Helping users maintain and repair there
computers.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
QOTD: Do You Shut Off Your PC At Night?
Because of mechanical wear and tear in traditional hard drives and fans,
I've never really liked turning off my computing devices. A steady on
state is better for the hard drive in the long run.
Firefox 3.5 Officially Available for Download [Downloads]
Windows/Mac/Linux: The final version of the Firefox is starting to
show up on Mozilla's web site, and some readers are reporting update
notices. Here are a few links and how-tos you should check out before
downloading that browser.
Add-on
Compatibility Center - See whether the popular
extensions that make up 95% of add-on downloads are compatible with Firefox
3.5 before you download. It's looking pretty green and good at
the moment, with the notable exception of Tab Mix Plus.
Top
10 Firefox 3.5 Features - Breaking down the Private
Browsing Mode, TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, little interface
features, and bigger changes to the increasingly popular open-source web
browser.
Disable location-aware
browsing and tab
tearing - If those features sound more like privacy
invasion and mouse-clenching hassle, respectively, they're pretty
easy to turn off.
Make
your extensions work with (Firefox 3.5) - Originally
written for the big (bigger?) Firefox 3.0 upgrade, but this little about:config
tweak should keep those extensions not yet upgraded working with 3.5
as well, assuming you don't mind potential bugs.
Weave
synchronization tool - Mozilla's experimental
synchronization project only works with Firefox 3.5—but, wait,
that's out now! It's worth checking out, especially if you're
running Firefox across multiple systems.
Firefox
3.5 Overview - It's both a video run-through of Firefox
3.5's features, and a test of the new no-Flash-needed video powers
of Firefox 3.5 (non-HTML5-compliant browsers will just get an .ogv
video download link).
Tell us about your Firefox 3.5 upgrade experience, or why you're
holding off, in the comments.
Those accidental reply-alls and empty subject fields in your inbox
tell the truth—too many people still don't know the basics of proper
email etiquette. Here are eleven rules to forward on or follow.
Career writer Marci Alboher touches on a few areas where your
email manners might need tweaking. Our
own email training impulses align with the importance of
descriptive subject lines, and more people should avoid the impulse to
have the last word. According to Marci, "there is usually no reason to
cap off a long exchange with 'thank you' (and certainly, 'you're
welcome')." There tends to exist a natural end point in conversations,
so let it end there.
The article also suggests senders should ask whether someone
prefers documents to be sent as attachments or pasted in the body of
the message before sending. If back-and-forth editing of text is
required, try using shared collaboration tools, something like
previously mentioned webapp Show
Document, in lieu of updating and sending attachments between or
among parties.
Take a look at the full post for the entire rundown of email
tips, then come back and tell us about your email dos and don'ts. What
simple steps could your friends and co-workers take to improve their
emailing? Do you have any absolute email don'ts? Share your thoughts
below.
Google Voice Is Cool, But Do You Need It? [Phones]
You've read
about the features, you saw the invites
going out, but you might be wondering what, exactly, Google
Voice could do for you. Here's our guide for the curious and
uninvited on whether your phones need some Google juice.
We're not going to explain every feature, quirk, and option in
the Google Voice service, which is slowly giving out invites to those
who request
them. We've already taken a first
look at Google Voice, and Google
Voice's own Getting Started guide does a nice job explaining the
service's ins and outs. We're looking to answer the question we seem
to hear most often from commenters, friends, tech pundits, and just
about everyone: What would I get out of it?
The wild card: number portability
If the rumors
prove true, Google will, at some point this year, allow you to
"port," or at least integrate, your existing cell phone number with
its service, requiring none of the millions of phone numbers the
search giant is supposedly securing. That would eliminate three of the
service's biggest barriers to entry:
Having to call Google Voice, and then dial a number, to place a call
"with" your Google number, so it shows up on caller ID as such
Having to store and reply to a separate SMS number for each of your
contacts so that, again, your Google number shows up
The time and hassle of getting your contacts to call you at your new
Google Voice number, despite the fact that your old numbers still
"work"
If number portability/integration became a fact, we'd likely have to
adjust this list of might likes/might nots, but for the time being,
we're hoping to answer a few questions based on tests of the service in
its invite-only phase.
