Rock Tech Blog

Netbooks vs tablets – is the netbook dead?

Cameron MacDonald — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:36:33 +0000

Here is a great article by Justin Pot at MakeUesof.com about his choice:

4 Reasons I’m Glad I Own A Netbook And Not A Tablet [Opinion]

Computer Keyboard Shortcuts-Part 2

Cameron MacDonald — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:30:27 +0000

In part 1, we talked about the Tab key and the Shift-Tab combination to keep your hands on the keyboard and supposedly more productive. So maybe you’ve tried “Tab-ing” and “Shift-Tab-ing” up and down an online form or a Windows dialogue box and you feel like you’re ready to be productive in the online world, right? Then you run into those “yes/no” or “M/F” choices. Oh no, what do you do. You can’t type in a word or “F” or “Yes”, so how do you select the option you want? Mouse click, right? Well, you could, but we’re trying to stay on the keyboard to save a wee bit of time, right? The Spacebar saves the day! Use the Tab key to highlight the choice you want, “M” or “F”, or “Y” or “N”, or whatever…and hit the “Spacebar”. That selects it and you can tab right on by the rest of the choices, and this works for those long lists of the “Choose one…” variety. Tab to your choice and “Spacebar” it. You’re on your way!

Another useful “Tab” combo can help you whizz around your desktop like a real IT master or gamer…and we all want to be just like them, right? Maybe you’ve seen someone flipping back and forth between 4 or 5 windows, all hidden behind each other. How the heck do they do that? “Hey, slow down so I can see what you’re doing there!” On a PC, what they’re using is the “Alt-Tab” key combination. (Mac users, it is the “Cmd-Tab” keys.) Press and hold the “Alt”key (“Cmd” on a Mac) and then press and hold “Tab”. You’ll see a small window open on your desktop with a smaller version of all the active, or focused, windows shown in a row with one of them highlighted. While still holding the “Alt”(“Cmd”) key, release and press the “Tab” key and watch the “highlight” move to the next one in the row. If you release the “Alt” key now, that new highlighted choice will become the front window on your desktop and you can start using it.

An example of using this would be, say, when you are working on a text document in full-screen mode and you need to check something online. You know you’ve got your browser open also but you can’t see it because your document is full-screen. Press and hold “Alt”(“Cmd”), press “Tab” once and you’ll see the little window open. If the only applications running are the text editor and the browser, you’ll have 3 choices: those 2 apps and a smaller version of your desktop (Yes, you can even go from an open window directly to your desktop.) with the browser highlighted. Let go of the “Alt”(“Cmd”) key and, Ta-Da, you’re in your browser! Done looking up the info? “Alt-Tab”(“Cmd-Tab”) once…and you’re back to the document. When you get lots of windows open or apps active (even minimized) you can use this to zip back and forth with the greatest of ease.

Try these tips out…see it they are something you’ll use.

Cameron MacDonald

founder – Rock Tech Computer Services

www.rocktechcomputer.com

Follow me on facebook at Rock Tech Computer

or twitter at @rocktechcam

Computer tips – the “Tab” key

Cameron MacDonald — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:50:13 +0000

The trouble I used to have with all the articles I read about keyboard shortcuts was that they threw everything at me all at once. I was left with a long list of key combinations. I tried, and sometimes retained, the first few on the list, but inevitably I would forget to continue with the list the next day. Even if I did get halfway down the list, if I didn’t use them often enough I would lose the “finger memory”.

This is the first in a series of articles about keyboard shortcuts that is intended to allow you to learn 2 or 3 at a time, try them out and see if they might be useful. If you are like me, some will be “Aha!” moments and will stick in your memory; others will be “What the….! When will I ever use this?” times and you will curse me for cluttering up your brain with useless crap.

I’m going to start with the Big Daddy of them all, but actually it’s not really a shortcut, which some define as a combination of keystrokes. I’ll include it here anyway because it is probably the biggest time saver for me when I’m online: the “Tab” key.

If you have used any kind of “office” software, you know the Tab key is used to indent, move to the next column and other tasks. Online this key can save just as much time by moving the cursor from one interactive position or field (box where you input your name or other info) to the next, as in filling out a form. Tired of typing in your first name, reaching for the mouse, clicking down to the next box, typing in your last name, etc.? Use the Tab key instead! Fill in one field, hit “Tab” and your cursor moves to the next field. No grabbing for the mouse while you fill out that request or address form. Keep your eye on it though; if there is a Help or More Info icon right after the field, you may have to click Tab twice. The first click will highlight that icon because it is the next interactive position.

The companion to the Tab key is a true shortcut: Shift + Tab. This combination does the opposite of Tab alone, moving the cursor back one field. Say you type in your full name, hit Tab and then realized that first field only asked for your first name. Your cursor is now in the second field. Hmmmm? Wait, don’t touch that mouse! Use Shift+Tab. Press and hold the Shift key (either one), then press Tab. Each time you hit Tab while holding down the Shift key will move you back one field. You can go back and forth, zipping around that form like there’s no tomorrow.

