In my humble and cautious opinion, there are two things that you should never put automated software in control of when you’re using a Windows system: your drivers and your registry. Now, there are a whole slew of solutions for you if you’d like to go down that route, but if you’re an experienced user then I’d simply not recommend it. It can lead to system instability and some major problems. I’ve experienced it firsthand and it’s not fun.

Hunting for device drivers isn’t such a task anymore, anyway. Most of your Windows drivers will never need to be touched right out of the box. Your video card is in its own sacred territory though. Video card drivers are updated more frequently than, for example, your network card’s drivers. Updating your video card drivers can show a huge performance boost across your system, as well. Keeping these drivers up to date is quite essential if you’re a gamer.

If you’re buying a new Windows PC today, your graphics card will manufactured by one of two companies: NVIDIA or AMD. Having such a limited choice really lends toward making updating the drivers a very painless experience. So painless that both websites happen to have automated resources that will (probably) allow you to make updating your video card drivers as simple as a few clicks.

Finding Your Video Card Card Model

Step one is actually figuring out what we’re looking for. Let’s start by going to your Control Panel and then to Device Manager.

From there, you’d going to want to click on the Display adapters header to expand the tree.

From here, it should be easy to see what your video card is. As you can see, I have the ATI Radeon HD 3200, ATI being owned by AMD.

Let’s just call this next step a shortcut. Right click on the name of your video card and click Update Driver Software…. It should bring up the following.

The first option, displayed there, is what you want to click to automatically search online for driver updates. If it finds updated, awesome. Go ahead and follow through to install them. If not, you’ll get the following message.

However, in respect to that note about not trusting automated software earlier, we aren’t going to listen to Windows. Windows could be wrong. So, now that we’ve figured out what kind of video card you have, let’s proceed on our quest.

NVIDIA Cards

NVIDIAers can simply click this link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

You’ll then see the following near the bottom.

Option 2 is what you’ll want to go for here. I’d recommend using Internet Explorer while running this automated check because it tends to handle ActiveX and browser plugins a little better than most browsers (surprisingly). It may prompt you to install an ActiveX control or bring up a software installation prompt. Go through with it. It’s safe. Afterwards, you’ll either be presented with a screen telling you that you need updated drivers or that your drivers are up to date, or that the automated check failed.

If the automated check failed, I strongly recommend you go back and wade through Option 1, manually selecting your card to update.

AMD Cards

If you’re using an AMD/ATI GPU, you want to go here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

From there, you want to try to Automatically Detect and Install (to the right side). Again, be on Internet Explorer while you do this. Feel safe to install and run any prompts that come up during the process because browser plugins are required to know what card you’re using. If it is successful, you’ll be told your card is up to date or that it needs updated, otherwise it’ll tell you that the scan could not be completed.

In the event that the scan fails, go back and follow their five-step process to pinpoint your exact video card drivers. This is the safest way to go about the update.

One thing I’ll never recommend is that you go about using automated software like SlimDrivers or Driver Magician. Even in the best of faith, these programs don’t know your system as well as you do. In worse cases, these programs are filled with spyware and adware that can really damage your system.
I’d like to recommend that you not just Google updates for your drivers either. Get them directly from the manufacturer as I’ve laid out for you. It’s not smart to trust updates from that-one-official-driver-site.com, you know?

Good luck in refreshing the visuals of your system and if you encounter any issues, shoot me a comment here.

View full post on MakeUseOf

In my humble and cautious opinion, there are two things that you should never put automated software in control of when you’re using a Windows system: your drivers and your registry. Now, there are a whole slew of solutions for you if you’d like to go down that route, but if you’re an experienced user then I’d simply not recommend it. It can lead to system instability and some major problems. I’ve experienced it firsthand and it’s not fun.

Hunting for device drivers isn’t such a task anymore, anyway. Most of your Windows drivers will never need to be touched right out of the box. Your video card is in its own sacred territory though. Video card drivers are updated more frequently than, for example, your network card’s drivers. Updating your video card drivers can show a huge performance boost across your system, as well. Keeping these drivers up to date is quite essential if you’re a gamer.

If you’re buying a new Windows PC today, your graphics card will manufactured by one of two companies: NVIDIA or AMD. Having such a limited choice really lends toward making updating the drivers a very painless experience. So painless that both websites happen to have automated resources that will (probably) allow you to make updating your video card drivers as simple as a few clicks.

Finding Your Video Card Card Model

Step one is actually figuring out what we’re looking for. Let’s start by going to your Control Panel and then to Device Manager.

From there, you’d going to want to click on the Display adapters header to expand the tree.

From here, it should be easy to see what your video card is. As you can see, I have the ATI Radeon HD 3200, ATI being owned by AMD.

Let’s just call this next step a shortcut. Right click on the name of your video card and click Update Driver Software…. It should bring up the following.

