Tablets, tablets....everywhere.

The annual Consumer Electronics show was recently held in Las Vegas and there was certainly one theme -  tablets.  The success of the iPad has attracted newcomers to the market and in 2011 expect to see a smorgasbord of tablets.  What exactly does that mean to you the techno geek?  It means a couple of things.  One, you’ll be able to pick up an nice laptop or netbook CHEAP because all the pundits are telling us the laptop is dead (I do not believe this.)  I’ve stated before, the tablet footprint is excellent for absorbing information, but not so good at creating it.  They are hard to type on and the “apps” environment is limiting because there is no real file structure to speak of, so keeping files on your device will not be easy.  There are applications like DropBox which bridge this gap, but it will certainly be interesting at the least to see how competitors try to carve out their niche by concentrating on things like easy peripheral connectivity (read this USB files for example) and FLASH video (a BIG limitation of the iPad).  Data plan pricing and the actual look, feel and functionality of the tablet will separate the products I’m sure.    

Here are a few of the different vendors and architecture they will be using in the tablet niche.

1.)    Dell Streak.  T-Mobile will offer this with a 4G connection.  It’s a 7 inch screen (smaller than the iPad but twice the size of the average smart phone).  It will be using the Android (Google) operating system.  There is also going to be a 10 inch version, but later in the year.    I don’t see the 7 inch version being a winner as there is just not enough real estate on that size screen.  I often wish my iPad was bigger.

2.)    Toshiba Tegra 2. This is a working name.  It’s a 10 inch screen.  It will ship with Android 3.0 O/S.  They will be hanging their hat on a feature that upconverts video to high definition.  It will have a panoply of connections.  Mini USB, front and rear cameras (Skype , Video chat), USB, HDMI, and microSD card slots.  It looks to me like they are going to try to make this a “mobile TV” with the emphasis on video and all the connections, like HDMI which all modern TV’s have.  I see you streaming Netflix to this device, upconvert to High Def and then plugging your device in to your flat screen to watch a streaming movie.  It makes sense since Toshiba is a big TV producer.  I also predict an app that makes this a Super Duper remote control for your TV – so long as it’s a Toshiba!

3.)    Motorola Xoom.  First off, I’m not a big fan of using an X for a Z, but oh well.  The Motorola Xoom will be on the Verizon network and it will use 4G LTE.  It’ll have two cameras, front and rear, and HDMI.  It’ll be using the Android Operating System as well.  Motorola is known for making devices that are rugged and well built.  I suspect this device will be as well.  A good choice probably if you are a Verizon customer.

4.)    RIM Playbook.  This might just save RIM.  Blackberries are getting long in the tooth, although I still recommend them for heavy enterprise emailers.  Their push email technology is best in class.  If they can port this feature over to the Playbook, they have a winner.   This product will also allow you to tether your blackberry so that you can share contacts, data, emails and web connectivity.  RIM’s strategy seems to want to convince you that you need both the blackberry device and the Playbook.  In some ways it makes sense because I carry both an iPhone and an iPad.  Maybe they are banking on the fact that tablets just don’t make good phones and that since you’ll be carrying both, it might as well be a blackberry.  I suspect they will take advantage of Verizon’s network, but could also be available with other carriers.

5.)    Lenovo IdeaPad.  Lenovo  has been in the tablet PC business for years and has never been able to get the convertible swivel screen laptops to take off.  They were heavy, cumbersome to convert and I never liked them.  The Ideapad Slate is going to change this.   Its claim to fame, it will be running Windows 7.  It’s also a netbook.  The screen detaches.  I’m not so sure I’m sold on this either.  It’s basically a full fledged laptop with a detachable tablet portion.  The tablet portion, can however, be purchased separately.  The tablet is around $500 bucks, the whole shebang is $1300.  There may be a market for people who are married to Microsoft.

