Bioscrypt, a Toronto-based company, has produced a new way to log on to your computer.  Your face!  The company has produced a 3D DeskCam that uses its lens and infrared technology to scan a face to authenticate computer users.

How does it work?  The camera uses approximately 40,000 identification points on the phase, notably the bridge of the nose, eye sockets, forehead, and cheek bones.  This way, if a guy shaves or a woman applies extra makeup, the camera will still recognize the password protected, or face protected, user.  The only time you would have to get the camera reprogrammed is if you decided to get a nose job or other cosmetic changes. 

Is this face protection worth it?  For $350, it can prevent others in your house or malicious outsiders from accessing your important files.  Also, there is a bit of the cool effect, or Matrix effect, going on here that makes this new technology appealing.  This face camera will be plugged into a USB port and may be integrated into computers in the future.  This will compete against biometric security systems that read fingerprints.

Watch out for this product in the second half of the year.

There are a few e-mail tricks that could save the day or just make your life a little bit easier.  Here they are:

1.  Undelete an Outlook e-mail:  You scan your e-mails every day and quickly delete spam and junk mail.  Oh wait a minute, that e-mail you just deleted is actually important.  How do you get it back?  Just hit CTRL and Z and viola…your deleted e-mail is back!

2.  How to send a professional bulk e-mail list:  If you need to e-mail a list of people, but don’t want to show their e-mail addresses to everybody, put their e-mails addresses in the BCC field so that they are anonymous.

3.  How to find an e-mail address:  You’re looking to e-mail your friend, but cannot find his e-mail address.  Go into Google and type your friend’s name in quotes followed by the state.  i.e. “John Doe” new york

The Neo is a laptop that is intended to just be a word processor and that’s it.  Why is this exciting?  Because you can write a paper or jot notes down on the lightest and most comfortable device, the Neo! 

Alphasmart created the Neo for the purpose of allowing students to focus on their school work without being distracted by the Internet, IMs, and games.  This $249 device has also been found very popular with writers due to the ease of use and the incredible battery life of up to 700 hours.  It weighs about 2-3 pounds and documents may be sent to a PC, Mac, or directly to a printer.

For those who want a little more functionality, you may purchase the $350 Dana device that will allow usage of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Palm applications.  This one weighs under 2 pounds and lasts 25 hours on battery.

This is a great device for writers and students.  It’s cheap, easy to use, and compatible with your computer and printer.

Were you ever stuck with a crashed computer on the weekend?  Or have you found it difficult to get your computer repaired during the week since you’re putting in long hours at work?

Well, now you have a great solution at New York Computer Help for weekend technical support.  Our team is ready to get you back up and operational during the week or weekends.  Whether you have a home computer or need company technical support, we are open 7 days a week to accomodate you.

For those who are always on the go, you may use our messenger service to pick up, fix, and return your computer.

Now, you have no reason to put off fixing your system!

That’s right.  A computer that expresses happiness and sadness among other feelings.  Robotic Computer (RoCo) has created a computer that can share in your emotions.  The monitor acts as the head and LCD screen acts as the face.  If you are sleepy, the computer will act drowsy.  If you are confused, the computer will look the same.  Basically, this robot computer will mimic or empathize with your emotions. 

Who is this computer good for?  Kids!  The computer also provides words of encouragement.  A small study was performed where one student was studying and then took a nap after becoming tired.  The computer gently responded, “Come on.  You can do it.”  So, the computer has also taught ways to respond for positive reinforcement.  The computer may also be good for senior citizens or those who spend a lot of time at home.  It’s almost like having a pet around without having to take it for a walk!

No release of when or how much as of yet.  There are still plenty of studies to be performed to ensure its safety and future growth.

There are a few major downloads you’ll need to install for your computer.  These downloads are called patches, or fixes that will either speed up your computer or fix/prevent a potential security or performance flaw.

1,  Prevent Internet Explorer 7 slowness:  The new IE 7 softeware has a potential phishing filter bug that can reduce your computer to a crawl with web sites with many frames.

2.  Mac OS X security update:  Download this patch to remove 22 OS X holes, including one that has the highest threat rating possible.

3.  Windows Vista laptop battery drain:  The new Vista laptops with the default settings allow users to connect to public hotspots, but, in turn, decrease the battery life.  To change the settings so your battery has more life, check out how to change the settings.

Drive-by pharming is a new phrase that means your wireless network or computer has been hacked by someone who scouts out vulnerable wireless connections.  Now, Symantec and Indiana University has performed a study finding that it is possible for these drive-by pharmers to access your info by logging into your wireless router.  No cases have found this to happen yet, but your wireless computer can be hacked if your wireless router’s username and password is discovered.

