Jim's Column from 1/30/05
Dear Apple Fan:
Sorry for the bulk response but when I mention anything involving the Mac (excuse me: “Apple”) platform it's easier this way. (You folks are a lot like the Amiga crowd used to be…it makes life exciting, anyway.).
Based on the e-mails you have sent, just pick and choose your issue and select your response:
1. Regarding my comment that the new Apple Mini computer at $499 is not accurately priced because it does not include anything, keep in mind PC keyboards are not USB; some PC mice are not either, though they can be. (USB mice in the PC world come with a little green adapter that make them PS2, it just depends on the PC’s age, the BIOS and a host of other factors.) Regardless, with Dell advertising entire systems for $399, surely even the Mac faithful will agree that the Mini is not cheaper than a Windows PC. If not, we need to add math lessons to the column and no one wants that. The Mini is a lovely pricepoint for an Apple product but don’t expect to plunk down $499 and go merrily on your way unless you already own the mouse, keyboard and monitor. If you don’t and you have to buy them you may want to consider a more powerful Apple. There, is that better?
2. What I have said over and over in my column for years was that the Apple platform was and is less hassle, more elegant and a better design. I say the Windows platform is cheaper and more universal. (And it’s a darn shame about the Amiga). Can we shake?
3. Yes, my 40 gig Ipod battery lasts about an hour, is defective and yes, it could be replaced under warranty because I have owned it a year or less (it would cost $99 after the first year). Hundreds of you were gracious enough to point out Apple’s warranty program but here is the deal with the warranty. You mail Apple your lovingly cared-for Ipod and they mail you back a refurbished one that some kid MIGHT have had in a mosh pit. (Can you tell I am over 40 yet? Yes, I am, so turn your music down and get a haircut!) So, you don't get back the same Ipod you send in. So you have to gamble. What if the one you get back was in there for a huge disk failure or has a grunged up case? Sure, you may get back a better condition one than you sent, but you may not. So I am mulling over the options. (Many of you were nice enough to mail me various ideas on how to revive the battery; I have tried several of these before and will try the others, thanks.)
4. The reason there are fewer viruses written for the Apple platform is the same reason there are fewer viruses written for the Amiga; there are fewer Apples. It is less fun to write viruses when (relatively) no one gets infected. It's like blowing off cherry bombs in the desert...what's the point if no one can hear them?
5. Windows does have that right mouse button, though.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Read the Apple soap opera Apple Turns (
www.appleturns.com) for the latest.
James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His email address is
jim@cyberdads.com
Jim's Column from 1/23/05
Letters are in the box and I can’t keep up with them all but let’s get to the most common ones.
Q. You mentioned turning off Instant Messaging within Outlook to speed it up. I can’t find that setting. Where is it?
A. It is not in Outlook Express mind you, but only Outlook and only in certain versions of Outlook (I know of Outlook XP and Outlook 2002, but there could be more.) Anyway, to see if you can turn it off, open Outlook. Hit Tools, then Options, then Other. At the bottom, there is “Enable Instant Messaging in Outlook.” Uncheck that. (This, if you missed the earlier column, are for those who are seeing some delays and lags in the performance of Outlook.) If you don’t see that option, don’t worry about it.
Q. Do you think the Apple Mini computer is a good value?
A. Well, at $499 it certainly is a low price point for an Apple product but keep in mind that it comes with nothing (no keyboard, no monitor, no mouse) so your “real” cost will approach that of a “normal” sized Apple and exceed that of a Windows-based PC. I would not buy it because of size but after the initial buzz is off (don’t pay extra for it) keep it in mind, especially if you already have the Apple keyboard, mouse and monitor. What Apple is doing right is design, support and sales (its Apple stores are a work of art). What it sucks at, apparently, is manufacturing and its supply chain as it tends to run out of every hot product it brings to market. (Oh, and battery design; the battery for my 40 gig Ipod lasts about a minute and a half.)
Q. How do you get Microsoft’s new spyware tools?
A. One you get from Windows Update. It’s called the “Malicious Software Removal Tool” and allegedly it updates itself and works in the background. I suspect it does nothing but beats ramming your head into the hall. The other is the Windows AntiSpyware Beta and you can get that free from the Microsoft web site (
www.microsoft.com). It’s a beta product (almost ready for market) and today only works on Windows XP and Windows 2000 systems. The first one has never found anything on my systems; the second isn’t bad; worth adding to your toolbelt of other tools.
Q. What is the free anti-virus product you recommend? Is it is good as the paid products? Why is it free?
A. AVG from Grisoft (
www.grisoft.com) is free for certain users…check its web site to see if you qualify (home users get it free.) It’s powerful, well-rated and easy to use. As Norton gets more expensive and Microsoft readies its own solution, this whole market is going to change dramatically. As for if it is as good as the paid products, I am not a testing lab. What I can refer you do is the respected virus bulletin (
www.virusbtn.com/) and you can judge for yourself what to buy based on test results. You also can check PC World, which also tests virus products.
