Technology
General technology-related stories
ESET Smart Security 5 Cool Video
Sep 13th
Hey, check out this cool new movie … oh, that’s no movie its an Advertisement for an ESET Smart Security 5, which includes ESET Nod32 Antivirus.
Do You Have ESET Smart Security 5 Yet?
Contrary to what many people think, McAfee and Norton do not provide the best antivirus (AV) protection for your computer.
Also, if you don’t have the bucks for an Antivirus and you are looking for a temporary alternative (because you DO want to have paid AV, right?) look into Microsoft Security Essentials.
OTHER AV VIDEOS
Compare the competition (ok, this really isn’t the way to compare, right? still its good for a laugh):
McAfee Ad on YouTube
Norton Ad on YouTube
Got better YouTube links for Norton or McAfee?
HowTo: microSD Memory Card in Cricket TXTM8 3G Phone
Sep 7th
It should be such a simple thing, but its a minor annoyance to get the job done. Of course you need your microSD memory card (TXTM8 3G supports up to 16GB microSD cards).
Insert/Remove microSD Card in Cricket TXTM8 3G
Inserting the microSD Card
- Turn the phone off (wait till keypad dims to be sure its off)
- Remove back cover
- Remove the battery
- Place the microSD card into the slot at upper left, slide it in until it clicks in place*
- Replace the battery (make sure the pins meet the battery contacts)
- Replace the back cover
- Turn the phone on
Removing the microSD from your TXTM8 3G
- Turn the phone off (wait till keypad dims to be sure its off)
- Remove back cover
- Remove the battery
- Push the microSD until it clicks, then release and slide the card out
- Replace the battery (make sure the pins meet the battery contacts)
- Replace the back cover
- Turn the phone on
Photon 4G, The Future of Mobile Computing?
Aug 25th
Back in May the Motorola Atrix 4G caught my attention with its commercials. I think its pretty cool to have a computer that I could put into my pocket and carry around with me, and also use as a phone. 
Of course. Motorola approaches it a bit differently. they picture a phone that can also be used as a computer.
Fast forward to today I’m back writing about Motorola 4G phones, but this time its the Motorola Photon 4G. Watching the commercial, which was slightly reminiscent of the Atrix commercial I just kept waiting, and waiting. For what? I kept waiting to hear (or see) how Motorola had improved upon the Atrix 4G with this new 4G phone. However, it seems they’ve gone the other way and instead of taking the Atrix and improving upon its computing features, its more like they removed most of its computing features, except for the WebTop. More >
TXTM8 3G microSD
Aug 8th
I decided it was time to get some music on my Cricket TXTM8 3G for some good listening and see if I could also load other MP3 audio, and to my surprise CNET’s Cricket TXTM8 3G is now available showed it also had a microSD card. Looking over my TXT M8 I noticed it did not have a microSD so I went into the comments to add one and lo and behold CNET user entersamman26 pointed out that you had to take the batter cover off the back to find the micro SD slot.
After getting over the poor choice of location for said microSD slot I found it was worse than expected, the slot is **under** the battery, meaning you need to power down your phone to reach it. I can’t think of more inconvenient placement.
So, where is your TXTM8 3G’s microSD card slot? Its right under your battery!
How I Can Hack Your WiFi
Jul 14th
Well, to be honest I can’t hack your Wi-Fi, but a Minnesota man was jailed for 18 years for hacking his neighbor’s Wi-Fi and “impersonating” him online. The ARS Technica article WiFi-hacking neighbor from hell gets 18 years in prison reports that the 46 year old computer technician downloaded WiFi hacking software and cracked his neighbor’s WEP encrypted password.
This blogspot post about WEP vs WPA vs WPA2 shows at the top how long it takes to break a password using BRUTE FORCE [WIKIPEDIA: brute force password attack] against WEP, WPA and WAP2 encryption. The long and short of the article is that if you have a choice between the 3, you should choose WPA2 for the best security.
MORE READING
WPA vs WPA2 (on About.com)
How Does the Dyson Bladeless Fan Work?
Jun 9th
How does the Dyson Air Multiplier/bladeless fan work? I saw a Dyson air multiplier commercial tonight and wondered this myself. Read on, or watch the video. Keep in mind that these really cool-looking works of art, these Dyson airblades are expensive and overly loud. But again, really cool-looking, eh?
Sir James Dyson explains his bladeless fan on Youtube
HOW THE BLADELESS FAN WORKS
Air enters the base of the unit and goes through a “mixed flow impeller” and is forced out of a slot. The slot runs around the inside of the ring-shaped fan body, across a “aircraft wing shape” and then outward into the room. In short, it sucks air in through the base and blows it out of a very thin slot in the inside of the ring-shaped upper body.
