Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

Taxes 2009: TurboTax vs. H&R Block vs. TaxAct

We know, tax time is the pits, but if it makes you feel better, we did ours six times while researching the pros and cons of TurboTax (Windows|Mac|Online), Tax Act (Windows|Online), and H&R Block At Home (Windows|Mac|Online), formerly called H&R Block Tax Cut. So we know a thing or three about taxes.

FCC previews National Broadband Plan details

The report, which was mandated as part of last year's economic stimulus bill, will provide a blueprint for policy makers and lawmakers to provide ubiquitous high-speed Internet access to every American. It will be presented to Congress on March 17. The plan, which is expected to be hundreds of pages long, will include recommendations for new rules, such as reforms to the $7 billion Universal Service Fund. And it will also include policy recommendations for expanding network coverage, increasing broadband speeds, and encouraging competition.

'Internet addiction' could appear on the official list of mental illnesses

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) are working on the fifth revision of the book at the moment, and Internet Addiction might be included to the ever-growing list of disorders.

Discovering Planets Beyond - How Do Planets Form?

This Web site is part of the Hubblesite and offers a look at how planets outside our solar system are being discovered and even photographed. There is also an interesting video on the site and lots of good information about exo-planetary systems. Fascinating stuff.

Anti-Rootkit - Free Rootkit Removal

For all Windows users (including Windows 7), Sophos offers an easy and very effective choice in rootkit removal, that is suitable even for beginners.

High School Uses Laptops to Spy on Students at Home

Shut down Webcam use, judge tells school district

A Philadelphia High School gave its students free laptops. Then, the school used the built-in web cam in those laptops to spy on some students at home. The school never told students or parents that they had installed spy software on the laptops. This has opened a firestorm of protests, not to mention lawsuits. And, it turns out, this high school may not be the only one doing this. This is an important story that we will be following.

Italian Court Convicts Google Execs for Uploaded Video

Another amazing court decision: An Italian court has convicted three Google executives of privacy invasion, holding them liable for a 2006 video uploaded by a user. Chief Legal Officer David Drummond and two others were sentenced to six-month suspended terms. Google plans to appeal the rulings that fly in the face of a long-standing doctrine about immunity against user content.

Six Labs features now standard for Gmail users

Google has released six technologies tested in its Gmail Labs for use in the mainstream product, including a forgotten attachment detector, previews of YouTube videos, and an autoresponder to send automatic replies while on vacation

Windows shortcuts can boost your efficiency

Constantly moving your hands between the keyboard and mouse is not the most efficient way to interact with our computers, but most of us doggedly stick to it. But if you take a little time to learn (or relearn) a few basic keyboard and mouse shortcuts, you can blaze through your windows faster and more easily — and possibly put less stress on your overworked hands as well.

Dropbox - Online backup, file sync and sharing made easy.

This incredible free program is what you want if you have 2 or more computers that you want to keep in sync. It is the only program that has ever been able to keep my Outlook file in sync across three computers. I also use it to keep my OneNote, Word, and Excel files in sync as well as my blog drafts. No matter where I am, my computers are always in sync. Data is stored in the cloud until you turn on linked computers, then it is downloaded automatically.

Apple and Censorship

Apple Insists Complaints Led To Ban on Sexy Apps

Apple, Inc.'s Philip Schiller insists the ban on racy apps in Apple's App Store is a result of complaints from women and parents. But Apple still allows apps from Playboy and Sports Illustrated, indicating that branded content is acceptable. Apple's ambiguity on its App Store allows flexibility in what apps get banned or restored.

iTunes Store Still Has Plenty of Porn

Apple reportedly took recent action to remove a bunch of boobie and bikini apps from the iTunes store. The reason, ostensibly, is that kids found them and that offended their parents. As we've demonstrated in our story "5 Sexy Apps Still In The iTunes Store," Apple's policy seems arbitrary and incomplete. And that's just its apps policy.

How Can I Ditch Cable and Watch My TV Shows and Movies Online?

I'd love to get rid of cable and stream all my favorite TV shows right from the internet. What do I need to know before I take the plunge?

