Author Archives: Jamie

Unknown's avatar

About Jamie

I am a recent graduate of Bridgewater State University, in Bridgewater, MA, where I studyied Management with a concentration in Information Systems Management. Previously, I was a Computer Science major at the University of Massachusetts - Boston. Some of my interests include computers, technology, programming, education, business, biology, as well as learning Spanish.

Windows Live SkyDrive

If you’re someone who would like to be able to store files in the cloud and access them from any computer, perhaps you should try using Windows Live SkyDrive.

Windows Live SkyDrive is a free service from Microsoft that enables you to store up to 25 GB of files, such as documents and photos online. Your files are also password-protected, so you don’t have to worry about anyone else seeing them if you don’t want them to.

When you first log into Windows Live SkyDrive using your Windows Live ID, you should see a My Documents folder. Above the folder, there are buttons that allow you to do a variety of things, such as create a new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote document using an online version of these programs. There is also the option to create a new folder for your SkyDrive. You can also add files by clicking on the “Add Files” button and then choosing which files that you would like to upload or by using a drag and drop editor.

Windows Live SkyDrive also allows you to create a folder to store your favorite website URLs, which you can also access from any computer. You can also tag people, as well as upload files via e-mail if you’d like.

Even though your files are password protected, you can choose to share a folder between either, some friends, all of your friends, your friends, as well as their friends, and everyone, should you want other people to be able to view the contents of a folder.

There is also the ability so configure Windows Live SkyDrive to automatically sync files to the service from your computer, using Windows Live Essentials.

If you’d like to try using Windows Live SkyDrive, you can do so by going to the SkyDrive.Live.com and then signing in with your Windows Live ID.

McAfee Site Advisor

Every now and then, you may come across a website that you are unsure of how safe it is. Whether you’re doing some online shopping or filling out a form with personal information, you should know whether a website is safe to use or not and one program that may help you to do so would be McAfee Site Advisor.

McAfee Site Advisor, which is a free service provided by McAfee, enables you to look up a website and view information regarding the safety of the website. Some of the information that you can find out about a website using McAfee Site Advisor would be which country the website is in, as well as the popularity of the website.

Also, McAfee Site Advisor provides information about the number of e-mails a website sends out a week, as well as what kinds of programs can be downloaded from the website, as well as the safety of those programs, as well as which websites are being linked to from the original website and whether or not they’re safe.

In addition, McAfee Site Advisor provides a list of annoyances, such as cookies that you may get from the website, as well as user reviews that you can read. The user reviews are also summarized into categories, such as “This site is good”, “This site spams”, “Adware, spyware, or viruses”, “Excessive pop-ups”, as well as other things.

There is also a free plug-in that you can download, which helps you to see which websites are safe or which may pose a threat to your computer’s security, without having to search for a website from the McAfee Site Advisor website.

If you’d like to try using McAfee Site Advisor, you can do so by going to SiteAdvisor.com.

Forrst

Forrst is a relatively new startup, which enables designers and developers to share code, screenshots, as well as links with each other.

When you first log into Forrst, you will be taken to your dashboard, where you are able to view graphics, code, and links from people you’re following, as well as post your own. Also from the dashboard, there are links to the “Posts”, “People”, and “Tags” sections of the website.

From the “Posts” tab, you are able to see posts from people who you are following, as well as posts that are popular, as well as fresh, which means that they haven’t had much activity yet. The “Posts” section also allows you to view all of the questions that are being asked on Forrst. In addition, you can also view snaps, links, and code that is posted on Forrst.

The “People” section enables you to view what other designers and developers have posted on the website, even if you’re not following them. The “People” section also allows you to separate which posts you’d like to see, such as posts from A-Z, as well as posts from developers, designers, and rangers, which are users who are good at “tracking down quality content with a given tag”. Also, you view the newest posts, as well as posts from your friends.

Also, on the “Tags” tab, you should be able to to view common tags that are being used on Forrst in an A-Z list. Should you click on one of the tags, you will be able to view posts that are tagged with that particular word.