The first option, displayed there, is what you want to click to automatically search online for driver updates. If it finds updated, awesome. Go ahead and follow through to install them. If not, you’ll get the following message.

However, in respect to that note about not trusting automated software earlier, we aren’t going to listen to Windows. Windows could be wrong. So, now that we’ve figured out what kind of video card you have, let’s proceed on our quest.

NVIDIA Cards

NVIDIAers can simply click this link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

You’ll then see the following near the bottom.

Option 2 is what you’ll want to go for here. I’d recommend using Internet Explorer while running this automated check because it tends to handle ActiveX and browser plugins a little better than most browsers (surprisingly). It may prompt you to install an ActiveX control or bring up a software installation prompt. Go through with it. It’s safe. Afterwards, you’ll either be presented with a screen telling you that you need updated drivers or that your drivers are up to date, or that the automated check failed.

If the automated check failed, I strongly recommend you go back and wade through Option 1, manually selecting your card to update.

AMD Cards

If you’re using an AMD/ATI GPU, you want to go here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

From there, you want to try to Automatically Detect and Install (to the right side). Again, be on Internet Explorer while you do this. Feel safe to install and run any prompts that come up during the process because browser plugins are required to know what card you’re using. If it is successful, you’ll be told your card is up to date or that it needs updated, otherwise it’ll tell you that the scan could not be completed.

In the event that the scan fails, go back and follow their five-step process to pinpoint your exact video card drivers. This is the safest way to go about the update.

One thing I’ll never recommend is that you go about using automated software like SlimDrivers or Driver Magician. Even in the best of faith, these programs don’t know your system as well as you do. In worse cases, these programs are filled with spyware and adware that can really damage your system.
I’d like to recommend that you not just Google updates for your drivers either. Get them directly from the manufacturer as I’ve laid out for you. It’s not smart to trust updates from that-one-official-driver-site.com, you know?

Good luck in refreshing the visuals of your system and if you encounter any issues, shoot me a comment here.

View full post on MakeUseOf

In my humble and cautious opinion, there are two things that you should never put automated software in control of when you’re using a Windows system: your drivers and your registry. Now, there are a whole slew of solutions for you if you’d like to go down that route, but if you’re an experienced user then I’d simply not recommend it. It can lead to system instability and some major problems. I’ve experienced it firsthand and it’s not fun.

Hunting for device drivers isn’t such a task anymore, anyway. Most of your Windows drivers will never need to be touched right out of the box. Your video card is in its own sacred territory though. Video card drivers are updated more frequently than, for example, your network card’s drivers. Updating your video card drivers can show a huge performance boost across your system, as well. Keeping these drivers up to date is quite essential if you’re a gamer.

If you’re buying a new Windows PC today, your graphics card will manufactured by one of two companies: NVIDIA or AMD. Having such a limited choice really lends toward making updating the drivers a very painless experience. So painless that both websites happen to have automated resources that will (probably) allow you to make updating your video card drivers as simple as a few clicks.

Finding Your Video Card Card Model

Step one is actually figuring out what we’re looking for. Let’s start by going to your Control Panel and then to Device Manager.

From there, you’d going to want to click on the Display adapters header to expand the tree.

From here, it should be easy to see what your video card is. As you can see, I have the ATI Radeon HD 3200, ATI being owned by AMD.

Let’s just call this next step a shortcut. Right click on the name of your video card and click Update Driver Software…. It should bring up the following.

The first option, displayed there, is what you want to click to automatically search online for driver updates. If it finds updated, awesome. Go ahead and follow through to install them. If not, you’ll get the following message.

However, in respect to that note about not trusting automated software earlier, we aren’t going to listen to Windows. Windows could be wrong. So, now that we’ve figured out what kind of video card you have, let’s proceed on our quest.

NVIDIA Cards

NVIDIAers can simply click this link: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

You’ll then see the following near the bottom.

Option 2 is what you’ll want to go for here. I’d recommend using Internet Explorer while running this automated check because it tends to handle ActiveX and browser plugins a little better than most browsers (surprisingly). It may prompt you to install an ActiveX control or bring up a software installation prompt. Go through with it. It’s safe. Afterwards, you’ll either be presented with a screen telling you that you need updated drivers or that your drivers are up to date, or that the automated check failed.

If the automated check failed, I strongly recommend you go back and wade through Option 1, manually selecting your card to update.

AMD Cards

If you’re using an AMD/ATI GPU, you want to go here: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

From there, you want to try to Automatically Detect and Install (to the right side). Again, be on Internet Explorer while you do this. Feel safe to install and run any prompts that come up during the process because browser plugins are required to know what card you’re using. If it is successful, you’ll be told your card is up to date or that it needs updated, otherwise it’ll tell you that the scan could not be completed.

In the event that the scan fails, go back and follow their five-step process to pinpoint your exact video card drivers. This is the safest way to go about the update.

