Tech Toy of the Month: Slingbox
The idea behind the Slingbox is pretty simple. After connecting a Slingbox to your home TV and home network, the Slingbox sends the programming from your TV to your laptop or mobile phone via the Internet. Basically, this means that you can watch your own TV anywhere you are in the world, as long as you have Internet connectivity and an Internet-enabled device.
The Slingbox would be great for people who are out of town, yet want to watch programming only available on their home TV, such as local news or sports. They would be able to do so with the Slingbox. Also, people who use their DVR to record their favorite TV shows could make good use of the Slingbox. If they find themselves with some spare time on their hands while they are away from home, they could use this time to connect to their Slingbox and watch their recordings. Simply speaking, the Slingbox could be used to send video from any source in a home (satellite, cable, Tivo, DVD players, Apple TV, etc) to a user’s device. Because of this capability, the Slingbox can be used for a variety of needs besides the examples I just listed.
The various models of Slingbox range in price from $129.99 to $229.99, and is available from most major electronic retailers, or on-lline at http://www.slingbox.com. Because the Slingbox is a device that you purchase and install in your own home, there are no monthly subscription fees. The Slingbox currently supports Windows and Macintosh computers, as well as Windows Mobile/Pocket PC, Palm OS, and Symbian OS handheld devices. Notably absent at this time is support for the iPhone and iPod Touch. However support for these devices will probably become available in the near future, when Apple releases the necessary software for companies to create add-ons for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
While the Slingbox idea sounds great, there are some caveats to be aware of. Only 1 of the 3 current Slingbox models have multiple inputs. This can be limiting if you have multiple sources that you would want to watch remotely. Also, depending on the source, there could be the possibility of conflicting with someone wanting to watch something else at home. Finally, while the Slingbox does have technology to compensate for slower Internet connections, the quality of the video feed could be quite poor if either the Internet service at home or at the remote location isn’t fast enough. This could be very noticeable when using mobile devices. The bottom line is to be very sure of everything you would want to do with the Slingbox before you buy one. Consult with a good technology professional who is not only proficient with computers and networking, but also has a good understanding of audio/video technologies as well.
So if you or someone you know could use the capabilities of a Slingbox, be sure to check one out. And feel free to contact me if you would like some advice about setting up a Slingbox in your home.
Q: What anti-virus software should I use?
– Submitted by many
A: My philosophy on anti-virus software is that it should be as unintrusive as possible to the user and have as little impact as possible on the performance of the computer. Many anti-virus softwares annoy their users with frequent warnings and bog down the computers they run on because they require excessive amounts of RAM and other system resources.
Given this criteria, I recommend Trend Micro Internet Security. I have found that this software is the least intrusive software of the 3 major anti-virus softwares (Norton and McAfee being the other two). Year after year, Trend Micro Internet Security also seems to require fewer system resources than the other softwares, resulting in much less impact on system performance. If you have a business with 5 or more computers, I also recommend Trend Micro’s Client/Server Security Suite, which is their software for businesses.
One other very nice feature of this software is that they make it very easy to stay current. While other softwares make pricing distinctions between “upgrading” and “re-subscribing”, Trend Micro only charges for yearly subscriptions. As long as a user is current, they can upgrade to the latest Trend Micro version at any time.
While the 2007 version of Trend Micro Internet Security required quite a bit more RAM than I would have liked, the recently released 2008 version returns to form with a much slimmer RAM footprint. Combined with the other improvements to the 2008 version, I am highly recommending that all my clients upgrade to this version.
E-mail me your technology questions and have them answered in a future issue!
Don’t be left hanging by Office 2007 files
Along with the release of Windows Vista in January of this year, Microsoft also released Office 2007. Microsoft Office is the name of their software suite that includes Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. One of the “features” of Office 2007 is the introduction of new file formats. This really means very little to most people. However, it does pose a very inconvenient problem for many of us. The new file formats can not be opened by the earlier versions of Microsoft Office. Those of you who use Office 2003 or earlier versions (or those who use Office on the Mac) won’t be able to open the files generated by users who have Office 2007. As more and more users start using Office 2007, this will become more and more of a problem.
Of course, you could upgrade to Office 2007, but this is an expensive option. Additionally, many people are not happy with the many interface changes to Office 2007.
