Posts by Marcel Brown
Macworld 2009 Live
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January 2009 FYI – Apple Apples? Tasty.
What could be more natural than growing apples with Apple Inc. logos? What I’m wondering is why no one has thought of this before. To see how this is done, just follow this link: http://www.uberreview.com/2008/12/japanese-fanboy-grows-apple-apples.htm
Tech Toy of the Month: The Quattro 6000D Sewing Machine
To some people, this month’s tech toy may seem like one of the most unlikely combinations of technology out there. But in reality, sewing machines have been getting more and more high tech for quite a while now. However, the Quattro 6000D from Brother is quite unlike any other sewing machine before it.
Not being a seamstress, I don’t really know much about what makes a good sewing machine. But this machine does seem to have some impressive features, including a large 4.5 x 7 inch LCD display, a 50 square inch workspace, and embedded runway lighting. This machine is so new that pricing information is hard to find, but it appears to retail for $9000 – $13000. This probably explains why Brother has a special financing deal that lets you pay for this over 36 months.
To find out more about this product, take a look at http://www.brother-usa.com/homesewing/quattro/ and http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/30/the-quattro-6000d-this-aint-your-grandmommas-sewing-machine/
If you have any ideas for future Tech Toys of the Month, send them in today!
Q: My hard drive is getting full. Should I just buy an external hard drive?
A: Buying an external drive is certainly one way to free up some space on the internal hard drive of your computer. However, while this method might seem simple, it could end up being more confusing and problematic than anticipated.
The first thing to make clear is that adding an external hard drive does not simply “extend” the space on the main hard drive. To actually make more room on the internal drive, data must be manually moved from the internal to the external drive and then deleted from the internal. The immediate problem most users will face is deciding what data to move from the internal to the external drive. Many users will have difficulty figuring out what data is taking up the most space on the hard drive. To complicate matters, in some cases a system problem is the cause of excessive drive usage. So if a user can’t effectively clean up their main drive, an external drive really hasn’t solved anything.
The second problem with moving data to an external drive is keeping track of what data resides on which drive. Having some data on an external drive can be confusing, especially when a computer is shared among several users. Again, since an external drive is a separate drive from the internal, it doesn’t simply extend the space of the internal drive. Users must decide when to save or store data on the internal vs the external drive and then remember what they did later.
A word of warning while I’m on this topic: external hard drives are in NO WAY any more reliable than internal drives! I say this because I’ve had many clients copy their data to an external drive as a backup but then remove the data from the internal drive. They thought the data was somehow safer on the external. While I certainly recommend using an external drive as part of an automated backup plan, the point of a backup is to have at least two copies of your valuable data in case one copy is lost. If your only copy of data is on an external drive, it isn’t really a backup. An external hard drive is just as likely to fail as an internal drive, which many an unwitting user has found out the hard way.
My recommendation to increase the storage on an internal hard drive is to replace it. However, when replacing an internal drive, the entire contents of the old drive should be properly copied to the new one, a process called cloning. By cloning, users will not need to reinstall their operating system and software. And by replacing an older internal drive, not only will the user increase the space of their main hard drive, they will also likely extend the practical life of their computer.
The only problem with replacing an internal drive and cloning the data is that it is usually not simple enough for an average user to perform. The good news is that qualified technicians should be able to perform this service for a reasonable fee, including parts and labor. This service, which I call a Hard Drive Transplant, is often not much more than the cost of a quality external hard drive alone, and is certainly a whole lot cheaper than the cost of recovering from a crashed hard drive.
Send in your technology questions to Marcel and have them answered in a future newsletter!
Too Much of a Good Thing?
As we get closer to the DTV transition date, I thought I would offer some advice on choosing the right size HDTV for your particular viewing arrangement. Alternately, if you’ve already purchased an HDTV, you can use this info to rearrange your sitting area to take best advantage of your screen size. It is possible to get an HDTV that is too big for your room!
In general, due to the higher resolution and quality of HDTV technology, it is possible to sit closer to a large screen without noticing the scan lines that form the picture. However, when watching non-high definition broadcasts, the increased detail of HDTV can actually magnify the imperfections inherent in these lower quality sources. So for the next few years, as we continue to transition to high definition broadcasts and source mediums, we are all caught in a bit of a catch-22. However, the following guidelines should give you a good idea on what the optimum viewing arrangement would be for a particular size HDTV.
The following chart (thanks to Crutchfield.com) shows the screen size followed by a viewing distance range. The higher quality the source (Blu-Ray, HD broadcasts, upconverted DVD, etc.), the closer the ideal viewing distance would be in that range. The lower-quality the source (VHS, non-HD broadcast, non-upconverted DVD, etc.), the further the ideal viewing distance would be in that range.
30 inches: 3.75 – 6.25 feet
34 inches: 4.25 – 7 feet
42 inches: 5.25 – 8.75 feet
50 inches: 6.25 – 10.5 feet
56 inches: 7 – 11 feet
62 inches: 7.75 – 13 feet
70 inches: 8.75 – 14.75 feet
Now also consider that many higher-quality HDTV’s will do a good job of upconverting lower-quality sources to look better. So depending on your own viewing arrangement and preferences, use this chart as a guideline to purchase an HDTV or rearrange your viewing area.
Marcel Brown Technology Services and the company’s retail store, The Tech Spot, was recently voted as the #1 Computer Sales and Service company in their area! For more great technology advice, contact Marcel or The Tech Spot today!
December FYI – Don’t Text While Driving, But Texting and Surgery is OK!