Try the keys out for a while. I guarantee you’ll love them once you get used to them. Next time, I’ll talk about more uses for the Tab key.

Cameron MacDonald

founder – Rock Tech Computer Services

www.rocktechcomputer.com

Follow me on facebook at Rock Tech Computer

or twitter at @rocktechcam

Mac users…welcome to the cruel world.

Cameron MacDonald — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:09:45 +0000

It had to happen. You knew it would. Mac users can come down off those horses they’ve been on and join all the Windows users that have been looking over their digital shoulders. Over the past few weeks, Apple has been doing the “Microsoft-scurry”, attempting to stay on top of the biggest baddie to hit the Mac world: Mac Defender. (Apple has been doing a much better job than Microsoft usually does.)

OK, OK, you can stay on your horses. It is not the end of the world as you know it, but it does mean that it is time to devote some of your computer thinking to whether your computer is protected and “should I click that or not”. Mac Defender isn’t a virus, worm or Trojan, so you don’t necessarily need to run out to get an anti-virus program (unless it will make you feel safer). Defender is designed to entice you into clicking and installing it by warning you that there are suspicious programs on your computer. Windows users are getting very used to this, although, judging by the numbers of these schemes still out there, many have yet to learn about it.

The primary thing to remember now is, as an earlier post of mine said, “Don’t click!” You have probably gone to a website by way of a poisoned search result or compromised Web ad, maybe even by clicking on a weblink that you shouldn’t have. The latest version of Defender doesn’t require an admin password like the first versions, but you would have to enter your credit card number to actually be scammed. Since Mac users are smarter than everyone else (right?), there’s no way that’s going to happen!

If you do think Defender put something on your computer, there are steps to take to remove it. This page from the Apple site (yes, it is safe) tells how to search for it and clean it up:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4650

If you haven’t already, make sure you have installed all the latest Apple updates. I would also make a change in your Safari settings. By default, Safari has its Open Safe Files after Downloading option checked. Go into the Preferences > General tab and uncheck this box. If you are using Firefox or Chrome, you don’t have to change any settings.

Being careful on the computer and online just keeps getting pushed more and more to the forefront of our thoughts, for more and more of us. Remember to think and double-check before clicking anything, installing programs and especially entering personal information when asked. It would be very nice if Mac Defender were only a freak case, but as Mac continues to rise in the numbers of users, I wouldn’t bet on it.

Cameron MacDonald

founder – Rock Tech Computer Services

www.rocktechcomputer.com

Follow me on facebook at Rock Tech Computer

or twitter at @rocktechcam

Where are your children…online?

Cameron MacDonald — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:07:13 +0000

If your children already have a cellphone or smartphone, or if you are dreading the day when you decide that it would be beneficial if they did, you are concerned. If you aren’t, you are braver than most parents I know. I’m being too nice with my words there; you definitely should be concerned. Between questionable content that can be downloaded, cyber-bullying and online predators, you need to be aware of what your children are viewing & where they are going on the internet. And what about sexting, which can get your children into deep trouble? I mean, teenagers are designed to do inappropriate things, aren’t they? This includes on your family computer, too.

Where are they?

Most wireless phone companies offer services that allow parents to know where their children are by locating the phone they are carrying. Sprint Family Locator, Verizon Family Locator and AT&T FamilyMap each can be used to find the location of a phone. They supply real-time location info that you can check on a PC or another smartphone. They have features that can alert you to your child’s location at a specific time of day or when your child arrives home. Unfortunately, depending on the phone and service, it may not be that accurate. If there is no GPS on the phone, the accuracy is limited and knowing that your child is within a certain 2-mile radius doesn’t do you much good.

What, and who, is engaging them?

If you are worried that your children are engaging in something inappropriate, or are the victim of cyber-bullying, the location of the phone doesn’t do much good. You will need to monitor the activity. Smartphones can be used for anything from email and texting to instant messaging and social networking. Fortunately, there are some good products that will allow you to get alerts if the activity on the phone turns inappropriate. SpectorSoft makes eBlaster Mobile, which logs every call made or received, every website visited and even GPS info. WebWatcher Mobile logs all text and email activity and you can set up keyword alerts to notify you of certain behavior.

At home

Both SpectorSoft and WebWatcher make a PC version of their software so you can make sure their home computing is safe, too. These are more robust than the mobile versions, going so far as to log application activity and keystrokes. WebWatcher enables screen capture to see exactly what was going on at a given time.

Nobody wants to isolate their children from their friends or keep them from experiencing and learning about their world, but it is important to know when they are being taken advantage of and when they have crossed the digital lines we have drawn for them.

Cameron MacDonald

founder – Rock Tech Computer Services

www.rocktechcomputer.com

Follow me on facebook at Rock Tech Computer

or twitter at @rocktechcam