Understanding Communications in 2011. And by the way, HRU…

Do you send text messages on your cell phone? If not, you probably don’t know what HRU means. It is a shorthand way of saying “How are you?”, and is one of the hundreds of abbreviations for words and phases used by people who send text messages, or “texts,” on their cell phones. 

In the last decade, the art of communication has changed drastically, mostly among the younger generations, and it is sometimes difficult for us "old-timers" to comprehend what is going on. Today’s teenager cannot imagine life without a cell phone, nor what it was like not be connected all the time, 24/7. With a cell phone you can make and receive phone calls anytime, anywhere, but in this era of fast paced communications, some people feel making phone calls is too slow . The youth of today want instant access to everyone, but without having to stop what they are doing. This is the age of multi-tasking, and “texting” plays a big part.

With “texting” anyone with a cell phone can type out a short message (text messages are limited to 160 characters), enter the phone number of another cell phone, and click send. The message is instantly relayed to the chosen recipient, who is alerted to the arrival of a text by a tone that sounds on their cell phone. Text messages can be sent back and forth while the participants are involved in other activities. (Unfortunately, one of the other activities is often driving, but more about that later). Because of the brevity of text messages, an entire vocabulary of abbreviations and acronyms has been created to make texting easier. Visit the website NetLingo to see page after page of popular shorthand for texting.

Those of us in our generation might think that it is actually easier to pick up the telephone and talk to someone. However, for reasons I am not able to completely understand, many younger people actually prefer texting to talking. My husband has resigned to texting in lieu of talking to our sons on a regular basis. With our younger son, who is in his late twenties, it is often the only way he communicates. If you can get him on the phone, he invariably says he doesn’t have time to talk, but he will send endless text messages on a variety of subjects. 

All of today’s cell phone have texting capabilities, although it is easier to text on a smart phone with a alphanumeric keypad than on a phone with a standard telephone keypad. On a standard keypad phone, each number key is also used to enter several letters, and you often need to press a key numerous times to get the letter you want. Of course, if you watch a young person texting, you will see both thumbs flying across the tiny cell phone keys without any hesitation. Texting is an "dish best served young".

Sending text messages does cost money. If your cell phone plan does not specifically includes text messages, you will be charged on a per-message fee, both for incoming and outgoing messages. However, if you do a lot of texting, most mobile phone carriers offer plans that include text messaging for a set fee. For example, AT&T has four choices for text messaging — 10 cents for each text message without a plan; $5 a month for 200 messages; $10 a month for 1,000 messages; $20 a month for unlimited text messages.

Which brings us to the concept of safe texting. Most authorities agree that it is not a good idea to talk on the phone while driving — but if you do use the phone, it is somewhat safer to use a hands-free device. In many states, it is against the law to use a cell phone while driving unless you are using a hands-free device. With that in mind, texting while driving is the even more dangerous than talking on the phone. I am sure you have probably passed a driver on the highway who appears distracted, maybe looking down at his lap with only one hand on the steering wheel. It is a strong possibility that the driver in question is texting and not paying full attention to the road. There isn’t very much we can do about this problem, except be aware that it is a problem, and to be constantly on the lookout for erratic drivers. 

 Until next week, when I will write about Tweeting and Social Media, GTGB.*

*Got to Go, Bye.

It is so much more…

The night before I sat down to write this week’s column we had some exciting news from Arizona — our daughter-in-law gave birth to our second grandchild, Julianna. Our son had his mobile phone with him in the delivery room, and he sent us photos of our beautiful granddaughter just moments after she was born. Of course, as a proud grandmother, I want to carry her pictures with me. Not too long ago I would be carrying snapshots, but now I have my iPhone.

The iPhone has an amazing high-resolution display, with a built-in photo app to store images. I try never to be without my phone, and I am therefore never without photos of our family. I regularly update the pictures of our first granddaughter Brianna, and now Julianna has been added to the album. As a photographer, I even keep a copy of my photographic portfolio on the iPhone, just in case I meet someone who might be interested in seeing my work.

Not only does the iPhone display photos, but it sports a very capable camera. Recently, when a professional photographer was asked what camera was best for taking pictures, he answered “it is the one you have with you.” As a an avid photographer, I cannot agree more. I like to always have a camera with me, and thus I have a very small, high quality, Panasonic Lumix point and shoot camera that I carry in my purse. However, I don’t always have my purse with me, and since I bought my iPhone, I find myself taking more pictures with the phone, even posting some of them to my Photo Blog at www.digitalquinn.com/photoblog. One blog visitor commented that the quality of the iPhone photos convinced them to buy the new iPhone 4G.

Here are a few examples of photos taken with my iPhone:

Besides taking photographs, the iPhone camera acts as a scanner in several different situations. If you are out shopping and want to compare prices, you can use apps such as Scan&Shop or Pic2Shop to capture the bar code of a product with your iPhone and you will be shown comparative pricing for the product at other stores or online retailers. Another app, Keyring, lets you scan or enter all of your loyalty cards on your iPhone. Next time you shop at CVS, just show the clerk your CVS card barcode on your iPhone and you are good to go.

Chase Bank has even added document scanning to their online banking. Using the Chase Mobile iPhone app, bank customers can take a photograph of the front and back of a check made out to them and have it deposited directly into whatever bank account they choose. Just in time for tax season, Intuit, makers of TurboTax Software, introduced SnapTax app. Users who file the 1040EZ form can take a photo of their W-2 form, and the app does the rest of the filing. The cost is $15 per filing, although for some unknown reason you must be under 65 years of age. The future of smart phones and financial transaction appear limitless.

