In plain English: Spotify

Everyhting you need to know about Spotify. Pros and cons, costs and benefits!

## What is it?

Spotify is a streaming service for music, audio books and other audio content with unlimited song access. There's a dedicated software / app for every device from computers to cellphones.

What is it?
Spotify is a streaming service for music, audio books and other audio content with unlimited song access. There's a dedicated software / app for every device from computers to cellphones.


Finding the PC that is right for you

A few pointers for your next computer purchase!

Like me, many others have received money as a Christmas gift and are now facing the same problem: **Which PC should I buy?** The thing is that there's no one PC that does it all. It depends on what you're going to do with it, your primary use cases and, let's be honest, it also depends on *how much money you have at your disposal*.

Like me, many others have received money as a Christmas gift and are now facing the same problem: Which PC should I buy? The thing is that there's no one PC that does it all. It depends on what you're going to do with it, your primary use cases and, let's be honest, it also depends on how much money you have at your disposal.


We wish you a Merry Christmas and a successful 2016!

The Ashampoo blog joins the Christmas celebration and wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

For once, you find me slightly saddened: The Christmas party is over and I have nothing scandalous to report. The party raged on until 6 in the morning without noteworthy incidents - shame!
Quite the opposite, we are now experiencing something we rarely notice in the busy beehive that is Ashampoo - peace and quiet. Little by little, colleagues are taking their well-deserved Christmas leave, cookies are left untouched (unthinkable under normal circumstances) and the steps in the corridors become gentler and gentler. The email inbox, usually under constant fire, now fills with Christmas greetings from our translators, partners and customers alike. Sometimes, an hour goes by before we receive a new message - unbelievable.

For once, you find me slightly saddened: The Christmas party is over and I have nothing scandalous to report. The party raged on until 6 in the morning without noteworthy incidents - shame!
Quite the opposite, we are now experiencing something we rarely notice in the busy beehive that is Ashampoo - peace and quiet. Little by little, colleagues are taking their well-deserved Christmas leave, cookies are left untouched (unthinkable under normal circumstances) and the steps in the corridors become gentler and gentler. The email inbox, usually under constant fire, now fills with Christmas greetings from our translators, partners and customers alike. Sometimes, an hour goes by before we receive a new message - unbelievable.


The scratching game

Scratch? Sounds weird but Ashampoo will tackle this problem as professionally as always.

Whenever we hold special offers you always get to see the final result only. 
But you may be missing out on the occasional anecdote and *the tried and tested Ashampoo decision making process.*

Whenever we hold special offers you always get to see the final result only.
But you may be missing out on the occasional anecdote and the tried and tested Ashampoo decision making process.


The shocking confessions of very young programmers - confession no. 4 will surprise you!

How curiosity turned into a million dollar business. Curious? Read on.

No, the confession won't shock you, our programmers *just aren't that bad* at least as far as I know. I'll let you know when that changes. Still, the headline is piquing our curiosity and may lead to a **most annoying phenomenon**.

No, the confession won't shock you, our programmers just aren't that bad at least as far as I know. I'll let you know when that changes. Still, the headline is piquing our curiosity and may lead to a most annoying phenomenon.


2 minute tech: BIOS

Since a BIOS is an integral part of most computers yet unknown to many users, here's a short introduction for you.

A friend of mine who works as a computer teacher refers to the **"BIOS threshold"** when asked to judge the competence of his students. Those who know about BIOS („basic input/output system“) have already had deeper experience in dealing with PCs. Since a BIOS is an integral part of most computers yet unknown to many users, here's a short introduction for you.

A friend of mine who works as a computer teacher refers to the &quot;BIOS threshold&quot; when asked to judge the competence of his students. Those who know about BIOS („basic input/output system“) have already had deeper experience in dealing with PCs. Since a BIOS is an integral part of most computers yet unknown to many users, here's a short introduction for you.