If you would like to post something to Forrst, you can do so by clicking on the “New Post” button, which is located near the top of the website in the “Posts” section, as well as to the right of “Activity from your friends” on the dashboard.

Once you’ve clicked on the “New Post” button, you should be able to select which type of content you’d like to post, including a link, snap, code, or question. Also, you should be able to enter in some information about what you’re posting, as well as add tags to your post. You can also choose if you’d like to have your post viewable by the public, which means that the post will be viewable by anyone who has the URL to the post. When you’re ready to post, you can do so by simply clicking on the “New Post” button, at the bottom of the the page.

If you’d like to try using Forrst, you can do so by going to Forrst.com. However, Forrst is presently invite-only, so you will have to sign up for an invitation if you’d like to try using this service.

Digg v4 Review

As you may have heard, Digg.com, which is a social news and networking website, will soon be launching version 4 of it’s website. However, Digg is giving out invites to try the new version of the website before it’s launched.

When you first go to Digg’s alpha website, new.digg.com, you should be asked if you would like to follow any of Digg’s recommended users.

Once you’ve selected which accounts you would like to follow, any news stories, photos, or videos that they Digg should appear in a news feed called “My News”.

The “My News” section is different than Digg’s traditional news feed, which has the top stories, which were dug by all users of the website. With the new “My News” section, you will only see stories that were dug by people that you’re following, which should give you some ability to choose which genre of stories appear.

However, if you prefer the traditional news feed, you can click on the “Top News” tab, next the the “My News” tab, near the top of the page, which will show you the top stories that were dug by everyone on Digg and not just the people who you are following.

Another different feature in Digg v4 is that story categories are displayed to the left of the “Top News” feed. However, in the current version of Digg, the story categories appear above the news feed.

The newest version of Digg has also made digging a story a lot easier. Rather than having to click on the “Submit New” button, paste a link to your story, choose which type of media it is, and then click on the “Submit” button, the new version of Digg allows you to submit your story in only a few clicks.

If you would like to submit a new story in Digg v4, all you need to do is paste a link into the “Submit a link” box, located above both the “My News” and “Top News” feeds.

Once you type or paste a link into the text box, Digg automatically presents you with the option to submit the story, only requiring that you enter in a title, description, and choose a picture and category. However, some of the fields may already be filled out once you submit your story. Once you’ve entered in the required details, you can click on the “Digg it” button, which will submit your story.

If the story you wanted to submit was already submitted, once you type or paste a link into the “Submit a link” box, you should be presented with the option to digg the story.

In addition to the features listed above, Digg v4 has other new features that you may be interested in trying out.

If you would like to try out Digg v4, you can log in or request an invitation by going to new.digg.com.

FarmVille for iPhone

A few days ago, FarmVille was released for the iPhone, iPod Touch, as well as the iPad after being announced at Apple’s WWDC, earlier this month.

The FarmVille application allows you to view and manage your farm without having to be at a computer to so.

When you first launch the FarmVille application, you’ll first see a Zynga logo and then you’ll see a screen where there is a “Let’s Farm!” button. When you tap on that button, a dialogue box will appear, asking you to enter your e-mail address in order to create a Zynga mobile account.

After entering your e-mail address, another box should appear, asking you to connect your FarmVille account to FaceBook.

Once you’ve provided FaceBook with your account credentials, the game should begin loading, which can take a little while if it’s your first time loading your farm on the application.

After your farm is done loading, you should be able to see your farm, just like you would on a computer. From there, you can plant crops, tend to your animals, as well as many other functions, such as visiting your friends’ farms and fertilizing their crops, as well as adding new neighbors and sending gifts to your friends, right form the application.

If you click on the button that has a picture of strawberries, coins, fuel, and a cog wheel on it, you should be able to perform actions, such as visit the marketplace, dig a new plot of land, delete plots of land, as well as other things.