Last year I wrote about receiving  a Kindle for Christmas 2009 from my wonderful husband. Now, in addition to my Kindle, I have the Kindle app on my iPhone. The app synchronizes with my Kindle, and I can download the same books to both devices. Why would I want to read a book on my iPhone? For the same reason that I use it to take photos, because I have it with me. If I find myself somewhere with time to kill, I can pull out my iPhone, open the Kindle app, and go to the book I am currently reading. The app automatically asks me if I want to go to the furthest page read, syncs to the appropriate page that I was last reading on my Kindle, and I am ready to read. The high-resolution screen, while small, is very legible, and as an avid reader I thoroughly enjoy having a book with me wherever I am.

Next week I will take a look a some of the other nomenclature I introduced in the first OnMouseClick of the season.

Why I love my iPhone…

Before I retired from teaching, I used a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) to keep track of my calendar, addresses, and class lists. In fact, I was the proud owner of the first PDA ever, the Apple Newton. I used the Newton for several years, and when Apple let the technology flounder, I moved on to a Palm type device. I have to admit that sometimes using a PDA was more trouble than it was worth, and when I retired I found myself using it less and less. Finally, after some neglect on my part, my PDAs battery completely died and I put it to rest. 

I really didn’t miss using a PDA, that is until the iPhone was introduced in 2008. The promise of having all the mini-applications, or apps, available all the time, in a device that would fit in my purse or jacket pocket, was very intriguing. I definitely had iPhone envy, and now that I have an iPhone, I can only say that it is everything I thought it would be, and more. 

Just after I submitted last weeks column, I came across a phrase that is an excellent description of an app — a one trick pony. While most computer programs are fairly versatile, the small programs known as apps have one specific job, and the best of them do that job very well. 

Pre-installed on the iPhone are the basic apps that you would expect, such as an address book, calendar, notepad, clock, weather app, compass, mapping, email, and web browser. 

Contacts, the address book, lets me keep my contact list in groups, so if I need the phone number of a doctor, I can go to my Doctor group for his/her number. Both the Weather app and Clock app allow you to set up a number of locations. My Clock app is set to Eastern Standard Time and Arizona time (our son is living in Arizona), but if we were to be traveling I can easily add time zones from anywhere around the world.

Third-party free and paid Apps are available for the iPhone from the App Store through iTunes, a program that runs on both Mac and PC computers. Before Apple agrees to make an app available in its app store, it has to be vetted for quality. There have been complaints that Apple  censors some material, but with hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from, it is very easy to find an app to fit your needs. Most free apps feature ads, (with an upgrade version that has no ads but is not free) which is a good way to try an app out before buying it. The range of prices for most paid apps are from $.99 to $4.99.

Two apps that I purchased, and use constantly, are Grocery Gadget for my shopping lists and TapExpenses to tally my daily expenditures.  Grocery Gadget, comes with a pre-installed database of hundreds of items, and allows me to keep separate lists for different types of stores. For example, I have a list for local grocery shopping and more specific lists for both Walmart and Costco. I also wanted an app to keep track of how much money I spend, but I wasn’t looking for a full-fledged budgeting application; TapExpenses meets my need perfectly. Every time I spend money I can keep track of how much I spend, when, what it was for, where, and how (cash or credit). I can even call up a report anytime and immediately see what I spent by dates, categories, and stores.

Rounding out my list of useful apps I use regularly are apps for my ToDo List, serving sizer, cooking substitutions app, an app actually turns my iPhone into a small carpenter’s level (really, it works!), mapping (Google Maps on the iPhone are excellent), exercise monitoring, , and locating just about anything.

Next week I’ll complete my musings about “smartphones” and the iPhone with a bit more on using the iPhone to navigate the world around you. I have only discussed the iPhone because that is the only smartphone I have own. There are other smartphones available and although Apples has the most apps available, Google and others have thousands of useful apps for Android phones. 

There's an App for that…

As I begin to write today’s column I know that the local, outside temperature is 65° F., and it is also 43° F.  in Sierra Vista, AZ, where our son and his family are living. I know that because my “smartphone” has an app for that (app is short for application). In fact, my phone, an Apple iPhone 4g, seems to have an app for just about anything I can think of. I have apps for shopping lists, keeping track of daily expenditures, accessing email, viewing webpages, taking notes, looking up telephone numbers, finding businesses, and reading restaurant reviews, to name just a few.

Back in 2001 those of us with mobile phones used them for just one function — making and receiving phone calls. At that time another popular device was a Personal Digital Assistant, or PDA, which was actually a small, self-contained, handheld computers with built-in software for calendar, contact list, world clock, calculator, and note pad. Pagers were also popular in 2001, especially with business professionals, and it was fairly common to see someone with a cell phone, pager, and a PDA all clipped to their belt.

That began to change in 1999, when Research in Motion (RIM), a Canadian company, introduced an updated version of their Blackberry pager. The new Blackberry was a combination PDA and pager with a built-in, albeit tiny, QWERTY keyboard with the capability to send and receive email. The Blackberry became immensely popular, and in 2002 RIM introduced an updated Blackberry with the added capability for both voice and data transmission. The “smartphone” era had begun.

By 2006 the mobile phone market had changed drastically. Phones were becoming smaller, while at the same time increasing their diversity of  features, such as a contact list,  a calculator and a camera. These features were difficult to use on such a small device, and for serious “smartphone” users there was still only one real option, the Blackberry. Then, in January of 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone and the world of “smartphone” was instantly changed.