One thing I’ll never recommend is that you go about using automated software like SlimDrivers or Driver Magician. Even in the best of faith, these programs don’t know your system as well as you do. In worse cases, these programs are filled with spyware and adware that can really damage your system.
I’d like to recommend that you not just Google updates for your drivers either. Get them directly from the manufacturer as I’ve laid out for you. It’s not smart to trust updates from that-one-official-driver-site.com, you know?

Good luck in refreshing the visuals of your system and if you encounter any issues, shoot me a comment here.

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/deals.jpg" alt="" />Newegg has the XFX HD-465X-ZNL2 Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-Bit DDR2 Low Profile Video Card for a low $14.99 Free Shipping.

For more fresh hot deals, visit our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/hot-tech-deals/">Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.

1. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT1A99273774A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16814150562&source=makeuseof">XFX Radeon HD 4650 1GB PCi-E Low Profile Video Card $14.99AR (reduced from $49.99) and free shipping after Coupon Code: HARDOCP1X26C (Exp 11/1)
2. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT6A99273765A0&afsrc=1&id=217&arg=23SOUND&source=makeuseof">Dell ST2320L 23in LED LCD Monitor w/ Sound Bar Speaker $189 (reduced from $264.98) and free shipping after Coupon Code: R?TXB?VB4JM42R (Exp 11/3)
3. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT8A99273764A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16875176124&source=makeuseof">Samsung Star S5230 Cell Phone (Unlocked, Quad-Band GSM) $92.99 (reduced from $199.99) and free shipping.
4. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT12A99273762A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16830120508&source=makeuseof">Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18MP Digital SLR Camera Body Only $649.99 (reduced from $899) and free shipping.

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/deals.jpg" alt="" />Newegg has the XFX HD-465X-ZNL2 Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-Bit DDR2 Low Profile Video Card for a low $14.99 Free Shipping.

For more fresh hot deals, visit our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/hot-tech-deals/">Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.

1. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT1A99273774A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16814150562&source=makeuseof">XFX Radeon HD 4650 1GB PCi-E Low Profile Video Card $14.99AR (reduced from $49.99) and free shipping after Coupon Code: HARDOCP1X26C (Exp 11/1)
2. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT6A99273765A0&afsrc=1&id=217&arg=23SOUND&source=makeuseof">Dell ST2320L 23in LED LCD Monitor w/ Sound Bar Speaker $189 (reduced from $264.98) and free shipping after Coupon Code: R?TXB?VB4JM42R (Exp 11/3)
3. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT8A99273764A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16875176124&source=makeuseof">Samsung Star S5230 Cell Phone (Unlocked, Quad-Band GSM) $92.99 (reduced from $199.99) and free shipping.
4. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT12A99273762A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16830120508&source=makeuseof">Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18MP Digital SLR Camera Body Only $649.99 (reduced from $899) and free shipping.

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/deals.jpg" alt="" />Newegg has the Zotac ZT-40604-10L NVIDIA Geforce GT 430 1GB HDCP PCI-E Video Card for $19.99 (reduced from $69.99) and free shipping.

For more fresh hot deals, visit our href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/hot-tech-deals/">Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.

1. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT0A99273313A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16814500204&source=makeuseof">Zotac ZT-40604-10L NVIDIA Geforce GT 430 1GB HDCP PCI-E Video Card $19.99 (reduced from $69.99) and free shipping, href="http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/ZOTAC9mirsOct1Oct3111yh62.pdf">after $30 rebate (expires 10/31)
2. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT4A99273328A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16855125148&source=makeuseof">TODAY ONLY SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 4GB MP3 Player (REFURB, FM Tuner, Mic) $22.99 (reduced from $99.99) and free shipping
3. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT26A99273263A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16833166052&source=makeuseof">Rosewill RNX-MiniN1 802.11n Wireless N USB Adapter $9.99 (reduced from $19.99) and free shipping
4. href="http://www.techbargains.com/jumpa.cfm?clkSubId=ZZ0AT27A99273317A0&afsrc=1&id=488&arg=N82E16889253271&source=makeuseof">Toshiba 40SL412U 40in LED-Edgelit LCD HDTV (1080p) $489 (reduced from $999.99) and free shipping, after coupon code: UAMAE1019 (Exp 10/25)

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/android-sd-card.jpg" alt="how to reset android" />Recently, I started a new job where I was offered a Blackberry Bold. Being a tech geek that loves playing with new gadgets, this was a pretty cool turn of events. However, it is also bittersweet, because I am absolutely in love with my Droid. In my opinion, no matter what other mobile phone I ever use, the Android will always be king. I love the ability to quickly multitask with different apps, click on an address or phone number from a website, instantly dial or navigate, and so many other features too numerous to mention.

