Auberge Akilisso Technology

Buying a fresh cartridge for your printer every time you run out of ink can burn a hole in your pocket. A much better option is to refill your cartridges at a printer refill shop, or at home using an ink refill kit. Not only is this cheap, but it also prevents your cartridge chips, sponge and plastic frames from getting wasted.

Basically, all inkjet printer cartridges are filled following the same instructions with slight variations based on the manufacturer and model number of the printer. You can use the help of the internet to identify the individual location in cartridges for different ink colors.

If you use a black cartridge, it usually has only one hole for filling while most color cartridges have 3 or more holes. Moreover, as different cartridges use unique types of ink, make sure you buy and use the right ink that is specific for your inkjet cartridge.

If required, drill a hole. Now that you have your ink and know where the holes are in the cartridge, you first have to remove the cartridge from the printer. While doing so, make sure you don’t dirty the electrical parts of the printer with your fingerprints or ink.

Set the cartridge on a work area that takes spills and remove the label from the top of the cartridge. You now have to locate the hole in the cartridge for filling black ink. If there is no hole, drill a new one using a finger drill.

Next, fill a syringe with black ink and insert its needle into the hole while pressing into the spongy material found inside it. Slowly inject the ink into the cartridge until excess ink comes out of the hole. Your cartridge instruction booklet should mention how much ink you should inject into your cartridge.

Repeat with color cartridges. After cleaning the cartridge top with a rag, replace its top label and if necessary tape down its edges. Without contaminating the electrical contacts of the printer, slowly clean the bottom of the cartridge using a rag.

You next have to reinstall the cartridge into the printer, and repeat the same steps with your color cartridge. Just make sure you identify the right holes to inject the respective ink colors. Once you have refilled your color cartridges, reinstall them in the printer as well.

To the home user there is a multitude of networking equipment on sale. The naming and specifications of these devices can be confusing to the novice. The following guide is designed to cut through all the jargon and explain the terms, names and specifications making it easier to make the correct decisions when setting up a home or small office network.

What is a Network?
A network usually consists of multiple computer devices which can communicate with each other enabling the sharing of information or data between them. With today’s technical advances networks are not limited to computers and laptops as they have extended to televisions, stereo equipment and even mobile devices such as phones and tablet PCs.

Wired Networks
Before the advances in wireless technology networks would mainly be “wired”. This would involve various devices between computers that would allow cables to be plugged into the machines enabling communication. These cables would limit the movement of the devices and on home networks would be impractical as it would usually require the drilling of holes.

Wireless Networks
In the last few years wireless networking has improved and now operates at speeds that allow networking of equipment reliably and more easily than ever before.

Network Speed
Network speeds are important when deciding which way to go when building a network for the home or office. Wired networks currently run at three speeds. These are measured in Megabits Per Second, the current speeds are 10Mbps, 100Mbps and Gigabit which runs at 1000Mbps. 10Mbps is very outdated in today’s networks as it cannot really cope with the transfer of data required by today’s applications and file sizes. 100Mbps can still be acceptable as long as there is not too much multimedia requirements as these files are large and usually take up a lot of network bandwidth.

There are currently four wireless standards for use around the home or office, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n. The first two standards 802.11a and 802.11b are very slow and also very insecure to the point where they should not be used on networks at all. 802.11g operates at 54Mbps and is still useable on networks. It will work adequately when surfing the internet and handles the transfer of data at home or in the office. 802.11n is the latest standard to be introduced and can operate at speeds up to 100mbps. This is the standard that should be implemented if using wireless networks.

One thing every student is going to need is a notebook. The main benefits include size and portability over desktop computers. If it is going to be his first notebook, we suggest getting a cheaper one to learn all its features before moving to a higher end model. Here are some tips to keep in mind before you shell out money on a budget notebook.

1) Size: Notebooks come in a variety of sizes. You might find the 16 inch laptops a joy to use but they are not that practical to lug around all day. That is why, we recommend trying out netbooks like Asus Eee PC X101 and Lenovo X120e which weigh less than 2 pounds and are much easier to carry around. X101 runs Meego operating system that boots in less than 5 seconds. Thanks to its aggressive power saving techniques, you will easily be able to get around 4 hours from its small 3 cell battery.

2) Storage and RAM: There are two kinds of memories inside a computer – hard disk and RAM. RAM is volatile storage which means that all data is erased after you turn off the computer. On the other hand, data stored on the hard disk or a solid state drives is persistent. Photoshop, operating system and Office apps require a lot of space and that is why, we recommend getting at least 160GB hard disk and a minimum of 1GB RAM. If you are planning to do a lot of multitasking, consider getting a notebook with 2GB RAM.

3) Processor: Most of the mini notebooks come with Intel Atom processors. They are very power frugal and deliver excellent battery life. For college work, an Atom processor is more than enough. However, if you are planning to do a bit of gaming as well, get one with an Intel Core i7 processor.

4) Operating system: Most of the notebooks, other than Apple, come with Windows 7. Apple computers run Mac OS X and are not compatible with the plethora of PC applications. Some PC manufactures also sell laptops with Meego or Ubuntu OS pre-loaded to save costs. Almost all of them come with windows drivers.

5) Warranty: Most electronic stores and outlets often offer extended warranties that cover small or big damage for few years. However, we recommend getting extended warranties from the actual computer manufacture itself as they have ready supply of parts that would be required for repairing. All the notebooks come with 1 year warranty as standard that cover most of the hardware damages

There are tens of thousands of Android applications available in the marketplace so choosing just 10 of the best apps is a very difficult job. However, we’ve gone through hundreds of different apps and compiled these top 10 Android apps that you can’t live without.

Handcent SMS

The default Android messaging app is ok, but Handcent SMS is better. Way better. You can customize the layout of your messages, view the messages in conversation format, password protect your messages and spell check messages before you send it. This should be the first app that you install!

BetterKeyboard

Just like the Android messaging app, the keyboard app is also ok, but BetterKeyboard lives up to its name by being miles better. With true multi-touch ability, proximity correction and a number of skins available; once you go Better you’ll never go back.

Snap Photo Pro

Sack the default Android camera app and splash out 99 cents on this little beauty. Snap Photo Pro lets you take multiple shots at a click of a button which is great for catching natural expressions, a digital stabilizer which is useful if you have shaky hands, a digital zoom and there are multiple digital filters you can apply to the photo.

RingDroid

When it comes to pimping out your Android a unique ringtone is essential. RingDroid will let you edit MP3 files and slice out that catchy chorus or the really cool intro. Eye of the Tiger intro anyone?

Launcher Pro

The ultimate dashboard management app. Launcher Pro gives you 7 home screens to fill up with widgets and customize to your delight. It has super smooth scrolling between screens and can even handle 3D graphics for that extra cool look.

Norton Mobile Security

It’s a scary world out there folks but Norton acts like your personal body guard defending your phone from intrusions and malware. It can even remotely disable and delete data if you ever have your phone stolen so those filthy thieves can’t extract any personal data from it.

Angry Birds

We know that everyone is going crazy about Angry Birds and there is a good reason for it! This very simple game will draw you in and before you know it your morning commute won’t last nearly long enough as you play the ever harder levels to defeat the greedy piggies.