5 Essential iPod Touch Apps for the Mobile Geek

by Scott Nesbitt - January 31, 2010

The iPod Touch is more than just an MP3/MP4 player. And it’s far more than just a crippled iPhone. It’s a portable entertainment center, and a powerful tool for the mobile worker.

The key to the latter, though, is finding the right apps. Many of the applications for the iPod Touch that are available through Apple’s AppStore are fun. There are some that are … well, they’re interesting. Others are downright useless.

The apps that this TechTip covers are perfect for the geek on the go. They range in price from free to under five dollars. Best of all, they can keep you productive and connected.

 
Echofon

If you use Twitter, you’ve probably noticed that many tweets are sent from mobile devices. I’ve tried several Twitter apps for the iPod Touch and the best by far is Echofon.

Like any other Twitter client out there – whether for smartphones or a desktop computer – you can use Echofon to view tweets from the feeds that you’ve subscribed to. You can also view @mentions, direct messages, and any Twitter lists that you follow.  Obviously, you can also post tweets, reply to tweets, and retweet any interesting posts.

The interface is attractive and clean. It’s easy to scroll though tweets and the Echofon alerts you not only to any new tweets and @mentions but also how many of each. While I’m leery of calling any application intuitive, Echofon comes really close. Everything you want to do is a tap or two away. And you pretty much get  used to the interface after only a couple of minutes.

Unlike a number of for-pay apps, Echofon has a free version. The free version has fewer features than the pay version but gives you a good idea of what Echofon can do. If you like it, the full version will set you back $3.99.

Evernote

One way in which two million (and counting) people keep track of information and manage their lives is with Evernote. Evernote started as a desktop application for Windows or Mac OS X. But Evernote also has a Web-based component that you can access using a mobile device like an iPod Touch.

With the free Evernote app, you can read and edit your notes in the Web edition of Evernote. You can also create new notes and even upload images to your Evernote account.

Best of all, if you’re offline and want to write a note you can do that within the Evernote app. Once you’re back online, just tap the Sync icon to upload the note or notes to the Web

Obviously, you’ll need an account with Evernote. A basic account is free, or you can get a premium account (with more storage space and options) for $45 a year.

 
Stanza

Information. People can’t get enough of it. And for many, that information comes in the form of books. When you’re on the run though, carting one or more dead-tree volumes weighs you down – literally and figuratively.

I’m an enthusiastic user of an ebook reader. But sometimes, even that’s more than I want to carry. Luckily, there’s the Stanza ebook reader for the iPod Touch and iPhone.

A free app, Stanza offers the closest thing to print-quality text on a screen that I’ve seen. Unlike many dedicated ebook readers, it also has a backlight which allows you to read in low light.

Using Stanza is simple. Just choose the book that you want to read from the ones that you have on your iPod Touch. Once it’s loaded, tap the screen to turn the pages. You can change various aspects of the text – including font, color, and the amount of space between lines. You can also bookmark pages that contain interesting information.

On top of that, Stanza supports a variety of ebook formats. (Note: the reader can’t open ebooks that are protected by DRM.)

How to get books onto your iPod Touch? You can try transferring them from your computer to the device, but that process can be more than a little cumbersome. Stanza does include links to several sources of ebooks online – both free books and ones you have to pay for. You can also download ebooks from Web sites as long as they’re in the ePub format.

Dropbox

You’re away from your computer. But you need that file or document. And you need it now. What do you do? If you use DropBox, you can view that file on your iPod Touch with a couple of taps of the screen.

A previous TechTip discussed DropBox. Just to refresh your memory, it’s an online file storage and sharing service. You upload a file or set of files to DropBox, and you can access them from any computer or device on which you have the necessary software to get to your DropBox account.

You can download the free DropBox app for the iPod Touch from the AppStore or directly from the DropBox Web site. Once you’ve entered your account details, you can view files or upload them from your device with a tap or two. How do you think I got the screen captures in this TechTip onto my laptop?

Of course, you need a DropBox account – you get 2 GB of space for free, and can pay for even more storage. On top of that, you’ll need software to view the types of files – for example, word processor documents or spreadsheets – that the iPod Touch’s built-in software doesn’t support.

Boingo Mobile Client

I’d be lost without wireless – whether in my home or when I’m on the road. While there’s a lot of free wifi out there, there isn’t always a free hotspot where I am. Which is why I have a Boingo Mobile account.