With that said, my kids both want a smartphone, and by offering my Droid to my daughter, I can avoid having to purchase a new phone and add a new data plan. I realized that many families may be in similar situations – where phones may change hands but never actually leave the house.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to save your entire phone setup – including the OS settings, applications and data – to a storage area, and then how to completely reset the phone to factory settings and clear the SD card. In the future, if the phone is ever yours again, you can simply restore from backup and it’s like the phone was never gone.

Reset Your Android Like New Again

It is surprisingly easy to reset your Android phone. What you really have to worry about is making sure you don’t lose anything important that you might have saved on your phone at some point – and so that you always have the ability to reclaim the phone as your own again.

In the following case, I am running a Motorola Droid with the CyanogenMod ROM. The instructions below are nearly identical for your standard ROM.

Back Up Your Phone Settings & All Data

The first thing you’ll want to do is install href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager&hl=en">ROM Manager off the Android Market and do a full backup of your current ROM.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh2b03.png" alt="how to reset android" width="280" height="498" />

Once you click “Backup Current ROM“, it’ll reboot your phone and then take a full backup of your apps, settings and OS configuration to your SD card. It can take a while so make sure your phone is plugged in. When it’s done, the next thing you’ll want to do is move that backup file (along with all of your photos, music and other data) onto your computer or some other external storage device.

To do this, plug your phone into your computer, pull down the top menu and click the USB status. On the next screen, click on “Turn on USB Storage“. This will mount your phone as a drive in File Explorer.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh304.png" alt="factory reset android" width="280" height="498" />

It’s as simple as highlighting all of the files in that drive, and copying them to a backup location on your computer or external hard drive.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh4.png" alt="factory reset android" width="514" height="432" />

In my case, the entire backup was about 2.35 GB and took about 2 or 3 minutes. Just let the transfer do its thing, and when you’re done, your Android phone settings are now completely backed up and ready for use at some future date.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh5.png" alt="factory reset android" width="513" height="425" />

Restoring Your Android To Factory Settings

Now that you’ve backed everything up, it’s time to wipe out everything and transform the phone back in time to the first day you bought it. Well, I guess in my case that actually means back to the first day I installed the CyanogenMod ROM, but you get my point.

The process to do this is ridiculously easy (which is why it’s so important to back up everything first). Go into the settings menu and click on “Privacy“.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh605.png" alt="reset android to factory settings" width="280" height="498" />

On the next screen, and click on “Factory data reset“.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh706.png" alt="reset android to factory settings" width="280" height="498" />

Read the warning screen carefully, because trust me, they are not kidding. Everything gets wiped. That’s Everything with a capital E.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh807.png" alt="reset android to factory settings" width="280" height="498" />

Upon reboot, you’ll need to go through the initial configuration steps that you did when you first bought your phone – including either logging into or creating a Google Account. Then the standard home screen will appear.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh908.png" alt="" width="280" height="498" />

Just to make sure everything is fresh and new on the SD card, it doesn’t hurt to go into settings and click on the SD card & phone storage settings menu. In here, unmount the SD card and then click on “Format SD card“.

class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/refresh1001.png" alt="how to reset android" width="280" height="498" />

Now, you’ve completely and thoroughly wiped out everything on the phone and it is ready for the next user. It is currently using the same phone number and cellular account that I had previously. If you’re switching accounts, then you’ll want to take your SIM card out and insert the SIM card for the new user.

Have you ever traded your Android phone with family members or friends? How did you reset your Android? Did you use the same procedure as described here, or did you do anything different? Do you have any other preferences for taking a ROM backup? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

View full post on

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/joe1.png" alt="" />In my last article about class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/broadcast-mobile-currency-and-starbucks-coffee-with-jonathans-card/">Jonathan’s Card, we discussed how you could grab a quick coffee fix for free, but unfortunately, the system was shut down by class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/starbucks-apple-offering-free-paid-iphone-apps-news/">Starbucks when Sam Odio manipulatively class="vt-p" href="http://www.sam.odio.com/2011/08/13/jonathans-card-q/">gained money from it. Granted, he gave the money he raised to the charity foundation Save The Children, but he also instructed how anyone could use the card to make profit.

Odio may have killed the Jonathan’s Card, but fortunately, other currency-broadcasting fans have rushed in with their very own versions of the Starbucks-sharing system. Check out these new (safer) up-and-coming replacements for Jonathan’s Card.

class="vt-p" href="http://www.freestarbucks.org">FreeStarbucks.org

In a swift move that happened directly after the unfortunate fall of Jonathan’s Card, a man by the name of Nicolas J Sheriff Jr. took a chance and developed another form of the ill-fated social sharing experiment. His version – class="vt-p" href="http://www.freestarbucks.org">FreeStarbucks.org – functions as a website which features a Starbucks barcode which you can use with your class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/iphone/">iPhone or class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/google-android/">Android phone. As with the case of Jonathan’s Card (and the official Starbucks app), all one must do is simply scan the barcode at the register when they are ready to pay for their coffee.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/FreeSbux11.png" alt="" width="580" height="289" />

