Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 22
It has been a while since the last Technology for Everyone newsletter. I hope everyone had a great holiday and has had a great start to the New Year!
Products and Services
Groupon
Providing great deals on a wide variety of products and services is the goal of Groupon. For example, yesterday I bought a $60 gift certificate for a downtown Kingston restaurant for $30.
How does it work? Create an account at www.groupon.com and sign up for the optional ‘daily deal” email. Each dealing has a ‘tipping point’, a minimum number of required people interested before the deal is activated. Once activated anyone can take advantage, giving businesses the advantage of establishing a guaranteed minimum number of customers. Groupon refers to the method as ‘collective buying power’. The service also offers Groupon gift certificates that can be put towards future Groupon purchases. A video explaining the service can be found here.
There are lots of rumors currently floating around about Google and Facebook are creating services to compete with Groupon, so you can bet ‘collective buying power’ will be an increasing popular idea. One current competitor is a service called WagJag www.wagjag.com which is very similar to Groupon.
News and Facts
Tablet computers continue to be an increasingly popular type of computer. The Apple iPad remains the market leader, however, tablets powered by Google Android are increasing market share. Google Android is the operating system for many smartphones and tablets, the equivalent of Windows for a mobile device. The main difference between the two is that the Apple iPad is a controlled experience, with one company controlling every aspect of the design and user experience. In contrast, any manufacture can create a Google Android tablet, as Google provides the foundation of Google Android for free and most manufactures then customize it for their specific device. Engadget.com provides a great overview of recent tablet users here http://www.engadget.com/topics/tabletpcs/
Tips and Tricks
Free Phone Calls Google Voice Chat continues to be offered for free to users in both Canada and the US. Using your Gmail account, you can call any phone number (land line or cell phone) in Canada and the US for free. More information can be found here http://www.google.com/chat/voice/
Excel – Switching Worksheets in a Workbook I spend a good portion of my day in Excel, so when I came across a way to switch worksheets within a workbook without having to click on each individual sheet I was pretty happy. On a PC hold down ‘ctrl’ and then press ‘page up’ or ‘page down’ to scroll through the sheets. On a Mac, hold down ‘option’ and then you the left and right arrow key to switch worksheets.
Contact Information
Email bryan.sippel@gmail.com
Website www.technologyforeveryone.wordpress.com
Twitter www.twitter.com/techforeveryone
iPod/iPhone and iTunes – Transfering Content (e.g. songs, movies and Podcasts)
I recently gave a presentation on iPod/iPhones and iTunes, which is available at the bottom of this post.
The focus of the session was on how to add content (e.g. music, movies, and podcasts) to an iPod/iPhone. Following the session, an attendee asked “how do I remove songs from my iPod”? Below is my response:
To remove content from an iPod:
If the content is configured to “sync” you will need to go into the appropriate tab in the iPod Settings (e.g. Music, Movies, Podcasts, etc.) and uncheck the Playlist or Artist that you want to remove. If you are syncing your entire Library, you can make use of the “Only sync checked songs and movies” option and then uncheck the songs in your library you want to remove from your iPod.
If you are manually managing your content you can simply highlight the content (i.e. songs, podcasts, etc.) you no longer want on your iPod and press Delete. This will remove the content from your iPod but keep the content in your iTunes Library.
Here is a video that explains the above. The video is designed for older model iPod Classic and Nano, however, the concepts and steps are the same. The screenshots shown in the video will look a little different for newer models of the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iTunes.
http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/tutorials/ipodsync.html
iPod/iPhone and iTunes Presentation
Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 20
Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 20
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Products and Services
Kobo Launch
Kobo is a Canadian owned company that has created and launched an ebook reader to compete against the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader and functionality in the Apple iPad. The difference? The Kobo is selling for $150 CDN and is adapting an open format. The open format means that books you buy through Kobo ebook store will be accessible on other devices (e.g. your computer) and other ebook readers.