Apple’s phone featured a full size, touch-sensitive screen, made of scratch-resistant, liquid-crystal glass, with a high-resolution display, visual voice mail, and a two megapixel camera. In lieu of a physical keyboard, the iPhone featured a virtual QWERTY keyboard that filled the screen for typing and a virtual numeric keyboard for making phone calls.

What elevated the status of the iPhone were the many apps available for the device. The word app is short for application, but in terms of “smartphones”, apps are actually very small programs, each designed for a very specific task. While many apps access the web, they only connect to sites very specific to their task. The iPhone managed to carve a large market share, in spite of the limitation of being only available on the AT&T network — something that may have changed by the time this column is published. Reliable sources are expecting an iPhone announcement from Verizon the week of January 9.

Since 2007 the iPhone has been updated four times; the most recent iPhone was released last June. The newest iPhones are available with 16 or 32 gigabytes of memory, feature a five megapixel camera, and can connect to the internet through both a cellular network and WiFi. Until the first Android phones was introduced in 2009, the Apple iphone was the most versatile and efficient smartphone available. Android phones are very similar in appearance and function to the iPhone, and unlike the iPhone, are also available from a variety of carriers. 

As of this date there are more than 300,000 apps available for the iPhone and over 100,000 for Android phones, and there are many versions of the most popular apps that function on both platforms. In the coming weeks OnMouseClick will look more closely at apps, and how they can simplify your life. 

Making Facebook Yours…

FACEBOOK is many faceted, and as you use it you will discover numerous ways to customize it to fit your needs. One thing you will want to customize on your FACEBOOK page is a profile picture. 

Profile pictures appear in the top-left corner of the page and can be changed as often as you like. Most people choose a self-portrait, while others include pictures with family, friends, pets, or even a favorite landscape. My current profile picture is one of me with my two beautiful granddaughters, and the page of a good friend of mine features a picture of her cat.

To add a profile picture to your page, begin by choosing a photo on your computer hard drive. I suggest a close-up photo that will show up well in a small, thumbnail size. Open your FACEBOOK page and click the EDIT PROFILE button in the top right-hand corner. If at first you don’t see an EDIT PROFILE button, click on your name on the on the right side of the blue bar at the top of the screen.

The first screen to appear is BASIC INFORMATION, which can be filled in if you choose. Along the left side of the screen are other choices, one of which is PROFILE PICTURE. Choose PROFILE PICTURE and you will see an empty box just waiting for your picture. Depending on the browser you are using, you will see either a CHOOSE FILE or BROWSE button — click on it and navigate to the image you want to upload. After you have selected your image, click on OPEN or CHOOSE (again, which one you see depends on the browser you are using), and the photo will upload to your FACEBOOK page. Click on the HOME button and you will be back on your WALL page.

Your PROFILE PICTURE is now in place and you are ready to tackle adding comments and pictures for your FACEBOOK “friends” to see. Comments are what you want to say, and for every comment you can choose to add one photo, or a group of photos which will then be grouped together into an album.

To add a comment click in the dialog box at the top of the page that contains the words “What’s on your mind?” Type your comment and then click on ADD PHOTO / VIDEO. You will then be given the option of uploading a single photo (or video) or creating a photo album. If you choose to upload a single photo, navigate to the photo (or video) you want to upload, just as you did for the profile picture. If you choose album, navigate to the folder that contains your images (all of the photos must be in the same folder on your hard drive), and shift click on the photos you want to add to the album (by shift clicking you can select multiple photos at one time). Click on CHOOSE or OPEN (depending on your browser) and the album will be added to FACEBOOK and attached to your current comment.

If anyone has specific questions about using FACEBOOK, email them to me at onmouseclick@digitalquinn.com. The subject of next week’s OnMouseClick will be making video calls with SKYPE and YAHOO

A Primer for 21st Century Technology…

Happy New Year! We are now into the second decade of the twenty-first century. Just before New Years IBM published “Five Innovations That Will Change Our Lives in the Next Five Years.” As I read through the listed innovations, I thought they sounded pretty far fetched, but then I had to admit that much of the technology we are using today did not exist five years ago, and technology we used just ten years ago seems like a distant memory. In 2001 many households did not own a computer, the majority of people used the internet for little more than sending and receiving email, and social networking meant meeting new people at your boss’s Christmas party.

Fast forward ten years, and much has changed. Computers have evolved into a myriad of ubiquitous devices, and there have been major changes in the way we use traditional computers. To help bring TR residents up-to-date, I plan to devote the 2011 OnMouseClick columns to some of the aspects of technology that we couldn’t even imagine ten years ago.

To begin with, I made a list terms that you may or may not be familiar with. The words are listed here, and I will be defining them in my January and February columns. If you can think of something I missed, please let me know. You can email me at lsquinn@digitalquinn.com, or leave a message on the OnMouseClick blog at onmouseclick.blogspot.com

smartphone

iPad

iPod

iPhone

Android

Google

tablet computer

social networking 

Facebook

Twitter

texting

cloud storage

apps

social coupons

Groupon

eReader

eBooks

Kindle

blog

podcasts

IM

The first word on the list is “smartphone,” which is just what it sounds like — a phone is more than a phone. “Smatphones” can, among other things, send and receive email, display webpages, and display a personal calendars and address books.  Next week’s OnMouseClick will be devoted to “smartphones;” their evolution, how they work, and how they can be used effectively.

