Tag Archives: Internet

Computers Internet

Is this download (.RAR file) safe to open?

December 30, 2010 – 1:35 pm

Q.
Many sites and forums I go to have files for download that end in .rar . Are they safe to open?

A.
Many Windows (and other OS) users are familiar with the file extension .ZIP. ZIP is a file compression technique (algorithm actually) that has been around for a long time. RAR files are just a different type of compression. There are technical differences between the two, but to the end user, they’re basically the same.

Windows (since XP at least) has the ability built-in to decompress ZIP files, but not RAR files. To uncompress a RAR file, you can use the open source file compression software 7Zip. As the name suggests, it works on ZIP files, but also on RAR, GZ, GZIP, 7Z, and many other compression formats.

7Zip is free for non-commercial use as per the GNU LGPL license, and is available for Windows (Windows 7 / Vista / XP / 2008 / 2003 / 2000 / NT / ME / 98) as well as Linux.

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Computers Home Electronics Internet

Looking for an eReader for under $200 with a color screen?

December 29, 2010 – 8:31 pm

Q.
I’m trying to find an eReader with a color screen that’s at least 6″ diagonal, and works with Barnes and Noble eBook service. WiFi is a must, as is having removable storage. Any ideas?

A.
We always have ideas :)

Recently, a company called Pandigital has released a product called the Pandigital Novel Color (Model PRD07T10WWH7). In the US it is available at Bed, Bath and Beyond for under $200, as well as a few online retailers.

The Pandigital 7″ Color eReader features an 800 x 600 pixel 7″ diagonal touchscreen (TFT LCD), an ARM11 processor (Samsung S3C6410) running at 800Mhz, 1GB of internal storage, an SD/MMC memory slot for up to 32GB extra storage, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, access to the Barnes and Noble eBook store, and (awesomely) it runs the Android Operating System. It’s our favorite new eReader.

Why is it our favorite you ask? It’s hackable. You can install a “vanilla” Android 2.0 OS in order to, basically, turn this bad boy into an Android Tablet (check out this site for some more info).

It’s also fairly lightweight (though not the lightest at 19 oz.), an capable of playing most media file types, including MP3, AAC, WAV, MPEG4 Movies and common picture formats like JPEG, BMP, PNG, and GIF’s.

The standard manufacturers warranty is 1 year. Take a look at some images below:

Pandigital 7" Color eReader
Pandigital 7" Color eReader

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Internet Networking VOIP

Looking for just VOIP, something simple, not a “package”, that works for a small business?

December 27, 2010 – 1:27 am

Q.
I run a small business out of a converted out building about 1000′ from my house, and I need a VOIP solution that will work with my wireless internet connection. I’ve tried using MagicJack, and while one works OK over the wireless connection, two or more causes major headaches or just plain stops working. I also tried a company called ViaTalk, but the quality of the calls was terrible. My wireless connection is to the house and is run off cable internet with a static address. I need at least 4 lines, and need it to work, and hopefully not cost much (less than what the phone company would charge for 4 additional lines, which is a TON of money). Any Ideas?

A.

Editorial Note – This answer is specific to a remote solution for business use, but the same equipment and providers would work equally as well for a single line residential setup.

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is actually ideal for your low-cost needs, though 4 lines over a wireless internet connection is asking a lot. It’s doable, it just requires proper setup and equipment. The same setup will work just as well (or better) if the connection is wired.

In this case, the first thing you’ll need is a decent wireless router. The best choice based on experience is the Linksys WRT610N ver.2, running the freely available DD-WRT firmware. The extra memory and build quality of the Linksys combined with the stability of the DD-WRT firmware make for an excellent, low latency, highly configurable router setup. The router is to be used as the “internet connection” in the out-building, via the DD-WRT’s “bridge” mode.

Next, you’ll need a fairly capable wireless access point to connect to the cable modem, to provide a wireless link to the Linksys 610N. After some searching on the net, the best, most cost effective solution would be the TRENDnet TEW-637AP. It’s reviews show it to be a capable performer while having very few drawbacks. The 802.11n link between the two should be very reliable at 1000′, so long as there is a fairly good line of sight, which, if you can get a link right now, should present no problem.

Now that the hardware is sorted out, you’ll need a VOIP provider that can suit your needs. Four lines shouldn’t be a problem with the above hardware setup, so the real concern now will be cost vs. quality. After doing some research, it’s a toss up between two companies, depending on whether you want to use the VOIP virtually (through a PC), or physically (through actual phones).

