Saturday, June 2, 2012

A Brief Look at Virgin Mobile

Perhaps you've already heard of Virgin Mobile, one of the most popular brands today. It is a brand that is used by different mobile phone service providers, and is based in the United Kingdom. It also has operations in Australia, India, Canada, France, the United States and South Africa.

It was briefly introduced in Singapore but was pulled out after only one year due to low sales. This was mainly because the mobile phone market in Singapore was already heavily saturated at that time. Hence, any new player in the market was bound to encounter problems attracting new customers.

Sprint Store

A Brief History of the Company

A Brief Look at Virgin Mobile

When it was launched in the United Kingdom in 1998, it was the world's first ever Mobile Virtual Network Operator. This means that the brand does not have its own network. Instead, it enters into a partnership with other network providers to use their existing network, while the company provides the brand which is highly popular worldwide. Each business acts as an independent entity, although there is a partnership with the Virgin Group of Sir Richard Branson. Therefore, Sir Richard Branson's company provides the brand, while the phone company provides the network infrastructure.

A Brief Look at the Worldwide Operations

In the UK, the company entered into partnership with the well-respected T-Mobile network, while in the US, the company got Sprint Nextel as their network provider. In Australia, the company utilizes the Optus network, while Bell Mobility was the network of choice for Canada.

In France, the company uses Orange SA, while it uses Cell C for their coverage in South Africa. In India, the company uses the Tata Indicom network. All these networks actually use different mobile telephone standards, which is CDMA and GSM. CDMA is used in India, Canada and the US, while GSM is used in South Africa, the UK, France and Australia.

The company is currently eyeing to open operations in Pakistan, although nothing is definite at this point.

A Brief Look at What the Company Offers

In each of the countries where it operates, Virgin Mobile provides pay as you go service for those who prefer the prepaid option when it comes to mobile phones. This means that you only pay for the service that you actually use.

If you don't make any calls or if you don't send any SMS messages, then you won't be paying for anything. This is unlike a post-paid subscription, where you choose a particular plan which comes with an allotment of number of text messages that you can send and number of minutes for talk-time that you can use. However, this post-paid option is only available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa.

When the company was launched in the UK, prepaid wireless service was already very popular. This was not the case when it entered the US market, although the company slowly built up a customer base due to their competitive pricing and great customer service. Now, they have a significant market share in that country.

In June 2009, the company announced that it will launch a pay as you go program for mobile data which is called "Broadband2Go" in the US. It will use hardware from Novatel Wireless, and will be originally be available exclusively in the Best Buy store chain. However, this is now available through other retailers such as the RadioShack. Broadband2Go uses a device that looks like a USB flash drive which you just need to plug into your computer to connect to the internet.

A Brief Look at Virgin Mobile

Apply Mesothelioma Asbestos

Monday, May 28, 2012

How to Choose Between a Motorola MC55 and MC75 Handheld Device

I'm often asked for recommendations on mobile devices for proof of delivery applications and handheld data collection. If you're looking at Motorola devices, most people need help choosing between MC55, MC75 and MC9090 devices.

This article will explain what you should consider when choosing mobile devices and will highlight real-life customer examples for field data capture and proof of delivery applications.

Sprint Store

Before we start with criteria, it is important to understand what features you need today as well as in the future. With rugged devices, once you purchase the device, you cannot go back and add hardware options like a camera, GPS or Bluetooth. The devices we will discuss are:
MC9090 (MC909x) - these are the largest and most rugged of the 3 models. They are supported on all carrriers (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile) and have the broadest range of hardware options. These are the most expensive devices. MC75 - these are mid-sized devices that Motorola targets for proof of delivery, field data capture and barcode solutions. MC55 - this is the newest member of the family, has a slightly lower level of rugged design and size than MC75's. It is the least expensive.
Questions and Criteria

How to Choose Between a Motorola MC55 and MC75 Handheld Device

You should narrow your hardware choice by asking the following questions.

Do you need cellular data? If so, what cellular carrier do you use and do you know what the data coverage is in your territories?
The reason for this is simple - some territories like the North East are completely owned by a carrier (Verizon). If someone wants T-Mobile or AT&T coverage, they need to check or consider changing carriers. The MC55 is not currently supported on Verizon, so the choice is between an MC75 and MC9000. All devices support GSM networks (e.g. T-Mobile and AT&T). Do you want want device to cover international or outside of North America? If so, you will need to only consider GSM.
If you need cellular data, are you going to do anything that requires 3G/3.5G or faster networking?
Most customers don't know the answer to this but the question becomes more clear if you are: Taking pictures - picture size can be adjusted on the mobile device, but a reasonable quality color picture would be approximately 1Mb or larger. Downloading large files, such as site plans, MSDS sheets or merchandising plan-o-grams for proof of delivery apps.

The MC55 is targeted at basic route accounting users.The MC55 vehicle cradle does not have a built-in serial port. Examples of where this applies are: serial cable connection to the vehicle GPS or JBus (vehicle diagnostics), fuel delivery meters or external communication devices. The MC75 and MC9000 vehicle cradles have a built-in serial port. Their cradle is more expensive than the MC55 cradle by approximately 0-200.
Do you need barcode scanning?
All devices support barcode scanning. The only decision is whether you need 1D/2D or long-range. 2D scanners can be helpful if you have barcodes that may get dirty or damaged. Examples of this include plant nurseries where 2D barcodes may be easier to read due to dirt on the barcode label. Long range scanners can scan barcodes up to 40' away. Long range scanners are only available on the MC909x platform. Examples of long range scanning would be scanning the barcode at the top of a warehouse rack from a forklift.
Do you need RFID?
If you need RFID, your only option is an MC9090. Note that RFID enabled devices are significantly more expensive.
Do you have specific ruggedness requirements? Will you be dealing with harsh environments?
The MC9000 is the most rugged device. It has the best drop spec (6' to concrete) and the best IP (intrusion protection) rating. The MC75 is plenty rugged and designed for field delivery applications (5' to concrete). The MC55 is close to, but not as rugged as the MC75. It is designed for the field but not for harsh environments. Examples of harsher environments would be where you work outside in the rain or dirt - such as oil field services, agriculture or bulk product delivery such as fuel, lubes, chemicals or fertilizer to tanks outside.
What size keypad do you need? What type of input will the keypad be used for? Do you need a pistol grip?
The MC55 and MC75 both have similar sized keypads. They are larger than a BlackBerry but the size of the device shell is fixed. The MC9000 comes in a short version (MC9090S), a long version (MC9090K) and a gun/pistol grip (MC9090G). The keypads on MC9000's are larger than the MC75 or MC55. If drivers use gloves (such as fuel delivery) then it would be worth comparing the MC9000 to the MC75. If you perform a lot of scanning, you should consider a pistol grip, which is only available on the MC9000.

So which device is right for you? The following highlights examples of using each type of device.

MC9090 - Bulk bleach manufacturer with 8 plants in 5 states. This customer receives bleach in rail cars and then distributes to pool supply companies, municipal water treatment facilities, paper manufacturers, etc. The bleach is loaded at the plant and the driver starts their day by scanning a barcode label on the truck (tractor), trailer and delivery ticket. They weigh the truck on an industrial truck scale and wirelessly receive the truck weight to calculate the volume of product on the truck. The driver makes deliveries to a set of customers and scans the delivery ticket, product, etc and records product quantities in each tank. The customer signs the device for proof of delivery and then prints a receipt on mobile Zebra RW420 printers. When drivers return to the plant, the driver scans and weighs again to calculate remaining volume. Once at the plant, deliveries are sent wirelessly to the goRoam server for processing and export for invoicing.
This customer selected MC9000's because they needed the most rugged device, a large numeric keypad, a larger battery to power the wifi since they use wifi for roaming throughout the plant to load products, and because they wanted a larger device so it was easier for the driver to keep track of it.
MC75 - HazMat pickup and disposal for large retailers, oil change shops, car dealers, etc. across 30 states. These drivers receive routes/stops through cellular communications while on the road. The drivers go to each stop and pickup one or many HazMat containers (waste oil, paint, chemicals, etc.). They place a barcode on the container (by hazmat product type) and record the contents of each container. This can involve a reasonable amount of data capture through the touch-screen on the handheld device as they have to complete different mobile forms depending on the pickup. Once complete, the customer signs for electronic signature capture/proof of pickup.
This customer selected the MC75 because they wanted a mid-sized device that would be easy for the driver to carry but would be rugged enough to be around hazardous materials and heavier equipment that might bang around or have the device dropped. They needed 3G network speeds to facilitate image capture. GPS is done on the vehicle but can also be captured on the handheld.
MC55 - Door-to-door surveys and canvassing on a large scale. This customer canvasses homeowners and businesses. They complete field data surveys that may contain 300-750 questions, although not all are required to be answered. When a homeowner or business needs a survey completed, the field personnel scan a barcode and take 1 or more high-quality pictures per site. They take a GPS reading and possibly make a drawing on the device to show the site. Once complete, the homeowner signs the device for proof of delivery/electronic signature capture and a receipt is automatically emailed.
This customer evaluated the MC55 and MC75, but selected the MC55 because it was less expensive. They determined they did not need the ruggedness of the MC75 or the 3G network speed since the pictures would queue and sync in the background. They wanted the smallest/lightest device since the device would be carried all day by the field personnel.

