The favored Colts will be playing the storyline Saints for the 2010 Super Bowl.  But, what are us New York Giants and Jets fan to do?  We can watch the commercials to keep us interested.

As for the computer support or technology service commercials, these are the ones that typically revolutionize the computer industry.  Take for instance, the Apple commercial in 1984 that took the world by storm, with the woman runner throwing a javelin into the screen while hundreds of drones looked on.  It was symbolic for waking up the drone-like IBM or PC industry with the Apple computers.  From that point on, Apple became the company with shocking commercials along with the gift to spread rumors to hype up their products.  They might have another commercial up their sleeves to shock the PC world.

Also, many years ago, was the eTrade commercial where monkeys traded stock.  It was portraying how easy the website was to use for stock trading that even a monkey can do it.  Be on the look out this year for the baby and his baby friends to scare of some more “Shankapotamus” folks and easily perform trades.

Then, you can also expect to see some more GoDaddy almost-censored ads.  Its original ad had a Godaddy Girl have a waldrobe malfunction while pleading to the jury about their domain and hosting services.  They have bought 2 ads - 1 in the 1st quarter and another in the 4th quarter.  Watch out for more skin or at least more well-endowed Godaddy Girls.

Enjoy the Super Bowl!  Hopefully, the younger brother, Eli Manning will turn it around for the Giants next year!

A typical computer network has a server that hosts e-mails and file sharing.  The setup cost for the hardware could range from $4,000 and up while the setup fees and ongoing maintenance could be in the thousands also.  A new alternative has been cloud computing.  With this new method, there is no need for server equipment, server anti-virus and anti-spam software.  Everything is administered in the cloud, or online.

With Google Apps, for instance, you can share e-mails, contacts, and calendar for $50/per user annually.  With this pricing, you can anti-spam protection.  You still need anti-virus protection on your computer.  Best of all, the tech setup is pretty straight-forward.  How does it work?  Instead of Microsoft Exchange server, you use the Google website as your Exchange server which syncs between Outlook and Google.  So, if you don’t want to use the Google website, you can continue to use your Outlook.  The cool factor is that you can sync your Blackberry with it as if it were a Blackerry Enterprise Server.  This means you can sync everything from your Blackberry on the fly.  iPhones can be synced with the emails also.

As per file sharing, you can do that also as well as limit access to certain folks.  The challenge or issue with the cloud computing is that you’ll need a fast Internet connection in order to quickly access and download files, e-mails, calendars, and contacts.  If your Internet is slow or down, your business is down as well.  So, you should still keep an external hard drive handy for quick back-ups.

Overall, cloud computing is here to stay and will foster as Internet speeds get faster and faster.  Google, Amazon, and Yahoo are the leaders right now as the cloud computing providers.  If interested, you can take a trial run first to see if you’re interested.   Feel free to contact one of our cloud computing computer experts for more info.

It is tempting to take your Windows XP or Vista computer, and just upgrade it to Windows 7.  No questions asked, just to do it.  Windows 7 is the best operating system yet, according to our Windows tech team, and so why not upgrade?

Before blindly upgrading your computer to Windows 7, check your computer manufacturer’s website to ensure all of the drivers are available for Windows 7.  You might be finished with your Windows 7 upgrade, and then realize you don’t have sound or wireless capable.  Not a good upgrade, eh?

Also, you’ll want to make sure to get the right version of Windows, either a manufacturer-based one for your computer, or a regular Windows 7 one from the store.  Basically, make sure you don’t put in a Dell Windows CD if you have a Sony!

Overall, you can upgrade directly from Windows Vista to 7.  But, with Windows XP, you’ll need to perform a full installation of Windows 7 so back up your files first.  Also, make sure your computer meets the minimum Windows 7 system requirements.

If you need help with your Windows 7 upgrade, feel free to call an NYC Windows 7 expert. 

Windows 7 has lots of cool features that are overlooked.  Did you know that Windows 7 can burn CDs and DVDs all by itself?  You don’t need Roxio or Nero to burn files any more.  Just use version 7’s own software.  This new feature has forced Nero to offer free software in the hope that users will buy the upgraded version.

Also, the Windows 7 operating system has an ISO burner built in.  An ISO burner allows you to copy software from the Internet and make it bootable.  For instance, if you need to download Windows or a Ghost image software, that needs to be booted into to work, the ISO burner via Windows will do that for you.  In previous Windows versions, you needed a third-party software to buy in order to install the ISO burner software.

So, as you can see, there are some neat little features built into Windows that allows you to work within Windows instead of shopping for must-have software, especially for burning CDs and DVDs.  Windows 7 sure is turning into Microsoft’s best kept secret, or as we like to say, their saving grace after releasing Windows Vista.

The iPad, yes it’s a glorified iPhone, or in others’ minds, the Kindle-killer.  What does this all mean?

At 1.5 pounds with a 9.7″ screen, the iPad is a touch-screen laptop.  Well, it’s not big enough to go in your pocket, or have a webcam to make video conference calls, but it can act like an iPhone or iPod on a larger scale.  No more squinting at downloading apps with this larger-than-life iPhone.  The cool factor is not only having a touch screen, but having 10 hours of battery life and just prices out at $499 - $829.  Also, you can run all the apps from the apps store, grab iBooks (also like Amazon’s Kindle book reader), listen to music and watch videos.   Plus, there is a keyboard dock that turns your laptop into the smallest, slickest desktop.