You might like Google Voice if you:
Regularly use two or more phones: If you've heard
about one feature of Google Voice, or its GrandCentral predecessor,
this is it—and for good reason. Google excels at giving you one
phone number for others to have, then letting you fine-tune which
phones that number rings to an OCD level. If you want your wife to
ring through to your work line between 9am and 5pm, but not your
chatty, unemployed friend, you can do that. If you want your home
landline to ring along with your cell during the hours your carrier
charges for minutes, you can do that, too.
Loathe standard voicemail: "Please enter your
passcode, followed by the pound sign!" "You have ... two ... new
messages. To hear your"—You know what we're talking about. Using
cell minutes and precious time just to hear your friend say "Try you
again later" is almost as annoying as trying to wipe the voicemail
icon off your phone screen. Google Voice makes it easy to play
voicemail audio and read semi-correct
transcriptions from a single web page, and it's a good bet it'll
be integrated into Gmail for even easier access. When you're away
from your browser, Google Voice sends voicemail notifications
through email or text message, making it easy to know that you
really don't need to step outside and call your sister back just to
confirm you prefer Diet Dr. Pepper to Diet Coke.
Enjoy text
messaging, but not phone keyboards (and fees): For
anyone whose friends chide them about short or nonexistent text
message replies, this is a game-changing feature. When sent to your
Google Voice number, text messages are organized on the Google Voice
site like chat conversations, with back-and-forth dialogue and
options to reply or mark as read and archive. Writing a new message
is also easy—hit "M" or click the SMS button, start typing a name or
phone number, then choose the contact and type away. You'll still be
charged for texts you receive on your phone, but it can be a real
money saver when you're near your plan's limit for the month. Those
with iPhones, Android handsets, or other smartphones can also make
use of Google Voice messaging on the go with apps like the
previously mentioned GV
(Android) and GV
Mobile (iPhone).
Are down with Skype-like VOIP calling: Want to make
calls over a computer-connected headset and not pay a dime for them?
Google Voice allows you to add a phone number from the Gizmo
Project and control when it rings through. Make a call through
Google Voice's web interface, set it to ring your Gizmo number when
it's connected, and the other party just sees your standard Google
Voice number—you're effectively making an outbound call for free
that Skype and the like would charge you for.
Make a lot of international calls: We haven't done
a price comparison, but Google Voice's rates to international
landlines and mobile numbers are said to be competitive, and you can
call from your own phones without having to hunt down the right
calling card.
Record calls regularly (and legally): Just hit the
number 4 during a call and Google's robotic queen announces "Call
recording on." Right now, it only
works with incoming calls, but the finished recording is ready
for playing, downloading, or embedding in your Google Voice inbox in
a matter of minutes. It's how I recorded my Jonathan
Coulton phone interview for later transcribing and audio clip
pulling.
Have or want an Android phone: iPhones,
BlackBerries, Symbian-based models, and Windows Mobile devices will
likely get Google-built apps for integrating Google Voice into their
dialing, voicemail, and SMS interfaces. But Android phones already
have an impressive third-party app for doing so, Evan
Charlton's GV, and would be a pretty good bet on being the
first, or at least among the first, platforms to get the Google
Voice team's attention. Fully integrated Google Voice means free,
conversation-threaded SMS, fewer hassles with your one-and-a-half
phone numbers, voicemails that don't require talk time, and much
more.
You won't like Google Voice if you:
Rarely use your cellphone and/or text messages:
Unless you're that rare breed of VOIP headset lover who doesn't ever
talk on a cellphone, there's not a lot to recommend Google Voice to
landline-focused folks. Your office's phone system offers
(hopefully) most of Voice's features, and residential internet phone
providers can fill in the other gaps. It could be a help to those
who absolutely won't type out a text on a phone—but, then again, so
can email.
Think Google knows too much about you: There's
something to be said for breaking
Google's personal data monopoly, and the tinfoil hat crowd have
a whole new set of worries with Google Voice—your voicemails,
calling history, and text messages are, after all, right on Google's
servers, for who knows how long. It's not all that different from
Gmail—Google breaking one user's trust could collapse the whole
system—but it is something to think about.