For $7.95 a month, I get unlimited access to thousands of wireless hotspots in over 70 countries. Not that I’ll ever visit all of those 70 countries, but for the two that I do frequent, Boingo Mobile is one of the most useful apps on my iPod Touch. And the monthly fee is about the same as the hourly fee charged by many for-pay hotspots.

The first time you that you try to use a Boingo-enabled hotspot, you’ll have to manually connect to it. You do that by tapping Settings > Wi-Fi and then tapping the name of the network. Once you’re connected, go to the iPod Touch home screen. Tap the Boingo Wireless icon, then tap Login.

If you frequent one or more hotspots, make sure that your iPod Touch is set up to automatically connect when it detects a hotspot. To so that, tap Settings > Wi-Fi, then slide the option Ask to Join Networks to ON. Whenever you need to connect,  Tap the Boingo Wireless icon, then tap Login.

Summing up

The five apps discussed in this TechTip really only graze the surface of the body of apps for the iPod Touch that help make mobile geeks more productive and keep them better connected. They are, though, a great point at which to start building your library of mobile apps.

What apps do you recommend for the iPod Touch? Feel free to leave a comment or to share your favorites in the forums.

Reusing Old PC Drives with External Enclosures

by Bryan Lambert - January 24, 2010

Given the Geek that we’re sure you are, you’re probably on your third or fourth desktop computer already. If this is you, then this Tech Tip is for you!

Before recycling that old machine why not make good use of its parts - specifically the drives. This week we’ll be looking at some cool things that you can do with those old drives.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Getting the most out of your old PC means more that just donating it or recycling it when the time comes, but also innovative ways to reuse some of your old computer parts. For example, because your hard drive more than likely holds information you rather not get out (even if you reformat the drive, your information is still there - and easily recoverable), why not reuse it. Or perhaps, you’re getting rid of a PC because it died, but the DVDRW drive is still perfectly good. While you may think of adding your old hard or optical drive into your new PC, why not just install it into an inexpensive external hard drive case instead. Before you do that however, you will need to know what case to get for the drive you have.

The size and the interface

When you start looking at external drive cases, you’ll notice that they come in three different sizes: 2.5-inch, 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch. This simply refers to the physical “size” of the drive (OK, more specifically, the physical sizes of the discs in the drive, but I digress). Basically, it comes down to if you have a notebook hard drive , then you’ll use a 2.5-inch enclosure ; a desktop hard drive , a 3.5-inch enclosure ; and an optical drive then a 5.25-inch enclosure (or a slim 5.25-inch enclosure for a laptop optical drive). Note that some 5.25-inch enclosures can also accommodate 3.5-inch drives as well. The interface on the drive itself will either be IDE (PATA) or SATA and most drive enclosures will take either one or the other (some can take both) so be sure that you get the correct one for your drive. This is of course the internal interface - the external interface of the enclosure will either be the very popular USB (USB 2.0 most likely since USB 3.0 is taking its sweet time arriving ); eSATA or FireWire (FireWire 400 being the more prevalent flavor). One of the nice things about using 2.5-inch enclosures is that they’ll usually be powered via just the USB port and not need any external power source.

Other cool features

Some of the other cool features to look for on external enclosures are one touch back-up (for easy back-up of your main hard drive); RAID enclosures (which take two drives at a time for larger total capacity); and also “entertainment” enclosures (that can be used as a multimedia server that works not only as an external hard drive but also as a entertainment hub for your television). In addition to those types of enclosures there are also some enclosures that can be installed internally in a desktop computers drive bay and then pulled out and used as an external drive. If you don’t want to go the enclosure route, you can also use cable adapters that are simply a cable that plugs directly into the drive on one end and the PC on the other (for quick and easy access to your drive). Just like enclosures, be sure to get one that “fits” your drives interface. Another innovative item that goes along the non-enclosure route is the hard drive dock . With a hard drive dock you simply “drop” your hard drive into it and can quickly access your information in that fashion.

A couple of pitfalls

One of the biggest things to look out for is that enclosures will typically have a limit to the capacity of the hard drive that they can support - so be sure that it can support your drive. Also, because the USB interface is much slower than what the drive can deliver, USB enclosures can be frustratingly slow at times (USB 3.0 promises to be much faster); this is true if using USB for either optical or hard drives. If you are planning on reusing drives from your laptop, these sometimes have caddies around them that need to be removed first (before installing the drive into an enclosure). Also, many optical drives found on laptops have curved bezels and may have problems fitting in some of the slim external enclosures that are made for notebook optical drives.

