Nerds On Call Reviews Summer Travel Websites: Save Precious Vacation Time

Summer Travel Websites for Saving You Time

Summer vacations hold a special appeal to me, harking back to the excitement heralded by the final bell on the last day of the school year, so many years ago.  But now that I’m grown up and have to do the leg-work to plan the trip, I’m often exhausted before I get out the door.  The wealth of online resources dedicated to travel planning can make it hard for me to make a decision.  How do I know when I’ve found the best use of my vacation dollars?

Over the next three weeks, we’ll explore some great online resources to simplify your travel planning (no, really!), as well as tips for how to make sure you get the best price and fewest headaches when booking travel online.


Before you dedicate a week to checking every travel deal site on the net, these consolidators scour the web for the best deals so that you don’t have to.

When you don’t have a specific location or travel date set, using the Internet to find a good deal or a great resort can be particularly overwhelming.  One way to get inspired: keep an eye on Travelzoo’s Weekly Top 20 (www.travelzoo.com/top20/ ). It’s a collection of the best deals from airlines, hotels, cruise lines and travel consolidators like Travelocity, Cheap Caribbean, and many more.  They sort through all the travel deals posted to the net each week and then present the “best of the best,” all in one place.

The drawback is that the best deals can sell out fast, so if you know you’ve found what you’re looking for don’t delay.  You can sign up for the Weekly Top 20 to be emailed to you when it’s released if you want to be sure not to miss out.

If you already know where you want to go, Kayak (www.kayak.com) does a quick search across hundreds of airline and travel agent options for your specific trip needs.  You’re then presented with a list of results tailored to your specific trip that Kayak has filtered to put the best deals first.  If you want to be sure that you have done a thorough scouring of the net, Kayak offers a one-click simultaneous search across competitor travel sites like Expedia, Travelocity, Bookit and more, so you can compare the best offers all at once.

Planning to do Disney?  Believe it or not, there are ways to save if you know the insider info.  Check out Mousesavers (www.mousesavers.com) for a collection of the best deals on all things Disney.  In addition to tips on how to get the best price on tickets, dining, and special Disney experiences, discover where to book to get the best rates on hotels, what you can expect on Disney cruises, even what’s planned for upcoming park, resort and ship improvements.

Current discounts and promotions are highlighted on the front page and updated regularly – from how to get the most out of a Disney Visa card discount program to coupon codes and special offers that would otherwise be tough to ferret out.  You’ll find up-to-date info about shows, freebies, and tips to make the most of your trip, including how to spend less time in line and more time enjoying your trip.

Before you make plans to embark on a cruise, check out Cruise Critic (www.cruisecritic.com) for reviews of cruise lines (by editors and site users) and tips to help you decide the best cruise before you book.  The “Deals” tab collects the top bargains by destination, cruise type or departure port.  Explore the “How to Cruise” tab for detailed guides and expert advice on how to choose, book, and finalize your trip, including things you need to know before you go and how to make the most of shore excursions.  Find the best deals, including the best seasons to book by destination, and tips to ensure you set sail on the cruise that best fits your needs and style.

Finally, before you book, submit specific details of the trip you’re considering to Cruise Compete (www.cruisecompete.com) to give travel agents the opportunity to find you a better deal.  Simply create an account, submit a request for a quote, and travel agent’s offers will be submitted online with no obligation and without revealing your contact info.

Stay tuned next week for easy ways to ensure you get the best price without sacrificing your sanity when using online resources to book your summer get away.

 

Sharing a Computer: How to Live in Harmony

Sharing a Computer and Retaining your Sanity

Sharing a computer can be tricky.  Whether it's the kids vying for screen time or summer house guests looking to check their email, following some easy tips can save your sanity.

First, create separate user accounts for each family member and one for “Guest.”  This allows each user a sense of individuality as they can set customized backgrounds, desktop icons and folders.  Establishing individual passwords allows everyone some privacy, while your administrator access lets you maintain ultimate control.  Separating users also helps reduce the impact of your kid’s activities on your productivity – no one wants to come home to discover a new default browser or that your work project has been “lost.”


