Darren Straight’s Blog

New research into the habits of 1,626 UK PC owners has revealed that a staggering two-thirds (65%) have lost precious data or files that were stored on their PC’s hard drive.

The research, conducted by Tickbox.net on behalf of online backup provider Carbonite (www.carbonite.co.uk), also found that despite this high rate of data loss experienced, almost a quarter (24%) of respondents never back up their PC data at all.  This is surprising given that almost seven out of ten (68%) stated that their data, which includes digital photographs, music, videos, personal files and work-related documents, is ‘extremely’ or ‘quite’ important to them.

So Why Don’t We Backup?

55% of respondents said they don’t backup because they don’t know how to do it.  Of those that don’t know how, 65% were from the younger age bracket of 16-24 year olds.  ‘Can’t be bothered’ (25%) and ‘too complicated’ (11%) were also reasons cited for not backing up.

63% said they were not aware of automatic online backup services, such as Carbonite; however, 56% of these respondents said that they would use one if it existed.  Only 8% currently use online backup services, showing there is significant growth potential for the future of backing up automatically over the Internet.

But If I Backup I’m Safe Right?…Wrong!

Of those who do back up, roughly 4 in 10 burn their files to CDs or DVDs.  External hard drives are the second most popular backup choice, with almost a third (28%) opting to use them. However, as 59% of respondents keep their backup disks and external hard drives in the same room as their PC, it is highly likely that should there be a fire or burglary their backups would be gone.  Just 5% keep their backup in a separate building. 

Frequency of backup is also a concern, with 37% backing up only once a month.  73% of respondents forget to back up, and the younger tech-savvy generation are the worst for this: 88% of 16-24 year olds have forgotten to back up compared to 69% of 35-44 year olds.  As home contents insurance doesn’t cover information stored on a hard drive, even if the PC itself is insured, a hard drive meltdown could result in consumers being out of pocket, both financially and personally.

Reasons for Data Loss

Of the 65% of respondents who suffered data loss, over half (55%) blamed a faulty hard drive or other hardware failure.  38% was attributed to human error in the form of accidental deletions.

Who’s Most at Risk of Losing Data?

The younger generation were found to be most at risk of losing data. Almost two-thirds (64%) of 16–24 year olds lost data due to hardware failures, compared to 53% of over 55’s, and 38% of 16–24 year olds lost data due to a virus compared to just 25% of over 55’s.

“A marked increase in Internet take-up, higher broadband speeds and the presence of one or more PCs in most homes has resulted in people keeping increasingly valuable contents on their hard drives,†comments Floyd Bradley, Executive Vice President of International at Carbonite.  “The most surprising result from this survey is how many people do not back up at all.  Anyone with a PC should regularly back up their files, including costly music and digital photos.â€

“The number of people who simply do not know how to back up is concerning.  It is often the unsophisticated computer users who are most at risk from data loss, as they are more likely to open an email containing a virus or click through to a site that downloads spyware, malicious programs or other malware.  Online backup services that require minimal input, are continually running in the background and are easy to use, represent the future for PC security and peace of mind.  Consumers need to ensure that data loss becomes a thing of the past,†Bradley added.

TechSmith Corporation, the company behind Camtasia Studio the Screen Recorder, is currently running a fantastic special offer in which you can download a fully functional version of Camtasia Studio 3.1.3 for FREE and upgrade (optional) to Camtasia Studio 5.0 for only £88.

Ok here’s what you have to do to grab Camtasia Studio 3:

Step 1. Download the program by clicking on the following link:

Download Camtasia Studio

Step 2. Click on the following link to register your copy. TechSmith will email you a “software key†that you need to activate your copy.

Register & Get Software Key

And that’s it you have now got yourself a free copy of Camtasia Studio 3.

Via: Marc Liron

If you are a fan of Desperate Dan from The Dandy Comic, then Ofam have an experience for you. The Dandy made history in 1999 when it was officially recognised as the longest running comic in the world with its 3007th issue. And now you can be part of its heritage as you get to be a real character in the Desperate Dan cartoon strip. Desperate Dan has been with the Dandy since its birth in 1937 and he’s the only original character left today.

With a circulation of 160,477 you are going to be seen by a lot of people, so if you are interested why not check out the Oxfam Ebay Page here.

This exclusive Oxfam Experience is for one person and includes:

Exciting Simulations have today uploaded a new in-game video showing off the
new Space Shuttle Mission 2007 Virtual Flight Deck.

The video was originally captured at a resolution of 1280×1024 but had to be
resized to standard DVD resolution. So although the video quality does not do it
justice, the Virtual Flight Deck is modeled in high resolution, sharp graphics
allowing the Astronauts to zoom in and read all the labels and gauges at any
time without the need of going into the equally exquisitely detailed 2D panels.

It’s also worth noting that this is still “work in progress” and the cockpit will from what I hear look even better when the game is released this December.

