A couple of days ago, I told you the war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD was only a few days away from truly being over. As of today, it is officially over. Toshiba, inventors and makers of HD-DVD, officially announced it will make no more HD-DVD players. The world of high definition DVD players now belongs to Blu-Ray.
Some writers have dubbed this announcement by Toshiba as their "BetaMax Address," referring of course, to that day many years ago when Sony announced they would cease production of BetaMax video tape recorders. On that day, sales of VHS machines started to take off. Expect the same for Blu-Ray machine sales. It is ironic that Sony lost the BetaMax/VHS war, but won this one.
Another loser of this war, although probably only in the short term, is Microsoft. They supported HD-DVD as a plug-in to their X-Box game machine. As of right now, their sales have dropped below that of Sony's PlayStation for the first quarter of this year, putting them in last place in game box sales (Nintendo is still in first place). The PlayStation, of course, supports Blu-Ray.
Shortly after, the Toshiba announcement, Universal Studios announced their support for Blu-Ray, leaving only Paramount still officially supporting HD-DVD. Expect that to change very shortly.
Now that you know who won the war, you may be tempted to run right out and get a Blu-Ray player for your Hi Definition television. If so, you might be interested in this recent article on the CNET website, "5 Blu-Ray Players for Less than $500." As I said the other day, Blu-Ray players are still on the pricey side, but that will change as it inevitably does.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
DVD Wars Nearing an End
Do you remember my blog some months ago about the the on-going war between the two types of next generation high definition DVD players? If you don't remember, the two types are Blu-Ray and HD-DVD...the former supported by Sony and the latter by Toshiba. For many month, it was unclear which format would win the battle for high definition supremacy as the lead switched back and forth a few times.
Most tech writers, including myself, advised consumers not to purchase either type of machine until there was a clear winner. We are only days away from having an absolute clear winner, but there is very little doubt now who it will be.
And the winner will be....Blu Ray!! Several events have occurred just recently that indicate that there is little or no doubt about the final outcome.
This was a strange war that hearkened back to the battle between BetaMax and VHS in the early days of video tape recorders. The big difference in this new war was that the major motion pictures studios chose to back one format or the other for their new releases, which I always found strange. Back in the early video tape wars, studios released their movies in both formats.
As for retailers, the majority have been carrying both types of DVD players, also waiting to see who will win. Now, that is all changing.
In the last few days, both Wal-Mart and Best Buy announced they will only carry Blu-Ray players and disks. Meanwhile, Netflix and Blockbuster, the two competing kings of video rentals, announced they will no longer carry HD-DVD titles...only Blu-Ray from here on in.
As for the major motion picture studios, Warner Brothers recently switched over to Blu-Ray, leaving only Universal and Paramount as the last two hold-outs for HD-DVD. Expect to see both those studios switch shortly because of retailer's decisions to carry only Blu-Ray. Sticking with HD-DVD will cost them millions of dollar of potential revenue. Interestingly, Paramount switched from Blu-Ray to HD-DVD just last year. You have to think that heads will roll over that decision.
If you have a high definition TV and you have been waiting to see which type would emerge victorious, you probably can run out now and get a Blu-Ray machine, although you will still pay a fat price for it. Like everything, prices will be dropping. If you didn't take my advice to wait and went out and bought an HD-DVD player, be on the lookout for some incredible sales on movies in that format as retailer will be dumping their inventory. I would buy as many as you can as they won't be available much longer.
Who did I think would win? Actually I predicted that Blu-Ray would win...not because I had any great insight or studied the market in depth. No, my reason was that Blu-Ray was a much cooler and sexier name than HD-DVD. It has a good ring to it. A cool name means a great deal.
Remember, Adolph Hitler's name by all rights should have been Adolf Schicklegruber. Can you see anyone running around in the 30's and 40's lifting their right arm in salute and saying "Heil Schicklegruber?" I don't think so. A cool name can make all the difference. And Blu-Ray is really cool.
Most tech writers, including myself, advised consumers not to purchase either type of machine until there was a clear winner. We are only days away from having an absolute clear winner, but there is very little doubt now who it will be.
And the winner will be....Blu Ray!! Several events have occurred just recently that indicate that there is little or no doubt about the final outcome.
This was a strange war that hearkened back to the battle between BetaMax and VHS in the early days of video tape recorders. The big difference in this new war was that the major motion pictures studios chose to back one format or the other for their new releases, which I always found strange. Back in the early video tape wars, studios released their movies in both formats.
As for retailers, the majority have been carrying both types of DVD players, also waiting to see who will win. Now, that is all changing.
In the last few days, both Wal-Mart and Best Buy announced they will only carry Blu-Ray players and disks. Meanwhile, Netflix and Blockbuster, the two competing kings of video rentals, announced they will no longer carry HD-DVD titles...only Blu-Ray from here on in.
As for the major motion picture studios, Warner Brothers recently switched over to Blu-Ray, leaving only Universal and Paramount as the last two hold-outs for HD-DVD. Expect to see both those studios switch shortly because of retailer's decisions to carry only Blu-Ray. Sticking with HD-DVD will cost them millions of dollar of potential revenue. Interestingly, Paramount switched from Blu-Ray to HD-DVD just last year. You have to think that heads will roll over that decision.
If you have a high definition TV and you have been waiting to see which type would emerge victorious, you probably can run out now and get a Blu-Ray machine, although you will still pay a fat price for it. Like everything, prices will be dropping. If you didn't take my advice to wait and went out and bought an HD-DVD player, be on the lookout for some incredible sales on movies in that format as retailer will be dumping their inventory. I would buy as many as you can as they won't be available much longer.
Who did I think would win? Actually I predicted that Blu-Ray would win...not because I had any great insight or studied the market in depth. No, my reason was that Blu-Ray was a much cooler and sexier name than HD-DVD. It has a good ring to it. A cool name means a great deal.
Remember, Adolph Hitler's name by all rights should have been Adolf Schicklegruber. Can you see anyone running around in the 30's and 40's lifting their right arm in salute and saying "Heil Schicklegruber?" I don't think so. A cool name can make all the difference. And Blu-Ray is really cool.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Netflix and iTunes
Hello again from Arizona. I am still here soaking up the nice weather while I can. Today, I am back in Yuma after having spent nearly a week in Tucson. Let me tell you...if you are thinking of becoming a snowbird, you should strongly consider going to Tucson. It may be slightly cooler than Yuma (but only just slightly), but it is a fabulous city, surrounded by mountains, with enough attractions to keep you very busy all winter long. I really enjoyed my time there and look forward to going back and seeing some of the things I missed.
But, now I am back in Yuma to visit my son Eric and watch the NFL playoffs at our favorite sports bar. I will be here just a few more days before flying back to the frozen north. And, just to make you a little more envious, I will be wearing my shorts today...and remind me sometime to tell you about my visit to the President Bush Memorial Porta-Potty.
But, for now, let's talk about technology. I read with interest some of the goings-on in San Francisco last week at the annual Apple show. One of the announcements that caught my attention was that you can now rent movies from i-Tunes for $2.99 to $3.99. For your hard earned dollars, you can download a movie and watch it anytime during a 30 day period. But, once you start watching it, it is only good for 24 hours. And, they announced, they have around 1,000 titles to choose from.
Now, I do use iTunes for downloading and listening to my favorite podcasts. I don't use it as a music player as it takes too long to load compared to Windows Media Player. But, it is still a good program. But, it is doubtful I will ever use their movie rental system.
When you compare the new iTunes movie download package to other options, it falls flat. For instance, if you are a Netflix subscriber, such as myself, you can watch movies on your computer for free any time. Netflix recently announced that subscribers can watch an unlimited number of movies and other videos as often as they choose with no time limits (prior to this announcement, you were able to watch videos on your computer for only a limited amount of time each month).
Now, you do have to be a Netflix subscriber, with prices starting at $8.99 per month. And as long-time readers know I have been one for several years. The service started out as a DVD rental service, and still is, with over 75,000 title to choose from. But a year or so ago they added the on-line video watching as an additional service for no extra charge.
Instead of the 1,000 videos offered by Apple, Netflix video option has over 6,000 videos to choose from and you can watch them free of any additional charges as often as you want. When I am home, my business and lifestyle does not allow me the time to watch movies on my computer. In truth, I barely have time these days to watch the DVD rentals that I get from Netflix on my TV at night.
But this trip has given me some extra time to try out their video services. First of all, you cannot use the Firefox browser for this service. You must use Internet Explorer, Version 5 or higher. And after you click on a movie to watch for the first time, you will undoubtedly be told that you will need to upgrade your computer with some special upgrades to make it work. Don't worry. It is automatically done for you, although it can be a little time consuming, depending on your connection speed.
After that is completed, you select the movie you want and away you go. For my first movie, I watched the classic film, "Witness for the Prosecution," starring Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, and Marline Dietrich. What a great film! It played flawlessly and I was able to pause it at any time for the inevitable interruptions. I was also able to move it backward or forward at any time. FYI, I watched it on my laptop using Eric's wireless connection from his cable TV provider.
So, will Apple's new venture succeed? As another writer wrote in his review, the Apple movie download terms are not very much different than those of the '80's and '90's when we all went to a video store to rent VHS tapes. Today you can rent movies from Netflix or even Blockbuster stores with no late fees. I am not sure if Apple will succeed...only time will tell. Bet there are some great alternatives which will take a big bite out of the movie rental apple. Oops...did I just make a funny?
But, now I am back in Yuma to visit my son Eric and watch the NFL playoffs at our favorite sports bar. I will be here just a few more days before flying back to the frozen north. And, just to make you a little more envious, I will be wearing my shorts today...and remind me sometime to tell you about my visit to the President Bush Memorial Porta-Potty.
