Of course, we all know that China is the leading producer of unbranded goods and gadgets and when they release such gadgets in the market it does have a huge impact on the branded gadgets because people prefer to go for cheaper gadgets that saves them some money rather than going for branded gadgets that does exactly the same thing or produces the same result. Today, gadgets like mobile phones, iPods, mp3 players, DVD players, laptops, portable video game consoles, and many other electronic goods are being produced by China and they are sold at a very cheap rate in developing countries.

These gadgets are exact replicas of the original branded gadgets and therefore it is very hard to find out the difference between the two. However, you will soon come to know that when you buy unbranded gadgets you do not receive any warranty on the gadgets, but still people in many countries still prefer to go for unbranded gadgets because they come at a very low price that everyone can afford. The gadgets are normally irreparable and therefore they come with the Use and Throw policy where the users need to buy another gadget if the earlier gadget has some technical or mechanical issues.

Jyotsna Ramani

Often we do a Gmail login without understanding the possible threats on our account.

The following is a list of 5 tips that will make your Gmail experience much safer:

1. Use a firewall software – Windows has a built it firewall but it is recommended that you use a more robust firewall like the one from Zone Alarm which is free. This will block connection attempts from the outside world to your computer, a method that hacker use to break to computers.

2. Use an antivirus software – an antivirus software will scan your computer for malicious software and will remove it. Once a hacker has penetrated your computer or network, he can easily install a trojan software that will give him full access to your computer.

3. Always use HTTPS – there is an option in the Gmail settings to always work with HTTPS. There ensures that your data is encrypted and safe from the Gmail server to your browser, and can not be monitored.

4. Use a strong password – it is inconvenient to type those long and scrumbled passwords but they are one of the most important steps on your way to protect your PC.

5. Guard your password – avoid typing your password on other computers that are not yours. Using a simple key logger it is possible to track key strokes and co

It found that 16% took a first name as a password, often their own or one of their children, according to the study published by Information Week. Another 14% relied on the easiest keyboard combination to remember such as “1234” or “12345678”. For those using English keyboard, “Qwerty” was popular. Likewise, “Azerty” scored with people with European keyboards.

5% of the stolen passwords were names of television shows or stars popular with young people like “Hannah”, inspired by singer Hannah Montana. “Pokemon”, “Matrix” and “Ironman” were others. The word “password” or easy to guess variations like “password1”, accounted for 4%. 3% of the passwords expressed attitudes like “I don’t care”, “whatever”, “yes” or “no”.

There were sentimental choices, “Iloveyou” and their opposite, “Ihateyou”. Robert Graham, of the company Errata Security, which did the analysis and published the conclusions, advices that to better protect against cyber intrusions: “choose a password that is longer than eight characters with one capital letter and one symbol.” – AFP

Otherwise, stick with USB or Firewire. The latter connection is especially useful on most Macs, where it keeps too scarce USB port open. Another tip is getting a “bus-powered” drive, which will run off your computer’s power supply and won’t need its own wall outlet.