Little Tech News Today…But Loads of Good Info and Tips.

Reports: Tea Party leader arrested on piracy charges

A leader of a South Carolina Tea Party group has been arrested for allegedly selling pirated software, according to reports. Anthony Trinca, 61, is accused of selling versions of Microsoft Office, Windows, Adobe Photoshop, and Rosetta Stone language programs that were counterfeit

Wal-Mart adds streaming video to its website

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has added streaming movies to its website as the world's largest retailer attempts to grab a bigger share of the online movie market from rival service Netflix Inc. The decision to offer movie sales and rentals through Walmart.com comes just two weeks after Netflix raised prices for the majority of its customers. The price hike provoked howls of protest from consumers and disappointing subscriber growth projections, leading to a significant drop in Netflix's stock price.

What works for you: Hotmail versus Gmail

The newest version of Hotmail might not have Gmail’s cool factor, but it does have some new features worth a second look. Find out how Windows Live Hotmail stands up to Gmail in terms of spam filtering, security features, and social-networking integration.

What are Netflix and Hulu users watching, and how?

What are all those Netflix and Hulu viewers watching, and how are they accessing that content? A new study out yesterday from Nielsen offers some answers. Among Netflix subscribers, 53 percent watch movies, 11 percent tune into TV shows, and 36 percent catch a mixture of both. But among Hulu viewers, only 9 percent are streaming movies, 73 percent are watching TV episodes, and 18 percent grab both equally.

Cleaning Up Windows 7

In general, I’ve never really had to do any maintenance work on Windows 7. I’ve never had to go through my hard drive and see what’s taking up space and slowing things down. I’ve never manually had to perform a disk defragment, or even used the disk clean up tool. Windows 7 just seems to take care of itself. It pretty much does all these things automatically without you ever knowing. But inevitably, your desktop will start to become cluttered, things get messy. You’ve new folders everywhere, shortcuts going nowhere and a bunch of old useless programs wasting unnecessary space.

The advanced system-recover toolkit

If you want to build an advanced system-cleaning and -recovery toolkit, here are my recommendations. Some of these tools have been around for a while, and some are in beta. Test them out and see what you find — you might be surprised.

Mac vs. PC via McDonald's Wi-Fi guide

A picture paints a thousand words--especially if that picture shows Vista and XP dialog boxes sprinkled with references to "DNS servers" and Internet protocols.

Free Image Converter

It should perhaps more accurately be called Free Image Resizer, because that--and not file conversion--is what it actually does. Still, as long as you're looking to resize images and not actually change their formats, it works fine.

Netflix Losing, Chrome Gaining

I mentioned last time that I still had not received an invitation to join Google+, the social media rage that has taken the tech world by storm…well sort of.  With 20 million users now, it isn’t close to Facebook yet, but most users seem to like it. Thanks to my favorite Kindle blogger, Andrys Basten, who sent me an invitation to join, I now have a Google+account.

Sadly my schedule has not allowed me to play with it very much, but I will be doing so and will let you know soon what I think. Am looking forward to giving it a spin.

Some interesting stories below, so why don’t I just shut up and let you read… - JRC

Raising Prices Could Cost Netflix 2.5M Subscribers

Price hikes are unpopular, and Netflix's could cost 2.5 million of its more than 25 million subscribers, a survey by The Diffusion Group says. Netflix noted in its earnings report that video streaming has been popular with nearly 75 percent of new subscribers. However, the Netflix price hikes may be accepted because there are few other options.

Google Chrome continues its rapid rise, IE and Firefox fall

If you’re looking for a tech success story, look no further than Google’s Chrome browser. Introduced less than three years ago, it has soared in popularity among techies and civilians worldwide. And its gains are coming at the direct expense of Microsoft and Mozilla.

Windows Live Photo Gallery Gains Raw Format Support

Microsoft announced today that its free (and excellent) photo editing and management solution, Windows Live Photo Gallery, can be updated with a free codec pack to support many popular RAW file formats. These formats are used by high-end (and even consumer-grade) cameras to provide superior, uncompressed files when compared to the more widely used (but compressed) JPEG formatted files.

