Droid 3

My most recent companion/acquisition/toy depending on how you might describe it, is a Motorola Droid 3.  While it is a companion it that it goes almost everywhere I do, is an acquisition in that I purchased it, it is hardly a toy as there is not a game on it which gets used.

My cell phone use goes back to when there were only two towers in the Capital Saratoga Region.  The phone cost about $1,500.00 and was mounted in my car.  I remember how excited I was when I learned the third tower was going up.

Over the years I have also had dozens of PDA devices, my first being the HP OmniGo.  That was a superb tool. I was able to write on the screen using Graffiti.  Graffiti for those who are fairly new to smartphones is a style of writing that translates the written letter into text.  The OmniGo also had a Qwerty keyboard.  When the device was held in a portrait mode, Graffiti was used and when held in portrait mode, the keyboard was used. Read More »

Become a Hoax E-mail Detective

With so many people spending a lot of time on the Internet, searching, learning new things, shopping and banking, we have become targets for fraud and theft.  And just like in the real world, the government can pass all the laws they want, it doesn’t prevent bad things from happening to good people.  Therefore it becomes each of our responsibilities to be the first line  of defense.

First, let’s discuss why hoaxes exist.  The main reason is money.  By gaining access to your shopping or bank accounts or credit card numbers, crooks take money from you.   The Internet is now where the money is.   The bad guys also want to gain access to and control your computer.  By manipulating thousands or hundreds of thousands of computers, they have an army called a botnet. With this army they can do lots of bad things. I believe it was W.C. Fields who once said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time”.  With numbers in the hundreds of millions of people using the Internet, it isn’t hard to see why the bad guys flock there.

Now let’s look at what an email hoax is.  They can range from an email from your bank, the IRS, or a shipping company.  A recent hoax was one which came from New York City.  The gist of the email was that the recipient owed money to the City for parking violations.  It looked very legitimate and while I don’t know how successful it was for the bad guys, I do know that notices had to be published to let people know it was a hoax.

During the holiday season, emails from UPS or FedEx get sent out.  They typically indicate that there is an issue with a package someone is sending to you and you need to follow the link.  It works because no one wants to miss out on getting a package or gift.

Tell tale signs that an email is a hoax:
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Electrophoretic Ink for EBooks

What is E Ink?
E ink is the technology used in the screen of many new ebook readers. First created more than 20 years ago, it is currently available in both greyscale and color and is also used in some watches and mobile devices.

What are the advantages of E Ink?
Reading on an E Ink display is easier on the eyes and allows the device to be read in direct sunlight as there is no glare. Some studies have shown that reading a book on an E Ink reader produces better sleeping than if the book was read on a smartphone or tablet with and LCD screen. Devices which use E Ink also have a substantially better battery life than devices with LCD displays.

Unlike a traditional LCD or tablet screen, E Ink readers are designed to emulate the look of paper and allow users to read for far longer than a screen.  The goal of E Ink screens is to provide a low contrast, high power reading experience.

What devices use E Ink?
Both the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook use  E Ink.  Sony also makes several ebook readers which use E Ink.  There are currently several additional manufacturers of these devices, though they are far from household names.

What’s next for E Ink?
E Ink readers recently evolved to the next level with the introduction of color displays. These displays use the traditional white and black shades of standard E Ink readers but the image is sent through an RGB filter below the surface of the reader. This process is similar to the Technicolor technology that brought color TV into the mainstream.

Moving forward, E Ink’s goal is to improve contrast, deliver brighter colors, provide faster screen refreshes and optimize the screen for a variety of devices.

Are Notebook Computers Still Viable?

Last month I had the opportunity to visit family out of town. While I typically don’t bring a computer along for an overnight, this time I decided to bring my notebook to get some work done over the weekend.

On other occasions staying at this hotel when I brought the notebook computer, a CAT5 connection was available. The hotel where I stayed must have recently changed from a hardwired Internet connection to wireless Internet when they remodeled. Being concerned about security, I made the decision not to connect my notebook to their wireless network and didn’t bother tethering my Android phone to the computer. Instead I used my Samsung Fascinate smartphone. Other than taking the notebook out of the case, it didn’t get any use. Read More »

Internet Marketing… Perfect Prospects for FREE

LinkedIn is an excellent tool for getting in touch with your ideal prospects. LinkedIn is a networking site designed for business-to-business communication.

The first step is to create a LinkedIn account. Try to fill out as much information as possible or as you are comfortable with.

Step number two is to locate business associates who may already be using LinkedIn. You can send them an invitation to join your network. As a matter of good communication it is better to ad a personal note than use the standard LinkedIn form. The more people in your group the more likely it is someone will be able to make introductions for you.

When the search generates results, take a look at the relationships. Is there anyone who is in your group? If so, you can request that they make an introduction for you.