6.)    Vizio Via.  An 8 inch Android O/S entry.  Vizio makes beautiful HDTV’s and now they make a nice tablet as well.  Their TV’s are always at a great price point, and some in the business speculate they will try and price their tablet under the competition as well.  Its shortcoming is that it’s only available as a WI-FI device and cannot connect to cellular networks.  Future models are supposed to remedy this situation.  They also have a mini HDMI connection and have a built in IR (infrared remote) so all the things I said about the Toshiba tablet doing double duty as a media remote, go for this device as well.  It makes sense.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see this device included as a remote to their higher end tv’s in the future.

7.)    NEC LT-W.  This is an odd device.  It has two screens and opens like a book.  Can you say e-reader?  This device is WAY off as far as production and I only included it because it had a unique two screen design.  It may never see the light of day, at least until battery technology gets to a point to where you can power two screens without the device weighing 20 lbs. 

This list is not comprehensive and the real take away from my article is….. “if you are going to buy a tablet anytime soon, wait”.  Why?... it’s soon going to be a buyer’s market on this product sector and it will be interesting to see which devices end up on top.  My prediction is that one of the Android devices will rise to the top because of a yet unknown consumer “like”.  Maybe even a couple of the Andriod devices will make it.  One thing is for sure, the tablet is really here to stay.  I can’t wait to see the cool things creative people have figured out to add to this format and experience new functions and new features that make these products stand out. 

Rates this market niche .... a "Well Done"

Best Family Friendly web Content Filter

In an earlier post, I stated that there is no “free lunch” on the internet.  That is a good rule of thumb for the most part, but if you find a source you can trust (MeatMeter.com J ) and you know where to look, there are still a few gems to be unearthed out there.  One of my favorite tools, especially if you have kids with new laptops or other devices that are going to connect to your household network, is OpenDNS.   DNS (Domain Name Service) is the internet’s phone book.  Every computer or website on the web has what is called an IP address (Internet Protocol).  To put it simply, DNS takes the address you typed into your browser,  looks up the DNS entry for the IP address and then serves up that page to you.   

OpenDNS was launched in 2006.  It uses its own “phone book” to block or filter content categories.  Quite simply, it makes adult and objectionable content sites unlisted.  Companies like Burger King, Fuji Film and Century21 use their paid services.

OpenDNS is free for personal use and in July they also launched Family Shield (http://www.opendns.com/familyshield) which is also free and is has a few less bells and whistles when compared to their Basic product.  If you like a bit more control, you might like the Basic product better.  

If you connect directly to your cable modem or DSL modem on one PC, you'll only have to set the DNS setting on that one PC.  If you use a router, you'll set up the DNS setting on your router, and it will protect every PC or device that connects to your network (wired or wireless.)  There are step by step instructions on the site for almost every kind of router on the market.  They also have an easy step by step guide on getting started.  Their knowledgebase is huge as well and very helpful.

Caution: 

Be careful when changing settings on your router.  Make sure you copy down the current settings (the DNS addresses) before you make changes as you can render your internet useless.  Keep the info in case you need to roll back if you have an unsuccessful installation.  All you need to do is google “how do I change the DNS settings on <insert your router make and model number here>.

Most of the time you connect to your router through your browser by typing  192.168.1.1 in your address bar.  If you don’t know your router’s username and password, try the defaults. (find your default here http://www.phenoelit-us.org/dpl/dpl.html).  If you don’t know the router password, you’ll have to reset your router.  To be honest, you should know your router’s password and if you don’t, that’s a good reason for you to reset it.  Consult your router’s manual on how to do this.  Every router I’ve ever set up has an online manual.  Be sure to find it and save it locally should you lose internet use while playing around, and trust me, you probably will. 

Protecting your kids from the dark side of the internet is definitely worth a little inconvenience and wrestling with your router’s settings.  Check out OpenDNS at OpenDNS.com.  Well done OpenDNS, well done.

Gives OpenDNS a "Well Done"



Virus, Spyware, Malware...oh my!

Why do people write and spread viruses?  What is the difference between a virus, spyware and malware?  Why doesn’t my antivirus stop this stuff?  All great questions.  Let me try and answer these questions one at a time.