Why I switched from Dropbox to Windows Live Mesh

I cannot imagine personal computing without a reliable, robust, full-featured sync solution. Over the past year or so, I’ve been using both Dropbox and Windows Live Mesh to keep my work files, pictures, Office settings, bookmarks, and other files in sync across multiple devices. I’ve used each service extensively, on the web, on every PC I own, and on the Mac that shares my desktop with a Windows PC.

Google+: The right service at the right time

Many of the arguments against social networking that apply to Facebook don't carry over to Google+. It looks like Google has another home run on its hands

CNET's favorite Android apps (CNET 100)

Do you own an Android Phone? I do and I love it. If you also have one, here is a list of the top 100 applications for it, as compiled by several CNET editors. Definitely worth a look if you are into Android.

The Best Alternative File Browser for Windows

Windows Explorer is hardly the perfect tool for advanced file management, and Windows users have a ton of alternatives available. The decision is a difficult one, but if we had to recommend one file browser, we'd pick Xplorer2 for Windows.

Todays News, Views and Downright Good Info

Have kept myself quite busy during these hot and sultry Tucson summer days…most of it inside, of course. While I still have not received a Google+ invite, I did get one from the Spotify, the music sharing service that just became available in the US. So far, I like it.

I have the free account. There are paid accounts available for $5 and $10 a month. It is similar to Pandora…except that instead of choosing the genre, with Spotify, you choose the actual songs. It works well and I’ve had fun choosing songs, both jazz, ambient, and classical, to see how good their collection is. Supposedly there are 18 million songs to choses from and I have been able to find most everything I have searched.  Feel free to go to the Spotify Web Site and request an invite

So, don’t let me interrupt you anymore. Just take a look below and see what might be of interest. - JRC

Anonymous releases restricted NATO document

The hacking collective Anonymous released a document on Thursday marked "restricted" from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). They did it to show that they have hacked into the NATO computer system. They also said they will not publicly release most of the files they stole.

Google adds malware warning to search results

A new warning system alerts users to the possibility their system is infected with malware. Google announced today it is instituting a malware warning system on its search results page to alert users to the possibility that their computer is infected. The Internet giant said it took the action after discovering unusual patterns of activity on the Web that it identified as a strain of malware that causes infected computers to send traffic to Google through proxy servers.

Is the internet making journalism better or worse?

For the past several days, The Economist has been hosting a debate between journalism professor Jay Rosen and digital skeptic and author Nicholas Carr, as part of an ongoing series about the future of media. The proposition tabled by the magazine was that the internet is making journalism better rather than worse. It is a thought provoking debate, for sure.

Read All About You

How technology is writing your memoir—and what you can do to gain back some control.

How to download and save streaming videos

How many times have you wanted to download and store an online streaming video so you could play it back at a different time or on a different machine? While the basics of downloading YouTube and other videos have been around for a long time, there are tricks to getting the video you want into a format you can use.

How to Select Multiple Files in Windows Explorer with the Mouse

This is a quick and simple tip for Windows users who feel less comfortable memorizing keyboard shortcuts and prefer using the mouse as much as possible.

10 Google+ Tips for Beginners

You just got your hands on a Google+ invite -- but what next? Check out these 10 tips to get you started on Google's new social network. PS: I am still waiting for mine.

Best Free Portable Applications

Portable freeware is an amazing development and is forcing software vendors to adjust their wasteful ways. They reduce problems with uninstalling software (you just delete them and don't have to worry about failed installs or incomplete uninstalls), they allow for extra flexibility in copying or moving software to different locations on a portable device or on a PC, and they help improve your privacy and security by running from portable devices like flash drives.

Anonymous Hackers get Busted

Last week I told you I was going to try the Windows 7′s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall. Well, I did it…and it worked just fine. I have a new installation of Windows 7 with all my programs and data in place. The downside was that it took about 9 hours from start to finish…most of it spent waiting for the computer to do its thing.