Windows 7 users should head to Control Panel – User Accounts and Family Safety – “Add or remove user accounts.”  Mac OS X Lion users can follow the walkthrough on Apple’s support forum: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4600

I recommend that you limit user privilege and allow only the administrator to install or remove programs.  This reduces the likelihood that a user will unknowingly install a virus and restricts their ability to install applications you don’t want clogging up your PC.  It also stops them from installing an alternate browser to circumvent plug-ins or parental controls.

Establish clearly divided work and storage areas around the computer.  If space permits, install cubbies near the computer so everyone can have a place to stash their personal gadgets and gear.  Otherwise it’s all too easy for your thumb drive to get commandeered, or the desk overrun with the kids’ game disks.  Consider establishing the ground rule that everyone clears the desk of personal things upon logging off to reduce clutter.

It’s common for family members to fight over whose “turn” it is when two people want to get on at the same time.  Assign every family member a set amount of screen time, inclusive of TV time and mobile device use.  Allow everyone to participate in the discussion; decide whether to allow a set amount of time per day or rather allot each person a pool of minutes for the week so minutes can roll over from day to day.  The latter is more challenging to monitor, but can allow for more flexibility if someone has a favorite show they want to save up for.

The quickest way to enforce time management is to post a clock prominently near the computer.  This works best if you’ve decided to assign time blocks to each user.  A timer that makes an audible beeping also works well as it’s harder for your child to fight with the timer than it is to argue with you for “five more minutes.”

There are options built into Windows for limiting when each user account can log on to the computer, either by setting approved times of day or by giving a daily time allotment to each user account.  Visit the Windows support site for details, or watch their video here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/control-when-children-can-use-the-computer

Finally, remember that a wide variety of mobile devices can handle basic web searching, email and gaming.  Installing a wireless router, even if you don’t have multiple computers, allows family members to reserve computer use for activities that can’t be done on other devices and guests to use a tablet or smartphone to get online.

[caption id="attachment_16199" align="alignleft" width="300"] Share a computer with the Mini X G4[/caption]

Even if your budget doesn’t allow for another computer, you may be able to siphon off some of the usage overlap to an inexpensive tablet such as Amazon’s 7” Kindle Fire (www.amazon.com/Kindle-Fire-Amazon-tablet/dp/B0083Q04IQ, starting at $159 for new or $129 for refurbished).  If you have an extra HDMI-capable monitor, USB hub, keyboard and mouse, consider a “computer on a stick” such as the MiniX Neo G4(www.minix.us/products/NEO-G4.html, $65) or attach it to your TV to do basic web activities in your living room.

Cyberbullying Infographic: The Facts & Statistics About Online Bullying

We've covered cyberbullying in previous articles, but it can be difficult to slog through technical talk on the subject. Here are some numbers and facts that make the subject easy to comprehend, as hard as it may be to understand. Learn what you can do to protect your child from bullies.

Helping Mom Out With Mother's Day Tech

Help Mom With Mother's Day Tech

The best Mother's Day gifts are often those that don't come wrapped with a pretty bow.  It's great when you're able to buy Mom the latest new gadget, but she may not know the first thing about setting it up or operating it.  What better way to show Mom your love than to spend a few hours together helping her to get comfortable with her new toy?  You will both love the one-on-one time.  Just don't forget to take her out to brunch when you're done.


Mom wants a new laptop.  Instead of sending her off to the store on her own, tag along to help her pick out the one that’s right for her.  You know Mom doesn’t need a gigantic hard drive and upgraded video card, but she’ll enjoy the faster boot up time of a solid state hard drive and lots of RAM.  It may even make sense to consider a touchscreen or tablet if she won’t be using it for work of a lot of typing.