In conclusion

Reusing old computer drives is an economical way to get more life out of your old PC’s components. Not only can it be a fun learning experience, but it helps reuse drives that may otherwise take up landfill space. So break out a screwdriver, pick up an inexpensive enclosure, put on your Green-Geek hat and Pimp your PC by reusing your old drives!

By Chris Herzog

The year 2006 marked a fundamental shift in PC hardware sales as laptop computers (also called “notebooks”) outsold desktop PCs for the very first time. As society becomes more mobile, laptops become ever-more powerful, portable, and affordable, and as wireless networks become ubiquitous, this trend will continue.

Obviously, the primary advantage of laptops is mobility. Naturally, however, laptops need power to run on. Even though electrical outlets are plentiful and can be found nearly everywhere, there are times when we have to resort to using the laptop’s battery - airplane trips, meetings, etc. I have also seen sudden power failures when I could have lost all my work had the laptop not had a charged battery. Despite the ongoing evolution of battery technology, there are limits to their usage, and that leads to a discussion of ways to preserve and improve battery functionality. We can start by discussing what a battery is, how it works, and the different types of batteries in use today.

What is a Battery, Anyway?

In simple terms, a battery is chemical energy stored in a container. The chemical energy is then converted to electrical form. A battery has two terminals, negative and positive, that must be connected for the current to flow. This connection is usually provided by a liquid or solid electrolyte that is a conductor; it has the ability to transfer current. Cathode and anode are two electrodes, an electrical conductor that makes contact with the metallic part of a circuit, present in a battery.

Current flows from the cathode to anode inside the cell or device.

Different Types of Batteries

In contemporary portable electronic devices, especially given environmental concerns, batteries must not only store energy in a compact form, they must be rechargeable.

Batteries are usually named based on the metal used to make either the electrodes or the electrolyte. A lithium-ion battery (“LiOn”) has a lithium anode, a zinc-carbon battery has a zinc anode, and a nickel-metal hydride battery (NiMH) or a nickel-cadmium battery (NiCD) has a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the anode.

Early rechargeable batteries were composed of Nickel-Cadmium (or “NiCad”). NiCads were great because they were rechargeable, but early NiCads held comparatively small charges as well as suffering from “Memory Effect” - if the battery was only partially drained and then recharged, it lost its ability to be fully recharged.

Most portable devices these days use Lithium-Ion batteries.

Lithium is the lightest metal and the one with the highest stored (“potential”) electrochemical energy. These qualities, along with the fact they do not contain poisonous metals (such as cadmium) make lithium-based batteries the most widely used to power portable devices such as laptops.

Now that we understand the basic functionality of a battery, let’s discuss ways to preserve and prolong battery life, specifically laptop computer batteries.

Life Preserver

Just as proper use and maintenance of your car will result in longer life and better performance, taking certain steps with your portable electronics’ batteries will result in longer use per charge, and a longer overall battery life. With replacement laptop batteries ranging from anywhere between $100.00 and $300.00, getting all the use you can out of your battery will save you lots of aggravation and keep more money in your pocket longer.

As soon as your portable device leaves the manufacturer’s premises, its battery starts losing capacity to store a charge. In some cases, it may show more charge stored than there actually is. You may end up exhausting what’s available without knowing it and the computer may end up shutting down causing you to lose your work. Now that is not a situation you want to find yourself in. The fact of the matter is it is unavoidable after a certain period of time as the battery goes through gradual degradation. There are, however, ways to extend your battery life.

If your device always (or usually) runs on external power, you may be inadvertently decreasing your battery life. At least once a month, let the device use up all the battery power. In other words, let the battery drain until the computer goes to sleep (“hibernate mode”) and then let it re-charge. This can help avoid capacity degradation.

Some notebooks, using a combination of specialized hardware, intelligent batteries, and special “services” (small programs running in the background) offer a “recondition” feature that will automatically prompt you to condition your battery and then attempt to do so in the background. If you are prompted by your system to condition your battery, you should probably allow it to do this.

Operating temperature is another important factor when we talk about battery life. Extreme high temperatures can cause degradation rapidly, just as extreme low temperatures can damage batteries - don’t leave your notebook in your car for extended periods on hot days or overnight on cold nights.

It is recommended that you do not use your laptop without a battery in the bay. Doing so may cause the electrical terminals in the battery bay to become dirty or get corroded. It should be avoided for these reasons and the fact that you may lose your work since there is no backup power supply.