Starting at the beginning, I got rid of lots of temp files and other useless data on the computer using CCleaner. Then, I did an image backup of the entire system (just in case), using Windows 7 Backup. That took a couple of hours. Then, I uninstalled Service Pack 1, as instructed, which took perhaps 45 minutes. Then came the reinstall of Windows. I don’t recall how long that took…perhaps and hour. Then finally, updating the new install with all the fixes and security patches that have been issued since day 1. That also took quite a while.

There were only the tiniest of glitches, all of which were easily solved. So, if you think nine hours is a long time, the last time I installed a system and all my programs, it took four days. And I kept busy during this reinstall doing other things. So I am a happy camper. Everything is working just fine.

Lots of news today, so without further ado….JRC

FBI arrests more than a dozen in Anonymous hacking investigation

Authorities have arrested more than a dozen people today in the United States in connection with hacking attacks by the Anonymous group of online activists, sources said. The arrests follow raids earlier in the day on homes in New York, California, New Jersey, and Florida. Fourteen arrests were listed in one indictment, including arrests out of San Francisco, and two other separate arrests were made in New Jersey and Florida, following raids related to between 30 to 40 search warrants.

DoD: 24,000 files swiped in March from military contractor systems

Department of Defense Deputy Secretary William Lynn said that 24,000 files were taken in March from military contractor systems. That data leakage is increasingly common in the military complex. The good news? The DoD has a plan to fix its defenses.

Mac OS X Lion goes on sale Wednesday

Code-named "Lion," some of the most important features include: support for full-screen applications, more multitouch gestures, system resume, auto save for app data, AirDrop file transfer, and a feature called "Launchpad" that mimics the icon-based app launcher in iOS.

What was Hollywood's role in Netflix price hike?

Some of those searching for clues about why Netflix unexpectedly raised prices last week appear to be convinced that the trail leads to Hollywood, the home of the top six film studios. After Netflix announced Tuesday that prices would rise by 60 percent, a popular theory was that CEO Reed Hastings sought to build up his war chest. Acquisition costs for streaming content are soaring.

Hands on with Spotify

Using Spotify is pretty straightforward in many ways. Once you're signed up and have downloaded the desktop app, Spotify will pull music into itself from the rest of your computer, including from your iTunes folder. If you connect your account to Facebook, Spotify creates a public profile for you that also automatically publishes all of your playlists that it can find.

Windows 8 to spawn new breed of low-cost laptops

The pairing of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 with processors from companies like Qualcomm and Nvidia is expected to spawn a new kind of low-cost laptop, according to IHS-iSuppli, possibly threatening Intel's overwhelming dominance in laptops.

A Useful Key on the Windows Keyboard That You May Have Overlooked

It is typically found on the right side of the keyboard between the right Ctrl key and Windows key or between the right Ctrl and Alt keys. It goes by the name of “application key” or sometimes “menu key” but I suspect that many PC users have paid it little attention.

7 free Windows tune-up tools and tips

You don't need to spend money to keep a Windows computer running in top form. Here's how to fix, clean and maintain Windows using programs you can download now for free.

Netflix Raises Prices 60%–Customers Burn

The biggest story so far this week is Netflix’s notification to users that they are raising their fees…big time. The backlash on their Web site and on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook is a major P.R. disaster for the company. Basically, Netflix is putting together separate tiers of service…one for streaming and one for DVD rental. My own costs will be going from $9.95 to $15.95. That is a big jump. I plan to discontinue the DVD service and just use streaming for now (Price is $7.99). And from what I read, that is what Netflix really wants to happen. And according to other sources, Netflix is willing to take the heat and stick to its guns. We shall see.

If your computers use Windows 7, you most definitely want to read the 4th story here: Its all about how to do a clean reinstall Windows without wiping out your hard drive. Everything stays in place, except that you now have a fresh version of Windows. Pretty cool. I will be doing that myself this weekend and will let you know how it goes.

