Pure digital has produced a new device that takes high resolution pictures and videos.  The novelty with it is its small size and it has a USB interface connected to it so you can use it like an external hard drive to transfer images and videos over to your PC or Mac.  You don’t need any software.  Just take the video or picture and plug it in.

Now for the specs.  It takes up to 60 minute recording time and has up to 2GB of space.  Compatible with PCs and Macs, this may be automatically updated to YouTube directly or prepared for publishing elsewhere.  Pick orange, yellow, pink, white, or black as your camera color.  At $179.99, this gadget gets our thumbs up as a cool, portable, easily-shareable camera.

Did you receive your new computer yet for the holidays?  Or a new phone?  As an environmental-conscious company, we want to ensure you know what to get rid of your old equipment the right way.  Here’s what you can do:

Donate: Others may use your old computers, parts, electronics, and gadgets.  Make sure you erase any personal or confidential information prior to donating.  You might seek the help of a computer support company for this purpose.  You may click on this Donation Programs link for a list of where you can donate your equipment.

Recycle:  If your equipment is dead or outdated to donate, you can recycle.  You can first check with the manufacturer (i.e. Dell, HP) to see if they’ll take it back as computer companies have become more recycle-aware lately.  If you bought the equipment from a retailer, such as Staples, check with them for a buy-back or collection events.  The local government or community may also host a waste management program.  Lastly, you can recycle through the online Recycling Programs.

For 2008, you might want to rethink your buying decisions on how it affects the environment.  Does your purchase allow you to take it back to the manufacturer when you want to upgrade it?  You may check out the Manufacturer and Retailer Programs list to see which computer and equipment manufacturers offer the “take back” program.  You may also consider how your equipment purchase affects the environment by checking out the EPA tool.

 may be used to install Windows on a Mac.  This is a good way for Windows users to take advantage of the Mac’s great graphics, and still be comfortable with the Windows environment.  Sometimes, Parallels will freeze when the wrong operating system software is used to open a file.  For instance, if you move over to the Mac side (not Parallels); click on a Word file, the Mac might try to open it in Microsoft Word for Windows instead of Microsoft Word for Mac.  This prompts Parallels to start the virtual Windows environment  This will cause the Mac to freeze. 

How do you stop this freezing?  Here’s what you need to do:

1. Quit Parallels
2. Click on the document you want to open on the Mac side and type ” apple-I” to get info
3. Go down to “open with” tab and confirm the Mac version of the software is selected
4. Click “change all” so that subsequent, similar files are opened the same way

These steps will ensure that your Mac knows to open the correct Mac software (i.e. Microsoft Word for Mac) instead of freezing by opening up Windows software.  This applies when using the Mac side of the computer, but also having Parallels installed. 

Yes, but not gracefully.  Utube is trying hard to keep their unique content within their site and not duplicated.  However, since Utube has grown and users sometimes like to copy a video to their computer or CD, some applications have been created to beat the system. 

You can download a Utube video by following the below steps:

1. Install Firefox if it’s not already on your computer.
2. Register for a free username if you haven’t done so on Firefox.
3. Install the Utube download video add-on.
4. Follow the steps from the program to download videos to your computer.

Please note, there is no true, default Utube video downloader.  This means that any software used is free and at the user’s risk.  You won’t get viruses most likely, but it is a good chance that the software might not work.  Also, the software is not intuitive for new download users.  That being said, the Firefox add-on recommended is the best computer software provided for downloading videos from Utube.

When buying your new computer, a manufacturer’s warranty is usually included.  But, does this include software and hardware warranty?  Does a tech come to you on-site or do you have to mail in your computer to something called a depot?  These questions are very important.  Today, computer manufacturers, such as Dell, Sony, Lenovo, and HP typically provide a limited hardware warranty for one year.  However, this might not include certain replacements, such as a motherboard or LCD screen which are the most expensive parts of the computer.  Also, software support typically isn’t included.  If your Microsoft Windows or Vista is slow or crashes, you’ll need to locate a private tech support company, such as New York Computer Help.

