Six Strikes Anti-Piracy Program Begins

The Copyright Alert System: “ Six Strikes ” Anti-Piracy Program

The last week of February 2013 marked the official launch of the Copyright Alert System, a joint program between major internet service providers, aka ISPs (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Cablevision and Time Warner) and entities working to protect content copyrights, such as The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).  This system is also known as the “Six Strikes” Anti-Piracy Program since users suspected of participating in the sharing of copyright-protected material will receive up to six warning notices from their ISP, with escalating consequences for repeat offenders.


Under the program, content creators will monitor public peer-to-peer networks for what they believe to be illegal sharing (i.e. piracy) of their property.  They will provide the IP address of the parties involved to the internet service provider, who will then send a warning to the holder of the account accused of illegal downloading or file sharing.  ISPs are free to decide what consequences to link to each warning, and each has reported a different plan of action.

Most ISPs will send the first few warnings via email to the account holder.  Several providers will require account holders of IP addresses involved in illegal file sharing that receive a third or fourth notice to watch educational videos about legal sources of copyrighted content, acknowledge receipt and understanding of instructional materials, read and click-through messages that appear in their browser via a pop up or website redirect, or call their ISP’s customer support line to participate in an instructional conversation about copyright and legal sources of copyright-protected content.

If an IP address continues to be submitted to the alert system, some ISPs will take more drastic action.  Verizon has reported plans to cap the data speed of repeat offender FiOS customers, leaving them with speeds roughly equivalent to dial-up for two to three days.  Users will be given a 2-week notice before speed is capped in which they can appeal the piracy accusations.  The fee for appeal is $35, but it will be refunded if the American Arbitration Association (AAA) finds in the user’s favor.

Cablevision has announced it will suspend customer’s internet service for 24 hours after the fifth and sixth alerts if the accusation goes unchallenged.

Time Warner, AT&T and Comcast have to-date announced no plans to throttle internet speed or suspend service for repeat offenders.  Instead, their mitigation involves a series of alerts that, if ignored, will steer users toward required instructional conversations with ISP representatives.

Even if you aren’t personally involved in illegal content sharing, account holders are responsible for the actions of anyone on their network.  Program participants hope that receipt of a warning will encourage account holders to take measures to restrict unauthorized activity on their network by talking to household members, limiting unauthorized access by encrypting their WiFi network, and/or installing software or hardware to block access to peer-to-peer sites.

Updated Facebook Newsfeed Coming

Facebook Newsfeed gets Facelift

Facebook users will be seeing a significant number of changes coming from the familiar blue-and-white website in the near future. In a press conference today, Mark Zuckerberg announced that they would be rolling out some dramatic alterations to the website’s layout.

The new layout will come in the form of a news feed redesign. Facebook is attempting to unify the look and function of the website over all devices, including tablets, desktops, and mobile phones.


Another significant change being made is the separation of posts from pages that you like. Users like George Takei, who frequently posts, complained that posts from pages such as his own were getting buried in Facebook’s algorithm and not showing up on users’ feeds at all. In response, Facebook created a separate news feed which displays all activity from pages that you’ve liked in Twitter fashion. It will update live and can be completely customized.

In addition, the visuals have been upgraded to feature content more prominently, instead of the text that users tune out while using the website. Photo albums have been revamped to be front and center, filling the news feed with larger and more efficiently spaced graphics. This trend toward graphics is being implemented throughout the site, leading to a cleaner interface that feels at home on phones and tablets, while retaining the same look on the desktop.

This announcement comes shortly after Facebook announced testing of their Graph Search and about a year after the Timeline change came to profiles. Facebook hopes to be an all-purpose social hub with these changes and recapture some of their user base who is leaving it for other sites.

 

These changes will be rolling out over the next few months, though you can ask to be put on the list of people that it rolls out to first, if you want. Eventually the change will come to everyone, but it will be modified based on how people use it, as well as user feedback. The announcement can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/newsfeed

Get Turn-by-Turn Navigation in your Car

Turn-By-Turn Navigation for Your Car

by Heather Neal

In the "old days," if I was going somewhere new I'd call the business and ask for directions - a daunting proposition since not everyone is "good" with directions.  Those days are thankfully over and today I rely mainly upon the GPS in my car, with a little of my own instincts.  For the vast majority who don't have GPS standard-equipped in their car, how do you get where you’re going?

