intended for testing purposes only. Firefox 3 Beta 1 is now available for download. This is the ninth developer milestone focused on testing the core functionality provided by many new features and changes to the platform scheduled for Firefox 3," reads a fragment of an announcement posted on the Mozilla Developer Center.

The Firefox 3.0 Beta 1 is available for download in no less than 20 different languages, and the builds are of course compatible with the Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems. The Grand Paradiso Beta 1 version compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista can be downloaded via the link at the bottom of this article. According to Mozilla, the evolution from Beta preview to Beta 1 comes accompanied with a range of enhancements to the open source browser.


Mozilla revealed that users will be able to enjoy improved security as well as additional features, boosted performance, enhanced personalization options, all reflecting in the overall user experience that has been kicked up a notch. In terms of user experience, Mozilla highlighted the fact that Firefox 3.0 Beta 1 has been tailored for Windows Vista and Mac OS X.