DocStoc opens up its store to (almost) anyone

Online document host DocStoc launched its DocStore online marketplace a little less than a year ago, and since then it's grown to more than 1 million downloads a month. However, up until now it's only allowed a handful of hand-picked providers to sell their wares on its site. That's changing with a new service that will let just about anyone with what the company deems to be a "professional document" sell their stuff.

The Most Accurate, Highest Resolution Earth View to Date - NASA

This is the most accurate, highest resolution true color image of planet Earth to date. And at 2048 x 2048 pixels, you should put it in your desktop background now.

Lock Your Computer with a USB Drive

Buzz's Latest Tweaks Make for Some Awkward Social Interactions

Google has attempted to soothe user outrage over the privacy holes in its Buzz social service. However, the new adjustments it's made apparently open new doors for creepy behavior, like secretly following someone who's tried to block you. The changes could also allow others to secretly follow you.

Twitter, Facebook use up 82 percent

The average social-networking user around the world spent more than five and a half hours on sites like Facebook and Twitter in December, according to data released Monday by Nielsen. That marked an 82 percent jump from December 2008 when Tweeters and Facebookers surfed their favorite sites for around three hours the entire month.

Mozilla patches critical Firefox bugs

Mozilla has released fixes for five security holes in older versions of Firefox, while a security company has warned of a zero-day flaw in the latest version of the popular browser.

Nuance Launches Free PDF Reader to Compete with Adobe

Nuance Communications, Inc. has just announced the launch of new free Windows-based PDF Reader software that, Nuance says, "includes features typically found in premium products" and "takes up less disk space, is more secure than Adobe® Reader®, and works with virtually any PDF file."

Predator Freeware lock your computer with a USB flash drive

Predator enables you to lock and unlock your PC by simply removing or inserting a USB flash drive. You can use any USB stick, the program will generate a security code and place it on the device to identify it as the key. It will then check every X seconds if the drive is still inserted and if it is not, the program will lock your computer.  Cool idea.

Free Giant 2010 Baseball Book

Critical Census Software Plagued by Glitches

The 2010 Census has already begun in remote areas, but the Census software system is nowhere near ready to handle paperwork and payroll data for the expected 500,000 Census takers. A government watchdog group says that if changes are not made to critical software systems, the Census risks ballooning costs, delays and inaccuracies.

Reports: Internet Attacks Traced to Chinese Schools

Computer security experts investigating Internet attacks on Google and other U.S. companies say computers at Chinese educational institutions may have been involved.

Three Ways to Manage Your Attention with Facebook

First, tune out Inane Updates: While games are huge on Facebook, I really don't care about my friends' gaming activity. I am not alone. "I don't care about your farm, or your fish, or your park, or your mafia" has attracted over five million fans. Thankfully, the New York Times today details how you can tune out say Farmville updates from friends...

Booking a Flight the Frugal Way

Booking a flight is a total mess. Travelocity and Expedia have been joined by Bing and Orbitz and Dohop and Vayama and CheapTickets and CheapOair and Kayak and SideStep and Mobissimo and and and … I could go on and list every single Web site out there, but I won’t. There are just too many. Instead, I’ll lead you through the steps I make when I’m booking a flight myself.

Free Book: Emerald Guide to Baseball 2010

Baseball season is rapidly approaching. If you are a fan, the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is pleased to to offer the Emerald Guide to Baseball 2010 as a free PDF to the world baseball community. I've downloaded it myself and it is fantastic. I will be printing out a page or two for every Spring Training game I attend here in Tucson. The book is $25 in print.

I’m Dumping Buzz: Here is Why and How

Google makes it easier to disable Buzz

Last week we took you through a laborious step-by-step process to disable Buzz, Google's new social network. Google's engineers made some quick changes as a result of the backlash, including fixing a security flaw affecting mobile Buzz users, tweaking a setup process that has you manually accepting followers, and providing an easier way to disable Buzz if you want to give it the heave-ho.

What Google needs to learn from Buzz backlash

Ask almost any technology company what products and services they use within their own organizations, and most will enthusiastically admit to "dog-fooding" their own products. It's both a show of support for their own technology and an opportunity to test those products for flaws that won't make the light of day before they are fixed. Google is no different. But something went wrong with the dog-fooding process for Google Buzz, forcing company engineers to scramble over a holiday weekend to calm the outcry over privacy violations with tweaks to the settings and set-up process.

