Connected

Practical Computing Ideas, Opinions

and Questions Answered

David's Newspaper Columns  (updated weekly)

Some of my Innovations columns are called "Connected" in print.  So if you can't find what you think is a Connected column here, look in Innovations -- especially if it's about a specific product.

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Credit card receipts can leave a paper trail

On a recent business trip to Albany, my associate and I decided to go to a restaurant to relax after a hard day. After our meal, I paid with my credit card, and in the usual manner, the waiter returned two copies of the receipt -- one for me as a record and one for the restaurant -- which needed to be signed.

I signed the receipt and, despite my associate's request to leave the restaurant, stayed until I could find an appropriate person to whom I could hand the restaurant's copy of the charge slip. Unlike most restaurants, this local establishment was still printing the full credit card number on the receipt, so I refused to leave it on our table for the next person to view -- and perhaps steal my credit card number.

It's not a new concern to me. I've refused to leave behind my charge receipts for years -- perhaps before most people even realized it was a threat.  In one of... <more>

Solid phone has many cool features

When buying a cell phone, it's easy to be swayed by the cool features available in most models.

You could be looking for a simple phone; then see one with a screen that has great graphics or integrated music player or some other feature that interests you so much -- and you're a goner.

You forget you're really interested in buying a communications tool and buy the one that looks like fun.

In too many cases, you end up with an inferior phone.

Not so with the LG Muziq from Sprint. This one is a nice phone that happens to have some cool features.

Instead of the flimsy or hard-to-use keyboards in many sleekly designed cell phones, the Muziq has a standard-feel keyboard with...<more>

Never forget when buying a computer that memory is key

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, I couldn't help but shake my head as I read about the 17-year-old student who waited in the wee hours of the morning to grab that $229 laptop on sale. I was truly disappointed for the kid because he'll probably be disappointed by his purchase. The system he purchased undoubtedly was a loss leader -- an underpowered system meant only to draw people into the store.

Even if it has all the features, for that price it won't have the memory to operate optimally. And memory is key. So this year, instead of giving you a buying guide column, I'd like to help you not make the same mistake when buying your own computer.

In a typical computer, your programs and data are... <more>

Clock radios for viewing, listening, waking

Longtime readers know that I believe a clock radio is almost as important as one of your organs because you depend on it so heavily day in and day out. In recent years, the selection of clock radios has been dismal, not even close to what was available 20 years ago. This year's crop, though, features a couple that break through the clutter and are worth considering again.

The TunePro from Macally and the RCA RP5500i have a lot of features in common. They both have two alarms and built in AM/FM radios. They both allow you to plug in various types of iPods, other types of MP3 players and wake to either of them -- or to your radio or standard noise-maker alarm. Beyond that though, they are quite different.... <more>

Gateway One a computer you might love for its looks

For years, PC makers have been trying to create systems that consumers feel comfortable putting in their family rooms and bedrooms. They've tried replaceable front panels in your choice of colors, glowing lights and various stylings -- but with rare exceptions, they have not been able to break the barrier to become products you want for their good looks.

The Gateway One system may have a chance of being a system you actually want to show off in your family room. Like the iMac, the Gateway One... <more>

Avoid dangers of online shopping

Holding a phone conversation with Sara Yanari is like talking with Sgt. Joe Friday of "Dragnet." A Geek Squad mission specialist out of Richfield, Minn., Ms. Yanari speaks in antiseptic terms that would make Jack Webb proud. And she never goes out of character, even if I try to lighten the subject with seemingly humorous remarks.

Ms. Yanari, and two other mission specialists, are ready to help the more than 12,000 Geek Squad agents who fan out around the country to help consumers tackle their computer problems.

It sounds like a large job -- especially when Cyber Monday comes around. That's the day that thousands of holiday shoppers go online after Thanksgiving to buy their holiday gifts. During the past decade, it has become a tradition, almost as ubiquitous as shopping at your favorite retail store on the day after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday helps kicks off a holiday shopping spree that JupiterResearch expects to reach $39 billion transacted by 126 million online shoppers.

Although shopping by computer (or cell phone) has become habit, it unfortunately is still not as safe as it should be -- because scoundrels are waiting to prey on innocent shoppers who take nonsafe actions.