Don’t just send her home with a box and a kiss.  Plan to spend a few hours helping her to get it set up and get familiar with her new equipment.  Start her off with the basics while you’re there, and then leave her with teaching tools such as Help pages and Tutorial Videos.  Both Microsoft and Apple have them so bookmark links and show her how to navigate to them.

If Mom sprung for a Mac or iOS device, Apple has a support community she can join to pose questions to the community (questions are often answered by repair or tech support professionals) or scroll through previously-asked questions to get some help.

Remote support is a lifesaver in those times when you just can't figure out why your printer isn't printing.  Many computer repair companies offer to login to your computer remotely to fix something, install an application, or show you how to do something that has you flummoxed.  If you aren’t comfortable being Mom’s sole tech support, find a reputable company that offers remote support and get her set up with an account and/or any software they require.

"Send your parents a Tech Support care package" by Google (www.teachparentstech.org) lets you send Mom a little tutorial video (or multiple videos), in a cute little message format.  It works great for subjects like "how to copy-paste" or "how to attach a file to an email."

Another idea for a really personal touch is to make your own tutorials that Mom can refer back to whenever she needs them, for specific issues you know she's been having.  Most people are visual learners so video is an optimal format.  Start a YouTube channel with all your how-to videos and share the link with Mom.  You can also write out the step-by-step details for tasks she needs to perform.  Make sure your instructions describe the task visually: "left-click on the Windows icon in the lower left-hand corner of your screen" rather than "click on the Start Menu," as Mom might not know what the "Start Menu" is.

Most Moms these days love to see your Facebook status updates about the grandkids or your latest vacation pictures.  Make sure Mom is getting the full experience.  If she's not on Facebook yet, help her create an account, post a nice profile picture, customize her privacy settings and send out preliminary friend requests to connect with family and friends.

Even established Facebook users may appreciate a tutorial.  Last year, I had Mom write down all the questions she had about her computer, email, and Facebook over the course of a week.  Then we sat down and I walked her through them.  She loved it and it was great for me to be able to help her feel more comfortable with her technology.

If Mom hasn't gotten on the computer bandwagon yet (and you're pretty sure she's not ready), maybe she shouldn't.  There are plenty of devices that fill in quite nicely for a computer, like an iPad or Kindle Fire.  They’re intuitive and much less complicated and can probably do just about everything she'd need a computer to do.  There are even external keyboards available if she doesn't like typing on the touchscreen.

Before you hand Mom some new tech bling, just make sure it comes with a bit of set up time from you.

 

The Best Way to Choose a Computer Monitor Part 2

Choose a Computer Monitor to Fit Your Needs - Part 2

While your monitor has a huge impact on your computing experience, the multitude of performance indicators can be confusing.  Last week I reviewed some of the primary factors that you should consider when shopping for a new display, including screen size, components effecting clarity and pairing with the right graphics card. If you missed it, check it out here: www.callnerds.com/choose-a-computer-monitor-part-1/


Yet there are even more factors that cause one monitor to cost $150 while another is $900.  While I can’t stress strongly enough the benefits of seeing first-hand how a monitor performs and produces images before you buy it, if you have to purchase sight-unseen it’s important to know what the technical specifications mean and how they’re likely to impact your visual experience.

There are two main display types you’ll likely choose between: LED (light emitting diode) and LCD (liquid crystal display).  LCD crystals require light be passed through them to display images so the entire backside of the panel is lit.  LED is actually an LCD panel, but with a different kind of light source.  LED diodes transmit light more efficiently so they’re typically edge-lit (LED lights run around the edge of the panel).

LEDs offer better color contrast (blacker blacks and whiter whites) than LCDs.  They are easier on the eyes than a fully back-lit LCD, require less power, run cooler and are usually lighter and thinner.  Expect to pay $40-$50 more for LED than a comparably sized LCD.

There are three main types of monitors, each with strengths and weaknesses.