Dislike Google's Contacts handling: Google Voice
uses the same contacts database, so if its auto-inclusion of names
you've emailed a few times drives you batty, well, you'll get the
same results from Voice's Click2Call auto-completion. Only the names
you've stored phone numbers for show up on Voice's dial feature, but
we'd like to see a way to set a "primary" number that's the default
when you're typing out a name.
Get annoyed at voice delays: Early Google Voice
users (myself included) are noticing
an audio delay on certain calls. Sometimes it's ever so slight,
like a wonky cell phone connection. Sometimes you and the other
party are toppling over the ends of each other's sentences. Google
is certainly aware of it, but since it's a service that inserts a
server as the middleman between parties, there might be an
inevitable bit of latency on Google Voice calls, as there is with
most international calls. If you've ever switched carriers because
of voice quality or connection problems, you might find a new
antagonist in Google Voice.
Really don't want to write another "New number" email:
As noted above, Google's rumored to be working on offering number
portability/integration for Voice. In the meantime, Voice users have
to ask their friends, acquaintances, and business contacts to save a
new number, figure out how to deal with the stragglers, and, in all
honesty, hope the service isn't abandoned by Google anytime soon. If
you live and die by your availability and can't stand the idea of
being late to return even one call, switching numbers just won't
fly. Everyone else has to make the call.
What's the reason you've really dug Google Voice so far, or really want
to get in? What features does it still lack, and where does it fall down
on convenience? We want to hear your take on this still young service in
the comments.
Retail Windows 7 Prices Announced, Upgrades Half Off For The Next 2 Weeks
Microsoft has released the retail prices for Windows 7, so let's
dive right in. For full retail versions: Home Premium Full: $199
Professional Full: $299 Ultimate Full: $319 For retail upgrades: Home
Premium Upgrade: $119 Professional Upgrade: $199 Ultimate Upgrade: $219
This doesn't include OEM pricing....
Toolbars have long been an effective way for software publishers
to add several features to a browser at once, and the Google Toolbar
has long been among the most popular of these. Google
Toolbar for Internet Explorer introduces revamped translation
tools, giving users one-click powers of conversion over many languages.
Google Toolbar for IE now offers one-click page translation.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)
The toolbar now detects your default language setting and using the
Translate button will attempt to convert the page to it. Clicking a
link will automatically translate the new page, as long as its part of
the same domain as the original. Forty-one languages are supported so
far, from Spanish, French, Italian, and German to Chinese, Japanese,
Hebrew, Hindi, Ukranian, and Vietnamese.
Not all words on a page will be translated, but from my tests that
seems limited only to text that's been embedded in logos and other
art. If you need a lot of on-the-fly translation, this could be a
major time saver. The feature has not been extended to Google Toolbar
for Firefox, although Google said on its blog post announcing
the feature that it hopes to implement it soon.
Because of mechanical wear and tear in traditional hard drives and fans, I've never really liked turning off my computing devices. A steady on state is better for the hard drive in the long run.
Windows/Mac/Linux: The final version of the Firefox is starting to show up on Mozilla's web site, and some readers are reporting update notices. Here are a few links and how-tos you should check out before downloading that browser.
Those accidental reply-alls and empty subject fields in your inbox tell the truth—too many people still don't know the basics of proper email etiquette. Here are eleven rules to forward on or follow.
You've read about the features, you saw the invites going out, but you might be wondering what, exactly, Google Voice could do for you. Here's our guide for the curious and uninvited on whether your phones need some Google juice.
Regularly use two or more phones: If you've heard about one feature of Google Voice, or its GrandCentral predecessor, this is it—and for good reason. Google excels at giving you one phone number for others to have, then letting you fine-tune which phones that number rings to an OCD level. If you want your wife to ring through to your work line between 9am and 5pm, but not your chatty, unemployed friend, you can do that. If you want your home landline to ring along with your cell during the hours your carrier charges for minutes, you can do that, too.