2 minute tech: Solid State Drive

Is your PC too slow? Back in the days, you'd go for a coffee while the PC was booting up but this is 2015! With most computers, it's no longer the processor that's the performance bottleneck but the hard disk.

**Is your PC too slow?** Back in the days, you'd go for a coffee while the PC was booting up but this is 2015! With most computers, it's no longer the processor that's the performance bottleneck but the hard disk. Since conventional hard disks have their limits SSDs may prove a worthy alternative. Read on to learn about their strengths and weaknesses.

Is your PC too slow? Back in the days, you'd go for a coffee while the PC was booting up but this is 2015! With most computers, it's no longer the processor that's the performance bottleneck but the hard disk. Since conventional hard disks have their limits SSDs may prove a worthy alternative. Read on to learn about their strengths and weaknesses.


The struggle for survival

Ads are annoying but getting rid of them may turn the Internet into a wasteland.

Possibly everyone uses free, ad-based services on the Internet. Whether it's email, sports results or current news, nearly every free offer relies on ads for financing. This shouldn't be a problem, it's simple give-and-take and no-one would offer a service out of charity alone. But that's just pure theory as long as an essential element is missing: **common sense**. In this case that means a *reasonable dose of advertising*.

Possibly everyone uses free, ad-based services on the Internet. Whether it's email, sports results or current news, nearly every free offer relies on ads for financing. This shouldn't be a problem, it's simple give-and-take and no-one would offer a service out of charity alone. But that's just pure theory as long as an essential element is missing: common sense. In this case that means a reasonable dose of advertising.


5 forgotten Photo Commander gems

Five neat yet easily overlooked Photo Commander features!

I'll let you in on a genuine Ashampoo secret: Whenever a new Photo Commander release is on the horizon, testers and technical writers sigh in unison. Because what's in store for them will be - *daunting*. You may feel tempted to gently stroke them on their foreheads and offer words of courage while they're hunting down bugs or come up with extensive explanations for the myriad of features in this mighty beast. Here's another confession: Aside from Nikolaus, the creator and lead developer, no-one really knows all of its features because there are just so many of them. This is why there's an awkward silence whenever someone praises a feature found in a competing product and somebody else replies: "Photo Commander had this since version 7."

I'll let you in on a genuine Ashampoo secret: Whenever a new Photo Commander release is on the horizon, testers and technical writers sigh in unison. Because what's in store for them will be - daunting. You may feel tempted to gently stroke them on their foreheads and offer words of courage while they're hunting down bugs or come up with extensive explanations for the myriad of features in this mighty beast. Here's another confession: Aside from Nikolaus, the creator and lead developer, no-one really knows all of its features because there are just so many of them. This is why there's an awkward silence whenever someone praises a feature found in a competing product and somebody else replies: &quot;Photo Commander had this since version 7.&quot;


Ruthlessly calculated failure

Far too many devices break down soon after their warranty expired. Read on to learn why there may be a sinister strategy involved.

One day, my printer acted up. With my blood pressure spiking, I went on Google and quickly discovered that I had just been the victim of what is considered a classic error that would appear roughly after two years on the dot.
I phoned the hotline and spent about 30 minutes in hold music limbo until I finally reached a noticeably tired support agent. In these moments, I like to remind myself not to blow my top but to stay calm and explain my situation with facts. Maybe it was because she was so tired but she was surprisingly blunt and honest. "The error occured in the warranty period? *That's not supposed to happen!*"

One day, my printer acted up. With my blood pressure spiking, I went on Google and quickly discovered that I had just been the victim of what is considered a classic error that would appear roughly after two years on the dot.
I phoned the hotline and spent about 30 minutes in hold music limbo until I finally reached a noticeably tired support agent. In these moments, I like to remind myself not to blow my top but to stay calm and explain my situation with facts. Maybe it was because she was so tired but she was surprisingly blunt and honest. &quot;The error occured in the warranty period? That's not supposed to happen!&quot;


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