For a virtual setup, RingCentral would be the way to go. You can get single lines, virtual fax extensions, even a virtual PBX (multiple lines), all at really good monthly rates (very competitive with other VOIP providers). They even have free trials on the single lines, so you could try the system out for 30 days to test it to make sure it meets your needs.

For a physically connected phone setup (utilizing separate phones for each VOIP system), the best solution for your business would likely be Nextiva. They have an unlimited phone service for under $17 per month (per line), and experience shows that you can in fact use several of their VOIP adapters at once over a single internet connection.

Your internet connection will have to support at least 128k upload per active line in order for everything to work properly, not including the requirements for regular internet traffic. For the 4 line example, simultaneous use of all lines would require 512k of upload capability. For safety’s sake, doubling that would be advisable (in this case, a 1MB upload cap should be sufficient).

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Computers Internet Reviews

Review: Linux Mint 10

December 26, 2010 – 2:25 am

I’ve had a long time love-hate relationship with Linux distributions. I love that there is a stable, freely available operating system that will run on just about any computer you can throw it at. I hate that, partly due to it’s open-source nature, there are SO many different distributions – each with their own idea of what should or shouldn’t be included in an OS. Top that off with licensing problems, proprietary hardware and software drivers, and copyright/distribution issues with bundled software (like Flash or Java), and Linux distributions can scare some people back to the evil that is Microsoft.

Ubuntu, probably the most popular and well known distribution, is good in it’s own right – it is very stable, has different versions that suit almost anyone, and is supported by many software providers (including Google). But Ubuntu does have drawbacks (though, honestly, not many).

Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, but comes complete with most of the little bits of software that make an internet connected computer much more user-friendly. Most of what comes installed in Mint is what any Ubuntu user would install anyways, without the hassles involved in doing the installing.

Linux Mint 10 Welcome Screen

Linux Mint 10 Start Menu

I have been using Linux Mint 9 LXDE edition on my eMachines em250 Netbook (a re-branded Acer Aspire) for about 6 months now, and have had relatively few hiccups. There were a few problems, in that sometimes it would hang on startup (which I’m pretty sure had something to do with the ext4 filesystem), sometimes the mouse would randomly decide not to work after loading the window manager (never figured that one out), the wireless connections would occasionally disconnect and never reconnect (all of which could be solved by rebooting – which I hate to do), and the biggest problem (to me anyways) was the piss-poor power management.

Well, after some late-night tinkering a few nights ago, I FUBAR’d the machine so badly that I decided to wipe it and start from scratch. I really like Mint, and the latest edition had just come out (Mint 10 GNOME), so I gave it a go.

I won’t bore you with the details. Simply put, Mint 10 is awesome. All the problems I had with Mint 9 no longer exist – the em250 boots clean every time (I reformatted using ext3), the mouse, sound, webcam and wireless work flawlessly (after installing the Broadcom wireless driver), the power management works as one would expect, and much to my surprise, the entire OS seems to work and respond faster, even with the desktop effects turned on with the GNOME desktop (as opposed to my previous LXDE / no effects setup).

Essentially, my opinion is Mint 10 may be the best consumer-grade, home user friendly distribution of Linux I’ve ever used. Check it out at www.linuxmint.com. You won’t be disappointed. Just make sure you download the DVD edition, which has all the cool stuff (CODECS, Flash, etc..) preinstalled. If you use a netbook like I do, you can make a USB flash drive installer using Unetbootin and a 1GB or larger USB stick.

Linux Mint 10 may just be the death of Windows.

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Computers Internet

What is the best Linux distribution for someone used to using Windows?

December 23, 2010 – 8:05 pm

Q.
I have several old computers that can’t run newer versions of Windows without some serious hardware upgrades. I don’t want to trash the computers, as they still work, but I don’t want to deal with the hassle of upgrading them, so I’m thinking of donating them. Most are Windows 98 and Windows ME computers. All of the have at least 256MB of memory, most are 512MB. All of them use on-board video and audio.

I’d like to use a newer operating system on these older machines and donate them to people who don’t have computers. I’ve heard of Linux and know some people who use it, but I don’t know much about it. How do I install Linux on the computers?

A.
Linux is a wonderful thing. Whether you know it or not, you probably use it every day. The Linux Kernel (the heart of any Linux Distribution) is widely used on the internet, in televisions, in cars, in DVR’s, and cell phones (Android is based on Linux), among many other devices.

When it comes to computers, the Linux Kernel is the basis of many “distributions”, or versions of the Linux Operating System. Linux itself is not an Operating System in the commonly used vernacular – Linux refers to the “kernel”, or brains of the OS. A “distribution” is the Operating System – all the interfaces, menus, and programs that make up the end-user experience.