Micro-Manage Your PC Power

Let’s talk about power management settings on your laptop. “Power management is a feature of some electrical appliances that turns off the power or switches the system to a low-power state after a period of inactivity” (“Power Management”). On a laptop, power management is accomplished by a specialized chip working together with the Operating System. Many modern battery packs are “intelligent batteries” - they contain microprocessors that continually monitor capacity and communicate this information to the Operating System. This information is used by the system in conjunction with power management settings, specifically for determining when to issue low capacity warnings and switching to hibernate mode. In order to use these settings, your computer must be Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) compliant, which most recent computers are.

In Windows XP, you can control the power management features of your display, hard drive, shut down, stand by and hibernate, and low battery warnings.

Even though modern monitors do not consume a lot of electricity, monitors, hard drives, and the CPU are the three biggest electricity consumers on your laptop. Big, bright LCD monitors with backlights require comparatively large amounts of electrical current, as do the spinning motors and actuators inside hard drives. It is a good idea to shut your monitor off when you are not using it.

Power management allows you to set a fixed time, and if the computer sits idle for that long, the monitor is turned off. The same can be accomplished using power management when it comes to “spinning down” (temporarily turning off) the motor of your hard drive, and even toggling the CPU into a lower power consumption “idle speed”.

You are Getting Sleepy…

Hibernate and Standby are two main energy conserving features provided by Windows XP. The standby state turns off devices such as your monitor and the hard drive and the entire computer switches to a low-power state. It is easy to return where you had left off as standby leaves applications and files open on your laptop. You should only use it for short term purposes such as a short term break you may need. Keep in mind that nothing is written to the hard drive and everything is still only being stored in memory. This means that data has not been stored permanently and can be lost. Hibernate mode is another feature that can be used if you want to leave the computer overnight or even over the weekend and come back to where you left off. It writes an image of your entire laptop’s current “state” to a special file on your hard drive. It takes a little longer to hibernate than it does to stand by as data are written to the hard drive before the system shuts off, but you can leave your computer in hibernate mode for days without any adverse effects.

Low battery warnings are provided when the charge drops to a certain level and the battery needs to be recharged. You can adjust these settings using power management features according to your needs. You should set it to allow ample time to switch to external power and save your work. 10-15% charge remaining is considered a safe setting to trigger such a warning so you can not only switch to external power but also save your work. Windows XP also allows for your laptop to automatically enter hibernation mode when your battery level reaches this pre-set threshold, thereby saving all of your open work (and maybe your job or your sanity in the process.).
Power v. Performance

To access the power management features on your laptop, simply double-click the battery icon in the lower-right corner of your screen (on the Task Bar), or go to Start > Control Panel > Power Options. Proper power management of these devices is an extremely useful feature, and will help you to strike the ideal performance v. battery life balance.

Even though battery performance declines over time, it is possible to prolong per-charge and overall battery life by taking simple steps.

Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Switching to Windows Vista.

By Kimmy Powell - Sunday, May 27, 2007

After five and half years of non-stop hacking and patching, Microsoft finally got its act together and released the more security conscious Windows Vista in January 2007. According to Redmond Magazine, Vista is off to a running start, logging in 20 million licenses in its first month of availability and outselling Windows XP in its first two months of existence by 3 million licenses. That should propel any Microsoft fan to run out and snatch up his or her own copy of the vaunted program – or should it? Those numbers include new systems that would have come with one OS or another anyway, and, after all, we are talking about Microsoft, king of the vulnerabilities and patch-as-you-go operating systems. Contrary to what Microsoft would have you believe, old habits die hard.

That’s not to say Vista doesn’t have its positives. Vista is an exciting system to play with and is pretty to look at. However, forget about running Vista on any old machine. You need relatively fresh hardware to get the maximum return on investment out of new products in the Microsoft universe – running the new OS on “minimum” spec systems just won’t do. With our brief introduction over, let’s consider why you would or wouldn’t upgrade to Vista.

What’s In Your Machine?

If you’re running a system or OS more than a couple of years old, you’re a prime candidate for an upgrade. You’re working on, in Vista terms, a prehistoric beast and it’s time to go shopping. The good news is that computers are even more affordable now than they were just a couple of years ago, and you can get a very decent system pre-packaged with Vista for under $500. In fact, the very best way to get started with Vista is probably to buy it pre-installed on new hardware – because manufacturers have huge volume licensing deals with Microsoft, this makes the OS virtually free compared to buying a “shrink-wrapped” version of the OS, which can run upwards of $400 all by itself. Vista may present a bit of a learning curve, but don’t let that discourage you. Overall, Vista is a very intuitive and user-friendly operating system.