The easiest way to prevent such an attack is to change the default username and password of your wireless router.  Your router comes preconfigured usually to for username and “admin” for password.  Possible drive-by pharmers can easily guess this info and then take an extra step to view your files and possibly credit card info.  No downloads or attachments need to be opened by you.  It is enough to have access to the Internet and you may be sharing your info with someone else.

Here’s how to prevent drive-by pharmers:

Follow the below steps to make sure your wireless router’s username and password are not using the default out-of-the box info:

1.  Go to any web browser and enter the IP address associated with your router’s web interface.  For example, if you have a Linksys router, you need to type in 192.168.1.1 and click Enter.  Then, this will bring you to the username and password page.

Here is a list of the most popular wireless routers along with the IP address you need to enter to access your router.

Linksys:  192.168.1.1        DLink / Netgear: 192.168.0.1         Belkin:  192.168.2.1

If you have another type of router, you may find its IP address by performing a Google search and entering the manufacturer name and “wireless IP 192.168.”

2.  Once you are at the username and password page, you’ll need to enter a username and password.

Linksys: username:   password:  admin DLink:  username:  admin  password:  admin 

Netgear: username: admin  password: admin or 1234  Belkin:  username & password:

If you are able to enter your router with the above defaults, you’ll need to change the username and password by going to the “Password” or “Setup” page.  If you are not able to change them, then that means your settings have been changed and you are protected against possible drive-by pharmers.

It is wise to document your new username and password, if changed, and place it on the back of your router or another secure place.  Chances are your potential wireless hacker is not within your home or office so keeping your information in a secure location on-site is a good idea.

Changing your router’s username and password is a good way to prevent drive-by pharming as well as ensuring your network is secure from any malicious hacking activity.

In general, Macs seem to have less problems that PCs.  There are less viruses and spyware associated with Macs since they are not targeted as much as Windows computers.  However, there are still common issues that Mac users experience.  We have tallied up all of the Mac issues and found the below three to be the most popular:

1.  Frozen Application

If your Entourage, iTunes, or another application freezes, you may resolve this by holding down the Command and Option keys simultaneously and the press Escape.  Once you see the Force Quit window, select the non-responding software and click the Force Quit button.  You will be able to end this freezing application and continue working again.  If the keyboard is not responding, you have no choice but to hold down the power button until the system shuts down. 

2.  Mac Won’t Wake from Sleep Mode

To prevent this from happening in the future, follow these preventative steps:

-Disconnect peripherals, such as iPod, printer, and handheld, before putting your Mac to sleep.

-Make sure your Mac is updated by performing a software update.

-Make sure your peripherals and hardware have the appropriate firmware, or updated software.

3.  Dock Application Freezes

Sometimes, an application will not launch or quit from the Dock.  The application will not do anything when clicking on it or display a question mark.  To unfreeze the application, follow the steps described above in the Frozen Application.  If the question mark still remains, drag the question mark to the desktop to make it disappear.  Then, drag the missing application’s icon to the Dock by finding it within your Applications folder.

It is time for spring cleaning.  The weather is getting nicer and the days are longer.  Spring cleaning used to mean cleaning up your house and getting rid of unwanted clothes and belongings.  Now, you should add your computer to the list.  Why?  Just like getting rid of unwanted stuff in your house, the computer also has some things you want to get rid of.  Here is a guide to follow to ensure your computer is ready for spring: 

Computer Spring Cleaning:

1.  Virus removal:  Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date to make sure unwanted viruses are not hanging out from the winter time.

2.  Spyware protection:  Ensure that you run or automate anti-spyware protection as these critters have a tendency to lie dormant in your computer until the summer if not taken care of fast.

3.  Temporary Internet Files and cookies removal:  Temporary Internet Files keeps a log of all of the sites you’ve been and cookies stores your usernames and passwords.  it is wise to remove these during this season since malicious tracking and sites might have gotten in here to party during spring break.  To remove these items, go to a web page and click: Tools-> Internet Options and then delete cookies and temp files.

4.  Remove old programs:  If you don’t use it, get rid of it.  Games, downloads, and unknown programs may slow down your spring action.  Lighten up the load by going to Start->Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs.

5.  Dusting time:  It’s not spring cleaning without a little dusting.  Dust around your computer and if a desktop, open up the hood removing those year-old dust bunnies.

Friendster is like MySpace, but adds a layer of personal organization.  Like MySpace, you can communicate with friends, find a date, advertise a service, and more.  However, Friendster excels in the following services:

-Birthday alerts - Do you have trouble keeping track of your friends and family members’ birthdays?  Friendster allows you or your buddies to enter their birthdates so you can stay up to date.

-Share photos - Don’t worry about how to e-mail your friends all of your vacation photos.  Share them on this site and send them your link. 

-Get in touch with old friends - You may enter your college or search friends to get in touch with old pals.

Overall, Friendster is a nice way to organize your contacts, photos, and collaborate with others.