Quick cures for the worst Windows 7 annoyances

In its seemingly never-ending quest for a better Windows, Microsoft simply can't resist tinkering with — and sometimes completely removing — features that many of us loved. If you find yourself tripping over new Windows 7 features or missing favorite old ones, I've got some tips that will come to your rescue.

Hands On with Windows Phone 7 Series

Microsoft on Monday launched its Windows Phone 7 Series, the most radical change that Microsoft smartphones have ever seen. WP7 – there's no "Windows Mobile" any more – uses a bold array of tiles and pivoting panels to let users easily access their personal information, Zune music and Xbox Live gamer card.

Back4Sure Makes Quick Work of Backing Up Files to a USB Drive

Windows: Nothing beats a full-on system backup for making sure you've got duplicates of all your important stuff. Free utility Back4Sure is a simple but powerful tool for quickly, incrementally backing up important files to external drives from anywhere.

A Good Look at USB 3

USB 3.0 Boosts Speeds and Bandwidth

Computer users are eagerly awaiting USB 3.0, or SuperSpeed USB. SuperSpeed USB will offer transfer rates 10 times faster than USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 cables should still be compatible with USB 2.0 connections. External hard drives will be the first devices to come out with USB 3.0 connections. Unfortunately, few devices currently support USB 3.0, but they are coming soon.

Google Apologizes for Buzz Fuss, Stops Automation

Google's Todd Jackson has apologized for the Google Buzz fiasco in which Gmail users contacts were made public without notice. In response to user complaints, Google has further tweaked Google Buzz so matchups and sharing are no longer automatic. A security lab reported that in just two days, a Google Buzz spammer had linked to 237 people.

7 reasons to stick with Windows XP

Are you having an internal debate about upgrading to Windows 7? I think that is a good choice for many folks. But, here are 7 reasons to stick with Windows XP that might make help you justify staying where you are.

User Reviews: How to Use Them, And How Not To

These days, online reviews have evolved to take advantage of the medium's strengths, and they've expanded to fill the extra space. Retailers like Amazon love user reviews, and have made them an integral part of the sales cycle: “Do your research right here, on this page, before you buy!” they seem to say, passing off user reviews as a complete replacement for professional reviews.

Webcams Go High-Def—Sort of

Today's webcams have made significant inroads in both audio and video performance. They still don't rival even low-end digital cameras and camcorders, but 2-megapixel sensors, Carl Zeiss optics, and 720p video recording are now commonplace. That's plenty for sharp-looking Skype calls and Web chats, throwaway snapshots, or even an impromptu YouTube performance at your desk.

A Look at SUPERAntiSpyware

The Gizmo Web site calls this program the best free anti-spyware program out there. And after using it for a little while, I agree.

SUPERAntiSpyware comes in two versions, a free version and the Pro version for $29.95. Daily updates for both are free. SUPERAntiSpyware Professional includes real-time blocking of threats, scheduled scanning, and free unlimited Customer Service via e-mail.  The free version requires you to initiate a scan, but then when it finishes, it will wipe out the threats.

Now, there is some misconception about anti-spyware programs and anti-virus programs. The majority of folks think you can only have one anti-malware program running at a time. That is only half true. You can only have one antivirus program running, otherwise the two programs will conflict with each other and start rendering fall positives. Anti virus programs include AVG, Avast, Norton, Microsoft Security Essentials (my personal recommendation) and several others.

But you may one or more anti-spyware programs on your system. Best not to run more than one at a time, but you can use more than one to double check your system.

The two best are SUPERAntiSpyware and MalwareBytes.  I use both, but find SUPERAntiSpware catching more threats. Gizmo agrees with me. Give it a try and see what it finds.

The New Windows 7 Phone

Windows Phone 7 Series Preview

Microsoft drops some shock and awe on the smart phone industry with a surprisingly strong Windows Phone 7 Series announcement. This could be the big one, folks.

Ballmer banks on Windows Phone 7 for the future

Steve Ballmer hopes "7" will be Microsoft's lucky number as the company restarts its mobile business with the release of Windows Phone 7. On Monday, the CEO of Microsoft and his team of Microsoft executives took the wraps off the latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system at a press conference here at the Mobile World Congress. The new Windows Phone 7 is a fresh start for the company in mobile.