The thumbs-down part comes when talking about speed and space - only 1GHZ of processing speed and only 16-64GB of space on a flash drive.  How does Apple come out with a product that has 64GB of storage at top capacity?  For a device that is aimed at competing against the Kindle for downloading books and for downloading songs, surely one will run out of space quickly unless plugging in an external hard drive.

Overall, this device is another revolutionary Apple product, but just because it is a Kindle that can do computer functions too, and has an extraordinary docking station that seamlessly still showcases its beautiful screen.  At its pricing, it’s worth having as a floating laptop with a dock for quick e-mails, Internet, and to use for reading books on the go.  Other than that, get a netbook if you want a cheap, lower-speed laptop as an extra device.  And you won’t have to wait 2-3 more months of hype-blasting from Steve Jobs.

Setting up the Time Capsule from a Windows computer should be simple, but sometimes you could get into serious trouble if you don’t follow the right steps.  Here is a Time Capsule set-up guide to set up wireless, the hard drive, and a printer from a Windows computer:

1. Connect your Time Capsule device to your modem.  Make sure to turn off your modem first and then turn on the Time Capsule.
2. Install Airport Utility 5.4.2
3. Choose your Apple Airport from the Windows networks list
4. Open Airport Utility and select your Time Capsule
5. Choose broadband and if you’re using a static or DHCP client - usually it’s DHCP
6. Make sure to set up the password encryption to WPA/WPA2 Personal since Windows Vista or above is not a big fan of WEP.
7. Go into Manual Setup to click on the “Disks” in order to select yours and create a secure password.  You can also share a printer from this section.

That’s it!  This tech support guide should get you well on your way to setting up your Time Capsule from your Windows computer.

Firewall routers used to cost a fortune, typically in the thousands.  Now, Sonicwall has produced the Sonicwall TZ100 that is a little bit more expensive than a high-end router, at approximately $450.   So, do you need a firewall like this?  Does it act like a router also?

With the emerging threats of viruses, spyware, hackers, and other threats, the Sonicwall TZ200 Wireless-N prevents such security vulnerabilities.  Plus, it provides the industry-fast speed of Wireless N as well as providing 5-ports to connect desktops to.  You can VPN into your home office or computer network with this by using secure Sonicwall software.  Overall, this acts as a powerful wireless router with advanced security protection against the latest threats.  Depending on the vendor, you might also receive content filtering technology which will allow you to decide which kinds of websites are restricted.

You’ll receive 9AM - 5PM tech support from Sonicwall and the setup requires some tech expertise.

If your laptop can’t get sound, you’re not out of luck.  There a several steps to try before throwing your laptop out. 

Here are the laptop repair steps to try for lacking audio:

1. Check the volume!  Make sure it’s not on mute or down low.
2. Check any physical audio buttons on the side panel of your laptop. It might be set to very low.
3. Look for any sound programs that might be preventing audio
4. If that doesn’t work, your next decision is either changing the sound board or the motherboard.
5. Step 4 is pricey, so skip it and plug in a USB laptop speaker instead and get instant sound!

Replacing a sound board or motherboard could cost close to a new laptop.  Instead, you can buy a $40 portable USB laptop speaker that will perform a quick, cheap fix.  Plus, you don’t need a tech repair person to set it up for you.  You just plug it in, and as long as your USB port works, you’ll be listening to your favorite band in no time.

A common computer issue we’ve seen lately is an alert popping up from the bottom-right part of the screen that says “Local area connection unplugged.”  This will come up periodically.  You might still have Internet access or intermittent online access.

This “local area connection unplugged” error usually lies in the one of three causes:

1. Network cable is faulty between your computer and the port, router, or modem
2. Network interface card (NIC), or network jack, that the network cable connects to is failing; or
3. The router or modem port that the network cable is connected to is failing.

The first thing to do is call up your Internet Service Provider, such as Verizon or TimeWarner.  They’ll send a signal from their central office to your modem to make sure everything is okay from their end.  Once that checks out, replace your network cable to see if that fixes it.  If not, a quick work-around fix is to make your computer wireless by installing a wireless card and then you won’t have to worry about local area connection issues.  Otherwise, you can replace your network interface card by installing a network adapter. 

Then, you can run the network cable from that adapter to your modem or router.  Finally, if that doesn’t work, or if you’re just too lazy to try those steps,have your Internet Service Provider replace your modem, claiming that the network port from the modem is faulty which lately has been the case.

It is good judgement to replace your modem every once in a while anyway since its speed, like routers, degrade over time.  The one thing that your Internet Service Provider cannot test is the port on the modem that connects to your local network.  So, when all else fails, you should persuade them that is the problem.  They might need you to test it out with another computer or just take your word for it.

GoToMyPC has long been a great way to remote into your PC.  This comes in handy if you’re at home and you want to remote into your office computer, or vice versa.  Now, you can also remote into your Mac with GoToMyPC whether you are using a PC or Mac from your starting computer. 

In the past, remoting into a Mac was a mess.  You needed VPN, VNC, or another V-named program.  There was never a simple way to remote into a Mac.  The GoToMyPC makes it a piece of cake.  For your Mac to accept this computer remote solution, you’ll need to have at least Mac OS 10.4 or later and Java enabled for your browser. 

You can test it out first with a 30-day trial.  This is definitely a great way to avoid the commute and the tech support setup for this software is a breeze!