Windows 8 Preview

 
 
 
I’m not a big fan of change. It took me five years with the same haircut to finally try bangs. When Microsoft announced at their developer’s conference on September 13th that they are releasing a new version of Windows, I received the news less enthusiastically than my nerdy cohorts. However, just as my Keurig coffeemaker took some getting used to before I discovered its awesomeness, change can sometimes be well worth it. I took Windows 8 developer’s preview out for a spin to see if it’s something I can drag my stubborn self on board for.

Windows 8 is significantly different from Windows 7, in layout, appearance, navigation and performance. It was built with tablet computing in mind and it feels more on par with the iPad’s operating system than the Window’s desktop version we’re used to. It sports a significantly faster load time, booting up in just under 20 seconds while your current Windows machine likely takes one to two minutes. The login screen is prettier and more functional, displaying useful information such as date, time, WiFi signal strength, and battery life (if applicable) where user accounts used to be listed.

When I discovered that the desktop screen I’m used to (you know, background image, icons for programs and files saved to my desktop, and start bar) is nowhere to be found, I realized that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. The Windows 8 interface is called Metro, and it’s based on the type of navigation you find on a Windows phone or tablet. There are tiles instead of icons and each tile represents an application such as Internet Explorer, a news reader, or games. These tiles aren’t shortcuts; they give you instant information, like desktop widgets, about the weather, stocks, email, etc. You can customize tile groups by category or resize them to make important ones stand out. You can add apps and programs to your heart’s content, but this can quickly make finding an app difficult. Microsoft anticipated this by making searching for items easier: instead of hunting down a search box, you just start typing.

I discovered that the desktop I’m used to is still there, it’s just another tile. Selecting it brings up the comfy old start button and desktop icons. Yet even the page meant to be familiar is different. “Start” returns you to the Metro tiles. The way files and programs display when you launch applications or open folders (Windows Explorer) has also received a makeover. I was expecting to see the usual file, edit, and search options, but instead there is a new ribbon menu, similar to the one in Microsoft Office. Often used functions like copy and paste are placed in the menu bar for quick access. Less used functions are smaller or grayed out depending on the type of file. Microsoft insists this system highlights functions people didn’t know they had, increasing productivity.

Just as Apple supports synching and integration of all your various i-devices, Windows 8 is designed to seamlessly sync all devices running Windows 8, such as your Windows phone and/or tablet. Your Windows Live user ID will link all the data across all of your devices that are running Windows 8 so you’ll no longer need to sync by hand. Microsoft is even introducing a Windows app store, allowing users to purchase small widget-like apps or larger programs like Office or Quicken.

The developer’s preview isn’t a complete version, so there are lots of bugs that will likely be fixed before it comes to market. There’s no release date yet and it will likely be at least a year before it’s available for purchase. In the meantime, I will keep reminding myself that change can be good.

If you’re eager to check out your Windows future, leave us a comment and ask for a link to the developer’s preview.

Andrea Eldridge is CEO of Nerds on Call, which offers on-site computer and home theater set-up and repair. Based in Redding, Calif., it has locations in five states. Contact Eldridge at www.callnerds.com/andrea

The Best Free Downloads In The World

Though my job is to discover new things technology can do to make life easier, I am a creature of habit. I rarely deviate from using the same few programs and applications. Just like when I was 7 and my mom finally convinced me to try broccoli again, sometimes branching out from a comfort zone can lead to wonderful discoveries. This week and next, I'm suggesting some downloadable programs that are worth taste testing. In my opinion, these are the best free downloads in the world.

#1 Download: Google Chrome.  If you're still surfing the net using the old, familiar Internet Explorer that came loaded on your Windows machine, it's time to graduate to Google Chrome. It's fast and less vulnerable to virus attacks than Internet Explorer (and websites look better on Google Chrome, so you will actually enjoy a higher quality internet experience). Chrome will import your settings from the browser you're using now, and it's intuitive, so it won't take long to get used to. If you rely on the login info and passwords you've saved in your browser to get into sites you frequent, it will even import cookies, temporary Internet files and saved passwords. Google Chrome is our favorite browser, and it definitely deserves to rank first place on our list of the world's best downloads!

