software

Computer Security For Your PC (Mac users read the tips)

/ HawaiiWP.com LLC / 1 Comment

Hi Friends,

Many of you have chosen to use a PC as your primary computer.  But the topic of security eludes most of us.

We know we should have a firewall to protect access to our precious files.  And we know to purchase an Anti-virus program like one of the biggees (Norton Antivirus, McAfee, etc.) But what is Anti-Spyware?  What about Anti-Malware?  Have you heard about HIPS protection?  And it seems like the list could go on and on.  At some point the thought crosses our mind… “Do I really want 5 programs running on my computer before I do anything?”  “My computer seems to be running so slowly these days…”

I have always recommended the Trinity of security Applications: Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, & Firewall.  If you want a list of very good and free software, go to http://www.techsupportalert.com.

But security starts before you install any of these programs.  And these TIPS are for all computer users.

  • Keep your Operating System up to date with the latest software updates.  Windows or Mac, it doesn’t make a different.  Check those updates and install them regularly.
  • Keep your key programs updated as well.  Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, Flash Player, Java, Firefox/Chrome/Other Web Browsers, etc.
  • Windows users, I just came across this program that comes highly recommended.  Personally I don’t use a PC anymore so I haven’t tried it.  But the concept is solid.  The program is called GeSWall and it’s available here.  The concept is to build a wall between your computers files and your internet activity, thereby keeping the bad stuff away from affecting your computer and files.
  • One of my favorite internet guru’s, Gizmo Richards, features more great tips on his website.
  • Have you got a great tip too?  Leave them in the comments section for all to see.

Aloha!
Arlen

My Favorite iPhone/iPad Apps (Changes Regularly)

/ HawaiiWP.com LLC / 2 Comments

I get asked for App recommendations all the time, so here’s a list of my favs for my fans. Love you all! Leave your favorites in the comments section.  -arlen

My Favorite iPhone Apps:
Evernote, BibleReader, ESV Bible, DocsToGo, iAnnotate, Dropbox, Kindle, Mint, Feedler RSS, TripIt, Skype, Wikipanion, IMDB, Flixster… See below for details.

Note taking App- Evernote
Sign up for a free account at http://www.evernote.com. Then you can you use the Evernote App to sync your notes between your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC. Evernote is also a good tool because it backs up your notes so you never lose or forget your notes. Evernote will also sync notes from other Apps like Bible Reader.

Bible App- Olive Tree Bible Reader

High quality often comes are a price. The Bible Reader App is free, but you will need to pay for the Bibles, Commentaries, Dictionaries, etc. That you put add to the app. That said, you can carry a substantial digital library on your iPhone and iPad.

  • Steve pointed out that you can also view two bibles or a bible and commentary side by side in two windows. Great for study and comparison.
  • Tap a verse to highlight or write a note, then sync and backup your notes with a free Evernote account.
  • This app is fast replacing my regular Bible as a great portable study alternative.

Free Bible App- ESV Bible
The ESV is great, accurate translation of the Bible. Now it’s available free on your iPhone or iPad. Neat features include “tweeting” your notes and favorite passages.

Office Suite- Docs to Go
Create and Edit all your office doccuments. Word, Excel, Powerpoint can all be managed with this App. If you want productivity to go, this is my favorite app.

iAnnotate
PDF management on steroids. I have a lot of PDF’s whether they are e-books from the Elijahlist or documents shared with me. As the name suggests iAnnotate allows you to add your highlights, comments, bookmarks, etc. to the PDFs. Dropbox integration makes storing and retrieving your files a breeze.

File Mangement- Dropbox
If you’re tired of forgetting a critical file on your computer at home, or tired of plugging and unplugging those USB flash drives, try an online alternative. http://www.dropbox.com will give you a free account to store up to 2 GB’s of files. Then access those files on the go with the Free iPhone/iPad App.

E-Book Reader- Kindle
Read, Highlight, and Annotate your favorite ebooks with this mature and proven App. Shop the vast library of ebooks on amazon.com and start reading today.

Financial Management- Mint
Manage all your financial accounts in one place. Check your credit card balances, bank account, and plan & watch your budget. Mint was recently acquired by Intuit/Quicken so you know the security and usability of the app is first-class.

RSS feed management- Feedler RSS
If you compile all your favorite RSS feeds in a Google Reader account, use this great App to read through the articles in style.

Travel Organizer- Trip it
Trip it makes is simple to manage your busy travel schedule. Simply email your flight, hotel, rental car, etc. Confirmations to tripit and your whole itinerary will be compiled for you. Find local weather and information about your destination too. Simple and organized.

Phone Alternative- Skype
If you regularly use Skype to make international or local calls, why not call from your iPhone at those same low rates? Install the app and start calling.

