In our Iphone blog series, we are blogging about our latest findings of the iPhone.  Yes, the iPhone is the industry leader for mp3s, phone voice quality, picture resolution, and easy of navigation, but what is it missing.  It’s missing the direct ability to chat with someone on an instant messenger.  This includes Google Talk, or Gtalk, AIM, Yahoo!, and MSN.  The iPhone does not have a way to install Adobe Flash Player in it which is needed as an application to load the chat software.  Apple is in the works to get this taken care of in the near future.

Until then, what do you do?  My friends bought the iPhone for email and chatting and are disappointed.  There is a website called Meebo that allows you to use all 4 chats on your iPhone. 

Here’s how you set up Gtalk, Yahoo!, MSN, or AIM on your iPhone:

1. Go to Meebo on your iPhone’s Internet (Safari)
2. On the home page, you’ll find 5 accounts you can login to: Google Talk, AIM, yahoo!, msn, and meebo. 
3. Enter your login and password for one of your accounts and your buddy list will appear and you’ll be chatting in no time.
4. Or a special feature meebo offers is you can sign up quickly for a meebo account and enter all of your login and password info for your 1 - 4 chat accounts.  This way, you don’t have to sign in and out of different chat programs.  You’ll be able to chat in aim, Gtalk, msn, and yahoo! all at once!
5. You can then Bookmark your meebo site so you can easily return when you feel like chatting again.

You might stick with like meebo for the long run even if Apple offers chatting ability.  I know I’m a big meebo fan due to its quick, easy interface and ability to chat in up to 4 different accounts at once.

It is not easy to find the right steps on how to set up the iPhone through Exchange e-mails.  Setting up the iPhone through POP3 accounts, such as Gmail or Yahoo are very easy, but figuring out how to configure the iPhone for e-mails that are hosted by your Exchange server is another story. 

There are 3 categories to set up e-mails on the iPhone: IMAP, POP3, and EXCHANGE.  It would make sense to just set up an exchange account via the EXCHANGE category, but forums on the Internet will tell you to set up Exchange e-mails can be set up in every category. 

We placed a call to Apple’s iPhone support and you’re not going to believe this, but their support helpdesk is in Canada using iPhone emulators on their computer to assist.  This means that their reps are not given actual iPhone to provide support!  This is a big disconnect here because the techs can’t type in the same info you’re typing in to see if there might be a problem with your phone.  We placed 3 calls to the iPhone reps - all were very nice, and seemed generally knowledgeable with the navigation except one rep, but provided the same info that is on the Internet.  Apple really doesn’t provide support for Exchange so users are generally left looking on different how-to guides on the Internet.  Well, we took several hours to see what the easiest and most stable way is to set up the iPhone for Microsoft Exchange.

Easy Steps for setting up your iPhone for Microsoft Exchange:

1. Settings->Mail->Add Account-> Other-> IMAP
2. Name: i.e. John Mac
3. Address: i.e. John@company.com
4. Description: i.e. John’s email

Incoming Mail Server

• Host name: i.e. mail.company.com
• User name: i.e. john
• Password:  i.e. Johnsemailpassword

Outgoing Mail Server

• Host Name: i.e. mail.company.com
• User Name: i.e. john
• Password:   i.e. Johnsemailpassword

Server IMAP

If you cannot send and receive e-mails after the above setup, then you have to ensure that your Exchange server’s IMAP service is started.  This must be running for the iPhone to work for e-mails.

If you have any further questions you can contact the iPhone support team at New York Computer Help.

It is very easy to hop on a computer and go on the Internet.  But, should you check for some things first before going to your favorite site?  Yes.  You should ensure the following  3 steps are taken before surfing the Internet:

1. Make sure your Internet browser is updated to the newest version.  This will shore up security and resolve any vulnerabilities from the last version.    Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari can be updated by downloading the latest software.
2. Also, you should install up-to-date anti-virus software.  This will prevent long-term issues, such as slow Internet vieiwing and inability to open the Internet browser / pages. 
3. Lastly, a good anti-spyware software should be loaded.  Anti-spyware is becoming more important than anti-virus software nowadays since many pop-up, spam, and spyware threats can really slow down or crash your computer. 