From the reviews I’ve read and holding it at an Indigo Store:
- It is simple
- Not rich with features
- No wifi
- Textured back
- Price is a big attraction
- Like all e-ink based ebook readers the screen flickers when you move from page to page. I have yet to read for an extended period of time with an ebook reader and would be curious to hear from any readers that have.
News and Facts
BumpTop now owned by Google You may recall the mention of BumpTop in Newsletter No.3. Bumptop, created by a Toronto group, has been purchased by Google. With the technology (3D representations of your computer desktop, think pinning documents on a virtual wall on your desktop and moving documents around like paper on a desk) it will be interesting to watch how Google implements the features in their offerings.
Tips and Tricks
Track your Fitness and Nutrition Online
FitDay.com was recommend by a Technology for Everyone reader as a way to track your nutrition and fitness activities. The site has 5.1 million members and offers a free, ad supported, service for tracking your nutrition (including a simple to use calorie counter), exercise, and weight goals.
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Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 19
Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 19
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Products and Services
Don’t "Forget" Your Cell Phone… Especially If It Is A Prototype
You may have already heard, but there has been a lot of news coverage recently regarding Apple’s next iPhone. The reason? In mid-March an Apple engineer that was "real-world" testing the newest unreleased version of the iPhone forgot it/had it stolen/insert rumor or speculation here/gave it away after having a few drinks at a bar. The phone was eventually sold to the popular gadget blog Gizmodo, and has since published a great deal about the unreleased phone at it features. The story brought A LOT of people to the Gizmodo website, but not without a cost.
The story has evolved since, including a recent police search warrant raid of a Gizmodo Editor’s house, seizing computers and servers and Gizmodo now faces legal action. The story is far from over and what will likely be the most interesting events to follow are yet to come. For example, how will Apple now release information on the new phone and will they include all or additional features not included in the reports from the dissection of the "lost" phone.
Links to recent stories:
http://gizmodo.com/5520471/the-tale-of-apples-next-iphone?skyline=true&s=i
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/mibad-an-iphone-engineer-walks-into-a-bar-and-makes-a-very-bad-call/article1541235/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/ian-brown/a-phone-is-not-a-just-phone-when-its-a-new-iphone/article1545115/
News and Facts
Google’s Insane Number of Servers Visualized Servers are the backbone of online services like Google and Facebook. This is a great infographic to illustrate just how many servers Google has in comparison to other companies.
The oldest iPad user? Watch this video of how the "iPad has changed one 99-year-old woman’s life".
Tips and Tricks
Send a Text Message to Twitter If you have a Twitter account, you can ‘tweet’ (post a message to Twitter) from your cell phone. Sign into your Twitter account and add your cell phone number in Settings > Mobile. When you want to post a ‘tweet’, text a 140 max character message to 21212. Twitter does not charge for the service, however, standard message and data rates may apply. If you are not already using Twitter, using your cell phone to write posts makes it very easy and convenient.
Google Timeline Last week I included tips on how to write more effective Google searches. Enter a search into Google and then click on "Show options" at the top of search results. From the left menu that appears, click on Timeline to see a historical timeline of your search results. For example, search ‘volcanic ash’ and then create the Timeline. I learned very quickly, by clicking on "2000" to drill into recent results, that volcanic ash caused problems in Scotland in 2000.
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Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 20
Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 18
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Products and Services
Web Applications
Web Applications are applications, similar to those that you install on a computer, that run within a web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari). The benefit of web applications are that you do not need to install anything, well, usually. The exception is if the web application required a plugin, such as Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight. A plugin is a web browser "add on" which allows the web browser to display the code provided by the website in a certain way. While useful, plugins can be annoying and at times cumbersome.
HTML 5 HTML 5 is considered to be the next big innovation in how websites are viewed/displayed. The benefits of HTML 5 include providing a number of the features provided by plugins without requiring plugins, as the functionality is provided in the website language (HTML 5). I recent example is Gmail’s new drag and drop file attachment feature, explained here.