There are several great turn-by-turn navigation applications for Smartphone users:

Google Maps for your mobile phone (www.google.com/mobile/maps/, free, iPhone and Android) offers a wide variety of features in addition to navigation.  Find any location with a quick search and it'll suggest multiple routes, integrating traffic, highway construction and toll road information so you can avoid delays.  Directions are provided with a voice that sounds more human than machine and knows how to pronounce most street names correctly.  When you make a wrong turn, re-routing happens intelligently so you're not driving all around town to get back on track.  Walking and public transit directions are also provided if you decide not to drive, including estimated travel times and fare information.  Sync with Google Local for reviews of nearby restaurants and save your favorite locations for easy navigation to them in the future.


Waze (www.waze.com, free, all platforms) offers some fun features that may inspire you to give it a try.  It has a social component that automatically shares real-time traffic information and road alerts with other drivers.  Report road delays, accidents and police speed traps you see during your commute and learn about what’s in your path from fellow "Wazers."  Waze will even re-route you mid-commute if there's a better way around such an obstacle.  Share gas prices by reporting them at the pump so everyone can save a couple bucks and Waze will direct you to the cheapest station on your route.  Connect with friends through Facebook to coordinate arrival times if you're all headed to the same concert, or arrange a friend's pick-up: they request it, you accept, and then they can track your arrival time by "seeing" how close you are to them, all through the application.

There's potential risk with phone applications.  Using them while actively driving means picking up your phone to look at it (unless you have incredible restraint), and it's always dangerous to take your eyes off the road fumbling for your phone.  Even if you mount it to your dash, you may find the smaller screen more difficult to see than a stand-alone GPS device.  Do your own cost-benefit analysis to decide what's right for you.

Should you opt for a portable navigation device (PND), there are some must-have features.  A wide screen is vital for easy visibility. Make sure the device lists directions as text in addition to mapping, and it should offer re-routing around highways or toll roads.  Full-featured devices can replace your car's trip computer, serve as a Bluetooth for your cellular phone or even an MP3 player, and prices vary widely as a result based on these additional perks.

The Garmin Nuvi 3490LMT ($250, Amazon.com) is one of the highest-rated PNDs  by Consumer Reports and CNET, and for good reason - it's literally packed with features.  Use it as your bluetooth device for calls and texts.  Voice-activated seamless navigation makes it completely hands-free.  Its thin, sleek design makes it easy to drop in a pocket and improved graphics allow you to view landscapes in 3D.  Lifetime free traffic updates are included, in addition to map updates you can download up to four times a year without a subscription fee.

Those looking for a lower price point should consider the TomTom GO Live 1535M ($150, Amazon.com).  Similar to the Garmin, it has voice recognition, traffic reports (provided to you in HD!) and hands-free Bluetooth calling.  Lifetime Map Updates are included, totally free.  The “cool-factor” lies in its connection to TripAdvisor, Yelp and Expedia to help you choose your route, letting you navigate through areas with the attractions or dining options you prefer.  Integrate with Twitter so you can update family and friends through voice commands, in a safer manner than texting while driving.

With literally hundreds of devices to choose from, boiling it down to two suggestions really doesn't do the field justice.  Do your research, making sure to compare user and professional review sites to find the device that's right for you.

Rumors of Youtube Streaming Music Service Surface

Youtube Streaming Music Service to Come Soon?

There’s already a host of streaming music services available, like Spotify or Pandora, but soon there may be another, created by the most powerful company in the world.

Fortune reported today that “Youtube…will launch a subscription music service later this year.” This information was provided to Forbes by an unnamed source, and Google declined to comment, perhaps testing the waters with their ambitious idea.

The company, which owns Youtube, already has a content delivery network for downloadable content. This service, Google Play, allows users to purchase music, but does not allow anyone to stream without first paying for the song. Many people already use Google’s Youtube to stream music, but the additional streaming of video is expensive for both Google and its users. To put this in perspective, take into account Youtube’s statistics page, which claims that 72 hours of video are uploaded to Youtube each minute. This video is analyzed against 500,000 of copyrighted material (much of which is music), resulting in a total of 200,000,000 videos which have had some sort of copyrighted material in them. Many of these videos were taken down as a result. Being able to stream this, provide royalties for the studios, and reduce the bandwidth, would be a perfect solution to the problem.