Adobe warns of new Reader, Flash holes

Will it never end? Adobe Systems on Thursday warned of new critical holes in Reader and Flash Player, released a security update for the Flash hole, and said a patch for Reader would come next week. My advise...don't wait for Adobe to update, change to Foxit Reader.

The 10 coolest experiments from Google Labs

When you've got thousands of the world's most brilliant engineers spending 20 percent of their time on whatever takes their fancy, cool software is the result.

USB Safeguard 1.1.0 (Windows) Free

It's a freeware file encryption utility, small, portable and easy to use. Simply drag and drop files and folders to quickly protect your sensitive documents, and then enter an password to encrypt and decrypt the files that you want to protect from prying eyes.

More Buzz about BUZZ

Buzz features compared: Just the important stuff

Buzz is, in many ways, highly derivative of existing, and quite popular services. The three biggest ones that come to mind are Twitter, Facebook, and FriendFeed, with the latter two being the same company. Though to Google's credit, it has done something none of these companies has managed to do in integrating it deeply into a popular e-mail service.

Google may remove Buzz from Gmail

Google has now released a statement that they will not be removing Buzz from Gmail, but rather are considering building a standalone version of Buzz that doesn't require Gmail. The main gripe with BUZZ has been privacy issues.

Twitpics from Space

For the past few weeks, Japanese astronaut Souichi Noguchi, traveling in orbit 200 miles above the Earth at around 17,000 mph, has been on board the International Space Station tweeting images of his view from space. The images, which were taken with digital cameras on board the International Space Station, have been posted to Twitter via Twitpic, a Web site that allows users to easily post pictures.

Microsoft Releases Windows Experience Pack for Windows XP/Vista/7

Microsoft has been releasing freebies for Windows 7 users fairly regularly. However, that doesn’t mean that Microsoft has completely forgotten about users of older versions of Windows. The Windows team has released a new set of goodies for Windows Live, which are available not only for Windows 7 but also for Windows XP and Vista.

Antenna: Tune in Radio from Around the World

Radio stations around the world are also broadcasting on the Web, so even if you're far away from a place you like to visit, or you're away from home and want to hear the local news from your neighborhood, you can probably find and stream what you're looking for at any time. The trouble is finding the station you want. With Antenna, the process is a little easier.

Fine Tuning Your Computer and On-Line Experiences

How to fix your Facebook News Feed so it's chronological

Whenever Facebook launches a new design, things get misplaced. If your favorite way to browse Facebook is to browse your News Feed chronologically, here’s how to fix it:

Fine tuning Windows 7 on your netbook

A good article for adjusting Windows to run more efficiently on a netbook. Most suggestions also work very well for a regular notebook.

Freeware outdoes Windows' built-in system tools

Most standard Windows maintenance tasks can be accomplished using the utilities included with the OS itself — but that doesn't mean those tools are your best option. Whether you're looking for an easier way to browse the image files in a folder, create a restore point, revert to XP's Classic Start Menu, or customize your file associations, there's a (free) app for that.

Burning Question: Where’s My à la Carte TV?

Imagine this sweet deal: Instead of paying big bucks for dozens of channels you don’t watch, you get to pick only the content you want: ESPN. Dexter. Every film Jessica Alba was ever in. OK, now forget it. Ain’t gonna happen. At least, not in the near future.

Backup and Restore Personal Folders in Outlook

The Microsoft Office Online site offers a Personal Folders Backup Tool as a free download. To use this tool, be sure to download the appropri¬ate version for your version of Outlook and then exit Outlook before installing the tool. After you download and install the backup tool, you can back up a user’s personal folders

More About Google’s New “Buzz”

Editor’s Note: Yesterday, Google announced its new Buzz program, an add-on for Gmail. Today I got an invitation to connect, and I did. I am not 100% sure I fully understand it, but am going to try and figure it all out. So far, I am following just two people, myself and one other person that Buzz picked up from my Google Reader account.  I seem to be getting both their Tweets and Friendfeeds. I will keep playing and see if its worth it. If you have a Gmail account and get an invite, why not join me and let me know what you think. JRC

Social Networking: Google Buzzes Social Networking Scene

Social networking is Gmail's next logical step, right? Early reactions are divided. Google Buzz "is just mission creep," argues consultant Simon Sinek. On the other hand, if Google does what it does best with this new networking tool -- organizing information -- it might create a competitive differentiator, says First Page Sage founder Evan Bailyn.