Loathe standard voicemail: "Please enter your passcode, followed by the pound sign!" "You have ... two ... new messages. To hear your"—You know what we're talking about. Using cell minutes and precious time just to hear your friend say "Try you again later" is almost as annoying as trying to wipe the voicemail icon off your phone screen. Google Voice makes it easy to play voicemail audio and read semi-correct transcriptions from a single web page, and it's a good bet it'll be integrated into Gmail for even easier access. When you're away from your browser, Google Voice sends voicemail notifications through email or text message, making it easy to know that you really don't need to step outside and call your sister back just to confirm you prefer Diet Dr. Pepper to Diet Coke.
Enjoy text messaging, but not phone keyboards (and fees): For anyone whose friends chide them about short or nonexistent text message replies, this is a game-changing feature. When sent to your Google Voice number, text messages are organized on the Google Voice site like chat conversations, with back-and-forth dialogue and options to reply or mark as read and archive. Writing a new message is also easy—hit "M" or click the SMS button, start typing a name or phone number, then choose the contact and type away. You'll still be charged for texts you receive on your phone, but it can be a real money saver when you're near your plan's limit for the month. Those with iPhones, Android handsets, or other smartphones can also make use of Google Voice messaging on the go with apps like the previously mentioned GV (Android) and GV Mobile (iPhone).
Are down with Skype-like VOIP calling: Want to make calls over a computer-connected headset and not pay a dime for them? Google Voice allows you to add a phone number from the Gizmo Project and control when it rings through. Make a call through Google Voice's web interface, set it to ring your Gizmo number when it's connected, and the other party just sees your standard Google Voice number—you're effectively making an outbound call for free that Skype and the like would charge you for.
Make a lot of international calls: We haven't done a price comparison, but Google Voice's rates to international landlines and mobile numbers are said to be competitive, and you can call from your own phones without having to hunt down the right calling card.
Record calls regularly (and legally): Just hit the number 4 during a call and Google's robotic queen announces "Call recording on." Right now, it only works with incoming calls, but the finished recording is ready for playing, downloading, or embedding in your Google Voice inbox in a matter of minutes. It's how I recorded my Jonathan Coulton phone interview for later transcribing and audio clip pulling.
Have or want an Android phone: iPhones, BlackBerries, Symbian-based models, and Windows Mobile devices will likely get Google-built apps for integrating Google Voice into their dialing, voicemail, and SMS interfaces. But Android phones already have an impressive third-party app for doing so, Evan Charlton's GV, and would be a pretty good bet on being the first, or at least among the first, platforms to get the Google Voice team's attention. Fully integrated Google Voice means free, conversation-threaded SMS, fewer hassles with your one-and-a-half phone numbers, voicemails that don't require talk time, and much more.
Rarely use your cellphone and/or text messages: Unless you're that rare breed of VOIP headset lover who doesn't ever talk on a cellphone, there's not a lot to recommend Google Voice to landline-focused folks. Your office's phone system offers (hopefully) most of Voice's features, and residential internet phone providers can fill in the other gaps. It could be a help to those who absolutely won't type out a text on a phone—but, then again, so can email.
Think Google knows too much about you: There's something to be said for breaking Google's personal data monopoly, and the tinfoil hat crowd have a whole new set of worries with Google Voice—your voicemails, calling history, and text messages are, after all, right on Google's servers, for who knows how long. It's not all that different from Gmail—Google breaking one user's trust could collapse the whole system—but it is something to think about.
Dislike Google's Contacts handling: Google Voice uses the same contacts database, so if its auto-inclusion of names you've emailed a few times drives you batty, well, you'll get the same results from Voice's Click2Call auto-completion. Only the names you've stored phone numbers for show up on Voice's dial feature, but we'd like to see a way to set a "primary" number that's the default when you're typing out a name.
Get annoyed at voice delays: Early Google Voice users (myself included) are noticing an audio delay on certain calls. Sometimes it's ever so slight, like a wonky cell phone connection. Sometimes you and the other party are toppling over the ends of each other's sentences. Google is certainly aware of it, but since it's a service that inserts a server as the middleman between parties, there might be an inevitable bit of latency on Google Voice calls, as there is with most international calls. If you've ever switched carriers because of voice quality or connection problems, you might find a new antagonist in Google Voice.