In addition, a free streaming music service would allow Google to do what it does best: sell ads. Currently the company sells ad space on webpages, their search results, and before clips on Youtube. This addition would allow them to provide ad space for streaming audio ads, a target medium that Google has no access to.


All this comes shortly after Google unveiled its Glass project, which integrates a small computer into a wearable eyepiece. As it is able to access the internet, any future iterations of the project would allow the users to constantly stream music from their sunglasses. If that isn’t cool, I don’t know what is. Let’s hear it for the Nerds!

 

In-Home Computers for Everyone Part 2

Protecting Your Home With In-Home Computers

As criminals become more sophisticated in their abilities to attack our homes with technology, we need our home security to be smarter too.  While traditional house alarms are fine for basic security, Smart Home automation systems integrate with video and online monitoring.  Check up on your house live on your computer or mobile device, or have footage stored in the cloud so you can catch perpetrators “on tape.”  Here are the security components of the Smart Home products we highlighted last week.


Insteon (www.insteon.net) can provide you these capabilities, in addition to smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that email or text you when triggered and motion sensors ranging up to 3000 feet.  It's designed to be self-installed, so you can personalize it to fit your family's needs with a multitude of devices that integrate into the core monitoring hub, letting you decide if you prefer basic door and window monitoring or Fort Knox lock-down.

Because all their devices communicate through radio frequencies in addition to the existing power lines, you always have a back-up should one system fail.  Each device repeats the signal it receives from the other three times, thus amplifying the information being conveyed and substantially increasing its range.  As an added security feature, every device has a unique ID which prevents hackers from controlling your home.

Lowe's also has a universal home monitoring service called Iris (www.lowes.com/iris).  Their basic security program starts at around $175 and you install it yourself by plugging the base unit into your WiFi router and setting up the point-of-entry sensors.  Monitor the system on any Internet-connected device, including your Smartphone.

The system has motion sensors and window and door contacts that can be tailored to your home's specific needs.  When one is triggered, you receive a text, email, or phone call to alert you of the problem.  Install cameras inside your home and use your Smartphone to record video when you need it.

Iris Modes allow you to set multiple devices with one click.  Away for the day: touch one button and your motion sensors and alarm are turned on while lights are turned off.  Home for the night: motion sensors are toggled off so you don't inadvertently set off your alarm by going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  Build advanced functionalities using “Magic Rules.”  For example, if a motion detector is triggered you can set your cameras to automatically begin recording video.  Because you monitor it yourself, you are free of the monthly fees that alarm companies charge, unless you want to use their Premium monitoring services ($10/month), which include saving recorded videos to the web and the ability to notify more people of alarm triggers.

AT&T's Digital Life, coming to most metropolitan areas in March 2013, promises to provide home security with 24-hour home monitoring for break-ins, fire alarms and medical emergencies, and it's paired with video monitoring both inside and outside your home.  It'll be IP-based (meaning you can monitor it over the Internet), and includes motion detectors, wirelessly-controlled cameras, security keypads and window and door sensors, integrating them with other home automations.  No word yet on pricing for equipment, installation or monitoring.

While many look to DIY home security systems as a way to avoid paying monthly fees for equipment leasing or monitoring, it’s important to note the drawbacks to going solo – just you and your gadgets.  When you’re out of town and one of your windows is broken at 3am, it’s up to you to call the cops.  Unless you have a Smartphone with great reception, you won’t always be in range of a WiFi signal to check your video feeds.  Finally, keep in mind that equipment does age over time and home security isn’t a “set it and forget it” proposition.  You will need to maintain your system regularly, checking sensors to ensure they’re working properly.

 

Speed Up Boot Time on Your Computer

Speed Up Boot Time with These Tips

My system takes FOREVER to start up.  Is there any way to make it boot up faster?

Fully powering off your computer when you’re done using it for the day is a good practice to save energy and reduce hardware degradation.  However, it can make getting to work the next time you start up your computer seem to take forever.  Before you resolve to never again power down your PC, here are a few things to try to speed up your PC’s boot time:


2. Stop any unnecessary programs from automatically launching at start up. Just about any software you install on your computer, whether its iTunes, Quicken or your new printer’s installation disk, typically instructs your computer to launch the application whenever your system starts up.  From that point the program runs in the background, ready and waiting should you choose to launch it or run an associated function that it could “help with.”  While this can be handy - it’s convenient to simply click print and have the print job sent to your printer without having to launch the printer software by hand – the more tasks your system has to start before you can get working, the longer you are stuck waiting for your computer to be functional.