Where do your warranty repairs take place?  Dell sends a third-party tech company to you to replace the parts, if you signed up for on-site next day hardware support.  Sony and HP ask for you to send your computer to them.  Sony’s service has been known to take up to 3-4 weeks while HP’s support can take as few as 3-4 days. 

Please read the fine print on the warranty when purchasing your computer.  If you need phone software support, and it’s not in your warranty, you could be paying a hefty incident fee afterwards.

3 different types of e-mail solutions may be chosen when it comes to determining what e-mail address is right for you.  The email solutions are:
1.  POP3 (i.e www.godaddy.com)
2.  Outsourced Exchange (i.e. www.Intermedia.net)
3.  Microsoft Exchange (in-house exchange e-mail solution)
 

1.  POP3
The POP3 e-mail accounts are hosted by an external web site or host.  Essentially, e-mails are directed to the email host that allots restricted space to the email account(s).  Then, it re-directs the e-mails to the e-mail users’ email software.  From Outlook or Entourage, e-mails may be received and sent.  POP3 is a good way to easily set up e-mail accounts for home or small office users without any added functionality.  However, the outsourced email host does not provide a way to share folders or backup internal files.
POP3 negatives:
-inability to share contacts, calendars, and e-mails
-limited capacity and attachment size restrictions
-no control
2.  Outsourced Exchange
The benefit to this is there is no need to purchase hardware or software for setting up Microsoft Exchange.  This service would be hosted by an Exchange provider and is charged monthly.  The monthly charge is approximately $15 - $25 / month (i.e. www.Intermedia.net) for each e-mail account.  All the collaborative features through Exchange are provided as well as anti-virus and anti-spam software.  This is a good solution for companies on a restricted budget.
Key benefits are:
-only monthly charges apply (free software upgrades, licensing, and hardware)
-hardware and software are supported
-Anti-spam & anti-virus are supported and blacklisting is prioritized
-Contacts, calendaring, and e-mails are shareable with an additional fee
Key negatives:
-no dedicated back-up
-limited capacity and attachment size restrictions
-less control and customization than in-house exchange – usually have to submit email requests or wait for changes to take effect after several hours of updating
3.  Microsoft Exchange – In-house email
Microsoft Exchange provides the most by allowing sharing of contacts, calendars, appointments, meeting rooms, public folders, and e-mails the way you like whenever you like.  It also allows for the most flexibility of storage, access rights, rules, and scalability.  Exchange offers an ideal solution for users who need to share and communicate for daily operations.
The most stable, scaleable solution with the most control is to set up a server hosting Microsoft Exchange.  This will allow a company the ability to customize all of the e-mail accounts for sharing.  Also, webmail and other features will be included.  In order to host Exchange, a physical server and software licensing must be purchased. 
Key benefits:
-total flexibility and control (i.e. unlimited storage)
-faster e-mail support
-automated e-mail file back-ups 
-can share contacts, calendars, and e-mails
-can use webmail via Exchange outside of office
-added functionality of Windows server
Key negatives:
-Need solid anti-spam and anti-virus software to prevent blacklisting and viruses
-Need good back-up to save files in case of server downtime
-Speed of accessing emails are as good as the server / Internet speed

Mobile Previews is a cool way to catch movie previews and games on your cell phone.  When first checking out the website, I thought the idea was to check out new previews from movies just released from the theatres.  When further checking out the site, I realized that you can also check out movies from TV and DVDs as well as new video games.  Definitely a nice little tool to allow you to try before you buy. 

Unfortunately, our office blackberries and iPhones weren’t able to tune into the previews; but, that it not mobile previews fault.  The technology of RIM and Apple haven’t allowed applications to run smootly through Flash Player so you can blame that bug on the phone manufacturers.  Luckily, the site allows you to view movie trailers through your computer.  This feature is obviously not new as Movie.com and Fandango have perfected this service.  The resolution on the movies are nice, but the overall picture of it is small on the computer, and should be enlarged in order to compete with other video sites.

