Tech Talk with Complete Computer Solutions

Attention all snowboard and ski bums!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:33:00 +0000

I know this is totally unrelated to Real Estate and technology, but I like skiing and I like Warren Miller films...

Attention all snowboard and ski bums!!!

Warren Miller's new film, Playground, presented in High Definition is coming to the Bay Area in November.

Here is the schedule:

November 1st: Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, 8pm

November 2nd: Fort Mason-Cowell Theater, San Francisco, 6:30 & 9:30pm

November 3rd: Spangenberg Theatre, Palo Alto, 8pm

November 3rd: Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, 8pm

November 4th: Montgomery Theater, San Jose, 4pm & 7pm

November 7th & 8th: Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, 6pm & 9pm

November 9th: Castro Theatre, San Francisco, 8pm

November 10th: Foothill College - Smithwick Theatre, Los Altos, 8pm

November 11th: Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, Livermore, 4pm and 7pm

November 14th: Campbell Heritage Theatre, Campbell, 8pm

November 15th: Wheeler Auditorium, Berkeley, 8pm

November 16th: Marin Center, San Rafael, 8pm

November 17th: Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, 8pm

November 18th: Performing Arts Center, San Mateo, 7pm

November 20th & 21st: Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, 8pm

FREE LIFT TICKET TO HEAVENLY

Everyone attending PLAYGROUND will receive a voucher to Heavenly good for one (1) free mid-week (Monday-Friday) lift ticket valid from Opening Day of the 2007/2008 season through 1.18.08. Not valid 11.23.07 through 11.27.07 and 12.17.07 through 1.1.08. Not valid with any other discounted offer. No cash value. No refunds.

$25 OFF YOUR NEXT REI PURCHASE OF $100 OR MORE

Everyone attending PLAYGROUND will receive a voucher good for $25 off your next pre-tax purchase of $100 or more at REI. Coupon (or coupon code) must be presented at time of purchase. Offer valid at REI.com, REI-OUTLET.com, 800.426.4840 and REI stores. Offer not valid at REI Adventures or REI Outdoor School. Offer not valid on special orders, package discounts, prior purchases, REI gift cards, gift boxes, memberships, shop services, rentals. Offer is limited to stock on hand, is nontransferable and is not redeemable for cash. Offer may not be combined with any other discount or offer. Limit one coupon per customer.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT

REI and theater box offices. Tickets also available at Ticketmaster except for Walnut Creek tickets available at tickets.com, Cowell Theater tickets available at FortMason.org and Livermore tickets available at Livermoreperformingarts.org or 925.447.2787.

Discounted Tickets: Buy 12 or more tickets and get $1 off every ticket plus Warren Miller DVDs and SWAG. The more tickets you buy, the more stuff you get. CALL NOW: 800.523.7117

More information can be found at http://www.warrenmiller.com/

Internet Searches for Local Businesses Continue to Rise

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 07:12:00 +0000

Internet Searches for Local Businesses Continue to Rise

Did you know that the number of Internet searches done by consumers looking for local services is on the rise? A Kelsey Group Report showed that in 2005 more than half of all Internet users use search engines to find information about local businesses! Despite this, online advertising by small businesses that rely on local consumer spending is virtually non-existent.

If you’re in the same boat, you might think that there’s just no point to having a Web presence. But if you consider the number of people in your community that have Internet access (almost all of them?) and over half of them are looking for local services online, the truth is that you can’t afford to not have a strong local Internet presence.

Local Internet marketing requires actively seeking to be specifically listed in the local results of the major search engines. This is because when somebody searches for “real estate agent in [your town]”, the search engines attempt to pull from their local databases. If you aren’t indexed in that local database, then you won’t appear in the results.

In addition to getting listed for local search terms that include your town or state name, you can also geographically target your paid advertising. This way, even if somebody searches for just “real estate agent” without including your town name, your ad will show up if the search query is coming from a geographic area that you specify.

Sound like a lot of extra work that you just don’t have the time for? That’s where OrangeSoda steps in. They specialize in local Internet marketing for small and medium-sized businesses. They’ll handle all aspects of your Internet advertising if you want them to.