Now that that little lesson is out of the way, down to the core of the question – which Linux distribution would be best suited as a replacement for Windows.

There are literally hundreds of different distributions, all of which have their merits. We have found that one in particular is very easy for those accustomed to Windows to learn very quickly, and that would be Linux Mint. Even with Mint though, there are a variety of choices. Mint comes in a few different “flavors”, but we’ll focus on the 3 easiest – Mint KDE, Mint GNOME, and Mint XFCE.

All three are similar – the difference’s being the preinstalled software and the hardware requirements. Basically, Mint KDE is the prettiest but has higher hardware requirements, Mint XFCE is the most “vanilla” but has the lowest hardware requirements, and Mint GNOME is a good mix of both (and my personal favorite).

For the computers that have at least 512MB of memory, I would suggest either the GNOME or KDE version, for those less that 512MB I would stick with the XFCE version. In any event, you should have at least 384MB for any of them – less than that may cause problems. The GNOME and XFCE versions should be easy for Windows users to learn quickly. KDE is a little more advanced, with much more eye-candy, but may be harder for some to get used to.

You can find more information about Linux Mint at their website:
Linux Mint Home Page

Downloads (free) can be found here:

Mint KDE

Mint GNOME

Mint XFCE

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Computers Internet Networking Virus / Spyware / Malware

Which is the best Antivirus Software for a PC?

December 21, 2010 – 9:29 pm

Q.
I have a few PC’s at home and a bunch at work, and I (and my boss) can’t decide which antivirus is the best. Some of the PC’s are Windows XP, some are Vista, and a few are new Windows 7 PC’s. They also need antispyware software. Which is the best for stopping virus’s and spyware?


AVG Internet Security - Tough on threats.

A.
This is a question that we get a lot. And it’s complicated – the mix of home and business use, different operating systems, and the need for multiple installations presents a challenge. We like challenges :)

First, you have to understand, from a technicians point of view, spyware, virus’s, crapware, malware – all the same. It’s all software designed to either rip you off or use your computer to rip someone else off, all the while slowing down the PC, killing your internet speed, and causing pop-ups and other annoyances.

Finding an Internet Security Suite that works, but doesn’t slow the PC down horribly bad is a balancing act – more protection requires more processing. The best antivirus / antispyware software is that which is designed to protect the computer without using to many resources.

Asking which is the best is like asking which doctor is the best to rid you of an exotic disease. The answer is the one with the most (specific) experience. This translates to an Internet Security Suite that updates often. Unfortunately, this means more use of resources. Always a trade off.

By far, the most useful Internet Security Suite I’ve ever come across is AVG Internet Security ( Single PC / Multiple PC’s ). It has a VERY high rate of detection (though none is perfect) and protection, as well as a reasonable price, especially in a volume license setting (multiple computers), and works on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. We’ve used it for a few years with great results. It’s also nice that AVG has a money-back guarantee for 30 days – if it doesn’t work, just return it, it’s that simple.

An important note –

Many times (most actually), someone will decide to purchase a new Internet Security Suite AFTER a PC is infected. The thinking is that it will somehow fix the pre-existing problems. The sad fact is, it rarely works that way. It’s like trying to put a patch in a tire after it’s been completely blown out – it just doesn’t work that way. In order for an antivirus or antispyware suite to be effective, it has to be installed on a “clean” computer. This may require bringing the PC to a qualified repair shop to either rid the PC of the virus’s (using another “clean” computer), or to backup the important information and reinstall Windows.

Another important note – most people believe in the logic of “if one is good, two must be better” when it comes to antivirus software. Not so. If anything will slow down a PC, it’s running multiple Internet Security softwares. They will constantly compete with each other, causing the PC to slow to a crawl. Only install one Internet Security Suite, period.

The best protection however, is the user. Certain rules should ALWAYS be followed when it comes to internet use. Rule #1 – nothing in life is free – especially on the internet. “Free” screen savers, security programs, downloaders, games, etc.. are almost always bundled with spyware or virus’s. Rule # 2 – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Lots of times, a crappy website will pop up telling you your computer is infected, or your computer is “slow” and can be fixed by installing something. NO SECURITY SOFTWARE WILL EVER ALERT YOU OF PROBLEMS IN A BROWSER WINDOW! It’s a trick. Rule # 3 – if it seems too good to be true, it is. Clicking on an ad that tells you you’re a “winner” of some prize is almost sure to cause problems. Simple rules, but they’ll save you from hours of headaches later.