How to Choose Between a Motorola MC55 and MC75 Handheld Device

Home Equity Line Credit Internet Marketing

Monday, May 21, 2012

Cardiovascular Exercise Timing Effectiveness

Cardiovascular exercise is considered doing anything from walking your dog to skating in a full speed ice hockey game. Targeted cardio is cardio done for the purpose of burning fat and retaining muscle. For most people, this can be done by taking a jog in the park or on the treadmill at your local gym. But questions normally arise as to how fast should I run and for how long? Should I eat before I run? Should I take breaks?

Using cardio to target fat loss and muscle preservation is more a matter of timing instead of intensity and duration. Targeted cardiovascular exercise for fat loss has strict guidelines for intensity depending on factors such as what time and if you do resistance training, what time you eat your meals and how many hours of sleep you get a night.

Sprint Store

For maximum fat loss and muscle preservation, cardio is most effective when performed at 65-75% of your maximum heart rate (220-age) for 30-60 minutes. When performed at this medium intensity, your body is less likely to burn carbs (and protein) as energy, and will turn towards fat for energy. Performing cardio at higher intensity (75-90%) will switch your body to burn carbs (glycogen) for energy to compensate for the greater requirements by the muscles as well as the cardiovascular system. Doing short interval training (less than 10 minutes) at higher intensity (75%+) will lower the demand by the muscles and burn more fat, since your heart rate will drop to the 65-75% range during rest and including up to 2 hours after high intensity training is done. More on this later.

Cardiovascular Exercise Timing Effectiveness

Since macronutrient processing is so important for energy, it is important to make sure that you are doing cardio at the right time in relation to your nutrition consumption and resistance exercise is extremely important. The body burns dietary macronutrients (calories we eat) in the order of carbohydrates, fats then protein. Doing cardio at 65-75% of MHR on an empty stomach will be most effective at burning fat. The medium intensity will have your body looking for fat as energy and on an empty stomach no dietary macronutrients will be present, so the body will turn to stored fat as its source of energy for the cardiovascular system. This environment mostly can be achieved right when you wake up and your body is in a fasted state, since you haven't eaten for around 6-8 hours (depending on sleep and nighttime meal consumption). Doing 30-45 minutes of cardio (depending on where you are in your diet/exercise routine), will burn fat stores as energy, not muscle protein.

Another good time to achieve the fasted fat burning state is after a weight training session. At this time, your body has used up all the dietary carbohydrates and fat from your pre-workout meal as energy during the resistance training of higher intensity. Now doing medium intensity cardio will keep your heart rate elevated, but will switch your body to target fat stores as energy since all carb stores are exhausted.

Word of Warning -
Doing cardio higher than 75% MHR will have your body looking to use carbs for energy. If this cardio is done while your body is in a fasted state (no dietary carbs to burn), the body will look for carbs in another form - glycogen. The only problem is that glycogen is found in muscles and burning muscle glycogen is a catabolic process, IT IS BURNING MUSCLE!!! This is not good, but there is some good news for people who don't have a choice but to exercise at high intensity (sports players, etc...) developing a defensive nutritional plan around your exercise can help keep muscle and while giving you energy during the high intensity exercise. Since you know your body will be craving carbs when your get your heart rate above 75% (normally when you start breathing heavy), it is good to supplement your body with extra carbs before and during the exercise. A pre-workout shake with plenty of complex (slow absorbing) carbs will provide your body with a constant stream of energy that your body can use instead of stored muscle glycogen. You won't necessarily be burning fat, but you will not be burning muscle! Actually, as stated above, when doing high intensity cardio exercise above 75% MHR, your heart rate will stay elevated up to 2 hours in the good fat burning zone, thus burning fat after the fact.

Another good way to prevent muscle breakdown during high intensity activities where you can control the duration is to do the exercise at intervals. This is why weight training can be considered a fat burning activity. During weight training, you elevate your hear rate for only a specific period of time (seconds). Then it lowers back into the good range while you rest. With weight training, you are stressing the muscles more than you would during a fast sprint or other high intensity interval activity, so the activity is, in itself catabolic. So it is important after doing any kind of high intensity cardio exercise, to implement post-workout supplementation (see Nutrition Tips for Anabolic Nutrient Timing Factor).

Depending on what time you work out, and your eating schedule, you could do cardio anytime during the day or night. Just plan out a schedule and listen to you body and know what's going on with your nutrition levels. Preparation is the first step towards success in Health and Fitness

Cardiovascular Exercise Timing Effectiveness

In Private Browsing Weight Loss Diets

Saturday, May 5, 2012

What You Need to Know Before Buying a Calorie Counter

There seem to be furthermore models of wrist watches that seem to be keeping track of calories which usually tend to be keeping track of the actual steps of which you have made when you tend to be running or sprinting. In case you wish to purchase a calorie counter watch then you definitely may choose to purchase it on the internet. On the Amazon web-site, you can find quite a few deals from that it is possible to pick the one that you like most. With just you can purchase the bestseller item which you can find inside the most important online store. The main benefit of this kind of calorie counting watch is the fact that it could be utilized by both men and women. that mean is unisex.

Another advantage of this product is that will be not just counting the calories that you are getting rid of additionally, it tells you what's your heart level. In case you decide to purchase a product such as this one then in the package you receive once you will place an order for it, you will find a user's handbook by which you will find all the information that you need to understand just how this calorie counting watch will be functioning. The only negative aspect of this watch is that you will need to replace their batteries very often, if you decide to use it every single day. What this means is that you will need to purchase electric batteries for it every 8 or 12 days.

Sprint Store

The least expensive watch that is having the functionality of keeping track of calories costs on the Amazon site. This watch is also having the function that you can use to calculate your heart rate. If you decide to purchase that watch,then you have to know that you get a one year guarantee, so if you should have any problems with this product or perhaps if it will not function properly in a particular moment, the company that produces it's going to promptly substitute it. You may have to make a phone call and your problem will be solved. Another thing that you must know about this product is actually that you should introduce in their system,is how old you are and also that number of weight which you have. In this way the wrist watch will be able to show you what's the perfect heart rate for your body.

What You Need to Know Before Buying a Calorie Counter

You will see that in case you decide to purchase a calorie counter watch you will have quite a few advantages. The initial one is that in case in which you have established quite a few calories that you want to burn in a single day, it is possible for you to count this number without difficulty.

What You Need to Know Before Buying a Calorie Counter

Cosmetic Surgeons Media Asset Managemet Stock Trading

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Bonnell Spring Mattress

A sound sleep at night keeps everyone refreshed for the whole day. A good night sleep is very important for good health. For comfortable & undisturbed sleep, comfortable mattresses provides relaxation to our body and mind. In general terms, a "mattress" is a type of mat or pad usually placed on a bed or on the floor , upon which we sleep or lie down and a "spring" is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy.

The word "bonnell" itself means a kind of "spring" used in spring mattresses. These mattresses are manufactured using springs units. Steel springs are attached in bonnell spring mattress to each other with helical wire which gives strong spring structure. The better quality of mattresses provides better stability and flexibility which gives rise to the demand of the product globally for bedding products. Therefore right choice of mattress benefits you with perfect sleep system to support your spine cord of your body.

Sprint Store

Bonnell Spring Mattress provides wide array of its unique features that are as follows:
Most comfortable and supportive mattress. These mattresses are made by using finest raw material & ensuring extra support & comfort needed to the body. The number of spring used in making of the mattress makes the mattress more spung and comfortable. It provides enough room for free and easy movement. Most durable mattresses are offered in this industry. These mattress are engineered by skilled engineers and creative artisans.
Types of Bonnell Spring Mattress are as follows :

Bonnell Spring Mattress

Latex Spring Mattress: These mattresses are the most comfortable mattress that provides unsound and undisturbed sleep. These mattresses are made of various layers of natural latex that provides the ultimate softness to the mattress. Latex mattresses are the best mattress you will ever sleep on. Even these mattresses are recommended by Orthopedic Surgeons.

Firm Spring Mattress: The term "Firm" generally means which cannot be pressed easily. These firm mattress are especially made for the ones who want a firm surface to sleep. These mattresses benefits you in the following ways:
It Prevents back pain. It provides firm support to your body. It is more durable as compared to other mattress for it ensures air circulation valve. it provides maximum level of comfort & health.

These mattresses includes the following materials to make ever best Mattresses. Bonnel spring mattress is the most luxurious for any kind of bedding and furnishings of the bedroom complementing other ambiances where mattress are required like hotels, hospital, Resorts, Health care centers, etc.

"Best choice of the mattresses gives proper sleep benefiting you with better health & comfort."

Bonnell Spring Mattress

Search Optimization Student Accident Insurance Direct Line Car Insurance

Friday, April 20, 2012

How to Lose Belly Fat With Easy Way

Almost everyone wants to lose some excess fat on their somewhere in the body. For most, they're looking to lose belly fat and they want to lose belly fat fast! Most of us spend Overeating too many months, and then ahead of the first signs of warm weather to What is the time to remove the accumulation. Unfortunately, if you're trying to learn how to lose belly fat, which is not as fast as possible.

The problem most people, they encountered difficulties, how can we overlook to lose belly fat off their body. A fat belly is probably the most difficult areas to successfully remove because it's made up what is known as 'stubborn' fat.

