Due to the recent acquisition of by LastPass, Xmarks will continue on. It is a great tool for backing up your favorites/bookmarks as well as for syncing them across browsers and other computers. You can sync your bookmarks currently among Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Safari browsers.
You need to decide which computer and browser is where you will make initial changes to your bookmarks. Usually this will be the browser that you use most often on your main computer. From here, you can sync across your other browsers and any other computers you have. Xmarks allows you to merge bookmarks on Xmarks server with your browser, keep bookmarks on your browser discarding those on the server (main bookmark), keep the bookmarks on the server while discarding those on your browser. You also can integrate passwords (not recommended), and open tabs as well as enabling automatic synchronization. This is a great timesaver that eliminates the need to do this manually. A feature of Xmarks is also that you can be away from your computers but can retrieve that necessary site that you wish to access but cannot remember the name by accessing the website and logging into it. I found the instructions easy to follow and the program is user friendly.
A paid version of Xmarks ($12 annually) allows you to sync between your smartphone and track and backup all changes to your bookmarks. My personal opinion is that this is not needed.
While there are ways to save your bookmarks on your computer and sync using your saved bookmarks on your computer, Xmarks is a free way to do this saving time and aggravation.
I also want to extend my best wishes to those celebrating a very Merry Christmas and to all a very Happy and prosperous 2011.
December 23, 2011
December 14, 2011
A Good Product Review Site for Tech Products and More
Want to know if you should purchase that camera you have in mind? Need a good place for downloads? Or just want a good place for Tech News. Then CNET is a good site for you to go to and explore.
The top of their webpage offers 4 selections in addition to a search bar and a "Home" icon. They are "Reviews" "News" "Downloads" and "Videos".
For "Reviews", all sorts of tech products from computers, cameras to mp3 players are reviewed here. You can see how the product you are interested in compares to similar products. Many have a video review by one of CNET's experts. It is the largest part of the site generating per Wikipedia over 4,300 product and software reviews annually. Most of the traffic generated to the site is for its reviews.
The "News" section has headlines and more details of Tech related news. The information can be very useful for your own technology. It includes articles about tech related business, wireless, green tech, blogs among other subjects.
"Downloads" consists of about 500,000 software titles for download with both freeware and non freeware titles. You can download based upon operating system, type of software and price. There is probably some good software for your computer here and it certainly is worthwhile checking out.
The "Video" section includes product videos and how to instructional videos. As a visual person, I have gotten some good tips here.
One of the other features of this site is the ability to compare prices for a product you may be thinking of buying.
All in all this is a good site for tech information particularly the reviews and downloads. There are discussion forums for asking questions and exchanging information as well. Like most forum sections you need to set up an account. Why not check it out and if it meets your needs include it as one of your bookmarks/favorites.
The top of their webpage offers 4 selections in addition to a search bar and a "Home" icon. They are "Reviews" "News" "Downloads" and "Videos".
For "Reviews", all sorts of tech products from computers, cameras to mp3 players are reviewed here. You can see how the product you are interested in compares to similar products. Many have a video review by one of CNET's experts. It is the largest part of the site generating per Wikipedia over 4,300 product and software reviews annually. Most of the traffic generated to the site is for its reviews.
The "News" section has headlines and more details of Tech related news. The information can be very useful for your own technology. It includes articles about tech related business, wireless, green tech, blogs among other subjects.
"Downloads" consists of about 500,000 software titles for download with both freeware and non freeware titles. You can download based upon operating system, type of software and price. There is probably some good software for your computer here and it certainly is worthwhile checking out.
The "Video" section includes product videos and how to instructional videos. As a visual person, I have gotten some good tips here.
One of the other features of this site is the ability to compare prices for a product you may be thinking of buying.
All in all this is a good site for tech information particularly the reviews and downloads. There are discussion forums for asking questions and exchanging information as well. Like most forum sections you need to set up an account. Why not check it out and if it meets your needs include it as one of your bookmarks/favorites.
November 30, 2011
ICE - In Case of Emergency on Your Cellphone
While this blog is a posting of computer related items, cell phones are in fact a computer and this is a potential life saving issue. I am doing this post that indirectly relates .
In case of emergency (ICE) is a program that enables 1st responders to identify victims and contact next of kin in case of an emergency. Hence the acronym ICE. All cellphones should have one or more ICE listings should the unfortunate happen.
That said, cellphones and particularly smart phones have password protection mechanism where your phone, ICE and all other information cannot be accessed without keying a password or drawing a pattern to unlock all of this. What I am trying to get at here is if your phone is password protected, ICE is not able to be accessed. Please have an alternate form of identification that lists an emergency contact(s). Don't feel a false sense of security having ICE on your phone where there is password protection enabled.
