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Putting Wikipedia in Your Pocket

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:00:00 PST

Like it or hate it, trust it or not, you can’t deny that Wikipedia is something of a phenomenon. It houses well over 3 million articles on hundreds of topics, and those numbers are growing daily. Many, many people use Wikipedia as a source of information, and for the most part it’s quite reliable. Obviously, you need to be connected to the Internet to use it. What happens when you’re offline and need your hit of Wikipedia? You’re not out of luck. Thanks to a company called OpenMoko, you can carry Wikipedia in your pocket. Literally. All thanks to a gadget called the WikiReader.

7 Fantastic New Windows 7 Features - “7 on 7”

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:29:00 PST

his last month we have seen Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows 7, debut to much fanfare and praise. In light of this, this weeks Tech Tip looks at 7 things that help make Windows 7 the next “must get” operating system for your desktop pc or notebook computer.

Is there a flip cam in your future?

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:00:00 PST

When it comes to electronics, some people just want something that’s smaller and simpler. From barebones MP3/MP4 players to netbooks to basic point-and-shoot digital cameras, more and more people seem to be demanding less from their gadgets.

One area in which this drive towards simplicity and compactness has really taken off is digital video. Gone are the days of bulky digital camcorders. You can now carry a powerful digital video camera in your pocket.

Welcome to the world of the flip cam, a gadget that’s changing the way millions of people look at recording video.

Pimp Your PC with Peripherals – Speakers and Webcams!

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:00:00 PDT

You know that there is nothing quite so pleasurable as Pimping out your PC – and what better way to do it than with upgrading your peripherals. In this week’s Tech Tip, we’ll look at some cool peripherals that will get your desktop PC styling in no time! Specifically, we’ll be looking at computer speakers and webcams.

Most computers already come with a set of speakers and while they are just fine for playing around on the desktop computer, sometimes you just yearn for a little more. So when it comes to wanting your computer to sound its best – whether for gaming, movies, music or online web experiences – then you find that “Pimping your PC” with an upgraded set of speakers makes you computer “come alive.”

Three Great Alternatives to Acrobat Reader

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:00:00 PDT

f there’s one type of file that’s become commonplace, it’s the PDF (short for Portable Document Format). On the Web. In the workplace. And just about everywhere else. It’s rare that you don’t see files that have the extension .pdf.

The most popular piece of software for viewing and printing PDF files is Acrobat Reader from Adobe. But like much software out there, Acrobat Reader has gained a bit of flab over the years. The current Windows version weighs in at just over 25 MB, while the Mac OS and Linux version tip the scales at 41 MB and 43 MB.

Let’s face it: that’s pretty hefty for something that’s meant to display files. Sure, Acrobat Reader has some pretty nifty features but most people can live without them.
Luckily, Acrobat Reader isn’t the only PDF viewing software around. There are some great alternatives to Acrobat Reader and this TechTip looks at three of them for Windows.

Forget Those Passwords - Literally (Thanks To OpenID)

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:00:00 PDT

You might recall a previous TechTip that looked at software you can use to wrangle all of the passwords you have for your favorite Web sites and Web services. Those apps are a good solution, but what if there was a way to securely log into multiple sites using only one ID?

That’s not a pipe dream. And it isn’t a matter of using the same user name and password for everything (remember, I said securely). A technology called OpenID offers that promise, and is on its way to delivering it.

Four Free Apps for Editing Your Photos Online

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:00:00 PDT

You might recall a couple of previous TechTips that covered some free, simple desktop computer photo editing software. But what happens if you’re using a netbook that might not have the grunt to run those apps efficiently? Or if you’re not using your own computer?

A more than viable alternative is to go online. This TechTip looks at why you’d want to and five of the better Web-based photo editors.

Pimping Your PC with Peripherals – Keyboards and Mice!

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:43:00 PDT

You get your shiny new PC delivered via FedEx. As you start to unpack and assemble that puppy, you realize that the peripherals (if they even have any) are usually of the most basic kind. It’s then that you realize that you need to “Pimp Your PC” with peripherals. In this Tech Tip we’ll look at two of the most basic of computer parts that will help you Geek out on your PC experience – yes, the lowly keyboard and mouse.

Choosing Webcams

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:34:00 PDT

I can remember my first encounter with a Web camera (or webcam, for short). It was in the early 1990s, and the item in question was perched atop the computer monitor of a friend’s desktop pc. It looked like a large, white, and evil eyeball. The video that the webcam picked up was choppy and in grayscale. But I can still remember how neat I thought that whole thing was.

Times change, and technology gets better. And so has the quality and variety of uses of webcams. Sure, you can still use a webcam to watch the cat or a pot of coffee, or to record silly hijinks. But you can do much more with one. Like record high-quality videos and and do audio/video conferencing over the Web.

Like choosing any other peripheral, picking the right webcam can be tough. This TechTip looks at some of the factors you should consider when you decide that a webcam is for you.

Four Apps to Take Your Tweeting to the Next Level

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:01:00 PDT

There’s no doubt that Twitter has become a major player in the world of social media. In fact, it’s pretty much at the top of the heap of the various microblogging services available on the Web.

And with good reason: Twitter is easy to use and the breadth and depth of posts is something to see.

For a power user (or a power user wannabe), the Twitter Web interface leaves a bit to be desired. It’s fine for reading and posting messages (called tweets in Twitter-speak). But the interface is lacking in a lot of ways. If you want to, for example, send a message to another Twitter user or retweet (repost an interesting message), then you have to remember a keyboard command and/or do some copying and pasting. Why do that, when you can use graphical tool that gives you point-and-click access to all the Twitter functions you need? And a few more to boot. There a number of desktop clients for Twitter, and a few Web-based ones too.

This TechTip looks at four of the more interesting Twitter clients out there. All of them are free, and they work on desktop computers that run Linux, Mac OS, and Windows.