Meanwhile, those running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 have a choice. The fact that Microsoft plans to support the XP series for years to come means you technically don’t have to touch anything. If you purchased a new system that promised the Vista upgrade, you could take advantage of that and save yourself a couple of hundred dollars. If on the other hand, as a geek, you feel compelled to venture into new territory, at least run the Upgrade Advisor on Microsoft’s website to determine whether or not your hardware and software meet the compatibility requirements of Vista. Finally, you can adopt the attitude of most businesses – wait until Vista’s Service Pack 1 is released later this year (to address post-release bugs) and then jump.

The bottom line: if your applications run decently and perform satisfactorily, consider waiting. If your hardware rattles and hums incessantly and your applications slow to an unbearable crawl, it may be time to consider an upgrade that might include Vista.

How Much Will It Cost Me?

Microsoft’s ubiquitous operating systems make them the default consumer OS, but Microsoft complicated things beginning with Windows XP. XP was available as a Home Edition, Professional Edition (tighter on security and supports Windows Server domains and dual processors), and Media Center Edition (the multimedia lovers’ dream). These products varied in price from $199 (a verifiable upgrade is $99) for the Home Edition to $299 for XP Professional, and both editions consisted of essentially the same features. If you’re a power user, you probably opted for XP Pro. If you were satisfied with basic word processing and surfing the net, you kept the XP Home Edition pre-installed on your computer.

Fast forward to today and you’ll find that Vista now ships in no fewer than six editions. The barebones packages are Vista Starter and Home Basic, which lack many of the features that make Vista the OS you’d really want to experience. Most notable is the absence of the Aero interface. You’d have to purchase the Vista Home Premium Edition at $235.95 ($159 as an upgrade) to get the maximum bang for your buck. To get each and every feature lauded by Microsoft, you’ll need to purchase the Ultimate edition, which will set you back just over $400. Factor in the potential costs of hardware upgrades recommended by the Vista Upgrade Advisor and a new computer with Vista pre-installed becomes the more obvious money-saving solution!

Features = Upgrade?

By now you’ve read about the many new features offered by the Vista operating system: the animated and more photorealistic graphical interface, 3D task-switching with live content preview, the integrated search capabilities, built-in parental controls and RSS support, the ability to burn your own movies, and enhancements in overall security and performance. Microsoft has even gone the extra mile to make installation as seamless as possible (adopting an image based installation versus the traditional copying of temporary files to the hard disk drive). Porting over to Vista should be a no-brainer, but there are always issues that counteract the positive.

The flip side to getting better tools that will make you more productive is the time and energy you must invest in learning to use them, and dealing with the potential hassles of hardware and/or software compatibility issues. Reaping performance gains require that you invest in the technology (e.g., purchase new hardware or software that Vista supports). And all the security promises? That definitely has improved, but much to the point of annoyance. Vista requests your permission and approval to access underlying hardware resources and to make system changes. It’s possible to turn these notifications off, but first impressions are important, and requiring user intervention as a way to address security does not a happy user make.

Compatibility

Features, security, and super-slick new interface aside, compatibility with your existing hardware and applications should be a key factor in your decision to upgrade or continue to stick with the tried and true XP for a while longer. Reports from computer stores and service depots of people reverting from their Vista upgrades (or new installations) back to solid, working XP installations are commonplace, if not rampant, due to compatibility issues with some previously-working application or peripheral.

The Verdict

While Vista does improve upon previous versions of the Windows operating system, most notably in terms of User Interface (”UI”) enhancements, unless you have a compelling reason to upgrade to Windows Vista, you’re probably better off sticking with Windows XP, at least until Microsoft releases Vista Service Pack 1 later this year. If you’re a technophile or avid gamer, Vista can be a digital dream come true, but you may want to think twice before “fixing something that ain’t broke.”

In the final analysis, it sure is pretty on top, but it appears as if Microsoft may have taken Vista out of the oven a little early – it’s not quite done cooking on the inside yet.

The Bells and Whistles of Microsoft’s Latest Operating System.By Kimmy Powell

Are you ready for a brand new day? You may have heard it, seen it fleetingly in neighborhood electronic shops, and it didn’t make big headlines like the debut of the Macintosh during Super Bowl Sunday or become the “End of the World as We Know It.” The “it” here is Microsoft’s successor to its hugely popular Windows XP operating system, Windows Vista.