One of the advantages to FreeStarbucks.org is the fact that when you go to refill the card for others to embrace the joy of espresso, the link is already set for you with the numbers of the card hidden from view. This means that if someone is feeling like ruining the coffee fun for everyone, the task will prove to be difficult since they don’t even know what the code for the card is.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/FreeSbux21.png" alt="" width="580" height="400" />

One thing that I found a little confusing (and I tried to contact Sheriff about this) was that I simply could not find a way to check the balance of the card. My advice for you right now would be to only try it out if you have some backup money in your bank account. This way, if you try to use the card and it’s entirely empty, you can avoid any minor embarrassment. Granted, you could still take a chance since you have to pay before the drink is made anyway.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/FreeSbux41.png" alt="" width="580" height="354" />

class="vt-p" href="http://www.talkaboutdesign.com/starbucks/">The Pay It Forward Card

Here we have another similar program sponsored by TalkAboutDesign – the class="vt-p" href="http://www.talkaboutdesign.com/starbucks/">Pay It Forward Card. The system utilizes an almost identical setup to FreeStarbucks.org, but it does have some minor differences that separate the two.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/PIF1.png" alt="" width="580" height="360" />

For instance, upon arrival to the card’s website, you will see the card’s balance right off the bat. Unfortunately, the current balance has been relatively low (likely due to its very recent start-up), but in order to remedy that, all one must do is deposit money into the card’s privately-numbered account with a few clicks of a button. Besides the website itself, TalkAboutDesign has also released an Android app that does virtually the same thing.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/PIF@.png" alt="" width="580" height="357" />

One of the differences between the original Jonathan’s Card and the PIF Card is that creator Maksim Petriv does not release any of the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/api-good-technology-explained/">API whatsoever. He believes that this will help keep the card’s financial status safe, and furthermore, balance updates never show the exact state of the card. The TalkAboutDesign class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/twitter/">Twitter account has also used various Tweets that will simply state whether the card is full or not.

The Movement

The movement began with Stark, and even on the original card’s still-existing Facebook page, there are quite a few followers still discussing ways to keep paying it forward. Users have found the coffee to merely be a symbol for what inspires them to share whatever they may have with their fellow man. That being said, it’s not so much that these people are (as Odio puts it) “yuppies buying yuppies coffee” as it is that they are average Joes who are finally taking time out of their day to think, “hey, maybe I could do something nice for this person.”

As a matter of fact, taking a cue from the original Jonathan’s Card, you can find numerous individuals who have set out with the goal of making their own community Starbucks Cards, releasing little-followed class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/facebook/">Facebook pages featuring images of the barcodes as profile pictures. Click around on Facebook, and you’ll be sure to find at least one or two.

Conclusion

No matter what happens, there are always people that will want to shut down even the coolest of things. It’s the general cynical nature of the Internet, and sadly, you can’t help that. However, there are still people in the world out there trying to be kind to whoever they meet doing whatever they can – and yes, that can be in the form of a cup of coffee.

Were you able to use Jonathan’s Card before Starbucks had to shut it down? Have you been able to use any of the ones mentioned? In what ways have you paid it forward recently? Also, have you ever shared your own Starbucks card?

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/sbux.png" alt="" />With products like class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/square-creates-virtual-wallet-app-realworld-payments-news/">Square and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/google-introduces-wallet-offers-puts-credit-card-smartphone-news/">Google Wallet, the ability to pay for real-world items using virtual financial institutions is rapidly becoming the most common form of commerce. However, Jonathan Stark, a mobile application consultant, has a new take on this concept of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/paypal-mobile-pay-paypal-account/">Internet-fueled trade, and he has brought it to the next level.

As noted class="vt-p" href="http://jonathanstark.com/blog/2011/07/14/broadcasting-mobile-currency">by one of his blog posts, he believes that anyone can broadcast mobile currency for wide individual usage. As an experiment, Stark has published an image of a Starbucks card on the Internet so that people can purchase coffee using it, and whenever they happen to have money, they can put it back on the card. It’s like a village well of espresso, and anyone can drink from it.

Get A Coffee

The premise of class="vt-p" href="http://jonathanstark.com/card/">Jonathan’s Card is fairly simple. If you’re short on cash and need a class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/cofeeseekr-starbucks-coffee-locations/">caffeine kick, just use an image of the card to purchase a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The question is this though – how does it work?