Also from this menu is an “Options” button, which takes you to a menu where you can do things such as enable or disable harvest and neighbor push notifications, as well as sound

The FarmVille application also enables you to have push notifications sent to your phone when it’s time to harvest your crops, as well as neighbor push notifications. Also, you can turn sound effects, as well as music on and off.

If you would like to try using the FarmVille application, you can download it for free from the iTunes App Store.

iPhone 4 Launch Day

The well anticipated launch of Apple’s iPhone 4 has arrived today, with many people around the world lining up in order to get their new phone.

Many networks have been covering this event, including TWiT, which I have been watching throughout the day. Also covering the launch of the iPhone 4 are TechCrunch, CNET, Engadget, as well as other networks.

However, even though the launch of Apple’s new iPhone 4 has many people excited, there are a few reported issues regarding the iPhone 4, such as the fact that when dropped, the phone has the potential to get scratched and break, even though it’s made out of strengthened Gorilla Glass.

Some users are also reporting that there are yellow marks visible on the screen of their new phone, as well as the fact that people are losing reception if they cover the bottom left side of the iPhone 4, as that’s where the antenna is located.

Even though there are a few problems, the iPhone 4 includes some exciting new features, including the ability to video chat with your contacts using FaceChat, provided that you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network.

For more information regarding the iPhone 4 and it’s launch, please visit one of the websites listed above or you can visit Apple’s official website.

Google Voice Opens for Everyone

Yesterday, Google announced on the Google Voice blog that they are opening up the service to everyone.

Previously, in order to use Google Voice, you would have to get an invitation, either from Google or from someone who already had an account.

Google Voice is a free service that provides users with a phone number that can be used to ring multiple phones when you receive a phone call.

If someone calls you using your Google Voice number and you don’t answer their call, they can leave you a voicemail, which you can access online. The voicemail also gets transcribed so that you can read it using the Google Voice web interface.

Also, Google Voice allows you to send and receive text messages, either from your phone, using a Google Voice application, or by using the Google Voice web interface.

Another feature of Google Voice is that you can initiate phone calls from the web interface, which will call your phone and then call the person you wanted to talk to, as well as view your call logs online.

For a complete list of features, you should visit the Google Voice features page.

iOS 4 Review

As you probably know, Apple’s new iOS 4 was released yesterday. The new operating system is compatible with the not yet released iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and the second and third generation iPod Touch.

iOS 4 includes over 100 new features, with some of the updates being:

Multitasking

Apple’s iOS 4 allows you to run multiple applications at the same time. If you double-tap the home button, you should be able see a list of applications that are currently running at the bottom of the screen. However, the new operating system only allows for seven applications to be running in the background. Also, most of the background applications can be paused in order to save on the operating system’s resources.

However, the multitasking feature only works on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.

Folders

Another new feature included with iOS 4 is the ability to organize your applications in folders. If you would like to create a new folder, you should enter the editing mode by pressing on an application for a few seconds, until the icons start jiggling. Then, you should drag an application’s icon onto another application’s icon, thus creating a folder.

When you create a folder, a name will be suggested for the folder, based on what types of applications were put in it. However, you don’t have to use the suggested name for a folder and can rename it to anything you choose.

Custom Wallpapers

If you have always wanted to set a custom background for your iPhone or iPod Touch’s screen, you can now do so, in addition to being able to set a background for the lock screen.

If you would like to change your iPhone’s background, you can do so by going to “Settings” menu and then to “Wallpaper”, where you should be able to choose from one of the standard backgrounds or choose from pictures in your camera roll.

However, you are not able to set different backgrounds for each page of applications that you have.

Unified E-mail Inbox

Before the new iOS 4 update, you used to have to switch between your different e-mail account inboxes. With the new operating system, you are now able to view your e-mails from all of your accounts in a unified inbox, which eliminates the need to switch between inboxes.