The other big story is that Spotify, the music on-line service that took Europe by storm is now here in the US. Will be giving that a try also when I get my invite. But, for this point on, you have to read these and the other stories without my help. Enjoy. - JRC

Netflix price hike creates social media firestorm

It seems that people are unhappy with Netflix and its decision to change the pricing plans and effectively raise the price of the DVD rental plan by 60%. Very, very, very unhappy.

Netflix's pricing backlash: Follow the money, churn rates

Netflix swapped out its pricing plans, angered customers and effectively separated its streaming movie and DVD rental businesses. Why? Netflix is betting that it has pricing power since it will have to pay higher content costs going forward.

Spotify Hits the U.S. Market: Is It Worth the Hype?

The much-hyped online music service Spotify has come to the U.S. after much success in Europe. Started as a way to create a "legal alternative to music piracy," Spotify is now the second-largest source of revenue from digital music for labels in Europe. But it's unlikely that Apple is shaking in its boots about the competition with iTunes. Spotify has a database of 15 million songs and a 3-tiered plan runs from free to $9.99.

Win7′s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall

Microsoft won’t tell you this, but you can do a fast, nondestructive, in-place, total reinstall of Windows 7 without damaging your user accounts, data, installed programs, or system drivers. That means you may never have to do a full, from-scratch reinstall again, even when your system is misbehaving so badly that a full reformat-and-reinstall seems the only answer!

Google Chromebook Lacks Luster and Purpose

The Chromebook is lightweight and inexpensive, and it offers a full-featured Web browsing experience. But its low-end hardware, lack of versatility, and primitive support for commonplace computing tasks such as printing, file management, networking, and media playback make it a poor choice for everyday use, particularly in a business setting. Read on for the details.

Windows 8 will run on all Windows 7 PCs (and Vista PCs too)

Worried that you’ll have to buy a new PC in order to be able to run Windows 8? Don’t! Microsoft has said that the Windows 8 system requirements will be the same, or perhaps even lower, than those of Windows 7.

Microsoft offers keyboard with 128-bit encryption

Microsoft has unveiled the new Wireless Desktop 2000, a keyboard and mouse combo for $40. You can buy it now from Microsoft.com, though you should note that it requires either Windows XP (excluding Windows XP 64-bit), Windows Vista, or Windows 7. The Wireless Desktop 2000 includes Microsoft's first keyboard that features Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 128-bit encryption - the same technology trusted by the US government to secure their wireless connections and which industry leaders consider to be one of the most secure encryption standards.

The Best Free Web Apps of 2011

Not only are they free, you can run these apps on any computer over the Web—no installation needed. Maybe it's time to do your work in the cloud.

Hey Everybody…It’s Patch Tuesday!!

It’s the 2nd Tuesday of the month (if you didn’t know that already). That means Microsoft will be patching your Windows computer sometime in the next 24-36 hours…assuming you have your computer set for automatic updates. I sure do…and so should you. I’ve seen worse patch Tuesdays that this one, so maybe Microsoft is close to getting it right. 

If you are a MAC user, you should be notified very shortly that an update to your computer’s OS is available (code-named “Lion”). I believe the update cost is $30.

Also wanted to let you know that I have stopped using Google’s Chrome browser. I’ve noticed it is a sieve for spyware. I stopped using it a while ago, but tried it again a couple of days ago just to test it one more time. I ran a spyware catcher program and it found 27 pieces of spyware on my system…25 of them came through Chrome. Conversely, I’ve also found that using the “Do Not Track” feature of Firefox has stopped almost all spyware that tries to come through. So I am sticking strictly to Firefox as my browser-of-choice.

Lots of good stories today including some new free games from Microsoft.  Hopefully you will find something useful. - JRC

Microsoft Patch Tuesday To Fix 22 Vulnerabilities

Software giant Microsoft is preparing to release four security updates today for patching 22 vulnerabilities affecting its Windows and Visio 2003 platforms. Out of the four security updates, only one is rated critical, the highest severity rating that Microsoft has to offer, while the other three have been marked as ‘important’. The critical rated update fixes flaws in Windows 7 and Windows Vista only.