Vista was finally released to the public on January 30, 2007, five and a half years in the making. The positives: Vista drastically improves upon security (sometimes to the point of annoyance) and sports a more intuitive look and feel. The negatives: As in any release of the Windows OS, you need to have relatively new hardware to run it, and running it on the “minimum” specification won’t get you anywhere but frustrated.

Of course, as was common in their XP software, there are multiple versions of Vista and not all versions come with the same features. All in all, it’s a worthy successor to its siblings, moving Windows closer to “Mac-like” proportions.

We present a rundown of Vista’s features below.

Vista takes a drastic detour from its predecessors by taking advantage of recent improvements in graphical technology and rendering crisp, smooth graphics – the Aero glass interface. Aero, available in all Vista releases except for Home Basic, is an acronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open. The “glass” in glass windows (after all, isn’t glass what windows are made of?) intends to be simple, reflective, and transparent. Thumbnails provide visual details about a minimized application on the Task Bar and when switching between Windows applications using Alt + Tab and Windows + Tab (renamed Flip and Flip 3D). Essentially, you can now preview each application’s contents before switching tasks.

Other desktop improvements include a smaller Start button and the removal of most desktop icons so you can maximize screen real estate. The Start menu adapts to your needs depending on what you’ve opened recently. Commonly used programs appear on the Start Menu’s left column and any programs that don’t appear in the recent list are accessible by clicking on the “All Programs” option above the search box.
Integrated Search Capabilities

Users now have the ability to conduct complete searches of all applications, documents, links, and emails for matching terms from the Start menu and incremental searches from within specific applications like Media Player, Windows Explorer, Windows Mail, Control Panel, and the Network Center. You can further tag and add meta-data (like author and file descriptors) to search results, and save these results in Virtual Folders that are accessible in Windows Explorer. You also have the ability to launch programs by typing the name of the program in the Search box, eliminating the need to go to Start and then Run. Remote searches are now possible across shared computers and networks.

Interactive Windows Explorer

Unless you’re a Windows geek dead set on running programs from the command line, anything that simplifies opening and viewing files has to be infinitely better. Adding to this is the concept of “breadcrumbs” so you can trace your way back through the operating system’s organizational hierarchy in the address bar (eliminating the need to click on the Back button) and the addition of live icons that allow you to preview the contents before opening the application (much like previewing emails in Outlook). Plus, you can navigate to websites using the address bar.

Other changes include improved filtering, sorting, grouping and stacking of items and tweaks to menu items we’ve become accustomed to. Common types of programs are now clustered in program “Centers”, and the traditional File, Edit, and View menus have been reduced to Organize, Views, Save Search and Search Tools, and the list of folders on the left side of Explorer has become the Favorite Links (Documents, Pictures, Music, Recently Changed, and more folders). To restore the old views, simply go to the Organize menu button, select on the Layout option, and make sure the Menu Bar option is checked.

Anchoring Sidebar

New to Vista is a pane that docks on the right side of the screen and displays gadgets, or miniature applications that are supposed to make life easier. The gadgets include a Calculator, Clock, Calendar, Notepad, Slideshow, and the ability to display RSS headlines (Vista is now natively “RSS aware”). You can also drag and drop these applets directly onto your desktop if you choose forego the Sidebar

Improved Security

With Vista, Microsoft has added improvements that close some security loopholes (like blocking access to the kernel and running applications in “protected mode”). Windows Firewall now provides outbound as well as inbound protection, and Internet Explorer 7 runs in a protected mode to guard against potential attacks during browsing. Also included are an improved User Account Control (even administrators must confirm changes to the OS with a password!) and native parental control software (restricting children’s access to certain applications, web sites, games and files, hours of activity, and activity logs). Windows Defender scans for spyware in the background so it doesn’t interfere with existing processes. Additionally, Vista Ultimate and Enterprise versions include a new program called BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Improved Backup and Restore Functionality

Complete PC Backup, the new program that comes bundled with Vista Enterprise and Ultimate versions, resembles Norton Ghost by using disk imaging during the backup process. Also included are version control indexing of files so you can roll back to previous versions and the ability to handle a variety of backup devices and media.
Better Hardware Support and Improved System Performance

Among the highlighted improvements in Vista are power management and self-tuning diagnostics, like the automatic scheduling to de-fragment your hard drive (this, however, is not available in Home Basic). Changes in the OS kernel now improve low-level functions like scheduling and processor synchronization. Vista also introduced a new product called SideShow, which supports auxiliary devices like secondary screens on mobile PCs).

