How to transfer your iTunes library & playlis...

If you use an iPod, iTouch, or iPhone and plan on getting a new computer, you will want to read this article! OR, if you use any of these devices and want to make sure your library stays safe, you will want to read this article! Yesterday, I helped a customer setup a new Windows 7 computer and transfer email, favorites, and other data from his old Windows XP computer. Turns out that he also needed to move his iTunes library...

U.S. Soldiers’ New Weapon: an iPod

Growing up I watched cartoons on Saturday morning like many other children in the 60s and 70s. I enjoyed watching the School House Rock intermissions almost more than the cartoons. One of those lessons stated that knowledge is power. I took that to heart and never forgot the phrase and now the military is putting that phrase to more direct use as well. This interesting Newsweek article describes how the military is using the...

How to get music off of your iPod

The iPod has set the standard for media players. It’s ease of use and intuitive interface make it a device that media lovers of all ages and expertise can easily pickup and use. However, the iPod has one disadvantage when compared with almost every other media player on the market. Once your music is stored on the system, there is no simple way of getting it back off again. If you switch computers or simply want to...

Microsoft Table PC not that revolutionary

People keep sending me video of the Microsoft table PC. It’s a computer that looks like a table. The demonstrations in the video show it doing amazing things like pulling pictures from a digital camera simply by placing the camera on the coffee table. While the demonstration is impressive, the purpose for such a device is not clear. It would be great for an entertainment device but the dazzle would wear off...

Top Ten Questions to ask when Buying “Open B...

By Andy Cochran  1. Does the item have all of its accessories? This is a very important question when it comes to things like, battery chargers or special cables for Ipods, MP3 players, or digital cameras, and remote controls TVs. Ask if everything is there before you buy it. Owners’ manuals and most product software can be found online, if it’s MIA at the store. Have a salesperson print the manual, and...

Gift of the gadget guy – a Christmas story a...

Computer bargains are all over the place! This week I must have seen two dozen offers that I would have purchased if I only had the funds. When I think back to all of the computer sales I have seen come and go over the years that I have been helping our listeners answer their computer questions, this will probably be one of the best ever. I can’t help but wonder how much richer I would be if I had...

Now I remember what I don’t like about Apple...

Apple products are beautiful and functional. Many people brag about their iPod or Mac’s stability, but there is a good reason that Macs are so stable. Apple is very restrictive as to what others are allowed to do with their systems. For example, if you have a iPod, you can only use iTunes if you want to sync music to it. If you have another brand of media player, it will not work with iTunes. Most standard hardware such...

iPhone – cool because it’s marketed th...

I saw an iPhone commercial this weekend. The iPhone is Mac’s newest gadget that is being marketed by people who like to all be different in the same way. I can’t decide which new product is worse, the iPhone or the Palm Foleo. Perhaps they are equally bad for the same reasons. Both devices are marketed as the next step in portable data evolution. Both devices make this claim as they are left in the dust by devices...

The solution to Palm’s unclear future

Of course no one at Palm is going to hear me but I have the cure for the problems at Palm. This week Palm Inc. announced record sales for the Treo Smartphone but they also announced terrible earnings. At least once quarter there is a rumor that someone is going to acquire Palm in one way or another. The problem is that Palm has the best product of its kind on the market. The Palm Treo is a near perfect device. Whether you use...

Would you rather have your TV or your computer?

Lately I have had a lot of clients call me in a panic because they are having a computer emergency. These calls are getting more frequent every year. Is there a such thing as a computer emergency? Yes. In fact, I would be willing to wager that most people I work for, if given the choice, would choose to live 24 hours without running water or a fridge than they would without their computer. Having a good computer guy is as...

iPod’s are NOT the only option for MP3 Playe...

I talk with many people who would like to have a portable music player (MP3 player), but don't want to lay out the cash for an iPod. iPod's are great MP3 players, but they aren't the first MP3 players, they aren't the only MP3 players, they definitely aren't the least expensive MP3 players, and they aren't necessarily the best MP3 player for everyone. When it comes to recommending MP3 players, the...

Is the iPhone another Newton?

For those of you who don't remember the Newton, it was Apple's first and last foray into the handheld computing market back in 1993. Although it was ground breaking and unique, it was a little ahead of its time and definitely too expensive. The Newton was a little too big to be called a true handheld computer and only worked with a heavy, built-in rechargeable battery. Just three short years later, a small company...

No AM Radio in iPods and other portable music play...

There are so many MP3 players on the market that they now all look the same. The iPod, the Sansa, the Zune, the Zen, there really is no difference. Sure one may be a little more popular and another may be more compatible with non-proprietary formats and software, but in the end they all have the same set of features. Pretty much every manufacturer, except for the iPod, features a built-in FM radio. The built-in radio is the...

Zune no big woop

I didn't get home until late last night so I am writing two articles tonight. Even though I am home even later than I was last night. Yesterday while I was at Target and Best Buy I had a chance to look at the new Microsoft Zune MP3 player. I was not impressed. As I played with the device I had to wonder if I was even supposed to be impressed. I mean it comes in three colors – white, black and brown. No electronic...

Gadgets yield more gadgets

I have helped several people buy new computers lately. I don't sell computers or any other hardware so I am more of a personal shopper than a salesman when it comes to guiding people through their purchase. I think it's funny how gadgets always seem to yield more gadgets. Here is a short flowchart of how this process works. 1. A client calls and says that they need a new computer. They ask my advice on what they...