But, for now, let's talk about technology. I read with interest some of the goings-on in San Francisco last week at the annual Apple show. One of the announcements that caught my attention was that you can now rent movies from i-Tunes for $2.99 to $3.99. For your hard earned dollars, you can download a movie and watch it anytime during a 30 day period. But, once you start watching it, it is only good for 24 hours. And, they announced, they have around 1,000 titles to choose from.
Now, I do use iTunes for downloading and listening to my favorite podcasts. I don't use it as a music player as it takes too long to load compared to Windows Media Player. But, it is still a good program. But, it is doubtful I will ever use their movie rental system.
When you compare the new iTunes movie download package to other options, it falls flat. For instance, if you are a Netflix subscriber, such as myself, you can watch movies on your computer for free any time. Netflix recently announced that subscribers can watch an unlimited number of movies and other videos as often as they choose with no time limits (prior to this announcement, you were able to watch videos on your computer for only a limited amount of time each month).
Now, you do have to be a Netflix subscriber, with prices starting at $8.99 per month. And as long-time readers know I have been one for several years. The service started out as a DVD rental service, and still is, with over 75,000 title to choose from. But a year or so ago they added the on-line video watching as an additional service for no extra charge.
Instead of the 1,000 videos offered by Apple, Netflix video option has over 6,000 videos to choose from and you can watch them free of any additional charges as often as you want. When I am home, my business and lifestyle does not allow me the time to watch movies on my computer. In truth, I barely have time these days to watch the DVD rentals that I get from Netflix on my TV at night.
But this trip has given me some extra time to try out their video services. First of all, you cannot use the Firefox browser for this service. You must use Internet Explorer, Version 5 or higher. And after you click on a movie to watch for the first time, you will undoubtedly be told that you will need to upgrade your computer with some special upgrades to make it work. Don't worry. It is automatically done for you, although it can be a little time consuming, depending on your connection speed.
After that is completed, you select the movie you want and away you go. For my first movie, I watched the classic film, "Witness for the Prosecution," starring Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, and Marline Dietrich. What a great film! It played flawlessly and I was able to pause it at any time for the inevitable interruptions. I was also able to move it backward or forward at any time. FYI, I watched it on my laptop using Eric's wireless connection from his cable TV provider.
So, will Apple's new venture succeed? As another writer wrote in his review, the Apple movie download terms are not very much different than those of the '80's and '90's when we all went to a video store to rent VHS tapes. Today you can rent movies from Netflix or even Blockbuster stores with no late fees. I am not sure if Apple will succeed...only time will tell. Bet there are some great alternatives which will take a big bite out of the movie rental apple. Oops...did I just make a funny?
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Secrets of Unlocked Cell Phones
Hello again from beautiful, warm, Yuma Arizona. Yes, I am down here again, just like so many other snowbirds from the Northern climates. It will be 75 today and I will be "forced" to put my shorts back on for today's adventures in the sun. I am here for the weekend to visit and watch football with my son Eric and his lovely wife Jill. I came into town on Monday after flying into San Diego. I spent 3 days up in Lake Havasu City (home of the London Bridge), which was a lot of fun and very informative. On Monday, I will leave for the Tucson area for six days before coming back here to watch more of the NFL Playoffs with Eric.
Had a fun day yesterday as I crossed the border to Algodones, Mexico. If you are not familiar with it, Algodones is one of the most interesting and bizarre places I have ever been. Unlike so many other border towns, it is relatively clean, safe, and crowded with snowbirds from America and Canada. What makes it so unique is that within a four block radius, there are probably more drug stores, liquor stores, dental offices and optometrists than anywhere in the world.
Algodones caters to mostly older Americans who come south for the cheap prices, especially for prescription drugs. And, I can tell you, they are very inexpensive and most don't need prescriptions. If you thought that Wal-Mart's $4 prices for generic drugs were cheap, let me tell you that the prices in Algodones were even cheaper. For example, one pill I take costs me $4 for 30 pills at Wal-Mart. In Algodones, it was $6 for 100 pills. All prices, by the way, are in American dollars, so don't worry about having to get pesos.
So, after walking around the town, I shopped for my pills, had a nice lunch, and headed back across the border...which was the hardest part. It took 45 minutes in line to get to the customs inspection, which went easily. Sometimes, I hear, it can take longer. I should mention that I walked across the border when I first arrived. There is a large parking lot run by the local native American tribe where you park ($5) and walk across. As I stood in the line to get back into America, I realized that at 62, I was one of the youngest of the hundreds of people in line. FYI, after 1/31/08, you will need a passport to get back into America.
If you are ever in the Yuma area, you should pay a visit to Algodones, especially if you need pills or a haircut ($2.50). I have also been told that dental work done there is cheap and very good.
On to today's topic...unlocked cell phones. These have become very hot products these days. For many years, cell phones were locked and you had to buy your cell phones from your carrier. This was fine when you were signing up as they were so cheap, but if you ever had a defective, out-of-warranty phone, you discovered that replacing them was not cheap. And locked phones meant that your phone only worked with the cellular service provider you signed up with. You were a captive audience and they made you pay for it.
With the advent of unlocked cell phones, you can purchase a new phone at a much cheaper price, if you know where to shop...then easily transfer your SIM card from your old phone to the new phone and you are back in business. Recently, I did just that. One of our cell phones died and was not in warranty. I went on eBay, found a new Motorola cell phone from a small company in Seattle for $50. When it arrived, I transferred my card to the new phone and it works just fine.
Now, there is a major caveat to this: Until recently, unlocked cell phones were only available if you used AT&T or T-Mobile as your cell phone provider, as they used what is known as GSM for their technology In December, Verizon announced it would make its services available for unlocked phones. Verizon, Sprint, and several others use a different technology called CDMA. Unlocked CDMA phones still may be in short supply right now, but that will change with Verizon's announcement. As of this writing, no other CDMA cell phone carriers permit the use of unlocked cell phones. Something to consider if you are thinking of changing cell carriers.
If you would like more in-depth information about unlocked cell phones, CNET recently published a very in-depth report that is most illuminating. The article is primarily for GSM users on AT&T and T-Mobile, but everyone may find it useful at some time or another.
Had a fun day yesterday as I crossed the border to Algodones, Mexico. If you are not familiar with it, Algodones is one of the most interesting and bizarre places I have ever been. Unlike so many other border towns, it is relatively clean, safe, and crowded with snowbirds from America and Canada. What makes it so unique is that within a four block radius, there are probably more drug stores, liquor stores, dental offices and optometrists than anywhere in the world.
Algodones caters to mostly older Americans who come south for the cheap prices, especially for prescription drugs. And, I can tell you, they are very inexpensive and most don't need prescriptions. If you thought that Wal-Mart's $4 prices for generic drugs were cheap, let me tell you that the prices in Algodones were even cheaper. For example, one pill I take costs me $4 for 30 pills at Wal-Mart. In Algodones, it was $6 for 100 pills. All prices, by the way, are in American dollars, so don't worry about having to get pesos.
So, after walking around the town, I shopped for my pills, had a nice lunch, and headed back across the border...which was the hardest part. It took 45 minutes in line to get to the customs inspection, which went easily. Sometimes, I hear, it can take longer. I should mention that I walked across the border when I first arrived. There is a large parking lot run by the local native American tribe where you park ($5) and walk across. As I stood in the line to get back into America, I realized that at 62, I was one of the youngest of the hundreds of people in line. FYI, after 1/31/08, you will need a passport to get back into America.
If you are ever in the Yuma area, you should pay a visit to Algodones, especially if you need pills or a haircut ($2.50). I have also been told that dental work done there is cheap and very good.
On to today's topic...unlocked cell phones. These have become very hot products these days. For many years, cell phones were locked and you had to buy your cell phones from your carrier. This was fine when you were signing up as they were so cheap, but if you ever had a defective, out-of-warranty phone, you discovered that replacing them was not cheap. And locked phones meant that your phone only worked with the cellular service provider you signed up with. You were a captive audience and they made you pay for it.
With the advent of unlocked cell phones, you can purchase a new phone at a much cheaper price, if you know where to shop...then easily transfer your SIM card from your old phone to the new phone and you are back in business. Recently, I did just that. One of our cell phones died and was not in warranty. I went on eBay, found a new Motorola cell phone from a small company in Seattle for $50. When it arrived, I transferred my card to the new phone and it works just fine.
Now, there is a major caveat to this: Until recently, unlocked cell phones were only available if you used AT&T or T-Mobile as your cell phone provider, as they used what is known as GSM for their technology In December, Verizon announced it would make its services available for unlocked phones. Verizon, Sprint, and several others use a different technology called CDMA. Unlocked CDMA phones still may be in short supply right now, but that will change with Verizon's announcement. As of this writing, no other CDMA cell phone carriers permit the use of unlocked cell phones. Something to consider if you are thinking of changing cell carriers.
If you would like more in-depth information about unlocked cell phones, CNET recently published a very in-depth report that is most illuminating. The article is primarily for GSM users on AT&T and T-Mobile, but everyone may find it useful at some time or another.
Friday, January 04, 2008
The New Photoshop Elements - WOW!
I know…I know. I promised a couple of months ago that I was back and was going to write my blogs on a more regular basis. But, life has just not worked out the way I thought. I’ve been working on a few important personal projects that have taken up the time I normally spend writing and researching blogs. Plus, I have been on the road traveling and photographing…seven states in three weeks in November. And my photography business has been very busy, which is good.
On our most recent trip, we were able to see my son Eric in Yuma, AZ for a few days plus visit other friends and relatives in California and Idaho. We spent time at the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Las Vegas, Zion and Bryce. The camera was really clicking away and you can see some of the photos now on my website (http://www.corkrum.com). Just click on the button marked “Stock Photos.” I have many more to put up on-line…they just take time to process.
And, guess what…I am on the road again in a couple of days heading for Arizona once again, this time for 17 days. Am looking forward to seeing Eric again and watching the NFL Playoffs with him at the Buffalo Hot Wings sports bar in Yuma. By the way, don’t ever order their hottest wings or you will suffer for hours.
