Welcome to the first PC Mike Newsletter of 2012.
In This issue:
• Consumer Electronics Show
• Rumors&Trends
• PC Mike Q&A
• Facebook Warning
• Cool Websites Worth Checking Out
• PC Mike’s Tip 2012 Tech Trend Prediction
Consumer Electronics Show
The annual pilgrimage to Law Vegas and the huge Consumer Electronics Show opens next week. Look for this to be a big item: The telyHD, a set top device you put on top of your big screen TV that does HD Skype video calls. It’s powered by the Android operating system and is meant so your whole family can sit on the couch and been seen via Skype.
But I’m also seeing a big business use here, in conference rooms as a remote conferencing tool for meetings. It delivers 720p HD video, high quality audio and works with anyone who has a Skype compatible device, be it a computer, tablet or smartphone.
You plug it into your TV by the HDMI port and it has no subscription cost other than the $249 cost of the telyHD gizmo.
Rumors & Trends – A New iPad? Apple is not confirming it but do not be surprised to see the iPad 3 being announced sometime in February, and available in March or April. Expect this one to have the same high resolution retina display that’s available on the iPhone 4S – basically twice the resolution of the iPad 1 or iPad 2. Another possibility: There may be two iPad 3 sizes. The current just-under-10-inch model and new, smaller 7-inch screen. Other predictions are it will have a faster, quad core CPU called the A6 and perhaps – long shot here- that it will have 4G wireless speed availability.
iPhone 5 – It’s a safe bet that the update to the iPhone 4S – dubbed the iPhone 5 – will most certainly have 4G speed. All the Apple wireless carriers now offer expanding 4G networks and competing phones are already touting 4G. Apple hates being late to the party. I’m thinking Apple will announce it as early as June, with availability in mid to late summer.
pInterest – Have you discovered pInterest (http://pinterest.com/) yet? This is the next Twitter. The site began last year and currently is invite-only. It lets users take content they care about from around the Web and organize them into “boards.” The buzz word for this rapidly growing site is ‘social curation,” where you “pin” a site or blog post or something you found on the web that you want to share and talk about.
My iPhone Diet and Fitness Book – Shameless plug #1 My brand new, just published book – Best iPhone Apps to Lose Weight and Get in Shape. I’m excited about this. It just went live on the Amazon site over the weekend. Ever since the iPhone was released, millions have used it to organize their lives and keep them on track. So it was inevitable that this powerful mobile device and would play a big role in helping people lose weight and get in shape. Year after year, health and fitness apps have led the lists of the most popular programs for the iPhone and iPad. There are so many, I decided to put together this guide to finding the Best iPhone Apps to Lose Weight and Get in Shape. You can get it at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006U3R1M6
PC Mike Q&A
Q: Do I get a laptop or a tablet? I want portability. My desktop at work is where I do the heavy lifting.
A: By your question I’m assuming you don’t need more than e-mail, web surfing, social media and maybe some video watching or book-reading. If so, a tablet will suffice. You can even do some word processing and spreadsheets with the iPad or the high end Andoid tablets. Tablets are the rage of the CES show in Las Vegas. You’d think tablets are the only consumer products out there this year, that’s how much hype you’ll be hearing next week! (See my prediction of the top Tech Trend of 2012 at the end of this issue)
Q: I need to organize a class reunion and thought it would be worthwhile to set up a website. How can I have people register for it?
A: Go to http://www.wufoo.com and get an individual account. It lets you create contact forms, online surveys, and invitations so you can collect the data, registrations and even payments from people. Use the free service. You can have three different forms with as many as 100 entries a month.
Q. I’m looking for ways to save money. Any web suggestions?
A. I’ve recently become a big fan of a site called FrugalLiving101 (http://frugalliving101.com) run by a husband-wife team. It has a bunch of suggestions on how to save and stretch your money. One recent tip: Hw to make safety razor blades last longer than a month. So simple. Just dry them off with a towel. Turns out it is not the shaving that makes a razor dull. It is the water and shaving cream that deteriorates the edges of the blades. Dry them off after every use and they’ll last six months, instead of one.
Q. I don’t have a Kindle or mobile device but I would like to be able to read Kindle or Amazon books. Is there a way to do this on my computer?
A: There sure is. Amazon makes free readers you can download to your PC or Mac and then read Kindle books directly on your computer. Go to http://amzn.to/xaUqAz
Facebook Warning – With 800 million users, Facebook has the traction when it comes to Internet action. So it’s no wonder that scamsters and con artists are turning to it in droves.
The scam du jour these days has to do with free gift cards. Ths scamsters say Starbucks, Macys, Kohls or Costco are giving away big buck gift cards and all you have to do is click such and such a link to get one. Of course its a phishing site aimed at stealing your personal info or tricking you to give a credit card number to “verify” your legitimacy. Don’t fall for it. Period.
How’d they get your name? Often times, you “friended” you. Scamsters troll Facebook, friending everyone they can. They may lie low and lurk for a while, gathering your friends names and friending them. Then, when it’s time to run their con, they send your friends a note, pretending to be you.
The solution? Don’t automatically accept every friend request you get. And, of course, don’t buy the “free” come on. Nothing in life is really free. Get that through your head and you’ll never be a victim.
Cool Stuff Worth Checking Out
Best music site – It’s Spotify (http:spotify.com), a European-based streaming music service. The free version is pretty amazing.
Getting things done – I love Lifehacker (http://lifehacker.com). This is a daily read blog with really cool tips on how to streamline your life. Everyday, there’s something new and useful, from fixing things to organizing things to getting things done.
Woot! Woot! – Maybe you already know about Woot (http://www.woot.com/). Maybe not. But year after year, this deal of the day site is not only fun but manages to find really amazing deals on gizmos and gadgets people real want.
SuperHealthyMe – This is my latest online project, a health and fitness blog (http://SuperHealthyMe.com) that is unlike anything I have every done. Remember Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me movie and his experiment to see what would happen if he only ate food from McDonalds? At the end of 30 days, he was so sick he was advised to stop the experiment.But what would happen if – instead of fast food – someone were to eat only good-for-you food? Nutritious food, organic fruits and vegetables supplemented, when needed, by the right vitamins and minerals. That’s the quest I’ve begun with Super Healthy Me, chronicled online through a website and blog that will allow you to follow the project through every possible form of social media. So far, I’m down 25 pounds! I’d be honored if you came by the website to visit. Shameless plug #2: If you want to see e verything I’ve learned so far in an e-book called How to Cut Body Fat through a Nutritious Diet , go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006NNL7BE.
PC Mike’s Top 2012 Tech Trend Prediction
As I hinted above, I’m predicting right now that tablets will replace laptops as preferred portable computing device.
The iPad was the gizmo to have for the past two years but now Android and the Kindle and the Nook and other ebook readers have become so competitive, we are seeing new apps and programs being written for the tablets that rival what you can do on a laptop. I’m seeing a clear trend away from the iPad towards Android and Kindle tablets. The iPad will still be the top seller but now that the rivals have improved so much, we’re going to see laptop sales decline. Tablets are going to take their place and restrict laptops mostly to business use. Mark my words!
That’s it for this month. Be sure to check out http;//pcmike.com for daily tech news and reviews. You can also follow us on Twitter @pcmike or on Facebook at http://facebook.com/PCMikeTechPage
Thanks for reading and if I welcome your feedback.
See you next month.
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