The first rule in safely shopping online is... <more>

If you promise the moon, you might deliver green cheese

There is no such thing as perfection -- and it would be nice if vendors admit it. No matter how good a job they do, something, sometime will go wrong. They can do everything under their control to mitigate problems, but something not under their control will crop up to cause a problem they might not have anticipated.

Rackspace, a San Antonio-based company with data centers around the United States, allows other companies to use its data centers and systems to run Web sites and applications. It's a well-funded company with a seasoned management team, yet a recent incident shows how it may have overcommitted by guaranteeing 100 percent uptime to its clients.

The chain of events on Monday started with... <more>

Classic Menu provides a nice mix on Office

Classic Menu is an add-on for Office 2007 from Addintools, a small company based in Haikou City, China. It addresses one of the biggest problems with Office 2007: the extreme difference between its interface and those of older versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Office components.

When I first installed Classic Menu for Office 2007, I was concerned that I might rely on it as a crutch. I had been using Office 2007 for months on my home systems, while using Office 2003 at the office; and despite some of the nice new features in Office 2007, I had been finding the older version to be more productive -- because I continually had to search for the functions on the newer version that I had been using for years in Office 2003...<more>

Senior citizens not necessarily tech-challenged

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about how difficult it could be to install an Internet connection -- and made it known that I particularly feel for elderly people who don't know what questions to ask because the installation could be even more difficult for them. In another recent column, I talked about how my in-laws had trouble understanding the concept behind fuel awards and how to cash them in. In both cases, I used elderly people as the reference group -- as if senior citizens and the elderly are the only people who have these troubles.

After my article about Internet installation problems first ran, I received a thoughtful e-mail from Carol Moritz, an AOL user from Pittsburgh. This reader, in her 70s, was blunt in her message in defense of her demographic group:

"Do not confuse 'elderly' with senile, brain-dead, fuzzy headed, etc. They do not equate."

She's right. Getting older shouldn't be equated with being stupid. It actually should be... <more>

High-tech tricks to track the children on Halloween

This Halloween, will you know where your children are? Sprint Personal Locator and FamilyWatchDog, a couple of computer/cell phone data services, might help you feel more comfortable sending your offspring into the dark.

Start with FamilyWatchDog, a free service that lets you locate registered sex offenders in your neighborhood or elsewhere.

Once you've got the addresses from which you want to steer your child away, you're ready to map out your child's route and send him on his trick or treating mission.

That's where Sprint Personal Locator comes in. Using the global positioning (GPS) capabilities of various cell phones, Sprint Personal Locator can let you monitor the path that your child takes and know when he has reached certain positions... <more>

New phone makes VoIP even easier

If you're a Skype user, chances are you use your computer to make your phone calls, or you're among the growing numbers who use the new breed of Skype telephones to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots on the road. The benefit in both cases is lower long-distance rates (or even free connections to other Skype users).

Skype is the popular phone service that allows you to connect to other computers or telephones around the globe using the Internet via a technology called VoIP (voice-over Internet protocol).

Both paradigms are intriguing ways to save money on your phone bill; but a new phone from General Electric makes the concept even easier for home users. It's the 2 in 1 Internet & Standard Phone. OK, the name leaves much to be desired, but the concept is sound... <more>

Despite problems, Apple steps up when needed

Nobody is perfect -- although sometimes it seems as if certain people come close. Take Steve Jobs. He has created two billion-dollar companies (Apple and Pixar), made entire product categories popular (iPods, podcasting), and thrilled millions of people along the way.

That's why it surprised so many Apple enthusiasts when word got out that some of Apple's iPhones turned into iBricks (nonworking iPhones)... <more>

New device changes life of hearing-impaired

Don Selig used to sell consumer electronics, which exposed him to high sound volumes for many years. That may have contributed to his hearing problems -- problems which he has been solving with various types of hearing aids.

The audiologist, Dr. Catherine Palmer, introduced him to a new tech hearing aid, from a company called Phonak (www.phonak.com), which has changed Mr. Selig's life for the better. Although used primarily as a hearing aid, the $6,000 device also can be used as an iPod accessory and conference call device... <more>