 These three checks will ensure your computer is safe to go on the Internet. 

The next contender has stepped up for the iPod: the Zune 80 by Microsoft.  iRiver and other competitors have failed.  Can the Zune match up?  Let’s start with the packaging.  When opening the package for the Zune 80, it’s like opening a holiday present with wrapping paper, glossy film, and a soft, velvet bag.  The mp3 player itself is a sleek black device that is easy to walk around with. 

Now, on for the specs.  The Zune 80 has a 3.2 inch screen, FM radio, video, good audio quality, and get this: it has an unlimited music subscription service.  It also has wi-fi syncing and sharing which is not offered on the iPhone or new iPod Touch.  For the negatives, its battery life is weaker than the iPod; it requires its own computer software, and doesn’t offer TV or movie downloads.  This 80GB mp3 player is a noteworthy competitor to the iPod and may be purchased for app. $250.

Are you still using just one monitor for your computer?  It is very easy to add a 2nd monitor to your computer.  And you’ll be more productive too.  You can have e-mails up on one monitor and do some internet surfing on the other.  Or if you’re a stock buff, you can have 2 stock ticker pages up on the screens.  Basically, you’ll be more productive by having more display space to put your windows and applications.

How do you do it?  First, you have to make sure you have a dual-head video card.  This will allow for the 2 monitors to be connected to your computer.  A good video card costs about $150 - 200.  You should try to get at least 256MB video memory and 512MB is ideal.  Then, you’ll need to obviously get another monitor.  If you feel technical enough, you can install the card by going on the manufacturer’s website to follow the instructions.  The proper steps are to install the hardware, or video card first, then the software, and then configure the software for your monitors.  If you don’t feel comfortable setting it up on your own, you can call New York Computer Help.

If you thought laptops were getting smaller, you will have to sit down when you see the new computer pen!  That’s right - it is a computer located in a pen which is the size of a cigar.  This pen is geared towards young students, but may also be used by adults and gadget-lovers.  The pen is called the Fly Fusion Pentop. 

The Pentop has a camera, speaker, and memory chip so it can display on a computer what your wrote down on paper.  It can even convert your chickenscratch script into text on the computer.  The memory chip may also give you an answer to any math equation you write down on the paper.  Obviously, this feature should be used in practice only so this would be automatic grounds for detension during a test! :)  The pen can also translate written words into foreign languages.  I’m not sure how extensive the pen’s vocabulary is, but if this feature works well, we can see a lot of people snatching these handy pens.  This translation feature would be very useful when traveling or just learning a new language.  The pen also plays games and music.

Different software may be purchased to extend the brain of the pen.  For instance, the Pentop may assist in writing techniques, Journals, Algebra, Multiplication, Music, French, Spanish, and adventure games for logic sharpening.  Of course, computer software may be purchased that serves the same purpose; however, this trendy pen may act as a different, cool way to keep children’s short attention spans tuned in for learning.

It is wise to check if your Internet speed is what you have paid for.  Cable service, such as TimeWarner’s Roadrunner, lets you know the speed your Internet is at; however, did you know that Cable internet service is a shared service?  This means if many people in your apartment building have the same Cable service, you will be sharing the bandwidth or speed especially when everyone comes home from work, possibly lowering your current Internet speed.  Sometimes, the cable company takes advantage of this shared service offering at your expense.

DSL, on the other hand, is a fixed, direct service, and not shared like cable.  So, for DSL, there should be no exceptions for not receiving the internet speed you’re paying for.

Other than the Internet providers trying to stretch their dollars, your Internet speed may be slow due to a failing Internet modem, router, or infected computer. 

