by Michael Krupa on August 30, 2011
Time is lacking these days so without any great fanfare or catchy intro, I’m jumping right into the tips today.
Hotmail! Say what? Despite the growth of other free cloud based email services, Hotmail remains one of the most used emails services. So if you are one of those people still using Hotmail you might want to know that the Hotmail team has added a “My Friend’s Been Hacked” button.
Love the TiVo User Interface but don’t need a DVR? Wish your TV used the TiVo UI instead of the normal lame interface? Your wish has been granted. Best Buy has partnered with TiVo and has released a new line of Insignia HDTV’s that use that great TiVo UI. Zatasnotfunny.com has all the information on the new TiVo Powered Best Buy HDTVs.
Speaking of Facelifts (no, not Joan Rivers) did you noticed that Twitter Search was recently refreshed? Louis Gray tells us all about it.
Looking for another excuse to use Google+? Want to make sure your dog is not rummaging through the trashcan again? Concerned that your cat is transferring funds from your bank into a Swiss account instead of sleeping all day? My good friend @controllergirl alerted me to this fantastic post on Lifehacker on how to Set Up a Simple Home Surveillance System with Google+ Hangouts.
Do you have questions about Mac OS X Lion? Check out the OS X Lion page at gdgt.com where you will find a ton of information and a place to ask your question if you can’t find the answer anywhere else.
And finally, if you have been trying to get in on the $99 closeout fire sale of the HP TouchPad, I highly recommend you follow @BrynaAtHP and @MarkatHP as these 2 individuals have been doing a super job using Twitter to keep everyone informed about the status of any additional TouchPad inventory. The Tweets are fun, silly and informative all at the same time.
by Michael Krupa on August 22, 2011
I don’t want anyone to accuse me of providing just iPhone or Google tips so I am continuing my random tips theme. In other words, don’t try to find the thread that binds these tips together.
Boxee Box, HTPC, Xbox, Apple TV, Roku, OH MY! Trying to figure out which Set-Top On-Demand box might be best for you to get your entertainment on your terms? Head over to Lifehacker where they put together a quick review of what they believe is the 5 best Set-Top boxes for On-Demand video.
Now that you read that Lifehacker Set-Top review you might be saying: Hey Mike, didn’t Roku just announce new devices? Good catch but don’t worry I didn’t forget. Our friends over at Zats Not Funny have all the information in their Roku 2 Review.
Wondering what the next version of Windows might look like? Have you been paying attention to Windows Phone 7? Hello? Check out this first look at Windows 8 new user interface. Looks like Microsoft may finally have a tablet appropriate OS.
Speaking of Windows Phone 7, Nokia let it slip that their upcoming N9 MeeGo phone will soon be running Windows Phone 7. The N9 is a stunning looking single piece designed phone. Paul Thurrot has all the technical details at his site and I tracked down the “secret” video presentation of the N9 running Windows Phone 7.
Copy and paste images from the clipboard into Gmail is finally here. I repeat copy and paste images from the clipboard is finally here. There is of course one teeny tiny little requirement to make this work. You need to be running the Google Chrome browser. The Gmail blog has all the information regarding this new feature.
Thinking about getting a new flat screen television (or maybe 2)? Did you head over to your local electronics superstore and have a meltdown trying to figure out which type might be best? PCMag.com has a great article for you called Plasma vs. LCD vs. LED: Which HDTV Type is Best? Go read it now but if you end up buying a rear-projection TV, please don’t tell anybody.
I leave you with this out of the world tech tip. UFOs exist and you can see them clearly using Google Earth. Nuff said.
by Michael Krupa on June 27, 2011
I threw all my techie news stories into a hat this week and pulled them out randomly. Interspersed in with the tech tips are some fun news items just to mix it up for a change.
Looking for a stylish alternative to Apple laptops? Thin and light on the must have list? How about this new Lenovo ThinkPad X1? For the Dell fanboys out there, how about this new Dell XPS 15z? These two laptops are definitely better looking than the standard issue plasticy laptops.
Did you know that Microsoft has a service that will find, archive, analyze, export and share tweets? No? Well, that’s what my Tech tips are for silly. Read about the service over at iphso and then checkout the actual service at http://archivist.visitmix.com/.
I have been a Supercomputer fanboy since my days working at Tandem Computers so I love to hear stories about one of the pioneers in supercomputing known as Cray. Seems that the latest Cray supercomputer known as the XK6 has smashed a petaflop record. Not really a tech tip but cool information anyway.
Motorola has their Android Smart Phone/Netbook combo known as the Atrix and now ASUS has an Android Smart Phone/Tablet combo known as the Padfone. Engadget has details including hands-on pictures and the ASUS promo videos.
Not a day goes by that we don’t hear about personal information or credit card information hacked into and stolen. We must be vigilant about protecting our information and Lifehacker has you covered with 10 Simple Privacy Tricks Everyone Should Use. I ‘m a big believer in #3 and #6.
Finally I leave you with the awesomeness of Steve Jobs and Apple. If you think some of their products are to die for you, wait till you see their proposal for a new futuristic flying saucer like building at the heart of a new Apple Campus that would hold upwards of 12.000 people. This building is a continuous circle so no more corner offices for the privileged few.
by Michael Krupa on May 23, 2011
Are you a big fan of Google Maps and feel like the Maps application on your iPhone is falling behind in functionality? Maybe you would like to access your starred locations and My Maps data stored in your Google Account. Whatever your reason, Google has enhanced Google Maps for mobile browsers on Android and iOS. Just visit maps.google.com on your phone or tablet browser and stare in awe of what Google has accomplished in HTML instead of a dedicated app.
So my dear iPhone owners and frequent flyers…would you like a highly interactive app where “you can track your flight, recalculate your remaining flight time and flight position, and learn more about key landmarks and geographic areas you’re flying over”? (I love it when a vendor provides tech tips copy for me). If so, you might want to check out all the details on the iPhone WindowsSeat app and see if this one is for you. Looks like they have a paid app for $2.99 and free app that covers a limited number of cities.
Are you one of those people who have a need to print from your mobile device but don’t want to have to install software for printing? I’m a little late notifying you about this but Google has a service called Google Cloud Print that will do just that. Head over to the Google Mobile Blog to read all the details.
As our social network continues expanding, the ability to keep up with all the noise can become overwhelming. Twitter already has the ability to create lists but surprisingly many people are not aware that Facebook has a similar list capability. Lifehacker has a quick write up on creating and using Facebook lists. It’s only a couple of paragraphs so go read it now. Scoot.
I have had terrible luck this last year with hard drives failing on me. I wish I had come across this website on hard drive sounds earlier. Most hard drives start to make specific sounds when they are failing and Data Cert has created a database of sounds for each brand of drive to help you understand what might be happening with your drive when you think you hear sounds that just don’t quite sound right to you.
And finally, I leave you with one of the most interesting toilets I have seen in a long time. It’s called the Kohler Numi and this illuminated, electrified, spritzing, heated and wireless remote control device will only set you back a cool $6300. I’ll take 2.