Fortunately, Microsoft has released a “compatibility pack” to help out users of Office 2003 and Office XP. Basically, once installed, the compatibility pack allows these versions of Microsoft Office to open, edit, and save the 2007 files. For more information and to download the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, go to this web page
Additionally, Microsoft has also released a converter for Mac users. The converter allows Mac users to convert the 2007 files into a format the Mac versions of Office can open. However, it does not allow users to save files into the 2007 format. The converter can be downloaded from this web page.
That Microsoft has released these items to help out users of older software is really unprecedented. In the past, they’ve usually not enabled any sort of “forward” compatibility for older versions of Office. So take advantage of Microsoft’s good will and make sure you can open files from the 2007 version of Office.
If you have any other questions regarding document sharing, especially when it comes to cross-platform sharing, Marcel should be your first call!
November is Anti-Virus Update Month
Don’t miss our money saving offer in this message!
If you have older or outdated anti-virus software, your valuable data could be at serious risk! Viruses and other malware employ many tricks to try to avoid detection. Older anti-virus software may not be able to detect newer viruses and spyware – even if your subscription is current!
There is no better time than the month of November to make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date. The 2008 versions of most anti-virus softwares were released earlier in the fall. By November, enough time has passed for the new anti-virus softwares to have been thoroughly tested and any bugs to have been worked out. So now is the perfect time to get the latest protection possible!
An added bonus this year is that the 2008 version of the anti-virus software I recommend, Trend Micro Internet Security, actually uses less RAM and system resources than the 2007 version. This means your computer could be faster with the 2008 version than the 2007 version. This should be most noticeable on older computers and computers with 512 MB of RAM or less. I am advising all my clients to upgrade as soon as possible. As long as your subscription is still current, Trend Micro does not charge you to upgrade to their latest version.
Additionally, to anyone who schedules an anti-virus update service in the month of November, I am offering 50% off the price of Trend Micro Internet Security (a $25 savings), or $15 off the cost of the service if new anti-virus software is not needed. So take advantage of this offer before the busy holiday season arrives!
Call Marcel Brown Technology Services at 800-797-8714 or 618-580-6256, visit our web site www.marcelbrown.com, or e-mail me at marcel@marcelbrown.com to make sure your computer is safe!
Vista, Geek Squad, and the Mac
I came across an interesting article on someone’s blog that I’d like to share with everyone. Click on the link below, give it a quick read, and then come back to this article for a few thoughts I had.
Obviously, the main point of the article is that Vista is not ready for primetime, which I’ve written about previously. Had she read my other article about Vista, she would have known how to buy a computer without Vista.
Second, note that she spent “many hundreds of dollars” on Geek Squad visits, yet they couldn’t resolve her problems. She’s not alone. Among my clients that had previously used Geek Squad, they all tell stories of multiple visits, unresolved issues, and huge bills. Had I become involved in a situation like this, I would have almost certainly resolved the problems for a fraction of the cost. If the problems were not resolvable at the time because the vendors’ software or hardware were problematic, I would have quickly determined this. Then I would have taken the time to explain to the client why the problems were not resolvable, again, at fraction of what the Geek Squad charges.
Finally, her experiences with the Mac, and more notably, how happy she is being able to run Windows on her Mac are worth noting for those of you that are resisting switching to a Mac. There are a lot of people who would like to switch to the Mac (or at least, get away from Windows) but who put it off because they feel “tied down” to Windows. The reality is that the Mac can run MORE software than any other platform in the world. This is because it is the only platform that can run all the software made for the Mac, for Windows, and for UNIX.
It’s nice to see other people’s experiences back up what I preach, which is why I found this article so interesting.
Tech Toy of the Month: Nintendo Wii, Part II
In my earlier article about the Nintendo Wii, I wrote about its revolutionary control system and physically involving gameplay. In this article, I will discuss the Wii’s other main features, namely its Internet connectivity and Virtual Console. First, however, I want make a brief mention of something I alluded to in the earlier article. I stated that physical control systems, like the Wii’s, will have significance in areas other than video games. I have recently read articles of hospitals and rehab clinics using the Wii as a rehabilitation tool with great success. So already, examples of the applicability of physical control systems are being seen.