Twisted Nematic (TN) panels are the most common and least expensive.  They have the highest refresh rates, an important consideration for online gaming.  However, narrow viewing angles cause colors to appear washed-out if you're looking at them from any other angle than straight-on and details can be washed out, particularly when outside the relatively small optimum viewing area.  Prices start at about $150 for a basic 24” TN monitor.

Multi-domain Vertical Alignment (MVA) and Patterned Vertical Alignment (PVA) are the more mid-grade options when it comes to price, starting at around $275 for a 23” screen.  They have significantly better color reproduction than TN monitors, meaning they offer higher maximum brightness and lower black levels – an important consideration for graphic design and photo or video editing.  Viewing angles are significantly better than TN technology.  Unfortunately, their response time is slower and they tend to be thicker dimensionally than a TN display.

In-Plane-Switching (IPS) displays are considered to be the high-end of the monitor spectrum and carry the highest price points, although small screens can be quite reasonable.  Tablet PCs typically incorporate IPS display technology.  Color reproduction and supported viewing angles are excellent - colors remain accurate and don’t change or shift even when viewing from an odd angle, so they're ideal for graphic designers.  Besides higher price, the primary drawback is that they often suffer from slow response time and can lag when images are displayed - a deal breaker for an online gamer.

To give you an idea of price variance, the ASUS VS239H-P 23” IPS monitor (http://usa.asus.com/Display/LCD_Monitors/VS239HP/) is about $170 while Dell’s UltraSharp U2713HM 27” monitor (www.dell.com/ed/business/p/dell-u2713hm/pd) is a higher-end LED IPS display that will set you back about $700.

Samsung recently developed a new panel technology, Plane-to-line Switching (PLS), that marries the wider viewing angle supported by IPS monitors with the higher brightness and color contrast offered by MVA and PVA displays.  They still display slower than TN panels, but their power consumption is low and production cost is cheaper than IPS. Samsung’s 27” SyncMaster S27A850D (www.samsung.com/hk_en/consumer/computer-peripherals/monitors/commercial/LS27A850DS/XK?subsubtype=sa650-and-sa850-led) starts at around $800.

Stay tuned next week for the newest monitor bells and whistles: 3-D and touchscreen.

Facebook Home Initially Disappointing; Will Evolve

Facebook Home In Early Stages

Facebook recently released a new kind of app called Facebook Home, and the reviews are lackluster so far. But if the tech giant's history proves to be any indicator of long-term success, this is just the beginning of a long relationship with the software.


Facebook Home, launched April 12, 2013, promised to turn the user's phone into an all-in-one social hub with pictures, live updates, and easier chatting with Facebook friends. But reviews over the days since its launch have not been favorable. Complaints frequently mention how much battery the app consumes, though many people seem hopeful to use it if certain features were included. The likely reason behind this reception is the choice of phones that Facebook chose to support the app.

The phones that support it so far are high-end Android smartphones like the Galaxy SIII and the Galaxy Note II. The people using the app so far are more concerned with bleeding-edge functionality than a much larger user-base would be. Early media reports on Home's "Failure to Launch" seem to ignore the limited user base that it has been released to.

Facebook has been working on better integrating user feedback into their designs, after having gained a reputation for inconsiderate and abrupt homepage redesigns. Their latest site redesign therefore focused on usability and good design. Home only achieves the latter, but is clearly hoping to improve its product based on the less-than-congratulatory reviews online.

The official Facebook app has had almost 7 million installs, customers which Facebook is no doubt looking to convert to the new Facebook Home app, so it makes sense that they would polish the app on high-end devices before releasing it to a broader user base. As always, computer repair experts and Nerds look forward to seeing where this trend is headed - Facebook never does anything small!

