Hints and Tips #125: Solid State Drives, Apple's Free App of the Week, Removing Data from a PC, and Google Changes Local Places to Google Plus Pages
In This Issue:
- Technology Term: Solid State Drives (SSD)
- Apple App Store Free App of the Week Program - This Week's App - Snapseed
- Removing Data When Disposing of PC or Electronics Equipment
- Marketing: Google Changes Local Places to Google Plus Pages
Technology Term: Solid State Drives
Solid State Drives, abbreviated “SSD,” are storage devices for computers that are usually used to replace a traditional computer hard drive. SSD's offer faster speed and performance than traditional computer hard disk drives.
Traditional hard disk drives have a magnetic disk which rotates on a spindle, and a magnetic read/write sensor which changes the magnetic setting for writing data to the disk, or reads the setting when reading data. Information is stored by using the magnetism of a special magnetic surface on the disk. The magnetic read/write sensor moves in and out from the center of the hard drive, and the hard drive rotates, or spins. These two movements allow the magnetic sensor to access any location on the hard drive surface. Hard drives spin whenever they are working.
SSD's use electronic circuits to store data, and are essentially larger versions of USB flash drives that are commonly used for storing and moving data. SSD's, like USB drives, use a type of electronic circuit that remembers the data when there's no power to the device. In comparison, your computer's RAM, or Random Access Memory, doesn't store data when your computer is turned off. This electronic memory is often referred to as “flash” memory an is used not only for SSD's and USB drives, but is also used on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, which don't have any hard drive storage at all.
Since there's no mechanical movement in an SSD, it can read and write data faster than a traditional hard drive, which has to rely on physical movement to access data. Without moving parts, SSD's are quieter (as in silent) and more reliable. However, they are more expensive, when compared to traditional magnetic hard drives. For example, at today's pricing, a Crucial 512 Gigabyte SSD drive is $399, while a Seagate 500G hard drive costs under $100.
Google Integrates Social with Local Businesses
While everyone was talking about the Facebook stock offering this month, Google was busy integrating their vast library of local business listings on Google Places with Google+, their Social Networking service.
Google recently made a number of purchases, including the Zagat review service, to enhance their local business offerings. Google recently started converting all local business Place listings to Google Plus Pages. The page layout has changed, and you'll want to check your listing to see if you have the right graphics for your cover photo and profile picture.
Google is also pulling reviews from the Web and attaching them to your Google Plus Page, and for restaurants, including the Zagat review when available. Initially it appears that restaurants and food services are the first Places Pages to be converted, but if you have a local listing on Google, you'll need to check it to see if it needs updating.
Google plans additional services and features for Google Plus Pages and will be integrating Google Offers (a Groupon like service) along with AdWords Express. Google's maps are a powerful tool, and in recent material from Google, it was reported that over 60% of people who do a mobile search for a business contact the business.
Apple App Store Offers Free App of the Week
Apple is now offering a Free App of the Week through their App Store for iPhone and iPad users. This week's app, Snapseed, is a photo editing app with a four plus review rating, and it works on PC's and Mac's also, although you'll have to pay for those versions. Snapseed allows easy editing and enhancement of photos with a few simple touches. Options include adding effects and borders, crops, selective adjustments to areas, and filters for special effects. It includes sharing options for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Flikr.
After using it, I found Snapseed was easy to learn, offered more options for editing than the Photos app included with iOS, but wasn't as powerful as iPhoto or Adobe, but then it didn't take as long to learn either.
With the Free App of the Week program, Apple also made Editors' Choice app selections more prominent, and now shows new additions, making it easier to find updates.
Data Destruction
A student sent me an email asking me if I knew of a service that made sure that data on their computer would be destroyed. Many people recycle computers or hard drives when they upgrade, and in many cases personal and private data, some of which could lead to identify theft, is stored on these old systems and drives.
After doing some research on the Web, I located a service called All Green Electronics Recycling with pickup and drop-off service nationwide. They're licensed by the California Integrated Waste Management Board as an Approved Collector and Recyler, and they provide a range of data destruction services, from a free data wipe to certified data destruction with shredding of the physical hard drive (I'd like to see that!).
In addition to the Web listing, you can call them at 800-780-0347 for information on the types of ewaste they will handle and data destruction options.