Tools Toys and Technology

About the Tools You Use and the Toys That Make Life Interesting

Tools Toys and Technology - About the Tools You Use and the Toys That Make Life Interesting

Saddlebrooke – Get the Inside Scoop on Windows 8

Here’s your best chance to learn all about Windows 8 before it is officiallly launched.

A few months ago, Microsoft made available a Consumer Preview of Windows 8. Dennis Korger, a.k.a.  “The Computer Curmudgeon,” was undoubtedly one of the first people in SaddleBrooke to get a look at it. Since then he’s put it through its paces. He knows the good, the bad, and the ugly. Attend Dennis’ upcoming talk, and you will know it too.

If you’ve ever taken one of Dennis Korger’s Windows classes, you know just how knowledgeable he is. Dennis will demonstrate Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 8, at the May meeting of the SaddleBrooke Computer Club User Group. You don’t have to be a member of the Computer Club to attend.

Most people who’ve had a chance to play with Windows 8 either love it or hate it. No one seems to be neutral. What will you think of it? Here’s your chance to find out.

Date: Monday, May 21

Time: 1:00 pm

Place: Mountain View Club House – West Ballroom

I’ll be there, probably in or near the front row. Come up and introduce yourself.

 

Google TV — Round 2

Google TV has been around for a couple of years. It was an attempt to integrate Internet TV to your big screen, much like Roku and other devices I’ve reported on at length.

It was first offered in conjunction with a Logitech product that included a wireless keyboard and set-top interface box. The product was an unmitigated  flop. Logitech lost millions. They have finally decided to stop the hemorrhaging and announced that they are discontinuing the product. Funny. I didn’t even know it was still around until their announcement.

Well, Google TV is coming back. It will be built into a line of LG smart TVs. These Google TV-powered sets will include a remote with a full QWERTY keyboard.

Will Google TV fly this time? I’ll report more as this product rolls out.

Facebook Privacy … YIKES!

I’m not one of these social network crazies that posts everything I do and everywhere I go on Facebook. But I do have an account to keep track of friends and family, and I do contribute some stuff now and then.

I’ve learned a couple of lessons (obvious lessons, I suppose) about what to post and what not. First, I no longer post personal comments or links to political or controversial news. It’s hard NOT to blow off some steam now and then about the state of the world. But I do have friends of all persuasions. I respect my friends’ rights to their opinions, even if I don’t agree with those opinions. I decided awhile back that potentially offending these online friends by posting my sentiments is just not worth it. I mean, whose mind am I going to change with an ardent Facebook post anyhow?

That’s the background; Here’s the lesson.

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High Speed Internet in SaddleBrooke PLUS New Tablets

Copyright © 2012 Richard Beaty

I’ve got a couple of things for you today, including great news about high speed Internet in SaddleBrooke. I’ll also have something to say about those tablet thingies (technical word) you see all over the place.

Remember, you can read all current and past Two’s News articles right here on this Website by clicking “Two’s News Articles” at the top of the page. You can also select “Timely Updates” under the topics heading to read about things that come up between articles.

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The Cloud Storage Wars Have Started

Microsoft Skydrive; Box.com; Dropbox; and now Google Drive. These are all contenders in the cloud storage marketplace, which is suddenly heating up.

What is Cloud Storage?

The “Cloud” has become a ubiquitous term that, in its simplest form, just means   the Internet. Cloud is a good, descriptive word, I think. It’s amorphous; out there somewhere in the sky; you can’t touch or feel it, but you know it’s there.

“Cloud Storage” is, therefore, a place to store you digital stuff on the Internet. Think of it as your online hard drive. It’s a hard drive that is available to you wherever you have Internet access. There are a number of applications for cloud storage, including:

  1. Remote Back Up – You can back up your important files, photos, what-have-you remotely on the cloud. Then, in the event of a disaster with your computer, your important stuff is still intact on the Internet.
  2. File Syncing – You can put files that you need to access from multiple devices into cloud storage. Then, regardless of where you are, whether you’re using your computer or someone else’s, or if you’re on your smart phone or tablet, you have access to those files. This is great for people who travel.
  3. File Sharing – If you are collaborating on a project or simply wish to give access to selected files to others, you can do that by defining special “shared” folders in your cloud storage account.

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Netgear Introduces First 802.11ac Wireless Router

A few days ago, I reported on the coming new standard that will dramatically increase WiFi speeds (Get Ready for Blazing Fast WiFi, April 13, 2012). Now the first actual product to support the new 802.11ac standard has been announced.

The Netgear R6300 router will hit the streets next month with a WiFi speed of over twice as fast as previously available. Of course, there are no devices that can make use of that standard yet. But if you want to be one of the first to be prepared when the devices start to show up, the R6300 is backward-compatible with the previous 802.11n and 802.11b/g standards, so you can use it with your current devices.

While Netgear is the first 802.11ac router to hit the market, others will soon follow.

Malware Alert … DNS Changer Could Kill Your Internet Access

“DNS Changer” has infected millions of computers worldwide. It’s possible this malware is residing you your computer right now.

The Bad News

DNS Changer is a Trojan that was designed to hijack your Internet access and redirect your requests for websites to other sites. These sites would present you with advertising, rather than the Web page you were looking for.

Even more of a threat, it would also disable antivirus software and prevent your computer from being updated.

The Good News

This treat was detected by the FBI last year. The culprits behind DNS Changer were arrested, and the malicious servers were seized. Surrogate servers were set up to replace the malicious ones.

The Bad Guys Have Been Shut Down, But …

The problem is, if your computer has already been infected, your domain requests are still going through these surrogate servers. Come July of this year, the FBI will shut down these servers, effectively killing Internet access for all infected computers. So, it’s important to determine if you are infected and clean the Trojan from your computer before the deadline.

It’s easy to determine if you are infected. Just go to www.dns-ok.us. This Website will immediately give you feedback on whether you have the problem, or not. If you are infected, you will get instructions on what to do next.

Deadline: July 9, 2012

That’s the day the FBI will shut down these temporary servers. If you are infected and you don’t correct the problem before then, your ability to access the Internet will cease, and it will be a lot harder to fix the problem. *** FAIR WARNING ***

 

Get Ready for Blazing Fast WiFi

WiFi as we know it is about to become obsolete. It’s been a good ride, but it will be blown out of the water with the new standard, known as 802.11ac.

The current standard (802.11n) can stream at speeds over 100 Mbps at close range, but that falls off rapidly with distance and obstacles within the home or office. This means that WiFi sometimes just isn’t good enough for high bandwidth applications, like streaming TV. These applications sometimes require going to Powerline Network Adapters to deliver a wired connection over household wiring. But the new standard in WiFi is reported to outstrip even direct cable connection in terms of speed.

The new protocol is expected to hit the streets sometime in the last half of 2012. To take advantage of it, you will need a new router. OK, routers don’t cost too much. But then you’ll need a new laptop with the 802.11ac chipset that can send and receive in the new standard. Want to take advantage of the new speed to stream video to your TV? Now you need a new smart television or other streaming TV receiver that can work with the new standard.

Hmm? It’s starting to get expensive, huh? But that’s the way it is with technology. When it advances, we get new performance and capabilities, and we open our pocket books to be able to use it.