More exploding laptops

More battery problems.

On top of the exploding Lenovo laptop at Los Angeles airport, a Dell catches fire at the Yahoo! head office.

Toshiba are now recalling over 300,000 batteries. Apparently the problem is to do with corrosion, not fire risks. But the batteries are still Sony.

It seems Sony have some serious problems.

Is free security software worse?

Is free software worst than paid?

The SMH today looks at the pros and cons of free security software. While their conclusions are fair, that free software often requires more work from the user and sometimes lacks features, the comments from vendors are breath-taking.

I particularly like the Computer Associates spokesperson saying "They think they have something that's fully protecting them, when in reality they don't protect in a way they might need."

Priceless.

It's actually the commercial, full featured packages that leave users with a false sense of security. The number of times we discover users with damaged, disabled or out of date brand name security products is depressing.

The simple fact is the worst offenders are McAfee and Symantec.

Symantec suffers mainly because it relies on the Windows Scripting Host. This means a spyware infection will often drag a Norton product and Windows down with it. Their products is too complex and their licensing puts users at a disadvantage.

McAfee's problems start with their licensing obsession. Their registration system is so convoluted and prone to failure that many users are never properly covered. Like Symantec, their products are too complex and are even more difficult to fix when a problem arises.

While free products do have drawbacks and require more user intervention, most of them are far simpler and less prone to failure.

Software is always going to be complex, but the problem with most large software houses, including Microsoft, Symantec and McAfee, is they make their products even more complex than is necessary.

Attack of the giant laptops

We thought the Toshiba Qosmio took the cake when it came to portable computers, but the Dell M2010 surely takes the cake.

With a screen sizes between 17 and 21" and weighing in over 9ks, these beasts push the definition of portable. Laptop magazine has an amusing story on one of their writers travelling around New York with it. I certainly wouldn't want to be sitting next to someone using an M2010 in economy.

In fact, it's unfair to put them in the same category as laptops and portables. These are genuine desktop replacements. Usually home based business people with restricted space or who move between two locations buy desktop replacements.

The fact these systems come with remote controls and Windows Media Centre show the intended market is not the small business owner. These are firmly aimed at the home entertainment market.

Unfortunately at over $6,000 the prices will lock them out of most home users' budgets. These are strictly aimed at the top of the market.

Hackers in the system

One thing that always raises a smile from computer techs is when a user cries "there's a hacker in my computer."

While I'd never discount the real threat of hackers, the reality is usually far more mundane. Usually the "hacker" turns out to be a virus or spyware. If it is a person, that person is usually a family or staff member.

So a phone call from a client saying Bigpond had blamed her high Internet bill on hackers made us raise our eyebrows. The usual thing we ask when we get such a call is "do you have a teenager in the house?" Sure enough, one of her sons had moved home a few weeks previously.

A quick inspection of the computer found Limewire with the default file sharing settings enabled. The prodigal son denied all knowledge.

It must have been a hacker.

More battery woes

I'm wondering just how wide the Sony battery problems are.

My new Sony Ericsson M600 has been playing up since I bought it four weeks ago. Yesterday I took it back to find there is a battery recall.

I'm not sure the problem is related to the laptop recall, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Given battery problems are the most common complaint of laptop users, it seems manufacturers need to have a good look at the technology they are putting in these things.

Norton slows computers

So what does slow a PC down?

The Spy PC Blog looked at what slows a Windows computer down. They tested a number of programs to see which would be the worst offender. Norton Internet Security won by a long shot.

While not being scientific, it certainly does match our experiences in the real world. Removing NAV is often the best boost a computer can get. It's usually the first thing we do.

In the real world, the situation is more complex. While Norton Internet Security may be the biggest single culprit, the cumulative effects of a spyware infection will slow a computer even more.

To complicate the picture even more, a spyware infection will mess up the Active Scripting functions, which in turn will bork Norton products, which in turn will reduce the whole computer to a quivering wreck.

I'm sure Symantec's spin doctors will be able to portray the Spy PC tests as being unrepresentative. The fact is Norton products have serious problems. They need to fix them.

Exploiting tragedy

I've heard a number of marketing and advertising gurus advise exploiting 9/11 to sell disaster recovery and backup services.

Personally, I think it's bad taste. I suspect many people will agree with me. So we didn't do it.

The point's valid, but to tie a terrorist atrocity into selling your wares seems to be asking for trouble.

One of the most important rules in running a small business is: If your gut says no, then don't do it.

Every time I've ignored that rule, I've regretted it.

Let's party like it's 1999

We should have known Web 2.0 would lead to Bubble 2.0

I enjoy going to the Fourth Estate Domain nights at Sydney's CBD Hotel. Sally and Mike put on an excellent and interesting night (even if the bar can be a bit slow). Their choice of guest is usually very interesting as well.

Martin Dalgleish from PBL was August's guest and it left me deeply disturbed.

He made the point that content is king in the "new" online world.

The problem I see is his idea of content seems to be restricted to reposting magazine articles and getting users to send in content ala flickr and "Australia's funniest home videos".

I'm not sure Martin gets it, changing his title to Director of New Media doesn't help. That's so 1990s.

We certainly did have a 1990s theme. A lot of the people looked like they stepped from the 98 and they were certainly talking like it.

If we needed any proof the dot com 2 bubble is on, an article in Forbes confirms it: "The Cheap Revolution is On!"

Cheap software, cheap hardware, cheap content, cheap, cheap, cheap.

The problem is that people have to make enough to live on. Make things too cheap and you'll only keep your Boxter for as long as naive investors will throw money at you.

A good indicator that things are getting silly is CNet's article about Super Cheap Computers Office Depot are going to sell an HP system for $198 US (including shipping).

The article points out the original dot com bust arguably started when manufacturers warned revenues were falling. So perhaps the seeds of the bust are already here.

Smarthouse Sprays Foxtel

David Richards from Smarthouse News certainly isn't afraid of having go as his spray at Foxtel's chief executive shows.

Where I do disagree with David is that Foxtel is not going to go out of business quickly. If IPTV, or any other medium, becomes a threat to Foxtel or the FTA TV operators they will lobby the Federal government of the day to stop the threat.

On past performance, the Feds will quickly do what they are told. No Australian politician in recent memory has stood up to the moguls. In fact, Foxtel itself was born of Keating and Richardson's attempt to keep both the Packer and Murdoch camps happy.

While attempts to stifle new technology will ultimately fail, the cost will be huge to Australian consumers and industry. But that's never worried the cowards in Canberra who pretend to be the leaders of this nation.