Review the programs that your computer is starting and running automatically every time you boot up by going to Start – Run – and typing msconfig in the small window that appears (the command line is “Open:”).  This launches a window titled System Configuration.  Select the tab titled Startup to see a list of the applications set to auto-start.  Before you start un-checking boxes, be cautious.  Sometimes necessary functions are listed in terms that are difficult to recognize and turning them off can break things you want to work automatically (like your mouse or keyboard) or worse, cause your Operating System not to load properly.

Stick to obvious programs that you would prefer to launch by hand when you want them instead of running constantly.  Some examples would be music or editing software (like Roxio, Spotify, or Photoshop), iTunes (provided you’re ok with having to launch iTunes manually when you want to sync your iOS device), software that came pre-installed by Dell, Sony or HP that you can’t easily uninstall (like their integrated remote support software), etc.  It’s best to err on the side of caution than to get too aggressive with your box un-checking.

3. Consider increasing your system’s RAM. Determine how much RAM your system has installed and how much it can support using a tool such as the “System Scanner Tool” on Crucial’s website (http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/loader.aspx) .  Most basic Windows 7 users should be served by 4GB of RAM, but if your system can support more I’ve never had anyone complain that their system runs “too fast.”  Power users that do video editing or run a lot of applications simultaneously should consider 8 to 12GB, or maximizing the amount that their system can support.

If it still seems like you could make yourself a cup of coffee (or bake a batch of muffins) while waiting for your system to start up, give us a call at 800-919-NERD or click the chat button to connect to a Nerd for help with anything related to your gadgets or tech.

Find the Best Tech Deals with These Tips

Find the Best Tech Deals Around

Top Money Saving Tips

There’s no denying that indulging a love of electronics can get pricey.  Here are a few tips to ensure that you don’t overpay for technology.

Don’t pay more for “high end” cables/connectors: It may come as a surprise that part of your TV, home theater or computer purchase that is typically most profitable for the electronics store is the additional cables you were sold on your way out the door.  When it comes to cables that transfer digital information (such as HDMI or DVI cables), in almost all cases you aren’t going to experience a noticeable improvement in image or sound quality if you pay more for the cable.

You may find a variance in the thickness of the cable casing and/or plastic surrounding the connector on higher priced cables, which may make the cable somewhat more durable.  This may make a difference if you need your cable to go a large distance or through a wall.  However, most people use their HDMI cables over a distance of less than six feet, behind their TV, where a light weight cable will be perfectly suited.


USB cables are similarly overpriced.  The same cable that you pay $25 for at a big box retailer is available for less than $2 through a site like Monoprice.

Don’t assume refurbished means broken: Refurbished products are typically sold at a sizeable discount over the brand new, in original packaging version of the gadget you’ve had your eye on.  Many consumers are hesitant to consider a refurbished item, assuming that it was damaged or found to be defective and then returned to and repaired by the manufacturer.

While this is sometimes the case, there are other reasons that perfectly good gadgets end up on the shelf tagged as refurbished.  In some cases, the item (or even just the packaging itself) was scratched or damaged in transit.  Units that retailers have made available as demo or display models are often sold as refurbished.  If a product has been purchased, opened and subsequently returned it will be sold as refurbished even if it was never used by the original owner.

The best way to save money by choosing a refurbished product while protecting yourself from buying a defective dud is to look for one labeled “factory recertified” and be sure that it carries a decent warranty (at least 90 days).  While you can find even better deals on refurbished items sold through third party retailers, exercise caution.  If the item was damaged and repaired, it’s important that you have a reputable company that will stand behind it while you determine that it’s working properly now.

Don’t invest in the “wrong” things when buying a new desktop PC: Historically, the processor made a noticeable difference in system performance, even to basic users, so it made sense to pay more to upgrade from a 1.3 GHz processor to a 1.8 GHz processor.  These days, processors process data so quickly that most of us wouldn’t notice a difference between an Intel Core i5 to an Intel Core i7 for the $200-$300 more you may spend on the upgrade.  Instead, spend your money on RAM (aim for 8GB with a new PC) or upgrade from a standard hard drive to a solid state drive (SSD).  Both will lead to a more noticeable speed increase and aren’t as costly as upgrading the processor.