Product Review - Logitech Nano-Receiver With Dock

November 18th, 2008 twellbrock

When I first started at Nex-Tech in May 2001, I remember learning about a new technology called DSL. I had not heard of the term yet, but, as we all know, it soon became a household word, let alone, a household necessity. In the seven plus years since then, I am continuously astounded by the high changing pace and level of technology that impacts me in the heartland, miles away from metropolitan areas or Silicon Valley.

This August, I transferred from Customer Service to our Sales team, with my training focusing on everything from network cabling to telephony to the “latest and greatest” in hardware. I’m surrounded by creative, intelligent people who eat, drink and sleep technology. It’s hard not to get extremely excited by all of this energy and free-flow of ideas. especially when so much of these technical innovations help make my home or business life more organized and efficient.

mouse For instance, a vendor email sent to me this week announced a wonderful twist to the wireless mouse. This product combo jumped immediately to number one on my Christmas list: a Plug-and-Forget Nano-Receiver with a Clip-and-Go Dock from Logitech. The size of a coin (nickel, to be exact), the nano-receiver plugs right into your notebook’s USB port. No wires or a sensor on your desk means less mess and better overall organization! Plug it in and forget it!

And if that isn’t cool enough, my wireless mouse can go with me everywhere by attaching right on to my notebook. The Dock works on any notebook and the mouse is easy to attach and remove. Until now, I had given up on having the handiness of a mouse during meetings because I kept dropping it on my walk to the boardroom! Never mind trying to use a mouse at home – I either “lost” it on my cluttered desk or I left it in my kitchen (or living room or whatever room I last used my computer.) In my opinion, this Dock solves many issues for me at both work and at home.

Click HERE for a product specs and a demonstration.

twellbroc-sm By Tammy Wellbrock
Direct Sales Representative
twellbrock@nex-tech.com

Posted in Hardware Reviews | No Comments »

Kansas Road Conditions Online

October 8th, 2008 dhahn

With the winter season approaching, it is always good to have access to road conditions before making your trip. I would like to share a website I’ve used for the last few years on my mobile phone. KanRoad (511.ksdot.org) gives you access to real-time data on road conditions in the state of Kansas. You can find the mobile phone version of this site via 511mm.ksdot.org. This website has very specific descriptions of road conditions like Wet/Slush Spots, Snowpacked/Ice, Partly Snowpacked/Ice, Mostly Snowpacked/Ice, Completely Snowpacked/Ice, and Drifting. It will also inform you which roads and bridges are currently under construction or have plans for construction. Also, the site does have webcams located throughout the state that are updated every 30 minutes. I recommend using this service as much as possible as its ancestor, dialing 511 on your phone, is very hard to use and time consuming where it will read off every road in Kansas which can take some time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Dennis Hahn
Brainy Bunch Technician
dhahn@nex-tech.com

Posted in Cool Websites, How To Guides | No Comments »

Don’t Forget the Memory

October 8th, 2008 sshapiro

So,…..is your computer slow?  Pokey with the programs?  Deficient with the downloads?  Wobbly with World of Warcraft?  As a general rule of thumb if you can click an icon to open a program, go to the kitchen and make a sandwich, then get back to the computer (with sandwich in hand) just in time for the program to be ready to go; that would be a very good indication that your computer is slow.  Ok, so that might be an extreme exaggeration, or is it?  For some folks that scenario of sluggishness might not be that far off the mark.  So if your computer isn’t as fast as it was last year when you bought it brand new or just because your older computer is slower than the fast food drive-thru at noon doesn’t mean it’s time to pull the plug.  While there can be several possible causes of computer slowdown; fragmentation, cache build-up, viruses and spyware can be the usual suspects, but for most there’s a simple solution to the problem.  INCREASE MEMORY!