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img12.png" alt="" width="570" height="465" />

Stark has published a digital image of the card on his personal website, so all you have to do is download the image to your class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/smartphones/">smartphone, go into your local Starbucks, scan your phone into the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/barcode/">barcode reader, and after that, voilá – free coffee. As stated by the creator himself, the whole concept is very similar to Italy’s class="vt-p" href="https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=410014862860">“caffé pagato” custom or the trend of “take a penny, leave a penny” in US convenience stores.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img111.png" alt="" width="580" height="598" />

As an app developer, Stark has implemented scripts to check in on the financial status of the card every fifteen minutes. After checking, the script then publishes the status of the card on its class="vt-p" href="http://www.twitter.com/jonathanscard">Twitter account. The scripted messages simply state how much money is in the account, warn users if the account is getting low, and request money if there isn’t any available at all.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img121.png" alt="" width="580" height="199" />

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img71.png" alt="" width="580" height="241" />

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img61.png" alt="" width="580" height="273" />

On his class="vt-p" href="http://jonathanstark.com/blog/2011/07/14/broadcasting-mobile-currency/">blog, Stark requests that you limit yourself to drinks that are around $3.00, but as we all know with Starbucks, that might be problematic. For instance, it might be best to grab a tall rather than a venti on your Stark-sponsored visit. He also asks that you publish a class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/adding-pictures-to-your-twitter-stream-with-twitpic-flickr/">picture of you and your drink to class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/twitter/">Twitter, and after that, Stark himself (presumably not the bot) will give you a shout-out tweet.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img91.png" alt="" width="580" height="538" />

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img131.png" alt="" width="580" height="286" />

Give a Coffee

As you may have gathered, Jonathan’s Card could be fairly exploitable if put in the wrong hands. Just because anyone can put money on the card doesn’t mean anyone actually has do it. Everyone can use the card to purchase a drink anonymously, so there really is no way to have an accountability system, and this could prove to be difficult. Based on one of the card’s class="vt-p" href="http://twitter.com/#!/jonathanscard/status/98110507197796352">tweets, someone once cleaned out the card’s account without even as little as a Twitter picture to contribute – bummer.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img101.png" alt="" width="580" height="309" />

By all appearances, Stark does his part by occasionally putting money on the card himself and donating coffee to the community. Also, with only about 300 legitimate followers, it can be hard to have a constant flow of money making it to the card. That being said, it is very important for the Jonathan’s Card community to donate money to keep it alive.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img141.png" alt="" width="580" height="338" />

Basically, if you are feeling generous, just head over to the class="vt-p" href="https://www.starbucks.com/card">Starbucks website, click where it says “reload a card”,  punch in the card number (6061006913522430), and you’ll do a favor for the rest of society by giving whatever you think is a good amount. Furthermore, if you do reload the card, you can tweet Jonathan, and this will merit another shout-out. Else, you could always remain anonymous and enjoy the fact that someone out there is sipping a delicious drink that you helped provide.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img51.png" alt="" width="580" height="507" />

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img81.png" alt="" width="580" height="316" />

Furthermore, if you wish to contribute and happen to an app developer, you can check out the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/api-good-technology-explained/">API that Stark provides on the card’s website. Although he has not yet produced an app for the sharing system, there is definitely room for it. Since it is a community project, you could likely help him out by submitting him your ideas or works-in-progress.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Img151.png" alt="" width="580" height="392" />

Conclusion

The concept of Jonathan’s Card is very similar to Pepsi’s futuristic class="vt-p" href="http://www.pepsico.com/PressRelease/PepsiCo-Introduces-Social-Vending-System-the-Next-Generation-in-Interactive-Vend04272011.html">social vending system in which users can purchase drinks for another person who enters a code that is delivered to his or her mobile phone, and based on these two currency broadcasting systems alone, it is highly possible that our world will be seeing a new trend in this social sharing method. Being a writer, I’ll admit that coffee certainly helps me out whenever it is on hand, and Jonathan’s Card is something that I could make use of. As a final note, you can embrace the magic of the card by following  class="vt-p" href="http://www.twitter.com/jonathanscard">@JonathansCard on Twitter.

Have you been able to use Jonathan’s Card? What other similar social sharing systems (even if they are locally based) have you been able to use? Have you tried using Jonathan’s Card with a hard-copy image or even just the code?

Image Credit: class="vt-p" href="http://twitter.com/#!/jonathanscard" rel="nofollow">@JonathansCard

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/330108_video_card.jpg" alt="video card test" width="240" height="180" />So you’re trying to play a new video game with awesome graphics and special effects, but for some reason the game either crashes or the graphics are very “laggy” – it’s more like watching a movie in slow motion than a high quality video game.

Sometimes the cause of this is that your system may not have the CPU power to handle everything that’s required of the game. However, other times it just boils down to the fact that your video card may not be able to handle it. It’s not always easy to determine which the problem is, but one thing that is easy enough is performing a video card test. If it is, you may decide to upgrade or class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/overclock-ati-video-card-ati-overdrive/">overclock your current card, as Matt described earlier. There are a lot of free apps available for doing a stress test of your video card. Matt previously covered one called class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/test-graphics-card-stability-furmark-gaming/">Furmark that does a pretty good job.

id="more-62563"> /> Before you make any decision as to whether or not to replace your video card, here are a few more excellent apps you can run that will perform a video card stress test and help you determine whether that is what is currently limiting your gaming experience.