In case of emergency (ICE) is a program that enables 1st responders to identify victims and contact next of kin in case of an emergency. Hence the acronym ICE. All cellphones should have one or more ICE listings should the unfortunate happen.
That said, cellphones and particularly smart phones have password protection mechanism where your phone, ICE and all other information cannot be accessed without keying a password or drawing a pattern to unlock all of this. What I am trying to get at here is if your phone is password protected, ICE is not able to be accessed. Please have an alternate form of identification that lists an emergency contact(s). Don't feel a false sense of security having ICE on your phone where there is password protection enabled.
November 18, 2011
The Wiki Family
The Wiki site describes Wiki as follows, "A wiki is a database of pages which visitors can edit live." While many people associate Wiki with Wikipedia, there is more to the Wiki family. To name a few, there are Wikianswers (post a question you would like answered), Wikitravel (a travel guide), Wikihow (a how to site), and Wikibooks (textbooks).
Wiki is open editing which means anyone can add and edit information freely. There is a staff that checks these for accuracy. Where there is no support for an entry it is noted. Nonetheless the Wiki sites are a good source of free information from the trivial to the important. For those who remember the "Dallas" television series of the 80s did you know that Patrick Duffy's nephew is former Cy Young award winner Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants? It's out there on Wikipedia along with other trivial facts.
Wikipedia also was likely the final nail in the coffin for all those encyclopedias that took up much bookcase space. Yes they still sell those encyclopedias just like they still sell vinyl records,cameras that use film and accounting ledger paper but they have been replaced for the most part by improvements in technology.
In closing, a lot of good and useful information can be accessed by going to the Wiki sites. From learning how to fit in while in London to planning your London visit a lot of good information is available just by logging in.
Wiki is open editing which means anyone can add and edit information freely. There is a staff that checks these for accuracy. Where there is no support for an entry it is noted. Nonetheless the Wiki sites are a good source of free information from the trivial to the important. For those who remember the "Dallas" television series of the 80s did you know that Patrick Duffy's nephew is former Cy Young award winner Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants? It's out there on Wikipedia along with other trivial facts.
Wikipedia also was likely the final nail in the coffin for all those encyclopedias that took up much bookcase space. Yes they still sell those encyclopedias just like they still sell vinyl records,cameras that use film and accounting ledger paper but they have been replaced for the most part by improvements in technology.
In closing, a lot of good and useful information can be accessed by going to the Wiki sites. From learning how to fit in while in London to planning your London visit a lot of good information is available just by logging in.
November 9, 2011
Take College Courses Online for Free
On the web there are many good sites for learning to put it mildly.
But did you know you can take college courses online for free? For some of these you can listen online to prerecorded lectures/discussions. http://www.ocwconsortium.org/ has a listing of courses online. MIT has courses there as well on http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm . Another good site is http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/whats-on.html. The latter has mainly courses on audio. Among other colleges having open courseware are Tufts, Notre Dame and Yale a pretty good selection to say the least. Just do a google search for "opencourseware". Best of all they are free! A lot also have downloadable handouts as well. You also can search on youtube.com for lectures and courses. Type the name of the college or university followed by lectures or courses and see the selection available.
A good way to continue your lifelong learning with no admissions application, tuition, fees or other costs.
November 8, 2011
Make that Disk Sooner Rather than Later
It used to be when you bought a PC, a system repair disk was also included. This was useful in the event you needed to rebuild your system.
During this holiday season, many will be getting a new PC as a gift. What you will not receive is a system repair disk. This can be used to boot your computer in the event you are unable to from your hard drive, need to recover windows from a system error. You will need to make a system repair disk. This should be done as soon as possible after purchasing your new computer. It could end up being invaluable in the event of a system failure.
To create a system repair disk, click the "Start' button. In the address bar type "Backup" . Under "Programs" select "Backup and Restore". In the left pane is an option "Create a System Repair Disk". Select this. Insert a CD to create a system repair disk. When you are done creating your system repair disk make sure to put it in a safe place but not so safe a place you forget where.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
During this holiday season, many will be getting a new PC as a gift. What you will not receive is a system repair disk. This can be used to boot your computer in the event you are unable to from your hard drive, need to recover windows from a system error. You will need to make a system repair disk. This should be done as soon as possible after purchasing your new computer. It could end up being invaluable in the event of a system failure.