Exclusive to Vista is DirectX 10. Utilizing advances in graphics architecture, DX10 runs more efficiently and much faster. DX10 is a major plus for all you PC gaming fans out there.

New tools in Vista now manage your PC’s memory to boost speed and performance. SuperFetch tracks and preloads frequently used programs on a user-by-user basis. If you’ve got a USB drive or hybrid hard disk, you could dedicate available space towards the swap file using ReadyBoost. Additionally, ReadyDrive provides added support for hybrid drives by allowing you to use the hybrid’s built-in flash memory towards re-booting or resuming your PC session.
New Applications

Microsoft wouldn’t be Microsoft without making Third Party Vendors’ lives miserable by including new applications that take advantage of capabilities in the new operating system. However, this can be a boon for consumers on a tight budget, especially given Vista’s price tag. Among the new applications and technology support entering the Vista family are:

• Media Player 11 in Vista Home Premium and Ultimate versions support HD-DVD, MMC-5 (Fifth-Generation SCSI Multi-Media Command Set) and UDF (Universal Disk Format) formats.
• Media Center (Home Premium and Ultimate) supports dual tuner cards, DVD’s, MPEG2, and high definition content.
• DVD Maker – now, you can create and burn your own DVD’s without resorting to third party software.
• Photo Gallery provides management and basic editing of digital photo archives.

New games, like Chess Titans, that feed off improvements on graphics capabilities.

Revamped Applications

And the existing applications? Here are the changes – some good, some bad:

• Meeting Space replaces the old NetMeeting and is a peer-to-peer, collaborative application permitting you to share applications with users across networks. It’s much like another Microsoft product, Groove, albeit limited in scope.
• Windows Mail replaces Outlook Express and now includes anti-phishing and anti-spam solutions.
• Internet Explorer 7, with tabbed browsing, enhanced security and incremental page searches. A version for Windows XP is available, though it does not run in protected mode under that OS.
• Microsoft Fax and Scan – now available in only the Enterprise and Ultimate editions.

Finally, don’t let the minimum specs of Vista fool you. Meeting the minimum hardware specifications lets Vista run at a crawl, if it runs at all. Remember this as you think about upgrading your existing machine. If you have a Vista-approved machine, installing the software is easy. Vista now uses image-based setups instead of the time-draining chore of first copying temporary files down to your hard drive and then running the setup.

Windows Vista is a major reworking of previous Windows releases. It promises to make life easier by simplifying computing. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen. One thing is sure, however; Microsoft does pay attention to consumer demands, and that has to count for something.

By Stewart S. Miller

Windows is a living entity. Protecting Windows and keeping it clean from malware (malicious programs) is a full time job these days. Windows users are often frustrated by Microsoft’s continued efforts to make its operating system secure against hackers because patching Windows seems like a full-time job. The real question here is what do all these patches mean to you? Microsoft releases “critical” alerts on a regular basis designed to protect Windows from hacker attacks. The most severe vulnerabilities deal with security bugs that allow hackers to gain complete control over your computer. Some of these flaws exist in the way Windows Media Player and MSN Messenger process certain files. Microsoft has also identified bugs in how Exchange (its Internet Mail Server Software) and Office allow hackers to execute hostile code on vulnerable systems. These patches are supposed to prevent a hacker from gaining unauthorized access to certain sections of a Web site. Another bug in the Windows Shell Component may permit a hacker to cause an affected system to stop responding. These vulnerabilities make it possible for hackers to spy on your PC. With the advent of Service Pack 2, it seems like updates are a seamless process that simply execute in the background. The problem with this “easy” method of installation is that you, as the user, need to know what is being changed on your computer. This is why I recommend you always view the list of updates before allowing Windows to update your system.

Security Updates

One Microsoft security patch update includes a change to the functionality of a clear-text authentication feature of Internet Explorer. This update removes the ability to handle user names and passwords in HTTP URLs, HTTP with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), URLs, and HTTPS URLs. An example of the type of URL that is no longer supported would look like: http(s):// username:password@server.com If you think your version of Windows is too old to be affected by these security concerns, think again. Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows Millennium Edition are all critically affected by these security vulnerabilities too. If you are running Windows NT 4.0 Workstation SP6a or Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, update support ceased at the end of last year. Microsoft encourages those users to migrate to a “supported” version of Windows to prevent potential exposure to these security vulnerabilities.