Sprint Store

Your physical body is actually slightly different from that of fat in the abdomen, because we tend to store fat in the body fat and most in need of protection - the protection of organs and internal structures.

How to Lose Belly Fat With Easy Way

Therefore, your abdominal fat will do everything possible to seize it. Not a good situation in your pursuit to lose belly fat.

In order to outsmart this, you will have to work really hard. This does not mean that can not be done - and this can, of course, you need to do is to have realistic expectations of the time line to achieve this goal, and how much effort, it is necessary to the following.

# 1 -- lets talk about exercise to lose belly fat. First of all, hit the weights. When lifting, be sure you are lifting as heavy as you possibly can, as this is to raise your metabolism the highest. You want to shoot for the five to ten rep range, because this is the most appropriate metabolism.

# 2 -- get that cardio up there. Don't do hours on end though, focus on doing sprints. In fact, the better is to sprint first, then do more steady state cardio afterwards. This will help to release the fatty acids from the tissue, and then burn them off in the steady state cardio. This type of set-up can be more effectively at getting that stubborn fat off your body than doing a typical cardio session.

# 3 -- Check over that belly fat diet. Too much fat or carbohydrates calories will slow your progress, while protein, generally will help due to the fact the body burns more calories just digesting it.

There is no need to exceed one and a half grams per pound of body weight, but maintained a level is your best approach. Then, fill out the remainder of the calories and carbohydrates and fat during the exercise at other times.

The process as long as you be patient and continually push yourself in the gym, there is no reason why within time, you can't be sporting your own set of six-pack abs.

How to Lose Belly Fat With Easy Way

Schools For Medical

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

7 Ways To Get Your Body Ripped For Summer

1. Lift Weights to Build and Tone Muscle

Increasing your muscle mass and tone will accelerate body-fat loss. When your muscles grow the demand on your body's energy resources increase. Therefore your metabolism starts running at a higher rate burning more calories during rest and while you exercise.

Sprint Store

Muscles require a lot of energy to:

7 Ways To Get Your Body Ripped For Summer

- Fuel their normal function in rest

- To power the 3 main energy systems with ATP (Adenosine Tri-phosphate; the energy molecule), Glycogen (a string of Glucose molecules) and Adipose Tissue (Fat) during exercise

- To replenish energy stores after exercise when the muscles are drained and facilitate the sustained hyperactivity of the muscles chemistry

Bigger and stronger muscle also enhances your bodies' ability to perform and sustain high intensity exercise. This in turn can increase the potential calorie burning effect of your workout.

2. Perform Low Intensity Sustained Exercise

Have you ever noticed someone who is overweight pounding away day after day on the treadmill sweating and panting but never really getting anywhere? I certainly have. This is because of a fantastically great misconception that I can't believe still exists today: The harder you go on the cardio the more fat you burn! I'm afraid not. If you learn about the basics of the human body and how the energy systems work you find out that it is in fact the opposite.

Fat burning occurs and peaks during sustained low intensity exercise in the presence of oxygen. This means that when energy is required quickly for short or medium bursts of intense exercise ATP and Glycogen becomes the source of that energy. They can be used instantly and without oxygen resulting in a by-product that everyone has experienced, Lactic Acid. Anaerobic Exercise predominately uses these fuels during brief periods that cannot be sustained. Aerobic Exercise utilises fat as the dominant fuel because the low amount of intensity is sustainable allowing blood supply to the muscles that is rich in oxygen, fats' catalyst.

So what does this mean for all you lovely people out there? If you want to concentrate on burning fat during cardio-vascular exercise drop the intensity to a level where your breathing rate increases but you can still have a fairly normal conversation with someone. A more scientific approach would be:

Get the number 220, take away your age to get your maximum heart rate (MHR), multiply that number by 0.65 (the fat burning range) and use the answer as your target heart rate (THR) during cardio-vascular exercise. Example;

220 - 26 = 194

194 x 0.65 = 126 beats per minute (BPM)

Maintain this heart rate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to hit your peak fat burning range. If you are fit however, I'd increase it by 10 BPM as your bodies' chemistry and response to exercise are more developed.

3. Cut Out Excess Calories and Pleasure Foods

I'm not talking about dieting because to me that word sounds temporary and unsustainable. I'm talking about a sensible and attractive lifestyle change that is logical and positive. You don't need all that crap. Eating certainly needs to be enjoyable but eating in excess of what your body really needs is unacceptable 90 percent of the time. Do yourself a favour and put food into perspective.

Food only exists to fuel, nourish, maintain and rebuild the body. Humans have made eating a way of life and we let it get out of control treating ourselves constantly to food that is very high in empty calories and low in nutrition. Junk food tastes good but is that short few minutes of pleasure really worth deteriorating the function and capability of your body?

Good food tastes good. I think that there is just as much pleasure and satisfaction or even more out of supplying your body with nutritious foods as there is with eating fast foods, desserts, sugar and chocolate. If you have a great training session a healthy protein drink or a steak and salad is what you feel like because that is what is going to support the desired outcomes of your exercise routine. Lollies or candy will do nothing positive and makes you feel gross afterwards.

If you think about the big picture and you want to get the most out of your life you MUST look after the ONLY body that you have. How on earth can people justify owning an expensive car or boat or whatever, spending time and money on maintenance, repairs, supplies, services and accessories giving it the best of everything while they only supply their own bodies with sub-standard fuel? Cars and other toys are replaceable and only needed a few hours of each day. You CAN'T replace your body. You need it all day every day until you leave this world. It's your best friend and should the priority receiving everything it requires for peak performance.

I always suggest that one day a week everyone should consider letting their guard down and eating something nice and naughty but for the rest of the time you must eat healthy, fresh, nutritious varied food. It's a crime not to and will only lead you down a negative path.

Enough preaching. Here are some suggestions to help shed unwanted body-fat through your eating habits:

i. The food and exercise equation

First there is an element of experimentation. You need to find out how to balance and manipulate the equation between the food that you eat and the exercise that you perform. This can be simplified further by calling it ENERGY IN and ENERGY OUT. Increase or decrease one or the other to make your bodyweight go up or down.

Example:

- if you eat more and exercise less your bodyweight will go up

- if you eat less and exercise more your bodyweight will go down

- if you are at a point where your food intake and exercise output balance each other your bodyweight will remain the same

Work out the extent of change you need to apply to change your bodyweight.

ii. Increase your meal frequency and decrease your meal size.

If you eat three large meals a day you receive an uneven spread of calories and energy. This can affect you in the following ways:

- Slowing down of the metabolism ( the bodies total demand for energy and ability to burn it)

- A lack of energy due to the large meal gaps

- Storing of excess calories as body-fat from the large meals

- Sleeping on a full stomach again promoting body-fat storage

If you eat 5 to 7 smaller meals throughout the day all these point can be turned around increasing your metabolism and facilitating exercise and normal function.

iii. Don't eat complex carbohydrates or junk-food after lunch.

Eat foods that are dense in energy early in the day for a sustained release of energy throughout the rest of the day. As you get closer to sleeping you need nutritious foods, such as salads and stir-fried veges, lean meats and fish, that provide less energy because excess calories will be unused and stored as fat. Dinner should also be a smaller meal than it traditionally is to aid this. Breakfast and lunch should be the larger meals as they are the energy providers for your day and any exercise that you do.

iv. Drink lots of water.

Water is the catalyst for every function and chemical reaction in the body. If you keep yourself hydrated it will assist you in many roles such as body-fat loss. You can train harder and longer maintaining a healthy internal environment by keeping up the blood volume reducing pressure on the cardio-vascular system. The sodium and potassium concentrations of the muscles will remain balanced promoting healthy muscle contraction. Drinks lots of water to exercise properly and stay healthy. Adequate water supplies will speed up all the processes within the body including fat metabolism.

v. Avoid.

Pasta, bread, buns, oats, cereals, white rice, noodles, potatoes, mash, chips, pumpkin, couscous, polenta, pastry, alcohol, junk-food, snack-food, desserts, pizza, crumbed stuff, batter, oil, butter, sugar, salt, MSG, cheese, fast food and fried food especially after lunch.

vi. Eat.

Salads, vegetables, fruits and herbs of many colours. Fresh, raw, organic and cooked foods. Fish, beef, chicken, tofu, lean lamb, protein drinks and supplements.

Do what is best for your health and enjoy it.

4. Perform Your Cardio First Thing In The Morning

Perform your fat-burning cardio exercise first thing in the morning before you have breakfast. There will be no food in your system to use as energy and the glycogen stores in muscles and liver won't be utilised if the exercise intensity is low (where it should be). Glycogen is limited and will deplete leaving fat as the primary fuel. Keep yourself well hydrated with water but don't have breakfast until after you have finished your 30 minutes to 1 hour of cardio. Fat will be maintained as the dominant fuel source.

5. Cut Down Rest Time Between Sets

Weight training is traditionally performed with approximately a minutes rest between sets or even longer. I think that most people rest for too long losing potential workout intensity and other possible benefits. I recommend 30 seconds to 1 minute and often less or none!

Reasons for reducing rest time between sets include:

- Increased exercise intensity through continual muscular stimulation whilst fuel stores are depleted. Limiting rest time forces the muscles to work extra hard as their energy stores do not have time to replenish. The blood also cannot deliver oxygen rapidly enough to retard lactic acid accumulation.