As with the other “next-generation” video game consoles, the Nintendo Wii has network connectivity built-in. This allows the console to be connected to your home network and to the Internet as well. However, unlike the other consoles, the Wii’s standard network connectivity is Wi-Fi. If you have a wireless network, this makes connecting your Wii to your home network very convenient. If you don’t have a wireless connection, you can buy an Ethernet adapter for wired networking. The Wii uses networking to allow for various features. For example, Wii owners can download Wii updates, software, and games through the Internet. Certain Wii games can be played on-line. It is also possible to send messages to other Wii owners. A couple of other interesting Internet-enabled Wii features are the ability to look up your weather conditions and read news articles.
One of the available programs you can buy and download for the Wii is a web browser, which Nintendo calls the “Internet Channel”. It costs approximately $5, which you can pay for with a credit card directly through the Wii. Once downloaded, the Internet Channel allows for Internet browsing nearly as simple and full featured as through a regular computer. This is because the “Internet Channel” is actually the Opera web browser, a fairly popular web browser available for common computer operating systems. Basically, this allows for Internet usage on a family’s TV. For families that only have one computer, this lets the kids do some web browsing while the computer is occupied.
One of the potentially biggest selling points of the Wii is what Nintendo calls the “Virtual Console”. Simply speaking, the Wii has the ability to play games that were originally developed for the first three Nintendo game systems, as well as a few other “classic” consoles such as the Sega Genesis and Neo-Geo. Wii owners can buy and download these older games via the Wii’s Internet connection. Once downloaded, the games are available to play from the Wii’s main menu. The games play virtually identically to the original games, so it really is a retro experience for those of us who played these games 10, 15, and 20 years ago! What is interesting, however, is that kids who weren’t even born when these games were originally released are interested in playing these old games.
This really is a win-win scenario, as retro gamers get to play the games they grew up with and the video game developers get to make additional profit on games they had closed the books on years ago. The biggest problem so far, and the reason I say “potentially” biggest selling point, is that Nintendo has thus far released a pitifully small number of games for the Virtual Console! Nearly a year after releasing the Wii, there are only 46 titles available from the original Nintendo (NES), 22 from the Super Nintendo (SNES), and a paltry 9 from the Nintendo 64. In my opinion, the selection of games available is also poor. There are many, many titles that I would have already paid for if they were only available. I really don’t understand the logic behind this, as I believe that a larger and more popular selection of games would result in more sales. Nintendo, if you’re reading this, release more Virtual Console games!
Overall, the Wii differentiates itself from the competition primarily because of its control system and the Virtual Console. No other system has the physical control system of the Wii, and no other system can play retro games like the Wii. It is perhaps because of these two features that the Wii has outsold both the XBox 360 and Playstation 3. This is especially impressive considering the XBox 360 had a one year head start on sales. If you’d like a gaming system that will be good for the entire family and brings an entirely new dimension to gaming, you should definitely consider the Nintendo Wii. Good luck finding one!
If you have any ideas for future Tech Toys, please let me know!
Q: What can I do with my old computers and parts? Should I just throw them away?
– Submitted by Karen O’Koniewski
A: Old computers and peripherals contain a lot of substances and materials that can be bad for the environment. Depending on your locale, it may be illegal to throw old technology in your normal trash. So ideally, I would recommend that you recycle your old technology. However, finding a company to recycle old technology can be difficult. Fortunately, a familiar business name is now making technology recycling very easy.
Office Depot has recently begun a technology recycling service. For a small fee, you can purchase a box from your local Office Depot store. You can fill this box with almost any type of old technology parts, such as computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, etc. There are a few exceptions of what you can recycle for safety reasons, most notably cracked monitors. Then you bring the box back to Office Depot and they ship it off for you. Your only cost is the original purchase of the box. A small box costs $5, a medium box $10, and a large box $15. Be sure to stop by your local Office Depot for more details.
If you have need to recycle a large amount of older computer equipment, don’t hesitate to contact me. I know of other companies that cater to larger recycling projects as well.
PDF Made Simple
When we send documents to others, ideally we would like the other user to be able to see and print the document exactly as we see it on our computer. However, unless the user we are sending the document to has exactly the same version of software and all the same fonts we have, we can’t be sure they will see our document correctly. Fortunately, there is an easy way to accomplish sending documents that will print and display exactly as intended on any computer.