Rafe and Josh debate Google's Buzz

Google on Tuesday released Buzz (news), its Twitter competitor. Or is it a swipe at FriendFeed? The new platform has elements of both. It joins other Google communication tools inside the Gmail service, so you can't miss it if you're a Gmail user (if you haven't gotten the notice yet that your account is Buzz-enabled, just wait a few days). Should you use it? That depends on whether your network of friends is on board.

Google to test ultrafast broadband to the home

Google, never satisfied with the pace of change, plans a test that will provide 50,000 to 500,000 people with fiber-optic broadband Internet access with a network speed of a gigabit per second starting as soon as this year.

Malware hits all-time high in January

The amount of unique malware tracked by security vendor Fortinet, reached an all-time high in January. Its distinct malware volume soared to over 9,000 last month, more than twice that in December, the company said.

FotoSketcher 1.95 (Windows)

FotoSketcher turns digital photos into beautiful pencil sketches or paintings in seconds. Free

Good Times for Netflix

Netflix will add 1080p, 5.1-channel surround sound

Netflix’s on-demand video streaming service, a.k.a. Netflix Watch Instantly, is jumping on the 1080p HD bandwagon later this year, with a corresponding bump in audio to 5.1-channel surround sound.

Netflix has Blockbuster on the ropes

The traditional video-store business model appears doomed. At this point, Blockbuster appears headed for the same fate as Movie Gallery. At one time, Movie Gallery was one of Blockbuster's biggest brick-and-mortar competitors, but last week it filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time since 2007.

Macmillan Books Return To Amazon.com

Amazon had limited the availability of Macmillan titles due to an e-book dispute, where Macmillan had insisted on a new e-book pricing system that in effect did away with Amazon's $9.99 Kindle e-book rate. Under Macmillan's model, known as the "agency model," e-books will be priced from $12.99 to $14.99 when first released.

Google Brings Buzz Social Networking to Gmail, Mobile

You've got to hand it to Google: when they take on a project, they don't do things by halves. On Tuesday, in an event at the company's Mountain View campus the company announced Google Buzz, its newest entry into the social-networking

Faster downloads, skins, and caps in uTorrent 2.0

uTorrent 2.0 went gold a few days ago, and the latest stable version of the incredibly popular torrent client introduces several useful new features for those who haven't been playing around with the beta.

Watch out For Haiti Relief Scams

FBI Braces for Haiti-Relief Scam Onslaught

The FBI and at least five state attorneys general have issued alerts on Haiti relief scams, warning Americans eager to support earthquake relief to avoid in-person scams, where door-to-door solicitors ask for money; e-mail and texting scams, which aim to steal money and personal data; and social-networking scams that represent bogus charities.

Nook back on sale

Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader, which sold out over the winter holidays, is available online once again, the company said Monday. The Nook is also expected to show up in most B&N stores by midweek.

Will Fans Still Love Hulu if It's Not Free?

Hulu's recent billion-video milestone validates the idea that people will actually watch long-form programming online. Now, Hulu says it will explore a tiered pricing structure, and many are betting that Hulu will soon be brought to web-connected devices such as TVs and Blu-ray players. But will its fans still love Hulu if it's not free?

Top 5 Super Bowl Ads

It's Super Bowl Monday, the morning after the big game, and that means it's time to break down the highlights and look back at the best commercials shown during this year's broadcast.

iCatchall: 27 apps for free--Monday only

What's better than 27 apps for 99 cents? Why, 27 apps for zero cents, of course. That's what you get from iCatchall, which, like last week's App Genie, delivers more than two dozen tools under one app roof. Normally it's 99 cents, but in conjunction with previously mentioned Free App a Day, iCatchall is free today (and only today).