#2 Download: Crash Plan. (disclaimer, Crash Plan offers a one month free trial, and after the trial is over, you will have to pay. So, why did we add it to our list of the World's Best FREE Downloads? Mostly because it's prices are so low, it's almost free, keep reading to find out more) We all know we should have an automatic data backup process to protect data that would be hard or impossible to replace in the event of system failure, but most of us figure we'll take care of it tomorrow -- just like flossing. If tomorrow has turned into never, Code 42's CrashPlan is a super-easy system to set up, I promise. You can schedule automatic backups to another computer, external hard drive, or -- for prices starting at $1.50 a month per computer -- to its remote server. Though you may hesitate to consider the cloud backup option, keep in mind that fire or theft could imperil your computer and backup simultaneously if they are in the same location. Downloading Crash Plan can save you a lot of heart ache in a "worst case senario" situation.

#3 Download: VLC Player.  If you've seethed about compatibility issues while trying to get a video to play with Windows Media Player, you may love me for introducing you to VLC, a free multimedia player that will handle just about any type of video or audio file. It's from VideoLAN Project, part of the open-source community, so fixes and improvements are released quickly and regularly. In my opinion, VLC is the best media free media player you can download.

#4 Download: Skype.  Even if you've never checked out the video-chat capabilities of Skype, I'd bet you know someone who uses it. Since it's free, consider installing it to cut back on your long-distance or cell-minute use for those long calls to your friend in London or grandma in Des Moines. If you have kids, try video chat. You'll be amazed by how much easier it is for them to connect with the person on the other end of the call when they can see them. This is especially great if you ever have to travel without the kids.

#5 Download: Recuva. There's nothing like the flood of panic when you realize you've accidentally deleted the most up-to-date version of the report you need to turn in to your boss tomorrow. If you've already installed Recuva, from Piriform, the software often can recover the missing document for you. You don't have anything to lose with this free application. It's a great tool in case of emergency, and your stomach will thank you.

Stay tuned next week for more of the world's best free downloads. If you have any questions about our list of free downloads, send me a note through my contact form.

5 Easy Steps To A Clean Computer

A Clean Computer In 5 Easy Steps

Long summer days with the kids downloading all manner of Internet sludge has likely left your computer with the technology equivalent of a hangover. Before you give in to your kids' pleas to replace your old reliable, try a few simple things to help you get back to a clean computer. After all, your computer needs to run smoothly for schoolwork (at least until winter break).

Clean Computer Tip #1 Run your antivirus and antispyware:

I know, I know, you're probably tired of me saying it. However, when the kids have been wreaking havoc on your system all summer, it's highly likely that viruses and spyware are slowing it down.One of the best suggestions to help your computer is to run regular and through virus scans, bu before you click "Run Scan" and assume all is good, make sure you download the most current updates. If your protection programs have expired, consider downloading Microsoft's free all-in-one solution, Microsoft Security Essentials (www.microsoft.com/en-us/security_essentials/). Once you've installed it, it will automatically update itself and run regular scans without much more interaction from you. The best protection is the one you can forget you have.

Clean Computer Tip #2 Remove unwanted programs:

Your teenager may think the program he installed to download and share music with his friends is imperative, but I bet you don't need it running in the background slowing down your system. Go to your control panel's "Add or Remove Programs" option to remove programs that have mysteriously popped up over the summer.

Clean Computer Tip #4 Activate parental controls:

Both Windows 7 & Windows Vista operating systems have embedded parental control options that will allow you to limit your child's screen time and control Internet access and downloads.

Clean Computer Tip #5 Install a Firewall:

One of the most reliable ways to help your computer, is to install a hardware firewall. Most users access the Internet through some sort of broadband connection (cable and DSL are the most common). While they're far speedier than dial-up Internet access, the lines also let malicious software more easily access and attack your system if you don't install some sort of firewall on the connection. Windows has a software firewall you can (and should) activate. But a better line of defense is to also install a hardware version.