The technology behind our solution is called PDF, which stands for Portable Document Format. PDF files are often referred to as “acrobat files”. This is in reference to the software which first popularized the use of PDF files, Adobe Acrobat. Acrobat Reader is now simply called “Adobe Reader”, and so many people are now calling PDF files “adobe files”. This can be confusing because Adobe makes a lot of other software like Photoshop and Illustrator. So it would be best to refer to PDF files as “PDF files”, but just be aware that some people use the terms “acrobat” and “adobe”.
Most computers have the ability to read PDF files. Mac OS X comes with a program called “Preview” that opens PDF files. Adobe Reader is also available for free for Mac OS X. Most Windows PCs come with the free Adobe Reader pre-installed, and if not, it is often installed as part of other software or directly by the users themselves. Another good PDF reader for Windows that is very small and runs quickly is Foxit Reader. Foxit Reader is good for older computers since it runs quickly and needs less memory. There are even readers available for UNIX operating systems. So it is safe to assume that most people can read PDF files or they can easily get the necessary software. Since almost everyone can open PDF files, the real question is how do we create PDF files?
If you have a Mac, the operating system has built-in support for creating PDF files from any software. Simply choose to print a document, and instead of hitting the “print” button, look for an option to create a PDF. In Mac OS 10.4, there is a PDF button in the print dialog box to make this very simple. Basically, you save a PDF file instead of printing to the printer. You can then attach the PDF file to an e-mail, copy the file to a flash drive, or do whatever you want with it.
If you have Windows, there are many programs available to create PDF files. Many are free or very inexpensive. The one I recommend is PDFCreator. It is a free and open-source software that basically makes creating PDF files nearly as simple as it is on the Mac. Once the software is downloaded and installed, it creates a virtual printer that you can use to create PDF files. Instead of printing to your printer, choose the PDFCreator printer and a PDF file will be saved. Again, you can then attach, copy, or do whatever you want with the PDF file.
If you have any other questions regarding document sharing, especially when it comes to cross-platform sharing, Marcel should be your first call!
Tech Toy of the Month: Nintendo Wii, Part I
For those of you familiar with the Nintendo Wii, you may be wondering why I’m writing about it now, nearly a year after it was released. One reason is that there are still many people not familiar with the Wii. Even today, obtaining a Wii is pretty difficult. Most stores sell out of them nearly as soon as they get them in. So even people who are interested in a Wii have not had the opportunity to use one. Even after a year, the Wii is still very much a sought-after tech toy, with more and more people hearing about it for the first time. Since I finally got my hands on one (thanks Danelle!), I will write about my experiences with the WIi. However, the Wii has so many interesting features, that I need to write two articles. In my next article I will cover the Wii’s Virtual Console (for us old-school gamers), the Wii’s Internet connectivity, and some other features. In this article, however, I will finally answer the question everyone wants to know, can playing a video game make you sweat?
For those not very familiar with the Nintendo Wii, I’ll give a quick summary. For more details, please visit http://www.nintendo.com/channel/wii and http://www.wii.com. The Nintendo Wii is a “next-generation” home video game console, roughly in the same generation as the Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft XBox 360. However, the main difference between the Wii and other game consoles is in the way players interact with the games. Where Sony and Microsoft’s new systems are basically souped-up versions of their last systems, using pretty much the same type of handheld controllers as before, Nintendo decided to create an innovative control system. Simply speaking, the Nintendo controllers are wireless and motion sensitive. Players can control games with physical motion as well as by pressing buttons. As an example, instead of playing video game tennis by sitting on a couch and pushing buttons on a controller, you actually need to stand up and swing the controller like a tennis racket, both forehand and backhand. Swing slowly for a soft lob. Swing harder for a more powerful shot.
As expected, at least for the few games my family and I have played, this method of playing video games is quite intuitive. My girls, ages 3 and 5, are very comfortable playing the Wii games and have had a lot of fun. It literally did not take them more than a half hour to grasp the concepts of how to control the games. The first couple of nights we had the Wii, they played so much they were actually hot and a little sweaty when they were done! One unexpected side-effect of playing sport-type games on the Wii is that my girls have actually expressed some interest in the real-life sports, such as baseball.
One small word of warning. Please be careful when letting young kids play the Wii. There they will smack each other with the controllers if they are not careful! Just keep an eye on them and don’t let them wander too close to each other. Also, make sure they wear the wrist straps provided with the controllers. Already, my girls have occasionally lost their grips on the controllers during frenzied moments of gameplay and if not for the wrist straps, the controller could have hit someone or broken something (like the TV!).