So telling you to increase memory in your computer is simple enough but there’s a common misconception about exactly what memory is.  Memory has absolutely, positively nothing to do with the hard disk drive.  What we’re talking about here is commonly referred to as Random Access Memory or RAM.  I have a great metaphor to explain all of this without passing the point of D.I.T.H. look. (Deer in the Headlights)  This great example of what RAM is and how it relates to the hard disk is right in your kitchen.  I’m not sure why, but metaphors aRAM Modulesnd theories with me always seem to revolve around food or cars.  There’s a hamburger theory and even a meatloaf one but that’s for someday in the future.  In this example the part of RAM will be portrayed by the kitchen table and in the role of the hard disk drive making its acting debut…..the refrigerator.  Both table and fridge are dictated by your needs.  If you have a family of 5 you’re not going to have a table that can seat 2.  That means you’ll have multiple seating times for dinner.  See how efficiency is starting to go out the window here?  Similarly you’re not about to have a mini-fridge for that family of 5 either.  But we’re not talking about the fridge other than that it serves as a place to store things.  So we’ve got a fridge full of food representing the hard disk drive, a table for two representing the memory installed in your computer and 5 hungry folks to feed.  You seat two folks down at the table while the others wait their turn for chow-time.  Two people get to eat while 3 others get to wait their turn.  Doesn’t really make sense does it?  Even if you added a chair, it’s still a small table and you’ll be bumping elbows for sure.  So how do you solve this problem?  Get a bigger table.  Now a question….do you just get a table for 5?  If that’s all that can fit in your kitchen then absolutely.  If you can fit and afford a table for 10 in the kitchen then absolutely, do it.  A bigger table means that you can have more people sitting at the table.  More elbow room for folks to get things done at the table.  And lastly more food on the table.  Even if your Uncle Charlie and Aunt Silvia show up unexpectedly, with that bigger table you can easily seat and feed your famished family.

Now, just to put the storage part into perspective, when you clear off the table, where do you put the leftovers?  In the fridge so they won’t spoil.  See where this is going?  You take the food out of the fridge and put it on the table.  The bigger the table the more people and food for the feast.  When it’s all done, clean up the table and put everything away in the fridge for storage.

Hard Disk DriveSo how does this little culinary metaphor relate to memory and the hard disk drive?  The more RAM you have the more you can do and get done…..bigger table, more food and people.  Where do you STORE food?  In the fridge.  Where do you STORE information?  The hard disk drive.  Next to the processor, memory is the most important thing in your computer.  Just like with the kitchen table example, it’s basically the work area of your computer.  RAM (pictured above right) is what’s referred to as volatile memory.  Very fast but bad for storage.  Information only exists in the memory modules as long as there is electrical current maintaining it.  No current, no stability and POOF…..it’s gone.  A hard disk drive (internals shown in the image to the left) stores its information magnetically.  This is much more stable which is great for storage but it’s essentially mechanical and has limitations, namely speed.  Not perfect but less volatile than RAM.  (There’s an entire hierarchy to storage on a hard disk drive but it is guaranteed to cause D.I.T.H. so we’re not even going there)

So now you’re probably saying, “Well now that you’ve told me what RAM is and how it will improve my relationship with my computer,……where do I get some?”  As with any relationship this gets into wants and needs.  We want to get more memory for the computer but what kind of memory does it need.  Yes, there are many types, sizes, configurations and speeds of memory.  I’m not going to bore you with the how to and what for.  There are a few nice and simple ways to find out what kind of memory your computer will be happiest with.  You can either bring it to trained professionals like The Brainy Bunch, or you can surf your way to crucial.com.  They have a great utility that tells you what types of memory your computer is compatible with and give you a rough idea of the cost.  Word of caution though, if you’ve never seen the inside of a computer, now is not the time to start.  Installing memory is not rocket science but it is a delicate process and all it takes is one stray static spark and your new memory cards might as well be used for a book mark or worse yet, your computer can be used as a planter.

In terms of buying memory for your computer I have two simple rules, RULE 1: Buy the most memory that you can afford.  RULE 2: Buy the most memory that your computer can handle.  Most of the time it will be one rule or the other but if you can apply both rules then you’re doing great.  If not, then as a simple rule of thumb, you’ll need to double the amount of existing memory in the computer in order to get noticeable results.  That’s going to apply to an older computer for the most part where smaller amounts of memory were the norm.  When it comes to a new computer, they come with large amounts of RAM but there’s always room for improvement.  As an example, it’s suggested that machines with Windows Vista be running at least 1 Gigabyte of memory.  So if you’re buying a new computer, think of rules 1 & 2.  By applying those two rules you’re pretty much guaranteed to add years of viability to your computer, new or old.