Direct link to the downloads page: http://www.space-shuttle-mission.com/downloads.html

Kevin Colvin, an intern at Anglo Irish Bank’s North American arm, was busted when he told his manager, Paul Davis, that he’d be missing work due to what colleagues took to be a “family emergency”. However yet did he know that when he posted his drunken photos that his boss would find out what he was really up to!

Via: A Welsh View | Valleywag

In a move that will apparently save mobile consumers an estimated $100 Million over the next three years, software developers Coolgorilla have today begun distributing third party mobile software applications completely free of charge.

The move now enables mobile users unlimited access to download free mobile games many of which consumers would normally expect to pay between $5-$10 for.

There are hundreds of quality titles from which to choose and these games are the real deal! Rally Driving, 3D Golf, Arcade Classics, Bowling and board games such as Chess are all here and the service does not just stop at games either. Other useful titles include a Stop Smoking mobile download, the must have Mobile Joke Book and Coolgorilla’s own Talking Mobile Translators.

But how does it work and why aren’t these gorilla people bankrupt?

When a consumer normally pays for a mobile application, a massive percentage of the retail price is attributed to delivery and payment mechanisms, marketing, resale mark up and tax. Making the games available for free download eliminates these issues and means many more users will download the software to their phones. This then creates a community of users and enables the software developers and distributors to generate their revenues by displaying advertising messages whilst the applications are loading. It really is that simple.

Pioneers in the field of ad supported software, Coolgorilla report that since releasing the lastminute.com Talking Mobile Phrasebooks earlier this year, lastminute.com have already helped consumers save over $1 Million based on what it would have cost to buy a similar product or paperback phrasebook.

Roy Forsdick, Managing Director of Coolgorilla commented “Since the initial success of our own iPod and Mobile software it has always been our aim to expand the offerings of Coolgorilla to incorporate the work of other likeminded developers and content providers.”

To check it out visit www.coolgorilla.mobi from your mobile phone or www.coolgorilla.com from your PC or Mac.

Just want to shout out to everyone who went to Sallys 18th Birthday Celebration last night in Canterbury it was great fun, was just what I needed. :) Thanks for inviting me sally - you rock!

For those of you wanting more pics - check them out here!

Got the heads up today in an email from Marc Liron a Microsoft MVP about a new Microsoft Job Posting for a Windows Live Program Manager position.

In which it is clear that Microsoft are planning to build a Flickr competitor “This feature team is building a next-generation photo and video sharing service that will compete with flickr, smugmug and other photo web solutions today. This is a “v1†opportunity.” and that it could end up be rather cool if all goes well “a fully interactive cinematic multimedia experience (a narrated 3D path through a Photosynth that you can control).”

Don’t you just love how Microsoft Job Postings (as well as other companies) give you some idea as to what they are up to next!

Microsoft has today stepped up its software plus services strategy with the launch of its next generation of Windows Live services that make it easier than ever to communicate and share information safely, from anywhere, and across multiple devices.

The new Windows Live offering is a key element in Microsoft’s software plus services approach, designed to deliver a desktop and web experience that work naturally together. This next generation (Wave 2) of Windows Live services provides an all-in-one package to help consumers easily communicate, connect, share and stay safe on the internet.

Today’s launch features enhancements to existing popular features, such as Windows Live Hotmail, Messenger and Spaces, as well as integration of some additional new tools into the Windows Live Suite:

The new Windows Live Photo Gallery is a perfect example of the integration of software plus services in Windows Live. This application runs on Windows Vista or Windows XP SP2, and has built-in links to Windows Live Spaces and Windows Live Mail. Customers get the offline access and responsiveness of a rich application, plus the online service benefits of easy sharing and anywhere access.

“Entertainment, community and communication are all deeply intertwined elements of Windows Live,†said Sharon Baylay, General Manager, Microsoft Online Services Group UK. “The suite combines serious communication with a great deal of fun - sending videos, sharing photos, planning events, flirting, chatting, sharing stories and more.  We are offering a rich set of software plus web services covering communications, community and entertainment that our customers can use on their desktop or on the moveâ€.

“Five years from now we expect every software product to have a companion online service to support it – customers will come to think of this as standard. It is our software plus services approach that allows us to deliver this and we are one of very few companies that can execute this at scale. We believe the seamless integration between online and offline services will enable us to offer our customers an enhanced user experience.â€

The free upgrade for Windows Live is available to download at once, or users can pick and choose their favourite services at http://get.live.com/ and http://www.windowslive.com/

In case you haven’t seen chris’ post on LiveSide - there’s some exciting news (YAY :D) - Microsoft have just enabled the @live.xx signup page!

You can register/signup for your local Windows Live ID  (eg @live.co.uk) by heading over to http://get.live.com/getlive/overview or if it’s a global @live.com you wish then you’ll want to head over here - to the @live.com signup page.

So far the list of confirmed available aliases are: