Which Internet Browser To Use??

TRY ALL OF THEM...

Today almost all public & work environment computers have all 4 of the major browsers installed on them.  This gives the individual users the choice of which browser they want to use...  Why?? Think of it as having multiple salad dressing choices in your fridge... No particular reason, they all do the same thing, it's just a matter of taste..

You will also find that certain websites you visit "work better" if and when you use the browser that they've built their platform on... so for example if you are visiting any website from Google - Gmail, blogger, YouTube, Google drive, Google maps etc. then you might consider opening your CHROME browser to access those websites.

Computers and other devices with Windows Operating Systems come with Internet Explorer pre-installed, those with Android Operating Systems have Google Chrome installed, and Apple Operating Systems have Safari pre-installed, but you can use any of these browsers on your devices - simply download them: 

• Google Chrome ~ go to www.google.com
• Firefox by Mozilla ~ go to www.mozilla.com
• Safari  by Apple ~ go to http://support.apple.com/downloads/#internet

Cloud Computing - Continued Discussion...

Several times earlier this year (in Feb. & May) we discussed Cloud Computing, but things are changing and there are more and more companies offering us the ability to store on their clouds (which means on their servers) So- the discussion continues...

There is no doubt that cloud computing is here to stay.  Many of us have been using "cloud computing" for years without realizing it - If you use a hotmail, yahoo, AOL or Gmail account" for your emails, you go to the specific company's website, via the internet, enter your user name & password (from any computer in the world) and your email messages appear. You can then write/compose new emails - all the while the computer you are sitting at, is simply a vehicle allowing us to see and type - but all of our emails are actually being stored and/or written on/from their computers....hence "cloud computing"

Today many of these same email vendors are providing us with additional free space, so that in addition to our emails we can also store our documents, photos, movies & music in another part of our "email account" - like having an additional file cabinet...  Why would we do that?

Well, like your emails, you can access any of these items stored on their "cloud" when you are away from your computer (home or work) because remember it's stored on their computer - in their cloud...

If you have multiple devices - you may want to "sync" them, so that when you enter information on one device, it appears on all your devices...   

For example:

You have a Windows based computer, a Smartphone & a tablet - if you have a Gmail account and use the Google Drive Cloud - whatever is entered in these on one computer shows up on the rest

Or You have an iPhone, iPad and MacBook - by simply having an iCloud ID and password (and the iCloud ID can be your existing email address w/hotmail, Gmail, etc..) you can select in the settings of your iCloud what you want to share among your devices-Photos, emails, contacts, calendars, etc..

Or maybe you have a Windows PC, an Android Smartphone and a MacBook - you could simply choose to have the Apple iCloud on all your devices to share your music, data & moves...

And the combination goes on and one..

If you have been using hotmail/live/msn accounts - you have "SkyDrive" which is their free cloud computing for us to store data and photos - but anyone can go to SkyDrive.com and download the app and receive a certain amount of storage for FREE - Gmail users have the free Picasa Web Albums and Google Drive cloud; and again anyone can use this or Apple/MAC's iCloud or any of the other hundreds of companies... most allow some free storage - others charge an annual or monthly fee - some based on the amount of storage, some are by computer - it varies..

Shop around and remember you can use multiple "cloud services"; I know some people who store all their music in iTunes synced with the iCloud; and use their SkyDrive for their documents; maybe DropBox for their data from work; Google Drive w/Picasa Web Albums for their photos and Carbonite, so everything is backed up every time they are on the computer (no limit) but this service doesn't allow you to use a syncing feature (yet)!

The list of companies offering cloud computing is growing every day.  Each has their own features, it depends on what you are looking for... I always think it's better to begin with the FREE services while you learn, and once you've mastered that and understand what it is you are using, then you can always switch to or add another service if needed...Here is the link to an article recently published about some of the popular "cloud computing companies" -

http://www.consumer-rankings.com/online-backup

Different ways to shut down your computer or laptop..

Before shutting down your computer, it is always a good idea and beneficial for the life of your computer, to close all applications you have running, such as your email, multiple websites/tabbed browsing, word, excel, power point, game or other application programs.

·         This can be done by Left clicking the "X" in the upper-right corner of each program page (often in a red box)

OR

·         Using your task bar at the bottom of your monitor, Right click on each open program and then left click on “close group:.  If you have open applications such as Word, Excel and the like, you may be promoted to confirm whether or not you want to save any changes made to those documents, spreadsheets or power point presentations.. 

Using keyboard shortcuts

·         Press and hold the following three keyboard keys at the same time: "Control, ALT and Delete (CTRL + ALT + DEL)" keys on your keyboard

·         This will open the “"Shutdown" menu

·         Using your navigation arrows on the keyboard, press the downward (or upward) arrow to highlight the "Shut Down" option.

·         Once “Shut Down” is highlighted, simply press the "Enter" key on the keyboard and the computer will shut down and power off 

Using your mouse

·         Simply left click on your “Start” Button

·         When the Start Menu Appears, note that the right bottom side of the start menu list, you the “Turn off computer” button

·         Left click on this button or arrow

·         The “ShutDown” action box will appear and depending on the version of Windows you are using, you will have the choice of choosing “Standby”. “Restart” or “Shut Down”

·         Left click on whichever option you choose and that is the action that will occur

On an apple Mac:

·         Click on "Finder" at the top of your computer screen to access a drop-down menu (usually next to the Apple icon).

·         Highlight the "Shut Down" option from the drop-down menu.

• Allow your computer the time it needs to completely shut down before you close the lid on your laptop or remove the power supply from your computer.

Apple iTunes, iPods, iPhone, iPads & Music...

So many students are now using various Apple devices – such as iPod, iPad, iPhone etc.. and the questions we receive are as varied as the devices themselves.

Bu the most popular question I receive is “how do I get music from my computer to my iPod, iPad, iPhone etc”…all of which use Apples iTunes…

Apple has a wonderful instructional site that answers every conceivable iTunes questions you might have – The site walks you through (in English) the various aspects of everything and anything you might want to do with these and other Apple devices… And trust me, it is easy…

So if you have created an iTunes library and/or you have one of the iPod, iPad, iPhone devices - visit this website. The website boasts “It will answer all your questions from burning CDs to watching HD TV, everything you always wanted to know about iTunes"

I would recommend that you save the website to your Favorites/Bookmarks or better yet, add it to your Favorite Bar, because I’m sure you’ll visit it often…

http://www.apple.com/itunes/features

What's an MP3 vs iPod, iPod Shuffle etc.

It's obvious the holidays are fast approaching. I've received quite a few emails asking about iPods and MP3 Players so thought it was a topic to address immediately... I hope this helps explain the differences - and once again let your budget be your guide..

MP3 Player ~ Is a small electronic device that allows users to carry video, pictures or even thousands of songs in your pocket - can cost as little as $15 and supplied by numerous manufacturers

iPod ~ was introduced in 2001 by Apple was originally a simple pocket-sized device used to play music files butt continues to evolve and there are various types to meet various needs and budgets from $50 for the iPod Shuffle to $399 for the 64GB iPod Touch

iPod Shuffle ~ Apples least expensive and they claim worlds smallest music player. It comes in colors, it talks to your telling you the song title & artist and more Available in 2GB or 4GB ($55+)

iPod Nano ~ Apples Step-up from the iPod Shuffle, is a portable media player with a video camera and FM tuner Available in 8GB or 16GB ($150+)

iPod Classic ~ Apples top of the line iPod With 160GB of storage, iPod classic is the take-everything-everywhere iPod, with space for up to 40000 songs, 200 hours of video, or 25000 photos and 2.5 in viewing screen (about $250)

iPod Touch ~ Apples new touch screen model for music, watch movies, play games, and more in the palm of your hand. Available in 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB($199-399)