March
Powered By Pure Sine Waves!
I’ve got Pure Sine Waves! Woo hoo!
If you had asked me last month, I would have bet heavily that I would never use the words “pure sine wave” in a sentence. And yet here I am, gloating because I have pure sine waves and you don’t. What an interesting world! […] continued
Read moreRight-Click Your Way To Happiness
I had to grin when I learned that a cool keyboard shortcut was literally right under my nose.
Clicking on the right mouse button brings up context menus everywhere in Windows. The right-click menus have been enhanced in the Windows 7 taskbar to display previously-used documents and shortcuts and more.
Look at your keyboard – the lower right, to the right of the spacebar, in between the right Alt and Ctrl keys. […] continued
Read moreONECARE REMINDER
This is for anyone who might have been procrastinating. Look down in the lower right corner for the icon for your security program.
If you see the Windows Live OneCare icon (pictured above), it’s time to move on!
If you see the Microsoft Security Essentials icon (pictured at right), you’re fine. […] continued
Read morePHOTO SHARING ON SKYDRIVE
For many people, Windows Live Photo Gallery is the best program for displaying, tagging, and doing light editing of photos. It’s free, attractive, and helps you do simple photo chores without the mind-numbing complexity of Adobe Photoshop Elements. Sure, serious photo junkies will use Photoshop, Lightroom, or other programs, but Windows Live Photo Gallery is just right for the rest of us. […] continued
Read moreTIDAL WAVE OF MALWARE
I cleaned up two malware-infested computers yesterday. Both of them had up-to-date antivirus software and responsible owners who had installed all critical Windows updates.
The only malware that I’ve seen for the last few months has been the kind that pops up phony security warnings, trying to get a credit card number.
MORE READING ABOUT LOCATION
Article in today’s New York Times, “Digitally, Location Is Where It’s At”:
[…] continued Read moreTo someone not in their 20s whose location generally isn’t that interesting to others — that would be me — the idea of handing over your privacy with both hands to strap on a digital ankle bracelet sounds profoundly unattractive.
Location, Location, Location
The new little device in your pocket knows where you are – and that’s the next thing that’s going to change the world. Location will be the most important thing that happens in technology this year, and in the long run it will likely be as significant as the rise of social networks in the last few years. […] continued
Read moreMIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON TRICKS
By this time you’ve probably learned all the cool keyboard and mouse tricks for your new Windows 7 computer, right?
- You’ve been using Ctrl-X (Cut), Ctrl-C (Copy), and Ctrl-V (Paste) for ages.
- It’s old hat to drag and drop with the right mouse button instead of the left button so you can choose from a menu to copy, move, or cancel.
KEEPING UP WITH SMARTPHONES
Back in the old days – say, six months ago – buying a smartphone meant signing up with AT&T for an iPhone (and sighing at AT&T’s shortcomings), or settling for something less capable from another carrier. Things are changing fast – here are a few random highlights.
Google’s Nexus One phone is only available online, sight unseen, for the unsubsidized price of $529, or a subsidized price of $179 through T-Mobile. […] continued
Read moreMore Dell Computers For Small Business
I’m not going to mention every product announcement that comes along, but Dell has introduced some small business laptops and desktops that look particularly appealing.
The Dell Vostro 3000 line of laptops come in a variety of screen sizes and weights (13”, 14”, 15” and 17”), with the latest Intel processors, extensive battery life, high quality graphics, built-in DVD drives and webcams, and all the usual accessories. […] continued
Read moreSECURITY POSTSCRIPT
Take a minute to make sure your security software is running. If you’ve switched to Microsoft Security Essentials, look for the reassuring checkmark down by the clock.
Two people reported problems with MSE in the last couple of days – no icon visible and an error message when they tried to launch the program from the Start menu. […] continued
Read moreMICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS UPGRADE
Microsoft has rolled out a minor upgrade to its free security program, Microsoft Security Essentials. A few days ago I began running into computers with an MSE icon by the clock that had an exclamation point in it. Take a look at your icon! If it looks like the picture on the left, double-click on it to start the program. […] continued
Read moreiPAD ASPECT RATIO
UPDATE 03/12: Okay, move along, nothing to see here.
A commenter pointed out there are two versions of the iPad commercial on YouTube, identical except for the shape of the iPad. Apparently the commercial that aired was the one that consistently shows the square iPad.
Compare two pictures at the five second mark of each video – one from the YouTube video named “iPad TV Commercial – 2010 Oscars,” and the other from the video I looked at named “Apple iPad TV Ad [HD].”
I don’t know why the second video exists, and I don’t know why the iPad is square instead of widescreen – but it doesn’t look like Apple aired anything that was intentionally misleading. […] continued
Read moreOFFICE 2010 TECHNOLOGY GUARANTEE
Microsoft Office 2010 will be available to consumers on June 15. There are new features focused on increasing the integration with online file storage and collaboration – plus a major redesign of Outlook, adding everything from a ribbon bar across the top to social networking links. There are some nice new things, although I haven’t seen anything yet that strikes me as a game-changer. […] continued
Read moreDell Latitude 13
Dell has added the Latitude 13 to its business notebook lineup, with a design that is identical in virtually every respect to the Vostro V13 introduced in December. The “Latitude” brand name is used by Dell to indicate that the notebook includes features for management by large companies. Here’s the description of the added features distinguishing the Latitude 13 from the Vostro V13:
[…] continued Read moreThe Latitude 13 adds features such as remote manageability and desktop virtualization through certification from Citrix and VMware to deliver a full PC experience to users in non-standard computing environments such as call centers, regional offices and hotels; Comprehensive systems management with support for BroadcomTruManage technology and Dell ImageDirect service which lets IT create, update and deploy system images 24/7 from a secure online location; Flexible connectivity options from mobile broadband and Wi-Fi via 802.11 g/n; and customized security offerings including solid-state drives (SSD), full disk encryption (FDE), Trusted Platform Module (TPM) control and Computrace software.