The Best Gaming Consoles Of All Time

There have been many The console wars have raged for decades, and naturally, there were winners and losers. In the age of fancy computer chairs and protective glasses, it can be easy to forget our favorite hobbys humble beginnings, and the hardware that pushed gaming into the mainstream. This is a list of some of the consoles that pushed our preferred past time into the forefront of pop culture.

Atari 2600

The Atari VCS originally launched in September 1977 and started the migration from arcades to the living room for gamers in the United States. By the time Space Invaders was released, the Atari V.C.S. was renamed the 2600 and bore its classic wood-paneled form and was responsible for the creation of Activision. It led the market until the disastrous launch of E.T.E.T. and its port of PacMan. Not only did Atari push the advent of home gaming, but it almost destroyed the market in 1983. Without this bad boy, gaming would have remained the domain of bars and arcades. While it did almost crash the game industry, it revealed the desire to play electronic games at home and opened up a brand new market for consumer electronics.

Nintendo Entertainment System

The future of consoles looked pretty bleak in the United States until Nintendos Famicom, rebranded as the Nintendo Entertainment System for North America, landed in 1986. Nintendos business model of licensing 3rd party developers and strict quality control almost singlehandedly saved the gaming market. With Nintendos savvy ability to wrangle American audiences with great advertising, and eye-catching console design, they brought gaming to an entire generation of kids and made them gaming diehards. Nintendos first-party software is still used to help guide new devs to make simple and compelling games to this day.

Playstation 2

Sony struck gold with the PS2. The console is still one of the best selling home gaming systems in the world, with around 150 billion units sold. Its tech was top-notch, and the third party developers flocked to the console to make some of the most iconic and enduring games of the last two decades. It also saw a massive boom for mid-tier developers that mostly stuck to the P.C.P.C. at that time. The console also had one of the longest life cycles that had been seen, producing units until 2013. Not many consoles can lay claim to some of the most popular franchises to ever grace gaming. God of War started on Playstation 2, the Persona franchise started there as well, and many more beloved franchises made their start on the Playstation 2.

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 also had a great time of it during its life cycle. While not as ubiquitous as the PS2, it really picked up with the competitive first-person shooter games market exploded in the early 2000s and into the 2010s. With its simple user interface, easy matchmaking, and party chat, the Xbox 360 made online gaming more convenient and streamlined the process of playing with friends. It also boasted a suite of apps for streaming music, movies, and offered its own digital storefront. The 360 was responsible for pushing a lot of current market practices forward and changed the way we game these days.

The Final Verdict

This is certainly not a comprehensive list, and the current generation is still ongoing, so who knows what the console market will look like after the next-generation launches in 2020. Its exciting to look back at gamings past and speculate on the future.



The Economic Benefits Of E-waste Recycling

Electronic gadgets are important in many industries. In one way or another, you are benefiting from the features of an electronic device. Televisions, GPS devices, MP3 players, computers, and cell phones are common in American and British households.

The electronic industry generates $2 billion per year. According to statistics, Americans own 3 billion appliances and gadgets. For each new device launched in the market, one or more become obsolete or outdated.

In 1997, surveys revealed that over 20 million personal computers became obsolete. In 2005, about 130,000 computer units were discarded in one day. According to CEA or Consumer Electronics Association, many monitors, cellphones, Televisions, and VCRs were removed from American households in 2006.

These are the reasons why methods and businesses were established for the purpose of recycling end-of-life electronics:

The Lifecycle of Electronic Products - Approximately 42 percent of the appliances and devices sold between 1980 to 2004 have been disposed or recycled, while 9 percent are in storage. - In 2005, about 180 million electronic products were stored. Another 460 million were reused. Computers account for 24 percent of recycled units. By weight, televisions account for approximately 52 percent of stored electronic products. - Between 2003 and 2005, about 85 percent of end-of-life electronics in the US were recycled. These statistics are based on the results of the surveys conducted by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Benefits of Recycling E-waste: Conserves natural resources Recycling recovers valuable materials like lead and copper from old electronics. These materials can be utilized to make new products. Consequently, you can save energy and natural resources and help reduce pollution.

