IT Info Guy

There's a few people I would like to be guest bloggers and those invitationbs have been sent.  If you feel you have something you want to say, and would like to blog about it here, email me webmaster@itinfoguy.com .

HP sells more in the business IT space than anyone else by far.  They have a great website but sometimes it's just hard to find exactly what you need.  Here are a few of my favorites that I use at work: Add to your Internet Browser favorites HP’S PRODUCT BULLETIN (Online) - Use to look up systems, networking and accessories http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/North_America/North_America.html#intro HP’S FAST ATTACH - Use to look up system accessories http://www.hpfastattach.com/default.aspx   HP’S NoteBook Finder - Use to look notebook systems http://www.hp.com/sbso/buyguides/pg_notebooks/notebook-finder.html HP’s SUPPLIES FINDER (Ink, Toner, Paper and Storage Tapes) -  used to look up all printer and storage supplies. http://www.hpsupplieslink.com/ HP’s CARE PACK SERVICES (warranty/services) -   Use to look up HP warranties by mfg# http://h30125.www3.hp.com/csn/salesmktg/elfpack/elf_nonlkup_ctrylang.asp?code=ELNL::-USA HP’s PARTS STORE (spare parts) -   Us

I had a customer looking for an internet ready notebook pc with a full 15.4" screen for under $400.  I searched high and low until I found this gem: The Gbook from Everex.   "Looking for a full-size laptop that will let you surf the net, email, blog, IM, Skype, rip CDs and play your favorite DVD?  Introducing  gBook ... the latest notebook from Everex. Loaded with popular applications from Google, Mozilla, Skype, OpenOffice.org and more, you'll find a simple, fun and intuitive computing experience.  Everex makes it easy and affordable for everyone (Everex and its products, the gBook and gOS, are not affiliated with or sponsored by Google Inc.)." source:  http://www.everexstore.com/everex/products/gbook/gbook.php  

Great show last night.  Hugh Jackman was fantastic...who knew he could sing and dance...who knew?  Wolverine, soft-stepping it in his top hat...who knew?   Anyways, next year, I plan on watching the Oscars on this sucker unless something newer and more wonderful happens: Sony Bravia 52" W Series LCD HDTV 120Hz   16:9 Full HD 1080p Resolution (1920x1080p) LCD Panel Motionflow 120Hz - clear, smooth motion DVDs, TV DMe x compatible; allows seamless feature upgrades Enhanced XMB with 3D graphics  PC Mall Part #7494660    Mfr. Part #KDL52W4100

I love my Blackberry but I want an iPhone--at least that's what I used to say.  Now that the Blackberry Storm is out it's a tougher choice.  From what I have read and heard about both, Blackberry is still better for business but the iPhone is more suited to consumers: and it's catching up to Blackberry as a business tool...FAST!  I need to get one of each someday and test it out.   I mean look at them, they are both as gorgeous as a piece of equipment can get. Any comments if you have either would be appreciated

When I really needed it I found out that trying to find a point of sale system is not the easiest thing in the world.  You might be able to find a cash register at Bureau en Gros (Staples or Office Depot to you Southerners) and you can find barcode scanners but to make sense of it all got a little more complicated than that. If you have a small shop, look no further than Wasp Barcode  http://www.waspbarcode.com/point_of_sale/.   They have a great bundle for small medium stores that comes with the scanner, register, printer, mag stripe reader, and software. Give me a call if you need more info.

Gobi is about to make a dent in the wwan world.  What is it? "Gobi is the mobile broadband technology that connects your laptop to the Internet via 3G cellular networks around the world. Gobi is the first built-in, 3G modem with the ability to connect you to both EVDO and HSPA cellular networks using a single embedded device." http://www.gobianywhere.com/ Instead of choosing a laptop because the module inside is with Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, etc; choose one with  Gobi and then decide which provider to activate with.

It doesn't exist yet but it has to come at some point.  A computer with the look and feel of a phone. The advantage is all you need is a hotspot or a wireless module and then with IM you can call anyone, anywhere without any additional charges, plus you can do every thing else -- built in camera, gps, play music, play videos/movies, plus browsing capability...it's a computer after all.    Current phone technologies would be great if they didn't charge you for phone calls but every month that bill keeps climbing.  They charge you $20 for the wireless service, $20 if you want voicemail and call display, $20 for the internet access, $20 to access email, plus charges for being over your minutes, charges for long distance...all that should be simplified. It's gotta come though, with computers becoming smaller and smaller, it's just a matter of time until I can have my list of IM contacts that I can "message" by text, voice or video no matter where they are in

Connectors Start with the most popular connector buzzword today HDMI There are three HDMI connector types with Type A and Type B defined since the HDMI 1.0 specification and Type C defined since the HDMI 1.3 specification. The Type A connector has 19 pins with bandwidth to support all SDTV, EDTV, and HDTV modes. The plug's outside dimensions are 13.9 mm wide by 4.45 mm high. Type A is electrically compatible with single link DVI-D. The Type B connector has 29 pins (21.2 mm by 4.45 mm) and can carry double the video bandwidth of Type A for use with very high-resolution future displays such as WQUXGA (3840x2400). Type B is electrically compatible with dual link DVI-D but has not yet been used in any products. The Type C mini-connector is intended for portable devices. It is smaller than the Type A connector (10.42 mm by 2.42 mm) but has the same 19 pin configuration. (The number of pins are the same but the signal assignment is different because of the different shielding requirement

