Until recently, I have never really been a huge fan of laptops.  I am given one for my company, but until I decided to get married I had no reason to be in the living room.  Now that my time can’t be dedicated to being in my office on my desktop PC, a laptop has become a necessity.  Although they are named laptops, few of us actually put them on our laps.  The reasons for this vary as much as the reasons for purchasing one in the first place.  My reason is simple… THAT THING GETS HOT!  Spire has suggested that getting a laptop cooling product to keep my precious little laptop cool.  Enter the Spire PacificBreeze II – SP302AP-B. Read more…

If anyone knows me, they know I play with things for no reason, that is my nature.  With that said, whenever I find something that I haven’t used, haven’t heard of, or could find any reason whatsoever to try, I will.  That is the case with Google voice.  Google voice is not new to many, but it is to me.  This pseudo telephony service has been available to many people for some time… since they took over GrandCentral in 2007, but they announced the service will be available to EVERYONE for free not too long ago. Read more…

Since its inception, COD has had the wonderful opportunity to play with some great hardware and have web surfers read our opinions on them all. We have not always had the latest and greatest motherboard and video card reviews; we have not always had the cutting edge tech articles on theories about where the industry is going; we have, however, had the opportunity to keep it real. We have had the opportunity to review products that most of the general public is looking for more info on or to purchase. Sometimes, we get to review a product that was not meant for the general public; products geared toward technicians and instructors. This is what I have on the table for you today. Read more…

What if I told you I could make your PC “crash-proof”, would you believe me? Well, that’s just what Jackson Backup is touting with their Armor Card. Now, that’s not to say your PC won’t lockup as most running Windows are prone to do. But, you don’t have to worry about a system crash. Go ahead, make whatever changes you want. Change the icons, themes, wallpapers, system files, etc. Reboot and all changes are undone. Format the hdd with a floppy? No problem, reboot and all changes are undone. Get the idea. Read more…

How many computers do you have? One? Planning on building another one, but don’t want to spend another 100+ dollars on another monitor? We have found your answer! Most KVM’s (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) out there aren’t cheap, they are about the same price as some low end monitors. I found a KVM from Zonet that includes all the cables and everything you need for less than 50 bucks. What I have in front of me will save you a good chunk of change. It’s the Zonet 2 port KVM3002. Read more…

The other day I was doing an install on a new system and was looking for the software I needed to finish. It took me a good  hour to find what I was looking for. Now normally I consider myself fairly well organized. But this was just unacceptable for me. I thought to myself “Man there has got to be something easier” then I remembered seeing this KDS CD Organizer someplace. So I did a little Googling and found it at Buy.com for the most reasonable price. I have done business with these people before, so after a few days I had it. Read more…