FBI Wants Better Snooping

FBI wants records kept of Web sites visited

The FBI is pressing Internet service providers to record which Web sites customers visit and retain those logs for two years, a requirement that law enforcement believes could help it in investigations of child pornography and other serious crimes.

Facebook Engineers Hit Redesign Button Once Again

Facebook has once again redesigned the social-networking site and is rolling out the changes to some users. Facebook says the redesign will make navigation easier, but at least one user says the change has ruined her organization of friends. Facebook has added dashboards for applications and games, and said it is providing privacy settings.

Microsoft's challenge: Innovation, innovation, innovation

Former Softies are weighing in publicly about Microsoft’s culture of innovation — or lack thereof — in the past couple of days. What they aren’t doing is offering any real suggestions about how Microsoft can make a company of 90,000 or so employees more agile, less insular and more innovative.

How to Buy a Netbook

If you're not thinking about buying a netbook, you should be—they're powerful, portable, and even more inexpensive than a year ago. Here's what you need to know before you buy.

Audacity 1.2 - Free - Full Review

Want to record some audio you hear on the Internet? Edit a quick podcast sound file? Mix some tracks together? Clean out background noise? Open source Audacity is your ticket for all these audio tasks, and it doesn't require you to pay for professional sound-editing software.

Great Photos of Pluto (Not the Dog)

MS Patch Tuesday heads-up: 13 bulletins, 26 vulnerabilities

Microsoft’s February batch of security patches will be a biggie — 13 bulletins with fixes for a whopping 26 vulnerabilities.

Windows 7 Release Candidate to Begin Expiration Process

Microsoft this week began warning users of the Release Candidate (RC) version of Windows 7 that the free preview version of its latest OS will begin winding down soon. As part of this process, the Windows 7 RC will begin alerting users of the expiration in about two weeks, on February 15. Then, starting March 1, the Windows 7 RC will begin automatically shutting down once every two hours. The RC formally expires June 1, 2010.

Wired Chinese Yawn in the Face of Google Exit

Google's threat to pull out of China has caused worldwide media attention and scrutiny -- but the wired Chinese population couldn't care less. Chinese Internet users' indifference highlights the challenges Google and other companies have infiltrating the world's most populous Internet market, and how tightly the government controls information.

Most-detailed images of Pluto revealed

A set of photos taken by the Hubble space telescope in 2002 and 2003 show the most detailed look at the former planet Pluto. The photos show an icy and dark molasses colored surface that changes with the seasons.

25 great games you can play on a Netbook

So you finally broke down and purchased a Netbook. After all, these low-cost, low-power laptops are great for tossing in your bag, working at the coffee shop, or taking to class. You knew all along that these systems were not made for gaming, and obviously you planned to spend all your time doing Netbook-like things, such as Web surfing and working on office documents. Still, somewhere along the way, the thought crept in: maybe I can find some games that will run on an Intel Atom processor and integrated graphics.

Oh Dear! Better run a Malware Scan!

Report: 48% of 22 million scanned computers infected with malware

According to the report, the overall number of infected computers (page 10) used in the sample decreased compared to previous quarters, however, 48.35% of the 22,754,847 scanned computers remain infected with malware. And despite that the crimeware/banking trojans infections slightly decreased from Q2, over a million and a half computers were infected.

Initial Sales of Apple's iPad Are Likely To Be Modest

Analyst Charlie Wolf of Needham & Company released a research report Wednesday that projects modest sales of just two million units this year. Sales are expected to reach six million in 2011, but Wolf wrote that it will take a catalyst to propel sales to the eight million mark in 2012.

Amazon agrees to higher prices in e-book dispute

Amazon said Sunday that, while it still believes a $14.99 price tag for e-books is "needlessly high," it will have to give in to Macmillan's demands to sell electronic versions of its books at a higher rate than Amazon's usual $9.99.

Firefox sync doesn't stink

The Weave extension is Mozilla's in-house effort to store your bookmarks, tabs, history, passwords, and preferences on Mozilla's server--the end goal being to snap open Firefox on any computer (or even mobile phone) and get to your content without having to configure your settings or open pages anew.

Best Free Rootkit Scanner/Remover

When your computer gets a virus, that virus tries to spread, and eventually it will damage the host making it much easier to detect. A rootkit on the other hand is designed to hide certain elements such as files, processes, registry entries, or network connections, from the user and other programs thus making it very difficult to detect.