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Computers Internet Satellite Television

Is there any way to watch live TV on the Internet for free?

December 19, 2010 – 2:09 pm

Q.
I have a broadband Internet connection (DSL) and I’m wondering if there is a way to watch live TV on my computer. Satellite TV is too expensive and there is no cable TV where I live (if you can believe it). We just got DSL and I’m wondering if I can watch TV on my computer?


Download RealPlayer for FREE

A.
We’ve had many people ask this question. There are some options for live TV, but not many. There are also tons of sites that will let you watch TV shows and movies for free, most offering “newer” content for a fee.

Here are some sites that allow free viewing:

Hulu – probably the best known free TV site. They have thousands of movies and TV shows that you can watch for free, many of the TV shows being only a week or two old.

NBC / ABC / CBS / FOX – all the major networks have some type of free viewing available, usually a week old.

Justin.TV – many live feeds from TV stations all over the world.

Just to name a few.

There are some non-free alternatives as well:

RealNetworks SuperPass – lots TV shows and music, for no a lot of money. 14 day Free Trial lets you try it before buying.

NetFlix Online – tons of movies and shows, also offers a 1 month free trial.

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Computers Internet Networking

What is a good router for multiple computers and a PS3?

December 19, 2010 – 1:31 pm

Q.
My router sucks! I want to be able to play PS3 without lagging. I want a router where I can be on the computer or laptop and on the PS3 without the connection being interrupted. What would be a good router for this?

A.
Using multiple connected devices will cause any router to lag a little, but a cheap router will definitely have more of an issue. What you need is a decent router that has QoS abilities.

QoS (Quality of Service) is just a fancy way of saying “load balancing” – making sure no single device gets priority over the others. QoS can also be tailored to give a specific device priority over others.

Most Linksys routers are capable of decent QoS on their own, it’s simply a matter of setting it up properly. The best solution though, in my opinion, is using a router with the DD-WRT firmware.

DD-WRT is free, and can turn an off-the-shelf router into a workhorse router. You can check out their site to see which router models will support DD-WRT. Personally, I’ve had the best luck with the Linksys WRT610N.

Another option that might work (or might not, depends on what router you have) is to put the PS3′s IP address in the router’s DMZ. You’ll have to look at the documentation for your router to see if it supports DMZ (most do).

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Cell Phones Computers Internet

I am looking for an electronic organizer…?

December 16, 2010 – 3:52 pm

Q.
I was hoping you could help me. I am not looking for anything extravagant. This is what I am looking to use my organizer for…

* A Calender for managing my schedule
* An alarm system for reminders
* And most importantly, something which will allow me to organize my diet plan, make lists of foods and what I wish to eat on certain days

I thank you in advance. Right now I am not putting down a price, but for what I am looking for, I don’t expect the most expensive brand.

A.
A cheap smartphone will do everything you’re looking to do, but you’ll end up paying a monthly service fee. A better option would be something like a small Tablet PC.

Tablets have all the advantages of a PC, just smaller. Most of the better ones have built in wireless, so you can browse the web, get email, etc. so long as there’s a wireless access point available. Calendars, alarms, even diet planners are available, especially if it runs the Android OS.

Coby makes a decent little (7″) tablet from under $200. It runs the Android 2.1 OS (the same as many smartphones), has built in wireless, and tons of apps available, including calendars, schedulers, even diet planners. If you need more info, just click the picture below.

Coby Kyros MID7015 7-Inch Android Internet Touchscreen Tablet - Black
COBY Kyros 7″ Tablet with Android

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Cell Phones

How much is the monthly bill for the DROID X or DROID 2?

December 16, 2010 – 3:18 pm

Q.
I have a Blackberry now with AT&T, but thinking of going with Verizon for one of the Droids.

I’m just wondering how much is the bill? I would want unlimited text, internet and email then for the minutes I would want as little as possible because I barely talk on the phone. Thanks!

A.
There is really no such thing as “unlimited” services. Verizon has a package for the DROID X and the DROID 2 that will come close to what you’re looking for though. For about $90 per month, you will get 450 “anytime” minutes, unlimited night and weekend calling, and free calling all the time to other Verizon Wireless users. You’ll also get unlimited email and web browsing. Text messaging is where they get you though – it’s unlimited to other Verizon users, but outside the Verizon network, you’ll only get 5000 messages per month. For $10 less, you can get a plan that allows only 500 messages per month.

My personal favorite supplier of phones and plans is LetsTalk.com – they have every plan available for every network, and many of their phones end up being free after activation.

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