If you watch the video, Sir Dyson explains some of the “aerodynamics” involved in multiplying the airflow.
ADVANTAGES?
Well there are some… contrary to what I suspected at first. The Dyson Air Multiplier has an easy-to-clean design, dangerous moving parts are inside the base, no “buffeting” like you get from conventional fans.
DISADVANTAGES?
From the makers of the $400 and up vacuum cleaners come $300 fans (prices according to www.dyson.com 6/9/2011). The fans are “closer in noise pollution to that of an actual vacuum cleaner than a regular table fan” according to Engadget, which also added that you can’t make those cool Darth Vader voices through your Dyson bladeless. Oh, and taking a look at the Youtube above, it looks like their “mixed flow impeller” is simply a round, conical of fan-like blade thingy (sorry for the geek-speak there). Also, I’m not convinced about “buffeting” from regular fans and I’m not about to spend $300 to do a comparison.
What do you think? Sound off below!
Clean Your Computer – Literally
Jun 7th
Click To Enlarge
Most people know its important to do maintenance on their computers, but many are not sure when to perform what services. When do I run an anti-virus scan? When do I run an anti-malware scan? How often should I clean my computer keyboard? When should I clean my computer monitor?
Some of these can be easier to figure out than others, and some more difficult. For now let’s talk about something that happened to me as an example to get you interested in finding out how often you should perform maintenance on your computer … different manufacturers will have different recommendations about what to use to clean your computer of potential viruses, worms, malware, dust, dirt and grime. But some things make themselves known when they need care.
Take for example starting your computer and you see an announcement that so-and-so virus has taken control and is deleting files. Or maybe your video monitor is all smudgy and needs cleaning. In my case it was none of the above, and fortunately signaled time to do some simple cleaning.
GT4023E Is Hard to Power Up
I’d noticed my Gateway GT4023E required a firmer push of the power button to start, then later it needed more and more pushes of the power button to turn on. I mentally decided that the button would eventually stop working altogether due to some sort of mechanical failure …. I was close.
As I was working it occurred to me I should take the front case cover off and inspect the power button to see what was going on, maybe a loose wire. Following the manufacturer’s instructions to remove the front cover of the case I found it was super dusty. Sure, I’d removed the side cover and used my trusty air can and blown the dust out of the main case where the motherboard, RAM and all of the “guts” were, but it had not occurred to me to clean this front part.
Click To Enlarge
Careful dusting with my trusty can of air along with some vacuuming got this front area clean and in working order. Followed by replacing the front case cover, and plugging the computer back in I was rewarded with a very easy startup as I pushed GT4023E’s my power button it started as well as you could expect a 7+ year old computer to start.
Maybe your computer could use a good cleaning – be sure to follow your PC manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning the surfaces of your computer so your cleaning efforts don’t damage your computer! Always refer to the computer maker to be safe and keep your computer’s warranty in-tact. Even if its past your warranty, no one knows better how to clean your computer than its manufacturer (except maybe some high-speed IT pros – which is to say not me).
What do you think? Do you have any computer clean-up stories? Speak up below in comments!
Mobile Computing via Smartphone – Your Phone is a Computer!
May 17th
Maybe you’ve dreamed of easier computing? You want a simple way to use your computer at the office, at home, and even on the go. But you don’t really want 3 separate computers with 3 separate hard drives to scan for viruses and update the operating system and the list goes on and on. The answer is simple, and Motorola with a leg up from Android seems to be paving the way … your phone is a computer running Linux (nice and secure).
PHONE AS A COMPUTER
Its a simple idea, really. You currently have to deal with a clunky desktop computer that becomes out-of-date and eventually needs to be scrapped. You face the same with your favorite laptop that will also become aged and need to be replaced. A better alternative would be finding a great monitor, keyboard and mouse and replacing the computer with a dockable “cell phone as computer”. Just plug the phone into its dock and you can use your full-size keyboard, mouse, printer and monitor to do your work. Surf, print, use your favorite word processor to write a proposal, update your calendar — most of the things a full-size computer can do now. When its time to leave for work, you grab your “computer”, your smart phone actually, and carry it with you. At your office you plug it into a dock carry on with your software and settings the way you prefer them. Pretty cool idea, huh? There’s more…
PORTABLE COMPUTING & PORTABLE MEDIA LIBRARY
After work on a bus or in a friend’s car on the way home go home, you pull out your laptop (really a monitor + keyboard + dock), and dock your phone into it … check on weather for tomorrow, plan dinner. With some time left you may log into your Gmail and catch up with personal emails (zero inbox!), then jump into GCalendar and color code events in your calendar for the next couple of days or so.