Protection Settings

Set your Internet and local intranet security zone settings to “high”You can take steps to protect yourself from future attacks. Set your Internet and local intranet security zone settings to “high” so your computer will prompt you before running ActiveX controls and active scripting in these zones. Setting your browser security to “high” applies the highest level of protection from unsafe content that comes across your network. If this setting causes some of your sites not to load properly, you can add those sites individually to your list of trusted sites. However, you should only do so if you are sure that the site is safe to use and is hosted from a company or entity you trust. As a final note, there is a free program that I highly recommend you download called the “Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer” (MBSA) tool that verifies when a security update has been applied to your system. It lets you scan your system for missing security updates as well as common security misconfigurations.

Firewalls

Once upon a time, a firewall was your best answer to protecting your computer from hackers looking to exploit vulnerabilities in Windows. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case now. Nowadays, most users are attacked by just browsing the Web. Hackers host Web sites that contain code to exploit vulnerabilities in your operating system such as infect you with a virus, spyware, or even take complete control of your computer. Hackers can alternatively compromise a Web site for the purpose of misdirecting you to click on malicious content. Hackers can’t “force” you to visit a specific site, but they can trick you into clicking on a link that invites malicious content into your machine.

Windows XP SP2 has an integrated firewall, previously known as the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) that defends you against hackers who are trying to access your computer from the Internet without your permission. When a hacker attempts to connect to your computer via an “unsolicited request,” the Windows firewall blocks that request. Windows will actually ask your permission if you wish to “unblock” and allow connects to programs you actually want to run such as instant messaging and multiplayer network games. When you unblock those connections, the Windows firewall creates an exception so that the firewall won’t ask any more when your program needs to receive information to function. You don’t have to use the Windows firewall. You can install and run any firewall you wish.

Zone Alarm is an excellent firewall that is very popular. Zone Alarm offers both paid and free versions that can protect your computer as much or as little as you desire. An even more comprehensive program is Norton Internet Security 2005 that touts its ability to hide your PC on the Internet so hackers can’t find it. The Mac also has an integrated firewall, just like Windows. However, Norton also makes a comprehensive security solution for this platform as well in the form of Norton Internet Security 3.0. The best part of Norton Internet Security 2005 for the PC is its integrated “Intrusion Detection System” that automatically blocks suspicious traffic. Not only does this product block suspicious incoming connections, but it lets you configure your “outbound” Internet connections too. This is advantageous, because if you do get infected with spyware, Norton will alert you that a program on your system is attempting to connect to the Internet and asks you if you really want this program to connect. By giving you the opportunity to block these connections, you can effectively thwart malicious spyware from doing its evil.

Intrusion Detection

Apple’s Macintosh has its own version of this type of Intrusion Detection with a program called, “Little Snitch” that effectively asks your permission any time a program wants to connect to the Internet. Although the Mac seldom becomes infected with spyware, it is a handy utility to have so that you know exactly what your computer is doing on the Internet.

Frozen Images

Now that your computer has been through its trial by fire(wall), the best answer is to simply put your computer on ICE! If you have resigned yourself to the fact that, no matter what you do, your computer is going to get infected, then use a program called “Deep Freeze”. This software for both Mac and PC lets you configure your computer with all the programs you need and then “freeze” your configuration. If a hacker infects your computer with a virus or spyware, Deep Freeze makes the damage simply disappear. All of your settings, files and programs are completely restored to their original configurations every time you restart your computer. This makes it possible for you to avoid problems caused by software conflicts, registry and operating system corruption, lost network and Internet connections, as well as a host of problems caused by simply connecting to virus-ridden network sites. The only catch is that you have to store your personal documents on a separate drive that does not “revert” each time you restart your machine. You have to imagine this program literally resets your computer to a frozen state that you specify. However, if you create a word document, it would be lost if it were on that drive. So, remember to keep a separate drive with your personal files and you’ll have a computer that won’t ever become infected or go down. Now, all you have to worry about are mechanical failures.

Conclusion

Finding ways to prevent hackers from accessing Windows is difficult because your operating system is always in a constant state of flux. Every time you turn on your computer, browse the web, or get a Microsoft update, your operating system changes. If you want to prevent all changes from taking place on your computer, freeze the computer—but then you can’t make any changes to your operating system at all.

There are good and bad points to both approaches—but in a world where having a functional computer is a necessity—this Tech Tip will keep your system running.