- An increased cardio-vascular effect produced because the body moves continually from one exercise to another taxing the heart and lungs. So you not only facilitate muscle strength, growth and tone you also improve heart and lung fitness.

- Improved fat-burning effect with the sustained exercise during the workout and in recovery afterwards. More calories are burned training in this manner.

- Enhanced body chemistry through increases in oxygen delivery, lactic acid removal and energy repletion.

How to decrease rest time during your workout:

- Utilise agonist/antagonist supersets. This is where an exercise is performed for a muscle followed immediately by an exercise for the opposing muscle group

- Utilise pre-exhaustion supersets. This is where an isolation exercise (single-joint) is performed to specifically fatigue a muscle followed immediately by a compound exercise (multi-joint), which uses additional fresh muscles, to further fatigue the target muscle

- Perform circuit-type training where there is little to no rest for the entire workout

- Be focussed and motivated and hungry

6. Perform Sprint Workouts

Twice a week take yourself to a sports field or flat park and mark out a 100 metre length. Complete a 10 minute jog and 10 minutes of stretching focussing on the legs. Perform a run at 50%. Walk back. Perform a run at 75%. Walk back. Perform up to 10 runs at 100% walking back slowly each time to recover.

This type of intense anaerobic exercise will:

- Alter the chemistry of the bodies energy systems forcing them to work harder and faster

- Increase the basal metabolic rate (BMR) burning more energy at rest

- Change the muscle fiber composition of the muscles training them to be stronger, more powerful and able to work at higher intensities for longer

- Cause more fat to be burnt during recovery

7. Use Variety In Your Cardio And Fat Burning Program

I've talked about using variety to get the most out of your weight training and while it's not as frequently required with cardio-vascular exercise it still needs to be implemented. Instead of using the treadmill for 40 minutes every try one of these mediums:

- Rowing Machines

- X-Trainers

- Stair Climbers and other machines

- Circuit Classes

- Barbell Classes

- High Energy Classes

- Boxing and Martial Arts Classes

- Spin Classes and other group fitness activities

- Team Sports

- Dancing

- Walking, Jogging, Running

- Cycling, Swimming

- Other dynamic pastimes, games, sports and activities

Changing your routine regularly will keep your body stimulated achieving constant improvement. It's also fun and will keep you interested.

7 Ways To Get Your Body Ripped For Summer

Marketing On The Internet Tesco Insurance Private Bank

Friday, April 13, 2012

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Computers

The computer is one of the most important inventions in the 20th century, which has changed our lives since it was first introduced. It is undeniable to say that the computer has resulted in both positive and negative effects which must be addressed accordingly.

To begin with, the computer has contributed to our lives in many beneficial ways. The main use of computers is to help us store and organize information even tons of files within hard disk drives. Thanks to the advancement in technology, computers nowadays can process information far faster than the human brain can do. It simply means that the computer helps us work efficiently and save time. Furthermore, the computer is a good entertaining place where people can play games, watch movies and listen to music. For instance, I can watch my favourite TV show on YouTube.com with just one click, or have some fun with the Pac Man game. It is impossible to imagine our lives without computers.

Sprint Store

Unfortunately, one cannot deny the drawbacks of the computer. Despite the fact that computers help us, they make us dependent. Instead of thinking, people can Google the answer easily with just a few clicks. In addition, using computers too much can cause health problems such as shortsightedness, eye strain and mental disorders. Later, psychologists suggest that being on computers too much can also lead to anti-social behavior and depression, especially young people.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Computers

We live in the technological era, computers fill our lives with all benefits they provide and all dangers they hide. Personally, I think it all depends on how we use the given tools. In the future, the computer will be smarter, more powerful and as handy as mobile phones, which requires intelligence and creativeness.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Computers

Professional Search Engine Optimization Country Suites Barracuda Spam

Monday, April 9, 2012

Pros and Cons of RFID Technology

I. RFID Advantages

Radio Frequency Identification provides a valuable service that is capable of revolutionizing the way companies track products. There are many benefactors of this technology: the military, retailers, suppliers, consulting firms, producers of the technology, and consumers. RFID provides companies with a better alternative to bar-coding because no line-of-sight is needed to read a pallet, a carton, or a product with a RFID tag. RFID tags also contain information on the product that is easily readable and accessible for the reader. RFID will also begin to automate company's supply chain, reducing labor costs, human error and time spent checking in products.

Sprint Store

In 2005, manufacturers and suppliers requesting new bids from the military must be RFID compliant on four different levels: packaged operational rations, clothing, tools, and weapon system repair parts and components. The military requires that all cartons and pallets are shipped with a Military Shipping Label which displays shipping data. The Department of Defense has created the RFID Military Compliance Solution as a way to help suppliers and manufacturers meet the military's new standards for RFID. The program is run by Avery Dennison Retail Information Services, and they were commissioned by the RFID Military Compliance Solution. Avery Dennison Retail Information Services sells the RFID tags to companies which must be affixed close to the Military Shipping Labels to comply with Department of Defense regulations.

Pros and Cons of RFID Technology

The U.S. military is saving an enormous amount of money by using active and passive RFID systems. By using RFID for communication and transportation systems in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is able to diagnose and fix problems much faster than before. The implementation of RFID in just this area will save the military close to half a million dollars this year. The U.S. government has contracted IBM to do research on the current RFID being used currently in the military and the potential future applications for RFID in the military. The military has been successful in creating better visibility throughout their supply chain increasing their productivity and stability.

Retailers and other companies that have a demanding supply chain can gain an advantage on the field by using RFID in the supply chain. By demanding that all levels of their supply chain be RFID capable is a sizable investment. The productivity increase that follows the initial investment and implementation for companies will pay for their investment. Wal-Mart was the first retailer to use RFID in their distribution centers and warehouses, prompting many companies to follow in their footsteps once Wal-Mart's success was realized.

RFID is very successful with retail companies because it improves productivity, saves on human labor costs, and gives companies real-time visibility with all their products. RFID tags use an Electronic Product Code (EPC) which is an upgrade and a replacement for the Universal Product Code (UPC) system. "EPC has a 96-bit code that has digits to identify the manufacturer, product category and the individual item. Manufacturers obtain registration numbers & assign them to products. Each number is unique to a given item."

The cost of a tag is anywhere between twenty-five to fifty cents. In the next five to ten years it could be reduced to five cents per tag. At some point in the near future tags could fall to one cent tempting companies to use RFID tags on every product in a store. Wal-Mart says that since their stores now have RFID, it makes it easier to keep store shelves stocked allowing employees to interact with customers.

Target was able to save on their investment for implementing RFID, following in Wal-Mart's footsteps as Wal-Mart had already paved the way and suffered the pitfalls of implementing a new technology. In addition to the lower implementation costs, many of Target's suppliers had already begun preparing for the switch over to RFID assuming Target would follow Wal-Mart. Target as a large retailer knows how important it is to be able to provide real-time data on pallets, cartons and shipments up and down-stream through their supply chain.

A break-through in RFID technology was made by Intermec, Inc. in May of 2006, with new rugged and reusable RFID tags. These tags can be written thousands of times; it can handle hazardous chemical exposure, and withstands temperatures from -50 degrees Fahrenheit to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. In October of 2006, Intermec released a new version of the rugged, reusable RFID tag, including wide-band antenna that can be used on any surface in any part of the world.

RFID makes the business world seem like a smaller place, even companies like Wal-Mart who are very big and have a large integrated supply chain. RFID enables companies to be more efficient with their time and space. Companies that combine some newer supply chain technologies with RFID could see great results. Combining auto-picking with RFID would reduce man-power needed, time needed to move pallets and cartons around a warehouse, and time needed to send pallets to their proper destination. The goal of a company's supply chain should be to reduce time needed to be productive, by automating as much of the supply chain as possible. It reduces human error, and machines are capable of running twenty-four hours a day and cost less than human labor. The
application of RFID for a large company like Wal-Mart or Target, as well as smaller retail stores can ensure a better shopping experience with more in-stock items and a more knowledgeable store.

The RFID market is booming and many technological companies have gotten in the game producing RFID parts and systems. In many cases being a producer of RFID components and systems also allows you to become a consulting firm for the technology. Hewlett Packard (HP) is one of the largest companies developing RFID systems. HP's goal is to make it as easy and affordable as possible for a company adopting RFID technology. HP has experience in the RFID field, as they were one of the early adopters of the technology and have been very successful integrating it into their business. HP began with two larger clients, Hasbro (produces children's toys) and Conros (a large Wal-Mart supplier). Hewlett Packard has created two RFID Centers for Excellence, one in California and one in Taiwan, to demonstrate new potential uses for the technology, as well as how it can be implemented into a business. More centers are slated to be opened throughout the world, including Great Britain, Singapore, and Tokyo RFID Centers for Excellence.

The RFID market sits at roughly one billion dollars in 2006 and has varying estimates as to the growth potential of the market. Estimates of RFID market size in 2008 vary anywhere from .3 billion by IDC, to .2 Billion by the Yankee Group. As shown in Figure 1 in the appendix, most of the industry is made up of sales of hardware, tags, readers and other physical products of RFID. Roughly 20-25% of the market is made up of consulting work for the technology and the last 5% is made up of software for RFID. The two biggest areas firms are concentrating on are the production and consulting sides of RFID.