Some examples of web applications include:
Meebo Allows you to use all of the popular Instant Messaging services (e.g. MSN, Yahoo, and Facebook) through the web application. Using Meebo, you no longer need to install applications and can access your account from any computer.
Google Docs Create and edit web-based documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Store documents online and access them from any computer.
Animoto Animoto generates custom, professional-looking slideshows from user-uploaded music and photos.
News and Facts
The Owl Box Just as it sounds, a live streaming video of wild barn owls in an outdoor owl box. The website is a demonstration of video streaming which allows websites to play video without downloading the entire video. http://www.ustream.tv/theowlbox
Twitter Advertising Model Twitter announced this past week how it plans to use "sponsored tweets" to generate revenue. Wired provides an explanation of the business model and how Twitter hopes to avoid the same problems encountered by Facebook and others.
Tips and Tricks
Google Search Tips
Want to decrease the number of irrelevant search results? Try using negative search keywords (for example, search "football" vs. "football -"american football"") and you will get very different results. For other tips visit, http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-reduce-irrelevant-results-google-search/
Gmail Security
If you scroll to the bottom of your browser while signed into Gmail, you will see a "Last account activity" message. The message displays your current IP as well as a link to "Details". Click on the Details link to see a history of recent activity on your account. If anything seems out of the ordinary you may have a security problem. A great feature is the ability to sign yourself out of open connections on another computer. This way, if you sign yourself on at home and leave to go to work, you can sign yourself out of your home computer and not need to worry about anyone accessing your account.
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Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 17
Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 17
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Products and Services
Creating movie files from your DVDs
Last week, I talked about Playing Video on your Computer and this week wanted to return to a topic I mentioned in Newsletter No. 11 – playing a DVD on your computer without the DVD. To do so, you need to "rip" the DVD which converts it from the DVD format (VIDEO_TS) to a digital file format (e.g. .avi and .mpg). Once in a digital file format, the file can be stored on a hard drive or flash drive (e.g. USB stick) and played on your computer without the DVD.
Programs There are a number of different programs that will allow you to "rip" a DVD (Lifehacker Five Best) and the one I have used the most is HandBrake (available on PC or Mac). The benefits of Handbrake are the number of features and control of the file resolution, making it easy to create files that can be played on devices like the iPhone and iPods.
Legal You may be wondering about the warnings you see around making copies of store bought DVDs. While there is some debate, you will be safe if you make a copy of DVDs you own for yourself to be used on other devices. You may be into trouble if you make a copy and begin distributing it and serious trouble if you distribute it for a fee.
News and Facts
Free Office 2010 The popularity of creating documents online is growing and Microsoft has a response. Office 2010 will have a free ad supported online version and will compete directly against popular services from Google and Zoho.
RIM buys QNX RIM announced its plans to purchase the Ottawa based firm QNX in order to "further integrate and enhance the user experience between smartphones and in-vehicle audio and infotainment systems" (Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO, RIM). Likely features will include real-time traffic and weather updates.
Tips and Tricks
Password security An article from the blog Productivity 501 gives a good explanation of why you should use a different password for each of the online services you use. Reading the post, there is a suggestion in the comments that I found interesting. The comment suggests you can create unique passwords by using a random letter, the first 3-4 letters of the service, and then a random combination of numbers. For example, your password for Gmail would be Xgmai459 and your password for banking at CIBC would be Xcibc459.
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Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 16
Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 16
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Products and Services
Playing Video on your Computer
If you have played video on your computer you have likely become aware that there are a number of different digital video formats. Popular formats include Flash (.swf and .flv) as well as MPEG-4 (.mpg) and Audio Video Interleave (.avi). There are also a number of different video players, including Windows Media Player and iTunes, each capable of playing different video files. For example, iTunes does not play Windows Media Video (.wmv) files, while Windows Media Player does.
What if there was a video player that played all video (and audio) formats? Enter the VideoLAN project and VLC VideoLAN is an open-source project which means people from all the world work together on developing the free software (VLC) which can play virtually any video and audio format. The software is available on both PCs and Macs and will prevent many headaches trying to get your video files to play on your computer.