When I was visiting Eric, he took me down the Mexican border area just a couple of miles south of Yuma. I was up close and personal, standing with our troops and border patrol agents looking across the Colorado River into Mexico. I could actually see drug runners (with weapons) on the other side looking for possible places to cross that night. It was weird to look at them while they are looking at us. I have lots of other stories about that visit that I will save for another day.
Now, lets talk about something I know pretty well…photography software. As you know, I am a big fan of Adobe products, specifically Photoshop and Lightroom. Recently, I had a chance to try out the latest version of Photoshop Elements V.6, the so-called lightweight version of the more expensive Photoshop.
Trust me… Elements is not a lightweight. Most everything a dedicated amateur photographer could ever want to do can be done with Elements. And they have a neat, new feature that is not available in Photoshop. It is called “Photo Blending” and is designed to help you create perfect group photos.
As a professional photographer, I learned a long ago there is one immutable law…that the more people you have in a picture, the greater the odds that at least one person will have their eyes closed, or will be looking at something off-camera, or won’t be smiling. That is why I take several shots of the same group, looking for the one photo where everything is right.
With the latest version of Elements, you don’t have to hope you get one good shot. You can make your own perfect photo by easily moving the best heads from different photos into one new perfect picture (and they are attached to right bodies, also). I tried it out recently on some wedding photos where the bride didn’t like her expression in one shot, but everybody else in the photo was just fine. I had another similar group photo that she liked where she was right and almost everybody else was wrong.
I was amazed to discover how easy it was to make the change. I did it in just a few seconds, just by circling her good head shot. Elements then moved the head automatically on to her body in the other photograph and resized it so that it matched perfectly. It was amazing, and so easy to do. I shall be using this feature more often, I am sure.
Elements has some other great features (including photo organization) too numerous to go into here. If you would like to read more about it or even download a 30 day trial version, head over to the very complete Adobe Website. Also, for your information, Elements retails for $99.95, although Costco carries it for $79.95…and if you can wait until 1/21/08 to purchase it, Costco will have it on sale (with coupon) for $49.95. That is a very good deal.As for other photo software, I really like the latest version of “Nikon Capture NX.” It is a terrific program if you shoot with a Nikon camera in RAW. In some ways it is better than Photoshop or Lightroom.
And speaking of Lightroom, Adobe keeps updating it since I purchased the first version and it keeps getting better. The program is for folks who do a lot of shooting and is designed to improve your work flow from capturing the image all the way to final printing or to sending up to a Website. If you look at some of my most recent pictures from the Southwest as mentioned above, those pages were created with Lightroom.
Now, if you are interested in some free photo software for your digital camera, a recent video on CNET might be of interest to you. Another recent article that covers the best of all photo software, free and paid, was done ConsumerSearch.com. It is well worth reading.
I hope to visit with you again sooner rather than later.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Hello Again...A Poor Artist Bearing Gifts
Hello again from beautiful downtown Ephrata. I know it has been a couple of months since you heard from me...and for that I apologize. But, as many regular readers know, Spring, Summer, and Autumn are busy times for me with art shows all over the Northwest. In addition, I've been doing a fair amount wedding, portrait, and event photography, so it has been a very busy 6 months. Finding time to write a blog is hard when one's head is in so many places.
But, the season is winding down (2 shows left as of this writing) and its time for me to get back into the blog mode...so let us see if I remember how to write. On this blog, I want to make some amends for all the months I have missed, so I will start out with two free gifts...outstanding free software...guaranteed.
The first is a program call Auslogics Disk Defragmenter. As the name implies, it is designed to defragment your hard drive so that your files are all in the same location on your drive...making it faster for your computer to load. Defragmenters have been around for years and you should use one at least twice a year. For several years I have used the one that comes with Norton Systemworks or the one that comes with Windows.
The problem with both of them is that they are so slow and it can take hours to do a complete defragmentation. The Auslogics Disk Defrag is much faster, according to reviewers and users who have written their own reviews. And after using it a few times, I agree. It is much faster than any defragmenter that I have ever used. Now, don't expect lightning speed. It still takes a while to run a defragmenting operation. But this one is the fastest I've used.
You can download this great, free program by clicking here.
My second free software gift is a program called "Xplorer2." The best way to describe it is that it is a replacement for Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer). I have never liked Windows Explorer and have been looking for a better file management software program for years. Along the way, I found a few that were good, but not great. Xplorer2 is great.
It works just like Windows Explorer, except that it gives you three columns instead of two, so you can work on two directories at the same time. When you start it, the program remembers where you were the last time you used it whereas Windows Explorer makes you start all over every time.
There are several other improvements that Xplorer2 offers that are too numerous to list here. If you would like to try it for yourself, you can download it here.
I promise more good blogs in the very near future and more good (free) software tips. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
But, the season is winding down (2 shows left as of this writing) and its time for me to get back into the blog mode...so let us see if I remember how to write. On this blog, I want to make some amends for all the months I have missed, so I will start out with two free gifts...outstanding free software...guaranteed.
The first is a program call Auslogics Disk Defragmenter. As the name implies, it is designed to defragment your hard drive so that your files are all in the same location on your drive...making it faster for your computer to load. Defragmenters have been around for years and you should use one at least twice a year. For several years I have used the one that comes with Norton Systemworks or the one that comes with Windows.
The problem with both of them is that they are so slow and it can take hours to do a complete defragmentation. The Auslogics Disk Defrag is much faster, according to reviewers and users who have written their own reviews. And after using it a few times, I agree. It is much faster than any defragmenter that I have ever used. Now, don't expect lightning speed. It still takes a while to run a defragmenting operation. But this one is the fastest I've used.
You can download this great, free program by clicking here.
My second free software gift is a program called "Xplorer2." The best way to describe it is that it is a replacement for Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer). I have never liked Windows Explorer and have been looking for a better file management software program for years. Along the way, I found a few that were good, but not great. Xplorer2 is great.
It works just like Windows Explorer, except that it gives you three columns instead of two, so you can work on two directories at the same time. When you start it, the program remembers where you were the last time you used it whereas Windows Explorer makes you start all over every time.
There are several other improvements that Xplorer2 offers that are too numerous to list here. If you would like to try it for yourself, you can download it here.
I promise more good blogs in the very near future and more good (free) software tips. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Best of the Free Firewalls
Greetings from beautiful downtown Kalispell, Montana. I am here for a 3 day art show called Arts-in-the-Park and have done well, so far. It was a long day getting here and I will head for home on Sunday night as soon as I take down the tent and load up the van. I have another big show in Richland on Friday and Saturday next week and need all the time I can have to get ready for it. Its warmer here than at home, but I am parked under a huge oak tree and am very comfortable.
On to the business at hand. As you know, I travel a lot these days, always with my laptop, and always on the lookout for free wireless connections. I usually find them in non-Starbucks coffee houses, like the one I am in right now (City Coffee here in Kalispell...highly recommended). I have been doing some thinking lately that I need to add a software firewall to my laptop, at least something better than the built-in firewall that comes with Windows.
Until now, I haven't made it a priority since my home and studio both have routers which act as firewalls. But, after reading a couple of articles on laptop safety while traveling, I decided to look for a free firewall that would help me out on the road and act as a second firewall when I am back on my home turf. In talking with the technician at my ISP, they recommend a software firewall on all my computers, even though they are behind router firewalls.
Of course I wanted a free one, if possible. I did my homework and found that there are three free firewalls that rank fairly high for the protection they provide. The first, and probably the best is Comodo, a very good firewall product that has won some Editor's Choice Awards and raves from several user's reviews that I have read.
The second is the free version of ZoneAlarm. It also has some decent reviews, but several users report that it has slowed down their computers. Other on-line reviewers have stopped recommending it because it just hasn't kept up with some of the newer firewalls that have come out.
The third is a new firewall that caught me offguard when I found it. It is made by PC Tools, the maker of my new favorite spyware detector, Spyware Doctor. It came in third in a couple of reviews I read, but because it has the familar interface of Spyware Doctor, this was the one I chose. It is a very good firewall, but not my first line of defense (at home, anyway), and it will do the job I wanted, both at home and on the road.
In working with it for a few days, I have found it easy to use and set up. And, as I said, the screen interface makes it so easy to use in my case. It takes up very little memory and system resources, which also makes me happy.
Like all firewalls, it has to be trained, meaning that every time something on your computer tries to access the Internet, the software asks you if it is OK. If it is something like your Web browser, you obviously want to permit it, but the software also lets you make this a permanent "yes" so the program won't ask you again.
So what is the big difference between the built-in Windows firewall and all of the ones I have listed above? And why do most computer security experts recommend you use a software firewall other than the Windows one?
The answer is simple. The Windows firewall is a one way firewall, meaning it only monitors and blocks any possible illegal access attempts coming in from the outside. It does nothing about attempts to get on the net from inside your computer. So, if you picked up some bad rootkit, or unknowingly have a spyware program inside your computer that wants to send your personal information out along the Net, the Windows firewall can't do anything for you.
On the other hand, these other firewalls I've mentioned here monitor both traffic directions and notify you when a program tries to access the net from inside your computer. That is why you have to train it so it will not block your regular programs. So, if spyware is trying to send personal information out, you are notified and can decline to let it access the Internet.
The one unfortunate thing about most firewalls, especially the free ones, is that they don't block any potential malware coming in from bad site. For that, you need a good spyware software like Spyware Doctor or CounterSpy.
I hope this is of help to you.
On to the business at hand. As you know, I travel a lot these days, always with my laptop, and always on the lookout for free wireless connections. I usually find them in non-Starbucks coffee houses, like the one I am in right now (City Coffee here in Kalispell...highly recommended). I have been doing some thinking lately that I need to add a software firewall to my laptop, at least something better than the built-in firewall that comes with Windows.