The biggest challenges for producers and consultants alike are the reliability and durability of RFID systems and products. It is hard to simulate the wear and tear a product will experience over time. HP has made testing RFID products one of their benchmarks, providing intense field-testing of RFID to ensure its durability and quality. A competitor of HP is IBM, who according to AMR Research is the market leader in RFID. IBM has over eleven years experience working with RFID, and like HP, they were an early adopter of RFID technology. The advantage that IBM has over HP is there world-renowned consulting services, coupled with their immense networking capabilities. IBM's services promise more results than HP's RFID systems mainly because of IBM's consulting expertise. IBM works with companies to locate the best avenues to implement RFID, attempting to maximize Return on Investment (ROI) by reducing one person per shift from manually tracking products allowing them to focus on value-added manufacturing activities. IBM also focuses on other ways to improve ROI including, offering a one-time savings of 0,000 in operating costs, continuous fabrication line operations, better customer service providing real-time information on products, and less errors and delays cause by human error.

RFID began to take off once companies like Wal-Mart and Target, and the U.S. military demanded that their top 100 suppliers must adopt RFID technology. Many suppliers were not ready for a move like this, a move that would completely retrofit their current operations at a high cost to the supplier. There were some suppliers that welcomed the change in technology and already began implementing RFID in anticipation of Wal-Mart and the U.S. military's demand that their suppliers adopt the new technology. Wal-Mart demanded that their top one hundred suppliers would need to be RFID ready by January 2005, and to Wal-Mart's surprise, twenty three extra suppliers have volunteered to make the change to RFID. There is a new generation of tags that hit the market in 2005, called the Gen 2 Standard, which make RFID more appealing to suppliers who have no RFID systems in place. The Gen 2 RFID improves on the first generation of RFID by increasing read times, increasing read ranges, and read tags more accurately.

Suppliers and manufacturers will notice the benefits of implementing RFID into their organizations streamlining parts of their operations. Return on Investment is the most important factor for a business implementing RFID. Suppliers will see their ROI increase as human labor hours are decreased, human errors are decreased and interoperability is increased. RFID increases the visibility of the suppliers so they can do their job in real time, assuring that the correct package is sent to the correct location. It also saves money in the long-term for manufacturers and suppliers because RFID will save time spent inventorying and tracking products. An advantage for suppliers and manufacturers using RFID is customization of products in a shorter period of time. Smaller suppliers and manufacturers will have a harder time implementing RFID, as costs range from 0,000 to million to implement the technology, but as costs go down more companies will adopt RFID.

RFID does have another potential benefit for suppliers that could give them invaluable information. For Wal-Mart suppliers, readers are set up at the back door so suppliers know when their shipments have arrived increasing visibility for both entities. A second reader is placed at the entrance to the sales floor so the supplier can see what is on-hand on the sales floor and in the stock room. This will allow the supplier to see which products sell better than others so that they can be replaced, and it also allows the supplier to develop more accurate sales forecasts. A secondary benefit of RFID is that the promotions that merchandisers spend a lot of money to set up are often left in the stock room for too long or are improperly placed. Now merchandisers and vendors can make sure their promotions are being handled correctly. Suppliers and manufacturers have the potential to save money on production costs, while making money on customized products.

Consumers should be the ultimate winner with RFID being implemented throughout a company's supply chain. In the long-run, stores will save money throughout their supply chain, thus bringing down costs to consumers. Consumers should also expect to find more helpful and more informative customers service with companies that have RFID. These companies now have real-time data to share with the customer. A consumer complaint about retail stores has always been that there are too many out-of-stock items; however, with RFID in place many of these stores should see a significant decrease in out-of-stock items. Having RFID tags on certain products can also make people's lives much easier, such as a microwave that is a reader and recognizes the tag of the food you put in and will automatically cook it according to the directions on the tag. It also helps environmentally because companies will use resources more efficiently, benefiting everyone. Once RFID tags are able to be used on food products it will make a recall on a certain item much easier and it could potentially save lives.

Consumers use RFID everyday and many do not realize the benefits they are receiving from the technology. Contactless payment is a developing technology, the card being used contains a tag and the payment area contains a reader. Mobil and Exxon use a "Speedpass" as their contactless form of payment allowing customers to wave the card in front of a reader to pay for gas or anything in the convenient store. Visa and Mastercard are the two biggest developers of this technology, claiming that it will benefit everyone from consumers to businesses. It allows people to have preset money on a card (either debit or credit) which decreases waiting time at check-out stands and increases loyalty to companies that offer this feature. Another use of smart cards is keyless entries, which is becoming a popular trend in America, using just a card and swipe it over the sensor to allow entry. RFID is a beneficial technology for consumers saving time and offering conveniences traditional bar codes, credit cards and keys cannot offer.

RFID contains many advantages over traditional ways of coding pallets, boxes and products. It allows for non-line of sight reading of the tag which stores all the product information. RFID reduces human labor costs and human errors through the supply chain saving companies money, as well as reducing theft in the store and warehouses. RFID can save lives as well if there is a recall and the recalled food item or product is tagged, then it would be easier to collect all the units.

II. Disadvantages

Radio Frequency Identification has been around for over fifty years, but it has been the rapid development and deployment of the technology over the last five years that has raised people's awareness and understanding of the technology. While there are many potential benefits for RFID, there are many pitfalls as well. Every level that could benefit from RFID can also reap negative rewards from the technology.

The U.S. military was one of the early adopters of the technology using it for over ten years in a limited area of their operations. In 2003 they upgraded their usage of the technology by demanding that all suppliers must affix a RFID tag to every pallet, carton and big-ticket item being shipped to the military. The biggest problem the military faces is an issue of security. With complete product information on a tag it is easy for an enemy of the United States to pull information off a tag. This could result in loss of life of U.S. soldiers or even U.S. civilians if the wrong product ended up in the wrong hands. The tags could inform enemies of potential weaknesses and strengths of our military and give them a view on how to attack us at our weakest points.

Large companies like Wal-Mart and Target who use RFID face many potential problems with the technology. RFID has no proven infrastructure making it difficult for suppliers to keep up with these company's demands to become RFID-ready. If the suppliers cannot effectively implement RFID into their business, then retailers cannot fully view their supply chain. If retailers cannot get all their information in real time across their entire supply chain, then the issues they are trying to solve will remain problems. Out-of-stock items, first-in-first-out products and last-in-last out products will still cause problems for these large retailers.

EPCGlobal is a start to an international standards body for RFID. It has yet to be approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and there is still not a global frequency standard. While 900 MHz appears to be the best frequency due to its long read-range capability, 13.56 MHz is still used delaying the standardization of global frequency for RFID. High costs of RFID implementation is the reason many mid-size and smaller retailers have not adopted the technology. The short-term outlook for companies who use RFID isn't impressive, although long-term benefits will be realized.

Privacy issues are the number one pitfall for RFID and retailers. As long as the tags are only affixed to pallets and cartons then the retailers would not have any specific information on the consumer. However, when RFID tag prices fall, companies like Wal-Mart and Target plan on using RFID tags on individual products which they can trace consumer's buying habits and other information consumer's wish to keep private. It was privacy issues that force Benetton to cease their pilot RFID system. They wanted to embed a tag in articles of clothing to stop theft, determine consumer buying habits and keep their inventory at an acceptable level. Privacy advocate groups such as the Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion (CASPIAN) fight companies using RFID to track consumer behavior. A study showed that up to 78% of America was against RFID based solely on privacy issues. It will be difficult for companies in the future to tag individual items without a public outcry without some form of protection for the public's privacy rights.

Consumers have the largest disadvantage of any other entities involved with RFID technology. There are five privacy issues that consumers must try to protect themselves from: Hidden placement of tags, unique identifiers for objects worldwide, massive data aggregation, hidden readers, and individual tracking and profiling. Hidden placement of tags by companies is an easy way to get information from consumers. The consumer will feel safe buying a product with no knowledge of an RFID tag embedded in their clothing. These tags theoretically could track a person around the world if there were readers in specific locations throughout the world. Personal information may also be embedded in these tags giving information as detailed as your medical history. Prada and Swatch use embedded tags in their clothing, and Benetton did as well, but a boycott of Benetton was successful and they removed their tags. There is no law against companies embedding tags, and only California and Utah have made official requests to change the situation.

Companies who use RFID can compile massive amounts of data on consumers, including product likes or dislikes, buying power or even prescription history. RFID makes it easy to amass this data and to designate correlations. If a corporation owns many stores they can combine data between companies and create new data on buying habits.

Hidden readers violate people's privacy much the same way hidden tags do. Gillette and Accenture are introducing "silent commerce" which embeds tags on people's products and readers in strategic locations without the consumer's knowledge. These companies have experimented with different reader locations ranging from secret carpet locations to shelve locations and even hidden in floor tiles. Readers could even be installed in doorways on street lights, anywhere that people have to pass through, and instantly all information embedded in the tag is broadcast to the reader. If this were to happen privacy would be impossible because you would never know if the products you have contain tags, and you never know when you are within proximity to a reader.