This week I want to share with you a website that you might not be familiar with, www.groupon.com. By definition, “Groupon” is a deal-of-the-day website, localized to major markets in the United States. “Groupon” enlists business to offer discounts that can be purchased online and redeemed at a later date. Once you register your email address and location, you receive a daily email with a local offer.

I’ve been receiving Groupon emails for a few months, and while I have only taken advantage of one offer, several others have been tempting. The one I did purchase was in New York, shortly before we left home. An outstanding bakery in a nearby town offered a $20 coupon for $10. I made the purchase online and printed the coupon. When I visited the bakery, just before we left for Florida, I bought $20 of breads and goodies for the trip south. Total cost to me was $10!

Now that we are in Florida I have opted to receive email offers in the Tampa area.  Today’s offer was for two hours worth of bowling, including shoe rental for up to four people at Liberty Lanes in Largo. Included for $29 was a large pizza and pitcher of soda. According to the email, the actual value of the offer was $61. A pretty good deal, if only I liked to bowl and it was closer to TR! 

This week - no online post…

I don't have this week's OnMouseClick available to post online, because… I had to write the column in longhand when my computer went on the fritz. The column appears in the March 5 edition of the TR Times, but it does not appear on my computer. The online OnMouseClick will be back next week. My computer has been repaired and is back in service. As you can imagine I really, really, missed it!

A change of plans…

If you read OnMouseClick last week, you know that this week’s column was supposed to be about optimizing your computer to run at the fastest speed possible. Instead, I am going to write about something that should be of concern to everyone who uses the internet — which I expect is almost all of us.

No matter what type of internet connection you use, the browser software installed on your computer deciphers code that is sent over the internet and creates the web pages displayed on your screen. If you use a PC running under Windows, there is a good possibility that the browser on your computer is Microsoft Internet Explorer, and by using it you could be placing your computer, and the vital information on your computer, at risk. A serious security flaw was discovered in all versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, but this problem is most serious for users of an older version, Internet Explorer 6 running under Window XP.

In laymen’s terms, the vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer  can allow a hacker* to enter your computer remotely and at the very least cause the computer to crash. What has proved most troubling about the problem is that Microsoft was apparently aware of this problem in September, but it released a fix only after the media reported that computers at GOOGLE were attacked by Chinese hackers. It is widely believed that the security breach was possible because of a flaw in Internet Explorer.

While Microsoft has released a software update to fix the problem, your best alternative against future problems is to keep your browser software updated regularly. The most current version of Microsoft Internet Explorer is version 8, which runs on both Windows Vista and Windows 7. The pervious version, Internet Explorer version 7, runs on Windows XP and Vista. While the flaw in Windows Internet Explorer appeared in all versions of the software, the newer operating systems, Vista and Windows 7, protect computer systems in a more robust manner, and version 6 of the software was the most vulnerable.  

An alternative to upgrading to a newer version of Internet Explorer is to use one of the other available browsers, the most popular of which is Firefox. Firefox is very powerful, sports a user friendly interface, and and most users who have switched to Firefox claim they would never use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer again. As with all browser software, security flaws are periodically discovered in Firefox, but the developer, Mozilla, has been very proactive in identifying and patching the flaws. 

There are three other browsers in common use, Safari, Chrome and Opera. Originally designed by Apple as part of the OS X operating system, Safari now runs on both Windows and Mac computers. Google recently introduced Chrome, which has been gaining popularity since its release in July, and the final browser choice is Opera, a little know, but powerful application that is more popular for mobile devices. 

Whichever browser you choose to use, be sure to check for updates on a regular basis. Most browser updates are released for security purposes and by not keeping your browser software current, you are putting your computer, and the vital information stored on your computer, at risk.

Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Opera are all available as free downloads for Windows and Mac: Firefox (current version 3.6) www.mozilla.com/firefox, Safari version 4 www.apple.com/safari, Chrome version 5 beta www.google.com/chrome, and Opera 10.10 www.opera.com. 

*Hacker is a computer programmer who breaks into a computer systems and attempts to steal, change or destroy information.

Faster please, faster…

American is a fast paced society, and even us “retired” folks like things to work fast, especially when it comes to our computers. A complaint I often hear is “what can I do to make my computer run faster,” or “my computer seems to be running much slower than it used to.” This week’s OnMouseClick will attempt to analyze what makes a computer fast, or slow and next week I will describe what we can do to ascertain if our computers are running at their optimum speed.

At the heart of all computers is the microprocessor, and the speed at which it executes instructions is known as clock speed.  For some perspective, one gigahertz (GHz) is approximately a billion cycles per second, and a megahertz (MHz) is approximately one million cycles per second. In 1990 a fast computer ran at 4.47MHz per second, while today the slowest computers run at least 1GHz.  The higher the number of gigahertz, the more instructions a computer can execute per second, and the faster the computer will operate. Most of the computers on the market today operate at 1.2GHz to 3 GHz. However, the clock speed number is not the only variable in determining how fast a microprocessor preforms, nor is it necessarily the most accurate. Another variable to consider is if the microprocessor is a single or dual-core processor (as mentioned in an earlier column, some expensive computer also have quad-core processors). In simple terms, in a single-core system streams of information must be processed one at a time, while a dual-core system can processes two different streams of information simultaneously, speeding up the entire processes.

I am often asked if adding RAM (random access memory) will make a computer run faster, and the answer is a qualified yes. Most of today’s computers come with one or two gigabytes of memory installed, which is enough for doing basic tasks. However, if you regularly operate several programs at once, open a multitude of web pages, or work on photo, video, or audio editing, you put a strain on the installed RAM. When the computer requires more memory than installed, it 

resorts to using a portion of the hard drive as a virtual memory location, which slows down system performance. When more RAM is installed, the computer will run more efficiently, and will seem to run faster. 