News and Facts
Apple iPad is released The Apple iPad was released on Saturday in the US, with a reported 300 000 units sold. There have been a range of reviews, many praising the new device and others recommending not to buy one quite yet. The most meaningful reviews won’t be available for weeks, after a large number of "regular" people have the opportunity to use the device and starting providing feedback.
Tips and Tricks
Screenshot/Screen Capture A picture is worth a thousand words. The next time you are stuck or want to remember a step or series of steps on your computer, try taking a screenshot/screen capture. On a PC press Print Screen (often labeled PrtScn) on your keyboard and then you can Paste the image into a document or email. On a Mac hold down Shift + Cmd (Apple key) + 3 a picture file of your screen will appear on your Desktop. If you want to capture a specific section of your screen on a Mac, hold down Shift + Cmd (Apple key) + 4 which will change your cursor. Select the section of the screen you want to capture (click and drag your cursor over the area) and a picture file of your selection will appear on your Desktop.
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How to Automatically Sync Any Song You Download to iTunes
Advanced If you download a lot of .mp3s the instructions provided by Lifehacker here will be useful in automatically adding the mp3s you download to your iTunes library.
Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 15
Technology for Everyone – Newsletter No. 15
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Products and Services
Location Awareness
Location aware applications like Google Latitude, Foursquare, and Gowalla use GPS and/or wifi to track your location and share with other users of the applications and/or the public. Many location aware applications allow you to create a personal network of other users, allowing you to see where they are located or "checked in" during the day. These types of applications have become very popular in major cities, for example, allowing users to "check in" to a coffee shop and meet people within their network.
The bad side of location aware applications has been shown in sites like PleaseRobMe.com What the buzz around PleaseRobMe.com showed everyone is that when using these services you need to be aware of the information you are sharing and who you are sharing it with. In other words, not a good idea to broadcast when you are leaving and when you will be home on Twitter, when you use FourSquare to show where you live. You are basically creating a set of instructions for a thief at that point.
An example of the usefulness of location aware applications is the OmniFocus iPhone application. OmniFocus is a task manager (based on David Allen’s GTD methodology) which organizes tasks based on Contexts (e.g. @Errands, @Home, @Office, etc.). The application has the ability to "help you decide what to do next based on where you are. When you tap the Nearby Contexts button, OmniFocus shows you the available actions that are closest to you. For instance, if you’re out buying groceries, OmniFocus can show you the closest grocery store and create an instant shopping list." We have all experienced the frustration of remembering you need batteries when you are at home and trying to use the device that requires new batteries. The application keeps your tasks "out of your head" and using location awareness reminds you when you can do something about them (i.e. buy batteries when you are near a store).
News and Facts
Large Hadron Collider breaks own record "The world’s largest atom smasher set a record for high-energy collisions on Tuesday by crashing proton beams into each other at three times more force than ever before." CBC.ca/News
Tips and Tricks
Text Message Google for Quick Results
Google offers a free (no charge from Google, standard message rates apply) service providing answers via text message. You simply text GOOGLE (466453) your question and the service responds with your answer. For example, text "Score name of team" and the service responds with the score of the most recent game (including in progress games) and info on upcoming games. Other examples include weather updates (type "Weather city") and a unit converter (e.g type "1 km in miles"). For a complete list of features and to demo the service visit http://www.google.ca/mobile/sms/index.html
Keeping Cables Organized
The number of cables twisted together behind one’s desk or in one’s back is often an frustrating issue. I would recommend two things to organize your cables: cable ties and cable drops. Cable ties come in a number of different forms, ranging from simple twist ties to plastic locking ties. The type I find most useful are reusable velco ties, which you can find at any Home Depot-like store. We also recently started using cable drops (from BlueLounge) on our desk at home and have found them useful for keeping the cables for our printers and portable hard drives accessible and organized.
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