In playing the boxing game on the Wii, which requires the use of a controller in each hand, I can definitely say that you do get quite a workout. While the physical motions required for the different types of punches don’t quite emulate real-life (probably only an issue for someone like me who has studied martial arts), the action of throwing hundreds of punches and moving my body around to avoid virtual punches did make me work up a sweat. I’m in pretty good shape, but I actually had some slight soreness the day after a 45-minute boxing “workout” on the Wii!
While the sport-type games for the Wii will probably require the most physical action out of a player, I can see that other games might also require significant work out of a player. For example, while I’ve not played the “Zelda” game for Wii yet, the character in the game uses a sword and shield, which requires the player to swing one controller like a sword and use the other like a shield. I can imagine that after fighting enough bad guys, players could burn a few calories!
The real significance of the Wii is that with its popularity, it is triggering a revolution* in the video game world. Remember, as advanced as the Wii’s control system seems today, it is only the first generation in what will undoubtedly be many future advancements in physical game control. I can foresee that in the not too distant future, playing video games will no longer be considered a “couch-potato” activity. Future generations will wonder how we ever had any fun playing video games using only our thumbs and fingers! And it will be very likely that the future development of physical control systems will have significance in things other than video games.
* The Wii’s “code-name” during its development was “Revolution”. Do you think Nintendo knew they were on to something big?
If you have any ideas for future Tech Toys, please let me know!
Q: What is the difference between a PDA, smartphone, BlackBerry, and an iPhone?
– Submitted by Andy Bridgeman of The Bridgeman Agency
A: Sometimes, there is no real difference! Other times, the features can make all the difference! It just depends on a person’s point of view and what features they are looking for.
A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) basically performs 2 main functions – organizing your contacts and calendar. They can also keep notes and do other functions, and can be expanded with third party software. The two most popular types of PDAs run the Palm OS and Windows Mobile OS. Some PDAs also have wireless networking available, so they can do things like browse the web or check e-mail.
A smartphone is basically a PDA combined with a cellular phone. Obviously, a smartphone can do all the functions of a PDA and a cell phone. Additionally, the combination of the two types of devices offers some advantages, such as being able to look up a contact and dial them directly, without needing to manually punch in their phone number. Another advantage is being able to use the cellular provider’s wireless data network to use the Internet from anywhere they have coverage. Popular types of smartphones include the Treo and various Windows Mobile-based devices.
A Blackberry is a specific brand of smartphone that gained popularity in the late 90’s early 2000’s. What set the BlackBerry apart at the time (and is still somewhat true today) was its ability to do real-time remote e-mail. Users could have their e-mail delivered to their handheld device and send immediate replies. While today the BlackBerry brand devices are much more full-featured PDAs, when they first came out, they were primarily only e-mail devices with only rudimentary PDA functions and no phone functions at all. In fact, they looked like large pagers, nothing at all like a phone or PDA of today. Over time, the BlackBerry brand expanded to include cellular phone functions and are now pretty similar to Palm OS and Windows Mobile smartphones.
The iPhone is a new breed of smartphone. The main differences between the iPhone and other smart phones are the “desktop-like” Internet functions, as well as the touchscreen interface. For more info about the iPhone, you can read my previous articles about the iPhone (part I, part II).
The 2 questions most people have are, “should I get a PDA or smartphone”, followed by, “which one should I get?” In my opinion, if you spend a lot of time with both a cell phone and PDA, then a smartphone is probably a good idea. I personally think the Palm OS is simpler and easier to use than the Windows Mobile OS, so keep that in consideration when choosing between the two types of devices. As far as choosing a BlackBerry, their big advantage is the ability to do real-time e-mail. However, the real-time e-mail feature doesn’t necessarily work with all e-mail systems. You will need to check with your cellular provider and your e-mail system administrator (or ISP) to verify if the BlackBerry will be able to provide you with real-time e-mail. Other smartphones now have the ability to do real-time e-mail as well now, the same caveats apply as the BlackBerry. The smart thing to do is to try to test the different types of devices yourself before making a purchase to see if any of them are a better fit for you.
E-mail me your technology questions and have them answered in a future issue!