The disadvantages of RFID hinge mainly on privacy concerns, technological imperfections, cost of the technology and no proven way to set up an RFID system for a company. The government and corporations are the two groups that offer the most concern for privacy issues. Hidden tags and readers threaten to take away human mystery, offering a world where people see, feel and hear only what the government and large corporation want people to.

III. Future of RFID

The future of RFID is uncertain, however, the technology is here to stay. Companies have many obstacles to overcome to make the technology a feasible option to be implemented. Privacy issues and will persist, although cost for RFID systems will decrease. In order for RFID to be successful, companies must work with privacy advocate groups to develop a fair way to implement RFID without alienating their customers.

Technology will continue to develop for RFID and many new applications will be realized. Automation will be a side-effect of RFID development, in the supply chain and in everyday activities. Contactless payment methods are already available, as well as automatic keycards to open doors. RFID tags installed in cars with readers on the roads and freeways will alert the authority if you are breaking the law. Supermarkets will eventually be able to realize their shopping cart checkout system once prices fall to a more affordable price. Fresh foods, metals and liquids will all be RFID compatible in the near future. If privacy issues are not watched closely, people will become tagged and there will always be someone watching and analyzing every person's decisions.

Pros and Cons of RFID Technology

Insurance For Women Diabetes Obesity Fat Loss 4 Idiots

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Ice Cream Sandwich Vs Gingerbread

Released on November 17 2011, the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) is set to be the next big thing in the world of Android operating systems, bringing a completely different look to Android. The ICS (Android Version 4.0) promises to be compatible with almost every Android device.

The ICS claims to be very easy to use and it certainly does have some great navigation tools and makes searching for apps and the like on your hand set so much easier, but the ICS is not the only 'next big thing' to hit the market and claim to change the ever-popular Android operating systems, because Google's Gingerbread has also recently been launched and threatens to knock the ICS off one of the highest spots on the consumer market.

Sprint Store

After having a detailed look at both the Ice Cream Sandwich and the Gingerbread systems I am tending to swing towards the ICS mainly because it is much easier to use and is more widely available.

The Ice Cream Sandwich Vs Gingerbread

Similarities

There are a lot of similarities between the two operating systems and although this is good in some respects, it can make it hard for the consumers to decide which one is better for them.

At the moment, both of the Android operating systems seem to work well when it comes to working hard to save your battery by closing down any apps that are running in the background and they both have a newer, faster and better keyboard that works even harder to improve the predictive text function so you don't accidentally type a word that could change the whole context of the conversation and confuse things.

There does seem to be one thing that the Gingerbread is slightly better at than the ICS and that is helping you to save the battery. It will work out for you what apps use the most battery power and then its up to you to decide whether or not you want to stick with them and although this could be a good thing, it seems to me the Gingerbread system is shouting 'Look what I can do!' and using up more memory when the ICS just gets on and does its job.

Sorry, unavailable

While the ICS is available on most new handsets and can be downloaded on other older handsets, the Gingerbread operating system is not as widely available and those with HTC, Samsung and some Sony devices are still waiting to use this system that has been available for months and well before the Ice Cream Sandwich made its appearance on the market in November 2011, and users of the LG, Motorola and Samsung phones are still waiting for an upgrade while the ICS continues to flourish.

Although the Gingerbread operating system does work well and makes an effort to save battery power, it's availability is lacking and by the time the makers decide to make it more widely available, the Ice Cream Sandwich would have found its way to many more mobile devices and made even greater improvements while the main ingredients are still being added to the Gingerbread.

The Ice Cream Sandwich Vs Gingerbread

Checks Online Compaq Laptops

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Barnes & Noble Nook Vs Amazon Kindle - Which is the Best eReader?

Amazon's Kindle eReader has been the leader, at least in the US, of the eReader market since the introduction of Kindle 1 in 2007. Sony has held 2nd place with 30 - 35% of the market.

But now there is a new kid on the block. In October '09 Barnes & Noble announced its nook eReader that sold out on pre-order within a few weeks.

Sprint Store

The nook is revolutionary primarily in its looks. It will be hard for your average gadget boy/girl to see one and not develop a serious craving. But does this mean that the nook is the best thing since the printing press for bookish boys and girls?

Barnes & Noble Nook Vs Amazon Kindle - Which is the Best eReader?

Let's look at and compare some of the features of the nook and the Kindle eReaders.

For the most part reading on the nook's e-ink screen is very similar to reading on the Kindle eReader's e-ink screen. Both eRreaders use the same or a very similar reading screen.

What is dramatically different, and what in fact attracts many people to the nook eReader is the small LCD touchscreen under the e-ink screen. On the Kindle, navigation is accomplished by using the chicklet keyboard and the 5-way controller. The controls for the nook are mostly accessed through using the LCD touchscreen.

The nook's touchscreen is also used for browsing books in your library or for selecting books to purchase from Barnes & Noble over the wireless connection. A virtual keyboard is available on the LCD screen for typing.

The nook's color LCD screen looks really nice and would seem to be a very desirable feature, but there are problems with the software implementation, which we will get to in a bit.

Connectivity:

The Kindle eReader has a 3G wireless connection through AT&T for the Kindle Global, and Sprint for the Kindle 2. Amazon calls its wireless service "Whispernet". Using Whispernet, you can usually purchase and download a book within a minute or less. You also can use the somewhat clunky but functional browser to access the internet, check email, research your reading on Wikipedia, even access another online ebook store than Amazon to purchase and download books, etc. With Kindle Global you also have access to the Kindle store in many other countries besides the US, though you have to pay a surcharge for downloading a book on the Whispernet outside of the US.

The nook eReader has both a WiFi connection and a 3G AT&T wireless connection. The difference is that the nook's connection can only be used for purchasing and downloading books from Barnes & Noble. No internet, no Wikipedia, you cannot use it to connect to another online ebook store and purchase books.

The nook's WiFi connection will be useful if you carry your nook eReader into a B&N store as it will download coupons and special offers to your eReader. You can also use the WiFi to browse ebooks while in a B&N store, but you can only read each book for a maximum of one hour in a 24-hour period. These in-store features are not yet fully implemented so we don't yet know how useful they will prove to be.

Sharing

One of the nook eReader's features that received a lot of press coverage is the ability to lend your ebooks to friends. Unfortunately, this feature is not as great as first thought. For one thing, publishers must opt in to let their books be loaned. Some have said they will not allow this. Also there are restrictions: you can only loan a particular book once ever, and only for 14 days. While a book is loaned out you cannot access it on your own nook.

The Kindle does not at this time allow this type of lending. However, you can share ebooks with up to 6 (it can vary by title) Kindles that are registered to the same account. This works well for multi-Kindle families. It is even possible to set up a reading club with your Kindle owning friends if you feel comfortable sharing a single credit card to register your Kindle eReaders to.

Other Features

One nice feature that the nook eReader has is a user replaceable battery. The Kindle's battery is hardwired in and therefore will need to be sent back to Amazon for replacement (). Amazon says that even after 500 charges (ten years or so) these batteries will still hold 80% charge, so this may not be an issue for most people.

The nook also accepts an SD card for additional storage. The Kindle only has its internal storage, but that is enough to hold around 1,500 books, so this may also not be an issue for you.

A nook feature that has not received any official Barnes & Noble acknowledgment is the ability to borrow ebooks from your local library if they use Overdrive's digital distribution service. To do this you need to install Adobe Digital Editions on your computer and use that to sideload the ebook onto your nook. You can borrow an ebook from the library for 14 days, after which it will be automatically deleted. You cannot renew library ebook checkouts. To find out how useful this feature will be in your case you should check your local library website. Most libraries do not have a large catalogue of ebooks yet. Kindle does not support borrowing library ebooks at this time

The eBook Stores

No matter how attractive the hardware, an eReader's primary purpose is to read books. Since today's eReaders tend to be tied to proprietary DRM formats for current titles, you want to make sure that the hardware that you choose is backed up by the best ebook store(s).

The nook's primary ebook supplier for DRM'ed ebooks will of course be Barnes & Noble. You can also purchase DRM'ed ebooks from other online sellers that support Adobe Digital Editions. The nook is also compatible with non DRM'ed EPUB and PDF format.

With Kindle you will purchase most if not all of your DRM'ed titles from Amazon's Kindle store. Kindle also uses a few other formats for non-DRM'ed ebooks such as MOBI and PDF. Public domain ebooks are also available for the Kindle eReaders. I suspect that at some point Amazon will also have to allow EPUB compatibility for the Kindle, as there is increasing pressure for this.

Many people disparage the Kindle's being locked into Amazon's ebook store for DRM'ed ebooks. While this may be true to a large extent, the fact is that the Kindle store has more titles available than B&N and all of the online stores selling ADE format ebooks put together. In most cases Amazon's prices are less as well, although Barnes & Noble has been trying to match their prices.

If you primarily read books on the current best sellers lists you will likely be able to find these available in most formats at similar prices. The more off the beaten path your reading is however, the more likely you are to find what you are looking for at the Kindle store.

So Which eReader is Best - Kindle or nook?

If the nook eReader had not been rushed to market to make the holiday 2009 season, and if Barnes & Noble had waited until they had the software ready and the bugs worked out, then I would say that the nook would have been a very close second choice and maybe even equal to the Kindle.