You can also help in reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. When you recycle electronics parts, you prevent them from being burned in landfills and garbage processing plants.

Benefits of Recycling E-waste:

Environmental Protection Recycling e-waste, or electronic waste, promotes proper management and handling of harmful chemical substances such as cadmium and lead. E-waste stream contains the said toxic elements.

Creates jobs and business opportunities Recycling e-waste creates many business and job opportunities for professional recyclers and semi-skilled workers. It also supports the market for recycled materials.

According to GCLcevre, or GCL Refining and Recycling, a trading group specializing in precious metals and electronic waste recovery, the industry contributes to the growth of Turkey's economy. By recovering valuable metals like palladium, silver, gold, and copper, they reduce waste and support a million dollar industry.

Copper, in particular, is long-lasting and durable. Because of its thermal and electrical conductivity, copper is utilized in switches, transformers, and conductors production. Further, copper from old appliances can be reused in the manufacturing of new electronics products. Electronic circuit boards contain about 20% copper.

The Takeaway: The procedures involved in the recycling of end of life electronics paved the way for a growing industry. E-waste management requires the completion of several methods. These include refurbishing, shipping, and sorting of reusable electronics.

The field of e-waste recycling is a vast and growing industry. It demands thousands of workers. This creates lots of business and job opportunities, and in turn, it can boost the economy of a country. Recent studies have revealed that an e-waste recycling business produces more or less 30 jobs.

The Effect Of Ssds On Gaming Performance

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Hopefully, you've heard people saying that SSDs are better than the conventional hard drive disks when it comes to gaming. But wait, what is an SSD? Well, SSDis a short form of solid state drive, a drive with no mechanical moving parts and has the capability of holding data even in the absence of power. Its interfaces are fully electronic but the I/O that it utilizes is the same as those used by the traditional hard drives. Therefore, its compatibility with your system is not a concern. Gaming performance is relative, depending on certain parameters, for instance, framerate and load times. Solid state drives improve some aspects of gaming performance while the improvement of others will require other devices. For example, an SSD may not sort out a framerate problem but a GPU will be of great help. On the other hand, games installed on an SSD will have less load times as compared to when they are on a hard disk drive. Load time reduction is as result of the remarkably higher SSDs data transfer speed (more than over 400 MB/s) as compared to the data transfer speed of a hard disk drive which is normally below 170 MB/s. When it comes to of multiplayer games like Starcraft 2, and shooters such as Battlefield 3, when installed on an SSD, theyll load the files stored on your PC, for instance, maps, fairly faster as compared to when they are in a standard hard disk drive. Additionally, for an open-world game experiencing hitching, an SSD can be of much help as it minimizes the problem. Maybe you are wondering what hitching is; it refers to short pauses in a game when it is unable to access hard drive assets such as texture as fast as it should in order to be in pace with the player. An SSD will also improve your life generally, for instance the accessibility of your desktop. When you install your computers operating system on an SSD, you find it easier and quicker to access your desktop upon booting. We would recommend that you buy the biggest solid state drive that your budget can allow and install your computers operating system and the games there. Youll also need a secondary hard disk drive for general storage. Until recently, SSDs have not been an ideal option to the majority of normal gamers due to their extremely high prices as well as limited storage capacity. However, nowadays, their prices have gone down significantly and storage capacities increased. Getting one with a storage capacity of 120 GB at a very reasonable price is not abnormal. Considering the improvement of the affordability, storage capacity and the aforementioned gaming performance effects, we can confidently say that SSDs are far much better than HDDs as far as gaming experience is concerned. An SSD is a very significant upgrade from a conventional hard disk drive. Hopefully, you have now realized how important an SSD is to your life as a gamer and have decided to start shopping for one. However, before you start shopping, you need to find out buying Guide. for the best gaming SSDs to make sure that you buy exactly what you want.

