posted by admin on Jun 27

It’s strange. Microsoft, with all it’s power, has been dragging along behind Google for some years now. It was really seen as the poor cousin in internet circles and most “serious” users opted to use Google for all their searches. From my experience the majority of users of Microsoft’s MSN.com or their rebranded Live.com search engine seem to have used it because it was easy – they either had MSN set as their home page or they used Hotmail regularly and so MSN was always to hand.

Personally, I’ve always used Google, primarily because of the quality of their results. A search on MSN or Live was a slow and inaccurate process that inevitably turned up all sorts of poor quality or irrelavent sites.

However Microsoft have recently rebranded their search engine *again* (how many times are they going to do it?!) in the form of Bing.com, which is being backed by a massive advertising campaign to promote the new site.

So, is it actually any good, or is it just MSN by another name?

I recently set out to test the search engine out for size, and I have to admit that Microsoft really have added some neat features.

But before I get to them, it’s worth mentioning that the search results that Bing spits out are far more accurate than before, and in my experience now rival Google’s for quality. So that’s a big move in the right direction.

But there are two other features which really jumped out at me when using Bing, which really add to the useability of the site.

Firstly, down the left hand side of the page, you will find a list of related searches, much like Google shows at the bottom of each page. Having them at the side, however, encourages more searching and, as with all long string keyword searches, will likely lead to more accurate search results.

This means you can see a snippet of the text *before* you click through, potentially meaning that you will not only find better sites far quicker than before, but also that junk sites will struggle to attract visitors based only on their search engine rankings.

So better search results, a preview feature and related searches all rolled into one. I personally am therefore quite impressed with Bing and while it will need to go further to beat Google, it is certainly a step in the right direction in my opinion.

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posted by admin on Jun 22

Here at Latest Inventions we are working actively to try and reduce our effect on the environment.

I have recently been reading about the carbon created by even a single query to the Google search engine and with fossil fuels running out but green technologies still really in their infancy I was interested to see if we could find a “green” web hosting company.

And let me tell you – they’re certainly thin on the ground! Lots of companies state that they are trying to be as green as possible by recycling paper and so on and also point out the benefits of running an online company as opposed to the vast majority of businesses with their fleets of vehicles, huge amounts of rubbish produced and so on.

But finding one that really is “green”, rather than just trying to be, was rather more of a challenge.

However I’m pleased to say that our search did eventually bear fruit, in the form of Think Host. Now the company has been around for some years – so the use of “latest” here is possibly not the most accurate – but very few people know about green web hosts and with the increasing pressure on the planet I think this is a topic that many of our readers will be interested in.

Think Host runs on 100% green energy from wind farms and solar energy and prides itself on being carbon neutral. They even have an active tree planting program in place to help capture more carbon from the atmosphere.

Fortunately, Think Host isn’t *just* about green issues. Certainly, that’s their main selling point but they also offer all the other web hosting elements you would expect from a reliable, bone fide web host. For example they offer support for unlimited domains, unlimited bandwidth and even unlimited MySQL databases. In essence, when you dig into the services they offer, and at what cost, they seem to rival the supremely popular Host Gator, but do so with green credentials.

So if you want to do your bit for the planet and are looking for web hosting, you could do a lot worse that finding out more about Think Host. To find out more, just click here now.

posted by admin on May 16

Hello again, and thanks for visiting the Latest Inventions Carnival .

This months carnival isn’t such a big one – as not really getting impressive enough entries to show off new skills or technology – but we have a few goodies that are.

Lets start with those sites that offer some great tips on how to make the best of new technology and software on the web. So starting with Erick Simpson’s advice on Uncovering Big Opportunities in Your Existing Client List

Then a few tips from Ivan on how to find the Best Free Antivirus Software ever! And finally Verna Morris has plenty of advice on how you can find the Top 50 Free Open Courseware Classes to Develop Better Web Sites! Some great courses all in one place!