Video Card Stability Test

The real test of any video card is its ability to handle multiple, highly detailed moving 3D objects at the same time. One of the most popular free applications that you can use to benchmark your video card as well as give it a stress test is the class="vt-p" href="http://download.cnet.com/Video-Card-Stability-Test/3000-18512_4-10418474.html?tag=mncol;1">Video Card Stability Test.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard1.jpg" alt="video card test" width="510" height="647" />

There are two main functions of this app – taking a baseline of your video card compared to the performance of similar cards, or performing a stress test (stability test) over an extended period of time in order to push your video card to its limits, and monitor whether the 3D graphics skip, lag or freeze. When you click on “Benchmark,” the application will rotate a huge 3D image of the Earth and display the frames-per-second that your video card is able to produce.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard2.jpg" alt="video card stability test" width="501" height="638" />

Once the bar graph at the right reaches the top, the test is over and you’ll see the FPS score of your video card compared to other leading video cards such as the ATI Radeon family or GeForce cards.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard3.jpg" alt="video card stability test" width="454" height="304" />

When your benchmark test is finished, the score shows up in the top pane of the main window. The next feature of the software is running the stability test. You can get started with that by just clicking on “Start” in the right panel.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard4.jpg" alt="video card stability test" width="511" height="336" />

The stability test is a never-ending test (until you click stop) that lets you monitor how your graphics card handles the two rotating 3D images. The software utilizes what’s called VertexShader and PixelShader to push your video card. You’ll see the top 3D globe start off small and then slowly zoom in and then zoom back out. This varies the load on your graphics card over time to perform a good stress test.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard5.jpg" alt="video card benchmark" width="508" height="646" />

The longer you let the software run, the better because you’ll also be able to test video card memory limits whether at some point the rotating graphics start to lag or freeze. If you see the test eventually bring your video card to its knees, then you know that your card is the problem.

Real-Time HDR IBL

Another very cool application that you can use to test your video card (even though it wasn’t specifically written for that purpose) is a free app called class="vt-p" href="http://www.daionet.gr.jp/~masa/rthdribl/#Download">Rthdribl. Strange name – but it stands for Real-Time High Dynamic Range Image-Based Lighting.  This is a graphics rendering tool that displays some of the most amazing 3D graphics with many moving objects that are sure to wow you.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard6.jpg" alt="video card benchmark" width="575" height="471" />

When you first run it, you’ll see a world of floating “planets” that look like marbles. You can manually rotate around the scene with your mouse by using the controls displayed on the screen. Frames per second are displayed in the upper left corner.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard7.jpg" alt="video card benchmark" width="575" height="473" />

With the mouse, you can pause the action and then zoom right into the center object. Through the menu system you can change skin, change focus and modify a bunch of other view settings. You can also change the model itself by opening a new model file – such as the skull.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard8.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="473" />

If you really want to push your video card, just maximize the display to full screen and keep an eye on that FPS in the upper left corner. It’ll drop quite a bit (or might even crash if your card can’t keep up).

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vcard9.jpg" alt="video card test" width="575" height="394" />

If you plan to upgrade your card, make a note of this FPS value when you’re running this 3D movie app in full-screen. After you’ve upgraded, run the app again and note the improvement, this will tell you whether you got your money’s worth with the upgrade.

If you’re experiencing any graphics issues with any new games you buy, keep these two apps on hand so that you can run a quick video card test and check the FPS rating you’re achieving with your current card. At the very least, this will help you cross off the video card as the source of your problems, and they’re a great way to benchmark the performance of your graphics card.

Have you tried either of these apps? How did your graphics card perform? Share your own insight and tips in the comments section below.

Image credit: class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/330108">Christy Thompson />
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class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Cards.jpg" alt="easy to learn card tricks" width="175" height="234" />YouTube is the grand melting pot of all that you can think up and put on video; from cats chasing lasers to 4,000 people having a balloon fight. But apart from the weird, wacky, and the wonderful, YouTube is also a weighty place for some free DIY video lessons.

We will let YouTube be our Hogwarts School and teach ourselves some easy to learn card tricks. Card tricks are not only fun and cool, but they are a social skill too.

No you don’t have to become Mandrake the Magician, and you don’t have to pull out a rabbit. You just need a deck of cards, gather a bunch of friends around the table, and with a sleight of the hand impress the hell out of them.

id="more-53278"> /> The thing with card tricks is that the befuddling effect in the eyes of the beholder is greater than the trick itself. So let’s try for that look with these ten simple and easy to learn card tricks on YouTube.