Image from Facebook

Smart Mobile Games for Kids to Download

Smart Mobile Games for Kids

Anyone stuck in line at the grocery store with a cranky toddler can’t deny the sweet nirvana to be had by simply handing over your Smartphone or iPod Touch.  But what happens when you discover that little Sammy has been playing Angry Birds Star Wars instead of practicing early reading skills with Bob Books?  Luckily, many games that aren’t classified as educational can impart some great skills, all in the course of fun.  Here are some of the surprising skills my son has picked up from games he really shouldn’t have been playing.


First things first: before you hand off your mobile device, protect it from the all-too-fast fingers of your little one.  Despite your inevitable distraction in the checkout aisle, don’t allow your kid to play completely unattended and do ensure they don’t launch something inappropriate for their age.  Besides the obvious benefits of a sturdy case, don’t forget to activate some parental restrictions.  If nothing else, turn off in-app purchases so you don’t end up with a nasty surprise on your next credit card bill.  Turn off WiFi and/or put your phone in airplane mode to quickly limit exploring and buying.

For more on how to activate parental restrictions on tablets, see our previous article: http://www.callnerds.com/parental-tablet-control-press/.  The process for activating restrictions on an iPhone is similar to the process described for iPads.

Real Racing 2 by EA Mobile (iOS $4.99, Android $5.88): My 4 year old actually knows how to use a steering wheel thanks to this game.  You hold the handheld device like a steering wheel and tilt it right to turn right, left to turn left.  Eliminating button controls makes it realistic enough that my little guy has been able to translate his gaming practice into real life steering skills.  He’s learned the importance of subtle movements over sharp jerks.  Surprisingly, this has translated into an uncanny ability to get around in a Hot Wheels Jeep.  He can steer around obstacles without batting an eye and perform a three point turn with more precision than I can.

Disclaimer: The most recent version, Real Racing 3, is plagued by incessant prompts to spend money on in-app game upgrades and will actually disable gameplay if you don’t.

Scribblenauts Remix by Warner Bros. (iOS and Android, $.99): While I expected my kid to practice spelling with the many reading and phonic apps I’ve installed, none were as motivating as a game that has little to do with spelling skills.  You type in words to make things appear in the cartoon world on the screen, either to play with or to complete challenges.  For example, the main cartoon character may appear on screen with a tree and a star at the top of the tree.  The goal is to get the star.  Players can summon a chainsaw to take the tree down, a ladder to climb the tree, a jetpack to fly up to the star… you get the idea.

It’s the creative possibilities linked with the necessity that you spell a word to get the desired thing to appear that really got my little guy working on sounding out words.  While “dragon” became a quick addition to his word arsenal, he also had to learn modifiers to make it just right (such as “big black flying dragon”).

Disclaimer: this game is open-ended in its allowance of creativity which can lead to cartoon violence, particularly when your kid starts spelling gun, sword and ninja.

Angry Birds by Rovio Entertainment (many versions for all mobile OS):  The flying birds and mocking pigs seem mindless and silly, but there’s actually some fundamental physics skills being formed when you launch those Angry Birds. Most notably, users are unwittingly learning the basic physics of trajectory, momentum and gravity.  My kid quickly grasped that what goes up will come down, but where depends on how hard and high you throw it.  I’ve seen him work out similar dynamics when tossing a ball.  Thankfully no pigs are harmed in the process when it’s done out of game.

World of Goo by 2D Boy (iOS and Android, $4.99): While it may have you hooked with its addictive, open-ended gameplay, this beautifully rendered game will make your kid think creatively to overcome challenges.  Use squirmy, chatty globs of goo to construct structures, bridges, cannonballs, and much more, all the while learning about basic engineering and structural integrity.

Even “platform” games that seem mindless like Mega Run, Jetpack Joyride, Ham Run, and Wind-Up Knight are great for reflexes – they require the player to jump or tilt the screen at just the right time to avoid obstacles, or reason through the right series of moves to achieve an objective.  It also takes tenacity and perseverance to keep trying when met with defeat time and again.

So before you beat yourself up about using your mobile sanity-saver on your next car trip, know that even the more “mindless” games are often helping to develop some surprising skills.