In fact, the nook at present is crippled by its faulty release version software and unless B&N gets it fixed in a timely fashion the nook will be leapfrogged by the next Kindle release. Barnes & Noble has said that they are working around the clock to update the software and fix the current nook problems; and to their credit they have released a couple of updates as of this writing. However there are still lots of bugs and the nook is slower than the Kindle, which will be distracting when you are trying to immerse yourself in that next great book. In its present state the LCD screen does not play well with the e-ink screen and can be very frustrating to use.

Also, I prefer the Kindle store. My reading tastes may be different than yours however, so I would suggest you make a list of books you want to read and make a price and availability comparison between the Kindle store and B&N's offerings. Higher ebook prices can add up pretty quickly.

The Kindle's ability to connect to the internet and Wikipedia, etc. is also not to be underestimated.

I think that the nook eReader has the potential to be a great eReader and possibly equal the Kindle, but it is something of a gamble buying one now and waiting to see if Barnes & Noble can get all of the glitches fixed in time and also match the Kindle store's offerings.

Barnes & Noble Nook Vs Amazon Kindle - Which is the Best eReader?

Drunk Driving Attorney

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Printer Options For Your iPad

Unless you live under a rock, you've heard about the iPad. With all of its bells and whistles, the iPeople forgot one vital component - the ability to print to any printer. Fortunately, iPad printing applications are now being introduced for printer users like you. Let's take a look at a few iPad printing options for your printer.

For Epson Printers

Sprint Store

If you use an Epson printer, you can print from your iPad using the Epson iPrint application. Initially released for the iPod, iPrint can now be used with an iPad over a WiFi connection. Epson users can get iPrint at no cost from the App Store.

Printer Options For Your iPad

For Canon Printers

If you want to print photos from your iPad to a wireless Canon printer, use the free Canon application called Easy Photo-Print for iPhone. Unfortuantely, this app will only print photos, not text.

For HP Printers

HP has a comparable free iPad app called HP iPrint Photo.

For Lexmark Printers

Lexmark printer users can use an iPad printing app called Air Sharing HD. The app costs 10 dollars and does not work with PCs - just Macs. Air Sharing HD does not access files straight from your iPad. Rather, the app communicates with a server (e.g. email account) to print a document. In other words, you can email an iPad document to yourself and then open it in Air Sharing HD to print. This app was compatible with Lexmark and Epson printers, but had difficulties printing on an HP.

Lexmark users can also purchase a direct printing app called ePrint. Again, this one is for Mac users only.

Other iPad Printing Options

One of the more well-known iPad printing applications is PrintCentral, by EuroSmartz. This app will print from any printer, including your, to a PC over a wireless connection. PrintCentral costs 10 dollars at the App Store and allows you to print web pages, images, and contacts.

These printer users can also buy Print Magic by Wellala, Inc., for at the App Store. This app allows users to print text, graphics, and web pages from your iPad.

How to Save on Printer Ink

Now that printing is increasingly accessible for iPad users, many printer users are looking for ways to save on printing expenses. The best way to decrease printing costs is to nix those expensive store-bought printer cartridges, and buy remanufactured printer cartridges instead.

Let's consider an example. A typical black printer cartridge costs around from an office supply store. A remanufactured black printer cartridge, however, will only cost around from a reliable online supplier. That's half the price - plus a satisfaction guarantee!

Remanufactured cartridges will not only save money, they also help the environment by reducing consumer waste. Consumers can feel good about using remanufactured printer cartridges because they are recycled. You'll also feel good when you see that a remanufactured cartridge works just as well, and lasts just as long, as a store-bought cartridge for double the price!

Printer Options For Your iPad

Phoenix University Remortgage

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The BlackBerry Torch 9850 VS The BlackBerry 9810

RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry handset that we have all come to know and love, have recently released the Torch 9810 that promises to be so much faster than its predecessor the 9800, giving the handset a lot more memory and a faster processing speed which can make your experience of using one of our favorite handsets so much more pleasurable.

Here's a bit about the 9850 and what it can do:

Sprint Store

· 8GB of local storage

The BlackBerry Torch 9850 VS The BlackBerry 9810

· The memory is upgradable to 32 GB if you use an SD card

· 768 Mega-bytes of RAM

· 1.2 GHz processor

· 4G - which is the latest network to be released on the market and is something that all new phones are aiming to be working on

· 3.2 inch touch screen

· 800 x 480 screen

· 640 x 480 screen resolution

· Runs on the new BlackBerry OS 7 software

· Wi-Fi enabled plus you can now make calls over Wi-Fi if your carrier will allow it

· 5 Mega-pixel camera

· Easier typing with a 'virtual key design'

The Torch 9850 is definitely a fast phone and it makes for an easier life, but it does seem that the makers of the BlackBerry are releasing a lot of handsets and although they are all very good, are they are very different from each other and if so, how?

The 9810 which is what we may call the 'Younger' version of this 9850 looks and acts pretty much the same as its older Brother even with regards to speed and the amount of memory it has (exactly the same), and although it is in its own right a very good phone it is not always compatible with certain apps due to the size of its screen and the method of input which can be a bit of a nuisance.

The 9900 has the same amount of storage as well as being roughly about the same size but it does not run on the faster operating system as the 9850, which means that it is slightly slower and although it is not considerably slower, there is a noticeable difference which has been one of the downsides to BlackBerry phones up until the 9850 was released.

If we think about the 9830 we can see that again it is not much different to the 9850, it has 8 GB of local storage and the opportunity for you to have up to 32 GB of memory should you use a micro SD card and it also has the same speed processor (1.2 GHz) but like the 9900 this model is still slightly slower thanks to its operating system.

When it comes to finding a service provider for your phone there are three main companies for you to choose from: Verizon, T-mobile and of course Sprint. Speed wise these providers are not very different although Verizon is slightly faster than the others especially when it comes to browsing, but it is not a significant difference that should worry you if you happen to go with Sprint or T-mobile. The choice is ultimately yours, but whatever provider you choose, they cannot take away the fact that the BlackBerry Torch 9850 is a faster and smoother handset that stands out from the crowd.

The BlackBerry Torch 9850 VS The BlackBerry 9810

Chirstian Books

Friday, March 16, 2012

Need a Phone Without Contract? Best Places to Buy Phones Without a Contract Or Carrier Plan

Most of us have been tied down to a single wireless phone provider for years. We agree to their terms of agreement because we want to receive those steep discounts on new phones and don't know there are alternatives. You can buy phones without contracts and you won't necessarily be able to reap the financial rewards of signing a long-term commitment but you can change service providers or phones whenever you want.

How Can You Buy Phones Without Contract?

Sprint Store

First, you can't buy all phones without contract. The only phones you can purchase this way are GSM phones which include the phones created for AT&T and T-Mobile. Phones created for Sprint and Verizon however, are rarely available this way because they use a different mobile technology namely CDMA.

Need a Phone Without Contract? Best Places to Buy Phones Without a Contract Or Carrier Plan

Next, you have to go outside of the traditional carriers and their authorized dealers to purchase your phone. The best place to look is through online vendors. Although these stores do not have the same big name recognition, you'll find a good selection of phones that can be purchased and used without a commitment. You just slide in your SIM card and you're ready to go.

What Are the Drawbacks of Buying Phones Without Contracts?

The main drawback is price. When you sign a contract, the carrier is guaranteed to receive a lot of money from you for the next 12 to 24 months so they don't mind cutting you a deal on the cell phone price. Some phones can be purchased for free with a contract; others cost several hundred dollars less.

Another drawback of purchasing phones without a contract is that you may not be able to find the exact phone you want. Because some phones are not able to be unlocked, you cannot buy these phones without contracts. However, if you are able to purchase the unlocked phone of your choice, then you'll have more flexibility with your cell phone than you probably ever imagined was possible.

Need a Phone Without Contract? Best Places to Buy Phones Without a Contract Or Carrier Plan

Renters Insurance Bank Interest Rates Mesothelioma Attorneys

Monday, March 12, 2012

A Jump Rope Workout to Lose That Last Bit of Stubborn Body Fat

Most People Have Never Attempted a Jump Rope Workout.

When was the last time you jumped rope? For most people the answer would be back in Elementary School or possibly Junior High. It's actually too bad, because it is a very efficient form of exercise. Most people could easily walk for 15 minutes, but I would bet less than 1 percent of adults could jump rope for 15 minutes straight. Very few people, besides boxers, have ever seriously used the jump rope to achieve top condition.

Sprint Store

What Muscle Groups are Worked While Jumping Rope?

A Jump Rope Workout to Lose That Last Bit of Stubborn Body Fat

Jumping rope will seriously work every muscle in the body. I'm convinced that it will expose your weak links. After your first jump rope workout, you will be sore in many different parts of your body. Honestly, I think my entire body was sore after my first jump rope workout. I was especially sore in my calf muscles as well as my abs. As a side note I will say that jumping rope will help you in your quest to get super-ripped abs. Your core really gets worked hard since you have to use your abs to stabilize your entire body to help you propel your body through the air.

How Jumping Rope Helps Your Body Release Fat Burning Hormones.