Overall, the site was easy to navigate.  Oh…did you know it’s free?  That’s always a good thing.  The site would probably be better if it also expanded to offering free full downloads as specials or just keeping users coming back to the site.  That is the only way it will compete on a grander scale with the free video download sites.  That being said, this is a unique, clean site that easily shoots out previews to your phone.  Nice job!

The general thought usually is that macs don’t get viruses.  Myth or truth?  Myth!  Macs can get and send viruses, but they are just less susceptible at doing so than PCs.  Why?  Mac OS 10 has some heavy security built into it that prevents many malicious code from attacking the computer.  However, the operating system does not have so much security built into it to prevent sending viruses.  Also, macs are more prone to receiving viruses from another mac than a Windows computer. 

So, if in a heavy mac environment, it makes sense to install the new Norton Antivirus 11 for Macintosh to protect the whole mac network.  The Norton Antivirus software is an automatic process where it updates and scans for viruses periodically on its own.  So, after you install it, you are in good hands.   It will block viruses and let you know if there is a potentially malicious file.  If you only have one mac, it is usually safe to assume you will be virus-free, but not 100%.

One thing to note is that you will probably need to call in a specialist, like New York Computer Help, to remove a virus.  If you are infected, it is typically through a bad code or worm and manual removal is required.  So, before you get to a precarious situation, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Dell’s Latitude XT has just reached the market.  Dell hopes to compete with Lenovo and HP in the tablet laptop market.  For those unfamiliar with the tablets, it is a touch screen laptop that you can use your finger or a laptop pen to draw, sketch, and navigate.  It allows you to write notes and convert them to Microsoft Word. 

Dell has taken over a year on experimenting the best way to design this tablet.  They’ve come up with 2 types: One has an outdoor screen which is heavier and made for those in the field.  The other has a thin LED backlight and is very light at 3.57 lbs.  The lighter, business model is thinner and easy to carry.  HP and Lenovo offers a standard plastic pen to navigate on the screen while Dell offers a ballpoint-tip pen and a felt-tip pen.  This choice can help make the computer user comfortable based on his or her preference.  The keyboard is flat and glossy, enabling it to be sturdy for wear and tear.  The power adapter is finally small and light, making it ultraportable.  The tablet can change to landscape quickly as other tablets.  It has a 12.1″ screen, 40GB or 80GB hard drive, bluetooth, wireless, Core 2 Solo 1.06GHZ processor, and 1 - 3GB RAM.

Overall, the $2,499 Dell, a partner with New York Computer Help, is now a competitor in the tablet market for its small size, light weight, and comfortable touch.

In our last review or shall we say problem with the iPhone, we focus on the iPhone’s slow Internet access.  When clicking on Safari, the Internet is generally fast, but sometimes it could get very slow.  This is due to the ATT Edge network not picking up the signal.  This shortcoming has been recognized by Steve Jobs and that Apple is looking into it.

What can you do to increase the speed of your iPhone’s Internet?

1. Make sure your iPhone is getting a strong Edge signal.  You can do this by going to Settings->Click Off on Wi-Fi->click on and off on Airplane Mode 10 times.  Then, make sure Airplane Mode is in the off position.  This will ensure the closest Edge signal is being picked up by your iPhone.
2. Use the Wi-Fi mode if at home or at a wireless Internet location.  Go to Settings->Click On for Wi-Fi->Choose the Network you want to connect to and enter the necessary password.  This will allow your iPhone to connect to the wireless network at the same speed as other computers.

You have the ability to connect the iPhone to a laptop and use the Internet speed from the laptop.  But, this is not an easy setup and if you are near your laptop, there is really no need to use your iPhone to access the Internet.

If you are still having issues with slow Internet connectivity off your iPhone, you should call in ATT to ensure your phone is properly activated.