The only problem with installing large amounts of RAM is that software cannot always take advantage of the increased memory. Computer systems run in either 32 or 64-bit mode, and 64-bit systems handle data more efficiently, and are capable of managing large amounts of memory. An apt analogy is to think of a highway—a 64-lane highway can handle many more cars than a 32-lane highway, but controlling the larger highway can be an onerous job. And so it is with with computing; system software must be optimized to run in 64-bit mode. The most current version of Windows, as with Vista before it, comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and which you install depends on the configuration of your computer.

Not all applications will run in 64-bit mode. If you are running current versions of software, you should not have any problems, but if you are running older applications (two or more years old) they may not work on a 64-bit system. If you are using an older application, check with the publisher to see if a newer version of the software is available. If you plan to upgrade to a Windows system, make sure you install the correct version for you system.

The question of 32 and 64-bit bit simpler for Macintosh users, since all recent Macs are 64-bit systems. The most recent operating system, OS X 1.6 (Snow Leopard) runs in 64-bit mode, but it is capable of running both 32 and 64-bit applications.

As promised in the TR Times ,the digital version of this column includes directions for finding out if  is 64-bit mode capable and if the installed version of Windows is 32 or 64-bit.

Is your computer 32-bit or 64-bit? Follow these steps to find out (works in Windows XP, Vista, & 7):

1. Open the START menu and select All PROGRAMS -> ACCESSORIES -> SYSTEM TOOLS -> SYSTEM INFORMATION
2. System Information will display information about your computer system in a SYSTEM SUMMARY. Look for the SYSTEM TYPE item.
3. SYSTEM TYPE will show one of the following:
• x86-based PC — this is a 32-bit computer system
• x64-based PC — this is a 64-bit computer system

My computer is 64-bit, how do I know Windows is running in 64-bit? Windows 7 runs on both system, so if you are running Window 7 on a 64-bit machine, you are good to go. For Vista and XP follow these directions:

1. Right-click on MY COMPUTER or COMPUTER, and then click on PROPERTIES.
2. If you see x65 Edition under SYSTEM you are running the 65-bit version of Window. If you do not see this, then you are running the 32-bit version.

If you want to upgrade your computer's memory, I recommend checking out the online memory reseller, Crucial. I have purchased from Crucial and the memory they sell is first-rate and their prices cannot be beat.

Looking into the crystal ball…

In the year 2000 the world was well into the information age, but I don’t think any of us could have foreseen the impact of technology at the end of the decade. Who would have imagined that by 2010 most of us would be doing our banking online, and that we could pay bills with the press of a key instead of by writing a check. An entire music library can be stored on an iPod, a device no bigger than a playing card and listened to at home, in the car, and in the gym. Thousands of books, magazines and newspapers can be stored on a digital reader like the Kindle, and new reading material can be downloaded in a matter of seconds. The internet has become ubiquitous, and for those of us with smart phones we can access it just about everywhere. 

Television sets are no longer picture tubes encased in cabinetry. They are the center of the home entertainment system with large, flat screens that can hang on the wall and display pictures in high definition. Most of the time our televisions are tuned into cable, which in most areas (TR cable excluded) means hundreds of available channels, even though there are times when little is worth watching! 

Playing movies on your TV has changed from VCR tapes to DVD discs to high definition Blu_ray discs.  It is now possible to stream movies and TV shows directly from the internet with a specially configured TV or attached Blu-ray player.  Video on demand is available for a per-movie fee from Amazon and Blockbuster, and unlimited streaming is part of a Netflix account. Eddie and I joined Netflix and bought a Blu-ray player two weeks ago, and we have been streaming movies directly to our TV ever since. 

We no longer get lost while driving, thanks to the GPS systems in our cars. Input the desired destination and the GPS system triangulates your current location and plots a route. Directions are given by voice (our’s is named Gertrude) and by a map display on the GPS screen. We also have satellite radios in our cars, and like cable TV choices, have a “limitless” choice of broadcasts that does not fade in or out while we travel. Live sports events back home, like the Yankees baseball games, are easily available, sometimes as part of a package or for an extra fee. Imagine a radio channel dedicated to Frank Sinatra available anytime, anywhere.

Finally, digital cameras have completely replaced film. The cameras we use today are much smaller than the ones we used a decade ago, produce higher quality pictures, and come with built-in features such as image stabilization, face recognition and high definition video.

Looking into the crystal ball, what will technology bring us in the future? Television sets may be things of the past, and will be replaced by an all-in-one large-screen device that plays television, streams movies, plays music, connects to the internet, and wirelessly uploads photos and videos from our cameras. It will also function as a closed circuit video device showing our home and surrounding property. Cars will not only have built-in GPS systems, but they will have built-in telephones and computer connections. The GPS will be able to read real-time traffic reports and make route adjustment reflecting up-to-the-minute changes in traffic conditions. 

I don’t really have a crystal ball, and the technology described in the previous two paragraphs are, in fact, reality today. Smart homes have been built and auto manufactures have already introduced cars with the features described. A hint of the future was introduced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 27 when he showed the world the iPad. The iPad, to be released in late March, is a tablet computer with a ten-inch touch screen weighing just over one pound. It is designed to provide information in a variety of ways; it will function as an e-book reader, like the Kindle, but it also can display video, browse the web, store and play music, and constantly update the front page of your favorite newspaper. It is too soon to tell if the iPad is going to become the next “it” device, but there is little doubt that it is a harbinger of the direction our digital life is going. It is an exciting time and the future promises major changes in our home, school, office, car and maybe some day here at TR.