Watch Sports Online Free Or Low Cost

While free sports TV websites can offer a quick, easy way to start watching sports immediately, low-cost 3rd party web-based sports TV services offer more. The more reputable services are safe and makes how to watch sports without cable much easier. They dont have They dont have virus or malware to worry about.

These services dont host any of the content on their website, just like many of the free ones. But theres one popular 3rd party service that offers more sports than any freebie and offers more ways to watch. If you want to watch sports online free, you can still do so when paying the $40 one-time fee for lifetime access.

What are you paying for? The streamlining and organization as well as safe access to watching free worldwide sports online. But heres another benefit, there are two ways to watch live sports online:

1. Access to premium live sports TV channels/networks 2. Access to daily live sports TV schedule (list each sporting event daily)

Included are many premium live sports TV channels without paying any monthly subscription. You can watch ESPN, NBA TV, BEIN Sports, Eurosport, Sky Sports, and many other sports channels online. Not only that but the same service direct-connects to live TV, local TV, global TV, sports TV including VOD movies and TV shows. You get access to 9,000+ TV channels at your disposal.

What this means is everything is delivered at your fingertips. Theres no surfing the web to find anything. No visiting one website after another to watch live sports, movies, or news broadcasts. All the work is already completed which means all you do is point and click to anything of interest to watch it online.

This includes local, national, and international sports. More sports than any cable or satellite TV subscription. Theres never any local blackouts, no contract or bundled package to pay. Setup a web sports TV entertainment system by connecting a computer laptop to HDTV via HDMI cable or wirelessly to smart TV. Make sure you have a high Internet connection speed and higher the better (25 Mbps or higher).

Whatever sporting event appears on the computer screen will appear on the HDTV screen. Just make sure to use the TV remote to get into Inputs or Source and select the HDMI port where the computer is connected.



How To Chose The Absolute Best Wireless Phone Plan For You And Your Family.

Fixing Your Existing Phone You could be tempted to get among those cost-effective fix-it-yourself packages on the web to save money. Don't do it! Any attempted phone screen repair can block your phone by damaging one of the delicate components under the glass. You ought to recognize that You ought to recognize that smart devices are intricate electronic tools and there's a whole lot you can unintentionally do to harm them. Exactly what you may believe of when we chat about a smartphone substitute display is 3 layers: the glass front, a digitizer connected to the glass and lastly, an LCD. One incorrect stab with a screwdriver could make your mobile phone useless. Do not take the possibility.

A Brief Introduction Of Pc Tv Software

If you want to learn watch live TV online using your computer, you will need a desktop or laptop, and an operating system that supports television viewing like Windows or XP. If you have a MAC the software will work on it as well. You must also have an If you have a MAC the software will work on it as well. You must also have an Internet broadband connection. When you get the software read the set-up instructions because you may need to change your live streaming speed on your system.

For people who travel, having this software means that you don't miss programs that you normally watch at home when you are stuck in a hotel that does not offer the channels you are use to. Or, you may not want to watch the movie that is offered on the flight you are taking and would rather watch programs that you would normally miss in flight.

The software is very easy to use and offers you an easy to use dashboard during set-up that will let you set the parameters for the programs that you want to include in your favorites list. Some of the software programs also provide a feature where you can easily record programs to view at your leisure.

Some services, like Satellite Direct TV offer the software in some of their package deals. When you get the software from Direct you don't get any premium channels, but you do get 3500+ channels, HD, and radio stations that are crystal clear. The quality of the programs is not distorted when you are using the software and it adapts to any size screen, so as long as you have broadband on your internet, you are all set to watch television anywhere. With the Direct TV system, there is no software to load and a sidebar is on your desktop with a menu of the shows you have selected that are available.