Installing a basic router will adequately protect most home-based users. Make sure that it's configured per the manufacturer's recommendations, that you change the router's default password settings and that you keep the firmware updated.

If your kids protest these measures, tell them they'll have to make it through high school without Internet access. I would love to hear any other clean computer suggestions that you have tried. Drop a note in the comments below.


[transcript]
Hi, I'm Ryan from Nerds on Call, and today we're going to talk about securing your PC.

I've said it a million times, run your anti-virus and your anti-spyware. If you don't have one, go to Microsoft.com and download Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, it's easy to use, and it'll run in the background and not take up a lot of resources.

Next, you're going to want to remove unwanted programs. Now, they do more than just take up space on your hard drive. A lot of times, different programs have security risks. For example, you ever wonder why Microsoft Office always needs an update? It's because people find different ways to exploit problems in their code in order to attack your system. So, you want to go through and clean out programs you don't ever use.

Next, you're going to want to set up user accounts. Don't ever run as an administrator. Set up one administrator account, and then set up a different account for everyone else that's a limited user. The reason you want to so this is, one, you can customize your experience. Have different desktops, different program for every single user without anybody having to cross-infect anybody else if one person happens to download a virus.

Next, you want to activate parental controls in Windows 7. The reason you want to do this is because there's no reason why you want your kids going to some of those unwanted websites. And a lot of times, those are infected with all kinds of stuff, and all of a sudden your computer is running slow and not working right.

Last, you want to install a hardware firewall. Now, an unsecured connection like DSL or cable, that is perfect for hacker to use to attack other computers, and a lot of times you won't even know it's happening. Go down to the store and buy a cheap hardware firewall or a wireless router, and attach that to your system and you'll stay more protected.
[/transcript]

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Google+ Saved The World From Facebook

 
What's the difference between Google+ and Facebook?

Imagine you’re at a party. In attendance are friends, family, co-workers, celebrities, and maybe even a politician or two. As you mingle with the crowd, you selectively share information with certain groups of people. For example you’d only want your friends to hear, “I drank too much last night, maybe I should call in sick,” not your boss or co-workers. On the other hand your friends don’t want to hear about your plan to optimize profits in the social media sector. Your conservative friends don’t want to hear your liberal rants on the budget, and your liberal friends don’t want to hear about your thoughts on Gay Marriage. At the same time you want to listen in on Brad Pitt’s conversation and even watch Obama work the room.

Facebook stinks when it comes to filtering your conversations. If you post photos of your kids playing Batman & Robin before bed, every “friend” sees it. Anyone who has been stopped in a hallway at work by someone and asked “Why haven't you accepted my friend request?” knows the limitations of Facebook. Google+ may have fixed a problem you didn’t even know you had.

Google+ Circles
With Google+ you create circles of people. As you post photos, comments, or links about the happenings in your life you can choose what content to share with which circle. You can add your mom to a family circle, your boss to a work circle, old high school friends to a circle, and your close friends to yet another. You can even add people to multiple circles. After all your cube-mate is a co-worker and a friend right?

Google+ Hangouts
Along with Circles, you also have a fun feature called Hangout. Back to the party idea, when you’re chatting with someone, it’s nice to have friends flutter in and out of your conversation. Imagine doing this online. With Hangout you simply start a video chat that people can join. You can designate certain circles, all of your circles, or even the public at large, a la chatroulette, up to ten people. This is great for meetings, book clubs, or just old friends reconnecting.

Google+ Followers
Forget about fan pages and like buttons, now you can use Sparks to track subjects, companies, just about anything, and it’ll show up in your Stream (Google’s version of a Facebook News Feed.) Using this feature is a lot like Trends on Twitter, but for the whole internet. Speaking of Twitter, you know how you can follow celebrities and politicians? With Google+ you can follow anyone you want, even without them adding you as a friend. So you can see what people share with the public and they won’t be limited to only 140 characters. I can’t wait to see what Ashton Kutcher does with this.