sshapiro Scott Shapiro
Internet Helpdesk/Brainy Bunch Technician
sshapiro@nex-tech.com

Posted in General Technology, Hardware Reviews | No Comments »

Office 2003 to Office 2007 Reference Guide

October 2nd, 2008 dhahn

The majority of people fear change, and I see a great deal of fear when it comes to computers and change. Recently, Microsoft has changed two main stream programs, Windows XP to Windows Vista and Office 2003 to Office 2007. It is my theory that Microsoft has teamed up with Tylenol to increase product revenue. One great tool that you can use during these hard times are the “Office 2003 to Office 2007 Interactive Command Reference Guides.” If you knew where to find a command in Office 2003 but cannot find it in 2007, these programs will show you where that command is hidden. There is an interactive guide for almost all of the Office programs.

By Dennis Hahn
Brainy Bunch Technician
dhahn@nex-tech.com

Posted in How To Guides | No Comments »

Cool Website…..Acrobat.com

September 24th, 2008 tzimmerman

acrobatlogo The last time you wanted to make a document with your computer what did you do?  If you are like most people, you went to your computer and opened your favorite spreadsheet application or word processor and happily started typing away.  This is the way it has been done since the beginning of computers, you must have programs on your computer to be able to create and edit these documents.  It has always worked great, but what if there was a better way?

That’s where www.acrobat.com comes in.  The idea is simple, why should document creation and sharing be chained to your computer?  What if you are away from your personal or work machine, using a public machine at a library or coffee bar that doesn’t have the programs you are use to?  What if you wanted to share a picture with someone but its at home on your desktop instead of on vacation with you?  Acrobat.com is basically a suite of programs that run from any browser, like Firefox or Internet Explorer.  They allow you to create and save your documents from anywhere with an Internet connection.  Best of all its free, you just have to sign up for an account.

acrobatapps

There are several apps included at acrobat.com.  One of the most useful is Buzzword.  Its a full featured word processor.  When you are finished typing your document, you can save a copy on your account so its available from anywhere, or you can export a copy to your machine.  It has many export options, including saving it as a word document that you will be able to open with Microsoft Word later on your computer. 

In my eyes, the most unique and useful tool available on Acrobat.com is ConnectNow.  Its a really slick interface that allows you to create an online meeting.  You send a link to those you want to invite to the meeting.  Once everyone is in the meeting, you can share documents, use microphones and webcams to talk to one another, and even share a whiteboard where you can all draw and type.  If that isn’t enough, you can share your computer screen with everyone in the meeting, and even use it to control peoples computers.  This makes it very useful helping friends and family out with computing issues, because you can actually see and control their computer online for free.  The uses for ConnectNow are endless.

CreatePDF is a useful tool to make pdf documents for print out of Word or Excel documents, or even pictures.  Its limited to 5 uses however, in large part because Adobe (the company behind this wonderful website) sells a program called Adobe Acrobat that does the same thing.  This is the only part of the site I don’t use regularly, and its my opinion that its there mostly to help upsell Adobe Acrobat.  If you have a need for an online tool to make pdf files out of your documents, you can, however, sign up for a subscription to be able to convert unlimited documents online.

The last two applications are used to store any file you want online, and share it with your friends, family, or business.  You can keep copies of important files in your My Files application, as well as anything you create with Buzzword.  Then you can use the Share application to send a link to your friends and family that allows them to download the documents.  This is very useful to just about everyone, because email was not designed to send large files, and many people have problems sending large pictures, movies, or slide shows.  Instead you can upload these large files to Acrobat.com and send a download link to the people you want to share the file with.  Try it once, see how much better it works than email and you will be hooked.

