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Shopping for a new laptop, be it online or in a store, can be a bit confusing. If you’re not an expert, product descriptions like ‘a lightweight Ultrabook with a super-fast quad-core CPU, 160gb SSD and 8gb of RAM’ might all seem like gibberish.

Here to help you is a list of some key terms and what they mean.

What is CPU?

CPU is the computer’s central processing unit. This gizmo performs all the complicated arithmetic that allows your laptop to carry out the tasks you demand of it. The greater a CPU’s ‘clock rate’ the faster it can carry out these tasks.

Dual/Quad Core Processor

Multicore processors are a step up from single core processing. This is because the separate cores can work on separate tasks at the same time. This allows you to multitask processes, such as sending emails, watching videos and downloading music, without the processor becoming overloaded and speed suffering as a result.

HDD

Laptop’s HDD (hard disk drive) is a device with rotating disks on which information can be recorded and retrieved. Importantly, a HDD retains that information even when switched off, so the information is not lost unless it is deliberately deleted.

SSD

A solid-state drive, or SSD, is an alternative method of data storage to HDD. It has no moving parts but is a more expensive method of data storage. It has typically been used for such products as camera memory cards and mp3 players, as their portable uses can interfere with moving HDD parts. SDD memory is now more viable as the main storage method in laptops thanks to fall in price.

RAM

RAM (random access memory) stores data temporarily in a random method that allows that information to be accessed very quickly. If you imagine a hard drive as the cupboard that you store information in, RAM is like the desk that you can put things from the cupboard on for quick access. By increasing your laptop’s RAM it is like getting a bigger desk: so you can access more information quickly.

Laptop Jargon Buster: Everything You Need to Know

Google's push on web apps to effectively take-on the desktop equivalent has received a boost in the purported installation of Chrome OS app launcher to Windows taskbar. The new web apps feature allows you to launch Chrome standalone apps directly from Windows taskbar, even without launching the browser.

The Chrome OS app launcher for Windows now means that users can tap into the vast pool of web applications instead of the traditional equivalents, including apps for document editing, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), and e-book readers.

Albeit, the feature may not be ready for prime time, as its still running on the developer's build, only available on Chrome for Windows developer version.

However, if you desire to give the feature a spin before the actual unveiling, you need to download the Chrome for Windows developer version from Chrome Dev. Channel.

Also note, you will need to install Chrome packaged app before you can see the Chrome OS app launcher on the taskbar. Already installed packaged app will need be uninstalled, and then re-installed before the Chrome OS app launcher may become visible on the taskbar.

Chrome Apps Launcher For Windows

As a fledgling business owner hoping to find their spot on the Internet, trying to get your head around the concept of online security can be a little daunting, particularly if you have no clue what all the various jargon actually means. Hopefully, this might help.

SSL Defined

SSL - Short for Secure Sockets Layer, this tool, in layman’s terms, encrypts sensitive data sent from the browser to the web server, to avoid compromise by anyone or anything eavesdropping on the connection. It makes information such as credit card details and passwords indecipherable, which in turn increase customer confidence as they know they are in safe hands.

SSL certificate is illegible to the human eye – if you want to view the contents of your certificate, you need a SSL Browser (e.g. OpenSSL) or using your web browser to view your site.

Wildcard SSL

Unlike the standard certificates, Wildcard SSL Certificate can cover unlimited sub-domains, providing the ultimate convenience (and saving you a lot of money), should you need it.

Extended Validation

This is a variation of the standard SSL certificate, but includes a couple more steps to verify that the website owner can be trusted, such as extra identification or checking the business listing with Companies House.

Certificate Authority

These are the guys that provide you with your SSL certificate that your server administrator can then install onto your website. Choosing a reputable Certificate Authority that is recognizable and trusted will provide you with all the verification you could possibly need.

VeriSign Trust Seal

The VeriSign Trust Seal aims to increase confidence on sites that don’t necessarily require SSL certificates, perhaps because they outsource transactions to third parties such as PayPal. Websites of any size can display it and its presence can help to scan for malicious code on your site as well as sit proudly as a globally recognized symbol on your website.