I rarely look at Facebook from my computer. I usually catch up in my friends’ updates while in line at Starbucks, or while watching TV on the couch. Google has built Google+ with the mobile user in mind. A couple features where this is really obvious is with Huddle and Instant Upload.

Google+ Huddles
Huddle is a feature I misunderstood at first. It’s like a chat room, and a group text all at once. On Facebook if I want to chat, it’s with everyone or one on one. But have you ever tried to coordinate a dinner with five or six people and then have a last minute change in venue? You could group text everyone, but if Tim wants greek food and Sally wants mexican, it quickly breaks down into having to call everyone, it’s not unlike herding cats. Huddle will let you create a simple chat room on the fly where everyone can text the group all at once. When you’re done the room is closed, nice and easy.

Google+ Instant Upload
Once you start using Instant Upload you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. I take a lot of pictures with my phone. The process of taking the picture, then uploading it to Facebook is a pain. Google simply uploads every photo you take to a folder in your profile. Once it’s there you can choose who to share it with, if anyone.

I’m not ready to say Facebook is about to head down the Myspace path, but after spending sometime with Google+ I can easily see myself making the switch as my friends do. There is enough innovation here that when I switched back to Facebook after a couple of hours, I felt like I was in an older clunkier version of Google+. It seems I am not alone, being an invite only service at the moment certainly hasn’t hurt Google in any way. At the time of this writing over 10 million people have already signed up, and now that they are allowing users to send unlimited invites, it should clear 20 million by the time you read this.

Are you ready to take a look at Google+, but don’t want to buy an invite on Ebay? Send me a note at www.callnerds.com/andrea and I’ll invite you to the party.

 

 

Understanding Verizon's Tiered Data Plans

 
 
[caption id="attachment_3613" align="alignright" width="473" caption="Verizon's Tiered Data Plans Start at $20.00 for 2gb and go up to $80.00 for 10gbs"][/caption]

When I was little, one of my favorite cartoons was the Jetsons. I would watch George video chatting with his boss, and proclaim to my sister, “The future is going to be awesome!” With every generation of portable technology, from walkmans to cell phones, it seemed my childhood dreams would soon be realized. As I watch my two year old video chat with his cousin on my iPhone, I can’t help but smile: this future is pretty awesome. Then the news broke that Verizon is joining the ranks of AT&T in eliminating unlimited data on mobile devices, and my cozy little reverie was broken.

First, I had a little moment of panic. I travel a lot for work and use my Smartphone for just about everything. I stream music with Pandora, access my Gmail and surf the web. I even use my phone as a WiFi hotspot to access the internet on my laptop. While current Verizon customers will retain their existing unlimited access, I fear it’s only a matter of time until all customers are moved to the new packages. Under the new “tiered plans”, but we'll just have to wait and see.
How Much Do Verizon's New Data Plans Cost?

Verizon customers can choose one of the following:
2GB of data for $30/month,
5GB for $50/month.
10GB for $80/month.
Exceeding the limit will cost $10 per GB.

Rates are very similar at AT&T, the only other mobile service provider to support iPhones. When I saw these plans, I was sure I’d be stuck in the top bracket. What is a self-professed data addict to do?
How Many Hours Of Video Can You Stream on a 2GB Data Plan?

Before I retrieved my old Motorola flip phone and resigned myself to a future of no mobile Facebook, I pulled up my account online. I was shocked to discover that last month I used just over 1.7GB, which keeps me in the lowest tier for Verizon. If you also fear that you’ll need to take out a loan to afford your mobile data, review your last few bills or check with your wireless provider to see how much you’re currently using. You may be pleasantly surprised.

However, with every new amazing app I download, my usage is sure to increase. I reviewed some of the estimators and discovered that I could stream two hours of music every day for a month and only use about 2GB of data. Streaming videos for thirty minutes every day for a month would use about the same. What a relief to discover, there’s no way I have time to stream that much! You can check out your estimated future use with one of the online data use estimators at Verizon or AT&T.

