Can you hear me NOW? Jabra Extereme Ear Bud

Almost all states are moving to a law that requires car & truck drivers have hands free devices to handle calls while driving, or just leave the darn thing OFF till you get to your destination.While the 'in-the-ear' devices may make one look nerdy they sure do a good job.

We especially like the Jabra line and at $80- retail the Jabra Extreme is a nice choice.  Your phone has to be Blue-tooth capable for this choices to work, but if it is then this one is slick.  It's small, and has a loop around the ear which helps ensure it won't fall out mid-call and have you looking in your lap instead of the road.  The noise blackout features help quiet background noise for whomever your speaking with.  AND, this unit will allow streaming audio, which many other devices will NOT do.  This is a nice feature if you have pop casts or the like to listen too while driving or walking.  Talking time on a full charge is like 5.5 hours (or a little less) and 10.5 DAYS in standby mode.

We recommend it.

Neighborhood Computer Services Website
Markd@neighborhoodcomputerservices.net


Call : 503-530-6623

Printing with the IPad

Yes, Virginia, you CAN print from the IPad.  But you'll need an APP to do it till Apple comes up with a native solution.  If you E-Mail me maybe I can hook you up with a solution.  Oh, btw, works with IPhone, too!

Neighborhood Computer Services Website
Markd@neighborhoodcomputerservices.net


Call : 503-530-6623

The IPhone 4...

The IPhone 4, going out June 24th, 2010 is the next 'insanely great' enhancement by Apple Computer.  You can read about it everywhere and although it's press won't eclipse the IPad in the sexy category, it comes close.

So what will you get if you run out and buy the new IPhone, besides a new 2 year contract with AT&T and mediocre coverage?  Well, the absolute best graphics presentation available on a phone.  Two years ago who knew THAT would matter?  Additionally, you'll be able to shoot pictures AND Movie clips on either side of the camera, which allows for the first time a video conference option with a cell phone.  That is, if AT&T (or anyone else) can handle the band with that video conferencing will eat up.  That makes it up in the air for now.

Beyond that the look and feel is 'cooler' now...thinner, lighter.

Apple has done it again...and this one will stave off the bite that the 'Droid phones are taking out of Apple...for a while, anyway.

Neighborhood Computer Services Website
Markd@neighborhoodcomputerservices.net


Call : 503-530-6623

S-MAC Me.... A good one!

 Ok, I admit to going a little Mac crazy since we added THREE to the household.  There will always probably be things I can only get done in a PC world, so it's not like I've abandoned ship or nothing....  But they are just plain fun!

My new Mac Book Pro has great battery life, great graphics and...well...it's just plain GREAT.  Some things defy description.

So are they easier to use?  I don't see that as a compelling reason to get a MAC.  

Do they have less problems?  Ok maybe they get a slight nod over windows machines for less problems, but hey...again..probably NOT a decision making reason.

So why get a MAC?  Hey, if you don't know maybe I can't tell you.  Ask another MAC user for their reasons.  For me?  Well for me, it's personal.


Neighborhood Computer Services Website
Markd@neighborhoodcomputerservices.net


Call : 503-530-6623

Face Time....

Ok, Facebook.  You knew I'd have to write about it sooner or later.

There are so many angles to come at it...I mean, how did it EVER become so iconoclastic?  Wasn't it all about MySpace just a few years ago?  Now you NEVER hear about people using MySpace.  What happened?  Ok, who really even cares?

I 'put up' a Facebook page a little over a year ago because thought it might enhance my business presence.  Instead I found family I knew I had, but had somehow long ago forgotten...and being reunited is the 'really good thing'.  In fact, NOW when I see folks who ask to be 'friends' using my precious Facebook page for crass commercialism I don't like it.  Ok, maybe an occasional burst of pandering and prospecting is allowed, but if you have a plan to do business on Facebook get a BUSINESS FB page; keep business and pleasure separate.  I have my limits ... you need yours.

Facebooking is fun, and it's great to see what family and friends are up to.  I mean, that's what brings ME back again and again.  Do I need it?  Am I a Facebook Junkie?  Well, I have two IPhone apps for Facebook, but I'm no junkie.  I swear! I'm not in denial... I really am not.  I mean yes, I check in twice a day or more, but Facebook occupies only 15 minutes or less of any of my days, on the average.