Until now, I haven't made it a priority since my home and studio both have routers which act as firewalls. But, after reading a couple of articles on laptop safety while traveling, I decided to look for a free firewall that would help me out on the road and act as a second firewall when I am back on my home turf. In talking with the technician at my ISP, they recommend a software firewall on all my computers, even though they are behind router firewalls.
Of course I wanted a free one, if possible. I did my homework and found that there are three free firewalls that rank fairly high for the protection they provide. The first, and probably the best is Comodo, a very good firewall product that has won some Editor's Choice Awards and raves from several user's reviews that I have read.
The second is the free version of ZoneAlarm. It also has some decent reviews, but several users report that it has slowed down their computers. Other on-line reviewers have stopped recommending it because it just hasn't kept up with some of the newer firewalls that have come out.
The third is a new firewall that caught me offguard when I found it. It is made by PC Tools, the maker of my new favorite spyware detector, Spyware Doctor. It came in third in a couple of reviews I read, but because it has the familar interface of Spyware Doctor, this was the one I chose. It is a very good firewall, but not my first line of defense (at home, anyway), and it will do the job I wanted, both at home and on the road.
In working with it for a few days, I have found it easy to use and set up. And, as I said, the screen interface makes it so easy to use in my case. It takes up very little memory and system resources, which also makes me happy.
Like all firewalls, it has to be trained, meaning that every time something on your computer tries to access the Internet, the software asks you if it is OK. If it is something like your Web browser, you obviously want to permit it, but the software also lets you make this a permanent "yes" so the program won't ask you again.
So what is the big difference between the built-in Windows firewall and all of the ones I have listed above? And why do most computer security experts recommend you use a software firewall other than the Windows one?
The answer is simple. The Windows firewall is a one way firewall, meaning it only monitors and blocks any possible illegal access attempts coming in from the outside. It does nothing about attempts to get on the net from inside your computer. So, if you picked up some bad rootkit, or unknowingly have a spyware program inside your computer that wants to send your personal information out along the Net, the Windows firewall can't do anything for you.
On the other hand, these other firewalls I've mentioned here monitor both traffic directions and notify you when a program tries to access the net from inside your computer. That is why you have to train it so it will not block your regular programs. So, if spyware is trying to send personal information out, you are notified and can decline to let it access the Internet.
The one unfortunate thing about most firewalls, especially the free ones, is that they don't block any potential malware coming in from bad site. For that, you need a good spyware software like Spyware Doctor or CounterSpy.
I hope this is of help to you.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Free Fish Tank
If you have ever walked into a retail store that carries computers, you have probably seen the aquarium screen savers show different kinds of fish swimming lazily either an ocean or aquarium environment. With today's high resolution monitors and video cards, these screen savers look hauntingly realistic.
Psychologists have pointed out for years that having an aquarium is a good way to relax and lower stress if you just sit and watch the fish do their thing. My brother has had an aquarium for years, and while it is very relaxing to sit and watch the the little fishies swimming around, I found that your stress levels go back up because you have to feed them every day and clean up the tank on a regular basis. Thanks, but no thanks. All pets are high maintenance, which is why at this point in our lives, Susan and I live in a pet-free environment.
But, along with many other folks, I enjoy watching fish swim, either in an aquarium, or in their natural environment. Enter the aquarium screen savers. You get to watch fish swim without having to perform any maintenance. The problem has been that these screen savers, including the one from Microsoft, cost money. And while I enjoy watching fish swim, I was not moved to spend any money for it.
A few months ago, when I had some extra time to do some research, I looked for a free aquarium screen saver. No such luck...they all cost money.
But, the other day, I ran across a free one called "Sim Aquarium." It comes in a free version as well as more complex aquariums that do cost a few dollars. I downloaded the free one and enjoy it very much. It looks good on all my monitors, especially my 20" wide-screen monitor at home.
If you have always wanted a fish screen saver, give this one a try. It is available on the ZDNet web site. Enjoy.
Psychologists have pointed out for years that having an aquarium is a good way to relax and lower stress if you just sit and watch the fish do their thing. My brother has had an aquarium for years, and while it is very relaxing to sit and watch the the little fishies swimming around, I found that your stress levels go back up because you have to feed them every day and clean up the tank on a regular basis. Thanks, but no thanks. All pets are high maintenance, which is why at this point in our lives, Susan and I live in a pet-free environment.
But, along with many other folks, I enjoy watching fish swim, either in an aquarium, or in their natural environment. Enter the aquarium screen savers. You get to watch fish swim without having to perform any maintenance. The problem has been that these screen savers, including the one from Microsoft, cost money. And while I enjoy watching fish swim, I was not moved to spend any money for it.
A few months ago, when I had some extra time to do some research, I looked for a free aquarium screen saver. No such luck...they all cost money.
But, the other day, I ran across a free one called "Sim Aquarium." It comes in a free version as well as more complex aquariums that do cost a few dollars. I downloaded the free one and enjoy it very much. It looks good on all my monitors, especially my 20" wide-screen monitor at home.
If you have always wanted a fish screen saver, give this one a try. It is available on the ZDNet web site. Enjoy.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Securing Firefox
Hello again from beautiful downtown Ephrata. I know it has been a couple of weeks since I've written anything, but, as longtime readers know, this is the busiest part of my art season, where I go from show-to-show displaying and selling my art works. And I am now beginning really busy time of the season. This weekend I will be in Gig Harbor, WA and next weekend in Kalispell, MT. After that I go directly to Richland, WA, followed by Coeur d Alene in the first weekend of August.
It is major crunch time for me as I have to come back to Ephrata after each show to restock my traveling van before heading out for the next one. Sometimes I only have 3 days to do that. So, I just don't have a lot of time to write these blogs, as much as I love doing it. I will make up for it in the winter months, I promise.
Susan and I did take 10 days off for both a vacation on the Olympic Peninsula and a family reunion in Seaside, OR. We had a great time, although I haven't had much time to even look at the photos I took on the trip. After the vacation, we headed to Tacoma where I had a very successful 3 day show.
So that sort of catches you up on my comings and goings. I will write a quick blog when I can, as I am still keeping up with the latest trends in technology on a nearly daily basis. I have several blogs planned and hope to find time to write them.
Today, I want to recommend and important article I just read about Firefox, my favorite Web browser. If you are a Firefox user you need read this article. It is entitled, "Securing Firefox: How to Avoid Hacker Attacks..." It is 11 pages long but most of it is illustrations showing how to set up your browser to be as secure as possible. Again, I strongly recommend that you read this article.
Almost as I write these words, a new security flaw has shown up in Firefox that you should also be aware of. This one is interesting (and weird) because it really isn't Firefox's fault. If you have both Internet Explorer and Firefox installed on your computer and you are browsing a malicious Web site using IE, Firefox can be attacked and used to hack your computer. I said it was weird.
If you browse the same bad site with Firefox, you can't be hacked as the site is geared to attack IE. So, the easiest solution is not to browse a malicious site with IE. As for me, I never use Internet Explorer, so I am safe. I also have set up my Firefox using the recommendations in the article mentioned above. Look for the folks at Mozilla to fix this flaw soon.
Happy computing and I will write when I can.
It is major crunch time for me as I have to come back to Ephrata after each show to restock my traveling van before heading out for the next one. Sometimes I only have 3 days to do that. So, I just don't have a lot of time to write these blogs, as much as I love doing it. I will make up for it in the winter months, I promise.
Susan and I did take 10 days off for both a vacation on the Olympic Peninsula and a family reunion in Seaside, OR. We had a great time, although I haven't had much time to even look at the photos I took on the trip. After the vacation, we headed to Tacoma where I had a very successful 3 day show.
So that sort of catches you up on my comings and goings. I will write a quick blog when I can, as I am still keeping up with the latest trends in technology on a nearly daily basis. I have several blogs planned and hope to find time to write them.
Today, I want to recommend and important article I just read about Firefox, my favorite Web browser. If you are a Firefox user you need read this article. It is entitled, "Securing Firefox: How to Avoid Hacker Attacks..." It is 11 pages long but most of it is illustrations showing how to set up your browser to be as secure as possible. Again, I strongly recommend that you read this article.
Almost as I write these words, a new security flaw has shown up in Firefox that you should also be aware of. This one is interesting (and weird) because it really isn't Firefox's fault. If you have both Internet Explorer and Firefox installed on your computer and you are browsing a malicious Web site using IE, Firefox can be attacked and used to hack your computer. I said it was weird.
If you browse the same bad site with Firefox, you can't be hacked as the site is geared to attack IE. So, the easiest solution is not to browse a malicious site with IE. As for me, I never use Internet Explorer, so I am safe. I also have set up my Firefox using the recommendations in the article mentioned above. Look for the folks at Mozilla to fix this flaw soon.
Happy computing and I will write when I can.
Friday, June 15, 2007
What We Really Need - Another Browser
Apple is a good company, and for years it has stood by itself, flaunting its technology at the Windows world, not trying to beat it... or join it, for that matter. It said, we are here and we are good and we offer products that are unique and can't be beat. Besides their high quality computers, they have been wildly successful with such unique products as the iPod and the soon-to-be released iPhone. They were smart in that they made sure their unique products integrated with Windows computers, but they didn't try to take out Microsoft.
With that in mind, it does make one wonder why, all of a sudden, they would release a version of their MAC-only browser for Windows. In case you are not familiar with MAC computers, the most popular browser in that world is a product called Safari. I have heard it is a good browser, although not great and can be a little buggy at times. But it belonged only to the MAC world, which for MAC users, makes it special. It was something that Windows users couldn't have which made it even more special.
But this week, it was released in beta form for us Windows users. And of course, within 48 hours, hard core Windows users and tech reviewers got their hands on it to see how good or bad it is. And what did they find?