The iPad: My 2 Cents

First, let me say I am a confirmed Windows computer user and don’t feel the need to move over to the Apple computing system, even though I think very highly of their products.  That being said, I do have an 80Gb Apple iPod that I use with iTunes…and I love them both.  They work extremely well for me. Apple puts out many great products…so I am not in any way anti-Apple.

It also just so happens I am looking to buy a new netbook soon. I have a laptop that works fine, but it is just too heavy to lug around the places I like to go and work…like the University of Arizona campus that takes 30 minutes to cross. I want something lightweight that has a long battery life so I don’t need a charger with me and is big enough to comfortably type on.

Now that you know where I am coming from, be aware that I was excited to hear about the new Apple iPad on Wednesday and really liked it at first glance…and was blown away by the price. After watching the introduction by Steve Jobs, the iPad was now under strong consideration.

But, on Thursday, as I did some digging and I began looking at its strengths and weaknesses and how it would apply to my needs…and I can’t make that point strong enough, this review is about my needs.  Your needs may be different and so the iPad may be just perfect for you.

Strengths – It has a long battery life; a beautiful large back-lit screen; the ability to use free Wi-Fi and not be married to AT&T; its lighter than a Netbook; you can watch movies; and it has lots of other good features too numerous to name here that make it fun and useful to use. 

Weaknesses – For me, there are several…

First, the keyboard is in the screen, which makes it difficult for a writer as compared to a regular keyboard (one expert who says he can write 80 words per minute on a keyboard is slowed down to 15 word per minute on an iPad), not to mention greasy fingerprints. Just as important, one has to look down to see the screen when you write. That means you must use it on your lap…or if you use a table you have to strain you neck to see what you are writing. With a netbook, laptop, or regular computer, you stare straight ahead at your screen. Because I write so much, that is a deal killer for me…and I don’t feel like dragging the optional keyboard with stand along with me. 

But wait, there is more...

The screen is backlit, making reading a book a little harder on the eyes than my Kindle…which also means it can’t be read easily outside. I can read my Kindle anywhere where there is light, as it is just like reading a paper book.  So having the iPad as a portable e-reader may not work for me either.

For Web browsing, it looks good, until you figure out that it cannot use Adobe Flash. Being that a large majority of Websites (including mine) use Flash on their pages, that makes it much more difficult to browse (if you use Facebook and play their games, forget it).

Other problems: It has no camera so I can’t videoconference or use Skype (that is not a deal killer for me)…it has no USB ports so I can’t upload my photos in the field…I can’t store more than 64GB of files (the most basic Netbook has 160GB drive)…can’t download programs via a CD drive and can only add content from the Apple Store…there is no multitasking so you can only do one thing at a time…you can use a Bluetooth keyboard, but not a Bluetooth mouse, and it is twice as heavy as a Kindle 2.

The bottom line for me is the iPad is made mostly for content consumption whereas most of my needs are for content creation.

So, for me, the iPad currently does not work, so I will continue in my hunt to find the best netbook.  As much as I might enjoy owning one, it would just be another device that would not replace either my netbook or my Kindle, or anything else for that matter. But, I look forward to seeing the next version of the iPad as I think Apple is on the right track.

Again, I cannot emphasis enough that my review applies only to me and my needs. If the iPad fits your needs, then it is for you, although I still advise caution in buying it now as the best of the iPad is yet to come.   

Special TV Program Alert:

PBS documentary questions tech and our future

“Like Douglas Rushkoff, I've been an enthusiastic supporter of digital technology for more than 20 years and, also like Rushkoff, I've had some second thoughts as to whether--at least for some people--immersion in technology is doing more harm than good.

Rushkoff is the co-host and co-writer of TV movie "Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier," which premiers on PBS Frontline Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. The show was produced, co-written and co-hosted by Rachel Dretzin, who also produced "Growing Up Online," a show that aired on Frontline in 2007.

The new program explores the use of technology at home, school, work, and in the military, examining the pros and cons of multitasking, immersion in virtual worlds and even remote warfare.”

Excerpt from article by Larry Magid