Acrobat.com and its applications are pretty new, and are still not finished.  Who knows what other tools they will have when they have the suite completed.  Right now, these programs may not have all the features that you are use to having when using Microsoft Word or other programs on your machine, but keep in mind they are free and the idea is still relatively new.  As Acrobat and other online suites like Google Docs mature and Internet connections continue to get faster, we may get to the point where you don’t have to install software on your machine at all.  For now, I recommend signing up for an account and becoming familiar with these tools.  Once you know about them and become comfortable with their use, you might be surprised how much you use them in day to day computing.  I know I have been surprised how much I use them.  If you want to know the truth…I started this article last night using Buzzword at home, and finished it today at work before posting it.  It was simple, convenient, and I didn’t have to worry about getting the document to my work machine, it was just available to me when I got here.  The convenience and time saving aspects of these tools make it worth while to try.

tzsm-thumb By Thomas Zimmerman
Internet Help Desk Tech Lead
tzimmerman@nex-tech.com

Posted in Cool Websites | No Comments »

Hotspot of the Month

September 19th, 2008 tschumacher

Nex-Tech currently provides a free Wi-Fi hotspot at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. Wi-Fi access is available throughout the entire building. The museum is a 65 foot high and 200 feet in diameter dome building that houses many different exhibits and collections. It is also used for many meetings and family gatherings.

The museum features permanent exhibitions as well as many traveling and temporary ones, so there is something new to see every time you visit. There is also a Discovery room with hands-on activities where you can handle specimens, use scientific apparatus and watch living animals.

The Sternberg Museum of Natural History is a research and public service department of Fort Hays State University. To view more exhibits and information on the Sternberg Museum, please visit www.fhsu.edu/sternberg. To view more hotspots in the Hays and surrounding areas, please visit www.nex-tech.com.

3000 Sternberg Drive - Hays, KS 67601
877.332.1165

By Traci Schumacher
Internet Solutions Coordinator
tschumacher@nex-tech.com

Posted in Hotspot of the Month | No Comments »

Proud to be a Geek

September 18th, 2008 sriat

I have to admit that I am a tech geek. I love technology and the great thing is it helps me every day. Why would it be any different with my exercise? Recently I have noticed that the pounds seem to be creeping up. So I turned to technology to help solve this “growing” problem. Two solutions came to the front:

fitbugFirst - the Fitbug. I track my progress along with daily exercise…a simple process overall. By signing up at www.fitbug.net, you receive a bug plus all the information you need to get going on your program.

The bug is a simple device similar to a pedometer that tracks your steps every day; the difference is that it connects to your computer and uploads the information to the Fitbug site. The site then tracks progress, makes suggestions and helps keep you motivated. What I found even more motivating was that I could add friends to the program and we could complete.

 

wiifit Of course my exercise program would not be complete without a video game! To my rescue came Wii Fit. Initially, I was doubtful this little board would give me a full workout. 

The next day came the proof: sore legs, tender abs and arms made of rubber. What a great workout companion! It tracks my body mass (or, in my case, body massive), weight and progress. And, of course, it offers great games like soccer, downhill skiing and ski jump, just to name a few.

So what are the results? I am down 5 pounds in 2 ½ weeks (my Wii Fit tells me this is too much t0o fast, although I’m not sure I agree.) While I have yet to see the sculpting of David, I do feel better and have more energy.

sriat By Steve Riat
Sales Supervisor
sriat@nex-tech.com

Posted in Cool Websites, General Technology | No Comments »

GOOG-411

September 15th, 2008 dhahn

I’m sure you have heard of Google; the company that created the term “Google it.” They are now using their referencing database and voice recognition technology to create a new term. Why don’t you “call Google?” You can now search Google by a simple phone call. It sounds crazy and almost impractical, but it works better than you would think, and it’s free! They are calling it Goog-411. You can use this service by calling (800) 4664-411 or (800) GOOG-411. It will first ask you “what city and state?” Next it will ask “what business name or category?” It will then give you a list of companies under that category. You can pick the company by pressing or saying its corresponding number. Google will then ask “would you like me to connect you?” or “more information about this company?”

Occasionally you can get the message; “sorry we are updating the system at the moment; call back in a few minutes.” Other than the few times Google 411 is offline, it definitely is here to stay. I recommend you add this number in your cell phone, because you never know when you will need it.