In the first 24 hours, a security expert found a serious security flaw. OK, it is still a beta product so we will give it a break. I am sure that will be fixed. Then, the folks at Wired magazine ran speed test pitting Safari against IE7 and Firefox. And guess what? Safari came in dead last against those two popular browsers. It is much slower, according to Wired. But that is not what Steve Jobs promised when he announced the release of Windows Safari. Here are his words at an Apple conference only last week:
“So what we’ve got is the most innovative browser in the world. but we’ve also got the fastest browser on Windows. It’s twice as fast as IE, 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2, and features built-in Google and Yahoo search."
Sorry, Steve, but the first test results say you are wrong. But, again, it is a beta version, so we will cut you some slack.
The most interesting part of this move by Apple, at least to me, is why do it at all? From what I read, some MAC users won't use Safari, so why port it over to Windows, especially when this market is so dominated by Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and to a lesser extent, by Firefox. And don't forget about Opera, a really terrific and fast browser. And to add to that, the re-emergence of our old friend, the latest incarnation of the Netscape browser that was released only last week. There is no reason for Sarfari to try and break into this market, especially since the first few days of its release has given Apple a black eye.
But, what do I know?
With that in mind, it does make one wonder why, all of a sudden, they would release a version of their MAC-only browser for Windows. In case you are not familiar with MAC computers, the most popular browser in that world is a product called Safari. I have heard it is a good browser, although not great and can be a little buggy at times. But it belonged only to the MAC world, which for MAC users, makes it special. It was something that Windows users couldn't have which made it even more special.
But this week, it was released in beta form for us Windows users. And of course, within 48 hours, hard core Windows users and tech reviewers got their hands on it to see how good or bad it is. And what did they find?
In the first 24 hours, a security expert found a serious security flaw. OK, it is still a beta product so we will give it a break. I am sure that will be fixed. Then, the folks at Wired magazine ran speed test pitting Safari against IE7 and Firefox. And guess what? Safari came in dead last against those two popular browsers. It is much slower, according to Wired. But that is not what Steve Jobs promised when he announced the release of Windows Safari. Here are his words at an Apple conference only last week:
“So what we’ve got is the most innovative browser in the world. but we’ve also got the fastest browser on Windows. It’s twice as fast as IE, 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2, and features built-in Google and Yahoo search."
Sorry, Steve, but the first test results say you are wrong. But, again, it is a beta version, so we will cut you some slack.
The most interesting part of this move by Apple, at least to me, is why do it at all? From what I read, some MAC users won't use Safari, so why port it over to Windows, especially when this market is so dominated by Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and to a lesser extent, by Firefox. And don't forget about Opera, a really terrific and fast browser. And to add to that, the re-emergence of our old friend, the latest incarnation of the Netscape browser that was released only last week. There is no reason for Sarfari to try and break into this market, especially since the first few days of its release has given Apple a black eye.
But, what do I know?
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Free Anti-Rootkit Software
The three biggest threats to our computers right now (if you use the Web) are viruses (include worms in this category also), spyware (some of which is VERY dangerous) and rootkits. Rootkits are very dangerous as they can be installed without your knowledge at the very heart of your computer and can be difficult to detect as the computer thinks they are part of its makeup.
The good news for us is that AVG, makers of some very fine anti-viral software, including a great free version that is rated very highly by most testers, has now released a free anti-rootkit software that searches out your system for any little devils that may have been installed without your knowledge. You can get it for free on their Web site. Highly recommended!
I have come to the conclusion that anyone who doesn't have a quality anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed on their computer is nuts. Lately viruses don't seem to be much of an issue, at least for me, as I don't open suspicious e-mail's and my computer makes an awfully loud noise when the anti-virus software detects an incoming threat.
Today, the biggest threats seem to come from spyware, which can be picked up just by visiting a Web site. Case-in-point, my 4 year old laptop has finally failed to the point where it is not worth fixing. 48 hours ago, I received via UPS, a new terrific laptop from Gateway with 2 Gb of memory, a dual core processor and a big hard drive at a very good price. I am very pleased with it. I have spent much of the last two days loading software on to it and very little time surfing the web.
In the first 24 hours, my Spyware Doctor software picked up 7 spyware products, all of which were very low-level threats, mostly advertising trackers. Then, just a short time ago today, I ran another check on the system and found 52 spyware products on my new computer, some of which were listed as very dangerous. Good, God, I have only owned the computer for two days and it was already loaded with spyware! That is scary.
And as a side note, I ran a deep spyware scan on my home desktop computer this morning and found a very dangerous tracking spyware that can be used to pick off personal information when I, for instance, access my bank accounts. I don't know how it got on my computer as Spyware Doctor is supposed to prevent this. All I can think of is that it was a new one that got on my system before the software was updated with the newest threats.
Since I wrote about Spyware Doctor vs Counterspy a few months ago, I have done a little additional testing and found Spyware Doctor still able to find some spyware that Counterspy misses, so I am sticking with it.
With so many people trying to steal my personal information and track how I live my life, it is tempting to give up using the Internet altogether. But, of course, that is not possible in this day and age, especially if one is in business. A person just needs to take all the proper precautions. I hope some laws can be passed in the near future that can slow down this terrible growth of spyware.
The good news for us is that AVG, makers of some very fine anti-viral software, including a great free version that is rated very highly by most testers, has now released a free anti-rootkit software that searches out your system for any little devils that may have been installed without your knowledge. You can get it for free on their Web site. Highly recommended!
I have come to the conclusion that anyone who doesn't have a quality anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed on their computer is nuts. Lately viruses don't seem to be much of an issue, at least for me, as I don't open suspicious e-mail's and my computer makes an awfully loud noise when the anti-virus software detects an incoming threat.
Today, the biggest threats seem to come from spyware, which can be picked up just by visiting a Web site. Case-in-point, my 4 year old laptop has finally failed to the point where it is not worth fixing. 48 hours ago, I received via UPS, a new terrific laptop from Gateway with 2 Gb of memory, a dual core processor and a big hard drive at a very good price. I am very pleased with it. I have spent much of the last two days loading software on to it and very little time surfing the web.
In the first 24 hours, my Spyware Doctor software picked up 7 spyware products, all of which were very low-level threats, mostly advertising trackers. Then, just a short time ago today, I ran another check on the system and found 52 spyware products on my new computer, some of which were listed as very dangerous. Good, God, I have only owned the computer for two days and it was already loaded with spyware! That is scary.
And as a side note, I ran a deep spyware scan on my home desktop computer this morning and found a very dangerous tracking spyware that can be used to pick off personal information when I, for instance, access my bank accounts. I don't know how it got on my computer as Spyware Doctor is supposed to prevent this. All I can think of is that it was a new one that got on my system before the software was updated with the newest threats.
Since I wrote about Spyware Doctor vs Counterspy a few months ago, I have done a little additional testing and found Spyware Doctor still able to find some spyware that Counterspy misses, so I am sticking with it.
With so many people trying to steal my personal information and track how I live my life, it is tempting to give up using the Internet altogether. But, of course, that is not possible in this day and age, especially if one is in business. A person just needs to take all the proper precautions. I hope some laws can be passed in the near future that can slow down this terrible growth of spyware.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Freeing Up Additional Memory
Hello again from beautiful downtown Ephrata. Am keeping very busy these days with portraits, weddings, and, of course art shows. And speaking of the latter, I hope you can stop by the Sage 'n Sun Festival here in Ephrata this weekend as I will be there with some of my art and photographs. I will have my tent up on the courthouse lawn, so please come by for a visit.
As a photographer and artist, I use several graphic software programs like Photoshop, which like gaming software, uses a huge portion of my computers resources. So, I am very aware of my memory usage (no jokes here please). My computers have from 1.5 to 2 GB of memory each, and sometimes, even that doesn't seem like enough.
Sometimes, computer memory gets stuffed with data that doesn't go away when you close out the program. When that happens, your computer slows down noticeably and the only way out is to reboot your computer. That can be annoying to say the least. So, wouldn't it be nice if there were a memory manager program that can monitor memory usage and continually optimize your memory at all times.
Well there is one...and it is free. It is called FreeRam XP Pro. Here is a description of the product by the manufacturer:
"FreeRAM XP Pro includes automatic memory monitoring and optimization; advanced tray support; fast, threaded freeing with a stop option; multiple system-metric monitors; a simple and attractive GUI; memory reporting and diagnostic logging; and real-time memory information. FreeRAM XP Pro's AutoFree feature intelligently scales how much RAM is freed with your current system status, thus optimizing RAM without slowing down your computer. Additionally, FreeRAM XP Pro's unique Global Memory Compression technology frees memory instantly in a way that is completely unlike other memory managers. FreeRAM XP Pro has been designed to be easy to use yet highly customizable by computer novices and experts alike."
I installed it and it works quite well. I freed up quite a bit of additional memory when I pushed the optimization button for the first time. When running in the background, the program puts a small icon in the system tray that tells you how much memory is available to you at that moment.
Although it has only been running a short time in my computer, it has been doing a very good job. You might want to give it a try to see if it helps you. It can be downloaded at the ZD Net Web site.
As a photographer and artist, I use several graphic software programs like Photoshop, which like gaming software, uses a huge portion of my computers resources. So, I am very aware of my memory usage (no jokes here please). My computers have from 1.5 to 2 GB of memory each, and sometimes, even that doesn't seem like enough.
Sometimes, computer memory gets stuffed with data that doesn't go away when you close out the program. When that happens, your computer slows down noticeably and the only way out is to reboot your computer. That can be annoying to say the least. So, wouldn't it be nice if there were a memory manager program that can monitor memory usage and continually optimize your memory at all times.
Well there is one...and it is free. It is called FreeRam XP Pro. Here is a description of the product by the manufacturer:
"FreeRAM XP Pro includes automatic memory monitoring and optimization; advanced tray support; fast, threaded freeing with a stop option; multiple system-metric monitors; a simple and attractive GUI; memory reporting and diagnostic logging; and real-time memory information. FreeRAM XP Pro's AutoFree feature intelligently scales how much RAM is freed with your current system status, thus optimizing RAM without slowing down your computer. Additionally, FreeRAM XP Pro's unique Global Memory Compression technology frees memory instantly in a way that is completely unlike other memory managers. FreeRAM XP Pro has been designed to be easy to use yet highly customizable by computer novices and experts alike."