As for why it is free, some companies give away products to gain market share, some do it to encourage business customers to buy the product and some do it to hurt competitors.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Ever want to buy computer components at rock-bottom prices? Check out Pricewatch (
www.pricewatch.com)
James Derk is co-owner of Cyberdads, a computer repair company, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is
jim@cyberdads.com
Jim's Column from 1/15/05
It’s a new year and people are still mailing me like mad. I need to focus at first on an apology. There was a time when I could focus my energy on answering every question but with thousands of questions coming in I simply can’t get them all. I try to get the common ones here and some specific ones online but don’t take it personally if I simply can’t get to it.
Q. Can you explain what is important about speed of routers and wireless routers? I am confused about 802.11B and G and SuperG and Speedbooster and all of this other stuff. Does brand matter?
A. The various manufacturers are engaged in a speed war of sorts but for the average consumer it is a bit of a non-event. Consider this: the typical high-speed cable modem Internet provider is providing content to the home at about 1 megabit to 4 megabit. So if you are just interested in distributing Internet content around your house, anything above 4 is overkill at this point. Where the routers that offer 50 meg transfer and all that come in handy is internal transfers, that is, within the network, from one PC in your house to another one. (Maybe to serve video from a server to a TV, or pipe audio to different rooms.)
So when it comes to routers, buy a decent brand. I tend to buy by price, trying to ignore the stupid rebate wars that drive everyone nuts. Keep in mind if your laptop has wireless already built in, you need to match your router to that. (If your laptop has “B” wireless it will connect to a “G” router; but if your laptop has “G” it will not connect to a “B.”) If you are looking for the most universal, at this point that is G.
Q. I heard Microsoft is releasing a new Spyware killer software. Does that mean the end of all of this junk?
A. Hardly. Microsoft has released Beta 1 of a nice tool (it had bought a small spyware-fighting company a while back) free onto its web page at
www.microsoft.com last week. I have played with it and found it pretty nice. But if you consider it the nuclear bomb that will win the war on spyware you’re sadly mistaken. These cretins are getting more and more clever in their attempts to take over our PCs and it takes a dozen tools, often used together in a certain order, to get things even remotely back to normal on badly infected machines. (I got one laptop in our shop last week that didn’t need a repairman; it needed a priest and Holy water.) So it’s another tool in the belt, but not a solution.
Q. Is there a decent, cheap photo editing application out there? Which one do you recommend? I just have some family pictures I need to crop and adjust, remove some red-eye and basics.
A. If you download the new Adobe Acrobat 7 Reader for free, they are tossing in a basic version of a nice Adobe photo composition and editing tool for nothing, so that’s worth a try. Get it at
www.adobe.com/acrobat/ WEEKLY WEB WONDER: I still love CRAYON, the great, original site where you can build your own newspaper and have it ready every day. See it at
www.crayon.net.
James Derk is co-owner of Cyberdads, a computer repair company, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is
jim@cyberdads.com
Jim's 1/2/05 Column
Permit a New Year rant?
Thousands of you likely got flat-panel monitors for Christmas and most of you likely have them hooked up incorrectly because the companies who make them are weasels. (And therefore are missing out on digital-quality images.)
Some background. Flat panel monitors come in two flavors. Cheap varieties are “analog” only (they don’t accept digital input signals.) They have blue connectors. These are only worth buying if you have an older computer and need to save some desk space. You won’t gain much if any image quality by buying one.
The other flavor are actual digital flat panels. These also accept analog signals (they have the blue input connectors) but also have digital connectors (generally larger, narrower, white connectors). They cost just a little more than the cheaper ones but if your computer has digital output you will get major improvement with the right connection.
Now look at the back of your computer. Find the blue connector where your old monitor is connected. If there is a white digital one nearby (usually on the same card), you’re all set. If you don’t have a white socket, you need a video card upgrade (to one with digital video (DVI)) before you can take full advantage of a digital flat panel. You can get a decent video card at retail for $75.
However, and here is the evil empire part, most flat-panel companies are not shipping digital monitors with the required digital cable. Instead, they ship with the cheaper analog cable and hope consumers just figure it out that they need it. (And here is the best part…after you shell out three or four hundred clams for the monitor, the big-box retailer will sell you the cable for a mere 50 bucks.)
No one reads the manuals any more, however, so nearly every computer I see in my computer repair business has their flat-panels hooked up completely wrong. And who can blame them? Who expects the cable included in the box to be the wrong one for most current PCs?
This whole cable thing reminds me of the debacle involving printers. Printers used to cost a lot and included everything you needed in the box. Now they cost nothing and have nothing in the box, often not even the cable you need to make it work. But at least they don’t go so far as to include the WRONG one. Monitor companies would be better to include NO cable at all and let people ask the sales drone. At least most would then be sold the most expensive cable (and therefore the right one).
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Many of you also got Pocket PCs for Christmas too. If you want Themes (the backgrounds for them) for free, head to PocketThemes (
www.pocketthemes.com)
James Derk co-owns CyberDads.com, a computer repair firm and is computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is
jim@cyberdads.com
