Xoom, Xoom

As I mentioned in my My First Look At Android, part 1, I recently purchased an HTC smartphone, and have been exploring its Android operating system. In that article, I referenced Apple’s iPad, and this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show). I talked about the “year of the tablet”.

The iPad was the first consumer ‘tablet’, and its popularity (read “sales”) ensured that other manufacturers would produce their own tablet PC’s, and try to grab a slice of that market share. Well, a year later they’re coming, (or here) and Motorola’s Xoom – with it’s Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” operating system – seems to be the lead contender for unseating the iPad as the tablet to own.

I have been watching the tablets, as I really am not satisfied with my smartphone. Why? The small, 3.8″ screen. I really would prefer a 6″, or 7″ screen. Large for a phone? I guess. But if their were a tablet/phone available here in the US, that’s what I’d get. I am considering selling my phone, getting a tablet, and using Skype.. or waiting until a 4G phone/tablet hits the market.

So I was watching for the Xoom reviews, and, lo, two arrived today.

Motorola Xoom review: Google Android reaches adolescence

“The Motorola Xoom is the first tablet computer to use Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Is it ready to rival Apple’s iPad?”

First impressions of the Motorola Xoom: Five quick insights

“The Motorola Xoom is more of a PC replacement than the iPad, but it still has some frayed edges that need to be evened out before most early adopters will want to jump on board.”

I have been a tech for too long, and am too ‘seasoned’ to be anyone’s guinea pig (aka “an ‘early adopter'”), so I will not be rushing out and buying a Xoom. (I urge people not to buy version 1.0 of anything.. as kewel and hip as be-the-first-on-your-block might be.) But I will be watching developments. These gizmos do indeed look like they are here to stay; and, yes, I want one.
But just not yet. I agree with these articles, and I’m giving myself a year for this new stuff to shake out. (And competition will lower the price by then, too.)

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Sunday Beauty XXXI + Top Security Products

Today’s image is a bit different.. and possibly represents some wishful thinking on my part..

Click on image to see more by this artist

Photo by El Frito, courtesy of Flickr Commons.

Addenda: Yesterday, I posted a link to an antivirus product review: Top 10 Antivirus Programs for 2011 (review).That review was of for-pay antivirus programs. For those who want to see how free antiviruses stack up, see “Fee vs. Free: Free and Paid Antivirus Programs Compared“.

And for the product review of full security suites, see, “Battle of the Security Superpowers,” which lists PC World’s top security suite picks.

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Top 10 Antivirus Programs for 2011 (review)

If you connect it to the Internet, it needs an antivirus, period.

PC World magazine recently published their roundup product review, which lists their top 10 antivirus products: see, Antivirus 2011: Digital Defenders

Today’s new threats demand a new breed of antivirus software. Our lab tests show you which paid antivirus products you can trust, and which ones you should skip.

If you haven’t bought a new version of your antivirus software in a couple of years, now may be a good time to do so. Malware is evolving faster than ever, and the latest generation of antivirus software is better equipped to handle this rapid pace of change. If your antivirus software is a few years old, it may not be able to defend against this on­­slaught effectively, even if you faithfully download new virus definitions. In recent years, the technology that powers antivirus software has changed dramatically: An antivirus package you purchased a few years ago may be able to stop known viruses and other known malware, but brand-new, as-yet unknown viruses can be more dangerous, and newer products do a much better job of stopping them.

I have put a link to this article in my Blogroll. Also in my Blogroll  is PC Magazine’s review: see, Best Antivirus – 2011 (review) (which is written by my ‘go to guy’, Neil Rubenking).

I suggest you look at these two product comparison charts, and assess your current antivirus defense.

But also know, an antivirus is not protection enough. Every computer user should know that there are computing “Good Practices”.. and certain “Do’s & Don’ts”.
For the “do’s“, I have provided readers the basic “common good practices” in what I call my “Top 10 Things You Should Do” list.

Let’s be safe out there people. Don’t become a victim of cybercrime. Use some healthy “paranoid common sense” when online.

Addenda: For those who have trouble with installing Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (or.. Updates in general), see Microsoft notes Windows Update “inconsistencies,” provides fix

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Want To Live Forever?

Folks, a quick reading reco for your Friday: the Singularity – Will the Continued Development of Computers Surpass Human Intelligence?

“Are we approaching the moment when computers will become intelligent, and not just intelligent, but more intelligent than humans?”

Also: Do you surf the Internet?
Well, duh. Right? I mean, how else could you be reading this?
Right. So, do you use Sandboxie?

If you aren’t, please read Tech Paul’s Friend of the Internet Surfer Award – 2010.

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Service Pack 1 and Polite Phishing. OddJob & Meow.

Service Pack Released. Holdouts can migrate to Windows 7 now.

Last night my Win7 machine told me that there were Updates available. So, like I always do, I clicked to view the details. I noticed that one of the “Important” updates was not checked. So I looked closer and saw that it was indeed the awaited first Service Pack, which rumors had said was coming soon.
I placed a check in the checkbox, and clicked “Install”. Because Service Packs are good things. And I have been testing IE 9, so I let that upgrade to the new “Release Candidate” as well.