I installed it and it works quite well. I freed up quite a bit of additional memory when I pushed the optimization button for the first time. When running in the background, the program puts a small icon in the system tray that tells you how much memory is available to you at that moment.
Although it has only been running a short time in my computer, it has been doing a very good job. You might want to give it a try to see if it helps you. It can be downloaded at the ZD Net Web site.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wal_Mart and Dell?
In about 2 weeks, you may see something new in the electronics section of your local Wal-Mart store. Computer manufacturer Dell has entered into an agreement with Wal-Mart that will put its desktops in 3,400 of the chain's stores beginning June 10. They will retail for under $700. Dell, it appears, may be changing its ways. A Dell spokesperson described the deal as "our first step" into global retail, possibly indicating that the company may be working on other deals, although it declined to talk about any possible deals. Wal-Mart will initially carry two different Dimension desktop models in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. No details were given as to whether the company planned to eventually sell Dell laptops.
As for Wal-Mart, partnering with Dell is part of their strategy to remodel and expand the electronics section of its stores. The company is increasingly looking to top-name brands as a way to entice more affluent customers into its stores to help sustain its growth.
Although exact details of the PCs have not been released, but both companies say the desktops will be built exclusively for sale at the world's largest retailers. The deal marks the first time in 15 years that Dell has not been involved directly in the sale of its machines. While the company recently began selling its PCs in retail, they were through company-owned outlets. It also once sold clearance machines through Costco.
As for Wal-Mart, partnering with Dell is part of their strategy to remodel and expand the electronics section of its stores. The company is increasingly looking to top-name brands as a way to entice more affluent customers into its stores to help sustain its growth.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Final Solution for Junk Mail May be at Hand
Yes...a new technology is emerging that just might put an end to most spam forever, especially the fraudulent ones that try to steal your identity. The Internet Engineering Task Force, a key Internet standards body gave preliminary approval this week to a powerful technology designed to detect and block fake e-mail messages. It's called DomainKeys Identified Mail, and it promises to give Internet users the best chance so far of stanching the seemingly endless flow of fraudulent junk e-mail.
Yahoo, Cisco Systems, Sendmail and PGP Corporation are behind the push for DomainKeys, which the companies said in a joint statement will provide "businesses with heightened brand protection by providing message authentication, verification and traceability to help determine whether a message is legitimate." Insiders say the technology is more promising than most other anti-spam and antiphishing technologies because it harnesses the power of cryptographically secure digital signatures to thwart online miscreants.
Yahoo, Cisco Systems, Sendmail and PGP Corporation are behind the push for DomainKeys, which the companies said in a joint statement will provide "businesses with heightened brand protection by providing message authentication, verification and traceability to help determine whether a message is legitimate." Insiders say the technology is more promising than most other anti-spam and antiphishing technologies because it harnesses the power of cryptographically secure digital signatures to thwart online miscreants.
The way it works is straightforward: if, for instance, PayPal sends an e-mail notice to customers about their accounts, the company's outgoing mail server will quietly insert a digital signature into the legitimate message. (Because the signature is embedded in the message headers, it's generally not visible to human readers.)
Let's say the recipient has a Yahoo Mail address. Yahoo's mail servers can automatically check PayPal's Internet domain name listing to verify that the digital signature is valid and the message truly originated at Paypal.com. Signatures by authorized third parties are permitted as well, which is useful for outsourced e-mail.
If the signature doesn't check out, the message is probably spam, or a phishing attack designed to try to fool someone into divulging their details about their PayPal account. While the DomainKeys standard doesn't actually specify that messages with invalid signatures should be flagged as junk, Internet service providers are likely to do just that.In the long run, DomainKeys is more promising than existing antispam and antiphishing technologies, which rely on techniques like assembling a "blacklist" of known fraudsters or detecting such messages by trying to identify common characteristics. But spammers have invented increasingly creative counterattacks, such as inserting image advertisements in the text of messages and appending excerpts from news articles and fiction works in an attempt to defeat the popular antispam method of Bayseian filtering. That kind of counterattack is called Bayesian poisoning.
DomainKeys represents a radical shift in the arms race between phishers, in particular, and Internet users: it's effectively a tactical nuclear attack that can't be countered. The digital signatures, which use public key cryptography, are viewed as unforgeable. But the DomainKeys approach does suffer from one serious, short-term problem: it's only effective if both the sender and recipient's mail systems are upgraded to support the standard.
We shall endeavor to keep you informed of the progress of this product.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Over 400 People Clicked on an Ad Promising to Infect Their Computer
Sorry that I haven't written for a few days, but it is the start of the art show season for me and I am busy getting ready. I also have been doing some photographic jobs for clients, so that is keeping me doubly busy. This is the time of year that my blogging is drastically reduced because I am on the road so often, with sometimes only 3 days between shows. I shall endeavor to write a blog here and there when time permits just to let you know that I am alive.
If you would like to see a current list of where I will be this summer, click over to my Web site for the most current list of my upcoming shows. Keep in mind that it is not yet completed yet as there are still more shows that will be added. By the way, if you would like to see some of my new works for this year, click here and you can see some of them. More will be added very soon.
Now for today's blog:
Would you believe that 409 people have clicked on an on-line advertisement that promised to infect their computer with a virus? The ad offers infection for those with virus-free PCs. The ad was placed by a person who identifies himself as security professional Didier Stevens. It reads like this:
If you would like to see a current list of where I will be this summer, click over to my Web site for the most current list of my upcoming shows. Keep in mind that it is not yet completed yet as there are still more shows that will be added. By the way, if you would like to see some of my new works for this year, click here and you can see some of them. More will be added very soon.
Now for today's blog:
Would you believe that 409 people have clicked on an on-line advertisement that promised to infect their computer with a virus? The ad offers infection for those with virus-free PCs. The ad was placed by a person who identifies himself as security professional Didier Stevens. It reads like this:
Drive-By Download
Is your PC virus-free?
Get it infected here!
drive-by-download.info
Stevens, who says he works for Contraste Europe, a branch of the IT consultancy The Contraste Group, has been running his Google Adwords campaign for six months now and has received 409 hits. Stevens has done similar research in the past, such as finding out how easy it is to land on a drive-by download site when doing a Google search.
First, Stevens bought the drive-by-download.info domain. .info domains are notorious for hosting malware, he points out. Then he set up a server to display the innocuous message "Thank you for your visit" and to log the requests. No PCs were harmed in this experiment, he emphasizes. The site is benign and has never hosted malware or other scripts or code.
Of the 409 people who clicked, 98 percent were running Windows machines, according to the user agent string, which is a text string that identifies a Web site visitor to a server. Stevens says that he designed his ad to make it look fishy, but he had no problem getting Google to accept it and has had no complaints to date. And, although a healthy amount of people clicked on it, he said there's "no way to know what motivated them to click on my ad. I did not submit them to an IQ-test."
I shall contain myself from any further comments and just let you be the judge.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Lightroom - A Must for Serious Photographers
I am in love...with a new software from Adobe (the makers of Photoshop). It is called Lightroom and is described by Adobe as "an efficient way to import, select, develop, and showcase large volumes of digital images." It is designed for professional photographers or amateurs who take a lot of photos.
It is not an easy products to describe and I really didn't understand it until I watched a couple of Adobe's on-line videos and downloaded a 30 day trial description. Within two days, I was in love and plunked out my money. It is so good that a recent article in Popular Photography said its biggest competitor was Photoshop and people might not need buy Lightroom's expensive big brother. Personally, I need both products, but Lightroom does some neat things that Photoshop does not...and Lightroom does some things better than Photoshop!
Another description from Adobe: Lightroom software is the professional photographer's essential toolbox, providing one easy application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs so you can spend less time in front of the computer and more time behind the lens. It is especially designed for photographers who shoot in RAW mode, although it will easily handle just about every known image format on the market today.
Its main purpose is to improve your work flow when you take lots of pictures. Here is how I use the product: I first transfer my images from the camera to a special folder in my computer. After that, I open up Lightroom and "import" the pictures into into the program. When you "import," the program let's you add additional meta data information such as copyright info, and also lets you add keywords to help you organize your photos.
After bringing the photos into the program, you can easily add additional keywords. For instance the first thing I did when I acquired the program was import four days worth of shooting that I did in Yosemite last year. I first added keywords such as Yosemite and California to help organize them. Then I easily clicked on all the photos I had of Bridalveil Falls over those four days and added the keyword Bridalveil and Waterfalls to them. I then did the same thing for the other famous landmarks in Yosemite Valley.
As you add keywords, the program creates a category on the left side of the screen so that you can easily click on a keyword, and only those photos come on line, making it easier to compare and find your best photos. You then can quite easily rate your photos by stars or by color coding them.
After organization, you then can go to work on the images to improve their quality, either individually or on a group basis. You can create your own presets so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of controls to improve your images, far to numerous to describe here. I especially like the Luminance control which is a more subtle way to add saturation to your images without changing people's skin color.
Its ability to turn color images to black and white is amazing and is far better than Photoshop, (with the possible exception of their brand new version CS3)...but it also adds split toning for b&w images which no version of Photoshop has. There are many more controls for improving your images than those I have briefly mentioned here, but you can go to the Adobe Web site to learn more about them.
As I mentioned above, Lightroom is designed to improve a photographer's work flow. So far we have taken the pictures, organized them, then processed them. The next logical step in the work flow that Lightroom follows is to output the final images...either to prints, the Web, or a slide show. Again, Lightroom has made these steps easy with several different built-in templates for all three. Printing different size prints as well as proof sheets is easy...just pull up a template, add your pictures and print. For the Web, there are several templates, either regular HTML or using FLASH. Again just choose your images, push a button and your Web pages are created for you.
