Rick’s Answers his email Videocast – 0...

Today is the “silhouette edition” of my new series. You will see why immediately as you start watching…however, don’t let that deter you from some great Q&A! In today’s episode I answer questions from Zilla May, Beverly, Roger, Tami, Tom, Terry, Greg, Sandy, Jon, and a few others about topics ranging from printing recipes to choosing a MIL laptop. ...

Dell goes deeper into Linux

Dell announced that they will release a line of laptop computers this fall with an instant on technology called Latitude On. Early indications are that it will closely mimic the Splashtop technology I wrote about last year and during CES 2008. And like Splashtop, the Dell technology involves using a light version of Linux to produce an extremely fast boot up (30 seconds or less) time and can access the Internet through...

Asus started a whole new trend

I just returned from visiting my brother and his new baby and traveled, again, with only my phone and my Asus Eee PC. As usual, the little laptop did not disappoint. I was able to keep up with email, work with my spreadsheets and word processing documents and do other web research as well. All from a little marvel that cost less than $400 and weighs less than 2 pounds. Asus was the first to release a successful mini-laptop...

Windows XP Service Pack 3

Microsoft released the 3rd service pack for Windows XP about three months ago. Microsoft packages many operating system updates and fixes into one large package and then releases it as a service pack. Because these are extremely large files that apply many updates and changes to our systems, they can sometimes have trouble. Initially Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) did have some issues that seemed to be mostly resolved....

Eee PC on the airplane

I haven’t had a chance to use my Eee PC on an airplane until recently. Usually, who am I kidding, I always fly coach. If you flown in the past few years, you know how tight they are spacing rows and even seats back there. I can’t imagine anyone trying to use any other laptop on a plane comfortably. Even with the guy in front of me leaning his seat all the way back, I could use my Eee PC without any...

Are Macintosh computers poised to make a run?

JUNE 2008 UPDATE: I wrote the article below two years ago, ran across it tonight and wanted to write an update to it. At the time I wrote it, I think the now famous Apple and PC guy commercials had just started ramping up and the ominous steps towards Windows Vista were getting closer. My words probably weren’t unique at the time, and I don’t claim to be a sage, but it is astonishing how much the market has...

Vacation from technology

I just disembarked from a 7 day cruise to Alaska with my family. The scenery was fantastic, the weather was unbelievable, the food was edible, but the availability of technology was virtually absent. The cruise line brochure mentioned that Internet would be available online, but it didn’t say that it would be a $1.00 per minute! And it didn’t mention that an old-fashioned dial-up connection would be faster than...

Eee PC 900

The new ASUS Eee PC 900 is finally available in the United States. Like its release earlier this year in Asia, the 900 version is selling like hot cakes in the U.S. too. I have been using the 4G version of the  original ASUS Eee PC since November 2007 and wrote a few articles about it that can be found here. I originally bought it to try it out and see what all the fuss was about, but quickly became attached to its ultra...

Curbside Recycling

When I help people setup a new computer, camera or printer, the standard question asked by the new gadget owner is; “What shall I do with the old one?” I think that the value of tech curbside recycling is highly undervalued. Curbside recycling involves hauling your old hardware out to the curb and just leaving it there. In most moderately busy neighborhoods (HOA’s rules aside), a piece of technology on the...

Cloudmark, Zonbu, Hostgator OH MY!!

You may have noticed that HelpMeRick.com has something new. We have added ads, but not just any ads. The ads you see on HelpMeRick.com are only for companies that we recommend strongly. So far, we have ads for Hostgator – our favorite web hosting service. Zonbu, an excellent laptop for those who want a laptop in a standard size package but alternative operating system. If you can’t afford Mac and the Eee PC is...

WiFi is truly becoming ubiquitous

I’ve mentioned before that I think that laptops make a lot of sense for computer users who travel. With a great deal of our communication and information gathering tied up in the computer world, not having this tool when traveling is a definite minus. My family and I just returned from a short trip where having our laptop with us saved us a lot of time and aggravation. While traveling, we used the computer and a wi-fi...

Zonbu – Part III

This will be the fourth article I have posted about the Zonbu computer company (read previous Zonbu articles here). Since my last report, I helped setup a second Zonbu laptop and visited with my first Zonbu customer today. The second Zonbu owner bought his for his wife who enjoys mainly email and Internet and had no need for an expensive machine. He and his wife found the computer easy to operate and extremely capable for...

Help! My laptop has been stolen – No they di...

Before I get a bunch of comments about the news story on the bad guys who were caught, it doesn’t appear to be the same bad guys at the moment. My stuff was not in the initial find and the dates don’t match up. Maybe the bad guys know each other, but until the police contact me with a find, I am assuming that my laptops are still out there. Yes, both my laptops were stolen out of my car last night. One was an...

Zonbu – Part II

In a post last week, I announced that the first Zonbu computer (that I know of) was coming to Grand Junction. It has indeed arrived, and I am enormously impressed with the machine. Like all Linux computers, the Zonbu requires a high speed wired or wireless connection to operate. Dial-up users need not apply. The reason for requiring a high speed connection is that Zonbu provides automatic backup of files, automatic...

Zonbu is coming to Grand Junction!!

Today, I helped a new customer order a Zonbu computer. I first wrote about this interesting computer about two months ago. I offered to setup these machines up for free for the first three people in our area that buy one. After much deliberation and research, the customer (KC) and I decided that this computer was really the right decision for her needs. She bought the laptop Zonbu, and I can’t think of anything...