If you’re thinking of getting a Mac, now’s the time.  You can pop over to the Apple Store and get a Macbook Pro for $1,400 and get a free wireless printer and iPod with it.  Not a bad deal for a new computer.  The value is actually at $1,800 s you’re saving $400. 

This is a great deal for those who are finally considering “the switch.”  And the good part is that Macs don’t get as many viruses as PCs.  And you shouldn’t need as much tech support also.

IE 8 is coming soon, but before Microsoft puts out its new Internet Explorer, the beta version is being tested.  Currently, IE 8 beta 2 is out for testing from the public.  It’s viewing is more aesthetically pleasing, but there are still some compatibility issues.

First, if you have Windows XP SP3 installed, you’ll need to uninstall Service Pack 3 first if you decided t uninstall IE 8 to go down to IE 7.  This is not so convenient since SP3 takes approximately 20 minutes to uninstall.  Further, Windows Live Meeting 2007 does not work with IE 8.  This will hopefully be resolved in the next beta version. 

On a positive note, there is a cool “InPrivate” feature which allows you to keep your browsing history and cache settings suspended.  This means if you don’t want your site history to be saved during your Internet session, you just enable “InPrivate” via IE 8, and you’re protected.  This will work well if you’re hiding a present for your loved one, or on a public or friend’s computer.

Overall, we’re waiting for better things to come from Internet Explorer so tech issues will be at a minimum with this product.

If you think Firefox is already fast, you ain’t seen nothing!  Firefox is coming out with an update, named 3.1, which will make your Internet surfing experience very fast.

Mozilla, Firefox’s company, is increasing the Internet speed by optimizing how JavaScript is run within the Firefox browser.  This programming technique will, in effect, allow the imagery of pictures and text to change faster.   This new technique can make your browser over 20-30 times faster.  That’s an incredible boost.

No time table is laid out for this new update, but be on the look-out.  This update might even save you bucks from having to upgrade your RAM or other performance-boost measures and computer upgrades on your PC or mac.  With this new Internet speed, you don’t have to worry about increasing your Internet provider speed either.  This Firefox update can actually save you money while increasing your Internet speed.  Sounds nice, eh?

Spyware pop-ups are one thing, but there are also pop-ups from Windows telling you that it cannot find part of your program.  You might receive these pop-ups if your software was unable to be uninstalled fully from add/remove programs.  Or you might have inadvertently deleted a program folder which didn’t allow you to remove all the program links.  If your application (i.e. Outlook, Word, or printer software) wasn’t removed fully, you’ll get a non-stop pop-up error from Windows.

We’re not big fans of automated removal software, but removing these pop-ups could be time-consuming.  There’s a software called IntelliAdmin that can automate this process.  We’d recommend downloading this software to get rid of these pop-ups.  If you’re not comfortable doing this, you can call in the NYC tech team to do it for you.

There are lots of vicious viruses and spyware out there that can attack your computer.  There is one nowadays that always seems to take the lead with infecting Windows computers.  This is the spyware that pops up at the bottom-right of your screen and says “Your computer is infected with spyware.”  This message may take on different variations, such as “Install Antispyware 2009 to remove” or “You’ve been infected with Win Antispyware…”

You can install different anti-spyware software to remove this infection.  However, once of the easiest and quickest ways is to find the culprit, usually one bad file, and kill it. 

You can quickly remove the spyware by following the below steps:

1. Click on Start->Run and type msconfig
2. Click on Startup Tab
3. Look for any suspicious files ending in .exe that are located in Windows, Windows\system32, temp or temporary internet files
4. Google the files to confirm if they are legit or malicious
5. If malicious, uncheck the file from running at startup.
6. Then, restart your computer, tap  F8 to go into safe mode
7. Search for the malicious file and remove.

Those 7 quick steps should remove you spyware issue.  If you still experience problems, you should consult with your nearby tech support company.

Finally, after 2 years of losing serious market share to the Blackberry and iPhone, th Treo is making a comeback.  In the fall, Palm will be selling the Treo Pro to compete in the smartphone market. 