For Fun-
Wikipanion- A great app to access Wikipedia information.
IMDB- Get all your TV and Movie info here.
Flixster- Watch trailers, add DVD’s to Netflix and a whole lot more.


The Top 3 Security Apps To Protect Your Mac-Repost

/ HawaiiWP.com LLC / 1 Comment


Hi Gang,
I just found this great article on Security Apps for your mac. Worth reading and installing.

I have iAntivirus on my Mac and run the scan from time to time to ensure my Mac is safe and bug free.

The other two are great suggestions and I plan to look at them more closely in the near future.

Here’s the link to the original article.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Makeuseof/~3/1-4SRZc5HuI/

Aloha,
Arlen


One-Hour Training

/ HawaiiWP.com LLC

consulting

Our $75 fee will bring us to your door to help assist you with the basics of your computer:

  • iPhone Basics – Intermediate
  • Windows
  • Mac OS X
  • Microsoft Office
  • Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Dreamweaver)
  • iLife (iTunes, Garageband, iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, etc.)
  • iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote)
  • Web Design (Coda, Rapidweaver, Dreamweaver)
  • WordPress & Blogs/CMS
  • Screencasting with Screenflow
  • Etc.

Tell me what you want to learn about and I’ll help you get you headed in the right direction.

🙂 Arlen

Request Training:

Before you Purcahse Apple Products…

/ HawaiiWP.com LLC

This is just a thought I had…

Recently, I purchased Final Cut Express, Apple’s prosumer video editing program. I’ll be using it in about a month to edit some video on a project I have coming up. What I forgot to consider is that Apple tends to upgrade their software on a regular schedule. And in the next month or two, Apple could put out a newer shinier, better version of the product I just paid for. Had I been patient and waited, I might have gotten the newer program. Oh well. Maybe my loss will be your gain…

🙂 arlen


Cheap Software!!!

/ HawaiiWP.com LLC / 3 Comments

MacUpdate regularly bundles software together and offers it at huge discounts.

Their bundle right now is $50. and includes 11 programs. For the price, they are offering some great products if you need them and don’t already have comparable programs.

My recommendation is if you’d consider purchasing 2 of the programs below the bundle is worth it. Or if you are considering running windows, Parallels alone retails for $80 and this bundle would be worth it.

Click here to see the website.
http://bit.ly/d3Zjr7

1. Parallels v5
If you want to run windows XP, Vista, or 7 alongside your mac programs this is a great program to use. Note: you must have a windows installation CD to use windows. A comparable program you might have is VMware Fusion.

2. MacScan
MacScan is an excellent anti-virus program for the Mac. Historically Macs have not had many viruses so anti-virus software has been unnecessary. However with the popularity of Macs, iPhones, and the coming iPads, we may see a rise in viruses for Macs.

3. Hyperspaces
If you use “Spaces” to organize your work, hyperspaces adds some nice enhancements. This is a fun program that makes using spaces more useful.

4. Websnapper
If you have ever wanted to save a web page as an image or PDF, this is the program that will do it for you. Note: this is a plug-in for Safari. If you’re using another web browser like Firefox, this won’t be useful for you.

5. Hydra
Is a simple and powerful program to create High Dynamic Range images. High Dynamic Range or HDR is a technique where people using DSLR cameras can take 3-5 pictures at various exposure settings and combine them into one. The result is an image with great vibrant colors. If you have a DSLR camera or your consumer camera has a feature like “Auto Exposure Bracketing AEB) you’ll have fun playing with your pictures and this program.

6. SpellCatcher X
Is Mac OS X’s spell checker, dictionary, thesaurus, etc. on steroids. Great tool for writers and people who write or blog a lot.

7. Timeline 3D
This is another fun program. If you make timelines, chronology, are a history buff this would be a really fun program to play with.

8. Back in Time
Most of us use Time Machine to backup our data. It’s a great backup tool. But it has some limitations when you want to restore data or restore a previous version of a file. “Back in Time” overcomes many of these limitations.

9. ForeverSave
Never lose any work you’ve done because of a program crash or mistakenly deleted file. Enough Said.

10. MacDVDRipper
Backup your DVD Collection to your hard drive.

11. (First 10,000 people get) DVD Remaster Pro
Use this program to make copies of your DVD’s. Movie DVD’s we buy are special size DVDs so they won’t copy nicely to Blank DVDs we buy. A program like DVDRemaster Pro bridges the gap to compress the DVD so it will fit. This is why there is no DVD copying software included with Macs.

Bottom line: If you would use Parallels or any 2+ of these programs, this bundle is worth considering.

🙂
arlen