Archive for April 2011
Lenovo (and Acer) Laptop Deals – $380 and $600
Lenovo makes excellent laptops and here are two deals on them, one an entry level (but not too entry level) and a performance model.
Best Buy has a 15.6” Lenovo for $380 that has a dual-core Pentium processor, 2GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, DVD burner, webcam, fingerprint reader, memory card reader, fast wireless-n and Windows 7. Not bad at all and a great price. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/TekChic0326
Office Depot has this 14” Lenovo ThinkPad Edge with an Intel Core i5 processor for those of you who need more oomph in your computer. This is a machine you could edit music and videos with, work with huge spreadsheets, etc. without choking it down. The smaller screen makes it a little easier to tote around. In addition to the i5 processor, it comes with 4GB of fast memory, a 500GB hard drive, 3 USB ports plus an external eSATA port, HDMI output, wireless-n and of course, Windows 7. Here’ the link to the Office Depot page: http://bit.ly/TekChic0327
Another performance machine at an excellent price is the Acer TimelineX at Amazon. This is a 15.6” black brushed aluminum laptop with a claimed 8 hours of battery life (probably will really be less but even 6 hours would be great at this price.) It comes with a multi-gesture keypad (with capabilities similar to a smartphone like an Android or iPhone), a 1.3 megapixel HD webcam, a faster Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory, a huge 640GB hard drive, DVD burner, wireless-n, media card reader, 4 USB ports, HDMI output, Windows 7 and Office 2010 starter edition. Here’s the Amazon page: http://amzn.to/TekChic0328
So if you’re in the market to replace that desktop with something a little more portable or that old laptop that is just limping to the finish line, take a look at these.
Passwords People, Passwords!
OK, yesterday within 15 minutes I had TWO clients find out their accounts had been hacked. One was Facebook and the other was Yahoo mail. How did this happen? EASY passwords. NEVER just use a name (including pets), words in a dictionary or dates. The bad guys have programs that run the entire dictionary and then some against your login in just a few seconds. Their programs include those words/names WITH obvious alterations, like the number 1 after it, for example “bingo1”. This doesn’t fool anybody.
I know passwords are hard to remember, so let me give you a tip for having strong but easy passwords. The best passwords are a combination of upper and lower case alphabetic characters, numbers and special characters (like those above the number keys on your keyboard.)
Take something like a town or street you used to live, add a special character like $ or # or ! and finish it with a number you can remember. If you picked a town or street as the word, DON’T use the zip code of that same town or street as your number – use UNRELATED facts, maybe the year you were born AND the year you graduated high school. So if you used to live in a town called Fairfield, were born in 1970 and graduated high school in 1988, they try a password like “Fairfield$19701988”. That is a HARD password to crack and unless you have millions of dollars in the bank that someone else wants, no one is even going to try to crack that password.
In the graphic above, there are 1,000,000 possible combinations to guess that password (10 to the 6th power) – SIMPLE for a computer to do. Now take the password we constructed here, it figures out to
18 to the 82nd power – now that’s HUGE number (I’ll let some really smart math student figure out how many zeros that is.) If you bank or some other site doesn’t let you use special characters, then that password with the letters and numbers would still be 17 to the 62nd power, still too big to put here. But 17 to the 13th power is 9,904,578,032,905,937 (that’s 9 quadrillion, or 9,000 trillion). Even that will take a computer years to crack – so KEEP IT STRONG! It doesn’t have to be hard. I’ll soon post a full how-to on using LastPass – the best (and FREE) password manager that will simplify and secure your digital life.
The Updates are Here! The Updates are Here!
Well, the second Tuesday of the month has arrived, that means it’s time to get those security updates for your computer. Microsoft will have a large number of updates, and I just got a notice on my own system of an update for Java. I’m expecting to see updates for Adobe Acrobat and Flash as well.
Remember with the updates coming out today, the bad guys will be exploiting UNPATCHED systems tomorrow, so don’t put it off.
AND… be sure to only update from within the application or the task tray icon. I got an email today from “Adobe” (it really wasn’t) telling me do download the upgrade. Do I need to say it again? NEVER click on links or attachments in email unless you know who it’s from and you are expecting it. Adobe doesn’t have your email from Reader, and they are not going to send you a message telling you to update.
So look for those update icons, and update, update, update!
Amazon Offers a Lower Price on Kindle – $114
Amazon is offering it’s $139 Kindle in an ad-supported version for $114. It won’t ship until May 3rd but you can pre-order it now online at Amazon.com. Initial advertisers are reported to be General Motors Co.’s Buick, Procter & Gamble’s Olay, and Visa Inc. Don’t worry, the ads won’t appear in the middle of your book, rather, they will serve as your home screen and screensaver.
Like Music? You’ll LOVE AudioGalaxy!
If you have a large music collection, you may not be able to (or want to) get it all on your smartphone. If you use all the storage on your phone for music, you won’t have room for photos or videos.
