West Florida Components

Every once in a while a great piece of software comes across our desks here at West Florida Components….and today we found an excellent way to recover your Macbook or iMac should it ever be stolen. It is an ingenious piece of software.

Download Hidden, and it can track your Macbook or iMac, show you where it is and who has it. When you activate the tracking, Hidden will locate your stolen computer anywhere in the world, take pictures of the thief using the computer (via webcam!) and also provide screen shots of what the thief is doing on the computer.

In addition, you will also get help from the Hidden team on working with the police to recover your stolen computer.

Think about how many Macbooks disappear every day at college campuses across the US. This software should be a ‘must buy’ for all Macbook owners.

How much do you think that this amazing software costs? The cost is $20 normally for one year BUT the Hidden team is giving away this software for FREE until 12/31/10. The software doesn’t expire on 12/31/10….the chance to get it for free for one year expires. Think of it as a holiday gift from the Hidden team. One full year of tracking protection for your iMac or Macbook, courtesy of Hidden.

With its eyes firmly focused on the ebook market which is reportedly about $500 million in annual sales, Google has launched it’s ebookstore. A fast look at the ebookstore appears to make it a smart alternative to buying proprietary e-readers and ebooks like Amazon’s Kindle device.  At the beginning of 2010, Amazon held about 90% of the ebook market – a number that is estimated to drop to about 35% of the overall market in the next five years.

What is special about Google’s ebookstore?

Purchasing a book from their bookstore allows you the ability to use virtually any type of internet accessible electronic device to read your ebook purchased from the Google ebookstore. You can read books on Android devices (smartphones and tablets), iPhones, iPads, iPhone touch, any netbook, laptop or desktop computer and even the Nook from Barnes & Noble and the Sony Reader. Noticeably absent from this list is, of course, Amazon’s Kindle.

Google’s ebooks are stored in the cloud, so there is nothing to download (except maybe an app) if you are using a device connected to the web. And, since your ebooks are stored in your Google account, your page positions will sync across all the devices as you open each device to read.

Given the limitations of other devices such as Amazon’s Kindle which allows you to download your ebook to one device, Google has created a very flexible way to access your purchased reading material.