This and That Technology Tips
Backups, GPS, Websites Galore, Death in the Family

April 26, 2006
Volume: 6; Issue 4

Got lots to share with you today. We'll be talking backup, GPS units, and a whole bunch of fun and educational websites. Because of the size and spam filters, my colorful emails are now a thing of the past.

On a somber note, Dylan Boy, my cat of 9 years was put to sleep on April 25, 2006. He struggled with bad health for over a year. I and all those whose lives he touched will miss him dearly. Read more at the end of the newsletter.

Spring Cheers,

Backup

One of the biggest tragedies I see - at least 1x/week - is people losing valuable data because their hard drive crashed, they got an evil virus, or their computer was stolen. As Ben Franklin used to say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Methods for backing up: On-line backup service (our current favorite), an external hard drive (like a Maxtor One-Touch Drive), CDs, DVDs, USB keys or even floppies (if you remember what these are). Just make sure to save your data to a secondary source on a daily basis.  People ask me "How often should I back up?" I reply, "How much data do you want to lose?" All methods have their plusses and minuses. I think the system that has the best chance of working regularly is an online backup service. Set the backup to run in the middle of the night, leave your computer on, and in the morning you'll have a full backup. Our favorite online service is iBackup. At it's most economical price, the cost is  $99/year for 5 G of data. It's well worth the price! In addition to having a backup system - it's important that you know how the backup system works and how to restore your data in case of a catastrophe.

Our second preferred method is the external hard drive backup. We believe you should purchase 2 of the exact same drives. You then install the drive and keep it on your system for a week. After week one, take the drive off-site and put the second of the 2 drives in  place. On week number 2, bring the first drive back and take drive #2 off-site. This is a great rotation scheme, that insures you have almost all of your data (except the current week) off-site. The off-site storage is important in case of fire, theft or other natural disaster.  You might also want to supplement this rotation system with backing up a subset of your data online.

We've set many of you up on backup systems, only to find out later that the system got fiddled with and backups were no longer being created. Make sure you check your backups regularly, restoring data to see if it works. If you have any questions on using your system backup or testing them, don't hesitate to have us out for a refresher training.
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Keep in Touch with a treasured business associate, a prospective client, a child, grandchild, mom or dad. Send them an Unexpected Printed Card that arrives in their postal mailbox at their home/office.
www.SendCardsWithEase.com

What would it be like if you didn't have to buy a card at the Hallmark store each time a special occasion came up?
What would it be like to not go to the post office to buy stamps every week?
What would it be like to send a restaurant/store gift card in a card to your kids or grand kids without leaving your home?
Wouldn't it be nice to send a greeting card in your own handwriting without having to leave your computer?

The answer is simple: Send Cards.  I've discovered this quick, easy and economical tool where you can send cards right from your computer and 2-3 days later (in the US), or 4-5 days later (outside the US), the mail carrier delivers your card . Then you get a smile or thanks of appreciation. Better yet, you may even edge out your competitor who sent a quick email of thanks for an appointment where you took the time to send a personalized greeting card with a photo of your client in it. This is NOT an e-card. The card company will print it, address it, stuff it, stamp it with a real stamp, and send it in the mail for you.

It's a bona fide greeting card, better than the ones you buy at the Hallmark store.  You can customize the wording, remove sayings you don't like and also upload photos! After trying SendOutCards myself, I liked it so much that I became a rep.  Let's spend 5 minutes together and I'll show you how easy it is to send a card to someone you care about from the comfort of your own computer. Please contact me at Send Cards With Ease  and we'll talk.
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Windows XP on a Mac - side by side with Windows OS X
http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/
Make sure you have an Intel-based Mac & Windows XP Service Pack 2 - Full Edition
(The Windows XP upgrade version doesn't work.)

Find out the price of your (or your neighbor's) home in the US
http://www.realestateabc.com/home-values/
http://www.zillow.com/
But...don't bet the farm on these numbers - these sites are still in their infancy.

Skype "Cell" Phone by Netgear
http://tools.netgear.com/skype/
Call anyone in the world with this phone - only requires a wireless network.
Free calls from Skype user to Skype user; small per call fee for Skype to non-Skype Users.
www.skype.com  for more info on this free computer/computer (and now Skype phone/Skype phone) service.