Anonymous, LulzSec spawn 'one of worst' quarters

Cyberattacks from Anonymous and LulzSec and breaches against everyone from Sony to Lockheed Martin turned the second quarter into "one of the worst on record," according to a new report from Panda Security. Released this week, Panda's second-quarter report (PDF) examined the security landscape from April to June and highlighted a string of alarming incidents.

Stay safe online: 5 secrets every PC (and Mac) owner should know

Many people think that security begins and ends with antivirus software. I disagree. Should you run antivirus software? As I've said before, if you don't know the answer to that question, then the answer is yes.

4 Amazing Technology Waves That Will Change Your Life

Four coming waves of innovation mean technology will be used to truly digitize our social experience, make us part of the security solution and not just victims, allow us to create and share more widely and often, and have the power we need where we need it to make this all work. In 10 years, we'll look back at now and wonder how we got by.

Iriver and Google Partner on New E-reader

Not satisfied to compete with Facebook alone, Google has now set its sights on Amazon's digital empire. On July 17, Google and iriver will debut an e-book reader to compete with the Kindle, the Nook and other emerging devices. Dubbed the iriver Story HD e-reader, the new device Relevant Products/Services is the first integrated with the open Google eBooks platform.

Big Storage: 5 Great 1TB and Larger Hard Drives

If you have a lifetime of digital pics, videos, and documents, a spacious external hard drive is a must. With hard drive capacities growing and prices dropping, it's time for you to switch to a 1TB or larger hard drive.

The history of digital photography

Believe it or not, non-chemical cameras have only existed for 30 years — and true digital cameras that store files as JPEGs and MPEGs have been around for just 20 years.

Download 6 Free Windows 7 Games

Many games have the same theme, attack and destroy, fight aliens, save the universe or the human race. Well that’s a little long winded but they’re games after all. You can tell your wife, girl friend, or significant other that you are a hero for spending Saturday afternoon saving the world.

Video Chatting via Skype on Facebook

Last week, Facebook’s CEO  and founder Mark Zuckerberg, told us all to expect a huge announcement that would rock out world. Because of Facebook’s special relationship with Microsoft, many experts predicted video conferencing via Skype would come to Facebook….and they were right!

At nearly the same time, Microsoft it was revealed that Microsoft had applied in 2009, way before their acquisition of Skype, for a patent on technology that could be used to spy on Skype calls without the user’s knowledge. The patent is still pending. What an odd coincidence. 

There is lots of interesting information and tips here, so read on and be informed. –JRC-

Facebook unveils video chatting, thanks to Skype

Facebook and Skype have inked a deal that will bring video chatting to the world's largest social network. Video calling has been built into Facebook's chat platform. Users need only to click the video call button at the top of their chat window in order to start communicating over video--once the call recipient accepts the video request. According to Facebook, video chatting is just "two clicks away" on the service.

Microsoft Wants to Patent High-Tech Snoop Software

A recently surfaced Microsoft patent focuses on technology that could be used to spy on VoIP users' conversations without the detection of participants. Redmond originally applied for the patent in 2009, well before its move to buy up VoIP provider Skype. This technology may have been developed with an eye to selling it to government agencies.

Top ISPs agree to become copyright cops

Some of the top ISPs, including Comcast, Cablevision, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable, have officially agreed to step up efforts to protect the rights of copyright owners. This agreement hands the music and film sectors a big new stick with which to fight online illegal downloading of copyrighted works.

Don’t pay for software you don’t need — Part 3

In the first two installments of this series, I stepped you through a boatload of software that you don’t need if you have Windows 7. Many of you wrote to me in disbelief — some of you disagreed in very strong terms. But from what I’ve seen, most of the add-on software that people buy for Windows is just a waste of money. (Note: this article includes a summary of the first two articles).

What's New in the World of Digital Cameras?

