Archive for May 2011
Use AT&T DSL or UVerse? Send Them a Thank You Note for Your Usage Data Cap
On May 2nd, AT&T instituted data caps on their DSL and UVerse customers. If you use their DSL service then the amount of data you are allowed to download (and upload) is 150GB a month, if you use UVerse then it’s 250GB, with a $10 charge when you go over and another $10 for every 50GB after that.
If all you do is browse around the Internet and read email, than you’re not going to come close. But if you watch YouTube, stream music or watch Netflix over the Internet, then you might want to be concerned. If you think you’re going to be going over, you might want to check out alternatives, like your cable company (yes, you can get Internet only service from your cable company – that’s what I do) or you can try someone like DSL Extreme.
Ars Technica has an article talking more about it and how to check your usage online to see if you’re nearing the cap: http://bit.ly/TekChic0347
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Fixes for the Web’s Most Annoying Problems
Lifehacker has posted fixes for what it calls the 10 most annoying problems on the Internet, including ads, bad page layout, filling in forms, signing up for accounts, and more.
So if you’re constantly being annoyed by sites and wish you could do something about it, check out the article here: http://lifehac.kr/TekChic0344
Your Mac Virus Has Finally Arrived
Technically it probably isn’t a virus, but it certainly is malware. It’s like the Windows malware circulating that says your system is infected, and this time it WILL put itself on your Mac. It tells you are infected if they are successful in getting you to download their program onto your computer, you will find yourself with pesky reminders to BUY their program to remove the viruses, and will occasionally send you to porn sites to convince you your machine is infected and that you need their help.
So don’t get fooled. Here is a link to the ars technica article: http://bit.ly/TekChic0343
DEAL: Dell Vostro 13.3” Laptop – $529
If you’re looking for something a little smaller, a little lighter, a little more portable, then Dell has their Vostro 3300 laptop on sale for $529. It comes with an i3 processor, weighs in a pound or more less than the bigger laptops, has a 310GB hard drive, 4GB of memory and all the usual stuff. What’s nice about the Vostro (and all of Dell’s business line products) is that along with the 1-year warranty you get their next business day onsite service, which means if you have a problem and they can’t fix it over the phone, they will send someone out to you to fix it the next business day, saving you having to pack it up and ship it in for repair. If there is a DOWNSIDE to their Vostro line is that their battery life tends to be pretty weak. If you’re hoping to get 4 hours of battery life, you’ll either want to get a high-capacity battery or a different brand. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/TekChic0342