Some like to play the plethora of Facebook games available at the site... I am completely NOT enamored with that pursuit. I have to admit I being a little annoyed when forced to see what folks are doing in 'Farmville' appears on my pages...but hey, to each their own. It's not really a pet peeve or anything.  Play on, Facebookers.

I'm happiest that I've found cousins and nieces and nephews and childhood friends who are back in my life.  I feel richer for it.

For those of you not yet on Facebook nothing could be easier to use. That undoubtedly has a lot to do with the site's incredible growth. A free account is just a few clicks away. Put in a little info about yourself, like name, place of birth, high school and college and people you MIGHT know who are also on Facebook will be suggested to you as potential 'friends'.  Add them and their friends are all potential new friends for you;  many, as you'll discover, you probably already know.  And you don't HAVE to add anyone as a friend....But try saying 'decline' to someone you DO know... I mean, you feel like SUCH a snob.


Caveat>.. What you post anywhere on the internet is forever OUT THERE...you can't really un-write what you have written.  But..once you get over the fear of being out there you begin to realize that we are all defined everyday by what we say, write and do.  So in a sense its your shot, maybe your ONLY shot, at immortality.

I say 'Go for it!'

Neighborhood Computer Services Website
Markd@neighborhoodcomputerservices.net


Call : 503-530-6623

The "Wack-A-Mole" ... (aka SnDog Virus)

The SnDog/Ave virus, dubbed the 'wack-a-mole', because no matter how hard you work to remove it back it comes, popping up again & again & again.

How do you know you have it?

Does  your computer have a pop-up screen that comes up each time you try to start a program or do ANYTHING, prompting you that you have been infected?  Maybe a bogus 'scan' runs supposedly detecting viruses and offering to remove them if you 'JUST CLICK HERE'.....?  Yes?

Oh yeah, you've got it. 

And it looks just like a Microsoft product, doesn't it?

You can spend HOURS trying to remove it.  Or you can reformat your computer and loose absolutely EVERYTHING you've taken years to accumulate.....OR.....

You could call me, or any other qualified technician, who can surgically remove this pain you're experiencing.

Hey, we don't START 'em...we just TERMINATE 'em.



Neighborhood Computer Services Website
Markd@neighborhoodcomputerservices.net


Call : 503-530-6623

Virus Extraction...A Painless cure for the Seriously Infected

There is a 'revolutionary' technique for removing especially difficult Viruses and Malware that I'm now employing with great results. I'm calling it the 'extraction method' because it requires I remove your hard drive from your PC and run certain scans on it with MY equipment to isolate and surgically remove the 'cancerous' stuff, avoiding hours of trial and error work, or worse...having to wipe your disk clean and rebuild it. I've tried other methods but this one works the best and costs the client the least...and that's always a good thing.

Got an infection that has taken control of your PC?  Keeps wanting you to buy something to correct the mistake?  Guess what...that won't work!  My way will.

Worried I'll see sensitive data on your machine if I take it to my shop?  Trust me, I have no time or interest to pry.

Neighborhood Computer Services Website
Markd@neighborhoodcomputerservices.net


Call : 503-530-6623

The WHOLE Truth about Computer Reliability

PC World's March issue is out and it's a scathing indictment of the #1 computer seller in the market.  HP/Compaq sells more PC's than just about anyone and yet they've scored (again) at the bottom of the reliability charts.  The same can be said about their laptops as with their desktop models. It's a shame, really, and a reality that HP is on record as trying to change, but their efforts have been slow.  Success, I suppose, has a down side.

Apple, Acer and....a surprise for some...eMachines have all scored at the top of their class.  Apple, of course, has been doing this pretty consistently, but the other two are other than household names for the general consumer.

HP has a gigantic market presence with their PC's being sold into every market channel imaginable.  eMachines, often equated with low end computing, has delivered the goods on buyer satisfaction, as has Acer.  The Acre market has grown accordingly and is now available way beyond their traditional online sales.  I guess sometimes the good guys DO win.

Are there others I'd recommend?  Sure.  Of course.  I still like Lenovo for desktops and laptops and Toshiba still scores at the top of the laptop heap (as does...'gasp'...Apple).

It underscores my gut for many years...that HP, though leading in units sold is also leading in complaints registered, and unless and until they provide me with a test model that proves PC World AND Neighborhood Computer Services wrong I just can't recommend 'em to anyone that asks me.  Wish I could...can't.

Neighborhood Computer Services Website
Markd@neighborhoodcomputerservices.net


Call : 503-530-6623