To create a system repair disk, click the "Start' button. In the address bar type "Backup" . Under "Programs" select "Backup and Restore". In the left pane is an option "Create a System Repair Disk". Select this. Insert a CD to create a system repair disk. When you are done creating your system repair disk make sure to put it in a safe place but not so safe a place you forget where.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
October 23, 2011
Yahoo's New Email
Yahoo recently released its new version of Yahoo Mail to its over 280 million users worldwide. At present, it is the most widely used email in the United States. While there are some issues that have not been resolved, the new interface is faster and cleaner. Over 6 months ago I did a post on Yahoo Mail that included discussing their beta email system that was then being developed. Well they have made the changes they considered necessary and released the new Yahoo Mail.
One of the things I like most about Yahoo Mail is the ability to drag an email from one folder to another with the mouse. Simply left click on the message and move it to the folder you wish to move it to. Even the widely heralded Gmail does not have this feature. There you move an email message from one folder to another by selecting the message(s) you wish to move and then select the "Move To" tab and from the drop down menu select the folder you wish to move it to. This is certainly more time consuming.
Yahoo Mail has also integrated certain applications with its new email to facilitate communicating with friends and family. For example if you are planning a family reunion you can send an Evite invitation directly from your own email page. You choose a design for your invitation and create it just like a hard copy invitation you send in the mail. The difference is that this is a computer generated invitation that is emailed and resembles the paper one. You also save on postage. For those who use Flickr to store and share their pictures, you can email your Flickr pictures from your Yahoo account.
This email is not perfect by any means. I mentioned in my previous post about Yahoo Mail that in order to delete spam messages you are prompted if you are sure. Other mail services realize if you are deleting a spam message there is no need to prompt to confirm you are sure about deleting them. However when deleting a message from your inbox or another folder, you are not prompted to see if you are sure about deleting. I do not understand why Yahoo is so concerned about you possibly deleting a spam message in error while not as concerned about you deleting a message from your inbox, sent or other folders. I hope this is simply a glitch that Yahoo will correct in the near future.
While Yahoo Mail is improved, there are still some unresolved issues. You are limited to 100 email filters whereas other email services do not limit the number of filters. You are limited to blocking 500 email addresses. If you wish to view your Yahoo Mail in an email client such as Outlook or Windows Live Email you must upgrade to Yahoo Plus for $20.00 annually. Upgrading also gives you such features as a limit of 200 email filters and no ads. Another knock on Yahoo Mail is that the spam filter leaves a bit to be desired. Yahoo has said that this issue has been addressed with their new release. Time will tell if this is so.
In all Yahoo is one of the better email services. With its good and not so good features, you have to decide for yourself if it is the one for you.
One of the things I like most about Yahoo Mail is the ability to drag an email from one folder to another with the mouse. Simply left click on the message and move it to the folder you wish to move it to. Even the widely heralded Gmail does not have this feature. There you move an email message from one folder to another by selecting the message(s) you wish to move and then select the "Move To" tab and from the drop down menu select the folder you wish to move it to. This is certainly more time consuming.
Yahoo Mail has also integrated certain applications with its new email to facilitate communicating with friends and family. For example if you are planning a family reunion you can send an Evite invitation directly from your own email page. You choose a design for your invitation and create it just like a hard copy invitation you send in the mail. The difference is that this is a computer generated invitation that is emailed and resembles the paper one. You also save on postage. For those who use Flickr to store and share their pictures, you can email your Flickr pictures from your Yahoo account.
Further, I like the interface between contacts and email. With Gmail unless you are using keyboard shortcuts you need to click on "Contacts" or "Mail" in the upper left hand corner of your Gmail interface to go from one to the other. With Yahoo Mail, to go from one to the other you click on the "Inbox" or "Contacts" tabs that are easy to find above your inbox or contacts respectively. You also have the ability to preview your messages at the bottom without opening them which is also a good feature.
This email is not perfect by any means. I mentioned in my previous post about Yahoo Mail that in order to delete spam messages you are prompted if you are sure. Other mail services realize if you are deleting a spam message there is no need to prompt to confirm you are sure about deleting them. However when deleting a message from your inbox or another folder, you are not prompted to see if you are sure about deleting. I do not understand why Yahoo is so concerned about you possibly deleting a spam message in error while not as concerned about you deleting a message from your inbox, sent or other folders. I hope this is simply a glitch that Yahoo will correct in the near future.
While Yahoo Mail is improved, there are still some unresolved issues. You are limited to 100 email filters whereas other email services do not limit the number of filters. You are limited to blocking 500 email addresses. If you wish to view your Yahoo Mail in an email client such as Outlook or Windows Live Email you must upgrade to Yahoo Plus for $20.00 annually. Upgrading also gives you such features as a limit of 200 email filters and no ads. Another knock on Yahoo Mail is that the spam filter leaves a bit to be desired. Yahoo has said that this issue has been addressed with their new release. Time will tell if this is so.
In all Yahoo is one of the better email services. With its good and not so good features, you have to decide for yourself if it is the one for you.
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