Other systems are available that are loaded as software and provide the same convenience of watching television or listening to radio stations from your computer. Some of the programs have better reception for programs that are being seen in other countries, while other software is limited to specific regions or areas.

The cost of the systems varies from a one-time fee and lifetime membership to a monthly membership fee. Some of the systems offer access to the premium channels and are treated much the same as your cable television system. With some of the systems, the monthly fee structure is based on the number of channels you want and whether or not they are considered premium.

Before deciding on the PC TV software that will be best for you, it will be important to think about what type of programming you watch primarily and whether or not you want to have access to premium channels when you are watching television on your computer.



Choosing A Hosting Package – Understanding The Basics

This is why its very important that you understand the basics of web hosting. Having this knowledge will help you out when you're choosing a hosting package for your website. There are certain technologies that are needed for you to be able to post your website There are certain technologies that are needed for you to be able to post your website online. Web hosts provide you with these technologies.

You have four different hosting types to choose from, and here is an introduction as to what they are and what you can expect from them:

1. Dedicated Hosting

This type of hosting means that you gain access to your very own server. This is ideal for large companies that may have more requirements for the sites under their control. The bandwidth is larger to accommodate multimedia of all sorts, and you can even choose your server specs.

2. Reseller Hosting

Choose this if you want to become a web host yourself. You can sell hosting services to others with this system. Its also ideal for businesses that delve into multiple e-commerce pages in one go. It will provide you with multiple SSL certificates as well.

3. VPS Hosting

This is an option best suited for those who want to upgrade from a shared account. Aside from increased flexibility when it comes to managing new software and configurations, this type of service also accommodates emailing and media streaming. You can consider this a semi-dedicated type of hosting as your sites will have their private space within shared servers, allowing for expanded functionality.

4. Shared Web Hosting

What you have here is the simplest hosting package available. Its ideal for people who may be looking for basic services and are comfortable with using shared servers. Usually, companies can host more than one site with this option and receive 24/7 support from their service provider. The catch is that hosts can host sites owned by different people using one server, limiting your access to hosting resources.

Always remember to choose a hosting package that does not only fit your budget, but can accommodate the activities that you require on your page, for your users sake. Spend time understanding what each one entails and speak with professionals for an even better insight as to how each option varies.



The Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate Review

Video converter software is an integrated disk and easy digital video converter, which allows the user to convert any DVDs or videos from one format to another with light and swift conversion speed. In addition, the Wondershare video converter ultimate lets the users target exactly which device they wanted their videos to play on such as the most popular devices today like Windows media player and movie maker. In addition, it is an ultimate converter, which has great features to offer.

With the great features of this software, users can now achieve basic media conversion in a more advanced, fast and powerful video converter as well as getting better video conversion and DVD. Here are the great features of the Wondershare video converter software: - It supports both Mac and Windows application. - A flexible and easy converter, which supports AC3, AAC, WAV, WMA and many more. - It has the ability to remove digital rights management in order to convert DVDs into unprotected video files. - This best video converter program adds metadata to the media files for easy and fast retrieval. - It can convert and burn videos easier and faster. - It can burn video downloader that can download the video when users play a video in a different major browser. - It has the power to convert thirty times than other converters with Wondershare video converter APEXTRANS technology. - It has the DVD ripper capability/convert, which rips the content of the DVD. - Allows the user to convert videos into any popular devices and video format such as Nokia, Blackberry, Samsung, Apple and any devices suited to users phone. - You can also capture, download or record videos from other popular video sites such as You Tube.

Wondershare video converter ultimate has a great number of features and has a user-friendly interface. Even though you are only a beginner in using this program, you will find so easy to manage. In addition, as compared to any other video converter software, this one is one of the top video converters everyone can use and it is considered as the best video converter program in the market.