Is the Treo Pro worth of the Blackberry Curve and 3G iPhone?  First of all, the design is really sleek with a thinned out version of the older Treo.  Also, the keyboard looks just like the Blackberry so it is easy to type e-mails.  It includes GPS and a touch screen similar to the iPhone.  So, we like the fact that the new Treo is combining the best of both worlds here.

The potential pitfall is being able to product a stable Palm synchronization software to keep computer e-mails and Palm e-mails updated.  The current Treos have several different sync sofware, making the process of e-mailing and syncing unstable.  There has not been one standardized software like RIM and Apple have, making the third-party software inconsistent at best during operations. 

So, the new Treo will need to have a stable universal software for syncing e-mails and operating from the computer for this new product to be able to compete with the big boys.  Or else Palm computer technicians will need to be close by you at all times.

If you have a monitor that is 19″ or bigger, SplitView is a very good product to use.  SplitView is software that is installed to split your monitor in two halves.  You don’t need to worry about purchasing a secondary monitor.  You just need to install this software and it cuts your monitor in half so you can open up two programs at once.  Wouldn’t it be nice to view your e-mails on the left while you check out news and sports on the Internet to the left?  How about drafting a word doc while playing iTunes on the other side?

SplitView 2008 Personal Edition is very reasonable at $39 per PC.  It may be set up horizontally or vertically for 2 split screens.  And you can even set it up for 4 screens if you’d like.  The professional version allows remote support for multiple computers by viewing on one screen with split screens.  This is similar to a surveillance camera /computer setup.

This software is definitely worth trying as it can improve productivity.

You should always back up your computer or important files.  Whether you use a laptop, desktop, or store your important files on an external hard drive, you should back up your files to another media.  Typically, the easiest way to back up your files is just to plug in an external hard drive to your computer, and copy & paste your important files over. 

Why?  Your hard drive in your computer will fail eventually.  Yes, this is a very negative thought, but it’s a candid thought to the truth of electronics.  Since a hard drive is made up of moving electronic components, the drive is bound to fail.  When it fails, you can either pay for data recovery or you can resort to your file backup. 

Performing a backup may be performed by automated software scheduling or manually.  If the act of backing up by software scares you, don’t worry - you can do it yourself every month or quarter.  For a PC, you’ll need to back up your My Documents, Desktop, Favorites, and email, Palm, and any financial data.  On a Mac, just copy over your whole User Profile and Programs.  For further longevity of your backup external hard drive, you can turn it off when not in use.

Backing up your files can prevent loss of files and, most importantly, loss of productivity.

Currently, external hard drives, printers, and iPods are all connected to computers with USB 2.0 technology.  This means that the cables from these devices are connected to USB ports on the computer that are at USB 2.0 speeds.  Before USB 2.0 was USB 1.1.  As it sounds, each step up with the next USB is faster.  It is not twice as fast; it is actually 10x faster!

USB 3.0 is a remarkable 10x faster than USB 2.0.  The reason for this speed boost is to ensure high-definition and media rich content are played and viewed smoothly.  USB 2.0 sometimes has lag time with newer tech activities.  USB 3.0 will be able to compete more with firewire technology.  Firewire is known to be faster than USB which is true, but the 3.0 speed will close the gap.

Look out for USB 3.0 in the 2010 computers.

The Olympics opening ceremony in China was spectacular.  Every movement; every step was in perfect synchronization.  However, there was one glitch, or shall we say, blue screen of death.

While Li Ning, a top China sport icon, was running in mid-air at the top of the indoor stadium, there were many projectors displaying multiple images in unison.  One projector, running Windows, displayed a blue screen of death due to a hardware failure.  So, instead of a nice fluid Olympic graphic being displayed, the familiar blue screen with white text was casted against one of the walls.

You would think that brand new computers would have been used for the event.  As well as being fully tested and checked for any computer issues.  Well, this goes to show you that you can never be fully prepared for when Windows disasters strikes.