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Amazon’s 60% Share Of The E-Book Reader Market Is Well Deserved

February 2nd, 2010 No comments

The Amazon Kindle e-book reader has proven itself to be the perfect product for Amazon. Considering that Amazon has such a strong association with both books and electronics the Kindle is a great fit for the Amazon business model.

During the course of 2009, e-book readers in general, and the Kindle in particular, were the hot “must have” gadgets of the year. It looks like sales will continue to grow at a very rapid rate throughout 2010. The market is still in its infancy and changing and developing rapidly.

Right now, the leader of the pack is the Kindle. It enjoys a 60% share of the American e-book reader market. Sony takes second place with a smaller, but nonetheless impressive, 35% share. There are now a whole host of competing manufacturers who have developed, or are actively marketing, their own readers in an attempt to get a share of what seems likely to be a very large and profitable market.

It’s a compliment to Amazon, albeit a slightly backhanded one, that every new e-book reader that hits the market and shows the slightest promise or potential is immediately given the title of “Kindle Killer”. Considering that the Kindle is now Amazon’s best selling product, it seems certain that Amazon will be very combative in attempting to fight off any challenges for the number one position.

In response to the increased level of competition in the market, Amazon dropped the Kindle 2.0′s price to $ 259 – it cost $ 359 when it launched in February 2009. The Kindle DX seems to have a little less competition right now. It’s price is unchanged from the $ 489 launch level. There have also been firmware updates – battery life has been extended and the Kindle 2.0 now has pdf support, among others.

Amazon has also now released both the Kindle 2.0 and the DX in more than 100 countries worldwide. In reality, Amazon could probably sell Kindles in the States as fast as it could manufacture them – but establishing a global presence is probably a very smart move in the long term.

As well as developing and refining the current Kindle and increasing the size of their potential market, Amazon is also growing the number of Kindle books which users can choose from on their website. Right now there are over 400,000 titles – this number is growing at the rate of 500 per day. Even considering the large number of competitors entering the market, Amazon is probably feeling quietly confident. Unlike some other companies, they are not concentrating solely on hardware development but making continuous improvements in a wide range of areas. Refinement of the existing Kindles, increased choice of books, price adjustment, increased market size – in general, capitalising fully on their market leadership position. When the Kindle 4 is released – sometime in 2010 surely – Amazon are going to establish their market domination even more firmly.

Discover the Amazon Kindle and learn how you can save money by downloading free Kindle books – right from the Amazon website.

Security Cameras And Home Safety

February 2nd, 2010 No comments

All of us want what’s best for our well being. And the best thing for homeowners is home security. With more and more home break-in cases happening in recent times, there is no surprise that people are getting more vigilant in keeping their families safe. Protection in homes is really important theses days and must be taken seriously. There is now better technology in home surveillance equipments that are available for consumers. It is just a matter of choosing the right video surveillance system for home use. Take the best suitable security cameras that are capable of defensive measures and keeps away criminals and the like away from your home. Nothing will ever be as satisfying knowing that your family is perfectly safe in your own home.

Just think that every quarter of a minute, a home burglary happens, and 16% of homes are robbed each year. As a result, many citizens are now aware of the importance of security camerass. Because of the advancement of technology, it is now possible to see live feeds using an IP security camera, to any room being covered.This gadgets allows , parents can observed their siblings or loved ones doing means in the backyard or in any part of the house. Using this system also lets you perform remote monitoring, like for example you want to see your home’s status even if your are in other places. This is a very big advantage if you are away from the location of your home.

There is innovation as the year changes, security cameras are now very advanced in many ways and have many features. The IP security camera deals were approximately reached one million in 2008. After those statistics have been made, there is an increase of the sales up to 2.5-3 million. Some of the enhanced models of security cameras can be put into into clocks, stereo speakers and other small things. If you want to have flexible and versatile cameras and can be positioned in any place, you can try wireless cameras.You can install them in a noticeable places so that when the criminal saw it, they will hesitate to do burglary, and you can also hide it to have an undetected monitoring. Motion censored security cameras are also available ,it works when they detect some movement, and then start recording when the motion sensors are activated.Because of the enhancement in technology, the effectiveness of a home security system is even more boosted.

Of all home burglaries, 60% are made through open doors or windows. Although security measures like cameras are a good way to protect your family, this begs the question: Is video surveillance enough? If a majority of burglaries are made through unlocked doors or windows, the need for a security camera becomes overshadowed by the need for locks on doors and windows. Even with cameras installed, an unlocked door isn’t much of an obstacle for an experienced burglar. With these facts in mind, making your home safer requires more than just a surveillance system. Door alarms, “beware of dog” signs, and motion activated stoplights are all ways to protect you and your family, along with cameras. Even a fake camera could help deter criminals if placed in strategic locations. With the abundance of safety gear available, a safe home is something that is becoming a realistic goal.

It should be a routine to keep safety measures everyday. If we are all going to set up security cameras in all places in our neighborhood then, we may be protected. Since at this very moment, the criminal targets are the homes, the good thing to do is, mount security cameras before it’s too late.

Security cameras are the perfect solution to your security challenges. A security camera allows you to keep an eye on your home from any setting. Using the Security Cameras with an IP security camera is just what you require.

The Dangers of Peer-to-Peer Systems

February 2nd, 2010 No comments

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems do not operate on secure lines, thus providing a conduit for hackers to enter a network or computer, access personal and confidential information, as well as deploy viruses or worms. Users of P2P systems are prime targets and/or launching points for malicious hacker attacks simply because it requires downloading and sharing electronic files or programs, not to mention usage on publicly open and interpretable industry standard protocols and industry standard codec.

A Staff Report submitted by the Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives (May 2003), entitled “File-Sharing Programs and Peer-to-Peer Networks – Privacy and Security Risks”, stated that users of these programs have inadvertently made their personal information available to other users. “A search of one P2P network found at least 2,500 Microsoft Money backup files, which stores the users’ personal financial records, available for download.”

Personal information includes tax returns containing you name, address, and social security numbers of not only you, but your spouse and dependents, financial information such as income and investments, medical records, business files such as contracts and personnel evaluations, and attorney-client communications, to name a few.

Spyware and adware programs are frequently bundled into P2P file-sharing software. These programs collect personal information for marketers and provide access to your computer by malicious hackers. In an article located on Vnunet.com entitled “Users Fume at Grokster ‘Drive-by Download’”, these two programs “can redirect a user’s homepage to a different website, install a new browser toolbar, insert entries into the users’ browser bookmark list, reinstall itself after uninstallation, and ultimately crash a user’s system.”

Another grave concern for both individuals and businesses when using P2P software is unknowingly having your computer used as a supernode. A supernode occurs when your computer is arbitrarily assigned as a hub.

When you are running the software for P2P services, your computer’s disk space, bandwidth, and processing power are used to help other users on the same system operate their software more efficiently because of their own network or firewall constraints.

Not only can this overload systems or networks with excessive data, disk space, and network bandwidth, unscrupulous hackers can also insert arbitrary code in each supernode’s address space or crash all supernodes.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems such as Skype operate by taking bandwidth (information carrying capacity) from customers on their service to assist other customers using their service – analogous to a symbiotic relationship. The tools that enable them to accomplish this are bundled in the software their customers download to access their VoIP service.

Dee Scrip available only at http://www.whypay4calls.com/gtp/to.pl?l=ART-02. This article is supported by VoIP Software and voip technologies