Fastest Card Trick

This one is an amazing but simple color changing card trick. And you can learn it in a ‘snap’. With deft fingers, you should be able to learn it in around ten minutes or so.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="460" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LOjzdF_HCGY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LOjzdF_HCGY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="460" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LOjzdF_HCGY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Choose A Card From The Deck

The first video was to show you how an easy trick can be impressive. This one here is for the rank beginners and one of the most common card tricks. What’s more, a kid is doing the demo.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="460" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UBHtXaoEhFM?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="460" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UBHtXaoEhFM?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Predict The Card

A very simple trick that appears damn complicated, but as the instructions reveal, it’s all about counting your cards right.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="460" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-PTvtt6Rw_Q?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="460" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-PTvtt6Rw_Q?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

The Rising Card

A card trick which relies on a bit of misdirection to achieve the magic effect. But you have to be slick in the first move when you lift the top two cards. This card trick is an class="vt-p" href="http://www.expertvillage.com">Expertvillage how-to, and you can catch this entire class="vt-p" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKSACXyN9Jw&p=F17A04EDEC9645DC&playnext=1">series (by Brandon Nowasky) which takes you from the basic techniques to the more advanced ones.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="460" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jQ9iGGE-9zo?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="460" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jQ9iGGE-9zo?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Coin Through A Card

If you aren’t too good with sleight of hand tricks or fanning cards with one hand, this one is for you. Drop a coin through an impossibly small hole. I won’t spoil the secret, check out the video.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="460" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ax6V_Zk4Huc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="460" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ax6V_Zk4Huc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

The Card Lift

This simple card trick again illustrates that when a trick is explained, it seems so humdrum. Try guessing the secret as to how the card rises out from the box before it is actually revealed.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="460" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n9y2loMCD48?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="460" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n9y2loMCD48?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

The 18 Cards

This is a very simple beginner’s card trick that calls for a lengthy performance, but is a neat spectator trick all the same.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="460" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LOuRV-ZFDxU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="460" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LOuRV-ZFDxU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">

Flip Flop Color Change

This card trick can be demonstrated in a few seconds, but you have to put a lot more in practicing for it. The impact is slick ‘n smooth.

classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="580" height="460" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> value="always" /> name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nfHVZmsqmqg?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" /> name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="580" height="460" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nfHVZmsqmqg?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" allowfullscreen="true">

Mind Control Card Trick

A pair of scissors is mandatory. This card trick is a bit on the chancy side because it relies on psychology. But follow the tips and you may just walk away with the applause.

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Fan Your Cards & Make Some Disappear

This one is a cool card trick from Expertvillage again that shows how you can ‘fan’ your cards to make them vanish from plain view. It is a dead simple card trick, but do it when you can fan a deck with one hand. It just looks more polished.

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Even though these tricks may appear simple, you still need to practice. Magic is about simple logic, confidence, and performance. Let the first one remain hidden while putting on a show with the other two. And as a wannabe card magician, follow the age old ‘magicians never tell’ credo. Even though you learnt it all on YouTube.

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One of the reasons that you need to have a video card driver update is the simple fact that most video cards do not perform as they should, and this is because of the fact that there are so many combinations of software and hardware out there, and that one set of drivers might not work on a whole range of systems. This is what you need to know about when you are thinking about how you are going to best make the video card experience a good one for you.

When looking at the range of video cards that you have on the market, you would need to know that each of them has a different hardware architecture, and this is because of the fact that they are designed in a different ways and that they have different functions as well, and this is what you need to know about when thinking about how you are going to ensure that your graphics are in top order. For one thing, you need to be able to ensure that the Windows can optimally use these drivers, and this is based on the fact that drivers unlock different functions on the video card, and some video cards have a separate GPU or graphics processing unit, and these might need specific drivers that you would need to be able to unlock and optimise these functions.

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MP3 players came with a bang in the late 1998. Initially the players had limited storage devices but during the year 2000, the flash drive was replaced with hard devices. But the real revolution came with the arrival of the iPod series coupled with iTunes. But who was to think that MP3 player marked would be heading for a straight fall in the coming years. Due to the ever-increasing saturation of a number a portable devices like mobile phones and navigation devices, being able to play back mp3 files, the MP3 player technology is surely on the decline.

It was in 2007, when the demand for MP3 players peaked. 43.5 million devices were sold for 3.8 billion euro in the EU. The Great Britain possesses the largest individual market for MP3 players. But the effects of the global decline in the technology showed there as well: by 22% to 630 million euro in 2010. The sold devices are expected to fall by 20% to 5.5 million units. The situation in Germany shows that the turnover will lessen by 21% to 400 million euro in 2010 and the sold number of units by 15 % to 5.7 million.

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There is a unique method that empowers you to instantly get a sound card driver for Windows XP and you won’t even have to search on the net’! Trying to find the right driver for the peripherals you commonly use can be very frustrating. In this article you’ll learn about a very user-friendly and efficient solution which will permit you to quickly find whatever driver you require.

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