It’s amazing what we can do with technology these days. What is even more amazing is how some people put this technology to use. A doctor volunteering in Congo was able to perform a complicated surgery he had not done before using instructions texted to him by a colleague in London. In the process he saved a boy’s life. Read more about this amazing story here.
Holiday Tech Toys 2008!
Once again for the holidays, instead of a single tech toy for the month of December, I am offering a list of cool technology gift ideas. Some of the items on this list are updated from last year, others I’ve written about this year, and some are totally new!
Apple iMac & MacBook
Apple has sold more Macintosh computers in the first 3 quarters of this year than they sold all of last year – and we still have the holiday season to go! Obviously, Macintosh computers continue to grow in popularity by leaps and bounds. Since last year, Apple has introduced the new MacBook Air and has revamped the MacBook line. So once again, take a look at these models of Macs before buying any other computer.
GPS navigation devices
GPS navigation devices used to be luxury items. Now they seem to be considered a standard feature on many cars and a mainstream purchase for those cars that don’t already have GPS. If you know someone that drives a lot (or gets lost a lot), a GPS navigation device can make a great gift. Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan are a few of the most popular brands.
HDTV
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard that most TV stations will be required to broadcast only in HDTV by February 17th 2009. While it is NOT true that you MUST buy a new HDTV by that date, the perception is out there among many people that this is true. The reality is that it will be easier to have an HDTV after this date, so feel free to get yourself an HDTV (or give one as a gift). Prices have never been better on HDTV and it might be possible that prices will go up after the holidays and the February 17th date nears.
Blu-Ray Players
To go along with your new HDTV, consider a Blu-Ray player. Earlier this year, Blu-Ray became the high definition successor to DVD. Blu-Ray discs offer twice the resolution of DVD, taking full advantage of the most advanced HDTVs. Blu-Ray players also “up-convert” today’s DVDs, making them look better than they would on a standard TV. As I wrote about previously, consider a Sony PlayStation 3 as your Blu-Ray player.
Binary Watches
For the techie who has everything, consider getting them a stylish “binary” watch from The One. The trick to these watches is that the time is displayed in the binary number format, which is uber-cool for many of those who consider themselves techno-elite. And even if you aren’t down with the binary, the watches are extremely stylish, so they can make a great gift for anyone who wants a unique watch. If you’re in my area, you can check out watches from The One at Exactime Watch & Clock in Glen Carbon.
Rearview Cameras
Many cars today come with a video screen in the front dash. For cars that don’t come with them built-in, it is possible to add them with aftermarket products. These video screens can be used for GPS navigation or other informational features. One accessory for use with these video screens that is gaining in popularity are rearview cameras. Basically, aftermarket rearview cameras mount to the rear of the car and allow the driver to see directly behind the car. This makes backing up and parking a lot safer for the driver and those behind the car.
XLink BT Cellular Gateway
Many people are dropping their land line phones and going with cell phones only. However, some of those people would still like to be able to make use of their old phones while in their homes. The XLink BT Cellular Gateway allows you to connect your old landline phones to a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. This setup could work really well with those unlimited talk mobile plans. This may not necessarily be a good gift idea for others, but it could make a great gift for yourself or your family, especially if you’re able to drop the monthly cost for a landline that you rarely use.
USB Toys
For a quick and simple tech gift, there are many USB gadgets and toys out there from beverage chillers to foam missile launchers. I had written a previous article with some links to these types of gadgets. A new one I just read about is a USB aromatherapy oil burner.
Q: Can I transfer my music from my iPod to another computer?
A: The answer is technically yes, but perhaps more correctly the answer is are you sure you want to do that? First off, Apple does not provide or support a method of transferring music from an iPod to a computer. I don’t believe Apple has officially given a reason for this, but it is widely assumed that the major record labels specifically forbade Apple from implementing a feature like this in an attempt to avoid music piracy. However, there are third party software programs available that can accomplish this. Some of these software packages can also transfer your playlists from your iPod. But the reality is that most of the time people really don’t need to spend any money on extra software to transfer their music.
Usually it seems I get this question from people who have purchased a new computer. They want to use iTunes on their new computer and think they need to move the music from their iPod. The simple solution is to transfer their iTunes “library” folder from their old computer to their new one. It doesn’t even matter if your old computer was a PC and your new computer is a Mac. Once the iTunes library is moved from the old computer to the new one, iTunes will automatically recognize all your old music and playlists.
FYI, the process of moving the iTunes library from an old computer to a new one might be a bit daunting for some users. We at The Tech Spot offer to transfer documents, including the iTunes library folder, for free with the purchase of a new computer.
Send in your technology questions to Marcel and have them answered in a future newsletter!
Money Saving Tech Tips
Rather than writing my own Tech Tip for this month, I read an article that I found very interesting and would like to share with all of you. Take a few minutes and read “12 Easy Ways to Cut Your Company’s Tech Costs Now”. Before you do, though, understand that this article is primarily aimed at mid-sized companies and up. However a few of the tips can be relevant to small business and home users, especially tip #10 and #12. Thanks to bMighty.com for this article
November FYI – First Hanging Chads, Now This …
The election dominated our news for months. Now that it’s over, some experts are attributing the “21st Century” campaign of Barrack Obama for his victory. Part of this success, they claim, was the extensive technology that the Obama campaign used. An example of this was something they called “Project Houdini“, used to identify which supporters had or had not yet voted on election day in real-time. The use of all this technology during the election process sounds all well and good, but could it have gone too far?