New features have arrived, making today's digital cameras easier than ever thanks to innovative technologies that allow you to do more with your digital camera than you probably ever imagined. Now, even affordable digital cameras feature lenses that work well in low light and produce images that rival those taken by high-end digital SLRs.

Reduce, reuse, recycle -- just not your password

In the real world, choosing weak passwords is much less dangerous than reusing the same password at multiple sites. In a recent paper, researchers from Florida State University, Cisco, and security firm Redjack found that passwords not guessed by cracking dictionaries can survive brute-force attempts quite well.

Amazon offers unlimited Cloud music storage

Amazon today announced a number of enhancements to its Amazon Cloud Drive and Cloud Player, including an unlimited music storage option and a Cloud Player for iPad. For a limited time, Amazon customers who purchase a $20 annual Cloud Drive storage plan will receive unlimited storage space for their MP3 and AAC (.m4a) music files.

PDF to Word Converter Is Free For 2 Days Only

For the next couple of days only, AnyBizSoft is giving away copies of its Windows program to convert PDF files to Word documents. Just head to http://www.anypdftools.com/giveaway-pdf-to-word.html to download the software. Then enter your name and email address in the boxes at the top of the screen. You'll be sent a free licence code by return.

Google+…the New Social Media You Can’t Have…Yet

After a season of rumors, Google has finally come up with their answer to the extremely popular Facebook. Called “Google+,” it is supposedly a new vehicle for social interactions among friends, acquaintances, and relatives. I say supposedly because not many people have seen it. Unless you received a Google invite, you cannot play with it. It is in beta testing and Google is being cautious with the service to avoid a firestorm of negative opinion like they caused with the full release of “Buzz” a year ago.

Still, it is still important enough to bring to your attention for future reference when they release it to the general public. From what I have heard from those lucky few who have it, Google+ could be something special for a lot of folks. So read the stories I have gathered here and make up your own mind.

If social media is not your cup of tea, there are a few other stories here that might be of interest. So read on…JRC  

Google resets social agenda with Google+

Google+ is designed around "Circles" that allow users to group people within their social sphere into different categories. Google says that the people you tend to meet up with on Saturday nights, for example, can be grouped into their own category, while parents can be placed into another. You can then decide to share only certain information with different Circles.

6 Things Google+ Can Do That Facebook Can't

Google's new social network Google+ is going head-to-head with the biggest social network of them all, Facebook. But for Google's new platform to succeed in gaining social marketshare, it has to also entice users by letting them do new things, too, stuff they can't do in Facebook.

Google+ Doesn't Quite Add Up to a Social Powerhouse

With Google+, the search giant takes another stab at social networking, and the result is decidedly more Facebook-like than last year's Google Buzz. Google+ has a few standout features, such as Circles, Sparks and Hangouts. Aside from Circles, though, few of Google+'s unique attributes seem compelling enough to drive a mass migration of users toward yet another social networking site.

Gmail Goes Under the Knife, Other G Products Next in Line

Google's various online services are going through changes lately, including its Gmail system. Users can preview a new interface design, and changes are also in store for other personalized Google products like Calendar. Meanwhile, Google's search interface has already received a facelift, though not all agree it's for the better.

Cellphone, cancer link dismissed in new study

The evidence is "increasingly against" linking cellphones to cancer, the experts concluded after examining research from around the globe. Brain tumors have not increased in step with cellphone use, and animal experiments have come up empty. There may not even be a biological mechanism that creates cancer from radio frequency fields.

How to live with malware infections

Get used to it: Malware can't be completely blocked or eliminated. But you can manage your PCs, mobile devices, and networks to function despite being infected

Fox News reports Twitter hack to Secret Service

Fox News has alerted the U.S. Secret Service that the cable news show's Twitter feed was used today to publish false reports that President Obama had been killed.

6 Free Software Programs To Manage Your Files

Are you annoyed at the disordered files of your computer? Are you driven mad by searching files without any results? Do you feel like you are at your breaking point when your files are missing? Can you bear that your secret files may be seen by others?