If you think that Lightroom might be for you, head over to the Adobe Web site and watch the videos and see for yourself. You can then download a 30 day trial version and try it out. By the way, the trial version is NOT a crippled version. It is the full version. Lightroom now sells for $299, but Adobe originally put it on sale for the first few months as a special buy for $199. There are still a few places on the Web where you can still get it at the $199 price, so if you think Lightroom might be for you, I would think about looking at it right away.
It is not an easy products to describe and I really didn't understand it until I watched a couple of Adobe's on-line videos and downloaded a 30 day trial description. Within two days, I was in love and plunked out my money. It is so good that a recent article in Popular Photography said its biggest competitor was Photoshop and people might not need buy Lightroom's expensive big brother. Personally, I need both products, but Lightroom does some neat things that Photoshop does not...and Lightroom does some things better than Photoshop!
Another description from Adobe: Lightroom software is the professional photographer's essential toolbox, providing one easy application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs so you can spend less time in front of the computer and more time behind the lens. It is especially designed for photographers who shoot in RAW mode, although it will easily handle just about every known image format on the market today.
Its main purpose is to improve your work flow when you take lots of pictures. Here is how I use the product: I first transfer my images from the camera to a special folder in my computer. After that, I open up Lightroom and "import" the pictures into into the program. When you "import," the program let's you add additional meta data information such as copyright info, and also lets you add keywords to help you organize your photos.
After bringing the photos into the program, you can easily add additional keywords. For instance the first thing I did when I acquired the program was import four days worth of shooting that I did in Yosemite last year. I first added keywords such as Yosemite and California to help organize them. Then I easily clicked on all the photos I had of Bridalveil Falls over those four days and added the keyword Bridalveil and Waterfalls to them. I then did the same thing for the other famous landmarks in Yosemite Valley.
As you add keywords, the program creates a category on the left side of the screen so that you can easily click on a keyword, and only those photos come on line, making it easier to compare and find your best photos. You then can quite easily rate your photos by stars or by color coding them.
After organization, you then can go to work on the images to improve their quality, either individually or on a group basis. You can create your own presets so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of controls to improve your images, far to numerous to describe here. I especially like the Luminance control which is a more subtle way to add saturation to your images without changing people's skin color.
Its ability to turn color images to black and white is amazing and is far better than Photoshop, (with the possible exception of their brand new version CS3)...but it also adds split toning for b&w images which no version of Photoshop has. There are many more controls for improving your images than those I have briefly mentioned here, but you can go to the Adobe Web site to learn more about them.
As I mentioned above, Lightroom is designed to improve a photographer's work flow. So far we have taken the pictures, organized them, then processed them. The next logical step in the work flow that Lightroom follows is to output the final images...either to prints, the Web, or a slide show. Again, Lightroom has made these steps easy with several different built-in templates for all three. Printing different size prints as well as proof sheets is easy...just pull up a template, add your pictures and print. For the Web, there are several templates, either regular HTML or using FLASH. Again just choose your images, push a button and your Web pages are created for you.
If you think that Lightroom might be for you, head over to the Adobe Web site and watch the videos and see for yourself. You can then download a 30 day trial version and try it out. By the way, the trial version is NOT a crippled version. It is the full version. Lightroom now sells for $299, but Adobe originally put it on sale for the first few months as a special buy for $199. There are still a few places on the Web where you can still get it at the $199 price, so if you think Lightroom might be for you, I would think about looking at it right away.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Technologies That Flopped
Happy Mother's Day from beautiful downtown Ephrata!!
I recently came across and interesting and fun article (actually its a slide show) on the Web that I thought I would share with you. It is a list of the top ten technologies of the past that failed, as evaluated by tech author Jim Rapoza. It took me down memory lane and actually made me laugh as I began to remember some of these disastrous tech innovations. A few of them made me scratch my head at the time thinking that they would probably bomb...and they did. I love to be right.
Remember Microsoft BOB, or DIVX? How about CueCat or Network PC's. If you would like to check out these colossal failures and maybe have a few chuckles, check out Jim Rapoza's article.
I recently came across and interesting and fun article (actually its a slide show) on the Web that I thought I would share with you. It is a list of the top ten technologies of the past that failed, as evaluated by tech author Jim Rapoza. It took me down memory lane and actually made me laugh as I began to remember some of these disastrous tech innovations. A few of them made me scratch my head at the time thinking that they would probably bomb...and they did. I love to be right.
Remember Microsoft BOB, or DIVX? How about CueCat or Network PC's. If you would like to check out these colossal failures and maybe have a few chuckles, check out Jim Rapoza's article.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Explaining HD Radio
For the last couple of years, we have heard a lot about High Definition TV. Walk into any store that sells TV sets, and about 90% of every demo set they have on the floor is HD. But, did you know there also HD radio? What is that, you say?
HD radio is the radio equivalent of HDTV...high quality sound over the airwaves. We are not talking about satellite radio now such as Sirius or XM. This is the same type of broadcast radio you hear now all over the world...only in high definition. Believe it or not, more than 1,200 radio stations currently broadcast in HD, with over 600 offering HD2 multicasts, giving consumers crystal clear digital sound and more choices, with no subscription fee. But of course, you need a special HD radio set to enjoy HD radio.
Right now, there are over 1,000 standard analog radio products on the market, but you'll find no more than a smattering of consumer-level HD digital models. But that is about to change. Best Buy Stores has made a solid commitment to carry HD radio sets. According to their press release, "Best Buy is the first national retailer to make HD Radio technology available to customers throughout its national chain. Customers will find a premium HD Radio experience in their cars with the JVC KD-HDR1 Mobile HD Radio receiver and the Visteon Zoom. Throughout 2007, the HD Radio line-up will expand to home products and more mobile offerings."
A very short history of radio is needed here. AM Radio was invented long before any of you or me were born. FM radio came upon us in 1961...and neither has changed much since. Both AM and FM added stereo, but that is about it. Satellite radio came along a few years ago and drastically improved the sound quality, but at not only the cost of a new receiver, but also a monthly subscription.
HD radio gives you the same or even better sound quality, equal to CD quality and, unlike satellite radio, you only have to buy a receiver. There is no monthly fee; once you have the radio, you're good to go forever and roam the world at will at have radio to listen to.
Interestingly, in the United Kingdom, digital radio has found a firm foothold because the technology is standardized and open, in much the same way that high-definition television was rolled out. In the U.K. 4.7 million digital receivers have been sold since 1999. In fact, these actually outsold traditional radios last year. U.K. enthusiasts of digital audio broadcasting, liken the phenomenon to that of the digital camera overtaking the traditional film camera in popularity. Many of the digital radios sold in the U.K. have TiVo-like functionality, letting you time-shift programs, save interesting broadcasts, and bookmark your favorite stations.
My only qualm about this new technology is not with the technology...it is with what is being broadcast over the airwaves. Out here in the hinterlands, 99% the radio stations are not worth listening to, except maybe for NPR. As most broadcast stations are owned now by larger corporate companies that operate many stations at once, the quality of the music has deteriorated to the point that it is not worth listening to, no matter what the genre. It has been homogenized to the point of being something that won't offend anyone (like a McDonald's hamburger) and offers very little variety and only a select number of artists. And AM radio is mostly talk shows, so who needs HD for that?
Maybe in large metropolitan areas where there are a large variety of music being played over the many stations, it might be worth doing...but even there you run into the same issues. But, occasionally there are the interesting small stations that haven't followed their bigger brothers and sisters into programming boredom.
The bottom line is garbage in...garbage out. Garbage being broadcast in HD is still garbage. I wrote this blog while listening to classical music coming in over my satellite system. There is never anyone talking, no ads, no public service announcements...just pure unadulterated music. Can you guess where I stand?
If you would like to learn more about HD radio, as well as information about receiver availability, a station guide and more can be found at http://www.hdradio.com/.
HD radio is the radio equivalent of HDTV...high quality sound over the airwaves. We are not talking about satellite radio now such as Sirius or XM. This is the same type of broadcast radio you hear now all over the world...only in high definition. Believe it or not, more than 1,200 radio stations currently broadcast in HD, with over 600 offering HD2 multicasts, giving consumers crystal clear digital sound and more choices, with no subscription fee. But of course, you need a special HD radio set to enjoy HD radio.
Right now, there are over 1,000 standard analog radio products on the market, but you'll find no more than a smattering of consumer-level HD digital models. But that is about to change. Best Buy Stores has made a solid commitment to carry HD radio sets. According to their press release, "Best Buy is the first national retailer to make HD Radio technology available to customers throughout its national chain. Customers will find a premium HD Radio experience in their cars with the JVC KD-HDR1 Mobile HD Radio receiver and the Visteon Zoom. Throughout 2007, the HD Radio line-up will expand to home products and more mobile offerings."
A very short history of radio is needed here. AM Radio was invented long before any of you or me were born. FM radio came upon us in 1961...and neither has changed much since. Both AM and FM added stereo, but that is about it. Satellite radio came along a few years ago and drastically improved the sound quality, but at not only the cost of a new receiver, but also a monthly subscription.
HD radio gives you the same or even better sound quality, equal to CD quality and, unlike satellite radio, you only have to buy a receiver. There is no monthly fee; once you have the radio, you're good to go forever and roam the world at will at have radio to listen to.
Interestingly, in the United Kingdom, digital radio has found a firm foothold because the technology is standardized and open, in much the same way that high-definition television was rolled out. In the U.K. 4.7 million digital receivers have been sold since 1999. In fact, these actually outsold traditional radios last year. U.K. enthusiasts of digital audio broadcasting, liken the phenomenon to that of the digital camera overtaking the traditional film camera in popularity. Many of the digital radios sold in the U.K. have TiVo-like functionality, letting you time-shift programs, save interesting broadcasts, and bookmark your favorite stations.