I invite you to visit my photo blog at lindaslens.blogspot.com, My goal for 2010 is to post 365 photo and to share tips on getting better photos, 

All things Apple…

The first three OnMouseClick columns of the season discussed the necessary decision process if you choose to buy a new computer running Windows. Today’s column is all about Apple computers.

If you have an older Mac that still works well, what would make you consider buying a new one? If your hardware works fine, then you need to take a look at the software. Over the years, as computers have become more and more sophisticated, software has had to be upgraded, and even redesigned to keep pace. From 1993 to 2006 Macintosh computer were built around a Power PC microprocessor. In 2006 Apple introduced the first Macintosh with an Intel processor. The new processor has the ability to run faster, cooler and more efficiently, with the added advantage of being able to run Microsoft Windows and Windows based programs.

At the time the version of Macintosh operating system was OS X (pronounced O S TEN), version 10.4—code name Tiger. Apple introduces an upgrade of the operating system approximately every eighteen months, and in October of 2007 OS X 10.5 (Leopard) was released. Both Tiger and Leopard were backwardly compatible, and thus continued to work with both Power PC and Intel processors, and the software designed to work with them. Last August Apple released OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), and support for Macs powered by the Power PC processor was eliminated. Anyone still using a Power PC Mac cannot run the most current operating system, nor can the computer run versions of software designed to work with OS X 10.6. Apple introduced many new features with Leopard, features that were refined with Snow Leopard. To take advantage of these features, a computer must be capable of running Snow Leopard. 

For anyone who wants a Mac, but also needs be able to run Windows software, an Intel Mac gives them that option. OS X comes with a program named Boot Camp, which enables the user to operate both the Macintosh and Windows operating systems and to decide which system to load at startup. There is also software available that allows you to run both Mac OS X and Windows simultaneously, with Windows appearing in a window on the Macintosh desktop.

Once you make the decision to upgrade, the choices are fairly simple. Unlike Windows, there is only one current version of Mac OS X. Whether you choose a desktop (iMac, Mac Mini or Mac Pro) or laptop (MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air) they all come with the exact same operating system installed.

If you are looking for a desktop computer, the most obvious choice is an iMac. An elegant, all-in-one computer and screen, there are four models, two with 21.5 inch screens and two with 27 inch screens. All four computers include four gigabytes (GB) of memory and either a 500GB or one terabyte (TB) hard drive (suffice to say that a 1 TB drive is very big), priced from $1,199 to $1999.

There are two distinct lines of Macintosh Laptops, the thirteen inch MacBook that comes with two gigabytes of memory and a 250GB hard drive with a base price $999, or the more powerful MacBook Pro. The MacBook pro comes in three sizes, a thirteen inch, 15 inch and 17 inch model. All but the lowest end model comes with four gigabytes of memory and range in price from $1,199 to $2,499. 

The best advice I can give anyone considering purchasing a new Mac is to visit one of the area Apple Stores, located in the International Mall near the airport or in Brandon Town Center. Plan to spend some time trying out each computer and choosing the one that is right for you.  After you make your purchase, you can get  help from the Mac users group, which meets on Tuesday’s at seven o’clock in the Citrus Center. 

Library on the go with digital book readers…

Today’s column deals with reading e-books on digital devices, but first I want to take time for a public service reminder — back-up your computer’s hard drive on a regular basis. The other day I received a phone call from a fellow Macintosh user at TR, asking if I had any suggestion for a problem they were having. After explaining what had happened, it seem apparent that the hard drive was not functioning. I asked if they had been backing up their drive, and the answer was no! Everyone should be making regular backups. All versions of Windows include a backup and restore function, and Mac OS X version 10.5 and later includes a program called Time Machine to preform automatic backups. While the backup programs generally backup everything on your drive, you can also backup critical data and photo files by periodically dragging them to an external drive, flash drive, or burning to a CD or DVD. Whatever method you chose, remember that it is only a matter of time before your drive fails or causes other problems, and you will be glad you were prepared.

I have always been a voracious reader, and next to my side of the bed in our RV you can usually find a stack of books. At home in New York I seldom leave our public library without five or six books to read, and when we travel I always try to prepare a stockpile of reading material for the trip. So it is no surprise that the idea of a portable, digital reader intrigued me. 

The concept of reading books, magazines and newspapers on digital devices is not new, but it has only recently caught on with the buying public. Reading print material on a computer screen is not easy on the eyes, and you cannot curl up with a computer, but digital readers are small, compact devices that are not much bigger than a paperback novel—only without the pages. As we begin 2010, there are many such devices on the market, with many more scheduled for release in the coming months. The one that has thus far captured the most attention and sales is the Amazon Kindle. Eddie gave me a Kindle for Christmas, and after a month of using it I can unequivocally say that I love it!

The original Kindle, released in November of 2007, featured a 6 inch (diagonal) 4-level grayscale display and could hold approximately 200 books. The current version of the device, the Kindle 2, was released last February and features a 16-level grayscale display, improved battery life, faster page refreshing, a text-to-speech option, thinner than the original model, can store approximately 1,500 books and is nothing short of amazing.

Reading material is downloaded to the Kindle through Amazon’s Whispernet network, included with every device. After registering a credit card at Amazon.com, you visit the Kindle Store from the Kindle’s main menu, chose a book, and it instantly is downloaded. When you finish reading a book you can leave on your Kindle or delete it. All deleted material will be archived in your Amazon account and can be downloaded again at any time.