When it comes to the advantages of this video converter, it is designed for every user to easily burn or convert DVDS or videos. In addition, users can also use this to convert any portable media devices and video format. This software also enables users to easily convert and download videos from those popular and top video-sharing sites. Besides, Wondershare video converter ultimate can also be used to create a video tutorial and to record activity from the desktop.

Conclusion: This is a Great and Reliable Video Converter The video converter by Wondershare is truly a great piece of software. In fact, this software has been highly rated by many software review sites as it truly contains excellent features with fast conversion speeds capabilities. Plus, you can expect a great support if you encounter any problem with the application.



Internet Tv Software Introduction And Review

Though it's convenient to be able to sit at your PC and watch favorite television programs, while listening to everything via headphones and not disturbing anyone, there are many other benefits to using this kind of setup. This brings us to Internet TV software for PC and some of the perks provided.

One of the first considerations of opting for Internet TV is the cost savings. If you have Cable or Satellite, more than likely youre paying a monthly fee for the usage. As a result, the rising cost in charges can be hefty. With online TV, either theres a low or no download fee to acquire the software.

There is a lifetime subscription that includes on-going upgrades to the software itself and channel updates. And, speaking of channels, these products offer thousands of channels from all over the world. While hundreds of these channels emanate from the U. S., broadcasts from 100 or more countries are available on the options menu.

With this many options for programming, everyone is certain to find something to enjoy. By the way, these channels are sent in high definition format.

Giving yourself of the chance to take advantage of this Internet television reception is both quick and easy. Requirements are simply that you have a computer and a high-speed Internet connection. After paying the fee which is generally under fifty dollars (U. S.) you're free to download the software and immediately begin to view the available programming.

Many of these services work mostly with Windows with a few of them compatible to Mac. You also have the option of watching on your computer or routing the signal straight to your regular television set to watch there.

If you like to take your laptop with you when going places and getting online through the various hot spots frequently found in restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores etc., it's nice to know you can essentially 'bring your TV' with you. And by the way, these services also provide a wide variety of radio stations.

While the system is not able to provide you with premium pay channels such as HBO and Cinemax, just about every other type of programming you can imagine is there. Movies, sports, soaps, reality TV, cartoons and kids programming and sit-coms all come through straight to your PC or television set.

If you're a college student it's a great way to get entertainment in your dorm when space for a TV-set is limited. If your job allows you to watch television while working it's also perfect there. TV software has so much going for it besides just the cost savings.

It's no wonder these products are becoming so popular and setting the cable TV business on its ear. More choices, phenomenally lower operating costs, portability and convenience are just some of the positive aspects.

You don't require a satellite dish, special hardware or any other type of equipment to enjoy this online TV experience. You simply need a computer, an Internet connection and the software available through a one-time purchase. Imagine being able to watch what you want, when and where you want 24/7. It doesn't get much more convenient than that.

If sports are something you want to watch it's nice to know you can find sports programming from all across the globe. Thousands of channels are broadcast from Europe, Asia, South and Central America and, of course, North America. For those who live in a foreign country and spend most of their time speaking a language that is not their native tongue, online TV can be a Godsend.

Having the ability to view programming from your home country in your native language alone is worth the price of admission which, when you consider it, is chicken feed compared to what most pay for regular satellite or cable TV programming services.

Hopefully this quick introduction and review has shed some light on the availability, quality and vast options in programming delivered through Internet TV on PC system.



What To Get Out Of Bed Early And Be The Bird That Catches The Worm?

Plan a nutritious Fresh fruits, healthy smoothies, muesli with yogurt, oatmeal energy bars are easy to make the night before and easy to bring with you at work. Note: Apple, Banana, and other fruits are easy to take with you. 4. Use a fitness tracker to moniter you progress. What gets you from bed for a morning workout? 5. Make no excuses any longer It's extremely easy to cancel your sports plans in the evening. Lots of things may come up during the day like an emergency at work, conference calls, households or that you're feeling exhausted. When you workout before work, there is no reason for you not to be able to exercise. You can enjoy your time after work to meet friends family or other activities.  