My only qualm about this new technology is not with the technology...it is with what is being broadcast over the airwaves. Out here in the hinterlands, 99% the radio stations are not worth listening to, except maybe for NPR. As most broadcast stations are owned now by larger corporate companies that operate many stations at once, the quality of the music has deteriorated to the point that it is not worth listening to, no matter what the genre. It has been homogenized to the point of being something that won't offend anyone (like a McDonald's hamburger) and offers very little variety and only a select number of artists. And AM radio is mostly talk shows, so who needs HD for that?
Maybe in large metropolitan areas where there are a large variety of music being played over the many stations, it might be worth doing...but even there you run into the same issues. But, occasionally there are the interesting small stations that haven't followed their bigger brothers and sisters into programming boredom.
The bottom line is garbage in...garbage out. Garbage being broadcast in HD is still garbage. I wrote this blog while listening to classical music coming in over my satellite system. There is never anyone talking, no ads, no public service announcements...just pure unadulterated music. Can you guess where I stand?
If you would like to learn more about HD radio, as well as information about receiver availability, a station guide and more can be found at http://www.hdradio.com/.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Microsoft Updates
The boys and girls from Redmond are keeping pretty busy these days. Here is a quick update of some of the things going on over on the other side of the Cascades.
Vista:
Microsoft is making a major public relations push to counter the perception by many in the industry that Windows Vista is floundering, 100 days after launch. According to them, the biggest problems people are having have to do with updating hardware drivers that will work with the new operating system, and they claim that problem is rapidly disappearing. However, given the number of complaints floating around on the Net, the problems may be more than that.
Still, Microsoft has yet to announce when they are going to launch Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1. The internal wisdom at Microsoft seems to be that by not talking about SP1, they will convince users to change their long-established planning ways and not wait for SP1 to hit before taking the upgrade plunge.
Microsoft to Buy Yahoo?
Two newspapers reported last week that Microsoft has stepped up its pursuit of a deal to buy Yahoo as the two companies reenter talks to strike a deal amid huge growth from rival Google. The two companies have held informal deal talks over the years. But the latest approach comes as Microsoft seeks to ink a deal in the wake of Google's expansion. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, put the price tag at around $50 billion, although the Journal said it is more in line of a merger. Reports today indicate that the deal still has a long way to go.
Vista and Laptop Batteries
Many people, especially those in companies where there are many laptop users, are reporting that Vista is sucking up battery power much more than Windows XP. The main culprit appears to be the Aero Glass interface, a spiffy new user interface that makes Vista more pleasing to the eye with transparent windows and animated transitions when moving from one application to another. When Aero is turned off, battery life is equal to or better than Windows XP systems. But with it turned on, battery life suffers compared with Windows XP.
But, laptop users who spent extra money on powerful laptops to handle the graphics requirements of Vista and the Aero interface are forced to run the aesthetic equivalent of Vista Basic, the low-cost version of Vista, if they care about battery life. Reports that Vista was an energy hog started to surface during beta testing last year. At the time, Microsoft said many of the problems would be cleared up by the time the operating system launched. Uh huh!
Redesigned Hotmail
Some of you who use Hotmail know that Microsoft has been beta testing a new version of their venerable old e-mail program. But, users who are testing the new beta are not reporting great results. In fact, Microsoft is being told by most of the testers that they prefer things just the way they are. However, the Redmond folks want to stay up with Google's GMail and the new Yahoo Mail (see previous blogs).
The new version of Hotmail is now called Windows Live Hotmail, although it retains much of the classic design of the original Hotmail, much to Microsoft programmer's chagrin. Microsoft also is holding back from quickly forcing its users onto the new version. Although those who sign up for Hotmail will automatically be taken to Windows Live Hotmail, existing users will still have to opt in, though Microsoft does hope to move all users over in a period of months. In a couple of weeks, Microsoft plans to make available a new test version of its Outlook connector software that will enable anyone with a copy of Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007 to use the software to access Windows Live Hotmail messages and contacts.
Vista:
Microsoft is making a major public relations push to counter the perception by many in the industry that Windows Vista is floundering, 100 days after launch. According to them, the biggest problems people are having have to do with updating hardware drivers that will work with the new operating system, and they claim that problem is rapidly disappearing. However, given the number of complaints floating around on the Net, the problems may be more than that.
Still, Microsoft has yet to announce when they are going to launch Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1. The internal wisdom at Microsoft seems to be that by not talking about SP1, they will convince users to change their long-established planning ways and not wait for SP1 to hit before taking the upgrade plunge.
Microsoft to Buy Yahoo?
Two newspapers reported last week that Microsoft has stepped up its pursuit of a deal to buy Yahoo as the two companies reenter talks to strike a deal amid huge growth from rival Google. The two companies have held informal deal talks over the years. But the latest approach comes as Microsoft seeks to ink a deal in the wake of Google's expansion. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, put the price tag at around $50 billion, although the Journal said it is more in line of a merger. Reports today indicate that the deal still has a long way to go.
Vista and Laptop Batteries
Many people, especially those in companies where there are many laptop users, are reporting that Vista is sucking up battery power much more than Windows XP. The main culprit appears to be the Aero Glass interface, a spiffy new user interface that makes Vista more pleasing to the eye with transparent windows and animated transitions when moving from one application to another. When Aero is turned off, battery life is equal to or better than Windows XP systems. But with it turned on, battery life suffers compared with Windows XP.
But, laptop users who spent extra money on powerful laptops to handle the graphics requirements of Vista and the Aero interface are forced to run the aesthetic equivalent of Vista Basic, the low-cost version of Vista, if they care about battery life. Reports that Vista was an energy hog started to surface during beta testing last year. At the time, Microsoft said many of the problems would be cleared up by the time the operating system launched. Uh huh!
Redesigned Hotmail
Some of you who use Hotmail know that Microsoft has been beta testing a new version of their venerable old e-mail program. But, users who are testing the new beta are not reporting great results. In fact, Microsoft is being told by most of the testers that they prefer things just the way they are. However, the Redmond folks want to stay up with Google's GMail and the new Yahoo Mail (see previous blogs).
The new version of Hotmail is now called Windows Live Hotmail, although it retains much of the classic design of the original Hotmail, much to Microsoft programmer's chagrin. Microsoft also is holding back from quickly forcing its users onto the new version. Although those who sign up for Hotmail will automatically be taken to Windows Live Hotmail, existing users will still have to opt in, though Microsoft does hope to move all users over in a period of months. In a couple of weeks, Microsoft plans to make available a new test version of its Outlook connector software that will enable anyone with a copy of Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007 to use the software to access Windows Live Hotmail messages and contacts.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Walter Mossberg's New Web Site
For about a year (mostly in 2006), I had a free subscription to "Wall Street Journal." If you don't read it on a daily basis, you probably aren't aware that this publication goes way beyond just being a financial reporting publication. There are any number of in-depth articles about very interesting subjects that have nothing to do with stocks or financial matters.
One of the columnists I looked forward to reading was Walter Mossberg, who focuses on today's high tech issues. From computers to software to cell phones to MP3 players, Mossberg always gives us the "straight dope," praising when it is deserved and being strongly critical, also where deserved. I like that, and it is sometimes hard to find these days where publications fear to criticize products made by their biggest advertisers (case in point being the Editor-in-Chief of PC World magazine who resigned a few days ago for that very reason).
Walter Mossberg did not live under that kind of edict and it was always good to read his articles and know that you were getting his honest opinions. Anyway, he now, after many many years, has put up his own Web site, aptly named, "All Things Digital." And, it is a good one. The site delivers a combination of commentary, news analysis, product reviews, and video. Instead of following the model of a traditional blog or the multistory approach of other content sites like CNN and The Wall Street Journal, the site plays up its editors' reputation and personality. It delivers a mix of new and old features that should appeal to Mossberg fans.
Mossberg is not alone on this site. He is joined by Kara Swisher, reviewing partner Katherine Boehert, ex-San Jose Mercury senior editor John Paczkowski and others...and has financial backing from The Wall Street Journal. His partners are all seasoned veterans of high tech journalism and worth reading. For years, I read Paczkowsi's satirical daily newsletter "Good Morning Silicon Valley" and missed him when he left. I am glad to see him back on line with Mossberg.
I think this is a good Web site worth bookmarking in your browser and I encourage you to head on over and take a look. Who knows, maybe you will stop reading this blog after you visit "All Things Digital."
One of the columnists I looked forward to reading was Walter Mossberg, who focuses on today's high tech issues. From computers to software to cell phones to MP3 players, Mossberg always gives us the "straight dope," praising when it is deserved and being strongly critical, also where deserved. I like that, and it is sometimes hard to find these days where publications fear to criticize products made by their biggest advertisers (case in point being the Editor-in-Chief of PC World magazine who resigned a few days ago for that very reason).
Walter Mossberg did not live under that kind of edict and it was always good to read his articles and know that you were getting his honest opinions. Anyway, he now, after many many years, has put up his own Web site, aptly named, "All Things Digital." And, it is a good one. The site delivers a combination of commentary, news analysis, product reviews, and video. Instead of following the model of a traditional blog or the multistory approach of other content sites like CNN and The Wall Street Journal, the site plays up its editors' reputation and personality. It delivers a mix of new and old features that should appeal to Mossberg fans.
Mossberg is not alone on this site. He is joined by Kara Swisher, reviewing partner Katherine Boehert, ex-San Jose Mercury senior editor John Paczkowski and others...and has financial backing from The Wall Street Journal. His partners are all seasoned veterans of high tech journalism and worth reading. For years, I read Paczkowsi's satirical daily newsletter "Good Morning Silicon Valley" and missed him when he left. I am glad to see him back on line with Mossberg.
I think this is a good Web site worth bookmarking in your browser and I encourage you to head on over and take a look. Who knows, maybe you will stop reading this blog after you visit "All Things Digital."
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