HGH is a natural hormone that your body releases to burn body fat. You have probably seen many ads for pills that will help increase your natural levels of HGH. This was really popular about 5 years ago, but you don't hear too much about HGH anymore. A high level of HGH in your body is the quickest route to burning body fat! Unfortunately, low intensity cardio won't help your body release HGH. The best way to increase HGH is performing high intensity cardio for 30-60 seconds or so, followed by a minute or two of walking or low intensity cardio. This is called High Intensity Interval Training.

What Type of Jump Rope To Purchase?

I recommend getting a "speed rope"...these run around at most sporting good stores. They are plastic ropes without the beads. You also don't want to buy the weighted ropes. Get a jump rope that is adjustable. You are going to want to adjust the rope to an optimum level to jump quickly without hitting your head. If it is too long, you won't be able to jump at a fast rate.

How To Adjust Your Jump Rope to the Correct Height: Set your jump rope on the ground Stand on the midpoint of the rope (an equal distance between the handles) Grab the handles and pull them up to your chest while standing on the rope If the top of the handles reach above your collar bone the rope is too long If the top of the handles reach your upper abs or lower, the rope is too short I like to adjust the rope so the handles hit about 6 inches below my collar bone If in doubt, go a bit too long and shorten the rope a bit as you get more experienced
Your First Two Weeks of the Program, Learn the Skill of Jumping Rope

Most beginners "double bounce" in between rotations. This actually allows them to rest their core a bit as well as their calf muscles in between rotations and means that they have a low level of core fitness. You will want to jump cleanly in between each rotation and keep the abs and core tight.

Your arms should barely move when you jump rope. The rotation of the rope should come from wrist movement. If you want to increase the speed of the rotations, simply increase the tightness of the circles that your wrist is making (this will make more sense when you start jumping rope). The goal of your first two weeks of jumping rope is to eventually work up to a point where you can jump rope for 5 minutes solid without having to stop and start again. This means that if you have to stop because the rope hits your feet, you have to start again from zero. You also want to be able to jump rope alternating feet, so it looks like you are running while jumping rope.

A Great 15 Minute Jump Rope Workout that You Can Customize to Your Liking

Stand in front of a clock or timer of some sort Jump Rope for 3 minutes to warm up Rest for 30 seconds Jump rope as quickly as possible for 60 seconds Rest for 30 seconds Jump Rope as quickly as possible for 60 seconds Rest for 30 seconds Repeat this alternating pattern for 15-20 minutes

Note: For the 60 second sprint, you can do it in running fashion, you can learn how to rotate the rope twice for every one jump, etc. As you get more advanced, you will be able to make the 60 second sprint extremely intense. Also, if you want to take advantage of the fast heart rate and burn even more body fat, hit a treadmill or exercise bike for 20-30 minutes after your jump rope workout. Oh yeah...you might need a towel...you should be sweating like crazy!

Hit this Jump Rope Workout Hard and you will begin to see definition over your entire body!

A Jump Rope Workout to Lose That Last Bit of Stubborn Body Fat

Lasik Eye Freecreditreport Business Process Management

Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Scott CR1 Pro 2011 Road Bike Review

The Scott CR1 Pro 2011 road bike comes in just under 2500GBP, but looks very similar to the 2010 model, which had a complete makeover. In 2010 the bike was essentially made with comfort in mind and was aimed at the leisure and sportive market.

The 2011 paint job looks very similar to the 2010 bike and underneath it is the same frame as the 2010 model. In 2010, Scott like Specialized has added vibration damping into the frame. The Scott CR1 incorporates their new Shock Damping System, which is built into the front forks, seat and chain stays. The rear stays also have been shaped to bend in response to vibrations and shocks, but importantly doesn't lose the any stiffness.

Sprint Store

In reality this means that the Scott CR1 has comfort, not race dimensions, with frames having shorter top tubes and a higher head tube. This means that any rider is in a less aggressive riding position, so is better suited to long rides or excessive hours on the bike.

The Scott CR1 Pro 2011 Road Bike Review

Like many of the new frames being produced on the market today the Scott CR1 is built using Integrated Moulding, which is a process that allows the three main tubes to be moulded together in one step and seamlessly joined at the three stress points. This means less material and therefore a lighter end results as well as a stronger bond throughout the whole frame.

This bike is about lightweight construction and parts. The Naked external tubeset finish means the normal cosmetic layer you see on the outside of many frames does not need to be there. The stay and fork dropouts as well as the cables stops are made of integrated carbon. The front mech hanger is machined from a one-piece aluminum extrusion.

Scott has brought to market five models in the CR1 range. The Pro has a 6700 Ultegra groupset, Scott branded saddle and Mavic Ksyrium rims. The other models include the SL, Elite, Team and Comp.

The SL model comes with the top of the range Dura Ace groupset, Mavic Ksyrium SL rims and Continental grand prix 4000 tyres.

The Elite model comes with the SRAM Rival groupset.

The Team model comes with a full 105 groupset, Ritchey carbon seat post and a scott saddle.

The Comp come with Tiagra groupset and 105 rear mech, Ritchey carbon seat post and Velo saddle.

Overall this road bike is great for any rider looking to save time on hill climbs and be able to withstand the forces of a quick and powerful sprint. It is one of the lightest bikes out there for the price and 2011 brings it in range of many riders.

The Scott CR1 Pro 2011 Road Bike Review

Direct Laser Eye Surgery

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Used Triathlon Bikes Are a Bargain

Getting into any triathlon transition program may require buying a triathlon bike, or for those bargain shoppers, a used triathlon bike, or bikes.

Used triathlon bikes, like most other fitness training equipment, can probably be found at huge discounts, up to 50 percent off the original suggested retail price, at used bike stores who offer used triathlon bikes.

Sprint Store

First off, it is important to defining a triathlon bike. A triathlon bike is not unlike any other road bike in that it is suitable for all long distance riding.

Used Triathlon Bikes Are a Bargain

A triathlon bike is all about comfort and efficiency, and even looks like many ten-speed road bikes found in bike shops.

The key to finding the best in used triathlon bikes is research.

There are a number of outfits on the Internet that sell used triathlon bikes. But it may be helpful for you to try out a few at your local bike shop first.

Getting a handle on the best used triathlon bikes for you first, before buying one on the Internet at a good price is a good way to go.

Knowing what you want and what you can afford are the keys to shopping for used triathlon bikes.

Used triathlon bikes can be completely refurbished and become a great tool for anyone making their triathlon transition.

On the other hand, there are some used triathlon bikes that may not be refurbished and could cause serious problems for the triathlon trainer.

Do your homework.

Talk to some who have purchased used triathlon bikes, try them out and look on line as well.

Used Triathlon Bikes Are a Bargain

Mortgage Refinancing

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Lightyear Wireless - Is It a Legitimate Opportunity?

Ok... Your probably doing research as a result of recently talking to a friend or attending a meeting about Lightyear wireless. Unlike other reviews which have been written by distributors this one is written by an outsider who is not a member of Lightyear wireless.

Most people who reach this article do so by searching the term "Lightyear wireless scam" in order to do their due diligence on a company prior to joining.

Sprint Store

After interviewing and hearing back from a few distributors here is some key points you need consider. First of all, rest assured, Lightyear Wirelessis entirely legitimate. Lightyear Wireless parent company is Lightyear Network Solutions, Inc. which been in the business since 1997. Lighyear Wireless began operations in 2004 as Lighyear Alliance before they started concentrating on marketing wireless services through a network marketing business model.

Lightyear Wireless - Is It a Legitimate Opportunity?

This is perhaps might be why the label: Lightyear wireless scam brings questions of legitimacy.

Here are some positive points. There really is no complaints regarding the service. A customer can have unlimited talk, text and Internet for + taxes. It seems to be a good product using the Sprint Network.

Negatives which I have heard are there is only one unlimited plan offered. There is not a lot of flexibility as far as plans go. Lightyear wireless does offer individual minutes but with limitations.

Bottom line here, you have to know your market. People who are looking for the cheapest plan offered will go elsewhere. However, targeting people who want the cell phone to pay them for usage will bring greater results. Lightyear wireless is perfect for the network marketing community! Knowing how to target this community with your product and opportunity would be key to your success as a distributor.

So holding up a sign saying, "Lightyear wireless scam" is in my estimation entirely unfounded.

Lightyear wireless scam - The hidden agenda

As you have probably already noticed most who are marketing online Lightyear wireless scam claims online are nothing more than a way to promote or "bait" their own opportunity or product.

It is simply smart marketing to use the type of search terms (bait) to attract the kind of people they are trying to reach. If you noticed, it obviously worked. This should be a lesson to you on ways to reach your target market if you choose start your business.

Despite what you may have heard from a distributor or read from the company sites. Lightyear wireless products don't just sell themselves. Someone has to direct traffic to your online store. Someone needs to present the opportunity and it must be to a lot of people if you ever hope to build a successful business.

Lightyear wireless scam is Called, Target Marketing

Using a headline like "Lightyear wireless scam" is one way to deliver your message to potential prospects who are interested in learning more about this company.

Ok, now that you get a person's attention, what you do next is critical. You see, it is not always about how great the company or products are. Primarily it is about building a relationship! You share the reasons why joining you and your team would be a wise decision. Begin by letting them know what type of training you offer. Discuss the system that you and your team are using and why it works. Everything you say and do should communicate to them that you are the leader they are looking for.

Lightyear Wireless - Is It a Legitimate Opportunity?

Weight Loss Plan