The Hard-boiled Egghead

So, you are thinking of purchasing a tablet. And, you are not sure which one to buy. Here are a few things to consider before you run out and get anything.

Kindle Fire

This tablet’s main feature is that it primarily consumes Amazon content – books, movies, audio, etc. It does sport a browser, albeit a limited one. It also does some gaming. And, for the $199 price tag, it is not budget-killer for most people.

Keep in mind, though, that this is not anything like an iPad and really is targeting a different kind of consumer. If you read a lot of e-books and purchase a lot of Amazon content, then this tablet is for you. Its 7” screen is very clear, but the size can also be its downfall. And, it is definitely not a laptop replacement. In addition, it is only available in a Wi-Fi model.

iPad

The elephant in the room here cannot be ignored. But, its $499-$829 price tag puts a lot of people off. If you are looking for good email, video, gaming, and a potential laptop replacement, this would be the choice. Although I could never see it as a laptop replacement, some folks have done it successfully using bluetooth keyboards.

Another plus over the Fire is the option for a 3G model, giving you total mobility. Apple’s iCloud service is nice, but most people will need more than the free 5GB they offer.

A downside is that if you are planning to use it like a laptop, you cannot tether a mouse to it. Plus, it is limited in functions compared to a laptop. The other big downside is the price tag.

Deciding

As you can see, comparing the two tablets is a bit of an apple-orange comparison (pun intended). But neither device requires a PC or a Mac. The iPad features a large amount of storage, the ability to read a variety of documents, and a large screen. The Fire features a large array of books and movies, a small form factor, and totally free cloud storage for all your content.

Kindle Fire and iPad are content-consumption devices mainly, and not designed for content creation. With iPad you can create some content with certain apps. Whether or not Fire will support this remains to be seen. Both devices will serve a particular need, and you must consider yours before making the choice.

There is more information about you online than you think.

As a study, I used the information website spokeo.com to look up a few acquaintances and was surprised at how much information there was available online about them. Their general age, a map pinpointing where they live, and a street view image of the front of their house was all visible without setting up an account.

Some people’s profiles included their political position, and a general range of their income.

A bit scary, huh?

Sites like this one are huge information aggregators. Stalkers, nosy people, identity thieves, and more have access to this information, too. So how do you protect yourself?

Most informational websites offer some kind of removal service to get your information off their databases. Spokeo.com made it easy for me to remove all information about me I wanted removed in a few clicks. This, of course, made me feel a little better about how much personal information was out there.

Another way to protect yourself is not to put any unnecessary personal information into online forms. Also, be sure any social network profiles are limited in how much info is public. Avoid sharing your email address with persons you do not trust. I’ve gone so far as asking for a verbal agreement to certain conditions of use of my personal email address before disclosing it.

Granted, legitimate users of such information, like law enforcement and private security firms, can use it to assist in investigations. And that, I am all for, especially if it reduces crime (both the physical and cyber variety).

Some information is public by law. If you’ve ever held a government-issued professional license, like a pilot’s license, medical certificate, or radio license, the information may be widely available on a government site. No sites out there release your social security number, although some may release your birthdate with proper authorization.

Be a wise user of the web, keep your personal information private, and protect yourself!

Getting and keeping a web domain can be a tricky business. Part of the solution for your business or personal website is making sure you are getting the best for your dollar, and the best service.

Popular domain registrars like GoDaddy, Register, and eNom, have all shown what good customer service means. Not only are their prices usually competitive, you can almost always rely on their ability to respond to technical issues or general questions quickly and efficiently.

Sticking with a good name like the above, or at least choosing an authorized reseller, is sure to prevent problems in the future. Consider, too, the cost. Some registrars are charging outrageous fees for domain names. Almost all .com, .net, and .org domains are around $10-$12 per year. Your .cc and .tv domains can run $20-$30 per year, and if you need even more specialized domains, the costs can even go higher.

Now, the ugly. Several domain registrars are following bad business practices when it comes to registering and maintaining your domains. Stay away from these companies that promise super-low cost domains, or even free domains. These often come with unwanted advertising, restrictions, or most often poor customer service. Go with companies that offer 24-hour service across the board. I’ve had bad experiences with companies like 1and1.com and others who have made little efforts to keep customers.

The question needs to be asked – do you register for one year, two, five, or more? If it’s a new venture, it’s a good idea to only register a year or two to start. But keep tabs on your expiration dates. A good registrar will notify you at least 60 days in advance of expiration. If you are well-established, it might not be a bad idea to land 5 to 10 years’ registration.