Camera and Photo Gallery Changes

A new feature included with iOS 4 is the new 5x digital zoom for the iPhone’s camera. In order to zoom in, you should simply tap on the camera’s viewfinder and then you can either tap the plus or minus buttons or drag the slider in order to zoom in or out.

Also, the iPhone’s photo gallery was updated, giving users the ability to organize photos from a certain event, as well as organize pictures by the people appearing in them.

However, in order to organize your photos by event or person, you need to have already used the face recognition feature in either iMovie or Aperture and then sync your photos with iTunes.

Another new feature is that you can now use Geolocation in order to see where your photos were taken, which you can view on a map. You can also sort your pictures by location. If you don’t want to have Geolocation enabled, you can disable it by going to the “General” section of the “Settings” menu where you should be able to turn off “Location Services”.

iPod Playlists

Another new feature included in iOS 4 is the ability to organize your music into playlists, right on your phone.

Spell Check

Included in iOS 4 is a new spell check feature, which underlines misspelled words with a red line. This feature works when you’re composing text messages, e-mails, as well as when you’re using other applications.

Search

With iOS 4, you are now able to search for text messages using a new search box that appears when you go to the “Messages” application and drag down.

Also, users can now view web and Wikipedia results when they use the Universal Search box.

Safari also has a new feature that allows you to see the title of a webpage you recently visited, when typing in a web address, as well as the URL of a website.

iBooks

Another addition to the iPhone and iPod Touch is the ability to purchase and read books using the new “iBooks” application, which can be downloaded for free from the App Store.

 

Apple’s new iOS 4 has more features, which you can learn about by going to Apple’s iPhone Software Update page.

However, some of the new features included in iOS 4 are not available on all versions of the iPhone or iPod Touch.

If you would like to download and install iOS 4, you can do so by clicking on the “Check for Update” button.

iPhone 4 Available for Preorder

As you may have already heard, Apple’s iPhone 4 is now available for preorder from the Apple and AT&T websites.

The price of the iPhone 4 is $199 for the 16 GB version and $299 for the 32 GB version. However, you can only preorder the iPhone 4 in black, as the white model is not currently available for preorder.

Also, customers can preorder the previous version of the iPhone, the iPhone 3GS, for $99 for the 8 GB model.

Also announced was the new version of the Mac Mini, which features a new design, including a new 1.4 inch aluminum enclosure, called the “unibody”, which was originally developed for Apple’s MacBook Pro.

The new Mac Mini also has a built in power supply, eliminating the need for a “brick” type power adapter.

Another feature included in the new Mac Mini is a removable panel on the bottom of the Mac Mini that can be removed in order to add memory.

Also, the Mac Mini has an HDMI port, as well as a Mini DisplayPort, which enable you to connect your Mac Mini to an HD television.

If you would like to learn more about Apple’s iPhone 4 or the new Mac Mini, you can do so from the Apple website.

iVideoCamera

If you have an iPhone 2G or 3G, there is no built in video camera application that you can use.

However, there are video camera applications that you can download from the App Store, such as iVideoCamera that allow you to record video on your iPhone 2G and 3G, and even your iPhone 3GS.

When you launch iVideoCamera, you should see something similar to when you launch the iPhone’s camera application. You should see a view finder, a library button, as well as a button that looks like an arrow that will take you to the effects menu. Also on the effects menu, you can choose whether you would like to record your video in high or low quality.

While you’re recording a video, you have the option to zoom, as well as apply affects to your video.

Once you’ve recorded a video, you should see a menu telling you that your video has been saved to the library. Also, you should see a list of options, such as exporting your video to your iPhone’s camera roll, sharing your video, watching your video, deleting your video, or going back to the camera.

If you choose to share your video, you will have the option to upload it to a variety of websites, including YouTube, FaceBook, Vimeo, and more. Also, you have the option to send an SMS link, e-mailing your video, saving it to the camera roll, or sending it to a computer by using an FTP transfer.

If you would like to try using iVideoCamera, you can download it from the Apple App Store for $0.99.