Research your options and make sure you take online security seriously – it’s a step closer to business success.

Jargon Buster: SSL Terms Explained

They say a phone isn’t just a fashion statement, but not until the next model comes out. So to get your money’s worth you need to pick a spanking new model that reflects your social status. So, what did we see from the holiday season?

From all the hype and typically slick and clever marketing from Apple you’d think the only new smartphone to come onto the market was the iPhone 5. But in actual fact there are several new handsets to choose from each offering a slew of goodies, improvements and general style and pizzazz. In fact, the Q3 of 2012 saw
Apple handsets actually falling to the third best selling models in the world, with Samsung sitting firmly at the top with close to 100 million sales, followed in second place by Nokia with 82 million. Apple on the other hand only managed a rather meagreness-by-comparison sale of 23 million handsets.

Sony and LG are also working their creative little hearts out with Sony rumored to be releasing a new handset at the start of 2013, alas not in time for the holidays.

So what are the top three handsets from 2012?

Samsung’s Galaxy series has really taken on the giant Apple in good stead in terms of design and style, there isn’t much distance in between these two heavy hitters. However, many people have come to prefer the Android operating system and tie-up with Google Maps of the Galaxy. The Galaxy S3 manages to pack a lot into its attractive and slimline casing. It has a 4.8” touchscreen 1.4GHz quad, yes quad, core processor, 8mp camera and running on Android Jelly Bean which is tipped to be a faster, more user-friendly OS than Ice Cream Sandwich.

The iPhone 5 screen is now bigger at 4” than its predecessor, although it’s still not quite up to Galaxy S3 spec. However, the new operating system iOS 6 is a decent improvement on the iPhone 4 and the 8mp camera is superb. And the obvious let down, however is Apple Maps – it really just can’t match Google Maps just yet.

And in third place, we pick the Nokia Lumia 920. Nokia was once the king of mobile phones, but its failure to offer more stylish, user-friendly smartphones has seen it loose significant market share. However the Lumia 920 is an attractive model and it comes packed with bonuses from the 8mp camera with Carl Zeiss Optics and PureView technology to the super long battery life of the 2000mAh battery – which really trashes Apple's iPhone 5. This phone is a proof that there is more to the smartphone market than Apple and Samsung.

Now, bear in mind that iPhone 5 and some other new smartphone models require smaller, nano-sized SIM cards. Giffgaff advises you to get a SIM card cutter from eBay or give it a go yourself by cutting your existing SIM down to size using a pair of scissors and giffgaff’s tutorial for guidance.

The Best Smartphones And nano SIM

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013 may be over, but the show has left a clear impression of the shape of things to come, particularly from the theme of online and mobile gaming. In fact it was gaming that provided some of the coolest moments of the show; after all, the show was staged in Las Vegas, the gaming capital of the world.

Indeed,  2013 is predicted to be the year when gaming takes several new steps forwards, when mobile casinos finally come of age, and if rumors are to be believed, Microsoft launches a brand new gaming console which will be called the Xbox 720 and Sony launches the Play station 4. But back to the show: two of its coolest moments were the announcement of Project Shield by Nvidia and the launch of the Razor Edge.

Project Shield is essentially a handheld gaming console which is not altogether different to look at from a standard controller for an Xbox 360 though with additional joysticks and a high resolution 1280 x 720 pixel display screen that can be flipped up. The device is based on the Android OS and it can be used for streaming PC type games so that you can play them on one of the latest giant display screens. If you love gaming then you will adore Project Shield. It means that anything you can do on a PC you can do on a giant display. It will be launched in the coming spring.

Razor Edge proved to be another bit hit with online gaming fans. It is the latest development of Project Fiona and it is a gaming tablet and laptop hybrid with game controllers that look like ears on either side of the screen. For anybody who likes to combine hard core console type gaming with playing games such as roulette and blackjack, this must be the ultimate device. Now you can enjoy your favorite games whenever you want, play from the browser or download on your PC. It uses Windows 8 which seems to be where convergent gaming is heading right now.

The Coolest Moments of CES 2013

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