After a twice rebooting install, which went smoothly, my upgrades were in, and my Windows 7 machine was now 72 times faster and three times shinier. Yay!

Okay. You know I’m kidding.. right? “Service Packs” sometimes do bring new features to the operating system, but generally are simply a collection (a “pack”) of security patches and bug fixes. There is an old saying in the Geek world – Do Not Buy Until The First Service Pack Is Released.

That’s good advice. Generally speaking, you do not want Version 1.0 of anything. You want the next version.. the one where most of the bugs have been found and fixed. I have been telling people that Windows 7 is an exception to that Rule – being already remarkably stable and bug free. However, if you have been waiting, SP1 is now here.

So what is in the first Windows 7 Service Pack (aka SP1)? I quote, “Win 7 SP1 sports a little nip here and a roll-up tuck there — but there’s not a single significant enhancement to Win7.”
Woody Leonhard wrote a great piece for Windows Secrets that sums things up in a nutshell: What you need to know about Windows 7 SP1

* For those who have trouble with this Update (or.. Updates in general), see Microsoft notes Windows Update “inconsistencies,” provides fix

Cybercriminals try the polite approach:

I ask non-regular readers to note the attachment ‘paperclip’, and to trust me when I say that it is a clear signal that you do NOT want to do anything with this email except delete it — opening the email will put you on the Global Sucker List. And opening the attachment…. probably worse.
And I believe that regular readers will know that “Please confirm your identity” translates to “Please hand me your identity”.

Related?

“A new banking trojan targeting U.S. customers has the ability to keep online account sessions open after customers believe they have logged off, enabling criminals to surreptitiously steal money, according to researchers at web security firm Trusteer.

Eastern European cybercrooks are using the trojan, dubbed “OddJob” by researchers, to attack banking customers in the United States, Poland and Denmark…“

Learn more here, Trojan steals session IDs, bypasses logout requests

Too kewel not to post:
A reader shared with me a photo. I am not a “cat person”, but one look at this fellow…

King of his hill

and I had to smile. One ‘cool cat’ there.

Have a great day everyone!

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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A Quick Announcement…

Tech – for Everyone Honored With Prestigious Award

Folks, I am very happy to share with you the news that this website was today awarded recognition from technology writer Rick Robinette on his What’s On My PC.. website’s 100th “Geek Squeak”.

I am distinctly honored to receive the first ever Geek Squeak Award.

Rick is a retired IT professional (and all-around good guy). His writing, published daily on What’s On My PC.. is one of my few remaining “must reads”.

I send my thanks to Rick for this honor, and ask you, Dear Reader, to click the link and visit what I believe is a true undiscovered gem on the Internet.

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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BeenVerified.com – Your Discount Private Eye?

We Live In The Information Age. That Information Is For Sale.. Even To You.

A reader sent me an email asking me for my thoughts on a website that provides “background checks”, for anyone with a credit card, after he had seen a commercial on TV. (I guess it is supposed to be more effective than simply Googling someone’s name…)

Vodpod videos no longer available.

BeenVerified.com claims to provide “background checks” (much like you might hire a PI to do) but also has this disclaimer — though, who reads those?

“Disclaimer: While we are constantly updating and refining our database and service, we do not represent or warrant that the results provided will be 100% accurate and up to date. BeenVerified™ is a database of publicly available sources of information aggregated for your convenience. BeenVerified™ does not provide private investigator services and this information should not be used for employment, tenant screening, or any FCRA related purposes. BeenVerified™ does not make any representation or warranty as to the character or the integrity of the person, business, or entity that is the subject of any search inquiry processed through our service. None of the above-featured companies either sponsor, endorse, or are in anyway affiliated with BeenVerified™.”

The keywords here are “aggregated”, and “publicly available sources”.

Some similar aggregator sites I have written about before: MyLife.com and Spokeo. (You may want to click those links and read..) There are several others. But, BeenVerified’s marketing angle is a new one to me.

What these sites do is collect, correlate, compile into one easy list, and sell access to the various mentions of us posted online, and/or uploaded into public databases (and there are many of those.. like property tax records, phone books..), information you could access yourself, one piece at a time. Short version: automated Big Brother. They are kind of convenient. And as time passes, and we put more of ourselves online (or the Gov’t and Businesses do it for us), the more detailed these ‘reports’ (search results, essentially) will be about us. Those doing genealogy love sites like this.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
In my years of writing, I have often talked about surveillance societies, tech, and “Big Brother” (use that last as a keyword in my search widget). From reader reaction to these articles, I have concluded that the concept formerly known as “privacy” is dead.. and that nobody cares.
After all.. it’s pretty cool that you can look up your High School sweetheart, and your childhood pals.

Right?

For those of you thinkers out there – I might ask you to consider the Law of Unintended Consequences. And maybe ask yourself how many people using this service, to decide if you can rent from them, read the disclaimer. Or how criminals might use (and love) these services too?

The future is here.

(PS — I have found that websites that advertise on TV.. well, I don’t want anything to do with them. And, the good ones don’t need to. That goes for software as well.)

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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