The Kindle does not feature a touch screen. Instead there are a few, conveniently located button that control the device. It also has a full keyboard for entering text in a search box. There is also a built in dictionary for word definitions, and you can even access the internet through the Whispernet wireless connection.

There are reported to be over 400,000 books available for download, with most releases, both fiction and nonfiction, costing $9.99. Some books are actually priced less, and there is also a plethora of older books in the public domain, many of them classics, that can be downloaded for free. Paperback trade books, such as how-to-books on digital photography, will cost more, but are priced between 40% and 60% off the publishers list price. You can also subscribe to over ninety newspapers and magazines. I have a subscription to the New York TImes and a new issue is downloaded automatically to my Kindle every morning.

As nice as it is to have access to such a large body of reading material, what makes the Kindle stand out is readability. The screen uses a technology called electronic paper and is extremely easy on the eyes. The text can be adjusted to six different sizes, and the margins can be adjusted to show fewer words per line. 

If you like to read, and want to have a library at your fingertips, a digital reader may be in your future. In addition to the Kindle, Sony sells the Sony reader, and a number of other digital readers are scheduled for release in 2010. The most anxiously awaited is the Nook from Barnes and Noble. The Nook was supposed to be available before Christmas, but the current release date is projected for February 12.

The Kindle is available exclusively from Amazon.com and currently sells for $259. 

Buying a New Computer - Part Two

Under the Hood
Before I get into the topic of today’s column, I want to give an endorsement to a relatively new TR Times advertiser — On Q Smokehouse Grill.  I saw the ad for On Q in the January 8 issue of the TR Times and Eddie and I decided to give it a try. Located in a converted house on the corner of State Road 52 in St. Leos, its small parking lot fills up fast. After trying the barbecued ribs we can see why this new restaurant is so popular. The ribs, and everything that came with them, were delicious. The service was friendly and efficient and the prices are very reasonable. Treat yourself and give On Q a try!

Last week’s column covered what decisions you need to make about the outside of a computer when shopping for a new one. This week we will look at what is “under the hood.” With the improvements in desktop/laptop computers over the past several years, almost any computer you buy will most probably meet your needs. The notable exception is with the NETBOOKS that have become popular over the past year. Not to be confused with laptops, netbooks are smaller and weigh less than laptops. Their small size is what makes them desirable, especially for frequent air travelers, but to make the computers extremely compact, manufactures have  sacrificed memory, processing power and storage space.

The heart of every computer is the CPU (central processing unit), which is controlled by a microprocessor. Microprocessors found in most computers today are made by two companies, Intel and AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), and both have received good reviews. Both companies feature several types of microprocessors with many different names, something that can be very confusing to the novice computer shopper. Basically, what you need to know is that there are three main types processors to consider: single, dual and quad core processing units (single computer chips with either one, two or four distinct processing units).  While quad core is  targeted at the high-end desktops market,  dual-core processors are found in many laptop and desktop computers, and provide increased processing power (over single) that is needed in everyday computing tasks.

The speed of microprocessors varies from approximately 1.2 GHz (gigahertz) to over 3 GHz. To put the speed in perspective, unless you work with intense number crunching or high end image or video editing, even the lower processing speeds will be more than adequate. 

The total amount of random access memory (RAM) is another consideration. While some computers still come with only one gigabyte of RAM, the minimum you should consider is two gigabytes, with four gigabytes being preferable. Why do you want so much memory? Because the more RAM, the better performance you will get from your computer. Windows 7 operating system requires a minimum of one gigabyte of RAM, but it works much more efficiently with two gigabytes. Purchasing a computer with four gigabytes of RAM sets your computer up to be ready for future operating system upgrades and software.

Finally, today’s computer processors are either 32-bit or 64-bit capable. The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refers to the way the processor handles information, and 64-bit systems can handle larger amounts of RAM — if you will be installing more than four gigabytes of memory you must have a 64-bit system. However, if you plan on running older versions of software and/or connecting older peripherals to your new computer, a 32-bit system is a better option.

You also want to give some thought to the storage capacity of the internal hard drive. On the low end are 120 gigabyte hard drives and on the high end are one terabyte (think 1,000 gigabytes) drives. Most computer will come with 320 GB or 500 GB drives and both have more than adequate amount of space for most users.

Other things you need to take into consideration are the number of USB ports (two minimum), a wireless internet card (802.11a/b/g/n), an ethernet port (to connect with a network), and a DVD-RW/CD-RW drive (plays and writes both DVD and CD discs). An additional feature you should consider is a webcam for video chats with friends and family back home. Finally, if you have a digital video camera, check to see if you need a IEEE 1394 port (also known as FireWire) to connect the camera to the computer. 

Your final consideration should be the operating system installed on your computer. If you are buying a Windows based computer, be sure that Windows Home Premium is pre-installed. If you want to become more educated on any of the features mentioned in today’s column, spend a little time searching the internet. Good places to start are www.ehow.com and www.wikipedia.org. Knowledgeable sales people may also be able to help (when you can find them), but remember, their main goal is to make a sale.

Buying a New Computer - Part One

Laptop or Desktop?

Are ready to buy a new computer? Today’s column will cover the external computer hardware. Next week’s column will discuss processor speed, memory, and hard drive storage, and operating systems.


