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 May 17, 2011
The boys and girls over in Google land have been busy these days, so I thought I would round up some of the more recent events for you all.
Are you a Gmail Label freak? Wish you could create labels longer than 40 characters? Good news! You can now create label names as long as 225 characters. Why you would want to create label names longer than 40 characters is a mystery to me but hey, who I am to judge. Head on over to the Gmail blog for more information on Long Label names in Gmail.
Do you want the ease of use of a tablet computer such as an iPad or Android tablet and the form factor of a laptop or netbook? Might I suggest then the Chromebook? Samsung and Acer are the first production partners and promise that the Chromebook will last a full day of use on a single charge and boot up in 8 seconds. Sounds too good to be true? The Google Blog has a couple of videos to get you up-to-speed on the new Chromebook so you can decide for yourself if a Chromebook is right for you!
I don’t know what took so long but FINALLY you can color code your Google Calendar events. I’m seriously happy about this one. The Gmail blog says: “This has been a feature request from many of you for some time, and we hope you enjoy using it as much as we do.” Well duh, but we love you anyway Google.
Didn’t make it to the Google I/O Developers conference? Yeah, me neither. Don’t fret as Google has now posted the Keynotes and Session videos. Don’t look for them on Facebook but you can find the roundup of video links on the official Google Blog.
And finally 10 tips and tricks for Microsoft Word. Oops, wrong blog post. Microsoft Word tips will have to wait for another day. See you soon.
by Michael Krupa on August 16, 2010
So last week I mentioned I might do a special blog post to highlight some items from our favorite “Don’t be evil” corporation. Buckle up, the boys and girls at Google have been very very busy lately.
Gmail
Many of you probably already noticed some new contact functionality and a slight tweek to the user interface in Gmail. In case you didn’t get all the scoop the official Google Gmail blog and Louis Gray have all the details.
I’m not really a drag and drop kind of guy. I guess my command line roots are showing. But for all you new fangled GUI users, Gmail now lets you Drag and drop attachments to save them to your desktop. Enough said.
Holy multiple Gmail accounts Batman. If you are like me you probably have more than one Gmail account but can’t access both accounts in the same browser. Google’s gone and fixed us up real fine by allowing you to sign-in and toggle between multiple account.
I have fielded a couple of calls from people wanting to move from Outlook to Google Apps Mail so I wanted to make sure you all knew that Google has recently enhanced their migration capabilities by adding support for IMAP and PST data migration.
Android
Do you have an HTC Android phone? If you are not a big fan of the HTC Sense UI, Lifehacker has the steps to turn off Sense.
Ever been in the middle of something using the Chrome browser on your desktop and wished you could magically send it to your Android phone? Wish no more. The new Chrome to Phone extension is now available and adds a button to your Chrome browser to send the current web page, map, YouTube video, or selected phone number or text to your Android device running Froyo (or Android 2.2).
Voice control of your Android phone is here! Well okay, you can’t do everything by voice control so head on over to the Google blog to find out which commands are now available. Speak Android speak. Good boy.
General Google
Calling all Weather geeks!! You can now see Weather in Google Earth. Not sure what else of value I can add on this one.
Back button, forward button, Google search, click link, back button. Wait, how do I get back to that site I found via Google search? Never fear, Google just launched a new search history feature available on your Android phone, iPhone or desktop to help you quickly get back to sites you have been to.
Normally I am the one scouring the blogosphere to bring you tech tips but this time I thought I would pass on to all you small business owners a new Google blog that will be focusing on Small Business. You can thank me later.
In the category of “Finally, what took so long”, all of you hosting your blog on Blogger should be aware of 2 improvements to Blogger’s comments system: much better spam filtering and the ability to view all comments on your blog in one place.
Oh my. I’m exhausted and after all these new features from our friends at Google I think it’s safe to say they are still not evil.
by Michael Krupa on June 22, 2010
I leave you with this out of the world tech tip. UFOs exist and you can see them clearly using Google Earth. Nuff said.