Well, if your phone is based on Android or is an iPhone, then you can have your entire music collection available wherever you are without taking up any storage space at all on your phone. AudioGalaxy is a free app that lets you STREAM your music collection from your computer at home to your phone over either wi-fi or 3G. If there is any catch at all, you just have to make sure your computer is on when you want to listen to music (not a problem for me, mine is always on.)
All you do is go to AudioGalaxy.com and create a free account. From the computer with your music collection, download the AudioGalaxy Helper onto your Windows or Mac machine – it will start indexing your music collection. Then go to the Apple App Store or Android Marketplace and download AudioGalaxy onto your phone, launch the app and login – you now have immediate access to all your music, cool huh? Another nice feature is that you can access your music from any other computer as well. Just login at AudioGalaxy.com and you can play your music there, from a friends laptop or (shhhhh!) even your work pc at the office without having to install anything onto the computer.
So go it. It’s free, it’s fast and it works great.
DEAL: New Dell Optiplex Desktop for $314. Includes 3 YEAR WARRANTY!
OK, I was just about to refer a client to Dell’s Outlet store for a refurbished desktop to replace her old, broken desktop when I saw this NEW Optiplex for $304 (it only comes with a DVD reader drive so spring for the extra $10 and get the DVD burner.) It has a 3.2 GHz dual-core processor, but if you need more ummph (my spell checker has a problem with ummph) go with the $65 upgrade to the Core2 Duo. If you want to play mild video games on it, in additional to the Core2 Duo upgrade the video card to the NVIDIA. It also includes Microsoft Office Starter, so if all you need are basic features in Word and Excel, you’re set. You also get a free upgrade to 4GB of memory, and the very best part of this deal is the included 3-year warranty that includes Next Business Day Service. So for 3 years, if you can’t get your computer problem fixed over the phone, Dell will send someone out to you the next business day. The support also includes help with some of the most common software programs – this is a really sweet deal. Now it doesn’t come with a keyboard, mouse, speakers or a monitor, but if you’re upgrading you’ve already got these things (but Dell will gladly sell them to you if you want.) So get to it if you’re looking for a deal on a desktop. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/TekChic0323
You Might Get a Fake Email From One of These Companies That Looks Totally Real
There was a security breach at the company that handles the email marketing for thousands of companies. Approximately 2% of their users email addresses AND NAMES were leaked, making it very easy for a bad guy to create a very convincing and PERSONALIZED email appearing to come from a company you already do business with (this is called spear-phishing.) So be very careful if you get an email from any of the companies listed below. Don’t click on links within the email (good advice always.) Open your browser and type in the name of the site in the address bar yourself if you feel you need to go to their website.
- 1800-Flowers
- Abe Books
- Air Miles CA
- Ameriprise Financial
- Barclays Bank of Delaware
- Beachbody
- Bebe Stores Inc.
- Benefit Cosmetics
- BestBuy
- Brookstone
- Capital One
- Charter Communications (Charter.com)
- Citibank
- City Market
- The College Board
- Crucial.com
- Dell Australia
- Dillons
- Disney Vacations
- Eurosport/Soccer.com
- Eddie Bauer
- Food 4 Less
- Fred Meyer
- Fry’s
- Hilton Honors
- The Home Shopping Network
- Jay C
- JP Morgan Chase
- King Soopers
- Kroger
- LL Bean
- Marks & Spencer (UK)
- Marriott Rewards
- McKinsey Quarterly
- Moneygram
- New York & Co.
- QFC
- Ralphs
- Red Roof Inns Inc.
- Ritz Carlton
- Robert Half
- Smith Brands
- Target
- TD Ameritrade
- TIAA-CREF
- TiVo
- US Bank
- Verizon
- Viking River Cruises
- Walgreens
- World Financial Network National Bank
If a Window Says You Have a Virus, DON’T CLICK!
I’ve had 3 clients TODAY get hit with a variant of a virus that’s been around for a couple of years now. A couple more in the last few days saw it but knew what to do, so I’ll tell you here what to do. The image here is just a sample of what it might look like. A lot of bad guys are using this tactic because it works – it scares people into clicking.
What happens is you’re happily surfing around the Internet, and out of the blue all of a sudden you get a window that says something like “Windows Security Alert” or “Virus Protection” or something similar and it is telling you that you have LOTS of infected files. Well, you DON’T. At least not yet. They try to trick you into clicking on the screen to download software to clean up the infections. If you click anywhere on the windows, you will download the VIRUS!
One I saw today was so nasty it couldn’t be removed, had to back up all the data, wipe the drive clean, reinstall Windows and start all over, an unfortunate and expensive process.
So what do you do? If you have another program open and you need to save the data (like an open Microsoft Word document) then switch to that program and save your file. DO NOT CLICK ANYWHERE ON THE VIRUS WARNING SCREEN!!!!
Click on the start button and restart your computer after saving your file. If you were able to avoid getting infected, you should come up clean after the restart. If you’re getting constant pop-up warnings after the restart, then you’re infected and you’re going to need some help. Some variants can be removed, some can’t depending on if and how they’ve interacted with the operating system files.
Just don’t click anywhere in the window and that’s your best chance of avoiding getting hit. I will refer you (again) to my monthly article from last November on how to avoid getting viruses.