So I won this robot at work, what a cool toy.  is it my new best friend, my toy, my pet...all of the above?  :) What the heck does this thing do? 6 different kung fu moves Walks, runs and turns Full-function arms with 2 types of grippers Fluid motions and gestures: fast dynamic 2-speed walking and turning; full-function arms with two types of grippers 67 pre-programmed functions: pick-up, throw, kick, dance, kung-fu, fart, belch, rap and more; 3 demonstration modes Fully programmable by remote control: Up to 84 program steps with 4 program modes for advanced operations; programmable "reflexes" to sound and touch stimuli Remote controlled functions 4 programming modes Robosapien is programmable to "react" to touch, pick up, kicks or sound Remote controlled functions Fluent international "caveman" speech Auto power-off Extended battery life

I had a few questions for this client: is customer looking for to get a desktop based video conferencing solution or LCD TV   type of set up? let me know how many people they will have in each conf room, if they have TVs with RCA/HD15 ports?  how many sites they will need to conference in at the same time? how will they connect between those sites for video conferencing?  type of WAN connections, T1s, dual T1s, ethernet, etc.   do they have a budget? Which he responded to: Conference room, not desktop.  Would be very nice to have the ability to have a desktop user or 2 if needed. No real number of people per site, but I’d imagine no more than 5. They currently have 1 projector. 3 sites linked via T1 (frame relay)  Looking at upgrade to MPLS 2 bonded T’s at 2 of the sites and a single T at the 3 rd . No budget, getting idea of money needed. So it was decided that the Polycom would be their best option: they will need VGA or S-video input on the TVs/projectors  QDX6000 bundles for

One of my customers needs to implement video conferencing in three of his rooms.  He needs a middle of the road solution and did not provide a whole lot of info in terms of equipment.  He does need to be able to share files though. My first though is this Polycom VSX 8800 Presenter MP   Rack mount, easy-to-install, high performance video conferencing system for integrated and custom room environments. Adds People+Content and MultiPoint licenses and ImageShare II collaboration device.  PC Mall Part #699316    Mfr. Part #7200-22750-001 But three of these puppies are going to run about 12k each; and then I found this little guy for 3k each: Polycom QDX 6000   The perfect balance of quality, performance,simplicity and affordability.  PC Mall Part #7744195    Mfr. Part #7200-30831-001 It comes with the remote, cables, microphones, camera, and codec and all that's left to look at is the display set up.  Do I go with 52" LCDs or with a projector?   I also thought about lookin

The forum is now built and ready to be used.  You can join the forum or search it for answers to any questions you may have by clicking here- IT Info Guy Forum .  

VMWare whitepaper, Virtualization Overview, here's a little bit "Virtualization in a Nutshell Simply put, virtualization is an idea whose time has come. The term virtualization broadly describes the separation of a resource or request for a service from the underlying physical delivery of that service. With virtual memory, for example, computer software gains access to more memory than is physically installed, via the background swapping of data to disk storage. Similarly, virtualization techniques can be applied to other IT infrastructure layers - including networks, storage, laptop or server hardware, operating systems and applications. This blend of virtualization technologies - or virtual infrastructure - provides a layer of abstraction between computing, storage and networking hardware, and the applications running on it (see Figure 1). The deployment of virtual infrastructure is non-disruptive, since the user experiences are largely unchanged. However, virtual infrastruc

Learned about this site today from this great security company called Secnap .  Check your domains reputation, go there and Enter IP address, domain name or URL to check reputation/traffic patterns. Secnap offers a whole range of security tools- visit the site for more info or call me at 514-373-8345.   "Three robust security solutions combine highly advanced technology with surprising cost-effectiveness for the best price-to-value ratio in the industry.  Email Security : A full range of appliances and hosted solutions, all powered by SpammerTrap ®  to deliver legitimate email at lightning speed and filter out 100% of spam, viruses and other malware. Feature-loaded with email archiving, encryption, mailbox-based routing, a killer firewall and more. No surprise SC Magazine called it  "The King of Spam Filters,"  or that everyone who tries it buys it.  Click here to request your  free 30-day trial . Network Security : Intrusion detection and prevention solutions incorpo

Day one of the IT Info Guy http://www.itinfoguy.com.   I'm starting this particular blog because of my current job working at PC Mall www.pcmall.com.  I have access to a lot of resources to help people who are now what I used to be and also help the more advanced IT Professional.   What I intend to do is use this blog just to discuss things out there that I think are cool and also to keep a pulse of the going ons in th etechnology world.  Things like virtualization, usb3.0, w3, HIPAA, Microsoft EA's, etc, etc, etc.   I hope to demystify for myself some of the trepidation I feel whenever a great new technology comes around and I suddenly need to be an expert in it. I'll be linking to the forum quite often as I hope it is where IT Professionals will gather and discuss technology, old, current, and emerging.  I will also be linking to a site currently being built IT White Paper http://www.itwhitepaper.org where I hope company representatives and individuals will load up