Survey says…. The Best Smartphones (and carriers)
Folks, I’m not going to reinvent the wheel today. Instead, I am simply going to say that if you are wondering which smartphone to buy, or thinking about switching providers, I have something for you to read.
The Smartphones You Can Rely On
“Which mobile carriers offer clear, fast network connections? Which can solve your smartphone support problems? And can any device out there beat the iPhone? We surveyed thousands of readers and found definite winners—and losers—among handsets and carriers.”
Dear reader, your fave provider didn’t make the list? Your input is welcome here — leave a comment!
Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. 
post to jaanix.
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Using Vista? Quick Tip
Today’s Quick Tip is for those of you who have Vista, and would like to turn off that pesky pop-open prompt for “Continue?” (aka the “UAC”) yet still have the UAC protection.
It is a well-known ‘fact’ that neither the consumer, nor business, took to Microsoft’s Windows Vista. (In fact, it can be said that many, if not most, avoided Vista.) Microsoft learned from this ‘fact’ and made changes to it’s latest version of Windows – Windows 7 – which have proven to be the right moves.
One such change is the UAC in Windows 7 is much quieter, hardly ever popping open to ask you to ‘confirm’ your actions. Vista users can get this same “quiet mode” by downloading and using TweakUAC from WINABILTY. It is a free utility, which the developer says works on both 32 and 64 bit versions.
I have not mentioned Vista’s UAC here, as I did not want you, Dear Reader, turning it off. Yes. It’s annoying, but it is there to protect you. And you want it. Really. But “quiet mode” is fine with me, as it is the best of both worlds.. so to speak.
(So if you are one of those who did turn off the UAC.. may I suggest this approach instead?)
Note: one thing to be aware of: using this will make Vista think the UAC is off (which it isn’t) and it will give a ‘red shield’ Security Center warning. To stop the “red shield” icon from bothering you, right-click on the icon and choose “Open Security Center” from the menu. When it opens, click on the “Change the way Security Center alerts me” link, in the left panel. There choose one of the “Do not notify me” options.
Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.
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Sunday Beauty 8
"Waterfall" by blary54
Image courtesy of Stock.XCHNG. Click on image to see more by this artist.
Reader asks about 64-bit
Bad Experience With 64-bit Has Reader Worried…
Q: Paul I am hoping you can help me. I have finally managed to set aside enough that I am shopping for a new computer but all I seem to find in the stores is 64 Bit models. I had a horrible experience some years ago with a 64 Bit computer and I don’t want to go through that again. Is it worth going going to the hassle to try to find a 32 Bit model or am I stuck with 64?
A: Dear Reader,
Congratulations on your shopping. Now to your question: in my humble opinion, the only people who should make an effort to stay 32-bit are IT Departments who must maintain specialty code (custom programs essential to business operation) that are DOS-based (16-bit).
Years ago, the Industry was just making the transition to, and learning about, 64-bit, and to say that there were “teething troubles” along the way would be more than fair. (Windows XP x64 was a disaster, IMHO). However, for the most part anyway, 64-bit is now “mainstream” even for us consumers.
There are several advantages to having an “all 64” machine: the two that leap first into my mind are; one, you can access and use more RAM memory, and two, (for the time being anyway) it is more secure.
My own experiences with Windows 7 x64 have been 100% positive. (See, Windows 7 64-bit Adventures and/or A Tech’s First Impression of Windows 7 RC and/or click here to see all of my articles tagged “Windows 7”)
[ note: Those who have purchased a new 64-bit PC and are having some issues, may want to look at https://techpaul.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/compatibility-tricks-for-old-programs-new-machines/]
You might also like to see my “computer shopper guidelines”. Back To School Computer Shopping Guidelines
Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.
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Free Tool Immunizes PC’s, USB Devices
Disable Autorun With A Click
Folks, an increasingly common method the cybercriminals are using to get their spyware and viruses onto your machines is by infecting thumb drives. In fact, if you remember Conficker…
Fortunately, the good folks at Panda have a free tool for us to help protect ourselves. The below is from their website…
Panda USB Vaccine – free antimalware to block malware spreading through USB drives.
There is an increasing amount of malware which, like the dangerous Conficker worm, spreads via removable devices and drives such as memory sticks, MP3 players, digital cameras, etc. To do this, these malicious codes modify the AutoRun file on these devices.
Panda USB Vaccine is a free solution designed to protect against this threat. It offers a double layer of preventive protection, allowing users to disable the AutoRun feature on computers as well as on USB drives and other devices:Vaccine for computers: This is a ‘vaccine’ for computers to prevent any AutoRun file from running, regardless of whether the device (memory stick, CD, etc.) is infected or not.
Vaccine for USB devices: This is a ‘vaccine’ for removable USB devices, preventing the AutoRun file from becoming a source of infection. The tool disables this file so it cannot be read, modified or replaced by malicious code.
This is a very useful tool as there is no simple way of disabling the AutoRun feature in Windows. This provides users with a simple way of disabling this feature, offering a high degree of protection against infections from removable drives and devices.
You can Download Antimalware Panda USB Vaccine free here.
* The good folks at Panda get another tip of my Geek hat for this. And my thanks also to Bryce at Technibble for mentioning this in his newsletter. I had meant to mention this, but it had slipped my mind..
Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.
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Free Phone Calls by Google Voice: What’s Next?
Today I opened my Gmail account and was informed that I could make free phone calls to the US and Canada.
Now.. I sometimes joke that today the two Superpowers are no longer the US and the USSR, but Google and China; but is Google really going to put an end to Ma Bell by making my phone calls free???
Naturally, I clicked on “Learn more”!
Okay. So this is Google Chat. And it says I can “call anywhere”. Free in 2010. So that must mean I can call landlines — which I pay for with Skype. (And since they say “2010”, I assume there will be a fee starting in 2011..)
“How does this work?
You can now place calls to landline and mobile phones from within Gmail. Just dial any phone number and you’ll be connected. Learn more.”
Yup. Install Google Voice, and you can call landlines, free (US & CA) for the remainder of 2010. And – like Skype – it has video too.
Related:
* Call phones from Gmail – Official Gmail Blog
* Google Voice is added to Gmail; Boosts exposure but still falls short in other areas
… I wonder why I am getting a little uncomfortable with Google..?
In other news: The September/October issue of Foreign Affairs is now available online and within its virtual pages is one of the most important cyberwar articles in modern history.
“Our nation faces risks far greater than a rogue flash drive: Failure to properly safeguard our consumer and industry systems; unwillingness to invest in ongoing security; and ordinary computer users playing with digital weapons of mass destruction.”
For more, see: Inside look at Pentagon’s cyberdefense strategy: The battlefield beyond bad flash drives
Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.
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• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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