Create PDF Files for under $30 (versus the cost of Acrobat at $300)
http://www.docu-track.com/buy/users/
http://www.docudesk.com/desk_pdf_standard.shtml
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We provide you with "In The Moment" Tech Support Worldwide!
We provide you with "In The Moment" and at your computer Tech Support in SF and the Bay Area!
Get any computer question answered - from anywhere you are!
Know a cousin, sister, brother or mother who isn't happy with their computer tech where they live? Need a quick answer to a question and don't want to wait on hold for an hour (or more - i.e. Dell tech support)?

We have the solution!! We have opened our support services on a world wide basis. We are now supporting clients via phone, remote access and email. Our response time is fantastic and we have knowledgeable folks in all areas of computing, accounting, file management, Internet access, email, Treos/Cell Phones, iPods, and lots more. Our remote access allows us to view your computer, real time, from our offices here in California. Call 408.732.8500 or e-mail us today to set up an appointment.
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Nüvi GPS by Garmin (otherwise known as Andi)

The following product review is about a specific  model of GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System. They are most commonly used in cars. Just plug in the address and the GPS will step by step tell you out loud where to go. You'll never use maps again! GPS use has expanded to biking, walking, running, boating, hiking, cell phones - even tracking children during their day with watches with built-in GPS. Many of the features listed here are in all GPS systems.

My favorite GPS is the Garmin nüvi .  What distinguishes the Nüvi from all other GPS Units, is that the Nüvi put all the features together in a very small package with one of the best interfaces in the market. It also has a super clear display in direct sunlight and has "type ahead," guessing for the city and street name when you begin typing. Most GPS units have just type ahead for the city.

Combined with detailed maps, the Nüvi provides automatic routing, turn-by-turn voice directions and finger-touch screen control, ­making it easy to find your way anywhere. The Nüvi also offers a travel kit of useful travel tools to help make any journey more fun: MP3 player, Audio Book Player from Audible.com, JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, and calculator.  If you truly want good sound from the MP3 player, I recommend headphones (not while driving, of course), or external speakers.

My GPS, known as Andrea (or Andi for short) is the Nüvi  350.  A popular phenomenon is for GPS owners to name their GPS units. The GPS is getting to be "standard equipment" in most vehicles.  For those of us who travel most of our day, they have become an indispensable part of our lives. They navigate the road (in the Nüvi  350's case - it pronounces street names and tells you the side of the street the location is on), and can find us the nearest restaurant/church/gas station/entertainment destination/bathroom. They also tell us if we're going to be late, early or on-time, can give us the traffic conditions and much more! I've tried several GPS units and the thing that I like best about the Nüvi 350 is it's deck of cards size, and that it can be easily recharged outside the car. If you keep the Nüvi charged, the unit does not have to be plugged into the lighter. Most other GPS units have a big bulge on the back so they are much less convenient to store and take in/out of the car.

When I went on vacation to Arizona, it was great having Andi with me. The unit immediately helped me find my hotel. Then I used Andi to find the location of the conference.  The nüvi recommended food places, upon our request, but it failed in its cookie locator skills (or we just couldn't find a cookie store near the conference).

I love the extra features, that are not found on many GPS units - MP3 music player to listen  to favorite tunes, the photo sideshow (see favorite photos while driving) and the audible book player. The POI (Points of Interest) are incredible. You're driving in an unfamiliar town and you feel like Italian food. You click on Restaurants, Italian and Voila - you have the 10-15 closest Italian restaurants.  Click on a restaurant and you get the directions on how to get there. So far, the only category of food that I've found missing is vegetarian cuisine.

Another wonderful feature is the auto-update feature. Once program is installed, you plug your unit into the USB port and you get latest software enhancements at no charge. Almost monthly, Garmin is making tweaks to the system to further refine the features and increase the usability of the device - based on customer feedback. Additionally, with a POI uploader, you can download other people's POIs throughout the world from GPSPassion.com among other sites. The POIs at http://tinyurl.com/olt3l and http://www.gps-poi-us.com/ include US destinations. I've loaded Fry's electronics, Target stores, and Hotsprings as POI categories.

Optional features include: Language Guide, Travel Guide and Traffic Reports. I haven't used the traffic condition extra unit, which supposedly works quite well (I've yet to test this add'l unit).  For a $700 unit, I feel it's a bit chincy of Garmin to make you pay for the Language and Travel Guides. I feel you should get at least 1 language and 1 travel destination of your choice included with unit.

