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Riding Shotgun with Rick

Is the iPhone another Newton?

iphoneFor 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 just down the street from Apple called Palm, introduced the Palm Pilot. It was less than one-half the size of a Newton, ran on a single AAA battery, had an ingeniously accurate handwriting recognition system, AND could synchronize data easily with a PC or Macintosh computer.

Fast forward to this week. Steve Jobs gave his usually raucous key note address at the annual Apple convention known as Macworld Expo. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device slightly smaller than the Newton, but bigger than a Palm Pilot, and he pronounced it as the iPhone (already in legal trouble with Cisco who claims they own the rights to the name). Apple has been on a tear for about six years now the introduction of the iMac all-in-one computers, the iPod, and iTunes. Trying to capitalize on their recent successes, they decided to enter the "smart phone" market.

A smart phone is defined as a cellular phone that can also be used to synchronize contact, calendar, to do lists, and documents with a computer. They also have a full QWERTY keyboard built into them. These types of phones are extremely popular amongst the geek sector and the 'wanna be' geek sector. Blackberry handheld email devices made email mobile, then Palm introduced the revolutionary Treo smart phone and remains the top vote getter in this market. One problem plagues the smart phone market; there aren't that many geeks. Despite seeing how incredibly useful and versatile a Treo phone can be, most people scoff at it's size and say, "It's too big! I could never carry that thing." Treo's tip the scales at just over 5 ounces and measures: 4.44" H x 2.3" W x 0.8" D. One other factor hinders large scale smart phone sales; many computer users barely understand their computers let alone try and use a smart phone.

Back to the iPhone. Let's start with its dimensions. It weighs about

Remember to feed your mouse

Interestingly, I received two phone calls and another email today all regarding the same subject. Upon starting their computers, these users could not move their cursor around the screen…despite repeated attempts. It turns out that in all three cases, they were using cordless mice. Cordless mice talk to the computer via radio waves to a receiver attached to the computer. Since they are cordless, they can't get power from the computer (like corded mice do) so they get power from batteries. Some mice use AAA batteries, others use AA. In all cases, these batteries need to be replaced from time-to-time.

A (another) word about passwords

I will be the first to admit that remembering the plethora of passwords and pin numbers in our high tech world is overwhelming. However, it is imperative that you DO remember them. And even more imperative that you use different hard to guess passwords for different sites…especially financial sites. Using sticky notes is not the best way to manage your passwords, but using a Rolodex or index cards in a recipe box can work well. You can read our tip (click here) about electronic ways to save and remember your passwords. Knowing your passwords will save you a great deal of time when needing tech support either on the phone or from guys like me who make house calls. And we all know time is money.

Broadband Bliss

During the holidays, I helped a friend buy and setup a new computer. After looking at his current bills, we determined that his family would save money going with our local cable company for their TV, telephone, and Internet setup. They dumped MSN (dial-up), AT&T long distance, and Qwest in the process. Now they have a better TV plan, unlimited long distance telephone calls, nice phone package, and of course the high speed Internet. Once we finalized the setup, I introduced them to some of the things they could do with broadband. They were amazed at the speed of the new machine and connection speed, but also very pleased that their phone would no longer be busy when they used the Internet.

Create a new toolbar in Windows – Video Tip

Desktop icons are great to access commonly used programs and files, but I have found an even faster way to access those commonly used programs and keep my desktop a little cleaner at the same time.

After following the outlined steps below, you will have an orderly toolbar that contains easy one-click access to your favorite programs or files:

  1. RIGHT Click on your Taskbar (next to the Start button)

  2. Click Toolbars

  3. Click Quick Launch (or make sure there is already a check mark there)

One month away from Windows Vista

Microsoft plans on rolling out Windows Vista en masse on January 30, 2007. After nearly three years of delays, the much anticipated new operating system will be available. Unfortunately, the only reason it is getting released now versus later is because Microsoft stripped away many of the features it was supposed to have in order to deliver the product at all. This doesn't bode well for Microsoft or we computer users. I showed my brother Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 while he was here for the holidays. His response: "It's sexier."

I will admit that it has a certain visual appeal, but nothing earth shattering. What it doesn't have is an intuitive look and feel that users will feel comfortable with out of the box because the visual aesthetics are so different. With one month to go, I am anxious to see the reception that it gets from consumers. So far, the volume business clients that have had access since November have been very unimpressed and sales are lackluster.

Picasa Picture Manager Video Tip – Part 2

In Part 1 of our Picasa Video tip , we discussed how to use many of the editing and organizing tools available in Picasa. In this tip, you will learn about:

  • Transferring your digital camera photos to your computer with Picasa
  • Selecting photos from multiple folders
  • Creating a web album
  • Printing your photos
  • Ordering prints from your photos
  • and more!

Click the Read More option below to start the video if it has not already started, and be patient as the video loads.

Picasa Picture Manager Video Tip – Part 1

Picasa , from Google, has matured into a phenomenal digital photo manager. Not only is it easy to use and contains tons of great features, but it is also free to use. In the upcoming week, we will present you with a series of video tips explaining how to get the most out of Picasa.

This video may take a few minutes to get started (even on a broadband connection), but be patient, and you will be happy you have seen the video.

 

Porn doesn’t just happen

OK, I'm letting the cat out of the bag: web based porn is NOT magic. I always smile inside when I here people tell me that porn ads or images suddenly appeared on their computer. In more than 12 years of browsing and researching on the web (and I have put in a few hours), I can tell you that porn has never suddenly appeared out of thin air. I can also honestly say that I have never 'run into' porn by searching the web. Is it because I have some great anti-porn software on my computer? No. Is it because I have been lucky? No. 

The reason why it has never suddenly appeared on my computer, my wife's computer or my kid's computer in almost 15 years of online browsing is that porn originates from only three possible places:

Add more USB ports easily

PCI USB Expansion CardMany new computers over the past few years come with a minimum of six USB ports (four in the back and two up front). With cameras, scanners, printers, MP3 players, external hard drives, mice, keyboards and more, what seemed like a lot of ports quickly dwindles. You could add an external USB hub that plugs into one of your ports then gives you four more, for a net gain of three. Hubs can be found for about $20-30. More often, however, I'm recommending people spend less than $10 and get a PCI USB expansion card that gives you a net gain of four or more USB ports.