Finally, if you are more addicted to data than to your iPhone, there are still service providers that will let you stream and surf to your heart’s content. Sprint and T-Mobile currently offer unlimited plans, and while T-Mobile will slow your connection after you pass certain thresholds, they won’t charge you extra fees. If you leave your phone’s WiFi enabled, it will drain your battery but reduce your cell network usage. Movie lovers can change Netflix account settings to view movies in a lower resolution which will decrease the quality of the video, but also lower your bandwidth use. There are even apps that can compress data sent to and from your phone, such as Onavo, a free app for iOS devices like iPhones and iPads.

If you’re still considering selling a limb to finance your streaming habits, you can ask for specific suggestions in the comments below, we can tell you less drastic ways to keep your data costs under control.

Andrea Eldridge is CEO of Nerds on Call, a company started in Redding, California., that offers on-site computer and home theater set-up and repair. Contact her at www.callnerds.com/andrea.

 

They War Over The Future Of Music

Everyone has a summer anthem. I’m partial to Will Smith’s “Summertime,” but please don’t look up when that was popular. These days, getting access to your favorite tunes is easier than ever with services that allow you to stream music to Internet-capable and mobile devices. There are even options for families like mine that cross over between Apple, Android and Windows devices. Finally, we can all just get along — and share our music again. While Google Music Beta , Apple iCloud and even Amazon Cloudduel for your loyalty, we have delved into the trenches and reviewed the 3 best Music Clouds that let you access music from anywhere in the world.

APPLE iCLOUD: If all of your mobile devices are stamped with an Apple logo, check out iCloud, launching this fall. Apple’s iCloud finally removes the requirement that all your devices at some point plug into a common computer to sync files. The service is free for any songs you’ve downloaded through iTunes music store. If your library is more extensive, pay $25 a year and Apple will “match” your library online, no matter where your music files originated.

This means songs you purchase or have stored on your iPhone can instantly sync with little Jimmy’s iPod, without having to connect each device to a common computer, upload from one and download to the other — assuming little Jimmy is interested in Neil Diamond’s “Greatest Hits.” The downside of iCloud is that it only works with devices using iTunes to sync music, and streaming is limited to content purchased through iTunes music store. Otherwise, you can only listen to songs you’ve downloaded to each device.

GOOGLE MUSIC BETA: Music lovers who have held out against the Apple tide should consider Google Music or Amazon Cloud Player. Both allow you to store your music library on their cloud server and stream to any Android device or computer. The catch is that you need to first upload your entire music library, which can be a long, arduous task. While Google will sync new content automatically with your library from that point on, Amazon will only auto-sync music you purchase through its MP3 store. Everything else will have to be manually uploaded to its server which is a big downside.

Both services allow you to tag songs to be available offline, so you can still listen to your favorite tunes on your next road trip or flight. Google allows you to store 80GB (about 20,000 songs), which should accommodate all but the professional DJ. Google Music Beta is currently available by invite only, so if you want to try it send a request to music.google.com and cross your fingers. It’s free now, but there’s no promise it will remain so once the service is out of beta. Amazon Music gives you 5GB of storage free (about 1,250 songs). Purchase an album through the Amazon MP3 Store, and the company will throw in another 15GB for free. If you need more space, it gets costly: roughly $1 per GB/year.

Grooveshark: Are you still lamenting the loss of Napster? Grooveshark may be your new best friend. Grooveshark is an online music search engine that offers free on-demand streaming. If you choose, you can purchase one of their subscription services. Our favorite of the two available services is a downloadable desktop app. Upon installing the program on your computer, Grooveshark will scan your system for music files and create a personalized music library. The magical part is that Grooveshark merges all of its user’s content into one giant library that you can stream to any Internet-capable device on which you’ve installed Grooveshark. This means that even if you don’t own the Foo Fighters’ new album, you can stream it online from Grooveshark’s library. Create playlists with your favorites, or choose a genre for an endless music stream. Upgrading to “Grooveshark Anywhere” to use the mobile app costs $9 a month, available only at mobile.grooveshark.com and it is not available for iPhones or other mobile Apple devices at this time.