Get Angry Birds Rio Free Today Only
If you have an Android phone, hopefully by now you’re added the Amazon AppStore to your phone. And if you’ve been following my blog (and why wouldn’t you have been?) you already know that Amazon has a new FREE app each day (that you would otherwise have to pay for.) Today it is Angry Birds Rio, so if you’ve worked your way through Angry Birds and are ready for a new challenge, or even if you’re NOT ready yet, go ahead and download for free while you can.
Be sure to check back each day (that is after all why they do this to begin with) and see if the the free app that day is something you want. As I like to say, free is good.
Turn That Old Printer Into an Invisible Ink Spy Machine
If you have an old inkjet printer laying around, and a family member that likes do-it-yourself projects with a hidden desire to be a secret agent, here’s a fun one you might want to try. By replacing the yellow ink in a printer cartridge with a lemon concentrate mixture, you can print out invisible messages that require a special concoction to reveal.
The folks at Make Magazine have a video showing you step-by-step how to do it. Perhaps a fun project to give your kids something to do this summer. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/TekChic0322
Students – Get Windows 7 Professional for $29
If you’re a student with a .edu email address, you can get Windows 7 Professional for only $29. Probably the single biggest difference between the Home Premium version that comes on most computers and the Professional version is that you also get what is called “XP-Mode”. XP-Mode lets you run an actual Windows XP machine in a window within your Windows 7 installation, allowing you to run any older programs that don’t run well or at all in Windows 7. It’s like having a computer within a computer. The professional version also does a better job knowing when you’re at home vs. school and which printer you should be using (automatically), and it also has “Remote Desktop” which lets you connect remotely to your computer as if you’re sitting in front of it.
You can use XP-Mode to protect you from viruses, how? Do all of your email and web-surfing with the XP-Mode window. If you do get a virus, it will be contained within the virtual machine window and won’t infect your Windows 7 installation. Then you can just delete the XP-Mode machine (it’s just a big file), and create a new one.
Upgrading from Vista is rather simple, upgrading from Windows XP is a little trickier, be sure your XP machine can run Windows 7 before upgrading.
So if you have a .edu address, go here to get it from Microsoft: http://bit.ly/TekChic0321
Watch TV ANYWHERE on Your iPad (as long as you don’t leave home)
I’m frankly a little bit at a loss why people would really care much about watching TV on their iPad, in their own home (I guess if you’re afraid of missing that big sports play you can take it into the bathroom with you.)
A couple of weeks ago Time-Warner launched and now Cablevision has announced an iPad app that lets you watch your television on your 10” iPad instead of that nasty ‘ol 50” plasma television in your living room. Want to go to Starbucks and enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the morning, don’t plan on firing up your cable company’s app and be able to watch it there – you have to be connected to the same network that your cable box is connected to, meaning it’s only useful at home.
OK, maybe you want to sit in a chair outside on a nice day, then maybe that’s a good reason (assuming you can see the screen in the bright light.) Don’t want to miss that touchdown while you’re in the bathroom? Do yourself a favor and learn how to pause your DVR.
The really silly part is that some companies like News Corp, Viacom and Discovery are actually suing Time-Warner over the app, so Time-Warner is dropping channels owned by them on the app.
If you even cared about this enough to read down this far, may I suggest you go to Best Buy and purchase a SlingBox? You hook your SlingBox up between your Cable box, Satellite receiver or DVR and television, NOW you can watch your television anywhere you want, even away from home (what a concept.) SlingBox has apps for your laptop, your iPad and your mobile phone. All you need is an Internet connection. You can travel across the country, take advantage of your hotel’s free wi-fi and watch YOUR television instead of whatever they are showing in your room.
Posted in Smartphones/Tablets | Tags: Cablevision, iPad, Slingbox, Time-Warner Cable | 
No Comments »
ATT to Improve Wireless Coverage with "Mega-cell" Service
In an attempt to satisfy its many wireless customers who constantly suffer from dropped phone calls within the U.S., AT&T has decided to add an additional tower that will greatly improve the coverage for the nation’s cell phone users. The location for the new tower is going to be located on Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars using AT&T’s new Mega-cell transmission service. A spokesman for AT&T who insisted on being anonymous said that after much research, it was determined that the residents of America would never get a good wireless signal without an unobstructed line of site to their towers, and as they found it impossible to do on land, they chose Mars to locate their new "Megatower". The tower will be 5 miles tall, and will be powered by a solar collector approximately twice the size of Houston. Once installation is complete, the Megatower will be turned on and controlled remotely from Earth, since the high power needed to send a signal so far would instantly evaporate anyone within 40,000 miles. Though eager to implement the additional coverage, AT&T says there is still the technical issue of the 18 minute delay between someone talking on one end of the conversation and then hearing the other end. But since the additional air time would only add minutes to each bill thus improving AT&T’s profit margin, they currently only have one part-time high school student working on the problem alone during weekends. When asked why not use the moon since it was closer, AT&T responded "Sprint already purchased the rights to the moon from NASA and will be sponsoring the first low-gravity NASCAR race to be held along the Sea of Tranquility."