Another good practice is to buy up related domain names. If you buy chuckswidgets.com, it could be practical to get chuckswidgets.net. Or maybe even the .biz extension.

Once you’ve bought a domain, choose practical hosting. Large companies like DreamHost and GoDaddy offer lots of value-added services. A reseller of these services can usually get you a really great deal on shared hosting. Just be sure to read the fine print before you start building your site.

So, your password is “puppy”? Or is it “ilovemom”? Or how about “stud1985”?

As creative as these passwords may seem, they fall prey to security vulnerabilities out there in our online adventures. Keeping track of passwords can be a daunting task, since websites frequently have different requirements for password schemes.

Almost all sites allow for letters, numbers, and some special characters. Variations of what you normally prefer in the way of a password is a good way to heighten your security and protect your interests. Substituting numbers and characters for letters can be the most creative.

An example could be writing “b33fc@k3” instead of “beefcake”. Using your birthdate or marriage date is not a good idea, since these can often be found through online sources.

Some sites require that you change your password often, especially banks. This is for your protection, even though it seems an inconvenience at the time. Always look for the little padlock symbol in your browser when you are at a secure site, indicating that your information is being encrypted for your protection.

There are some handy smartphone tools that allow you to keep track of multiple passwords easily. One for the iOS platform is called Keeper, and it does very well. Check your app store for details.

As for your privacy, be sure that you understand the privacy settings at social networking sites, especially Facebook. Facebook is notorious for changing their look, and changing the way privacy settings work, without offering much explanation on how to change them. It’s a good idea to read the new information before you attempt any significant changes.

Apple discreetly upgraded the MacBook Pro series, including processor and hard drive improvements. What did not happen was a price increase.

The MacBook Pro, Apple’s flagship notebook series, saw base hard drives go from 320 GB to 500 GB. All processors increased in speed by at least 100 MHz. The 15- and 17-inch models saw quad-core i5 and i7 processors, which are plenty fast.

The 15- and 17-inch models also received graphics boosts, with the 15-inch going to 512 MB on the base model, and the 17-inch going up to 1 GB of video memory using the Radeon HD 6770M graphics processor.

Speculation at this point leads most users to believe these improvements will account for a 5-10% increase in benchmark speeds, at the least.

Intel will be releasing its new Ivy Bridge processors early 2012, and Windows PC manufacturers are already gearing up for its use. These new chips are featuring tri-gate transistors for the first time, as mentioned in a blog I wrote back in July. The new three-dimensional design is coming.

Will Apple get on board with the new 3-D transistor tech? We have yet to hear rumors about what Apple’s “one more thing” will be, but I think they would be missing an opportunity by passing up the new processors, which are claimed to be 20% faster than the old Sandy Bridge devices, and offer a 60% boost in integrated graphic performance.

So, Apple may have limited iPad 1 users from Multi-touch gestures, but leave it good old jailbreakers to get past that – and you can do it WITHOUT jailbreaking your iPad 1!

Here’s the how-to if you have a Mac. The Windows version is expected soon.  Thanks to iPadHelp.com for the complete details.

1. Be sure you’ve updated your iPad’s software to iOS 5.
2. Download redsn0w 0.9.9b5.
3. Plug your iPad into your computer and turn off your iPad (slide to power off).
4. Double click on the redsn0w folder you downloaded and double click on redsn0w to open it.

Click “Jailbreak” (don’t worry you are not jailbreaking.)

1. Your iPad should be plugged in and off, if it is click next to proceed.1. Hold the power button for 3 seconds.
   2. Without releasing the Power button, also hold the Home button for 10 seconds.
   3. Without releasing the Home button, release the Power button but keep holding the Home button until redsn0w recognizes your iPad is in DFU mode (5-15 seconds).
   
2. Redsn0w will guide you through the steps to put your iPad in DFU mode. This version of redsn0w was a little slow with the timing. If you have trouble entering DFU mode, follow these steps by using your own timing and not the on screen directions.
3. After your iPad is in DFU mode, you should see the screen below. Cydia is selected by default you will need to uncheck Cydia and check Enable multitask gestures.
4. Your iPad should start displaying some scrolling text while the gestures are being turned on. Redsn0w will let you know that the rest of the process will take place on your device.  This took me several minutes.  Don’t panic, but soon you will see the familiar Apple logo and all will be well.
5. When the process is complete, the gestures should be turned on. If you go to Settings on your iPad you should see a toggle switch for Multitasking Gestures.

NOTE: You take full responsibility for anything you do to your iPad!  Use caution when performing any risky hacks or tricks to your device.