Similarly related, is the quick bullet points on iphone applications best suited for the medical workforce – of the hypochondriac! So here is Kelly Sonora’s well researched list of the Top 25 iPhone Apps for Nurses!

And finally, 96well presents and interesting debate on how man is being overthrown by the very things that he invents – Might a machine win a Nobel prize?

Enjoy!

posted by admin on May 12

My little nephew has taught me something great about his new DSi!

I recently wrote about the new Nintendo DSi and how my little nephew was addicted to the thing!  Playing Pokemon games even when he was asleep!

Anyway, I was watching him playing one game (which I couldn’t quite understand) when he suddenly started playing a completely different one with just a few bangs of his stylus! 

How on earth??

Well, it turned out he had heard about the r4i adaptor card and was taking full advantage!

So, what’s the r4i adapter card then I hear you ask?  Well, it’s a modified flash memory card that is exactly the same shape and size as a normal DSi games cartridge – but it can hold more than just the one game!

Basically you can use it as a sort of memory stick.  You can download games that you have already brought from sites on the Internet for free – this way, you are getting a ‘back-up copy’ of your favourite game.  So, if you damage your original cartridge, you don’t have to buy a whole new one – just stick in the r4i adaptor cartridge and carry on playing.

Is that all?
Well, no.  The thing is that the r4i adaptor can hold more than the one game – therefore allowing you to download copies of all the games you already own into one cartridge – and as my nephew had just done – switch from one game to the next without having to swap cartridges – or spend 20 minutes trying to wrestle the other game off of his younger brother!

The technology is so simple that my nephew was downloading files himself from his Mac – it was basically using drag-and-drop technology to move the files across!

And, further to the whole games concept – the r4i adaptor can also hold anything else you fancy from your computer.  For example, you can download movies onto it to watch on your DSi, or music to play when you are supposed to be brushing your teeth!

It also allows you to perform other simple functions from your media, including browsing through your favorite photos with family, reading e-books about tips for your new games and you can read your own downloaded computer files including birthday lists (with more games on it) or boring work documents!

The r4i cartridges can hold up to 32gb of memory – so there will be plenty of space for a bit of everything inside!

What’s the catch?
To be honest – there isn’t one!  It does exactly what it says on the packet.  It is a cartridge-shaped flash memory ‘stick’ that works with the new Nintendo DSi.

There is a separate r4 adaptor you can buy that works with the original DS, as these cannot be used for the new version, and vice versa.  That way, which ever console you choose to use – you just need the one cartridge!

Both the original r4 cards and the new r4i cards are readily available from www.gamesbackup.co.uk – so you can start moving your games across and enjoy your games and personal media files in a whole new way!

But, please remember- you need to have originally brought each game before you can legally download it from the Internet to make sure you stay within the bounds of copyright law.  These files are only meant to be an online back-up for damaged cartridges or to move your favourite games into a new media format – i.e. – onto the r4 cards!

posted by admin on Apr 28

Have you had the experience of having to ring a customer service department of some company for help? I’m sure most of us have experienced the annoyance and frustration of listening to a huge list of options, then pressing a number, then finding ourselves at another menu. And listening to more options. And pressing another button. And so on.

Invariably you end up in the wrong department anyway or there simply isn’t an option for what your query is about. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could bypass all the pointless menus and just get through to a human being instead? After all, it’s almost always an option hidden somewhere in the menu system if only you can find it.

Well now there’s an easier way – Get Human.

Get Human is a free online database of companies from around the world (the site currently lists sites in the US, UK and Canada together with a few listings from other countries) together with the number of their customer service line and the combination of numbers you have to press to get through to a real human.

So no more wasted time. Just dial the number, press the menu combination and *bang* – one human to speak to about your problem.

I thought as an experiment I would try to search for the number of a human at BT – the major British telecoms operator that I have personally had such problems with in the past. I simply type in the company name and up come the details. So it certainly passes my basic test.

I think Get Human is a great idea – and you can also submit your own details if you know of a company not featured on the site. So add it to your bookmarks so you know it’s there when you invariably have to make that next customer service call…