By Dennis Hahn
Brainy Bunch Technician
dhahn@nex-tech.com

Posted in Cool Websites, General Technology, How To Guides | No Comments »

Hardware Review—iPod Touch

September 12th, 2008 jbeyer

Apple’s iPod Touch is the newest edition of the iPod to hit the market. The iPod Touch can be a little confusing though. It looks just like the iPhone, but lacks some of the key features such as phone capability, Bluetooth and a built in camera. While the iPod Touch neither looks nor acts anything like a traditional iPod (and offers only a tenth the capacity of a similar-sized iPod Classic), it does perform iPod functions, and that’s how Apple positions it. There are only two controls on the device: a sleep/power switch and a Home button. Every other element of the device must be controlled by its multi-touch screen, and there is no remote control. The only external interfaces are a standard iPod dock connector and the mini-stereo jack, which, thankfully, is compatible with standard 3.5mm mini-stereo plugs. Like the iPhone, the iPod Touch provides a 480-by-320-pixel screen that makes photos, videos and interface elements look very good. You can also view video on the iPod Touch at an arm’s length that should be at least as clear and detailed as viewing a 24-inch TV from across the room.

Music, movies, TV shows, videos, audio books, podcasts, photo slideshows
Price $299.00 — $399.00 — $499.00
Capacity –8GB –16GB– 32GB
Songs Up to 1,750 — Up to 3,500 — Up to7,000
Video Up to 10 hours — Up to 20 hours — Up to 40 hours
Photo’s Up to 10,000 — Up to 20,000 –  Up to 25,000
Wireless 802.11b/g
Battery life for music playback Up to 22 hours
Battery life for video playback Up to 5 hours

USER INTERFACE:

What’s striking about multi-touch is its dynamic, visual physicality. That is, it’s a visual interface that acts like real-world objects that have mass and inertia and which you can “fling” around with a flick of your finger. As implemented on the iPod Touch (and iPhone), the multi-touch interface starts with a single button, which turns on the device and takes you to its “Home” screen. From here, you select various settings and applications with a touch of your finger, and you can push a Home button to return to this starting point. If you’re playing music, it will continue to play as you navigate around the device’s virtual world (although it stops suddenly if you remove the stereo plug from the jack). A few natural gestures are all you need to manipulate the user interface, starting with a simple touch. Touch an icon on the Home screen to launch an application or choose your settings. Touch to select a list item. Touch and slide a control to adjust a value. Touch an input box to open a virtual keyboard where you touch the keys with your fingertip to type. With a long list, series of photos, or a stack of CoverFlow albums, you can flick and toss the virtual object, which has mass and drag and feels uncannily natural. One thing that’s a little confusing at first is how the iPod Touch functions differently depending on its orientation to gravity, sensed by an internal accelerometer. In the music player, for example, you get a CoverFlow interface with the iPod Touch horizontally, and you have to turn it vertically to get a list of selections and controls such as Shuffle and Volume. The music player will adjust for either horizontal orientation but won’t flip the interface right side up if you hold the device upside-down vertically.

APPLICATIONS:

iTunes Wi-Fi Store

On the iPod Touch, the iTunes store shows “featured” and “top ten” musical selections, as well as genre categories and a search box. As on the Mac or PC, you can preview selections for 30 seconds before buying.

Photo Player

The photo browser opens to the albums you’ve downloaded and you see an array of thumbnail images when you choose an album. From there, you can play a slideshow or touch an individual photo to open it. Flicking and pinching works well for displaying and exploring the photos, which rotate to stay right-side up no matter how you orient the iPod Touch. Touching an image brings up controls for the slideshow and a button for returning to the chosen album.

Video Player

The video player seems a little simpler by comparison, but it works well enough. Again, you touch a video screen to show or hide playback controls. There’s a volume slider with Pause/Play, plus buttons for shuttling forward or back. You also can touch and drag a slider at the top to navigate to different locations in the video.

Music Player

The music player has two distinct modes: CoverFlow and List views. CoverFlow is very album oriented and more limiting. You can’t control volume in this orientation, which you get whenever the iPod Touch is horizontal. You can, however, click on an album to get a song list, and then choose one song or another by touching it and a button on the lower left lets you pause and resume playback. The lack of volume control in this mode is a little frustrating.

Safari Mobile

Safari on the iPod Touch isn’t the same as Safari on your Mac or PC. Most notably, it lacks Flash and support for Java applets. Even with the flash and java applets not available, I found surfing the web to be no problem. Most websites now have a web page specifically designed for browsing on the iPod. An example is below. Same exact information on the page, just different layout which makes the page load much better and faster on the iPod.