To test your Internet speed, for your home computer network or office network, you may go to the following speed test sites below:

Bandwidth Place - A quick one-click button to test your Internet speed

CNET Bandwidth Test - A more detailed test that provides alternate faster Internet providers.

BitTorrent is a file sharing, peer-to-peer (P2P), website similar to Kazaa, Limewire, and Bearshare.  This site shares music, movies, TV shows, pictures, and video games.  Basically, anything you’d like to download is offered on BitTorrent.  Currently, all of the files are free.  The same folks who download files are usually those who also share the content for others thereby giving the site its peer-to-peer identification.  Many computer users are tapping into BitTorrent, in fact, the BitTorrent CTO, Eric Klinker, estimates that the site takes up more than half of the Internet traffic.

You can sign up to BitTorrent by logging in, downloading a BitTorrent client, and away you go.  You can share and download files.  Just about anything is available.  Old Superman movies, new movies that have been bootlegged from the theatres, new music DVDs, sometimes screenplays, and more.  The concern here is twofold: ethics and security.  The moral point here is by downloading free content, the folks who authored and created these works are being cheated.  Well, most people feel that if so many people are doing it, it must be okay.  That is implied as true because the Internet is still governed as a laissez-fare approach, expecting computer users to treat those as they would expect to be treated.  Does the golden rule work?  Not with the greed factor here! 

Is there anything to stop greedy computer users from downloading smurfloads of free files from BitTorrent?  Yes, spyware!  With free downloads, come spyware and possibly viruses.  Why?  Because when you start sharing and downloading files, your computer is an open portal to the website.  So, others may share files to you that contain malicious code or just merely look to infect your computer by finding you via the BitTorrent network.  Our advice is if you really want to be involved in the BitTorrent downloading, make sure your computer is heavily protected with anti-spyware and anti-virus software.  And make a good back up of your files before taking the leap.

The faster Windows operating system is XP.  Vista is awaiting its first service pack 1 to clear up its bugs.  While consumers are trying to patch up their Vista computers, Microsoft is forced to update Windows XP to service pack 3 for loyalists and those who have rejected Vista.

Studies have shown, that with the same speed processor and RAM, Windows XP clearly is faster than Windows Vista.  A bechmark test run by New York Computer Help has shown Microsoft Outlook 2003 to run tasks 2.5x faster in XP than Vista.  Vista was proven to be as fast as XP when the RAM in Vista was doubled (2GB in Vista versus 1GB in XP).  These test results were performed with and without the new service packs in both systems so the service packs have no affect either way.

For performance reasons and overal glitches in Vista, XP is still the clear winner here.  That is why Microsoft has extended the time computers are still able to be purchased with Windows XP.

What do you do if your computer crashes, doesn’t boot, or is just plain slow?  Well, typically it is good judgement to bring it to a computer repair shop like New York Computer Help, but can you do anything on your own before you bring it to the experts?

Yes, you can follow the below 3 computer support steps to troubleshoot your computer issue:

1. Jot down any error messages.  Do they say what is wrong?  If they are written cryptically or doesn’t point you in the right direction, you can perform a search on the Internet for your error.  Maybe someone else has input on your error message in a forum.
2. Unplug any unnecessary equipment.  Remove any old scanners, USB hubs, or things you don’t need to get your computer up and running.  All you should have connected are your monitor cable, keyboard, and mouse.  With less clutter and possibly removing bad cables and devices, your computer might work fine again.
3. Listen for any sounds.  Clicking could mean a bad hard drive and you’ll want to power off to prevent any further damage or data loss.  Grinding or whistling might mean a bad fan and crackling could mean a bad motherboard.  Listening of strange sounds could point you quickly in the right direction.

Taking the above quick steps could help fix your computer.  If this doesn’t help, it will at least help you identify the issue.  Then, you can intelligently ask your favorite computer repair service for an estimate of your diagnosis.