Should You Work With An Affordable Web Developer Or Use Free Website Templates?

Salterra is a Affordable Web Developer and Search Engine Optimization company based in Scottsdale/Phoenix AZ, our team has metropolitan experience with a small town personality. This adaptability and sophistication gives us the range to interact professionally with all sizes of companies and corporations. No matter the This adaptability and sophistication gives us the range to interact professionally with all sizes of companies and corporations. No matter the size of your business, we value your decision to integrate us as a part of your support network. Salterra specializes in everything from graphic design, affordable web designs, Internet marketing and on-line services, our team will not only provide you with a user-friendly and striking website design, but we will also ensure that the site reinforces your brand, increases traffic, and increases customer loyalty.

How to Protect your Computer from Hackers

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Hackers can do the unthinkable. Just when you thought you are safe behind your computer someone else holds you hostage. They seek out your weaknesses and ensure that they use them to their advantage. It is therefore important to do all you can to keep yourself safe.

Update your OS and other software frequently, if not automatically. This keeps hackers from accessing your computer through vulnerabilities in outdated programs. For extra protection, enable Microsoft product updates so that the Office Suite will be updated at the same time. Consider retiring particularly susceptible software such as Java or Flash.

Download up-to-date security programs, including antivirus and anti-malware software, anti-spyware, and a firewall (if your OS didn’t come pre-packaged with it). To trick even the most villainous hackers, consider investing in anti-exploit technology, such as Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit, so you can stop attacks before they happen.

Destroy all traces of your personal info on hardware you plan on selling. Consider using d-ban to erase your hard drive. For those looking to pillage your recycled devices, this makes information much more difficult to recover. If the information you’d like to protect is critical enough, the best tool for the job is a chainsaw.

Sourced from: https://blog.malwarebytes.com/101/2015/10/10-ways-to-protect-against-hackers/

No one should assume that they are safe from hackers. Hackers keep on improving their tactics hence they need to improve security measures for your computer. Do not disable updates on your computer. Ensure that you are using the latest browser.

 Use the latest version of your web browser

Web browsers are vital applications, but just like other software, they can contain bugs. Hackers are quick to capitalise on these and create bogus (or infect genuine) web sites with data designed to exploit them. Once a web browser has been compromised in this way, a hacker can monitor everything you type, including passwords to credit card numbers. That’s why it’s vital to use the latest version of your web browser - anything other than this may be a security risk.

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox will also update themselves automatically, but don’t ignore their requests to restart the browser when such an update has been downloaded and is ready to be installed.

Don’t fall for phishing emails

Emails that appear to be from a recognisable online service asking you to log into a site to confirm some personal details are always fake.

These emails are usually caught by your email application’s spam filter, but if one does slip through and you click its link, your web browser should detect and block the site it takes you to.

Sourced from: http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/computing/seven-easy-tips-to-protect-your-pc-from-hackers-and-malware-11363942012065

Most of the times computer users believe that having an antivirus is enough but unfortunately an antivirus is not enough. You need to find out how authentic a malware is.

Fake antivirus messages

In slight decline these days, fake antivirus warning messages are among the surest signs that your system has been compromised. What most people don't realize is that by the time they see the fake antivirus warning, the damage has been done. Clicking No or Cancel to stop the fake virus scan is too little, too late. The malicious software has already made use of unpatched software, often the Java Runtime Environment or an Adobe product, to completely exploit your system.

Unwanted browser toolbars

This is probably the second most common sign of exploitation: Your browser has multiple new toolbars with names that seem to indicate the toolbar is supposed to help you. Unless you recognize the toolbar as coming from a very well-known vendor, it's time to dump the bogus toolbar.

Sourced from: http://www.infoworld.com/article/2612634/security/security-11-sure-signs-you-ve-been-hacked.html