You need to make a major decision before you start shopping. Do you want a laptop or desktop computer? If you currently use a laptop, then you will probably want to replace it with another laptop. However, if you have always used a desktop computer, you might be surprised to learn that today’s laptops can compete quite effectively with desktop computers in both memory capacity and processing speed.

The major advantages of desktop computer are the larger screen and sturdy keyboard. The negative to them is the size, especially if you live in a confined space like many of us at Travelers Rest. Both my husband Eddie and I use laptop computer all year round. I use a 17” Macbook Pro, and Eddie recently traded a 17” Acer running Windows XP for a new Dell Studio 17” running Windows 7. We both like the ease of using a laptop and being able to take it with us wherever we go. At home in New York Eddie attaches a second, external LCD monitor to his laptop, giving him additonal screen space.

Whichever style of computer you chose, you need to decide on the screen size. Screen size is measured on the diagonal, and the most common laptop screens are 13”, 15”, and 17”,  although there are some laptops with 12”, 14”, 16” , and even 18” screens. My personal recommendation is that if you using a laptop as your primary computer, buy a 17” screen. If, on the other hand, you plan to do a lot of air travel, or the laptop is going to be a second computer, consider a one of the smaller sizes. If you are buying a desktop computer you have your choice of LCD monitor sizes, starting at 20” and going up to 30”. The typical desktop system comes with a 20” or 24” screen.

Regardless of whether you use a laptop or desktop, you need to be aware of screen resolution. Screen resolution refers to the number of horizontal and vertical pixels that make up the image on the screen. The higher the resolution, the more pixels can fit on the screen. Previously, the standard resolution was 800 pixels horizontal by 600 pixels vertical. Today you are more likely to see screen resolutions of 1024 x 768 or 1600 x 1200. Higher resolution monitors present an extremely clear image, but the image (including text) may be too small for comfortable viewing.

The only way to decide which monitor/computer is best for you is to try before you buy. Plan a window shopping excursion to a store with a large computer department. If you plan on buying a Windows PC, a good place to visit is the Best Buy in Wesley Chapel. Only eighteen miles down I-75, the store has wide variety of computers on display. If you are considering a Macintosh, plan to visit one of the Apple stores either in Tampa, at the International Plaza, or in Brandon at the Brandon Town Center.

Take your time looking at the screens to see which size and resolution works for you. While you are previewing monitors, take some time to get the feel of the different keyboards. If you are planning to buy a laptop, try out the touch pad as well. Most laptop feature a touchpad, which works by dragging a finger across the pad, in place of a mouse. However, both a USB or wireless mouse can be used with laptops.

Write down the names of the computers you like best and in next week’s OnMouseClick column, I will discuss processor speed, memory, hard drive capacities, and operating systems. 

2010 Begins…

Are you ready for a new decade?

Welcome back to a new year, a new decade, and another season of OnMouseClick columns. OnMouseClick strives to keep its readers informed and up-to-date on computers and technology — something that often seems like an impossible task in our fast moving world.

Some of you are probably using a computer that you have had for many years. As far as you are concerned, it works just fine — until something goes wrong. I cannot count the number of times someone has asked my advice on whether they should have an older computer fixed or buy a new one. If the answer to the question, “How old is your computer?”, is five or more years, I immediately answer “Buy a new one.” With the introduction of Windows 7 last October, I would even be tempted to recommend a new computer to anyone who uses a PC (a computer running the Windows operating system) running any Windows operating system older than Vista. (In this column I am only going to be discussing computers running Windows. Macintosh computers will be discussed in a later column.)

When something goes wrong with an older computer, it can be very difficult to repair. Replacement parts are sometimes impossible to find, and the software that will run on older machines is woefully out of date. If you have a computer running an older version of Windows, and your operating system becomes corrupted, you will need to reinstall this system from the disk that came with the computer. There is a good chance that the disks cannot be found, and it is practically impossible to find replacements for out of date Windows system disks.

Other problems occur with peripherals, such as printers, scanners and digital cameras. Newer models of these devices will not work with older computer systems. Printers are relatively inexpensive, and when one stops working it is usually more cost effective to buy a new one. However, if your computer is more than a few years old, there is a good chance that a new printer will not work with your computer. Likewise, if you get a new digital camera, don’t expect to be able to download your photos onto an old computer.

Finally, it is important to understand the versatility of a new computer verses an older one. The processing speed of computers has increased exponentially over the past several years. While you may have access to high speed internet, if your computer operates slowly, you will not be able to take advantage of this speed. Web browsers, the software that allows you to view internet sites on your computer, have all been updated and create a conundrum. If you are running an older browser, you will not be able to take advantage of all the internet has to offer, and if you are working on an older machine, you cannot use modern browsers.

The Windows operating system itself has also changed radically. The interface is much easier to use and the built-in safe guards against viruses, spam, adware, and spyware are much better than they were even a year ago. If you do any online banking or shopping, it is imperative that you have the most up-to-date protections available, which are included in Windows 7. If you are already using Windows Vista, upgrading to Windows7 should be relatively easy. However, if you are running Windows XP or earlier (which means your computer is more than three years old), upgrading to Window 7 is a very involved process, and it might be a good time to decide on buying a new computer instead.

If you are using one of these older computer systems, I hope that today’s column has given you something to think about. In next weeks column I will make a shopping list of what to look for when buying a new Window computer system.

In addition to making this column available online,  I also write a photo blog at LindasLens.blogspot.com. My goal is to post one of my photographs every day in 2010. I also plan to feature some tips for digital photographers, so please take a look when you can. As of January 8 eight photos have been posted, with only 357 to go!