Below is Fox news on PC or Mac web browser
www.foxnews.com


Below is Fox news on iPod or iPhone.
www.iphone.foxnews.com

Apple document lists limitations:
Safari on iPhone does not support:
• Mouse-over events
• Hover styles
• Tool tips
• Java applets
• Flash
• Plug-in installation
• Custom x.509 certificates

APP STORE

By far my favorite feature on the new iPod Touch is the ability to browse and download different applications from the applications store. Consumers are able to browse through many different categories of utilities to make life easier through the iPod. When browsing through these applications, you have the option to browse through the Top 25 free applications and also the applications that cost money (price varies from application to application). With the app store available to any consumer, the iPod turns into a music playing device with the capabilities of playing some of the more common gaming apps such as Tetris, Cube runner and Brain Tuner. The applications range from Social networking utilities, to a simple “myLite” application which acts as a flash light in dark places. Since I am a consumer of the iPod Touch, I have had plenty of time to browse through most of the applications out there. Without a doubt, my favorite application is called “remote.”  With the remote application, I am able to use any Wi-Fi connection available to sync my iPod with my iTunes library via the wireless signal. This gives me absolute control over what music is playing on my computer. This is one of the best features because it is non-line of site, as long as the internet connection is good, you can be in a different room and still control your music.

Overall, I have really enjoyed having my iPod touch with me at all times. The Internet capability, I believe, is one of the coolest features of all. I have found a couple of times where the interface might lock up on me, but normally the issue is fixed with a simple press of the reset button located at the top left of the iPod. I’ll leave you with some pro’s and con’s to ponder before buying this great new product.

Pros
• Revolutionary interface without iPhone’s AT&T charges and accessory/interference (GSM) issues
• Wi-Fi provides Web access
• Accepts standard mini-stereo plug (unlike iPhone)
• Good performance overall and good screen images
Cons
• Capacity limited to 32 GB
• Lacks hardware features offered by iPhone: camera, Bluetooth, volume control, speaker
• Mediocre earphones (and some amplifier noise)
• Minimal capability as a personal organizer (”PDA”)

By Jeremy Beyer
Internet Help Desk Tech
jbeyer@nex-tech.com

Posted in Hardware Reviews | No Comments »

Olympus Stylus 790 SW Digital Camera

September 9th, 2008 dhahn

If you own any digital electronics like a digital camera or a cell phone, you already know the simple rules involved in protecting your electronics. Don’t get them wet!. Make sure not to drop them on the ground or the impact will damage the parts inside. Well, this next product review breaks those rules. The Olympus Stylus 790 SW Waterproof/Shock-Proof 7.1 MP Digital camera is one of a handful of waterproof/shock proof cameras on the market. This is a huge step forward for the digital community. Waterproof and shock proof products have been available for awhile now but this is the first time these products are starting to show up in the consumer market.

I realize that many of you might be skeptical about how well this works under these conditions or you may think that the price is out of reach, but prices start under $200. The Stylus 790 SW comes in blue, green, silver, orange, and black. I would recommend the orange, which I think is easier to see in waves or at the pool. I would also recommend buying a flotation attachment if you plan to use this item in the water. Without the flotation attachment, the camera will sink in water.

This camera comes with 15MB of internal memory, which will hold around 50 pictures on the default setting. You will want to get a storage card for this camera to give you more space to hold more pictures. You can also add an xD card for more storage. I recommend using a 2 gig card or more. The card is protected by rubber skirts surrounding the edges of its doors. This is using a technique much like the rubber you would find on the edges of your refrigerator doors. With this protected rubber around every hinged opening, the camera is able to resist a 5 foot fall, 10 feet of water pressure, 14®F freeze or dust from the dustiest storm Kansas can throw at it (according to Olympus).

Pictures from this camera are easy to take. It has many presets for your difficult picture locations. Presets are saved settings so that the average user can easily select their situation and the camera does the rest.


Through Glass


Underwater (Note: Smiling with your eyes open underwater is harder than it looks.)


Available Light (Flash and No Flash)


Portrait Landscape


Sport (Faster shutter speed used when objects are moving quickly.)


Auto Adjust (with 3 second audio)

By Dennis Hahn
Brainy Bunch Technician
dhahn@nex-tech.com

Posted in Hardware Reviews | No Comments »