OrangeSoda has a solid track record of reducing spending and increasing revenue for hundreds of companies. This allows you to focus on doing what you do best: running your business. Furthermore, their pricing is designed for smaller businesses with smaller budgets. OrangeSoda has marketing packages to fit any sized business and any sized budget.

If you want to discuss what OrangeSoda can do for your internet presence or simply have any questions about local search please let me know.

Click for more information on local search advertising and optimization solutions from OrangeSoda.

Here is a great 3 minute video explaining OrangeSoda features and benefits.

Free Electronic Waste Collection Event

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 07:35:00 +0000

When: October 13, 2007 9am to 4pm

Where: Irvington High School Parking Lot (Near the corner of Grimmer Blvd. and Blacow Rd in Fremont) 41800 Blacow Rd, Fremont CA 94538

Beneficiary: Irvington High School Girls Tennis Team

Accepted Items:
Computer Monitors
Keyboards
Computers
Computer Mice
Tape Drives
Laptops
Cables
Zip Drives
Television
Cords
Telephones
Cell Phones
Printers
Radios
Hard Drives
PC Printers
Power Supplies
DVD/VCR Players
Stereo Components
PC Boards
Lab Equipment

Windows Vista users miss the Image Resizer

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:27:00 +0000

The Image Resizer for Windows XP doesn't work with Windows Vista! That is a big bummer man! The best feature in my opinion of Image Resizer was the ability to right-click a picture file and choose Edit Image for a lightning quick resize. Don't fret, because VSO Software has released a free program called VSO Image Resizer which works great with Vista, and Windows XP as well.

Just added Blogrush

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:26:00 +0000

Just added my blog to BlogRush, a free syndication network. Can always use more traffic, especially for free!

Blackberry Trade Up Program

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 23:19:00 +0000

Did you know Research in Motion, makers of the Blackberry handhelds, are giving you money for your old smartphone? So if you want to move from your beat up old Treo 650, you can go to http://blackberry.tradeups.com to see how much green they will give you.

Windows Home Server

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:41:00 +0000

Sorry for the long delay between posts...went on vacation and now I'm trying to scramble to catch up.

Have you heard about Windows Home Server yet? What it is...

Windows Home Server is a part of hardware and software solution that enables families with multiple PCs to easily connect their digital experiences, providing a reliable and familiar way to organize, access, and automatically protect treasured digital images, music, video, and personal documents. From all account the cost appears it will be in the $150-$200 range once it is released in October to the general public.

Why is it better than just buying a NAS device...

Windows Home Server provides unprecedented simplicity for home users and it was designed to solve problems for households with multiple PCs.

More than just storage, Windows Home Server uniquely provides pre-defined shared folders, such as "Music" or "Photos" making it easier to organize and find your files. Windows Home Server also features simple storage extensibility, and built-in search capabilities.

New internal or external hard drives can be easily added to a Windows Home Server device. The amount of available storage grows based on the size of the hard disk. You no longer have to worry about D:, E:, F:, G:, H:, etc. drives as you add more hard drives. New hard drives can be of any size.

Also, in a Windows Home Server device with two or more hard drives, you can elect to duplicate folders. This prevents you from losing any photos, music, or other files stored in a folder that has "duplication" enabled, if a hard drive fails.

In addition, as a development platform, Windows Home Server offers partners great opportunities for innovation to address the needs of the digital home. This means that a wide range of applications and tools that integrate with and take advantage of Windows Home Server will be available.

Here is a great article which explains the product in depth if you have an hour or so to kill. Click here.

Web CEO

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:05:00 +0000

Are you interested in finding out how search engines are ranking your website? How about your competitors? If you have the time and energy to do a little search engine snooping or you just don't feel like paying a company for search engine optimization then I would suggest starting with a product like Web CEO. There is a learning curve to this product but hey it's free for the basic version, and trust me the basic version gives you a ton of information.