From what I hear, if you get a GPS installed in a car it's a $1,500 - $3,500 options. Currently, the lowest price I've found for the Garmin Nüvi 350 is $649. This price is quite competitive with other units in its class. In comparison to an installed auto unit, the Nüvi's portability allows you to use it in any car or take it with you abroad (but you'll need to pay for any non-US maps).

Garmin is to release Nüvi 360, - the successor to the Nüvi 350 -  sometime later this year, most likely in July 2006. In addition to all the features listed above, this Nüvi will have a self-locking device - making the unit impossible to use unless unlocked and will have built-in blue tooth.  This means your Nüvi can be a hands free speaker phone, as long as you have a bluetooth enabled phone. List price is $899.  If luck holds, the Nüvi 350 could come down dramatically in price right before the Nüvi 360 is release.

Related Links
Lowrance iWay 350C - $384; Lowrance iWay 500C - $594 Competitive product: Has 4 G (350C) and 20 G (500C) hard drives - only 20 G can take MP3 songs. Cost is very attractive. Reportedly not as accurate as Nüvi, doesn't come with separate power charger (only one for the car), no predictive text (as you start typing, it does not guess the city/street - the Nüvi does), No "detour" button (when you run into traffic, the Nüvi finds an alternate route), and this GPS is considerably heavier than the Nüvi (strangely, they don't even list the weight on the website). The Lowrance's biggest selling point - the low price and 14-17 hour battery life.

Grab-bag of Fun Sites

Fry's Electronics Ads
http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/
Check out ads - on-line, sometimes they're a little behind, but this site gives you good idea of Fry's sale prices.

Call 411 - no charge
http://www.free411.com/
Put this number in your cell under "411" contact - 800-373-3411
This will cost you cell minutes only - but won't be $1-$3 that cell phone companies charge you.

Buy Office Supplies - Give Profits Back to the Community
http://www.givesomethingback.com/
Based on Newman's Own - buy a product at a great price - give money back to your local community.

Prince Rogers Nelson (aka Prince)

Minnesota has birthed two of my all time favorite artists. Prince, who I totally got into when I was in college, is one of my top 5 artists of all time. Can you guess who the other top 5 artist from Minnesota is?  Stay tuned for the next issue of T & T to learn the answer. 

Prince (artist) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://tinyurl.com/pr8mq
Prince via Google Music
http://tinyurl.com/fq6kv
Prince Lyrics
http://www.princelyrics.co.uk/
Prince - Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews
http://www.warr.org/prince.html
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Dylan Boy
Friend, Teacher, Guide
RIP - 4/25/2006

It is with great sadness and even greater reluctance that I put Dylan, my wonderful cat to sleep at 10:06 am, Tuesday, April 25, 2006.

This was the toughest decision I've ever had to make, as Dylan was still alert and responsive. Unfortunately, he had lost almost all his appetite, was no longer purring and whenever he sat down he had his back to me. He had suffered from diabetes & pancreatitis for over a year. He was now in kidney failure. His last meal was about 10 fingers full of Vaseline and 2 ear plugs - go figure! Not my choice - his!!

He was born on July 4th, 1996. He died tonight, April 25, 2006, just a few months shy of his 10th birthday. He is survived by his step-sister Adrienne and me, his dad.

Dylan meant the world to me and he was like a son. I will miss him very much.

I'm so grateful for my vet Rachel for coming to my home to assist with Dylan's departure and my girlfriend Faune for being by my side as Dylan was put to sleep.

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Hope you enjoyed the ride....

Clyde Lerner, In The Moment Computing
Phone: 408.732.8500
E-mail comments/feedback to: http://www.itmcomputing.com/contact_computer.php

Use the power of the Internet to create a paper greeting card and send it in the mail without leaving the comfort of your desk!  Request a gift account and I'll show you how to use this remarkable relationship-building tool. www.sendcardswithease.com

This newsletter is a service of In The Moment Computing and is Copyright 2005 Clyde Lerner. All worldwide rights reserved. If forwarding, please forward all of e-mail, not any portion therein. To see past issues of This and That Computer Tips newsletter, please visit the web at: http://www.itmcomputing.com/newsletter.php and click on "Archives."

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