First, why?  Why are viruses spread and why do people spend their time writing viruses?  The answers to this question are many.  Sometimes, someone has an ax to grind and they are putting out a piece of software that might exploit a weakness in a piece of software like Windows.  Whole groups of people feel vindicated and even vigilante-like and victorious when they make Windows send out a hotfix or a patch due to a piece of software they may have written and spread in the wild.  It’s simply for sport.

Next, there are people who write this stuff because there is money in it.  Countless numbers of people click on balloons and windows that pop up (and many look like an official notice from Windows) and tell you that you are infected and need to spend $19.95 to “renew” or remove your infection.  Most of these are bogus, but many are so strong in their kung-fu that your computer becomes unusable.  You may even release the offending software by  clicking on what you might think is the “Cancel” “X” or “No” buttons.  The programs are written to make you think you are clicking “no” but in actuality you are clicking “Ok” even though the button says “no”.  See how sneaky they are?

So there is incentive from a sporting nature of underground programmers and there is money to be made, so that explains why these things keep popping up (pun intended).  I am also not a conspiracy theorist, but if you sell an antivirus, malware, or spyware removal product, you probably like these infections.

Malware, Spyware, Virus?  What is the difference?  In general, all of these types of programs can do harm to your computer, so I’d like to coin a term “nuisance-ware”.  This term incorporates all three of these types of programs. 

In general, a virus is much like its health care counterpart.  It is a program that replicates itself and is programmed to spread in the wild.  I can cause hard drive damage, or even render your PC unusable.  There are worms, Trojan-horses and other types of viruses in this category.  Typically, a good antivirus program will work on these types of threats, although you must keep your virus definitions up to date since there are many different iterations and “strains”.  Operating system updates also help with these types of threats and should be performed regularly.

Spyware is a different animal.  Typically, spyware will install itself and you’ll never know it is there.  This is the kind of software that will steal passwords and find banking information and send it to someone behind the internet curtain and then that person can use your information for malevolent purposes or use your email program without your knowledge to spread itself.  If your computer suddenly starts running VERY slow but otherwise seems ok, this is probably your issue.

Malware is a kind of virus-spyware hybrid.  It uses techniques used by both.  It tries to spread itself in the wild and it also tries to get you to buy a product or spend money to get rid of a problem your PC may have.  This is probably the most active kind of program I usually see.  They usually have very important sounding names like Antivirus2011, VirusWareUpdate, or even official Windows sounding names like WinVirus etc.  (I might also add here that most viruses, spyware and malware do target Windows based computers for reasons I mentioned above and the fact that they are 90% of the installed base - Mac's and Unix based systems are far less susceptible.  They have their share of security issues, but are targeted much less frequently.) 

Ok, so how do you mitigate your exposure?  There are a few simple things you can do to minimize your risk.

DO NOT click on links in email or on facebook (unless it is meatmeter.com:) )

DO NOT view videos in emails or on facebook  (videos spread more problems than anything)

If you get a link to a “cool” video and can’t stand it, go to YouTube first and then search for the video.

DO NOT click any balloon or pop up window that says “Your Computer is infected, click here to…” Even if you click the “NO” “Cancel” “Close Window”, “IGNORE” or the “X” in the right hand window  part of the pop up, you will release the virus.  JUST DON’T CLICK.  A great way to close a potentially offending window or pop up is to hit the CTRL + F4 button.  This will close the active window without clicking.

DO NOT install any toolbars

DO NOT go to Coupon Savers, FREE SOFTWARE, or any other sites that promise savings and/or free stuff.  (Coupon sites will say things like “Click here to install the print drivers so you can print coupons”)  DON’T DO IT.  If you want a coupon for your product, go direct to that product’s website and look there.

DO NOT search for “VIRUS SOFTWARE REMOVAL TOOL” or any iteration thereof.  These programs, are almost ALWAYS viruses or malware themselves.

DO NOT download free music , free software, or free movies from the internet.  They are rife with malicious code.

Just remember, there is no such thing as a “free” lunch, so stay away from any free content and/or any “amazing” new links in any emails or on facebook and you’ll be much safer in your surfing.

Ranks ALL Virus, Malware or Spyware a great big "RARE"

STEER CLEAR (mooooo!)