Verizon is getting a Curve-like Blackberry

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 05:11:00 +0000

Woohoo! Just what I have been waiting for...

http://tinyurl.com/2ykyom

Blackberry or Treo?

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 21:20:00 +0000

I get asked this question all the time! My recommendation is always Blackberry. Since the inception of the Palm Treo, the handhelds have always had issues, the major one being they reset themselves quite often. You would think by now Palm would have worked those issues out, but no
such luck. The newer Treo 700 and Treo 680 handhelds have just as many issues as the previous models. Most clients I talk with who own a Treo are on their 2 or 3 hanheld because they have to keep getting them replaced. Save yourself the headaches and get a Blackberry 8830 or 8300. Or you could bunk the standards and get the ultra cool iPhone.

Oh almost forgot, did you know Research in Motion, makers of the Blackberry, are giving you money for your old handheld if you buy a new Blackberry? Check it out!

Delay sending messeges in Outlook

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:50:00 +0000

Set Email to Send at a Later Time

Do you often want to or need to compose an email message in Outlook at a certain time, but do not want to actually send it until a different time or date? One way is to compose the email and save it as a draft, but many times the email may be forgotten about. However, Microsoft Outlook includes an easy way send an email message at a later time or date without you having to remember to send it yourself.

After composing the email message, click the Options button in the email's Advanced Toolbar.
In the Message Options dialog box, check the check box next to Do not deliver before.
Use the drop down menus that are next to Do not deliver before to select the date and time you want the email message to send.
After you have selected the date and time to send the email message, click Close.
Finally, Send your email message to save it until it is designated to send automatically.

Bonus Tip:
Before you perform this procedure for the first time, test it by sending an email message to yourself to make sure that Outlook sends the email message when it is supposed to.

Verizon Wireless card built-in on Dell notebooks

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 03:52:00 +0000

Verizon is running a sweet deal right now to boost the sale of internal BroadbandAccess cards on certain Dell notebooks. If you sign up for a new 2 year contract you get $100 back in a mail in rebate.

Check out www.dell.com/verizonwireless for more details.

Use Gmail for your own domain

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:42:00 +0000

Why would you be interested in Google Apps, or for that matter what is Google Apps? Google has lumped it's online applications together in a service called Google Apps. Here is a link which lays out exactly what Google Apps includes...click here.

Some of you are already familiar with Gmail, but what most of you probably do not realize is that you can now use Gmail with your own domain email. So if you have firstname@yourname.com for an email address you can now have Google host your email instead of your current website hosting company. Note: You still keep your current website hosting company, you will just be using Gmail for email instead of your web hosting company's webmail. For instance I use 1and1.com to host my personal domain website, but I use Gmail to host my email for my personal domain name. So I still pay 1and1 monthly to host may website, but I do not use their email services. Why would you want to do that? Mainly because of the limitations of most web hosting web mail functionality...

The biggest reason I can see is the size of the mailbox. With Gmail you get 2Gb of space...that's a lot bigger than you will find at most web hosting companies.
Gmail is extremely fast unlike some other web mail I have seen and used.
Gmail has integrated chat with other Gmail users, including other users of your domain, comes in handy in a team environment.
With Gmail you can create up to 100 users, all for free.
Going back to the team environment again...with Google Calendar you can share calendars online which is great for teams.

So if you want to use Google Apps to host your email...you can click here to signup. You do have to have a regular Gmail account or Google Services account in order to get your domain's email hosted by Google. There is a link on the sign up page to do so. You can sign up for Google Apps and use your existing domain name or you can register a new domain name using Google for $10. The $10 domain registration fee is the only cost to use Google Apps, but if you already have a domain then there isn't any out of pocket costs. I should mention there is a Premier version of Google Apps which costs $50/per user/per year.

Very cool Real Estate site

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 23:30:00 +0000

Check out www.terabitz.com for a unique spin on the local real estate market.

First Post in Complete Computer Solutions Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Complete Computer Solutions) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 22:49:00 +0000

This is the first post in our blog "Tech Talk with CCS". Thanks for stopping by and remember Complete Computer Solutions for your pc, server, and network support.